Comparison of note from underground, conclusion and aurora leigh Essay

Comparison of note from underground, conclusion and aurora leigh - Essay Example He can envisage of love only as the total control of a person over another. In order to feel that he has contributed to life in some way; he often initiates arguments with others and subjects himself to profound humiliation. This gives the Underground Man a sense of satisfaction and power, as he was the cause of the shame himself. He barely cares if the outcome is negative or positive as long as he can exercise his power. When we encounter the Underground Man, he is a complete nihilist: he has no desire to interact with anyone and has total contempt for the society at large. As a young man, he is misanthropic, proud, self-effacing and bitter although he clings to certain ideas. He craves for human attention and wants others to respect and admire him for his intellect and zeal. His inability to interact with people causes his attempts to form relationships and contribute to life ends in tragedy and drives him further underground (David, & David, 2009). When he meets Liza, he has absorbed the fictitious epitome of the converted prostitute and has shed himself as the superman who will set free Liza. Later, however, her character becomes more intricate. At first, she matches the typecast of a young prostitute: bored, cynical, and somewhat naà ¯ve. He gives her a speech that moves her and she decides to visit him where she is turned away by cold words. Liza, even though a prostitute, still idealizes romantic love and longs for respect and affection. She treasures the one affirmation of love she has received, a note from a medical student who has no idea she is a prostitute. The Underground Man is touched by the fact that Liza so clearly treasures this letter, but his attitude toward her emotion is somewhat flippant. She is disappointed at how the Underground Man treats her after she had come to him with help and love. In Elizabeth Barett Browning’s Aurora Leigh, there is the theme of love and people who are willing to love.

Library system Essay Example for Free

Library system Essay

Competitive strategy that Easyjet have utilised

Competitive strategy that Easyjet have utilised The aim of this report is to analyse and evaluate the competitive strategy that Easyjet have utilised in order to develop their current competitive position in the low price no frills airline market. Objectives Definitions of competitive strategy Explain Porters generic strategy Analyse the competitive strategy of Easyjet Evaluate the competitive strategy of Easyjet Recommendation for the future of Easyjet Methodology Porters generic strategy Investigate the strategy clock Find out advantage and disadvantages by creating a SWOT analysis of Easy Jet Theories on Easyjet competitive strategy The Competition Various Recommendation for Easyjets future Where the information was found? University library Internet Journals Newspapers Books Overview From this report, Easyjet can be seen as one of the main airlines in its market, and although it has some tough competition Easyjet is becoming stronger. Its competitive strategies are ahead of the competition and are being very successful. This is proven through various theories such as Porters generic strategy, the strategy clock and a SWOT analysis of Easyjets competitive strategy. Introduction Background Easyjet is one of the best known European low price no-frills airlines. Which begun in 1995 by Greek entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannou. He intended to make flying to Europe affordable for more and more people. Easyjet now calls itself the webs favourite airline. (Thompson, Strategic Management , 2001) The airline is based at Hangar 89, a bright orange building adjacent to the main taxiway at Luton Airport. In an industry where corporate HQs are generally considered to be the ultimate status symbol, it is the very embodiment of the Easyjet low-cost ethos. Objectives To identify and analyse the competitive strategy that Easyjet have utilised in order to develop their current position. To critically evaluate the competitive strategy that Easyjet have utilised in the development of their current completive position. Also make appropriate recommendations regarding Easyjet. Competitive advantage Competitive advantage is the means by which a company can outperform its competitors and more profits. (Lomax Raman, 2006) The ability to create more economic value than competitors (Barney, 2010) Competitive advantage is more generally based on the stability and continuity in relationships between different parts of the organisation (Lynch, 2008) Design is a form of competitive advantageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Good design allows things to operate more efficiently, smoothly, and comfortably for the userà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Customers appreciate good design. While they cant necessarily point out what specifically makes it good, they know it feels better. Theres a visceral connection. They are willing to pay for it, if you give them a great experience. (Hackett, 2009) Porters Generic Strategies This set of strategies consists of three: segmentation strategy, differentiation strategy and cost leadership Cost leadership strategy pertains to mass production of standardized products to lower the cost. Manufacturing the product in high volumes or by bulk would lower the costs of the product because fixed costs are maximized. Differentiation strategy means creating products that are being packaged as unique. Customers believe that the features of the products are incomparable and superior compared to others hence the reason for its uniqueness. Segmentation strategy means products are focused on few, selected market or the specialized markets. The company creates the product to suit the tastes or demands of a specific market. (Porter, 1998) Main Findings Analyse Easy Jets competitive strategy Easy jet which is the UKs leading low cost airline, currently operating in over 400 routes with over 175 aircraft in 27 countries is a no frill airline, the concept started in the beginning of the 1970s in the USA and then this concept was followed by Airlines in Europe, and the rest of the world. Easy jet is known as No-frills airlines, where airlines that have offer low fares but eliminate all unnecessary services Easy Jet offers a no frills service at low fares. EasyJets generic strategy is a typical cost leadership strategy. The business philosophy of easyJet is that money can be made on any route where a carrier can fly three times a day to a low-cost airport, based on a minimum market size. The basis of commercial success for such strategy is maintaining a 30-40% cost advantage over established airlines. Easyjets low prices strategy can be defined as A low price strategy seeks to achieve a lower price than competitors whilst trying to maintain a similar perceived product or service benefits to those offered by competitors (Johnson, 2005) They believe to achieve competitive advantage through this strategy, the company need two basic choices, one is to find a segment where main competitors are not interested in. The other one is find this segment attracts price sensible consumers. (Johnson, 2005) They utilize this by doing the following; Easyjet is a Ticket less airline which mean All you need to fly is your passport (or suitable photographic ID on domestic flights) and there confirmation number, based on their time of check in at the airport, this determines the order in which they board the aircraft (Easyjet.com). Efficient use of airport. Easyjet flies to main destination airports throughout Europe, but gains efficiencies through rapid turnaround times, and progressive landing charges agreements with the airports By reducing turnarounds to 30 minutes and below, Easyjet can achieve extra rotations on the high frequency routes, by maximizing utilization rates of its aircraft. Theres no such thing as a free lunch Easyjet does not offer free food from company, passengers are given the choice as to whether they wish to buy themselves drinks or snacks from the in flight. (McCosker, 2003) The absence of business class means gaining seats and maximizes capacity. Though EasyJet does not provide the same kind of flexibility as business class in traditional airlines, it is possible to change flights for a premium of  £10, plus the difference in price. Punctuality is a priority Direct marketing and Internet sales Stelios recognized the potential for sales on the Internet before it had become widely available. At first a call center allowed customers to book over the phone, a more familiar communication channel available to all. By offering discounts for Internet bookings, Stelios shaped his customers purchasing habit with the result that 80% of reservations were made on the Internet in 1998. It reduces distribution charges from travel agent commissions and computer reservation system costs. Easyjets strategy was modelled on Southwest air, but Stelios claimed he had been inspired by Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic. His approach to customers and people mirrors that of Branson. He flies on his own planes some three or four times a week and week talk to the passengers. He is regularly present at Luton (his headquarters) and willing to revolve passenger problems. (Thompson, Strategic Management fourth editon, 2001) Easyjet favours an informal company culture with a very flat management structure, which eliminates unnecessary and wasteful layers of management. All office-based employees are encouraged to dress casually. Ties are banned except for pilots! Remote working and hot-desking have been characteristics of easyJet since the beginning. One of the strategies which easyJet is persuading is a cost leadership. In persuading cost advantage, the goal of the firm is to become the cost leader in its industry or industry segment (Grant, 2002) The Easyjet product is, in reality, a package of service, many subcontracted in. Easy jet provides the planes and their crews, and markets and the sells the flights. As a company, it is focused. Check-in and information services, snacks (for passengers to by before they board the aeroplane), baggage handling and fleet maintenance are all bought in from specialists. (Thompson, Strategic Management , 2001) Competition for customers in this sector of the market is intense, Virgin express and Fly Thomas cook are just a couple from many have low-price , no frills subsidiaries, neither of which is reputed to be profitable. The largest of the rivals is Ryanair, over 25 years old and based in Dublin, carrying over 75 million passengers a year. When Stelios established the position of the Easyjet as one of leading low cost airline in Europe by adopting an efficiency driven operational model, creating brand awareness and maintaining a high levels of customer satisfaction (where we are now) he took a step further in his perused of the strategy to offer low cost airline to masses (where we want to be) which is based on key strengths (how we going get there) (Easyjet: The Web`s Favourite Airline, 2002) Another of the strategies persuaded by founder of Easyjet can be seen, as strategy is perspective, that is, vision and direction. (Mintzberg, 1994) Evaluate Easyjet competitive strategy Competitive advantage grows out of value a firm is able to create for its buyers the exceeds the firms cost of creating it (porter,1985)A company relative position within an no frill Airline industry is given by its competitive advantage which is cost leadership and differentiation, from other frills airline companies and with its choice of competitive scope. Introducing new technologies new or shifting buyer needs the emergence of a new industry segment and availability changes in government regulations are competitive advantages. Where Differentiation is the firms product, associated services, and other activities affect its buyers activities.   All the activities in the value chain contribute to buyer value, and the cumulative costs in the chain will determine the difference between the buyer value and producer cost. (Porter, 1985) Easy jet gains competitive advantage by performing strategically important activities more cheaply or better than its competitors. (Easyjet.com) Comp etitive advantage can come not just from great products or services, but from anywhere along the value chain. To understand how a firm fits into the overall value system includes the value chains of its suppliers, channels, and buyers. Generic strategies are useful because they characterize strategic positions at the simplest and broadest level. Porter maintains that company achieving competitive advantage requires and makes a choice about the type and scope of its competitive advantage.(Porter, 1985) Concerning competitive advantage, Easyjet concentrates on costs therefore achieves overall cost leadership. It inhabits a low cost Niche position. The low cost airlines developed sufficient lead times and competitive advantage to limit any new entrants to niche positions and we still do not believe that the full service airlines have the culture to successfully develop sustainable in house low fares subsidiaries (Binggeli, 2002) However, there are problems associated with the idea of sustainable cost leadership as this entails that Easyjet has the lowest cost compared with competitors over time. This is unlikely to be achieved simply by cutting back costs however their competitors i.e. Ryanair will do this too. The search of a cost-leadership strategy will require Easyjet to have a strong focus on cost management, scale economies, and have experience curve cost advantages through the maintainer of volumes. In reality, it can be questioned whether cost leadership is a separate strategy. (Sharp 1991)  [1]  stated, having a cost advantage is merely a facilitator to differentiate, usually on price, adding that low-cost form seeks to remove bases for differentiation, so as to offer a generic service to the entire market, therefore reducing differences between segments. Another type of strategy persuaded by Stelios Haji Ioannou is express by sentence (Casell, 2002) It could be argued that cost leadership can be a precarious strategy, which may speed up the move towards a commodity market in which; ultimately, no one benefits (Partridge, 1994) Strategy Clock The Strategy Clock is based upon the work of Cliff Bowman. Its another Suitable way to analyze a companys competitive position in comparison to the offerings of competitors. As with Porters Generic Strategies, Bowman considers competitive advantage in relation to cost advantage or differentiation advantage. Easyjet are situated highly in strategic option 1 (low price, low added value) The eight core strategic options are: 1. Low price/low added value Likely to be segment specific. 2. Low price Risk of price war and low margins/need to be a cost leader. 3. Hybrid Low cost base and reinvestment in low price and differentiation. 4. Differentiation (A) Without a price premium: perceived added value by user, yielding market share benefits. (B) With a price premium: Perceived added value sufficient to bear price premium. 5. Focused differentiation Perceived added value to a particular segment warranting a premium price. 6. Increased price/standard Higher margins if competitors do not value follow/risk of losing market share. 7. Increased price/low values only feasible in a monopoly situation. 8. Low value/standard price Loss of market share. The strategy clock diagram http://htmlimg3.scribdassets.com/9l9911lw1u1cczk/images/2-2c81643482/000.jpg (Scribd.com) Easyjet SWOT analysis Strength: Easyjet has a strong brand name in the low cost airline industry; the company also owns the general popularity among customers, business or leisure, for its low fares and high efficiency Most seats are sold through Internet. Ticketless airline makes Easyjet different from rivals. Flattened structure and casual culture give efficiency in management and operation. Easyjet is frequently able to benefit from the latest technology and working practices. Efficient use of airports and aircraft is another critical strength of Easyjet. The sound network helps the company to cut costs. Paperless operation has simplified and given the huge flexibility in the management working practices. Easyjet standardise on a single aircraft type and purchase new aircraft in bulk, thereby minimizing maintenance costs. The merger of Go accelerates the company growth Weakness: Easyjet is limited at the present time to regional operations, which does not allow it to develop a more balanced portfolio of services. Although EasyJets benefits from the deal with airbus in many ways, it also causes a problem the company will operate on a mixed Boeing/Airbus fleet. Staff training and coordination in future are crucial to the move For the elder people or the people who do not use the internet, it is not convenience to book on line. They really should have more ways to book There is no business class in airplane of EasyJet, which makes it lose some business travellers Opportunities: From a political perspective, the deepening and widening of EU provides new opportunities industry wide. New routes can be introduced to those countries that will join EU in near future. Furthermore, Airlines are now able to operate a base out of any European Country, which gives many more opportunities for expansion. Comparing to US market, the European market is still an immature market, which provides opportunities to all players. General slump forces most companies and individual keep in a tight budget, therefore low cost airlines now have more chance to fight their expensive rivals. Threats: The low-cost carriers are facing rising costs, particularly in the areas of fuel, airport charges and salaries. Unpredictable incidents (e.g. Iraqi war, SARS) give uncertainties in fuel supply, customers sentiment, etc. Competition from rivals is another threat, including new businesses copying low price and no frills strategy Recommendations This report has shown that Easyjet has done very well since it begun in 1995, it is dong almost everything correctly using their competitive strategies to become successful and stay ahead of their rivals. Although the huge profitable company that it has become, its important that they do not become over confident, and be aware of what their competitors are doing, they should always have enough capital to them to make radical changes if needed to. There are a number of ways in which Easyjet could improve to take the organisation forward and make the company more profitable and improving performance. Firstly Easyjet could cooperate with other easy business, such as Easycar which could do deals on transport and parking at airports, Easyfinance could offer a special rate for loans used on flights. Easyhotel could give discounts on hotels around the airports. This could not only help easyjet and making it better for customers but also increase other easy businesses. It could be very beneficial for Easyjet to build alliances with transatlantic operations. This would build a better relationship with the transatlantic operations meaning it could create more routs. Easyjet have over 400 routes which means they have many more routes which they could add. This would mean gaining more customers that couldnt reach destinations before in which other airlines visited. As fast as the internet has grown over the last few years, not everybody has it or know how to use, more often its elder people, whom could add a bigger market if Easyjet could find out a way to reach them and make a better way of buying flights for them. Although Easyjet do have a phone number to book flights it has been stated Telephone bookings are more expensive and are not encouraged (Lowfareflights) which is very off putting. Possibly free phone calls or some sort of broacher sent through the post could let the people without internet find out about Easyjet and be able to purchase with no hassle. As the number of low cost carriers is growing another possibility could be created some sort of loyalty scheme such as loyalty card or member card. The customer would then collect points whenever they travel with Jeasyjet, which would add up and when they have enough points, they could receive some sort of reward such as a discount on flights, free flights etc. This would benefit Eeasyjet as well as the customers because the customer would want to travel with Easyjet instead of another company because they know they can save points and be rewarded with Easyjet. Major companies in the UK such as Tesco using clubcard who introduced it in 1994 to gain customers loyalty, it proved to be very successful, making customers from other stores switch to Tesco as they knew they would b rewarded with this scheme. David Sainsbury, then chairman of J Sainsbury plc, rejected the idea of introducing a similar scheme. However, the effect that Clubcard had on Sainsburys sales led to the reversal of th at decision, with the launch of the Sainsburys Reward Card in June 1996. (Randall, 1996-06-23) This will therefore stop customers switching to Easyjets rivals. From this report, Easyjet can be seen as one of the main airlines in its market, and although it has some tough competition Easyjet is becoming stronger. Its competitive strategies are ahead of the competition and are being very successful. No company is perfect and always need improvements therefore Easyjet could become ever more successful and dominate the market despite of the stiff competition. Reference List

Resurrection of Lazarus in Dostoevskys Crime and Punishment :: Dostoevsky Crime and Punishment

Resurrection of Lazarus in Crime and Punishment In Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Raskalnikov undergoes a period of extreme psychological upheaval. By comparing this death and rebirth of Raskalnikov's psyche to the story of the resurrection of Lazarus, Dostoevsky emphasizes not only the gravity of his crimes, but also the importance of acceptance of guilt. From the moment when Raskalnikov murders the old woman, his personality begins to change drastically. Dostoevsky challenges the reader to understand the madness which ensues by first demonstrating that the ideas and convictions to which Raskalnikov clung died along with the women. While the reader struggles with this realization, Dostoevsky incorporates the Biblical legend of Lazarus as a symbolic mirror for Raskalnikov's mind. By connecting the two, the reader encounters the foreshadowing of a rebirth of morals and beliefs, though what form this may assume remains cryptic. As references to Lazarus continue to occur, the feeling of parallelism increases in intensity. Just as Raskalnikov slowly struggled through madness, Lazarus lay dying of a terrible disease. When Lazarus eventually dies, Raskalnikov mimes this by teetering on the edge of insanity, the death of the mind. Eventually Sonya begins to pull Raskalnikov back to reality by relieving a portion of his guilt. As his Christ fi gure, she accomplishes this by providing the moral and spiritual sturdiness which Raskalnikov lost after his debasement during the murders. Sonya affects him not by active manipulation, but via her basic character, just as Christ personified his beliefs through the manner in which he lived his life. No matter what Raskalnikov says or does to her, she accepts it and looks to God to forgive him, just as Jesus does in the Bible. This eventually convinces Raskalnikov that what he did was in fact a crime and that he must repent for it and"seek atonement". Through this realization, Raskalnikov decides he must redeem himself not only in the eyes of the law, but in the eye of God as well. By foreswearing his old philosophy and accepting his guilt, Raskalnikov again mirrors Lazarus's acceptance of Jesus as his savior. While Lazarus accepts his new life through his rebirth, Raskalnikov acknowledges his guilt and therefore allows his mind to begin life anew.

Action Centred Leadership

John Adair – Action-centred Leadership John Adair (b. 1934) is one of Britain's foremost authorities on leadership in organisations. Before Adair and arguably still today people associated leadership with the so called ‘Great Man Theory'. One charismatic individual who used his or her personal power and rhetoric to mobilise a group. Adair approached leadership from a more practical and simple angle; by describing what leaders have to do and the actions they need to take. His model was figuratively based on three overlapping circles representing:- 1.Achieve the task. 2. Build and maintain the team. 3. Develop the individual. This creates a clear distinction between leadership and management. Creating charismatic ‘Great Man' leaders is difficult and cannot be relied on. You cannot guarantee that such a person can be developed and, once developed, that they will be reliable. Adair's theory is more practical and shows that leadership can be taught and that it is a tran sferable skill. The three circles in Adair's model overlap because:- 1. The task needs a team because one person alone cannot accomplish it. 2.If the team needs are not met the task will suffer and the individuals will not be satisfied. 3. If the individual needs are not met the team will suffer and performance of the task will be impaired. Leadership Functions Adair lists eight Leadership Functions required to achieve success. These need to be constantly developed and honed to ensure success. 1. Defining the task: Using SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Constrained) to set a clear objective. 2. Planning: An open minded, positive and creative search for alternatives. Contingencies should be planned for and plans should be tested. . Briefing: Team briefings by the leader are a basic function and essential in order to create the right atmosphere, foster teamwork and motivate each individual. 4. Controlling: Leaders need self-control, good control system s in place and effective delegation and monitoring skills in order to get maximum results from minimum resources. 5. Evaluating: Assess consequences, evaluate performance, appraise and train individuals. 6. Motivating: Adair identifies eight basic rules for motivating people* in his book Effective Motivation (Guildford: Talbot Adair Press, 1987).Adair also created the 50:50 rule which states that 50% of motivation comes from within a person and 50% from his or her environment and particularly the leadership they encounter. 7. Organising: Good leaders need to be able to organise themselves, their team and their organisation. 8. Setting an example: The best leaders naturally set a good example. If effort needs to be made it will slip and a bad example is noticed more than a good example. Motivating Your Team The eight rules for motivating people:- 1. Be motivated yourself. 2. Select motivated people. . Treat each person as an individual. 4. Set realistic but challenging targets. 5. Un derstand that progress itself motivates. 6. Create a motivating environment. 7. Provide relevant rewards. 8. Recognise success. John Adair's work is in line with motivational theorists such as Maslow, McGregor and Herzberg. He emphasises the need for development of the team and team building. This can be achieved through team building events and using theories such as that of Belbin. Where Adair identifies the need, Belbin provides one of the tools.

Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Summary Essay Example

Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Summary Essay Example Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Summary Paper Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Summary Paper Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Analysis What is the purpose of Body Ritual Among the Nacirema? The author’s purpose in writing this article was not to show the â€Å"Nacirema† as an example of how extreme human behavior can become, but how an outside perspective can affect your perception of an alien culture. If one were to look at the â€Å"Nacirema’s† cultural behaviors regarding physical appearance and health without any insight or knowledge of the specific beliefs or values of that culture, they might seem bizarre and even incomprehensible. By showing behaviors and â€Å"rituals† performed by this unknown tribe, Miner allowed others to see that the way studies were representing distinctive cultures was narrowminded and defective. Without the proper comprehension of the basis of any society, huge cultural misunderstandings could occur. Of course, in Miner’s article, the â€Å"Nacirema† refers to the American people, but in discussing ‘them’ as an exotic or unfamiliar people you are forced to forgo any ethnocentric notions of American society and try to understand their customs and rituals from an etic perspective. It’s an interesting and intriguing way to show a cultural analysis of a â€Å"primitive† people and provide a biased outlook on a different culture. The author’s thesis is that the â€Å"Nacirema† are a people based around their perception of physical appearances and peculiar rituals. Although the concept of the human body as an â€Å"ugly† and decaying vessel is paramount to the rationalization of such rituals, much of their daily routines are meant to avoid or dissuade this conviction. These curious rituals occur in the privacy of â€Å"shrines† and, for the most part, the human body and its natural functions are veiled and only spoken of to â€Å"medicine men† and â€Å"witch-doctors†. Also, they seem to be a â€Å"masochistic† society constructed around willingly subjecting themselves to pain and â€Å"tortures†. The â€Å"Nacirema† deliberately permit â€Å"medicine men† and â€Å"holy-mouth-men† to perform excruciating procedures to prevent the inevitable decay of their bodies and mouths. And while the ideal human form is unrealistic and unattainable for most, much of their wealth is allocated for â€Å"rites† used to painfully correct their unsatisfactory genetic traits. Miner’s article presents numerous anthropological concepts including culture, social behaviors, symbols, material culture and holism. While providing us with a synchronic view of an unexplored culture, Miner tackles the principle mindset that governs the â€Å"Nacirema’s† social customs and â€Å"rituals†, looks at key symbols and material possessions as the focus of the culture, and highlights the importance of studying a culture in its entirety to gain a full and accurate understanding. The psychology of the â€Å"Nacirema† people is one of malcontent. There seems to be a general dissatisfaction with one’s body and this inescapable attitude reaches into almost every aspect of their lives. The psychology of the â€Å"Nacirema† people is one of malcontent. There seems to be a general dissatisfaction with one’s body and this inescapable attitude reaches into almost every aspect of their lives. The â€Å"Nacirema† seem to necessitate unhappiness and even pain. They voluntarily allow â€Å"holy-moth-men† to subject them to torturous practices meant to postpone the inevitable decay of their mouths, pay â€Å"herbalists† to provide them with â€Å"potions† and â€Å"charms† expected to improve their health and consent to â€Å"medicine men† poking them with needles and performing life-threatening procedures all in the name of beauty and driven by the fundamental mentality that the body is ugly. Miner uses cultural materialism to explore and explain different aspects of the â€Å"Nacirema† culture. By emphasizing bathrooms as a â€Å"shrine† and sinks as â€Å"fonts†, Miner is better able to explain the obsession with body image and â€Å"rituals† used to clean and beautify our bodies. Through the â€Å"chests built into walls† or cabinets full of medicine, most of which are used once and stowed away, Miner can describe the underlying need of the â€Å"Nacirema† people to be consumed by their health. Most people hoard these medicines, creams and tonics out of the fear that they may once again be necessary and, at the same time, hope they won’t. Holism is not a concept lost on Horice Miner. What he was trying to convey in his article was that you cannot just take a glimpse of another culture and expect to understand it. In order to appreciate other cultures you need to submerge yourself in that culture and be conscious of every aspect of the culture to fully grasp an understanding of it. Miner’s satirical interpretation of the American cultures was meant to prove that without the in depth knowledge of a cultures beliefs and structure, there’s no way to make sense of even basic customs. The first two chapters of Miller’s Cultural Anthropology in a Globalizing World are meant to define and explain what cultural anthropology is and how to properly conduct research. Horace Miner’s article attempts to do the same thing with an entirely different approach. Nacirema culture summary Instead of saying outright that the way previous research had been carried out was misrepresenting entire populations of people, he decided to take an anthropological look at a well known culture from an outside perspective and show how easily its ideas and principles could be misunderstood when taken out of it own social context. This reading was meaningful and thought provoking to me because instead of a monotonous essay preaching about the importance of cultural relativism when analyzing different cultures, Miner was able to make his point with a slight mocking and sarcastic undertone. I found it provocative and compelling that he was able to interpret and criticize the absurdities of his own culture and provide insight on the importance of perspective in studying any culture. He pokes fun at the â€Å"Nacirema’s† conflicting ideology of obsessing over displays of beauty and opulence while becoming engulfed in indulgent, self-destructive behavior and engrossing the need to continually make more wealth. Miner, Horace 1956 Body Ritual among the Nacirema. American Anthropologist 58:3. Miller, Barbara 2010 Cultural Anthropology in a Globalizing World 2nd edition Boston: Pearson.