Wednesday, November 27, 2019

20th Century Memoirs free essay sample

An examination of two memoirs which focus on the life of Americans during their adolescent years. This paper details two writings that of Margaret Meades Coming of Age in Samoa as well as Whittaker Chamberss Witness. These two memoirs show different sides of America and Americans. Meades Coming of Age speaks of a time when she was in Samoa studying adolescent children and trying to figure out why American children seem to have such rough childhoods, while Chamberss Witness tells a tale of his adventures as a soviet spy in the 1930s. The first part of this paper examines some of the reasons which make Margaret Meades Coming of Age in Samoa a less effective piece of persuasion, while the second part of this paper examines some of the reasons that Whittaker Chamberss Witness is a compelling memoir composition. Memoirs are effective forms of writing to use for a number of reasons. We will write a custom essay sample on 20th Century Memoirs or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As a 20th Century American, one can look upon memoirs as both a telling of a time past and a time present; memoirs show a piece of our history, and thus by extension a piece of ones own identity as an American. A less effective form of writing is that of social science argumentation, which asks us to believe various results of tests, polls, and studies. While an effective means of persuasion, it is not quite as stirring as that of the simple memoir, or story of our own people.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Pope John Paul II - World Youth Day essays

Pope John Paul II - World Youth Day essays There are many people who influence Canadian society and provide positive inspiration for others. In 2002, Pope John Paul made a visit to Canada which made a tremendously influential impact on its society. Every two years, the Vatican selects a host city for World Youth Day celebrations. This summer, World Youth Day 2002 was held in Toronto, Ontario. Through World Youth Day, Pope John Paul II significantly influenced Canadian society, creating a sense of unity, diversity, and spirituality in the community that was not present before. The Popes influence on Canadians was evident in the way he helped to unify its society during World Youth Day. He joined half a million young Catholics from around the world in an overnight vigil in the city's Downsview park and then celebrated a public mass the next morning for an anticipated one million people. Hundreds of World Youth Day participants culminated in what may have been their last chance to see a mass delivered by Pope John Paul II. People of all races, ethnicities, and even religious backgrounds unified as a whole community in order to receive the message of the Pope. He created an opportunity for many to meet people from other cultures and participate in a week of concerts, catechism and other activities to celebrate their faith. Canadians opened their doors to World Youth Day pilgrims, giving visitors a safe place to stay. Also, 260 schools all across the province were set up as temporary hotels for 83,000 pilgrims ( World Youth Day and Papal Visit). The amount of volunteers who helped to make World Youth Day a success was immense. Mr. Fairfield, who had flown in from Edmonton the night before, said the work makes him feel like a part of something important. "You work long hours," he said, "but this is something that represents the future of the Church ( WYD). Canadians came together as a community all because of this one mans visi t. ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Creative Thinking Profile Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Creative Thinking Profile - Assignment Example Whiles, I desire for there to be solutions to the problem, I always try to avoid rushing out on problems to come out with half-baked solutions. For this reason, I always put together alternative solutions and adequately weigh the viability of each of these solutions. There are also weaknesses with my creative thinking profile as a developer because the quest to come out with viable alternatives has been associated with possible instances of getting stuck with perfect solutions (Puccio, Mance and Murdock, 2011). Because of the weaknesses, I have always embarked on the constant training of my competences to ensure that I am not disadvantaged with decision-making processes. This way, I am always assured and guaranteed of effectiveness with practising my personal creative thinking profile. It can be said that my current professional role which entails that I work as a project team leader and project manager relate perfectly to my personal creative thinking style as a developer. This is because as a team leader, I work with people who are assigned different roles and tasks that are aimed at achieving specific goals for the organization. After the ideas have been put together by those members who are ideators and clarifiers, I come in as a developer to put the various ideas together and construct alternative solutions out of the ideas. After this is successfully done, I go back to my team to take part in a brainstorming process that is used to select the best solution out of available alternatives and options. In effect, there is sufficient evidence that my personal creative thinking profile is very much suitable for my role in the workplace. As Digman (1990) notes, developers work best when given sufficient independence to operate within a workspace. As a team leader in stead of a member, I am able to get this benefit to the fullest. Within the organizational setup, working with people with similar creative thinking styles as we have is as important as working with those with different creative thinking styles. For those with the same creative thinking styles, we are able  to coordinate well with them to ensure that much is achieved through shared practice within a very short time frame.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Beatlemania Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Beatlemania - Essay Example The ‘60’s era was instigated by events in the U.S. but affected the entire industrialised world. No other decade or era in the past century witnessed the massive social or cultural upheaval that occurred during this tumultuous time. No other period of time in the history of societies have so many cultural changes occurred in such a short time. Following the ‘60’s, the idea of what was ‘normal’ or ‘acceptable’ in society was greatly altered in a relatively short period of time and like no other time in at least 100 years. Because of the art and popular music of the 1960’s, people today have a higher level of tolerance for alternative forms of lifestyles and artworks. The most influential musical artists of this or any generation were without question the Beatles. The Beatles, considered by many to be popular music’s most historically important band, continues to evoke intrigue and fascination from a social point of view while their music, even today, appeals to people of all ages more than 30 years after their last album was released. The Beatles were the embodiment of the 1960’s.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Mechanical Measurements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mechanical Measurements - Essay Example This technique is also sensitive to extreme temperatures because it affects the transition of the luminescent molecules (Mantel 2005). The PSP material is also used to develop coat for self adhesive tape and decals. This approach is preferable as it’s quick and easy during experimentation. It’s also reduces the time consumed for surface preparation as well as cost minimization (Mantel 2005). Pressure sensitive paint technique is also used in wind tunnels for pressure management. Due to the ability of this technique to provide field management, it produces global surface maps with better resolutions. Producing high quality global surface maps however requires a clear understanding of the e internal mechanisms of the technique as well as the functions, properties and experimental setup (Sullivan & Liu 2004). This technique has been found to be easier, more accurate faster and cost effective as compared to the use of pressure ports and computational fluid dynamics for exte rnal pressure management. ... mage illustrates the parts of the pressure sensitive paint device The pressure sensitive paint is made up of luminescent molecules that are distributed in an oxygen permeable polymer binder. When the PSP is exposed to ultraviolet rays, it causes the luminescent molecules to gain a higher energy state. In this state the molecules can decay is several ways such as shifting the energy to the polymer binder, conflicting with the oxygen molecules on the PSP surface and discharging the light (Mantel 2005). The luminescent molecules are sensitive to oxygen molecules therefore when they collide with the oxygen molecules, they react to produce light. The produced light is inversely proportional to the amount of oxygen molecules available on the surface. Most of the collisions between the luminescent molecules and oxygen occur when the PSP is under a lot of pressure, therefore the amount of light emitted is inversely proportional to the pressure on the surface. Hence the pressure on the surfac e is easily calculated from the amount of light emitted. However, the challenge with the luminescent molecules transferring the energy to the polymer binder is that the energy transfer requires increase in temperature therefore causing the temperature on the PSP surface to rise (Mantel 2005). This affects the ability of the luminescent molecules to react with oxygen and could lead to release of inaccurate results. The effects of the temperature rise are slight because in most cases the temperature rises by a few degrees. The use of PSP could also be challenging because of the nature of experiments and high level of sensitivity. Fig 2 schematic diagram of pressure-sensitive paint measurement system The  Moire?  technique  for  stress/strain  analysis The moire technique is used to determine

Friday, November 15, 2019

Comparative Analysis of Marketing for Nikon

Comparative Analysis of Marketing for Nikon 1. Introduction 1.1 Background With the remarkable improvement of peoples living standard, cameras have become necessities, and owing to their affordable price, many own cameras. Undoubtedly, cameras provide an easy way to record every occasion. There are multiple kinds of cameras can be found everywhere. However, different cameras are designed for a variety of areas and specific purposes. For instance, single lens reflex cameras are designed for amateurs. Nikon and Canon are both worldwide well-known camera producers, whose products are functional, well-designed, and widely used. (Canon, 2010 e) (Nikon, 2010 f) Nikon with its slogan at the heart of the image, is well-known not only for its advanced technology, but for its trustable quality (Nikon, 2010 a). On the other hand, Canon is a celebrated camera producer and now is a global corporation. Its purpose is to be used all over the world (Canon, 2010 a). 1.2 Theory 1.2.1 Market mix Marketing mix, which is described as the 4Ps as well, is the combination of product, promotion, place and price. Related to segmentation, the marketing strategies are usually used on customers in market, with an aim to satisfy their needs and wants, therefore generating profit (Hall D. et al, 2008:75). 1.2.2 Segmentation Market Segmentation is the division of customers according to their individualities. By market segmenting, companies focus on assured groups of consumers and use particular marketing strategies (Hall D. et al, 2008:66). 1.3 Aims The goals of this report are to analyze how the same grade cameras Nikon D90 and Canon 50D make up their marketing mix (product, promotion, place and price) for the products to obtain good sales in China. In addition, the report will illustrate the targeted segments of Canon 50D and Nikon D90. 2. Findings regarding Nikon D90 and Canon 50D 2.1 Product Gillespie (2007:29) mentions that a product can be identified on three major levels namely, core, tangibility and augmentation. Fundamentally, utility and design are the most notable factor for Single-lens reflex cameras to attract clients. A further important issue is after-sales service which must be considered as well. 2.1.1 Product of Nikon D90 Nikon D90 requires a CMOS with 12.3 million effective pixels and the selling point of D90 is its recording function. Its weight is merely 622g, as its body is made of quality plastic. This design makes it feel tout and appressed, it is therefore easier to hold (Dprview, 2010 a). Furthermore, although most companies provide after-sales service, it always takes a long time for repair. Nikon (2010 b) states that, they understand the importance of the products to customers. Therefore, they have been taking great efforts to accelerate after-sales service. 2.1.2 Product of Canon 50D From the other side, Canon 50D is also a successful Single-lens reflex camera. Its selling point is 15.1 million effective pixels. The weight of 50D is 822g since it is made of iron (Dprview, 2010 b). In order to provide immediate and trustworthy supports, Canon gives out the description of 50D and its instruction in the Chinese market. The company emphasizes that After-sales service that ensures safe use of products over a long term is vital to maintaining customers trust in the Canon brand (Canon, 2010 b). 2.1.3 The Comparison of D90 and 50D products Both Nikon D90 and Canon 50D has their own selling point, as mentioned above, Nikon D90 has its advanced recording function, similarly, Canon improves 50D pixels to be 15.1 million, which is also an enhanced technology. Moreover, both companies realize the increasing importance of after-sales service and have been working to improve it to satisfy their customers. 2.2 Promotions 2.2.1 Promotion of Canon 50D Canon promotes 50D chiefly by exhibitions and fairs. By attending multitude of exhibitions, it shows its environmentally conscious products and environmental endeavors to the public. Taking advantage of the exhibitions, Canon attempts to illustrate detailed actions of Canon Environmental Vision (Canon, 2010 c). 2.2.2 Promotion of Nikon D90 Nikon promotes primarily in two ways. One of them is through clubs. Nikon founds many clubs with a significant number of consumers all over the world. It provides several broadband networks and a terrific computer for professional support. Nikon is trying hard to demonstrate the environment-friendly of its products and build a strong relationship with the public (Nikon, 2010 c). Another promotion is discount. Nikon announced that customers, who bought D90 during the period from March 1 to May 31, could receive 1200 RMB back. This is an effective way to encourage people to purchase their products (Nikon, 2010 d). 2.2.3 The comparison of Nikon D90 and Canon 50D Nikon and Canon have a variety of promotions of their products, whereas, they are different from each other. However, there is no denying that, both of them do very well on promotion. 2.3 Place 2.3.1 Place of Nikon D90 The primary distribution of Nikon D90 is retail stores. Nikon authorizes a significant number of traders, including retailers and wholesalers, providing convenience for people to purchase their products (Nikon, 2010e). Wholesalers assist in directly distributing products to retailers and customers. It is difficult to distribute well without wholesalers help, for Nikon is a gigantic corporation. 2.3.2 Place of Canon 50D Canon 50D is sold mainly in retail stores. It is available in a large number of Canon stores around the world. Another way to purchase a Canon 50D is from a direct online store. Customers can review its details and price on the website and make an order easily (Canon, 2010 d). 2.3.3 The Comparison of Nikon D90 and Canon50D places Due to convenience and efficiency, retail stores become popular and common regularly. Consequently, both companies primarily focus on retail distribution. However, Canon provides online stores as well to provide reliable products. 2.4 Price The price of Canon 50D is set around 5580 RMB in Chinese market (Zhongguangchun, 2010 a). On the other hand, the price of Nikon D90 is 6200 RMB (Zhongguangchun, 2010 b). The chart is drawn according to the questionnaire investigation on public SLR amateurs in Guangzhou 2010. It shows different price ranges that people are willing to pay for a single-lens reflex camera. The chart demonstrates that forty-eight percentages are willing to pay for Single-lens reflex camera less than 5000 Yuan. The prices of D90 and 50D are approximately 6000 RMB that is higher than most people anticipated, merely thirty-two percentages of people are willing to pay for a camera at this price. However, there are still many amateurs accept higher price. 2.4.1 The Comparison of Nikon D90 and Canon50D prices The competition of camera marketing is severe. The price of their products is always approximately the same, for both of them keep an eye on each other. However Nikon 90D is a little more expensive, it is hard to clarify that which one is better since both of them have their different selling points and strengths. Therefore, the choice between them depends on what buyers need. 2.5 Segmentations Fundamentally, both Nikon D90 and Canon 50D target amateurs as their primary customers. The people who love photography but are not professionals are the most potential group. A significant feature of these users is that, they take appearance and accessories as the most considerable factors since these are seen as reflection of their identity Another segmenting is gender. There is a contrast between Nikon D90 and Canon 50D. The goal of Nikon D90 is to satisfy female, for which its body is made of quality plastic to reduce its weight. Conversely, Canon 50D is more likely to meet males needs, for which its weight is not necessary to be considered. 3. Conclusion 3.1 Summary To sum up, marketing mix plays a significant role in business and it associates with the market segmenting closely. To obtain a good market share, a company should have a strong and suitable marketing mix to satisfy consumers wants and needs. It has been demonstrated by the findings above, that both market segmentation and marketing mix are essential to business. From these comparisons we can draw the following conclusion that, there are plenty of commons between Nikon D90 and Canon 50D, such as their target customers, however, they are different in some other aspects, such as their promotion. However, both of them gain satisfying market shares. 3.2 Recommendations 3.2.1 For Nikon Although Nikon D90 is sold well in Chinese marketing, the distribution of the D90 could be improved to make it more perfect. As there are lots of fake products in the market of China, Nikon is strongly recommended to open an online shop to avoid this phenomenon 3.2.2 For canon Although 50D has obtained good sales for Canon, it is still necessary to ameliorate the marketing mix. Because the price of 50D is slightly higher than people expected, if discount is offered, Canon 50D could be sold better in China.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy :: Thomas Hardy Tess Urbervilles Essays

One of Thomas Hardy’s greatest works: ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles‘ was first published in 1891, a novel set in the fictional county of Wessex, Britain. By the time of its appearance, Hardy was considered to be on of England’s leading writers and had already published several well known novels including ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’ and ‘The Woodlanders’ as well as numerous other short stories. However in spite of his reputation and fame, Hardy had immense difficulty finding a publication prepared to publish Tess when he offered it for serialization to London reviewers. The subject matter and content was considered to be- in the eyes of Victorian society, unfit for publications in which young people may read. A storyline depicting a young girl seduced and raped by a man, then married and rejected by another and then eventually murders the first man was considered to be exceptionally scandalous and inappropriate. Finally in order to pacify potential publishers, Hardy took the book apart and rewrote and edited several of the scenes before any of the weekly journals would take it as a serial. When the time came to publish the novel in book form, Hardy reassembled it was it was originally written. The novel’s subtitle- ‘A Pure Woman’ came also under a great deal of attack. Victorian critics argued that Tess could not possibly be termed of as ‘pure’ after a downfall such as hers and should instead be labeled as a ‘Fallen’ woman. Hardy’s frank (at least for the time) depictions of sex, his criticism and questioning of religion and his doubt within the narrative were too denounced to such an extent that though the story did in the end bring him immense fame and fortune, its reception at the start caused Hardy to lose confidence and the novel was one of his last. In Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Hardy uses a variety of narrative techniques in order to convey his own impressions of the society in which both he and his character Tess lived. The narrative technique of an author in any novel is crucial to the readers understanding of the narrative. The way in which a novel is written influences the way in which the reader interprets the events which occur throughout the novel and allows the author to convey the feeling of time, place, and people in the society in which the author is attempting to impart to his or her readers. Hardy’s use of a third person omniscient narrator who knows all and sees all allows the readers indirect insight into the actions and emotions of specific characters. The omniscience of the narrator allows the reader to not be influenced by the character

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Race and Power Essay

The average person looks at race as being the physical differences, characteristics or maybe even the status we uphold as an individual. This only contributes to the racial inequality, humility, insults, and assumptions that we as Americans have its origins of creating. This is partly due to 1619, the first Africans who arrived to Jamestown as slaves, and all the attempts from 1783-1918 to conquest the Native Indians. These are two of the many crucial building blocks in our history, for they are the moments that Americans felt power, used dictatorship, and saw wealth. These are also moments in American history when certain laws created race as a whole, not the genetic and biological difference. Families were taught and children were trained at a very young age to compare and socialize with common folks. This rose for an advantage in opportunities for those classified as white, and the rest were left to fit in their society. Whiteness was considered more than just a skin color it was a privilege. From 1880-1920, twenty-three million immigrants came here to America for freedom and the pursuit of happiness, but were left with the slums, an industrialized area where the hardest, most dangerous, yet least paying jobs were available to them and all the other inferior races. New established laws like Aliens Land Act only proved this inequality by raping and prohibiting land ownership, then to only sell this same land to the whites for their own profit and pleasure. Another law that followed was the Federal Housing Act, this law was established in 1934, soldiers/veterans were back from war and ready to start families, and had no home to do this in. Once again though only whites were granted with these amenities, required little money

Friday, November 8, 2019

Alfred Nobel essays

Alfred Nobel essays Alfred Nobel was more than just a scientist; he was an engineer, a chemist, and a very good businessman. Born October 21st 1833 in Stockholm Sweden, the son of the late Immanuel Nobel and Andriette Ahlsell. In 1837 Immanuel Nobel left Stockholm in pursuit of a career in Finland and Russia. Leaving his wife and kids in Stockholm. Immanuel gained a very successful career in engineering. In 1942 Albert's father took the family over to St. Petersburg. There, Alfred and his brother's were given a " first-class" education from private teachers. In school Alfred learned natural sciences, languages and literature. When Alfred was only 17 he was fluent in 5 languages Swedish, Russian, French, English and German. Out of all of his studies Alfred most enjoyed poetry, which did not thrill his father. In an attempt to get Alfred to join his enterprises he sent him to study abroad in chemical engineering. For two years Alfred visited many countries including Sweden, Germany, France and the United States. In Paris he met Ascanio Sobrero an Italian scientist who had discovered Nitroglycerin. Nitroglycerin was a very powerful substance with a lot more explosive power than gunpowder. The problem was that Nitroglycerin was highly unpredictable and extremely reactive. Alfred Nobel was very interested in nitroglycerin and spent a lot of time trying figuring out a practical use in construction. He also had to design a safer way to detonate the nitroglycerin. Shortly after he visited his friend John Ericcson he went back to work in the Family business. After his father went bankrupt him and his brother Emil moved to Sweden and worked together improving the explosive. In their workshop they had several explosions one in 1864 killed his brother Emil and several other workers. Because of these explosions Alfred was unfortunately shut down by the authorities and had to move out of Stockholm City limits in order to conduct his experiments. Finally in...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

10 Common Mistakes You Make on Tests

10 Common Mistakes You Make on Tests 1. Leaving an Answer Blank There is nothing wrong with skipping over a tough question to give yourself some extra time to think it overjust as long as you remember to go back to the question later. The danger is forgetting to go back to every question you’ve skipped. A blank answer is always a wrong answer! Solution: Each time you skip a question, put a check mark beside it. 2. Answering a Question Twice You’d be surprised how many times students choose two answers in multiple choice. This makes both answers wrong! Solution: Review your work and make sure each true/false and multiple choice question only has one answer circled! 3. Transferring Answers Incorrectly From Scratch Paper The most frustrating mistake for math students is having an answer correct on the scratch paper, but transferring it wrong to the test! Solution: Double check any work you transfer from a scratch sheet. 4. Circling the Wrong Multiple Choice Answer This is a costly mistake, but one that is very easy to make. You look over all the multiple choice answers and pick the one that is correct, but you circle the letter next to the correct answer- the one that doesn’t match your answer! Solution: Make sure the letter/answer you indicate is the one you really mean to select. 5. Studying the Wrong Chapter Whenever you have a test coming up, make sure that you understand which chapters or lectures the test will cover. There are times when a teacher will test you on a specific chapter that is never discussed in class. On the other hand, the teacher’s lectures may cover three chapters, and the test may cover only one of those chapters. When that happens, you can end up studying material that won’t appear on your exam. Solution: Always ask the teacher what chapters and lectures will be covered on a test. 6. Ignoring the Clock One of the most common errors students commit when taking an essay test is failing to manage time. This is how you end up in a panic with 5 minutes to go and 5 unanswered questions staring back at you. Solution: Always take the first few moments of an exam to assess the situation when it comes to essay questions and answers. Give yourself a time schedule and stick to it. Give yourself a set amount of time to outline and answer each essay question and stick to your plan! 7. Not Following Directions If the teacher says â€Å"compare† and you â€Å"define,† you are going to lose points on your answer. There are certain directional words that you should understand and follow when you take a test. Solution: Know the following directional words: Define: Provide a definition.Explain: Provide an answer that gives a complete overview or clear description of the problem and solution for a particular question.Analyze: Take apart a concept or a process, and explain it step by step.Contrast: Show differences.Compare: Show likenesses and differences.Diagram: Explain and draw a chart or other visual to illustrate your points.Outline: Provide an explanation with headings and subheadings. 8. Thinking Too Much It’s easy to over-think a question and begin to doubt yourself. If you tend to second-guess yourself, you will inevitably change a right answer to a wrong answer. Solution: If you are a thinker who tends to over-think, and you get a strong hunch when you first read an answer, go with it. Limit your thinking time if you know you tend to doubt your first instincts. 9. Technological Breakdown If your pen runs out of ink and you can’t complete an exam, your blank answers are just as wrong as they would have been for any other reason. Running out of ink or breaking your pencil lead halfway through a test sometimes means leaving half your exam blank. And that leads to an F. Solution: Always bring extra supplies to an exam. 10. Not putting Your Name on the Test There are times when failing to put your name on a test will result in a failing grade. This can happen when the test administrator doesn’t know the students, or when the teacher/administrator won’t see students again after the test is over (like at the end of a school year). In these special situations (or even if you have a very stern teacher) a test that doesn’t have a name attached to it will be tossed out. Solution: Always write your name on a test before you get started!

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Wal-Mart Employee Relations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Wal-Mart Employee Relations - Research Paper Example Wal-Mart will, therefore, have to consider hiring an external consulting firm to help in settling this issue once and for good. Wal-Mart should start arrangements to hire a consulting firm which is well versed with labor issues in order to help it look for a solution which will bring its issues with its employees to a halt. The internal management will be tasked to procure these services by analyzing the available consulting services in order to choose at the best consulting services. Since the issue at hand is a human resource issue, Wal-Mart will have to look for a consulting firm which is experienced or which specializes in human resource and labor issues. The employees through their representatives should also be involved in the process of hiring the consulting firm so that they do not feel that they have been left out of the process. This will be important since the issue at hand is one that affects the employees, and therefore, the need to involve them in the process of solving the issue. According to Mendy, the success of organizational change starts with the managers', as well as the employees', understanding the need for change. This is why it is necessary for managers to be able to inform their employees of the issues the firm is facing. Failing to involve the employees in the process of developing the solution will only lead to them rejecting whatever solution will be provided to them and, it is, therefore, necessary to make sure that they are involved so that they will own the solution at the end of the process.... As Bruce, Cheryl and Coskun (1994) say, information systems help an organisation to be ahead of the competitors in the industry. Wal-Mart has, however, failed to use this opportunity to reform its workforce and has only concentrated on using technology for other uses such as streamlining its supply chain systems. According to Kharbanda (2002), organisations are supposed to continually change in order to be able to overcome the many issues which they face in the market. As such, well-designed information systems can and do help the organisation in gaining the kind of information and knowledge which will be useful in the strategic decision-making process, thus helping it to deal with the issues it may be facing (Jamieson & Szeto, 1989). Wal-Mart has, however, seemingly ignored this and has failed to look at the issue of employee dissatisfaction. While it is very imminent that Wal-Mart needs organisation change to be able to deal with the human resource it is facing today, it continues to ignore the issues. This lack of organisational change continues to be eminent in Wal-Mart, where the need for change is always disregarded, even in cases where it is very obvious that change is needed. One of the major instances where Wal-Mart has been seen to fail to change was in the 1980s during the Buy-American euphoria era. While Wal-Mart’s competitors refused to fall for this euphoria but rather continued to buy from across the international borders in order to access cheaper goods for their stores, Wal-Mart refused to use this and continued to buy stock from local manufacturers, which were more expensive. This adamant refusal to change regardless of the fact that this was causing the firm to lose its strategic edge in the market can

Friday, November 1, 2019

Free speech, privacy and censorship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Free speech, privacy and censorship - Essay Example The advent of the Internet opened new possibilities for achieving free speech using steps that do not depend on legal measures. Pseudonymity and data havens (such as Freenet) gives rise to free speech, as the technology guarantees that material cannot be erased (censored). A Gripe Site, in theory is one of the latest forms of exercising Free Speech on the Internet. It is worth mentioning in this regard that websites, which fall foul of government censors in other countries, are more often than not re-hosted on a server in a country with no such bindings. Fact that the United States has in many respects the least restrictive governmental policies in the world on freedom of speech, number of websites re-host their content on an American server and therefore escape censorship while remaining online to their target audience. The Chinese government has come up with some of the most sophisticated forms of Internet censorship in order to minimize or eliminate access to information on sensitive topics such as the Tibet, Taiwan, pornography or democracy. Censorship can be defined as the control of forms of human expression. More often than not, it is implemented by the government. The main objective of censorship is to stabilize or improve the society that the government would have control over. It is worth noting that censorship generally applicable to acts that occur in public circumstances, and most formally involves the suppression of ideas by regulating expression (3). Moreover, discussion of censorship often includes less formal means of controlling perceptions by excluding various ideas from mass communication. Therefore, what is censored may range from particular word to entire concept but one thing for sure it is influenced by value systems. The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy came into the limelight when twelve editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper on September 30, 2005, which they said they were doing as part of a debate regarding criticism of Islam and self- censorship. It is worth pointing in this regard that the rationale for censorship is different for various types of data censored. Religious censorship is the route by which any material objectionable to a certain faith and religion is erased. More often than not this type of censorship involves a dominant religion forcing limitations on less dominant ones. Alternatively, one religion may stop the works of another when they believe the content is not appropriate for their religion. In the same way religious groups have often sought to censor scientific facts or fictional works which they think undermine or threaten their beliefs. Privacy can be defined as the ability of an individual or group to keep their lives and personal affairs out from public view, or to stop information about themselves from becoming known to people other than those whom they decide to give the information. There is a direct correlation between privacy and anonymity although it is often most highly valued by people who are publicly known (4). According to experts, privacy can be seen in the light of security-one in which trade-off between the interests of one group and another can become particularly visible. Recently, famous English footballer Ashley