Wednesday, August 21, 2019
A case study of dialog telekom
A case study of dialog telekom Dialog Telekom Limited is the largest mobile operator in Sri Lanka with over 3 Million subscribers representing and it has more than 60% market share in the communication industry Dialog Telekom one of the largest lists company on the Colombo Stock Exchange and has a market capitalization of SL Rs 161 Billion.d. Dialog Telekom Limited is a subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia International and a member of the Telekom Malaysia Group. In addition to its core mobile telephony business, the company provides international services, supporting an International Gateway infrastructure providing retail and wholesale international voice and data services under the brand name of Dialog Global. The company also provides Internet services through Dialog Internet a fully-fledged Internet Service Provider (ISP). Dialog Telekom also operates Dialog SAT, a mobile satellite service. Macro Environment Analysis: PESTEL Political Investment policies in Sri Lanka were very bright even though Sri Lanka incorporated its liberalization policies in 1977 the industry and the country did not grow as much as it was foreseen at the time of liberalization. The reasons for the hindrance to growth were the political direct intervention and poor governance. Terrorist activities have remained constant as well, during the past two decades. Economical Trade policy authorities had a negative impact on the industry and unstable macroeconomic environment. The exchange rate also demised at a very slow rate. Massive reforms were planned in this sector after the inception of liberalization. The country has to implement new reforms to attract foreign direct investments (FDI). Socio-Cultural Sri Lanka has a very high percentage of educated and skilled work force, but however Sri Lankans autonomic nervous systems inherit a bureaucratic attitude from the colonial administration those consequences in inefficiencies and discrimination. Technological Sri Lankas technology dependencies on foreign countries are very high but it has a indigenous TRCSL which ushers development and local research. Relatively comparing the country was not good enough to adapt to the technological changes on a given time horizon. The time taken for the shift from analog to digital and embracing the CDMA technology clearly tells the passion for technological changes. Legal TRCSL, the regulatory authority, is responsible for many things like addressing consumer grievances, making sure that Government policies are enforced fairly, giving feedback to the policy makers, monitoring changing industry needs etc. TRCSL was often denounced for its inefficiency, information dissymmetry and prejudice. Five forces Threat of New Entrants There are half a dozen telecom operators in the country and the new entrant would always increase the competition. The new entrant will enter the market with a differentiated product which may steal the thunder of the existing players Bargaining Power of Buyers In Sri Lanka customers are not very sensitive when compared in Western countries and there are naÃÆ' ¯ve any consumer groups in the country. Because the switching costs are very low the bargaining power of the consumer is high, Dialog Telekom with its VAS is able to have loyal customers. Threat from Substitutes Strictly speaking there are naÃÆ' ¯ve any substitutes in technologies like VOIP over wireless which is very popular in Sri Lanka. Companies with CDMA licenses and companies which are already in the fixed line communication market may cause the substitution effect. Companies that provide the substitute product are SLT, LankaBell, Suntel. Here the substitute product is the fixed line home usage phones. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Dialog Telekom is dependent on many local and international suppliers for performing its various operations. Network connectivity is important for any service provider Dialog Telekom which dose not own the national backbone is dependent on local service providers. Few players have the direct access to the national back bone. Therefore suppliers in this case are very powerful and few suppliers become the indirect competitors as well. To overcome its over dependency on its suppliers Dialog Telekon has acquired MTT. Rivalry among Competing Firms The competition among the telecommunications service providers in Sri Lanka is high but Dialog Telekom has few factors that create a competitive edge over others. Dialog Telekon mainly concentrates on giving many Value Added Services to its customers were as its competitors concentrate on tariff rates and coverage. Dialog Telekom did surpass other mobile operators in the subscriber base which clearly shows that Dialog Telekom has created a competence, cannot be imitated easily, for itself. Micro Environment Analysis: SWOT Analysis: Strengths Being the first player in GSM market it has a competitive advantage. Has the widest and best coverage in Sri Lanka Strategic relationship with other telecommunication giant in the market like Telekom Malaysia Group. Numerous bilateral collaborations with other Telecom operators. Strong Brand Equity and aggressive marketing strategies. Good PR that has been built up over past many years. Does Strategic CSR. Well built and capable Research and Development. Good eye for the investors. Strong customer base. Wide product range. Skilled Human Resource. Weaknesses No high return on investment (ROI), enormous amounts of investments were made on value addition and advertising. Failed in becoming a good Internet Service Provider. Failed on price competition with other operators. Poor human resource policies for employees. With increasing customer base Quality of service also reduced. Opportunities Huge untapped market. Constant growth in the telecommunication industry. Acceptability of VAS among customers which increases the bottom line of the company. The opportunity to leverage the strategic partnership links with Vodafone UK. Benefits that are to be leveraged in the Value Chain. Technology advancements which increases the market. Threats Many players in the small market. Threats from existing players. Erotic developments in the political, social and economical conditions. Currency exchange rates and high inflation. Rapid changes in customer preferences Changes in technology. Very low switching costs. Porters value chain model Inbound logistics: Dialog Telekom manage widespread activities to Telekom business needs. Logistics service in telecom sector is mainly needed for infrastructure that is network development. Dialog Telekom has wide range of signals all over Srilanka Services provided to customers comprises of inbound logistics. Inbound logistics are several activities related with receiving, storing, and widely knowing inputs to the product, such as material handling, warehousing, inventory control, vehicle scheduling, and returns to suppliers. Supplier relationship with industry and order management, relationship with supplier and physical help in open case inspection of received material Operations: Dialog Telekom has achieved trail in research development and new technology their operations are GPRS in 2001 one of the key element of dialog telecom is  2.5G GSM is a major inventory major step towards 3G , offering data speeds which is higher than the usual, packet based data communication, MMS multimedia messaging and many value added applications. The following activities commence with transforming inputs into the final product from, such as machining, packing, equipment maintenance, testing, printing and facility operations. Outbound logistics:             Outbound logistics are several activities related with collecting, delivery vehicle operation, storing and physically distributing the product to buyers, such as finished goods warehousing material handling,  order processing and scheduling.             Hub or warehouse management, pick and pack of material, BOQ audit, inventory management, IT Solutions: WMS, periodic inventory audits and freight management Marketing and sales: Activities associated with providing a means by which buyers can purchase the product include advertising, promotion, sales-force, quoting, channel selection, channel relations, and pricing. Service:             Activities associated with providing services to enhance or maintain the value of the product such as installation, repair, training, parts supply and product adjustment.             Customer service plays key role none of the service provider in the country follows the customer service. Dialogue Telekom has dedicated staff for customer services of over 150 service professionals, the company provides 24X7 online support for all its services to its custome Strategic Intent: For earning opportunities and future growth Dialog Telekon has started converging technology related businesses including Broadband and Digital Television media, Fixed Line Telephony. The company also acquired many companies which like Dialog Broadband Networks, Dialog Television etc which are operating in a nascent market. Company also introduced many products with very economical tariff rates because the companys motto was to use technology in such a way that it produces products that gives reliable communication and great value to its customers. This clearly shows the companys adherence to its vision which in turn talks about the companys strategic intent. Competitive Strategic Groups: The first alternative for the competitive strategy would be improve on current strategy by having unique value adding services for each of its business units like CBNSAT, DBN, Dialog Telekom. Through this customer satisfaction and thereby can charge a low price compare to the competitors. The second alternative for the competitive strategy is cost leadership to overcome the threats of low reasonable premium charge provided by the competitors. The switching from Dialog to Mobitel is having less that uses VAS in urban areas due to less VAS in Mobitel. There is no difference between SMS/VOICE and VAS in cost and coverage. In the market segment attraction of the customer would decided on the rates. If Mobitel improves on its VASes it would become a serious threat. While the entire market is purely on SMS/VOICE in that tome Dialog Telekom has focused on VAS and cost with differentiation strategy. To gain competitive advantage Dialog Telekom should with other organizations as a corporative strategy. Currently Dialog Telekom has started with some banks and super markets; along this it is trying to include alliances with popular Food chains, Stock brokers, Insurance companies etc. Strategic Routes: In Sri Lanka telecommunication industry is mainly operated on two authorities; one deal with policy and other deal with public profit seeking company, where telecommunications authorities of Sri Lanka(TASL) and Sri Lanka telecom(SLT) respectively. TASL has licensed 5 cellular operators for mobile services. Dialog Telekom plc Mobitel (pvt) Ltd Tigo (pvt) Ltd Hutchison Telecommunications Lanka (pvt) Ltd Bharti Airtel Lanka (pvt) Ltd TASL has licensed 3 cellular operators for land line services. Sri Lanka telecom plc Suntel limited Lankabell (pvt) Ltd In Sri Lanka an operator with voice telephone can use the voice in the country. For the past 5 years increase the wholesale volumes margins has conversely declined. This has an impact of telecoms, aggregators, single route operators and pure play wholesalers. most of the international is coming to Dialog mobile and SLT fixed Lines . Average route statistics CLI routes Premium white CLI route. Sri Lanka land line and mobile both available. Interconnected with direct Sri Lanka providers. Good capacity available at competitive rates. ASR=45% / ACD=8 mins. Competitive advantages: For the past few years they are diversified their business. By acquiring MIT they have managed to strengthen its back bone and also acquired CBNSAT, DERANA TV, satellite TV Transmission Company. In addition to this Dialog has created many alliances to the customers. The business plan is formulated every year and is monitored the every month. Dialog has initiative the Dialog research lab for producing the latest technologies. Nokia phones with Sinhala language and Tsunami warning system for mobiles. These technology initiates can be considered as a strategy used to capture the market. Conclusion and Recommendations: Dailog telecom had remained as a giant in the Sri Lankan telecommunication by adopting differentiated strategy. It sustained its identity with the implementation of different strategic at all levels which overcome its competitors. Its Mission and Vision statement provides a clear commitment to its employees and provide an equal set of attitude at all levels in the company. Dailog telecom adopted directional strategy which helped the company in growth, stability and retrenchment. Overall its corporate strategy placed the company as the leader in the Sri Lankan telecom market. The directional and the portfolio strategy helped the company provides competitive advantage. The wide range of portfolio provided by the company maintains loyalty among its customers. Dailog telecom builds a bridge between its customers and suppliers due to which the customers benefited and it remains as a competitive advantage to the company.    For earning opportunities and future growth Dialog Telekon has started converging technology related businesses including Broadband and Digital Television media, Fixed Line Telephony. The company also acquired many companies which like Dialog Broadband Networks, Dialog Television etc which are operating in a nascent market. The entry for the new entrants had been made strictly restricted by the government which made entry barriers difficult for the new entrants. Due to this the company had to increase its financial performance and maintains long term sustainability.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Death of a child and the impact to parental grief
Death of a child and the impact to parental grief Adulthood is the stage in the human lifespan that captures the stages of acquiring independence from the family of origin, establishing loving relationships and having and raising children. When adults transition into the role of spouse and parent they are not likely to attribute this meaningful time of life to crisis. The death of a child disrupts the biological order of the lifespan and challenges a parents understanding of their world (Rogers, Floyd, Seltzer, Greenberg and Hong, 2008). Researchers have labelled the death of a child as one of the most tragic events a parent must endure. In a study by Sanders (1980) comparing bereavement in individuals who experienced the death of a parent, spouse and child, Sanders identified more intense grief reactions among those who survived the death of a child (as cited by Arnold and Buschman Gemma, 2008). A childs death impacts the parent on multiple levels; as an individual, as a partner and as a contributing member of society. Grief is often complicated by the addition of anxiety and fatigue which impedes communication in relationships and with other members of a family (Toller and Braithwaite, 2009).  According to Emmons, Colby and Kaiser (1998) grief is often equated to the destruction of the persons assumptive world (as cited by Rogers, Floyd, Seltzer, Greenberg and Hong, 2008, p. 204). Additionally, Colin Murray Parkes (1970) defines the assumptive world as represent[ing] the totality of what the individual knows or thinks he knows. It includesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ our plans and our prejudices (as cited by Tedeschi and Calhoun, 2004, p. 21). The length of parental grief has been estimated by some to last upwards of a decade following the childs death while other researchers acknowledge parental grief as lasting indefinitely (Rogers, Floyd, Seltzer, Greenberg and Hong, 2008). The negative effects of prolonged grief have implications on bereaved parents mental and physical health well into midlife (Rogers, Floyd, Seltzer, Greenberg and Hong, 2008).  This paper will explore the impact that the death of a child has on the mother and father as individuals and together as a couple. It will examine how individuals use coping mechanisms and a quest for meaning to transform this crisis in adulthood into the potential for personal growth and a renewed sense of purpose for life. For the purposes of this paper bereavement and grief will be defined. According to Parkes and Weiss (1983) bereavement is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦encompassing the entire experience of anticipating a death, death itself and the subsequent adjustment to living (as cited by Meert et al., 2009). In addition, Therese Rando (1993) defines grief as the process of experiencing the psychological, behavioural, social and physical reactions to the perception of loss (p. 22). Although crisis in adulthood is inclusive of both men and women, research shows gender specific styles of grieving and coping with the death of a child. In a study conducted with bereaved parents by Toller and Braithwaite (2009), mothers identified the need to express their grief through discussing the death and the shedding of tears. In her book When the Bough Breaks: Forever after the Death of a Son or Daughter, author Judith Bernstein (1998) discusses womens grief response as frequently revealing and more likely desolate. Bernstein (1998) explains that mothers expressive grief may be the result of the degree mothers are invested in their parental role.   Expression of emotions can be significantly difficult in a mothers grief experience of a stillborn baby when societal support may be absent or limited due to the inability of society to recognize the birth and death as a meaningful event (Cacciatore, 2010). Cacciatore (2010) identifies that parents presumptio n of support from family, friends and medical staff may be based in their own value and understanding of the loss which contradicts the support actually afforded them. Additionally, Shainess (1963) challenged that childbirth that ends with the death of a baby not only has the potential to devastate a womens self-image but also may alter how she relates herself to others (as cited by Cacciatore, 2010). Stillbirth has been coined as the invisible death because very few people knew or met the child, the mother has very few keepsakes to memorialize their child and inevitably the mother may feel pressure to forget the child by their social network (Cacciatore, 2010).  Li, Laursen, Precht, Olsen and Mortensen (2005) found that bereaved mothers, compared with nonbereaved mothers, were at much higher risk for first time inpatient psychiatric care. The risks remained notably higher for more than five years following the death of a child (as cited by Rogers, Floyd, Seltzer, Greenberg and Hong, 2008).  In addition, Radestad et al. (1996) identified bereaved mothers of stillborn babies experience higher rates of anxiety up to three years following the death as compared to mothers who had live born children (as cited by Cacciatore, 2010). Bereaved mothers often question their ability to be successful at motherhood following the death of a child (Cacciatore, 2010). Children within the family unit are often impacted by the death of a baby when their parents grief makes them unavailable to their emotional demands (Cacciatore, 2010). Interestingly, a study by Peterson (1994) found that the death of a baby continues to affect future generations. In the study, adult daughters of mothers who experienced a stillbirth, reported fear during their own pregnancy, in addition to guilt, anxiety and grief in adulthood that impacted attachment with their own children (as cited by Cacciatore, 2010). Mothers may illicit varied strategies to cope with the death of their child. In a study of 47 bereaved mothers, Cacciatore (2010) found that 21% acknowledged using alcohol and illegal drugs as a form of coping, while 45% of respondents reported contemplating self-harm. All of the respondents indicated that the death of their child had considerably altered their identity (Cacciatore, 2010).            Men and women do not always experience grief following the death of a child in the same way. It is not uncommon for fathers to experience societal messages that encourage a traditional male role of strength that bravely supports the mother following the childs death (Aho, Tarkka, Astedt-Kurki and Kaunonen, 2006). Not surprisingly, these messages may explain why research has found men are more likely to deny grief or grieve in private while suppressing reactions or hiding feelings (Aho, Tarkka, Astedt-Kurki and Kaunonen, 2006). In a study of fathers reactions to infant loss, Colsen (2001) examined conscious and unconscious responses to grief. The study showed that some fathers had pronounced grief reactions in the unconscious while denying the presence of grief consciously (as cited by Aho, Tarkka, Astedt-Kurki and Kaunonen, 2006).            In analysis of the research, several studies have indicated that fathers use physical activity as a means to cope with grief as well as to assimilate control over their emotions (Aho, Tarkka, Astedt-Kurki and Kaunonen, 2006; Toller and Braithwaite, 2009). In addition to feelings of physical pain, often attributed to the physicality of mens grief, fathers identify strong and prolonged feelings of guilt, anger and bitterness after the death of a child directed at themselves, God and caregiving personnel (Aho, Tarkka, Astedt-Kurki and Kaunonen, 2006). Interestingly, in a study by Barrera et al. (2009) concerning parent adjustment following the death of a child, researchers found that the fathers interviews were significantly longer than those of the mothers.            As indicated in the discussion surrounding maternal grief, several studies have concluded that increased alcohol consumption also contributes to the fathers grief experience (Aho, Tarkka, Astedt-Kurki and Kaunonen, 2006). In fact, in a study by Vance et al. (1995), concerning gender differences and psychological grief reactions for bereaved parents, research found that alcohol use in parents directly after the death and up to three years following, was significantly higher than the control group who had not experienced a death (as cited by Aho, Tarkka, Astedt-Kurki and Kaunonen, 2006).            Parents may also share common experiences of grief following the death of a child. In a study of parental adjustment six months after the death of their child, participants identified that they mourned a future without their children and that they would never see the child meet milestones such as their graduation or wedding (Barrera et al., 2009). In addition to missing milestones these same participants reported a significant need to physically touch their children again (Barrera et al., 2009). Some parents of children who died in the pediatric intensive care unit indicated that they needed mementos to assist them in feeling connected to their child. Mementos ranged from a stuffed animal to a locket of the childs hair (Meert et al, 2008). In fact, researchers argue that the ability of the parents to establish a continued connection with the deceased child through the use of memories is integral to the parental experience o f bereavement and coping (Barrera et al., 2009).            In addition to continuing the bond with their deceased child, parents have additional stress in establishing commonalities and differences in grief within the marital relationship. Meaning is derived from telling the story of the childs death and this can be particularly difficult for bereaved parents who often feel that their social network is not receptive to talk of the death experience (Toller and Braithwaite, 2009). Alternatively, parents may turn to one another as a means of support but this can also prove difficult since both partners are experiencing the death simultaneously (Toller and Braithwaite, 2009). In a study by Toller and Braithwaite (2009) of bereaved parents they found that parents wanted to grieve with their spouse while concurrently indicating that they also needed space to grieve separately from their partner. The parents in this study reported that grieving together was difficult due to the differing ways in which they and their partners approached and even expressed grief (Toller and Braithwaite, 2009). A fear for many bereaved spouses is the statistical relevance of divorce among bereaved parents. Although some research indicates a higher occurrence of divorce following the death of a child, other research challenges the methodology and difficulties in tracking divorced couples in order to make concise conclusions (Rogers, Floyd, Seltzer, Greenberg and Hong, 2008).          A more alarming finding is the evidence of depression and long term health concerns among bereaved parents. In their study, Rogers, Floyd, Seltzer, Greenberg and Hong (2008) analyzed data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) and found that bereaved parents, in midlife and on average 18 years following the death of their child, reported more symptoms of depression and cardiovascular problems than their nonbereaved cohort. In fact, 83% of bereaved parents in the WLS reported depression within three years of their childs death (Rogers, Floyd, Seltzer, Greenberg and Hong, 2008). The researchers of this study concluded that the return to employment, social and family roles may indicate full recovery following the death of a child but persistent episodes of depression and health related issues suggest internal turmoil that may not be recognized and acknowledged by friends and family (Rogers, Floyd, Seltzer, Greenberg and Hong, 2 008). Furthermore, this study showed that the ability to function was not greater with the passing of time since the death and suggested that the bereavement following the death of a child may lead to continued health concerns for decades (Rogers, Floyd, Seltzer, Greenberg and Hong, 2008). Bereaved parents do find ways to cope and manage the grief both individually and as a couple. Many parents indicate that surviving children provide them with a sense of purpose and parents reinvest energy into ensuring these children are learning how to cope with the death of their sibling (Barrera et al., 2009). Barrera et al. (2009) identified the presence of surviving children at the time of death to be linked with lower instance of marital discord.  Researchers in multiple studies found that bereaved parents who did not have surviving children reported a strong desire to have another child through pregnancy, adoption or fostering (Barrera et al., 2009; Arnold and Buschman Gemma, 2008). Interestingly Videka-Sherman (1982) found evidence that parents who had a subsequent child following death were more likely to have better psychological adjustment to grief (as cited by (Rogers, Floyd, Seltzer, Greenberg and Hong, 2008). In the study conducted by Toller and Braithwaite (2009) the majority of bereaved parents indicated that although they experienced grief differently than their partner, they were eventually able to identify and empathize, even accept the differences. Bereaved parents who recognized that grieving is unique to each individual and in turn gave their spouse room to grieve or engaged with others for support found that they were able to navigate the differences and maintain a healthy relationship (Toller and Braithwaite, 2009). Although therapeutic models encourage an ability to be open and heal, Toller and Braithwaite (2009) suggest that selective closedness has shown evidence of health in grieving (p. 273). In fact, nonverbal communication between spouses is possible to create connection in grieving through hand holding, physical closeness and expression through letter writing (Toller and Braithwaite, 2009). Many parents have identified the need to redefine themselves integrating the experience of being a parent to a child who has died (Barrera et al., 2009). Parents have described the need for their child to be validated and recognized in a societal context, given worth in order to aid them in their ability to grieve that child (Meert et al, 2009). Of additional importance is the acceptance from family, friends and parents social network to allow bereaved parents to grieve in a way that is meaningful to them at their own speed and without judgement (Meert et al., 2009). Ultimately, bereaved parents incorporate a variety of support strategies to assist them in coping with the death of their child (Barrera et al., 2009). Many bereaved parents identified an eventual revitalized purpose to life, commonly associated with a desire to give back to the community and support other bereaved parents (Barrera et al., 2009). Following the death of a child, Calhoun and Tedeschi (2001) theorise that individuals undergo a reorganization of beliefs surrounding significance of the world and oneself. According to Calhoun and Tedeschi (2001) posttraumatic growth is the positive changes in relationship to others, spirituality or philosophy of life, and sense of self that follows bereavement (p. 344). A study by Engelkemeyer and Marwit (2008) of bereaved parents found that parents who reported growth were also the parents who identified having a positive outlook regarding self-worth and characterised themselves as being lucky.  The death of a child has a profound effect on the parents as individuals and as a couple that creates a crisis in their transition through adulthood. Bereaved parents may experience negative or positive consequences of the grief experienced following their childs death and these effects will be felt throughout the remainder of their lifespan. A quote from one bereaved mother eloquently sums up the enormity of death on the life experience: Death being such a major part of life is something that only those who experience it firsthand can truly attest to being at the very core of our existence. Death changes who we are and what we feel about life entirely. Death even steals our perception of time and how a month ending, or a year ending or the celebration of new life affects us. Death comes in and manipulates everyone we come in contact with, while making us an alien to everyone (Ruffin, 2010, p.9).
Monday, August 19, 2019
Comparing Degradation in Crime and Punishment, the Possessed, and the Brothers Karamazov :: comparison compare contrast essays
How much disintegration can a culture endure before it reaches the point of irreversible decay? The degree of disintegration and destruction that our own culture has experienced is probably not yet fully known, but mid-to late-Nineteenth Century Russian culture is another matter. The vicious nature of the attacks upon the "old forms" of Russian culture, especially those waged by the Nihilists of the late 1860s, provides ample material for exploring this important question. Fortunately, for those anxious about the condition of our own culture, Fyodor M. Dostoevsky, "the most sagacious student of political economy in the Russia of the 1840s,"1 kept his hand to the pulse of Russia's intelligentsia. Dostoevsky's preoccupation with that same question is understandable given the exigencies of Russian life in his time. When, in l861, the "Tsar-Emancipator," Alexander II, liberated the serfs, pent-up forces for social change were unleashed. In Dostoevsky: The Stir of Liberation; 1860-65, 2 Joseph Frank notes: All the ideals on which previous Russian life had been founded were called into question; influential voices were heard proclaiming that an entirely new moral basis must be sought on which to construct human society. Russian culture thus entered an acute phase of crisis." According to Professor Frank, the scenario described above is the "indispensable context within which the works of Dostoevsky must be understood." Utopian Socialism, popular among the intelligentsia in the early l840s, was grounded in Christian social-moral ideals. By the mid-40s, however, the Christian elements were discounted and replaced with principles more consistent with Naturalism--science and reason. By the time Tsar Alexander II emancipated the serfs in l861, a new generation of liberals had evolved by following the tenets of scientific materialism. This new generation of Russian intelligentsia were radicals known as the raznochintsy. The raznochintsy differed from the Socialists of the l840s in two ways; they were more frustrated and more activist. The most frustrated and activist elements of theraznochintsy eventually broke with their counterparts--these were the Nihilists. The Nihilists were the focal point of Dostoevsky's later work and, for that matter, much of the social-cultural work of the late 1860s. Dostoevsky's three great novels, Crime and Punishment, the Possessed, and the Brothers Karamazov, represent a continuum. That is, in those works, Dostoevsky traces the degenerative effects on the Russian psyche of the doctrines of radical and Nihilistic idealogues by beginning with a psychoanalytic study of one solitary man and then chronicles the movement of that crisis from the intelligentsia outward to the masses.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
At The Mind’s Limits Essay -- Analysis, Jean Améry
â€Å"If one speaks about torture, one must take care not to exaggerate,†Jean Amà ©ry view of torture comes from a place of uneasiness (22). He discusses in his book At The Mind’s Limits, about the torture that he underwent while a prisoner in Auschwitz. In his chapter titled â€Å"Torture†, he goes into deep description of not only the torture he endured, but also how that torture never leaves a person. Amà ©ry goes to great lengths to make sure that the torture he speaks of is accurate and as he says on page 22, not exaggerated. Many may believe that talking about an experience that is of a horrible nature can be a way of coping with the event. However, Amery believes differently. He wrote his book as a way to make people understand went he and millions of other Jews went through. He does not see his book as a way of understanding the pain he went through every day even after the war had ended. Amery speaks of the torture because he feels it is important to understand the different elements of torture. He writes, â€Å"What was inflicted on me in the unspeakable vault in Breendonk was by far not the worst form of torture†¦it was relatively harmless and it left no conspicuous scars on my body†(22). The embarrassment of the torture to Amery; is knowing that â€Å"they†have taken away who you are in a matter of moments. It is losing who you are to evil without wanting to, that is torture. Amery continues to state that the torture never ends even after the pain is gone and the wounds have healed. It becomes a part of you and you begin to lose yourself in it. He writes, But for the person who suffers them they are still experiences that leave deep marks – if one wishes to use up the high-sounding words already and clearly say: enormities. The f... ...h the â€Å"crackling and splintering in my shoulders that my body has not forgotten until hour†(32). He would never remember anything as it was, for it was now a distant and vague memory. But his torture was happening every day and every moment of his life. In conclusion, Amery’s book is a testimony of him accepting what has befallen to him. He brings light to what torture was and is now in a world that can be distrustful. That losing one’s faith in the world and humankind is not an easy understanding. He wants the world to know that torture is not just physical; it is also mental and verbal. It is the â€Å"first blow†whether that is a word in meanness or punch to the face, torture is the evil that comes from someone who knows nothing good. Torture for the Jews is a way of life now, because it will never leave their memory, it has become a part of them in every way.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Divine Comedy and Dante
Dante Alighieri’s â€Å"The Divine Comedy†is a poem written in first person that tells of Dante’s altered-ego pilgrimage through the three realms of death, Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise while trying to reach spiritual maturity and an understanding of God’s love while attaining salvation. Dante creates an imaginative correspondence between a soul’s sin on Earth and the punishment one receives in Hell. â€Å"In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself in a dark wood where the straightway was lost. (Canto I, pg. 11). Throughout â€Å"The Divine Comedy†, this is the only reference Dante, in my opinion, is referring to that â€Å"dark place†we all find ourselves in at some point in time in our own life. I, as Dante’s Pilgrim, have found myself in this â€Å"dark place†or â€Å"dark wood†once I lost sight of the â€Å"beaten path†or â€Å"where the straightway was lost†that I was travel ling (life). But, it was during this time that I was lost that I not only found myself, but most importantly, I found my soul. I found the straightway path to my soul while in the dark wood. It is at this dark place or dark wood, that one begins not only to search for answers to one’s sin but to seek answers to the questions of the heart and mind. It is here, of the straightway lost, where the heart and mind no longer struggle for right vs. wrong but to harvest peace. Peace within one’s soul. The peace of one’s soul is born once the heart and mind become one and with this peace one will continue to search for God’s salvation just as Dante’s Pilgrim. The path to Paradise begins in Hell. †(Dante – The Divine Comedy. When Dante enters Hell on Good Friday, he reads the following posted above the gates of Hell as he is about to enter (Canto III, line 9): â€Å"Abandon all hope ye who enter here†. To leave Hell, Dante and his self-ego, must go through all nine circles of Hell, the deeper the circle, the more grave the sin and the sin’s punishment. The gravest punishment is that no one cares nor will help another while in Hell. Dante recognizes that those in Hell have chosen to be in Hell by their own choice but most importantly Dante learns to recognize and detest man’s sinful nature and the power of evil, and the need to guard against it. Hell has no hope. At times, it seems, more often than enough, that both the world and society are becoming increasingly hopeless. To lose hope is to lose life. To lose life is to gain Hell. Living is caring and hoping for the well being of man for today and for days to follow. In the Divine Comedy, to leave Hell, one must go through nine circles of Hell. But, for us, are the nine circles of hell the nine hours in the day that we inject ourselves into society? At the end of every day, do we journey through nine circles of Hell? Do we abandon all hope as we enter the day? â€Å"The path to Paradise begins in Hell. †If this is to be true, then tomorrow may I awake in Paradise.
Uk institution culture
Charity business has been an important part in English civil society through 400 years' development. This article alms to introduce two leading charities organisations In UK the National Trust and the Royal 3ritlsh Legion, and to research how they shape and reflect the UK culture. 2. The National Trust and UK Culture This section introduces the definition of the National Trust and states how it shapes and reflects uK culture trom three aspects. 2. 1 3ackground of the National Trust The National Trust was founded in 1895 as a charity body, independent of the UK government.Its' mission is to prevent the nation of lands and tenements (including uildings) of beauty or historic interest In perpetuity for the benefit of society (Lansley, 1996: 227). The National Trust has been one of the biggest environmental organizations In the world through hundreds development. It raises money heavily on the support of its' members, visitors, donors and partners. The membership fee accounts largely in the total amount. The memberships' numbers ot the national trust were 7,000 people in 1945, and it increased rapidly to 220,000 people in 1970.After that, the amount of memberships doubled every ten years. In 201 1, membership recruitment had reached the number of 3. million (National Trust, 2010/2011 : 2). Besides the huge number of memberships, it has a large number of volunteers. As the National Trust motto said â€Å"No volunteers, No Nauonal Trust†. From housing repair to gardens management, customers' service or cultural relics introduce, volunteers play an important role in the National Trust. From a recent statistic, the volunteers' numbers have reached 67,000 in the year of 201 1 (National Trust, 201112012: 6). 2 The influences of National Trust to UK culture The National Trust has an Influence to UK culture from the following aspects: nvironment protection, citizen awareness, and life enrichment. Firstly, the huge success of the National Trust In environment conserv ation shapes the uK culture deeply. The responsibility of Trust mainly reflected in protection of country land, coastline and historical culture relics
Friday, August 16, 2019
Stoke Bruerne is a small village near towcestor off of the A5 in between Birmingham and London on the Grand Union Canal
There was various land owners before 1805, one of them was the ‘Saxon lord' swain son of Azor, son of lefs, Lord of Stoke, he in 1086 herd 21 houses with families of ‘villains and borders' the total value of the houses was 10 shillings a year. After swain the ‘Saxon lord' died with no heirs a Norman Noble took the land , it then passed from one family to another, it acquired the name Bruerne from sir William de Bruerne, who was a friend of both king Richard the ‘lion heart' and his brother King John. De Bruerne help the manor of stoke and also sitlehanger (shutlanger) and Aldrintone (Alderton) from William de Warenn Earl of Surrey, He was also a substantial Landowner. At the beginning of the 13th century Sir William was given the manor of Stoke Bruerne, and in 1217 he appointed the first Rector of Stoke Bruerne, named Richard de Rolf. In Stoke Bruerne the population increased from 609 people in 1801 to 823 people in 1971. Pre 1805 Stoke Bruerne was a small simple Hamlet, it had a figure of either setting, it had a church surrounded by thatched cottages, and then there was the farms in separate areas. Most of the people who lived there were farmhands and had very low wages, they also did not have much if any knowledge of other villages/towns, they also rented there houses from landowners like the Hesketh's and the Duke of Grafton, they had poor diets and eat very little meat, they eat any food that was being harvested at the time. They had a low protein die, and no access to medical care a tall so thee was high infantry mortality (baby's dieing before be fore 12 months of age) there was no dentist and low life expectancy, some people with a large enough garden would of kept chickens and maybe a pig, and would have also grown there own vegetables. The canal was built for many reasons, one of which was because of transport problems, they had some roads, but they were mostly dirt tracks, there was problems such as rain, snow and mud stopping this, also there were highwaymen who could rob you, and turn pikes slowed down traffic at nights, but stoke Bruerne was close to the A5 which was later improved by Thomas Telford. Then there was the idea of transporting good's by the sea, but there was problems such as seasonal problems like ice and driving rain, there also was all year gales, it also was quite expensive as boats sank, and there was piracy. There was another idea of using the rivers, but thee also was problems with this such as flooding and drought, tidal problems, going upstream was difficult, there was also inland piracy, and not all areas have rivers deep enough and wide enough to take a boat. The speed of the transport was varied, the horse and cart could go around 5 MPH, and so could the river boat, sea ships speeds varied on the wind speed and the direction, but the canal had the most direct route unlike the horse and cart. From London to Birmingham it was roughly 100 miles, which if you went at 5 MPH non-stop in the quickest route would take 20 hours, but the roads were not the most direct route so it would take longer, and also you needed to stop to give the horses breaks and to sleep, also non of the transport routes apart from the A5 which was built at a later date were direct. Construction of the tunnel began in 1793 and with over 3,000 men working on it covering nearly 100 miles between Brentford and Braunston, but they had poor roads and lack of instantaneous communication, this made organization very hard and put a great strain on the building of the canal, by the end of 1796 the canal had reached Blisworth from Braunston, with the 2042 yard tunnel at the Braunston summit and high embankment at Weedon and Bugbrooke then work was plannedon the long tunnel planed by jessop and bearnes to pierce the ridge on the southern side of stoke Bruerne. The preliminary work of the Blisworth tunnel started in 1703 but cutting stopped in January of 1796, local word says the tunnel collapsed but there's no factual proof of this, jessop want to go for all locks which would of in tolled 29 in all, with a short summit with reservoir's, Barnes proposed a new tunnel on a different line, he was supported with Robert Whitworth and John Barnes, the company agreed on principle but could not sanction work until 1802. After huge economic pressure the company had to act quickly, so they build a toll road over the hill in 1797, it had good benefit but was unable too meet the demands of the trade company's, so then Benjamin Outram was called in too make a tramway over the hill, it was a double track road 4 ft wide. The locks had been completed and the ancillary works, the canal now awaited the opening of the tunnel, heading from both ends met on 25th of February 1805 and final work was completed on 19th of March, the official opening was on Monday 25th of March 1805, the tunnel had in fact cost à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½90,003 2s 4d. At 3,075 yards 2 feet, nearly à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½30 per yard. We see in the 1844 map how Stoke Bruerne was cut in two by the new canal and how the village street had been re routed from its ancient line along what is now chapel land to the green by the school, to now going alone its present course over the new canal bridge over the top lock. There was some buildings that changed at the opening of the canal, but some that did not change were buildings like the Church and the Rectory house, and all the cottages near the church there was also new buildings at the opening of the canal like the mill house and more pubs, also the pubs main entrance changed from the town side to the canal side. While the canal was in its ‘Golden Years' stocks went up by more then ten times in forty years, in 1801 the stocks were doubled, by 1810 then stocks had then gone up by 6 times, then by 1821stocks had raised to up too 9 times more then there first value, and then they had got raised by even more, by 1831they had gone up by 13 times, this for stoke brokers was a huge profit and brought great riches to the town and a lot more jobs, the population also had a huge raise. In 1805 the canal opened, in 1815 the Napoleonic wars were ending, in 1835 the double bridge was built for the big canal to enable traffic to get through easier, in 1838 the London to Birmingham railway was completed, and from there on the canal was failing in profits, economically the village got stronger and more social because of more people were living there and there was a higher demand for goods as many many canal boats passed through daily with there own separate needs, also the new jobs that were available were now better paid because they required a higher level of skill and they were usually very dangerous. Also there was better quality food as there was a higher demand, the food was now usually fresher, also there was a lot more meat which helped to balance there diet, and there was more dairy products, so the health of the community improved and so did the life expectancy, and infant mortality lowered. Houses also improved, houses were now cleaner, mainly because soap was now carried through Stoke Bruerne, houses were also improved with slate and bricks now that they traveled through Stoke Bruerne, houses were also warmer because coal prices lowered and people became richer to buy the coal with, some houses now also started having glass in there windows, and there was now also a ‘school pence tax' which paid for the first school in Stoke Bruerne. There was not many complaints about the canal because either they could not write a formal complain or they did not have any power to put there word forward, but one person who did complain was the Rector, he complained because his garden was cut in half, he managed to get a bridge put up so that he could go collect his fish for Fridays dinner from his pond on the other side. Many people could of complained though, because we can presume that many farmers lost all of there workers, the villagers would have been annoyed about the badly behaved navies, there would have been a lot of noise because of the building of the canal, mud in the village, and dust in the summer, there would also of been a lot of horse muck because of the canal, and also there would have been great dangers of people falling in, also villagers were not rich enough to buy shares so they would of not gained from the canal as the same ways as the land owners did, but ordinary villagers did not complain because local landowners wanted the canal and the villagers were too afraid they would lose there homes to complain. When the railway was built it hugely impacted the canal and the village of Stoke Bruerne, the canal lost shares drastically from when it was planned to up to 20 years later, it also lost much of its customers, who could now not only send there goods on the train at a faster and cheaper way, but they could also could travel with there goods to ensure there safe transport and if they fancied going to visit someone or on a business trip. In 1835 the construction of the Railway started, but also at this time they made a double lock canal to help with traffic and also to encourage more canal users, in 1838 the railway opened, the London to Birmingham Line. The Railway was built as it was a lot quicker then the canal, or any other forms of transport and that it went in a straight line near the canal, the trains traveled at speeds of around 40 MPH, and they also could carry a lot more goods then the canal, a canal carried one canal boats worth, which was not much, a train could have lots more carriages, it could carry as many carriages as it had the power to., a canal boat is about 72 feet by 7 feet, having the railway led to cheaper goods because the transport was cheaper so everyone(apart from the canal transporters) were gaining, either by cheaper transport or cheaper prices, also trains rarely suffered from seasonal problems like ice roads and flooding. Also it was cheaper too build the railway as the track was set by the canal and already surveyed, and also the canal could transport the equipment they needed like shale timber and sleepers, railways took paying passengers also which helped more money come in, also they had stations with waiting centers and loo's, towns like Birmingham grew and got bigger because they were on the main line of the Railway, but Northampton was not on the main line so it did not grow. Some social effects were the unemployment for canal workers in the village, but some of them would have gone to the railways, especially the engineers who were greatly needed on the railways, also the navies would have gone to the railways. Railways were less labor intense so there was less jobs available for it, but people could now commute to towcestor and other big towns and cites, which meant they now would all commute to there job and turn into a commuting village. In the 20th century Stoke Bruerne got a lot more popular, it had a larger tourism attraction to it because of its turn from a small village, to a village with a major canal running through it which brought a lot more customers wishing to either stay at there Inn's, eat there or just to have a break, also there was many facilities there with equipment that boatmen needed to make it through there journey, there was spare boards among other things, but all this tourism let to high traffic problems and a lot of noise for the locals who were not best pleased, there was not much parking space so some local farmers open there fields for people to park in at a higher then average price. In summer there was a lot of litter, from the many tourists that visited Stoke Bruerne, also the pubs and shops and restaurants had higher then average prices because there was no competition between anyone else because they were very far from any other places, and sometimes Stoke Bruerne was over crowded which made it an unpleasant place to visit sometimes. Also there was more noise because of children and there was dangers by the canal side, EG the towpath which they could of fell into if they were not careful, there was also more jobs gained by tourism, but they were seasonal and low paid, also now house prices have gone up in Stoke Bruerne because Milton Keynes and Towcestor were close by, and now nearly all the villagers are commuters. There was new transport routes made as the M1 opened in the early 1960's, and the Beaching Acts shut down the railways in the 1960's also which helped the canal slightly. In this section I am going to discuss the sources I used to help me complete my coursework. Extracts, by David Blagrove was written in 1991 and it is a secondary source although he would have used primary information in his research. I could say that he is bias as he is a canal enthusiast, I can prove this by saying that he does not deal with other modes of transport that were competition with for the canal in the midlands at the time e.g. Horse and cart on the A5 would have been the canals main competition. I am able to use other sources to prove Blagrove's Evidence e.g. the 1844 map shows the rector's land split in two. The second written source is by Whittaker written in 1879, although this is a secondary source it is the earliest written source available to me and he also used primary evidence, it was the only source that contained population figures but its downside is it is a re-write and having not seen the original I am unable to find out weather or not valuable information has been lost. The Last Written source I wish to discuss is written by Lawrence Wood in 1975. It is a secondary source but Wood would of have had access to primary information such as marriage, death and birth certificates and information from parish records, the biggest problem with this source is that it does not even mention the canal and really it is produced for visitors/tourist's to the church. The two maps I used were dated 1844 and 1920. The 1844 map shows the layout of the canal side in Stoke Bruerne when the canal was at its busiest showing building bridges and locks. The 1920 map shows that the barge marina had been filled in, proving the canal's decline as mentioned by Blagrove. Therefore I have been able to prove that the canal's construction through the village of Stoke Bruerne changed the village socially, peoples job's changed, physically, the centre of the village was no longer the church and financially, I can assume that living conditions and health improved and the canal company's made large profits.
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