Throwing the Perfect Party

Brittney Liston Professor Thomas English Comp. I September 26, 2011 Throwing the Perfect Party Throwing the perfect party requires a lot of planning because the party planner’s reputation will be put in the spotlight. Rather it being a party that goes well or if it’s a total disaster. Hosting a party can be stressful if the proper amount of time is not used wisely in planning the party. Lots of people have failed and very few have succeeded in creating the perfect party depending on the time used in planning the party. The ones that failed usually were because they had poor planning skills. There are many steps that need to be followed in order to throw the perfect party. First off, take time to plan things out. Check dates out to make sure that party is not planned on top of another event that might be going on. A decision on location also needs to be made at this time. Now since they have a location and a date set a guest list can be started. Verify that all contact information for guest is good. The second step would be deciding a theme for the party. A month before the party is ideal for knowing the theme so that purchasing favors, decorations can be done and that everyone is properly dressed for the event. Wait around three weeks before the party to send out invitations. A reserve by date is good so that an accurate count can be made so that food and entertainment can be planned. The menu can be decided at this time. The menu will depend on the type of party being thrown. Finger foods and soft drinks are good for simple parties, while a full dinner maybe needed for a formal party. Activities should be decided at this time. If a band will be attending verify weekly with the band so that they are sure of their attendance. If planning to use personal media prepare what songs will be used and set those aside. Around a week before the party send out reminders to guest so that attendance will be assured. Calling the guest that has not responding is also a good idea in case they might have not received the invitation. Two days before the party get a final count of the guests attending so that the proper amount of things will be available at the party. Remember to take all food out of freezer that needs time to thaw out. Make sure that plenty of batteries and film are available so that all the special moments are captured by camera. If the party is to be held in a personal home be sure that all organizing and cleaning is done at this time so that it is ready for the party. The day before the party should be used to prepare most of the food that can be prepared early. If the party location is available use this time to do all indoor decorating so that it will be ready for the party. The day of the party is finally here. All of the early preparations have paid off to make this day a perfect day. Now is the time to put outdoor decorations out. All of the food that was not prepared prior should now get prepared and available to use. The guests are all arriving and all that is left to do is to enjoy to perfect party that you have made possible through proper planning. Now since the day of the party is finally here, do all of the last minute adjustments to the decorations. Make sure all the placements are out and ready, and that the music selection is in order.

Role Clarity Through Competency Mapping

04-Oct-12 1 Human Resource Management: Overview Management Essentials †¢ Management is the process of efficiently and effectively achieving the objectives of the organization with and through people. What is an Organization? Purpose Structure People Management Essentials †¢ Primary Functions of Management – Planning – establishing goals. – Organizing – determining what activities need to be done. – Leading – assuring the right people are on the job and motivated. – Controlling – monitoring activities to be sure goals are met. Human Resource Management †¢ process of acquiring, utilizing, improving, and preserving an organization's orkforce. †¢ set of organizational activities directed at attracting, developing, and maintaining an effective workforce. All accomplished to achieve organizational objectives Human Resources Process Recruitment Orientation/ Training Human Resource Planning Performance Compensation E xternal Influences External Influences Disengagement Selection Organizational Boundaries Organizational Boundaries 04-Oct-12 2 HRM Process 1. Human Resource Planning: – Forecasting Demand Supply and Job Analysis. 2. Staffing the Organization: – Recruitment, Selecting, and Orientation. 3. Developing the Workforce: – Training and Performance Appraisal. . Compensation and Benefit: – Wages and Salaries, Incentive and Benefit Programs. Basic Functions of HRM †¢ Staffing †¢ Human Resource Development †¢ Compensation †¢ Safety and Health †¢ Employee and Labor Relations Importance of HRM to an Organization †¢ concerned with the â€Å"people† dimension. – it is both staff (support) function (assists line employees) and function of every manager’s job. Importance of HRM to an Organization †¢ The Strategic Nature – – support the business strategy; †¢ assist in maintaining competitive advantag e. – determines value added to the organization; Importance of HRM to an Organization Changing Environment, Changing HR managers’ roles (HRM today requires a new level of sophistication): – Jobs have become more technical and skilled. – Employment legislation has placed new requirements on employers. – Traditional job boundaries blurred with advent of project teams, telecommuting, etc. – Global competition has increased demands for productivity. Human Resource: Certification Recruiter EEO coordinator Training specialist Labor relations specialist Job analyst Compensation manager HR Certification 04-Oct-12 3 ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES ON HRM Recruitment Orientation/ Training Human Resource Planning Performance CompensationOrganizational Boundaries External Influences Disengagement Selection External Influences Organizational Boundaries legal considerations political parties unions shareholders society competition customers economy technology un anticipated events labor market HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Internal Environment External Environment Marketing Operations Finance Others†¦ legal considerations labor market society political parties unions shareholders competition customers technology economy unanticipated events Organizational Environments: Review ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES ON HRM Environmental Influences on HRM †¢ Legal considerations †¢ Labor market Society †¢ Political parties †¢ Unions †¢ Shareholders †¢ Competition †¢ Customers †¢ Economy †¢ Technology †¢ Management Thought †¢ Unanticipated events Environmental Influences on HRM †¢ Legal Considerations – Governmental Legislation; national/local. – Laws directing employer and employee actions. †¢ Labor Market – Potential employees located within certain geographic area; always changing. – Workforce diversity. Environmental Influences on HRM †¢ Society (ethics/soc ial responsibility) – Act ethically and responsibly, to remain acceptable to the general public. †¢ Unions – Group of employees. – Bargain (joint decisions) with management n members’ behalf. – Third party dealing with the company. 04-Oct-12 4 Environmental Influences on HRM †¢ Shareholders – Owners. – May challenge management’s programs. †¢ Competition – In product/service and labor markets. – Maintain supply of competent employees. Environmental Influences on HRM †¢ Customers – Employment practices not to antagonize†¦ – Capable workforce for quality output. †¢ Economy – Booming: difficult getting qualified workers. – Downturn: more applicants available. – Different economies in same country. Environmental Influences on HRM †¢ HR Technology – Innovations has led to Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS). HRIS: (Assignment – WHA T IS HRIS? ) †¢ used to obtain and track information for HR decisions: recruitment, benefits administration, safeguarding confidential information. – Social Networking †¢ Virtual community: people use internet to communicate: blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. Environmental Influences on HRM †¢ Management Thought (Management practices) – Scientific management – Behavioral approach – System approach (Reading Assignment) – Contingency approach Environmental Influences on HRM †¢ Unanticipated Events – Unforeseen occurrences. – Require tremendous amount of adjustment. CHANGING STRATEGIC ROLE OF HR 04-Oct-12 5Changing Strategic Role of HR †¢ HR’s Changing Role: Questions †¢ Can some HR tasks be performed more efficiently by line managers or outside vendors? †¢ Can some HR tasks be centralized or eliminated altogether? †¢ Can technology perform some of the tasks that were previously done by HR per sonnel? Changing Strategic Role of HR †¢ Who is Responsible for HRM Tasks? – Human resource managers – HR outsourcing – Professional employer organization (employee leasing) – Line managers Changing Strategic Role of HR †¢ Human Resource Manager – Historically , responsible for HR functions. – Staff capacity; support other managers on HR matters. Today, getting smaller. †¢ HR Outsourcing – Transfer of responsibility to external provider. Changing Strategic Role of HR †¢ Professional Employer Organization (Employee Leasing) – Company that leases employees to other businesses: becoming common – Advantages: †¢ Economies of scale. †¢ Greater job mobility for workers. †¢ Job security through leasing company. – Disadvantage: employee loyalty. Changing Strategic Role of HR †¢ Line Managers – Involved, by nature of their jobs. – Now performs HR specialists’ job due to automation processes: †¢ record keeping †¢ recruitment/selection †¢ performance appraisal †¢ etc Questions†¦

The choice of toy(s) is up to you (except for Barbie). You can analyze Research Paper

The choice of toy(s) is up to you (except for Barbie). You can analyze gender-neutral toys. To what extent, if any, is gender-sp - Research Paper Example These gender norms define what acceptable masculine and feminine behaviors are in a given culture. Likewise the way in which a person becomes a part of society in the form of a male or female is the gender identity. It defines who we really are and becomes an integral part of our inner selves (Ryle, 2011). We may say that the process of gender socialization begins right at the time of our birth, when parents name their kids and we are assigned either a boy or a girl attribute. Then as a child grows he/she begins to understand the distinct specifics of both genders through, for example the surrounding events, interactions, education and entertainment. Family conditions and norms also shape up the gender role. This may include different treatments for siblings of other genders, like a boy may be allowed to go out more often than his sister, and perhaps the sister being scolded less harshly than her brother. The surrounding environment also play a great role, for example the color room, either blue or pink, may define the gender roles for children at an early stage. Then there is a wide variety of gender-specific toys and there preference for kids, like Barbie dolls versus Power Rangers. Gender-specific role is also emphasized in boys and girls through their gatherings and there topic of conversations. Boys often meet and play in larger groups as compared to girls’ preference for small groups and they often exchange information that is completely different. Through these differences we gradually collect information throughout our lives that define distinct gender roles. Hence interaction through the process of gender-socialization is important in defining the gender-specific roles. The above discussion is a brief reflection on what most of the social constructionists believe. They believe that the gender-specific roles are indeed learned through society and experience. They believe that certain behaviors such as ferocity and aggressiveness are more characte ristic of masculine than feminine gender, so boys often prefer to go with toys like cars, guns that fire fake bullets, robots and action figures etc. Conversely feminine gender is more characteristic of beauty, spontaneity, emotionality and like emotions hence they prefer toys like Barbie dolls, kitchen sets etc. However, Deborah Blum argues that the biology does play an important role in defining gender roles and establishing gender role identities. This is discussed in the following part of the paper. It has been experimentally shown that even very little kids respond different to the gender-specific toys. While this might be a great hint that some of the gender differences are biological and in-born, we cannot deny that socialization plays a major role in distinguishing gender roles after the birth. So it is rarely just one thing that accounts for the cumulative effect. We may view it as an interaction of genes with the environment. So to think that gender is entirely dependent o n socialization may be misleading because some of the differences are natural and in-born (Ridley, 2004). How Toys Promote Traditional Gender Roles There are rich and obvious sex differences in children toys and these are same across majority of cultures. Girls are heightened to play with dolls

Trust within EU Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Trust within EU - Essay Example There have been a number of things that make the EU members to mistrust each other. This is especially so between the older members and the new members. The fact that most of these countries in the EU have different standings on different issues such as the economic and judicial systems makes trust a serious issue in the EU. Those countries in the EU which are former communist members of the soviet have been accused of not being collaborative enough in implementing the right economic and the legal system. This has led to the mistrust which is in twofold. First, the older members of the EU do not trust the newer members, most of them having been former members of the Soviet Union. They feel that these newer members may not be desiring to bring in to the union as much as they should. The newer member states at the same time have also been mistrusting the older members because they feel that they may be taken advantage of, especially with regard to economic exploitation. This has led to high, tensions and this mistrust has led to the some of the members being suspended from the union. New members have been required to fully conform to EU standards (Lewis, 2000, p.116). At the same time, the role and mandate of EU in the region continue to change and increase (Woolcock, 2009, p.149). According to Molle (2006, p.12) all forms of integration requires some form of permanent agreement that will bind the different members together. These agreements scan lead to mistrust when some members feel that they are being put to a disadvantage. Mythology To be able to get the data regarding the issue of trust within the EU, the study will look for various sources of information ranging from the fallowing; Websites The issue of trust in the EU has been abundantly evident, and there are professional websites that have published and publicized the issue over time. Most professional websites have provided credible information about the issue and have also given enough data and statis tics regarding the factors that have made trust an issue. These statistics revolve around issues such as, democracy, economic systems, and the level of corruption, especially with regard to ex-communist members in the EU. These websites will provide useful and credible information with regard to the issue of trust. Books Since the EU was formed, a lot of authors, both academic and professional, have written about the issue of trust in the EU. These books tackle various topics ranging from economics to politics of the EU. Both positive and negative information has been written about the EU, and this provides a good research ground to understand the internal workings of the EU. Some have criticized the EU by saying that its goals are just big pink elephants that will never be realized. Similarly, there are those who have given praise to the union and see it as a savoir in the European continent. These books will provide a good research foundation for this study. Journals and magazines Journals and magazines have also published information about the EU since it was formed. The current issues of trust within the union have been a difficult topic covered by the many journals and magazines available. These journals and magazines also provide good insights and understanding about the issue o

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

Terminologies - Essay Example Better communication is mostly the reason as to why there is improved patient outcome, it enhances continued care of the patients which is better understood and communicated with ease among nurses. Further, it is essential in the development of nursing as a body of knowledge which build up to the establishment of nursing as profession with autonomy. However, using standardized nursing terminologies has a great impact on the relationship between nurses and other professional while taking care of the patients. There is a disconnection in communication more so when other professionals go through nurses documentation on a particular patient. Thus, this to some extent is likely to affect patient outcome negatively. It necessitates the institution to utilize more resources to educate other professional on the nurse terminologies used while taking care of patients. For instance, the hospital has to print posters and put on strategic positions to enhance the other professional’s knowledge on the terminologies used by nurses (Wong, 2009). Moreover, it leads to much time wasted as one struggles to comprehend what the nurses are communicating thus compromising the patient care. Hardiker, N. R. (2011). Developing Standardized Terminologies to Support Nursing Practice. In Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (pp. 111–120). Retrieved from http://usir.salford.ac.uk/17895/1/Mastrian_chapter_7_Hardiker_-_pre-print.pdf Wong, E. (2009). Novel nursing terminologies for the rapid response system. International Journal of Nursing Terminologies and Classifications†¯: The Official Journal of NANDA International, 20,

Institutional economics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Institutional economics - Term Paper Example Economics is a part of every aspect of human life, whether it is social, financial, political or institutional. Economics comes under classification into several components, where one of its components focuses on evaluation of institutions’ social and political framework in order to understand their performance that leads to the progress of the nation’s economy (McConnell & Brue, 2007). Institutional economics is the name given to this branch of economics. The aspects of social, political and commercial institutions can come under enlightenment in the context with institutional economics as it integrates the fields of economics, political science, sociology, law, organization theory and anthropology. Due to ever-rising competition in the commercial world, the institutional economics is becoming a source of interest for many because it observes the current market trends, so that they can keep an eye on the institutions and their activities (Groenewegen et al., 2009). The system of economics has many facets, out of which capitalism is one of it. Capitalism is a method in which an individual or a private organization manufactures the products and services with an objective to generate profit. Profit and wages are the two common forms of income in a capitalist system. As different people have different mindsets, therefore, different viewpoints by economist, political economist and historians have come under consideration when capitalism is under allocution. The elements that are the result of the development from capitalist economies include a product, money and labor. A product, commonly known as a commodity, is a good that comes under production for trade in the marketplace. Products are of two types; capital goods and consumer goods. Consumer goods that are the finished product is the result that comes from capital goods, which are the sources such as raw materials, machines, transport means and factories. On the other hand, currency that is the mo de of payment, determines the worth of the goods, which always comes under measurement with a standard set of values and this is worth (Lippit, 2005). The forms of currencies have evolved through years and so has the meaning of producing/making goods. In addition, improvement and advancement in capital has come under a major affection by imposing of taxes, tax collection and the concept of banking. With the advancement of technologies and growing demands of tax payments, economies were becoming multifaceted as it endured the currency to progress and made its role more vital and crucial for the whole world. Regardless of all the factors of the past, the fact still exists, that money emblematizes significance. Through ages, the role of money has not changed and today still, money has the same functionality, but nowadays it not only exemplifies material goods but services are also charged. †Acquiring money is not the same thing as creating value† (Lau, 2000). This statement gives a clear view that money and finished goods are directly proportionate to each other. It means that profit generation cannot always lead to the production of goods in a valuable manner. The best example that explains the statement is currency traders. These people make money by bartering of currencies

Case Question #30 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case Question #30 - Essay Example Whistle blowing is good because it exposes corruption and malpractices, which could harm the society. If Ayer does nothing he is causing harm to the society, to himself, because he would keep feeling guilty and also to the organization because the management may not be aware at which level such things are happening. b. If Ayer complained there is every chance that manufacturing would stop and many would lose their jobs. Whistle blowing is a complex social phenomenon. While it exposes corruption in the society or the organization, it can be bad because it amounts to breach of trust. A whistle blower has to take into account three elements before taking the decision to whistle blow - dissent, loyalty and accusation (Rocha & Kleiner, 2005). The natural instinct of the person in witnessing a wrong doing is to report about the action. What holds back the person is the fear – the consequences that may arise out his action. Ayer should carefully assess the situation, discuss it with colleagues and bring it to the notice of the management in such a way that it causes the least harm to the society or the organization or to his colleagues. His motive for whistle blowing is not malicious or vested with personal interests. Ayer would not be making an ethical decision if he did nothing simply becaus e his colleagues would lose jobs. c. If Ayer blows the whistle on the firm by releasing the information to the news paper and the television networks, it would have repercussions both on the firm and on Ayer. At the time of employment, usually employees have to sign a ‘non-disclosure agreement’ which binds them and holds them back from revealing secrets of the company to the public. At the same time, public interest demands that a professional must be an ethical person (Camerer, 1996). Whistle blowing would also amount to disloyalty to the organization. Hence the person reels under the agony of

Older parents and younger parents Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Older parents and younger parents - Essay Example Arguments for younger parents focus mostly on the biological aspect of motherhood and the aspect of the biological clock is often invoked. A middle path is often more suitable with no norm being set that would miss the whole point of individual freedom. One of the main points that are used against older parents is their inability to handle the cognitive aspects of mental illness when it happens in children. This severely limits their ability to handle instances where their children are affected by mental ailments (Cook, et al.). There are however, advantages of being an older parent. In many cases, older parents have resources of financial and mental kinds that are useful and sometimes even essential for the purpose of parenthood. The stress that one goes through during parenthood can thus be eased to a great extent if one is independent and able to manage one’s finances on one’s own. Older parents are also considered to be more comfortable with each other and hence able to offer a better environment for the child. Older parents would thus not need to compromise on their marital quality so as to have a child (Needham and Umberson 439). This argument is similar to the feminist argument that an older woman would be emot ionally and financially readier for a child. This would also reduce the chances that a parent would suffer of regret that a parent may suffer in relation to his or her career. The feminist argument in this case is stretched to include fathers who are then seen to play an equal part in parenthood and in the development of the child. Older fathers and mothers are then seen to be more mature and hence better for the future of the child. The child is then seen as not a product of merely those factors that are hereditary but also those of nurture. In such a framework, nurture is what is considered, according to this view, more important. Younger parents are sometimes not considered to

Marketing mix of Coca-cola in the United Kingdom and the United States Essay

Marketing mix of Coca-cola in the United Kingdom and the United States - Essay Example The Coca-Cola brand name was developed because of the ascetic value of the two Cs and the thought that this would make the company name stand out. In 1887 the extract and syrup for Coca-Cola was copyrighted. At this point, Asa Chandler became involved in the company, and attained personal control of both the formula and patents. He finally purchases the company in 1892 and continues to advertise the product and grow the company. In 1899, Chandler contracts a Chattanooga company to bottle Coca-Cola, a distribution technique that the company continues today. By 1913, the company was spending more than $1 million annually in advertising, had began expansion into Asia and was distributed through upwards of 415,000 retailers. In 1916, the contour bottle was developed, a distinctive advertising tool that was used to ensure recognisability of Coca-Cola. A substantial change came about for the Coca-Cola Company in 1919 when it was purchased by a group of investors, head of which was Earnest Woodruff. Throughout the following decades, the company continued to develop, including the use of movie stars in advertising for the product, overseas bottling and the presence of Coca-Cola in South Africa, Australia and Austria. As the company continues to develop, additional beverages are added, and the distribution of the products expands throughout the world . Coca-Cola is now the most recognizable brand of soft drink worldwide, and may be the most recognizable brand of any industry. Currently, Coca-Cola products are present in more than 200 countries and it is estimated that 1.7 billion servings of products are consumed each day. Worldwide, the company employs 139,600 staff members . The company is the largest beverage company... This essay will examine the marketing mix employed by Coca-Cola in two countries, the United States, where the brand was first developed and the United Kingdom. This consists of four key components, known as the 4Ps: product, price, promotion and placement. Coca-Cola has become a household name worldwide since its humble beginnings 125 years ago. Much of this growth comes from Coca-Colas innovative marketing methods and the way that the company quickly responds to changes in demand and public opinion. This can be seen in the use of Santa Claus as an icon to increase winter sales and the recent marketing work to associate Coca-Cola with happiness. Coca-Cola has a large product line, which differs depending on the country. The USA and UK are different markets with different market environments, although they do have many similarities. For the most part, Coca-Cola has continued with its global strategy of using a general advertising approach, rather than one that is specific to country. The main differences in marketing mix between the UK and the USA is the focus that the UK has on the environment and the need for additional information on packaging for the UK market that is not required in the US market. This trend may continue within the UK, creating significant differentiation between the two markets but currently Coca-Cola effectively in both countries uses most of the same marketing mix.

Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi Book Review Essay Example for Free

Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi Book Review Essay Sook Nyul Choi has written a heart-breaking book about love, brutal, loss, and the agonized life of a little girl, named Sookan, and her family. She has titled it Year of Impossible Goodbyes. The story has a lot of sacrifices and decisions that were hard to make, like this one, â€Å"Please, I beg of you, let’s not waste time talking about my [Aunt Tiger] coming along anymore† (Choi 125). It is a true story based on her experience under the dictatorship of the Japanese Imperial Government during World War II. After the war ended and the Japanese lost, Russia sent troops into Northern Korea to accept the surrender of the Japanese. As the Russian Communists occupy North Korea and threaten Korean civilians, Sookan, the narrator, faces the Japanese, the Russians, and her fight into South Korea. After I read this marvelous novel it reminded me of my family; I assure you it is one of my favorite books, and while I read this book, I learned that I could have different emotions! The novel reminded me of my family because they are always with me while Sookan’s parents, from time to time, were apart from her. Her Grandfather had always reminded them â€Å"Harmony will prevail, after darkness there will be light, yet we cannot have the light without the dark. Better days are bound to come now† as Cabuco 2 some of the family members were away (Choi 46). When I used to be alone at home with my grandfather, he used to tell me something similar to this about always sticking together, but when alone do not lose hope. Inchun reminds me of myself when I was small, because I used to follow my brothers everywhere, and I used to annoy them by whining and crying. This novel became one of my favorite novels because it taught me about pain, sacrifices, and loss. I could feel the pain Sookan went through as I read â€Å"I eard the dogs drawing closer and I thrust my body under the wire. The barbs dug into me. My hair was caught, my clothes ripped, and I could feel the blood pooling in the cuts on my back† (Choi 164). Therefore, they had a lot of sacrifices of leaving their homeland, friends, and the precious things of grandfather. They even lost Kisa, Aunt Tiger, the sock girls, and Unhi. As Sookan says herself â€Å"I wouldnt have lost so much if it werent for the Japanese† (F. , Anna). This statement is actually true because without the sacrifices and losses, they would not have made it for freedom. I also like this book because I think not many books are written about wars whose author has experienced it, but this book was. As I read this novel, I learned that I could have different emotions. At first, I thought it was boring since it had a lot of details and the first chapter was long, but as this story gets to its plot, I got interested as Sookan’s feelings are being expressed. â€Å"Can you blame them? How are they to know there’s anything better? Your Americans aren’t here. I [Aunt Tiger] heard they’re in Japan helping the Japanese! They’re nearby now, but they just don’t care about us,† I felt helpless, annoyed, and disappointed about the situation for being abandoned as I read this quote (Choi 106). I was getting irritated by how brutal the Japanese and Cabuco 3 Russians were treating the Koreans. I felt really annoyed by Inchun’s whining, crying, and complaining. As Sookan and Inchun arrived at their home in South Korea, I felt really lugubrious that they did not find their mother there, as they hoped they would. I felt really happy that they finally reached the South. I also like how the author’s choice of words, as they can really give the reader, like myself, vivid imageries and different emotions. I have no words to explain what I think about this novel, but I can assure that it has become one of my favorite books. As I was reading this novel till the very end, I found myself with different emotions. It reminded me of my parents and I felt so blessed that they were always with me. It is really easy to have a favorite book, but it is hard to know what it has really taught me. This book has really inspired me, that is why it has become one of my favorite books. The author has great choice of words that filled me with different emotions. Above all, I would rate it nine point five out of ten, because ten is reserved for the best book and I was quite bored to it until the novel got to its plot. I really like the part about understanding the life at war from someone, like the author, who has experienced it. I would recommend this book to everyone, especially to the little ones as they know very little about life at war. After reading this novel, the reader will feel really inspired by this wonderful novel from the author who has experienced it all.

Technology Forecasting Essay

Technology Forecasting Essay The various mathematical models being used to carry out forecasts sometimes lead to significant errors. This occurs because the development of new relationships is not taken into account and possible trends changes are considered negligible. A major failure in forecasting arises from the fact that social and political issues are not taken into consideration when forecasting is carried out. It is impossible to predict the future based only on past data. The models that do that are actually excluding qualitative parameters such as the opinion of the individuals. Therefore it is essential to use a different method for dealing with these problems. According to the theory of Godet, the future is not a continuation of the past but an â€Å"outcome of the wishes of various actors and the constraints imposed on them by the environment† (Godet 1982). The configuration of prices within an energy market depends a lot on the balance between the supply and demand for energy. In order to evaluate future energy price scenarios, it is necessary to mention the parameters that affect the supply-demand balance. In 1, some typical parameters are presented. Economic growth refers only to the quantity of goods and services produced. Energy is actually the driving force that moves every economic activity. The economy can be set in motion by specific activities that convert energy from naturally sources (e.g. solar, heat, wind, running water, fossil fuels and chemicals) into forms that will be used to produce goods and services. Eventually, a high economic growth rate implies urgent needs concerning the uninterrupted supply of energy. In response to that, the infrastructure network may choose to readjust the price of energy in order to cover the demand for stable power (Alam 2006). According to Shafiee and Topal (2008), high prices might indicate the threat of a physical scarcity of fossil fuels (e.g. oil, gas). If production cost increases, then producers will try to pass this cost to customers. Eventually, the price of energy will rise. When the population increases steadily and in combination with the desire for better living conditions, the demand for energy will increase too. This leads to the requirement for additional energy production which eventually will increase prices. When an energy market is characterized by the domination of one or at least two or three suppliers, then these companies may take advantage of the surge in demand and increase prices in order to make profits and cover financial losses. Environmental taxation is a tool that can be used to meet environmental and national objectives. In the case of energy production, the pollutant will try to pass this additional cost to the customer. Eventually, the inability of the producer to comply with specific rules concerning the environment, will force the consumers to pay more for the same amount of energy. 2) Among the elements that can influence the procedure of energy price planning, there are some parameters that can be quantified, such as population, economic growth, energy consumption, type of market and greenhouse gas emissions. According to 2, three possible scenarios concerning the evolution of the earths population are presented. By taking as a typical reference point the year 2050, the difference between the final results of the three scenarios is rather large. The current population of earth according to U.S. Census Bureau (2009) is 6,792,134,536 billions. This number compared with the three different results reveals three different change rates. Table 1: (Source: United Nations 2004). Current Population Scenario High Scenario Medium Scenario Low 6.79 billions 10.6 billions 8.9 billions 7.4 billions Change concerning current situation + 56.11% + 31.07% +8.98% Taking into consideration the current population of earth and the three scenarios, someone may conclude that the low scenario is impossible to occur in the future. If something unexpected takes place (e.g. fast spread of a certain virus, war, births control etc.) slight changes may occur and the three scenarios might arise in a different form. Another parameter that can affect the future scenarios of energy pricing is the magnitude of economic growth. Economic growth is often measured through the measurement of gross domestic product (GDP).According to 3, the average annual increase for the period 1981-2008, compared to the GDP of 1980 is 1334.56%. If someone takes into account the projections indicated by the red color, the average increase for the 34 year period is 1773.29%. The PPC S.A. (2009) generates 85% of the countrys electricity and holds 91% of lignite exploitation rights in Greece. Despite the liberalization of the electricity wholesale market which started in 2001, the PPC continues to enjoy a monopoly over access to lignite (EUbusiness 2009). Partially affected by this phenomenon, the price of electricity in Greece started to rise after the so-called liberalization (RIZOSPASTIS 2002; NAFTEMPORIKI 2005; RAE 2007; Media2Day Publishing S.A. 2007; iNews.gr 2009). The emissions of carbon dioxide are a parameter that can introduce an additional cost for every country. This is because the emissions that occur from the consumption of fossil fuels, provided that they are greater than a specific limit, are accompanied by a certain amount of money that will have to be submitted by the pollutant. According to the most recent plan for the emissions rights from 2008 to 2012, the following limits/emissions rights are attributed to the sector of electricity generation (Voutsadakis 2008): Total quantity: 328 million tones of carbon dioxide Electricity generation sector: 230 million tones of carbon dioxide PPC: 220 million tones of carbon dioxide If the structure of the electricity generation sector in Greece remains the same, beginning from 2013, 2.2 billion euros will have to be submitted for purchasing additional emissions rights. This is equal to 35 more euros for every MWh produced. Consequently the price of electricity will increase by approximately 45% compared to the current prices (Voutsadakis 2008). As mentioned in section 1, numerous parameters, some of which can easily be quantified, have to be taken into account in order to form future scenarios concerning the price of energy. Godet in â€Å"La Prospective† (Godet 1982) emphasizes on the lack of a global and qualitative approach concerning the forecasting process. Although quantitative methods are characterized by a high reliability, especially in short term forecasts, in the case of long time periods quantitative methods present many blind spots. This is justified by the fact that in a long time period, the probability for a person to face unexpected events is rather high. For this reason, it is not proper to depend only on mathematical methods to make forecasts. What is needed is a combination of both quantitative and qualitative methods. This is exactly what Godet (1982) proposes in his written work. Price of energy can not be cut off from the existence of phenomena, that even though can not be easily quantified, do affect in a significant level any action related to the energy scheme. For this reason, I totally accept the view of Godet, according to which forecasting apart from numbers should be based partially on assumptions, insight and judgment; each one of these factors depend a lot on the opinion of the individual. Experience curves can make accurate estimates about the evolution of technology cost. This requires the inclusion of the methodology limitations. Once the limitations are taken into account, experience curves can be an effective tool for every private or public firm dealing with technology issues. Experience curves describe the relation between past costs and cumulated production. This way it is possible for someone to estimate future costs through the extrapolation method. An important observation is that in order to obtain reliable experience curves, it is essential to apply the specific method to a wide set of cost-cumulative production numbers. Otherwise, the forecasts will be of low reliability. On the other hand, even when the learning curve is evaluated over a wide range of data, relatively dissimilar fits of the same set of numbers are possible to occur; each one of them is equally justifiable. The conclusion is that the output of a process can be described as the total of a procedure through which experience is gained and one for which no cost reductions occur. The experience gained from individual components explains why experience curves usually bend towards the horizontal axis; this indicates the slowdown of the cost change when a technology matures (Ferioli et al. 2009). The use of experience curves based on a single countrys data might designate many difficulties and uncertainties. When dealing with specific sectors of the energy market (e.g. wind energy) a global industry analysis is more useful; especially when someone is trying to forecast global cost issues related to the energy market (Junginger 2001). As mentioned in the first paragraph of this section, limitations of experience curves have to be taken into account. First of all, lets mention the advantages of this tool (Neij et al. 2003). 1. Experience curves describe how cost declines with cumulative production; the curve emphasizes the need of experience to realize cost reductions. It clearly illustrates that RDD programs cannot stand alone. 2. Experience curves can be used as a support in strategic decisions. 3. Experience curves can be used to analyze the effect of combined policy measures in terms of installed units and cost reductions. 4. Experience curves can be used to investigate the existence of national and international systems through which experience is possible to be obtained. 5. Experience curves can assist many individuals, such as financial analysts, industry, researchers and policy makers, in analyzing and assessing strategies and policy measures. Correspondingly, the limitations of the experience curves are the following (Neij et al. 2003): The success of this method depends on high-quality data. Unfortunately, uncertainty is an element that dominates in the international literature. Constructing trustworthy experience curves requires a basic understanding of the technology in question. In order to avoid misinterpretation during data analysis, specialists should be asked for their opinion before drawing any conclusions from experience curve analysis. Experience curves are a tool that must be combined with other methods of analysis of cost reduction sources. Even when a vast amount of data is available, it is possible to draw just conclusions on an aggregated level. For a detailed analysis, other data and tools are required. Experience curves do not show the effects of individual parameters, but the combined effect of several elements. The analysis of individual parameters requires additional analysis tools. The limitations of the experience curves arise from data availability. Due to their limitations complementary methods should also be taken into account. Experience curves should be considered as a generic tool for energy technology analysis. Technological forecasting is an effective tool in setting technology strategies. A large number of techniques have been evolved for technological forecasting. The quality of forecasts depends on the selected techniques. The selection can affect the accuracy and reliability of the forecast. According to Levary and Han (1995), a good choice of forecasting method should be based on the following factors: * Data availability * Degree of data validity * Number of variables affecting technology development * Degree of similarity between proposed technology and existing technologies According to the international literature, the elements that reduce the efficiency and accuracy of technological forecasting are the following (Mishra et al. 2002): Insufficiencies of Technological Forecasting I. Limitations of Quantitative Techniques  · Adaptability to current rate of technology change is low. * Many degrees of freedom in a rapid changing environment are difficult to address. * Complex mathematical models are difficult to comprehend and practice. * Accuracy, stability and reliability are negatively affected by long-term forecasts. * Lack of adequate past data. II. Limitations of Qualitative Techniques (Exploratory)  · Definition and selection of experts is difficult. * Individual bias enters into subjective assessment methods. * Validity of assumptions in scenario development tends to be uncertain with time. * Social, political and economic factors are usually neglected. * Sharp disruptions in trends and unexpected events are usually avoided. * Forecasts are sometimes carried out by someone who belongs to a specific organization. III. Limitations of Qualitative Techniques (Normative)  · The chosen data may be conveniently selected to fit a particular technology. * Technology at the bottom of the tree may be preconceived. IV. Human Related Problems with Forecasters * Selection of forecasters team is not correct. * There is a tendency to avoid information gathering and scanning prior to forecast. * Some forecasters lack imagination and/or nerve. V. Problems in Selection of Techniques * Monitoring prior to selection is lacking. * Validation of one technique by another is not carried out to reduce subjectivity. * Techniques do not incorporate performance measures. * Failures are not considered during the forecasts. According to the previous issues, the process of forecasting will deliver low reliability results if the limitations are not restricted. In order to improve the accuracy of technological forecasts, one of the issues that need to be addressed is the proper selection of technique. Apart from this, the complexity of technology has to be taken into account as well. Finally, in order to increase the validity of the results of the selected technique, it is recommended to use another technique; this will increase the reliability of the forecast (Mishra et al. 2002). It is generally accepted between forecast researchers that the combination of methods improves forecast accuracy (Mackay and Metcalfe 2002). Experts having access to high quality data and by taking into account the previously mentioned issues are able to make relatively high accuracy forecasts concerning the evolution in the sector of technology. On the other hand, someone may wonder how come people with no expertise in a specific technological sector, have the ability to make, most of the time, an almost accurate forecast about the technological changes that will occur in the future. There are many experiments carried out in various scientific areas that justify the ability of non-experts to make an accurate prediction. A research carried out by Austin Grigg, involved specialists, trainees and people with little to none expertise. The result of the experiment was the negligible difference (in favor of the experts) in the accuracy of the prediction between the specialists and the people with little knowledge (Armstrong 1980). This phenomenon is justified by the fact that people who do not have the necessary experience and tools for a scientific forecast, depend mainly on their insight (including myself) when they are asked to make a prediction. In the third section of this assessment project, the importance of the qualitative parameters was accepted. The most significant part of the qualitative element in a forecasting process is the insight. Its about the ability to predict something, not by depending on mathematical models and numbers, but on the identification of relationships and behaviors within a model, context, or scenario (Reay 2009). Therefore, when an individual is fully aware of the interactions among the qualitative parameters, that affect the evolution of an under-study issue and the issue itself, then a prediction carried out by this individual will have a high reliability degree, concerning the proper use and explanation of the qualitative data. The chosen case study for this section is the California electricity crisis of 2000 and 2001. The deregulation of the electricity market in California was expected to reduce the high retail prices of electricity. The result was exactly the opposite compared to the initial purpose; wholesale prices increased even more, customers experienced interruptions in supply of energy and utilities bankrupted. Among the crisis roots, the following factors are included:  · The absence of additional generating capacity.  · The unexpected dry season and spikes in natural gas prices (California was greatly depended on the operation of hydro plants and natural gas).  · The market infrastructure allowed power generation firms to control wholesale prices in the power exchange market.  · The delay and inability of regulators to predict the crisis and appropriate respond to this phenomenon. In 4.2, someone may observe that power plant outages increased during the crisis period; this affected in a high degree the magnitude of blackouts that customers experienced. The yellow strip bars indicate an average increase of 8759 MW for the months January, March and May of 2001 compared to the corresponding months of 1999 and 2000. According to 7, the dawn of deregulation indicates a rather smooth trend concerning the evolution of wholesale market prices; what was expected to occur had nothing to do with the sharp increase of prices that took place after that period. The increase in retail prices ( 8-2001 to 2003) was not expected, either because the deregulation was expected to establish low prices or because past data indicated that low prices ( 8-red dots) were likely to occur in the years to come. A key point, totally irrelevant to statistical data and concerning the flaws of forecasting techniques applied before the incident of California, will be analyzed in the next lines. When the State and the regulators of California implemented the deregulation system that was successfully adopted first by other countries (Woo et al. 2003), they proceeded in specific changes (e.g. imposition of retail price caps, partial deregulation) without trying to carry out a detailed study about the complex Californian energy scheme. In other words, what might had been successful somewhere else, it was considered as a guaranteed success in the case of California. Additionally, if the adjustment of energy market infrastructure and potential manipulations had been taken into account by examining the validity of alternative scenarios concerning the risk of deregulating the Californian electricity market, certain mechanisms able to respond to a future crisis would have probably been developed. According to the previous comments, it is obvious that forecasting methods that rely exclusively on historical data trends, they ignore the opinion of individuals and do not take into account the conditions that prevail in the environment where the under-analysis phenomenon develops. Thus, any forecasts made are of low validity and reliability. The following table contains the data for the installed nuclear capacity between 1965 and 1985. These data have been highlighted with the green color. Table 2: (Source: Nuclear Energy Agency n.d.). Years Installed Capacity (GW) 1965 5 1970 16 1975 72 1980 136 1985 253 1990 326 1995 345 2000 352 2002 359 2005 368 By using the available data of table 2, the period 1965-1985 will be used as a reference time (instead of 1967-1987). Respectively, predictions will be made for the period 1990-2005. Forecast method: Trend Source: Excel Years Installed Capacity (GW) 1965 5 1970 16 1975 72 1980 136 1985 253 1990 281.20 1995 342.80 2000 404.40 2002 429.04 2005 466.00 Forecast method: Linear extrapolation Source: Excel Years Installed Capacity (GW) 1965 5 1970 16 1975 72 1980 136 1985 253 1990 280.80 1995 342.40 2000 404.00 2002 428.64 2005 465.60 Forecast method: Logarithmic extrapolation Source: Excel Years Installed Capacity (GW) 1965 5 1970 16 1975 72 1980 136 1985 253 1990 282.64 1995 343.67 2000 404.55 2002 428.86 2005 465.28 Forecast method: Polynomial extrapolation Source: Excel Years Installed Capacity (GW) 1965 5 1970 16 1975 72 1980 136 1985 253 1990 ≈ 400 1995 ≈ 590 2000 ≈ 790 2002 ≈ 900 2005 ≈ 1000 It is obvious that among all the extrapolation-forecasting techniques, the one with the lowest divergence from the actual data is the logarithmic extrapolation method followed by the linear technique. On the other hand, none of the used methods was able to give high accuracy forecasts because the nuclear installed capacity evolution was highly affected by the incident of Chernobyl. The various mathematical methods can not express the fear of the scientific community to abandon the development of nuclear sector. According to 9, knowing that the incident of Chernobyl occurred in 1986, it is obvious that the rapid increase in nuclear installed capacity started to decline approximately 4 years (1990) after the incident of Chernobyl. Based on 10 and table 3, someone may conclude that the energy balance in Europe is highly depended on the operation of Gazprom. Table 3: (Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration 2008). Country 2006 % of Domestic NG Consumption Germany 37% Turkey 64% Italy 25% France 20% Czech Republic 79% Poland 47% Hungary 54% Slovakia 100% Austria 74% Finland 100% Romania 28% Bulgaria 96% Greece 82% Serbia Montenegro 87% Croatia 37% Slovenia 64% Switzerland 12% Skopje 100% According to table 3, Greece dependency on Gazproms natural gas is approximately 82%. This share indicates that a potential crisis in natural gas supply could lead to significant problems in sectors such as domestic heating and gas-fired power plants. Greece as a major energy user Greece has insignificant domestic reserves of oil and gas and relies greatly on energy imports. In 2006, the total energy consumption was 1.4 Quadrillion Btu. The distribution of this amount of energy can be located on 11. Although the share of natural in total energy consumption is not very high ( 11), the high dependency degree on Gazprom supply and the decreasing reserves of Greece in natural gas, would result in significant impacts in the energy balance of Greece. Provided that I would be somehow involved in the coordination of the energy planning of my country, I would propose the following measures. 1. Greece already has one natural gas import terminal situated at Revithoussa (DESFA 2007). The supplier is the Algerian company Sonatrach. The first thing that someone would have to do is to estimate the additional quantity that this company could provide to Greece on an annual basis. Then, proceed in reducing the imported natural gas from Gazprom by the same amount. 2. The countries currently facing problems with the natural gas supply from Russia are Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Skopje, Romania and Turkey. Partial supply decreases have also been reported by Austria (90%), Slovakia (70%), the Czech Republic (75%) and Hungary. Another solution to the problem could be the restart of Unit 3 at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant. Kozloduy-3 was shutdown in December 2006 as part of an agreement with the European Union, which was concerned about inadequate safety levels. However, Bulgarias EU accession treaty apparently allows closed reactors to be temporarily re-started in the event of an acute energy shortage (Resnicoff 2009). 3. Rational use of energy, especially in sectors being supplied by natural gas, would be the last recommendation by my side. 9) The first and the third proposed measure can be characterized as a necessary but conservative approach. The proposed energy policy of Greece towards an energy crisis must ensure the energy security of the country. Taking into consideration the great dependence on energy imports in Greece, the out of the box solutions seems to be enough risky. More precisely, the improvement on the penetration of RES is a conservative and safe solution. Additionally energy efficiency and rational use of energy can be described as an incremental approach too. The out of the box solutions in the proposed response include new natural gas suppliers and improvement on energy storage capacity. The first solution is possible to lead to disturbances between Greece and Russia and the second one might require a large capital invested in various storage methods. Regardless the type of the response (out of the box or conservative-incremental approach) that someone might propose, both approaches have their merits and limitations. The adoption of a conservative approach offers a sense of security. Usually this kind of solutions can be accomplished easily due to the fact that includes measures that have been tested in previous similar situations. Also there are various limitations for this kind of approach. For instance, the increase of RES in Greek fuel mix has the following barriers. The legal framework and the authorization procedure can be described as complex procedures. In many cases this can frustrate many small investors. Another limitation is the inhibitive cost for the interconnection to the grid (mostly for reinforcement or construction of new network lines). Additionally for larger stations (more than _20MW) and in certain areas with very high wind potential there is lack of sufficient High Voltage (HV) system capacity. Due to enviro nmental restrictions and local community protests, expansion of the HV system is in some cases completely blocked. Finally, in the case of wind farms, public acceptability is also an issue in certain cases, basically due to visual impact or other reasons (Hatziargyriou, 2007). The adoption of an out o box solution in the case of an energy crisis might be risky. For this reason, this type of approach could be followed by conservative solutions ensuring that the energy security of the country will remain sufficient in any case. As it is mentioned before, Greece began receiving gas from Azerbaijan and the relative imports will likely increase as the Turkey-Greece interconnector is further utilized. This can be described as an out o box solution that can lead to imbalances between Greece and Russia, reducing the amount of Russian natural gas in Greece. On the other hand, the competition among various natural gas suppliers will have a positive effect on the corresponding energy prices. T o sum up, both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. The selection of an appropriate crisis management scheme is a complicate procedure and requires mature choices taken by veteran politicians. In addition an out o box solution for Greece may be a conservative incremental approach for another country that is an energy exporter or a country that has a stronger economy or better international relationships than Greece. 10) References Alam, S.M. (2006). Economic Growth With Energy [online]. [Accessed 24 December 2009]. Available from: . Armstrong, S.J. (1980). The Seer-Sucker Theory: The Value of Experts in Forecasting [online]. [Accessed 1 January 2010]. Available from: . Cabral, L. (2002). The California energy crisis. Japan and the World Economy [online]. 14(3), [Accessed 5 January 2010], p.335-339. Available from: . California Energy Commission (2009). Utility-wide Weighted Average Retail Electricity Prices [online]. [Accessed 6 January 2010]. Available from: . Consumer Watchdog (2002). How Deregulation Let the Power Industry Steal $71 Billion From California [online]. [Accessed 5 January 2010]. Available from: . DESFA (2007). Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal at Revythousa [online]. [Accessed 7 January 2010]. Available from: . Energy Information Administration (2009). Greece Energy Data, Statistics and Analysis Oil, Gas, Electricity, Coal [online]. [Accessed 7 January 2010]. Available from:

South Wales in the 1930s :: Papers

South Wales in the 1930s 1. Sources 1 and 2 give many reasons for poverty in South Wales in the 1930s, Unemployment however being the most significant as it was the cause of almost all the poverty in South Wales at this time there were a number of causes for unemployment listed in source 1 such as:- Ã…Â ¸ The collapse of the post-war economic boom Ã…Â ¸ Increased competition from abroad Ã…Â ¸ The General strike Ã…Â ¸ The decline in the mining and steel industries Ã…Â ¸ The great depression All of these factors caused mass unemployment in South Wales in the 1930s almost to the point where nearly three quarters of the population in South Wales were unemployed. Source 2 indicates that all hope had left the unemployed and their want to find work may have almost deteriorated from constant rejection causing possibly their want to keep a decent standard of living to slowly decline into poverty. 2. Poverty affected the people of Wales in many different ways, Source three indicates that it had a dramatic change in peoples political views, it depicts a miners hunger march to Bristol in 1931, the marchers are shown to be carrying a banner bearing the communist hammer and sickle with the words "struggle or starve" written on in this is also an acronym for sos. Although the miners are on a hunger march to show the poverty in south Wales we notice they are well dressed this is because the miners were a proud people, they did not want to beg the government they just wanted to show that they were starving and that they needed work and help to get back on their feet for themselves. There is almost a sort of irony in this picture as these miners are photographed marching past food signs, perhaps the photographer was trying to depict the ignorance of the rest of the country to the miners predicament. Source four describes the anger over the "Means Test" and a protest about this privacy invasion.

Anton Chekhovs and Joyce Oates The Lady with the Dog Essay -- Compar

Though the similarities and differences of characterization in Chekhov and Oates’s different versions of â€Å"The Lady with the Pet Dog† are evident, the purpose only becomes clear for the reader when the two versions are read and compared. The stories have different settings, but the characters in the story remain the same. There is Anna, Dmitry, and their families. Although their families are mentioned, each member remains without any description and therefore they begin to seem almost unimportant. Both Anton Chekhov and Joyce Oates chose to tell the story using a third-person narrator. This is one of the most important aspects of the characterization because if other characters were allowed to appear more within either story, the reader would have more than likely had a different view of their affair. For example, if Oates had allowed the reader to know Anna’s husband more intimately and definitely if the reader could read his thoughts, we may have seen the affair as dirty. We only see him trying to make love to her in an almost impersonal way. They never really cominicate, and his love for her is never shown with in the story, so the reader has no real reason to sympathize with him. Instead, Anna’s guilt seems sufficient, and her desire to be else where allows the reader to feels sorry for her and the fact that this love is what she perceives as her fate, we give her the sympathy and no longer see this affair as necessarily wrong. Chekhov uses this same type persuasi...

Analysis of Leroi Jones A Poem Some People Will Have To Understand Ess

Analysis of Leroi Jones' A Poem Some People Will Have To Understand  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is an implied threat in "A Poem Some People Will Have To Understand" by Leroi Jones. Ostensibly, there is no intimidation. The poem is confessional, even reflective; the theme is one of mutability and change. However, there is something frightening and ominous in Jones1 vision, which he creates through attention to word choice and structure. Jones' warning is immediately evident in the title through his manipulation of words. The phrase "have to" has two meanings. One the one hand, "have to" is an innocuous statement of the alliance Jones expects to find among his Afro-American readers--these people will "have to" understand the poem because it speaks to their individual, personal lives. On the other hand, there is a more sinister connotation in "have to"--the idea that others will "have to" understand this poem because they will be forced to do so. Beyond the title, Jones creates a forbidding speaker--a man at a crossroads, or rather, at a moment of decision. However, the structure of the first stanza is direct and conservative, almost prosaic. Jones gives us nothing that is revolutionary here. Instead, he lays the groundwork for this piece with the gloomy initial images of "(d)ull unwashed windows of eyes"(1). These eyes are no doubt those of the speaker, and they have been dulled and dirtied by his existence as a black man in the post-segregation 1960s. The "industry" he mentions in lines 2 and 3 is both the industry of the American machine that exploits the underprivileged, and the industry he "practice(s)." The speaker is a self-professed "slick / colored boy, 12 miles from his / home" who practices "no industry" (35). By "... ...The promised "phenomenon" has not come, and it is now up to him to bring it about through violence. Jones does not allow the speaker to lose any of his charm as he politely invites his "machinegunners"--the tools of his new industry--to "please step forward" (26). He is a hustler to the end, a smooth-talker who is now at home in his new ego and his new profession. Jones employs the dynamics of change to his speaker throughout the poem. From an aimless vagrant to a passionate revolutionary, Jones plots his speaker's course using specific words and structural techniques. Through these elements, we witness the evolution of a new black man--one who is not content with the passivity of his earlier spiritual leaders. We are left with a threat--a steel fist in a velvet glove of poetry--and it becomes a poem that we "have to" understand, whether we want to or not.   

Risk of Schizophrenia Essay

Over the last few decades Schizophrenia has become embedded in mainstream vernacular as any behavior or emotional response that is out of touch with reality. However even with its popularity heightened through movies and headline news stories, schizophrenia is still one of the most enigmatic and least understood disorders of the brain. With current research focused on the role of neurobiology and functioning on a cellular level, investigative analysis has merited new innovations towards its source, however a single organic cause for the disorder still eludes scientists. Although the foundation of the affliction is still unknown, its effects are well documented and over the next few pages will show the changes in the brain as the disease develops, and how those alterations impact the rest of the body and alter various other functions throughout the viscera. The term Schizophrenia was first coined in 1911 by Swiss psychiatrist Dr. Eugen Bleuler and translates from the original Greek as schizo (split) and phrene (mind), making a literal translation of split-mind, in reference to the disjointed thinking of those with the disease (Johnstone, 1994). Although the term was first used in the early twentieth century, according to scholars a ‘madness’ was described in The Ebers Papyrus, a collection of ancient Egyptian medical papers dating back to 1550 BC, which accurately depicts some of schizophrenia’s symptoms (Johnstone, 1994). With its possible documentation over three millennia ago and its symptoms documented in a myriad of medical journals throughout history, the disorder itself is very rare. Those who are at the highest risk of manifestation are offspring whose parents are both schizophrenic, although even at this rate the risk of manifestation is about forty-six percent. Globally however its prevalence is about 0.9 percent or fifty-eight million people worldwide (Hollandsworth, 1990). According to James G. Hollandworth of the University of Southern Mississippi, schizophrenia is primarily characterized by a disintegration of reality perception, consciousness, and thought process which results in a debilitated proficiency in social and professional faculties (Hollandworth, 1990). While schizophrenia can most arguably be classified as a predominantly genetic affliction, there are others factors which can contribute to its development even without a genetic predisposition. These elements include birth defects such as hypoxia and low birth rate, neuroanatomical anomalies, viral infections, along with low IQ and cerebral  atrophy (Hollandsworth, 1990). While these components in themselves are not sufficient enough to cause the disorder, they result in an increased risk for developing the disease. One theory for the cause of schizophrenia that has been studied with great validity is the dopamine hypothesis. This theory postulates that schizophrenia is caused by an overabundance of the dopamine-dependent areas of the brain causing an imbalance that affects the entire system (Hollandsworth, 1990). For this reason many of today’s schizophrenia treatment drugs inhibit dopamine receptor activity in an attempt to return it to its natural equilibrium. Although even with advances in modern science and new drugs being developed every day, the illness is still only treatable and its symptoms still emerge even with proper medication. Even with its origin unknown, scientists have discovered several chromosomes which when damaged or mutated, greatly increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. The chromosomes in particular that act as catalysts are chromosome numbers twenty-two, six, and eleven (Klar, 2004). Chromosome six contains several genes that are linked with immune response which has given rise to the belief that schizophrenia has some association with weakened disease fighting agents. While damage to this chromosome may be linked to the source of the ailment, it may only be the jump starter that kicks off the path to developing the illness. For as scientists know, a lacking immune response caused by chromosome damage can theoretically leave the body vulnerable to infection, which are facilitators that can bring about the emergence of the disorder (Hollandsworth, 1990). Chromosome twenty-two on the other hand is linked with the dopamine hypothesis as this area houses enzymes that aid in transporting neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters, mainly catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and proline dehydrogenase (PRODH) are essential for the breakdown of dopamine. Any disruptions in this particular area can trigger an overabundance or shortage of dopamine, potentially resulting in developing positive or negative schizophrenia symptoms (Chakravarti, 2002). Lastly, chromosome eleven has been associated with schizophrenia on the grounds of genetic translocation, or a chromosome abnormality caused by faulty rearrangements of various strands of DNA. These faults can occur in any number of genes, however during this process it occurs at times pivotal to cell division, making it easy for genes to be incorrectly rearranged (Klar, 2004). When this happens  it can potentially inhibit the development of lateralization of brain function and act as a precursor not only schizophrenia, but other forms of mental illness as well as cognitive impairments (Klar, 2004). Once the subject has developed schizophrenia it affects the brain in very specific ways. When the disorder itself first begins to emerge its early symptoms manifest themselves in a period called The Prodormal Phase (Neale &ump; Oltmanns, 1980). During this phase, which occurs anywhere from six to thirty months before the disease truly emerges, the person may experience social withdrawal , dysphoria, and irritability. As the disorder progresses the symptoms may become more intense, and newer or ‘positive’ symptoms may begin to surface. These positive symptoms can include visual and auditory hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thought processes. In severe cases of thought process deterioration or cognitive slippage, a person can develop schizophasia or ‘word salad’ where a person’s speech is completely incoherent with no understandable thought or message. Following the positive symptoms of the illness, ‘negative’ symptoms can appear as well. These symptoms are aspects of the person’s personality that have been negated by the disease. They are most commonly expressed by the person’s flat or expressionless demeanor, apathy, very little displayed emotion, and continued peculiar behavior (Hollandsworth, 1990). After schizophrenia has completely manifested itself, the patient is usually classified into one of four types. These types are paranoid, disorganized, catatonic, and undifferentiated. Those in the paranoid group display an obsession over their delusions or ha ve hallucinations specifically related to a certain subject or idea, and are usually the most functional of all schizophrenics (Johnstone, 1994). Disorganized types are typically ones who display little emotion and act in a disjointed and inarticulate manner, while catatonic schizophrenics are merely ones who appear in torpor and display lethargic indolence. The undifferentiated type however is hybrid of the three previous types and is a miscellaneous combination of all their symptoms combined (Johnstone, 1994). While the outward symptoms may be relatively easy to recognize, inside the brain is a totally different matter. Schizophrenia can cause structural changes in the brain even though a specific cause for these changes is still unknown. These changes in brain structure are illustrated by larger ventricles, a thicker corpus collosum, a decrease in dendrite  spines in the frontal lobe, disordered hippocampal pyramidal cells, and a shrinkage of the cerebellar vermis, which is mainly responsible for perception. In some studies malformed neuronal migration has been observed which can lead to disjointed thoughts as well as an overall shrinkage of the hippocampus and amygdala (Johnstone, 1994). Due to these changes, a person suffering from the disorder can have reduced functioning in the frontal lobe which can affect their logic and critical thinking skills as well as their ability to successfully plan ahead. This reduced functioning is displayed in the Wisconsin card sorting test, which is administered to measure possible brain damage and assess the functioning of the frontal lobe. Schizophrenics who participate in the test show an inability to successfully transfer their attention to the rules of the exam once they begin. Functional imaging has also shown a lack of activity in the right hemisphere of the frontal lobe during their partaking, which does not increase as the task is administered. It is also shown that in a study by a Dr. Nagy in 1963, that of 260 cases of schizophrenia, roughly fifty-eight percent of the group had some form of cerebral atrophy (Johnstone, 1994). On a cellular level schizophrenia symptoms are thought to be caused by an overabundance of neurotransmitters released between neurons. These neurotransmitters, mainly dopamine and serotonin, in excess can cause hallucinations and delusions which are referred to as ‘positive’ symptoms. Too little of these neurotransmitters however can result in lack of emotion and motivation which mirror the ‘negative’ symptoms of the disorder. Another type of cell affected by schizophrenia is the pyramidal cell in the prefrontal cortex, or the forehead area of the brain. These cells, which are a type of neuron that serve primarily as excitation units in the prefrontal cortex, are shown to have a decrease in basilar dendrite numbers. These basilar dendrites arise from the base of the pyramidal cell’s soma, and with a decrease in their numbers it can indicate a shortened synaptic surface area resulting in possible fallacious thought processing (Broadbelt, Byne, &ump; Jo nes, 2002). Pyramidal cells in the hippocampus are also known to be affected by the disorder can and cause many of the cells in that area to be thrown into disarray, causing cognitive malfunctions. The treatment of this disorder can vary greatly depending on the person; however dopamine inhibiting antipsychotics are a very popular remedy. Although prevalent, these  medications are not perfect and many scientists claim there is still no concrete connection that schizophrenia is exclusively a result of faulty dopaminergic transmissions (Neale &ump; Oltmanns, 1980). It has also been noted that many of the dopamine inhibiting drugs serve only to combat the positive symptoms and leave many of the negative symptoms such as emotional absence unaffected. Another treatment that is still widely used, but much less common is electroconvulsive therapy or shock therapy. This treatment is still very controversial but there has been success in treating schizophrenia symptoms completely, although many patients relapse within six months. Studies have also indicated that although this treatment can be effective there are risks of permanent brain damage. According to Dr. Peter Breggin (2008), a psychiatrist at the State University of New York, shock therapy in animal testing showed statistically significant brain structural abnormalities when compared to animals without it. His study showed the electrical shocks caused changes in the nerve cell walls causing gliosis, or a profound increase in the number of astrocytes in impaired areas of the central nervous system (Breggin, 2008). In conclusion, schizophrenia is unique disorder that affects the brain in many ways, yet manifests itself differently from person to person. As there is no tangible rubric for how the disorder will impact the person, it can be a difficult illness to treat. Its effects on the brain, from enlarged ventricles to a decline in dendrite spines, shows the major impact the illness can have on living a normal life. Although the disorder afflicts just over fifty-eight million people worldwide it is still devastating to those who are affected and while the medical community makes leaps and bounds in understanding the disease, a cure is still far from the horizon. With psychology grant money from universities being invested predominantly in neuropsychology, perhaps sometime in the near future scientists will be able to fully understand this illness and find a successful and permanent cure for it.

Advantage of internet in doing business

Convenience Reduced or no face to face contact with the customer. The business schedules time for customer response rather than being at the demand of the customer , as In telephone or face-to-face contact Business can attend to their customers at any time, not just during normal trading hours Vela social network, business can not only communicate with customers quickly but also retrieve customers' feedback Immediately and directly. SavingsNo shop rent If business Is only conducted on the Internet May need less staff and enables to hire excellent workers from all over the world for various tasks, such as: translating Job, business writing or seeding, code writing for website. Having a website Is a constant form of advertising to the public as It means information is available about services, products, business, promotions, contact detail, etc Business does not need to transport goods from ware house to shop, but an send them directly to the customers from the warehouse.Save marketing cost: traditional mass marketers have to send out thousands of postal mails to customers in order to introduce new products or services. Owing to internet, namely electronic mail (email) business saves such big amount of cost for postal expense and email printing cost. Speed Orders can be sent immediately, and transactions can be settled online. Funds are electronically transferred from the customers' account to the business after authorization.The transaction date is collected in electronic form and entered into an accounting package. Via social network, business can not only communicate with customers quickly but also retrieve customers' feedback immediately and directly instead of positively waiting for customers' comments via phone or complaint letter. Quickly reach target customers and study characteristic of target markets

Bible & Internet

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. -Day 1 – God created light and separated the light from the darkness, calling light â€Å"day† and darkness â€Å"night. † 3 And God said, â€Å"Let there be light,† and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light â€Å"day,† and the darkness he called â€Å"night. † And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. And God said, â€Å"Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water. † 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault â€Å"sky. † And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. -Day 2 – God created an expanse to separate the waters and called it â€Å"sky. † 9 And God said, â€Å"Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear. † And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground â€Å"land,† and the gathered waters he called â€Å"seas. † And God saw that it was good. 1 Then God said, â€Å"Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds. † And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. -Day 3 – God created the dry ground and gathered the waters, calling the dry ground â€Å"land,† and the gathered waters â€Å"seas. † On day three, God also created vegetation (plants and trees). 4 And God said, â€Å"Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth. † And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 9 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. -Day 4 – God created the sun, moon, and the stars to give light to the earth and to govern and separate the day and the night. These would also serve as signs to mark seasons, days, and years. 20 And God said, â€Å"Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky. † 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, â€Å"Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth. † 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. -Day 5 – God created every living creature of the seas and every winged bird, blessing them to multiply and fill the waters and the sky with life. 24 And God said, â€Å"Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind. And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, â€Å"Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground. † 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 8 God blessed them and said to them, â€Å"Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. † 29 Then God said, â€Å"I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food. And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. -Day 6 – God created the animals to fill the earth. On day six, God also created man and woman (Adam and Eve) in his own image to commune with him. He blessed them and gave them every creature and the whole earth to rule over, care for, and cultivate. -Day 7 – God had finished his work of creation and so he rested on the seventh day, blessing it and making it holy.

A Day in a Life: a Summary of the Case and Some Questions Essay

* Summary of the case This case shows a daily working life of Rachel, the project manager of a large information systems project, to mainly discuss whether she allocates her time appropriately or not. When we take a closer look at her works on that certain day, then we can classify those works into three parts: project related, non- project related, and routine works. After analyzing those works each by each, therefore we are able to get the concept easily of whether Rachel has been playing a good role in project manager. No matter the answer turns out to be yes or not, we still can improve her work schedule more efficient by viewing the result of our analysis. * Answers of the questions 1. How effectively do you think Rachel spent her day? Based on the whole day schedule provided by the case, I would like to make a table to address how effectively Rachel spent her day. The consequence above shows that Rachel spent around 70% of her working time dealing directly with project related work. Due to everyone has different aspects in judging how effectively of Rachel regarding to the figure, from my point of view, when a manager who can spend his or her time on project work beyond 65%, then I would probably consider he or her is an effective project manager. So, therefore, in this case, Rachel is no doubt to be positive asset to her company for sure. See more: Beowulf essay essay 2. What does the case tell you about what it is like to be a project manager? a. Outlining specific goal for teammates As an appropriate project management, he or she must act like a captain of a big ship understanding exactly which way we should move on in the center of the huge ocean. Project management not only has to have good sense of direction, but also has to monitor what is going on in each phase. People says that the performance of the team is not determined by the most outstanding teammates, instead; is determined by the weakest one. That is being said, making sure the slowest part to catch up the pace of the whole team is one of the imperative job of project manager. b. Integrating diversified workers from different department One of the most hardest and special part of being a product manager is to integrate diversified people from different department. Due to project team sometimes is temporary and short, different field’s people they don’t know each other well, so that it might occur lots of conflicts during cooperating period of time. From my personal experience over the past few years, tasks failed not because workers didn’t have the ability to fulfill the task itself which was because they spent too much energy and time on dealing with each other because each individual has his or her opinions. Therefore, if project manager doesn’t have outstanding social skills to lead each worker, no matter how smart he is, then he is not able to complete the mission as he expect. c. Being an optimistic cheerleader and powerful coordinator between each department Most of time working is frustrated especially as a member of a new team. Sometimes, workers not only have to be responsible to project manager but they also still have to do original tasks from their regular team. How can they be cheerful if pressures come from both sides of the supervisor? Thus, project manager somehow should be a cheerleader to give these teammates some sort of incentives such as extra bonus or holidays, asked from big boss, to motivate them to get the tasks done as soon as possible. Moreover, product manager needed to be powerful in order to coordinate conflicting issues between each department. Take this case for example. Client firm is upset because they didn’t get certain features which promised by marketing representative and Rachel had no clues about it until she hears from one of the members. We all know project manager is of course the head of the project, but if Rach el has no power to get the features promised my marketing representative to her client, and then next time her client won’t become company’s loyal customer again. d. Take full responsibility that project is completely successful within time and budget Unlike other functional manager, project manager takes full responsibility in entire project which should be successful within time and budget (professor mentioned in reality it is better to beyond the budget in order to get extra amount of money for next one). So, from this point of view, there is no other job like project manager in terms of huge pressure. On the other hand, some people might think to be a project manager can feel a great deal of sense of achievement as long as finishing the task. Therefore, project manager is a job which needs all kinds of ability including organizing, allocating resources, communicating, cheering people, coordinating, politic skill, and so on. * Insights of the case A number of things I have learned from this case. First of all, Rachel, even though, spent 70% of her daily working time on dealing with project’s work directly, it doesn’t mean that she did effectively in the project itself. In other words, she still can save her time by taking care of client firm issue thoroughly and cautiously. Again, let’s take client firm’s case for instance. Regarding to the time table above, Rachel spent 130mins (25% of her total working time) just on handling this case! Is there any other way to prevent this kind of incident happened? Answer would be yes by having a great report system among each department’s head and Project manager, so that before things going to the public or to client’s side, they still have a plenty of chances to make it right, otherwise; they have no choice but to waste more costs (time and money) to correct it again. Moreover than that, clients might have a negative experience on it and start to doubt whether this company has enough ability to handle this project. So, my point is that if Rachel were powerful enough; she would be able to handle this project more effectively. Thus, her boss needs to give her adequate resources during this period of time. As a project manager, although she has power in hand, she also has to use it very careful, otherwise as project team dismissed in the future, then she would face a big problem in terms of working with her fellow workers. This is really a good case which gives me a whole profile of being a project manager. With this case’s help, I feel more knowledgeable of learning Project Management this class in this semester. * Reference 1. By answering the question 2 above, I referred to text book page 10, the topic of â€Å"The Project Manager†, which giving me a several numbers of responsibilities that project manager should have. 2. Slides in Chapter 1 (slides 1-11 and 1-12) also give me some points of view that what skills are needed as being a project manager.

Reflect on your own experience of change and change management Case Study - 1

Reflect on your own experience of change and change management - Case Study Example At the location where I used to previously work, there existed a lot of disorder especially when it came to organizing reports, which concerned with applications of multiple softwares, given that the interface linking softwares at times created difficulty (Gill, 2002). The challenges that we encountered while using various applications at the same time resulted in the ultimate report seeming to be rather disorganized in some instances. Having gone through such an experience prepared me sufficiently for the challenges in the field, and I learnt numerous lessons that have assisted me ever since. Obviously any new experience presents new impediments in the smooth flow of work since countless alterations have to be enforced for continuity of business as usual. I was impelled to work extra hard in my endeavour to prove my theory of change as the best and only way out of the old fashioned system. Eventually, just as the old saying goes, â€Å"Good things come to those who wait,† my tireless efforts were manifested when the management succumbed and eventually implemented my change theory. The change was not instant. It took quite a while until it began to seem that my efforts were an exercise in futility. Nevertheless I possessed the deep conviction that somehow there ought to be someone in our clientele who would notice the sweeping and impeccable presentation of data in our company. I also had a team that was not demoralised and which had presumably higher hopes than mine considering the fact that my theory of change was foreign to them before I raised it. With time, it was apparent that the company had to change with the times hence i was personally requested to overlook the overhauling of the system in its entirety with the assistance of professionals from other companies and of course my loyal team members. By the end of the overhaul of the system, I had a boosted

Whatever you choose Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Whatever you choose - Essay Example All these units are arranged in hierarchical manner with specific responsibilities as well as tasks which they are obliged to carry out so as to maintain Nokia at its extreme levels of performance. In addition to the above information, it is important for one to know the role played by each unit that makes up Nokia organizational structure. Principally, the responsibility of managing all the operations of Nokia lies in the hands of the Group Executive Board of Nokia. The Chairman together with other members of the group is elected into their respective positions by the Board of Directors. The â€Å"devices† unit on the other hand carries the role of developing in addition to managing the portfolio of mobile devices that are produced for consumers. The â€Å"services† unit designs and develops Internet services that enable people to enjoy using mobile devices and the web. The â€Å"solutions† unit provides solutions to complications related to mobile devices, personalized devices as well as content integrated to consumers’ package. The â€Å"markets† unit is given the responsibility of ensuring that supply chains, brand, and marketing takes place successfully. It is also responsible for supplying devices, offering services as well as solutions to the consumers. Like other units, Corporate Developing unit plays very significant roles. â€Å"It offers operational support devices, services, solutions, and markets† (â€Å"Organizational Structure of Nokia Company†). Corporate Developing is also responsible for not only exploring corporate strategies, but also future growth opportunities for Nokia. Additionally, â€Å"Nokia-Siemens Network† is a unit of Nokia that carries the role of providing wireless along foxed network infrastructure communications in addition to networks service platforms. This unit also offers professional services both operators and service providers. Lastly but not least, NAVTEQ leads in providing comprehensive digital map data that