Thursday, October 31, 2019

Palm oil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Palm oil - Essay Example The UK is the wealthy nation which dominates the poor nation of Indonesia which has an abundance of cheap labour and land on which palm oil can be grown successfully. Instead of development, the production of palm oil in Indonesia takes place at a cost to the indigenous people and to the environment. The benefits derived from the production of palm oil also accrue mainly to the developed country at the expense of the relatively undeveloped Indonesia where land which should be preserved for the protection of the environment and biodiversity is being burnt in order to supply palm oil cheaply to Tesda’s supermarket chain and other company’s. Instead of development Indonesia is faced with displacement of its people and depletion of its resources. The soot from burning has affected the operations of the airline industry and will therefore have a negative effect on the economic development of the country. The preservation of the environment is important in the development of any country. The burning of the forests will have dire environmental consequences for the people of Indonesia. With the increasing and negative effects of climate change countries around the world are taking the necessary steps to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere while this is taken place in Indonesia. These events indicate that Tesda has not adopted a model for corporate social responsibility with all the negative events including corruption, lack of dialogue between groups affected by the production of palm oil and poor labour standards employed. These along with the death of persons who speak for their rights are unacceptable. The stakeholders that have legitimate claims on Tesda are the indigenous people of Indonesia whose lives have been negatively affected by plantations in which Tesda has a stake, the people who work on these plantations, suppliers to its processing plant in the Netherlands and

Monday, October 28, 2019

Pretty woman is a conflicted tale about prostitution and dreams Essay Example for Free

Pretty woman is a conflicted tale about prostitution and dreams Essay Pretty woman is a conflicted tale about prostitution and dreams: how we prostitute ourselves to achieve our dreams; and how those dreams are defiled and compromised by our prostitution. Discuss. To prostitute oneself means that you sell yourself for a reward either money or something else. In the film there is a lot of prostituting occurring mainly for the characters in the film to achieve their dreams. Pretty woman is a modern day representation of the fairy tale Cinderella. Because the film has a fairy tale narrative then it means that the film has a lot to do with dreams and the make believe. All the characters in the film have a role and are all trying to achieve their own personal dreams. The two main characters in the film are both looking to find their dreams, which are two different things. Vivian is a character of great dignity and self respect this breaks the stereotype of a prostitute and is shown in many ways in the film.Vivian Wants the typical fairy tale that is swept of her feet by a brave dark stranger and to live happily ever after. But she also has a realistic dream where by she is able to live a higher standard of life instead of living in a apartment which she doesnt like and which she cant afford the rent for. Whereas Vivians dream is to make is dad jealous by becoming a successful business man and very wealthy. In both dreams the characters have to sacrifice different things to try and achieve their own dreams. Vivian has to sell her body as a prostitute to be able to afford the money to achieve her dream. Whereas Edward has had to sacrifice his soul and conscience to be able to get his dream, this means that he is able to develop lasting relationships. Through out the film we see what the characters within the film have had to do to achieve their dreams The first scene in the film is a business gathering where the main topics of conversation are either money or girls; these are the main ingredients of prostitution. The first line of the film is its all about money this sets up the fell of the film where he is saying that everything in life revolves around money and the lengths that people will go to get money to achieve their dreams. The first scene shows Edward on the phone sorting out business and is not interested in the party that is going on around him, this shows that he is giving up his social life and not spending time enjoying his wealth/dream as he is trying to arrange business. Then there is a contrast in lifestyles. The opening line of the next scene is Everyone comes to Hollywood for a dream this could be represented as Vivians Philosophy of life because straight after that scene the camera cuts to her. This also shows that everyone in Hollywood has a dream and different people are willing to go different lengths to achieve this dream. Vivian is shown as being in the lower social class and wants to get out of her current lifestyle which is her dream. When Edward pulls up in his very expensive car and asks Vivian for directions her first response is to ask for money again onto the fact that everything is for money. When the two are in the car Vivian is talking about money when and Edward comes out with the line I never joke about money this is very significant as it shows that he takes money very serious in hi life and see it as something that he cant joke about. In the film there is a contrast in lifestyles and also how close the two main characters are in their pursuit of their dreams. Edward is upper class and is living his dream (but he is not enjoying it). Whereas Vivian was nowhere near achieving her dream but is very happy with her personality and who she is, and throughout the film she may change her view on things but her personality remains the same throughout the film. So as she is living and achieving her dream she does not change yet I would think that Edwardss personality would have changed as he got closer to his dream. When Vivian enters the hotel she doesnt try to be posh but tries to play the stereotypical role of a prostitute when people look at her. But when she gets into the room she is amazed by the luxury and sees it as a dream compared to what type of living standards which she is used to. When the waiter brings the champagne and strawberries he waits for a tip which again shows that everything revolves around money in all cases, the waiter is a prostitute in a way because he delivers a surface of the exchange of money. Later in that night when Vivian is watching the tv and eating the strawberries Edward is at his desk doing work, and does not drink any alcohol this again shows how he has given up socialising and having a good time in pursuit of his dream. Every time Vivian walks through the hotel lobby she is looked down upon by the people in the lobby this causes her to put he dreams on hold as she realises that she doesnt fit in, in this lifestyle. When Vivian goes out shopping for expensive clothes the scene is step up as if it was actually a fairy tale, with the way in which it is day time sunny and the colours used are bright happy colours which you would associate with fairy tales, this could represent that Vivian is busy living her dream. But when she tries to buy some clothes and the staff of the shop asks her to leave she realises again that because of her past and background that she doesnt fit in that style of life. When she goes back to the hotel the hotel manger takes her aside and talks to her about her stay in the hotel and how she should dress appropriately etc. but when she explains what happened then instead of the manager just dismissing her he tries to help and sends her to a friend of his. The hotel manager is has also got a dream of his own, which he is living. His dream is to be hotel manager of the hotel. You can tell that he is very proud of his job because when he is talking the Edward he keeps stating that he is the hotel manager. Although he has reached his dream it is unclear what he has had to give up to achieve it because he is a kind man who gets on well with people. So this shows that not everyone has to give up something to achieve their dream and that people have different types of dreams depending on their personalities and ambitions. It may be said that the larger your dreams the more you have to prostitute to achieve them. At the polo match when Vivian is dressed like all the other woman in posh clothes (which she is starting to get used to) Edwards lawyer comes up to her and tells her that he knows she is a prostitute. This brings Vivian back down to reality and shatters the dream at which she is in as she is made to feel cheap and small and is not prepared for it. Later on Vivian is again made to feel like a prostitute but it is Edward how does it, when Vivian asks for her money he puts its on the bed instead of giving it to her (treats her with no respect). Vivian shows dignity and self respect because she does not take the money (although she really needs it) and would rather keep her dignity then have the money, this is different from Edwardss views and believes. When the two make up she says the line If people put you down, you start to believe it with shows that her dream is has been put down and that she has realised she had been living as false dream for a few days which has dramatically ended, by her choice. This shows that Vivian was not willing to compromise her dignity for her dreams. This is shown in the next seen also, when Edward takes Vivian out she is wearing a red dress. The colour red represents dignity respect and power these are the things which are shown in Vivians character. Although when at the opera she never looses sight of whom she is. As the relationship between the two gets more intimate then Edward begins to become more and more laid back and starts to enjoy his wealth and money more. This is shown throughout the film but the main change comes when Edward takes a day off work to spend it with Vivian, this is a complete contrast to the first scene where he was missing a party because of business. Vivian also brings out the best in his personality. You can tell this because in the first meeting with the shipping contractor where Edward is abrupt and Cleary states that he wants get dismantle the contractors business up and sell it off. But after a prolonged period of time with Vivian and at the next meeting of the two Edward changes his mind and offers go into business with the contractor instead. This is because Vivian is bringing out the best in him and also as a child he says he loved to build things and that all he had to show for his career was money instead of products. So before he wanted to get revenge at his farther he loved to build but as he got angrier with his farther he wanted to destroy things, but now that he wants to go into construction again shows that he is getting over his farther and moving on with his life and starting to get back to his original dream which was construction. The necklace that Edward loans out for Vivian is very symbolic. It is representing that he is selling himself to her through the expensive necklace. Also when he asks the hotel manager to take the necklace back for him he says it must be very difficult to let go of something so beautiful so again Vivian is represented through the necklace. Also in the opera scene the line me not work is said this shows that Edward is concentrating more on Vivian and enjoying himself rather then work and money which he did originally. The resolution of the story is the rescue of the princess by her prince charming. This is successfully completed by Edward arriving on a white horse (represented as a white limousine) and climbing up the castle wall that she has been trying to escape (the fire escape of her old flat) and rescue Vivian from a life of poverty. This is what she expressed her childhood dream as being. However, the two personal journeys of Edward and Vivian leave a more significant impact on the viewer. Edwards journey began with his father leaving him for another woman, and giving Edward a sense of rage whose only outlet is his business. This anger fuels his life, and indirectly leaves him a very rich man. Although Edwards business life is very successful, his personal life is a shambles. Edward has a fear of commitment. His journey in this film helps him let his guard down with Vivian, and he begins to overcome his fears. This personal growth leads him to a change of business strategies, resulting in a sense of closure regarding the old man hes trying to buy out of business. This old man represents what Edwards relationship with his father could have been, and when Edward changes tactics and decides to join forces with the old man, the man expresses the pride he feels, and Edward feels the anger begin to fade. Vivians journey takes her from poverty to riches, but she too has closed herself off emotionally. This closure is necessary for many professions, including prostitution, but its apparent from the beginning of this film that Edward isnt an ordinary client. Vivians journey leads her from a dead end job to the probability of furthering her education and looking towards a brighter future. Edward does more for Vivian than buy her things; he shows her that she is somebody special, and he gives her back her sense of the worth. The journeys of Edward and Vivian lead them to the end of the film, where they have resolved their internal conflicts and are free to love one another. Both characters in the film are pursuing their quest for their dreams. Edward had his but had to sacrifice his emotions to get it, and now with guidance from Vivian has is starting to restore them. Whereas Vivian had nothing and because of Edward has been able to live her dream and is still the same emotional person she was at the start of the film although the week has made her look at certain things through a different perspective.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Role Of Electronic Communication Today

The Role Of Electronic Communication Today Introduction Communication plays a very important role in our daily lives. When we interact with others we use different means of interaction. Communication has advanced from simple speech and cave paintings to the World Wide Web and many types of touch screen technology. With the recent creation of electronic communication, we finally could talk to each other at any place around the world in real time instantaneously. Another wonderful advantage it gives to us is the ability to use our time more to efficiently. However, electronic communication has drawbacks as well. For example makes it easier for bad people to make their deed more organized and efficient. History of Communication We have advanced significantly in our ability to communication. The first forms of communication our ancestors had were cave painting and face to face meeting. A form of writing was invented in 3500 B.C., which helped keep track of information, historical events, and tell about the citys laws. Our alphabetical letters (a, b, c, ect.) were invented in Ancient Egypt around 2000 B.C. The main problem for our ancestors was long distance communication. Mail. Our ancestors used a mail system for a long time, a system we still use today. They used it so they didnt have to travel every time which is very costly, immensely time consuming, and dangerous. Mail is pretty simple: you just write a letter, and give it to a post office closest to you to send. The post office used horses and ships to deliver the mail to the destination. Ships were the fastest types of delivery, but they used horses for areas without sea. A good example of a local mail system is the Pony Express that was used by the 13 colonies to deliver mail and news in the mid 1700s. The Pony Express was a delivery service of mailmen that travel by horse. The world also used ships to send information faster than by land, however it took take months to get to their destination. Telegraph. The telegraph was the first device that let us use electronic communication. Samuel Morse invented the telegraph in 1837, but the first commercial telegraph was invented in 1844 in the U.S.A. It was like a fax machine except there was no keyboard, it sent dotted messages, and it was wired. However, it was the first to have immediate replies. Soon businesses realized that the telegraph could really improve their business, but it was really expensive for two reasons. The first reason was that it was big and new, the second reason was that it needed a lot of wiring across the country that costs a fortune. What really helped the spread and popularity of the telegraph was the American Civil War. Since the North needed better advantages over the South, they needed the telegraph to send fast orders to the troops fighting in the west, on the border, or in the North. After the war more people got familiar with the telegraph and the wiring in the North was already there. In 1866, th ey even successfully made a cable from the U.S. to Europe that made fast electronic communication from North America to Europe possible. iPhone. Now, about 150 years later, we have excellent ways to communicate like the telephone, cell phone and the Internet with a laptop. Technology is continuously advancing. A recent advancement in electronic communication is the iPhone. The iPhone is a smart phone that is a touch screen and has the ability to access information on the Internet. Thanks to this phone we can save time and energy. The iPhone has a lot of awesome new features like the thousands or even tens of thousands of wonderful apps that are either free or cost $10 or less. It also has an excellent GPS system that even tells how much traffic each road has. The iPhone is a technological breakthrough. I once had an iPhone for one month, and out of all the cell phones I had, the iPhone was by far my favorite. Positive Effects and Aspects Well start with the positive aspects and effects. Now we use electronic communication for reasons including: Communication Saves time and energy A reminder Gaming Communication. First, it really improves are means of communicating to each other. First, communication gives us the ability to stay in touch anywhere at anytime. Also, it is more reliable and faster to transport important documents or news by mail or memory stick. Last, you could have immediate replies no matter where you are. Saves Time and Energy. First, the iPhone could give us direction in an unfamiliar area. Second it is easier to find and correct mistakes messages thanks to computers spell checks. It also increases the process of learning. A great example is how you taught me how to type correctly and faster when we are in two different states. They even have a really helpful touch screen computer ordering system, however it is in a couple restaurants. I went to one of these restaurants it was very good. You have the possibility to look at all the option on the menu, put topping, and order it anytime you wanted. It even has games on it you can play while you wait. The iPhone even makes the polices job easier. In the news, I heard this crazy report that someones iPhone was stolen and with a portable tracking system, the police found the thieves. Thats not the only case, there is another case when some thieves were stealing from a car, and the phone in his pocket accidentally calls 911, and thanks to t hat the police caught them. Good Reminder. Phone, email, and other types of electronic communication have special calendars and/or alarms that could remind you about: Appointments Meeting Family matters Special occasion Gaming. Games have always have been fun. Over the years gaming has advanced to a whole new level. In the 1990s they have made gaming systems that you can play storyline against computer. Now in the 21st century, you can play games against and talk to people around the world. For example, I have met a nice Canadian that lives in the second largest French-speaking town in the world, Montrà ©al. I have never met him face to face, but I have known him for well over a year and a half. Negative Aspects or Effects Of course if there are positive effects, there are negative effects from this technologic advancement: Your reputation is more vulnerable Over reliance Helps criminals also Problems with touch screens It increases the efficiency to Ruin any Reputation. Since the Internet is so vast, it is harder to keep information secret. A great example is how a teacher got fired for posting to her friends on Facebook that she hated her job and that her students parents were spoiled. If you make a mistake and send it, there are no ways you can stop it and it is easier for people to find your mistakes. A common example is a vending email, and you or someone else accidentally press send, and its immediately in the persons computer, since emails have search commands, so they could find that email a lot faster. You May Become Reliant on Technology. Reliance is not that big of a deal, but it could cause long-term problems. For example, a friend of mine has a portable GPS system and he uses it when he drives. A consequence of that is he doesnt even remember his friends addresses because he keeps using the GPS. Im a good example as well. When I was a little kid, I used to need to remember numbers, but with the addition of phone contacts in cell phones, I dont need to remember a single number. Now I dont know any of my friends numbers, only the numbers I remember are the ones I remembered when I was little kid: My parents cell phone numbers Our home number My parents office number 911 My dad has the same reliance as me, for most of his life, he remembered every number of his family and friends, but now all he remembers is their names in his contact list. It Could Help the Criminals as Well. The Internet is so helpful that it is even makes it easier for people to commit crimes. A great example is how terrorist use the Internet to find people to join their cause and it is a lot easier to send their messages without getting caught. It is also a lot easier to steal someones ideas and/report you just need to do three things: Search Copy Paste The Internet also made it possible for hackers to exist. Hackers go into any account steal the money, identity information, ect, and use it to profit themselves or frame others they dont like. It even helps people publish top-secret files. A great example is how Wiki Leaks published thousands of top-secret files about Afghanistan for the whole world to see, including terrorists. Touch screen problems. A touch screen is usually helpful, but there are problems with it. First, you need to clean the screen pretty often because when you touch it, it leaves fingerprints, which could block your sight or make it harder for the touch commands to work. Second, it is a lot more fragile, because glass is weaker than metal. Last if you scratch it, you need to either change the screen or just always look at the scratch. Conclusion All in all electronic communication is a great human achievement. We have gone a great way in our new breakthrough the iPhone. Although the advancement electronics has many drawbacks, it benefits have really helped our ancestors and us get to a new, better age. Now there are many types of advanced electronic communication that wed of never expected.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup Essay -- HFCS Food

Abstract: This research essay will investigate the effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup. The liver is effected because the fructose—as it is being metabolized deposits fatty acids into the liver, it also develops cirrhosis, which has the same effect normally seen in alcoholics. High Fructose Corn Syrup increases cholesterol which blocks the inner walls of the arteries and may be fatal if not treated. High Fructose Corn Syrup was believed to be beneficial to diabetics, but studies show the they may actually promote more diseases. Obesity is a major problem, as High Fructose Corn Syrup does not release leptin—which is what signals the brain to stop eating, so society is prone to over consumption. It also alters the heart's use of other minerals and enables the appropriate minerals to reach the part of the body that needs them, (such as calcium for bones). Lack of the minerals cause osteoporosis which cause bones to become more fragile and easier to break. Dental caries are problemat ic because they cause toothaches and holes to form on the tooth—another effect of High Fructose Corn Syrup. It is human nature to have a sense of memento mori, even if it means becoming sick. High Fructose Corn Syrup, (High Fructose Corn Syrup) is the backbone of the USA in that it is ubiquitous and virtually everyone is affected by it. The High Fructose Corn Syrup in foods are known to hinder the liver, lead to diabetes, cause obesity, mineral deficiency, osteoporosis, and dental caries, as well as other diseases caused by the â€Å"trickle down effect.† Little is known about High Fructose Corn Syrup because it has only been used for 30 years, but what is known is that the bad outweighs the good. One of the organs that is directly effected by High Fructos... ...ture and harm of High Fructose Corn Syrup before it causes permanent damage. 6 Edgar, W.M. Nutritive Sweeteners. â€Å"Sugars and Dental Caries.† G.G. Birch and K.J. Parker. Englewood, NJ. 1982. Kapner, Adam. Medline Plus. US National Library of Medicine and national Institute of Health. 26 June, 2008. 23 July 2008. www.nlm.nih.gov Jefferson, Ashley. â€Å"The Negative Effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup on the Human Body Excluding Obesity, Diabetes and Kidney Failure.† 30, July, 2006. 23, July 2008. www.westonaprice.org Piersall, Wendy. Five Reasons to Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup. The Fit Shack. 2008. 23, July 2008. www.thefitshack.com Mohr, Christopher R. High Fructose Corn Syrup. 1 May, 2005. www.diabeteshealth.com Osteoporosis: A debilitating disease that can be prevented and treated. National Osteoporosis Foundation. 27 July, 2008. 27 July, 2008. www.nof.com

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Analyse and Discuss the Merits and Best Use

Analyse and discuss the merits and best use of management skills Throughout the essay I hope to be able to interpret the management skills that are essential in today’s working environment. I will also hope to explain my own positive and negative experiences I have come across throughout my working career. The main areas I will cover in this essay on management skills are Leadership, Teamwork, Partnership, Networking, Delegation and Negotiation. We all want to be the best manager we can be, whether it is for your business, small project or social event or to meet targets in your workplace.Unfortunately most people have experienced bad managers or at least bad management skills in your work or personal life. The benefits of being a very good manager is that you have a productive and happy workforce or team enabling you to achieve great results and for team members feel valued and feel they are making worthwhile contribution to the project and to themselves. Agha Hasan Abedi quo tes â€Å"The conventional definition of management is getting the work done through people, but real management is developing people through work† So how do you enable the people to achieve the best for your team?One way is to have excellent leadership skills, so a manager can lead a team to success, whether that would be one section of a project or being able to hit all the targets, to give the company financial benefits. An excellent leader would be a manager that could lead by example, showing their team that they can work hard, put the effort in, are not shunning the menial and difficult work and are willing to â€Å"get their hands dirty† with the team to create success. A leader also has to be the person viewing the team analytically. . e. looking in on the team so that they have the knowledge of their team’s positive and negative points, so they can utilise the person with the right skills for the right task and to train the staff to enable someone or ev eryone to achieve their goal and the teams overall accomplishment. I once worked for the Welsh Assembly in the data capture department for the farming subsidies; I had one main and three deputy managers and worked with between fifty and sixty temporary agency and assembly staff.The managers never once talked individually to their staff to see what their experience was or what their needs were to be able to give the right procedure or training to the right person. Everyone was grouped together and was told to get on with it. This meant that regularly we would have to go over work already done as there were so many mistakes and the quality of the project was put in jeopardy. The end result was that the farmers were often paid very late for land they did not own for farms that did not exist. The Welsh Assembly did pay one farmer over ? 40,000 for farm land that was situated in the North Sea!Just by talking and listening to their staff, working beside them and finding the right person f or the job, a lot of time and money and reputations could have been saved. Teamwork – no goals can be achieved or positive results gained for a project without co-workers, subordinates or friends working effectively together. For any group of people to work together effectively there must be someone who will stand as the manager of the team; so they can lead the team into working as a whole to achieve success; someone who can address any problems and help to find a solution ensuring everyone feels positive in their role in the team.As a manager of a team you need to be able to set the direction, provide guidance and support, co-ordinate the teams’ activities, ensure that each team member plays his or hers part, promote the learning and development of team members, consult the team on issues affecting its work and in conjunction with team members, monitor, and review team performance. If all this can be achieved a manager can lead their team to success time and time aga in.Striving to gain larger profits, market share or to outmanoeuvre business competitors requires capitalizing on highly effective partnerships either internally within a field or business or externally to start collaboration from an assisting field. Partnerships can also ensure the business or project has the capabilities to support it and can evolve initiatives. The strategy of connectivity to other people and entities is now crucial for innovation and overall success. â€Å"Businesses today must propagate connections that provide resources they don’t possess in house and enable them to move quickly to profit. states Mr Stephen Dent from Partnership Continuum. Smart partnerships win not only because of what they do but, even more importantly, from how they do it. They win from leveraging their connectedness and from valuing the building of relationship skills. Partnerships can produce astonishing results—but only when information flows freely, people trust each othe r, and are loyal to each other and their mutual success. Managers and people can get things done by networking.Networks are organized connections between people with shared interests when they exchange information, enlist support and create alliances getting agreement with others on a course of action and joining forces to make it happen. It is an essential way of getting things done in organizations – it ensures that the informal organization works. They exist to meet a need and can be dispersed if that need no longer exists, only to be reformed when it reappears. Networks may just consist of people with similar aims or interests who communicate with one another or get together as required.To start networking you have to identify people who may be able to help, seize any opportunity that presents itself to get to know people who may be useful, have a clear idea of why you want to network – to share knowledge, to persuade people to accept your proposal or point of view , or to form an alliance. You have also got to know what you can contribute – networking is not simply about enlisting support, it is just as much if not more concerned with developing knowledge and understanding and joining forces with like-minded people so that concerted effort can be deployed to get things done.Ask people if you can help them as well as asking people to help you. Operate informally but be prepared to call formal meetings when necessary to reach agreement and plan action. Make an effort to keep in touch with people. Networks are sometimes set up formally in organizations, for example the ‘communities of interest’ that are created to exchange and share knowledge and experience. Networks can also exist outside the business.Again, they may consist of like-minded individuals exchanging information and meeting informally, or they may be set up formally with regular meetings and newsletters. But however you make a network they are very useful, especi ally in these changing times. When I was working in the medical recruitment field for Lifeline locums I began networking when I realised that the business needed more market share of the Welsh NHS positions and to increase the amount Private/NHS general practitioners we could locum. I joined a lot f medical recruitment committees and medical business networks to try and get to the right people who could introduce me to persons who could help the company win business inside the confines of the NHS. I was also informed of a number of NHS tenders to provide locums for certain hospitals that I believe won through networking. This raised the company’s profits fourfold and ensured I had a healthy bonus for the years to come. Even 8 years on I am still in touch with many of the people I made connections with then.The art of delegation is a precise one that requires time and forethought, time to build a strategy, team member development and realism. Every manager is as good as their team around them and as a manager it is impossible to try and do everything yourself, whether it is because you are afraid of giving over some of the control or that you cannot trust other team members to do the work as well as you, sooner or later you will have to be able to delegate to someone.Delegation can feel like more work and more hassle than it's worth, however if you can delegate effectively, it is possible to hugely expand the amount of work that can be completed. When you arrange the workload so that you are working on the tasks that have the highest priority for you, and other people are working on meaningful and challenging assignments, everyone is happier. To delegate effectively, choose the right tasks to delegate, identify the right people to delegate to, and then be available if required.When I was working in America I used a template like this to be able to make a logical step before I made the decision about whom I could delegate to, this also helped study what t ypes of skills I would need. I could then try to find the best match I had within my team or what was needed to develop them to be able to complete it successfully. Although in my case this template, was normally scratched onto one of my paper food sacks from the fruit company I owned in Colorado. Delegation template| Skill/ Ability | Specific Task or Objective| Measures| Agreed(is it? | Realistic(is it? )| Timings(start/finishdates)| Actions | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Negotiating is the process of communicating back and forth, for the purpose of reaching a joint agreement about differing needs or ideas. It is a collection of behaviours that involves communication, sales, marketing, psychology, sociology, assertiveness and conflict resolution. A negotiator may be a buyer or seller, a customer or supplier, a boss or employee, a business partner.It is a process of interaction by which two or more parties who consider that they need to be jo intly involved in an outcome but who initially have different objectives, seek by the use of argument and persuasion to resolve their difference in order to achieve a mutually acceptable solution. Another important consideration is that negotiation implies acceptance by both parties that agreement between them is required before a decision can be implemented. In an ideal situation, you will find that the other person wants what you are prepared to trade, and that you are prepared to give what the other person wants.Depending on the scale of the disagreement, some preparation may be appropriate for conducting a successful negotiation. For small disagreements, excessive preparation can be counter-productive because it takes time that is better used elsewhere. It can also be seen as manipulative because, just as it strengthens your position, it can weaken the other person's. So, in conclusion to ensure that you become an effective manager and have the right skills to be able to steer y our team to success you will undoubtedly have to work hard, find out about the people who are working with you and develop a trusting relationship together.But that is not all; you will need to show you can work hard with them and for them, see what they can do with and without you. See what you could do to develop your team around you and every once in a while take a step back every now and then to see the bigger picture about you and your team. Even within these management skills you have to remember to look outside your team or company and see if there are benefits in creating a network from similar fields or departments that could help strengthen your abilities. Also look out for partnerships that could develop mutual benefits.I hope this has explained the benefits of management skills and this has helped you to understand the examples of my previous working life. But I hope above all, that you remember to always stand tall and proud and be happy in your work. If you believe in yourself, others will to. | | | References Armstrong, A (2008) How to manage people. London. Kogan page limited Buckingham, M (2007) Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance. London (for Agha Hasan Abedi quote) Cole, G. A. (2004) Management – theory and Practice – Sixth Edition. London, South Western CENAGE learning Chapman, A. 2006-2011) Delegation (online) Business Balls http://www. businessballs. com/delegation. htm [accessed 12th December 2012) Dent, S. M. (2006) Partnership Relationship Management- Implementing a Plan for Success (online) Partnership Continuum, www. partneringintelligence. com (accessed 2nd Jan 2012) â€Å"Myopendraft† (2009) Management Skills – Networking (online) www. myopendraft. blogspot. com/2009 (accessed 2nd Jan 2012) Shah, K & Prof. Shah, P. J Date unknown Negotiating Skills (online) Available from http://www. laynetworks. com/Negotiating-Skills. html [accessed 14th Jan 2012) | |

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

How the Romans Built Bridges †History Essay

How the Romans Built Bridges – History Essay Free Online Research Papers How the Romans Built Bridges History Essay Rome was the first nation to create some of the most legendary bridges using stone. Stone is difficult to find, but compared to the more common bridge material, wood, it was better. And it is evident since most of the bridges that Rome made with stone are standing today. Then after realizing that stone is so great, Rome realized the idea of the arch. The concept behind the arch is that the structure of the arch itself is fairly weak. Only able to support a large amount on the â€Å"key† stone (or center most stone), the sides get a very large amount of compression stretching the arch to the side and the stones fall apart. But then the Romans put stones on the sides of the arch and so when the bridge stretched out to the sides, the stones pushed back creating an extremely strong archway. With this new system of bridge making, the Romans were considered the best of the best in bridge making. But after the realization that stone cost far too much, iron was created. Iron was much cheaper than stone and also iron was much stronger. But the realization was not the only development for bridge making. It was only the beginning. After realizing iron was good for making bridges stronger, next was realizing how to create steel from iron. After realizing how much stronger steel is than iron, next was the truss configuration, one of the most popular bridge configurations back then. It allowed for more stability and also, it allowed the bridge to be more resistant to wind. Because of the unique architectural design of truss bridge, wind would pass through the openings in the truss bridge decreasing the force of wind. Another breakthrough was that less brittle metals are better for tensions because they don’t give out as quickly as more brittle metals. The reason behind this is that more brittle metals have cracks and flaws and when they receive a great amount of tension, the cracks and flaws become larger Research Papers on How the Roman's Built Bridges - History EssayThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeTwilight of the UAWComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoThe Spring and Autumn19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Genetic EngineeringWhere Wild and West MeetThe Project Managment Office System

Monday, October 21, 2019

A Critical Review of _Dueling Eagles_, Francaviglia et al. essays

A Critical Review of _Dueling Eagles_, Francaviglia et al. essays In a reading of sources regarding the U.S.-Mexican War, the reader is struck by certain portrayals of the U.S. and Mexico, the former as a powerful nation and the latter as underdeveloped, weak, and disorganized. These portrayals are apparent in both secondary and primary sources dealing with the war, for varying reasons in each case. In the primary sources, most of which are American (at least those used by researchers from the U.S.), the presentations of American greatness and Mexican weakness are closely tied with American chauvinism of the time period, which pervaded most writing and documentation. The secondary literature seems to have fallen victim to this pervasive chauvinism, echoing the idea that the U.S. was not plagued by the same kinds of problems as Mexico: political disorganization, spatial disparity, and varied (even dissenting) mindsets. The notion that Mexico lost the war to the U.S. because of political infighting is simplistic at best. Likewise, the assumption of U.S. unity and hegemony (or hegemonic interests/goals) may reflect a taking at face value of primary source material and also reflects an understanding shaped by modern points of view a projection of todays ideas onto a war that occurred over 150 years ago. A positivist construction of a historical timeline has led to a chain of events leading up to a U.S. victory, showing the reader a sort of history written by the victor, rather than a real understanding of the events of the time or a very credible picture of life during the U.S.-Mexican War. Dueling Eagles, co-edited by Richard V. Francaviglia and Douglas W. Richmond, is an attempt at a re-evaluation of the war, through the collection of various essays presented at a conference whose intent was to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the causes and effects of the war. This book (and the conference out of which the book grew) is a self-proclaimed re-evaluation because of its...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Research Paper on Insurance

Research Paper on Insurance The conception of insurance is the spreading of risks for a few individuals, among many. This is done when individuals and businesses pay a premium to an insurance company to cover them in case of a catastrophic occurrence. In other words, we all pay premiums in case something happens to one of us. Believe it or not, this simple concept is what drives the existence of all insurance companies. As much as we all complain about insurance, we all have it. If something happens, we can’t afford to be without it. The attached article from â€Å"Business Insurance† magazine, an insurance industry publication outlines some ideas that make me think our insurance rates are going to go a lot higher before they come down at all. In order for me to make my case, I think it’s necessary to review a basic concept of insurance that is referred to in this article. The very concept that Im referring to is called an underwriting profit. The insurance industry would have us believe that underwriting and rating insurance policies is a complicated procedure. However, when you break it down to its simplest form, insurance is just like any other business. Profits are what’s left when you subtract expenses (dollars out) from revenues (dollars in). In insurance terms, this means a combined expense ratio far enough below 100 % to allow for an acceptable profit. In other words, how much is it going to cost to underwrite, issue, and service a policy and how much does the insurance company expect to pay in claims? If there is money left, that’s an underwriting profit. If the expenses and losses are higher than the premium collected, that’s an underwriting loss. If the insurance industry accepts the concept laid out in the article by the chairman of Lloyd’s of London, Peter Levene, my opinion is not only are insurance rates going to rise but all kinds of coverage is going to be harder to get. If the insurance companies can no longer count on high incomes from their investments, their profits have to come from another source. Us, the customers. While this may not seem entirely fair, I’m sure very few people complained when rates were low. The disturbing point Lord Levene eludes to is that he advocates pursuing an underwriting profit even when investment returns are high. This is disturbing because in the past as the investment markets changed and higher returns were being earned. The insurance customer shared in these returns in the form of lower premiums and easier underwriting. For example, the premium for a particular business when investments are bad might be $10,000. In the past, when investments were good, that same busine ss might have paid only $6,000 for their coverage. Assuming Lord Levene’s position is accepted, that $10,000 premium would remain constant regardless of how much the insurance company was making on their investments and would only rise if the markets turned even worse. To make things even more difficult, if this business had suffered any claims, they are at greater risk of having their coverage cancelled. At that point, this company would be forced to find a new insurance carrier. This is where things could begin to spiral out of control. Assuming the new insurance carrier is also looking for an underwriting profit, they would be forced to add the cost of what they consider to be a higher risk of claims to their expenses and this $10,000 policy might now cost $15,000. The customer now has a decision to make. Accept the higher premium and absorb the cost or pass this cost to their own customers in the form of a price increase. At this point you may be wondering how all of this relates to why â€Å"my rates are so high.† My thinking is simply this. If the business insurers subscribe to Lord Levene’s theories, then the personal insurers will probably not be very far behind. I have the unique perspective of a father with twenty-three years experience in the insurance industry, which gives me some insight as to â€Å"why my rates are so high.† I pay around $3,000 a year for my car insurance. According to my father, the reason is that the insurance companies feel that due to my age and lack of driving experience, I am more likely to have an accident. This likelihood comes back to me in the form of higher rates. While I may never have that accident, other members of my age group have in the past been in more accidents than any other age group. Statistically, that makes me a less desirable risk than someone in another group. For example, my parents pay less than the $3,000 I pay to insure both their cars. Another factor is geography. Where you live has as much to do with your rates as what group you belong to and what your claims history is. While my $3,000 premium seems ridiculously high, the premium for the same coverage might be as much as $4,000 just ten miles west of where I live. Move me to Brooklyn and that rate would be more than $7,000. This seems extremely unfair to me. Why should where I live have any bearing on my rates? The answer apparently has to do with the same logic that makes younger drivers pay more than more experienced drivers. It seems that insurance companies not only group drivers by age but by other factors, such as population density (how many more cars are there in a given geographical area?), claim frequency (how many more claims are there in Brooklyn vs. Eastern Suffolk County?). The companies also take in to account moving violations. Statistically speaking again, a driver with multiple traffic violations is an accident waiting to happen. Add to that, the logic that someone who makes a habit of passing stop signs or red lights is individually increasing the probability that they will be involved in some type of loss. People who drive fast not only have the increased probability of loss but also because of the speed, increase the probability of a more severe loss. Thereby costing the insurance company, and all of us, that much more money. This is why insurance companies either refus e insurance or at the very least charge much more for drivers with violations on their records. While all of this barely scratches the surface of what insurance companies look at when determining their rates, it does give us a pretty good idea of what we can do to keep our rates as low as possible. One thing would be to live in an area with less people and lower crime rates. For most of us, this is impossible. So what can we do without moving so far into the country that our nearest neighbors live five miles away? For one thing, avoid accidents and don’t pile up the moving violations. All I can say is that as unfair as insurance seems, ultimately the blame for higher rates rests with all of us. If no one ever had an accident, all we would have to insure against would be fire and theft. Since no one ever having an accident is not realistic, we can thank the powers that be for greed. If the insurance companies can find a way to make more money, you can bet they will do it. So while Lord Levene’s theories are disturbing, we can count on the overriding greed of the insurance companies to offset the theory of always making an underwriting profit. What I am trying to say is that when the investment markets are good, insurance companies make more money. As long as they can make more money by writing more policies at lower rates then by looking for that pie in the sky underwriting profit, that’s exactly what they will do. You can always tell when an insurance company is doing well in the market. Rate increases are few and far between and the company is writi ng more policies. When the market turns bad as it is now, insurance companies raise rates and reduce the number of new policies they sell. When you consider all of the factors that go into what an insurance company charges, combined with all the different laws and regulations they are required to comply with from state to state, it’s understandable why rates are what they are at any given time. So I guess the answer to my question is not as easy as my first thought. Between investment markets, geography, age group, driving experience, prior loss history, and driving record, it’s a wonder how they come with any rates that we can afford and still stay in business. I am not sure if I agree or disagree with the logic and statistics used by the insurance companies but I am sure of one thing. My rates are too high! You can also order a custom essay, term paper or research paper on insurance at our professional custom writing service which provides students with high-quality custom written papers. Here is a list of the most popular insurance research paper topics:   The history of insurance law in Britain   Insurance Reform   Insurance Planning   Insurance companies should be allowed to use genetic testing before giving someone health or life insurance.   High insurance rates have nursing homes going bare  How Insurance Works   Importance of Car Insurance   Global insurance   Reliable Insurance Case Study   Quicken Insurance Case Study

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The Role Of The Financial Analysts In The Financial Sector Essay

The Role Of The Financial Analysts In The Financial Sector - Essay Example They communicate the financial risks involved in the business investments. This paper will discuss the purpose, summary and some of the essential functions of a financial analyst. The financial analyst is an essential profession in the enhancement of financial management in the financial sectors. The financial service industry is competitive in the market and tough to break. Therefore, acquiring the services of a financial analyst can enhance the ability of an investor to venture into the sector with limited risk. The financial analyst niche is, therefore, a core unit in the financial sector as it streamlines the financial performance of an organization. It gives the investor the pros and cons of the undertaking or failing to undertake certain decisions in their operations. Therefore, it serves to enlighten the investors on the most plausible and feasible decisions in their businesses. The financial analyst job is responsible for maintaining order and smooth running of a financial service organization. Rather than venturing into an unknown sector for investors, the financial analysts create awareness of the sector to the investors. They research macroeconomic and microeconomic conditions of a financial institution in order to aid in decision making. The fundamentals of the company require being known for them to provide recommendations for the business, sector and the industry. They recommend the course of action to their bosses such as whether to sell or buy stocks from a company based on its current financial strength. The financial analyst also makes projections of performance by financial institutions hence making it easy to invest in profitable companies. Therefore, the analyst must always be aware of the current developments in the sector of their specialization. This aids in preparing the financial models for predicting the economic conditions in the future for any variables.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Starbucks Case Analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Starbucks Analysis - Case Study Example Additionally, a number of similar companies such as Dunkin Donuts, McDonald's and Caribou Coffee among others are implementing strategies that are helping them to conquer a larger share of the market. The main objective of this study is to provide a lucid comprehension about how the aspect of employee development can facilitate Starbucks to mitigate the rising issues and also to maintain their competitive position amid their competitors. Discussion Describe The Importance of the Employee Life Cycle Stage Selected to any Organization’s Human Capital Strategy The advancement in the technological aspect and the advent of globalization have not only created opportunities for small firms to establish themselves in the global level but are also creating challenges for business firms through rise in the number of competitors. In this regard, it has become vital for every business to implement employee life cycle stages that would not only aid in maintaining an effective workforce wit hin the business but would also facilitate them to develop skills that would aid to achieve the organizational goals effectively. Employee life cycle is considered to be a Human Resource (HR) process which helps in identifying stages in an employee’s working life along with guiding him/her through the application of management and optimized association process. Six of the common stages in an employment life cycle are recruitment, selection, performance, succession, employee development and transition (Greg Roche, n.d.). The aspect of employee development is considered to be one of the most important functions of Human Resource Management (HRM) in today’s growing competitive business world. In general, employee development implies those actions that help in developing the abilities of an individual employee and organization as a whole. Human Resources of an organization are determined to be amongst the most vital aspects to ensure organizational work efficiency. Loss of a single employee from an organization may at times severely affect the entire working process. The rapid changes in the way businesses are being conducted today have forced large organizations to implement strategies that would not only aid them in updating the skills of their employees but would also help in maintaining a good retention rate of the workforce (Noe, 2010). The concept of employee development has become important over the years because it aids in improving knowledge, skills and competencies which in turn facilitates them to complete their assigned tasks effectively. Additionally, it has also been viewed that the aspect of employee development helps in developing a deep coordinated relation amidst employees of an organization as it indicates that the organization cares about its employees and wants them to work with them in the future (Hameed & Waheed, 2011; WorkSmart, n.d.). Explain How Your Ideas Relate To, and Will Therefore Help To Resolve, the Issues Starbucks A re Facing With reference to the case i.e. Starbucks: Delivering Customer Service by Moon, Y., and Quelch, J., it can be viewed that Starbucks was enjoying its 11th consecutive year of growth rate in terms of sales. However, according to a market research conducted by Starbucks, it was viewed that the company was not meeting with the

Discussion Board 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion Board 5 - Essay Example The Washington Times, p. 1. Retrieved July 7, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5001572892 sexually assaulted her, and the woman offered evidence in the way of a bite mark and DNA from certain articles of clothing. Because of Mr. Albert’s celebrity status, the case was closely followed by the public and much attention was given to the use of the forensic evidence, especially the bite mark left on the victim. Cases involving celebrities are often sensationalized by the media, perhaps giving more credibility to certain forensic evidence than is warranted, when in actuality forensic evidence such as bite marks, fingerprints, palm prints and lip prints should not alone be evidence enough to convict a person of a serious crime, especially a crime involving the death penalty. An article by Molly Burton and Donna Lyons, appearing in State Legislatures (2001), stated â€Å"Back in the 1970s, the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) did proficiency tests of crime lab hair comparisons, bite marks, serology, these types of things. They knew they were getting it wrong like fifty percent of the time. It was terrible. And then that sort of analysis disappeared with the LEAA (p. 1).† What Burton and Lyons are suggesting, is that each of these sources of evidence are, first, subject to lab error and one should not infer from the results of a test using these sources that the information stemming from the tests is infallible. Alone these sources of evidence should not be enough to cause a person to be convicted of a major crime, especially one that carries the penalty of death. â€Å"Fraudulent and junk science is a critical, critical area,† write Burton and Lyons, â€Å"Forensic science has not always been the discipline that the best pe ople in the profession want it to be (p. 1).† One case that brought attention to the infallibility of fingerprint evidence was an

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

Rhetorical Appeals - Case Study Example The letter written by Martin Luther King, from a Birmingham Jail, uses all these types of appeals, listed above, in order to convince the reader regarding the validity and credibility of his ideas and actions. The same are discussed and highlighted below: Ethos: Ethos is primarily used to indicate and highlight the good character and credibility of the writer. In this letter, Martin Luther King, has very aptly and effectively highlighted his body of work, thus indicating his authority on the subject and successfully justifying his stance on the issue on hand. "I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. Frequently we share staff, educational and financial resources with our affiliates" Pathos: This form of speech is used as an artistic proof of the facts mentioned by the writer, and banks on the readers’ emotions and feelings as a method of persuasion. The following is the example of pathos, as applied by Martin Luther King in his letter: â€Å"Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.† The skillful use of the three key elements, viz-a-viz, ethos, pathos and logos, by the writer, helped in highlighting the ideas and offer valid justification for the course of action chosen, and

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Globalisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Globalisation - Essay Example This country has a multi-ethical population of 39 million as per 2010 of which 82.6% are Christians, 11.2% Muslims and other religions take the remaining 6%. It is currently in a transition stage trying to implement a new constitution that was adapted in 2010 a process in which it is planning to move from its current administrative subdivisions of 140 districts and 7 provinces to a form that will have 47 counties each with an elected governor. The GDP of this country as by 2010 was estimated at $ 32 billion with an annual growth rate of 5.4%. Its main parts of the economy are tourism, agriculture, and light industries. In addition, it has six full-pledged public universities and approximately thirteen private ones (Bureau of public affairs 2012). Globalization has played a great role in shaping the African economic and political landscape (Falola & House-soremekun 2011). Kenya being one of them, it has experienced drastic changes on various aspects of its economy. Agriculture is the engine of the Kenyan economy (Robbins & Ferris 2003). Although Kenya has almost all its northern and northeastern parts as semi-arid, it continues to enjoy vast agricultural productions from its southern, western, and central part that are agriculturally productive. In the recent years, we have had what we call globalization of markets, which has enabled this country to export its excess agricultural products. It has also enabled it to get more farm inputs and equipment to enhance its agricultural productivity. Globalization, through globalized market has been a very big boost to the economy of this country. Another impact of globalization on Kenya’s agricultural sector is attraction of foreign investors. These investors, who have mainly invested in horticultural products planted on large tracts of land for export, have caused an increase in Kenya’s exports to other countries resulting to Kenya being ranked among the leading exporters of vegetables and other horticultu ral products in the European Union market (Mithofer & Waibel 2011). Another important sector of this country economy is the tourism sector. This country has a vast range of natural resources that include landscape, people, climate, and wildlife (Bowden 2007). These natural resources act as tourists’ attraction. Globalization has enabled this country to enjoy an increasing number of tourists’ visitation. According to Jafari (2003), Kenya is the most popular tourists’ destination in Africa, receiving about 6% of the total tourists who visit the African continent. This sector has played a very vital role in this the economic development of this country. Another way that globalization has contributed in improvement of this sector is through attraction of foreign investors. These investors build resorts and other facility on tourist attraction points, which provide accommodation and other services to tourists. Actually, I think is the sector of the Kenyan economy tha t has experienced the impact of globalization. Globalization has also influenced greatly the Kenyans ‘lifestyle. With market diversity, which results from globalization, Kenya has been able to import some of the products that it does not produce locally. According to (USTR 2005) Kenya is currently the 80th largest export market for U.S. goods. These exports have greatly influenced the people’s lifestyle form their eating habits to the way they communicate and socialize with one another. It is

A World of Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

A World of Art - Essay Example For instance, the Greeks invented three architectural systems called Doric, Ionic and Corinthian that stood for various meanings (Architecture, 2011). The Doric order, the column a sturdy and plain appearance, was used for the Parthenon in the capitol, and it incorporated worship of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom (Architecture, 2011). The point of using the Doric order was to symbolize order and harmony, which coincides with the goddess Athena. Architecture was not the only form of art that reflected religion. Sculptures were vastly popular in ancient Greece and they often times were figures of gods and goddesses like Zeus, even heroes and events were created to mirror religion. In the Christian era, art and architecture were not very different from Greece in how religion was portrayed. Before Christianity was universally accepted, art had to be hidden. These artists did not focus on perfection and beauty as did those that produced Greek art because they sought importance in tra nsforming their beliefs and teaching the Christian religion to others (Early, 2007). Sculptures were rarely seen, and unlike Greek architecture, Christian architecture was bland and unadorned in comparison (Early, 2007). However, the interiors were rich with furnishings- marble, mosaics, hangings, etc. as if to show that Christianity is not about always being beautiful and showy, but faith is set at the hearth like the heart and done with the family. 2. a. Mannerism: This era was set in before the baroque period, and it was European art that occurred around 1520-1580 in Italy Renaissance (Sayre, 2007). The focal term was harmony, which was illustrated through naturalistic paintings, i.e. paintings that were universally recognized as meaning the same thing to various people. Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael were famous artists of this era (Sayre, 2007). b. Baroque: Following the mannerism era, baroque came about in the late 16th-early 18th century throughout Europe (Sayre, 2007). It is a form of art that reflects religious themes as well as express power in aristocracy society. Lavish palaces were influenced by baroque style, as well as the artists Peter Paul Rubens and Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Sayre, 2007). c. Rococo: This type of art stemmed from baroque in the late 18th century in France due to the fact that baroque artists began to experiment giving up their symmetry and turned to creating ornate and playful art (Sayre, 2007). A lot of this art was created to be motifs of decoration and often criticized for its lack of sophistication. However, despite the controversies, it still remains a part of art history and so do the artists that incorporated it like Franz Anton Bustelli and Andrea Casali (Sayre, 2007). d. Neoclassicism: Unlike Rococo style’s seemingly unimportance, the neoclassicism era was distinct and memorable through its utilization of the visual arts like music, architecture, literature, and theatre and occurred late 19th century all over Europe (Sayre, 2007). It actually became a sort-of outspoken response to the â€Å"shallow† form of Rococo. It portrayed elements like war, politics and bravery (Sayre, 2007). Lastly, the artists that represent this period are Sir Christopher Wren and William Kent. e. Romanticism: This era is viewed as being the intellectual era, not romance, that gained popularity in the late 18th

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

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

Rhetorical Appeals - Case Study Example The letter written by Martin Luther King, from a Birmingham Jail, uses all these types of appeals, listed above, in order to convince the reader regarding the validity and credibility of his ideas and actions. The same are discussed and highlighted below: Ethos: Ethos is primarily used to indicate and highlight the good character and credibility of the writer. In this letter, Martin Luther King, has very aptly and effectively highlighted his body of work, thus indicating his authority on the subject and successfully justifying his stance on the issue on hand. "I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. Frequently we share staff, educational and financial resources with our affiliates" Pathos: This form of speech is used as an artistic proof of the facts mentioned by the writer, and banks on the readers’ emotions and feelings as a method of persuasion. The following is the example of pathos, as applied by Martin Luther King in his letter: â€Å"Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.† The skillful use of the three key elements, viz-a-viz, ethos, pathos and logos, by the writer, helped in highlighting the ideas and offer valid justification for the course of action chosen, and

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

A World of Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

A World of Art - Essay Example For instance, the Greeks invented three architectural systems called Doric, Ionic and Corinthian that stood for various meanings (Architecture, 2011). The Doric order, the column a sturdy and plain appearance, was used for the Parthenon in the capitol, and it incorporated worship of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom (Architecture, 2011). The point of using the Doric order was to symbolize order and harmony, which coincides with the goddess Athena. Architecture was not the only form of art that reflected religion. Sculptures were vastly popular in ancient Greece and they often times were figures of gods and goddesses like Zeus, even heroes and events were created to mirror religion. In the Christian era, art and architecture were not very different from Greece in how religion was portrayed. Before Christianity was universally accepted, art had to be hidden. These artists did not focus on perfection and beauty as did those that produced Greek art because they sought importance in tra nsforming their beliefs and teaching the Christian religion to others (Early, 2007). Sculptures were rarely seen, and unlike Greek architecture, Christian architecture was bland and unadorned in comparison (Early, 2007). However, the interiors were rich with furnishings- marble, mosaics, hangings, etc. as if to show that Christianity is not about always being beautiful and showy, but faith is set at the hearth like the heart and done with the family. 2. a. Mannerism: This era was set in before the baroque period, and it was European art that occurred around 1520-1580 in Italy Renaissance (Sayre, 2007). The focal term was harmony, which was illustrated through naturalistic paintings, i.e. paintings that were universally recognized as meaning the same thing to various people. Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael were famous artists of this era (Sayre, 2007). b. Baroque: Following the mannerism era, baroque came about in the late 16th-early 18th century throughout Europe (Sayre, 2007). It is a form of art that reflects religious themes as well as express power in aristocracy society. Lavish palaces were influenced by baroque style, as well as the artists Peter Paul Rubens and Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Sayre, 2007). c. Rococo: This type of art stemmed from baroque in the late 18th century in France due to the fact that baroque artists began to experiment giving up their symmetry and turned to creating ornate and playful art (Sayre, 2007). A lot of this art was created to be motifs of decoration and often criticized for its lack of sophistication. However, despite the controversies, it still remains a part of art history and so do the artists that incorporated it like Franz Anton Bustelli and Andrea Casali (Sayre, 2007). d. Neoclassicism: Unlike Rococo style’s seemingly unimportance, the neoclassicism era was distinct and memorable through its utilization of the visual arts like music, architecture, literature, and theatre and occurred late 19th century all over Europe (Sayre, 2007). It actually became a sort-of outspoken response to the â€Å"shallow† form of Rococo. It portrayed elements like war, politics and bravery (Sayre, 2007). Lastly, the artists that represent this period are Sir Christopher Wren and William Kent. e. Romanticism: This era is viewed as being the intellectual era, not romance, that gained popularity in the late 18th

T-Mobile Corporation Essay Example for Free

T-Mobile Corporation Essay T- Mobile is the German mobile network operator whereas â€Å"T† stands for Telecom and Team and is world’s sixth largest mobile phone service provider. It provides range of services to customer in form of voicemail, messaging and email to WAP and mobile office solutions. Despite its success, it is related to several major problems and issues, and most of them are related to network problems. Problems and issues related to T-Mobile: The major complaint of the user is that they are facing the problem of dropped calls. T-Mobile is aware of this problem and is not responding in proper way towards the problem. They are even unable to solve the problem in spite of knowing the fact that customers are facing problem. The customer representative does not want to note the complaint even when he is aware that company is doing mistake. In addition, it has shortest average tenure as compared to other service provider. The option to switch to other brands in front of consumers has increased manifolds in the recent years, which is the greatest problem. T-Mobile received highest rank from their subscribers in customer service but in recent years, it is providing weak customer service. In a very famous incident or case of Paris Hilton, it was found high tech wireless T-Mobile was taken over by the hackers; this denotes that T-mobile lacks in the field of providing security and authenticity to the customer. Solutions related to the problem faced by T-Mobile: As we know that T-Mobile is one of the leading mobile telecommunications companies and covers the fastest growth, therefore, some amendments are required in its system to get back its reputation. †¢ At first, T-Mobile needs to hire large number of call centre staffs who prepare the company to face recruitment challenges. Earlier, corporate Intranet and agencies were used for internal recruitment and external hires respectively. Therefore, reduction in recruitment expense was required. To solve this problem, company should incorporate alternatives such as Microsoft access database or paper filing system for the management of entire recruitment process. †¢ It also needs to lower the cost and to provide constantly best service than other service provider to occupy large part of market share. †¢ To expose the leading-edge image of the recruitment process, improvements are required in an on-line application process, not only to support corporate identity, but also to provide applicants with more information and a clear course of action. †¢ One of the greatest challenges faced by applicants was the understanding of recruitment process- especially tracking. This process was very complex and slow, as it required series of functions to be performed by different departments; this required large amount of administration and management time. This problem can be overcome by adopting Peopleclick’s web-based recruitment management solution because it follows centralized and standardized process to help reduce cost. In addition, peopleclick (global Total Workforce Acquisition provider) would move strategic shift from agencies to e- Recruitment. It facilitates the company with improved technology, reduced costs and quick and easy access. †¢ To gain customers attention, BPM solutions are required because it helps in establishing a unique insight into people-to-people, people-to-application and application-to-application interactions that constitutes business process. Who is the change going to affect, How will it affect them and How will it affect the company? With the help of above-mentioned solutions, prominent breakthroughs have been observed in several aspects of the company. T-mobile group is fully integrated which made its financial backing and has been renamed to T-mobile Czech Republic. It has provided a portfolio of services to the customers in all countries on a unified basis. The strategy of comprehensive customers care has helped in regaining popularity. This is evident by looking at the record of admitting 400 new clients only in one year. Tangible/Intangible benefits of T-mobile With the introduction of several amendments , T-Mobile kept its position with a market share of 46.2% and over 4 million subscribers at the end of 2004. Gross additions to tangible and intangible assets together with higher investments in subsidiaries and associates (eg, T-Systems Hungary purchased an additional minority stakes in Stonebridge) and partly offset by increased proceeds from real estate sales. Rebranding of Westel to T-Mobile Hungary was a real success. T-Mobile once again, was able to maintain its leading position in a highly competitive market with 46.2% market share. The customer base exceeded 4 million at the end of Q4 2004. The postpaid customer increased to 28.9% of the total customer base as compared to 26.1% at the end of year 2003. With introduction of new packages, a slight increase in usage was seen and the pressure on the employees was drastically reduced. Pros and Cons of T-Mobile: T-Mobile has smallest coverage areas in respect of all national carriers because it more new in comparison to other carriers. It is one of the two U.S carriers that have not launched its Third Generation network. Upgrading of network allow T-Mobile to provide facility to users to download internet content in more effective manner. Many benefits are also provided to the subscriber of T-Mobile by making availability of free phones after rebate and discount price. For eg. The Blackberry Pearl is the thinnest, lightest BlackBerry produced so far. Main features include a digital camera, a built-in music player, Bluetooth. Plus, a more accurate and faster QUERTY keyboard to get things done! Exclusive Pricing! T-Mobile also provides prepaid cell phones called as to Go Phones, which gave an offer of national and regional calling, and they do not require any credit checks or contracts. Conclusion: As we all known T-mobile is one of the leading service provider company to all the subscribers in U.S.A and Europe and its has some special features which makes it easy to stay connected and. It provides number of multiple facilities to its users in form of cameras with video pictures, Bluetooth connectivity, plus EDGE, Wi Fi and extra speed that need to access internet network. T-Mobile is a smart phone with excellent device and very attractive, powerful and effective display. Thus with the implementation of above stated recommendations it may attain much higher level. REFERENCE Referred to sites:- 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-Mobile. 2. http://www.gartner.com/teleconferences/attributes/Americas wireless market overview. 3. http://www.peopleclick.com/clients/tmobile.asp/ people click. 4. http://www.the-cell-phone-advisor.com/t-mobile.html/pros and cons of T-Mobile wireless service. Dated on 10th July 2007

Monday, October 14, 2019

Hardware Requirements For Pizza Systems Information Technology Essay

Hardware Requirements For Pizza Systems Information Technology Essay Introduction and Problem Statement- We are primarily interested in implementing Information Systems to all the working units of the pizza shop, so that we are able to provide better services and thus, an enhanced experience to both offline (in-store) and on-line (web-based) customers. Since the pizza shop is interested in expanding their business from  a small-size business into a medium-size enterprise by opening up branches in various new locations and also has an objective to provide better online services (developing their company in e-business aspects) and gain online popularity, we have to make analysis and thereby apply several information system techniques so that the company succeeds in its motive. Analysis of Hardware Requirement for the Pizza Shop- Making decisions about the hardware requirements is based on the analysis of various factors such as the projected budget and the speed required. But the large variety high utility of hardware available often makes the hardware decisions a little difficult because of the fact that computer technologies become obsolete more quickly than other organizational technologies. Basically, hardware refers to the physical equipment used for the input, processing, output, and storage activities of a computer system. In our case we make use of the following hardware components: Central processing unit (CPU) we have decided to make use of Intel core i7processor [1] or Intel core2 processor [2] in the CPU. Primary storage- A storage capacity of 6GB-8GB in the hard-drive, for better speed in processing and multi-tasking situations. Secondary storage- A storage capacity of up to 1 terabyte for storage of information such as databases of employees, customers, products used in the shop, etc. Input technologies- We have decided to make use of basic devices such as keyboard, mouse and advanced devices such as touch screens (to make work easier and faster), Voice recognition [3] for access of confidential information only by authenticated persons (we do not make use of protection mechanisms provided by passwords because in todays era of technology it is not fully safe since password cracking has become very easy and common). Output technologies- Liquid crystal display (LCD) screens and printers. Communication technologies- Internet connections. Transportation of products- The transportation of the products can done by appointing a team of employees for this department, since our main objective is to expand and promote our business, initially we would require a minimum of 20 personnel equipped with fast and fuel efficient road transportation facilities, for each branch in case of local(within the same city branches), now in case of inter-city transports we have to appoint equivalent number of personnel and also have to make tie-ups with transportation management of rails and air transport. The transaction of products and allotment of duties to the employees should be done and all the details must be saved in hardware memory. Analysis of Software Requirement for the Pizza Shop- Computer hardware can be only effective according to the instructions we give it, and those instructions are contained in software. Software has become an everyday feature of all the businesses. For our business plan we will require the following software- Operating system- Windows 7[4] Spreadsheets- Microsoft Excel 2010, for managing tabular information, or any information which requires storage in tabular form. Word Processing software- Microsoft Word 2010, for managing all types of text files. Data Management- Microsoft Access, for efficient management of all data. Personal Information Management software- Microsoft Outlook, this software allows users to create and maintain management calendars, appointments, etc. Personal Finance software- Microsoft Money, which allows users to maintain checkbooks, track investments, monitor credit cards, bank and pay bills electronically. Web Authoring software- Microsoft FrontPage, which allows users to design Web sites and publish them on the web. Communications software- Netscape Messenger, which allows users to communicate with other people over any distance. Security Suite software- McAfee Internet Security Suite (www.mcafee.com) Anti-malware Product VirusScan (www.mcafee.com). Firewall[7]- McAfee Internet Security (www.mcafee.com) Anti-spam Software SpamKiller (www.mcafee.com) For restoring backup files- We will use the Windows Backup utility to restore the backup copies on the hard disk. Analysis of data and databases that can be employed by the company- All the business applications require data. For managing data and databases in the pizza shop, we would require a database management system (DBMS), in order to manage data in all aspects of our business such as employee data, customers data, product stores data etc. Its main usage is to store all the essential data in files. The application of a DBMS [5] at the pizza shop will provide the following benefits- Minimization of Data redundancy- i.e., the storage of the same data in many places is avoided there preventing unnecessary usage of memory space. Prevention Data isolation- Applications will be able to access data associated with other applications, thereby preventing creation of exclusive data sets for all the applications, and also leading to efficient memory management. Prevention of Data inconsistency: Creation of various copies of the data is not agreed upon. Enhanced data security. Maintenance of data integrity- In many cases, data needs to have certain constraints, such as no alphabetic characters in a Social Security number field and DBMS helps in achieving these. The administrator can also add, delete, access, and analyze data stored in one location. He can access the data by using query and reporting tools that are part of the DBMS or by using application programs specifically written to access the data. All these advantages in the database system can considerably optimize the handling of high volumes of orders by customers, since the manager/employee will be able to store and retrieve data about customers very efficiently. In case the same customer places an order again, since the data about which is already stored (upon his first order) can be retrieved very fast using DBMS and the overall processing of the store will become increasingly efficient especially in peak hours(timings for lunch and dinner). This feature would also provide ease to the customer, since he would not have to explains his location over and over again, and this may lead to the customers increased interest in availing the pizza shop services again in the future. Implementation of Data Warehousing- We have implemented data warehouses for the following type of cases- If the manager of the pizza shop wanted to know the profit margin on sales of vegetarian pizzas, he could find out from his database, using SQL [6] (structured query language) or QBE (query by example)[7]. However, if he needed to know the trend in the profit margins on sales of vegetarian pizzas over the last 3 years, he would have a very difficult query to construct in SQL or QBE. The pizza shop managers problem shows us two reasons why organizations are building data warehouses. First, the organizations databases have the necessary information to answer his query, but it is not organized in a way that makes it easy for him to search for needed information and also, the organizations databases are designed to process millions of transactions per day. Therefore, complicated queries might take a long time to answer and also might degrade the performance of the databases. As a result of these problems, companies are using data warehousing tools to make it easier and faster for users t o access, analyze, and query data. Data mining tools (discussed in the next section) allow users to search for valuable business information in a large database or data warehouse. Implementation of Data Mining- Data mining can perform two basic operations: predicting trends and behaviors and identifying previously unknown patterns. This analysis provides users with a view of what is happening. Data mining addresses, why it is happening and provides predictions of what will happen in the future and also automates the process of finding predictive information in large databases. In the pizza shop, implementation of data mining will lead to the following benefits in the business- In the aspect of sales- Predicting sales, preventing theft and fraud, and determining correct storage levels and since the business has been projected to expand, data mining will also lead to knowledge of distribution schedules among various outlets. In the aspect of Manufacturing and production- Predicting machinery failures and finding key factors that help optimize manufacturing capacity. Marketing- Classifying customer demographics that can be used to predict which customer will respond to a mailing or buy a particular product. E-Commerce Solutions to generate an online business presence- The concepts of E-Business comprise of buying and selling of goods and services, it also refers to servicing customers, collaborating with business partners, and performing electronic transactions within an organization. We have planned to put into use the following features of E-business for the pizza shops- Online direct marketing- Using this feature the pizza shop can directly sell its services to customers via websites in the internet. Advertising- Since a majority of the people today access internet, advertising on the internet would be very useful and profitable to the pizza shop. Electronic Payment Systems- Usage of this feature will enable clients to pay for goods and services electronically, rather than writing a check or using cash. Electronic payment systems include electronic checks, electronic credit cards, purchasing cards, and electronic cash. Payments are an integral part of doing business, and using electronic payment system would be of ease to both the client and the business.   E-Business Solutions that can be utilized to improve the management  of supply chain- The function of supply chain management (SCM) is to plan, organize, and optimize the supply chains activities such as flow of materials, information, money, and services from raw material suppliers, through factories and warehouses to the end customers. The e-business solutions that we will use here are- Information Sharing along the supply chain over the internet For instance if we provide access to information about usage and daily requirement of cheese on a daily basis by every branch of the pizza store to the manufacturer whom we are dealing with, then this knowledge will enable the manufacturer to provide timely and efficient replenishment of cheese to every branch of the pizza store. Using Electronic Inventories In order to deal with the unexpected uncertainties of supply chain in the pizza shop, we can build inventories so that customers can have what they want at the correct time, and a minimal amount of standardized stock can also be maintained. Information about these inventories can be efficiently stored and updated in the electronic databases. The electronic storage of information reduces the probabilities of errors, and also free employees from manual labor of maintaining information about the stock of products. Efficient Telecommunication Networks used to attract customers- In order to attract customers and provide them an enhanced experience we will make use of the following- Publishing information and attractive offers for customers, at various social networking sites such as www.facebook.com, www.myspace.com, etc. Uploading video advertisements about the pizza shop at www.youtube.com, which is a social networking site for videos. Conducting online surveys, for the betterment as well as knowing about the current popularity and likes/dislikes about the pizza shops. Blogs can also be created, a blog is a personal Web site, open to the public, in which the site creator expresses his or her feelings or opinions. Accordingly, modifications can be made in order to increase profitability Internet telephony (voice-over Internet protocol or VoIP) i.e., use of the Internet as the transmission medium for telephone calls. This can enable the customers to make internet calls, thereby providing ease in communication to the pizza shop. Decision Support Systems for our system- Decision support systems (DSSs) basically combine the models and data in an attempt to solve unstructured problems with extensive user involvement. DSS will provide interactive to data, enable manipulation of these data, and to provide business managers and analysts of the pizza shop the ability to conduct appropriate analyses. For application of Decision support systems in the pizza shop we have decided to carry out the following steps- Sensitivity analysis [8]- the managers of the pizza shop will conduct this analysis in order to predict how their decisions can have impact on other decisions. For instance, promotion of non-vegetarian pizzas at a time where the non-vegetarian ingredients are expensive in the market, would considerably impact the pizza shops profitability. For countering these problems the manager can make use of sensitive model or nonsensitive model. What if analysis [9]- the manager of the pizza shop will conduct this analysis in order to deal with unexpected uncertainties or problems and also predict its impact. For instance, what will happen to the total inventory cost if the originally assumed cost of carrying inventories is not 10 percent but 12 percent? In a well designed Business intelligence system[10], managers themselves can interactively ask the computer these types of questions as many times as they need to. Goal-Seeking Analysis [11]- Goal-seeking analysis would enable the manager to predict future situations in comparison to the current scenario. For instance, the manager of the pizza shop would want to project future sales or meeting a target of profits based on current profits, let us consider for example that the current profits are of $2million, now he might want to know, what sales volume and additional advertising would be necessary to generate a profit of $3 million. To find out he would perform a goal-seeking analysis. Group Decision Support Systems[12]- This would make managers located at different physical location to communicate through computer support systems which serves primarily as a vehicle for improving communication, coordination, and problem solving. Technologies to enhance business processes- Usage of Digital Dashboards [13]-This feature will be used by the top-level executives of the pizza shop. Using this technology they can have access to information all the levels of information in a fast and efficient manner. Usage of Expert Systems[14]-This technology can aid the managers in the decision making process since expert systems possess the abilities that can reach a level of performance comparable to a human expert in certain or specialized problem areas.   Enhancing the online presence by selling products with customers over the web- We have projected to achieve an enhanced online presence by providing better services for online transactions by establishing a contract with the online e-commerce website Paypal. We have chosen this site because it provides features such as funding with an electronic debit from a  bank account  or by a  credit card, easy user interface and secure transactions which also relieves the customers of thefts and other threats of online transactions. Since PayPal operates in 190 markets,  users of most locations can access and easily make transactions through Paypal for services of the pizza shop. Also PayPal allows customers to send, receive, and hold funds in 24 currencies worldwide, so when in future branches of the pizza shop are opened in several countries, this feature will be very useful. References- James OBrien, 2009. Introduction to Information Systems, 15th Edition. 15 Edition. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. R. Kelly Rainer, 2010. Introduction to Information Systems: Supporting and Transforming Business. 3 Edition. Wiley. Ralph M. Stair, 1997. An Introduction to Information Systems. Edition. Course Technology. James A. OBrien, 1997. Introduction To Information Systems: An Internetworked Enterprise Perspective. 2 Sub Edition. Richard D Irwin. R. Kelly Rainer, 2009. Introduction to Information Systems, Binder Ready Version: Enabling and Transforming Business. 3ird Edition Edition. Wiley. Judith C. Simon, 2000. Introduction to Information Systems. Student international edition Edition. Wiley.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

The Impact Of Online Communities On Physical Social Relationships Essay

Abstract Nowadays, people spend much time in online communities to network with virtual friends and play role plays. They provide an advantage for people with special needs who cannot leave the house, because they benefit from the accessibility of the internet. Moreover, they help people who often move to stay in touch with their friends. Nevertheless, spending too much time in online communities leads to drawbacks in the development of the user’s personality. More energy is dedicated to the virtual life than to real life and people lose track of their personalities while busy building online ones. Also, frequent users of online communities have difficulties beginning meaningful real life relationships. Virtual friendships are shallow due to the physical distance and the anonymity of the internet and it is common to have more friends than you are able to care for. Therefore, it is more rewarding to invest into physical relationships. Virtual friendships Danger of online communities Anonymity of internet The Effects of Online Communities on Physical Social Relationships Introduction Meeting for an after-work drink at the pub, going to yoga classes twice a week and having coffee with the ladies afterwards, organizing events for your local church community – all of those are only examples of what you can do with friends. At all times, relationships consisted of activities and common experiences which form an unforgettable bond between people. Sharing a memory gives a feeling of belonging and is something that can be laughed and talked about still a long time after the experience. However, times have changed. Nowadays, it seems to be common to solely communicate with people over the internet. First, there were... ...20, 2008, from http://family.jrank.org/pages/660/Friendship-Benefits-Friendship.html Lovenberg, F. von (2007, November 10). Und wann steigen Sie aus? [And when will you drop out?]. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 262, Z1. Scribner, R. (2007, June 11). ‘Second Life’ presents societal dangers. Retrieved April 21, 2008, from http://media.www.reflector-online.com/media/ storage/paper938/news/2007/11/06/Opinion/second.Life.Presents. Societal.Dangers-3079650-page2.shtml Second Life. (2008). What is Second Life?. Retrieved April, 8, 2008, from http://secondlife.com/whatis Warford, H. (n.d.). Virtual vs. real communities [Msg 5]. Message posted to http://www.theinstitute.ieee.org/portal/site/tionline/menuitem.130a35585 87d56e8fb2275875bac26c8/index.jsp?&p Name=institute_level1_article& TheCat=1021&article=tionline/legacy/inst2007/may07/marketplaceques.x ml&