Information Technology: Its Evolution, Advantages and Disadvantages

Main Topic: Information Technology: Its Evolution, Advantages and Disadvantages Creative Topic: So You Love IT: Where Has it Been? Where is it Going? Sub-topic: A Brief Examination of the Evolution of Information Technology, and Some Uses and Misuses. Today in society, people cannot conceive of a life without technology. Surrounding us are various technologies that are helping people to live their lives with more luxury.Technological advancements are not just limited to computers; there are many other fields in which it has made significant ground breaking developments such as from carts to cars, from constantly being pinned down by gravity to air travel and from being confined to the earth to travel among the stars. There are many significant persons throughout history that have made ground breaking discoveries such as Blaise Pascal, Charles Babbage and Herman Hollerith which in turn laid the foundation for modern IT professionals such as Bill Gate and Steve Jobs.Information Technol ogy (IT) involves more than just computer literacy; it also takes into account how computers work and how these computers can further be used not just for information processing but also for communications and problem solving tasks as well. Our world today has changed a great deal with the aid of Information Technology. Jobs that were once done manually have now become computerized, simply requiring a single click of a mouse to get a task completed versus years ago when everything was exceedingly more difficult.With the aid of IT we are not only able to streamline our business processes but we are also able to get constant information in ‘real time' that is up to the minute and up to date. The significance of IT can be seen from the fact that it has penetrated almost every aspect of our daily lives and the society, from business to leisure. Therefore in order to understand more deeply about IT it is important to inspect the evolution of technology and some of its uses and misu ses. 1. The Birth of IT goes back many centuries, from the development of mathematics, to electro-mechanical machines, to the first digital computer.A. The concept of mathematics was expressed in stone and wood cravings, a calculating machine then to an analytical engine. B. Electro-mechanical machines paved way for communication such as the telegraph, telephone and the Internet. C. Digital computer introduced computer programming, the use of transistor and integrated circuits. 2. The uses of computer have proven to be very beneficial in communication, Business and Education. D. Enhancements in communication have increased transition of data, bridged cultural gaps and brought about positive globalization. E.Computers have created jobs in the business industry and also have improved protection of vital information and have reduced productivity time. F. The use of IT has enhanced education, the ability to learn and access to learning materials. 3. The misuses of computer have been pro blematic in the communication, Business and Education sectors. G. The development of communication devices as brought about issues of privacy, technological addiction and cultural domination. H. Business enterprises have also caused some problems such as job elimination, security breaches and expensive implementation. I.The education sector is diminishing the overall learning process resulting in loss of skill, plagiarism and the poor remains poor. Today in society, people cannot conceive of a life without technology. Surrounding us are various technologies that are helping people to live their lives with more luxury. Technological advancements are not just limited to computers; there are many other fields in which it has made significant ground breaking developments such as from carts to cars, from constantly being pinned down by gravity to air travel and from being confined to the earth to travel among the stars.There are many significant persons throughout history that have made ground breaking discoveries such as Blaise Pascal, Charles Babbage and Herman Hollerith which in turn laid the foundation for modern IT professionals such as Bill Gate and Steve Jobs. Information Technology (IT) involves more than just computer literacy; it also takes into account how computers work and how these computers can further be used not just for information processing but also for communications and problem solving tasks as well.Our world today has changed a great deal with the aid of Information Technology. Jobs that were once done manually have now become computerized, simply requiring a single click of a mouse to get a task completed versus years ago when everything was exceedingly more difficult. With the aid of IT we are not only able to streamline our business processes but we are also able to get constant information in ‘real time' that is up to the minute and up to date.The significance of IT can be seen from the fact that it has penetrated almost every aspec t of our daily lives and the society, from business to leisure. Therefore in order to understand more deeply about IT, it is important to inspect the evolution of technology and some of its uses and misuses. The Birth of IT goes back many centuries, from the development of mathematics, to electro-mechanical machines, to the first digital computer. These ground breaking consecutive technological innovations made it possible to develop the glorious industry we have come to know has IT.Through the use of abstraction and logical reasoning, mathematics developed from counting, calculation, measurement, and the systematic study of the shapes and motions of physical objects(Insert Citation). The development of mathematics led to the development of tools to help in computation such as sticks, stones and various carvings, used in an almost futile attempt to record data and information. These objects were used because no other methods were available to efficiently follow and store a mathemati cal equation at the time.These were used for centuries until the wonderful use of paper came into being and until the marvellous abacus was invented which made performing tedious calculations a bit easier to trace and record. The abacus was a simple wooden box with beads strung along a wooden mid-bar to perform calculation (citation). Mathematics is used throughout the world as an essential tool in many fields, not just IT but also including the natural sciences, engineering, medicine, and the social sciences. Blaise Pascal took advantage of fundamental mathematical principles and developed n outstanding machine. Blaise Pascal was credited with building the first calculating machine in 17th century. He invented the first digital calculator as a means of helping his father perform tedious tax accounting (citation). He called his amazing device Pascal's calculator which had a metal wheel dial that was turned to the appropriate numbers and symbols to preform calculations; the answers a ppeared in boxes in the top of the calculator. This was one the first contributions to the field of IT and it has advanced to the calculators we have grown to know and love today.Pascal continued to make improvements to his machine and built fifty Pascaline machines in total. The first Pascaline machine could only handle 5-digit numbers, but later Pascal developed 6 digit and 8 digit versions of the Pascaline. This method of advancing current inventions in order to expand their capabilities is one of the key concepts of evolution. It was an extraordinary achievement which would lead to greater heights in the field of IT such as the Analytical Engine. In the 19th century, Charles Babbage, whom is considered the father of computing, designed the first â€Å"analytical engine. (citation) It was his idea of a mechanical digital computer which could perform basic input, processing, output and storage that all computers that followed are based on in today’s modern society. This ma chine had a mechanical computing â€Å"mill†(the processor) and used punch cards to store the numbers and processing requirements. Lady Augusta Ada Lovelace was a great supporter of Charles Babbage and she convinced him to use binary systems in his engines. Because she wrote some programs for Babbages’ engines, she is considered the first programmer (citation).His vision of a massive brass, steam-powered, general-purpose, mechanical computer inspired some of the great minds of the nineteenth century. Almost a century later, Charles’ ideas re-emerged with the development of electro-mechanical calculating machines such as the tabulating machine and devices used for telecommunication. Electro-mechanical machines paved way new and exciting way to communicate such as the telegraph, telephone and the internet. A telegraph is a machine which is used for transmitting messages in the form of electrical impulses which can be converted into data (citation).A message sent v ia telegraph is coded in a language called Morse code but the message itself is called a telegram or cablegram. Telegraph machines had to be connected through a series of wires in order to exchange messages. The operator would key a message in the Morse alphabet, and the receiving telegraph machine on the other side would register the message in the form of clicks, different click have different meanings w the messages were decoded. By listening to the pattern of clicks, the receiving operator could hear the message and transcribe it before passing it on to the recipient.Advancements were made to telegraphy which introduced wireless telegraphy. This enabled telegraph messages were transmitted over the radio waves which marked a drastic change in the system, allowing people to rapidly transmit messages in areas without troublesome telegraph cables. Wireless laid the groundwork for later methods of communication such as the telephone. In the 1870s, Alexander Graham Bell designed a dev ice that could transmit speech electrically (the telephone) (citation).The telegraph and telephone are both wire-based electrical systems, and Alexander Graham Bell's superb success with the telephone came as a direct result of his attempts to improve the telegraph which as we can see again that innovation is possible through evolution. The telegraph was basically limited to receiving and sending one message at a time consequently Bell sought to improve on the telegraph to â€Å"fix† this problem. His aim was to be able to transmit multiple messages back and forth across the same line which of course brought us the telephone.But advancements in communication did not stop there. Later on person’s discovered that these same telephone lines could be used to transmit and share data across devices thus the idea of an inter-connected network (the internet) was introduced. The Internet was the result various persons wanting to share information between computers. A man named Lawrence Roberts of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) connected a Massachusetts computer with a California computer in 1965 over dial-up telephone lines and he discovered hat computer could share information through telephone lines (citation). The idea was developed further and a series on inter-connected networks created what we know today as the World Wide Web. This idea was indeed useful when the first digital computer was made. The first electronic digital computer, ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), was developed in 1946 however it was not very efficient due to poor programming and architecture thus it was necessary to improve on computer coding and develop better technology to run the software on (citation).A man named Von Neumann, a mathematics professor, developed the idea further. He added the idea of a stored computer program. This was a set of instructions stored in the memory of the computer, which the computer obeyed to complete the programm ed task (citation). From this stage, computers and computer programming evolved rapidly. The move from vacuum tubes to transistors significantly reduced the size and cost of the machines, and increased their reliability. Then came integrated circuit technology, which has reduced the size (and cost) of computers.In the 1960s, the typical computer was a transistor-based machine that cost half a million dollars, and needed a large, air-conditioned room and an on-site engineer. The same computer power now costs $2,000 and sits on a desk. As computers became smaller and cheaper, they also became faster–made possible by a single integrated circuit called a chip. The evolution of technology has proven to be very useful in various sectors of the world. IT is here to stay thus let us take advantage of it and explore it many benefits. The uses of computer have proven to be very beneficial in communication, Business and Education.Enhancements in communication have increased transition o f data, bridged cultural gaps and brought about positive globalization. Nowadays, people can get hot news from any parts of the world very quickly by using E-mail and Internet. Moreover, telephone-local or/and overseas is playing a key role for people to communicate to with each other. Our means of communication has greatly improved in the dawn of the modern technology. We now have so many hi-tech gadgets that we use for everyday to communicating with people from all over the world.We can now communicate with anyone around the globe by simply text messaging them or sending them an email for an almost instantaneous response. The telephone is a very helpful mean tool for us to talk with people from remote places, then came out the cellular phones, which we can take with us wherever we go. Now, we are given the privilege to use computers and the internet that has such a wide variety of easy communication offers. Transmission of data has become so easy compared to back in the day. With the help of information technology, communication has also become cheaper, quicker, and more efficient.The internet has also opened up face to face direct communication from different parts of the world thanks to the helps of video conferencing. It is one of the reasons why we should be thankful for technology. This ability to communicate with people worldwide has opened our eyes to various other cultures. Information technology has helped to bridge the cultural gap by helping people from different cultures to communicate with one another, and allow for the exchange of views and ideas, thus increasing awareness and reducing prejudice.In a world where there is tension between different racial groups especially in a case where these groups cannot communicate so resolve their differences, it can be a BIG problem for the tourism sector and inter-racial relationship between countries. Advancements in communication have allowed us bridge cultural barriers and rectify our differences. Cult ural unison is very important in developing the world and globalization can be seen a good thing. IT has not only brought the world closer together, but it has allowed the world's economy to become a single interdependent system.This means that we can not only share information quickly and efficiently, but we can also bring down barriers of linguistic and geographic boundaries. The world has developed into a global village due to the help of IT allowing countries like Chile and Japan who are not only separated by distance but also by language to shares ideas and information with each other. IT has not only proved beneficial in method communications but also to the business industry. Computers have created jobs in the business industry and also have improved protection of vital information and have reduced productivity time.Probably the best advantage of information technology is the creation of new and interesting jobs. Computer programmers, Systems analyzers, Hardware and Software developers and Web designers are just some of the many new employment opportunities created with the help of IT. Job creation is just of the aspects that IT has benefited people, securing data is another. IT creates electronic storage systems to protect a company's valuable records. According to the Graziadio Business Report, published by Pepperdine University, secure maintenance of customer and patient files is vital to business integrity.Storage systems, such as virtual vaults, keep information safe by only allowing certain users within your company to access, withdraw, add or change the documents. According to an article in Science Daily, IT security engineering systems protect your electronic information from being hacked, or wiped out during a technological disaster. Electronic security engineering means your valuable records will remain untouchable. Production has also been increased. Now, we can create materials in just minutes with multiple copies of those productions at a t ime.Before persons had to make products manually which sometime took days and weeks which cuts into the companies’ profit and often time this would result in worker’s pay getting slashed in an attempt to keep the business running. This is what the modern machines contribute to our society. The benefits IT has allow aid teachers and students in the educational sector. The use of IT has enhanced education, the ability to learn and access to learning materials. Technology has revolutionized the classroom and the learning experience as a whole.The technology available today has made a wealth of knowledge available to students, which offers great potential for the speed and style of learning. Information is presented in so many ways that any type learner, whether gifted or disabled, can find and use the necessary material. This fact relates not only to the Internet, but to all the many technological improvements in learning, from smart boards to handheld dictionaries. Stude nts at Northern Caribbean University are able to finish 6 months courses in 4 months which is an improvement compared to the time students normally take to learn certain concepts.Some students have become resent the learning process as a whole and the simple reason is because it is just â€Å"not their style†. Since the dawn of technological age pass method of teaching have become boring to students. Pass methods have become stale and it was just not the kind of setting that some students were able to learn in. With the introduction of new methods of teaching and with the â€Å"old† method still present students ability to learn as improve because they can be in a setting that pleases them and makes them comfortable thus learning is easier.Most persons now have access to various learning materials, access to this information is just a click away thus education is now a wide spread privilege. The information on the Internet is there for all who have access, without disc rimination. People of all social strata are able to use technological advances, which is a fairly new academic development. The advantages to IT are numerous however; modern technology doesn't automatically bring the good things but some bad points. The misuses of computer have been problematic in the communication, Business and Education sectors.The development of communication devices as brought about issues of privacy, technological addiction and cultural domination. Too many people can communicate with us all at the same time. It can create opportunities for fraudulent scams and dangerous spamming in a lot of ways. Though IT may have made communication quicker, easier and more convenient, it has also bought along privacy issues. From cell phone signal interceptions to email hacking, people are now worried about their once private information becoming public knowledge.Often times persons receive emails from what seems to be their well trusted banking company which prompts them to verify their bank account number an password after which they later find out that their account was completely drained of all funds. The youth has also been very much addicted to gadgets and they spend too much time with it which results in delinquency in school work, outdoor social activities and also they start to neglect chores and personal hygiene. Try asking a child playing with a PSP to do his homework and more than likely his reply will be â€Å"just one more game†.Try asking that child to get some fresh air and more than likely his reply will be â€Å"I prefer to stay inside use chat on Facebook†. Another disadvantage is that is causes cultural domination. While IT may have made the world a global village, it has also contributed to one culture dominating weaker one. For example it is now argued that US influences have caused most young teenagers all over the world now act, dress and behave like those of the US which results in personality issues because the c hild does not take the time to figure out what he/her is interested in.Instead they imitate and not only adapt a culture’s â€Å"good† standing but also their bad behaviour. These disadvantages extend into the business sector as well. Business enterprises have also caused some problems such as job elimination, security breaches and expensive implementation. While information technology may have streamlined the business process it has also crated job redundancies, downsizing and outsourcing. This means that a lot of lower and middle level jobs have been done away with causing more people to become unemployed. Implementing IT into business operations can save a great deal of time during the completion of daily tasks.Paperwork is processed immediately, and financial transactions are automatically calculated. Although businesses may view this expediency as a boon, there are untoward effects to such levels of automation. As technology improves, tasks that were formerly perf ormed by human employees are now carried out by computer systems. For example, automated telephone answering systems have replaced live receptionists in many organizations. This leads to the elimination of jobs and, in some cases, alienation of clients. Unemployed specialists and once-loyal employees may have difficulty securing future employment.Data security has also become an issue. The ability to store information in an electronic database facilitates quicker, more efficient communication. In the past, an individual would sift through stacks of paper records to retrieve data. With properly implemented technology, information can be recovered at the touch of a button. Although information technology systems allow business to be conducted at a faster pace, they are not without their flaws. Information technology systems are vulnerable to security breaches, particularly when they are accessible via the Internet.If appropriate measures are not in place, unauthorized individuals may access confidential data. Information may be altered, permanently destroyed or used for unsavoury purposes. In order to keep a business â€Å"up to date† lots money has to be spent to implement new technology. Every business must consider start-up costs when implementing any type of information technology system. In addition to the cost of hardware and software, some technology vendors require businesses to purchase user licenses for each employee that will be operating the system. Businesses must examine the cost of training employees in unfamiliar technology.Although basic information technology systems may be user friendly, advanced programs still require formal instruction by an expert consultant. In addition to the start-up expenses, information technology systems are expensive to maintain. Systems malfunction, and when they do, businesses must engage skilled technicians to troubleshoot and make the necessary repairs. These expenses present a major disadvantage of inform ation technology in business, particularly to businesses that are entering the technology era for the first time. The education sector has also suffered at the hand of technology.The education sector is diminishing the overall learning process resulting in loss of skill, plagiarism and the poor remains poor. With this increased access to knowledge also comes a probable loss of communication skills and interactive abilities between students and teacher, and students to peers. These skills are not as necessary in a classroom of computers, where individuality is a component of learning and is encouraged. Aside from learning, conflict resolution and socialization used to be two prominent reasons children came to school. The emphasis now has shifted away from these areas.

Crossing the Threshold

The Courage of Scott Carded It is difficult to know what one will do when faced with a life or death decision. Many do not even encounter such choices. What is thought in that spit second moment? You could save yourself or possibly save another; you could also die trying. Could you put all self-regarding values aside and complete an absolute act of courage? This is a man who did. Scott Carded had the courage to risk his own life for another's.It was Coot's third deployment. He is Infantry. He and his men walk directly into an enemy ruse. Gunfire and grenades threaten their very existence. Staff Sergeant screams to take cover, but it is too late for one man. He is down, lying vulnerably in the open. Between shots and explosions, Scott can hear the agonizing screams. He has no time to hesitate, enemy fire is closing in. Stay behind cover in safety or aide his brother in arms. No man left behind he shouts at his commanding officer.Scott tears through the sand toward the screaming, towar d the danger, toward his possible death. As he reaches his destination, he is shot through his hand by an enemy's rifle. Does he flee? No. He drags the man who has been shot through his stomach the 500 Ft. To cover with his other hand. Scott hears an all too familiar screech. He will not lose this man, not now; he knows what to do. He lies on top of him to absorb the airborne shrapnel from the grenade. The metal pierces his back and side.That man is alive today because Scott risked his life for him. Scott crossed the threshold when he stepped out of cover to retrieve a friend. He overcame fear of death and fear of failure. Courage is not absence of fear, but making the choice to overcome it, facing it head-on. Scott Carded was awarded a bronze star and multiple purple hearts in reward of his single act of courage. He did not give up. He was determined. Do not give up on your objective; you may even save a life.

Nutrition Communication Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Nutrition Communication Plan - Essay Example It recommended for the formation of a Food and Nutrition Council to further implement other recommendations basically the formation of bureaucratic bodies. Fisher proposed that groups of environmental interests although well-represented by a large local bureaucracy had been silent and that the document was fond to be insufficient for a 1985 and onwards acceptability. Among others, he noted four major deficiencies such as lack of a systems approach to food and nutrition, lack of consideration of the environmental implications of human nutrition, lack of consideration on the effects of additives and lack of use of the anthropology of food. In order to facilitate satisfaction of human nutritional needs require environmental factors, both the outer environment or natural resources and the inner, physiological and psychosocial environments (Borgstrom, 1972). A change in the ay of eating was recommended (Fisher, 1986) with the justification that per capita nutrition provided from plant crops requires less from the environment in comparison with animal crops as off-farm processing pf raw foodstuffs include transport, packaging and retailing procedures that extract much from the environment. ... ide from that, Fisher argued that greater effort is exerted on handling, preparing, preserving animal foodstuffs with consideration for hidden costs on legislation and policing of standards. In addition, disposal of leftovers and cleaning after preparation of meat-based meals are more difficult and intensive and produces more pollutants. The proposal that purchase and consumption of fresh, local plant sources although encouraging for a start (Fisher, 1986) also poses other environmental damages that were not discussed before such as effects of the use of chemical fertilisers, insecticide and preservatives. It is with this premise that the Green Line Organic Direct enters the situation. The Green Line Organic Direct The GLOD is Melbourne Victoria's leading (online) organic store that offer home delivery of a huge range of products that are biodynamic and environmentally friendly products including: organic and biodynamic fresh fruit - organic and biodynamic fresh vegetables - organic and biodynamic grocery products - organic and biodynamic bulk items - organic and biodynamic meat - organic alcohol - environmentally friendly cleaning and household products - environmentally friendly and organic personal care products - environmentally friendly and organic baby products (Green Line Organic Direct, 2007). Organic Foods It has been proposed that organic food is produced according to certain standards requiring that crops were grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers or sewage sludge, and that they were processed without ionizing radiation or food additives. In addition, animal food products meant they were reared without the use of antibiotics and growth hormones (Wikipedia, 2007). Due to nutrition and health impacts as well as

Physician Assistant Career Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Physician Assistant Career - Personal Statement Example A Physician Assistant career grasped my educational interest. I consulted with many friends and the majority of them suggested Charles Drew University. The University is known as a pioneer in medical discipline and has a pool of carefully selected experienced professors. Today, the health care has acquired an industry status, which has also resulted in many people not being able to afford visiting the physicians regularly. I'd like to be a part of their lives as well, so that I can share my knowledge and experience with the lesser privileged. My short term goal is to gain credentials as a qualified learner, who's ready to accept the challenges and learn from them. The necessity for health care workers is also on a rise, as in today's fast paced society there are many physical and psychological issues requiring adequate attention. I am a hard working person with an ability to adapt myself to any sort of environment, which is bound to help me in dealing with different sets of circumstances as a health worker. Previously, I had the experience of incompatible academic performance due to some tight schedule and improper time management I had committed my self to. I spent my free hours working outside the campus.

Research paper for Peggy Lee Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

For Peggy Lee - Research Paper Example Her career in music started in 1935 when she sang for the first with a local band and continued on in such a way till 1941 (Strom 10). It was in 1941 when her first song was recorded which was followed by several more recording of songs (Strom 18). She entered the film business and in a few movies, one being Lady and the Tramp in 1955. In 1995, she was presented with the Grammy’s Lifetime Achievement Award and was included in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1999. She died at the age of eighty one years in January, 2002. 2. She was born in a small city called Jamestown, situated in North Dakota (Strom 6). It was in this city where she first performed on the radio and a hotel where she was first noticed by Benny Goodman which led to her first official recording. She spent her last days and died in Los Angeles in California. 3. Peggy Lee did not learn music in a traditional way, but, rather, it came to her naturally. She sang in high school, her Church’s choir and even len t her voice for some local bands. 4. She only sang, there has been no mention of her ever playing any instrument. 5. She was amongst the first few to recognize the rock and roll genre in the field of music. She is also said to be a great influence on some of the world’s greatest singers such as Paul McCartney, Madonna, Bette Midler, etc. 6. No information found. 7. She started off performing with local bands but followed with solo acts. However, she did accompany another singer from time to time. 8. She was particularly known for how her voice turned soft, and even cool whilst singing songs (Unknown), which remained her signature for all her work, for her â€Å"delicately husky and reserved style† (Peggy Lee). 9. During the early 1980s, Peggy Lee came up with an idea of a Broadway stage show called â€Å"Peg† which was based on her own life. However, it did not appeal to the audience and, so, was closed down (Larkin). She is the only woman to have her songs in t he Top Ten hits during the 1940s, 1950s as well as 1960s. She also tried out sculpting and painting, and reproduced the hands of famous men like Albert Schweitzer (Hemming and Hajdu). 10. Her first husband Dave Barbour was the guitarist of Goodman’s band of whom she was a member, too. They divorced but were close till he died. The other three husbands were also from the music/film industry. She also worked with Sonny Burke, Mike Renzi, and Keith Ingham Octet amongst many others (Clarke). 11. She wrote music for films that she even acted in as well as those for her album. Her work was quite diverse and included poetry, chamber pop, jazz as well as art songs. 12. Peggy Lee was a composer, a singer, songwriter as well as an actress. 13. It was in March 1943 when she got married to David Barbour (Strom 29). In November of the same year, her first child Nicki Lee Babour was born (Strom 30). However, she divorced him in 1952 and married the actor Brad Dexter in 1953. Again, these t wo got divorced and she married another actor Dewey Martin three years later, in 1956. This marriage was also not to last for long and the two got divorced in 1958. Her fourth marriage was to Jack Del Rio in 1964 but they signed up for a divorce a bare year later. 14. Her most famous song is her version of â€Å"Fever† by the lyricists Eddie Cooley and John Davenport, originally written for Little Willie John. She added a few lines on her own which are not considered to be part of the original song and excluded some which she thought to be too

U.S. & The Middle East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

U.S. & The Middle East - Essay Example It would produce jobs that could not be outsourced, is environmentally sound and would make the country safer. A nuclear plant has not been built in the U.S. in three decades and is politically toxic. Solar and wind are optimum options but are still in their infancy. The technologies have yet to reach a level of sophistication that allows them to be cost effective for the average user. Soon they will be used nationwide for producing electricity. Oil can only be replaced, at least today and in the near future with natural gas. â€Å"Drill Baby Drill† was a catchy campaign slogan but is not a viable option. The U.S. could never produce enough to end its dependency on foreign oil and it oil is sold on the open market. Just because its drilled here doesn’t mean it will stay here. Batteries can power small cars but not the trucks that carry interstate commerce. Natural gas can. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration â€Å"24 trillion cubic feet of natural gas per year would be needed to replace the 4.5 billion barrels per year we import.† (Ganos, 2012). Currently, the U.S. produces about this amount each year. The government should take the initiative to encourage all transportation vehicles to convert and for natural gas stations to be available to the same degree gas stations are today in addition to electric access stations. If we wait, it may be too late. II. Peace in the Middle East, the uniting of Israel and Palestine in social harmony has not and likely will not ever be a reality. There has been too much animosity and too many points of conflict for too long for the deep-seeded mistrust between these two factions to ease. At one time maybe peace, or at least an uneasy tolerance, could have been a possibility but Arabs feel that they have never been offered compromise and are in no mood to negotiate now. This feeling runs deeply throughout the entire Middle East and other Muslim nations. Israeli overreaches in

Discuss key episodes in Gandhi's life in which he worked his own way Essay

Discuss key episodes in Gandhi's life in which he worked his own way through ethical dilemmas (from his autobiography My Experiments with Truth) - Essay Example but his daring temperament to stick to the truth how so ever the tough situation could be and his non-violence way to protest for the rights of people shuddered Britishers to quit India and provide Independence to the nation. His way to lead a simple life and his beliefs are inspiration even in todays world and they are applicable in todays life. It is because of his greatness his birthday, 2nd October, called as Gandhi Jayanti is considered as a national holiday and worldwide as the International Day of Nonviolence. Mahatma Gandhi practiced strict discipline in his life and the chief motive of his life was to be truthful in every deed. Various principles that were the key features in shaping the personality of Mahatma Gandhi encompass- "Truth" is the essence of Gandhis life. He was a firm believer that one must follow the path of truth how-so-ever difficult it could be, but truth keeps the self-conscious alive and prevents an individual from shame and disguise. He believed that one must practice truth in every aspect of life and should learn from own mistakes. His motive was to perform experiment with self so as to learn from personal mistakes. He honestly mentioned all the mistakes he committed in his autobiography called "The Story of My Experiments with Truth". Being truthful to oneself, in deeds and pursuits keeps the conscious clear and eliminates the feelings of fear and diffidence. According to Gandhi, "Truth is God" and to reach the truth, practice truth and one can reach the God. Therefore Gandhis philosophy for God is "Truth". He practiced truth in his life, as was depicted in his movements which he called "Satyagrah". In this movement the motive was to eradicate the hostility and enmity without causing any injury to the enemy. Therefore Satyagrah is considered a driving force or in terms of Martin Luther King Jr. as a soul force. According to Gandhi, if an individual is empowered with high morals and strong will power then no physical power could

Buisness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Buisness - Essay Example as a template for a business proposal for a new Blackberry accessory company in the UAE, as a benchmark for how best to gain consumer interest and which specific aspects of design should be left out. This new business is described in this report, along with a discussion of the current business environment in the UAE in order to determine whether the new online company, Mobile by Design, can actually be competitive and turn a profit in a growing business climate. There is evidence that there is a high consumer demand not only for Blackberry and other mobile technology products, but a strong e-procurement system is also being developed which will assist in the supply chain needs of the new start-up internet commerce company. With various partnerships, trade show promotions, and print advertisements (amongst other opportunities for promotion), Mobile by Design intends to corner the UAE market in the sale of these devices. The promotional and consumer segmenting plans for this new busine ss are described in this paper. Two online companies selling different consumer merchandise were compared and contrasted in order to determine whether they were designed and launched according to web site design principles. These two e-commerce websites are Musicroom.com and Amazon.co.uk. Musicroom is an online company selling to specific niche markets in the music industry, with their products ranging from music sheets to musical instruments, as well as various CDs and DVDs associated with the music industry. Amazon.co.uk is a conglomerate online organisation selling everything from bedding sheets to bulk food products and services not only the UK, but the whole of the Amazon.com company services a multi-national consumer audience. Musicroom.com utilises very eye-catching graphics on the company’s home page, using a blend of different, vibrant yellows, reds and blues in order to enhance the users’ visual perception of the company and its website design. Seigel (2005) offers that

Redesign an Open-Space Office to Improve Productivity Research Paper - 2

Redesign an Open-Space Office to Improve Productivity - Research Paper Example A study published in the journal of Environment & Behavior recently showed a negative correlation between noise and cognitive performance. This effectively means distractions such as noise which are common in open office settings lead to a reduction in performance of workers. Another negative aspect associated with open office is lack of confidentiality in the work place. This can be evident and prevalent especially if there are customers coming in and requiring discussions involving private information. This can be a real challenge in the setting of an open space office where many workers are working simultaneously and therefore private discussions can’t be achieved effectively. Some customers may also feel uncomfortable discussing their queries in offices where other people are likely to listen to and get to hear their private information intended just for particular officers. A research done at the California University established that over a half of people working in offices are not satisfied with open offices mainly because of the limited amount of privacy. As such the issue of privacy has become a major complaint among office workers subjected to the open plan kind of working

Critical Analysis of Traditional and Agile Project Management Essay Example for Free

Critical Analysis of Traditional and Agile Project Management Essay INTRODUCTION Project is an effort taken to build something unique within a specific period. (PMBOK, 2004: 20). This means that a project has a starting and an ending which has to be completed within the specified time. For a project to be completed within time limit and with little or no flaws, a plan has to be put in place so as to get a desired result. Project planning is the determination of the progress of a project to be carried out in a serial manner. (Successful Project Management, 2011: 57). Project planning is very essential in managing a project and will be discussed in detail specifically in traditional and agile project management which is the two major project management approaches. Critical analysis of these two approaches in respect to project planning will be given. That is treating the necessary processes in planning a project. Tools, techniques, and project lifecycle models used in project management will be explored. See more: how to write an analysis OVERVIEW Traditional project management TPM is a set of technique and tools that can be applied to an activity that seeks an end product, outcomes or service. This is a well taught out planning process which has a very strict control method that makes distinguishable stages in a project life cycle (hass, 2007). Requirement such as scope, cost and time are determined upfront, followed plans are also well laid out and once laid out, it cannot be modified. Due to this, life cycles are easily recognizable. Task are completed one after another once completed, it cannot be revisited. In TPM, a lot of importance is attached  to documentation of business needs thereby stakeholders needs are already known (Leybourne, 2009). TPM is based on the fact that situations surrounding project and activities are predictable and manageable (Hass 2007, Yusuf et al 1999). TPM views each project level as a separate process whose outcome or completion has an effect on how and when subsequent levels begin (caddle and Yeates 2008; Thonsett 2012). According to Larman (2004), a well thought out rule on project team members’ responsibilities are determined at the planning phase. This makes team members accountable for the project which ensures control (Saladis and Kezner, 2009). Examples of traditional models are: 1. PRINCE2 2. Waterfall 3. Event chain 4. CA-PPM. Agile project management APM is all about incremental iteration, adaptability, agility and collaboration (Scuh, 2005; Larman, 2004). It takes individual and iteration contribution over process and tools. It lays emphasis on short cycles of structure which happen at different levels and also emphasis on feedback (Hass, 2007). All plans are revisited to get certainty of delivery. APM sees the project as product increment. Due to its lack of structure, it requires a considerable amount of discipline and coordination. APM allows project scope to change rapidly and frequently which is done by constant communication with project stakeholders. APM teams consist of skilled members fully dedicated to the project and are co-located (Hass, 2007; Wysocki). The whole idea of what APM is all about is based on the agile manifesto. It was put forward by Martin Fowler and Jim Highsmith (wysocki,). Its content are given below: â€Å"We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools Working software over comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over contract negotiation Responding to change over following a plan That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items  on the left more.† Types of agile project management approaches are as follows: 1. Agile Unified Process (AUP) 2. Scrum 3. Lean Software Development 4. Extreme Programming (XP) 5. Dynamic Systems Development Method 6. Feature Driven Development Scope Planning Scope planning is a process that describes and documents the boundaries of a project and project expectation. TPM is a rigid approach that gives no room to change once the scope plan has been created. Plans are made to prevent change in project scope. It focuses on developing all parts of the scope first. Documentation is very detailed trying to encompass the whole requirement. The project scope statement consists of the objective and boundaries of the project and also product specification. Work breakdown structure is then created. In TPM, steps are taken that the team sticks to the scope of the project. Scope planning in APM is a high-level activity because little is known of the solution. Change is a key part of APM, making the scope very flexible. The scope is constantly redefined due to the series of iterations. Ideas could be added at stage of the project. Documentations is present but not as detailed as in TPM. APM focuses on developing the most important part of the scope first and then proceed to the next. Human Resource Planning In TPM, team is usually large in number and consists of various levels of skilled members. The teams are very organized. The teams don’t make decisions on their own without the approval of senior managers. APM team members are proficient and are highly skilled, they are collocated in order to handle changes in project scope and also performance, communication and more so, interrelation. APM consists of small team, members are mostly between five and nine, and they also are highly productive. Agile teams are self-organizing and disciplined (Hewson, 2006). Agile teams are basically  independent. Risk Planning TPM assumes that there will be risk in the project. This is put into consideration at the planning of the project and measures are put in place to handle it. Projects in APM are volatile and very unstable because the solutions are not known. Every iteration cycle comes with its own risks. These risks are expected and are handled sequentially when it arises during project (Owen et al, 2006). Proponents of agile approach argue that dealing with real risk is better than preparing for unknown risk (Schuh, 2005). Quality Quality in agile is often determined by the regular feedback and acknowledgement of the customer’s view of the quality of the product. Time planning: In traditional approach, time estimation is dependent on the amount of tasks to be executed. Time estimation is done right after the WBS is created. Effort is made in other to complete the project within the required time (Hass, 2007). In agile approach, time estimation is based on features. The numbers of features to be developed determine the amount of time that will be used. Scheduling and workflow are also closely aligned. Management style: In TPM, the project manager is responsible solely for the planning and allocation of responsibilities (Kerzner, 2003). Traditional project managers focus more on the schedule, scope and budget (Fernandez and Fernandez, 2009). In APM, the project manager works in collaboration with the team (Hass, 2007). Agile managers focus more on the business value and deliverables (Fernandez and Fernandez, 2009). Cost management: Agile projects should be based on either a cost-reimbursable system, or the client accepts scope is a variable based on achieving the maximum improvement possible for a pre-set budget. This is a totally different philosophy to traditional project governance. Tools, Technique, models, and Project Lifecycle Models There are numerous tool and technique that can be utilized in the course of planning a project which include: Gantt chart is a graphical representation for scheduling the execution of various project activities. It can be used to make an approximation of time required to complete the  project. Brainstorming involves the assembling of idea by a group of people in order to solve problem and to arrive at a conclusion. It is essential in development of new ideas. Work breakdown structure (WBS) is the breaking down of project into smaller more manageable pieces in a hierarchical order. Each level in WBS is a smaller piece of the level above. Fishbone diagram is also known as cause-and-effect diagram. It is used to check the cause of a specific event. They also help during the collating and analyzing factors phase of project planning. Critical Path Method involves dealing with activities that has to be completed in order for other activities to be completed. It helps in the sequencing and correlating of interdependent processes. PERT Chart is a representation that shows the task to be performed serially in a graphical form. It helps to focus more on the most critical part of the project in order to reduce constriction. Project Charter is a document that formally authorizes a project statement. It contains project justification, business needs and so on. . (PMBOK, 2004) Scope Statement ensures that only the required work is done. That is work is not done out of scope of the project. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) WBS is a deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be done by the project team, to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. WBS is a tool which focuses on how a project work should be done. It breaks down the work to be done into smaller sections that can be managed by the project team, each section give details of the project work as such giving team understanding of what do(Biafore, 2011). WBS can be depicted as an outline or a diagram (Biafore, 2011). The number of levels present in a WBS should be reasonable as this is determined by how voluminous and complex the project is. WBS helps in d identification of task, brings to light what d project entails and a lot of other tools depend on WBS. It also allows stakeholders have an understanding of the scope of the project (Biafore, 2011). PERT Chart (Project Evaluation and Review Technique) It is visual illustration of a project plan task. It document important or critical phases of a project. It helps to identify critical processes and  the time that the process will end. It can also help in the documentation of a project. It helps in the organizing and scheduling of interrelated tasks in a complex project (Chinneck, 2009). It does this by using a network description to show parallel relationships between tasks (Chinneck, 2009). It helps in the completion of each task in other of precedence. It is a very important tool for tracking project activities and milestones. PERT enables the project team to handle task in order of importance. It also deal with uncertainty in process completion dates and determines activities start and end dates. Finally, PERT chart can be adjusted at anytime in the duration of the project. Linear Project Management Lifecycle Model This is a simple TPM approach which does not allow for returning to a project which has previously been completed. (Effective : 329). This means that once a phase in a project is completed, there will be no room to do any kind of adjustment. Incremental Project Management Lifecycle Model It is a traditional TPM in which unlike linear. It releases a solution to each phase of the project and it also emphasis on customer value than the linear approach. (Fernandez, Fernandez). Iterative Project Management Lifecycle Model In the iterative PMLC, change is required as it is the important part of the model. It is a learn by doing strategy. (Fernandez, Fernandez). All iteration consists of feedback loop, and it involves more clients and customers than incremental. Adaptive Project Management Lifecycle Model This is a PMLC that almost nothing is known about the solution and almost all of it are designed for software development project. It deals with a high level of uncertainty because little is known of the end product. Extreme Project Management Lifecycle Model In this model, there is no broad knowledge and solution about the project. The level of uncertainty is high and also that of clients too. CONCLUSION After looking at the two approaches, it is seen that both approaches are good  and can work perfectly well depending on the project at hand. TPM due to its detailed planning is the preferred choice for structured project. It is used in large projects that have well understood features and requirements and which involves large teams. Also, TPM is suitable for project that requires little change. APM is the preferred choice for unstructured projects. These kinds of projects have a high level of uncertainty and unpredictability about them. APM unlike TPM involves smaller projects.

What Might We Mean By Firm Performance

What Might We Mean By Firm Performance The firm performance is a complex term which may include different shadows of meaning as long as it relates to organizational performance, functioning of the firm and outcomes of its operations. Normally, the firm performance implies the organizational performance, including manufacturing of products and services, functioning of different units of the firm, performance of its employees and outcomes of their work in total. At the same time, the firm performance can be viewed in a broader context as a part of the business development of the firm. What is meant here is the fact that the business development mirrors the firms performance and allows to assess the extent to which the organizational performance is effective. At this point, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that the firms performance is basically measured in terms of efficiency of the firms operations. In fact, the more effective the firms operations are completed the more positive the organizational performance is and, on the contrary, the low efficiency of firms operations and employees performance means the poor firms performance. In this respect, employees performance comprises an integral part of the firms performance because, in the contemporary business environment human resources, comprise an important marketing asset of any organization. Therefore, the efficiency of employees performance affects consistently the firms performance. Furthermore, it is important to take into consideration that the firms performance is an important indicator for investors and stakeholders. What is meant here is the fact that the firms performance indicates whether the company is worth investing or not. For instance, investors are ready to invest money in firms with the positive marketing performance, whereas poor marketing performance indicates at problems firms have in their business development. As a result, investors avoid investing money in companies with poor performance because they are uncertain in the return on investments and because of high risks accompanying such investments. What is competitive advantage, in OPERATIONAL and CONCRETE terms? The competitive advantage of a company is one of the most important factors that define the competitive position of the company in the market. In fact, the competitive position of a company means the marketing position and performance of the company compared to its major rivals. In this regard, it is necessary to pay a particular attention to the return on investments rate of the company because the higher is the return on investments and lower risks associated with investments and business development of the company, the better is the marketing position of the company. In fact, the company with the high return on investment can count for the steady improvement of its marketing and competitive position because it can take advantage of its business development and growth which occur due to the high return on investments. In addition, the competitive advantage should be unique, relevant and sustainable. At the same time, it is important to distinguish competitive position in operational and concrete terms. In this regard, the competitive advantage in operational terms implies the advantage of the company in terms of its business development, introduction of innovations, use of management strategies, organization of production process and other operations conducted by the company. The competitive advantage of the company in operational terms is defined by its ability to take a better position compared to its rival due to a better organization of the production process and other operations conducted by the company compared to its rivals. As for the competitive advantage in concrete terms, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that the competitive advantage in concrete terms implies the advantage of the company in terms of the assets value of the company, costs of its facilities, fixed costs, and other fixed values of the company, along with the products and services provided by the company to its customers. In other words, the competitive advantage in concrete terms implies the advantage the company gains in quantity of products, revenues and other items which can be measured and assessed accurately. Finally, on analyzing the competitive advantage concept, it is worth mentioning the fact that companies have to maintain their competitive advantage. In other words competitive advantage should be sustainable to insure that the company keeps progressing. Otherwise, if the company fails to maintain its competitive advantage, it is doomed to failure because it cannot afford the competition for rivals will keep progressing and outpace the company that has stopped in its development. Question 3: Assess the merits of the VRIO framework when determining a firms competitive advantage? The VRIO framework allows to obtain the basic information on the competitive advantage of a firm. To put it more precisely, the VRIO framework focuses on four key items defining the competitive position of a firm, including value, rarity, imitability, and organization. The value of the company is very important for determining its competitive position. In terms of the VRIO framework, the value implies the ability of a firm to neutralize external threats and hold a better marketing and competitive position compared to its rivals. In such a way, increasing the value, a firm can improve its competitive position and take the lead in the industry. The rarity implies the control over resource in hands a few and the firm should attempt to limit the access of the rivals to the resources. Alternatively, the company may attempt to establish control over resources and, thus, get a consistent competitive advantage over its rivals, especially if they cannot get access to resources. Furthermore, imitability involves the protection of the uniqueness of products and services provided by the company to its customers and the ability of the company to protect its products and services from imitations from the part of its rivals. In this regard, the protection of intellectual property rights, the development of new, original and unique products is crucial because it provides the company with an excellent opportunity to take advantage and hold the dominant competitive position in the market. The uniqueness of products or services is crucial for the competitive position of the company. Finally, the organization is another important factor that determines the competitive position of the company and its competitive advantage. In this respect, it is worth mentioning the fact that the effective organization allows the company to optimize the production process and company-customer relationships. As a result, companies with a better organization has a competitive advantage of its rivals because its performance is better compared to its rivals due to the better organization of work and more efficient work of employees within the company.

The Transcontinental Railroads :: essays research papers

The Transcontinental Railroads The Transcontinental Railroad consisted of ten major railroads that together would span the distance between the East and West Coasts of the United States. The completion of these railroads brought change, both for good and bad, and had an enormous impact on the United States and other countries of the world. Without a doubt, each railroad played an important role in shaping America into the country it is today. The Great Northern Railroad was an 8,316-mile long railroad created in September 1889 by predecessor railroads in Minnesota. It went from Lake Superior to Washington, traveling through North Dakota, Montana, and Idaho. The line was the dream of James Jerome Hill who was known as the â€Å"Empire Builder† since he had the ability to bring prosperity to areas that were barren before his influence. This railroad provided service and helped build up the grain, potato, and sugar beet regions in North Dakota, Montana, and Eastern Washington. It also played a pivotal role in the prosperity of the cattle counties of Montana as well as the oil, copper, and lumber industries (http://www.gnrhs.org). The Northern Pacific Railroad originally started in 1864 by Josiah Perham; unfortunately, due to financing problems the project was stalled until 1869. The route stretched from Lake Superior to the Puget Sound in Washington. This railroad was unique since it received no government loans to assists in its financing. The Northern Pacific lines were vital in bringing immigrants to various cities along the routes through advertising at home and abroad. Their effort to attract settlers into these regions was directly responsible for Montana, Washington, North Dakota and South Dakota becoming states in 1889. This stimulated the economies in these regions (http://www.linecamp.com). The Union Pacific Railroad was created in 1862 by government grants. Construction began in late 1863 in Omaha, Nebraska. Over a period of six years it was run through Wyoming and on to Promontory Point, Utah. The Union Pacific routes later expanded to reach north to Washington and south to Texas, with numerous subsidiary lines in Colorado. In 1936, the railroad opened Sun Valley, Idaho Ski Resort, which became a model for other ski resorts to follow (http://www.linecamp.com). The Kansas Pacific was the southern branch of the Union Pacific. The building of the route began in 1863 with the intent to transport passengers (immigrants) westward through the Great Plains. The route ran from Kansas City to Denver. Towns sprung up along the different junctions providing economic booms in those areas.

Essay --

Name of the book - India Grows at Night by Gurucharan Das I haven’t read any of the two Gurucharan’s previous books. Besides, this is the first book I will be reviewing for Developmental economics. The title of the Book only caught my attention for two reasons. First it reminded me of the famous speech by Jawaharlal Nehru â€Å"At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.† His speech somewhat depicted the reality as India only started to develop at night. Second, it gave me some sort of insight of what I might come across in this book. It’s more of a statement which leads us towards the realness of our country. He begins the first chapter with the example of Haryana and Gurgaon. The unexpected rise of the neglected and underdeveloped Gurgaon in becoming a â€Å"Millennium City â€Å"and the surrender of a would-be planned city Faridabad, later even struggling to capture up with India’s first wave of modernization. It was discussed how private player s took charge in Gurgaon- which arose without an effective state whilst Faridabad with a proper functioning state, withered. Indian model was discussed – which was different than the rest of the world as India got democracy before capitalism. By the end of this chapter, das speaks about the shortcoming of the state and how to move from the private success and public failure in order to become a successful nation. In the next chapter he talks about the Anna Hazare’s movement and how a weak government was shaken to its core by a strong society. Delay in implementation of projects like POSCO – which had been caught in the web of red tape for 5 years. He also mentioned how 168 projects of Coal India had been awaiting clearance – which led to powe... .... In the last section he concludes by giving suggestions on what should be done and redefines the definition of a Strong state and mention that a state is required to grow - no matter how many inefficiencies it may have, he writes â€Å"a weak state is better than no state at all". This book is a brilliant piece by Gurucharan Das, which talks about India’s impressive economic rise despite the presence or rather the absence of a state. With its narrative approach it is easy for readers to understand. Das takes you on a journey beyond 1900 and gives a glimpse of our past and present in order to understand the lacunae that India is facing. The part I disliked is he stressed a lot more in explaining the relevance of a strong state. But this book attempts to show us a path which could help the state deal with governance shortfall effectively. Nishant Sharma Radio stream

Historical Remediation Essay -- Writing Technology Technological Paper

Historical Remediation The history of writing is filled with accounts of humans struggling with new forms of writing tools. With the development of new writing technologies, newer tools remodeled older forms of technology to create faster writing systems. Remediation has made huge impacts on the literary world over the past few generations by looking at the cultural rivalry between different technologies and the progression of those technologies. As the years pass, new inventions are continually created to help make the tools used for writing faster, convenient and more efficient at a lower cost. Pursuits for economical writing tools date to before 1000 BC when the Egyptians created a delicate, layered reed called papyrus, to write hieroglyphs. To make this fragile material, Egyptians had to cut and peel tall papyrus reeds creating â€Å"thin strips, which were laid on a flat, wet surface, first vertically and then horizontally†¦ the two layers bonded to form a sheet of papyrus, which was dried in the sun and polished smooth with ivory or shell† (â€Å"Scroll and Codex†). Due to the long process of producing papyrus, the cost of owning the tool was very expensive and only available to the wealthy. In addition to being expensive, papyrus was not a very time efficient tool. The process of making the material was a large factor, but also storing and durability were a problem. However, for those who could afford and store the difficult items, papyrus provided a way for oral communications to be written down. â€Å"Writing on papyrus remediated oral communication by involving the eye as well as the ear and so giving the words a different claim to reality† (Bolter 23). Finally, important decrees and information could be written ... ...will continue to write by hand when they need to, but primary use the computer for everyday use. As the people of the 15th century learned to deal with progress of mass production, people of the 21st century will learn with each new remediation, the writing tool only improves. Works Cited Bolter, Jay David. Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext, and the Remediation of Print. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001. Ilan, Meir Bar. Parchment. 13 February 2003. < http://faculty.biu.ac.il/~barilm/parchmen.html >. â€Å"Scroll and Codex.† Encyclopedia Romana Online. Encyclopedia Romona. 2001-2002. 11 February 2003. . Tomlinson, Sue. History of Writing. 1998-1999. 9 February 2003. .

Thirty Days as a Cuban Article Review

â€Å"THIRTY DAYS AS A CUBAN† Article Review Based on Patrick Symmes' article â€Å"Thirty Days as a Cuban†, it seems as though the degree of ECONOMIC INEQUALITY (the extent of the economic difference between the rich and the poor) in Cuba is relatively low. While many people still make more than others, the vast majority of Cubans are significantly poor and suffer from starvation from day to day. Symmes' account of the average life of a Cuban was interesting because I don't believe many people are aware of the suffrage going on in this country. I, for one, am a prime example of this.I had no idea that such a state existed in Cuba. The ration system and dictatorship of the country contribute immensely to the degree of poverty. And in turn, poverty results in what we would label as DEVIANCE and CRIME (behavior that violates norms and arouses negative social & behavior that violates written laws, respectively). These people literally have no choice but to result to crime in order to survive. The communistic ways and schemes of the government do not really enable moral and ethical ways of making even a mere comfortable living.This suggests an inevitably low chance of VERTICAL MOBILITY (the movement up or down a through a society's stratification system) in the sense that while the Cuban government might like to think or tell people that movement up the vertical scale is possible, it really is not. Another point I found interesting is that the Cubans seem to be pretty CLASS CONSCIOUS (aware of their social class membership, the structural reasons for it, and the needs arising from such membership). They are 100% aware of where they stand in the social ladder, but there is virtually little they can do about it.They are aware of what the government is doing– giving them just enough to â€Å"get by†, but, in reality, is not enough to survive. â€Å"†¦ The problem in Cuba isn't food, or clothes. It's the total lack of civil liberty, an d therefore of economic liberty, which is why you have to have the libreta in the first place. † This quote validates my point exactly. The Cubans are very aware of their suppression, but in contrast to Karl Marx's theory that the oppressed would inevitably revolt if they had class consciousness, the Cubans cannot because of the dictatorship existing in their country.

Ken from Whose Life Is It Anyway Persuading the Judge to Let Him Die Essay

In this essay, I will be describing and analysing how Ken, from â€Å"whose life is it anyway†, used persuasive techniques to persuade the judge to let him die. Ken is trying to persuade the judge to let him die, and he persuades him with this quote â€Å"†¦and I find the hospital’s persistent effort to maintain this shadow of life an indignity and its humane. † this quote is clearly showing that he does not want to rely on other people. The word â€Å"maintain† stands for holding something like an object in your household. He does not want the hospital and the doctors to â€Å"maintain† his shadow of life because he thinks that he is â€Å"dead already†. In the quote â€Å"†¦but the dignity starts with their choice. If I chose to live, it would be appalling if society killed me. If I chose to die, its equally appalling if society keeps me alive. † This quote shows that he cares about other people not just himself. The word â€Å"society† is used because it shows that he thinks truly not only about himself. Also there is a word â€Å"choose†, this clearly shows that there is no modal verbs and it is more effective and emotive, as that word, it self, shows that he thought everything though what he actual said. I like the way Ken uses strong words like â€Å"appalling†, by saying this, he is exaggerating and by doing this, he is shocking. Ken doesn’t thing letting someone live although they’re against it is terrible, but the fact that they don’t get the choice. â€Å"The cruelty doesn’t reside on saving someone or allowing them to die. It resides in the fact that the choice is removed from the man concerned† this quote means exactly how ken feels at that moment. The choice is about to be taken from him, and that will make things even harder for him. The word â€Å"cruelty† is a very strong word. Using it, Ken, creates sympathy and it made the whole quote more persuasive and he was saying that people are cruel by taking the choice from him. Also I this quote, he is stating by using words like â€Å"is†, â€Å"fact†, â€Å"it resides†. All of these are modal verbs and show that he knows what he is talking about and is confident with what he thinks and knows. The author chose the techniques for a reason, and the reasons are that the whole fact about persuading the judge needs to be pointed out as it’s the most important bit in the story play, the judge will judge from whether to save the man or let him die as he wanted. It’s a life or death situation. Ken also uses rhetorical questions to make the judge think, â€Å"Is that surprising? † Ken said this on purpose as it is very effective persuasive technique like in the one. Rhetorical questions overall, start arguments and debates in which this story is all about. Overall I think that the judge did the right thing letting ken die. He would be suffering mentally and physically if he didn’t. This story has many different writing techniques and only very few I have analysed in this essay. I think they are very effective upon this story and the story wouldn’t make sense and so much drama if it didn’t.

Listing and Speaking

Skill Development: Fear of public speaking http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=a56v2PSUQy8&feature=related Proactive = controlling a situation by making things happen or by preparing for possible future problems Myth = an idea or story that is believed by many people but that is not true Come across = to make a particular impression Overwhelming = something that is so confusing or difficult Optimal = best or most effectiveProfound = major, significant Intimate = having a very close relationship Overcompensating = trying to make up for something that is lacking or bad by doing too much of something else Rehearse = to say or do (something) several times in order to practice Backfire = to have the opposite result of what was desired or expected Interpretation: Keys to Successful Interpreting: Consecutive Interpretation Note-taking http://www. youtube. om/watch? v=ddRk2pvzsVQ Rambling = lengthy Incomprehensible = beyond your understanding Furiously = rapidly Decipher = make sense of Scribb le = scrawl = jot down Groping around = searching blindly or uncertainly Consign = transfer Delegate = a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference Encapsulate = summarizeHindrance = obstacle Politics: Palestine http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=qANkb5hUUfo Resolution = decision |Contend = argue | |Confrontation = conflict |Negotiate = discuss | |Implicit = hidden |Accountability = responsibility | |Partition = separation |Demolish = destroy | |envisage = imagine |Get away with = escape | |Territory = area |To be held accountable = held responsible | |Disputed = undecided |swirling = twisting | Linguistics: Language acquisition http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=pmsQJfyVrr0&feature=related instinctively = intuitively |species = basic category of biological classification | |isolate = separate |defect = a shortcoming, fault, or imperfection | |multitude = large number |mutation = change or alteration | |cognitive = mental |disorder = a disturbanc e in physical or mental health or functions | |breakthrough = sudden discovery |version = a particular form or variant of something | Technology India Launches World's CheapestTablet Computer for 50$ http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=oQXQVuaJ43o;feature=related sneak peek = an opportunity to see something before it is officially available gadget = small device or machine with a particular purpose port = in computers: a data connection in a computer to which a peripheral device or a transmission line from a remote terminal can be attached. HD= high definition = a system which produces very good quality television images in greater detail than ordinary systemsDebate: How to Change http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=zSb5BmIfNhI maverick |unconventional person | |entrepreneur |capitalist | |leap |jump | |rash |reckless | |enhance |improve | |attribute |quality | |philanthropy |charity | Religion and Culture convert |change | |committed |devoted | |preach |give a sermon | |polish |improve | |by the stack |a great deal | |unequivocally |clearly | |manuscript |document | |authentic |true – original |salvation |saving | |embrace |accept | Positive Psychology How to be Happy: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=ilry-1-ucnA;feature=related pursue = continue elusive = hard to find fugitive = difficult to get evolutionary = gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form ingrained = very difficult to change propensity = a strong natural tendency to do something mechanism = a process or system that is used to produce a particular result o endure = to continue going through something unpleasant sustain = to provide what is needed for (something or someone) to exist hedonic treadmill = the tendency of humans to quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness genetic set point = baseline habituating = make or become accustomed or used to something. hard wired = functions that are innate and unlearned in living s ystems lottery savoring = enjoying mindfulness = being aware of fruition = realization virtues = good and moral behavior analogy = a comparison of two things sensation = a particular feeling or effect that your body experiences cultivate = to improve or develop

Nature and Victor Frankenstein

Nature plays an important role In Frankincense, although to the deader familiar with romantic poetry, it may seem that nature Is somewhat less Important or less central than the role It plays, but from the novel's opening, the importance of the reader getting a sense of physical place is established by situating the text within a particular environment, the qualities of which will both mirror and contradict the inner states of the main characters. Even from the very beginning of the novel, theme of nature is incorporated into Shelley work. The icy wilderness in which the novel begins and ends is the barren land of isolation from human warmth ND companionship, Into which Walton foolishly sails and Into which Frankincense Is Inexorably led by the monster, whose inescapable destiny is It†. Later, on the morning after Victor gives life to his creation, he says, â€Å"Morning, dismal and wet †¦ As if I sought to avoid the wretch whom I feared every turning of the street would present to my view'. When Victor is scared or upset the weather is nasty to complement the way that he is feeling in certain situations.And also Victor notes that the landscape of the Orkney and that of his native country are quite distinct. His ascription of the Orkney Is cold, barren, gray, and rough. In contrast, he recalls Switzerland as colorful and lively and the landscape as teeming with blue lakes that reflect the brilliant blue sky. It is symbolic, of course, that Victor has chosen such a barren place to create the companion for the Creature. The contrast between the two places is as stark and distinct as the differences between Frankincense's Creature and the human world.The Creature occupies a world that is bleak, that Is attacked on all sides by an unforgiving set of conditions. Victor, his family occupies a world that as beauty, even though each has had to deal with occasional harsh realities. These appropriate pairings of characters with their environments will be re-e mphasized throughout the novel, and the physical qualities of the environments will provoke contemplative thought for most of the main characters, especially Victor. By chapter five of the first volume, Shelley creates a connection between Victor and nature.Instead of describing his moods with metaphor, as In earlier images, she describes his recovery from grave Illness through his affinity with nature. Although nursed by is closest friends, It Is the breathing of the alarm that finally gives him strength: We passed a fortnight in these perambulations: my health and spirits had long been restored, and they gained additional strength from the salubrious air I breathed, the natural incidents of our progress †¦ The air is not simply necessary for life; Victor is so taken with it that he actually gains strength from it that he had not had before.Another role of nature is a deep understanding of the mysterious forces of nature by Victor Frankincense. So Victor acknowledges tense Tor tes when en says: It was ten secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn; and whether it was the outward substance of things, or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupied me, still my inquires were directed to the metaphysical, or, in its highest sense, the physical secrets of the world. It is the great force of nature that drives Victor into his scientific pursuit in the first place.When lightening shreds the tree in front of Victor's eyes he is doomed for life. On the night that Victor first gives life to his creation, it is dark and dreary. Victor makes his declaration of purpose hen he says, â€Å"more, far more will I achieve: treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation†. In Victor's case, an obsession with the nature of science pushes him to cross the boundary that separates the forces of human power and nature when he decides to co nstruct his creation.Along with his own feelings of ambition, Victor also constructs his creation because of the want to bring about change in his society. And when he creates life from lifeless matter to bring change n his society, readers are forced to use their imagination to give life to this creation themselves. Later, when Victor returns home on receiving word of Williams death, he notes that â€Å"Night closed all around; and when I could hardly see the dark mountains, I felt still more gloomily.This picture appeared a vast and dim scene of evil, and I foresaw obscurely that I was destined to become the most wretched of human beings†. At the end of the novel during Victor's honeymoon, â€Å"the wind, which had fallen in the south, now rose with great violence in the west†, before Elizabeth is ordered by the creation. In conclusion, the natural settings in â€Å"Frankincense† play a vital role in enhancing the impact of the story and progression of the plo t and characters.What has been said so far, then, is that man attempts to control nature believing to be the master over all. In fact, man's effect is Just that, an unnatural one, in that it works against nature instead of with nature. The question then, is why man is unable to emulate nature, why he is unable to work with nature without harming it in some way, as we have seen above. One answer is that man is unable to see ahead, hat he refuses to see the purpose in everything that nature does.Victor Frankincense is so obsessed with his mother's death and with his desire to remove it, that he does not see the purpose that death has. So, Just because mankind has the power to do something, does not necessarily mean that he must, or should. Instead, perhaps he should respect the natural course of things. And nature surrounds us during our whole life, and it has a great influence on us, as well as on our mood and behavior. Resources: http://www. Gutenberg. Org/files/84/84-h/84-h. HTML h ttp://Ankara. English. Upend. Demesnes/nature. HTML

Building a customer loyalty scheme via The Three Commitment Components Essay

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Business Analysis of W San Francisco Hotel Essay

Business Analysis of W San Francisco Hotel - Essay Example As a well-established facility, W Hotel San Francisco has a total of 404 rooms. These are used to provide a variety of services including Wonderful Rooms, Spectacular Rooms, Cool Corner Rooms and Fantastic Rooms. Each of these is very important since they offer a distinct category of services to a diverse group of clients who frequent the facility for accommodation. Summarily, these rooms are made to cater for each of the clients in line with their income and preferences. They have bed and table spaces to suite both individuals and groups as well. Indeed, W Hotel San Francisco should be considered as the best facility in the region. A part from offering a wide range of services, it has a team of professionals to manage it and offer day to day services required by its customers. Besides, it offers high quality services such as 100% organic coffee, wines and meals. At the same time, it has a well-equipped gym which remains accessible to all the clients at any time of the day (Gross 180). Finally, unlike its competitors, it provides on-site parking spaces to its clients at merely $54 per day. These make it to enjoy a competitive advantage over its rivals. In conclusion, W Hotel San Francisco is the place to be. It offers a high level of services which cannot be found anywhere. â€Å"Trace† Restaurant is one of the most spectacular places within the precincts of W Hotel SF. As a restaurant, it is equipped with modern facilities necessary for the provision of high quality services to our clients.

PH Determination of Solutions Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Philosophy of Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

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Research memo for cisco systems Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Memo for cisco systems - Research Paper Example On the other hand, its mission is to be the chosen supplier by being the leader among its competitors in satisfying customers, market share, product leadership and profitability. Products Cisco Systems began competing in the local-area-network (LAN) market by offering high-end routers (Wylie 45). These devices applied in the cyberspace to direct network traffic to its destination through a least congested and efficient network path. Its foothold in the growing industry made it competitive in the market of networking equipment. It makes a high proportion of the large scale routers used in powering the internet. Other cisco products include the LAN and wide area network (WAN) switches, website management tools, internet appliances, software of network management and dial-up solutions. More so, its internet operating system is becoming the industry’s standard for the delivering of network services and applications.Cisco’s customer base includes enterprises, service provide rs, consumers and the small and medium sized businesses. The enterprise customers consist of government agencies, corporations and educational utilities. Service providers provide data, video communication and voice services such as the international, regional and national carriers as well as the cable, internet and wireless service providers. The consumers form Cisco’s new market with a various products of home networking (Wylie 5). Management structure John Chamber among other t CEO of Cisco System has leadership abilities of teamwork, responsibility, and risk and customer satisfaction. The management structure entails the promotion of manager-employee dialogue through use of the automated Performance Management form (ePM). It also constitutes development processes such as the leadership 360-degree Development Feedback, Talent Assessment Process and leadership review process that concerns succession of management. These development processes enhance employee motivation and satisfaction. Development of a centralized structure brought it closer to its customers, eliminates resource and product overlaps while encourages teamwork. This structure implemented by its management personnel fostered knowledge sharing among Cisco product groups and promotes consistent realization of economies of scale and profitability (Wylie 67). Social responsibility Cisco’s dedication is efficient expertise in networking to help solve issues in the world. Cisco focuses on building ecological sustainability into its business process. Its ecological sustainability efforts include the Carbon Disclosure project and the Greenpeace challenge. It leads by example through reduction of the use of energy and the green house gas emissions during its operations. It also promotes environmental standards such as the ISO 14001, GHG protocol and Global Reporting Initiative. Its products’ end of life initiative enables take-back and trade-in programs of recycling that provide cu stomers a costless way of managing electronic waste. It largely reuses and repairs the electronics received from its customers. Plans Cisco under the leadership of Chamber plans to address the dual threat of a new centre for data customers that focus on scaling out and price. It has plans to expand its market and product line to give it a aggressive