Delaney Mossbacher Characterization Essay

Delaney Mossbacher resides in the hills of Topanga Canyon, away from the rest of Los Angeles and its ethnic problems; he tells himself it is to feel at peace with nature. He disagrees with the idea of living in the seclusion of the white American neighborhood of Arroyo Blanco to escape ethnic disputes the city holds; he lives in Topanga Canyon to satisfy his environmentalist title. After letting Delaney’s character develop more to give further insight on who Delaney truly is, there is no need to address how one action of his gives him a specific trait. Delaney strongly stands by his liberal views when other characters criticize Mexican immigrants, but when he is faced with a situation possibly involving a Mexican immigrant his liberal views dissipate. Delaney can give off a sense of awkwardness when found in an uncomfortable situation, but he can’t be classified as being completely socially awkward. He does, however, possess an introverted personality. He will not be the type of person to take charge or one to freely initiate a conversation. At this point of his life Delaney is being bombarded with a number of incidents that cause him to formulate a dislike and anger toward Mexican immigrants. Delaney allows what occurs around him to dictate how he reacts to situations. This starts to promote contrast in his liberal views, making him a product of the society and cultural views that surround him. At first attempt to characterize Delaney it took a number of possible traits, and it summed up to: Delaney struggles to be a normal person due to his social awkwardness and lack of common sense, but that was only with part one of The Tortilla Curtain. After seeing further development of Delaney’s character, it is observed he does communicate well with others unless he’s uncomfortable, his marriage is normal and has its rough patches like most other relationships, and that Delaney isn’t completely irrational in the way he reacts in stressful situations. Delaney reacts on impulse and jumps to conclusions like most people do. â€Å"Delaney would be on his own. But Delaney didn’t want to be on his own (225). † In part one, solitude seems to enlighten Delaney, though he clearly states he doesn’t like being alone in part two. Yet he is alone for the majority of each day, Delaney enjoys the company of others and expresses how he eagerly waits for the Kyra to return at the end of each day. So Delaney keeps himself productive and finds things to do while Kyra is at work. So why did Delaney marry Kyra if she is a workaholic? Delaney finds happiness in his life by catering to Kyra, he feels she compliments him by completing everything he isn’t. Delaney is a proud liberal humanist, proud that he stands for the right for anyone to have to the right to pursue the American dream and pursue a better life. He is all for everyone having their rights when it best suits him, but where do these liberal views go when he assumes Mexican immigrants are camping in the canyon leaving their trash in attempt to make it a garbage dump, a little Tijuana (Boyle 11)? When he concludes Mexican immigrants stole his car? When he absolutely knows what Jose Navidad is doing in his neighborhood demanding the Mexican man to explain himself. Ever since he hit Candido, Delaney has sheltered inner conflict within him and doesn’t become apparent to what he is becoming until the incident in his cul de sac, â€Å"so devastated he couldn’t speak, what was happening to him, what was he becoming (229)? † Delaney is back and forth between two different people, he is not a liberal humanist he is a hypocrite. The Delaney that’s shows concern for the immigrants, like after the news that the corner of Shoup and Ventura had been cleaned up along with the labor exchange, his thoughts are, â€Å"Where were these people supposed to go (193)? † The Delaney that still has glimpses of his liberal views is contrast with the new Delaney. The Delaney becoming a product of the society that surrounds him is starting to shape his thoughts, thus the first impulses and conclusions he has are racist. Delaney is from New York. The east coast has a large diversity of ethnic cultures due to the many European immigrants that had immigrated generations before. Delaney’s liberal views could have been shaped by the culture he grew up in because of the large diversity of race after so long. There was not a large amount of racism on the east coast, and or he received the same kind of racial tension for being Irish-American. Now that he resides in California and he is now part of the white superior group, the people around him like to conservatively think they are better than anyone else. Whatever the underlying cause of his sudden change of feelings towards Mexican immigrants, it is do the influences that had started to take affect around him. Delaney channels his anger through his writing; he uses his articles Pilgrim at Topanga Creek to describe the coyote but the coyote is symbolic of much more than itself. It symbolizes the life of the Mexican immigrants. He uses the coyotes as metaphor to stand for Mexican immigrants, because like the coyote, the immigrants also coincide among the white American population, struggling to survive. There is a fence between the coyotes and the Mossbacher’s dogs but the coyotes still breach it. Just like there is a U. S. and Mexican border the Mexican immigrants find their way across in search of better lives. At first reading the second article on the coyotes just seemed as if Delaney was venting his frustration because another coyote had struck again. Then something stood out, â€Å"The coyotes keep coming, breeding up to fill in the gaps, moving in where the living is easy. They are cunning, versatile, hungry and unstoppable (215). † Delaney’s implicit thoughts could very well stand for his true feelings of the Mexican immigrants and all along his liberal views were all talk, never truly made to be put to action. He passes by the perfect opportunity to put his liberal views to action when Todd Sweet asks Delaney to intervene in opposition with the wall (227). So was Delaney Mossbacher ever a true liberal humanist at all? His racism had been dormant and it took the fire of hitting Candido, Jack’s influence, and the incidents that kept including Mexican immigrants, to somehow spark the same racism he could have possibly felt growing up as a child. The wall represents more than what Delaney and the citizens of Arroyo Blanco see it as. More than a distance between humans and nature and more than keeping the unwelcome out. The wall is a symbol of the strong separation between the prospering white Americans and the struggling Mexican immigrants. The Mexican immigrants that are working hard to achieve the American Dream, while the wealthy Americans feed them nonsense but know the immigrants will never amount to anything. Delaney describes the wall as not only â€Å"keeping them out, but look what it keeps in (224). † This refers to the racism Jack’s son displayed, concluding that walling in all the poisonous racism it would affect Jordan, just like it had already affected Delaney living in the seclusion of Arroyo Blanco. Delaney has become a developing product of his racist community and society. He fears the worst for Jordan to grow up around racial tension, but has not yet seen how much it already has affected him. Delaney is gradually losing his liberal views, while also losing control of his temper and his over morale he once held. It is only a matter of time until Delaney himself becomes a â€Å"Jack Jardine†

Chemistry Acid-Base Titration

Chemistry: Strong Acid and Weak Base Titration Lab Cherno Okafor Mr. Huang SCH4U7 November 21st, 2012 Data Collection and Processing Concentration of the standard HCl solution: 0. 1 M Data Collection: | Trial 1| Trial 2| Trial 3| Final HCl Buret Reading  ± 0. 05 mL | 38. 3| 45| 54. 5| Initial HCl Buret Reading  ± 0. 05 mL | 29. 9| 38. 3| 45| Volume of NaHCO3 used  ± 0. 1 mL | 9. 2| 9. 5| 9. 8| Qualitative Data: I used the methyl orange indicator which was suitable for my titration because of its clear and distinct colour change from orange to a bright red at the endpoint * At the beginning of the titration after I added 3 drops of methyl orange into the base (NaHCO3) and swirled, I began titrating the acid (HCl) slowly, and initially in the methyl orange and base, there was a tiny amount of red colour present, but then it quickly disappeared due to insufficient HCl (H+ ions)then I gradually kept titrating more acid while swirling and there was even more red colour present, unti l finally I reached the endpoint when the orange-yellow colour had completely transformed into a red colour * Changes from an orange-yellow colour (slightly higher pH 4. 4) to a bright red colour (at low pH 3. 1) at the endpoint and point of equivalence * Baking Soda (NaHCO3) absorbed the odour caused by the strong acid of HCl when I mixed the two: bleach-like smell ProcessingIf the concentration of an acid or base is expressed in molarity, then the volume of the solution multiplied by its concentration is equal to the moles of the acid or base. Therefore, the following relationship holds: nVb x Cb = Va x Ca Where: Vb = the volume of the base Cb = the concentration of the base Va = the volume of the acid Ca = the concentration of the acid n = the mole factor In the case of hydrochloric acid and Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda), the mole ratio is one to one, thus the mole factor is 1. Therefore, the volume of sodium bicarbonate multiplied by its concentration in molarity is equal to the moles sodium bicarbonate. The moles of sodium hydroxide are equal to the number of moles of hydrochloric acid in the reaction.The neutralization equation becomes: HCl + NaHCO3 NaCl + H2O + CO3 Hence, Cb = Va x Ca / Vb. Trial 1 Calculation: * First we need to find the change of volume of the acid used up in the titration: Va = Vfinal – Vintial Va = 38. 3  ± 0. 05 – 29. 9  ± 0. 05 Va = 8. 4  ± 0. 1 mL Therefore, nVb x Cb = Va x Ca (1)(9. 2  ± 0. 1)(Cb) = (8. 4  ± 0. 1) (0. 1  ± 0. 0005) Cb = (8. 4  ± 0. 1) (0. 1  ± 0. 0005) / (9. 2  ± 0. 1) Cb = (8. 4  ± 1. 19%) (0. 1  ± 0. 5%) / (9. 2  ± 1. 09%) Cb = (0. 84  ± 1. 69%) / (9. 2  ± 1. 09%) Cb = 0. 0913  ± 2. 78% 0. 0913  ± 0. 00254M is the concentration of the base for trial 1Theoretical Base Concentration = 0. 1  ± 0. 0005 M Experimental Base Concentration = 0. 0913  ± 0. 00254 M Trial 2 Calculation: * First find change of volume of the acid used up in the titration: Va = Vfinal â⠂¬â€œ Vinitial Va = 45  ± 0. 05 – 36  ± 0. 05 Va = 9. 0  ± 0. 1 mL Therefore, nVb x Cb = Va x Ca (1)(9. 5  ± 0. 1)(Cb) = (9. 0  ± 0. 1) (0. 1  ± 0. 0005) Cb = (9. 0  ± 0. 1) (0. 1  ± 0. 0005) / (9. 5  ± 0. 1) Cb = (9. 0  ± 1. 1%) (0. 1  ± 0. 5%) / (9. 5  ± 1. 05%) Cb = (0. 9  ± 1. 6%) / (9. 5  ± 1. 05%) Cb = 0. 0947  ± 2. 65% 0. 0947  ± 0. 00251M is the concentration of the base for trial 2 Theoretical Base Concentration = 0. 1  ± 0. 005 M Experimental Base Concentration = 0. 0947  ± 0. 00251 M Trial 3 Calculation: * First find change of volume of the acid used up in the titration: Va = Vfinal – Vinitial Va = 54. 5  ± 0. 05 – 45  ± 0. 05 Va = 9. 5  ± 0. 1 mL Therefore, nVb x Cb = Va x Ca (1)(9. 8  ± 0. 1)(Cb) = (9. 5  ± 0. 1) (0. 1  ± 0. 0005) Cb = (9. 5  ± 0. 1) (0. 1  ± 0. 0005) / (9. 8  ± 0. 1) Cb = (9. 5  ± 1. 05%) (0. 1  ± 0. 5%) / (9. 8  ± 1. 02%) Cb = (0. 95  ± 1. 55%) / (9. 8  ± 1. 02%) Cb = 0. 0969  ± 2. 57% 0. 0969  ± 0. 00250M is the concentration of the base for trial 3 Theoretical Base Concentration = 0. 1  ± 0. 0005 MExperimental Base Concentration = 0. 0969  ± 0. 00250 M * Now, I will average all 3 trials: Trial 1: 0. 0913  ± 2. 78% 2. 78% / 100% x 0. 0913 = 0. 0913  ± 0. 00254 M Trial 2: 0. 0947  ± 2. 65% 2. 65% / 100% x 0. 0947 = 0. 0947  ± 0. 00251 M Trial 3: 0. 0969  ± 2. 57% 2. 57% / 100% x 0. 0969 = 0. 0969  ± 0. 00250 M Therefore: (0. 0913 + 0. 0947 + 0. 0969)  ± (0. 00254 + 0. 00251 + 0. 00250) / 3 trials = (0. 2829  ± 0. 00755) / 3 = (0. 0943  ± 0. 00252) MAverage Concentration of base for the 3 trials * Percentage Error = Theoretical – Actual / Theoretical x 100% = (0. 1  ± 0. 0005) – (0. 0943  ± 0. 00252) / (0. 1  ± 0. 0005) x 100% = 0. 0057  ± 0. 00302 / 0. 1  ± 0. 0005) x 100% = (0. 57  ± 0. 00352) x 100% = 5. 7%  ± 0. 00352 Conclusion and Evaluation: Conclusion: In this titration lab, I used a s trong acid HCl (hydrochloric acid) vs. a weak base NaHCO3 (sodium bicarbonate/baking soda). My intent was to find the concentration of the weak base after it has been titrated with the strong acid. The theoretical basic solution had a concentration of 0. 1  ± 0. 0005 M. In my experiment, the value I obtained was 0. 0943  ± 0. 00252 M, which is pretty close to 0. 1. I also had a very small error percentage at just 5. 7%  ± 0. 00352 error. My experimental value was only off by 0. 0057 (0. 1- 0. 0943) with a total uncertainty of 0. 00402 (0. 005 + 0. 00352) from the theoretical value of the base concentration. Evaluation/Improvement: Some of the most notable errors in my procedure to mention are the small quantities being used and hence the inaccuracy in measurements. Perhaps I could have arranged the titration to have bigger titres, which would reduce errors by using larger quantities such as a higher concentration for the standardized solution. In addition, there was also some splattering/loss of the acidic solution being titrated into the basic solution, as it came into contact with the edges and surface of the flask, which in turn, presumably initiated errors in volume measurements.Also, this means that not all of the acid that was added reacted efficiently with the basic solution mixed with methyl orange indicator. Moreover, there could have been impurities in the basic solution itself and as well as the indicator causing a higher reading than the theoretical value of concentration. The leakage that resulted from the stock cock may have caused the HCl to alter slightly in content because of the reaction with some of the chemicals in the external environment (air). There was also some residue that could have been left behind in the basic flask when I washed it with distilled water after the neutralization of each trial. Perhaps drying it could have made a difference instead of leaving it wet.Maybe some of the neutralized solution was left behind after I washed out the flask, and it mixed with the tiny water droplets also left behind in the flask. Before I started the next trial, it could have interfered with that titration and provide inaccuracy. Another error to mention is getting the exact endpoint during the titration. The indicator could have ranged from different shades of red (starting with orange) but I assumed that the moment it turned a standard red colour, it was finished. In addition, I could mention that I may not have properly swirled the solutions before beginning the titration process to make sure nothing (residue) settles at the bottom.This could have impacted the inaccurate colour change of the indicator in the neutralization and hence unknown standard colour. I also kept on adding drops when the solution was already a red colour towards the end. However, this may have either darkened or lightened the colour too much in an effort to change the precision of the indicator colour at the equivalence point or end point . Finally, at some moments, I was in a hurry to finish titrating, and so I may have flushed out the acid in large amounts. I realize that near the neutralization point, the acid must be released in drops. However, for the third trial, I did sort of flush out a large amount of the acid and therefore could have missed the neutralization point which could cause errors in results.

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Habitus in the Modern World - Essay Example "The struggle of social distinction, whatever its symbolic form, is for Bourdieu a fundamental dimension of all social life. The larger issue, then, is one of power relations among individuals, groups and institutions (particularly the educational system). Indeed, for Bourdieu power is not a separate domain of study but stands at the heart of all social life" (6). To discover how power is regulated and dispersed throughout the sociological systems of human existence, Bourdieu strove throughout his life to discover the 'master' science that would unlock the codes of human behaviors regardless of culture or society. While sociological theories are often dedicated most stringently to the various hierarchies and power balances as they are found within the group structures, Bourdieu took his ideas further to explore how the various individuals within the group were typically provided their status and power, concentrating most especially upon how they learned the rules of the game when no rules, written or otherwise, are to be found. Within his work, Bourdieu struggled always to find a sort of 'master' science that would explain the various detailed elements of ever... y of the laws whereby structures tend to reproduce themselves by producing agents invested with the system of dispositions which is able to engender practices adapted to these structures and thus contribute to their production" (Bourdieu, 1973 cited in 7). This definition being about as convoluted as a pig's tail, what Bourdieu is essentially indicating is the process of regeneration of social institutions through imperfect repetition. A very simple, and perhaps not fully accurate, analogy to this process would be in the social system of an audience. As a collective group, the audience tends to encourage behaviors such as being silent, remaining attentive to what's happening on stage and clapping at the appropriate moments. This would be the first structure. This structure produces agents, the audience members, who are already predisposed to behave as an audience when the situation demands. As these individuals go into 'audience' mode in a given situation, they encourage others to be have in similar ways, thus contributing to their [the audience structure] production. While this establishes some of the mechanisms in place at the group level, it doesn't go far to explain the interrelationship between the group and the individual. For Bourdieu, the key question centered on discovering how individuals became members of groups, gaining their individual elements of power and status within that group, without any form of written or even informal rules. This was the key element of his research as he developed his conceptions of habitus, field and agency. By understanding the interrelated nature of Bourdieu's ideas concerning habitus, field and agency, it is possible to understand how his theories might be applied to current sociological concerns such as contemporary

Assess the financial performance of William Hill over the last 4 years Essay

Assess the financial performance of William Hill over the last 4 years and discuss how management accounting can assist a service providing business like William Hill - Essay Example o assess the financial performance of William Hills is its profitability assessment over the last four years and the satisfaction of investors in terms of returns on their investments. The tool of ratio analysis is used for assessing such financial performances of William Hills. In order to assess the profitability the ratios that are considered for the four year performance are operating margin, net margin, return on total assets (ROA), and return on common equity (ROE). Let us start with operating profits. â€Å"Operating profit margin measures the percentage of each sales dollar remaining after all costs and expenses other than interest, taxes, and preferred stock dividend are deducted. It represents the pure profits earned on each sales dollar. Operating profits are pure because they measure the profits earned on operations and ignore interest, taxes, and preferred stock dividends.†(Lawrence J Gitman, page 67)i The assessment of operating margin ratios of William Hills suggests that profitability performance is sliding down since 2006. The operating profit margin was 32.68% in 2006, 30.7% in 2007, 28.91% in 2008, and then down to 25.31% in 2009. One of the reasons for this sliding performance is poor response to newly introduced online gambling business. In fact â€Å"the online business of William Hills has tarnished the group’s reputation for management excellence by mismanaging the online sports book technology project.†(B etting Market, Viewed on 19th May 2009)ii The analysis of profitability on basis of net profit margin is also very interesting because â€Å"the net profit margin is indicative of management’s ability to operate the business with sufficient success not only to recover from revenues of the period, the cost of merchandise or services, the expense of operating the business (including depreciation) and the cost of borrowed funds, but also to leave a margin of reasonable compensation to the owners for providing their capital at risk. The ratio

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Follow Your Passion by Johnnetta B.Cole Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Why people marry, and what follows marriages or more interesting WHY Research Paper

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Public Service Broadcasting and the Unique Way by which the BBC Funding Impact - Essay Example Generally, journalism refers to the science of gathering and analyzing information that generates some kind of significance from the public (Hodkison, 2011:39). The BBC Company stands as the pioneer of public service broadcasting systems in the world. Other countries systems gain expertise and knowledge from the analysis of the service’s past and its development to its current statue. This paper seeks to examine the use of journalism and mass media in the public service broadcasting systems, and the current means used to sustain and fund the relevant institutions. In this paper, much focus is on the BBC broadcasting service, and the general conduct of its operations. The current type of journalism possesses numerous results. These include the reporting of general news, politics, sporting, crime, interviews, and economics. Journalism employs numerous avenues of communication, depending on the platform in use (THE BBC TRUST CONCLUSIONS, 2008:16). These include oral, written, or a combination of both forms of communication. This is a very precarious profession. This is because the career involves working on newly happened events. This is because the public is usually more inclined to information regarding recent or currently breaking news regarding various issues, individuals, regions, or natural happenings. Therefore, an individual who is involved in the industry must possess various special qualities. These include being open-minded, intelligent, non-partisan, and ready to adapt in varying situations. In addition, he/she has to control his emotions appropriately, in case he is required to account on tragic situations or calamities while on spot (Cobley, 2010:59). The career also offers generous benefits, including meeting with famous individuals. Nevertheless, these benefits do not come free. A journalist must always be able to think straight and focus perceptively, even in intimidating circumstances. This is a major requirement if one is able to deliver effectively on the current assignment. However, as with all other professions, this career has also drawn heavy criticism from the public. Critics claim that this profession is a unique one because it the individuals involved earn their living through educating the public about information and issues that they personally know nothing about (Hodkison, 2011:84). The most popular and most effective form of journalism happens through mass media. The conduct of journalism through mass media has been heavily influenced by the rapid development of digital expertise. Mass media refers to any avenue whose purpose is to convey mass communique. It refers to the process of conveying a message from one source to a comparatively bigger audience through conveying machines or tools. For ages, constituents of mass media included magazines, television, books, recordings, newspapers, movies, and the internet (Branston, 2006:78). The sustained boom in the field of digital communication knowledge and te chnique has drawn fervent arguments as to whether to add video, computer games, and cell phones to the group of mass media constituents. In recent times, there has been evidence of advertisers and marketers scheming to exploit the use of satellites to

Soft drink - Coca-Cola Essay Example for Free

Soft drink Coca-Cola Essay Nowadays, a lot of people drink soft drinks every day not knowing how bad they are for our health. Even doctors and experts report that soft drinks are bad for us. In this essay, I will tell you some facts about soft drinks that prove that they are not good to drink them. That some of the people even call drinking soft drinks as drinking poisons. Firstly, soft drinks are bad for our health because they contain lots of sugar and they prevent our body from absorbing water. These affect the circulation of our blood in a bad way and also, they contain high calories which will make us gain weight. Secondly, soft drinks contain a high acidity (ph). It is bad because it causes teeth to erode. It is because the strong acid contained in the drink causes corrosion on the enamel, the thick layer that covers our teeth’s surface to protect our teeth. Professor Gwon Ho Geun (2012. 02. 01) reported that if the acidity in our mouth drops to less than 5ph, calcium in our in our enamel escapes out. And this is one of the reasons that people go to hospital with acid erosion teeth caused by drinking soft drinks. These types of drinks, such as Coca-Cola and Sprite, are ‘poison’ for the people who have liver/kidney problems. To make it easier to absorb in the body, people include sodium in sports drinks which affects badly to kidney/liver. And health drink in pharmacy contains caffeine so if we take or drink it for a long period of time, it is possible to become addicted. And I have another story. One of the elementary students conducted an experiment. He observed as he placed a fish bone into soft drink and tap water. After 4 days, the fish bone in the soft drink was soft and had turned into a lump. Drinking lots of soft drinks causes our bones weaker and it affects growing as well. As it gets weak, there is a bigger percentage of breaking our bones. In conclusion, I really want to say that it is awful to drink soft drinks and stop drinking it! I hope you understand why soft drinks are bad for you and realize not to drink it anymore.

Architectural Design Proposal of Reading Space

Architectural Design Proposal of Reading Space 3.1 Historical Purpose Context If we surmise that temporary architecture is, essentially, something that is not permanent, then in one form or another as stated it has existed since antiquity, with examples traced from prehistoric wooden huts and shelters, through medieval stage sets, circuses and world fairs, to the mobile home and post-war pre-fabs, and wartime and disaster relief. Interestingly, as early as 58 B.C.E in ancient Rome, such architecture functioned as a form of revolution ancient Romans circumventing governmental opposition to permanent amphitheatres by building temporary versions with the Metropolitan Museum of Art noting that despite their impermanent nature, this architecture was a rich celebration and an expression of anti-establishment ideals. Together with other classical forms, a revival of temporary architecture was also particularly prevalent during the Renaissance; civic groups would welcome King Henry II of France to their cities with festivals showcasing the best and most elaborate in temporary design of the time, such as the specifically commissioned Fountain de Innocents (1550) a collaboration between architect Pierre Lescot and sculptor Jean Goujan. As the University of Torontos Professor of Art History, Christy Anderson, notes: for designers and architects of the Renaissance  the ephemeral nature of the installations lent themselves to design innovations believed to be too unconventional or extravagant for lasting architecture [and] afforded the opportunity for experimentation. Such events were used as tantalising opportunities for the realisation of a new style, made real perhaps for a single day; the transient enjoyably consumed, creating a taste for the permanent. In contemporary architecture, we have become more familiar with the temporary as expressed at exhibitions and pavilions; Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeannerets LEspirit Nouveau Pavilion (1925), Mies van der Rohes Barcelona Pavilion (1929), and Alison and Peter Smithsons House of the Future for the Daily Mail Ideal Home Exhibition in London (1956) each showcasing their designers stimulating philosophies and ideas on the future of architecture, and advertising these compelling forms via memorable, provocative images. Moreover, these challenges to established or conventional approaches to design were yet further inflamed by Archigram, with mobile, inflatable or temporary projects albeit resigned to paper and remaining unbuilt during the 1960s and 70s. 3.2 Academic Discourse Urban Change However, it was the aftermath of the great recession in 2008, which crippled economies with the construction, architecture and engineering sectors arguably hit the hardest and the inevitable temporary suspension of many large-scale projects that ensued which elevated small-scale, bottom-up spatial interventions from niche to mainstream practice, and subsequently exposed them to more intense levels of critical review. Though this opened up possibilities to test scenarios and subvert preconceptions of what our cities should be like, giving architects and designers, often young, the opportunity to push the boundaries of architecture and [take] the city back into their own hands, as Cate St. Hill writes in her RIBA published book This is Temporary, very soon, and perhaps unavoidably, established companies found they could make use of these strategies too, evaporating [away] any freshness, writes Douglas Murphy in his article for the Architectural Review: The Pop-Up Problem. As a consequence, it has now become utterly commonplace for food drink, fashion or design retailers, for example, to make their inaugural entrance into any given city via a succession of trendy pop-ups before the proper shop opens. Though this could be considered fairly commonplace cool-chasing, it stems from the constant procedure of reducing risk: a temporary shop doesnt require payment for a full lease, and it also has an aura of edgy cool. These types of structure therefore offer us a corporate regurgitation of anti-corporate commerce. Importantly, and perhaps more pressingly, in academic and mainstream media discourse, more original spatial intervention projects, which featured smiling locals and were so often portrayed as joyous and likeable, have also since been subject to a considerable amount of criticism primarily contemplating if the actual impact of these projects is overestimated. Though proponents of the pop-up refer to the wider impact an intervention can have galvanising local communities to change the way their public spaces and buildings are used to the benefit of everyone in practice the actual effect remains limited to the most local scale, involving or reaching out to just a handful of locals. This is due, in part, to the perceived lack of scalability, as Ella Harris highlights in her article for The Guardian: the possibility of scaling up such projects, beyond their immediate surroundings, is often minimal due to the specific local conditions. Therefore, when addressing if temporary architecture can act as a catalyst for urban change in the context of this thesis, a catalyst for urban change relates to the ability of the project or intervention to have an impact on an area wider than its immediate surroundings, stimulating local inhabitants to actively seek to utilise public spaces for betterment of society, or to at least raise the question. 4.0  Formulating a Position 4.1 Understanding Current Trends Despite such criticism into the perceived overestimated effect or corporate commercialisation of temporary architecture projects, there are a plethora of younger architects and designers that are emerging as a new generation of a subversive, socially-minded practices, each combatting these concerns by inspiring new definitions of architecture not just in terms of the physical structure, but in the process of creating them. These practices all share a concern for engaging people and enriching local communities, and their projects are well-considered and endowing ways to create animated, deeply-rooted places in the neglected, disused and sometimes inaccessible parts of a city. Therefore, before attempting to formulate my position within the field of temporary architecture, it was necessary to speak to a few of these firms in order to develop a more succinct, albeit limited, understanding of the temporary situation in this moment in time. Set up by Kevin Hayley and David Chambers in 2009, Aberrant Architecture is a London-based multidisciplinary studio and think-tank who create temporary structures backed up by rigorous research into the history of a place and the construction of whimsical narratives, inspired by the way contemporary lives are evolving, Kevin explains. Featuring projects from a tiny mobile theatre towed by a campervan, to an interactive instillation built in collaboration with local community groups, their work is playful, provocative and interactive. Interestingly, both Kevin and David agreed on the two most prominent driving forces between each of their projects specifically setting and reusability. First is the idea of historical heritage, or setting we always approach a project with attention to the history-we look to engage people, perhaps through participation events, in a way that connects them to a story or history, Kevin stresses, as it is this side of the projects which the public are increasingly embracing, and really enjoy. Also, and equally as importantly, is their desire for temporary projects to have a lasting effect: if something is there for three days or 30 years, does it matter? Surely its about measuring the effect it has on a community. However, though they both agreed that the actual physical thing is temporary but the activity or use should be very permanent, they also stressed that being able to reuse the structure was important if something stays in one place for a long time, weve found it can lose its appeal really quickly. With mobile structures, as soon as you move it to a different context it becomes new again. Contrastingly, Assemble a multidisciplinary collective founded in 2010 and comprised of 16 members each under the age of 30 champion a self-initiated style of building that engage communities in the making process, and rely on collaborative teamwork, as Amica Dall joyfully explained. Fascinatingly, Amica and Jane Hall revealed that this preference of such projects stems from a desire to involve the community in a more holistic way, as habitually, they only participate in a small part of the process of creation, [usually via consultation groups] and involvement often only starts after most of the more critical decisions have been made. Self-built projects such as the Granby Workshop in Liverpool, built in collaboration with local artists and craftspeople afford the chance for everyone involved to be part of the whole life of a project. By collectively working out how to make it possible in the first instance, having to fabricate them ourselves, and then living and working with the outcome whilst running the projects, this method allows them to understand the consequence of our design decisions. This approach to temporary architecture allows the physical structure to underscore some doubts in some areas and give confidence in others, affording a continuously evolving understanding of what a community needs. Ultimately, both Jane and Amica agreed that working with people and for people brings extraordinary opportunity to learn from them, to grow sensitive to new things, and most importantly, to find things you werent already looking for. 4.2 Addressing Systemic Societal Issues Undoubtedly then, pop-up architecture can offer something rare: design that is undiluted. Permanent, traditional architecture often needs to serve multiple purposes and changing surroundings the Shard, for example, is at once an office building, transit hub, hotel and retail space. Contrastingly, temporary architecture, as exemplified by Aberrant and Assemble, can advance a singular purpose and concentrate its impact. However, in completing further research, what also became evident, and highly significant, was that the singular purposes very rarely address some of the real-world systemic challenges we face in society, especially in major cities, with just a handful of examples responding to challenges like social inequality, youth unemployment or public health and wellbeing, for example. Moreover, in the few instances where projects do address such issues, services are regularly provided by unpaid, well-meaning volunteers instead of professionals, often filling the gaps left negligent (local) governments. With pop-up interventions providing services for free, local governments might well be pleased to see that they can get away with formerly expensive services. Further still, as Ella Harris writes for The Guardian, in celebrating these projects, are we simply distracting from the lack of structural public provision in these areas and worse still, normalising, even glorifying, its absence? 4.3 Formulating my position Therefore, as discussed, in conducting interviews with specialised practices, there were several reoccurring key themes which became immediately apparent, and naturally proved decisive in narrowing my research scope chiefly, involving the public in an aspect of building or completing the structure, and using a specific element(s) of a sites historical heritage as a way of engaging the public in a larger story. However, following further research, the noticeable lack of projects, events or constructs attempting to address some of the systemic societal issues we face in modern society and the possibility that even the minority that do may simply be masking the absence of appropriate structural public provisions in those areas was highlighted, again adding to a more refined research scope which could look at the possibility of using architecture to address one such challenge directly. As a consequence, formulating my position came as a direct result of twinning these two key themes, and attempting to address them simultaneously. Firstly, building forms expressive of context styles that embrace the environment they inhabit have always stimulated my interest, so in meeting Aberrant and Assemble and understanding that the uniqueness of a design can be found in the particular embedded in the lives, the people, and in the history of a city the first theme lay in a specific alchemy of Architecture; using the combination of distinctive physical, societal and/or cultural contexts to produce innovative, site-responsive design. The second, in identifying a lack of contemporary projects addressing real-world societal challenges, lay in endeavouring to understand if temporary architecture could be used to do just that, or to at least promote such issues into the public domain. The more defined scope for this thesis therefore became an investigation into if/how Temporary A rchitecture can act as a catalyst for urban change by specifically addressing real-world problems through a contextual approach to design. 5.0 Project narrative alchemy 5.1 City + Site Specific Investigations Embracing Aberrants view that temporary architecture projects can lose their appeal if they remain in one place for an extended period of time, and our joint view that such projects can, and should, be representative of, or embrace their local historical heritage, the decision was subsequently made for the project to move around a selection of sites in Canterbury with each site located in appropriate open public spaces, or pockets of disused, inactive, space to test the structures relative success in various locations (as outlined on the site locations map, left). Therefore, in order to conceive a design taking a combination of Canterburys distinctive historical, physical, societal and/or cultural contexts as its inspiration, studies were conducted into each of the prospective sites so that it could appropriate itself in each site, whilst also being representative of Canterburys heritage as a whole to produce a holistic theme for the project. Following these investigations, one overriding theme became immediately apparent Canterburys vast, enduring, and continuing affinity with literature. Throughout recent centuries, Canterbury has proved home to several authors, poets and playwrights, and the city has been an inspiration to the writers of English literature. Playwright Christopher Marlowe, after whom the Marlowe Theatre is named, was born in a house in St Georges Street, Canterbury in 1564, and despite being a contemporary of Shakespeare, was the most popular playwright of his day, and is often acknowledged as the Father of English drama. Furthermore, Charles Dickens also regularly visited Canterbury, and the protagonist of one of Dickens most loved novels, David Copperfield, has strong connections with the city. Canterbury is also incredibly famous for Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales collection, which have stood the test of time for more than 600 years and are known throughout the world. Additionally, the instantly recognisable Rupert Bear (which features in the Canterbury Heritage Museum), and Ian Flemmings James Bond book You Only Live Twice, were both conceived in Canterbury, whilst Flemmings Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was based on Canterburys colourful, local character, Count Zborowski. Moreover, Canterburys Buttermarket situated directly opposite the Cathedral entrance in the heart of Canterburys historical town for more than 800 years features in the wartime classic film A Canterbury Tale. In addition to current and historical contextual ties, it was also important to consider links which may have been lost especially those concerned with the built environment a collection of which are remembered in Paul Cramptons Canterburys Lost Heritage. In Canterbury, numerous buildings disappeared in the twentieth century a century, of course, of vast changes and technological progress. However, though the famous Blitz of Canterbury is one of the main tributaries of this, it has now been widely accepted that the City Councils ruthless post-bombing clearance policy accounted for many more properties than the Luftwaffe, as the city fathers were seduced by the ideas of Corbusier and the contemporary styles exhibited at the Festival of Britain. Interestingly, though there was no special reason why they should disappear one of the most lost building typologies was Schools (and School Buildings). Demolished, with the site sold for other uses such as the Simon Langton Boys School which occupied the current Whitefriars site in 1959 or in more recent years, closed and amalgamated with adjacent schools the majority of Canterburys principal Schools are now located on the outskirts of the city. This prompted teachers like Frances Bingham to initiate her own one-room schoolhouse, which has since been converted into a family home. Teaching children from the ages of 4-10, Frances taught 32 students over a period of 6 years in Canterbury, achieving the same results as students who were educated in separate classrooms, with some of her students going on to become lawyers, engineers, teachers and nurses. Therefore, given the citys, and each respective sites, respective affinity with literature expressed in all forms and education, via the loss of School building and the resulting captivating story of Frances, the contextual narrative of the project was to draw on Canterburys historical literature and educative ties as a way to draw activity to a space. 5.2 Identification of Associated Real-World Problem Upon identifying a contextual narrative, sequentially, the next step was to identify a real-world problem associated with both literature and education, and, naturally, the logical bridge between these two themes is reading. Interestingly, though reading is a pleasurable pastime for many, following further research into current discourse around reading in schools, in recent years the UK has seen a serious decline in the number of parents reading with their children, as the headlines in Figure XX demonstrate, to the point where several studies have found the situation to be one of the fastest growing systematic societal challenges faced in the current climate. In a survey conducted by the Oxford University Press, it was found that more than half of primary school teachers have seen a least two children begin formal education with no experience of being told stories at home, whilst another study managed by YouGov found that only 51% of children said they love or like reading books for fun, compared to 58% in 2012, and 60% in 2010. Moreover, according to the report, only 54% of children up to the age of five are read to at home at least five days a week, with this declining to 34% of six to eight-year-olds, and drastically, just 17% of nine to 11-year-olds. The studies also discovered that the main causes of this issue stem from the home-life, with parents often finding a lack of available space at home, being too busy with other commitments, unable to afford appropriate literature, or simply feeling embarrassed at their own inability to read to their children. However, Pie Corbett, an educational advisor to the government, stated that: This isnt just an economic thing its not just people who come from poor backgrounds, its across the whole of society. You get a lot of children coming from very privileged backgrounds whove spent a lot of time in front of the TV and not enough time snuggled up with a good book. The TV does the imagining for you and it doesnt care whether youre listening or not. This is despite research clearly demonstrating that children who are read to on a regular basis before, and after, they start school are most likely to succeed its a key predictor in terms of educational success, Corbett continued, as children who are told stories are the ones who first form abstract concepts across the curriculum- [and though] parents may have lost faith with this idea, education is the way out of poverty. Furthermore, these studies have shown that regular access to books has a direct impact on pupils results, irrespective of parents own education, occupation and social class, as keeping just 20 books in the home can boost childrens chances of doing well at school, it was claimed. Finally, YouGovs study of over 17,000 young people also revealed a strong correlation between childrens literacy and what goes on outside school specifically that being raised in a household with a large amount of literature would result in a child remaining in education for an average of three years longer than those with little or no access, which could be the difference between leaving school at 18 and going to university, which can be worth up to  £200,000 more in lifetime earnings. 5.3 Project Narrative Construction Therefore, given the systemic societal issue currently faced in the UK with the number of children reading with their parents being in sharp decline, and that several studies have repeatedly, and explicitly, identified that reading at home and access to books has a proven, positive impact on a childs future life, the project would aim to address this issue specifically either by attempting to solve the issue directly, or simply raising awareness of it via a contextual approach to design which would use Canterburys historical, and continuing, affinity with literature and education as its main source of inspiration. 6.0 Design response and realisation 6.1 Design Response Out of this defined project narrative and a subsequent series of design iterations and developments (for which Kevin from Aberrant kindly provided assistance and advice, and are shown in the Appendix), and scale and structural models was born the Fun-Size Story Box of Canterbury, as shown. The final design was a 2.5 meter cube, constructed entirely of softwood and corrugated cardboard (as they are low-value, easy to source and condition materials), featuring both recessed and projecting volumes inspired by stacked books, and the nature of Canterbury High Streets various building facades. The structure was also to open up to the public, much like a book opening along the spine, to reveal the interior performance and open reading spaces. Via a series of these fun and colourful reading corners, story creation + performance spaces, and open seating areas, the design aimed to provide parents and children with a safe and fun architectural intervention in which to read together. The projected volumes were also to be transparent, so as to make the bookshelves visible from the exterior, creating a sense of intrigue, and the selection of books available would be free for children to take home, donated from local retailers and charity shops, such as the Demelza Childrens Hospice, and HMV. The recessed reading corners and story creation + performance spaces come as a direct result of twinning classroom reading techniques with brain development in children research data, outlining where, why and how children like to read. According to the Centre on the Developing Child at Harvard University, traditional reading corners employed in schools do not conform to childrens actual reading habits, with most spaces tailored instead to improving scores in assessments. Alternatively, children actually prefer smaller, more interesting and inviting reading spaces a small space, often hidden away, where children can enjoy a book therefore, the Story Box features recessed areas where children can do just that with their parents. Furthermore, in early years, children learn best through active, engaged, meaningful experiences, and research suggests that learning is easier when experiences are interconnected rather than compartmentalised into narrow subject areas. This is echoed by ground-breaking kindergarten architect, Takaharu Tezuka, who states in The Guardian that designing for children involves recognising their right to play as well as learn, as from these experiences, they construct their own knowledge and apply their taught knowledge by interacting with their environments. Therefore, rather than having all reading material collected in one space, the Story Box has books arranged throughout the structure, with the provision for interconnected interior and exterior story creation + performance spaces, where children can imagine their own story with their parents, and then act it out, engaging them in a playful experience. 6.2 Council + Legislative Influence In addition to research data, council guidance and legislation were hugely influential on the design. Prior to any formal discussions with representatives of the council, a Planning Analysis was conducted to identify any legislative and/or planning requirements which the project may or may not have to adhere to forming a paper trail. This study found that as this projects Temporary Structure would be classed within the Building Regulations Exemption as a Class 4 Temporary Building, it would subsequently be exempt from several, if not all, regulations, providing it did not (amongst other possible objections) remain where erected for more than 28 days, and the floor area did not exceed 30m ². The project was subsequently designed following these requirements, however, the design continuously evolved following feedback from council representatives David Kemp (CCC Property Asset Manager), and Andy Jeffery (CCC Emergency Planning Events Officer) all of which is collated in the appendix Council Correspondence. This correspondence tackled many issues, such as; ensuring children didnt get their fingers caught in hinges, impeding pedestrians or emergency services vehicles, proximity to any highways, gaining relevant liability insurance, and proving the projects structural integrity. Once these issues were satisfied, and all required documentation was completed and accepted (Event Application Form, Events Policy Terms + Conditions, Event Management Plan, Events Risk Assessment and Public Liability Insurance Certificate) permission was granted to stage the event in the Buttermarket and Marlowe Theatre Forecourt on the weekend of the 11th-12th February 2017. 7.0 Implementation and feedback 7.1 Placement Despite a fully designed and rationalised scheme, like many temporary architecture structures, the project was affected by time and financial constraints, and as a result, only one of the two sides to the Story Box project was fully realised and constructed as outlined in the appendix Construction + Realisation. Yet, despite the unfortunate inclement weather conditions, the project was implemented on site (in the Buttermarket, between 11th-12th February 2017), acting as a prototype to test the validity or relative success of each part of the design, and project. Furthermore, though the event only lasted for two days (running from 10am to 5pm both days), and adverse weather ultimately hampered opening times and the possibility to set-up in more than 2 of the prospective sites, there was sufficient opportunity to engage with members of the community, and to receive valuable feedback. 7.2 Representative Data Movement Firstly, due to the stated limitations, it is important to note that the data collected doesnt represent a statistically significant number, therefore cannot be wholly accurate (this data was recorded by myself, and the 2 other staff members present throughout the day). However, one of the main ambitions of the project was to attempt to attract people to (or activate) pockets of often neglected or disused space, to highlight that these spaces can be re-invented and used for something more and in this sense the project was successful. Due to the weather conditions on the first day, the project was set up under the arcade of arches on Burgate Road, and though this was not envisaged, it meant that the project was truly located in dead space as, on average, only 20 people pass this location every 10 minutes (throughout the day), and of that number less than 10% (2 out of 20) stop in the immediate area for more than 30 seconds. However, whilst the event was held, though the people traffi c remained fairly constant, the amount of people stopping for more than 30 seconds trebled to 30% as people stopped to inspect, or engage with, the structure. On average, parents and children who stopped spent 17 minutes with the structure a significant increase. On the second day, when set up in the more exposed Buttermarket Square (in considerably better weather), on average, the amount of people passing through the site was much higher, at around 120 every 10 minutes, whilst people stopped for around 13 minutes. Again, though traffic remained constant, persons who stopped at the structure spent an average of 37 minutes there almost a 300% increase in time spent in the site. 7.3 Community Engagement + Feedback Aside from statistical data, the design featured tell us what you think message boards and Post-it notes, whilst several interviews were video recorded (stills of which can be found in the appendices) affording parents and children opportunities to express their opinions, either written or verbally. As shown in Figure XX, the written feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with parents agreeing that in attempting to raise awareness of declining reading levels the structure was a good idea-[and] interesting for architecture. One user wrote that she though the project was a really creative idea, imaginative and engaging- [with] fairy tales brought to life before your eyes, before, interestingly, adding that it captures your dreams with your child which may be lost on a busy shopping day, and stating that nothing is more important than a parent seeing their childs imagination grow. Similarly, a mother, Jane, who took the time to read with her 6-year-old daughter, Emma, stated that the structure was a really great use of space showing that you can create engaging and creative spaces for public engagement without costing loads! This sentiment was also echoed in the video interviews, with one mother stating that its nice to have somewhere to sit and read because they [her children] get fed up around the shops, giving a little bit of time for them before adding that its such a simple idea, but no-one else has ever thought of it before. In another interview, Adam, a father of two girls added: Its very homely and cosy. We took the girls to visit the Cathedral, but they got a bit bored, and kept talking about coming back to the Story Box the whole way round. As you can see, theyre having a whale of a time drawing all over the walls. I think the durability of it, and the fact you can just scribble all over it is great because they cant do that at home! Fascinatingly, though blank create your own story pages were placed on the interior walls as a place for children to draw and write, most children drew directly onto the cardboard walls, an unintended feature that another parent appreciated: Great portable pop-up s pace ideal to give kids somewhere to be free and creative to draw on the walls (like they cant do at home!) Moreover, during the event, I had the opportunity to observe if the project was actually attracting parents who werent necessarily reading wi

Affirmative Action: Keeping minorities down for 30 years. Essay

The subject of affirmative action in college admissions has been hotly debated since its inception. Although affirmative action was originally supported by the vast majority, that same majority is now starting to wonder if there is a better way. Commonly asked questions include: â€Å"Is affirmative action still working?† and â€Å"Is there an alternative?† The answers to each of these questions will provide insurmountable evidence that affirmative action in college admissions no longer fulfills its intended purpose and that the only viable alternative is to focus more attention on primary schooling for the underprivileged. The most common question that arises in contemporary debates over affirmative action is, â€Å"Does affirmative action still work as intended?† The original purpose of affirmative action in college admissions was to eliminate racial bias in the applicant selection process and provide a helping hand to disadvantaged minority students. Has this happened? The simple answer is â€Å"No†, but a more precise answer requires more elaboration. Richard Rodriguez, the Mexican-American author of Hunger of Memory and a direct beneficiary of early affirmative action policies, puts it this way, â€Å"I think – as I thought in 1967 – that the black civil rights leaders were correct: Higher education was not, nor is it yet, accessible to many black Americans† (Rodriguez 144). In 1967, civil rights leaders of all types began to pressure universities and colleges all over the United States to admit more minority students and hire more minority teachers. They claimed that racial bias was the nefarious culprit responsible for the low numbers of non-white students and teachers at these institutions and that these low numbers were unrepresentative of the surrounding populations. Affirmative action policies were born in a drive to better represent minorities in institutional America. However, all has not gone according to plan. In an effort to avoid the label of Racist, colleges and universities sometimes give preferential treatment to minority applicants. This preferential treatment means that promising majority (white) applicants are often passed over for less promising minority applicants. The term Reverse Discrimination has been applied to this phenomena and th... ...needed now is to focus all of our efforts on improving primary schooling for the underprivileged. Referring to the above cartoon, why not give everyone the advantages of the majority instead of lowering the standards to fit the minority? Works Cited Billingsley, K.L. "Affirmative Action Is Racist." 1995. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. University Library. IUPUI, Indianapolis. 14 Nov. 2004. Cohen, Carl. "Affirmative Action in Admissions Harms College Students.† 1998. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. University Library. IUPUI, Indianapolis. 14 Nov. 2004. < http://galenet.galegroup.com.proxy.ulib.iupui.edu/servlet/ OVRC?vrsn=218&slb=SU&locID=iulib_iupui&srchtp=basic&c=15&ste=17&tbst=ts_basic&tab=1&txb=%2522Affirmative+Action%2522&docNum=X3010148224&fail=8192&bConts=16207> Detroit Free Press. 2001. 14 Nov. 2004. Messerli, Joe. â€Å"Should affirmative action policies, which give preferential treatment based on minority status, be eliminated?† 2003. BalancedPolitics.org. 14 Nov. 2004. < http://www.balancedpolitics.org/affirmative_action.htm> Rodriguez, Richard. Hunger of Memory. New York: Bantam Books, 1983.

Corporate and Individual Social Responsibility :: Social Responsibility Essays

Social responsibility is a moral principle of an entity, be it an organisation or individual, to act towards betterment of society at large. It is a duty that every firm and individual should perform so as to maintain the balance between the environment and economy. Their actions should lead towards sustainable development so as to safeguard the interests of the coming generations and at the same time fulfilling the needs of present population. The responsibility can be active, by performing activities that directly advance social goals, or passive, by avoiding any engagement in socially harmful act. Individual social responsibility is the responsibility of every individual for his/her actions. It is moral responsibility that everyone should act in such a way that they do not affect people around them. Every individual should be committed towards upliftment of various social causes. Individual, instead of fiving importance to material means should focus on welfare of others, Individual social responsibility can only function if individual rise above the self-interest and opt for options which will benefit a large number of people. Every individual can make a small contribution to society be it any form- from saving natural resources to doing charity. Corporate social responsibility is the commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of workforce and their family as well as the local community. It helps in forming the positive image of the company. Corporate social responsibility considers the impact of the company’s action on society. Many critics of CSR are of viewpoint that it dilutes the primary aim of business and restricts the free market goal of profit maximization. Limits the ability to compete in a global marketplace. Though critics may be right in their place but CSR gives company a chance to address social issues caused by business and allow business to be the part of the solution.

DVD Technology Essay

It is truly a fact that we are living in this modern world which all technologies are advanced and improved. One of these technologies is in the DVD technology. Before, we normally used CDs as main novelty to the PC’s world but now, DVD is more used and preferred by multitudes of masses due to its admirable features which the CD doesn’t have. DVD was formerly represented as Digital Video Disc but then changed into Digital Versatile Disc and is considered as the next generation of the optical disc storage technology which is predicted and awaited to quickly substitute the CD-ROM disc along with audio compact disc around the following several years. DVD contains 4. 7 information’s gigabytes on one of its both sides or sufficient for a 133-minute movie. Having two layers on every of its both sides, it will keep up to 17 gigabytes of audio, video and other data. DVD-Video is the typical term for the DVD format designed for full-length motion pictures and which will drive with our television set. The DVD-ROM keeps computer information and is read through a DVD-ROM drive which is connected to a computer, the DVD-RAM is the writeable version while the DVD-Audio is a player which is designed to substitute our compact disc player (see Bellis, Mary. â€Å"DVD†. http://inventors. about. com/library/inventors/bldvd. htm). A DVD with correctly structured and formatted video substance is a DVD-Video. The DVDs with correct structured and formatted audio are termed as DVD-Audio discs. And everything as well is named as a DVD-Data disc as well as the other types of DVD discs which have video (Wikipedia, free encyclopedia. August 27, 2006). The purposes of this study are to: (1) know the history of DVD technology; and (2) be acquainted with its useful features and its functions; and how it is being distinct from CD. History The invention of DVD was all started in early of 1990s which two high-density optical storage standards were being technology advanced: the first one was the MultiMedia Compact Disc which was supported by Sony and Philips; and the second one was the Super Density disc which was approved and accepted by Time-Warner, Hitachi, Pioneer, JVC, Mitsubishi Electric, Toshiba, Thomson, and Matsushita Electric. The IBM president named Lou Gertsner has exerted an effort to join and bring together the two companies to back up solitary standard, getting ahead a repeat of the expensive and inflated format war amongst Betamax and VHS in 1980s (Wikipedia, free encyclopedia. August 27, 2006). In 1994 of May, Philips and Sony promulgated that they would be willingly and jointly develop a newfangled high-density medium popularly known as Digital Video Disc or DVD. This new technology was considered as the successor to compact discs or CD-ROM for computers and substitute laserdiscs and VHS tapes in the amusement industry. Just like a CD, DVD discs have similar diameter-about 120mm and thickness is about 1. 2 mm- just as Compact disc has but DVD is more advance and useful due to its capability to use both discs’ sides for data storage. The large video games which need and require a number of CDs would merely necessitate only one DVD disc. Later on, newfangled technology’s development instantaneously induced dilemmas of a political nature. The Warner Home Entertainment and Toshiba declared their own project to work out the same but yet precisely distinct from DVD technology at the same time. Associations like the Hollywood Digital Video Disc Advisory Group had a sensible and rational interest in this technology’s development. Movie suppliers started to stir up disagreements and controversies which concern the essential of copy protections in the DVD requirement and description. But then, Sony was the first to display its DVD technology. In 1995, John Eargle explained and illustrated the presentation which was conducted at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show. In his writings entitled â€Å"The Great DVD debate† stated that: â€Å"its color and sharpness was more than a match for the Laserdisc â€Å". But Eargle’s attention was on the technological requirements which had been formally and legitimately promulgated in December of the same year. The DVD’s intensification and enlargement data density was credited to a laser of a color advanced in the light spectrum and a technology that were being technologically advanced with 3M which permit the laser to be focus again to one second â€Å"layer† in the disc. It has a double-layer disc which amplifies the volume and dimensions to 7. 4 gigabytes. Throughout the spring of 1995, the disagreement of both developers had been stimulated through Toshiba’s personal growth and advancement of a two-layer disc named as SD or Super density (Chapin, R. â€Å"History of DVD†). DVD recordable and rewritable DVD recordable and DVD rewritable denote to DVD optical disc formats which can be â€Å"burned† either rewritable or write once format. DVD recordable is an overall name which denotes to both rewritable and writes-once formats, while DVD writable denotes solely to rewritable formats. The DVD promoted and marketed as 4. 7 GB might seem to keep not more than that for the reason that manufacturers quote the volume of a writable DVD disc utilizing decimal prefixes instead of the binary prefixes utilized by number of software. On the other hand, a 4. 7 GB DVD can be able to accumulate 4. 7 billion bytes, utilizing the binary prefixes which has similar capacity is approximately 4. 38 GiB (Wikipedia, free encyclopedia. August 18, 2006). Dual Layer Recording Dual Layer recoding permits DVD-R and DVD+R discs to accumulate and put in storage extensively more info or data which is capable of 8. 5 Gigabytes per disc, when contrasted with 4. 7 Gigabytes designed for single-layer discs. The DVD-R DL or â€Å"dual layer† was technologically advanced for the DVD Forum by the Pioneer Corporation while the DVD+R DL or â€Å"dual layer† was technologically advanced intended for the DVD+RW Alliance by Sony. Below are the two figures of DVD-R DL and DVD+R DL (Wikipedia, free encyclopedia. August 28, 2006). Figure of DVD-R DL Double Layer DVD+R Its Restrictions The DVD-Video includes four corresponding systems designed to limit and constraint the DVD user in a variety of procedures and these are the Content Scrambling System, Region codes, disabled user operations (UOP) and Macrovision. *Content Scrambling System* > It is a Digital Rights Management or DRM plan make used on various DVDs. It make uses a weak, proprietary 40 bit stream cipher algorithm which has successively been compromised. It was in 1996 that the system was presented and established (wikipedia, free encyclopedia. August 26, 2006). *Region Codes* > it is the programming practice, chip, physical barrier, or code which is make used to stop or block the playing media designed for a device which comes from a place where it is introduced and distributed on the version of similar device distributed in another place. It is a kind of a form of vendor lock-in (Wikipedia, free encyclopedia. August 26, 2006). *Disabled User Operations* > DVD-Video permits the disc to identify or indicate whether or not the handler may carry out any operation like skipping chapters, rewinding or forwarding, selecting a menu which is fundamentally any function on the remote control. This system is named as Prohibited User Operations or User Operation Prohibitions. *Macrovision* > It is a company which makes electronic prevention plans and was established in 1963. The term is occasionally used to denote to specific video copy prevention plans which were technologically advanced by the company. Its features Some of the DVDs main features are: (1) copy protection built into standard; (2) DVD-ROM for improved multimedia and games applications; (3) every format uses a common file system; (4) DVD-Audio for advanced quality music, graphics and other features and surround sound and optical video and many others; (5) Backwards compatibility with current CD media and many others (see DVD (Digital Versatile Disk)†. http://www. usbyte. com/common/dvd. htm#Introduction). Hence, DVD it is widely used now globally. ______________________________________________________________________________ References: 1. Bellis, Mary. â€Å"DVD†. http://inventors. about. com/library/inventors/bldvd. htm) 2. †DVD†. August 28, 2006. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/DVD 3. Chapin, R. â€Å"History of DVD†. http://www. miqrogroove. com/writing/History%20of%20DVD. html 4. â€Å"DVD recordable†. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. August 18, 2006http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/DVD_recordable 5. â€Å"Content Scramble System†. August 26, 2006. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Content_Scrambling_System 6. â€Å"DVD (Digital Versatile Disk)†. http://www. usbyte. com/common/dvd. htm#Introduction

Effectiveness and Efficiency of HR Essay

Introduction: Modern day management of an enterprise is dependent on optimal utilization of scarce resources. Of all the resources namely Man, Machine, Material, Money and Manager the most important resource is man and therefore modern day enterprises take special care of their manpower. Human beings are sensitive and emotional therefore need special handling. A good leader of men understands the human psychology and works in accordance with the capability of his people. What started, as a much-despised activity of managing the relationship between businesses and labor unions has now become an essential part of any successful organization. In my opinion assessing and measuring the effectiveness and efficiency of HR programs is truly an important challenge for HR professionals History: The history of Human Resource Management (HRM) can be traced back to the early 1900s. Galbraith and Nathanson developed a model for the human resource management function that divided the human resource management function into four basic sub functions. Subsequent review of the human resource management function divided the function into seven parts. The Human Resource Management function has evolved significantly since the early 1900. The need to deal with labor unions and the human relations movement has increased the need for competent human resource professionals. Functions of Human Resources Management:Human Resource Management focuses on securing, maintaining, and utilizing an effective work force. It involves a various activities, such as assessing human resource forecasts for the organization, screening of prospective employees, recruitment process, assessing training needs of the employees, developing a proper of compensation systems, and define policies in accordance with local law and needs. Importance of effective Human Resource Management Planning:1.HR managers have the challenge to align the operational needs of managers with the mission and organizational goals of the business. 2.HR managers must communicate effectively with operational level managers to influence, analyze and supply expected staff needs. 3.HR managers must consider the expected future environment and internal and external factors affecting human resource needs when planning future personnel requirements. Human resource managers must establish priorities for staffing needs. 4.HR managers must balance the requirements of line managers against the organizational goals to ensure staffing growth is consistent with the overall organizational objectives. 5.HR managers must gaining line management support for it’s programs and develop a good working relationship with line managers. Line managers must understand the human resource managers’ strategy and the value human resource management adds to an organization. 6.HRM policies and practices may influence the recruitment process. Effective recruiting is essential to an organizations financial future. 7.HR managers must ensure that all the personnel actions taken by an organization are performed within the law. HR policies of the organization must comply with various disabilities and civil right8.HR must develop training needs of the workers carry out unbiased performance appraisal based on substantive performance issues. 9.Managers should make sure employees understand what is expected of them and the requirements of their job. Conclusions:Human resource management contributes to an organization success by hiring effective employees, assessing training programs and effectively planning the human resource needs of the organization. By hiring effective employees HR managers improve the performance of the company. The value of the Human Resource management is immense and cannot be expressed solely in monetary value. HRM has moved from being an auxiliary function to that of adding to the organization profits by managing its most important asset: people. References: Mathis, R. L., & Jackson, J. H. (2003), Human Resource Management (11th edition), Thompson/Southwestern.

Behavior Modification In My Life

The three instances where I observe behaviorism in action is related to my home. I am a single parent of two. I have a son 21 and daughter 19 who still live at home. We work as a team and behaving appropriately is imperative. Instance 1: Though my children are very close to me and share all aspects of their lives with me, they expect me to leave them alone when they are with their friends.I have observed all the time from their facial expressions and gestures that whenever their friends come to our house, they expect me to leave them alone and not be a part of their group at that point of time.In this instance, the attitude of my children forces me to behave in the way, I do. My interactions with their friends are limited to a few customary greetings. I don’t need anyone to tell me to go the other room, because I automatically head towards other portions of my house when the young guests are around. This is because â€Å"Many attitudes are so well established and so frequentl y used that people can express them and act on them without a second thought. † (Smith and Mackie, 2002, p. 249)Instance 2: Whenever any three of us are late, the other two expects the late comer to inform how much time would he/she take to return back home and whether it would be possible for him/her to take the dinner with the family. In this instance the principle of commitment guide us to behave the way we do. Smith and Mackie rightly observed, â€Å"It’s not only our commitments to others that leads us†¦. Our commitment to maintaining a positive view of ourselves helps too. † (2000, p. 392) By keeping other members of our group informed, all the three of us not only reduce other members’ anxiety but also make them know how caring we are.This may cause each one of us some discomfort like talking on the mobile while driving, which is certainly not an acceptable behavior or excusing ourselves from an important lecture for a while which means loosing some precious moments, but we do it any way. Hence in order to project ourselves in a certain manner we slightly go out of the way which is unacceptable from not only the point of view of common norms but to our inner self too. Instance 3: Each one of us expect the other two members of our families to do their share of work and not overload just one person for the upkeep of the house.Though my daughter does not particularly like cleaning her room or washing the clothes, she does it half-heartedly. In this instance, the behavioral principle of obedience forces her to behave in a certain manner which she somewhat dislikes. She routinely engages in the cleaning activities, which strengthens the viewpoint that she is submitting to authority. In this case that authority is not only me, the parent but also the way in which we as a family are expected to behave to make life easier for each other.She does not want to loose the sanctity of a quiet and well-behaved family of ours by her regu lar cribbing about the activities she dislikes. Thus she abides by the rules of the family. The impact of behaviorism in popular culture has both negative and positive implications. We behave in a certain manner because we see others behaving in that manner. In the words of Mixon, â€Å"†¦behavior is the product of association. † (para. 11) Hence when we see others behaving properly we automatically follow their behavior. For example we don’t speak in a library when all the others are quiet. This is a positive implication of behaviorism.However we fall prey to bad behavior too, by seeing others. For example it is not good to litter a park but we don’t follow rules when we are in a park, where we see others have already littered it. This is a negative implication of behaviorism. Hence behaviorism conditions us and we get conditioned in both positive and negative ways. References Smith, E. R. , Mackie, D. M. (2 Ed. ). (2000) Social Psychology. USA: Psychology Press. Wagner, K. V. (2008). Retrieved Jan. 21, 2007 from http://psychology. about. com/od/behavioralpsychology/f/behaviorism. htm Mixon, C. (2008). Retrieved Jan. 21, 2007 from http://www. barkingdogs. net/bmod. shtml

Discuss the powers and constraints on the power of the Prime Minister

The British Prime Minister (PM) is holder of great power(s). ‘The PM is the most powerful figure, indeed the most powerful figure in the British system of government’[1]. He or She leads a group of political figures some of whom have a party or national standing in their own right. At the beginning of the 20th century the PM was described as primus inter pares- first among equals. The PM has can exercise powers which are denied to other members of the cabinet for example the power of patronage. He/she has formal powers inherited by the monarch such as the ability to go to war and more informal powers such as the media. The PM also has constitutional powers for example being able to decide the election date. This essay shall outline some of the powers at the disposal of the PM as well as some of the constraints that can limit the PMs freedom of action. Firstly, ‘The Prime Minister’s role is peculiarly British in two ways. The first is that as the Head of Government, he must control the House of Commons to remain in office[2]. The fact that the PM is head of government gives him/her considerable power. The PM owes his or her position to the party and must not forget such a connection. He or she will use the powers of leadership to keep the party united, working out compromise solutions as necessary. As leader of the majority party the PM retains support of the parliament. As long as the majority is a workable one, the PM and his or her cabinet colleagues are in a position to persuade the House to adopt party policies. In this sense a good relationship between the Pm and his or her party is crucial in allowing the freedom of choice for the PM. Secondly, the PM exercises power under the royal prerogative, powers which can be used but are traditionally powers of the crown. Powers relating to the legislature-e. g. ‘the summoning, proroguing and dissolution of parliament; the granting of royal assent to bills; legislating by Order in Council (e. g. in relation to civil service) or by letters patent; creating schemes for conferring benefits upon citizens where Parliament appropriates the necessary finance’[3]. Powers regarding the armed forces ‘Powers relating to the armed forces e. g. – the Sovereign is commander in chief of the armed forces of the Crown and the control, organisation and disposition of the armed forces are within the prerogative’[4]. Furthermore, ‘the power of appointment and dismissal, can be, and is, used by the Prime Minister to shape the general and specific direction of policy, as Margaret Thatcher demonstrated in September 1981 when she reinforced her Governments commitment to its economic policy by dismissing several so called wets[5]. Thirdly, the PM determines the date of the next general election. The PM alone decides when to ask the monarch when to dissolve parliament and therefore the time of the polling day. Normally this will be after four years in office. The PM will choose a time when victory looks most likely[6], his or her choice may be influenced by party performance in the polls, opinion polls and also by-elections, there are a number of various influences that cast the deciding factor into when election Day is. On the other hand, a constraint on the powers of the PM could be his/her cabinet colleagues. It clearly limits the freedom of action for any PM. No PM can survive long without the support of his or her cabinet colleagues. The fall of Margaret Thatcher in 1990 is often said to be largely the work of her cabinet, ‘the introduction of the Community Charge for local government sounded the death knell for Thatcherism’[7] And her presidential style of leadership were making her unpopular. In 1990 there was a challenge to her leadership. Michael Heseltine stood against thatcher in a challenge to her leadership but ‘despite being only four votes short of outright victory, she stepped down after advice from her Cabinet’[8]. fewer votes than she did but enough to damage her authority to such an extent that in a succession of face to face interviews her cabinet colleagues convinced her not to stand in the second round, thus leaving the way open for john major to be elected. Thatcher was therefore removed from office largely due to the work of her cabinet colleagues. John Major also had some difficulties in his second ministry with some of his cabinet particularly John Redwood and Michael Portillo, because of their underhand opposition to his policy. Brown enjoyed the advantage of being able to reshuffle his cabinet thoroughly when he took over as PM, hence ensuring the exclusion of his enemies and rivals. He made sure to include some of his ‘inner circle’ including Ed Balls sometimes named Mr Browns ‘representative on earth’ [9] A second constraint on the powers of the PM is the support of the media or lack of it. If a PM is to be popular and hence successful, he or she needs the support of a large section of the media; this usually itself can be dependent on the popularity of the PM. The Murdoch press is often credited, especially by the newspapers themselves as having more influence than they really have, a Guardian article affirms ‘ Rupert Murdoch's spell is broken. But not his baleful influence’[10]. Moreover when they transferred their support from Major to Blair in the mid-1990s/ it was certainly harmful to Major’s electoral success. However, if Major had still been popular in the country, it is unlikely that the sun and the times would have switches sides as they did. Brown initially enjoyed a favourable press, largely due to the novelty factor. ‘By the skilful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise’ Adolf Hitler’s remarks about the media make the impression that the correct use of it can prove a powerful thing. But by contrast we have seen that when the media turns against the PM it can be a constraint on the power of the PM. Finally, the size of the majority in the commons can have a substantial effect on the PMs ability to push things through. Tony Blair enters Downing Street on a wave of goodwill after a landslide election victory, his Commons majority of 179 ending 18 years of Conservative rule[11]. Tony Blair was fortunate between 1997 and 2005 with two large majorities. This was an important factor in his success, and his ability and his government’s ability to get programs passed in parliament. However, it is arguable that because his majority was so huge, some dissidents on the backbench were more willing to cause trouble than they otherwise would have been. In 2993-5, there were a number of Labour backbench revolts which greatly reduced the government’s theoretical majority in the commons. So perhaps it is better to have a large, rather than enormous majority. But governments with small majorities such as Wilson and Callaghan in the period 1974-0 and then John Major in 1992-7 can suffer considerably in the event of a backbench revolt. Over Europe, Major had great problems within his own party and only managed to ratify the Maastricht Treaty with a majority of one vote because of a backbench revolt. This sort of difficulty undermines the PMs Authority more generally, in the media and among the voters as a whole. Blair found this out for himself in his third term, with a reduced majority, and his first defeat in 2005 on the terrorism bill. Brown of course inherited this slimmer majority from Blair and in March 2008 he faced back-bench rebellions over his counter terrorism bill. In conclusion, it has been argued that the PM has acted beyond the constitutional role which is primus inter pares (first among equals). The PM can exercise powers held by the crown or prerogative powers for example the ability to go to war. Also the PM decides the election date. But most importantly, he or she is leader of government and by definition the most powerful politician in the country. However, should the PM forget the connection established between the press, the people and his or her party the PM will find it hard to succeed as Margaret thatcher’s downfall highlighted.

Needs of Various Stakeholders Essay

As we already discuss about the important of the stakeholders. A stakeholder does not exist but makes demand of the organization. The reason why stakeholders are important in strategic analysis is because of they want something from the organization. The demand of different stakeholders may become conflict to each other. For example shareholders of Tesco want maximum returns from the organization whereas the management team may retain profits for long term investment. Also the employees of tesco want higher payment or simply keep employee during the economy crisis, but the management may with to go through the difficult time by cutting posts and costs. Because of the individual needs are various, the conflict exists. And it will change along with times, macro-environment change and organizational changes: The government:- The government has power on influence the daily operations of tesco. Now days the government may give more support to the business because of the global economy downturn. Customers:- The small change of social communications behaviors and the innovation of high promotion may lead more demand on the services and products provided by tesco. This is very important power for the tesco to continue developing to satisfy the customer. Shareholders:- Shareholders may have the less expectation on returns during the crisis in the stock market. However, when the economy blooms again, say after several years, shareholders will expect more returns from the organization. Employees:- Who could be considered as dependent stakeholders. They are willing to retain the same pay level in order to keep employed during the recession period, but when things gets better, the staff will wish to increase their pay and other welfares. Suppliers:- The operation of the business is very difficult and complex with the effects of globalization. Small changes in the country would have direct and indirect impact over the business operations. Local community:- Local community may wish tesco help improving the quality of local environment. They may wish the organization perform better and give the full satisfaction to the customer.