Building construction for fire services

Steel is one of the important elements of construction industry because it is widely used in the construction of railways, roads and buildings. Steel provide numbers of advantage in the construction industry due to its special characteristics such as it is more stronger in respect to the wood, more eco-friendlily (because it is easily recyclable), not deteriorate, rot, warp, bed or twist, resistant to fire, hurricanes, tsunami and earthquakes, resistant to termites and insects, requires low weight interior walls and easily used in difficult building locations.As like other materials it has also some limitations such as it is, more expensive than wood and it requires skilled professional contractors for construction. Steel play a important role in fire fighting industry and also makes the job of fire fighter easier. Firefighter is trained person who save life, property, aid and assist during natural disaster. They used several equipments in their work for eg. Ladder trucks, pamper tru cks, fire house ad fire extinguishers which are all constructed of steel due to its light weight in handling and stronger than other metal, more durability.The well-coated steel pipes helps in continues flow of water and there by immediate control on fire. As steel provides number of advantages to fire fighters but it also creates hurdles in performing their task because it frequently react to environment and forms rust which result immediate linkage pipe and damage of pipe. Steel is very easily prone to fire because of its high melting point therefore; it is always advisable to use such material, which is in flammable to prevent smoke and damage or to limit the fire to small areas.Therefore, from above discussion, we can conclude that steel play a crucial role in the development of fire industry but it is affected by certain limitations. Therefore, it is advisable to use steel by acting appropriately then only it is most successful. The fire fighters should take appropriate steps t o successfully rescue their operation Reference: Referred to sites: 1. http://www. smart-homeowner. com/articles/9651/pros and cons of steel framing. 2. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Firefighter/Fire fighter dated 1st July 2007

Analysis of the story “Shakespeare in the bush” Essay

In the story Shakespeare in the Bush, author Laura Bohannan has an argument with a friend about the interpretation of Shakespeare’s literature. Her friend stated that Shakespeare was â€Å"a very English poet† and that people of other cultures could certainly misunderstand his literal meanings. The author then argues that the plots and motivations of Shakespeare’s tragic plays will always be apparent because human nature is more or less universal through out the world. She does however take into account that the customs and translation of his works could produce slight differences in their interpretations. The argument remained a stalemate as she was preparing to travel to Africa. Her friend gave her a copy of Hamlet as a parting gift with hopes that perhaps she would find the true interpretation. On her trip to Africa the author finds out that custom, translations, and culture play a larger role in the interpretation of Shakespeare and that his meanings were not as universal as she previously thought. During her stay with the Tiv in Africa, Bohannan gets a chance to relay the story of Hamlet to the tribe. She began the tale with the appearance of Hamlet’s fathers ghost. Right away the elder questioned this. The concept of someone having a ghost or living after they die was very foreign to them. They were convinced that the author had gotten the story wrong because the only explanation for a spirit could be that it was an omen sent by a witch. Horatio was also viewed as a fool for not bringing such an important matter before a person with proper knowledge of such omens. The Tiv’s perspective was that hamlet this matter should have never been brought to Hamlet’s attention. It is obvious that their customs and traditions were already biasing their interpretation of the story. If Hamlet were not informed of this â€Å"omen† he would have never sought revenge for the death of his father, thus changing the plot dramatically. Another major complication with the story the Tiv had, was Hamlet’s uncles’ succession to the throne. In Tiv society it is only natural for the brother of the chief to become chief in the event of his brothers death. The Tiv also commended the speed with which Hamlet’s mother remarried after the death of her husband. A wife of one of the elders overheard this part of the story and explained that a quick remarriage is ideal. She stated that  without a husband the farm would not be cultivated, therefore a quick remarriage was essential so that lack of food would not occur. It was obvious to the Tiv woman that the mother had done this in the best interests of the family so Hamlet had no reason to feel negatively about it. The author tried in vain to explain why these things would make Hamlet miserable. Fear of famine was not on the mind of Hamlet’s mother for she was powerful enough not to rely on her husband for food. Western society would view this remarriage as a form of incest and would not be socially acceptable. Also a mourning period would be expected before a widow could be remarried and this was not done. In the elders minds these were normal events and which should not motivate anyone to be depressed. This proves that the authors’ argument of motivation of the greater tragedies being clear everywhere is flawed. The Tiv elders had many explanations for the behavior of Hamlet, which held the authors interest. They all agreed that Hamlet was being bewitched and this was the cause of his strange behavior. They clarified that only a male member of ones family had the power to bewitch people therefore it was clearly king Claudius who was behind this. The Tiv also had an explanation for he supernatural events that occurred. They believed the presence of his fathers ghost was understandably an omen sent by a witch to Hamlet to tell him the truth of his father’s death while trying not to offend the current king. Although these answers were not the same the author viewed she found them fascinating and she modeled the remaining parts of the story around them. Bohannon was learning that the Tiv culture and belief systems did not allow the storyline to progress in the same way as Shakespeare wrote it. After hearing of the death of Ophelia from the author, the Tiv elder wished to know whom her male relatives were in order to find who was responsible. Upon hearing that Laertes, Ophelia’s only living male relative, had returned from France the elder was bold enough to offer his prediction for the end of the story. He proceeded to tell how Laertes was scheming to get money to pay off his debts. According to the elder, Laertes had bewitched his sister in order to sell her body to the witches. The Author protested to this by saying that the body was in fact buried and Laertes had jumped into the  grave and was followed by Hamlet. The elder then concluded that Hamlet had jumped in after him to prevent Laertes from snatching the body. He continued to say that the son of a chief would not want to see another man to become rich and powerful. He said Laertes would be angry with this and try to kill Hamlet. Bohannan had to agree with this although it may not have been exact; Laertes did wish to kill Hamlet. Perhaps the elder’s abstract interpretations of the story had led him to universal conclusion after all. In his own eyes, the elder understood the meaning of the story correctly even though his thoughts did not match with the authors. After the stories conclusion the elder added his thoughts about the tales finish. The poison beer that killed Hamlets mother was obviously meant for the winner of the fight. According to him if Laertes won the duel, the great chief would have given him the poison. This way no one would no that the king arranged Hamlets death. In addition the elder claimed that the chief would have done this also for fear of Laertes witchcraft. Someone who kills his own sister with witchcraft is potentially very dangerous. Very pleased that he had correctly interpreted the story, the elder told Bohannan that she should tell them more stories from her country. The elders would then instruct her about the true meaning of the stories so that she could return home unlighted by their wisdom. The Tiv felt that the author was the one Reexamining the argument, which fueled this story, it is clear to see that the author’s friend was correct. The difference in culture had a large impact on the interpretation of Hamlet. The argument Laura Bohannan presents is flawed. Even though the Tiv elder was able to loosely predict the outcome of the story, Bohannan failed to prove that the plot and motives of Shakespeare’s great tragedies were universal. The Tiv had very different rationalizations for the plot progression and the character motives. The author did not take seriously enough the enormous impact the Tivs different customs and traditions would have on their analysis of Hamlet. Through out this story you can see that human nature does plays no part in the Tivs interpretations of Hamlet. The author learns that culture is the main reason for these differences of opinion. Taking into account the cultural differences of the author, her friend, and the Tiv it seems clear why they  would interpret Shakespea re in very different ways.

Data Protection Act 1998 Essay

The data protection Act 1998 came into force in 2000 and aims to protect an individual’s right to privacy in relation to their personal data. This includes things like the person’s medical information, information about their current employees, their address, pay, bank detail etc. Santander has to make sure the information of their employees is kept secret and no one can access it. Businesses like Santander need information about people to increase the chances of people joining them. They also need information about their customers e.g. their address, their home phone number, their occupation etc. so the information stored by business on database must be: Obtained fairly and lawfully Used for purposes stated during collection Adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the intended use Accurate and up to date Not kept for longer than necessary Processed in line with your rights Subject to procedures to prevent unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction and damage to personal data Protected from transfer to an area outside the European economic area (EEA) unless adequate protection exists for that data in the area. Santander needs to make sure they follow all these laws or they can get prosecuted and their organisation can be closed down by the government for breaking the law. Santander needs to make sure all their employees obey these laws because if they break them then they are breaking the law. In order to make sure the employees working at Santander don’t break the laws, Santander provide them the information about these laws when they join to work for Santander and keep them up-to-date as the laws change. Freedom of information Act 2000: The freedom of information Act 2000 is a really important law. It provides individuals and organisations with the right to request information held by a public authority. This law came into effect in 2005. The public authority must tell the person asking for the information so the organisation or an individual if they (public authority) have the information or not and if they have the information then they must supply the information within 20  working days, in the requested format. Public authorities are the national, state or local government agency. The freedom of information Act 2000 does have exemptions to it for example if the cost of a request for information exceeds an appropriate limit, the public authority may decide whether a greater public interest is being served by denying the request or supplying the information. This law effect Santander because it can be used Santander to find important information about people, different trends etc. to increase the chances of peop le joining them. For example Santander can demand information about the statistics about people from public authority in order to help them sell their products. This law doesn’t affect the employees of Santander to much. This law doesn’t cause any conflict within the organisation so Santander doesn’t have to address it to much. Freedom of information Act 2000 can help Santander to persuade people to sell their items or what items to sell because they can get information about different trends or other statistics from the public authority which can show them what majority of people are like and what product they buy etc. For example the statistics about people who get life insurance after the age of 50 can help Santander sell life insurances because they will know what age group buy the most life insurance so they can target that age group and try to persuade them to join Santander. This is an important law which Santander can benefit from in order to progress faster as a company and make more profit. It doesn’t affect the customers or employees to much although in a way it does affect the employees, if Santander make more profit then they expected then they might give their employees higher bonuses. Computer Misuse Act 2000: This is a really important law because it prevents a lot of important things. The computer misuse act 1990 is a law in the UK that legislates against certain activities using computer for example hacking into other people’s account/system or misusing software’s to gain protected files. This means if someone tries to take another person’s personal file or hacks into their computer then they are breaking the law and can be prosecuted and jailed. The computer misuse Act is split into 3 different sections and these are: Unauthorised access to computer material. Unauthorised access to computer systems with intent to commit another offence. Unauthorised modification of computer material.  This is one of the most important laws for Santander to keep in mind because Santander has a lot of employees and this law applies to all of them. None of the employees can use another person’s information for their benefit or even look at it without a reason. If they do then they are breaking the law and will be sacked and reported to the police. In order to deterrent employees from looking at peoples information for their benefit, Santander sack anyone caught of committing this crime. It is really easy for people to commit frauds if they have other people’s personal information so this is another reason Santander has to make sure they handle people information carefully and they don’t send people’s personal information to other agencies and companies. If they do send their customer’s information to third parties without the customer’s permission then the customers can sue Santander. Santander has to make sure none of their employees commit any crime especially in regards to this law because it can lead to frauds being committed against their customer. Santander needs to make sure they take serious actions against anyone who breaks this law in order to deterrent people from doing it. This law protects the customers of Santander as well as the employees so it’s important. Health and Safety (display Screen equipment) Regulations 1992: This law is really important because it includes everyone associated with doing work on computers or other display screen equipment in Santander. Santander has a lot of people working on computers so this rule covers a lot of employees of Santander. This rule applies to employees who are a user of displace screen equipment, their work station have to be assessed with regard to the health and safety of the user. â€Å"The minimum requirements of the work station (i.e. display equipment, keyboard, software, accessories, disc drive, telephone, modem, printer, document holder, work chair, work surface or desk, etc. when provided are laid down in the Schedule. The scheduling of the work of a user shall be such that the work on the display screen equipment is periodically interrupted by breaks or changes of activity. Before a person is employed as a user that person has a right to have an appropriate eye and eyesight test carried out by a competent person. Such tests shall be available to users at regular intervals. Where normal corrective appliances cannot be  used when the operator is experiencing visual difficulties which reasonably may be considered to be caused by work on display screen equipment, the employer shall ensure special corrective appliances are provided.iâ€Å" When Santander recruits someone for a role which has the use of computers, they (Santander) should give them training regarding the appropriate health and safety to make sure they are safe whilst they do their job. In this rules a few things are covered such as: Equipment. Environment the person has to work. User/computer interface. Santander has to provide training for people who aren’t sure about how to operate stuff that includes display screens such as computer. This can be a expensive process for Santander because training sessions are expensive. On the other hand Santander can recruit people who are familiar with these regulation and rules in order to cut the costs of training them although it will be harder to find people like these because most of them have jobs. The more trained and experience Santander’s employees are, the faster the organisation will progress and the more profit they will make this is because if people know what they need to do then they will do it faster than people who struggle to do their role and need time to adjust or find the role hard. These laws mostly apply to employees in Santander so it is quite important for Santander to keep this law in mind and obey it. They need to make sure their employees are given proper health and safety guidance before they start and in addition Santander should regularly make their employees go to optician to get their eye sight checked. Santander have training sessions for people who aren’t familiar with these health and safety rules in order to make sure they don’t harm themselves while working.

Global legal realism as commonsense Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global legal realism as commonsense - Assignment Example rd, it is worth noting that the Western legal system largely emanated from the canon and Roman Laws, some of which are inconsistent with the global legal realism of the contemporary world. Besides, the Western academic legal culture addresses the theory of morals from a positivist, state-oriented, unempirical, secular, and Universalist approach. Evidently, Western legal education, culture, and systems are too liberal to form the core of comparative literature and law (Bermann, Glenn, Scheppele, Shalakany, Snyder, & Zoller 2011, pp. 935-968). This paper takes a critical view of comparative law and literature as it relates to the Western legal systems and the comparative impact of Western legal systems on legal realism from a global perspective. Comparative law entails the study of the similarities and differences of legal systems belonging to different countries. In essence, comparative study deals with the laws of various countries as well as the legal systems that exist in the world, including regional and international legal systems. Some of the legal systems under comparative law include the Jewish Law, Hindu law, Common Law, Chinese law, Civil law, Islamic Law, and Socialist Law (Bermann, Glenn, Scheppele, Shalakany, Snyder, & Zoller 2011, pp. 935-968). On the other hand, comparative literature entails the study of the differences and similarities of global literatures, how such literatures relate to one another. It essentially means that comparative law and literature ought to derive equal sense from all the components that it studies. Since international law and literature is dynamic, political, and economic forces tend to determine which ones to be given more credence (Ingram 2014, pp. 237-267). Unlike the previous centuries when comparative law and literature involved the comparison of all legal systems and literatures of the world without favouring the dominance of one system or the other (Zumbansen 2011, pp. 427-433). However, times have changed and the

We spend too much on education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

We spend too much on education - Essay Example Assuredly, the returns to education are currently higher than they were a few years ago. However, to acquire this education, the government is seemingly spending more when compared with the efficiency it derives. Indeed, various costs relate to the acquisition of education. Nevertheless, the amount we spend on education does not seem to correlate with the value of the resulting credentials. As such, this paper shows that we are currently spending too much on education. The federal government and the American taxpayers are already feeling the pressure of financing education in America (Whybrow, n.y). Indeed, in its quest to provide education to its citizens, the federal government using taxes subsidizes costs on research, tuition, offers student’s loans, and scholarships (McArdle, 2012). In the recent years, these costs have been increasing as seen in the country’s education budget. Indeed, the education sector currently takes one of the biggest chunks of the national budget as the federal government, the taxpayers struggle to keep up with the increasing number of students, and the costs related to education. Notably, the eminent struggle to finance education shows that the results of previous financing have no capacity to support modern education. As such, we can confirm that the federal government and the taxpayers are spending too much on education. At the same time, Americans seeking to acquire higher education at the universities and colleges are currently paying a lot of money towards this venture. Indeed, such students or their parents have to pay accommodation, library, transport, alumni donations, tuition, research, private scholarships, and other costs related to quality education (McArdle, 2012). In fact, by 2011, an average college student would spend about $ 17,000 a year while those who opt to take the government’s education loans accrue about $ 23,000 a year (The New York Times, 2011). These figures have risen in the recent past and

The Saga of Mr. Jose Padilla Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Saga of Mr. Jose Padilla - Essay Example The case took a surprising turn in November 2005, when â€Å"Bush administration† filed criminal charges against Padilla in a Miami court. Surprisingly, the new indictment did not contain the original charges against Padilla and consisted of entirely different criminal charges. The new indictment claimed that Padilla, a former member of a Chicago gang, was a member of a group supporting violent jihad campaigns in Afghanistan. The group by the name of â€Å"North American Support cell† was known to support Jihad from overseas between the tenure of 1993 to 2001. During the time the new indictment was announced, Padilla, due to extreme isolation and abuse for more than three years, was suffering from severe psychological damage and on these grounds his lawyers were determined to have the new indictment dismissed because Padilla was now simply incapable of enduring the trial. The judge did not rule on the merits of the defense accusations of psychological damages and denied the motion of dismissing the charges. (Anonymous, 2011). The saga of Jose Padilla captured tremendous media coverage because it raised numerous questions, the most important of the raised issues was whether the US government had the right to subject arrested US citizens to indefinite military detention with mental as well as physical abuse. However, these fundamental questions did not receive any resolution during the trial of Padilla and his two co-defendants because Federal district judge Marcia Cooke, who was presiding over the case, clearly stated Padilla’s military detention was completely justified and questions about its legitimacy were totally irrelevant. The legality of Padilla’s three and a half years military detention as an enemy combatant was heavily questioned by media across the United States of America. In December 2002, the Southern District of New York stated during the first litigation that the military detention was authorized. However, this author ization by the Southern District was reconsidered and reversed a year later by the Second Circuit. On jurisdictional grounds, the Second Circuit’s decision was vacated by the Supreme Court. Moreover, the Supreme Court demanded re-filing of habeas petition in South Carolina District. The South Carolina District Court supported the Second Circuit by stating that the detention was illegal and Padilla should not have been subjected to such harsh military viciousness however, in September 2005, it was reversed by the Fourth Circuit. (Vladeck, 2007). Padilla trial, in total took almost five and a half years, during which Padilla, despite being a US citizen, was brutally tortured, and was held in incommunicado thus, in simple words it can be safely stated that Padilla was denied basic democratic rights. During the trial, he was subjected to what I must say were trumped up charges. During the trial, Padilla was claimed to have received training from Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan in 1998. H is visit and training in Afghanistan was said to have been supported by Adham Amin Hassoun and Kifah Wael Jayyosi. Unfortunately, Padilla’s lawyers assumed that the Bush administration’s case against him was too thin and therefore, on Padilla’s behalf, they did not present any witness and evidence in court. Inevitably, it proved to be a major mistake and the damage it did was evident by the course of events which followed as the

Comparisons and contrasts between the educational systems of Japan and Essay

Comparisons and contrasts between the educational systems of Japan and Britain - Essay Example Dearden (1998) points out that there is significant annual return for an individual who has earned extra years in education: 9.3% for women and 5.5% for men. Japan and the United Kingdom (UK) are two strong economies that would benefit from educating their respective people. Japan, a strong industrial economy in Asia, capitalizes much on the Japanese workforce to propel its economy further and stay competitive amongst nations. The UK, on the other hand, capitalizes as well on its workforce to maintain its strong competitive stance in the world market. This paper attempts to compare and contrast the educational systems of these two nations basing only on the basic general education of both countries. It is limited to the basic comparison and contrast and does not go further into the technical and other aspects of education. In the UK education system, education is compulsory for eleven years. Starting from age five, children attend Primary School in state-run schools until the age eleven. After which, from age eleven to sixteen, they go to Comprehensive School, still in state-run schools. There are also the so-called Grammar Schools, which are secondary schools for students aged eleven to eighteen. Entry to these Grammar Schools is rather stringent, controlled as they are by academically selective process consisting largely by written examinations. This is mainly to prepare the students for further education at any college or university after finishing the Grammar School. privately-run schools, which ironically, are called officially in the UK as Public Schools. These Public Schools are regarded as elite-oriented because they charge fees, they are usually prestigious and historic, do not arbitrarily restrict admissions, and are mostly funded by groups and institutions other than the state, commonly as private charitable trusts. Also, most of these schools are boarding schools. They admit students aged thirteen to eighteen. On the contrary, Japan

OHS Safety Management System National Implementation Project Research Paper

OHS Safety Management System National Implementation Project - Research Paper Example Through communications management, project information will be generated, collected, transmitted as well as stored. Project risk management will ensure identification, analysis, and response to risks arising when implementing the project. Procurement management will entail procuring or acquiring goods as well as services for a project from external performing companies. The Project Management Institute describes the project management as the utilization of skills, knowledge, techniques, as well as tools to the activities of the project in order to meet the requirements of the project (41). This shows that those involved in managing a project have to strive to meet the expectations and needs of the people affected or involved by the activities of the project (Sai Global Limited). The main elements of this framework are the project management areas and project stakeholders. The stakeholders are the people affected or involved in the activities and encompass project team, project sponso r, users, support staff, suppliers, customers, and also project opponents. The implementation of a national safety management system will take place in four phases which will be used as an outline for evaluating the effectiveness of project implementation. Phase one will involve planning of OHS national Safety management system. Phase two will focus on reactive safety management processes. The third phase will focus on predictive and proactive safety management processes whereas the fourth phase will focus on operational safety assurance. This phased approach to implementing a national safety management system is a clear-cut process. It is evident that complex projects in management of projects are best progressed through breaking down... The paper tells that the Project Management Institute describes the project management as the utilization of skills, knowledge, techniques, as well as tools to the activities of the project in order to meet the requirements of the project. This shows that those involved in managing a project have to strive to meet the expectations and needs of the people affected or involved by the activities of the project. The main elements of this framework are the project management areas and project stakeholders. The stakeholders are the people affected or involved in the activities and encompass project team, project sponsor, users, support staff, suppliers, customers, and also project opponents. The implementation of a national safety management system will take place in four phases which will be used as an outline for evaluating the effectiveness of project implementation. Phase one will involve planning of OHS national Safety management system. Phase two will focus on reactive safety managem ent processes. The third phase will focus on predictive and proactive safety management processes whereas the fourth phase will focus on operational safety assurance. This phased approach to implementing a national safety management system is a clear-cut process. It is evident that complex projects in management of projects are best progressed through breaking down the entire intricacy of the task at hand into smaller and controllable subcomponents of the entire task. This will allow for smaller or partial resources allotment to complete activities subsets.

Why was democracy facing collapse in the wake of the Great War Research Paper

Why was democracy facing collapse in the wake of the Great War - Research Paper Example Although it was meant to make the world safe for democracy from the destruction that millions of civilians recruited for the war experienced and lost their lives, some empires collapsed and some civilians were left homeless from the civil war, the western economies, trade patterns and flow of goods were interfered in the regions.1 In the long run, the democracy struggled for, faced numerous obstacles in operation and seemed unsafe in application with the consequences of the war. The introduction of democracy in most nations involved in the First World War had not strongly been established, and their effectiveness was not appreciated by the people being governed within the short period. Instead, they opted for the former autocratic leadership, which between the WW1 and WW2 some forms of government that exercised full control of the people, the society, and state affairs were formed in some states that failed to retain democracy. According to Brym and Lie, the aftermath of the war, within 1922 to 1942 under the totalitarian rule, 2/3 of the world’s democracies failed because of the communists, fascists and military movements. 2The rule suppressed the rights and will of the people to express themselves in all activities, including occupational, social, and political affairs. Germans, Italians, and Russians democracies were overthrown by the totalitarian or authoritarian rules that imposed dictatorship in the states. In Germany, where the political leadership has a long history of shifts between democracy and dictatorship, the social democratic party that had led to the establishment of the first democratic constitution and government was undermined by the existing legislative house, the reaction of the people due its signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, and further by the rebellions from the communists. 3 The national socialists (Nazis) later got the opportunity

Independent Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Independent Learning - Essay Example The process of integrating the learners into the education system allows them to  start  connecting with the outside world. Therefore, they have the ability to  learn  and think for themselves, and not wait for their teachers. Independent learning abilities are an  indispensable  training  for life and for  change  to, and success in, occupational,  college  or higher  learning  courses. Independent learning skills  support  students’  capability  in assessing, recording and reflecting on their education.  Steinberg and Davidson (2005: p467)  state  that also  promote  independence in organization, decision-making and problem-solving.  Nonetheless, they take time to  institute  and, for several students, require  premeditated  modeling and teaching. Therefore, if students are to become actively engaged in increasing their  autonomy  in their  personal  education, they must first of all  gain  the  aptitude   to learn how to  study. A supportive  setting  that permits students to learn from errors and  develop  about their successes is a  prerequisite. Ideally, such  ability  building will be in progress  early  and  continuous  throughout a  person's  learning  (Cooper, Kiger, Robinson and Slanky, 2011: p65).... Fulfilling such requirements is satisfying in itself, and such rewards  uphold  learning successfully than do grades.   Therefore, teachers may  design  in-class activities, assignments, and  discussion  queries to  tackle  these types of requirements. The teachers should  make  learners active participants in education. Students learn by making, designing, doing, creating, writing, and solving.  Passive learning dampens learners' enthusiasm and inquisitiveness.  Teachers  are supposed  to  pose  questions, and not  inform  students something when they can  ask  them. Furthermore, they ought to  encourage  students to  propose  approaches to a quandary or to  speculate  the outcome of an experiment. The students may be divided into small groups, encouraging interaction and sharing their different ideas on the subject. Research has revealed that an  educator's expectations have an  influential  consequence on a student's perf ormance.  Thus, if a teacher acts as though he expects  motivation,  interest  and hard work from his students in the course, they are more likely to be so.  The teachers need to  set  practical  expectations for learners when they  grade  examinations, give presentations,  formulate  assignments and  conduct  discussions. "Practical" in this perspective means that the teacher’s standards are  high  enough to  inspire  learners to  do  their most  excellent  work but not so high that learners will predictably be discouraged in attempting to meet those expectations. To build up the  drive  to achieve; learners must  believe  that  realization  is possible, which means that the teacher needs to  present  early prospects for success. Teachers should  assist  students in setting achievable objectives for themselves.

European Financial Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

European Financial Crisis - Essay Example It did this for years and no country raised a hand to punish Germany. The financial crisis started back in 2007 characterized by a long phase of quick credit growth, low risk premiums, profuse liquidity and the growth of real estate bubbles. Overstretched leveraging made financial institutions susceptible to corrections in asset markets, according to Kolb (113). The parties that carry the most responsibility for the European economic crisis in the financial sector were banks. Banks in Europe had invested heavily in extremely complex, opaque and highly priced financial products (Van Den Noord 12). Many banks became uncertain of the credit worthiness of their counterparts who had engaged in such investments. This virtually resulted in the closure of the interbank market with risk premiums soaring on interbank loans. As a consequence, the banks faced grave challenges in rolling over their short term debt. In Ireland, for example, the banking system achieved exceptional growth thereby creating external debts far beyond the country’s gross domestic product. In the government sector, the structure of the Eurozone was widely to blame for the economic crisis. The zone uses one currency, and in the absence of fiscal union, the ability of leaders to respond adequately remained quite limited (Van Den Noord 23). Different countries failed to abide by the fiscal paths or requirements of the union. Governments are also to be blamed for the crisis considering that they did not deal with their over expenditure before the situation got out of control. In Greece, for instance, the government made great commitments to its public workers and gave them huge pension benefits and wages. Governments also borrowed so much from banks. The Eurozone financial problem is a detachment of a global problem. The global problem is all about lack of equilibrium between the private sector

Octopus System Essay Example for Free

Octopus System Essay In our group’s case study report, we will examine the use of Octopus system in the education sector. Octopus system is a widely used e-Commerce technology in Hong Kong, covering a variety of industries including transportation, retail, restaurants, and more. Tsung Tsin Primary School is the main focus of this case study. The school uses the Octopus system extensively, integrating into student and staff information, attendance, educational activities, payment, and communications. We will look at how using the system can help achieve the school’s missions. In order to describe the business case, we will analyze the benefits of adopting the Octopus system in an educational environment, comparing with the traditional methods of performing similar processes. The feedback from Tsung Tsin Primary School has been very positive; however there are associated costs, risks, and challenges. In our case study, we will also discover the potential or existing issues with the implementation and maintenance of the systems. With personal identification store in the Octopus cards and the server, we also have concerns regarding to the security and privacy of the system. We will analyze the current security measures and suggest changes to enhance the protection. Finally, we will provide recommendations for extending and further improving the use of Octopus and other e-Commerce technologies in Tsung Tsin Primary School. We will also look at the feasibility of adopting the Octopus system in other types of educational institutes.

Globalisation: Threats and Benefits for SMEs

Globalisation: Threats and Benefits for SMEs INTRODUCTION Globalisation has become a hot discussion issue for both academicians as well as the corporate world. This is because of the effects globalisation has on Small medium enterprise as well as the benefits they offer to the SMEs and national economies as a whole. Globalisation is a major driver that has an impact on nearly every business due to internationalization of markets. Technological progress in distribution and other logistics enables every business to buy and sell at a global scale. Small Medium Enterprises contributes to over 50% of the national GDP and provides over 60% of the total employment in most of the developed high income countries. Small and Medium Entrepreneurs play a major role in creating economic growth in every country through job creation (UNCTAD) .Despite small businesses being engines that drive economic growth in most economies, smaller firms in developing countries are greatly disadvantage in terms of growth and profitability due to globalisation. 1.0 What is Globalisation? Globalisation refers to the shift towards a more integrated and independent world economy (Hill 2003) .Globalisation has two main dimensions thus Globalisation of markets and Globalisation of production. 1.1 Globalisation of markets refers to the merging of separate national markets into one global market which is aimed at reducing cross boarder barriers making it easy to sell and buy international (Hill 2003). However cavugil et al -defines Globalisation of markets as a gradual integration and growing interdependence of national economies. It is also aimed at standardizing products worldwide and a means of converging customer preferences. Its therefore important to note that this is a gradual process which started as far back as 1830 has been done in phases. The integration has resulted in the formation of regional bloc e.g. the European Union, SADC in southern Africa, COMESA just to mention a few. Integration is where two or more countries in the same geographical area make an alliance with a view of reducing barriers to trade and invest to grow their economies. This implies that the lowering of trade barriers enables firms to view the world as one global market rather than a singl e market. 1.2 Globalisation of production is the sourcing of goods and services from countries around the globe to take advantage of national differences in the cost and quality factors of production. China is a good example of emerging markets with low labor costs. With globalistaion, this has seen most firms moving their production centers to china to reduce costs and this has enhanced their economies of scale. By doing this, firms aim to gain competitive advantage as globalisation has resulted in increased competition in the global market. Globalisation productions not limited to giants like Boeing but smaller firms are getting into the act as they aim to lower costs and increase their profit margins. Why GLOBALISATION-There are many reasons why nations globalise. 2.1 Nations globalise to reduce barriers of trade and investment .This means that the absence of barriers has enabled firms to have access to the total market resulting into a wider selection of choice of goods for customers. On the other hand globalisation has resulted into the formation of regional blocks where governments get into agreements so as to eliminate the hindrances to trade freely among the member countries This has not only reduced barriers of trade but also have enhanced the bilateral relationships between member countries. Globalisation is one way of liberalizing markets meaning its one way of opening up markets with minimal government indulgence. Its believed that globalisation creates opportunities to advance in technology and this has resulted in creating efficiency for firms and has brought about innovation which enables firms compete favorably. The other reason why nations globalise is that its easy to integrate world financial markets. As the world is merging business transactions are becoming more simplified e.g. the sourcing of funds from foreign firms have been made easy. However, globalisation has its own benefits and threats especially to small firms 3.0 Benefits of globalisation to smaller firms-.Globalisation has its own pros and cons however its important to note that it has been quite beneficial to smaller firms in various ways. Globalisation has created opportunities for smaller firms to make alliances (merge) with other small firms enabling them access expertise from other countries and creating synergies to achieve competitive advantage. Smaller firms have also benefited greatly from technology mostly brought by globalisation of markets. Communication has become easy as it i possible to transact with different countries within a short period of time. More knowledge about production methods, management techniques, and economic policies are easily accessible at very low costs which is a valuable resource especially for developing countries. Globalisation has resulted in increased investment in business even for small firms due to easy sourcing of funds globally and supports small firms get from other supranational authorities Globalisation has opened doors for small businesses to export their products .Some statistic show that 90% of exporters are small businesses this has helped infant firms have wider market for their products and services. It has also created an opportunity for Small firms to compete on an international scale 4.0 Threats of Globalisation to SMEs Critics of globalisation argue that although there are benefits associated with globalisation, its also apparent that Smaller Medium Enterprises are threatened by globalisation in different ways: With the opening of boarders which has seen a number of MNEs in most countries offering lower prices, small firms are forced to sell their goods and services at lower costs as it is the only way they can compete and this has a negative effect on their profitability. Its has also increased spending for research and development in market entry as it takes a much higher proportion of total spending smaller firms than in larger businesses. Opening up of boarders has resulted in mass migration. This entails that countries loses some of its best talented and skilled people which in turn could mean reduced pool of Human resource SMEs can choose from. Globalisation has also brought about stiff competition from Multi National Entrepreneurs investing in various countries. With globalisation most governments especially in developing countries have policies benefiting MNEs and disadvantaging smaller firms in their quest to attract foreign direct investment. It is because of these threats that governments and supranational authorities have to come in and protect the smaller firms from being swept away. 5.0 What are supranational authorities? These are international governing bodies empowered to regulate international trade and investment .Their main objective is to save collective interest of member states. 5.1 Roles of Supranational Authorities-Supranational authorities play key roles in integration of market as they are aimed at solving common economic problems facing different countries including smaller firms. Examples of these authorities which play major role in protecting smaller firms include; World trade organisation, World Bank, International Monetary fund, African Bank for Reconstruction and development (ABRD) etc, these authorities work hand in hand with governments from various countries to see how poverty can be reduced and creation of jobs enhanced. This includes protecting smaller firms from effects of globalisation and ensuring that they are not swept away by the presence of multi national enterprises since they are the drivers of most economies today. 5.1.1 IMF: The international monetary funds main objective is to raise living standards of its member countries by ensuring that countries can sustain themselves without much dependency on donor funding. Its aimed at fostering global monetary cooperation and secure financial stability by stabilizing exchange rates. If the exchange rates are stabilized its easy for the nation to attract foreign direct investment. International Monetary Funds also facilitates international trade and promotes high employment and sustainability of economic growth with the ultimate goal of reducing poverty. This means that IMF encourages member countries to adopt sound economic policies to promote entrepreneurs in member states especially developing countries so as to help them grow their economies. Once these economies have grown it will mean they become self reliant and employment created for the citizens and IMF would have achieved its goal. 5.1.2 World Bank: The World Banks mission is to fight poverty and improving the living standard of people in developing countries www.worldbank.org. To achieve this, the bank provides low interest loans to different organisations to help funding various projects. Not only to organisations but the bank also offer grants to governments to run various projects in different ministries. World Bank provides advice on implementation of various policies that benefits the different economies. It also offers technical advice to both low and medium income countries on how economies can be improved thereby reducing poverty. The World Bank partners with governments to come up with projects as a way of promoting growth in the economies which leads to job creation .The other reason is to empower smaller firms so that they can explore the opportunities arising from globalisation. The World Bank has other major wings thus the International Bank for Reconstruction and development (IBRD) and the international development association which work primarily with governments to support private businesses in developing countries. Besides the above two wings discussed there is also the international development bank which offers advice on how to access IDB financed contracts 5.1.3 World trade organisation: World trade deals with rules of trade between nations to avoid exploiting one another .World trade ensure that there is fair trade between the trading nations and that trade should not benefit one nation at the expense of the other. The main goal is to help producers of goods and services conduct their business in a fair and transparent manner. This includes Multi national enterprises and smaller firms alike 6.0 Role of Government in protecting small firms Although reasons for economic stagnation vary, several factors point out that many developing countries have economic policies that destroy wealth rather than creating wealth. Its for this reason that Government should come up with policies protecting smaller firms from exploitation as they contribute greatly to the growth of the economy. However this task should not be left alone to supranational authorities but it calls for efforts of various governments to work hand in hand with these authorities to achieve the main goal. In as much as globalisation has benefited most economies of various nations globalisation still poses challenges to many businesses especially infant firms in developing countries. Government therefore should ensure that these infant firms are protected from threats and or exploitation brought about globalisation of markets and production .Its also important to highlight that government needs concerted efforts from all stakeholders thus the private sector to come aboard in helping small and medium firms thrive through stiff competitions. Government can support smaller firms through the implementation of policies in support of smaller firms in form of financial and technical assistance so as to prevent small business from being swept away by todays global economy. This can be through offering tax incentives which can be in form of tax rebates. Government can support smaller firms by injecting capital into these small firms. For example in Zambia there is a government project called the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (C.E.E.C) aimed at encouraging youths and Zambian small entrepreneurs to become entrepreneurs and grow their businesses. It provides loans to small entrepreneurs so that they can grow their businesses and compete effectively. Entrepreneurs are asked to come up with project proposals which are then submitted to C.E.E.C for evaluation. After the evaluation process then they are advised as to weather the project is viable of not and are advised accordingly .if they are sound a loan is given to them after submission of the relevant documents. Government can introduce market linkage through global trade centers to buyers abroad this will help ensure that there is always ready market for small firms products .In most instances small firms may have the product but no market for them at they end up selling their product cheaply without making profits to reinvest .Trade centers on the other hand will do the research on behalf of the entrepreneurs and advises them on how to add quality to their product to meet the international standards and all the logistics should be put in place. In Zambia, the government through the ZDA offers a service of market sourcing for emerging SMEs. Development of good road network system is another way government can come to support these firms. This is because most small firms find it hard to transport their product to market places due to poor roads .This is most applicable in developing countries like Zambia where small firms especially those dealing with agricultural products have problems transporting their produces to major markets where there are better offers hence they end up selling these products cheaply Government can also work hand in hand with local banks and help reduce interest and lending rates so as to enable small firms have access to loans to finance their business this will ensure growth to this infant firms. Government can also come up with policies where small entrepreneurs especially in the agricultural sector sell direct to the Food Reserve Agency (F.R.A) at a profitable price. This will deter buyers seeking to exploit them with lower prices. Smaller firms fail to compete effectively due to lack of planning. Most of them fail to come up with comprehensive business proposal plans as a result they have no direction on how to compete. This is where governments co-operating partners can come in to help by running workshops so as to give them direction. The Government Republic of Zambia offer such training through a government wing called Zambia Development Agency (ZDA). For firms in the exporting business government can offer incentives in form of invoice discount or warehouse receipts this will encourage more smaller firms to venture into exporting which is a way of expanding their market and is less risky and cheaper that foreign direct investment. Government should also introduce price sealing to deter multi national Enterprises from exploiting market for infant firms seeking to use the cost leadership strategy as a means of entering the foreign market. This will ensures there is protection of the home grown products as there is a floor limiting price factor Governments from the same regional blocks can introduce one stop boarder post where small entrepreneurs are allowed to cross over with goods and with no tax on certain goods. In the SADC region for example ,Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe have signed this agreement although its not as effective as it should be If all these measures are put in place and necessary policies are implemented by the government and its stakeholders then smaller firms will survive from globalisation threats and will eventually be translated into economic growth and increased gross domestic product ratio. CONCLUSION In conclusion, as globalisation has progressed the living conditions have improved significantly in almost all the countries. However the strongest gains have been particularly on high income countries (developed countries) and only a few in developing countries. This is because low income countries have not been able to integrate with global economies quickly as the developed countries partly because of the policies implemented in various nations and other factors beyond their control. Every country should seek to reduce poverty thus encouraging entrepreneurship by strengthening their financial muscle so that they can withstand stiff competition amid globalisation. This is the only way to ensure that smaller firms have access to benefits of globalisation and reduced threats. Finally for as long as Small Medium Enterprises lack financial support, with poor infrastructure and lack of government assistance and support ,small firms will continue being threatened by globalisation and eventually will be swept away. This will have an adverse impact on the economy as small firms are the back bone of the strong economies. RECOMMENDATION The Government of the Republic of Zambia must increase the allocation to the wings responsible for youth and entrepreneur project e.g. the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission and should be encouraged to lend to women groups and have the collateral to borrow from banks as most of this government wing offer too little to small firms and cannot borrow from high interest Banks due to lack of collaterals. Policies that protect local manufacturers should be strengthened by developing country governments. This is because currently the laws and regulations on this angle are too weak as a result investors source raw materials from their country of origin and not from local suppliers. There is also great need for governments to enhance education, training and research and development to promote productivity among small firms through its cooperating partners. This could be an opportunity for small businesses to acquire right skills in dynamic economies. Other policies should include structural reforms to encourage domestic competition. If local firms can compete domestically it helps improve product and service standard thereby preparing them to compete internationally. Developing countries should lobby from rich countries to relax restrictions for developing countries to export into European and western markets. This can be done through bodies like SADC, COMESA and A.U. There is a better chance of being heard if they speak with one strong voice. Supranational authorities should introduce parallel lending specifically for small firms so that funds are not diverted. They should also channel funds for capacity building which helps instill know how to infant firms so that they can compete effectively. Supranational authorities should work hand in hand with Non governmental organisation by funding various projects e.g. when it comes to running workshops. They should also lower interest rates to small firms to enable them access loans with minimal interests. APPENDICES chart1a chart2b

Impact of Photography and Film on Art

Impact of Photography and Film on Art Photography and film have changed our notion of art. Discuss. To explore how photography and film have changed our notion of art, we must elude to Walter Benjamins essay, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction[1]. Here, Walter Benjamin, discusses how art changed in the face of technology, and how state economies, the way art is perceived, the impact of reproduction, and how the meaning of artworks change through time, is discussed predominantly in the wake of film. He also puts forward the idea of the value of the work of art is linked to its authenticity. â€Å"The presence of the original is the prerequisite to the concept of authenticity.† And sites various reactions to the emergence of film. â€Å"I can no longer think what I want to think. My thoughts have been replaced by moving images[2].† He writes about the impact of the reproduction of art. â€Å"Mechanical reproduction of art changes the reaction of the masses toward art†, and the difference between aspects of film and other art forms. When comparing the painter and the cameraman, Walter Benjamin compared them to a magician and a surgeon. â€Å"The magician heals a sick person by the laying on of hands; the sur geon cuts into the patients body.† When Walter Benjamin wrote his essay, film was emerging as a powerful art form, â€Å"The shooting of a film, especially of a sound film, affords a spectacle unimaginable anywhere at any time before this†, and obviously influenced The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, possibly fearing that arts heritage would be lost in the wake of technology, â€Å"The technique of reproduction detaches the reproduced object from the domain of tradition.† The purpose of this essay is to take these ideas and re-evaluate them in our 21st century world, to enable us to explore how our notions, or ideas and conceptions of art, in relation to photography and film have changed. Through examining our notion of art and how it has been manipulated through photography and film, we will be able to gauge what art means to us, its use, what influences art, and how we perceive it. Arguably the biggest impact over the last two to three decades on art has been the rise of the market economy. Through striving for profit, the media industry that arguably utilises art has been greatly affected. The use of art has become a kind of dictated president. The use of demographics has largely dictated what kind of films and television programmes people watch. In relation to art, the question has to be asked: Is there room for art in demographic driven film? This can be explored further in relation to television, especially where reality television is concerned. In his essay, Walter Benjamin ask a similar question, â€Å"The question remains whether it provides a platform for the analysis of the film.† Perhaps to answer this question we need to look at other art forms. Music, like film has gone through a change in how it is made, and there is arguably a clear division between commercial music, and music from artists wanting to express themselves. Where as twenty years ago the pendulum was arguably more balanced, with the advent of television talent programmes and their subsequent success, the popular song has become formulaic. The creativity, or the â€Å"cult† element has been lost in the commercialism of music, and subsequently it is more like painting by numbers, than a tapestry of sound. This argument to a degree is now present in the film industry. Film scripts, particularly in the action genre, seem to fit a certain format, and subsequently, one seems a lot like another, save perhaps a few exceptions. Art has little scope for recognition in this kind of film. Walter Benjamin: â€Å"The masses seek distraction whereas art demands concentration from the spectator.† The merits of which still seem to prevail. This leads us to the question, what do people actually want from their film going experience? If art is an expression of idea through a creative medium, then this is not art that is being sought, or offered, as there is no expression of ideas, but rather a tried and tested rerun of what sells. Marketing has played its part in changing our notion of art. It has not only conducted research into demographics, but also packaged the film to make it more fit for consumption by a mass mainstream audience. It has kind of duped us into believing that we want to see a film that we really do not. This clever use of marketing and its power should never be underestimated. Its reach stretches to wherever there is a product and consumer. The driver here is money and investment, and film companies want a top return for their outlay. Though this is understandable, the results are arguably limiting the scope of art to take form. Western Governments may not have been directly responsible for the demise of art to commercial demographics, but by allowing the rise of the market economy to strive for greater profits above all else, ideas driven film inevitably was always going to be displaced to a more profitable, formula led system. In this way, Western Governments have created the condition for this kind of film making to exist. If art is suffering in commercial film, it is growing from independent film makers. Here, it could be argued that the art of film making still exists, where the demographic driven formula of the commercial sphere is rested, and ideas are used to guide a film from beginning to end. It should also be noted that with the advent of websites such as Youtube, and Flickr, and more affordable technology, film making and photography are arguably more affordable to the average person in the street than ever before. How much of the content of these sites is art is questionable, but nonetheless, keen people looking to explore the worlds of film making and photography, are striving to achieve something more than just a home video and snapshots, and now have the tools to explore their own creativity and self expression. In the minds of most people, film is a source of entertainment. It is not a crucible for culture. Most films that people see would have undergone the demographic research we have discussed previously, and been screened in front of a test audience. Depending on the results of the test audience, the film may have been edited again. Art, which is arguably in short supply, may well have been lessened further as a result. As Walter Benjamin stated, â€Å"The public is an examiner, but an absent minded one.† Photography, on the other hand, seems to come into its own when used for its shock power. Photographers have carved out a niche for themselves in this arena by combining the controversial with a particular topic. It has also shown to be an instrument of real power, especially on a battlefield, where a dead body can tell a thousand words. Where photography perhaps has the edge over film on an artistic level, is that there are no demographics to dictate the content of the picture. In fact, the art of photography lies in the technique of the photographer. Art in this form, is what people are left with. Photographers have a freer rain to practise their art than their film contemporaries. Our notion of art in photography is what we are left with when we view the picture. Exactly what this is, is hard to determine, but for all intense and purposes the art is still there. The power of the camera should never be understated. Injustices, tragedies, and humours moments are remembered by all. 9/11, the Tiananmen square massacre, Vietnam, are all images that have stayed with people long after the events have taken place. Art is not something that immediately is apparent, but the statement by Marinetti[3] that, â€Å"War is beautiful†, does resonate in some way. Though other feelings are prevalent to: Shock, fear, intrigue, horror and abhorrence. If a destruction of another human being can be classified as beautiful, then perhaps this is because of authenticity, which provides the basis of value for a genuine work of art. Perhaps a student being unjustly killed, a village being massacred or people being crushed to death in a collapsing building, gives the lives lost a meaning albeit a grim one, and here in lies the art, both genuine and authentic. It is a nice thought that art is intrinsically linked to something profound, and something that represents humanity. Walter Benjamin wrote, â€Å"But the instant the criterion of authenticity ceases to be applicable to artistic production, the total function of art is reversed. Instead of being based on ritual, it begins to be based on another practice-politics† Indeed, politics, in our day and age is about gaining advantage where possible to reinforce a position through manipulating facts and arguably truths. Perhaps artistic value in film and pictures that depict tragedy is lost once the act moves into the political arena, as through manipulation authenticity dies, and with it the value of life and death. One could say that the death of authenticity, is actually the death of art in mass market media. Tragedy, seems to be all around us, and now you can watch the events of it on a hundred television channels. The world wide web which is accessible to many people around the globe, can show tragic events at any time of the day. Perhaps the authenticity is dying because we are saturated by similar images. We are becoming immune to its effects and therefore immune to art itself. We have seen it every week in one form or another. Many actors are groomed in the same way, and so look similar. The uniqueness is lost to the mainstream, and so art is lost, for without uniqueness there can be no art. The Mona Lisa would not hang in the Louvre if twenty million people had there own copy painted by Leonardo De Vinci hanging in their kitchens. To this end, Walter Benjamin states that, â€Å"Thus the same public which responds in a progressive manner toward a grotesque film is bound to respond in a reactionary manner to surrealism†, could not have predicted the deadening of sensibilities due to the saturation of horrific imagery. Perhaps then, Franz Wefel[4] who states, â€Å"The film has not yet realized its true meaning, its real possibilities..these consist in its unique faculty to express by natural means and with incomparable persuasiveness all that is fairylike, marvelous, supernatural†, was more in tune with what film, cinema, and television would become. Arguably, it has realised its potential and has done so for some time, with the magical quality coming in the form of various visual, and special effects. Creating an illusion in this sense, is arguably the art of the film. Where a counterpoint exists, is that many effects are duplicated- The hero does not fight one deadly monster, but five. Authenticity is lost, through duplication. Only where all these effects come together to give us something unique, can art be created. Perhaps then, the exhibition is where we begin to understand the true meaning of art. Arguably, this arena is where we are most exposed to it. Art is all around us and in everything, but through mainstream media it has been removed and not replaced by anything tangible. The gallery offers the photograph to the viewer as it was meant to be seen, and not perhaps through the same eyes of the photographer, but has taken a different meaning from shutter click to development. The art is prevalent, and our notion and awareness of creative expression is heightened. The impact is optimised, unlike a computer monitor where it can blend into a mirage of other pictures. Unlike an art form from civilisations long dead, where the art form would have been created for a ritual, and later as a valued artwork in an exhibition, contemporary photographic art is seemingly created to become a valued artwork in an exhibition. Though the picture was taken to convey an idea or a concept. The gallery offers us art, and to many of us this is the first image that springs to mind when the word ‘art is mentioned. With art prevailing less in mainstream film, can it be argued that it prevails less in society? The traditional journey of an art form whereby it starts by serving a purpose and ends as an exhibition piece does not apply. This was recognised by Walter Benjamin. â€Å"Today photography and the film are the most serviceable exemplifications of this new function.† Interestingly, he eludes that the â€Å"artistic value†, may not be that important. â€Å"later may be recognized as incidental†. Evidently, by examining the past, we can see that art has changed as it has aged. As Walter Benjamin states, â€Å"Work of art in prehistoric times when, by the absolute emphasis on its cult value, it was first and foremost, an instrument of magic. Only later did it come to be recognized as a work of art.† Applied to film and photography, the better remembered creations are ones that are unique in their approach and what they achieve. The finished product is not a paint by numbers affair, and is a creative process from start to finish. In conclusion, our notion of art through the mainstream is diminishing. Market forces, demographics, and clever marketing, has turned potential works of artistic creations of film, into a film made to a formula. In this environment, the film looses its uniqueness as it is made to a set criteria, like its predecessor and indeed, its successor. Once this happens, the film has lost its uniqueness and subsequently, it has lost its art. It is probably fair to put forward the statement that not many people associate mainstream film making with artistic achievement. Rather as a source of entertainment, whereby the only opinion expressed is whether or not they liked it. So Walter Benjamins analysis, â€Å"The public is an examiner, but an absent-minded one†, still prevails today. With the advent of the world wide web, and images and imagery effectively available on demand, we are becoming saturated with images of a similar nature. No matter how tragic, and how disturbing, they have in their own way become part of the mainstream, and as a result we have become desensitized not only to the horror we are witnessing, but the long term implications the events may have. Like popular cinema, their art is diminishing through loosing authenticity. They are no longer original, but duplicated which puts them into the realm of the political arena. The same can be said of the still image. Once it can be seen on websites and available on demand, it looses authenticity and therefore its art. This is also true of a truly horrific event that genuinely shocks. Through this genuineness, we discover the authenticity. This authenticity is arguably the basis of art, and through it the event has meaning. This is particularly important where there has been loss of life, as the peoples lives and deaths have significance. Once this event moves to the political arena however, it looses its authenticity as facts and truths are manipulated for the benefits of individual careers, rather than the common good. When the art dies, so does the meaningfulness of the lives lost. Therefore, our notion of art begins and ends in galleries. Exhibitions, are the only place where we see art for arts sake. From a contemporary perspective, art has become created to be seen, and to convey an idea through self expression. There are no market forces here, no demographics were at work when a photographer took the picture of a condemned building, or a child in a classroom. Just the desire and the impulse to create something from an idea. The photograph tells a thousand words, and the art is there because the picture that hangs in the gallery is unique, and this in our mainstream world is the only notion of art. [1] Walter Benjamin Marxist philosopher [2] Duhamel Dadaist commentator [3] Fillipo Tommaso Marinetti Idealogue, poet. [4] Franz Wefel (1890 1945) Czech-born poet, playwright, and novelist, whose central themes were religious faith, heroism, and human brotherhood. His best-known works are The Forty Days of Musa Dagh(933), a historical novel that portrays Armenian resistance to the Turks, and The song of Bernadette(1941)

Essay example --

Oscar E. Aguado AMULAC ID# 2166 Western Civilization II DS Prof. Baxa July 30, 2013 Bismarck: Genius or lucky Bismarck was one of the most dominant and significant statesmen of the nineteenth century. A political intellect who achieved the apparently impossible undertaking of unifying Germany without a political party to support him, despite an unsympathetic parliament and with no direct control over any army. His—Bismark— only arsenals were the utter force of his personality and his crafty ability to influence Emperor Wilhelm I. Jonathan Steinberg’s biography takes a new look at this witty, slightly hysterical despot using the diaries and letters of his friends, colleagues and enemies and he paints a portrait of a man full of contradictions. He had grand political visions that were created with subtle strategies of political genius but his pettiness and vindictiveness were never far behind. Bismarck adored conflict and he had a palate for being offensive. His â€Å"slap in the face† method to political manipulation was a tactic in itself that led him more often that not to get his own way. In the modern era minds, Bismarck is clasped together with a mix of Churchill and Pinochet. He was anything but consistent though. His conception of Realpolitik meant that anything that allowed him to get his own way was acceptable: whether or not that meant joining an Evangelical Christian sect as he did as a young man giving him a start in politics or cosying up to the Liberal party when it served his purpose. He even went so far as turn the Prussian political landscape upside-down by adopting full male suffrage much to the chagrin of his fellow conservatives. The Austrian Foreign Minister Baron Rechberg summed up Bismarck’s protean nature, when h... ...ck, through hard work and determination. He spent his life fighting liberalism and found natural allies in Russia and Austria, with their authoritarian and anti-democratic traditions but he was fighting a losing battle. The reactionary absolutism that he championed had had its day by the time he left the political stage. The great man acted as a bulwark against liberal and democratic principles while he could but when Bismarck was brushed aside, those principles flooded the political arena. So where did Bismarck’s genius lie exactly? He was the father of â€Å"Realpolitik† which meant â€Å"constantly shuffling sets of alternatives and playing off one against the other.† His real genius lay in his guile, cunning and sense of political timing – but above all in his willingness to take risks and be shockingly aggressive. Never has the force of personality alone achieved so much

Family and Household Essay -- essays research papers fc

Family and Household   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The word family comes from the Latin word familia which means household. This seems to be fitting since they both seem synonymous. In the dictionary the definition of family is a group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head or a group of persons of common ancestry. The definition of household is those who dwell under the same roof and compose a family or a social unit comprised of those living together in the same dwelling. Even the definitions are very similar, yet they have come to mean two very different things in our modern day world. As time evolves so does the clarity of what makes up a family and the function of family and household are.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Families are affected by, and in turn affect, the values and structure of the society, in which they are embedded† (Haviland 2002: 245). This statement says so much about what families are and why they differ so much from one culture to the next. They fill the needs of each particular group. In America the â€Å"family† has changed dramatically over the past few decades as the country, itself, has changed. In the 1950’s and sixties the roles of each member of the family were more distinct and defined. The mother and the father were a married couple who stayed together. The mother did not work outside of the home, except in extreme circumstances or cases. She took care of the children and the home. The father was the â€Å"bread winner† and did very little work inside the home. Today most families either have both parents working or they are single parent families, or families divided by divorce. The changes to what comprises our f amilies have also evolved to included families with gay parents; having either two mothers or two fathers or combined families from re-marriages with step-parents and siblings. In these families their function is one of raising independent children who will grow up to become better than the generation before them. And in many cases they also function as an emotional and monetary support for each other; helping each other to obtain their goals of independence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In many other cultures their definition of what a family is very different of that of Americans. In most of these cultures family provides a more important role, one of survival. These family groups usually co... ...alue along with what is irrelevant. Our families provide us with the necessary tools to survive and keep our people going from one generation to the next. I have learned that the definitions of family and household are broad and diverse and that to know one does not mean you know another. What makes up either one of these two things is all about the culture and the society that we live in. But, it also made me realize that no matter how divergent our families and households are they all seem to fulfill the same basic need of survival. We just go about it in different ways. So, no matter where you live or who you live with you are still just learning how to live and that is what we all have in common.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited Abrams, I.R., & Bishop, J. (Producers). (1994). â€Å"Family and Household,† Faces   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  of Culture [videotape]. Fountain Valley: Coast Community College   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  District. Haviland, William A. (2002) Cultural Anthropology. Forth Worth: Harcourt   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  College Publishers.

Double-crest Cormorant

The Double-crest Cormorant is more or less uniformly distributed throughout the country. It is seen in temperate climates with most concentrated in the upper half of the United States. Judging from the map, they seem to be attracted to heavily wooded areas such as northern California and Oregon, the Dakota’s in the Midwest and northern New England. The exception to this is the relatively concentrated population in south east Florida. Because of their seeming desire for temperate wooded areas, I would say that this bird is a specialist. Great Blue Heron The Great Blue Heron is definitely a generalist.It is spread all throughout the country with heavy concentrations mostly in the southern part of the United States. It seems as though it does best in the Midwestern and southern parts of the country but also has significant populations in the desert areas of Arizona and New Mexico and the harsh winter climates of the most northern parts of the country. Wood Stork The Wood Stork is definitely a specialist. Its populations are seen exclusively in the South and the Southeastern parts of the country with its heaviest populations in Florida and more so in south Florida.It seems to do best in hot climates with high humidity and is never seen any further North than Tennessee. American Robin The American Robin is by far the most populous bird in this group. It is seen in nearly ever state in the country, with the exceptions being Florida and much of Texas, making it a generalist. Its most significant populations are in the Northeast, Southeast and Midwest but it is generally well distributed throughout the whole country. Work Citied â€Å"Breeding Bird Survey Summary and Analysis. † USGS Bird Population. USGS. 28 Mar. 2006 .

Addiction to Modern Technology Essay

Software for Accountants: From Tax Preparation to Full Service AccountingWhether your business exclusively offers tax preparation services or provides full-spectrum accounting services, it’s important to maintain a profitable investment in software tools that allow you to accurately and efficiently perform your professional services. Typical tools for accountants include client write-up, auditing, tax preparation, payroll, and time and billing modules. Each of these modules are designed with the end-goal of managing 3rd party accounting more effectively and efficiently.Multi-Company AccountingAccounting software designed for the professional accountant offers an advanced set of features beyond what is typically found in standard commercial accounting packages. One critical capability of software designed with the accountant in mind is the ability to handle accounting for numerous corporate entities. Your accounting business may have dozens or even hundreds of clients, whose financial data all needs to be accessed from the same software, yet kept completely separated. Increased security measures and a more complex database structure are two of the ramifications of managing books for multiple companies. Given the amount of data your business may store on clients, it’s important when considering different options, that you consider how the software handles tens of thousands of individual records. Even accountants with few clients can easily exceed the record capabilities of many non-accountant specific systems. See more: Satirical essay about drugs The effects of overloading a system can include reduced performance (freezes, waiting on reports) and even system access issues.An Emphasis on ReportingStrong reporting features are critical for accountants. Accountants are constantly creating reports for clients. If clients can’t understand the reports, there is a major problem. Software designed for accountants typically offers additional report views distilling information into easily understandable formats such as executive reports, charts, and summary statements. Reports also need to be able created on an ad-hoc basis in order to answer questions that clients may have regarding their company’s financial performance. Tax PreparationTax preparation is not straight-forward and simple. If it was, thousands of business likely wouldn’t outsource their tax preparation to accounting firms. The reality is that preparing corporate tax information is a highly complex process. Tax preparation software is designed to make the process easier by keeping updated tax tables, automatically performing complex calculations, and by assisting with electronic filing. No matter where you are or what local, state, provincial, or federal tax regulations apply, there are programs designed to help you quickly and accurately file your clients’ returns.Regulations CompliancePublic accounting firms are also on the front lines of keeping up with the accounting compliance regulations. Understanding FASB, GASB 34, IFRS, DCAA and other regulatory requirements is only part of the battle though for the public accountant. Software controls are constantly evolving to better meet the regulatory requirements of clients in different industries and access to the right tools can make the difference is securing clients with specific compliance requirements.Data Integrity and SecurityData integrity is another area of paramount concern for public accountants. A company doing their own books has an opportunity to reverse entries as errors are discovered. This is not the case with public accountants. The expectation is 100% accurate information the first time around.Software tools for accountants also focus on providing advanced security measures. Clients naturally have concerns about turning their data over to a 3rd party. It’s important for accountants to be able to identify specific measures included in software tools which can prevent fraud or loss of data.http://findaccountingsoftware.com/guide/industry/accounting/| The cloud benefits accountantsThe age of the cloud has made the lives of many accountants much easier. Instead of constantly sending files back and forth, they now can run their desktop accounting software in the cloud and work with clients to manage their accounting. By using accounting and budgeting software in the cloud, accountants don’t have to waste their time backtracking with clients, allowing them to spend more energy on providing they can provide other services such as analyzing their financial data and helping their clients improve their cashflow and profitability.The cloud allows accountants to become an integral part of their clients’ budgeting process, and eventually their business. Often, when a client feels a sense of trust for their accountant, they will begin relying on them for financial advice on other aspects of their business such as additional revenue/services, when it is right to use business credit cards and some of the best practices for successful recordkeeping.http://www.planguru.com/blog/accounting-software-in-the-cloud-b

How Social Media Influences Your Shopping Essay

At the present time social media is the one of the most powerful ways to shop and advertise online via the use of web-based and mobile technologies; it transforms online communication into an interactive dialogue. Quester, Pettigrew and Hawkins (2011) defined social media as â€Å"media for social interaction, using highly accessible and scalable communication techniques.† According to Vithoulkas, social media is more than just the hardware or software which enables it, instead he argues that it is more of a philosophy of communication where honest and transparency is required and information is shared and has the potential to â€Å"spread virally very quickly†. For the consumer, social media can be a continual bombardment of advertising and promotion every time we use communication modes, such as the internet or mobile, which may be infuriating for the consumer but increases the market exposure for the seller. This report intends to analyse the effectiveness of social media in influencing the general population to purchase more than presently before. When large companies, such as Pepsi, invest 50% of their annual advertising budget into Social Media it is obviously a worthy idea for the discussion of marketing professionals worldwide. The buyer behaviour system has been challenged in ranges of high involvement and low involvement alike. Consumer control is now the focus of consumption, when before it was heavily regulated institutionally. Although social media is an inescapable part of every day life it cannot be assumed that it will replace other forms of communication. A great number of people of all ages use social networking sites before purchasing a product, especially in high involvement purchases. Seidma (2010, p11) has demonstrated that the large majority of people are engaged in some form of social media, showing its considerable societal acceptance; Marketing magazine online tells us that â€Å"Facebook has more than 400 million active users. Every minute, 24 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube. An estimated 5–10 thousand Twitter accounts are opened per day,† showing that when information is directly found by a population 20 times that of Australia there is serious product awareness to gain . Quester et al. (2011) stated that there are fives stages of decisions making processes prior to making the choice in buying a product or service. These include problem recognition, information search, evaluation and selection, store choice and purchase and post purchase processes. When consumers’ recognise a need or identify a problem which may exist, they then undertake an information search on the product or service with their behaviour influenced by internal and external factors, Consumers evaluate the various alternatives after they have gathered all information, and afterwards they make a selection of retail outlets for the actual purchase of the good or service. Lastly, the consumer compares the product performance against their expectations and decide whether they satisfied or dissatisfied with it. In last few decades, traditional media such as television, radio, newspaper has been the only way to promote and communicate with the target market, but now it appears that the trend has changed. As seen in diagram one (below) consumer control is now the driver in the marketing segment. As seen in chart one (below), it can be seen that on average people spend more time when choosing and product and general spend more money, suggesting that when purchasing online the products will be a high involvement purchase. Marketing Magazine online tell us â€Å"For 35% of shoppers, the process starts with online search; 30% of consumers read user reviews on retailer websites as a part of the shopping process.† In the U.S.A. alone there are 95 million people who admit to frequently using social-media in their purchase decisions. Hub Magazine found that more than 40% of American adults currently use social media as part of their shopping experiences, with further data showing most consumers increased in use of social media for shopping within an annual period. Hub magazine also found that 39% have strongly agreed with the statement that ‘they can learn a lot more about a brand by seeing what everyday people are saying about it online’ in comparison with only 22% percent of non-social media shoppers agreeing with the statement. This clealy shows us that Social Media can obviously affect buying habits. However, social media may not be the first choice for every business or organisation for their marketing strategy. In December 2009, COM Score released a report of their customer survey that showed peoples views on social media in comparison to traditional forms of media. Overall, they found that 28% of respondents were likely to notice advertising on social media and less than that 23% are likely to trust the advertisements they notice. Those numbers put social media websites at #5 on the list behind television, print, news and corporate websites. In the same findings it also showed that only 28% of those who had began their holiday shopping this season indicated that social media has influenced their purchases specifically consumers said their influences were: †¢ Reading a consumer-generated product review (13% of respondents) †¢ Reading an expert product review (11 %)  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Following a fan page on Face book to take advantage of special offers and deals (7%) †¢ Influence by a friend’s Face book status update referring to a particular product (6%) †¢ Following a company on Twitter to take advantage of special offers and deals (5%) †¢ A friend’s â€Å"tweet† about a product influenced their purchase behaviour (3%) Given the exposure to the internet that we in the western world undergo every day versus time spend watching television, it is odd that only 13% saw the high consumer involvement in reading reviews of products. What is even stranger is that these consumers have shifted from trusting expert reviews to peer reviews. In traditional media reputable sources were usually quoted to give weight to a certain product. It seems in the days of social media, peer influence has replaced the trustworthiness of reputable sources. Thus changing the buyer behaviour process. Social Media may influence and change the buyer behaviour process but it is not necessarily a replacement for tradition media. Although it is a change to the normal standards of media, it will never replace traditional media given the system of interaction in our society. The interesting thing, as discussed in this essay, is the change in the high involvement purchase process and the consumer control over purchases. It is effective to some degree, given the right target audience and consumer group, but in our society with the lack of general literacy (21.1% of the world are internet literate) and dramatic choices for consumers it is not the answer to the change of the consumer buyer process.

The Curse of the Lady’s Dressing Room

Jonathan Swift’s poem, The Lady’s Dressing Room, is a comic satire that seeks to show readers the inescapable humanity – and its flaws and gory ugliness – that women have to live with no matter how hard they try to make themselves appear immaculately beautiful on the outside. It could be read as a criticism of the extreme efforts women do to make themselves beautiful, and as a criticism of the beholder, the man, who is enamored by the physical beauty only to realize the imperfections being hidden underneath that flawless exterior in the lady’s dressing room. The dressing room is where the transformation takes place – this is where the lady goes in simple and when she comes out she is a radiant beauty and men cannot help themselves. That is what the poem implies that is why the poem begins with a man, Strephon, who is enamored by Celia who takes at least five hours to prepare herself, sneaking in the dressing room to find out why, and discovers the horrors that goes on not only inside the room but also with his beloved Celia’s body beneath those laces and brocades. He discovers: first a dirty Smock appear'd, Beneath the Arm-pits well besmear'd. Strephon, the Rogue, display'd it wide, And turn'd it round on every Side. On such a Point few Words are best, And Strephon bids us guess the rest; But swears how damnably the Men lie, In calling Celia sweet and cleanly. That in fact, Celia is not as perfect as she seems – her clothes have perspiration and bad smell on them. hat follows next is a series of finding other items Celia uses to prepare herself – combs with dirt, dandruff and sweat, a piece of cloth with oil used to cover wrinkles, gloves made from Celia’s dog’s skin when it died, and various little jars filled with pomade, paint, ointments, all these used to cover her imperfections. Strephon even finds the discarded stockings that reveal stinking toes. No wonder that at the end of the poem, Strephon could no longer look straight at any woman, for his imagination always conjures the images he saw in the dressing roo m and saw their stinks, their flaws that they try so hard to hide. The narrator of the poem says that this is vengeance for his peeping, for if Strephon did no such thing then he could still be blessed when he sees beautiful women without knowing â€Å"such gaudy Tulips rais’d from Dung†. Hence this is the curse of the lady’s dressing room, that it took the magic and wonder for the beholder and made him see the woman as the imperfect creature masquerading to be a work of art. However, the dressing room is also a curse for Celia and all women, as it is the chamber where they feed their obsession to make themselves beautiful for men. In the poem the narrator mentioned â€Å"Celia’s magnifying Glass†, which is simply a mirror, but in this mirror everything was enlarged, that it can †¦to Sight disclose, The smallest Worm in Celia's Nose, And faithfully direct her Nail To squeeze it out from Head to Tail; For catch it nicely by the Head, It must come out alive or dead. — that it makes her so insecure to make her spend time to look for even the minutest flaws that no one would see anyway. The woman spends a minimum of five hours (perhaps an exaggerated figure, but the point is that women spend a large amount of time preening) and fails to see that real beauty comes from within, not on what is reflected by a piece of glass. The poem shows the readers an image of the preparation taken to make one look good outside but in so doing shows that perhaps it is nature’s way that makes it so difficult – that we should learn to appreciate each other and ourselves, flaws included, for we all have them. This is not to say to forgo hygiene, but merely to examine what activities we spend time on. The curse of the dressing room is that it makes us believe in the illusion that media sells us: the dream of that perfect skin, that Barbie body, that photoshopped face, that if we make up ourselves as long as we need to we can transcend our human bodies’ flaws. But we cannot, because all these are parts of what makes us who we are.