The Social Contract Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Social Contract Theory - Essay Example The state was thus given the entire right to protect the rights of the individuals. However, in Hobbes’ case, it was the king that was the sovereign individual that would rule over the land and would have its command habitually obeyed by the people. In Locke’s case, however, people would have their own freedom because they would form a democratic polity by way of coming together. Governance in both cases is about controlling the nature of the state that prevailed at the time in order to bring about a sense of clarity and order in the way by which people lived. However, it must be understood that governing a state does not only involve controlling the bad aspects of the state. The state is formed by people because they require a singular authority to tell them how to behave in different situations. This might not necessarily only include the bad aspects because the state also controls the good nature of the human beings. Governance is thus about both because the state is the sovereign power that has a hold over the safety and security of its citizens. Since it is a sovereign authority or command of the sovereign, it is being obeyed by the people and thus it becomes the function of the state to ensure that whatever it is that people are obeying is for their betterment or societal welfare. Therefore, the state must have controlled power in order to protect the citizens because otherwise since it is a sovereign command, it might get overthrown as was seen in the French Revolution, when Rousseau stated his theory of the social contract.

Why and How are organizations out of Sync PT 2 Essay

Why and How are organizations out of Sync PT 2 - Essay Example The sole reason that resulted in one getting the given post can always lead us back to the type of manager on is. Basically, every person usually has a dream of being a boss one day and commanding other people to do their work. Once in managerial position, one can clearly see one that fits that position as having leadership qualities from the one who does not (Hickman, 2010). I believe that not all leaders are managers. It is possible to find someone who possesses leaders (Hickman, 2010)hip skills, but is not a manager. Leadership entails one who acts as a leader for others to follow. Leader commands respect and is held responsible for the other people’s affairs. Manager is people who are expected to have management skills in them. Though management and leadership go hand in hand, but in some cases may not. It is possible to have a manager who is not a leader and a leader who is not a manager (Hickman, 2010). In my personal experience while working in a certain private company, it happened that the manager in charge was a friend of the co-founder of the organization. Many workers in the company really disliked him as he always came up with rules to oppress the workers and make their lives in the company harder (Hickman, 2010). He always fired workers who annoyed him and knew that his actions were un-punishable. Looking at this example, this manager showed poor leadership skills (Hickman, 2010). He was unable to lead the people whom he was in charge and somehow abused his role as a manager for personal satisfaction. Leaders are people who place the desires of other people in front of themselves (Hickman, 2010). A true example of a leader is Mahatma Gandhi, who sacrificed his role as a prince to become a religious leader who had influence on the people. Leaders basically lead people towards a common goal, while managers are involved in organizing, controlling, planning

The Octopus Cards Limited Information Technology Essay

The Octopus Cards Limited Information Technology Essay Octopus Cards Limited is wholly owned by Octopus Holdings Limited. The Octopus Cards is a contactless smartcard which can be used for public transport and for others payment and nonpayment application. The Octopus smartcard system was launched in September 1997. Octopus Cards system is the most popular smartcard system in the world with more than 95% market share in Hong Kong. Octopus Cards Limited has over 10m daily transactions and values over HK$90m. In this discussion paper, the innovation and creativity technology adopted by the Octopus Cards limited in Hong Kong will be addressed. Radical and Product innovation Awareness of problem and identify Market needs Being an international financial center, Hong Kong has a well-developed and efficient public transportation network. The increasing number of passengers has created a need and opportunity for transport operators to develop a more comprehensive ticketing system. Ideas Generation of Octopus Cards In the past, besides the use of coins for fare payment, MTR used magnetic plastic cards technology for single journey and its stored value ticket. However, the magnetic plastic cards only can be used in the MTR. In 1993 the MTR took the lead in reviewing its fare collection technology and it was found out the contactless smartcard technology is the most appropriate platform for future need. In 1994, MTR joined with other four major public transport operators namely, KCRC, KMB, Citybus and Hong Kong Yaumati Ferry (HKF) to form a joint venture company named Creative Star Limited (later as Octopus Cards Limited in 2002) to oversee the contactless smartcard systems development and implementation. (Ref: Appendix I) Octopus Technology-Product innovation The Octopus Cards is manufactured by Sony. It has a built-in IC chip and can communicate with different fare processors through the use of card reader/writer. User simply holds the Octopus Card over a reader after hearing a Dong sound, the correct fare amount will be deducted from the card automatically. The features of Octopus Cards are convenient and fast, secure and reliable, efficient and accurate, cost saving, contactless, multi-usage, easy reloading, and can be applied on discounts/loyalty programmes. The reasons for Octopus Cards success Octopus card fulfills the Cooper and Kleinschmidt (1991) three key factors for innovation success: product unique feature, proficiency of predevelopment and market needs (Szeto R. Cheng E., From Creative People to Innovative Organisations, 2010, Pg 157). The company also does well on below: Joint Ventures with other-synergies effect New technology is often risky and when the cost of entry into a new market or the cost of a new product becomes too large, the stakes become too high for a single organization. (Szeto R. Cheng E., From Creative People to Innovative Organisations, 2010, Pg 135) Use Co-operation strategies lead to the success of Octopus. When the MTR management developed the payment system, they co-operated with other transport operators rather than self development of own payment system. Another benefit from joint venture was widen the business network. Octopus system technology allows passengers to travel across multiple public transport modes using one single card. With wide system coverage and support for the public transport operator, Octopus system becomes popular and gains fast acceptance to public. Identify the market needs and consumer behavior. In previous years, the consumer only can use credit card and EPS as an electronic payment tools. However the credit card and EPS cannot be used for small amount of payment. Moreover the credit card company has to review the applicant credit status before approval. Octopus Cards can tackle these market loopholes. Most of passengers are not willing to carry lots of coins, with the advantage of Octopus Cards, it provides a convenient way to them. With its security features, same as store value card, the customers are more willing to use Octopus Cards to buy small value things. In addition, the contactless design also provides convenience to passengers without withdrawing cards from wallets. Innovation and multi usage function Octopus Cards IC chips can storage difference data. As a result, octopus system can be widely used in transport, parking, retail, self service business, leisure facilities, wet markets, school and property access control. Current innovation business Octopus Cards Limited is a newly formed company. The company has clear goal Continuously innovate and delight our customers. Its slogan is Making Everyday Life Easier. Nowadays, 95% of Hong Kong people have at least one Octopus Cards. The company targets on two types of customers: B2B (retail shops, KCR, MTR, etc) and B2C (public). The product life cycle and market has seemed to reach maturity. To sustain the business, the Octopus Cards Limited has adopted customer diffusion to extend the customer base. In October 2005, Octopus Holdings Limited formed three new subsidiaries to target non-payment business of Octopus, which includes Octopus Rewards Limited, Octopus International Projects Limited and Octopus China Investment Limited. (Ref: Appendix II) Non-payment Application The Octopus Rewards Programme is a type of loyalty programme. It allows customers to earn and redeem cash reward, regardless of payment means. With this common platform, participating merchants can offer tailor-made discounts or special offers to their consumers without having any new rewards systems. Over 2.3 million customers have registered for the programme and they can enjoy the benefits at over 20 participating merchants. Incremental product The Octopus Cards Limited broadens their income source by targeting the business on Sold Octopus and Bank Issued Octopus and corporate custom-made octopus. Sold Octopus Cards The Sold octopus is a specially designed Octopus Cards, including key chains, ornaments, watches and commemorative limited edition cards, theres an Octopus to suit your lifestyle. For example: Hello Kitty Octopus Cards. Octopus Cards is not only for the purpose of payment but also becomes a kind of fashion. Bank Issued Octopus Today most people have registered the Automatic Add Value Service (AAVS) to reload the Octopus Cards values. Octopus starts to cross over their products with Credit Card Company. For example: Citibank Octopus Visa card. The customer can enjoy both octopus reward and credit card benefit. Octopus for corporation The Octopus Company creates a compelling marketing tool with a Corporate Octopus, Corporate Mini Octopus, or customized Octopus premium to enhance the corporate image. Process Innovation In the past, Octopus system only can be used on large chain store, e.g., Cafà © De Coral or 7-Eleven etc. The Octopus Cards Limited does not have enough resources to broaden their business to some small stores or small business areas. The expensive installation and monthly charges also create the barrier for the small business to use their product. Recently, Octopus Cards Limited appointed four Octopus service providers: Bank of China, Hang Seng Bank, PCCW, Union Cash Register Co., Ltd. The providers can help rent the octopus reader with a much cheaper monthly fee. Octopus Cards Limited can take advantage of the synergies effect by using the strength of the service providers to penetrate all segments of retail sectors faster. Ideas recommendation for future opportunity Incremental product Resizing the Card Reader Octopus Cards Limited can redesign the current card reader. Octopus Cards involves many design mini-Octopus Cards. But the size card reader and design remain unchanged. The company can design slim size reader, support wireless and 3Generation network. The slim size and 3Gs Octopus Cards Reader can apply in Charity Flag Day, Taxi fare payment or in Newspaper Hawker. In addition, it can be used on online shopping or TV shopping. The slim size card reader can also be installed in laptop and television. The public may use the octopus card reader at home to settle the payment in future. Multi Currencies Support Octopus Cards can use some creative swiping techniques such as Dual Currency Debit Card(à ©Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ £Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ ¡) technique. People can use two types currency Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) or Renminbi (RMB). The Octopus Cards Limited can partner with China Bank to issue these types of Dual Currency Octopus Cards. Cross over Product The Octopus Cards Limited can cooperate with Phone Company. Most peoples have mobile phone and Octopus Cards. These two things become necessary for Hong Kong Peoples lives. Cross over product like the octopus mobile phone can be a future trend. For the process innovation Alliance with credit card company Besides the product innovation, Octopus system can join alliance with Credit Card Company. As credit card system with advance technology and well-developed global network, sharing experience can enhance Octopus system to penetrate to global market easier. Consultancy services Octopus Cards Limited is a success and experienced company on smartcard technology. The company can use its knowledge to provide consultancy service to other countries and to share their technology and services for potential customer. VIP membership card service Nowadays, most people have over a dozen of discount or VIP cards for various shops or restaurants. Carrying them all around is impractical. Octopus can try to develop VIP or loyalty cards. In future, peoples can bring one Octopus Cards to enjoy shopping and VIP service. For the merchant, it can be easier for them to track the consumer usage and spending pattern. Increase customer Satisfaction Today Octopus holder can only check balance and transaction in Octopus Enquiry Machines at MTR stations, some 7-Eleven or Circle-K outlet or PCCW eye device. To enhance the customer needs, Octopus Card can establish platform for card user s to download the transaction statement via the Internet. In addition, with the needs of global market and concern on security issues, the company should shorten the lost card processing time, say, from now 6 hours to real time block card. Conclusion Innovation is the cornerstone of Octopus success. With a clear goal, Octopus Card becomes the most famous innovation product. Product feature and the innovation strategy both are important for the company. In future, Octopus can utilize their competitive advantage and market leader position to formulate more creativity ideas to make our lives easier. Appendix Joint venture shareholder of Octopus Holdings Limited Source from: Octopus Holiding Limited Corporate Structure of Octopus Holdings Limited Source from: Octopus Holiding Limited

Anne Sullivan Macy :: essays research papers

Teacher Anne Sullivan Macy By: Helen Keller Year of Publication: 1955 Anne Sullivan Macy Anne Sullivan Macy was born on April 4, 1866 in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts. Her parents were poor Irish immigrants. Anne had trouble with her eyes her whole life. When Anne was eight years old her mother died and two years later her father left. Anne’s younger sister went to live with relatives and Anne and her younger brother Jimmie were sent to the State Infirmary, the almshouse at Tewksbury. They were sent there because Anne was too blind to be useful and Jimmie was lame with a tubercular hip. Jimmie died a few months later and Anne stayed there for four years. In October of 1880, when Anne was 14, she went to Perkins Institution and learned to read Braille. While she was there she had an operation on her eyes which allowed her to read normally for a limited amount of time. She stayed at Perkins for six years and graduated valedictorian of her class. Anne Sullivan Macy arrived in Tuscumbia, Alabama to be Helen Keller’s teacher on March 3, 1887. She began spelling into Helen’s hand and after about a month Helen â€Å"made contact with reality†. When Helen was older she went to Radcliffe College. Anne â€Å"read† her all the texts that were not available in Braille. This eventually caused Anne to completely lose her sight. A year after Helen graduated from Radcliffe, Anne married John Macy, but their marriage soon broke up because Anne was too dedicated to Helen. Anne’s vision began to deteriorate to the point that she could no longer be sure where she was going in unfamiliar places. She wasn’t well and they didn’t have a lot of money. In early 1913 they went on the lecture circuit. It didn’t take very long before Anne became very sick and they realized that they couldn’t do it alone. Helen decided to accept a pension that she had previously declined from Andrew Carnegie. When Anne was well they went on the road again, but this time Helen’s mother was with them. After this tour they met Miss Polly Thomson who became their secretary. They continued to lecture until 1916 when Helen became so obsessed by the war in Europe that the only thing she could talk about was peace. Soon after, Anne got very ill with a cough that was misdiagnosed as Tuberculosis. She was rushed off to Lake Placid and then went to Puerto Rico where she got the rest that she needed.

History and counseling psychology Essay

When we study human behavior, specifically focusing on the development of personality and crucial to how a person or individual conducts him/herself, psychology offers a variety of dimensions. The concept of personality is central to our attempt to understand ourselves and others and is part of the way in which we account for the differences that contribute to our individuality. Psychologists have been particularly concerned with shaping of the personality in relation to genetic and environmental influences. We have been fortunate that the study of human personality has been thriving and fruitful. We can choose from as many models we can to help us see ourselves better and maintain good relationships (Fall et al. , 2003). Behavior is described and analyzed. On this basis, an attempt to predict behavior is possible, and although this may not thoroughly and completely be accomplished in some endeavors, the basic understanding then is that there are certain expectations concerning how any person would act or decide upon things that are within his conscious awareness. Psychology is of great importance to man since psychological problems are common to group relations, in whatever framework a person or group of individuals come from (Fall et al. , 2003). Black, feminist, and cross-cultural psychologies depart from traditional psychology as these are expansions of the classic approaches but are reflective of more distinct and culturally sensitive perspectives that need to be incorporated. The relevance of integrating such approaches is timely since these have never been thought of before as pertinent hence, timely implementation of these theoretical perspectives is then appreciated (Fall et al. , 2003; Hamm, 1989). It is by separately labeling and providing a distinct area for each of these approaches much the same as their predecessors, and pointing to their current applications that makes this incorporation in the new course interesting and exciting. Due to the increasing technological breakthroughs, communication has never before as quick or speedy and as available as it is now, implying the accessibility of the approaches being introduced as readily as possible. The internet is a visible proof for this fact. At one’s fingertips, materials can be had that even very remote villages or cities in third world countries may be able to see the relevance of the approaches according to their contexts (Hamm, 1989). With this in mind, the application of these viewpoints in one’s role as teacher involves a deeper understanding in those populations that are particularly addressed in the theoretical viewpoints provided (Gloria & Lewis, 1986). As a practitioner on the other hand, the new set of formally accepted perspectives enhances one’s profession in a sense that a new way of looking at individuals and their culture are acceptable already and thus is a welcome addition to the depth of knowledge and insights of human behavior (Aguirre & Turner, 1995; Boisnier, 2003).

Daniele Mariani

Europass Curriculum Vitae Personal information First name(s) / Surname(s) Address(es) Telephone(s) E-mail Nationality Date of birth Daniele MARIANI Via Augusto Sindici, 5 – 00155 Roma +39 062288549 [email  protected] it Italian 20 SETTEMBRE 1985 Mobile: +39 3426467377 Work experience Dates Occupation or position held Name and address of employer Type of business or sector 2005 leaflets Gruppo Interclub – Via Plinio 44 – ROMA SRL Education and trainingDates Title of qualification awarded Principal subjects/occupational skills covered December 2009 – February 26, 2013 Degree in Electronic Engineering (Vote 99/110) Course of study lasting two years, with in-depth professional training in specific fields Electronics Engineering with specialization in Optoelectronics, with main subjects Electronics for Photovoltaics, Optoelectronics, Nano-electronics, Organic Organic Electronics, Electronic high-frequency electronics space , electronic devices and sensors Tit le of the thesis (field of nanoelectronics): â€Å"Electron-phonon interaction in nanoelectronic devices† Supervisor: prof.Alessandro Pecchia Should you wish to check my references, please contact the following people Prof. Alessandro Pecchia – University of Rome Tor Vergata Email: [email  protected] uniroma2. it University of Rome Tor Vergata – Course in Electronic Engineering Degree Level 2 Name and type of organisation providing education and training Level in national or international classification Dates Title of qualification awardedOctober 2004 – November 26, 2009 Degree in Electronic Engineering (Vote 89/110) Page 1/2 – Curriculum vitae of MARIANI Daniele For more information on Europass go to http://europass. cedefop. europa. eu  © European Communities, 2003 20060628 Principal subjects/occupational skills covered Three year course in Electronic Engineering. Thesis title: â€Å"Verification and validation of a control system of railway vehicles nosing† Supervisor: prof. Giuseppe Fazio.Supervisor: Ing. Danilo Longo. Collaboration with the company RFI (Italian Railway Network SpA) for the provision of data for the development of the thesis University of Rome Tor Vergata – Course in Electronic Engineering Degree Level 1 September 1999 – July 2004 Scientific maturity (Vote 92/100) – High School Diploma Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Literature, English, Computer During the school years I have represented my school at the Olympics in MathematicsName and type of organisation providing education and training Level in national or international classification Dates Title of qualification awarded Principal subjects/occupational skills covered Name and type of organisation providing ITIS Giovanni Giorgi – High School for Science and Technology – ROME education and training During secondary school characterized, compared to traditional high school science, lack of education Latin re placed by ‘computer. Other language(s) Mother tongue Self-assessment European level (*) Italian UnderstandingListening A2 Elementary level B1 Reading Intermediate Speaking Spoken interaction Spoken production A2 Elementary level A2 Elementary level B1 Writing Intermediate English (*) Common European Framework of Reference for Languages Social skills and competences Ability to work in a team gained during my college career: the relationship with other graduates has always been of profound respect and full co-operation with maximum availability and to give than to receive explanations, in a perspective of teamwork. From my thesis supervisor was profound for my work.Good ability to communicate effectively, by formulating judgments independently, contributing innovative design may Full cooperation in the management of activities and projects, according to the deadlines and targets. The main goal is customer satisfaction. WORD, POWER POINT, EXCEL (MICROSOFT OFFICE SUITE). Software: PARAVIEW, TIBERCAD (for the simulation of modern nanotechnology and optoelectronics) and basics of MATLAB (in the context of the thesis) Browser: IE, FIREFOX, CHROME Programming languages: C + + (basics) FORTRAN 95 (basics) Programs for data manipulation and plotting graphs: XMGRACE, VEUSZOrganisational skills and competences Technical skills ,Computer skills and competences Driving licence License category â€Å"B† secondary schools Additional information During the degree course, in his spare time I have given tuition in mathematics for students of I authorize the processing of personal data pursuant to Legislative lgs. 196/03 Page 2/2 – Curriculum vitae of MARIANI Daniele For more information on Europass go to http://europass. cedefop. europa. eu  © European Communities, 2003 20060628

Black Inventors and Their Patent Numbers

Black Inventors and Their Patent Numbers There have been many famous African American Inventors who have altered history due to their advancements to fields such as education, science, agriculture, and communication. There are over twenty African American inventors listed below including the unique patent number(s) assigned to their  inventions. William B Abrams #450,550, 4/14/1891Abrams developed the Hame Attachments Part for a draft horses collar. This is  a curved hinge worn on any side of the mouth of a horse or other working animal, such as a cow or pig, that holds the mouth bit to better help the animal in the field.   Elijah Abron #7,037,564, 5/2/2006Abron created substrate sheets with a removable strip that helped to bind papers together. Christopher P. Adams #5,641,658, 6/24/1997Adams put together a method for performing amplification of nucleic acid with two primers bound to a single solid support. This is useful in several ways, for example, for  hybridization assays. James S Adams #1,356,329, 10/19/1920Adams allowed for airplane propelling means.  This created the opportunity for blades to rotate parallel to airflow, in order to lessen a possible drag, if an engine failure were to occur. George Edward Alcorn #4,172,004, 10/23/1979Alcorn developed a method for forming dense dry etched multi-level metallurgy with non-overlapped vias.#4,201,800, 5/6/1980Alcorn also created a hardened photoresist master image mask process.#4,289,834, 9/15/1981Alcorn is responsible for developing a dense dry etched multi-level metallurgy with non-overlapped vias.#4,472,728, 9/18/1984In this patent, Alcorn created an imaging X-ray spectrometer.#4,543,442, 9/24/1985Alcorn developed the GaAs Schottky barrier photo-responsive device and method of fabrication.#4,618,380, 10/21/1986Another patent by Alcorn included the method of fabricating an imaging X-ray spectrometer. Nathaniel Alexander #997,108, 7/4/1911Nathaniel Alexander created the first folding chair for use in churches, school, and group gatherings. Ralph W Alexander #256,610, 4/18/1882This method of planting allowed each hill of two, three or four seeds to be the same distance. This cultivated rows in various directions and also kept a field weedless. Winser Edward Alexander #3,541,333, 11/17/1970Alexander developed a system for enhancing fine detail in thermal photographs; his research furthered expertise in the area of digital signal processing. Charles William Allen #613,436, 11/1/1898Allen created the self-leveling table. This allows for table stabilization and prevents wobbling. Floyd Allen #3,919,642, 11/11/1975Allen provided a low-cost telemeter for monitoring a battery and DC voltage converter power supply. James B. Allen #551,105, 12/10/1895Allen developed a clothes-line support. Modern-Day clothesline support is often adjustable and keeps lines secure to prevent sagging and dipping. James Matthew Allen #2,085,624, 6/29/1937Allen put together a remote control apparatus designed for radio receiving sets. John H Allen #4,303,938, 12/1/1981Allen created a pattern generator for simulating image generation. John S Allen #1,093,096, 4/14/1914Allen developed a package-tie  to strap and secure packages. Robert T Allen #3,071,243, 1/1/1963Allen is responsible for the vertical coin counting tube patent. Tanya R Allen #5,325,543, 7/5/1994Allen developed the undergarment with a pocket for releasably securing an absorbent pad. Virgie M. Ammons #3,908,633, 9/30/1975Ammons invented the fireplace damper actuating tool. Alexander P Ashbourne #163,962, 6/1/1875Ashbourne put together a process for preparing coconut.#170,460, 11/30/1875Ashbourne also developed a biscuit cutter.#194,287, 8/21/1877Along with preparation, Ashbourne developed a process of treating coconut.#230,518, 7/27/1880Ashbourne is responsible for the refining coconut oil patent. Moses T. Asom #5,386,126, 1/31/1995Asom developed semiconductor devices based on optical transitions between quasibound energy levels. Marc Auguste #7,083,512, 8/1/2006Auguste invented a coin and token organizing, holding and dispensing apparatus.

Dealing With Adoption In Middle Age essays

Dealing With Adoption In Middle Age essays In the past, it was assumed that a healthy, well-adjusted adopted person would have no desire to delve into his or her birth history. Those who insisted that they needed this information and access to their birth records were considered to be ungrateful at the least, and seriously disturbed at the worst. However in the early 1990's, after much research and debate, the Australian federal government, under prime minister Paul Keating, passed legislation that all previously secretly and confidentially held adoption records, from the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's should be made available to the adopted public. This effectively meant that all adoption certificates and information would be sent out to adoptees, whether they were or were not aware that they held this status. This report looks at the effect that this legislation had on those people who were unaware that they were adopted. Many of these people are know middle aged and have only recently found out that they were adopted at an early age by their caring parents. Often when people hear the word adoption, they think of an infertile, childless couple delightedly gazing into the eyes of their recently adopted newborn baby. They are thrilled to finally be parents, and are totally involved in meeting the immediate needs of the child (Oskamp and Schultz, 1998). But what about the years that follow? Do the effects of adoption stop the moment that a child comes home to the new parents? I hypothesise that the behavioural responses exhibited by adoptees when discovering this fact, will be the same no matter the age. I also believe that living your entire life with a group of people, people you always thought were your biological family, only to find out that they really are not, would be a very traumatic experience for the individual. The attempt to investigate this hypothesis will be based upon a wide variety research of past studies and expert opinions, gained from a range...

Andersons View of The Grotesque

Anderson's View of The Grotesque In The Book of the Grosteques, the first story of his novel Winesburg, Ohio, Sherwood Anderson introduces the concept of the â€Å"grotesque.† This concept sets up the following stories in the novel, and can also be seen in other modernist texts following the publication of Winesburg, Ohio. Anderson specifically traces the birth of the grotesque back to a time when the world was pure, and a conglomeration of vague thoughts formed beautiful truths: â€Å"Man made the truths himself and each truth was a composite of a great many vague thoughts. All about in the world were the truths and they were all beautiful† (Anderson 12-14). However, people began to take up these truths and attempted to make them their own. What resulted was a distortion of these truths: they were turned into lies, and the people themselves became grotesque upon attempting to own these truths. The moment one of the people took one of the truths to himself, called it his truth, and tried to live his li fe by it, he became a grotesque and the truth he embraced became a falsehood† (Anderson 15-17). In developing his idea of grotesqueness, Anderson not only provides a key into how to read Winesburg, Ohio, but also articulates a way to portray characters by reducing them to a single characteristic. Modernist authors following Anderson, specifically Virginia Woolf and William Faulkner, latched onto this notion and created characters who defined themselves by a singular truth. Although effective, the implementation of this type of character as one-dimensional and symbolic becomes problematic in its oversimplification. These characters represent particular aspects of humanity, but the humanity is lost on them due to their lack of complexity. There is a distance between the reader and the read, because they are not believable, organic characters only caricatures. In her novel Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf expands on Anderson’s notion through the character of Peter Walsh. Woolf’s approach differs from Anderson’s in that some of her characters are grotesque in order to display the complexity of other characters, such as Clarissa Dalloway. The juxtaposition of Peter Walsh and Clarissa Dalloway positions Peter as an inadequate foil. They are by no means equally represented; Peter’s follies and vanities are exaggerated. Instead of sympathizing with Peter, we are disgusted by him. Clarissa is allowed both faults and triumphs, and her character is constructed as a human being rather than as a gross distortion of a few human characteristics. To follow suit with Anderson, Peter Walsh â€Å"snatches up† the truths of romantic love and youth. His dripping sentimentality serves as a threat to Clarissa’s impenetrability. Because Peter’s grotesque character is created to embody these truths, readers begin to conflate romantic love with his portrayal. This leaves few alternatives for love in the world of Mrs. Dalloway. The reader spurns Peter in favor of Clarissa, who has no room for this type of love: â€Å"Peter is her version of that repulsive brute with blood-red nostrils, human nature, and of that sexual and spiritual defilement it demands—that passionate and penetrating and soul-destroying love† (Spilka 332). Peter vacillates between resenting Clarissa and loving her completely. Clarissa’s powerful yet subtle presence is able to bring proud Peter to his knees, despite his superficial background of â€Å"journeys; rides; quarrels; adventures; bridge parties; love affairs; work’ work, work† (Woolf 46). Clarissa’s maintenance of a private self is perceived by Peter as â€Å"coldness.† However, when Woolf gives us such limited options, between Peter’s maudlin love and Clarissa’s platonic, subtle love, we choose Clarissa each time, in fear of the penetrating and soul-destroying love† that Peter represents and in favor of Clarissa’s â€Å"privacy of the soul† (Spilka 332; Woolf 138). Peter’s constant self-aggrandizement creates an unflattering portrait of an older man in love who has not yet matured. One of his more unflattering moments occurs during his chase of the young woman dressed in black. During this chase he views himself to be â€Å"an adventurer, reckless, he thought, swift, daring, indeed (landed as he was last night from India) a romantic buccaneer, careless of all these damned proprieties†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Woolf 57). For the one-dimensional Peter, this woman is a one-dimensional symbol of his youthful fire, which he revels in. After nearly two pages of this illusion, Peter gives up the chase in order to revel in the fantasy. The reader experiences the predictable, appalling deflation: â€Å"The girl, silk-stockinged, feathered, evanescent, but not to him particularly attractive (for he had had his fling) alighted† (Woolf 58). This unrealistic, chauvinistic fantasy serves to appall the reader and reveal the capricious nature of Peter†™s affections. Peters idealization of youth and his pride in understanding youth suggest a resistance against the natural process of aging: â€Å"for he understood young people, he liked them† (Woolf 52). His marriage to Daisy exemplifies his desire to hold on to youth. His inner monologues are riddled with judgments. In â€Å"Notes on the Grotesque,† James Schevill explains, â€Å"the grotesque is often beautiful because it is openly human and exposed† (Schevill 235). Unlike Woolfs detestable Peter Walsh, William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury portrays a more beautiful kind of grotesque. In the beginning of his section, the troubled Quentin Compson evokes the reader’s sympathy in a way that Peter Walsh cannot. This is because we believe Quentin’s torment to be poignant and justified, and we are drawn in by his pain and eloquence. However, as his section progresses, Quentin’s behavior becomes more erratic and less beautiful. His discussions with his father, coupled with his attempt to lure his sister into death or incest expose Quentin as a grotesque, inseparable from his obsessive, skewed perceptions of morality. In Mrs. Dalloway, Peter’s one-dimensionality serves to position Clarissa as a more complex and balanced character. In the case of Quentin and Caddy Compson, Quentin actually narrows Caddy’s character, bringing her down into his distorted vision. Through Quentin’s eyes, we see Caddy and Caddy’s â€Å"sin† as one. The reality is carried through this conflation without objection until the momentum of Quentin’s grief is interrupted with a memory of a conversation with Jason Compson, his father. The father and son are discussing the worth of virginity. Quentin remembers his father’s justification for his son’s torment: And Father said it’s because you are a virgin: don’t you see? Women are never virgins. Purity is a negative state and therefore contrary to nature. It’s nature is hurting you not Caddy and I said That’s just words and he said So is virginity and I said you don’t know. You cant know and he said Yes. On the instant when we realize that tragedy is second-hand (Faulkner 116). Through Mr. Compson, Faulkner gives a more objective (yet cynical) view of Quentin’s obsession with purity. It is here that we begin to see the irrationality of Quentin’s actions and the distorted vicariousness of his pain. This distortion ultimately results in Quentin’s suicide, but long before this, he wishes for a double suicide on the day that Caddy loses her virginity: â€Å"I held the point of the knife at her throat/it wont take but a second just a second then I can mine I can do mine then† (Faulkner 152). Even once Caddy consents, Quentin cannot bring himself to kill his sister. He reaches for something just as tragic, leading Caddy to the ditch where Nancy’s bones lie. Nothing comes of this, but the bewildered reader looks on with uncomprehending horror at Quentin’s obsession. Quentin feels either form of â€Å"death† could baptize him and Caddy so intensely that they will both be made clean again. Unable to emerge from his eg o and his family, Quentin sees salvation as an immersion in his particular kind of love. Karl F. Zender sheds light on Quentin’s puzzling attempt to solve his moral dilemmas: â€Å"Clearly, Quentin wishes to understand his incest fantasies as asexual in origin and atemporal in effect. They are, he believes, a way of rescinding Caddy’s sexual initiation†¦and, by extension, of denying the descent of the Compson family and of the South into the modern age† (Zender 747).

Module 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Module 8 - Essay Example It is also common for temple walls to be adorned with sculptures of scroll-like foliage, images of women, and couples exhibiting romantic scenes. These human figures are voluptuous, curved, and appear to be in perpetual motion, representing growth, prosperity, and abundance, and were regarded as auspicious motifs (India Netzone,2009). A famous example of a temple with ornate scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata is the Virupaksha temple, the biggest temple located in Pattadakal which is a World Heritage Site. Another, the Hutchimali Temple, displays a sculpture of Vishnu sitting on top of a large cobra. A third, the Ravalphadi cave temple, is a celebration of the many forms of Shiva. These temples depict the gods in human forms or derivations thereof – e.g., Vishnu is sometimes shown as a male form with four arms representing his wide-reaching power. The human form is therefore deified in Hindu architecture. References: Acharya, Prasanna Kumar (1946). An Encyclopaedia o f Hindu Architecture. Oxford University Press. India Netzone (2009) ‘Hindu Art’. IndiaNetzone. 10 Aug 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2012 from http://www.indianetzone.com/42/hindu_art.htm Rajan, K.V. Soundara (1998). Rock-Cut Temple Styles. Somaiya Publications: Mumbai. ISBN 81-7039-218-7 http://www.google.com.ph/imgres?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1036&bih=602&tbm=isch&tbnid=7XMgE3Kxs5sNSM:&imgrefurl=http://www.viasingapore.com/author/admin/&docid=6C8I_lf8GUOvbM&imgurl=http://www.viasingapore.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/vacation_645x320-1.jpg&w=645&h=320&ei=gyF5UPHFK8HPrQetoYHYCw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=114&vpy=331&dur=1799&hovh=158&hovw=319&tx=127&ty=136&sig=113358727395579824739&page=1&tbnh=133&tbnw=266&start=0&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:0,i:100 Category B (3) Discuss the contemporary art of Meera Mukherjee's Ashoka at Kalinga. How does her art embody the past with the present? Meera Mukherjee is a modern Indian sculptor whose artistic efforts were directed at incorporating local, traditional, and non-western themes and techniques, with those of the international, modern, and western approaches. Her masterpiece, Ashoka at Kalinga, exhibits both the influences of her German training and her stay with the Bastar tribe in central India, where she studied their unique method of casting bronze. Ashoka was a great emperor who ruled during the 3rd century B.C., specifically the last major emperor of the Mauryan dynasty. The conquest of Kalinga, a country on the east coast; the battle was Ashoka’s only aggressive war. It lasted a full year and turned out triumphant but bloody, during which 100,000 people were slain, 150,000 were taken into captivity, and an untold number died of starvation. Severely distressed by the violence of war, Ashoka thereafter rejected war and adopted Buddhism as his empire’s official religion. Drawing upon this significant segment of India’s history, Mukherjee used Ashoka at Kalinga as a means of peaceful protest against the political violence in late 20th century India. By depicting a moment in her country’s past through her sculpture, she was able to make a connection with the present events with the same timeless message – the rejection of violence. Aside from the theme, Mukherjee

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 14

Case Study Example It is mainly written from the perspective of the business and the compulsions and challenges that they have to meet in order to survive and compete within the highly volatile market. Looking from the health care perspective, the articles become highly relevant as they tend to focus on influencing the decision making process of the end users. Healthcare imperatives have increasing become hugely important for the customers. In the age of advancing technology, the customer has become more empowered with informed choices on the subject. The internet facilitates not only research but also the medication. Berndt says that anticipating needs of the customers and help developing customized report that meet the specific healthcare needs of the customer can give distinct boost to influence customer’s decision making processes. While the availability of treatment is available on the net, the Online Analytical Processing or OLAP offers customized reports on specific topic based on his unique needs rather than trend. Thus, customers are better equipped with information that suits his healthcare needs vis-Ã  -vis detail information about illness, medication, specialists based on geographical location etc. Veccia’s article is a wake-up call for businesses to evolve new ways of identifying customers’ changing preferences and helping them meet. In the current times, speed, differentiation and scalability have become extremely critical inputs which the traditional marketing research cannot meet. Hence, competitors’ offering, attributes associated with product and research that correlates these attributes to the requirements of customers become important factors. She suggests that forced choice technique greatly helps to identify the characteristics that are preferred and speeds up the process of new product development or value addition to the product. This applies to the healthcare products also. Indeed, Berndt’s proposal for preparing customized

Principles and practice of leadership and management Essay

Principles and practice of leadership and management - Essay Example According to Egri and Herman, contingent leadership theories are those that predict relations while Hartog (1999) in an in-depth research on culturally implicit theories observes that contingent theories are twofold as attributes embraced in one culture may be discouraged in another. Since there are myriads of these theories, many of them overlap to an extent that merges others into a whole i.e. the transactional, laissez-faire, and transformational/charismatic leadership. Egri and Herman defined transactional leaders as those in charge of subordinates’ work performance to achieve a certain goal whereas the transformational leaders are those that inspire others to achieve their goals, visions, and missions by empowering them.Egri and Herman added that of particular importance in leadership is the behavior of the leader since it acts as a gauge on how to handle his or her subordinates, peers and superiors. Thus shaded light that highly effective leaders are those that are able to use multiple approaches such as human resource, structural, political, symbolic among others to ensure that they influence the team towards achieving their objectives.Culturally based theories expound leadership attributes that are ingrained in any particular culture. He argues that criterion used by different societies to consider one as a leader is of paramount importance since, across cultures, they are quite different if not complex behaviors and attributes that are critically looked for in leadership and may differ in different cultures.... e in charge of subordinates’ work performance to achieve a certain goal whereas the transformational leaders are those that inspire others to achieve their goals, visions and missions by empowering them. Egri and Herman (pp.6) added that of particular importance in leadership is the behavior of the leader since it acts as a gauge on how to handle his or her subordinates, peers and superiors. Thus shaded light that highly effective leaders are those that are able to use multiple approaches such as human resource, structural, political, symbolic among others to ensure that they influence the team towards achieving their objectives. Culturally based theories expound leadership attributes that are ingrained in any particular culture, (Hartog 1999 p.7). He argues that criterion used by different societies to consider one as a leader are of paramount importance since across cultures, they are quite different if not complex behaviors and attributes that are critically looked for in l eadership and may differ in different cultures. This makes the cultural conception of the most characteristics of a leader to vary. Hartog continues to highlight that the Implicit Leadership Theories (ILTs) have over time been employed to explain leadership attributes and perceptions. These theories are based on the general attributes that are universally considered in a leader across cultures. As aforementioned, the ILTs are formed with universally accepted elements such as categorization, prototype etc. which are the backbone of these theories. These theories are employed in almost all the main leadership theories as the root systems for their existence. For instance, in discussing the transactional, laissez-faire and transformational theories, (Hartog 1999, Egri &Herman 2000) the key

Tyrannical Manner of Governance and the French Revolution Essay

Tyrannical Manner of Governance and the French Revolution - Essay Example The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens provides that everyone is entitled to their opinion. They should not find any disturbance, provided they maintain public order. In addition, Robespierre made comparisons of terror to other principles of the society. Such principles included justice and promptness in the achievement of democracy. According to him, there was an urgency in the application of democracy and the use of terror could lead to the production of the virtues of democracy. The declaration provides the prohibition of injurious actions to the society and that only the law stipulates the requirements of the actions of the society. In my opinion, I disagree with Robespierre that the terror was necessary. This is because he provoked and assumed the strong beliefs and feelings of the people, in relation to their rights. It was wrong for the Robespierre to make terror a government policy for the achievement of political goals. In today’s world, governments are putting efforts to ensure the elimination of terror. I consider the status of the French revolution as a terrorist act, where the government is the mastermind of the terror attack. Robespierre himself was a lawyer and his job entailed the protection of the constitution. He knew that it was a criminal offense to take action to a criminal through mob violence. Therefore, the use of terror was due to fear on his part in the achievement of the governments’ goals. The majority will always have their way in the society. The people of France had become indifferent to the revolution. This is because it involved military conscription and the use of thre ats to the people, in a bid to change their lifestyle. The use of terror was an unfortunate event to the people who were hostile to the revolution. It is in order for the relevant authorities to take wrongdoers to court, where they receive judgment.

Solar Energy Power (Photovoltaic Systems) Dissertation

Solar Energy Power (Photovoltaic Systems) - Dissertation Example The paper tells that solar energy has been the most dominant energy source since the dawn of civilization, though indirectly. But with the rise of industries and heavy machinery, solar energy has lost its importance and the use of fossil fuels has become commonplace. But as early as the 1970s, there have been researchers enjoining governments to find alternative energy sources. For example, in 1971 Farrington Daniels said: As [coil, oil and gas] diminish, atomic and solar energy will eventually become important: atomic energy in large multi-million-dollar installations near large cities and in areas where solar radiation is low, and solar energy in small inexpensive units n rural areas where solar radiation is abundant and the cost of electric transmission is high. Meanwhile in 1973 another researcher, George O.G. Là ¶f said that the man has to find other energy sources as the use of fossil fuel is unsustainable. For him, the development of technology that captures solar power is mu ch more important. He expounds: The raw energy, in the form of electromagnetic radiation, reaches the earth’s atmosphere at a rate of 170 trillion kilowatts. Even after about one-fourth is scattered into space by clouds and dust, the quantity of energy reaching the land area of the United States is more than 700 times the current demand for all types of energy. For Là ¶f, fossil fuels have to be replaced with renewable sources of energy because its inventory is finite and will soon run out. Moreover, as supply of petrol fuels decrease, its cost will increase steeply. More than 40 years after Lof’’s pronouncements, the world is now experiencing the repercussions of the indiscriminate use of petrol fuels. For one, price of petrol fuels are at record high levels. As of April 2, 2012, the price of unleaded petrol is recorded at ?141/liter, up by ?1.5 from the previous week (Department of Energy and Climate Change 2012a). Meanwhile diesel is at ?147.7/liter from ?14 6.6 the previous week (Department of Energy and Climate Change 2012a). As the price of petrol fuels increase, so do the prices of products and services that use it. Proof of this is the updated report released by the Office for National Statistics which rated inflation as of February 2012 at 3.4% and consumer price index for electricity, gas and other fuels at 142.9 compared to 130.3 in December 2011 (Gooding 2012). Aside from the increasing energy prices, there is also the issue of climate change, which is believed to be the outcome of the rapid build-up of greenhouse in the atmosphere because of anthropogenic activities. To avert the devastating effects of climate change, numerous countries adopted the Kyoto Protocol which mandated signatories to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, particularly, carbon (UNFCCC 2012). This has prompted the parliament to pass the first legally binding framework to tackle the dangers of climate change – the Climate Change Act of 2007. But th is was just the start of legislation aimed to protect the environment. In 2008, the first Energy Act was given the Royal Assent to provide support to new technologies aimed at capturing carbon and developing emerging renewable technologies. Thanks to these laws, solar power has been rediscovered and is now one of the most promoted renewable source of energy because it can be found anywhere. In a speech by Greg Barker (2011) he said, â€Å"to date, solar has been by far the most popular technology with consumers. It is easy to see why: it’s simple, accessible, reliable and fits discreetly into homes and communities†. An advocate of decentralized energy generation (or microgeneration), Barker launched the feed-in-tariffs (FITs) for households and communities wanting to install a solar photovoltaic (PV) system. This way, people can invest in â€Å"small-scale low-carbon electricity, in return for a guaranteed payment from an

Sale & Marketing assisgnment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sale & Marketing assisgnment - Essay Example Only quantifiable data are being grouped together and evaluated in this type of research. Qualitative research instead spawns non-numerical data. It emphasises on the collection of mainly verbal facts rather than quantities. Gathered material is then studied and produced in an explanatory and subjective manner (Patna, 2010). This gives us a slight idea of the area of concentration of both the research studies. Now let us do a comparison and evaluation of both the research methods. First of all we have to determine the goal of each research method. The key aim of a Quantitative Research emphasises more in counting and categorising features, and building geometric/statistical models, figures or simulations to explain the observations (Creswell, 2003). Qualitative Research in contrast delivers a complete descriptive explanation of the research topic. Like the name suggests, its results are not quantifiable but rather a detailed description of the analysis and observations made. Next we have to determine the usage of both the researches. Qualitative Research is best used for earlier stages of research projects, whereas Quantitative Research is recommended for the concluding part of the research (Experiment-Resources.com, 2009). Quantitative Research offers the researcher a clearer depiction of what to anticipate in his research as opposed to Qualitative Research. Here we compare the tools of gathering data in both the researches. Quantitative Research uses questionnaires, forms, surveys and other tools to collect statistical or quantifiable data (Dawson, 2002). In Qualitative Research, the researcher aids as the key data gathering tool (Experiment-Resources.com, 2009). The researcher can use various data-gathering approaches, depending upon the manner of the research. Examples of data-collecting strategies used in Qualitative Research can be focus groups, individual comprehensive interviews, descriptions, structured and

Solar Energy Power (Photovoltaic Systems) Dissertation

Solar Energy Power (Photovoltaic Systems) - Dissertation Example The paper tells that solar energy has been the most dominant energy source since the dawn of civilization, though indirectly. But with the rise of industries and heavy machinery, solar energy has lost its importance and the use of fossil fuels has become commonplace. But as early as the 1970s, there have been researchers enjoining governments to find alternative energy sources. For example, in 1971 Farrington Daniels said: As [coil, oil and gas] diminish, atomic and solar energy will eventually become important: atomic energy in large multi-million-dollar installations near large cities and in areas where solar radiation is low, and solar energy in small inexpensive units n rural areas where solar radiation is abundant and the cost of electric transmission is high. Meanwhile in 1973 another researcher, George O.G. Là ¶f said that the man has to find other energy sources as the use of fossil fuel is unsustainable. For him, the development of technology that captures solar power is mu ch more important. He expounds: The raw energy, in the form of electromagnetic radiation, reaches the earth’s atmosphere at a rate of 170 trillion kilowatts. Even after about one-fourth is scattered into space by clouds and dust, the quantity of energy reaching the land area of the United States is more than 700 times the current demand for all types of energy. For Là ¶f, fossil fuels have to be replaced with renewable sources of energy because its inventory is finite and will soon run out. Moreover, as supply of petrol fuels decrease, its cost will increase steeply. More than 40 years after Lof’’s pronouncements, the world is now experiencing the repercussions of the indiscriminate use of petrol fuels. For one, price of petrol fuels are at record high levels. As of April 2, 2012, the price of unleaded petrol is recorded at ?141/liter, up by ?1.5 from the previous week (Department of Energy and Climate Change 2012a). Meanwhile diesel is at ?147.7/liter from ?14 6.6 the previous week (Department of Energy and Climate Change 2012a). As the price of petrol fuels increase, so do the prices of products and services that use it. Proof of this is the updated report released by the Office for National Statistics which rated inflation as of February 2012 at 3.4% and consumer price index for electricity, gas and other fuels at 142.9 compared to 130.3 in December 2011 (Gooding 2012). Aside from the increasing energy prices, there is also the issue of climate change, which is believed to be the outcome of the rapid build-up of greenhouse in the atmosphere because of anthropogenic activities. To avert the devastating effects of climate change, numerous countries adopted the Kyoto Protocol which mandated signatories to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, particularly, carbon (UNFCCC 2012). This has prompted the parliament to pass the first legally binding framework to tackle the dangers of climate change – the Climate Change Act of 2007. But th is was just the start of legislation aimed to protect the environment. In 2008, the first Energy Act was given the Royal Assent to provide support to new technologies aimed at capturing carbon and developing emerging renewable technologies. Thanks to these laws, solar power has been rediscovered and is now one of the most promoted renewable source of energy because it can be found anywhere. In a speech by Greg Barker (2011) he said, â€Å"to date, solar has been by far the most popular technology with consumers. It is easy to see why: it’s simple, accessible, reliable and fits discreetly into homes and communities†. An advocate of decentralized energy generation (or microgeneration), Barker launched the feed-in-tariffs (FITs) for households and communities wanting to install a solar photovoltaic (PV) system. This way, people can invest in â€Å"small-scale low-carbon electricity, in return for a guaranteed payment from an

Future Developments of Video Games Essay Example for Free

Future Developments of Video Games Essay The field of video games is one of the most exciting because it is constantly developing and advancing so quickly. Unlike a lot of areas of ICT which have reached a level of stability, all parts of games, gaming and games development are still growing and will continue to grow. This means there is the potential for individuals to have completely new ideas and be the first to create something in the field. The popularity of games is growing exponentially, with more and more people discovering an interest and passion for games all the time. A game now will reach a much larger, international audience and games developers can bring enjoyment to a vast array of people. Console manufacturers, games developers and other involved in the game industry and notoriously secretive about new projects being developed until they are almost ready for announcement and release and even then sometimes games and products can be cancelled at the last minute. All employees working in the industry have to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) most of the time which forbids them legally from revealing any of their companys secrets. Releasing any information about a product could potentially jeopardise its sales. Technology evolves in amazingly rapid speeds. If you need any real observable proof of the speedy advancement of digital technology over the years, take a look at the gaming industry. From the very early years of black-and-white 2D games like Pong (1972) to the first 3D game, 3D Monster Maze in 1981, and from primitive first-person shooters like Wolfenstein 3D (1992) to complex, life-like shooters like Battlefield 3 (2011), there’s no doubt that the gaming industry has seen its fair share of technological evolution. Hardware Developments Each new generation of console hardware made use of the rapid development of processing technology. Newer machines could output a greater range of colours, more sprites, and introduced graphical technologies such as scaling, and vector graphics. One way console makers marketed these advances to consumers was through the measurement of bits. The TurboGrafx-16, Sega Genesis, and SNES were among the first consoles to advertise the fact that they contained 16-bit processors. This fourth generation of console hardware was often referred to as the 16-bit era, and the previous generation as the 8-bit. The bit-value of a console referred to the word length of a consoles processor (although the value was sometimes misused, for example the TurboGrafx 16 had only an 8-bit CPU, and the Genesis/Mega Drive had the 16/32-bit Motorola 68000, but both had a 16-bit dedicated graphics processor). As the graphical performance of console hardware is dependent on many factors, using bits was a crude way to gauge a consoles overall ability. For example the NES, Commodore 64, Apple II, and Atari 2600 all used a very similar 8-bit cpu. The difference in their processing power is due to other causes. For example the Commodore 64 contains 64 kilobytes of RAM and the Atari has much less at 128 bytes of RAM. The jump from 8 bit machines to 16 bit machines to 32 bit machines made a noticeable difference in performance, so consoles from certain generations are frequently referred to as 8 bit or 16 bit consoles. However, the bits in a console are no longer a major factor in their performance. The Nintendo 64, for example has been outpaced by several 32 bit machines. Its only inevitable that gaming hardware is going to constantly be improved, with more processing power, graphics capabilities, sound quality and memory capacity. The input method using a controller has drastically developed over the years beginning with a clunky controller and simple joystick on arcade games, the video game controller has evolved to be ergonomically designed to feel comfortable to avoid injuries such as the ones in the repetitive strain injury group or carpal tunnel syndrome. Most modern controllers are designed with the relaxed position of the hands in mind, resulting in the pronged design that reduces soreness and cramps after extended use, compared to older pads such as the NES or the Sega Master System. There are still a vast array of input methods to create an even more immersive experience, these include: steering wheel, pedals, light guns, dance pads, balance board, fishing rod, microphone and rhythm game controllers (drums and guitars). Many of these have been specifically designed to be used for a certain game or gaming series, such as guitar hero for example. The evolution of the controller to include more buttons p roves that video games themselves are advancing as more buttons are required to complete different tasks within the game. New input methods are being developed to make the gaming experience more enjoyable and interactive, such as being able to control the character by body movement with sensor pads or clothing such as gloves. This type of input method can be seen back in the EyeToy for Playstation 2 which used a video camera. Most recently this market had been taken by storm with the introduction of the Wii and its totally unique controls. Many console manufactures have adopted this technique can be seen in the Playstation Move and the Xbox Kinect which both involve the player as a means of controlling the game instead of pressing buttons. This means of input is being pushed forward by many of the console manufacturers as it removes the stigma of video games being only for people who sit down all day and are lazy, and they are also seen as an alternative to exercising. The gaming industry has helped develop graphics and sound technology that can be incorporated as VR (Virtual Reality). An early 1990s attempt at a headset for console gaming and for hobbyists, was made by Future Vision Technologies. A modern example would be the Wii where the controller tracks and sends motion input accurately. There is also a new VR headset system in development designed specifically for gaming called the Oculus Rift. The headset provides approximately a 110 degree field of view, absolute head orientation tracking, USB interface and a 1200800 resolution with the final consumer version aimed at 19201080. Some of the future games that will support the Oculus Rift includes Doom 4, Strike Suit Zero, Team Fortress 2, Miner Wars 2081, Minecraft and many more. Virtual reality has always been something that was portrayed in movies and television shows as something that will be the future of gaming. Attempts at creating it in the past have not shown popular results. However, it is something which is becoming more of a reality as technology advances, although whether we will ever reach the point of it becoming the standard of gaming is yet to be seen. Software Development The aim of software development is usually to reach a new level of realism or immersion. As processing power and memory increase, enhanced art and animation are able to be created. This allows images and movement to be more realistic. In the early days of first-person shooters, non-player characters (NPCs) had the intelligence of nicely rounded rocks. But theyve been getting much better lately look no further than Half-Lifes storytelling NPCs and Unreal Tournaments excellent bot AI. The market success of titles such as these has prompted developers to put more effort into AI, so it looks as if smarter NPCs will continue to show up in games. AI researchers rarely use computer games for their research, outside of classic board and card games such as chess, checkers, and bridge. Possibly they see most game AI problems as simple engineering problems. This view has not been completely unjustified because often the goal of game AI is not to create intelligence, but to improve gameplay through the illusion of intelligent behaviour. Many of the techniques used to improve the illusion of intelligence have nothing to do with intelligence, but involve cheats, such as giving game AIs extra production capability or the ability to see through walls, or faking it by creating bots that talk to each other but completely ignore what is said. There also has been a drift in AI research toward problems and approaches where precise empirical evaluation is possible. Needless to say, gameplay isnt something that todays AI researchers feel comfortable evaluating. Although there is currently a significant gap between game developers and AI researchers, that gap is starting to close. The inevitable march of Moores law is starting to free up significant processing power for AI, especially with the advent of graphics cards that move the graphics processing off the CPU. The added CPU power will make more complex game AI possible. Still, game developers should still be wary of AI researchers who say, My algorithm doesnt run in real time right now, but just wait. In a few more years, Im sure the processing power will be there. A second, equally powerful force that is closing the gap is sociological. Students who grew up loving computer games are getting advanced degrees in AI. This has the dual effect of bringing game research to universities and university research to game companies already there are at least five AI Ph.D.s at game companies. AI researchers are discovering that building interesting synthetic characters in computer games is much more than just an engineering problem. Moreover, games provide cheap, robust, immersive environments for pursuing many of the core AI issues. They could be the catalyst for a rebirth in research on human-level AI The final force is the game-playing public, who are starting to demand better AI. With the saturation in the quality of computer graphics, better physics and AI are the two technologies that have the most potential to improve gameplay. Players are looking for more realistic AIs to populate their worlds with interesting non-player characters (as in The Sims) and humanlike opponents who must be out-thought and not just out-shot (and who dont cheat). AI can also provide dynamic game control, adjusting the gameplay based on how the game is played. Imagine playing a first-person shooter where the AI not only reacts to your behaviour, but also anticipates your actions by using an internal model of the way you play the game to make its plan. It also adjusts its skill at the tactical level to match yours, so that the game is never a blowout for either side. What can computer game developers do to hasten the collaboration of developers and AI researchers? The most important thing is to make commercial computer game interfaces available to AI researchers. Developers of games such as Unreal, Quake, and Half-Life publish DLLs, making it possible for not only hobbyists but also AI researchers to build bots that play games. If developers from other genres such as real-time strategy games follow suit, you would see an explosion of research on AI for these games. Game developers can also join AI researchers in discussing AI problems and solutions in open forums. There is now a yearly symposium sponsored by the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) on AI and interactive entertainment that brings together game developers and AI researchers. Building good AIs is hard and difficult work. Automated learning approaches such as neural nets and genetic algorithms can tune a well-defined set of behavioural parameters, but they are grossly inadequate when it comes to creating synthetic characters with complex behaviours automatically from scratch. There is no magic in AI, except for the magic that emerges when a great programmer works very hard. With the development of artificial intelligence, NPC characters are becoming cleverer. It is predicted that this AI will continue to offer more and more realistic opponents who can think almost like a human. New Technologies It is becoming more popular to connect the Xbox 360 to a Windows PC, which is easily possible as both are Microsoft products. XNA is a set of tolls which allowed games to be built for Xbox and tested through this connectivity. Where hobbyists had been frowned upon by consol manufacturers in the past, Microsoft are positively encouraging homebrew gaming. They run competitions to find newly developed XNA games and release them on Xbox Live Arcade. This is not only evidence of the future of homebrew games and hobbyist being accepted, but it also signals the integration of console with other media equipment with the seventh generation being best known for major consoles branching out into other types of media rather than solely focusing on games. All three consoles offer basic abilities such as photo-viewing, listening to music and browsing the web, as well as the ability to connect to external memory such as USB flash drives and SD cards. The Xbox 360s DVD player was plagued by quality issues but other media options became available later such as an external HD-DVD drive (now a dead standard), Zune downloadable content, Netflix streaming and Last.fm internet radio. PlayStation 3, on the other hand, offered HD movie playback out of the box via Blu-ray in addition to later services like Netflix streaming, and Qriocity music. This new generation for the first time has all of the major consoles focusing on online integration. All three have their own connection services: Wiis Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, Xbox Live, and PlayStation Network. Competition has branched now from simply offering the best games to the best online content; smaller games can now be purchased and downloaded from online stores within the consoles, and extra applications such as Netflix streaming and Facebook connectivity are heavily supported. Almost all games sold in retail have online support, including online multiplayer and downloadable content for bug patches and new features, potentially increasing replay value in certain games for even years. Another notable feature in current-gen gaming is the use of avatar characters. Nintendo first introduced Miis with the Wii console, caricatures of players that could be created and used in flagship titles such as Wii Sports; however they lack the ability to customize that Xboxs avatars have, as clothes and accessories can be purchased online or unlocked in games played. PlayStation 3, instead of an in-game character, offers PlayStation Home, a social simulator where avatars can talk and explore, and customize their homes with elements from games played. This basic idea allows the person playing the games to have a more personalised feel to their console and that they have become truly integrated with it. The console is becoming a central element that is integrated into a whole media system. People may become to get rid of their stereos and DVD players as this one central piece of equipment makes many other defunct. It may even be that in the future the console is the integral part for controlling a house, including the lighting, temperature and other devices. With more reliable and faster internet connections, the technology of cloud computing has begun to gain some momentum. The Sims creator Will Wright embraces the idea of cloud gaming as a crucial part of the future of the industry. For one thing, the gaming industry sees it as an opportunity to make games as easy to access as music and movies.

Success Factors for Business Growth

Success Factors for Business Growth The purpose of this paper is to search and identify the critical success factors related to growth of the organizations in todays uncertain business environment. The research is exploratory and descriptive in nature. Initially, an overview of the importance of identifying the critical success factors in organizational strategy for growth is given. Later on the concept is delineated to the importance of innovation in the organizational strategy as the most revolutionary factor to gain the competitive advantage in domestic and international platform. The role of leaders in the growth prospects through fostering innovation and especially social innovation is explored from the literature. The paper also gives guidelines for advance research by identifying the research gaps. Globalization and its effects on business and management had led the academics to acknowledge the importance of innovation and its crucial role in the growth and sustainability of an organization (Gupta et al. 1986). Critical success factors are defined as the key performance areas which are crucial for the achievement of organizational goals. With the arrival of globalization both techno-globalization (Henderson Clark 1990) and social globalization (ILO 2008) the need for innovation as a major critical success factor is obligatory to build and maintain competitive advantage. Different types of innovation (product, service, and business model, social) are found to be tightly integrated with the supervision top-management. Several issues related to innovative strategies regarding growth of an organization are discussed in the literature review. Overview of the Literature The foremost purpose of any organization whether it is big or small, local or international, profit or no-profit, is to meet the needs of its customers, employees, partners or alliances, shareholders and the communities that are going to benefit from its business. To successfully accomplish the predefined objectives a company designs a strategy which reflects the mission and vision of the organization. Tasks from top to bottom level of the organization are such divided and assigned so as to ensure the alignment of the whole organizational functions towards a common goal to be met within certain time limits. Strategy leads to the recognition of certain key factors that are immensely required for the fulfillment of the goals and without performing well in those key factors the success of the organization seems doomed. These factors are called the critical success factors. These CSFs are often completely under consideration of the top management but not often unequivocally communicated to the layers of management. Once communicated these factors help the whole organization to be well integrated and aligned towards the achievement of the common organizational goals (Caralli 2004). Critical Success Factors Studies on the critical success factors originated from the studies by Daniel (1961) as the important factor that must be coupled with the organizational goals in order to facilitate organizational administration and management control. Research showed that with the evolution of information technology the organizations were confronted with a information holocaust and even after having so much information the top management was unable to filter the right information needed to make important decisions (Dobbins Donnelley 1998). Rockhart (1979) worked with his team to counter with the problem of continuous information flow in the organizations and suggested the CSF approach to filter the most appropriate and useful information in order to achieve organizational goals. Primarily focus was made on the information needs of the executives in the IT world but later on the significance of CSFs in other business sectors like Federal government program management (Dobbins 1998), Enterprise reso urce planning (Jang, Lin and Pan 2009, Ngai, Law and Wat 2008), manufacturing (Sherer, Susan 2003, Burns,Turnipseed and Riggs 1991), International projects (Freedman Katz 2007, Eid, Trueman and Ahmed 2002) and Education Industry (Huotari Wilson 2001, Mazzarol 1998) was also certified by different studies. Rockart (1981) defined 5-specific sources of CSFs as the industry, organizational peers, organizational environment, barriers/challenges for the organization and managerial hierarchy. Moreover, the dimensions of CSFs are internal/external and monitoring/adapting. The internal CSFs are those which are controllable by the managers while the external ones are uncontrollable as they are influenced by the external forces working in the organizational surroundings. Moreover, monitoring CSFs relate to the factors needed to be scrutinized for the regulatory objectives of the organization whereof the adaptive CSFs are related to the changes occurring in the world outside the boundaries of the organization and are thus used by the organizations to keep their competitive edge over the other organizations in the industry. CSFs, Globalization and organizational strategies Rapid changes occurring in the technological world and burgeoning global competition has alarmed the firms to identify and imbed their critical success factors for the promotion and sustainability of growth. (Caralli 2004). Business world today is confronted by dual effects of globalization. The techno-globalization is related to the advancements in the information technology which organizations have to adapt to be in the race of competition (Henderson Clark 1990) where of the social globalization is concerned with the impact of globalization on the lives of individuals and their families and which must be taken in account before doing businesses internationally (ILO 2008). According to Rockart (1979) the major advantage gained by working on these factors is enhanced communication among the hierarchal levels of management. Among some other benefits of inculcating the CSFs in the organizational strategy is less organizational ambiguity, dynamic nature for reflecting the ongoing opera tional activities, improved risk-management practices and realignment of the organizational activities when contradiction between visualized and real problems occur (Caralli 2004). The critical success factors are essential for organizations start-up phase (Boyer, Creech Paas 2008) and growth (Freedman Katz 2007) to have a competitive advantage over its competitors. Further studies argued on the domain specificity of the critical success factors as they differ from organization to organization (Anthony et.al 1972). The critical success factors for growth of an organization are dependant upon the environment and industry in which it operates. Extensive research is being done in this regard such as the CSFs that are crucial in Enterprise resource planning are top management support and training and education (Ngai, Law Wat 2008). In international business and coopetition strategies the strongest CSFs are found to be management leadership and trust development (Chin, Chan Lam 2008) and those of environmental and social enterprises are leadership, partnerships, innovation, social and economical benefits alignment, long-term short-term planning management , community involvement and risk management (Boyer, Creech Paas 2008). In Strategic management however a great deal of change in defining the critical success factors is seen since 1990s. With t he advent information technology and gust of globalization the organizations need to modify their mission statements in regard of organizational business strategy (Strong 197), stake holders (internal and external) concerns (Greenley Foxall 1996) and identifying the critical success strategies (Strong 1997, Gupta et al. 1986). The ultimate goal of an organization has been to attract and retain its customers (Ennew and Binks 1996) but today the focus of organizations is having a dual nature of being environmental and societal friendly also to sustain their image and growth in global industry (David 1989, Strong 1997). Innovation-an essential growth imperative The revolutionary change in the global competitive world has introduced Innovation and quality as the most essential success factors to become market leader (Gupta et al. 1986). Innovation is defined as the act of doing something new (new method) or bringing in something novel (new product/ service) or moving into something new (new market) (Schumpeter 1968). The burgeoning need for the adoption and implementation of innovative strategies for local and international business is thus the most recent and essential part of academic research on business and management strategies (Jeffery Rana 2008, Haapaniemi Seppanan 2008, Pittaway et.al 2004). The drivers for innovation are categorized as accelerating global competition, technological advancement, turbulent and diversified market needs and volatility of natural resources (Kingsland 2007). Innovations are of different kinds like technological innovations (Henderson Clark 1990), Business model innovations (SAP 2008) and bring in different competitive effects on the organizations. The business model innovations are radical in nature whereof those related to new customer solutions/systems are incremental (Kearney 2008). The organizations of today are focusing more on the business model innovations for its broader aspect of effectiveness throughout the organizational structure. Key factors for innovation strategies The business model innovations are typically classified into customer-centric innovations, supply-chain centric innovations and organizational process innovation (SAP 2008). Innovation is considered to be collective and not individual or isolated in nature. Any idea needs collaboration and collective effort both from internal stakeholders and external stakeholders for the realization of that idea (Majahan Peterson 1985, Panzano Roth 2006, Kearney 2008). Networking Research from several studies on innovation and importance of taking the external stakeholders (suppliers) in account specifically for organizations growth sustainability through innovation has defined the importance of networking (Sherer 2003, Pittaway et.al 2004). The literature about innovation is also intimately connected to the risk management because introducing any novelty is itself a risky job (Panzano Roth 2006). Through networking the benefits of innovation can be doubled as it fosters risk sharing thus increasing the risk propensity of the organizations in contact (Pittaway et.al 2004). Other than networking one of the most important factors influencing the development of innovative culture in the organizations to have a competitive edge in the global market is the role of leaders (Freedman Katz 2007, Morales, Reche Torres 2008, Fairholm 2009). Role of Leadership Studies from the leadership literature proves the important role of top-management in enhancing the organizational learning and thus supporting the innovativeness in the organization. The strategic thinking of leaders links the implicit knowledge of organization with its functionality by explicitly disseminating it to the layers of management and improves organizational learning (Appelbaum, Pierre Glavas 1998, Vera Crossan 2004, Fairholm 2009). Transformational leadership is a relatively new style in the literature of leadership. It is related to a more change-oriented attribute of the leaders thus fostering and encouraging new changes in the organization which in turn motivates the employees to be more innovative and increasing organizational performance (Morales, Reche Torres 2008). The CEOs are considered to be the champions of making innovation and sustainability of any organization in the global market by making ways through open-innovation (involving people in innovative str ategies) and co-creation (involving stakeholders and partners)(Kearney 2008). Sustainability and innovation Innovation has greatest effects on the sustainability of an organization. Sustainability is defined as the tendency to fulfill both functional and emotional needs of the customers in a less resourceful and more competitive environment. Organizations which take into account the sustainability as their business strategy are the ones that outperform in the global world (Kearney 2008). For this they dont just have to focus on making profits by offering product or service innovations rather they would have to focus on social innovations (well-being of society) as well (Simmon Eduardo 2008).The Business and Management world has benefited by introducing innovations in their products, services and business models and will continue to keep up the competitive advantage only if they keep on bringing or doing something new. Conclusion Innovation has been globally accepted as one of the most important success factor in the sustainability of the organizations (Jeffery Rana 2008, Haapaniemi Seppanan 2008, Pittaway et.al 2004). The most important role regarding introducing, communicating and networking the innovation among the organization and its stakeholders is that of top-management (Appelbaum, Pierre Glavas 1998, Vera Crossan 2004, Fairholm 2009). The leaders are thus required to increase research efficiency, encourage open innovation, and emphasize more on sustainability and social innovation by delievering benefits on low cost and use a more structured approach to innovation and technology platforms. Moreover, with the increased competition and uncertainty in the global market the CEOs should be passionate for innovative strategies, set clear expectations and use brand-imprint methodology (pilot study) before entering into larger markets. Research Gaps This literature review on the critical success factors for growth through innovation had led me to find out certain gaps in the studies till now. Firstly, the critical success factors for growth and sustainability vary from organization to organization and industry to industry (Anthony et.al 1972). Same is the case with the innovative strategies as the adoption and diffusion strategies for innovation differ in different organizations and even in the same organization according to its development phases (Moore 1999). This shows that both are greatly influenced by the global turbulent environment and it is crucial for the organizations to foster innovation as the critical success factor for sustainability even in hostile conditions. To date there is very little qualitative research done on the relationship of developing innovative strategies under hostile conditions and organizational growth. Secondly, the women-owned businesses are not sufficiently studied for defining their critical success factors as compared to their male counterparts and specifically in the developing countries (Lee et.al 2009). Although, SMEs are of prime importance in the developing part of the world very less attention in terms of women-owned SMEs is being given to help them in growth prospects through innovation. This might be due to the reason of greater gender discrimination carried out in this part of the world (Tambunan 2009) consequently having low risk propensity in them which is the main ingredient for innovativeness (Brindley 2005). Lastly, although the social innovation has gained importance in the business world still a dearth of robust empirical research is seen in this regard (Simon Eduardo 2008).

The Problem Of Domestic Violence :: Violence Against Women Essays

A problem has become known and to many, they feel that it's about time that the general public has taken notice. This problem has been a taboo for centuries and in the mid nineties it has chosen to let itself be known, the problem that I am talking about is domestic violence, it has ruined families, and demoralized the victims for years and now because of the "trial of the century" we finally are allowed to discuss it in detail, without fear of reprisal, now we get to familiarize ourselves with it and eventually after we get to know all about it we can, through treatment, get rid of it. In this paper, I will discuss problems with the so called epidemic of domestic violence. This entire paper will be about domestic violence, and because of that I feel it is important to note that "in most families men and women do not engage in physically abusive behavior" (The Brown U.), but because the media feels that it is their public duty to deceive us into believing that this problem is an "epidemic" (Domestic V.) we feel that, that is the case. Webster's dictionary defines epidemic as "a rapid spreading of a disease; to many people at the same time", this is not the case with domestic violence, one it didn't just happen overnight, it has just been popularized overnight, domestic violence has been going on from as far back as anyone can remember and probably farther than that, and two, this is not affecting many people at the same timem, because, as I've stated before, "in most families men and women do not engage in physically abusive behavior". If you as the reader gets anything out of this paper, it is important to me as the writer, that you find that, while domestic violence is a major problem for some families, it is by no means an epidemic. The major reason domestic violence has become so widespread over the last couple of years is because of the O. J. Simpson trial, as one person put it "the O. J. Simpson case would do for domestic violence what Anita Hill did for sexual harassment" (Domestic V.). The trial of the century brought a much needed attention to a issue that for too long was pushed to the back burner; domestic violence was a major issue in the case and it became evident, through the mass publicity of the case, that women weren't crying wolf all these years, because of "the murder of Nicole Brown ... the media would focus squarely on and

hazards of volcanos :: essays research papers

Volcanoe's Parts   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sill   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Flank   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Summit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dike   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conduit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Resevoir   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vent   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throat   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Crater   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Base   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lava   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hazards   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gas   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - Sulfur Dioxide gas creates air pollution  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   that irritates skin, nose, throat, and eyes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - Carbon Dioxide is so concentrated that it kills animals and humans   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - Acid rain that some times takes the form of Hydrochloric acid   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lahars   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - hot or cold mixture of water and rock fragments, often resembles a flow of concrete   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - hundreds of meters wide, tens of meters deep   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - flows at several tens of meters a second (too fast to outrun)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Landslides   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - large rocks or debris falling rapidly downhill   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - if the landslide contains enough water it will transform into a Lahar   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lava flows   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - lava thats errupted during non explosive periods   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - can travel up to 10 km / hour   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - can result in lahars   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pyroclastic Flows   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - high density mixtures of hot, dry rock fragments and hot gases that move at high speeds   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - can result from non explosive or explosive periods of the volcano's history   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - can result in lahars   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tephra   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - gas clouds that are carried several hundreds of kilometers from the vent   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - can disrupt machinery and lives very far away from the volcanoe Parts   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sill   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Flank   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Summit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dike   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conduit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Resevoir   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vent   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throat   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Crater   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Base   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lava   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hazards   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gas   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - Sulfur Dioxide gas creates air pollution  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   that irritates skin, nose, throat, and eyes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - Carbon Dioxide is so concentrated that it kills animals and humans   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - Acid rain that some times takes the form of Hydrochloric acid   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lahars   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - hot or cold mixture of water and rock fragments, often resembles a flow of concrete   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - hundreds of meters wide, tens of meters deep   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - flows at several tens of meters a second (too fast to outrun)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Landslides   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - large rocks or debris falling rapidly downhill   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - if the landslide contains enough water it will transform into a Lahar   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lava flows   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - lava thats errupted during non explosive periods   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - can travel up to 10 km / hour

Narrative Reporting

Narrative reporting and introduction of OFR is an important development in corporate responsibility. The introduction of mandatory OFR made several companies race to meet with the requirements of the law. Subsequently, the OFR was made non mandatory again but awareness has been created. Every investor knows that he should look at the OFR of a company he seeks to invest in. If the OFR is missing it raises doubts about the credibility and the intentions of the company .In future even though the mandatory clause has been withdrawn, companies are likely to produce more comprehensive and informative OFR than ever before.Narrative reporting concentrates on presenting events and actions in certain order so that complications and problems are understood. Narrative reporting concentrates on the descriptions, events and facts that pertain to events, identifying the personnel who are involved and the manner in which the sequence of events took place. The OFR (Operating and financial review) is a report included in a company’s annual report and accounts that is published to meet the requirement of corporate governance that enumerates the operating activities and financial affairs of the company.In the UK the Operating and Financial Review was introduced with the purpose of increasing corporate responsibility. The purpose of this requirement was that social and environmental issues would be described in the OTR and this would provide a wider level of information to the shareholder. In addition, it was expected that the OTR would in a way compel companies to carry out external audit of these issues. Specifically it was intended that the OFR would provide better information to the investors on the likely performance of the companies during the financial year.The contents of the OFR should have an overview of the capital structure of the company and the financial characteristics of the company. In addition, the OFR was required to provide the main risks and uncertaintie s that faced the company. Further, the OFR was required to have descriptions of the brand strength, market strengths, company reputation and R&D, that is the resources that the company enjoyed in the market. Most importantly, the OFR required the companies to disclose the objectives and strategies of the company (Financial Reporting Council 2007).The OFR also required the companies to disclose its relationships with suppliers, customer and employees. In other words the company was required to disclose its relationship with the stakeholders of the company. The company was also required to comment on the reputation of the company, especially in relation to the society and the environment. Moreover, the company was required to comment on the impact the reputation would have on the future performance of the company (Yeldar. R. 2007).In the UK the OFR disclosures have been left to an extent to the directors of the company. Their views on the different points are critical in making the di sclosure useful to the company. Moreover, the government has focused on the OFR to fill the lacunae in reporting that traditional financial statements left in the annual reports (Morris. G, McKay. S & Oates. A, 2006). If the board is so inclined, then the OFR can simply be relegated to a public relations activity of the company.The point is that if companies choose not to include corporate responsibility issues in their OFR then there may be a need for a mandatory inclusion of corporate responsibility indicators in the OFR. Even though OFR is driving the companies to disclose corporate responsibility issues, the final decision to disclose remains with the companies (Gee. P, 2006). The OFRs are required to honestly disclose the performance, development and the position of the company to help the investor make better decisions. In addition, the OFRs are required to provide the salient factors and the important trend that affect the present financial performance and the future status o f the company. It is believed that not too many boards of directors will be eager to make an honest disclosure of these trends.To assess the current state of narrative reporting in the UK let us take a look at the review of narrative reporting published by the ASB on January 15, 2007. The report gives some areas of improvement that is the key performance indicators are missing in narrative reporting, the companies are not careful in their description of the principal risks and uncertainties and do not mention their approaches in mitigating these risks and uncertainties. What is most important is that forward looking information is not disclosed in the narrative reports.The review lauds the companies for reporting an increasing number of environmental, employee and social issues, the companies are giving good description of current developments and present performance and that the companies are providing more or less good descriptions of their current business, markets, strategic pla ns and objectives (Ploix. H, & Charkham. J 2005). The auditors are currently required to comment on whether the OFR is consistent with their knowledge of the Annual Report and accounts. However, it is often seen that currently the companies in their OFR often give spin over substance.The companies over emphasize their favorable performance and avoid mentioning their areas of weaknesses. It is expected that now the companies will be required to product a broader annual report and specify their non financial performance and plans for future. For example, Shell is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in the UK and has a share of 23% of all emissions from FTSE 100 companies but this is not mentioned in the OFR of the company. There are no specific plans either to reduce emissions. Similarly, BP and Scottish Power are responsible for 17% of the emissions but this is not clearly mentioned in their annual reports.The lacuna in the law is that the auditor is required to compare the OFR s tatements with the financial reports and accounts and check if the statements in the OFR are in agreement with financial reports and accounts. This does not require the auditor to mention the omissions that have been made from the OFR nor does the audit of the narrative statement require the board of directors to make statements that disclose the weaknesses of the company. It is clear that in case of Shell, BP and Scottish Power if their emission levels of greenhouse gases are mentioned and the weaknesses in their future plans of reducing these emissions are clearly delineated in their annual reports, then several ethical investors may decide to stay away from these companies (Cowan. N, 2006, p 137).The recent history of the OFR is that the OFR was first introduced in 1993 by the ASB. At that time it was not mandatory. The Companies Act 1985(Operating and Financial Review and Directors’ Report etc.) Regulations 2005 required quoted companies to prepare a compulsory OFR and ot her companies to include in their Directors’ Reports a business review. Small companies were exempt from the requirements of this regulation.The Accounting Standards Board issued an accompanying Reporting Standard that those companies that complied with the Reporting Standard 1 would be presumed to have met the OFR Regulations. In November, 2005 the Chancellor announced that the government wanted to do away with the need for quoted companies to prepare an OFR. In January 2006 the Repeal Regulation of 2005 came into force that did away with the need for quoted companies to make an OFR.The Reporting Standard 1 was converted into a Reporting Statement. This remains just as a guiding statement for companies that decided to produce an OFR (Vilers. C, 2006). In the next month that is February 2006 the government requested suggestions and comments on improving the narrative reporting requirements. In May 2006 the government publicized amendments to the Business Review legislation. F inally, in November 2006, The Companies Act was given the final assent. and the Business Review requirements are now given legal sanction.Gordon Brown’s decision to abandon the mandatory nature of the OFR has been supported by two arguments. First, the government claims it wants to reduce bureaucracy. Second, government feels that the new requirements for business review meet the EU requirements for narrative reporting. This is the official line of the government.. However, there are other reasons that are being given as the reason for the abolition of the compulsory clause. It is claimed that the abolition of the mandatory requirement is offered as an incentive to business to remain in the UK and to attract new businesses to the UK. It is a part of the race to make UK attractive to business investors.Several environmental organizations like Friends of Earth and NGOs have decided to file a law suit against the government to force it to see reason. They see the withdrawal of t he mandatory clause as signal to the business sector to continue with their environmentally baneful expansion plans. These organizations had been earlier clamoring for mandatory social and environmental reporting for businesses. From this perspective it seems that Gordon Brown’s decision is not a good one.There are other reasons given to support Gordon Brown’s decision. The claim is that more than 80% of the listed companies will voluntarily comply with the requirements of Reporting Statement and generate OFR statements. Those that do not will face investor reaction and comply with the Reporting Statement requirements. Those that persist in not producing an OFR voluntarily will be perceived as not transparent by the investing public. In addition, the proponents of the abolition of mandatory OFR aver that the size and the complexity of the annual reports daunting to most investors. In 2005 the average length of the annual reports was 71 pages. Adding to this only confus es the shareholders.Finally, the materiality get out clause has made the compulsory OFR ineffective. This has also allowed companies to get out of the need to report their weaknesses. However, we should not write off the OFR as dead. Every business knows that it should have an OFR to inform its shareholder. The need for qualitative, non-financial information has been created in the investors. If a company does not produce an OFR the investor may suspect it several faults. The end result will be that the shareholders will find it prudent to stay away from companies that do not produce a comprehensive OFR. There will be reputed persons who will stay away from the boards of companies that do not produce an OFR that meets the standard prescribed by the ASB.The OFR lives in the business review. The government is not compelling the companies to produce an OFR but the shareholders, investors and other stakeholders will compel the companies to produce and OFR. Environmental organizations an d NGOs will take up the matter with companies that do not report on social and environmental issues. Companies that refuse to make OFRs may be shunned by ethical investors, high profile employees and environmentally conscious business partners. The awareness has been created, guidelines have been drafted and the importance of corporate responsibility has been emblazoned. The OFR has taken on a life of its own and even without compulsion it will feature in the annual reports of most UK companies.As the consciousness of investors increases, as the top employees become choosier and as corporations become more environmentally sensitive, OFR will continue to thrive. There is no need to revive the mandatory clause. Enough consciousness has been created to make the corporate sector aware and alive to its reporting responsibilities, the Business Review is adequate for this purpose. Those companies that do not behave in a responsible manner will suffer because they will not be able to sustai n the interests of stakeholders that matter.To sum, there are a number of reasons given in support of the abolition of the mandatory clause and a number of reasons are being given for the reintroduction of mandatory requirements for OFR However, the importance of the OFA has been driven home to the companies, the investors and other stakeholders. Financial reporting alone does not give enough information to make a decision and he knows that an OFA is important. The OFA continues to live in the UK corporate world even after the mandatory clause has been abolished.References:Cowan. N, 2006 Risk Analysis and Evaluation, Lessons Professional Publishing..Financial Reporting Council 2007 ‘ASB Publishes Review of Narrative Reporting’. Retrieved on January 30, 2007 from http://www.frc.org.uk-Gee. P, 2006 UK GAAP for Business and Practice, ElsevierMorris. G, McKay. S & Oates. A, 2006 Finance Director’s Handbook, Elsevier.Ploix. H, & Charkham. J 2005 Keeping Better Company : Corporate Governance Ten Years on, Oxford University Press.Vilers. C, 2006, Corporate Reporting and Company Law, Cambridge University Press. 205 -209Yeldar. R. 2007 Accounting Standards Board Publishes Review of Narrative Reporting, Retrieved on January 30, 2007 from: http://ry.com/news/news/?id=3345