Thursday, December 26, 2019
Multithreaded Delphi Database Queries With dbGo (ADO)
By design, a Delphi application runs in one thread. To speed up some parts of the application you might want to decide to add several simultaneous paths of execution in your Delphi application. Multithreading in Database Applications In most scenarios, database applications you create with Delphi are single threadedâ€â€a query you run against the database needs to finish (processing of the query results) before you can fetch another set of data. To speed up data processing, for example, fetching data from the database to create reports, you can add an additional thread to fetch and operate on the result (recordset). Continue reading to learn about the 3 traps in multithreaded ADO database queries: Solve: CoInitialize was not called.Solve: Canvas does not allow drawing.Main TADoConnection cannot be used! Customer Order Scenario In the well-known scenario where a customer places orders containing items, you might need to display all the orders for a particular customer along the total number of items per each order. In a normal single threaded application you would need to run the query to fetch the data then iterate over the recordset to display the data. If you want to run this operation for more than one customer, you need to sequentially run the procedure for each of the selected customers. In a multithreaded scenario you can run the database query for every selected customer in a separate threadâ€â€and thus have the code execute several times faster. Multithreading in dbGO (ADO) Lets say you want to display orders for 3 selected customers in a Delphi list box control. type   TCalcThread class(TThread)  private     procedure RefreshCount;  protected     procedure Execute; override;  public     ConnStr : widestring;     SQLString : widestring;     ListBox : TListBox;     Priority: TThreadPriority;     TicksLabel : TLabel;     Ticks : Cardinal;   end; This is the interface part of a custom thread class we are going to use to fetch and operate on all the orders for a selected customer. Every order gets displayed as an item in a list box control (ListBox field). The ConnStr field holds the ADO connection string. The TicksLabel holds a reference to a TLabel control that will be used to display thread executing times in a synchronized procedure. The RunThread procedure creates and runs an instance of the TCalcThread thread class. function TADOThreadedForm.RunThread(SQLString: widestring; LB:TListBox; Priority: TThreadPriority; lbl : TLabel): TCalcThread;var   CalcThread : TCalcThread; begin   CalcThread : TCalcThread.Create(true) ;   CalcThread.FreeOnTerminate : true;   CalcThread.ConnStr : ADOConnection1.ConnectionString;   CalcThread.SQLString : SQLString;   CalcThread.ListBox : LB;   CalcThread.Priority : Priority;   CalcThread.TicksLabel : lbl;   CalcThread.OnTerminate : ThreadTerminated;   CalcThread.Resume;   Result : CalcThread; end; When the 3 customers are selected from the drop down box, we create 3 instances of the CalcThread: var   s, sg: widestring;   c1, c2, c3 : integer; begin   s : SELECT O.SaleDate, MAX(I.ItemNo) AS ItemCount        FROM Customer C, Orders O, Items I        WHERE C.CustNo O.CustNo AND I.OrderNo O.OrderNo ;   sg : GROUP BY O.SaleDate ;   c1 : Integer(ComboBox1.Items.Objects[ComboBox1.ItemIndex]) ;   c2 : Integer(ComboBox2.Items.Objects[ComboBox2.ItemIndex]) ;   c3 : Integer(ComboBox3.Items.Objects[ComboBox3.ItemIndex]) ;   Caption : ;   ct1 : RunThread(Format(%s AND C.CustNo %d %s,[s, c1, sg]), lbCustomer1, tpTimeCritical, lblCustomer1) ;   ct2 : RunThread(Format(%s AND C.CustNo %d %s,[s, c2, sg]), lbCustomer2, tpNormal,lblCustomer2) ;   ct3 : RunThread(Format(%s AND C.CustNo %d %s,[s, c3, sg]), lbCustomer3, tpLowest, lblCustomer3) ; end; Traps and Tricks With Multithreaded ADO Queries The main code goes in the threads Execute method: procedure TCalcThread.Execute;var   Qry : TADOQuery;   k : integer; begin  inherited;  CoInitialize(nil) ; //CoInitialize was not called   Qry : TADOQuery.Create(nil) ;  try// MUST USE OWN CONNECTION // Qry.Connection : Form1.ADOConnection1;     Qry.ConnectionString : ConnStr;     Qry.CursorLocation : clUseServer;     Qry.LockType : ltReadOnly;     Qry.CursorType : ctOpenForwardOnly;     Qry.SQL.Text : SQLString;     Qry.Open;     while NOT Qry.Eof and NOT Terminated do     begin       ListBox.Items.Insert(0, Format(%s - %d, [Qry.Fields[0].asString,Qry.Fields[1].AsInteger])) ;       //Canvas Does NOT Allow Drawing if not called through Synchronize       Synchronize(RefreshCount) ;       Qry.Next;     end;  finally     Qry.Free;   end;   CoUninitialize() ; end; There are 3 traps you need to know how to solve when creating multithreaded Delphi ADO database applications: CoInitialize and CoUninitialize must be called manually before using any of the dbGo objects. Failing to call CoInitialize will result in the CoInitialize was not called exception. The CoInitialize method initializes the COM library on the current thread. ADO is COM.You *cannot* use the TADOConnection object from the main thread (application). Every thread needs to create its own database connection.You must use the Synchronize procedure to talk to the main thread and access any controls on the main form.
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
What Makes A Good Manager - 3150 Words
1.0 Introduction – What it takes to be a good manager? Becoming an efficient and effective manager is an extremely challenging role especially in today’s challenging business environment and during times of economic downturn. According to Aaron G.A. (2006), leadership is correlated to organizational and employee performance as leaders influence employees to help achieve organizational goals. Managers need to adopt a continuous learning attitude, personally aware of own strengths and weaknesses and practicing high emotional intelligence in order to be a sustainable competent manager. According to Mcgregor’s theory, Theory-X managers perceive employees to have a tendency to avoid work, while Theory-Y manager gives employees flexibility and empowerment this in return helps develop employees’ decision making skills (McGregor, D. (1960)). When manager is managing a complex mixture of workforce, they will also need to have the flexibility to switch roles. This means besides being self-aware of the weaknesses and understanding the behavior of employees that they are managing, managers need to constantly monitor their self-development plan to ensure there are improvement in personal growth and prepare for future career development. As we’re moving towards a new market trend, every organization is emphasizing on innovation of ideas to improve business strategy and creation of new technology. Manager should also continuously acquire new skills and knowledge to keep themselvesShow MoreRelatedWhat Makes A Good Manager?1053 Words  | 5 PagesWhat makes people successful? To gain satisfaction in your career is to know yourself and know what you want. Greatest role in the firm s manager or the company s success. Why is this so? The simple reason that he/she is a planner, supervisor and responsible for the firm s worker comes to successfully implement what determines the profitability of the firm. Some people are born leaders, others are further studying the art of management. What should be the manager? Many of these qualities of aRead MoreWhat Makes a Good Manager978 Words  | 4 Pagesconducts, supervises or manages a business or household affairs is known as manager. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (2010), Manager is the person responsible for controlling or administering an organization or group of staff. However, there is a big difference between being a manager and being a â€Å"good†manager. A good manager should have some very basic qualities. He or she must have a strong communication skills, good imagination, high level of energy, problem solving skills, different typeRead MoreWhat Makes A Good Manager?1147 Words  | 5 Pagesa set of skills and competencies which make shape that person into what is he. What defines a person is his personality and this personality shapes a manager’s effectiveness in a workplace. I feel that maintainin g a positive work ethic is always a choice for anyone and it’s certainly not a result of the personality type. There are certain traits for every personality and those traits show the true person. Like for example, I feel that in a workplace a manager needs a certain set of skills and needsRead MoreWhat Makes a Good Manager1009 Words  | 5 PagesWhat Makes a Good Manager? I have had a total of 6 managers over the course of 21 years. By now I have a very solid idea of which qualities a good manager should possess. I have run from one extreme to the other, my worst manager was fired for stealing, and my best manager has been promoted 4 times since I last worked there, and is an outstanding asset to the company. The basic understanding that a manager needs to have is an objective view. This is extremely difficult to do as emotionsRead MoreWhat Makes A Good Manager?1046 Words  | 5 Pagesdecades. When Jack Welch was asked, â€Å"What makes a good manager?†, this was his response: â€Å"I prefer the term â€Å"business leader.†Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion. Above all else, though, good leaders are open. They go up, down, and around their organization to reach people. They don’t stick to the established channels. They’re informal. They’re straight with people. They make a religion out of being accessibleRead MoreWhat Makes A Good Manager?1310 Words  | 6 Pagesa set of skills and competencies which make shape that person into what is he. What defines a person is his personality and this personality shapes a manager’s effectiveness in a workplace. I feel that maintaining a positive work ethic is always a choice for anyone and it’s certainly not a result of the personality type. There are certain traits for every personality a nd those traits show the true person. Like for example, I feel that in a workplace a manager needs a certain set of skills and needsRead MoreA Better Manager : What Makes A Good Manager?1417 Words  | 6 PagesA Better Manager 1 Conflict is when you are coming into a disagreement or an argument that may arise. As a manager in a workforce, that manager should always expect to have some sort of conflict; whether it is with other managers or subordinates that work under that management. There is very difference situation in which makes a good manager versus what makes a bad manager. For instance, most successful managers come from life experience such as learning the techniques of handlingRead MoreWhat Makes A Good Manager Or Good Leader?2046 Words  | 9 PagesPrinciples of Management What qualities are needed to be a good manager or good leader? There are many differing theories and approaches to defining and understanding management and what makes up a good leader. Some theories believe that individuals were born with a natural instinct to manage or lead people, while other theories believe it is a learned skill through education and or developed the skills over years of experience. Whereas leadership appears and looks differently for everyone, thereRead MoreWhat Makes a Good and a Bad Manager?837 Words  | 3 PagesIntroduction Why do some individuals become good managers while others do not? Lack of good managerial skills contributes to poor management. The issue is that these individuals have not developed the required skills and behavior because they had not had any formal training on managerial skills. In most cases, people are promoted into managerial positions but they are not offered right support and development to fulfill their duties adequately. Most corporate professionals will find themselves inRead Moremanagement style essay973 Words  | 4 PagesHCS/325 August 26, 2014 Jennie Anderson Management Style Paper Many people believe they can either be a good or great manager. The actual reality to this is some people are actually not fit to be a manager either because they do not know what to do or because they do not know how to handle themselves. Throughout this paper, management styles will be discussed, and the qualities of a good manager. Management Management is usually the people that hold the business together. Whether it is making
Monday, December 9, 2019
Elements of Romantic Poetry Essay Example For Students
Elements of Romantic Poetry Essay Romanticism, according to these poets mainly was all about unabashed emotions. Wordsmith in his preface to the lyrical ballads defined romantic poetry as the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings These poets wrote mostly about Nature, William Wordsmith wrote about supernaturalism, believing in freedom and spontaneous creativity not order and imitation. He also emphasizes the omnipotence of the use of meter in poetry (which he views as one of the key features that differentiates poetry from prose) Canadian, a famous writer, defines Romanticism in A History of English Literature as, The Romantic spirit can be fined as an accentuated predominance of emotional life, provoked or directed by the exercise of imaginative vision, and in its turn stimulating or directing such exercise. Romantic poetry has many characteristics, with nature being the foremost element. Nature for them is a wellspring of inspiration, satisfaction and happiness. It is vital to note that all the romantic poets differed in their views about nature. Wordsmith is considered the great lover of nature. Wordsmith recognized nature as a living thing, teacher, god and everything. He was the true adorer of nature. Keats describes his love for nature in a simple poem the cricket and the grasshopper. He describes how during the warmth of the night you can hear the cricket chirping and it is a soothing sound. He describes the whistling of the kettle, Shells, another romantic poet views nature entirely from a different aspect. Where Wordsmith gives more off philosophical touch to nature, shells describes nature, its intellectual aspect. John Keats, another nature lover, adored nature for its sensuousness and beauty, not for its intellectual aspect or philosophical nature. In his poem ode to autumn he describes the autumn season, going deep into the nature, connecting it with real life, in awe of it. In his poem he describes autumn as Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness! Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with him how to load and bless With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run Escapism is another characteristic very evident in the poetry in the romantic era. Escapism is a term, which implies a writers failure to face the agonies of real life and take shelter somewhere else instead of fighting against the odds. Since most of the toes at that time wrote for the people, about the everyday miseries, they themselves too were inflicted upon by these miseries. They used this world as a sanction, as an escape from their everyday life. A very good example of this would be of John Keats who describes his feelings in Ode to Nightingale as Away! Away! For I will fly to thee,Not charioted by Bacchus and his parks, But on the viewless wings of Poesy. In this poem he mentions wanting to fly away with the nightingale. Melancholy is another aspect in the poems of the romantic era. The poets Just wanted to give vent o their feelings and emotions so that they ease their minds. They wanted to take a load of their minds. Or sometimes the poets Just talk about their reflections in life, keeping it simple. In Robert frosts poem stopping by the woods on a snowy evening, he reflects on his life. He implies even though when he turns old he must keep his promises in his last few lines. He says even though the woods are attractive in a sense he has liabilities to the outside world too, as he says woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. The Morals or encouragement is also a part of the elements of the romantic poetry. .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5 , .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5 .postImageUrl , .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5 , .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5:hover , .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5:visited , .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5:active { border:0!important; } .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5:active , .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5 .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ucb6739b3928f4fe732421cbef44be5d5:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Lord of the Rings-Return of the King EssayAs Robert frost writes in his the road not taken, that he followed a path which wasnt much treaded upon. He teaches us in this poem that there are always different routes and different choices in life, and it isnt necessary that we follow the same path others do. He teaches us to have a sense of differentiation and uniqueness to be the first one to initiate something, setting an example to follow. Imagination is another important element. S. T Coleridge, in his very famous poem Kabul Khan splays a magnificent work of imagination. This poem is solely about the great conqueror Kabul Khans imaginary palace. The poet talks about the river flowing beside his awe inspiring palace. He talks about the fertile lands, about greenery, about the sacred river hitting hard against the rocks. Alpha, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. So twice five miles of fertile ground With walls and towers were girdled round; And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills, Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree; And here were forests ancient as the hills, Enfolding sunny spots of greenery. Where He further goes on to describing Kabul Khan as a powerful warrior saying And all who heard should see them there, And all should cry, Beware! Beware! His flashing eyes, his floating hair! Supernaturalism is another important feature of romantic poetry. Most of the romantic poets used supernatural elements in their poetry. Supernaturalism is a unique trait of romantic poets. They used supernatu ralism not Just for the creation o horror and awe; rather, they used it for the pleasure of the reader. Samuel Coleridge is the leading romantic poet in this regard. His poem, Kabul Khan is the most romantic poem in the history of English literature. It is completely the product of his imagination. The whole poem is a collection of supernatural elements. Subjectivity and idealization about women and children were two other elements. Most poems did not contain only one element, they contained a blend of many elements. Kabul khan, for example, contained imagination, melancholy and supernaturalism. The poems of this era were for pleasure for knowledge of the past and for moral lessons. There is much to learn from this golden era, much to ponder upon.
Monday, December 2, 2019
Raising Finance Essay Example
Raising Finance Essay Raising Finance Source of finance Description of source of finance Advantages Disadvantrages Personal sources Peronal sources tend to be the first form of finance used by very small firms. And important personal source of finance is the savings that the entrepreneur accumulated before starting up the business. #Savings are a cheap form of finance as they do not involve paying any interest. #1Jsing savings enables the owner to keep control of the business. This is especially valuable to those owners who are choosing to run a business partly so they can enjoy the independence it gives them. Setting up a new business is always risky. With high failure rates among new businesses, there is a good chance that an entrepreneur will quickly lose savings that have taken a long time to accumulate. #Many entrepreneurs do no have sufficient savings to finance a new business. Older people are more likely to have accumulate savings but it is often the young who have the most innovative ideas Ordinary share capital Ordinary Share Capital are the resources supplied to the company (equity capital) through the issuance of ordinary shares. Ordinary shares refer to certificates/ ecurities enabling owners to possess a portion of the company through contributing to the equity capital of the company in the primary stock exchange market, i. e. first- hand trading of shares. Ordinary Share Capital also contribute to a part of the shareholders funds #Shareholders have the right to vote #Shareholders have the ability to elect the board of directors #Shareholders are able to buy as many new stocks as possible #Share prices fluctuate a lot, which short term oriented investors find very distressing. Some companies go broke, and due to the occasional dishonest auditor you wont be able to see it coming. Therefore you need to diversify a lot, though this is easyto do since you can buy small amounts of shares. #Shares require analysis and hard work if you are going todo better than average. Venture capital Venture Capital is the capital provided by firms of professionals who invest alongside management in young,rapidly growing compan ies have the potential for high growth. We will write a custom essay sample on Raising Finance specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Raising Finance specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Raising Finance specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Thus a Venture Capitalist (VC) may provide theseed capital for unproven ideas, products or technology-oriented firms. The VC may also invest in a firm unableto raise finance through conventional means. Venture capitalists provide companies with ongoing strategic, operational and financial advice. They will typically have nominee directors appointed to the companys board and often become intimately involved with the strategic direction of the company. Venture capitalists can introduce the company to an extensive network of strategic partners both domestically and internationally and may also identify potential acquisition targets for the business and facilitate the acquisition. #Most venture capitalists seek to realise their investment in a company in three to five years. If an entrepreneurs capital may not be appropriate. #Venture capitalists are typically more sophisticated and may drive a harder bargain. Venture capitalists are more likely to want to influence the strategic directi on of the company. #Venture capitalists are more likely to be interested in taking control of the company if the management is unable to drive the business. Loan capital such as bank loans Loan capital may be obtained from a bank or finance company as long-term loans, or from debt-equity investors in the form of debentures or preferred stock (preference hares), and is usually secured by a fixed and/or floating charge on the companys assets. Unlike debt capital, it does not include short-term loans (such as overdraft). Also called borrowed capital. #A bank loan can be secured quickly; in less than an hour, a qualified borrower can complete a bank loan transaction. #A bank loan can be used in a number of ways; money can be borrowed for many large-ticket items, such as furniture, vehicles or home renovations. #Some loans carry a prepayment penalty, preventing the borrower from paying the note off early without incurring extra cost. There are a number of limitations on the transaction. Good credit is often required to borrow money, and there are stipulations on how the money can be used. Borrowing too much money can lead to decreased cash flow and payments can even overtake income in some cases; this is why many loan payments are limited to a certain percentage of a borrowers income. Bank overdrafts Bank overdraft) a short term loan taken out by a company or individual that is normally repayable on demand. #A bank loan can be secured quickly; in less than an hour, a qualified borrower can complete a bank loan transaction.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Is it Ever OK to Tell Your Boss Youre Looking for a New Job
Is it Ever OK to Tell Your Boss Youre Looking for a New Job It can be tricky when you’re job hunting and trying to keep it a secret from your boss and fellow employees. You might have to resort to fake doctor appointments or a family emergency to get time off for interviews. In another roadblock, your current job can prevent you from listing coworkers or members of management as recommendations on your resume. Is there any professional way to tell your boss you’re job hunting to make it easier for yourself?Examine Why You’re Job HuntingBefore checking out those job search sites, you may want to ask yourself why you are planning on finding a new job. Ask yourself if you are looking for a larger salary, more responsibilities, or are using the opportunity to switch career paths. One way to examine your reasons for job hunting is to create a list of positive and negative points of your current job. After completing the list, you will have a good idea why you really want a change.Times When You Can Tell Your Bos sActually, there are times when you can tell your boss you are job hunting without many problems. For example, if your spouse has taken a job in a different city and you are forced to move, it’s fine to share your news. Perhaps you have bought a new house on the other side of town, and the commute would add too much time to your daily routine. Or maybe you have health problems that could force you to take a job with less stress, or your spouse just retired and you want to work closer to home. Logistical reasons for a job change are fine to share with your boss.Think about the Repercussions FirstHaving a good relationship with your employer can make telling him or her a possibility. In some instances, if you are an employee who knows you are valued, you might be offered a raise, another position in the company, or added responsibilities as an enticement to get you stay with the job. However, whether you tell your boss is strictly a judgment call. If you call it wrong, yo u could be out looking for a job earlier than you had planned and without the backup of your current position.Timing is EverythingYou’ve been on several interviews and the hiring manager is talking about when you start your new job. Is it time to inform your boss and put in your resignation? Until you have actually signed the contract for your new job, you should hold off on telling your current employer. You aren’t actually hired until those papers are signed, and someone else might come along and snag the new job you thought you had. When your new contract is signed, then is the time to tell your employer. It is also a good idea to let your new employer know that you need to give notice to your current boss with enough time for a replacement to be hired to fill your position. Your new boss will appreciate your courtesy.Knowing when to tell your current employer that you are job hunting can be an important consideration to protect yourself. Job hunting with the abi lity to find all the listings that suit your position is also important, and there are easier ways than searching through job classifieds. TheJobNetwork can help. After you fill out your work interests and qualifications, TheJobNetwork searches 24-hours a day for listings that match your description and sends those listings to you as an email alert. All you do is sign up for job match alert to get started.
Saturday, November 23, 2019
SAT - PrepScholar 2016 Students Encyclopedia
SAT - PrepScholar 2016 Students' Encyclopedia SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The SAT is one of two major tests used for admission to 4-year colleges and universities in the United States. Colleges selecting for academic ability often use the SAT, or its counterpart, the ACT, as acriticalfactor when deciding whether or not to grant admission to prospective students. Table of Contents IntroductionFunctionOverall StructureCritical ReadingMathematicsWritingSAT Question TypesSAT LogisticsSAT PreparationSAT Scoring and PercentilesSAT / ACT ComparisonsSAT History Editor's Note: This article is the home page of the SAT PrepScholar's Students' Encyclopedia, 2016 Edition. This guide is updated annually to provide an encyclopedic range of facts on SAT topics with a focus on content relevant to students and parents. Introduction In addition to measuring academic ability, the SAT is meant to evaluate students' college readiness. Its Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing sections are designed to test the skills of math and literacy that students need to succeed in college level courses.Students may prepare for the SAT through their classroom learning and SAT-specific preparation, which may involve SAT books, tutoring, and/or online prep programs. Over 1.67 million high school graduatesin the class of 2014 tookthe SAT. Some middle school students also take the SAT as practice or to qualify for talent competitions, like the Duke Talent Identification Program and Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth program. The SAT is administered by the nonprofit organization, College Board. The current version of the SAT, which consists of three sections and allows for a maximum composite score of 2400, has been in place since 2005. Starting in March of 2016, a redesigned version of the test, commonly referred to as the new SAT, will be administered. The new SAT will feature changes in format, content, and question type, as well as returnto a pre-2005 1600 scoring system. According to College Board, these changes were made in order to more accurately reflect the skills students are learning in their classrooms, as well as to ensure greater equity in achievement across diversesocio-economic backgrounds. SAT commentators have noted that the new SAT will more closely resemble the ACT in many ways, perhaps reflecting College Board's attempt to remain competitive with the increasingly popular ACT. The current version of the SAT consists of three sections: Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing, which includes an essay. Each section is scored on a scale from 200 to 800 in 10 point increments. The lowest possible composite score is a 600 total, while the highest is a 2400 total. The sections aredivided into 25, 20, or 10 minute subsections, each of which is strictly timed. The total examtime is 3 hours and 45 minutes. The actual test-taking time is longer due to time given toproctor-led instructions and three 5 minute breaks. Students register for the SAT online through their College Board accounts. It is also possible to register by mail (this method of registration is required for students under the age of 13). The cost for students in the U.S. is $54.50, while international fees vary by country. Students for whom the registration fee presents a financial obstacle may be eligible for fee waivers, which waive both the cost of the test and official score reports sent to colleges. Students with documented disabilities may also request special accommodations, the most common of which is additional time. In the U.S., the SAT is offered seven times throughout the year, in January, March (or April), May, June, October, November, and December. Technically, students may register for and take the SAT an unlimited number of times.At least half of all students take the SAT twice, with others opt to take the SAT additional times. Students may use College Board's Score Choice to report only the score reports of their choice to colleges unless the college is one of the few that don't allow Score Choice. Students are statistically likely tosee score improvements when they retake the test. SAT preparation has also been shown to lead to significant score improvementson the test. Function The SAT is meant to be a standardized assessment of the academic and reasoning skillsthat students need to succeed in college. Muchof a college application is based on local data, such asGPA and course selection. The SAT is largely used to give anational perspective to students'abilityand college readiness. Many 4-year colleges and universities in the U.S. require the SAT or ACT as part of students' applications. Admissions officers consider SAT scores alongside other aspects of a student's application, including his/her grades, extracurricular involvement, teacher and counselor recommendations, and personal essay. Schools differ in how they consider SAT scores, soit benefits students to research their colleges' policies and incorporate theminto their SAT preparation and test-taking schedules...[Read more here] Overall Structure The SAT has three main sections, Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing. It tests the skills of reading comprehension, problem-solving with algebra, geometry, and probability, rules of English grammar, and expositorywriting. The main sections are divided into a total of ten subsections, which might be 10, 20, or 25 minutes in length. One of these sections is experimental, or variable, and is used to develop material for future tests and ensure scoring accuracy. The experimental section is unscored and may be Critical Reading, Math, or Writing. The SAT is allmultiple choice questions, with the exception of a 25 minute essay and ten student-produced Mathematics questions.Each section is scored on a scale from 200 to 800, with a maximum possible composite score of 2400. The entire test is 3 hours and 45 minutes, though administration is typically about 4.5 hours to include instructions and breaks...[Read more here] Critical Reading The Critical Reading section tests students' skills of reading comprehension and understanding of vocabulary. Itpresents short, long, and paired passages and asksquestions about main purpose, author perspective, and vocabulary, among otherquestiontypes. Critical Reading questions also require the ability to understand relationships within sentences and to insert appropriate vocabulary words when prompted. Critical Reading comprises 70 minutes with two 25 minute sections and one 20 minute section. It asks 48 passage-based questions and 19 sentence completions. Typical preparation for this section involves a review of literary terms, studying high level vocabulary words, and taking timed practice tests...[Read more here] Mathematics The Mathematics section of the SAT asks students to solve problems by applying or combining skills from pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, and probability. Interpretation of data from graphs and charts is also tested. Students who have taken a high school level algebra and geometry class have likely learned the requisite concepts to succeed on the SAT Math section. There are two 25 minute sections and one 20 minute section in SAT Math. In total, these sections contain 44 multiple choice and 10 student-produced questions, commonly referred to as grid-in questions. Students are allowed to use a calculator on this section, though most questions do not require complex calculations...[Read more here] Writing The Writing section targets skills of English grammar and essay writing. To succeed in this section, students must be able to identify and revise grammatical errors and improve the sequence of ideas within paragraphs. Highly scoring essays typically follow a 5 paragraph structure and support a clear point of view with well-developedand relevant examples. The Writing section consists of a 25 minute essay and 25 minute and 10 minute multiple choice sections. The essay is always the first section on the SAT, and the 10 minute multiple choice section is always last. Students receive a subscore for their essay, which counts for approximately 30% of their Writing section score. The multiple choice makes up the remaining 70%...[Read more here] SAT Question Types There are a total of 170 questions on the SAT, plus the essay. 160 of these questions are multiple choice, each with five answer choices. The other 10 are student-produced math questions, which are answered in a special section of the answer sheet.Most questions are arranged in order of increasing difficulty, with the exception of passage-based Critical Reading questions, which follow chronologically with the passage(s) to which they refer. SAT score reports show students how many questions they answered correctly and incorrectly by question type and difficulty level. Students can alsorequest College Board's Question and Answer service for an additional fee, which will give them a detailed report of how they answered each individual question on their test...[Read more here] SAT Logistics The SAT is offered seven times throughout the year, in January, March (or April), May, June, October, November, and December. The spring date, which alternatelyfalls in March or April, is not available internationally.The cost of the SAT is $54.50 and students typically register online through their College Board accounts. Students may request fee waivers if the test poses a financial barrier, as well as accommodations for documented disabilities. Additional fees apply for late registration, standby testing, registration changes, scores by telephone, or Question and Answer service. In order to report their scores to colleges, students must send official score reports through College Board. Depending on their colleges' policies, students may be able to use College Board's Score Choice option to select which score reports are sent...[Read more here] SAT Preparation SAT preparation has been shown to lead to score improvements on the test. The main methods of test preparation are self-studying from books, SAT classes, one-on-one tutoring, and, more recently, online programs (which may contain a one-on-one tutoring component). All of these approaches have strengths and weaknesses, and students benefit from choosing the method that is most effective for them....[Read more here] SAT Scoring and Percentiles Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale from 200 to 800. The minimum composite score is 600, while themaximum is 2400. Students receive one point for every correct answer, zero points for skipped answers, and a deduction of 0.25 points for wrong answers. Their raw scores areconverted to scaled scores through a process called equating, which takes into account the performance of all students who took the test on a given administration. In addition to their scaled scores, students receive a percentile ranking that compares their results with other students. Colleges rarely publicize that they requirea minimum SAT score, but they dotypically release data on the average SAT scores of accepted students. (Full article to come soon!)...[Read more here] SAT / ACT Comparisons The SAT and ACT are accepted equally by colleges as admissions tests. Historically, students on the East and West coasts took the SAT and Midwestern students took the ACT. More recently, the number of test-takers for each exam isapproximately equal. While both tests are meant to measure academic ability and college readiness, they differ in content, format, scoring, and overall structure. Students benefit from choosing the test that will help them achieve the stronger score for their college applications. (Full article to come soon!)...[Read more here] SAT History The SAT was first administered to college applicants in 1926. It was developed from an Army intelligence test used for recruitment during World War I. The SAT was initially developed in order to assess students' abilitiesregardless of social or financial background. The SAT has undergone numerous changes and revisions throughout the years, with a significant redesign set to take effect in March of 2016. The SAT has been at the center of both controversies and cheating scandals. Critics of the test maintain that it favors students from uppersocio-economic backgrounds whose parents have a high level of educational attainment. College Board maintains that the SAT is a fair standardized assessment of students' skills and college readiness, and that the redesigned SAT will further align with the content knowledge and skills students are learning within their classrooms...[Read more here]
Thursday, November 21, 2019
The safety of nuclear power generation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
The safety of nuclear power generation - Essay Example Fig 1 shows the few instances of nuclear accidents as compared to the cumulative years the reactors have been in operation. The report will focus on the underlying causes involved in the three disasters in order to reveal the most effective ways of ensuring that human life is not lost again due to nuclear accidents. The accident at Three Mile Island (TMI 2) that occurred in 1979 was caused by a combination of equipment failure and the inexperience of the plant operators (World Nuclear Association 2013 p. 1). The nuclear professionals failed to understand the heat condition of the reactor at pivotal moments during the event (World Nuclear Association 2013 p.1). As a result, their response was ineffective. A gradual loss of cooling water to the heat-producing core in the reactor caused a partial melting of the fuel rod cladding. In addition, the uranium fuel was also affected. As a result, a small amount of radioactive material was released. The Chernobyl accident was caused by a flawed reactor design. The accident occurred during a test for emergencies because operators were trying to determine what would happen to a reactor if a power outage occurred (Mara 2011, p. 15). The reactor had a large positive void coefficient. The void coefficient refers to the response of a nuclear reactor in case of increased steam formation in the water coolant. The second flaw involved the design of the rods that were expected to slow down reactions in the rector. The lower part of the control rods was made of graphite. In addition, it was shorter than the conventional design. The design led to the increase of power output. The practice achieved unintended results, a fact that was clearly unknown to the reactor operators. In contrast, the Fukushima power plants had an excellent design. When the authorities learned about the impending storm, they executed a
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Food safety Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1
Food safety Assignment - Essay Example In food establishments, MSDS sheets are important because they illustrate the various physical and physical properties of the particular hazardous product in use. This information is essential because it informs the user about the toxicity of the substance, safe procedures of usage and appropriate methods of storage and disposal. Food establishments use a diversity of chemicals to prepare various dishes. OSHA requires the MSDS sheet written in English and to include information about the hazardous substance used in food establishments and other working places. The MSDS sheet should include the name of the chemical as indicated in the label from the manufacturer and the common names used for that particular substance. In addition, the sheet should list the ingredients used to make the hazardous substance and list the health hazards of each toxic ingredients used in the substance, including whether they are carcinogenic or have other adverse medical effects. The provision of this infor mation on MSDS sheets improves the safety of both the employees and the consumers of the products in food establishments. Knowledge of the hazardous substance minimizes accidents associated with improper use such as using excess amounts, errors in applying it for unintended purposes and lack of wearing or observing the appropriate precautionary measures while using the product. Cleaning entails the removal of the dirt such as food, soil, rust stains, minerals from a surface and it is achieved by using a cleaning agent that has the ability to remove the particular dirt. Some of the common food contact surfaces in food establishments that attract the dirt include dishes, chopping boards, utensils, cutleries among others appliances. There are four different classes of cleaning agents, including detergents, acid, solvent and abrasive
Sunday, November 17, 2019
The Impact of the FCAT-based learning system on English Language Learners Essay Example for Free
The Impact of the FCAT-based learning system on English Language Learners Essay The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) is a high stakes mandatory evaluation for students in elementary public schools in the state of Florida. It is famed for gains in student achievement and teacher accountability. On the flip side, it is dreaded for test anxiety in students, and a state administered bonus incentive to top performing schools among other flaws. It is unfair to subject non-English speakers to the FCAT. As defined in section 1001.56 of the Florida Statutes; English Language Learners (ELLs) means Limited English Proficient. These are individuals who do not speak English as their primary language and who have a limited ability to read, speak, write, or understand English. (Florida Administrative Weekly). The researcher admits that they did not factor in ELLs in their survey questions. However he compensates for this with a recommendation as well as a good number of insightful comments from respondents. This could be a pointer that ELLs could be ignored by the Florida state education system. This could lead to protests and hate speech from minorities. A respondent commented: It is ridiculous for second language learners to take the FCAT as soon as they enter the country! Research indicates it takes as many as six years for students to be able to reason and express themselves in writing in a second language! FCAT standards have been found to be failing under the rules of the federal ‘No Child Left Behind’ legislation. This mandatory test exacerbates the school drop out problem in Florida.(FCAT Project) In conclusion the FCAT system is not fair to ELLs. There are other tests like ACT, SAT in line with Sunshine State Standards (Florida Department of Education) that can be used. If this system is to be popular, then policy makers need to work on its flaws. Works Cited â€Å"Accommodations of the Statewide Assessment Program Instruments and Procedures for English Language Learners.†Florida Administrative Weekly and Florida Administrative Code. May 5, 2009, May 7, 2010. https://www.flrules.org/gateway/RuleNo.asp?id=6A-6.09091
Thursday, November 14, 2019
A Journey Through Writing :: essays research papers
Writing is and essential part of communication in our society. Soon after children are taught the letters that make up our English language, they are taught the basics of formatting them into effective writing. On the job, usually no matter what it is we usually can’t escape the written application, and we almost always find ourselves in a position which warrants the use of food communication skills. Among theses common forms of writing, others are integrated within the daily lives of people around the world. Some people choose to keep journals as a permanent hardcopy of their existence, and others like to write professionally. No matter what the occasion, there are always a few basics that can make your writing better understood, and more openly accepted.      In this essay I will explore some of the various writings that I have done, and compare and contrast them to some of the more formal writing laws that have been bestowed upon the craft. The coy bought the bat. Such a simple sentence that I have written so many times in the past in my more youthful days. Sentences like this at the time seem like redundant practice exercises, and they are. But when we grow up (literally speaking) and face the real world, we come to appreciate the process greatly. In that sentence we have all the basics or written communication, and then some. Amongst the noun and subject and so on, you find alliteration for example. Alliteration, when used correctly can be a powerful way to enhance your writing, and make it seem more sophisticated. And that’s what everyone wants to do right, come off as intelligently as possible.      Let’s explore that in a little more depth. When I am writing on an assignment, or some other formal; type of writing, the style is usually much different. For example I don't try to use fancy techniques and a whole lot of jargon to sound good, I just write. On the flip side, I don't like using poor language and slang terms in formal writing. It just seems to be more appropriate the way that I do it. But, there is a limit. For instance, the more technical terms and jargon that you insert the more people that you exclude and possibly turn off from your work. Most likely if you are looking in a dictionary or a thesaurus all of the time, other people will have to do the same, and most would rather not go through the trouble.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
The deforestation on amazon
Thatiana SalinasDeforestation is a longer-term change of the forest to several other sorts of ecosystems, for illustration agricultural or residential land. Sometimes, on the other manus, the name is used as an indicant to some state of affairss in which woods are concerned, for case by distinct crop, even if another forest accordingly regenerates in its topographic point. A assortment of human activities consequences in net losingss of forest country and accordingly contributes to some of the causes of deforestation. One of the primary grounds for deforestation can be the construct of new agricultural land and an untenable harvest home of trees. Today, Brazil rain woods, and the 1000000s of animals that live within them, are in danger. Earths largest rain wood is found on the Amazon River in South America. It is 5.2 square kilometres in size. Taking up merely 6 to 7 per centum of the planet ‘s land surface. It is home to more than half of the universe ‘s animate being and works species. Scientists believe that several species become nonextant every twenty-four hours. Extinction is taking topographic point because the rain woods are being destroyed. About one and a half square stat mis of Amazon rain forest, is destroyed every hr. Although, one of the most of import planetary environmental issues today is the deforestation in Brazils rain forests ; Trees are being cut down at increasingly higher and higher rates. If this is non stopped many critical side effects could ensue. During the past 40 old ages, about 20 per centum of the Amazon rain forest has been cut down. Since early European colonisation began in the Amazon more than 450 old ages ago, less trees were cut down in that whole clip than the past 40 old ages. Countless others suffer uncertainness and fright, as their lives are being threatened by those who want to gain from the larceny of land and lumber. Deforestation in Amazonia has proceeded with a sequence of assorted forces in different epochs. An epoch known as â€Å"The Amazon Rubber Boom†lasted from 1880 during the creative activity of the pneumatic tyre to the start of the commercial production of gum elastic from plantations in 1914 in Southeast Asia. Much of the agricultural land was discarded to inferior forest when the gum elastic roar collapsed. The expression of altered or ruined countries in Amazonia is straight connected to the patterned advance of human business. Human engagement in the wood is centuries-old ; they would do usage of the trees for wood or the woods non-wood merchandises, or for the public presentation of conventional slash-and-burn agribusiness and barbarous cattle-raising. A good portion of business began in the early 1940s, by the creative activity of the â€Å"Superintendence of the Plan for the Economic Valorization of Amazonia or SPVEA.†The major achievement was the building of the Belem-Brasilia main road in the sixtiess, which in add-on, started the pattern of disforesting near the roads for the constitution of small towns and colonies. Quickly, extra roads were constructed with revenue enhancement clauses, such as the Trans-Amazonia Highway, were formed for small-scale agribusiness and concentrated cattle-raising in those colonies. Finally, by the mid-1970s the decentralized rural-model had failed, a program of large-scale undertakings was implemented as an option with a significant add-on of financess toward largely the extraction of wood, cattle-raising, energy-manufacturing enterprises and the excavation of ore. As a consequence, the most of import development undertakings such as â€Å"Polamazonia†and â€Å"Grande Carajas†reciprocally came to be with the gap of the Belem-Brasilia main road. These undertakings contributed to the deforestation of the Amazon. This signifier of advancement based on large-scale undertakings that are still in action such as the alleged â€Å"axes of regional development†, â€Å"Avanca Brazil†and â€Å"Brazil em Acao†, besides related to the gap and pavement of roadways, by a highly controversial environmental impact vs. benefit rate. The societal factors are infinite and hard to understand. We all have heard plenty information and concerns about salvaging the Brazilian rain forest, but few of us, outside the scientific group of people in fact understand why a group of trees in South America are of import to us. Fewer still recognize the societal, and finally economic, costs that will roll up now and when the rain forest of Amazonia is wiped from the face of the Earth. One of the primary grounds of deforestation in Brazil ‘s Amazon is the harvest home of its timber, but there are several other grounds for the same issue. Commercial lumbermans devastate monolithic countries of the forest to reap the trees they want. Not merely are the trees torn down but their lianas and vines are torn down with them every bit good, that are connected to other trees. As these are lacerate down, these lianas and vine signifier immense canopies above the forest floor come down with them every bit good. As the short pantss of these trees are removed it is believed that they cause extra harm to anything in their way as they are heedlessly pulled throughout the rain forest. The extra weight of the big machinery besides compact ‘s the soft dirt of the Amazon with their big piece of lands, doing it about impossible to reconstruct itself to its natural province. A major menace to Brazil ‘s biodiversity is commercial agribusiness as the agriculture of soya beans and raising cowss are among some of the most terrible instances of deforestation in the Amazon. Indefensible subsistence agriculture is besides believed to endanger the Amazon. At one point in clip, many colonists who migrated to Brazil were encouraged to settle in the part of the Amazon. As they began farming they continued to farm utilizing the procedures they learned from where they were from alternatively of accommodating the manner they would farm. Unfortunately the manner they farmed the land which was suited for other dirts and climes, they were non equal for the Amazon country. Resulting in migrators being forced to relocate go oning to do what is believed as a rhythm of devastation, because the land productiveness in the Amazon normally declines aggressively after approximately three to four old ages. In the wood, excavation is besides a subscriber due to the big equipment that is known to interrupt life in the country, which besides forces the native folks to populate elsewhere and pollutes the air. As an illustration, hydroelectric dikes have been built in Brazil because its authorities had feared of an energy deficit. Due to this fear several big countries of the Amazon were leveled to construct the energy bring forthing dikes. The edifice of these dikes developed concerns of eroding around the country. The adjacent animate beings and folks to the dikes were forced to travel. An eruption of several H2O borne diseases due to the dikes caused taint in the country. During a 3 twelvemonth survey in Sao Paulo, Brazil, referenced as the â€Å"The Greenpeace study – Butchering the Amazon†is a elaborate expression into the states cattle industry, the state ‘s chief supply of CO2 emanations every bit good as the largest individual driving beginning of deforestation on record anywhere in the universe. Deforestation is considered so unsafe due to the C dioxide that is produced by all states and is turned into O in the forest photosynthesis. The survey exposed the Brazilian authorities ‘s engagement in bankrolling deforestation of the Amazon, every bit good as bring outing many of the top name shoe trade names need for leather – such as Adidas, Nike, Reebok, and Timberland, may hold caused cattle ranchers to illicitly and unjustly slaughter animate beings in the Amazon. Besides mentioned in the study â€Å"Slaughtering the Amazon†, the trailing of leather, beef, and other related cowss merchandises that are manufactured by spreads that are besides involved in condemnable and illegal deforestation of the Amazon as they supply these merchandises to processing workss, distributors, and in conclusion the consumer populace. This study besides uncovers the demand to stop deforestation in the Amazon for its cattle population and the critical demand of holding people, industry, and authoritiess jointly cooperate to set up a cosmopolitan solution that protects our tropical woods to assist command the result of alterations to our clime better known as Global Warming. Brazil ‘s rain wood is known to hold the 4th largest emmittence of nursery gasses in the universe which is mostly in portion of deforestation-related emanations. Rain woods are critical to making a balance to the universe ‘s clime due to the fact that they can hive away such a monolithic supply of C. In our Earths forest there is about 150 per centum more C stored than there is in the Earth ‘s ambiance. It is likely that in the Brazil rain forest, it is believed to hive away someplace about 80 to 120 billion dozenss of C. It is besides believed that if the Amazon were to no longer be, due to deforestation, it would let go of someplace in the country of 50 times the one-year nursery gas emanations that is produced in United States. If we want to besides forestall black alteration in clime, we need to continue our universe ‘s rain forests. Deforestation of our tropical rain woods can be responsible for up to 20 per centum of the universe ‘s nursery gas ema nations, bring forthing more than all the autos, trains, planes, trucks, and ships in the combined in the universe today combined. This is precisely why organisations as Greenpeace are buttonholing for a Zero Deforestation in the Amazon. Greenpeace is besides buttonholing for world-wide solutions to forestalling deforestation every bit good as clime alteration. The rain forest is one of the oldest and most diverse ecosystems in the universe. Very few ecosystem biomes that were in being during the clip of the dinosaurs still exist today, but scientists say that the rain forests is one of them. This big country of clip has allowed animate beings and workss to germinate into an astonishing array of vegetations and zoologies of every colour, form, size, texture, and familial sequence. 25 per centum of prescription drugs used in the United States came from workss in the rain forest. Because the huge bulk of the Amazon rain forest has non been catalogued, the exact figure of species in the Amazon rain forest is unknown. The World Bank estimates that. 10 per centum of all the universe ‘s species live in the Brazilian Amazon and most of them are found merely in that country. Despite the attempts of our authoritiess and many environmental groups, such as Greenpeace, the devastation of the Brazils rain wood has continued and has all but slowed it down for old ages. There are many grounds that salvaging the Amazon is immensely of import for many grounds. First, in the United States entirely about 25 per centum of the pharmaceuticals come from the workss in the Amazon. The Amazon rain wood besides plays a major function in the forms of our conditions†¦ .globally. Last but non least, the Amazon rain wood is the place for 1000s of different sorts of workss, mammals, and birds. Destroying the Amazon means destructing the different signifiers of life that inhabit it. The legion menaces to the Amazon are can include commercial logging, urban growing, and international corporations. In the recent old ages, some advancement has been made in the battle to salvage the Amazon rain wood. In April 1998, a new enterprise established a protected country of 25 million hectares ( 62 million estates ) , with programs to increase this protected country in the hereafter. Brazil is a land of extraordinary beauty and uncomparable biological diverseness. Due to this ground, deforestation in the Amazon is peculiarly distressing. As the losingss to our environment and the debasement of the rain forests have avoided acquiring to the point of ruin, the on-going disappearing of wild lands and loss of species is dismaying. Biodiversity is what makes life on Earth habitable for all signifiers of life. By extinguishing hotbeds of biodiversity, such as the Amazon rain forest, we are non merely destructing a portion of the universe but besides a portion of our ego. Biodiversity can reconstruct itself to its natural province after deforestation Michigans, until this happens ; the go oning loss of accomplished species will do the Earth a rather crowded, but lonely topographic point. History has shown that to reconstruct the biodiversity to the point it was prior to extinction happening it has been believed to take every bit much as five million old ages. Our actions today can make up one's mind if Earth will be biologically corrupted for the following 500 trillion or more worlds that will populate on the Earth during that future period of clip. In 2008 Brazil made an proclamation that it was traveling to do an attempt to cut down deforestation in the Amazon by up to 50 per centum in the following 10 old ages, this has led them to be opposed to forest beginnings, doing the statement that it allows states higher in wealth to non pay emanations cuts One of the jobs is how to measure up a wood ‘s present and future stock in C. Whether or non these credits, known as C credits, would be interchangeable with credits from other countries such as a power reproduction works, poses another inquiry. An easier solution would be to hold states receive a payment based on the size of the woods that exist in their ain land. If these states were to go on damaging woods, they would be denied entree to these payments. Another important obstruction would be the inquiry is the distribution of the money received from the credits earned by the forest states. Even though who has the right to the land is frequently disputed, merely because the autochthonal people would frequently hold no legal paperss. One of the concerns are that if local occupants do non profit from this plan, that they will be less willing to take part in the saving their woods. Brazil has already started an option to countervail the harm to its woods: Protection of the Amazon is an international fund. Through 2015 Norway has pledged more than 1 billion dollars to this fund. Norway has agreed to go on to donate more money every twelvemonth, but under the lone status that Brazil can go on to demo deforestation has reduced in from the old twelvemonth. As a consequence destitute households in Brazil can use can have assistance to help them in the Restoration and protection of the woods they own in an sum of upward to 1,500 dollars per twelvemonth. Brazil ‘s Government reported that as of June 2009 it was on gait to hold the lowest rate of deforestation in 20 old ages. The events that are doing deforestation are go oning while you are reading these words and equal the devastation of Earth natural catastrophes, such as, â€Å"global ice ages, planetal hits, atmospheric toxic condition, and fluctuations in solar radiation.†The ground is that these events that result in deforestation are being caused by worlds and our determinations. We are the last line of defence every bit good as the best hope for life as we know it on our planet. The world that Brazil ‘s rain forest is vanishing is incontestible. Whether it is traveling in fast or decelerate velocity does non count at this point. We, as a humanity society need to help and protect the rain forests non merely because of their beauty, but for the ground that how of import it is for our planet this balance with nature. As I mentioned before, the job does non impact merely Brazil, it is a large issue whose effects will impact each populating thing on this Earth. Except if we take action right now, because tomorrow can be excessively late.Plants CitedBeltra, Daniel. Greenpeace. 01 June 2009. 29 November 2009 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/slaughtering-the-amazon & gt ; . Butler, Rhett A. Mongabay – Amazon cowss ranching histories for half of Brazil ‘s CO2 emanations. 12 December 2009. 22 December 2009 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //news.mongabay.com/2009/1211-brazil_ranching.html & gt ; . Butler, Rhett A. Mongabay. 22 April 2009. 12 December 2009 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //news.mongabay.com/2009/0422-earth_day_pictures.html & gt ; . Montag, Helen. Coolearth. 01 January 2010 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.coolearth.org/337/news-32/rainforest-news-155/logging-activity-impacting-treasure-trove-indonesian-rainforests-1003.html & gt ; . Tulloch, James. Allianz. 31 August 2009. 12 December 2009 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //knowledge.allianz.com/en/globalissues/climate_change/climate_impacts/deforestation_emissions/article586.html & gt ; . Vieira, ICG. Brazilian Journal of Biology. 30 November 2008. 13 November 2009 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.scielo.br/scielo.php? script=sci_arttext & amp ; pid=S1519-69842008000500004 & A ; lng=e & A ; nrm=iso & A ; tlng=e & gt ; . Wallace, Scott. National Geographic. January 2007. 19 December 2009 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/last-of-amazon.html & gt ; . Butler, Rhett A. â€Å"Diversities of Image – Rainforest Biodiversity.†Mongabay.com / A Topographic point Out of Time: Tropical Rain forests and the Perils They Face. 9 January 2006. hypertext transfer protocol: //rainforests.mongabay.com/0305.htm. Dean, Warren. With Broadax and Firebrand: The Destruction of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. California: University of California Press, 1997. O'Connor, Geoffrey. Amazon Jornal. New York: Dutton, 1997. Siy, Alexandra. The Brazilian Rain Forest. New York: Dillon, 1992. Echeverria, Monica. Falling Amazon deforestation rates create chance for other damaged woods. 23 November 2009. 13 December 2009 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.worldwildlife.org/who/media/press/2009/WWFPresitem14352.html & gt ; . Greenpeace. 01 June 2009. 13 December 2009 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/slaughtering-the-amazon & gt ; . Lindsey, Rebecca. Earth Observatory: How Fire is transforming the Amazon. 8 June 2004. 16 December 2009 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/AmazonFire/ & gt ; . Carnegie Institution. â€Å"Breakthrough in Monitoring Tropical Deforestation Announced in Copenhagen.†ScienceDaily 11 December 2009. 17 December 2009 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.sciencedaily.comA /releases/2009/12/091210101359.htm & gt ; .
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Persuasive paper on video game violence Essay
Today’s youth live in a time where video games are a fixture of entertainment. Video game consoles are found in almost every home, including a child’s bedroom. I believe that the portrayal of violence in video games is not the reason for the increase of violent acts committed by and against youth. Parents and the government should understand it is not the fault of the game itself. Modern parents should be engaged in the messages their children are receiving from video games and the images they are allowing them to witness. Creating more laws and legislations surrounding the sale and content of video games will not provide the protection that parents think they will. I believe that parents who refuse to engage in the content their children are exposed to must educate themselves actively and be aware of what their children are observing when they play video games. They need to actively seek out information about the game and what types of content it contains before their children start to play. Parents should not solely rely on the rating provided by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), an independent board that provides ratings to video games. Games with the rating of Everyone, or â€Å"E†, contain mild violence. According to a study from the Journal of the American Medical Association where 55 video games were played, â€Å"27 games (49%) depicted deaths from violence†(Thompson and Haninger). Parents who do not take the time to learn about a game first risk their children killing in the game that is rated for â€Å"Everyone†. Children need their parents to talk with them and explain that what they are seeing is not real and that violence like that is not appropriate behavior. A study by the American Psychological Association found that game players self-reported that â€Å"game playing was found to elicit more fear than anger, depressed feeling, or pleasant relaxation, and respectively; however it elicited more joy than fear†(Ravaja, Saari and Turpeinen). Desire to commit violence was not one of them. Parents also need to set clear boundaries on what is appropriate and what is not for their children, based on their own beliefs. The violence portrayed in video games exists without a call to action. The games do not command players to go outside of the game and commit the same acts. It is also not the duty of lawmakers to limit accessibility or ban content all together because they fear that the violence could incite an incident. The British Medical Journal originally published findings from the United Kingdom Millennium Cohort Study. The study was conducted over 10 years and included more than 11,000 children. It â€Å"did not find associations between electronic games use and conduct problems, which could reflect the lower exposure to games and/or greater parental restrictions on age-appropriate content for games†(Parkes, Sweeting and Wright). Parents should determine what is right for their children and what is not. The boundaries of every family are different and need to be enforced by the parents. The creators and retailers of video games often become the scapegoat for lawmakers and government officials when a violent act occurs that involves or is perpetrated by youth. Parents rely on their legislators to take up their causes and seek out laws that will promote their cause. Regulating video games on their behalf is one of those causes. Legislative bodies across the country are looking for ways to prevent incidences of violence, especially gun violence like what occurred in Sandy Hook Elementary in Newton, Connecticut and the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. The state of New Jersey outlined a plan last year that included measures to limit and restrict how retailers merchandise games in retail outlets and would require parental consent for kids to purchase games rated â€Å"Mature†or â€Å"Adults Only†(Friedman). The state of Massachusetts also considered legislation that would assemble a group to â€Å"investigate the influence of violent video games and to find if there is a connection with real world violence†(GamePolitics Staff). However, these, and other laws being debated across the country, face a significant legal road block. Video game retailers already take precautions and preventative measures to keep certain games from being purchased by children and further regulation on a legal level is not needed. The Supreme Court heard Brown v. EMA, a case against California’s laws that restricted the sale of certain games to teenagers based on state’s determination that they were violent. The basis of the case came down to a First Amendment issue because California’s specifically singled out video games and no other form of media. The Court struck down California’s law and ruled â€Å"the games, like books and movies, are protected under the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech. The Supreme Court also said it found no convincing link between the games and real world violence†(Friedman). Justice Antonin Scalia stated, â€Å"Psychological studies purporting to show a connection between exposure to violent video games and harmful effects on children do not prove that such exposure causes minors to act aggressively†(Friedman). Regulation by the government is a clear-cut defense for parents who battle with their kids about certain games being purchased and played. It is easier to tell a child that they cannot have something because someone else restricts it and not because the parent forbids it. It means the child is not upset with the parent and diverts their displeasure. Parents do not have to be the â€Å"bad guy†because a law takes care of that for them. I have personally witnessed parents telling kids that they cannot purchase a particular game because it is too graphic or not for their age. Most of the children are less than pleased by the response and show it. I imagine most parents want to avoid that reaction from their child in a store. Creating legislation that the Supreme Court found infringes on the collective’s First Amendment rights or circumventing the current self-regulation of the video game retailers is not the solution. Today’s parents should stop seeking a solution for interference outside of their own decisions as a parent by increasing legislation on games. Parents to the next generation are severely taxed by the demands of day to day life. The one item that they cannot be relaxed about is the entertain they choose for their children. Buying a video game console and unleashing a child into the world of gaming is almost a rite of passage for parents, especially parents that grew up playing Super Mario Bros. It is unwise to do so without rules, boundaries, and some due diligence on their part. They should be educating themselves on the games and need to be reviewing game content information available from web sites like IGN. com. Parents should be supervising their kids playing the games that they may not be familiar with yet many do not. They should also be looking at what they can control in their own home, including utilizing parental control settings on the consoles themselves and restricting online and downloadable content. Parents should not lean on lawmakers to establish those confines for them nor does not lie in society’s hands. The ultimate responsibility lies with parents who are willing to unplug what video game content they do not want their child to play. Works Cited Friedman, Matt. â€Å"Game over? Christie’s plan to restrict video games would likely be overturned, experts say. †24 April 2013. NJ. com. Web. 3 March 2014. GamePolitics Staff. Massachusetts State Senator Proposes Study on Violent Video Games. 14 November 2013. Web. 3 March 2014. Parkes, Alison, et al. â€Å"Do television and electronic games predict children’s psychosocial adjustment? Longitudinal research using the UK Millennium Cohort Study. †British Medical Journal (2013). Web. Ravaja, Niklas, et al. â€Å"The Psychophysiology of James Bond: Phasic Emotional Responses to Violent Video Game Events. †American Psychological Association (2008): Vol. 8, No. 1, 114-120. Thompson, ScD, Kimberly M. and Kevin Haninger. â€Å"Violence in E-Rated Video Games. †Journal of the American Medical Association (2001). Web.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Free Essays on Philosophy Of Education
My Philosophy of Education As a teacher, my philosophy of education centers on the child and their development as a person. I feel it is most important that the student move toward becoming more independent. Students cannot become independent thinkers and individuals if the teacher is always the one to make decisions and tell the students what they are to do. I feel the main purpose of education is to allow the students to become responsible and productive citizens. My duty is to teach, of course, but in a facilitating manner as to guide the students into the learning rather than in an authoritative manner. This, however, does not mean that there is no organization or order in the classroom. I try to provide developmentally appropriate practices and experiences. According to Piaget, a great number in the researcher in the field of education, children at eight or nine years of age become more able to classify according to more than one variable, to rank order items in logical series, to understand that amounts of mass or liquids do not change just because their shape does, and to intellectually manipulate new and more complex relationships. Spoken and written communications improve as children complete their basic understanding of grammar. Also, even though students at this age have a much more mature understanding or many processes and relationships, it is still based on concrete reality. Learning takes place most successfully when concrete objects are present. Therefore, I believe in providing as many concrete learning experiences as possible for the students. I also feel students need to be exposed to as many creative experiences through much writing as well as art activities. Therefore, I will involve my students in lots of writing activities and art activities as well. Not only is writing important but reading and lots of it is very important. The more a child reads and is exposed to rich experiences;... Free Essays on Philosophy Of Education Free Essays on Philosophy Of Education My Philosophy of Education As a teacher, my philosophy of education centers on the child and their development as a person. I feel it is most important that the student move toward becoming more independent. Students cannot become independent thinkers and individuals if the teacher is always the one to make decisions and tell the students what they are to do. I feel the main purpose of education is to allow the students to become responsible and productive citizens. My duty is to teach, of course, but in a facilitating manner as to guide the students into the learning rather than in an authoritative manner. This, however, does not mean that there is no organization or order in the classroom. I try to provide developmentally appropriate practices and experiences. According to Piaget, a great number in the researcher in the field of education, children at eight or nine years of age become more able to classify according to more than one variable, to rank order items in logical series, to understand that amounts of mass or liquids do not change just because their shape does, and to intellectually manipulate new and more complex relationships. Spoken and written communications improve as children complete their basic understanding of grammar. Also, even though students at this age have a much more mature understanding or many processes and relationships, it is still based on concrete reality. Learning takes place most successfully when concrete objects are present. Therefore, I believe in providing as many concrete learning experiences as possible for the students. I also feel students need to be exposed to as many creative experiences through much writing as well as art activities. Therefore, I will involve my students in lots of writing activities and art activities as well. Not only is writing important but reading and lots of it is very important. The more a child reads and is exposed to rich experiences;... Free Essays on Philosophy Of Education Philosophy of Education â€Å"It seems to me that education has a two-fold function to perform in the life of man and in society: the one is utility and the other is culture. Education must enable a man to become more efficient, to achieve with increasing facility the legitimate goals of his life.†- Rev. Dr. Martin L. King Jr. (1948 Morehouse College) In my interpretation, this statement is the culmination of the ultimate goal of education in all societies and cultures. The differences lie in our specific philosophies or applications of educational philosophy, or in other words â€Å"an approach.†When evaluating my philosophy of education, my views are very clear but ever changing to the needs and standards of each specific situation, while fulfilling basic working knowledge. This philosophy entails a combination of essentialism and progressivism(Ryan you must be able to control them. You need to be firm yet loving. Not only do I desire that they learn the basics, but also learn other applicable life skills. The Purpose of Education The Encyclopedia Britannica of 1952 says the purpose of education is to raise up children to follow in their parent’s traditions with good success. People in all societies want their children to have the same values as their parents. That has been the traditional understanding of a good education. Reading, writing, arithmetic, and history are the tools we give our children to carry on the values we have established for them All societies and cultures, whether tribal, monarchical, dictatorial, democratic, or republican undertake the education of children as a primary function. But why do societies educate children? The ans...
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
WhiteSmoke Software Review
WhiteSmoke Software Review WhiteSmoke Software Review WhiteSmoke Software Review By Ali Hale Editors Note: WhiteSmoke has been a sponsor of the blog for a while, and we often get emails from readers asking how good their software are. That is why we decided to review it. But keep in mind we did not get paid to do it. Ali Hale did the review for us, and I asked her to be completely transparent with it. First Impressions I found WhiteSmoke very easy to install and get started with. It checks the grammar, spelling and readability of everything that you write (it will do this whilst running in the background, or you can load up the program directly). It’s a bit like a very advanced and more intelligent version of Microsoft Word’s spelling and grammar checker. I liked the way it automatically checked my typing in not only Microsoft Word but also in emails and when leaving comments using web forms. It caught a few potentially embarrassing typos before I had a chance to hit â€Å"send†or â€Å"submit††¦ Testing WhiteSmoke I tried running a few pieces of my regular writing through WhiteSmoke to see what it would say. This passage came from a piece I was writing for my blog The Office Diet: Now you know what calories are and you know how to figure out how many are in your food you just need to know how many you should be eating. WhiteSmoke suggested putting a comma after the words â€Å"calories are†, and when I clicked to find out why, I was told: Explanation: This sentence requires a comma to separate its clauses and improve clarity. Definition: Two coordinated clauses should be divided by a comma. So far so good: I agree that the sentence is improved when rewritten as: Now you know what calories are, and you know how to figure out how many are in your food†¦ The next suggestion, however, was to put a full stop after â€Å"out†and before â€Å"how†, which would make the sentence: Now you know what calories are and you know how to figure out. How many are in your food This time, when I asked why, WhiteSmoke explained â€Å"Two distinct sentences have to be divided by a full stop [period].†However, these were not two separate sentences, and putting a full stop here would lose meaning. I suspect the use of â€Å"figure out†(which is quite informal or colloquial) confused the software. My frequent use of bullet points, rather than conventional paragraphs, also caused a few issues: It suggested putting a period after the first bullet, but not after others. (Conventional advice is that you do not need to use periods for bullets consisting of short phrases, but if you do use periods, you should be consistent.) WhiteSmoke believed that â€Å"Your weight†and â€Å"Your activity levels†should be â€Å"Youre weight†and â€Å"Youre activity levels†respectively. Again, I suspect the use of bullets and fragments rather than full sentences caused this confusion. Sometimes, the software didn’t recognise what role a particular word was playing in a sentence. In the following example, the word â€Å"fast†is an adjective modifying â€Å"food†, but WhiteSmoke believed it was a verb: They found that those who skipped breakfast tended to eat more fast food. I was advised to â€Å"Change more to faster†. I can understand where the confusion came – â€Å"more fast†would be poor grammar if the sentence was â€Å"I ran more fast than Billy.†But my sentence was correct as it stood. Enrichment Suggestions WhiteSmoke makes a number of enrichment suggestions which can help improve the flow or style of your writing. For example, one of these came up for me when it recommended changing â€Å"And†in: And your muscle mass is also important to â€Å"Furthermore†, â€Å"In addition†, or â€Å"Moreover†. I would probably have picked one of these if I’d been writing a more formal piece, but for a blog post, I don’t think starting with â€Å"And†is a problem. Verdict I enjoyed using the WhiteSmoke software, and found it was particularly good at spotting typos as I wrote. It could seem a little intrusive at times (a small window pops up in the right hand side of the screen as you type, when the software is running), so I usually turned it off when writing fiction or informal emails as I tended to get a lot of warnings about these! There were a few occasional slips when the software didn’t understand the meaning of what I’d written, but so long as you don’t just accept every suggestion automatically, these infrequent mistakes shouldn’t cause too many problems. I think it would be an excellent piece of software for: People learning English as a foreign language Students writing academic essays Anyone producing a formal business-related piece (perhaps a report, or a job application) Freelancers writing for print or traditional markets You might find the WhiteSmoke software frustrating if: You mainly write fiction or poetry (especially if you use a lot of dialogue or your style involves breaking grammatical rules) Your emails and other non-fiction writing tend to be very informal You use a lot of bullet points or other sentence fragments Youre already very confident about your spelling and grammar Overall, WhiteSmoke is a very easy to use, intuitive piece of software, and considerably cheaper than paying a proof-reader to check your work! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a US Business LetterComma Before ButWoof or Weft?
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Globalization Law Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Globalization Law - Thesis Example The researcher proposes to do a case study on the effect of globalization on the labor market in gulf area. Scope of Report Our topic of study is the impact of globalization on labor markets with focus on gulf area. The study would include all the countries in the gulf area including Saudi Arabia. Due to globalization there has been movement of material, labor and capital also. These movements have left a tremendous impact on the organizations across the globe. The study would however focus on the effect on labor markets specifically, and examine what kind of impact it has left on the labor market. The researcher would like to adopt a research design that uses both qualitative and quantitative information. Using both qualitative and quantitative design approaches will allow the researcher to use both primary and secondary sources of information. This will lead to a better understanding of the topic. The researcher intends to analyze the effect of globalization on the labor market esp ecially in the gulf area.How the companies are coping with the problem will be studied and analyzed. In doing so the author will use the principles of Miles and Snow’s theory of superior performing business types discussed in their 1978 book (Miles et al, 1978).
Friday, November 1, 2019
Nike and Labour Laws - The Seattle University Should Eliminate Its Con Essay
Nike and Labour Laws - The Seattle University Should Eliminate Its Contract to Supply SU-Logoed Apparel - Essay Example As the development of most of the products sold in the school took place in the bdevelop0ing countries, it is apparent that the company considered this move in order to cut expenses involved in the manufacturing process. Currently, most companies set up manufacturing plants in the developing countries in order to take advantage of cheap labour. Amid the increasing population growth, most people in the developing countries are jobless. Even those that have jobs are inadequate to sustain their lives. As such, foreign multinationals, in an effort to increase their levels of profits take the advantage of this situation in these countries. Further, most of these countries have weak labour laws. Because their governments are desperate to attract investors into the countries in order to help in job creation, they develop labour laws that encourage external investors to set up plants in the countries. The result of this is an increase in the level of poverty for these workers. With weak laws and governance structures, the multinationals show no concern in providing good incentives to the people. Rather, workers struggle in poor working conditions, with poor working contracts and low salaries. In other instances, they work for long hours and rarely receive any leaves. Nike, taking advantage of this situation also established its operations in these countries in an effort to increase its profitability. According to Dunn (2010), n its current position, Nike does not observe fair labour practices, especially for the plants in the developing countries. Subsequently, it became a reason for scrutiny for its labour practices. The company in most cases does not train its employees for the kind of work they handle. According to Butler (2010), Nike’s inhuman conditions are a source of suffering and increased diseases for most of its workers. Treating the working conditions of its workers shows the company’s negligence in protecting humanity, argues Butler (2010). However, its abuse of child labour is the main reason why the company has faced numerous accusations on its lack of labour ethics. Â
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
The war on terror Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
The war on terror - Essay Example It felt very terrible and painful. I learnt that the current war on terror must be continued and every possible attempt must not be left to hunt down any terrorists who do not respect human values and human lives. Additionally, terrorists consider it reasonable and acceptable to kill someone on the basis that he or she has an American nationality or someone belongs to a particular religion. Although it is very financially painful to bear the cost burden of maintaining American or NATO troops in Afghanistan, what I believe that the sane leaders of the world have no choice but to stay their wipe out the heavens of terror. Most effective revision I revised the topic ‘Propaganda’. In this topic, the use and application of propaganda are greatly discussed and analyzed. First, I narrowly read this concept and submitted. However, it did not work. I was asked to revise the paper to provide some relevant but authentic references to the points that I initially did not provide in t he assignment. While revising this paper, I realized that the work of revision has provided me some greater and deeper understanding of the use of propaganda in different political and non-political events.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Concept of Competitive Advantage | Literature Review
Concept of Competitive Advantage | Literature Review Abstract:- This article addresses the issues of the development of the concept of competitive advantages. It is based on theories of different writers, their explanation and a literature review of these theories. Competitive advantages arises from different firms attributes and characteristics that allow one firm to create better customer value than do others. Competitive advantage includes ownership of assets and their positions. To achieve and sustain competitive advantage, a firm or industry need to create creativity. Strategic management theories give the concept of competitive advantage and explain the performance and ability of the firm and describe how we can run the firm in the right direction. Introduction :- The concept of competitive advantage are quiet same in different industries or firms and writers are explain in different ways but they rotate on same point for example superior performance of the firm in a decent manner. There are various theoretical framework are used to explain competitive advantage. Competitive advantage arises from the differential among firms along any dimensions of firm to create better customer value against the competitors. The basic purpose of this coursework to indicate how firm can gain their position in the market. This coursework can help to analyse different theories of management and give an integrative framework that helps management practitioners systematically analyse the nature and cause of competitive advantage in a different manner. LITERATURE REVIEW:- There are basically five forces to develop basic foundations include competitors, threat of new entrants substitute products, bargaining power of suppliers and bargaining power of buyers. Companies are fighting with each other and some of them are defend itself against these competitive forces (Porter 1998). The resources and capabilities of a firm are the central consideration in formulating its strategy. The resource based theory approach to strategy formulated understands the relationship between resources, capabilities, competitive advantage and profitability. According to writer there are four factors which are useful for the firm to increase their depth i.e. strategy, competitive advantage, capabilities and resources (Grant 1991). According to writer he relates the competitive advantage with a theory of comparative advantage. According to his theory he say that the comparative advantage theory suffer from the same weakness as a neoclassical theory of the firm. So according to writer the idea of competitive advantage gives explanatory power of strategy and organization. The success of firm in the market depends upon the organisation work of firm, sector and their interrelationship. They sought where a competitive advantage could be established by devolving organizational superiority (Bagnoli. et. al; 2003). There can be a heterogeneity or firm level differences among firms that allow some of them to sustain competitive advantage. The main concept of theory are based on four points i.e. valuable, rare imperfectly unite able, without strategically equivalent substitutes (Barney 1991). The ability of the firm is stay ahead of competition with the help of their superior performance and leaderships. So competitive advantage is directly proportional to competition either it is in different departments or in different firm throughout the world. Manager could understand the current position of the firm. In short porter argues that strategy is a race to get an ideal position in the market and differentiate itself for targeting customer (Porter 1998). Scholars in the strategy field are concerned fundamentally with explaining differential firm performance. As strategy scholars have searched for sources of competitive advantage. Two prominent views have emerged regarding the source of supernormal returns. Primarily a function of a firm membership in an industry with favourable structural characteristics and secondly is that differential firm performance is fundamentally due to firm heterogeneity rather than industry structure (Rumlet et.al; 1994). Competition in any industry does not stem only for competitors and it also influenced by the underlying structure of the industry. Additionally author stresses competitive advantage, which is created and hence can be controlled by individual firms and not comparative advantage (access to factors of production like cheap or natural resources), which is mainly inherited (Porter 1985). The purpose of the industrial organization was the internal competition of the industry. This aim was inverted to produce models aim at helping firms realize supernormal returns by surreptitious way of competition (Barney 1986). The development and implementation of new ideas by people who overtime engage in transactions with other within an institutional context (Van 1989). The generation, acceptance and implementations of new ideas, processes, products and services to create a market and competition against the competitors (Kanter 1983). Different researchers attempt to explain the superior performance of the firm. They explain how firm can gain their better position in the market. Some of them say, the leading hypothesis is that sustained superior performance coming from sustained competitive advantage Barney (1997). But on the other hand Grant (1998) can relate the superior performance of the firm with competitive advantage. According to them competitive advantage and superior performance of the firm are different unit to each other. Theories are different as the source of competitive advantage. Because some time firm gain their superior performance by using different tactics like monopoly, because they want to maintain their position or protect their position against the compotators. This is the best point according to the big firms, because they create monopoly in the market and try to protect their position (Caves et. al; 1977) Sometimes the superior performance of the firm depends on the level of the firm, business unit, corporation or industry. Because in big firms the power of gaining is more as compare with small firms. So small firms cannot compete the large firms (Powell et. al; 1997). Better explanation for superior performance may exist, it has specifiable causes and these causes are tied to perform distributors may be fellow simple heuristics or stem for a single process such as problem solving Popper (1972). According to Powell (1996), strategic management has not told us the significant debate on the competitive advantage. According to writer there are two proportions are important to increase the performance of the firm. First one is the dependent variable (superior performance) of the firm and secondly independent variables include competitive advantage. He separates these two proportions and gives the relationship between them. On the other hand if we examine this theory with other theories like Porter (1998) theory. His attention toward the firm and how much firm create competition in the market and how much effort put by firm to stay ahead against the competitors. But according to Robert (1999) sustainable competitive advantage is not necessary or important for the superior performance of the firm. But on the other hand Barney (1996) can relate sustainable competitive advantage with the performance of the firm. There is substantial agreement with in the literature on the price, cost and differentiation definition of competitive advantage. But according to Reed (1990) competitive advantage does not play a vital role for making the firms strategy. He creates a link between competitive advantage and competence. He says competitive advantage can be derived from numerous sources and advantage can come from competence and this competence can control by firm and can be manipulated with in the strategy to generate advantage for performance. On the other hand Porter (1998) says superior performance of the firm is due to the competitive advantage. He relates competitive advantage directly with the competition, so the ability of the firm to stay ahead of competition with help of their superior performance. But the major development comes when Hofer (1978) described competitive advantage the unique position of an organization developed against the competitors through its patterns of resources deploymen ts. He suggesting that competitive advantage ensues from competencies. They also say that competitive advantage as something can be used with the firm strategy. As such competencies and competitive advantage are independent variables while a firm performance is the dependant variables. (Mahoney et. al; 1992) suggests in his article about the special issue in his article. He says firm physical resources and its capabilities interact to create competitive advantage. He seeks to reconcile the resources and capabilities based theories of competitive advantage through the theory of invisible assets. This theory was proposed by (Itami et. al; 1987) holds that experience and constitute the principle source of sustainable competitive advantage. If we talk about the competitive advantage then we cannot neglect the overall progress of the country. Some governments can support their industrial sector because industrial sector is directly proportional to the economy of the country especially we can see in china and in of United States of America. So according to Porter (1998) specific elements condition the international success of an enterprise in a certain segments. He figures out that the enterprises of an inferior cost or differentiated product to assert them worldwide. According to them through the globalization of the economic game enterprise to improve their competitive advantage. The same thing can explain by other writers. To create a competitive advantage, the enterprise is required to progress to innovate and to discover the best competitive opportunities and exploit them. So create an opportunity against the competitors Robert (1999). According too many writers and their theories, why a country is more competitive than others. The national competitiveness comes from macro-economic phenomena directed by change rate, interest rate, deficit of the national budget. On the other hand some of them Robert (1999) says some companies or industrial sector are try to compete with cheap work force of with cheap raw material. The big example of this point is China. In china the work force is very cheap and there is no tax on any import and export. Chines government are support their industrial sector and improve their economy. According to the writer, the creation and capture of private and social value by firm that adopt corporate social responsibility strategies. So to achieve a competitive advantage is a responsibility of a manager to accomplish their objective. He relates this theory with the economics such as hedonic pricing, contingent valuation and the new literature on the economics of industrial organization. The same kind of things was discuss by Barney (1986) in his journal and also by porter (1998) in his book. Sometime researchers are not depending on the same point. Because in every case they have a different task and every case of superior performance is unique, extreme and non-generalization Starbucks (1992). But according to (Bowen et. al; 1999), competitive advantage has generated a large volume of scholarly output, both theoretical and empirical. So strategic management researchers has not produced a same effect on the competitive advantage. Most empirical studies infer the existence of competitive advantages. Examples of competitive advantage:- The most powerful example of achieving competitive advantage against the competitors is an Apple company. First this company based on computers but after that Apple has established a stellar reputation for developing products that there customer needs and want. The iPhones, iPods and iPads each combine functionally, ease of use, which not merely satisfy but delight the customers. They promote their products in a different manner like music for iPods and application software for iPhones. The competitors of Apple Company try to compete by using different hardware features, sometime same features like touchscreen and applications but they cannot compete the Apple Company. The main reason of this happening because Apples instance secrecy about its product development makes it hard for imitation to begin before the product is launched, thats why Apples Company takes advantage over others. Secondly Apple Company gives useful applications like iTunes by being first on attractive fixed charg es. So finally prove itself all over the world with their outstanding performance and services. Chinas is the second most powerful country economically now a days, because of their industrial sector. Chines government support their industry in a decent way and help to improve their strength. In textile sector China play a vital role throughout the world. In 2005 china controlled one third markets of garments in Europe and one fourth markets in United States of America. More than 50% of the market capture by China all over the world in textile sector. There are few reasons why china is dominant in the market. Firstly the inflation rate is increased all over the world and due to this reason the prices are going up. Secondly low labour cost as compare with Europe and United States of America. In china the utility cost is very low due to the support of their government to their industrial sector. On the other hand Pakistan, India and honking are try to give some competition but they are given so much competition and the market are increased very dramatically. The same thing was dis cuss by Robert (1999) in his article. He says how much cheap labour and material are affected the overall progress of the company (Brambilla. et. al; 2007). In 2004, when Danish maker of interconnecting brick toys had lost money each of the previous six years, its survival as an independent company was in jeopardy. Lego had been harmed by falling birth-rates in many developed countries, by low-cost imitations, and by their many boy customers switching from traditional toys to video games and personal computers. This is very interesting thing when your business will decrease due to birth rate. Because the A poorly-conceived attempt at diversification followed. When Jordan Knudstorp was appointed CEO, in addition to divesting noncore businesses and cutting costs, he worked to enhance Legos competitive advantages. Because of its philosophy of learning through play, Lego had avoided toys about fighting or violence, despite the interest of boys in both. By leveraging Legos strong brand name, design capability and quality reputation into products based on Star Wars, Batman, and Ferrari race cars, Legos turnaround gained traction. Knudstorp als o grew Legos Mindstorms buildable, programmable robot line to the point that it and other non-interlocking-brick products exceed 33 percent of sales. Sometimes when your strategy maker or upper level management was unclear about the strategy then sometimes the firms are clash. The same thing happening with the Teco Bell company. The CEO John Martin strategy was unclear and performance was medicore. Understanding with his customer thing and their needs and desires was outstanding; he commissioned a major study employing conjoint analysis. On his first attempt he changes the customer services value with fast service, accurate order filling. But more surprising was that the customer considered the condition captured in the fact formula to be more important than having an authentic ethnic food experience. Taco Bell wasnt competing with Tex-Mex restaurants because competitors are fast food provider but Taco Bell is not. Now John Martin develops a value base strategy and tries to give a better service in low cost. Now he cut down the prices and reducing store size with better facilities. He upgraded the restaurants by using new data ent ry equipment; improve store layout and the job profile for store managers and for manager assistants emphasized customer service. Due to these changing in his strategy now Teco Bell has 5000 restaurants. So we can easily analyse for this example, if we increase the customer value and give good services with the help of competitive advantage theories then we improve our input in a decent manner. Conclusion:- In this assignment I studied different types of competitive advantage theories and write a literature review on these theories with the help of different journals and papers. From all of these theories I develop my idea about firms performance and conclude how firm are ahead against the competitors. Firstly a firm has to look deeply into what it has, what it can do, what it can get. Secondly the competition is not between or within the industry or firm but sometimes the competition is all over the world where firm need to support about nationally (government) as well as internationally (suitable polices for international companies). For internationally success it is required to be able to transform a domestic position into a global one. Finally to create a competitive advantage the company required a continuous progress to innovate and to discover the competitive opportunities and exploit them. Firm should not stop improving the quality of its products and its methods. History of Art: From Middle Ages to Modern Times History of Art: From Middle Ages to Modern Times  Yodaniz Rodriguez Style: Early Renaissance Title: Madonna with Child Artist: Giovanni Bellini Date: 1450 1455 Material: oil on wood Location: Civico Museo Malaspina, Pavia Reference: (Madonna with Child 1450-55, n.d.) The Madonna and Child images introduces one of the most amazing characteristic subjects in Bellinis art. However, this kind of work was not only used by Bellini. (Stokstad Cothren, 2013) Minor and medium to small holy images designed for isolated and domestic ownership were unique features of art during the beginning 15th-century. Bellinis depictions are famous due to a gentle pressure that unceasingly stalemates the mother and child in an association of thoughtful bleakness. (Madonna with Child 1450-55, n.d.) The replicas for these depictions of a Madonna were frequently done by Byzantine and Graeco-Cretans and were distributed in Venice. The unmoving, severe-looking Madonna and Child is comparable to Bartolomeo Vivarinis work. The slender limbs and motionlessness reveal the effect of Jacopo as well. However, the positively defined line of the Child and his transparent clothing conceivably originates from Squarcione, who was definitely an inspiration to Bellini during the creations of his work. (Madonna with Child 1450-55, n.d.) The presence of light and shadow are evident in this particular work of art. The artist used color to contrast against a dark base showing composition of the figures. Facial features are not sharp yet there are shadows present on the face and limbs implying that there is light coming from their right side, illuminating them. Style: High Renaissance Title: Madonna of Belvedere Artist: Raffaello Sanzio Raphael Date: 1505 1506 Material: oil on wood Location: Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna Reference: (Madonna of Belvedere, n.d.) The three individuals demonstrating immobility are depicted in an olive green field. These figures are accompanied by gentle facial expressions and impassioned hands. The Virgin Mary is depicted in a contrapposto posture. The artist seems to have used colors to signify specific details of the painting. The blue on Marys robes indicates the ecclesiastical and the red represents Christs passing. The Madonna stands still as the Mother Church with Christs martyr. Her eyes are fixed on the young Christ that sits on her lap while John the Baptists attention is also on the boy. I believe this is signifying his importance. The crown that sits upon her head seems to be curved to the left and slightly inclined as she holds up Christ while he rests tracing the small cross held by John. (Madonna of Belvedere, n.d.) Raphael truly congests the reality of Mother Nature in this work and also in many of his other works. His style consisted of more real and natural figures. (Stokstad Cothren, 2013) Distinct from previous depictions created during the Renaissance, this Madonna is illustrated within nature where most were illustrated sitting on a chair during this period. This painting provides a beautiful and impressive perspective in the contextual aspect as if to imply that the countryside itself is her chair. (Madonna of Belvedere, n.d.) Although the figures are depicted as immobile, shadows exist under the figures and also within the hands of the Madonna as she holds Christ. Unlike Bellini, Raphael gave his subjects some more realistic and natural facial expressions. The use of light and color really brings out the joy of the characters. Style: Baroque Title: Madonna with Child Artist: Simon Vouet Date: First half of the 17th century Material: oil on canvas Location: Crozat de Tierra, Paris Reference: (Madonna with Child, n.d.) This preparation by Vouet was appropriately recognized and widespread. It was a recurrent style used by him during this period. The facial expressions of the Virgin consist of the outline of the artists wife, who had unfortunately expired before. It could be that Vouet created this illustration during a nostalgic and emotional period. (Madonna with Child, n.d.) Nevertheless, the image generates the proof of a massive effort due to the amount of natural detail presented. The character of the Madonna seems to be chiseled from a large rock, she is smooth and angular. It seems this painter struggled to highlight the spiritual tenderness of the Madonna and the Child. The child is displayed with the creases of the Madonnas clothing as his mother gazes upon him with affection and allows him to explore her face and clothing. (Madonna with Child, n.d.) The color used in this painting provides a contract to its dark background. The composition of the figures are evident through their position and color. This image inspires deep emotions of sadness and joy as they are depicted in a dark environment but are somewhat lively. The details of the lines of the characters are extraordinary. The childs body consists of natural bodily features as he sits upon the Madonna. The shadows used on the body of the child and the clothing of the mother are so realistic and imply more movement than the previous images discussed in this paper. The commencement Renaissance provided the emergence of more realistic portrayals of nature and human figures by artists who were stimulated by ancient Greek and Roman art and culture. (Stokstad Cothren, 2013) The works illustrated during the Early Renaissance (14th and 15th century) demonstrate some of the severe medieval features, whereas masterpieces created during the High Renaissance period (late 15th and early 16th century) expose the wonderful scopes and balanced configurations related to the standards of the Classical world. (Stokstad Cothren, 2013) The art created during the Baroque period (17th century) personified a lively energy that reflected the edgy essence of its era. In paintings, theatrical descriptions of faith motivated by the Catholic Churchs Counter-Reformation contrasted with animated demonstrations of the secular world normally created in the Protestant north. (Stokstad Cothren, 2013) This was a period that consisted of more emotional and detailed works of the natural world. During this period, it seems that medieval influence was completely eradicated unlike the previous creations of the renaissance age. References Madonna of Belvedere. (n.d.). Retrieved from Khunts Historisches Museum Wien: https://www.khm.at/en/korean/ Madonna with Child. (n.d.). Retrieved from Arthermitage: http://www.arthermitage.org/Simon-Vouet/Madonna-with-Child.html Madonna with Child 1450-55. (n.d.). Retrieved from Religious Art: http://www.religious-art.org/Madonna-with-Child-1450-55.html Stokstad, M., Cothren, M. (2013). Art History Volume 2, 5th Edition. [South University]. Retrieved from https://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/#/books/9781256992356/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)