Saturday, August 31, 2019

Emotion and Culture Paper

Emotion and Culture Paper Kerry Rogers PS2000 Intro to Psychology Professor Eva Owen March 20, 2013 Evaluating the culture-specific and culturally universal aspects of emotional expression. Also, evaluate how this is related to evolutionary psychology. Be sure to discuss how you would integrate this with a Christian worldview. Culture-specific or culturally universal expressions dominate the lifestyle of very culture on every nation on earth.And language is not as much of a bearer as one might think. Now lets look at the word â€Å"culture† to get a deeper understanding of the meaning. The word culture has many different meanings; let me give you some examples†¦ For some it means, a appreciation of good food, or literature or music and yes even art. Which for some is an enquired taste. Many books have been written on the subject, so we are never for a lac of understanding. â€Å"For news of the heart, ask the face. As people of differing cultures and races, do our faces speak differing languages? Which face expresses disgust? Anger? Fear? or Happiness? Sadness? Surprise? Those are just some of the question asked by very culture. From a psychological aspect researchers have found that happy people tend to have high self-esteem. People also tend to be optimistic, outgoing, and agreeable. They have close friendships and more satisfying marriages. And more importantly they have a more active faith.However happiness seems not much related to other factors such as: Age, gender, parenthood and physical attractiveness. A wealth of studies has revealed another curious correlation, called the faith factor. Religiously active people tend to live longer than those who are not religiously active. Health and other factors have an affect on our life’s outcome. I am not sure how culture and psychology work into a Christian worldview, but I do know that God does affect very culture and aspect of very human life that was born or will be born.Whether you belie ve that God is your creator or not does not negate from the truth. Evolution is a theory and a lie that came from human evolutionary lies that have been handed down for the past two hundred years. While Christianity, has been around since the beginning of time. You want more proof all you have to do is read the book, the book that has been reprinted and read more than any other book. Christianity is full of culture and life stories that give history like no other lifestyle known by man.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Additional Study Questions

What Is the difference between transaction processing systems, management information systems, and decision support systems? Transaction processing systems – document financial activities Management Information systems – used to collect qualitative as well as quantitative information for decision making within organizations Decision support systems – help the developers of an ASS identify what information they need for their planning, decision making, and control functions How is a flowchart used?A document flowchart traces the physical flow of documents wrought an organization?that is, the flow of documents from the departments, groups, or individuals who first created them to their final destinations. How is the accounting Information system documented? An accounting information system Is a collection of data and processing procedures that creates needed Information for Its users. An Information system's components: Data or Information Is Input, processed, and output as Information for planning, decision-making, and control purposes.What are effective coding systems used in ASS? (1) mnemonic codes, (2) sequence codes, (3) block codes. And (4) group codes. How do accounting information software packages differ? Owners will have to consider what tasks they'll want their system to accomplish, identify what software package or packages can perform these tasks, and perhaps evaluate several different computer hardware configurations that might support these packages. What are the roles of accounting Information systems In e-commerce?Enterprise resource management (ERP) software such as SAP are particularly Important to electronic commerce (e-commerce) applications?for example, because a simple sale over the Internet simultaneously affects accounts receivable, inventory, and racketing subsystems. How do accounting information software packages differ by business size? The type of accounting software package used in businesses depends on the size of company operations, number of users and different segments or departments in a company.Do enterprise resource planning systems add productivity to a business enterprise? Enterprise resource management (ERP) software enables businesses and government agencies to transmit and manipulate financial data on an organization-wide basis. How could unethical behavior related to the use of information systems impact a acceptable and then acting accordingly. Ethics can govern organizations as well as individuals. An example is the practice of unauthorized software copying.How can a business secure its electronic financial data? The Fair Employment Practices Guidelines suggest that company policies cover issues such as (1) who owns the computer and the data stored on the computer, (2) what purposes the computer may be used (e. G. , primarily for business purposes), and (3) what uses are unauthorized or prohibited. Further, employers should specifically identify the types of acceptable and u nacceptable uses, with some examples. What are some vulnerabilities and threats in information systems? The data that are input manually to a system are particularly vulnerable to compromise – Viruses can hide in e-mails from friends and colleagues because their computer systems have been infected. How would input controls, processing controls, and output controls be used? Data input controls ensure the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of data during its conversion from its original source into computer data, or entry into a computer application. Data processing controls are used to ensure the accuracy, completeness, ND timeliness of data during either batch or online processing.Data output controls ensure the integrity of output and the correct and timely distribution of any output produced. What are parts of an information security system? An information security management system (ISMS) is a set of policies concerned with information security management or IT related risks. How do disaster risk management practices benefit a company? An organization's disaster recovery plan describes the procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency, as well as the role of every member of the disaster recovery team (which s made up of specific company employees).What are the techniques used for analyzing internal control systems? Review existing documentation or create new materials. Observe the current system in operation. Use questionnaires and surveys. Review internal control procedures. Interview system participants. How do internal auditing and external auditing of information systems differ? In an internal audit, a company's own accounting employees perform the audit, whereas accountants working for an independent CPA firm conduct an external audit. What are information system audits?The auditor will first decide if computer examination of the computer-based information system itself What potential risks must be evaluated during an information sy stem audit? The auditors will perform compliance testing to ensure that the controls are in place and working as prescribed. This may entail using some computer-assisted audit techniques (Scats) to audit the computerized ASS. These involve the use of computer processes or controls to perform audit functions, such as sorting data to detect duplicate accounts payable invoice numbers. Finally, the auditor will need to obstructively test some account balances.What control procedures should be used to minimize risks in an information system? The desirability of an internal control procedure is a function of its ability to reduce business risk. In fact, it is the business risk itself that is important, not the internal control system. Why is a financial statement audit required? In performing financial statement audits, the auditors gather and evaluate audit evidence to form an opinion about whether the financial statements follow the appropriate criteria, usually generally accepted accou nting principles.The auditors must gather sufficient appropriate audit evidence to provide a reasonable basis for their opinion on the financial statements. What are the auditor's responsibilities in performing an audit engagement? The auditor may make separate assessments of the two risks or an overall assessment of the risk of material misstatement for the relevant assertions. How are generally accepted auditing standards used? These adopted and issued standards are required to be followed when auditors audit the financial statements (and internal control) of issuers of securities (public companies).What analytical procedures are used during an audit? A simple analytical procedure is to compare revenue and expense amounts for the current year to those of prior periods, noting significant differences. A more sophisticated analytical procedure might involve the development of a multiple regression model to estimate the amount of sales for the year using economic and industry data. A nalytical procedures also may involve computations of percentage relationships of various items in the financial statements, such as gross profit percentages.In all these approaches, the auditors attempt to identify unexpected differences or the absence of expected differences. Such differences may indicate misstatements in the financial statements that should be investigated fully by the auditors. How is an audit engagement planned? The requirements for the engagement include the financial statements to be audited, any other requirements (e. G. , regulatory filings), and the timing of the engagement. Engagement What is included in an audit engagement letter? The objective and scope of the audit – The responsibilities of the auditor The responsibilities of management and identification of the applicable financial reporting framework – Other information [fee arrangements, billings, timings, and other specific terms – Reporting What is the relationship between aud it risk and materiality? Audit risk – at the overall engagement level, this is the risk that the auditors may unknowingly fail to appropriately modify their opinion on financial statements that are materially misstated.At the financial statement assertion level, it is the risk that a particular assertion about an account balance is materially misstated. Materiality – recognizes hat some matters are important to the fair presentation of financial statements, while others are not. The materiality concept is basic to the audit, because the audit report states that an audit is performed to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. What risks are present that affect the procedures to be used during an audit? Complexity of calculations involved.Risk of fraud. Selection and application of accounting policies. Internal and external circumstances giving rise to business risks (e. G. , technological change in the indust ry). Recent developments in the industry and economy. How do the ethical standards set by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CPA), Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), and Government Accounting Office (GAO) differ? CPA – The national professional organization of Spas engaged in promoting high professional standards to ensure that Spas serve the public interest.SEC – A government agency authorized to regulate companies seeking approval to issue securities for sale to the public. GAO – The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GABS) was formed in 1984 to establish and improve tankards of financial accounting for state and local government entities. How do rules of independence impact the CPA and the client? It is important to recognize that independence concerns exist both at the individual CPA level and at the public accounting firm level; one, both, or neither may be considered independent with respect to a client or potential client.A p ublic accounting firm does not necessarily lose independence with respect to an engagement when one (or more) of its employees or partners are not independent. What is prohibited by the code of professional conduct? The Code of Professional Conduct prohibits a member of the audit team for a client company from holding any common stock in that company. In such circumstances, no further consideration is required?that individual is not independent. 2002 requires that one year pass before a member of the audit team may accept employment with an SEC registrant in certain designated positions (e. . , chief executive officer, controller, chief financial or accounting officer). What elements should be included in an internal control structure? Preventive controls are aimed at avoiding the occurrence of misstatements in the financial statements. Detective controls are designed to discover misstatements after they have occurred. A corrective control is ordinarily needed to remedy the situatio n. How would an auditor test the relationship between control risk and the internal control structure?Internal control is a process, effected by the entity's board of directors, management, and other personnel, designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the achievement of objectives in the categories of (1) effectiveness and efficiency of operations, (2) reliability of financial reporting, and (3) compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Prior to 1996, the Aspic's Professional Standards referred to an entity's internal control as its internal control structure. What audit sampling is used by the auditor?Statistical and Non-statistical Sampling A sample is said to be non-statistical (or Judgmental) when the auditors estimate sampling risk by using professional Judgment rather than statistical techniques. Statistical sampling may assist auditors in (1) designing efficient samples, (2) measuring the sufficiency of the evidence obtained, and (3) objectively evaluating sa mple results. How is evidential matter used? Sufficient competent evidential matter is to be obtained through inspection, observation, inquiries, and confirmations to afford a reasonable basis for an opinion regarding the financial statements under audit.What should a CPA include in a standard management representation letter? A report to management containing the auditors' recommendations for correcting any deficiencies disclosed by the auditors' consideration of internal control. In addition to providing management with useful information, a management letter may also help limit the auditors' liability in the event a control weakness subsequently results in a loss by the client. What information should the entity's internal control structure report include? Deficiency in internal control Less than a significant deficiency Significant deficiency Material weakness the word independent.It is addressed to those for whom it is prepared, generally the audited company itself or to those charged with governance. After the introductory paragraph, the report is divided into sections with headings. The introductory paragraph of the auditors' report identifies the financial statements that have been audited. To reduce confusion, audit reports issued in the United States now use arms such as â€Å"generally accepted auditing standards (United States of America)† or â€Å"auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. The date of the audit report is quite significant because the auditors have a responsibility to perform procedures through that date to search for any subsequent events that may affect the fairness of the client's financial statements, and due to requirements relating to changes in documentation that arise after that date What information is included in an audit exit interview? After they have completed he draft report, they should arrange an exit conference to review the findings with all persons directly concerned with the o perations audited.For each finding, a complete report will describe (1) the criteria used to evaluate the activity, (2) the condition (e. G. , problem) that exists, (3) the cause, (4) the effect, and (5) recommendations for improvement What can the CPA learn from the attorney representation letter? Management provides an assertion about compliance in writing in a representation letter to the Spas. That assertion also may be presented in a formal report that accompanies the Spas' report or be included in the Spas' report.The Spas' report provides assurance on either management's assertion or directly on compliance. What other services can CPA firms provide? – Tax – Accounting and Assurance What is an attestation engagement? In compliance attestation engagements, Spas address an organization's compliance with specified requirements, or its internal control over compliance with specific laws and regulations. How do governmental auditing standards and financial auditing st andards differ? GAP defines how businesses, both public and private, prepare their financial tenements.Governmental Auditing Standards are a series of rules that define how an independent agent is supposed to review a government agency's financial statements and internal processes. Do governmental regulations have an effect on financial statement audits? Governmental organizations are subject to a variety of laws and regulations that affect their financial statements?many more than typical business enterprises. An important aspect of generally accepted accounting principles for governmental organizations is the recognition of various legal and contractual requirements.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Unfair practice procedure

This event was held as portion of the on-going support made available to academic schools to back up consistent application of the Unfair Practice Procedure, and to portion pattern in the usage of plagiarism sensing tools and schemes that help avoid plagiarism. The event was divided into the three elements below: A sum-up of the usage made of the Unfair Practice Procedure, and a opportunity to discourse issues originating from this ; Discussion of the usage made of Turnitin and the online tools that can assist raise consciousness of plagiarism ; A short presentation by three International Students on the different attacks to analyze they have encountered before come ining UK higher instruction.1 ) The Unfair Practice ProcedureA sum-up of the instances considered by the University Committee of Enquiry was presented, along with the available informations on the instances considered within schools, and remarks made by External Examiners on this issue. Small group treatment followed between participants, which led a figure of issues being identified that relate to the Committee of Enquiry. These included the position of some schools that the Committee has been excessively lenient in some instances, and that the processs used by the Committee remain really nerve-racking to staff involved. It was noted that this has resulted in some schools being unwilling to use the process.2 ) Prevention and Detection ToolsA brief presentation was given of a scope of online tools that are available to back up Cardiff pupils in this country, incl uding the & A ; lsquo ; Student Guide to Academic Integrity ‘ , & A ; lsquo ; Plagiarism Learning Objects within the Information Literacy Resource Bank ‘ , and the & A ; lsquo ; Plagiarism and How to Avoid it ‘ tutorial now available through Blackboard. This was followed by treatment of the increased usage that is being made of the Turnitin plagiarism sensing package, and of the issues that surround its usage. Points originating from this treatment included the demand to be cognizant of possible additions in assessment-related disposal, and the possible value of the tool to back up formative appraisals.3 ) The View of International StudentsFollowing a sum-up of the survey patterns that international pupils have admitted to, the concluding portion of the workshop saw three international pupils offer their position on the different cultural and study traditions that exist in the UK compared with their place states, and the differing outlooks of their current schools and support mechanisms available. The positions provided echo the recent research findings, which have highlighted the scope of different challenges that international pupils face in this country. These include traditions that focus on a cultural worldview where regard for betters and seniors is paramount, an accent on rote acquisition, and a focal point on multiple pick inquiries and scrutinies that rely on memory. The event concluded by observing that larning to run within western academic conventions, for international pupils, is kindred to larning a new linguistic communication. the resources linked to from this page have been collated to help academic staff when they suspect an unjust pattern has taken topographic point in a coursework appraisal. The undermentioned resources can be accessed from this page: Unfair Practice – Staff Guidance [ 83.2 Kb ] This note covers the undermentioned countries: definition of unjust pattern, how to forestall unjust pattern in coursework, and the stairss that must be followed when an unjust pattern is suspected. The Unfair Practice Regulations as detailed in the Academic Regulations Handbook. These contain inside informations of the process that must be used. TheTurnitin Plagiarism Detection Service is an on-line tool that can assist place cases of unjust pattern. Information and advice about accessing the service is availablehere. A new individual instance record has been adopted for cases of unjust pattern. Flow charts have besides been developed to assist steer staff through the process. These can be accessed from the resources subdivision. A suite of standard letters has been provided to help staff involved in the application of the new Unfair Practice Procedure. The undermentioned missive templets are available to download from the Resources subdivision of this page:Letter 1: Unfair Practice Co-ordinator ask foring pupil to go to a meetingLetter 2: Unfair Practice Co-ordinator directing pupil the notes of the meetingLetter 3: Chair of Exam Board to student who failed to go to the initial meetingLetter 4: Chair of Exam Board to student where the determination is that unjust pattern has occured, and advising pupil of the punishmentLetter 5: Chair of Exam Board to student where the determination is that no unjust pattern occurred and no farther action will be taken5.0Unfair pattern in a formal scrutiny: initial phases5.1 When it is considered or suspected that a campaigner is prosecuting in unjust pattern, the campaigner shall be informed, sooner in the presence of a informant, that the fortunes will be reported. The cam paigner shall, nevertheless, be allowed to go on the scrutiny and any subsequent scrutiny ( s ) without bias to any determination that may be taken. Failure to give such a warning shall non, nevertheless, prejudice subsequent proceedings. When appropriate, the invigilator shall impound and retain grounds associating to any alleged unfair scrutiny pattern, so that it is available to any subsequent probe. The invigilator shall every bit shortly as possible study the fortunes in authorship, with any grounds retained, to the Superintendent of Examinations, who shall in bend inform the Chair of the relevant Examining Board. In the instance of a trial contributing to the concluding faculty consequence, which is conducted under the auspices of the section, the invigilator shall describe to the Chair of the Examining Board, who in bend shall describe to the Overseer5.2 Suspected unjust pattern detected during or after the marker periodAn internal or external tester or any other individual who, whether during the marking period or later, considers or suspects that a campaigner has engaged in an unjust pattern, shall describe the affair in composing to the Chair of the relevant Examining Board every bit shortly as possible. The Chair shall retain any relevant grounds and shall forthwith study the affair in composing to the Superintendent of Examinations. The Overseer of Examinations shall so take the action prescribed below.5.3Further action to be taken by the Superintendent of ExaminationsOn reception of a study refering an allegation of unjust pattern, the Superintendent of Examinations shall discourse the affair with the Chair of the relevant Examining Board to find whether, in the visible radiation of all the fortunes, a Prima facie instance has been established. If it is decided that no farther action against the campaigner should be taken, the Chair of the relevant Examining Board shall, where appropriate, inform the campaigner in composing that the affair is closed. If satisfied that such a instance exists, the Superintendent shall describe the instance in composing to the Registrar and shall direct to him/her transcripts of any relevant supporting grounds. The process shown shall so run as described. The Registrar shall inform the campaigner in authorship of the allegation, and that a Committee of Inquiry will be constituted to see the instance. The campaigner ‘s attending shall be drawn to the Academic Regulation on Unfair Practice.ContentssDefinition of Unfair Practice|Unfair Practice in a Formal Examination – Initial Stages|All Cases of Unfair Practice in Work Completed Under Non-examinable Conditions|School Level Cases|Appeals against a instance at School level|Cases to be referred to the University ‘s Committee of Enquiry|Unfair pattern in work completed in Taught Master ‘s Dissertations and Research Degree Theses – Initial Stages|Establishment of the University ‘s Committee of Enquiry to cover with instances of Unfair Practice|Functions of the Committee|Procedure during the meeting|Penalties available to the # Committee for unjust pattern in scrutiny conditions|Penalties available to the Committee of Enquiry in instances of Unfair Pract ice in non-examination conditions|Penalties available to the Committee in instances of Unfair Practice in Research grades ( including Part II Taught Masters grades ) |Action to be taken following the Committee of Enquiry|Appeals

The concept of organizational change within management theory Research Paper

The concept of organizational change within management theory - Research Paper Example Organizational change is a paradigm for addressing the impact of new external and internal forces, changes in culture and structure within an organization (Mills, 2003). Basically, organizational change deals with the change management’s human aspect. A methodical organizational change is favorable when change necessitates all the people in an organization to gain new skills, practices, and knowledge (Poole & Van De Ven, 2004). By appropriately establishing expectations and goals, using instruments to enhance communication and information dissemination and dynamically pursuing means to avoid misunderstanding, stakeholders are more predisposed to accept a change at the onset and remain steadfast to the change despite of any difficulties accompanying it. Meanwhile, if one were to look deeply after monitoring and examining several organizational changes, an array of goals would appear to exist. These goals could be implied or formally stated, or they could be embedded in the deci sions and responses of the management (Kamoche, Cunha, & Cunha, 2002). To the outsider, the general goals can be grouped under such categories as reduced turnover, reinforced innovation, new strategies, enhanced teamwork and cooperation, strengthened motivation, etc (Kamoche et al., 2002). Organizational changes are usually intended for these several common goals. Fundamental to these more apparent goals are generally two underlying purposes: (1) changes in employees’ behaviors and attitudes, and (2) changes in the adaptation level of an organization (Kezar, 2001). The first objective of organizational change, to realize transformations in patterns of behavior, becomes evident if one identifies that the adaptation level of the organization is not strengthened except if a large number of its people behave or act differently with regard to their tasks and their relationship to each other. An organization does not function mechanically; it operates through its people, and every organization possesses distinctive approaches to decision making (Kezar, 2001). Hence, any organizational change, regardless if it will be established through a training course or a new structural plan, is fundamentally trying to encourage employees to accept and implement new behavioral patterns and rudiments for performing tasks and relating to each other. Likewise, organizations are constantly trying to adapt themselves strongly and effectively to their immediate internal and external environment. Due to the fact that organizational management has no power to totally control its environment, particularly the external one, they are persistently obliged to initiate internal changes in the organization which permit them to deal more successfully with new challenges and problems of the external environment, such as difficult social demands, technological advances, heightened competition, and new government regulation (Murray & Richardson, 2002). Organizational changes are normally la unched in ‘response’ to demands from the external environment. Nevertheless, in several instances, changes are initiated in ‘expectation’ of future demands and problems. What Provokes Organizational Change? A fundamental fact of the twenty-first century is that managers and organizations as a whole are confronted with insistent pressures of change. Organizations are ever more

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

International Marketing paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Marketing paper - Essay Example It can also be viewed as a mechanism for optimising economic use of scarce resources such as forests, which are threatened by paper manufacture. As an example, all of Europe now uses 240 volt 50 Hz AC mains grids and GSM mobile phones, and measures lengths in metres. The United Kingdom has officially accepted metres for business purposes but feet and inches are still widely used by the general public. The existence of a published standard does not necessarily imply that it is useful or correct. Just because an item is stamped with a standard number does not, by itself, indicate that the item is fit for any particular use. The people who use the item or service (engineers, trade unions, etc) or specify it (building codes, government, industry, etc) have the responsibility to consider the available standards, specify the correct one, enforce compliance, and use the item correctly. Validation of suitability is necessary. We define different ways of organising and controlling each of the different kinds of projects. A general assumption is that it's good to be different and require industry-specific or custom solutions to demonstrate that we are different. Companies usually adopt standardisation when catering to a huge global market with products equally acceptable to the various segments of the market. While in contrast, differentiated products are made when customers demand unique features or when a particular segment has specific demands. In the context of social criticism and social sciences, standardization often means the process of establishing standards of various kinds and improving efficiency to handle people, their interactions, cases, and so forth. Examples include formalization of judicial procedure in court, and establishing uniform criteria for diagnosing mental disease. Standardization in this sense is often discussed along with (or synonymously to) such large-scale social changes as modernization, bureaucratisation, homogenisation, and centralization of society. In the context of business information exchanges, standardization refers to the process of developing data exchange standards for specific business processes using specific syntaxes. These standards are usually developed in voluntary consensus standards bodies such as the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT), the World Wide Web Consortium W3C, and the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS). Standardisation helps in ensuring that brand uniformity is strong in order to maintain the brand image and loyalty. Brand image increases the loyalty towards the brand when it is supported by the actual service that the consumer receives. Companies can trim down the production and marketing costs by standardising the various features of their products and strategies to market their products. Research shows that standardisation is just another of the many strategies to enter the international marketplace effectively. Standardisation is not always the best strategy and often for smaller companies when they need adapt to local cultures while exploiting their exclusive images to gain local market share. (Levitt, 2003, 91) It is evident that when a company pursue a cost leadership strategy,

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Exam paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Exam paper - Essay Example There are various factors that determine how the Web site would benefit the youth group, one of them being the way in which the youth club would exploit the Web’s interconnectivity as well as the opportunities it would create to make better the relationships with its vendors and suppliers, its customers plus other external stakeholders. Another factor is the nature of the club’s relationship with its customers. Developing deep, long-life relationship with customers is of greater significance on the Web. It would cost the youth club money to attract customers to its site and maintain them. The youth club’s plan for incorporating the Web in its overall strategy is another factor that would determine whether it would realize Web success. The issues that the plan should address include site design and maintenance, strategies for marketing ad promotion, customer service, sales, and generating and managing a brand name. Another factor that would determine how the Web site would benefit the youth club is its relevance to the customers whose needs, tastes and preferences are dynamic. If the youth club is to remain relevant to its customers, then the success of its Web-based transactions effort is indispensable. The nature of resources including time, energy, talent, and money that the club would invest would also play a part in determining its Web success. This is because creating a meaningful Web presence necessitates a progressive investment of resources. In fact, an attractive Web site with catchy photographs plus products and services’ descriptions is just but a beginning (Zimmerer, 2010). The Web site would be of great importance in assisting Mr. Grove, the building fund manager, in organizing donation requests as well as in determining the kind and quality of the necessary building supplies. He can utilize the site well-constructed e-mail messages to direct customers to the site, where they can respond to donation requests – he can avail

Monday, August 26, 2019

AN INDIVIDUAL PROJECT PROPOSAL Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

AN INDIVIDUAL PROJECT PROPOSAL - Dissertation Example The Standards for acquiring accessibility through technical specifications and interface design have been laid down for the conventional Web, but, how far e-learning systems are conforming to these standards is still unclear. More so, there remains conflicts between educational features and usability. There is a need for Institutions to meet recent accessibility andb fulfil government targets to deliver growing access to Higher Education. It can only be achieved by evaluating e-learning system usability and identifying the arising accessibility needs. Aims of the research The project intends to fulfil certain objectives. The research project will look at the current levels of accessibility in e-learning systems, that is the Virtual Learning Environments. It will go ahead to assess theproblems faced by disabled users in accessing system features these will include textual resources, interactive content, navigation features and tools for communication. The other things that will be car ried out may include semi-structured interviews with educational support staff, among them lecturers and Information Services staff that support the disabled users example, disability support staff,e-learning support. When it comes to the empirical research with learners, six to seven university sites will be taken to assess practices and policies in accessibility support that is within different e-learning systems. This practical investigation and research activities will help gain user views and perspectives on system usability example through questionnaires or interviews. There is a need for Institutions to know which features should be avoided or used with care so that to enable disabled students to access e-learning systems. They should also be able to know the features that are educationally valuable and if they can be supported with more training for disabled learners. General context descr?pt?on This project is personal research in the field of Information Science,especially within the area of end-user systems accessibility. It a coomon issue that in Higher Education there is constant innovation and changing methods to provision of online services, but , there remains grey areas when it comes to issue of user accessibility. This issue has turned into a neede requires secondary consideration. This research looks towards underpinning improved provision of accessible systems for disabled adult learners. It has been discovered that one of the major barriers for people with intellectual disabilities in accessing electronic programmes is due to the lack of accessible adult training material and information in simple language. Through focusing directly on people with disabilities, and also on the staff of adult education or e-learning providers, this Project tackles this problem and focuses on improving the accessibility of lifelong learning programmes. Research questions The research is aimed at answering the following questions: 1. What are the major obstac le faced by students when undertaking learning in an online setting? 2. What are the usability and accessibility issues in e-learning systems? 3. What are the training needs of disabled users in facilitating online learning? 4. How can usability and access issues be practically addressed? Research methodology The research will go for a practical research element to investigate questions outlined in the study mainly targeted at

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Critical analyse the paper's purpose Assignment

Critical analyse the paper's purpose - Assignment Example It then examines the causative factors using the hypothetical testing model before making recommendation projected to help educators curb the menace. According to Guo (2011), the key factors leading to plagiaristic behaviors include moral capability, awareness, and academic integration, accounting education, pressures, new technology, institutional support, cultural influences and demographic variables. These hypothesized factors were put into a conceptual model in order to test and ascertain or disqualify them as causative agents as well as to identify any connections among them through a series of questionnaires analysis. The questionnaire was divided in three sections depending on the hypothesized factors, extent of the plagiarism and the demographic factors relating to the respondents. The findings indicated a high degree of co-relation between the hypothesized constructs producing many statistically significant connections which were broadly consistent with the hypothesis. Never theless, research findings were surprising since new technology failed to relate to other constructs and the results were inconsistent with past studies creating a gap that needs to be addressed through further research (Guo 2011). Finally, the paper recommends that educators should take into consideration the effects of student’s cultural background on their propensity to plagiarize; in addition, to focusing on the ethic centric models of learning and integrate students into their academic life. The study sets out to examine students awareness of plagiarism and concludes that some of them ignore the concept altogether because they do not appreciate its gravity as an offence. While others use sources and share information among each other, but do not understand at what point using sources can turns into plagiarism (Granitz & Loewy 2001). Students who are not well integrated in the school system tend to plagiarize more often as an attempt to fit in the system. Moreover, variou s pressure thrust upon accounting students such as parental expectations, especially if they fund the student’s education my also increase a student’s propensity for plagiarism. Similarly, the rigours associated with accounting exams in the UK especially because of the many exam bodies tend to intimidate students and forces them to find easy way out through plagiarizing (Renard 2000). Analysing from a demographic standpoint, the study show that male students are more likely to cheat than female ones; additionally, high rate of plagiarism among students was suggested to be inversely proportional to age with younger scholars being more prone to cheating. Technology was also found to have a positive relationship with plagiarism owing to the wealth of data available on the internet, which students can access and apply in their work with hardly any reading involved. The solution to technology based plagiarism presents a complex situation despite the fact that the tools and software required to address the problem can be found in the same technology (Evans 2006). Currently, many institutions apply plagiarism-detecting tools like turnitin to ensure they police their students’ essays and discourage the vice (Mulcahy & Goodacrep 2004). Notwithstanding, students can still counter this by either using one of an assortment of online software that can paraphrase their essays and prevent detection through

Saturday, August 24, 2019

The US-China Taiwan Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The US-China Taiwan Crisis - Essay Example History of the US – China Taiwan Crisis The crisis that emerged in China and Taiwan began as early as 1949 with the Kuomintang Party. This Party is the nationalist party of China and was defeated to Communist rule during this time. The tensions which arose caused the party to move across the Taiwan Straight from Beijing, causing the Communist Rule to stay in China and Taiwan to try to separate under the rule of the Kuomintang (Christensen, 1: 1999). The main approach that Kuomintang took was to try to separate from mainland China and to continue with the nationalist rule and regulations which were believed to be a part of the party, often referred to as the Taipei Regime. By 1979, there was a call from Beijing for the Kuomintang Party to stop trying to divide Taiwan and instead to reunify into one China. The approach was to both liberate Taiwan and to work toward national development within each region, despite the differences in party agreements. The proposal was based on ope ning santong, which included commercial, postal and travel exchanges. The exchanges included siliu, which was four areas of concern, including academic, cultural, economic and athletic interests. It was believed that this approach would stop the differences on both sides and would lead to equal and fair agreements among both (Zhao, 22: 1999). Relationships with China After the Korean War in 1950, the US became involved with the political imbalances and began to pressure China to accept this party as the true government. To further establish this, the Chinese government was able to retain the seats they held at the UN with five members still sitting at the Security Council. The approach was furthered in 1972 with Nixon visiting China and trying to create a peaceful agreement between China and Taiwan. This was the first involvement with the United States to the Taiwan and Chinese debate, even though there was acknowledgement of the divisions from 1950 with Taiwan as a rogue state (Ros s 48: 2002). The relationship approached developed the Taiwan Relations Act, which persuaded both sides to create mutual security treaties, as opposed to separating as a nation. The main approach was to persuade both sides to work in cooperation and to open foreign relations ties for more opportunities. The persuasion was followed with a sense of security that could be used for those in East Asia (Goldstein, Schriver, 147: 2001). The Relations Act became effective in 1979, the year in which China worked toward economic agreements with Taiwan to stop the tensions between both countries. This stated that the United States would be involved with supplying the needed defense items to Taiwan in the case of an outbreak, specifically because the division of 1949 left the different area with a threat to the security of the area. This was combined with the act stating that there was only one China, as opposed to being a Taiwan and China. Even though there was acknowledgement that both could remain separate, the legitimate source of government pointed to only one China existing. By 1982, this was followed by six assurances, which consisted of guidelines which could be used for bilateral relations (Dumbaugh, 11: 1998). While there was acknowledgement at this point that both wanted to remain separate countries, the foreign relations

Friday, August 23, 2019

Android Security Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Android Security - Research Paper Example The authors continue by stating that in fact, ICC mediation defines the core security structure and is the article’s focus, but it improves on the assurances provided by the underlying Linux system (Enck, Ongtang and McDaniel 53). The rest of the subtopic goes deep into the security enforcement element of the Android operating system, covering the mandatory access control (MAC) among other features. The next subtopic is security refinements, with a short introduction. Under this comes a discussion of public vs. private components, implicitly open components, broadcast intent permissions, content provider permissions, service hooks, protected APIs, permission protection levels, pending intents, and URI permissions (Enck, Ongtang and McDaniel 54). The final subtopic in the article is lessons in defining policy, which covers the results (experiences) the author have had after working with the Android security policy. They state that the results showed that Android security policy starts with a relatively simple easy-to-understand MAC enforcement model, but the number and subtlety of refinements make it hard for someone to discover an application’s policy by simply looking at it (Enck, Ongtang and McDaniel 56). Some refinements push policy into the application code while others add delegation, which combines discretionary controls into the otherwise typical MAC model (Enck, Ongtang and McDaniel 56). This scenario makes mustering a firm grasp on Android's security model non-trivial.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Why Golf Is a Sport Essay Example for Free

Why Golf Is a Sport Essay A matter of opinion has separated a variety of sports enthusiasts apart, due to the ongoing debate of whether golf is a sport or simply a skill. Famed golfer Arnold Palmer declared, â€Å"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening – and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented. (ThinkQuest. com)† These words state what every athlete experiences and feels when he/she is turning a double play, making the game winning three point shot, or throwing a hail mary pass for a touchdown. Golfers are athletes too, they train for that big moment just like any other athlete, but they do it individually and gain the glory for themselves. Golf has increasingly become known not as a sport, but as a skill, which is a huge misconception that I intend to set the facts straight. The definition of a sport is narrowly defined, and to one its own opinion, but Golf is a competition just like every other sport, winning is its pinnacle. Golf requires the number one characteristic that is vital to all sports – hand-eye coordination. These men and women use their athletic ability to reach the top of their game. Golf takes sports to a different level and is played on its own terms. To each his own opinion, but why has the definition of â€Å"a sport† being termed as so narrowly? The NCAA defines a sport as: An institutional activity involving physical exertion with the purpose of competition versus other teams or individuals within a collegiate competition structure. Furthermore, sport includes regularly scheduled team and/or individual, head-to-head competition (at least five) within a defined competitive season(s); and standardized rules with rating/scoring systems ratified by official regulatory agencies and governing bodies. Baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and even golf display these qualities of what is defined as a sport. There has been a considerable amount of people who tend to disclose golf as a sport, only a skill or activity. Yet, many people object the physical exertion aspect with golf, that it does not require any. These objectors who say golf should not be included in that defined group are ignorant to athletics and its regulations. My definition of a sport is a competition that involves athletes who play to win within a certain structure of rules and regulations. Anyone can be an athlete; they do not have to be good to play a sport, as long as they try with some effort. A sport requires certain qualities of an individual too that it can not be without. Hand-eye coordination is vital to every sport out there. A basketball player has to shoot the ball into the hoop, a football player has to throw the ball to an open receiver, a baseball player has to swing a bat to hit a 95 mile per hour fastball, and golfers have to swing their club and hit a tiny ball a couple hundred yards. It is the number one aspect that is required in all sports. Although it is common to associate sports with many other qualities. The â€Å"manly† qualities of other sports such as cheerleaders and fights usually are not included in golf, some figure because it is missing these qualities, that it should not even be considered a sport. â€Å"Cheerleaders are important to sports. They keep the crowd excited; they keep the participants enthused about winning; and they give you something else to look at when the action on the field of play grinds to a halt. With golf theres not a lot of action to begin with. (Irvin)† Although golf is missing the appendages that invigorate other sports with such audacity, the onlookers respect their golfers need for silence and concentration. It is a sport which requires a massive amount of concentration, just like any other sport. Irvin states his idea that cheerleaders are important to sports, when in fact; cheerleading has nothing to do at all with the style of play. He is right that they keep the crowd excited, but that is the only reason why they are there, they do not play, they yell and dance. It makes me wonder why one would think that Golf needs to have cheerleaders to keep the crowd excited when the golfers need a massive amount of concentration. Yet regular sports fans forget that each sport is different, and that is what makes them stand out and appeal to others. Golf does not appeal to some, but a lot of people play the sport religiously, reason being – one does not have to be the typical in shape athlete that most are. Golfers are athletes too, and train to be good ones. Swinging a club and hitting a ball three hundred plus yards requires muscle strength in the torso and upper body. Golfers are just the kind of athletes who do not need to negotiate long-term big money contracts, and scratch themselves while being interviewed after play is over (Lowe). Golf is not a team sport either; it is an individual sport and the glory is captured for them, and they take pride and honor after an amazing feat as any athlete would. The honor and competitiveness of this sport has trickled down to the much supportive fan base. After exposing the truths and presenting evidence about one of the greatest sports ever to be played, we can no longer dispute golf as just a skill or activity, but declare Golf a real sport. It is important to sports enthusiasts everywhere that they have to look beyond the typical definition of a sport and expand their minds. Golfers are athletes too, playing for the top prize every time they step onto the course. Golf is gaining popularity by the second, no longer can it be said to be â€Å"not a real sport†. Golf justifies what every sport should be, the way it is played, the professional maturity that every golfer shows, and competition. Merriam Webster defines a sport as 1): physical activity engaged in for pleasure (2): a particular activity (as an athletic game) so engaged in. Golf qualifies as a sport according to this definition and until it is changed, it will remain one of the legendary sports to play.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

HP deskjet Essay Example for Free

HP deskjet Essay Case: Hewlett-Packard-Supplying the Deskjet Printer in Europe The DeskJet printer was introduced in 1988 and has become one of Hewlett-Packards (HPs) most successful products. Sales have grown steadily, reaching a level of over 600,000 units in 1990. Unfortunately, inventory growth has tracked sales growth closely. HPs distribution centers are filled with pallets of the DeskJet printer. Worse yet, the organization in Europe claims that inventory levels there need to be raised even further to maintain satisfactory product availability. THE DESKJET SUPPLY CHAIN The network of suppliers, manufacturing sites, distribution centers (DCs), dealers, and customers for the DeskJet product make up the DeskJet supply chain (see Exhibit 17. 14). HP in Vancouver does manufacturing. There are two key stages in the manufacturing process: (1) printed circuit assembly and test (PCAT) and (2) final assembly and test (FAT). PCAT involves the assembly and testing of electronic components (like integrated circuits, read-only memories, and raw printed circuit boards) to make logic boards used in the printer. FAT involves the assembly of other subassemblies (like motors, cables, keypads, plastic chassis, gears, and the printed circuit assemblies from PCAT) to produce a working printer, as well as the final testing of the printer. The components needed for PCAT and FAT are sourced from other HP divisions as well as from external suppliers worldwide. Exhibit 17.14 HP DeskJet Supply Chain Selling the DeskJet in Europe requires customizing the printer to meet the language and power supply requirements of the local countries, a process known as â€Å"localization.† Specifically, the localization of the DeskJet of different countries involves assembling the appropriate power supply module, which reflects the correct voltage requirements (110 or 220) and power cord plug, and packaging it with the working printer and a manual written in the appropriate language. Currently, the final test is done with the actual power supply module included with the printer. Hence, the finished products of the factory are â€Å"localized† versions of the printer destined for all the different countries. For the European Market six different versions are currently produced. These are designated A, AA, AB, AQ, AU, and AY as indicated in the Bills of Materials shown in Exhibit 17.15. Exhibit 17.15 HP DeskJet Bill of Materials The total factory throughput time through the PCAT and FAT stages is about one week. The transportation time from Vancouver to the European DC is five weeks. The long shipment time to Europe is due to ocean transit and the time to clear customs and duties at port of entry. The plant sends a weekly shipment of printers to the DC in Europe. The printer industry is highly competitive. Resellers want to carry as little inventory as possible. Consequently, there has been increasing pressure for HP as a manufacturer to provide high levels of availability at the DC. In response, management has decided to stock the DCs so that a high level of availability is maintained. THE INVENTORY SERVICE CRISIS To limit the amount of inventory throughout the DeskJet supply chain and at the same time provide the high level of service needed has been quite a challenge to Vancouvers management. The manufacturing group has been very successful in reducing the uncertainties caused by delivery to the European DC. Forecasting demand in Europe, though, is a significant problem. It has become common to have product shortages for model demands from some countries, while inventory of other models keeps piling up. In the past, the target inventory levels at the DCs were based on safety stocks that were a result of some judgmental rule of thumb. Specifically, target inventory levels, equal to one-month average sales, were set for each model carried in the DC. Now, however, it seems that the increasing difficulty of getting accurate forecasts means the safety stock rules should be revisited. HP has put together a team of employees to help implement a scientifically based safety stock system that will be responsive to forecast errors and replenishment lead times. They are to recommend a method for calculating appropriate safety stock levels for the various DeskJet models carried in  the European DC. The team has a good sample of demand data that can be used for developing the safety stock methodology (see Exhibit 17.16). HP hopes this new methodology will solve the inventory and service problem.

Factors That Affect The Pricing Decision

Factors That Affect The Pricing Decision In Finland, Lukka and Granlund (1996) observed that product cost information had its greatest importance in pricing, tendering and cost reduction decisions. In Italy, Cescon (1999) noted the most important uses of product costs were in cost reduction, pricing, make-or-buy and investment decisions, and its least important role related to decisions about distribution channels. Based on the above quotations, the costs of the product, its inputs including the amount spent on product development, testing, and packaging required to be taken into account when a pricing decision is made. Therefore, product costs are very important to make a pricing decision. In Australia, Joye and Blayney (1990) found that product costs were of major importance in the pricing decisions of the majority of companies. Therefore, cost is a  major factor that will affect pricing decisions. Variances between actual and  budgeted cost are inherent in business. Actual cost may not correspond  with budgeted cost, thus, it is important to have a thorough planning on  how can these cost affect company profit. Profit planning must take into account expected changes in cost. An   increase in cost with no corresponding change in selling price will   greatly affect company profits. Thus, the ability of the enterprise to limit suppliers bargaining power as to control the price of raw materials and production will be greatly influence the pricing decision. A products cost can be classified as fixed or variable costs, according to whether the volume changes. quoted by Dominiak Louderback, 1997. Fixed cost is the cost that  remains the same regardless of the level of production or the level of sales such as property taxes, rent, advertising, insurance, and utilities. Moreover, variable cost is the cost that changes in a directly proportion to changes in production volume such as sales commission, packaging, labeling and shipping costs. In many manufacturing companies, labor costs remain constant over wide ranges of output, so managers can consider labor as a fixed cost for many short-term output decisions. In addition, most overhead costs change only when managers decide to restructure the company, so these costs do not change as output fluctuates from day to day. The only cost that definitely does go up and down with production is the material cost. Hence, the cost of material will increase especially when economic downturn and the price of product will increase eventually. In spite of all, the product cost information was significantly more important when used directly in decision making. This may be because product cost information may be regarded as being more important when it is actually being used in a decision rather than as a guide for possible future decisions. Product cost information may be significantly more important in continuous production process manufacturing than in discrete-part and assembly manufacturing for product mix, output level and product discontinuation decisions because continuous production processes lead to the production of many different products for which a variety of product related decisions will need to be made. DISTRIBUTION(PLACEMENT) Placement under marketing mix involves all company activities that make the product available to the targeted customer, quoted by Kotler and Armstrong, 2004. With this, the easier the targeted customers can get the product, the more success of your company in distributing product. Distribution is getting your product to the consumer. Once you know your market area and have safely processed and packaged your product, you have to place it where your customer can buy it. On a general note, while planning placement strategy under marketing mix analysis, companies consider six different channel decisions including choosing between direct access to customers or involving middlemen, choosing single or multiple channels of distributions, the length of the distribution channel, the types of intermediaries, the numbers of distributors, and which intermediary to use based on the quality and reputation, quoted by Proctor, 2000. Therefore, distribution is important because it affects sales, profits and competitiveness. It can contribute up to fifty percent of the final selling price of some goods. Without distribution even the best product or service will fails. Author Jean-Jacques Lambin believes that a marketer has two roles which are organizing exchange through distribution and organizing communication. Moreover, distribution can be classified by channels, coverage, locations, transportation, logistics and others aspects. Physical distribution or Place must integrate with the other Ps in the marketing mix such as price, product and promotion. For example, the design of product packaging must fit onto a pallet, into a truck and onto a shelf, prices are often determined by distribution channels, and the image of the channel must fit in with the suppliers required positioning. You can see how Coca Cola further integrate the timing of distribution and promotion in the Hall Of Fame later. In fact, they see distribution as one of their core competencies. In addition, geographical pricing is setting different prices for a customer in different parts of the world which is includes shipping costs. Therefore, there will be difference price on the same product in differences country. Although within a country, the same product will be charged to different prices, which may be caused by the urban or metropolitan area, income distribution and others factors. Apart from that, distribution strategy is influenced by the market structure, the firms objectives, its resources and its overall marketing strategy. All these factors are addressed in the section on selecting Distribution Channels. The first strategic decision is distribution intensity which include of intensive, selective and exclusive distribution. Intensive distribution aims to provide saturation coverage of the market by using all available outlets. For many products, total sales are directly linked to the number of outlets used such as cigarettes and beer. Intensive distribution is usually required where customers have a range of acceptable brands to choose from. In other words, if one brand is not available, a customer will simply choose another. The second one is selective distribution which involves a producer using a limited number of outlets in a geographical area to sell products. The producer can choose the most appropriate or best-performing outlets and focus effort on them. Selective distribution works best when consumers are prepared to shop around or they have a preference for a particular brand or price and will search out the outlets that supply. The last one is exclusive distribution which is an extreme form of selective distribution in which only one wholesaler, retailer or distributor is used in a specific geographical area. The next strategic decision clarifies the number of levels within a channel such as agents, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, franchisees, direct marketing and others. In some Japanese markets there are many intermediaries involved. In the marketing channel of distribution in Japan, especially in the retail sector, the number of retailers had been increasing from 1950s to the beginning of 1980s consistently. However, it has begun to decrease in the beginning of 1980s, explained by Hisao Fujimoto. Companies such as Ford, Ferrari, Toyota, and Nissan use specific dealers to make their products available, whereas companies such as Nestle involve a whole chain of wholesaler retailers to reach its customers. In conclusion, distribution is playing a big role in the pricing decision. The business communities should place the product efficiently and effectively, and set a reasonable price for selling. There is some advice for the consumer, that is consumer should shop for the best price as they can find regardless of how long the levels of distribution and how far the place of selling the product from you. ECONOMIC CONDITION Economic environment of the country is an important factor affecting the pricing decisions. Inflationary and deflationary conditions will also affect the pricing decision of a company. Inflation is a rise in the average price level of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. Money loses purchasing power during inflationary periods since each unit of currency buys progressively fewer goods. Consequently, inflation also reflects erosion in the purchasing power of money which is a loss of real value in the internal medium of exchange and unit of account in the economy. Therefore, a company should decrease the price of product when there is an inflation so the consumer will be afford to buy it. On 20 July 1993, Alan Greespan, chairperson of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, testified before a congressional committee. He said: The role of expectations in the inflation process is crucial. Even expectations not validated by economic fundamentals can themselves add appreciably to wage and price pressures for a considerable period, potentially derailing the economy from its growth path. However, deflation is a decrease in average price level of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. While lower prices may seem ideal from a consumers point of view at first, but deflation leads to rising of unemployment and falling in production, a situation from which it is extremely difficult to recover. Therefore, a company should charge a higher price on product when selling it so that it can be able to pay for salary of employees and covered the production cost. On the other hand, the prices are increased in boom period to cover the increasing cost of production and distribution. To meet the changing economic conditions, several pricing decisions are available such as price can be boosted to protect profit against rising costs, price protection system can be linked with the price on delivery to current costs and emphasis can be shifted from sales volume to profit margin and cost reduction. On March 16 alone, five days after the earthquake and tsunami and as the nations nuclear crisis was worsening, United States investors put $700 million into Japanese Exchange Traded Funds, according to the data from Trim Tabs, an investment research organization. That was twice the previous largest daily inflow on record, in 2003. After the earthquake, investors waited for two trading days before acting. But on Wednesday, March 16, after stocks in Tokyo fell by about 10 percent, investors in the United States responded by moving heavily into E.T.F.s. One reason may be that Japanese stocks still have far to go in their recovery. Though the Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo has bounced back from recent lows, it is still down 9.43 percent since before the earthquake.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Social Work :: Graduate College Admissions Essays

Social Work    It was the shrill ringing of my pager that jarred me out of the deep sleep I had been enjoying. The clock beside my bed read 3:30 as I fumbled around in the dark, reaching for the insistent pager. As I saw the code that flashed on its tiny screen, my heart sank. I thought of the sleet that had been falling as I had fallen asleep a few hours before, and of the warmth of my cozy bed. The very last thing I wanted to do at that moment was to get up and go out in the cold. Unfortunately, there was little choice; I was the only Crisis Companion available during the week between Christmas and New Year. Within a few minutes, I was dressed and en route to the hospital to pick up a woman and her small children, on the run from an abusive husband, and take them to our shelter several miles out of town. As both a hotline operator and Crisis Companion for a community organization called Avalon, I had been trained to be an active listener, crisis counselor, and advocate for survivors of domestic v iolence and sexual assault. I thought of all the training I had received, as well as the passion which had driven and encouraged my work with Avalon, as I neared the emergency room of the hospital and prepared to meet my newest clients.    Every 15 seconds a woman is battered. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 10 men will be sexually assaulted during their lifetimes. 4 women in the United States are killed every day by their husbands or male partners. When I first heard these statistics in a Women's Studies course my Freshman year, I was astounded and thoroughly incensed. The more I read, the more committed I became to doing something which would bring about a positive change for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. It was then that I learned about and began working with Avalon, which was active on campus and in the community. Through its outreach programs, Avalon is dedicated to educating the community about the issues of sexual assault and domestic violence. It also offers a shelter, as well as advocacy and education, to survivors and their families.    As a volunteer for Avalon I have answered a crisis hotline, acted as a court advocate, helped clients apply for food stamps, and been on call in the hospital to work with women and children.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Securing the Crime Scene Essay -- Crime

When the call comes in that a crime has been committed, the police are dispatched to the crime scene. When the police arrive on scene, they need to take control by apprehending any suspects and looking for witnesses/victims. If the scene is not safe, the first responders must secure the area. If anyone is hurt, they should call for medical personnel as soon as possible. The first police officer on scene is usually in charge until a criminal investigator arrives on scene. Depending on the crime committed, the crime scene could be as small as the interior room of a building or as large as the whole neighborhood. The whole crime scene area needs to be secure so that evidence is not tampered with by anyone. The police officer in charge can start a search for more evidence so that it can be secured by the time investigators arrive on scene. There are five different search methods; the point-to-point movement, ever-widening circle, ever-narrowing circle, zone or sector search, and the strip or grid search (Lushbaugh, and Weston, 2011). Each search is used under different circumstances that all depend on how large the crime scene is and if it has occurred indoors, outdoors, inside of a building, etc. Once a criminal investigator arrives, the police should have the area secured so the investigators can do their jobs. Investigators will enter the crime scene and will have some equipment to preserve evidence on hand. Evidence won’t be removed until proper procedures are followed so that it is not jeopardized. They will number each piece of evidence and take pictures of it. For example, if there was a drop of blood on the ground, a number would be put next to it and a picture would be taken. The pictures will be up close, ... ...y quickly and can document accurately. Investigators can go over the crime scene and look for any evidence that may have been missed. Overall, crime scenes that are committed inside of a building are a little easier to deal with than an outside crime scene. References Department of Justice. (n.d.). All about forensic science. Retrieved from http://www.all-about- forensic-science.com/types-of-crime-scene.html Katz, M., Scheck, O., & Bode, N. (2011). Man stabbed to death outside chelsea nightclub where lebron james partied. Dna info, Retrieved from http://www.dnainfo.com/20110926/chelsea-hells-kitchen/man-found-stabbed-death- Chelsea Layton, J. (2005). How crime scene investigation works. Retrieved from http://science.howstuffworks.com/csi2.htm Lushbaugh, C. A., & Weston, P. B. (2011). Criminal investigation basic perspectives. (12 ed.). Pearson.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Farewell Sermon of Muhammad :: Islam Religion Essays

The "Farewell Sermon" of Muhammad The apostle continued his pilgrimage and showed the men the rites and taught them the customs of their hajj. He made a speech in which he made things clear. He praised and glorified God, then he said: "O men, listen to my words. I do not know whether I shall ever meet you in this place again after this year. Your blood and your property are sacrosanct until you meet your Lord, as this day and this month are holy. You will surely meet your Lord and He will ask you of your works. I have told you. He who has a pledge let him return it to him who entrusted him with it; all usury is abolished, but you have your capital. Wrong not and you shall not be wronged. God has decreed that there is to be no usury and the usury of `Abbà ¢s b. `Abd al Muttalib is abolished, all of it. All blood shed in the pagan period is to be left unavenged. The first claim on blood I abolish is that of Ibn Rabà ®`a b. al Hà ¢rith b. `Abd al Muttalib (who was fostered among the Banà » Layth and whom Hudhayl killed.) It is the first blood shed in the pagan period which I deal with. Satan despairs of ever being worshiped in your land, but if he can be obeyed in anything short of worship he will be pleased in m atters you may be disposed to think of little account, so beware of him in your religion. "Postponement of a sacred month is only an excess of disbelief whereby those who disbelieve are misled; they allow it one year and forbid it another year that they may make up the number of the months which God has hallowed, so that they permit what God has forbidden, and forbid what God has allowed." [Koran 9:37] Time has completed its cycle and is as it was on the day that God created the heavens and the earth. The number of months with God is twelve; four of them are sacred, three consecutive and the Rajab of Mudar, which is between Jumà ¢dà ¢ and Sha`bà ¢n. You have rights over your wives and they have rights over you. You have the right that they should not defile your bed and that the should not behave with open unseemliness. If they do, God allows you to put them in separate rooms and to beat them but not with severity.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

The One Scene That Sealed Titanic’s Fate Essay

Titanic is thought to be one of the most iconic films to ever hit theaters. According to the film industry, the film by James Cameron falls into the realm of an epic romance/disaster genre. Released in 1997, Titanic was an international box office sensation, due to the director providing equal importance to history, fiction, and romance. The film is set in April of 1912, where Jack Dawson played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Rose DeWitt Bukater played by Gloria Stuart and Kate Winslet share a love story that cannot be broken. The movie also gives a historical overview of what happened that dreadful night. This critical analysis of the film Titanic provides an overview that the innovative mode of storytelling (flash back and other techniques) can portray both a love story and the historical background while using a dissolve editing method, in which â€Å"the end of one shot gradually merges into the beginning of the next. The effect is produced by superimposing a fade-out onto a fade-in o f equal length of imposing one scene over another† (Petrie and Boggs 160). This editing effect was used at the beginning of the movie, in which at 21:03, the wreckage of the Titanic is seamlessly and effortlessly transformed into the beautiful masterpiece of a ship that it once was. This effect is also used when Jack and Rose are standing together â€Å"flying† on the edge of the Titanic, later to be transformed back into the ship wreck. This scene brings the audience back into the present and shocks them back into the harsh reality that the scene was merely a memory from Rose, and no longer the reality (Titanic1997). The editing in Titanic is truly remarkable, bringing the audience from the future into the past, shocking the audience by showing both first-class and lower-class struggles, and showing not only the love story between Rose and Jack, but the life and death of the Titanic and the two thousand people aboard. Through the use of other film techniques such as editing and camera work, set design, imagery and color, James Cameron created one of the most influential and moving works of art the film world has seen. The editing style and technique brings new life to the cinematography world, and â€Å"rejects the norms of modern Hollywood style† (Butka). In all film elements, visual effects, cinematography, color palette, editing, sound design, and music, contributes to the film as a whole. Cameron, â€Å"who has been pushing the boundaries of the Hollywood classical cinema since The Terminator, finally reached a career high point with Titanic’s synthesis of compelling storytelli ng and dexterous style and technique† (Butka) Visual effects, color, imagery, and set design play an important role in all forms of movie and television. These elements are the core foundation of the overall feeling that the audience experiences when watching a particular film. One particular element of film that impacts the story line is the setting of the scenery. Setting may â€Å"often seem unobtrusive or be taken for granted, it is an essential ingredient in any story and makes an important contribution to the theme of total effect of the film† (Petrie and Boggs 82). The setting of a film should be carefully analyzed because of the effects it has on the interrelationships of the characters, plot, and overall general feeling that the movie brings out in its audience. In Titanic, the setting plays a major role in the fact that the first class citizens were held to a higher standard that the lower class citizens. This set the mood for the rest of the film and sets up the segregation that separates Jack and Rose. The col ors also provide a strict divide between the upper and lower classes aboard the Titanic. The royalty wore brighter, more vibrant colors, as well as more flashy materials, whereas the lower class wore much more torn clothing, all of which were dark and dirty colors. These elements ultimately set the tone for the rest of the movie, and would be a constant struggle for Rose and Jack to keep their bond strong. James Cameron put an emphasis on the difference between these classes in order to give the audience the sense of segregation. James Cameron is a critically acclaimed film director known for some of the biggest box-office hits of all time. A science-fiction fan as a child, Cameron â€Å"went on to produce and direct films including The Terminator, Aliens and Avatar. He has received numerous Academy Awards and nominations for his often large-scale, expensive productions† (Biography Editors). His most noted work, 1997’s Titanic, became the first film â€Å"to earn more than $1 billion and landed 14 Academy Award nominations. Cameron took home three Oscars himself for the project: Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Picture† (Biography Editors). To re-create one of the greatest disasters at sea in history, â€Å"James Cameron had a special studio built in Mexico, which featured a 17-million-gallon water tank and the 775-foot replica of the Titanic,† this proved to help the film be a successful blockbuster hit (Biography Editors). James Cameron’s techniques used in Titani c became immensely popular as the film became popular. Cameron’s own â€Å"documentary urge was so intense, that he created new diving and photographic equipment – at an extraordinary expense for his studio – to achieve textural authenticity by recording and presenting the eighty-five-year-old wreck of his subject. The film, then, like so many other fictional films, says the ultimate compliment to the documentary form: Cameron uses the real thing to inform his reel thing† (Petrie and Boggs 468). The main purpose behind editing a film is to keep the film in continuous motion, regardless if the time periods switch rapidly, much like in Titanic, where Rose goes from being a seventeen year old girl, to a one-hundred year old woman explaining the history of the Titanic as she remembers it. The editing techniques that were used were ultimately used to shock the audience through â€Å"sudden, jarring cuts between the third- and first-class, [which] build the antithesis between the classes and accentuate the conflicts. Some of the examples include: the cut between the steer get berthing space when Jack and Fabrizio (Danny Nucci) first arrive on the ship and Cal’s private promenade deck; the cut between Rose and Jack dancing in the steerage party scene and the first-class smoking lounge (which is such an abrupt change of atmosphere and energy that it comes as quite a cinematic shock to the viewers); the cut between the flooding in the steerage with rats on the run and the pro priety of a first-class corridor that does not even hint at the impending tragedy† (Butka). Throughout the movie, the film consists of scenes mainly from the Jack and Rose era, however in the beginning of the film, the director made use of flashback technique to unearth the romantic story of the lovers in the film. To be specific, the plot moves from present condition (say, 1996) to past (say, 1912) and to present (1996). In the opening scene, the director portrays the effort of Brock Lovett (say, a treasure hunter) to unearth the secret behind a necklace sunk with RMS Titanic in 1912. Gradually, the director portrays the love affair between Rose and Jack. In the end, Rose drops the necklace into the Ocean and returns. The film ends with a fictional reunion between the lovers. Dissolves are very important to the film, â€Å"particularly those between different time periods, and even fades are used occasionally to mark important points in the film (e.g., when Rose finishes her story)’ (Butka) Cameron also uses â€Å"establishing shots regularly, thus preserving a locale orientation for the viewers: not only do we always know exactly where we are, but these establishing shots also help us grasp the ship’s enormous dimensions† (Butka). Even in the period section of the film, â€Å"there is a separation between two distinct photographic styles: â€Å"In the first part, the camerawork is rather polite, graceful and even eloquent. [Carpenter] was trying to reinforce the opulence and beauty of the time with lighting,† (Butka). This eloquent style gives a feeling of tranquility and perfection to the first class shipmates, providing deep segregation to the boat, thus bringing about the conflict of Jack and Rose’s love. This camera and editing style let the audience feel the same way that the characters were feeling, eloquent and fashionable. When looking at the color of the first class section of the boat, â€Å"there is also use of amber, a color Ca meron has not used before; in addition, the first-class sections of the ship are even more colorful, which is undeniably helped by the exquisite costuming† (Butka). In the second part of the film, the camera work and editing becomes much more violent and choppy, showing the struggle the passengers endured as the ship hit the iceberg and ultimately began to sink. The camerawork â€Å"quickly loses that polite edge and segues into this very kinetic, sometimes violent movement. It’s jarring and bumpy, which suggests the panic of the situation. This is a point that Cameron, Carpenter, and Muro worked on together; later in the film, initial smooth and refined camera movements transform into â€Å"less elegant and more nervous. There’s a lot more handheld work and Steadicam, and its rough† (Butka). The overall production of the Titanic came at quite a cost but was a tremendous success, to say the least. Titanic’s production was a â€Å"famously difficult and complex one, a shoot on an almost unprecedented scale which featured tough technical challenges and which was overseen by a director who knew exactly what he wanted and who demanded the utmost from everyone until he got it, but it was a tough journey to get there† (Braund). Production of the film began in 1995, when â€Å"Cameron shot footage of the real wreck of the RMS Titanic. He envisioned the love story as a means to engage the audience with the real-life tragedy. A shooting took place on board the Akademik Mstislav Keldysh — which aided Cameron in filming the real wreck — for the modern scenes, and a reconstruction of the ship was built at Playas de Rosarito, Baja California. Cameron also used scale models and computer-generated imagery to recreate the sinking. At the time†, the pict ure became the most expensive film ever made, costing approximately US$200 million with funding from Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox (Butka). â€Å"Principal photography for Titanic began in July 1996 at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. In September 1996, the production moved to the newly built Fox Baja Studios in Rosarito, Mexico, where a full-scale RMS Titanic had been constructed (Marsh). Special effects played an important role in how the movie filmed. Many critics were skeptical about how Cameron would portray such a disastrous scene, including the deaths of all of the people aboard the ship. Cameron then went on to say that †the people were all computer graphics. The way we did it was, we had people act out all of those individual behaviors in what we call a ’motion capture environment.’ So, a steward pouring tea for a lady seated on a deck chair – that was all acted out and then that motion file was used to drive and animate those figures. The end result is like you said: We pull back down the full length of Titanic, and you see 350 people all over the decks, doing all those different things. The same technique was used for the sinking when you see hundreds of people on the ship jumping off or rolling down the decks† (Ebert). Cameron also did not want to cut corners in regards to the props and sets used. In addition to the life-size model of the Titanic, Cameron also had â€Å"construction crews build two huge water tanks. One was 90 foot deep and over 800 foot wide in which the model could slowly sink into 17 million gallons of water fed directly from the Pacific Ocean. The second tank was 30 foot deep. It contained 5 million gallons of water and housed the elegant first class dining saloon and the three story Grand Staircase† (Titanic and Co). One of the most impressive interior sets was the recreation of the famed Grand Staircase— the most famous room Titanic contained. Additionally, the Staircase, â€Å"as mentioned by one of the film crew personnel, ended up acting almost as a character in the film, due to it being the location of several pivotal scenes, including the ending scene. Interestingly, the staircase presented in the film is slightly larger than the one on the real ship. The reason for this was because people in 1912 were shorter than they are today. As a result, the staircase was scaled up to make the actors look smaller† (IMDB). For the exterior shots of the ship sinking, the almost â€Å"full-scale ship was placed in a 3 foot deep, 17 million gallon tank and tilted using a crane. For the interior shots of the sinking ship, the sets were enclosed in a 5 million gallon tank and again tilted in the water using a crane. This was the method used for the Grand Staircase. However, to make the destru ction of the Grand Staircase more dramatic, Cameron and his team dropped 90,000 gallons of water onto it. Because the Staircase would be destroyed, there would be only one attempt to get it right. Unexpectedly, the massive volume of water ripped the Staircase from its steel-reinforced foundations, collapsing certain sections of it† (IMDB). This destruction of the stair case was relatively dramatic and saddening to the characters and audience because it had become such a vital work of art in the movie. These stairs were much more than just stairs; they were the place in which Jack fell in love with Rose, the place Rose and Jack embraced in their final kiss in the final scene; a true masterpiece that had become one of the characters, gone in an instant. Roger Ebert became â€Å"film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times in 1967. He is the only film critic with a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame and was named honorary life member of the Directors’ Guild of America. He won the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Screenwriters’ Guild, and honorary degrees from the American Film Institute and the University of Colorado at Boulder† (Ebert). He then went on to interview James Cameron on his success and struggles with the making of the Titanic. The footage of the sunken ship was mainly real footage of the actual sunken Titanic. James Cameron believed that in order for the movie to have a more authentic feel, that he should take actual film himself with his own camera. Cameron wasn’t content to buy footage from documentaries about the search for the Titanic; he shot the film’s undersea footage himself, new for this film: †It’s all our own. I made the dives and operated the camera and we lit it and every thing† (Ebert) Cameron then went on to explain the struggles that appeared when creating the interior of the Titanic. â€Å"It’s consistent with what Titanic looks like† Cameron mentioned. â€Å"We couldn’t explore the whole interior of the ship. We could only get a glimpse into some areas. We went down some corridors to the D-deck level and saw a lot of the remaining hand-carved woodwork, the wall-paneling, and the beautiful ornate carved doors. A lot of it is still there. It’s very, very cold, which helps preserve things. There are marine organisms that will eat wood, but in certain areas the wood was covered with white-leaded paint that protected Titanic† (Ebert). As morbid as it sounds, it was important to display the fear and anguish on the faces of the people trapped on and inside the sinking vessel. Even though this was a Romeo and Juliet type of love story, the overwhelming message was to portray the absolute disaster the Titanic was and to show the terror on the faces of those involved. Cameron goes on to say that many died in terror, you know, when you look at the numbers, if you were a third class male on Titanic you stood a 1-in-10 chance of survival. If you were a first class female, it was virtually a 100 percent survival rate. It broke down along lines of gender and class. If you were a first-class male, you stood about a 50-50 chance of survival. And the crew took it hardest.† Of the 1,500 who died, 600 or 700 of them were crew members. The people who stayed in the dynamo room and the engine room, to keep the lights on so that the evacuation would not become panicked – who stayed till the end and missed their opportun ity to leave the ship – that’s something you’d see less of today† (Ebert). This just goes to show that Cameron felt very passionate about the way he needed to portray this type of despair in his movie, and in order to do that he needed have the film crew work extremely hard in order to portray that same anguish. †That was our most dangerous work,† Cameron said. †The stunt team worked for weeks in advance, videotaping each one of those stunts and rehearsing it and showing me the tapes. It was all intensely pre-planned and the set was made about 50 percent out of rubber at that point, all padded up. But there’s always an X-factor. We had 6,000 stunt person days on this film – the equivalent of one man doing stunts seven days a week for 16 years. But it was all happening at once. We did have a guy break his leg, which I hated. I don’t think anybody should get hurt for a film. So I decided to do more of it with computer graphics† (Ebert). This made it more apparent that special effects had to be made more in order to keep the cast and crew safe. Therefore, the scene in which the Titanic is actually sinking was almost entirely CGI when the camera was sweeping over the boat in a birds eye view. Cameron goes on to talk about the importance of human nature and how the story of Titanic is iconic not because of the class struggles, but once tragedy strikes, we are all on the same level fighting for survival. Cameron goes on to state that the â€Å"great lesson of Titanic for us, going into the 21st century,† he said, † is that the inconceivable can happen. Those people lived in a time of certainty; they felt they had mastered everything – mastered nature and mastered themselves. But they had mastered neither. A thousand years from now Titanic will still be one of the great stories. Certainly, there have been greater human tragedies during this century, but there’s something poetically perfect about Titanic, because of the laying low of the wealthy and the beautiful people who thought life would be infinite and perfect for them.† What would you have done? Anyone seeing this movie, I said, will have to ask them this question: Would I have fought t o get on a lifeboat? Would I have pushed a woman or a child out of the way? Or would I have sat down in the lounge and called for a brandy, like Guggenheim, and faced the inevitable with grace† (Ebert)? In conclusion, Titanic taught the general public that the human race is not invincible and that nature does not care whether you are rich or poor, perfect or imperfect, or nothing at all. Through the masterful works of camera angles, visual imagery, editing, and specific scenery, director and writer James Cameron was able to recreate the tragedy of the unsinkable Titanic through the camera lens. Cameron was able to display the struggles of love, life, death, and historical understanding through the eyes of Jack and Rose, and through the magic of filmmaking, teach an incredible lesson that will live on through eternity.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Gender Role

Darla Anne Nocom Prof. CortezEng 1AApril 7, 2018Why gender equality ruining everyone's happiness?The â€Å"Is equality ruining your marriage?† by Suzanne Venker is a news article how the traditional gender roles still exist in our society today and how it ruins the freedom of everyone to do each other's roles. Venker used the new research of University of Illinois to back up her article. Reading this article can open our mind to see what is the effect to everyone or marriage couple to be exact if they oppose the traditional gender roles. It's interesting to see how gender equality can ruin a happy marriage couple life and how mental health can take over this. I am here to take closer of the rhetorical devices the author used and how the devices took a certain effect on the audience. Also, to explain how each device links to what the author is trying to achieve. The author's effect is to change the traditional gender roles and the rhetorical devices that were used to support it were Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. The first device that supports the article is ethos. The researchers in University of Illinois examined men and women to do this research and support their argument on how marriage couples are less blissful if they struggle on traditional gender roles. The research they did suggested, â€Å"When females were the main breadwinner in the family, they reported more symptoms of depression; but men's psychological well-being was highest when they were the primary wage earners† (Venker). This is to say that our human nature hasn't change much about gender equality issue. We still have the belief that men can only support the family and should have a higher wage than women. Gender roles should not have a damaging impact to everyone because this is a start for gender equality. Earning a higher salary for men is very important and there is no surprise there but giving women a chance to help is a good way for family to have a content life. Men working while women stay at home has been part of our â€Å"culture† and it can't change just because society changed. It will take time but giving it a change can't harm anyone because our generation is way different than before and many people are more open now than before. Even now, guys' weakness is when girls are a lot more up in the game when it comes to any field and to anything men do. The author's influenced for this effect is that it is time for us to experiment in gender roles because many single parent can be a mom and dad at the same time while for marriage couple, it is still unusual for their role to change. Seeing everyone in this nature for generation has been stuck to us and hard to adjust if we want gender equality in and out of our homes. What important is for everyone to open up and try to change this nature and gain self-confident in each other. Doing what you want to do in life can gain as a self-worth and can make us feel worthy in life. Putting our emotion to something occasionally can be bad and good sometimes because emotion is a feel that we can't control from time to time. The pathos for this is, â€Å"Americans are forever being told that â€Å"gender equality†- which is no longer defined as equal opportunity but as male and female interchangeability- is the only road to a happy life† (Venker).