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Table of contents

1. Summary
2. History of Bristol-Myers
3. Beauty Medical
4. Management/Human Resources
5. Training and Development
6. Compensation and Rewards

Summary

This document consists of an overall business review for the Pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb. Although by no means a complete summary of their 1998 business dealings or strategy, it does give a nice overview of three of the most component and fundamentally sound aspects of any business, let alone a Fortune 500 business.

This document starts by covering the Marketing aspect of Bristol-Myers Squibb. First covered is the most important structure of any company; its product. Inside is information on how they distribute their product, and where they distribute it to. Finally, we see how they promote their product, and which ways it is advertised.

Management is the next topic of discussion. What style of management does Bristol-Myers Squibb conduct? The document talks about compensation given to their employees, and how the average employee is rewarded for achieving the level of excellence.

Finally, the document focuses on Finance. It shows Bristol-Myers Squibb profits, it debts, how much money is invested in the company, and basically the direction that the Company is headed. Once again, this document is not nearly a complete breakdown of Bristol-Myers Squibb's 1998 business transactions. All this document is aiming for is to give an idea of the extreme complexity of the business world, understand(at least a little more) the strategy and competitiveness between companies, and maybe to enlighten a few on how much time and effort goes into such a giant of a company like this. Enjoy.

History of Bristol-Myers

In 1887 William McLaren Bristol and John Ripley Myers decided to sink $5,000 into a failing drug manufacturing firm called the Clinton Pharmaceutical Company, located in Clinton, New York. The company was officially incorporated on December 13, 1887, with William Bristol as president and John Myers as vice president. In May 1898 came a new name: Bristol, Myers Company (a hyphen replaced the original comma after Myers's death in 1899 when the company became a corporation).

The postwar depression prompted Bristol-Myers to jettison its ethical drug business and "devote itself entirely to its specialties": its two big winners and a dozen or so assorted toiletries, antiseptics and cough syrups. Company headquarters was established in Manhattan, where it has remained ever since. And having shifted squarely into the consumer products arena, Bristol-Myers began advertising its products directly to the public.

In 1924, gross profits topped $1 million for the first time in Bristol-Myers history. The company's products were on sale in 26 countries. At this point, the shares held by John Myers's heirs became available for sale, triggering a series of moves that turned Bristol-Myers into a publicly held company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1929.

In 1943, Bristol-Myers bought Cheplin Biological Labs, and quickly entered into the field of antibiotics. During the war, Bristol-Myers was a major distributor of penicillin and other types of antibiotics. By the end of the war, it was clear that penicillin and other antibiotics represented an immense opportunity for the company. Cheplin was renamed Bristol Laboratories, and Frederic N. Schwartz was put in charge of it. In 1957 Schwartz was appointed president and chief executive officer of Bristol-Myers when Henry Bristol chose to shed some of his former responsibilities and become chairman of the board. Reviewing the company's situation and prospects, Schwartz and then treasurer Gavin K. MacBain -- later Schwartz's successor as CEO -- decided that Bristol-Myers should embark on a program of acquiring well-managed smaller companies. The two executives' first major move in that direction was to acquire Clairol.

Within a dozen or so years after Clairol joined the company, a number of other acquisitions followed, including those of Drackett, Mead Johnson, Zimmer and Westwood. In 1986 the company opened a state-of-the-art research complex in Wallingford, Connecticut, designed to house more than 800 scientists and support staff. In January 1994 Charles A. Heimbold, Jr., was elected chief executive officer. In 1995 Heimbold also became chairman.

In 1856 Edward Robinson Squibb founded a pharmaceutical company in Brooklyn, New York, dedicated to the production of consistently pure medicines, like ether and chloroform. In 1905 the company was sold to Lowell M. Palmer and Theodore Weicker, and the company became incorporated. That same year, land was purchased at New Brunswick, New Jersey, for establishment of an ether production plant.

In 1938 the Squibb Institute for Medical Research was established. In 1944 Squibb opened the largest penicillin production plant in the world: Building 59 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In 1971 Squibb Corporation established worldwide headquarters and expanded facilities for the Squibb Institute in Princeton, New Jersey.

In 1989 Bristol-Myers merged with Squibb, buying them out for $12.7 billion dollars. This merger created a global leader in the health care industry. The merger created what was then the world's second-largest pharmaceutical enterprise. In 1990 the Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute was established with headquarters in Princeton.

Bristol-Myers Squibb provides services for people in need of Health products. Although Pharmaceuticals are their top grossing product, the breakdown can be seen as:

• Medicines
• Beauty Care
• Nutritionals
• Medical Devices

Bristol-Myers Squibb performs most of their sales in Medicines, approximately 69% of the gross income, or $12.7 billion. They specialize in mainly six types of prescription drugs, which are:

• Cardiovascular- Pravachol, Capoten, Monopril Anti-cancer- Taxol, Paraplatin, Vepesid Anti-infective-Zerit, Cefzil, Amikin
• Central nervous system- Buspar, Serzone, Stadol NS Analgesics- Execedrin, Bufferin
• Other- Comtrex(cold reliever), Dovonex(psoriasis), Keri(moisturizing body lotion)

Beauty Care is another aspect of Bristol-Myers Squibb. In 1998, Their Beauty Care department grossed $2.3 billion, or 12% of their total sales. Some products that are made by Bristol-Myers Squibb are:

• Clariol- Daily Defense, Herbal Essence
• Matrix Essentials-Salon Selective
• Nutritionals are Bristol-Myers Squibb's third largest department. This subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb comprises 10% of their gross income, or $1.86 billion.
• Mead Johnson
• Nutritionals-Viactiv, Enfamil

Medical Devices is their last category. This division of the company accounts for 9% of their annual income, or $1.6 billion.

• Zimmer- Orthopedics
• ConvaTec- Ostomy care
• Place/Distribution

Bristol-Myers Squibb is an international company, with their world headquarters located in New York, New York. The headquarters for the company's segments are Listed as follows:

• Medicines world headquarters- Princeton, New Jersey
• Beauty Care- Stamford, Connecticut
• Nutritionals- Evansville, Indiana
• Medical Devices- Warsaw, Indiana and Skillman, New Jersey

Bristol-Myers Squibb manufactures products at forty-three major worldwide locations with a floor space of roughly 12,950,000 square feet. Forty-one are owned by Bristol-Myers Squibb and two are leased. The geographic location of the company is as follows:

Beauty Medical

The pharmaceutical products and the medical devices segments of Bristol-Myers Squibb are promoted on a national and international level in medical journals and directly to the medical profession. Also utilized is the "direct-to-consumer" advertising for a number of its products. Most other products made by Bristol-Myers Squibb are advertised on:

• Television
• Radio
• Print media
• Window and in-store displays
• Consumer offers

None of the segments is solely dependent upon one customer, or a few customers, so that the loss of a customer should not have a "material adverse effect" upon the segment.

Management/Human Resources

Bristol-Myers Squibb pertains to a centralized/pyramid management. A Board of Chairmen elect the officers of the company to serve out a term. The company is headed by a CEO, followed by a CFO, and so on. Assigned personnel are placed in individual aspects of the company and are put in charge of these divisions, only to answer to their superiors. Their international subsidiaries are maintained by appointed personnel who control their subsidiary, but also answer to a superior.

Training and Development

Training programs are conducted internally and externally throughout Bristol-Myers Squibb. Programs that are taught internally deal with competency, development, and coaching and feedback. Management programs taught internally are:

• Management Orientation-offers support, guidance, information, and opportunities to network and share with other new managers.
• Key Manager/Executive Integration-helps the transition into leadership roles
• Global Leadership Development Program-Programs that help managers increase their effectiveness in meeting global challenges
• Management Forums-facilitated by senior management to encourage information sharing and creative problem solving across divisional and functional boundaries

External training is also encouraged at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Tuition Reimbursement programs are effective for all eligible employees, providing up to 100% of the cost of the class or classes attended.

Compensation and Rewards

Creative thinking is encouraged at Bristol-Myers Squibb. The company spends $1.6 billion on research and development each year to try to discover new medicines. Bonuses are awarded annually (and even quarterly in some instances) to employees who go beyond expectations. Stock options are given to every employee at the company through their program entitled "TeamShare," although if performance levels are high, stock options become higher. Annual raises are also given to each employee, once again the amount raised in the employee's salary all depends upon their performance. Once a year, the "President's Award" is given to the employee who has achieved the highest level of excellence in the company. One outstanding employee, nominated by their manager, is given a performance review by the company to compare with other employees in the same situation. The winner of the reward receives a cash prize.

Bristol-Myers Squibb believes in good labor relation. Although all benefits for employees are only for non-unionized employees, the company makes it so that no union has a need to come about. Some programs enacted for the employees are:

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• Competitive wages with other companies
• Annual bonuses
• Annual raises
• TeamShare program-allows employees the option of purchasing stocks from the company

Although no special labor laws are practiced in the company, Bristol-Myers Squibb does expect their employees to maintain the highest level of quality that is possible. Annual performance reviews are done on most of their employees, and on-the-job training is given to those who need the extra support.

Immortality

The year 1973 is when Bobette Lacks, Henrietta’s daughter-in-law, found out that a part of Henrietta was still alive. Bobette was talking to Gardenia’s, her friend, brother-in-law. When he asked her what her last name was he was shocked. He told her that he had been working with cells in his lab at the National Cancer Institute that came from a woman known as Henrietta Lacks.

At first, Bobette was in denial because she did not think that her cells could still be a live since she had been dead from almost twenty-five years. He then started asking her a bunch of questions as to what she died from and when she died. She became overwhelmed while finding out that part of her mother-in-law was still alive and the rest of the family did not know anything about it.

As Bobette approached her house she was yelling to Lawrence, Henrietta’s oldest son and her husband, “Part of your mother, it’s alive!” They began calling other family members, they also could not believe what they were hearing. I think that it is cray how the family finally found out that part of Henrietta was still alive. I think that they should have gone through with the lawsuit that they were talking about, suing Johns Hopkins Hospital for not saying anything to them.

A group of researchers got together at the First International Workshop on Human Gene Mapping and began talking about the HeLa contamination. They came up with the idea that in order to find out which genetic markers were Henrietta’s they had to get DNA samples from her immediate family to compare the DNA to hers. Victor McKusick, one of the first scientists to publish Henrietta’s real name, told Susan Hsu, one of his postdoctoral fellows, to go and collect blood from the family. When she called David Lacks to ask if she could test their blood he thought she was doing it to test them for cancer.

Because of this, Deborah did not leave the scientists a lone. She would call almost every day to see if her results came back from her “cancer test.” What the scientists actually did with the blood is look for their HLA genetic markers to try and identify Henrietta’s cells. I believe that while taking the families blood, Hsu should have explained exactly what she was taking it for so there would not be any confusion about it being a cancer test.

Deborah tried to teach herself about her mother’s condition and cells through dictionaries and biology textbooks. She would keep a journal to write down passages from the textbooks that she read. Doing research on this terrified Deborah, especially while reading articles about HeLa cells being used to study viruses like AIDS and Ebola. She would imagine her mother suffering from the symptoms of these viruses.

The symptoms include suffocation, bleeding eyes, and bone-crushing pain. When Deborah found out that she could request a copy of Henrietta’s medical records to learn more about what happened to her, she was scared to do so at first. She did not want to think more about how her mother was affected or treated because of the cancer. In 1985 Deborah read an article from Michael Gold about her mother. In the article he quoted a lot from her medical records. Her different symptoms that she had and how she slowly died were documented in the article.

Deborah could not help but to imagine how much pain her mother must have felt throughout her sickness. Besides worrying about how her mother felt, Deborah and the rest of her family wondered how this journalist got Henrietta’s medical records without their consent. Doing so was not illegal, but patient confidentiality had been a moral belief for centuries even before then. Even though publishing medical records without consent was not illegal back then, I believe that the publishers still should have gotten the families consent just out of respect for them.

Harald zur Hausen, the man who discovered Human Papilloma Virus 18 (HPV-18), believed that HPV-18 was a sexually transmitted virus that caused cervical cancer. Because of this, he tested samples from Henrietta’s original biopsy. The results showed that she had been infected with multiple strains of the virus. Scientists were able to use Henrietta’s cells to study how HPV infections cause cancer. The HPV inserted its DNA into the long arm of her eleventh

chromosome which turned off the p53 tumor suppressor gene. We talked a bit about this process in class. Scientist are still trying to figure out how this caused Henrietta’s body to produce so many cells. Many people thought that Henrietta “slept around” just because she had HPV, but that was not the case.

HeLa cells also helped scientists figure out how and what was required for HIV to infect cells. Eventually, the theory of HeLa no longer being human came about. Just like while inside the body, cells change in culture. While outside, they are exposed to different environments that cause the DNA to change. The cells continue to pass on their new DNA with every generation. Because Leigh Van Valen-- an evolutionary biologist-- claimed HeLa became a new species, they named them Helacyton gartleri. Helacyton, because of the words HeLa and cyton meaning “cell” in Greek. Gartleri because of Stanley Gartler, who dropped the “HeLa Bomb.” It amazes me how many scientific discoveries HeLa was involved in. She helped science get to where it is today.

Cancer cells are able to grow more than normal human cells. Normal cells reach their limit then they have doubled about fifty times, then they begin to die. This specific number that they can divide is called the Hayflick Limit, after Leonard Hayflick who published a paper in 1961 on how this works. Scientists thought that their technique was wrong when using normal cells to try to create an immortal cell line. But it was the fact that they were not using malignant cells to do so. Another topic that we talked about in class were telomeres, which are a string of DNA at the end of each chromosome.

Telomeres shorten each time a cell divides until they stop dividing all together and die. The shorter the telomere the less time a person has to live. A scientist at Yale discovered that human cancer cells contain an enzyme called telomerase. This enzyme rebuilds chromosome’s telomeres. This helped to identify why Henrietta’s cells became immortal, they did not grow old and die like the rest of her body did.

The year 1996 was a big year for Henrietta and her family. Adam Curtis, a BBC producer in London made the most detailed documentary about Henrietta and the Lacks family than anyone ever did. Roland Pattillo organized the first annual HeLa Cancer Control Symposium. He also petitioned for the city of Atlanta to name October 11, the date of the symposium, Henrietta Lacks Day. It was approved with an official proclamation from the mayor’s office.

Courtney Speed, a local grocery store owner in Turner Station, and Barbara Wyche, a sociologist at Morgan State University, wrote letters to Congress and the mayor’s office to convince them to give Henrietta recognition for her contribution to science. Soon after, they founded the Henrietta Lacks Health History Museum Foundation, Inc. That was all to raise awareness of Henrietta’s contribution. I am glad that there were people out there who gave Henrietta the recognition that she so rightly deserved.

I think that it is great that Deborah and Zakariyya were able to see their mother’s cells with the help of Rebecca Skloot, the author of the book, and Christoph Lengauer, a cancer researcher at Johns Hopkins Hospital. I believe that they needed that closer in order to feel better about and to know more about how their mother was contributing to science. Not only did Christoph allow them to see Henrietta’s cells but he also created FISH, fluorescence in situ hybridization, with the HeLa cells. This technique was used to paint chromosomes with multiple fluorescent dyes that shine bright under ultraviolet light. This helped to view information about a person’s DNA within their chromosomes.

On September 13, 2001, Franklin Salisbury Jr., president of the National Foundation for Cancer Research, wanted to hold their conference on that date in Henrietta’s honor. Salisbury wanted Deborah to speak and accept a plaque in her mother’s honor. Two days before that date came about, the September 11th attack happened. Rebecca and Deborah were both leaving that day to go to Washington D.C. for the conference, but they canceled it because they did not think that Washington D.C. was safe from terrorists. Deborah was upset because they were one of the first people to recognize Henrietta’s contribution to science. It was a very sad day for all of us.

Johns Hopkins Hospital states that they never made any money off of the HeLa cells because George Gey gave them away. Deborah and the rest of her family still did not believe that. She even had trouble understanding that no one was paying Rebecca to publish the book.

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Conclusion

The book talks about how Henrietta was a black woman born into slavery. Her cells were taken without her consent and used by white scientists. As Rebecca Skloot said, “It was a story of white selling black, of black cultures “contaminating” white ones… It was also the story of cells from an uncredited black woman becoming one of the most important tools in medicine.” The laws of today state that it is illegal to publish medical records without the patient’s consent. If that law would have been in place during Henrietta’s time, we would not be as far in science as we are now. It is because of her that scientists have figured out a way to immortalize cells by exposing them to certain things, because of that, a story like Henrietta’s may not ever happen again.

Table of contents

1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
3. Statistical analysis
4. Discussion
5. Works Cited

Introduction

Pharmacy is one of the most respected professions worldwide, and one that has undergone tremendous developments over the years. The pharmacist’s role has changed from being product oriented to being patient oriented. This is due to the fact that pharmacists are experts in medicines, in respect to which they advise both patients and physicians regarding the appropriate use of both prescribed and over the counter drugs. In 1997, the World Health Organization pointed out the expanded role of pharmacists in the healthcare team, and coined the term “Seven Stars Pharmacist, ” referring to the extension of their role to caregiver, decision maker, communicator, leader, manager, lifelong learner, and teacher.

Pharmacy students are given many courses in biomedical, pharmaceutical, clinical, and administrative sciences to strengthen their knowledge and build their skills so that they may become productive and successful practitioners in the field of pharmaceutical practice. Students’ preparedness for their future career plans during high school is very important. For example, in Canada, more than 3500 junior high school students were interviewed to assess their future career plans and their confidence in being able to find training and jobs in their field of interest. A majority of students had already planned for their future career and were confident regarding finding jobs at the national and global level.

High school students are normally unaware of the pharmaceutical profession or the role of pharmacists. There are, however, many reasons for students to choose pharmacy as an area of specialization after high school graduation. Some may choose pharmacy because they want to work with patients, others may choose pharmacy because they want profession with a high level of income, while others may choose pharmacy because they want a profession with flexible working hours. These students may be influenced to study pharmacy by their relatives, friends, or teachers, or through career fairs.

The College of Pharmacy at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences offered a one week program for high school graduates, introducing them to the pharmacy profession. During this week, students were briefed on the profession, were involved in activities related to compounding, visited practice sites, and were included in certain clinical trainings. At the end of the week, about 70% of students who had completed the course either applied or considered applying for the pharmacy program. 7Proper systematic and professional guidance for high school students regarding the pharmaceutical career and the potential working opportunities would guide students toward selecting their career of interest, as well as helping them to map their future career plan. The pharmaceutical market in KSA suffers from shortage of native-born pharmacists, which has led to the recruitment of a large number of overseas pharmacists. 8 As recently as 2001, there was only one school of pharmacy inks, but by 2016 a total of 21 public pharmacy colleges and private colleges had been established.

Nowadays, the total number of doctoral (Pharm D) programs offered in KSA is 19, while 15 Bachelor’s (B Pharm) programs are on offer. Due to the tremendous increase in the number of pharmacy colleges between 2001 and 2016, the number of Saudi national pharmacists increased from 5% to 16. 6%during that period. 10Many studies worldwide have investigated the reasons and motivators for pharmacy students to study pharmacy5, 6, 11e14 as well as their future career plans. 4, 15, 16 In KSA, only one study was conducted among 122 final year B Pharm and Pharm D students in Riyadh to evaluate the main factors influencing students’ selection of the pharmacy program and their willingness to enter the pharmaceutical industry after graduation. Taif is one of the major cities located in the western region of KSA. No previous studies have been conducted in the western region of KSA exploring pharmacy students’ satisfaction levels and future career plans. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the motivations of all pharmacy students (PharmD) in joining the pharmacy program at Tail University, their satisfaction concerning their choice, and their future career plans.

Materials and Methods

A cross-sectional study was carried out at the College of Pharmacy, Taif University. About 700 questionnaires were conveniently distributed to all pharmacy students at Taif University.

The questionnaire was developed after an extensive literature review. Form and content validation were performed by two experts from the Clinical Pharmacy Department at Taif University (one professor and one associate professor). The initial questionnaire was piloted on 20 students. The pilot study yielded a Cronbach’s alpha of 82. 6%. The questionnaire was divided into four sections. The first section concerned respondents ‘demographics, such as gender, educational level, place of residence, and Grade Point Average (GPA).

Section two enquired about students’ reasons for choosing to study the Pharm D program. The third section concerned students ‘satisfaction regarding their choice of pharmacy as a major. The final section asked about students’ future career plans. In this section, students were given a list of possible career paths for pharmacists and asked to answer either “yes” or “no” to each one. Since students were allowed to choose more than one possible future career plan, the total percentage of students’ choices may in some cases be more than 100%.

All pharmacy students at the College of Pharmacy, Taif University, were eligible to participate in this study, a total of 765 male and female students. All students were enrolled in the same program, a year Pharm D program.

A group of 4thyear pharmacy students were recruited as data collectors. They met with pharmacy students at the College of Pharmacy during their study breaks from April 1, 2017 to April 30, 2017. First, data collectors introduced themselves to students and briefed them about the study. They then informed them that their participation in the study would be voluntary and that all data would be kept confidential. Students who agreed to join the study and gave informed verbal consent were given the questionnaire. The questionnaire generally took less than 10 min to complete.

Statistical analysis

Data obtained from this survey were coded, entered, and then analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS) Version 22. 0. Frequencies and percentages were used to describe the results, while Chisquare and Fisher Exact tests were used to determine the association between the students ‘demographic profiles and their answers to the three main study sections. Values of less than 0. 05 were considered significant.

A total of 700 students were present during the study period. Only 398 students responded to the questionnaire, response rate of 56. 85%. The majority of respondents were male (80%), in their fourth year of study (47. 7%), had applied for the pharmacy program as their second choice after medicine (62. 3%), and preferred to study the Pharm D program (98. 2%). Detailed results are shown in Table 1. Table 2 below summarizes students’ reasons for choosing to enroll on the pharmacy program. Two thirds of respondents were encouraged to study pharmacy by family members, while threequartersee73. 4%eechose pharmacy because their high school grades allowed them to join the program. Looking for an in demand job with career opportunities, flexible working hours, wishing to work in ahealthrelated field, and having a secure job were the main incentives for pharmacy students to join the pharmacy program (81. 7%, 67. 8%, 83. 4%, and 83. 2%, respectively). Just over half of all respondents (52%) either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that pharmacy is the ideal profession. In addition, about 58. 7% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that, if they were given the chance to choose their program of study again, they would again choose pharmacy. Only 27%of respondents regretted entering College of Pharmacy. Regarding students’ future career plans, students were asked to tick all areas of work that might be of interest to them.

Discussion

Studying pharmacy is a stressful task due to the academic workload during the study period. Therefore, students joining a pharmacy program should be clear about the requirements for successful completion of the program, as well as the opportunities available for pharmacy graduates. It is noticeable in our findings that only 37. 7% of our respondents had applied to study pharmacy as their first choice. It is a common view in Arabian countries that students who attain high grades in their high school studies largely choose to study medicine as their first choice. Those who fail to secure a place in the faculty of medicine choose to study pharmacy or another health related subject most of the time. In a study conducted among undergraduate pharmacy students in Jordan, it was found that 45% had applied for pharmacy as their first choice, while about 32%of respondents had medicine as their first choice of study program. Similar findings were found in a study conducted among pharmacy students at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa, where pharmacy was the first choice for 52. 3% of pharmacy students. Many incentives and influencing factors could affect students’ decision regarding their chosen field of study. In our study, about two thirds of respondents, 66%, were encouraged to study pharmacy by family members, 83. 7% wanted to work in well-respected profession, 81. 7% chose pharmacy because of their desire to work in a popular and in demand profession, 60% due to their belief that pharmacy is the closest profession next to medicine, while two thirds wanted a job involving direct contact with patients. We note that schoolteachers played a role in guiding students’ future career plans in only a minority of cases (20. 4%). All of these reasons were in turn mainly due to students’ perceptions toward the pharmacy profession, namely, that it is secure, respected, and in demand, as well as family influence.

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Another study investigating the factors influencing Pharm D students to study pharmacy at the University of Georgia and at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in the USA found that the majority of students were encouraged to study pharmacy by someone else. Of these, 43%were influenced by family, 24% by pharmacy students or pharmacists, and about 9% by a career day event that had introduced them tithe pharmacy profession.

Works Cited

1. Al-Ruthia, Y. S., Alic, A., Alahmed, W. S., & Alrashedi, M. A. (2018). Perceptions and Attitudes of Pharmacy Students Towards the PharmD Curriculum in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, 26(2), 264-269.
2. Al-Wazaify, M., Matowe, L., & Albsoul-Younes, A. (2006). Pharmacy Education in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 70(4), 1-9.
3. Awaisu, A., & Ibrahim, M. (2010). Pharmacy Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Past, Present, and Future. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 74(2), 32.
4. Balayssac, D., Malet-Martino, M. C., Gilard, V., & Martino, R. (2011). Motivations and Career Plans of French Pharmacy Students. Pharmacy Education, 11(1), 1-8.
5. Bhagavathula, A. S., Aldhaleei, W. A., Rahmani, J., Mahabadi, M. A., Bandari, D. K., & Khan, M. A. (2019). Why Pharmacy Students Choose Pharmacy as a Career? A Survey on Pharmacy Education Motivations in Qatar. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, 27(5), 678-683.
6. El Hajj, M. S., Al-Saeed, H. S., Khaja, M., & Salem, A. M. (2016). Pharmacy Education in Saudi Arabia: A Vision of the Future. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, 24(4), 379-391.
7. Hajar, R. (2017). The Seven Stars Pharmacist. Heart Views, 18(1), 1-3.
8. Hussain, A. M., Khan, T. M., Aljadhey, H. S., & Alrashed, A. H. (2016). Exploring Factors Influencing Healthcare Providers’ Attitude Towards Medical Errors and Patient Safety in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences, 11(4), 351-358.
9. Kheir, N., Fahey, M., Al Ayoubi, F., & Al Oudah, N. (2008). Pharmacy Education and Practice in 13 Middle Eastern Countries. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 72(6), 133.
10. Mirkuzie, A. H., & Demssie, A. F. (2016). Career Preferences of Ethiopian Medical Students: Addis Ababa University Medical Students’ Perspective. Ethiopian Medical Journal, 54(1), 1-8.

Diversity is easiest to think of as differences. We live in a diverse world made up of many different people and organisms. Although we do have these differences, we are more alike collectively. What I mean by this, is even if someone is black, white, or brown, Muslim, or Jew, we are still at the end of the day, still a human being. In our world today, many fights and disagreements are due to such differences, however, if we were more understanding, much peace could conclude. Catholic Social Teachings give us much guidance as to how we should treat each other, one of the main points is to value human life. That does not mean just the people in our groups, but those outside of them as well.

Privilege is a word to describe special treatment. Many of us hear of white privilege on the media and even news sometimes. What this means is that people who are white have special luxuries in this world. However, after speaking with some American friends, this is false. Many times, we hear that black people are discriminated against by the privileged white race. Although, I do see these discrimination, I do not think that all white people have special privilege. I feel that in some ways I am privileged. In my country, my family has nice house and things, although there are some poor. So, for this reason, I feel privileged. Also, since I am granted the right to study in another country, because many people apply for this scholarship but not all are chosen.

Bias and stereotypes are basically the same thing. It is when a group of people are classified for the common perceptions of them. For instance, in the U.S., there is bad stereotype or classification for Muslims. This is because of all the conflicts of 9/11 and ISIS. Although, these representations are false, people still do not like us. At airport, I sometimes get interrogated, and I believe this is because I am Muslim.

I was impacted the most from learning about the Holocaust and Slavery, along with biases. These three have impacted me a lot. I feel bad that groups receive such negativity. People need to realize that in every race, gender, and culture there are some good people and some bad people. This class has taught me to never judge a person before getting to know them. This lesson is extremely important to me, and I wish others thought the same.

As a college student, and even in my future, I will handle discrimination and diversity in the same manner. I will never judge another person, and I will also defend those who are stereotypes and discriminated against. I have realized that by not standing up, I am just as bad as the bully. If someone tries to hurt me, I will simply ignore them or ask them nicely to stop. I realize that just because they are hurtful doesn’t mean that I have to seek revenge.

In the essay “Mother Tongue” published in the American literacy journal, Amy Tan goes on to emphasize the struggles of identity, and expectations of the American and Asian society, through her two worlds of language. She demonstrates her point through her mother's perspectives, as well as through her own life experiences while growing up. Overall, I believe her point to be valid and clear through her examples that will be analyzed in this essay. To begin with, Tan's two universes experience the ill effects of a language conflict, which hinders her mindfulness of identity. Her first world, which revolves around her Chinese speaking mother, consists of speaking “impeccable broken English”, to be able to better communicate with each other. The English spoken is the definition of simple and easy. Throughout this world, Tan makes a point of being uncomfortable of the English flowing through her mother's teeth to the point where she believes it “almost had an effect on limiting her possibilities”. From stories of her visiting the department stores, or the stockbroker, to even simply talking to her daughter’s friends, Tan’s mother’s English is and will always be broken to others. However to Tan herself, her “mother's english becomes perfectly clear and natural” which helps her “make sense of the word”, thus encouraging her discovery for identifying primary language. She discovers that her “mother tongue” will consistently have an alternate social methodology in this private world. Whereas on the other hand of the coin, in the professional and formal world, Tan is an ideal English scholar. With being able to speak grammatically and formally well, Tan’s identity of perfect english is clearer than her world that revolves around “limited English”. Consequently, the move between these two universes with various dialects, features the effects on Tan's self character of language.

In addition, Tan expresses being judged by society of both American and Asian populations, puts an equivalent measure of weight on her acknowledgment of her language. Being an English major with a background of Chinese descent, the expectations of the Americans, and stereotypical views of the Asians prey on her life like a pack of lions hunting for food. Even in highschool, her teachers wanted her to pursue math or sciences rather than anything else, further showing what was expected of her was something entirely different from her own expectations. This massive stereotype of Asians being more associated with math and science, rather than anything of the English realm, plays a major role in how identities become diminished throughout life of any cultured individual who’s first language is not english. She also brings forth the fact that English tests required a greater amount of an assessment of one's own perspective, while math is simple and exact with just one right answer. Nevertheless, Tan did not let this stop her while growing up, and pursued her major in English, even if her worst skill, being writing, was a large part of the career.

Additionally, even in her mother's regular day to day existence, the heaviness of judgment is high, and now and again individuals because of her English not being the perfect language expected in the public eye, disregarded her or took what she communicated as a joke. Lastly, because of her native language, it is obviously appeared, straightforwardly just as by implication that ethnicity mists on society’s judgement of Tan and her mother.

All in all, the realization that identity and harsh judgment of society is affected by language, is immense. Also Tan proves that having two separate worlds with dialects that clash, does not mean the individual is also split into two, rather they learn to slowly accept, love, and embrace their struggles with identity.

In the late 1960’s and 1970’s, the social construction of gender became a heated topic of debate amongst feminist theorists. The argument that the patriarchal values embedded in American culture (rather than purely biological factors), were responsible for constructing masculine and feminine roles in society, met intense criticism. Prior to the introduction of gender construction theory, many of the theories regarding gender were based on the idea that biological factors alone determined the roles of men and women in society. During the 1960’s and 1970’s, however, a rift formed between those whose thoughts about gender roles evolved and those who stuck to the belief that the traditional roles of men and women should remain intact.In Ragtime, a novel written in the mid-nineteen seventies amidst this controversial debate, E.L. Doctorow uses the revolutionary theory of Gender Construction to explore masculinity and femininity in the early nineteen hundreds and it’s affect on both the fictional and non-fictional characters of his work. Perhaps not the main subject of the novel, his characterization of the females (specifically Evelyn Nesbit and Mother) as victims of their femininity, is integral to the plot.

The comparison and contrast of Evelyn and Mother and their feelings toward the importance of their appearance, their sexuality, and their relationships with men reveals how the patriarchal construction of gender in early twentieth century American culture restricted women to purely “feminine” roles which oppressed their ability to become independent members of society. From a young age, Evelyn’s mother taught her that she could use her beauty as a tool to propel herself into upper-class society. Because of her mother’s insistence that she use her beauty to secure herself an advantageous marriage, Evelyn agrees to take a vacation with Harry K. Thaw, one of the wealthiest men in the country, and finds herself semi-trapped in an abusive situation. Only when she realizes that her beauty may be sacrificed if Harry continues physically abusing her, does she decide that “their relationship had gone beyond its tacit understanding” (Doctorow 23) and she demands to be sent home. Evelyn values her appearance only because she sees that her beauty is a trait that is highly admired by the men in her life. The reaction she receives from her audience of admirers determines her self-worth and since she can control her appearance, she feels like she has power over that part of her life. Yet, she soon realizes that her beauty, like her power over men, only lasts temporarily. For the first time, she begins to doubt whether she can continue to rely on her beauty when, “she looks [looked] in the mirror and sees [saw] the unmistakable lineaments of womanhood coming in to her girlish face”(Doctorow 88). Evelyn has never tried to accomplish anything on her own without using her looks to her advantage. She has no idea what will happen to her once her beauty begins to fade and men are no longer willing to pay for her to live like an aristocrat. Her beauty becomes a disadvantage to her because she realizes that that the control she thought she had over her life never existed. She kept up her appearance solely for the pleasure of the men in her life and it dawns on her, when she sees the evidence of aging on her face that her life was in the control of those men all along.

In her article about the social factors that lead women to be come dependent on men, Carol Gilligan states her beliefs about how women are raised to believe that "intimacy goes along with identity" and that "the female comes to know herself as she is known, through her relationships with others" (12). In Evelyn’s case, she has become accustomed to having a flock of admirers obsessed with her beauty. She defines herself through their treatment of her as a defenseless, simple, and delicate object because she has been raised to believe that it is their opinion of her and not her own, that matters. In this way, Evelyn creates her own femininity through the patriarchal perspective of the men in her life.

Although Mother and Evelyn Nesbit appear to come from entirely different backgrounds, their reliance on their appearance to secure their prospective futures is similar in that they each use Western notions of femininity to attract possible spouses. Mother, for example, is described as having “golden hair which she wore up in the style of the day”(Doctorow 68). Although Mother is already married when this description of her is presented within the text, Doctorow makes it clear that she is still aware of current social views about the roles of women in the household because despite the security in already having a family and a home, Mother continues to follow current trends. When Father goes on his long trip, Mother is finally able to break slightly free from the social restrictions that control her when her husband is present and she decides not to “take time to put her hair up but let it hang to her shoulders all day”(Doctorow 234). Mother’s femininity is a show that she puts on for her husband and for the public so that they will believe that she is a proper woman. She wears her hair up tightly on her head when she thinks anyone might be looking because wearing it down on her shoulders suggests a certain boldness that women like Mother were not supposed to have. Mother has been “trained” to be the embodiment of the perfect wife through the strict social restrictions that have shaped her femininity. Nevertheless, she finds that her temporary escape from those restrictions (letting her hair down) reveals to her a beauty about herself that has nothing to do with her feminine appearance. In this way, “Mother seems to become, simply through practical experience, a working example of the abstract doctrines of women's liberation”(Morris 91). Although Mother never makes any radical moves to free herself from the husband she never loved, she does seem to make changes in her life that make her happier and she is able to reject some of her restrictive feminine roles so that she can search for ways to become more independent.

Although Evelyn takes immense amounts of pleasure in the attention she receives from men, her sexuality, because it is framed entirely by her views of masculinity and femininity, is a part of her that is for the men in her life rather than for herself. During her first sexual experience with Harry K. Thaw, “he pulls [pulled] off her robe throws [threw] her across the bed and applies [applied] a dog whip to her buttocks and the backs of her thighs”(Doctorow 23). Evelyn’s sexuality has been formed by her beliefs about her role as a woman. Because she is believed to be the epitome of femininity, she does not feel like she is allowed to have a sexuality of her own. Like in the case with Harry Thaw, her body is a sexual tool for male pleasure rather than for her own. Even when she finally lets go of the stigmas that repress her sexual desires and allows herself to feel sexual pleasure, her exploration of her own sexuality is interrupted by Younger Brother as he, “falls [fell] into the room… and spurts of jism trace [traced] the air like bullets and finally settle [settled] over Evelyn”(Doctorow 63-64). Once again, Evelyn is forced to come to the realization that men’s sexuality’s constantly overshadows her own. While she is able to take one step forward toward finding what may lead to her own pleasure, she is blocked by the invisible social restrictions that keep her from viewing herself as an individual rather than an object. In an interview with Doctorow, he discusses his preoccupation with sex as power that reveals why Evelyn is unable to truly realize her own sexuality. Doctorow states that he is “using sex as a metaphor for political relations, or helplessly annotating what passes for sex in a society that suffers paternalistic distortions”(121). Because Evelyn will never be able to overcome the social forces that appoint her as a second class citizen, her notions about her own sexuality will similarly remain unaffected. Evelyn is too entrenched in the patriarchal social structure and it’s “paternalistic distortions” to even realize that her sexuality is affected by it.

Similarly to Evelyn, mother represses her sexual desires and allows her husband to use her body solely for his own pleasure. Before Father leaves on a long trip, she allows him to have sex with her but she “shuts [shut] her eyes and holds [held] her hands over her ears”(Doctorow 12) until he finishes. For Mother(and Evelyn), sex is a duty to be performed for their husbands; not an act to be enjoyed by both parties. “Feminine” women such as Mother are not supposed to have sexual desires of their own because sexual urges are seen as masculine behavior. Yet, as the times change in front of Mother’s eyes, she begins to long for independence from her restrictive, traditional marriage and regards sex with her husband as an “intrusion, not as in the old days but with some awareness of her own, some sort of expectation on the skin that pounds [pounded] from her”(Doctorow 249). After Father leaves on his long journey, Mother seeks to find herself as an individual rather than as a wife and mother. Unlike Evelyn, she is able to look at her life differently during her husband’s absence because she takes the time to read and learn about the social movements taking place in the United States at the time.

While Evelyn simply replaces her husband with new men that will take care of her, Mother realizes that she should not have to define herself in relation to her husband and somewhat distances herself from Father when he returns. While Evelyn feels powerful in her awareness of the affect that her beauty has on men, her marriage to Harry K. Thaw ruins her illusion of control over him and over her own life. When Harry commits murder and is put on trial, Evelyn realizes that her livelihood depends entirely on her ability to characterize herself and her husband as perfect examples of feminine and masculine nature. When she testifies on his behalf she portrays “Harry as the victim of an irrepressible urge to find honor for himself and his young bride. She performs [performed] flawlessly”(Doctorow 85). Evelyn takes the stand prepared to present herself as the epitome of womanhood. As the victim of rape perpetrated by the murdered man, Evelyn pretends that her potential to become a proper woman was destroyed. The only way to regain her honor, in her husbands eyes, was to kill the man who “ruined” his wife. When presented with this story, the jury is apt to agree that Harry was simply fulfilling his masculine role in protecting his young bride and gender is effectively used by the defendant as the reason behind his “uncontrollable” act of manliness. Although Evelyn seems to be aware that the idea that Harry couldn’t control himself because of his masculine character traits is ridiculous, she continues to see herself as a victim of her femininity and does not attempt to step outside of her gender role.

After Harry, she continues to depend on men and simply turns her attentions to Mother’s younger brother because, “It was a characteristic of Evelyn that she could not resist someone who was so strongly attracted to her”(Doctorow 83). Evelyn does not believe that she is capable of living her life without having someone who will take care of her. She was raised to believe that as a woman, she is too fragile and mentally incompetent to accomplish anything other than becoming a beautiful wife. After her affair with Younger Brother, Evelyn disappears from the story as quickly as she was introduced. In his article about Doctorow’s use of gender in his works, Marshall Gentry states, “Several of Doctorow’s major female characters nearly disappear by the end of their novels, as if they must be hidden from view so that their flaws too, may be hidden”(514). Unlike Mother, Evelyn never seems to make any progress towards becoming an individual and this is her major character flaw. By ending Evelyn’s story in the middle of the novel, Doctorow hides Evelyn’s flaws by never mentioning (except for a quick sentence at the end) that Evelyn never became the independent woman that Mother did and was unable to find happiness for herself.

In contrast to Evelyn, Mother married a man with a similar background to her own. Mother’s belief in the inferiority of her sex when she first married father, however, mirrors Evelyn’s beliefs and leads them both to the conclusion that they must remain dependent on men. After years of being married to Father, Mother realizes that the reality of her marriage is not the romantic fairy tale she once believed it would be. While looking at her husband she sees that, “whereas once, in his courtship, Father might have embodied the infinite possibilities of loving, he had aged and gone dull”(Doctorow 250). Mother knows that while she is dependent on Father for her livelihood, she made the wrong decision when she married him for social rather than romantic reasons. Although she is unhappy in her marriage, “Mother does not, as more radical women might, attempt to live independently, but she is receptive to social changes that give her access to a more rewarding life”(Tokarczyk 4). Mother is unwilling to break up her family so that she can be independent because she does not see the sense in doing so. Father provided for her in every way that he knew how and Mother knows that it is not his fault that he does not understand her now that she has changed.

Like mother once was, Father was raised to believe that he should exert his masculinity in his marriage and he is entirely unaware of how he could participate in a relationship that was not defined by it’s masculine and feminine characteristics. When Father dies, however, Mother is free to choose a man who she feels is her equal rather than her superior and she finds that man and “accepts [accepted] him without hesitation. She loved to be with him. They both relished in the traits of character in the other”(Doctorow 319). Instead of distinguishing gender roles in their relationship, mother and her new husband simply admire each other’s traits without having to name them as either masculine or feminine. Mother has found someone who loves her for who she is now, rather than “proper” woman she used to try to be, and unlike Evelyn, she does not disappear from the novel but thrives at the end in her successful marriage and the start of her new life.

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Both Evelyn and Mother began their lives under the impression that their feminine natures would determine the outcome of the rest of their lives, yet only Mother is able to finally escape this notion and find her identity outside of her femininity. Evelyn is exposed to new ways of living and thinking but she is unwilling or unable to change her habits enough so that she can live a life that does not revolve around the men in her life. The contrast between these two women becomes evident when their beliefs about the importance of their appearance, their sexuality, and their relationships with men are analyzed. In all of these areas of their lives, Evelyn never changes in any of her beliefs while mother evolves completely. Although neither character is ever completely freed from the social restrictions that oppressed the women of their time, it is with the acknowledgement of the possibility of social change that mother finds happiness in her life.

The Odyssey is a Greek epic by Homer.  It tells the story of Odysseus, a great Greek hero, known for his bravery and intelligence, and his returning journey home.  During his journey, he comes across many obstacles, many caused by conflicts in the realm of the gods.  However, there are other problems he certainly brings upon himself because he does not learn from his mistakes. 

Odysseus’ worst error during his journey is to barb Polyphemus and bring the displeasure of Poseidon consequent to himself.  In the end, however, Athena demands Zeus to reverse Poseidon’s anger and helps Odysseus return to his home.  Odysseus lets his ego take over when he fools Polyphemus and gives his name in a vapor.  In return, Polyphemus prays to his father Poseidon to curse Odysseus for a long and hard journey home.  Odysseus, opposed to his usual prudence, completely loses it in this situation.  The first time he talks back to the furious Polyphemus, the Cyclops throws a portion of a cliff at the sailors, the current caused by this huge projectile washing them back to shore.  One would think after the results of this first taunt, Odysseus might have been grateful to escape and put all his efforts into getting away.  But not fearless hero Odysseus, despite his crew’s ecstatic pleas, Odysseus throws another tease that dooms him along with his men.  Even though Odysseus had to suffer for his decision, he only does so outwardly.  He causes the death of his crew and keeps himself away longer, but he never takes responsibility for his mistake.  He does not repent.  Athena takes Odysseus’ fate into her own hands and allows him to return home.

Odysseus decides to stay with Circe after his men are turned into pigs, and he is allowed to leave when he wants to and is given help and advice.  Odysseus is only thinking of himself and his pleasure when he decides to stay.  He knows that Circe is probably a dangerous immortal and is not to be trusted since she had literally just turned all his men into pigs, yet he forgives and forgets, accepting her invitation to feast with her and stay for many seasons. Odysseus does not consider his men and is delaying returning home and finishing the quest.  However, he can leave without protest whenever he wants. Circe even helps and gives a prophecy of the future as he leaves.  Odysseus comes across many more trials as he continues with his quest.  He makes a stop in the underworld, avoids the snare of the Sirens, escapes a six-headed monster, and loses all his crew to a thunderbolt from Zeus.  Alone, he arrives on Calypso’s island, an immortal that seems eerily like Circe.  He enjoys himself with Calypso in the beginning, paying no attention to the wife that he left behind in Ithaca so years ago.  There is arrogance involved, the pride that he, is craved by a divine nymph.  He realizes that his betrayal is a mistake, but this time Calypso is intent on keeping him on her island to be with her.  He is forced to stay for years until Zeus enforces the nymph to let him go.

Odysseus is very careful in revealing his identity to Penelope and Laertes, but both welcome him back with open arms.  Odysseus waits until he reveals himself to his wife due to his pride.  The huge flaw that has caused him so much trouble in the past, he still has not learned to control.  He tests Penelope for her faithfulness first, which was not fair for him to do because he had not been faithful.  He does not tell her right out that he, the beggar, was really Odysseus.  Even after he had killed all the suitors and sat alone with Penelope.  He reveals a test from Penelope of his identity.  Odysseus flies into a rage at Penelope because she claims to have moved his bed.  Odysseus does not understand this experience and does not seem to realize that fidelity is sometimes necessary.  He continues to badger his grieving father, pretending to be a traveler that met Odysseus years ago.  One would think that Odysseus has more sympathy for his father and would want to ease his father’s suffering by telling the truth immediately.  It is not until Laertes acutely groans with sadness that Odysseus reveals the truth.

Odysseus is essentially flawed by vanity. It is a necessary part of all Greek heroes.  However, his failure to learn from previous mistakes goes above and beyond his “Achilles’ heel” so to speak.  Being an overly brainy man, it should not be too hard to put two and two together and remember some of the horrible ramifications of past mistakes.  The help of the gods, mainly Athena, has a negative impact on Odysseus.  Every time he gets himself into an awkward situation, Athena or another woman is there to bail him out.  When it comes to his ego, even his intelligence and rationality cannot control him.  Odysseus shows that even heroes are human and make mistakes.

Works Cited

1. Homer, et al. The Odyssey. Viking, 1996. 

Margaret Peterson Haddix's dystopian novel "Among the Hidden" takes place in a future society where the government maintains severe population control by limiting families to only two children. Those who break this rule, like the protagonist Luke, are forced to live in hiding to avoid being discovered and taken away. This oppressive government policy creates a bleak and hopeless world for those who are affected by it, and for Luke, it means living a life of isolation and fear. The novel explores the themes of hope and change as Luke and other "shadow children" struggle to survive in this dystopian world and eventually fight to change it.

However, as he begins to connect with other "shadow children" like himself and learns about the underground resistance movement, he starts to see the possibility of change and hope for a better future. One key example of this is when Luke first meets Jen, another third child like himself. Jen tells Luke, "We can make a difference. We have to make a difference" (Chapter 7). This statement serves as a turning point for Luke, as it gives him a sense of purpose and the belief that change is possible.

The theme of hope is further reinforced through Luke's growing relationship with Jen, another third child. Jen is a symbol of hope as she is actively fighting for change and believes in the possibility of a better future. She encourages Luke to join the resistance movement, and he eventually does. The resistance is a group of third children and their supporters who are working to change the government's population control policies. When Luke first joins, he is hesitant and unsure of himself, but as he becomes more involved, he starts to see the real impact that the resistance is having. As he says, "It was hard to believe that one small group of people could make a difference in something as big as the government's population control laws" (Chapter 13). However, as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that the resistance is having a real impact, and that change is possible.

The novel also explores the idea that change can be difficult and that it requires sacrifice. Luke, Jen and other members of the resistance are putting their lives at risk to fight for change, and they have to make difficult choices in order to achieve it. As Luke reflects, "Change was hard, and it was dangerous" (Chapter 15)

In the end, Luke and Jen, along with the other shadow children, manage to make a change in the society and the government's population control policy is abolished. The novel's overall theme is that even in the darkest of times, hope and change are possible if people come together and fight for what's right. The characters' actions and their determination to make a difference, the novel encourages readers to believe in the power of hope and change and to work towards a better future.

Table of contents

1. What is a Tablet?
2. Future of Tablets
What are the Benefits and Disadvantages of Using a Tablet?The SizeBattery LifeFeatures and ProgramsPrice
3. Should I Purchase a Tablet?

Newton is the Apple Computers first Tablet; it became the first tablet computer to be sold worldwide. Tablet computers are also successful due to some features they offer including display resolution, battery life, wireless internet, recognition software and memory. The slate shaped tablets are the most popular type of tablets around such as the Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Microsoft’s Surface or Apple’s iPad. Most of these slate-type tablets make use external keyboards and some other keyboards that function for the devices. Other tablet styles include the convertible tablets, hybrid tablets and rugged tablets.

What is a Tablet?

The technology behind the creation of the tablet is to provide compatibility which in many ways functions as a laptop or a mobile computer. Tablet, nowadays, is growing in popularity due to its portability, features and ease of use. However, tablets can be used for many functions including the reading of news, checking of email, browsing the internet, playing games, reading of books, organizing contents, watching videos among others. Another feature of the tablet including the touchscreen functions and is of the size of a laptop and a smartphone. Generally, tablets come with the “tilt” feature that helps to change the orientation of the display based on how you hold it and with a built-in keyboard that shows on screen.

Future of Tablets

The next generation of mobile computing is the tablet technology. The aim behind the creation of tablets is to remove the traditional keyboard and mouse to the more intuitive touch interface (the touchscreen), and they can be easily carried in a purse, briefcase, or backpack. One main feature of the tablet is the touchscreen feature which allows you to use specific gestures with your finger to swipe and perform basic tasks like clicking a button, entering text, or zooming in or out instead of pointing and scrolling with a physical keyboard or a mouse. There are a variety of features available on tablets because different manufacturers manufacture them.

What are the Benefits and Disadvantages of Using a Tablet?

When it comes to the purchase of tablets, most people, though have tablets already, are trying to see if a laptop will suit their needs or if purchasing a tablet will be worth the price. However, there exist some benefits and detriments to using a tablet over a laptop.

The Size

When it comes to size, tablets are no doubt lighter, thinner and smaller than laptops. The weight of an average tablet falls between 1 and 2 pounds while a laptop weighs around 4 to 7 pounds. This is due partly to the screen size of the tablet which is smaller. The screen of most tablets falls between 8.5 and 10 inches and that of laptop range from 12 to 15 inches. The weight and thickness difference between the tablet and the laptop make most users consider getting and using a tablet to a laptop. They said it is easier to carry and more convenient to transport.

Battery Life

The battery life of tablets ranges from 4 to 10 hours. Some other devices like the Galaxy and the Apple iPad have a battery life of 9 to 10 hours or more, and laptop batteries usually last between 2 and 4 hours. Despite a longer battery life, tablets also have smaller chargers which are more portable than laptop chargers.

Features and Programs

There are several features laptops do offer that tablets are yet to offer. Though most of the laptop apps are available for the tablets too, but the features are limited. An example is the Pages app available on iPad but does not have features as present on an actual MacBook. The storage space for a laptop can be as high as 1 Tb while high end tablets only offer a 64 GB space. Most of the available tablets come with 16 GB or 32 GB space configurations. There are some other features available on laptops which are not available on tablet computers for now. Some of which include a physical keyboard, CD and DVD burning/playing, USB ports, and disk drives. However, if you can add accessories to your tablet, some of these features are available as attachments.

Price

The price of tablets differs ranging from $200 to $700. This is because we have different brands, spaces and the type of accessories you want in addition to the tablet. The price of tablets cannot be compared to laptops because they offer different functionality. An example is the Lenovo ThinkPad X30 whose price is as low as $250 while MacBook Pro range from $1200 to $2500.

Should I Purchase a Tablet?

This decision is personal, and nobody can decide for you because it depends on what you want to be doing with it. Users describe tablets as lightweight, small, and easily accessible. Tablets offer different ways to store and organize information and your day to day activity features like news, email, and media. However, if you need a wider space and want to install different software, you will have to get a laptop.

In Emma, author Jane Austen uses third person narration and free indirect discourse to show the same objects from different perspectives. The detached narration provides an ironic perspective that criticizes the characters’ misreadings of situations. The use of free indirect discourse in the novel shows how many different characters read the same people or situations in completely different ways. Through these contrasting perspectives of the same objects, the use of perspective in the novel reveals more about the subjects than it does about the object itself. The subjects’ viewpoints reveal the characters’ personal desires and biases. The objective third person narration reveals the misguided subjective realities of the characters and criticizes how one-sidedness and presumption blind objective judgment.

Austen highlights perspective in Emma by using free indirect discourse. Perspective is the practice of showing the same object from different viewpoints. The third person narration flows freely in and out of the minds of different characters who have contrasting perspectives. For example, when Mr. Knightley and Emma are discussing Mr. Martin’s marriage proposal to Harriet Smith, the two argue about whether or not Harriet is a suitable match for Mr. Martin. In their discussion, their opinions about Harriet are revealed. While Emma believes Mr. Martin is “inferior to [Harriet’s] rank in society,” (98) Mr. Knightley argues that Mr. Martin is “as much her superior in sense as in situation” (97). Through the use of free indirect discourse, the narrator provides insight to both Mr. Knightley and Emma’s personal stakes in Mr. Martin’s proposal and Harriet’s refusal. As he leaves the conversation, Mr. Knightley is “very much vexed” and feels “ the disappointment of the young man, and [is] mortified to have been the means of promoting it by the sanction he had given; and the part which he was persuaded Emma had taken in the affair, was provoking him exceedingly” (101). The narrator provides insight into how Mr. Knightley feels as he leaves the conversation with Emma and explains why Mr. Knightley has such a furious reaction to the news that Harriet refused Mr. Martin. During the conversation, Mr. Knightley never explicitly states that he is so angry because he is embarrassed that he endorsed the match, so the advantage into his mind because of free indirect discourse provides new information about his character and further insight to his opinions about Harriet. The narrator also enters Emma’s mind during the argument, who “tries to look cheerfully unconcerned, but was really feeling uncomfortable…she [has] a sort of habitual respect for [Mr. Knightley’s] judgment in general” so it is unpleasant to have him so angrily opposite her on this matter (100). The narrator asserts, though, that Emma “[does] not repent what she has done: she still [thinks] of herself a better judge of such a point of female right and refinement than he could be” (100). Emma believes she knows Harriet better than Mr. Knightley, and therefore her judgment of the situation is more valid and credible. Her confidence in her decision to persuade Harriet not to marry Mr. Martin does not waver. The use of free indirect discourse allows both Mr. Knightley and Emma’s perspectives to be considered in the matter of Mr. Martin’s proposal. The seamless movement in and out of Mr. Knightley and Emma’s private thoughts gives the audience a balanced perspective of Harriet. Even though they are discussing and thinking about the same object — Harriet Smith — their differing opinions are revealed through their subjective perspectives of her.

Although one would expect that having multiple perspectives of the same object one would have a stronger objective understanding of the object, these perspectives end up revealing much more about the subject’s desires and biases than about the object itself. For example, when Emma first meets Harriet she notices that Harriet is “a very pretty girl, and her beauty happened to be of a sort which Emma particularly admired” (69). As a result, Emma quickly becomes “quite determined to continue the acquaintance,” (69) which is unsurprising considering Emma is still feeling “the absence of Mrs. Weston” (68). Emma decides in this moment that “she would notice her; she would improve her; she would detach her from her bad acquaintance, and introduce her into good society; she would form her opinions and her manners” (69). While there is some insight into Harriet’s character, the description of Emma’s perception of Harriet reveals more about Emma’s desires to shape and form Harriet into a suitable acquaintance for herself, “certainly a very kind undertaking; highly becoming her own situation in life, her leisure, and her powers” (69). Emma uses the opportunity to mold Harriet in order to exercise her power and to have something to keep her from being bored. Her desire to exercise this power reiterates how the narrator warns at the beginning of the novel that “the real evils indeed of Emma’s situation were the power of having rather too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself” (55). Emma’s perspective of Harriet gives much more insight into Emma’s personality and desires than it does into what Harriet wants and who she is. Similarly, Mr. Knightley’s dissenting opinion of Frank Churchill reveals more about Mr. Knightley’s desires and bias than it does about Frank Churchill’s character. While everyone else in town seems to be liking Frank Churchill, especially Emma, Mr. Knightley believes Frank is “just the trifling, silly fellow [he] took him for” (203). This seemingly unjustified opinion of Frank makes a lot more sense when Mr. Knightley reveals his personal feelings for Emma, as it appeared prior that Frank and Emma would be acquainted or even married. Mr. Knightley’s perspective of Frank Churchill is therefore more indicative of his personal desires than it is of Frank’s character.

While the subjective perspectives are more telling of the subjects’ desires and biases than the object’s, there are instances in the novel where the perspectives of the subjects entirely contradict the objective reality. The use of free indirect discourse reveals the flaws of allowing personal bias to block objective judgment well before the characters realize it themselves. For example, when Mr. Elton gives Emma the charade, because she so desperately wants to play matchmaker and set up Mr. Elton and Harriet, she completely misreads the charade to be intended for Harriet, when it is so clearly intended for her. While reading the charade, Emma reinforces that “this is saying very plainly” that Mr. Elton desires courtship with Harriet (106). Emma exclaims after the descriptions in the charade that the writing is “Harriet exactly” and asserts that he must be talking about “Harriet’s ready wit!” (106). At the end of the charade, Emma ensures Harrier that she “cannot have a moment’s doubt as to Mr. Elton’s intentions. [Harriet] is his object — and [she] will soon receive the completest proof of it” (107). Emma insists she has no doubts whatsoever that Mr. Elton writes about Harriet, but later it is revealed that Mr. Elton intended the charade for Emma. It becomes quite clear that Mr. Elton desires Emma all along during the party when “Harriet seemed quite forgotten” by Mr. Elton even though she is sick (139). However, only after their confrontation in the carriage does Emma realize the error of her ways and understand that “it was foolish, it was wrong, to take so active a part in bringing any two people together” (154). Emma “look[s] back as well as she [can]; but it was all confusion. She had taken up the idea, she supposed, and made everything bend to it” (152). In retrospect Emma becomes aware of how she manipulated all of Mr. Elton’s action in her mind to fit her subjective desires. While Emma’s intentions may have been good, she allows her own personal desires to blind any objective reality. Even when it is so obvious at the party that Mr. Elton desires Emma instead of Harriet, she still is shocked by the confrontation in the carriage where Mr. Elton “protest[s] that he had never thought seriously of Harriet — never!” (152). Emma’s inability to separate her personal desires from objective judgment results in deeply hurting both Mr. Elton and Harriet. Her actions also have consequences, as the “distressing explanation she had to make to Harriet” would cause “poor Harriet…suffering” (154). Not only is Emma unable to see objective truth, she also ends up really hurting her dear friend Harriet in the process. The third person narration reveals much earlier than Emma realizes that Mr. Elton desires Emma, not Harriet. The narrator’s foreshadowing and clues throughout the novel that the characters perspectives are often incorrect and can cause harm to others if they do not consider objective judgment reveals the problems with only considering one’s own perspective.

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The narrator’s use of free indirect discourse provides insight into all of the characters’ perspectives and opinions. This form of narration seemingly provides an objective and more balanced view of the objects. However, the subjects’ perspectives of other characters ends up revealing more about the subjects’ desires and biases than they do about the objects they observe. The detached third person narration reveals a lot of information about the subjects using free indirect discourse, and also serves to criticize when their perspectives are entirely wrong. The multiple perspectives provided in the novel then also serve as a warning that one’s personal biases and presumptions shape a subjective reality that blinds objectivity, and as a result can seriously hurt others.