The Levels of Meaning in Blake’s “London”​ an Example of the Topic Personal Essays by

The Levels of Meaning in Blake’s â€Å"London†Ã¢â‚¬â€¹ by Expert Suzzane | 07 Dec 2016 William Blake is a prolific poet whose works can be read on many different levels. His Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience are fine examples of this. Blakes London is a masterpiece in that it presents a view that can be read on religious, political and social levels through its masterful use of syntax and diction. Need essay sample on "The Levels of Meaning in Blakes London" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Clearly, the title of the poem London sets the reader up to view the city through the eyes of the speaker. Andrew Moore notes that modern readers can identify more with the poem than perhaps readers in Blakes time because our association with the dirt and poverty of urban areas as nightmarish is more rooted in modern reality than those of the earlier era. He comments that it exposes the gulf between those in power and the misery of poor people (Moore). Thus, Blakes poem can be red on a social level. Certain images in the poem aid in the social commentary that Blake is elucidating. First, the Marks of weakness, marks of woe draw the reader into the sadness and oppression of the London streets. The repetition of the cries of various voices in the streets, the cry of every man, the infants cry, the chimney-sweepers cry, and the cry of the harlot and her newborn, give a continuous sound to the hopelessness. Moore again comments that this last cry is the most damning, in that the harlots cry is a curse on the traditional, societal values of marriage and family. He says the cry of the child-prostitute is the truth behind respectable ideas of marriage. New birth is no happy event but continues the cycle of misery, and the wedding carriage is seen as a hearse, leading to a kind of death (of innocence? of happiness?). The word plagues here suggests the sexually transmitted diseases which the "youthful harlot" would contract and pass on to others (men married for convenience but with no desire for their wives), giving her cursing words real destructive power (Moore). Sadly, as Blake is clearly noting, the prostitute has become what she is because of her eternally dismal situation and is thus a symbol of a declining social morality (Rix 28). Thus, the sounds from the streets illuminate significant societal weaknesses and woes, as Blake promises in line four. As Lambert pens, The harlot--a perverse mother figure--passes down to her child a legacy of corruption and contagion, one that likewise infects the marriage institution (and, by association, the Church), ensuring for posterity an endless cycle of excoriation and oppression (141). There seems to be no room for redemption or reversal of this horrendous trend. The visual image of the manacles is also significant. He notes that the mind-forged manacles act as iron restraints on the common man. A forge is a fire which creates the manacles, just as the mind which descends into hopelessness creates the same restraints for an impoverished and oppressed citizen. Of course, manacles are used on prisoners, insinuating that societys inequalities can create prisoners of its citizens. Moore notes that this image is even an allusion to Rousseau, who notes that Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains in which they [the manacles] come from the ideas and outlook imposed on us by external authority (Moore). However, these weaknesses and woes do not stop at the societal level. They continue to traverse the mere society of common inpiduals to the upper realm of the political elite. First, Blakes first two lines illustrate a concept of British political mandates that few modern readers may understand. The lines, I wandered through each chartered street / Near where the chartered Thames does flow, reveals a concept of rule which involved the ownership of public passages, like the street and the river. Moore says, it is a matter of fact that charters were granted to powerful people to control the streets of London and even the river. It is absurd that the streets are "chartered" (not free to ordinary people) but blatantly so in the case of the mighty river, which cannot really be controlled by the passing of a law. However, every face that the speaker meets seems to echo this absurdity. War is definitely an issue which is politically volatile. In 1793, Londoners did feel the threatening tug of impending war and a growing antiwar movement was rising. Rix calls Blakes view to be nearly prophetic; In fact, Blake was nearly right in his prognosis, as the discontent with the governments recruiting tactics flared up in the violent anticrime riots of September 1794 (29). In London, the hapless soldier's sigh / Runs in blood down palace-walls, indicating an anti-war stance with the archetypal image of blood. In a similar poem also by Blake, The French Revolution, a nearly identical image is presented as blood runs down the pillars of French castles (Rix 29). Clearly Blake was opposed to the impending upheaval that would cause additional pain on London society. Another political issue, which derives arguably from a social issue, is one that Blake illuminates in other poems. That is the concept of child labor and the lack of legislation barring this type of abuse and torture. The chimney sweeper, for which Black appeared to have a very soft heart, is the central image for this line of political comment. Of course, the use of children to work until their deaths in the sooty chimneys of London is an embarrassing and despicable era of the past. Because readers of Blake will recognize this subject as the title of other poems, this image can actually stand alone. However, it does correlate in this poem with the image of the blackened church. This image links the sooty chimney-sweeper with the hapless soldier. Black, being an image of wide interpretation can be both a literal visual image and a figurative image of evil and chaos. Line 10s blackening church is seen as a most cunningly ambiguous description which has spawned much debate. Lambert cites Walter S. Minot, for example, who takes the stance which designates blackening an intransitive verb that describes . . . the blackening of the church by soot (141). Additionally, he cites Michael Ferber who views the Church as an agent which is blackening [v.t.] the minds of the sweepers, manacling them to keep them in thrall to her mystery and tyranny (Lambert 141). Finally, Lambert himself concludes that the blackening is the smoke of London commerce . . . [which] . . . blackens the church's once white limestone after which Albion was named (141). According to these three interpretations, this black color represents the economic and religious presence of the Church. It is presented as a mysterious and tyrannical force which keeps people in line out of fear. Similarly, it is treated as vice of the Church, with its focus on obtaining wealth, or perhaps conversely, as the draw of more economic gain for factories, (represented by the soot), has dulled societys feelings of obligation and affection for the Church and for religion and morality as a whole. Possible Blakes view embodies all three of these. Lambert concludes that this metaphor is indeed a double entendre, but that as such it also plays an integral role in furthering one of the poem's major themes: the reflexive and cyclical nature of institutional oppression (141). Indeed, economic, social, political and religious influences have contributed to the downtrodden state of those that Blakes speaker sees on his wanderings through London. If this oppression is Blakes theme, then what might the poem be saying about the outlook for these inpiduals? It seems that some critics feel that one of Blakes points seems to be revealed, again, through sound. Graves notes that in many anthologies, the editors point out that the poem seems to imbed, acrostically, the word hear. While this may just be a type of game, by the poet, its thematic connection may be that speaking out and getting others to listen may be the answer for the oppressed who seem to only hobble along accepting their lot. Other examiners have observed that this echo resounds through several syntactical and rhetorical techniques in the poem. Graves explains this concept in the following: The echoic repetition hear/HEAR/hear epitomizes a key rhetorical technique in the poem, which gains much of its force from linked echoic forms including syntactic parallels, reiterated diction, and witty phonic doublets. For example, the verses repeat five other substantive words besides HEAR: charterd; cry (thrice); mark/Marks; street/streets; and Infants...The end rhymes, too, are inevitably phonic echoes. Notably, hear cooperates in two pairs of rhymes hear/fear and hear/tear.Assonance and alliteration predictably create other kinds of echoism, as do three other features: (a) syntactic parallelism (see, for example, lines 57, 10). (Graves 132-133). This interpretation makes sense as each of these repeated words and phrases has to do with a sound, the sounds of voices of the people. Graves use of the word echo is appropriate, as the sounds of grief do seem to reverberate off the walls of the city buildings. London is not an easy poem to read. While one might be put off by its initial sense of simplicity. However, it can be interpreted on many levels. These are social, political and even religious. While Blake does not supply any overt recommendations for the oppressed, he does seem to make a point with his syntax that speaking out, whether it be through poetry, essay, oration or any other medium, is perhaps the only way to change ones situation. Works Cited Blake, William. London. Retrieved 3 June 2007 from http://www.eliteskills.com/c/5099 Graves, Roy Neil. Blake's London. Explicator 63.3, Spring 2005: 131-136 Lambert, Stephen. Blake's London. Explicator 53.3 Spring 1995: 141 Moore, Andrew. London. Poems by William Blake. 2002. Retrieved 3 June 2007 from http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/poetry/blake.htm#lon Rix, Robert W. Blake's Auguries of Innocence, The French Revolution, and London. Explicator 64.1, Fall 2005: 27-29.

The World Is a Stage, and All Are Merely Players Essay Example

The World Is a Stage, and All Are Merely Players Essay Example The World Is a Stage, and All Are Merely Players Paper The World Is a Stage, and All Are Merely Players Paper Introduction to Theatre Review on As You Like It. All the worlds a stage, And all the men and women merely players. touched my heart when I sat under a tree in dog wood park to see the play which leaves me no doubt that this is As you like it written by the greatest writer in the English language and the worlds pre-eminent dramatist and play write William Shakespeare. They play started at 7. 00pm in the evening and it was directed by Steven W Gwilt. They story as about a girl named Rosalind who was the nephew of a king named Duke Fredrick and a boy named Orlando who was a prince. Rosalind and Orlando fell in love with each other when they meet at a wrestling competition. Their love goes deeper when Rosalind went to forest with her cousin Cilia and a fool guy named Touchstone in search for her banished father in a disguise of a man and named herself as Ganymede and coincidently meets Orlando while Orlando was expressing his love for Rosalind with the nature of the forest and Heather. With the disguise Rosalind appeared in front of Orlando and said that his love for Rosalind isnt enough. To prove his love Orlando had to woo Ganymede. Along with this story there were other love stories also. The fool Touchstone fell in love with Phebe who came along with them and there is the story of the couple Jacques and Audrey. Orlandos elder brother Oliver also fell in love with Cilia. The story ends with a happy wedding in the end. The acting of the main character Rosalind and Orlando was very good. Their ostumes and acting was true to the play. The theatrical condition was small but it was good. The voice of the actors was loud and clear. They gave a very good gesture but at the beginning When Orlando and Oliver heard the name of Rosalind and Cilia and their relation with Duke Fredrick they used high five which was funny but it might not true with the play. And when Rosalind and Cilia decided to go to the forest together they used something similar to high five which was also funny but It might not be true with the play. I think this things wasnt true to the play because the story was about a very long time ago and I dont think high five was used as gesture in those time. The reaction in all the situation was good but the Reaction a Heather wasnt that good. When they entered the forest they made sound of foot behind the scene which was a brilliant idea and their entering and going out of the scene as perfect timing. This showed me that they had good teamwork. The entire presentation of the play was good but the banished father Duke the senior faced his ack to the audience a lot of times. The whole set was very good. But they only showed two set, the forest and the kingdom. And they didnt showed the play of Orlando killing the snake and tiger. They made a second floor on the set which helped the audience see two scenes at a time but going to second floor sometimes make audience that they were climbing mountain where there is no mountain story in the book. The dress up and costumes was perfect. But the dress up of Heather and Duke senior was not that g Because Heather dressed up pretty well but Dukes ress was like a forest guy which might made audience think that Heather is the Duke senior and Duke senior is Heather. The songs were very nice especially the last song. But the music that was played during the intervals was kind of modern type which didnt make the story looked like that it was a story of past times. On my opinion the liked the show very much. Even though some of the dialogues were changed and some of the things made it looked like it wasnt true with the play but it made the play funny and interesting which made me liked it.

The Founding and the Constitution Research Paper

The Founding and the Constitution - Research Paper Example s required given the absolute nature of laws written into the Constitution, so the document is laying out a requirement that seeks a high standard of judgment. Also, the Constitution requires super majority votes from both the Senate as well as the House because, in theory, the two parts of the legislature were meant to represent different interests and different people (the Senate representing more of the small, rural states, which get to send two Senators in all cases whereas the House representing more of the populous states, which get to send representatives on the basis of population) (Alder). The second procedure (the â€Å"informal method†) for proposing amendments to the Constitution provides protection for states to an unresponsive Congress. If two-thirds of states agree to call for a convention, the Congress is obliged to call a convention. This method has neither constitutional instruction for how to complete the convention nor precedent to be relied upon. It is not clear whether the states would be represented equally or by population. With that said, all amendments to the Constitution have been carried out through the first procedure described. The Founders may have wanted this second procedure as a way of empowering the states and protecting against an intrusive, federal government (Mount). 2. â€Å"Loose construction† refers to a loose or liberal interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, thus expanding federal powers beyond those explicitly mentioned in the document. In contrast, â€Å"strict construction† refers to the opposite: it is a legal philosophy that requires the interpreter of the Constitution to apply the text only as it is written. In other words, powers not enumerated in the Constitution are invalid (Welch). As was described previously, the formal method of amendment has a clear process described in the Constitution, which maps onto the normal procedure for business of the Congress in creating laws. Therefore, the formal method of

Theories of Intelligence by Bruce Ballenger in The Curious Researcher Assignment

Theories of Intelligence by Bruce Ballenger in The Curious Researcher - Assignment Example He recalls memories of feeling intellectually inferior and derives meaning from things he has learned from research and the media and applies that knowledge to his life. Ballenger emphasizes the importance of people utilizing their strengths in order to become more accepting of their intelligence. He wrote that it took him a while to realize this. He recalled learning about he agreed with Gardner’s and Sternberg’s theories of intelligence. While he agreed with the theories, he felt that â€Å"there was a kind of intelligence that really counted and that I didn’t possess.† (p.16) Throughout the essay Ballenger takes the reader from his early childhood, to his current realization of his limitations and how this has helped him. 2. In the essay Ballenger mentions the results of a study on happiness that he learned while watching the news. The study suggested that everyone goes through a midlife crisis around the age of 52 because people at this age may come to feel that their lives did not turn out as they had hoped. These people usually feel better when they accept their strengths and weaknesses and accept that not all wishes will come true. After discussing these facts he offers commentary stating â€Å"It’s a great relief for me to know that things should be looking up.† ( p.13) On page 14 Ballenger discusses a youtube.com clip from the teen Miss USA contest where a contestant, Caitlin Upton responds incoherently to a question most people would view as common sense. Many people responded on by ridiculing Upton on the website. While Ballenger admits to ridiculing Upton, he acknowledged that he also sympathized with her because he could relate to the embarrassment that she must have been feel ing for appearing â€Å"unintelligent† He then discusses the research finding which states that American children tend to be rated on their intelligence beginning in elementary school, leading him to recall some

The Politics and Sociology of Media and Culture Essay

The Politics and Sociology of Media and Culture - Essay Example However, a particularly vulnerable sector or demographic are adolescents, not only because of the access they have to virtually all forms of media – such as the internet, television, radio, newspapers and magazines – but also because they are at an age where they are particularly vulnerable. They have yet to develop sufficient maturity and discernment necessary to filter out potentially destructive messages and unhealthy ideas streaming in from various media sources. One such threat to adolescents in particular and to the general viewing public in general are reality TV shows. There have been a slew of reality TV shows out in the market over the past few years. Some of them test one’s physical mettle like Amazing Race, others have to do with the search for love like The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, others test one’s aptitude in various fields of endeavor like The Apprentice, and yet others talk about undergoing physical transformations like The Swan, a reality TV series in the United States produced by Fox TV. The show â€Å"The Swan† is rife with political and sociological meaning. While it is indeed very entertaining and riveting, it is loaded with so many negative messages that present trouble for the impressionable adolescent girl-child. First of all, it breeds stereotypes. It has long been established that factual and fictional media portrayals have a propensity to activate culturally shared racial and gender stereotypes and affect judgment involving those who belong to stereotyped groups

Evolution of Virulence in the Ebola Virus

Evolution of Virulence in the Ebola Virus The Ebola virus is a member of the Filoviridae family of virus and is the pathogen responsible for Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, an emerging disease that appears in infrequent epidemic outbreaks mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. The Ebola Virus is composed of several distinct subspecies, ranging from the extremely virulent Ebola Sudan and Ebola Zaire Viruses to the asymptomatic (in humans) Ebola Reston. Many outbreaks of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever display mortality rates approaching 90%. Application of evolutionary concepts of disease and virulence evolution can be used to help explain this high level of virulence. Another important factor is the possible presence of less virulent outbreaks of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever that go unreported due to small scale and lack of characteristic virulence A further understanding of the selective mechanisms behind virulence may suggest strategies to impose selection for less virulent strains of the virus and to develop possible vaccines, thus helping to curb th e deadly effect of Ebola outbreaks. The Filovirus family contains the Ebola Virus genus and the closely related Marburg Virus. Both of these genera are known to cause extremely dangerous hemorrhagic fever type illnesses. These Viruses are contain a single strand of negative RNA and typically measure 1400 nm in length with a diameter of approximately 80 nm. The various species of Ebola virus sporadically infect both human and non-human primates, causing Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. Recent evidence suggests that the virus may have a natural reservoir in various bat populations. The virus sporadically jumps from this natural host species (in which it is avirulent) to host species such as chimpanzees, macaques, gorillas and humans where it typically exhibits high virulence. The mechanisms of this transition and the role of reservoir hosts is poorly understood at present (Leroy et al 2005) The Virus is transferred through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, most frequently by means of direct contact with an infected individual. Contaminated medical implements can also spread the infection in medical settings, especially during early stages when an epidemic has not yet been fully realized. In many of the early outbreaks this was a major means of transmission, due to the presence of the virus and nature of its transmission being poorly understood. Local funerary customs also contributed to the spread of the disease. Isolation of infectious patients, proper disposal of contaminated remains and excreta and use of efficient sanitation and barrier nursing techniques can effectively prevent transmission during an outbreak. It is important that these measures be implemented immediately upon suspicion of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever in order to minimize spread of the virus within the community (Ebola virus disease in southern Sudan 1983). Initial during initial stages of infection the Ebola virus selectively targets dendritic cells, monocytes and macrophages, which spread through the circulatory and lymphatic systems to the liver spleen and lymph nodes. From here the virus can efficiently spread throughout the body. The infected monocytes and macrophages also release massive amounts of cytokines, helping to trigger virus-induced shock by causing damage to the endothelial structures. Infected dendritic cells are prevented from releasing costimulatory cytokines necessary for the production of T-cells, preventing sufficient immune response to the infection (Aleksandrowicz et al 2008). Symptoms of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever usually manifest 2-21 days after infection. Initial symptoms include fever, weakness, aches in the muscles and joints, sore throat. These progress to rash, impaired liver and kidney function and in some cases both external and internal bleeding due to deterioration of the vascular lining (World Health Org anization). The massive release of cytokines and virus particles from monocytes and macrophages impairs the function of endothelial tissue, allowing it to become permeable to water and macromolecules (Aleksandrowicz et al 2008). Gastro-intestinal bleeding is a common symptom, and is frequently associated with lethal cases. (Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever in Zaire 1978) The First known outbreaks of the Ebola virus occurred nearly simultaneously in Zaire (modern Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Sudan in 1976. These outbreaks, although close both geographically and chronologically were caused by two distinct subspecies of the virus (Ebola Zaire and Ebola Sudan respectively). The Zaire outbreak was centered in the village of Yambuku and its environs. 318 cases were reported in this epidemic, of which 280 were fatal (mortality 88%). All cases in this epidemic were tied to either close contact with a confirmed case or receiving a parenteral injection at the local hospital (Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever in Zaire 1978). Early cases in the Sudan outbreak were textile workers from the town of Nzara. 151 of the 284 reported cases were fatal (mortality 53%) (Known Cases and Outbreaks of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever). Three years later, in August of 1979 another, smaller scale outbreak occurred in Nzara and the nearby town of Yambio, resulting in 34 cases, with 22 f atalities (65% mortality) (Center for Disease Control, 2006). Communities affected by these outbreaks share several characteristics. One of the most significant of these is the nature of available medical care. All were served by small, undersupplied and understaffed hospitals. Unsanitary conditions within these hospitals and the prevalence of family members carrying out day to day care for afflicted individuals being allowed the virus to spread quickly through the local population. The Yambuku hospital utilized five needles and syringes for prenatal, inpatient and outpatient wards, with little sterilization between uses. This fact alone almost ensured transition of the virus between patients in the hospital. Lack of barrier nursing practices also allowed high transmission to the staff (11 of the 17 medical staff died as a result of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever) and caregivers as well A high prevalence of infection was found amongst individuals present at funerals of deceased patients in all outbreaks. The reproductive success of a pathogen is dependent upon its ability to replicate itself and to infect new hosts by transfer of its propagules. Rapid replication can increase a pathogens chance of transference, but this requires a greater toll on the hosts system and is likely to lead to an increased chance of host mortality. Due to this, there is believed to be a natural correspondence between a pathogens growth rate and virulence. The relationship between these two factors is explained by the trade-off hypothesis of virulence evolution. This theory largely replaced the commonly accepted idea that a parasite or pathogen should evolve towards avirulence, but it not fully accepted. The avirulence theory assumed that a parasite low virulence would maximize a pathogens overall lifetime reproductive success by increasing the time of infection to nearly infinite limits. The reasoning behind this theory has been explained thusly: The parasite makes a profession out of living at its neighbours expenses and all its industry consists of exploiting it with economy, without putting its life in danger. It is like a poor person who needs help to survive, but who nevertheless does not kill its chicken in order to have the eggs (Van Beneden 1875). The frequent down trend in virulence from the time a pathogen is introduced to a novel population was offered as evidence for this theory. The trade-off theory developed when evolutionary ecologists began to question the avirulence theory. It proposes that there is a link between ease of transmission and virulence. According to this theory, virulence is an outgrowth of a rapid replication rate in the pathogen, which strains host resources and reduces host fitness (resulting in host mortality). The Trade-off theory links the variables of virulence, transmission and host recovery in a relationship summarized by the following mathematical model: (Alizon, Hurford, Mideo Van Baalen 2009) In the above equation R0 represents the pathogens baseline reproduction ratio, in this case a measure of relative fitness. The S value is the number of susceptible hosts within a population. ÃŽÂ ² represents rate of transmission, ÃŽÂ ± is the death rate in the host due to infection (virulence), ÃŽÂ ¼ stands for the natural death rate in the host population, and ÃŽÂ ³ is a factor representing the recovery rate from the infection. According to this model, any change in virulence, transmission rate or recovery rate will have an effect on the other two variables. A high transmission rate will typically go along with a high virulence and low recovery rate. The reproductive success of a pathogen comes from successfully balancing these variables to maximize R0 (Alizon et al). High Virulence will allow for high reproduction and transmission, but only up to a point. Natural selection should favor strains that are able to maximize this trade-off. Eventually, virulence can reach a l evel where the increased transmission is no longer balanced out by the risk of dying along with a host before being able to jump to a new one. This is especially true in isolated host populations or other conditions that limit horizontal transmission, which could possibly explain the low virulence and chronic nature of some infections. Virulence is typically defined as morbidity and mortality of the host organism as a result of parasite or pathogen activity. Measurements of a pathogens virulence are traditionally given in terms of parasite induced death rate (PIHD). This definition is suitable for a general discussion of a disease as it includes all deleterious effects on the host. A more specific and narrow definition is required in order to examine selective pressures on the evolution of virulence in a disease, however. The generalized definition, according to Ebert and Bull in their work on virulence evolution, fails to differentiate between virulences effects on host and pathogen fitness, and therefore fail to give an accurate assessment of selective pressure on the pathogens evolution. For this reason it is important to consider specific aspects of the host/pathogen system (such as means of transference, rate of pathogen growth, etc) before drawing conclusions about the selective pressures for increased or red uced virulence in the pathogen (Ebert Bull 2008). In the case of the Ebola virus and Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever virulence can be discussed in terms of host death. Unlike with some pathogens, death of the host does not immediately end transmission of the virus. Some studies indicate that the corpse can remain infectious for several days after death. Several epidemics have been traced to contact between the index case and the contaminated remains of a chimpanzee (Ivory Coast 1994, Gabon 1996, Gabon 1996-97) (Chart) and contaminated monkey meat may have played a role in the index case of the initial 1976 Zaire outbreak (Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever in Zaire 1978). Ebert and Bull define three general stages of evolution in a pathogen transferring to a novel host and the selective pressures involved in each. The first phase includes the initial interactions between a pathogen and the novel host. In some cases this infection is not capable of horizontal transfer between hosts in the novel population. Other situations involve short chains of secondary infection from the index infection. Infections in this phase are likely exposed to great selective pressures, as they are in an entirely new environment, one for which their genes may or may not be particularly suitable. Genes that may not have had a measureable fitness effect in the pathogens normal host environment can suddenly exert great selective pressure. Because of this there is frequently a great range of virulence expressed by different pathogens during this phase. The second phase occurs during the period when a pathogen has established a foothold within the novel population. It follows the epidemic infection model and increases rapidly within the population, because of this rapid growth it is possible for a pathogen to evolve rapidly in this phase. Selective pressure on the host can also be extreme in this phase. The second phase also applies when a mutation in a parasite that has already obtained equilibrium within a host population is significant enough that it gains a selective advantage over other strains and spreads rapidly. Ebert and Bulls third phase is reached when a pathogen has become firmly established within a host population. Pathogens in this phase are well adapted to the host, but will still experiences selective pressures due to host demographic and environmental changes. The Ebola virus, in human hosts, remains largely within the first phase, although it could be argued that it briefly enters the second phase on a local level during some outbreaks. It causes short lived epidemics when it does infect a human population, but fails to survive long term and become an endemic pathogen. During this initial stage the virus can be exposed to great selective pressure as it is in an unusual host. Evolutionary dynamics within an epidemic scenario, as proposed by Bolker et al, favor pathogens with a high growth and transference rates, and the high virulence that is associated with them, due to the large number of susceptible hosts in the novel population. This differs from a pathogen in later stages, which has reached dynamic equilibrium with the host. These situations tend to select for moderate virulence and longer duration of infection. (Bolker et al). A possible explanation for the extreme virulence in Ebola outbreaks may simply be reporting bias. Many of the early and milder symptoms of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever are quite similar to those of other diseases endemic to the region, such as malaria, and measles. Some outbreaks are actually mistaken for cases of other diseases until post-infection laboratory tests detect particles of an Ebola strain. A 1994 outbreak in gold mining camps in Gabon (52 cases, 60% mortality) was believed to be a yellow fever epidemic until almost a year after the last case. It is possible that less virulent strains of the virus are simply mistaken for other common infections, treated as such, and never reported (CHART). Ebola virus antibodies were detected in sera from 18% of adults in the 1979 Nzara outbreak who were not infected. This is evidence that It is likely that sporadic infection is more common than can be appreciated from these dramatic outbreaks, which probably represent the extreme of the inter action between man and the virus. (Baron et al). This fits in with the inherent virulence variance in phase one pathogens suggested by Ebert and Bull above. Other factors that can affect the evolution of virulence in a pathogen are host population density and ease of transmission. These factors are frequently interrelated, as both directly influence the number of susceptible hosts a pathogen is able to infect during its lifespan. A high density of susceptible hosts (such as when a pathogen is emerging in a novel host population) is likely to greatly increase greatly increase a pathogens reproductive success, and select for pathogens that can replicate quickly and take advantage of the abundant hosts. Likewise, easy transition from one host to the next also selects for pathogens that are able to rapidly replicate and seize the day, as it were. Both of these conditions, which favor pathogens with high growth rates, also favor high virulence in accordance with the Trade-off hypothesis (Ebert Bull 2008). The abovementioned concepts and principles fit in with epidemiological data from outbreaks of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. Initial outbreaks of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever took place within areas with a relatively high concentration of susceptible hosts. The 1976 outbreak centered on the Yambuku Mission Hospital is a good example. This hospital served as the primary medical facility for a local population of around 60,000 as well as travelers. This facility was relatively small, having 17 staff members and holding 120 beds in its crowded wards. It also processed some 6000-12000 outpatients on a monthly basis. Combine this with the five improperly sterilized syringes used to administer injections (the primary dosage method at this facility) and a severe lack of barrier nursing procedures. This would appear to be an optimal situation for the transmission of pathogens that spread through contaminated body fluids. According to the Trade-off Hypothesis and the selective conditions outlined above, pathogen strains that have high reproduction rates (and hence high virulence) would be at a distinct selective advantage. Cases cared for out of the hospital setting would also tend to favor quickly reproducing and more virulent pathogens. Horizontal transfer by physical contact is directly affected by the concentration of virus particles in a contaminated fluid; hence a virus with a higher reproduction rate would be able to successfully exploit a given number of transfer opportunities. This setting lacks the direct viral inoculation by contaminated needle present in the hospital setting, which would perhaps result in less effective transmission. This would also favor more strongly virulent pathogens, which reproduce quickly and successfully exploit transmission opportunities (Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever in Zaire 1978). The conditions present during the 1976 Sudan outbreak were largely similar. Transmission occurred mainly to family members providing nursing care (without barrier nurs ing techniques) and through contaminated medical equipment and direct contact in a hospital setting. These conditions would also seem to favor more virulent pathogens. Other examples of particularly high virulence outbreaks (in terms of host mortality) also occur under conditions with large amounts of close contact between potential hosts, likely resulting in high transmission. Examples of these situations are found in the 1994 and 1996-97 Gabon outbreaks, which took place at a mining camp and (initially) a remote forest camp respectively. Both of these outbreaks featured transmission of numerous secondary infections through close contact with infected individuals. According to the Trade-off hypothesis, high transmission rates are linked to high levels of virulence. By reducing rate of transmission it may be possible to artificially select for less virulent strains. In the hospital and home care setting, hosts suffering from highly virulent strains with high symptom manifestation (high virulence) are likely to transmit the virus to other hosts, favoring virulent strains. Application of sanitation and barrier nursing practices can reduce transmission of the virulent strains present under these conditions. This could potential favor any less virulent strains, i.e. ones that do not manifest severe symptoms that require hospitalization and are unlikely to be fatal, present in the environment. This could gradually reduce overall virulence over the course of the outbreak. Even if less virulent strains are not present, prevention of transmission is likely to slow and eventually stop the outbreak as the number of remaining susceptible hosts is reduced through various means (Ewald 2004). The Ebola Virus and Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever present an interesting case for evolution of virulence in a pathogen. The periodic outbreaks of the disease offer examples of how selective pressures imposed on a pathogen follow the predictions of the Trade-off hypothesis linking virulence (and attendant host mortality) with rate of transmission. This hypothesis and the conclusions it suggests fit with data observed in outbreaks of virulent Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. Conditions of dense susceptible host population and rapid and effective transmission seem to demonstrate high incidences of virulence indicating that there may be selective pressure for virulent strains under these conditions. Evidence of strains showing low virulence is suggested by the Ebola virus presence in a natural reservoir species and by the formation of antibodies by healthy individuals not linked to current epidemics. Due to this (presumed) variation amongst strains and the relationship between transmission and virulen ce proposed by the Trade-off hypothesis, reduction of transmission of the virus in hospital and homecare settings may lead to a reduction in strain virulence in prolonged outbreaks.

Volcanoes Essay -- essays research papers fc

A Look Into Volcanoes I. Introduction Volcano: defined is a mountain or hill formed by the accumulation of materials erupted through one or more openings (called volcanic vents) in the earth's surface. The term volcano can also refer to the vents themselves. Most volcanoes have steep sides, but some can be gently sloping mountains or even flat tablelands, plateaus, or plains. The volcanoes above sea level are the best known, but the vast majority of the world's volcanoes lie beneath the sea, formed along the global oceanic ridge systems that crisscross the deep ocean floor. According to the Smithsonian Institution, 1511 above-sea volcanoes have been active during the past 10,000 years, 539 of them erupting one or more times during written history. On average, 50 to 60 above-sea volcanoes worldwide are active in any given year; about half of these are continuations of eruptions from previous years, and the rest are new. Mount St. Helen Volcanic eruptions in populated regions are a significant threat to peo ple, property, and agriculture. The danger is mostly from fast-moving, hot flows of explosively erupted materials, falling ash, and highly destructive lava flows and volcanic debris flows. In addition, explosive eruptions, even from volcanoes in unpopulated regions, can eject ash high into the atmosphere, creating drifting volcanic ash clouds that pose a serious hazard to airplanes. II. Volcano Formation All volcanoes are formed by the accumulation of magma which is molten rock that forms below the earth's surface. Magma can erupt through one or more volcanic vents, which can be a single opening, a cluster of openings, or a long crack, called a fissure vent. It forms deep within the earth, generally within the upper part of the mantle which is one of the layers of the earth's crust, or less commonly, within the base of the earth's crust. High temperatures and pressures are needed to form magma. The solid mantle or crustal rock must be melted under conditions typically reached at dep ths of 50 to 60 mi. (80 to 100 km) below the earth's surface. Once tiny droplets of magma are formed, they begin to rise because the magma is less dense than the solid rock surrounding it. The processes that cause the magma to rise are poorly understood, but it generally moves upward toward lower pressure regions, squeezing into spaces between minerals within the soli... ...the first blobs of melt. As melting continues other minerals start to melt as well, and the chemistry of the magma changes. From studies like this geologists have determined that the early stages of a Hawaiian volcano's life is generated by magmas derived from only small degrees of partial melting (such as only 5% of the source melting and the rest staying behind). On the other hand, when the volcano really gets going (such as at Kilauea and Mauna Loa), the percentage of source rock that melts to produce the magma is perhaps as high as 20%. There are many other ways in which chemistry is used in volcanology, including the studies of volcanic gases, crater lakes, and trying to determine the temperatures that lava had at the time they were erupted even long after the eruption has ended. Bibliography Bibliography 1999 Microsoft Encarta; Volcanoes 1980 USGS; www.vulcan.wr.usgs.gov 2000 Volcano World; http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/frequent-questions/grp13/question1544.html 1980-2000 USGS; www.vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/photo/volcanoes/MSH/framework.html 1993-2000 Microsoft Corporation; various volcano media 2000 FEMA; www.fema.gov/library/volcanof.htm Word Count: 2186

Introduction of Sociology Essay

1. I think that sociologist should try to reform society, based on what they have studied about sociology. Because the main job of those sociologists is to study and research about the society and the human behavior, they are the ones who understand it the best. As a result, they should reform it, not others. 2. If I were a sociologist, I would use all of sociological perspectives, because each perspective has its own advantage and disadvantage. * Symbolic Interactionism: According to the symbolic interaction’s perspective, people attach meanings to symbols, and then they act according to their subjective interpretation of these symbols. Conversation is an interaction of symbols between individuals who constantly interpret the world around them. Of course, anything can serve as a symbol as long as it refers to something beyond itself. However, with the example about applying Symbolic Interactionism to U.S. marriages and divorces over time, this perspective just shows the sligh ting the influence of social forces and institutions on individual interactions. * Functional Analysis (Functionalism, and structural functionalism) each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to society’s functioning as a whole. This basic approach can be applied to any social group, whether an entire society, a college, or even a group as small as a family. Nevertheless, when any social group loses function, functionalism does not encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment. * Conflict Theory: conflict theorists stress that society is composed of group that are competing with one another for scarce resources. However, with the example about Feminist, the conflict perspective shows that women are more powerful in making headway in their historical struggle with men. As the result, the combination of 3 perspectives is the best sociological perspective I would use.

antithesis

antithesis Antithesis[ Ã‚“ Ã‚ °Ã‚ Ã‚ »Ã‚‘ÂÅ' Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ Ã‚ µÃ‚‘€Â Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ã‚ ½]In order to characterize a thing or phenomenon from a specific point of view, it may be necessary not to find points of resemblance or association between it and some other thing or phenomenon, but to find points of sharp contrast, that is, to set one against the other, for example:"A saint abroad, and a devil at home." (Bunyan)"Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven." (Milton)A line of demarcation must be drawn between logical opposition and stylistic opposition. Any opposition will be based on the contrasting features of two objects. These contrasting features are represented in pairs of words which we call antonyms, provided that all the properties of the two objects in question may be set one against another, as 'saint' -'devil', 'reign'-'serve', 'hell'-'heaven'.Many word-combinations are built up by means of contrasting pairs, as up and down, inside and out, from top to bottom and the l ike.Antithesis of LightStylistic opposition, which is given a special name, the term antithesis, is of a different linguistic nature: it is based on relative opposition which arises out of the context through the expansion of objectively contrasting pairs, as in:"Youth is lovely, age is lonely,Youth is fiery, age is frosty;" (Longfellow)Here the objectively contrasted pair is 'youth' and 'age'. 'Lovely' and 'lonely' cannot be regarded as objectively opposite concepts, but being drawn into the scheme contrasting 'youth' and 'age', they display certain features which may be counted as antonymical. This is strengthened also by the next line where not only 'youth' and 'age' but also 'fiery' and 'frosty' are objective antonyms.It is not only the semantic aspect which explains the linguistic nature of antithesis, the structural pattern also plays an important role. Antithesis is generally moulded in parallel construction. The...

Marketing Plans for Schools

Marketing Plans for Schools Many private institutions are finding that they need to engage in strong marketing tactics to thrive in todays increasingly competitive market. That means more schools than ever are developing marketing plans to guide them, and for schools who dont already have strong strategies in place, it can be overwhelming to get started. Here are some tips to help you get on the right track.   Why Do I Need a Marketing Plan? Marketing plans are the roadmap to success for your office. They keep you on track so you can navigate your way through the year, and ideally next several years, without getting side-tracked. It helps remind you, and your community, of your end goals and how you’re going to get there, reducing the number of detours along the way. This is especially important for your admission office in recruiting students and for your development office in building alumni relationships and soliciting donations.   These guides help you set a plan by streamlining what you do and why you’re doing it. The why is a crucial part of your marketing, as it explains the reasoning for your actions. Validating important decisions with this â€Å"why† component is important for gaining support for the plan and ensuring that you continue to move forward with positive progress.   It’s so easy to find great inspiration at any time. But, even the greatest of ideas can derail your progress if they dont align with the messaging, goals and themes that you have for the year. Your marketing plan is what helps you reason with individuals who get excited about new ideas and remind them of the clear plan that was agreed upon going into the year. However, it’s important to still keep track of this great inspiration for future projects and plans! What Should My Marketing Plan Look Like? Do a quick Google search for marketing plan examples  and you get around 12 million results. Try another search, this time for marketing plans for schools  and you will find about 30 million results. Good luck sorting through all of those! It can be daunting to even consider creating a marketing plan, especially if you’re not sure what to do. They can be time-consuming and confusing. Jump down a bit to see recommendations for a shorter version of a marketing plan, but first, a formal marketing plan tends to be outlined as follows: Executive SummaryThe MissionDifferentiators/Value PropositionInstitutional VisionTarget AudienceSituation AnalysisInstitution, Customer, Competitor, Collaborator, ClimateSWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) AnalysisMarketing SegmentationSegment 1: Descriptions, sales reports, goals and outcomes, product usage, resource requirements, outreach plan, pricingSegment 2: Descriptions, sales reports, goals and outcomes, product usage, resource requirements, outreach plan, pricingSelected Marketing Strategies (Action Items)Why these strategies were chosen, including product, price, place, promotion, and  how they will be completed. Discuss decision variables: brand, quality, scope, warranty, packaging, price, discounts, bundling, payment terms, distribution challenges, logistics, motivating the channel, advertising, PR, budget, projected results.Alternative Marketing StrategiesThe strategies you aren’t planning to use, but were consideredShort Long Term ProjectionsG oals outcomes: The immediate effects of the proposed strategies, expected long-term results, and special actions required to achieve them. Analysis Strategies (How will you assess success)AppendixCalculations and data used to support the information above, reports from previous yearsIndustry reports and marketplace projections Its exhausted just reading that. It’s a lot of work to complete all these steps, and it often feels like the more time you spend on a marketing plan, the less you use it. You might try to get around this by finding another plan to work off of, but surprisingly, you probably never can find one that fits your needs. Why is that?   That’s because no two companies are the same, no two schools are the same; they all have different goals and needs. That’s why  the same marketing plan structure will not work for every school or company. Every organization needs something that works best for them, whatever it may be. Some experts believe that a marketing plan doesn’t have to follow an exact template or structure. So, you might want to change your perception of a marketing plan: forget about what you think it should be, and think about what you need it to be. What you  DO NOT need  out of your marketing plan: A long, complex, formal plan that addresses every problem that has ever surfaced at your school.A document that takes so long to create that you never finish it.A document that is so complex that its not a useful tool.Analysis for the sake of analysis What you  DO need  out of your marketing plan: Specific and realistic problems to solve.Achievable goals.An easily executable roadmap.Potential challenges and solutions.A way to track success. How do you develop a marketing plan? The first thing is to determine the institutional goals that are tasked to the marketing department. You can pull from a strategic plan or a marketing analysis to give you guidance.   Lets say your school needs to Improve Marketplace Position. How would you do this? Chances are, youll want to ensure that you have cohesive branding and messaging, and make sure that the entire school is in support of that messaging. Then, you will create focused publications and digital presence in support of that branding and messaging. You might find a more specific goal of increasing annual fund dollars for the development office, which is one way that the marketing office can be called upon to assist. Using these institutional goals, you can outline the various projects, goals, and action items for each department. It looks something like this for a fundraising example: CLIENT: Development OfficePROJECT: Annual FundGOALS: (3-4 main objectives for the year)Increase participation overall (# of donors)Increase donations (dollars raised)Increase online donations (dollars raised via online giving forms)Reconnect with alumniACTION ITEMS: (2-4 marketing methods to achieve the goals)Create a branded annual fund marketing programOverall MessagingDigital Strategy: Email marketing, giving form improvements, and social media outreachPrint Strategy: annual appeals, postcards, brochuresTalking Points: language that development officers can use to promote continuity of messaging. Lets look at an admission example now: CLIENT: Admission OfficePROJECT: Recruiting - increase inquiriesGOALS:Improve online user experience (make things easier to find)Increase the  number of new qualified leadsGenerate a new, expanded target audience (long-range goal)ACTION ITEMS:Redesign WebsiteEmail marketing strategySEO campaignInbound marketing strategy   Developing these mini-outlines helps you prioritize your goals and objectives for the year. It helps you keep your focus on the things that you can realistically accomplish in a given time period, and, as you saw in the admission goals, look at those goals that need more time to complete but need to get started now. You might actually have seven or eight goals for each department, but youll never get anything accomplished if you try to tackle everything at once. Pick the two-to-four things that either need the most urgent attention or will have the greatest impact on your outcomes. Just make sure you can realistically address the items in your given timeframe, which is often one academic year. Making these priorities is also helpful when you get those requests for small projects from departments other than your top clients. It gives you validity when you say, we cant accommodate this project right now, and explain why. It doesnt mean everyone will be happy with your response, but it helps you make it possible for them to understand your reasoning.   How will you carry out your marketing plan? The next step is to start thinking about the tools you have at your disposal and how youll use them. Think about marketing like giving someone a gift. The gift is the outcome of the marketing strategy: achieving your goals is the gift.The box is the tools youll use to carry out your strategy: email, social media, print, etc.The wrapping paper and bow is the concept youll use: the message and design Annual Fund Marketing Plan Case Study This is where you get to start having some fun. Brainstorm some ideas for how to tell your story. Check out this article on the Annual Fund Marketing Program created at Cheshire Academy that we called, One Word. One Gift. The strategy involved reconnecting with alumni by asking them to pick one word to describe their Cheshire Academy experience and then make one gift to the annual fund in honor of that word. It was such a success that the program helped us not only reach our goals  but also exceed them. The One Word. One Gift.  program even won two awards: the silver award for Annual Giving Programs in the CASE Excellence Awards for District I and another silver award in the 2016 CASE Circle of Excellence for Annual Giving Programs. For each of your clients (as we outlined above), you want to clearly illustrate your timeline, concept, and tools that you will use. The more you can explain why youre doing what youre doing, the better. Lets look at what this might look like for the Academys Development Annual Fund project: CONCEPT:  This branded Annual Fund endeavor combines print marketing with email, digital, and social media marketing, as well as development outreach to reconnect with current and past constituents. Designed to engage constituents in a two-part interaction with the school, this endeavor asks donors to remember what they love about Cheshire Academy by choosing one word to represent their experiences and to then make one gift to the annual fund in honor of that word. A particular emphasis will be made on encouraging online donations. A lot of hard work goes into developing these plans, which are unique to each institution. Guidelines are awesome to share, but your details are yours. That said, let me share a little more of my details than most ... The first thing I do is make sure I understand the institutional goals tasked to marketingI also make sure that I clearly outline and understand the institutional goals related to marketing. Meaning, I may not be the department directly charged with these, but my team and I will support them and work closely with them.I make sure I know which departments and goals are the highest marketing priorities for the year. Its helpful to have support from your head of school and other departments to agree with these determinations of priorities. Ive seen some schools go so far as to have signed contracts with key stakeholders to guarantee adherence to the priorities and directions.Then I work to outline  my timeline, concept, and tools for each of my top department priorities. This is important to avoid scope creep, getting off track from your intended projects. This is your reality check when people start getting lots of great ideas that may not align with the overall strategies. Not every great idea can be used at once, and its ok to say no to even the most amazing idea; just make sure you save it for later use. This is where you break down what youre doing, when, and through which channels.   I always make sure that I clearly explain why Ive developed the timeline and concept. Heres a glimpse into the print marketing strategy for my annual fund.  Share the complementary efforts youre planning to do, also. Some of these marketing initiatives dont need to be spelled out step by step, but a quick explanation of why can go a long way.Share your indicators of success for the aspects of your project. We knew we would assess the Annual Fund using these four quantitative factors.  Evaluate your success. After the first year of our annual fund marketing program, we assessed what worked well and what did not. It helped us look at our work and celebrate the things we nailed and figure out how to improve in other areas.

E-recruitment practices Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

E-recruitment practices - Literature review Example The Internet explosion and the high trend towards the digital environment have also moved recruitment to the online environment. Poorangi, Razavi and Rahmani (2011:74) define e-recruitment as the use of information technology in the recruitment process, to speed it up, improve it and ensure efficiency in recruitments. Barber (2006:1) refers to it as online recruitment, web-based recruitment or internet recruitment. Currently, a wide array of organizations has e-recruitment portals in their websites, or they conduct online recruitment through online job boards. Research done by institute of Employment studies (Barber, 2006:3) showed that most organisations use some form of online recruiting with most of them allowing applicants to apply for the jobs through corporate career sites. This research also projected that the only form of recruitment in the next decade would be through e-recruitment as more ways of making recruitment more efficient are developed. With increased efficiencies and competitiveness in the way that organisations acquire talented employees, e-recruitment practices between organisations differ in various ways. This is based on the kind of employees sought, the type of organisation and the cultural aspect of the targeted population. Therefore, e -recruitment is a process of hiring employees through internet enabled online electronic systems, such as websites. In order to use e- recruitment, it is important to have a system for administering the hiring process and enable targeted applicants to submit their details electronically. (Elkington, 2005). Thus, e- recruitment involves application of various electronic mediums such as websites, internet and online recruitment systems to hire employees in an organization. This study seeks to examine and evaluate the e-recruitment practices in employing customer service staff in Lloyds TSB in the UK and those in employing customer service staff in Bank ICICI in India. The study also seeks to examine the factors that influence e-recruitment practices, the importance of e-recruitment practices, and the role of culture in recruitment practises Factors that influence e-recruitment practices and importance of e-recruitment practices Before investigating factors that influence e-recruitment practices, it is important to examine the effects of the process on new recruitment methods. Conventional recruitment methods apply formal procedures such as job advertisement. The methods begin by determining the required applicants and their location in the job market. Then, the recruiting department embarks on the activities of attracting and persuading applicants to apply the advertised job vacancy through medium such as newspapers, magazines, radio, magazines and TV among others. When the paper applications are received, they are sorted and shortlisted. They are filed and registered to enhance assessment and monitoring during recruitment process. This is followed by com municating to the shortlisted candidates for a formal interview and further assessments. Similarly, formal letters are sent to unsuccessful applicants (Aurelia & Fallery, 2010). E-recruitment comprises of three major steps, namely attracting, sorting and contacting the successful candidates (Elkington, 2005). To attract candidates, the recruiting firm designs web pages, which apply electronic networks to advertise and locate potential applicants on the internet and online databases. Potential applicants

Marketing Module Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Marketing Module - Assignment Example The organisation selected for this report is Vodafone, a UK based Telecommunications Company that is one of the top players in the global telecommunications market. This report details the macro environment factors, analysis of competitors, customers, markets and type of segmentations Vodafone used in the international arena. Further, it critically evaluates the strategies by using Porter’s five forces competitive model over Vodafone. Macro Environment – PEST Analysis PEST analysis is an important tool for every company because it can provide an outline of the external environment where the company’s business is positioned. It can also help in developing the value of the company and form a business strategy. Political Political aspects can affect a company’s business in various ways. Every company must abide by the rules and regulations of the country where it operates. The regulations can be the country’s law and anti–trust law, which is app licable to all actions of a company. Vodafone’s major business operations are situated in EU countries. The EU countries passed the ‘EU Regulatory Framework’ for telecommunications companies in the year 2002. The main objective of this law is to support fair competition in the telecommunications market. Vodafone also has to abide by the ‘EU Regulatory Framework,’ which has had great impact on the business of Vodafone. For example, Vodafone was compelled to decrease the ‘mobile termination rate’ because of the law of EU nations (Saplitsa, 2008). Another key aspect of the political environment was the spectrum regulation. The modernisation of spectrum regulations of EU had affected Vodafone’s business. In 2005, the EU Commission passed a scheme that permits holders to buy and sell spectrum within the telecommunications market and develop coordination among different brands. Due to the new spectrum policy, Vodafone faced risks relate d to the price of spectrum, risk of restitution of existing spectrum and difficulties in licensing (Saplitsa, 2008). Economic Adverse economic changes – i.e. a slowdown or recession – in any country can result in less demand for existing and new business services. Difficult financial conditions often lead customers to delay any purchasing decisions including those related to telecommunications services. Decreasing their optional spending, people tend to make fewer calls and avoid extras such as data or broadband services. Such decisions in a tough economic environment can severely impact company sales. A country's economic condition as well as people’s purchasing power can be measured by the rate of GDP (Vodafone Limited, 2010). In the year 2009, the economic troubles of three major EU nations (Spain, Italy and Greece) resulted in poor performance of Vodafone and also led to reduction of the termination rates. On the other hand, the financial recovery of norther n EU market helped to reduce the revenue loss of Vodafone from -3.8% in the