Prejudice in Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes Essay -- skin colo

Prejudice is a cancer that spreads hate among its perpetrators and victims alike. In 1930 Langston Hughes penned the novel, Not Without Laughter. This powerful story, written from the perspective of an African-American boy named James â€Å"Sandy† Rodgers, begins in the early 1900’s in the small town of Stanton, Kansas. Through the eyes of young Sandy, we see the devastating impact of racism on his family and those they are close to. We also see how the generations of abuse by whites caused a divide within the black community. Among, and even within, black families there were several social classes that seemed to hinge on seeking equality through gaining the approval of whites. The class someone belonged to was determined by the color of their skin, the type of church one attended, their level of education, and where an individual was able to find work. From an early age it was clear to Sandy that, the lighter a person’s skin was, the higher their social status. As the only young child in his household, he was exposed to many conversations among the adults around him that revolved around race. A primary example of this was one of the conversations between his grandmother, Aunt Hager, and her friend, Sister Whiteside. Sandy and the two elder women sat at the kitchen table together to share a meal while the two women chatted. Sandy sat quietly and absorbed their talk of everything from assuming the white ancestry of a lighter-skinned child they knew, to the difficulty of keeping â€Å"colored chillens in school† (13-15). Sandy not only learned through the conversations of the adults around him the importance of skin color, he witnessed a number of events that cemented the notion. Sandy’s somewhat wild Aunt, Har... ... porters and washwomen†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (188). Throughout Hughes’ Not Without Laughter, we see the long-term effect of generations of prejudice and abuse against blacks. Over time, this prejudice manifested itself through the development of several social classes within the black community. Hughes’, through the eyes of young Sandy, shows us how the color of one’s skin, the church they attend, the level of education an individual attained, and the type of employment someone could find impacted their standing within the community and dictated the social class they belonged to. Tragically, decades of slavery and abuse resulted in a class system within the black community that was not built around seeking happiness or fulfillment but, equality through gaining the approval of whites. Works Cited Hughes, L. (1930). Not Without Laughter. New York, NY, USA: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

Medieval Ballads and Lyrics :: essays research papers fc

Recently, the term ‘ballad’ can be associated with everything from Solomon’s Song to an Aerosmith song. The dictionary defines it as a traditional story in song or a simple song. However, the medieval ballad is something of a different nature than that of the popular musical ballads of today. The definition of ballad in the medieval context is a narrative poem. The authors usually remain anonymous and the ballad is more often than not accompanied by dance (Gummere). This is not surprising considering the word ‘ballad’ comes from the Latin word ‘ballare,’ meaning ‘to dance’ (Dixon). Almost all ballads follow the same distinct criteria. They are all performed by a minstrel or troubadour complemented by music and are normally performed for an audience. All ballads tell a story with major themes of revenge, envy, betrayal, loyalty, and superstition, although they may touch on other subjects. These stories only focus on one major event and can be about the dramatic events of heroes or every day people. Though the bulk of the stories begin in the middle of an event, there is very little background information given (Knight). Characters rarely show any development and most stories lack detail. It is also important to know that there are there are three types of ballads: traditional ballads, broadside ballads and literary ballads (Dixon). Traditional ballads originated from ‘folk tales’ or other anecdotes told by peasants in England. These were most commonly passed by oral tradition. The broadside ballad is the traditional ballad’s cousin in many ways. These ballads were more common in urban or city like areas in the 16th century and were more likely to be printed and handed out instead of performed. The literary ballad is a combination of both the traditional and broadside types. These ballads appeared in the 18th century when ballads began to be published (Gummere). Medieval ballads, of course, are in the category of traditional ballads. When studying medieval ballads, it is important to remember that the entertainment in the medieval period did not include television or computers. Medieval ballads were very lengthy to capture people’s attention for long periods of time. This is how the stories were passed from one generation to the next. The passing of ballads orally was the most popular. Francis James Child was the first to put together a collection of over 300 ballads (Child). The only ballads that can be traced are those, which have been written. Medieval Ballads and Lyrics :: essays research papers fc Recently, the term ‘ballad’ can be associated with everything from Solomon’s Song to an Aerosmith song. The dictionary defines it as a traditional story in song or a simple song. However, the medieval ballad is something of a different nature than that of the popular musical ballads of today. The definition of ballad in the medieval context is a narrative poem. The authors usually remain anonymous and the ballad is more often than not accompanied by dance (Gummere). This is not surprising considering the word ‘ballad’ comes from the Latin word ‘ballare,’ meaning ‘to dance’ (Dixon). Almost all ballads follow the same distinct criteria. They are all performed by a minstrel or troubadour complemented by music and are normally performed for an audience. All ballads tell a story with major themes of revenge, envy, betrayal, loyalty, and superstition, although they may touch on other subjects. These stories only focus on one major event and can be about the dramatic events of heroes or every day people. Though the bulk of the stories begin in the middle of an event, there is very little background information given (Knight). Characters rarely show any development and most stories lack detail. It is also important to know that there are there are three types of ballads: traditional ballads, broadside ballads and literary ballads (Dixon). Traditional ballads originated from ‘folk tales’ or other anecdotes told by peasants in England. These were most commonly passed by oral tradition. The broadside ballad is the traditional ballad’s cousin in many ways. These ballads were more common in urban or city like areas in the 16th century and were more likely to be printed and handed out instead of performed. The literary ballad is a combination of both the traditional and broadside types. These ballads appeared in the 18th century when ballads began to be published (Gummere). Medieval ballads, of course, are in the category of traditional ballads. When studying medieval ballads, it is important to remember that the entertainment in the medieval period did not include television or computers. Medieval ballads were very lengthy to capture people’s attention for long periods of time. This is how the stories were passed from one generation to the next. The passing of ballads orally was the most popular. Francis James Child was the first to put together a collection of over 300 ballads (Child). The only ballads that can be traced are those, which have been written.

Affordable Healthcare Act in North Carolina Essay

Affordable healthcare coverage for all Americans was a challenge the government faced. The United States was the only developed country without national health care system in place for citizens. The government actively sought to provide affordable insurance while controlling escalating costs and improving quality care. Americans deserve to have an opportunity to prevent chronic illnesses before they transpire. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the Affordable Healthcare Act impacted North Carolina, its impact on economics, and ethical implications. Impact of the Affordable Care Act on the Population The Affordable Care Act made a positive impact on the lower class Americans in North Carolina. People without insurance are less likely to go to the doctor due to costs. As a result, urgent care or the emergency rooms end up being their plan of care. Americans without health insurance â€Å"have less access to effective clinical services including preventive care and, if sick or injured, are more likely to suffer poorer health outcomes, greater limitations in quality of life, and premature death† (Institute of Medicine, 2009, p. 49). In 2011, childless, nondisabled, nonelderly adults, unemployed or homeless could not qualify for Medicaid (Milstead, 2013). According to the case study figures one (2009) and two (2014) provided by Milstead (2013), there was an increase of 62% in children between the ages of 6-18 years that are currently receiving health care though the Affordable Care Act. There are several factors that may have contributed to the increase of enrollees such as si mple requirements, pamphlets, websites, and healthcare professionals educated about the quality of care. This act will assist healthcare professionals in promoting primary prevention. This in turn, will assist in preventing advanced disease processes. Quality of care will improve with both the collaboration of an interdisciplinary team as well as preventative measures. Patients want fast and convenient access to quality care (White, 2011). The Impact of economics on patient care Economic status should not be a consideration when providing care. The wealthy can buy their way out of any approaches that limit choice or  restrict access to what is judged more convenient and perhaps higher quality care (Knickman & Kovner, 2011). Even within the United States, expenditures on health care vary a great deal across communities and states with little to no difference in health outcomes. In essence, cost containment in health care will happen if we can figure out how to invest in healthy lifestyles in ways that lead to long-term financial and health returns (Knickman, 2011). Preventive care is the best way to reduce health care costs. Relationship between patients’ quality care and cost The Affordable Care Act will provide individuals with health insurance and reimbursement will be based on quality and volume of individuals a clinician treats (Siberman et al, 2011). Because of the Affordable Care Act, there should be an increase of competent clinicians to treat and prevent chronic diseases. In order to receive quality care, health care providers must make ethical decisions about care, not decisions based off how much care would cost. Ethical implications of the act for organization and patient Ethical decision making involves explicit questions that should be answered in order to decide whether the proposed action is good or morally correct. Ethics applies to the determination of right and wrong in how people relate to one another. It is essential that all clinicians have ethics in mind when determining care. The education of professionals is included in the Affordable Care Act in hopes to increase quality of care, access, and treatment of patients (Kohlenberg, 2011). Clinicians should make appropriate decisions when ordering diagnostic tests to make sure they are not wasting the organization’s money yet still providing exceptional care. Conclusion The government actively sought to provide affordable insurance while controlling escalating costs and improving quality care. The Affordable Care Act made a positive impact on the lower class Americans in North Carolina. Economic status should not be a consideration when providing care. The Affordable Care Act will provide individuals with health insurance and reimbursement will be based on quality and volume of individuals a clinician treats (Siberman et al, 2011). In order to receive quality care, health care  providers must make ethical decisions about care, not decisions based off how much care would cost. It is essential that all clinicians have ethics in mind when determining care. In the end, patients want fast and convenient access to quality care (White, 2011). Reference Institute of Medicine.(2009). Uninsured Americans. In A. Kovner & J. Knickman. Jonas & Kovner’s Health Care Delivery in the United States. Springer Publishing Company, LLC. Laureate Education, Inc. Knickman, J. & Kovner, A. (2009). The Future of Health Care Delivery in the United States. Springer Publishing Company, LLC. Laureate Education, Inc. Kohlenberg, E. (2011). Contribution of nursing education programs to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in North Carolina. North Carolina Medical Journal, 72(4), 289-292. Siberman, P. (2011). Implementation of the Affordable Care Act in North Carolina. North Carolina Medical Journal, 72(2), 155-159. White, H. (2011). What is Cost, Anyway? In A. Kovner & J. Knickman. Jonas & Kovner’s Health Care Delivery in the United States. Springer Publishing Company, LLC. Laureate Education, Inc.

Pricing Strategy of Soft Drinks Today Essay

We will basically focus on the pricing strategies adopted by these two affluence companies, how the change in the strategy of one of them reflects in the strategy of the other. {text:bookmark-start} Entry barriers in soft drink Market: {text:bookmark-end} The several factors that make it very difficult for the competition to enter the soft drink market include: Network Bottling: Both Coke and PepsiCo have franchisee agreements with their existing bottler’s who have rights in a certain geographic area in perpetuity. These agreements prohibit bottler’s from taking on new competing brands for similar products. Also with the recent consolidation among the bottler’s and the backward integration with both Coke and Pepsi buying significant percent of bottling companies, it is very difficult for a firm entering to find bottler’s willing to distribute their product. The other approach to try and build their bottling plants would be very capital-intensive effort with new efficient plant capital requirements in 2009 being more than $500 million. The advertising and marketing spend in the industry is very high by Coke, Pepsi and their bottler’s. This makes it extremely difficult for an entrant to compete with the incumbents and gain any visibility. Coke and Pepsi have a long history of heavy advertising and this has earned them huge amount of brand equity and loyal customer’s all over the world. This makes it virtually impossible for a new entrant to match this scale in this market place. Retailer Shelf Space (Retail Distribution): Retailers enjoy significant margins of 15-20% on these soft drinks for the shelf space they offer. These margins are quite significant for their bottom-line. This makes it tough for the new entrants to convince retailers to carry/substitute their new products for Coke and Pepsi. To enter into a market with entrenched rival behemoths like Pepsi and Coke is not easy as it could lead to price wars which affect the new comer. {text:bookmark-start} SWOT Analysis: {text:bookmark-end} Strength: Weakness: Opportunities: Threats: {text:bookmark-start} Various cola brands products Available: {text:bookmark-end} {text:bookmark-start} Pricing Strategy: {text:bookmark-end} {text:bookmark-start} Coke – Price {text:bookmark-end}. {text:bookmark-start} Pepsi – Price {text:bookmark-end} {text:bookmark-start} Pricing strategy for Buyer and Suppliers: {text:bookmark-end} Suppliers: The soft drink industry have a negotiating advantage from its suppliers as most of the raw materials needed to produce concentrate are basic commodities like Color, flavor, caffeine or additives, sugar, packaging. The producers of these products have no power over the pricing hence the suppliers in this industry are weak. This makes the soft drink industry a cheap input industry which helps in increasing their gross margin. Buyers: The major channels for the Soft Drink industry are food stores, Fast food fountain, vending, convenience stores and others in the order of market share. The profitability in each of these segments clearly illustrate the buyer power and how different buyers pay different prices based on their power to negotiate. These buyers in this segment are somewhat consolidated with several chain stores and few local supermarkets, since they offer premium shelf space they command lower prices, the net operating profit before tax (NOPBT) for concentrate producer’s is high. This segment of buyer’s is extremely fragmented and hence has to pay higher prices. This segment of buyer’s are the least profitable because of their large amount of purchases they make, it allows them to have freedom to negotiate. Coke and Pepsi primarily consider this segment â€Å"Paid Sampling† with low margins. NOPBT in this segment is very low. Vending: This channel serves the customer’s directly with absolutely no power with the buyer. {text:bookmark-start} Effect of competition and Price War on Industry profits: {text:bookmark-end} In the early 1990’s Coke and Pepsi employed low price strategy in the supermarket channel in order to compete with store brands. Coke and Pepsi however in the late 90’s decided to abandon the price war, which was not doing industry any good by raising the prices. Coke was more successful internationally compared to Pepsi due to its early lead as Pepsi had failed to concentrate on its international business after the world war and prior to the 70’s. Pepsi however sought to correct this mistake by entering emerging markets where it was not at a competitive disadvantage with respect to Coke as it failed to make any heady way in the European market. {text:bookmark-start} Pricing Strategy used for market capitalization: {text:bookmark-end} Price is a very important part of the marketing mix as it can affect both the supply and demand for soft drinks. The price of soft drinks products is one of the most important factors in a customer‘s decision to buy. Price will often be the difference that will push a customer to buy our product over another, as long as most things are fairly similar. For this reason pricing policies need to be designed with consumers and external influences in mind, in order to effectively achieve a stable balance between sales and covering the production costs. Till the late 1980s, the standard SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) for a soft drink was 200 ml. In 1989, when Indian government opened the market to multinationals, Pepsi was the first to come in. Thums Up (a product of Parle) went up against the international giant for an intense onslaught with neither side giving any quarter. Around 1989, Pepsi launched 250 ml bottles and the market also moved on to the new standard size. When Coke re-entered India in 1993, it introduced 300 ml as the smallest bottle size. Soon, Pepsi followed and 300 ml became the standard. With large population and low consumption the rural market represented a significant opportunity for penetration and market dominance. Competitive pricing was the key. Then the capacity went from 250ml to 300ml, aptly named MahaCola. This nickname gained popularity in smaller towns where people would ask for â€Å"Maha Cola† instead of Thums Up. The consumers were divided where some felt the Pepsi’s mild taste was rather bland. In 1993 Coca-Cola re-entered India after prolonged absences from 1977 to 1993. But Coca-Cola’s entry made things even more complicated and the fight became a three-way battle. That same year, in a move that baffled many, Parle sold out to Coke for a meager US$ 60 million (considering the market share it had). Further, as the demand changed, both Pepsi and Coke introduced 1 liter returnable glass bottles. RGB 250ml 1989 Rs 8 RGB 300ml 1993 Rs 9 RGB 300ml, 1994 Rs 9 RGB 300ml 1996 Rs 11 Pet bottles 1 liter, 2 liter 1996 Rs 25, Rs 42 RGB 300ml 1997 Rs 7 Pet bottles 1 liter, 2 liter 1997 Rs 20, Rs 38 RGB 200ml, 300ml (negligible) 2002-03 Rs 5, Rs 11 Pet bottles 500ml, 1 liter, 1. 5 liter, 2 liter 2002-03 Rs 18, Rs 25 Can 330ml 2002-03 Rs 35. {text:bookmark-start} Penetration pricing: {text:bookmark-end} In the past (in 2002-03), Coke had already targeted rural consumers by bringing down the entry price (Rs 5 a bottle) for its product. Now, it has stepped up distribution of its 200-ml (priced at Rs 7 and Rs 8) returnable-glass-bottles. To surmount the penetration policy of Coke, Pepsi too came up with the same Price penetration policy by launching products like â€Å"Chota Pepsi† with the price of Rs 5 to challenge the coke product. The small size was basically used to target rural market to make new customer habitual to it. {text:bookmark-start} Conclusion: {text:bookmark-end}.

Eastman Kodak

ACC 230 Week 4 Checkpoint Nov 15, 2012 Chapter 3, Page 111, Problem 3. 16b Eastman Kodak Eastman Kodak appears to be profitable even though their net income has decreased. They show an increase in sales since from 2002 to 2004, but their operating costs also increased by 15. 3 % from 2002 to 2003. The increase in sales was primarily through acquisitions and the impact of foreign exchange rates on their holdings. Kodak’s largest holding, Digital and Film Imaging Systems, experienced a 1% decrease during this period. In a comparative analysis of the years 2003 and 2004, Kodak increased their current assets and decreased total assets.This reflects the disposal of assets such as equipment, plant and property, and complete discontinuance of certain operations. This decrease in total assets can be seen as a prudent move in their restructuring process. They also decreased their number of employees in 2004 and cut back on their advertising expense. Kodak has decreased total liabilitie s by 4%. This is the result of decreases in short term and long term borrowings. By paying off debt, the company is improving its overall financial position. Kodak also sows a positive net profit margin even though they show a loss in 2004.Kodak’s other income in 2004 resulted from settlements in favor of Kodak which will not recur in future periods. There is a drop in total shareholder’s equity, but they have shown an increase in the equity percentage held by the company. This seems to be the result of $104k more shares in 2004 than in 2003, since the total number of shares outstanding remained constant in 2003 and 2004. Retained earnings on stock increased in 2004. The company seems to be in good standing from a profitability viewpoint. If they continue with the changes to the company’s structure, they should be able to stay in a profitable income margin.

Chain of Stores in Different Demographic Set-ups Case Study

Chain of Stores in Different Demographic Set-ups - Case Study Example As the paper highlights the issue on product specialization revolved around the products with high direct production costs (DPC). Fragile goods such as charcoal had high handling costs amounting to a DPC value of $0.37. Disposable diapers also held high DPC values of $0.70. These presented a problem with bulkiness. The varieties of the diapers, For example, kept changing, and that caused inconveniences in constant resetting of the shelf fixtures. This discussion declares that the display of products formed another area of focus. In this element, the study focused on the product and category sales per foot of the shelf space. The approach provided evidence that alcoholic beverages and cosmetics took considerable shelf space but generated considerably low in the returns. Alcoholic beverages performed poorly at $7.45 per feet while cosmetics performed even worse at $0.69 per feet of shelf space. Though they presented low returns, these products occupied considerable shelf space. The alcoholic beverages took a total of 513.3 feet of shelf space with only weekly sales of $3,823.73. Carbonated beverages, on the other hand, recorded almost triple in weekly sales to that of the alcoholic beverages ($10,003.92) but occupied shelf space of 339.7 ft. Cereals and other breakfast foods also occupied considerably little linear space, 166.6ft, regardless of the higher sales compared to the alcoholic beverages. In the non-edible grocery sect ion, soaps and detergents took the largest share in the shelf space allocated. The weekly dollar sales were $9187.17 compared to paper products (shelf space of 338.3ft and weekly dollar sales of $8483), and cigarettes/tobacco products, which had weekly sales of $11024.62, with a linear shelf space of 156.6 ft.

Television Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Television - Essay Example The CBC had been charged with setting up a public service television system following the study carried out by a wide-ranging royal commission on the arts, letters and sciences, which reported in 1951. As the twenties came to a close, Canadian political elite became increasingly concerned that the commercial messages and entertainment-driven values from American radio stations that freely drifted across the border were eroding Canadian culture. The most popular radio show in Canada was the American produced situation comedy Amos n' Andy. In 1929 the Liberal government of Mackenzie King commissioned three men to study and report on the state of broadcasting in the country, beginning a relationship between the state and the media that has not weakened since. The three were Sir John Aird, a banker, Charles Bowman, a journalist with the Ottawa Citizen, and Augustin Frigon, an engineer at L'Ecole Polytechnique in Montral. The commissioners studied virtually every form of radio broadcasting in existence during the year of the investigation. By the time Aird delivered his report, the Liberals were out of office and a new Conservative Prime Minister, R. B. Bennett was in control. It was up to Bennett to decide which form broadcasting would take in Canada. Like King, Bennett was deeply concerned that American influence, especially its views on liberalism and republicanism, would soon dominate Canadian thinking.