Oedipus the king by Sophocles by August Wilson Research Paper

Oedipus the king by Sophocles by August Wilson - Research Paper Example The massager conveys information that the culprit is within the town. Oedipus confirms to his people that he will provide a solution for the issue, by cursing and chasing the murderer from the land (Grene 12). In order to solve the issue, Oedipus seeks the services of the prophet who unravels to him that he is himself the murderer. Oedipus does not believe; instead he blames the prophet and his brother of being in cohorts to destroy his kingship (Grene 16). August Wilson’s fences commences with Troy and Brono in their usual drinking place. Troy is inquiring from his employer the reasons behind the black’s denial to drive the vehicle for garbage. Bono has a notion that Troy is unfaithful to his wife. Meanwhile, troy and Rose’s son have have a place in the soccer team (Shannon 14). Their father was once in the team but could not take part in important leagues because he was old at the moment the team could accept blacks. Cory resigns from the job and wants Troy to let him play, but Troy declines telling him to resume work. Later, troy gets a job as driver contrary to his expectation. In this play, Wilson explores the encounters of blacks in the United States by covering various aspects of discrimination against blacks. Cory resigns from the job and wants Troy to let him play, but Troy declines telling him to resume work. Later, troy gets a job as driver contrary to his expectation. In this play, Wilson explores the encounters of blacks in the United States by covering various aspects of discrimination against blacks. In this paper, emphasis is on comparing and contrasting the plays Oedipus the king and fences, taking into consideration thematic and stylistic devices (Shannon 14).... However, he has no idea until the plague befalls his land (Grene 8). Determined to solve the problem, he sends his brother to the oracle to come with a solution for the problem. His brother comes with the news that the murderer of the former king had to flee from the land for the plague to end. The prophecy stated that Oedipus would â€Å"die a victim† after killing his father and sleeping with his mother (Grene 9). When Oedipus learns of the prophecy, he has no powers to change the situation thus he succumbs as the prophecy state. In this case, the Oedipus cannot decide on what to do because there are powers beyond his abilities, he has no free will, and fate has to prevail. The theme of fate attempts to portray how it is impossible to escape fate (Grene 11). From an observers view, it is not right to blame Oedipus for his deeds because they occur without his consent. Moreover, the prophecy must come true. He has no power to overcome the condition hence he lacks the free will to direct his life since it is fate that depicts his life. The play, fences by Wilson portrays the theme of racism where the blacks face immense suffering due to discrimination (Shannon 15). Troy and Brono narrates to each other the problem they encountered when they were young under the southern regime. Their stories indicate how similar and different their times were, in comparison to the times of their children. Bruno and Troy recalls the life during slavery and after slavery when their father participated in immoral issues. Bruno narrates how his father experienced stress to an extent of failing to play his role as a father (Shannon 18). Racism is evident where the blacks cannot participate in major matches of a national team. The first scene occurs with Troy being unable to

Functionalist Theory Essay Example for Free

Functionalist Theory Essay The functionalist theory is one that views the society as one that is social system made up of interrelated components. Each of these components is important and works together towards the achievement of a whole complete society. A common analogy supporting the functionalist theory is the human body which has several body organs which usually work together with problems in one organ affecting the rest of the body. The major components within a society are customs, traditions, norms and institutions such as families. It is agreed among major functionalists that social institutions make the essential components of society with rules and regulations being needed so as to organize the society in an effective manner. Functionalism within the discipline of anthropology developed in the early 20th century as a reaction to the extremes of the diffusionist and evolutionary theories developed within the 19th century (Goldschmidt 1996). The change was as a result of a change in focus from the more speculative diachronic examination of cultural traits and social customs as survivals to a more synchronic examination of the various social institutions existing within functioning societies. Functionalists were attempting to increase socio-cultural examination beyond the limits of the evolutionary notion of social history which viewed cultural traits and social customs as the residual pieces of cultural history. The theory has anthropological roots based on the thoughts and works of Bronislaw Malinowski, who argued that social institutions existed so as to meet the physiological needs of individuals within a society. As such, social stability was achieved by ensuring the needs of the individuals comprising the society were met with adequate knowledge of the feelings and motives of these individuals forming a basis for understanding how the society functioned. He viewed culture as the main element that ensured the needs of the members of a society were met. It is also based on the works of Alfred Radcliffe-Brown who argued that the basic divisions of anthropology were the various processes of human life within a social structure interlinked through interactions. Stability within society was therefore achieved through social practices that would repeat themselves and develop overtime supporting each other. As such, he theorized functional analysis as the attempt to understand social stability by observing how these social practices would fit together. The functionalist theory is also based on the thoughts and works of major social positivists and was first theorized by Auguste Comte following the French revolution which resulted in social malaise. This led him to see the need for social cohesion within society. This was followed by the works of Emile Durkheim that advanced the theory of organic solidarity, whose major emphasis was on the fundamental function that ethical consensus played in ensuring social order as well as building an equilibrium within society. His main concern was how certain societies were able to maintain stability and be able to survive hence proposed that such societies are usually have subdivisions with the separate divisions being held mutually by common values and symbols. In addition, Talcott Parsons argued that a social system is usually one that is comprised of the actions of individuals who are faced with a variety of choices which in turn are influenced by several social and physical factors. He posited a social system that had four types of action systems which included culture, personality, organismic, and society, with each these four systems having to satisfy four functional needs which were latency, adaptation, integration, and goal attainment. His analysis involved studying the processes and trade offs of social structures within and between the four system levels (Turner and Maryanski 1991). Central principles in the functionalist theory Functionalist analysis studies the social importance of phenomena. It seeks to examine the various functions that these phenomena serve within a society in order to preserve the whole (Jarvie, 1973). According to Malinowski, the major concepts included: †¢ Understanding behavior based on an individual’s motivation in addition to both rational and irrational behavior; †¢ Recognizing the interrelationship of the various items which comprised a culture forming a system; and †¢ Recognizing a particular item and identifying its function within the contemporary operation of a culture. Radcliffe-Brown based his works on those of Emile Durkheim who had posited that social phenomena comprised a domain of reality that was independent of any biological or psychological facts. As such, social phenomena have to be explained in terms of the other social phenomena occurring within the domain (Broce, 1973). Radcliffe-Brown therefore studied the circumstances under which the various social structures are upheld within society. He developed an analogy between organic life and social life in order to be able to explain the idea of function hence placing emphasis on the contribution of phenomena to preserving social order. Functional analysis has given value to social institutions. This is because it considers them as integrated and active components of a social system and not as simple customs (Langness, 1987). Functionalism has also contributed to the current idea that traditional usages have been formed by the necessity that human beings have to live collectively in harmony. Its emphasis on exhaustive fieldwork has offered an in-depth study of human societies. In addition, the study of functional interrelationship between institutions and customs has provided a framework for collecting information on how societies function. Major criticisms There have been several criticisms raised against the functionalist theory leading to its decline. The functionalist theory has been criticized for its major ignorance towards historical process in addition to its presumption that societies exists in an equilibrium state (Goldschmidt, 1996). Interactionist theorists have criticized this theory due to its failure to conceptualize sufficiently the multifaceted nature of individual actors and the methods of interaction within societies. Marxist theorists have criticized functionalism due to its conservativism and the fixed nature of examination used that underlined the role of social phenomena in the preservation of the status-quo within society (Holmwood, 2005). Constructionist theorists have criticized functionalism due to the use of classificatory theories that characterized phenomena based on their functions (Turner and Maryanski, 1991). Responses to Critiques Comparative functionalism, developed by Walter Goldschmidt, attempts to respond to the difficulties that have developed as a result of Malinowskis argument that a culture can be comprehended on its own with institutions been seen as products of the various cultures within which they were created. Comparative functionalism seeks to understand institutional differences between cultures by examining phenomena within the different cultures and the problems experienced in these societies. This approach is worthwhile since it is aware of the universality of the functions to which social institutions are a response to. Problems are usually consistent from one culture to another culture, but the institutional solutions that will be needed will vary from one culture to another (Holmwood, 2005). As such, one begins with analyzing the problem so as to find out how institutional procedures provide solutions. Neo-functionalism is an attempt to revise British structural-functionalism. Some neo-functionalists seek to analyze phenomena based on particular functional requisites. Other neo-functionalists focus on matters of social integration, social evolution, and social differentiation. Others examine how the various cultural processes such as rituals, values, and ideologies integrate with social structures. However, neo-functionalism places little emphasis on how phenomena are able to meet system needs (Turner and Maryanski, 1991). This approach is worthwhile since it provides a bridge between human behavior, which frequently involves cooperation, and natural selection, where individual interaction involves competition more than cooperation. References Broce, G. (1973). History of Anthropology. Minneapolis: Burgess Publishing Company. Goldschmidt, W. (1996). Functionalism. In Encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology, Vol 2. David Levinson and Melvin Ember, eds. New York: Henry Holt and Company. Holmwood, J. (2005). Functionalism and its Critics, in Harrington, A. Modern Social Theory: An Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Jarvie, I. C. (1973). Functionalism. Minneapolis: Burgess Publishing Company. Kuper, A. (1996). Anthropology and Anthropologists. London: Routledge. Langness, L. (1987). The Study of Culture. Novato, California: Chandler Sharp Publishers, Inc. Turner, J. H. Maryanski, A. (1991). Functionalism. In Borgatta, E. F, Encyclopedia of Sociology, Vol 2. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company.

The End of Intel: the Beginning of the Computer :: Computer Computers Essays

The End of Intel: the Beginning of the Computer For over thirty years, since the beginning of the computing age, the Gordon Moore's equation for the number of chip transistors doubling every eighteen months has been true (Leyden). However, this equation by its very nature cannot continue on infinitely. Although the size of the transistor has drastically decreased in the past fifty years, it cannot get too much smaller, therefore a computer cannot get much faster. The limits of transistor are becoming more and more apparent within the processor speed of Intel and AMD silicon chips (Moore's Law). One reason that chip speeds now are slower than possible is because of the internal-clock of the computer. The clock organizes all of the operation processing and the memory speeds so the information ends at the same time or the processor completes its task uniformly. The faster a chip can go (Mhz) requires that this clock tick ever and ever faster. With a 1.0 Ghz chip, the clock ticks a billion times a second (Ball). This becomes wasted en ergy and the internal clock limits the processor. These two problems in modern computing will lead to the eventual disproving of Moore's Law. But are there any new areas of chip design engineering beside the normal silicon chip. In fact, two such designs that could revolutionize the computer industry are multi-threading (Copeland) and asynchronous chip design (Old Tricks). The modern silicon processor cannot keep up with the demands that are placed on it today. With the limit of transistor size approaching as well the clock speed bottleneck increasing, these two new chip designs could completely scrap the old computer industry and recreate it completely new. The number of transistors for a Pentium 4 processor is about 42,000,000 transistors per chip, and that was beginning in the year 2000 (Moore's Law). Should Moore's Law continue, the number of transistors on a microprocessor would be approaching 1 billion. Skeptics inquire, "Just how is this possible," presenting a valid point. Transistors work by being on or off and consequentially creating a zero or one in mathematical lines of code when electricity is sent to them. There is a gap of electrical insulation that separates the source, the direction from which the charge is coming, and the drain, the direction the charge should empty into or not, depending if the transistor is on or off. If the transistor gets much smaller it will be made up of only a few molecules and atoms, far to small to effectively conduct electricity or light.

Help with macbeth P.E.E

Explain what medium you will use to present your Ideas (Why you have chosen to do a painting etc) PARA 3 -5 The scenes you have chosen. This Is your PEE Paragraphs 2. Explain which theme you will focus on in your presentation. Why you chose it? 3. Explain why you are doing a sculpture and what you hope to show your audience 4. You are going to explain which scenes best illustrate your theme. (Pick out 3-5 examples that show the breakdown in their relationships) 5. With these examples, you will then write PEE paragraphs. 6.Conclusion The Role of Guilt In Macbeth Guilt plays a strong role In motivating Macbeth, and causes Lady Macbeth to be river over the edge of sanity to her death. Throughout the story, there are many different types of guilty feelings that play a role in Machete's fatal decisions and bring Lady Macbeth to commit suicide. Although there are many instances that show the power guilt has played on the main characters, there are three examples that show this the best. On e is, just after the murder of the great King, Duncan.Guilt overcomes Macbeth where he can no longer think straight. A second example is soon after that, where all the guilt Macbeth feels at first, changes into hate after he decides that Banquet must be killed as well. The last example is Just about at the end of the play, when we see Lady Macbeth sleepwalking, and then later committing suicide; this all because of the burden of her guilt. All of these examples build the proof that In this play, guilt plays a very large role In the characters' lives. Returns to his room to Join his wife.As any person would be, Macbeth is very shaken by his wrong act. Killing a man, not to mention a beloved king is a sin and Macbeth knows it very well! He truly believes he has murdered all innocence, and only worse things will follow. Throughout the scene there are several quotes that show this; † Glacis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Castor shall sleep no more: Macbeth shall sleep no more, † and † Will all great Neptune ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No; this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red. This shows the amount of guilt he felt. He describes this by saying that if he tried to wash his hands in the river, it would turn into the color of the blood itself. Lady Macbeth attempts to make him stronger, † A little water clears us of this deed: How easy it is then! † But the guilt he feels Just does not go away†¦ At least for the time being. As soon as Act Ill is set up, we see Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Banquet having a nice friendly conversation. Macbeth was already crowned king, and a dinner was planned for that night. Banquet was to be the â€Å"guest of honor†.Little did any of us know, Macbeth was already conspiring his friend's death. Guilt seems to play a motivating role when he says, â€Å"Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill† What he is referring to, is his guilt; if you do something bad once, it will bother you. If you do it again, it will bother you less. If you keep doing it, it will eventually stop bothering you impolitely. He also admits, (that one time only) in the scene, that after killing Duncan, his morals and guilt were poisoned and used to motivate him to commit more murderous crimes. Fit be so, for Banquets issue have I filed my mind; For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered; Put rancorous in the vessel of my peace†¦ † Perhaps one of the strongest evidence that shows guilt, is how it affected Lady Macbeth. After the absence of a story line for most of the play, Act V begins by re- entering Lady Macbeth; this time though, she is not at all the woman we were first introduced to. It begins with a discussion between a doctor and a very worried gentlewoman about the failing health of the lady herself.Just as we learn that she has begun to sleepwalk every night, Lady Macbeth comes in, doing Just that. She start s to rub her arms, in a washing motion and says, â€Å"Out damned spot! Out, I say! † and, â€Å"†¦ Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him? † The word blood, is really a metaphor for the enormous guilt she feels and her action, in trying to get rid of the guilt by â€Å"washing† and rubbing it away. In the second quote, the â€Å"old man† represents, King Duncan. Who would have known that killing the king carried so much guilt?Her sleepwalking continues as she talks about the death of Lady Macadam. † The thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now? What, will these hands newer be clean? † After the continuous rubbing motion, Lady Macbeth cries out, â€Å"Here's the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. † She realizes that nothing could ever get rid of the smell of the blood and the guilt caused by all the murders committed by Macbeth. It's also shown here that she feels fully responsible for every person killed by her husband.Just several scenes later, Lady Macbeth commits suicide. What's the reason? It was Just a build up of all The quotes and explanations used throughout this essay, built up proof that guilt played a big role as the motivation for Macbeth, and guilty feelings were brought out through the characters' actions and responses, until the very fatal end. Guilt itself, is a very strong and uncomfortable feeling. It can result though, in many good things, and Just as easily into bad things. This is what happened throughout this story†¦ And this is also why the play has been called, â€Å"The Tragedy of Macbeth. †

Comparisson of Leadership Styles to Henry V Essay

This week’s lecture dealt with the theories associated to the skills approach to leadership. The skills approach can be thought of as very similar to the trait theory. In it we use some characteristics from a person to determine their leadership strength. The main difference between these two approaches to understanding leadership is that, while trait theory discusses personality characteristics in people, skills theory focuses on skills and abilities that these people possess. Robert Kratz proposed a model for skills theory in 1955. It was called â€Å"Skills of an effective Administrator† and recognizes that there are three skills that a manager should possess. These three skills are technical skills, human skills, and conceptual skills. Technical competence encompasses the knowledge, dexterity and expertise that a person brings with them to their job and that are integral to help him accomplish the task that he is assigned. This type of competence can come from a formal education, on-the-job training and/or personal experience. Some examples of technical proficiency can be how to use certain software packages such as Microsoft office, or Adobe Photoshop. It is not only restricted to computer and electronics use, and can also be the knowledge an accountant has on ratios and balance sheets. Some steps to building technical competencies are to first define your job, you need to know what types of tasks you will be required to complete. After that the next step is to become an expert at that job, either by receiving a formal education or gaining experience at a similar job to the one you want. Finally, the last stop to building technical competencies is to seek opportunities to use those skills but also to seek opportunities in the job itself. You do this in order to further expand your knowledge in that area and to be able to use your skills in original ways and learn new ones. Two other things that we learned in class this week was about credibility and assertiveness. Credibility is the ability to make people trust you and has many benefits as a leader. There are two components to credibility and they are: building expertise and building trust. Assertiveness is not bullying and differs from aggression. But it is similar in the way that you are a person that confronts people and do not beat around the bush. I was quite amazed by the portrayal of Henry V in this week’s movie. It was only due to his leadership and motivational skills that the British were able to defeat the French at the battle of Agincourt, even while being severely outnumbered. He did not have the experience that other people might have had but he learned as he went and made the most of the situations that he was in. He also displayed both assertiveness and credibility. His assertiveness was demonstrated on his first speech by trying to avoid battle and to cow the leaders of the other army to surrender. His credibility was shown even more by fighting alongside his men and mingling with them. This credibility also helped him deliver such a great speech as he did before Agincourt. The closest thing in real life that I have seen until now is my current manager at Sodexo catering services. She has an air of authority about her and is able to issue commands at will, but she also relates to the employees and is the first one to help in preparing and performing events. She, like Henry, â€Å"fights† alongside us. This earned her my respect and loyalty, much more than the higher ups in the Sodexo office that do not help out at events. This is a great example of both assertiveness and credibility.

The Evolution of Tv Essay Example

The Evolution of Tv Essay Example The Evolution of Tv Essay The Evolution of Tv Essay The Evolution of Television Introduction Television is one of the most valuable contributions of the scientists in the last century. The worlds first real television picture was produced by a Scottish inventor called John Logie Baird in 19251. It was nearly a hundred years to the first television appears, television has evolved a lot in appearances and functions. Darwin’s theory suggests that the variation among living organisms and the evolution of a species is caused by the theory of natural selection. As a non-living organism, the development of television is similar to the evolution of living species which obeying the Darwin’s theory of Evolution. This theory suggests that there are five characteristics in every biological life including reproductive potential, constancy of numbers, struggle for existence, individual difference and inheritance of traits. This essay is going to discuss the development of television in the past one hundred years and how it demonstrates the evolution theory of Darwin. The Evolution process of Television A historian Arnold Abramson said that â€Å"No one person invented television; most of the inventors were ahead of their time and technology; some were idle dreamers, others were practical men who could turn their ideas into machinery. † Many scientists and engineers contributed to the evolution of television theoretically or practically. The process will present in timeline below. Pre 1900In 1884, Paul Nipkow invented a rotating- disc technology using in the transmission of images over wires2. Before 1900, the focus of television development is mainly on the theory; most of them cannot turn into machine due to the restriction of technology. 1900 The term â€Å"television’’ invented by Constantin Perskyi and the first television showed at 1900 Paris Exhibition2. 1906 The first working mechanical television system is invented by Boris Rosing by combining the Paul Nipkows rotating disks and the cathode ray tube invented by Lee de Forest4. 1907 Campbell Swinton and Boris Rosing develop electronic scanning method simultaneously in the same year on their own. This method can transmit and reproduce images y cathode ray tube. 1925 John Logie Baird used a mechanical system based on Paul Nipkows rotating disks to transmit moving silhouette images 4 called â€Å"Stooky Bill’’5 (image on the right). 1926 John Logie Baird applied patent for his â€Å"Phonovision† which is using the phonograph disc to record and reproduce the TV images on 78rpm. In t he same year, he demonstrated his â€Å"Noctovision† which is using infrared rays and UV rays in light place to see the images in the dark2. 1926 Kenjiro Takayanagi successfully reproduced and displayed the image send from distance place wirelessly2. 927 John Logie Baird applied patent for his new system of recording television signal by using magnetic disc2. And Philo Farnsworth applied for a patent on his electronic television system called the Image Dissector which can transmit electronic moving picture4. 1927 In this year, there were many trials on long distance transmission on wireless or cable method by different scientists like Baird, ATT’s Bell Labs etc2. 1928 The first TV station is set up in New York called Station W2XBS to broadcast mechanical television. And Vladimir Zworykin received the patent for his all- electronic color television2. 1932 A 120-line electronic TV system was demonstrated by RCA2. 1935 An England company EMI successfully developed a full set electronic TV system with resolution of 405-line and 25 frames per second2. 1936 The first public high- definition service with 405 lines started in London provided by BBC2. 1939 TV was displayed at the New York World’s Fair and San Francisco Golden Gate International Exposition4. 1940 Peter Goldmark announced the invention of color TV system with resolution of 343-lines4. Between the Second World War Only limited broadcasting continued in a few cities and for a few hours a week. And all commercial TV products were banned throughout the war years3. 1946 Bardeen, Brattain and Shockley successfully invented the transistor at Bell Labs2. 1946 The first TV broadcasting using coaxial cable is transmitted from New York to Washington D. C. 1948 Television was bought into rural areas in Pennsylvania by introducing the cable TV4. 1951 The FCC approved the CBS’s color transmission system as the US color television standard. ,4 1952 The cable television system began in US2. 1953 The color television system approved in 1951 was reversed by FCC and approved the RCA/NTSC color system to replace2. 1954 The first national color broadcast was launched in US2. 1955 Eugene Polley invented the first remote control to control the television with light2. 1956The world’s first all-color television station is established in Chicago called WNBQ 2. 1960 Broadcast of the first split screen in the Nixon-Kennedy debates4. 1961 The first telecommunications satellite was launched by NASA to transmit the radio signals2. 968 US space capsule Apollo 7 sent the first live network transmission of television images. 1972 The first transmission of space television signal is received by the color TV2 1973 There is regular television broadcasting service in 96 countries2. Phylogeny of television Although television is a non-living organism, its evolution process can be also represented as a phylogeny. Variations among television The variations of different parts of television also obey the Darwin’s theorem of survival of the fittest. The appearance, resolutions, display methods and broadcasting ways has evolved a lot in the last century. Size and resolution As the electronic components become smaller and smaller, the thickness of television becomes thinner. The thickness of latest model of LCD TV is already developed to less than 10 mm which has a large difference to the large ‘‘black box’’ in the past. And the size of screen also changes from 2†x3† screen in 19273 to 47-inch LCD display nowadays. For resolution, the picture quality improved from using 50-line pictures and transmitted at 18 frames per second3 to 1080p or 1080i display which means there are 1080 lines will be scanned progressively or interlaced in an image. Display methods At the early stage of the television development, cathode ray tube is used to display images. Cathode ray tube creates images by collide an electron beam onto a fluorescent screen in a vacuum tube to emit light. As the audiences seek for the clearer and better quality of images, the cathode ray tube display in television is gradually substituted by plasma display or LCD. Nowadays, plasma display and LCD are widely used in the world. Plasma display make use of millions of tiny ‘‘bulbs’’ or ‘‘cells’’ holding some noble gases and minuscule amount of mercury with phosphor painted on the inner wall of the cell between two panels of glass. By applying voltage across the cell, different colors of visible light can be observed due to the type of phosphors used. And liquid crystal display (LCD) is an optical device similar to cathode ray tube which made up of pixels filled with liquid crystals (LCs) and arrayed in front of light source or reflector to produced color images. Cathode ray tube Liquid Crystal Display(LCD) Plasma display  ©2000 How Stuff Works  ©2009 How Stuff Works  ©2007 Jari Laamanen Broadcasting methods Analogue broadcasting is used in the past few decades, snowing and ghosting sometimes appear. Nowadays, digital broadcasting is used in many countries which use digital data to transmit television signal instead of continuous waveform used in analogue broadcasting. So the fidelity of signal transmitted or received will be greatly increased. Reproductive potential After the invention of television, it brings a great influence in the lifestyle of the people. Nowadays, television becomes one of the essential electric equipments in a house. As the technology changes with each passing day, better image quality, larger screen and thinner television will be developed in the future. For those who have passion for new technology products, they will change their television time by time. Also, the LCD and plasma televisions are gradually replaced the cathode ray tube televisions in the future. According to an American research company, the number of television sets produced in the world in 2010 predicts to be over two thousands millions7. So this reflects that there is a constant demand of new and better quality of television sets and hence the productive potential of television is high. Constancy of Numbers Nowadays, television becomes one of the major entertainments in our life. Take US as an example, over 99% of family has at least one television set in their home8. The number of television set is fluctuating in small extend throughout this decade as television become a common and important entertainment of the people. And the life-span of television of a television can be as long as 10years so that the change rate of television will not as frequent as other electric equipment like lamp, cooker etc. Thus, the rate of elimination and rate of production is quite near to each other and keep a constant number of televisions. Struggle for existence Every living organism struggles or existence with other species or even within their species obeying Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest. Although television is a non-living organism, it also has the same character with the biological species which is struggling for existence. In an affluent world nowadays, there are many different types of entertainments like computer, video games etc. Television needs to improve continuously in their appearances, function and the quality of TV programs in order to compete with all these entertainments so that it will not weed out by others. Television is not only struggling for existence with other entertainments, there is also competition within the species; people are always perusing better quality of images, larger screen and thinner television. So, according to the theory of neutral selection, those televisions with poorer function or lower quality in images such as cathode ray tube television are slowly eliminated. This fact is reflected by the descending trend in number of CRT television produced in this decade. This process is similar to the character of living organism that they are struggling for existence. Individual Differences There is variation within a species. Individuals are not exactly the same with each other, they will have some traits which can help them to have better chance to survive or reproduce offspring. Television also shows this point. In term of appearance, function and resolution, there are slightly difference among televisions. For example, some televisions can receive digital signal while some are receiving analogue signal to produce images. And the resolution of image also varies from television to television, some of them using 1080i or 1080p to scan the images; however some of them are still using 720p as the scanning method. There are still many different parts between televisions which have mentions in the former part of â€Å"variations among television†. Inheritance of Trials Although there are some individual differences among televisions, the aim of television is still the same- to produce image on to the TV screen so that the underlying principle of television is still the same. And this character is also as same as those living organism which have inheritable trials. Those trials which favor their chance of survive will preserve to their offspring. For television, no matter how the difference in their appearance, the underlying principle to produce image is still inheritable in TV. In CRT television, plasma television and LCD television, phosphor is used to coat the surface of screen or cells. Then when it is collided by electron beam or voltage is applied across the phosphor, it will produce the three primary colors which are red, green and blue. This principle of produce light to form images is the same in different types of television which is the inheritable trial of TV. Conclusion Darwin’s theory of evolution can apply on any living organisms. However, television also shows the five characters suggested in Darwin’s theory of evolution and it has a similar evolution process as a biological species. As all living species, television is still undergoing the evolution process and it will become closer to perfect as the evolution continues. References 1. MZTV Museum of Television, Exhibits: Pioneers [Internet] mztv. com/mz. asp Assessed: 20th October 2010 2. MZTV Museum of Television, Exhibits: Timeline [Internet] ztv. com/mz. asp Assessed: 20th October 2010 3. Television History-The First 75 Years, Timeline [Internet] [cited 9-April-2001] Available from: tvhistory. tv/timeline2. htm Assessed: 20th October 2010 4. Bellis M. ,â€Å" The invention of TV †[Internet] . 2010. Available from: http://inventors. about. com/od/tstartinventions/a/Television_Time_2. htm 5. Hall D. , Stooky Bill TV [Internet] 2008. Available from: http://vads. ahds. ac. uk/large. php? pic=du0008;cmd=advsearch;page=10;mode=boolean;words=fineart. ac. k;field=all;oper=or;idSearch=boolean;FA=1;vadscoll=fineart. ac. uk Assessed: 20th October 2010 6. Brain M. ,How Television Works   [Internet][cited 26 November 2006]   Available from: http://electronics. howstuffworks. com/tv3. htm# Assessed: 22th October 2010 7. Businesstimes  [Internet][cited 25th March 2010]  Available from: businesstimes. com. hk/a-20100325-62573/20100325014 Assessed: 22th October 2010 8. Television ; Health [Internet] 2007 Available from: csun. edu/~vceed002/health/docs/tv;health. html#tv_stats Assessed: 22th October 2010

Journal Topics Involving Different Perspectives

Journal Topics Involving Different Perspectives Writing in classroom journals is one powerful strategy to get students to respond to literature, gain writing fluency, or increase dialogue in writing with another student or the teacher.  Journal writing is a great way for students to stretch their thinking and look at things from different perspectives. Most journal writing is done in the first-person point of view, using  I. Journal writing can also be from an omniscient point of view, with the writing is done from an all-knowing perspective. The following topics cause the writer to predict or try to things from an unusual perspective. These may be highly creative, such as describe the events of yesterday from the perspective of your hair. Journal Topics on Perspective Students should have fun as they stretch themselves for these journal writing topics. What one non-living item would you take from your house if it caught on fire?Which five of these things (make a list) would you take from your house if it caught fire?Pretend you met an alien and explain school to him/her/it.Set your clocks ahead to the beginning of next school year. Where are you and what are you be doing?What would you do with a million dollars? List five things you would buy.Youve landed on another planet. Tell the inhabitants all about the earth.Youve gone 500 years back in time. Explain plumbing, electricity, cars, windows, air conditioning and other conveniences to those you meet.What animal would you be? Why?If you were your teacher, how would you treat you?Describe a day in the life of (choose an animal).Describe how you feel at the dentists office.Write about the time as a child you played in a place you thought was magical: a treehouse, a cornfield, a construction site, a junkyard, an abandoned house or barn, a stream, a playground, a swamp, or a pasture.De scribe the perfect place for you. What if your teacher fell asleep in class?Describe the life of your locker.Describe the life of your shoe.If you could live anywhere, what would you choose?If you were invisible, what would you do first?Describe your life five, ten, and then fifteen years from now.How would do you think your parents views would change if they walked in your shoes for a week?Describe your desk in complete detail. Focus on all sides and angles.List twenty-five uses for a toothbrush.Describe a toaster from the inside.Assume you are the last person on earth and have been granted one wish. What would it be?Imagine a world that contained no written language. What would be different?If you could step back in time to relive one day, what would you do differently?You discover you have only six weeks to live. What would you do and why?Imagine you are 30 years old. How will you describe yourself as you are today?Describe how you would feel if you were YOUR parent. What would you do differently?Describe how you would feel if you were YOUR teacher. What would you do differently? What would you do if you were locked inside your favorite department store overnightWhat would you do it all the electricity in the world just stopped?  Ã‚  What would you do if you could travel free anyplace in the world?  You being chased by a villain or villainous group through an abandoned warehouse.  Why?Consider the phrase ‘If I’d known then what I know now, I never would have†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã‚  Finish this sentence: Thats what happens when you follow your heart...Have you ever faced a difficult situation that required making adjustments? What adjustments did you make?The local TV reporter holds a microphone under your nose and says, Channel 14 is doing a survey. Wed like to know: What really matters to you?Describe the group you most identify with and tell why the members of that group might identify with you.  Would you like to be famous? Why or why not? What would you like to be famous for?What advice would you give to someone who stole something but now feels guilty?How do you define beauty? What things do you think are beautiful? If you were a fly on the wall in your house, what would you see your family doing?Script your acceptance speech for an award you never thought you would receive.Script your response to a surprise party...when you already knew about the surprise.Write a letter to a character in a Disney movie.  What do you plan to say to a friend who borrows things from you but never returns them?Write from the perspective of a ghost. What frightens you?We often dont know our own strength until something really gets in our way. Write about a time when you stood your ground.List ways you can entertain your friends without spending any money.

Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister 1979â€1990

Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister 1979–1990 Margaret Thatcher (October 13, 1925 - April 8, 2013) was  the  first woman prime minister  of the United Kingdom and the first European woman to serve as a prime minister. She  was a radical conservative, known for dismantling nationalized industries and social services, weakening union power. She was also the first  incumbent prime minister in the UK removed on a vote of their own party.  She was an  ally of US Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush.  Before becoming prime minister, she was a politician at lower levels and a research chemist. Roots Born Margaret Hilda Roberts to a solidly middle-class family- neither rich nor poor- in the small town of Grantham, noted for manufacturing railroad equipment. Margarets father Alfred Roberts was a grocer and her mother Beatrice a homemaker and dressmaker. Alfred Roberts had left school to support his family. Margaret had one sibling, an older sister Muriel, born in 1921. The family lived in a 3-story brick building, with the grocery on the first floor. The girls worked in the store, and the parents took separate vacations so that the store could always be open. Alfred Roberts was also a local leader: a lay Methodist preacher, a member of the Rotary Club, an alderman, and the towns mayor. Margarets parents had been liberals who, between the two world wars, voted conservative. Grantham, an industrial city, experienced heavy bombing during World War II. Margaret attended Grantham Girls School, where she focused on science and math. By age 13, she already had expressed her goal of becoming a member of Parliament. From 1943 to 1947, Margaret attended Somerville College, Oxford, where she received her degree in chemistry. She taught during summers to supplement her partial scholarship. She was also active in conservative political circles at Oxford; from 1946 to 1947, she was the president of the University Conservative Association. Winston Churchill was her hero. Early Political and Personal Life After college, she went to work as a research chemist, working for two different companies in the developing plastics industry. She stayed involved in politics, going to the Conservative Party Conference in 1948 representing Oxford graduates. In 1950 and 1951, she unsuccessfully stood for election to represent Dartford in North Kent, running as a Tory for a safe Labour seat. As a very young woman running for office, she received media attention for these campaigns. During this time, she met Denis Thatcher, a director of his familys paint company. Denis came from more wealth and power than Margaret had; he had also been briefly married during World War II before divorcing. Margaret and Denis were married on December 13, 1951. Margaret studied law from 1951 to 1954, specializing in tax law. She later wrote that she was inspired by a 1952 article, Wake Up, Women, to pursue a full life with both family and a career. In 1953, she took the Bar Finals, and gave birth to twins, Mark and Carol, six weeks prematurely, in August. From 1954 to 1961, Margaret Thatcher was in private law practice as a barrister, specializing in tax and patent law. From 1955 to 1958, she tried, unsuccessfully, several times to be selected as a Tory candidate for MP. Member of Parliament In 1959, Margaret Thatcher was elected to a rather safe seat in Parliament, becoming the Conservative MP for Finchley, a suburb north of London. With Finchleys large Jewish population, Margaret Thatcher developed a long-term association with conservative Jews and support for Israel. She was one of 25 women in the House of Commons, but she received more attention than most because she was the youngest. Her childhood dream of becoming an MP was achieved. Margaret put her children in boarding school. From 1961 to 1964, having left her private law practice, Margaret took the minor office in Harold Macmillans government of Joint Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance. In 1965, her husband Denis became the director of an oil company which had taken over his familys business. In 1967, opposition leader Edward Heath made Margaret Thatcher the oppositions spokesperson on energy policy. In 1970, the Heath government was elected, and thus the Conservatives were in power. Margaret served from 1970 to 1974 as the Secretary of State for Education and Science, earning by her policies the description in one newspaper of the most unpopular woman in Britain. She abolished free milk in school for those over age seven, and was called for this Ma Thatcher, Milk Snatcher. She supported funding for primary education but promoted private funding for secondary and university education. Also in 1970, Thatcher became the privy councilor and co-chair of the Womens National Commission. Though unwilling to call herself a feminist or associate with the growing feminist movement, or credit feminism with her success, she supported womens economic role. In 1973, Britain joined the European Economic Community, an issue about which Margaret Thatcher would have much to say during her political career. In 1974, Thatcher also became the Tory spokesperson on the environment and took a staff position with the Centre for Policy Studies, promoting monetarism, Milton Friedmans economic approach, as contrasted with the Keynesian economic philosophy. In 1974, the Conservatives were defeated, with the Heath government in increasing conflict with Britains strong unions. Conservative Party Leader In the wake of Heaths defeat, Margaret Thatcher challenged him for leadership of the party. She won 130 votes on the first ballot to Heaths 119, and Heath then withdrew, with Thatcher winning the position on the second ballot. Denis Thatcher retired in 1975, supporting his wifes political career. Her daughter Carol studied law, became a journalist in Australia in 1977; her son Mark studied accounting but failed to qualify in the exams; he became something of a playboy and took up automobile racing. In 1976, a speech by Margaret Thatcher warning of the aim of the Soviet Union for world domination earned Margaret the sobriquet the Iron Lady, given to her by the Soviets. Her radically conservative economic ideas earned the name for the first time, that same year, of Thatcherism. In 1979, Thatcher spoke against immigration to the Commonwealth  countries as a threat to their culture. She was known, more and more, for her direct and confrontational style of politics. The winter of 1978 to 1979 was known in Britain as the Winter of Their Discontent. Many union strikes and conflicts combined with the effects of harsh winter storms to weaken confidence in the Labour government. In early 1979, the conservatives won a narrow victory. Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher became prime minister of the United Kingdom on May 4, 1979. She was not only the UKs first woman prime minister, but she was also the first woman prime minister in Europe. She brought in her radical right-wing economic policies, Thatcherism, plus her confrontational style and personal frugality. During her time in office, she continued to prepare breakfast and dinner for her husband, and even to do grocery shopping. She refused part of her salary. Her political platform was that of limiting government and public spending, letting market forces control the economy. She was a monetarist, a follower of Milton Friedmans economic theories, and saw her role as eliminating socialism from Britain. She also supported reduced taxes and public spending, and the deregulation of industry. She planned to privatize Britains many government-owned industries and to end government subsidies to others. She wanted legislation to seriously restrict union power and abolish tariffs except to non-European countries. She took office in the middle of a worldwide economic recession; the result of her policies in that context was serious economic disruption. Bankruptcies and mortgage foreclosures increased, unemployment increased and industrial production fell considerably. Terrorism around Northern Irelands status continued. A 1980 steelworkers strike disrupted the economy further. Thatcher refused to allow Britain to join the EECs European Monetary System. North Sea windfall receipts for off-shore oil helped lessen the economic effects. In 1981 Britain had its highest unemployment since 1931: 3.1 to 3.5 million. One effect was the rise in social welfare payments, making it impossible for Thatcher to cut taxes as much as shed planned. There were riots in some cities. In the 1981 Brixton riots, police misconduct was exposed, further polarizing the nation. In 1982, those industries still nationalized were forced to borrow and thus had to raise prices. Margaret Thatchers popularity was very low. Even within her own party, her popularity waned. In 1981 she began replacing more traditional conservatives with members of her own more radical circle. She began to develop a close relationship with the new USA president, Ronald Reagan, whose administration supported many of the same economic policies hers did. And then, in 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, perhaps encouraged by the effects of military cutbacks under Thatcher. Margaret Thatcher sent 8,000 military personnel to fight a much larger number of Argentinians; her win of the Falklands War restored her to popularity. The press also covered the 1982 disappearance of Thatchers son, Mark, in the Sahara Desert during an automobile rally. He and his crew were found four days later, considerably off course. Re-election With the Labour Party still deeply divided, Margaret Thatcher won re-election in 1983 with 43% of the vote for her party, including a 101 seat majority. (In 1979 the margin had been 44 seats.) Thatcher continued her policies, and unemployment continued at over 3 million. The crime rate and prison populations grew, and foreclosures continued. Financial corruption, including by many banks, was exposed. Manufacturing continued to decline. Thatchers government attempted to reduce the power of local councils, which had been the means of delivery of many social services. As part of this effort, the Greater London Council was abolished. In 1984, Thatcher first met with Soviet reform leader Gorbachev. He may have been drawn to meet with her because her close relationship with President Reagan made her an attractive ally. Thatcher that same year survived an assassination attempt when the IRA bombed a hotel where a Conservative Party conference was held. Her stiff upper lip in responding calmly and quickly added to her popularity and image. In 1984 and 1985, Thatchers confrontation with the coal miners union led to a year-long strike which the union eventually lost. Thatcher used strikes in 1984 through 1988 as reasons to further restrict union power. In 1986, the European Union was created. Banking was affected by European Union rules, as German banks funded the East German economic rescue and revival. Thatcher began to pull Britain back from European unity. Thatchers defense minister Michael Heseltine resigned over her position. In 1987, with unemployment at 11%, Thatcher won a third term as prime minister- the first twentieth century UK prime minister to do so. This was a much less clear win, with 40% fewer Conservative seats in Parliament. Thatchers response was to become even more radical. Privatization of nationalized industries provided a short-term gain for the treasury, as the stock was sold to the public. Similar short-term gains were realized by selling state-owned housing to occupants, transforming many to private owners. A 1988 attempt to establish a poll tax was highly controversial, even within the Conservative Party. This was a flat rate tax, also called the community charge, with every citizen paying the same amount, with some rebates for the poor. The flat rate tax would replace property taxes which were based on the value of property owned. Local councils were given the power to levy the poll tax; Thatcher hoped that popular opinion would force these rates to be lower, and end Labour Party domination of the councils. Demonstrations against the poll tax in London and elsewhere sometimes turned violent. In 1989, Thatcher led a major overhaul of the finances of the National Health Service and accepted that Britain would be part of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. She continued to try to fight inflation through high interest rates, despite continued problems with high unemployment. A worldwide economic downturn aggravated economic problems for Britain. Conflict within the Conservative Party increased. Thatcher was not grooming a successor, though in 1990 she had become the prime minister with the longest continuous term in the UKs history since the early 19th century. By that time, not a single other cabinet member from 1979, when she was first elected, was still serving. Several, including Geoffrey Howe, the partys deputy leader, resigned in 1989 and 1990 over her policies. In November of 1990, Margaret Thatchers position as head of the party was challenged by Michael Heseltine, and thus a vote was called. Others joined the challenge. When Thatcher saw that she had failed on the first ballot, though none of her challengers won, she resigned as party head. John Major, who had been a Thatcherite, was elected in her place as prime minister. Margaret Thatcher had been prime minister for 11 years and 209 days. After Downing Street The month after Thatchers defeat, Queen Elizabeth II, with whom Thatcher had met weekly during her time as prime minister, appointed Thatcher a member of the exclusive Order of Merit, replacing the recently deceased Laurence Olivier. She granted Denis Thatcher a hereditary baronetcy, the last such title granted to anyone outside the royal family. Margaret Thatcher founded the Thatcher Foundation to continue to work for her radically conservative economic vision. She continued to travel and lecture, both within Britain and internationally. A regular theme was her criticism of the European Unions centralized power. Mark, one of the Thatcher twins, married in 1987. His wife was an heiress from Dallas, Texas. In 1989, the birth of Marks first child made Margaret Thatcher a grandmother. His daughter was born in 1993. In March 1991, US President George H. W. Bush awarded Margaret Thatcher the US Medal of Freedom. In 1992, Margaret Thatcher announced she would no longer run for her seat in Finchley. That year, she was made a life peer as Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven, and thus served in the House of Lords. Margaret Thatcher worked on her memoirs in retirement. In 1993 she published The Downing Street Years 1979-1990 to tell her own story about her years as prime minister. In 1995, she published The Path to Power, to detail her own early life and early political career, before becoming prime minister. Both books were best-sellers. Carol Thatcher published a biography of her father, Denis Thatcher, in 1996. In 1998 Margaret and Denis son Mark was involved in scandals involving loan sharking in South Africa and US tax evasion. In 2002, Margaret Thatcher had several small strokes and gave up her lecture tours. She also published that year another book: Statecraft: Strategies for a Changing World. Denis Thatcher survived a heart-bypass operation in early 2003, seeming to make a full recovery. Later that year, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died on June 26. Mark Thatcher inherited his fathers title and became known as Sir Mark Thatcher. In 2004 Mark was arrested in South Africa for attempting to assist in a coup in Equatorial Guinea. As a result of his guilty plea, he was given a large fine and suspended the sentence, and permitted to move in with his mother in London. Mark was unable to move to the United States where his wife and children moved after Marks arrest. Mark and his wife divorced in 2005 and both remarried others in 2008. Carol Thatcher, a freelance contributor to the BBC One program since 2005, lost that job in 2009 when she referred to an aboriginal tennis player as a golliwog, and refused to apologize for use of what was taken as a racial term. Carols 2008 book about her mother, A Swim-on Part in the Goldfish Bowl: A Memoir, dealt with Margaret Thatchers growing dementia. Thatcher was unable to attend a 2010 birthday party for her, organized by Prime Minister David Cameron, the wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton in 2011, or a ceremony unveiling a statue of Ronald Reagan outside the American Embassy later in 2011. When Sarah Palin told the press that she would visit Margaret Thatcher on a trip to London, Palin was advised that such a visit would not be possible. On July 31, 2011, Thatchers office in the House of Lords was closed, according to her son, Sir Mark Thatcher. She died on April 8, 2013, after suffering another stroke. The 2016 Brexit vote was described as a throwback to the Thatcher years. Prime Minister Theresa May, the second woman to serve as British prime minister, claimed inspiration by Thatcher but was seen as less committed to free markets and corporate power. In 2017, a German far-right leader claimed Thatcher as his role model. Background Father: Alfred Roberts, grocer, active in local community and politicsMother: Beatrice Ethel Stephenson RobertsSister: Muriel (born 1921) Education Huntingtower Road Primary SchoolKesteven and Grantham Girls SchoolSomerville College, Oxford Husband and Children Husband: Denis Thatcher, wealthy industrialist - married December 13, 1951Children: twins, born August 1953Mark ThatcherCarol Thatcher Bibliography Thatcher, Margaret.  The Downing Street Years.  1993.Thatcher, Margaret.  The Path to Power.  1995.Thatcher, Margaret.  The Collected Speeches of Margaret Thatcher. Robin Harris, editor. 1998.Thatcher, Margaret.  Statecraft: Strategies for a Changing World.  2002.Thatcher, Carol.  A Swim-on Part in the Goldfish Bowl: A Memoir.  2008.Hughes, Libby.  Madam Prime Minister: A Biography of Margaret Thatcher.  2000.Ogden, Chris.  Maggie: An Intimate Portrait of a Woman in Power.  1990.Seldon, Anthony.  Britain Under Thatcher. 1999.Webster, Wendy.  Not a Man to Match Her: The Marketing of a Prime Minister.

History Discussion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

History Discussion - Research Paper Example 90). This made President Jackson make a lot of mistakes that caused United States great damage both economically and politically. During his tenure some of the United States countries even tried to secede from the union. Jackson signing of tariff into law in 1882, some countries such as South Carolina felt ignored the move an aspect that made President Jackson administration to almost make use military in making sure that South Carolina paid the tariff (Brinkley, & Dyer 2004, p. 93). The administration was also involved with different cases of corruption. The administration was unable to fight cases of corruption that faced the government especially the allegations that were directed towards some of the cabinet officials. This made the fight be tough to deal with as the officials still held their positions in the government thereby covering up any attempt to uncover their actions. This led to starting of a campaign that was aimed at eliminating all officials that had corruption records but this move was unsuccessful (Brinkley, & Dyer 2004, p.

International Purchasing and Supply-Chain Management Essay - 1

International Purchasing and Supply-Chain Management - Essay Example The company is acclaimed for maintaining the highest inventory turnover, the highest sales per square foot and the highest operating profit margin in the retail industry since the last ten years. The transition of Wal-Mart from being a local retailer to a global retail giant has been largely driven by the unique and excellent supply chain management of the company. Wal-Mart has implemented a low cost strategy in its business and makes profit through large volume sales. The company is characterized by advanced inventory management systems, aggressive pricing policies, a unique retail and supply chain distribution system and has needed very less promotion and advertising in its journey to become one of the biggest private companies in the world. Wal-Mart is a retailing giant famous for its innovative business practices and is one of the first businesses to implement a centralized distribution system. The company has been renowned for continually integrating the latest technologies into its supply chain processes. Discussion The efficient supply chain management system of Wal-Mart is a major driver for the success of the company as a leading retail giant. The supply chain model of the business is formed by the effective integration of the purchasing, manufacturing, warehousing and distributing processes (Lysons and Farrington 2005, p.90). The supply chain of Wal-Mart implements four main strategies: technology, cross docking, vendor partnerships and distribution management and integration. Wal-Mart operates both retail outlets and distribution centres constitute its supply chain network. The supply chain of Wal-Mart comprises of 95 Distribution facilities and around 1500 stores operating all across the world. The distribution centres hold different types of merchandising goods varying from eatables to clothing and accessories. Procurement and Distribution The supply chain of Wal-Mart starts with the process of strategic sourcing to identify the proper suppliers wh o can provide the products at the best possible prices and can meet the huge demand level of the retail giant. Wal-Mart has entered into strategic collaborations with a major number of suppliers and has guaranteed sourcing products at lowest possible expenses by providing the suppliers with opportunity for high volume sales over a long period of time (Martin, 2006, p.156). The company maintains a strong logistics network comprising of the largest employee base for fleet of private trucks consisting of around 8000 drivers who were involved in the delivery of the goods from the distribution centres to the stores of Wal-Mart. The distribution centres of Wal-Mart comprised of general merchandise, as well as food and clothing distribution centres. The products are picked up from the warehouse of the suppliers by the trucking division of Wal-Mart and then transported to the distribution centres of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has formulated standardized labelling and consignment sizes to ensure tha t the shipments were easily transferred across the distribution centres. The consignments are cross docked to the inbound trailers. The supply chain follows a uniform operating and distribution process throughout its supply chain. Each of these distribution centres are designed in a way to provide maximum support to the stores with similar kinds of merchandise being stacked together Hub and Spoke Design The establishment of Wal-Mart’s stores was directly driven by the distribution strategies of the business. The opening of the first distribution centre of the business was a significant investment strategy of the company and was aimed at attaining economies of scale. So the location of the stores was selected such that the distance could be covered within one

You are asked to provide an analytical profile of the international Essay

You are asked to provide an analytical profile of the international activity of Tescos the major international retail company - Essay Example TESCO opened their first Express store in 1994 and now they have over 500 stores selling a range of up to 7,000 lines including fresh produce, wines and spirits and in-store bakery. .(Tesco Core,2005) Metro (approx. 7,000-15,000 sq ft) TESCO opened their first Metro in 1992,bringing the convenience of TESCO to town and city centre locations. Metros cater for thousands of busy customers each week and offer a tailored range of food lines, including ready-meals and sandwiches. .(Tesco Core,2005) Superstore (approx. 20,000-50,000 sq ft) Tesco began opening superstores in the 1970s and during the 1980s and 1990s built a national network, to which additional are being made every year. They have an ongoing programme of extending and refreshing their superstores to improve the overall experience for customers. In recent years they have introduced a number of new non-food ranges into superstores such as DVDs and books. .(Tesco Core,2005) Extra (approx. 60,000 sq ft and above) Since opening their first Extra in 1997,the one-stop destination store has proved extremely popular. Extra stores offer the widest range of food and non-food lines, ranging from electrical equipment to homewares, clothing, health and beauty and seasonal items such as garden furniture. The 100th Extra was opened in 2004 and around twenty new Extras open each year, many from extending existing superstores.(Tesco Core,2005) The TESCO strategy aims for equivalent strength in non-food segment as in its food segment. This has meant that TESCO has been making efforts to offer the same great quality, range, price and service for our customers as they do in our food business. TESCO’s widest range of non-food can be seen in Extra stores, including electricals, home entertainment, clothing, health and beauty, stationery, cook shop and soft furnishings, and seasonal goods such as barbecues and garden furniture in the summer. Some of TESCO stores also

NCLEX-RN article review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

NCLEX-RN article review - Essay Example NCLEX-RN ® pass rates are of interest to the faculty in professional nursing programs, institutions, and the profession, as they represent a measure of faculty and program effectiveness; accreditation agencies and state boards of nursing expect graduate success; and the profession of nursing needs prepared practitioners as it faces a shortage of licensed professional nurses in the workplace. NCLEX-RN ® pass rates are of special interest to potential students who may choose a program due to reported rates, and graduates who are not successful may face anxiety and financial loss. Keywords: NCLEX-RN ®, nursing, logistic regression December 2010 NCLEX-RN ® Success: Are There Predictors The National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN ®, hereafter NCLEX-RN) was instituted in 1984, moved to computerized testing (CAT) in 1994, increased in difficulty in 1998, 2004,[ 7] and again in 2010. Since the beginning of licensure examinations for nurses, there has been variable interest in studying factors related to pass rates with interest heightened during periods of declining pass rates. Success on this examination has widespread ramifications for students, nursing schools, and employers. The stakes are high related to first-time pass rates. The identification of factors affecting NCLEX-RN success is useful for nursing schools in making decisions about admission requirements and curriculum issues. Variables associated with performance on the NCLEX-RN may be categorized as academic and nonacademic. Academic variables include scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the American College Test (ACT), performance in pre-nursing courses and selected nursing courses, and scores on standardized nursing assessment tests. Nonacademic variables associated with NCLEX-RN ® performance include the taker's age, gender, ethnicity, English as the primary language, and critical thinking skills.[ 4] The purpose of this study was to examine student academic variables from a baccalaureate nursing program to determine which factors may be predictive of student success on the NCLEX-RN examination. This nursing program, like many others, saw a decline in NCLEX pass rates after the difficulty of the examination was increased in 2004. Rather than attempting to make changes to the curriculum haphazardly, the faculty decided to do a systematic assessment of variables that could be influencing the pass rates. Systematic assessment provides evidence so that students who are at risk for failure can be identified early and remediation and/or curriculum changes may be instituted. Review of Literature Beeman and Waterhouse used a convenience sample of 289 baccalaureate nursing students who graduated between 1995 and 1998 to examine predictors of success or failure on the NCLEX-RN examination.[ 1] The most significant predictor of NCLEX-RN failure was the number of C+ or lower grades received in nursing theory courses (r = -.394, P†¦000 1). Higher grades in other core nursing courses and pathophysiology were also correlated with NCLEX-RN success. Discriminant analysis was used to predict 94 percent of the students who passed and 92 percent of the students who failed NCLEX-RN. The authors noted that "all this data is available by the end of the first semester of our students' senior

Advanced Nursing Skills - Group Process and Therapy Essay - 1

Advanced Nursing Skills - Group Process and Therapy - Essay Example it is imperative that nurses assume the role of nurse therapists and offer group therapies to the needy patients making use of their theoretical insights in group process and group dynamics. However, it is important that the group members are selected after careful screening so that the group leader (therapist or counselor) can address the psychiatric problems of group members who share certain common problems. Group therapy is aimed at offering empathy and support to all the group members by creating an atmosphere of trust that leads to sharing and exploring of each one’s concerns (Corey, 2008, p. 4). The skills of the group members are strengthened in group therapy with a view to enabling them to face future problems of similar nature. The scope of group therapy in mental healthcare setting is greater as this would enable a psychiatric patient to correct emotional and behavioral disorders that impede one’s functioning or to remediate in-depth psychological problemsâ⠂¬  (Corey, 2008, p. 7). However, it is essential that the group therapists guard themselves against any sorts of cultural or racial stereotyping and cultural encapsulation within a multicultural group setting. As pointed out by Corey (2008, p. 4), group therapies and counseling have â€Å"preventive as well as remedial aims.† However, one needs to differentiate between counseling groups and therapy groups. Group counseling is often problem oriented and addresses a specific educational, vocational, social, or personal issue. Similarly, group counseling is â€Å"growth oriented in that the emphasis is on discovering internal resources of strength† to face situational crises, temporary conflicts, or self-defeating behaviors (Corey, 2008, p. 4). On the other hand, interpersonal relationships are very much significant in group therapies and as such, these therapies stress the thoughts, feelings and behavior patterns of the participants as well. In this respect, Corey (2008, p. 7) observes that

The GLOBE project concluded that leader accetance was a functuion of Essay

The GLOBE project concluded that leader accetance was a functuion of an interaction between culturally endorsed leadership theor - Essay Example These varying precepts esteem from the fact that the complexity of society provide multifaceted ideation of leadership. In this context, this essay will attempt to critically explicate the theory of Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (The GLOBE) and its correlation to Human Resource Management in a business or entrepreneurial environment. As a rationale, GLOBE is a research program engaging about 17,000 managers coming from 951 organizations worldwide headed by Robert House (2004) whose findings were written into a series of books â€Å"Culture, Leadership, and Organizations.† Their study is an attempt to contribute to the development of experiential â€Å"cross-cultural leadership and organizational theory† by delving into the values of the society and organizations as well as some commonly adhered practices that are influencing leaders behavior, practices, effectiveness, and performance (Jacobson and Koch, 2004). They also conducted cross-cult ural tests of structural contingency theory to investigate the relations of society, culture and organizational efficacy. Theoretically, House, et. al. (2004: 68) asserted that culture shape and influence leadership. It posits that a leaders plan, actions, decisions and style of management are determined by his cultural make-up. It assailed that â€Å"cultural values and practices also affect or impact to organizational culture and practices† (p. 68) and that these customary organizational practices influence broader societal culture. Such practices or customs are translated or integrated into leaders’ behaviors and styles. They concluded that â€Å"leader acceptance and effectiveness is a function of the interaction between strategic organizational contingencies (not shown) and leader attributes and behaviors (p. 68).† As such, they believe that the acceptance of the leader in the community, organization or society will prove his level of influence and effectiv eness, as part of strategic organizational contingencies, to lead his/her people. They further contend that of six broad leadership dimensions, the most commonly approved leadership are those that practice the values of integrity, charisma, and team-oriented management. Furthermore, central to the theory of GLOBE is the precept that there is cultural influence in the exercise of leader’s power at all levels and the illustration of assertiveness are possibly related toward â€Å"intra-country conflict among labor and management† (p. 68) and to the possibility of nations to resort into† aggressive ethnic border conflicts and military actions (p. 68).† Taking a Hegelian analysis, theorist purveyed that assertiveness and humane orientation, such as human rights advocacy and lawfulness, relates to the degree of violent or unacceptable action experienced within cultures. An illustration of this is that the struggle for gender equalization which possibly relates t o history of patriarchal abuses and women empowerment through education and participation in labor (Eagly, Karau, & Makhijani,1995). They further assert that leader’s performance and its regard to future outcomes are motivated or influenced by competitiveness and economic development. In managing a business, leaders are mandated by corporate policies to exercise power and control in managing human resources. Managers or directors, as leaders, perform corporate responsibilities in

Guidance and Discipline Issues in the Early Education Essay Example for Free

Guidance and Discipline Issues in the Early Education Essay Children who come from a lower economic background have a much greater disadvantage than other children. Early childhood represents a particularly important time to target children’s risk of behavior problems through proper guidance and discipline. There is a great need for preschool classrooms where processes are able to support a young child’s emotional and behavioral development. Low-income children who attend a lower quality preschool do show an emotional and behavioral adjustment and are placed at a substantially greater risk in the long run (Magnuson, Waldfogel, 2007). This shows us that even though the intentions to teach the child where there, we may be doing more harm to the child then help. It is imperative to learn whether interventions that target social-emotional development in preschool can avert the risk of higher behavior problems among low-income children while also supporting their emotional, behavioral, and academic adjustment. Children who are exposed to a wide range of psychosocial stressors such as living in a poor neighborhood are at a greater risk for developing emotional and behaviors issues. These children also have minimal access to mental health services (Fantuzzo et al. , 1999). Early childhood is quite possibly the most important time to target children’s risk of behavior problems. Evidence regarding the onset of behavior problems as early as toddlerhood is mounting. With this evidence, it suggests that the earlier the intervention is conducted there is a better chance for a more positive result. The goal is to reduce the early childhood behavior issues while preparing the children for school readiness. In order to do this, preschool classrooms have become increasingly important. Approximately 67% of young children in the United Stated are enrolled in center-based or non-relative care prior to enrollment in kindergarten (Innes, Denton, West, 2001). If children from ethnic and minority groups are less likely to be enrolled in a beneficial program, the gap in education may be widened. Children who spend less time in beneficial programs and attend lower-quality programs do not receive the benefit that preschool is intended to give. The experience of a high quality preschool may narrow the racial and ethic gaps, if children from minority groups are more likely to be enrolled and spend more time in them. When it comes to preschool programs and ethic gaps in school readiness, there is shown to be a difference in racial diversity of school readiness. It is shown that a child who attends a quality center or preschool program is more ready to learn upon entering school. These children are much more likely able to know what is expected as far as behavior in the classroom. These children are given the skills in classroom guidance that they needed prior to entering elementary school. However, since not all preschools are of high quality and there are differences in the type and quality of programs, not all children are receiving the benefit. According to Magnuson and Waldfogel, black children are more likely to attend preschool than white children, but may experience lower- quality care. Hispanic children are much less likely that white children to attend preschool. (Magnuson Waldfogel 2005) The best estimates of the effects of early childhood care and school readiness note that these programs enhance children’s cognitive development and academic skills.

International joint venture

International joint venture Joint venture is one of the preferred international market entry modes by many firms but it suffers high failure rate. Construct a review of literature on how to manage international joint venture successfully. International joint venture is one of the preferred international market entry mode. â€Å"An international joint venture is a separate legal Organizational entity in which at least two partners that are economically, Geographically and legally independent of each other participate† (Frà ©dà ©ric and Pierre 2006). Many multinational corporations use the joint venture as the market entry mode to enter in to developing countries (young,1994: Mickiewicz , 1986). International joint ventures are popular institutional forms chosen by less developed countries to attract foreign direct investment and knowledge . Through the partnership with the foreign venture it will help in knowledge transfer in terms of technology, it also will create employment opportunities in the local country and grow the flow of foreign currencies (Udo ,Sugata and Arijit 2003). In an individualistic grown economy joint venture is used as strategic option. An foreign company can not came a open its branch straight away in the local market, so to overcome this barrier the foreign company merge with the local company to form a joint venture.. The main thing about the joint ventures are the foreign companies jointly decide with the local company to create a legal entity to share the ownership, profit or loss and other benefits of the business. Despite a strong understanding between the companies and with huge amount of resources also, the joint venture achieve a high failure rate. This is because of the differences in culture ,strategy planning and organizing , it initially start with differences an result in problem (Bruce ,1988). One of the preferred international market entry is joint venture, the other entry modes are Licensing , Direct Foreign Investment , Internationalization , Franchising and exports. Joint ventures involve two or more legally formed distinct organizations , each of which shares in the decision making activities of the jointly owned entity (Geringer and Hebert 1991 ; Geringer 1988 ). â€Å"It is deemed to be an international joint venture when at least one partners head quartered outside the ventur e country of activities, or if the Joint Venture has a greater level of operations in more than one country† (Geringer and Hebert 1991 ; Geringer and Hebert 1989). In the rapidly changing international environment the intense technology and timely competition there are major changes around the world that are political and economical . It is closely examined that joint venture or any other forms of business relates with ownership , performance and control (Hans, Stephen ,. 1997) The joint venture suffer a high failure rate because its got more than two parent organization. It is reported that 47% of the firms have more than 3 parent firms. A study in the article states that if a joint venture consist of more number of parent company means it will attain failure. (YAPING , ODED , YADONG and MEE-KAU ,. 2007). The experience of the parent company will influence the joint venture with the company in the developing countries. Essential resources and mutual understanding between the parent companies is important for the joint ventures success. The needed resources and acheived experience of joint ventures parent partner are important to cope the relationship , which leads to trust and ultimate understanding . â€Å"Companies should look for a potential partners with joint venture experiences and should have adequate knowledge to provide complementary resources† (Sim and Yunus. 1998).. For example, Bangladeshi firms should expect foreign companies such with appropriate technology, joint venture experience ,overseas marketing knowledge, managerial expertises and networks. So as the foreign company will look in the Bangladeshi firm is local market knowledge, cost effectiveness in inputs and past joint venture experience. Market strength and technology and export orientation where other im portant successful factors for joint ventures . Unlike the developed countries the developing countries need local parental control and good technology were needed to create its venture to success(Sim and Yunus. 1998). Kathryn 1988 argues that â€Å"Customer Attributes will influence firms abilities to differentiate their product offerings from those of competitors and they will also(1) determine whether sponsoring firms can standardize their respective product configurations across markets (2) grant their ventures much operating autonomyâ€Å" . The change in particular partners strategy , choosing of strategy for the joint venture and the action of the competitors must focus during the changes in the venture. And the dynamics of ventures owner and the partners collaboration must be adjusted to hypothetical changes in the respective strategically need , c apability and success of other owners in the international venture(Kathryn 1988) . The important and most surprising question is , why do joint ventures fail?. The example is This research is based on a systemetic analysis of a joint venture associating a Brazilian company (local partner), Algar, formerly ABC, with a French company Bull (foreign partner). The joint venture was founded in 1983, initially it was called as ABC-BULL but later it changed it name as ALGAR BULL, the change in the balance of power took place in 1989.then the partners separated due to situation of subsidiary. Both the companies attain huge profits but the conditions turned to be unfavorable . In the end Bull took over the entire company from to form Bull South America, right form the beginning Bulls have major rights on the company and more power on decision making process also. The main differences through the joint venture in to dissolution is the cultural factor. It has affected almost everything in that joint venture. Despite its dissolution it is considered to be a successful Joint ve nture(Frà ©dà ©ric and Pierre 2006 ). In the previous empirical studies using the meta-analysis it examines the relation between the culture and decision making strategies. The result declares that individualistic cultures prefers a f orcing strategy more over a collective cultures, wherein more likely collective cultures use withdrawing, compromising and problem solving strategies than that of the capitalistic culture (Lung-Tu 2007). Key factors for managing International Joint venture success are Performance, Human Resource development , Practices based on host cultural characteristics, Quality performance, Training competence, Flexibility and Adaptation , Technological sophistication, Knowledge acquisition from foreign partners, Cooperation between parents, Recourses sharing, Equity sharing, Governance, Political risk in host country these are some of the important key success factors that influence the International Joint venture into success. If there is any misunderstanding or conflict in these issues means it will develop a crack in the joint venture (Michael , Schon and Andreas ,. 2007 ). The individual bargaining power of the partners should determine which of them should bring the particular resources , to cut down the cost (Kathryn 1986 : Beamish , Peter 1997 ). In another example its HERO HONDA , it is the merge of HERO group of India and Honda of Japan to produce bikes, it is one of the biggest and most profit earning company in the world in terms of motorcycle sales . It is selling more than 1 million bikes per year. And it is ranked 108th in The Forbes 200 most reputed companies list 2006. Another popular example for the successful international joint venture is Sony Ericsson. The joint venture of this company was establishes on October 2001, it is the joint venture between Japanese Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecom communications company Ericsson to make mobile phones and smart phones. In the insurance industries there are also some emerging international ventures they are in following examples , such as Aviva Life Insurance Company India Ltd. It is joint venture between the Aviva life insurance in united kingdom and India based Dabur company, its Dabur that holds 74%of the stake in the company and it used the brand name of Aviva. In another example Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Co., Ltd. , it is the joint venture between the Indian Motorcycle company Bajaj and German Insurance Giant Allianz Insurance. The important thing to be noted in this is that global players in the business world are elaborating there channels through the mode of joint ventures, and they a re also using there experience in to the business they are involved . Which will result in a success rate . Another awaiting joint venture in India is between Indias Bharti group and the worlds largest retailer Wal-Mart . To conclude this essay on International Joint venture, it is that the success of any joint venture is within that organization .in the very beginning itself the counterparts should target a goal and should work towards that. The partners of the joint ventures not only should share profit and losses and resources , but they also should be open to share there operational , strategies , technology ,trust , knowledge acquisition from foreign partners , selection of experienced partner and performances. And they should overcome the barriers such as cultural differences , managerial inequalities ,lack of knowledge, selection of inexperienced partner, lack in communication, and political . These barriers should be carefully tackled otherwise the joint venture will end up in failure. Despite the failures in the international joint venture rate is high companies prefer to go for it , because they enter a new market . Thus the international joint venture should overcome the above mentioned odd s and barriers to become successful joint venture in the international market . References : Udo Broll, Sugata Marjit, and Arijit Mukherjee 2003, ‘FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT, CREDIBLE POLICY: The Role of Risk Sharing‘, THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE JOURNAL, Volume XVII, No. 2 : Pg 165-176 Geringer, J. Michael., and Louis.Hebert, 1989, ‘Control and Performance Of International Joint Venture . Journal Of International Business Studies, 20: Pg 235-254. Geringer, J. Michael., and Louis.Hebert. 1991, ‘MEASURING PERFORMANCE OF INTERNATIONAL JOINT VENTURES , Journal of International Business Studies; 1991, Vol. 22 Issue 2, p249-264, Geringer, J. Michael. 1988. Joint venture partner selection Strategies for developed countries. West-port Conn.: Quorum Books. Killing, J. Peter. 1983. Strategies for joint venture success. New York: Praeger. Bruce Kogut ,.1988.‘Joint Ventures: Theoretical and Emperical Perspectives , Strategic Management Journal ,Vol. 9, Pg319-332 . Hans Mjoen . Stephen Tallman,. 1997. ‘Control and Performance in international Joint venture. ORGANIZATION SCIENCE ,. VOI. 8, No, 3. Richard N. Osborn ,. and John Hagedoorn , 1997. ‘THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION AND EVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS OF INTERORGANIZATIONAL ALLIANCES AND NETWORKS . Academy of management journal. Vol.40,No. 2 , 261-278. Frà ©dà ©ric Prevot, and Pierre-Xavier Meschi. 2006 . ‘Evolution of an International Joint Venture: The Case of a French Brazilian Joint Venture. Thunderbird International Business Review, Vol. 48(3) Pg 297-319 YAPING GONG, ODED SHENKAR, YADONG LUO and MEE-KAU NYAW ,. 2007 . ‘DO MULTIPLE PARENTS HELP OR HINDER INTERNATIONA JOINT VENTURE PERFORMANCE? THE MEDIATING ROLES OF CONTRACT COMPLETENESS AND PARTNER COOPERATION , Strategic Management Journal,. 28: Pg 1021 -1034. Michael Nippa , Schon Beechler and Andreas Klossek ,. 2007. ‘Success Factors for Managing International Joint Ventures: A Review and an Integrative Framework , Management and Organization Review.3:2 2007 A. B . Sim and Yunus Ali ,. 1998.‘Performance of international joint venture from developing and developed countries : An Emperical Study in a Developing Country context . Journal Of world Business / 33(4). Lung-Tu Lu,. 2007. ‘The Effect Of Cultural Similarity On International Joint Ventures: An Emperical Study . International Journal of Management. Vol.24 No.2 : Pg 230-241 . Kathryn Rudie Harrigan,. 1988. ‘Joint Venture And Competitive Strategy. Strategic Management Journal. issue 9: Pg 141-158 (1988). W. Beamish, J. Peter Killing,. 1997. Cooperative Strategies : Asian Pacific Perspectives. Craig C. Julian,. 2005. International joint venture performance in South East Asia. Kathryn Rudie Harrigan,. 1986. ‘ San Francisco: new Lexington Press .

Communicating Anywhere, Anytime with Tablet Computing Essay -- Technol

6.4 The application of artwork in tablet computing The IPad art is created using the Brushes application which is drawn with the finger or a special pen. After that, IPad also released SketchBook Pro application,this application become top ranking artists’ application bar none. Autodesk reports that 10000 download in the first five days. The SketchBook Pro application has more brushes and tool options, and new â€Å"big screen† features or easy tool selection, drawing and editing. This application is draw with finger-controlled brushes or uses the optional Pogo stylus. The features of Brushes are high-quality brushes (with an erase mode), up to 6 layers (768x1024): reorder, merge, and adjust transparency, desktop-class colour picker, eyedropper tool, in-application replay of your paintings, Layer Blend Modes: normal, multiply, screen, overlay, and colour, eyedropper tool, extremely responsive zooming from 50% to 3200%, high resolution export with Brushes Viewer on Mac OS X, import photos to your canvas, generous level of undo and redo, in-app replay of your paintings, upload your paintings directly to Flickr . While the features of Sketchbook Pro are canvas size: 1024x768, two finger pan and zoom navigation with 2500% zoom, three finger tap for controls, three finger swipe gestures for quick access, flood fill and smear tool, draw styles for creating brush settings for each brush, synthetic pressure sensitivity, 75 preset brushes, including pencils pens, marker, natural media and photo brushes, 10 level of undo and redo,6 layers allowing ease of editing and control, import layers from Photo library, export to Photo Library, e-mail images, export as layer PSD file, eye-dropped colour selection, eye-dropper colour selection, eye-drop... ...port. The application of watercolour is named Auryn lnc. This application is pretty real watercolour experience for iPad. The Art Range has some great watercolour options but it may want to check out Auryn Ink. This is due to this application manipulate the precise amount of water on brush and on the paper. Works Cited http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/picture-galleries/7926157/Apple-iPad-art-paintings-created-using-Brushes-ArtStudio-and-Sketchbook-Pro-apps.html http://blogs.computerworld.com/16776/six_reasons_ipad_is_a_productivity_tool http://www.openculture.com/2010/11/david_hockneys_ipad_art_goes_on_display.html http://www.appcraver.com/drawing-apps-ipad-art/ David Hockner (2009) http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-09-british-painter-hockney-reveals-ipad.html http://todayinart.com/2010/04/16/drawing-on-the-ipad-a-brushes-sketchbook-pro-walkthrough/

Effective adjustment to a new environment Essay

Adjusting to College Welcome to college! Attending college is one of the first major life transitions for many young adults. Some students are excited to take on the new experiences of campus life, while others feel apprehensive about making this change. Regardless of your outlook when beginning your first year of college, you may benefit from talking with others who have already made that transition. Making the Transition What are some of the most common changes you can expect in the first year on campus? †¢ New environment and relationships. First year students must adapt to an unfamiliar environment, adjust to different living arrangements, and develop new relationships. Living with roommates may be the first ‘test’ freshmen experience. Students face the challenge of adjusting to roommates who may have very different boundaries and individual needs than family and friends from home. Roommates may or may not develop close friendships, but communication and compromise can build a smoother transition. College brings a unique opportunity to interact and live with students from various backgrounds and cultures. Expanding your worldview by learning about each other’s differences and similarities will likely enhance your college experience. †¢ Greater personal freedom. Living on your own for the first time means that you will gain independence and take charge of the many choices and decisions that your parents and teachers made for you in the past. While this new found freedom can be exciting, it may also feel overwhelming and less predictable than what you are accustomed to. The freedom to manage your daily life is a learning process, but one that can be very satisfying. †¢ Added responsibility. First-year students must manage the important daily responsibilities that accompany their increased personal freedom. Students must manage basic tasks such as eating, sleeping, exercising, and going to class. New students must also address more complex responsibilities such as balancing studying and socializing, participating in clubs and activities, and handling finances. Managing time is a demand  that all first-year students experience. A typical day in college is less structured than high school, and there is more reading and studying that is required outside of class. Some students may feel as if they have no free time to do anything but schoolwork, while others feel like they have too much free time outside of the classroom. †¢ Changing relationships. While there are many changes occurring in your new campus life, there will also be changes in your relationships. New students often face challenges such as best friends going to other universities, beginning new romantic relationships or maintaining existing ones, and juggling newly formed relationships with already established ones. Students must balance a sense of connectedness and separation while at college. Some freshmen feel the need to call or e-mail home several times a week in the first few months away, while others require less frequent communication with their family and friends. Common Stressors The first year of college is a new and exciting adventure, but one that may come with a few challenges along the way. What are some of the most common stressors that first-year students experience? †¢ Time Management. Now that you are in college, there are no more eight hour school days like those in many high schools. You may have class for six, three, or even zero hours a day. The rest of your time must be negotiated between homework, clubs and activities, work, socializing, and self-care. College students often feel as if there is just not enough time to do everything that needs to be done. Using a schedule and some organizational skills will help you to effectively manage your hectic and changing life. †¢ Academic Performance. By nature, college coursework is challenging, and it can be hard to keep up with the increased academic demands. Some students undergo pressure from both themselves and their parents. There may be requirements for scholarships and graduate school admission that you have not previously experienced. In order to manage the increased demands and expectations, it is important to attend class regularly, keep up with  readings and assignments, and ask for help when you need it. Professors and teaching assistants are there to assist you, and want you to succeed. If you need additional help, various organizations on campus offer tutoring services, many of which are free. Alpha Lambda Delta: Freshman Honor Society, Office of Minority Student Affairs, and University Residence Halls Academic Assistance are a few such services that offer tutoring at no cost. †¢ Roommate Conflict. Learning to live with someone new can be one of the most challenging aspects of going to college. Different living habits are the most common source of roommate conflict (i.e. neat vs. messy; quiet vs. noisy; early-to-bed vs. up-all-night). Failure to communicate your expectations about living together can lead to tension and eventually conflict. To avoid â€Å"roommate fallout† you should communicate your needs and expectations respectfully, while recognizing your own habits and quirks that might affect your relationship. If conflict does escalate you should take it to a Resident Advisor, Resident Director, or a Counselor to determine a course of action. †¢ Long Distance Dating Relationships. It is not uncommon for first-year students to begin college in a long distance dating relationship. Where at one time this relationship may have helped you cope with everyday stress, it could now be a source of distress due to the distance between you and your partner. Uncertainty in what the future holds for the relationship is one of the most common stressors experienced by college students in long distance dating relationships. There are a few key efforts that each partner can make to lessen the sting of separation. Verbal communication, openness, and assurance of one another can reduce stress associated with being separated. It is also essential for each partner to seek social support from others and remain active in their individual lives while apart. †¢ Body Image. Many college students also struggle with body image. Our culture pays a great deal of attention to the appearance of our bodies, particularly during young adulthood. Media representations of the ideal body, messages from peers, and other cultural factors shape what we perceive as â€Å"normal† or â€Å"good†. It can be difficult to have a clear, healthy  perspective on ourselves and our bodies when our culture sends so many confusing, conflicting, and sometimes unhealthy messages. This can be stressful at a time when many are trying to â€Å"fit in† with others and make new, exciting relationships. If you find yourself preoccupied with how you look or become distressed about your body, discussing your concerns and ideas with someone can be extremely helpful in creating, developing, and maintaining a body image that is healthful and fulfilling. Recommendations for First-Year College Students What steps can you take to have a great first year of college? †¢ Be patient. While campus may seem new and overwhelming for new students, it becomes more familiar with time. Refer to the many resources available to assist you in navigating your surroundings. Maps, your R.A., upper-level students, and the university Website are all useful tools to get you through the initial transition to campus. †¢ Connect with other students. If you talk to other students, you are likely to discover that they share similar questions and concerns. Your R.A. is an excellent person to go to when issues arise. She or he is equipped to help you solve problems and refer you to appropriate resources. †¢ Get involved. Student organizations are a fun way to interact with other students and faculty. Meeting people with similar interests and goals is an exciting way to make friends and participate in social activities. †¢ Utilize resources. There are numerous resources on campus designed to create a rewarding college experience. A range of offices and programs, such as cultural houses and the LGBTQ office, are offered to assist the diverse campus’s needs. In addition, there are numerous sources of support such as the Office of Dean of Students, the Counseling Center, the Career Center, your Academic Advisor, financial aid programs, and mentoring/tutoring programs offered to address various student needs. †¢ Care for yourself. The foundation for a productive college career is a healthy lifestyle. Take the necessary steps for nurturance, getting adequate rest, socializing, and physical activity. Campus Recreation offers several resources that students can utilize to work towards wellness. The ARC, CRCE, and the Wellness Center are just a few campus facilities that strive to promote healthy practices and to educate  the campus community on various health topics.