Strategy Forumlation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Strategy Forumlation - Research Paper Example Such a mission tends to be at the retailer’s core of existence. Additionally, there is a possibility of variance in other retail strategy, over time it’s paramount to analyze objectives regarding the context of the intended market, identify possible options, obtain and perform resources allocation, and generate implementation plan. It is also important to monitor progress, as well as performing the necessary controls (Girijesh, 2009). While defining purpose or mission of the organization, the retailer presents what he/she intends to accomplish; the purpose should concentrate on the chosen markets within which the retailer intends to operate. Other aspects of concerns regard the commodities to be offered, the target customers, and the geographical location of the organization. Consequently, a situation analysis should be conducted, where the retailer, inwardly seeks to understand the strengths, as well as the weaknesses of the organization (Girijesh, 2009). Outwardly, the retailer should analyze the existing opportunities as well as threats. Such analysis assists in determining the firm’s position strengths, and weaknesses. It is also profound to put into consideration all available alternatives, which would help the retailer tap a given market. Such alternatives include: diversification, market penetration, retail format development, or market development. The two significant aspects of retailers include the market performance as well as the financial performance. While setting the objectives, one has to bear in mind, the market share, profitability targets, sales volume target, returns on investment, and liquidity targets. The resources required by a retailer include the financial resources and human resources. Human resource should reflect consistency with the organization’s overall strategy. The human resource focuses on selecting, recruiting, training, motivating, and

Implementing Effective Job Delegation in the Units Essay Example for Free

Implementing Effective Job Delegation in the Units Essay As a supervisor on our medical surgical unit, our hospital patient satisfaction scores for the past two years have been going down and there is a great need to improve patient satisfaction scores, particularly in the area of effective job delegation. Research (2011) has shown that a leader who does not delegate might likely feel stressed and overloaded. Although it might seem the best way for work to get done, is to do it yourself, but its not a good long-term solution. Feedback and review remain helpful and important, although the relationship is more likely one of mentoring, rather than coaching. The Question In order to improve patient satisfaction score in hospitals, the first question that health care providers should ask is what can be done to improve the quality of care given to our patients, and the second question is, how can effective job delegation improve our patient satisfaction score in our hospital? Will the creation of a policy on implementation of effective job delegation, encourage collaboration between the nursing staff and personnel to ensure that all personnel are not stressed or overworked? On our medical surgical unit, nurses struggle to deliver all the care their patients need, but are unable, due to stress and overwork. Good delegation saves time, develops people, grooms a successor, and motivates. Poor delegation will cause frustration, discouragement and Confusion, as such the delegated person will fail to carry out the delegated task. Effective job delegation will improve our patient satisfaction scores, even if most nurses would prefer to deliver all the care their patients need, but can’t, due to overwork and stress. The delegated task may be small, but has a large overall impact for all those involved. Nursing is a demanding profession, often nurses feel as though there are not enough hours in the day to complete all tasks, delegation of job will help nurses complete all the jobs allocated, this will help improve patient’s satisfaction scores. In the medical field today there is shortage of nurses, but still nurses are still expected to provide safe and effective care for their patients, by elegating some aspects of care to others this goal can be archived. Evidenced-Based Studies Many studies have been performed on effective job delegation. An article by American Nurses Association: Research and expert opinions suggest that effective job delegation frees up Nurses to do what they have been educated to do and coordinate patient care (ANA, 2020). It explained that delegating jobs help improve collaboration between healthcare workers, by delegating some aspects of care to others. Another article in the ADVANCE web site published by trustworthy researchers, who did the research on: why it is significant for healthcare workers to delegate job: since they decided what patient care intervention is necessary and how, when, and by whom these interventions need to be provided. The article narrated how effective job delegation will improve patient satisfaction scores; though most nurses would prefer to deliver all the care their patients need (Juno, 2010). An advanced research was carried out by nursing expert, who explained, that effective job delegation will improve patient satisfaction scores due to nurses shortage and the need to lower medical cost. The article describes how good job delegation saves time, develops people, grooms a successor, and motivates workers, while Poor job delegations causes frustration and overwork to nurses, making the task of healthcare workers difficult to give safe healthcare to their patients ( Juno, 2010). It explained that delegating jobs help improve collaboration between workers. An international research in South Africa discovered that there is a large disparity in service levels workload, between private and public sectors. The research point out that effective job delegation is necessary for both private and public sectors for jobs to be carried out efficiently (AFN, 2012). The organization Advocate for Nurses carries out a research and found out that the provision of health care in America has been compromised by the loss of trained health workers due to over work and stress, the article explained that when Managers or leaders engage in effective job delegation in the health care organization, Nurses will not leave the profession because of overwork and stress. It explained that poor job delegation lead to pressure and work overload, because most nurses think they can provide all the care their patient need, which is impossible to do, as such leaving one tressed, unhappy, and feeling that youre letting your profession down, the solution to prevent this feeling is effective job delegation (AFN, 2012). They also explained why health care worker have to delegate, because of changes in healthcare delivery, they stressed the fact that task delegation is here to stay at least for the foreseeable future. Job delegation is crucial to cost containment and Job d elegation is important; as such health care professionals should take it as an expected professional nursing activity (AFN, 2012). The Proposal The outcome of creating a policy is something that is realistically obtainable in a professional practice: Access to the hospital policies, meeting with floor managers/unit leaders and Identifying problems in our hospital have shown that our nurses and managers are stressed and overworked. The task of a competent manager is not to do all the work on his or her own, but to smartly deliver within the given parameters of budget and timeline I propose that all managers must make sure that the delegated person understands the importance of the task, the responsibility it brings and the long-term consequences. Once they are clear about the task it becomes easy for the job to be accomplished. Managers should make sure, those who are delegated, feel they are contributing to the success of the organization rather than standing on the periphery, and they must ensure that the job being delegated is handed to the appropriate individual, because if the task is not done, the person who delegated the job as well as the delegated person are responsible for non-performance of the job. Delegation is transferring a competent individual the authority to perform selected tasks in a selected situation. Effect job delegation facilitates success and trust among nurse, who then be able to deliver safe and satisfactory care of patients, as a result improve patient’s satisfaction scores. Conclusion Effective delegation involves achieving the desired results, managing the demanding deadlines, empowering and equipping the team. Ultimately, the responsibility of getting delegated job accomplished remains with the manager. Researchers have shown that leaders who do not delegate feel stressed and overloaded with work. Good delegation saves time, develops people, grooms a successor, and motivates. Poor delegation will cause frustration, discouragement and confusion. Effective job delegation strategies incorporated into health care practice can provide health care workers with more time for professional nursing roles, and enhance job satisfaction in the areas of decision-making and promotional opportunity.

Anthropogenic Polycyclic Aromatic

Anthropogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Source Apportionment of Anthropogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) by Molecular and Isotopic Characterization A dissertation submitted as part of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Abstract Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are important, ubiquitous environmental pollutants known for their carcinogenic and mutagenic properties. They are released into the atmosphere, soil (which bears about 90% of the environmental PAH burden in the UK) and water by natural and anthropogenic processes. Today, anthropogenic combustion of fossil fuel is, by far, the most important source of PAH input into the environment. The importance of PAHs as environmental pollutants with a multiplicity of sources has resulted in considerable interest in source apportionment techniques. This study therefore investigated the PAH profiles in road dust samples around a high temperature carbonization plant (Barnsley, South Yorkshire) and used the combination of molecular methods and gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (d13C GC-IRMS) to identify their origin. Quantification of the sixteen U.S EPA priority PAHs extracted from the dust samples ranged from 2.65 to 90.82g/g. The PAH profiles were dominated by phenanthrene for 2-3 ring PAHs and by fluoranthene, pyrene, chrysene and benzo(b+k)flouranthene for PAHs with ring size ≠¥ 4. The fluoranthene to pyrene (Fl/(FL+P)) )) concentration ratio ranged from 0.51 to 0.55, while the indenol(1,2,3-cd)pyrene to benzo(ghi)perylene (IcdP/(IcdP+ BghiPer)) ratio ranged from 0.37 to 0.55; suggesting contributions from diesel combustion, most likely from heavy duty trucks. The ability of compound-specific stable isotope measurement, using d13C GC-IRMS, to source apportion environmental PAHs where significant input from coal is expected has been demonstrated. The PAH d13C isotope ratio values ranged from -25.5 to -29.7%o. Overall, the d13C isotope ratio, in conjunction with PAH molecular distribution/ratio, strongly suggest that PAHs in the study area have inputs from both high temperature coal carbonisation and transport fuels (mainly diesel combustion). Chapter One 1.0 Introduction Industrialization, centered on energy use, has been the driving force for many of the greatest advances in the 20th century and is central to our way of life in the modern world today. Energy improvements and the discovery of fossil fuel (coal and petroleum) have hastened industrialization and breakthroughs in areas such as travel, communication, agriculture and healthcare, in many parts of the world. Despite these achievements, industrialization has brought along with it global problems of environmental pollution and challenges. These include exploitation of natural resources, oil spillages, global warming due to rising emissions of carbon dioxide and other green house gases, disposal of wastes (industrial and domestic) and inorganic and organic emissions which ultimately affect air, water and land quality. The release of organics/organic effluents such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), mainly from the use of fossil fuels; into the environment have particularly gained attention in recent times due to their toxicity and persistence. 1.1 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous environmental pollutants that are of great public concern due to their toxicity, carcinogenicity and/or mutagenicity (Fabbri et al., 2003; Sharma et al., 2007). They are continuously introduced into the environment by both natural processes, such as volcanic eruptions and forest fires; and anthropogenic sources which include various industrial processes such as coke production in the iron and steel industry, catalytic cracking in the petroleum industry, coal gasification, heating and power generation, open burning of vegetation and internal combustion engines used for various means of transportation (Suess, 1976; Morasch et al., 2007). Immense PAHs contaminations of the environment typically originate from anthropogenic sources. A natural balance existing between the production and natural degradation of PAH historically kept the background concentration of PAH in the environment low and fixed (Smith and Harrison, 1996). The ever-increasing industrial development and use of fossil fuels in many parts of the world released PAHs into the environment resulting in their universal occurrence in air, water, soil and sediments. This increase in the production rate of anthropogenic PAHs has disrupted the natural balance of PAHs in the environment, while their rate of decomposition remains more or less constant (Suess, 1976; Fetzer, 1988). PAHs are found in great abundance in fossil fuel materials such as shale oil, coal liquids, petroleum, asphalt and many other hydrocarbon based materials (Fetzer, 1988). Incomplete combustion of these fossil fuel materials produces fly ash, chimney soot and engine-derived air particulates which have higher levels of PAHs than the original materials (Chadwick et al., 1987; Fetzer, 1988). Generally, PAHs give rise to significant impact to the areas close to the nearest point sources (Ohkuchi et al., 1999). There are very high concentrations of atmospheric PAH in the urban environment which is accounted for by the various industrial processes earlier identified, increasing vehicular traffic and the scarce dispersion of the atmospheric pollutants. These PAHs are emitted to the atmosphere either in the gaseous phase or on very small particles, 70-90% of which are in the respirable range (et al., 1987). The risk associated with the human exposure to atmospheric PAH is therefore highest in the cities because of these factors and the density of population (Sharma et al., 2007). In view of the carcinogenic potential of many PAH compounds, their contribution to the mutagenic activity of ambient aerosols and range of sources of emission, their concentration in the environment is considered alarming and efforts should be made to reduce or even eliminate them wherever possible. To achieve this, a better understanding of their fate and associative transformation pathways in the environment is necessary and this has resulted in considerable interest in PAHs source apportionment. 1.2 Source Apportionment Most organic pollutants can be released into the environment from various sources. Hydrocarbon pollutants are particularly widespread in the environment due to the multiplicity of their sources such as synthesis by living organisms (biogenic origin), degradation of organic matter (diagenic origin), incomplete combustion of organic matter and natural and anthropogenic fossil fuel combustibles (petrogenic origin) (Mazeas et al., 2002). Due to the multiplicity of the sources of organic pollutants, source apportionment techniques are invaluable in the determination of the contributions of various pollution sources of a pollutant in the environment. Source apportionment generally refers to the quantitative assignment of a combination of distinct sources of a particular group of compounds put into a system (OMalley et al., 1994). Differences in emission profile, among emission sources, have been sufficiently used to develop fingerprints that can be identified and quantified at a particular site (Dallarosa et al., 2005). As mentioned earlier, most of the environmental PAHs have anthropogenic origins. Contributions from coal combustion and use of petroleum in internal combustion engines for transportation have increased over the years and have generated a lot of concern. It is therefore important to be able to distinguish different sources that contribute to PAH pollution of a particular environment using reliable source apportionment techniques. This project work is therefore aimed at contributing to the knowledge of reliable, unambiguous novel PAH source apportionment techniques by: (i) Identifying and quantifying contemporary PAHs fluxes in the environment around a coking works using molecular methods (ii) Demonstrating the ability of compound specific stable isotope measurement to source apportion environmental PAHs where significant input from coal is expected Chapter Two 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 General overview of the properties of PAHs Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds are a class of complex organic chemicals made up of carbon and hydrogen with a fused ring structure containing at least 2 benzene rings (Ravindra et al., 2008). They may also contain additional fused rings that are not six-sided (Figure 1). Pyrosynthesis and pyrolysis are two main mechanisms that can explain the formation of PAH from saturated hydrocarbons under oxygen-deficient conditions. Low molecular weight hydrocarbons like ethane form PAHs by pyrosynthesis (Figure 2). At a temperature greater than 5000C, carbon-hydrogen and carbon-carbon bond are broken to form free radicals which combine to form acetylene. Acetylene condenses further to form aromatic ring structures which are resistant to degradation (Figure 2). The ease with which hydrocarbons may form PAH structure varies in the order aromatics > cycloolefins > olefins > Paraffins (Ravindra et al., 2008). The higher molecular weight alkanes in fuel form PAH by pyrolysis: the cracking of organic compounds. The discovery of the fluorescence of a number of known carcinogenic tars and mineral oils in 1930 led to the investigation of the carcinogenic properties of PAHs. This spanned from the discovery that benz(a)anthracene and other compounds in its group possessed a similar fluorescence (Chadwick et al., 1987). Initial investigation for PAH carcinogenicity using dibenz(a,h)anthracene later resulted in the isolation of a powerful carcinogenic substance from coal tar: benzo(a)pyrene (Chadwick et al., 1987). Since the discovery of benzo(a)pyrene, various works have been done to identify other carcinogenic PAHs. Sixteen (16) parental PAHs have been designated by the US environmental protection agency (US EPA) as priority pollutants and most of the studies have focused on these (Figure 1 and Table 1). Seven (7) of these (Table 2) have been identified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as animal carcinogens and have been studied by the EPA as potential human carcinogens (EPA report, 1998). PAH can undergo metabolic transformation into mutagenic, carcinogenic and teratogenic agents in aquatic and terrestrial organisms. These metabolites, such as dihydrodiol epoxides, bind to, and disrupt, DNA and RNA, which is the basis for tumor formation (Wild and Jones, 1995). Although PAHs are renowned for their carcinogenic and mutagenic properties, not all of them are environmentally or biologically significant. Studies have been carried out on monitoring the levels of some of the important PAH in various parts of the world and the results of a number of these are summarized in Table 2. The carcinogenicity and/or mutagenicity of PAH, which require metabolic conversion and activation, is structurally dependent: while certain isomers can be very active, other similar ones are not (Fetzer, 1988). An example, as shown by Fetzer (1988), is found in the five PAHs with molecular weight of 288 and containing 4 rings. Chrysene, benz[a]anthracene and benzo[c]phenanthrene are mutagenic but the remaining two, napthacene and triphenylene are not. As molecular weight increases, the carcinogenic level of PAHs also increases and acute toxicity decreases (Ravindra et al., 2008). The p electron fused benzene rings in PAHs account for most of their physical properties and chemical stability (Lee et al., 1981). The 2-ring and 3-ring PAHs compounds, which are more volatile and water soluble, but less lipophilic than their higher molecular weight relatives, generally exist primarily in the gas phase in the atmosphere and will tend to be deposited to the surfaces via dry gaseous and/or wet deposition (Ravindra et al., 2008). On the other hand, the less volatile 5-6 ring PAHs tend to be deposited on surfaces bound to particles in wet and dry deposition; while compounds of intermediate vapor pressure will have a temperature-dependent gas/particle partitioning of PAHs leading to both wet and dry deposition in gaseous and particle-bound form (Mannino and Orecchio, 2008). PAHs have a tendency to sorb on hydrophobic surfaces and this tendency increases with the number of aromatic rings (Morasch et al., 2007). Thus, PAHs are primarily found/present in the environment in soils and sediments, rather than water and air. Their high hydrophobic tendency and high lipophilic properties make them easily bio-accumulated to such an extent that can threaten the safety of food chains for both man and animals (Sun et al., 2003). Compounds Chemical formula Molecular weight Melting point, oC Boiling point,oC Particle/gas phase distribution Napthalene C10H8 128.19 80.5 218 Acenaphthylene C12H8 152.21 Gas phase Acenaphthene C12H10 154.21 96.2 279 Gas phase Fluorene C13H10 166.22 116 -117 295 Gas phase Phenanthrene C14H10 178.24 100 101 340 Particle phase Anthracene C14H10 178.24 216.5 217.2 339.9 Particle phase Fluoranthene C16H10 202.26 110.6 111.0 393 Particle phase Pyrene C16H10 202.66 152.2 152.9 360 Particle phase Benz(a)anthracene* C18H12 228.30 159.5 160.5 435 Particle phase Chrysene* C18H12 228.30 250 254 448 Particle phase Benzo(b)fluoranthene* C20H12 252.32 Particle phase Benzo(K)fluoranthene* C20H12 252.32 215.5 216 Particle phase Benzo(a)pyrene* C20H12 252.32 176.5 -177.5 311 Particle phase Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene* C20H12 276.34 Particle phase Dibenz(a,h)anthracene* C22H14 278.34 205 Particle phase Benzo(ghi)perylene C20H12 276.34 273 Particle phase *PAHs identified animal carcinogens and as potential human carcinogens Table 1: Physical properties of 16 priority PAHs on US EPA listing (Adapted from EPA REPORT, 1998, Ravindra et al., 2008) S/N Total PAHs Mean (ngm-3) Cities 1 à ¥ 15 PAHs 56 Columbia (USA) 2 à ¥ 15 PAHs 412 Austria 3 B (a) P 4.99-9.56a Delhi 4 à ¥ 12 PAHs 93 Denver (USA) 5 à ¥ 8 PAHs 150-1800a Delhi 6 à ¥ 15 PAHs 166 London 7 à ¥ 15 PAHs 59 Cardiff 8 à ¥ 11 PAHs 90-195 (I)a, 20-70 (R)a Ahmedabad 9 à ¥ 12 PAHs 22.9-190.96a Kolkata 10 à ¥ 12 PAHs 20-95a, 125-190a Mumbai, Nagpur 11 à ¥ 13 PAHs 90.37 57.04 Coimbatore 12 à ¥ 11 PAHs 310 (60-910)a Mexico city 13 à ¥ 15 PAHs 8.94-62.5a Camo Grande city 14 à ¥ 16 PAHs 13-1865a Chicago I= industrial site, R = residential site, a Range Table 2: A summary of mean concentrations (ng/m3) of total PAHs in various cities of the world (Sharma et al., 2007) 2.2 Anthropogenic sources of PAHS The high concentration of PAHs in the environment, as shown in Table 2, suggests the extent of anthropogenic contribution (Sharma et al., 2007). It is, however, difficult to estimate the amount of anthropogenic PAHS on the yearly input of the various sources on a global basis. An approximate quantification has been made, based on the annual consumption of fossil fuel, that while the global annual release of PAHs to the atmosphere is of an order of 105 tonnes, including 103 tonnes of benzo(a)pyrene; the annual input of crude and processed oil containing 1-3% PAHs to the oceans of the world is 1.1106 tonnes (Ivwurie, 2004). The main anthropogenic sources of carcinogenic PAHs are emissions from fossil fuel combustion in industrial and power plants, automobile emissions, biomass burning, agricultural burning and natural gas utilization. Fossil fuel utilization is the major cause of anthropogenic PAH occurrence in the environment. Hence, emphasis is placed on these sources below. 2.2.1 PAHs from Coal Combustion and Conversion Processes Coal, an organic rock formed from the accumulation and burial of partially decomposed vegetation in previous geologic ages through a series of physical, biological and biochemical changes; is a major fossil fuel for heating and power generation. The predominant organic components in coal have resulted from the formation and condensation of polynuclear carboxylic and heterocyclic ring compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur (United Nations, 1973). Due to its chemical composition (heterogeneous macro-molecular matrix, including hydrocarbons and hetero-atomic moieties) various coal conversion and utilizations are significant contributors of PAHs to the environment. Coal combustion emissions 47 PAH compounds resulting from coal combustion residing in fly ash, grate ash or the stack emissions were identified in the work of Junk and Ford (1980, cited in Chadwick et al., 1987). However, these PAH emissions are a function of the efficiency of the coal combustion plant. On the whole, large, efficient coal-burning, electricity-generating plants, with high combustion temperatures, emit relatively low total amounts of PAH and contribute very little to PAH emissions when operated properly (Chadwick et al., 1987). PAH emission factors for coal-fired plants were put at 32ugkg-1 and 41ugkg-1 coal by Ramdahl et al. (1983) and Masclet et al. (1987) respectively. 70% of the total PAH emission flux from power plants is made up of 3-4 ring PAHs and their alkylated counterparts (Wild and Jones, 1995). 5-6 ring PAHs and their heteroatom-containing derivatives are emitted from coke ovens during coal carbonisation (Kirton et al., 1991) Coal carbonization emissions Coal carbonization, the pyrolytic decomposition of coal in the absence of oxygen, can be classified according to the temperature to which the coal is heated, as shown in Table 3. This process yields char or coke, tar and oven or coal gas as the major products. Coke is by far the most important product in terms of yield and revenue. However, leakages from coke ovens are sources of release of high levels of PAHs and other organics to the environment. Emissions from coke ovens range from volatile monoaromatics (alkyl benzenes) to 5-6 ring PAHs together with their substituted heteroatom derivatives such as O-PAHs, NPAHs and S-PAHs (Lao et al., 1975; Kirton et al., 1991). Anderson et al. (1983) determine

Steel and Tariffs Essay -- Economy Economics Essays

Steel and Tariffs We have all heard this joke. Only now the horse has been replaced with consumers of steel in the US steel industry. Why? Many companies in our economy that use steel as an input to produce their goods are staggering due to recent extraordinarily high steel prices. President Bush dropped a tariff on imported steel on Thursday March 4th; according to basic economics, this cancellation of the steel import tariff should have dropped the price for US domestic consumers. Unfortunately though, that hasn't happened. Steel prices are currently at record highs and many forecast even higher prices to come. This puts huge pressure on small businesses that are dependent on steel for their well being. With higher prices threatening these business owners’ profits and future sales all, including the very large companies, are looking for any break in the high priced storm that seems to be closing in on the future of the steel industry. While many companies are sending out fair warning that con sumers can expect higher prices in the car, furniture, and construction industries, many look for ways to cut costs and layoffs have been mentioned. Could this have been avoided? Many look to the recent lifting of tariffs imposed on steel imports as a possible culprit. Although the lifting of the tariff has affected the market, it is unlikely that the lifting correlates with the recent spike in steel prices. With the United Steel Workers of America screaming that the dropped import tariffs are, "clear evidence of capitulating to European blackmail and a sorry betrayal of American steelworkers and their communities," (Crutsinger 1) and representatives in congress showing much disgust at the presidents lack of respect and compassion for o... ...k, John. "US Steelmakers in Continuing Crisis." Challenge.Vol. 47, no. 1, January/February. M. E. Sharp, INC. 2004. 86-106. Crutsinger, Martin. "Bush drops steel import tariffs, accused of 'betrayal' by industry"The Game Cock. 04/05/04. <http://www.dailygamecock.com/news/2003/12/05/News/BushDrops.Steel.Impot.Tarif.Accused.Of.betrayal.By.Industry-573188.shtml> Goodrich, Ben. Hufbauer, Gary Clyde. "Steel Policy: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." Internationas Economics Policy Briefs. January 2003. ---. "Time for a Grand Bargin in Steel?" Institute for International Economics. 04/05/04. <http://www.iie.com/publications/pb/pb02-1.htm>. Hagenbaugh, Barbara. "Steel Prices Soar 66% in a World Market 'gone mad'." USA Today. McLean, VA. Feb 20, 2004. pg B.01 Irwin, Douglas A. Free Trade Under Fire. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press 2002.

Araby †James Joyce Essay

One of the most intriguing works by Irish writer James Joyce is â€Å"Araby† in which a young boy, who is the narrator, leads a carefree life in a Dublin neighborhood before falling in love with his friend’s sister. He is always watching her steps, every single morning. When they finally speak, the girl mentions the existence of an exotic bazaar in town, named â€Å"Araby†. The narrator then becomes obssessed with the idea of going to the bazaar to bring the girl a present. Nevertheless, disappointment is an important theme of the novel. The young boy is ultimately faced with reality when he goes to Araby and realizes that he cannot afford the things that are sold there. In others words, Joyce deals with the dichotomy of fantasy versus reality in â€Å"Araby†, giving it a rather pessimistic approach, where reality and its negativity prevail. In order to better comprehend Joyce’s â€Å"Araby†, it is important to understand the author’s biography and the time in history in which â€Å"Dubliners† was written. Joyce was born in a poor family in February of 1884. His father had several jobs and his mother was a devout Catholic. A young Joyce eventually moved to Paris, where he worked as a teacher and journalist, and later, during World War I, he took refuge in Zurich, Switzerland. Since Joyce spent great part of his adult life outside of Ireland, â€Å"Dubliners† is written through the eyes of a â€Å"refugee†, as a member of Dublin’s society who is also an outsider. Through â€Å"Dubliners† and its short stories, including â€Å"Araby†, Joyce describes life in Dublin, how religion influenced and dominated Irish society and how a national identity came to be. At that time, Ireland, a country that had suffered the horrors of the Great Famine in the past along with the death and emigration of millions of its people was now struggling culturally and politically to create its own identity and breakaway from British political control and cultural influence. The conflict between Catholics and Protestants was at its peak, as the entire island was under United Kingdom’s rule. In other words, Ireland and its society were going through a turbulent period in history, which affected Joyce’s use of language in â€Å"Dubliners† as well as the themes cointained in his works, such as religion, the hardships of reality and Anglo-Irish relations. â€Å"Dubliners† is a unique compilation of stories because it follows a chronological pattern. â€Å"Araby† falls in the category of â€Å"childhood†, because its narrator is a young boy and also due to the fact that one of its central themes is growth and maturity. In order for such growth to take place, â€Å"Araby† follows a clear sequence of events, which is described by William York Tindall in â€Å"A Reader’s Guide to James Joyce† as â€Å"illusion, disillusionment and coming to awareness† (19). These three elements that result in the character’s growth are well defined in the story. Mangan’s sister and the bazaar both represent illusion. Disillusionment is present when the narrator goes to â€Å"Araby† and realizes that it is not what he had expected. Finally, disillusionment is shown in the end, when he comes to the conclusion that he is not able to buy Mangan’s sister a gift, which in turn, leads to the final moment of epiphany, a concept that will be further discussed. Another essential aspect to â€Å"Araby† is the presence of images and symbols throughout the story, in particular those with religious conotations. Since religion and the church played an important role in Irish society and Joyce was Irish himself, religious themes are abundant in some of Joyce’s works, â€Å"Araby† being one of them. Religious imagery is present in the very beginning of the story, when the narrator mentions that the former tenant of the house where he lives was a priest. The house itself also contains religious symbol, in this case, in the garden: † The wild garden behind the house contained a central apple-tree and a few struggling bushes under one of which I found the late tenant’s rusty bicycle-pump† (373). It is evident that the apple-tree in the story evokes images of the Adam and Eve passage in the Bible, where they were tempted to eat the â€Å"forbidden fruit† which was an apple. Mangan’s sister, the â€Å"object† of the narrator’ affection, is perhaps the most significant religious symbol in the story. The narrator is devoted to her much like a religious person is devoted to God or a Saint. The connection between Mangan’s sister and religious worship is shown in the passage where the narrator goes marketing with his aunt, while passing through the crowded and disorganized streets: I imagined that I bore my chalice safely through the throng of foes. Her [Mangan’s sister] name sprang to my lips at moments in strange prayers and praises which I myself did not understand My eyes were often full of tears (I could not tell why) and at times a flood from my heart seemed to pour itself out into my bosom (179). The narrator’s feelings to Mangan’s sister are so intense to the point of being compared to a religious experience. When he mentions Mangan’s sister name in â€Å"strange prayers† he is describing the powerful effect that she has on him, like the power of a prayer to a religious person. To the narrator, her name in the strange prayers has the same force as the name of Jesus or Mary in a traditional Catholic prayer. Cleanth Brooks, Jr. and Robert Penn Warren reinforce the link between the narrator’s desire and religion in their work, titled â€Å"The Chalice Bearer† by affirming that â€Å"(†¦ ) when he [the narrator] speaks of his confused adoration, we see that the love of the girls takes on, for him, something of the nature of a mystic, religious experience. The use of the very word confused hints of the fact that romantic love and religious love are mixed up in his mind† (95). The narrator, thus, is yet to discover reality. He is still trapped in a world of illusion where the lines of pure, religious love and physical desire are somewhat blurred. The bazaar, called Araby, furthers the narrator into illusionment. The name of the bazaar evokes images of a far and exotic place: â€Å"The syllables of the word Araby were called to me through the silence in which my soul luxuriated and cast an Eastern enchantment over me† (375). It can be argued that the bazaar also represents a religious symbol in the story. Such view is supported by William York Tindall: â€Å"The Church, after all, is a more or less Oriental foundation, and the ecclesiastical suggestion of Araby (â€Å"not some Freemason affair†) is supported by metaphor† (20). In other words, Araby can be regarded as a religious institution that takes over the life of the narrator. His anticipation of the visit to the bazaar becomes a focal point of his life, interfering with his everyday activities: â€Å"I answered few questions in class. I watched my master’s face pass from amiability to sternness†¦ I could not call my wandering thoughts together† (375). The story ends with dissapointment and frustration when the boy arrives at the bazaar and realizes that most mof the stalls are closed, and even if they were open, he would not be able to buy Mangan’s sister a gift. The narrator finally understands that life is harsh. In other words, â€Å"Araby† presents a moment of epiphany. Nevertheless, Joyce goes against the traditional concept of epiphany in â€Å"Araby. † Epiphany is usually associated with enlightment and positive growth whereas in â€Å"Araby† epiphany is linked with negativity. Such idea is supported by Florence L. Walzl in â€Å"A Companion to Joyces’ Studies. She argues that: † His [the narrator] inability to buy even a trinket for the girl and his perception of the inanity of the flirtation he has just witnessed climax in an epiphanic vison, not of light, but of darkness† (175). With such statement, Walzl acknowledges that the pattern of â€Å"illusion, disillutionment and coming to awareness† in the story comes â€Å"full circle†. Instead of enlightment, the narrator’s epiphany causes him to become bitter: † Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger† (377). Since religious symbols are a constant presence in the story, it has been argued that the narrator’s disappointment is, in reality, disappointment with the Church and the values that it represents. This position is shared by Florence Walzl in her conclusion of her analysis: At the narrative level, â€Å"Araby† manifests disillusionment in young love; at a symbolic level, it represents disillusionment in the theological virtue of charity. Faith, hope and love are diminished in this first triad of tales of childhood (176). In conclusion, â€Å"Araby† is a story of a young love. As such, it presents moments of illusion throughout most of the story. However, illusion is shattered by the narrator’s dark epiphany. A closer analysis of â€Å"Araby† reveals that there is more to the story than a young boy’s first love. The abundance of religious imagery shows the readers that the story is very much about criticism of the Church’s role in the lives of the Irish people and its effect on a nation that was struggling politically to be free from the United Kingdom’s influence and ideologically, with the animosity between Catholics and Protestants.

Rasin in the sun two influence

Rasin in the sun two influence Two Influences of the Day Through the play " Raisin in the Sun, " Beneatha Younger is exposed to two men who she both has an interest in. This being Joseph Asagai and George Murchison. Both men have some similar characteristics, but also differences which make their actions stand out from each other.To start, both men are kind at heart. They have good intentions, but goabout it differently. Asagai likes to talk about his past and get more involved in most things more than George. As he seems to want to get down to business slightly more. They are about the same age and seem at least by what we see of them in the play to be well educated. Asagai is the more traditional of the two, which probably explains why he seems to be more laid back and open. His care for Beneatha can be shown by his traditional yet symbolic gift of his families Nigerian robes.English: Claudia McNeil in A Raisin in the Sun - t...