Definition and Examples of Verbal Play in English

Definition and Examples of Verbal Play in English The term verbal play refers to the playful and often humorous manipulation of the elements of language. Also known as logology,  word play,  speech play, and verbal art. Verbal play is an integral characteristic of language use and an  important component in the process of language acquisition.   Examples and Observations Whats the difference between the Prince of Wales and a tennis ball?One is heir to the throne and the other is thrown into the air.The value of marriage is not that adults produce children but that children produce adults.(Peter De Vries, The Tunnel of Love, 1954)I understand your new play is full of single entendre.(George S. Kaufman to fellow playwright Howard Dietz)Child: Mommy, can I go out and play?Mother: With those holes in your pants?Child: No, with the girl next door.Your mama is so  skinny she can hula-hoop a Cheerio.Dear Sir or Madam or Sodom or Whom It May Confirm:I understand you are hiring programmers and hereby present my amplification for annoyment by your firm. As you see, I see, juicy lucy goosy poosy, I have long expedience in grammar and was medicated in the best schools and my dram is to ride underwear. On my clothes is my consomme. Please feel free.I remain your humble serpent.(James Joyce Business School,  A Prairie Home Companion, March 4, 2000)Sense and No nsenseVerbal play, though independent of sense, does not need to be nonsense; it is indifferent to, but not in opposition to, meaning. Verbal play  is  actually an appeal to reason with the intention of suspending its inhibitive power.(Leonard Falk Manheim,  Literature and Psychology, 1988) Speech Play and Verbal ArtThe boundaries between speech play and verbal art are hard to delimit and are cultural as well as linguistic. At the same time, there are certain verbal forms where the relationship between the two is particularly salient and where it is quite clear that forms of speech play constitute the building blocks of verbal art. These include most particularly the stretching and manipulation of grammatical processes and patterns, repetition and parallelism, and figurative speech. Typically verbal art is characterized by combinations of these forms of speech play.(Joel Sherzer, Speech Play and Verbal Art. University of Texas Press, 2002)Verbal Play  in African American Communities- Verbal play in the African American community is both performance and entertainment, oriented like sandlot football or card playing at picnics. But it can, on occasion, be as serious a kind of play as competitive football or bid whist tournaments.(T. Garner and C. Calloway-Thomas, African American Orality: Expanding Rhetoric. Understanding African American Rhetoric, ed. by R. L. Jackson and E. B. Richardson. Routledge, 2003)- In inner-city communities where black English is spoken . . . certain styles of  verbal play  are commonly practiced and highly valued. Such play involves both play with language and provocative play with social conventions. Individual social standing in part depends on the command of these highly structured types of repartee and the ability to keep cool while giving and receiving outrageous insults or challenges to self-esteem. Young children in such communities gradually learn this style of verbal play, using one-liners at first, but often accidentally giving or taking real offense before they understand how to use the techniques creatively and with the proper emotional distance.(Catherine Garvey, Play. Harvard University Press, 1990)

Human behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Human behavior - Essay Example My family has historically believed ensuring high morality levels. For this reason, they take time to teach us some of the most basic moral principles necessary for enabling us to live a fulfilling life. This makes the day special. Some of the factors that have shaped my personal and family history emanate from high religious values. The family’s social life is based on the creation of an appropriate self-image, which has had an influence on my friendships, thereby determining my identity in society. Traditionally, the meeting we have with our family members in my grandparents’ home essentially enables us to uphold moral values, most importantly providing us with skills that enable us to take care of some of the personal differences we might be having between us. This consideration comprises of one of the aspects that have molded me into being a responsible individual. Conversely, the tradition has made it possible for the family to exercise responsibility over the lives of other members, making it possible for everyone to lead fulfilling

Software Lifecycle Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Software Lifecycle - Research Paper Example The nature of the desired system in terms of system user requirements and its complexity will determine the choice of the SDLC model to be adopted. Generally, the success of system development is more dependent on how closely the plan and steps in the chosen model are followed (Alan, Edward, & Edward, 1988). For this scenario, the most suitable model for developing the system is the Spiral model. The spiral model of software development life cycle is one of the models that have been designed to improve the software development life cycle. After several years of research and development, spiral model offers a greater risk –driven approach of system development process as compared to the other models that are more document driven or code driven (Barry, 1988). The choice for this approach is based on the nature of the project; the project is described as being volatile and dynamic. It is also prone to the exit of the development team members and incoming of new staff to help in the development of the system. Essentially, the project faces a lot of risks during its development cycle and also requires integration to a more complex system upon completion. Consequently, a risk oriented approach is ideally the best model to be used in the project. Spiral model is a risk oriented approach that has been designed to incorporate the risk analysis aspect of the project. It is also one of the best approaches since it has been designed to incorporate many of the strengths of the other SDLC models and eliminate their weaknesses (Alan, Edward, & Edward, 1988). The spiral model has advantages that are unique to its approach of system development. It has a high amount of risk analysis compared to other models. The model is also ideal for projects that are complex in nature and are mission critical. The software is also produced at the early stages of the software lifecycle (Barry, 1988). The spiral model carries more similarities to the incremental model,

Using a Star Database Schema Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Using a Star Database Schema - Research Paper Example se of a dimensional model is to help decision makers in making strategic decisions without the need of help and support from database experts thereby avoiding extra cost. As a result timely and quality decisions are made. Research by Karen, David and Robert (2006), indicate that denormalization is advocated for in data warehouses as it promotes efficiency of the highest order when queries are run against the warehouse (Karen, David, & Robert, 2006). The concept of dimensional model was developed to cater denormalized data. A star schema model can arguably be referred to as a constrained ERD model. It consists of central entities known as the fact tables that get business event details. Star schema derives its name from the arrangement of the fact tables and dimensional entities forming a star-like arrangement. The representation of this arrangement diagrammatically constitutes the SSD. As a result of this arrangement around a business fact, SSD model is easy to understand. Star schema data model consists of one or more fact tables referencing any given number of dimension tables. There are several benefits of using star schema. First is convenient for simple queries. The star schema simplifies business logic in the realms of reporting. It also provides high level operation performance as a result of simpler queries execution. Lastly star schemas are deployed in most of OLAP systems to make proprietary OLAP cubes efficiently. According to Fig.1, most of the columns if not all in both the dimensions and fact tables are of null value. This means that the primary key is unique and mandatory. Data in the data warehouse comes from various multiple operational databases and therefore in some instances constraints applied in transactional databases need to be loosened. For instance in the star schema diagram in Fig.1, almost all the columns are of null value due to the fact they might lack data. Relationships on the parent sides are not mandatory meaning that there

Radioisotopes: Properties and Uses

Radioisotopes: Properties and Uses Introduction to radioisotopes All matter is made up from elements as carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The smallest part of each element which is identical to one another is called an atom. Atoms can be further divided into three substructures which is proton, electron and neutron. The atoms of different elements differ in these three substructures. The number of protons in each atom of a particular element is called the atomic number or the proton number, Z. The nuclei of an atom contain neutrons as well as protons. The mass of an atom is almost entirely due to the protons and neutrons. Thus the mass number, A is the total number of protons plus neutrons which is also known as nucleon number. Isotopes refer to the same element having different mass number. The different in mass number will have the isotopes to share the similar chemical properties but differ in physical properties. For instance, chlorine occur naturally as 35Cl and 37Cl. Figure 1: Atomic notation Isotopes occur naturally and artificially. They can either be in stable or unstable condition. Most of the isotopes which occur in nature are stable. The forces within their nuclei are sufficient to keep the protons and neutrons in the same arrangement indefinitely. However, a few naturally occurring isotopes and almost all man made ones are unstable. Unstable nuclei can change in to a more stable arrangements by releasing energy and different types of particles. The energy and particles emitted is called radioactive decay. The particular isotopes of elements with nuclei that can undergo radioactive decay are called radioisotopes. The amount of energy and the types of particles released are measure by using Geiger counter and photographic film. Radioisotopes cover a very wide range of usage including in energy generation, industries, food processing, medical field and agriculture. Table 1: Examples of natural occurring and man-made radioisotopes Types of radioisotopes Element Isotope Natural occuring Chlorine Chlorine-35, Chlorine-37 Man-made Promethium promethium-146 Application of radioisotope technology in Malaysia 2.1 Gamma Radiography One of the application of radioisotopes in Malaysia is in the Gamma radiography technology. Gamma Radiography behave in much the same way as x-rays screen baggage at airports. But in contrast to the bulky machine needed to produce x-rays, all that is needed to radiate gamma rays is a small pellet of radioactive material in a sealed capsule made of titanium. The capsule is placed on one side of the object to be screened while a photographic film is placed on the other side. Just like x-rays, gamma rays pass through the object and projects an image to the film. Similar to x-rays that show a break in a bone, gamma rays show flaws or empty spaces in metal castings or welded joints. The technique makes inspection for internal defects without damage involving critical components possible. The sources for Gamma rays are usually more portable than x-ray equipment so they possess a clear advantage in certain applications such as in remote areas. In contrast to x-ray sources that emit a broad band of radiation, gamma sources emit at most a few discrete wavelengths. Gamma sources may also have much higher energy than all but cost cheaper than x-ray equipment thus providing an advantage for such radiography. Gamma radiography is also used in an oil or gas pipeline where special film is taped over the weld around the outside of the pipe. An equipment called pipe crawler has a shielded radioactive source down from the inside of the pipe to the position of the weld. Along the pipe line, the radioactive source is exposed producing a radiographic image of the on the film. The film is later developed to images and further examined for signs of potential flaws in the weld. X-ray equipment can only be used when electric power is available and the object to be x-rayed is small and mobile enough to be taken to the x-ray source and radiographed. Radioisotopes have bigger advantage in that sense because they can be taken to the site to examine an object and no external power is needed. The only drawback is that they cannot be simply turned off thus the equipment must be properly shielded during application. Different types of isotopes are used for different situation. Examples of radioisotopes used in gamma radiography are ytterbium-169 to test material up to 15 mm thick and light alloys to 45 mm and iridium-192 to test material 12 to 60 mm thick and light alloys up to 190 mm. 2.2 Gauging The radiation that originated from radioisotopes will have its intensity reduced by the material between the radioactive source the detector. Detectors are designed to measure the magnitude of the reduction. As the result, the same principle is able to be used to gauge the presence or the absence and even to measure the quantity and density of objects between the source and a detector. One of the advantage in using radioisotopes in gauging or measurement is the zero contact with the material being gauged. A huge list of processing industries is making use of fixed gauges to control the flow of materials in production line utilizing radioisotopes technology. The height of the coal in a container that is used to carry coal is able to be determined by using high energy gamma sources at different heights along one side with detectors directed across the load thus registering the breaking of the beam causing the coal in the container to level. This type of gauge is one of the most common industrial applications of radioisotopes. Equipment used in plastic film manufacturing utilize radioisotope gauging using beta particles to measure and control the thickness of the plastic film produced. The film is rolled at high speed between the radioactive source and its detector to control the plastic film thickness. Beta gauges are used to control the paper thickness at speeds of up to 400 ms-1 in paper manufacture lines. While the intensity of radiation radiated from a radioisotope is reduced by material in the radiation beam some extra radiation is reflected back to the source of radiation. The amount of reflected radiation depends to the amount of material in the radiation beam thus can be used to measure characteristics of the material. This application of radioisotopes is used in measuring various types of coating thicknesses. Americium-241 is among the common use of radioisotopes in gauges. 2.3 Insect Control In Malaysia, crop destruction by insects is reaching to about 10% of the total harvest nationwide. Chemical based insecticides have been the usual weapon for years in effort to minimize these losses yet they have not been very effective. This is due to some insects have grew resistant to the insecticides applied as well as some of them leave harmful residues on plants. Sterilizing insects is one solution making use of radioisotopes. The radioisotopes technology in pest control called Sterile Insect Technique or short formed as Sterile Insect Technique comprising huge numbers of insects involving a process to irradiate their eggs using gamma radiation before they hatch to sterilise the insects. The sterile male insects will then be released in huge numbers in the areas of infestation. This ensure that there are no offspring are produced when they mate. The repeated releases of sterilised males to the area caused the population of the insect in the affected area is tremendously reduced. Several Sterile Insect Technique operations have been implemented in Malaysia involving common paddy pest like brown plant hopper that was then declared a complete success. A very successful Sterile Insect Technique campaign was extended to aedes mosquito leading to health benefits to humans. Some of the livestock are unable to be farmed as a result of the tsetse fly which has parasite trypanosome inside their body causing the sleeping sickness disease on cattle. Thanks to the application of radioisotopes in pest controls this situation is starting to change. Three United Nation organizations that is the IAEA, the FAO and the World Health Organisation (WHO) are promoting this radioisotopes technology in many other countries. 2.4 Food Preservation A major amount of food harvested in Malaysia is lost because of spoilage caused by microbes and pests. In a hungry world it’s a luxury we cannot afford. The reduction of food spoilage due to infestation is very important. It is imperative in Malaysia with hot and humid climates throughout the year that favour the survival of microbes and pest. This grave situation lead to the use of irradiation technology in food preservation. This radioisotopes technology is widely used in over 40 countries where health authorities have approved the use of irradiation involving more than 60 kinds of food ranging from spices, grains, fruit, vegetables and meat. Irradiation is able to replace the use of hazardous chemical to eliminate insects from infesting dried fruit, grain, legumes, and spices. Besides to reduce spoilage after harvesting, application of food irradiation is driven by risks about food-borne diseases as well as rapidly increasing international trade in food stocks which ought to meet certain standards of quality. On our nation recent trip into space, our astronauts also eat foods preserved by irradiation technology. Food irradiation is done by exposing high levels of gamma radiation to raw foods to kills bacteria and other hazardous microorganisms without reducing the nutritional value of food itself. This is so far the only way of destroying bacterial pathogens in raw and frozen food. Recommendation of radioisotope applications for country that lacks natural resources 3.1 Gamma Radiography Under the effort of making full use of radioisotopes technology in in under developed countries, gamma radiography is one of the considered technique. Being a country with limited resources, it is the utmost importance not to waste even a particle of available resources. This is mainly highly applicable in the production line in industries such as mills as well as gas and petroleum pipe lines. By introducing gamma radiography in industries, there will be an optimum usage of resources. That can be done by minimizing the waste of resources mainly related to the maintenance of production line. The use of gamma radiography over x-rays devices to identify the flaws in the production line is able to reduce the maintenance cost. Maintenance involving a remote equipment such as gas and petroleum pipeline can also be done much easier and cost wise by utilizing radiography technology. This will boost the undergoing development effort in developing under developed countries by two main strategy that is optimum usage of resources and cost efficient maintenance line. 3.2 Insect Control Limited food reserve is a critical problem that should be addressed involving under developed countries. Starvation has become the number one killer for many decades in under developed countries especially in Africa region. This has something to do with the poor food and resources management as well as the invasion of crop and plants by insects. Not only insects play a major role in causing starvation, they also affect the declining of health quality of a country by spreading fatal sickness such as malaria. The use of radioisotopes in a technique called Sterile Insect Technique or also known as SIT will be able to reduce starvation in under developed countries from a higher level of perspective. In conjunction to the effort of other countries to continue providing aid in food material by sending raw food material and improving health quality by sending respective vaccine to the under developed countries, the country itself has to come up with a more effective way to come out of these problem in the long run. The introduction to Sterile Insect Technique might be a good start. This technique without doubt will have positive impacts in reducing the number of crop destroying and diseases carrying insects tremendously. 3.3 Food Preservation Being able to harvest crop is one thing, while the ability to have the stock preserved for a long run use is another different thing. The inability to preserve food stock in an efficient way will only cause a major food spoilage before they can even be distributed to the citizen. By implementing the use of radioisotopes technology to preserve food using irradiation technique help to prevent food spoilage from happening providing an extra amount of effective time for the food to reach its respective consumers. As a result, consumers has better access to ready stock food as well as contribute to the positive impact in reducing starvation in under developed countries. Irradiation technique cover another aspect beside food preservation that is eliminating the risk of food borne diseases to be spread among the consumers. Exposure of gamma radiation to food has more positive impact besides extending food lifespan itself. It also indirectly improve the health quality of the citizen by avoiding unnecessary diseases that might come together with the food consumed. Impacts of radioisotopes application 4.1 Gamma Radiography The technology involving radioisotopes application in gamma radiography equipment has its own benefits mainly to the industries. This including the reduction of cost in buying gamma radiography equipment over x-ray machine. Cost reduction can also be related to the need of external electrical power by x-ray machine as compare to gamma radiography equipment that does not require power to operate. Gamma radiography has also makes the maintenance process much easier by eliminating the need to dismantle production line machine component to identify flaws. The use of gamma radiography has minimal risk to the industry. The worst case to happen is the exposure to the staff operating the maintenance and inspection procedure. Exposure to gamma radiation may lead to the degeneration of health depends on the level amount of exposure received. To prevent this, the standard in manufacturing the sources of gamma radiation must be controlled. That of course to make sure the use of titanium case as the main material for radioactive capsules. Radiation suit must also be worn by maintenance staff at all times while operating such procedures. 4.2 Insect Control Sterile Insect Technique or SIT has been proven effective in controlling insect population which has greatly contributed in improving crops production as well as reducing the number of health cases related to diseases carrying insects. The use of radioisotopes technology over conventional chemical insecticides also reduce the risk of hazardous chemical substance. This provide a much cleaner pest and insect control mechanism mainly in agriculture. While SIT continue to carry such good reputation in agriculture, there has been some debate that the radiation might spread to general population not only affecting insects but also to the environment where the insects are released at. In contrary to that concern, the use of SIT is a calculated risk that ensure a zero harm to the environment. This was made sure by thorough research programmes to select the most suitable radioisotopes to be used in agriculture. The main criteria of radioisotopes used is the rate of half-life cycle and the minimal impact to the environment. Plus, the sterilization takes place in a controlled lab involving the exposure of radiation to the insects before it hatches. The insect will only be released to designed areas after they hatches and at the end of the half life cycle. 4.1 Food Preservation Food irradiation has become the most reliable way of preserving food. In contrary to other preservation method, food irradiation does not alter the taste and the structure of the preserved food. Irradiation also covers a very wide range of food including meat, grains and vegetables. Plus, food radiation also kill potential harmful microorganism that might harm human health. Like any other radioisotopes applications, irradiation has cause some concern to the society. One of the issues that came up is whether or not the radioisotopes used will affect ones who consume food preserved by irradiation. Radiation poisoning can be fatal to human thus elevating the number of people questioning the reliability of this technology. Little that they know that the technique is a result of numerous trials and research and decades of development before it was approved to be used in food preservation. Irradiation uses a safe amount of radiation which has already been proved harmless to human. Apart of the health issue posed by irradiation, this particular method of food preservation also has limitation on extending food lifespan. This related to the application involving meat preservation which still need a proper refrigeration to stay fresh. Conclusion Radioisotopes has been very beneficial to mankind. The application cover a wide range of field including gamma radiography, insect control and food preservation. Since the application of radioisotopes in atomic bomb, this technology were regarded as the most promising application of our new knowledge of the atom. Venturing into new fields come together with substantial risks. Risks due to our ignorance of what and how it should be used as well as risks due to the lack ethical values in developing radioisotopes technology. It is up to us to make full use of this great technology without diverging from our concern in ethics and scientific values.

Thos Pynchons The Crying of Lot 49: No Escape Essay -- Crying Lot 49

     Ã‚   There are two levels of participation within The Crying of Lot 49:   that of the characters, such as Oedipa Maas, whose world is limited to the text, and that of the reader, who looks at the world from outside it but who is also affected the world created by the text.3   Both the reader and the characters have the same problems observing the chaos around them.   The protagonist in The Crying of Lot 49, Oedipa Mass, like the reader, is forced to either involve herself in the deciphering of clues or not participate at all.4 The philosophy behind The Crying of Lot 49 seems to lie in the synthesis of philosophers and modern physicists.   Ludwig Wittgenstein viewed the world as a "totality of facts, not of things."1   This idea can be combined with a physicist's view of the world as a closed system that tends towards chaos.   Pynchon asserts that the measure of the world is its entropy.2   He extends this metaphor to his fictional world.   He envelops the reader, through various means, within the system of The Crying of Lot 49.    Pynchon designed The Crying of Lot 49 so that there would be two levels of observation:   that of the characters such as our own Oedipa Maas, whose world is limited to the text, and that of the reader, who looks at the world from outside it but who is also affected by his relationship to that world.3   Both the reader and the characters have the same problems observing the chaos around them.   The protagonist in The Crying of Lot 49, Oedipa Mass, like Pynchon's audience, is forced to either involve herself in the deciphering of clues or not participate at all.4    Oedipa's purpose, besides executing a will, is finding meaning in a life dominated by assaults on people's perceptions through drug... ...rying of Lot 49," Mindful Pleasures (Boston: Little, Brown, 1976), p. 3.      5   John Johnston. "Paranoia as a Semiotic Regime in The Crying of Lot 49,"New Essays on the Crying of Lot 49 (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991), p.         6 "Paranoia", p. 4.      7   The Grim Phoenix, p. 15.      8   Crying of Lot 49, p. 49.      9   Robert Hipkiss, The American Absurd, (University of Chicago: New York), p. 90   10   Paranoia as a Semiotic Regime, p. 6.      11   Crying of Lot 49, p. 58.      12   Crying of Lot 49, p. 22 .   13   The Grim Phoenix, p. 26 .   14   Paranoia as a Semiotic Regime, p. 1 .   15   Crying of Lot 49, p. 69.      16   Crying of Lot 49, p. 79 .   17   David Seed, Fictional Labyrinths of Thomas Pynchon (University of Iowa Press: Iowa City), p. 124.      

Mellon Strategic Analysis

Strategic Mangement CASE: Mellon 1)The most important general environmental factors for Mellon are; a. Economics: Mellon specializes in managing company’s finance, there for it is very important for the economy to prosper in order for Mellon to retain clients and perform their specialization. b. Political/Legal: Since Mellon operates out of the U. S and Canada, it is very important that laws and regulations are exercised to avoid conflict. There is a great deal of regulations associated with the finance and banking industry. c.Global Segments: It is very important that the Canadian market performs well because Mellon has a joint venture with CIBC who operates out of Canada. 2)The most important of the five industry forces are; a. Threat of substitute products: Mellon and CIBC offer a very unique service by combining both firms specialization, they are able to offer a one of a kind service for large firms. Therefore it is very hard for companies to find other superior service c ompared to Mellon’s. b. Rivalry among competing firms – Mellon and CIBC has a huge market share in this line of financial service.Mellon and CIBC offer the best services in its field while also offering the best customer service. The exceptional service combined with their long portfolio allows them to have the competitive advantage eliminating any rivalries. c. The industry is not attractive to new entrants 3)The two major competitors are UBS AG and Bank of Montreal. UBS AG is another financial services company that operates worldwide. I predict that this company will allocate more of their services to the U. S and Canada to compete with CIBC Mellon.Bank of Montreal offers banking services, they have a huge presence in Canada and also has locations in the U. S. I predict that they will create a joint venture with a financial service company such as UBS AG to compete with CIBC Mellon. Like CIBC Mellon. 4)The most important value chains are; a. Human Resources: CIBC and Mellon both possess a unique set of knowledge and skills. Knowledge and skills are transferred from one to the other; by doing this they are able to deliver their services. b.Finance: ICBS Mellon is a financial service provider, they not only service other firms but it is crucial they manage their own finance well in order to expand and finance future projects. c. Follow-up service: The company is all service base, in order for them to retain clients they must follow strict follow-up services and maintain a dependable CRM system. d. I believe the following value chains are neutral compared to their competitors. Each of the competitors possess equivalent value chains, ICBS Mellon has the competitor advantage due to their location of operation and clientele. )The important ratio’s for the company are Return on Assets, Return on Equity, Leverage Ratio, equity-to-loans, total capital. Was not able to find actually ratio numbers for Mellon. 6)SWOT; a. Strength: Control large mark et shares, strong human capital, good synergy through JV, large presence both in Canada and U. S, acquisitions of major banks, strong financial availability. b. Weakness: unable to control economic conditions, difference in laws and regulation. c. Opportunity: Global expansion, acquire more industry competitions. . Threats: global economy, other major banking and financial service institutions. 6&7) ICBC Mellon major advantages are their large presence in both the U. S and Canada. By acquiring many of the large players in the industry, they are able to reduce competition and remain in business despite the economic conditions. One of their greatest weaknesses is the uncontrollable economy. They are unable to control where the industry is leading; it could slow now new acquisitions and expansion into other global segments.They are Valuable because they are able to neutralize their threats by acquisitions, they are Rare because they are offer both financial and banking services, they a re not easy to imitate nor substitutable due to their excellence in servicing and market control. 8)Business level – Focus Strategy, Corporate Level – Moderate Level of Diversification w/ related constraints, International Level – Transnational Strategy. The above analogy fits because they operate both in the U. S and Canada, they utilize both the companies specialization to services their customers. The company offers a diversified selection of services, using all heir resources together to provide their services. 9)The firm’s problem is the downturn of the economics, they fear of not being able to control the outcome of it and that it may affect the joint venture relationship. They face many risk such as credit risk, operational risk, and market risk. Their main concern is the peace of mind of current customers and the ability to gain new customers under the circumstances. In this situation, they do not much control. The main focus should be to maintain the current customers. I believe they would take up to more risk by obtaining new accounts.They should try and balance the risk between the U. S economic and CAN. During this time, I believe they should even leave the markets that is creating most risk for them and focusing on what is safest. They need to implement Strategy to stay competitive in the market. By focusing on Strategy, they will remain strong while the other companies take the damage from the economic downturn. 10) a) Should ICBC Mellon focus more of their business in Canada due to their better economy? b) Would ICBC be better off if they had broke off the Joint Venture when times got tough as it is now?