Ambition, Commitment and Enthusiasm in My Education Essay

Ambition, Commitment and Enthusiasm in My Education - Essay Example Despite my commitment to education in my childhood education, I always liked being close to my parents. Rodriquez explains that sometimes he would be detached from his parents due to his ambitious reading (Bartholomae & Petrosky, 2005). In my case, reading and education never threatened my relationship with parents and siblings. Whenever my parents were hasty to go somewhere or do something, I would go with them, bringing my book along with me. I learned to balance between family and education life since I was young. My parents always encouraged me, giving me the motivation to improve my study skills and perform better in school. I was not confident in my education when I was young, just like Rodriguez. However, my parents always reminded me that I had the ability to achieve my dreams. I built my confidence slowly, and by High School I was confident. Before making any significant decisions regarding my education, I consulted my parents who would always give me pieces of advice that c hanged my approaches positively. Rodriguez also changed his attitude from the third year, showing the similarity between his education and mine.   From a middle-class family, my adjustment to the classroom was also difficult, but my desire to improve academically led me to adjust easily. I was used to the home’s plentiful love, support, food, and play with my siblings and parents.   It was not easy for me to adapt to this system, but I always reminded myself of the achievements I targeted in education.

Misconception of African Americans Essay Example for Free

Misconception of African Americans Essay Since the beginning of time African Americans have been viewed negatively. We have always been viewed as a threat to society and frowned upon by many races. There are many cliches displayed in the media of what African Americans are supposed to act like. These conclusions cause almost immediate negative feelings from other races and sometimes by our own race. African American females in television shows and movies are often shown as the loud â€Å"ghetto† acting, angry black girl who is always â€Å"telling someone off†. Actor Tyler Perry has been criticized for illustrating African American females as â€Å"big momma†, another negative portrayal of black women. Other times shapely video vixens cause other black females to be portrayed as â€Å"jump-offs† or gold diggers. African American males have even greater judgments to overcome. They are viewed as a menace to society. They are illustrated as wild, angry, dangerous â€Å"gang bangers†. Black men are viewed as absentee fathers or abusive husbands. Although, in some cases, African American males do possess some of these characteristics, there are just as many black men that are positive role models. These ignorant judgments are called stereotypes. A stereotype is defined as â€Å"a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing†. Stereotypes, in my own words, are judgments blindly made by people who use ignorance as an excuse to be biased against those who are different from them. There are many different types of stereotyping. Racial stereotyping, sexist stereotyping, stereotypes about cultures, and sexual orientation stereotypes are all judgments that can affect one’s life in many ways. Stereotypes are, sadly, made by everyone. Racial stereotyping, however, is the most common type of stereotyping, and can sometimes be dangerous. The Trayvon Martin story, for example, is a situation where stereotyping turned tragic. Trayvon Martin was a young African American boy who was walking from the store with nothing but Skittles and a drink in his pockets. Because of his race, and the stereotype of what black Males are capable of, he was targeted, and tragically killed. There have been many similar cases of dangerous stereotyping. People’s fear of what the media shows we are suited to do, has gotten out of control. Too many of us are dying because of this fear. While many stereotypes do seem to be believable, people like Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, my grandparents, and my mom allow me to realize that not all stereotypes are true.

Media Mergers :: essays research papers

Merging Media Corporations are in recent days becoming ever more controversial for the fact they control a massive amount of information reaching the public. With the recent merging of ABC and Disney, concern has grown about whether the information from all the news programs and magazines might not be telling the whole story all of the time. Picture this: An ocean full of small fish, all competing at the same level. All of a sudden a larger fish swallows up a few of the smaller fish for lunch. And to the surprise and dismay of the first large fish, an even larger second fish swallows it whole. This process repeats itself again and again, in the shape of an upward spiral. Media corporations are now exactly like that ocean of fish. But instead of an ocean full of many competing fish, there are now only five powerful ones. With these five â€Å"big fish† of media corporations, the communication of truth may be thrown off balance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Time Warner merges with Turner. Viacom merges with CBS. Disney merges with ABC. Merger mergers with Merger. Tongue-Twister? - Or a large fear from the public? Mergers have become rampant throughout the United States and all around the globe. Large media corporations are being gobbled up by even larger media corporations in a matter of months. With all this in light, conspiracy questions are rising to the surface, as to how much power and information these â€Å"mega-merged† companies hold. One more merger could mean massive control by only a few men over what is sent into American’s households. Now that networks are allowed to own their own programs, information flow could be corrupted beyond recognition. Should the people of the free world be wary of what these mergers have in store? I would have to answer that with a definite yes, (unless of course I was hired by one of the big five).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scenario: A crude oil tanker crashes into a port off the coast of Africa. The oil spills into the water, killing millions of animals, land and sea alike. These sea animals are vital to the ecology of the world, but nothing can be done to save them now. If it just so happens that ABC reporters are the first and only ones to find out about this catastrophe, nobody will ever know it happened in the first place. If ABC willed it so, they could cover up the evidence as best they could.

Immanuel Kant and the Ethics of Leadership Essay

In chapter three of The Ethics of Leadership, Joanne B. Ciulla, introduces the moral philosophy of Prussian philosopher, Immanuel Kant, who developed a set of ethics to guide our decisions and help us judge whether certain actions are morally correct. Kant’s moral theory does not look at all into consequences and has a very strict view of morality which can sometimes conflict between duty and self-interest. Ciulla mentions the story of David and Bathsheba in the Bible and asserts, â€Å"Leaders are often tempted to lie because they believe they either won’t get caught, or they can cover up their lies. † (Ciulla, 94) This assertion rings ever so true in light of the recent scandals involving the increase in U. S. politicians that have confessed to adultery. As marriage and family are often regarded as a basis of society, a story of adultery often shows the conflict between social pressure and individual struggle for happiness. Adultery is a very American topic. We have been redefining the parameters of its acceptability and taboo with each new generation since the Scarlet Letter. Why is American society becoming so obsessed with these types of scandals and what does it say about the morality of our society? Perhaps society is not solely obsessed with the adultery itself; maybe society is more obsessed with its leaders â€Å"fall from grace†. Sexual affairs have been a part of U. S. politics since Thomas Jefferson. However, politicians’ affairs were generally kept outside the purview of the public eye. Over the years we have began to see a change. Society is somehow fascinated with the whole idea of adultery and the entertainment industry celebrates it and portrays it mostly in a very romantic light. I am guilty of watching shows such as â€Å"The Good Wife†, a show about the wife and family of a politician involved in a sexual scandal or â€Å"Desperate Housewives† that romanticize and make adultery seem like the right thing to do if you need a little excitement in your life. Perhaps by watching TV shows like this, one is being conditioned to do what makes him or her happy or do whatever feels good or â€Å"right†. Oftentimes, whatever feels â€Å"right† is described as whatever comes easily or naturally for an individual. Our society seems obsessed with finding â€Å"happiness† which the Kantian philosophy totally opposes. According to Kantian philosophy, every one of us is a moral agent. We give the moral law to ourselves by asking ourselves if we are doing the right thing only for sake of doing the right thing. One may never find happiness, feel comfortable making the â€Å"right†, or morally correct decision under the Kantian philosophy. The morally valued thing in the universe is the rational human being that can give the law to himself or herself and our moral actions should be treating human beings as morally valuable. According to Kant, we should never treat a human being in such a way that we fail to respect the intrinsic human dignity of the human being. In essence, we should never treat anyone as a means to an end or treat a person against his or her dignity. Now let us return to the issue of the politician and his or her effectiveness as a leader. Is the morality of the message dependent upon the morality of the messenger? Although the morality of the message is NOT dependent upon the morality of the messenger, I think that the message has a far greater impact coming from someone who practices or lives it on a daily basis. Perhaps Americans are so fascinated with politicians’ and their adulterous scandals given that they presented a false image of themselves. It would be refreshing to have a politician simply be honest and say, â€Å"I’m not currently living up to this ideal, but I do value it†. Granted that could cost a politician the election but that would be the right thing to do according to Kant.

Design Lab Essay

Investigate the amount of energy given off from liquid fuel cells Calorimeter is a device used to measure the heat of chemical reactions, physical changes and used to determine the amount of heat released or absorb during a chemical reaction. Fuel which is used every day as a source of energy cans combust giving of different amounts of energy. In this experiment the combustion of liquid candle will be used to find the change in temperature of 20 ml beaker of water at different times. Using this experiment, we can used the energy given of by the candle fuel to determine how other fuels used in everyday life gives off energy and how to improve these conditions. Problem: how would change in time affect the temperature of water while heated by a liquid fuel? Hypothesis: if the beaker of water burns for a long time, then the temperature would be greater from the original temperature than the beaker that burns for less amount of time. Procedures: Materials: * Goggles * Apron * Beakers * Water * Flame (candle) * Stopwatch * Pencil * Paper * Ring stands * Lighter * Thermometer * Graduated Cylinder * Wire Gauze Procedure 1. Collected all necessary materials 2. Put on your apron and goggles 3. Set up the beaker in the ring stand on top of the wire gauze 4. Measure about 20 ml of water with the graduated cylinder and place on top of the wire gauze in the ring stand. 5. Using the thermometer measure the temperature of the water and record it under control group. 6. Place the liquid fuel under the beaker and carefully light the candle 7. Using the stopwatch, start the time for one minute and blow out the candle after the minute has passed. 8. After you have blown out the candle, record the new temperature of the water. 9. Wash the beaker completely in the same type of water that was used to fill the beaker for the first one. 10. Then repeat the steps 4-9 two more times for the control group. 11. After doing 3 trials for the control, then Measure about 20 ml of water with the graduated cylinder 12. measure the temperature of the water and record it under 2 minute trial 13. Place the liquid fuel under the beaker and carefully light the candle 14. Using the stopwatch, start the time for 2 minutes and blow out the candle after 2 minutes has passed 15. After you have blown out the candle, record the new temperature of the water. 16. Wash the beaker completely in the same type of water that was used to fill the beaker for the first one. 17. Then repeat the steps 12-16 two more times for the 2 minute trial. 18. After doing 2 minute trial, then Measure about 20 ml of water with the graduated cylinder for 3 minute trial. 19. measure the temperature of the water and record it under 3 minute trial 20. Place the liquid fuel under the beaker and carefully light the candle 21. Using the stopwatch, start the time for 3 minutes and blow out the candle after 3 minutes has passed 22. After you have blown out the candle, record the new temperature of the water under the 3 minutes trial. 23. Wash the beaker completely in the same type of water that was used to fill the beaker for the first one. 24. Then repeat the steps 18-23 two more times for the 3 minute trial. 25. After doing 3 minute trial, then Measure about 20 ml of water with the graduated cylinder for 4 minute trial. 26. measure the temperature of the water and record it under 4 minute trial 27. Place the liquid fuel under the beaker and carefully light the candle 28. Using the stopwatch, start the time for 4 minutes and blow out the candle after 4 minutes has passed 29. After you have blown out the candle, record the new temperature of the water under the 4 minutes trial. 30. Wash the beaker completely in the same type of water that was used to fill the beaker for the first one. 31. Then repeat the steps 25-30 two more times for the 4 minute trial. 32. Once all data has been collected, then analyze your date and write the conclusion. Data Uncertainty Equipment Uncertainty Beaker à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 ml Thermometer à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C Stopwatch à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 seconds Graduated Cylinder à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 ml Control-1 minute Trial 1 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp Trial 2 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp Trial 3 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp 2 min Trial Trial 1 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp Trial 2 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp Trial 3 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp 3 min Trial Trial 1 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp Trial 2 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp Trial 3 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp 4 min Trial Trial 1 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp Trial 2 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp Trial 3 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp Q = mc?T Q Mass Change in Temp C 4.18 J/G à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C Processed Data Uncertainty Equipment Uncertainty Beaker à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 ml Thermometer à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C Stopwatch à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 seconds Graduated Cylinder à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 ml Control-1 minute Trial 1 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp Trial 2 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp 20 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 ml 22.45 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C 31.30 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C 9 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.02 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C Trial 3 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp 20 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 ml 22.40 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C 30.65 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C 8 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.02 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C 2 min Trial Trial 1 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp 20 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 ml 22.95 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C 40.40 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C 18 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.02 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C Trial 2 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp Trial 3 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp 3 min Trial Trial 1 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp 20 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 ml 22.60 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C 50.75 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C 28 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.02 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C Trial 2 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp Trial 3 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp 20 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 ml 22.80 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C 50.20 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C 28 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.02 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C 4 min Trial Trial 1 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp 20 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 ml 22 .60à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C 56.15 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C 34 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.02 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C Trial 2 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp Trial 3 Amount of water Initial Temp Final Temp Change in Temp Q = mc?T Q Mass Change in Temp C 4.18 J/G à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C Uncertainties of data ml of water 0.01ml /20.00 ml à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.05% Beaker 0.01ml /20.00 ml à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.05% Time 0.01 min /1 min à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 1.0% Independent Variables Independent Variable 1 (1 minute) 0.01 min /1 min à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 1.0% Independent Variable 2 (2 minutes) 0.01 min /2 min à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.5% Independent Variable 3 (3 minutes) 0.01 min /3 min à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.33% Independent Variable 4 (4 minutes) 0.01 min /4 min à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.25% Initial Temperatures Control-1 minute T1. Temperature (22.50) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /22.50 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.04% T2. Temperature (22.45) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /22.45 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.04% T3. Temperature (22.40) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /22.40 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.04% 2 Minute Trial T1. Temperature (22.95) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /22.95 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.04% T2. Temperature (22.40) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /22.40 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.04% T3. Temperature (22.40) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /22.40 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.04% 3 Minute Trial T1. Temperature (22.60) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /22.60 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.04% T2. Temperature (22.75) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /22.75 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.04% T3. Temperature (22.80) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /22.80 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.04% 4 Minute Trial T1. Temperature (22.60) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /22.60 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.04% T2. Temperature (22.75) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /22.75 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.04% T3. Temperature (22.25) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /22.15 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.04% Final Temperature Control T1. Temperature (30.00) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /30.00 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.03% T2. Temperature (31.30) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /31.30 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.03% T3. Temperature (30.65) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /30.65 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.03% 2 Minute Trial T1. Temperature (40.40) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /40.40 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.02% T2. Temperature (41.70) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /41.70 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.02% T3. Temperature (40.55) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /40.55 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.02% 3 Minute Trial T1. Temperature (50.75) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /50.75 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.02% T2. Temperature (50.35) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /50.35 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.02% T3. Temperature (50.20) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /50.20 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.02% 4 Minute Trial T1. Temperature (56.15) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /56.15 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.04% T2. Temperature (55.90) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /56.15 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.04% T3. Temperature (56.20) 0.01 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C /56.15 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 % 0.04% Q = mc?T of control Q = 4.18 J/G à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ (0.048g) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ change in Temperature Q= 20.00 ml (1L/1000ml)(1mol/22.4)(18.08/1 mol) = 0.0161 g Conclusion In this experiment it was proven that when certain about of water are left for a certain time over a flame it would change in temperature. The longer the water is over the flame, the temperature increased which proved the hypothesis to be correct. This experiment proved that the more time water is heated, the higher the temperature would be. If this experiment was to be conducted the next time, there would be a lot of changes. First the control would be in the temperature of water without any heated added to it. Then the time it was to be heated would be longer than one minute different in each different trial. More trials of the same time would be conducted to make sure that the experiment would be performed correctly.

Free Essays on Epicureanism And Stoicism

The Stoics and Epicureans date from the Hellenistic period (ca. 323 BC - 31 BC), and both schools were heavily influenced by the philosophy of Socrates. The Epicurean mission was to live virtuously in a wicked world. They advocated a simple, quiet, reclusive, sensible life of moderation among friends, avoiding extravagant worldly attractions and bringing no trouble on others. A wise person was one who exhibits rational self-control, subordinating excessive impulses and emotion-laden desires to the law of reason. The Epicureans were suspicious of overly artful or sophisticated intellectual debates; they preferred ordinary language and relied only on sense impressions to establish what we perceive or know. The Epicureans sought a life of pleasure that is, minimal pain and maximum peace of mind by rejecting external goods and pursuing true and lasting internal qualities such as justice, honor, and wisdom. Epicurus said there are four basic truths: (1) there are no divine beings to threaten us; (2) there is no next life; (3) the little we actually need is easy to get; and (4) what makes us suffer is easy to put up with. For the Stoics, logos was seen as the rational order of all things, as reflected in the three areas of philosophy: logic (knowledge, grammar, rhetoric, semantics), physics (cosmology, biology, geography, causality, psychology, theology), and ethics (the goals, proper functions, moral responsibility, and virtue of human character). Human virtue was seen as the highest pattern of a life that accords with universal nature. The early Stoics (Zeno, Cleanthes, Chrysippus) were brilliant practitioners of paradox and dialectic (i.e. debates involving fine logical distinctions); their ideal was the sage, who could refute or trump all others. The later Stoics (Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius) emphasized the ideal of a model virtuous citizen, who fulfills his or her highest nature (which for humans is reason).... Free Essays on Epicureanism And Stoicism Free Essays on Epicureanism And Stoicism The Stoics and Epicureans date from the Hellenistic period (ca. 323 BC - 31 BC), and both schools were heavily influenced by the philosophy of Socrates. The Epicurean mission was to live virtuously in a wicked world. They advocated a simple, quiet, reclusive, sensible life of moderation among friends, avoiding extravagant worldly attractions and bringing no trouble on others. A wise person was one who exhibits rational self-control, subordinating excessive impulses and emotion-laden desires to the law of reason. The Epicureans were suspicious of overly artful or sophisticated intellectual debates; they preferred ordinary language and relied only on sense impressions to establish what we perceive or know. The Epicureans sought a life of pleasure that is, minimal pain and maximum peace of mind by rejecting external goods and pursuing true and lasting internal qualities such as justice, honor, and wisdom. Epicurus said there are four basic truths: (1) there are no divine beings to threaten us; (2) there is no next life; (3) the little we actually need is easy to get; and (4) what makes us suffer is easy to put up with. For the Stoics, logos was seen as the rational order of all things, as reflected in the three areas of philosophy: logic (knowledge, grammar, rhetoric, semantics), physics (cosmology, biology, geography, causality, psychology, theology), and ethics (the goals, proper functions, moral responsibility, and virtue of human character). Human virtue was seen as the highest pattern of a life that accords with universal nature. The early Stoics (Zeno, Cleanthes, Chrysippus) were brilliant practitioners of paradox and dialectic (i.e. debates involving fine logical distinctions); their ideal was the sage, who could refute or trump all others. The later Stoics (Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius) emphasized the ideal of a model virtuous citizen, who fulfills his or her highest nature (which for humans is reason)....

Aaron Burr1 essays

Aaron Burr1 essays Aaron Burr Jr., the son of Ester Edwards Burr and Reverend Mr. Aaron Burr was born on February 6, 1756 in Newark, New Jersey. He was also the grandson of the famous theologian, Jonathan Edwards. His father earned his living as a pastor at The Newark Presbyterian Congregation and the president of The College of New Jersey, which later became the Ivy League school, Princeton University. Upon graduating from Princeton University at the age of 16, Burr Jr. became a lawyer, although his studies were limited to theology. Following this, he delivered an oration entitled Building Castles in the Air. These castles, it has been said, were lying in the West waiting for Burrs competence. After retiring from the Continental Army as a field officer, Burr practiced law. He was then appointed as the attorney general of New York in 1789 and served as a United States senator from 1791 to 1797. But this soon ended as he joined the Thomas Jefferson group led by James Monroe in the Senate and James Madison in the House of Representatives. He served under Thomas Jefferson as the third Vice President in United States history. As the Election of 1800 drew near, Burr took the allure to set up an impeccable ticket. It would place both him and Jefferson on the same Ballot so it would be a sure win. He would be the first politician that took advantage of party organization. Thus, as the votes were counted, it would be that the Republicans prevailed. During the election, Burr favored funds to end Indian raids. Burr fought hard to win the election and was sure he was going to win. In fact, it was a tie between him and his running mate, Thomas Jefferson. The electoral votes enumerated as 73 for both Burr and Jefferson. However, Jefferson went on to win the election by decision of the House of Representatives. Much to do with crushing Burrs dreams of serving in the highest office, was Alexander Hamilton. He introduced pe...

The Purpose of a Resume - Resume Tips for Recent Graduates

The Purpose of a Resume - Resume Tips for Recent Graduates This article was originally posted at New Grad Life. A common misconception about resumes is that they are meant to describe what you did in your past jobs. In actuality, the most effective resumes are written from a FUTURE perspective. In other words, your resume will work if you think about what a potential employer would want to know about how you WILL perform. What experience do you have that will make you a contribution to their firm or organization? Photo by Ed Brambley, CC-BY-SA 2.0 If you are writing a resume from the perspective of the FUTURE, here’s what will happen: 1. Measurable Results. You will write detailed bullets that demonstrate your capability to achieve measurable results. That means: include numbers as often as possible. Don’t just say you tutored students; say how many and by how much their grades improved. Don’t say you were successful; tell us exactly what results you achieved. Don’t just say â€Å"increased;† tell us by what percentage. Your readers will imply that you can produce similar results for them. 2. Finding Relevance. You will think about the purpose and priority of each item on your resume. Does it matter that you worked as a bartender if you are now applying for marketing positions? Maybe, if you you were a student working 20 hours/week and still maintained a 3.8 GPA, or if you were the highest-tipped bartender at the establishment. Additionally, bartending demonstrates your ability to multitask and interact with a wide variety of people. But it does not need to take up three lines on your resume, just because it’s what you did; you can make it a short bullet under your â€Å"Education† section to show you were doing it while in school full time. 3. Deleting Irrelevant Items. You will delete anything that is irrelevant or of minimal importance to your future. These things include stuff you did in high school. High school activities are no longer relevant – you had 4 years of college to become who you are now, and if you did less in college than you did in high school, looking into the future, the logical conclusion is that you will do less and less as time goes on. Let us help you look your best on your resume and in all your writing. The Essay Expert provides writing help with LinkedIn profiles, resumes, cover letters, and other writing projects.

Accounting Client Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Accounting Client Response - Essay Example ng research issue’, ensuring timely and updated information and news about the release of new accounting standards to major users and alleviating the ‘risk of noncompliance with standards making the literature easier to use’. (Internet: fasb.org) It is worthwhile to highlight the fact after an extensive research on FASB codification that leasing had a total volume of worth US $760billion alone in 2007 (prior to recession) but due to the complications of financial reporting standards, a mammoth sum of those lease contracts went unreported in financial statements of various business entities. Perhaps, the main reason behind this was the fact that leases were divided into two categories such as Operating leases and Capital or Finance leases by IFRSs and US GAAP and accountants recognized only the assets and liabilities arising from Capital leases’ in the company’s balance sheet. On the other hand, ‘for an operating lease the lessee simply recognized lease payments as an expense over the lease term’. This difference in recording of lease contracts and their categorization led to different technical issues such as misunderstanding and misinterpreting by accounting users who tended to believe that all le ase contracts increases ‘assets and liabilities so they should be recognized in the financial statements of lessees and hence regularly adjusted those amounts in their balance sheets to evaluate assets/liabilities effects resulting from operating lease contracts.’ Secondly, the categorization of contracts also resulted in ‘similar transactions being accounted for very differently and reducing comparability for users of accounting information.’ And thirdly, the difference in reporting the two types ‘provided opportunities to structure transactions so as to achieve a particular lease classification.’ (News Release, 2009) It was due to the above problems as defined by FASB, it along with IASB came up with a new approach in which classification of

Organizational Culture and Harley-Davidson Case Study

Organizational Culture and Harley-Davidson - Case Study Example The success of Harley-Davidson as a company can be attributed to its strong organizational culture. Harley-Davidson management strived to rediscover the things their company did best and was gifted with the knowledge of what culture could help achieve its vision of the future. Its leaders consciously re-examined its community roots and undertook actions that served long-term corporate and community purposes (Burack, 1993, p. 78). According to Schuster and Weidman (2006), Harley-Davidson's culture could be described as participatory because it imbues "collaborative decision-making at all levels". Schuster and Weidman (2006) shared that this company applies "collaborative model" because it decentralized the senior management's decision-making down to its salaried-only work groups. Although Harley-Davidson management considers this culture as a "work in progress", it has already attained various success levels throughout the organization. The continued exposure of their leaders and plan t floor employees into working productive teams, the company has gained non-traditional opportunities and it increased the level of employee support for this practice of labor-management partnership. Harley-Davidson's is an epitome of a company's effective approach to people management No doubt, organizational culture... Conversely, failure to comply with cultural norms generates social pressures to conform; thus the individuals would either align with the cultural expectations or face ostracism and ridicule by their peers. Much of this process occurs in an informal and unspecified manner, filling in the gaps left by rational organizational control systems such as reporting relationships and job descriptions. Ultimately, it is the customers that benefits in the application of a We have recommended for Harley-Davidson to establish a website where customers and potential customers can convene, the site will be called "Harley Dreamers" and the goal of this website is to promote Harley-Davidson events and while linking our customers to each other. The site will also offer a "Swap Meet" portion of the website, where subscribers could post ads for motorcycles and parts for sale or for trade. Another feature would be a site like "Bike Log", which could complement the "Swap Meet" site because people purchasing a bike from the site will be able to see where the bike has traveled and users can share their good or bad experiences using Harley-Davidson's motorcycles. "Swap Meet" should be free for all Harley-Davidson customers, since this is the great selling point for getting people to subscribe to this site. Lastly, the "Technical Information Center" is a vital feature of the site where subscribers can obtain answers directly from Harley-Davidson professionals who wo uld answer to their needs 24-hours a day. The GPS system will also enable users to track a bike or they can simply chat with other bike owners about their experiences on our blog. Incidentally, decentralized and collaborative decision-making that already exists in Harley-Davidson culture can work best with

Identity Theft Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Identity Theft - Assignment Example commission; it postulates that in order for a crime to be committed such as the identity theft case; three elements namely; pressure, opportunity and rationalization must be in play. These are depicted in the figure below; Opportunity refers to the capability to commit a crime. Since very few crooks like being caught, they must act in a way that will ensure their activities remain untraceable. This becomes possible when weak internal controls and management practices exist that allow the fraudsters to sneak in and wreak havoc. Lack of established procedures to anticipate, detect, and respond to attacks and violations creates an opportunity for frauds. This is one area where frauds and crooks have the greatest leverage and control and are always looking to find a loophole; maybe a weak encryption system. Rationalization: this is another key component for frauds, which allows a fraudster to reconcile her behavior with normally accepted concept of trust and common decency. The fraudster feels no guilt and in fact feels justified (Turner, Mock & Srivastava). The fraud triangle is useful because it identifies why, what, where and who of the fraud. Once this is established then remedial measures can be taken. Fraud cannot be stopped; the pace of technological change and advancement gives it (fraud) an evolutionary nature and so the crooks will keep getting better and more sophisticated. There is however great opportunity more than ever to slow it down considerably to protect the masses and ordinary people. The identity world will continue to experience this cycle where a smart organization comes up with a secure system to protect identity and an even smarter crook comes up with a way around the security measure (‘Consumer protection Division’, 2005). The first step would be to take the basic measures, use passwords, use secure connections, and have anti spyware. By adopting the fraud triangle, measures can be put in place to anticipate, identify, and mitigate

Annunciation of Mary A Significant Image in the Christian Theology Essay

Annunciation of Mary A Significant Image in the Christian Theology - Essay Example This article will discuss in detail  the image of Annunciation of Mary, starting from the story as given in "Protoevangelium of James" and moving on to later time periods. This writing will take a look at this particular picture of Mary as it gradually develops through the ages and represents her gradual rise in the minds and beliefs of Christian theology. It will also focus on the aspect of representing the perpetual virginity of Mary through this image of ‘Annunciation of Mary’ to allay the fears in the minds of the orthodox creed. Early Christian literature that is of the imaginative type and tells us stories of a religious nature are known as the apocryphal gospels. These were first written in the second century and a certain variation of these apocryphal scriptures are known as ‘proto-gospels’ which give us the first pictures of Mary, right from her birth. One of these proto-gospels, known as the â€Å"Protevangelium of James†, is supposedly written by James, son of Joseph, from his first marriage, and dates even prior to that of Luke’s gospel. Here in James gospel, we get a beautiful picture of Mary’s Annunciation with the archangel Gabriel, described by Knight, as, â€Å"And she took the pitcher, and went out to fill it with water. And, behold, a voice saying:  Hail, you who have received  grace; the  Lord is with you;  blessed  are you among  women! And she looked around, on the right hand and on the left, to see whence this voice came. And she went away, tre mbling, to her house, and put down the pitcher; and taking the purple, she sat down on her seat, and drew it out. And, behold, an  angel  of the  Lord  stood before her, saying:  Fear  not,  Mary; for you have found  grace  before the  Lord  of all, and you shall conceive, according to His word. And she hearing, reasoned with herself, saying: Shall I conceive by the  Lord, the living  God?

Price of Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Price of Healthcare - Essay Example In 2005, the average person spent close to $6,000. Medical bills were of little concern to families in the 1950’s but the medical technology seems archaic by today’s standards. Half a century ago, a person’s lifespan was approximately 68 where today, it is a decade longer. Those in their 40’s today can reasonably expect to see their 80th birthday. Most, presumably, would prefer to spend more money to live longer which is what has happened. From this perspective, healthcare could be considered a good return on an investment. The benefits and costs of healthcare are not unrelated yet many do not understand why they have to pay more than they did equivalent to the 1950’s or even to 1999. People generally consider healthcare costs to be a commodity in the same way they think of electricity or gasoline where price has little bearing on the quality of the product. The medical system of the U.S. does experience waste from sources such as bureaucratic expenses generated from insurance companies and unproven procedures that are expensive and are yet to be proven effective. The main reasons for the increasing medical cost increases, however, are visible and obvious. They can be readily observed in hospitals and in people’s home medicine cabinets as well. CAT Scan and MRI machines, specialized neonatal apparatus and defibrillators in addition to numerous other high-tech hospital gadgets such as artificial hearts are very expensive. Prescription prices have also risen which adds to the total costs related to healthcare (Leonhardt, 2006). The price of prescriptions are not determined by production costs or by monies allocated to researching new drugs. Competition, projected volume of sales as opposed to actual sales and estimates of revenue produced by the product are among other factors drive drug prices.

Identification with Theory, Relating with Practice Assignment

Identification with Theory, Relating with Practice - Assignment Example To begin this reflective journey, one project management expert suggests that â€Å"if you cannot get people to use their skills appropriately, they are of little use to the project† (Gehring, 2007, p.45). The author is offering that it is the role of leadership (or management) intervention in order to allocate the right organizational staff member for the specific function as it contributes to a group or team project. This is something which I connected with strongly during the course of this programme, especially in academic environments where group work and team-based projects are commonplace. The class learned about different motivational theories which will be discussed later, however, it is important to recognize that if the right talents are not aligned for the right project, there is likely to be disorder in a project group or lack of efficiency. I think this is important to recognize, as a future business leader, that sometimes keeping efficiency and productivity is s imply about designing a project, group or organizational structure with the perfect fit of talent. For example, the author suggests that in projects, managers must realize that the temporary nature of projects is that they are short-lived and do not allow for ongoing leadership improvement (Gehring). Therefore, it would seem that a qualified leader must be well-developed with the fundamental understanding of how to structure groups to ensure that conflict is reduced as much as possible. Because the leader will not be able to utilize the theory of group development over an extended period of time, this also suggests a rapid decision-maker who is confident in their assessments and determinations. This is supported by Stogdill, from course learning, as a research redevelopment of trait theory, who suggests self-confidence as the main leadership capability.

Price of Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Price of Healthcare - Essay Example In 2005, the average person spent close to $6,000. Medical bills were of little concern to families in the 1950’s but the medical technology seems archaic by today’s standards. Half a century ago, a person’s lifespan was approximately 68 where today, it is a decade longer. Those in their 40’s today can reasonably expect to see their 80th birthday. Most, presumably, would prefer to spend more money to live longer which is what has happened. From this perspective, healthcare could be considered a good return on an investment. The benefits and costs of healthcare are not unrelated yet many do not understand why they have to pay more than they did equivalent to the 1950’s or even to 1999. People generally consider healthcare costs to be a commodity in the same way they think of electricity or gasoline where price has little bearing on the quality of the product. The medical system of the U.S. does experience waste from sources such as bureaucratic expenses generated from insurance companies and unproven procedures that are expensive and are yet to be proven effective. The main reasons for the increasing medical cost increases, however, are visible and obvious. They can be readily observed in hospitals and in people’s home medicine cabinets as well. CAT Scan and MRI machines, specialized neonatal apparatus and defibrillators in addition to numerous other high-tech hospital gadgets such as artificial hearts are very expensive. Prescription prices have also risen which adds to the total costs related to healthcare (Leonhardt, 2006). The price of prescriptions are not determined by production costs or by monies allocated to researching new drugs. Competition, projected volume of sales as opposed to actual sales and estimates of revenue produced by the product are among other factors drive drug prices.

Managing under uncertainty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Managing under uncertainty - Essay Example However, man is governed by some social structure, economic setups or even cultural moral and ethics that dictate the decision making process. Social sciences have developed models and theories through which the decisions made by an individual can be analyzed and understood. Being ethical or better still making ethical decisions is the ability to choose between options that are presented guided by personal respect, trustworthiness, fairness, responsibility good citizenship and caring attitude. Instances come up when in general reasoning, any decision to be taken which in other instances are regarded badly may present the fairest deal ever. Persons are as well presented with the opportunity of testing the appropriateness of any decision made by subjecting them to the models and theories prior to making the decisions. This paper therefore intends to critically analyze through reflection the process of decision making through which a person makes a decision though the outcome is not sat isfying to his. We shall; use a case study of a decision that I made while at classroom. Presented with an option of doing anything under the cover of invisibility different people would act differently. However, the power of decision-making is pegged on more than personal gratification principle. Since time immemorial, human beings have had the capacity to be guided by instincts while making decisions. Human socialization too has taken a great way in shaping human interactions as far as decision-making is concerned. My case study analyzes a decision that I made while at class in my lower grades of learning. It was during the examination period when we were all preparing to have a class examination. I was inadequately prepared for the exam and I knew that I would not perform satisfactorily in the paper. Other people as well felt inadequately prepared to sit for the exam and everybody was busy designing the means through which he/she would pass. Though I understood the repercussions that would allow cheating in an exam, I was persuaded by my fear to take the risk and try cheating for the paper. I made a decision to do a summary of the critical points that I had not understood in class and carry them through small papers into the exam room. This entitled me to passing the paper when presented within those questions. Nevertheless, by following ethical reasoning as well as moral consideration, I overlooked the instincts. However, even after sneaking the papers into the exam room, I never managed to copy successfully as the teacher spotted me. After the confiscation, I was ordered to leave the exam room and I was suspended from school as a punishment for the offense. Moreover, the offense led to my disqualification to proceed to the next grade with the rest of the class through which I regretted most. The decision to carry with me the written papers with a motive to cheat through the exam had initially presented a satisfying solution to my problem of inadequately p repared for the paper. I took the decision as it presented the highest chances of solving my problem and seemed the most appropriate among the other options that were. My fears were overcome by ascribing to the reasoning of passing the exam through cheating. I had the option of preparing for the paper in advance or better still just write whatever I had in mind instead of choosing to cheat in the exam. However, my rational thinking directed my choice to

Tivo Marketing Case Analysis Essay Example for Free

Tivo Marketing Case Analysis Essay The disappointing sales performance during the Christmas 1999 season ended up being a priceless lesson for TiVo’s marketing team: it was the catalyst that created the need for a TiVo’s new communications strategy. However, defining this new marketing campaign was challenging, especially after the feedback received about the product indicated issues like limited awareness and hard-to-communicate functionalities. The main focus of this new marketing campaign is to select a positioning strategy that will speed up the adoption of TiVo among consumers. The marketing team has three options on how to position TiVo: 1) as an enhanced digital video recorder, 2) as a product that gives viewers the ability to create their own television network, 3) or as a super VCR. I recommend that they position TiVo as the super VCR that gives users a unique TV experience. Analysis TiVo’s potential goes beyond the introduction of an innovative electronics product; it has the power to change the habit of how Americans watch television. So far TiVo’s penetration has been extremely limited, many consumers are not aware of its existence, and at the point-of-sale, the salespeople are encountering difficulties in explaining the benefits of the product. Moreover, TiVo represented a totally new innovative product that targeted the enhancement of television viewing, which was clearly not on anyone’s priority list. To communicate TiVo’s advantages, the marketing team has considered using different advertising sources for different purposes. However, this approach eliminates the possibility of communicating a consistent message across all potential buyers. Without a consistent message, consumers will be confused of what TiVo truly represents. Most consumers are aware of what a VCR is, so positioning TiVo as the super VCR would make it easier for consumers to associate it with a familiar product and its functions. If the message behind TiVo focuses on providing users with the ultimate television experience, consumers are likely to be curious about what this super VCR is all about. It indirectly encourages consumers to try this state-of-the-arte innovation. The drawback of positioning TiVo as an enhanced digital video recorder is that consumers can view it as an extremely high technological innovation, not suitable for a typical household, but apt for technologically savvy consumers. Digital recorders are a relatively new innovation, with a limited awareness and familiarity among consumers. It narrows TiVo’s ability to reach a wider range of consumers. Positioning TiVo as a product that allows any user to program his or her own TV network not only focuses on one of the many features of TiVo, but the idea behind it is too abstract. TiVo’s relative advantage is high, as its innovation is significantly better than the products it is replacing, specially the regular VCR. Before TiVo, the average household spent more than 7 hours watching TV. TiVo’s intent is to make television viewing a lot more enjoyable, making it a totally new experience. Thus, its functionality is highly compatible with the existing consumer behavior. However, due to the many benefits the product offers, many consumers have difficulty understanding all the benefits of the product. Some users even had trouble using the system, which is not very easy to use; therefore its complexity is high. The trialability of TiVo is low, since the product can be experimented most of the time either in retail stores through a demonstration or through the online demo available at TiVo’s website. TiVo’s observability is currently low, since many consumers have a lack of awareness of its existence. Finally, the risk involved with TiVo’s launching is high, as there is an important amount of capital committed to the success of the project. TiVo’s proposed positioning as the super VCR can be analyzed with the Marketing Mix analysis. Product. TiVo, the super VCR, is the first digital video recorder that empowers television viewers to create their own personal television network. Viewers can pause live television to attend interruptions such as phone calls or unexpected visits. It gives viewers the freedom to watch whichever program they want, whenever they want. With TiVo’s capacity to store up to 30 hours of recorded television, users reduce the hassle of using videotapes to record television programs. Users virtually eliminate the possibility of missing their favorite shows, since they can set-up TiVo to record them. With these aforementioned features, TiVo will revolutionize the way Americans view television. Price. The current price of $999 for the 30-hour TiVo box is extremely high. It can easily discourage any early adopter or a TV addict. Hence, the marketing team should reduce the price to $399, even lower if financially viable. The more attractive the ticket (i. e. TiVo Box) for the ultimate TV experience, the easier consumers will be lured in. The service fee structure seems at a very reasonable price, it requires no major price adjustments. Place. Electronic retail stores, such as Best Buy, Circuit City, and Sears serve as the best channels to sell the product. It is imperative that the marketing team develops a training program for the sales force of those retail outlets. Many consumers will have their first TiVo experience in a retail store; hence, the salespeople must be prepared to demonstrate the benefits of TiVo in a flawless way. The internet should be used as another channel to sell the product, especially the TiVo website, where it must have a friendly-user demo, so customers can interact with TiVo. Promotion. Consistency is the key to launch a successful communication strategy across the different media sources. The marketing team should focus on attractive ways to create the need and dependency of TiVo. Offering a 30-day free trial for the TiVo recorder and service is an excellent way to allow consumers to fully experience TiVo’s benefits. Presenting testimonials of TiVo users about their positive experiences with the product stimulates the curiosity among consumers who want to know what the super VCR really does. Recommendation Positioning the TiVo as the super VCR that provides the ultimate TV experience will speed up the adoption of this innovative product. This theme stimulates a very particular interest among those who consider watching television as a means of entertainment. Moreover, delivering this message builds on TiVo’s brand identity, which can be associated with the innovative super VCR that changed an old-fashioned lifestyle. TiVo is more than the first digital video recorder that gave consumers the opportunity to develop their own personal television network; it is the super VCR that is making the habit of watching TV as the ultimate experience.

Analysing strategic business decisions in us cereal industry

Analysing strategic business decisions in us cereal industry The purpose of this essay is to use game theory and barriers to entry to analyse strategic business decisions in the US ready-to-eat breakfast cereal industry. An industry analysis was done using different published journals. An overview of the oligopoly industry was also done for a broader understanding of the ready-to-eat breakfast cereals industry. Bertrand competition was used as the oligopoly model adopted by the industry. Game theory was used to analyse the strategy firms in the industry will adopt and a discussion on barriers to entry as it applies to the industry was done. Introduction This essay will discuss the US ready-to-eat breakfast cereals industry. An overview of oligopoly, discussions on Game theory, Nash equilibrium, Bertrand Price Competition and Barriers to Entry will be used to analyse the industry and the strategic business decisions as they relate to the industry Analysis of the Ready-to-eat Breakfast Cereals Industry Connor (1999) described the ready-to-eat breakfast cereal industry as a capital intensive industry requiring huge capital investments in production plants. To a large extent, this has contributed to Barriers to Entry in the industry. This industry market structure though having quite a few number of suppliers, is dominated by four major companies which are Kellogg Company, General Mills, Quaker Oats and Kraft. According to Nevo (2000) these companies have consistently continued to post high profits in comparison with the other food industries. A key characteristic feature of this industry is product differentiation. Brand specific knowhow is apparently present since established firms are sometimes unable to duplicate each others brand. The existence of this however, does not prevent them from producing, promoting and distributing successful new brands. Existing brands differ in such potentially relevant dimensions as sweetness, protein content, shape, grain base, vitamin content, fibre content and crunchiness (Schmalnesee, 1978) Connor (1999) has argued that competition in this industry does not involve the use of price war and therefore not a competitive strategy. Different researches conducted on the industry have shown that there is a level of collusion amongst the top firms though not openly done. This assumption was made popular by a case of anticompetitive complaint by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission against the top three manufacturers Kellogg, general Mills Post in the 1970s (Aviv Nevo, 2000) Because of the absence of price wars in the industry, the use of other non-price strategies to gain competitive advantage are employed by firms in this industry. The consistency of zero price wars over the years, however was broken when in the late nineties, a price reduction by Kraft led the other big three Kellogg Company, General Mills and Quaker oats to respond by also reducing their prices as suggested by ( Nevo, 2000). This pricing strategy by Kraft significantly affected the overall industry price forci ng its competitors to reduce their prices as well. Innovation through the launch of new products and aggressive media advertising are strategies employed by firms in the ready-to-eat cereals industry to compete for market share. This is a major factor contributing to the consistent high profits in the industry. The result of Connors (1999) research revealed that the rivalry in the breakfast cereals industry tends towards the choreographed grunts of televised wrestling than a cutthroat dual to the death and that the ultimate weapon, steep price cuts, is rarely unsheathed. According to Connor (1999), media advertising and new product introductions are intimately related. New product introductions are one of the principal mechanisms for effecting rapid price increases in the breakfast cereals industry. His research revealed that all the new cereals introduced by the big four companies between 1981 and 1987 in the first year of sales, were priced 12% above the companys existing brands average prices. Connor (1999) in his research further showed that the extraordinary attachment of consumers to branded cereals (or at least to the boxes they come in) has made entry by private-label products extremely difficult. This high degree of brand loyalty in the industry has significantly posed a threat to any firm considering entry into the industry. Invariably, the more a firms brand is recognised, the higher the sale of a newly introduced cereal will be. The cereal industry has oligopolistic tendencies and characteristics and will be classified as one. An overview on oligopoly below highlights the characteristic nature of oligopoly. Overview of Oligopoly Lipsey + Chrystal (1999) defined oligopoly as the theory of imperfect competition among the few. The industry is characterised by a few firms selling differentiated products. Because there are only few firms, each firm realises that its competitor may respond to any move it makes and takes that into account because each firms decision affects the other firms in the industry. Earl and Wakeley (2005) described firms in the Imperfect competition as having differentiated products which are close substitutes. These differentiated products are supported heavily by advertising. Advertising tends to persuade consumers to patronise a particular brand over other brands of the other competitors. Advertising is used as a crucial weapon to create brand loyalty in the industry as consumers are assumed to be highly mobile. The existence of strong brand loyalty makes entry difficult because consumers are likely to have strong preferences for the already existing brands. This implies that the behaviour of oligopolists are strategic with each firm taking explicit account of the impact of their decisions on competitors and the expected reactions from them (Lipsey + Chrystal, 1999, page 176). Besanko et al (2004) also defined oligopoly as a market in which the actions of individual firms materially affect the industry price level. The strategic behaviour of oligopolists is attributed to the highly competitive nature of the industry. For these firms to make strategic decisions that can give them comparative advantage, they make use of oligopoly models and game theory (Besanko et al, 2004). Game Theory and Bertrand Price Competition Besanko et al (2004) defined Game theory as the branch of Economics that deals with the analysis of optimal decision making when all decision makers are presumed to be rational and each is attempting to anticipate the actions and reactions of its competitors (Besanko et al, 2004, page 36) Game theory is a strategic business decision making tool in areas such as pricing and capacity expansion. Bertrand Price competition Model Besanko et al (2004) has described Bertrand competition as a model of competition in which each firm selects a price to maximize its profit given the price that it anticipates its competitor will select. Each firm views its competitors price as fixed and believes that its own pricing practices will not affect the pricing of the competitor. In an oligopolistic industry with differentiated products, price competition is usually mild. When products are differentiated, a firm will not lose all of its business to competitors that embark on a price cut. This is majorly attributed to competition being based on a variety of product parameters such as its quality, availability and advertising. The US ready-to-eat- breakfast cereal industry like all oligopolistic industries is highly competitive. The strategy of each firm will be to maximize profits and outputs given its rivals strategy. To use game theory to analyse what choice is best for a firm at any given point, two companies will be used; Kellogg Company and General Mills as they are one of the top four and are each others competitors. Game theory and Nash equilibrium will be used to analyse the best strategy for profit maximization given that each firm sets a price for its cereals. A Nash Equilibrium is the strategy combination where each player is doing its best given the strategies of its competitor. An assumption is made that each firm sets a price that maximises its profit and that a price cut by either of them to achieve a larger market share will impact their profits given the strong influence of brand loyalty. The consequences of each firms actions are described in the game matrix below; In the game above, the strategy (Co-operate, Co-operate) is both a Nash equilibrium and a dominant strategy because each firm maximises profit at this point. It is a Nash equilibrium because with the pay-off of ($120, $120) no firm will unilaterally want to deviate knowing that it will achieve a lower pay-off by doing so. Furthermore, co-operate strategy is a dominant strategy because no matter what the other firm chooses, to co-operate will always yield a higher pay-off. Barriers to Entry According to Earl and Wakeley (2005), barriers to entry exist when potential competitors find there are obstacles which hinder their proposed entry into an otherwise attractive industry. Typical barriers to entry include: incumbents owning all sources of essential raw materials; incumbents patents; economies of scale providing incumbents with a cost advantage; and incumbents past expenditure on advertising (which gives them a higher profile in the minds of buyers relative to newcomers). The important point to note about barriers to entry is that they protect all of the industrys incumbent firms from the threat posed by competition from outside of the industry As fierce as rivalries are and as highly competitive as the oligopolistic industry may be in nature, Lipsey + Chrystal (1999) stated that there are determining factors that make a few large firms dominate in the industry. According to Lipsey + Chrystal (1999), some of these factors are natural or structural, and some are firm-created or strategic. These same factors are deterrents to firms seeking entry into an oligopolistic industry. The natural/structural barriers as it applies to the cereal industry include economies of scale, cost of introduction of new brands and economies of scope, and marketing advantages of incumbency, while firm-created/strategic barriers include capacity expansion. Natural/Structural Barriers Economies of Scale According to Besanko et al (2004) production process for a specific product exhibits economies of scale over a range of output when the average cost drops over that range. Economies of scale exist when the unit cost of production declines as the quantity of output increases. When production becomes standardised and highly specialised, the concept of division of labour must be applied. Lipsey + Chrystal (1999) described division of labour as occurring when the production of a product is broken up into hundreds of simple, repetitive tasks. They further stated that the division of labour is, as Adam Smith observed long ago, dependent on the size of the market. If only a few units of products can be sold each day, there is no point in dividing its production into a number of specialised tasks. Lipsey + Chrystal (1999) further stated that larger firms have advantage in industries that have potentials for economies based on the division of labour because the larger the scale of production, the lower their average costs of production. Economies of scale also lead to minimum efficient scale. According to Besanko et al (2004) and Earl and Wakeley (2005) minimum efficient scale is the smallest level of output at which economies of scale cannot be sustained further. Minimum efficient scale can only be achieved in the long run. Based on this, it will be difficult for a firm considering entry to achieve MES because of the costly nature. The cereal industry is capital intensive and is dominated by a large few with the long years of existence. As a strategy to deter entry, the incumbent firms may decide to increase the quantity of output to further drive down their costs and achieve a higher rate of economies of scale. Because economies of scale are present in the industry, the incumbents average cost of production will be lower than that of a new entrant who will have difficulties trying to attain MES which can only be achievable in the long-run. Doing so will entail acquiri ng excess capacity and increasing production output which will both be costly and unprofitable as brand loyalty is extremely high in this industry. Costs of Introducing A New Product and Economies of Scope The cereal industry is categorised by the introduction of new brands. It will be difficult for a firm attempting entry to recover such costs in a short period of time bearing in mind that it will need to break even before making profits. Economies of scope are associated with lower cost scales derived from having multiple production lines within a plant. According to Besanko et al (2004) The ready-to-eat breakfast cereal industry provides a good example. For several decades, the industry has been dominated by a few firms including Kellogg, General Mills, General Foods and Quaker Oats, and there has been virtually no new entry since World War II. There are economies of scope in producing and marketing cereals. Besank0 et al (2004) further explained that for an entry to be successful in the ready-to-eat breakfast cereals industry, the newcomer will need to introduce 6 to 12 successful brands. This requires heavy capital and makes entry a risky proposition. The introduction of new brands is associated with a high cost of advertising. An incumbent firm in the cereal industry can consistently employ the use of introduction of new cereals to deter further entry by new firms. It will not be as expensive for the incumbent firm to advertise its new cereal product as it will be for a new entrant because of the high brand loyalty in the industry and the economies of scope cost advantages. C) Marketing advantages of incumbency Umbrella branding has been described as a situation whereby a firm sells different products under the same brand name (Besanko et al, 2004). According to Besanko et al (2004), an incumbent firm can exploit the umbrella effect to offset uncertainty about the quality of a new product that is been introduced. The umbrella effect may also help the existing firm negotiate the vertical chain. Retailers are more likely to devote scarce warehousing and shelf spaces to the firms new products more than it would for a new entrant. Likewise, suppliers and distributors may be more willing to transact businesses with the incumbent firms more than the new entrant in the areas of credit sales and relationship-specific investments (Besanko et al, 2004). Incumbent firms in the cereals industry can use umbrella branding as a strategy to deter new entry or force new entrants out of the industry. Umbrella branding also has an effect on consumers. The possibility of a newly introduced brands been widely a ccepted by consumers is higher for firms enjoying umbrella branding than for new entrants. Umbrella branding has the ability to reduce uncertainties associated with the introduction of a new cereal brand. Furthermore, the development of close relationships by an incumbent firm with its vertical chain is another strategy for barriers to entry. Firm-Created/Strategic Barriers Capacity Expansion The incumbent firm may decide to embark on capacity expansion. A new entrant will find it difficult to match up its plant size with the plant size of existing firms and may incur losses at entry. With the expansion of capacity and increased sales, the incumbent will continue to enjoy economies of scale thereby forcing new entrants who are unable to achieve such low unit cost of production out of the industry as their average cost of production may consistently be higher than the market price of the cereal brands and the price. Conclusion The ready-to-eat breakfast cereal industry is an oligopolistic industry requiring the firms to employ non-pricing strategies to maximize profits and sustain competitive advantage. Because the ready-to-eat breakfast cereal industry has natural barriers to entry, firms in this industry do not need to do much in the area of strategic barrier to entry to prevent of or force new entrants out of the market. However, the constant introduction of new cereals is crucial to earning higher profits.

Tennenbaum and Schmidt Reading Note Essay -- Business and Management S

Tennenbaum and Schmidt Reading Note Background knowledge †¢ In 1938, Lewin and Lippitt proposed classifications of leaders based on how much involvement leaders placed into task and relationship needs. This range of leadership behaviors was expressed along a continuum by Tannenbaum & Schmidt in 1973, ranging from boss-centered (task) to subordinate-centered (relationship). †¢ It is a simple model which shows the relationship between the level of freedom that a manager chooses to give to a team and the level of authority used by the manager. As you can see in the graph, the model allows more control to the managers in the begininning making the leadership style more autocratic, thus the subordinates have less or nothing to contribute in the discussion process. As u move towards the end, the subordinates gain more control, and in the end the leadership style is more â€Å"laissez faire† leadership, so the subordinates have much more control over their task. This also follows maslow’s heirarchy of motivation, as the subordinates gain responsibility, they work harder for the business. How does it make a good leadership model? †¢ As the team’s freedom is increased, so the manager’s authority decreases. This is a positive way for both the team and the manager to improve. †¢ When the manager needs less time to spend on the team, he will have more time to spend on other areas such as calculating budget, forecasting, calculate prof...

Impact of Cultural Differences, Internal and Environmental Factors at Airbus Essay

Employees are affected by a number of internal and external forces that when combined produce given behaviours and attitudes. In this paper, I will consider the key factors affecting individual and groups’ behaviour and their corresponding relationship to the personal and organisational performance. The scenario, Airbus’ manufacturing plant in Toulouse, is dominated by tensions amongst groups of workers with different cultural background. The impact of those cultural challenges, the pressures of delivering the A380s in time and the demands from the external environment will be some of the factors that will be considered in the analysis below. In order to understand the multiple forces and the organisational change processes undertaken by Airbus, two influential frameworks for change have been examined in this paper. The model introduced by Burke and Litwin (2002), and the approach presented by Kotter (1995), based upon the authors’ research into corporate change. 1. Individual factors Attitudes and personal behavioural codes consist of an organisation of feelings, thoughts and cognitions in a defined situation. Airbus’ employees appear not to be motivated to fulfil the group’s objectives as â€Å"there are too many tensions and too much suspicion† (Hollinger & Wiesmann, 2008), as reported by an official of the French union. As work motivation and job satisfaction are closely linked with the overall performance of workers, it is important to identify factors leading to job dissatisfaction at Airbus. The arrival of two thousand electricians to resolve wiring problem has impacted negatively on the Toulouse plant resulting in overcrowding, sudden change in industrial processes and dispositions against other individuals with a number of differences. The temperament and individual emotions are difficult to understand for people with diverse cultural upbringing. There are also differences in pay which are perceived as unequal an d negative, particularly for those employees not on secondment. In summary, individuals are often resistant to change which involve loss and uncertainty. One of the most common reasons for human resistance is the focus on their own best interests instead of the organisation’s (Kotter & Schlesinger, 1979). 2. Work group factors Although team diversity can potentially create a positive organisational synergy, the same can also create unique challenges resulting from social integration, tension, and conflict (Jehn, Northcraft & Neale, 1999). In the case of Airbus, it appears there are two leaders from different groups and cultures bringing different attitudes and dispositions to the groups, giving birth to nationalistic tensions between French and German employees. Management rivalries become a detrimental model for working groups (Drucker, 1986). Team engagement and social integration are then increasingly difficult as the majority of Germans are temporary employees coming from outside the company. Furthermore, the organisational culture of Airbus is affected by the lack of trust and transparency from management. In this situation, fear and suspicion emerge and French groups start to perceive the growing influence of German managers as unfair and unequal. All these factors create frustr ations amongst the teams and individuals thus producing uncertainty which affects the plant performance and the company’s ability to meet delivery schedules. 3. Organisational factors The organisational structure and culture as well as its policies and systems, together with the set goals influence employee and team behaviours. With this in mind, it is important to consider that Airbus and its parent company EADS were merged in the name of European unity and intended to be more competitive in the aerospace industry. With the internal pressures of company restructuring consisting of the A380 delivery targets and current production delays, Airbus workers become dominated by uncertainties and tension between different working groups. As Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) highlighted in their study, human resistance often emerges during organisational change efforts. Power 8, Airbus’ restructuring programme which consisted of undertaking a number of changes including job cuts, factory sales, new areas for components sourcing and leadership turnover, produces social tensions and management rivalries inside the organisation. 4. External environment An analysis of the national and global context of Airbus is crucial to understanding the influence of external forces producing both opportunities and threats to the organisation. Amongst those factors, pressures from politics, unions and public opinion are dominant forces in the case of Airbus. Competition in the global market, mainly between Airbus and Boeing, is also intense. Each company is under pressure and suffering from severe delays in delivery targets. State shareholders naturally makes the company subject to political interests and government rules and regulations affect Airbus’ operations management and its decision making process. Questions are raised about the compatibility of the company’s economic goals and its commitment to more political and social objectives. The leadership team need to engage and negotiate with trade unions, political parties and public movements to ensure success in the company’s outcomes. Thus pressur e from different groups makes it problematic for Airbus to align the internal organisation with the external forces. 5. Change dynamics Burke and Litwin (1992) present a causal model that helps to define and establish a cause-and-effect relationship between a number of organizational elements which are key to organizational change. The linkage between these is the key to effective change. They identify the external environment as the dominant factor driving change in organisations which affects their mission, culture, leadership and strategy. The company’s structure, systems, management practices, and climate are in turn linked to those dimensions and impact the overall performance. In the case of Airbus, the merger between Airbus and EADS and the strong competition of Boeing in the global aerospace market are the most dominant external forces. Those trigger a series of further changes in the company, which together, affects the motivation level of employees and work groups. 6. Change management issues Kotter (1995) in his corporate change analysis provides a number of lessons learnt which help understand the complex issues outlined in the Airbus case study. One of the issues in Airbus’ strategy is the lack of cooperation from individuals and teams. Morale and motivation are important factors to control and influence, especially in the first phase of the transformational process. Additionally, the role of leadership in terms of establishing a vision, communicating it and being the example of the new behaviours is also crucial. Airbus’ past rivalry between the former French and German management sides have been detrimental for the change effort. As Drucker (1986) points out â€Å"managers’ inability to change their attitudes and behaviour as rapidly as their organizations require† (Drucker, 1986) is a barrier for organisational growth. It is important to consider that changes take a long time to naturalise into the company cult ure. The benefit of Airbus’ restructuring programme, Power 8, cannot be judged before its time. The change in habits and rules destabilise people and the company’s exposure to public opinion and political interest increases the process of change in its complexity. Conclusion Today’s workforce is becoming more diverse in terms of age, gender and ethnicity. Managers are duty bound to develop skills to influence the relationship between team diversity and team outcomes by analysing the current situation and possible issues to be avoided. Changes are generally needed; in the instance of Airbus, they are implementing a large scale change affecting the organisational leadership, culture, structure and operations. Consequently, people affected by change experience some level of discomfort but leaders can increase their level of success by selecting the right strategy and approach to use with workgroups and individuals. Effective change management strategy should be consistent with the company’s management behaviour and the overall company’s culture, ensuring alignment of people internally and externally in the public environment. The change process in every organisation requires a length of time and readiness for individual chang e which proceed through stages which should not be overlooked for a successful outcome.

Database Visual Querying

Based on Claudio Cerullo and Marco Porta visual approaches is a system use to have correct query formulations in computer operations. Cerullo and Porta noted that the inherently linear structure of SQL (Structured Query Language) sometimes hinder correct query formulation so visual approaches were developed â€Å"to take advantage of the greater bandwidth of the human vision channel† (Cerullo & Porta 2007, p. 1).While visual approaches are prominent both in the airline industry and the military, however, Cerullo and Porta introduces visual approaches as a better way of graphically building queries by composing Graph SQL elements. Cerullo and Porta stated, â€Å"The spatial arrangement of graphic objects can in fact highlight the structure of queries, providing a global outlook which can rarely be obtained with a textual description† (p. 1). Speaking of the visual approach in the computer use, Reese (1999) stated, â€Å"The visual approach can give you a sense of actual ly using the program (p. 41).The visual approaches therefore which was affirmed by Cerullo and Porta as useful for both inexperienced and experts users for understanding the basics of relational database interaction, and for defining complex interrelations among sub queries in visual manner, is very important as it also provides answer to the problem posed by the strict syntax use to construct request which lead to a non ambiguous semantic. Jaco and Stephanidis pointed out that their disadvantages â€Å"is the training needed for their use making them in adequate for end users who are not database or GIs experts† (p. 964).The asserted that Visual approaches â€Å"offer an easy and intuitive mean for spatial configuration expression† (p. 964) Reference Cerullo, C. Porta, M. (2007) A System for Database Visual Querying and Query Visualization: Complementing Text and Graphics to Increase Expressiveness IEEE Computer Society Jacko, J. A. & Stephanidis, C. (2003) Human-Comp uter Interaction New Jersey: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates, Inc. Reese, J. (999) Internet Books for Educators, Parents, and Students USA: Libraries Unlimited

Tokyo essy

I will be talking about the city of Tokyo. Tokyo is well known and is very interesting with many great attractions and a huge economy. Tokyo is the capital of Japan and is the most densely populated cities of the country. Since ancient times, the city has been one of the most densely populated cities of the country. Tokyo is the largest metropolitan area in the world. The Tokyo metropolis was formed in 1943. Tokyo was originally a fishing village named Edo. Tokyo isn't Just a city, it is a megacity.Tokyo is great now but Just 400 years ago this global powerhouse was little ore than a backwater castle town on the shores of the muddy Sumida River. Over the past century it has been twice virtually annihilated. It almost first collapsed during the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake and subsequent firestorm, and again in 1945 after the devastation of the Allied bombings. Each time it has risen like a phoenix from the ashes, reborn in an ever-more-modern reflection of itself. Tokyo know shines an d is a great city to be a part of.The political economy of Tokyo is very immense and the city revolves around the people, environment and Jobs. Though it occupies only 0. 6% of the total area of Japan, the population density is nearly 5,655 persons per square kilometers, thereby making is one of the most populated cities of the world. As on October 1st, 2003 the population of the city stood at 12. 369 million. Tokyo has the largest metropolitan economy in the world. Tokyo has a total GDP of IJS$I . 479 trillion in. As of 2009, 51 of the companies listed on the Global 500 are based in Tokyo, almost twice that of the second-placed city (Paris).Tokyo is a major international finance center. It houses the headquarters of several of the world's largest investment banks and insurance ompanies, and serves as a hub for Japan's transportation, publishing, and broadcasting industries. During the centralized growth of Japan's economy following World War II, many large firms moved their headqua rters from cities such as Osaka, to Tokyo, in an attempt to take advantage of better access to the government. This trend has begun to slow due to ongoing population growth in Tokyo and the high cost of living there.It is the most expensive city in the world to live in for 14 years in a row until 2006. Another aspect that helped build Tokyo to what it is is The Tokyo Stock Exchange. It is Japan's largest stock exchange, and third largest in the world by market capitalization and fourth largest by share turnover. Tourism in Tokyo is also a huge contributor to the economy. In 2006, 4. 81 million foreigners and 420 million Japanese visits to Tokyo were made; the economic value of these visits totaled 9. 4 trillion yen according to the government of Tokyo.Many tourists visit the various downtowns, stores, and entertainment districts throughout the neighborhoods. Besides banking and stock aspect, Tokyo had 8,460 ha (20,900 acres) of agricultural land as of 2003. The farmland is concentra ted in Western Tokyo. Perishables such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers can be conveniently shipped to the markets in the eastern part ot the pretecture. Komatsuna and spinach are the most important vegetables; as of 2000, Tokyo supplied 32. 5% of the komatsuna sold at its central produce market.With 36% of its area covered by forest, Tokyo has extensive growths of cryptomeria and Japanese cypress, especially in the mountainous western communities of Akiruno, –me, Okutama, Hachi ¶Ji, Hinode, and Hinohara. Tokyo Bay was once a major source of fish. Presently, most of Tokyo's fish production comes from the outer islands, such as Izu –shima and HachiJ ¶Jima. Skipjack tuna, nori, and ali are among the ocean products. (Wikipedia) Tokyo was built because of the people and because of the Jobs and opportunities.Throughout the years, Tokyo has expanded the companies and businesses and became one the most expensive cities in all aspects in the world. The culture and urban ecology of Tokyo is widespread and a big part of the community. Over the years, people from the other prefectures of Japan gradually moved into this city, thereby leading to a massive growth in its population. The population of the city is divided into Juveniles, working age population and the aged population. The Juvenile age groups range from 0-14 years, the working age ranges from 15-64 years while the aged population ranges from 65 years and above.As per the figures provided in January 2003, the three age groups constitute nearly 1 1. 9%, 70. 9% and 17. 1% respectively, of the total population of the city. The aged population of the country is particularly on the rise over here. Tokyds population is also higher due to the huge number of people who commute everyday to this city from the nearby prefectures for studying or for working. Because of this reason, the daytime population of Tokyo is higher than the nighttime population. Tokyo is home to a number of foreign nationals. As on January 2005, the number of foreign residents found in the country stood at 353,826.The five major nationalities of the foreign residents staying in this country consist of British, Chinese, American, Korea and Philippine. The natives to Tokyo are called Tokyoites. Tokyo is also a great landscape and has great scenery. Tokyo is one of few places in the world where a flower can bring an entire city to a state of near-sexual excitement. Cherry blossoms last for less than two weeks and are symbolic, of the impermanence of life, the sadness underlying its exquisite beauty. Cherry blossoms fall in their prime, as samurai warriors were meant to do.High-end kurabu bar hostesses compose themselves into human ikebana flower arrangements with the same eye for art and beauty as the geisha who once frequented the pleasure districts of old Edo, famous throughout Japan. Look out over Tokyo and you will see a 21st-century megalopolis, a city of glassy skyscrapers ringed by an elevated super tol l road, like a modern Great Wall of China. But Tokyo is far more than that. It's a place where the past is inextricably woven into the present; where pockets of ancient traditions don't Just survive, they hrive in the midst of an ultramodern consumer culture.Architecture in Tokyo has largely been shaped by Tokyo's history. The socio- psychological aspect of Tokyo is very interesting. Twice in recent history, the metropolis has been left in ruins: first in the 1923 Great Kant ¶ earthquake and later after extensive firebombing in World War II. Because of this, Tokyo's urban landscape consists mainly ot modern and contemporary architecture, and older buildings are scarce. Tokyo features many internationally famous forms of modern architecture including Tokyo International Forum, Asahi Beer Hall, Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building and Rainbow Bridge.Tokyo also features two distinctive towers: Tokyo Tower and the new Tokyo Skytree which is the tallest tower in Japan a nd the second tallest structure in the world. Tokyo also contains numerous parks and gardens. There are four national parks in Tokyo Prefecture, including the Fuji- Hakone-lzu National Park, which includes all of the Izu Islands. All the parks and fields are sights to see and enjoyed by many people and still making people enjoy that they live there. The fut

SMART Methodology Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

SMART Methodology - Personal Statement Example As I have outlined in my first assignment, my interaction in a group environment has been characterized by immense learning. However, I have identified areas that require my attention. Since I hail from a culture where people are generally shy and not too open, I tend to take time and effort to open up. In addition to this, since English is my second language, I am shy when it comes to interaction. Hence, I have outlined three important aspects I would like to work on. I would like to be more open and receptive to ideas, I definitely want to emerge out of the comfort zone and interact more freely; and I also want to learn to build my trust in people. In addition to this, I would also like to become a more involved team-player and develop leadership skills in order to help steer my team towards a goal. In this paper, I would be developing an Action Plan, based on the SMART Methodology, to overcome these problems and achieve the envisaged goals. ACTION PLAN My action plan would be chalked out in terms of the various stages involved in the process of attaining the envisaged goal. The following is the step-wise procedure towards achieving the goals: Areas of Concern:It is very important to outline the areas that require improvement, in order to chalk out the action plan. My biggest short-comings are, my inability to open up and talk without feeling shy or intimidated. Once I achieve this goal, I would want to look at becoming a team-player, communicating effectively and acquiring leadership skills. Hence, these are the problems I would like to address and work on improvising, in my Action Plan. Addressing the Areas of Concern: An action plan, based on the SMART methodology is based on the following aspects: It is Specific in nature, Measurable in terms of time-frame and effectiveness, Achievable, Relevant to the areas of concern and finally, Trackable. The following action plan is based on these pointers: In order to open up and become less shy, I would firstly start identifying my feelings and what I would really like to communicate, Unless I am clear about this, I cannot communicate the same with the others. Upon understanding this, I must write it down. This will help train my flow of thought and help me express myself better. The writing can be formal or informal, based on the kind of emotions and the kind of interaction I would like to have. In a formal atmosphere, I would definitely like to express myself in a formal tone, without delving into informal aspects. This process is specific, because it is directly aimed at procuring a particular result that I have set. The time-frame set for this is at least a continuous cycle of fifteen days. Rigourous pursuit in this direction, would ensure that I am able to express myself clearly and in entirety. In the process of developing my ability to express myself, I would start interacting with people slowly. Every person has a comfort group. I would firstly open up with people that I am comfortable with. Their encouragement would give me the requisite confidence in taking my pursuit further. In addition to this,I would also work on improving my communication skills

Financing New Ventures Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Financing New Ventures - Assignment Example With such bans being effected by various airlines throughout the world, it translates to the loss of investment revenues. This bans implemented by airline also have serious consequences on crucial trade flows thereby making the prices of medicines and foods. To the investors this marks the beginning of hard times since their businesses both locally in the area that have been affected and abroad in the areas that have ban flights. Both direct and indirect consequence of the outbreak of Ebola has also contributed to the diminished tourism in the areas. The impact of Ebola outbreak is great, but its effect is will not last for long even though its impact will be felt. CDC is working to ensure Ebola outbreak is contained and controlled. With this great steps being taken by the necessary authorities, the fight against Ebola will win ion n the end. As an investor, even though the impact of this deadly disease has been felt worldwide, the process of investment has to continue. The outbreak of the disease is short term hence as an investor I will not pull out and will consider proceeding with my

Method of Implementing QoS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Method of Implementing QoS - Essay Example Data loss, delays are few of the events that could take place as a result of absence of quality of service mechanism. The categorization is as a result of number of considerations that are taken into account namely the Mac address, the ports both Ethernet and T.C.P. Various methods are available for implementing Q.O.S. All have their own advantages and drawbacks and most of them do serve up the purpose of improving overall performance of the network through specific means. The good point about Q.O.S is the fact that they can prioritize both the voice and data communication. However it is often noted that the real need for bandwidth adjustment arises in case of data traffic. Q.O.S in simple words is a protecting shield and an assurance of its kind which provides smooth and constant flow no matter how heavy the resources are. Integrated Services model, best effort model are few of the mechanisms used for this purpose. All these mechanisms are devised for accommodating data traffic prim arily. The entire T.C.P traffic is at disposal of the quality of service and since nearly all of the traffic is passed through T.C.P layer, therefore need of an effective quality of service tool is unavoidable. Best effort mechanism: There are number of Q.O.S approaches that provide one particular line choosing decision. The best effort mechanism is comparatively better in this regard since it enables the users and servers with multiple paths option. This bunch of paths is well planned out, equally calculated and with all the constraints in mind is screened out to ensure best possible transmission over even a densely populated linkage (Smith & Aceves, 2000). The default nature of Best effort scheme: Default mechanism is followed in the scheme which can be termed as its strength as well as weakness at the same time. In some cases it is even referred to as no Q.O.S due to its first in first out and no separation behavior. This default scheme is followed across both the switches and ro uters. Sensitivity consideration is partially compromised in this form of quality service provision. Strength: The strength enjoyed by this scheme is the manner in which the entire route and its model are designed. With nearly all the traffic being packet enabled, best effort serves well fulfilling the requirements of the network especially the bandwidth hungry resources. Weakness: Weaknesses can be identified in case of only one link to a respective linage. With modern times putting up the challenges of further high bandwidth interfaces, multiple paths to a single source are the order of the day. The possible draw back in this form of servicing is the possibility of loss of data elements (usually packets) on the way. Scalability can be an issue in all kinds of Q.O.S. Since increasing number of users and channels demand more bandwidth hence the performance is directly influenced by the scalable capacity. The constraint that would be needed to be taken into account would be the avail ability of heavy bandwidth in the background so as to provide smooth flow to the dedicated paths set up. To some experts mainly Cisco, a dedicated over 20 percent bandwidth must be kept in store for the best effort scheme. Any less percentage of capacity could seriously drain out the entire network and hence this mechanism would not live up to its desired purpose. Another problem that could arise in this form of s