Saturday, December 28, 2019
The Battle Of The American Revolution - 1788 Words
The Battle of Yorktown was the last important battle of the American Revolution, which was fought from 28 September 1781 to 19 October 1781, in Yorktown Virginia, near the York River. The Continental Army, led by George Washington, won the battle against the British, led by General Lord Charles Cornwallis. General Cornwallis was force to surrender after Washingtonââ¬â¢s army, assisted by the French who were led by Marquis de Lafayette and the Comte de Rochambeau (Davis, P., 2001), surrounded them. General Washington use of misinformation and counterintelligence was very effective in turning the battle in their favor. If the British had validated the information by conducting such operations of their own they could have identified the misinformation in a timely manner. The Britishââ¬â¢s bias made them to believe that their collect efforts were very effective and did not question how easily the falsified documents were captured and deciphered. This bias cause the British to cont inue reinforcing defensive positions in the north as General Washington and the French moved south, which proved to be fatal. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the Battle of Yorktown and identify key intelligence events that if they had not occurred, would have changed the outcome of the battle. If General George Washington did not utilize misinformation and Counter Intelligence in this battle the British would have not surrendered as they were the superior fighting force and would have continue toShow MoreRelatedThe Battle Of The American Revolution1535 Words à |à 7 Pages 1775, tension between the American colonies and Great Britain had reached its breaking point as fighting erupted at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. These battles marked the beginning of the American Revolution, where the colonists sought freedom from King George III of England and Parliament. After fighting for years to gain their independence, the American colonies won the war. Even though the colonists faced several disadvantages during the American Revolution against the British, the determinationRead MoreBattle Of The American Revolution1451 Words à |à 6 PagesThe Battle of Yorktown was one of the most significant battles of the American Revolution. Not only was it a major battle that helped end the war but also showed the power of the Continental Armyââ¬â¢s field artillery. The battle was a major turning point in establishing the freedom of the United States of America and was the last major battle of the war. The Continental and French forces moved to Yorktown on 28 September 1781, however the first shot was not fired until 9 October of 1781. It was roughlyRead MoreThe Battle Of The American Revolution1377 Words à |à 6 Pages The American Revolution begins with the taxation of the American colonies to pay for French and Indian War or sometimes called the Seven-Year War. The British fought the French and the Indian nations in the colonies. After the British victory, Britain had a large debt to pay. The debt was approximately 140 million pounds. It was Prime Minister George Grenville, secretary of Treasury in England, came up with an idea to pay this debt; however, the colonists would not be very happy. To payRead MoreBattle For The American Revolution957 Words à |à 4 PagesThe Battle of Yorktown From October 09, 1781 to October 19, 1781, arguably the most important battle for the American Revolution took place in Yorktown, Virginia. During this 10 day battle, American forces decimated the British with strategic and relentless artillery fire virtually ending the Revolutionary War. This monumental battle was won from not only artillery fire, but also clever tactics. General George Washington and French commander Comte de Rochambeau out-smarted the British forces byRead MoreThe Battle Of The American Revolution2391 Words à |à 10 Pagescolonialsââ¬â¢ resistance to British imperial policies, which later led to the American Revolution. The American Revolution was a comprehensive revolution, which included economic, political and social causes. When the American Revolution ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the consequences of the American Revolution could also affect nation politically, socially, and economically. The economic cause of the American Revolution was Britainââ¬â¢s imperial policies based on recovering of the debts betweenRead MoreThe Battle Of Nassau : The American Revolution1183 Words à |à 5 PagesBattle of Nassau The American Revolution war was sanctioned by the former British settlers who wanted autonomy from British Rule. The revolution itself was a culmination of years of heavy taxation and exploitation by the British loyalists. It was the expansionist ambitions of the British Empire that caused it to lose the grip on the American sub continent (Scanlan, 2015, Para. 2-4). The British had embarked on a serious expansion of its empire through the acquisition of colonies in Africa and AsiaRead MoreThe Battle Of Saratoga And The American Revolution1504 Words à |à 7 Pages Between 1765-1783 the American Revolution had many different battles that affected its ending results. One of these battles were the Battle of Saratoga which had a major effect on the American Revolution. This battle displayed the Americans power to the French, convincing them to join the war with the Americans. France supplied the American with their advanced weaponry, financial help, and anything for them to win t he war. The Battle of Saratoga became to be known as a major turning pointRead MoreThe American Revolution : The Battle Of Bunker Hill899 Words à |à 4 PagesThe American Revolution Following the war in a loose chronological order, the main turning points of the American Revolution began as the war itself began. Lexington and Concord, while not being ââ¬Å"turning pointsâ⬠per say, were the kick-off. What followed was the erroneously name ââ¬Å"Battle of Bunker Hillâ⬠. Bunker Hill, while not officially a ââ¬Ëwinâ⬠for the patriots, served two purposes. With British casualties outnumbering Colonial loses nearly 3 to 1 (1,054 British to about 400 Colonial), and Congressââ¬â¢Read MoreThe Most Influential Battles of the American Revolution Essay1584 Words à |à 7 Pagesmany battles that were fought, but there were a few that changed the result of the war. The battles of Trenton and Princeton were fought strategically. During both of the battles, Washington made bold moves that later impacted the armyââ¬â¢s success. Another battle that was fought was the Battle of Saratoga, and before this battle, the Continental Army did not have a strong chance of winning because they were facing the powerful and well equipped British army. The Battle of Saratoga was the battle thatRead MoreThe Battle of Saratoga: The Turning Point of The American Revolution1122 Words à |à 5 PagesThe Battle of Saratoga: The Turning Point of the American Revoluti on The Revolutionary War is enshrined in American memory as the beginning of a new nation born in freedom. (The Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, 1999) On 17 October 1777, the surrender of the British during the Battle of Saratoga proved to the world that the American Army was an effective fighting force. The American victory at Saratoga was a major turning point in the Americaââ¬â¢s fight for Independence. This victory also resulted
Friday, December 20, 2019
Assess the Ontological Argument - 818 Words
08 Assess whether the ontological argument demonstrates the existence of God. (30 marks) The ontological argument was first formulated by St. Anselm in the 11th century. It argues the existence of God from a deductive and a priori stance. God is a being than which none greater can be conceived. This is the response given by St Anselm to the fool in the psalm who believed there was no God. St Anselm the Archbishop of Canterbury and of the Benedictine Order explained that for God to exist in the mind he would not be the greatest being. However were God to exist in the mind and reality this would make a being ââ¬Ëthan which none greater can be conceivedââ¬â¢, this means God must exist. This demonstration for the existence of God wasâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦To evaluate the whole ontological argumentsââ¬â¢ attempt to prove and demonstrate Godââ¬â¢s existence, it is clear due to the deductive stance, it shouldnââ¬â¢t be argued as the conclusion drawn must be ââ¬ËGod is a necessary beingââ¬â¢, ââ¬ËGod is a being than which none greater can be conceivedââ¬â¢. But as soon as you understand that definition you will find that it could be used to prove the existence of many things and beings. The ontological argument proves the idea that if God exists he is going to be a necessary being, but it does not prove that he actually does exist. Therefore as Richard Dawkins would describe it ââ¬Ëinfinite, playground argumentââ¬â¢ and does not demonstrate Godââ¬â¢s existence. REAL MARKS AO1 - /9 AO2 - / 12 AO3 - / 9 TOTAL - /30. YOUR MARKS AO1 - /9 AO2 - / 12 AO3 - / 9 TOTAL - /30. How could this be improved? How could we conclude differently? Are you reassured by this? Does the mark it got makeShow MoreRelatedValidity And Effectiveness Of Anselm s Ontological Argument On The Existence Of God1095 Words à |à 5 PagesAnselm s Ontological Argument on the existence of God. I will begin by presenting Anselmââ¬â¢s Ontological Argument from the ground up. This includes the argument, basic idea, initial assumptions, Anselmââ¬â¢s definition of god, and Anselm s distinctions which are needed to completely understand the nature of my argument. Furthermore, I will present concepts of logic and define what makes an argument valid, and circular argument because they are necessary for understanding the validity of this argument. FollowingRead MoreTwo Kinds of Ontological Commitment1819 Words à |à 8 Pages Participants in the debate about `ontological commitment would benefit from distinguishing two different ways of understanding the notion. If the question at issue is `what is said to be by a theory or `what a theory says there is, we are debating `explicit commitment, while if we ask about the ontological costs or preconditions of the truth of a theory, we enquire into `implicit commitment. I defend a conception of ontological commitment as implicit commitment; I also develop and defend anRead MoreThe Theoretical Methods Of Quantitative And Qualitative Methods Essay1652 Words à |à 7 Pageswill argue that in order to best reflect upon and develop an understanding of todayââ¬â¢s world, the researcher needs to use and apply both qualitative and quantitative methods. To make this argument clear, this essay will first go into the understanding of sociological methods through epistemological and ontological views. Then this essay will explore the debate of quantitative or qualitativ e methods, and then argue for a mixed methods approach. Finally, this essay will utilise an existing research paperRead MoreCompatibility between Psychological Theories and Methodology1115 Words à |à 4 Pagesprocesses. This essay will both critically discuss the extent to which psychological theories and methodologies are compatible, conflicting or co-existing as well as explore the nature of psychology and psychological research. It will include ontological positions as well as explanations and methodology about a range of topics for example: behavioural and drug addiction, social cognition, critical health psychology (OBEââ¬â¢s), risk taking and road traffic behaviour and what these tell us about psychologyRead MoreThe Constructivist Challenge And Traditional Understandings Of International Relations3010 Words à |à 13 Pagesââ¬ËAnarchy is what States Make of Itââ¬â¢: Identify and Assess the Constructivist Challenge to Traditional Understandings of International Relations. Introduction This essay will discuss the constructivist challenge to traditional understandings of international relations, focussing on critiquing the structuralist international theoriesââ¬â¢ ontological assumption of an anarchical international sphere, the necessary rationalist implications of state-behaviour, and their reliance on a neo-positivist methodologyRead MoreDevices Russell s Theory Of Logic2206 Words à |à 9 PagesFrege maintains a fundamental distinction between an object and a concept in his ontology, such that on Fregean analysis, names of objects can only be placed in the argument position of a function, whereas, the names of concepts, i.e., predicate or relational expressions are just functional expressions. Concepts can never be arguments of a function of the same level. However, Frege maintains a hierarchy of concepts up to the third level in his Grundgesetze. Most important thing in this regardRead MoreThe Critical And Conceptual Inquiry2264 Words à |à 10 Pagesand stability (Noaparast, 1995). Abstract analysis such as this can prove helpful in exposing conceptual complications and inconsistencies within the epistemological and ontological theses of Behaviorism and Cognitivism, two of Psychologyââ¬â¢s dominant theoretical approaches. It can also be useful in a more specific sense, to assess the value of the hypothesis within Eysenckââ¬â¢s Theory of Personality, thereby exposing underlying illogical theoretical commitments. Only when the fundamental incoherenciesRead MoreSociology A2 Revision 2012 34479 Words à |à 18 Pagesand/or disability could be said to be stereotypical. (9 marks) (January 2011) Identify and briefly explain three ways in which governments seek to influence or control the output of the mass media. (9 marks) (June 2011) 11 Using the item provided, assess the view thatâ⬠¦ e.g. exposure to media violence does not produce violent behaviour in the audience 18 marks 25 mins Refers to Item C, but on this occasion you are asked to use Item C in your answer, you must do this, to get the full 18 marks.Read MoreMCMULLEN SHEPHERD Entrepreneurial Act13331 Words à |à 54 Pagesinfluential economic modelsââ¬â¢ predictive validity of entrepreneurial action at the individual level. Fourth, we use the model to reveal points of empirical tractability and philosophical impasse between entrepreneurship theorists employing different ontological assumptions regarding opportunity. Finally, we offer a pragmatic and a conceptual approach to the difficult task of reconciling contentious philosophical perspectives. The article proceeds as follows. First, we explore the notions of the entrepreneurRead MoreThe, Positivism, And Pragmatism1978 Words à |à 8 Pageshas a competitor Raise the debate which is often framed in terms of a choice between researcher either the positivists or the interpretivist research viewpoint. Even as a researcher if you accept. According to Guba and Lincoln (1994) researcher as argument and noted it earlier, that questions of method are secondary to questions of epistemology. ontology and axiology, you would still be excused for thinking that choosing between one position and the other is somewhat unrealistic in practice. If this
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Employability Skills Performance of an Organization Hugely Depends
Question: Describe about the case study for Employability Skills for The performance of an organization hugely depends upon the way the organization handles the employees in the organization? Answer: The performance of an organization hugely depends upon the way the organization handles the employees in the organization. The performance of the employees depends upon the operations and the functions of the organization. While working in an organization, there are various issues that come in front of the organization. However, it is up to the employers how they handle the issues and try to implement a feeling of well-being in the organization. Motivation of the employees during the times of problems helps an organization to overcome these challenges and flourish in the industry. Motivations can be intrinsic as well as extrinsic. For intrinsic motivation, the employer needs to back up the employees and make them understand the values of the organization and the reason why the organization and the employees are inter-dependent on each other. On the other hand, extrinsic motivation helps the employees to work when they know that their work will be appreciated with the bonus or and rewards. After the difficult situation is over, the organization needs to compensate the employees who worked for the organization. In addition to this, communication between the employer and the employees need to be clear and transparent. Once the senior managers communicate properly and respectfully with the junior employees, the junior employees will be clear about the future goals and achievements, they will be able to perform better as they wil l know their future in the organization. Another factor that helps in the building of the organization is the team management and the co-operation among the team members. The employer should be able to manage the team well and promote good relations among the employees so that the employees coordinate with each other and cooperate with each other. There can be cultural differences among the employees. It is the duty of the team leader to overcome the difference and help the employees to understand the perspectives of the organization as well as the perspective of the fellow employees and work for the betterment of the organization as well as for personal development. The assignment will look into the team management, factors that help in building a good team, the motivations that will drive the team, the communication process and the factors that are important for the management of a team. Finally, it will present the responsibilities of the team members and the team dynamics in the organization. Developing a set of responsibilities and performance objectives Arcadia Group Ltd has developed certain performance objectives to satisfy the customers from different aspects. They have set certain objectives where the employees will take up the responsibility to deliver good quality products to the customers. They have taken up the responsibility of using high quality fabrics and engage the best tailors so that the clothes that are delivered to the customers do not receive any sort of complaints. Arcadia Group aims to move ahead of the competitors in the market. The retail industry in the market of the United Kingdom is already very strong. Hence, it has taken up the objective of delivering good quality products at an affordable price so that they are able to sustain the customers (Sirota and Klein 2013). Evaluation of effectiveness against performance objectives Being in the quality department, I had to look into the quality of the products. I have engaged a team of experts who will have knowledge about the fabrics and the latest designs. The fabric will sustain the customers and the latest design will mainly attract the young generations. To keep Arcadia group updated with the competitors I will keep myself updated with the latest designs that are being implemented in the market (Mone and London 2014). The quality department not only supervises the quality, it also supervises the designs that have become obsolete. Eventually, arcadia group will either remove the old designs or will do changes in the old design to redesign the clothes according to the tastes and preferences of the customers. Recommendations for improvement While in the process of delivering good quality products and services, I have encountered various problems which acted as barriers. The main problem that I have faced while trying to meet the performance objectives are the costing of the products. The organization has taken the initiative to deliver good quality products at an affordable price (Mishra, Boynton and Mishra 2014). We found it difficult to adjust the cost of the raw materials. Moreover we had to hire experts to get the suggestions regarding the choice of the fabrics as well as tailors who will deliver good quality products (Hewitt 2012). The customers will be attracted to the company who will provide them with good quality products. Hence, it was difficult for us to manage the finances as well as fulfill the performance objectives of the company. Review of motivational techniques to improve quality of performance Once the organization will take up any performance objectives for the organization, it is likely that the organization will face challenges to achieve the objectives. However, once the employees will be motivated in the organization, there is a high chance that the organization will be able to overcome the challenges easily. Douglas Mc Gregor in the year, 1960 had given rise to X and Y theory of motivation (McGregor 1960). The way of handling the employees depend upon the theories that the organization will employ. In theory X, the employees are de-motivated, and the employer implements an authoritarian style of leadership to manage the employees. Theory X employs the carrot and stick method of motivating the employees. Once the employees will perform well, they will get a carrot that is reward and when the performance of the employees will not be up to the mark, they will get a stick that is they will be punished (Graves, Sarkis and Zhu 2013). On the contrary, theory Y implements a participative style of leadership. The employees are given chance of promotion and the employees are given new roles so that there is a chance of personal development. Arcadia Group Ltd implements the theory Y to engage the employees and overcome the challenges in the organization. After the implementing Y theory, chances are high that the employees will be able to perform well in the organization (Robbins et al. 2013). Once the employee will feel that the employers are looking after the personal growth of the employees, they will also work hard for the organization and try to deliver products and services in a prompt manner. It might happen that the employees might suggest ways to reduce the cost of the raw materials and increase the revenues (Griffin 2013). In this way, the organization will be able to achieve the performance objectives and stay ahead of the competitors in the market. Work Based Problems and Solutions When a group of individual is working in one place, conflicts will be a common problem in the organization. Conflicts may occur due to difference in interests as well as differences in the designations (Armstrong and Taylor 2014). However, it is important that the employer of the organization takes proper steps to handle those conflicts in the organization. Experts have identified certain types of conflicts and problems that might arise in the workplace. The different types of problems are: Lack of resources in the organization Once the organization will not have enough resources, the work within the organization will be hampered (Moore 2014). The lack of resources can be in the form of human resources, financial resources or raw materials that are required for the organization to functions well. The lack of resources will not only hamper the operations, it will stop the employees to deliver work at the correct time. Eventually, the employees will not feel good about working in the organization. Intergroup conflict Intergroup conflict might arise when two groups are given similar work. The competition among the groups will give rise to tough competition which might take the shape of conflict. However, it is the duty of the employers to stop the conflict (Beehr 2014). Conflict between individuals Two individuals who are working in the similar post might get into a conflict. The conflict might happen when two individual are assigned similar task and they have to prove themselves successful (Kelly et al. 2014). Cultural conflict Cultural conflict happens when an organization operates in different locations. The employer has to employ staffs from the international location. The staffs that are there in the organization might get into conflict with the staffs that are new to the organization. The main conflict will arise when the employer has to decide on the holidays as there will be people from different cultures. Solutions The best way to solve the issues in the organization is communication. The team leader can communicate on a daily basis to the team members to understand the problems they are facing in the organization. Once the organization is running through a resource crisis that should also be communicated to the employees wither through meeting or through personalized mails. However problems between the employees could be solved by the departmental heads by discussing the problems with the employees on a regular basis. Communication There are various types of communicative techniques that can be applied in the organization to solve the issues. However, there is one model of communication that should be applied in all types of communication. Harold Dwight Lasswell gave rise to the Lasswell model which presents a simple mode of communication (Lasswell 1948) Figure 1: Laswells model of Communication (Source: Lasswell 1948) The team elders will talk to the employees face-to-face and on daily basis. The small issues regarding problem with the fellow employees, clash of interest and the problems of cultural differences should be solved in the initial stage. The big issues like the lack of resources or change in operations in the organization should be delivering by the senior managers wither through a meeting where the employees will be present and the updated should reach the employees through mails (Broadbent 2013). However, all types of communication should follow the Laswell model, here the communicator should be sure what he or she wants to include in the message content, it is up to the communicator to use the correct method to deliver the message. The receiver should get the message right (Castells 2013). Most importantly, the effect with which the communicator is sending the massage should be proper in case of communication. The tone of the voice and the order of the words can change a normal statement into an order. Hence, the communicator should take into account the effect of the communication on the receiver of the message. Time Management Strategies The most important factor in the time management strategy is arrangement of the work. The employees should know to prioritize the work and schedule the time that the employee should give in each work. Need to carry out the floating task. The employee should be able to do any work and in anytime. In this way, the person will be able to save time (Goetsch and Davis 2014). Moreover, it is important that the employee should be flexible to do any kind of work. However, it is important that the employee decide which work should be given a positive reply and which work should be denied. Wasting time for a work that is not possible to carry out is the biggest negative factor in time management. Relaxation in between work To complete the work on time, it is important for the employees to relax and exercise in the middle of work. Once the employees are relaxed, they will be able to perform better and complete the work on time. Evaluation of a work-based problem Our organization is a leading retail store in the United Kingdom named, Arcadia Group Ltd. Our organization has been performing in the market of the United Kingdom since the year 2000. However, recently, the organization is facing certain issues where the workers are not able to perform with each other. When the employees are asked regarding the problems, they were reluctant to share their problem with the senior managers. Thus, the immediate seniors like the team leaders started observing the employees by giving those tasks in different clusters (Belbin 2012). Every week the groups were changed with a new set of task. The team leader noticed that employees are not comfortable to work with the employees who belonged from different cultures. They performed well when they were asked to work with employees from the similar background. However, they had great difficulty in communicating with the employees who hailed from different culture (Menz 2012). United Kingdom is a place where peop le from varying countries come to reside in the country. Hence, Arcadia Group Ltd also has employees from different backgrounds. However, the employees were not able to communicate with each other due to different cultural background. In addition to this, they had clash of interest whenever they had to work in a group. The tasks, which were allocated to the people from the similar background, were carried out successfully. On the contrary, the tasks that were allocated to the employees from different backgrounds failed miserably (Hamel and Breen 2013). Development of a strategy to solve the issue To control the team members, Tuckmans theory of team management can be applied in this situation. Tuckmans theory suggests the forming, storming, norming and performing is a well-proven method to bring the team together (Tuckman and Jensen 1977). Figure 2: Tuckmans Model of team development (Source: Tuckman and Jensen 1977) In the forming stage, the team members are not well coordinated with each other. They do not agree with the actions that the other members are taking and are entirely dependent upon the team leader for the commands. In the storming stage, the team members get to understand the importance of working in team and understand that in a team success and failure is equally divided (Kerzner 2013). At times, certain difficult tasks can be made possible in a team. In this stage, they get to understand the roles and responsibilities. In the norming stage, the team members in this level socialize with the each other and they discuss things outside the work. These actions help them to know each other better and understand the cultural differences. Finally, the performing stage, the employees are expected to perform (Grunig 2013). Once the employees are known to each other, they will work for the betterment of the organization and they need carry out the work in a better manner. Potential Impact of the strategy on the organization The strategy of Tuckman is expected to serve the organization right. In the organization, the team members are facing problems as far as the team development is concerned. They are having problems with meeting the deadlines as Arcadia Group Ltd has promised the customers that they will deliver good quality products as a lesser price. On the other hand, the employees are having problems as far as cultural differences are concerned (Eden and Ackermann 2013). The employees were not able to work properly with the employees who belonged from a different culture as they had difficulty in commutating with each other. Tuckmans model will be helpful as it aims at forming the group in a systematic and proper manner. The model explains the four steps distinctively along with the problems that the team members are facing in each stage. The model will be helpful for the leader as that person will be able to manage the team by evaluating each step while the problem at each stage in the organizatio n (Belbin 2012). Conclusion The assignment concludes that there are various factors like the motivations, communication, time management and the team management hugely changes the way the team performs in an organization. Arcadia Group Ltd is one of the famous retail stores in the market of the United Kingdom. The organization aims at delivering proper good quality products to the customers but in an affordable price. On the other hand, the organization faces the challenge of costing where the organization had to get good quality raw materials at a high price, hire the experts well as the tailors. Hence, the organization implements the X and Y motivational theory, where Arcadia Group Ltd will incorporate the Y theory. The workers will be given the chance to incorporate their decisions as well as get proper rewards and benefits for their work. In this way, the employees will make extra effort to meet the challenges in the organization. The write-up looked into the conflicts that can take place in the organization. The conflicts can be caused due to the lack of resources, intergroup conflict and the conflict between individuals. The conflict can be solved by proper communication. It is concluded that the Laswell model of communication is best-suited for the organization. The Laswell says that the communication in the organization should be clear and transparent so that there is no misunderstanding among the employees. There can be problems of management of the team members. The problems might crop due to the differences in the culture among the employees. The employees perform well when they were given the tasks with the known members. However, they fail to work when they are given the task with the different cultures. The Tuckmans model of norming, forming, storming and performing model is best suited to manage team. Tuckmans model is helpful as it clearly shows the four steps that are quite important for a leader to follow when the person is managing a team. Finally, the presentation shows the contribution of the members in the work and the importance of the team dynamics as it is the equal and intelligent contribution of the team members that will help an organization grow and prosper. References Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., (2014).Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers. Beehr, T.A., (2014).Psychological Stress in the Workplace (Psychology Revivals). Routledge. Belbin, R.M., (2012).Management teams. Routledge. Belbin, R.M., (2012).Team roles at work. Routledge. Broadbent, D.E., (2013).Perception and communication. Elsevier. Castells, M., (2013).Communication power. OUP Oxford. Eden, C. and Ackermann, F., (2013).Making strategy: The journey of strategic management. Sage. Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., (2014).Quality management for organizational excellence. pearson. Graves, L.M., Sarkis, J. and Zhu, Q., (2013). How transformational leadership and employee motivation combine to predict employee proenvironmental behaviors in China.Journal of Environmental Psychology,35, pp.81-91. Griffin, R., (2013).Fundamentals of management. Cengage Learning. Grunig, J.E., (2013).Excellence in public relations and communication management. Routledge. Hamel, G. and Breen, B., (2013).The future of management. Harvard Business Press. Hewitt, A., (2012). 2012 Trends in global employee engagement.Aon Corporation. Retrieved August,11, p.(2013). Kelly, E.L., Moen, P., Oakes, J.M., Fan, W., Okechukwu, C., Davis, K.D., Hammer, L.B., Kossek, E.E., King, R.B., Hanson, G.C. and Mierzwa, F., ((2014)). Changing work and work-family conflict evidence from the work, family, and health network.American Sociological Review, p.0003122414531435. Kerzner, H.R., (2013).Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons. Lasswell, H.D., (1948). The structure and function of communication in society.The communication of ideas,37, pp.215-228. McGregor, D., (1960). Theory X and theory Y.Organization theory, pp.358-374. Menz, M., (2012). Functional Top Management Team Members A Review, Synthesis, and Research Agenda.Journal of Management,38(1), pp.45-80. Mishra, K., Boynton, L. and Mishra, A., (2014). Driving Employee Engagement The Expanded Role of Internal Communications.International Journal of Business Communication,51(2), pp.183-202. Mone, E.M. and London, M., (2014).Employee engagement through effective performance management: A practical guide for managers. Routledge. Moore, C.W., (2014).The mediation process: Practical strategies for resolving conflict. John Wiley Sons. Robbins, S., Judge, T.A., Millett, B. and Boyle, M.,(2013).Organisational behaviour. Pearson Higher Education AU. Sirota, D. and Klein, D., (2013).The enthusiastic employee: How companies profit by giving workers what they want. FT Press. Tuckman, B.W. and Jensen, M.A.C., (1977). Stages of small-group development revisited.Group Organization Management,2(4), pp.419-427.
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Descriptions of Several Coronations System â⬠MyAssignmenthelp.com
Question: Discuss about the Descriptions of Several Coronations System. Answer: Introduction: Survey of London is one of the most famous works published in the 16th Century that gave detailed accounts of the buildings, social conditions and customs of London during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It is one of the historical sources that describe the condition of London during that time, though some scholars have doubts about some of the accuracy of the information provided in the book. John Stow was the author of this book. The books second corrected version was later published and st6ill a third version was launched after the death of the author. Chronicles are written accounts based on facts and these describe, events, lifestyles and peoples stories. These are records. The Chronicles are very important sources to understand the historical value of a place and the lifestyle of the people at that particular time period. The Chronicles from very early periods are often doubted of their informative accuracy management and there are contradictions in some of them. In the work Survey of London John Stow has described in great details many of the features of the London city at that point of time. The language of the records and the spellings are often difficult as old English is used. In the chapter called the Langborne warde for example descriptions are given as follows. Langborne warde, so called of a long borne of sweete water, which of olde time breaking out into Fenchurch streete, ranne downe the same streete, and Lombard street, to the West end of S. Mary Woolnothes Church, where turning south, and breaking into smal shares, rils or streams, it left the name of Share borne lane, or South borne lane (as I haue read) because it ran south to the Riuer of Thames. Therefore there are detailed geographical details along with names of streets and many other details and the reader can make out exactly how the place appeared like. In the following lines the work goes on t6o describe lanes, churches, buildings and other places and their detailed exp lanations are given as well. The historical source of the names of the Churches are also given in the accounts, Fenne-church streete tooke that name of a Fennie or Moorish ground, so made by means of this borne which passed through it[4]. Therefore these records can be used to understand the geography of London of the time period described in the chronicle. Henry Machyn was one of the famous Chroniclers of the 16th Century London from whose accounts many interesting aspect of the city life can be understood[5]. He had recorded various important events such as changes on the throne, state visits, insurrections, executions and festivities. His diary is one of the important sources to know the contemporary life of London and various important events. Various turbulent and disturbing times were recorded by him and these can be analysed by the first-hand accounts he presented. He had maintained his diary in a systematic way and dated all the entries according to years and months which directly corroborates the dates of the important events. If the entries between the January-June period be analysed from the year 1554, several important events are dotted along with description of the lives of the people. The ij day of January the king of Spain's ambassadors landed at Tower wharf. During whose landing there was great shooting of the guns. The lord Wylliam Haward dyd saff-gard them; and so rod to-gether, and in Fanchyrche stret my lord of Devonshire and dyvers odur mett them, and rod with them unto Durram Plasse, and ther they dyd a-lyght[6]. The spellings and the language is the older form of English language. In this entry the landing and reception of Spains ambassador is described. There are descriptions of several coronations, executions and state visits throughout the accounts. Therefore everyday life of the royals and the people can be understood from this Chronicle, however because of the use of old English sometimes it becomes difficult for the layman to understand what has been stated in these texts management. The analysis of the two Chronicles, the diary of Henry Machyn and the Survey of London by John Stow can give a very clear idea about the life of the people of the contemporary times and the geographical map of the city. It is very evident that these authors have taken extensive effort in noting down what real life incidents they experienced or the geographical characteristic features they saw. However there may be certain technical mistakes that may not be true, but it will be wrong to completely dismiss the accounts as works of fiction because of the presence of some of the minor mistakes that may have been there in the accounts. Reference: Beer, B. L. (2013). John Kyngston and Fabyans Chronicle (1559).Library,14(2), 199-207. Gordon, A. (2013). Henry Machyns Book of Remembrance. InWriting Early Modern London(pp. 11-59). Palgrave Macmillan, London. Gordon, A. (2013).Writing Early Modern London: Memory, Text and Community. Springer. Kingsford, C. L. (Ed.). (2015).Chronicles of London. Cambridge University Press. Maitzen, R. A. (2013).Gender, Genre, and Victorian Historical Writing. Routledge. Stow, J. (1842).A survey of London.
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Jamaica Essays (2148 words) - Parishes Of Jamaica, Jamaica
Jamaica The country of Jamaica has an ideal location. Located just south of Cuba, it is the third largest island in the Caribbean Sea with 10,990 km?. Although the capital is Kingston, there are many other important centers of trade and business. The official language is English and the major religion is Protestantism. Transportation in Jamaica connects the entire country and movement thought out the island is very easy. There is a coastal highway traveling the whole coast. Air Jamaica and cruise ships make traveling to and from the island very easy. But despite all of the joys, there are very serious human-environmental interactions present. Mining on the island causes serve pollution and soil erosion. Most of the natural rainforest is destroyed. But the many beautiful beaches seem to make all of the worries disappear. I. History The history of Jamaica starts at about 1000 AD when a Tiano tribe called the Arawaks crossed the Caribbean Sea in canoes to settle on the island. The Arawaks lived in simple villages, relying on fishing and hunting for substance. They lived there peacefully for 500 years until Columbus landed at Discovery Bay in 1494. The contact with the Spanish was very traumatic to the Arawaks. Within 70 to 100 years of first contact, the entire Arawaks population was eliminated, leaving only a few artifacts behind. With the natural inhabitants gone, the Spanish had unlimited control over the island. Since the island had no rich abundant gold sources, it meant little to the Spanish Crown. Instead, Jamaica was used as a base in which to launch attacks on the rest of the Americas. The population of Jamaica, even its capital Santiago de la Vega (now Spanish Town) never grew very large and was easy to capture. The British, after failed to capture Hispaniola, needed a solid base in the Caribbean. So in 1655, Admirals Penn and Venables attacked the sparsely defended island of Jamaica. Having little importance to the Spanish at this point, the British had no trouble seizing the island and establishing Port Royal (near modern day Kingston) as the capital. This would turn out to be a pivotal moment in Jamaica's history. The British brought in large numbers of slaves to the area, needing thousands of hands to work the newly developing sugar plantations. In a short time, Jamaica turned into the "?jewels of the English crown'" (Essix). Many port cities back in England that serviced trade to Jamaica, as well as the slave traders and plantation owners all prospered during this time. The capital city of Jamaica was moved to modern day Kingston in 1703 when Port Royal was burned down 1838 saw great changes in Jamaica. That year the slaves were emancipated and the whole structure of society began to crumble. The slaves soon left the plantations to do substance farming. The tension between the plantations owners and the representatives from England began to grow. Several riots broke out and many plantations struggled to pay the wages of the workers. The riots continued until 1962 when Jamaica was granted political independence. A socialist government was soon elected, which led to immediate U.S. blockades. However, the 1980's began a period of a more conservative government for Jamaica. II. Population Jamaica is a sparsely populated country of 2,600,000 people. These 2.6 million people live on 10,990 km?, for a population density of about 1 acre per person. This gives Jamaica the distinction of being a developed countries and being not being overpopulated. However, in some places of Jamaica, especially along the coast, the cities are overcrowded. The largest city is Kingston with a population of 600,000 followed by Spanish Town, Portmore, Montego Bay and others (see graph 6). Still the largest percentage of people live in rural areas. However, many rural farmers are moving to the cities in search of work. Jamaica has many ethnic groups living with its boundaries. The largest group, about 75% of the population, are descendants of the slaves brought to Jamaica in the 1800's. Another large percentage of the population is composed of descendants of the European settlers from around the same time period. Over time, small percentages of people from East India and China have settled in Jamaica. The 1940's to 1970's saw a large emigration pattern out of Jamaica to the United States. As many as 465,000 Jamaicans left to help in the reconstruction of the States' economy after World War II. Since that time, no large scale immigration or emigration has occurred within the Jamaican population. The average male in Jamaica has a life
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Macbeth Essays (587 words) - Characters In Macbeth, Free Essays
Macbeth Essays (587 words) - Characters In Macbeth, Free Essays Macbeth Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep (2, 2, 47) These are words speaking of an evil person. As much of the play Macbeth is about. The play starts with evil, the three witches burrying different wierd objects. As well as throughout the majority of the play, evil is the basis of all within this story. The blood in this story is evil. And I dont mean the blood which pours from a dying king. I mean blood in the sense of gore, and violence. The whole play it self is full of fights. The plot goes from a fight to a scence that plans a fight, to a fight, to a scene with more planning or reflection. Its a viscious cycle in this play. Its all violence. I suppose that would be ok if your making an action movie staring Arnold Schwarzeneger, but this is supposed to be a classic, a tragedy, the only tragedy was that it sucked. A playwrite such as Shakespeare wouldnt have wrote a play of just violence. He actually has good content in his plays. Although there is a bit of good content in this play. Theres just no transition of it within the play. It hardly makes any sense. All of this further makes me believe that there are scenes missing. The witches are pure evil as well. they are the ones who filled Macbeths head with all these visions of power. Which in turn transformed Macbeth into a psychotic killing machine. Before he met the witches, he was an innocent warrior, an honorable fighter of the king. But once the witches filled him with greed, he no longer was a loyalist of the king. He in a short period of time pulled a hundred and eighty degree turn and did the furthest thing from loyal he possibly could of done to the king, he killed him in his sleep. And if that isnt evil enough, he blamed it on two loyal, innocent gaurds, and slaughtered them on the spot. Lady Macbeth is as well pure evil. She is the persuassion behind Macbeth. He would never of murdered Duncan if Lady Macbeth hadnt persuaded him to. Macbeth was too full o the milk of human kindness. Perhaps Macbeth would have received the throne loyaly and honorably to begin with. Many times Macbeth had tried to back down from killing Duncan, but Lady Macbeth wouldnt of let that happen. She made fun of him, called him down. She did what was necessary to keep him from chickening out. Perhaps Macbeth did whatever she told him to because of sex. Lady Macbeth certainly is made out to be a very sexy woman in the play. She may have used her powers of sex to persuade her husband to perform the irreversible deeds. The murder of Duncan caused a chain effect on Macbeth, making it necessary (in Macbeths eyes) to kill Banquo, Macduffs wife and children, and all the other innocent casualties. Although there are many evil objects in this play, the most evil of them all is greed. No matter who was more influenced by this power, Lady Macbeth to become queen or Macbeth to become king, it caused this whole predicament. If Macbeth didnt care at all about becoming the king, he probably wouldnt have murdered Duncan to become king, and to later have his life fall apart. Throughout the play Macbeth, there were many very evil people, places, and things. The evil in in the play was a domino effect. Starting with the withches, and ending with Macduff taking Macbeths head. The evil, be it the witches, his wife, or greed, ended it with a blood bath of revenge.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Web accessibility and the Internet - Cultural Issues Essay - 1
Web accessibility and the Internet - Cultural Issues - Essay Example The general perception of the internet based information dissemination is often mixed. Some of them are of the view that these initiatives could bring significant benefits to the viewers while the other group are of the opinion that the internet medium could be very "annoying or intrusive" (Pacheco, 2008). Most of the commercial operators opinion that t he internet based operations would be the future gold mine. Also, the viewers feel that the medium of the internet gives them an unique opportunity to get any information in the most quicker and cost effective manner. The studies that explores the importance of views and reactions on the acceptability of internet and web content would certainly help to initiate steps to enhance the teachability of wen content. This exercise is inevitable considering the potential applications the internet have in all the vital domains of human interaction. The studies have been undertaken extensively to assess the qualitative features of the web content that primarily results in their acceptability. On the research undertaken to analyze the aforementioned factors considering the web advertisement as the core aspect have given significant information. The factors like the volume of the content, the type of graphical illustration, the gender and age of viewers, colour and type of fond and artwork are considered in the investigation. The opinion from one such researcher was on the impact that the animation pictures have on the viewers (Zhang, 2006). The researcher was of the opinion that the animation always created displeasure among the viewers as even if the viewer is not inclined to see them they were forced to observe the content. But on the aminated banners positioned on the internet sites it was observed that these had resulted in the quicker reaction times and faster recall than the
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Historiography of Historains of a historical event Essay
Historiography of Historains of a historical event - Essay Example The more powerful amongst them built their own pyramids, some of them eliciting praises for the structures made with scientific and mathematical precision that defies human capabilities today. Egypt is based on five thousand years of history. This is where civilization began. The histories of Babylonia, Assyria, the Greeks and the Romans will be incomplete without Egypt. The Jewish, Christians and Islamic religions have their bases in Egypt. For over two thousand years, the mention of the name Egypt evoked strong feelings of recognition and respect. But the kingdom did fall into difficult times. Changes were occurring elsewhere and the monarchs who ruled in between could not face the onslaught of the marauding Hyksos. Also, internal strife led to civil wars. The obsession with the construction and maintenance of the pyramids was depleting the once-grand resources of Egypt. Gradually, the society that ventured out from its territories and established its power beyond its borders began to feel the effects of want. These factors combined to leave the majestic empire tottering and to its ultimate demise. The glory and tragedy is not limited to the political and militaristic prowess and its decline in Egypt. It is the overall scenario of disharmony and lethargy in the country that did it in. Strong external pressures and inner turmoil finally put paid to their vaunted positions on a number of occasions. However, Egypt kept rising after every fall. Nonetheless it was finally conquered by the Greeks and thereafter never rose again to their former glory. The story begins in 3200 B.C. with the unification of the Upper and Lower Egypt. This was the time when the 1st and 2nd dynasties consolidated the kingdom for the 3rd dynasty. The construction of the pyramids in Giza began with the 3rd dynasty. The history of Egypt is incomplete without the pyramids. The pyramids provide the fascination and weave the chain of events in the history of Egypt.
Monday, November 18, 2019
The importance of Early Childhood professions Essay
The importance of Early Childhood professions - Essay Example Century-old studies of psychologists and researchers and theorists like Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson and Jean Piaget, served as catalysts to the evolution of professions that specifically cater to the needs of infants, toddlers and young children. In addition to the rise in the demand of professionals in childhood settings, there have been trainings and programs that were designed to meet the needs of such professionals in order to perform their jobs well. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is one of the organizations that cater to the needs of individuals seeking to be in an early childhood profession. It has seen the necessity of training children as early as infancy and has gathered people with a passion to reach out to parents and children. Its main objectives are to facilitate professional development of individuals working for and with young children of zero to eight years and to improve public understanding and support for high quality early ch ildhood programs (naeyc.org, 1993). For this reason, there arose a number of programs that were improved as the years passed, to adjust to the changing needs of families and children. Whether the programs offered were established by private or government entities, the main goal had been to provide quality assured services to both parents and children in the crucial learning stages of the children. Child care, a job understandably from the name itself, involves a professional in the care of children. This job often requires a full day schedule that is synchronized with the parentsââ¬â¢ working schedules to enable them to do their own jobs. Facility licensures are given to child care centers, provided by state departments of human services as the regulating body. Following the requirements, centers should prepare their staff and qualify them through trainings on how to handle clients. However, since child care takes just common sense to perform oneââ¬â¢s job, the trainings are n ot strictly implemented. Rather, applicants with no previous experience are hired and learn important lessons as they work from day to day. Nevertheless, institutions should have the initiative to hire trained staff or train their own employees to further the quality of their services. This will not only satisfy clients but will also make a lasting impression that could make the institution last. Ellen Frede emphasized the result of studies that have found that staff members with more formal schooling or specialized training are more attentive and nurturing in their behavior toward children (1995), which is sought by most parents. In the case of family child care homes, registration as required by law should be followed (naeyc.org). Child caregivers basically attend to he basic needs of the children. For instance, they should feed and let them rest at the right time. Bathing and clothing the children can also be a part of their duties and responsibilities when the circumstances dema nd so. During waking hours, it is the responsibility of the child care provider to ensure the childââ¬â¢s security especially during play. Another profession to look at in this particular setting is the early childhood education (ECE). It is assumed to promote childrenââ¬â¢s social and educational development. This program is not like the child care program which requires a full d
Friday, November 15, 2019
Synthesis of Polyelectrolyte Pani Membrane
Synthesis of Polyelectrolyte Pani Membrane SYNTHESIS OF POLYELECTROLYTE PAni MEMBRANE BYÃ PHASE INVERSION AND ITS CHARACTERIZATIONS NURUL IZZATI IZNI BT MAT YUSOFF INTRODUCTION During the last few decades, the application of membrane based separation is the leading technology as one of the alternatives used in separating and removal of organic solvents. Moreover, it holds a significant commercial impact in several areas including water and wastewater treatment, chemical, food industries, pharmaceuticals, petrochemical related industries and bioseparation areas (Javed Alam et al., 2012). However, membrane-based separation processes are comparatively new in the field of separation which makes current membranes have limitations that hinder their wide used in aggressive solvents. The situation has led many studies in order to develop this membrane-based technology. Amongst the new generation of intrinsically conducting polymer, polyaniline (PAni) membranes have captured the intense attention of scientific community and one of the promising candidates. PAni is a polymer which poorly soluble in almost all solvents and has been widely known due to its conductive properties. Most important, it is easy to synthesize this polymer and it has an interesting doping and dedoping characteristics. However, the high yield of PAni demands several essential conditions. In order to obtain a higher quality polymer product, highly pured monomers, chemicals and solvents are needed. Besides, a strict control on polymerization conditions are needed since the small variation in the polymerization conditions might alter the nature of the product (Sadia Ameen et al., 2011). From the previous study, there are many research have been done in order to produce a stable and useful PAni membrane in nanofiltration. Most of the researches focused on synthesize, membrane fabrication and doping/dedoping of PAni membrane. However, the study on PAni membrane can be expand more instead of those previous research. The stability and performance of PAni membrane on polyelectrolyte coating should be done to further this study. Polyelectrolyte is a macromolecular species that upon being placed in water or any other ionizing solvent dissociates into a highly charged polymeric molecule (Reza Derakhshandeh et al., 2010). One of the methods of polyelectrolyte coating is layer by layer (LBL) coating. LBL is the simplest process being used by most of the researcher. There are numerous advantages of this method compared to other methods for thin film fabrication. The unique advantages of the method are that, both organic and inorganic can be incorporated into LBL thin films bes ides offers easier preparation and durable (unknown, yr). PROBLEM STATEMENTS There are numerous number of membranes have been develop by researchers. However, membranes nowadays have fixed physical-chemical properties which make separation by membranes very limited to the fixed selectivity of their constituent. Therefore, new membrane materials must be explored to cope with these limiting factors. Next generation of filtration membranes must be more selective and robust which requires low chemical and energy input (Sajjad Sedaghat, 2014). These properties must be considered to meet goals in applications since current membranes often problematic in cost. Membranes basically can be prepared from ceramic and polymeric materials. There are many studies shown that ceramic materials have several advantages over polymeric materials. As example, membrane from ceramic materials is highly stable in terms of chemical and thermal stability. Unfortunately, the market share of polymeric membranes is far greater than ceramic membranes as the polymeric materials are easier to process and less expensive (Khulbe et al., 2008). Instead of those materials, there are also membranes from inorganic materials that have been successfully applied in dehydration of tetrahydrofuran (THF). However, to produce an inorganic membrane requires a high cost rather than polymeric membrane beside their system design is more complex (Chapman et al., 2007). Therefore, membrane from polymeric material is a suitable candidate for the research since it meets the desired criteria. PAni as a polymeric material has been widely researched due to its conductive properties. To date, although PAni has been applied to a number of applications but there are still some deficiency. For instance, PAni membranes which applied to chemically crosslinked swell in THF although it retained their structure while too much thermal crosslinking gave membranes with no fluxes in any solvents at all. Furthermore, unsupported PAni membranes shrank during the process of thermal crosslinking which causing some trouble for large scale membrane productions where certain amount of bending or curling is required (Loh et al., 2008). An alternative to thermal or chemical crosslinking would be polyelectrolyte coating to make them more stable. OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study are: To produce phase inversion PAni membrane from chemical polymerization of PAni in APS solution. To introduce polyelectrolyte onto the synthesized membrane. To characterize the membrane morphological, physical, chemical, electrical and filtration properties. LITERATURE REVIEW METHODOLOGY Chemicals All chemicals and reagents will be used are analytical grade. AnalaR aniline, ammonium persulfate (APS), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), 4-methylpiperidine (4MP), poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) poly(allylamine hydrochloric) (PAH), hydrochloride acid (HCL) and lithium chloride (LiCl) PAni synthesis by chemical polymerization To produce an Aniline solution, 37.25 g of 0.4 mol Aniline will be added into a beaker containing 400 mL of 1.0 M HCl. The mixture is well mix. In another beaker, APS solution will be prepared by adding 91.26 g of 0.4 mol APS into 256 mL of 1.0 M HCL. To prevent the mixture from freezing at -15 oC, add 66.8 g and 39.68 g of LiCl into both beakers respectively. After finish the preparation of both solutions, mix them in a conical flask. The conical flask then will be put in an incubator shaker at temperature -15 oC and continuously shake for 48 h. During this period, a reaction occur which polymer filter cake will be produced. After 48 h, filter and wash with 1.5 L DI water to remove any left-over reactants. To deprotonate the emaraldine salt to its base form, the filter cake then is being place in a beaker contain 250 mL ammonia solution (33% w/v) in a beaker and will be mix by using incubator shaker for 12 h at room temperature. Next, the filter cake will be filter and will be wash with 1 L DI water. To remove any low weight PAni oligomers and decrease time drying, the filter cake will be wash again with 500 mL methanol before being dry under vacuum for 24 h. After drying, the dry Emeralidine Base (EB) powder will be pass through a 160 Ã µm mesh sieve to remove remaining clusters. Then, the EB powder will be stored under argon at 4 oC until required (Chapman et al., 2007). Membrane production by phase inversion PAni membrane will be produce by wet phase inversion method. First of all, 4MP and NMP will be mix in a beaker to make up the solvent. Then EB powder will be add using a funnel and mix at speed 300 rpm for 12 h. After 12 h mixing, dope the solution by adding maleic acids and mix at speed 150 rpm for 12 h. The solution will turn from dark blue to dark green to indicate that acid doping is taken place. The solution is then left to stand for 4 h to remove air bubble. Next, cast the solution on a nonwoven polyester support fabric and immediately immersed in DI water at room temperature for 24 h. During the 24 h, DI water will be change once after 12 h (Loh et al., 2008). Polyelectrolyte coating Polyelectrolyte coating of PAni membrane will be done by dipping the membrane into an anionic and cationic solution. Anionic solution will be used in this research is PAA while PAH is for cationic solution. To prepare anionic solution, PAA will be dissolve in DI water and 5 M HCl will be used to adjust the pH to 3.5. For cationic solution, PAH also will be dissolve in DI water but to adjust the pH solution to 3.5, 5 M NaOH will be used. Next, PAni membrane will be immerse in PAA solution for 10 min followed by two DI water rinses for 2 and 1 min respectively. The PAni membrane then will be immerse in PAH solution for 10 min followed by two DI water rinses for 2 and 1 min respectively. These complete the first bilayer of polyelectrolyte coating. For the next layer, the steps before will be repeated again which is starting from immersing in anionic solution and then cationic solution. After finish the process, the membrane need to be wash with ammonia and let it to fully dry before bei ng proceed with characterization (Jinhua Dai et al., 2005 unknown, yr). Characterization of PAni membrane Flow chart Stock and reagent solutions preparation PAni synthesis by chemical polymerization Characterization of EB powder by using GPC Membrane production and casting Polyelectrolyte coating Characterization Analysis GANTT CHART MILESTONE Table 7.1 : Milestone EXPECTED OUTCOMES/COMMERCIALIZATIONS REFERENCES Chapman, P., Loh, X.X., Livingston, A.G., Li, K., Oliveira, T.A.C. (2007). Polyaniline Membranes for The Dehydration of Tetrahydrofuran by Pervaporation. Journal of Membrane Science, 309 (2008), pp. 102-111. Loh, X.X., Sairam, M., Bismarck, A., Steinke, J.H.G., Livingston, A.G., Li, K. (2008) Crosslinked Integrally Skinned Asymmetric Polyaniline Membranes for Use in Organic Solvents. Journal of Membrane Science, 326 (2009), pp. 635-642.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
The 19th Century Novel Essay -- English Literature
The 19th Century Novel A Novel is defined as a long story about fictitious characters, written in prose as opposed to poetry. Novels were first written in the 18th Century so by the 19th Century, the novel, often in serialised form was an established form of entertainment which was also helped by the increased adult literacy rate over the whole of the 1800s. The idea of the novel had changed from being purely for the amusement of women to being available to a wider audience, covering a wider variety of issues. It was also over this century that it began to be increasingly acceptable, if not usual to write novels with an underlying moral tone, particularly towards social standards among the lower classes. Another theme of many 19th Century novels was the creation and depiction of strong and great female characters, many through the new generation of female writers. Walter Scott, born in Scotland in 1771 was famous for his escapist literature such as ââ¬ËWaverleyââ¬â¢ (1814) and ââ¬ËIvanhoeââ¬â¢ (1819), both of these escapist in their setting further back in the past (1745 and Norman Times respectively). Scott had been a poet until he turned to novel writing having been outsold by Lord Byron's poetry. ââ¬ËIvanhoeââ¬â¢, a historical romance is credited as being meticulously researched and seemed to make the novel genre acceptable for men. He attracted a wide range of people through setting it in Scotland and delving into the past, capturing early Victorianââ¬â¢s imaginations with his eight hundred year old characters, seeking refuge in the past and firing their imaginations. ââ¬ËIvanhoeââ¬â¢ famously sold ten thousand copies within its first two weeks and led to a gothic revival, most famously Sir Charles Barryââ¬â¢s Houses of Parliament i... ...long struggle. Both ââ¬ËJude the Obscureââ¬â¢ and ââ¬ËTess of the Dââ¬â¢Urbervillesââ¬â¢ were highly criticised at his time of writing, the brutality of his stories shocking the Victorian Public. However, he remains popular due to the strength of his stories and characters. Beyond the six authors that I have touched upon, the 19th Century literature collection is vast, many surviving and others falling into obscurity. Although the early 20th Century writers felt revolutionary in their casting off of the old Victorian novel style, I feel that the 19th Century Novelists were equally revolutionary in what they did for the novel. They created similar novel genres to what exists today and entertained and often shocked an uptight century. They introduced the art of observance and intricacy to the novel form and have formed the basis for the inspiration of novelists ever since.
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Southwest’s Competititve Advantage
STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT METRICS ASSIGNMENT-1 SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CASE STUDY QUESTIONS 1. How does Southwest Airlines get its competitive advantage? 2. How does Southwest Airlines execute its strategy? 1. How does Southwest Airlines get its competitive advantage? Southwest Airlines uses a Cost Leadership Strategy, however most pricing strategists would agree that having a low price does not, in itself, constitute a competitive advantage. In fact, thinking that low prices are always a good strategy for competition is deeply misguided.However, at times, targeting low prices can lead to a strategic focus which delivers tremendous results. Modern competitive strategy will often examine firms from a resource-based view. According to this lens, competitive advantage derives from leveraging an inimitable resource to deliver value at a lower cost than the competitors. Price is a completely imitable resource. Any company can match the prices of its competitor if it so chooses. H ence, arguing that a low price is a strategic resource, or that it leads to a competitive advantage in and of itself, is illogical.Southwest Airlines has used the target pricing and utilized a marketing orientation since its infancy in 1971, even though these concepts were not fully defined back then. First, starting with the customers and the value they sought, Southwest Airlines initial target was customers traveling between cities in Texas, specifically between Dallas and Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, San Antonio and Houston. While Texas is larger than many countries, it isnââ¬â¢t so large that people canââ¬â¢t drive from city to city.Hence initially, the most comparable alternative to Southwest, and therefore its prime competition, wasnââ¬â¢t other airlines. Instead, it was the car. In uncovering the car as the competing alternative, Southwest was able to also identify the target price of its offering. Second, to compete with the car, Southwest Airlines had to price their service relatively similar to the cost of car travel. With this target in mind, they chose $20. While $20 is lower than the government allowable tax deduction for travel, it is also significantly higher than the price of gas alone to drive between these cities.Thus, at this $20 price, Southwest Airlines could be confident that it would capture many of the travelers that would have driven and convert them into short-hop air travelers. Third, the product was redefined to serve customers at this low price profitably. Consider what was removed from air travel and what was included instead. The table below enumerates the key points Points 1 Removed Reduced reservations flexibility: Reservations primarily made directly Southwest Airlines as they eschewed working with travel agents.No connections between airlines: Southwest Airlines would not transfer baggage between flights. Included or Added Simplicity in Pricing: Flat rate of $20 per leg of the journey. Also reduced the cost of pr ice management, as no yield management system was needed initially. Higher convenience in terms of on-time arrivals: With a simplified fight route between lesser used airports, Southwest was able to operate more reliably. Higher convenience in flight frequency: With point to point flights, Southwest could offer service between Houston and Dallas with the same plane roughly every 2. hours. 2 3 No long-haul flights: Southwest Airlines customers could only take Southwest between a city-pair, not across the country or even across state lines initially. This greatly reduced cost of compliance with CAB rulings, as Southwestââ¬â¢s operations were not subject to interstate commerce rulings. 4 No in-flight meals: Southwest Airlines only offered peanuts and beverages. Fun: Friendly flight attendants provided jokes, costumes, and made flying comfortable with warm and caring service. Faster boarding times leading to faster flight turnarounds.More seats: With one class of service, Southwest A irlines could put 137 seats in a 737 versus 128 in a United Airlines 737. 5 6 No seat assignments: First come, first seated. No first class: One-class service. 7 Does not fly into major airports: or uses Use of underutilized airports that are less major airports concentrates on point close to metropolitan cities: reduced to point connections costs, punctuality Use of multiple aircraft types Frequent flyer program does not use miles earned Uses fuel efficient 737s: reduces maintenance and training costs Based on number of trips flown: reduced operating costs 9 From this list, we see a number of items which an airline would usually use to define superior value removed from Southwest Airlines offer. A Southwest customer couldnââ¬â¢t be treated to first class, couldnââ¬â¢t get food, couldnââ¬â¢t book them as part of a larger trip, couldnââ¬â¢t book with them through an agent, and couldnââ¬â¢t even preselect their seat. All of these features were exactly what defined a com petitive airline at the time. And, all of these features added cost.Instead, Southwest Airlines selected a specific target customer ââ¬â a Texan traveling between cities in Texas ââ¬â and then determined what it would take to satisfy that customer. ? ? ? That customer was far more interested in travel efficiency than travel class. That customer would be glad to forgo a meal, especially in exchange for a friendly flight attendant and a Dr. Pepper. That customer was trading off driving for flying, and needed flexibility in booking rather than navigating through the decisions and planning related to yield management.This service described does not meet the wants of every customer that could have flown Southwest Airlines, but it does describe those of the target customer. And, given the choice of mediocrely satisfying everyone at a high cost or highly satisfying a select few at a low but profitable price, Southwest Airlines rightly chose the latter. As a result of tightly defini ng the value sought by customers (efficient and flexible travel), and the price ($20), Southwest was able to meet the needs and surpass the expectations of their target customer.Moreover, it was able to do this at a significantly lower cost than a standard airline. So can low prices deliver a competitive advantage? NO, not alone. But target pricing, where the price and benefits demanded by customer leads to a strategic focus that drives a redefinition of the product and service, can deliver a winning competitive advantage. One where a customer need is met at a cost below the price the target market is willing to pay. BALANCED SCORECARD FOR SWA 2. How does Southwest Airlines execute its strategy?Southwest Airlines is probably one of the most striking examples of a company that (a) Defined a very clear and simple key business purpose, (b) Chose the right business model to support the business purpose, and (c) Consistently demonstrates the core values and behaviors derived from that ke y business purpose. The brand promise of Southwest Airlines is: ââ¬ËDedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit'.Every single employee of the company is aligned with this brand promise and in spite of the current economic turmoil in the airline industrySouthwest's performance isamong the best in the industry. Staff morale is exceptionally high. In 1971, Rollin King and Herb Kelleher started an airline service with one simple notion: ââ¬Å"If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airlineâ⬠.Southwest currently has the lowest operating-cost structure in the US domestic airline industry and consistently offers the lowest and most of all simplest fares. Southwest holds the best cumulative customer satisfaction record for the past 18 years. In December 2008, the airline had 35,499 employees and generated total operating revenues of $11 billion (2007 = $ 9. 8 billion, 2001 = $ 5. 3 billion) from a passenger load factor of 71. 2% with a fleet of 537 Boeing 737ââ¬â¢s.Its stock exchange symbol is ââ¬ËLUVââ¬â¢, representing Southwestââ¬â¢s home at Dallas Love Field, as well as the theme of its employee and customer relationships. The major success to their continued success seems due to their low-cost model and competitors being aware that they cannot match Southwest Airlinesââ¬â¢ low prices. Southwest Airlines has the reputation of being able to force a competitor into bankruptcy. It is believed, however, that it was not just the choice of its business model that made Southwest Airlines such a successful company; it is the way they execute their business model through perfect strategic alignment.Southwest Airlines succeeded in defining a very simple yet clear key business purpose; the fact that they aim for being ââ¬Å"the only short haul, low fare, high frequency, point-to-point carrier in Americaâ⬠leaves very little room for interpretation. What makes Southwest Airlinesââ¬â¢ key business purpose such a powerful one however, is not just the very clear definition of their ââ¬Ëraison dââ¬â¢ etreââ¬â¢, but certainly also what the company and its leaders do with it.Their simple but effective key business purpose is the main guiding principle for Southwest Airlinesââ¬â¢ strategic goals, business strategy, organizational infrastructure, and last ââ¬â but certainly not least ââ¬â their company culture. The organization of Southwest Airlines is best described as an upside-down pyramid ââ¬â an organization very much in line with the way they want to do business. The upper management is at the bottom and supports the front line employees, who are the experts.Front line employees play a major role in the yearly business planning and operational budget which for a great part is done bottom-up rather than top-down. This is the fruit of co-founder Herb Kelleher's unorthodox leadership style, in which management decisions are made by everyone in the organization, not just the head executives. The company does not put much emphasis on structure; instead, employees are encouraged to think freely without constraints such as titles or official mandates. The reason for Southwest Airline's success is due to their clear key business purpose and core values, and due to the way in hich they consistently execute their business model (a combination of ââ¬Ëdisruptive innovationââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëcustomer intimacyââ¬â¢) in line with their key business purpose and core values. ? ? ? The Southwest Airlines fleet consists solely of Boeing 737s It offers only economy seats (there is no business or first class). Southwest Airlines also do not offer in-flight meals, only peanuts and other snacks. Southwest is simple and direct at the goal of their service ; ââ¬Å"A primarily short-haul airline that flies directly from city to city, with just one type of plane ââ¬â the Boeing 737 ââ¬â and the lowest costsâ⬠.With a simple goal, Southwest has excised many of the ââ¬Ëluxuriesââ¬â¢ that competitors offer, such as luxury seats; this is made evident by their decision to enforce a rule for passengers who cannot fit into the seats to purchase an additional seat. This rather unpopular move ââ¬â whereas other airlines would have suggested a more luxury class seat ââ¬â is simple in its purpose ââ¬â get passengers from point A to point B with a minimum of frills, but with a friendly smile and great personal service.While Southwest Airlines offer no frills, they do meet and exceed customer expectations when it comes to personal service. They base their model on the motto ââ¬Å"If employees are happy, satisfied, dedicated, and energetic, they'll take real good care of the customers. When the customers are happy, the y come back. And that makes the shareholders happyâ⬠. Southwest invests in very good relations with all their employees. Employees are either of independent labor unions or have flexible contracts which allow employees to work longer hours (adapting the business model to the key business purpose)
Friday, November 8, 2019
The Crisis at Three Mile Island essays
The Crisis at Three Mile Island essays In Middletown, PA, a quiet rural community, sits the nuclear power plant at Three Mile Island, better known as TMI. It was at this station that the worst commercial nuclear accident in the country's history occurred. Early in the morning of March 28, 1979, during routine operations a false reading on a valve caused the hot nuclear core of the reactor to be without water to cool it. The operators also wrongly thought the cooling system was full. The opposite was true. The core began to melt and build up of hydrogen took place in the building that housed it. The fear was that the nuclear core would melt through the floor and contaminate all the groundwater for miles around. Also, it was feared that the hydrogen would spark an explosion which would devastate the area. Government officials struggled all day on March 28th and 29th to size up the scope of the accident. The governor ordered all pre-school children and pregnant women to be evacuated from areas in proximity to the plant. Through careful analysis, the operators and government experts were able to bring the reactor to a cold, stable, but unstable condition. By April 4th, the people who were evacuated began to return. However, life for the plant and the industry that spawned it was forever changed. Protests abounded as the cleanup began. Officials wanted to vent what they claimed were small amounts of radioactive gas. There was also strong opposition to the transport of nuclear waste from the site. A plant that had once hosted tours and ran an observation site was now off limits and patrolled by armed security forces. The value of land in the area plummeted as peopled feared contamination. Today this issue still rages within the scientific community. Government scientists claim there was no significant environmental or genetic damage to the area of its residents. Conversely, groups such as the Union of Concerned Scientist point to private studies showing an increase in...
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
A critical reading of the western, referring to Jim Kitses Notes on the Western
A critical reading of the western, referring to Jim Kitses Notes on the Western By 1960, the production of Westerns in Hollywood had entered a decline from which it never recovered. Although for a time in the mid sixties the supply was augmented from an unexpected source, as the Italians found new ways to inject life into a dying genre. This was witnessed in the "spaghetti" westerns of Sergio Leone such as The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly(1968), but this proved to be a short lived phenomenon, and by the seventies, Hollywood was struggling to produce a bare score of westerns per year. In the eighties, with production declining still, the death of the genre was produced on all sides. By the nineties, the western girded itself for one last stand, witnessed in the frontier western of Dances With Wolves(1991) and the revenge western Unforgiven(1995), which director Clint Eastwood attempted by sheer effort to get the genre back on its feet. However the predicted full scale revival failed to materialise.English: A Japanese poster for Akira Kurosawa's Se...We can specula te on the reasons for this decline. Edward Buscombe, who has written profusely on the western, believes the decline of the studio system resulted in the decline of the staple Western form, the B film, during the 1950s. More recently he goes on to say, the change in production patterns means now catering for the changing demographics of the cinema audience, the majority of whom are now too young for a genre that always venerated age. The younger audience is attracted to other genres- horror, science fiction- that offer many traditional satisfactions of the western without the dated historical baggage that now seems increasingly irrelevant in the 21st century. The changing attitudes of society, especially in terms of sexuality and ethnic difference, have left the classic Western marooned in its nineteenth century values.The death of the Western genre mirrors the...
Monday, November 4, 2019
International Terrorism A Closer Look Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
International Terrorism A Closer Look - Essay Example The European Union has a plan in place to combat terrorism. The bombings in London and Madrid highlighted the European Unionââ¬â¢s vulnerability. Their law enforcement agencies now work in a coordinated effort to identify probable terrorist activity. Cross-border prosecutions are now coordinated between member states. The European Union has brought together representatives of member state intelligence services to work on coordinating internal and external intelligence gathering and dissemination. This sharing of intelligence can be used as an effective tool in counter-terrorism.Since 9-11 of 2001 terrorism has moved into the international spotlight. The majority of terrorist groups consist of Islamic extremists who, because of social and economic deprivation have grown to hate anything other than what they believe in. These terrorists are well funded (by Osama Bin Ladin for example) and well trained to provide a terroristic threat on a global scale. With attacks in the United Stat es, Great Britain, and Spain the global reach of terrorism has been felt. Countering and containing terrorism is now a global concern that has been addressed by the United Nations Security Council. The Security Council has provided guidance that consists of a strategic plan to combat terrorism. Member States have been provided with a plan that was drafted to specifically address terrorism and provide a uniform approach to counter-terrorism. The United Nations does not view terrorism as a religious issue but as a public safety and security issue. ... Left-wing terrorists focus on restoring socialism by attacking democratic reforms. Examples of this type of terrorism include the Red Army and the German Red Brigades. Lastly, right-wing terrorists are focused on destroying liberal democracies and attack vulnerable targets to kill as many people as possible to make their point. Timothy McVeigh (the Oklahoma City bomber) and the FBI standoff at Ruby Ridge are examples of this type of terrorist. This type of terrorist harbors a deep seated hatred for the U.S. Government and the actions of law enforcement and Federal agents. In fact, Timothy McVeigh reportedly planned the Oklahoma City Bombing as a response to the actions of Federal agents at David Koresh's Waco compound. The terrorists that seem to be in the news the most are the religious terrorists that are fighting a jihad (holy war) against anyone who does not believe in what they believe in. Typically these terrorists are Islamic and follow Islamic law. These terrorists are considered Islamic extremists. One example of their extremism is their subjugation of women. They believe that women are property, don't require schooling, and should dress extremely conservative (Bhurkas). Many of the women in families following strict Islamic law are the victims of 'honor killings'. The report of any impropriety by a woman (even if its only a rumor) requires the family to kill the woman by stoning. Usually the killing is done by brothers, uncles or even the father of the victim. The use of suicide bombers to terrorize a population is used widely in the Middle East and South West Asia. Bombers are drafted by the promises of martyrdom. They believe that if the attack the enemy and die in the process they will go to
Friday, November 1, 2019
Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 12
Research paper - Essay Example A good swimming technique relies on the efficiency of oneââ¬â¢s power transfer process by overcoming drag. Moreover, deriving maximum energy output from the effort put in is mainly the essence for swimmers to improve their performance in competitive swimming. The discussion provides a detailed technical analysis of swimming strokes ââ¬â freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly, along with a review of the biomechanical principles related to each of those strokes. Furthermore, suggestions of drills or exercises for improving the favorite stroke of backstroke, based on the technical and biomechanical aspects, will also be critiqued. The basic swimming strokes of Freestyle, Backstroke, and Butterfly stroke are taken for analysis focusing on its biomechanics and technical aspects. Freestyle is generally the fastest and most popular stroke, with front crawl being the most commonly chosen among swimmers. That is, although swimmers or in particular ones in competition can choose whatever stroke they wish during the freestyle, mostly they choose front crawl which involves the swimmer circling his/her arms forward in alternation even while kicking their foots up and down. Next, the Backstroke, or otherwise the elementary backstroke is perfect for recreational and competitive arena. In this swimming stroke, the individual lies right on his back in the supine position on water and the strokes are done with one arm at a time. Last, the butterfly stroke is done on the breast, by moving both the arms and is accompanied by the dolphin kick. Unlike the other strokes, butterfly stroke is quite difficult and requires adequate practice with proper technique and strong muscle coordination. Freestyle, being the fastest stroke, would clearly improve oneââ¬â¢s speed in swimming and this stroke is quite essential for lifeguard practices. As above-mentioned, it is characterized by stroking of the arms alternatively over the water surface, accompanied with alternating flutter kick in an
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
The killer inside me by Jim Thompson Research Paper
The killer inside me by Jim Thompson - Research Paper Example More than the description of the crimes, what is more important is his cynical state of mind, which gets reflected in the way he needles people around him especially by his words which often bore them. He declares his sickness to be perhaps of psychosomatic origin. However Lou Ford on the outside leads the normal life of a respectable cop who is well like by his superiors especially Sheriff Maples. It is the perversion of Louââ¬â¢s mind, whether it is about sexual encounters or pure cases of murder that gives shape to the plot with an underlying motive of exploring the bifurcated personality of Ford. The novel begins with Louââ¬â¢s encounter with the proprietor of a restaurant and before that a waitress of the same place. Lou Ford comes to the readers as a fine, polished kind hearted person unless he begins drawling his sentences during his conversation with the proprietor. Lou does not carry a gun because he does not think about crooks like the way people do. Despite being a c op, he thinks that people are ââ¬Å"a little misguided. You donââ¬â¢t hurt them, they wonââ¬â¢t hurt you. Theyââ¬â¢ll listen to reasonâ⬠(Thompson 4). ... The author switches the opinions about Ford quite briskly as the narrator states, ââ¬Å"I liked the guyââ¬âas much as I like most people, anywayââ¬âbut he was too good to let go. Polite, intelligent: guys like that are my meat.â⬠(Thompson 4) the last phrase gives a hint about his perversion of mind. He purposely tries to bore him with philosophical talks while he knows very well that people dislikes a bore and ââ¬Å"If thereââ¬â¢s anything worse than a bore, itââ¬â¢s a corny boreâ⬠(Thompson 5). The moment he begins drawling out long sentences he finds that the proprietor is eager to quit the conversation. So Lou gets a sadistic pleasure in teasing people around him. The novel also introduces us to Bob Maples, the sheriff who trusts Lou a lot and is ready to back his decisions without knowing what they are. The readers come to know of his sickness directly for the first time when he meets Joyce Lakeland. One comes to know of the sickness he went through and encountered for the first time when he was fourteen years old. With a deeper thought one can perceive that this sickness is related to sexual perversion. It is aroused once again after a long time when he meets Joyce. His sexual perversion is aroused when he enters into a bickering with Joyce after she finds him holding her gun. By revealing his identity she begins to get violent with him and hits him hard. It brings out the long dormant sickness inside him and he is engaged into a violent sexual assault on her. Even a while before this happens he tries to get away as fast as he can because he fears that ââ¬Å"Sheââ¬â¢s talks. Sheââ¬â¢d yell her head off. And people would start thinking, thinking and wondering about
Monday, October 28, 2019
What Is Knowledge from the Meno Essay Example for Free
What Is Knowledge from the Meno Essay The opinions which we believe and are right, are called ââ¬Å"true opinionsâ⬠. According to Platoââ¬â¢s dialogue from The Meno, when true opinions remain stable they can serve equally as well as knowledge until people forget their opinion or change their mind some time later. Knowledge is ââ¬Å"tied downâ⬠by giving the reasons why it is so. Opinions, even if beautiful, can ââ¬Å"escape from a manââ¬â¢s mindâ⬠without justification. Moreover, opinions lead less reliability compare with knowledge (Gendler, Siegel Cahn, 2008, P344). Therefore, people should prefer knowledge to opinion since the former is more correct and lasts longer. Opinion functions as well as knowledge when the opinion is right or true. For instance, a person who does not know how to turn on the computer eventually turns it on by pressing buttons randomly. Thus, true opinion and knowledge work the same at this point. However, this true opinion may not be replicable or reliable over time. For this, the person would need the knowledge that computer start buttons contain a certain logo. Plato argues that knowledge is superior to true opinion. He says that true opinions are not willing to remain long, and they are not worth much, until one ties them down by giving an account of the reason why they are correct (Gendler, Siegel Cahn, 2008, P344). We can see that mere true opinion is not stable, and it can be fleeting. For example, we see the moon, and may first think that the moon shines by itself if we do not have any knowledge about this. The next day, if we do not see any moonlight, we may think that the moon does not shine by itself. Although the latter idea is correct, and could serve as well as knowledge for a time, our opinion can change unpredictably. On the other hand, if we have knowledge that the moon reflects sunlight, we understand that the moon does not shine by itself. Knowledge gives more consistency and predictablily than true opinion. Furthermore, opinions are weak because they can be influenced by feelings, and emotions can occur at any time, anywhere. For example, if I am in a good mood on a sunny day, I think my cat is cute when it is running around. If it rains the next day, the weather makes me annoyed, and I think my cat is naughty when it is running around. In this example, the opinion that my cat is naughty has no justification because the cat did not change its behavior to make it naughty. With justification and knowledge, people can develop civilization and improve their quality of life in areas such as space exploration, transportation, education and medicine. For example, without a foundation of reliable knowledge, we could not develop safe medicine or safe airplanes; the risk and expense of basing our lives on true opinion is too great, because it has not been justified. Plato has defined knowledge as having three components: truth, belief and justification. First, it must be accurate and we must believe it. For example, when we say this coffee is hot, it must be hot, and we must believe it is hot. Second, by justification, Plato means that we must have reasons explaining why it is correct and prove our idea. If not, it is an opinion rather than knowledge. However, if we can prove our opinion, it becomes knowledge. For instance, recent news said that an Italian experiment had unveiled proof that fundamental particles known as neutrinos can travel faster than light. As we know, in the past people thought the speed of light was the fastest. After the experiment had been conducted and evidenced the result, this new information led people to correct their old opinion because they had better justification. When we find out that our old idea is wrong and have a new idea with justification, the old idea no longer has justification. This is the reason why truth, belief and justification have to be involved in knowledge. In Platoââ¬â¢s view, true opinions function as knowledge only when people understand the reason behind the truth or have evidence of it. For example, if my sister holds a cup of coffee and walks into classroom, her classmates will probably think that the coffee belongs to her. This would be a true opinion if I had bought the coffee for her. On the other hand, people who had seen me buying the coffee for my sister would regard this information as knowledge. In sum, true opinion contains truth and belief, but it does not have justification. Plato illustrates this idea with the image of Daedalusââ¬â¢s statue. Daedalus is a skillful craftsman and artisan. His statues were so realistic that people thought it could run away. Therefore, Plato mentions the statue as a metaphor for true opinion which will be forgotten by people over time. ââ¬Å"To acquire an untied work of Daedalus is not worth much, like acquiring a runaway slave, for it does not remain, but it is worth much if tied down, for his works are very beautiful (Gendler, Siegel Cahn, 2008). â⬠The tied-down statue symbolizes knowledge, and the ropes are the reasons why, the justification. This metaphor perfectly shows the relationship between opinion and knowledge. Through reading Plato and his teacher Socratesââ¬â¢ dialogue, I understand the differences between opinion, true opinion and knowledge. I also found out why knowledge is more important than true opinion. Opinion will not be valid all the time. In contrast, knowledge is more stable because it contains justification, and therefore, is superior to true opinion. Platoââ¬â¢s basic definition of knowledge and its three parts provides a clear basis for further philosophical discussion, such as what is accepted as logical and solid justification.
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