Charcuterie Essay -- Food, Delicacy

Charcuterie runs the entire gauntlet of cookery. It represents an ancient culinary science that hallmarks the advent of a civilized mankind. Charcuterie is a fifteenth-century French term derived from the root words ‘chair’, which translates to flesh and ‘cuit’, meaning cooked. Charcutiers are in a specialty class of their own, distinguished from the classic butcher as a crafted meat preserver and engineer of flavor (Doherty, 2009). American consumers commonly misconceive charcuterie as a novelty or delicacy that is not readily available, when in fact charcuterie is everywhere. Oscar Mayer cold cuts, a modern day American staple, are produced by a preservation technique used before the concept of refrigeration. From the humble isle ways of local supermarkets to the posh pantries of restaurateurs and the finest charcuteries, a primitively preserved slab of hog is an ode to any carnivorous appetite. Charcuterie is mastery of the art of creating sausages a nd other cured, smoked and preserved meats (Ruhlman and Polcyn, 2005). Charcuterie mimics the dynamic trends of the culinary arts and continues to garner new delectable spin on time-tested classics. Preservation was cooking’s catalyst and in essence conjured the concept of a chef! The distinct flavor of charcuterie is as rich as its heritage. The origin of charcuterie is saturated with traditions, controversy and has stood the test of time in a competitive industry with rivaling styles. Charcuterie is both art and a science; the mechanics should be explored in order to appreciate the relevance of a taste that is as old as humankind. Remnants of charcuterie date back to the origins of Homo sapiens. Charcuterie was the groundwork for human survival in virtually every culture. ... ... been rehabilitated through consumer awareness and activism that led to better sanitation practices, overall care and slaughter. Swine is the reigning creature of charcuterie, palatable from head to tail! Charcuterie is an intricate part of the culinary scene. Chefs have implemented exquisite adaptations of preservation techniques to showcase charcuterie in contemporary dining. Variations from different regions ripened a romance between charcuterie and international cuisine. A French farmer would alchemize scraps of meat to make â€Å"waste† palatable is nowadays offered as patà © (Ruhlman and Polcyn, p 22)! Charcuterie cannot nor should not be precisely defined; it is something to be experienced. The historical nature of charcuterie connects you to your ancestors in a tangible way. Culinary art is a by-product of a rudimentary need to sustain and preserve life.

The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Thirty-Three

Ethan was, Matt observed, totaly freaking out. The guy's usual cheerful composure had worn off, and he was supervising the initiation arrangements with the intensity of a dril sergeant. â€Å"No!† he snarled from across the room. He darted over and slapped the leg of a girl who was standing on a chair and weaving roses through the welded metal V at the top of the central arch. â€Å"Ouch!† she yel ed, dropping the roses to the floor. â€Å"Ethan, what is your problem?† â€Å"We don't put anything on the V, Lorelai,† he told her coldly, and bent to pick up the flowers. â€Å"You must respect the symbols of the Vitale Society. It's a matter of honor. When our leader final y joins us, we must demonstrate to him that we are disciplined, that we are capable.† He shoved the roses back into her hands. â€Å"We don't do that by draping garbage al over the symbol of our organization.† Lorelai stared at him. â€Å"I'm sorry. But I thought you were the leader of the Vitale Society, Ethan.† Everyone had stopped working to watch Ethan's melt-down. Noticing that he was the center of attention, Ethan breathed deeply, clearly trying to regain his composure. Final y he addressed them al , biting off his words sharply. â€Å"I am trying to prepare you al , and to prepare this chamber, for the initiation ceremony. For you.† His voice was steadily rising as he glared around at them. â€Å"And this is when I learn that, despite al your promise, you're a bunch of incompetents. You can't even place a candle or mix some herbs without my help. We're running out of time, and I might as Welljust be doing everything myself.† Matt glanced around at the other pledges. Their faces were shocked and wary. Like him, al along they had been looking up to Ethan and were flattered and encouraged by his praise. Now their role model had turned on them, and no one seemed to know how to react. Chloe, setting out candles by the arch, was anxious, her lips pressed together tightly. She looked quickly at Matt and then away, back toward Ethan. â€Å"Just tel us what you want us to do, Ethan,† Matt said, stepping forward. He tried to keep his voice level and soothing. â€Å"We'l do our best to make everything perfect.† Ethan glowered at him. â€Å"You couldn't even get your friend Stefan to join us,† he said bitterly. â€Å"One simple task, and you failed.† â€Å"Hey,† Matt said, offended. â€Å"That's not fair. I got Stefan to come talk to you. If he's not interested, that's his decision. He doesn't have to join us.† â€Å"I question your commitment to the Vitale Society, Matt,† Ethan said flatly. â€Å"And the conversation with Stefan Salvatore is not over.† He walked straight past Matt, glancing briefly at the rest of the pledges gathered around him. â€Å"There's not much time, everyone. Get back to work.† Matt could feel the beginnings of a headache starting at his temples. For the first time, he wondered if maybe he didn't want to join the Vitale Society after al . â€Å"I could have this door open in a single second,† Damon said irritably. â€Å"Instead we stand here, waiting.† Meredith sighed and careful y wiggled the bobby pin in the lock. â€Å"If you force the door open, Damon, they'l know right away that someone broke into the campus security office. By picking the lock instead, we can keep a low profile. Okay?† The bobby pin caught on something, and she careful y slid it upward, trying to turn it to catch the pins of the lock so she could move the tumbler. Then the bobby pin bent, and she lost the angle. She groaned and dug into her bag for another bobby pin. â€Å"Twenty-seven weapons,† she grumbled. â€Å"I brought twenty-seven separate weapons to col ege and not a single lock pick.† â€Å"Well, you couldn't be prepared for everything,† Elena said. â€Å"What about using a credit card?† â€Å"Being prepared for everything is sort of my job description,† Meredith muttered. She sat back on her heels and stared at the door. The lock was pretty flimsy: not only Damon but either she or Elena could have easily forced it open. And yes, a credit card or something similar probably would work just fine. Dropping the bobby pin into her open bag, she took out her wal et instead and found her student ID. The ID slid right into the crack between the door and the doorjamb, she gave it a careful little wiggle, and, bingo, she was able to easily slide the lock back and pul the door open. Meredith smiled over her shoulder at Elena, arching one eyebrow. â€Å"That was strangely satisfying,† she said. Once they were inside and the door was locked again behind them, Meredith checked to make sure the windows were covered, then flicked on the lights. The security office was simply furnished: white wal s, two desks, each with a computer, one with a forgotten half cup of coffee on top, and a filing cabinet. There was a dying plant on the windowsil , its leaves dry and browning. â€Å"We're sure that none of the officers are going to show up and catch us?† Elena asked nervously. â€Å"I told you, I checked their routine,† Meredith answered. â€Å"After eight o'clock, al but one of the security guards on duty is patrol ing the campus. The one who isn't is sitting in the downstairs lobby of the administration building, keeping in radio contact with the others and helping students who lock themselves out of their dorms and stuff.† â€Å"Well, let's get it over with,† Damon said. â€Å"I don't particularly relish the idea of spending the whole evening in this dismal little hole.† His voice sounded both Wellbred and bored, as usual, but there was something different about him. He was standing very close to Elena, so close that his arm was brushing against hers, and, as Meredith watched, his hand came up to touch Elena's back very lightly, just with his fingertips. There was a slight secretive curve to his mouth, almost as if Damon was even more pleased with himself than usual. â€Å"Well?† he asked, gazing back at Meredith. â€Å"What now, hunter?† Elena stepped away from him and knelt in front of the filing cabinet before Meredith could answer, sliding the top drawer open. â€Å"What was Samantha's last name? Her file's probably under that.† â€Å"Dixon,† Meredith told her, pushing away the little shock she kept getting whenever anyone referred to Samantha in the past tense. It was just †¦ she'd been so ful of life. â€Å"And Christopher's was Nowicki.† Elena rifled through the files in both drawers, pul ing out first one thick folder and then a second. â€Å"Got them.† She opened Samantha's folder and made a sick little sound in her throat. â€Å"They're †¦ worse than I thought,† she said, her voice shaking as she looked at pictures from the murder scene. She turned over a few pages. â€Å"And here's the coroner's report. It says she died from blood loss.† â€Å"Let me see,† Meredith said. She took the file and made herself study the crime scene pictures to see if she had missed anything when she was there. Her eyes kept flinching away from Sam's poor defenseless body, so she swal owed hard and focused on the areas away from the body, the floor, the wal s of Samantha's room. â€Å"Blood loss because she was kil ed by a vampire? Or because there's so much blood everywhere else?† She was proud of how steady her own voice was, steadier than Elena's anyway. She held out the folder toward Damon. â€Å"What do you think?† she asked. Damon took the folder and studied the photos dispassionately, flipping a few pages to read the coroner's report. Then he held out his hand to Elena for Christopher's file and looked through that one as Well. â€Å"I can't tel anything for certain,† he said after a few minutes. â€Å"Just like with the bodies I found, they could have been kil ed by werewolves, who are primitive like this. Or it could have been sloppy vampires. Demons, easily. Even humans could do this, if they were sufficiently motivated.† Elena made a soft sound of denial, and Damon flashed his bril iant sudden grin at her. â€Å"Oh, don't forget that humans can come up with far more creative means of violence than some simple hungry monsters do, sweetheart.† Serious again, he looked down at the photographs once more. â€Å"I can tel you, though, that more than one creature – or person – was responsible.† His finger traced a line across one of the pictures, and Meredith forced herself to look. Bloodstains were spattered in wide arcs across the room, beyond Samantha's outstretched arms. â€Å"See the way the blood sprayed here?† Damon asked. â€Å"Someone held her hands and someone else held her feet, and at least one other, maybe more, kil ed her.† He flipped open Christopher's folder again. â€Å"Same thing. This might be evidence that werewolves are the culprits, since they like to travel in packs, but it isn't firm proof. You can get groups of almost anything. Even vampires: they're not al as self-sufficient as I am.† â€Å"Matt saw only one person – or whatever – near Chris's body, though,† Elena pointed out. â€Å"And he got there real y soon after Christopher screamed.† Damon waved a disparaging hand. â€Å"So they were fast,† he said. â€Å"A vampire could do it before a human had time to even react to the scream. Almost anything supernatural could. Speed comes with the package.† Meredith shuddered. â€Å"A whole pack of something,† she said numbly. â€Å"One would have been bad enough.† â€Å"A pack's much worse,† Damon agreed. â€Å"Are you ready to go now?† â€Å"We'd better check and see if there's anything else and then clean up,† Elena said. â€Å"Do you want to stand guard outside? I feel like we're real y tempting fate by staying here so long. You could give some kind of signal if you see someone coming or use your Power to get rid of them. Please?† Damon smiled at her flirtatiously. â€Å"I'l be your watchdog, princess, but only because it's you.† Meredith waited until he left to say dryly, â€Å"Speaking of dogs, remember when Damon kil ed Bonnie's pet pug?† Elena opened the top file drawer again and started going through it methodical y. â€Å"I don't want to talk about this, Meredith. It was Katherine who kil ed Yangtze, anyway.† â€Å"I just don't think you realize what you're getting into here,† Meredith said. â€Å"Damon's not terrific relationship material.† Elena's hands faltered in their efficient progress. â€Å"I don't †¦ it's not like that,† she said. â€Å"It's not a relationship, I don't want a relationship with anyone but Stefan.† Meredith frowned, confused. â€Å"Well, then, what – â€Å" â€Å"It's complicated,† Elena said. â€Å"I care about Damon, you know that. I'm seeing where things might go with him. There's something between us, there always has been. With Stefan gone† – her voice cracked – â€Å"I have to give it a chance. Just †¦ just let it alone for now, okay?† She picked up Samantha's folder to put it back in the drawer. Her lips were trembling, and Meredith was about to pursue the subject: she wasn't going to let it alone. Not when Elena was upset and somehow involved – more involved than she had been before – with Damon the dangerous vampire. But Elena interrupted her. â€Å"Huh,† she said. â€Å"What do you think this means?† Meredith craned to see what she was talking about, and Elena pointed. On the inside front of Samantha's file was written a large black V. She picked up Christopher's file. â€Å"This one, too,† she said, showing Elena. â€Å"Vampires?† Elena asked. â€Å"The Vitale Society? What else starts with V and might have to do with these murders?† â€Å"I don't know,† Meredith started to say, when they suddenly heard the rumble of a car engine pul ing up outside the building. A raucous caw came through the window. â€Å"That's Damon,† Elena said, shoving Christopher's file back into the cabinet. â€Å"If we don't want him to have to compel the whole security force, we'd better get out of here fast.†

Modern Audience Essay

â€Å"It is impossible for a modern audience to feel comfortable with the Taming of The Shrew† with close reference to Shakespeare’s presentation of Katharina, comic conventions and having the above question in mind, write about your response to the ending of the play†¦ In my opinion, The Taming of The Shrew tells the story of an abusive marriage and I would agree with the view that it is impossible for a modern audience to feel comfortable with the play, especially the conclusion of the story. Shakespeare’s presentation of Katharina at the end of the play seems to me to be one of a broken person; she is almost robotic in her obedience and without spirit, except for when singing the praises of wifely submission. â€Å"Thy husband is thy Lord, thy life, thy keeper, thy head, thy sovereign† is a prime example of the disturbing brainwashing Petruchio has carried out on her. This humbled ‘Kate’ is a far cry from the feisty Katharina we are first greeted by in Act 2, where she exchanges a vicious battle of words with Petruchio; â€Å"Asses are made to bear and so are you†. This phrase in itself shows that she is fearless, and defies her society’s conventions, cursing at strangers; a sad contrast to the plays ending, where she has totally conformed to what’s expected of her. The ending of the play also contains very little comedy, with the exception of the argument as to who is the real Vincentio, and the fight between Kate and the Widow. This is because the Taming of the shrew defies most Shakespearian comedy conventions, as the marriage takes place midway the play, rather than at then end as was traditional. I believe that this adds to the discomfort of the modern audience, as after the supposed ‘happy ending’ we are faced with the harsh reality of Petruchio’s treatment of Kate. Shakespeare presents Katharina as completely changed by the end of the play. At first she is wild and seemingly untameable; we see her tie up her sister and argue violently with both Petruchio and her father. â€Å"So may you lose you arms, if you strike me, you are no gentleman, and if no gentleman, why then no arms† Here, Shakespeare presents Katharina as highly skilled with word manipulation, generating humour with her insulting play on words with â€Å"arms† as she brands Petruchio simply a commoner if he would strike her. This is in stark contrast to the ending of the play where she seems to have no free will. She is practically enslaved to Petruchio, agreeing with his every thought and whim. An example of this is Act 4, Scene 5, Petruchio and Kate see Vincentio and Petruchio refers to him as a â€Å"fair and lovely maid†, instructing Kate to â€Å"embrace her for her beauty’s sake†. Shakespeare’s use of a command word clearly shows Petruchio’s power and utter control in their relationship. Vincentio is obviously a man, but despite this, and despite a warning from Hortensio that this pretence will anger Vincentio, â€Å"a will make the man mad, to make a woman of him†, Kate does indeed embrace him for his beauty’s sake; â€Å"Young budding virgin, fair fresh and sweet†. This elaborate language with its piling up of adjectives is an example of hyperbole used for comic effect. It is perhaps also, on a less humorous note, an instance of what many feminists would see as the darker side of The Taming of the Shrew, and the destruction of Katherina’s personality; this is a strong interpretation as she could be seen to be using this elaborate language due to her desperation to please Petruchio or her fear of punishment. Petruchio further exerts his power over Kate by then changing his mind and accusing Kate of madness. â€Å"I hope thou art not mad, this is a man† she readily agrees, ignoring the fact that Petruchio has undermined and humiliated her, and begs for his pardon over her stupidity. This scene is a prime example of the change Petruchio has caused from Katharina to Kate. She is not the character we met in Act 2, and this transformation could be said to be uncomfortable for a modern audience to watch. It is unpleasant to see one human being so completely at the hands of another, and whether this total obedience is due to love, fear or desperation is down to the audience to decide. I think this adds a more disquieting edge to the play as Shakespeare seems to condone Petruchio’s taming, or what most modern audiences would see as abuse. However, some critics, for instance Lucy Bailey, director for the RSC, have stated that the play is a curiously misunderstood love story, not the abusive tale of misogyny some modern audiences would see it as; Bailey says that Petruchio and Kate’s attraction is instant, and that what follows after their first meeting is simply fore-play. Nonetheless, this interpretation is hard to digest in the face of the cruelty Petruchio inflicts on Kate, why would a man in love treat the object of his affections like one of his farm animals? This treatment is particularly shown during Act 4 where Petruchio begins his ‘taming’, he attempts to train Kate as one would train a dog. EXAMPLE. Evaluate language. Other critics have explained this treatment by saying that Petruchio is driven mad by grief after the death of his father he â€Å"takes out his disaffection and anger on other people almost as an experiment.† (Director David Farr) The best example of Shakespeare’s changing presentation of Katharina to Kate can be seen in the final scene, in her speech. She has not spoken for several pages, but then, on Petruchio’s command, launches into the longest speech in the entire play, expelling the virtues of being a good wife. The first reason that most modern audiences would find this scene uncomfortable to watch is the way that Petruchio instructs Kate to â€Å"Tell these headstrong women what duty they do owe to their Lords and husbands†. This phrase itself could be seen to be problematic for modern audiences to digest. In the 21st century, men and women are equal, so the way that Petruchio refers to men as â€Å"Lords†, implies a power and control over women that is uncomfortable for most modern audiences to hear. Shakespeare cleverly prioritises the word Lord over Husband in this line emphasising the debt Petruchio feels women owe their husbands, like peasants owe their Lords. In this statement, Petruchio also uses headstrong as an insult, whereas in modern Britain, although it can have negative connotations, headstrong is often a positive personality attribute, implying one knows ones own mind. The ending of The Taming of the Shrew contains very little comic elements, making it all the more uncomfortable. There is the scene in which Vincentio encounters the pedant impersonating himself . The audience has not seen Kate as impassioned during her speech since she was Katharina; we see some of her old spark when she refers to Bianca and The Widow as â€Å"froward and unable worms†. However, this insult could be seen as a sad reflection of how Petruchio has twisted her feisty nature to suit his own needs. Most modern spectators would see the entire speech as incredibly anti-feminist, and I believe that due to this it is impossible for most modern audiences to feel comfortable with The Taming of The Shrew. Kate suggests women should â€Å"kneel for peace† and â€Å"place your hands below your husband’s foot†. These phrases evoke feelings of servitude and to most modern audiences are difficult to hear. Kate’s ‘realisation’ that women are weak, their â€Å"lances nothing but straws† contrasts to her physical violence at the start of the play where she attacks Petruchio. â€Å"That I’ll try (she strikes him)†. Shakespeare uses regal imagery in this speech to show the total infatuation and obedience Kate feels towards Petruchio. She refers to husbands and ‘Lords’, ‘Sovereigns’, ‘Heads’ and ‘Princes’, and these words show the power Petruchio has over Kate and the power she believes all husbands should have over their wives: one of absolute control, akin to the monarch. Shakespeare’s effective listing of these nouns emphasises Kate’s uncanny passion towards Petruchio and wifely obedience. Similes are also widely used in Kate’s final speech; for example, â€Å"to dart a scornful glance† at ones husband â€Å"blots thy beauty as frosts do bite the meads†. Kate now believes that obedience is beauty, and for most modern audiences who live in a society where independence is valued and celebrated, it is impossible to feel comfortable with these ideas.

Business cycle Essay

Discuss the phases of business cycle. Suggest Suitable Fiscal policy and monetary policy to overcome the recession in economy. Business Cycle – A business cycle is also known as trade cycle. It implies wave like fluctuations in the level of economic activity, particularly in national income a, employment and output. It is a short term picture of the behaviour of real output in a private enterprise economy. Business cycle refers to upturn and downturn in the level of economic activity that extends over a period of time. The business fluctuations occur in aggregate variable such as national income, employment and price level. The variables nearly move at the same time and in the same direction. However they vary in duration and intensity. Cyclic fluctuations have the following features: †¢Wave line movements – ocyclical fluctuations are wave like movements and are recurrent in nature ocharacterized by alternation of expansions( prosperity) and contraction ( depression) in economic activity oare repetitive and rhythmic ocontains oscillating movements in the form of waves from peak to trough and trough to peak †¢Synchronic – oEntire business of an economy acts like an organism oAny happening on economic front affects the entire economy oAnd through the mechanism of international trade affects entire world oexample -The Great depression 1929 †¢Cumulative – oProcess of expansion and contraction is of cumulative and self-reinforcing in nature oMoves in same direction until external forces reverses its direction †¢Self-generating forces – oIt can terminate the period of prosperity and start depression oCannot have definite period of prosperity or depression †¢Non identical – oPeriod of trade cycle are not identical although they recur with great regularity †¢Not symmetrical oPeak and trough are not symmetrical oMovement from upward to downward is more sudden and violent than that from downward to upward oDownturn is sharp and steep oIt is relatively narrow at its peak and flatter at its trough Phases of business cycle: A business cycle can be divided into four phases. They are shown in the fig 1.1 The phases are: 1.Expansion or prosperity or the upswing 2.Recession or upper-turning point 3.Contraction or depression or downswing 4.Revival or recovery or lower turning point These phases are recurrent and uniform in case of different cycles. But no phase has definite periodicity or time intervals. A business cycle starts from trough or low point, passes trough a recovery and prosperity phase, rises to peak, declines through a recession and depression phases and again reaches a trough. 1)Expansion or prosperity or the upswing or peak or Boom – The top of a business cycle is called Peak or Boom or prosperity phase. In the boom period, the overall business activity is rising at a more rapid rate. There is a rise in real output and incomes of the people. There is a rise in production, prices, employment, wages, interest rates, profits and in the volume of bank credit. The general mood of the businessmen is that of optimism and commercial. The industrial activity both speculative and non-speculative shows remarkable expansion. Construction activity gets a big boost. Share markets give good gains to the investors. Financial institutions tend to expand credit. In the words of Haberler. ‘‘Prosperity is ‘a state of affairs in which the real income consumed, real income produced and the level of employment are high or rising and there are no idle resources or unemployed workers or very few of either†. During prosperity period, there is a high level of demand for capital goods and consumer goods and services. Risky investments are undertaken by the entrepreneurs. Inefficient firms enter into the market and manage to survive. The high level of demand for the various inputs creates shortage of some of them. Inflation goes up. The economy becomes supply constrained. The state of prosperity proves to be short lived and the downturn of its period starts. 2) Recession or upper-turning point – The end of prosperity comes and enters into recession. Recession is a slowdown of business activity. In recession employment and output both decline. The forces which bring the contractionary phase of business fluctuations (recession) are as follows: a) As prices of the commodities rise the wages of the workers tend to lag behind. The reduction in the purchasing powers of the workers brings down the demand for consumer goods b) Due to shortage of some inputs the expansion in production of goods is hampered. c) The non-availability of credit beyond a particular limit of expansion acts as a serious brake on prosperity. The financial institutions begin to recover the loans. The firms which are unable to pay back the loans begin to liquidate their stocks. When more firms sell their output at the same time the price level starts falling. If a few firms get involved in losses a wave of pessimism runs through the share markets. The firms begin to curtail production. Workers are laid off. The outstanding orders for raw materials are cancelled. The new projects are shelved. The wave of pessimism passes on to other sectors of the economy and the businessmen become panicky and the whole economic system runs into crisis. Then the next stage of business cycle called depression starts. 3)Depression or Trough or downswing – Depression is the most fearful stage of a trade cycle. The phase of depression (also called slump) is characterized by low economic activities, rapid decline in general output and employment. The decline in economic activity is not uniform. There is much more decline in output in manufacturing mining construction transport industries. However there is comparatively less contraction in output in retail trade and agriculture. In slump, there is a marked fall in the average prices of the commodities. The costs are relatively higher the profits of the entrepreneurs decline. The purchasing power of the money is high but due to low income there is too much contraction in effective demand for consumer goods. The expenditure on capital goods or its replacement greatly falls Most of the firms reduce their output or close down. The income of the shareholders goes down. Depression or slump leads to redistribution of national income Profits and wages fall faster relatively to rent and other fixed incomes. The bankers  follow the policy of credit contraction. Due to dull business conditions producers are also reluctant to borrow funds Summing up in a period of slump there is negative net investment by firms falling demand of consumer as well as capital goods high unemployment and low level of imports. In the words of Haberler, Depression is a state of affairs in which real income consumed or volume of production per head and the rate of employment are falling. There are idle resources and unused capacity especially unused labour.’’ In the economic life of the world such acute crises have occurred in the years 1710 1827 1873 1907 and 1929. 4) Revival or Recovery – The economic conditions which we have described in depression phase do not remain as such forever. After sometime revival or recovery sets in under the influence of a variety of factors. The revival phase develops when the accumulated stock of commodities with the businessmen are exhausted. The costs under the impact of prolonged depression begin to fall. The prices which have reached its lowest level stop falling further. There is then complete harmony between costs and price relationship. When profits begin to reappear, the businessmen are induced to invest their hoarded money in some enterprises: In order to steal a march over other industrialists, they start repairs, renewal and replacements of their capital equipments and stocks. The capital goods industries resume activities. There is gradual of labor. The money incomes begin to increase and the effective demand is revived. The government also tries to break the spell of depression by starting construction or expanding some public works with a view to give more employment. The commercial, banks which have accumulated large reserve offer credit on favorable terms. The marginal efficiency of capital begins to rise and investment opportunities brighten up. The consumers start buying commodities to avoid the rise. Due to increase in demand for commodities, investment in various industries is stimulated and thus the revival takes place. The recovery phase of business cycle thus is characterized by rising production, increasing prices of both consumption and capital goods, rising of wages, rates, enlarged opportunities of employment, and greater amount of  spending on consumption and investment goods. Prior to 1940’s, there were frequent booms and depressions in the capitalistic world. However, after the World War-Il, the strong cyclical upswings and downswings have been considerably tamed by the timely applications of fiscal and monetary measures. The fluctuations in economic activity are now moderate. Consequently, the term economic expansion and economic contraction are used now for the terms boom and recession. Both expansionary monetary policy and expansionary fiscal policy are being used to counter the recession. Expansionary monetary policy is basically just lending more money to people; people borrow that money and spend it creating demand in the process. The United States has been using expansionary monetary policy for about 20 years straight now which has directly lead to massive increases in the levels of debt in the economy. Debt levels are so high now that no one can actually borrow any more so monetary policy has stopped working. Monetary policy is at the most expansionary setting possible right now and it is having effectively no expansionary impact on the economy as a consequence of excessive debt levels. Fiscal policy thus is the only option left available to actually rectify the situation; basically all you are doing is spending money through the government thus creating demand in the economy. Measures being taken include tax cuts, other measures being taken include infrastructure spending and extending the length of unemployment benefits. This is basically a Keynesian approach. Keynesian economics revolves around the concept of ‘aggregate demand’ the government can increase the amount of aggregate demand through government spending. A Keynesian approach is fundamentally the right way to go under the circumstances that exist as this crisis is basically a crisis of demand. The classical approach is to do nothing and to rely on the natural robustness of the macro economy to solve the problem. Most macroeconomists agree that this is ineffective if not stupid, but it was first thought to be the solution to the 1929 market crash. The Keynesian approach takes several forms but all of them are supposed to  result in the so called â€Å"multiplier effect† causing the economy to grow once it has been stimulated by making more money available at some place in the social system. Unfortunately it doesn’t work due to this money having to be borrowed or taken from some other part of the system. Keynesian economics is only a partial model and is unable to really show how it might grow. The current Keynesian methods in use are to borrow money from the public and increase the national debt. Also to print more money and use it to reduce this debt, but this means inflation and it is no more effective than that of the greater loans. Inflation is also dishonest because it makes the debt owed by the government of smaller value in terms of what its money can buy. Money is only a representative of wealth, not wealth itself. If the system were one of barter and in the present crisis then more money does not mean more wealth, except for the printers of course. To reduce the rate of interest on the national debt does help to reduce the budget deficit for the next year, but it is not very effective and will not solve the problem at anything like the speed needed. So that with present methods there is no way to get out of the recession. Fiscal Policy When it comes to how fiscal policy affects the economy during a recession, the government has some automatic stabilizers in effect. These items work to automatically stabilize the economy when a recession takes place. With fiscal policies, the government influences the economy by changing how it (the government) spends and collects money. For example, the income tax system acts an automatic stabilizer. When people make less money, they also pay less money in income taxes. Unemployment benefits are another example of an automatic stabilizer. This helps families continue to receive income so that they can keep spending and keeps the economy going. The most common fiscal policy actions in a recession are: †¢Tax cuts for businesses or for individuals – When the economy is struggling during a recession, the government can attempt to help the situation by charging less in taxes. In many cases, the executive and legislative branches work together to cut taxes for Americans. By doing this, it gives  people more discretionary income so that they can spend and stimulate the economy. i.e people and corporations have more money, which may make them more likely to buy things, which increases demand.Once the economy stabilizes, the government can gradually reintroduce the taxes and help keep the economy and the government going. †¢Increase Government Purchases Another way that the government can use fiscal policy to stabilize the economy during a recession is to increase government purchases. The government can use more money to buy goods and services from domestic providers. This increase in sales helps stimulate the businesses. This increases demand for labour, which can lower the unemployment rate.These businesses can then use this increase in income to buy more supplies and expand even further. Once this begins to happen, it can have a positive effect on the entire economy and stabilize the recession by providing more jobs and opportunities for unemployed entrepreneurs. †¢Expansionary vs.Contractionary – One of the arguments among economics on how to use fiscal policy centers around expansionary and contractionary strategies. An expansionary fiscal policy involves increasing government expenditures or lowering taxes so that the deficit increases. By comparison, a contractionary fiscal policy cuts back on government expenditures or increases taxes so that the government can have a financial surplus. Using an expansionary policy can improve the economy in the short-term, but eventually it could hurt the economy as the government’s debt becomes too large. Monetary Policy During an economic recession, unemployment rises while incomes, business investment and consumer spending fall. Monetary policy aims to shorten recessions by encouraging consumer spending and investment. Monetary policy actions can help shorten recessions or reduce their impacts, but economic conditions may limit their impact. In addition, it takes time for policy decisions to be felt throughout the economy at large. Government usually responds to an economic recession through stimulative fiscal policy, expansionary monetary policy or a combination of the two. Stimulative fiscal policy involves higher government spending in an attempt to stimulate the economy. Expansionary monetary policy consists of actions by central banks,  such as the U.S. Federal Reserve, RBI to expand the money supply to encourage more consumer spending and business lending. Expansionary monetary policy actions to battle a recession include the purchase of government bonds by central banks, reducing banks’ reserve requirements, and lowering short-term interest rates. Effects Of monetary policy- The purchase of government bonds by central banks injects more money into the economy. Lower reserve requirements give banks more money to lend because they are required to hold fewer reserves against deposits. Increased lending by banks stimulates business investment and expansion. A reduction in short-term interest rates also encourages more investment by reducing the cost of borrowing. Lowering short-term interest rates also reduces the rates on home mortgages, lowering mortgage payments for homeowners, giving them additional disposable income. Although expansionary monetary policy has the ability to reduce the length and severity of an economic recession, there is no guarantee it can do so. Lower interest rates, for example, may not stimulate consumer spending if consumers have little confidence in the economy. They are unlikely to increase their spending if they believe their jobs are at risk because of a sluggish economy. Businesses may be reluctant to invest in new facilities and equipment for expanded operations if the economy is in a recession. Finally, banks may be unwilling to increase their lending during a recession. Time Frame †¢Another concern about the ability of monetary policy to impact a recession is that the effects of policy decisions, such as a cut in interest rates, will not be immediately felt. It can take more than a year for the effects of lower interest rates to be felt. †¢During the 1991 and 2001 recessions, Federal Reserve policymakers repeatedly cut short-term interest rates to stimulate investment and consumer spending. It took time, however, for the effects to be felt. In 2001, for example, a series of Fed cuts reduced short-term interest rates to near zero. However, consumer uncertainty about the future, resulting from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, coupled with a  distrust of corporate accounting practices resulting from the collapse of Enron, blunted the effects of Fed efforts to expand the money supply. †¢In the end, the course of a nation’s recession is controlled by the actions of everybody living in the country. Anything influenced by so many people is beyond the control of any one person or group — it seems to have a mind of its own. But in the United States, time has proven that attitudes and economic factors shift, and every recession is a temporary recession. Eventually, things turn around and an upward spiral is reestablished. In the face of an economic collapse, the role of the government is invaluable. Governments have the power to avert an impending economic and financial disaster. 1. Encourage exports. The government should focus on the export business segment because it would infuse necessary foreign currencies into the country which would be used to pay debts, import goods and other necessities. 2. Provide Accessible Credit for Business. Local businesses should be encouraged by the government to compensate for unemployment thru extending credit to them. More businesses mean more jobs for the people. Or at least, source of income for the family. 3. Improve Tax Collection. Implement speedy and effective tax collection measures. Taxes can finance government expenditures such as provision of credit to businesses or budgets for social welfare. 4. Set Aside Large Amount Amount for Social Welfare. This will quell panic and riots and restore confidence in the people. Positive outlook will be developed in the process. This will also enable people to get back of their feet and start anew. 5. Control Expenditures in Other Fields. Slash budgets on unnecessary expenditures in other areas – military, legislative, executive, other branches. 6. Improve Tourism. Lure more tourists to the country. More tourists mean more money injected to the economy. Businesses will naturally sprout even small businesses in order to cater to the needs of these tourists. The main problem is the lack of funds as businesses closed and investors pull out their investments. The solution is to encourage the injection of money back to the country. Focus on the solution.

Dell Promotion Objectives Essay

Dell’s sales promotion strategies are depended on the different type of consumers such as loyal customers, competitor’s customers, Brand switchers, and prize buyers. A repeated purchase which is the sales promotion objective is very important for any company to reach their goal. Dell offers its customers an option to purchase on internet and to contact Dell employees if they have any problems or questions. . Internet is the most efficient and purest sell model of Dell where consumers’ accesses not only buy the products but also get service and support. Recently, the company recruits more than 2.6 million visitors in every week and form online marketing of Dell, company earn more than $40 million in revenue per week. Moreover, Dell sends off coupon, special offers and also eye catching display of new technology to the customers. Promotions Dell’s strategy was built around a number of core elements: build-to-order manufacturing, mass customization, partnerships with suppliers, just-in-time components inventories, direct sales, market segmentation, customer service, and extensive data and information sharing with both supply partners and customers. Through this strategy, the company hoped to achieve what Michael Dell called â€Å"virtual integration†Ã¢â‚¬â€a stitching together of Dell’s business with its supply partners and customers in real time such that all three appeared to be part of the same organizational team. Dell’s promotional strategies include: 1. Direct Sales: Selling Direct to customers gave Dell firsthand information about customer preferences and needs, as well as immediate feedback on design problems and quality glitches. With thousands of phone and fax orders daily, Internet sales, and daily contacts between the field sales force and customers of all types, the company kept its finger on the market pulse, quickly detecting shifts in sales trends and getting prompt feedback on any problems with its products. Management believed Dell’s ability to respond quickly gave it a significant advantage over rivals, particularly over PC makers in Asia that made large production runs and sold standardized products through retail channels. Dell saw its direct sales approach as a totally customer-driven system that allowed quick transitions to new  generations of components and PC models. 2. Market segmentation: To make sure that each type of customer was well served, Dell had made speco finer, more homogeneous categories. 90 percent of Dell’s sales were to business or government institutions and of those 70 percent were to large corporate customers who bought at least $1 million in PCs annually. Many of these large customers typically ordered thousands of units at a time. Dell had hundreds of sales representatives calling on large corporate and institutional accounts. Its customer list included Shell Oil, Exxon, MCI, Ford Motor, Toyota, Eastman Chemical, Boeing, Goldman Sachs, Oracle, Microsoft, Michelin, Unilever, Deutsche Bank, Sony and Wal-Mart. However, no one customer represented more than 2 percent of total sales. Because corporate customers tended to buy the most expensive computers, Dell commanded the highest average selling prices in the industry—over $1,600 versus an industry average under $1,400. Dell’s sales to individuals and small b usinesses were made by telephone, fax, and the Internet. It had a call center in the United States with toll-free lines; customers could talk with a sales representative about specific models, get information faxed or mailed to them, place an order, and pay by credit card. The call centers were equipped with technology that routed calls from a particular country to a particular call center. Thus, for example, a customer calling from Lisbon, Portugal, was automatically directed to the call center in Montpelier, France, and connected to a Portuguese-speaking sales representative. Dell began Internet sales at its Web site (www.dell.com) in 1995; almost overnight achieving sales of $1 million per day. In 1997 Internet sales reached an average of $3 million daily, hitting $6 million some days during the Christmas shopping period. The fastest growing segment of Dell’s international segment was through Internet Sales. Internet sales were about equally divided between sales to individuals and sales to business customers. 3. Advertising: Michael Dell was a strong believer in the power of advertising and frequently espoused its importance in the company’s strategy. Thus, Dell was the first computer company to use comparative ads, throwing barbs at Compaq’s higher prices. The company regularly had prominent ads in such leading computer publications as PC Magazine and PC World, as well as in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and other business publications. In the spring of 1998, the company debuted a multi-year  worldwide TV campaign to strengthen its brand image. Recently, Dell India has launched an integrated marketing campaign for its Inspiron range of laptops. A TVC targeting the youth, created by Grey Worldwide, went on air across entertainment channels. This new campaign is based on stories of ‘personal achievement’. 4. Customer Service: Service became a feature of Dell’s strategy. The company provides a guarantee of free on-site service. Dell contracted with local service providers to handle customer requests for repairs; on-site service was provided on a next-day basis. Dell also provided its customers with technical support via a toll-free number, fax, and e-mail. Bundled service policies were a major selling point for winning corporate accounts. If a customer preferred to work with his or her own service provider, Dell gave that provider the training and spare parts needed to service the customer’s equipment. Selling direct allowed Dell to keep close track of the purchases of its large global customers, country by country and department by department— the information that customers found valuable. Maintaining its close customer relationships allowed Dell to become quite knowledgeable about its customers’ needs and how their PC network functioned. Aside from using this information to help customers plan their PC needs and configure their PC networks, Dell used its knowledge to add to the value it delivered to its customers. Corporate customers paid Dell fees to provide support and service.. Dell’s strategy was to manage the flow of information gleaned from customer service activities both to improve product quality and speed execution. In recent months Dell, following Compaq’s lead, had created a capital services group to assist customers with financing their PC networks. Virtual Integration and information sharing: But what was unique about Dell’s strategy was how the company was using technology and information-sharing with both supply partners and customers to blur the traditional arm’s-length boundaries in the supplier- manufacturer-customer value chain that characterized Dell’s earlier business model and other direct-sell competitors. Michael Dell referred to this feature of Dell’s strategy as â€Å"virtual integration.† On-line communications technology made it easy for Dell to communicate inventory levels and replenishment needs to vendors daily or even hourly. In this regard, a number of Dell’s corporate accounts were large enough to justify dedicated  on-site teams of Dell employees. Customers usually welcomed such teams, preferring to focus their time and energy on the core business rather than being distracted by PC purchasing and servicing issues. 5. Regional Forums: Dell had set up a number of regional forums to stimulate the flow of information back and forth with customers. The company formed Platinum Councils composed of its largest customers in the United States, Europe, Japan, and the Asia-Pacific region; regional meetings were held every six to nine months. Customers were provided opportunities to share information and learn from one another as well as exchange ideas with Dell personnel. Dell found that the information gleaned from customers at these meetings assisted in forecasting demand for the company’s product. 6. Customized Intranet sites: Dell had developed customized intranet sites (called Premier Pages) for its largest global customers; these sites gave customer personnel immediate on-line access to purchasing and technical information about the specific configurations of products that their company had purchased from Dell or that were currently authorized for purchase. Demand Forecasting Accurate sales forecasts were the key to keeping costs down and minimizing inventories, given the complexity and diversity of the company’s product line. Because Dell worked diligently to maintain a close relationship with its large corporate and institutional customers, and because it sold direct to small customers via telephone and the Internet, it was possible for the company to keep a finger on the pulse of demand—what was selling and what was not. Moreover, the company’s market segmentation strategy paved the way for in-depth understanding of its customers’ evolving requirements and expectations. Having credible real-time information about what customers were actually buying and having firsthand knowledge of large customers’ buying intentions gave Dell strong capability to forecast demand. Furthermore, Dell passed that knowledge on to suppliers so they could plan their production accordingly. The company worked hard at managing the flow of information it got from the marketplace and seeing that it got to both internal groups and vendors in timely fashion. Research and Development Company management believed that it was Dell’s job to sort out all the new technology coming into the marketplace and help steer customers to options  and solutions most relevant to their needs. The company talked to its customers frequently about â€Å"relevant technology,† listening carefully to customers’ needs and problems and endeavoring to identify the most cost-effective solutions. The company’s R&D unit also studied and implemented ways to control quality and to streamline the assembly process. Much time went into tracking all the new developments in components and software to ascertain how they would prove useful to computer users.

See intructions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

See intructions - Research Paper Example During the global warming process, the sun’s harmful ultraviolet and other solar radiation particles freely passes through the umbrella formation of the greenhouse gasses. The greenhouse gasses include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone elements. There are social and political aspects of global warming. Classroom learning, specifically science subject learning, should focus on incorporating the economic, ethical, and political aspects of global warming. Global warming political themes include implementing laws that will force companies to reduce global warming activities will improve agriculture product outputs. Global cooperation will fix the current global warming speed. The best solution is to implement laws that penalize violators of the global warming-based laws and persuading conserve electricity and other energy use. Lastly, the government encourages the people to ride the trains and public buses will help reduce car use, reducing global warm ing increase. Evidently, compliance with the government’ laws and government persuasions will reduce global warming. Introduction and Background of Global Warming. The political theme focuses on governance. Specifically, governance includes controlling the climate change factor, global warming (Kutting 2010, 107). The earth’s temperature is on a faster global warming path. ... Historically, global warming includes increased amounts of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. The first carbon dioxide concentration was discovered at 13,000 feet above Peak of Mauna Loa, Hawaii in 1958. In 1998, the carbon dioxide concentration rose to 369 parts per million by volume (ppmv). The statistics is higher than the 316 ppmv carbon dioxide concentration during 1958 (Maslin 2007 12). In terms of the history of global warming, global warming is the side effect of population increase and technology. Human life started with the invention of the wheel. During the past, horses and small boats were used as means transportation. Later, trains and bigger vessels were used as means of transportation. Today, factories use fossil fuel and electricity to produce their finished products. Jet planes are currently being used as a faster means of transportation. The horses were replaced by modern day cars. With the geometric increase in the population, there is a corresponding geometr ic increase in car owners and factory outputs. Consequently, global warming increased to unprecedented modern day levels. Political Issues. In terms of theories and concepts, the government’s political will implies the legitimacy and authority to implement a carefully orchestrated policy. Consequently, the public popularity and responsible government are difficult to achieve simultaneously. The government’s challenge to provide stability in the global environment entails enacting laws that must serves the public interest. Public interest includes implementing environmental protection policies. Global warming falls under the environmental protection policies (Brink 2004, 71). Political will includes balancing between implementing laws that will protect the community and

Literature course Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Literature course - Essay Example Why are we joking about this? It is taking away from everything we are striving for. Why is it that the media, especially television, still picture women as cooks, cleaners, housekeepers and filling gender-specific roles. This disturbs me no end. I thought all along that we were trying to be a more open-minded society where women are known to be strong, able to occupy powerful positions and at times be even superior to men. (example of irony) We must never underestimate women. Remember Joan of Arc and how she led the French army in the war against the English and winning? Wasn’t it a woman- Cleopatra and not a pharaoh who ruled Egypt successfully for a time until the snake was her undoing? And today, we have women invading areas of human endeavor where men heretofore held sway. Most modern families have mothers who are both housekeepers and breadwinners at the same time. We now have women astronauts, company CEO’s, doctors, professors, etc. In American politics, Nancy Pelosi heads the House of Representatives, Condoleeza Rice is the U.S, roving ambassador and doing a wonderful job of mediating with the leaders of countries all over the world. And Hillary Clinton is running for the Presidency. Is America breeding a race of super-women? In the field of entertainment, both screen and stage, American actresses take the lead. In Religion, there are more nuns than priests; however, we still have to see the fairer sex wearing the Fisherman’s ring. (This is a metaphor wherein there is reference to St. Peter, the first Pope, the first one to wear the Fisherman’s ring.) There are still things which women can do better than the men and other things which only women can do and no man can. God meant for women to conceive, carry babies in their wombs and give birth. Then they create a loving and nurturing environment for the children and teach them proper