Saturday, January 25, 2020

The Rich Diversity of Meanings of the Pardoners Tale Essay -- Pardone

The Rich Diversity of Meanings of the Pardoner's Tale Chaucer’s innovation in the Pardoner’s performance tests our concept of dramatic irony by suggesting information regarding the Pardoner’s sexuality, gender identity, and spirituality, major categories in the politics of identity, without confirming that information. Our presumed understanding of the Pardoner as a character lacks substantiation. As we learn about the Pardoner through the narrator’s eyes and ears, we look to fit the "noble ecclesiaste" (l. 708) into the figure shaped by our own prejudices and perceptions, as any active reader must do. But the Pardoner, ever aware of his audience, does not offer clear clues to his personality. This break between what the other characters say about the Pardoner and what the Pardoner says about himself has been a major source of tension for all readers of the Tales and especially critics who search for substantiation of their views beyond the Chaucer’s own language. The general tone of the Canterbury Tal es is comic. After all, the pilgrims are traveling to the shrine St. Thomas Beckett in a public act of holy reverence, but the Tales take a darker turn when the Pardoner is brought to the foreground. The whole Canterbury Tales is a collected set of performances, stories told about telling stories. As Joseph Ganim has written, theatricality, by which he means "a governing sense of performance, an interplay among the author’s voice, his fictional characters, and his immediate audience," is "a paradigm for the Chaucerian poetic" (5). This paper shall endeavor to show that the major effect of the Pardoner’s presence in the Tales is to focus the reader’s attention to questions of performance and performativity, literary perception, ... ...University of California Press, 1988. Lochrie, Karma; McCracken, Peggy; Schultz, James A. Editors. Constructing Medieval Sexuality. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 1997. McAlpine, Monica E. â€Å"The Pardoner’s Homosexuality and How It Matters.† Geoffrey Chaucer’s The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales. Ed. by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988. pp. 103-124. Nevo, Ruth. â€Å"Chaucer: Motive and Mask in the General Prologue.† Geoffrey Chaucer’s The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales. Ed. by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988. pp. 9-20. Ross, Thomas W. Chaucer’s Bawdy. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1972. Sedgewick, G. G. â€Å"The Progress of Chaucer’s Pardoner, 1880-1940.† Chaucer: Modern Essays in Criticism. Ed. by Edward Wagnknecht. New York: Oxford University Press, 1959. pp. 126-158.

Friday, January 17, 2020

De Beers Analysis

STRATEGY: INDUSTRY AND COMPETITION Problem Set 3 1. Throughout the 1990s, several developments contributed to the loss of market-share of the Central Selling Organization, which inevitably led to diminishing profits for De Beers. In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed and this disintegration brought down the exclusivity that the CSO had enjoyed for so long. Indeed, the fall of communism made it difficult for the cartel to protect its trading agreements.As such, only limited shares of the Russian production reached the CSO, the rest being supplied to the competition by Alrosa (which became the worldwide dominant non-African producer) and other Russian enterprises. In 1996, as a consequence of the CSO’s reluctance to satisfy demand for very small stones, the Argyle mine in Australia (with a very distinctive rough production that De Beers had only a limited capacity to match), controlled by Rio Tinto – a multinational mining company and one of their main upstream competitors – became the first major producer to departure from its contract with De Beers.This disruption seriously compromised De Beers’ punishment capabilities through stockpiling. Additionally, in Canada, another major competitor arose (BHP). De Beers had a problem in these two markets. Unlike African countries, these are nations characterized by strong institutions, with a degree of bureaucratization and stability as well as cultural advancement that do not favor for the kind of â€Å"easy bribes† that had allowed the company to control the quantities sold worldwide.However, even in Africa other obstacles appeared. While Angolan and West African output were being diverted to other channels, the concerns about conflict diamonds – reaching their peak with outbursts in Angola through the 90s – also damaged De Beers’ image and only made it more difficult for those diamonds to be sold through the CSO. Finally, pressure from some African governments (Bot swana and Namibia, for example) inadvertently or purposely created internal competitors.Thus, De Beers saw its monopolistic position seriously threatened and since it could no longer control the diamond flow to the market, it was forced to practice a price closer to that of a competitive market, which meant lower profits. 2. Besides the increasing competition that was subject to in the last decade of the 20th century, De Beers also had to concern itself with the possibility of new entrants in the very market where it had prospered.Due to the compliance with the Global Witness proposal against conflict diamonds, De Beers saw the noose tightening around its operations and as a consequence the threat of new entrants surged, with several groups expanding aggressively on the continent. Perhaps the biggest of those threats was the business group controlled by Leviev, the world’s largest diamond cutter and polisher. One of his ideas was to integrate backward into marketing rough dia monds. Also, the pressures in Angola were putting in danger the marketing agreement the country had with the company.That agreement would eventually be terminated already in this century, being replaced with a single-channel marketing entity in which Leviev held a one-quarter interest. Obviously, these potential threats had a negative effect in De Beers’ profits, despite its strong Brand Image. 3. Traditionally, De Beers would buy the supply from other producers to control the market output. With the rise of competitors this became increasingly difficult. As alternatives to the cartel emerged, the bargaining power of suppliers grew. Argyle’s eventual withdrawal and Angola’s termination of the exclusivity with De Beers are clear proof of this growing power.Governments began to pressure the company as well. South Africa aimed to have more gems cut locally and other nations such as Botswana and Namibia sought to increase the value captured with the activities perfo rmed within their borders. Of course, for the company to grant this it would have to see its percentage of value retention lowered. In a climate of an undeniable backdrop, this was yet another factor that contributed to decreasing diamond earnings. 4. Although an increase in competition means that buyers will have alternatives (higher bargaining power), this was still an area (of the five forces) where the market remained attractive.Competitors did not have the level of expertise or the established supply chain that characterized a company with more than a century of market knowledge. The most relevant fact to mention on the buyers side is the Japanese recession of 1998. De Beers suffered severely from this downturn, after obtaining almost a decade of expansion in various Asian markets. Still, buyers in this industry are not just final consumers, but intermediaries as well. With the rising competition and consequent declining credibility, De Beers could not control sightholders, for instance, with the same discipline and efficiency as before.Leviev (a sightholder himself) is the perfect example of this reality. Of course the less control the company exerts, the lower its returns are. 5. Regarding substitutes, the closest product would be synthetic diamonds. Yet, these diamonds remained exclusive to industrial applications (to compensate for the scarcity of the others for these functions) and so natural diamonds were still a unique luxury. In spite of the social issues brought up by conflict diamonds, the product was still protected from substitution throughout the 1990s.The marketing efforts of the previous efforts (mainly represented by the campaign â€Å"Diamonds are forever†) continued to provoke the desired effect. By establishing them as a symbol of lasting love, power and wealth, De Beers had assured that nothing could be compared to a diamond, which translated in a he amount of profits throughout that century. On this area, the main challenge for the company presented itself in the early 1990s in the Chinese market. Not only were these consumers traditionally focused on gold and jade, while unfamiliar with diamonds, but also â€Å"white† color were thought to bring misfortune.This might seem trivial for a western consumer, but Chinese people were and are still today some of the most superstition nations on earth. The gold and jade products had certainly a negative effect on De Beers’ profits. Nevertheless, the company managed to overcome this paradigm by using Chinese beliefs to its advantage (the â€Å"red thread† ad is a perfect showcase for this idea). This advertisement strategy was very successful and by 2000, retail sales had reached $731 million. Duarte Costa, # 1284

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Online Degree Options in Health Care 2019

Internet-based educational institutions provide a great deal of programs for individuals looking to go into the health care industry. Online certification is available for numerous technical positions in the field. These online education programs are normally intensive, and do not require very many years to complete. The various positions for which online certification is available include medical assistant, radiography technician, nurses assistant, medical information technology technician, hospital intake specialist, and several other positions in the field. Not only are there certification programs, but many online educational institutions offer complete degrees in health care. There are associates, bachelors, masters and doctorate programs that can be obtained on the internet. There degrees may focus on specific areas in the health care field and offer different levels of academic achievement. Here are a few online colleges or universities that offer such health care related degree programs. .u4dda764adc6d7e6bb86a9581f417daa8 { padding:0px; margin: 0; padding-top:1em!important; padding-bottom:1em!important; width:100%; display: block; font-weight:bold; background-color:#eaeaea; border:0!important; border-left:4px solid #34495E!important; box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -o-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); text-decoration:none; } .u4dda764adc6d7e6bb86a9581f417daa8:active, .u4dda764adc6d7e6bb86a9581f417daa8:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; text-decoration:none; } .u4dda764adc6d7e6bb86a9581f417daa8 { transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; } .u4dda764adc6d7e6bb86a9581f417daa8 .ctaText { font-weight:bold; color:inherit; text-decoration:none; font-size: 16px; } .u4dda764adc6d7e6bb86a9581f417daa8 .post Title { color:#000000; text-decoration: underline!important; font-size: 16px; } .u4dda764adc6d7e6bb86a9581f417daa8:hover .postTitle { text-decoration: underline!important; } READ An Executive MBA Is The Leadership DegreeThe University of Phoenix Online offer the following programs: Bachelor of Science/Health Administration Bachelor of Science in Nursing Master of Business Administration/Health Care Management Master of Health Administration Master of Science in Nursing Master of Science in Nursing Nursing/Health Care Education Master of Science in Nursing/Integrative Health Care Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Business Administration/Health Care Management Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Health Administration Doctor of Health Administration. Naturally, not all of these programs will require the same amount of time to complete. Online degrees are tailored to adults who are currently working full-time. The University of Phoenix Online utilizes intensive teaching methods that significantly reduce the amount of class time required. Capella University also offers online degree programs, including a masters in human services with specialization in health care administration. Other masters degree programs that Capella University offers are masters of science in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology and sports psychology. .u7b711bde8af087e9d3006c88446b9f18 { padding:0px; margin: 0; padding-top:1em!important; padding-bottom:1em!important; width:100%; display: block; font-weight:bold; background-color:#eaeaea; border:0!important; border-left:4px solid #34495E!important; box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -o-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); text-decoration:none; } .u7b711bde8af087e9d3006c88446b9f18:active, .u7b711bde8af087e9d3006c88446b9f18:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; text-decoration:none; } .u7b711bde8af087e9d3006c88446b9f18 { transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; } .u7b711bde8af087e9d3006c88446b9f18 .ctaText { font-weight:bold; color:inherit; text-decoration:none; font-size: 16px; } .u7b711bde8af087e9d3006c88446b9f18 .post Title { color:#000000; text-decoration: underline!important; font-size: 16px; } .u7b711bde8af087e9d3006c88446b9f18:hover .postTitle { text-decoration: underline!important; } READ Information Technology In Health CareColorado Technical University Online offers a BA in business with a concentration in health care. They also provide an MBA in health care management. Jones International University has a unique enrollment calendar. They offer new classes every four weeks, and each concentrated course takes eight weeks. They provide a masters program in health care management. Health care information technology is a growing field that many seek degrees in. Online, you may obtain an associated degree in health information technology. Degrees like a bachelors in biomedical informatics, which is related to health care research, may also be acquired online. Another online degree, bachelors in biomedical engineering technology involves the innovation of therapeutic products, rehabilitative devices and other medical hardware. We all encounter medical professionals at least once in a while, even if we visit family in a hospital, or go in for our annual check-up. If you pay attention to the various positions around you, there is a good chance that you can eventually have a similar position as a result of an online degree. Do some internet research if it interests you. There is much more out there, and you may find a good program that is right for you. .u8c9e609c5bdcb86242b77d6c4876c84f { padding:0px; margin: 0; padding-top:1em!important; padding-bottom:1em!important; width:100%; display: block; font-weight:bold; background-color:#eaeaea; border:0!important; border-left:4px solid #34495E!important; box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -o-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); text-decoration:none; } .u8c9e609c5bdcb86242b77d6c4876c84f:active, .u8c9e609c5bdcb86242b77d6c4876c84f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; text-decoration:none; } .u8c9e609c5bdcb86242b77d6c4876c84f { transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; } .u8c9e609c5bdcb86242b77d6c4876c84f .ctaText { font-weight:bold; color:inherit; text-decoration:none; font-size: 16px; } .u8c9e609c5bdcb86242b77d6c4876c84f .post Title { color:#000000; text-decoration: underline!important; font-size: 16px; } .u8c9e609c5bdcb86242b77d6c4876c84f:hover .postTitle { text-decoration: underline!important; } READ Want To Work As A Health Care Provider Related ArticlesAcquiring a Health Care Degree on the InternetNursing and Health Care DegreesColleges for the Health Care ProfessionsGetting a College Education OnlineGetting Your Health Care Management EducationUse the Internet to Attain a Masters Degree in Teaching