Monday, September 30, 2019

Malthus and Boserup Population Theory

MALTHUS AND BOSERUP The world population is the total number of living humans on the planet Earth. Recently the world has just hit over 7 billion people. It is expected that if the worlds population continues to increase at the rate it is doing now, then we will become overpopulated. Overpopulation is where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. There are various views on this population crisis and throughout this essay I will describe theses views. Thomas Malthus was a pessimist , his theory is that the growth of human populations always tends to outstrip the productive capabilities of land resources.The result is that resources place a restriction on population growth and size and ‘positive’ checks (famine and disease) or preventative checks (limitation of family size) work to reduce population growth. Writing before the agricultural revolution, Malthus presumed that the productivity of resources were permanent because agricultural technolog y was largely fixed. From a Malthusian perspective, technology and environment (considered in terms of land resources) are therefore seen as independent variables that work together to determine the dependant variable of population, which he sees mainly in terms of population growth and size.According to him, human society could never be perfected. He believed that man is a lazy animal, who would lead a satisfied life and procreate as long as his family was well fed. However, as soon as human population would feel constraints in food supply due to increase in population, he would again work hard to provide enough for his family. This might lead to an increase in agricultural production to provide for all, but at the same time man would be back to his complacent stage, where all his needs would be fulfilled. This would start the cycle of overpopulation and food shortage, all over again.Having been a clergy, Malthus validated his theory on moral grounds that suffering was a way of mak ing human beings realize the virtues of hard work and moral behavior. Such kind of suffering due to overpopulation and food supply was inevitable. Malthus' theory had great influence on both Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace, who are the co-founders of the modern evolutionary theory. By the end of the 19th Century, when living standards improved and birth rates dropped in the Western countries, concerns of overpopulation became irrelevant.However, in underdeveloped countries which have agrarian economies, Malthus' theory often finds credibility. On the other hand, Ester Boserup was an optimist. Her theory focuses on the relationships between three factors; population, environment and technology. Her concept of ‘population’ in contrast to Malthus, encompasses population density as well as population size and growth. Ester Boserup stated that an increase in population would stimulate technologists to increase food production.As Boserup said any rise in population would in crease demand for food and this would act as an incentive to change agrarian technology and produce more food. Therefore population growth will inspire innovators who will solve the problem s the increasing population has caused therefore making it sustainable for a growing population. Even though they are two opposing theories they do have some similarities. They are both based on ‘closed’ communities which at a global scale is not true. They are similar by the way they both agree that an rise in population will increase demand for food.However they completely differ on what the consequences will be. As Malthus says increased demand for food will eventually cause food production to decrease due to the law of diminishing returns. As Boserup has a completely opposing view that increased population would increase food production. We have to remember that Malthus wrote his essay in 1798 before the agriculture revolution therefore he excluded technology from his theory ther efore making it slightly inaccurate. As Boserup wrote her theory in 1968 and has seen the effect technology can have crop yield therefore the two theories contrast.Also Mathus and Boserup disagree on the outcomes of increased population as Malthus stated that population cant increase above the food supplies otherwise positive checks would occur. Malthus talks about controlling a population by preventative checks and how the population must be kept below the crisis point otherwise these positive checks will occur. In contrast Boserup does the opposite and stated that famine and war will be prevented by human solutions. Therefore the two theories have different answers as to how to make a sustainable population which will survive in food resources.I personally agree with Malthus and believe that the power of population is much greater than the power of the earth to provide subsistence for man although Boserup states that an increase in population would stimulate technologists to incre ase food production etc. There is only a limit of resources available that can be used and the use of new technology and manufacturing is a massive contributor to the green house effect. Also we cannot rely on an increases in population to stimulate people to find new ways so that we can live sustainably.Some people may argue that ‘positive checks’ are meant to happen. I don’t believe in parts of this theory however if we can reduce the population to a sustainable level then these positive checks will not have to take place. We can reduce positive checks by encouraging people to have fewer children however this has been taken a bit too far in some areas, for example – Chinas One Child Policy. Although this was a massive success in reducing the population, there are also problems that China is now faced with including gender imbalance (for every 6 males there are 5 females) and an ageing population.

Simon Remarriage

The words ‘damaged/fractured/punctured/ broken' create images describing the ex-soldier physically but also referring to how these words could be used to describe the broken love. Therefore, it has been made clear that the love has become painful and traumatic as a consequence of war. Also, the metaphorical use Of ‘frozen river' and ‘blown hinge' reflects a war zone. The word ‘frozen' could reflect how the relationship has become still and lifeless. The narrator states that his jaw is a ‘blown hinge', suggesting that he is no longer open to her and unable to talk f his traumatic experiences.The image of violence is also incorporated within ‘Quadric' through a western theme showing the intensity of the relationship. ‘High noon' and ‘calamity' implant the image of a standoff in the wild west. This image of the standoff is inferred to be comparable to the relationship through the painful arguing that the once desire has turned into. Duffy references ‘hard liquor' to suggest that the relationship is reckless and has turned into something that is unhealthy also that if love goes wrong it can bring difficulties along with it. Manhunt' is made up of a series of couplets.The form of the poem creates a sense of fragmentation and the stages of process and search that the narrator has been through in order to find and heal their love. The series of couplets can be seen as a ladder that she is trying to climb to retrieve love once more, like the image of the ‘broken ribs'. Also, the rhyme scheme is irregular suggesting how the strength of the relationship is constantly changing. There is a personal tone to this poem as much of the topics are personal and it is quite conversational, inferring the woman is liking to her husband but cannot get through due to his physical and mental damage.Similarly, ‘Quadric' is structured to reflect the love in the relationship. This poem forms a broken sonnet, showing the eff ects of the broken love. Duffy may have used enjambment between stanzas to capture the idea of relentless pain and that she does not want to finish the sentence and the relationship. The technique of enjambment has been used to separate ‘I'm all' from ‘alone' reflecting the isolation the women feels. Simon Remarriage incorporates many delicacy and care adjectives: ‘mind/hold/attend'.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Infrared Film and Thermography Essay

Thermogram of a traditional building in the background and a â€Å"passive house† in the foreground Infrared thermography (IRT), thermal imaging, and thermal video are examples of infrared imaging science. Thermal imaging cameras detect radiation in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum (roughly 9,000–14,000 nanometers or 9–14  µm) and produce images of that radiation, called thermograms. Since infrared radiation is emitted by all objects above absolute zero according to the black body radiation law, thermography makes it possible to see one’s environment with or without visible illumination. The amount of radiation emitted by an object increases with temperature; therefore, thermography allows one to see variations in temperature. When viewed through a thermal imaging camera, warm objects stand out well against cooler backgrounds; humans and other warm-blooded animals become easily visible against the environment, day or night. As a result, thermography is particularly useful to military and other users of surveillance cameras. Thermography has a long history, although its use has increased dramatically with the commercial and industrial applications of the past fifty years. Government and airport personnel used thermography to detect suspected swine flu cases during the 2009 pandemic.[1] Firefighters use thermography to see through smoke, to find persons, and to localize the base of a fire. Maintenance technicians use thermography to locate overheating joints and sections of power lines, which are a sign of impending failure. Building construction technicians can see thermal signatures that indicate heat leaks in faulty thermal insulation and can use the results to improve the efficiency of heating and air-conditioning units. Some physiological changes in human beings and other warm-blooded animals can also be monitored with thermal imaging during clinical diagnostics. Thermogram of cat. The appearance and operation of a modern thermographic camera is often similar to a camcorder. Often the live thermogram reveals temperature variations so clearly that a photograph is not necessary for analysis. A recording module is therefore not always built-in. Non-specialized CCD and CMOS sensors have most of their spectral sensitivity in the visible light wavelength range. However by utilizing the â€Å"trailing† area of their spectral sensitivity, namely the part of the infrared spectrum called near-infrared (NIR), and by using off-the-shelf CCTV camera it is possible under certain circumstances to obtain true thermal images of objects with temperatures at about 280 °C and higher.[2] Specialized thermal imaging cameras use focal plane arrays (FPAs) that respond to longer wavelengths (mid- and long-wavelength infrared). The most common types are InSb, InGaAs, HgCdTe and QWIP FPA. The newest technologies use low-cost, uncooled microbolometers as FPA sensors. Their resolution is considerably lower than that of optical cameras, mostly 160Ãâ€"120 or 320Ãâ€"240 pixels, up to 640Ãâ€"512 for the most expensive models. Thermal imaging cameras are much more expensive than their visible-spectrum counterparts, and higher-end models are often export-restricted due to the military uses for this technology. Older bolometers or more sensitive models such as InSb require cryogenic cooling, usually by a miniature Stirling cycle refrigerator or liquid nitrogen. | Thermal Energy This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2008) | Thermal images, or thermograms, are actually visual displays of the amount of infrared energy emitted, transmitted, and reflected by an object. Because there are multiple sources of the infrared energy, it is difficult to get an accurate temperature of an object using this method. A thermal imaging camera is capable of performing algorithms to interpret that data and build an image. Although the image shows the viewer an approximation of the temperature at which the object is operating, the camera is actually using multiple sources of data based on the areas surrounding the object to determine that value rather than detecting the actual temperature. This phenomenon may become clearer upon consideration of the formula Incident Energy = Emitted Energy + Transmitted Energy + Reflected Energy where Incident Energy is the energy profile when viewed through a thermal imaging camera. Emitted Energy is generally what is intended to be measured. Transmitted Energy is the energy that passes through the subject from a remote thermal source. Reflected Energy is the amount of energy that reflects off the surface of the object from a remote thermal source. If the object is radiating at a higher temperature than its surroundings, then power transfer will be taking place and power will be radiating from warm to cold following the principle stated in the Second Law of Thermodynamics. So if there is a cool area in the thermogram, that object will be absorbing the radiation emitted by the warm object. The ability of both objects to emit or absorb this radiation is called emissivity. Under outdoor environments, convective cooling from wind may also need to be considered when trying to get an accurate temperature reading. This thermogram shows a fault with an industrial electrical fuse block. The thermal imaging camera would next employ a series of mathematical algorithms. Since the camera is only able to see the electromagnetic radiation that is impossible to detect with the human eye, it will build a picture in the viewer and record a visible picture, usually in a JPG format. In order to perform the role of noncontact temperature recorder, the camera will change the temperature of the object being viewed with its emissivity setting. Other algorithms can be used to affect the measurement, including the transmission ability of the transmitting medium (usually air) and the temperature of that transmitting medium. All these settings will affect the ultimate output for the temperature of the object being viewed. This functionality makes the thermal imaging camera an excellent tool for the maintenance of electrical and mechanical systems in industry and commerce. By using the proper camera settings and by being careful when capturing the image, electrical systems can be scanned and problems can be found. Faults with steam traps in steam heating systems are easy to locate. In the energy savings area, the thermal imaging camera can do more. Because it can see the radiating temperature of an object as well as what that object is radiating at, the product of the radiation can be calculated using the Stefan–Boltzmann constant. Emissivity Emissivity is a term representing a material’s ability to emit thermal radiation. Each material has a different emissivity, and it can be difficult to determine the appropriate emissivity for a subject. A material’s emissivity can range from a theoretical 0.00 (completely not-emitting) to an equally-theoretical 1.00 (completely emitting); the emissivity often varies with temperature. An example of a substance with low emissivity would be silver, with an emissivity coefficient of .02. An example of a substance with high emissivity would be asphalt, with an emissivity coefficient of .98. A black body is a theoretical object which will radiate infrared radiation at its contact temperature. If a thermocouple on a black body radiator reads 50  °C, the radiation the black body will give up will also be 50  °C. Therefore a true black body will have an emissivity of Thermogram of a snake held by a human. Since there is no such thing as a perfect black body, the infrared radiation of normal objects will appear to be less than the contact temperature. The rate (percentage) of emission of infrared radiation will thus be a fraction of the true contact temperature. This fraction is called emissivity. Some objects have different emissivities in long wave as compared to mid wave emissions. Emissivities may also change as a function of temperature in some materials.[3] To make a temperature measurement of an object, the thermographer will refer to the emissivity table to choose the emissivity value of the object, which is then entered into the camera. The camera’s algorithm will correct the temperature by using the emissivity to calculate a temperature that more closely matches the actual contact temperature of the object. If possible, the thermographer would try to test the emissivity of the object in question. This would be more accurate than attempting to determine the emissivity of the object via a table. The usual method of testing the emissivity is to place a material of known high emissivity in contact with the surface of the object. The material of known emissivity can be as complex as industrial emissivity spray which is produced specifically for this purpose, or it can be as simple as standard black insulation tape, emissivity 0.97. A temperature reading can then be taken of the object with the emissivity level on the imager set to the value of the test material. This will give an accurate value of the temperature of the object. The temperature can then be read on a part of the object not covered with the test material. If the temperature reading is different, the emissivity level on the imager can be adjusted until the object reads the same temperature. This will give the thermographer a much more accurate emissivity reading. There are times, however, when an emissivity test is not possible due to dangerous or inaccessible conditions. In these situations the thermographer must rely on tables. Difference between infrared film and thermography IR film is sensitive to infrared (IR) radiation in the 250 °C to 500 °C range, while the range of thermography is approximately -50 °C to over 2,000 °C. So, for an IR film to work thermographically, it must be over 250 °C or be reflecting infrared radiation from something that is at least that hot. (Usually, infrared photographic film is used in conjunction with an IR illuminator, which is a filtered incandescent source or IR diode illuminator, or else with an IR flash (usually a xenon flash that is IR filtered). These correspond with â€Å"active† near-IR modes as discussed in the next section. Night vision infrared devices image in the near-infrared, just beyond the visual spectrum, and can see emitted or reflected near-infrared in complete visual darkness. However, again, these are not usually used for thermography due to the high temperature requirements, but are instead used with active near-IR sources. Starlight-type night vision devices generally only magnify ambient light. Passive vs. active thermography All objects above the absolute zero temperature (0 K) emit infrared radiation. Hence, an excellent way to measure thermal variations is to use an infrared vision device, usually a focal plane array (FPA) infrared camera capable of detecting radiation in the mid (3 to 5 ÃŽ ¼m) and long (7 to 14 ÃŽ ¼m) wave infrared bands, denoted as MWIR and LWIR, corresponding to two of the high transmittance infrared windows. Abnormal temperature profiles at the surface of an object are an indication of a potential problem.[4] Thermal imaging camera & screen. Thermal imaging can detect elevated body temperature, one of the signs of the virus H1N1 (Swine influenza). In passive thermography, the features of interest are naturally at a higher or lower temperature than the background. Passive thermography has many applications such as surveillance of people on a scene and medical diagnosis (specifically thermology). In active thermography, an energy source is required to produce a thermal contrast between the feature of interest and the background. The active approach is necessary in many cases given that the inspected parts are usually in equilibrium with the surroundings. Advantages of thermography * It shows a visual picture so temperatures over a large area can be compared * It is capable of catching moving targets in real time * It is able to find deteriorating, i.e., higher temperature components prior to their failure * It can be used to measure or observe in areas inaccessible or hazardous for other methods * It is a non-destructive test method * It can be used to find defects in shafts, pipes, and other metal or plastic parts[5] * It can be used to detect objects in dark areas * It has some medical application, essentially in kinesiotherapy Limitations and disadvantages of thermography * Quality cameras often have a high price range (often US$ 3,000 or more), cheaper are only 40Ãâ€"40 up to 120Ãâ€"120 pixels * Images can be difficult to interpret accurately when based upon certain objects, specifically objects with erratic temperatures, although this problem is reduced in active thermal imaging[6] * Accurate temperature measurements are hindered by differing emissivities and reflections from other surfaces[7] * Most cameras have  ±2% accuracy or worse in measurement of temperature and are not as accurate as contact methods [8] * Only able to directly detect surface temperatures * Condition of work, depending of the case, can be drastic: 10 °C of difference between internal/external, 10km/h of wind maximum, no direct sun, no recent rain, Applications Kite aerial thermogram of the site of Ogilface Castle, Scotland. * Condition monitoring * Digital infrared thermal imaging in health care * Medical imaging * Infrared mammography * Archaeological Kite Aerial Thermography: Kite_aerial_photography * Thermology * Veterinary Thermal Imaging * Night vision * UAV Surveillance[9] * Stereo vision[10] * Research * Process control * Nondestructive testing * Surveillance in security, law enforcement and defence * Chemical imaging * Volcanology[11][12] * Building [13] Thermal imaging cameras convert the energy in the infrared wavelength into a visible light display. All objects above absolute zero emit thermal infrared energy, so thermal cameras can passively see all objects, regardless of ambient light. However, most thermal cameras only see objects warmer than -50 °C. The spectrum and amount of thermal radiation depend strongly on an object’s surface temperature. This makes it possible for a thermal imaging camera to display an object’s temperature. However, other factors also influence the radiation, which limits the accuracy of this technique. For example, the radiation depends not only on the temperature of the object, but is also a function of the emissivity of the object. Also, radiation originates from the surroundings and is reflected in the object, and the radiation from the object and the reflected radiation will also be influenced by the absorption of the atmosphere.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Gender differences in unionization rates in Canada Research Paper

Gender differences in unionization rates in Canada - Research Paper Example For this reason, there is a need to study the variations that exist in gender rates in unionization in order to understand the underlying causes of why people are joining or leaving unions. This paper looks into detail the variations that has existed in gender unionization rates in Canada and the reasons as to why there exists such variations. This is important as it will ensure that authorities can understand why people are not joining unions by having concrete facts and data at their disposal. The purpose of this study is to understand the gender variations that exists in unionization levels and why the variations exists. The study looks into data from the 1980’s to 2013 and examines the differences and the fluctuations that has existed in unionization rates and explains why there have been such variations. This research paper utilizes information from various governmental and nongovernmental organizations databases. It further looks into different journal articles and books in order to get information regarding unionization rates in Canada. In particular, this research paper utilizes information from Statistics in Canada in the interpretation of the graph. The information from the government databases and journal articles is reliable and consequently the information in this research paper can be described as factual and precise. From the year 1982 to the year 2013, the overall unionization rate in Canada has decreased. The unionization rate is often defined as the proportion of employees that are union members. The number has substantially declined over the years, in this research paper; the trends in unionization rates especially examined under gender will be studied. It is imperative to understand that the decline in unionization in Canada is not a recent phenomenon and in fact, the unionization rate fell through the years 1980’s to the year

Thursday, September 26, 2019

The fall of the aztec empire Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The fall of the aztec empire - Research Paper Example At first, there was an earthquake in the city of Tenochtitlan, which was later followed by a flood in Lake Texcoco nearby. Both these events caused considerable damage to the Empire. Lives were lost, and resources were used up that could not be replenished quickly. What is more, there was an effect on the morale of the Aztecs as well. They held the belief that these natural disasters, along with some paranormal phenomena supposedly observed by some, foretold the fall of their empire. The Aztec Empire employed, as written before, a combination of trade and military tactics to expand their territory. This entailed that they were constantly involved in military conflicts. These military conflicts took their toll, not only on the resources of the Empire, but also on the Aztec warriors. These warriors, or soldiers, had constant warring on their hand, as they had to keep the rebellious tribes in check. Another factor that took its toll on the Aztec population was their practice of human sa crifice. Although it was not a unique phenomenon, however, the Aztec Empire was accustomed to sacrificing humans on a very large scale. They sacrificed thousands of their own people at the altars of their gods under one pretext or another. This not only decreased their population, thus decreasing the number of possible young men to be recruited as warriors or soldiers, but it also caused a deep resentment and hatred in the hearts and minds of non-Aztec against the Empire. This caused many a war (as above discussed) and, moreover, it was one of the reasons why the Tlaxcalans sided with the Conquistadores against the Empire. Moreover the Conquistadores decided to conquer the Empire, perhaps, because of the latter’s human sacrifice and end the evil practice. Coming to the Tlaxcalans, they consisted of people occupying more than 150 towns. They were constantly under threat of the Aztec Empire, with the Empire blockade a constant reality that had left the people poor and hungry. T he Empire already having conquered most of the land around their main city of Tlaxcala, also used Tlaxcalans as sacrifices to their gods. The rulers, therefore, welcomed Cortes’ expedition and saw in him their way of getting rid of the dangers posed by the Aztec Empire once and for all. Though it is uncertain whether they embraced Christianity, as was Cortes’ main mission, however, the chieftains did agree to form an alliance with Cortes and his Conquistadores. Furthermore, the Spaniards brought with them, as Europeans in other parts of America brought with them, diseases that were new to the indigenous population of the Americas. In the case of the Aztecs it was smallpox. Transmitted by someone in the Spanish army, smallpox spread quickly in the Aztec Empire. The Aztec casualty rate was high, with some historians saying that around 40 percent of the population fell victim to the disease. Though more conservative estimates put the number close to 20 to 25 percent, howe ver, a large portion of the population died after contracting smallpox. However, there is debate among the historians regarding this. Some surmise that it was actually a disease known as Cocolitzili in the local language that caused the population to diminish in such large numbers. Carried by the rodents, the virus, which was similar to the modern day Birdflu or Swineflu

Community education project , Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Community education project , - Essay Example According to surveys, children of Saudi Arabian descent residing in the United States have little or no mastery of their language, with numerous linguists expressing concerns that in a short while, none of the students and children from Saudi Arabia will be able to write or read their heritage tongue as the influence of the English language continues to overwhelm the Arabic language (Abu–Rabia, 2002). This community education project is heavily influenced by this escalating loss of meaning of the Arabic language especially amongst the children (students) of Saudi Arabian descent living in the United States. Furthermore, research demonstrates the various importance of being bilingual. Being bilingual has been linked in a plethora of different exploits with positive intellectual growth and indeed superior critical and creative thinking capacities. Bilingual persons are also more sensitive to different languages and have listening potentials that are higher than their counterparts who only have an understanding of one language (Ayari, 1996). Bilingualism therefore considerably improves one’s communication skills across various contexts and cultures, thereby creating in such persons a healthy sensitivity towards diversity (Campbell & Christian, 2003). Children who are bilingual have the chance of better understanding other cultures of the world, and are consequently more appreciative of the cultures of other people. Apart from these, learning a different language increases one’s chances of gaining employment in various regions of the globe. Being bilingual in this scenario therefore becomes a great asset in the contemporary competitive world (Valdà ©s, 2005). The Arabic language is a highly renowned and popular less commonly taught language (LCTL) in the United States and is fast metamorphosing into one of the most widely used languages world over. Realizing

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

4 - Assignment Example It is unethical to gamble with human life regardless of race, gender or social status for the sake of economic prosperity. Furthermore, this drug was banned in the US and Europe as it was responsible for massive liver damages. b. It is unethical to test drugs on children during the time of emergency. That is gambling with human life which is against the human rights. Chances are that the drug may destroy immune systems of the patients and lead to a high number of casualties. Lack of proper health care in developing countries does not mean that these people are lesser beings or are immune to toxins; this should not be an excuse. 2) Since hiring the child would be unlawful, the executive may opt to take care of the child by himself or look for a guardian locally or overseas. There are many people who would be willing to help the child to meet her daily needs. However, if the guardians are unwilling to live with her, then she may be taken to an orphanage. 3) a. Look at the oil excavation from two perspectives, the good side of it and the bad side. Think about the effect on the environs and the people. When the good outweigh the bad, then you can proceed. However, if there is any form of doubt safely etched at the deepest parts of your hearts, then abandoning such a task would be the plausible thing to do. b. Outsourcing may or may not a company’s best bet. However, outsourcing would be the best option when a company needs to speed up the production process and increase the quality of their output. Division of labor ensures that parties partake on tasks that best fit them. 4) It would be ethical to outsource the production process to developing countries when the company is facing the problem of the high cost of production and low sales returns. The most reasonable thing to do would be to look for cheaper labor even if it means job cuts for employees in the mother country. Failure to do so would lead to losses

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Interactive media (critical reflection) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interactive media (critical reflection) - Essay Example the audience has an opportunity of interacting with the actors and has a participative role whereby, they can offer their opinion on the theme of the work presented. Interactive theatre therefore has served to bring a paradigm shift in the traditional media landscape specifically in theatre. The interaction level in interactive theatre varies depending on the willingness of the audience to participate. This paper will offer a critical reflection on different aspects of interactive theatre and its relevance to culture and its pertinent effects on the media landscape. Interactive theatre offers the modern audience an opportunity to participate in emerging debates centred on material that is presented in theatres. Considering a theatre comprises of a large audience, the participation of the audience must be organized in a certain manner. The level of interaction varies on the decisions made by the actors and the contribution of the audience. In some cases, the audience is expected to complete the plot of a certain story while in others the audience is expected to offer a critical review of how the material was presented. The level of interaction is critical in making interactive theatre achieve its intended purpose. This form of theatre seeks to integrate the views of the audience with those of the producers and the actors. Passive spectators are transformed into active participants in interactive theatre (Evans 2013, p. 192). In a bid to understand the cultural relevance of interactive theatre, it is important to highlight the UNESCO definition of culture. According to this body, culture denoted, â€Å"A set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of a social group.† With such a definition of culture, if interactive theatre is to be culturally relevant, it must contribute to the spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of the society. Interactive theatre, exhibits a high level of cultural relevance (Jacobson & Hwang

Monday, September 23, 2019

Persuasive text analysis paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Persuasive text analysis paper - Essay Example The use of this art has a notable effect on the public to which it is directed in that it can help to shape a group’s opinions on particular matters. One of the most important speeches in American history utilizes persuasion excellently. It is the ‘I have a dream’ speech by Martin Luther King Junior (King, 2002). King delivered this speech on August 23rd 1963, in Washington to a huge crowd of mainly African American people who had come to listen to him. This speech revolves around the injustices that the black community was continually exposed to during this period. He devised this speech as the start of a revolution against racism that was eating into the United States making the African Americans live impoverished lives (Stewart, 2003). It was a call to not only the black community, but also to the white people to embrace justice in order to ensure equality. As much as the blacks had been freed from slavery almost 100 years back, he explains, true equality betwe en the black and the white folk had not yet been achieved. Racism was still very much a part of their lives, and this affected their living standards significantly. His main problem was mainly the inculcation of this mentality of racial superiority to the young children who did not know any better. It is safe to state that this speechis significant   in the eradication of racism in the United States (Price, 2006). King, in his speech effectively uses persuasion as well as other styles of language that make his speech truly unforgettable. An analysis to determine how effective the art of persuasion was and what effect it had on its audience is conducted. As previously explained, the speech focuses on the problem of racism that was affecting the African American community at that time. King uses the analogy as a language style in order to persuade his audience when also relaying his intended message. An analogy is a style that uses two objects that seem not to be related to each oth er in order to bring out a point. This process is used to provoke the imagination of the listeners to which it is addressed. King uses an analogy of a promissory note that the country provided to the blacks as they were freed from slavery. He states, â€Å"America has given the Negro a bad check; a check that has come back marked ‘insufficient funds† (Lucas, 2001). His analogy employs the use of a well-known object, a promissory note that is a business document that assures or promises and individual of payment at a specified time that both involved parties agree on. King compares the United States’ assurance of equality between blacks and the whites after the abolition of slavery as a promissory note. This promissory note is not valid since it has not fulfilled the conditions it was expected to in the first place. This means that the country has not been true to its word as such; it has given the African American community a ‘bad check’. Resultantly , the African Americans have been forced to live in bad conditions since they do not have the same rights as their counterparts, the white people do. Through this analogy, King altered the way most if not all of his public thought of the issue of racism. It was a problem that they were facing, but they had become complacent since not all their attempts to alleviate the discrimination had been successful. However, this speech gave them a new strength to press for

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Evolution of Human Skin Colour Essay Example for Free

Evolution of Human Skin Colour Essay Skin cancer can be caused by many things; the first is getting too much exposure to sun. The UV rays come in contact with your skin and reaction occurs which makes your skin tan or burn. The UV rays from just one sunburn can damage your skin and cause you to become more at risk of getting skin cancer. Another cause of skin cancer could be genetics, if your someone in your family had skin cancer the mutated gene could possibly get passed down to you and you could have a higher risk of developing skin cancer. One last cause of skin cancer is if someone has a lot of moles. If there are many moles some could be abnormal which means it is more likely that one mole could be or could turn cancerous. 2. Caucasians are more at risk of skin cancer than other populations because Caucasians have fair skin. Fair skinned people don’t have much pigment/melanin in their skin which means they’re less protected by the suns UV radiation. Other populations such as African-Americans would be less at risk of getting skin cancer because they have lots of melanin in their skin to block the UV rays. 3. A lifetime of sun exposure will obviously increase a person’s chances in developing skin cancer so as you get older the risk increases. Most diagnoses are made when people are over the age of 50 but if someone is highly exposed to the sun frequently the cancer could occur earlier than 50. The incidence of skin cancer is greater in old age because someone who is older would have accumulated all the sun exposure over the years and someone who is younger would not have been exposed to as much sun which lowers their chances of developing skin cancer at their age.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Strategic implementation process

Strategic implementation process Implementing Strategies the step that differentiates between success and failure of strategic planning. Abstract To discuss in detail, the strategic implementation process and also to understand the management and operational nuances of a successful implementation. The topic spans across vital tools such as annual objectives, organizational structure, reengineering, performance culture and process improvements. The research paper also brings out the challenges of implementation, which are much complex to solve, and makes it even more difficult to implement the formulated strategies. This research also authenticates the fact that there is a pre-requirement for special set of programs/ initiatives etc to prepare an organization towards change in the terms of peoples acceptance towards the new implementation. (www.csuchico.edu/mgmt/strategy/module/sld044.html) Literature Review The strategy management process does not end when the firm decides what strategy to pursue. There must be a translation of strategic thought into strategic action. This translation is much easier if the managers and the employees of the firm understand the business, feels as part of the company, committed to the organizations strategic intent. Implementing a strategy affects the firm from top to bottom; it also affects all the functional/ divisional areas of business. Even the most technically perfect strategy plan will serve little purpose if it is not implemented. Many organizations tend to spend an inordinate amount of money, time and resources in developing strategic plans; but lets them wither out once change or uncertainty creeps in, failure of implementation is not only a setback but erodes the confidence of the firm and brings it back to worse than the pre-strategic scenarios leading to management failure and organization chaos. Research Aims Objectives Startegy formulation concepts and tools do not differ greatly between small, large or bigger firms, but the implementation varies substantially among different types and sizes of organizations. As the implementation will affect many aspects of the organization like the altering of sales territories, expanding financial budgets, changes in the pricing model, developing new employee benefits, establishing cost-control procedures, changing marketing approaches, building on infrastructures for ehnaced products and services, better management information systems, launching new organization wide development projects and initiatives. This research paper exactly focusses on these aspects and try to elucidate the managerial and operational perspectives in breif details with respect to strategy implementation. Research Methodology An individual project research covering many corporate strategies internet links, strategic business books, executive management journals, the Harvard Business Review magazines and various case studies. Some articles were also used as references in the Strategy Focused Organization written by the Robert Kaplan David Norton duos. Few were read from various SEM websites, through the search engine Google. It is more of a desktop based literature research and translating the understanding into research paper/ article. Discussion Management Perspectives The transition from formulation to implementation requires a shift un responsibility from strategists to divisional/ functional managers. Managers and employees are motivated more on perceived self-interest than organizational interest, hence it is essential for the top management to translate these goals in alignment with their personal/ functional goals, so a message is sent across that achieving these small set of goals leads to achieve the super ordinate organizational goals. These will let the management focus on establishing annual objectives and then breaking them down to functional objectives, devising policies and procedures to act as a general guideline for steering the functionalities, followed by allocating resources (material, money and men), restructuring and regrouping if necessary to align to the need of the organizations strategy, structured communication programs to reduce resistance for change, revising the rewards and the incentives plans, developing a strategic s upport culture, adapting to synergetic operational and production processes and developing an effective HR function. Management changes are necessarily more extensive when strategies to be implemented move a firm in a major new direction. The managers should start involving in strategy implementation process right from the early stages so as to maintain the commitment towards the end results and transfer the confidence to grass root level so that their team members are also motivated to work towards the agreed objectives both functional and organizational. Top-down flow of communication is essential for developing bottom-up support. Every employee should be able to benchmark his/her efforts against best-in-class competitors so that the challenge becomes personal, on the other hand the firm should provide the best training for both managers and employees to ensure that they have to acquire and maintain skills necessary to be world-class performers. Strategic management should not become self-perpetuating bureaucratic mechanism. Rather it must be a reflective learning process that familiarizes managers and employers in the organization with key strategic issues and feasible alternatives for resolving those issues. It must not become ritualistic, stilted, orchestrated or too formal, predictable and rigid. Always remember to keep the strategic management process simple but effective, jargon-free but content rich. Words supported by numbers should be represented as the medium for explaining strategic issues and organizational responses. A key role of strategist is to facilitate continuous organization change and learning that enhances the next perspective production operations (HR, Learning, Culture and Leadership aspects as well). Discussion Production/ Operations (Learning, HR) Perspective The production or operations perspective constitute more than 70% of the firms total routine strategy or operational strategy. These limitations can significantly enhance the risk of non-attainment of the desired objectives as they are back bone of the business development/ market expansion focuses of the organization. Production related decisions on plant size, plant locations, product design, choice of equipments, kind of tooling, size of inventory, inventory control, quality control, cost control, use of standards, job specialization, employee training, equipment and resource utilizations, shipping and packaging and technological innovations can have a dramatic impact on the success or failure of strategy-implementation efforts. Factors that should be studied before locating production facilities include the availability of resources, make or outsource decisions, margin of production costings, the location of major markets, political risks in the area/ region. For high technology companies, production costs may not be as important as production flexibilities because major product changes can happen more frequently. This also results in cross-training of employees in various production platforms leading to: Reduction in substantial investments in training learning activities. Workers skill level gets cross-pollinated and resulting in higher efficiency. It can reduce the thrust of managers responsibility in training/ and make them focus more towards coaching and mentoring. It reduces time gaps and hence gains on productivity levels are easily expected. You have to understand your industry well to develop the connection between process improvements and outputs achieved. Take three divisional examples of cycle-time measurement, a common process measure. For much of our defense business, no premium is earned for early delivery. And the contracts allow for reimbursement of inventory holding costs. Therefore, attempts to reduce inventory or cycle times in this business produce no benefit for which the customer is willing to pay. The only benefits from cycle time or inventory reduction occur when reduction in factory-floor complexity leads to real reductions in product cost. The output performance targets must be real cash savings, not reduced inventory levels or cycle times. In contrast, significant lead-time reductions could be achieved for our packaging machinery business. This improvement led to lower inventory and an option to access an additional 35% of the market. In this case, the cycle-time improvements could be tied to specific targets for increased sales and market share. It wasnt linear, but output seemed to improve each time we improved throughput times. And in one of our agricultural machinery businesses, orders come within a narrow time window each year. The current build cycle is longer than the ordering window, so all units must be built to the sales forecast. This process of building to forecast leads to high inventory-more than twice the levels of our other businesses-and frequent overstocking and obsolescence of equipment. Incremental reductions in lead time do little to change the economics of this operation. But if the build cycle time could be reduced to less than the six-week ordering time window for part or all of the build schedule, then a breakthrough occurs. The division can shift to a build-to-order schedule and eliminate the excess inventory caused by building to forecasts. In this case, the benefit from cycle-time reductions is a step-function that comes only when the cycle time drops below a critical level. So here we have three businesses, three different processes, all of which could have elaborate systems for measuring quality, cost, and time but would feel the impact of improvements in radically different ways. With all the diversity in our business units, senior management really cant have a detailed understanding of the relative impact of time and quality improvements on each unit. All of our senior managers, however, understand output targets, particularly when they are displayed with historical trends and future targets. The concept of learning organization (cultural intervention in strategy) is emphasized here as part of the changing business model to suit the strategic intent. Learning organizations are characterized by total employee involvement in a process of collaboratively conducted, collectively accountable change directed towards shared values or principles. (Watkins and Marsick 1992: 118). The basic rationale for such organizations is that in situations of rapid change only those that are flexible, adaptive and productive will excel. For this to happen, it is argued, organizations need to discover how to tap peoples commitment and capacity to learn at all levels. While all people have the capacity to learn, the structures in which they have to function are often not conducive to reflection and engagement. Furthermore, people may lack the tools and guiding ideas to make sense of the situations they face. Organizations that are continually expanding their capacity to create their future requi re a fundamental shift of mind among their members. When you ask people about what it is like being part of a great team, what is most striking is the meaningfulness of the experience. People talk about being part of something larger than them, of being connected, of being generative. It becomes quite clear that, for many, their experiences as part of truly great teams stands out as singular periods of life lived to the fullest. Some spend the rest of their lives looking for ways to recapture that spirit. For Peter Senge, real learning gets to the heart of what it is to be human. We become able to re-create ourselves. This applies to both individuals and organizations. Thus, for a learning organization it is not enough to survive. Survival learning or what is more often termed adaptive learning is important indeed it is necessary. But for a learning organization, adaptive learning must be joined by generative learning, learning that enhances our capacity to create The learning organizations require a new view of leadership. He sees the traditional view of leaders (as special people who set the direction, make key decisions and energize the troops as deriving from a deeply individualistic and non-systemic worldview. At its centre the traditional view of leadership, is based on assumptions of peoples powerlessness, their lack of personal vision and inability to master the forces of change, deficits which can be remedied only by a few great leaders. Against this traditional view he sets a new view of leadership that centers on subtler and more important tasks. In a learning organization, leaders are designers, stewards and teachers. They are responsible for building organizations were people continually expand their capabilities to understand complexity, clarify vision, and improve shared mental models that is they are responsible for learning. Learning organizations will remain a good idea until people take a stand for building such organizations. Taking this stand is the first leadership act, the start of inspiring (literally to breathe life into) the vision of the learning organization, which is also part of the structural intervention, a part of planned change or Organization Development. Conclusion Successful Strategy formulation does not at all guarantee successful strategy implementation, although they are sequential in nature, but the latter simply means the change actually. It is widely agreed that the real work starts after strategies are formulated. It is sometimes frightening to think a single individual, a system failure, a process hiccup or a disturbing structure would completely sabotage the success of the strategic implementation and achievement of the agreed objectives. So the actual grounds have to prepare in terms of managing human resources and political relationships, creating a strategy supporting conducive climate/ culture, adapting to the right kind of systems, operations and processes. Depending on the size and type of the organization other management issues could be equally important to successful strategic implementation. References Dale McConkey, Planning in a Changing Environment, Business Horizons, September October 1988; 66. S. Ghoshal C.A. Bartlett, Changing the role of management beyond structure to processes, HBR 73, 1(1995); 88 90. www.hbr.org How important is personal goal alignment in Strategic Objectives, article by Thomas Strickland in 1998 (White Papers Category). Richard Brown, Outsider CEO: Inspiring changes with force and grace, USA Today (July 19, 1999): 3B. H. Igor Ansoff, Strategic Management of Technology, Journal of Business Strategy 7, no: 3 (Winter 1987); 38. Jack Duncan, Management (New York Random House, 1983): 381-390. Translating strategies into action, course notes on published by HBS Feb 1990. Robert Waterman Jr. How the better get best?, Business Week (September 14th 1987): 104-105. Implementing Strategies: Management Operations Issue, Fred R. David, South Carolina University, 2006 Prentice Hall Edition, 245 261. T. Deal A. Kennedy, Culture: A new look through the old lenses, Journal of Applied Behavioral Sciences 19, no:4 (1983), 498 504. Peter Senge on Learning Organizations in the American Management Journal, (Senge 1990: 340) Harris Dawn, Constance E. Helfat and Paul J Wolfson the pipeline to the top, the Academy of Management Perspectives 20, No: 4 (2006); 42. James C Wimbush, Spotlight on Human Resources Management, Business Horizon 49, No: 6 (Nov-Dec 2006); 433 Robert Simons, Control in the Age of Empowerment, Harvard Business Review (March-April 1995); 80. Readings from Strategic Management by Charles W.L. Hill Gareth R. Jones, 4th Reprinted 2000 Millennium Edition.