Commodities Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Commodities Marketing - Essay Example Commodity products such as metals, fuel, and agricultural products have a much higher risk in this regard (Damodaran 2008). This is why any manager running an agricultural business should be able to manage these risk in order to help he business to navigate all the seasons in a year without being brought done by the changing prices. Nature of risks for an agriculture business The kind of risk that an agribusiness faces is not just tied to the prices of the commodity it sells. It is also related to the price changes in the farm inputs (Damodaran 2008). If the farm inputs increase in price in a dramatically short time, the business will have to receive this shock and may not be able to sell its products at a price that will return its costs of production and give the business a profit margin. One thing that is most necessary to understand about agriculture products is that they have at least two main characteristic that expose them to the risk of price change. These are as follows; Aff ected by weather and seasons The seasonal nature of agricultural commodities is something that affects the way the products navigate through the market during the calendar year. For instance, during the time when there are too many tomatoes in the market, prices of the tomatoes will go down and this can affect the farmer because the famer (agribusiness man) may not be able to recover their cost of production. ... If the farmer is farming vegetables and fruits, the farmer can use green houses and be able to deliver the goods to the market during the time those particular goods are out of the season and thus be able to have an upper hand in demand and supply equation. There are on the other hand various issues in regard to this. To begin with, not all the agribusiness products can be cushioned from risk in this way. Secondly, even for those products which can be headed in this way, they would still need more hedging because this does not guarantee that the markets will be stable. This therefore means that the farmer may still need to hedge their business farther using more formidable means of risk management tools. Perishable goods Most agricultural goods are perishable and therefore have no long shelf life in which to wait for the products to wait for the price shock to pass. For instance, once vegetables reach their time to be harvested, they have to be harvested as soon as possible, or they will go bad. At the same time, once they are harvested, they have to be moved immediately before they expire. This leaves the farmer at a disadvantage and may make them to be vulnerable to the forces of demand and supply. Substitute products To add to the risk of the perish-ability, most of the agricultural goods have substitute products in the market and agricultural products can be replaced by so many other products. This leaves the consumers with a choice to choose the substitute product with the lowest price tag on it. From the side of the farmer, though this is not ideal because it leaves the farmer in a position where they are not able to negotiate for a better price. This makes

Manifestations of Truth in How to Tell a War Story by Tim O’ Brien Essay Example for Free

Manifestations of Truth in How to Tell a War Story by Tim O’ Brien Essay How to Tell a War Story by Tim O’ Brien has taken into account various thematic expression and he uses an unusual style to narrate these thematic expression. It a balance-mix of story and reflective essay. O ‘Brien major concern remain the reality of truth. He illustrates various manifestations of truth and manifests that imagination is the major tool to locate the truth. In addition to that he develops a criterion for narrating a war story. â€Å"O’Brien shares the criteria with which the writer or teller and the reader or listener must be concerned by giving an extended definition of what a war story is or is not. The chapter How to Tell a True War Story focuses most extensively on the features that might be found in a true war tale. (Calloway, 1995) So story is multifaceted and its narrative technique is advanced as well unique. Tim O’ Brien has critically evaluated the criterion for writing a true war story. O’Brien demonstrates that memory and reminiscence are transient in nature and one can tell a story purely based on his memory. Memory is always prone to mental faculty of creating fiction. Sometime the character or the narrator admits the elements of fictionality in a true war story but mostly it goes unnoticed and unobserved. Same is the case with How to Tell a War Story as Mitchell Sanders admits to Tim O Brien (the protagonist) that although most of his tale is based on fact but there are elements of fiction. Hew says, â€Å"Last night, man,' Sanders states, I had to make up a few things . . . The glee club. There wasnt any glee club . . . No opera,' either (O’ Brien, 1998). But,' he adds, its still true' (O’ Brien, 1998). This is not distortion of truth but it is the limited nature of memory to recall things in proper order with minute details that urges human faculties to invent certain details. Furthermore, plain truth is not interesting enough to captivate the attention of the reader and amuse. In a Vietnam War story there can be pathos and miseries, deaths and destruction, but there is nothing pure to tell in the form of a story. O Brien himself explain this; â€Å"I think exercising the imagination is the main of finding the truth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Naparsteck, 1991, p. 10) So memories are true and well as invention simultaneously. In â€Å"Things They Carried†, collection short stories from which this story was taken, O’ Brien he acts as the narrator. So readers suppose that he himself was veteran of the war and observed everything on his own but his are not the first hand account of these tales. They are told by various veterans of wars and were later crafted by O’Brien. So both veterans and the writers has invented certain situations and mingled it with the real story. O’Brien says that it is not unethical or wrong to develop a story in this way. He says, â€Å"â€Å"You’d feel cheated if it never happened. †(O’ Brien). A story is developed on its own and follows a natural pattern. In this way, O’Brien implies that truth distorts when it passes through the mental processes. Various pre-conceived notions, past experiences, prejudices and men’s inventive powers cast its own impression on it. But it is natural phenomenon. O’Brien explains this in the story; In any war story, but especially a true one, it’s difficult to separate what happened from what seemed to happen. What seems to happen becomes its own happening and has to be told that way. The angles of vision are skewed. When a booby trap explodes, you close your eyes and duck and float outside yourself. When a guy dies, like Lemon, you look away and then look back for a moment and then look away again. The pictures get jumbled; you tend to miss a lot. And then afterward, when you go to tell about it, there is always that surreal seemingness, which makes the story seem untrue, but which in fact represents the hard and exact truth as it seemed. (O’Brien, 1998) Readers accept this balance mix-up of reality and invention but O’Brien, however, does not allow his readers to take these things for granted and inquires the whole idea of memoirs, recollections, and the short capability of memory to communicate the reality with accuracy. As far as the narrative structure is concerned, O’Brien himself calls it a mix of essay and fiction. In an interview to Naparsteck (1991) he says that, â€Å"In a way, it’s part essay and a part fiction but in a way it’s neither†¦To me, it has singleness or unity to it. Rather than part things this and part things that, it’s all those things together. †(p. 9) This manifests his idea of truth as a whole. He does not differentiate genuine reality from perceived reality and considers them conflation of each other and they as whole constitute the truth. Unquestionably, truth and fabrication is another theme that Tim O Brien takes into consideration in the story. He is of the view that in narrating a war story, untruth is not conflicting with truth. They are the facets of a single reality. One is real and other is inventive but both are genuine. During the war, truth is unclear and mostly uncertain. It takes varies semblances band is manifested in various contradictory forms. So both true and inventive part of the story seems contradictory but in reality, they are same and equivalent. This paradoxical manifestation of truth is symbolized by the death Curt Lemon. O’Brien as narrator is familiar with the situation in which Curt was killed. He was shot dead by a 105mm round while â€Å"he was playing catch with Rat Kiley†. But as O’Brien recollect this in his mind; he perceives that Curt was killed by daylight. This narration is different from the first one. But none is untrue. 105 round was tool but sunlight also played a major role in his death. Sunlight is also chief cause thus. In this way, O’Brien differentiates between the reality that took place and the reality that appears to take place. No account is untrue but both a different manifestation of same reality i. e. one is real and other is perceived as real. Tim Obrien does not use proper literary devices to convey this dichotomy like Golding does in â€Å"Lord of The Flies† where he use symbol of fire and convey its paradoxical nature. Conventionally, fire refers to destruction and damage but Golding uses it as a rescue symbol when boys trapped in an island use fire to get attention of the passing by ship and in the last, they are saved by the aero- plane that noticed the fire signaling rescue. But mostly, it is not possible to attach two opposite meaning to a single word as beautifully done by Golding in the novel. O’ Brien attempts the same. For example, he says, â€Å"it is safe to say that in a true war story nothing is ever absolutely true,† he generate a contradiction but it is not a single word or a symbols that he utilizes to communicate the paradox. It is the whole context that helps him make this statement. Stephen Kaplan sums up this thematic expression of reality in his book; Understanding Tim O’Brien. He says, â€Å"[O’Brien] completely destroys the fine line dividing fact from fiction and tries to show that fiction (or the imagined world) can often be truer, especially in the case of Vietnam, than fact. O’ Bren plays with truth in How to Tell a War Story and sometimes fabricates it. The chief purpose is to highlight the paradox of truth and to demonstrate its various facets and manifestations. He leaves it to the readers to discern between genuine truth and perceived truth. The writer’s use of a narrator Tim O’ Brien in this collection of short stories is at the same time appealing as well as disturbing. The confusion deepens when it told by the author that the narrator is a middle aged man telling the stories about the Vietnam War. The use of a narrator is interesting as it forces the readers to think that the story is basically rooted in some real life experiences. It also helps in joining together the disjointed elements in the tales. This tool also helps the writer to play and employ some untruths and marvelous things without suffering from the fear of being questioned for their authenticity. The readers suffer from the problem that is the narrator is just playing the role of a mouth piece for the writer or is he an independent character. However, by using this device the writer is able to convey the message to the readers that what is discussed in the story as truth is somewhat similar to what actually happened during the war. If the reader accepts that the narrator is reliable and he is telling the truth than he faced a dilemma. As in the beginning of the stories the narrator tells that he is a real person and going to tell real stories and in the end he tells them that everything that he has just told is just falsehood. The author might be using this illusion to convey the readers a way in which a war story should be told and the basic truths that these war stories carries. He might also be trying to make a point that the story is basically true and logical though it may not have actually happened in the Vietnam War. The construction of this collection of stories is not following the traditional way of telling the stories. There are stories within a story that are linked very beautifully together in a novel way. Each story is basically an endeavor, on the part of narrator, to make a point clear. In order to explain or discuss a thought or experience the narrator start telling another story. These stories, are however, not linked in the traditional way. On finishing the book the reader is made to realize the truth as an organic whole, in a strange way, and not in the ordinary way as is the truth in conveyed to them. In this style of story telling the writer is not bound to follow the chronological flow of time. He is free to roam about according to his will. He can discus the realities and the sequence of the happening of events according to how he deems it right and not by the traditional way of doing it. The writer is basically of the view that the ‘war stories’ need to present the ‘true illustration’ and it need not to indulge in ‘analysis’ so it is important that the short stories should remain true to the reality and the long story or the parent-story need not to be something actually happened in reality. Rosemary Kings explain this phenomenon in this way; OBriens word play in the title hinges on the definition of true, a word he uses alternately throughout the story to mean either factually accurate, or something higher and nobler. He does this through three embedded narratives: Mitchell Sanderss narration of Curt Lemons death; the narrators description of hearing Sanderss story; and Tim OBriens commentary on how to tell a true war story. (n1) Each narrator claims his story is an authentic retelling of events as they occurred in Vietnam, asserting the historicity of their narratives. (King, 1999) The structure of the book is such that the chapters and the short stories are basically there to help the readers understand the real story, the real and the tangible truth. These are basically the ‘things’ carried by the parent story. The comments of the narrator helps the reader understand the organic wholeness of the story just as the chapters in the long story are connected together by the connecting views and ideas of the author thrown here and there in the long story. Rosemary King also highlights the importance of title of the story; â€Å"OBriens title delivers punch not only through the conflated definition of true but also through the distinction of what makes a war story true. He underscores the importance of manipulating what actually happened to get at the essence of truth. † Above-mentioned discussion and supported arguments and evidence clearly manifest that O’Brien has successfully asserted that truth has paradoxical nature and it can be conveyed as a whole i. e. a balance mix- of what happened and what seems to happen. In reality this pradox dissolved in a complete whole. He further illustrated that human mental processes modifies the objective reality. His own description of reality from the subjective point of view of the narrators in the story is a skillful representation of this phenomenon. Thus his story is a successful example of metafiction.

Counselling and psychotherapy

Counselling and psychotherapy The objective of the final assessment was to video a short counselling session, and then to write a reflective essay critiquing the session in light of the particular counselling method selected. The logistics of the interview were made difficult by a recent move to a country area, where I did not have access to recording equipment, a DVD burner, or classmates willing to volunteer to act as the client. After a few technical difficulties, I was able to record a session using a webcam. It was then that I found that I was unable to burn the file to a disc, and after looking through the entire town for a business that would burn it to disc, finally transferred the file to a memory stick to be posted. Approach The chosen approach was person-centred counselling, where the client is at the centre of the method, unlike some other forms of counselling where technique is more pronounced. The approach, founded by Carl Rogers in the 1940s, has also been called non-directive which also emphasises that the counsellor is not giving advice and directions, but rather a format where the client can look at and consider their own feelings and options. Rogers also focused on the present rather than the past, as opposed to the Freudian approach, as well as a closer focus on feelings. In addition, Rogers used the term client rather that patient, to highlight the fact that the person being treated was taking responsibility for their own selves, rather than being reliant on the counsellor. In the person-centred approach, it is the client who ultimately makes all decisions, looks at alternatives, and takes responsibility and ownership of their own lives and choices. Dryden Mytton (1999) identify three important areas in person-centred counselling. The first is creating an environment in which the client can freely express their emotions. Approval and understanding from the counsellor towards the client is stressed. The outlook of the counsellor is also important, and the counsellor must trust the client to be able to cope with their problems, and undertake change and development. The counsellor is there to provide support and empathy, and unconditional positive regard. The counsellors own feelings and world-view must also be taken into account there must be congruence between the counsellor and client there need to be a genuineness of emotion, with the counsellor being really there in the moment of the session. The theory behind the person-centred approach puts forward that as long as there is unconditional positive regard, empathic understanding and congruence, all the core conditions for theraputic improvement or problem solving are met, and positive change will occur. As I counsellor using a person-centred approach, I would be trying to establish the core conditions, and be non-directive. Using this approach I do not try to cause anything to happen, or prevent any thing from happening, it is the client who does the real work. One of the better analogies Ive heard to describe this approach is it is the counsellors job to hold up a mirror for the client we need to comb our hair, and can do an okay job without the mirror, but unusually there are spots we cannot see without the assistance of the mirror, and maybe can do a better job if we can view our hair from a different angle. It may take some extra time, and we may have to hold the mirror just so to catch that awkward angle, but we can see so much more, hopefully in a more sympathetic and kinder light. Evaluation Trini agreed to not only record the session on her webcam, but to be the client as well. This was appreciated, especially as the only from of counselling that Trini is familiar with is either around the kitchen table with family, or with an ordained minister. When asked as to what subject she would like to discuss, that would not to substantial or in-depth, Trini requested that we discuss baby names, as it is only a few weeks until the birth of her next child, and a decision was still to be made about names. The setting was chosen to more due to the location of the webcam, as much as for privacy and fewer distractions from noise outside or children. There was not much choice in seating, but it was comfortable for Trini, who has reached quite an uncomfortable stage in her pregnancy is not able to sit for too long in any one position. In addition to the physical environment, I tried noticeably tune in to improve communication as described by Egan (2007; 71). The acronym SOLER is used by Egan to sum up these key skills: I tried to establish and keep eye contact as much as possible, although I found this harder when taking notes of names for Trini. I think I will need a bit of practice to get to the point where taking notes is not a distraction for both myself and the client. Throughout the session I tried to always facing Trini, maintain eye contact as much as possible, stay calm and relaxed, lean forwards without being too overt; more of an incline of the head rather than the entire body. Throughout the session I tried to encourage Trini to do most of the talking, ask as many open questions as possible, and pay attention to what the client way saying and how it was said, and listen without expressing criticism or judgment. The session was also very brief, partly due to it being an assessment rather than a normal session of fifty to ninety minutes, besides Trini being unable to sit comfortable for any length of time. After becoming used to longer practice sessions in class, if felt very strange to take such a short time. Because of time constraints, information about privacy and confidentiality was provided prior to the session. No sensitive matters were discussed, but it was still important for Trini to know how the recorded information would be treated and stored. I started the session with thanks and what would you like to talk about, which I prefer due to its simplicity and directness. Improvement for future The physical location of the session could definitely been improved, but there was little that could be changed due to technical restraints. Counsellor Challenges The line between talking too much and talking too little. Fight the need to jump in, to talk, to fill in the gaps sometimes silence is just fine. Burnout trying to do much, insufficient supervision and support Taking breaks, and not doing too much. Personal and professional development. Develop more effective techniques learn more about different problems. Learn more about specific problems effecting people living in remote or rural communities. In such a small community, being extremely vigilant concerning privacy and confidentiality, offering alternatives where needed. Personal and professional implications I have to have sufficient and specific training to address different kinds of issues that present in rural communities I dont want to try to treat problems outside my range of experience. I need to be able to listen to the client, and hear the changes that they want to make and their goals for therapy it is not about me. I need to be able to clearly communicate how I can help the client solve for themselves whatever problem or concern they have. I cannot make any promises or guarantees, but I can walk with the client as they go through the problem solving or decision making process. I need to continue to be non-judgmental of any clients life choices, behaviour, or the problems that they face. I need to be able to keep up-to-date with any changes in legislation and policy to be able to provide accurate information about client rights, confidentiality and informed consent, and appropriate duty of care towards my clients. I need to find a balance in my own work life, incorporating adequate supervision and continued education. If I am not able to deal with my own emotional issues, feelings and what is happening in my life, I will not be able to efficiently help others to cope with their own problems and emotional issues. References Bolton, R. (1986) People Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others and Resolve Conflict. New York: Prentice-Hall. Brammer, L.M. and MacDonald, G. (1996) The Helping Relationship, Process and Skills 6th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Burnard, P. (1999) Counselling Skills for Health Professionals 3rd ed. Cheltenham: Stanley Thorne. Dryden, W. and Mytton, J. (1999) Four Approaches to Counselling and Psychotherapy. London: Routledge. Egan, E. (2007) The Skilled Helper: A Problem Management and Opportunity Development Approach to Helping 8th ed. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. Heaton, J.A. (1988) Building Basic Therapeutic Skills. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Critical Reflections on Health Behavior Change Essay -- SES Impact Upo

The health behavior that I chose to modify for the better was to consume more water each day. My goal for the week was to drink 70 ounces or 8.75 cups of water each day. I chose this as my health behavior change because I know how important it is to consume water, yet I have always struggled with consuming an adequate amount each day. While growing up, I drank mostly milk and different types of juices while neglecting to drink any water unless it was before, during, or right after a sporting event. Although milk and juice are not necessarily bad for me, I know they should only be consumed in moderate amounts. As I became older and found an interest in fitness and nutrition, I realized the many benefits to drinking water. Some of the benefits include helping with weight loss, maintaining balance of bodily fluids, keeping your skin looking young and acne free, increasing brain activity, and most importantly keeping you hydrated. Most of the time I am dehydrated and I know this just by looking at the color of my urine. In the past, I’ve noticed that when I do not drink enough water I feel fatigued and have occasional headaches. When I feel fatigued I have little energy, so I usually just lay in my bed and either watch T.V. or browse the internet on my laptop. However, I soon began to realize that if I keep neglecting my body such a vital factor in keeping me a live, then I will continue to always feel fatigued and waste valuable time where I could be working out, meal prepping for the week, or catching up on my studies. Studies have shown that by not drinking enough water, a person can not only become fat, but they can also suffer many health issues. Some of these issues include asthma and allergies, high cholesterol, bladder... ...amilies may tend to go to fast food venues more often than not because of the convenient access, but also because the food is cheap. Nonetheless, every fast food venue allows free cups of water which means that even people living in a low socioeconomic area still have access to clean water. However, there access to clean water is still limited since they have to actually go to a fast food restaurant to get water instead of just being able to drink from it at home. Works Cited "Clean Drinking Water." UNICEF. United Nations Children's Fund, n.d. Web. 22 May 2015. Krueger PM & VW Chang. 2008. Being Poor and Coping with Stress: Health Behaviors and the Risk of Death. American Journal of Public Health 98:889-896. Mercola DO, Joseph M. "What Happens to Your Body Within an Hour of Drinking a Coke." Mercola.com. Mercola, 12 Jan. 2008. Web. 22 May 2015.

Child Favoritism Essay

Do parents really have a favorite child? According to â€Å"The Science of Favoritism† by Jeffrey Kluger, yes, parents do have a favorite child although they try very hard to hide it. This article is about parents having a favorite child and the science behind it. It also talks about how nature plays a role in child favoritism, how favoritism is influenced by gender, and what it feels like to be the second best. Not only does Jeffrey Kluger bring up great points throughout his article but he has many examples of real life situations from interviewing people. For example, when going and actually watching various siblings and parents, Catherine Conger, found that â€Å"70% of fathers and 65% of mothers actually do have a favorite child† (Kluger 44-50). She says that â€Å"these numbers are probably even higher because parents try very hard to try and hide their favoritism† (Kluger 44-50). The author relates child favoritism to how it works in nature. Parents want their kids to be the best and most successful out of all the other kids. Just like with animals, parents will pick the strongest, healthiest child to be the favorite and this is mainly because of genes and reproduction. Douglas Mock says that â€Å"we are like the black-eagle who has more than one kid for insurance purposes† (Kluger 44-50). The second or third child would be considered insurance in case the first kid is not strong or smart enough, but if the first child is superior then the policy is terminated. With gender roles in favoritism, the author states that the mother may pick the first son as her favorite and the father may pick the youngest daughter as his favorite. Douglas Mock shows many examples of how this is true and writes that girls will follow in their father’s footsteps where as the boys will follow in their mother’s footsteps. When talking about being second best, the article shows how not being the favorite is very hard on a child. Clare Stocker did a study on 136 sibling pairs and found that the child being loved the less will usually develop depression and low self-esteem. This doesn’t mean that that most favored child will always be the most successful. Child favoritism can also damage the favorite child because they may be used to getting everything and may not develop certain skills. I find all this evidence very compelling, and being the second child and youngest of two sons, I believe a lot of what this article says is true. I also think a lot of it depends upon who the parents are and I don’t totally agree with some of the points made. Yes, my brother is bigger and stronger, but I am probably healthier and smarter. We both have our perfections and we both have our flaws but I would say we are both equal. That doesn’t mean our parents don’t have favorites, because I’m sure they do but I would say it changes from time to time. This article can be used by many people but there is a specific audience that can really benefit from reading this article. I would say the author was trying to reach either young couples thinking about starting a family, couples that have recently started a family, or couples that have already gone through parenting. He would try to reach young couples either thinking about a family or young couples that just started a family because it would be helpful for them to know this information and would hopefully lead to better parenting and decision making so their kids, either the second best or even the favorite, don’t end up totally damaged. The author would also be trying to reach couples that have gone through parenting and all their kids are grown up because maybe they need to help the child that wasn’t loved as much. I think that the author effectively addressed the target audience especially with all the stories and research he found and put in the article. Work Cited Kluger, Jeffrey. â€Å"Why Mom Liked You Best: The Science of Favoritism.† Time. 02 10 2011: 44-50. Print.

myself essays

myself essays I am a qualified Administrative Assistant with four years experience serving executive management for a large manufacturing company. My qualifications include extensive PC knowledge, customer service skills, itinerary planning, and report writing. I was recently discussing these qualifications with Mary Smith, Vice President of Marketing. Mary believes that I am uniquely qualified for a position in your office. Although my resume is actively on file with Human Resources, Mary suggested that I contact you directly for consideration. Enclosed is my resume for your review and consideration. I will be in the area on August 20, 199- and would like to meet with you to discuss my qualifications in greater detail. You can expect to hear from me next week to arrange a time. Thank you for your time and consideration. recent, controversial repeal of the federal highway speed limit guidelines is a truly significant step. Whatever side of the issue you personally stand on, the fact that states may now set their own speed limits will undoubtedly have an enormous effect people's driving habits. Because of the "hot" nature of the issue, we thought it worthwhile to open a discussion on the Edmund's site about the prudence of this legislative act. We begin with a short article by Christian Wardlaw, our automotive editor. Following his article, we have collected several additional articles and reports further discussing this issue. Some are in strong favor of the legislation, some are vehemently opposed. At the end, we offer you the opportunity to make your own comments. We will post your comments as they arrive. Hopefully, the articles we have provided will encourage some thoughtful, genuine dialog on this topic. We look forward to hearing from you. It is really funny that we are just now getting the speed limits on highways to what they should be. In Washington our major freeways are now 70 MPH and the fre ...