Friday, January 31, 2020
David Jones Essay Example for Free
David Jones Essay David Jones has a skilled, experienced and expertise Board of directors which is accountable for caring the rights, interests and the management of David Jones. Chief Executive Officer and Managing director are responsible for setting strategy, planning and administration for the company on daily basis. Paul Zahra has been ââ¬Å"Chief Executive Officer and Managing directorâ⬠for David Jones since 18 June 2010. Mr Zahra has more than 30 yearsââ¬â¢ experience in the Australian retail industry. He has held senior management roles across the retail sector in the areas of buying, stores, visual merchandising, supply chain, store refurbishments, customer service and operations. Directors are from a mix of different backgrounds, knowledge, skills and experience in the areas of retailing, financial services, property management and development, marketing, human resources, information technology, finance and law. Board of Directors Committee Memberships Name Role Audit Remuneration and Nominations Peter Mason AM Chairman and Non-Executive Director Paul Zahra Chief Executive Officer Jane Harvey Non-Executive Directorà John Harvey Non-Executive Director Chairman Philippa Stone Non-Executive Director Steven Vamos Non-Executive Director Chairman Leigh Clapham Non-Executive Director Executive Management Name Role Paul Zahra Chief Executive Officer Paula Bauchinger Group Executive ââ¬â Human Resources Cate Daniels Group Executive ââ¬â Operations Matthew Durbin Executive ââ¬â Strategic Planning Antony Karp Group Executive ââ¬â Retail Services Sacha Laing Group Executive ââ¬â Marketing and Financial Services Donna Player Group Executive ââ¬â Merchandise David Robinson Executive ââ¬â Multi Channel Strategy and Integration Brad Soller Chief Financial Officer 2. Employees According to David Jones , to achieve the highest profits and improve customer satisfaction, the company need to create an effective working environment for their employees following these goals: Every employee is valued; Recognition and reward for their contribution and performance; provide opportunities for employees to achieve their full potential; Obligation to safety, health and welfare, environmental responsibilities; and Support for philanthropic causes that are important to both David Jonesââ¬â¢ customers and employees. Therefore, David Jonesââ¬â¢ commitment is to realising its vision of being the ââ¬Ëbest place for our people to workââ¬â¢. In FY2012, David Jones invested in a range of advantages to ensure employees feel valued and supported: David Jones Charity Leave Policy: Supporting the philanthropic causes that are important to its customers and team members. Employee Referral Program: To reward any team member whose referral results in the successful placement of an external candidate in a nominated vacancy. Employee Self Service: To help team members achieve their full potential, reduces administration and to meet David Jonesââ¬â¢ objective of transitioning to an environmentally sustainable business model. Innovation Workshop: Encourage continued innovative thinking, 150 team members from across the business participated in an innovation workshop at the Companyââ¬â¢s annual conference in August 2012. To invest in the future and build the management and leadership capability of line managers, David Jones has established training and development programs. David Jones Executive Leadership Program: is designed to address the development needs of the David Jonesââ¬â¢ Executive Committee and Executive Leadership Team, and comprises five leadership modules including a 360-degree leadership survey. David Jones Future Leaders Program: is designed in-house to develop high potential people managers that have been identified as part of the Companyââ¬â¢s annual succession planning process. Operations Online Compliance: is designed to ensures that frontline employees remain current in processes and policies that are important to their role, including workplace safety, food safety, customer service and the David Jones Code of Ethics and Conduct. Recognition and Reward: New Executive Incentive Framework New Enterprise Agreements New Frontline Incentive Program Excellence Awards Program David Jones does not tolerate harassment, discrimination or bullying in the workplace. Employees of David Jones can expect to be treated in a fair and professional manner. Unacceptable behaviours under the David Jones terms of employment: Harassment- Discrimination and Bullying. 3. Organisational Culture Diversity Management and the entire David Jones workforce are embraced of and attract diverse, talented and motivated people. David Jonesââ¬â¢ diversity supports commitment to a culture that equally embraces: gender, age, culture, religious beliefs, sexual orientation and family responsibilities of our people. David Jones encourages and supports all of our employees to reach their full potential and irrespective of gender. David Jonesââ¬â¢ corporate sponsorship of the National Breast Cancer Foundation and the operation of Rose Clinics, while a philanthropic initiative, also serves to demonstrate our commitment to raising health awareness among employees and customers alike. This is representative of our broader commitment to the promotion of women and issues that affect women Equity David Jones has a Share Trading Policy that complies with the requirements of ASX Listing Rule 12. This was lodged with the ASX in 2010 and is available in the Corporate Governance section of its website. Consistent with the legal prohibitions on insider trading, under the policy, all directors, officers, members of senior management, other employees and consultants are prohibited from dealing in David Jones securities while in possession of unpublished price sensitive information about David Jones. HSBC CUSTODY NOMINEES (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED is the biggest shareholders with 69,772,020 shares (13. 20%). The 20 largest ordinary shareholders hold 45.à 17% of the ordinary shares of the Company. External environment I. General Environment 1. Political and Legal Carbon Pricing Scheme David Jones has a proven track record in reducing its carbon emissions and supports the government of the day in its attempts to move the economy towards a low-carbon future. David Jones conducted its own analysis in 2011 to determine the direct impact on its cost base and participated in roundtable discussions facilitated by the Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA) to review macro-environmental impacts of the scheme. Macro-environmental impacts ANRA advocated that the government release analysis outlining how households would be affected and compensated by the introduction of a carbon price. Subsequent to these discussions, additional information was released, addressing many of the unknown factors in relation to the scheme and confining any detrimental impact on consumer sentiment, which is a key driver of top-line growth for discretionary retailers. Direct financial impacts David Jones count on the Business Roundtable on Climate Change, established by the Federal government, to represent business interests in the development of the Clean Energy Future legislative package, including the carbon pricing scheme. Trading Hours David Jones follow retail industryââ¬â¢s opening hours Monday:9:30am 7:00pm Tuesday:9:30am 7:00pm Wednesday:9:30am 7:00pm Thursday:9:30am 9:00pm Friday:9:30am 9:00pm Saturday:9:00am 7:00pm Sunday:10:00am 7:00pm 2. Economical Low Inflation rate and high Australian dollar makes foreign imports become cheaper, leads to an increase in profit of David Jones. On the other hand, increase in the value of money also makes customers become interested in shopping online or buy goods overseas, makes customers rate of David Jones fall. Therefore, David Jones should adjust the price of goods for both profitable and consistent with the economic situation and the needs of customers. An increase in the unemployment rate reduces peopleââ¬â¢s income and also their shopping needs. 3. Social Cultural People are trying to keep a balance between their work and social-life. Besides spending a whole day at work, they are willing to spend more time go to department stores on the weekdays. Based on population data from around Australia, Gen Y has appeared as Australias largest demographic with 4. 67 million people. Generation X has also grown to 4. 6 million. And, the Baby Boomer demographic is shrinking; falling by 6,000 to just 4. 11 million people. Generation X and Y are tremendously internet savvy. The internet is the first place that they look when purchasing goods and services. There are more educated people so their knowledge about fashion and fashion demand has increased. They are willing to purchase clothes with good quality from well-known suppliers. 4. Technological New Point of Sale (POS) system: will improve customersââ¬â¢ service experience and reduce transaction times. This system has multi-functionality and will play a pivotal role in David Jonesââ¬â¢ OCR Strategy. David Jones also has new Workforce Management and Traffic Analytics System. 5. Natural David Jones is committed to managing its own operations in an environmentally sustainable manner and will meet this commitment by: Investing in efficiency measures and driving behavioural change to reduce the impact that the business has on the environment; Embedding environmental sustainability into the corporate cultural of the organisation; Developing robustà management systems to ensure transparency and confidence in environmental reporting. David Jonesââ¬â¢ environment strategy comprises four strategic objectives: Improve environmental outcomes, by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, protecting and conserving natural resources, and optimising water use. Motivate cultural change, by encouraging behavioural change and then by integrating sustainability into decision making at all levels of the organisation. Engage with employees, customers and shareholders, to ensure that interested stakeholders are able to access information about David Jonesââ¬â¢ environmental impacts and initiatives, and ensure that the Companyââ¬â¢s approach to sustainability reflects stakeholder expectations. Meet and, where viable, exceed the Companyââ¬â¢s mandatory and voluntary reporting obligations. II. Specific environment 1. Customers People are willing to dress nicer, fussy and trendy. The way they dress is usually according to the fashion trend. They are influenced from the internet; all the fashion trends are spreading quickly. 2. Competitors : Myer Myer is Australias largest department store group, and a market leader in Australian retailing, operating about 65 stores that offer some of the top style and fashion lines in the country. Merchandise (some 2,400 brands) is sourced from suppliers worldwide and includes accessories; womens, mens, and childrens apparel; beauty and cosmetics; electrical goods; housewares; and toys. Myer runs stores in about 25 of the top 30 largest shopping centres in Australia, with New South Wales as its top market, followed by Victoria and Queensland. Besides Myer, Target, Kmart and other smaller retailers are also David Jonesââ¬â¢ competitors. 3. Suppliers Suppliers are an integral part of David Jonesââ¬â¢ ââ¬Å"Home of Brandsâ⬠strategy, which makes David Jones stand out from its competitors. David Jones is committed to improving and strengthening their relationship with each of their suppliers. David Jones also appreciates suppliers that have understood Australian customers and have adjusted their prices. 4. Regulations ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION David Jones takes a responsible approach in relation to the management of environmental matters. David Jonesââ¬â¢ report has followed with the requirements of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 (Cth) (NGER Act). No environmental breaches have been notified to the Company Entity by any government agency. David Jones is committed to protecting the health, safety and welfare of all employees, contractors, visitors and customers. David Jones continues to work towards achieving an incident-free and injury-free workplace. This commitment is supported by the ââ¬Å"[emailprotected]â⬠management system and the Companyââ¬â¢s safety programs ââ¬Å"[emailprotected] davidjonesâ⬠management system imitates efforts of team members to put ââ¬Å"SafetyFirstâ⬠in daily tasks and activities, by identifying and controlling hazards that have the potential to cause incidents and injuries. Safety Information Management system Incident, Hazard and Investigation: provides an on-line system to support the reporting of incidents and the completion of incident investigations, risk assessments and associated corrective actions; Case and Claims Management: focuses on the management of information related to workers compensation claim files, claim transactions and payments as well as Return to Work Plans for work related and non-work related injuries; Risk Management; Audit and Inspections; Training: focuses on core compliance training, safety accountabilities, hazard and risk management and injury management training.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Importance of Fear in The Lord of the Flies Essay -- Lord of the Flies
Importance of Fear in The Lord of the Flies à à à à à The boys in the book, The Lord of the Flies, are controlled by their fear of the beast.à This fear is not of the beast itself, but of the unknown. It comes from not knowing whether or not a beast exists. à The children start as one united group.à They are a community in their own.à Slowly, rules started to get broken, individuals began to leave, and the group broke apart.à The one thing that causes this break-up is the beast. The beast means different things to everyone, but each boy is afraid of it. à à à à à à All of this fear starts at one of the very first assemblies when a littlun says that he saw a beastie in the forest.à "Now he says it was a beastie" (35).à Everyone is already a little afraid of being on the island alone, without any adults, but this makes them even more scared.à Ralph, the chosen leader, feels this fear and notices it among the other boys.à He tries to reassure the others as well as himself with, "You couldn't have a beastie, a snake-thing, on an island this size.à You only get them in big countries, like Africa, or India" (36).à He continues trying to ease the fear by ending the conversation of beasties with, "...I tell you there is no beast" (36).à In addition, Ralph tries to have an optimistic look on rescue, and talks of fun on the island to help the children stay calm. à à à à à à Jack and Ralph continue discussing the issue of fear, without the littluns present, to avoid frightening them further.à Mostly they discuss how the littluns scream out in their dreams because they are so afraid.à Simon joins in on one of their conversations on page 52: à à à à à à "'As if it wasn't a good island.' à à à à à Ast... ... à à à à à à By the end of the novel, it is not the beast that has driven the boys to savagery; it is their fear of the beast.à Most of the boys try to deal with their fear by pushing it away, but it is always in the back of their minds, controlling every move they make.à They do not know whether or not there is a beast on the island.à They are afraid of the unknown. à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à Works Cited. Baker, James R. "Why It's No Go." Critical Essays on William Golding. Ed. James R. Baker. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co., 1988. Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. London: Faber and Faber, 1958. Hynes, Samuel. "William Golding's Lord of the Flies." Critical Essays on William Golding. Ed. James R. Baker. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co., 1988. Moody, Philippa. Golding: Lord of the Flies, a critical commentary. London: Macmillan, 1964. à à Ã
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Ontella Picdeck Case Essay
Customer persona is a conceptual and fictive character of who could be the typical customer. Shorter, it gives us a ââ¬Å"realisticâ⬠kind of customer (with socioprofessional situation, sex, age, etc â⬠¦). Of course itââ¬â¢s possible to have several customer persona (like in the Ontela case study). A user persona is a representation of the goals and behavior of a hypothesized group of users. 2-Which segment(s) should Ontela target? We are comfortable choosing the young professional, I also consider the parent a viable segment. The young professional will definitely utilize the service in their business and will see the value to carry over use for personal photos thus increases their usage and dependency of the service (or vice versa). We think given the age group of this persona they will be quick to adapt to the new technology once they commit to using it. Once they commit to using it we believe it will be something that will be difficult for them to give up so they will be a regular customer. However, we are concerned about the number of potential customer in this persona. We wonder how many 27 year olds are like Steve when he mentions he was ââ¬Å"the last of his friends to get up on the latest technologyâ⬠. 3-Based on feature/benefit analysis, what positing statements are likely to be appropriate for each of the customers? SarahSteveRegina How much do customers in the segment want/need the product/service ?2/53.5/55/5 Most attractive ontela featureeasyUseful-easyFast-easy Most attractive benefit for the consumerSave precious momentDoing business faster from everywhere to every placeShow pictures Value to Ontela and partners Segment size This kind of people is outdated about technologies, especially in phone domain. They prefer to stay with their habits because they finally learned how to use it. If they change, the old phone has to be broke (and often, they try to find the same phone or a similar one) or it has to be really easy. Ontele promise their software is easy but we can not say the same about the support (the framework). USA : 10 millionSteve is not a user of new tech but he knows it. Today, we can assume that a young professional of 27yo has to have new tech because itââ¬â¢s really useful for their work (especially for estate agent) and because to have a smartphone gives entertainment. USA : 10% of 153 million = 15.3 million (actif)Regina is the typical girl of Z generation. The girl who has its own iphone, from a middle class. She is always connected thanks to internet and mobile internet. She is able to better know all new tech that can serve her easier, faster, more usefull. USA : 20 million Willingness to payWill think about the family budget before the allWill have the ability to pay easilyPocket money Note: As we can see, Sarah is not this kind of target who will go on internet to search information (because she doesnââ¬â¢t know really how to use it), and as she has no smartphone with appstore, itââ¬â¢s impossible to target her by this. About specialized magazine, she will be not interested as much. And about specialized TV/radio program, she cans be targeting but it will be a pure hazardous. So it will cost a lot if we decide to touch her, even if the product currently gives a response to her demand. Steve has knowledge in IT and is ready to change its mobile phone. So he will access to appstore, search information on internet, his colluagues already use their cellphones to send pictures. So he will be easy to touch. 4-Identify the key themes that should be emphasized in the messaging for the PicDeck service to your chosen target. Chosen target : Steve, the Young Professional After the segmentation market, Ontela Pickdeck target will be Steve, the Young Professional. The Ontela Pickdeckââ¬â¢s offer and the Steveââ¬â¢s profile are linked. For us, Steve is the best target. Steve is 27 years old, he is ââ¬Å"coolâ⬠and a young active adult desiring to connect with friends. Steve is a ââ¬Å"hardworkerâ⬠who knows the new technology and who uses very often the new technologic communication for his work. It is a easy target to approach because he needs this type of application to simplify his lifestyle and his work. For Steve, the essential key themes should be ââ¬Å"professionalâ⬠and ââ¬Å"easy to useâ⬠. Professional : -You can use their phones to take pictures of houses to save and send instantly to clients. -You can be linked all the time with clients and colleagues with cellphone. -ââ¬Å"He uses email at work, but prefers the phoneâ⬠. Now with our product, he will can use only the phone for his work and to be attentive to his clients everytime even on the road. Easy to use : -If your phone is lost or stolen, your pictures are safe. -Every picture you take on your camera phone is emailed to you, automatically. -Sets up on your phone in about one minute. -There is nothing to learn or rememberâ⬠¦ just take photos and pic sender delivers them automatically. -Easy delivery to your email, your PC, and your Photobucket, Yahoo! Flickr, Snapfish or Google Blogger accounts. To approach better Steve, we have chosen some promotion supports. Application Store : ââ¬â It is needed for us, to have an application on the Apple Store and Android to download the product and to promote more efficienly thanks to a famous site. Internet : -Ontela PicDeckââ¬â¢s Site -Ontela PicDeckââ¬â¢s Facebook (connected with people of social networks) -Technologic sites about new technologies -Blogs Specialized magazine : -Magazine Immobilier -La vie immobilià ¨re -Immoxia -Phone press, application magazine WOM : With all his colleagues and the real estate world. This type of product can change the real estate agent work. 5-What are the risks of using qualitative personas to select target customer segments? The main risk by using it is that customer personas are just a representation of a typically customer and only linked with the product or the company. It doesnââ¬â¢t care about the geography, sociocultural differences, etc â⬠¦ The other problem is that qualitative personas donââ¬â¢t show the quantity of customer and so the real potential of a group of customer. We cannot know how much ââ¬Å"Reginaâ⬠are in the segment targeted. Shorter, the problem of using qualitative is that itââ¬â¢s just an assumption without quantitative evidences and no descriptives. The firm risks to target their customers only linked with their personas ââ¬Å"Thereââ¬â¢s no quantitative evidence. The most common pitfall in persona creation occurs when someone asks, ââ¬Å"How can you be sure all our users are like the few you talked to?â⬠Qualitative personas are based on the idea that you can talk to a small number of users and see patterns that apply to all of your users. In other words, the risk of being wrong is higher compared to having a large sample size to back you up. If your stakeholders need quantitative evidence to buy into your process, theyââ¬â¢ll disregard your personas as a creative but ultimately unreliable tool. Some people simply need the ââ¬Å"proofâ⬠of hard data. And who can blame them? If youââ¬â¢re going to be making critical business decisions based on these personas, you better be as certain as possible of their accuracyââ¬âand be able to persuade others. Existing assumptions donââ¬â¢t tend to be questioned. You know your business, and you have assumptions about who the users are and what they need. When any person interviews users, he or she inevitably brings those assumptions to the research. The result: People find what theyââ¬â¢re looking for. Subconsciously, people look for the things that backup their own assumptions, so that instead of discovering surprises, they simply validate an existing worldview. Too often, their segmentation will look exactly like their original assumptions instead of being affected by the research. It wonââ¬â¢t always happen this way, but itââ¬â¢s a serious risk when doing qualitative segmentation.ââ¬
Monday, January 6, 2020
Thoreaus Walden The Battle of the Ants
Revered by many readers as the father of American nature writing, Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) characterized himself as a mystic, a transcendentalist and a natural philosopher to boot. His one masterpiece, Walden, came out of a two-year experiment in simple economy and creative leisure conducted in a self-made cabin near Walden Pond. Thoreau grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, now part of the Boston metropolitan area, and Walden Pond is near Concord. Thoreau and Emerson Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, also from Concord, became friends around 1840, after Thoreau had finished college, and it was Emerson who introduced Thoreau to transcendentalism and acted as his mentor. Thoreau built a small house on Walden Pond in 1845 on land owned by Emerson, and he spent two years there, immersed in philosophy and beginning to write what would be his masterpiece and legacy, Walden, which was published in 1854. Thoreaus Style In the introduction to The Norton Book of Nature Writing (1990), editors John Elder and Robert Finch observe that Thoreaus supremely self-conscious style has kept him continuously available to readers who no longer draw a confident distinction between humanity and the rest of the world, and who would find a simpler worship of nature both archaic and incredible. This excerpt from Chapter 12 of Walden, developed with historical allusions and an understated analogy, conveys Thoreaus unsentimental view of nature. The Battle of the Ants From Chapter 12 of Walden, or Life in the Woods (1854)à à by Henry David Thoreau You only need sit still long enough in some attractive spot in the woods that all its inhabitants may exhibit themselves to you by turns. I was witness to events of a less peaceful character. One day when I went out to my wood-pile, or rather my pile of stumps, I observed two large ants, the one red, the other much larger, nearly half an inch long, and black, fiercely contending with one another. Having once got hold they never let go, but struggled and wrestled and rolled on the chips incessantly. Looking farther, I was surprised to find that the chips were covered with such combatants, that it was not a duellum, but a bellum, a war between two races of ants, the red always pitted against the black, and frequently two red ones to one black. The legions of these Myrmidons covered all the hills and vales in my wood-yard, and the ground was already strewn with the dead and dying, both red and black. It was the only battle which I have ever witnessed, the only battle-field I ever trod while the battle was raging; internecine war; the red republicans on the one hand, and the black imperialists on the other. On every side t hey were engaged in deadly combat, yet without any noise that I could hear, and human soldiers never fought so resolutely. I watched a couple that were fast locked in each others embraces, in a little sunny valley amid the chips, now at noonday prepared to fight till the sun went down, or life went out. The smaller red champion had fastened himself like a vice to his adversarys front, and through all the tumblings on that field never for an instant ceased to gnaw at one of his feelers near the root, having already caused the other to go by the board; while the stronger black one dashed him from side to side, and, as I saw on looking nearer, had already divested him of several of his members. They fought with more pertinacity than bulldogs. Neither manifested the least disposition to retreat. It was evident that their battle-cry was Conquer or die. In the meanwhile there came along a single red ant on the hillside of this valley, evidently full of excitement, who either had dispatche d his foe, or had not yet taken part in the battle; probably the latter, for he had lost none of his limbs; whose mother had charged him to return with his shield or upon it. Or perchance he was some Achilles, who had nourished his wrath apart, and had now come to avenge or rescue his Patroclus. He saw this unequal combat from afar--for the blacks were nearly twice the size of the red--he drew near with rapid pace till be stood on his guard within half an inch of the combatants; then, watching his opportunity, he sprang upon the black warrior, and commenced his operations near the root of his right foreleg, leaving the foe to select among his own members; and so there were three united for life, as if a new kind of attraction had been invented which put all other locks and cements to shame. I should not have wondered by this time to find that they had their respective musical bands stationed on some eminent chip, and playing their national airs the while, to excite the slow and chee r the dying combatants. I was myself excited somewhat even as if they had been men. The more you think of it, the less the difference. And certainly there is not the fight recorded in Concord history, at least, if in the history of America, that will bear a moments comparison with this, whether for the numbers engaged in it, or for the patriotism and heroism displayed. For numbers and for carnage it was an Austerlitz or Dresden. Concord Fight! Two killed on the patriots side, and Luther Blanchard wounded! Why here every ant was a Buttrick--Fire! for Gods sake fire!--and thousands shared the fate of Davis and Hosmer. There was not one hireling there. I have no doubt that it was a principle they fought for, as much as our ancestors, and not to avoid a three-penny tax on their tea; and the results of this battle will be as important and memorable to those whom it concerns as those of the battle of Bunker Hill, at least. I took up the chip on which the three I have particularly described were struggling, carried it into my house, and placed it under a tumbler on my window-sill, in order to see the issue. Holding a microscope to the first-mentioned red ant, I saw that, though he was assiduously gnawing at the near foreleg of his enemy, having severed his remaining feeler, his own breast was all torn away, exposing what vitals he had there to the jaws of the black warrior, whose breastplate was apparently too thick for him to pierce; and the dark carbuncles of the sufferers eyes shone with ferocity such as war only could excite. They struggled half an hour longer under the tumbler, and when I looked again the black soldier had severed the heads of his foes from their bodies, and the still living heads were hanging on either side of him like ghastly trophies at his saddle-bow, still apparently as firmly fastened as ever, and he was endeavoring with feeble struggles, being without feelers and with only t he remnant of a leg, and I know not how many other wounds, to divest himself of them, which at length, after half an hour more, he accomplished. I raised the glass, and he went off over the window-sill in that crippled state. Whether he finally survived thatà combat,à and spent the remainder of his days in some Hà ´tel des Invalides, I do not know; but I thought that his industry would not be worth much thereafter. I never learned which party was victorious, nor the cause of the war; but I felt for the rest of that day as if I had had my feelings excited and harrowed by witnessing the struggle, theà ferocityà and carnage, of a human battle before my door. Kirby and Spence tell us that the battles of ants have long been celebrated and the date of them recorded, though they say that Huber is the only modern author who appears to have witnessed them. Aeneas Sylvius, say they, after giving a very circumstantial account of one contested with great obstinacy by a great and small species on the trunk of a pear tree, adds that this action was fought in the pontificate of Eugenius the Fourth, in the presence of Nicholas Pistoriensis, an eminent lawyer, who related the whole history of the battle with the greatest fidelity. A similar engagement between great and small ants is recorded by Olaus Magnus, in which the small ones, being victorious, are said to have buried the bodies of their own soldiers, but left those of their giant enemies a prey to the birds. This event happened previous to the expulsion of the tyrant Christiern the Second from Sweden. The battle which I witnessed took place in the Presidency of Polk, five years before the passa ge of Websters Fugitive-Slave Bill. Originally published by Ticknor Fields in 1854, Walden, or Life in the Woods à by Henry David Thoreau is available in many editions, including Walden: A Fully Annotated Edition, edited by Jeffrey S. Cramer (2004).
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