The Kurdish Struggle to Establish an Autonomous State within Turkey Essay

The Kurdish Struggle to Establish an Autonomous State within Turkey - Essay Example Most of these countries (particularly Turkey) have issues with the formation of an autonomous Kurdish region for several reasons which will be discussed within this paper. The Kurds have their own unique culture, language and religious beliefs that set them apart from the general population of the countries in which Kurdistan is currently politically part of, and have been persecuted by these nations throughout history. One of the main issues in Kurdistan is the struggle to form an autonomous nation that recognizes the rights and rich history of these people. Interestingly, the Iraqi government recognized the state as early as 1970 (Houston, 2008), giving the Kurdish people within Iraq autonomous rule, but the other governments, in particular Turkey, have not recognized the area as separate and autonomous and this is a constant source of tension within the area today. Within Turkey, the Kurds are the largest non-Turkish ethnic group (Barkey & Fuller, 1998), a fact which the Turkish p eople perceive as the main reason why the Kurds are the biggest threat to Turkish national identity and perhaps why these people struggle within Turkey. This essay will focus primarily on the Kurdish people within Turkey and identify some of the key issues and solutions in this situation. Current events will be utilized to show the troubles within the area and highlight the positives and negatives of being a Kurd in modern Turkey. History of Kurdistan To properly understand the struggles of the Kurdish people in Turkey, it is necessary to have a complete historical background of the area and discuss how the language and culture of these people has developed over time. Not only is this an interesting standalone topic, it highlights some of the differences between the people of Kurdistan and the Turkish population, a source of great tension between the two cultures. Kurdish culture can be traced back to ancient history. It has been suggested that the ancient Kingdom of Corduene is ana lagous to the modern-day Kurdistan (Houston, 2008), and may of the ancient districts of this area correspond well to modern district. The first reference to Kurdistan (or Land of the Kurds) is found in a Christian document which describes the Christian Saints of the area, people who were driven out of the area by Pagans (Barkey & Fuller, 1998). The Kurdish language is believed to have developed from a dialect of Iran in the early centuries of the Common Era (Houston, 2008). From here on, there is a clearer history of the area. The Middle Ages saw the development of several Kurdish provinces such as Shaddadid, Marwanid and Rawadid (Meiselas & Bruinessen, 1997), all fairly autonomous regions which can be likened to modern-day emirates. They were under religious and political control of Khalifs, but this was indirect and not particularly forceful, allowing the Kurdish culture to begin to develop into something recognizable today. Islam was first brought to the area in 641CE by an Arab leader known as Utba ibn farqad (Meiselas & Bruinessen, 1997), and was followed by a number of uprisings, revolutions and conquests by Muslim leaders. It was the loss of power from the Byzantine and Sasanian empire by these Muslim caliphates that led to the Kurdish people being allowed to identify mountain administrators and set up independent states in the eastern Taurus mountain ranges, where Kurdish people can still be found today (Meiselas & Bruinessen, 1997). The modern history of Kurdistan is also fascinating. The 16th century brought many wars to the area and eventually the modern area of Kurdistan was split between the Safavid and Ottoman empires. Most Kurds lived in the Ottoman empire until World War I, when the Allied troops tried to split the area into several distinct

Controversial issues of traditional arts Essay Example for Free

Controversial issues of traditional arts Essay Ulek Mayang could be haunted. it is a Malay traditional dance from the state of Terengganu in Malaysia accompanied by a unique song called Ulek Mayang the lyrics were changed (no one knows the real lyrics) the song remains popular and there are several contemporary interpretations of the song the original dance is to honor the spirit of the sea. The modern dance has no elements of worship, its more to music and dance. After the arrival of Islam, such practice has been stopped and the Ulek Mayang dance is only preserved to be part of the Malay culture. Even now, Ulek Mayang is nicknamed the ‘Most Haunted Culture in Malaysia’.- However, some fishermen still practice this ritual. Agree: Some people claim that the song is haunted because it gives goosebumps and creepy feelings especially when it is performed at sunset by the beach People tend to avoid practising it nearby any beaches around the world, as according to the ancients’ beliefs; those 7 Sea-Princesses shall always guard the 7 Seas. Whoever that breaks certain rules, no matter where they are, will pay the price. There has been cases of tourists jumping into the sea for no reason after they performed Ulek Mayang along the north-eastern beaches of Peninsular Malaysia. Some cases happen on land too. Going missing and receiving visits were the greatest fear whenever one performs Ulek Mayang. Disagree: According to ustaz, Ulek Mayang is not a ghost or jin. Its a popular song in Terengganu and is a type of lagu rakyat. The Ulek Mayang song used nowadays has been shortened as Malays count the full song as worshipping spirits which is syirik in Islam. The Malaysian rock diva, Ella once sung the song in a rock version Poco poco dance choreographed with sequence of steps. it is a type of aerobic dance believed to originated in Indonesia more than 20 years ago Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Fatwa Negeri Perak banned poco- poco because they believe it is derived from Christianity. Agree: The dance originated from Jamaica and is actually a cult dance There are many Christian rituals to it as the moves reflect the making of a cross and so is unacceptable in Islam Disagree: The Malaysian Muslims are confused. There is no any literature or practical evidence showing that poco-poco is derived from Christianity either in Indonesia, Philippine or Jamaica. Poco poco movements with cross design can not be a sufficient justification because movement of left and right sides is a natural human movement. Even when human stretch his hands, it can be considered illegal if the method resembles the cross. Mahsuris curse: Myth or Legend? Summary: One day while Mahsuri’s husband was away fighting a war, Mahsuri offered shelter to a wandering minstrel. For that, Mahsuri was accused of committing adultery by the village chieftain’s wife. The village chieftain who was still smarting over Mahsuri’s rejection of his earlier marriage proposal, ordered Mahsuri to be condemned to death. It was said that at her execution Mahsuri bled white blood signifying her innocence. At her last breath, Mahsuri was said to utter a curse on Langkawi for which the island will remain barren for seven generations. Agree: Many locals of Langkawi believe the legend to be true due to failed crops after Mahsuris death. According to recorded history, the Siamese invaded Langkawi not long after Mahsuri’s death and razed the island to the ground with a scorched earth policy. And coincidentally, Langkawi did not become a major tourist hotspot until the birth of Wan Aishah bt Wan Nawawi, the seventh generation descendant of Mahsuri. Disagree: Some people think Mahsuris story most likely is real and the killing of Mahsuri most likely took place, but the curse of Langkawi and her white blood must be a part of myth because there is no prove or evidence. in this modern and science world, people think its logically untrue for a normal human being to have white blood

Essays --

To first understand a black hole, you must understand how it is created. Most black holes are produced by dying stars that have a mass twenty times greater than our sun. A star eventually becomes a black hole because the energy and pressure pushing outward is overcome by gravity that pushes inward. For big stars the gravity force causes a star to collapse under its own weight. The star then will explode as a supernova and some outer parts of the star are sent out into space. The core is still intact, and if it has collapsed under its own weight, it will have formed a star. This core is said to have nearly zero volume, but with infinite density, known as a singularity. These black holes that have now been created start to grow. But how do they grow? They start absorbing mass from materials that are close to them. If a material is said to enter a black holes event horizon, a point at which nothing can escape a black hole’s gravity, the object would became absorbed and would be part of the black hole. Most black holes consume large amounts of gas and dust as their primary source of â€Å"f...

J.B. Preistly’s Presentation of Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls :: English Literature

Analyse J.B. Preistly’s Presentation of Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls ‘An Inspector Calls’ is a play written by J.B. Preistly in 1945 after WW2. The play was set in 1912 just before WW1, this date was chosen to show the contrasts of the two orders and to help J.B.Preistly’s message of the play become clearer. In the world in1945, as I’ve said, it was the end of WW2 and the Labour Party had been elected for government for the first time. Preistly’s message of the play is that he thinks that the old older was a bad idea because it had already got the world in 2 world wars’ and that every body should respect and care about each other . The Inspector is an important character is important to the play because he is like the spokes person of the play because he shows that the ways of the old order are wrong and that the way of the new order was the right way to go. He is also pointing out Preistly’s message by saying that the old order views from Arthur Birling about how everybody should look after themselves and not care about any other problems in the world accept your own. The way that Preistly does this is by contrasting Inspector Goole and Arthur Birling for example the Inspector is cool, calm and collected, Arthur Birling has to always have his wits about him and always try to be right. My first impressions of the Inspector are that he is an important character to the play and solving the mystery of who killed Daisy Renton, but I didn’t think that he would have any thing to do with the message. Did Preistly want the audience to think this? I think that he did and that adds to the initial impact of the inspector’s character, not knowing what he is all about. In the text Preistly describes the inspector as a big character in his late 40’s makes him seem a convincing inspector; this could help to trick the audience in the later scenes. The Inspectors entrance is important because it is the middle of Birling’s big speech about only looking after yourself and later in the play he contradicts that speech and shows Birling that he is in the wrong and that Eric And Sheila are right for being in the new order. When he enters the room with the lines â€Å" I’d like some information if you don’t mind, Mr. Birling† it makes the audience feel that Birling, who is so convinced the old order is correct and he is

Whole Foods Market Business Analysis

Sales have doubled since then and 66% of the British adults now consume organic food and drinks. Their weakness Is the fact they haven't expanded Into the global market except for Canada and the ASK. There has also been several recalls on brands purchased by the company. The opportunities appear to be significant In this retail market. There Is an Increasing desire for organic, healthy products which bodes well for the success of opening new stores. The threat is competition as the demand grows and more stringent regulation. Rental increases is also a concern.In making a decision on whether to invest in Whole Foods Market, the welfare and needs of the internal and external stakeholders need to be considered. Growth depends on Bonds and Stockholders. The company must show consistent growth in order to be able to have available borrowing outlets. The employees are instrumental in keeping the customer feel wanted and satisfied with their shopping. The surrounding community wants to feel compatible with Whole Foods facilities, products and service. And the distributors supplying the company's product need to know there Is a commitment from their customers.Whole Foods Market is a unique, organic food and natural product supermarket chain located in the US, Canada and ASK. As a wholly owned subsidiary, they are headquartered in Austin, Texas and employ approximately 64,200 people: 13,300 are part-time and 2,700 temporary employees (Denominator, 2012, p. 4). They have an increase in revenue in 2011 from the previous year of 12. 2%, an increase of 25% in operating profit and net profit increase of 42%. (â€Å"Event Brief of IQ , 2012 Whole Foods Market Earnings†, 2012).These figures are significant in recognizing the company's success in recovering from the recession which hit them In 2008. Presently, the organic food market Is fragmented with many small mom and pops which presents many opportunities for growth by Whole Foods. Fred Meyer, a discount chain, carri es an Increasing array of organic foods, but not the quality and quantity of their high end competitor. The company's strength is in its focused growth plan. â€Å"The new store openings has enabled it to grow at a compounded and annual growth rate of 26% during 1991-2011†. Denominator, 2012, p. 6). They have formalized their square footage for new and renovated stores by past analysis of their successes and allures. The expansion into the I-J market, in particular the 2007 acquisition of 80,000 square feet in London could be a major step into a market outside of the US. Sales have doubled and 66% of the British public consumes organic food and drink. (Live Business News, 2012, p. 3) Their weaknesses lay in lack of expansion into international operations, product recall of certain brands, and increasing rental costs.Recalls are an issue. They have had to withdraw Whole Foods Market Dairy Free bakery products because it contained milk which was not on the label. Texas had to c all cheddar cheese products because of an e-coli contamination and there was a possible Salmonella contamination for the Whole Foods, Carob Energy Nuggets in 2009. They have not been able to successfully expand into markets other than a few stores in Canada and the I-J. They have not been able to obtain competitive prices from their distributors for these stores because of the low volume.Whole Foods also has a weak advertising budget and relies heavily on Internet and word of mouth, a disadvantage when their competitors advertising strategies are expanded into other markets. (Live Business News, 2012, p. 7) Leases for space and equipment have increased significantly from 4. 8 million in 2004 to 201 million in 2007. Future growth could be impacted. The increasing demand for organic foods and the new emerging life styles of the American public appear as great opportunities for Whole Foods Market. â€Å"According to industry estimates, the sales of organic food increased three fold si nce 2000 to exceed $28. Billion in 2010† (Denominator, 2012 p. 7) With this increase in sales, the company is still the only chain catering and available to this market. They are continually expanding their product base to include such foods for customers with facial dietary needs. The trend of the American family is moving towards eating at home and eating healthy. Competition in the food retailing market is intense. Currently, Whole Foods does not experience significant competition in the organic food, natural products, and vitamin supplement area. But, as the demand and desire grow, so will the competition.

Definition of Algorithm in Mathematics

Definition of Algorithm in Mathematics An algorithm in mathematics is a procedure, a description of a set of steps that can be used to solve a mathematical computation: but they are much more common than that today. Algorithms are used in many branches of science (and everyday life for that matter), but perhaps the most common example is that step-by-step procedure used in long division. The process of resolving a problem in such as what is 73 divided by 3 could be described by the following algorithm: How many times does 3 go into 7?The answer is 2How many are left over? 1Put the 1(ten) in front of the 3.How many times does 3 go into 13?The answer is 4 with a remainder of one.And of course, the answer is 24 with a remainder of 1. The step by step procedure described above is called a long division algorithm. Why Algorithms? While the description above might sound a bit detailed and fussy, algorithms are all about finding efficient ways to do the math. As the anonymous mathematician says, Mathematicians are lazy so they are always looking for shortcuts. Algorithms are for finding those shortcuts. A baseline algorithm for multiplication, for example, might be simply adding the same number over and over again. So, 3,546 times 5 could be described in four steps: How much is 3546 plus 3546? 7092How much is 7092 plus 3546? 10638How much is 10638 plus 3546? 14184How much is 14184 plus 3546? 17730 Five times 3,546 is 17,730. But 3,546 multiplied by 654 would take 653 steps. Who wants to keep adding a number over and over again? There are a set of multiplication algorithms for that; the one you choose would depend on how large your number is. An algorithm is usually the most efficient (not always) way to do the math. Common Algebraic Examples FOIL (First, Outside, Inside, Last) is an algorithm used in algebra that is used in multiplying polynomials: the student remembers to solve a polynomial expression in the correct order: To resolve (4x 6)(x 2), the FOIL algorithm would be: Multiply the first terms in the parenthesis (4x times x 4x2)Multiply the two terms on the outside (4x times 2 8x)Multiply the inside terms (6 times x 6x)Multiply the last terms (6 times 2 12)Add all the results together to get 4x2 14x 12) BEDMAS (Brackets, Exponents, Division, Multiplication, Addition and Subtraction.) is another useful set of steps and is also considered a formula. The BEDMAS method refers to a way to order a set of mathematical operations. Teaching Algorithms Algorithms have an important place in any mathematics curriculum. Age-old strategies involve rote memorization of ancient algorithms; but modern teachers have also begun to develop curriculum over the years to effectively teach the idea of algorithms, that there are multiple ways of resolving complex issues by breaking them into a set of procedural steps. Allowing a child to creatively invent ways of resolving problems is known as developing algorithmic thinking. When teachers watch students do their math, a great question to pose to them is Can you think of a shorter way to do that? Allowing children to create their own methods to resolve issues stretches their thinking and analytical skills. Outside of Math Learning how to operationalize procedures to make them more efficient is an important skill in many fields of endeavor. Computer science continually improves upon arithmetic and algebraic equations to make computers run more efficiently; but so do chefs, who continually improve their processes to make the best recipe for making a lentil soup or a pecan pie. Other examples include online dating, where the user fills out a form about his or her preferences and characteristics, and an algorithm uses those choices to pick a perfect potential mate. Computer video games use algorithms to tell a story: the user makes a decision, and the computer bases the next steps on that decision. GPS systems use algorithms to balance readings from several satellites to identify your exact location and the best route for your SUV. Google uses an algorithm based on your searches to push appropriate advertising in your direction. Some writers today are even calling the 21st century the Age of Algorithms. They are today a way to cope with the massive amounts of data we are generating daily. Sources and Further Reading Curcio, Frances R., and Sydney L. Schwartz. There Are No Algorithms for Teaching Algorithms. Teaching Children Mathematics 5.1 (1998): 26-30. Print.Morley, Arthur. Teaching and Learning Algorithms. For the Learning of Mathematics 2.2 (1981): 50-51. Print.Rainie, Lee, and Janna Anderson. Code-Dependent: Pros and Cons of the Algorithm Age. Internet and Technology. Pew Research Center 2017. Web. Accessed January 27, 2018.

Karl Popper and Falsification

Karl Popper and Falsification Free Online Research Papers Sir Karl Popper, challenging the status quo, inspiring generations to ponder on the meaning of science, the methods to find truth, is one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century. Of particular importance to scientific methods of inquiry is the brawl between the development of theory and the criteria for science. In Popper’s own words, it is in this brawl that Popper decided to â€Å"grapple with the problem: When should a theory be ranked as scientific? or Is there a criterion for the scientific character or status of a theory?† (Popper 1957), p. 1. Born just after the turn of the century in 1902 (my Great Aunt was 4 at the time), in London, England, Popper began grappling with the brawl between â€Å"when is theory scientific† and â€Å"what is the criteria for the scientific character of theory† in the fall of 1919 (p. #). The thing that troubled Popper most he stated is â€Å"When is theory true?† (Popper 1957), p. 1-2). Born from the thing that was troubling Popper most originated his philosophy of Science as Falsification. First, it may be dangerous to proceed any further in this discussion without bringing into light perspectives about the time when Popper toiled on the naissance of falsification. In 1919, when Popper began to labor about potential for truth in theory, social turbulence was epidemic in Europe. The period between 1914 and 1989 can be viewed as a â€Å"protracted European Civil war† (Williams 2005). World War I (WWI) is well underway while communism extends beyond German idealists and the Russian Comintern into Hungary and Italy. Greek forces occupy Turkey’s Aegean coast for territorial ambitions. Over 20 million people are dying of a flu epidemic sweeping across China, Europe, and into the Americas. Social principles shift in the United States with laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol and granting women the right to vote. Social disturbance, disorder is the standard, not the exception of the time when Popper inaugurates a quest to find ‘truth’ in scientific explainadum. Other philosophers of the time endeavor to understand and explain social phenomena during the early 20th century. Max Weber, Karl Marx, Freidrech Engles, Thorstein Ve blen, and George Simmel excavate from all the political revolutions, the social disorder(s) of this period and emerge with capacious explanadum for a multitude of facets addressing social theory. â€Å"Philosophers were accused- rightly, I believe- of philosophizing without knowledge of fact, and their philosophies were described as mere fancies, even imbecile fancies’†(Popper 1952)p. 127). It is with the back drop then a discussion may proceed that recognizes the angst Popper toiled under to emerge with a simply elegant position that science is falsification. What then is falsification? In an attempt to define science from pseudo-science, Popper states that the growth of scientific knowledge begins with an imaginative proposal of hypotheses† (date, p. #). Then, the scientist must search for illustrations or situations that falsify or negate the hypothesis. This search for illustrations or situations that negate the hypothesis is falsification. Pseudo-science is science that does not meet scientific standards (of the period) but does conduct experiments. But what of pseudo-science? When is science the truth? What explains the difference between science and pseudo-science? Popper explains by providing an example. Traditionally, a discipline that conducts pseudo-scientific experiments is astrology. By amassing observations, astrologists produce horoscopes or biographies (Popper 1957). To distinguish science from pseudo-science, the investigator, at this point in the 20th century, could turn to the method and parse out true science from pseudo-science. The use of empirical methods and inductive explanations is the root cause for Popper’s revolt upon the metaphysical reasoning used to explain social behavior (at this time). It is not that astrology is a pseudo-science; astrology is merely a residue of the subject of the investigation (Popper 1952). Disciplines are means of administratively distinguishing the unified systems from which problems may be taught. It is far more important to understanding falsification that â€Å"We are not students of a subject matter but students of problems† (Popper 1952)p. 125). Traditionally, scientists formed hypotheses to explain or rationalize some natural phoneme that they have observed. Popper intends that a hypothesis must predict a phenomenon or behavior and not just offer to explain it. â€Å"I believe that there is not a classic of science, or of mathematics, or indeed a book worth reading that could not be shown, by a skillful application of the technique of language analysis, to be full of meaningless pseudo-propositions† (Popper 1952), p. 130). Popper is positive that each hypothesis has a possible contradiction. This â€Å"sensitiveness to problems† to the extent of having a â€Å"consuming passion for them† fortifies Popper’s revolt against merely accepting plausible and rationalized results of observations. For falsification to take place, the scientist must identify situations that falsify or negate the hypothesis. Finally, after rigorous attempts have been made to find the hypothesis untrue, the scientist may tentatively accept the hypothesis as true. However, if the hypothesis is found untrue, the scientist must reject the hypothesis. Therefore, Popper has set forth not only a definition of a scientific theory, but also an environment wherein scientists may work. Popper intends that a hypothesis must predict a phenomenon or behavior and not just offer to explain it. Therefore, a few statements may be made to expand and sequence the understanding of falsification. These ordered statements are that 1) for scientific discovery to take place, a clear problem statement must be designed, 2) attempts to find this hypothesis untrue must be conducted, 3) when the investigation cannot find the hypothesis untrue at that point then finally 4) the discovery is made regarding prediction of the ori ginal problem. Popper makes it clear that theory cannot be completely explanatory and all inclusive (Klemke et al. 1998). The key characteristic of a theory is falsification in itself. If the possibility for negating the theory does not exist, then the hypothesis is not scientific. When the theory is falsified, the scientific community learns from the experience and knowledge becomes a cumulative contribution among philosophers. Popper provides a service to the scientific community by spawning a means to parse science from pseudo-science more clearly. Popper’s theses in philosophy to include a tenet of falsification caused a tectonic shift in scientific investigation. Responses of rejection from other philosophers poured in regarding Popper’s assertions for the need to falsify. Imre Lakatos, for example, is harsh on Popper. Criticisms include: Lakatos argues that falsifiable already refers to how science is practiced. Lakatos interprets Popper as demanding scientists to specify in advance a crucial experiment (or observation) which can falsify it, and it is pseudoscientific if one refuses to specify such a ‘potential’ falsifier† (Lakatos 1963). â€Å"If so, Popper does not demarcate scientific statements from pseudoscientific ones, but rather scientific method from non-scientific method (Lakatos, p. 1). Lakatos goes onto claim that Popper fails to provide the scientific community with a means for â€Å"rational criticism of consistent conventions† (Lakatos 1963). For Aiken, Popper does not address three different questions: 1)whether historical data can be trusted as evidence for social laws, 2) whether there are verifiable laws of ‘development’†¦for the basis..to predict future events, and 3) whether there can be what may be called laws of ‘unrestrictive scope’ in terms of which all social processes may be explained. (Aiken 1947), p. 147)Clearly from this spurn of remarks from Lakatos, Aiken and others upon Popper’s falsification theses has caused a scientific revolution under the principles set forth by Thomas Kuhn (Kuhn 1996). References Aiken, Henry David (1947), Review: [Untitled], The Journal of Philosophy, 44 (17), 459-73. Klemke, E.D., R. Hollinger, D. Rudge, A. (Eds) Klein, and A. (David) Klein (1998), Introductory Readings in the Philosophy of Science: Prometheus Books. Kuhn, Thomas S. (1996), The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press. Lakatos, I. (1963), Proofs and Refutations (2, 3, 4), The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 14 (54), 120-39. Popper, K. R. (1952), The Nature of Philosophical Problems and Their Roots in Science, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 3 (10), 124-56. Popper, Karl (1957), Science as Falsification, ed. Cambridge University Peterhouse, London: Mayfield Publishing Company. Williams, Hywel (2005), Cassells Chronology of World History, in Cassells Chronology of World History, London: Weidenfeld Nicolson, 767. Research Papers on Karl Popper and FalsificationThree Concepts of PsychodynamicThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug Use19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeResearch Process Part OneCapital PunishmentEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males

Americas involment in the Holocaust

Americas involment in the Holocaust Free Online Research Papers When the war broke out in 1930. The world couldn’t know what was really happening in Germany or what Adolf Hitler had in store for any jew, gypsy, homosexual and any other individual that got in the way of his master plan. America during the Holocaust was considered one of the most powerful nations in the world. Economically, politically and socially. There are many reasons why America wasn’t much involved during the holocaust. United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt hurried after the holocaust broke out in Europe and gathered his cabinet and military advisors together, there ut was agreed that the U.S. would stay neutral. One reason because the United States weren’t directly threatened and they had no reason to be involved. This reason was a valid one because it was the American policy to stay neutral in any affair not having anything to do with them unless American soil was threatened directly. Some jews escape from the tragic thing happening and made it to America. As Jews in Germany faced the violence and discrimination that was brought on by Hitler’s government. Some American Jewish leaders urged with the U.S. State Department to change their standards regards to German Jews immigration. In 1936 U.S. immigration officials did change their considerations to include the levels of a German jews educat ion, job skills, and if they had American relatives. In only one year with the new policy the immigration had doubled in the amount of visas they granted to the German Jews. After so many Jews were allowed in the U.S. the Americans were getting upset because there was little job opportunities for them. So the State Department started many up excuses why their visas were denied and immigration became so restricted . During the Holocaust Anti-Semitism was a reason why the U.S. didn’t enter the war zone in the beginning. Anti-Semitism was a factor that limited American Jewish actions during the war time and put American Jews in a difficult position. In the late 1930s the levels of anti-Semitism was high and continued to rise into the 1940s. there was another type of Anti-Semitism during this time called passive Anti-Semitism. While many Americans wouldn’t physically harm a jew they had negative internal feelings towards them. Jews have been continuously looked down on and been used as scapegoats. Research Papers on America's involment in the HolocaustThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 219 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeQuebec and CanadaNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceCapital PunishmentComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenHip-Hop is Art

Mediterranean fruit fly (ceratitis capitat) in NewZealand Essay

Mediterranean fruit fly (ceratitis capitat) in NewZealand - Essay Example It is also referred to as the med fly for short. It belongs to the Animalia Kingdom. Its phylum is anthropoda. The class is an insect. The order is diptera. The family is tephritidae and the genus ceratitis ("Ceratitis capitata," 2011). As a species of fruit fly, the insect is able to cause significant damage to a wide array of fruit agricultural crops. This insect is native to the Mediterranean region; however, it has spread to many other parts of the globe. These areas include Australia, as well as a variety of regions throughout North and South America. This fruit fly’s invasive nature has made it a particular problem in many of these regions. In terms of reproductive elements the fruit fly lays its eggs under the skins of fruit. This occurs most frequently in fruit where the skin is already broken. After three days, the larvae develop inside the fruit. While the insect has been viewed largely as an invasive species, it additionally has an ecological purpose as it can serve to control specific plant growth. There are significant implications for the Mediterranean fruit fly’s invasion into New Zealand. In understanding these implications there is the understanding that this insect has caused significant problems in other areas. Attacks between 1975 and 1993 in California cost the state over $170 million in prevention measures. Australia and Hawaii experienced similar incursions of the fruit fly. In Australia, over 200 fruit crops became infested before preventions measures were put into place. For New Zealand, it’s noted that there would be a significant impact on the horticulture industry ("Mediterranean fruit fly," 2011). This is highly significant because of the impact it would have on the New Zealand economy, including potential job losses. Indeed, it’s noted that among the products that there are more than $58 million worth of crops that are in the highly susceptible range

The Electronic Commerce In the US Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Electronic Commerce In the US - Case Study Example Since this is a new medium for commerce and as the global marketing of goods or services is growing enormously, there is a need for redrafting the legal environment suitably. The legitimate revenues to the governments were previously realized through taxes on sales, as applicable under the standard law. This new face of marketing which is termed electronic commerce has once again highlighted the need for creating new laws to safeguard the interests of the customers as well as the manufacturers and revamping the source for taxes to be levied. The changes, which result from electronic commerce and related technology offer significant benefits to business, consumers, and government. They increase convenience, efficiency, and productivity and reduce costs. It is important to look forward to the changes and how they will influence the current tax laws as they relate to maintaining consistent revenue flows and taxpayer equity. In the U.S., the emergence of electronic commerce has left a prominent impact on the telecommunication, information and computer sectors, advertising, publishing, and media industries. The issues brought forth by the electronic commerce, which relate to sales tax and use tax, have attracted the attention of the federal, state and local governments. Promoting the growth of internet commerce is inevitable because of its potential in generating revenues and jobs and increasing productivity. However, the state and local governments are dependent on a consistent inflow of revenues to maintain essential services. Sales and use tax account for 36.7 percent of overall tax revenues. There is a need for a cooperative and simplified sales and use the tax system to provide for efficient and equitable taxation of interstate commerce. The Internet Tax Freedom Act created the Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce and this commission recommended that while the internet should not be taxed more than other channels, it should not permit the avoidance of tax. The remote vendors argued that imposition of sales tax collection responsibilities in all of the thousands of the taxing jurisdictions in the U.S. would create an unacceptable burden (Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, September 22, 1999). The doctrine of sovereign immunity, in international law, permits a court to give up its jurisdictional rights in respect of foreign enterprises or countries. This doctrine has as its bases the traditional notions that a sovereign should not be subject to litigation in a foreign court. The result is that investors may be unable to obtain relief in their country's legal system. In some countries, this doctrine's application to commerce has been limited. While contracting with a private party if a foreign nation does not allow itself to be subject to the local laws, then recourse to U.S. courts in case of a breach is not possible.

Human Rights and the Ethiopian Government Essay

Human Rights and the Ethiopian Government - Essay Example The current government stands accused of acts that go against basic human rights and certainly in no way represent the will of the Ethiopian people for freedom and democracy. The Human Rights Watch website (www.hrw.org) has said that "the aftermath of Ethiopia's landmark May 2005 parliamentary elections has laid bare the deeply entrenched patterns of political repression, human rights abuse and impunity that characterize the day-to-day reality of governance in much of the country". Although the Ethiopian elections were of great interest to a world audience who felt that the democratic process was truly at work, the truth was that political groups were literally fighting it out for a place in debates and on the ballot boxes. The EPRF was busy coercing voters into a repeat result from the 2000 election with abusive tactics that the HRW researchers explain as "government officials and security forces in much of Ethiopia mak[ing] routine use of various forms of human rights abuse to deter and punish dissent" (Ibid.). These authority figures are retaining such abusive control over the Ethiopian population by citing terrorist plots and other security threats that will legitimately let officials detain 'suspects' and interrogate them for purposes that actually bear no relation to actual national security. The EPRF has effectively decided that any dissenting movement from that of their own party is therefore a national threat and as such they have treated members of the CUD and the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces as enemies of the state. The 2005 Amnesty International Report mentions that aside from citizen unrest within the country due to fear of torture and detainment, the government has also proposed new legislation that would put members of the press at risk of arrest for probing into what are deemed private parliamentary matters (Amnesty International Report 2005). Although international observers and internal watchdogs of the Ethiopian 2005 election reported that the results were in general in consensus with actual voting percentages, CUD and other opposition members maintained that there were a high number of uncounted ballots that might have made a significant difference to government. After refusing to accept the results of what they stated was a fixed election, CUD members decided that the official course of action would be civil disobedience. Thousands participated in the plan and this led to massive force on the part of the police, something that did no favors to the poor reputation of the EPRG in terms of human rights violations. After abusing these dissenters, the government maintained its official position and yet did little to change its image for the better both nationally and internationally. In the U.S. Department of State's "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices", fifteen different violations of human rights were reported in cluding unlawful killings, detentions of thousands without charge, government interference in union activities, self-censorship by journalists, government infringement on citizens' privacy rights and government

Lululemon's exploration of England Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Lululemon's exploration of England - Case Study Example Lululemon is a premium brand offered at premium prices which make it near to impossible for the competitors to imitate. Lululemon believes on community involvement in its business and thus allows others to imitate its products or technology used to manufacture products. This business practice is in alignment with Lululemon’s â€Å"doing-the-right-thing† initiative. The aim was to support community members to take an active part in achieving excellence in healthy habits. But the competitors find it difficult to imitate Lululemon’s products or strategies because it is very costly and requires a great set of skills to produce a Lululemon’s product. The way Lululemon has structured its organizational hierarchy facilitates smooth functioning of the business. The headquarter is stationed in Canada where the product designing and concept manipulation is carried out. Moreover, the headquarters also handles the financial controlling function of the business. Whereas the business in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States is handled by the respective authorities in these countries so as to provide these subsidiaries autonomy over their business practices. This is beneficial in a manner, that it provides a room for the business to adopt the local taste and social structure to market products in an efficient manner. Although, the control of business related matter is in the hand of management of these local subsidiaries, the product manufacturing and financial controlling is still taken care by the head office.

International Investments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Investments - Essay Example ne thing that makes Indian stock market as a good long term investment according to the article â€Å"Advantages for NRIS investing in the Indian Market† 2011, is that most of its stocks are correctly valued, returns of investment are excellent and its stock market is well regulated. In my observation, based on financial reports, India has a booming economy and is one of the emerging economies next to China. As such, confidence of investors is rising such that there are continuing interests from foreign multinationals on Indian companies. As compared to United States that is experiencing a slow economic growth; investors are losing interest of holding US dollars and therefore lessen interest in US investment. These investors now look for new investments in emerging countries like China, India and Brazil. India has advantage on this as the government continuously works on its deregulation and free market principles to attract investments. Because of the investors’ intere sts, the economy of India is expected to improve further and reach a high GDP figure of 10%, and economic growth will continue on years to come. Economic activities along this line are take-over, acquisitions and mergers and are spreading on iron and steel, spirits, manufacturing, auto parts, not just IT, and equity. Investment in the Indian debt securities, I believe, is a good investment because according to BSE (2011), the Indian debt market is one of the largest in Asia. Securities are issued by the government (central and state), public sector, other government bodies, financial institutions, banks and corporations. As such, the fixed income securities become one of the most attractive investment opportunities since it provides safety of investments, adequate liquidity, and flexibility in structuring a portfolio, easier monitoring, long term reliability and assured returns (India Debt Market, 2010). Fixed income securities may either be interest-bearing bonds, varied type of debt

Lululemon's exploration of England Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Lululemon's exploration of England - Case Study Example Lululemon is a premium brand offered at premium prices which make it near to impossible for the competitors to imitate. Lululemon believes on community involvement in its business and thus allows others to imitate its products or technology used to manufacture products. This business practice is in alignment with Lululemon’s â€Å"doing-the-right-thing† initiative. The aim was to support community members to take an active part in achieving excellence in healthy habits. But the competitors find it difficult to imitate Lululemon’s products or strategies because it is very costly and requires a great set of skills to produce a Lululemon’s product. The way Lululemon has structured its organizational hierarchy facilitates smooth functioning of the business. The headquarter is stationed in Canada where the product designing and concept manipulation is carried out. Moreover, the headquarters also handles the financial controlling function of the business. Whereas the business in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States is handled by the respective authorities in these countries so as to provide these subsidiaries autonomy over their business practices. This is beneficial in a manner, that it provides a room for the business to adopt the local taste and social structure to market products in an efficient manner. Although, the control of business related matter is in the hand of management of these local subsidiaries, the product manufacturing and financial controlling is still taken care by the head office.

Competitive Analysis of General Motors Case Study

Competitive Analysis of General Motors - Case Study Example The tools like PESTLE, porter's five force and SWOT analysis are used in this report in order get a better result. The report is designed in such a way that, first there is an introduction followed by PESTLE analysis, porter's five force analysis and SWOT analysisetc. Automobile industry was always a topic of discussion in the field of business and environment. The development of a country by avoiding the automobile industry is impractical or in other words it is ineffective. The main problem the industry is having is that the influence of micro and macro financial environment in the industry. The recession or any other downtrend the economies badly affect the automobile industry, especially car industry. At the same time any boom or overall economic development of an economy creates a positive impact in the automobile industry by way of increased sale of motor vehicles. Different financial and economic tools help in studying the automobile industry in a better way. Tools like PESTLE analysis, SWOT analysisetc. are extensively used in the market study of automobile industry. Here, automobile industry in the United State is studied by focusing on the company General Motors. General Motors held the top position among the car industry of the world for a long period. The great leadership of the company was one of the main success factors. But this was past and now the sales of the company are showing a diminishing trend. By looking at the present position of the company, nobody will believe that this was such a company, which was making a huge profit. Due to different reasons the company is now running into losses. One of the main reasons was the present financial crisis. The crisis not only affected the business of General Motors, but also it affected the business of other automobile companies in /the United States and other parts of the world. As crisis reduced the purchasing power of the people, it caused a drastic reduction in the sale of automobiles. Majority of People will not go for luxurious items and car is considered as the luxurious item. The reduction in sale of the car caused to have a negative impact on the reputation of the company. The pri ce per share of the company declined and the debt of the company increased. Now the company is facing it difficult to run the business in a balanced way due to different factors, especially poor management. The poor management led to ineffective use of funds, increasing of debtetc. The company lost its position in markets where the company is considered as holding top position. Another reason for the failure was that the company's attitude. The company focused on marketing and financing activities instead of focusing on customer requirements. The company forgot the basic of the business activity that is consumers are the king in the market (Ramakrishna, 2006) GM which once controlled about half the US market is now struggling to maintain its leadership position. This is not the case of GM alone. Even Ford Motors (Ford) and Chrysler, the other carmakers from Detroit, have been losing their market shares in recent times. In the late 1990s, the "big three" had a combined market share of more than 70%. Now, their combined market share in the US is 58% and it is declining continuously (Domestic trends, 2008, p. 3). GM

Heart of Darkness Essay Example for Free

Heart of Darkness Essay The mistress was always considered primitive and did not become civilised after being with Kurtz, showing she had strength to stay who she was and not be influenced by the `white man, as many black people were. Her power on Kurtz, however, was far too great and he could not help but be influenced by this wild woman and also by the country, in which she lived. Kurtz was also influenced and changed by the `power of Africa. He could have control over the natives but he would never be able to succumb to the heart of darkness. The mistress, herself was actually a representation of Africa: like the wilderness itself which emphasises her power and compares it to that of her land into which even white men were afraid to venture too deep. When Marlow looked at a map of Africa he described the Congo river as looking like a snake. This again makes the audience relate back to Adam and Eve. A snake which symbolised the devil convinced Eve to tempt Adam. So through this we can see that the mistress received some of her power through a greater source. Her inability to speak makes readers think of her as more animal and primitive but this just adds to her mystery and makes her appear more like Africa and at one with the power in it. the immense wilderness, the colossal body of the fecund and mysterious life seemed to look at her, pensive, as though it had been looking at the image of  its own tenebrous and passionate soul. Emphasising these three characters power, Conrad uses a contrasting character for comparison. This character is Kurtzs `intended who was very much opposite to the other females, in particular Kurtzs `mistress. This woman was a typical Victorian fantasy: This fair hair, this pale visage, this pure brow her forehead, smooth and white her fair hair seemed to catch all the remaining light in a glimmer of gold. She is the type of woman any British man would want. The use of words such as `fair, `white, `smooth and `pure conveys her as being innocent and good and she was never spoken about in a sexual way- she seemed not to have any sexuality- which is a very powerful attribute to have. Someone with these characteristics is usually not very powerful. Also her background: she is British and British women were often marginalised from power or authority due to males values so too would she be- she is no exception to this- more like an example of it. A year after Kurtzs death she still mourned him and tells Marlow: I have survived. This tells readers she finds it hard to like without Kurtz- she is finding it hard to find the power to struggle on. Then when Marlow lies to her about Kurtzs last words- readers are aware that he is does not believe she has enough strength (power) to handle that kind of truth. This lie is made to maintain womens great and saving illusion. For this `powerless woman Marlow wants to help (her/women) to stay in that beautiful world of their own This is contrasted with the other three `powerful women as they were not in that beautiful world of their own. The aunt was almost in a `mans world- finding power from others in high places. The knitting women were represented as being in the `after world having power over peoples lives and guarding the door of Darkness therefore having the power (like the men believed they had over women) of deciding who could come in to their world and who could not. Then there was the mistress: her personality and her `world was the complete opposite to the intended (who was the representation of `powerless). The mistress was considered wild, very sexual and uncivilised, living in an almost `animal world obtaining her power from nature. The typical woman in the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, is represented as not possessing much or any power. This is seen through the eyes of a man therefore women are marginalised. They are excluded from the bulk of the story but when they do make an appearance, the `aunt, the `knitting women and the `mistress all convey some sort of amazing power that is not typical to Marlows views and that men (of those times) do not consider or want women to have. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Joseph Conrad section.

Conditions for Equilibrium Experiment

Conditions for Equilibrium Experiment Laboratory Report Tricia Desierto, Luis Diaz, Karhen Estella, Gabrielle Beatrix Francisco Department of Biological Science College of Science, University of Santo TomasEspanÃÅ'Æ’a, Manila, Philippines Abstract The object is said to be in a state of equilibrium, when the forces acting upon an object are balanced. There were four activities done in the experiment. In the first activity the equilibrant force was determined. The second activity, unknown forces was determined. For the third activity,center of gravity was located. The last activity, rotational equilibrium was demonstrated. I. Introduction Equilibrium is moving with constant velocity. It is a condition that the rotational  motion of the body may also remain constant. A body is in equilibrium or at rest only when there is no movement or rotation done. When the resultant force acting on the object is zero the object is in equilibrium. The objectives of the experiment are: to determine the equilibrant force by using the component and table method;to determine the unknown forces using the first and second conditions for equilibrium; to locate the center of gravity of a composite body;and to demonstrate the rotational equilibrium. II. Theory A situation wherein the net force acting on a certain object is zero[1] and an object that has no motion or undergoes no rotational and traditional accelerationis said to be in a state of equilibrium wherein net torque and net force on the object is zero in all directions. For an object to be in equilibrium, two conditions should be met. The first condition tells us that the net force acting on the object needs to be zero which only means that for a certain axis of motion, the forces acting along that particular axis should sum up to zero.[2]The second condition needed to attain equilibrium, on the other hand, involves avoiding or neglecting accelerated rotation and it should maintain a constant  angular velocity. A rotating body can attain equilibrium if the rate of its rotation remains unchanged by the forces acting on that certain object.[3] The center of gravity is a geometric property of any object. It is the average location of the  weight  of an object. The  motion  of any object can be described through space in terms of the translation of the center of gravity of the object from one place to another and the rotation of the object about its center of gravity when it is free to rotate.[4] Figure 1. Determination of the Center of Gravity using plumb line technique X= Center of Gravity m=Mass x= distance from a fixed point Equation 1.Center of Gravity Formula When an object is said to be in equilibrium, it is not moving or rotating. The pivotal axis can be any point outside or inside the object. The objects linear and angular accelerations are both zero and the sum of the torquesacting on a system should be equal to zero.The sum of the counter-clockwise torques should be equal to the sum of the clockwise torques.[5] III. Methodology Activity 1: Equilibrant Force Three pans labelled as A, B and C was weighed. Pans A and B were hanged respectively at the 300 and 2000 marks on the force table. 100g was placed on pan A and 150g on pan B. The tension acting on the string, the weight of the pan plus the weight added to the pan was recorded as TA andTB respectively. The two tensions in the strings were balanced by placing weight on pan C or adjusting its position. The tensions are balanced if the pin is exactly at the center of the ring. The magnitude of the equilibrant, the weight of pan C plus the weight added to it, and its position was recorded. The theoretical equilibrant of the two tensions was determined by component method and the % error was computed. Activity 2: First Condition for Equilibrium A cylinder of unknown weight was suspended using the force board by means of two strings. A spring scale was attached to one of the strings and was pulled horizontally until the pin on the force board was exactly at the middle of the ring. The reading on the spring scale was recorded as T1. The angle that the other string made was recorded as ÃŽ ¸. A free body diagram of the ring was drawn. The tension of T2 in the other string and the weight of the cylinder were solved. The cylinder was weighed for the accepted value and the % error was computed. Activity 3: Locating the Center of Gravity A circle with a diameter of 10cm and a square with a side of 10cm were cut out from a card board. The weights of WC and WS were determined. The center of gravity of the composite figure was determined by balancing method and plumb line method. The position of the center of gravity was specified using the leftmost side of the square as the y-axis and the bottom square as the x-axis. The results were checked by actual computation for the center of gravity. Activity 4: Second Condition for Equilibrium The center of gravity of an aluminium bar was located by balancing it on a pencil and the position for the center of gravity was marked. The cylinder used in the previous activity was hanged 5.0cm from one end of the bar. Using the force board, the aluminium bar was supported by means of a spring scale on one end and a string on the other end until the bar assumed a horizontal position. A free body diagram of the bar was drawn. The second condition for equilibrium was used to determine the weight of the bar and the tension in the string. The theoretical weight of the cylinder was used in the computation. The bar was weighed for the accepted value and the % error was computed IV. Results and Discussion V. Conclusion The equilibriant force was successfully determined using the component and table method, with an acceptable value for the % error – 8.70% and 4.47%. The unknown forces were also determined using the first condition of equilibrium with a % error of only 4.57% The center of gravity was defined more accurately with the Plumb Line Method as opposed to the Balancing Method. The unknown forces were unsuccessfully defined using the second condition of equilibrium, as the % error exceeds the acceptable range at 51.76%. VI. Applications VII. References Lesson24:Equilibrium. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2013, from studyphysics: http://www.studyphysics.ca/newnotes/20/unit01_kinematicsdynamics/chp06_vectors/lesson24.htm First Condition. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2013, from boundless: https://www.boundless.com/physics/static-equilibrium-elasticity-and-torque/conditions-for-equilibrium/first-condition/ Second Condition. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2013, from Boundless: https://www.boundless.com/physics/static-equilibrium-elasticity-and-torque/conditions-for-equilibrium/second-condition/ Rotational Equilibrium. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2013, from faculty: http://faculty.wwu.edu/vawter/PhysicsNet/Topics/RotationalDynamics/RotEquilibrium.html Benson, T. (2008, July 18). Center of gravity. Retrieved December 8, 2013, from grc: http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/airplane/cg.html

A Prayer For Owen Meany Essay -- essays research papers

Prayer As A Symbol in Irving’s A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY In John Irving’s A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY there are many prominent symbols. Those of arm-less figures, water, and angels are a few of the more prominent ones but, there are also many symbols that are much more subtle than those few. The most prominent of the subtle symbols is that of prayer. Prayer, in an of itself, is an idea. But, in A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY, Irving uses it to convey many more abstract concepts. "THE TROUBLE WITH CHURCH IS THE SERVICE." Owen states. "A SERVICE IS CONDUCTED FOR A MASS AUDIENCE. JUST WHEN I START TO LIKE THE HYMN, EVERYONE PLOPS DOWN TO PRAY. JUST WHEN I START TO HEAR THE PRAYER, EVERYONE POPS UP TO SING (23)." In this passage prayer is viewed only as a part of the "hocus-pocus (21)" of church ceremony. It is thus representative both of Owen’s view of church formality and ceremony, and of the attitudes that both Owen and Johnny hold toward certain aspects of the church and its traditions. This becomes important on a larger scale when the reader recognizes the conflict that plagues both Johnny and Owen when it comes to religious issues. Johnny states this point clearly when he says, "I was baptized in the Congregational Church, and after some years of fraternity with the Episcopalian...I became rather weak in my religion: in my teens I attended a non-denomination church. Then I became an Anglican...(1)." These freq uent internal religious conflict...

Prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Essay -- Examining Pr

Prejudices are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education: they grow there, firm as weeds among stones. CHARLOTTE BRONTE, Jane Eyre Prejudice is something which has affected everyone at one time or another. It is like looking out a frosted window and not seeing a clear picture. When people look through a frosted window they sometimes see a blurred vision of the world outside. Sometimes we see people as very different from ourselves when really they are just a very little bit different from us. We can even see someone as an enemy instead of for who they really are. These narrow minded views in our society are prevalent, even though most of the time they are incorrect. To Kill a Mockingbird expresses many diverse pictures of prejudice; the situations also show that prejudice can be conquered. Aunt Alexandra will not allow Scout to play with Walter Cunningham because he is a poor boy. Aunt Alexandra shows her prejudice by not letting Scout play with someone of a lower social status "they're good folk...

Chattanooga Ice Cream

New Direction for Chattanooga Ice Cream Clint A. Stockton Jack Welch Management Institute Dr. Denis Tocci JWMI 510 11/16/2013 Chattanooga Ice Cream Case The Chattanooga Ice Cream case shows a decline in sales for 5 consecutive years. The Division is headed by Charles Moore. Although Charles Moore was successful in leading teams he seemed to have major issues with this team of vice presidents. According to the Harvard Business Review Chattanooga Ice Cream Case the team was very dysfunctional; they exhibited a lack of trust, high in conflict, disrespectful of each ther and exhibited avoidance issues with accountability.Team members seemed to always lay blame to other member. Moore needs to be more assertive in dismissing the ways of the past and the loss of Stay & Shop business needs to be put aside. Moore needs to give clear direction and assign responsibilities to each team member. Moore needs to convey that team cohesiveness is a must and this will go a long way to help ensure no fu rther loss of business.This paper will examine how Moore's leadership approach contributed to the teams' dysfunction, discuss what the roup of employees themselves could do to better understand the perspectives of each other and their boss as well as make recommendations about Moore should do now to help his team work together and manage conflicts more effectively. Charlie's Leadership Style In assessing where Charlie Moore goes wrong, it's important to look at his leadership style. According to the DISC style, Charlie is a â€Å"Steady (S) Leader. Specifically, this means Charlie operates at a methodical pace and likes leading in an orderly environment. He may readily view leading in a â€Å"fast-paced† environment as intimidating or stressful. His leadership style is collaborative in nature and he values group efforts. Charlie is a cautious leader that seldom leads by authority as he is comfortable working behind the consensus of the group as he doesn't like making decisio ns alone. He is demotivated by competitive environments and changing direction abruptly. He enjoys leading in a harmonic environment with little or no confrontations or conflict.Leaders prepare the organizations for change; Charlie does not build trust nor align his people. Lack of Leadership As a leader Charlie needs to â€Å"prepare organizations for change and help them ope as they struggle through it† (Week 2, Lecture 2). The first evidence of Charlie's failure as a leader is when he calls the group together to communicate the news about losing their major customer. The mood is somber as Charlie calls the group together to â€Å"mourn† (Sloane, The Chattanooga Ice Cream Division, HBR, p. l) and to fgure out what needs to be done about it.As a leader he must exude a sense of â€Å"positive energy' Cack Welch, Winning, p. 84) to prepare his people to act and energize their best thinking to deal with this challenge. His style of (S) may not like change, but e needs t o set a tone of optimism and decisiveness that says that they will come through this challenge successfully. First of all, Moore should master self-leadership for himself. Then encourage and model it for others on the team. Manz indicates that â€Å"Leaders facilitate employee self-set goals and reward effective self-leadership when it does occur.Overall, they create and nurture systems that allow teamwork and a holistic self-leadership culture to flourish† (Charles Manz, 2001 , Leading Others to Lead Themselves, p. 221). I believe that Charlie and Charlie's team would benefit from earning about their own leadership style by taking the Disc and TKI assessments and possibly creating smaller strategically paired teams within the group to come up with a foundation and vision for the direction in which the company should go as a whole.Lack of Candor Another example of where Charlie goes wrong is that he doesn't develop an environment of trust where his people don't hold back â₠¬â€œ even though he may not like conflict. As an example of this, Charlie has several meetings to ask his team what their thoughts are about how to compete. â€Å"When you are an individual contributor, ou try to have all the answers. That's your Job-to be an expert, the best at what you do, maybe even the smartest person in the room. When you are a leader, your Job is to have all the questions†¦Questioning, however, is never enough, following Rule 6: Leaders probe with curiosity that borders on skepticism, making sure your questions unleash debate and raise issues that get action† (Welch, 2005, p. 74). Moore should first create an intentional communication strategy. His management team must understand and support a common vision with a common purpose. This requires clarity. Clarity begins with effective communication. He should make sure communication from his management team reaches all employees.The article by Ferrazzi (Harvard Business Review) indicates three specifi c techniques, developed from the author's research, which can help coworkers collaborate and interact more effectively. The techniques, which are based on creating trust that allows team members to speak candidly, are â€Å"dividing meetings into smaller groups, naming a candor advocate, and teaching how to give and receive feedback with a positive attitude† (Ferrazzi, 2012, Candor, Criticism, and Teamwork, p. 0). Team Dysfunctions The Chattanooga Ice Cream team is dysfunctional for several reasons.Some of those reasons include an absence of trust, avoidance, and not being accountable. Also, there is a lack of commitment amongst some managers. Moore is also looking for buy-in from all members for group decisions. There was no clear cut rule as to how decisions were going to be made. Simply put, Charles Moore failed to incorporate clear operating rules. Week Four 4 Lecture – Building High Performance Teams suggests that â€Å"when managers agree on ground rules in adva nce, the team is uch more likely to run efficiently,† this is especially true with the Chattanooga Ice Cream team.According to Rick Johnson, Charlie could â€Å"Challenge is management team; ask for solutions, assigning both responsibility and empowerment accordingly to utilize individual skills. Ownership of ideas and initiatives builds commitment. Involving the team in creating direction and solutions through empowerment generates commitment to the tasks necessary to meet objectives. A way to get over the major loss of a client and overshadow the â€Å"mourning† effect would be to hallenge the management team to collectively bring in a new client or a few clients that could equal the departure of the one loss, in terms of volume.Also, Moore should create offsite team-building activities on a quarterly basis. The gatherings/ outings should be used to build unification and trust in each other. New Direction for Charles seems to want to be Just another member of the tea m, an individual contributor, wanting to give his part instead of asking the explicit result-driven questions required of him in his leadership role. Welch, goes on to say, â€Å"But that's he Job. You want bigger solutions ask questions; healthy debate, decisions, and actions will get everyone there† (p. 76).There is nowhere to go, if there is no one to lead. The dysfunctions of the team lie with the dysfunctions of the leader and no directions. Regardless of making the wrong or right decision, in regards to the CICC case, if no action is taken, then the company will fail for sure. As a Business Development Executive, I would tend to push the team to research and target other clients to fill the void left by the client lost, eliminating the somberness, creating otivation to accomplish a new goal, and strengthen the team by focusing efforts into one vision.He should run his team through assessments that could help him strategically pair individual weaknesses and strengths tog ether, not only to complement each other going forward but to build credibility as a leader and start to build a foundation for candor, voice, and dignity going forward. Gaining new clients would most likely cost additional funds in the research and marketing and may cause little investment growth up front; however stabilizing the vision with a decision is aking the correct effort to save this company under the current circumstances.

Marketing Plan of Bentley Motors Limited Essay

Marketing Plan of Bentley Motors Limited 1. Executive Summary 2. Company Description Bentley Motors Limited is a British Manufacturer of automobiles, founded on the 18th of January 1919 by Walter Own Bentley. In the First World War, Bentley was known because of their rotary aero-engines. After the war Bentley designed and produced cars that won the Le Mans race in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930. Bentley presented Queen Elizabeth II with an official State Limousine to celebrate her Golden Jubilee in 2002. Bentley believes that it is a high end luxury car, which has tradition and ultimate class. Bentley follows a â€Å"high-price† strategy, and this Marketing Plan outline will show how Bentley improves their sales and continues to gain a share in the market. 3. Strategic Focus and Plan This section covers three aspects of corporate strategy that influence the marketing plan: (1) the mission, (2) goals, and (3) core competence/sustainable competitive advantage of Bentley Motors Limited. Mission Bentley Motors states that they don’t have a mission statement; but if they did, it would have been in the words of Walter Owen Bentley, â€Å"To build a good car, a fast car, the best in class†. The vision statement that Bentley Motors Limited follows is, â€Å"We are Bentley Motors – the definitive British luxury car company, dedicated to developing and crafting the world’s most desirable high performance cars. Goals 1. Have a larger market share. 2. Launch a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) in the United Kingdom in 2015. The model will be based on the Porsche Cayenne, and will be produced in the United Kingdom. The SUV will be priced around GBP 140,000. 3. Become more eco-friendly. 4. Increase sales to 1500 cars, by 2013. Core Competency and Sustainable Competitive Advantage In terms of core competency, Bentley Motors seeks to use their uniqueness to provide sophisticated and distinctive, high quality luxury cars and other products that appeal to its target customers. In order to use its core competency as a sustainable competitive advantage, Bentley will work with its customers and employees to strengthen the relationships and build bonds to satisfy the high tastes of its clientele. 4. Situation Analysis This situation analysis will show how Bentley is growing larger in the market. Globally Bentley sold just over 10,000 cars in 2007 – compared to 9,000 cars in 2006 and 1000 in 2003. SWOT Analysis Figure 1 shows some characteristics that might influence the market opportunities for Bentley Motors. The SWOT emphasizes the good choices made by the company. Positive internal factors are related to the board, the management growth, the intrinsic value of the brand associated with the high end luxury car. Favorable external factors include the increasing need of luxury goods in the environment. A note to consider is that the financial crisis of 2007 did not affect Bentley’s clientele. Regarding unfavorable factors, the main weakness is the limited growth in the market. Due to the outstanding care and attention given to the production of each Bentley car, the production is slowed down as each car is hand made. However this limited production is perfect for Bentley’s marketing plan. Figure 1: SWOT Analysis for Bentley Motors |Internal Factors |Strengths |Weaknesses | |Management |Excellent and specialized board |Owned by Volkswagen, therefore has to | | | |report to Volkswagen. | |Offerings |Unique, high-price and high-end luxury |Many other competitors like Mercedes, | | |cars. |Rolls-Royce, Ferrari and Maserati provide | | | |similar products. | |Marketing |The exclusivity of the Bentley Motors brand|As the targeted customers are exclusive, | | |is part of the marketing plan. |not many people are aware of the various | | | |services and products Bentley Motors | | | |provides. | |Personnel |Dedicated to personal development of |Their workers are so qualified that if one | | |employees, by improving their technical and|employee leaves they need to spend a lot of| | |business skills. |money to train and develop another | | | |employee. | |Finance |Excellent growth in sales, revenues from |To build one car it takes longer than most | | |2003 onwards. |of their competitors, therefore it takes | | | |time to generate revenue. | |Manufacturing |Sophisticated details, like workers |A typical mass produced luxury model can be| | |inspecting the leather for insect bites and|finished in 24 hours, but to make a | | |17 hides of leather are required to outfit |Mulsanne at the Crewe Factory it takes 9 | | |the cabin. |weeks. | |R&D |Continued efforts to ensure engineering and|Most of the competitors have good R&D | | |luxury details for cars.|departments as well. | |External Factors |Opportunities | Threats | |Consumers |Customers can customize parts of the product, |Due to the high price of the products, | | |such as requesting certain types of leather |Bentley has exclusive consumers and not| | |interiors. |many people go and buy a Bentley every | | | |so often. | |Competitive |There are a few brands that are that obsessed |Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and BMW produce | | |with having unique luxury products. |similar products for a fraction of the | | | |price. | |Technological |Bentley recently hired Rolf Frech as its |Bentley’s competitors have various | | |Engineering Chief. Frech comes from Porsche AG. |engineering methods that can produce | | | |more efficient cars. | |Economic |During the financial crisis of 2007, Bentley’s |The targeted customers are a small | | |targeted customers were still purchasing cars. |share of the market. | | | | | |Legal/Regulatory |Cars with new clean energy (biofuel), ensuring |A new law passed, requires some | | |that the power and torque of the car are not |technological change that Bentley’s do | | |affected.|not have. | Industry Analysis Every human wants to differentiate themselves from one another. One way of doing so is by purchasing luxury goods. Therefore the market for such goods is bound to grow. In comparison to other high end luxury vehicles, Bentley is growing more than the others. Figure 2: Luxury car Market |Year Sales in U. S Market | |Brands |2011 |2010 |% Change | |Porsche |12,633 |12,592 |0. 3 | |Jaguar |9,315 |9,748 |-4. 4 | |Ferrari |1,266 |1,087 |16. 5 | |Maserati |1,706 |1,355 |25. 9 | |Bentley |1,260 |954 |32. 1 | |Rolls Royce |255 |387 |-34. 1 | Competitors in the Luxury Car Market As shown in figure 2 , the main competitors of Bentley are; Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Maserati and Porsche. Company Analysis Bentley is highly recognized for their luxury cars, but they also sell goods that reinforce the image of their brand, such as silver plated wheel spinners, cufflinks, set of espresso cups, driving apparel and luggage sets among a few. 5. Product Market Focus This section describes the marketing and product objectives for Bentley Motors and their target markets, points of difference and positioning. Marketing and Product Objectives Bentley Motors marketing is based on the effort to combine the strength and speed of a sport scar with the luxury of British elegance. These are combined in 3 areas listed below. 1. British Tradition 2. Manufacture 3. Luxury and Sport Target Markets The primary target market for Bentley cars are customers who are not self-conscious and are willing to show what they have earned, these are generally those in the highest 5% of the economy. These customers want premium quality products and services and are willing to pay for it. Points of difference. Bentley’s marketing is concentrated on the fact that they have the sophisticated British charm, mixed with the strength of a premium racing car. This is the main difference when compared to Rolls Royce, which looks at itself as a luxury car or with Ferrari that defines itself as a sports car. Positioning Bentley’s vehicles try hard to close the gap between a being a traditional British sophisticated luxury vehicle and sports car with strong masculine power, which is best shown with its 6 time success at Le Mans. 6. Marketing Program The 4 marketing mix elements used by Bentley Motors are detailed below. Product Strategy Bentley’s are handmade, custom designed cars. It takes roughly 150 hours to produce a Continental GT and 400 hours to build an Arnage. Steering wheels are double stitched by hand using 2 needles simultaneously. It takes 15 hours to create one steering wheel. These are a few features of Bentley’s to name a few. Price Strategy The 2011 Bentley Continental is priced at around $205,600, while the 2011 Maserati Gran Turismo is priced at an average of $125,000. Even though the Maserati is much less priced, the quality that Bentley holds is much greater. Promotion Strategy. Bentley avoids commercializing its products unlike Maserati, therefore making it more prestigious. Bentley places its advertisements in places where they expect their target market to see it, not in commercial places. Bentley also goes by word of mouth, where one satisfied customer passes on the good word to a friend. Distribution Strategy Bentley prides themselves on being represented in 212 Bentley facilities worldwide. With 24 offices in the UK, 38 in the USA, 52 in Europe, 15 in the Middle East and 15 in Asia and Australasia, among others. Therefore with 212 facilities worldwide, it is within arm’s reach – for those who can afford it.

HR Manual - Arcadia Group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

HR Manual - Arcadia Group - Essay Example For this purpose, this manual is intended to provide concrete set of guidelines to the managers in merchandising managers all across the groups and brands with regards to manpower planning, staff sourcing, recruitment, training and development, motivation, communication and stress management of fresh graduates. Manpower Planning Manpower planning is one of the integral activities in staff management. In this regard, all the managers in merchandising department are expected to have an account of their current staff and their future needs in terms of head count. Furthermore, where an employee is being promoted and there is a position available that is required to be filled, managers are expected to send their recommendations to HR department and an appraisal meeting of the nominee will be conducted with HR Manager, department manager and Department Heads to make a final decision. In addition to that, where an employee is leaving this organization, it is the responsibility of the depart ment manager or team lead to make necessary notifications to HR department (in case where HR department is not included in electronic communication). In case of dissociation and employee departure, HR department will conduct exit interviews and will keep the input confidential until unless there arises a need to discuss any issue or problem with the department managers. Furthermore, department managers are expected to conduct bi-annual appraisals of the staff reporting to them (with the help of evaluation forms available with HR department). In case of fresh graduates, a report is required to be generated after ending of 6-months probation that would indicate if the employee can be retained further. Department managers are required to conduct a meeting with HR manager (or any other person assigned by HR manager) at the end of every quarter to analyze the current staffing needs and heads available in the department. As a result of this analysis, new induction, rotation, induction fro m other brands or group companies, and amalgamation of job roles may take place. In this meeting, succession planning will also be discussed at length followed by the outcomes of last appraisals, peer evaluations and 360 degree surveys. Staff Sourcing Like stated earlier, Arcadia group has a substantial employer branding and it has secured eminent positions in Times Employer Rankings. Therefore, attraction of potential talent is a convenient process that continues throughout the year. However, in order to attract top notch talent, we have following practices streamlined: 1) Arcadia Groups’ Career Portal 2) Other Web portals 3) Employee Referrals 4) On-Campus Recruitment 5) Referrals from Students’ Affairs departments of leading business schools 6) Outsourcing staff from other vendors Out of these practices, we have found employee referrals and on-campus recruitment to be the most practices for staff sourcing. In order to ensure that our campus recruitment campaigns mee t our needs for fresh talent, it is suggested that managers share their requirements for additional staff with HR department in quarterly meetings i.e. April and August. This step is intended to ensure that we are aware of our requirements before actually beginning the mass recruitment cycle that would take place in the months of May and August (before

The impact of climate changes in the near future Essay

The impact of climate changes in the near future - Essay Example These policies include implementing and regulating the existing laws and coming up with new laws that preserve the environment for the future and will not cause further climate change (Moller, Fielder, Berthold, pp. 3, 2010). The temperature of the entire world has changed, and this has been attributed to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly the fossil fuel burning, which has led to an increase in global warming (Kernan, pp. vii, 2010). This global warming leads to a dramatic temperature change, which is forecast to change more so in the future. Numerous studies and researches have concluded that some areas will witness an increase in temperature, while others may experience a drop in temperature. The changes in precipitation rate will great impacts, which will harm the temperature in many regions even more so. Climate change brings dangerous consequences with it. There are numerous impacts on agriculture, forestry, fishers, and other environmental factor (Moller, Fielder, & Bertho ld, pp.3, 2010). An even more pressing concern is the impact on the ecological systems because of further climate changes. The paper attempts to explain the various impacts of climate change. However, first it describes the causes of this climate change briefly. A sharp focus is also important; therefore, analysis of a particular region will further enhance the extreme problem of climate change. Centuries had passed since the formation of the world when the globe did not witness any climate change. However, this was to change when humans discovered fossil fuels. The population on the world multiplied drastically. Industrial Revolution spurred off economic development, but with the opportunity cost of environmental damage. The environmental damage has resulted in the extreme climate change. The greenhouse effect is perhaps the largest factor in this climate change. In the words of Timoth Wirth, former US senator and Undersecretary of State for the Global Affairs, â€Å"The greenhous e effect is the most significant economic, political, environmental, and human problem facing the 21st century† (Hardy, 222, 2003). Other reasons also form part of this global climate change. However, the paper is more concerned with describing the details of the impact of climate change on nearly facet of life in the planet, Earth (Hardy, pp. ix, 2003). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has shed light on the reality of global warming. The Fourth Report summarized a finding, which stated that the mean temperature has shown an increase of 1 degree centigrade, in the northern part of the world. There have been large changes in the distribution of rainfall, resulting in more rain in winters and less in the summers. Melting of glaciers has induced the seal level to rise by almost 20 cm, which can have devastating impacts. Natural disasters such as droughts, floods, and cyclones have gotten increasingly common, because of rapid climate change. The above-mentioned impact s are mainly the most common ones; however, these are not the only ones (Kernan, pp. 1, 2010). In the recent decades, all sorts of doubts regarding the effect of greenhouse emissions on global climate have fallen off. Although the climate of the world has changed in six periods since the evolution of Earth, the climate change the world undergoes currently is widely â€Å"unnatural†, and backed largely because of human activities. Glacier melting in the Northern Alps,

The Nature of Conflict and Mediation at the Workplace Research Paper

The Nature of Conflict and Mediation at the Workplace - Research Paper Example Using a qualitative descriptive approach, this research examined the responses and narratives of employees of two different companies. The findings implied that since the nature of conflicts, the mediation strategies and conflict resolution plans employed by the two companies were different, hence the outcome in the form of job satisfaction level was also different. Although the research shed extensive light upon the issue related to workplace conflicts, there is the need for further research to take this study at a broader level where companies from different demographic locations and cultures are compared in order to get a better understanding of the concept of workplace conflict and conflict resolution. Introduction Conflict, mediation, and resolution are a necessary part of a successful journey in the life of an organization. Conflicts occur at every level in the workplace during achievement of organizational goals. Better resolved at the personal level, some conflicts get so big that a mediation strategy is required to resolve them. Before going into the niceties of the research paper, it is deemed important to define some important terms that will be used frequently in the coming pages. Masters and Albright (2002, p.14) define conflict as â€Å"a disagreement between two or more parties who are independent.† Conflict is something that almost every one of us has experienced to some extent at the workplace with a superior, a colleague, a subordinate, or a customer. We experience distress and sorrow over the dispute and this increases our workplace stress and finally creates disastrous impacts on our job satisfaction. Conflicts weigh heavily on the organization in terms of cost as well because engaging in a conflict and taking time out to create a conflict resolution plan, a mediation strategy, or arranging a third party mediator, demands resources and finances. Also, the time and energy that is spent resolving conflicts can be better used for fruitfu l projects and milestones. Thus, avoiding and resolving them if they occur becomes necessary if the company’s interests are kept in focus. If conflicts go unresolved, this increases dissatisfaction and the overall organizational culture is destroyed which is very likely to bring the bad name to the company. Resolution or no resolution affects not only the individual’s activities at the workplace but his personal life is also disturbed. Managing a conflict is an important task that occurs at three levels, according to Masters and Albright (2002, p.13). According to them, first of all, an individual must know how to deal with the conflict at the personal level like when he enters a conflict with a senior, a junior, a colleague, or a client. Second, he must be able to enable others in the organization to manage their personal conflicts. This is important because those conflicts will eventually come to you taking your extra time if they are not resolved in time by the peop le involved. Third, he must be able to work out an effective plan or strategy that should make sure that workplace conflicts are avoided and if occur then resolved in time. Conflicts at work â€Å"reflect systemic processes and patterns in how work gets done† (Masters & Albright, 2002, p.13) thus it is important to determine those patterns so that better conflict management is made possible.  Ã‚  

Construction Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Construction Economics - Essay Example 2.0 Basis of the Report and Assumptions The report is based on the relevance of cost benefit analysis in determining the feasibility of a project. It is assumed that the developer is aware of the prevailing market rates but is not conversant with the costing strategy that can match the rates. The essence of this report is therefore to recommend the actions on whether the project is viable or not depending on the cost benefit analysis results (Schmitt, B., 2007). 3.0 Site Location Information The construction site is located in London, towards the south east of England. It has a conglomeration of retail constructions, residential and commercial properties. The environment is well developed and the area has easy accessibility to the center of London City. The plan is to have the ground floor as a shell for tenants who intend to rent to fit them out to their suitability. The rest of the floors will be for multipurpose businesses. Figure 1: Rental Units in the Commercial area Figure 2: R ental Units in the Residential Area 4.0. Market Conditions Affecting Value The construction site is in a prime area. The demand in the area for real estate properties is so high in the area pushing the cost of acquisition and development of the plot to go up. ... assessment, the competition from other developers in the area could be a challenge however setting competitive rates will be advantageous to the business (Schmitt, B., 2007). Also the inflation rates in the real estate property market could be a challenge however with the stability in the market the rates could be manageable to the stakeholders. Using the same assumptions, the future demand may be unbearable but the value of the project may be a great advantage to the stakeholders in the future. The high demand for land in the area and the continued rising rates is propelling the already high costs. 5.0 Developers Budget 5.1. Development Cost The cost of development at the present market value covers the cost of acquisition of the site together with the cost of labor and construction materials. The budget for the development is as follows: Demolition: ? 150,000 Planning costs and fees, including s.106 agreement – upgrading infrastructure: ? 250,000 Site surveys: ? 25,000 Const ruction costs: Infrastructure: ? 273,000 Landscaping: ? 15,000 Structure: ?1,100/m2 Extra for office floors: ? 550/m2 Extra for residential floors: ? 650/m2 5.2. Expected return Out of the budget, the return from the rental units will determine whether the expenses are higher than the earnings or less. The present market rates for residential property units will earn about ?500 per month, coming to about ?6000 per unit per month. For the 7 rental units available, the total earning will be ?42000 per year. For every office unit, the project will earn about twice that of residential units, which is about ?84, 000 per year. Parking will be expected to earn about ?10000 per year, making the total annual revenue a consolidated estimate of about ?136000 per year. With the continuous growth in market

Yarra Plenty Regional Library Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Yarra Plenty Regional Library - Assignment Example Libraries have been in the forefront in embracing the technological changes in the information society. Libraries have been the driving force in research in various fields of study. Therefore, libraries have been the biggest player on matters of education. With the recent challenges of global financial crisis, libraries are facing the challenges financial undercutting. Considering the stakes at hand, there is a strong feeling that this may have a negative impact on the economy and the community since libraries will not be in a position to fulfill their mandate. One of the strengths of libraries is that there is increased demand for knowledge than ever before and libraries are in a position to handle information both analog and digital. There is a continuous growth in world population, which is an opportunity for libraries coupled with the fact that there is more demand for information. The biggest threat to libraries is the advancement in technology. Availability of e-books on the in ternet has reduced library visits since most books can now be accessed through the websites. To solve this problem of budget cuts, the public and the government must be made to understand the importance of libraries in today’s world and the steps libraries are taking to remain relevant in this dynamic world. When you compare the libraries today and the libraries in the past half a decade, you will not fail to notice a number of new developments. These developments cut across technological changes and cultural changes. Since libraries are used by the public, adequate financing of the libraries is seen as a good move by the public. Adapting to new technological changes calls for financial sacrifices, which must be undertaken by the library management. They need to hire competent personnel to help adapt to the changes in the technological world. There is a need for procurement of new machines and new books and house them in a state of art building.

The impact of ICT on the local community Essay Example for Free

The impact of ICT on the local community Essay Introduction I live in the borough of Waltham Forest. Waltham Forest is quite an advanced community in terms of technology. Technology is used for various things, whether to make them more efficient or to provide a better service. Walthamstow is a small town located within Waltham Forest, which also harbours Leyton and Leytonstone. It is located to the North East of London and bordered to the north by Chingford, to the south by Leyton and Leytonstone, to the east by Epping Forest, to the west by Tottenham and the River Lea valley. Walthamstow is identified by the London plan as one of the 35 major centres in Greater London. Walthamstows market is one of the longest daily outdoor markets in Europe and dominates the High Street. There are various shops lined along the high street with some high-end chain brands to several individually opened stalls that specialise in food, fabrics, household goods and other such stuff. The Mall in Selborne Walk is the largest place in the area to find lots of different brand shops selling high-end goods manufactured and produced to the mass public via corporations instead of individual businesses. The individual businesses tend to be all located outside on the high street. The central library has also recently been refurbished and modernised. It was expanded from 2006-2007 to hold a wider range of books to serve to the public and provide a much better service. Walthamstow also contains other things such as post offices, arcades, funfairs, charity events and a variety of different schools. These include the Frederick Bremer School (a coalition formed in 2008 of the two schools Aveling Park and Warwick School for Boys), Forest School, The Holy Family Technology College, Kelmscott School, Walthamstow Academy, Walthamstow School for Girls, Willowfield School and Sir George Monoux College. There is also the Walthamstow Town Hall. The town hall is used for a variety of things, from important council meeting to being rented for other reasons of necessity e.g. during the Muslim holiday, Eid, the Town hall was used as a place of mass prayer. The National Rail and London Underground Stations include Walthamstow Central Underground and National Rail station, Blackhorse Road Underground and National Rail station, Walthamstow Queens Road, Wood Street, Highams Park and St James Street. The biggest would be the Walthamstow Central Underground and National Rail station which is, as the name states, in the central of the town. It is located near the location of the main bus stations that go around the whole town and near the Selborne Walk Mall. This makes it quite an efficient place as people can travel throughout the town simply after arriving at the station. The station in particular is located on the East end of the Victoria Line, being the last stop. The bus services are also quite complex. There exists a full infrastructure Hopper Service and a multi point-to-point network which is serviced to and from the main bus terminal in Walthamstow Central to a cross network passing through the centre and the outskirts. The five pieces of technology I will be investigating, assessing and evaluating will be the following: * Oyster-card/Travel system * Librarian system * ATM machines * Waltham Forest Council website * CCTV/Metropolitan website Oyster card/Travel system The Oyster card system is a system that functions throughout all of London, within the Tube and Bus services. It is a form of electronic ticketing which uses a database system to track travel information, linking it back to the owner of the corresponding oyster card, and charges them to the appropriate degree for the travelling expenses of the services they used. Oyster cards generally need to be topped-up to be used and works similar in this function to a debit card. The following travel systems incorporate the Oyster card: London Underground, buses, the Docklands Light Railway, London Overground, trams, certain river boat services and the majority of National Rail Services within the London Fare Zones. The Oyster card generally appears as the blue card seen above. It can be used as a single-ticket, period tickets and travel permit. It is also integrated with a Smart card system which uses certain data in the Oyster card to be able to, without using contact, be detected by Oyster card machines. Buses and train platforms use Oyster card machines to scan the card. Once the beep is identified, the person is let through. However, there are also different versions of Oyster cards which also come with different prices and a different appearance. For example, the card to the right is an example of an 11-15 age group Oyster Card and is what all Oyster card holders in that age period hold. In this card, a photographic identification is needed. How the Oyster card and London travel system meets the communitys needs The Oyster card is a small, portable, easy to carry card that carries on it the data of all your travelling expenses and money stored on the Oyster card system. Not only this, but it also holds the advantage over tickets of being cheaper and providing discounts, with buses being completely free for 11-15 year olds. All of these provide the incentive to switch from the out-dated ticket method to the modernised Oyster card system. What this does for the community is provides them with a much more efficient and cheaper system. An oyster card can be topped up to a maximum of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½90. This would be equal to about 45 single tickets but the oyster card is capable of carrying this all in one simple card that stores data inside it. People can be much more organised with this system and save a lot of money in the long run. They can keep track of their travels and how much they are spending. Its portability is another thing that is extremely valuable to people who use the Oyster card system. People dont need to go and purchase a ticket and sort it all out. All they need to do is get their oyster card, tap it on the system and their travelling business is sorted! It makes travelling using public services much more simple for anyone using it. The smart card feature instils a small bit of data into the card, meaning that its data can be detected with the oyster card readers the government installs. People dont have to take their oyster card out of their wallets as the card reader can detect the card through wallets. This makes things easier, especially in crowded buses. The hassle of taking everything out, locating the card and removing it can overcomplicate things and waste time. The smart card feature takes away this long process and gives people the ability to simply tap and move on. The travel system incorporates a countdown system on trains and buses to allow people to approximately see when the bus/train will arrive, whether itd be late, early or on time. People can use this to know when to be present at the station so they can have time to do other things and know when to be back at the station. This gives people the chance to spend their time wisely instead of waiting at a station not knowing how long left to wait and not wanting to miss the train or bus, either. The countdown system on the train is more accurate as its all computerised but on buses, most of them are used via a time schedule on paper. The countdown system essentially allows people to organise their time, plan out much more thoroughly their journey and avoid being late to appointments. Theres a site created by the government that goes along with the travel system called Transport for London, accessed from www.tfl.gov.uk. This site has information about everything regarding the oyster card system, the train system and in general, any public transport facility in all of London. But other than information, it also has a travel planner allowing you to plan a journey, avoiding any problems such as closed lines or to be aware of any accidents that have currently took place. This allows you to plan a safe, fast journey with no obstacles delaying you. This helps people to be punctual on their journey. The site also allows you to log on and view your information. Using this, you can check the money on your Oyster Card and top it up using a credit card. This means that you can pre-plan your journey to make sure you have enough money preventing any problems when travelling. You can also find other information on the site regarding oyster cards, e.g. losing the card, replacing the card, benefits and many more. Buses have the ability to be manually stopped at certain stops but also have the choice to go past the stops. This means that unnecessary stops where no one needs to get off or no one needs to get on can be skipped thus saving time and allowing people to get to their desired destination faster. People can plan where they want to stop or skip the stop if need be. There is also the emergency stop which stops at any location in case something dangerous happens. This allows people to get off the bus in case of a casualty of some sort. As mentioned in the countdown system, buses have quite a strict schedule they need to follow. The schedules are all listed in each bus stop or on the tfl.gov site so people know when a certain bus will arrive. This can be more useful than the countdown system as the schedules stay the same every day. This means that people can plan their journey right to the dot and get to the station right when the bus arrives. People know when exactly to arrive, so they arent too early or too late. This saves them time. Summary * While not completely necessary to use public transport in Waltham Forest, it provides the incentive of discounted use of trains and buses, with buses being completely free with an 11-15 Oyster card * Easy to carry and easy to handle on buses and trains * Smart card feature allows a much easier contact/purchase of transport service, only needing a touch of the Oyster card and nothing more * Countdown system in buses and trains give people a lot more preparation and organisation to their daily schedule * Transport system has its own website-Transport for London-that displays all kinds of information and latest news regarding the transport system * Buses can be manually stopped and requested to stop at certain stops and if no requests are made, no stops happen thus saving time and helping people get where they want to faster * Buses all follow a strict schedule so people know when to expect a bus to arrive and at exactly what minute of the hour How it fails to meet the communitys needs A lot of times, you naturally assume that the bus will stop. However, if there is no one needing to be picked up or no one who has pressed the button to stop the bus, then the bus would simply carry on. This can cause a lot of people to be late due to carelessness which happens quite a lot. People have to stay alert when their stops are coming by otherwise the bus might simply pass it before they realise. Oyster cards are small and can be lost quite easily. They also cost quite a bit to replace and take up to a week for a new one to arrive. This can put a halt to travelling plans or force you to spend extra on buying tickets. Oyster cards, when lost or stolen, can still be used unless reported stolen. As a lot of buses or trains dont generally check if the ID/photograph matches, someone can easily just use your oyster card for their own travelling needs and use up your own money supplies topped up on the oyster card. While buses have a schedule, they can ruin it by coming late. This can be due to an emergency, an accident or just simple traffic. They can also come early causing some people to miss the bus and theyd have to wait for the next one. This can cause a few problems for people in terms of punctuality. Summary * Manual stops cause you to miss yours and ruin your schedule * Oyster cards cost a lot of money to replace and are quite easy to lose * Oyster cards can easily be used by a thief using your own money without being detected * Buses can ruin schedules by coming late due to an accident of sorts Conclusion The Oyster card/travelling system is extremely useful for a citizen in London. Its an extremely advantageous system to have and people benefit tremendously. It saves a lot of money for people in contrast to the previous ticket system and makes peoples travel much more organised and safe. People can premeditate their plans and journeys and plan through any foreseeable interruptions. The community find it much more beneficial in terms of arriving on time. Walthamstow Library/Librarian system A library is essentially a building or room containing books, periodicals and occasionally DVDs or CDs ranging from music to movies for people to loan for a period of time. It can also be a place to study, access computers, access a WiFi connection and lots more, depending on the library. The library in Walthamstow is called the Walthamstow Library. It is located on the Walthamstow High Street, one of the biggest high streets in the country. This means it is easily accessible to a large range of people as the high street is linked to a lot of transport facilities. Its area is extremely efficient as it can take advantage of the large amount of shoppers and shops in the area. It is open every day apart from Thursdays and Fridays. As well as providing the usual functions a library would, it also provides events to kids and even adults in the area such as specialty classes (computer, reading etc.). But the most beneficial thing a library provides to its community would be the loaning of books, DVDs and other such things which is essentially controlled by the librarian system. The library system in Walthamstow also connects with the library systems in other towns in London. They all share one database. Having worked in Leytonstone Library, I had access and in-depth experience to how exactly the librarian system works in the community. The library system works in correspondence with a library card which links to a database called OpenGalaxy. This database contains information of all the people who signed up to any of the libraries in all of London, unless they use another database. It also contains information of all the books in London that have been sent to the library. These books are then linked to each person in the database when they either loan or return it. The library can easily track each book and who it is currently loaned to using this system. How Walthamstow Library and the Librarian system meets the communitys needs The OpenGalaxy system essentially allows anyone, as long as they have simply signed up for a free library card, to loan a book, CD or DVD. Books are free to loan and CDs and DVDs come at a small charge. This allows people who cant afford to buy such things to simply borrow them and give them back. People have free or cheap access to things they usually would have to pay for. People of all kinds are allowed to enjoy books due to the library. People can use this system to reserve books from libraries not just in their local one, i.e. Newham Library and such as the system is connected between all the branches. This means that it is much easier to track a book you might not be able to find elsewhere as there is a large source in which you are searching in. People can also have internet access via laptops due to the public WiFi connection in the library. People who dont usually have access to such privilege can do so via the library. They can do all sorts of things to the internet e.g. research, study or even play games. There is also a quiet room where these people can go so they wont be disturbed in any way. People can find a place to go to where they can focus and not be distracted. The library also gives people free access to computers as long as they have a library card. People are given the chance to work on these computers if they dont have one themselves and its all a free service. This means that people who cant maintain their own computer or internet are given the chance to via a library. The library becomes an important place for people like this. The library also offers children/adult sessions on various things like singing groups, computer classes etc. These can be extremely helpful for busy parents who can simply leave their children here where they would be looked after and socialise with other kids. Adult sessions also mean that uneducated people can be taught how to do certain things that are necessary in this modern age e.g. use a computer which is an essential skill to keep up with the fast modernisation of the world. People who dont have access to a printer or photocopier at home can use the library. This means that people save money on not having to purchase their own printer and photocopier as they can simply use the library. People can print out work or photocopy posters and such using the library. Summary * People can loan a large variety of books, CDs and DVDs * People can use this system to reserve books not limited to their local branch * People can use the library to connect to WiFi * People can use the computers free of charge as long as they have a library card * People can use the quiet room to study in the library * People can take advantage of the librarys children or adult sessions * People can take advantage of the photocopying/printing privileges How it fails to meet the communitys needs The library has a minimal amount of faults as they are a funded public service to the community and do well in serving and providing to the general public. However, there are a few. For example, a library card has your library identity in it. If it gets lost or stolen and goes unreported, people can take books and not return them all under your name, thus giving you the blame. Also, the library card is extremely harsh with overdue books. If a book goes overdue, you have to pay a large fine or you cannot use the loaning system any longer. This fee soon increases if you dont pay and eventually becomes impossible to pay for some people as they would either refuse or just not bother with such a high amount. People would also have to pay an exaggerated amount if they lose the book. This can be a problem to people who cannot afford to simply pay this money, stopping them from loaning any more books. Summary * Library cards can be easily lost or stolen and used to steal books under your name * Pay a large fine for books you have lost or not returned within the due date Conclusion The library is a place with many uses and helps the needy who cant afford their own resources. It is an extremely valuable asset to the community as it provides a place to gain knowledge, finish work and study in peace. ATM machines ATM machines, also known as the automated teller machines, are public and easily accessible machines that give you the ability to access your bank account without the need of going to a banker, cashier or any kind of human interaction. They generally work via a pin number and an insertion of the credit card into the ATM. It then displays your credit card credentials, balance and gives you the option to withdraw and deposit your desired amount. How ATM machines meet the communitys needs With the ATM machine, people save the time by not having to go to a bank and wait in a long queue. An ATM machine simply does all these things for you. You can check your balance and withdraw plus deposit money. Its a very efficient method of transferring money from your bank account. Its a quick, fast and simple method to use. The ATM machine has easy instructions to follow to use it so even the most novice person can use it just by following the instructions given. You simply have to enter your credit card, pin number and then the action you want to take. This makes it easy for a lot of people to transfer money and saves a lot of time. Its located in a lot of ideal and efficient areas, such as outside a supermarket. This allows people to use them when theyre in a dire need of money without having to do something elongated such as going to a bank to withdraw a simple amount of money. If you forget some money you need, you can simply go to one of the easily accessible ATMs which are located in a wide area. This saves people a lot of hassle. The ATM machine can print receipts so if there are any errors due to a technical difficulty, you have proof that the transfer did take place. This saves a lot of problems that occur with the ATM machine and allows the transfer to be much more secure. If people stole your credit card, they could just take it to an ATM machine; steal all the money, leave the credit card and run away. The need of a pin number, which should only be known by the owner of the card, prevents this. A lot of credit card fraud is negated this way. Summary * Negates the need of the prolonged method of going to a banker * Quick, fast and simple to use * Located in a lot of areas allowing you to withdraw money in a large variety of places * Allows you to get money out when you most need it, meaning you dont have to carry large amounts of money wherever you go and put yourself at risk * Printable receipts so you can have proof of withdrawal or deposit in-case a problem occurs * Need of pin number prevents a lot of fraud How it fails to meet the communitys needs However, credit card fraud still takes place even with the need of a pin. It is easy to peek over and see what exactly the pin number is. This can also work with fake ATM machines to steal a lot of money from people. ATM machines are located in a lot of different places so itd be hard to tell if an ATM machine is fake or real. People can easily be taken advantage of in this way. Con artists can place ATM machines and use it to steal or copy a credit card and take a pin number and use it to steal lots of money from the credit card. People can easily be stolen from in this way. People are also easy targets to being mugged. If you are seen coming from an ATM machine, people assume you are carrying a mystery amount of money on you. This puts you as an ideal target for thieves who see you coming from an ATM machine. Thats why it is very dangerous to use one in a secluded area. The efficient, easy use of an ATM machine to withdraw cash can also be a big downside. With the ease of money transfer which is supposed to be securely stored, it might tempt you to withdraw too much for personal needs. ATM machines are strategically located outside casinos so when people gamble, they might be tempted to withdraw more money, especially with how easy it would be. Summary * Easy to fraud despite the need for a pin * Fake ATM machines placed in random locations by thieves and con artists might be used * Easy target for theft if seen coming from an ATM machine * Can tempt you to spend too much, especially if placed outside something such as a casino Conclusion ATM machines can be seen as being essential to a community as they allow the community to transfer money much faster and stops banks from being overcrowded. However, a lot of ATM machines in unsecure locations may put you at the risk of credit card fraud. So, while using them might be useful in terms of saving time and practicality, you are also put at the risk of being a target of criminals. Waltham Forest Council website The Waltham Forest council website is an extremely useful website that can easily be accessed from any computer, as long as they have internet. It provides help with living in the community and information regarding lots of things, such as education, jobs, leisure, information on services in the community e.g. timetables, open dates, events, and many more. People can access a feature called My services where they can do many things such as apply for housing, jobs, parking permits etc. to paying council tax and checking business rates and paying off parking fines. It provides a lot for this community and supports the whole communitys needs in lots of different ways. How the Walthamstow Forest Council website meets the communitys needs The vast amount of information which the site holds involving the borough is staggering. Anything you need to know is located on this site. You can learn about events, shops, clubs, schools and many more. People can use the site to find out all they want about the area they live in. People have access via this site to do things related to fines, taxes and other such things. This means that people wont have to get out of their house to do such things. It can all be paid via the website. This is extremely efficient and saves the community a lot of time. People can use the site to find any vacancies in the area in different areas of the job market. They can have up to date information on when a vacancy opens and do all they can to try and find a job, whether it be part time or full time. This is extremely useful to the large amount of unemployed who can simply find any open jobs using this site without having to go to job centres and such. Parents can look up education and find the best schools to go to in the area for their children using the site. They can find which school would fit their exact location and needs. This is extremely useful and helpful to children as parents can choose which school would suit their child best. You can find any current events or news that happen in the borough via the site. You can keep up to date with anything that happens. This beats the need for newspapers and makes sure people dont miss any community events. Summary * A large amount of information pertaining to the borough * Access to services and ability to do things such as pay fines and taxes which saves time doing it in real life * Find jobs in your area * Look up schools in your area * Find out any current events happening in the borough How it fails to meet the communitys needs The website does not necessarily have any disadvantages. But it does need an internet access which a lot of people still dont have or know how to use. Summary * Needs internet access Conclusion People, living in not just Walthamstow, but the whole of Waltham Forest benefit greatly from this site. They can keep up to date with their lives and know everything going on in the surrounding area. They can find out about jobs, education and other important factors of life. CCTV/Metropolitan website The CCTV system and the metropolitan website both work in keeping finding and keeping crime off the streets. CCTV, which stands for closed circuit television, is a system which uses video cameras to monitor a certain location which happens by sending the footage to the corresponding office it is connected to where it is viewed by the security of that particular place. For example, they could be cameras showing footage of a school, a supermarket or any other office environments. CCTV is generally used for surveillance. They are generally in places where there are risks of crime taking place. The metropolitan site is used to help capture crimes not seen by CCTV cameras or lacking evidence. People can report crimes and also stay confidential. This can allow people to supposedly snitch without the fear of being caught for snitching. How CCTV and the Metropolitan website meets the communitys needs When a criminal sees that a CCTV is in the area, they think twice about committing a crime. This is the first step CCTVs do in reducing crime. The fear of being caught on camera stops the crime from happening in the first place. If a crime is captured, then it can be used as evidence in a court case. It can be shown to prove that a person did commit a crime and help put the criminals behind a bar. This makes the community much safer not only knowing that CCTV would capture the crime if it took place but also that the criminal is locked up behind bars. The method of sending the video feed captured on a video camera back to where its being monitored is quite efficient in that its effective and fast at sending the information back. This makes it easier to capture criminals as the system works in a speedy way. Places such as schools where kids are most vulnerable are kept safe. If a stranger appears or something extremely dangerous happens, CCTV can be used to find the culprit. Dangerous people such as child molesters are found and arrested making school safer and making the kids feel much more secure being in school. The most effective use of the CCTV is that it can be placed in a large variety of places, watching crime from even the most dangerous areas. This allows it to be able to reduce crime no matter where it takes place. The metropolitan website aims to make London a much safer place. This provides reassurance in the community and they have access to a lot of the resources located in the site. People are able to confide in crimes while keeping their identity a secret. This stops people from being scared of being caught for snitching which can provide harsh consequences for the snitch in relation with his friends. The anonymity provides reassurance and a sense of security. Summary * The simple presence of CCTV deters criminals * If it captures a crime, it can be used as evidence * Efficient method of sending camera feed to the corresponding connection where it is being monitored * Keeps places such as schools safe * Can be placed wherever it needs to be * The website aims to keep London safe * Allows people to confide in crimes theyve witnessed while staying anonymous * Provides reassurance to people who are having from witnessing a crime How it fails to meet the communitys needs However, people do complain that CCTV makes for a lack of privacy for people. People feel that it invades what should be personal space. It is also quite expensive and advanced to set up as a whole. The CCTV system requires skill and knowledge of ICT to be able to set up properly and also a lot of money. Summary * Invasion of privacy * Expensive to set up * Can be quite advanced to set up Conclusion Overall, CCTV and the Metropolitan website work extremely well in keeping London secure and crime free. People are less worried about crime wherever they go and it adds an assurance to people knowing they are being protected.