Competitive pressures on selected, contrasting business Essay

Introduction In this PowerPoint I will prepare a set of presentation slides for Next that explains the competitive pressures they have faced to develop their use of E-Business. I will then compare this to another organisation which will be Currys. Next PLC was founded by Joseph Hepworth in Leeds in 1864 as a tailor under the name of Joseph Hepworth & Son. The retail chain was launched in February 1982. Currys is a British electrical retailer operating in the UK and Ireland and is owned by Dixons Carphone. It specialises in selling home electronics and household appliances, with 295 superstores and 73 high street stores. Next and Curry’s Recruit online: If both these businesses decided to develop their use of e-business, they would be able to start recruiting people online. This is beneficial for both the businesses and the customers. More people will want to apply for jobs online as it is more convenient and easier for them and it is also easier for the companies to go through all the CV’s. Sales promotions: Next and Currys would be able to promote their business even more via the internet and more people will become aware of the sales promotions. This would benefit both companies. Up to date product information: The businesses will be able to make sure that their product information is regularly up to date. By making sure all the product information is precise and up to date they would be satisfying the customers which could result in regular purchases. Next and Curry’s Intrigue customers: The companies would be able to intrigue customers if their website is very precise, easy to use, appealing to the customer and they have good sales on their products. This would put them one step ahead of all their competitors. Quicker and cheaper: This would help attract more customers as they would find it easier to purchase items online, rather than driving down to the actual store as that could be very time consuming and they could use online promotion codes online. The business will benefit from this as they would be making more of a profit if they get more customers to purchase their items online as well as in the store. Creating more awareness: The businesses could create more awareness for themselves which will benefit them. The more attention their company draws the more sales they will be able to make which means that their company will be more successful than it already is. FAQ: Customers would be able to personally ask questions which relate back to Next and Curry’s. The businesses can then use this to their advantage by taking all their queries on board and making sure they do what they can to keep their customers happy. This could potentially result in more sales being made by the company. Next and Curry’s Increase profit: Next and Curry’s would be able to increase their profits if they create an online website for themselves as most of their customers would just purchase their items online as many customers would not have time to go to the actual store. Therefore it would work out better for the businesses if they decide to make a website. Customer feedback: The businesses would be able to see what feedback they have gotten from their customers through the comment box and this will help the companies improve their business so that it is meeting the customers standards which would result in more sales. Price compare: Next and Curry’s could compare the prices of their products to their competitors prices and then use this to make sure that their prices are more affordable. M2 – Explain how two selected, contrasting business organisations have responded to competitive pressures to develop their use of e-business Multimedia Next’s competitor is River Island and both the businesses use multimedia to promote their business and gain more customers. In order for Next to be ahead of their competition they have put up pictures and catwalks of the products that they have to offer so that their customers can see what the product looks like on a model. This will help the customer decide whether or not they wish to purchase the product. Delivery tracking/next day Next and River Island offer their customers a free next day delivery if they order before a certain time. Next has seen the promotion that River Island has going and they responded to this by giving their customers a longer time period to shop but offering them the same deal as River Island. Next also allows their customers to order by Midnight and have their product delivered to their local store the next day for them to collect. This has put Next ahead of River Island as River Island does not offer their customers the same deal. They also allow their customers to track their delivery so that they know what time to be expecting their delivery. Targeting customers Currys competitor is Argos and both of these business target their customers  in the same way. Currys and Argos target their customers online for example offering their customers deals on items that they know they are interested in. Currys responds to the deals that Argos has by offering their customers better deals on similar products that Argos is offering their customers. They also use social media to target their customers for example via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Recruitment Currys and Argos use the internet to get more people to  work for their company. Currys can advertise their  job vacancies through social media websites like  Facebook and Twitter. They can offer their employees  deals which they know will attract more people and  this will benefit Currys because they will get more  people applying for jobs. Website In order for Next and Currys to be ahead of their competitors, they will need to make sure that their website is up to date on all their product information so that their customers stay  interested in the products that they sell. They make their  website easy for their customers to use so that they can easily find the product that they’re looking for.

Handwriting

In my opinion, right-handed girls have more legible handwriting than left-handed girls. While doing my research I wanted to know if you were born with good handwriting, or if you learn that way, so I decided to look it up and help with more research (Handwriting skills for children, n.d.). The science behind my project is the brain and how it determines whether you are left-handed or right-handed.Judging handwriting can be helpful when you look at how they form their letters, the neatness of the writing, and how they space their letters while writing (Handwriting, July 14, 2017). Handwriting specialists look at the size of the letters, the shape, and if they slant their letters. They also look at margins, format, and line features (How an Expert Compares Handwriting, n.d.). I noticed in my project that when people where on the neat section that they wrote smaller, closser, and they also wrote darker. Also, on the regular section some people wrote bigger and more spaced out. Then on the cursive section they took a little bit longer because they did not have good education on cursive writing .The hand is made up of many bones that help make handwriting easier. There is 27 bones in just one of the human hands. There is 8 carpal bones, 5 metacarpal bones and 14 finger bones. There are held together by joints and ligaments. There are lumbricals in the hand. That includes four thin muscles that bend the metacarpophalangeal joints to extend your fingers. Did you know, that there are 17,000 touch receptors and free nerve endings in the palm of your hand. There are three bones in each of your fingers, but there are only two in your thumb. (How Does The Hand Work?, December 23, 2016) Here are a couple of facts about the brain, and which part controls handwriting. The cerebrum is the part of the brain that controls handwriting, it also controls speech, emotions, vision, and touch. Did you know, the right hemisphere of the brain is dominant to the left side of the body and the left hemisphere of the brain is dominant to the right side of the body? Which means when left-handed people write it is the right side of the brain, and vise versa for right-handed people. There is a chance of about 26% that a child will become left-handed if both parents are? 8.6% of women are left-handed in the world (Handedness and the Brain, n.d.). In conclusion, the science behind my project is how the brain controls handwriting. 90% of the world is right handed and only 10% of the world is left-handed. Hand specialist look at many things while looking at people's writing. Did you know, they even made a day for left-handed people? Doing this project has taught me a lot about left-handed supplies and other interesting things. In my project, I can conclude that right-handed girls have better handwriting than left-handed girls.

Racism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Racism - Essay Example studies and compares two stories in which the authors depict racism in the content of the writing by discussing the connections in terms of context, utilization of literacy devices and the personal experiences displayed in the stories. The two stories compared in are Life in Oklahoma City by Ralph Ellison and On Social Equality by Gunnar Myrdal. Both of these stories are written in a first person point of view. Mr. Ellison in his stories provides a narrative of his personal experiences as he was growing up in Oklahoma City. He described the setting of how things were back then and provided many examples of racism against various races including afro-Americans, Germans, poor white persons and Indians (Ellison, 1964). In the author’s descriptions the author himself displayed a racism mentality since his description of some events seemed biased and a bit racist. The author utilized a lot different literary devices in his story such as symbolism, imaginary, characterization, metaphors, simile and personification. The On Social Equality story is different than the story written by Mr. Ellison. This story is more critical and analytical about the racism issue. The story describes a lot the views different groups of people have on the subject and provides multiple examples on how racism manifests itself. For example the author mentioned a perspective from the Southern that during segregation afro-Americans actually liked it because they did not have to deal with people from the Caucasian race and they rather share time with their own people (Myrdal). The author used a couple of different literary devices such as similes but he did not use a large variety of literary devices such as Mr. Ellison utilized in Life in Oklahoma. The ending of this story was a conclusion that gave a final perspective and analyzed the topic of racism. The final stage of Life in Oklahoma was as a self-reflection of Mr. Ellison’s life and his opinion on the racism subject. Ralph Ellison

Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 9

Business law - Essay Example This encourages investors and this factor has also contributed to the growth of business sector throughout the world for large scale productions and distribution (Cartwright, 2008). As far as business standing in Ireland is concern, a sole proprietor is not strong financially comparing to a private limited company. Investors even seek such corporate bodies to lend money because they have published financial statements. If we compare Private Company with Sole Proprietor, we have more member than that of the Sole Proprietor; this means that we have better credit standing as well as better funding of the capital. It also enhances the stability in business. Directors of the company are accountable to the owners and the administration of the company with regards to the company and statutory books and management as it is stated in the articles of association. This enhances the formality in the role of the director. Control and management over a limited company are exercised by the board of directors, who in turn delegate many of their functions to other managers. Directors are selected by the members of the company and are also removable on valid grounds. Irish companies enjoys the lowest corporate taxes i.e. a universal rate of 12.5% on trading profits while some companies which meet certain requirements are taxed at 0%. This is one of the major advantages enjoyed by the companies situated in Ireland (Company Formations in Ireland). In addition to this, Irish companies also enjoy an extensive network of double taxation treaties. It means the imposition of the tax on the same income in two different countries. It can be evaded due to such treaties. The formation of a company involves very complex procedures. The setting up cost is also very high i.e. â‚ ¬300-â‚ ¬500 as compared to sole proprietor and partnership businesses. While the other types of businesses such as Partnership and Sole Proprietor can be brought into existence without reference to

Marine Finance(Capital Funding Structure) Essay

Marine Finance(Capital Funding Structure) - Essay Example In 1958, Franco Modigliani and Merton Miller, two prominent financial economists, constructed a theory of capital structure (usually referred to as the MM) that is widely considered as the most influential financial theory up to this time. Basically, the MM theory assumes perfect capital market conditions where all relevant information is readily available, where there are no transaction costs, and where borrowing and lending rates are the same for all investors. The theory likewise assumes that there are no income taxes, that operating income is constant over time -- i.e., there is no growth -- and that all earnings are paid out as dividends. In 1963, Modigliani and Miller modified their original work by including corporate taxes. With such taxes, leverage would increase the firms value because interest on debt is a tax-deductible expense and more income accrues to the investors. Consequently, the value of the firm increases. The cost of debt is the after-tax yield (1-tax). This lower cost of debt, combined with the existing cost of equity, will result in a lower weighted average cost of capital the greater the leverage. The benefits of debt financing derive from solely from the tax deductibility of interest payments. This observation would lead one to conclude logically that the company should use more leverage to the extent that all financing will be done through debt. In reality, however, companies do no such thing. While historically the debt/asset ratios have risen overall, companies maintain capital structures that are stable with a some combination of debt and equity at some in-between point. (See Brealey & Myers; Brigham & Gapenski; Keat & ). Much later, Merton Miller extended the theory by including personal taxes. Personal taxes in the modified model would reduce -- but not eliminate -- the benefits of debt financing. Because the introduction of personal taxes lowers the income to investors, they reduce the value

Describe an animal that people are working to protect. Explain why it Essay

Describe an animal that people are working to protect. Explain why it should be protected - Essay Example Currently, scientists are estimating that more than 2000 animals are at a risk of extinction with African elephants and rhinos being at the top of the list. Most recent findings have shown that about 20 percent of Africa’s elephants could be killed in the next one decade if proper and swift measures are not taken (Faure para3-8). The main cause of the dramatic reduction in the population of African elephants is illegal poaching and human encroachment to the animals’ habitats. According to a report that was released by the Elephant Summit in Botswana as well as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, more than 22,000 elephants were illegally killed across Africa in 2012 alone, which was a reduction from the previous year where more than 25,000 elephants had been killed. Illegal poaching was found to be more acute in the Central and Eastern African regions where estimated poaching rate was reported to be twice the continental average. Poachers use crooked methods in killing this endangered species such as shooting the animals as well as poisoning them. For instance, in September 2013 cyanide was used to kill more than 300 elephants in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park and led to what was termed as the â€Å"worst single massacre in southern Africa for 25 years.† This are worrying figures considering the fact the continent has about 500,000 elephants and they can easily be depleted in the next one decade if the current poaching rate is not curbed. The rate of poaching had initially dropped though the exercise has started to boom at an alarming rate. In the past century, African elephants were about to get depleted through illegal poaching whereby an estimated 100,000 elephants were being killed yearly and up to 80% of herds were lost in some regions. In Kenya for instance, the population plummeted by 85% between 1973

The Function of Ethics and Financial Services Essay

The Function of Ethics and Financial Services - Essay Example The company was involved in a fraud scheme whereby Gottlieb and Drabinsky received $7, 000, 000 directly or through the company owned by Gottlieb. $ 4, 000, 000 of the total amount was capitalized as the pre-production costs. Gottlieb and Drabinsky operated a kickback scheme with Livent vendors and took the mentioned amount from the company and took into their own pocket. To fully convince the company of the transaction, Gottlieb instructed the two vendors to present an invoice that could not expose their deal. Gottlieb and Drabinsky received the payment for bogus services. In the mid-1990s, it became difficult for the company to attain its financial goals. Gottlieb and Drabinsky enjoyed their financial gain, and in turn, the company had to bear the loss. It became difficult for the company to raise additional capital to sustain its operation. Gottlieb and Drabinsky manipulated the company by directing Livent’s accounting staff to obscure the company’s financial crisis. Some of the manipulations included erasing the accounting records that recorded the liabilities and expenses of the company at the end of each year. The Livent’s accounting staff engaged into an accounting scam of transferring the preproduction costs of existing show to shows that were in production. This transfer manipulated the company to comprehend the cost of the major items used in production. To reduce the costs of preproduction, Livent’s accounting team transferred the costs to fixed asset accounts.... The Livent’s accounting staff engaged into an accounting scam of transferring the preproduction costs of existing show to shows that was in production. This transfer manipulated the company to comprehend the cost of the major items used in production. To reduce the costs of preproduction, Livent’s accounting team transferred the costs to fixed asset accounts. Eventually, the company started debiting salary expenses and operating expenses to long-term fixed assets accounts. Livent transferred the cost of the shows that were currently running to shows that never existed (Knapp & Knapp n.d, p10). In 1996, Gottlieb and Drabinsky conducted a scheme referred as the fraudulent revenue-generating. This fraud involved various multimillion-dollar transactions organized by Gottlieb and Drabinsky. Most transactions involved the rights to produce Show and Ragtime Boat in different U.S. theatres to Texas companies. The contract or agreement of this transaction obligated the need to h ave a non refundable fee. Specifically, the $11.2 million fee paid by the Texas company to Livent was non refundable. However, the Livent’s executives arranged a secret side agreement that guaranteed Texas Company a reasonable rate of return on every large investment they made. Despite the actual growth and earnings that the company achieved, the accounting staff benefited more while the company deteriorated at a high rate. The final Livent Fraud occurred in the late 1997, when Livent opened Ragtime in the Los Angeles Theatre. The company got into an agreement with the theatre of closing the show if the weekly sales fell less than $500, 000. During that period, Livent entered into various transactions purporting to present

Extreme Importance of Alternative Energy Sources Research Paper

Extreme Importance of Alternative Energy Sources - Research Paper Example Forecasts show that coal, gas and oil supplies will last only for a few more centuries. Secondly, the use of fossil fuels poses a serious danger to the environment. The combustion of fossil fuels leads to the emission of chlorofluorocarbons, mainly carbon dioxide. This causes the ‘greenhouse effect’ which traps heat in the earth’s atmosphere, leading to global warming. The combustion of fossil fuels also causes atmospheric pollution and acidification of the environment. The environmental damage caused by oil spills in the wake of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is fresh in minds. Likewise, nuclear power is associated with the risk of nuclear accidents, such as Chernobyl and Fukushima, and the problem of disposal of hazardous radioactive waste. As there is no sign of energy use declining in the conceivable future, the environmental impacts of energy consumption, and the depletion of energy sources, assumes grave implications. It is clear that the need for al ternative, renewable sources of energy is the need of the hour. Energy consumption shows tremendous global variation, and â€Å"about a quarter of the world's population consumes three-quarters of the world's primary energy† (UN Document). About 20% of global energy consumption is in the USA. Again, it is estimated that the U.S. is responsible for about one-fifth of all human-produced greenhouse-gas emissions. Renewable sources of energy account for only 9.3% of the total US energy consumption (EIA). In this scenario, it is evident that the need for alternative energy sources should be a high priority for the government of the United States. It is heartening to note that President Obama has declared that â€Å"I know the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the global economy in the 21st century† (qtd. in Scientific American).

Personality Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Personality Theory - Essay Example Nevertheless, as adults, the parents were responsible for their son’s death. Parental Abuse Resulting in Child Suicide: The Personality of Both the Parents and Child which Results in Suicide The case of the child being abused by violent parents is not uncommon. It can happen anytime as long as there are children with suicidal tendencies and parents who are predisposed to behave in a way that they would hurt their children. Based on the details of the case, the child committed suicide because he must have been a typical case of Borderline Personality Disorder and his parents as well, and this must have unconsciously made them cause their own child’s death. Definition of the Case and Important Things to Consider The case study involving the child who killed himself and the parents who abused him must be investigated in such a way that the roles of the child and the parents in bringing about the act of suicide are defined. Moreover, one needs to consider the reasons why th e child could have decided to kill himself and why the parents themselves were abusive. Understanding the underlying cause of their actions and decisions would shed more light into why the suicide took place. The Possibility of Borderline Personality Disorder The child who killed himself may have been suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder, or BPD, because he displayed a similar set of symptoms as a typical case, and it was the parents’ fault that the degree of their abuse towards him made him decide to kill himself. BPD is a psychological problem which is most commonly associated with â€Å"self destructive† behavior, which in turn is the most likely cause of the suicide (Paris, 2011). Moreover, someone with BPD is also most likely to be â€Å"highly unstable emotionally† and thus develops several mood swings especially as a rather automatic response to highly stressful events (Paris, 2011). These highly unstable emotions and unpredictable mood swings m ay have reached their peak at the time of suicide and thus may have triggered the act itself. Coupled with a preexisting self destructive behavior, the sudden surge of depressive or angry emotions in the child may have been directed towards himself. Parental abuse may have triggered the depression and anger in the child, but since the child may have felt powerless, he did not choose to retaliate and instead decided to kill himself in order to end the extremely uncomfortable feeling of abuse, loss of personal value and loss of self-esteem. Moreover, since BPD is characterized by â€Å"repetitive suicide attempts,† then it is obvious that the child was suffering from this or a similar disorder at the moment of suicide (Paris, 2011). The child may have therefore attempted suicide a number of times but perhaps during that time that he killed himself, there must have been too much anger in him that could not be contained anymore. There could also have been a lot of anger that had piled up and perhaps the last cruel thing his parents did to him somehow served as the last straw that eventually made him decide to end his life. Furthermore, there might not have been anyone else in the house who could have at least stopped the child from committing suicide, or perhaps there was but this person might have also been powerless and helpless against the child’

Role Of The Citizen On Earth Essay Example for Free

Role Of The Citizen On Earth Essay The role of every element on earth is indeed found in its nature and it is the same for man, but instead of functioning exclusively as humans, we intentionally bludgeon our role as defined by nature trying to be something beyond our reach, and creating more problems than nature itself can solve, calling on us to reverse our course and get back to nature. The Earth is being destroyed by human actions. Deforestation, industrial factory, nuclear industry, dam construction, the use of chemical substances and poisonous gas that pollute the environment and are harmful to the ozone layer, mining, and so on are the dangers that the Earth is facing. Humans are who cause the problems, but they are also who find the solutions. Therefore, the destiny of the Earth is shaped by everyone. If we want to make a difference on the Earth and lead the Earth to the peace and happiness, we need to start now. A citizen could be described as an individual who is born into a country or acquires it through naturalization, which connotes the fact that it is your paternal right to contribute meaningfully towards the development of that nation or country. As far as this true, the context of this essay will enlighten as well as portray the impact and role that I have played as a universal citizen of our beautiful mother earth which is currently faced with environmental destruction, resource depletion, wars, conflicts, poverty among others.

Christian Faith In A Postmodern Context Theology Religion Essay

Christian Faith In A Postmodern Context Theology Religion Essay The book written by Lieven Boeve, Interrupting Tradition: An Essay on Christian Faith in a Postmodern Context deals about his argumentations on the new context that challenges Christian tradition to recontextualise itself. The fact that the Catholic Church and the Catholic faith gives meaning to life and existence facing the new reality in recent years wherein the transmission of the Christian tradition is a struggle in a large part of Western Europe particularly in Flanders. Boeve divided the book into three parts contain three to four chapters each. The first part deals with clarifying the situation in which the Christian tradition finds itself. Part two shows a radical confrontation between the Christian faith and modernity, and part three provides an historical line of thought to the present day and offer an analysis of the problem of fundamental life options (postmodern context). In the first three chapters, Boeve discus tradition and its development from modern and postmodern context. Tradition, which defines as belief, passed down in a society that can presently be experienced. In Christian tradition, it is evident that these beliefs show an important role in the very foundations of Christianity. The mere fact that truth has history led the theologians on the idea of the development of tradition. Therefore, it is indeed necessary by the passing of time that every shift in context comprises a challenge to the Christian tradition to reformulate itself in dialogue in present context. This is done through a process of recontextualisation where it shows a fact that tradition is undergoing a process of development. In line with this part of the book shows tradition viewed in the modern context that has something to do with cultural modernisation process where secularisation to which religious tradition lost its primary role as source for human values, and the generalization of values presents that respect in value and truth was only viable only in private arena. On the others hand, these evolution leads to another perspective which is the modernitys master narratives where human desire of progress in his own way. In the postmodern context, it views tradition with a definitive end. This happened because of the primary issues facing it individualisation and pluralisation. Boeve in this part of the book shows not really the end of the tradition but rather it shows a wider perspective, that a person should have an individual reflexive decision that can only be experienced in faith but it lies always the reality of choosing because this remain an option. In part two, faith in the postmodern context leads to a comparison between an open and closed narrative, which shows a clearer view, more importantly with the importance of the open narrative which does provide an adequate opportunity for a recontextualisation of the Christian narrative in our postmodern context. From these, Boeve shows way that leads closed narrative towards an open narrative and experience the modern experience of transcendence. Boeve, finally tackles in the last part of the book about the foundation of an open Christian narrative. This deals with the recontextualisation of Christian narrative in the actual context. It shows here in giving purpose to a Christian narrative. This purpose showed by the author is done by God who definitely revealed Godself in a specific human person which is Jesus. It also stated in this part about the negative theology. It is the authors intention that through this negative theology, may see the interruption of Christian narratives by God that the God who is incomprehensible, hidden and absent still can be revealed. In addition, Christianity Interrupted by the world religions, Boeve pictures different parables as a way of explaining Christianity interrupted by the world religions. In the present day situation, we may include ourselves having different narratives because in light of searching for truth, we are engaging on the same reality of being blind or having different perspective- plurality. It can also be like the parable of the ring, which indicates and tries to reveal who is the best among religions and who had the ultimate hold to the truth, but in line with the interpretation, no one can claim as the best holder of the truth. Final judgement is deferred until God comes. At the last part of the book, which is the epilogue, Boeve conclude with a reflection on the position of the Christian in the contemporary world. It is clearly stated here that faith is no longer a socio-structural option but it is a genuine faith option as an explicit choice for the Christian narrative to build human framework for a particular narrative. Faith as a faith option implies a religiously-motivated critical consciousness. Lastly, the content of the faith in the end under the pressures of modernity, one may gain nothing but worthlessness. However, Boeve shows still a positive outcome behind this situation that one may misled but soon he will find the right direction. Interrupting Tradition effectively shows the situation of Christian faith in the postmodern context by providing a perspective about the current situation of the tradition. This is the reality in that challenges tradition to be recontextualised itself. The author achieved his goal by providing this book a title that is relevant and really interrupts tradition. Likewise, it also interrupts the reader by showing arguments and facts of the reality facing by tradition. This book presents a new understanding in the part of the reader that eventually affects his own perspective and to be aware of the Christian tradition facing a dilemma. It also provides material that can lead a person to rethink what he believes. Nevertheless, even though this is the reality, every reader of this book must gain enough courage to engage in a dialogue and turn to praxis. Moreover, after reading this book we end full of hope with strength to face the new tomorrow and thanking God for giving us our own tradition as a source of foundation of our Christianity. We are in the darkness but soon find the light. As what is stated in the last part of the epilogue (p. 183), Perhaps such an open concept may be compared with a compass that, wherever one may be in the world, always points north and thus helps one finding the right direction to follow.

Criminal Justice and Computers :: Technology Essays Police

Criminal Justice and Computers Technology affects almost all aspects of society today. Family life, medicine, business, telecommunications, and social life have all been changed for both good and bad. Interesting me in particular, technology (mainly computers) has influenced the criminal justice/law enforcement field. That is my chosen profession that I hope to accomplish. A few summers ago, I had the privilege to ride along in a patrol car two times with the Michigan State Police Bay City Post. As I was side by side with the troopers, I observed many things. I never knew how much they used technology. Not only computers, but other things as well. Throughout one’s shift, the officer communicates on his radio frequently. This radio can broadcast all around the county to other police officers and stations. That is the way that the word about a crime gets spread. If an officer is down, he or she can just talk into their radio and help will come as soon as possible. I thought that when the police officer pulled over a speeding car, they walked up to it, issued the violator a ticket, and went on their merry little way. I was wrong. When they first pull them over, the officer enters the license plate into the mini computer. There is a small device that is latched into the console between the seats in the patrol car. It looks like a small computer with the keyboard and screen attached together. There are many different options to choose from on the main screen. After the officer enters the license plate number, a whole bunch of information comes up. Who owns the car, the make of the car, and information similar to that come up on the screen. After the officer gets the driver’s license, he or she enters that into the police blotter also. The information that comes back now is if there is a warrant out for the driver’s arrest, if he or she has any unpaid tickets, and also all the other times he or she has gotten pulled over for traffic violations with in the past year show up. Without this technology, police officers would be in a lot of danger. There could be a convicted felon in that car, but the officer would be unaware. So with this computer, a lot of information is stored, the safety of lives is increased, and the police can find out about the driver without asking him anything. Criminal Justice and Computers :: Technology Essays Police Criminal Justice and Computers Technology affects almost all aspects of society today. Family life, medicine, business, telecommunications, and social life have all been changed for both good and bad. Interesting me in particular, technology (mainly computers) has influenced the criminal justice/law enforcement field. That is my chosen profession that I hope to accomplish. A few summers ago, I had the privilege to ride along in a patrol car two times with the Michigan State Police Bay City Post. As I was side by side with the troopers, I observed many things. I never knew how much they used technology. Not only computers, but other things as well. Throughout one’s shift, the officer communicates on his radio frequently. This radio can broadcast all around the county to other police officers and stations. That is the way that the word about a crime gets spread. If an officer is down, he or she can just talk into their radio and help will come as soon as possible. I thought that when the police officer pulled over a speeding car, they walked up to it, issued the violator a ticket, and went on their merry little way. I was wrong. When they first pull them over, the officer enters the license plate into the mini computer. There is a small device that is latched into the console between the seats in the patrol car. It looks like a small computer with the keyboard and screen attached together. There are many different options to choose from on the main screen. After the officer enters the license plate number, a whole bunch of information comes up. Who owns the car, the make of the car, and information similar to that come up on the screen. After the officer gets the driver’s license, he or she enters that into the police blotter also. The information that comes back now is if there is a warrant out for the driver’s arrest, if he or she has any unpaid tickets, and also all the other times he or she has gotten pulled over for traffic violations with in the past year show up. Without this technology, police officers would be in a lot of danger. There could be a convicted felon in that car, but the officer would be unaware. So with this computer, a lot of information is stored, the safety of lives is increased, and the police can find out about the driver without asking him anything.

Fame made me lonely :: Creative Writing Essays

Fame made me lonely "Julie, there's a new number one!" shouted Kayleigh to her sister. "Who is it?" questioned Julie. "It's Chris Riley and it's called First Time" rushed Kayleigh, eager to hear the song. Chris Riley was in his luxury palace, watching the top ten chart on his 78 inch plasma screen television. His agent, Mark Priestman, informed him that his single went straight to number one in just two days. Chris was pleased. He didn't look thrilled or excited. I didn't understand why he wasn't chuffed. Chris Riley lived in a luxurious mansion in a desolate place in the depths of Yorkshire. His mansion had four floors each containing at least seven rooms. The long, lavish corridors were beautifully decorated with a light blue carpet and portraits of him posing. There was an indoor extensive swimming pool that had gold railings. On the fourth floor there was a small private cinema that had twenty comfortable seats with large beverage holders. The cinema had several small spotlights and the stairs were luminous green. The mansion had everything a person could ever want, including a huge disco, which must have been used for parties. There was a large stage with a bar next to it but there was no one inside it. I had looked around most of the house and it was all empty. I eventually figured out which room was Chris's bedroom. It was very spacious with little inside it. Chris had a double sized bed with basic furniture. To the left of the room was a large photograph that showed Chris with a women and a young girl, about four or five years old. They all looked very happy and free from the popularity he had back in England. It looked to me as if they were on holiday because they were on a seaside when the sun was setting to give a magnificent effect on the photo. I looked round the corner and spotted Chris walking towards his room. He silently sat down on the bed and stared at the photograph. He looked deeply into the woman's eyes and wondered, "Why did you leave me? Why?" He questioned with rage. "You separated me from my own daughter!" His eyes had turned red and tears were escaping from his eyes and landed onto his black silk shirt. Suddenly, it had all made sense to me why his mansion was so empty of life and happiness. He laid down gripping his hair with devastation of his separation from the ones he loved. When they had left she had taken half of his money with her.

Acquisition and Justification of Beliefs :: Psychology Access Internalism Essays

Bartleby is a lazy student who refuses to study simply because he would prefer not. Although his teacher, Mr. Smith, automatically assumes that Bartleby failed the final exam he just took, Mr. Smith could have reasoned that he has sufficient evidence to support his belief. Mr. Smith has seen that Bartleby shows little interest in the class, that he has poor study habits and has consistently failed all his previous exams, and that just about enough questions were incorrect on the portion of the exam that Mr. Smith did have time to grade to warrant a failing grade. But because final grades are due and Mr. Smith runs out of time to finish grading, he marks an ‘F’ on Bartleby’s test without actually calculating the score or even realizing that he has sufficient evidence to support his belief that Bartleby failed. Later, Mr. Smith comes to find out that his belief was true, thus once again confirming Mr. Smith’s time-tested bias that students who have failed in the past are perpetual failures. Was Mr. Smith’s belief justified? Intuitively, we would want to say that it isn’t, because his belief is grounded in, or caused by, his bias against Bartleby. The problem is that both rigidly Internalist, like Access Internalism, and rigidly Externalist accounts of justification, like Reliabilism, have difficulties with showing how bias can disqualify a seemingly justified belief. In what follows, I will use Matthias Steup’s account, â€Å"A Defense of Internalism†[1], to explain Access Internalism and then use the scenario just presented to show how the justificatory requirements of Access Internalism are incompatible with the findings of current psychological research on how most beliefs are actually acquired and justified. Next I will briefly discuss how a much weaker form of Internalism with an Externalist character, Psychological Internalism, can avoid the problems of Access Internalism, but at the cost of missing out on the main benefits of both strongly Internalist and strongly externalist theories. Next I will use Alvin Goldman’s article, â€Å"Reliabilism: What is Justified Belief?†[2] to explain the basic ideas of Reliabilist Externalism and again use the Bartleby situation to draw out the inconsistencies between the Reliabilist requirements of justification and our normative intuitions of what justification ought to be.

Labeling Theory Of Deviance Essay

Various theories have been put forward to explain the causes of crime and delinquency in society. The Labelling theory of crime argues that the tendency to perceive and treat people as offenders precipitates their engagement in crime. It is based on the hypothesis that people will assume the labels that they have been given to them by the society. Labelling in this case works to reinforce deviant behaviour as well as solidifying the deviant identities in the society. In other words labelling people as criminals plays a significant role in increasing or rather causing crime in the society. (Burke R,2005). As Tannenbaum, an early sociologist supporting the labelling theory of crime argued that the process of tagging, defining, identifying, segregating, describing and emphasizing that certain individuals as deserving special treatment is a way of stimulating, suggesting, suggesting and evoking the traits being complained of makes people become what they are described as being. Symbolic interactionalism is based on the agency analysis of deviance and social control. In this case deviance is viewed as a label which is imposed on the subjects who after rejecting or accepting the labels construct deviant identities as well as careers. To change such a situation the need for radical transformation is more of a necessity than a requirement. Labelling theory of crime can be blamed for the increased instances of crime as the criminal justice system tries to curb it. People who are arrested, prosecuted and punished are labelled as ‘criminals’ and the society deems them as such. A large proportion of the society also joins hands in labelling them as such and this increases their tendency to indulge in criminal behaviours. When people are labelled as criminals it is difficult for them to effectively adjust into the society and for instance they may fail to obtain legitimate employment, a factor that increases their likelihood to indulge in crime. (Burke R,2005). They may also face isolation from the mainstream society and this could trigger psychological problems which are highly correlated to criminality. When the labelled criminals internalize the self concept that they are criminals they tend to increase criminality behaviours as after all they are perceived as criminals and should behave as such. (Coser L, 2006). Offenders ought to be treated as sick characters to make it easier for the criminal justice system to offer best treatment for ease reintegration into the society. This way the stigmatization would be dealt with amicably. Labelling could occur from the society as a whole or the system, family, among peers as well as in schools from teachers. Labelling in crime tends to be more frequent or intense among the minority groups whose voice is almost insignificant in society. How a society reacts after it has labelled criminals is what determines if a crime is to dwindle or intensify. Societies that labels criminals and for a long term reject them in the society increases their likelihood to commit crime while the society that tries to assist the labelled criminals to effectively integrate into the society reduces the rates of crime that could have been attributed by labelling. Erving Goffman is among the sociologists whose ideologies could be useful in explaining the labeling theory of crime. He is popular for the notion of total institutions. He defined ‘total institutions’ as places of residence and work where a large number of like-situated individuals are cut off from the wider society for an appreciable period of time. Together these people lead an enclosed formally administered round of life. Goffman further highlighted the discrepancies between those who reside in the total institutions and those in the larger general population. In the larger population man works, plays and sleeps in varying places, with varying people, different authorities and in the absence of an overall rational plan. (Hawkins J and Kirkland F, 2001). This is contrary with the scenario in the total institutions where there are barriers between those three aspects. Life in the total institutions is clear or definite and this creates the notion that they exist for a good reason among the general population. There is no freedom in the total institutions as is experienced in the ‘home world’ or the general population. To Goffman the inmates being sent to prisons or total institutions already know the culture they are to expect though the reality is actually felt or experienced after admission. (Hawkins J and Kirkland F, 2001). Goffman identified three major phases in the life of an inmate. The first one is before they get into the total institutions that is when they are still in the ‘home world’, when they in the institutions and when they re enter the home world after release from the total institutions. He focused on the similarities that exist in the varying institutions. He argues that all aspects of life are conducted in the same place and under the same or a single authority. This means that all prisons will have similar experiences. All these aspects were carried on in the immediate company of a large batch of others all of whom were treated alike and needed to do the same things together. Another observation made was that all phases of a day’s activities were to be tightly scheduled and one activity led at a pre-arranged time to the next. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987)Notably, the whole sequence of activities was imposed from a higher system of explicit formal rulings and a body of officials a clear indication of alienation and dominance within the total institutions. The various enforced activities are brought together into a single rational plan which is designed to fulfill the official aims of the institution. The roles that are performed by the inmates in the total institutions serve interests or are for the aims of the institution rather than the individual. Goffman identified four major dimensions of institutional life ranging from the rigidity of the routine, block treatment of inmates, depersonalization of inmates and social distance between the staff and the inmates which Goffman termed as binary management. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987) Before one gets into prison they are from the ‘home world’ where they already have an established conception of themselves. Entrance into the ‘total institutions’ strips them off the benefits attached to the’ home world’. Here, they are subjected to a series of abasement, degradation and humiliation. The consequence of this is that their self becomes horrified. When in the institution an individual develops a moral career which is determined or influenced by his surrounding. The role of the significant other becomes critical at this point. Goffman observed further that in the total institutions the process by which individuals were mortified was rather standard across all of them. This is a clear indication that life in these institutions is quite different from that which is experienced in the larger world and that it is a difficult task to have inmates maintain the same traits they had before they got there. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987). Again, since the conditions were similar across the total institutions they were likely to exhibit similar traits. The first restriction of the self for the inmates takes place when the total institutions act as a barrier between the inmate and the general population. In the civilian life one’s sequential roles are not in conflict with one another and so no roles hinders or rather blocks the performance of the others regardless of how frequent they were. Life in the institutions is in such a manner that role scheduling is disrupted as the inmates do not dictate what to do and when to do it. In other words they are denied the freedom to decide what role to perform and at what time. Instead there are round the clock surveillance where orders given are to be followed to the letter. In addition to the role scheduling being disrupted in the institution, role dispossession also takes place, Visitors are restricted and one is also restricted from frequenting places they initially did. Depending on whether the entrance into the total institution was voluntary or involuntary entry to such institutions somehow prepares the individual to withdraw from ‘home world’ or from the general population. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987). This preparation makes the adaptation in the new environment easier. Involuntary entry into the total institutions is however different as one may not be prepared for the new kind of life. Inmates may find themselves perform some roles that they learnt in the institutions on return to the general world. All the same there are certain houses that will have to be incurred or faced for instance the time for education or parenting. There is also the loss of legal privileges for instance one may not be in a position to attend to court proceedings on matters that affect them directly for instance adoption of a child. These privileges may be short term they maybe enjoyed on the completion of the term. However there are others with long term ramifications. The realization that one has not lost certain rights due to the barrier between him and the outside world may not auger well with him. There are other challenges that the inmate faces on return to the society. For instance there are the admission requirements where certain standards have to be followed or adhered to. On entrance to the total institutions various losses are incurred as for instance one may lose their hair, their identity as they are assigned numbers, they undress and change their clothes and are given institutional uniforms, they list their possessions, have to adhere to the rules and they are also assigned to certain quarters where they are to reside. According to Goffmann’s findings the society is to blame for deviance within it as it subjects people it terms as wrong doers into harsh conditions and expects them to reform. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987). In the book the ‘Myth of mental illness’ Thomas Szasz argued that mental illness was a myth. To him, the whole idea or notion of psychiatric illness could be termed as ‘scientifically worthless and socially harmful’. (Shorter E, 1997). There are similarities between goffman and szasz ideologies. Goffman backed Szasz when he made the conclusion that the mental health institution he studied could be defined as a ‘total institution’ where ‘the closed system infantilized the patients and restricted their lives’. Goffman noted that the clear difference between the staff and the patients and on entrance to the institutions the patients faced humiliation, degradation, abasement and profanations of the self’. Goffman rejected the idea of prisons and mental health institutions which according to him robbed off the inmates their time. The ‘sentence’ denied them living. The aspect of alienation is clear when the use of power is used by the staff members against the ‘patients’. He condemned the pretence by the staff members that they were out to assist the patients and dismissed it as a mere ’power grab’. (Shorter E, 1997). Szasz argued that although psychological disorders are real, defining them as diseases was a way of imposing coercion in the society. He argued that defining such disorders as illness when they had no correlation with physical sickness was untrue. The only relationship existing between mental disorders and physical illness was the fact that they both made the individual unable to handle their daily activities or duties. (www. mdx. ac. uk). The psychological disorders according to Szasz were brought about by man. He further noted that compulsory psychiatry is a crime against humanity and it undermines freedom in the society. He quoted Mill to justify his observation that ‘the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community against his will is to prevent harm to others. His own good either physical or moral is not sufficiently warranty’. However unlike Mill, Szasz offered or rather provided no exception where power could be used forcefully. He advocated for freedom where all individuals are given the chance to choose what they find best for them. Although the compulsory psychiatry may not be harmful to the patients Szasz argues that it is not compatible with a free society. (www. mdx. ac. uk). He further advocates for the application of universal law which is not discriminative to anyone in the society. The same law applied to those termed as insane ought to be the same applied on those viewed as insane. Treating people otherwise is unfair as it implies that there is no equality and they are treated as special beings. Any form of special treatment on the allegations that one is mentally sick is unfortunate as it treats them as less human beings. (www. mdx. ac. uk). References: Anthony Clare and Peter Sedgwick. Mental Health and Civil Liberties. A theoretical contrast of Thomas Szasz. Retrieved on 5th march 2009 from http://www. mdx. ac. uk/WWW/STUDY/mhhlib. htm#SzaszMyth Dianne M. Willcocks, Sheila M. Peace, Leonie A. Kellaher. 1987. Private Lives in Public Places: A Research-based Critique of Residential Life in Local Authority Old People’s Homes. Taylor & Francis Publishers. Edward Shorter 1997. A History of Psychiatry: From the Era of the Asylum to the Age of Prozac. John Wiley and Sons Publishers John Palmer Hawkins and Faris Kirkland. 2001. Army of hope, army of alienation: culture and contradiction in the American Army communities of Cold War Germany. Greenwood Publishing Group Tim Jordan, Steve Pile, 2002. Open University Social Change. Blackwell Publishing, Lewis Coser. 2006. Crime Theories and the Field of Criminology. Retrieved on 4th march 2009 from http://www. apsu. edu/oconnort/1010/1010lect02. htm.

Philippine Educational Status Essay

Philippine education is patterned after the American system, with English as the medium of instruction. Schools are classified into public (government) or private (non-government). The general pattern of formal education follows four stages: Pre-primary level (nursery, kindergarten and preparatory) offered in most private schools; six years of primary education, followed by four years of secondary education. College education usually takes four, sometimes five and in some cases as in medical and law schools, as long as eight years. Graduate schooling is an additional two or more years. Classes in Philippine schools start in June and end in March. Colleges and universities follow the semestral calendar from June-October and November-March. There are a number of foreign schools with study programs similar to those of the mother country. An overall literacy rate was estimated at 95.9 percent for the total population in 2003, 96 % for males and 95.8 % for females. Compared with other countries, the literacy rate in the Philippines is quite high. Moreover enrolment rate is 99. 9% in primary level and 77. 8% in secondary level, which is higher than Singapore and the highest in ASEAN countries. However while statistics on educational attainment may be high, the economic situation in the Philippines is still not so good. The Philippines has succeeded in expanding its education in quantitative terms, but now they have to think about â€Å"Quality of education†. Three government organizations handle education in the Philippines. These are the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports (DECS), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). In 1999, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, which governs both public and private education in all levels, stated that its mission was â€Å"to provide quality basic education that is equitably accessible to all by the foundati on for lifelong learning and service for the common good.† The Department also stipulated its vision to â€Å"develop a highly competent, civic spirited, life-skilled, and God-loving Filipino youth who actively participate in and contribute towards the building of a humane, healthy and productive society.† All these ambitions were embodied in the development strategy called â€Å"Philippines 2000.† The academic year in the Philippines is patterned after its wet/cool and dry/hot seasons. The hottest months of the year are from March to May, thus making them the â€Å"summer break.† The wet season starts in June, which also marks the beginning of the academic school year. Beginning 1993, DECS increased the number of school days from 185 to 200. The school year ends during the first few weeks of March. The Philippines, a Catholic country, has a two- to three-week break during Christmas in December and a four- to five-day break at the start of November to celebrate the Day of the Saints and the Day of the Dead. The language of instruction has been a much debated topic. For a country dispersed over 7,107 islands, with 11 languages and 87 dialects, colonized by Spain for more than 300 years, and educated by the Americans, the decision to pick a particular language of instruction has been very controversial. The languages used for instruction have switched from Spanish to Tagalog, to English to the local vernacular, including some Chinese languages, and Arabic, which is used in the southern part of the country. According to an official publication of the U.S. Library of Congress, the Philippine census reported that during the 1990s a total of 65 percent of Filipinos understood English. During the last four decades of the twentieth century, education in all levels had vastly improved. In the compulsory elementary level, from 1965-1966, there were a total of 5.8 million students enrolled, 4.5 percent of which were in private institutions. In 1987-1988 these numbers grew to 9.6 million enrolled, 6.6 percent of which were in private schools. By school year 1999-2000, 12.6 million were enrolled with 7.1 percent in the private sector. This level is for grades 1 through 6—ages 7 to 12. The various Philippine grade levels are referred to with cardinal numbers (one, two, three) rather than ordinal numbers (first, second, third). Secondary education is taught for 4 years from ages 13 to 16. Primary and secondary schools are taught from Monday to Friday, starting at 7:30 A.M. The school day begins with a flag raising, national anthem, and pledge of allegiance. Students usually have an hour for lunch. School cafeterias are mostly non-existent and those that exist are largely inadequate. Students either go home for lunch or pack their lunch. Some parents, usually mothers, come to school to bring warm lunch for their children. Classes resume for the afternoon, until about 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. In some areas, due to lack of facilities, certain schools are forced to have double shifts, minimizing the hours children spend in school. Access has been a problem for certain sectors of the population and DECS has made this the number one priority. In the secondary level for 1965-1966, approximately 1.17 million students were enrolled with 62.3 percent in the private sector. In 1987-1988, there was a total of 3.49 million students enrolled, 40.8 percent of whom were in private schools. By 1999-2000 there was an overall total of 5.1 million students, with 24 percent in private schools. Higher education in the Philippines is strongly in the private sector. Most bachelor degrees are for four years. Students are usually from 17 to 20 years old. In 1985, the private sector of higher education was close to 80 percent of the student population. Of these institutions one-third are considered non-profit, while two-thirds function for monetary gain. This has lead to the reputation of certain schools as â€Å"diploma mills† and to the more serious problem of producing unqualified, unemployed, and underemployed graduates. During the 1970s, there was a wide discrepancy in the literacy rates of the various regions of the country. The capital region of Metro Manila had a 95 percent literacy rate; the Central Luzon area had a 90 percent literacy rate while the We stern portion of Mindanao had a 65 percent rate. Three principal indigenous languages in the Manila area are Cebuano in the Visayas, Tagalog and Ilocano in the northern portion of Luzon. In 1939 Philipino (which is based on the Tagalog language) was made the national language. Philipino later evolved to Filipino which is based on the languages used in the Philippines. English still remains the most important non-indigenous language used by media, higher education, private, primary and secondary schools, government administration, and business. Only a handful of families have maintained speaking in Spanish. The multiplicity of languages used in the Philippines has not affected its literacy rate of 94.6 percent, one of the highest in East Asia and the Pacific region. Technology use is starting to gain momentum in the overall education of the Philippines. In 1999, there were 93 Internet Service Providers (ISP) in the country. By the beginning of 2001, the participation of nongovernmental organizations and the private sector in educati on was evident with the donation of 1,000 personal computers for use during school year 2001-2002 in 1,000 public high schools of 16 regions. The program, called One Thousand PCs, has four major components, namely: curriculum development with the creation of a one year course on computer education as a specialization in entrepreneurship; teacher training for recipient schools; courseware development through the creation of Information Technology materials; and the purchase of hardware from the private sector through the Adopt-A-School Program. The Department of Trade and Industry chaired this project. Curricular development is under the jurisdiction of the DECS. Authority slowly trickled down to the municipal/local levels as the system shifted to decentralize decision-making and empower local schools. Despite these efforts, much of the important decisions, such as the purchase of all public school textbooks, is done by DECS. Important curricular changes needed to respond to emerging student needs are limited due to budgetary constraints. Three tests are administered to students, the preparation for which must be addressed through further curricular development. These tests are the National Elementary Aptitude Test (NEAT), the National Secondary Aptitude Test (NSAT), and the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE). The Philippine population grows at a rate of 2.07 percent per year. In July 2000, the estimated population was 81,159,644 people. About 37 percent of this population was from birth to 14-years-old. A 2 percent yearly population growth translates to about 1.6 million children born every year. This growth rate strains the resources of the educational system. During 1999-2000, a 2 percent increase in the number of students meant 8,000 more classrooms needed. The deficit was 29,000 since DECS was able to build only 6,000 new rooms for the year. More teachers required (total lack of 21,000 since the budget allowed for hiring only 4,700 new teachers) 400,000 more desks (of the 2.2 million needed, only 500,000 were purchased) and 10 million additional textbooks with a ratio of 2 students per book. To alleviate this strain, certain schools hold double sessions (one in the morning and another in the afternoon) in elementary schools. Some high schools even have triple sessions due to space and resource problems. As for gender distribution in the elementary level, male and female students are almost equally represented, while there are more females students at the secondary and higher education level. In rural areas, men are expected to do work while women are allowed to pursue education. Males have a higher rate of failure, dropout, and repetition in both elementary and secondary levels.

Famu Personal Statement

â€Å"You don't have to be a â€Å"person of influence† to be influential. In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they've taught me. † – Scott Adams. I believe that the one person that has the most influence in shaping my life is my grandmother. She has taught me how to be independent and courageous. Many people say that I am a lot like my grandmother because she and I both have very similar personalities and characteristics.By spending majority of my time with my grandmother, I have realized that she is very influential to my life. Mrs. Rubena Rose-Anderson was born in Palmers Cross, Clarendon, Jamaica to a poverty-stricken family. Because she was one of 11 children, my grandmother was forced to grow up at an early age. At the age of 16, her father became ill with cancer and her mother passed away a year later. She then was seen as the mother figure of her younger siblings. After she married my grandfather, Silb urn Anderson, in 1967 they then had 3 children.In 1979, she made an incredible decision by leaving her three children and husband behind in order to receive better opportunities here in America. Once she had a steady job and enough money, she was reunited with her husband and children in 1981. I admire my grandmother greatly and she has influenced  me making me a very determined person. This sacrifice taught me that sometimes in life we as people have to make very challenging choices in order to receive the best long term results.Growing up, she always reminded me to think for the future and not just in the now. She has also taught me to become independent. By being forced to be a mother figure at the young age of 17, she had to learn how to everything on her own, raise 10 children, and take care of her ill father. This is the reason why I always try my hardest to get the best out of life. I feel that I should always take advantage of every great opportunity. If my grandmother cou ld accomplish so much throughout her life then I should be able to do the same if not more.

Gummy Bear Experiment

Combustion of Gummy Bears Energy is a concept.? Most definitions of the word energy fail to provide its exact meaning when applied to scientific matters.? In science the word energy is a concept that expresses two measurable properties, heat and work.? Here is the relationship of energy, heat and work: Energy Released=Work Done + Heat Released The Law of Conservation of Energy, derived from centuries of observation and measurement, indicates that energy cannot be created or destroyed. But energy need not stay in one place. Energy can be converted from one form to another and can be created in one place and show up in another. Remember that energy, in an open system, can do work on the surroundings or supply heat to the surroundings.? When we express energy as the sum of heat and work, we are making a very specific claim concerning these two properties. They are related. The relationship between heat and work is a close one, so close the amount of heat and the amount of work must be expressed with numerical values having the same units. Within limits, energy may be controlled to appear as heat (as we use electric power to dry clothes in a dryer) or work (the same electric power rotating the drum in the same dryer). Briefly, we define the amount of heat and/or work using two units, the Joule (J), and the calorie. The Joule and the calorie are related as follows: 1 cal = 4. 184J Both units represent quite small increments of energy. We must add 1 calorie of heat to increase the temperature of 1g of water 1 degree Celsius. Our bodies expend about 1J of work with a single heartbeat. For convenience sake, both the Joule and calorie are often expressed in multiples of 1000. We speak of the kilojoule (kj): 1 kJ = 1000J and the kilocalorie (kcal). 1 kcal = 1000 cal Thus we must add 4. 184 kJ of heat to raise the temperature of 100g of water 10 degrees Celsius. Chemical Reactions and the Production of Energy Heat and Work We learned the foundation of thermochemistry rests on the ability to link the amount of energy released or required to the chemical equation for the specific chemical change. We often experiment under conditions where no work is done on or by the system.? The heat, evolved or required is the change in enthalpy. We use the change in enthalpy of the fuel-consuming chemical reactions to arrive at the energy that would be available. The amount of energy available from a given amount of fuel does not vary with how slow or fast we burn the fuel such as in exercise. Enthalpy itself is a state property. All materials have enthalpy as an element of their nature. It is the change in this property through chemical processes which concerns us. The oxidation of 0. 5g of glucose yields a certain amount of energy regardless of how slow or fast the reaction takes place.? In the real world (during exercise for example), energy, work and heat, are produced in complex, changing systems. The combustion of a gummy bear shows how a compound is broken down into an element and other compounds in the presence of a catalyst or heat. An organic carbon compound will combine with oxygen to give off carbon dioxide and water. An exothermic reaction releases different forms of energy. Sugar is a fuel that we use for energy. We can also use it to fuel a chemical reaction. As we heat the Potassium Chlorate this will release O2 gas and leave KCl as it starts to decompose as follows: 2KClO3(s) ? 2KCl(s) + 3O2 (g) This produces oxygen which oxidizes the sugar (glucose) in the gummy bear. This oxidation is incredibly exothermic (-5000 kJmol-1). The reaction is: C6H12O6(s) + 6O2 (g) ? 6CO2 (g) + 6H2O (g) All chemical reactions involve a change in substances and a change in energy. Neither matter nor energy is created or destroyed in a chemical reaction only changed. This experiment is a decomposition reaction a more complex substance breaks down into its more simple parts. One reactant yields 2 or more products. The presence of oxygen in the decomposition reaction is seen when heat energy is added to potassium chlorate, and its decomposition releases O2 and leaves KCl, when bubbles form. Heat is necessary in this reaction because the excess of oxygen, generated by the decomposition of potassium chlorate, will react with the glucose in a gummy bear, releasing a large amount of energy quickly and dramatically. When it comes in contact with the oxygen in the test tube some of the sucrose disintegrates and this releases heat energy. The released heat causes the potassium chlorate to release more oxygen and a positive feedback loop develops. The difference between endothermic and exothermic reactions is that endothermic reactions absorb heat, and exothermic give off heat. Dilution of ammonium chloride is an example of an endothermic reaction. This is the active ingredient in chemical ice packs you can obtain in a pharmacy. Other reactions are melting and boiling which also absorb heat to happen, although you may not consider them chemical reactions. Combustion is a typical exothermic reaction any type of burning. An exothermic reaction occurs if the energy of the bonds formed in the products are stronger (lower energy) than the bonds broken in the reactants. Endothermic reactions require heat. If there is no external source, the reaction gets the heat by cooling to a lower temperature. These reactions are driven by the change in the configuration of the atoms. If the atoms in the product molecules have a less orderly structure than the atoms in the reactants, these reactions will occur even if the cost some energy to happen. Potassium Chlorate is the oxidizing agent and when it is melted; its decomposition provides an oxygen rich environment. A gummy bear is dropped into the liquid and immediately begins to combust. The heated mixture ignites and oxidizes the sugar in the gummy bear in a violent, exothermic reaction. The gummy bear explodes because the combination of one gummy bear which is composed mostly of sucrose with molten potassium chlorate the gummy bear explodes. A surprising amount of energy is released by the reactants and in the process their atoms and molecules rapidly rearrange to form the products carbon dioxide, water and potassium chloride. The products of the reaction are H2O (vapor) and CO2. Ideally, a balanced equation would show sucrose (C12H22O11) being converted to carbon dioxide and water while the KClO3 becomes KCl. But the combustion was incomplete and carbon and or carbon monoxide were additional products. Bibliography † Endo, Exothermic Reactions and Energy. † Ask a scientist, Newton. 4 Jun 2002, Chemistry Archive, Inc. . Dr. Matt Hermes â€Å"Gatorade. † Chemical Reactions, General Chemistry Case Studies. 14 Jun 2002, Inc . â€Å"Chemistry problems. † Chemistry, The Scientific Forum. 8 Mar 2003 . R Gallagher â€Å"Chemistry Made Clear. † GCSE edition. 6 Dec 1997. .

GetWrite Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

GetWrite - Coursework Example This is the location where crime and illegal immigration are most likely to intertwine. Accordingly, this is where the study would ideally be centered. In any experiment, it is desirable to partake in some form of random (probability) sampling. In this case, every member of the target population would have an equal chance at being a participant in the study. In order for this study to be truly random, then all persons living along a dangerous border crossing area would have the chance to be in the experiment. Unfortunately, this is not possible due to many restraints (time, money, etc.) and so we are forced to settle for a form of non-probability sampling. Specifically, we will be using convenience sampling, which means we will study the people who are easiest to study along the border area. This is necessary due to the potential hostility in the area, as well as travel restraints. This is certainly a limitation of the experiment, as it makes it much harder to apply the results to the entirety of the target population. It should be noted that the expected link between illegal immigration and crime might not be a simple direct relationship. One recent study identifies the overbearing crackdown on illegal immigration as a cause of more crime by making criminals stay in the areas longer (Hammond,

The World Bank and Global Poverty Research Paper

The World Bank and Global Poverty - Research Paper Example Poverty cannot be measured just by a study of the people’s income levels. The purpose of this letter is to point out some of the weaknesses of the poverty measures that your organization relies upon to gauge the extent of poverty around the world. The World Bank uses absolute terms in its description of poverty. The bank classifies people living in ‘extreme poverty’ as those whose earnings are less than US$1.25 per day (PPP), and relative poverty for people earnings less than $2 per day. In light of these figures, an estimated 1.4 billion and 2.7 billion of people currently live in extreme poverty and relative poverty situations respectively. The World Bank, therefore, erroneously believes that the global economy can still sustain the reduction of poverty as envisaged in the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, since the number of people whose daily earnings are below $1.25 has been decreasing. The reality, though, is that, with the current poverty measures in pl ace, with the exclusion of China, the rest of the countries in the developing world as still far from achieving much in terms of poverty reduction. The main shortcoming of the poverty measurement tool (PPP) used by the World Bank is that it is premised upon intrinsic representation of lack of resources. It is evident that poverty lines do not provide accurate estimates of the level of poverty because poverty is all-encompassing. Evidence confirms that a number of the current statistics on poverty lines might have been justifiably grouped in the dollar-a-day category. In the latest round of poverty measurement, you organization’s line of $1.25 per person per day are premised upon the standard poverty line for 15 countries with the weakest economies in the world. These inconsistencies call for a new approach to measuring poverty by your organization. An alternative approach revolving around the estimation of the poverty based on the median country normally brings about signific antly higher figures of the poor, especially in highly populated countries such as India and China. Moreover, the new World Bank approach ignores the rate of inflation in developed countries like the United States; a factor that would have pushed the original $1.08 mark to $1.45 for 2005, with clear repercussions on the equivalent estimates of people in poverty, and thus for the realization of the MDGs on the issue by 2015. The study of earnings by people within a given country and across the world in general, gives a skewed understanding of poverty in favour of income as opposed to other factors that stem from poverty and enhance its pangs on the affected persons. In light of this disparity, a multi-dimensional measurement of poverty would provide a more all-encompassing understanding of poverty. Multi-dimensional poverty index Your organization’s reliance upon measurements of just relative earnings to ascertain the level of poverty covers only a small section of the whole i ssue and falls short of comprehensively describing the complex nature of poverty. I believe that your approach to measuring poverty should involve an evaluation and measurement of other factors, which are associated with the multi-dimensional disposition of the situation as well. These encompass factors such as the rate of joblessness, the level of poor health care or educational

CIS329 Week 123 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CIS329 Week 123 - Assignment Example b) The type of hardware and site of installation should also be part of checklist. The hardware type can be used to solve compatibility issues with other hardware while installation site will ensure that adequate space is chosen for the occupancy of the hardware equipment (General 2011). a) In terms of user interface, win 7 supported touch screen although it was not perfect or ideal, that is, it did not have control features that are sufficiently good. Win 8 on the other hand has improved touch screen support. An example is that of desktop which is far better in such a way that the user can close window and be able to choose menu items without any problem. b) Windows8 also has improved performance in terms of short response time as compared to win7 since it has quicker ways of opening the target programs rather than just relying on menus given that the interface is built for touch. The additional advanced features of windows 8 also make it safer in terms of security features than win 7. a) It is necessary to bypass the use of digital signatures to validate or protect device drivers in situations where non-embedded intelligent Guards against Disasters (iGADs) does not have device driver. b) In the case where non embedded iGAD do not have, one or more disaster management applications is used to run on some platforms and thus digital signatures may not be necessary for protection (Liu et al., 2013). a) The key guideline that one should meet in order to justify an administrator’s decision to bypass the use of digital signatures when validating device drivers is the design guideline. This is because the design guideline has the basics of ensuring that many levels of security and dependability are open, modular and cost effective(Di Sarno, 2011). a) Both software restriction policy and AppLocker use group policy for domain management. Nevertheless, AppLocker takes precedence over software restriction policy on computer running windows

Leader Analysis Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Leader Analysis Paper - Essay Example A good leader should be able to persuade and motivate the juniors working under him in tough times to ensure that they are always focused and full of vigor. Organizations are run on set goals and objectives, therefore a good leader will be able to draft good objectives and incorporate all the stakeholders involved in the production or achievement of the goals so that they can work as a team. The leader should bridge the gap between him and the employees so that they can feel as part of the overall plan and pledge to offer their best. The leader should possess good listening skills and be ready to address the problems arising in a supportive and diligent manner. Constructive criticism is welcome in any given situation. This is important when one feels that one of the employees or any staff is not delivering his/her mandate in the expected way. It is therefore wrong to victimize an employee instead of using positive corrective measures that are needed in creating a good environment for the staff and the customers. The leader should be assertive so as to portray a positive image of himself to the employees and also to the society they are interacting with. Presenting a positive personal image ensures that the people looking up to you in the organization trust you and believe that you will be able to accord them the leadership they yearn for. It is important to delegate certain tasks to the juniors in the organization as this creates trust and increases responsibility among the workers. On top of these, a good leader should always have a positive attitude and an optimistic way of addressing problems as the approach he gives may be what it entails to make the projects or the goals achievable or not. An organization often goes through tough times which calls for tough measures to ensure that it does not close its business. In such cases, the leader or the manager should be persevering

Movie - Good Night and Good Luck Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Movie - Good Night and Good Luck - Essay Example During the 1950s, totalitarianism was evident in the government rule as they exercised absolute power without justice. The authorities held absolute control over the private and public social activities (Linz 234). The authority used propaganda as a way of manipulating and instilling ideas into people’s minds. The political leaders used to act charismatic, publicly displaying emotions of; kindness, generosity, and love for the people. The authority created slogans and policies that would instill fear in the public ensuring that people do not stand against the government. Those who tried to oppose these actions were called traitors, communists or simply disloyal. The government used secret forces like storm troopers to eliminate opposing subjects through covert methods like arranged accidents (Lewis 74). Totalitarianism ruled as the governments disregarded any consideration for public accountability, thus maintaining one-party state. People struggled to counter this aspect of totalitarianism by using mass communication. Journalists portrayed the negative side of the government. The government, on the other hand, claimed that media was nothing but profit hungry machine. A segment of the population even started believing it. The government kept pressurizing TV networks to change the news and alter words to fit their criteria. This is evidence that the media is a force to be reckoned with and its fear pressurizes the government to exercise utilitarianism in order to prevent dissent (Hans Maierc 104). The governments also realize that this tool can be used in their favor. In Good Luck and Good Night, the media aims to expose government’s corruption. The iconic journalist, Murrow is one of those aiming to expose the government and perceives the acts of the government as deceitful and manipulative (Griffith 116).

Midterm Essay Question Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Midterm Question - Essay Example There was competition in leadership between Austria and Prussia before the Napoleon’s domination in which Prussia won as it was better organized and progressive even though Austria had a larger territory to dominate. Otto von Bismarck is known to have led Prussia in Germany’s unification. He managed to bring reforms in Germany enabling to take Austria by them joining and also making the Prussia military be well trained to the coming wars. There was the France and Germany war known as Franco-Prussian war to which the Prussians side won. This showed how Otto von Bismarck had trained them well by giving them the equipment and led to the border emergence between Germany and France. Unification exposed Cultural, political religious ‘social and political in the new nation (Pohlsander 52). The westward shift from the French contributed to the German unification as the states joined to form one government. This would not have been achieved if France could succeed in the division of Baden and Bavaria states whose government ship were not strong .This could have led to stopped the forces of these states unification. The unification of the states led to political borders as they had won the war from France and proved to have a strong military force. Through this they saw the need of nationalism as majority of the population in the Reichsland period spoke German dialects to which German justified its annexation on nationalistic grounds. The Germany’s military strategy was to control Alsace region to the mountain range, the Thionville and Metz in order for the protection of Germany. The military had also planned to control the Thionville and Metz during the war. By developing the strategies it guided them through the Franco-Prussia war in 1871.This also contributed to the defeat over France. According to Pohlsander (27), the military had interest in some states like the Alsace-Lorrain which had iron-ore and

How can product innovation help build competitive advantage for Essay

How can product innovation help build competitive advantage for cosmetic firms in London Case Unilever - Essay Example The researcher states that intense competition from globalisation, more sophisticated consumers from the fragmentation of markets, and constant changes in technology have forced the companies in the last two decades to focus on the process of product development. These three forces that lead to the process of product development also intensified competition between firms. According to Porter the process of product development is characterised by the continuing need to research new materials and introduction of innovations in their product lines. This fact can be considered an important factor to competitiveness in the sector. In this highly competitive and globalised world, according to Gerry and Whittington, companies have changed the way they conduct business. However, organisation must bring new ideas such as product innovation and management, which can be used as a tool to achieve higher productivity. The modern enterprise world is full of innovation that can help build competiti ve advantage. In virtually every field companies are faced with new products, new processes and new services which are available to the consumer market at a pace never seen before. The velocity of the transformations of the last decade is impressing even in the largest companies.To achieve a position of market leadership it is not the product quality that matters; product innovation is an essential ingredient to gain competitive advantage. Products, processes and services are the new aggregate values which generate advantages over competitors. Innovators have a considerable advantage over the other participants in various consumer markets. (Burgelman and Grove 2007). In the past decade, product innovation has been approached by many authors, scholars, businessmen and academics. Every business wants to be innovative, but they sometimes encounter obstacles and difficulties which block the path to product innovation. In trying to be innovative in the pursuit to gain competitive advanta ge, an organization can face several difficulties. For instance, there could be restriction of resources or they could have difficulties in implementing an environmental and an innovative organisational culture that emerge due to the resistance (Makari 2000). In addition, they may not reach a suitable level of innovation. The cosmetics industry includes the areas of personal care, perfumery and cosmetics. The cosmetics companies focus on product development to gain competitive advantage. The product development process, according to Gill and Johnson (2011), is characterised by the continuing need for research in new materials and introduction of innovations in its product lines. This fact can be considered an important factor to achieve competitiveness in the sector. There is heterogeneity in this industry, because of the presence of large international companies, diversified and specialised in the sector of cosmetics, is contrasted with a large number of small and medium-sized comp anies with operations focused in the production of cosmetics (Gill and Johnson 2011). According to Gerry and Whittington (2011) transnational corporations adopt strategies defined with respect to the development of new products by investing in specialised centres of research and development (R & D), in partnerships that are external and in management processes with structured knowledge. Small and medium sized businesses often lack the necessary capital to carry out research and development. They are apprehensive of investment or an economic-financial situation as they are aware of the risks inherent in new product development. Also, many of these companies do not have knowledge management essential for product development processes.. London predominantly has the presence of l

A Clausewitzian Analysis of the Thirty Year’s War Essay Example for Free

A Clausewitzian Analysis of the Thirty Year’s War Essay When applying the Clausewitzian paradoxical trinity paradigm to the Thirty Year’s War, we see that the catalyst that sparked much of the conflict during that time was driven by civil unrest of the ‘People’ engendered by fear of religious persecution. Beginning with the divergence of religious and secular leadership resulting from the Protestant Reformation which was exacerbated by the rigidity of Catholic monarchy, we see how widespread fomenting dissent within the German States lead to the decline of the Habsburg ruling family. In his work, On War, Clausewitz describes the essence of war as a continual interplay between the ‘paradoxical trinity’ of the people, the government, and the military. As we apply this framework to the complex and varied influences of the early 17th century, this model provides clarity in determining the root causes that shaped this era an era that has come to be characterized by the rampant internecine warfare of religious and political factions of the time. The Protestant Reformation, which had begun to take traction with many of the expansion-minded German nobility, set the stage for the conflict between Catholic and Protestant factions throughout the German Provinces. With the signing of the Peace of Augsburg in 1555, Lutheranism had been officially recognized by the Holy Roman Empire. The major outcome of this treaty enabled the Protestant movement in Germany to claim lands once belonging to the Catholics. This result had great appeal to the more secular rulers throughout Europe who sought to disentangle themselves from papal oversight and influence. Under the rule of the Holy Roman Emperor Mathias, Protest and Catholic factions had gained equity of representation and influence throughout the Hapsburg controlled regions. This unification was driven, in part, by the larger Muslim threat presented by the Ottoman Empire. This truce, however, was an uneasy one with all the characteristics of a 17th century Cold War between the two religious sects, and as the balance shifted with the rise of a new monarch, each side began an arms race to defend their interests from the other. The appointment of the intransigent Catholic monarch, Ferdinand II, posed a threat to Protestants throughout the various Habsburg controlled territories. Religious hegemony of individual States was the preferred condition of German rulers in the early 17th century. The religion of the ruler shall be the religion of his subjects† was a motto that was very near and dear to many of the European rulers of the day. This rang especially true among the Catholic territories where the Church exercised much greater political influence than their Protestant counterparts. So when the balance of Protestant and Catholic controlled States was disrupted with the ascension of Ferdinand II a widely acknowledged Catholic zealot to the throne of Bohemia it brought a face to the fears of the Protestant nobility. In an effort to limit his religious edicts, the Protestant Bohemians entreated for religious freedoms of their newly throned monarch. The harsh dismissal of these entreaties was the spark that ignited the powder keg that Central Europe had become, and the subsequent â€Å"Defenestration of Prague† resulting in the death of Ferdinand’s representatives by Protestant rebels signaled the start of uprisings in Hungary, Transylvania, and the rest of Bohemia. This uprising spread throughout Europe, drawing in both political and religious powers to become decisively engaged. The unresolved religious dissent among the people and the Habsburg ruler served as a lodestone for conflict throughout Europe and lead ultimately to the decline of the Holy Roman Empire into several small autonomous territories. Early successes by the Hapsburg against the Bohemians, and later the Palatinate States, led to the direct involvement of France and Holland allying against the Hapsburgs. Their efforts were later supported by England, Sweden, Denmark, Savoy and Venice. These State actors all had their own agendas but ostensibly acted in support of the Protestant rebellion whose secular distancing from Church control appealed to both the ruling classes and commoners alike. The war ravaged the German countryside and some estimates have nearly half of the population were killed, wounded, or displaced, with some areas such as Wurttemberg losing nearly 75% of their population. The Peace of Westphalia which was signed in the fall of 1648 signified the end of the war. Alsace became part of France, while Sweden gained much of the German Baltic coast, while the Emperor had to recognize the sovereign rights of the German princes, and equality between Protestant and Catholic states, while Spain, in a separate peace, finally acknowledged the independence of the Dutch Republic. † The Habsburg crown was now, more than ever, subject to the auspices of the Imperial Diet, also termed the Reichstag or German Parliament, which exists to this day. When viewing the root cause of the Thirty Year’s War under the Clausewitzian perspective, we see that the â€Å"People† node of the paradoxical trinity was the most influential during that time. This war is often termed the War of Religion as religion was either the root cause of conflict, or the excuse used to mask political machination in efforts to expand power and influence. But in truth, religion was merely the vehicle by which contention among the commoners and landowners took shape to facilitate change of the current governmental structure. Upon the conclusion of the war, after the smoke had cleared and the damage was tallied, Habsburg power was irrevocably shattered and France emerged as the new epicenter of European influence and might. But the consequences extended beyond the immediate outcomes of the war. The resulting Peace of Westphalia changed the very relationships between citizens and the State, extricating religion from the government and laying the foundation for modern civic relationships of today’s democracies.

A Thief of Time Essay Example for Free

A Thief of Time Essay In Tony Hillermans’ story, â€Å"A Thief of Time† (Hillerman, 2002) the author tells about murder and vanishings of people as Navaho detectives, Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee search for answers as to why, on the Indian grounds, that people are vanishing and why a well-known anthropologist is missing. Fear encompasses the tale of the ancient Indian grounds where detectives take center stage in looking for clues in the buried ruins that has caused so much confusion. When the backhoe is missing, this mysterious event sets Jim Chee in motion as he tries to uncover what really happened and he won’t stop until he finds the reason. His partner in this bizarre mystery is still coping with the loss of his spouse. Joe Leaphorn just wants to complete one more detective job before retirement. The younger officer; Chee isn’t ready for any type of quitting. Chee is excited about the fact that he may uncover something that includes not only the theft of the backhoe, but he is serious about uncovering the reason that two men have disappeared. Native Americans remain mysterious but the author tries to bring to life, what their true objectives are in this story. The Navaho detectives demonstrate their deep desire to do what is right in this story and offer us a good look into the lives of the Navaho Indian culture. The rummaging through the Indian grounds, unearths many various descriptions of what it’s like to live as a Navaho Indian and as these charming detectives did deep into the ground as they search for missing bodies and mechanical equipment, they discover a mystery that is worth looking into. Reference Page Hillerman, Tony. (2002) A Thief of Time. Harper Collins.