Transumerism

Transumerism Rental bags are now seen as a quick and easy way for consumers to access luxury brands that they might never have been able to afford using the usual, old fashioned way of consumption i.e. retailing. This move is a direct result of a transumerism culture and attitude. Transumerism in this case refers to a trend in which consumers look to achieve temporary pleasure or experiences through the services and products they purchase.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Transumerism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Transumers prefer this kind of lifestyle because they get to escape the restrictions that come with permanent ownership (Sterba, 2009). Those restrictions may be monetary or otherwise. Renting luxury bags as is the case with thatbagiwant.com, allows a consumer to gain fractional ownership of the commodity. These individuals may be interested in keeping up with trends and opt to do so through such businesses. On the o ther hand, these kinds of trends may be brought on by environmental concerns. The leasing lifestyle allows more people to use less products or it propagates reuse of items. This in essence means less waste and fewer detriments to the environment. Alternatively, some people may be renting bags because they are simply addicted to the excitement of new things. They would rather not be bogged down by the restrictions that come with ownership so thatibagiwant.com allows them to indulge in this practice. Telis and Gaeth (1990) explain that consumers often access the quality of a commodity through its price. Consequently, expensive luxury brands are often believed to be high quality. Sellers are likely to sell these brands at relatively high prices in order to appeal to status conscious buyers. These kinds of buyers usually seek to impress others and they usually do this by expensive products (Dubois and Patrick Duquesne, 1993). However, since not all status conscious consumers have money to buy expensive products at one go then businessmen are working around this problem by offering them rental options or rent to own contracts. Eventually, those consumers can still impress others by owning designer handbags without having to part with a lot of money at once while businessmen can move their goods to wider markets. Such trends are also becoming popular because consumers also want to improve their self concept in their groups. Berry (1994) explains that sometimes products are really used to illustrate a person’s membership in a certain group. In other words, conformance to group values often causes members to feel like they belong.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Many will use a certain product to either stand out from other groups or to affiliate themselves with prestigious groups (Bearden Etzel, 1989). The reference theory of consumer behav iour is particularly relevant in understanding this phenomenon. Sometimes markets may possess several reference groups and their demands usually compete with those ones on one’s own group. In such situations, consumption trends will be dictated by the reference group rather than that group. In other situations though, people may conform to their group’s assertions and those is often the case. Usually, these opinions maybe formed through mass media i.e. magazines and televisions. When it comes to handbags, most people will associate designer handbags with an affluent lifestyle as seen through their favourite celebrities (Hirschman, 1988). They usually form ideologies about what it means to be prestigious using these stereotypes displayed on TV and the like. Designer handbags have been flaunted by many celebrities and young women from all over the country often look for prestige through such outlets. Eventually, these designer handbags become status symbols for groups in colleges and other institutions which have a vast number of young people. Most will rent handbags in order to conform to the reference group which holds such items in high esteem. This is definitely one reason why the rent a luxury bag business has become popular. Renting luxury bags has also become common owing to internal factors associated to consumers. Individuals may simply buy a luxury brand because they want to derive certain benefits from it. In other words, these consumers purchase in order to increase their level of excitement or beauty as they go along. Many luxuries have been marketed as having unique value since they are pleasing to the eye. Some consumers have heard such messages and may actually want to experience that emotional satisfaction although their major challenge has been money. Businessmen have solved this problem by offering them that same pleasure without the need to purchase it. Even low budget consumers can therefore get to enjoy the benefits of this lu xury brand as they go along changing their positions. They can therefore get partial fulfilment even though they may not have been able to in the past (Kahle. 1995)Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Transumerism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Some external factors have also contributed to this trend and they include economic challenges as well as technological advancement. The UK economy had been down for some time, consequently, people needed to look for ways of saving the little money they were making. Most of these consumers may have been high end consumers who could no longer afford luxury bags after the economic slump or they may have been regular consumers who simply wanted a taste of the affluent lifestyle. Businessmen responded to this need by offering them renting options for designer handbags. These individuals could therefore keep up with the lifestyle they were used to at affordable rates. Additionally, they could do this at their own discretion and without the knowledge of their peers. Renting designer bags may also been boosted by the proliferation of online businesses. These have brought products and services to consumers who would never have been aware or who may never have thought of using them. Also businesses have benefited from the use of internet technologies by saving on overhead costs associated with retail outlets and by having an extremely wide consumer base. Most rental options for luxury bags are found on the internet so this is definitely indicative of the fact that technology has played a huge role in popularising the trend. The target market for these rental designer bags will therefore consist of fashion conscious individuals who are economically challenged. It will also appeal to transumers who have a need for excitement and new things all the time. In certain countries, the trend may work better than in others because of economic conditions (Vigneron Johnson, 1999). If economic times are tough for a while then this could offer an easy outlet for people who are trying to save up. Therefore, the trend may work in countries whose economies are on the decline. They may also be appropriate for financially stable countries which have many affluent consumers. Chances of finding transumers in developed nations are higher than in non developed ones. Some nations of the world may not understand the concept of designer handbags and such a business may not work well in these countries.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More I would not rent a bag if I was asked because of a number of reasons. If one was interesting in renting a bag for ownership, then one would not be impressed by the terms of purchase. The final selling price is definitely much higher than the cost of the designer bag. I also realise that in this arrangement, the handbag can be repossessed if I fail to meet my weekly or periodical obligations when am interested in purchasing the product; a scenario common to most lease agreements (Lacko, 2007). Furthermore, the business has no cash refundable option if one changes one’s mind about buying a bag. All one gets are some baggie points which limit one’s options to renting yet another bag. Also, if one was interesting in renting the bag alone, there could be the danger that the bags are not original designer bags. The company affirms that all its bags are retailed from top designer outlets; however, the firm has an option for renting out its customers’ bags too. Here, a member gets into the M-RTO program and they are expected to prove that they obtained the bag from a reputable reseller or they got it from a boutique which is well known. They usually do this with authenticity cards or receipts. The major problem with this kind of approach is that some resellers may not be strict about the authenticity of the bag and if that bag comes to thatbagiwant.com then chances are people will be renting non original bags from the company. This is quite a big loophole that the company needs to address in order to prevent such kinds of problems in the future (Rent a bag, 2011). If the company wanted to get my business then they should simply streamline their MRTO programme such that strictly designer bags are bought and introduced into their system. They can achieve this by making sure that they do not deal with any bags that were bought from resellers as that could the point at which the quality of their products are tarnished. Furthermore, the company needs t o improve its rent for ownership program. Customers end up paying much higher prices than normal. The company should cut down on these prices and lay it out in the website. The non refundable option should be scrapped so as to make this option plausible. Also, they should be clear about the ninety five percent buy back option. In their explanation, they assert that they are willing to buy back a handbag for as much as ninety five percent. They did not explain the conditions needed to get it at a lower rate. In the future, it is likely that luxury bags may lack the exclusivity that they possessed before if rental bags become so common. In other words, designer products will now come to the mass market and the affluent will not be such a prime target market for sellers of these commodities. However Groth and McDaniel (1993) explain that high prices often make certain products desirable because there is a quality cue linked to them. Affluent consumers may no longer treat luxury bags as high quality products if so many of them are available to the masses. Therefore, designer bag makers may lose out on the high end but will gain on the low end of the market (Erickson and Johansson, 1985). Alternatively, it is likely that the future may also record greater diversification in this luxury renting business. It should be noted that in the past, car rentals and wedding dress rentals were the staple. Now, companies specialising with jewellery, party dresses and bags have become common. In the future, it is likely that more and more categories will be added into this exciting new industry. Also, membership prices and rental costs will dramatically reduced because there will be greater competition between such businesses. It will also lead to greater levels of exposure among the population because designer brands will be more accessible (Jackson, 2005). Rental luxury brands are definitely a force to reckon with in today’s business world because they have created tota lly different markets for companies. They are also meeting needs of fashion ‘addicts’ with minimal income to spare for such indulgences. Furthermore, they are a response to the transumerism culture prevalent today. Things will definitely look up for this industry in the future because it will provide access to unreachable consumers. References Jackson, K. (2005). Renting a handful of luxury. The Boston Globe, October 13, 2005. Vigneron, F. Johnson, L. (1999). A review and a conceptual framework of prestige seeking consumer behaviour. Academy of marketing science review, 1(3), 1-17. Rent a bag (2011). Rent a bag in Singapore. Web. Sterba, J. (2009). Transumerism: What does it mean for your business? Marketing Intelligence, July 27, 2009. Lacko, J. (2007). Staff report: rent to own customers. FTC Bureau of economic report. Bearden, William O. and Michael J. Etzel (1982), Reference Group Influence on Product and Brand Purchase Decisions, Journal of Consumer Research, 9 (S eptember), 183-194. Berry, Christopher J. (1994), The Idea of Luxury: A Conceptual and Historical Investigation, New York: Cambridge University Press. Hirschman, Elizabeth C. (1988), The Ideology of Consumption: A Structural-Syntactical Analysis of Dallas and Dynasty, Journal of Consumer Research, 15 (December), 344-359. Kahle, Lynn R. (1995), Role-Relaxed Consumers: Empirical Evidence, Journal of Advertising Reseach, 35 (2), 59-62. Groth, John C. and Stephen W. McDaniel (1993), The Exclusive Value Principle: The Basis for Prestige Pricing, Journal of Consumer Marketing, 10 (1), 10-16. Erickson, Gary M. and Johny K. Johansson (1985), The Role of Price in Multi-Attribute Product Evaluations, Journal of Consumer Research, 12 (September), 195-199. Dubois, Bernard and Patrick Duquesne (1993), The Market for Luxury Goods: Income Versus Culture, European Journal of Marketing, 27 (1), 35-44.

Henry Brown Patents Safer Document Storage

Henry Brown Patents Safer Document Storage Henry Brown patented a receptacle for storing and preserving papers on November 2, 1886 This was a kind of strongbox, a fire-safe and accident-safe container made of forged metal, which could be sealed with a lock and key. It was special in that it kept the papers inside it separated, A precursor to the personal safe? It was not the first patent for a strongbox, but it was patented as an improvement. Who Was Henry Brown? No biographical information about Henry Brown could be found, other than his being noted as a black inventor. He lists his place of residence as Washington DC at the time of his patent application, filed June 25, 1886.  There is no record of whether Henry Browns receptacle was manufactured or marketed, or whether he profited from his ideas and designs. It isnt known what he did as a profession and what inspired this invention. Receptacle for Storing and Preserving Papers The box designed by Henry Brown had a series of hinged trays. When opened, you could access one or more of the trays. The trays could be lifted separately. This allowed the user to separate papers and store them securely. He mentions it was a useful design for storing carbon papers, which might be more delicate and could be damaged by scraping against the lid. They could also transfer carbon smudges to other documents, so it was important to keep them separate. His design helped ensure that they didnt come into contact with the lid or the tray above each lower tray. That would minimize any risk of damaging documents when you opened and closed the box. The use of typewriters and carbon papers at this time likely presented new challenges in how to store them. While carbon papers were a handy innovation for keeping a duplicate of typewritten documents, they could be easily smudged or torn. The box was made of sheet metal and could be locked. This allowed for secure storage of important documents at home or the office.   Storing Papers How do you store your important papers? Have you grown used to being able to scan, copy, and save paper documents in digital formats? You may have difficulty imagining the world where there might be only a single copy of a document that could be lost and never recovered. In the time of Henry Brown, fires that destroyed homes, office buildings and factories were all too common. Papers being flammable, they were likely to go up in smoke. If they were destroyed or stolen, you might not be able to retrieve the information or proof they contained. This was a time when carbon paper was the commonly used way to make multiples of important documents. It was a long time before the copying machine and before documents might be saved on microfilm. Today, you often get documents in digital form from the outset and have a reasonable reassurance that copies can be retrieved from one or more sources. You may never print them out.

Age estimation based on pubic symphysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Age estimation based on pubic symphysis - Essay Example This paper illustrates that amongst other techniques to estimate the age of the skeleton dentition is also frequently used to estimate age and at times this might be the last resort, given the complete mutilation or decomposition of the corpse This is because in such a situation   it is impossible to base any conclusions pertaining to age or identity upon other parts of the anatomy. Age estimation based on the changes within the surface of the pubic symphysis   is another method which has come to be regarded as as a reliable criterion for the estimation of age which has received much attention with in the field of forensic osteology which relates to the observation of the changes in pubic symphysis, particularly pertaining to the age related changes in adult humans between the ages of   20-50 years, which is a time when the skeleton itself goes through rapid growth related changes. Therefore morphological changes in the symphyseal surface of pubic bones have been evaluated by t he forensic anatomists through methods like Todd’s phase system for White Males McKern and Stewart’s three-component system with five active developmental stages for males Hanihara and Suzuki’s multiple regression analysis and quantification theory model be consistent in the way you list these. Suchey–Brooks phases which are more detailed for the examination of the male pubic symphysis. Based on the above this paper explores these methodologies pertaining to age estimation using morphological features of the pubic symphysis and goes onto evaluate their precision in the light of academic opinion.. Introduction As mentioned above, at the culmination of the growth process which also brings about the full eruption of the dentition growth it is possible to experience complications in the estimation of age , relying on evidence of degenerative processes. (Gilbert and Mckern 1973) .However, age estimation at death can be made from multiple methods out of one of which will be discussed below to be the symphyseal formula technique where as it has been â€Å"found that age estimates based on this single event are more dependable than similar age estimates from other bones. This technique has made age estimation from unknown skeletal remains more realistic, more accurate and more dependable.† (Parikh, C. k., 1990). There a number of techniques available with in the forensic osteology to estimate the survival, social adjustment and age of the populations based on the patterns of morbidity and mortality and these have included techniques like pubic symphysis morphology, auricular surface morphology, age-related size distribution, tooth wear, epiphyseal closure, dental eruption patterns. All these techniques are well utilized if the skeleton is still in its period of growth and development and their use may give very precise results However as soon as the growth and development process ceases. it becomes more and more difficult to give a precise assessment of the age based upon the evidence of the degenerative processes.Thus public morphology provides a good way of establishing consistent findings for the determination of age at death (mostly) of the corpse. Age is thus determined by

Cash flow Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cash flow - Coursework Example From the above hypothetical cash flow, we can see that the cash from operation $2837 million and net profit is $124 million. There is a difference between the cash generated from operating activities and net profit. It is because cash from operations includes capital expenditure, income from sales of plants, equipment and property and cash acquisitions but when we compute net profits then we deduct all the expenditures from the sales revenue. Thus the net profit and cash from operations may not always be equal. A company can earn net profit but it may earn negative cash from operations which indicate the company actually has no cash in its hand. Cash flow from operating activities can be done by using either direct method or indirect method. These methods are different from each other. In the direct method information about main elements of gross cash payments and gross cash receipts is shown as separate and the information about the receipts and payments can be gathered either from records of accounts or by adjusting the cost of sales, sales and other elements in the income statement. But on the other side in case of indirect method, profit and loss is adjusted on elements which are related to financing and investing activities and effects of noncash transactions like changes in receivables, payables, inventory, provisions, depreciation, amortisation, gains and losses in foreign currency and differed tax liabilities are also adjusted for the items (Thornton, 2012, p.15).

Foreign Cultures Essay Example for Free

Foreign Cultures Essay The problem of the students who have to learn foreign cultures or not had concerned a number of people. Some individuals advocate that the students are just need to know their own country culture.However, their are a large group of opponents have an opposite perspective. As far as I concerned,The students in college are necessary to know the foreign cultures. Most of the student will go to other countries in the future for their jobs or visit their relatives or friends. So they have to know some foreign cultures for the convenience and live without troubles. If you are a tourist on that country, and you know the foreign cultures, you can enjoy your trip. If you are working on that country, you will put more focus on your work and getting more friends. But if you don’t know the cultures of the country which you live, you will have a lot of troubles. You can not pay any attention on you major work, you will not happy because some awkward things will happen. In addition, if you familiar with the cultures of foreign countries, wherever you are you will be the person who is most attractive. A lot of people might think you are really intelligent and know a lot of interesting things and knowledge they don’t know. So you might getting a lot of friends who interest you. If you are in the foreign country, you will have live easier and smoother. to get a good job. If you want to be a teacher in the school or a tour guide, you will need this culture a lot. In the conclusion, learning foreign cultures are really helpful, they are a sort of ability that can avoid some embarrassments, and can help you getting more opportunities to make new friends and good jobs in the future.

fuel cell technology :: essays research papers

Fuel cell technology 1 Running head: FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY: TRANSPORTATION AND RESIDENTAL/ COMMERICAL APPLICATIONS Fuel Cell Technology: Transportation and residential/commercial applications   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Monique University 2 A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device. A fuel cell converts the chemicals hydrogen and oxygen into water, and in the process it produces electricity. With a fuel cell, chemicals constantly flow into the cell so it never goes dead as long as there is a flow of chemicals into the cell, the electricity flows out of the cell. Most fuel cells in use today use hydrogen and oxygen as the chemicals. Fuel cell provides a DC (direct current voltage that can be used to power motors, lights or any number of electrical appliances. The fuel cell will compete with many other types of energy conversion devices, including the gas turbine in your city's power plant, the gasoline engine in your car and the battery in your laptop. Combustion engines like the turbine and the gasoline engine burn fuels and use the pressure created by the expansion of the gases to do mechanical work. Batteries converted chemical energy back into electrical energy when needed. Fuel cells should do both tasks more efficiently. Fuel cells improve battered powered cars and gasoline powered cars more efficiently. Fuel-cell-powered electric cars are powered with pure hydrogen. It has the potential to be up to 80% 3 efficient, and with today’s gas prices that would be wonderful. The efficiency of a gasoline-powered car is surprisingly low. All of the heat that comes out as exhaust or goes into the radiator is wasted energy. The engine also uses a lot of energy turning the various pumps, fans and generators that keep it going. So the overall efficiency of an automotive gas engine is about 20%. That is, only about 20% of the thermal-energy content of the gasoline is converted into mechanical work. The efficiency of an electric car is 72% for the car, 40% for the power plant and 90% for charging the car. That gives an overall efficiency of 26%. The overall efficiency varies considerably depending on what sort of power plant is used. If the electricity for the car is generated by a hydroelectric plant for instance, then it is basically free (we didn't burn any fuel to generate it), and the efficiency of the electric car is about 65%.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4 Efficiency is not the only consideration, however. People will not drive a car just because it is the most efficient if it makes them change their behavior.

Hefty Hardware Essay

After reading Hefty hardware case study, I came up with the following analysis for this case: It is very clear that there is communication issues between the business and IT, there is no connection between the IT department and other business departments. To build good relationship between the IT Department and the Business department, the four foundation blocks needed, Competence, credibility, interpersonal interaction, and trust, which all are not considered between the departments. (McKeen & Smith, 2012). The business manager feels that the IT don’t have the enough competence for finding solution for solving business problems. And this is normal because the IT do not have the enough knowledge about Hefty Hardware business process and goals. The very important block in building good relationship between the IT and business department which is the interpersonal interaction is not available and usually the meetings getting failed because the IT people don’t understand the business talk and not ready to understand, also the business managers do not understand the technical talk when the IT start explaining the technical aspects of the solution. Hefty Hardware do not has solid foundation and good relationship between the IT and the Business department, and this issue became the main problem that Hefty should deal with it to make sure that the current and future projects will success. Also it is important that the IT department spend the enough time to explain their plan to support the business functions and make sure that they will work to achieve the organization goals. There is no information sharing between the departments or even between the executives because of the lack of communication. Information sharing will help in reach common goal which will help the organization to be more efficient and productive. Mr. Vogel suggestion was very good to have two from IT and business department travel together as this will improve the relationship between the two departments and make better understanding for the organization goals and will give them the chance to see how Hefty stores operate. The IT department seems to be understaffed and under budget, as Farzad was complaining that he cannot send some IT staff because they have a lot of work to do at the head quarter, the IT department is mainly to perform the support and keep the network and the systems stable but they don’t have the ability to think strategically. In order for the IT and the business can work collaboratively to deliver the Savvy Store program  successfully the below recommendations need to be considered: 1- Hefty Hardware should invest in building a good relationship between the IT and Business department this can be achieved by conducting team building training program where both department can interact and work together. As this will build a trusting and functional environment. 2- Developing the communication skills for Hefty employees and between the different departments, which will help in implementing successful projects. 3- IT and Business managers should work together for removing any communication obstacles to have a successful communication going. (Gartenstein, 2012). By having a weekly meetings which will strengthen the communication more . 4- Interpersonal interaction between the IT and business departments should be improved in the meetings, as most of the time the business team feel that they are lost as then don’t understand the technical points, this can be achieved by train the IT team to improve their communication skills and let then have the ability to communicate with non-technical people (which is not easy) and explain to them in simple way. Visual presentation may help in explaining the technical concepts . 5- Business team should also share the organization business needs and goals with the IT team to let them understand how is the business going and what is the goals of the company. By this cooperation, the gap between the two departments will be bridged and both teams will be able to think more efficiently in finding solutions that will enhance customer experience and will implement competitive solutions. 6- Outsourcing the projects that need to be immediately implemented and do not trouble the IT department while they are overloaded and don’t have enough staff. 7- The Time management & Planning is very important for both departments, the organization should invest in having them trained in time management and planning, which will help them in doing the work efficiently and on time. 8- Do a market research for the same industry and try to implement a competitive solutions that will be a very good advantage for the organization. 9- Hiring more IT staff as the CIO is understaffed and has no ability to accept any new system development, so as to be able to work on Savvy store program. 10- The corporate should not be disconnected from the retail shops. References: McKeen, J. and Heather, S. (2011) IT Strategy – Issues and Practices. 2nd Edition. ISBN-10: 0132145669. Boston: Prentice Hall. Gartenstein, D. (2012, January). Solutions for effective communication. Retrieved from eHow Family website: http://www.ehow.com/way_5765631_solutions-effective-communication.html. Baum, J. (2011, March 18). Team building exercises in the workplace. Retrieved from Livestrong website: http://www.livestrong.com/article/221732-team-building-exercises-in-the-workplace/.

Earth and Its People Edition 3 Chapter 7 Outline

The Impact of the Silk Road †¢ The Silk Road at first caused many pastoral groups to form. Eventually, rich families did settleand build large establishments. †¢ The Silk Road allowed the spread of religions ( see chart above ) such as Nestorian Christianity,Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism, and Buddhism. †¢ The stirrup spread though out the Silk Road. It allowed riders to be much more stable and thuscaused military innovation. i. e. the superiority of the Tang calvary in China. The Indian Ocean Maritime System †¢The Indian Ocean Maritime System was a society of seafarers established across the IndianOcean and South China Sea. †¢ This trade system linked a network of sea trade routes from Africa to China. The main playerswere Africans, South Arabian Persian, and the  Southern Chinese people (including theIndonesians and Malays). †¢ Although much of the discoveries of new lands and waters were attributed to famous peoplesuch as Zhang Jian or Hippalus, we mus t not forget the the indigenous people of these areasalso greatly contributed to their  expansions. Origins of Contact and Trade †¢Madagascar is the world’s fourth largest island. †¢ 2000 years ago, people from one of the many Indonesian islands of Southeast Asia establishedthemselves in the mountainous land of Madagascar, 9,500 kilometers from home. †¢ These people kept much of their traditions but eventually lost most of it. [pic] The Impact of Indian Ocean Trade †¢ The precious materials wanted in  trade included ivory and minerals. †¢ Evidence of ancient copper mines has been  found in Oman in  southeastern Arabia. †¢ However, this volume of trade was  less than the amount occurring in the Mediterranean. †¢In the Indian area, the ports were small due to geographical problems such as inland monsoonwater not by the sea. †¢ E India, the Malay Peninsula, and Indonesia afforded more hospitable and densely populatedshores with e asier access to inland  populations. †¢ The empires that existed through out this Indus area never bothered to develop  as muchmaritime powers as the Greeks or  the Phoenocians did. †¢ The families around the coastal Indian area established bilingual and bicultural systems. Routes Across the Sahara Early Saharan Cultures †¢ The Sahara is broken only by the Nile River. †¢The trans-Saharan Caravan Routes were forced into existence due to the lack of water in manyareas. †¢ Before the Sahara became dry (pre 2500 B. C. E. ), this area was quite wet with a diverse group of  animals. †¢ Many believe that people from Mediterranean civilizations such as the Minoans, Mycenaeans, orRomans may have rode chariots into  the Saharan deserts. However, this evidence is lacking. [pic] Trade Across the Sahara †¢ Traders developed into two groups: the north and south. †¢ The North primarily focused on salt  trade. †¢ People from the souther Sahel brought forest and  agriculture goods.Sub-Saharan Africa A challenging Geography †¢ The use of rivers was limited by the many rapids in the rivers. †¢ The Southern Sahara area was limited and surrounded by many obstacles such as  the Niger,Zaire, Senegal Rivers, the Red  Sea, the Saharan Desert, etc. †¢ South of the Sahara are the steppes and savanna rain forests. These places were difficult totraverse. The Development of Cultural Unity †¢ â€Å"Anthropologists call â€Å"Great Traditions† those that typically include a written language, commonlegal and belief systems, ethical codes, and other intellectual attitudes.They loom large inwritten records as traditions that rise above the diversity of local  customs and beliefs commonlydistinguished as â€Å"small traditions. †Ã¢â‚¬  †¢ The elite culture in the sub-Saharan area turned the area into a Great Tradition area. †¢ This area is home to ~ 2000 languages. African Cultural Char acteristics †¢ African culture is shaped by the geographically different conditions of the lands. †¢ The post ice age time caused the diverse group of people to form. †¢ Although the population flourished at first, the  increase in dryness over the long period of  timecaused the diverse groups of people to  recede into specific areas.The Advent of Iron and the Bantu Migrations †¢ Agriculture started in the 2nd millennium B. C. E. and spread southward from the area by theSahara. †¢ Archaeology has also uncovered traces of copper mining in  the Sahara from the early  firstmillennium B. C. E. †¢ Copper smelting was during 400 C. E. †¢ Iron smelting was around the 1st millennium C. E. †¢ The Africans of Bantu probably figured out  how to smelt iron by themselves. The Spread of Ideas Ideas and Material Evidence †¢ In SE Asian, pig domestication was extremely important. †¢ Coinage in Anatolia and Europe was extremely popular. A t the same time coinage in China was also very popular. The Spread of Buddhism †¢ Please See The Above Image and Your Religious Charts The Spread of Christianity †¢ Please see Religious Chart ______________________________________________________ CHAPTER OUTLINE I. The Silk Road | | | |A. Origins and Operations | | 1. The Silk Road was an overland route that linked China to the Mediterranean world via Mesopotamia, Iran, and Central Asia. There were two periods of heavy use of the Silk Road: (1) 150 b. c. e. –907 c. e. and (2) the thirteenth through seventeenth centuries c. e. 2. The origins of the Silk Road trade may be located in the occasional trading of Central Asian nomads.Regular, large-scale trade was fostered by the Chinese demand for western products (particularly horses) and by the Parthian state in northeastern Iran and its control of the markets in Mesopotamia. 3. In addition to horses, China imported alfalfa, grapes, and a variety of other new crops a s well as medicinal products, metals, and precious stones. China exported peaches and apricots, spices, and manufactured goods including silk, pottery, and paper. | |B. The Impact of the Silk Road 1. Turkic nomads, who became the dominant pastoralist group in Central Asia, benefited from the trade. Their elites constructed houses, lived settled lives, and became interested in foreign religions including Christianity, Manicheanism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and (eventually) Islam. 2. Central Asian military technologies, particularly the stirrup, were exported both east and west, with significant consequences for the conduct of war. | | II.The Sasanid Empire, 224-600 CE A. Politics and Society 1. The Sasanid kingdom was established in 224 and controlled the areas of Iran and Mesopotamia. 2. The Sasanid Empire made Zoroastrianism its official religion. The Byzantine Empire made Christianity its official religion. Both Zoroastrianism and Christianity were intolerant of other religions. 3. In the third century Mani of Mesopotamia founded a religion whose beliefs centered around the struggle between Good and Evil. Mani was killed by the Sasanid shah, but Manichaeism spread widely in Central Asia.Arabs had some awareness of these religions conflicts and knew about Christianity. III. The Indian Ocean Maritime System | | | | A. Origins of Contact and Trade | | 1.There is evidence of early trade between ancient Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. This trade appears to have broken off as Mesopotamia turned more toward trade with East Africa. 2. Two thousand years ago, Malay sailors from Southeast Asia migrated to the islands of Madagascar. These migrants, however, did not retain communications or trade with their homeland. | | B. The Impact of Indian Ocean Trade 1. What little we know about trade in the Indian Ocean system before Islam is gleaned largely from a single first century c. . Greco-Egyptian text,  The Periplus of the Erythrean Sea. This account describes a trading system that must have been well established and flourishing when the account was written. The goods traded included a wide variety of spices, aromatic resins, pearls, Chinese pottery, and other luxury goods. The volume of trade was probably not as high as in the Mediterranean. 2. The culture of the Indian Ocean ports was often isolated from that of their hinterlands. In the western part of the Indian Ocean, trading ports did not have access to large inland populations of potential consumers.Even in those eastern Indian and Malay peninsula ports that did have access to large inland populations, the civilizations did not become oriented toward the sea. 3. Traders and sailors in the Indian Ocean system often married local women in the ports that they frequented. These women thus became mediators between cultures. | | IV. Routes Across the Sahara | |A. Early Saharan Cultures | | 1. Undateable rock paintings in the highland areas that separate the southern from the northern Sa hara indicate the existence of an early Saharan hunting culture that was later joined by cattle breeders who are portrayed as looking rather like contemporary West Africans. 2. The artwork indicates that the cattle breeders were later succeeded by horse herders who drove chariots.There is no evidence to support the earlier theory that these charioteers might have been Minoan or Mycenaean refugees. But there is also no evidence to show us either their origins or their fate. 3. The highland rock art indicates that camel riders followed the charioteers. The camel was introduced from Arabia and its introduction and domestication in the Sahara was probably related to the development of the trans-Saharan trade. Written evidence and the design of camel saddles and patterns of camel use indicate a south-to-north diffusion of camel riding. . The camel made it possible for people from the southern highlands of the Sahara to roam the desert and to establish contacts with the people of the nort hern Sahara. | | B. Trade Across the Sahara 1. Trade across the Sahara developed slowly when two local trading systems, one in the southern Sahara and one in the north, were linked. Traders in the southern Sahara had access to desert salt deposits and exported salt to the sub-Saharan regions in return for kola nuts and palm oil.Traders in the north exported agricultural products and wild animals to Italy. | | V. Sub-Saharan Africa | | A. A Challenging Geography | | 1. Sub-Saharan Africa is a large area with many different environmental zones and many geographical obstacles to movement. . Some of the significant geographical areas are the Sahel, the tropical savanna, the tropical rain forest of the lower Niger and Zaire, the savanna area south of the rain forest, steppe and desert below that, and the temperate highlands of South Africa. | | B. The Development of Cultural Unity 1. Scholars draw a distinction between the â€Å"great traditions† of ruling elite culture in a ci vilization and the many â€Å"small traditions† of the common people. . In sub-Saharan Africa no overarching â€Å"great tradition† developed. Sub-Saharan Africa is a vast territory of many â€Å"small traditions. † Historians know very little about the prehistory of these many â€Å"small traditions† and their peoples. 3. African cultures are highly diverse. The estimated two thousand spoken languages of the continent and the numerous different food production systems reflect the diversity of the African ecology and the difficulty of communication and trade between different groups.Another reason for the long dominance of â€Å"small traditions† is that no foreign power was able to conquer Africa and thus impose a unified â€Å"great tradition. † | | C. African Cultural Characteristics 1. Despite their diversity, African cultures display certain common features that attest to an underlying cultural unity that some scholars have called †Å"Africanity. † 2. One of these common cultural features is a concept of kingship in which kings are ritually isolated and oversee societies in which the people are arranged in age groups and kinship ivisions. 3. Other common features include cultivation with the hoe and digging stick, the use of rhythm in African music, and the functions of dancing and mask wearing in rituals. 4. One hypothesis offered to explain this cultural unity holds that the people of sub-Saharan Africa are descended from the people who occupied the southern Sahara during its â€Å"wet period† and migrated south the Sahel, where their cultural traditions developed. | | D. The Advent of Iron and the Bantu Migrations 1.Sub-Saharan agriculture had its origins north of the equator and then spread southward. Iron working also began north of the equator and spread southward, reaching southern Africa by 800 c. e. 2. Linguistic evidence suggests that the spread of iron and other technology in sub-Saharan Africa was the result of a phenomenon known as the Bantu migrations. 3. The original homeland of the Bantu people was in the area on the border of modern Nigeria and Cameroon. Evidence suggests that the Bantu people spread out toward the east and the south through a series of migrations over the period of the first millennium c. . By the eight century, Bantu-speaking people had reached East Africa. | | IV. The Spread of Ideas | | A. Ideas and Material Evidence | | 1. It is extremely difficult, sometimes impossible, to trace the dissemination of ideas in preliterate societies.For example, eating pork was restricted or prohibited by religious belief in Southeast Asia, in ancient Egypt, and in eastern Iran. Because Southeast Asia was an early center of pig domestication, scholars hypothesize that the pig and the religious injunctions concerning eating the pig traveled together toward the west. This has not been proved. 2. Another difficult problem involves the invention of coins. In the Mediterranean world, the coins were invented in Anatolia and spread from there to Europe, North Africa, and India.Chinese made cast copper coins—was this inspired by the Anatolian example? There is no way of knowing. | | B. The Spread of Buddhism 1. The spread of ideas in a deliberate and organized fashion such that we can trace it is a phenomenon of the first millennium c. e. This is particularly the case with the spread of Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. 2. The spread of Buddhism was facilitated both by royal sponsorship and by the travels of ordinary pilgrims and missionaries.In India, the Mauryan king Ashoka and King Kanishka of the Kushans actively supported Buddhism. Two of the most well-known pilgrims who helped to transmit Buddhism to China were the Chinese monks Faxian and Xuanzang. Both have left reliable narrative accounts of their journeys. 3. Buddhist missionaries from India traveled to a variety of destinations: west to Syria, Egypt, and Mesopotamia, as well as to Sri Lanka, southeast Asia, and Tibet. 4. Buddhism was changed and further developed in the lands to which it spread.Theravada Buddhism became dominant in Sri Lanka, Mahayana in Tibet, and Chan (Zen) in East Asia. | | C. The Spread of Christianity 1. Armenia was an important entrepot for the Silk Road trade. Mediterranean states spread Christianity to Armenia in order to bring that kingdom over to its side and thus deprive Iran of control of this area. 2. The transmission of Christianity to Ethiopia was similarly linked to a Mediterranean Christian attempt to deprive Iran of trade.

Themes Of The Glass Menagerie Essays - English-language Films

Themes Of The Glass Menagerie Essays - English-language Films Themes Of The Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie is a play that contains intense human feelings; frustration, shyness, regretfulness, anger, and sadness. The play is set in the apartment of the Wingfield family. In this cramped, dinghy place lives three characters; Amanda, Laura, and Tom, who are desperate to make their dream come true. Amanda is a shrew, she wants to live through her daughter, Laura. Her dream is for her daughter to marry to a well-educated man and support her throughout the rest of her life. Amanda always make complaining remarks about her husband who had left her with Tom and Laura. Amanda nags Tom for spending too much time watching movies instead of working and finding a suitable for Laura. She likes to brag about how many Gentleman callers came to her house to pursue her. Tom is the narrator of the play. His dream is to be a poet and have no responsibilities to his family. He works at a warehouse, which he doesnt appreciate because it avoids him to complete his dream. He detests when his mother tell him what to do and how to do it, sometimes he has to act without pity. Laura is shy and has a low self-esteem. She is compared to her glass collection, fragile in every sense. As an effect of a childhood illness, she was left crippled, which made her think that she was less than everybody else. She avoids socializing because she is afraid of breaking up, however this changes when she sees her old crush, Jim Occonor. Her dream is to feel good about herself and to get out of her depression. Each character desires to escape from this lifestyle, poverty is what has them trap. The fire escape provides a different purpose for each of the characters. From the opening of the play, Toms addresses the audience from the fire escape. The fire escape allows Tom to get out of the apartment and away from his nagging mother. Amanda sees it as an entrance for the Gentleman callers to enter their lives. Laura hides inside the apartment not in the fire escape. The fire escape separates authenticity from the undiscovered. Tom escapes in more than one way, first is the fire escape which leads him away from his home, then the movies. The movies temporarily takes him to another world, where mothers and runaways fathers doesnt exist. He also gets away by drinking. He wants to escape his responsibilities of taking care of his mother and sister. He wishes to have a life of his own. Laura finds an escape through her glass collection. She also finds relieves in playing the same old record day after day. Across their apartment is the Paradise Dance Hall. Perhaps the music floating up to the apartment from the dance hall is supposed to be her escape which she just cant take. As time goes its getting harder and harder for Tom to avoid the real world, and the time for him to leave comes. When he leaves , he feels guilty for abandoning Laura . However, he discovers that he hasnt escaped, but led himself onto a path of even more powerful desperation. The theme escape is used throughout the play to demonstrate the hopelessness of each characters dreams. For the characters, an escape is possible, however, in the end no one finds a clear break. Bibliography Williams, Tennesse. The Glass Menagerie.

50 Slang Terms for Money

50 Slang Terms for Money 50 Slang Terms for Money 50 Slang Terms for Money By Mark Nichol I find very little about money to be interesting, other than counting my own, but I’ve noted that there’s a rich fund of slang terms for money that can help enliven both casual and more serious content about currency and finance. Here’s a roster of slang synonyms in plural form for words for US currency in particular, many of which are useful for playful references to money or as options for evoking a historical period in fiction by using contemporary idiom: 1. Bank: money 2. Benjamins: a one-hundred-dollar bill (in reference to the portrait of Benjamin Franklin that distinguishes it) 3. Big ones: multiples of one thousand dollars 4. Bills: multiples of one hundred dollars 5. Bones: dollars (origin unknown) 6. Bread: money in general (on the analogy of it being a staple of life) 7. Bucks: dollars (perhaps from a reference to buckskins, or deerskins, which were once used as currency) 8. Cabbage: paper money (from its color) 9. Cheddar (or chedda): money (origin unknown, but perhaps from the concept of cheese distributed by the government to welfare recipients) 10. Clams: dollars (perhaps from the onetime use of seashells as currency) 11. Coin: money, either paper or coinage 12-13. Cs (or C-notes): multiples of one hundred dollars (from the Roman symbol for â€Å"one hundred†) 14. Dead presidents: paper money (from the portraits of various former US presidents that usually distinguish bills of various denominations) 15. Dime: ten dollars (by multiplication of the value of the ten-cent coin) 16. Dough: money in general (akin to the usage of bread) 17-18. Doubles (or dubs): twenty-dollar bills 19. Ducats: money (from the Italian coin) 20. Fins: five-dollar bills (perhaps from the shared initial sound with fives) 21. Five-spots: five-dollar bills 22. Fivers: five-dollar bills 23. Folding stuff: paper money 24. Greenbacks: paper money (from the color of the ink) 25. Gs: thousand-dollar bills (an abbreviation for grand) 26. Grand: one thousand dollars (as in â€Å"three grand† for â€Å"three thousand dollars†) 27. Large: thousand-dollar bills 28. Lettuce: paper money (from its color) 29. Long green: paper money (from its shape and color) 30. Loot: money (originally denoted goods obtained illicitly or as the spoils of war) 31. Lucre: money or profit (from the biblical expression â€Å"filthy lucre,† meaning â€Å"ill-gained money†) 32. Moola (or moolah): money (origin unknown) 33. Nickel: five dollars (by multiplication of the value of the five-cent coin) 34. Ones: dollars (also, fives for â€Å"five-dollar bills,† tens for â€Å"ten-dollar bills,† and so on) 35. Quarter: twenty-five dollars (by multiplication of the value of the twenty-five-cent coin) 36. Sawbucks: ten-dollar bills (from the resemblance of X, the Roman symbol for ten, to a sawbuck, or sawhorse) 37. Scratch: money (perhaps from the idea that one has to struggle as if scratching the ground to obtain it) 38. Shekels: dollars (from the biblical currency) 39. Simoleons: dollars (perhaps from a combination of simon, slang for the British sixpence and later the American dollar, and napoleon, a form of French currency) 40. Singles: one-dollar bills 41. Skrilla: money (origin unknown) 42. Smackers: dollars (origin unknown) 43. Spondulix: money (either from spondylus, a Greek word for a shell once used as currency, or from the prefix spondylo-, which means â€Å"spine† or â€Å"vertebra†; these have a common etymology) 44. Stacks: multiples of a thousand dollars 45. Tenners: ten-dollar bills 46. Ten-spots: ten-dollar bills 47. Two bits: twenty-five cents (a reference to pieces of eight, divisible sections of a Mexican real, or dollar) 48. Wad: a bundle of paper money 49. Wampum: money (from the Native American term wampumpeag, referring to native currency) 50. Yards: one hundred dollars There are, of course, many other terms, dated or current, including borrowings of foreign terms like dinero. What did I miss (or omit)? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to use "on" and when to use "in"What's a Male Mistress?Threw and Through

The Destruction of Sennarcherib Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Destruction of Sennarcherib - Essay Example However Byron does not tell us the full story of the destruction of the king but focuses on the battle scene. He writes about the Assyrian army being destroyed by the Angel of Death thereby making us realize that the power of God is much more than that of the human beings. The theme of the poem is the battle between good and evil and comparison of the power of God with the power of the mortals. Sennacherib here represents evil. God in this poem is very powerful and punishes those who set out to do wrong. He on hearing the cries of his people sends the Angel of Death to destroy Sennacherib. â€Å"And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword / Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord,† (Byron, 1815) aptly describes how God protected his people from evil forces. Even though in the poem the Assyrians are described as noble characters wearing the royal colors of purple and gold they are shown as predators attacking the weak. The words â€Å"like a wolf on the fold,† points out to this. A breath of the Angel of Death was enough to destroy the great army and this shows how hollow the power of mortals is when compared to the power of God. The enemy was strong and the number of soldiers was as numerous as the number of leaves on the trees. Yet all that the angel of death did was "spread his wings" to destroy. This represents the central theme that God is more powerful than mortals. The Destruction of Sennacherib is clearly a poem on death. The first line of the third stanza itself conveys to us that the Assyrian king has been killed and the rest of the poem is about the effects of his death. The images of death are beautifully conveyed by the description of the king’s horse. Here Byron writes about foam spewing from the mouth of the horse and uses one whole stanza to describe the death of a horse. The death of a powerful animal like the horse is used as symbol to show that

Direct TV Strategic Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Direct TV Strategic Plan - Essay Example Customers connected to the internet can access the companys library, restart, and rewind shows and also engage interactive TV programs that provide real time information (DirecTV, 2013). The company’s advanced entertainment will involve an expanded capabilities. The company will provide streaming services outside the home with over 50 on-demand channels (DirecTV, 2013). Customers receive an improved user interface that unifies search across multiple screens. This interface is achievable through smart search capabilities across all platforms including mobile devices, tablets and set-top boxes (DirecTV, 2013). A global viewing history will ensure that subscribers can switch from one device to another and continue a previously paused program. The company’s strategy to transform subscriber experience will involve improving workforce and service quality engagement. Generating and testing of new ideas lead to improvements in products and procedures (DirecTV, 2013). A simplified customer interaction and increased subscriber self-service capability will increase productivity by reducing customer contact rates. Customers will also receive bundled broadband, video, and telephone services to improve customer convenience and cut costs (DirecTV, 2013). Providing a responsible pricing and enhanced productivity improves the customer experience and also the company’s profitability increases. The use of market growth and market share in developing strategies is crucial to our expansion. Suttle (2015) states that a company’s method of development is contingent upon its competition and financial situation. DirecTV currently has a little market share and especially in the private businesses. A firm’s market share is useful in determining the company’s strategy such as developing integrated bundling services and improving customer services like billing and packaging (DirecTV, 2013). A