Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Strategic Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Strategic Planning - Essay Example This creates a need for the capital projects to be well analysed and all details to be well understood to be able to evaluate the effects on the overall value of the firm. As seen in the definition, the capital projects help develop and increase the fixed assets of a company. This in turn helps the company earn higher levels of profits. The assets when fully utilised can be helpful in improving the overall productivity and output of the firm as well (Constantini, 2006). The main aim or objective of any capital project that is undertaken by a firm is to help the company’s assets to either be renewed or even to help replace the assets, to allow better performance and output. The affects of the capital decisions and investments have a two fold affect. Firstly they affect the operations of the firm. Secondly they have a great impact on the share prices of the firm as well. The decisions made have a strong impact and can make the stock prices rise or fall to a great extent. Hence the capital projects require to be very carefully considered and implemented as the affects of this can lead to very high profits while an error in this can be catastrophic for the company as well. It is also essential that the plans and investments that are made are in line with the strategic plans of the firms. For a business to invest in a capital project, it is essential to consider the project as a new business start up and the work on this very carefully as it involves, increasing the capacity of the firm, operations scales and also the investments on assets. As explained earlier, the capital projects lead to an increase in the fixed assets of the firm, which in turn has an impact on the scale of operations which thereby leads to increased operating profits for the firm. This complete process has an affect on the overall value of the firm. Hence this proves that the capital projects have a very

Monday, October 28, 2019

Nutrition and Vegetables Essay Example for Free

Nutrition and Vegetables Essay Vegetables are a very important part of our diet. Vegetables are an excellent source for fiber, vitamins A and C, potassium, calcium, and iron. Researchers have discovered that having a good diet of fruits and vegetables can lower blood pressure, reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke and possibly some types of cancers. It can also lower your risk of eye problems and digestive problems. Vegetables are eaten in a variety of ways such as main meals or for snacks. The nutritional content in vegetables can vary considerably. Most vegetables do not contain protein or fat. The dried beans, peas, and lentils are a good source of complex carbohydrates and can have high protein content. Sometimes these types of vegetables can be used to some extent as a meat substitute. Potatoes and corn are very starchy vegetables. These types of vegetables turn into sugar. Vegetables have a variety of colors. They can range from dark green to a beautiful orange color. The dark green vegetables are usually the leafy vegetables, and squash, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes are examples of the orange family. Some vegetables have a red/blue coloring such as eggplant and red cabbage. Many articles today have different ideas on the amount or servings of vegetables a person should eat per day. The amounts can range from two (2) up to nine (9) servings per day. The majority of nutrition specialists suggest 2-1/2 cups per day. Potatoes do not count in your servings per day! The best bet for servings are the dark leafy greens, tomatoes, and anything that is yellow, orange, or red color. According to the National Cancer Institute, not enough fruits and vegetables are produced or imported to supply all of the people in the United States for a healthy diet of five servings per person per day. Another problem affecting vegetable growth is bugs and insects. Scientific studies have been conducted that support the claim that insects attack plants that do not receive the proper balance of nutrients. The number of documented outbreaks of human infections associated with raw vegetables and unpasteurized fruit juices has increased in recent years. Most of the outbreaks were identified primarily as Salmonella. Tomatoes, seed sprouts, cantaloupe, apple juice and orange juice are the most recent vegetables to be linked to the Salmonella bacteria. The E. coli infection has been found in lettuce, sprouts, and apple juice. It is very hard to determine the source of contamination for the bacteria for vegetables. Unlike beef and chicken that are thoroughly inspected, methods for fresh produce are not as advanced. The contamination could occur at any point throughout the production process. Some of the potential sources of contamination include soil, feces, irrigation water, dust, insects, and human handling. Recently the Center for Disease Control has had a nationwide recall on alfalfa sprouts with the Salmonella bacteria and for romaine lettuce containing the E. coli bacteria. In conclusion, people have been consuming meats and vegetables since the beginning of time. I am sure many people died back in the beginning of time from the diseases and bacteria we have discovered today. We must consume meats and vegetables to survive. Humans cannot live on water alone. If individuals today will use common knowledge on preparing meats and vegetables, a lot of issues such as the contamination and bacteria would not exist. All in all the meats and vegetables today are safe and nutritious. If consumed in the right amounts, we will have a healthy, long, enjoyable life.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

“Shane” by Jack Schaefer Essay -- Character Analysis

In the novel â€Å"Shane†, by Jack Schaefer, Marian, the wife of Joe and the mother of Bob is initially played out to be a very simple character. She cooks and cleans and cares for her family. She starts to develop a more complex character as Shane arrives. You can tell from the beginning that Marian wants to impress her guest with her cooking and her curiosity of the latest fashions. But as the novel progresses you begin to see that Marian may want more from Shane than originally shown. In the beginning of the story, Marian just thinks of Shane as a guest, she cooks and cleans for him and makes sure he is at home. However, from the start she was drawn to him. He was as she said â€Å" dangerous†, and she liked that. Marian liked that Shane was different and unfamiliar, and was impressed by his ...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Study Guide Bnc1

Chapter 13, Power and Politics – Learning Objectives 1. Define power and contrast leadership and power. 2. Contrast the five bases of power. 3. Explain the role of dependence in power relationships. 4. Identify nine power or influence tactics and their contingencies. 5. Show the connection between sexual harassment and the abuse of power. 6. Identify the causes and consequences of political behavior. 7. Apply impression management techniques. 8. Determine whether a political action is ethical. Chapter 13, Power and Politics – Section Outlines I.Power is the capacity that A has to influence the behavior of B, so that B acts in accordance with A’s wishes. A. Definition of power the ability to influence the behavior of others. 1. Potential 2. Dependency – B ’s relationship to A when A possesses something that B requires. B. Contrasting leadership and power. 1. Leaders use power as a means of attaining group goals. 2. Power does not require goal compati bility, but relies on dependency. 3. While leadership focuses on the downward influence of one's followers, power also deals with lateral and upward influence. II. Bases of powerA. Formal power = based on an individual’s position in an organization. 1. Coercive power: A power base that is dependent on fear of the negative results from failing to comply such as controlling by force of basic physiological or safety needs. 2. Reward power: Compliance achieved based on the ability to distribute rewards that others view as valuable. 3. Legitimate (formal authority) power: The power a person receives as a result of his or her position in the formal hierarchy of an organization. B. Personal power = Influence derived from an individual’s characteristics. 1.Expert power: Influence based on special skills or knowledge. 2. Referent power: Influence based on identification with a person who has desirable resources or personal traits. C. Dependency: The Key to Power 1. General depe ndency postulate: The greater B ’s dependence on A, the more power A has over B. 2. Factors creating dependency a. Importance – think of technology engineers of Gettyimages b. Scarcity – think of Ferruccio Lamborghini; he memorized the manual and destroyed it. c. Nonsubstitutability – the fewer viable substitutes for a resource, the more power control over that resource provides. III.Power Tactics: Ways in which individuals translate power bases into specific actions. Rational persuasion, inspirational appeals, and consultation tend to be the most effective, especially when the audience is highly interested in the outcomes of a decision process. A. Legitimacy: Relying on your authority position or saying a request accords with organizational policies or rules. B. Rational persuasion: Presenting logical arguments and factual evidence to demonstrate a request is reasonable. C. Inspirational appeals: Developing emotional commitment by appealing to a targetâ €™s values, needs, hopes, and aspirations.D. Consultation: Increasing the target’s support by involving him or her in deciding how you will accomplish your plan. E. Exchange: Rewarding the target with benefits or favors in exchange for following a request. F. Personal appeals: Asking for compliance based on friendship or loyalty. G. Ingratiation: Using flattery, praise, or friendly behavior prior to making a request. H. Pressure: Using warnings, repeated demands, and threats. I. Coalitions: Enlisting the aid or support of others to persuade the target to agree. J. Political Skill: The ability to influence others in such a way as to enhance one’s objective.IV. Sexual Harassment: Unequal Power in the Workplace A. Any unwanted activity of a sexual nature that affects an individual’s employment and creates a hostile work environment. B. Sexual harassment negatively affects job attitudes and leads those who feel harassed to withdraw from the organization. C. Some ways managers can protect themselves and their employees from sexual harassment: 1. Make sure an active policy defines what constitutes sexual harassment, informs employees they can be fired for sexually harassing another employee, and establishes procedures for making complaints. 2.Reassure employees they will not encounter retaliation if they file a complaint. 3. Investigate every complaint, and inform the legal and human resource departments. 4. Make sure offenders are disciplined or terminated. 5. Set up in-house seminars to raise employee awareness of sexual harassment issues. V. Politics: Power in Action A. Definition of Organizational Politics 1. Political behavior, in organization, consists of activities that are not required as part of an individual’s formal role but that influence, or attempt to influence, the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the organization. . Legitimate political power b. Illegitimate political power VI. Causes and Consequence s of Political Behavior A. Factors contributing to political behavior 1. Individual factors 2. Organizational factors B. How do people respond to organizational politics? 1. Decreased job satisfaction 2. Increased anxiety and stress 3. Increased turnover 4. Reduced performance VII. Impression management VIII. The Ethics of Behaving Politically Chapter 13, Power and Politics – Key Terms †¢Power- A capacity that A has to influence the behavior of B so that B acts in accordance with A’s wishes. Dependence – B ’s relationship to A when A possesses something that B requires. †¢Coercive Power – A power base that is dependent on fear of the negative results from failing to comply. †¢Reward power – Compliance achieved based on the ability to distribute rewards that others view as valuable. †¢Legitimate power – The power a person receives as a result of his or her position in the formal hierarchy of an organization. †¢ Personal power – Influence derived from an individual’s characteristics. †¢Expert power – Influence based on special skills or knowledge. †¢Referent power – Influence based on identification with a person who has desirable esources or personal traits. †¢Power tactics – Ways in which individuals translate power bases into specifics actions. †¢Political skill – The ability to influence others in such a way as to enhance one’s objectives. †¢Sexual Harassment – Any unwanted activity of a sexual nature that affects an individual’s employment and creates a hostile work environment. †¢Political behavior – Activities that are not required as part of a person’s formal role in the organization but that influence, or attempt to influence, the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the organization. Impression Management (IM) – The process by which individuals attempt t o control the impression others form of them. †¢Defensive behaviors – Reactive and proactive behaviors to avoid action, blame, or change Chapter 17, Human Resources Policies and Procedures – Learning Objectives 1. Define initial selection, and identify the most useful methods. 2. Define substantive selection, and identify the most useful methods. 3. Define contingent selection, and contrast the arguments for and against drug testing. 4. Compare the four main types of training. 5. Contrast formal and informal training methods. 6.Contrast on-the-job and off-the-job training. 7. Describe the purposes of performance evaluation and list the methods by which it can be done. 8. Show how managers can improve performance evaluations. 9. Describe how organizations can manage work-family conflicts. Chapter 17, Human Resources Policies and Procedures – Section Outlines I. Selection Process A. Initial selection are the first information applicants submit and are used fo r preliminary rough cuts to decide whether the applicant meets the basic qualifications for a job. 1. Application forms including letters of recommendation 2. Background checks B. Substantive selection 1.Written tests 2. Performance-simulations tests a. Work sample tests: Hands-on simulations of part or all of the work that applicants for routine jobs must perform. b. Assessment centers: A set of performance-simulation tests designed to evaluate a candidate’s managerial potential. 3. Interviews have a disproportionate amount of influence on employee selection decisions. a. In addition to evaluating specific, job-related skills, managers are looking at personality characteristics and personal values to find individuals who fit the organization’s culture and image. C. Contingent selection 1. Drug test is a common contingent selection method. . Argument against drug testing: Drug is a private matter. II. Training and Development Programs A. Types of training 1. Basic lite racy skills 2. Technical skills has become increasingly important in organizations. 3. Interpersonal skills 4. Problem-solving skills 5. Ethics training B. Training methods 1. Formal training a. Types of formal training 1. On-the-job training (i)job rotation (ii)apprenticeship (iii)understudy assignments (iv)formal mentoring programs 2. Off-the-job training (i)classroom lectures (ii)internet courses is most likely to be the fastest growing training. (iii)public seminars (iv)videotapes 3.E-training b. Individualizing formal training to fit the employee’s learning style c. Evaluating effectiveness 2. Informal training III. Performance Appraisal A. Purposes of performance evaluation 1. Helps managers make human resource decisions 2. Assists in identifying training and development needs 3. Provides a criterion against which management validates selection and development programs 4. Provides feedback on employees 5. Basis for reward allocations – determine promotions, B. Wh at do we evaluate? 1. Individual task outcomes 2. Behaviors 3. Traits – least predictive set of criteria used to evaluate employees. C.Who should do the evaluating? 1. Immediate superior 2. Peers 3. Self-evaluation a. Lead to employees rating themselves highly b. Make excellent vehicles for stimulating job performance discussions between employees and their superiors c. Often low in agreement with superiors’ rating d. Tend to be biased estimates 4. Immediate subordinates 5. 360-degree evaluation is to pool feedback from all the employee’s customers or provide performances feedback from the full circle of daily contacts that an employee might have, ranging from mailroom personnel to customers to bosses to peers. D. Methods of performance evaluation 1.Written essays – does not require no complex forms or extensive training to complete. 2. Critical incidents – the evaluation method that focuses the evaluator’s attention on those behaviors that are key to executing a job effectively. 3. Graphic rating scales consider their usability in quantitative analysis 4. Behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) – When an appraiser rates employees based on items on a continuum with the points reflecting actual behaviors on a given job 5. Forced comparisons a. Group order ranking requires the evaluator to place employees into a particular classification, such as top one-fifth or second one-fifth. . Individual ranking is an approach to performance evaluation rank-orders employees from best to worst. E. Suggestions for improving performance evaluations 1. Use multiple evaluators 2. Evaluate selectively 3. Train evaluators 4. Provide employees with due process F. Providing performance feedback 1. The human resources department is not supportive of the feedback process. IV. Managing Diversity in Organizations A. Work-life conflicts B. Diversity training V. Global Issues A. Selection B. Performance evaluations

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Man as a social being Essay

Man is a social being and can never live a mundane routine always. Man undergoes different swings and moods in his daily life. Hence,the saying â€Å"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy† holds very true. Unlike a computer or any mechanical tool,man gets worn out or gets tired easily.He cannot perform any repeated activity continuously without a break. Let me take an example of a particular student who was a typical bookworm .He was very hardworking and he did studies and nothing else the whole day.Ironically,his marks never used to show the efforts he used to take.The reason for this paradox was that he always kept poring into books. He never used to take even a small interval of rest.This forced his mind to start daydreaming and remain in reveries. This would naturally affect his academic and over all performance in school activities. There is another reason to support this statement. On taking a break from a usual activities,say ,studies would give a pinch to the person. He/she would feel somewhat guilty for wasting his/her time into other activities.This would instigate the person to study harder and go in a faster rate with full concentration in his studies.Thus, even a half an hour break would save hours of time which would just be wasted in reveries . Taking a small interval of break would give a change to the mind .The person would feel refreshed to go back to work in a better mood. A person weared out or in a bad swing would feel joyous and happy if he/she takes a break by doing something interesting or even by taking rest for a while. One could take a break by involving in any sport activity or spend some time with a hobby. Going for sports could be a good time-pass.This will improve one’s health and naturally enrich one’s mind because a sound mind always dwells in a sound body.It would also improve a person’s talent in sports or other co-corricular activities like drawing,music etc.A person could improve himself in an over-all way,not only in work but also in play. Hence ,I strongly believe in this thought provoking phrase for it is not  always just work but also play that would make Jack a boy of brilliance.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Life and Times of the Man Who Invented the Telephone essays

The Life and Times of the Man Who Invented the Telephone essays Alexander Graham Bell is remembered today as the inventor of the telephone, but he was also an outstanding teacher of the deaf and a prolific inventor of other devices. Bell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to a family of speech educators. His father, Melville Bell, had invented Visible Speech, a code of symbols for all spoken sounds that was used in teaching deaf people to speak. Aleck Bell studied at Edinburgh University in 1864 and assisted his father at University College, London, from 1868-70. During these years he became deeply interested in the study of sound and the mechanics of speech, inspired in part by the acoustic experiments of German physicist Hermann Von Helmholtz (1821-1894), which gave Bell the idea of telegraphing speech. When young Bell's two brothers died of tuberculosis, Melville Bell took his remaining family to the healthier climate of Canada in 1870. From there, Aleck Bell journeyed to Boston, Massachusetts, in 1871 and joined the staff of the Boston School for the Deaf. The following year, Bell opened his own school in Boston for training teachers of the deaf; in 1873 he became a professor of vocal physiology at Boston University, and he also tutored private pupils. Bell's interest in speech and communication led him to investigate the transmission of sound over wires. In particular, he experimented with development of the harmonic telegraph a device that could send multiple messages at the same time over a single wire. Bell also worked with the possibility of transmitting the human voice, experimenting with vibrating membranes and an actual human ear. Gardiner Hubbard (1822-1897) and Thomas Sanders, fathers of two of his deaf pupils backed Bell financially in his investigations. Early in 1874, Bell met Thomas A. Watson (1854-1934), a young machinist at a Boston electrical shop. Watson became Bell's indispensable assistant, bringing to Bell's experiments the crucial ingredient that had been la...

Monday, October 21, 2019

When a Pronoun is the Subject of an Infinitive…

When a Pronoun is the Subject of an Infinitive†¦ When a Pronoun is the Subject of an Infinitive When a Pronoun is the Subject of an Infinitive By Maeve Maddox Ive written several posts about the error of beginning a sentence with an object form of the pronoun. For example: Me and my brother want to get matching tattoos. Her and her husband want to buy a digital camera. The neighbors and us decided In each of these examples, the pronoun is being used as the subject of a verb. Because the pronoun is standing as the subject of the verb, the subject form of the pronoun is called for: My brother and I want to She and her husband want The neighbors and we decided There is, however, a grammatical context in which the object form of a pronoun may correctly stand in front of a verb form. The exception occurs when a pronoun stands in front of an infinitive. Reminder: the infinitive form of the verb is the present form with to in front of it: Ex. to go, to seem, to run, etc. When a pronoun precedes an infinitive, it takes the object form: My mother wants me to learn computer programming. We never expected them to move away. The principal told him and the other boy to go home. Here, taken from the web, are some examples of pronoun errors with the infinitive: They told my friend and I to get up and move. I wanted he and I to watch our kids grow up together My parents expected my brother and I to do well in school. Corrections: They told my friend and me to get up and move. I wanted him and me to watch our kids grow up together My parents expected my brother and me to do well in school. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Has vs. HadAnyone vs. Everyone75 Synonyms for â€Å"Hard†

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The History and Geography of Iceland

The History and Geography of Iceland Population: 306,694 (July 2009 estimate)Capital: ReykjavikArea: 39,768 square miles (103,000 sq km)Coastline: 3,088 miles (4,970 km)Highest Point: Hvannadalshnukur at 6,922 feet (2,110 m)Iceland officially called the Republic of Iceland, is an island nation located in the North Atlantic Ocean, just south of the Arctic Circle. A large part of Iceland is covered with glaciers and snowfields and most of the countrys inhabitants live in the coastal areas because they are the most fertile regions on the island. They also have a milder climate than other areas. Iceland is highly active volcanically and has recently been in the news due to a volcanic eruption under a glacier in April 2010. The ash from the eruption caused disruptions all over the world. History of Iceland Iceland was first inhabited in the late 9th and 10th centuries. The main peoples to move to the island were the Norse and in 930 C.E., the governing body on Iceland created a constitution and an assembly. The assembly was called the Althingi.Following the creation of its constitution, Iceland was independent until 1262. In that year it signed a treaty which created a union between it and Norway. When Norway and Denmark created a union in the 14th century, Iceland became a part of Denmark.In 1874, Denmark gave Iceland some limited independent ruling powers, and in 1904 after a constitutional revision in 1903, this independence was expanded. In 1918, the Act of Union was signed with Denmark which officially made Iceland an autonomous nation that was united with Denmark under the same king.Germany then occupied Denmark during World War II and in 1940, communications between Iceland and Denmark ended and Iceland attempted to independently control all of its land. In May of 1940 though, B ritish forces entered Iceland and in 1941, the United States entered the island and took over defensive powers. Shortly thereafter a vote took place and Iceland became an independent republic on June 17, 1944.In 1946, Iceland and the U.S. decided to end U.S. responsibility for maintaining Icelands defense but the U.S. kept some military bases on the island. In 1949, Iceland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and with the start of the Korean War in 1950, the U.S. again became responsible for defending Iceland militarily. Today, the U.S. is still Icelands main defensive partner but there are no military personnel stationed on the island and according to the U.S. Department of State, Iceland is the only member of NATO with no standing military. Government of Iceland Today Iceland is a constitutional republic with a unicameral parliament called the Althingi. Iceland also has an executive branch with a chief of state and head of government. The judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court called Haestirettur, which has justices who are appointed for life, and eight district courts for each of the countrys eight administrative divisions. Economics and Land Use in Iceland Iceland features a strong social-market economy typical of Scandinavian countries. This means its economy is both capitalistic with free-market principles but it also has a large welfare system for its citizens. Icelands main industries are fish processing, aluminum smelting, ferrosilicon production, geothermal power, and hydropower. Tourism is also a growing industry in the country and the associated service-sector jobs are growing. In addition, despite its high latitude, Iceland has a relatively mild climate due to the Gulf Stream which allows its people to practice agriculture in the fertile coastal regions. The largest agricultural industries in Iceland are potatoes and green vegetables. Mutton, chicken, pork, beef, dairy products, and fishing also contribute considerably to the economy.   Geography and Climate of Iceland Iceland has a varied topography but it is one of the most volcanic regions in the world. Because of this, Iceland has a rugged landscape dotted with hot springs, sulfur beds, geysers, lava fields, canyons, and waterfalls. There are approximately 200 volcanoes in Iceland and most of them are active. Iceland is a volcanic island primarily because of its location on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which separates the North American and Eurasian Earth plates. This causes the island to be active geologically as the plates are constantly moving away from each other. In addition, Iceland lies on a hotspot (like Hawaii) called the Iceland Plume which formed the island millions of years ago. As a result in addition to earthquakes, Iceland is prone to volcanic eruptions and features the aforementioned geologic features such as hot springs and geysers. The interior portion of Iceland is mostly an elevated plateau with small areas of forest but little land suitable for agriculture. In the north, however, there are extensive grasslands which are used by grazing animals such as sheep and cattle. Most of Icelands agriculture is practiced along the coast.Icelands climate is temperate because of the Gulf Stream. Winters are usually mild and windy and summers are wet and cool. References Central Intelligence Agency. (2010, April 1). CIA - The World Factbook - Iceland. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ic.htmlHelgason, Gudjonand Jill Lawless. (2010, April 14). Iceland Evacuates Hundreds as Volcano Erupts Again. Associated Press. Retrieved from: https://web.archive.org/web/20100609120832/infoplease.com/ipa/A0107624.html?Infoplease. (n.d.). Iceland: History, Geography Government, and Culture - Infoplease.com. Retrieved from: infoplease.com/ipa/A0107624.htmlUnited States Department of State. (2009, November). Iceland (11/09). Retrieved from: state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3396.htm Wikipedia. (2010, April 15). Geology of Iceland - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_Iceland

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Computer game Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Computer game - Term Paper Example Computers have become inevitable for human beings since they assist man in almost all aspects of his daily routine and his life if previewed overall. Whether it is work or leisure computers have been part of man's every unit time of life he spends since the last decade. While on one hand computers are mainly used to lessen man's workload and to increase perfection and accuracy in tasks, on the other hand they are a source of pleasure and entertainment. The latter is provided by social networking, listening to music, watching videos and playing computer games, just to mention a few. This research paper aims to address the concept and effectiveness of computer games. It further aims to discuss the ethical implications associated with computer games and also the environmental, economical, societal, global and cultural considerations associated with computer games. BACKGROUND The advent of computer games started with small scale simple mathematical games. As the advent of computers thems elves was a fascinations, the computer games also enjoyed that fame. The transition from paper based games to digital gaming was hailed warmly by elders and youngsters alike. The computer games became an addiction and due to their timely responses interactive user friendly interfaces it was hard to make people revert to ordinary and contemporary gaming methods. Computer Games "(Electronics & Computer Science / Computer Science) any of various games, recorded on cassette or disc for use in a home computer, that are played by manipulating a mouse, joystick, or the keys on the keyboard of a computer in response to the graphics on the screen" (The Free Dictionary) The very first computer game was built in the year 1952 by A.S. Douglas as a part of his PhD degree thesis. The computerized animation of Tic-Tac-Toe game was the very first game to be built from where there was no turning back. Exactly two decades later the very first stand alone gaming console was built which could be bought home and played. Ralph Baer was the designer of this first commercial computer gaming venture that name of which was Odyssey. The advent of formal video game dates back to the middle of the 1990s. The popularity of video games has grown since then at a very rapid rate. These video games are, in the present times, inevitable for every household that has adolescents or youngsters in it. Majority of the youngsters prefer to play video games over any other leisure activity and rather tend to indulge in them for unlimited periods of time. Around sixty percent of the American Citizens indulge in playing video games and the average age of the majority of players is 28 years. Impacts Dr. C. Shawn Green, a renowned psychologist of University of Wisconsin, is quoted saying that, â€Å"Video games change your brain. So does learning to read, playing the piano, or navigating the streets of London, which have all been shown to change the brain's physical structure. The powerful combination of concentration and rewarding surges of neurotransmitters like dopamine strengthen neural circuits in much the same the way that exercise builds muscles.† (Hotz, â€Å"When Gaming is Good for You†) Generally the parents get frowned over their kids when it comes to respond on the issue of computer games or video games. They unknowingly term these games as wastage of time and money, injurious to health, mind corroding, socially harmful and violence propagating. The analysis behind these conclusions seems

Civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Civilization - Essay Example It is unfortunate that most countries have resorted to monoculture as one of the ways of producing food in large scale to feed the huge population. However, the need to maximize profit through specialization thus boosting country’s economy is the main cause of monoculture in many countries. It is evident that modernized agriculture has brought immense negative contributions in the ecological system and further extended the influence on peoples’ lives, culture, political and social status (Muttulingam Web). Mechanized farming has led to introduction of pesticides, fertilizers and even genetically Engineered Food. Nevertheless, use of fertilizers and pesticides has greatly depleted and polluted soil, water and every other useful resource used in farming thus causing serious consequences on the environment. Gender is a very significant issue in our culture because it regulates social behavior. Culture generally has created an active man compared to woman by even assigning specific roles to men and others to women. Man takes control of almost every role in the society while women are just seen as a subordinate (Spielvogel 148-154). Women are expected to have vast experience in domesticity while men were protect, have authority and be their sole providers of basic needs. Sexuality and gender has been greatly influenced by our cultural and societal norms. Women are believed to be weaker sex that can only take care of children, look after their homes and serve their husbands. This is the general perspective of the public about the women role in the society. Current individualistic society values right of privacy and personal opinion is considered very important since speaking one’s mind is healthy. Transgression of norms may result into guilt feelings and the main objective of education is learning how to learn as well as

Friday, October 18, 2019

A proposal to the leadership of the Bumble Corporation explaining the Essay

A proposal to the leadership of the Bumble Corporation explaining the issues, and recommending a strategy to address each issue - Essay Example This was one of the main reasons for the success of Bumble Corp’s traditional stores. The company has recently launched an electronic commerce website to reach the potential customers more easily and quickly. Bumble Corp believes that their online success is directly tied to recreating their brick and mortar customer experience in E-Commerce space. After the launch of their new E-Commerce website, the existing Bumble Corp customers were excited about the new online shopping opportunity form the company they already trust and love. Bumble Corp has three centrally located warehouses in Unites States. One is located in West coast, and the other two are located in the East coast and Texas respectively. Their current E-Commerce business model accepts orders from the customers through the internet and after that these online orders are processed and shipped to the local stores, closest to the customers shipping address. The Problems with Current Online Business Bumble Corp decided t o offer their products to their existing as well as future potential customers through their recently launched E-Commerce website. Their existing customers were excited about their new online shopping experience with their trusted company. However, these loyal customers soon became disillusioned by the impersonalized shopping experience as their real life experience was contrary to their existing belief. When the online model was implemented, it was found that the company’s existing customer information and profile was not accessible online even though they were members in the company’s reward program for many years. Some of the customers even had Bumble branded credit card for buying Bumble Corp’s goods. The new online shopping experience was quickly becoming disappointing without the face to face interaction between the customer and employee of Bumble Corp. Their potential new customers were initially interested on the word of mouth recommendation from their f amily and friends who had already shopped at the company’s traditional stores before. But after the launch of E-Commerce website, customers have often complained that the shipping and handling times are very inconsistent. The store managers have also complained that the store employees do not have the required time to serve both the in-store and online customers simultaneously. These new potential customers tried out the online E-Commerce offering only because they did not have a local store at their place, but, the great experience described by their friends and family created a negative sentiment in them. Hence the company failed to attract new customers and was also on the verge of losing their loyal customers because of limited resources and lack of proper planning before implementing the online model. Objectives Developmental Objective Bumble Corp needs to give the same experience to new customers that it gave to its customers at the traditional brick and mortar stores i n order to maintain their goodwill to their loyal customers. The success of E-Commerce platform lies with the fact that as to what extent

John Denver plane crash Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

John Denver plane crash - Essay Example This report summarizes the findings of the National Transportation Safety Board and several reports on the probable causes of the accident that killed John Denver: human factors or aircraft design and integrity.Air traffic control records. At around 1640 of October 12, 1997, the pilot, a middle-aged male Caucasian arrived at the Monterey Peninsula Airport to conduct a practice flight on his plane, an Adrian Davis Long-EZ model with markings N555JD. At 1702 Pacific daylight time, the pilot contacted ground control and obtained a taxi-for-takeoff clearance from the hangar. At 1709, the pilot reported to the local controller that he was ready for takeoff on runway 28, and requested to stay in the traffic pattern for some touch-and-go landings. The plane was cleared for takeoff at 1712, and the pilot performed three touch-and-go landings before departing the traffic pattern about 1727. At this time the controller asked the pilot to recycle his transponder code and the latter did so.At ar ound 1728 Pacific daylight time, the plane was flying in a westerly direction when it began to lose altitude, went into a steep nose-down descent, and hit the water. Witnesses said they heard a strong "pop" and a reduction in engine noise level just before the airplane's impact with the water. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed from start to the end of flight.The point of impact was an area in the Pacific Ocean off Pacific Grove, California. The airplane was destroyed and the pilot, the sole occupant, received fatal injuries. Rescue workers from the area were dispatched to the site to recover the pilot's body, secure the crash site, and recover the wreckage. An autopsy on October 13, 1997 by the Monterey County Medical Examiner revealed that the cause of the pilot's death was multiple blunt force trauma. Investigation of the Accident This report summarizes the findings of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB, 1999; AW, 1999) and several reports (CNN, 1998; CIR, 1999) on the probable causes of the accident that killed John Denver: human factors (Sumwalt, 1997) or aircraft design and integrity. Air traffic control records. The pilot did not file a flight plan. The Air Traffic Control (ATC) tapes revealed no distress calls from the pilot, who did not indicate any aircraft or engine malfunctions. A certified audio re-recording of the transmissions between the accident airplane and the Monterey ATC Tower local control position was subjected to audio spectrum analysis to identify background sound signatures that could be associated with engine trouble. Analysis of nine transmissions between 1714 and final transmission at 1728:06 showed engine speed harmonics between 2,100 and 2,200 revolutions per minute (rpm). Accident Witnesses. Of twenty witnesses interviewed: Four saw the airplane as it was flying west; five observed the airplane in a steep bank, with four of those reporting the bank was to the right (north). Twelve saw the airplane in a steep nose-down descent, of whom six saw the airplane hit the water near Point Pinos some 150 yards offshore. The airplane was flying at an altitude estimated at 350-500 feet over the residential area. Pre-flight Witnesses. Two pre-flight witnesses gave important testimonies related to the accident. The first was an aircraft maintenance technician who assisted the pilot in removing the airplane from a hangar. He observed the pilot perform a preflight check for 20 minutes and borrow a fuel sump cup to drain a fuel sample to check for contaminants. He did not observe the pilot visually verify the quantity of fuel aboard the airplane, nor did he see the pilot check the engine oil level. The technician and the pilot talked about the location of the cockpit fuel selector valve handle behind the pilot's left shoulder and its resistance to being turned. They attempted to extend the reach of the handle with a pair of vice grip pliers, but this did not work, as the pilot could not reach the handle. The pilot said he would use the autopilot in-flight to hold the airplane level while he turned the fuel selector valve. The technician observed that the fuel selector handle was in a vertical pos ition (meaning that the right tank was in

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Homodyne receivers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homodyne receivers - Essay Example The architecture of homodyne receiver comprises the basic RF circuits which ensure the work flow of the equipment namely Band Select Filter (BSF), Low-noise amplifier (LNA), active mixer, oscillator and a Channel Select Filter (HFS, 2008). LNA is an amplifier which converts the received signal to acceptable levels while minimizing the noise. (Varma,Kunder,Daruwalla,2003). The active mixers are responsible for frequency up conversion and down conversion functions  (Beckwith, Schiltz, 2003) where as Oscillator generates a series of waves which is mixed with the RF signals (Fukatsu, 2005). Channel Select Filter converts preferred low power RF signal into significantly powerful ones. The primary principle of operation of a direct conversion receiver, is the down-conversion of incoming RF signal to base-band in one step by mixing with an oscillator output of the same frequency and hence the name ‘homodyne receiver’. The resulting zero frequency signal is then filtered with a low-pass filter to select the desired channel. (Ma,2001). This process of operation has been illustrated in the following diagram. The simplicity in its constitution and function is the prime advantage of this type of receivers. With relevance to the changing performance and functionality requirement for the emerging technologies, the homodyne model becomes more practical to implement. The major disadvantage of homodyne receiver is that the down-converted signal is extremely sensitive to DC voltage offsets due to current leakage from the local oscillator entering into the LNA and mixer. This demands high requirements on reverse isolation and low substrate coupling. Moreover because of the down-conversion of the RF signal to zero IF, the noise in the oscillator must be minimized and the distortion or linearity must be kept very low for the LNA and mixer. This causes power dissipation as well. (HFS,

Media and communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Media and communication - Essay Example In this case, today people are experiencing technoculture rather than technocracy since the practices and skills accompanying computer technology today barely resemble the technocratic nature experienced in the 1984 according to Handler, Carolyn (45). In the technoculture era, technology is used in ways which have eroded privacy unlike the technocracy era in which individual privacy was highly respected. Big brother (technocracy) opposes publicity of information not only due to privacy but also for secrecy purposes. Contemporary Global Mediated Communication The forwards march of the internet into every day living was aided and supported by the exceptional demand for smart phones after the introduction of the first iphone in 2007.This has led to a new world order in the technology, telecommunication and media industry. In such a case, face book, Google, Microsoft and apple (contemporary global mediated communications) are moving towards the top of this world order pushing aside other mediated communication which existed in the twentieth century. These forms of media are essentially changing consumers’ performance and dismantling longstanding media, technology and telecoms in twentieth centuries. This contemporary global mediated communications have brought a lot of changes in contrast to the twentieth century media. ... On the same note, the contemporary media has become major channel for software functions music, games and other digital substances which have led to the rewriting of media rules. However, the increasing advantage of the contemporary media as opposed to the twentieth century media is due to lack of pressure from shareholders unlike the case other old media. The Eiffel Tower and the Opera Garnier The Eiffel Tower was constructed for the French revolt referred to as centennial Exposition Universelle. It was meant to be a short-term exhibit of architectural engineering expertise but emerged as the world’s tallest tower up to 1930 according to Spang (34).This makes the building significant to the history of urban space. Opera Garnier has been of great importance in history. This is because its museums and companies have made the city of Paris a popular tourist destination globally receiving more than 30 million tourists per annum. The city was initially the site the French revolt a nd rich cultural setting with wealthy patrons who provided an intellectual atmosphere which invited scholars and artists. The flourish of such people led to the transformation of the city making it the world’s top trade and cultural centre. Worries about Media Change A variety of developments in the Greek community led to the practice of writing. The first writers were the Hippocratic writers who wrote to make medicine a complete participant during the famous Revolution of Wisdom in late fifth century. The invention of writing was the biggest worry for them as now they were to see with their minds what they could not see with their eyes. However writing of poetry preceded the written prose discourse. The likes of face book and Google have

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Homodyne receivers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homodyne receivers - Essay Example The architecture of homodyne receiver comprises the basic RF circuits which ensure the work flow of the equipment namely Band Select Filter (BSF), Low-noise amplifier (LNA), active mixer, oscillator and a Channel Select Filter (HFS, 2008). LNA is an amplifier which converts the received signal to acceptable levels while minimizing the noise. (Varma,Kunder,Daruwalla,2003). The active mixers are responsible for frequency up conversion and down conversion functions  (Beckwith, Schiltz, 2003) where as Oscillator generates a series of waves which is mixed with the RF signals (Fukatsu, 2005). Channel Select Filter converts preferred low power RF signal into significantly powerful ones. The primary principle of operation of a direct conversion receiver, is the down-conversion of incoming RF signal to base-band in one step by mixing with an oscillator output of the same frequency and hence the name ‘homodyne receiver’. The resulting zero frequency signal is then filtered with a low-pass filter to select the desired channel. (Ma,2001). This process of operation has been illustrated in the following diagram. The simplicity in its constitution and function is the prime advantage of this type of receivers. With relevance to the changing performance and functionality requirement for the emerging technologies, the homodyne model becomes more practical to implement. The major disadvantage of homodyne receiver is that the down-converted signal is extremely sensitive to DC voltage offsets due to current leakage from the local oscillator entering into the LNA and mixer. This demands high requirements on reverse isolation and low substrate coupling. Moreover because of the down-conversion of the RF signal to zero IF, the noise in the oscillator must be minimized and the distortion or linearity must be kept very low for the LNA and mixer. This causes power dissipation as well. (HFS,

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Analyzing an Artist''''''''s Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analyzing an Artist''''''''s Process - Essay Example She re-sculpted her image through licking the chocolate and drew it from the mold. She licked the front up to the nose through the mouth, on the eye and back over the ears to the bun as well as around the neck and down the back. The creative process focuses on the scope of conceptual structure Antoni made. Licking the artistic piece covered in chocolate meant something. Further, washing herself in soap also has a meaning to art. She feels comfortable with the rigor engaged in developing the conceptual structure. In creating ‘Touch’, Antoni hooked up a wire onto a tractor’s backhoes. The goal was to use the shovel in motion to have the wire settle onto the horizon. She dug a positioning hole where the cameraperson would capture the shot in the camera line-up (Antoni, 2013). When she walked, Antoni could appear as though to touch the horizon. Antoni insists that the idea was developed from the thought about impacts of the horizon to the human

Monday, October 14, 2019

Tim hortons Essay Example for Free

Tim hortons Essay Mr. Jake Zablocki, Miss Harjinder Sandhu , Mr Roysten Fernandes and Miss Maria Klepikova will together comprise the board of directors and will be involved in day to day activity . Board Of directors * ( we can exclude this )* Mr. Jake Zablocki as the Chairman Miss Harjinder Sandhu as the Chief Operating officer Mr Roysten Fernandes as the President Miss Maria Klepikova as the Vice-president The key advisors are: Miss Harjinder Sandhu Legal Consultant Miss Sandhu is an in house legal advisor and voluntarily offers her services as part of the management team. Mr Jake Zablocki  ± Account Manager Mr Zablocki will assume all the accounting responsibilities and will manage the business joint account separately Royal Bank of Canada. Infrastructure Who are key outside advisors, such as accountants, lawyers, or co nsultants, and what is their compensation package? Enter text here. NA Contracts and Franchise Agreements What are the company ¶s management contracts, non -compete agreements, franchise, or other contractual agreements? Enter text here. We( Name to be decided ) have entered into an Franchise Agreement with Tim Horton ¶s for a period of 10 years with an option to renew for further 10 years at the discretion of the management team Business Plan Non Compete agreement exists between the four entrepreneurs for a period of 5 years of restricting to enter into food beverages in Ontario for the smooth function of the business. Insurance If you have a buy-sell agreement, who will be insured in terms of life insurance policies on key personnel for which the company is the beneficiary? Enter text here. We have a buy and sell agreement in place , a type of insurance where all the four partners are assure for life. The Insurance policy will be placed under a trust. All the four member will be the trustee. Buy and Sell: means the legal representa  tives of the deceased are obliged to sell the share to the remaining partners who are in turn obliged to buy it. The remaining partners are able to buy the share from the proceeds of a life insurance policy taken out by the deceased on their own life and placed in trust for the remaining partners. Employee Stock Option Plan and Other Incentives What employee stock option or other incentive plans will be in effect? Enter text here. We do not have any employee stock option plan or incentive plan other than the one run by Tim Horton ¶s time to time. Organization Charts How is the company organized? Enter text here. The management team contributes equally to the success of the business. 8 ? Business an Mr Jake Za ck Miss ar inder Sandhu Bussiness Mr ysten Fernandes Miss Maria Kle ik va 9 Business Plan PRODUCT/SERVICE Purpose of the Product/Service What is the purpose of the product/service? How does the product/service benefit the customer? Does it solve a problem or address an opportunity; is it a luxury item or a needed item? Enter text here. Unique Features What are the unique features of the product/service, such as cost, design, quality, capabilities? Enter text here. Stage of Development What is the history of product/service life cycle, and which stage of development is the product/service currently in? Enter text here. Future Research and Development What, if any, future research and development efforts will be required? Enter text here. Trademarks, Patents, Copyrights, Licenses, Royalties What patents, trademarks, service marks, or copyrights have been obtained? W hat license or royalty agreements are associated with the product/service, and what plans are there for future agreements? Enter text here. Government Approvals What governmental approvals are necessary, and what is the status of such approvals? Enter text here. Product/Service Limitations What are the limitations of the product/service, if any? Enter text here. Product/Service Liability What are the liabilities this product/service may pose? What are the insurance requirements and costs? Enter text here. Related Products/Services and Spin-Offs What are the related services that will be provided, and how will they increase or enhance the profitability of the venture? What new product or service spin -offs could be developed to meet changing market needs in this industry or others? Enter text here. 10 Business Plan Production How much will be produced internally, and how much of the production will be subcontracted out? What are the costs and services involved with subcontracting? Who are the backup subcontractors; what are their costs, and who supplies the services? Enter text here. Facilities What are the plans for facilities (manufacturing, office, retail)? What are the manufacturing plans, that is, the manufacturing facility, production capacity, and future capita l-equipment needs? Enter text here. Suppliers Who are the major raw material suppliers, and what are the significant purchasing contracts with them? Are there backup suppliers? Enter text here. Environmental Factors What is the potential environmental impact of the product or service? What steps will the company take to protect the environment? What environmental agencies regulate the product or service? Enter text here. 11 Business Plan MARKETING PLAN Industry Profile Current Size What is the current size of your industry? Enter text here. Growth Potential Is this a growth, stable, or declining industry? Enter text here. Geographic Locations Is your industry located in a specific area of the country? Enter text here. Industry Trends What are the trends in the industry? What effect does technology have on the business? Enter text here. Seasonality Factors What are the special seasons in your industry? Enter text here. Profit Characteristics What are the profit characteristics for your industry? Enter text here. Distribution Channels What distribution channels currently exist to support the sale of your product or service? Enter text here. Basis of Competition What is the basis of competition for your industry? Enter text here. Competition Profile What is the profile of the competition? What is your competitive advantage? Enter text here. Customer Profile What is the profile of the intended customer? What are the reactions to the product/service from prospective customers? Enter text here. Target Market Profile What is the target market, size, and cost of market penetration? 12 Business Plan Enter text here. Pricing Profile What is the pricing structure? What are your policies on negotiating a price for large orders or on special price deals for penetrating the market? How is the pricing structure sensitive to the customer ¶s buying points? Enter text here. Gross Margin on Products/Services What is the gross margin potential? What are the industry ¶s pricing policies? Do you differ? Enter text here. Break-Even Analysis What is the break-even point for your product/service? Enter text here. Market Penetration Distribution Channels What distribution channels will be used for selling the product or service to the end user? Enter text here. Sales Representatives How will sales representatives be used as an approach for selling the product or service to the end user? Enter text here. Direct-Sales Force How will a direct-sales force be used for selling the product or service to the end user? Enter text here. Direct Mail/Telemarketing How will direct mail or telemarketing be used as an approach for selling the product/service to the end user? Enter text here. Advertising and Promotion What advertising and promotion media will be used for the distribution system and end users? Enter text here. Packaging and Labeling What kind of packaging and labeling will be used? Enter text here. Service and Warranties What warranties and guarantees will be offered? Enter text here. 13 Business Plan Trade Shows What trade shows do you plan to use to exhibit your product/service? Enter text here. Future Markets What opportunities could occur in future markets? Enter text here. 14 Business Plan OPERATING AND CONTROL SYSTEMS Administrative Policies, Procedures and Controls Receiving Orders What administrative policies, procedures, and controls will be used for receiving orders? Enter text here. Billing the Customers What administrative policies, procedures, and controls will be used for billing the customers? Enter text here. Paying the Suppliers What administrative policies, procedures, and controls will be used for paying the suppliers? Enter text here. Collecting the Accounts Receivable What administrative policies, procedures, and controls will be used for collecting the accounts receivable? Will you have a separate collection department? Use a collection agency? Use factoring?

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Native American Healing And Dance :: essays research papers

Native American Dance and Healing Native Americans in Contemporary Society: The population in the United States has increased steadily in the 20th century. In 1990 the number of Native Americans was almost two million, 8 percent of the total population. Slightly more than one third live on a reservation; about half live in urban areas. Indian reservations function as independent governments within the federal framework. Among many of the Native Americans, there are many musical styles, singing is the dominant form of musical expression, with instrumental music serving primarily as rhythmic accompaniment. Throughout the Americas the principal instruments have been drums, flutes, and whistles. The American Indian lived life in love with nature. Their wisdom showed in everything, their capacity for harmony with the environment, what they wore, what they created, what they ate and how it was prepared, in their philosophies and beliefs. Music and dance were confined to the native world or offered in tourist attractions as an illustration of a lifestyle unknown to many people. Over the past few years there has been a heightened interest in all Indian things, such as in their art. Expression in the art and dance among North American people this part of life in the form of function and ceremony as it is decoration or performance. Today the Indian Arts have been â€Å"discovered†, and a large cross section of humanity is enjoying its intrinsic excellence, vitality, originality and tradition they offer to the heart and head. Men’s Traditional Dance: They danced with exaggerated movement above the waist to simulate hunting, tracking, or fighting, but heavy grounded, flat footed loser body. This dance originated with members of warrior societies on the Great Plains. Costumes includes an eagle feather bustle and hair roach made of porcupine quills. Women’s Traditional Dance: This dance is extremely reversed in nature, simply a single or double step done in a circle. Sometimes as a up and down movement is done while standing in place. Costumes for women’s traditional dance also remains tribal specific, and sometimes with elaborate beadwork on a long buckskin or trade cloth dresses. Stomp Dances: This dance they get into nature by way of rhythm and it can make your body healthier and relieve stress. Native Americans believe then and still believe now that when the body works in harmony with nature, the natural rhythms of the body and spirit work together. It is that energy that makes one whole. In the Native stomp dances, in the habitats of the native homelands, when they get into rhythm with nature then your body becomes healthier, your mental stress is relieved and you become a whole person

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Japan Caught Between US and China :: essays research papers

Japan caught up in U.S.-China spat Japan came under criticism in the fallout of a heated exchange between the United States and China over Taiwan at the Asia Security Conference here. In fact, some participants said Japan-not China-is the country creating the most fears in Asia. The three-day conference, hosted by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, ended Sunday. A key topic of debate was a Japan-U.S. agreement reached in February on common strategic objectives-including how to deal with Taiwan. The joint statement said the objective was to "encourage the peaceful resolution of issues concerning the Taiwan Strait through dialogue." In his speech in Singapore on Saturday, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld questioned the validity of China's increased military spending when the country faced no threats, as well as its heightened deployment of ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan. Cui Tiankai, director-general of the Asian Affairs Department at China's Foreign Ministry, retorted by asking Rumsfeld if the United States felt threatened by the stronger presence of China. Rumsfeld had to diplomatically admit there was no such threat. However, in a subsequent question-and-answer session, both Rumsfeld and Defense Agency chief Yoshinori Ono were asked about the common strategic objective pertaining to Taiwan. Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum, which is affiliated with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, asked Rumsfeld for his interpretation of reports in many Asian nations that the common strategic objective meant Japan and the United States would act together to defend Taiwan. Rumsfeld only said that the contents of the joint statement were in the public domain. Cossa then asked Ono about the growing perception in Asia that Japan and the United States would contain China as a means of defending Taiwan. Ono simply responded that the joint statement should be read carefully. In response to questions from The Asahi Shimbun, one of the sponsors of the conference, Cossa said many nations in East Asia were concerned about Japan's defense policy. "With the issue of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine also coming into the picture, the view is emerging among Asian countries that the nation truly to be afraid of is not China, but Japan," said a Singapore-based researcher. The latest Asia Security Conference saw the first participation of a delegation of Chinese government officials.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Abraham Lincoln †Symbol of the unlimited possibilities Essay

There are few men whose characters are so extraordinary that they can be credited with saving a nation. The 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln was one such man. More than one hundred years after his assassination, ‘Honest Abe’ as he has become known, shows no signs of losing his touch. He sits enshrined in his own monument with his famous words etched in stone around him. He commands respect, honour and the everlasting thanks of the American people. More than a thousand books have been published on his life and deeds. This is the man who not only freed the slaves but who held the nation together through the terror of the Civil War. His bloody assassination has become the nightmare scenario of legend. The myths that make up the story of Abraham Lincoln have been re-told many times. At their root is the story about the boy born into the Kentucky wilderness, who had less than a year in total of formal schooling. That same boy went on to become America’s most famous President. Lincoln’s rise from a poor pioneer family who taught himself to become a lawyer is the story of the American dream. From state legislator to his nomination as Presidential candidate that dream is the stuff of legends. He has become a symbol of the unlimited possibilities of American life. To appreciate the bravery and the courage that Lincoln undoubtedly showed, it is not enough to say that he saved the Union. Neither is it enough to say that he braved his critics to bring in emancipation and to end the appalling slave trade. To fully understand Lincoln’s achievements, is to try and gain an insight into American society of that time. The republic was only a matter of a few decades old. In this melting pot of nationhood and states, political feelings ran high. Lincoln, above all, saw himself and his countrymen as inheritors of a sacred trust. He believed that democracy was entrusted into his hands an d those of his countrymen. He was prepared to stand up and fight for those beliefs. The fact is as laudable as these sentiments were, there could not possibly have been a more difficult time to try and put them into practice. The issue of slavery above all others dominated the day. It would split both politics and the country as a whole. Abraham Lincoln was not in two minds about slavery. He found it abhorrent. The fact is that many states, primarily in the North, stood against slavery. Many in the South did not. They were afraid that a Republican President effectively from the North would try and abolish slavery throughout the nation. Lincoln was elected President for his first term in 1860 at the point when a huge part of the Union, threatened to break away over the issue of slavery. The situation was for Lincoln neither a reason for secession nor Civil War. In his inaugural address he spoke about the need to find a peaceful way forwards. In spite of Lincoln’s plea, the Confederacy broke away and on March 4 1861 and the country erupted into the Civil War he had feared above all else. That scenario was a nightmare of complications and strategies that had to be won inside a cauldron of dissent. There was no road map. There were no precedents for dealing with states that had succeeded. Lincoln was at heart and by trade, a lawyer. He was not a soldier. However he did not flinch from his duty, or from the task in front of him. Where lesser men might have lost heart, Lincoln began the long struggle towards unity and reunification. When he judged that the time was right, he announced the abolition of the slave trade, issuing the emancipation proclamation on January 1st 1863. The war took a heavy toll. Lincoln mourned the tragedy of lives lost on the battlefield. His speech after the battle of Gettysburg on November 19th 1863 is one of the most moving and famous of all elegies for fallen soldiers. In spite of high casualties and falling morale, when Atlanta finally fell to the Union, Lincoln was re-elected for a second term. Lincoln’s second inaugural address is according to some, one of the greatest of all his speeches. In it, he looks forwards not only to the coming end of the war but also towards the future. His plea should never be forgotten, ‘Malice towards none: Charity towards all’. Part of Abraham Lincoln’s legacy is the fact that he was very much a human figure. We know many details of his life including that of his courtship and quiet marriage to Mary Todd. Theirs was tender and loving relationship scarred by loss and tragedy. Of the four sons born to them, only one grew into adulthood. The quiet and loving home life the president enjoyed was in stark contrast to the violence and hatred that was tearing the nation apart. After the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomatox on April 9 1865, a weary nation waited to see what Lincoln’s res ponse would be. An expectant crowd gathered outside the White House. Lincoln addressed them for the last time. In his speech he tackled the thorny issues of reuniting a country split by war. In that same speech he talked about the rights of freed slaves. He now talked openly about black suffrage. Listening in that crowd was one John Wilkes Booth, a racist and a Confederate who vowed that this would be Lincoln’s last speech. Indeed it was. Booth assassinated the President on April 14th 1865. Mary his wife was sitting beside her husband as they watched a play. She was holding his hand as he was shot. She never recovered fully from his death. It was a death that Lincoln himself had reportedly foreseen in a dream some three days earlier. The assassination of Lincoln stunned the nation. His body was mourned for three weeks at it was toured through the cities of the North. Public grief was immense for perhaps the most extraordinary figure in political history. Today the image of the gaunt tall and severe man is as familiar to us as our own father’s. Indeed to many, Abraham is the Father figure of America. We can only hope, like so many before us that we too can live up to the vision and the dreams that he left for us. Behind his statue lie the famous words of the Gettysburg address, in which the president extolled, That this nation, under God shall have a new birth of freedom – and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people shall never perish from the earth.’ They are words that are as relevant to us today as the day on which they were first spoken. How ironic then that in the same speech the President said that the words spoken there would not long be remembered. Fortunately, for every US citizen, he was wrong! His words, his deeds and his hopes, like those of any father, are his legacy to all his children. Sources used in this speech and related information Abraham Lincoln Birthplace http://lincoln.hodgenville.net/lincoln/ Abraham Lincoln On-line http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/last.htm CV for Abraham Lincoln http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/~sldavis/firstsite/index.htm

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Critical Path Analysis: Its Use and Limitations Essay

Introduction As firms begin to realize the need to improve on their project management capabilities, many companies and software developers have charged to fill this need by offering tools and techniques for a variety of projects. Some are tools for portfolio management, and some focus on particular disciplines within the project management field. Tools for resource planning, task and time management, communications management, resource allocation, or other project needs abound. Being a mature academic and practical course, Project Management has developed many tools and methodologies to assist in the planning, execution, evaluation and closeout of various types of projects. Varied tools can be used throughout many categories of project needs, while some tools are specific to certain types of projects. Some of the benefits of using project management tools and techniques as opposed to general management procedures, as mentioned in this week’s lecture, are that they have been proven to work particularly in a project environment and the uniformity of terms and approaches allows for better understanding and communication between members of the project team and the stakeholders. Tools such as Decision Trees, Cost-Benefit Analysis and programs such as Agile and Prince2 have proven to be particularly useful in producing best practice and expert results for projects that have employed them. CPA Utility and Limitations Critical Path Method (CPM) or Critical Path Analysis (CPA), as a project management tool, operates as the basis for a project work schedule, and likewise of resource planning illustrating shortest possible time to complete a project. The tool outlines critical events noting their sequencing, precedence relations, and strict timing requirements (Shtub, Bard and Globerson, 2005:395). The authors further note that PERT and CPA approaches treat ‘Finish to Start’ precedence relations using ‘zero’ as lag time between finish of last activity to start of next task along the critical path. The CPA map shows what activities cannot begin without accomplishing the preceding task, it is dependent on and also defines parallel tasks or ‘non-dependent’ tasks which can be performed simultaneously. By plotting activities using circles to represent activities noting earliest start (EST) and end times (LFT), and arrows showing sequencing of tasks, CPA clearly defines the flow of tasks, timings and therefore resources that must be allocated to accomplish activities and timelines. CPA has similarities to a GANTT chart as both tools show tasks that need to be done and the corresponding time to accomplish each. However, unlike a GANTT chart, CPA activity timings are not drawn to scale in that arrows represented with the same length may correspond to differing measures of time (e. g. same size arrows may represent 1, 2 or 4 weeks). A GANTT chart will have the tasks on a vertical axis while the time required for each task is easily identified along its horizontal axis. For both GANTT and CPA, the plan’s ‘critical path’ is the longest and has no spare time or ‘slack’/’float’ in any of the tasks. If any delays between dependent tasks in the critical path are encountered, the whole project will be delayed unless the manager makes changes to bring the plan back on track. Bringing a project back on track may be done by possibly adding resources to cut delivery time of tasks (‘crashing’) affected by the delay. Obviously, adding or re-allocating resources usually mean additional costs to the project. A sample for a 10-week computer project using a CPA map is as below. Upper left numbers within nodes represent the EST and lower left numbers on nodes represent LFT. Number on the right is the activity number and task description and duration is along the arrow lines: Source: www. mindtools. com In managing a project, a CPA map allows the project team to monitor attainment of goals and assists the project manager to see where corrective action is required to get the project back on course. Shtub, Bard and Globerson (2005:381) reiterate preparation and use of the tool requires a complete understanding of the project’s goals and structures. As most projects will have a number of stakeholders with different requirements, it must be assumed that a thorough knowledge and understanding of all these requirements are known and considered by the project manager in order to utilize a CPA approach. Moreover, considerable expertise is required in order to estimate the duration of each project task as performance and resource allocation are dependent on the accuracy of the ame. While CPA is recognized as an important part of project management, projects which may not benefit from use of this tool are those where there is a requirement for high flexibility in project tasks and schedules. ‘Project Flexibility’ is described by Maylor, (2010:86) as the capability of a project to adjust to changes. As CPA assumes that activity times are ‘deterministic’ – having a predictable outcome as all of its causes are clear and rigid, it is unlikely that the CPA tool can easily take in many adjustments during the execution stage without jeopardizing the project. Since only parallel tasks are afforded time slack within the plan, a project may experience detrimental delays and spiralling costs should situations arise where the schedules are not met, or resources cannot be re-allocated to a later or earlier timeline. In particular, R&D projects, where results of new technology or a new drug cannot be easily predicted, or may need further testing and numerous changes, may suffer from a very rigid CPA map. Moreover, project work on innovations will not have the benefit of historical basis for correctly estimating time requirements of many tasks involved which is ssential in using the CPA. The United States Food and Drug Administration (2004) comments, â€Å"A new product development toolkit — containing powerful new scientific and technical methods such as animal or computer-based predictive models, biomarkers for safety and effectiveness, and new clinical evaluation techniques — is urgently needed to improve predictability and efficiency along the critical path from laboratory concept to commercial product†. This lack of knowledge and systems in drug research and development negatively affects the proper implementation of a CPA as a project management tool. Conversely, Construction industry projects benefit widely from the use of CPA maps as there is a considerable body of knowledge, experience, and repetition in many of the tasks performed in such projects. Another weakness in the utilisation of the CPA tool highlighted by Woolf (2008) is the observation that there is as yet no â€Å"universally accepted definition of the term ‘critical path’†. He argues that this lack of consensus poses a problem in determining what is critical, nearcritical, or non-critical in nature when preparing a CPA map. Since parallel tasks falling outside of the critical path can still have grave effects on the total project should they fall behind in schedule, Woolf argues there is nothing ‘non-critical’ about a parallel activity which has -17weeks as float. It is suggested ‘criticality’ must be measurable and objective, free from comparisons which will make it subjective. Moreover, as a completed project is one unit, it is contended all tasks within the project are important/critical and contributes to its completion. This agreement in understanding and measure of terms is an important issue as one of the advantages of utilising tools and methods is its universality of understanding. In the case of R&D and highly innovative tasks in projects, this question poses an issue as unknown tasks at the start of the project which may arise and have significant implications on the project would not have been accounted for in the ‘critical path’. Shtub, Bard and Globerson (2005:382) cite overdependence on the CPA as a potential threat to project success. When pressure in sequential schedules is the primary focus, a team may cut short or totally exclude certain tasks in order to stay within timelines. This negative manner of management can be harmful to the project’s final outcome. This last observation though is not a weakness of the tool itself but is a case of weak project management. Conclusion and Recommendation: As with any tool, the user’s skill is key to its effective employment and management. CPA has been proven to be a valuable tool in project management for determining: Activities which must be performed, sequencing, prioritising, and timing Tasks which can be performed parallel to save time. The shortest time a project can be successfully delivered What and when resource will be required Remedial measures will be required and when during the performance of the project. As such, it is an integral part of the project management toolbox which can be harnessed efficiently in a variety of complex projects with proper inputs derived from experience, research, modelling and sound judgement.

Poicies and Procedures That Are in Place to Protect Children and Young People

Explain policies and procedures that are in place to protect children and young people and adults who work with them Policies and procedures in place at Northfield primary to protect the children and those that work with them are the child protection policy, equalities policy, PSHE and citizenship policy safeguarding policy and anti-bullying policy. Strategies from all of these policies are combined in all areas of the school day to protect all who work and learn in school.Northfield believes that promoting positive behaviour is the way forward as children learn best and behave best when they know what is expected of them and when they are positively encouraged to behave well. They need to have opportunities to experience success and also need to be aware that if they do not behave appropriately they will be consistently but fairly treated. Each child knows the code of conduct which is displayed around the school, included in the home/school agreement and is reiterated during assembl y/PHSE times.Children that are bullied are not singled out or treated differently, they are comforted and encouraged to talk openly about what has happened and reassured that everything will be done to resolve the situation with the best possible outcome. Buddy systems are in place so that no one has to be alone at playtimes and older children look out for children on their own and help them to join in with others.As well as the children the policies and procedures are there to also protect the adults that work with children. It is essential that all professionals follow safe working practices too, as this protects everyone. For example if a disclosure is made by a child it must always be taken seriously and the correct procedure followed as in the safeguarding policy even if this turns out to be a mistake or untrue.An example of this happened to a friend of mine a few years back who is a nurse, her daughter had gone back to nursery school after the weekend having been absent for a few days beforehand, when asked what the children had been doing over the weekend the child had replied â€Å"Daddy been putting smarties up me bum†. Child services were called in and in the end it turned out that my friend had been doing the weekend shift at the hospital and her husband had been left the job of administering the suppository when required.This turned out to be a misunderstanding but was taken seriously as it could quite easily have been sexual abuse and was quickly sorted out. The child should be listened to in a calm, supportive manner and they should be allowed to speak openly. They should be reassured and the designated safeguarding officer should be told as soon as possible. When adults working within the school adhere to the policies and procedures while working they are not putting themselves into a position where allegations can be made true or false.For example if a child needs a nappy change there should always be two members of staff present, or if a child has an injury the adult should query it if it has not happened at school and inform the class teacher or safeguarding officer as necessary. If the injury has occurred at school then an accident form should be filled in and the appropriate first aid carried out by the designated first aider. All injuries should be timed and dated and an explanation or drawing of the injury should be documented for future reference.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Catalan Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Catalan Literature - Essay Example Roig’s identification of the female as both carrier and purveyor of Catalonian language, traditions, myths, history and nationalism was circumstantially predetermined by the experiences of this quasi-national community during the Franco years. To understand Roig’s works as something other than a feminist treatise and to fully appreciate their complexity, an understanding of the politically history which informed and incited them, is necessary. In brief, throughout the four decades of General Franco’s dictatorship, the Catalan community, as were the Andalusia, Basque and Castilian, was oppressed through the government’s determined efforts to forcibly impose the Spanish culture and language upon all. The Catalan language and culture were outlawed, with the hope being that their de-legitimisation would, over the generations and years, lead to their obliteration. Both, however, were kept alive within the private and feminine space of the home and, both were ke pt alive through the efforts of Catalan’s women. It was, thus, that Catalonian women played a fundamental role, not only in the rescuing of the national culture and historical memory but, in the survival of Catalonia herself. Within the socio-political history which informs Montserrat Roig’s works lays the key to the understanding of her literary productions. Binary oppositions assume political significance, with the private representing the national space and the public symbolising the oppressive dominance of Franco’s Spain; with the private and the feminine representing oppressed and the public and the male symbolising the oppressor. Indeed, as one who lived during Catalonia’s traumatic linguistic and cultural experiences under Franco, Roig’s works can only be fully understood from this perspective and can only be fully appreciated as a product of a literary mind which, itself, had

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Whitney Houston Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Whitney Houston - Essay Example Conclusion stays the summary of this topic and critical resume of the presented information. The method used is particularized examination of the literature sources together with the personal inferences to the topic. Whitney Houston was remained to be one of the most successful singers in the world concerning the musicians with the black skin and regarded as artist with the biggest amount of awards of different kinds. It was absolutely clear that Whitney attained a huge fame and world recognition. This was a magnificent woman with a strong voice and charming beauty. Despite of the facts about her problems with drugs and alcohol she was considered to be an icon for million people all over the world. This woman was born in August 9, 1963in Newark, New Jersey (The Biography, 2014). This had been a nice naà ¯ve girl with the big dream, and as her mother said â€Å"I saw the little girl who used to grab a broom and belt out songs in our basement studio like she was onstage at Carnegie Hall† (Houston, 2013). This girl was born in the family of famous people in that period, as her mother was a singer as much as her cousin and sister (The Wall Street Journal, 2014). Therefore it was important to admit that love to music and involving in the process of its creation was given to her since the early ages. This girl sang in the church since the childhood; still, Whitney had her first serous performance when she was a teenager on the scene in New York (The Wall Street Journal, 2014). Moreover, she sang with her mother and at the age of fifteen she started her career as a model. The matter is that one photographer discovered her natural beauty and charm, since that period Whitney had become a successful teenage model and even appeared in Seventeen magazine (The Biography, 2014). Concerning those facts it was worse to admit that her first steps in show-business were rather appreciative. Her career as a singer started to develop in 1983 when was Whitney’s debut on

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Financial statement analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Financial statement analysis - Essay Example Additionally, the company has a projected profit for the next three years showing an increase in profit every year. This has been facilitated by the unique service the company will offer to out compete the two competitors in the industry. Besides, the company targets specific customers with specific needs that are lacking in the market. As well, the success of the company is attributed to the diversification of customers according to their specific needs to ensure quality of service s offered to them (Bernotavicz, 1995). With the ambitious mission and vision of the company, it is in a position to offer the services in a planned manner that will see it utilized its competitive advantage to grow continuously. The company will combine the 5P of marketing to achieve an increasing sales forecast every year for the next three years. However, in as much as the business plan is to be implemented, care must be taken to follow all the legal requirements and avoid all the potential risk that may undermine the performance of the

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Wireless communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Wireless communication - Essay Example Unlike other previous forms of communication, wireless communication networks have increasingly gained popularity especially with the recent mode like 3G and 4G which have continuously improved data transfer and communication efficiency. Recent advances in technology have led to efficient satisfaction of the needs of consumers while ensuring that life is easier. The second generation GSM and its evolutional stages of GPRS and EDGE and third generation UMTS are discussed in detail to pave way in understanding the 4G technology. Wireless communication: 1G-4G cellular communication systems 1.0. Introduction Cellular mobile telephone systems development and deployment was triggered by the operational limitations of standard mobile telephone systems (Brand and Aghavami, 1). These limitations include limited capacity for service, inefficient utilization of spectrum and poor service performance. The communication of mobile phone occurs through a temporary distinct radio channel in order to communicate to the cell site. The cell site is contains several channels and each mobile talks to it through only one of the channels. The channels are characterized by a pair of frequencies which are used during the communication. The forward link transmits from the cell site to the users while the reverse link receives calls from users. The radio signal transmitted in early mobiles dissipated with distance and mobiles had to stay close to the base station in order to secure effective communications. According to Brand and Aghvami (1), moving mobile users were not sufficiently offered with an effective means of communication. Mobile radio service has its operations in a closed network with no access to the telephone system unlike the mobile telephone service that allowed interconnection to the telephone network. Traditionally, the mobile service structure included a single powerful transmitter that was located at a high spot to broadcast signals within a radius of up to about 50 km and the mobile telephones were attached to the transmitter (Brand and Aghvami, 2). Conversely, the introduction of cellular telephone system architecture involves placing numerous low-power transmitters within the entire coverage area and each covers a small area called the cell and using varying channels or conversions. The cellular telephone system allows a user to travel while making a phone call with no interruptions since they can use more than one base station. The application of the cellular concept in mobile telephone systems overcame interference problems and improved the efficiency of communication since the cells size was equivalent to the density and demand of subscribers in a particular area and was flexible to accommodate growing population’s demand and user density. Interference is overcame since a cluster can be reused in other cells while conversations can be handed off from one cell to the other and phone services maintained constantly as one moves between cells through handoff (Brand and Aghvami, 2). Cellular phone systems is characterized by four generations which are first generation or 1G, second generation or 2G, third generation or 3G and fourth generation or 4G. This paper explores cellular mobile system generations in terms of their capabilities, date of introduction, and comparison of inherent features. 2.0. First generation or 1G cellular phone systems The 1G cellular phone systems are characterized by the use of analog frequency modulation to facilitate the transmission of speech, frequency shift keying or FSK for signaling while FDMA or frequency Division Multiple Access for the sharing of assigned spectrum (Patil, Karhe and Aher, 614). The most

Friday, October 4, 2019

Thomas Randolph and his Career Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10750 words

Thomas Randolph and his Career - Coursework Example One of those, and the subject of this study, is Thomas Randolph, the 1st Earl of Moray. He is an important figure throughout the Scottish Wars of Independence and acted as a Regent to the Crown from Bruce's death in 1329 until his own death in 1332. It is interesting to note that few detailed studies of Randolph have been undertaken, despite his importance within Scottish history. This analysis attempts to balance this situation somewhat, through providing a detailed examination of Thomas Randolph as an individual, in his relationship with Robert the Bruce/other Scottish nobles, of his involvement in both Scottish military/diplomatic achievements and his subsequent tenure as Guardian of the Scottish realm. As a multifaceted figure, Randolph deserves a consideration of the various activities which he undertook during his tragically shortened life. There are numerous contradictions within the story of Randolph which will be considered in a sober and objective manner. He was not an unthinking, blind follower of Robert the Bruce, and indeed changed sides to fight for the English for a while. As an individual who may be considered a 'professional soldier' (as far as such a thing existed in the Fourteenth Century) Randolph was a consummate military commander who had very specific opinions on not only why a war should be fought but also how it should be fought. Randolph is in many ways as good a source for legendary feats as the Bruce himself. His taking of Edinburgh Castle, one of the last English strongholds what stood atop a supposedly impregnable rock, has gone down in history as an act of almost superhuman military skill. Yet it is the man beneath such legendary acts, and thus the individual that has been largely ignored by history, which will be of great importance within this study. A contrast of the legend and the reality is a suitable focus for an examination of such a figure, and it is the one that will be adopted in this study. Literature Review This literature review will be divided into primary and secondary sources and will present some of the varying views of the man that they entail. There are a number of primary sources that may be used in conjunction with a study of Randolph, although these are by necessity limited due to the scarcity of documents in general from this time. Documents are particularly few and far between in the pre-Bannockburn days, although some conjectures can be made using those which are available. Two of the main sources are the Regesta Regum Scottorum V1 and the Regesta Regum Scottorum VI2. These record the various laws and edicts passed by Scottish Kings and their associated noblemen, especially within the Feudal system that was still present during the time period being discussed here. The Exchequer Rolls of Scotland3 give information on financial matters within Scotland at the time, while the

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Process of Socialization Essay Example for Free

Process of Socialization Essay Socialization is the process by which children and adults learn from others. We begin learning from others during the early days of life; and most people continue their social learning all through life (unless some mental or physical disability slows or stops the learning process). Sometimes the learning is fun, as when we learn a new sport, art or musical technique from a friend we like. At other times, social learning is painful, as when we learn not to drive too fast by receiving a large fine for speeding. Natural socialization occurs when infants and youngsters explore, play and discover the social world around them. Planned socialization occurs when other people take actions designed to teach or train others from infancy on. Natural socialization is easily seen when looking at the young of almost any mammalian species (and some birds). Planned socialization is mostly a human phenomenon; and all through history, people have been making plans for teaching or training others. Both natural and planned socialization can have good and bad features: It is wise to learn the best features of both natural and planned socialization and weave them into our lives. Positive socialization is the type of social learning that is based on pleasurable and exciting experiences. We tend to like the people who fill our social learning processes with positive motivation, loving care, and rewarding opportunities. Negative socialization occurs when others use punishment, harsh criticisms or anger to try to teach us a lesson; and often we come to dislike both negative socialization and the people who impose it on us. There are all types of mixes of positive and negative socialization; and the more positive social learning experiences we have, the happier we tend to be,especially if we learn useful information that helps us cope well with the challenges of life. A high ratio of negative to positive socialization can make a person unhappy, defeated or pessimistic about life. Some people will defend negative socialization, since painful training can prepare people to be ready to fight and die in battle, put themselves at great risk in order to save others, endure torture and hardship. This is true; but many people receive far more negative socialization than they need, and hopefully fewer and fewer people will need to be trained for battle, torture and hardship. Functions of Different Social Processes 1.Cooperation- The most favored of all the social pocesses, promotes solidarity and cohesion. I.primary cooperation exist when individulas share the task and rewards with all the members, when the sharing itself becomes both the ends and the means. II.Secondary Cooperation is mere formal type of cooperation existing in modern societies and formal groups. 2.Conflict and cooperation- there are generally considered destructive forces, especially the conflict process but both also fulfill certain function in our society or else the process will oersist competition for one encourages people to exert their best. It stimulates individuals to improve their skills and evidence their knowledge. 3. Differentiation- As individuals they carry with their status or positions in the social system. The status determines the role play in the social situation. As society become more and more complex, roles and function of members in the social system becomes more and more specialized. Differentition role may depend in such factors as sex, age, wealth accumulated and others. References: http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/faculty/baldwin/classes/soc142/scznDEF.html Reporter: Danilo L. Sorio Jr.