Sperm Sorting :: DNA Sex Selection Reproduction Genetics Essays

Sperm Sorting Humans have tried for some time to determine the gender of their child while it is still in the womb. Craving sweets or a slower heart rate means you’ll be having a baby girl. Eating a lot of salty foods, having an especially active baby or carrying your baby low means it’s time to start painting the baby’s room blue1. Advances in science have moved us beyond these old wives’ tales and allowed us to exactly determine the gender of a child before it is born through the use of an ultrasound. A major decision for most people currently is if you want to know what gender your baby will be before it is born. While some are making that choice, others are choosing their child’s gender. I intend to address how this is possible, and if allowing such a choice is ethical. A significant change in gender determination is in progress. Many people are worried about the possibilities that eugenics will bring, including the possibility of gender determination through DNA modification. What these people are overlooking is, gender selection is already in use, and DNA modification is not necessary. Three hundred babies have already had their gender predetermined in the United States through the use of a process called sperm sorting2. Sperm sorting was initially developed as a means to regulate the gender of offspring in cattle. Sperm sorting is achieved through exploitation of the size difference between the X and Y chromosome. The X and Y chromosome are those that will determine the gender of an offspring. The egg of a female contains two X chromosomes, and each sperm from the male contains either an X or a Y. If the sperm that inseminates the egg contains a Y chromosome the egg will mature into a male, if the sperm that inseminates the egg contains an X, the egg will mature into a female. The X chromosome is approximately three times as large as the Y chromosome. Early methods of sperm sorting took advantage of the weight difference that is a result of their size difference. A sample of sperm was collected in a test tube, and then spun in a centrifuge, which separates the sample by weight. The X sperm will be at the very bottom of the tube while the Y sperm will be closer to the top. The major problem with this method is the high rate of speed at which the centrifuge spins in order to separate the sperm causes many collisions.

Company: Delta Airline

Company: Delta Airline 1. What are the major business processes, i. e. operations, the organisation carries out? Here I did selected Delta Airlines as a company for my research. This company is providing a wide range of the air traffic facilities in different parts of the world. In other words we can say that there are many operational routs of this airline company and all the routes are very much beneficial. Another uniqueness of this company is a verity of airplanes including airbuses and jumbo etc. At this time the company owns more than seven hundred different aeroplanes of different size and capacity. Delta Airline is providing facilities to the people of the world to more from one place to another by air. The services and facilities of the company are very helpful for the passengers and also this company is providing enough revenue for the development of different airports and also in air traffic control system. They are also providing different types of devices and scanners for checking the bags and other luggage of the passengers on the airport. List the information systems that are used to automate these processes. The information system of the delta airline is governed at different levels and stages. For managing all the information and data the company is using some E-commerce platforms and these platforms are using different techniques to gather the information of the business process. And according to the requirements of the company these systems are providing managed and organized data for different purposes. Company is using different information systems to manage and boost their business accordingly. First of all they are using an online website for complete details and information’s. They are also using the ERP system to interconnect different business process and locations. Explain how ONE of these information systems is used to automate one of the processes. ERP is the main and very important information system and this system is working in different offices of the company and this system is managing the internal activities, procedures and accounts of the company. The whole working of the company is computerised and for this purpose they are using an ERP system to manage the business transactions and many other business procedures. This ERP system is managing all the internal and external working of the company and now the managers and other admin related people can get daily, weekly, monthly and annual reports of the business. How much they are investing and what is their outcome. And also which rout is more beneficial and which rout is facing lose. This system can also mange the internal accounts of the company, like different salary packages, sales and purchase etc. Hence, we can say that this information system is providing a complete access and functionality to manage the working and business of the company Describe one complete situation in which an end user uses this information system. Your description should be a textual narrative (in English), i. e. do not use diagrams. By using website (information system) the customers can get their required information and other inquires easily and accurately. By using this information system (website) the users can navigate their bookings and also they can confirm their seats by selecting source and destination. This website is also providing different guidelines and offers to the customers. This information system is completely managing the business of the company, because a complete backend system is working behind this website and this system will collect all the information’s. By using this backend system the managers can easily get their required reports and information about the business direction and trends. Who heads the development (or heads procurement decisions) of information systems in the organisation? Who is doing the planning, analysis, design, implementation and maintenance? The CEO of the company is working as head for making all the decisions about the development of the company and also there is complete chain of different management posts and everybody is contributing for achieving a single goal. The IT manager of the company is managing all the activities about the information system and for this purpose he is directly connected all the sub offices and departments of the company. In other words, the IT manager is controlling all the procedures and activations from the head office of the company. He is the also responsible for planning and analysis of the information system of the company and the technical and human resource department is designing, implementing and maintaining the information system and other decisions of the company. In other words we can say that the IT manage is governing the information system in the company. Discuss the system development methodology used? If information systems are acquired from off-the-shelf products, what is the process of procurement that is used in the organisation? The information technology always require changes and updation time to time, because new technologies and techniques are coming in the market, that’s why, it is essential for the business organizations and companies to change and upgrade their information technology systems. Similarly, the requirements of the people and customers are also being changed with the passage of time and to fulfil the requirements of the customers companies are looking to change and upgrade their information technology system and environment. The information system is very important for the professional and accurate working of the company and this information system is also increasing the working capacity of the company and on the other hand this information system is reducing their communication cost. Similarly, this information system is also increasing the business revenue of the company. In this type of business, information system can really help out the company to manage their activities more professionally and accurately, because they are operating in different countries and they need to interconnect and integrate their whole business under one platform and information system is providing this platform to interconnect all the locations and departments. Hence, we can say that the information system for the Delta Airline is very important and beneficial. Yes, the companies want to upgrade their information system structure, because the market of the information is changing and also the preferences of the customers are also changing. When we look at the information technology infrastructure of the Delta Airline then we come to know that their structure is changing due to the requirements of the customers. Now the customers wants to book and confirm the seat online and also they want to get many other inquires about the operations and timings of the flights and other rules and regulations. Now this is the very important of the company to provide this facility to the customers to get revenue, that’s why, they provided all these facilities and functionalities to compete with other airlines. Also their business strategies and preferences are also being changed and to fully accomplish the overall conditions they need to change their information system infrastructure. The up gradation in the IS (information system) infrastructure will help out the companies to increase their revenue and also the customer satisfaction will also increase. Another main benefit of this strategy is the value and survival in the market, because the companies can only survive with changes in their business strategies and in technology infrastructure. This strategy will not cost them very much, because they have a complete platform and infrastructure and they only need to upgrade the system with some new technologies and techniques. Discuss, in detail, the data collection techniques you used to answer the above questions. I did use many different data collection techniques to complete this research and to answer these questions. The literature and online searching technique is providing a wide range of different information about the company. The web site of the company contains complete history, business process, business strategies and many other important information and data about the company. Another technique which I did use for the collection of the data was the online search about the operations and information system of the company. And also, I contact with employees of the company to get the information about their managerial layers and also about the managerial activities and responsibilities. I also interview some other people and customers of the compony to get the information about the business activities and also about the information system of the company. In other words we can say that I did collect the information and data by using many different strategies and techniques. Give the details of the people you interviewed to answer the above questions. Include examples of the questions you asked to answer these questions For of all I ask some questions to the customers of the company about the services and operations of the company and how they are getting their required information and services from the company. For example, †¢ How the company is providing the facilities and services online? †¢ Are you satisfied with the Information system of the company? †¢ How they are managing feedbacks and requests? The management and human resource department of the company is very helpful, because I asked many questions to the human resource agents of the company about their activities and information system activation. For example, †¢ How many information systems are working in the company? †¢ What is the management level and who is governing the information system of the company? †¢ What are the main operations and service of the company? Approximately, I interview more than ten people including the customers and employees of the company for answering and completing this research.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Sixteen

Eddard They've found her, my lord.† Ned rose quickly. â€Å"Our men or Lannister's?† â€Å"It was Jory,† his steward Vayon Poole replied. â€Å"She's not been harmed.† â€Å"Thank the gods,† Ned said. His men had been searching for Arya for four days now, but the queen's men had been out hunting as well. â€Å"Where is she? Tell Jory to bring her here at once.† â€Å"I am sorry, my lord,† Poole told him. â€Å"The guards on the gate were Lannister men, and they informed the queen when Jory brought her in. She's being taken directly before the king . . . â€Å" â€Å"Damn that woman!† Ned said, striding to the door. â€Å"Find Sansa and bring her to the audience chamber. Her voice may be needed.† He descended the tower steps in a red rage. He had led searches himself for the first three days, and had scarcely slept an hour since Arya had disappeared. This morning he had been so heartsick and weary he could scarcely stand, but now his fury was on him, filling him with strength. Men called out to him as he crossed the castle yard, but Ned ignored them in his haste. He would have run, but he was still the King's Hand, and a Hand must keep his dignity. He was aware of the eyes that followed him, of the muttered voices wondering what he would do. The castle was a modest holding a half day's ride south of the Trident. The royal party had made themselves the uninvited guests of its lord, Ser Raymun Darry, while the hunt for Arya and the butcher's boy was conducted on both sides of the river. They were not welcome visitors. Ser Raymun lived under the king's peace, but his family had fought beneath Rhaegar's dragon banners at the Trident, and his three older brothers had died there, a truth neither Robert nor Ser Raymun had forgotten. With king's men, Darry men, Lannister men, and Stark men all crammed into a castle far too small for them, tensions burned hot and heavy. The king had appropriated Ser Raymun's audience chamber, and that was where Ned found them. The room was crowded when he burst in. Too crowded, he thought; left alone, he and Robert might have been able to settle the matter amicably. Robert was slumped in Darry's high seat at the far end of the room, his face closed and sullen. Cersei Lannister and her son stood beside him. The queen had her hand on Joffrey's shoulder. Thick silken bandages still covered the boy's arm. Arya stood in the center of the room, alone but for Jory Cassel, every eye upon her. â€Å"Arya,† Ned called loudly. He went to her, his boots ringing on the stone floor. When she saw him, she cried out and began to sob. Ned went to one knee and took her in his arms. She was shaking. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she sobbed, â€Å"I'm sorry, I'm sorry.† â€Å"I know,† he said. She felt so tiny in his arms, nothing but a scrawny little girl. It was hard to see how she had caused so much trouble. â€Å"Are you hurt?† â€Å"No.† Her face was dirty, and her tears left pink tracks down her cheeks. â€Å"Hungry some. I ate some berries, but there was nothing else.† â€Å"We'll feed you soon enough,† Ned promised. He rose to face the king. â€Å"What is the meaning of this?† His eyes swept the room, searching for friendly faces. But for his own men, they were few enough. Ser Raymun Darry guarded his look well. Lord Renly wore a half smile that might mean anything, and old Ser Barristan was grave; the rest were Lannister men, and hostile. Their only good fortune was that both Jaime Lannister and Sandor Clegane were missing, leading searches north of the Trident. â€Å"Why was I not told that my daughter had been found?† Ned demanded, his voice ringing. â€Å"Why was she not brought to me at once?† He spoke to Robert, but it was Cersei Lannister who answered. â€Å"How dare you speak to your king in that manner!† At that, the king stirred. â€Å"Quiet, woman,† he snapped. He straightened in his seat. â€Å"I am sorry, Ned. I never meant to frighten the girl. It seemed best to bring her here and get the business done with quickly.† â€Å"And what business is that?† Ned put ice in his voice. The queen stepped forward. â€Å"You know full well, Stark. This girl of yours attacked my son. Her and her butcher's boy. That animal of hers tried to tear his arm off.† â€Å"That's not true,† Arya said loudly. â€Å"She just bit him a little. He was hurting Mycah.† â€Å"Joff told us what happened,† the queen said. â€Å"You and the butcher boy beat him with clubs while you set your wolf on him.† â€Å"That's not how it was,† Arya said, close to tears again. Ned put a hand on her shoulder. â€Å"Yes it is!† Prince Joffrey insisted. â€Å"They all attacked me, and she threw Lion's Tooth in the river!† Ned noticed that he did not so much as glance at Arya as he spoke. â€Å"Liar!† Arya yelled. â€Å"Shut up!† the prince yelled back. â€Å"Enough!† the king roared, rising from his seat, his voice thick with irritation. Silence fell. He glowered at Arya through his thick beard. â€Å"Now, child, you will tell me what happened. Tell it all, and tell it true. It is a great crime to lie to a king.† Then he looked over at his son. â€Å"When she is done, you will have your turn. Until then, hold your tongue.† As Arya began her story, Ned heard the door open behind him. He glanced back and saw Vayon Poole enter with Sansa. They stood quietly at the back of the hall as Arya spoke. When she got to the part where she threw Joffrey's sword into the middle of the Trident, Renly Baratheon began to laugh. The king bristled. â€Å"Ser Barristan, escort my brother from the hall before he chokes.† Lord Renly stifled his laughter. â€Å"My brother is too kind. I can find the door myself.† He bowed to Joffrey. â€Å"Perchance later you'll tell me how a nine-year-old girl the size of a wet rat managed to disarm you with a broom handle and throw your sword in the river.† As the door swung shut behind him, Ned heard him say, â€Å"Lion's Tooth,† and guffaw once more. Prince Joffrey was pale as he began his very different version of events. When his son was done talking, the king rose heavily from his seat, looking like a man who wanted to be anywhere but here. â€Å"What in all the seven hells am I supposed to make of this? He says one thing, she says another.† â€Å"They were not the only ones present,† Ned said. â€Å"Sansa, come here.† Ned had heard her version of the story the night Arya had vanished. He knew the truth. â€Å"Tell us what happened.† His eldest daughter stepped forward hesitantly. She was dressed in blue velvets trimmed with white, a silver chain around her neck. Her thick auburn hair had been brushed until it shone. She blinked at her sister, then at the young prince. â€Å"I don't know,† she said tearfully, looking as though she wanted to bolt. â€Å"I don't remember. Everything happened so fast, I didn't see . . . â€Å" â€Å"You rotten!† Arya shrieked. She flew at her sister like an arrow, knocking Sansa down to the ground, pummeling her. â€Å"Liar, liar, liar, liar.† â€Å"Arya, stop it!† Ned shouted. Jory pulled her off her sister, kicking. Sansa was pale and shaking as Ned lifted her back to her feet. â€Å"Are you hurt?† he asked, but she was staring at Arya, and she did not seem to hear. â€Å"The girl is as wild as that filthy animal of hers,† Cersei Lannister said. â€Å"Robert, I want her punished.† â€Å"Seven hells,† Robert swore. â€Å"Cersei, look at her. She's a child. What would you have me do, whip her through the streets? Damn it, children fight. It's over. No lasting harm was done.† The queen was furious. â€Å"Joff will carry those scars for the rest of his life.† Robert Baratheon looked at his eldest son. â€Å"So he will. Perhaps they will teach him a lesson. Ned, see that your daughter is disciplined. I will do the same with my son.† â€Å"Gladly, Your Grace,† Ned said with vast relief. Robert started to walk away, but the queen was not done. â€Å"And what of the direwolf?† she called after him. â€Å"What of the beast that savaged your son?† The king stopped, turned back, frowned. â€Å"I'd forgotten about the damned wolf.† Ned could see Arya tense in Jory's arms. Jory spoke up quickly. â€Å"We found no trace of the direwolf, Your Grace.† Robert did not look unhappy. â€Å"No? So be it.† The queen raised her voice. â€Å"A hundred golden dragons to the man who brings me its skin!† â€Å"A costly pelt,† Robert grumbled. â€Å"I want no part of this, woman. You can damn well buy your furs with Lannister gold.† The queen regarded him coolly. â€Å"I had not thought you so niggardly. The king I'd thought to wed would have laid a wolfskin across my bed before the sun went down.† Robert's face darkened with anger. â€Å"That would be a fine trick, without a wolf.† â€Å"We have a wolf,† Cersei Lannister said. Her voice was very quiet, but her green eyes shone with triumph. It took them all a moment to comprehend her words, but when they did, the king shrugged irritably. â€Å"As you will. Have Ser Ilyn see to it.† â€Å"Robert, you cannot mean this,† Ned protested. The king was in no mood for more argument. â€Å"Enough, Ned, I will hear no more. A direwolf is a savage beast. Sooner or later it would have turned on your girl the same way the other did on my son. Get her a dog, she'll be happier for it.† That was when Sansa finally seemed to comprehend. Her eyes were frightened as they went to her father. â€Å"He doesn't mean Lady, does he?† She saw the truth on his face. â€Å"No,† she said. â€Å"No, not Lady, Lady didn't bite anybody, she's good . . . â€Å" â€Å"Lady wasn't there,† Arya shouted angrily. â€Å"You leave her alone!† â€Å"Stop them,† Sansa pleaded, â€Å"don't let them do it, please, please, it wasn't Lady, it was Nymeria, Arya did it, you can't, it wasn't Lady, don't let them hurt Lady, I'll make her be good, I promise, I promise . . . † She started to cry. All Ned could do was take her in his arms and hold her while she wept. He looked across the room at Robert. His old friend, closer than any brother. â€Å"Please, Robert. For the love you bear me. For the love you bore my sister. Please.† The king looked at them for a long moment, then turned his eyes on his wife. â€Å"Damn you, Cersei,† he said with loathing. Ned stood, gently disengaging himself from Sansa's grasp. All the weariness of the past four days had returned to him. â€Å"Do it yourself then, Robert,† he said in a voice cold and sharp as steel. â€Å"At least have the courage to do it yourself.† Robert looked at Ned with flat, dead eyes and left without a word, his footsteps heavy as lead. Silence filled the hall. â€Å"Where is the direwolf?† Cersei Lannister asked when her husband was gone. Beside her, Prince Joffrey was smiling. â€Å"The beast is chained up outside the gatehouse, Your Grace,† Ser Barristan Selmy answered reluctantly. â€Å"Send for Ilyn Payne.† â€Å"No,† Ned said. â€Å"Jory, take the girls back to their rooms and bring me Ice.† The words tasted of bile in his throat, but he forced them out. â€Å"If it must be done, I will do it.† Cersei Lannister regarded him suspiciously. â€Å"You, Stark? Is this some trick? Why would you do such a thing?† They were all staring at him, but it was Sansa's look that cut. â€Å"She is of the north. She deserves better than a butcher.† He left the room with his eyes burning and his daughter's wails echoing in his ears, and found the direwolf pup where they chained her. Ned sat beside her for a while. â€Å"Lady,† he said, tasting the name. He had never paid much attention to the names the children had picked, but looking at her now, he knew that Sansa had chosen well. She was the smallest of the litter, the prettiest, the most gentle and trusting. She looked at him with bright golden eyes, and he ruffled her thick grey fur. Shortly, Jory brought him Ice. When it was over, he said, â€Å"Choose four men and have them take the body north. Bury her at Winterfell.† â€Å"All that way?† Jory said, astonished. â€Å"All that way,† Ned affirmed. â€Å"The Lannister woman shall never have this skin.† He was walking back to the tower to give himself up to sleep at last when Sandor Clegane and his riders came pounding through the castle gate, back from their hunt. There was something slung over the back of his destrier, a heavy shape wrapped in a bloody cloak. â€Å"No sign of your daughter, Hand,† the Hound rasped down, â€Å"but the day was not wholly wasted. We got her little pet.† He reached back and shoved the burden off, and it fell with a thump in front of Ned. Bending, Ned pulled back the cloak, dreading the words he would have to find for Arya, but it was not Nymeria after all. It was the butcher's boy, Mycah, his body covered in dried blood. He had been cut almost in half from shoulder to waist by some terrible blow struck from above. â€Å"You rode him down,† Ned said. The Hound's eyes seemed to glitter through the steel of that hideous dog's-head helm. â€Å"He ran.† He looked at Ned's face and laughed. â€Å"But not very fast.†

Greek Myths and English Language Essay

Abstract: Do you know â€Å"Achilles’ Heel†? It’s an allusion from Greek myths. Instances like this are not difficult to find in English language. They are terse and vivid because of Greek myths and legends behind them. Therefore, they enjoy popular use. But these words and phrases are peculiar to the native culture and language, they appear exotic to foreign learners. So let’s share some words and idioms which are relevant to Greek myths in view of knowing the ins and outs of them and understanding how to apply them. In the meanwhile, they can help you understand English history and English culture more thoroughly and deep and taste the wisdom and humor of the English people. Key words: relationship, Greek myths, English language, English idioms  Once the Republican supporter made comments on Clinton’s scandal, â€Å"A misbehaving president is regarded as a government’s Achilles heel and is expected to resign.†Ã‚  What is Achilles’ heel? If you don’t know it, you will not understand the meaning of the supporter’s comments. The idiom means the weak or vulnerable point of a person, organization and country, etc. which comes from Greek myths. The story is about Achilles, one of the Greek heroes in the Iliad. When he was a child, he was taken by his mother Thetis and dipped in the river Styx to make him invulnerable. The water washed every part of his body expect the heel in his mother’s hand. It was precisely at his vulnerable point that Achilles was later killed in Trojan battle. Greek mythology is a set of legends about the gods, heroes, natural events and universal history of Hellenic civilization. The myths of Greece mostly come from Hellenic literature such as Homer’s Iliad, Hesiod’s Theogony and Sophocles’ drama. From the Renaissance to now, Greek Myths is one of their required courses when the English people receive classical education. These stories and myths are so enjoyable that they impress themselves upon the English. Therefore the myths of Greece become the abundant supply of English language. Let’s take Europe for instance. Sometimes it is also called Europa, which originally comes from Greek Mythology. In it, Europa is a princess who is abducted and carried off by a white bull to Crete, the cradle of Hellenic civilization. And the bull is actually Zeus, king of the Gods. In the same way, Paris is a person’s name also from Greek myths. Paris is the son of the King of Troy. These two are place names. And the main characters from Greek mythology also appear in everyday speech. For instance, a huge or heroic task is said to herculean. This is in tribute to the Greek mythological hero Hercules. And when you talk about a book of maps, atlas will occur to you. It is named after Atlas, a titan who supported the heavens on his shoulders. Here’s one you are probably familiar with it. It’s the word promethean which describes a daringly creative or defiantly original act, because of the Titan Prometheus, who defied the wrath of Zeus and stole fire in order to benefit humankind. And another word you may have used before without realizing your debt to Greek mythology. The word panic comes from Pan, the God of shepherds. Pan was always considered to be the cause of the sudden fear especially in lonely places. That’s why it’s called panic. Then more attention will be paid to the relationship between Greek myths and English idioms. Idioms consist of set phrases and short sentences, which are loaded with the native cultures and ideas. Therefore, there are a great deal of idioms are relevant to the myths of Greece. And these idioms are not easy to understand from its literal meanings, for example, Greek gift. Does it mean a gift made in Greece? Of course not, it symbolizes a dangerous gift. But as they are colourful, blunt, expressive and impressive, they form an important part of the English vocabulary and are now used in different situations. So I will share some of them with you in view of giving you the background of them. As defined by famous psychologist Sigmund Freud, Oedipus complex is the unconscious desire of a young child for sexual intercourse with the parent of the opposite sex, especially between boys and their mothers. The source of this complex is from the Greek legend of King Oedipus. Oedipus was the son of King Laius of Thebes, a city in Greece. There was a Apollo’s oracle predicted that he would killed his father and marry his mother. So when he was born his father Laius bound his feet together and had exposed him on a lonely mountaintop where it must soon starve. Then the poor infant was rescued by a shepherd and raised by Polybus, King of Corinth. And he was called Oedipus. Years later, Oedipus, too, like Laius, thought to make it impossible for the oracle to come true and resolved never to see Polybus. But on his journey he unwittingly killed King Laius with whom he quarreled. He arrived at Thebes shortly thereafter and saved the city from the ravages of the Sphinx. He was proclaimed king in Laius’ stead, and he took the dead king’s widow, Jocasta, as his own wife. After several years a terrible plague struck Thebes. The Apollo declared that the plague would be stayed upon one condition: whoever had murdered King Laius must be punished. In the course of his investigation, Oedipus discovered that he himself was the killer and that Laius had been his real father. Finally he couldn’t act against the decrees of fate. In his despair at this discovery, Oedipus blinded himself. Girls have a similar sexual desire for the father which is repressed in analogous fashion and is called Electra complex. It also comes from Greek mythology. Electra is the daughter of Agamemnon, the king who led the Greeks against Troy in the Trojan War. To obtain favorable winds for the Greek fleet sailing to Troy, Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia to the goddess Artemis and so came under a curse. After he returned home victorious, he was murdered by his wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover. To avenge his father’s death, Electra helped her brother kill their mother and her lover. The allusion also comes from the Greek legend of King Oedipus. The Sphinx is winged monster having the head and breasts of a woman and body of a lion. She lay in wait for the wayfarers along the roads to Thebes and whoever she seized she put a riddle to, telling him if he could answer it, she would let him go. No one could, and the horrible creature devoured man after man until the city was in a state of siege. And at that time, Oedipus heard what was happening in Thebes in his lonely wanderings. He was a homeless, friendless man to whom life meant little and he determined to seek the Sphinx out and try to solve the riddle. â€Å"What creature,† the Sphinx asked him, â€Å"goes on four feet in the morning, on two at noonday, on three in the evening?† â€Å"Man,† answered Oedipus. â€Å"In childhood he creeps on hands and feet; in manhood he walks erect; in old age he helps himself with a staff.† It was the right answer. The Sphinx, inexplicable, but most fortunately, killed herself. The Thebans were saved. It is so called Sphinx’s riddle which means difficult problems. And Sphinx is also used to describe an enigmatic person. The following are a few examples in actual uses.

What It Is Called Legitimate Knowledge for Clones

What it is called legitimate knowledge for clones. An educational institution is a form of institution that is used to educate people. Educational institutions are essential for society to produce knowledge people (workers). Schools are designed to produce limitless knowledge in every aspect of life. However, the â€Å"men† behind schools tend to be selective in producing knowledge and constructing ideas. This paper intends to give an explanation of how schools can be hazardous by using concepts of Stuart Hall in his book, Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, and Michael W.Apple and Nancy R. King in the article of â€Å"What Do Schools Teach†. These concepts applied to the hailsham case in the novel of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro to indicate that an educational institution like hailsham can be harmful due to the controlling and manipulating information for other purpose so that it generates what it is called legitimate knowledge for t he clones. Hailsham is the sole source in constructing inhumane ideas to the students that reflect their destiny as donors and perceived a short life.In the novel of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, students are taught that they are destined to be donors, and after the fourth donation their short life is granted. According to Stuart Hall in Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, he brings up a topic about discourse, power and knowledge, which created by Michel Foucault. Hall believes that in Foucault’s theory of discourse can be define as â€Å"’how human beings understand themselves in our culture’ and how our knowledge about ‘the social, the embodied individual and share meanings† (Hall 43).In other words, hall stated Foucault’s idea about discourse as how people discuss or understand the idea of things in certain society. Hall also stated Foucault’s idea about only certain social institutions, such as s chool, have the power to construct meaning, create truth or knowledge about things among society. That is to say that school is one of the sources that plays an important role in shaping students understanding of something.Therefore, being the sole sources that creates ideas on people’s mind, telling them to be donors and have a short live is not a pleasant idea to be embedded in people’s minds. Beside the concept above, Educational institutions can be harmful due to the knowledge control. According to Michael W. Apple and Nancy R. King, â€Å"the study of educational knowledge is a study in ideology, the investigation of what is considered legitimate knowledge (be it knowledge of the logical type of â€Å"that,† â€Å"how† or â€Å"to†) by specific social groups and classes, in specific institutions, at specific historical moments.It is, further, a critically oriented form of investigation, in that it chooses to focus on how this knowledge, as di stributed in schools, may contribute to a cognitive and dispositional development that strengthens or reinforces existing (and often problematic) institutional arrangements in society† (Apple and King 342). To simplify, the available knowledge and the hidden knowledge are being selected to be presented to students as proper knowledge, base on the ideology at a certain society at a time.Thus, educational institution can be defective due to the knowledge validity. According to the paragraph above, institutions control what can and cannot be presented. This theory can also be applied in the novel of never let me go. According to the book Miss Emily said that â€Å"We had run hailsham for many years, we had a sense of what could work, hat was best for the students in the long run, beyond hailsham. Lucy Wainright was idealistic, nothing wrong with that. But she had no graspof practicalities.You see, we were able to give you something, something which even now no one will ever take from you, and we were able to do that principally by sheltering you. Hailsham would not have been hailsham if we hadn’t. Very well, sometimes that meant we kept things from you, lied to you. Yes in many ways we fooled you (Ishiguro 268). In other words, hailsham and its people is trying to hide the latent facts in order to protect children and for the continuity of the school itself. Therefore, institutions can be harmful in terms of controlling knowledge and information.Another concept is that the basic function of schools or educational institutions is that schools should prepare students in terms of life skills to be able to do well in life. According to Michael W. Apple and Nancy R. King, â€Å"schools seem by and large, to do what they are supposed to do, at least in terms of roughly providing dispositions and propensities â€Å"functional† in later life in a complex and stratified social and economic order† (Apple and King 341). To clarify, Apple and king believe that schools have their own function to prepare students in the real life.The last concept above is inversely reflected with the case of Never Let Me Go novel. In the novel, Kathy H as the narrator show the readers that in hailsham student do not get sufficient knowledge about life. Most of the time in hailsham, they only do painting and philosophies. Guardians or teachers do not teach them life skills. In the novel, Kathy H, as the narrator told us that â€Å"looking back now, I can see we were pretty confused about this whole area about sex, that’s hardly surprising, I suppose, given we were barely sixteen.But what added to the confusion-I can see it more clearly now-was the fact that the guardians were themselves confused† (Ishiguro 95). This is the evidence that students do not get educated about sex sufficiently. Another example is when Kathy H said that â€Å"there was incidentally , Something I noticed about this veteran couples at the cottages-somethi ng Ruth, for all her close study of them, failed to spot-and this was how so many of their mannerisms were copied from the television† (Ishiguro 120).In other words, Kathy observes that their seniors are copying certain behaviors that are depicted from the movies in order to reflecting a normal person in life. This case shows that students are lack of understanding of the world until they have moved from hailsham. Educational institutions such as hailsham can be hazardous due to the production of knowledge that is designed to keep students from knowing the truth. Boarding schools such as hailsham can prevent students from growing properly. Their lack of understanding of the world produces insecurity and anxiety to face the actual life.Moreover, they are designed not to be rebellious instead, they are steered to be obedient and hopeless due to the lack of life skills and they are told in the first place that they are destined to be donors with short life. Works Cited Ishiguro, Kazuo. Never Let Me Go : New York : Vintage Canada, 2005. Hall, Stuart. Representation: Cultural Representation and Signifying Practices. London: SAGE, 2003. Apple, Michael W. , King, Nancy R.. †What do Schools Teach? †. Curriculum Inquiry 6:4. 1977:341-358.

Cath Kidston Limited company- Critically review that role of Essay

Cath Kidston Limited company- Critically review that role of enterprise in the social and economic development of a region. Include a comparison of different cultural contexts - Essay Example ording to the performance review estimates; the growth value that they have added in the United Kingdom economy is around 49.8 percent (Wang & Altinay 2012, 8). SMEs also contribute a great deal to larger companies, by providing vital resources and completing business functions that bigger enterprises are unable to complete. Such companies are better able to attract and train new talent to develop innovative products that are better targeted towards the needs of their local communities. However, these enterprises face a number of challenges as they are often overlooked by the policy makers. Information regarding them is often scarce; support and policy targeted to their needs are also a great challenge (Bravo-Biosca & Westlake 2009, Par 1). Many businesses start up as one’s person idea and the creator in most cases is often an entrepreneur who spots a gap in the market or an opportunity that they can engage in business. The entrepreneur will, therefore, seize the opportunity and start a business to fill the gap and will grow to a large enterprise with proper support and management (Barnes & Haskel 2002, par 1). With the a few exceptions, most of the world’s largest companies all started as small business enterprises and through the supportive economy, access to the right people and capital turn to become global corporations. In regards to this, this paper discuss the Cath Kidston limited company that started as a small sized enterprise and over the years the company has grown to be recognized as a global brand. The paper will analyze the company’s products, its targeted social class, growth and productivity, societal impact as well as its role in the social and economic development of the region. Cath Kidston Limited is a business of home furnishing retail shops that are located in England under the designer Cath Kidson, who opened her first shop in 1994 in London. The enterprise was opened as a small enterprise that initially used to sell hand embroidered

Business report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Business report - Essay Example Walmart’s leadership is often attracts criticisms for visionless business strategies. Debate about the replacing of present CEO is going on. Walmart’s failure to incorporate technology properly with the supply chain operations is bringing lot of criticisms. In any case, business practices in Wal-Mart are undergoing microscopic examination at present. In short, Walmart’s business practices need lot of modifications. This business report critically analyses Wal-Mart’s business practices and provides recommendations to improve it. Founded in 1962 by Sam Walton, American based Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the world at present. Retail revolutions were taking place in America in the 60’s and 70’s and Sam Walton exploited the opportunities very well with the help of innovative business strategies. â€Å"Sam Waltons strategy was built on an unshakeable foundation: The Lowest Prices Anytime, Anywhere. As of 2012, the company employs 2.2 million associates worldwide and serves 200 million customers each week at more than 10,000 stores in 27 countries† (Wal-Mart: History timeline, 2012). Despite of unfavorable market conditions, Wal-Mart was able to maintain its growth in recent years also. â€Å"Net sales increased by 5.9 percent to $443.9 billion, and consolidated operating income grew by 4 percent to $26.6 billion in 2012† (50 years of helping customers save money and live better, 2012, p.3). (See appendix 1 for more details about Wal-Mart’s performance in last 50 years). It should be noted that global markets are currently going through a bad patch because of the ongoing recession problems. Yet, Wal-Mart seems to be less affected by these problems. Even though, Wal-Mart’s published financial results in recent times are extremely good, many people believe that the company is facing too many strategic problems at present. It is believed that