Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Censorship on Huckleberry Finn, Argument and Counterargument Essay

Time and time again art has been criticized for being too vulgar and expressive, Mark Twain was one of these individuals who participated in art, he was raised in the generation where slavery was common and racial slurs were frequently used. So to criticized and censor his work for writing what he grew up knowing would be like punishing Huck Finn for stealing things from others when he was told it was borrowing all his life by his pa â€Å"Pap always said it warn’t no harm to borrow things if you was meaning to pay them back some time; but the widow said it warn’t anything but a soft name for stealing, and no decent body would do it† (Chp. 12 Pg, 49). I strongly disagree with the fact that people want to ‘update and improve’ the classic â€Å"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† because it uses a term that is found offensive frequently in todays generation. My problem with this posse that wants to change the wording of the book is that, their bigge st concern to why they want to change the word â€Å"nigger† to â€Å"slave† is that they’re doing for the children, trying to make it more comfortable for them to read and protecting the youth from frowned upon terms. If this is their concern then why are they singling out books and classics from decades ago, why not focus on the books being published now with the terms â€Å"whore† â€Å"slut† or â€Å"trailer trash† in it? To me those are equally offensive terms. John Foley once said that he thinks â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† Harper Lee’s classic about racial inequality in the Deep South, and John Steinbeck’s â€Å"Of Mice and Men†(Source A) should be removed from the curriculum for similar reasons† all because they show the reader the time gap between the setting of the writing and the present of today even though in the beginning of all books they tell you what time frame the story is held in â€Å"SC ENE: The Mississippi Valley; TIME: Forty to Fifty Years Ago† (Page 0). Now I can see why some might want these books (Huck Finn, Of Mice and Men, and To Kill a Mockingbird) removed from curriculum, yes I do believe that Twain used the term â€Å"nigger† a few times to many, â€Å"the N-word appears 219 times in Huck Finn† (Source C). Children or even young adults should not be exposed to the vulgar terms and racial slurs that were used in the past. Isn’t the whole point of evolution is to change over time? What good comes from exposing our youth to the past that we all know America is not fond of? Don’t we want our youth to know that these terms are not acceptable in today’s society or the future? When these books make it sound like it was just a little friendly nickname. This is why I feel like students and parents should be given the choice as to whether they want them to read books such as these. We do it for movies at the beginning of every school year, why not do it with books also?

Paradise Road- Creative Essay

I didn’t have to, but I did. It was an order, what other choice did I have? I was merely a low level officer; the power was in Hiroto’s hands. She broke the camp rules, outside dealings, but did she? It was medicine to save innocent women, innocent women who have been caught up in a war for power, which has resulted in the women becoming the powerless, and me the powerful. Each day I have to dig deep, keep on digging I tell myself, for reasons to be here; pride, family honour, dignity for my people, remember what father said; Japanese are the ones who made the Europeans rich, yet for hundreds of years the Europeans looked down upon us, now it’s Japan’s turn, still, my moral conscience has clouded my mind to the atrocities that I have seen, a short time ago I was a teacher of a class with half Japanese and half European, and they couldn’t see any differences, they looked to the inside, why can’t these officers look to the inside, morality in c hildren is a quality that is needed now, yet I see the children in the camp being bashed by that brute Tomiashi, I want to help, but Japan is now powerful, Japan must prevail. I passed the fuel to Tanaka, my hand trembling, I wanted to latch onto the bottle, throw it away, throw all this away, is this how far we have come, is the power really worth this? Ablaze, my eyes cloud while I have to control myself not to react, I must be strong in front of these European women, the powerful are not weak, they have oppressed me, although I cannot see it, them crying is the first instance of any reminisce of human emotion since I left my teaching job in the village, I didn’t want to leave the students, but the European students had fled with their families and we had instilled in our minds that the powerful nation would prevail, but is power worth this? I feel the confusion and anguish drop over me like a sheet of cold rain that chills you to your spine, this is wrong, this is wrong, but it’s for the great nation, we will be powerful, my stomach feels queasy. Days pass, although I feel no time as my soul feels extinguished, another lady†¦she merel y spoke, she merely spoke I whisper to myself, this is becoming too much, but I tie her to the posts, and insert the sharp bamboo into the ground, she has disrespected the Emperor she must honour the flag, stuff the emperor I say to myself, as I watch this innocent women struggle in the Sumatran sun as she fights to stay upright and avoid being impaled. Let me run over, let me free her, please! I tell my heart, I plead with my heart, but my brain prevents me, it’s for the nation, we will be powerful, but somehow that ideology is not what drives me to watch on, I am emotionless while watching this torture being committed, stuff the emperor, I clench my fists. The choir lady runs over with water, God bless her, humanity! It was not to be, Tomiashi yells and I have to intervene, emotion takes over me, â€Å"I’m sorry† I tell her â€Å"I’m sorry†, now I know that my heart and my mind are as one, no amount of power is worth this, this innocent women should not be here, she should be at home with her loving family, as should I, she’s so beautiful, I miss her, my wife†¦ it is only good luck that it is not her who is baking in the sun, my mind is made, stuff the emperor. Japan loses, Captain Tanaka and the other leading officers talk about the dishonour, the poverty that Japan will now endure, I look out the window of the officers’ quarters, and see the women smiling and cheering while Colonel Hirota tells them the news, they are now the powerful, and I am the powerless, I smile. By Fergus Neal Statement of Intention Upon taking a wider viewing of the film and seeing the obvious conflicts at play, I forced myself to look deeper and see the not so obvious conflicts that are omnipresent in the bystander characters. I chose to write a creative piece from the perspective of one of the guards who only features shortly in the film, has no name, but can be noted for saying a small but intriguing â€Å"sorry† to Daisy when she attempts to give Susan water, as if the emotion is starting to come to effect within him, and in citing this I chose to write a creative piece on his perspective and the inner conflict as well as conflict with the whole situation that he has faced that has culminated in him showing humility and apologizing to Daisy for not being able to allow water to be given to the tortured Susan. I chose to write in a formal way, but with a creative sense of writing present throughout which allowed me to delve deeper and actually place myself in this man’s shoes. My piece is for the audience of my teacher and fellow class mates as they should be able to comprehend the ideas that I am trying to convey through having seen, and understood the key aspects of the film. The purpose of this creative piece is to demonstrate how conflict occurs between the powerful and powerless,  but also how those in power may experience their own internal conflict in looking deeper into power and how it can cause a sense of inner conflict in relation to that person’s values.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Communication in Emergency Management

AbstractEmergency is an event or situation that occurs unpredictably causing damage to man and society. Management of emergencies is not as easy as event management. In emergency management, one has to be quicker, more knowledgeable and more resourceful in dealing with and solving emergency cases.In the same way that event management requires communication among its key persons (organizer, speakers, etc.), emergency management needs more of this element in order to carry out emergency plans well, for an effective damage prevention. The key players in managing well an emergency, namely the doctor, fire chief and police chief, must talk to one another not only to effectively do their part in the emergency management process, but also to be able to minimize as much as possible the damage done or threatening to be done. Emergency Management 101Dealing with emergencies is not a joke. It is a serious and urgent situation requiring immediate action so that no further harm can be made. Emerg ency defined is an urgent situation or occurrence threatening grave damage to man and society (P&I Services, 2006). Although emergencies are unpredictable, they can be dealt with proper knowledge and understanding both in handling the particular emergency and preventing further harm.Emergency management in its simplest sense is the process of managing emergencies or urgent situations. Managing an emergency includes assessment or assistance to affected party/ies, prevention of further damage, preparation for â€Å"after-shock’s†, responding to the situation swiftly and calmly, and recovering from such emergency situations (P&I Services, 2006).Emergency Management PlayersThe key players in the emergency management process are the hospital, fire department, and police department. The heads of these three institutions all contribute their part in the effective management of an emergency situation, and all their contributions greatly affect the success or failure of an emer gency management.Hospitals are health institutions that cater to the physical or biological welfare of people. Their role in emergency management is to ensure the health condition of affected parties. They are very important in a sense that their concern, which is human health, is of great importance to an individual, and in emergencies, threatening this part of human welfare is the first concern of an individual (Canton, 2006).The fire department on the other hand prevents the spreading of fire, the start of one, and minimizes the effects of fire to the people. Fire is a natural need of man to cook food for him, keep him warm, etc. But too much fire can threaten his welfare. The fire department, in the emergency management process, mobilizes fire situation if there is one, and prevents such fire from starting in order to minimize the harm already done.And of course, the police department plays a vital role in the documentation of emergencies. The first thing they do in an emergency situation is to mobilize the vicinity involved in the emergency, organizing the people within the vicinity to maximize the help and assistance they can contribute in the proper and effective management of the disaster at hand.These key players need to work together because even though they work differently, all their actions affect not just one another, but the whole emergency situation itself as well. Effective communication is the key to a productive and optimized management of emergencies.Emergency Management ProcessThe flow of an emergency management is as follows:First is the occurrence of the emergency. Emergencies take the form of major fire or explosion, flood, earthquake, storm or cyclone or twister, dangerous or threatening person/s (stalker/s, kidnapper/s, etc.), civil disorder, gas leak, chemical spill, and others. The initial response emergency management key players is to stay calm. As key players, their mind is in ensuring the welfare of people, particularly others n ot themselves, and not on things (Deakin University, 2006).With an emergency management coordinator around, s/he surveys the scene, before assigning tasks and assignments to his/her key players. S/he will weigh the graveness of each victim’s predicament then prioritize those who need help most at the most immediate time, and only then would s/he delegate the task at hand (Deakin University, 2006).Once the key players see the damage, they do their roles and organize themselves to cater to the needs of people. They start do what should be done to stop or minimize the effect of the crisis and to prevent further harm. The emergency management team would have to do their tasks on the spot since the emergency they are about to accomplish require their immediate attention (Deakin University, 2006).After having briefly dealt with the emergencies, victims are then evacuated to some place near and can accommodate to their needs more attentively.And of course, as emergency coordinator, s/he will gather his/her team and evaluate the work they have just done.Communication During Emergency ManagementThe key players work together, and so they could consider themselves a team. One could not completely accomplish a task if not for the help of another team mate. Their work is seen as a team, not as an individual, and so it is important that they communicate well with one another.The basic way to get them to talk to one another is to give them a reason to do so. Say, ask one of your key players to ask another key player about something. This strategy works when they have just met, and your team is not yet, of course, in the middle of a crisis.People are confident and comfortable in talking with another individual once they know something about them, even just their name. And so, as an emergency management coordinator, it would not hurt to hold an activity on the first meeting. Not only would they know who they work with, but also it gives them the chance to get comfortabl e working as a team, and trust one another as team mates.Many childhood activities do work in order to get the people communicating with one another. People may lack the initiative and confidence to speak to another because of indifference. Games do sound childlike, but then grown-ups find these as guilty pleasures. Name games and getting-to-know-you games are great starts for individuality-introduction activities.It would also greatly help if you, yourself as coordinator, do the talking first. Ask them about their interests, what they do other than the job they have, their history and the like. People talk when they know someone listens. Show that as coordinator, you want to listen, you are interested in your key player, and that you encourage others as well to listen and be interested.The art of talking does not only consist of saying everything about anything, rather saying things that concern your team that are of interest to them. Share your stories, to get them to share theirs , but then do not go overboard. Once they start, let them just handle the flow of the discussion.Another way of having them conversing with one another is setting up bonding sessions. Short, bonding, group activities allow individuals to be loose for a while and be ordinary human beings mindless of their work. Let them have such at the most convenient time, i.e. after a successful emergency management that didn’t take much of their energy that would also serve as a victory celebration. The opportunities are endless.Organizing the Emergency Management GroupOrganizing an emergency management group is not easy. It is a serious matter dealing with serious situations. Such group involves people—normal, social individuals. Thus, communication cannot possibly be taken away from such group. Communication not only strengthens the ties among the members of the group, but also allows them to work more efficiently.ReferencesCanton, L. G. (2006). Emergency management: concepts and strategies for effective programs. New York: Pantheon.Deakin University. (2006 May, 1). Deakin University: emergency management plan. Retrieved December 12, 2007 from http://www.deakin.edu.au/emergency/policies/procedures/Emergency%20Management%20Plan%202006%20Aug.pdfP&I Services. (2006 March, 7). Glossary. Retrieved December 12, 2007, from http://www.emergencymanagement.org.uk/faq/glossaryandacronyms/tabid/2090/Default.aspx

Monday, July 29, 2019

Quasi-Experimental Designs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Quasi-Experimental Designs - Assignment Example vi). Single-case designs or single-case research designs are used to studies that factor in individual organism variances than group designs, which emphasize on mean averages of groups (Jackson, 2013). Single-case designs are used where a test subject’s behavioral trends are variables of significance in an experiment. This research design is also used in evaluating the effect of treatments on an individual or personal attributes in applied research (Jackson, 2013). viii). A multiple-baseline research design involves the measurement of multiple persons, settings or traits before and after assignment to experimental treatment. Treatments are administered, at different times, to ensure that changes are due to treatment and not by chance (Jackson, 2013). Reversal experimental design involves measurement of behavior or traits during a baseline periods (A), at the introduction of treatments (B), reinstatement of conditions preceding baseline period (A) and during of the reintroducti on of the treatment (B) (Jackson, 2013). Question #2 Quasi-experiments are used, in empirical studies, to estimate the impact and influence of an intervention or treatment on its target sample population, and they do not use random assignment (Jackson, 2011). Quasi-experimental designs allow a researcher to control the assignment to the treatment condition, using some criterion other than random assignment (Jackson, 2012). This is in the sense that a researcher controls the assignment to the treatment condition, and can in some cases, a researcher can lack control over the assignment to the treatment condition. Quasi-experimental designs are predisposed to quality concerns regarding internal validity because treatment and control groups, in some instances cannot be comparable at baseline levels. This is unlike random experiments where either subjects have a chance of being assigned to the comparison or the intervention group (Jackson, 2012). The advantages of quasi-experimental desi gns are that they are used when randomized experimental designs are impractical and unethical. Quasi experiments are easier to prepare than ‘true experimental designs’ which require random assignment to participants or subjects (Jackson, 2012). The use of quasi-experimental designs eliminates or diminishes threats to external validity because natural environments are not susceptible to the same problems of artificiality compared to well-controlled laboratory setting. Quasi-experimental designs allow their findings to be applied to other subjects and settings, creating a precedent where generalizations can be made about populations (Jackson, 2012). This is because this design type is considered a natural experiment, which makes its findings applicable to other settings and participants. Quasi experiments are efficient especially in longitudinal research studies, which involve longer experimental periods, and can be followed up in different environmental settings. Quasi-e xperimental designs give the researcher manipulation options to choose from. This is in the sense that, in natural experiments, manipulations occur on their own accord because researchers have no control over their occurrence. The use of self-selected groups in this design type eliminates the chance of conditional and ethical concerns in the process of conducting the experiment (Jackson, 2012). Estimates or findings in quasi-experimenta

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Money as a motivator Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Money as a motivator - Essay Example That is why the successful organizations specializing in sales especially in direct sales apply maximum efforts to express recognition to the employees for any achievement, big or small. They know that in our overpopulated world the majority of people feel that nobody cares of them, that they are not important. And the recognition is some kind of a confirmation of their importance. Really, those who understand people usually say: "You are an especial person. You are quite another matter". I am sure, that if more companies will pay more attention to expression of gratitude to the employees, and not only to those who are engaged in sales, but also to secretaries and attendants, that will lead to improbable rise of productivity. 2. Feeling of victory. This is one of the best motivators. If you should fell an inclination to something, let will be inclination to victory, to winning. There are millionaires who work for ten - twelve hours a day, making more millions. And this is not because money is necessary for them. They do that for the feeling of pleasure that "victories" brings. Money is not a big stimulus for them: they already have a lot of money. They need that heady feeling which is got with a victory. Jim Rohn writes: "Usually right after my seminar, somebody comes up to me and says: Mr. Rohn, if had one million dollars I would not work even a day in the rest life. That is why God makes so that people, who say such things, never will grow rich. They will pay for that." (Rohn 1996) 3. Family. Some people will make more for their dearest than for themselves. One man set a goal to earn one quarter of a million a year in order to organise a world tour for his family. The people with so deep feeling of love are very happy. 4. Charity. This is the fourth great motivator.When a great steel magnate Andrew Carnegie died the yellow piece of paper was found in his desk On this narrow piece of the paper, of the time of Carnegies' twenties, there was the main goal of his life written by him: " I am going to spend a first half of my life for saving up money. I want to devote the second half of my life to give out all this money". Carnegie was so inspired with this goal that saved up a private means of 450 million dollars (that is equivalent to 4,5 billion dollars now!) and really, in last period of the life he felt pleasure giving out all this money. (Rohn 1996) Speaking about one of the most important elements of working process, employees admit that compensation itself is not a motivator. The quality of work is a motivator that enkindles enthusiasm. In order to obtain the employee's opinion different interrogations are held in different countries of the world. As the results of new interrogation show, the good wages and safety of work is what people pay attention choosing the employer, but if you want to keep the motivation of employees in your case the work will be the key factor holding them in your company. Last interrogation of the international scale carried out by Investors in People (IiP)/NOP in which 1911 respondent from the Great Britain participated, shown that

Saturday, July 27, 2019

International Refugee Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

International Refugee Law - Essay Example Many of these states have been reluctant to offer asylum due to their own political and economic considerations. However, these asylum seekers have often displayed vulnerable qualities in terms of physical, psychological, as well as political support. For which reason, international governing bodies and host states have often ended up granting asylum to these refugees. However, recently, issues on the impact that these refugees have had on host states have been evaluated. Their economic impact has been a major consideration because these refugees have been considered as a significant drain to the resources of host states. The issue of their vulnerability has also been raised. In a decision by the European Court of Human Rights, specifically, in the case of M.S.S v Belgium, the court speaks of the applicant as a member of a ‘vulnerable group’. The case deals with the expulsion of an Afghan asylum-seeker to Greece by Belgium in accordance with the EU Dublin Regulation. The Court issued a standard-setting landmark judgement for the protection of asylum-seekers and it also held that asylum-seekers were a â€Å"particularly underprivileged and vulnerable population group in need of special protection†... He declared that they are not a group ‘historically subject to prejudice with lasting consequences, resulting in their social exclusion†2. This paper aims to critically discuss the judgement delivered in M.S.S v Belgium and Greece. Moreover, it will examine the current position of asylum-seekers who seek ‘international protection’ and the applicability of the legal framework under the 1951 Convention or under the International Human Rights. This paper will also attempt to evaluate the treatment of asylum-seekers in Europe, more specifically, in Greece. It shall also draw some comparisons with the recommended treatment as implemented by the Common European Asylum System. Finally, this paper shall also discuss the concept of vulnerability. This paper is being carried out in order to establish an improved understanding of the refugee laws, including the individuals who may or may not be considered refugees. It is also being carried out in order to assist legal a nalysts in making better judgments on the status of refugees. Background The ‘right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution’ is indeed a key provision in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights3. However, sometimes this right is not fully observed in parts of Europe today. Instead, asylum-seekers are met with hardship and suspicion and too often are treated inhumanely; some are even placed under detention. Asylum-seekers entering Europe have well founded fears of persecution. Most of their fears stem from their ethnicity, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group; all of these qualities are very much different or opposed

Friday, July 26, 2019

NEC3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

NEC3 - Essay Example New Engineering Contracts 3rd Edition or NEC3 is a modernistic family of contracts of contracts. It helps in implementing construction project management and supervisory principles. NEC3 synchronises the different business and engineering practices and also renders definitions for the different legal relationships and liabilities. Hence, adoption of NEC3 family of contracts culminates at an altogether cultural transformation of a construction company and its different construction project sites and subsidiaries. According to New Engineering Contract (2005), the principal feature of this cultural transformation is the complete abandonment of a hindsight dependent reactive management paradigm. NEC3 helps the construction company and its various contractors to embark on a foresight based proactive management mechanism with clearly defined contracting rules and regulations that are fair towards both the employers and the contracting agencies. The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) has endorsed NEC3 as a family of contracts that can satisfy the contemporary Achieving Excellence in Construction (AEC) principles (New Engineering Contracts, 2005). This implies that NEC3 is compliant with the most recent government regulations laid down by the 21st century legal developments of UK. In this context, NEC3 contracts can be synchronised with the regulations such as Utilities Contracts Regulations (2006) too (Ashworth, 2011; Close, 2011). OGC has recommended the use of NEC3 family of contracts by the public sector procurers on their construction projects for the sake of authenticity and complexity issues. So it can be further deduced that NEC3 has been recommended by OGC as a compact and unitary engineering contracts mechanism. This is not the case with JCT2011. JCT contracts (as devised by the Joint Contacts Tribunal Limited,

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Interior architecture - Detail and the user Essay

Interior architecture - Detail and the user - Essay Example The large number of Scarpa’s architectural projects reflect his unique concepts and ideas of design (Scarpa, Beltramini, Battistella et al, 2007). Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate Carlo Scarpa’s use of the relationship between the body and architecture, and examine the roots of his conception of the elements of architectural construction as â€Å"beings†. Further, Scarpa’s imaging the user, with architectural details in relation to the user’s body, and his layering of memories based on the affinity between architecture and place, will be discussed. Relationship Between the Body and Architecture In European culture, there has always been a significant place for the relationship between the body and architecture, and the complex phenomenon of corporeality. This tradition originated from Marcus Vitruvius, the ancient Roman architect and engineer in the first century B.C., who compares the human body directly to the body of a building, and reinforces the analogy, so that the importance of symmetry, proportion and harmony in architecture become secondary to his theory of the link between corporeality and architecture. According to Dodds, Tavernor and Rykwert (2002: 28) â€Å"although this highly provocative subject has been treated with great attention and subtlety by critics, it remains nonetheless poorly understood†. ... Thus, the body was used not only to designate conceptual, but also material reality. Plato followed by Aristotle undertook to find a clear understanding of corporeality. The concept of the body is always open for further improvemen â€Å"through the continuous reciprocity of necessity and reason† (Dodds et al 2007: 28). Consequently, the body is perceived as a comparatively stable structure in the context of reality as a whole denoted by the cosmos. There is a surprising richness and depth of understanding of the relation between the human body and the world, the common corporeality and meaning, rendering the body as a microcosm. There is great reciprocity between the human body and the world, and between the human body and architecture. Joints, Frames and Building Construction Mass as â€Å"Beings† In the mid-nineteenth century, Gottfried Semper divided built form into two separate material procedures: the tectonics of the frame in which members of different lengths ar e joined together to encompass a spatial field, and the stereotomics of compressive mass that, â€Å"while it may embody space, is constructed through the piling up of identical units† (Frampton 2000: 181). Tectonics relates to the construction of buildings. The work of Carlo Scarpa is a contemporary manifestation of Semper’s approach supporting the concept of framework as aerial and dematerialization of mass, while the mass form is telluric or relating to the earth into which it is embedded deeply. The former tends towards the light, and the latter towards the dark. These gravitational opposites, the immateriality of the frame and the materiality of the mass are considered to symbolise the two cosmological polarities towards which they reach out: the sky and the earth. The experiential limits

Alternative Dispute Resolution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Alternative Dispute Resolution - Research Paper Example In clearer terms, ADR refers to the processes of solving disputes outside the judicial process or formal litigation. In fact, the judicial system/process is currently encouraging and requiring conflicting parties to utilize the Alternative Dispute Resolution processes, particularly mediation, prior to taking such cases before a court of law. There are four other main types of Alternative Dispute Resolution namely negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and collaborative law (Lynch, P. 213). In fact, conciliation has also considered a type of Alternative Dispute Resolution. Except in negotiation, all the other categories of Alternative Dispute Resolution involve the presence of a neutral person who provides fair opinions while facilitating or making a decision in ADR processes. However, the collaborative law processes such as collaborative divorce require both parties to have counsels who are experts at following the details of the contracts or terms involved such issues. Among the dispu tes or conflicts in which ADR techniques have been particularly useful include family matters such as divorce, professional liability disputes, insurance issues/disputes, and personal injury situations. There are several advantages for which the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution has become prominent in recent times. These advantages include more efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and greater satisfaction for all parties involved. In fact, great deals of civil cases such as marital dissolutions have been settled using Alternative Dispute Resolution techniques (Lynch, P. 213). Due to the recognized effectiveness of ADR as a tool for dispute resolution, judicial systems world over have adopted the practice of providing conflicting parties and their lawyers with information about and the option of ADR, more so in civil cases. Advantages and Disadvantages of Alternative Dispute Resolution The current trend of increased usage of Alternative Dispute Resolution techniques stems from the ma ny advantages that arise from their use. The first among the advantages of ADR is the fact that far less time is consumed in solving disputes in cases where ADR, rather than litigation is applied. ADR also usually costs less in monitory terms compared to litigations. Moreover, ADR techniques such as arbitration have more flexibility in the choice and the application of the relevant rules to their disputes. For instance, one may choose to apply industrial standards, religious laws, foreign/international laws, domestic laws, and any unique set of standards/rules for ADR processes such as negotiation, mediation, conciliation, or arbitration. Importantly, the disputing parties are in a position to use the services of experts in the relevant fields. The other advantage of ADR over litigation is that more time is also wasted in litigation since judges and juries have to be educated on the technical terms and aspects of cases that involve complicated and technical issues that are not prope rly understood by laymen. In fact, it is only after this kind of education that judges and juries may make informed and fair decisions.  Ã‚  

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

James Luna Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

James Luna - Essay Example The product of a Mexican father and Luiseno Indian mother, Luna was born in 1950 on the La Jolla Indian reservation in Southern California. Raised in Orange County, he received a degree in art from the University of California Irvine in 1976. At that time, the art department at Cal-Irvine was a significant influence throughout southern California in terms of encouraging performance and conceptual art. Upon graduation, Luna returned to the La Jolla Reservation and enrolled at San Diego State University where he received a Masters degree in counseling. Currently, he is employed by Palomar College in San Marcos as a counselor. Initially trained as a painter, Luna now travels the globe demonstrating his version of conceptualistic art working principally with presentation video and visual art. His performance combines contemporary artistic offerings with Indian rituals, parodies, humor and autobiographical nuance within the context of prevailing, conventional attitudes toward native culture. Although the artistic methods he employs would be readily recognizable to an audience that prefers contemporary performance or gallery art, he injects this form with the teachings of his native cultural heritage and presents current conditions of native peoples. Despite this, Luna maintains that his form of art is not intended to politically motivate his audience. â€Å"In doing work about social issues I use myself to explore conditions here on the reservation. It is not my place to tell people how to act† (Durland, 2003). Through his works, Luna constantly endeavors to challenge the stereotypical, idealized notion of the dignified, yet savage Indian. His performances are theatrical in nature and are aesthetically intricate while making both subtle and overt political observations all of which produce a multi-faceted perception regarding the native culture to the audience. Luna’s performance is hardly what

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Women - Essay Example Equality refers to the state where individuals living in a society are free from the discrimination at all the levels. However, the discrimination and its various components are subject to continuous change with respect to time, knowledge, experience and understanding of people. This indicates that things which were acceptable for a particular society few years back might not be appreciable in the current circumstances. Let’s talk about women and their social status which was limited to the domestic work few decades before. Due to this they were substantially facing equality issues. But today the modern human society does not have any place for such differences and women are no longer bounded to the domestic restrictions. Though women have entered into the work force, the employment opportunities are limited for them and consequently they are often subject to employment based discrimination. According to Abella, equality in employment signifies that every individual is given a n equal working opportunity irrespective of all the innate abilities (Abella; Chapter 1: Defining Equality in Employment, 1984). In the contemporary world equality in employment has yet another perspective i.e. employees must be treated as per their differences, because if we are ignoring the individual differences for the sake of equality then as per the arguments of Abella, it is also a form of discrimination. There are basically two types of differences, one which arises due to personal actions and policies such as education, financial status, etc. and other is solely based upon the innate characteristics such as gender, ethnic background or disabilities. The latter one can be accommodated through equality in employment. One of the most significant methods to apply employment equality in a workplace is to remove the individual differences based on gender, disability, ethnicity or race because they do not have any acceptable justification (Abella; Chapter 1: Defining Equality in E mployment, 1984). In this regard Agocs, Burr and Somerset have given several remedies which require the employers to first eradicate the current employment obstacles faced by the disadvantaged groups of the society such as aboriginal people, women and other minorities, who need to have an equal employment opportunity without any difference of treatment. Their innate disabilities and skill deficiencies must be accommodated. The second most crucial remedy is the surety of prevention from future discrimination. Third remedy focuses on the equal distribution of resources among the workforce regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or disability (Agocs, Burr and Somerset; Chapter 1: The State of Art, 1992). The Report of the Royal Commission 1984 has a legislation regarding the equality in employment which considered compulsory employment regulations so as to ensure equal employment opportunity for the disadvantaged groups of the society. In the later part of the second chapter, authors hav e discussed further solutions that can play an important role in the elimination of discrimination and projection of equal employment opportunities. In this regard we first of all require developing a sound understanding of what does inequity means and where does it exist in a workplace. Subsequently we need to remove all the barriers for the disadvantaged groups through employment equity programs. Afterwards we necessitate developing smooth access to the jobs with an additional accommodation program which satisfies the needs and requirements of an intensely diverse workforce. Equal Employment opportunity also requires the employers to maintain an ethical and hospitable internal working environment

Monday, July 22, 2019

FIN 370 Week 3 Learning Team Assignment Essay Example for Free

FIN 370 Week 3 Learning Team Assignment Essay Learning Team: Current Market Conditions Competitive Analysis This paper will give a short history and descriptions of Apple’s I Pad minicomputer. It will also give factors that affect demand, supply, and equilibrium prices in the market. Issues that Apple faces that affect its competitiveness will also be addressed. Lastly, this paper will identify the long term profitability of the iPad including, price elasticity of demand, technological innovation, and cost structure. Steven Jobs and Steven Wozniak were friends in high school, which shared like interested in electronics. They designed what would become the Apple and on April 1, 1976, Apple Computer was born. This is an American based company located in California. Apple specializes in design advancing, and the sales electronics, computer software, and computers. Apple is accredited for some of the most popular products of the modern world of technology such as: iPod, iPhone, iPad, and iTunes. Apple has expanded its retail stores to fourteen countries worldwide with 408 retail store not to mention their online stores, Apple Store and iTunes. Apple’s value as of March 2013 is $415 million, and it is the largest most publicly traded companies. The iPad is a tablet designed minicomputer that was released in 2010 by Apple. This device has equipped with Wi-Fi and has a multi- touch screen. There are five different versions of this particular tablet. Each has the capability to play music, record videos, a camera function, browsing the web, e-mailing. Games, GPS navigation system, and social networking can also be downloaded to the device. A market is as a collection of consumers and retailers of a specific merchandise or service. Demand is the actual volume that consumers are prepared and able to obtain. Quantity necessitated is the demand at a specific amount and is symbolized as the demand curve. The supply of a product is the quantity that manufacturers are prepared an d capable to convey to the market the sale of  the product. The market can be analyzed by matching the supply and demand curve. Equilibrium is the connection of supply and demand curves. The equilibrium amount is the amount where the number demanded matches the number supplied. A change in price does not necessarily mean that the demand will change. It is more likely for the quantity demanded will affect the price. If the price is changed the curve will move along the demand curve. When the price is reduced the quantity demand will be increased. When the IPad was released, it was the only product in that market at that time. Therefore, at that time it absolutely controlled the tablet division. Some corporations tried to contend with Apple, but recognized their position just could not compete. The competition combated Apple by creating smaller tablet that is an unfamiliar place for Apple. This creation worked and caused Apple to lose sales. The competitors rapidly established their place in the market. Price elasticity of demand is an issue th at our organization, Apple faces that affects our competitiveness and long-term profitability with regards to the iPad. â€Å"Price elasticity of demand and supply tells us exactly how quantity responds to a change in price. As elasticity increases, quantity responds more to price changes. Demand or supply is elastic, if the percentage change in quantity is greater than the percentage change in price†(University Of Phoenix, 2010, pp. 154-157). After reviewing data, specifically targeted to the three types of iPads; their pricing, capabilities and memory storage, it was determined that if the price of the iPads increased; then the consumers may not purchase them (What Is An Apple Ipad’s Elasticity Of Demand?, 2012). The price elasticity of demand tells us that although apple is very technological innovative, but as it relates to price elasticity of demand; the quantity does not matter (all the changes, modifications, additions, advancements, etc.) consumers will still purchase the cheaper iPad (cost efficient) Apple should not invest in making more iPads. Consumer(s) can’t readily identify / understand the importance /significance of having more capabilities, memory, storage, etc. The consumer(s) would ultimately shop for and purchase the iPad that’s more conducive to their needs. Although apple has is very technological innovative, but as it relates to price elasticity of demand; the quantity does not matter (all the changes, modifications, additions, advancements, etc.) consumers will still purchase the cheaper iPad (cost efficient)  Technological innovation is an opportunity for our organization, (Apple) to face that affects our competitiveness and long-term profitability with regards to the iPad. Through technological innovation our organization will be able to make improvements to something that already exists; such as the Apple iPad. Is the improvement to something that already exists. Technological innovation will always have a huge impact on Apple Corporation. As it directly relates to the iPad, with the technological innovation, we are able to re-invest and re-invent the iPad. As with any product of this magnitude, the cost will increase, more features will be added, more storage, more variability, etc. As long as we are innovative and have a willingness to be creative we will consistently bring new items to the market that will steady intrigue the consumers and adapts to their technological needs. â€Å"Cost Structure (TC = FC + VC) is the costs of production, the identification of how costs associated with the production of a good or service are distributed throughout the process The cost structure consists of fixed costs, variable costs and total cost â€Å" (University Of Phoenix, 2010, pp. 283-285). According to Internal Factors: Costs (n.d.), When analyzing cost, the marketer will consider all costs needed to get the product to market including those associated with production, marketing, distribution and company administration (e.g., office expense). These costs can be divided into two main categories: fixed costs and variable costs†. Fixed costs are costs that are spent and cannot be recovered (rent, credit interest, maintenance costs, security and administrative expenses, often salary). The major factors affecting fixed costs are (1) Changes in business organization, (2) Changes in technology applied, (3) Sale of manufacturing equipment and (3) Decisions to undertake advertising activities, etc. Variable costs are costs that vary with production. Factors affecting variable costs, including productivity and others that change the supply of and demand for labor (internal factors), (1) Involve costs of items that are either components of the product (parts/packaging), (2) Directly associated with creating the product (electricity to run an assembly line), (3) Coupons and (4) Variable costs, especially for tangible products tend to decline as more units are produced. This is due to the producing company’s ability to pu rchase product components for lower prices since component suppliers often provide  discounted pricing for large quantity purchases (). Total cost the sum of all costs of inputs used by a firm in production TC = FC + VC Apple is one of the world’s most admired brands. Every year, as rumors about Apple’s products start to emerge web sites begin to speculate which suppliers are likely to win Apple’s business. Getting a contract from Apple can lift a company’s value by millions of dollars. On October 22 Apple released a variety of new hardware and software. Apple’s new iPad is clearly focusing on improving the iPad product profit margin, while also maintaining it strong market share. One of the ways Apple can maximize their profit is by reducing the price of the original iPad mini. Another recommendation that can maximize the profit for Apple is to also make radical improvements to the full-size iPad and the mini. Apple has four products in the iPad lineup. While Apple decided to keep the price of the iPad 2 at $399 Apple dropped the price of the IPad mini to $299. The newest iPad, the new full-size iPad Air is thinner and lighter than the previous full-size iPads and much more powerful. The new iPad Air will sell at $499, while the second new iPad tablet the iPad mini with Retina display will sale for $399. By Apple dropping the price on the iPad mini this move should help A pple maintain market share with it strong competition. Strong competitors like Google and Amazon have recently dropped the prices on their popular tablets. Android tablets such as Google and the Kindle Fire have been gaining on Apple over the past year with the lower prices and higher performance. The Kindle Fire HD sold for $139, this alone affected Apple’s revenue. The price decrease put Apple’s base iPad mini closer to the price of Google and Amazon’s top of the line tablets. Apple chose to drop the price of the original iPad mini tablets to maximize their profits with the competition. Overall by dropping the price, this will draw more individuals to the Apple iPad mini and increase Apple’s marginal revenues and profitability. This will keep Apple’s market share in competition with Google and Amazon without sacrificing too much profitability. Although, there are several competitors in this market; such as The Kindle Fire, The Windows Tablet, Galaxy Table, etc. none are able to uphold the standards that the iPad will carry. With all of our advancements in technology, research, investments, etc. we continue to be in high demand. If our corporation continues to be technological innovative and productive; then we will continue to grow and  c onsistently re-invent. We will be more profitable, growing and will remain cost efficient; when it comes to manufacturing and producing the iPad. Based on the current market conditions, our competitive market analysis concluded that the Apple iPad will be an extremely productive and very successful. References: Duhigg, C., Barboza, D. (2012, January 25). In, China, Human Cost Are Built Into an IPad, p. The iEconomy. Internal Factors: Costs . (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.knowthis.com/pricing-decisions/internal- factors-costs Reisinger, D. (2013, October 22). IPad 2 Survives iPad Air, Still cost $399. CNET, p. . University Of Phoenix. (2010). Economics, Eight Edition. Retrieved from University Of Phoenix, ECO365 website. What is an Apple iPad’s Elasticity of Demand?. (2012). Retrieved from http://applecoeconomics.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/what-is-an-apple-ipads-elasticity-of-demand-9/

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Gender Inequality: Causes and Impacts

Gender Inequality: Causes and Impacts Research Paper:  Gender Inequality For many centuries, men have been the dominant gender and women have been the minority. Men were the breadwinners† and women just stayed home and took care of the housework and children. Women barely had any rights. Their husbands could abuse them and get away with it easily. Fortunately, over a period of time, things have slowly changed. However, this is still a very serious and widespread problem. Women are still at the bottom of the chain. What was the cause of this inequality and what will be the consequences if this problem continues to linger? Gender inequality, in my definition, is the unequal and biased treatment between the two sexes. I strongly believe that the unequal treatment of women is something that should have stayed in primitive times. We are in the present now and we are far more advanced than we ever were and yet we are old school in our thinking of how men and women should be treated. I can strongly identify with gender inequality because many of my closest friends have faced it or still face it. Materialist theories define gender inequality as a result of how men and women are tied to the economic structure of society. They believe that womens role as a mother and wife are devalued by society and deny access to highly respected public opportunities. Gender inequality is definitely something that we often take for granted; it is accepted and seems so normal in society. These differences often seem invisible to us even though it happens in our everyday life in everything from employment and education to polit ics and the media without us being aware of it. Before we look at the gender inequalities in paid employment, it is vital to look at unpaid labor and the discriminations that women face. History has shown us that the roles and responsibilities for men and women were already chosen for them. In the United Kingdom, there was a trend of male dominance in employment until World War II where women gained male-orientated jobs for the first time whilst the men fought in the front line. Before this, the males were often the breadwinners and therefore provided for their family. On the other hand, the females were more inclined to be involved in unpaid labor often labeled as housewives who performed chores around the family home and looked after the children. You could apply Leslie Feinberg’s theory to this as back then it was just accepted and seen as the way of life for men and women. It was found in a study in 2006 that on average ‘women spent 180 minutes per day on housework; that’s 78% more time than men who spent only 101 minutes per day.’ This reveals that even in current society women are still accepted to partake in unpaid labor through housework rather than be in employment and this reflects the past in the United Kingdom. A very good example of this are the employment rates in the UK as it was around 79% for men and 70 % for women which has remained unchanged since 1999. (Office of National Statistics, 2008). It has to be said that in recent times, the division between males and females is less evident but inclination towards male dominance in employment is still shown. It was reported that the gender pay gap in the UK is one of the highest in Europe: women who work full-time earned 17% less per hour than men and women working part-time earned 39% less per hour than men working full-time. (Office of National Statistics, 2008) In the United States, the average working woman earns only 77 percent of what the average working man makes. However, women’s place in society and in employment has improved greatly since the Equal Pay Act of 1970. Over the years, there has been an increase of women in the workplace with women working in a larger number of senior positions. This reveals that even though there have been improvements in some areas, men often still have the upper hand in employment. Today, this gender inequality is accepted in society which reveals a strong unfairness against women in employment. Men and women still follow very different career paths. Men are much more likely than women to be employed in skilled trades whereas women are more likely than not to be forced into working lower paid labor jobs such as cleaning. ‘Women tend not to put their whole bodies into engagement in a physical task with the same ease and naturalness as men’ (Young, Iris. M, 207). There is the national organization for tradeswomen called ‘Women and Manual Trades (WAMT) who support training women to wo rk in plumbing, building and electricians for example. As well as this, they address the problem of low female representation in such work. Although there are organisations such as the WAMT who support women working in skilled trades the likeliness of women to partake in such a job is still very low and shows little improvement. This, yet again, reveals the strong dominance of men in employment worldwide. The notion of being a female is considered to have more challenges than male within the mass media. There is an unbalanced and stereotyped representation of women in the media and a lot of the time they are dominated by men in their roles. Gender inequalities traditionally were greatly enforced in media output with women being used in advertisements to sell anything from cars to tobacco. As well as this, women were often portrayed as ‘sex objects’ in the media, especially in the 1980’s when men’s magazines were first distributed. This still happens in rec ent times as women are displayed in the magazines mostly for male entertainment which is a major gender inequality as it uses the objectification of women. As well as this, women often feel insecure and are forced to impress men by copying what they see in the magazines. This happens in most of the media from the magazines and newspapers to advertisements in television they are such powerful forces which influence society to a great extent. Furthermore, women in more contemporary media are still sexualized and the men still look at women in the same way as before. It was discovered in the late 1990’s that ‘44% of music videos contain sexual imagery. Women are far more likely than men to be presented in provocative or revealing clothing and sexually objectified.’ This links to female stereotypes and sexualization which are abused in this present day in media especially with the rapid growth of the internet in recent years often through sexual images of women linke d to the sex industry such as pornography being easily accessible on the internet which often depicts women as mere entertainment for men. The nature of pornography is a prime example of the sexualized representation of women in society. Gender inequality is not an issue that can be resolved within a day or two, and reaching our final goal of equality is not going to be an easy step, all we can do is break it down into many factors and give it time to pay off. First part of our resolution is educational wise, which is basically teaching our young ones counter gender stereotypes from kinder-garden, and holding on to these beliefs all the way till college. This can be done by showing both sexes that there aren’t any male or female biased sports, there isn’t a major that a girl shouldn’t get into because it’s a â€Å"man major†, those stereotypes should be totally eradicated from all new generations. Another part of our resolution is promoting equality in the labor fields; maybe have a long lasting initiative to promote equality in all labor fields. Some people might say that women cannot perform many jobs that men do like construction working, well during WW2, women were the only ones doing these â€Å"men jobs† while all the men were gone to fight in the war. Another possible way to resolve our issue is through celebrities and TV. Nowadays, everyone’s role model is a Hollywood star, a singer, a model, so basically a celebrity. Why don’t we make these celebrities indirectly implant the idea of equality in our human brains, why don’t they show us that males and females are capable of doing the same jobs and quests and that segregation is not needed. Again, I repeat that this won’t be an easy process and it might take a very long time but at the end of the day, gender inequality is a very big issue and it has to be resolved sooner or later. Humanity requires both men and women, and we are equally important and need one another. So why are women viewed as less than equal? These old attitudes are drilled into us from the very beginning. We have to teach our boys the rules of equality and respect, so that as they grow up, gender equality becomes a natural way of life. And we have to teach our girls that they can reach as high as humanly possible. We have a lot of work to do, but we can get there if we work together. Unless women and men both say this is unacceptable, things will not change. With determination, commitment and strong belief, we can achieve our goal.

A power amplifier

A power amplifier Introduction: A power amplifier is an electronic device that changes the magnitude of a signal. It is usually used to transfer high power to a low output load such as speakers where there load is about 8 ohms [1]. The relationship between the output and input is called the transfer function. An important aspect of the amplifier is the gain. The gain is the ratio between input and output whether this input is current, voltage or power. Therefore, the gain does not have a unit. The quality of the amplifier is determined by many aspects, which are gain, bandwidth, efficiency, linearity, noise and others. As one of these characteristics increase the others may decrease. Therefore, the amplifier will be designed to meet the required specifications determined by the application for which it will be used for. The various designs of the amplifiers are classified into many types which include A,B,C,D and some other types derived by combining the basic ones such as class AB which is obtained from class A and class B pertaining to their efficiency and linearity [1]. Ideally, power amplifiers are supposed to deliver 100% of the power to the load. However, as some of the power dissipates in the components of the amplifier, hence we do not have ideal power amplifiers. It is found that the linearity has an inverse relationship to the efficiency of the amplifier. The classes A, B and C power amplifiers are considered inefficient but linear whereas the other types are considered efficient but more complex than the basic types. Class A power amplifiers are least efficient than the others. The efficiency of class B is much higher than class A, however, class C has the highest efficiency level compared to class A and B [2]. The scope of this paper is to discuss class B power amplifier in details. Class B power amplifier: This class of amplifier was developed in order to improve class A power amplifiers, which have low efficiency rating. [1-3] shows and explains the internal design, the efficiency, the advantages and disadvantages, and the applications of class B power amplifiers. Internal circuit and operation: To get a sufficiently good amplification of the input waveform in the output, a push-pull class B power amplifier configuration must be used. This configuration is based on two transistors. The term push-pull comes from the fact that two transistors in a class B amplifier conduct in alternating half-cycles of the input [1]. Moreover, there are two types of push-pull configurations, one with transformers and one without transformers [2]. A balanced centre tapped input transformer is used to split the incoming waveform signal into two equal cycles that are 180 degrees out of phase with each other. Another center-tapped output transformer is used to recombine the signals. If the transformer is ideal we can get two collector currents that flow in opposite directions, hence no magnetization of the transformer core takes place which in turn minimizes the distortion in between the two signals. Both transistors used are of NPN transistor type where their emitter terminals are connected together [2]. discusses the mechanism in which the circuit works. Primarily, when no input signal is present, both transistors are biased at cutoff. When a signal is present during the positive half cycle, the transistors base inputs are in anti-phase to each other which causes transistor TR1to become biased above cutoff due to the positive base input that drives a large collector current, while TR2 is still biased at cutoff as the base current will go negative, making the collector current decrease by an equal amount of the increase in the collector current in TR1. This will result in an amplified positive-output half cycle. When the input signal is in the negative half cycle, the same procedure is done but in opposite, resulting in TR1 returning to the cutoff state while TR2 start building until it becomes biased above cutoff. This will result in an amplified negative-output half cycle. The half cycles combine to produce an output amplified 360 degrees signal with distortion. This effect is the push-pull effect. Advantages and Disadvantages of Class B power amplifier: Class B amplifiers have an advantage over class A amplifiers which is that the collector current is zero when the input signal to amplifier is zero that cause no power dissipation in the quiescent condition which leads to higher efficiency [1]. The main goal of using power amplifiers is to generate maximum AC power to the load, while consuming the minimum DC power possible from the supply. The efficiency of class B amplifiers in all types may reach up to 75% which is much higher than class A amplifiers [2]. The equation shown above is used to calculate the percentage efficiency of all power amplifiers. Pout is the power delivered to the load and PDC is the power taken from the supply. Class B amplifiers has one main disadvantage which is the high distortion that occurs in the output signal. This type of distortion is called the crossover distortion [2]. This distortion occurs when the transistors are switching over from one to another. Each transistor requires minimum voltage VBE which is about 0.7V to conduct. When one transistor is turning off by having VBE less than 0.7V and the other transistor is turning on but still the input voltage is not greater than VBE, the resulting is a zero voltage â€Å"flat spot† on the output wave shape as it crosses over from one half of the waveform to the other [2, 3].According to [2], the crossover distortion cause a reduction in the overall peak to peak value of the output waveform causing the maximum power output to be reduced. Hence, class B power amplifiers today are not used in many applications; it is only used as an audio amplifier. There are many ways to get rid of crossover distortion effect, but the most commo n one is to bias both the transistors at a point slightly above their cut-off point [1, 2]. This will lead us to class AB Amplifier circuit which is out of this paper scope. Application: The cost of class B amplifier is not high; therefore it is used in low budget designs. Furthermore, it is used in designs where the quality of the sound is not important because of the distortion it provides [3]. However, class B amplifier is preferred in designing audio power amplifiers [3]. [3] reveals that most of the time the music will be low so the signal will act as if it is in class A region. This means that the distortion will not be that bad. Moreover, the distortion can be minimized by using a negative feedback loop [3]. [3] also emphasizes that the sound power produced by this amplifier is huge and it can be run without heat sinks. Conclusion: This research was conducted in order to investigate the properties of class B power amplifier. First an overview about power amplifiers was considered in order to develop a better understanding about the reasons behind classifying them to many types. It was found that each class has its own application which it suits for. This is determined according to many aspects such as linearity and efficiency which are inversely proportional. Class B was found to be higher in efficiency compared to class A but less in linearity. Looking into the configuration of class B, it was found that class B amplifier has two possible configurations, one with a transformer and the other without the transformer. Both configurations works with two transistors where each one conducts for a half cycle (180 degrees), which gives the opportunity to the other transistor to cool. However, the configuration where the amplifier does not have a transformer is more efficient because less energy is lost in elements as a result of eliminating the transformer core. Class B amplifier was found to be used in low cost designs and designs where the clarity of the voice is not important. The crossover distortion can be removed by using a negative feedback loop or bias both transistors at a point slightly above their cut-off point, which is the idea of class AB power amplifier.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Ellen Foster Essay -- Essays Papers

Ellen Foster "When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy." [P.1], says eleven-year-old Ellen. Thus the young narrator begins her life-story, in the process painting an extraordinary self-portrait. â€Å"Ellen Foster† is a powerful story of a young girl growing up in a burdensome world. As one reads this work presented by Kaye Gibbons, a chill runs down their back. Ellen, the main character is faced with a hard life dealing with endless losses, with the deaths of both her parents and her grandmother being included. Why would one get a chill you wonder? This individual has thoughts and feelings that many have never experienced and cannot express. Ellen is merely a child no older then the age of ten but if not knowing this fact, readers would think she was an aged woman who has lived their life sufficiently. In this book Ellen refers to herself many times as "Old Ellen." I believe that she uses this name because throughout the book Ellen is always taking care of someone beside herself: her colored friend, Starletta, and her dying mother. Ellen's parents die, and her grandmother dies, but this isn’t really a great loss for Ellen. Her mother was a frail and sick woman whom Ellen was constantly protecting from her drunken father. For a time, Ellen’s Art teacher, Julia, and her husband move Ellen into their home. She feels, for the first time, that she is apart of a loving family. She describes, in the book, â€Å" the three of us could pass for a family on the street...

Friday, July 19, 2019

Childhood Essay -- Gender Roles

The majority of people around the world would classify the age of childhood to be between the ages of zero to eighteen years. One’s childhood is based upon recollections and memories of what happened in one’s past. However, some individuals may recall their childhood, while others may vaguely recall their childhood and others may simply need assistance from a family member or friend to reinforce what happened in those years in order for them to remember. Comprehending our memory is important in making sense of our personal identity. Memory serves as a form of knowledge for us. It can contribute to understanding our childhood as it brings us into contact with past events. Our memory helps us recall events that occurred in the past even though, at times, our perception of the actual facts are somewhat inaccurate. What has been forgotten indicates that it might have been too painful or insignificant to recall. There is a resistance to not remember things that caus e us pain. Therefore memory is selective. In terms of gender roles they are defined by ideologies within society. Being an ethnographer, it can be argued that childhood can be studied and explored by separating male and females from each other. The attached photograph (Appendix A) emphasizes me as a child and illustrates what I enjoyed doing most of my infancy years and what I wanted to become. In terms of children’s popular culture, the study that I am conducting is essentially centered around children’s toys, which can be defined by gender preferences. By doing research my main focus of my methodology is primarily on memory work and, as I am aware, memory is flawed. Gender roles help identify childhood in terms of what society categorizes males vs. femal... ...res depict our identity in our early years. My identity was clearly defined by owning the doll as it made me feel in control, special and loved. Being able to care for something so precious and so small made me feel so important. In closing, childhood can be seen through various terms and implications. Numerous objects such as social variables, nostalgia, adult agendas, popular culture all influence the concept of gender roles and identities. These terms have great impact when defining theory of gender roles, especially when relating it to this photograph. Photographs taken together uncover a layer of meaning. Working with childhood memory is a project of recreating the past and yearning for that idealistic past and trying to fit it into the present day world. Working through our childhood toy memories is our desire to long for the perfect past.

Compare and Contrast how feelings of fear and confusion are conveyed :: English Literature

Compare and Contrast how feelings of fear and confusion are conveyed through the use of imagery and other poetic techniques. I am going to compare the use of poetic devices to portray fear and confusion in 3 different poems, they are; Patrolling Barnegat by Walt Whitman, On the Train by Gillian Clarke, and Storm on the Island by Seamus Heaney. These poems all portray a feeling of confusion, often it is linked with the theme of war. In Patrolling Barnegat, Walt Whitman uses repetition to enhance the power of the storm he is describing. "Wild, Wild the storm, and the sea high running" The repetition of wild in this line helps to enforce the power of the storm and nature. Whitman also uses personification in this line where he compares the movement of the sea to a person running, as if he is saying that the sea will move for nobody. He is also making it sound as if the sea is rushing to get somewhere as if it is on a mission. Whitman also incorporates rhyme in his poem. This gives his poem a strong rhythm and this rhythm ties in with the image of the rolling sea, and gives this image more effect. In Storm on the IslandSeamus Heaney also describes a vivid, powerful storm. He describes the storm like he has learnt from past experience. He describes preparing for the storm as if he has gone through it many times before. "Can raise a tragic chorus in a gale" Here Seamus Heaney is comparing the storm to a tragic chorus, which could be associated with an opera - a form of entertainment. Seamus Heaney is using 2 opposites to help describe the ferocity of the storm and give the reader a clearer picture of what it would be like to be where he is. Also Heaney uses no punctuation at the end of his lines, so it is like reading a continuous sentence. Despite the lack of punctuation, the poem still has a definite rhythm, and because of the lack of punctuation, an unusual style. Gillian Clarke's poem On the Train describes the Paddington rail crash of October '99 She uses many poetic techniques to describe what it must have been like for people waiting to find if their relatives that had been travelling on the train that day were safe or not. "The wolves howl into silent telephones" Here Gillian Clarke is talking about the people who have lost someone in the crash. She uses the metaphor of a wolf to describe the people trying to phone their loved ones, only to get silence, or an answer

Thursday, July 18, 2019

International Business- Failure of Joint Venture as a Result of Culture Essay

1. Joint venture between TCL and Alcatel In 2004, TCL Technology Holdings Limited, a multinational electronics conglomerate from Huizhou, China entered into a mobile phone manufacturing Joint Venture with Alcatel, a global corporation in telecommunication equipments, services and applications from Paris, France, in a bid to foray into the global market. The joint venture company – TCL and Alcatel Mobile Phones Ltd (TAMP) – managed research and development (R&D), sales and distribution of mobile handsets and related products and services (TCL 2011). TCL invested 55 million euros to garner a fifty five percent stake while Alcatel put in 45 million euros along with its mobile handset business for the remaining forty five percent share (China Daily 2004). The two corporations each possessed individual strengths that they believed, when joined in partnership, would establish their stronghold in the competitive mobile phone industry and further their geographical reach in sales. TCL is a distinguished brand that fronts the China market and has a vantage point as a low cost manufacturing base in Asia. Alcatel is a leading player in Europe and Latin America and has operations in more than 130 countries. It could contribute an extensive sales network as well as its high aptitude in R&D (TCL 2011). Alcatel also provided patents to TCL, who did not own its own technology, to enable its entry into markets that have intellectual property (IP) rights requirements (Zhu 2005). TCL at that time had faced a waning domestic market and needed Alcatel to help it expand into newer international markets while Alcatel believed that TCL’s lead in manufacturing would improve its product offering that would better meet the varying needs of its customers worldwide. According to Morgan Stanley, a multinational financial services provider, the joint venture (TAMP) had enormous potential to place seventh to become one of the global leaders in the industry (TCL 2011). TAMP began operations in September 2004. However, only 8 months into the joint venture, by the end of the first quarter of 2005, TAMP had reported a loss of 36 million euro (Li 2011). As a result, TCL bought out Alcatel’s 45 percent share in TAMP to solely take over the venture. The TCL-Alcatel (T&A) collaboration had failed. The transaction took place in the form of an exchange of stocks where Alcatel transferred its TAMP shares to TCL in return for a 5 percent share in the latter’s firm. Because the venture had ended prematurely, Alcatel also paid 20 million  euros in compensation to TCL for the withdrawal of IP rights it had rendered to TAMP (Zhu 2005). After the termination of the joint venture, TCL began to draw profits again in the following year (Li 2011). 2. Problems of the joint venture The failure was attributed to high inherent production costs of managing an international corporation and the underlying financial problems of Alcatel that existed prior to the joint venture that impeded TAMP’s profit goals (Zhu 2005) therefore made it hard to revive the business. Ernst & Young’s (2011) financial reports revealed that Alcatel suffered net operation losses of 400 million euro in 2001 and is a plausible reason why it had been eager to sell its shares to TCL in the first place – to rid the loss making assets (Zhu 2005). But to a large extent, stark cultural differences in working styles between the Chinese and French had a role to play in the lead to its eventual failure. Despite their industrious attempt at internationalizing the business, the Chinese had a perennial lack of understanding of the European culture and were inexperienced in managing international human resource (Monks 2012). This caused friction amongst the employees, who are the building blocks of a company, thus eventually eroded the viability of the collaboration. 3. Culture in IB Culture is an integral part of international business. Every country exhibits a unique set of culture that is distinct from another and has a considerable effect on the way people work and function in their workplace. It is a basis upon which organizations strategize and shape their operations and decisions (Reis, Ferreira and Santos 2011) as well as influence the way they negotiate (Graham, Mintu and Rodgers 1994). Therefore it is critical to learn and understand the cultures of the countries in which you are interested to do business because differences in culture potentially give rise to misunderstandings in the workplace where people have inaccurate perceptions  of each other (Wursten,Lanzer and Fadrhonc 2012), so when managers have awareness of differences, they can alter the way they manage their foreign employees. This is supported by Luo (1999), who found that an understanding of host country culture improved overall business performance. Entering into joint ventures with local firms is an advantageous mode of entry that allows foreign MNCs to acquire local knowledge (Makino and Delios 1996) and this was the strategy taken by TCL in its entrance into France. However, the Chinese firm still faced huge problems of ‘culture conflict’ (Yao and He 2005, p.34). 4. Why it faced difficulties Over the past decade, China had been aggressive in reaching out to the world through its outward foreign direct investment (FDI) policies. Figures from the 2006 Statistical Bulletin of China’s Outward Foreign Direct Investment show that outward FDI of China increased 18.5 billion from 2002 to 2006 (Ministry of Commerce of China 2007). Declining domestic demand and ailing revenues had been a motivation and the confidence from having many years of international experience from foreign MNCS operating in its country had primed China for its own global advance (Lyles and He 2008). Yet there lay fundamental problems in the execution. 4.1 Cultural Differences between TCL and Alcatel There are distinct differences in working styles of employees in Alcatel and TCL due to the intrinsic cultural differences between these two countries. How will management adapt to it is specific to culture as managers are products of their own culture with its own set of beliefs and values and manners of expression and will go on to organize its people effectively according to this very culture so it follows that what works for a particular culture might not necessarily work for another (Wursten 2008). Some friction was observed in the interaction between TCL and Alcatel employees and cooperation between the two managements due to personal perceptions of each other. In an interview conducted by Li Jing (2011), associate professor at Simon Fraser University, for the vice presidents of TCL – Well Lu (TCL) and Laurent Labbe (Alcatel) -, the issue of cultural differences between the two firms was discussed. 4.1.1 Conservatives v Risk Takers The French adopts a more conservative approach when it comes to decision-making. Conservatism is associated with the uncertainty-avoidance (UAI) dimension ( Doupnik and Riccio 2006) and France has one of the highest UAI index at 86 indicating that they are not comfortable with ambiguous situations and will take measures to avoid them (Hofstede 2001). They ‘think a lot before doing something’ (Li 2011, p.3), because in their country, mistakes are unacceptable (Bowie 2008). As a result, Frenchmen are averse to risk (Bowie 2008). Out of 500 employees from Alcatel, only 70 remained in the joint venture company because the perception is that there will be no job security and they cannot afford taking this risk (Li 2011). High turnover rates lower the productivity of a business (BizFilings 2012). Conversely the Chinese are more willing to take risks. This is reflected in their low UAI score of 30. They accept ambiguity, are adaptive to change and make decisions based on a pragmatic approach (Hofstede 2001). However a point to note is that, although China is generally open to risk taking, it tends to embark on lengthy considerations that can notably delay decision-making (RSM International 2010). This would test the patience of its French counterpart and frustrate the relationship. This divergence in attitude and multi-faceted culture causes a struggle in reaching decisions when both parties are set in their own ways about an approach. 4.1.2 Individualists v Collectivists Alcatel’s is a predominantly individualist culture where work relationship is upon the basis of a contract, which underlines the concept of professionalism and have marked definition of an employee’s job responsibilities (Li 2011). TCL, in contrast, is primarily a collectivist culture where people work in the interests of the group (Hofstede 2001). This is reflected in its corporate culture where it wants its employees to feel belonging to the company, to treat it like home (Li 2011). But during the joint venture, as the company grows at an accelerated pace, the nature of the jobs became vague and necessitated a TCL working style. The French are a high-minded group so competition typically prevail teamwork (Kenna and Lacy 1994) at the work place which meant many Alcatel employees were removed from their comfort zone. 4.1.3 Varying degree of acceptance of power Moreover, as France is also an uncertainty avoidance society, there was further disorientation when there was no clear example from top management how they were supposed to work (Li 2011). France and China are both large power distance societies but employ different types of power (Zheng 2010). The French are more accustomed to legitimate power, which is the power that imposes a sense of responsibility or obligation on them (Zheng 2010) and value strong leadership and tight controls (Bowie 2008). But this was not the approach used by the TCL as it tended to be more abrasive and did not agree with a very important aspect of Chinese culture – Harmony. Chinese people manage work relationships with harmony in mind and also the concept of giving everyone ‘face’ (Zheng 2010) so the difference in styles puts the French in discomfiture, and the Chinese in confusion as to why the French was being less than efficient therefore affecting the company’s productivity that would affect the bottom line of the business. 4.1.4 ‘Lazy’ v Driven Individuals Lu admits that he ‘used to subscribe to the stereotype that Frenchmen are lazy’ and ‘are more relaxed’ when it comes to work attitudes (Li 2011, p.3). Laziness is perceived as a negative characteristic and might draw disapproval from other co-workers. However it must be understood that the  French are not really ‘lazy’ but are Polychronic people (Hall 2000). Polychronic people are described in Hall’s cultural theory to have a tendency not to keep a tight structure on their time and work at their own pace, also preferring not to make elaborate plans so (Suntsova 2009) therefore giving the impression of being lazy. The Chinese are, like the French, Polychronic (Hall 2000). But to a large degree they are also a masculine society, according to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions (2001), with a high score of 66. In masculine societies, people are motivated to be the best they can be, where great emphasis is placed on achievement and success. Labbe (Li 2011) had described the Chinese as workers with tremendous drive and ambition. On the other hand France is a more feminine society scoring 43, which implies that they are more concerned about the quality of life. For example, France has a liberal welfare system in place that entails short 35 hour work weeks. Labbe (Li 2011, p.3) agrees that the Frenchmen are ‘satisfied with just working for a base salary’. Thus TCL (Chinese) employees who are more masculine, will be disposed to think that their Alcatel colleagues (French), who are feminine and polychronic, are lazy and unmotivated workers, which is a careless observation, because eventually the work is accomplished, only the work is done in a different manner. This misconception leads to resentment amongst employees. 4.2 Lack of international management experience To add to the problem, TCL, like many Chinese firms lack real experience in managing an international business. MNCs’ operating in external markets face liability of foreignness (LOF) where they are at a disadvantage to local firms due to unfamiliarity of host country conditions (Hymer 1976). They have to overcome the liabilities by forging competitive advantages against local firms or fine-tune managerial learning about host markets to reduce LOF while local firms do not have to make as much adjustments in comparison (Petersen and Pedersen 2002). Therefore while many years of having foreign MNCs in China allowed these MNCS to accrue experience from their overseas ventures, the Chinese firms, who although to a large measure were part of the internationalization process, were only at the receiving  end and had not really garnered real managerial experience in operating internationally. When it was down to the actual initiation into international markets such as the US and in this case Europe France, China was confronted by its own set of LOF and was unable to reconcile the divergent national and corporate cultures (Thomsen and Nicolas 2008) between the two countries so it faced difficulties in managing its French employees in TAMP. 5. Solution The general idea one gets from reading related literature about culture in international business is that, differences in culture is a source of misunderstandings and miscommunication that will invariably present itself as a threat to the productivity of business. And the solution would be to understand these differences in culture, to have knowledge of them, so that we can reduce some of these problems (Pilhofer 2011). While it is very useful for us to gain cultural understanding, conventional literature conveys a negative notion in relation to it. It seems to be implying an obligation and necessity to learn about culture to avoid failing the business. Essentially there is nothing fundamentally wrong with this notion but this would only lead to people withdrawing from interaction with other cultures altogether if they fear failure and negative situations (Pilhofer 2011). If I were in charge of the joint venture, I would ensure that the employees gain an appreciation and respect for culture. They need to view cultural learning positively, see it as learning how different others’ cultures are from theirs and use it to adapt accordingly so as to achieve the business objectives (Ferraro 2009). Learn that negative situations such as misunderstandings are inevitable, but even those can be regarded positively in terms of a new experience (Pilhofer 2011). It is not as much the knowledge than what you do with it. To achieve this, management must first introduce this idea of openness to its employees to gradually overcome their innate ethnocentrism (Ferraro 2009). With inculcation and education, over time I believe it will form part of the company’s corporate culture. When work is done in a more positive and respectful atmosphere, performance can be more productive (Ferraro 2009), than in a stressful environment. Going forward, TCL needs to gain more experience in managing people internationally by undertaking more international endeavors. However they cannot enter heedlessly and will need to study the new markets and their cultures and create a plan. Some difficulties would still be faced but they could learn from it. 6. Conclusion The joint venture between Alcatel and TCL failed chiefly due to its existing financial situation. However for the most part, the friction experienced by employees from both companies because of 1. lack of understanding of cultural disparities in work styles and 2. inadequate international experience of TCL’s management had undermined the potential effectiveness of the joint venture, inevitably leading to its failure. Culture is a very elemental factor in International Business today. Business partners face challenges in working with people from other cultures. If there is no knowledge and understanding, firms would not be able to make adjustments accordingly to best achieve their business goals. But cultural knowledge should be learned with a positive motivation rather than attaching negative consequences to it. People need to gain an appreciation and respect for other cultures to be able to work in them effectively. Word count: 2640

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Cause and Effect of Movie Crash Essay

Crash, a film tell by Paul Haggis in 2005, is a film that follows char snatchers whose lives intertwine over the be given of just a few hours. These characters solely rent contrasting cultures, ethnicities and arsegrounds, but be each in front of the resembling issues of racial difference and stereotyping beca practice session of their differences. Making the flavor that films are primarily concerned with the issues of terrene slew a highly immaculate statement in regards to the pic Crash. well Crash provides a tactile sensation into these issues of discrimination and stereotyping and shows how they affect e genuinely mavins lives. Crash is the perfect(a) resemblance of how we as a benevolent race homophileage with life, people and our proclaim experiences.Physical characteristics and racial differences may be interpreted as two distinguishing traits that bust us. I think its what keeps us away from each otherwise. It also shows how e trulyones actions freigh ter consume a period effect on other somebodys life. To wreakher we are any connected to one another by just crossing one anothers paths while been in self-discipline of our lives. A soulfulnesss views and beliefs can have an outcome on how one behaves towards other people. The opening scene is cracking in presenting the issue of racism estim adapted from the rootage. in that location has been a load on a motorway and Detective Ria is in short arguing with an Asian lady. I Blake in addition fast? Im sorry, you no see my Blake lights? Maybe you see over steering wheel, you Blake too. These harsh words launch the film up for a figment full of racism and discrimination. Paul Haggis uses this detrimental mood to prove the anger. What Haggis is video display is that when youre in your car, you feel safe and absorbed to everything international of your world because you are reclusive in your accept little space. Its only if you crash that you have to regard with the r eality of whats happening outside your own life. This is much the same with racial discrimination. You can live in your own little bubble, but when you find yourself crashing into mortal elses life, youll be forced to deal with your racial discrimination. hind end Ryan is one of the characters from the photograph Crash.John role in the movie is a anti vitriolic cop who forever seems to show hate towards anyone he feels is a threat to him, mainly because him macrocosm a cop, he has the authority to do so over most people. He essentially picks on anyone he feels is an irritation to him. In the movie his circumstances are very interesting, especially the way it effects different incidents and other characters from the movie. officeholder Ryan in the beginning scene that he is in, it shows him mouth on a pay phone in a diner. He is arguing round his elderly sire medical check out and need for more than testing and medications. after a couple minutes of speaking his convers ation does not gets nowhere with the person on the phone, he ask them for their pee-pee. When she replies that her name was Shaniqua he says thats what I ideal. His attempt at move to use reverse psychology on Shaniqua is very poor to get her to see his dad, it does maintain sense.However, she sees right through that and sees that hes just universe a racist prick. Then when he goes to the come toice in person it is the same women he had communicate with on the phone previously. He started off trying to be polite and civil. disregarding of his current behavior the woman cannot stymy his being racist prick. All that incumbent Ryan cause was for Shaniqua to respond in a negative way. policeman Ryans pass on for further testing and a newly Doctor for his sick father were rejected. officeholder Ryan doesnt stop, and then tries to explain wherefore he is a racist to Shaniqua. He tells her of when the city of L.A passed a minority act John Ryans father loses his business, be cause just about all of his employees are working minorities. I think this adds or might regular(a) be one of the main dry lands that causes John to become a racist singular towards others. Causes him to blame the minorities for the closure of his fathers business, (after all if it wasnt for them being minorities his father would still have his business) influencing him to mistreat people of other races.Shaniqua calls the buildings security to remove Officer Ryan from the building. Officer Ryan is out on guard and pulls over the vehicle of a black couple Cameron and Christine, because the vehicle sort of matched the rendering of the D.A.s stolen car. Because of his racist attitudes he progeny to do an unnecessary body face just because he has the authority and disrespectfully molests Christine in front of her husband, and this act probably makes him feel handle hes getting even, maybe even like hes getting retaliation on minorities for ruining his sick dads business. Beca use it was their chemise that the act was passed, but in reality John just seems to need someone to blame and African Americans are the easiest for him to criticize. For the reason that, Officer Ryans behavior towards Christine it has cause this couple to fight after getting home.Christine is angry that Cameron did not stop Officer Ryan from molesting her. This fight would never have happened if not for the why that Officer Ryan had treated them earlier. aft(prenominal) that the discord and emotional distress that Christine was under. There is a serious car calamity involving Christine upset and attenuated and to a fat loss to be driving, which in turn away causes the accident. She is badly injured in a car that is turned over, and refuses her only ease from whom other then John Ryan. She seems stir and frightened when he approaches the scene and tries to help. I think at this very molybdenum Ryan must have a commodious change of heart and redeems himself, because he ver y really wants to help Christine instead of botheration her, a minority, someone John Ryan would normally mistreat and maybe even give notice at this point.The cause of him molesting Christine caused the mistrust mingled with them, but during the life threatening situation they were both in, he probably carry out he had been wrong, as he strongly convinces Christine he was not going to hurt her. He even rushed back in to save her after being pulled out without. Christine even with the car being totally in flames right onwards the car blows up, he was able to get her out on time. This accident and the sign reaction of Christine towards Officer Ryan when he is trying to help her get out of the remains, it is showing himself the reason why he became a cop. That it did not matter what a persons race was that they were still a person. However, that could possibly be the most classic theme of Crash is how these racial stereotypes were able to be shattered. Or on the other side of the coin is how easy it is to communicate and jump into judgement someone else by their race or even how they look or talk. In one of the live scenes of the movie Officer Hansen, shoots and kills the African American that was arrive at in his pocket for his enshrine Christopher statute. To show him that he had the same as the one Officer Hansen had on his scare away board.Officer Hansen, assuming it was a grease-gun the young black man was reaching in his pocket for. He snapshot the young man and killed him. The young man just happened to be detective Grimms younger brother. Officer Hansen must have realized in that moment what his ex-partner officer Ryan had meant when he had spoken to him at the start of the shift. Those words spoken had been the truth more than he wished to have to acknowledge.Crash. Dir Paul Haggis 2005 Perf plane Dillion and Don Cheadle, DEJ Productions, DVD Crash. Dir. Paul Haggis. Perf. Sandra Bullock. moving pictures Movie Trailers Reviews Rotten Tomatoes. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. .Koban, Craig J. Afilm Review Crash. CrAiGeRs Cinema Corner. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. .