Equal Liberty and the Establishment clause, then and now Research Paper

Equal Liberty and the Establishment clause, then and now - Research Paper Example The establishment clause has generally been interpreted through judicial ruling to do two primary things. First, to prevent the establishment of a national religion by Congress. Secondly, to prohibit the preference by the U.S. government of one religion over another. As a principle, the establishment clause came to be during James Madison's efforts to have the constitution ratified. Madison garnered support among the local Baptists by warning them that the constitution had no safeguard against creating a new national church. This was important because their free exercise of religion. Initiating the establishment clause occurred in a two step process. The initial step was the Supreme Court’s conclusion in 1940 that the Free Exercise Clause was made applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. The conceptual implications were the raising of few difficulties. The application of the federal governments jurisdiction over the states created the federalism framework tha t ensures each states actions are constitutional. Additionally, the Due Process Clause protects those rights in the Bill of Rights â€Å"implicit in the concept of ordered liberty,† which made the protection of the establishment clause necessary. Moreover, free exercise of religion is an extremely important individual right. The establishment clause has been used in many cases to draw the boundaries of state activities. Specifically, in terms of financial aid for religious purposes or to religious institutions. One key example of this is the 1899 Bradfield v. Roberts supreme court case. 4 The issue here was that the federal government provided funds to a hospital operated by a Roman Catholic institution. In that case, the Supreme Court ruled that the funding was specifically given to a secular organization i.e. the hospital and was therefore permissible. This is important because it established the precedent that the state could not fund a religious institution. Another critical case in this matter was the 1947 case of Everson v. Board of Education, in which the Supreme Court upheld a New Jersey statute that was funding student transportation to schools, whether parochial or private. Justice Hugo Black explained that the establishment of religion" clause of the First Amendment means at least that  "neither a state nor the federal government can set up a church.5 Neither can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another. Neither can force nor coerce an individual to attend or to remain away from church against his/her freewill or force him/her to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion. Moreover, the ruling held that no person can be punished for entertaining or professing religious beliefs and ideologies or disbelief's, for church attendance or non-attendance. Another important precedent founded here is that fact that no tax in any amount, large or small, can be levied to support any religious activities or institutions, whatever they may be called, or whatever form they may adopt to teach or practice religion. Additionally, it is impermissible for either a state or the Federal Government to, openly or secretly, participate in the affairs of any religious organizations or groups and vice versa. As stated by Thomas Jefferson, th e clause against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect "a wall of separation between church and State."6 The infamous lemon test was developed in the 1971 ruling of Lemon v.

Case Studies in Finance Company G & H Essay Example for Free

Case Studies in Finance Company G H Essay Company G deals mostly in selling books in a large retail setting, however they implement a concept that is more community-based. Company H deals in a variety of media, including books, music, and video along with electronics and other varieties of merchandise. Not only does Company H differ in merchandise variety, but it also differs from Company G in that it is internet-based only and is highly interested in further corporate acquisitions—very different from Company G’s â€Å"community store concept†. Bruner, Eades, Schill, 2010, pp. 96-97). Since Company H has a variety of merchandise to sell, along with its interest in acquisitions; it has a significantly higher level of net fixed assets than that of Company G. Acquisitions will always increase the level of net fixed assets. Since Company G tends to implement a strategy that does not favor large acquisitions, its level is lower at a level of 7. 6 versus 24. 4 in Company H. Company H also exceeds Company G in most of the liabilities section, which automatically gives Company H a leg up in being able to take on more liabilities such as credits and loans. However, Company G comes out winning in terms of income and expenses, with a net income of 8. 5%. Company H’s net income ended at 2. 9%. This also relates to lowered percentage of SGA expenses on Company G’s side, higher interest income, special items income, and its lower percentage of income taxes. Company G is also considered to be more liquid than Company G, with a current ratio of 1. 57 versus Company H’s 1. 49. This indicates that while Company G has more liabilities, it is better-able to pay its short-term liabilities than Company H. It is understandable why Company H keeps its liabilities slightly lower so that they do not become overwhelmed with short-terms loans and notes that it will not be able to pay back on time.

The Role Of Communications In An Organisation English Language Essay

The Role Of Communications In An Organisation English Language Essay Understanding the role of communications in an organization: 1.1: Explain the communication processes used within my organization (TESCO): Communication process is the process of sending data from one source to another intentionally with a meaning perceived by the receiver. If a company wants to survive in the industry then communication plays a vital role. Without proper communication no work can be completed successfully in organization. It is simply passing information from one to another. There are six basic elements of communication process which are sender (encoder), message, channel, receiver (decoder), noise, and feedback. Tesco uses modern communication process where ICT is vital.  Tesco controls and monitor their every aspect of their operation by using ICT, which includes stock, distribution, payroll, communication methods, and so on 1.2: Analyse the purpose of communication process used within TESCO: In Tesco communication helps to achieve its aims and objectives. Although it doesnt help to achieve all of the aims and objective still help to achieve their main aims and objectives such as To make profit To expand To provide good services to the customers To provides jobs Tesco advertise their product thorough brochures, Internet, television to inform people about their product rates and special offers at the stores at the time. Tesco spends lots of money to advertise their products and make sure that have reached their customers. This will attract more customers and enables Tesco to make a profit. Tesco advertises vacancies thorough Internet and newspaper and find a right person for the job to provide good services to the customers. If Tesco makes profit it will help them to expand and create more jobs so advertisements helps Tesco to achieve their aims and objectives such as making profit, expand and creating jobs. Tesco used costly and effective communication method such as demonstration, video in training so that the colleagues can be trained efficiently so they can provide good services to the customers. Tesco used to check their availability of product and order them at right time so they can provide better services. They do not want to disappoint the customers and they advertise their prospectus and advertise their financial performance to attract new shareholders so they can get more money, which will help them expand worldwide. Tesco need to communicate very well because they are running their business at international level. If business wants to expand worldwide or want to create new jobs they need to make profit. Tesco makes 3 million profits a day and serving more than billions of customers per week. Tesco need to check there expire dates and quality of their product so that their customers are not affected. Tesco arranges meeting with the staff so they can discuss and create new ideas and feedback about their services and Tesco used to communicates with customers and take their ideas and complaints to improve their services. Tesco uses to give written warning to their employees and the person who breaches the employment contract and they finally dismiss them they have written evidence and they can use it for future references and they employ the staff that can take care of their customers. Tesco uses overhead projector to analyse the profit forecast with the employees and accountant which is very expensive and Tesco used to arrange meetings with their senior manager so they can get a better decision and to solve problem and this will help them to make profit and expand. Tesco provide walkie-talkie to their security guard to protect their premise and customer belonging in the stores. Tesco use e-mails, mobile phones, and pager and fax to communicate within their employees to pass any urgent information in terms of emergencies such as break down of machines, raw materials needed this will help them to provide good services to the customers. Tesco writes letters to their customer about the nectar value or the amount due to them by the customers. Tesco prepares reports about the company legal obligations, which can be used for future references. 1.3: Analyse communication barriers in TESCO: There can be a few problems with the use of ICT in Tesco.   Faults of computers can slow down the processing systems, fraud can take place and the cost of ICT is very expensive.   But Tesco has the latest ICT equipment and is not getting any major problems.   There ICT system gives them the best support to meet its objectives. Tesco spent about  £133 million on ICT that is about 1.4% of their turnover, this clearly shows that ICT is a great success for the company and is fit for its purpose.  ICT is value for money and very effective in helping Tesco achieve its business objectives. Be able to manage interpersonal communication skills: 2.1 Auditing my Communication Skills: The communication skills that I am used to are: Tone/pitch, Slang, Pace, Gestures, Body language, Listening, Facial expression, Eye contact, Group interactions. 2.2: The use of my communication skills within organizational setting: My tone and pitch was appropriated I did not shout at of my client as this would make him/her angry or even intimidating to talk to me so I kept it at a level that he/she could hear me clearly. I did not used any slangs and jargon because my client may not of understand what I was say so he/she will be confused not only just my clients but others within the group also the only time it is appropriate for me to use slang is when I am talking with my friends. I used appropriate pace I did not talk to fast because people may not heard clearly what I was saying. In order to get my point across I talk slowly  and clearly to that my point could be heard. Gestures- I used appropriate gestures for the other to understand what I was trying to say. Adapted the used of Egan theory of SOLER which stands for Squarely, Open, Lean, Eye contact, Relaxed. I lean forward to show that I was interested in what he/she was saying I kept my contact and I also faced him/her squarely. I had to listen to wha t he/she was saying so that I can summarize my facial expression was welcoming I smiled at him/her to make him/her feel safe and felt I feeling of love and belonging according to Maslow hierarchy of needs I kept my eye contact on the person that was talking to show that I was listening. As I was a group interaction I gave other people time to talk I did not talk over anybody voice. In my group interaction with my client I appeared to be interested and kept good facial expressions.     One 2 one When talking to the child I used the correct tone I did not shout or this would make him angry to I get calmed I also talked slowly and clearly to he can hear what I was saying. I kept good eye contact with the child I listen to what he was saying and I ask him some open question so that he can express himself. I did not stand over him when I was talking or he may feel intimidating. I kept good facial expression mostly my smiling at him. I did not use any slangs or jargon just simple words that he may understand. I also incorporated Maslow by showing love, belonging and safety. I showed hid that he can come and talked to me without by afraid. I played with him nicely and made in happy so that he would know that he is in a safe environment. Care value base I did not shout at the person as they have the right to be treated with respect. I tried to empower them to make their own decision   I done this my asking the seven year old boy what he would like to do. I did not pass any racism comment or else I would be discriminating against their diversity being race religion culture etc. I also gave them the rights to their own beliefs I did not slag them off but I gave them the chance to explain themselves. I maintained confidentiality as this builds trust I done this by not passing important information about the clients to others and also it would breach the data protection act. 2.3: The effectiveness of my communication skills within organizational setting: Communication is the best tool by which a person can express and try to convey its point but it is not necessary that the receiver takes it in the right way as the sender must have perceived.   Why do we learn how to communicate effectively as poor communication and lack of communication skills can lead to misunderstandings, fights, low morale, arguments and change the perception of the audience or the receiver 2.4: A development plan to improve my own communication skills, using feedback from others: Successful communication is not about me and getting what I want; it is about discovering what other people want and need and then adapting my presentation to match their needs. As I practice and develop my skills, I find that people gladly  adopt my ideas because I have subtly helped them to discover them for themselves rather than telling them about them. To development plan to improve my own communication skills, using feedback from others I generally use the following process: Visual- use conversation to describe things check that spectacles are been worn help the person to touch things explain the detail sighted people take for granted Hearing- do not shout, speak normal and clear and make sure your face is visible so that those who can lip read are able to do so write message or use pictures check for hearing aid   Environmental- Check and improve the lighting Change to a quieter setting Work in smaller group if it would help you to see and hear each other more easily. Time- give people more time to talk and understand Be able to manage my workplace communications: 3.1: Improvements to my workplace communications: Improving communication can lead to healthier relationships and further motivation which is much needed in company. From what we can understand, it is hard to measure the motivation of the secretary, which appears quite low. Although it may seem like there are a lot of problems, many other issues are not; for example, poor language skills, hierarchy, and emotional interference. There are two main types of communication; formal and informal. It is important to know which to use for certain information. Formal communication runs through a procedure or protocol whereas informal is quite the opposite, where information is communicated through unreliable sources, such as the grapevine. Communication with the secretary seemed considerably informal; especially at times when it would have been more desirable to be formal. To ensure important information is carried through, it is highly recommended to be formal and use the right medium for communication. 3.2: Implementation of a plan to improve my workplace communications: To implement a plan to improve my workplace communications following are necessary: I believe there are more things to improve on in my group communication because sometimes it was a lot harder as there was more than one person. It was also harder because there was someone who is a resident and then there were 4 staff members between 20-35. There were a few barriers in this communication because we were outside and it was raining, everyone was cold and also we all had umbrellas covering our faces. My active listening sometimes wasnt very good because everyone was talking over one another, I think that if I had spoken up then I could of grasped what was getting said but because I was only there on placement I thought that I shouldnt but in although who I was talking to should have taken turns in speaking.    My eye contact sometimes wasnt very good because it was raining so there were umbrellas in the way of peoples faces and its harder to use eye contact within a group communication. The reason I didnt use much eye contact was because everyone was speaking over one another so I kept glancing at everyone but my main focus was on someone. This was because I wanted him to feel comfortable although it was cold outside. I didnt use touch in my group communication as I thought it wasnt needed. This was because we were all outside and it was cold. Everyone had an umbrella to themselves so you couldnt really get close enough to anyone to touch them. Although I did help someone get out of his chair when it was time to go back inside. To improve on this I believe I could have helped someone a bit more with getting in and out of his chair because then I would have used touch more appropriately rather than just grabbing at his hand to help him walk inside. I didnt grab at his hand because I knew he could walk on his own with the aid of a walking stick but if he had of asked me to hold his hand then I would have done. 3.3: Develop measures to evaluate success of a plan to improve my workplace communications: It is a necessity Nobody can do without communicating we communicate even if we are silent by our facial expression, or the posture we are sitting etc.   Therefore, we need to know the communication process to communicate effectively. It is a two-way process It includes sending a message and the response to that message. It is not complete unless the receiver has correctly known the message and his response (feedback) becomes known to the sender. It always involves two parties sender and receiver Two or more individual are involved in communication, in the organization point of view it can be upward, downward, horizontal or vertical.   The flow of communication is a circular one It is continuous, on-going process. It is a pervasive function; performed in all types of organizations at all the levels of management. Organization surely cannot do without communication. It is like Bow out of the arrow You can never take back your words whatever you say is already said and already observed by the receiver like for e.g. when we are angry we say things which we are not suppose to say even if we apologize it is irreversible.   That is the reason we have to be careful in saying anything to anybody this goes professionally as well personally. Recommendations and Conclusion Improving communication can lead to healthier relationships and further motivation which is much needed in Johns company. From what we can understand, it is hard to measure the motivation of the secretary, which appears quite low. Although it may seem like there are a lot of problems, many other issues are not; for example, poor language skills, hierarchy, and emotional interference. The crucial problems in the organisation can easily be avoided simply by exercising effective communication practice. This would include understanding different methods, forms and mediums of communication.

Bitter Sweet Symphony by the Verve :: Music Bitter Sweet Verve Essays

Bitter Sweet Symphony by the Verve A contemporary song must be carefully chosen to be put in the UTD time capsule. The song must cover the many characteristics assembled in this class as well as the many characteristics of our generation. à ¬Bitter Sweet Symphonyà ® by the Verve is the perfect song to combine these positive and negative aspects. It will fairly portray to the future the many colors of the students of UTD. à ¬Bitter Sweet Symphonyà ® should be chosen by the class, because it is the ideal song to accomplish getting our message to the future accurately. It is important for the complexities of our generation to be shown through the song our class chooses. à ¬Bitter Sweet Symphonyà ® accomplishes expressing the differences in our lives and how we see and react to the world around us. The youth of this generation lives many different lives with different wants and ambitions driving us and a different life style and past to withhold us. One thing we have in common is we have all experienced joy and sorrow, some more than others and some to a greater extent. à ¬Bitter Sweet Symphonyà ® combines crucial elements of lyrics and music to represent our generationà ­s complexities. Through its poetry, the song combines thoughts of good times and the remembrance of the bad. Using the symphony to illustrate oneà ­s past and naturalness was a brilliant move. This correlation of lyrics and music is like no other and à ¬makes all attempts from this day on to create à «rock classicsà ­ utterly redundantà ® (Time Out). Taking the simple fact that à ¬Bitter Sweet Symphonyà ® combines elements of todayà ­s youth leads to another idea. In portraying the characteristics of each one of us, it will equally represent us all. In expressing the bitter and sweet sides of a personà ­s life, the song accurately captures the importance of each individual, specifically each individual in this generation. For each person in this class, on this campus, and of this generation there is an aspect of à ¬Bitter Sweet Symphonyà ® that will reflect them. The reality of life is what the song reflects, and reality is something everyone can relate to. The song combines critical characteristics of reality to equally represent each youth of today.

Annual Sports Day Essay

The 16th Dec is the founation day of my school and besides other annual co-curricular events like the magic show, fun fair, annual sports day is the event that students wait for anxiously . This event develops competitiveness, sports man spirit and team work among the students. They are full of joy on this day. As usual an interesting programme was chalked out for the day and printed copies were distributed to the students. The parents were also invited alongwith other digniteries and the chief guest. All the participants of different events were short listed and encouraged to get practice before the event. The physical training instructor was the incharge of the whole show and a full dress rehearsal was carried out a day before to give the final touches to the preparations. A DJ was specially hired to add some musical flavour to the event. An ex-student of the school hosted the event and added excitement to the occasion by her fluent, graceful and spontaneous commentary of the proceedings. The show began exactly at 10 AM after the chief guest has arrived at he stage with big round of applause. Parents had already seated in a separate pavillion and looked excited to see their children partcipating in the sports. At the beginning a boy of 9th class recited few verses of the Holy Quraan which was folowed by Naat to pay homage to the Holy Prophet (PBUH). First of all the atheletes, taking part in diferent events staged a march-past and assembled in front of the main pavillion. A student of 9th class stepped forward and requested the chief guest to formally declare the sports day open with a loud beat of drum and music. To start with, different races were staged among students of junior sectionwhich included the banana race, cycle race, baloon race, and back-ball race. It was great fun watching little kids making funny moves. A wonderful display of physical exercise was exhibited by all the students of school. A photographer was busy in capturing the events. Then it was the  turn of lthe senior section to show their talent in the races like the spoon race, sack race, the three-legged race, the dress-up race, 100 meter race and the 4X100 meter relay race. The famous tug of war won by the 9th class boys who displayed their sheer power and team work to win the contest. Students, teachers and parents shouted and cheered to encourage participants while the DJ added more drama with his musical flashes. The host kept the audience interested and informed by her articulate and fluent commentary. After races children, clad in the karate uniforms, came running in with their hands of their hips to exhibit their skills i the martial arts and self defence. It was followed by a brave display of smashing tiles with their fists and foreheads. Our PTI himself performed a dangerous stunt by breaking a stack of burning tiles with his hand on fire. Every one was dumb founded to see this and gave him a big applause. The girls of senior section performed aerobic exercise with musical rhythm in a graceful style. After that, a boy from 10th class sang a popular song of the famous Junoon band while a grils also sang a sufi folk song and got cheered and applauded by all the audiences. Pre-nursary kids presented and fancy dress show and exhibited as a king & queen, an angel, a soldier, a supreman and few more characters which looked so innocent and cute. At the end the host requested the chief guest to give away prizes to the winners of the different events. To conclude the show the chief guest delivered a brief speech which was followed by ex-principals address who shared her views and experiences and also announced donation for the teaching staff. In the closing speech, the principal thanked all the guests and parents for their valued presence and lauded the students spirit of competition and participation specially to the students who volunteered alongwith teachers in making the whole event a great success.

Relative Pronouns on SAT Writing Which vs. That and More

Relative Pronouns on SAT Writing Which vs. That and More SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You may not have heard of relative pronouns, but we use them everyday. â€Å"Who,† â€Å"which,† â€Å"that,† where,† and â€Å"when† are all examples of relative pronouns. Though the name may make it seem like these words have something to do with your great uncle Cecil, they actually introduce related information that describes a noun. Relative pronouns aren’t the most common grammar concept tested on the SAT Writing section (or even the most common type of pronoun!), but you will see them on the test. Confusingly, they're mostly tested in conjunction with other topics like pronoun agreement and fragments and run-ons. To make sure you’re prepared for any kind of relative pronoun question the SAT writers throw at you, I’ll go over the following key ideas: Definitions of Relative Pronouns Common Usage Errors on Identifying Sentence Errors Unclear Antecedents on Improving Sentences Fragments and Run-ons on Improving Sentences Key SAT Strategies for Relative Pronouns Relative Pronoun Definitions Like all pronouns, relative pronouns must agree with the noun they're replacing. Each relative pronoun can only be used to refer to a specific type of thing: you wouldn't talk about "the pencilwho" or "the teacherwhen." We often use relative pronouns imprecisely, however, so these errors may not always be so obvious. First, let's review what each relativepronoun can correctly be used to refer to: Who and whom - people only When- specific times or time periods only Where- places only Which - any noun otherthan a person That - any noun Whose - possessive, can be used for people or things Note that for many situations, more than one relative pronoun can work.For example, "the studentwho" and "the studentthat" are equally correct. Because of this flexibility, it can be hard to reliably pick out exactly which pronoun is correct, so you should focus on usingprocess of elimination to narrow down the choices on SAT Writingquestions. Identifying Sentence Errors: Common Usage Errors On Identifying Sentence Errors questions, relative pronoun issuesgenerally involve misused words. These errors aren't especially common, but when you see a relative pronoun underlined you should check to make sure it agrees withthe noun it's replacing. Incorrect:The golden retriever, when was a puppy, loved to play fetch. Correct:The golden retriever, whichwas a puppy, loved to play fetch. This example is pretty simple- a golden retriever isn't a time, so it can't be referred to as "when." Some relative pronoun errors will be equally obvious, but there are a few trickier cases that appear on the SAT Writing section. Let's go through them one at a time. Who/Whom vs. Which First of all, it's important to note that, on the SAT, you won't ever be tested on the difference between "who" and "whom." (If you're curious about what it is, you can take a look at our breakdown of the topic in the ACT relative pronouns post.) You may, however, be tested on who/whom vs. which. The key here is that while "who," "whom," and "that" can allbe used to refer to people, "which" can't. Incorrect: The acclaimed author, which has written 13 novels, will be speaking at the university tonight. Correct: The acclaimed author, whohas written 13 novels, will be speaking at the university tonight. Which vs. That The difference between which and that is asource of great confusion for many students, but it doesn't need tobe. The grammatical explanation is that "which" introduces a non-essential clause, meaning that it doesn't define the noun it's describing, while "that" introduces an essential clause, meaning that it clarifies exactly which noun the sentence is about. For example, the following two sentences are both correct: My house, which I bought recently, is next to a lake. Thehouse that I bought recently is next to a lake. In the first sentence the relative clause "which I bought recently" is further describing "my house." In the second, the clause "that I bought recently" is specifying which house the sentence is about. On the SAT, you really only need to remember that "which" is always paired with a comma and "that" never is.You generally won't be asked to choose between "which" and "that" unless one of them is incorrectly punctuated. Where vs. In Which "Where"is probably the most commonly misusedrelative pronoun. In spoken English, we routinely use it to describe the time or point at which something occurred, but "where"can only be used to refer to a place. To describe media like books, movies, or music, use "in which" instead. Incorrect: Didn't you love the part of The Avengerswhere the Hulk punches Loki? Correct:Didn't you love the part of The Avengersin whichthe Hulk punches Loki? The "part of theAvengers"isn't an actual place, so "in which," rather than "where," is the correct construction. Though it may sound weird, "in which" is usually correct when it appears. Real SAT Example Let's walk through an example from an official SAT Writing section. Let's start by reading the sentence and seeing if anything jumps out as wrong. It sounds a bit weird, but there are no obvious errors. Next, we'll go through each underlined portion to check it for errors. Since verb and pronoun errors are the most common, let's start by checking C, "turned to," for errors. The three possible issues here are subject-verb agreement, verb form, and idiomatic usage (of "to"), but the verb is appropriately conjugated and the preposition is correct. C has no error and can be ruled out. Since pronoun errors are also common, let's move on to B, which includes the relative pronoun "when." This usage seems wrong- "significance" isn't a time period- but let's think about what it's actually describing. The point is that artists became interestedin Greek mythology during the nineteenth century. "When" is in fact correct, and its antecedent is the "nineteenth century." We can rule out B. A and D are both prepositions, so the primary issue to check for is idiomatic usage. Both are used correctly, so both answers can be eliminated. We are left with only E, no error, which is the correct choice. Make sure you know the proper use for each relative pronoun- the fact thatone seems weird doesn't make it wrong. Make sure that your relative pronouns are clear, unlike this photograph. (Image credit: Bruce Aldridge, via Flickr, under CC BY-NC 2.0) Improving Sentences: Unclear Antecedents When speaking, you probablyuse the relative pronouns "which" and "that" without making it explicitwhat they're referring to. My little brother is always poking me with sticks, which I find annoying. This construction makes sense and is perfectly acceptablein spoken English, but it'sabsolutely incorrect on the SAT. What is "which" referring to? I don't find the sticks annoying, I find the fact my brother is poking me with them annoying. But there's no noun antecedent that makes that ideaexplicit. We have to rewrite this sentence to eliminate the unclear antecedent: My little brother is always poking me with sticks;I find this habit annoying. By addinga noun, we make it clear what I'm annoyed by. Remember that this, that, and which must have clear noun antecedents, just like any other pronoun. One of the most common examples of this type of error is the construction "do that": My best friend Selena always turns the lights off when she leaves a room. She does that in order to help the environment. "That" is referring to Selena's practice of turning off the lights, but there's no noun in the sentence that can serve as an antecedent. To fix this sentence, simply replace "that" with "so": My best friend Selena always turns the lights off when she leaves a room. She does soin order to help the environment. On the SAT, you must make sure that any underlined relative pronoun has a clear noun antecedent.Let's take a look at a question from an official SAT. Since there's a relative pronoun, "which," in the underlined portionof the sentence, we need to check whether it is appropriately located next toan explicit noun antecedent. The structure implies that the antecedent is "ocean," but that doesn't make much sense, given that it's described as lasting for several days. What the sentence is actually trying to say is that thecontamination lasted for several days, but that's not a noun in the sentence. As such, we can rule out A and B (which repeats the same error with "that" instead of "which"). Choice C creates a comma splice and D misuses "while" (since there's no contrast), so we can eliminate both of them as well. This leaves only E, which replaces the unclear relative pronoun with the noun "contamination." E is the correct answer. Improving Sentences: Fragments and Run-ons The other type of error you must check for when an Improving Sentences question has a relative pronoun in the underlined section is a sentence structure issue. Relative pronouns are often used to hide fragments (incomplete ideas masquerading as sentences) and run-ons (multiple complete ideas smushed togetherwithoutproper punctuation). Let's go through these one at a time, starting with fragments (and if you want to go more in depth on this topic, check out our complete guide to run-ons and fragments on SAT Writing, coming soon). Fragments Fragments involving relative pronouns generally lack a main verb and instead only have a verbin the relative clause. Leaving work early to start her vacation, Lauren, who was travelingto Guatemala. These constructions can be confusing because they seem to have both a subject and a verb. However, "was traveling" isn't part of the main clause- it isn't describing what "Lauren" is doing, but rather what "who" is doing. Although those words are referring to the same person (Lauren), they're grammatically dstinct. The correct version of the sentence cuts out the relative pronoun: Leaving work early to start her vacation, Lauren was travelingto Guatemala. This type of error is fairly common, so whenever you seea relative pronoun in the underlined section, make sure to check whether the sentence is actually a fragment. Run-ons Although less common, you may also see relative pronouns used to disguise a run-on, either by adding a relative clause to two complete thoughtsor by starting an independent clause with "that" + a noun to make it look like a relative clause. Shawnwent to the library, which is downtown,itdidn't have the book he wanted. Shawn went to the library, that branch didn't have the book he wanted. To spot these errors, watch for long sentences that include a relative clause and "that" or "this" immediately after a comma. Also keep in mind that in some cases you will need to fix arun-ons by adding a relative pronoun. Incorrect: The flock of seagulls made loud cawing noises, they wereannoying. Correct: The flock of seagulls made loud cawing noises, whichwereannoying. Real SAT Writing Practice Question Let's take a look at an example of this type of question from an official SAT. The underlined portion of the sentence includes arelative pronoun, "that," so we need to start by checking whether the pronoun has a clear antecedent and whether the sentence is a fragment. "That" refers to "medical insurance coverage," so there's no unclear antecedent issue. However, the sentence is a fragment, since it consists only of a noun "medical insurance coverage," and two relative clauses connected by a connected by a conjunction, "that requires high monthly premiums" and "that is beyond the financial means of many people." As such, we can rule out choice A. B is also a fragment. "It is beyond the financial means of many people" is an independent clause, but "medical insurance coverage that requires high monthly premiums" isn't. Since they're connected by the coordinating conjunction "and" both halves of the sentence would need to be independent clauses for it to be correct. C and D both include subject-verb agreement errors: the subject "medical insurance coverage" is a singular noun whilethe main verb "are" is plural. This process leaves only E, if we plug this choice into the sentence we can see that it corrects the run-on without creating any other issues: Medical insurance coverage that requires high monthly premiums is beyond the financial means of many people. There's now both a subject, "medical insurance coverage," and a correctly conjugated main verb, "is." The relative clause "that requires high monthly premiums" appropriately modifies the subject. E is the correct answer. Image credit: Alan Levine, via Flickr, under CC BY 2.0 SAT Writing Strategies for Relative Pronouns Now that we've covered the main ways that relative pronouns will appear on the SAT Writing section, let's review the key strategies for both Identifying Sentence Errors and Improving Sentences. What to watch for: On Identifying Sentence Errors, underlined relative pronouns On Improving Sentences, a relative clause that's underlined and "that" or "which" underlined Key concepts: Relative pronouns introduce dependent clauses. "Which" can’t refer to people. Preposition + "which" is a perfectly acceptable construction. "Where" can only be used to refer to places. "That" and "which" require nounantecedents. A noun with only a relative clause is a fragment. Helpful SAT Writing strategies: You won’t be tested on "who" vs. "whom," so focus on determining whether the pronoun is correctly referring to a person. "Do that" is generally wrong and should be replaced with "do so." Remember that even ifa sentence isn't phrased the way you would say it, it can still be correct. When dealing with run-ons, you can often fix them by replacing a subject pronoun (like "he" or "they") with a relative pronoun. Test Your Knowledge! I've created some realistic SAT Writing practice questions for you to practice your new knowledge of relative pronouns. Post any questions in the comments! 1. Though (A) the doctor was hopeful she (B) could help her patient, which (C) was gravely wounded, there was a chance the man’s leg would have to be amputated. No error. (E) 2.I wanted to(A) visit my grandmother last month, but because of(B) the hurricane, it was(C) impossible to do that (D).No error. (E) 3. Because the city is running low on funds, which means the mayor will be forced to take a pay cut. A.funds, which means B.funds, thatmeans C.funds, D.funds,and E.funds; this means 4. My lab partner is chronically late, which is very annoyingfor me. A. late,which is very annoyingfor me. B.late;this habit annoysme. C.late,whichannoys me. D. late,thatis very annoyingfor me. E. late,which I am annoyed by. Answers: 1. C, 2. D, 3. C, 4. B What's Next? Make sure to check out our posts on the other key pronoun topics: pronoun agreement and pronoun case. It's vital to understand overall test strategies as well as specific grammar rules, so consider taking a look at our posts on the secret to SAT writingand the 11 strategies you must use to get a perfect scoreon the SAT Writing. If you're not taking the SAT until next year, make sure you know what to expect from the new version of the test. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Writing and grammar lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

How to Form First-Conjugation (-are) Verbs in Italian

How to Form First-Conjugation (-are) Verbs in Italian Infinitives of all regular verbs in Italian end in –are, –ere, or –ire and are referred to as first-, second-, or third-conjugation verbs, respectively. In English, the infinitive (linfinito) consists of to verb. Amare - To loveTemere - To fearSentire - To hear What are First-Conjugation Verbs? Verbs with infinitives ending in –are are called first-conjugation, or –are, verbs. The present tense of a regular –are verb is formed by dropping the infinitive ending –are and adding the appropriate endings to the resulting stem. There is a different ending for each person. Characteristics of the First Conjugation Verbs ending in -care and -gare With verbs ending in –care (cercare - to try, caricare - to charge) and –gare (litigare - to fight, legare - to bond), add an â€Å"h† immediately after the root when declinations start with â€Å"e† or â€Å"i† to maintain the hard â€Å"c† or hard â€Å"g† sound. Cercare - To try, to look (for) io cerco noi cerchiamo tu cerchi voi cercate lui, lei, Lei cerca loro, Loro cercano The spelling also changes with the first person in the future with â€Å"io cercherà ² - I will try.† Legare - To bond, to tie io lego noi leghiamo tu leghi voi legate lui, lei, Lei lega loro, Loro legano The spelling also changes with the first person in the future with â€Å"io legherà ² - I will tie.† Verbs ending in -ciare and -giare With verbs ending in –ciare (baciare - to kiss), –giare (mangiare - to eat), and –sciare (lasciare - to leave), drop the â€Å"i† of the root when declinations start with â€Å"e† or â€Å"i.† Cominciare - To start io comincio noi cominciamo tu cominci voi cominciate lui, lei, Lei comincia loro, Loro cominciano The spelling also changes with the first person in the future with â€Å"io comincerà ² - I will start.† Mangiare - To eat io mangio noi mangiamo tu mangi voi mangiate lui, lei, Lei mangia loro, Loro mangiano The spelling also changes with the first person in the future with â€Å"io mangerà ² - I will eat.† Strisciare - To crawl io striscio noi strisciamo tu strisci voi strisciate lui, lei, Lei striscia loro, Loro strisciano The spelling also changes with the first person in the future with â€Å"io striscerà ² - I will crawl.† Verbs ending in -iare With verbs ending in –iare (inviare, studiare, gonfiare), the â€Å"i† of the root stays, except for with the declinations –iamo and –iate. The â€Å"i† of the root is dropped with declinations that start with i (–i, –iamo, –iate, –ino) or in the first person singular of the present indicative (io stà ¹dio). Spiare - To spy io spio noi spiamo che tu spii voi spiate lui, lei, Lei spia loro, Loro spiano Studiare - To study io studio noi studiamo che tu studii voi studiate lui, lei, Lei studia loro, Loro studiano Verbs ending in –gliare Verbs ending in –gliare (tagliare - to cut, pigliare - to take): drop the i of the root only before the vowel i. Tagliare - To cut io taglio noi tagliamo tu tagli voi tagliate lui, lei, Lei taglia loro, Loro tagliano Pigliare - To take io piglio noi pigliamo tu pigli voi pigliate lui, lei, Lei piglia loro, Loro pigliano Verbs ending in -gnare Verbs ending in –gnare are regular, therefore the â€Å"i† of the endings –iamo (indicative and present conjunctive) and –iate (present conjunctive) is maintained. Regnare - To rule io regno noi regniamo tu regni voi regnate lui, lei, Lei regna loro, Loro regnano

Free Essays on Marx, Durkheim, Weber Understanding Of Religion Within Society

Comparing and contrasting Marx’ belief on religion as a social opium, along with Emile Durkheim and Max Weber’s understanding and account of religion within society. How do we account for religion - its origin, its development, and even its persistence in modern society? This is a question, which has occupied many people in a variety of fields for quite a long time. At one point, the answers were framed in purely theological and religious terms, assuming the truth of Christian revelations and proceeding from there. But through the 18th and 19th centuries, a more "naturalistic" approach developed. One person who attempted to examine religion from an objective, scientific perspective was Karl Marx. Marx's analysis and critique of religion is perhaps one of the most famous and most quoted by theist and atheist alike. The most famous quote from the work of Karl Marx (and one of the most controversial statements in all of philosophy) is his frank assertion that religion "is the opium of the people" (141)*. This pithy comment is indeed a good summation up Marx’s straightforward appraisal of religion, which he said "eased pain even as it created fantasies" for those masses of oppressed workers suffering at the hands of a powerful few (141)*. As a functionalist, Marx insisted that religion does not exist independently, but only operates "to satisfy other needs or conditions" (158)*. He was convinced that "religion is so fully determined by economics that it is pointless to consider any of its doctrines or beliefs on their own merits" (138)*. For Marx, religion serves only to comfort and placate the poor and wretched, while simultaneously justifying and protecting the privilege of those in control, and therefore it "should not only be dismissed, but dismissed with scorn" (139)*. Marx imagined primeval communist societies in which all resources were owned jointly by the members of the community, a social organisation to which... Free Essays on Marx, Durkheim, Weber Understanding Of Religion Within Society Free Essays on Marx, Durkheim, Weber Understanding Of Religion Within Society Comparing and contrasting Marx’ belief on religion as a social opium, along with Emile Durkheim and Max Weber’s understanding and account of religion within society. How do we account for religion - its origin, its development, and even its persistence in modern society? This is a question, which has occupied many people in a variety of fields for quite a long time. At one point, the answers were framed in purely theological and religious terms, assuming the truth of Christian revelations and proceeding from there. But through the 18th and 19th centuries, a more "naturalistic" approach developed. One person who attempted to examine religion from an objective, scientific perspective was Karl Marx. Marx's analysis and critique of religion is perhaps one of the most famous and most quoted by theist and atheist alike. The most famous quote from the work of Karl Marx (and one of the most controversial statements in all of philosophy) is his frank assertion that religion "is the opium of the people" (141)*. This pithy comment is indeed a good summation up Marx’s straightforward appraisal of religion, which he said "eased pain even as it created fantasies" for those masses of oppressed workers suffering at the hands of a powerful few (141)*. As a functionalist, Marx insisted that religion does not exist independently, but only operates "to satisfy other needs or conditions" (158)*. He was convinced that "religion is so fully determined by economics that it is pointless to consider any of its doctrines or beliefs on their own merits" (138)*. For Marx, religion serves only to comfort and placate the poor and wretched, while simultaneously justifying and protecting the privilege of those in control, and therefore it "should not only be dismissed, but dismissed with scorn" (139)*. Marx imagined primeval communist societies in which all resources were owned jointly by the members of the community, a social organisation to which...

Watson's Theory of Caring in Modern Healthcare Setting Essay

Watson's Theory of Caring in Modern Healthcare Setting - Essay Example At this juncture, Jean Watson’s ‘Theory of Human Caring’ seems to be a vital tool for meeting the objectives of current day nursing practices. Jean Watson Jean Watson was born at West Virginia in United States. She got her graduation from the Lewis Gale School of Nursing in 1961 and earned a B.S. in 1964 from the University of Colorado. After two years of study, Watson acquired an M.S. in psychiatric and mental health nursing from the same university. In 1973, she earned a Ph.D. after completing a series of researches in the field of educational psychology and counseling. Watson focused her researches in the area of human caring and loss and published the theory â€Å"nursing: human science and human care† in 1988. An Overview of the Theory The theory of human caring proposes that caring is the ‘most valuable attribute’ that the nurses has to serve up the humanity (The core concepts of Jean Watson’s theory). In the opinion of the theoris t, if patients do not get effective caring, disease may be cured but illness will remain. Watson strongly argues that caring is the essence of nursing without which patients’ health cannot be retained. The theory suggests that caring greatly helps a person to attain control, to become more knowledgeable, and thus enhance his/her health. Watson also suggests that higher emphasis must be given on patients’ autonomy and freedom of choice, which in turn would add to client self knowledge and self control. According to Blais, Hayes, Kozier, and Erb (2006, p.107), the transpersonal caring relationship, caring occasion, and ten carative factors constitute the elements of Jean Watson’s theory of human caring. Watson’s ‘The ten primary carative’ are; The formation of humanistic-altruistic system of values. The installation of faith-hope. The cultivation of sensitivity to one’s self and to others. The development of a helping-trust relationship. The promotion and acceptance of the expression of positive and negative feelings. The systematic use of the scientific problem-solving method for decision making. The promotion of interpersonal teaching-learning. The provision for a supportive, protective and /or corrective mental, physical, socio-cultural and spiritual environment Assistance with the gratification of human needs. The allowance for existential-phenomenological forces. (Source: ‘Jean Watson’s Philosophy of Nursing’). The first three carative factors represent a well structured philosophical foundation for the science of caring. The remaining seven carative factors emerge from the foundation established by the first three factors. This theory has seven assumptions also. According to Watson (2006), the essence of these assumptions is that caring is the central element of nursing and it must be practiced interpersonally in order to acquire the desired results. The carative factors constitute the con cept of caring and hence it meets the satisfaction of certain human needs. Watson says that the science of caring is complementary to the science of curing or caring is more healthogenic than is curing. In her theory, Watson has clearly classified various human needs according to its nature and importance. She believes that each human need must be equally considered in order to maintain a quality nursing care that promotes optimal health. Watson’s ordering of needs is of three types such as biophysical needs, psychophysical needs, and psychosocial needs. The biophysical needs (lower order needs) include need for food and fluid, elimination, and ventilation. At the same

The Internet and its impact on Market Structure - Managerial Economics Essay

The Internet and its impact on Market Structure - Managerial Economics - Essay Example Monopoly is a market that no one desires to be in. In developed countries there are laws against monopoly. It’s bad enough for consumers. Whenever there are even close resemblances of monopolies emerge, like Microsoft in the global operating systems market, people have cried foul. Even big corporations shy away from becoming a monopoly because it attracts too much regulation from the authorities and negative publicity from the public. So it’s unlikely that the typical monopoly can ever exist on a global scale. For local monopolies Internet has definitely made life difficult. With internet in place, entry barriers are so low that as soon as a company becomes successful with a new product or concept idea there would be new start-ups offering substitute products. So it would be safe to conclude that the Internet is anti-monopoly. The world markets tend to favor oligopolies. Internet has been one for the key components that changed quite a few market structures in several industries. Internet, for instance, is a substitute for all media. The media industry has been revolutionized with the advent of Internet. It has reduced the barriers of entry to such a low level that some industries will never be the same. Perfect oligopolies exist all over the world in several industries. In liberalized and privatized economies even public utilities are oligopolies. High level of globalization and the Internet have helped oligopolies to form and exist. â€Å"But all the past revolutions have not ended up in a totally free market, but rather have started a new cycle of oligopolies.† (The Internet and the copyright oligopolies 2003). The pattern that one could see is that when a new company becomes successful with a new product or concept it is merged or acquired by big companies and this usually pulls the market away from monopolies and from prefect competition. This is a market structure that has a large

Argumentative Research Paper - Pet Health Insurance Essay

Argumentative Research Paper - Pet Health Insurance - Essay Example Veterinary costs can add up and create a financial burden. Until a few years ago, the concept of having insurance for pets seemed preposterous. More people are now taking advantage of pet insurance to ensure their pet will receive the best care available should an emergency arise. Some insurance companies wont insure pets over a certain age while others will insure pets as long as the pet is enrolled before it reaches a specified age. Premier Pet Insurance (PPI), for example, will insure older cats, but the cat must be enrolled in the program before reaching age ten. VPI will insure cats at any age but may request medical records for those aged twelve and over. "When a pet grows older that is when pet owners need insurance most," says Stephens. The adoption of health insurance which covers household pets is currently on the rise in contemporary North America. It might be considered a logical and competent assessment to offer that the most significant reasoning behind the incorporation of pet health insurance is due to the culturally-related viewpoint that dogs and cats are more than merely domesticated animals; rather they are considered long-time companions. From a medical standpoint, pet health insurance is supported by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), which likely adds credence to the validity of pet-related insurance policies. From a citizens perspective, such insurance likely offers a sense of security to pet owners in the event that their beloved animals suffer accidental injury or simply require routine veterinary care. To the business owner and investor, pet insurance represents an opportunity to increase profitability and increase marketing potential through various organizational partnerships. According to statistics, the instances of pet health insurance had risen from 195,000 in 2001 to approximately 392,000 policies

Has state played a leading role in upgrading technologies in the Asia Essay

Has state played a leading role in upgrading technologies in the Asia Pacific Answer with reference to relevant theories and us - Essay Example The integration of firms in Asia Pacific into GPNs have greatly stimulated industrial development. Operating under GPNs, Asia Pacific firms have been successful at tapping into the leading markets in the world (Barbara, 2008).   Through this, these firms have been able to compensate for their small size domestic market. Through network participation, Asia Pacific Firms have been able to access to the leading-edge technologies, as well as best-practice management approaches (Barbara, 2008).  This has created pressures, incentives, as well as new opportunities for the Asia Pacific network suppliers to update and upgrade their management and technological capabilities and the workers’ skill levels. Studies indicate that Asia pacific governments have been behind the most of the scientific innovations in these regions. The focus of this paper to discuss the role of Asia Pacific countries in upgrading technologies in the Asia Pacific region. The role of governments continues to be a source of development of industrial capabilities and economic growth in Pacific Asia region. However, the 2010 downturn in the electronics industry and the 1997 global financial crisis brutally exposed the model of technological diversification. A country becomes more vulnerable (1) if it becomes highly integrated into GPN (2) if its large share of exports is  purely electronic, and (3) if it is largely dependent on exporting products to the United States for purposes of getting revenue (Iansiti, & West, 1997). Additionally, returns for the factory model are also decreasing. As capital intensive for these investments increase, new employments are generated (Iansiti & West, 1997). It also causes the decline in local spillovers to domestic suppliers as global contract manufacturers contribute their services to the integrated manufacturing, which in turn increases the share of production of the global industry. Moreover, much of the investments of global factory has remained foo tloose leading to relocation of new low-cost locales and plant closure. Asia Pacific firms heavily rely on Japanese, European, and American firms as their dominant source of new technology. This shows why heavy concentration of innovative capabilities, R&D, and intellectual property rights being centered on the U.S (Iansiti, & West, 1997). For Asia Pacific, this led to razor-thin margins due to hefty licensing fee levied by the dominant global brand firms. A broad consensus has emerged across the region that electronic industries within Asia region need to upgrade to somewhat higher value-added technologically more attractive services, products and production stages (Chomsky, & Robert, 2011).  These changes, however, require strong innovative capabilities to be developed. In order to achieve this, the leading software and electronic companies and the Asia Pacific states have sought to improve and develop knowledge, skills, and management techniques required to help create and comm ercialize new services, products, processes, equipment and business models (Chomsky & Robert, 2011).   The states and these companies have focused on what is feasible (Chanda, 2007). This has been done with the view that the region as a whole has continued to substantially lag behind in the development of the broad-based science and technology systems (Chanda, 2007). Instead of directly adopting technology leadership

Pd film Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pd film - Movie Review Example The primary character in this case is Max Klein, one of the survivors after the plane crash. On realizing that the plane is on a crash course and there is minimal chance of survival, he gets comfortable with the idea that his life is going to be ended. In this situation, Max did not want it to be that he was the only one. This is because there were a whole lot of passengers who were scared by the situation at hand. It is at this point that we see the power of thought and the belief system, which a person has, working for them. Max is of the opinion that he is going to die and he has willingly accepted the fact. In this same case, he offers the other passengers a semblance of consolation. The other way through which this event seems to have changed the life of Max is by letting him do away with some of the fears, which he had. In this case, the fear, which is in question, is the fear of flying. This is something, which is exhibited when he declines the tickets, which were offered to him for the purpose of transport to San Francisco. He clearly states that he does not fear flying anymore. What this shows to the normal person is that it is of the essence to let of the fears, which act as barriers to the development of a person. The reason for this is that it may be difficult for the individual in question to make any significant progress in his or her life. This is simply because he or she is tied to the fears, which he or she seems to be having in his or her life. The happenings in the film also point out to the viewers that it is very important to be people who live for the moment and enjoy the pleasures which life has to offer. This is a fact, which was highlighted when Max met up with Alison, his high school sweetheart. Initially, it is realized that he had an allergy for strawberries. However, upon their meeting, Alison notes that max is eating strawberries. She questions this and the answer gives is that Max had gotten past his

Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 6

Business Strategy - Essay Example There could be positive or negative effect on stakeholders of any changes in strategy e.g. employee layoffs will have negative effect on employees. On the other hand an increase in revenue and profits of an organization will have positive effects on stakeholders. According to Mitchell (2009), it is oftentimes helpful to seek to model the organization in order to analyze the specific activities through which an organization can create a competitive advantage. Michael Porter sought to define such activities known by the handle â€Å"the value chain† and described it as follows: Outbound logistics refer to whatever activities might be necessary to ensure that the finished products reach the consumer. This can include but is not limited to storage, order fulfilment, and a litany of other factors. Marketing & Sales may be defined as those activities which are associated with encouraging buyers to purchase the product/service which is being offered. It includes advertising, pricing, branding etc. Within such a dynamic, the reader can and should engage with a simple SWOT analysis of the firm in question; Electrolux. As such, a brief discussion and analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats will be presented. The firm displays more than a few strengths; the first of which is necessarily the fact that it has a long and storied past of offering consumer products to key markets since 1918. Moreover, the firm enjoys a very good reputation with consumers as presenting an extraordinarily high quality and offering expert customer support and service post sale. Additionally, key acquisitions and mergers have worked together to make the firm into a resilient one that encompasses the strengths of other companies such as â€Å"ElektroHelios, Finnish Slev, Flymo, Danish Atlas, and Norwegian Elektrag (Lorenz, 1989). One of the greatest weaknesses is the fact that the firm is a

Has state played a leading role in upgrading technologies in the Asia Essay

Has state played a leading role in upgrading technologies in the Asia Pacific Answer with reference to relevant theories and us - Essay Example The integration of firms in Asia Pacific into GPNs have greatly stimulated industrial development. Operating under GPNs, Asia Pacific firms have been successful at tapping into the leading markets in the world (Barbara, 2008).   Through this, these firms have been able to compensate for their small size domestic market. Through network participation, Asia Pacific Firms have been able to access to the leading-edge technologies, as well as best-practice management approaches (Barbara, 2008).  This has created pressures, incentives, as well as new opportunities for the Asia Pacific network suppliers to update and upgrade their management and technological capabilities and the workers’ skill levels. Studies indicate that Asia pacific governments have been behind the most of the scientific innovations in these regions. The focus of this paper to discuss the role of Asia Pacific countries in upgrading technologies in the Asia Pacific region. The role of governments continues to be a source of development of industrial capabilities and economic growth in Pacific Asia region. However, the 2010 downturn in the electronics industry and the 1997 global financial crisis brutally exposed the model of technological diversification. A country becomes more vulnerable (1) if it becomes highly integrated into GPN (2) if its large share of exports is  purely electronic, and (3) if it is largely dependent on exporting products to the United States for purposes of getting revenue (Iansiti, & West, 1997). Additionally, returns for the factory model are also decreasing. As capital intensive for these investments increase, new employments are generated (Iansiti & West, 1997). It also causes the decline in local spillovers to domestic suppliers as global contract manufacturers contribute their services to the integrated manufacturing, which in turn increases the share of production of the global industry. Moreover, much of the investments of global factory has remained foo tloose leading to relocation of new low-cost locales and plant closure. Asia Pacific firms heavily rely on Japanese, European, and American firms as their dominant source of new technology. This shows why heavy concentration of innovative capabilities, R&D, and intellectual property rights being centered on the U.S (Iansiti, & West, 1997). For Asia Pacific, this led to razor-thin margins due to hefty licensing fee levied by the dominant global brand firms. A broad consensus has emerged across the region that electronic industries within Asia region need to upgrade to somewhat higher value-added technologically more attractive services, products and production stages (Chomsky, & Robert, 2011).  These changes, however, require strong innovative capabilities to be developed. In order to achieve this, the leading software and electronic companies and the Asia Pacific states have sought to improve and develop knowledge, skills, and management techniques required to help create and comm ercialize new services, products, processes, equipment and business models (Chomsky & Robert, 2011).   The states and these companies have focused on what is feasible (Chanda, 2007). This has been done with the view that the region as a whole has continued to substantially lag behind in the development of the broad-based science and technology systems (Chanda, 2007). Instead of directly adopting technology leadership

Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 6

Business Strategy - Essay Example There could be positive or negative effect on stakeholders of any changes in strategy e.g. employee layoffs will have negative effect on employees. On the other hand an increase in revenue and profits of an organization will have positive effects on stakeholders. According to Mitchell (2009), it is oftentimes helpful to seek to model the organization in order to analyze the specific activities through which an organization can create a competitive advantage. Michael Porter sought to define such activities known by the handle â€Å"the value chain† and described it as follows: Outbound logistics refer to whatever activities might be necessary to ensure that the finished products reach the consumer. This can include but is not limited to storage, order fulfilment, and a litany of other factors. Marketing & Sales may be defined as those activities which are associated with encouraging buyers to purchase the product/service which is being offered. It includes advertising, pricing, branding etc. Within such a dynamic, the reader can and should engage with a simple SWOT analysis of the firm in question; Electrolux. As such, a brief discussion and analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats will be presented. The firm displays more than a few strengths; the first of which is necessarily the fact that it has a long and storied past of offering consumer products to key markets since 1918. Moreover, the firm enjoys a very good reputation with consumers as presenting an extraordinarily high quality and offering expert customer support and service post sale. Additionally, key acquisitions and mergers have worked together to make the firm into a resilient one that encompasses the strengths of other companies such as â€Å"ElektroHelios, Finnish Slev, Flymo, Danish Atlas, and Norwegian Elektrag (Lorenz, 1989). One of the greatest weaknesses is the fact that the firm is a

White soul system designs Essay Example for Free

White soul system designs Essay 1 Analysis 1. 1 Introduction White Soul System Designs is a small computer store that designs and makes many of its own systems and products. It is situated on Queen Street in the centre of Neath. Many people swear by White Soul products and go to the store for any product they wish to purchase or repairs their computers need. Manu people in Neath use this store because the prices of products are guarantied to be the lowest you can find, and the repair system, no fix no fee is very popular. At present only two full time staff members work there. The owner Mr. Adam Williams and his only member of staff Mr.John Edwards. The store is open form 9am 5pm every weekday. On Saturdays it is open from 10am 6pm and on Sundays it is closed all day. Only having two members of staff working eight hours a day, six days a week is very difficult. With increasing numbers of customers Mr. Edwards and Mr. Williams are under pressure to get every ones orders and files in order. Not having a computer system means Mr. Edwards and Mr. Williams have to file all the store customers and stock records manually. This manual system means mistakes are made and customer satisfaction is lowered. This undoubtedly means a loss in profits. This made Mr. Williams think that like their computer systems, they should be up to date. He is currently looking for a new system and approached me to ask my opinions. Not knowing the best solution for the store off the top of my head I decided to observer the current system and speak to the Mr. Williams and a regular customer and get their opinions of how they would like the store to change. 1. 2 Problem Definition The problem with White Souls current system is that it is a manual system with two members of staff. Every thing is done manually and because of this mistakes are made. All customer records and stock orders are stored in filing cabinets in alphabetical order. Lately due to the manual system many customer records have been misfiled. This is a huge problem because if for example Mrs. Abraham went into the store to purchase a new item, one of the members of staff would look under A for Abraham in the filing cabinet. If the customer record had been put into another file by mistake a new customer record would have to be created. This then means the customer proving where they live when a letter and proving they identity with a passport or birth certificate. As you can imagine customers would not be very impressed with this and profits may suffer. Stock records can also be misplaced. This may lead to the staff members thinking they had ordered new stock but to have it never arrive. This is a problem when a customer has specifically requested that item of stock and has to find out that it will not be delivered till the next stock delivery. This again causes customer dissatisfaction and in the long run a loss of prophets. Sometimes, because stock numbers have been mixed up because of bad filing the store gets stock that it didnt mean or want to order. This is a cut straight out of their prophets, as they have to pay for it because they ordered it, even if they didnt mean to. 1. 3 Objectives After a few brief chats with Mr. Williams, he explained to me that the whole objective of this new system was to keep up with the times. He then went onto explain how the current system worked. Adding a Customer If a customer wants to become a member of the store and get special offers and discounts on certain products an application form must be filled in. To become a member more then one form of identification is required and to confirm their address a letter or a bank statement is needed. After the customer identity and address is confirmed an application form will be filled out and filed. Data requirements   Name Surname and forename of the customerAddress Address the customer is occupying   Postcode Area code of the address Date of birth Date the customer was born Phone number Number on which we can contact the customer   Credit Card Number ID issued by the bank uniquely given to the customer Documents used Customer application form (see appendix A1) Problems Some customers have poor handwriting or just handwriting that the staff members struggle to read. This may lead to miss filing or even a mistake made with the customer details. Also a lot of the time customers are not carrying any item that may prove their identity or are not carrying a letter to prove their address. No members may be added to the files with out first proving their identity and address so they have to return home to get these items before they can become members of the store. Searching for and viewing a customer For a special in store discount customers are offered a chance to become a member of the store. Their records are stored in alphabetical order in a filing cabinet. If a customer wants to use this discount their file must be found. One of the members of staff will look in the filing cabinet for the customers file. All customers records are stored in alphabetical order in our files. To look for that customer we get their last name and search the file that corresponds with the first letter of their second name E. g. Charles Powel We would look in the P file Michael Roberts We would look in the R file Bethan Langdon We would look in the L file When the second name has been found we resort to using their first names, we do this because in some cases there will be more than one Powel, Roberts or Langdon. If there are two identical names in the files we have to look at each and match the address, this is the last resort. Data requirements   Customer name The customers surname and forename   Customer address The customers home address Problems A manual filing system is used. All customer records are kept in a filing cabinet that both members of staff have access to. They are stored in alphabetical order using the customers surname. If a customer record was filed under a wrong name it would appear lost or it may seem to the staff that that customer has never completed an application form. This means a new form would have to be filled in and the customers identity would have to be proven again. This lowers customer satisfaction and creates problems for the two members of staff. Amending a customers details If a customer is to move house or to change their telephone number their membership must be updated. Once their file has been searched for and found the new customer information can be added. Data requirements   Name Surname and forename of the customer   Address Address the customer is occupying Postcode Area code of the address Date of birth Date the customer was born. Phone number Number on which we can contact the customer Credit Card Number ID issued by the bank uniquely given to the customer Documents used Customer application form (see appendix A1) Problems Tippex is used to erase the current details before the new details are added. This makes the form look messy and it may become hard to read. And when written over the tippex or writing may smudge and make the form look a complete mess. Again a lot of the time customers are not carrying any item that may prove their identity or are not carrying a letter to prove their address. No members may be added to the files with out first proving their identity and address so they have to return home to get these items before they can become members of the store. Deleting a customer If a customer wishes to no longer be a member with our store their file may be deleted. Again identity is required for this transaction to take place. After the customer is searched for and found it may be discarded. Data requirements   Customer name The customers surname and forename   Customer address The customers home address Problems Once a customer has been deleted from our files we have no contact with them. This means any warrantees are void and the customer cannot claim money back or an exchange of item once they have been deleted from our files. And once again if a customer wants his or her file to be discarded they have to prove their identity. Many customers may not carry identity around with them but this is required. Identity is required to ensure that no files are wrongly discarded. Adding a Stock it em When a new stock item is purchased and arrives at the store, immediately a record of the stock is made. Data requirements   Number Unique stock number given to that item only   Title Name or title of the stock item. Description Description of what the stock item is   Price Price of the stock   Status Status of the stock: Available Unavailable Discontinued Documents used Stock data form (see appendix A1) Problems When a stock data form is filled in it can some times become a mess due to ad handwriting or coffee stains after a long days work. This may make it hard to read. Searching for a stock name If a customer wants to purchase a certain item of stock the stock record must be found from the stock file to see if that stock item is available and to make sure that it is the correct item the customer wished to purchase. Stock number the unique number given to this item Problems Stock items are filed using their stock number, not their name. This is a problem because there is no name order so each record must be checked, and refilled if it is the wrong item. Searching for a stock ID If the customer has gone through the trouble of finding the stock ID or the members of staff know the stock ID from the name a stock ID search can be made. This is much less trouble as the stock items are filed by their stock numbers and each stock number is unique so there can be no matches. Data Requirements * Stock Number A unique stock number given by a member of staff. Problems Not every one knows the stock number so a name search may have to be made. Also if a stock record is out of place then it may be difficult to find it. Amending stock status It is important that each day the stock is checked. Once the stock has been checked the stock records must be modified to show weather the stock is Available, Unavailable or Discontinued. Data requirements   Stock Name The name of the stock item   Stock Number The unique stock number given to this item Problems Tippex is used to erase the current details before the new details are added. This makes the form look messy and it may become hard to read. And when written over the tippex or writing may smudge and make the form look a complete mess. Amending stock details Once an item of stock has been entered into a file it is sometimes necessary to edit the properties of the stock, for example if a sale occurred the stock price would be altered or if a mistake was made when first entering the stock it may be amended. Data requirements   Number Unique stock number given to that item only   Title Name or title of the stock item   Description Description of what the stock item is   Price Price of the stock   Status Status of the stock: Available Unavailable Discontinued.

The decisive moment

The decisive moment Page | 1 This essay will look at the foundation, importance, and relevance of the decisive moment. It will evaluate how this notion is perceived in today’s society and evaluate how technology has affected it throughout the years and if it became less recognisable and less consciously considered. The idea of the decisive moment was established by Henri Cartier-Bresson (August 22, 1908– August 3, 2004) and quickly became the leading theory; soon basis of photography for centuries. In order to fully understand the decisive moment, it is highly important to recognise its origin and certain ideologies behind it. The idea was officially introduced and named by Cartier-Bresson in his book under the same title in 1952; the decisive moment was and still is considered to appear when both artistic and the meaningful aspects of life come together for a split second and can be then captured and documented through in this case the lens of the camera. The decisive moment photograph never exists as a singular image. Such image can only emerge as a part of an entire photo shoot. Not even the greatest photographers are capable of capturing a remarkable image with just a single frame. Cartier-Bresson’s theory, the decisive moment soon became known, much respected and used by all professional photographers; not much later being considered as a beginning of street and photojournalism style of photography. In his book Cartier-Bresson talks about his idea of the decisive moment- what later became known as photojournalism; he states ‘I wanted to capture the quintessence of the phenomenon in a single image†¦ in order to give meaning to the world, one has to feel oneself involved in what one frames in the viewfinder†¦ its putting one’s head, one’s eye, one’s heart on the same axis†¦ it is a way of life’. The above quote proves that the decisive moment itself was more than just an idea. It was a way of thinking, living and a style of work, obeyed not just by lifelong commitment of Henri Cartier-Bresson himself but many if not all professional photographers to follow. He believed in the unique purpose of photography in comparison to other visual arts such as painting. This therefore that photography has a unique capability to capture momentary and constant flow of life e.g. vide diversions within different cultures (he created series of photog raphs in countries such as India, France and Russia), political and economic changes. For example he was drawn to India by the significant political events – which then lead to major economic and cultural changes such as the Partition and assassination of Ghandi. Both of these events had a vast impact on the culture of India, the Partition for example lead to high independence of culture within the countries created. It also however raised the amount of violence which resulted in high expanse in deaths within the civilians and war between the countries. Cartier-Bresson believed that his photographs were a method of assessing the present against the past, that they allowed him to compare the country with what it once was, helped him and the viewer to realise and appreciate all of the things that remained the same and continued throughout the years as much as convey all that has changed through time. It is important to note that Cartier-Bresson’s ideologies therefore his art work, have a clear link to his education and reveal a strong philosophical knowledge. This is visibly observable when being aware of his early life and edification through school. As a young artist he attended the Lhote Academy in Paris in which painter and sculptor Andre Lhote, took on the method to teach his students to integrate the cubist’s approach to reality (depiction of space, mass, time and volume as well as the use of multiple perspective) with classical artistic forms such as beautiful, almost perfect sceneries and people, along with the most truthful representation of reality, scale and perspective. Cubism was a first abstract art movement, which abandoned the tradition of perspective, displaying many views at the same time while preserving the expressiveness of subjects granted with philosophical connotations. The art work of this movement displayed a very geometrical presence and s ubjects of the painting were often tough to spot with just a brief first glance. The paintings were often chaotic in a sense of composition yet were exceptionally intriguing and very easy to look at for a substantial period of time. They required the viewer to see it with an open mind, ready to interpret and thoughtfully consider the subject while classical art only just offered something pretty to look at. While at the Lhote Academy, Cartier-Bresson developed an interest into human psychology and studied all leading philosophers such as Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Arthur Schopenhauer and Karl Heinrich Marx. The theory of the decisive moment itself reveals a very high understanding and influence of such philosophical knowledge, and it is enough to look at the very basic yet complex principles of an effective the decisive moment to see a clear link. Further studies of Cartier-Bresson’s theory reveal that a successful the decisive moment in photography is not by any means accidental but it is a careful combination ‘of a unique set of technical, cognitive, and emotional skills’. All of these can only be achieved by far reaching training therefore a vast amount of experience, and psychological knowledge of people. Both the emotional and the so clear psychological significance of this theory are based on the ‘dynamic interaction of the experiences of subject and photographer†¦ which provides the springboard for effective insight’. All of these factors play an essential role in the composition of the decisive moment. A well composed photograph within this theory creates a feeling of understanding, balance, harmony, interest, unity and closure. Although, however considerate and successful the decisive moment theory is, it only applies to street and photojournalism photography. So as important and influential as it is, it did not help to form or develop other styles of photography. The geometrical and beautiful aspects of art, combined with psychological knowledge are represented in almost all of Cartier-Bresson’s photographs; such as the photograph of two women taken in 1953 (figure 1) and the image of a mother holding her baby taken in 1950 in India (figure 2). The first image uses repeated vertical lines to emphasise the subjects within the frame which s this case are the two women. In the second image there is a clockwise design of thin lines which immediately move the viewer’s eye around the frame. Both of these images show a clear and careful consideration of geometry and designed viewer’s response by the photographer. In an article on photographic psychology; John Suler PhD professor of Rider University described the decisive moment as a ‘highly debated concept’. Throughout the years, Cartier-Bresson’s theory has been discussed from various angles and perspectives. Many of the arguments are objectively recent and mainly refer to the growing technological advance. Now that the decisive moment is fully understood in all its aspects, both the supportive arguments as well as those against the theory will be considered and analysed. Some could argue that although Cartier-Bresson was the first one to name the decisive moment, he has basically described a way photographers worked from a very beginning. The term photography is derived from the Greek phos graphe which means drawing with light. Photography was and still is considered to be both the art and science. It is a way of creating resilient images, which has been present for almost two centuries. Recently however the scientific aspect of it seems to have disappeared giving way to more of an artistic approach. Todays ‘photographers have all become artists’and have disregarded the theoretical approach to photography. However in the early 1900’s, while photography was still developing, photographers remained scientists capturing and observing various aspects of life. The first camera was more about capability to capture anything permanently form a different angle (through the lens for example), and the general achievement of a photograph itse lf. Looking at some of the early photographs now, it is clear that somewhat unconsciously the photographer picked the moment or the final chosen frame for a reason. Like the train track photograph, the photographer picked a certain weather and time of the day because it meant something to him. Find the image The opposite side of this argument could be the early equipment. Images created back in the 1800’s or even during the 1900’s required extremely long exposures. What could now be classed as the decisive moment in these images could have happened by pure chance and luck; for example in the first ever photograph taken of a person (figure 4). The only reason for why this was able to happen is that the person so far away on the street, remained motionless enough for the camera to record it. This was not the moment consciously considered and chosen by the photographer, it was just a frame chosen out the whole photo shoot. Now this is when this side of the argument becomes inconsistent, as the image was still chosen due to its certain properties and content. The same properties later listed and described by Cartier-Bresson as the decisive moment. In his article John Suler, mentions the fact that some modern photographers rejecting the decisive moment as an ‘outdated idea’. This conveys the most discussed contemporary aspect of Cartier-Bresson’s idea the technology. Photographers in today’s society do not think about the decisive moment anymore, they simply do not have to. New equipment such as cameras are easily capable of capturing enormous amounts of images in incredibly short periods of time. Without the concern, neither the cost nor the necessity to change, acquire new film roll or even then the requirement to develop the shots. Photographers either professional or amateur are able to pick the decisive moment afterwards rather then consider it just before the shot or while taking the photo. In the book on Conceptual Limitations of Our Reflection on Photography, Jan Baetens argues that there is a fundamental disjunction between the practical knowledge of the non-academics and contemporary (artis tic) photographic theory. Photography in today’s society became greatly more accessible on considerably bigger scale and now it’s not just professional photographers capturing the flow of life but everyone is capable of doing so. In another article on the decisive moment, John Roberts vey accordingly states that ‘there has been an intellectual regression within photography†¦ the social implications and possibilities of new imaging techniques in various sciences rarely move from the realm of specialist technical discourse into the broader field of critical theories of photography’. In today’s society photography is easier to use, mainly due to the technology and requires much less training and general knowledge of the equipment, techniques and composition therefore smaller amount of people taking photos are truly aware of the decisive moment and theoretical approach to photography. Although the technology now rejects the idea and recognition of the decisive moment, mainly due to high growing technological improvement, some could argue that it was Bresson’s idea which pushed the development of photographical technology so fast forward. His idea of perfection within the frame and the â€Å"perfect† image actually has in some respect motored the society and technology to advance. (One more sentence needed but don’t know what!!) Many contemporary arguments disprove and dismiss the theory of the decisive moment. There is however a clear link between the theory and human psychology, which highly supports Cartier-Bresson’s idea and vice versa. Suler’s article speaks very little on the actual theory itself, as its main focus remains on the use of photography in psychoanalytic therapy. The concept of Cartier-Bresson’s theory plotted into authentic psychiatry is very intriguing as it now links back with its original establishment. An idea based on basic human psychology is now being used to analyse one’s mind. Although psychoanalysis in this case is not much of an arguable point, it does shine a new light on the original idea and displays it in a slightly different perspective. In 1956 E. Kris introduced the idea of the â€Å"Good Hour. To understand the relation this has towards Cartier-Bresson’s idea it is important to understand the term and its importance towards creative arts. Kris describes the Good Hour as a process an individual goes through while undertaking one’s goal. The good hour begins with a negative implication; a feeling of frustration and disappointment. Next step within this process is that all the negative feelings are then neutralised and converted into dynamic energy which impulses the individual’s mind towards personally meaningful perceptions. The Good Hour, in which the individual is powerful and independent in the pursuit for meaning, varies from the â€Å"Pseudo Good Hour† during which an individual is driven by an aim to please someone or gain approval. This idea of the Good Hour resonates the one of Cartier-Bresson’s decisive moment and both photographic and psychological elements emerging as one. He moreover compared photography to the psychoanalytic basis; while Kris trusted the psychological progression throughout the Good Hour bring to mind those during artistic accomplishments. Both the factual events being photographed and the personal interpretation of ‘the decisive moment shot are the therapeutic â€Å"Aha!† moment’, a moment of recognising oneself within the human existence. Both the Good Hour and the decisive moment are not about achieving the goal (the decisive moment shot) to please someone but about oneself in the world of human experiences and subconsciously designed awareness lying in awaiting the opportunity to express oneself through in this case photography. As much as the idea worked in practise with Cartier-Bresson, which in a lot of respect is due to his extraordinary and exceptional knowledge and understanding of human psychology, it doesn’t necessary mean it has to work for someone who’s knowledge only consist of basic photographic skills, someone who was never absorbed by anything else but photography itself. How would one know what is the right decisive moment? All of our interpretations of imagery and stories are strongly based on our cultural capital. Cartier-Bresson’s theory comes into doubt when tested by the mass and today’s fast spread of media such as photography. The decisive moment (as mentioned before) consists of a collapse of both what is beautiful and what is significant to the individual capturing the image. However, human understanding and interpretation of both them factors, commences and cultivates based on one’s personal experiences, culture and society one was raised within and various values one was taught throughout life. In the theoretical approach toward the cultural capital, Pierre Bourdieu states that ‘individualscan be restricted by their habitus’. This statement is highly relevant within this argument as it supports the idea of that what is considered as the decisive moment by the photographer may be perceived as the most far away point from it by the viewer. It is evident that Cartier-Bresson was fully aware of the effects his work had on people, he says ‘It is by means of form, by careful plastic organization, that our thoughts and emotion become communicable’ His photographs are so well composed they instantly become highly artistic, yet at the same time, they are such strong journalistic medium with even more powerful message behind it. Cartier-Bresson’s work created art which became an expression of common humanity, it became an expression of ordinary, day to day people; revealing their tragic stories. All of this became possible due to careful consideration of both beauty and meaning thereof the decisive moment. Although such complex idea may be challenging to understand in today’s society, inflexible and overwhelmed by the technology, it has undoubtedly marked its importance in history of photography. As much as it may not be consciously considered when taking the photograph, our â€Å"perfect† ima ge is still chosen according to the same principles. Consciously or not, the theory of the decisive moment is still used in practice by both the professionals and the general public. If it was not for this theory the field of photography and its equipment would not be as far developed as it currently is. Jan Baetens argues (‘Conceptual Limitations of Our Reflection on Photography: The Question of Interdisciplinarity’, pp. 53–73.), there is a fundamental disjunction between the ‘practical knowledge of theà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °nonacademics’ (p. 61) and contemporary (artistic) photographic theory. Appendix Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 CLM 2045M, Sara Zimna, 12299092