Cultural History of Rap Essay

Public Enemy opens the track with â€Å"Cant Truss It† in a rap merge with Flavor Flav who shouts â€Å"Confusion† their voices paralleled over the heavy and energetic baselines. Even though the song speaks about slavery as rapped by Chuck D about the legacy of slavery, the opening rhymes could as well be used to describe the cultural history of rap music (Rose 272). While there is widespread perception that rap culture is nothing but a noisy and confusing genre of music that has crept into contemporary America’s culture, there are those who posit that rap is an educational tool, as a component of the hip hop culture it is a way of life, a representation of social activism and a music genre with deep social undertones that are drawn from its identifiable origins. Any discussion on the aesthetic edge of rap cannot be made unless a critical analysis is done of the sequential developments in rap music. Never even in its tutelage did rap gain the adoration of the larger populace. The obstacles it faced as it grew from its roots to achieve its present status are so many that it would be a great disservice to take a criticism leaning on the concept of aesthetic edge to disregard rap and pronounce it dead. Initially rap music was regarded as a passing fad that was nothing but a playful and ephemeral expression of black culture whose origins could be traced to the musical energies of the black urban teens. Wynston Marshalis dismissed hip hop as nothing but adolescent â€Å"ghetto minstresly† (Dyon xv). When it was realized that rap as a form of music was meant to stay longer than it had been expected, it received a novel christening that permanently fixed it as a form of music played by and for black ghetto youths. It is at this point that reactions against rap became transformed from dismissal to denigration and it was commonplace to hear attacks from both the white and black quarters. Trying to chart the origins or rap music as a form of cultural expression is very tricky because we are either forced to accept that the cultural foundation existed but only gained expression through rap or view rap as an independent cultural facet that spontaneously erupted without deep cultural roots from where it had existed way before it gained wide applause or derision. However, for the sake of charting the cultural history of rap and pinning it to what critics say about the music genre, it can be conclusively said that the first instance of rap could be traced to the revolutionary verse that was done by Gil Scott-Heron and the Last Poets. Pigmeat Markham followed next with â€Å"Here Come de Judge,† to Bessie Smith rapping along to the beats in her blues (Keyes 17; Forman & Neal 61). For the purposes of pinpointing the origins of rap, it is also prudent to cite that Rap existed in some ancient African oral traditions and consequently in contemporary African American cultural practices. Specifically, modern cultural history of rap begins in 1979, with Sugarhill Gang rapping in the song â€Å"Rapper’s Delight†. These early cases were mostly underground rap forms. Underground rap was viewed as the signal breaker and what followed next was the birth of hip hop and the beginning of the global popularity of rap music. Usually the first stage in production of rap music was the record production where the artist would place their rhythmic repetitive speech over known black music hits which were mostly R&B rhythms that were well known. This stage would later on transform with the help of advanced technical virtuosity through drum machines, instrumentation and the sampling of existing records so as to make rap a form of music that was creatively symbolic(Forman & Neal 61; Keyes 122). Despite all these changes rap was still limited to the inner city neighborhoods, especially in at its cradle; the New York City. Artists like Cold Rush Brothers, Africa Bambataa, Kurtis Blow, Busty Bee, Kool Moe Dee, Funky 4 plus 1, Grandmaster Mel and DJ Kool Herc, began actively experimenting with this new music genre as well as proclaiming its African roots (Keyes 17). Its development was thus marked by the description and analysis of the social, political and economic factors that stimulated its emergence and consequent developments. Such factors included police brutality, drug addiction, teen pregnancy coupled to a variety of cases of material deprivation. A notable case is Kurtis Blow’s lyrics in â€Å"Those are the Breaks†, and the â€Å"Message† a song merges between The Furious Five and Grandmaster Flash. These songs pictured the hues existent in the social misery as well as the stains that could be observed as profoundly reminiscent of urban catastrophe. A rendition of the â€Å"Message† was as follows; â€Å"You’ll grow up in the ghetto living second rate/ And your eyes will sing a song of deep hate/ The places you play and where you stay, / Looks like one great alleyway/ You’ll admire all the number book takers/ Thus, pimps, and pushers and the big money makers/ Drivin’ big cars, spending like a jungle sometimes/ It makes me wonder how I keep from goin’ under. † (Forman & Neal 62) This song together with Flash’s â€Å"New York, New York† became the pioneers of the social awakening that characterizes rap music in combination with musical creation, social protest and cultural expression (Forman & Neal 62). Kool Herc who was a Jamaican DJ in the Bronx is credited with revolutionizing the rhythms in rap. Herc had a unique style of deejaying where rhymes could be recited over instrumentals. In places where he was deejaying such as house parties, he would rap on the microphone while involving a variety of the in-house references. These duplicates of house parties where Herc was deejaying quickly diffused to Manhattan and Brooklyn and followers of rap music began to grow in number (Keyes 40; Adaso 1). Next stage of growth was the increment in financial fortunes from rappers. However, at the background there were still beliefs that rap was nothing but an epiphenomenol cultural activity that would with time wane off after the youth became bored or acquired a different diversion in life just like what had happened to graffiti art and break dancing. But the growth of groups such as the Run-DMC rap group entrenched rap as an independent sphere of an expression of art that increasingly took control of its destiny. Run-DMC became the progenitor of the modern form of rap that is basically a creative integration of diverse musical elements, social commentary and uncompromising cultural identification. This strong integration pushed rap into the mainstream of American culture as well as securing its future as a music genre that has a clearly identifiable tradition. The commercial and critical success that Run-DMC accomplished almost single handedly, pushed rap music into American homes by being certified gold, being featured on MTV as well as being the first rap album(Raising Hell in 1987) to go triple platinum(Keyes 67). Moreover, with the song â€Å"Proud to be Black† they intoned unabashed racial pride that was missing in those days of chronic racial discrimination. It can also be said that it was at this time in the cultural history that Run-DMC acting like a self proclaimed ambassador of rap music began to concentrate its characteristic subversive cultural didacticism to address issues of racism, classism, urban pain, and social neglect. In rap concerts, rappers engaged in ritualistic refusals to abide by the censoring of speech. The concert also acted as space for cultural resistance, loosening the strictures that Blacks were subjected to through demoralizing condemnation and tyrannizing surveillance. The latter actions by the hegemonies white ruling class only served to muffle cultural creativity and self expression. Based on these developments rap music became a strong social force fighting for their civil rights and liberties. Commercial success was instrumental in pushing rap music to the mainstream American culture on one hand but on the other, another charge was levied on rap music: that rap expressed and promoted violence. A notable personality, Tipper Gore has often retained his repeated stance that rap music only appeals to those kids who are angry, disillusioned and unloved. He posits that rap tells them that it is okay to engage in violence. To this day there is a popular perception that there exists an intimate linkage between rap music and the violence exhibited in the social arena especially by Latino and black inner city youth. However, much people may try to substantiate these claims, they are merely side shows and have nothing to do with the deep understanding of rap as a genre of music as well as a cultural and historical identity of the American people. There are countless numbers of rappers who have spoken against violence. On point is rapper KRS-One on his track titled, â€Å"Stop the Violence† in the top selling album of 1989, â€Å"Self Destruction†. In the track KRS-One raps that violence predates rap and is therefore not a characteristic of rap music. He urges a stop of black on black violence as it only erodes the social and communal fabric that had for decades debased inner cities where blacks resided across America (Forman & Neal 66). Despite the potency of the message that KRS-One put across, categorically negative images in against rap have persisted. In a nutshell, rap music is emblematic of the existence of glacial shifts in aesthetic sensibilities that have for decades progressed as blacks moved from one generation to the next with regard to the severity of economic barriers that have been at play in the movement from the ghetto life to middle or upper middle class blacks. Fortunately, these negative perceptions of rap have led to the development of a fierce competitive steak among rappers and hence their continual transcendence across boundaries to global markets. It is upon this developments that rap modeled the modern definition of hip hop which opines that it is a form of music comprised of emceeing and deejaying coupled with graffiti and break dancing. These are the four components of hip hop that catapulted it to its current big business nature. As this evolution progresses other components like clothing trend, lifestyle, slang and the general mindset are becoming more and more incorporated into the hip hop culture. In differentiating rap and hip hop it can be said that rap is a genre of music in the hip hop culture. Hip hop is a lifestyle complete with its own dress codes and lingo. To borrow the words of KRS-One, hip hop defines how you life while rap is definitive of what you (Adaso 1; Cheryl Keyes interview with KRS-One). Therefore, as a product of decades cross cultural integration with deep roots in the African culture, African oral tradition and consequently African American tradition, it is deeply weaved into the social fabric that pronouncing it dead based on the basis of aesthetic edge is simply parochial. First, it is prudent to understand the cultural developments of rap music because it is only in such an understanding that it becomes considerably plausible to attribute lack of aestheticity in its present forms. In context, rap music brings together so many complex social, economic, cultural and political issues. Its contradictory articulations are neither signs of losing the aesthetic edge nor signs of the absence of intellectual clarity. As stated in the beginning of this discourse, the obstacles that rap has survived to become what it is today are may and variable. Therefore, the contradictory articulations that are existent today are but common features of cultural dialogues that not unidirectional but multi directional in that they include the social, cultural and political contexts that define the everyday struggles over pleasure, resources and meanings in the environment where we live and interact(Rose 274). Rap music is a cultural expression that is a preserve of the black community since it prioritizes black voices living in the inner cities of urban America. It is highly rhythmic with a very strong storytelling component. The music is basically electronically based. These are some of the characteristic features of rap music. It is upon these tenets that rap music should be judged so as to form an opinion on its relevance. Rapping which is currently embedded on the powerful technological, industrial as well as ideological institutions usually involve the telling of long and sometimes abstract stories that are necessary in passing the information to the wider audience. Memorable phrases and rhymes that are themselves black sound bite packaged in an ever changing black slang. In essence, rap music wizards, all sounds, images, icons and ideas for recontextualization, mockery, pun and celebration. All these characteristics lie at the core of rap and are therefore definitive of it. In his book, Hip Hop Matters, Watkins, quotes David Samuels who asserts that â€Å"rap has forfeited whatever claim it may have has to particularly by acquiring a mainstream white audience whose taste increasingly determined the nature of the form. What whites wanted was not music, but black music, which as a result stopped really being either† (85). This statement confirms that rap has lost its aesthetic edge because owing to its origins that clearly defined the cultural difference between white and black music, such a divide was broken by rappers like Eminem who symbolized the first breakage of that division. The fact that Eminem rose to a celebrity status despite his white background also confirms that from the earlier days when rap was a preserve for only the black kids, rap has revolutionized and rewritten the racial and cultural history of America. This assertion can be counterbalanced by the fact that the existence and the inevitability of social change cannot be used as a reason to proclaim that rap has completely lost its aesthetic edge. Moreover, the American landscape has changed both socially, economically, politically and culturally. Days when white hegemonies and racial discrimination have gone by. There cannot be a greater explanation for the political changes than the mere fact that a Black president is occupying the white house. In introducing the book, Know What I Mean, by Dyson rapper JZ reiterates the socio-economic underpinnings that defined his life as he grew on the tough streets of Detroit. These conditions of life opened up his mind to the benefits of learning. He could have become a teacher at Baltimore to show the young kids the benefits of leaning just like Tupac had been shown that there existed a power in knowledge and understanding a people’s history (Dyson ix). He further points out that hip hop are not only Black American but American as well. It is correct in the context of cultural discourses to pinpoint forms of music that are termed as rap and are indeed not. Nas’ assertion that hip hop is dead is welcome as it denotes artistic vigilance. Moreover, Nas forms the caliber of rappers who have maintained the original style and content of rap music. As a rapper he has come into contact with a variety of musicians who are not driven by the basic nature of the rapper to use music as a form of activism against social ills. In his book, Dyson describes Nas as one of his generation who is not illiterate, destructive or materialistic, a man who read for passion, pleasure and intellectual stimulation (iv). At the core, rap music can never be called rap without an examination and acceptance of its true nature in the social fabric of America’s landscape. According to Nas, hip hop is dead is a title he used for his album because he felt that unlike in the historical past, people no longer have political voices. Speaking in an interview with MTV, he said, â€Å"When I say ‘hip-hop is dead’, basically America is dead. There is no political voice. Music is dead †¦ Our way of thinking is dead, our commerce is dead. Everything in this society has been done. It’s like a slingshot, where you throw the m- back and it starts losing speed and is about to fall down. That’s where we are as a country †¦ what I mean by ‘hip-hop is dead’ is we’re at a vulnerable state. If we don’t change, we gonna disappear like Rome. I think hip-hop could help rebuild America, once hip-hoppers own hip-hop †¦ We are our own politicians, our own government, we have something to say† (MTV. com) In another interview Nas said that he used the title as a way of engendering reaction from other artists which like he expected happened. Nas blamed the hip hop world especially those in the South for reducing the quality of rap with sub genres like snap music and crunk. Such productions were ideally an affront to Nas’ street credibility. It is aspect of street credibility that Keyes refers to as street consciousness. A critical analysis of the lyrical content as well as the social message in many of today’s rap hits confirms Nas’ assertion that hip hop is dead. The noble quest for social voice that had existed in the past has been replaced with a music genre that is solely driven towards material possession and the pleasures that accompany such acquisitions of wealth. In another interview he could not be more exact, he said that rappers were simply monkeying around and just scrambling for attention. As a counter attack to the notion that hip hop has lost its aesthetic edge, Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Lil Wayne and Kanye West scoffed at the assertions made by Nas. Specifically, Ludacris intoned that hip hop ain’t dead that it was indeed living in the South. Saying that it was the South keeping it alive, he added that hip hop is what you make it to be. Moreover, they believed that due to the booming South, saying that hip hop is dead does not make sense as the south would have been dead too(http://tbohiphop. net). According to Keyes, Rap music if a forum used by rappers to address economic and political disfranchisement of youths especially black youths, it fosters ethnic pride, displays cultural values and aesthetics. At the core rap is artists, the themes they portray and the variation of styles in the portrayal of these themes as a sure reflection of urban life and street consciousness values and aesthetics. Therefore as countries, cultures and cultural components change and socially restructure, there is going to be a continual transformation across cultures and not even rap music can escape such an onslaught. However, a dominant cultural force like rap genre can never be erased. There are core components that will forever define and differentiate rap music from other musical genres. Works Cited Dyson, E. Michael. Know What I Mean? Reflections on Hip Hop. Westview Press, 2007 Forman, M. & Neal, A. Mark. That’s the joint! the hip-hop studies reader. Routledge Press. 2004 Keyes, L. Cheryl. Rap Music and Street Consciousness. University of Illinois Press. 2004 Rose, Tricia. Voices from the Margins: Rap Music and Contemporary Cultural Production. In Popular Culture in American History. By Jim Cullen. Blackwell Publishing, 2001 Watkins, C. Samuel. Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement. Beacon Press, 2005 Websites Adaso, H. A Brief History of Hip-Hop and Rap. http://rap. about. com/od/rootsofraphiphop/p/RootsOfRap. htm Is Hip-Hop Dead? Luda, Big Boi Disagree With Nas. http://tbohiphop. net/is-hip-hop-dead-luda-big-boi-disagree-with-nas/18/ MTV. NAS Interview, â€Å"Hip-Hop Is Dead†. MTV. com

Preventing AIDS

AIDS Essay Today many people around the world are infected with a serious disease called AIDS. Unfortunately, the disease has led to many deaths worldwide and yet it still remains untreatable. Many Public Health Departments are now taking the lead in publicizing education about AIDS. Public awareness and prevention programs are possible solutions to the spread of AIDS. The issue of this paper is on AIDS Prevention Programs that target women. One outlook is that prevention programs that target women will reduce the number of infections around the world.People opposed to this believe that prevention programs should aim more towards males. The disease is obviously an important social issue which impacts people worldwide. Certain associations and studies believe that women are more at danger then men for contracting HIV/AIDS. They believe prevention programs should be focused merely on women. AIDS cases for women are increasing each year and women are one of the fastest growing populatio ns being infected. At the end of 2002, UNAIDS, a Joint United Nations Progamme on HIV/AIDS, reported that 38. 6 million adults are infected with HIV or AIDS worldwide.Roughly 50% or 19. 2 million are women. Globally speaking, most women infected with HIV or AIDS are from developing countries. The fastest spread of AIDS among women is in sub-Saharan Africa. In 1999, for the first time more women than men were infected with HIV. Out of 22. 3 million people infected in sub Saharan Africa 12. 2 million, or 55%, are female. Of the 1. 1 million youth infected in south Asia, 62% are female. According to research by the CDC, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the amount of AIDS cases in women have more than tripled in the United States.Since 1985, 7% of women were affected to 25% in 1999. With the number of AIDS cases in women increasing, organizations are relying on prevention programs aimed towards women to be the effective solution to prevent the spread of the virus amongst men a nd women. In contrary to the opposing viewpoint, reports by UNAIDS felt that men should be the main focus in the prevention programs. In 2000, UNAIDS commenced a World AIDS Campaign which pushed for men to become more involved in preventing the spread of the AIDS outbreak. â€Å"We must stop seeing men as ome kind of problem and begin seeing them as part of the solution,† according to Dr Peter Piot, the head director of UNAIDS. â€Å"Working with men to change their behavior and attitudes has tremendous potential to slow down the epidemic. It will also improve the lives of men themselves, not to mention those of their families. † There are several reasons why men should remain the main target to the prevention of the epidemic. The focus is mainly on changing sexual behaviors amongst men. Men grow up with certain beliefs and attitudes on how they should behave when dealing with intercourse. Dr.Elvira Belingon, Department of Health STD/AIDS Coordinator in Cordillera expl ained that worldwide studies prove that men are at a greater risk of spreading the disease because they are likely to have more unprotected intercourse and sexual partners than women do. â€Å"Too often, it is seen as ‘unmanly' to worry about avoiding drug-related risks, or to bother with condoms,† said Dr Piot. UNAIDS feel these cultural beliefs and expectations allow men to become vulunerable to AIDS which endangers their own health or the health of their partners and family. This vulnerability has already affected gay and bisexual men in the United States.Sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis have rose for the second year in a row. The government feels that gays and bisexuals are more susceptible to these sexually transmitted diseases and with the help of these prevention programs they can decrease that number. In order to help control the AIDS epidemic, organization’s feel prevention programs should focus more on men’s behavior. I believe that prevention programs should be aimed towards women because of the steady increase of infections year to year. Women are more susceptible to HIV infection for several reasons.Biologically, females are estimated to be eight times more likely of receiving and HIV transmission from a male compared to female-to-male transmission. In 1997, the CDC reported that 38% of women received HIV through heterosexual intercourse opposed to 7% of men. Women are more at risk because the surface area in a female’s genital tract is greater exposed than in males. During intercourse larger amounts of semen fluids are released than in vaginal fluids. This puts women at risk because semen contains a higher amount of HIV. Also, women often have sexually transmitted infections that are left untreated, which increases exposure to HIV.Women who have STDs, sexually transmitted diseases, especially those that cause ulcerations make it easier for HIV to enter the body. Genital sores and immune reactions re lated with STDs face a greater risk of HIV infection. Treatment of STDs can be an efficient HIV prevention tactic if prevention programs educate women on this exposure. Other biological factors deal with young women among the ages of 13 to 19. Girls in Charge coordinator, Judah-Abijah Dorrington, explained that 49% of all the AIDS cases reported in the United States since 1997 were among these young women.This age group is infected because they have not fully completed their biological development. Many of the women obtained HIV in their teens because of â€Å"having an underdeveloped cervix and low vaginal mucus production. † In the report by AIDS Weekly, young women are found to have three to five times higher HIV infections than among boys. â€Å"Young women really are being viewed as the population with the largest number of new infections,† said Dr. Cynthia Gomez, professor for the AIDS Prevention Center at the University of California at San Francisco. They don't realize they're at risk, partly because we've only emphasized certain groups, rather than behaviors. † Women are vulnerable to infection for their lack of power within sexual relationships and sexual violence. Women’s lack of power makes it difficult for them to negotiate safer sex with partners. Women tend not to discuss condom use within relationships in fear of rejection or loss of economic support. When women are in committed relationships, they mainly focus on the intimacy in their relationship. They assume they are in a monogamous relationship with their partner.Unsafe sex becomes more important than protection against HIV. This dependence of men increases the risk of AIDS for women. A report from Secretary General of the United Nation, Kofi Annan concluded, â€Å"The gender dynamics of the epidemic are far-reaching due to women's weaker ability to negotiate safe sex, and their generally lower social and economic status. † Studies in Africa have uncovered that many married women have been infected by their husband. The powerlessness of women to reject sex with their husband has been a major cause of transmission to women.Women's dependence on men makes women less able to protect themselves against AIDS. Typically, men make most decisions about when, where, and how to have sex. In developing countries, women usually maintain little control over their bodies and hold little decision-making power. Violence against women increases their helplessness to HIV and decreases their ability to defend themselves against infection. According to a study, â€Å"physical and sexual abuse were ‘disturbingly common’ throughout life among women at high risk for HIV infection†¦women who have been abused are more likely to use crack cocaine and have multiple sex partners. This puts women are at greater risk for rape or sexual force. Also, some women are forced to enter into sex work or short-term partnerships to exchange sex for econom ic gain or survival including food, refuge, and security. In many cases, women are in danger merely because they are reliant on their husbands for survival and support. This hinders and restricts their decision making and negotiating control. Sex workers are at a high risk for infection, mainly when they do not have the ability to negotiate with customers who refuse to wear a condom.In order to prevent the spread of AIDS I feel public health agencies need to raise public awareness by promoting prevention programs for women. If women are educated on the biological and social factors of AIDS, women may have more of a chance to change their behaviors before the possibility of becoming infected with HIV. Programs that specifically target women will have a positive impact on women in the long-run. As new AIDS cases are increasing quickly through heterosexual contact focus on the prevention programs will take on even greater importance.People that agree with the statement that AIDS preven tion programs should target women believe that women are vulnerable to HIV infection biologically and socially. To decrease infections of the AIDS virus women change their standard of living especially for women in developing countries through these prevention programs. Those that disagree focus HIV prevention efforts on heterosexual male sexual behavior. By changing male cultural and socialization patterns interventions can be effective. A widespread HIV prevention policy uses many essentials to protect as many people at risk for HIV as possible.

Unemployment In America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Unemployment In America - Research Paper Example Moreover, tax remission declines because the unemployed group includes individuals who have lost their employment for some reasons. Unemployment also increases the expenditures of the federal government. In the long run, the unemployed experience erosion of their skills which causes productivity when they get employed in the future (Bluestone, 2013). Researchers indicate that those who stay unemployed for long periods of their youthful years end up earning lower wages because it takes them a long time to adapt to the work environment, as well as acquisition of skills. Working conditions and rate of salaries have forced a significant number of employed Americans to drop out of their jobs. Part-time jobs, on the other hand, are deceptive to the statistics of unemployment rates since most of the part-time jobs are not satisfactory to the needs of the part-time workers. Only about 47.7% of adults in the United States work in full-time jobs. These are the only American adults working on jobs that are not satisfactory enough. It implies that most Americans would like to work on better paying jobs under proper working conditions Declines in the demand for services and goods are a major contributor to unemployment. Products and services create employment through the many transactions needed to deliver them to consumers. The production of products and services requires a significant number of employees. If the demand for goods is weakening, firms producing goods and services are forced to lay off some employees to reduce extra costs. Therefore, some people lose employment when demand for goods and services they were producing becomes lower (Bluestone, 2013). Most goods and services go through many processes before reaching the consumer. These processes create employment for many people as well. For example, some industries manufacture goods and deliver them to other industries for further processing.

The performance of the Uk retail sector during the global financial Dissertation

The performance of the Uk retail sector during the global financial crisis - Dissertation Example In the result, the UK government (HM Treasury, pp. 23-25, 2009) has been putting huge amount of efforts to avoid slowing down of retail sector’s performance as it would have easily resulted in adverse impact on the GDP. One of the indicators of major participation of UK’s retail sector is its fourth ranking in the global trade market despite only having 1% of the global population (HM Treasury, pp. 59-63, 2010). This shows that UK’s retail sector does have potential and government is taking every possible step to take care of it by even going for a high budget deficit. To create an understanding of UK’s retail sector, British Petroleum is a well-known entity of the same sector that comes second in European continent and is so far the largest industrial corporation of the country. Besides BP, UK’s retail sector is proud of its mechanical engineering and manufactured goods that have been contributing majorly in the UK’s export market (Hiles, pp . 39-46, 2010). Furthermore, services such as banking, brokerage, etc are few other constituents of UK’s retail sector that have enabled the United Kingdom to fulfill 10% of the global needs. In specific, performance of UK’s retail sector is playing a crucial role in strengthening economy of the country, and from this understanding, it has now become imperative to carry out research on the country’s retail sector that will be indicating efforts of the governments in midst of financial crises to save its retail sector (Kolb, pp. 44-49, 2010). Research Statement In this regard, the proposed research will focus on the following research statement: â€Å"To identify and analyse the performance of UK’s retail sector during the global financial crisis while scrutinising the efforts of UK’s government in brining positive alterations in the sector† Aims and Objectives It is an understanding that aims and objectives play the most crucial part in a re search process, as they enable the researcher in acquiring a constructive path during the process, and absence of which may result in unnecessary outcomes, as well as misuse of resources. From this understanding, the researcher has given significant importance in the proposed research and will be putting efforts to fulfill them in the most effective manner. Particularly, the researcher will be focusing primarily on the retail sector of the United Kingdom while endeavoring to identify different factors that are playing a critical role in determining performance of the sector that will enable the researcher in analysing the same factors during different periods. In specific, period of the global financial crisis is the focal point of the proposed research, and thus, researcher will be looking at performance of the UK’s retail sector during this specific period. However, to narrow down the research objectives in order to focus on the acquisition of concrete results, the research er will scrutinise efforts of the UK’s government that enabled the country’s retail sector to survive, and at the same, continue its progress significantly. In this regard, one of the major objectives of the proposed research is to recognise

New Product Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

New Product Development - Essay Example example with technological development new types of DVD players are in idea generation process which will play high capacity Forward Versatile Disc or FVD of around 6 gigabyte capacity (Grewal, 2008, p. 308). Sometimes too many ideas are generated which needs to be evaluated and then screened which are not very promising one for the company. The Idea screening process of the foremost U.S motorcycle manufacturer, Harley-Davidson is known as â€Å"The Wall of Fire† who screens different ideas to choose the best out of the development opportunities called â€Å"The Swirl† (Karol, Nelson, 2007, p. 118). The ideas which are screened in the idea screening process are forwarded for the concept development and testing of the screened idea. Ideas can be very beneficial for the company in many cases for which proper testing of the concept is required for its feasibility study. In automobile industry Tata Motors conducted a market research in order to find the gap in the market fo r its fall in the market share of truck during the year 1998 to 2000. It showed that consumers want a to have a car like vehicle but it can perform like a truck which can carry heavy weights for different purposes (Kumar, 2007, p.29). After concept testing the marketing strategies like the description of the target market, distribution channels, pricing policy, advertising, marketing mix strategies and profit in long run are evaluated and managed. For example Unisys identified the need of the customers.

Creating a Plan for Positive Influence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Creating a Plan for Positive Influence - Essay Example In order to be able to invoke a motivated, well allied team, we will have to generate an inspiring milieu in which it can toil also discover victory. This implies making sure that every affiliate of the team is aware of the reason that the team is existent to support. If we are able to clearly define the mission to the team members they would be able to recognize the broader perspective. It ought to clearly affirm the final purpose that the team members need to work towards. Being able to convey this to the members of the team implies being able to motivate the team, in addition to also helping them concentrate on it. - Reverence for one other: This consists' of vigorous listening, giving opinion, also respecting variety with reference to the morals, expertise, and forte of every team member. Vigorous listening is one of the most influential announcement tools anybody can implement. - Variance management: Though a lot of individuals are hesitant to it, variance can now and then be an ingenious force, adding new thoughts and vigor to a team. Ingenious conflict desires daring and directness, though; unreceptive argument ought to be kept away. Instituting strategies for administering a conflict is essential. - Taking decisions: If there is a difference of opinions in opinions, the resolution mechanism should be designed beforehand. The leader of the team will have some influence over the decisions but the team members. - The management of time along with the obligation: This may perhaps take in a principle heartening punctual onset at the meetings, or else daunting diversions throughout the team actions, like the usage of mobile phones or else other handheld devices (Drillings, 1994, pg 149). Comprehending the team member's viewpoint towards motivation, satisfaction and performance: Each and Every individual's sagacity of remuneration as well as satisfaction for their input to a team exertion will be diverse. It is significant to categorize this for every team affiliate so that the responsibilities can be given away efficiently also suitably. A few team members might have a distress in mounting new potential, in which case they might wish for a task that is not within row with their practice. This will call for added maintenance also training from the team leader. A few others may possibly favor a team task that boosts their skill within a specific region. An efficient leader can assist team members in looking for a role with which they are relaxed by providing deliberation on their potency as well as practice. Allocating tasks In order to work efficiently and competently, a variety of tasks have got to be crammed. If everybody is after breeding thoughts, there will be no one to realize them. If everybody is anticipating to be enthused, no motivation will take place. The complete variety of task responsibilities have to be allocated to make sure that the entire execution procedure is enclosed, from thought formation to liberation as well as conclusion: The individual goals ought to be: - Precise - Computable -

Essay on the definition or description of discipleship

On the definition or description of discipleship - Essay Example In valid sagacity it is not like that, Jesus is trying to notify that we have to give up all our relations for he is higher above all our family relations and even our life. In verse 27 Luke14 when it says that, "he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple."(Luke) From this Jesus means that one should be prepared to die with him and should not hide from sacrificing. Similarly in Luke14: 28-30 it says "For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it Or else, when he has laid a basis and is not able to finish, all who watch it begin to mock him, saying, this man initiated to construct and was not able to finish." (Luke) It means that a person who is willing to be amongst the disciples of Jesus Christ must know first about the charge and the dilemma he is going to face. It is a type of check on the spirituality of a person that how sincerely he is keen to be a disciple.

A press kit about Intensive English Program (IEP) at Western Assignment

A press kit about Intensive English Program (IEP) at Western Washington University (WWU) - Assignment Example Pitch letter Western Washington University ‘Western Front’ [Date] Karen Smith Communications Facility 255 Western Washington University (360) 650-3252 Dear Ms. Smith, On November 11, 2013 Open Doors – an Institute for International Education published a report indicating the drastic rise in the number of international students at colleges and universities across the United States with most of the growth driven by students from non-English speaking countries i.e., China and Saudi Arabia, for the 7th consecutive year. The Western Washington University currently houses 63 international students from over 15 countries including Libya, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Russia, Germany, Italy, Venezuela, Columbia, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Kuwait, and Japan. Such influx of international students is indicative of a trend that demands a supportive framework in the form of a formal educational / training program tailored to suit the English language needs of such students. The Intensive English Program at the WWU (Western Washington University) in Bellingham is designed especially for international students offering a mix of educational and non-educational programs for students as well as professionals. This program would benefit not only the prospective students planning to enrol in graduate and post-graduate courses but also those intending on learning English purely for business and / or social communication purposes. The program aims to welcome all international applicants including those who do not meet the university's English language requirement and offer appropriate courses for preparation. The IEP promises to open a world of possibilities for all those aspiring to learn the English language from a group of well-qualified and dedicated staff with impressive professional achievements in the field of language teaching. The process of application is relatively easy and does not require the submission of IELTS or TOEFL test scores. Evan Ryan - Assistant secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs stated that "International education promotes the relationship building and knowledge exchange between people and communities in the United States and around the world that are necessary to solve global challenges". An English language program such as the IEP is a step forward in that direction. The Western Front has had an impressive history of catering to its vast student community and has consistently been a source of vital information for them for over 3 decades now. We are sure that the readers of The Western Front would want to access more information about IEP and we look forward to addressing all their queries and concerns in whatever we can. Please do feel free to contact - [include name here], principal / co-ordinator [of the program] at [insert phone number here]. For further information about the program, and other related issues we invite you to explore our website at: [insert link here] or contac t us directly at: [insert email here] for an opportunity to discuss it further. Regards, [Name] [Phone Number] [Organization] 2. Press Release The Bellingham Herald 1155 N. State St., Bellingham, WA 98225 Celebrating 30 glorious years of one of the most popular and highly successful educational programs – the Intensive English Program, offered at the country’s best learning institutions- The Western Washington University, Bellingham. The Intensive English Program offered at the Western Washington University's Bellingham campus offers a variety of programs aimed at regular and degree program students with at least 23 hours of instruction per week. WASHINGTON, Date: _ _/_ _/ _ _ _ _ There has been a steady rise in the number of international students in colleges and universities across United States. In the academic

The Lancre Festival Essay Example for Free

The Lancre Festival Essay I think my homepage is good because the colours go together. However, the colours I chose are not contrasting colours. I think it wouldve been better if I made the background or text a different colour so it would stand out more. I feel that the layout of this page is good because it is clear and everything isnt too close together. There is sufficient space between the text boxes and pictures. The hyperlinks are clear and stand out. I used one of the pictures given to me, and another from clip art. Features my page should have from my analysis: 1) Hyperlinks to the other pages 2) Large heading: The Lancre Festival 2007 3) Dates 4) Text about Lancre 5) Photographs I have achieved all these requirements on my page. Page 2: Where to Stay I think this page isnt good because it looks plain and there is only a small picture. There is only one, small one because I didnt have enough space. I also think there is too much information on the page. The hyperlink back to the homepage is clear. The office phone number is also clear. I think the heading is big and bold. Features my page should have from my analysis: 1) Hyperlink back to the homepage 2) List of the different types of accommodation with descriptions 3) Have subheadings that stand out 4) Have at least one picture 5) Must have the office phone number I have achieved all these requirements on my page. Page 3: Festival Events I think this page is good because there is some text and a map. I used the same background as the other pages. The office address is clear and bold. The hyperlink is clear and on the same place as the other pages. The free events are in bold writing to make it stand out more. Features my page should have from my analysis: 1) Have the program of events 2) Make it clear which events are free (Put the word Free in a large font) 3) Have a map showing where the events are taking place 4) Have date and time of concert 5) Have a hyperlink back to the homepage 6) Have the office address 7) Instructions for ordering tickets I have achieved all these requirements on my page. Page 4: See The Purple Spiders Live at Lancre Festival I think this page is good because it is clear. There are pictures of the band and the information is easy to understand. The link back to the homepage is in the same place like the other pages. However, I think there is not enough text on this page and the heading is too long. I didnt have a choice with the heading so I couldnt do anything about that. Features my page should have from my analysis: 1) Have a hyperlink back to the homepage 2) Have 2 pictures of the Purple Spiders 3) Cost of tickets 4) Have date and time of concert 5) Information about tickets I have achieved all these requirements on my page. Also, there is a consistent design with all the pages.

Transfer of Property Law Essay Example for Free

Transfer of Property Law Essay 1.Marshall v Green (1875-76) L.R. 1 C.P.D. 35 In the case, the defendant purchased some growing trees, by word of mouth, on the terms that he would remove them as soon as possible. Later, when the defendant cut down some trees, the plaintiff countermanded the sale and prohibited the defendant from cutting the remaining. However, the defendant still cut them and carried them away. It was not denied by either party that there was a verbal contract. However, the question here was whether the contract was required to be in writing under the Statute of Frauds. The issue was whether there has been a transfer of interest in land (in which registration is compulsory) or whether it was a mere sale of timber. The Court held that it was a contract of sale and there had been acceptance of the agreement. It was not required to be in writing. Transfer of interest in land- when sale is of something which is to derive benefit from the land and to become altered by virtue of what it draws from the land. â€Å"The principle of these decisions appears to be this, that wherever at the time of the contract it is contemplated that the purchaser should derive a benefit from the further growth of the thing sold from further vegetation and from the nutriment to be afforded by the land, the contract is to be considered as for an interest in land; but where the process of vegetation is over, or the parties agree that the thing sold shall be immediately withdrawn from the land, the land is to be considered as a mere warehouse of the thing sold, and the contract is for goods.† 2.Shantabai v. State of Bombay – AIR 1958 SC 532 This case was a landmark case that laid down the test to determine when timber trees are standing timber and when they are immovable property. In this case, the petitioner filed a writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution of India claiming that her fundamental right to cut and collect timber in the forest in question has been infringed. The petitioner’s husband, owner of the forests in question, had executed an unregistered deed, called a lease in her favour. According to the deed, she had the right to enter upon certain restricted areas in the forests and cut and take out bamboos, fuel wood and teak. There was a prohibition on the felling of certain trees and a few other restrictions are also put on the cutting. The question was whether any proprietary interests or rights were conferred on the petitioner. In this case, the court held that although the document repeatedly calls itself a lease, it confers no rights of enjoyment in the land. There is merely a right to enter the land and cut and carry away the wood. There was no transfer of a right to enjoy the land itself, it is conferment of right to enter the land and take away a part of the forest produce. In case of a lease, a person has a right to enjoy the land but not take it away. However, profit a prendre is in contrast to this. In the latter case, a person has the license to enter the lands only to take away a part of the produce of the soil and not for the purpose of enjoying it. If a tree draws sustenance from the soil it is immovable property. Bose J. further explains that, â€Å"a tree will continue to draw sustenance from the soil so long as it continues to stand and live and that physical fact of life cannot be altered by giving it another name and calling it standing timber . But the amount of nourishment it takes, if it is felled at a reasonably early date, is so negligible that it can be ignored for all practical purposes The test here was whether it draws nourishment from the soil. 3.State of Orissa v. Titaghur Paper Milss Co. Ltd. In this case, the Orissa government and its sales tax department tried to tax transactions of severed bamboo. The State contended that the subject matter was goods, so it had legislative competency. However, the respondents’ contention was that the law tries to create a new class of goods not known to the law. This was beyond the legislative competence of the state and hence, unconstitutional. The court held that the right to fell, cut, obtain, remove bamboos from forest areas for the purpose of converting it into paper was profit a prendre taking into consideration the duration of the contracts and the ancillary rights granted (like right to collect timber, fuel other forest produce) . Also, the court held that it cannot be viewed as a composite agreement, one which relates to standing bamboos and is movable property and the other related to bamboos that will come into existence in future . The right is integral and indivisible.

Planning and Maintenance Problems

Planning and Maintenance Problems Plan and Maintenance Problem 1 To calculate to peak operative temperature in this room in August, some assumes are made before calculation: The operative temperature in adjoining rooms is equal to that for the module under consideration and hence heat glow occur only through the outside window-wall; The window will be open during the day and close at night; The thermal transmittance of the window frame is equal to that of the glass; There are no internal blinds, therefor the solar gain to the air node is zero (Sa =0) According to the equation (5.42), this calculation will be divided into three parts. First, find out the mean operative temperature. Second, find out the swing in operative temperature. And find out the peak temperature in the final. Calculation: Area: External wall = 3.08m2, Internal wall = 40.88m2, Internal floor = 19.8m2 Ceiling (intermediate floor) = 19.8m2, Glazing (include. frame) = 7.0m2 Volume of room = 55.44m3 Summed values: Summed area = 90.56m2 Summed U Value = 22.1/WK-1 Summed U Value = 321.2/WK-1 First part Mean operative temperature: Solar Gain through glazing (Table 5.7): = 0.62 x 177 x 6.3 = 691.36W Internal heat gain: = (792 + 1280 + 1584) / 24 =152.33W Fabric heat gain (Table 2.34(h)): = (3.08 x 0.49 x 26.9) + (7 x 2.94 x 19.8) = 448.08W Total gains to environmental node: = 691.36 + 152.33 + 448.08 = 1291.8W Total gain to air node: = 0 + (55.4 x 19.8) = 1097.7W Room ventilation conductance (Table 5.2): =1/3 x 3 x 55.44 =55.44WK-1 Thermal response factor for the room: = (321.2 + 55.44) / (22.1 + 55.44) = 4.9 Room conductance correction factor; = 3 [55.44 + (6 x 90.56)] / 22.1 + (18 X 90.56) = 1.09 Mean operative temperature at center of room: = [1097.7 + (1.09 x 1291.8)] / [55.44 + (1.09 x 22.1)] = 31.51K Second Part- Swing in operative temperature: Swing in solar gain (Table 2.30 and Table 5.7): = 0.44 x 6.3 x (603 – 177) = 1180.9W Swing in structural gain (Table 2.34(h), and given time lag factor (9.5h)); = [ (0.18 x 3.08 x 0.49) x (11.7 – 26.9) ] + [ (1 x 7 x 2.94) x (24.8 – 19.8) ] = 98.77W Swing in internal gain; = [ (2 x 80) + ( 10 x 19.8) ] – 152.33 = 205.67W Swing in ventilation heat gain: = 55.44 x (24.8 – 19.8) = 277.2W Total swing in heat gain to environmental node: = 1180.9 + 98.77 + 205.67 = 1485.3W Total swing in heat gain to air node: = 0 + 227.30 = 227.30W Mean-to-peak swing in operative temperature Room admittance factor with respect to operative temperature; = 3 [ 55.44 + (6 x 90.56) ] / [ 321.2 + (18 x 90.56) ] = 0.92 The swing in operative temperature at 12:30: (at 12:30) = [ 277.2 + ( 0.92 x 1485.3) ] / [ 55.44 + (0.92 x 321.2) ] = 4.68K Final Part: Peak internal operative temperature: = 31.51 + 4.68 = 36.2 °C As the result, the temperature is too high in the office space, some issues of shading or cooling should be required to reduce the risk of overheat. Problem 2 2a) During project handover, the operational risk management cycle starts with the first implementation procedures by creating the risk inventory through risk identification and risk assessment. Starting with risk identification and assessment, the better the risk assessment and the risk information gathered is structured; the more successful will be the future continuing reassessment process. Good results for risk evaluation are achieved if unit heads and risk or process experts agree on the valuation of the risk. Then, risk mitigation and control system is carried out in view to adequately assessing the impact of an identified risk on the organization’s business, one has to consider existing controls and mitigating measures that already reduce the likelihood or severity of the risk scenario identified. A risk mitigating measure is usually a one-time measure for which an implantation date and a responsible person are defined. Risk scenario, mitigation measure, control, and loss event help to keep track of the implementation steps. These results in improved transparency, efficiency and data integrity compared to the widespread solutions that typically create problems with regard to user access rights, data integrity and confidentiality. Followed by risk mitigation and control system is risk controlling and reporting. The goal of the risk management process is to keep identified risks in line with the risk policy and risk strategy approved by the Board of Directors and the executive team. This process could assure existing controls are actually performed and newly approved risk mitigating measures are implemented as planned. Lastly, followed by the above steps of operational risk management processes, simple risk aggregation and consolidation methods can be introduced. Grouping risks by categories to look for worst-case risk scenarios, consolidating risks across business units and evaluating dependencies, correlation or diversification potential between risks can be introduced already with relatively simple methods and are an important step towards an integrated risk perspective. Based on the structured risk information gathered and the integrated perspective on all relevant risks, mitigation measures and implemented controls, the risk manager is able to produce risk reports according to the need of any type of management level. 2b) There are a number of elements involved in the development and implantation of operational risks. They could be divided into Pre-handover activities and post-handover activities. The following responsibilities should be worked among the project sponsor, building owners, contractors and maintenance providers. Regarding Pre-handover activities: First, developing commissioning program which including the calibrating, testing and running of building systems, services and equipment to ensure the building is ready for use. Sometimes, the manufacturer’s representatives may be present on site to authorize the operation of services and equipment. To make sure the services and equipment have been correctly installed and functioning. Calibrating the control instruments and systems to ensure energy conservation and environment conditions are maintained. Second, transferring of documentation to the client is involved in the development and implementation of operational risks. For example, in terms of building service, the building documentation may include: statutory authority permits and approvals, including progressive building certifier approvals. Providing plant, equipment, services and system information and schedules, including recommendations regarding lifecycle costing, â€Å"as-built† building plans and commissioning data, service maintenance requirements, operation and maintenance manuals covering design and operating parameters, service maintenance schedules, maintenance and cleaning products, tools and spare parts. Third, the project contractors should assist the building owner or maintenance providers to determine the building maintenance requirements. Forth, develop handover training program to familiarize the building owner and maintenance provider personnel with building equipment and systems. It is a good practice as training sessions coordination could utilize the expertise of the design and construction teams such as subcontractors. Effective training will let the building users and owners obtaining knowledge to manage the building and its fixtures, fit-outs, equipment, services and systems. The training contents may include occupational instructions and coincide with the handover of building documentation. Regarding Post- handover activities: First, identify outstanding defects and rectify all outstanding defects prior to final completion. If defects or omissions are identified by the building owner after final completion. Second, monitoring maintenance and update building asset records is involved in the implantation of operational risks. Most building contracts have a defects liability period, typically for twelve months from the practical completion. Therefore, maintenance activity should be monitored and maintenance records should be continually updated to reflect any new defects and rectification works. And these records should be added into a defects report, including the details of maintenance activities undertaken. The certificate of final completion confirms that all contractual requirements have been met, including the rectification or acceptance of all outstanding defects and attendance to all omissions. Forth, project files and accounts are to be closed which allow easy auditing in the future. Substantial records created or received by the design and construction team must be sorted, indexed and recorded to create an auditable project trail. Care must be taken to store all financial records securely. Undertake final completion inspection to ensure satisfactory rectification of all outstanding defects. Last but not least, update and maintain asset register and other relevant asset management systems. Problem 3 3a) Operating temperatures The electrical energy produced by biomass gasification CHP plants can be consumed directly or injected into the network. The production of thermal energy can be specified at below: High-temperature heat (steam or thermal oil, up to 200 ° C) applies for industries which consume heat. Low-temperature heat (hot water at 90-95 ° C) applies for industries which consume heat, urban heating networks by hospitals, schools, government bodies, swimming pools, and industries linked to the wood sector that have co-products and thermal energy requirements. Cost The capital costs of the biomass CHP processes are much higher than fossil fuel fired CHP systems. Small-scale biomass CHP is undergoing trials in the UK. Biomass CHP offers a carbon saving potential for large sites (e.g. over 20 MWe). At these scales, biomass CHP will typically use steam turbines linked to district heating. Environmental regulation / considerations To apply biomass CHP, several matters should be considered. Provide a suitable supply chain for biomass fuel. The site access for large lorries delivering the fuel and storage space for the fuel. The route and mechanism to transport fuel from the store to the boiler and the plant room space around the boiler for cleaning. Integration into the building engineering system Building systems are usually connected to the network via a heat exchanger. Whilst there is some amount of thermal loss from the heat distribution infrastructure, the aggregation of small heat loads from individual buildings into a single large load allows the use of large scale heat technologies. 3b) A district heating scheme comprises a network of insulated pipes used to deliver heat, in the form of hot water or steam, from the point of generation to an end user. District heating networks provide the means to transport heat efficiently. They can currently be built up to around 30km from generating plant and distribution networks can be hundreds of kilometers long. The development of the district heating scheme is benefit to the community include avoided costs of energy, through the use of surplus and wasted heat energy, and reduced investment in individual household or building heating equipment. Problem 4 4a) CBM is a short form Condition Based Maintenance. It is a maintenance strategy that adopted the actual condition of the asset to decide what maintenance needs to be done. It acts as a condition monitoring since it provides an instantaneous indication of a machine’s condition, ensuring critical systems maintained in top condition and spot the upcoming of plant failure. More, it helps improve the conventional maintenance regime by evaluating indicative parameters of plant condition such as temperature, vibration, oil condition, power quality. CBM is a highly effective maintenance strategy which benefits to safety and reliability nature industries such as aircraft industry, semiconductor manufacturing, nuclear, oil and power etc. The advantages examples are stated as following: First, it enhances fault detection in many plant items. Second, it reduces failure rates, labour time and repair budgets. Third, by carrying out the CBM, it gains the greater understanding of plant performance, and thus improves the energy efficiency and worker safety. 4b) As mentioned in 4a), there are a lot of benefits by adopting CBM. Below are the five different CBM methods examples which would help enhance fault detection in plant items and reduce their failure rates. First, acoustic emission monitoring which monitoring defect the naturally occurring high frequency structure borne elastic waves which are produced in materials under some form of stress. Acoustic emissions are the stress waves measuring in dB at high frequency 20kHz to 1 MHz. The instrument is commonly used to listen and measure the acoustic signals emanating from items such as pump’s bearing to define the condition with the plant during it operation. It has a good signal to noise ratio and is not affected by background noise. Second, Vibration analysis which forecast the condition for most machines with moving parts and all rotating machinery has a degree of vibration due to difficulties in balancing the moving parts. For example, bearing degradation and misalignment, to assess plant condition to enhance fault detection and reduce failure rates. It measured in dB at lower frequency range of 100Hz to 10KHz. When faults begin to appear in plant items, the normal vibrations begin to show signs of change. When these vibration measurements are â€Å"trended† over a period of time, the change in the plant conditions can be seen as a graphical representation. It can indicate when lubrication is required, whether the lubrication has been successful and the condition of bearings. Moreover, any misalignment, loose components and other problems that cause the machine to vibrate can be detected, giving maintenance staff the chance to intercept faults and maximise the effectiveness of these tasks and their time. Third, application of Ultrasonic thickness testing uses complex electronic equipment to generate and detect reflections of ultrasonic vibrations from interfaces between materials. Any material that transmits mechanical vibrations can be tested. It is the best method in terms of cost-effectiveness and the ability to detect irregularities in a metallic system. For example, it can read its thickness by simply touching the steel with the measurement head. Contact is usually assured by first removing visible corrosion scale and then applying petroleum jelly or another couplant before pressing the probe against metal. It could detect the occurrence of pitting and cracks both internally and externally resulting from corrosion, microbial and chemical contamination and general wear and tear. Therefore, it avoids the possibilities of leaking and potential failure of critical systems. More importantly, the testing is used to inspect metal to determine quality and safety without destroying or compromising its integrity. Forth, Thermography could be used to evaluate plant condition by obtaining temperature observations of building service pant. The deviation in temperature at which particular pieces of plant operate is often indicative of plant condition. The radiation emitted from the surface of an object is a function of the object temperature with the infrared element of the radiation being measured and converted into an equivalent temperature. The thermal image is constructed from a multitude of point measurements. And the point temperature values are represented on a grey or colour scale. Last, Lubricant and fluid analysis. Microbes can induce corrosion of steel and non-ferrous metals or they can accelerate normal electro-chemical corrosion processes. This mechanism can be occurred directly or indirectly. The analysis will reveal things like oil contamination, incorrect fill levels, as well as a breakdown or degradation of the lubricant’s composition. The procedure is performed by taking a small sample of the lubricant from the machine in question and sending it to laboratory for aassessment of the presence of the organism. 1

Gender Issues In Lysistrata Essay -- essays research papers

Human beings are amazing creatures. Our history has shown spectacular and shameful events from day one. Throughout the course of history we have seen both war and peace. More war than peace, but the point still remains. That we, as a human race, have accomplished many wonderful intellectual break-throughs but we have also done very stupid deeds. Its amazing how a creature of such great intelligence could separate, segregate, discriminate, dehumanize, and enslave members of its own human race.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The world as we speak is existing because of gender issues. Going back to days of Adam and Eve. When God asked Adam not to eat from the apple tree, it was Eve, with her feminine lure, who was able to convince Adam to disobey Gods rules and eat the apple. Yet when God came to punish Adam for disobeying the rules, Adam pointed to Eve and blamed her for luring him into the sin of eating the apple. Yet in reality it was the serpent, which was the devil, that lured them into eating the apple. But of course Adam, being male had to blame Eve, the female. Which is typical male behavior to blame the woman, my sister says. In general men don’t take responsibility for their actions. Michealangelo has portrayed all this on the Sistienth Chapel. He has painted a picture that is portraying God punishing Adam for eating the apple. In this painting Adam loses his masculine image by pointing to Eve and blaming her for the problems that were caused by eating the apple.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Men threw out history have always been perceived as strong, powerful, heroic beings. Men are depicted as fighters, providers, and of course first class citizens. While woman on the other hand have always been perceived as weak, fainty, delicate homemakers, and unintelligent. Their main purpose in life is to cater for the men, and take care of the house and kids. And of course they were perceived as second class citizens.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The focus of this paper is to analyze the gender issues and differences that existed in all three plays. I would like to relate and compare these issues to our past as humans and to our modern day present.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We see a wide array of controversial gender issues arise in Lysistrata. This play starts off by showing the main character as a strong independent woman. The beginning of the play focuses on Lysistrata resentment and anger toward the woman of the town. She sees her ow... ...uff and leave the town, with out ridicule and hardship. They seemed to be â€Å"stuck';, in the sense that is very hard to leave a small town.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The role of the women was to get married, stay home and take care of the kids, while the man provides and puts food on the table. This view is still somewhat shared with our society today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion it would be safe to say that all three plays relate gender issues to their time set. We can see many similarities within all three of these plays, and we can also see similarities that arise with our culture today. Even though today women are not treated as bad as they were. It is sad to say that even in the year 2000 women don’t have equal rights and don’t get equal treatment. Women still make .70 cents to the dollar as men. Their role is still to be the homemaker. And they hold such a small percentage of any policy making position. To think of all the lost talent and all the advances that could have been made to help our society is truly a sad and inhuman thought, that can get any one angry with our history. If one was to really think about it, the human race has not made much progress with the treatment of women.

Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie Essay -- Tennessee Williams Gl

Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie We all have illusions. We can hardly live without them. Most of the time they are harmless thoughts about things that are usually unattainable. An example would be when a person sees something that they want and then dreams of having it. Whenever someone holds an opinion based on what they think is true, or in some cases what should be true, rather than what actually is true, then that is an illusion. Illusions sometimes help people cope with painful situations, but in the end, illusions are only a false escape from reality. The characters in the book The Glass Menagerie are each affected by their own different illusions. Tom, Laura, and Amanda all survive because their illusions protect them from the painful facts of their lives. However, illusions can prove to be self-destructive as well as helpful. Do the characters’ illusions hurt them, or are they merely harmless aspects of their personalities? Tom, who is the main character and narrator, suffers from his illusions. Tom’s illusion helps him to escape from his own reality. He sees his job at the shoe warehouse as boring and insignificant. He would rather experience the endless possibilities that life holds. But Tom cannot escape his job, so he tries to escape by going to the movies and writing. When he goes to the movies, he expects to find adventure. Watching someone else’s adventures on the movie screen offers Tom a diversion from his boring existence. â€Å"Yes, movies! Look at them-All of those glamorous people-having adventures-hogging it gobbling the whole thing up! You know what happens? People go to the movies instead of moving! Hollywood characters are supposed to have all the adventures for everybody in America, while everybody in America sits in a dark room and watches them have them! / But I’m not patient. I don’t want to wait till then. I’m tired of the movies and I am about to move!† (p. 96) But since he has to come out of the dark theater and face life again, escape to the movies solves no problems in his life. The vicarious way of life that Tom creates by attending the movies is an illusion because it can never be a true substitute for his own life. Tom realizes in the paragraph above that he is only watching adventures rather than living them. He realizes, also, that movies are only momentary physiological escapes. He uses the movies as a... ...nt from what she wants. Amanda’s life is focused on her children’s happiness because she doesn’t want them to make the same mistakes that she did. This, however, is just an illusion because they will never be what she wants them to be. By trying harder to set them on the right path, she pushes herself even deeper into her illusion. â€Å"Go to the movies, go! Don’t think about us, a mother deserted, an unmarried sister who’s crippled and has no job! Don’t let anything interfere with your selfish pleasure! Just go, go, go-to the movies!†(p.136) By reliving her life, Amanda failed to realize that the personalities of her children were completely different from her own. As a result of her illusions, Amanda drove her son away and hurt herself and the others around her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If someone was to remove the illusion from the lives of the Wingfield family, which of them could survive the real world? Their illusions might be useful for a short time but the world would pass them by if they maintained an illusionary state. Illusions, therefore, are a destructive trait in the lives of the Wingfield family. Works Cited Williams, Tennessee. "The Glass Menagerie". New York: Random House, 2008.

Viktor Frankl

No matter which camp a prisoner was sent to, he was sure to encounter brutal experiences and shameful indignities under the watchful eye of the Nazi's and their appointed camp leaders. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary efines indignity: l. a. An act that offends against a person's dignity or self-respect: Insult. Humiliating treatment. (Indignity, 2014). This definition doesn't seem to do justice when examining the cruel treatment of those imprisoned at Hitler's death camps. In Frankl's book, he tells of many indignities that were stripped away from them.He and his fellow prisoner lacked food, clothing, hygiene, and medical care. These indignities are cruel, but Frankl suggests that it was stripping of deeper indignities that could result in a man loss of will to survive. Prisoners were forced to: ive up their identities and become a number, give up on their goals and accept a lite of pain and suffering, and suffer mental agony at the insults bestowed upon them by leaders of the camp. M ost importantly, prisoners were forced to Just give up hope.A New Destiny Frankl describes arriving at his first camp, departing the train, and standing in a line before a Senior SS officer. He watched as the officer directed prisoners to either the left or right side of him, using his forefinger. He had no idea what this meant at the time, but later in the evening he learned that this was the process in which prisoners ere selected for work or for death. The men that were ushered to the right were the ones the SS officer deemed fit for work. Those that were sent to the left, were destined for the gas chamber, as they were seen as too old or sick for work.Later on, the prisoners to the right were forced to fully undress and drop everything they owned to the floor. Their bodies were shaved completely and they were issued a number. This number voided out any past life they had. It simply wiped their past away and in its place was left a number. Another indignity that was bestowed upon he prisoners was being forced to give up their goals and face the terrifying thought that they no longer had anything to live for. Frankl writes, â€Å"Woe to him who saw no more sense in his life, no aim, no purpose, and therefore no point in carrying on. † (pg. 5). Frankl suggests that once a man had lost all reason to live, he rarely survived much longer. Finally, an indignity described by Frankl as one of the worst things that he had to endure, was being forced to listen to insults towards him given by the camp leaders. He explains how painful it was to have to listen toa man Judge his life ven though he didn't know anything about him. The prisoners were forced to work and be treated like animals, while also being insulted to their core. They had already lost their identities, goals, and now they were forced to lose their own self-worth.According to Depree's list As men entered Hitler's death camps, they left behind their identities in exchange for a number. Life as they knew it would never be the same. According to Depree's list of the eight essential rights for workers (pg. 36), these men were stripped of many of these rights, which in some cases, helped lead to their demise. By taking away the risoner's identity, goals, and self-worth, they were left without any of the eight rights listed by Depree. Their right to be needed was disregarded since they no longer held a purpose towards a goal.They, of course, had no right to be involved since their input could cause them death. Their right to affect their own destiny was overturned when they stepped off of the train and was forced to go to the left or right. It wasn't up to them, at that very moment, whether they lived or died. They had no right to understand what was happening, since they were not considered a part of an organized workforce, but rather slaves. They had zero right to appeal and doing so would certainly bring about death.My list of indignities imposed on the prisoners of the Holocau st correlates well with Depree's list of rights for workers. While my list holds some of the basic indignities such as little food and water, forced labor, the inability to bathe or brush their teeth, it also holds some of the deeper indignities, in which Frankl describes as sometimes worse than the physical beatings that they endured Depree's Assumptions In order for Depree to comprise his list of eight essential rights for workers, he had to hold some assumptions about our society. Viktor Frankl No matter which camp a prisoner was sent to, he was sure to encounter brutal experiences and shameful indignities under the watchful eye of the Nazi's and their appointed camp leaders. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary efines indignity: l. a. An act that offends against a person's dignity or self-respect: Insult. Humiliating treatment. (Indignity, 2014). This definition doesn't seem to do justice when examining the cruel treatment of those imprisoned at Hitler's death camps. In Frankl's book, he tells of many indignities that were stripped away from them.He and his fellow prisoner lacked food, clothing, hygiene, and medical care. These indignities are cruel, but Frankl suggests that it was stripping of deeper indignities that could result in a man loss of will to survive. Prisoners were forced to: ive up their identities and become a number, give up on their goals and accept a lite of pain and suffering, and suffer mental agony at the insults bestowed upon them by leaders of the camp. M ost importantly, prisoners were forced to Just give up hope.A New Destiny Frankl describes arriving at his first camp, departing the train, and standing in a line before a Senior SS officer. He watched as the officer directed prisoners to either the left or right side of him, using his forefinger. He had no idea what this meant at the time, but later in the evening he learned that this was the process in which prisoners ere selected for work or for death. The men that were ushered to the right were the ones the SS officer deemed fit for work. Those that were sent to the left, were destined for the gas chamber, as they were seen as too old or sick for work.Later on, the prisoners to the right were forced to fully undress and drop everything they owned to the floor. Their bodies were shaved completely and they were issued a number. This number voided out any past life they had. It simply wiped their past away and in its place was left a number. Another indignity that was bestowed upon he prisoners was being forced to give up their goals and face the terrifying thought that they no longer had anything to live for. Frankl writes, â€Å"Woe to him who saw no more sense in his life, no aim, no purpose, and therefore no point in carrying on. † (pg. 5). Frankl suggests that once a man had lost all reason to live, he rarely survived much longer. Finally, an indignity described by Frankl as one of the worst things that he had to endure, was being forced to listen to insults towards him given by the camp leaders. He explains how painful it was to have to listen toa man Judge his life ven though he didn't know anything about him. The prisoners were forced to work and be treated like animals, while also being insulted to their core. They had already lost their identities, goals, and now they were forced to lose their own self-worth.According to Depree's list As men entered Hitler's death camps, they left behind their identities in exchange for a number. Life as they knew it would never be the same. According to Depree's list of the eight essential rights for workers (pg. 36), these men were stripped of many of these rights, which in some cases, helped lead to their demise. By taking away the risoner's identity, goals, and self-worth, they were left without any of the eight rights listed by Depree. Their right to be needed was disregarded since they no longer held a purpose towards a goal.They, of course, had no right to be involved since their input could cause them death. Their right to affect their own destiny was overturned when they stepped off of the train and was forced to go to the left or right. It wasn't up to them, at that very moment, whether they lived or died. They had no right to understand what was happening, since they were not considered a part of an organized workforce, but rather slaves. They had zero right to appeal and doing so would certainly bring about death.My list of indignities imposed on the prisoners of the Holocau st correlates well with Depree's list of rights for workers. While my list holds some of the basic indignities such as little food and water, forced labor, the inability to bathe or brush their teeth, it also holds some of the deeper indignities, in which Frankl describes as sometimes worse than the physical beatings that they endured Depree's Assumptions In order for Depree to comprise his list of eight essential rights for workers, he had to hold some assumptions about our society.

Accepting Ones Heritage in Everyday Use

Accepting Ones Heritage in Everyday Use Ember Eslinger February 24, 2010 English219-M Essay 1 Individuals’ identities are formed and moulded by how he or she chooses to accept and preserve their culture. One might believe that it is important to have the chance to pass down the stories of their past and the significance of their family treasures. Another opinion one might have in saving one’s heritage may be simply possessing family heirlooms. This paper focuses on the importance of experiencing people’s heritage and being proud of it; despite hardships and stereotypes.In the short story â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker it is evident that the antagonist is interested in preserving her heritage for the wrong reasons. Common sense seems to dictate that Mama is more sympathetic towards Maggie because they have more in common and share the respect for their heritage. Some critics believe that Mama possibly favours Maggie when it comes to the admiration and respect of their heritage. Even though Dee claims she’s become more knowledgeable about her African-American culture, Mama doesn’t believe that her heart is in it.It’s almost as if she has shed her identity to satisfy this mistaken image that’s imbedded in her head of what being true to her African-American culture is all about. When Mama realizes the only reason Dee came home was to claim their family’s old quilts so she could hang them on the wall, Mama becomes resentful and disappointed towards her for not valuing the sentimentality behind her family’s heirlooms. Having the quilts hang on the wall of her house for everyone to see is essentially a reminder of her superior social and economic status.Mama believes Dee is ignorant and naive towards her own inheritance. By conforming to the white Americans view of the African-American traditions she’s cheating herself out of both cultures. She’s both and neither at the same time. Although Walker does not directly state, Dee’s character seems ashamed of how Mama and Maggie live their lives. The short story supports the fact that Mama puts her foot down when Dee tries to take the quilts even though they were promised to Maggie.When Maggie tries to willingly allow Dee to take the quilts Mama steps in and insists Dee take some of the other ones. Some might believe Mama is unfair when it comes to her daughters, when really she’s handling the situation as her mother and grandmother would have handled it, supporting her idea of preserving heritage. Maggie, the younger of the two daughters, is covered in scars from when their old house went up in flames. The scars symbolize the almost uncomfortable state in which Maggie lives. Although she is content with what she has, she will probably never have more.Her quiet, withdrawn character helps readers see the contrast between the two sisters. Similarly their complete opposite views of their heritage. Dee h as a superficial idea of her heritage and prefers appearance over substance; how things appear on the outside, rather than the in depth meaning. Maggie on the other hand has respect for and is very aware of where she came from. Evidence from the text supports the idea that Maggie knew a great deal more than Dee about the significance of many family heirlooms.Like Mama, Maggie is able to take pride in the practical aspects of her nature and their lack of education does not prevent them from appreciating their heritage and those who came before them. Maggie values the importance of experiencing her heritage rather than putting in on display. She’s an utilitarian whose everyday use of the quilts remind her of her family ties and especially of her Grandma Dee. Because Mama and Maggie share not only cultural beliefs but also physical attributes Walker makes it clear that Mama is able to better relate with Maggie over Dee.Along with accusing Mama of not understanding her own herita ge, Dee furiously states that â€Å"‘Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts! She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use. ’† (Walker 253) Unfortunately for Dee, Mama sides with Maggie in hope that she would use them. Earlier in the story, Dee tries to prove her knowledge about the quilts but she only states how they were made from pieces of dresses her Grandma used to wear, nothing about either Grandpas clothing scraps.She finished her argument with what she thought was a strong statement about how they were all stitched by hand by her Grandma Dee, when in fact Mama and Big Dee also helped create the works of art. To Mama the quilts have a deeper meaning. When she moves up to touch the quilts, she is reaching out to touch the people whom the quilts represent. Mama is more willing to pass down the quilts to Maggie because she believes Maggie is able to make the same connection as she does to the quilts.Mama and Maggie are able share t he belief that the true meaning behind every family heirloom comes from the memories in which that item has made, so even when the object is no more, the memories are still able to live on through one’s bequest. In this short story, Walker indirectly focuses on the fact that Maggie is following in Mama’s footsteps and that it is very likely that she will lead the same lifestyle as Mama has. If one is able to take the time to recognize the recollections of the past through family heirlooms, he or she will more likely be able to understand and value their heritage.In conclusion this paper goes in depth about being true to ones heritage, furthermore, being true to oneself. When it comes to the topic of heritage, most of us will willingly agree that it takes more than knowledge of one’s grandparents’ names and a couple of old quilts to show ones passion and sentiment. In this case, Dee seems content with how she has decided to accept and portray her own herit age whereas most people, including Mama and Maggie, are on the opposite side of the spectrum since they believe it is more important to view your heritage as your entire lives experiences.When it is said that Mama is more sympathetic towards Maggie it is merely stating With that said, to actually have the personal satisfaction of being part of one’s heritage, they first need to accept their own purities and faults. Once you are able to do so, recognizing oneself as a part of one’s heritage should surge naturally.Works Cited Walker, Alice. â€Å"Everyday Use. † Making Arguments about Literature: A Compact Guide and Anthology. Ed. John Schilb and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2005. 247-253.

Spreadsheet and Toppings Worksheet

Inventory Summary Project Description: In this Mastery project, you will edit a worksheet that summarizes the inventory status at the Petaluma production facility. Instructions: For the purpose of grading the project you are required to perform the following tasks: Step| Instructions| Points Possible| 1| Start Excel. Open the downloaded Excel workbook named GO_e02_Grader_EOC. xlsx. | 0| 2| Rename the Sheet1 worksheet tab to Condiments and then display the Toppings worksheet. 4| 3| On the Toppings worksheet, in cell B4, insert a function that will total the Quantity in Stock data (A15:A29). | 5| 4| On the Toppings worksheet, in cell B5, insert a function that will calculate the average retail price of the available toppings (D15:D29). | 5| 5|On the Toppings worksheet, in cell B6, insert a function that will calculate the median retail price of the available toppings (D15:D29). | 5| 6| On the Toppings worksheet, in cell B7, insert a function that will calculate the lowest retail price of the available toppings (D15:D29). 5| 7| On the Toppings worksheet, in cell B8, insert a function that will calculate the highest retail price of the available toppings (D15:D29). | 5| 8| On the Toppings worksheet, in cell B10, insert a function that will count the total number of salsa products available. | 5| 9| On the Toppings worksheet, in cell G15, insert a function that will display the text Order if the value in the Quantity in Stock column is less than 50. Otherwise, the function will display the text OK. Copy the function in cell G15 to the range G16:G29. 8| 10| On the Toppings worksheet, apply conditional formatting to the range G15:G29 so that cells containing the text Order are formatted as Bold Italic, with a font color of Aqua, Accent 1 (under Theme Colors). | 8| 11| On the Toppings worksheet, display orange data bars with a gradient fill in all cells in the range A15:A29. | 8| 12| On the Toppings worksheet, create an Excel table using the range A14:G29, which includ es headers. Format the table as Table Style Light 9. Sort the Item # column from smallest to largest. | 4| 13| Filter the Category column so that only salsa products are displayed.Insert a total row, and then sum the Quantity in Stock column to display the number of salsa products in stock. Record the result in cell B11. | 4| 14| Clear the filter from the Category column. Remove the total row from the table. | 12| 15| Modify the Toppings worksheet so that row 14 prints at the top of each page. | 4| 16| Group together the Condiments and Toppings worksheets. Center the worksheets horizontally on the page, and then change the scaling of the worksheets so that the width of the contents fits on one page. 4| 17|On the Summary worksheet, in cell C9, insert a linking formula that will refer to the value from cell B8 on the Toppings worksheet. | 5| 18| On the Summary worksheet, in cell D9, insert Column sparklines using the values B9:C9. | 6| 19| On the Summary worksheet, in cell D9, apply S tyle Accent 5, Darker 50% to the sparklines. | 3| 20| Ensure that the worksheets are correctly named and placed in the following order in the workbook: Summary, Condiments, Toppings. Save the workbook. Close the workbook and then exit Excel. Submit the workbook as directed. | 0| | Total Points| 100|

Down East Spud Busters Case Analysis Essay

This will give this big conglomerate grounded to the â€Å"little guy† and hopefully keep the company connected on the local level as it expands. As Deep East Spud Busters expands from Canada and Maine to Idaho, Europe, the Pacific Rim, and then into nationwide sales and distribution, the â€Å"people factor’ will become increasingly important. By the â€Å"people factor,† I am of course, to put it into business terms, talking about Human Resources. Given the immense geographical expanses and logistical challenges that will no doubt be a factor in such a major expansion, Human Resources are going to very important as they open up the new production plant in Idaho, continue innovating at the Maine higher-value processing plant where new, fresh ideas are paramount, penetrating international markets in Europe and the Pacific Rim where consumers have a totally foreign culture and speak a different language, and as they tap into nationwide sales and distribution here across the United States. The reason being is that folks are different wherever you go and to have a successful company these days, management needs to be less rigid and more organic while treating its stakeholders as individuals with different needs and embracing diversity. But maybe you’re saying to yourself right now â€Å"potatoes are potatoes anywhere you go† or something like that. My response would be that sure potatoes are potatoes but people and their cultural situations are unique wherever you go. Laws and regulations are also different wherever one might go. Legislation, the role of trade unions and governments and their agencies, culture and values vary between regions and countries. Therefore the particular institutional structures operating in different national economies and societies are no doubt influential in my opinion, in maintaining dissimilar Human Resources policies in different countries, American states, counties, and cities. People’s behavior and needs will be influenced by the land in which they reside, and Deep East Spuds Busters is going to have to adjust accordingly. If DESB holds the people factor in high regard as they expand into new territories, they will increase their chance of success exponentially. I have personally have had several jobs where the company couldn’t care less about its employees and it’s not only miserable for the workers, but in my opinion it’s got to be bad for business as well. Company’s like Home Depot, Whittier Wood Products, and literally every wood mill in the Eugene/Springfield area treats their employees like crap, doesn’t pay them enough, overworks them, fires them and lays them off like it’s nothing, and most importantly, those businesses don’t take into account their employees individuality at all. There are definitely companies that not only should follow my idea of how Deep East Spud Busters should maintain their Human Resources departments, but also could be successful in adopting a similar organizational structure to their current and future business models. Some types of companies that I think could benefit from copying DESB’s current and future organizational model are of the following: Land owners who have timber on their land, independent gardeners, independent gold miners, independent mushroom growers, local artisans of pottery, wood crafts, and textiles, the list goes on and on. There are many types of businesses that could follow a template starting with a local cooperative, refinement of received products and materials, nationwide distribution and sales involving local salesmen, and then expansion into international markets. I think companies that produce a product easily made by the individual person could follow this model and not so much highly technical and industrial fields that already have their structures well establishes. For example, it would make no sense for Intel’s microchip producers to follow this model but it would make sense for an individual or small business that creates popular art pieces. Important Mechanisms Used to Coordinate Work: Modular Network: Temporary arrangements among partners that can be assembled and reassembled to adapt to the environment: also called a virtual network. Broker: A person who assembles and coordinates participants in a network. Standardization: Establishing common routines and procedures that apply uniformly to everyone. Formalization: The presence of rules and regulations governing how people in the organization interact. Coordination by Plan: Interdependent units are required to meet deadlines and objectives that contribute to a common goal. Business Agility and Ways to Improve It: Business agility is the ability of a business to adapt rapidly and cost efficiently in response to changes in the business environment. Business agility can be maintained by maintaining and adapting goods and services to meet customer demands, adjusting to the changes in a business environment and taking advantage of human resources. Agility is a concept that incorporates the ideas of flexibility, balance, adaptability, and coordination under one umbrella. Put in the context of business, agility refers to the ability of an organization to rapidly adapt to market and environmental changes in productive and cost-effective ways. The agile company is an extension of this concept, referring to an organization that utilizes key principles of adaptive systems and complexity science to achieve success. One can say that business agility is the outcome of Organizational Intelligence. Different areas that enterprises can improve their business agility are through strategy, commitment to customers, and their use of technology. Organization Structure Definition: Definition: The typically hierarchal arrangement of lines of authority, communications, rights and duties of an organization. Organizational structure determines how the roles, power and responsibilities are assigned, controlled, and coordinated, and how information flows between the different levels of management. A structure depends on the organization’s objectives and strategy. In a centralized structure, the top layer of management has most of the decision making power and has tight control over departments and divisions. In a decentralized structure, the decision making power is distributed and the departments and divisions may have different degrees of independence. A company such as Proctor ;amp; Gamble that sells multiple products may organize their structure so that groups are divided according to each product and depending on geographical area as well. An organizational chart illustrates the organizational structure Citation: http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/organizational. html Four Dimensions of an Organizational Structure: Authority: The legitimate right to make decisions and to tell other people what to do. Span of Control: The number of subordinates who report directly to an executive or supervisor. Delegation: The assignment of authority, responsibility, and accountability. Centralization: When important decisions are made at the top rather than spread out over the mid and lower levels of an organization. 4 Basic Forms of Horizontal Structures of Organizations: Functional Organization: Jobs and departments that are specialized and grouped according to business functions and the skills they require: production, marketing, human resource, research and development, finance, accounting, etc. Divisional Organization: Groupings of all functions into a single division that duplicates functions across all divisions. These are created as an organization becomes more diverse, complicated, and spread out over geographical regions. Matrix Organization: A hybrid form of organization in which functional and divisional forms overlap. Sales ;amp; Distribution Group Sales ;amp; Distribution Group Personnel Group Personnel Group Design / Research Group Design / Research Group Production Group Production Group Supply Group Supply Group Divisional Manager Traditional Potato Line Divisional Manager Traditional Potato Line Network Organization: A collection of independent, mostly single-function firms that collaborate to produce a good or service. Organizational Structure Chart for Down East Spud Buster (Note: Chart Represents Each Division): Sales ;amp; Distribution Group Sales ;amp; Distribution Group Sales ;amp; Distribution Group Sales ;amp; Distribution Group Sales ;amp; Distribution Group Sales ;amp; Distribution Group Personnel Group Personnel Group Personnel Group Personnel Group Personnel Group Personnel Group Personnel Manager Personnel Manager Sales ;amp; Distribution Manager Sales ;amp; Distribution Manager CEO CEO Divisional Manager Frozen Food Line Divisional Manager Frozen Food Line Divisional Manager Dried Food Line Divisional Manager Dried Food Line Divisional Manager Traditional Potato Line Divisional Manager Traditional Potato Line Supply / Purchase Manager Supply / Purchase Manager Design and Research Manager Design and Research Manager Production Manager Production Manager Sales ;amp; Distribution Manager Sales ;amp; Distribution Manager Supply Group Supply Group Production Group Production Group Design / Research Group Design / Research Group Supply Group Supply Group Production Group Production Group Design / Research Group Design / Research Group Supply Group Supply Group Production Group Production Group Design / Research Group Design / Research Group