Saturday, August 31, 2019

Eymp 1 Context and Principles for Early Years Provision Essay

An explanation of the legal status and principles of the EYF and how national and local guidance materials are used in settings The legal status and principles of the Early Years Foundation stage is used with children aged from birth to five years. The Government have outlined three primary and four specific areas and seventeen early learning goals that they think are important to a child’s development and planning is used to meet a child’s individual needs. An explanation of how different approaches to work with children in early years have affected current provision in the UK Over the years many people have made studies of what they believe were the important factors in providing for children’s needs. All of these pioneers believed that there should be an integrated approach to the early years provision. One of these pioneers that had the greatest influence was Freidrich Froebel. Froebel founded the first kindergarten in 1840 and learned how important it was for children to have real experiences and to be physically active, learning outdoors as well as indoors. He believed that schools should be communities where parents could join their children, and that parents were the first educators of children. Other pioneers were Maria Montessori who devised a structured teaching programme based on watching children with learning difficulties and building on the work of Froebel. She have a different view to him in some areas, for example believing that children should learn to work alone to help them become independent learners and did not see the benefit of play. Rudolf Steiner believed that the first seven years of a childs life were the most important and that they needed a carefully planned environment to develop in a rounded way. Margaret McMillan used many of Froebel’s ideas and thought that play was very important. She believed that nurseries were an extension of the home and not a replacement for it. In the 1920s she set up nursery schools that were copied across the world, having gardens and welcoming families and not just children. One of her most important achievements was introducing school medical services and school meals. She did this because she believed that children could not learn of they were hungry or sick. All of the work of these and other pioneers had an impact on the way that the current provisions in the UK have developed. Why the early years framework emphasises a personal and  individual approach to learning and development The early years framework emphasises a personal and individual approach to learning and development because valuing a child’s individuality, ideas and feelings is an important part of developing an individual approach to the learning and development. A child has universal physical needs such as food, drink and shelter and psychological needs such as love, affection, security, friendship which are essential to maintaining their quality of life. In recognising and trying to meet an individual child’s needs each child’s age, physical maturity, intellectual abilities, emotional development, social skills and past experiences and relationships need to be considered. Part 2 An explanation of the partnership model of working with carers This enables different services and professionals to join together to prevent problems happening. It is used to support children, young people and families to help secure improved outcomes. A review of the potential barriers to participation of cares and an explanation of how these barriers may be overcome There can be barriers to effective partnership working these include problems in sharing information, people not being clear on their roles and concerned that they may make a mistake. An explanation of strategies that can be used to support carers who may react positively or negatively to partnership opportunities Some people may feel threatened that new approaches are being used which mean that they have to work in different ways to which they have been used to. Some may also not like being managed by someone that has different skills and experience from their own. To overcome these issues team meetings can be used for everyone to help them work together. It will also allow everyone to fully understand the roles and responsibilities of the other services and practitioners. An explanation of how effective multi-agency working operates within early years provision and benefits children and carers The Common Assessment Framework is used to by practitioners to assess the additional needs of and their family and to help identify the services that will be required to meet their needs. The Common Assessment Framework starts with assessment and information sharing of the childs development within the EYFS, the care and support offered, the overall family and environment. Using this information the lead professional will work with the team and the parents to put in place a plan to support the child’s development. The Common Assessment Framework has a standard form that is used to record and share with others the details of the assessment. The things that are important are clear and effective communication between the professionals and the agencies, keeping accurate records and maintaining confidentiality.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Steady State Theory and Pulsating Theory

In cosmology, the Steady State theory (also known as the Infinite Universe theory or continuous creation) is a model developed in 1948 by Fred Hoyle, Thomas Gold, Hermann Bondi and others as an alternative to the Big Bang theory (known, usually, as the standard cosmological model). In steady state views, new matter is continuously created as the universe expands, so that the perfect cosmological principle is adhered to.Theoretical calculations showed that a static universe was impossible under general relativity, and observations by Edwin Hubble had shown that the universe was expanding. The steady state theory asserts that although the universe is expanding, it nevertheless does not change its appearance over time (the perfect cosmological principle); it has no beginning and no end. The theory requires that new matter must be continuously created (mostly as hydrogen) to keep the average density of matter equal over time.The amount required is low and not directly detectable: roughly one solar mass of baryons per cubic megaparsec per year or roughly one hydrogen atom per cubic meter per billion years, with roughly five times as much dark matter. Such a creation rate, however, would cause observable effects on cosmological scales. Dust-Cloud Theory. Between 1940 and 1955 the German astronomer Carl f. von Weizsaccker, the Dutch-American astronomer Gerald P. Kuiper and the U. S. chemist Harold C.Urey worked out a theory that attempted to account for all the characteristics of the solar system that need to be explained. According to their dust-cloud theory, the solar system was formed from a slowly rotating cloud of dust and gas that contracted and started to rotate faster in its outer parts, where eddies formed. These eddies were small near the center of the cloud and larger at greater distances from the center. The distances corresponded more or less to the Titius-Bode relation.As the clouds cooled, materials coagulated near the edges of the eddies and eventually formed planets and asteroids, all moving in the same direction. The slowly rotating central part of the cloud condensed and formed the sun, and the sun's central temperature rose as gravity further compressed the material. When nuclear reactions eventually began in the suns interior, about 5 billion years ago, much of the nearby gas was blown away by the pressure of the sun's emitted light.Nevertheless the earthy retained an atmosphere consisting of methane, ammonia, carbon monoxide, water vapor, and nitrogen, with perhaps some hydrogen. In this primitive atmosphere and in the seas below it, organic compounds were formed that eventually resulted in living organisms. The organisms evolved in the next 2 billion years into higher plants and animals, and photosynthesis by plants and the weathering of rock produced the oxygen in the earth's atmosphere.Although free gases near the sun were blown outward 4 to 5 billion years ago, according to the dust-cloud theory, the giant planets were too distant to be much affected. They are large, therefore, and contain a great amount of hydrogen. The comets, in turn, are thought to be the outer part of the primordial nebula, left behind as the inner part condensed to form the sun and the planets. The Dutch astronomer J. H. Oort speculated that this material condensed into chunks that continue to move along with the sun through space.Now and then a chunk is perturbed and falls slowly toward the sun. As it is heated by sunlight, it grows a coma and tail. The dust-cloud theory thus explains the solar system characteristics listed above. It is most weak in detailing the process whereby the planets and asteroids formed from solids that made up only a small percent of the primordial nebula. However, this is essentially a chemical problem, strongly dependent on the sequence or timing of events such as eddy formation, temperature changes, and the start of solar luminosity. Pulsating Theory: According to this theory, the universe is su pposed to be expanding and contracting alternately i. e. pulsating. At present, the universe is Expanding. According to pulsating theory, it is possible that at a certain time, the expansion of the universe may be stopped by the gravitational pull and the may contract again. After it has been contracted to a certain size, explosion again occurs and the universe will start expanding. The alternate expansion and contraction of the universe give rise to pulsating universe.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

“EU Design’s Rise in the Apparel and Fashion Industry Essay

Current Management Style EU Design’s management style was founded in a very small business environment. There was little standardization of individual tasks. In a small business, everyone on staff is expected to be involved in all day-to-day business activities. This creates a very informal relationship between workers and management. In addition to the small business aspect, EU Design is in a creative industry. Many of the people in this industry are not trained or educated in formal business practices. A creative mindset takes precedence over the structure of the business. For EU Design, quality of product is not an issue at the present time. The company is ISO 9000 certified with SA8000 accreditation. However, growing into a larger company requires a more formal management style to ensure this quality is kept up to standard. EU Design needs to develop a mission statement and corporate vision for the employees to have a common goal as a move toward a more formal management style. Without a defined mission statement, employees will have their own ideas of the company’s goals. Once a mission statement and business strategy is established, EU Design needs to identify which performance metric is most essential to the continued growth of the company. Balanced Scorecard While financials such as return on capital and cash flow are imperative to the sustainability of a company, customer-related metrics such as quality and timeliness of delivery are of upmost importance to keep the clients who will provide the profit. Customer feedback and surveys will provide the measurement of the value being created for clients. This will help EU Design’s management focus more on what the client’s actual needs are instead of focusing on what they perceive customer needs to be. An example of the balanced scorecard would resemble the exhibit below: Objectives Measures Financial perspective – Increasing profitability and revenue – Return on assets -Increased sales revenue – Profit ratio Customer perspective – Customer loyalty – Attaining new customers – Orders from current customers – Orders from new customers Internal perspective – Adherence to schedule – Customer driven products – Productivity – Ratio of actual delivery times to planned schedule – Ratio of on time deliveries – Number of new collections and designs added Learning and Growth perspective – Increased communication within the company – Increased education of employees – Number of monthly meetings held – Total budget for education courses – Number of employees attending courses Internal inadequacies need to be pinpointed for optimal efficiency. Formal procedures and work practices should be established and documented. This will highlight aspects such as time management, efficiencies, and employee competency. This will allow management to keep abreast of the working environment and augment employee stability. Fashion trends come and go very quickly, and being able to recognize what is trending and the ability to supply quickly is imperative to success. Management must track trends and concentrate on key suppliers that are providing the product for current trends, and all employee efforts must be directed toward this goal. Establishment of clear-cut goals and procedures is necessary to achieve  this. Formalization of management needs to begin from the top down. Berardi is too involved in day-to-day activities and cannot see the big picture of the company. He is functioning as an account manager and sales representative rather than performing duties of a CEO. He may not be able to make difficult decisions to cut or grow a particular segment because of his close involvement. Berardi needs to bring an employee up to take over his accounts so he can concentrate on his role of CEO. A new organizational structure would resemble the Exhibit 1. There needs to be standardization of communication between the two offices to ensure that all client information and requirements are shared and understood. Regular videoconference meetings with the staff of both offices can be implemented. Given the time difference one office would have to come in very early or the other office would stay late. This may be difficult but should be adhered to so all employees are receiving the same information. This could be tried on a monthly basis. These meetings would help to create a more cohesive environment between New York and Hong Kong. This would also give the Hong Kong office a chance to provide requested feedback to New York. As a supplement, an online open forum for questions from one office can be posted and answered by the other office when it opens. Incentive Systems Currently there is no formal incentive system. Many of the rewards are based on Berardi’s perception of employee performance. If he does not have the opportunity to have direct communication with all employees, it is a possibility that he is not able to appropriately assess individual performances. The employees themselves felt that â€Å"above-standard performance was not always noted.† This sometimes resulted in sub-optimal achievements being recognized while the employee going the extra mile was getting passed over. A new incentive system must include a formal evaluation method of employee performance. In order to evaluate, official job descriptions must be written to use as a benchmark. These descriptions give the employees the framework within which to efficiently perform their duties. The employee’s immediate supervisor must complete this evaluation. This is the person who has direct observance of day-to-day activities. Having the formal evaluation takes out the personal bias of the supervisors. Semiannual reviews will keep employees apprised of their performance and management  expectations. This will benefit both the company and the employees by keeping them both focused on a common goal. To encourage the employees to be sales oriented, a commission system could be introduced. Since company money is already directed toward training courses and classes, offering employees sales training courses will give them the opportunity to take advantage of the new commission system. If funds are limited and an official sales manager cannot be hired, then the classes would be the most efficient way to educate employees. These classes would be directed toward the Junior Merchandisers. The current duties for this position would fit best with the new sales system. Although hiring office managers would be beneficial, in the present financial climate this may not be feasible. However, one employee in each location needs to be responsible for office operations. Both offices have an accountant on staff that report directly to Berardi. This person could take on the role of office manager. Since the accountant would be the most business-minded person, he or she would be most qualified to monitor the costs and inefficiencies within the office. Overall EU Design’s growth has been slow and steady, as evidenced by a five-year gross margin increase of almost 300 percent. This growth has necessitated a change in management style. If Berardi acknowledges that changes need to happen, the implementation should happen rather smoothly.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Ethical Leadership Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethical Leadership - Coursework Example When faced by a tricky situation, one needs to interpret it before considering the factors that are relevant to the situation. In many cases, lack of experience in a given situation can cause dilemma and often there is an anticipation of harm from the consequences of the decision made. In such a case, a SNCO needs to consider the second and third order consequences before settling for a given decision. Additionally, the SNCO should put principle first, purpose second, and then people last to avoid the dilemma inherent in the competing values. The SNCO has to make an evaluation of the decision using Toner’s six tests. Toner suggests that the decision should not be embarrassing, discrediting, nor humiliating the SNCO if scrutinized by the public. Moreover, it would have better be an act that the SNCO is proud of and would expect approval from everybody. In general, the result of the decision should be anticipated to be positive (Toner 2003). At this point, the SNCO is prepared e nough to implement the decision settled for. To ensure that the decision made is at work, continuous monitoring is necessary. As it is common practice, subordinates look up to the leaders and hence the SNCO has no other option other than to promote an ethical environment by rewarding those who uphold ethics and punishing those who contravene the code of ethics. Ethical decision-making is grounded on the ability of a SNCO to think critically. When interpreting a situation, one has to consider the personal and organizational ethics, something that involves critical thinking and when considering the factors that are relevant to the situation, a SNCO will realize that not all situations are provided with clearly set policies and procedures on how to handle them. Intrinsically, for an ethical decision to be made the SNCO’s critical thinking needs to be engaged when determining the appropriate action for a

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

LISC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

LISC - Essay Example While insulation principally diminishes conductive heat movement, weatherization mainly decreases convective heat movement (U.S Department of Energy). Weatherization has turned out to be gradually more high-profile when the outlays for house heating escalated. The United States Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) was launched in 1976 to assist modest-income households to trim down their energy use and the associated expenses. Weatherization Assistance Program runs across each of the fifty states, the Native American tribes and the District of Columbia. The objective of Program is to support the low-income household units by dropping bills accrue form energy consumption and reduce dependence on overseas oil by cutting down energy utilization (U.S Department of Energy). The United States Department of Energy approximates that an excess of 5.6 million households have been weatherized, with a 30.5 million MBtu energy saved every year. It approximates the weatherization proceeds of 2.69 dollars for every dollar used up on the program, realized in energy and non-energy benefits. Households whose houses were weatherized are projected to record 358 dollars in savings on their debut year's service bills. The department of energy allocated funds to all the American states under the 2009 Recovery Act. New York received the largest share of funds award, after being awarded 197,343,256 dollars. Other notable states with sizable awards are Texas with 163,487,866 dollars, Ohio with 133,390,705 dollars, Pennsylvania with 126,396,531 dollars, Michigan with 121,699,488 and Illinois with 121,263,310 dollars. The states that received minor awards are Hawaii with 2,020,730 dollars, District of Columbia 4,044,511 dollars and miscellaneous regions like American Samoa a nd Guam. The total fund in dollars awarded to the states under the 2009 Recovery Act is 2,364,375,000 (U.S Department of Energy). NYS has the largest Weatherization Assistance Program. The program obtains financial support from the United States Energy plus Health and Human Services Departments. In 2007/08 around 55 million dollars was allotted to 64 community organizations, which offer the weatherization services. Every part of the NY State is qualified or entitled to weatherization assistance. The programs service providers are chosen in a yearly State scheduling procedure. The greatest amount of funding is restricted to 4,500 dollars for every unit. The Program in addition helps decrease energy expenses of affordable housing, aided by additional programs overseen by the Division of Housing & Community Renewal (DHCR). Developers of affordable housing, property supervisors, and other society development organizations are persuaded to get in touch with their neighborhood Weatherization providers for additional information (New York State Division of Housing & Community Renewal). Weatherization program providers can be local government units, community non-profit making organizations, counties or community action agencies. To qualified, providers ought to show the capability to manage the program, and must possess an impeccable proof of having provided service to the community. Household units having modest incomes of 60 percent or below of the New York state median income are entitled to get program assistance. The services are accessible to both renters and homeowners, with precedence granted to the senior citizens, households with young

Monday, August 26, 2019

Critical Response #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical Response #2 - Essay Example From the text, the Indians vow to fight for what was theirs. The war was fuelled by the fact that the white men had invaded their country and proceeded on to lay claim to their means of support. This invasion had brought with it some disadvantages and interferences in their daily lives. They had broken their mode of leaving and habits of their life. Furthermore, they had introduced diseases and decay among the Indians which significantly led to suffering as they did not have any natural immunity to resist the new diseases. Many of them thus succumbed to the diseases . Hence they grew with a mindset to ensure the resistance of the Indians at all cost. The whites new therefore they would not expect less considering what they had done to the natives. War was all they could expect in that society. Besides the need for war, there was also the demand for the freedom of the Indian Natives from the whites. They had been colonized and demanded their freedom. Answers to this pressing issues were only sought out through the use of the civil war that took a period of about thirty years. The Indians had been superior in military force to the whites. They had the advantage of shooting up to 30 arrows before a white man could loa d their gun and shoot again. Advancement in technology, however, changed this balance. The Indians were defeated leading to their slavery. Changes in the administration changed the way the people coexisted with the Indians being given the chance to own land. Even still the land was still small and most of it with Gold was taken over by the whites in the area. To earn their freedom, the Native Indians joined the Confederacy. The Gilded Age was an era punctuated by many evils in the society. This period is described as being in the late 19th century. Gangs and people took this opportunity to rule over people and do all the dirty trade deals. Corruption was at the time the highest and was still building. Those who had enough money had many avenues

Summary and analysis of an article for micro- economics Essay

Summary and analysis of an article for micro- economics - Essay Example Many economists have predicted a rise in the GDP by spring which could help raise the unemployment rate. The article quotes the job loss trend witnessed in JPMorgan Chase in relation to the decline in the GDP. A 9 to 10% unemployment rate is being predicted to occur by mid-year which can in turn put a lot of stress to the banking sector. Such an economic down trend could result in wage cuts and prices of commodities. If the GDP reaches 3.5%, an 8.5% rate in unemployment will be witnessed by the end of 2009. However economists have stated that with an already higher unemployment rate the GDP may have understated the weakness of the economy. Thus even if a positive economic growth is seen in the second half of this year it might not be able to keep the unemployment rate from increasing in the next year. While recessions in the past have seen a rapid recovery in the aftermath the current situation is more unlikely to follow the same due to the higher healing time required by financial sectors this time around. There is a lot of dependence on consumer spending and stimulus programs to better the situation and a positive improvement in the unemployment rates can add to faster

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Using Economic Theories to Analysis Apple Inc Essay

Using Economic Theories to Analysis Apple Inc - Essay Example The behavioural process of consumers, suppliers and other business stakeholders of a firm can be thoroughly assessed with the help of appropriate economic theories (Heracleous, 2013). This report aims to interpret commercial success and failure of the famous multinational company of Apple Inc. For making the analysis, the researcher will use theories of economics such as, that of demand and supply, consumer behaviour, absolute advantage, rational choice and market structure (Hutt and Speh, 2013). It is highly rational to conduct this type of a research because the researcher will finally provide specific recommendations based on the analysis, that will help the company rectify few of the business problems. Apple Inc. is a publicly traded company founded in 1976, situated in California. The company engages in providing computer hardware and software products. Popular products of the company comprise iMac, iPhone, iPad, iOperating system and iTunes. At present, the company headquarters is located at Cupertino, California in the United States. The company conducts operations in almost all world economies. The organization was founded by three proficient business leaders, namely Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne and Steve Woznaik (Apple Inc., 2012). It was estimated that in 2010, the organization owned over 425 retail stores across different marketplaces. The company provides services through both online and offline selling means. In 2012, the net income of Apple Inc. was estimated as US $ 41.733 billion, but in 2013, it was astonishing to note that income of the company had declined to US $ 37.037 billion (Hutt and Speh, 2013). However, the organization experiences huge scale and scope of trade a nd recruits over 80000 skilled workforce around the world. Though the net income or profit is falling, yet the company appears to experience increasing revenue. The revenue of Apple Inc. in 2012 was US$ 156.508 billion, which had increased to US $ 179.91 billion in 2013 (Apple

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Discuss Steps The U.S Government can take to reduce oil consumption in Research Paper

Discuss Steps The U.S Government can take to reduce oil consumption in the United States - Research Paper Example The United States is a highly developed country and also a high consumer of petroleum and allied products to meet its energy requirements. The major sectors that use these products are transportation on land, air and sea, heating of buildings, various manufacturing industries, domestic appliances such as lawn movers, generators, etc. Traditionally since colonization of the continent, the US has been dependent on Natural non-renewable resources such wood, coal, natural gas, petroleum, etc. The volume of consumption as varied over time, being high in the earlier decades due to various reasons such as perceived abundance, comparatively less efficient machines, automobiles, etc., affordability and a lifestyle that did not lay the required emphasis on judicial use of these resources with the idea of conservation, impact on environment, etc. largely due to ignorance and poor awareness of such issues. Before we look at the methods for energy conservation, let us briefly understand the various sectors that are consumers of energy. (Overview, U.S. EIA, 2012) The different sectors that are essential consumers of power and fuel are Industrial, Transport, Business & Commercial and Domestic sectors. In the light of the above, we will now explore and discuss the various alternatives especially in the Natural and Renewable energy sources and also enumerate the various ways in which energy consumption itself (irrespective of the source) can be reduced in the larger interest of minimizing the global impact on the environment, its harmful effects and resultant climate change. (Cleetus, R. et.al., 2009; Greene, D.L., 2011) The United States is by far the largest consumer of oil in the world at 20.6 million barrels per day (EIA, 2007), 60 per cent of which is imported. Of this, two-thirds is consumed by the Transport sector and ~44% by other

Friday, August 23, 2019

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

Implementation - Essay Example Creating Liasoning agents and Integrators within the organization: since the organization has formal structures the first step towards becoming a learning organization is to increase communication and coordination between departments and units, initially it needs to assign liasoning and integrating jobs to personnel and gradually move on to create task force and teams. Team Development: members from each unit/department should be identified to form a task force. This task force should regularly meet and set goals and monitor results regarding the solution to the current challenge being faced by the organization. Market Intelligence and Information Distribution System: Johnson and Johnson should improve it's existing or if not already existing, it should set up sound market intelligence and distribution systems. The unit should collect information on consumer preferences, competitor activities, and upcoming technologies and share it with all the unit managers to gear up the whole organization to increase the flow in its product development pipeline. Monetary and Technological Help to promising startup companies and entrepreneurs: since the company is finding hard to find more and more startup companies produc

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The symbol of the relationship between Amir and Hassan Essay Example for Free

The symbol of the relationship between Amir and Hassan Essay In the book Kite Runner, the main characters Amir and Hassan have special relationships. Amir is in the superior position, while Hassan is the submissive one to Amir. As Hassan was Amir’s servant, Hassan sacrificed himself in order to forgive Amir’s sins. Amir realized that his sins were not simple mistakes that could be forgiven. Amir’s abuse of his superiority brought him only sufferings to himself, not any benefits. This created the Fall in the relationship and eventually that fall brought the end, death, to their relationship. However, Amir’s dedication to wash his guilt brought a rebirth to their relationship in the end. Amir and Hassan’s relationship was very complicated, as their relationship undermined chronologically. At first, their relationship was very pleasant almost as close as if they were in a same bloodline; â€Å"Then he would remind us that there was a brotherhood between people who had fed from the same breast, a kinship that not even time could break †¦ We took our first steps on the same lawn in the same yard† (Hosseini 11). This explains that they were like brothers since they were born. However, the perspectives of the people do not allow two people with different classes to get along well: â€Å"We were at Ghargha Lake, you[Amir] , me[Hassan] , Father, Agha sahib, Rahim Khan, and thousands of other people †¦ no one was swimming because they said a monster had come to the lake †¦ and before anyone can stop you[Amir], you dive into the water, start swimming away. I[Hassan] follow you in and we’re both swimming †¦ We turn to the shore and wave to the people †¦ They see now. There is no monster, just water† (Hosseini 59-60). This shows that even though there was social discrimination between Pasthun and Hazara, they could get along well. After the kite fighting, Hassan wanted to bring Amir the blue kite back for him. He left to search for the kite and said, â€Å"For you, a thousand times over† (Hosseini 67). This shows that Hassan is in good relationship with Amir, not just as a servant, but still as a friend. However, the sacrifice for the kite was willingly done by Hassan and the guilt Amir got from Hassan’s deed undermined their relationship. This change in relationship was shown during the pomegranate scene: â€Å"Hit me back! † I[Amir] spat. â€Å"Hit me back goddamn you! † I wished he[Hassan] would. I wished he’d give me the punishment I craved, so maybe I’d finally sleep at night †¦ Then Hassan did pick up a pomegranate. He opened it and crushed it against his own forehead. â€Å"There,† †¦ â€Å"Are you satisfied? Do you feel better? † (Hosseini 92-93). Moreover, Amir explained about the change in their relationship like this: â€Å"There is no monster, he’d said, just water. Except he’d been wrong about that. There was a monster in the lake. It had grabbed Hassan by the ankles, dragged him to the murky bottom. I was that monster† (Hosseini 86). The relationship worsened and eventually fell apart when Hassan and Ali left Amir’s house. Amir and Baba left Kabul and went to the United States for peaceful life. Although Amir grew older and a long time passed, he could not forget about his sin toward Hassan. The death of the relationship he created was too intense for Amir to overcome. In order to live without guilt, he searched a way to settle everything as it were before; Amir went back to Kabul in order to wash his sin with Farid’s help. His eager to get recognized by his father when he was little led him go to Kabul and risk his life to cleanse his past and to reinvigorate the relationship between Amir and Hassan. â€Å"I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden nook in a corner of my mind, I’d even been looking forward to this. I remembered the day on the hill I had pelted hassan with pomegranates and tried to provoke him he’d taken the pomegranate from my hand, crushed it against his forehead †¦ I hadn’t been happy and I hadn’t felt better, not at all. But I did now. My body was broken but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed† (Hosseini 289). As a result of this treatment, Amir recreated the lost friendship and restructured the old family, however, without the barrier between the superior and the inferior. In the end, Amir forgave himself by establishing the new relationship between him and Sorab. The resolution of the story is reached by the love Amir provided to Sorab with the â€Å"Kite†. Just like Hassan, the kite runner for Amir with the self-sacrifice, Amir became Sorab’s kite runner in order to give him love that he failed to give to Hassan. Amir also said this to his son, Sorab: â€Å"For you, a thousand times over† (Hosseini 371). This decorates the grand finale of the story with happy-ending. Social Conflicts: the Superior and the Inferior According to the book â€Å"Kite Runner†, it deals with the conflict between the superior and the inferior: Pashtun and Hazara. As it was shown in the book, the inferior suffers with the sacrifice and the superior abuses his power for his own satisfaction. These things actually has been happening in the real life in many cultures. A lot of incidents are the â€Å"Fall† of the human societies that need to be fixed, but cannot because of the influence of other people and the culture. More specifically, race, gender and ages are the main Falls of the human societies that can still be seen throughout the world. In terms of race, this problem has still not been completely solved; there are still a lot of racist movements and creating stereotypical jokes about races. These racist movements come from a thought that specific ethnic group feels that they are superior to the others, such as Nazis. For example, in Korea, we have a lot of stereotypical thoughts about specific ethnic groups. A lot of people are very racist against black people just because they were the victims of the slaves before the equality movements. Some people even refer the black people as â€Å"black slaves† or other slangs that we have, similar to the English racist word, the â€Å"n-word†. I personally consider this a serious problem. We also think that Japanese people are bad because of our dependency on the past perspectives. In the past our views toward the Japanese were terrible because of the Japanese occupation in Korea. Moreover, we often generalize about the Japanese people because the government is wrong and a person states a wrong view. For example, there is a Korean island, Dokdo. It has been our territory for over a thousand year, and recently, the Japanese government decided to teach the children that Dokdo is theirs, calling it in their own way, Dakesima. This was one of the reason we started to hate the Japanese people, when we actually have to hate the Japanese government. These racist thoughts are not disappearing but turning into some kind of jokes that people make fun of other races. More of a general topic is gender. The human genders are equal according to the laws, however, there are still discrimination between men and women. Throughout the history, men have been superior to women because men are stronger. Even though it’s been improved, women have disadvantages in a lot of matters. For example, my cousin is 29, and she works as a teacher at a school. There are two English teachers and she is one of them. I was mad that our society is still biased that men are better than women when she said that even though they teach same amount of time, she gets less money than the other teacher, just because she is a woman and the other teacher is a man. We can see this kind of Fall in more global terms; there has been no woman president yet in America and in many other countries. This shows that people are biased against women, but do not show that they are prejudiced. This clearly shows the Fall of our societies in terms of gender issues. Last one is very specific issue that as far as I know, only two countries have troubles with: Japan and Korea. It was originally a Japanese culture that derived from Confucianism about how elders must be respected by the younger ones. This seems like a general rule that a lot of people go by, but this was a little bit extreme in Japan to the extent where only one year difference makes the older one the superior and the younger one the inferior. This culture came into Korea when Korea was under Japanese rule. It is still in practice even among the McCallie Korean community. First of all the most ridiculous aspect about this custom is that we use polite language to the older ones. For example, if it was for English, we would put Mr.or Mrs. in front of their name and we would not say anything that will offend the older ones, not even jokes. It really reflects the relationship between Amir and Hassan. I can compare the older people to Amir and the younger people to Hassan. The older and younger people have friendship but also the younger one has to respect the older ones, just like Hassan obeys Amir. This is a â€Å"Fall† in korean societies. I think it is too conservative culture that we keep for no reason. We have Confucianism rooted in our societies even the parts that should not be applied in nowadays. Overall, globally, there are still a lot of â€Å"Falls† that we can connect to the relationship between Amir and Hassan. Race superiority, gender difference, and status difference by age are just categories that we should get rid of because they are out of date. According to the laws, all the race and gender are the same. The custom about the age in Korea and Japan is very inefficient custom that will hold us back from economic growth and political growth. These are the â€Å"Falls† that might bring â€Å"Death† to our societies, which we might not be able to find a way to recuperate. Therefore, we should just stop the â€Å"Fall†s and rise up. Writer’s Memo By doing this project, I could really focus on Analysis with quotations and connecting the main themes of the analysis with my personal essay. When I first talked about the project with Mr. Chakwin, I was still not sure about the essay writing about the Korean society because it was weird to criticize my own culture. On the other hand, I thought this could be a great experience writing a paper about problems that I encounter in the near society. Moreover, by reading the Kite Runner, I truly understood how we can see the Falls in our societies that need to be fixed. It was a bit of a shock to realize that we still have so many problems in our world, which should have been resolved in the earlier era. I think it was very worthwhile moment I had writing and really think about the problems that my generation will have to deal with in the future. Process Journal For the process of this project, I shared this document through e-mail so you can see the revision history. I basically thought of the things to write when you were talking about the pomegranate scene during the class and how that could relate to specific examples. I started writing in the writing center, but since I don’t have Microsoft Word on my computer, I just sent myself an e-mail of the work process. So you can’t see the earlier works that I did before the exam week, but you can still see how my essay changed Bibliography Chakwin, Tim. Talk about the Pomegranate Scene. Personal interview. May 2013. Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead, 2003. Print. Larson, Marisa. Hazara People. National Geographic. National Geographic, 17th June 2008. Web. 29 May 2013..

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Comparing Judaism and Islam Essay Example for Free

Comparing Judaism and Islam Essay Judaism and Islam are two of the worlds oldest, and largest monotheistic religions. These religions share a variety of customs, beliefs, and even practices. But at the same time, there are enough differences to make the two religions and cultures oppose each other greatly. Even some similarities between the two have been the source of conflict for thousands of years. Both the Jewish and Muslim faith believe in one God. Being monotheistic means just that, the belief in one God. This is the most obvious similarity between the two religions. In fact a Muslim is defined as anyone who says There is no God but God, and Mohammed is the messenger of God. and the basic creed of Judaism says Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one. Judaism and Islam both have Holy Books from which religious teachings are taken. The Muslim Holy Book is called the Quran, it is spelled in English in many different ways Koran, Kuran, this is because Arabic is hard to translate. The Quran is the word of God as reveled by the prophet Mohammed. The Jewish Holy Book is referred to as the Hebrew Bible. The first five books of the Hebrew Bible is called the Torah. This is the part of the bible lays out a system of moral and religious conduct. The Hebrew Bible was put together in the 1st century A.D. by rabbis and teachers of the Jewish text. The Hebrew Bible and the Quran both set up a system of law for the followers of the Jewish and Muslim faiths. The Hebrew Bible, the book of the Jewish faith sets up more of a code of conduct, a system of moral and religious conduct that is called the halavhah. This addresses how families should be run, personal ethics and manners, social responsibilities, and what people of the Jewish faith should and should not eat. Dietary guidelines are very important in the Jewish religion, everything that is eaten must be Kosher, meaning it is prepared a certain way. The Quran goes one step farther in setting boundaries for its believers. This book of the Muslim faith sets the rules for an Islamic state. Also there are strict rules on women, families, and daily life that are addressed in deep detail in the Quran. Polygamy is accepted in the Quran, a man may have no more that four wives. And women are actually supposed to be mostly equal to men, yet modest.  Equality of women is not always practiced in some Middle Eastern and Islamic countries. As with most religions Islam and Judaism have a variety of holidays. Some are to commemorate an event of the the past, some to celebrate a new year, or maybe the passing of a certain number of years. Ramadan, a holiday celebrated mostly by Sunni Muslims, happens during the ninth month of the Muslim year. This was the month when the Quran was reveled for the guidance of mankind. During this holy month Muslims fast and abstain from sex during the daylight hours. It is a very holy time and is taken very seriously. In the Jewish faith there is a similar holiday called Passover. This holiday lasts for seven days and commerates the deliverance of Israel from slavery. Passover more specifically refers to the evening when the angel of death passed over the houses of all in Egypt killing the first born of each home that did not have lambss blood around the door. During this holiday Jews are permitted only to ear unleavened bread called matzo during the daylight hours, much like the Ramadan fasting. Jews also hold feasts during the first two nights of this holiday. A house of worship is an important component of most religions in our world today. Islam has the Mosque, a place of prayer and teaching. Judaism has the Synagogue, also a place of prayer and teaching. In both these places people gather to perform the customs that are laid out in their religious scriptures. Unlike some religions in the world today both Judaism and Islam require their believers to pray multiple times a day. Jews pray three times a day, once in the morning, once in the noontime and once in the evening. Though this practice is more of a personal choice than the strict guidelines of prayer set in the Muslim religion. In the Quran there are five pillars of the Muslim faith: The first is profession of faith which basically means a Muslims must constantly and openly profess their faith. The second is prayer, which happens five times a day. The third is giving alms to the needy. The fourth is fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. And the fifth is the pilgrimage to Mecca. The second pillar of faith is the  practice similar to the Jewish practice. Five times a day Muslims must pray facing the holy city of Mecca. This however is a very strict prayer, maybe a bit different from the Jewish tradition, but still the same basic concept. Judaism is the oldest of the three major monotheistic religions. The religion began in the time of Abraham which would have been about 1900 B.C, over 3,000 years ago. In many ways this has made the Jewish religion and its followers very strong in their beliefs. Islam, on the other hand, was not founded until 570 A.D., some 2,000 years after the beginning of Judaism. Many Jewish believers will use this difference as an argument. They are the older of the two religions, and so they were the first people in the Holy Land (Israel/Palestine) and so they should be entitled to it and no one else. However, Abraham had two sons, Issac the leader of the Hebrew people and Ishmael, the leader of the Arab people. Though not all Muslims are Arab, the majority of the Muslims in Israel are Arab. So Muslims will use this argument by saying that Ishmael was the first son of Abraham and God told Abraham that He would take care of his first born, so the Muslims have just as much right to the area as the Jews, no matter who was there first. Though there are many similarities between Islam and Judaism, the few differences however large or small seem to greatly outweigh the amazing likenesses for the thousands of followers of both beliefs. These differences as well as the continuing argument over the promised land of Israel/Palestine continue today to escalate the war in the sacred area and drive a wedge even further between the two groups. The truly frightening part of all this is that Holy Wars are extremely hard to resolve. When two groups are fighting over land that was promised to them by a divine entity thats existence cant even be proven, there arent a whole lot of options for peace. All the world can do is educate themselves and try to accept the different religions and continue to look for some sort of compromise.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Types of Earthing Systems

Types of Earthing Systems Introduction Purpose of earthing in an electric power system is to limit, with respect to the general mass of earth, the potential of current carrying conductors, which are part of the equipment, and non- current carrying metal works, associated with the equipment, apparatus and appliances connected to the system. Type of Earthing Systems There are four main type of earthing systems. These include: TN systems Point directly to ground, the exposed conductive parts connected to this point the installation of the protection of conductors. Two types of TN system are approved for new installations in South Africa. These are defined according to the arrangement of neutral and protective conductors, as follows: TN-S system: in which throughout the system, a separate protective conductor is used; TN-C-S system: in which the neutral and protective functions combined in a single command chain of system. TT system Which one point is directly earthed, the exposed-conductive-parts of the installation being connected to earth electrodes electrically independent of the earth electrodes of the power system. The TT system is not permitted for new installations in South Africa, but still exists in many of the older areas. IT system Which has all live parts isolated from earth, or one point connected to earth through an impedance, the exposed-conductive-parts of the electrical installation being earthed independently or collectively or to the earthing of the system. The IT system is not used for the public distribution of electricity, but is used in private installations, mainly for reasons of continuity of service. Three phases IT systems with a distributed neutral can in certain circumstances result in hazardous conditions. This latter type of IT system is to be deprecated. The problems of voltage variations between phase and neutral that can result from a break in the neutral, are common to all types of low voltage distribution systems. The increasing usage of the TN-C-S system has however introduced a further dimension to the consequences of a loss of the neutral conductor. TN-C-S system Mainly for economic reasons, across the globe, the TN-C-S power system is becoming more and more widely used for the distribution of low voltage electrical power. The concept of combining the neutral and protective functions in a single conductor immediately resulted in the elimination of one of the five distributed conductors that are required for a three phase TN-S system (three phases, one neutral and one protective conductor). In a TN-C-S system, the separate protective conductor (PE) for each consumer, is created by simply tapping off a second parallel conductor from the PEN conductor at a location that is close to or at the point of supply to individual consumers. The parallel conductor in the installation then becomes the neutral conductor. The main disadvantage of the TN-C-S distribution system is this unprotected hazardous condition that could arise in the event of a break in the PEN conductor. This hazard continues to exist independent of the presence of any protection devices that may be installed. In the event of a break in the PEN conductor, all exposed conductive parts will remain live irrespective of the operating state of the main switching or isolating device whether it is ON (closed) or OFF (open). Current practice of bonding in HK Types of low voltage system as defined by the IEC and IEE are identified by the connections to earth of the source (system earth) and the exposed conductive parts of the electrical installation (equipment earth). If these earth terminals are not boned together by a metallic conductor the system is classified as TT, and the path for earth fault currents is then through the actual earth or ground,. If the terminals are bonded together with a reliable and low impedance metallic connection the return path will not be through the earth and the system is classified as TN-S. The terms on which the CLP Power Hong Kong Ltd. and the Hong Kong Electric Co., Ltd. will supply electricity are subject to the Electricity Supply Ordinance, and the regulations and conditions laid down in the common set of Supply Rules published by both companies. By virture of his application for electricity supply or his obtaining electricity from the Company, a consumer is bound by and shall abide by the Supply Rules and other terms and conditions. Supply Rule 407.1 requires that for every electrical installation the consumer must provide his own earth electrode system by which the exposed conductive parts of his installation are connected to earth. That is, all exposed conductive parts of the installation shall be connected by protective conductors to the main earthing terminal of the installation and that terminal shall be connected to earth electrode(s) via an earthing conductor. This means that every installation is connected to be part of a TT system. Rule 407.3.f. (iii) further states that where the supply is taken direct from the Companys transformer or via underground cable, the Company may allow the consumer to provide a bonding conductor between his main earthing terminal and the Companys transformer earth or metallic sheaths of the service cable. Therefore, the installation will be operated as part of a TN-S system. However, this rule also states that in the measurement of the earth fault loop impedance or testing the operation of protective devices, the said bonding conductor must be disconnected, i.e. the design and commissioning of the installation must assume a TT system.

What Determines the Price and Volume of Houses in Bishops Stortford and What Does the Future Hold :: essays papers

What Determines the Price and Volume of Houses in Bishops Stortford and What Does the Future Hold Introduction The problem that will be investigated in this coursework is the problem of what determines the price and volume of sales of a detached (semi detached, terraced) house or flat in Bishop’s Stortford and what are the prospects for house prices and sales in the future. I am looking into this problem because it will help me personally because I, myself, might need to find a house that I can afford to buy in the future. Theories The economic theories that will help analyse the problem will be the theories of Price, Demand and Supply, Price elasticity of supply, Income elasticity of demand and Cross elasticity of demand. Definitions Price: The cost of a good or service to a buyer. Cross elasticity of demand measures the responsiveness of quantity demanded of one product to the change in price of another product, the exact formula for cross elasticity for product x is: percentage change in quantity demanded of product x percentage change in price of another product Income elasticity of demand measures the responsiveness of quantity demanded to a change in income, the exact formula for income elasticity is: percentage change in quantity demanded percentage change in income Price elasticity of supply is the relationship between change in quantity supplied and a change in price. The exact formula for price elasticity of supply is: percentage change in quantity supplied percentage change in price Demand: The quantity that a buyer is willing and able to buy over a period of time. For normal goods there is an inverse relationship between quantity demanded and the good's own price. Supply: The quantity of a commodity that is offered for sale at a price over a period of time. There is usually a positive relationship between supply and price. See also price elasticity of supply. The diagram below shows a general demand and supply curve. At a price of P3, demand will be Q2 but Q5 will be supplied. The price of P3 is too high for everything produced to be sold. Excess supply will exist (i.e. a situation when supply is greater than demand, leading to an excess of commodities on the market). What Determines the Price and Volume of Houses in Bishops Stortford and What Does the Future Hold :: essays papers What Determines the Price and Volume of Houses in Bishops Stortford and What Does the Future Hold Introduction The problem that will be investigated in this coursework is the problem of what determines the price and volume of sales of a detached (semi detached, terraced) house or flat in Bishop’s Stortford and what are the prospects for house prices and sales in the future. I am looking into this problem because it will help me personally because I, myself, might need to find a house that I can afford to buy in the future. Theories The economic theories that will help analyse the problem will be the theories of Price, Demand and Supply, Price elasticity of supply, Income elasticity of demand and Cross elasticity of demand. Definitions Price: The cost of a good or service to a buyer. Cross elasticity of demand measures the responsiveness of quantity demanded of one product to the change in price of another product, the exact formula for cross elasticity for product x is: percentage change in quantity demanded of product x percentage change in price of another product Income elasticity of demand measures the responsiveness of quantity demanded to a change in income, the exact formula for income elasticity is: percentage change in quantity demanded percentage change in income Price elasticity of supply is the relationship between change in quantity supplied and a change in price. The exact formula for price elasticity of supply is: percentage change in quantity supplied percentage change in price Demand: The quantity that a buyer is willing and able to buy over a period of time. For normal goods there is an inverse relationship between quantity demanded and the good's own price. Supply: The quantity of a commodity that is offered for sale at a price over a period of time. There is usually a positive relationship between supply and price. See also price elasticity of supply. The diagram below shows a general demand and supply curve. At a price of P3, demand will be Q2 but Q5 will be supplied. The price of P3 is too high for everything produced to be sold. Excess supply will exist (i.e. a situation when supply is greater than demand, leading to an excess of commodities on the market).

Monday, August 19, 2019

A Bottle of Tyme Essay -- UEC Economics Essays

A Bottle of Tyme The United European Countries was formed just before the collapse of the United States of America. The Survivors of the Clones’ â€Å"true human† purge sought refuge in the UEC, specifically England, where they were welcomed with open arms, as much of their work force had been destroyed by the Arab invaders. The UEC is lead by President Hartford, who was elected to her second term just before the conflict first began between the United States and the Arab Empire. She heads the executive branch of the UEC, while the Senate embodies the Legislative branch. The Upper Senate is comprised of 4 Senators from each representative country, regardless of size or population. The Lower Senate has membership based on population, and so, each country receives one Lower Senator for every three million people. Each European country is treated as a semi-independent state, much as the states of the United States were. Each country’s national language is maintained, as are their customs and lifestyles. The only real difference is that their governments are now working together under a solidified government, not the easily sidestepped UN, which failed to halt the Arab uprising in the first place. As it is a fairly new governmental body, the UEC doesn’t suffer from the internal sabotage most modern governments are faced with, although the individual governments of each representative country are still ripe with corruption, as they needn’t change much to be accepted into the UEC. As such, the various countries in the UEC get along extraordinarily well with each other, but enter the country, and one can easily see that society on its most basic levels has begun to break ... ...n of untied countries. Their conquered lands were then given to the peasants who suffered so horribly at their hands. Although the Empire has been crushed to a mere  ¼ of its original power, it still controls the oil fields of Saudi-Arabia and has many sleeper cells across the globe. Perhaps one day it will strike out again at all who would oppose them. Back in North America, Canada and Mexico were in the clutch of fear, fear of invasion by the clones running rampant across the former United States. Although they were assured by the clone leaders that no harm would come to them, they remain wary of the clones’ every move. As for the Clone Nation itself, through what surveillance is available, it seems that a form of forced socialism exists, with complete breakdown of social class structure and religious ideologies.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Dickinson Vs. Whitman Essay -- essays research papers

Dickinson vs. Whitman After receiving five years of schooling, Walt Whitman spent four years learning the printing trade; Emily Dickinson returned home after receiving schooling to be with her family and never really had a job. Walt Whitman spent most of his time observing people and New York City. Dickinson rarely left her house and she didn't associate with many people other than her family. In this essay I will be comparing Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman. Emily Dickinson's life differs greatly from the life of Walt Whitman, although they lived during the same time period. Walt Whitman published practically all his poetry during his lifetime, but Emily Dickinson only published seven of her poems during her lifetime. Actually, her poetry wasn't published until after her death. Both Whitman and Dickinson were poetic pioneers because of the new ideas they used in their poetry. Emily Dickinson did not write for an audience, but Walt Whitman wrote for an audience about several national events. The forms each poet used are different as well. The rhyme in the poetry by Whitman is drastically different from the poetry written by Dickinson, because Whitman didn't use any rhyme. Emily Dickinson grew up in Amherst, Mass, and Walt Whitman grew up in New York City, New York; this is one way that these poets' lives differ. The main people that influenced Emily Dickinson were Ralph Waldo Emerson and Emily Bronte. Walt Whitman was influenced by many people, some of which were: Elias Hicks, James Macpherson and William Shakespeare. Whitman read many book reviews by many people; from these, he realized Emerson was very influential. Whitman was also influenced by the Bible, his walks in New York City, Tom Paine, and a strong love for music. After Whitman started preparing to be a poet, he said he was merely "simmering," but the ideas of Emerson brought him to a "boil." Dickinson wasn't addressing anyone in particular through her poetry, but Whitman addressed the citizens of the United States, most of the time, through his writings. After reading "The Poet" by Emerson and seeing how he defined the role of the poet in democracy, Whitman was eager to assume that role. Whitma n loved to have his picture taken and there are many pictures of him. Dickinson only allowed her picture to be taken once and did so reluctantly. Neither Dickinson nor Whi... ...n wrote about the Civil War. Dickinson often wrote about death and nature. The punctuation is drastically different as well. Whitman used mostly traditional punctuation in his poetry, but in the poem "Beat! Beat! Drums!" he used a big amount of dashes: "Beat! beat! drums!-blow! bugles! blow! Through the windows-through the doors-burst like a ruthless force." Dickinson used a form of punctuation unique to her poetry as well as capitalization. She used irregular capitalization to emphasize certain words for example, in the poem "This is My Letter to the World," she capitalized the words, World, Me, News, Nature, Majesty, Message, Hands, Her, and Sweet. She did this because those things were important to her. Walt Whitman's and Emily Dickinson's lives were very different, although they lived during the same time period. Each poet chose to be around certain people and things. Those people and things they chose to be around greatly influenced their poetry. The forms and subjects are different because they liked writing about things that happened in their lives. They are both innovators in poetry because they chose to change common things in writing poetry.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Google vs Microsoft

In today’s society many people are using the internet more and more to shop online, handle business transactions and surf the web for what interests them. Microsoft and Google are known to many people as internet giants. The two companies compete for business in the internet world by offering similar online business services. Microsoft also offers an array of computer products to consumers and businesses such as Windows 7, Microsoft office and MSN. Google’s main focus of business is its search engine that many people use today to surf the internet. This paper will compare and contrast Microsoft’s and Google’s business model, financial management system and explain which company could better withstand a major recession and at the same time, compare their financial ratios and decide which two companies that would be better to invest in. Microsoft was started in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen who developed an interpreter for basics programming language systems that has contributed to Microsoft’s being so successful. Microsoft is one of the largest technology companies in the world which specializes in developing and licensing computer software products such as Windows 7, Microsoft office, MSN and Bing. Microsoft’s management team is led by chief executive officer Steve Ballmer who also serves on the executive board, chairman Bill Gates, seven directors, and one chief financial officer which are all non-executive board members. The company has been known for its leadership style through its founder Bill Gates for donating money to many charities and helping the poor. Microsoft is also said to be an innovator for the new-age workplace where work is made to be comfortable, fun and inspiring so that all employees can enjoy doing their work and like to spend their time there as well. Bill Gates did not even finish college but his work ethics are being taught in schools through the world. Microsoft has an excellent track record for innovation because it keep coming up with new technology and devices every year (Datamonitor, a, 2011). On the other hand, Microsoft is in competition with Google and other internet companies over the use of internet search engines. Google was founded in 1998 by two Stanford University graduate students, Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Google is an international technology firm that is concentrated on improving the way people get their information from the internet. Google has three core businesses search, advertisements, and applications. The search engine powered by Google provides information for millions of users every day. It must be determined that information reported to the Google search engine is beneficial to the user; a set of criteria has been developed to serve this purpose. A common method of determining the usefulness of the page for the user is searching the document for keywords. Keywords must be entered to search on Google, and the documents are scanned to determine how often they appear. The more keywords a document has tends to indicate its usefulness to the user. Another evaluating principle for reporting useful pages is the ranking for the page and quality of the site. Websites receive rankings which reflect quality, relevance, and accuracy. Websites who have high rankings and numerous keywords are reported to the user first. This method of obtaining information allows the user to access vital information in a matter of seconds. Search advertisements are used to further assist users, and to offer Google’s main products and services and provide valuable and relevant information for people who use the search engines for answers they seek. Google search engine is like Microsoft’s Bing search engine. Google also sells their product and services in more than 100 languages throughout the world. Google’s management team is led by a chairman Eric Schmidt, a chief executive Larry Page, a director of special projects Sergey Brin which are all executive board members. They also have six directors that are non-executive board members. The company is a leader in that they provide people with valuable information. At the same time, however, Google is a slow innovator in its search engine technology. For example, its search engine has not shown major innovation despite the quality of Google’s searching technology that is absolutely dominating. However, as search engine technology advanced in the past decade the technological gap between Google and Microsoft has decreased more and more as we see with Bing (Datamonitor, b, 2011). On the other hand, by using the financial ratio I believe that Microsoft would benefit more and be able to survive a major economic recession. Microsoft has five divisions within their organization such as Windows & Windows 7, Microsoft business, online services, server and tools, entertainment and devices. According to Datamonitor, a , â€Å"The company’s product under this division include Microsoft Office, Microsoft SharePoint; Microsoft Exchange Server; and Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM as well as Microsoft Office Web Apps, which are the online companions to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote† (2011, p. ). This shows that Microsoft has many divisions and products that they can offer to consumers, businesses and investors. This also shows that Microsoft would be better suited to withstand a major recession due to the many products they have to offer unlike Google which only has search engines and advertising to depend on. Therefore as seen in the financia l ratio Google has not made any money nor did it lose any money. Microsoft on the other hand, has made money due to the many products it has to offer. Subsequently, the profitability ratio can tell us a lot about Microsoft and Google performance. The profitability ratio can tell us what each company’s revenue and losses were for the year. It can also tell us about both companies operating budget, debts, stocks, and investments. According to Microsoft’s annual report, â€Å"Windows Division revenue reflected relative performance in PC market segments. We estimated that sales of PC’s to businesses grew approximately 11% this year and sales of PC’s to consumers declined approximately 1%† (2011, p. 50). This demonstrates that by using the profitability ratio Microsoft was able to calculate their gains and losses for the year in the sale of PC’s. This also shows that by using the profitability ratio Microsoft was able to project their sales of PC’s to other businesses. Therefore if someone wanted to invest company like Microsoft they should use the profitability ratio to determine a company’s return on assets and equity to see if it is a good investment. As we can see PC’s sales to businesses grew 11% while consumers PC’s sales weakened by 1% so an investor should put their money in business PC’s. After seeing the profitability ratio of both companies Microsoft would be the company to invest in because they payout more money and make more money per share and to each stockholder. One can agree that Microsoft has done well over the years by them recognizing and using the knowledge base and technological base has been an asset for the company. Microsoft is one of the best companies when it comes to software and programming. Microsoft over the years has realized that their competitors can have an impact on market changes and with this knowledge it has allowed Microsoft to make the required decisions in the market place. The issues and concerns that Microsoft and other organizations face are technology changes and competition. Technology today has surpassed the technology of yesterday. Yet, Microsoft has shown that they can meet these challenges in various areas by meeting these issues and concerns head on. Microsoft oftentimes has restructured some of their well-known operating systems, programs and software to keep up with the changing times. Recently, they have launched Bing and Windows 7. According to Microsoft annual report: Online Services Division (OSD) develops and markets information and content designed to help people simplify tasks and make more informed decisions online, and that help advertisers connect with audiences. OSD offerings include Bing, MSN ad Center, and advertiser tools. Bing and MSN generate revenue through the sale of search and display advertising generally accounts for nearly all of OSD’s annual revenue. (2011, p. 54) This demonstrates that Microsoft would be a great company to invest in because they offer many different products that makes a lot of money. This also demonstrates that Microsoft has seen an increase in revenue due to the fact that they invested in Bing and MSN. Therefore one should also consider the return on current ratio and the dividend payout ratio before making a decision on investing in the company. On the other hand one should also look at the investment valuation before making an investment decision. Investors need to be aware that before they invest in a company such as Microsoft that the likelihood of the problems when it comes to investing occur with large corporations where there is a higher degree of the separation of ownership and management, and thus perhaps an occurrence of a conflict of the goals of the managers and the goals of the shareholders. Aside from doing research on the company itself, doing an evaluation of stock can also prove to be useful. Knowing if stock is overpriced can tip you off, in that you then need to find out why it is overpriced. For example, is the stock overpriced because investors sincerely believe that the stock is good and has potential, or is the stock price high because of current economic conditions. Knowing the answer to such questions will help individuals as investors make better and more informed decisions. According to Google’s annual report: Strategic, financial and execution isks and exposures associated with our business strategy, product innovation and sales road map policy matters, significant litigation and regulatory exposures, and other current matters that may present material risk to our financial performance, operations, infrastructure, plans, prospects or reputation, acquisition and divestitures. (2011, p. 16) This explains that investing in large corporations can be ris ky and, this also explains that you should look, at a company’s investment valuation before investing. The reason why this is so important is because people can lose their money and if they did their homework by using the investment valuation they would see where their money is going and if they are making a wise decision when they invest into a company. In conclusion, Google and Microsoft’s are the world’s most powerful technology organizations that have proven it is possible to excel in the corporate world. The software and programming that Microsoft’s sells is the same product that has proven to be a useful tool for the company. Allocating costs and investing in new technology and recognizing competition including recognizing revenues gain and loss has also proven to be an asset for Microsoft. Google and Microsoft recognize and realize the potential of technology in the ever changing world of business. Google and Microsoft have met the challenges and changes of today’s society. As for Microsoft achieving its goals, the belief is that it has surpassed those goals and is constantly revising technology and products to meet them and new ones in a timely manner. Therefore, making it a company that investors want to invest in. Microsoft, financial aspects has allowed me to decide that it is one of the best companies, to invest in today. While Google on the other hand, must find better innovative techniques so it can gain more capital so that investors want to invest in the company. At the same time Google must keep up with other competitors such as Microsoft so that the company does not be left behind in the future from other competitors stealing their clients. References Datamonitor: (2011 a). Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved from Business Source Complete. Datamonitor: (2011 b). Google Inc. Retrieved from Business Source Complete. Google Annual Report (2011). Retrieved from http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1htm Microsoft Annual Report (2011). Retrieved from www.microsoft.com/investor Appendix

Friday, August 16, 2019

Management and Organizational Structure

Management and Organizational Structure Given the business situation for Spectrum Brand p. 251, explain how the firm might organize using a Matrix structure for the organization. Spectrum Brands Corporation, after several years of producing and marketing only batteries has diversified by adding pet products, personal grooming items, and lawn and garden care products. To organize the Spectrum Brand, formerly known as Rayovac Corporation, using a matrix structure would involve setting up teams in different departments where lines of authority may intersect. This form of organizational structure is also called a project management structure. Ferrell, Hirt, and Ferrell, 2009). If Spectrum where to develop a pet product that may be battery operated, this may require employees from the pet products division and battery division to work with a project manager and their respective division managers to be successful in the development of this product. This organizational structure would be be neficial in this instance. Explain how the firm could operate using Multidivisional structure. The multidivisional structure or M-form of organizational structure organizes departments into larger groups called divisions. These divisions could be focused on either a product, region, or customer. There is delegation of decision making authority in a multidivisional structure (Ferrell, Hirt, and Ferrell, 2009). With Spectrum’s diversified marketing, the firm could operate using a multidivisional structure by establishing divisions for each of its products. Discuss which structure would be more effective. Explain. I believe a multidivisional structure would be more effective and beneficial to the Spectrum Brand Corporation as it â€Å"helps firms successfully manage the many demands of diversification† (Organizational Structure and Controls p. 47). Since diversification is where Spectrum appears to be headed, the multidivisional structure will allow the company to â€Å"(1) enable corporate officers to more accurately monitor performance of each division, simplifying control problems; (2) facilitate comparisons between divisions, improving the resource allocation process; (3) stimulate poo rly performing divisions to look for ways of improvement† (Organizational Structure and Controls p. 347). For each of your two organizational structures, give three examples of potential communication problems the structure might cause. Recommend corrective actions the company can take to address these issues. Matrix Structure -Potential Communication Problem When reporting to two managers employees may not know who to report to on certain tasks. Managers may have different goals or different expectations or routes to meeting a certain goal or deadline. A potential communication problem can arise from different departments collaborating with little to no knowledge of the other. Corrective Action To correct these potential communication deficiencies in a matrix organization structure, I recommend management outline all job responsibilities to include reporting assignments according to tasks. Division managers and project managers should also be very detailed and specific on all job tasks collaboratively. Expectations and exact means to meeting goals and deadlines should be clearly defined with employees should problems in communication arise. If a communication problem occurs due an issue with the lack of knowledge of a product or task management should immediately assess the deficiency and provide any training or even cross train departments to eliminate such occurrences. Multidivisional Structure-Potential Communication Problem Employees may feel less likely to air grievances. Employees may have different views or innovative ideas but feel reluctant to communicate these to management. Some product knowledge may not be shared across divisions although under the same company. Corrective Action The corrective action I would recommend for potential communication problems n a multidivisional organizational structure would include always including select lower level employees in decision making. I would also recommend cross training employees to learn other products the company markets. For each of your two organizational structures, recommend the degree of centralization that would be most effective. Explain. For a matrix st ructure the degree of centralization that would be most effective would be a decentralized organization. With this degree of centralization, â€Å"decision making is delegated as far down the chain of command as possible† (Ferrell, Hirt, and Ferrell, 2009 p. 44) . In a multidivisional structure a centralized organization would be most effective because of the many divisions its comprised of. In a centralized organization â€Å"authority is concentrated at the top and very little decision making authority is delegated to lower levels† (Ferrell, Hirt, and Ferrell, 2009 p. 243). References O. C. Ferrell, (2009 Custom Edition). Business: A Changing World, Seventh Edition. McGraw-Hill. Organizational Structure and Controls. Retrieved May 2010 from http://asso. nordnet. fr/adreg/hitt%20et%20al%20chapitre%2011%20structure%20et%20controle. pdf

Thursday, August 15, 2019

What Role Does Character, Leadership And Service Play In Your Personal Development?

Chase rushed home from school, eager to speak with his grandmother. â€Å"Granny, my teacher said she wants me to be successful. What does that mean? † â€Å"Chase,† granny started, â€Å"I cannot tell you what success is. † â€Å"But why not,† Chase replied sadly as he slumped into a chair. â€Å"Success is something you have to find on your own, but I can tell you how to get it. † A huge smile broke across Chase's face as he sat up attentively; ready to listen to what his granny had to say. â€Å"There are many steps to becoming successful, but building character, leading and providing services are the most important†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Character is defined by the qualities an individual has. Character qualities are basically habits that form in childhood, and continue to shape a person throughout life. A person’s character is what makes their overall personality. In order to become successful, it is important to have positive character traits. I t is easier for a person with a positive outlook on life to claim success. This is because the optimist can find happiness in the smallest of things. A leader is a person who can take charge and direct. Being a leader creates work ethic and establishes independence, two things you must have in order to become successful.Leaders must govern a group to make sure a task is being completed, but the job of a leader is not easy. Leaders show independence by setting things in place on their own. Then they let the rest of the group know what to do. If the leader does not do their job, the group will not succeed. Service is helping or doing work for someone else. This is more commonly known as volunteering. It takes a person with a certain type of character to want to give to a cause or community. Giving back presents many opportunities for personal growth. Depending on the type of service you provide, you could gain leadership and teamwork skills.You might also gain a positive moral and emo tional outlook on life. These improvements within yourself bring you that much closer to success. Chase sat back in his seat, soaking in everything his grandmother had said. â€Å"So, good character is what makes me a good person, good people can become good leaders and giving service is being good to other people. † His grandmother smiled, â€Å"That is exactly what I mean. † â€Å"It’s like building blocks! † Chase exclaimed. â€Å"You put all three together to make something. † â€Å"Yes, that’s right. † Granny replied. â€Å"Putting all three side-by-side makes a path that, if followed correctly, will lead you to success. † What role does character, leadership and service play in your personal development? Chase rushed home from school, eager to speak with his grandmother. â€Å"Granny, my teacher said she wants me to be successful. What does that mean? † â€Å"Chase,† granny started, â€Å"I cannot tell you what success is. † â€Å"But why not,† Chase replied sadly as he slumped into a chair. â€Å"Success is something you have to find on your own, but I can tell you how to get it. † A huge smile broke across Chase's face as he sat up attentively; ready to listen to what his granny had to say. â€Å"There are many steps to becoming successful, but building character, leading and providing services are the most important†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Character is defined by the qualities an individual has. Character qualities are basically habits that form in childhood, and continue to shape a person throughout life. A person’s character is what makes their overall personality. In order to become successful, it is important to have positive character traits. I t is easier for a person with a positive outlook on life to claim success. This is because the optimist can find happiness in the smallest of things. A leader is a person who can take charge and direct. Being a leader creates work ethic and establishes independence, two things you must have in order to become successfulLeaders must govern a group to make sure a task is being completed, but the job of a leader is not easy. Leaders show independence by setting things in place on their own. Then they let the rest of the group know what to do. If the leader does not do their job, the group will not succeed. Service is helping or doing work for someone else. This is more commonly known as volunteering. It takes a person with a certain type of character to want to give to a cause or community. Giving back presents many opportunities for personal growth. Depending on the type of service you provide, you could gain leadership and teamwork skills.You might also gain a positive moral and emot ional outlook on life. These improvements within yourself bring you that much closer to success. Chase sat back in his seat, soaking in everything his grandmother had said. â€Å"So, good character is what makes me a good person, good people can become good leaders and giving service is being good to other people. † His grandmother smiled, â€Å"That is exactly what I mean. † â€Å"It’s like building blocks! † Chase exclaimed. â€Å"You put all three together to make something. † â€Å"Yes, that’s right. † Granny replied. â€Å"Putting all three side-by-side makes a path that, if followed correctly, will lead you to success. †

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

The Great Controversy of Newton and Leibniz

The great controversy as to who discovered the Calculus first, either Isaac Newton or Gottfried Leibniz, is indeed a sordid affair, which has sullied the arena of science. Boyer speaks the truth when he says that no invention in science or mathematics can be said to be the accomplishment of one or two persons (1959, p. 187). Newton himself admitted â€Å"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants† (qtd. in Rees 2006, p. 340). Such self-effacement is part of the magnanimity that we expect from a true genius. But did Leibniz conduct himself similarly? This, I believe, is the crux of the debate. Scientists not only stand on the shoulders of the giants of the past, but they also collaborate with each other. The very greatness of science stems from the fact that it is practiced in broad daylight. There should be no place for pride and vanity here. And yet the great controversy involves nothing but vanity. In the first instant it involved the vanities of two personalities, and then embroiled the vanities of two nations. If the accolade of the â€Å"inventor of the Calculus† must go to one among the two, I believe it must go to him who has conducted himself with most honor. And in this duel Newton emerges the winner. I first catalogue all that can be said in favor of Leibniz. He was truly a philosopher, in contrast to the scientific genius that Newton was. If we examine his philosophy we will find that it is in complete harmony with what the science of the calculus describes. He postulated a theory of â€Å"monads†, which are infinitesimal units of reality in which the microcosm contains the macrocosm. Calculus is the analysis of infinitesimals, and we are able to see in it a reflection of the Monadology. Therefore it is very likely that he came to an independent discovery. Calculus was on the verge of being discovered in any case, which the works of Huygens, Barrow and Fermat attest to. It is recorded that Leibniz began work on the Calculus in 1674, independently of Newton (?), and was the first to publish in 1684 (Stillwell 2002, p. 159). His unique approach (the dy/dx notation) demonstrates clearly his originality. And because he starts from a philosophical point of view, his analysis is more intuitive and suitable to demonstration. This is why the Leibnizean notation and approach that has become the norm. But the fact remains that Newton was the first to come a thorough formulation of the Calculus. In a note to a paper written in 1666 we find him deriving a tangent to a curve using his â€Å"method of fluxions†. In this note there is as aside that reads â€Å"This is only a special case of a general method whereby I can calculate curves and determine maxima, minima, and centers of gravity† (Boyer 1959, p. 207). This clearly indicates that Newton had come to a complete formulation. But he has no regard for the vanity of publication, being the consummate scientist that he was. In the height of the controversy Newton is reported to have said, â€Å"I have never grasped at fame among foreign nations, but I am very desirous to preserve my character for honesty† (Brewster 2004, p. 72). Calculus to Newton was merely a tool that he required to come to his universal theory of gravitation and motion, and not something that should be flouted separately. He was even reluctant to publish the revolutionary Principia, and did so only after the prodding of Edmund Halley. Leibniz, on the other hand, was eager to publish and propagate his findings. While we admit to his originality to a large extent, the conduct of Leibniz is highly suspicious in the proceedings. He makes no defense of his integrity, as Newton does, but instead seem entirely intent on pushing the evidence alone, as if defending himself in a court of law, and this makes us feel that he is hiding something. Subsequent scholarship does indeed reveal that he manipulated documents before being released. He is also found to have possessed crucial papers of Newton which he fails to admit of, which C J Gerhardt unearthed in 1849, even though he did make such an admission shortly before his death (Cajori 1898, p. 240). We must judge by circumstantial evidence, because it is all that we have at this distance. When we focus on the conduct of the two disputants, Leibniz is certainly the suspect one. There is no doubt that they both collaborated with each other. But plagiarism must be construed when any one among them fails to be completely honest and forthcoming. From this point of view the accusation falls on Leibniz, who has surely acted suspiciously. Even by his own admission he was aided by Newton’s papers, yet he failed to acknowledge his debt in time. This amounts to plagiarism. And since it is Newton that he plagiarized from, it is fair to name Newton as the inventor of the Calculus. Reference List Boyer C B. (1959). The History of the Calculus and Its Conceptual Development. Chelmsford, MA: Courier Dover Publications. Brewster D. (2004). Memoirs of the Life, Writings and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton Part 2. Whitefish MT: Kessinger Publishing. Cajori F. (1898). A History of Elementary Mathematics. London: Macmillan. Rees N. (2006). Brewer's Famous Quotations: 5000 Quotations and the Stories. New York: Sterling Publishing Company. Stillwell J. (2002). Mathematics and Its History. New York: Springer Publishing Company.   

Climate change(global warming) Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Climate change(global warming) - Article Example The greenhouse gases both absorb and forward the sun’s radiations. Other greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide and water (Archer, 2011). The major contributor to global warming is the burning of fossil fuel. One major contributor to global warming is the motor vehicles’ carbon monoxide emissions (Weart, 2008). Factories produce carbon monoxide gases. The factories and motor vehicles use fossil fuel to produce electricity. Moreover, the thinning of the world’s ozone layer increased global warming. The ozone layer reduces the ill effects of the sun’s incoming radiating rays. Certain products produce CFC by-products. The CFCs reduce the earth’s ozone layer. With the thinning of the ozone layer, there is an increase in the quantity of the unfavorable incoming harmful sun’s rays (Archer, 2011). Global warming has significantly unfavorable effects on California’s agricultural environment. California’s greenhouse gases reduce the earth’s emission of infrared rays, triggering global warming. California’s greenhouse gases reduce the sun’s dangerous rays from being reflected by the earth’s surface back into outer space, increasing California’s temperature. The fossil fuel emitted by California’s motor vehicles contributes to California’s global warming statistics (Archer, 2011). Consequently, California’s global warming, melting its snow sources, triggers lower water availability. Specifically, Southern California experienced a 26 percent water source reduction. Sacramento suffered a 24 percent water source reduction. San Joaquin continues to bear the 23 percent water decline. With less water, California suffers from possible food production decline. Consequently, farms must spend more to acquire the required plant water. The increasing water cost precipitates to higher California food prices. With higher food prices, less people can afford to have a full meal. Lesser demand reduces farm profits

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Antigone, by Sophocles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Antigone, by Sophocles - Essay Example Being relatives they hate each other so much that it makes them kill each other. So, the tragedy starts with the fact of having two dead bodies and the law to bury one of the brothers with honors and the second one to be left in the field to be torn to pieces by wild animals. This is the outset of the tragedy. Antigone is the blood sister of the killed brothers and she faces the moral dilemma. Weather to break the law or to stay a law-abiding citizen and leave her brother to have eternal sufferings. There are three main problems raised in the tragedy of Antigone: 1. whether a person in Ancient Greece could be left without burial; 2. whether the written laws are higher than the laws of nature and Gods; 3. whether Creon is a good ruler for the country. At the very beginning of the tragedy Antigone buries her brother, though in a very symbolic way. Being a subtle and weak woman she cannot provide the proper burial ritual that is why she just strews him with soil. It has the meaning of t he dead being in soil. The thing is that Ancient Greek deeply believed in life after death and it can be said for sure they set their hopes to it even more that to the terrain life. The way a person is buried was of great importance and determined the way a soul would exists in afterlife. The soul of a person that is not buried under the proper ritual is doomed to unbearable sufferings and eternal embarrassment. Knowing it Creon gives his decision to leave the dead body of Polyneices in the field to be torn by wild animals. According to Greek believes it was the most disgraceful and horrible thing for the soul. A soul is sure to be taken to the most awful place of the underground Kingdom. By doing this Creon wants to show that he really cares about his nation because he punishes the enemy in the toughest way. After knowing who broke the law Creon sets the death penalty to Antigone. Creon is so conceited and egoistical that he does not even listen to Antigone’s pleads. He does not take into account the devotion of Antigone or her sister’s love; he can see only an offender of the country laws. The power muffles all his human features and the ability to understand people. His first priority is the nation’s honor and prosperity. Sophocles pays attention to the ethical problem of the priority of the written lows over the unwritten ones. The unwritten law claims that any worrier who is brave enough to fight is to be buried in a proper way. Creon in his strive for power, accepts only the laws of the state he rules. He has the option whether to punish Antigone for her breaking the law or to understand her desire to help her brother in afterlife. Sophocles in his tragedy shows that people of Theban are for their princess, they consider Creon to be a monster who chooses the cruelest punishment for a young girl – to be buried alive in a chamber. â€Å"The German poet Friedrich Holderlin, whose translation of the play had strong impact on Heid egger's reading, brings out a more subtle reading of the play: he focusses on Antigone's legal and political status within the palace, her privilege to be the hearth (according to the legal instrument of the epiklerate) and thus protected by Zeus† (Judith 2000). In other words he focuses on the problem of the priority option: who a person is, first of all, a citizen or an individual with his love, hatred etc. Many scientists still dispute on the problem of