The Reasons Behind Declining Reading Habits free essay sample

To acquire the habitof reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost allmiseriesof life. † Reading habithas been a great help in developing knowledge. But today, in an age when browsing thenet, playing with funky handsets and passing non-stop SMS seem to be the order of the day. The internet boom, interactive medium of images, TV and thesilver screen fillingthe minds of the modern youth, taking majority of their free time we have to think seriously how the growing generationswill find time to read. While technology is taking control steadily over individuallives, the reading habitis fast vanishing into thin air. I used to sigh at the city librariespresenting a gloomy picture of gradual decline in voracious readers who used to flock in the evenings. Twenty reasons for decline in readinghabit 1) People think that readingbooks consumes more timethan referringin the computers. Computers seem to be more attractive tothem than books. 2) The question of spending money on books is over-ruled by the thought that everythingis available in acomputer. We will write a custom essay sample on The Reasons Behind Declining Reading Habits or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page People prefer to spend money on something else than spending on books. The programs in internet and TV aremore attractive than sitting in acorner and readinga book. 4) With the modern life style visiting placesand other recreationsor hobbies occupy most of our time. 5) There are a thousand reasons today for avoiding readingbooks or literatures. Some even say that her new nail extensionshave made it too difficult to turn pages! 6) There are risks of losing books while carrying them. Moreover, why to carry a burden unnecessarily when there is a laptop available? 7) Now people are more worriedabout earning money and spending every second in finding ways to find sources of income. A sense of escapism is spreading saying, â€Å"Along with giving up coffee, alcohol, strenuous exercise which may affect my [continues] Read full essay Cite This Essay 13 Pages April 2010 3 Pages May 2011 5 Pages November 2010 2 Pages October 2012 3 Pages April 2013 Related Essays Top 20 reasonswhy children should study music Top 20 Reasons Why Children Should Study Music by: Deborah Torres Patel Allyou need to do is Decline in reading skills among students POSSIBLE RAESONSFOR DECLINE INREADING SKILLS AMONGHIGH SCHOOL STUDENTSA comparative study by Cultivate alifetime reading habit Cultivate aLifetime reading Habit First, realize that reading is highly enjoyable, if you have a Cultivate my reading habit Nowadays, majority of people used to sit in front of computer and surf the Internet aimlessly. As Reading habit of students DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATIONSTUDIES UNIVERSITYOF GHANATHE READINGHABIT AMONGADULTS STUDENTS: MLA MLA 7 CHICAGO StudyMode. com is the webs leading learning tool. We inspire millions of students every day with over 1,600,000 model essays and papers, AP notes and book notes.

Paper or Product

Paper or Product Paper or Product English 100 Essay 1 Paper or Product Long before the twenty-first century, humankind lived its’ life in a different way. People lived in caves for warmth and protection. For survival they used to pick seeds and fruits, and hunt for food, but like today, they still wanted more. In later years to come, they built houses and farms. People domesticated animals to better assist their work loads. They even improved their use of language, but they still wanted more. Then life began to flourish, and more diverse societies were created. People began conquering the deepest oceans, and the highest mountains, building ships, and finding new land. Still, they wanted more. Then we launched our self into space, and this still wasn’t enough. In today’s society nothing has changed, but our technology advances. The want for â€Å"more† still lives on, the more we refer to as consumerism and todays â€Å"more† limits the everyday us. Today’s society yearns for a different â€Å"m ore†, a more that is not necessarily a need, a more that ends up putting limitation and strain on our daily lives. In Laurence Shames article, The More Factor, he explains how centuries ago, Americans would look for more in two ways. First, setting up desolate towns in the middle of nowhere, and waiting for the return in the real estate, with hopes that soon the railroad construction would barrel its way into that area. The second reason, and the one that has impacted today, would be working under the presumption that America would keep on booming, if not forever (87). These American’s prospection ended up being right in both instances’, causing todays’ people to live in over populated areas, wanting the â€Å"more† in terms of products relating to our technology, other than value like equity or fortune. When we as consumers treat ourselves to the more, we run the risk of setting limitations to our own lives. Instead of decking out the bachelor pad with that 1000 dollar TV, we as American’s could put that money towards some college courses’ to expand our knowledge, or better our future. Instead, we get our enjoyment in that â€Å"more†. We know that these objects are going to lose less than half of their value in a few months. If a young American, who was trying to prosper, were to make this purchase while not in the right financial standing, he would find that he would most likely have to set limitations on his spending to compensate for his purchase. There are many Americans that do this on a regular basis, and more times than not they end up in debt filing for bankruptcy. Even an individual with financial stability, will find himself plagued with the burden of limitation. If this individual sets out to invest his money wisely, once he makes a decision on the route he chooses, he will then set the limitation on where his life is going. Society needs to understand that everyone has limits, and that we set our own limits. In order for one to control or understand his limits, one must understand the difference between prioritizing a want and a need. Also, they should understand that the more you obtain the more limits you are going to create for yourself. An individual may find themselves with the things that they want, but they need to understand that they will have to set limits in order to be able to settle into their next venture in society. In, The More Factor, Shames also explains that, â€Å"In America, a sense of quality has lagged far behind a sense of scale† (88). Meaning that most American’s are trying to get more, and not worrying about the quality they are putting out. This can be seen a lot in inner city areas when it comes to buying, selling, and renting properties. With money tight, and the banks tied up, your finding property buyers trying to get as many cheap homes as possible to turn a bigger profit. Instead these buyers could have a fewer number of h omes, make home revisions and upgrades, increase the property value, and in return better the community and economy. This

Acc 422 final exams Essay Example for Free (#422)

Acc 422 final exams Essay ? 1) Which of the following is NOT considered cash for financial reporting purposes? 2) What is the preferable presentation of accounts receivable from officers, employees, or affiliated companies on a balance sheet? 3) Which of the following is considered cash? 4) If a company employs the gross method of recording accounts receivable from customers, then sales discounts taken should be reported as 5) Assuming that the ideal measure of short-term receivables in the balance sheet is the discounted value of the cash to be received in the future, failure to follow this practice usually does NOT make the balance sheet misleading because 6) Which of the following methods of determining annual bad debt expense best achieves the matching concept? 7) The accountant for the Orion Sales Company is preparing the income statement for 2007 and the balance sheet at December 31, 2007. Orion uses the periodic inventory system. The January 1, 2007 merchandise inventory balance will appear 8) Eller Co. received merchandise on consignment. As of January 31, Eller included the goods in inventory, but did NOT record the transaction. The effect of this on its financial statements for January 31 would be 9. If the beginning inventory for 2006 is overstated, the effects of this error on cost of goods sold for 2006, net income for 2006, and assets at December 31, 2007, respectively, are 10) Assuming no beginning inventory, what can be said about the trend of inventory prices if cost of goods sold computed when inventory is valued using the FIFO method exceeds cost of goods sold when inventory is valued using the LIFO method? 11) Which method of inventory pricing best approximates specific identification of the actual flow of costs and units in most manufacturing situations? 12) All of the following costs should be charged against revenue in the period in which costs are incurred EXCEPT for 13) In no case can â€Å"market† in the lower-of-cost-or-market rule be more than 14) When the direct method is used to record inventory at market 15) An item of inventory purchased this period for $15.00 has been incorrectly written down to its current replacement cost of $10.00. It sells during the following period for $30.00, its normal selling price, with disposal costs of $3.00 and normal profit of $12.00. Which of the following statements is NOT true? 16) The retail inventory method is based on the assumption that the 17) A major advantage of the retail inventory method is that it 18) In 2006, Lucas Manufacturing signed a contract with a supplier to purchase raw materials in 2007 for $700,000. Before the December 31, 2006 balance sheet date, the market price for these materials dropped to $510,000. The journal entry to record this situation at December 31, 2006 will result in a credit that should be reported 19) The cost of land typically includes the purchase price and all of the following costs EXCEPT 20) Cotton Hotel Corporation recently purchased Holiday Hotel and the land on which it is located with the plan to tear down the Holiday Hotel and build a new luxury hotel on the site. The cost of the Holiday Hotel should be 21) If a corporation purchases a lot and building and subsequently tears down the building and uses the property as a parking lot, the proper accounting treatment of the cost of the building would depend on 22) The period of time during which interest must be capitalized ends w hen 23) Which of the following assets do NOT qualify for capitalization of interest costs incurred during construction of the assets? 24) When computing the amount of interest cost to be capitalized, the concept of â€Å"avoidable interest† refers to 25) The King-Kong Corporation exchanges one plant asset for a similar plant asset and gives cash in the exchange. The exchange is NOT expected to cause a material change in the future cash flows for either entity. If a gain on the disposal of the old asset is indicated, the gain will 26) When a plant asset is acquired by issuance of common stock, the cost of the plant asset is properly measured by the 27) The cost of a nonmonetary asset acquired in exchange for another nonmonetary asset and the exchange has commercial substance is usually recorded at 28) Which of the following principles best describes the conceptual rationale for the methods of matching depreciation expense with revenues? 29) If an industrial firm uses the units-of-production method for computing depreciation on its only plant asset, factory machinery, the credit to accumulated depreciation fro m period to period during the life of the firm will 30) Which of the following most accurately reflects the concept of depreciation as used in accounting? 31) Prentice Company purchased a depreciable asset for $200,000. The estimated salvage value is $20,000, and the estimated useful life is 10 years. The straight-line method will be used for depreciation. What is the depreciation base of this asset? 32) Harrison Company purchased a depreciable asset for $100,000. The estimated salvage value is $10,000, and the estimated useful life is 10 years. The straight-line method will be used for depreciation. What is the depreciation base of this asset? 33) Starr Company purchased a depreciable asset for $150,000. The estimated salvage value is $10,000, and the estimated useful life is 8 years. The double-declining balance method will be used for depreciation. What is the depreciation expense for the second year on this asset? 34) Costs incurred internally to create intangibles are 35) Factors considered in determining an intangible asset’s useful life include all of the following EXCEPT 36) The cost of purchasing patent rights for a product that might otherwise have seriously competed with one of the purchaser’s patented products should be 37) Malrom Manufacturing Company acquired a patent on a manufacturing process on January 1, 2006 for $10,000,000. It was expected to have a 10 year life and no residual value. Malrom uses straight-line amortization for patents. On December 31, 2007, the expected future cash flows expected from the patent were expected to be $800,000 per year for the next eight years. The present value of these cash flows, discounted at Malrom’s market interest rate, is $4,800,000. At what amount should the patent be carried on the December 31, 2007 balance sheet? 38) Mining Company acquired a patent on an oil extraction technique on January 1, 2006 for $5,000,000. It was expected to have a 10 year life and no residual va lue. Mining uses straight-line amortization for patents. On December 31, 2007, the expected future cash flows expected from the patent were expected to be $600,000 per year for the next eight years. The present value of these cash flows, discounted at Mining’s market interest rate, is $2,800,000. At what amount should the patent be carried on the December 31, 2007 balance sheet? 39) General Products Company bought Special Products Division in 2006 and appropriately booked $250,000 of goodwill related to the purchase. On December 31, 2007, the fair value of Special Products Division is $2,000,000 and it is carried on General Product’s books for a total of $1,700,000, including the goodwill. An analysis of Special Products Division’s assets indicates that goodwill of $200,000 exists on December 31, 2007. What goodwill impairment should be recognized by General Products in 2007? 40) The intangible asset goodwill may be 41) The reason goodwill is sometimes referred to as a master valuation account is because 42) Goodwill 43) If a short-term obligation is excluded from current liabilities because of refinancing, the footnote to the financial statements describing this event should include all of the following information EXCEPT 44) Stock dividends distributable should be classified on the 45) Which of the following items is a current liability? 46) A company offers a cash rebate of $1 on each $4 package of light bulbs sold during 2007. Historically, 10% of customers mail in the rebate form. During 2007, 4,000,000 packages of light bulbs are sold, and 140,000 $1 rebates are mailed to customers. What is the rebate expense and liability, respectively, shown on the 2007 financial statements dated December 31? 47) A company offers a cash rebate of $1 on each $4 package of batteries sold during 2007. Historically, 10% of customers mail in the rebate form. During 2007, 6,000,000 packages of batteries are sold, and 210,000 $1 rebates are mailed to customers. What is the rebate expense and liability, respectively, shown on the 2007 financial statements dated December 31? 48) A company buys an oil rig for $1,000,000 on January 1, 2007. The life of the rig is 10 years and the expected cost to dismantle the rig at the end of 10 years is $200,000 (present value at 10% is $77,110). 10% is an appropriate interest rate for this company. What expense should be recorded for 2007 as a result of these events? 49) A contingency can be accrued when 50) Mark Ward is a farmer who owns land which borders on the right-of-way of the Northern Railroad. On August 10, 2007, due to the admitted negligence of the Railroad, hay on the farm was set on fire and burned. Ward had had a dispute with the Railroad for several years concerning the ownership of a small parcel of land. The representative of the Railroad has offered to assign any rights which the Railroad may have in the land to Ward in exchange for a release of his right to reimbursement for the loss he has sustained from the fire. Ward appears inclined to accept the Railroad’s offer. The Railroad’s 2007 financial statements should include the following related to the incident: 51) Which of the following contingencies need NOT be disclosed in the financial statements or the notes thereto? 52) The covenants and other terms of the agreement between the issuer of bonds and the lender are set forth in the 53) If bonds are issued initially at a premium and the effective-interest method of amortization is used, interest expense in the earlier years will be 54) Bonds that pay no interest unless the issuing company is profitable are called 55) Minimum lease payments may include a 56) An essential element of a lease conveyance is that the 57) While only certain leases are currently accounted for as a sale or purchase, there is theoretic justification for considering all leases to be sales or purchases. The principal reason that supports this idea is that 58) In the earlier years of a lease, from the lessee’s perspective, the use of the 59) In a lease that is appropriately recorded as a direct-financing lease by the lessor, unearned income 60) In order to properly record a direct-financing lease, the lessor needs to know how to calculate the lease receivable. The lease receivable in a direct-financing lease is best defined as Acc 422 final exams. (2016, Apr 13).

KINGSLEY AMIS'S lUCKY JIM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

KINGSLEY AMIS'S lUCKY JIM - Essay Example Indeed, the book was dedicated to Larkin; who had helped to inspire and to edit it. The genesis and reception of Lucky Jim can be found in The Letters of Kingsley Amis. His correspondence with Larkin traces the book through its earliest incarnations, when it was known Dixon & Christine and then The Man of Feeling. Here he is on March 3, 1953 writing, to Larkin: "I've called it Lucky Jim now, to empahsise the luck theme - epigraph Oh lucky Jim, How I envy him bis. ... I'm afraid you are very much the ideal reader of the thing and chaps like you don't grow on trees." Jim Dixon's experience dramatizes the conflict between the lower-middle-class drive to invade a higher social stratum and the resultant guilt and self-contempt for abandoning one's own class. A lower-middle-class youth who yearns for the economic security academic tenure affords, Jim earns a degree in an area he neither likes nor understands. By luck, he gets a job as a junior lecturer in history at a provincial university. But it is bad luck, for not only does he detest the medieval history he teaches but he despises the cultural pretensions of his colleagues with whom he must curry favor, such as the Welches: the pompous senior professor, his wife, and their "artistic" sons. The irony in all of this is that Jim Dixon doesn't feel at all lucky. He's a junior lecturer at a no-account college in provincial England. His daily life is a litany of hilariously (from our perspective, anyway) petty humiliations at the hands of his superiors-notably the odious, conceited Professor Welch-his students and his co-dependent sort-of-girlfriend Margaret. "One theme of Lucky Jim was getting good things wrong," Amis explained in an interview. "Culture's good, but not the way the Welches did it. Education is good ... but it is self-defeating if it isn't done properly." (Firchow 27) He fails as an academic, but, with another dollop of luck (better this time), he gets a superior job outside the academy and, as a kind of added bonus (or revenge), wins from Bertrand Welch a young woman of superior social class. (Clive 20) Throughout Lucky Jim, Amis is concerned with the restructuring of British society which took place after World War II. Some of the effects were intensively felt in the English education system through efforts to open educational opportunities to more members of the working and middle classes. The growth of the provincial universities and the decline of the influence of the culturally elite led to friction between the old and the new orders. In Lucky Jim, such cultural change leads to conflict between Jim Dixon, a young history instructor, and Professor Welch, his department chair. Jim sees history as a means of planning and preparing for a better future; Welch sees it as a means of romanticizing and sentimentalizing the past. Amis expands this conflict through Jim's interactions with his colleagues and acquaintances. Welch asks Jim to give a lecture titled "Merrie Olde England," a title which symbolizes the nature of the conflict. Welch tests Jim to see if he is willing to perpetuat e a myth, while Jim and his fellow veterans are trying to cope with life, love and a new social order. The conflict between Jim as representative of a new England and Welch as defender of the old one expands to include Welch's family and some of Jim's colleagues. As a weekend house

Pre Maritial Genetic Screening Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pre Maritial Genetic Screening - Essay Example Genetic diseases will occur when there is an alteration in the DNA and it is well known that substances present in smoke, tobacco or radiation from the sun can easily alter the materials in the cells. Inherited diseases are usually caused by mutated genes which are inherited by an individual from either of the parents and in the thousands of genes we possess in our cells, the faulty gene might just be one of the thousands (Commmittee on Publication Ethics 218). Since the genetic diseases vary greatly there are several different methods that can be applied based on the type of the disease? There are four types of genetic disorders found to exist these are; single gene, multifactorial, chromosomal and mitochondrial. A gene can be mapped as one of the methods to deal with the conditions. The genes position within the chromosomes can be determined by mapping either physically or genetically (Schork N. 103) With the position established, then it becomes possible to tell of any possible links between the genes. Gene testing is another simple way to determine whether the person contains the genes that cause genetic disorders. A chemical method known as gene splicing can be used which involves the cutting out part of the DNA in the gene and replacing it with a new piece. Alternatively genes can also be silenced by geneticists to prevent harmful effects of the gene (Ishak 273-286). Premarital genetic screening first of all is very important for couples as it will help them determine their compatibility. This testing will allow the couples to determine the presence of any genetic disease, strategize on the management measures and seek treatment for the same (Zi 637-638). By undergoing this test the designate couple will be well informed about their predisposition to certain diseases and the odds of their passing on those diseases to their unborn children. If the couple is expecting a baby, then proper utilization of genetic screening will allow

Market Research Report Energy and Sports Drink Market Growth in Asia Essay Example for Free

Market Research Report Energy and Sports Drink Market Growth in Asia Essay The changing consumer preferences, demand for functional beverages, increasing awareness towards healthy lifestyles and growing urban population in Asia would be the major factors that would drive the market in coming years. An increasing awareness towards healthy lifestyles has led to a transition in the taste and preferences of people in Asia. The young urban population has been the target customer for energy and sports drink brands in this region. The energy and sports drinks are majorly consumed by professional sports people, gym goers and by working professionals and students that require a special beverage in order to boost their energy and stay active. â€Å"The increasing participation of the health conscious people in sports and fitness activities has greatly impacted the growth trend of sports and energy drink market in Asia. The young population aged 25-35 years represents a potential group of customers for the energy and sports drink manufacturers in the region. † – According to the research report ‘Asia Energy and Sports Drink Market Outlook to 2017’ by Ken Research. The increasing media exposure towards sporting events on television has captured the attention of people, which in turn has encouraged the youth to adopt sports as a profession or as a hobby. This has impelled the growth of sports drinks in Asian countries over the last few years. Sports drinks market in Asia is dominated by famous brands such as Gatorade, Powerade and Pocari Sweat. Red Bull majorly has dominated the energy drink market in the region. Red Bull has effectively maintained a strong distribution channel in various countries in Asia such as in India, China, Japan, Thailand and in South Korea. The energy and sports drink market is anticipated to be driven by the growing trend of health and fitness is expected to create significant demand in Asian countries. The consumer expenditure on food and non-alcoholic beverages is expected to surge in the region owing to the rise in disposable incomes of the people. The rising awareness about fitness and health benefits among the people in the region will encourage more people to join fitness and sports clubs which will drive the demand and consumption of energy and sports drink in the coming years. The report provides detailed overview on the energy and sports drink market in Asia and help reader to identify the ongoing trends in the key segments of the industry and anticipated growth in future depending upon changing industry dynamics in coming years. The report will aid industry consultants, food and beverage service companies and marketing companies and other stakeholders to align their market centric strategies according to ongoing and expected trends in future. For More Details Please Click On Following Link: http://www. kenresearch. com/agriculture-food-beverages/beverages/asia-energy-and-sports-drink-market-research-report/429-104. html http://www. kenresearch. com/press/news-asia-energy-and-sports-drink-market/211. html Related Links: http://www. kenresearch. com/agriculture-food-beverages/beverages/japan-energy-and-sports-drink-market-research-report/432-104.html http://www. kenresearch. com/agriculture-food-beverages/beverages/south-korea-energy-and-sports-drink-market-research-report/433-104. Html http://www. kenresearch. com/agriculture-food-beverages/beverages/india-energy-and-sports-drink-market-research-report/431-104. html http://www. kenresearch. com/agriculture-food-beverages/beverages/thailand-energy-and-sports-market-research-report/434-104. html http://www. kenresearch. com/agriculture-food-beverages/beverages/china-energy-and-sports-drink-market-research-report/430-104. html.

Affirmation :: essays research papers

Affirmation is defined as a recognition of political, personal, cultural values and identity. The Puritans, African Americans, and Native Americans affirmed their identity in Colonial America through: oral traditions, songs, and rituals. This is the reason they are studied all over the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Puritans affirmed their identity through their religious beliefs, utopian ideas and theocracy. The Puritans had a storyteller who spoke of their genealogy. Since these stories were based on the bible, most of the listeners (children) were isolated from the reality of life. They grew up with their same beliefs as their parents, grandparents, and elders. All Puritans were considered sinned because of the teachings on the bible. However, they believed in predestination (only those people, â€Å"the elect† by God are saved and go to Heaven) yet the other Puritans continued to value the bible and obtained good citizenship. The Puritans respected hard work and had a distrust of leisure, a suspicion that the poor are shiftless which is said to have contributed to their downfall. When the Puritans escaped Europe from its Religious persecution and came to the colonies, they dreamed of becoming a utopian society. This society was also looked at as â€Å"the city on top of the hull† probably expressing the point of view the Puritans had of themselves. They used their theocracy (belief that the bible was the supreme authority) to complete their utopian society and has been debuted by historians if they achieved their dream. The Puritans did affirm their beliefs by their storytelling, by their genealogists, their theocracy, and the achievement of their utopian society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Enslaved African-Americans affirmed their identity through their developmental resistance towards slavery, sacred songs and their storytelling. Storytelling has existed in many cultures, but existed for different reasons than that of the Puritans. Survival skills folk wisdom and hope, were the most common reasons and were important to their everyday survival. Mr. Rabbit and Mr. Bear is one of many stories told by the griot (genealogist) which focuses on hope that the Enslaved African-Americans will one day be a trickster like Mr. Rabbit and escaped slavery; like the Rabbit escaped being hung from a tree. After a long bitter life, the Enslaved African-Americans began to imagine and dream of freedom. Most slaves had learned to speak English and sang. Having been a slave herself, Harriet Tubman, helped other slaves escape by using her songs to guide them North, thus becoming the founder of the Underground railroad; by her will to give and her heroism, she is still re membered and her determination inspires people still today.

Odysseus as a Leader Essay

In the epic poem The Odyssey Homer, Odysseus has the ability to be a very good leader, but doesn’t always live up to it. Odysseus is a good leader because he thinks a lot of things through. Therefore, he knows what to do ahead of time. Another reason Odysseus is a good leader is that he knows when to trust his crew. Odysseus can be a bad leader because he doesn’t always tell his crew everything. Also, he doesn’t always have common sense. Odysseus is a bad leader because of his bad decisions. Odysseus is good at analyzing things to make them perfect so that nothing goes wrong. In the Odyssey, he and his crew go into a cave to rest. While there, they get trapped in by the cyclopse, Polyphemus, who is Poseidon’s son. At one point, Odysseus has a chance to wound him with his sword, but realizes that if he does they could be trapped forever. He then comes up with a well thought out plan. (Book 9, Lines 343-344) Odysseus thinks to himself, â€Å"And now I pondered how to hurt him worst, if but Athena granted what I prayed for.† The plan is to get Polyphemus drunk off of wine, put red hot fire in his eye to blind him and leave the next morning while hiding under the bellies of his sheep. The plan is successfully executed the way Odysseus thought it out. When Odysseus executes a great plan and him and his crew stuck to it, it will work. That’s one thing that makes him a good leader. In conclusion, Odysseus helped him and his crew by his great analyzing techn iques. Another thing that makes Odysseus a good leader is how he knew when and how to trust his crew. For example, he wants to hear the Sirens because no one has ever lived through it. Odysseus tells his crew to plug their ears with beeswax and tie him down to the mast of the boat, and to not let him go no matter what he does or says. (Book 12, Lines 214-216) â€Å"They tied me up, then, plumb amidships, back to the mast, lashed to the mast, and took themselves again rowing.† His crew and him were successful and made it through without losing anyone. It is important for Odysseus to believe that his crew wouldn’t untie him from the mast of the boat through the Sirens. Odysseus tries to get out, but the crew only ties him tighter. As a result, it shows that with enough of Odysseus’ trust in his crew they can pull of even the hardest task. Meanwhile, Odysseus is very clueless at times and doesn’t tell his crew all that he knows. After Odysseus and his crew sail away from the Cyclopes, they get to Aeolus. Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag of winds that will guide him and his crew home. After ten days, they are very close to Ithica. While the crew is talking about the bag, Odysseus should’ve been close by and made sure they didn’t open the bag, but instead he fell asleep. (Book 10, Lines 47-50) â€Å"Nigh home we are with empty hands. And who has gifts from Aeolus? He has, I say we ought to crack that bag, there’s gold, silver, and plenty in that bag!† The crew thinks that the bag has fortune in it, so they open it. The winds escape and make a storm that blows them back to Aeolia. Consequently, Aeolus doesn’t help them at all. In result of Odysseus not telling his crew about the bag, they faced another setback. Odysseus’ pride was another downfall he had. After Odysseus and his crew got past Polyphemus, he makes a bad decision. He yells out his own name and address. (Book 9, Lines 548-552) â€Å"Kyklops, if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes son, whose home’s in Ithica.† Once Polyphemus hears him he prays to his father, Poseidon, to get revenge on Odysseus. Odysseus only wanted to be known for taking down and animal so much bigger than him, but instead he ends up paying for it. By Odysseus not holding his tongue back, he caused more setbacks in their journey back home. In the Odyssey, Odysseus wasn’t the best at making good decisions because of his bad luck and gullible personality. In book 12, Odysseus had to lead his crew through Scylla and Charybdis. Along the way, Scylla swoops down and eats six of the sailors. In another scene, Odysseus comes to Thrinacia, the island of the sun. He wants to avoid it, but Eurylokhos persuades Odysseus to let him and the rest of the crew to stay there to relax for a while. (Book 12, Lines 364-368) â€Å"Eurylokhos says, â€Å"No: pull out to sea, you say, with night upon us- just as before, but wandering now, and lost. (Book 12, Lines 380-381) Odysseus says back, â€Å"Eurylokos, they are with you to a man. I am alone, outmatched.† They end up having to stay there for a month due to a storm. Because Odysseus is easily persuaded by what Eurylokos, they end up having bad luck with a storm and are forced to stay there for a month. Homer’s message in The Odyssey is that there are many types of leaders; good ones show success, and bad ones show failure. Odysseus is a good and bad leader and he commits both success and failure. A good leader is honest, driven to success and a role model for others. A bad leader can have good qualities, but is not quite strong enough to stand up for what the leader believes. A leader in the real world could be a coach, a teacher, a president, etc. A good coach has a good team, a good teacher has hard working students, and a good president has a smooth-moving country. A bad teacher has disrespectful students, a bad coach has a lazy team, and a bad president has a country that doesn’t run well. The leader should be one to follow, just like the game, follow the leader. Most likely good leaders will succeed and bad leaders will fail.

Organisational Development Strategy

Introduction Change is a constant thing and this transpires within world in many ways. As the world becomes more complicated and increasingly intertwined, changes ostensibly far away affect us. Thus, change may sometimes appear to occur frequently and arbitrarily. We are gradually becoming cognizant of how connected we are to one another and to our world. Organizations must withal be cognizant of their holistic nature and of the ways their members affect one another.The incredible amount of change has coerced individuals and organizations to visually perceive â€Å"the immensely colossal picture† and to be cognizant of how events affect them and vice versa. Organization development is a new term which means a conceptual, organization-wide effort to increment an organization's efficacy and viability. Warren Bennis has referred to OD as a replication to transmute, an intricate educational strategy intended to transmute the notions, attitudes, values, and structure of an organiza tion so that it can better habituate to new technologies, markets, challenges, and the dizzying rate of change itself.OD is neither â€Å"anything done to better an organization† nor is it â€Å"the training function of the organization†; it is a particular kind of change process designed to establish a particular kind of end result. OD can involve interventions in the organization's â€Å"processes,† utilizing behavioural science knowledge organizational reflection, system amelioration, orchestrating and self-analysis. International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), incorporated on June 16, 1911, is an information technology (IT) company.IBM operates in five segments: Global Technology Services (GTS), Global Business Services (GBS), Software, Systems and Technology and Global Financing. GTS primarily provides IT infrastructure services and business process services. GBS provides professional services and application management services. Software consists pri marily of middleware and operating systems software. Systems and Technology provides clients with business solutions requiring advanced computing power and storage capabilities. Global Financing invests in financing assets, leverages with debt and manages the associated risks.In May 2012, the Company acquired Varicent Software Incorporated. In May 2012, the Company acquired Vivisimo. In June 2012, the Company acquired Tealeaf Technology, Inc. On August 1, 2012, Toshiba Tec Corporation acquired the retail store solution business from IBM. In September 2012, it acquired Butterfly Software Ltd. In October 2012, it acquired Texas Memory Systems. In October 2012, the Company announced the opening of three new branch offices in ASEAN, which are located in the cities of Ipoh and Malacca in Malaysia and Bandung in Indonesia, and announced the opening of three new branches across Brazil.In December 2012, the Company acquired Kenexa. In February 2013, it completed the acquisition of StoredIQ. In April 2011, the Company acquired TRIRIGA, Inc. In October 2011, the Company acquired i2. In October 2011, the Company acquired Algorithmics. In October 2011, it acquired Q1 Labs Inc. In November 2011, the Company opened in Romania its European site for developing and testing IBM switch and networking hardware and software. In December 2011, the Company completed the acquisition of Curam Software Ltd. In January 9, 2012, the Company acquired Platform Computing. In January 11, 2012, the Company acquired Green Hat.In February 1, 2012, the Company acquired Emptoris Inc. In February 15, 2012, the Company acquired DemandTec Inc. In February 10, 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of Worklight. In March 2012, the Company opened a new branch office in Ludhiana, Punjab, India. (http://www. reuters. com/finance/stocks/companyProfile? symbol=IBM) In 1992-1993, IBM began to lose money and struggled to meet payroll for the over 300,000 employees because of the changing market landsca pe. Louis Gerstner, the recently appointed CEO, saved the company by changing IBM’s culture and business model.As we know now one of IBM’s core businesses is consulting, which had not been a key component of the legacy model. It seemed like IBM was facing a similar, if perhaps more dire, situation to Merrill Lynch in the mid 2000’s. (http://professorjickblog. com/post/4194417315/organizational-change-at-ibm) IBM helped pioneer information technology over the years and it stands today at the forefront of a worldwide industry that is revolutionizing the way in which enterprises, organizations and people operate and thrive. The pace of change in that industry, of course, is accelerating, and its scope and impact are widening.In these pages, you can trace that change from the earliest antecedents of IBM, to the most recent developments. You can scan the entire IBM continuum from the 19th century to the 21st or pinpoint — year-by year or decade-by-decade †” the key events that have led to the IBM of today. (http://www-03. ibm. com/ibm/history/history/history_intro. html) IBM has been in the industry for a hundred years already but this paper will focus on the organizational changes and developments with the company for the past 20 years. Brief HistoryIn 1911 IBM was first incorporated in New York as the Computing-Tabulating-Recoding Company. The company’s history, however, can be traced back to 1890, when the United States was receiving waves of immigrants. To meet the needs of measuring population the US Census Bureau sponsored a contest to find the most efficient means of tabulating census data. The contest was won by German immigrant and Census Bureau statistician, Herman Hollerith. Hollerith formed the Punch Card Tabulating Machine Co. in 1896. In 1911 Hollerith’s company merged with Computing Scale Co. f America and International Time Recording Co. to form Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. The company manufactur ed and sold products ranging from commercial scales and industrial time recorder to meat and cheese slicers, tabulators and punch cards. In the beginning the company operated in New York City only. Within a short period of time, however, it quickly expanded its office and plants to other parts of New York State, Washington, DC, Ohio, Michigan and Toronto, Canada. In 1914 Thomas J. Watson joined the company and became the president of the company within eleven months.Under his leadership the company continued to expand its products and services. At that time the company focused on producing large scales custom built tabulating solutions for businesses. Within ten years Watson had expanded the company’s business operations to Europe, South America, Asia and Australia and in 1924 the company was renamed International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) to reflect the firm’s worldwide expansion IBM refers to the decades between 1939 and 1963 as the ‘Era of Innovation ’. During this period the company’s product line expanded ignificantly. In 1891 IBM introduced personal computers (PCs) for small businesses, schools and homes. For first time, IBM collaborated with Intel and Microsoft to produce personal computers. In 1985 IBM introduced local area networks (LAN), which permitted PC users to exchange information and share printers and files within a building or complex. IBM established a foundation for network computing and numerous applications of PCs. In 1993 Louis V. Gerstner, Jr, a former executive at American Express, Nabisco and McKinsey & Co. joined IBM as CEO. Gerstner emphasized the need to provide integrated solutions for the company’s customers. He also decided to keep company, together instead of splitting it into separate independent companies. Today IBM’s strength lies in its combined expertise in solutions, services, products and technologies. http://historyofbusiness. blogspot. com/2009/04/brief-history-o f-ibm. html How IBM does their Organizational Development IBM has launched one of its companies fixating on business strategies and development.So therefore, they will be one of the good companies that we can optically canvass and study how they remain successful over the years. IBM Global Business Services offers one of the largest strategy & transmute practices in the world, their strategy & transmute practice amalgamates business strategy with technology insight to help organizations develop, align and implement their business vision across four strategic dimensions – business strategy, operating strategy, organization change strategy and technology strategy – to drive innovation and magnification.This is withal one of the reasons why IBM is capable of transmuting quickly and successfully. Instead of going with the latest trends, they mold, develop and lead them. By combining the proven talent with the deep research, scale and scope of IBM, they have built a unique approach to industry solution development. This approach allows them to address the opportunities that matter most and deliver business outcomes with faster time-to-value.The IBM strategy and transformation practice helps expand the horizon possibilities while implementing with rigor. Its three areas of competence are aligned to drive opportunity and execute across the value chain. The insight provided by innovation and growth services allows setting an overall direction for the organization by developing sustainable business, customer and technology strategies. Their capabilities within the operations and finance area help optimize how the organization functions to drive higher performance.And finally, with organization and people expertise, they can develop and lead the talented individuals who create value and competitive advantage. With over 100 years of business and technology experience, IBM has demonstrated its ability to drive performance through continuous transformation of their business model, operations, technology and workforce. Their strategy and transformation practice draws upon these experiences as well as extensive IBM assets and best practices.With consultants in over 170 countries and deep expertise in 17 industries, IBM has proven the effectiveness and value of its approach. IBM thought leadership and research – acknowledged by analysts as among the best in the industry – are based on market-driven intelligence, in-depth interviews, and our own transformation story. IBM has a long track record of success in helping companies chart a course for business transformation.This commences with strategic orchestrating that can envision a broad range of future scenarios. Their consultants fixate on results, through the development of business models and executable strategies that foster innovation, sustainable magnification and profitability. They help companies and organizations build on key strategic drivers such as new product and accommodation offerings, dynamic market opportunities, new channels and greater customer insight to create greater competitiveness.Our team of strategists provides a clear roadmap for differentiation predicated on business model innovation, implemented through efficient processes and operations. Definitely by doing this, they have also implemented these strategies within their organization and have proven to have good results. (ftp://public. dhe. ibm. com/common/ssi/ecm/en/gbb03089usen/GBB03089USEN. PDF) The processes and strategies that they have developed and proved over the years are also the factors why their organization is very stable.According to their website, below are some of the services that they offer and most likely apply within their organization as well. IBM's Organization and Workforce Transformation offering assists clients with two transformational imperatives: firstly, it enables them to transform their workforce into the productive, innovative and high-performan ce force necessary to survive and thrive; secondly it manages the people elements in any transformation being undertaken (process optimization, business model transformation, etc. Our services include: * Learning transformation: Addresses the need to inspire and equip people in business to improve performance, skills and knowledge for the following results: aligning learning initiatives with organizational and business goals, developing learning strategies, and harnessing the power of technology to enhance learning and performance. Talent management: Design strategies and solutions to align talent management with business priorities, covering talent sourcing, performance, succession management and rewards and recognition. This solution includes process design, systems implementation, change management and talent analytics. * Social business: Drive innovation and growth by connecting people to people, people to data and information, and people to personal and institutional knowledge inside an organization and across the larger organizational ecosystem. Workforce analytics and optimization: This offering leverages analytics to design evidence-based strategies and practices for optimizing workforce performance and productivity to develop information strategies, and a workforce measurement framework, which can help identify key metrics and align with employee goals. Organization design: Organization design enables enterprises to align their organization with new or existing business models and strategies to maximize effectiveness by clarifying work responsibilities and redefining jobs and their relationships to one another (structure), governance mechanisms, and other organizational elements to drive new behavior supporting strategic change and business results. * Change management: Change management is a roactive and systematic approach to deal with change from the perspective of an organization, a group, or at the individual level. Change management helps ensure that people impacted by the changes (technology) understand, accept and commit to changes; thereby mitigating risks and achieving long term benefits faster. (http://www-935. ibm. com/services/us/gbs/strategy/talent-and-workforce-management. html) During the course of the changes that took place in their organization, there were challenges encountered.Based on the researches conducted, below are the most significant challenges that took place when implementing their change projects. 1. Changing mindsets and attitudes 2. Corporate culture 3. Complexity is underestimated 4. Shortage of resources 5. Lack of commitment of higher management 6. Lack of change know how 7. Lack of transparency because of missing or 8. wrong information 9. Lack of motivation of involved employees 10. Change of process 11. Change of IT systems 12. Technology barriersAnd based on the challenges mentioned above, they were able to come up with factors that contributed to the successful change. It is normal to ha ve resistance to different types of change especially having a big organization like IBM. Below are some factors that contributed to the effectiveness of the different changes in their organization: 1. Top management sponsorship 2. Employee involvement 3. Honest and timely communication 4. Corporate culture that motivates and promotes change 5. Change agents (pioneers of change) 6. Change supported by culture . Efficient training programs 8. Adjustment of performance measures 9. Efficient organization structure 10. Monetary and non-monetary incentives ftp://public. dhe. ibm. com/common/ssi/ecm/en/gbe03100usen/GBE03100USEN. PDF The most fruitful success strategy is to begin with leadership tools, including a vision or story of the future, put the change in place with management tools, such as role definitions, measurement and control systems, and use the pure power tools of coercion and punishments as a last resort, when all else fails.The purpose of business strategy is to exploit t he capabilities of the company to gain and sustain competitive advantage in accommodating the desiderata of customers in a chosen rialto. An effective business strategy will provide good answers to questions on business scope, customers’ needs, how the enterprise will exploit its advantages, and on how competitive advantage will be achieved. It will withal describe the main actions compulsory to implement the strategy and the reasons why the vicissitudes are compulsory.Summary All in all the reason for IBM Global Business Services’ success is because they have methods and strategies that have been tried and tested over the years that they have been in this industry. Also one of the factors for success is having open minded members of the organization who are always open and welcome to change. Somehow, the company also has its own ways to make the employees and members of the organization understand and help them to adapt through the course of these changes.Resistance t o change is normal but with proper guidance and support from the whole management team, members of the organization will feel at ease and motivated, hence, will embrace the change. Today, businesses must bring more innovative products and accommodations to market, more quickly than ever before. IBM makes utilization of best practices to help companies become more rigorous in their approach to development and lifecycle issues – not only to ameliorate speed and cost, but withal to enable the perpetual amelioration of products

10 Fascinating Facts About Termites

10 Fascinating Facts About Termites Termites have been munching away on wood for millions of years. From the African termites that build mounds taller than men to the subterranean species that destroy homes, these social insects are fascinating creatures to study. Learn more about these decomposers. 1. Termites Are Good for Soil Termites are actually important decomposers. They break down tough plant fibers, recycling dead and decaying trees into new soil. These hungry insects are vital to the health of our forests. As they tunnel, termites also aerate and improve the soil. It just so happens that we build our homes from termite food - wood. 2. Termites Digest Cellulose With the Help of Microorganisms in Their Guts Termites feed on plants directly or on fungus growing on decaying plant material. In either case, they must be able to digest tough plant fibers, or cellulose. The termite gut is loaded with microorganisms capable of breaking down cellulose. This symbiosis benefits both the termites and the microorganisms living within their insect hosts. The termites house the bacteria and protozoa and harvest the wood. In return, the microorganisms digest the cellulose for the termites. 3. Termites Feed on Each Others Feces Termites arent born with all that bacteria in their gut. Before they can start the hard work of eating trees, termites must obtain a supply of microorganisms for their digestive tracts. They engage in a practice known as trophallaxis, or, in less scientific terms, they eat each others poop. Termites must also resupply themselves after they molt, so trophallaxis is a big part of life in the termite mound. 4. Termites Lived 130 Million Years Ago and Have Cockroach-Like Ancestors Termites, cockroaches, and mantids all share a common ancestor in an insect that crawled the Earth about 300 million years ago. Fossil records show the earliest termite specimen dates back to the Cretaceous period. A termite also holds the record for the oldest example of mutualism between organisms. A 100-million-year old termite with a ruptured abdomen was encased in amber, along with the protozoans that lived in its gut. 5. Termite Fathers Help Raise Their Young You wont find deadbeat dads in the termite mound. Unlike in bee colonies, where males die soon after mating, the termite kings stick around. After their nuptial flight, the termite king stays with his queen, fertilizing her eggs as needed. He also shares parental duties with the queen, helping her feed their young predigested food. 6. Termite Workers and Soldiers Are Almost Always Blind In almost all termite species, both the workers and soldiers in a given colony are blind. Since these industrious individuals spend their lives in the confines of the dark, damp nest, they have no need to develop functional eyes. Reproductive termites are the only termites that require eyesight since they must fly to find mates and new nest sites. 7. Termite Soldiers Sound the Alarm Termite soldiers form the worlds tiniest heavy metal mosh pit when danger comes to the nest. To sound the alarm, soldiers bang their heads against the gallery walls to send warning vibrations throughout the colony. 8. Chemical Cues Guide Most Communication in the Termite Colony Termites use pheromones - special chemical scents- to talk to one another and control each others behavior. Termites leave scent trails to guide other workers using special glands on their chests. Each colony produces a distinct scent, identified by a chemical on their cuticles. In some species, the queen can even control the growth and role of her young by feeding them her pheromone-laden poop. 9. New Kings and Queens Can Fly New reproductive termites are winged so they can fly. These young kings and queens, called alates, leave their home colony and fly out in search of a mate, often in large swarms. Each royal pair of king and queen emerges from the swarm together and finds a new place to start a new colony. They break their wings off and settle down in their new home to raise their offspring. 10. Termites Are Well-Groomed You wouldnt think an insect that spends its time in the dirt would be so fastidious about its grooming, but termites make an effort to stay clean. Termites spend a great deal of time grooming each other. Their good hygiene is important to their survival, as it keeps parasites and harmful bacteria under control within the colony.

The broader impact of DSP in the economic Research Paper

The broader impact of DSP in the economic - Research Paper Example I. INTRODUCTION Digital signal processing (DSP) is duly considered to be an arithmetical treatment of an information signal, which tends to alter or enhance it in certain specific ways. It is usually characterized by way of representation of discrete frequency, discrete time or any other discrete domain signals with the help of a sequence of symbols, numbers or processing of these signals in a uniformed manner. DSP is widely applied in various fields, which specifically include speech along with audio signal processing, radar and sonar processing, spectral estimation, sensor array processing, digital image processing and systems control along with various other operations/applications. This component can be very well related with that of development in the overall context of technological landscape. With the inclusion of this particular component i.e. DSP in the technological aspect, integration to a whole new level is attained at large [14]. With this concern, this research report w ill highlight all those significant factors that are associated with the broader impacts of DSP in a social, global along with economic context. ... III. THE IMPACT OF DSP IN AN ECONOMIC CONTEXT In relation to economic viewpoint, it can be affirmed that DSP has been able to create all round diversity in the overall economic context. Analyzing the relevance of DSP in an economic standpoint eventually helps in identifying its broad interrelations relating to economic integration. DSP is applied in varied fields, which directly or indirectly impose considerable impact upon the economic conditions at large. The broad areas in which it is applied include consumer applications and biomedical fields. In this regard, the various aspects of consumer applications comprise digitalized televisions, cellular phones, digital cameras and internet enabled mobile phones among others. On the other hand, the aspects of biomedical fields encompass patient monitoring, ECG Analysis and X-Ray storage/enhancement among other various fields. The utilization of DSP in all these broader areas can be viewed to provide variable grounds for the development of economic conditions. Specially mentioning, this particular technology also leads towards mass expansion in technological domain, which eventually resulted in fulfilling different economic objectives. Besides, the component has been able to create superior level of economic integration in terms of supporting the most booming industries in the world such as information technology. Also, DSP is highly recognized for providing solutions to various departments including engineering, sales operations and finance among others (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, â€Å"The Broader Impact of DSP in a Global, Economic and Social Context†). Its utilization in all these departments ultimately imposes extensive impact especially upon the economic

The design of health and safety control system Assignment - 1

The design of health and safety control system - Assignment Example The levels of oxygen in confined spaces can be depleted when there is reaction between some soils and oxygen in the atmosphere; or release of gas such as carbon dioxide that can displace ambient air. Poisonous gases, fumes or vapours can built up in the sewer; enter from connecting pipes; or leak from other areas. Residues left on surface of walls can give off gas, fume, or vapour. Scraping before painting can give rise to particulates that can contaminate the ambient air. Spray painting can give rise to volatile organic compounds depending on the composition of the paint. Volatile organic compounds can have adverse health effects including cancer. The person conducting the operation is at major risk for adverse effects described above. Since the sewer is located below a field where cattle and sheep graze, an open sewer could be a fall hazard for these animals. The control system for this operation includes barricades and procedures for confined space work. According to the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 hazards must be identified; risks assessed and precautions determined. According to the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 presence of risks of serious injury as in the operation requires following a safe system of work, and putting in place adequate emergency measures before the start of work. The safe system of work is based on the operation described above. A supervisor should be given responsibility for ensuring that necessary precautions are observed for checking the safety at each stage and being present when the work is in execution. The operator must have sufficient experience in conducting painting work in confined spaces. A determination has to be made if there is the need to isolate the sewer, and it must be checked if the isolation is effective. Before entry cleaning is required to determine whether fume s do not develop from residues while work is