Alex Hailey :: Biography Biographies

Alex Hailey Journalist, writer. Alexander Murray Palmer Haley was born in Ithaca, New York, on August 11, 1921. He grew up in Henning, Tennessee, and graduated from high school at age 15. Haley studied at State Teachers College in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, for two years, and joined the Coast Guard in 1939. He started out as a mess attendant, Third Class, and in 1952 became the first to hold the title of Coast Guard Journalist. Haley’s friends quickly discovered his writing talent and began requesting his help when writing their own love letters. Haley also used his talents to recount the old tales of sea captains, which turned into his first published story. In the 1950s, Haley served as a public relations liaison, turning run-of-the-mill Coast Guard news into exciting, media-friendly narratives. After 20 years of service, Chief Journalist Haley retired from the Coast Guard in 1959 to pursue his career as a journalist full-time. He wrote stories for Playboy and Reader’s Digest , but his career exploded in 1965 with the publication of The Autobiography of Malcolm X . Haley had interviewed the minister of the Nation of Islam for Playboy, and these conversations expanded into the acclaimed autobiography. Malcolm X died shortly before the collaborative effort went to press. In 1965, Haley resolved to trace the genealogy of his mother’s family. He had grown up listening to his grandmother’s stories about â€Å"Kin-tay,† an African ancestor who was enslaved and shipped to America. Haley embarked on a safari to Juffure, a village in Gambia, to learn more. A local historian was able to tell Haley about his great-great-great-great-grandfather, Kunta Kinte, who was brought to America via slave-ship in 1767. Roots, Haley’s account of his family’s history, was published in 1976, after 12 years of research and creative reconstruction.

The Scafolding Vs. The Forest Essay -- essays research papers

Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, a dark tale of sin and redemption, centers on the small Puritan community of Boston during the seventeenth century. In the center of this bustling community is the market place. With in it are all the central features of the town, the most symbolic of these is the scaffold. Many a soul is scarred upon this scaffold. It is a place of intense scrutiny and upon it, reality comes into a brutal light. In exceptional contrast to the scaffold is the forest beyond the town. Here, there is no judgement and reality waxes and wanes. Hawthorne creates this place for the characters to escape and themselves without restraint or worry. The comparison is clear: the market place, especially the scaffold, represents the harsh reality of Puritan society and the forest provides escape. The scaffold is the center of criticism. Here, any unfortunate soul to climb the stairs is subject to the superficial examination by the eyes of society. Those below the scaffold see a light of the character distorted by their own jealousies and suspicions, and clouded by gossip. Where the truth may be unacceptable to them, it is substituted by things society coerced them to believe. Those on the scaffold experience reality. The only comfort is the ability to see beyond the town from this pernicious pedestal. As Hester spends her allotted time in the spotlight, her mind escapes as she gazes off into the distance. But while some are able to escape, others such as Dimmesd...

Mascuilinity through New Zealand Literature Essay -- essays research p

In search of: Representations of Masculinity As explored in K. Road, Once Were Warriors, The Making of a New Zealander, and Working Up North. Research Questions: 1: How important is masculinity to the society portrayed in each text? 2: How do the main male characters show or express this masculinity or manliness? 3: Is the perception of the classic New Zealand male changing? RESOURCES: Title: ‘K. Road’ Author: Ted Dawe Date: 2/5/2006 1: Because this novel was set in the late 1990’s K Road, masculinity is important in showing what most males were like then. Showing toughness, joining gangs, playing rugby and drinking excessive amounts of beer were all attributes that a kiwi bloke must have to help them appear masculine and manly. 2: Characters such as Flash and Rabbit show their masculinity through rugby and surfing and camping on the beach (outdoors). Characters such as Sonny and the Te Pania boys show their masculinity through their muscles, tattoos and gang fights. 3: Because this is set in K Road as opposed to South Island farmland for instance, it shows a slight change in the perception of masculinity or the classic ‘Kiwi Bloke.’ Men no longer are required to play rugby and drink beer to be considered manly. Title: ‘Once Were Warriors’ Author: Alan Duff Date: 8/5/2006 1: Jake Heke, the main character, is easily provoked and extremely aggressive. He also liked to show off his masculinity to his mates. He would often be drunk and abuse his wife physically. This type of thing was extremely common in area similar to were ‘Once Were Warriors’ was set.... ...staunchness’ as the main factor determining masculinity. I believe that the perceptions of the stereotypical ‘Kiwi bloke’ are false and that the pride and respect within this sense of manliness has gone. Also I have found that this perception seems to be changing from the rural based, rugby obsessed men to more modern city based men with good taste and nice clothes. However the media are still presenting Kiwi men as being rough, rugby playing big-men that like to have a beer with their mates. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Â ·Dawe, Ted (2005) ‘K Road’ Longacre Press, Dunedin. Â ·Marshall, Owen (1995) ‘Working Up North’ in ‘Coming Home in the Dark’ Random House New Zealand ltd, Auckland. Â ·Sargeson, Frank (1982) ‘The Making of a New Zealander’ in ‘The Stories of Frank Sargeson. Penguin Books ltd, Auckland. Â ·Duff, Alan (1990) ‘Once Were Warriors’ Tandem Press, Auckland. Mascuilinity through New Zealand Literature Essay -- essays research p In search of: Representations of Masculinity As explored in K. Road, Once Were Warriors, The Making of a New Zealander, and Working Up North. Research Questions: 1: How important is masculinity to the society portrayed in each text? 2: How do the main male characters show or express this masculinity or manliness? 3: Is the perception of the classic New Zealand male changing? RESOURCES: Title: ‘K. Road’ Author: Ted Dawe Date: 2/5/2006 1: Because this novel was set in the late 1990’s K Road, masculinity is important in showing what most males were like then. Showing toughness, joining gangs, playing rugby and drinking excessive amounts of beer were all attributes that a kiwi bloke must have to help them appear masculine and manly. 2: Characters such as Flash and Rabbit show their masculinity through rugby and surfing and camping on the beach (outdoors). Characters such as Sonny and the Te Pania boys show their masculinity through their muscles, tattoos and gang fights. 3: Because this is set in K Road as opposed to South Island farmland for instance, it shows a slight change in the perception of masculinity or the classic ‘Kiwi Bloke.’ Men no longer are required to play rugby and drink beer to be considered manly. Title: ‘Once Were Warriors’ Author: Alan Duff Date: 8/5/2006 1: Jake Heke, the main character, is easily provoked and extremely aggressive. He also liked to show off his masculinity to his mates. He would often be drunk and abuse his wife physically. This type of thing was extremely common in area similar to were ‘Once Were Warriors’ was set.... ...staunchness’ as the main factor determining masculinity. I believe that the perceptions of the stereotypical ‘Kiwi bloke’ are false and that the pride and respect within this sense of manliness has gone. Also I have found that this perception seems to be changing from the rural based, rugby obsessed men to more modern city based men with good taste and nice clothes. However the media are still presenting Kiwi men as being rough, rugby playing big-men that like to have a beer with their mates. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Â ·Dawe, Ted (2005) ‘K Road’ Longacre Press, Dunedin. Â ·Marshall, Owen (1995) ‘Working Up North’ in ‘Coming Home in the Dark’ Random House New Zealand ltd, Auckland. Â ·Sargeson, Frank (1982) ‘The Making of a New Zealander’ in ‘The Stories of Frank Sargeson. Penguin Books ltd, Auckland. Â ·Duff, Alan (1990) ‘Once Were Warriors’ Tandem Press, Auckland.

African American Women in Hollywood Essay

In early film many African American actresses portrayed roles as mammies, slaves, seductresses, and maids. These roles suppressed them not allowing them to show their true talents. Although they had to take on these degrading roles, they still performed with dignity, elegance, grace and style. They paved the way for many actresses to follow both blacks and whites. These women showed the film industry that they were more than slaves, mammies, and maids. These beautiful actresses showed the film industry that they are able to hold lead parts and even carry the whole cast if need be. Phenomenal actresses such as Hattie McDaniels, Pearl Bailey, Ethel Waters, Nina Mae McKinney, and Dorothy Dandridge, to name a few, are African-American stars who paved the way for so many African-American actresses today despite the hardships that they were faced with. These women displayed beauty, intellect and talent, which allowed the stars that followed that they do not have to just settle for stereotypical roles. In early film there was much propaganda and even today, which lead to these demeaning roles that they had to betray, Professor Carol. Penney of Yale-New Haven writes, â€Å"Film is one of the most influential means of communication and a powerful medium of propaganda. Race and representation is central to the study of the black film actor, since the major studios reflected and reinforced the racism of their times. The depiction of blacks in Hollywood movies reinforced many of the prejudices of the white majority rather than objective reality, limiting black actors to stereotypical roles† (1). Hattie McDaniels, a trailblazer amongst African-American film, acquired many firsts for African-American actors. McDaniels was the first African-American to sing on the radio, first to receive an Oscar for best supporting actress in Gone with the Wind. She was also the first African-American to star in a sitcom in 1951 that featured an African-American actress in the title role (Pax 1). â€Å"McDaniels appeared in more than three hundred films during the twenties and thirties. Her career was built on the ? Mammy’ image, a role she played with dignity† (Smith 7). She received much flack from the blacks because of the roles she played in film and on radio. Blacks felt that she was degrading the race but her reply was to these views were, â€Å"Hell I’d rather play a maid than be one† (Encyclopedia of World Biography 406). After her acclaim role as Mammy in Gone With the Wind, McDaniels was never paid anything less than $31,000 for a performance. This was much for an African-American as well as a white entertainer. Even though she broke that barrier McDaniel was still oppressed by racism not only on film, but also off film. She was faced with racial legal problems when trying to acquire a home in Los Angeles. At that time there was a limited black land and home ownership right. Though she won the suite she still was subjected to racial hostility from her neighbors. McDaniels experience oppressions of many types during her career, but she continued to take the mammy roles but played them with dignity and respect. In spite of her being the mammy, McDaniels made sure that her characters had the â€Å"upper hand†. After McDaniels death the mammy roles died with her. Pearl Bailey, the â€Å"Ambassador of Love† career took off on Washington’s U street at the age of fifteen years of age. She started off as a singer and appeared in many nightclubs. In the mid-30’s she performed with the Noble Sissle’s Band in the Village Vanguard and Blue Angel Club. In the 40’s she was the lead singer for Count Basie, Cab Calloway and Cootie Williams. She debuted on Broadway in St. Louis Blue; she won honors for as Broadway’s best newcomer. After her debut on Broadway films she performed in Variety Girl, Isn’t It Romantic, Carmen Jones, and Porgy and Bess. â€Å"In 1967 she won a Tony Award for heading the all-black cast of Hello Dolly! A role that allowed her, she said, ? to sing, dance, say intelligent words on stage, love and be loved and deliver what God gave me? and I’m dressed up besides'†(Black History: Virginia Profiles 1). Hello Dolly! allowed Bailey to be beautiful. Former President Ronald Reagan awarded Bailey was with the Medal of Freedom in 1988. She was also a special delegate to the United Nations under Ford, Reagan and Bush. While in her sixties Bailey went back to college and received her degree in theology from Georgetown University (2). Ethel Waters, â€Å"Sweet Mama Stringbean†, started her career in Vaudeville and nightclubs. In the 1921 Waters performed her first debut album â€Å"The New York Glide† and â€Å"At the New Jump Steady Bump†. In the mid-twenties she was coined as a pop singer (Red Hot Jazz 1). â€Å"On stage she was in successful productions of Africana, Blackbird of the 1930, Rhapsody in Black, and Cabin in the Sky† (Penney 8). She also starred in Pinky in 1949 this was a message film on racism. Waters did not receive recognition for her work until she portrayed Berenice Sadie Brown in The Member of The Wedding. â€Å"The Member of the Wedding was more than simply a movie. It was very important repects a motion-picture event. Foremost, it marked the first time a black actress was used to carry a major-studio white production. Secondly, the movie was another comeback for Ethel Waters. Her autobiography, His Eye Is On The Sparrow? she told all the lurid details of her life the turbulent events in the autobiography convinced patrons that Ethel Waters, who always portrayed long-suffering women, was indeed the characters she played? Now patrons rooted for her to succeed? to triumph†(8). During Waters’s career she was nominated for an Oscar best supporting actress in the film Pinky. She also received the New York Drama Critics Award for best actress. Ethel Waters’s last performance was in the film The Sound and the Fury in 1959. She continued singing and touring with evangelist Billy Graham until her death in 1977 (Red Hot Jazz 1). Nina May McKinney was â€Å"the screen’s first black goddess† (Penney 3). â€Å"She was the first black actor in the film to be recognized as a potential mainstream star† (7). McKinney was also the most successful African-American actress in the 1920’s and 1930’s (South Carolina African American History Online 1). McKinney’s career started as a New York City nightclub dancer and later received a role in Lew Leslie’s Blackbird Revue. In 1929, King Vidor, of MGM Studios, casted McKinney as Chick, a promiscuous young woman in Hallelujah. â€Å"In the famous cabaret scene McKinney, as Chick, danced a sensuous dance which has been copied by leading lady Lena Horne in Cabin in the Sky to Lola Falana in The Liberation of L. B. Jones† (Penney 7). In Hallelujah, â€Å"Chick represented the black woman as an exotic sex object, half woman, half child. She was the black woman out of control of her emotions, split in two by her loyalty and her own vulnerabilities. Implied throughout the battle with self was the tragic mulatto theme? In this stereotypical concept the white half of her represented the spiritual; the black half-animalistic† (7). Hallelujah was considered the â€Å"‘ace of all-black pictures’? The film had a strong plot, but unfortunately the message was? blacks should stay in their place. Though McKinney received much praise for her role as Chick she did not generate leading roles in the American film industry. â€Å"She was relegated to assuming routine black characters or to partaking in independently produced, low budget all black movies, as was the pattern for most of the outstanding African-American actors and actresses of the era? McKinney acted in a few other films in the 1940’s. Her most notable role was in Pinky. McKinney was also a stage actress and performed at the famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem. Barred from opportunities and stardom in Hollywood, she soon departed the United States and took her great talents to Europe? in Greece she was known as the Black Garbo? she also starred with the great actor Paul Robeson in the film Sanders of the River† (South Carolina 2). Later in McKinney’s life the great star returned to the States and died in New York City in 1967. Dorothy Dandridge is amongst Hollywood’s beauties in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Though she receives much recognition today as the most beautiful and talented actresses of her time, but at that time she was seen as just another Black actress. Followed in the footsteps of the great Nina Ma McKinney, though they possessed the beauty and the charisma as other female actresses of their time their color was still seen first. Like many actors and actresses of her time Dandridge career went through many highs and lows because of her race. Dandridge’s career began as a singer with her sister Vivian, they were known as the Wonder Children and later the group became a trio by the name the Dandridge Sisters. She played in many movies in the 1940’s such as: Yes Indeed, Sing for My Supper, Jungle Jig, Easy Street, Cow Cow Boogie, and Paper Dolls to name a few. She was not recognized until her performance as Carmen in Carmen Jones. Her co-stars were Harry Belafonte, Pearl Bailey and Diahann Caroll. She was the first Black to be nominated for an Oscar for best actress (African-American Almanac 248). Dandridge’s role as Carmen lead to more opportunities for African-Americans in films. Dandridge was the first African-American woman to be held in the arms of a white man in the film, Island in the Sun. She was also the first African-American to have an interracial kiss in The Decks Ran Red (Pioneer Actress 2). Though the film Carmen Jones allowed Dandridge to have a lead role she the character was the stereotypical mulatto woman with a high sex drive and filled with deceit. Penney writes, â€Å"The irony that overshadowed Dandridge’s career was that although the image she marketed appeared to be contemporary and daring, at heart it was based on an old classic type, the tragic mulatto. In her important films Dorothy Dandridge portrayed doomed, unfilled women. Nervous and vulnerable, they always battled with the duality of their personalities. As such, they answered the demands of their times. Dorothy Dandridge’s characters brought to a dispirited nuclear age a razor-sharp sense of desperation that cut through the bleak monotony of the day. Eventually- and here lay the final irony- she may have been forced to live out a screen image that destroyed her† (10). Dorothy Dandridge broke many barriers during her career. She opened the doors for black romance in films. She crossed over the racial lines with interracial relationships on and off screen. Later in Dandridge’s career she found it hard to get work. She filed for bankruptcy and later committed suicide. Dandridge made it possible for African-American women to be seen as beautiful and not exotic and sexual. In conclusion, many African-Americans actresses were blackballed by the industry. They were not able to achieve the success that they were entitled to because of the era that they were living in. These stars were oppressed because of the color of their skin and not because they did not possess talent. They were limited to roles that did not allow them to be the damsels or have leading roles. And if they were cast as the lead the film stereotyped the Blacks as shiftless, deceitful, or ignorant. These are just a few of the great African-American women in film that made it easier for African-American women to get into the industry. Though today African-American people are still seen shiftless, drug addicts, gang bangers, killers, whores, and criminals, but now they have more access to the industry because now African- Americans are able to write and direct films that depict them in a better light. Film today has changed for the past from mammies. Now African-American women are teachers, doctors, lawyers, business tycoons and what have you. Yet, they are still oppressed because they are only able to produce what the movie studios say that they can produce. Today there are films like Soul Food, Love and Basketball, Rosewood, Bamboozled, and many more that have messages and have African-American women in lead roles and not being in the background. These great stars allowed Black girls to see their own kind on a big screen and feel that they are beautiful too. Work Cited The African-American Almanac, 1997. Detroit: Gale Research, 1997. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Vol. 10&16. Detroit: Gale Research, 1987. â€Å"Ethel Waters. † Online. 10 March 2005. Available: www. http://www. redhot jazz. com/waters. html. â€Å"Honoring Black History Month. † Pax Stars. Online. 10 March 2005. Available: www. http://www. pax. tv/bios/one-bio. cfm/hattie-mcdaniel. â€Å"Nina Mae McKinney. â€Å" South Carolina African American History Online. Online. 11 March 2005. Available: www. http://www.scafam-hist. org/aahc/. â€Å"Pearl Bailey. † Black History: Virginia Profiles. Online. 13 March 2005. Available:www. http://www. gatewayva. com/pages/bhistory/1996/bailey. shtml. Penney, Carol. â€Å"Black Actors inamerican Cinema. † Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. Online. 12 March 2000. Available: www. http://www. yale. edu/ynhti/cirriculm/units. â€Å"Pioneer black actress Dorothy Dandridge has a famous cast of modern-day admirers. † Online. 12 March 2005. Available: www. http://ohio. com/bj/fun/tv/0299/002827htm.

Explaining the Concept of Homeostasis Essay

The actual word homeostasis means â€Å"steady state†. Homeostasis describes how the body regulates its process to keep its internal conditions as stable as possible. Homeostasis is necessary because human cells are efficient but very demanding. The phrase homeostasis is a bit confusing; conditions inside our bodies are not constant but are kept within a narrow range. Some factors such as temperature and blood PH change slightly while others such as blood glucose very considerably throughout a normal day without producing any harmful effects. A brief description of homeostasis is that it is maintenance of a constant internal environment in response to a change in external environment. Negative feed makes sure that as levels return to normal, corrective mechanisms are scaled down, it’s when the body maintains conditions within particular limits, and the body will do this by opposing a change that deviates from the normal, core temperature falls. Core temperature rises, d rop detected by hypothalamus. Brain sends signals to the body that brings out shivering and vasoconstriction. Temperature turns to normal. Normal body temperature: 36.9c Rise detected by hypothalamus. Brain sends signals to body that brings out sweating and vasodilatation. Negative feedback comes when an important variable, sometimes known as a key variable such as the pH of blood and tissue fluid.Homeostasis is the process of maintaining a constant internal environment in response to changes in the external environment. Homeostatic mechanisms are for regulating; body temperature, blood glucose, heart rate and breathing rate. Regulating the internal environment of a human is achieved by negative feedback; this is a constant process. Conditions within the body changes and receptors detect that change; receptors are found in the skin, around vital organs and the hypothalamus. This information of change that is detected by the receptors are then passed to the control centre in the hypothalamus which monitors the changes, when the change in environment fall too far outside the normal range of values the negative feedback response begins. The control cent re signals an effecter to take  action that will return the system back to its ‘normal’ state. An example of homeostasis taking place is when a human goes into a cold environment, conditions change internally; the skin, a receptor will detect the change and cold blood will pass to the control centre, hypothalamus. The hypothalamus then monitors this change and signals the effectors if the internal environment goes below minimum core temperature for cells to work properly; thirty-five Degrees Celsius, anything below can be very dangerous. The effectors will heat the body temperature up, making hairs stand up to trap air to create insulation, sweat secretion is reduce so less cooling of the body and blood vessels constrict which reduces the amount of blood near the surface of the skin so the blood can heat up. All of these effectors enable the human body to go back to its normal state. The opposite example of this is if a human does exercise, every time the muscles, receptor contract, energy is produce which is transformed into heat. Heat from muscles then moves to the blood which circulates throughout the body which makes temperature rise. When you are exercising different changes occur in the body to try and deal with the change in the environment and the reaction that occurs in the body. I will also explain the homeostatic mechanisms when someone exercises. Homeostasis is for the process of the body to maintain a relatively consistent internal state. The nervous system sends and receives signals about temperature, hydration, blood pressure and much more factors. The endocrine system carries chemical messengers to adjust bodily functions. During forms of exercise, the body’s internal environment is altered and placed under a considerable amount of stress. Through homeostatic feedback mechanisms, the body is able to maintain a healthy internal environment and quickly return to normal after exercise ends. These homeostatic mechanisms respond to exercise with changes in the heart rate, respiration, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide clearance, pulse rate, blood pressure and body temperature. During exercise, the body requires more oxygen and smooth removal of care dioxide. To meet this, the respiratory system responds by changes in breathing rate. The cardiovascular system modifies heart rate, blood pressure and capillary beds to maintain body temperature around 37 degrees and blood pressure roughly around 120/80mmhg. The probable homeostatic responses to changes in the internal environment during exercise  to the heart rate, your body’s working muscles require additional stores of oxygen to help feed their energy requirements. The body receives oxygen from the lungs and transmits it to your muscles through your bloodstream. The heart controls the flow of blood throughout the body and your heart rate is a factor of that flow. D1. Blood glucose  the glucose in your blood (also known as blood sugar, and another form of carbohydrate in your body) can sometimes be used as an energy source to make ATP. During exercise your body prefers to maintain your blood glucose levels by several different actions rather than use it for energy. Actions such as increased levels of epinephrine, glucagon and cortisol that get released in your body during exercise act to maintain your blood glucose levels through special pathways in the liver and also encourage your muscles to use more glucose (which is good because you can keep working out!). Sometimes though, if you fail to eat correctly before your workout or have low muscle glycogen levels (because you’re not eating right in the several hours after exercise), you may experience drops in your blood glucose levels that make you feel tired, shaky, cold, irritable and unable to exercise any longer. Some of the key factors that dictate if your blood sugars will crash or not include: The timing of your last meal before your workout (when).  The composition of your last meal before your workout (what). How your body responded to food you ate before your workout (how). When and what you ate in the hours following your last workout. If you wait too long after your last meal or snack to exercise, you’re more likely to experience drops in your blood sugar levels because they’re already feeling weak and require food to be maintained. This results in a major drop in exercise performance. If somebody remains in the cold temperatures for a long period of time, the thermostat homeostasis mechanisms may fail and you could develop hypothermia. Hypothermia is when your body temperature drops beyond below the standard temperature needed for your body to function accurately without any inner body catastrophes. When your body temperature reaches a certain point below the norm, usual actions can’t work, including homeostasis. When your body is put in a certain situation for too long your internal environment may begin to shut down, leaving your body vulnerable. Unless immediate action is taken to bring the homeostasis back to normal you will die. The same thing would happen if your body was exposed to extreme heat for any long periods of time. For the metabolic system to continue to occur in the body cells need a constant supply of glucose. Glucose is a carbohydrate, and is the most important simple sugar in human metabolism. Blood sugar levels should be maintained at around 90mg of glucose per 100ml of blood. If blood glucose levels rise, insulin is released into the blood. Insulin is one of many hormones that help the body turn the food we eat into energy. Also, insulin helps us store energy that we can use later. After we eat, insulin works by causing sugar (glucose) to go from the blood into our body’s cells to make fat, sugar, and protein. When we need more energy between meals, insulin will help us use the fat, sugar, and protein that we have stored. Insulin is produced by our own insulin that is made in the pancreas gland or taken by injection.

Dansk Minox Case Study Essay

Problem: A/S Dansk Minox is a company based in Copenhagen, which specializes in branded vacuum-packed meat and other food products. Through consumer survey, the company found that there was a large untapped market for a ‘Complete meal’ product which included sliced pork along with a vacuum-sealed bag of red cabbage salad. After long discussions among the marketing and finance departments, the complete meal pack was introduced at a price of $ 8.20 per pack of 1 kg. It sold only 30 tons as against the budgeted sales of 85 tons. The problem facing the company is that whether it has to stop further production of the ‘complete meal’ product or establish a new consumer price of $ 6.85 per pack, in order to boost sales. Considerations and Analysis: In order to decide the course of action we may look at the following facts and considerations. Consumer Price 8.20 6.85 Retailer Price 5.72 4.78 Variable Cost 3.49 3.41 Volume Sales (in kgs) 30000 85000 Advertising Costs 0.3 0.3 Impact on Profit 41,400 90,950 As we can see, impact on profit is higher when 85000 kgs of complete meal is sold at $6.85/kg, rather than selling 30000 kgs at $ 8.20/kg. Now, another point to note is if production expenses are to be revised to $ 1.20/kg, then on a full cost basis, the complete meal would cost. Total unit cost (new) = Total unit cost (old) – Production expenses (old) + Production expenses (revised) Total unit cost (new) = 4.64 – 0.54 + 1.20 = $ 5.30 And Profit per unit would be = Retailer price – Total unit cost (new) = 4.78 – 5.30 = (-0.52) (i.e) there would be a loss of $ 0.52/kg, on a full cost basis, when the ‘complete meal is sold at $ 6.85. Conclusion and Recommendations: The point to be focused here is that though the new product might sell 85Â  tons at a revised price of $ 6.85 per pack, it will incur losses on a full cost basis. Also it is not feasible to lower the production costs anymore because, the resources of A/S Dansk Minox which were specialized for meat processing were now processing Vegetables. This is not their core competency and hence they would incur more costs in performing activities that they do not specialize in. Furthermore, the need for a single package containing sliced pork and red cabbage salad is itself questionable because the same packs are also individually available and these individual packs are of better quality because slice pork is Dansk Minox’s speciality and red cabbage salad is its competitior’s specialty. Hence, it is recommended that Dansk Minox stop further production of ‘complete meal (because red salad is not its core competency) and concentrate on selling its ‘standard packs, which are in fact having a significant boost in their sales or the management can look to collaborate with the best ‘red cabbage salad making company and together give the customers the best quality of ‘complete meal at the best price. The final decision would however be dependent upon managerial discretion and organizational guidelines/objectives.

A Mother’s Day Kiss-off; Critique Essay

â€Å"A Mother’s Day Kiss-off† was written by Leslie Bennetts to change the male view of everyday mothers. Bennetts wrote this because she has witnessed and studied these events. She wrote that mothers should not just be praised on one day a year versus the 365 days that she is doing it alone, well mostly. Not only is this problematic for the child but for the parents relationship as well. She wanted to make clear that women’s roles in parenting have been changing for several years now. They should be closely reviewed before assuming the roles will stay the same as they may have been in the past. Male parents too often expect mothers to maintain a household, work full time and take care of the children. Little do they understand the roles should take over for both parents not just one. Many mothers find their careers to be put on hold because they cannot go to school on top of everything else. This leads to disputes between income needs and family needs. This is commonly a call for divorce and other family members fear in anger that it could end a marriage. Father’s should want to take on family roles as the mother does. While most mothers make sure the needs of the child are fulfilled most fathers do not pay mind to things like; doctor visits, school sicknesses and playdates. They just expect a clean house, a warm meal, and a well maintained child. Mom’s are expected to drop everything including their jobs to take after the child, meaning having to leave work or be late to work, or having to stay home with a sick child. It all means the same, it’s not necessarily tradition of housewives but the role of mothers has simply changed. Too many families are failing to realize this drastic life style change that Bennett’s encounters. If roles were to ever switch fathers would understand the financial and emotional needs of a child, piled on to a full time job. One day Leslie hopes this will be an eye-opener for the opposing parent. Most mothers will continue to stay faithful to this lifestyle while others rush to find a way out. For some this role will change and others it will remain the same. Bennetts writes this article in hope that the father figure and other family members will  arrange changes in a life style to accommodate the mother, in my family this did not happen. In response to this article, I have a personal view of this very problem. My father expected my mom to clean and cook and do household chores, but also to work full time and take care of me. My dad drove truck so he wasn’t home often enough to see what my mother went through. He stayed within tradition like he thought it should be. This happens a lot and not just my family but many American families like my own. I do think she had a purpose to change a father’s lifestyle point of view, but not to change the person themselves. I agree that the roles have changed but for some families in the opposing argument, do not like the role switch and will continue in tradition to their previous generations. Bennetts is blind to the idea that some American housewives enjoy their lifestyle, not all families and mothers are miserable playing this role. She may assume so but it’s not a subject you can just assume upon, it is a serious issue that needs facts, not biased information written out of fear or anger. The family I was raised in relied on the father to take care of financial needs and the mother to take care of social and emotional needs of the family and the child. Some families are dependent on one income and cannot afford to make a change. Other families do not want to change and enjoy their outdated lifestyle.