Reflective Statement - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 520 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/09/20 Category Business Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? REFLECTIVE STATEMENT For this module, we are required to do an assignment with regards of SME company. The purpose of writing the report is to analyze the key internal issues the management is likely to face when strategizing their marketing formula. Besides, we are also required to provide a practical recommendation for the company. For this project, the class was divided into 3 groups and each group consists of 3 members. My group members are Miss Tai Geok Yeong and Miss Sharanya. Discussions among group members were held 4 times, on the 29th October, 2nd November, 4th November and 6th November, respectively. Besides of our normal meeting in college, the discussions also were held through the MSN chat and email. Each of our group members was allocated with task and although conflicts arise during the discussion, we still managed to solve the problem. In my opinion, conflict in a group is not necessarily bad and we use several of techniques in order to resolve conflicts l ike compromising and exercises work delegation. Throughout completing the task – CareKoolTint Sdn Bhd, I have gained lots of new information about SME and the company. In order to get more facts about the company, we held an interview with one of their sales representatives on 2nd November 2009. From the 1 hour interview, we managed to gather the information needed for this project, which for example are, their current marketing strategies and the company’s internal issues. One important lesson I learnt from the interview is that, even though small firms is not properly structured, it does not mean that SMEs do not engage in marketing. It is only that, they are doing marketing according to their own terms and not according to a theoretical framework. Other than interviewing the sales representatives, my group and I also did a research based from their websites and also by reading books. It is important so that we will have a broader view on the business environme nt and help us to write the task more accurately. In order to complete the task, I read Marketing and Entrepreneurship in SMEs, Principles of Marketing by Philip Kotler and Fundamentals of Management to have a better understanding about SME and its management as well as several websites related to the topic which for example SME Info Portal. This whole process, I believe has improved both my knowledge and skills. I learnt how to work with others as a team, it taught me how to compromise as I need to be open in accepting other people ideas or opinion and also in handling conflicts. In addition to that, basically, I am more knowledgeable on this topic. From the research, I discovered various type of SME in Malaysia which can classified under 3 category that are Primary Agriculture, Manufacturing (including Agro-Based) MRS, Services Sector (including ICT) . Furthermore, I am also more aware on characteristics needed to be an entrepreneur, and one essential trait they must have i s to be a risk taker. This is important as SME business environment is very uncertain and whenever they make a wrong decision, it may affect their business as a whole. (525 words) Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Reflective Statement" essay for you Create order

Union Carbide India Limited Free Essays

It all started with the manufacturing of flash light batteries in Calcutta by the Eveready Company Limited of Great Britain. Later on this company became a subsidiary of UCC headquartered in New York. The company later adopted the new name of Union Carbide India limited and also established a factory in India to manufacture flash lights along with expansion of its capacity to manufacture dry-cell batteries. We will write a custom essay sample on Union Carbide India Limited or any similar topic only for you Order Now The company progressed and by the eighties they were involved in batteries, carbon and metals, plastics, marine products, and agricultural chemicals. UCIL established fifteen plants in different parts of India. To expand its agricultural division UCIL sought permission of Indian government to allow them to set up a pesticide plant. Initially the plant was started near the city of Trombay but later on switched to Bhopal. The plant in the beginning imported Sevin powder from the United States diluted it with non-toxic powder and sold it. Later the Indian government pressurized UCIL to manufacture Sevein and its components in India. That’s how the Bhopal plant expanded and the investment in the plant increased from initial $1 million to $25 million. The company made its mark among all companies present in India in terms of Sales. In Bhopal the UCIL factory was like any other process plant with storage tanks, hoppers and reactors connected by pipes, pumps, valves and ducts. Sevin was made through a chemical reaction between alpha-naphthol and methyl isocyanate, MIC. MIC is a highly reactive liquid that boils and becomes a gas above day time temperatures. UCC was the world leader in MIC technology and provided essentially al the process design for the plant but did not send engineers to supervise the construction. The alpha-naphthol unit began experiencing some problems. Also the sales were started going down in the beginning of 80s due to various reasons. Due to the decline in sales the unit started having losses. The staff at the MIC was cut from twelve operators on a shift to six. The maintenance team was reduced in size. In a number of instances, faulty safety devices remained unrepaired for weeks. The plant was running at far below capacity. The company seriously started making plans for dismantling the plant and shipping it to some other region. UCIL was located in Bhopal where there was a shanty town inhabiting thousands of India’s poorest citizens. In the South of Bhopal wealthy Indians lived in their elegant houses. MIC the main component used to prepare Sevin was made at the plant by reacting Phosgene gas with another chemical but the system had been idle. The MIC was being used from ‘charge-pot’ which was periodically resupplied from either of two different tanks. Operators had experienced difficulty in pressurizing one of the tanks. At the night of the incident, several hundred gallons of water entered in this particular tank. The water reacted with MIC producing heat and gas. A relief valve soon lifted and MIC vapor began flowing through vent headers and out a discharge stack. Some workers reported to supervisors that their eyes began to water because of possible leak of MIC. Supervisors found what they believed was the source and they set up a fire hose to spray water on the suspected leak. The water curtain that may have reduced the concentration of the gas was only set to ~13 m and did not reach the gas; it was not designed to contain a leak of such magnitude. The supervisors retired to the company canteens in violations of instructions not to take their break together. The supervisors were later called when the tank was rumbling with increasing pressure but it was too late for them to take any concrete action. MIC vapor were billowing from an atmospheric vent in the air. The cloud of deadly white gas was carried by the northeast wind toward the shanties on the south side of the plant. On the cold night cold of December 03, 1984, MIC settled toward ground. The gaseous fumes reached the huts resulting in panic and confusion. Many of the weak and elderly died where they lay blinded and smothered by the acrid fumes. Though the audible external alarm was activated to warn residents of Bhopal, it was quickly shut down to avoid causing panic among the residents. Thus, many continued to sleep, unaware of the unfolding drama. However, as the words of the gas leak spread, many of the Bhopal’s affluent citizens fled in their cars while poor were left behind. An estimated 2000 or more died that deadly night while over 200,000 were injured. Doctors and hospitals were not informed of proper treatment methods for MIC gas inhalation. They were told to simply give cough medicine and eye drops to their patients. Confused crowds waited outside hospitals outside the hospitals for medical care. The plant on the other hand, later on, was closed and locked. The citizens of Bhopal remained totally shocked by the turn of events. Soon after the incident blame game started. UCC referred to deliberate act as a possible cause of the water entry. Later the company suggested that a Sikh terrorist group might have sabotaged the plant. A representative of UCC’s investigation team suggested that the gas was formed when a disgruntled plant employee, apparently bent on spoiling a batch of methyl isocyanate, added water to a storage tank. There were many theories started flowing around. UCC and UCIL executives were charged in India with manslaughter and other crimes. UCC chairmen Anderson along with the head of UCIL was arrested and briefly detained by Indian officials when they went to India after the incident. Several UCIL employees were also arrested and CBI began criminal investigation. A number of US and Indian lawyers rushed to sign up gas victims and their relatives as clients. Different class action lawsuits were filed in the United Sates on behalf of the victims of disaster. In March 1985, India enacted the Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster Act, giving UOI the exclusive right to represent the victims. Finally, In an out-of-court settlement reached, Union Carbide agreed to pay $470 million for damages caused in the Bhopal disaster. As we know from the background of the case that refrigeration unit was not working, safety devices were not working, safety standards and operating procedures were not im place, maintenance was poor, downsizing took place and less qualified personnel were hired. These issues indicate that the problem lied at the management level. Inefficient operation shows that there was absence of even basic management. The day to day operations were not carried out according to the general standards and norms then what can be said about disaster planning or planning for dealing with an unforeseen event. At UCIL the local management should have taken the complete responsibility of the diaster as they failed to maintain even the basic principles of management. Even though foreigners were on the board of directors but it was not the responsibility of the board member to run day to day operations. The whole blame was put on foreigners and forign board and the case became one of the most talked about industrialized disaster in the history. The plant was purely run by the Indian local managers and it was the responsibility of such managers to maintain the basic standards. This incident would not have happened had management been active in implementing the basic levels of management. Ideally there should be a contingency plan in place to deal with the possible disasters. In plants dealing with chemicals there is always a possibility of accidents and disasters of any proportion. It was naive of the management to forget about the contingency measures. On another level the government of India also played the political part and tried to trap foreign board in the incident while forgetting that primary responsibility lied on management on ground. Foreign board in Bhopal’s case also on the hand tried to safegurd its image as the issue was discussed on all forums There had been many accidents of similar nature in UCC’s American plants prior to the Bhopal accident but they did not get much publicity and were not blown out of proportion because they were tackled at the management level on ground. As later there was a ruling that the case should be tried in India. The company denied every charge leveled against UCC and pointed out that no US citizen had been employed there 2 years before the disaster. Foreign board definitely had the moral responsibility of the incident but they cannot be blamed for failed day to day operations. The case reminds us that on the first level basic management should function and operations should be efficiently run. However the management responsibility does not end here. Management should be on toes and keep on scanning both external and internal environmental factors. There should be contingency plans in place to deal with possible mishaps or disasters. How to cite Union Carbide India Limited, Essay examples

Food Adulteration free essay sample

With a culture of malpractice seeping into every sector and level it is hardly surprising that it has reached the most important of our basic needsfood. With ineffective, outdated laws, lack of enforcement and institutional corruption there is an overwhelming indifference to consumer rights and public health. Dishonest food manufacturers and traders are having a free reign in the market adding harmful substances, selling contaminated food or tampering with the original content of the food item. The government has various bodies to control food quality. But why arent they doing their job? Every now and then we are shocked by media reports of ingenious forms of adulteration of food that we consume regularly. According to IPH (Institute of Public Health) more than fifty percent of food samples they have tested are adulterated. Food coloring is a form of adulteration. A toxic artificial dye is used to color fruits and vegetables such as melons and tomatoes to give them a rich colour. We will write a custom essay sample on Food Adulteration or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Ironically even food colour is being adulterated. Substandard food colour is finding its way into many types of food. This includes the reddish jelapi, and the saffron beguni, peaju or alur chop. Candy, chips, ice cream, chewing gum and even biryani may contain large amounts of poor quality food colour. Textile dyes such as carbide and ethopene are also being used to colour different iftar items to attract customers. Urea fertiliser is used while frying muri to whiten it. Cyanide is used to give mustard oil extra bite. Brick dust is mixed with chilly powder and a poisonous yellow colourant is mixed with turmeric powder to make it more yellow. Water and salt are also mixed with these spices to increase weight. Mangoes, jackfruit, lychees, watermelon, pineapple, papaya and bananas are artificially ripened using a carcinogenic chemical called ethylene oxide. In bananas, another chemical called Calcium Carbide is used which happens to be a sprayed Acetile-gas that releases heat, says Dr. Golam Mowlah, Ph. D. , the Professor and Director General of Institute of Nutrition and Food Science, Dhaka University. We should avoid eating fruits and vegetables which are not seasonal says Golam Sarwar, Public Analyst of DCCs Public Health Laboratory (PHL), as the chemicals are used only when the fruits are not seasonal, because chemicals also cost. It is also better to avoid grind spices or grind it in the grind er, which is available in the kitchen markets. Dalda, a vegetable based fat used for cooking is an example of one of the worst cases of adulteration. Our stomachs temperature is 37 degrees Celsius and the melting point of dalda is 54 degree Celsius. Thus there is no way that dalda can be absorbed by the body, says Sarwar. If you think fish is a healthy option think again. Many fish sellers spray fish with formalin a chemical usually used for preservation of tissues. This chemical is mainly used with imported fish and it makes the fish stiff and keeps them looking fresh for a longer duration. Research has found that there is ecoli in almost all our food items. Ecoli can be fecal, skin, hair etc. If proper sanitation codes of conducts are to be followed, these forms of contamination must be totally absent in all food items. Cooking oil that is so commonly used to deep fry items should only be used once but many food vendors and restaurants recycle burnt oil. Once the oil is used for cooking, it becomes oxidised. The more the oil is used, the more pre-oxide is created which is really harmful for the body. This gets more poisonous with continued usage.

How to Find Your Perfect and Profitable Niche as a Writer (Video)

Have you figured out your niche? If you want to be a freelance writer, one of the first things you need to have is a niche! This is the writing topic you will get paid for. But, what if you enjoy or know a lot about many topics? Can you not land clients in different niches? Some people feel that if you market yourself as a jack of all trades, youll land more work. But, thats just not right. Ive been helping struggling writers become profitable writers. Check out this video and I would LOVE it if you subscribed to my YouTube channel! Here are the videos Ive done so far: 4 Skills Profitable Freelance Writers Possess How to be More Efficient as a New Freelance Writer 4 Ways to Perfect Your Pitching Game (As a Freelance Writer) If you are struggling to find that perfect niche for you, check out my video! Recap: To find  your perfect and profitable niche: Look towards your past experiences and passions Validate your niche Create samples in your niche Learn and understand your niche as the expert of that topic Make sure to grab my free guide on how to Accelerate Your Freelance Writing Income in 7 Easy Steps! There ya go! Please let me know what your niche is and how you decided on choosing that niche!

Critical Analysis of the Modernist movement and Architecture of The Royal Festival Hall The WritePass Journal

Critical Analysis of the Modernist movement and Architecture of The Royal Festival Hall Introduction Critical Analysis of the Modernist movement and Architecture of The Royal Festival Hall IntroductionBibliography:Related Introduction The following essay will discuss the modernist movement and architecture of The Royal Festival Hall in Britain. It will demonstrate several different elements of modern design combined with the fabulous music, art and drama that unified the people of Britain, post war. It will also incorporate the underlying relationship between man and building and how together they contributed to the nation building of Britain. The Royal Festival Hall is a fine example of the technology and detailing of the period of modernism. Located in Southbank Centre the building was designed and constructed in 1951 by architects, Leslie Martin, Robert Matthew and Peter Moro to commemorate a century of the Great Exhibition and as a part of the Festival of London. The hall was built in just less than three years with the assistance of several young architects and designers who were inspired by Le Corbusier and Mies van der Roche and their fast pace sketching of modernist glass and steel pavilions.   With the knowledge and skills from some of the best known architects of that time and the influence of modernity, The Royal Festival Hall was completed, â€Å"inside within an outside† into a â€Å"shape within a shape†, the exterior and the interior were no longer separate, it was one unified formation, a true monument of modernism. The Royal Festival Hall was not only known for its modernist architecture but for its unique abstract and modern exterior. The structure of the hall consisted of five levels, the ground lower entrance level, main foyer, upper entrance level, balcony level, mid stalls level and front stalls level. All together comprising of cafe’s and bars, restaurants, shop, book store, balcony, terrace, stage, auditorium, practice room, organ, change rooms, promenade and library. The building is a classic modern structure that is simply held in by glass, a display whose immateriality is encouraged by all kind of design plans, like the way the auditorium form is lit at night-time, or by the insertion of flower boxes on both sides of the glass. Towards the inside, internal vistas transform every progress, giving a sense of graceful space and openness, an appearance of expectancy to embrace the nation. The exterior of the original Auditorium in 1951 Miles Glendinning describes The Royal Festival Hall in a piece of her as â€Å"a little unusual in that it was the focus almost exclusively of praise even during the 1980s nadir of the reputation of the Modernism. In fact, the history of its reception is essentially one of the successive attempts to appropriate its consensual prestige. That prestige stemmed, at the most general level, not from its architecture but from its role as a ‘soft’ nationalistic symbol of post-war revival, as the centre piece of the Festival, and as ‘Britain’s first post-war non-austerity and non-essential building.† â€Å"The times predicted that ‘the hall can serve the highest spiritual purposes of music in our national life.’† During the years of 2005 and 2007 The Royal Festival Hall underwent major renovations; however the overall style and structure of the hall remained the same. Jonathan Glancey an editor from The Guardian newspaper United Kingdom explains how although  £111 million was spent on the refurbishment of hall the initial concept of modernism will be not be altered, the building will just be restored to its original fashion keeping the ambience of the previous years of celebration, history and the culture alive in such an important British icon. Glancey quotes â€Å"Dont come here expecting the RFH to have been transformed into some whizzy, hippity-hoppity iconic architectural experience for the readily bored. No. The building has been brought back to life in a way wholly recognisable to those who first came to listen to concerts here when Clement Attlee was prime minister and ration books were still in belt-tightening force. Equally, the RFH looks wonderfully fresh and new. It is one of t hose buildings, from an era when most British architecture was too tweedy and austere for   comfort, visual or otherwise, that still seems generous, welcoming, blithe and, in part, opulent.† (Glancey, 2007) Natasha Goodfellow a writer for Home and Antiques made a statement in her article regarding The Royal Festival Hall â€Å"The hall they built used modernism’s favourite material, reinforced concrete, alongside more luxurious elements including beautiful woods and Derbyshire fossilised limestone. It keenly espoused the tenets of modern architecture and encapsulated a sense of both democracy and an incredible openness and generosity. There were no separate bars for different classes of visitor, no bad seats in the auditorium, and the large foyers – a revelation compared to the cramped lobbies of traditional West End theatres of the time – were pierced by white columns holding the huge 3,000 seat auditorium above them.† (www.homeandantiques.com)The above statements clearly articulate how magnificent this building is, not only by its structural form. This photo was taken from the Waterloo Bridge, post renovations in 2007 The Royal Festival Hall was built for the people of London, the bars and restaurants the hall were intended for everyone. Its contemporary design and choice of location smartly designed in a democratic space served all types of guests and offered â€Å"the broadest programme of arts and events possible†, from opera, classical music, films, dance and dramatic theatre drawing the people of Britain to attend spectacular events. During the months of May and September in 1951 over eight million people visited Southbank to attend the festival. (Mullins 2007)   An open Foyer programme was launched in 1983 allowing day time access to the hall at all times during the day rather than only being open an hour prior to a concert taking place. This encouraged the public to drop in for a bite to eat or a refreshing drink at any time during the day and enjoy the ambience, views and atmosphere, The Royal Festival Hall had to offer. The following is a statement made by Tony Blair, which appeared in the Gabion, by Hugh Pearmon, titled, The Royal Festival Hall, London: historic modernism reinvented. â€Å"If youre British, the Royal Festival Hall is a part of your life. Everybody knows of it. If you live in or visit the capital, chances are youve arranged to meet friends there, in the odd and seemingly permanently-changing assortment of cafes and restaurants and bars that has inhabited it down the years. So did your parents and grandparents. You might even have made it into the period-piece auditorium for any one of an astonishing variety of performances ranging from symphony orchestras and dance groups to the world premiere of Brian Wilsons psychedelic masterpiece Smile. And who can forget the sight of Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott not-quite-dancing to Things Can Only Get Better.† (www.hughpearman.com) Early in the piece there were several complaints regarding the acoustics from the orchestra. Publisher Victor Gollancz, an passionate concert attendee, remembers his first visit in 1951: â€Å"The place seemed horribly raw; there was no atmosphere, no smell (literally as well as metaphorically) about it†(Mullins, 2007) Regardless of these initial problems with the acoustics many thought the Royal Festival Hall was the best concert hall in the world, hosting several truly memorable nights.  Ã‚   As quoted by Bernard Levin in the Times 1976, â€Å"We have both aged, the Royal Festival Hall and I. But I remember, and I shall remember no matter how many more quarter centuries of the halls existence I survive, the first overwhelming shock of breathless delight and the originality and beauty of the interior.. (it felt that) we had been instantly been reported far into the future and that we were on another planet all together I do not exaggerate; I vividly remember talking to an attendant on a visit a week or two after my first, and being told at the end of every concert the ushers were assembled at the top of the building and that they then, linking hands, move slowly down from concourse to concourse, gently shepherding from the precincts audiences that otherwise simply could not bring themselves to leave, so affecting was the experience of being in diesen heil’gen Hallen.† (McKean, 2001) Novelist Ali Smith recalls her memories of The Royal Festival Hall, â€Å"One of my most vivid memories of the Royal Festival Hall is of being part of a crowd nearly taking its ceiling off with the cheering and clapping – at a silent film. It was the hugely celebratory second showing of Abel Gance’s brilliant Napolean, with Sir Carl Davis conducting his own fine score. Near the end the screen splits into a triptych of different images, each tinted a different colour, to make the tricolor, the orchestra played the Marseillaise, and something strange and revolutionary swept through the London audience, which stood up and yelled with excitement at the orchestra and the screen. I have seen several of the Royal Festivals Hall’s silent film events, with Davis conducting, including a screening of Charlie Chaplin’s The Circus, which as soon as it’s on a big screen accompanied by its full score, can be seen for the masterpiece it is. Just a couple of reason s why the Royal Festival Hall is a pretty special and versatile space.† (Mullins, 2007) Rachel Curtis explains her fond memories of The Royal Festival Hall, â€Å"My husband always admired the architecture of the Southbank especially the Royal Festival Hall. He remained interested in the renovations of Southbank centre despite living in Southampton. When we visited London we would always go to the Royal Festival Hall to relax, eat, enjoy the music and admire the magnificent landscape of London. When he was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 37 we were devastated, but he always maintained his enjoyment of architecture and music. When he died in 2004, I decided a fitting memorial would be to purchase a seat in his memory. He will now be able to hear as much music as he likes in the splendid surroundings of the Royal Festival Hall. I visit when I can and remember with fondness our special and happy times spent on the south bank.†(Mullins, 2007) The Royal Festival Hall known not only for its unique modern architecture but for its inviting casual atmosphere, welcoming people from all ages, religions, cultures. Here the citizens of Britain could come together and find similarities and – more importantly – differences, that they could celebrate through their art forms. Adrian Forty describes The Royal Festival Hall as a mutual exchange of seeing, It is not subjugated to some other purpose of the building owner – such as (in a shopping mall) to consume, or (in a station concourse) to travel; is it different from those places where, therefore, we see others and seen by them as less complete. At the Festival Hall, as stated by Forty, â€Å"the owner of the building is none other than the subject. Whoever you are, once you enter through the original main entrance at ground level, and stand with the space unfolding in front of you, beside you and above you the volume is yours and only yours alone. Of course exa ctly the same experience occurs for everyone who enters the building, and so the result is the sense of an equal right to the possession of the building, and in absence of any commanding authority.† (Mullins, 2007) It has been made evident that the construction of The Royal Festival hall has contributed to the rebuilding of the nation’s spirit, through not only its modern architecture, but the inviting atmosphere and availability of arts, music and dance it offers to the people of Britain. Bibliography: GLENDINNING, MILES.  Teamwork or Masterwork? The Design and Reception of the Royal Festival HALL MCKEAN, JOHN. Royal Festival Hall: London County Council, Leslie Martin and Peter Moro London: Phaidon, 2001 MULLINS, CHARLOTTE.   A Festival on the River London: Penguin Ltd, 2007. GLANCEY, JONOTHAN. Pomp and Circumstance. guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2007/may/30/architecture. May 11 2011. guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2007/may/30/architecture GOODFELLOW, NATASHA. Royal Festival Hall: A Building to Lift the Spirits. May 11 2011. homesandantiques.com /feature/royal-festival-hall-building-lift-spirits

Facilities and Events Operations Management Term Paper

Facilities and Events Operations Management - Term Paper Example This function is also responsible for the fulfilment of the requests of the customers through creation and delivery of the required facilities and events. Depending on the manner in which an organization is structured, the precise nature of tasks, which are classified under the operations function, can be different from one business to another; nevertheless, some activities can be applied to all the forms of operations. These include: Understanding strategic goals, which involves the managers in charge of operations precisely understanding the objectives of the company and developing clear visions of the ways in which operations will assist in achieving them. It also entails the translation of these objectives into implications for how operations perform, goals, quality, speed as well as reliability, flexibility and costs. Development of an operations strategy, where as a result of the numerous number of decisions made as far as operations is concerned, it is important that the people responsible have a set of regulations that assist in aligning these decisions with the long term objectives of the company. All companies can be widely divided into two main categories, which are manufacturing and service companies. Regardless of the fact that both categories have operations management functions, these differences create unique challenges for operations as the characteristics of the products differ. Two key distinctions exist between the operations of companies that deal in products and those that concentrate on services. To begin with, organizations that deal with products produce physical and tangible products, which may be stored in inventory prior to it being required by the consumer. In contrast, companies that deal with services produce products that are not tangible and cannot be produced before the customers need them. Further, the companies that deal with tangible products, the consumers usually do not have a direct contact with the production

Reformers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reformers - Essay Example ed as this groups perception of government leadership as corrupt and without a reasonable desire to build a system of justice that best served the American people. Those reformers who took active stands against corrupt leadership were largely from the middle class, though there were others of higher economic influence who also believed that 19th Century America deserved a better system of leadership at the capital. Most noticeable in the reformer movement was the acknowledgement that women should be considered as sentient, godly people and should thus be given the right to vote and extended certain freedoms. This movement was later referred to as the womens suffrage movement (LaPlante, 1999). The suffrage movement involved standing up for the rights of women and extending many of the same opportunities that the men of that age experienced. Along with the womens issues, the abolition of slavery was also a hotly debated topic at this time, especially with pressures from the southern states being imposed to expand and maintain slave presence in this region of the country. Citing religious doctrines, many of the social reformers who were wholly against slavery began to speak out about its atrocities from the eyes of the Christian god (LaPlante). Combining both of these strong reformer belief systems was Sojourner Truth, who had been born into slavery during the first half of the 19th Century, and through perseverance, became one of the foremost women leaders both in relation to womens suffrage and the abolition of slavery. During her long voyage toward improving the rights of women and slaves, Truth managed to bring about social awareness of the issues facing women of that time, while also raising money to help black soldiers who were fighting in the Civil War (Daintycrew.com, 2001). Sojourner Truth maintained some rather obtuse religious beliefs as well, befriending a religious sect similar to that of the Quakers, where communication with living spirits was a