Monday, September 30, 2019

Importance Of Law In To Kill a Mocking Bird Essay

Law’s are made for many different reasons, they are made to keep society in place, they are made to give justice to everyone, they are made to give equality to all, they are made to stop intolerable acts, and they are made to uphold our strict justice system. When it comes to practicing law I believe that no exceptions may be made in any circumstances because a rule is a rule. With one exception being made many people would be at a disadvantage, creating an unfair justice system. Pretend you are a driving your child to their doctor’s appointment, when you realize that you may be late you begin to speed. Eventually you are going 50 miles per hour on a 35 miles per hour road and you run a red light. The police eventually pull you over, and you explain to them your delema. Instead of being understanding and thoughtful of your situation the police officer charges you with both a ticket for speeding and running a red light. Acording to the law this is the right thing to do but according to Atticus, in To Kill A Mokingbird, the policie officer should have accepted your reasoning and allowed you to go free of charge because â€Å"sometimes it is better to bend the law a little in special cases.† (30) I disagree with Atticus because stretching the law in minor casing may seem understandable but laws are made for certain reason’s and when there is an exception made for one person there should be an exception made for any person who breaks the law. Much like in chapter 3 of To Kill A Mockingbird. The Ewell family is a family of much lower social ranking and class that the Cunninham’s. Burris Ewell proves this to be true when he arrives to school with worms attactched to his body and lice in his head, and no shoes on (further explain)

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Landscape Urbanism

This modern period, architecture gives attention not only on creating new designs on buildings and structures but on reinventing the environment as well by taming the nature and aestheticizing them for man’s use and pleasure.   Architects understand arts and environmental care which they formed together to reflect a culture and history in the midst of modernization and industrialization.   This is because people begun to reject the complexity of urban life and the consequence of global capitalism.Landscape urbanism is one area of architecture which becomes significant in the overall formation of a building’s construction.   Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, defined landscape urbanism as a â€Å"theory of urbanism arguing that landscape †¦ is more capable of organizing the city and enhancing the urban experience.†Ã‚   Its purpose is to create an environment for human to enjoy, live and work; thus making the city or urban distinct from rural areas. Thi s concept was elaborated by Charles Waldheim in his book in which he stated that landscape urbanism is the union of landscape with urbanism which â€Å"promises new relational and systematic workings across territories of vast scale and scope, situating the parts in relation to the whole† (p. 33).   In his explanation, he emphasized that the concept lies on â€Å"mobilizing the new ecologies of our future metropolitan regions† (p. 33).   Ad Graafland, Leslie Jaye Kavanaugh and George Baird on the other ha  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   nd, described the term as a strategy that â€Å"the overlaying of ecological and urban strategies can offer a means by which projects may create new systems of interconnected networks that complement the existing structures† (p. 585).Thus, landscape urbanism is integration in the architectural design of the evocative power of landscape and the principles of ecology; it is a celebration of diversity or urban life by discovering an d articulating the aesthetic appreciation and expression of urban life. It is indeed sustainability that is taking place in a city in a technical way by giving it a character in between buildings and public places.Why Landscape Urbanism Emerged in ArchitectureThe discipline of landscape urbanism according to Charles Waldheim has emerged from landscape architecture but with greater consideration of â€Å"cultural and historical as well as natural and ecological† (p. 127).     Waldheim strongly pointed out that it has emerged from architecture because, the concept of landscape urbanism lies strongly on one function of architecture as a device in urban transformation (p. 127).Landscape urbanism has come out from the very idea of landscape architecture according to Richard Weller is â€Å"relatively ineffectual in reshaping the world†¦ and seems nonetheless theoretically correct and worthy in its aspiration† (p. 71), because of the influence of capitalism and trad itional hegemony of engineering and architecture.   In the same way, Weller believed that landscape urbanism alone could â€Å"prepare and practically capable of collapsing the divide between planning and design† (p. 71).Igor Marjanovic, Lesley Naa Norle Lokko clearly pointed out that landscape urbanism is distinct from landscape architecture in a way that the former is not traditional and it even â€Å"looks at the contemporary city and its problems and tries to define the possible contributions that architects†¦ can make† (p. 24).   Urbanism looks at the city and responds to aspect of popular culture while architecture proposes big structures derived from everyday consumer culture; these two work hand in hand for one goal which, the emphasis is on aesthetic and position of public places within community for human comfort that feed human spirit.Comparison and Contrast between the Park de la Villette and Downsview ParkThe two considered great models in terms o f landscape urbanism are the Park de la Villette by Bernard Tschumi and Downsview Park by Bruce Mau.Heather Stimmier-Hall narrated that La Villette was built in an abandoned quarrysite or dump area and at the same time slaughterhouses.  Ã‚   The park which was designed by Bernard Tschumi, was redeveloped and opened in 1986 as a modern city park in Paris â€Å"dedicated to science, arts and entertainment† (p. 96).   In the description made by Stimmier-Hall, Parc de la Villette does not have gates or walls; it has mini-forests, bamboo groves and vast lawn in its seventy acres of land.   In that vast of land, it has numerous museums, concert halls and whimsical playground.   At the entrance of the science and technology museum was the sphere La Geode Cinema that mirrors the green grass and blue skies. The author added that Parc de la Villette has â€Å"all there is to see and do† (p. 96).Downsview Park on the other hand, is a former Canadian military base at the n orth end of Toronto, Canada since 1929; and in 1996, it was closed for renovation.   Downsview Park is approximately 586 acres or 237 hectares that is underutilized tract of land.   With the initiative of its parent company, it became very important place in the heart of Toronto.   It is committed to sustain education and community development and awareness by offering venues for backyard birds, eco-footprints, butterfly landing, tree city, natural habitats and wildlife, history and walking tours.   Both children and adults are accommodated in this place for special civic activities (Parc Downsview Park).   Downsview Park is committed as a â€Å"unique recreational greenspace, a safe and peaceful place, developed according to the principles of environmental, economic and social sustainability, for Canadian to enjoy in all seasons (Parc Downsview Park).These two great and beautiful parks were both renovated from once unproductive and underutilized ground.   Both won the awards for being the largest park that give emphasis on green open space for appreciation of nature though domesticated.   These two parks serve same purposes which are to house special and big events from cultural to sports.   Both have museums and landscape designs.On the other hand, they differ in many ways.   (1) First, they differ in emphasis in aesthetical concept.   Downsview Park promotes the social and natural histories that supports natural ecology; it does not intent to change the site but simply to inaugurate the transformation of it (Van Alen Institute).   Parc de la Villette’s design suggests the conventional conception of a park designed to â€Å"express the fact that it is artificial and domesticated† (Berman, 1999), meaning it has a lot of man-made design to make it beautiful.   (2) Downsview Park retains the old military buildings which are kept for special uses such as for cultural, recreational and community; while Park de la Villette is a total renovation of a place in which the relics of the old place cannot be seen in the place. (3) Park de la Villette is completely constructed and Downsview Park is set for further development which will last after many more years. (4)Lastly, Park de la Villette is privately owned while Downsview Park is government owned and controlled yet self-supporting.Work CitedBerman, Jay 1999.   Le Parc de la Villette, Paris. http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/villette/Downsview Park International Design Competition,’ Van Alen Institute.   http://www.vanalen.org/exhibits/downsview.htmGraafland, A., Jaye Kayanaugh, L. and Baird, G. 2006.   Crossover: Architecture, Urbanism, Technology.   Netherlands:   010 Publishers.Gauzin-Muller, Dominique, 2004.   Sustainable Architecture and Urbanism: Concepts, Technologies, Examples.‘Landscape Urbanism.’ Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landscape_urbanismMarjanovic, I. and Norle Lokko, L. 200 3.   The Portfolio: An Architecture Student’s Handbook.   Elsevier Ltd.Stimmer-Hall, Heather, 2004.   Adventure Guide. England: Hunter Publishing, Inc. Waldheim, Charles, 2006.   The Landscape Urbanism Reader.   USA: Princeton Architectural Press ‘Making it a Reality.’ Parc Downsview Park Inc. (PDP). Canada, 2005/http://www.yorku.ca/mclaughlin/documents/downsviewpark.pdf

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Short Story Fiction paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Short Story Fiction paper - Essay Example â€Å"The Necklace† relates Mathilde’s attitude towards life and her struggle to face the consequences of her actions. The character of Madame Loisel, and its appeal to the reader, undergoes dramatic change as the story progresses. The reader is scornful of the shallow protagonist who makes her appearance at the start of the story. As the narration progresses, Madame Loisel undergoes a transformation and the reader empathizes with Madame Loisel and her struggle. â€Å"The Necklace,† is a poignant tale of human folly. It is also a tale of transformation and human redemption. Madame Loisel is a dissatisfied woman whose social pretension leads to disaster, but she redeems herself to emerge as a woman of genuine character and strength. At the beginning of the narrative, Mathilde Loisel is a dissatisfied housewife. She is constantly aware of â€Å"The contrast between her charm, her innate good taste, her beauty on the one hand, and the mediocrity of her life as the wife of a government employee, on the other† (Donaldson-Evans, 167). She feels that she is destined for better things and bitterly resents her position. Madame Loisel foolishly disdains what she has and hankers after what might have been. She spends hours dreaming of â€Å"every delicacy and every luxury† (Maupassant, 3) which her modest means cannot afford. She contrasts every aspect of her present life with the luxury that could have been hers under more fortunate circumstances: her poor furniture with exotic tapestries and glowing lamps, her humble maid with grand footmen and her simple meals with rich feasts eaten on silver platters. Madame Loisel is obsessed with the tantalizing dreams of wealth. She does not appreciate the fact that Loisel loves her and that her â€Å"hapless husband is forever bending over backward to please† her (Donaldson-Evans, 168). Loisel gets tickets to the party with great difficulty and is â€Å"disconsolate† with his wifeâ €™s tears over the lack of an appropriate dress. He sacrifices his own dreams of buying a hunting piece in order to furnish her with a new dress. Although she is married to a man who cherishes her in every way possible, she remains wrapped up in her dissatisfaction:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"And she wept all day long, from chagrin, from regret, from despair, and from distress† (Maupassant, 6). Her days are filled with sorrow. She does not derive any pleasure from life. She rejects the reality of her existence to imagine another filled with the trappings of a superior social position. Madame Loisel’s yearning for social recognition and wealth leads to her downfall. The ruling passion of her life is â€Å"to please, to be envied, to be seductive and sought after† (Maupassant, 5). She is so obsessed with the outer trappings of social position (jewelry and dresses) that â€Å"she loved nothing else; she felt herself made for that only (Maupassant, 5). When her husband secures t ickets to the prestigious party, she does not appreciate his concern but throws the invitation at his face. Although she is aware that their straitened financial circumstances do not warrant the purchase of a new dress, she rails against Loisel and â€Å"her indignation leads to irritability and depression† (Donaldson-Evans, 167). Once this hurdle is overcome, she desires jewelry. Rejecting the alternative of fresh flowers, she borrows the necklace from her friend. She is so enraptured with the jewelry that â€Å"

Friday, September 27, 2019

PACT Analysis and Prototype Design for an Interactive System Assignment

PACT Analysis and Prototype Design for an Interactive System - Assignment Example 1. PACT Analysis People Two groups of people are identified as the potential users of the system, the students or individuals living in shared accommodation and the grocery administrative persons. Here the students are at the requesting end and the grocery admin at the receiving end. Students: As per one of the survey result on a professional social networking website (Linked In, 2011), the average age of students at Coventry University was identified to be 28 while Central & Eastern European online directory (Central & Eastern European Directory On-Line, 2007) identifies the individual ages to be ranging from 18 to 50+. These students come from various countries with varied subject of expertise and have diversified level of knowledge on using the computer applications. A shared shopping system would be very beneficial for these groups of people as they can initially club their orders with other room-mates having good knowledge on using computers and later learn the process from them . ... This group of people would be benefited by this type of a system to a great extent. As per Higher Education Statistics (Higher Education Statistics Agency, 2010), the number of non-UK students studying in Coventry University UK contributes to 60.2% of the total students. This implies that there is a high probability that larger number of students will live in shared accommodation and the concept of shared shopping system would be very valuable to them. Grocery Administrative Personnel: This group of people are those who are responsible for receiving the online orders and distributing them among the delivery persons. Though they would have good knowledge on using computers, we cannot expect them to be an expert in understanding any software product. Hence the system should be implemented in very user friendly environment such that it can be used by any person with just basic knowledge on using a computer. Activities: Currently, students living in shared accommodation either buy their grocery individually or together as a group and then share the bill by either visiting a nearby grocery store or ordering online. However due to the complexity involved in calculating the exact amount for each student from the total bill and collecting the individual cost, students look for different means to identify each individual’s contribution to the total cost of the grocery items. Physical Means: Students plan ahead the different grocery items required for the week and share the items among each other. On weekends, they go in groups or individually to a super market and purchase their list of items. In some cases, along with the items, the students also plan on who has to go for shopping for

Thursday, September 26, 2019

The components of financial management Coursework

The components of financial management - Coursework Example Year Cash flow Discount factor Present value 0 (? 2m) 1 (? 2m) 1 (? 1.5m) 0.909 (? 1.3635m) 2 ? 1.0m 0.826 ? 0.826m 3 ? 1.3m 0.751 ? 0.9763m 4 ? 1.8m 0.683 ? 1.2294m 5 ? 1.3m 0.621 ? 0.8073m 6 ? 0.6m 0.564 ? 0.3384m ? 0.8139m The NPV of the project is ? 0.8139m. This is a positive amount and therefore is an indicator that the project can be carried on. Section II Associated risks of the project The risk associated with a project may be defined as the variability that is likely to occur in the future returns from the project. Risk arises in investment evaluation because we cannot anticipate the occurrence of the possible future events with certainty and consequently, cannot make any correct prediction about the cash flow sequence. In the context of capital budgeting projects, risk results almost entirely from the uncertainty about future cash inflows, because the initial cash outflow is generally known. These risks result from a variety of factors including uncertainty about future re venues, expenditures and taxes. Therefore, to assess the risk of a potential project, the analyst needs to evaluate the riskiness of the cash inflows. There are three possible attitudes towards risk that can be identified. These are: (a) Risk aversion (b) Desire for risk (c) Indifference to risk A risk averter is an individual who prefers less risky investment. The basic assumption in financial theory is that most investors and managers are risk averse. Risk seekers on the other hand are individuals who prefer risk. Given a choice between more and less risky investments with identical expected monetary returns, they would prefer the riskier investment. The person who is indifferent to risk would not care which investment he or she received. There are various risks involved in the project that have different degrees of consequences. Such risks may be categorized into technical risks, environmental risks, economic risks, political risks and project completion risks. (Horngren, Foster, & Datar, 2001) The risks that any project is predisposed can be avoidable or unavoidable and therefore a firm has to minimize the risks that face the projects it undertakes as much as possible. The project that is intended to be carried out can face the risk of errors in estimation. Such errors could disrupt the schedule of the whole project as a whole if the business and development teams do not work closely to curb such cases of errors. There is also the possibility that there can be a requirements overload whereby the requirements for the project are not well established and are therefore constantly being added later on during the development phases of the project. This disrupts the laid down schedule and delays the events of each step of the project. Lack of proper documentation of the project at the same time as the project progresses is also a risk that most projects face since critical information related to the project may be lost. PART B Section I Beck Bag Year Expected ca sh flows Accumulated cash flows 1 60,000 60,000 2 70,000 130,000 3 70,000 200,000 4 40,000 240,000 5 20,000 260,000 The project costs 200,000 and the amount is recouped in the third year, therefore the payback period is 3 years. Roo Bag Year Expected cash flows Accumulated cash flows 1 70,000 70,000 2 70,000 140,000 3 60,000 200,000 4 60,000 260,000 5 60,000 320,000 The project costs 260,000 and it takes 4 years to recoup this amount. Therefore the payba

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Strategic Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Strategic Management - Case Study Example In 2010, Google was considered as the leader of technology that aimed at providing information to the people from any part of the world and the Google maps helped the customers to find directions as per their requirements (Hamilton & Nickerson, 2003). Economic: Google had to spend a lot of money in order to set up its business. The company has hired efficient managers to control the various teams and handle different projects of the company. The managers and the employees are to be paid high salary in order to encourage them to perform well (Elms, 2010). Hence, the financial accounts of the company have to be handled efficiently with proper allocation of the company’s grants for various projects. Further, the company has to use cost-efficient techniques to serve large number of customers. Politics: The impact of the political environment would be beneficial as well as harmful for the company. However, the political environment did not pose any threat to the launch of Google as it is an online search engine that is expected to provide valuable information to the nation. Also, it plays a key role in communication among people from different parts of the globe (Elms, 2010). Socio-cultural: Google acted as a medium for the advertisers who would prefer to promote social events through its online services. Further, commercial e-mails could be sent by various companies who would like to attract target customers to purchase their newly launched products (Barney, 2002). Technology: Google played a key role in bringing technological innovation to the economy by developing online information system. The customers can obtain information regarding any aspect using the Google search engine. The companies can maintain their online databases using Google spreadsheets and thus deal with huge amount of data (Elms, 2010). Legal: Google had to face some legal

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

The State of Working America Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The State of Working America - Assignment Example Tax rates were also drastically cut for all income sectors. The national debt was cut by one third, as quoted by one economic historian, â€Å"Despite the severity of the contraction, the Fed did not move to use its powers to turn the money supplies around and fight the contraction.† Therefore, by the summer of 1921 visible signs of recovery began to show. Unemployment was back to 6.7 percent and down to 2.4 percent by 1923. (Mataconis, 2009). According to Slichter high wage practices were adopted in the 1920s due to the threat of labor trouble, employers being unwilling to reduce wages in comparison to wholesale pricing, and realizing how important moral and efficiency had become to labor. (Slichter, 2005). Labor trouble threats began to peak in 1920, and the six-years prior saw a double of membership in trade unions. Unionism had established itself in the Chicago Packing Plants, the US Steel Corporation and the Pennsylvania Railroad as well. Employers seemed to have the beli ef that labor was in danger of becoming radical. (Slitter, 2005). New methods were used in industry to attempt to make workers more efficient and contented. 1. Helping employees acquire property, 2. Helping employees acquire a â€Å"stake† in the companies which employed them. 3. Protecting them from arbitrary treatment. 4. Rewarding continuous service with the company. 5. Giving them advancement opportunities and more responsibility. 6. Offering them security. These things resulted in a rise of around 11 percent in hourly wages for factory workers between 1920 and 1925. Thus, wage earners began to save money, which was encouraged by businessmen. (Slichter, 2005). The 1920s known as the â€Å"roaring twenties† gained its name from being pictured as a time of American prosperity and optimism. However, it is also seen as a time of cultural change, a decade of the Model T, $5 work days, airplanes, movies, and provocative dress. The nation shifted from urbanism to commerci alism and brought with its prohibition, the Ku Klux Klan, strict immigration laws, and gangsters. Quoted by Jerrie Cheek from the Kennesaw University, â€Å"The powerful economy might of America from 1920 to October 1929 is frequently overlooked†¦the strength of America was generated and driven by its vast economic power.† (Cheek, 2005). The happening on October 1929 on a Tuesday, know as â€Å"black Tuesday† became the beginning of the Great Depression. Two months after the stock market crash stockholders had lost more than $40 billion dollars in investments. Economists and historians both believe that the economic downturn that showed up in early 1929 lead to the crash. The market did improve somewhat by the end of 1930; however, it was not enough to keep America from entering the Great Depression. (Kelley, 2012). By 1933 11,000 of America’s 25,000 banks had failed, and because deposits were uninsured, funds were simply lost. Banks, being unsure of the ec onomy, stopped issuing new loans, which contributed to the situation. (The Great Depression, 2012).  

Monday, September 23, 2019

Avoiding Overspend Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Avoiding Overspend - Essay Example Whenever there is a deviation from the planned programme causing change, recovery, rework, panic that lowers the specifications for project to be completed in time, it invariably results in overrun and consequent overspend that may lead to penalties. M'pherson The control measures adopted in project management usually aim at mapping the deviation from the defined plan. There are hardly any measures to identify areas of cost saving. The urgency to save, therefore precipitates at a near final stage which is an inappropriate time for cost saving. Cost saving needs maximum consideration at the planning and design stage itself. Once implementation begins, changes only escalate costs and cause delays. he key lies in managing requirements in such a way that overspend can be avoided. Cost control is necessarily an important step towards avoiding overspend. Some strategies for cost control are discussed below: 1. Involvement of Executive Management: Project cost control manifests its effectiveness best, when the executive management is involved in the decisions at all major phases of the project. It helps if the executive management can "recognize the importance of project risk management for identifying and planning to head off at least the most obvious potential risk events" (Max). 2. Estimating Project Budget: The cost of the total work of the project needs to be estimated at the planning stage. Detailed estimating, bottom up estimating, order of magnitude, analogus or parametric estimates can be used to project the cost of all activities and the entire project. If planning is done well, overspending at a later stage can be avoided. The risk management approach to planning can also help evaluate the assumptions and environmental conditions that dominate the project plan, so that weaknesses can be identified and the effect of any risks thus identified, can be avoided. A contingency fund or reserves is usually then set aside to cope with such risks. The budget also needs to accommodate the inflation factor. For this, final estimates are arrived at and then inflation cost is added as a percentage or lump sum. The inflation allowance then gets allocated to each cost item in relation to the actual expected inflation over the period for which costs are expected to b e incurred. 3. Establish baseline cost for each activity: To establish a realistic baseline, communication and integration of various types of information is extremely important. This may require robust

Sunday, September 22, 2019

MANAGEMENT OF INFORMATION SYSTEM CHANGE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

MANAGEMENT OF INFORMATION SYSTEM CHANGE - Essay Example The advantage is in terms of faster communication and effective information processing, which all becomes possible when firms have diversified information management systems (Dupouet 2013, pp. 6-15). Theoretical View According to modern business theorists, modernisation has brought volatile environments for businesses. Such environments are trendy and hence demand change in the organisation systems. The ability to adjust to the change has become prerequisite (Nowduri 2010). Without modification the firms cannot progress or even survive in the globalised business order. According to Bate’s study in 1994, there are two levels of organisation change: incremental and transformational (Macredie et al. 2005). The incremental change is stage-wise and is based on minor modifications just as change of an information system, processes or structure. Transformational change is radical and depends on the level of incremental change achieved within the organisation system (Marco 2012, pp. 2 20-229). Changing the information setup is a part of the organisation change process and to implement it, there are several issues that organisations have to address (Clarke 2012, pp. 79-81). This report will bring insight into theMIS change process in terms of two organisational setups including NHS (National Health Service) and Amazon. This is to bring a clear viewpoint on information system change by having a practical example of organisations presently operating. Information System Change in Amazon DATA Amazon is a leader in electronic sales and retail works on electronic data and information (Matthews 2012). The company has acquired electronic modules to manage customer based data. The nature of data is electronic, for which Amazon administrators utilise the excessive content management process (Soderstrom 2012). The reliance is highly on e-commerce and electronic management systems where information is spread to appear for international customers and the market. Amazon being a true market seller has brought diversified data management systems (K Laundon & J Laundon 2012, pp. 4-20). To manage online service activities, the enterprise has deployed advanced communication networks. These activities include site management, communication, interaction, flexible merchandising and transaction processing, which all have become possible by Amazon’s online information management system (Gorman 2012). The enterprise works on self-deployed information systems, and also has acquired commercial licensed systems for extensive information processing. This is all to ensure effective data management and communication, which are essential features of Amazon as an international business organisation (Gorman 2012). The real and most apparent change brought by Amazon was its transition from a small business enterprise into a large data holding corporation. It was all because of modifications made on the information side and in the World Wide Web business. Keeping data o f million customers at one time were not possible if Amazon had not planned its e-commerce activity. To organise the e-commerce operation, Amazon deployed an international data management mechanism (Pratt & Adamski 2011, pp. 1-30). This managed data of millions of customers at one time of operation and at a single time of retrieval. All of this was done in short time and with a maximum coverage of benefits. The design

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Typography and Persuasive Essay Essay Example for Free

Typography and Persuasive Essay Essay A. Write a persuasive essay on: People depend too much on computers. B. Audience: Your college professor C. Position: For or against it? D. Composing your three page persuasive essay: 1. Introduction A. Hook B. Thesis 2. Body (several paragraphs) A. Topic sentence B. Supporting Details C. Transitions 3. Conclusion (a paragraph) A. Restate your main point B. Leave the reader with something to think about Nowadays people use computers in business, public services, education and, most of all, in entertainment. Almost everything we do and every aspect of our life is affected by modern technology with computers above all.   People Depend Too Much on Computers and Technology A. Write a persuasive essay on: People depend too much on computers. B. Audience: Your college professor C. Position: For or against it? D. Composing your three page persuasive essay: 1. Introduction A. Hook B. Thesis 2. Body (several paragraphs) A. Topic sentence B. Supporting Details C. Transitions 3. Conclusion (a paragraph) A. Restate your main point B. Leave the reader with something to think about Nowadays people use computers in business, public services, education and, most of all, in entertainment. Almost everything we do and every aspect of our life is affected by modern technology with computers above all.  People Depend Too Much on Computers and Technology A. Write a persuasive essay on: People depend too much on computers. B. Audience: Your college professor C. Position: For or against it? D. Composing your three page persuasive essay: 1. Introduction A. Hook B. Thesis 2. Body (several paragraphs) A. Topic sentence B. Supporting Details C. Transitions 3. Conclusion (a paragraph) A. Restate your main point B. Leave the reader with something to think about Nowadays people use computers in business, public services, education and, most of all, in entertainment. Almost everything we do and every aspect of  our life is affected by modern technology with computers above all.  People Depend Too Much on Computers and Technology

Friday, September 20, 2019

Purchase behaviour of Malaysians

Purchase behaviour of Malaysians The previous chapter has highlighted the objective and also the importance of this study.This chapter will cover previous literature of each topic area.Literature review are known as the secondary sources obtained from published work such as journals,books,masters thesis,articles,conference proceedings and other reports.It is vital in supporting the hypotheses that will be discussed the next chapter. The changes in Malaysia have been acknowledged by its admirers and critics alike. Two decades of uninterrupted economic growth and political stability have managed to guarantee nearly-full employment and a constant rise in living standards for the population (Noor, 1996). The rise of this consumerist culture would not have been possible had it not been for the loyal support of Malaysias youth, for it is they who are both the patrons and targets of this youth-oriented consumerism (Noor, 1996).T he study conducted by Singhapakdi, et., al. (1999) compared Malaysia and the US in terms of their perceptions of marketing situations, their attitudes toward business and salespeople, and their personal moral philosophies. The survey results reveal some significant differences between the consumers from these two countries. It indicated that Malaysia is more oriented towards cultural leanings than that of the United States. Self-image, product image and their combination, self-congruity, are im portant concepts in consumer behaviour. They have been hypothesised and found to affect significantly product choice and purchase intention. Questern, Karunaratna and Goh (2000) studied two samples (Australia and Malaysia) from contrasting cultural backgrounds are compared in relation to the importance of self-congruity with respect to four brands of two products categories of contrasting involvement levels. Unexpectedly, samples from Australia and Malaysia were found to use differently actual vs ideal self-image in their product evaluation. This confirms overall the role of self-congruence in consumers choice and points to the need for further investigation of this concept in a cross-cultural context.   2.2 Independent Variable 2.2.1 Purchasing Behavior Determining the definite reasons that influence consumers and their purchasing attitudes that directly linked to consumer decision making has become a significant focus of consumer research. Thus, a large number of studies have examined how individual consumers learn what to purchase (Keillor et al., 1996; Moschis and Churchill, 1978; Ward, 1974). According to Sproles and Kendall (1986, Pg. 268), a consumers decision making style is a mental orientation characterising a consumers approach to making choices. To conceptualize these styles a model which composed of eight mental orientations of consumers decision making behaviour was established by Sproles and Kendall (1986). The 8 characteristics are: Perfectionism/Quality conscious decision style that is concerned Shoppers with this decision making style will not settle with products grade as good with perfection. enough Brand conscious decision style that is concerned with getting luxurious, renowned brand. Consumers with this style believe that the higher the price of a goods, the better the quality. These consumers also aware of a brand as a distinct product separate from others as it is related to image and perception Novelty fashion conscious decision style for seeking out new things. The behaviour reflects a taste of innovative products and a motivation to keep up to date with new styles and fashion trends. Habitual and Brand Loyalty Decision style for shopping at the same stores and tendency to buy the same brands each time. Recreational shopping conscious decision style that view shopping as being enjoyable. Buyers with this trait enjoy the stimulation of looking for and choosing products. Price and value conscious decision style that is concerned with getting lower price. It also suggests that the consumer is conscious of sale prices and intends to get the best value for their money. Impulsive and careless tendencies decision style that describes a shopper who does not plan their shopping and appears unconcerned with how much he or she spends. Consumers with this style might regret their decision later. Confused by over choice decision style that reflects a lack of confidence and lack of ability to deal with the number of choices available. Consumers with this trait experience information overload. The eight features describe the most basic mental characteristics of a consumers decision making, which are directly associated to consumer purchase behaviour. Such knowledge is also essential in identifying segments of consumers sharing similar attitudes to shopping (Lyonksi et al., 1996). Besides the eight-factor consumer decision-making orientation model, work by Sproles (1985) and Sproles and Kendall (1986) developed the Consumer Style Inventory (CSI) which is used to evaluate consumer decision-making styles on the basis of a sample of United States (U.S.) teenagers. This method has been applied to different societies in eight different countries, including the U.S. (Sproles, 1985, Sproles and Kendall, 1986, Lysonski et al., 1996), New Zealand (Durvasula et al., 1993, Lysonski et al., 1996), United Kingdom(Mitchell and Bates, 1998), South Korea (Hafstorm et al., 1992), Greece, India (Lysonski et al., 1996), Germany (Walsh et al., 2001) and China (Fan and Xiao, 1998, Hui et al., 1 999, Hui et al., 2000). By using 210 university student samples in New Zealand, there were eight characteristics, same as Sproles (1986) findings, identified in Durvasulas (1993) research. However, in Lysonskis (1996) New Zealand study the factor of price and value consciousness was not found. The three consumer decision-making orientations; brand consciousness, novelty-fashion consciousness and habitual and brand loyalty are commonly found in two developed countries (USA and New Zealand) and two developing countries (Greece and India), identified by Lysonski (1996). The influences of the market environment, in particular the economic environment and market structure on consumer decision-making styles were suggested in the study. Walsh (2001) and Mitchell (1998) and had also applied the CSI in his study in the German and UK consumers respectively. Out of these eight styles, only six were identified in the study for Germans which are brand consciousness, perfectionism, recreational shopping conscious, confused by over choice, careless and impulsive and novelty-fashion consciousness. In addition to these, variety seeking was new style that found in Walshs (2001) Germany study. Besides to Sproless (1986) eight styles structure, Mitchell (1998) suggested that two others styles which are time-energy conserving and store loyal consumers were identified with UK consumers. The CSI has also been administered to the consumers of South Korea and China, in addition to the studies conducted in the western countries. However, varied results were shown in Fans (1998) and Huis (1999 2000) studies on Chinas consumers and only five styles were found in South Korea. Furthermore, as results of various researches relating to consumer behavior; an explanation of diverse purchasing behavior models is extended. The EKB model; a relatively clear, inclusive, and organized theory model concerning consumer behavior by three scholars, Engel, Kollat and Blackwell (EKB), was first presented in 1968. The model assumes that a consumers decision processing is a consecutive processing which leads to solving problems, and which features considering decision processing as the center of merging relations of relevant outside and inside elements. The EKB model has three advantages (Yang, 2001), which consist of: It is process oriented: The EKB model has rather relevant variables, which are collected with signs, are easier for researchers to confirm the relationship of variables, and also benefit hypothesis development and research result interpretation. Thoroughness/attention to detail: The EKB model contains rather complete variables, which are capable of explaining entire processing of consumer behavior. The dynamic feature: The EKB model combines many scholars and experts opinions towards consumer behavior and performs many revisions; therefore, is considered as a fairly thorough consumer behavior model. The EKB model contains four major parts, which include: information involvement; information processing; decision processing; and variables of decision processing. Consequently, based on the EKB concept; Engel et al. (1993) report that, the center concept of the model indicates consumer purchase decision processing, which is also problem-solving processing to consumer decision processing, consist of five stages. The five stages are: demand confirmation, search for information, and evaluation of alternatives, purchasing, and purchasing result. Basically, researches on consumer decision-making issues were mainly focused on the decision-making process. However, consumers may sometimes usually rely on simple approach, rather than going through a series of steps or processes rationally when they made purchase decisions, argues Bettman (1979). Consumer may simply emphasize or evaluate some typical dimensions or characteristics that are obvious and being conscious of (Sproles, 1985). In this regard, Sproles and Kendall (1986) pioneered to examine consumer decision-making processes by profiling consumers into diverse decision-making styles. In Wickliffes (1998) study, such styles have recently been found to be highly correlated with some product characteristics, for example; price, country of origin and brand. A consumer behavior model, Wheel of Consumer Analysis, was created by J. Paul Peter and Jerry C. Olson (1994) as a basis for explaining car buying behavior. According to the American Marketing Association, consumer behavior is defined as the dynamic interaction of affect and cognition, behavior, and environmental events by which human beings conduct the exchange aspects of their lives. (Olson Peter, 1994). Marketers can analyze am consumer behavior situation according to the three elements using the Wheel of Consumer Analysis the environment, behavior, and affect/cognition (see Figure 1). However, because these three factors interact and influence each other, no one factor can be isolated from the other. To understand consumer behavior, marketers must pay close attention to all three elements, each of which is discussed below Affect and Cognition Both affect and cognition are important for understanding consumer behavior, because affect and cognition refer to the internal and psychological reactions that consumers may have in response to objects in the external environment i.e., marketing stimuli, or to their own behavior. In other words, affect concerns feelings, while cognition involves thinking. Affective feelings can be positive and favorable, or negative and unfavorable. Whether positive or negative, they will affect the decisions of consumers. The Chinese consumer presents a good example of this. When Chinese consumers go to car dealers to purchase a car, their emphasis is on the services, including the attitude of sales people and option packages. An important factor for the Chinese is that dealers are sincere when conducting business rather than focusing solely on the price. Many international companies have experience when dealing with the Chinese and they understand that the Chinese like to negotiate, especially on price and service. Behavior The second important component is behavior or the overt acts of consumers. While affect and cognition are concerned with what customers feel and think, behavior deals with what customers actually do. Examples of consumer behavior include watching a TV commercial, visiting a store, or purchasing a product. Chinese consumers typically pay more attention to the informational content than entertainment features of the advertisements. One study found that Chinese customers considered themselves to be sophisticated and knowledgeable in their purchasing choices. (Shen Zhao, 1995) Environment The last component of consumer behavior concerns the environment. The environment refers to all the physical and social characteristics of the consumers external worlds on both a macro and a micro level. Marketers need to know which level of environmental analysis is relevant for the marketing problem and choose or design strategies appropriately. The macro environment includes general environmental factors such as, the climate, demographics, economic conditions, and political system. The micro-environment includes face-to-face social interactions among smaller groups of people such as families and reference groups. (Olson Peter, 1994) Both environments could include the objects, places, or other people who influence consumers affect/ recognition, and behavior. In the Chinese society, friends are good reference providers, particularly in the case of large, durable goods purchases.While the environment in which marketers operate is largely uncontrollable, marketers can influence cert ain aspects of the environment. Therefore, every marketing strategy needs to change or at least adapt to some aspect of the social and physical environments. While attempting to influence consumers affect/cognition and their behaviors, marketing strategies must often be altered to fit the social and physical environments such as, designing cars without ashtrays, reflecting shifting social patterns of reduced smoking 2.2 Literature of Variable 2.2.1 Price Prices range widely and an executive sedan may cost more than ten times the price of a small car (White,2004, 2006). Various studies have applied hedonic price modeling to show that price variation among new cars can be explained by differences in key product characteristics such as horsepower,engine capacity, speed, and safety features (e.g. Couton et al.,1996; Andersson, 2005; Reis and Santos Silva, 2006)Price is probably the most important consideration for the average consumer according to Cadogan and Foster (2000). Price plays an important role in affecting consumers decision towards purchasing a product.The effect of price has been studied extensively for many years. Consumers view price as an important element when purchasing and it has a large influence on consumers satisfaction judgments (Hermann, Xia, Monroe Huber, 2007). Price is an important factor of customer satisfaction since whenever consumers the value of an acquired product or service, they usually always think price (Zeithaml, 1998). Price is more likely used by consumers as a cue in forming product expectations when they are faced with performance or quality uncertainty (Urbany, 1997). Customers who view a firms pricing practices as unfair, are most likely to respond negatively. These include immediate attitudinal and affective responses such as dissatisfaction and lower purchase intentions (Oliver Swan, 1989). Consumers have the perception of high price giving high quality products and a number of academic works have shown that low prices are associated with low quality (Huang, 2004). According to the range theory, people use the range of remembered price experiences to set lower and upper bounds on price expectations, such that the attractiveness of a market price is a function of its position within this range (Janiszewski and Lichtenstein, 1999).Consumer have a strong belief in the price and value of their brands so much that they would compare and evaluate prices with alternative brands(Evans et al.,1996;Keller,2003). According to Helegeson and Beatty, (1985),consumers rely on various information cues or product attributes in their decisionmaking including price. The general consensus in research is that price is one of the most important reasons in purchasing decision factor. According to Bucklin et al. (1998), price significantly influences consumer choice and incidence of purchase. He emphasized that discount pricing makes households switch brands and buy products earlier than needed. Price is described as the quantity of payment or compensation for something. It indicates price as an exchange ratio between goods that pay for each other. Price also communicates to the market the companys intended value positioning of its product or brand. Price consciousness is defined as finding the best value, buying at sale prices or the lowest price choice (Sproles and Kendall, 1986). Additionally, consumers generally evaluated market price against an internal reference price, before they decide on the attractiveness of the retail price. 2.2.2 Brand According to Bhimrao M. Ghodeswar (2008), brand is defined as a distinguishing name or symbol such as logo, trademark, or package design that intended to identify the goods or services of either one seller or a group of sellers, and to differentiate those goods or services from those of competitors.Consumer brand-knowledge can be defined in terms of the personal meaning about a brand stored in consumer memory, that is, all descriptive and evaluative brand-related information(Keller 2003). A brand act as signals to the customer the source of the product, and protects both the customer and the producer from competitors who would attempt to provide products that appear to be identical (Aaker, 1991). Brands provide the basis upon which consumers can identify and bond with a product or service or a group of products or services (Weilbacher, 1995)Consumer decisions about brand choices follow a certain sequence (Bettman, 1979).A brand can be defined as the total accumulation of all his/her experiences, and is built at all points of contact with the customer from the customers point of view (Kapferer, 2004)The way consumers perceive brand is a key determinant of long-term business-consumer relationship (Fournier, 1998). Consumer attitude towards a brand is an extension of the psychological assessment of the brand in terms of favoritism and is about positive or negative predisposition held towards a product (Churchill Iacobucci, 2005).The way consumers perceive brand is a key determinant of long-term business-consumer relationship (Fournier, 1998).Consumers have been found to be more willing to pay extra for a symbolic brand or a brand with symbolic value (Wu Shing, 2006). Mithall (1989) establishes that when it comes to purchasing, customers care about brands, perception on brand differences, importance of brand choice and feeling concerned about brand decision. As consumers become more familiar with a brand, their knowledge structure about the brand changes so and their uncertainty about the brand decreases. Brands have been perceived as providing a greater security and a higher level of performance while eliminating alternatives by providing a better overall customization of perceived preference s (Jiang, 2004). Gardner Levy (2005) found that consumers were not just looking for product functionality, but also brand status or the symbolic meaning or property of the brand. Brand status depends largely on the consumers perception of the brands association with symbolism and prestige (Baht Reddy, 1998). The modern day consumer has also started to build emotional bonds with brands, becoming friends with them and are even said to be seduced to look like, eat like and be alike (Klein, 2000). Famous brand names can disseminate product benefits and lead to higher recall of advertised benefits than non-famous brand names (Keller, 2003). There are many unfamiliar brand names and alternatives available in the market place. Consumers may prefer to trust major famous brand names. These prestigious brand names and their images attract consumers to purchase the brand and bring about repeat purchasing behaviour and reduce price related switching behaviours (Cadogan and Foster, 2000). Furthermore, brand personality provides links to the brands emotional and self-expressive benefits for differentiation. This is important for brands which have only minor physical differences and are consumed in a social setting where the brand can create a visible image about the consumer itself. Consumers are usually able to evaluate each of International Journal of Economics and Management the products and brand name attributes (Keller, 2003). It is noteworthy that this information is essential for marketing managers to make informed decisions concerning product positioning, repositioning and differential advantages. According to Kohli and Thakor (1997), brand name is the creation of an image or the development of a brand identity and is an expensive and time consuming process. The development of a brand name is an essential part of the process since the name is the basis of a brands image. Brand name is important for the firm to attract customers to purchase the product and influence repeat purchasing behaviour. Consumers tend to perceive the products from an overall perspective, associating with the brand name all the attributes and satisfaction experienced by the purchase and use of the product. 2.2.3 Appearance Appearance is defined by HunterLab(2008) as a combination of its chromatic attributes(color) and geometric attributes(shape,texture,shinines,haze and translucency)and both types of these attributes should be measured and accounted for when making visual or instrumental assessments appearance.Appearance is the foremost and most impressive product message because when customers have a choice and all other factors are equal,they buy what looks best(HunterLab 2008).Also according to HunterLab,buyers will expect uniformity of appearance within any group of the same product and when customers see a difference between them on display,they will associated the difference with poor quality. Product design has been recognized as an opportunity for differential advantage in the market place and the appearance of a product influences consumer product choice in several ways(Marielle and Jan,2005).The appearance of the product influences consumer perception of aspects such as ease of operation, weight, and stability, which affect the perceived ease of use of a product(Marielle and Jan,2005). Consumers may use product appearance for categorization (Bloch, 1995; Veryzer, 1995). According toYamamoto and Lambert(1994) , even for industrial products, appearance has an influence on product preference. A products appearance communicates messages(Murdoch and Flurscheim, 1983), as it may look cheerful, boring, friendly, expensive, rude, or childish. Furthermore, the product or package appearance can reinforce the image of a brand, as the identity of a brand is expressed visually in the appearance of products (Schmitt and Simonson, 1997). The aesthetic value of a product pertains to the pleasure derived from seeing the product, without consideration of utility (Holbrook, 1980). Car manufacturers often try to keep different car models recognizable as belonging to the same brand. The distinctive radiator grill of BMW automobiles is an example of a recognizable design element. The linking of brand meaning to elements of the product appearance will be easier when the associations these elements engender by themselves because they are innate or are determined by culture correspond to the desired brand image.Color preferences differ between cultures and in time (Whitfieldand Wiltshire, 1983). Garber (1995) defined visual typicality as the look or appearance that most consumers would associatewith a product category, and by which they identify brands that belong to the category. For example, use of bright colors and a large size, which is associated with aggression (Murdoch and Flurscheim, 1983), will make it easier to position a car brand as aggressive. In addition, personal factors, such as design acumen, prior experience, and personality influence the design taste of consumers (Bloch, 1995) 2.2.4 Safety According to BBC Science article, moving cars have kinetic energy and energy cannot be created or destroyed.When the car brakes this energy will transfer to the surroundings and this happen during the car collisions.The safety feature were design to absorb this kind of energy at the same time avoiding serious injury.The typical features were seat belts, air bags and crumple zones.The modern safety features in new automobiles including Anti-lock braking system(ABS),traction control,safety cage,electric windows,cruise control,paddle shift controls and adjustable seats. In 2003,The Dohring Company which is the North Americas largest provider of custom market research has conducted a random survey of 7.995 American drivers intending to purchase a new vehicle in the near future.The result of this survey stated that 83% of the participants reported that vehicle safety would be an important or very important consideration when purchasing their next vehicle(The Dohring Company,2003).Based on the Safety Advisory Committe I(SARAC I 2001) reviewed on incidential consumer survey in Europe,United States and Australia,safety had become an important attribute when purchasing a new vehicle (Zeidler,Kullgren,Fildres,Morris ONeill,2001) . According to the research of SARAC II(2005),one of the main aims of the research was to determine how important the vehicle safety in new vehicle purchase process in Sweden and Spain.The research finding indicate that while vehicle safety has become increasingly important to new consumer ,it is not the primary consideration in the vehicles purchase decision.However when the participant were ask to rate and select the importance vehicles factors from the list,most participant select the vehicle safety as the most important factor. In similar case when the participant of this research were ask to select the vehicles features,most of the participant selected the safety related features for example air bag and advanced braking system.Overall,the participants from both countries were most likely select safety related factor and safety related features from the list of factors and features as their highest priorities in the new vehicles process.The Swedish new private vehicle consumer significantly more concern in vehicles safety features compare to the Spanish new private vehicles consumer. According to the Roy Morgan Research Centre (MUARC,1992) on the consumers willingness to pay for vehicle safety features,consumers who purchased more expensive vehicles tended to be more willing to pay for the safety packages and however the author noted that the willingness to pay was still quite high for consumers who purchased vehicles from the lowest price range.In the summary most private vehicle purchasers would willing to pay the best estimate retail price or more for both the airbag and non airbag package.The factor were influence by age,gender,parents,household income,size of car and cost of the vehicle. According to European Road Safety Observatory, the design of the vehicle are the most important and basic critirea to a safe traffic system that requires safe interaction between users, vehicles and the road environment. Vehicle design, which takes account of the behavioural and physical limitations of road users, can address a range of risk factors and help to reduce exposure to risk, crash involvement and crash injury severity.Up untill now, vehicle engineering for improved safety has usually been directed towards modifying and designing a vehicle in order to help the driver avoid a crash, or to protect the passenger inside the vehicle during a crash.Recently, attention in  Europe  has been given to crash protective design for those outside the vehicle Key system risk factors Human Vehicles and equipments Road Exposure traffic system use too early access to driving or riding a motor vehicle availability of high performance motor vehicles poor land-use planning, user mix Pre-crash crash occurrence speeding, impairment poor lighting, braking, handling, speed management poor road design or layout, absence of speed limits and pedestrian facilities Crash injury during the crash non-use of restraints or helmets poor crash protective design absence of forgiving roadside (e.g. crash barriers) Post-crash post crash injury poor access to care poor evacuation absence of rescue facility European Road Safety Observation on the vehicle design contribution Based on Broughton, J. et al. (2000) research on a review of the effectiveness of casualty reduction measures in the  United Kingdom  between 1980 and 1996.The Author found that the greatest contribution to casualty reduction was secondary safety or crash protection in vehicles. This accounted for around 15% of the reduction, compared with 11% for drink-drive measures and 6.5% for road safety engineering measures.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Atheism as a historical philosophy and its relevance in contemporary Am

Disbelief in the existence of God is an enduring, worldwide phenomenon that is quite possibly also one of the most misunderstood belief systems in the world. For many, the term â€Å"atheism† immediately spurs negative imagery inspired by years of indoctrination – churches proclaiming the sins of the infidels, and how questioning God’s infinite love will result in instant damnation. Atheists are perceived as dark, nihilistic, immoral, amoral, pessimistic, and even evil, because without God, clearly they are also without morality and goodness. But if this disbelief is so negative, why would nearly 1 billion people globally, and more than 16 percent of the American population identify themselves as â€Å"nonbelievers†? In fact, a survey published in January 2007 by the Pew Research Center for the People & The Press found that â€Å"20 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 25 say they have no religious affiliation or consider themselves atheists o r agnostics – nearly double those who said that in a similar survey 20 years ago† (Abel). Surely there is something to be gained in denying one of contemporary civilization’s most accepted and cherished beliefs in order to garner the respect of (and often participation from) some of the greatest minds in human history. Indeed, for most nonbelievers, it seems the justification for atheism far outweighs the justifications for theism, which they view as moot, obsolete, and inaccurate. THE PHILOSOPHY Put simply, atheism is the belief that there is no God or gods. In this sense, it is true that atheism is a â€Å"negative† philosophy in that it is the negation of theism (the word is derived from the Greek ‘a’ - without, ‘theos’ - God). However, as we shall see, this perception of atheism as a negative w... ...008 . Martin, Michael. Atheism : A Philosophical Justification. New York, MI: Temple UP, 1990. Martin, Michael, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Atheism. New York: Cambridge UP, 2006. Mills, David, and Dorion Sagan. Atheist Universe : The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism. New York: Ulysses P, 2006 Nielsen, Kai. God, Scepticism and Modernity. Boston: Paul & Company Consortium, Incorporated, 1989. Odell v. Koppee, 5 Heisk. (Tenn) 91. Religulous. Dir. Larry Charles. Perf. Bill Maher. Film. 2008. Thrower, James. Western Atheism : A Short History. New York: Pyr Books, 1999. "17th Century - Investigating Atheism." Investigating Atheism. 2008. University of Cambridge. .

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Themes, Symbolism, and Atmosphere in Dickens Hard Times Essay

When Charles Dickens was writing his commentary on a fast industrializing world, the thought that Hard Times would still be relevant over 150 years later is assumed to be far from the forefront of his mind. And yet at present, 158 years after its first publication, Charles Dickens’ tale of industrialization and its implications still holds a prominent place in today’s society. The following is one interpretation of Dickens’ story of an industrialized dystopia, and discussed are its ever-relevant theme, the symbols and motifs which reinforce it, and the effective atmosphere which it creates. Throughout the novel there are two very prominent themes: the notion that industrialization has a mechanizing effect on human beings and the recurring battle of fact versus fancy. However, the latter can be seen as subordinate to the first. Forthwith in the novel Dickens establishes the emphasis on facts and statistics (â€Å"The One Thing Needful†), using a monologue to introduce his novel: â€Å"Now, what I want is, Facts. [†¦]Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else.† (Dickens 3). Immediately the stage is set, with Dickens creating a character whose sole belief could no doubt be proved using further statistics and facts. What Dickens has also done by the end of the first chapter is describe a character who possesses qualities common to many industrialists and of that era, a character who himself appears to represent a part of the industry, one who was â€Å"inflexible, dry, and dictatorial† (Dickens 3). Given the p revalence of utilitarianism in the time of writing, it is apparent why Dickens chose to embody the main theme in a character that is so â€Å"eminently practical† that he comes off as cold as the great hulking... ...simplicity which enabled readers of any kind to sympathize with the characters bound to a dystopia fueled by the ever-turning gears and wheels of the great industrial machine. Dickens created a novel that thoroughly detailed the effects which industry forced upon humanity, as well as the fight man took to overcome such mechanization, one saw a battle between utilitarianism and humanism play out with the turn of each page, and one saw humanity prevail in the novel’s conclusion. However, humanity, it seems, is not always the preponderate in reality, with this battle of â€Å"fact versus fancy† still playing out today. Hard Times will forever be relevant so long as mankind continues to engineer the evolution of industry and industry continues to engineer the end of mankind’s evolution. Works Cited Dickens, Charles. Hard Times. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 1990

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Nebosh Igc Study Notes

Element 6 Page 1 of 6 Describe the general principles of control and basic hierarchy of risk reduction measures that encompass technical, behavioral and procedural controls? General Principles of Prevention: There are some general principles of prevention that can be applied to eliminate hazards and reduce the risk in the workplace. These principles rely on the correct selection of technical, procedural and behavioral controls. 1. Avoid risk: 2. Evaluate risks which cannot be avoided 3. Control hazards at source: 4. Adapt work to suit the individual 5. Adapt to technical progress 6.Replace the dangerous with the non dangerous or less dangerous 7. Develop logical overall prevention policy 8. Give priority to collective protective measures over individual protective measures: 9. Give appropriate information, instruction, training and supervision to employees. Avoid Risks: Where possible Evaluate risks which cannot be avoided: Through the risk assessment process Control hazards at sourc e: By going to the source of the problem directly (e. g. if there is noise hazards in the workplace tackle the source of the nose> Adapt work to suit the individual:By applying good ergonomic principles to job and workplace design (by job rotation) Replace the dangerous with the non dangerous or less dangerous: By substituting one hazard with something less hazardous e. g. replace a corrosive chemical with one that does the same job but is classified as less irritant and less harmful Develop a coherent overall prevention policy: By consistency using the same approach across the whole organization Give priority to collective protective measures over individual protective measures: By creating a workplace that is safe for all rather than relying on measures that only protect one worker at a time e. . install a guard rail rather than rely on PPE. Why do instruction, training and supervision form a part of safe system? Give appropriate information, instruction, training and supervision to employee: So that workers have the necessary background information to make correct choices. IGC-1 Element 6 Page 2 of 6 When selecting control options form these general principles of prevention you should be aware that preventive measure can be categorized as: 1. Technical 2. Procedural 3. Behavioral General Hierarchy of Control The following elements make up the general hierarchy of control: 1. . 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Avoid risks Elimination / substitution Reduce exposure or the time of exposure Isolation / segregation Engineering controls Safe system or work Training and information Personal protective equipment Welfare Monitoring and supervision Avoid risks Risk avoidance is simply to avoid completely the activity giving rise to the risk Elimination / substitution If a hazard can be eliminated then the risk created by the hazards disappears. For example hazardous substances can sometimes be replaced with materials which do the same job but present no risk to health.Reduce exposure or the time of exposure If the degree to which a worker is exposed to hazard can be reduced then that worker is far less likely to have an accident with that hazard. For example an engineer who spend all day working on machinery with hazardous moving parts is more likely to suffer injury than the engineer who spend only an hour of their working day to exposed to the same hazard. Isolation / segregation Isolation: The aim her to isolate the hazard physically so that nobody is exposed to it e. g. coustic enclosure of a noisy machine to reduce the noise exposure; guards around moving machinery to prevent contact Segregation: refer to the idea that certain hazards must not be accessible to unauthorized workers e. g. in a workplace with radiation hazard only authorized person should have access only What do engineering controls do? Engineering controls IGC-1 Element 6 Page 3 of 6 Engineering control involves use of an engineering solution to prevent exposure to the hazard. Engi neering control also refer to the inclusion of safety features that ensure that the item is used in correct way.For example interlock switches are fitted to moveable guard on machinery to ensure that when guard is open the machine will not work but guard is close it will. Safe system of work Safe system of work procedure helps to eliminate hazards or minimizes the risk associated with them. Training and information Training is instrumental in enabling employees to become competent. Personal protective equipment Equipment or clothing that is worn or held by a worker that protects them from one or more risks to their safety or health. It is duty of employer to: ? ? ? ? ? Supply suitable PPE where risk cannot be controlled by other more effective methods Ensure that when tow more items of PPE have to be worn together they are compatible Provide suitable storage for PPE Provide information instructions and training to workers on the PPE they will wear. Enforce the use of PPE Replace or repair damaged or lost items. Welfare Welfare facilities include the provision of toilets, washing facilities, clean drinking water, rest area and clean place for eat meals. Monitoring and supervisionMonitoring: For maintain surveillance over something by periodic observation or measurement and inspection to ensure that they are using prescribed safe working method. Supervision: Refers to routine inspection and surveillance or workers but concern direct line management authority to control behavior Define a safe system of work? SAFE SYSTEM OF WORK: A safe system of work is a formal procedure based on a systematic examination of work in order to identify the hazards. It defines safe methods of working which eliminate those hazards or minimize the risks associated with themResponsibilities of Employer: It is the responsibilities of the employer to develop safe systems of work with the involvement of both competent persons and employees who will be carrying out the work. These safe sys tem must be documented. IGC-1 Element 6 Page 4 of 6 What is the difference between technical, procedural and behavioral controls? Technical, procedural and behavioral controls: As safe system of work will involve all the elements of control that we identified ealrlier in the general hierarchy of control 1.Technical or engineering control 2. Procedural control 3. Behavioral control Technical or engineering control: Applied directly to the hazard in order to minimize the risk, this may involve fencing or barriers of different kinds to isolate workers from hazard. Procedural control: The way, in which work should be carried out in relation to the hazards, They specify the exact tasks involved their sequence and the safety actions and checks which have to taken. Behavioral Control: How the individual worker acts in relation to the hazard e. . good housekeeping or using PPE Development of a safe system of work: Safe system of work usually developed using the process of task analysis, whi ch involves breaking work down into a series of steps so that hazards can be identified and risk controlled at each step using technical, procedural and behavioral controls. Once developed, safe systems must be implemented and monitored to ensure continued effectiveness. Describe what factors should be considered when developing and implementing a safe system of work?When developing a safe system of work it is important to consider that 1. 2. 3. 4. PEOPLE: Who is the SSW for what level of competence or technical ability should they have? EQUIPMENT: What equipment will be worked on? What safety equipment will be required? MATERIALS: what materials will be used or handled the work? Who will waste dispose of? ENVIRONMENT: in what type of environment will the work take place? Useful acronym SREDIM can be used to identify the hazard associated with every step of work 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.Select the task to b analyzed Record the steps or stages of the task Evaluate the risk associated with ea ch step Develop the safe working method Implement the safe working method Monitor to ensure it is effective. IGC-1 Element 6 Page 5 of 6 Explain the role and function of a permit to work system? Or What is permit to work? Permit to work system: A permit to work system is formal documented safety procedure forming part of a safe system of work which ensures that all necessary actions are taken before during and after particularly high risk work.A permit system formalizes the control of high risk work to ensure that all the risks have been identified all the precaution put in place and that appropriate information has been communicated to all relevant parties. What are the key elements of typical permit? There are four main sections to a permit to work: 1. Issue 4 Cancellation 2. Receipt 5. Extension 3. Clearance / return to service Explain the need of emergency procedures and the arrangements for contracting emergency services? Or What is the main objective of an emergency procedure? Emergency Procedures:Importance of developing emergency procedures: An organization should develop emergency procedures to deal with foreseeable incidents such as: Fire, bomb threat, spillage of a hazardous chemical , release of a toxic gas, outbreak of disease, severe weather or flooding and multiple casualty accident. Emergency procedures: These procedures should cover the internal arrangements for dealing with the foreseeable incidents which will include; 1. Procedure to follow 2. Provision of suitable equipment 3. Nomination of responsible staff 4. Provision of training and information 5. Drills and exercises 6.Contracting the emergency services Procedure to follow In the event of a fire normal practice for worker to exit the building and go to assembly area but in bomb thread this will be opposite person has to go inside the building and away from the windows Provision of suitable equipment IGC-1 Element 6 Page 6 of 6 If there is a fire suitable fire extinguisher are available and proper PPE wear by the person involve in fire fighting Nomination of responsible staff In case of fire there need for fire wardens and fire marshal who will tell to occupant of building about safety instruction in case of fire.Provision of training and information Workers will only know what to do in case of emergency if they have training and information Drills and exercises Emergency procedure should be practiced to ensure that people are familiar with action they might be expected in case of emergency Contracting the emergency services (first Aid) Describe the requirements for and effective e provision of first aid in the workplace? First Aid Requirements: An employer must make appropriate first aid provision for his employees. This will include ? First aid facilities ? Equipment ?Appropriately trained personnel. What factors might need to be considered when determining the first aid provision for a workplace? First aid coverage: To determine what first aid provision to make an employer will have to undertake an assessment which should consider various factors such as: ? The general risk level of the workplace ? The hazards present in the workplace ? Accident history ? The presence of vulnerable persons ? The number of workers in the workplace ? Work patterns and shift systems of workers ? The geographic location of the workplace ? The spread of the workplace IGC-1

Monday, September 16, 2019

April Morning

April Morning Writing Assignment Adam Cooper and his father Moses do not have a good relationship. Moses expects a lot from Adam. Adam feels like his father hates him and does not approve of him. Adam's mother asks him why he does not spend his free time reading the bible like his father did when he was younger. He is constantly getting nagged by his parents. Adam believes in superstition and his parents do not approve of it. If Moses were to try and understand Adam a little more and be easier on him I believe their relationship would be better. They both need to meet each other halfway. If they were to sit down nd talk about their disagreements their relationship would improve. Watching the scene where the British open Fire on the colonists on Lexington's green affected me in certain ways. When we were blind folded and caught of guard when the fireworks were thrown it scared me greatly. I can only imagine what it must have been like to watch so many people die, especially friends an d family. War is a scary thought and to experience it first hand must be even worse. Thinking about the pain of the people who's loved ones died on that war is very sad to me. Also thinking about the pain the actual people in the war had to endure is upsetting.I believe the point that the author is trying to make at the end of the movie is that Adam is now a man who has to make his own decisions. I feel that it is a bittersweet feeling for Adam, because his father dies, but now he is the boss of himself. Adam's family was very upset that his father died, but very thankful that Adam was alive. The war changed Adam and his family's lives completely. Even though in the ending of the movie no one was talking, it was still obvious as to what was going on. Overall, this was a great movie and taught me a lot about war around that time period.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Racism: African American Races Essay

A social problem is a condition that at least some people in a community view as being undesirable. A big social problem in the world told would have to be racism. Some say that racism doesn’t exist but it does. Racism is a very strong word to use I have to say, but there have been a lot of unfairness and discriminations throughout the years in America. Which is what makes me interested in this topic the unfairness people receive from other people because the color of their skin. Some people I know have experienced unfair acts because of the content of their skin. Many people know that racism has occurred in the past when African Americans were treated unfairly being segregated from the opposite race. But most of that changed when people began to fight for equal rights having boycotts, protests, and consistently having those individuals who were racist know that they deserved equal rights as well as they did. And until they receive justice they were going to have their voices heard to receive justice. Racism is just with black people it’s with everybody. Any race can try anything, but there are still going to be those people who just converse with each other about other races. It’s definitely not only the Caucasian race it’s basically every race. The African-American race makes fun of the Caucasian and Latino races. The Latino race makes fun of the Caucasian and African American races. Everybody talks about everybody although it is not right I don’t believe that it will ever stop. I feel there should be a end to it simply because everybody is equal whether we want to believe it or not. So a stop to racism is a must it needs to happen now.

Immanuel Kant Essay

Introduction 1What does philosophy mean? -Everyone has a philosophy -We have ideas concerning things, people, the meaning of life, death, God, what is good and bad. -We may have certain attitudes to life, certain ways of looking at things. -For example: -I am an optimist. I can always see a positive side to most unhappy situations. -I don’t believe in worrying too much. I think about today. Tomorrow can take care of itself. -Although an individual claim this to be his philosophy and rightly so. But this is not philosophy as a discipline. It is too broad, vague, superficial, impersonal and unclear. It does not adequately describe the work of a philosopher. -We need to define philosophy more specifically. 2The word â€Å"philosophy†. -The Word â€Å"Philosophy†. -Philia (love) + Sophia (wisdom) = the love of wisdom. 3Definitions of philosophy a. The study of the nature and meaning of the universe and of human life Online Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. b. Philosophy is a rational attempt to look at the world as a whole. 4What does philosophy seek to do? -Philosophy seeks to examine fundamental questions about the universe and about ourselves with the hope of coming up with consistent principles by which we can understand and live. 5Human beings have always sought answers to certain fundamental questions – What are these fundamental questions? -What makes an action write or wrong? -What is my purpose in the world? -What is truth? -What makes a good life? -Is God important in our lives? -Where does knowledge come from and how do we know that our knowledge is true. -What is the relationship between mind and body? 6Why do we need philosophy? Why do we need philosophy when we have science and technology? -We have advanced so much in science and technology -We live in cities, we have conquered the air and have ventured into space? -Communication is so developed that distance no longer matters -We have immense power over nature -We are able to produce more goods and services than ever before -So, why do we still need philosophy? 7Yet all these advances cause us to be disturbed and anxious -There is a danger that the very technology we have developed could destroy us. -For example nuclear technology. -We seem to be unable to deal with the problems of war, famine, terror, distribution of wealth, pollution, the threatened extinction of wildlife, exploitation and oppression of the weak . -Knowledge and values appear to be divorced. -This is where philosophy comes in. It helps us to examine our lives as individuals and groups. -Philosophy may not be able to provide solutions to all the world’s problems. But it helps to examine issues clearly, consider options and help us to make informed decisions. -With poor, incomplete and shallow reasoning we cannot build an enlightened society -If we are unable to distinguish between valid and invalid reasoning, then we become victims of persuasive orators, cult leaders and unscrupulous political leaders. -Philosophy helps us to see more deeply and clearly into an issue. It helps us to question traditional and outdate beliefs so that we can make informed choices -Knowledge of ethical systems help us to live ethical lives at the personal and communitarian level. -Knowledge of what constitutes beauty helps us to appreciate and respect differences in individual and cultural concepts of beauty and art. -Being able to think critically will help us to be aware of any irrational and oppressive beliefs in religion. 8The traditional divisions of philosophy. a. Logic b. Metaphysics c. Epistemology d. Value Theory LOGIC aLogic. -The systematic study of rules to distinguish or recognize good arguments from bad. -In an argument, groups will give opposing views. -How do we know which argument is good and which is not good. -Logic helps us to do so by providing rules to recognize right argument from wrong argument. -It is concerned with tests to find out which arguments are valid. -Logic runs through all the other branches of philosophy. METAPHYSICS -bMetaphysics The study of the nature of being and of the world. -It is concerned with the fundamental nature of all reality, both visible and invisible. -It asks what reality is, why it is, and how we can understand it. Ontology That part of metaphysics that studies being or existence. EPISTEMOLOGY cEpistemology The study of the sources, nature and validity of knowledge. -It deals with issues like: -What are the sources of knowledge? (Origin of knowledge) -Where does genuine knowledge come from? -How do we know? -What is the nature of knowledge? (Appearance and reality) -Is there a real world outside the mind? -If so, can we know it? -Is our knowledge valid? (Truth/Verification) -How do we distinguish truth from error? Two traditional schools of thought have sought to answer the questions above: -Rationalism -Human reason alone can discover the basic principles of the universe -Empiricism -All knowledge ultimately comes from sense experience, and therefore our knowledge is limited to what can be experienced. There is a relationship between metaphysics and epistemology. Our understanding of reality (metaphysics) depends on our understanding of what can be known (epistemology). Our theory of knowledge (epistemology) depends on how we understand ourselves in relation to the whole of reality (metaphysics). VALUE THEORY dValue Theory The branch of philosophy that studies values. -It can be subdivided into ethics, aesthetics, and social and political philosophy. iethics: is concerned with morality; right or wrong behavior. -the three areas of ethics are : descriptive, normative and metaethics. -descriptive ethics (what is ) identifies motives, desire and intentions of human conduct and acts. It describes moral actions. -normative ethics (what ought to be) proposes the principles by which people ought to act and live. These are called ethical theories. – – -Meta-ethics(analysis) on how we understand, know about, and what we mean when we talk about what is right and what is wrong. It deals with the meaning of key concepts, techniques of reasoning and analysis, and linguistic conventions It deals with matters like what do moral terms mean? What sort of mental state is involved in accepting a moral claim – a belief, an emotion? Is there any sort of moral reality or facts? Is ethical knowledge attainable? If so, how? In fact, drawing the conceptual distinction between Metaethics, Normative Ethics, and Applied Ethics is itself a â€Å"metaethical analysis. † ii. Aestheticsis concerned with the theory of art and beauty. -Many philosophical problems in aesthetics involve critical judgements.? -It deals with concepts of concepts of beauty. Is beauty subjective or objective? iii. Social and political philosophyisconcerned with value judgments concerning society, the state and the individual’s relation to these institutions -It deals with issues like -Why should individuals live in society? -What should be the social ideals of liberty, rights, justice, equality and responsibility -Why should anyone obey any government? -Why should some individuals or groups have political power over others -Who should have political power over others? -What should the scope of political power be? -What are the goals of government? Glossary 1philosophyphilia (love) + Sophia (wisdom) = the love of wisdom 2logicThe systematic study of rules to distinguish or recognize good arguments from bad 3metaphysicsThe study of the nature of being and of the world 4epistemologyThe study of the sources, nature and validity of knowledge 5value theoryThe branch of philosophy that studies values. It can be subdivided into ethics, aesthetics, and social and political philosophy. 6rationalismHuman reason alone can discover the basic principles of the universe 7empiricismAll knowledge ultimately comes from sense experience, and therefore our knowledge is limited to what can be experienced 8aesthetics Is concerned with the theory of art and beauty.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Culture at Thai Temple Essay

Today, I have the opportunity to go to the Thai Temple on North Broadway Street. As we all know that Thai community is not a big population in Wichita, Kansas, and there’s not many temple here as well. I walked into the temple with a beautiful site view, there was only one Buddhist statue inside the building. Walking in the temple there stood three monks with a warm welcome from them to show me around the temple. I turned around with a curious look on my face, and started to asked them how often do they held ceremony for praying time. They told me that it is usually every Saturday and Sunday. One of the monk name was Michael, he told me that usually the people who participate or come visit the temple they would bring food to share with monk, and other people. The food must be vegetarian, and that your spoon or any utensil must not touch any meat at all. Monk Michael told me that monks are vegetarian, they cannot eat fish or any meats at all. They always eat before 11 o’clock and usually once a day before the prayer. It was really fascinating for me to have the opportunity to view the different from my usual culture and belief system. As monk Michael guide me through the temple, he said that when there’s a hug festival there is a lot of people from Thai community gather to celebrate the holiday. He told me that during the New’s Year which is the most important holiday for Thai and Cambodian society. People would come to the temple to pray and lit up incense for the Buddhist statue, and get red envelop under the Ochna tree. The red envelop meant to bring us luck and prosperity for the upcoming year. Monk Michael ask me to come by during the big festival in April 14. It is the most exciting day for Thai and Cambodian which they shared the same New Year day. Attending this Buddhist temple I have engage and learnt the culture difference between Catholic and Buddhism. My belief is Catholic, and I noticed the New Year holiday for Catholic and Buddhist was totally difference from my culture, and my own belief. Catholic biggest holiday is Christmas just like American society. We only celebrate Christmas in church, but we don’t celebrate New Year as Buddhist. As monk Michael asked me to engage in the part of prayer, I felt a little uncomfortable, because I was afraid I might do something wrong, and that we have to knee down through the whole praying time. It is usually lasted about an hour or so. My religious is not the same as Buddhist, but I know the food flavor and the taste are the same. Even though, monk Michael asked me to stay and enjoy the meal with the rest of the monks. The food might be plain without the meat, but it was really delicious. The monk is vegetarian, and they cannot eat meat, if they did people would not respect them as a monk who guard the temple, because if they did they will break the rule of being a monk. That’s what monk Michael tell me about their habit and the protocol the have to follow. Monk Michael also told me that, monks cannot have spouse and kid, also drinking as well, because that’s is against the religious value. Being Catholic I feel that’s our Father or priest we don’t have to fast, even if we do. Catholic only eat fish during Easter month. The majority people who goes to temple are usually Buddhist believer or any people who want to come to pray is always welcome. Our culture and religious are different, but we have the same view of life such as karma. Attending Buddhist temple I can see the different between religious and the different in culture practices. It was worth of my time to spend today to engage in this wonderful heritage of Buddhism. Thai people worship Buddhism is stronger believer. They believe that life is does not end with dead, but it is more base on karma. â€Å"What we sow, is what we reap† it is the concepts in every human being; it doesn’t have to be in your religious. Going to the Thai Temple make me feels like there are a lot of great culture practice not only around world, but also in the community of Thai, and Vietnamese who practices Buddhism it is worth my time to explore this culture. After attending this culture event, I feels closer not only to my heritage, but I have deeply appreciated Thai heritage as well as my own. Thai Temple had taught me more about their background, and their religious, which they provided on this fieldtrip. Michael monk had provided me with real life interaction experience with his culture and exchange different belief. I will come back to Thai Temple during their New Year’s events to gain more knowledge of their culture holiday. This fieldtrip has help me become less ethnocentric and become more open to experience new culture. After this fieldtrip I would like to go and learnt more about other culture that I never have intents to tries. This make me realize that I have missed a lot of this opportunity to seek and learnt other culture belief.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Your choice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Your choice - Research Paper Example The benefits that accrue to all the stakeholders of the school when students wear school uniforms provide an excellent basis and rationale as to why all students in all schools should wear school uniforms. According to Craik (37) school uniforms have been known to exist long time ago even prior to the thirteenth century.   For instance, in 1222 Archbishop of Canterbury instructed monks to dress in a conventional monastic form of dress. This was possibly the first standardized case of academic attire. In early 16th century, uniforms were utilized and developed into more explicit as diverse fashion styles became unattractive  to the university. The reasons why school uniforms should be encouraged are various. One of the reasons why school uniforms should be made a requirement in schools is that school uniforms build a homogeneous environment amongst students, reducing peer pressure and cases of bullying.  In a school where students dress uniformly, unwarranted competition between students over fashion and trend is eliminated, paving way to reduction of peer pressure. In 2013, national association of elementary school principals conducted a survey that revealed that 86% of management heads of schools agreed that school uniforms have a positive effect in peer pressure. Instances of bullying and belittling other students were reduced significantly when students wore uniforms as opposed to when they didn’t. Another statistical information also revealed that 64% of the schools head admitted that uniforms reduce bullying and discrimination (Brunsma & Rockquemore, 75). Moreover, the other argument that provides the case for school uniforms is that uniforms provide an opportunity for parents to save (Brunsma, 50). Cost-effectiveness comes in whereby parents are only required to purchase the uniforms as specified. They only purchase the clothes a few times a year, depending on how deep their pockets are. On the

Thursday, September 12, 2019

The components of a firms image Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The components of a firms image - Essay Example The goal is to manufacture product differentiation where no inherent distinctions exist. Retail positioning creates a value of "who you are" in the market. Store Image is the positioning of a store in terms of its branding, product selection, interior and exterior design, fixtures and fittings, lighting and other elements affecting the visual outlook of a retail store. Store atmosphere affects merchandise quality inferences, in turn affecting store image. Often, a consumer's first impression of a store is based on what can be seen or heard from outside the store. This may include the displays, the lighting, the music, the color scheme, and the arrangement of space. Merchandise Assortment is necessary to increase profitability which is the key driver for any business. Effective merchandising assortment and planning results in maximising sales potential and minimising losses from mark-downs and stock-outs. Effective merchandise planning and assortment effectively controls the two major areas of profit leakage in retail, which are the loss of sales due to stock shortage, and the forced margin reductions due to excess stock. The essence of computer aided direct marketing is that it aids in telemarketing; that is, selling over the telephone.

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Economics of Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economics of Law - Essay Example Thus they might use an accomplice to watch for police, buy more sophisticated equipment to break into cars more quickly, etc. On the other hand, some potential offenders find that the expected reward from crime is less than the expected cost. Similarly, if the opportunity which knocks at the door of offender which costs his devoted time to criminal activity, potential offenders are likely to reduce their criminal activity. The greater the opportunity, the higher would be the cost, thus we expect the supply of crime to decrease when good jobs in the legitimate sector are plentiful, and to increase when unemployment is high. In fact, several studies have confirmed this theory, by showing that crime rises and falls with the business cycle and the ups and downs of the economy. What about the "demand" side of the market Potential victims can take costly actions such as installing burglar alarms, taking cabs instead of walking in high-crime areas, purchasing defensive firearms, and taking lessons in self-defence. All of these activities might affect the potential victim's chances of being victimised. Although potential victims do not actually "demand" crime, they do demand-and devote considerable resources to trying to achieve-reductions in their chances of being victimised. This is the reason for why they "demand" less crime. However according to Kopcke et al (2004) "Workers react this way even if demand declines temporarily" (Kopcke et al, 2004) refers to the notion that even if the local authorities go on with penalties and punishments, that would not completely deter offenders. Similar is the case when offender does not certain preventive measures, one might argue that the action of potential offenders is similar to a "demand" for more crime. Although private individuals become the victims of crime, a large part of the "market" for crime is handled through the public sector. The public sector takes on a lot of these responsibilities because crime reduction has many attributes of a "public" good. Examples of other public goods are national defence and pollution control. A public good is one in which people who "consume" the good cannot exclude others from consuming. Thus although it might be in everyone's best interest to contribute to a private effort to reduce pollution or to decrease the supply of crime, since those who do not contribute still enjoy the benefits of these efforts, many people will 'free ride' off the expenditures of others. Thus the private marketplace would not supply enough of that good if left to market forces, and the government might be able to make all citizens better off by taxing them and providing the services directly. The "supply" of crime is therefore affected only by 'supply' treatment prog rams like law enforcement; corrections etc. One of the most common methods to study the relationship