Web based training management system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Web based training management system - Essay Example The continuous search for value in the business organizations aided by technological revolution has led to significant investment into the development of the most critical resource of the organizations, the human resource. There have been radical changes in the area of organizational training. LRH Manufacturing Inc. has also decided to use a Web Based Training Management System. The project is aimed at improving the deliverables of the training activity by way use of IT in rigorous planning, deployment, feedback, data compilation, review and improve aspects of training. The traditional classroom training in organizations is increasingly being replaced by web based training because of its user friendliness, low cost and amount of content it can offer to users. At the same time it is a change activity which is to be positioned as change in cultural aspect of the organizations.The key to success of the change is communication with the people who will be affected by the new training proj ect to gain their support. In line with the government regulation which stipulates Web Based Training Management. Key to success is creating awareness and managing project stakeholders' expectations to minimize resistance and gain the necessary support to make implementation of improvement solutions successful.Stakeholders are individuals and groups who have the ability to influence or are impacted by the direction and success of the project. In the project under discussion, the stakeholders in the case of LRH Manufacturing Inc. have been defined as all the managers and executives of all the key departments viz. Sales & Marketing, Customer Service, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Office Management, Product Development Research and Manufacturing Distribution. A stakeholder analysis was carried to differentiate communication needs among the stakeholders. A project stakeholder map (1) was developed which involved steps like listing of stake holders, listing of impact of project, organizational importance and attitudinal response to the project. Accordingly two main distinct groups have emerged i.e. Core Functions and support function. The prevailing regulations are aimed at the requirement that the product which is in the medical care area is reliable, accurate and cost effective since it is used for human life. Accordingly product research and manufacturing distribution are taken as core function. As the project is about web training, human resource and IT have been clubbed with core functions. The support function is sales & marketing; finance and office management. Higher level of acceptance and involvement is a critical success factor especially among the core functions and not so critical for support function, the communication plan will be different for the two categories. The Project Communication Plan Communication is defined as, "The exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, or writing." (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition). This essentially means that communication associated with a project has a single focus - bringing or aligning different minds associated with the event / plan of the organization on to a platform of similar understanding on the issue to achieve collaboration and unidirectional response to the issue involved. The communication plan is divided into following elements: Content / Theme The content type has been developed by reviewing the goal of the project and its value addition to the organization. The information content contains relevant details which include the compelling need to change, impact of change on individuals and organization, the process of change, time schedules. The company vision and policy will be a part of the communication Mode The specific mode of communication for specific identified communication has been selected taking relevant factors in account. It is necessary that the communication target for change management is to be carried out by

English Is Official Language In U.S. Essay Example for Free

English Is Official Language In U.S. Essay Half the countries in the world have an official language. The US is not one of them. Recently some attempts were made to designate English as the official language of the United States, though this country is widely known for being multinational and, correspondently, multilingual. Nevertheless, at the present there are twenty seven states out of fifty that are claiming English to be their official language either by adopting a law or in their state constitutions. Thus, English language de facto occupies a position of the official language in the United States, and there are many supporters of the idea to set it in documents, de jure. The question arises: is this so vital? Should it be done by all means and at any cost? Definitely, there are some clearly stated advantages, pertaining mainly to the issue of immigration, both legal and illegal. Firstly, if English is designated as the official language, it will ensure that all the immigrants become more proficient in English, thus making communication and integration into the society much easier for all the parties. It is difficult to imagine any immigrant achieving the American dream without knowledge of English. This fact, though having little financial of physical impact, will incite people coming from other countries to learn English more zealously. Being forced to learn English, any immigrant will gain access to a full life of an American. Then, English as the default and official language will become a uniting factor for people from different parts of the world. They all came to America from divergent backgrounds, and English language is the tie that can bind them together. The last but not the least is the financial factor. Many states maintain language diversity thoroughly, which can not but call for extensive financial support. There are bilingual ballots, education, publications, and similar services provided at public expense. Massachusetts offers drivers tests in more than two dozen foreign languages. Federal voting rights laws provide for ballots in multiple translations. Internal Revenue Service forms are printed in Spanish. Elimination of need to translate these from one language into another may save a lot of money. On the other hand, all these advantages can easily turn into disadvantages if regarded from the other point of view. Thus, immigrants coming from all parts of the world will have to abandon their native language and most traditions. Of course, as it has already been mentioned, this would benefit to their integration into the American society, but at the same time weakening of cultural and historical bonds may result in loss of national identity. Moreover, the idea of ‘English-only’ implies the feeling of linguistic superiority and somehow exclusivity. It can definitely and can be upsetting to people whose native language is not English.   Its misuse would be intended to provoke an emotional reaction and in a way irritate anyone who favors making English the US official language, as well as those who simply want to protect its role as the common language of the United States. Designating English as the official language will also give trouble to bilingual education which is nowadays very popular in many states. Bilingual education programs use both the students native language and English for instruction. It is emphasized that native language development has the positive influence on second language proficiency. Lack of first language development has been shown, in some cases, to inhibit the level of second language proficiency and cognitive academic development. Successful bilingual education programs actually result in faster acquisition of English. Content matter taught in the native language can be transferred to the second language. In the regular classroom, confronted with both concepts and language that are not comprehensible to them, limited English speakers learn neither the content nor the language. Language acquisition occurs only when incoming messages can be understood. Again, to be successful, citizens need to be open to learning multiple languages. Business leaders and Europeans do it. Knowing multiple languages is a great asset. In a global economy, it is the monolingual English speakers who are falling behind. Along with computer skills, a neat appearance and a work ethic, Americans more and more are finding that a second language is useful in getting a good job. What is the most important, everybody knows that English is the official language already, even if it was not designated to be one. Its declaration as the official tongue would be nothing but a mere symbol. No matter how hard the proponents of designation try to officially establish a language for the US, it is in vain; such a language already exists and is predominant. Correspondingly, efforts to strive for it can be applied to maintain the country’s multilingualism. Outline: question of designating English as the official language in the USA is a debatable one. The arguments â€Å"for† are that it would encourage immigrants to learn the language, helping them to integrate into the society and become citizens of the United States.   It would also help to save the money spent on translations. Nevertheless, the disadvantages of such a step prevail: loss of language and culture of immigrants, problems with bilingual education, limitation of possibility to acquire new languages.   Nevertheless, the crucial factor â€Å"against† the designation is that it would mean nothing, as most benefits from such the step are already existent.

African American Integration and Independence Essay -- Essays Papers

Integration and Independence In the latter half of 1885 several European empires gathered together for a conference in Berlin. At this meeting of utmost importance, the various European powers laid claim to their African colonial territories, thus dividing the continent like a birthday cake among themselves. The new boundaries now united thousands of cultures, nations and ethnicities under the banner of white ethno-centricity. Thus began the final colonial dominion of Europe which would last well into the 20th century. Although the white minority has relinquished it?s stranglehold on Africa, the ramifications of hundreds of years of political dominion can be found throughout the continent. In 1962 during the heat of these independence movements, the world?s black population watched intently to see if indeed the African race could overthrow their colonial oppressors to bring about a new world order. Half a world away, men of African descent were fighting for an independence of their own. With the American Civil Rights movement in full swing, blacks everywhere stood on the brink of bettering the world for themselves and their children. The American essayist James Baldwin states in his essay ?Down at the Cross? the meanings of the words integration and independence. (Baldwin 337) He claims that each word carried its own fiery meaning but the intent of the movements sparked by these words has not completely fulfilled its purpose. The colonization and political exploitation of Africa was rooted in extreme ethno-centric views. Integration and independence cannot manifest themselves as reality as long as there exists feelings of racial superiority. The colonization of the world by Europeans can be traced t... ...an inferiority lives on (James 34) and until it dies Africans will remain second rate citizens segregated from and dependent on the white world. Works Cited Baldwin, James. ?Down at the Cross.? 1955. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998. 296-347 Ingalls, Leonard. ?Portuguese Back Rein over Africa.? New York Times: July 19, 1960. James, C.L.R. ?African Independence and the Myth of African Inferiority.? 1958. Education and Black Struggle: Notes from the Colonized World. Boston: Harvard Educational Review, 1974. 33-41 Vansina, Jan. ?African Resistance and the Liquidation of the European Empire.? 1978. African History. New York: Longman Group Limited, 1995. 513-530 White, William S. ?New World of Africa?s Gold Coast Arises from the Ashes of Colonialism.? New York Tines: May 15, 1951. African American Integration and Independence Essay -- Essays Papers Integration and Independence In the latter half of 1885 several European empires gathered together for a conference in Berlin. At this meeting of utmost importance, the various European powers laid claim to their African colonial territories, thus dividing the continent like a birthday cake among themselves. The new boundaries now united thousands of cultures, nations and ethnicities under the banner of white ethno-centricity. Thus began the final colonial dominion of Europe which would last well into the 20th century. Although the white minority has relinquished it?s stranglehold on Africa, the ramifications of hundreds of years of political dominion can be found throughout the continent. In 1962 during the heat of these independence movements, the world?s black population watched intently to see if indeed the African race could overthrow their colonial oppressors to bring about a new world order. Half a world away, men of African descent were fighting for an independence of their own. With the American Civil Rights movement in full swing, blacks everywhere stood on the brink of bettering the world for themselves and their children. The American essayist James Baldwin states in his essay ?Down at the Cross? the meanings of the words integration and independence. (Baldwin 337) He claims that each word carried its own fiery meaning but the intent of the movements sparked by these words has not completely fulfilled its purpose. The colonization and political exploitation of Africa was rooted in extreme ethno-centric views. Integration and independence cannot manifest themselves as reality as long as there exists feelings of racial superiority. The colonization of the world by Europeans can be traced t... ...an inferiority lives on (James 34) and until it dies Africans will remain second rate citizens segregated from and dependent on the white world. Works Cited Baldwin, James. ?Down at the Cross.? 1955. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998. 296-347 Ingalls, Leonard. ?Portuguese Back Rein over Africa.? New York Times: July 19, 1960. James, C.L.R. ?African Independence and the Myth of African Inferiority.? 1958. Education and Black Struggle: Notes from the Colonized World. Boston: Harvard Educational Review, 1974. 33-41 Vansina, Jan. ?African Resistance and the Liquidation of the European Empire.? 1978. African History. New York: Longman Group Limited, 1995. 513-530 White, William S. ?New World of Africa?s Gold Coast Arises from the Ashes of Colonialism.? New York Tines: May 15, 1951.

Criminal Thinking Patterns Essay

Loyalty can be defined by anyone but there’s only one definition of loyalty. Google’s definition of loyalty is the quality of being loyal to someone or something. The second definition for loyalty is a strong feeling of support or allegiance; fights with in-laws cause divided loyalties. My definition of loyalty relates to the first definition; however, it consists of more than just that. Loyalty means respect and competence pertaining to a certain degree of trust and allegiance to an organization or personal lifestyles one might be involved in. Emotions and stereotypical thoughts have a major role in the play called loyalty. Loyalty and emotions have similarities just because of the fact an individual has to have some form of feeling towards a person or they will never be able to be loyal. What is the meaning of being loyal? Loyalty is defined by the person giving the meaning of its definition. Google definition of loyalty is true to a certain extent, but there is still something missing. The quality of being loyal should exist in everyone. Everyone or a particular breed has the quality of being loyal. Definitions seem to captivate everyone’s minds into believing the term or definition is true just because it has a reliable source. Sources are undoubtedly opinions from scholars; opinions arouse from person’s experience to inform people about such terms. If the term loyalty is true as it is supposed to be it might as well be self-explanatory. Loyalty is a word that consists of trust, faith, allegiance, and love. Without those four terms loyalty doesn’t exists. The quality of being loyal all depends on the people that may think of these terms. Imagine two couples that have undeniable trust for each other with stipulations which are to be loyal forever, one runs off to meet another individual she might have attractions for, the other partner finds out about it so the partner feels like she is not being loyal. The reason for that is because he feels like she is only upposed to be attracted to him, but she feels differently because she feels that she hasn’t cheated on him. These are two couples with two different definitions pertaining to loyalty. Emotions and stereotypical thought has everything to do with loyalty. Emotions give an individual trust and fear which are needed so one can attain the ability to be loyal. Without trust for an individual, people will never be able to give their complete trust and loyalty especially when the individual wants the same respect. Stereotypical thoughts pertaining to the term loyalty will give an individual a lesser understanding of the term loyalty mainly because stereotypical people tend to have their own opinions about everything which isn’t wrong but it justifies the statement. Everyone has their own definition of loyalty. Furthermore, what is the meaning of loyalty which is one of the questions everyone tends to asked themselves? Loyalties are moreover something genuine and sacred people or an organization tends to have. Loyalty consists of trust, love, and respect. Everyone has the ability to be loyal as long as it has true meaning.

Diversity in American Education Before 1960 Essay

The diversity in terms of the student population in American education before 1960 was largely dependent upon the issue of racial equality. The push for racial equality in the United States got a boost from the demands placed on all facets of society during World War II. The mobilization effort relied on the black race to win the war and once it was over, there was no turning back. Furthermore, the ideals of freedom and equality, which were the backbone of the Allied war cry and the foundation for the anti-communist Western movement, did not sit well alongside Jim Crow laws and public acts of racial discrimination. The Jim Crow System is also called â€Å"segregation†. It is a process in and through which Southerners may be said to legitimize their racial supremacy over the Blacks or Negroes. It is a system in and through which the central idea is â€Å"differentiation†. The aforementioned differentiation is done on the basis of ethnicity or race. It is therefore not difficult to see that such a system will encounter numerous criticisms due to the implications that result from it. Differentiation entails the recognition that races are different and as such, it creates a political setting that â€Å"separates† races such as the Whites from the Blacks. In addition to this, it also separates and ultimately, limits or confines races such as the Blacks to a social sphere with corresponding social functions that are imposed on them. In line with this, this paper will focus on the manifestations and effects of racial segregation on the American public educational system before 1960. It will do so since the end of racial segregation within the American public school system was largely determined by the effects of the Civil Rights movement as can be seen in the discussion of the Supreme Court Cases on educational and racial equality before 1960. The following cases will show the effects of racial inequality on the diversity of the population in the American public educational system prior to the aforementioned period. In 1954, the United States of America’s Supreme Court decided a landmark case concerning educational and racial equality. In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U. S. 483 (1954), the Court’s ruling is grounded on the principle that the doctrine of â€Å"separate but equal† [this doctrine is referring to the segregation policy, more specifically, the segregation policy in the schools in the U. S. ] will not and cannot provide Black Americans with the same standards and quality of education available for White Americans. The court thus, outlawed the â€Å"racial segregation of public education facilities† for the aforementioned reason. On May 17, 1954 the Warren Court handed down a 9-0 decision which stated, in clear and certain terms, that â€Å"separate educational facilities are inherently unequal†. Chief Justice Warren writes: Today, education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments. Compulsory school attendance laws and the great expenditures for education both demonstrate our recognition of the importance of education to our democratic society. It is required in the performance of our most basic public responsibilities, even service in the armed forces. It is the very foundation of good citizenship. Today it is a principal instrument in awakening the child to cultural values, in preparing him for later professional training, and in helping him to adjust normally to his environment. In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. Such an opportunity, where the state has undertaken to provide it, is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms. (1954, np) Moreover, racial segregation, as the court sees it, is against the pronouncements of the Constitution; the segregation of students on the basis of race or ethnicity and the legalization of a segregated public school education through the enactment of certain statutes serving to legitimize the creation and operation of schools that are exclusively for Whites or for Blacks, is clearly, not justified. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka remains and is still considered as a turning point in the determination of racial diversity in the educational institutions within the United States. The second case involves an implication of the Brown Cases [Brown Cases since there are Brown I, II and III cases]. Due to the Supreme Court’s verdict that segregation is â€Å"unconstitutional† and of course, due to the increasing rallies, boycotts and protests conducted by the advocates of the Civil Rights Movement, issues regarding â€Å"busing† as an appropriate means by which school administrators may comply with the then seemingly constitutional requirement of â€Å"desegregation†. Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, 402 U. S. 1 (1971) was an important United States Supreme Court case which deals with the busing of students to promote integration in the public school system. After the first trial’s decision in favor of the Board of Education, the Court held that â€Å"busing† was the appropriate solution to address the existing racial imbalance among schools at the time, even where the imbalance resulted from the selection of students based on geographic proximity to the school rather than from deliberate assignment based on race. Busing was done as in the cases of two Northern cities; Boston and New York to ensure that schools would be properly integrated and that all students would receive equal educational opportunities regardless of their ethnicity or race Milliken vs. Bradley 418 U. S. 717 (1974), just like the Swann n. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education case is also another case concerning â€Å"busing†. Specifically, the Milliken vs. Bradley case deals with the â€Å"planned forced busing† of public school students across district lines among 53 school districts in Detroit. Hence, the case is also a consequence of the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case. The Court held that â€Å"[w]ith no showing of significant violation by the 53 outlying school districts and no evidence of any interdistrict violation or effect†, the district court’s remedy was â€Å"wholly impermissible† and not justified by Brown v. Board of Education (Milliken vs. Bradley 418 U. S. 717, 1974, np). The following statement by Friedman echoes the ramifications of the Milliken v. Bradley case The world was made safe for white flight. White suburbs were secure in their grassy enclaves†¦. Official, legal segregation indeed was dead; but what replaced it was a deeper, more profound segregation †¦ Tens of thousands of black children attend schools that are all black, schools where they never see a white face; and they live massed in ghettos which are also entirely black. (Friedman, 2004, p. 296) Another case set during 1974 shows the conditions of diversity in the American public school system prior to 1960. Morgan v. Hennigan is a class action suit on behalf of fifteen Black parents and 43 children which found the Boston School Committee guilty of maintaining a dual, that is, segregated school system. In a court order issued by Garrity, imposed or forced busing will be done on the city of Boston in order to achieve racial balance in public schools. The aforementioned court order was based on a complex system of racial parity and ignored previous busing solutions. The Boston School Committee, according to the ruling of the court, through various means and capacities violated the constitutional rights of the plaintiffs by imposing segregation in terms assigning students to other areas, segregating residential patterns, transportation and grade system policies, to name a few. The School Committee thus, violated the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution because instead of ensuring that Black children be given equal protection under the law, the segregation policies instead placed the Black children in an unfair disadvantage. The proper course of action that schools should take according to the court is to enact policies that will eliminate racial discrimination and not its converse. We will now discuss Boston Busing in the light of Ronald Formisano’s Boston Against Busing: Race, Class, and Ethnicity in the 1960s and 1970s. Formisano’s conclusion regarding busing was that it is a failure. The main aims of desegregation are supposedly, educational equality and racial equality. Both aims however, were never achieved. The desegregation and affirmative action policies were results of the Civil Rights Movement and the Supreme Court rulings on the cases discussed earlier. History reveals that the expedited implementation of these policies was not beneficial to the American society since it involves an overhaul of large areas of American civil society and political culture. This construal may be strengthened by the â€Å"White Backlash Movements† in Boston. Formisano sees the White Backlash [as in the case of Boston] as a reaction to the implemented â€Å"forced busing†. He further defines the White’s reaction as a â€Å"reactionary populism† involving the middle, working class moved by a sense of â€Å"threat† regarding the policies implemented during the time and the escalating number of White v. Black incidents in the community and schools. It is also interesting to note that the White Backlash, like the Civil Rights Movement of the Blacks lacked a unified reaction and stand on the issue. Whites responded differently, so to speak, on the issue of forced busing. Formisano’s analysis that the White Backlash is moved by a sense of threat is indeed a plausible idea. Other Whites actually support the anti-racial discrimination campaigns but the expedited implementation of desegregation, forced busing and affirmative action threatened their sense of security and their sense of community. In other words, it went too far. Given the aforementioned cases, diversity in American public education before 1960 was largely determined by racial stratification. This however was largely affected by the Civil Rights movement since the movement questioned the main assumption regarding the treatment of individuals with different racial backgrounds. References Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U. S. 483 (1954). Friedman, L. (2002). American Law in the Twentieth Century. New Haven: Yale University Press. Formisano, R. (2004). Boston Against Busing: Race, Class, and Ethnicity in the 1960s and 1970s. Carolina: University of Carolina Press. Milliken vs. Bradley 418 U. S. 717 (1974). Morgan v. Hennigan, 379 F. Supp. 410 (1974). Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, 402 U. S. 1 (1971). Warren in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U. S. 483 (1954).

The Role of Truth in The Things They Carried Essays

The Role of Truth in The Things They Carried Essays The Role of Truth in The Things They Carried Paper The Role of Truth in The Things They Carried Paper Essay Topic: Everything Is Illuminated The Things They Carried The Purest Form of Truth: Truths Role in The Things They Carried â€Å"War is hell, but that’s not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead† (76). According to Tim O’Brien, all of these generalizations about war are the truth. However, as O’Brien continuously reshapes readers’ concept of truth throughout The Things They Carried, one quickly comes to realize that none of these facts represent truth about war. Readers experience the essence of Vietnam through each of O’Brien and his squadron’s vivid memories: Rat Kiley’s loss of a friend as Curt Lemon stepped into his last ray of sunlight and was blown up into the trees, Norman Bowker resigning to letting Kiowa slip under the mud and out of this life, and the â€Å"dainty young man† with his jaw in his throat and his eye as a star-shaped hole that was O’Brien’s only kill. Though portrayed as true life experiences, these events and even most of these characters are eventually revealed as fabrications of O’Brien’s mind. Does this mean that the stories are not true? As explained in another passage, â€Å"You can tell a true war story by the questions you ask. Somebody tells a story, let’s say, and afterward you ask, ‘Is it true? ’ and if the answer matters, you’ve got your answer† (79). So, does it matter that O’Brien never really killed a man, that Bowker never sacrificed the Silver Star medal, and that Curt Lemon never trick-or-treated through a Vietnamese village during Halloween? After the undeniable impact on readers associated with the human experience, war experience, and essence of individuals captured within these stories, the answer to that question proves to be a resounding â€Å"no. One of the main reasons for differentiating between â€Å"story-truth† – which may not be true in real life but gives a genuine glimpse of the Vietnam experience – and â€Å"happening truth† – what really occurred – is that â€Å"happening truth† lends itself easily to glorification of war. For example, the story of a man winning a medal for outstanding bravery in saving his friend, or O’Brien’s example of a man sacrificing himself to save his group from a landmine, both convey a sense of pride, honor, and valor associated with having gone to war and even having died in Vietnam. Having been told these stories, learning that they were false would come as a shock because stories like these seem to reassure society that although hundreds of young men lost their valuable lives or came back as changed men, it was all worth some sort of grand distinction in the end. On the other hand, O’Brien’s stories, possessing â€Å"story-truth,† retain their significance whether they have â€Å"happening-truth† or not. As O’Brien puts it, â€Å"A true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior, nor restrain men from doing the things men have always done. If a story seems moral, do not believe it. If at the end of a war story you feel uplifted, or if you feel that some small bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste, then you have been made the victim of a very old and terrible lie†¦You can tell a true war story by its absolute and uncompromising allegiance to obscenity and evil† (65). This quote presents a case of inherent irony in which the fabricated stories – complete with the gore of torturing a baby water buffalo after a friend’s death, the guilt of having a man die under your watch, the terror of looking a man you just killed in the face, and the disappointment of returning home only to find you’ll never fit back in – convey much more truth than most conventionally â€Å"true† war stories, which sweep the utter brutality of war under the rug. Thus, only through O’Brien’s â€Å"story-truth† do we see that these young men did not arrive in Vietnam for honorable reasons. These men went to war for fear of shaming their friends and families, these men gave their lives for a battle that did not enhance their life experiences, and even failed to result in progress for our nation, and those men that escaped with their lives were faced with the burden of death each and every day in that they could never escape the memories, could never truly communicate the horror they went through, and could never completely transition back into normal life. Though O’Brien did not truly kill a man or witness some of these events, the stories leave no doubt in readers’ minds that similar occurrences did happen in war and that the emotions conveyed by the stories truthfully capture how they made the men feel – which was anything but gratified and honored. Therefore, the lessons one can take away from these stories makes â€Å"story-truth† much more valuable than most cases of â€Å"happening-truth† about the Vietnam War. While O’Brien’s stories leave readers with the knowledge of how human emotions are impacted in a setting none of us are able to imagine, they also serve another purpose that also ceases to rely on truth: capturing the essence of a specific individual. We see this first in the case of Curt Lemon, whose personality is perpetuated throughout the novel by the stories of his best friend in Vietnam. O’Brian states that â€Å"To listen to the story, especially as Rat Kiley told it, you’d never know that Curt Lemon was dead. He was still out there in the dark, naked and painted up, trick-or-treating, sliding from hootch to hootch in that crazy white ghost mask. But he was dead† (227). Although this story about Lemon is highly exaggerated, and the question remains whether it is even true at all, readers can trust that what it reveals about Lemon’s character – his spontaneity and daring behavior – are in fact accurate, so it comes as no offence when it is revealed that Kiley regularly embellished the tale. â€Å"Story-truth† gains its final point of relevance when O’Brien describes how he uses stories to preserve his childhood love, Linda. Linda’s character compares being dead to being like a library book, safe on the very top shelf where no one has checked it out for a long, long time. Like Curt Lemon, Kiowa, Ted Lavender, and even the man Tim killed, Linda and all the memories surrounding her would tend to disappear with time if she were not illuminated by O’Brien’s novel. O’Brien remarks that now when he incorporates Linda’s essence into his stories, â€Å"She’s not the embodied Linda; she’s mostly made up, with a new identity and a new name, like the man who never was. Her real name doesn’t matter† (232). Whether â€Å"happening-true† or just â€Å"story-true,† Linda’s presence solidifies the idea that even if the characters in The Things They Carried have fake names, false actions, or entirely fictitious identities, they each bring forth a unique set of characteristics that alight on â€Å"truth. † For instance, even if Linda were not real, the way she made Tim (and readers) realize the purest form of love cannot be denied, and even if the man Tim killed had no story besides the one Tim developed, the way he represents men who never wished to fight, whose opportunities are cut off in early life, will live on forever. In this, the feigned truth of â€Å"story-truth† creates legends; it sheds light on interpersonal relationships and validates the lives of those who no longer have the ability to do so for themselves. As one progresses through The Things They Carried, it becomes more and more evident just how masterfully O’Brien has blurred the lines between truth and reality. Readers begin the book assuming it contains stories of fiction. It is not until the third chapter that one finds the narrator is a writer plagued by memories of war, and assume the stories to take on an element of truth. Soon after, one sees that O’Brien the narrator and O’Brien the author are two very different personas, and finally, towards the end of the novel, O’Brien reveals that, â€Å"†¦a long time ago I walked through Quang Ngai province as a foot soldier. Almost everything else is invented† (171). Seemingly, traveling through such ups and downs of truth and falsity would be recognized as a sort of betrayal to readers. Yet, O’Brien’s framework of war stories, within the story of the Vietnam War, within the larger story of O’Brien’s actual life serves to undermine any disappointment concerning the authenticity of events. Readers quickly learn that the statement â€Å"This is true† has double meanings, and truth itself is redefined as any incidence lending sincere insight into war and how it affects people, whether it occurred, did not occur, or very well might have occurred. Overall, when it comes to opening society’s eyes to a situation capable of bringing out the most evil, the most desperation, and the most appreciation for life simultaneously, one realizes O’Brien’s novel to be absolutely and undeniably â€Å"true. † OBrien, Tim. The Things They Carried. Boston, MA: Houghton Miflin, 1990. Print.

Aristotle on Happiness essays

Aristotle on Happiness essays Aristotle believes that happiness rests within an absolutely final and self-sufficient end. The reasoning behind this theory is that every man is striving for some end, and every action he does must be due to this desire to reach this final end. He believes that in order for a man to be happy, he must live an active life of virtue, for this will in turn bring him closer to the final end. Although some may believe that these actions that the man chooses to take is what creates happiness, Aristotle believes that these actions are just a mere part of the striving toward the final end. Ancient ethical thought has created the idea that an ethical life is a rational life centered on some good. This good that he speaks of is what he believes is happiness. When looking at this theory plainly, one might believe that this final end could rest in a mans occupation, for if he enjoyed his trade, he would be acting rationally, and centering his attention on a certain good, the good which he produces. For example, some may believe that for a bridle maker the final end would be the finished bridle. Even if this man loves his work, the happiness he gets out of making this bridle is in no way his only reason for doing what he does. This bridle is made so he can sell the bridle, which creates wealth, which others may see as the final end that may create happiness. Wealth by itself cannot be the final end, since wealth itself does nothing unless this wealth is used in a certain way to bring about this feeling of happiness. The man may then choose to use his wealth in such a way that will make his children have a better life, such as buying a house so his children are sheltered from the elements. This being a virtuous act, could also be seen as another action which some may believe is what brings a man to a state of happiness. But even by creating a better life for his children, the man still hasnt reached h ...

The Donner Party, Ill-Fated Settlers Turned to Cannibalism

The Donner Party, Ill-Fated Settlers Turned to Cannibalism The Donner Party was a group of American settlers heading to California who became stranded in heavy snows in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1846. Isolated in horrific conditions, about half of the original group of nearly 90 people died of starvation or exposure. Some of the survivors turned to cannibalism in order to survive. After those who managed to stay alive were rescued in early 1847, the story of horror in the mountains appeared in a California newspaper. The tale made its way east, circulated through newspaper articles, and became part of western lore. Fast Facts: The Donner Party About half of a group of nearly 90 settlers heading to California in 1846 starved when snowbound.Disaster was caused by taking an untested route which added weeks to the journey.Survivors eventually resorted to cannibalism.Story circulated widely through newspaper stories and books. Origin of the Donner Party The Donner Party was named for two families, George Donner and his wife and children, and George’s brother Jacob and his wife and children. They were from Springfield, Illinois, as was another family traveling with them, James Reed and his wife and children. Also from Springfield were various individuals associated with the Donner and Reed families. That original group left Illinois in April 1846 and arrived in Independence, Missouri, the following month. After securing provisions for the long trip westward, the group, along with other travelers from a variety of places, left Independence on May 12, 1846. (People would typically meet in Independence and decide to stick together for the journey westward, which is how some members of the Donner Party joined the group essentially by chance.) The group made good progress along the trail westward, and in about a week had met up with another wagon train, which they joined. The early part of the journey passed with no major problems. The George Donners wife had written a letter describing the early weeks of the trip which appeared in the newspaper back in Springfield. The letter also appeared in papers in the East, including the New York Herald, which published it on the front page. After passing Fort Laramie, a major landmark on the way west, they met up with a rider who gave them a letter which claimed that troops from Mexico (which was at war with the United States) might interfere with their passage ahead. The letter advised taking a shortcut called the Hastings Cutoff. Shortcut to Disaster After arriving at Fort Bridger (in present day Wyoming), the Donners, the Reeds, and others debated whether to take the shortcut. They were assured, falsely it turned out, that the traveling would be easy. Through a series of miscommunications, they did not receive warnings from those who knew otherwise. The Donner Party decided to take the shortcut, which led them into many hardships. The route, which took them on a southerly path about Great Salt Lake, was not clearly marked. And it was often very difficult passage for the groups wagon. The shortcut required passing over the Great Salt Lake Desert. The conditions were like nothing any of the travelers had seen before, with blistering heat by day and frigid winds at night. It took five days to cross the desert, leaving the 87 members of the party, including many children, exhausted. Some of the party’s oxen had died in the brutal conditions, and it became obvious that taking the shortcut had been a colossal blunder. Taking the promised shortcut had backfired, and put the group about three weeks behind schedule. Had they taken the more established route, they would have gotten across the final mountains before any chance of snowfall and arrived in California safely. Tensions in the Group With the travelers seriously behind schedule, anger flared in the group. In October the Donner families broke off to go ahead, hoping to make better time. In the main group, an argument broke out between a man named John Snyder and James Reed. Snyder struck Reed with an ox whip, and Reed responded by stabbing Snyder and killing him. The killing of Snyder happened beyond U.S. laws, as it was then Mexican territory. In such a circumstance, it would be up to the members of a wagon train to decide how to dispense justice. With the groups leader, George Donner, at least a day’s travel ahead, the others decided to banish Reed from the group. With high mountains still to cross, the party of settlers was in disarray and deeply distrustful of each other. They had already endured more than their share of hardships on the trails, and seemingly endless problems, including bands of Native Americans raiding at night and stealing oxen, continued to plague them. Trapped by Snow Arriving at the Sierra Nevada mountain range at the end of October, early snows were already making the journey difficult. When they reached the vicinity of Truckee Lake (now called Donner Lake), they discovered the mountain passes they needed to cross were already blocked by snowdrifts. Attempts to get over the passes failed. A group of 60 travelers settled into crude cabins which had been built and abandoned two years earlier by other settlers passing by. A smaller group, including the Donners, set up a camp a few miles away. Stranded by impassable snow, the supplies quickly dwindled. The travelers had never seen such snow conditions before, and attempts by small parties to walk onward to California to get help were thwarted by the deep snowdrifts. Facing starvation, people ate the carcasses of their oxen. When the meat ran out, they were reduced to boiling ox hide and eating it. At times people caught mice in the cabins and ate them. In December, a party of 17, consisting of men, women, and children, set out with snowshoes they had fashioned. The party found the traveling nearly impossible, but kept moving westward. Facing starvation, some of the party resorted to cannibalism, eating the flesh of those who had died. At one point, two Nevada Indians who had joined the group before they headed into the mountains were shot and killed so their flesh could be eaten. (That was the only instance in the story of the Donner Party where people were killed to be eaten. The other instances of cannibalism occurred after people had died of exposure or starvation.) One member of the party, Charles Eddy, eventually managed to wander into a village of the Miwok tribe. The Native Americans gave him food, and after he reached white settlers at a ranch, he managed to get a rescue party together. They found the six survivors of the snowshoe group. Back at the camp by the lake, one of the travelers, Patrick Breen, had started keeping a diary. His entries were brief, at first just descriptions of the weather. But over time he began noting the increasingly desperate conditions as more and more of those stranded succumbed to starvation. Breen survived the ordeal and his diary was eventually published. Rescue Efforts One of the travelers who had gone ahead in October became increasingly alarmed when the Donner Party never showed up at Sutter’s Fort in California. He tried to raise the alarm and eventually was able to inspire what eventually amounted to four separate rescue missions. What the rescuers discovered was disturbing. The survivors were emaciated. And in some of the cabins rescuers discovered bodies which had been butchered. A member of a rescue party described finding a body with the head sawed open so the brains could be extracted. The various mutilated bodies were gathered together and buried in one of the cabins, which was then burned to the ground. Of the 87 travelers who entered the mountains on the final phase of the journey, 48 survived. Most of them stayed in California. Legacy of the Donner Party Stories about the Donner Party began to circulate immediately. By the summer of 1847 the story had reached the newspaper in the East. The New York Tribune published a story on August 14, 1847, which gave some grim details. The Weekly National Intelligencer, a Washington, D.C. newspaper, published a story on October 30, 1847, which described the terrible suffering of the Donner Party. An editor of a local newspaper in Truckee, California, Charles McGlashan, became something of an expert on the story of the Donner Party. In the 1870s he talked to survivors and pieced together a comprehensive account of the tragedy. His book, History of the Donner Party: A Tragedy of the Sierra, was published in 1879 and went through many editions. The story of the Donner Party has lived on, through a number of books and films based on the tragedy. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, many settlers heading to California took what happened as a serious warning not to lose time on the trail and not to take unreliable shortcuts. Sources: Distressing News. American Eras: Primary Sources, edited by Sara Constantakis, et al., vol. 3: Westward Expansion, 1800-1860, Gale, 2014, pp. 95-99. Gale Virtual Reference Library.Brown, Daniel James.  The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party. William Morrow Company, 2015.

Greece and Rome Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Greece and Rome - Essay Example Contribution made by early Romans were huge in number including technology, religion, art, empire architecture, language, government, law, literature and war as well. The history of Roman Empire is still a source of inspiration in many parts of world (Cunningham and Reich, 2005). Greek civilization originates from Greek history. It survived from 8th to 6th Century, after that from 146BC to the mastery period of Rome. This civilization had the mastery of ruling on states. The classic stage of Greek culture leaves a significant influence on Roman Empire in many aspects. Greek civilization holds a vision which interpreted to numerous parts of Mediterranean Region and Europe as well. The basis of western civilization is the major reason of rich culture in Classical Grecian people. The development of Classic Greek civilization was observed between 4th and 5th century (Cunningham and Reich, 2005). Roman and Greek civilizations belong to Mediterranean Region but still differ in social aspec ts. Civilizations hold different mythology and live their life in different manner. The outstanding difference is related to progress. Romans failed to make remarkable progress in their era. Greece had begun their development in 5th century BC. On many instances, it is supposed that many of the items utilized by Romans were previously a part of Greek Civilization and Greek invented those items (Freeman, 2004). Civilization believed to divide people in groups. The division of Greek society is categorized in five groups. These groups’ are women, slaves, medics, free men and in the end citizens. The position of women in Greeks civilization was even below that of a slave. In Romans the status of women is higher as compared to Greeks and give them equal rights of citizens, but still didn’t give them an opportunity to vote or work in offices belonging to political sector. The groups which were found in Roman society were Plebeians, Patricians, Free Men and Slaves (Moore, 200 6). Both civilizations were inspired by architectural techniques. Their building was the sample piece of innovative architecture. In Greek civilization, the style of architecture divides into three major groups. These groups were Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. Romans were motivated as well as inspired by the architecture of Greek building. Romans adopted the architectural style of Greeks; they gave a style of Greek architecture to their building structures. Romans added aqueducts and arches in Greek designs and gave them a new look (Moore, 2006). The common occupation of Greek was considered as agriculture, this occupation employed almost three quarter of people. Greek cape was rocky and mountainous area, giving tough time to famers. They failed to produce enough wheat. Grapes and olives were found in abundant quantity. Roman farmers produced what they needed like furniture, tools and clothing. After some time they started producing more than their requirement and began exporting (Fre eman, 2004). The major gods and goddesses of Greek were Poseidon , Aphrodite, Hera, Hades, Hestia, Apollo, Demeter, Artemis, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Dionysus and Ares. Mostly, different regions worshipped the same gods or goddess. The practice of Greek religion was expanding outside Greece as well to Asia Minor to Magna Graecia. ApolloIn Greek mythology, Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, who presided

The Relevance of EDI for e-Business today A critical Evaluation Essay

The Relevance of EDI for e-Business today A critical Evaluation - Essay Example When organizations implement EDI in payment of employees, especially in companies and banks, this institution uses the term FEDI (Financial Electronic Data Interchange) (Schneider 2013, p. 138). For business managers, with the current use of extranets, intranets, digital currency, and electronic catalogues, they should acknowledge EDI’s relevance for e-business today. However, implementation of EDI in business organization not only brings positive impacts, but it also has some negative impacts, which can cause negative effects to users who are using recent versions of documents instead of a business partner (McGrath 2010, p. 76). The aim of this report is to enlighten business owners the relevance of EDI in e-business today. EDI is the electronic communications or exchange of business transactions between business organizations. It entails computer-to-computer communications directly to order systems and vendor databases. In the year 1996, the NIST defined EDI as a computer-to-computer transaction of severely formatted information representing documents rather than financial instruments. It means exchange of a series of messages between two or more parties, whereby one serves as a sender and the one a receiver (Zainol 2009, p. 256). The originator transmits the formatted data that represent a document to the receiver through physical transportation on electronic media storage such as CDs or USB Flash disks or via telecommunication (Zekos 2008, p. 67). Despite the relative advantages of EDI, most business organizations still have challenges in implementing EDIs in their operations. However, the entire process of implementing EDI is complex and this is the reason why there is still a large group of organizations that uses the traditional mode of transmitting transactions (Zainol 2009, p. 259). In addition, the process of

MINE KAFON Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MINE KAFON - Essay Example This toys would at time get lost, or get blown away to the desert among the land mines. It would be too dangerous to get them back. The landmines would often cause accidents and fatal injuries to kids that would go play near them. Mine Kafon is a device almost the height of a man. The devise has weight of approximately seventeen kilograms. It has got an iron case which is surrounded by lots radiating bamboo legs. Each of this has a circular plastic float at their tipping. Inside the Mine Kafon there is a ball that has a GPS unit. The GPS device usually maps the geographical locations where the device has been. This data of where the device has been is made available in exact time which is accessed through the internet. Global positioning system (GPS) tracker is a garget that uses positioning system to locate the exact location of an automobile, a person or another asset to which it is attached and to regular position recording of the asset. It does this, at regular time intervals. The recorded information is usually at the tracking unit within the system, or the data may be transmitted to a data base at a central place or location. Consequently the data may be connected to internet connected to a computer using a satellite modem in the system. Usually this will allow the garget geographical location is displayed against the map back drop. This technology of global positioning system is available for smartphone gargets which have GPS capability. The GPS system normally has GPS module which receives GPS signal and calculate the particular coordinates of the system. In the case of data loggers the system large memory capacity to efficiently store the coordinates. Data/ information pushers contains GPS modem to transfer this information to a computer either through SMS or though GPRS via IP packets. The GPS observation system the live temperature and 6/s time log decreases the monitoring intervals and provides accurate temperature data. Live observation

Power and Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Power and Organisations - Essay Example But this management style does not fit other types of employees. Other types of subordinates prefer their heads or supervisors to be more lenient with them and to allow them room to finish assigned tasked in the best way the subordinate thinks he or she could finish the job faster. The employees feel like human beings whenever their opinions or suggestion and even complaints are taken into account by their superiors. Alternative Ways of Behaving. Management should apply different styles of management in order to fit each kind of individual employee. Strictness and penalties can be applied to lazy employees and awards and promotion could be given to employees who love to conquer challenges in return for the awards, citations and promotions given. Management could also implement a mixture of strict management policy for some line employees and also implement a soft management stand of giving the employees a wider room to navigate in order for the employees to better accomplish, in terms of quality and quantity, all tasks assigned beforehand to the subordinates (the sales managers, unit managers and the financial advisors) Less strictness will also lessen the subordinates' resentment or resistance to power imposed on them. Program Evaluation Review Technique. ... in this case, the financial advisors report directly to the unit managers and the unit managers are loyal to the sales managers who has a very harmonious working relationship with the unit managers and the financial advisors, the sale manager who is revolting against the strict management policy of the general manager has won the hearts and minds of the employees and enticed them to leave the company.In economics, some people prefer to be insulted and they are willing to swallow their pride and even their person than to resign from the job where they are not happy. This is because they cannot feed their family with their pride. Other persons prefer to resign from a company when their pride is hurt. Still other persons are so strong willed that they confront the management and ask for leniency or a little more space in order for the employee to move around more freely. This space will result to more happy employees and happy employees do better jobs. (Dilworth, 1993) Some employees, though, will not follow the sales manager's offer to resign from the company because these types of employees love the strictness being implemented by top management. Range and Application of theoriesIn the Critical path management concept, the financial advisor will submit his work to the Unit manger that then does some analysis and interpretation and then gives the final report to the sales manger. The sales manager then gives his sales department's summary report to the general manager who is strict in this case. If the financial advisor is lazy then the work of the unit manager will lag behind resulting to work delays of the sales manager and the general manager. (Raiborn et al., 1993)Using exchange theory, the subordinates (financial advisors, unit managers

Contract and employment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contract and employment - Essay Example There has been no express â€Å"garden leave† clause in her agreement. Clarissa had a very difficult divorce in 2011 and as a result of this her professional life suffered. She became careless and negligent with her work. In a major event which was attended by foreign governments (potential buyers), she left the trigger switch that fires the missiles in the office. Due to this demonstration had to be stopped. Even though this was a serious lapse from Clarissa, she was only given an informal warning and let off. She showed improvements after this. But in the re-scheduled demonstration, she programmed missile to fly for 100km rather than the 1 km that was planned. But the mistake was identified and the calculation revealed that even if the missiles had been fired they would have landed safely on a cow barn in Surrey. But after this negligence, the manager lost confidence in her and she was fired. The consequences of repeated negligence could have critical and more damaging. She was dismissed as per the contract with a six month notice and her employment contract would be terminated on 31st March, 2012. Also fearing the safety her colleagues, she was sent home on â€Å"garden leave†. During this period she was not required to work but would still be paid. She was not happy with this and complained unsuccessfully about â€Å"garden leave†. She was offered a job Flare Missiles on 1st January 2012. But the offer was valid only if she could join on February 2012. The first issue is if she can claim unfair dismissal compensation. In order to claim unfair dismissal compensation, an employee must have been employed at least for a year (i.e. 52 weeks)1. Clarissa fulfils this and hence she will be able to claim for unfair dismissal compensation. First there must be a fair reason for the employer to dismiss the employee. If the employer claims that the dismissal was on the grounds of a fair reason, then it’s his

Power and Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Power and Organisations - Essay Example But this management style does not fit other types of employees. Other types of subordinates prefer their heads or supervisors to be more lenient with them and to allow them room to finish assigned tasked in the best way the subordinate thinks he or she could finish the job faster. The employees feel like human beings whenever their opinions or suggestion and even complaints are taken into account by their superiors. Alternative Ways of Behaving. Management should apply different styles of management in order to fit each kind of individual employee. Strictness and penalties can be applied to lazy employees and awards and promotion could be given to employees who love to conquer challenges in return for the awards, citations and promotions given. Management could also implement a mixture of strict management policy for some line employees and also implement a soft management stand of giving the employees a wider room to navigate in order for the employees to better accomplish, in terms of quality and quantity, all tasks assigned beforehand to the subordinates (the sales managers, unit managers and the financial advisors) Less strictness will also lessen the subordinates' resentment or resistance to power imposed on them. Program Evaluation Review Technique. ... in this case, the financial advisors report directly to the unit managers and the unit managers are loyal to the sales managers who has a very harmonious working relationship with the unit managers and the financial advisors, the sale manager who is revolting against the strict management policy of the general manager has won the hearts and minds of the employees and enticed them to leave the company.In economics, some people prefer to be insulted and they are willing to swallow their pride and even their person than to resign from the job where they are not happy. This is because they cannot feed their family with their pride. Other persons prefer to resign from a company when their pride is hurt. Still other persons are so strong willed that they confront the management and ask for leniency or a little more space in order for the employee to move around more freely. This space will result to more happy employees and happy employees do better jobs. (Dilworth, 1993) Some employees, though, will not follow the sales manager's offer to resign from the company because these types of employees love the strictness being implemented by top management. Range and Application of theoriesIn the Critical path management concept, the financial advisor will submit his work to the Unit manger that then does some analysis and interpretation and then gives the final report to the sales manger. The sales manager then gives his sales department's summary report to the general manager who is strict in this case. If the financial advisor is lazy then the work of the unit manager will lag behind resulting to work delays of the sales manager and the general manager. (Raiborn et al., 1993)Using exchange theory, the subordinates (financial advisors, unit managers

Agency or in house advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Agency or in house advertising - Essay Example Before coming to the question whether ‘I’ll Run for You’ should pursue outside advertising agency or in-house advertising agency, some critical factors are needed to be considered. Based upon the analysis, it is advisable that ‘I’ll Run for You’ should pursue outside advertising agency. The prior mentioned major reasons reveal that it is not applicable for ‘I’ll Run for You’ to run its own advertising agency. Needs & Resources Since the decision of advertisement responsibility for ‘I’ll Run for You’ is suggested to be an outside advertising agency, therefore no substantial resources are required. If Darla would had been recommended to pursue in-house marketing and advertising campaign then required resources would be considered such as hiring and training of employees, Research and Development etc. However, Darla needs a significant amount of cost to bear in order to make payment to the outside advertisin g agency. Therefore, the only concern or ‘need’ for Darla is to ensure her company can bear the required amount of upfront cost for outsourcing its advertising. Pros & Cons of In-house Advertising Department.Pros:†¢ Timeliness; a strong in-house analytics team can provide refresh software models monthly. New business information related to a business or its competitors can quickly be adjusted into these models †¢ Transparency and Consistency; an in-house process of advertisement allows a business to develop, validate and supervise the marketing analytics. †¢ Data Assets; A centralized advertising system can evolve over the period to incorporate valuable and new data sources. †¢ Enterprise Knowledge; In-house advertising allows a business to advertise in a convenient manner.... Data Assets; A centralized advertising system can evolve over the period to incorporate valuable and new data sources. Enterprise Knowledge; In-house advertising allows a business to advertise in a convenient manner. The advertising department knows all of the information therefore advertisement is performed accordingly. Cons: Hiring and Recruitment; in order to meet the demand of top notch analytic talent, finding and hiring people with right skills can be very expensive as well as challenging. Upfront Costs; if resources are not available at that point of time, an upfront investment in data infrastructure and technology will be required. Time; establishing infrastructure, implementing software systems, hiring appropriate people can take years. It will take even more time to the business to reap the benefits of these investments. Pros & Cons of Hiring Outside Advertising Agency Pros: Better realization of revenues and increased returns on investments Labour cost gets lower and econo mies of scales are achieved Tapping into a knowledge of innovation Increases quality, delivery and speed of outsourced activities Cons: Chances of loss of control over the business processes of the company Shortcomings in performances Under realization of results and benefits Recommendation ‘I’ll Run for You’ is a start up business. If the company tries to keep every department under its control, then it might lead to an increased cost to the company. Therefore, primarily in order to avoid increased costs, the company must outsource its advertising department. It is recommended that ‘I’ll Run for You’ should relinquish its advertising department to an experienced advertising company, which can perform better professional services. Next Steps Agencies Available

Sodium acetate Essay Example for Free

Sodium acetate Essay Claim: Relatively pure isoamyl acetate was isolated by elimination reaction as compared to the SN2 reaction. Evidence1: A flask containing isoamyl bromide (6 ml, 0. 050 mole) and potassium acetate (6 g, 0. 05 mole) in 10 ml of dimethyl formamide was positioned in a steam bath and then mounted on a magnetic stirrer. The mixture was heated and magnetically stirred simultaneously for two hours. A white precipitate was found at the bottom of the solution. The mixture was set to cool and 15 ml of cool water was then added to the mixture. The entire precipitate dissolved in the mixture and the content of the flask now got transformed into a clear colorless solution. The mixture was then washed with 15 ml of ether. The lower, aqueous layer in the flask was drawn off and the ethereal was again washed by 5 ml of water. The ethereal was then dried using magnesium sulfate and the ethereal was then gravity filtered. The ether was completely removed by simple distillation1 using steam as a source of heat. The residual crude isoamyl acetate was isolated by simple distillation using a flame as a heat source. Isoamyl acetate; 4. 721 g, 36. 3 mmole, 72. 6 % recovery, B. p= 137? C – 142? C (lit=142? C2). The isoamyl acetate was then tested by infrared spectroscopy (IR spectroscopy); C-H stretch: below 3000 cm, C=O stretch: 1750 cm, C-O stretch: 1250 cm (Appendix 1, 2) Discussion: Isoamly acetate was isolated by SN2 nucleophilic substitution method. It was observed that the Nucleophile, acetate ion directly displaced the bromide ion by substitution. The experiment used potassium acetate rather than sodium acetate. Potassium is larger and less dense than sodium so that the acetate ions more readily take part in the reaction. DMF, a polar aprotic solvent, was used to destabilize the nucleophile that catalyzes the reaction by lowering energy. After the mixture was cooled, water was added to the mixture in order to avert a reverse reaction. The mixture was washed with ether in order to maximize the yield of the produce by the process of dehydration. Any presence of water would cause the reverse reaction, thus minimizing the yield. isoamly acetate was also isolated by elimination reaction, technically termed as fisher esterification. The fisher esterification was favored over SN2 reaction in this experiment. A flame was used as a heat source in the elimination reaction while a steam was used as a heat source in the Sn2 reaction. At higher temperatures, molecules acquire enough energy to climb the energy barrier. This barrier level will be too high to cross at lower temperatures.

Leading Strategic Change The Vw Turnaround Management Essay

Leading Strategic Change The Vw Turnaround Management Essay During the 1990s, the Volkswagen Group (VW) which was composed by the Audi, Seat and Skoda brands went through a rough patch. It faced a lot of problems such as high costs, a weak model line up, a decline of 85% in profits and costly differentiations between the groups brands. More specifically, in 1992, VW was in a bad place due to the profits fall, the negative return on sales, the huge sums for fixed costs and the messy accounting system. The following year, the challenges for VW consisted of complains by the customers for high prices, the main plant in Wolfsburg only made profit when the workers were on overtime and the Japanese competitors were becoming a threat by using UK plants to produce similar models at a less expensive price. Moreover, about 30,000 employees were no longer necessary but VW could not fire them because they lived in undeveloped areas, there were high costs as Audi and VW produced a similar engine but no mixing in production was occurring and in the US, the sales from 600,000 units in 1970 went to 50,000 units. Finally, in the Asian market, not including China, VW obtained less than 2% of the market share. In addition, the auto industry was going through its worst recession during the last 30 years. In 1993 Ferdinand Pià «ch took over Dr. Carl Hahn and became Chairman of the Board of Management of the company. From that point on, through his aggressive strategy for entering new markets, consist VW a globalized organization, in-organization changes, modification in the production lines and communication with the employees, managed to transform VW into the first automobile company in its industry. According to Beinhocker (2006) there are two elements which sustain a long term success. The execution of activities and the adaptability of those challenges so as to survive in the future. In his article, The Adaptable Corporation, he states literature where the action of execution is against adapting, meaning that very few organizations manage to achieve both. Beinhocker also mentions research which concludes that short-term achievers are successful but lose their way when there is change in the environment. Piech managed to bring change into VW and adapt it within the organization culture without shifting apart. Changes in markets and technologies, depressions, wars, globalization are barriers which VW overcame and made it to the long run. What is important to note from Beinhocker is the process for change. The author states that most turnarounds are easier and faster achieved when there is a change in management instead of a change in the business model. In the case of VW, not on ly there was a new CEO but there were changes in the strategy. For instance, Pià «ch focused on internationally expanding the company and tried to differentiate the brands of the group without increasing the costs. However, in order to comprehend the successful run of VW, it is important to understand Pià «chs leadership style. Ferdinand Pià «ch is an Austrian engineer, born in 1937 and the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, the creator of the Volkswagen Beetle, the Mercedes-Benz SS/SSK and the Porsche brand. In 1975 he acquired his first job as a manager at Audi. In 1993 he was called to VW and by 2002, when his retirement was planned, transformed it into the first automobile company worldwide, adding brands like Bugatti, Lamborghini and Bentley. It was his belief that the reason VW was going through a crisis in the early 1990s was the lack of preparation and homework by the people working in the company. Pià «chs leadership style has characteristics that consist him a high task oriented person because of his clear vision, his passion, his knowledge and the guidelines he set for his employees. However, he can be attributed the style of a task master as he leaded through fear. He had the respect of his colleagues but on the other hand he was described as a brutal person who wanted to be informed of the smallest detail and that is why he was called freak control. He liked to visit his employees at their working place and pressure them. However, he did not give direct orders and his managers should for example, change the task of 100 people immediately if they suspected Pià «ch wanted to do something in a different way. Pià «ch was never afraid to blame someone for their mistakes. For instance, a problem occurred in Mexico with Golfs launch, not passing certain requirements. He stated that the workers were not to blame but the managers. Ferdinand Pià «ch is a transformational leader. Through the actions he took in VW he has showed that he is able to pass his vision to the individuals around him and create extraordinary performance which will eventually lead to success. He would spend most of his time in the plants talking to employees, pressuring them. He never remained non-committal and his employees thought of him as tough but at the same time very reliable. He had the ability of making people trust him and could motivate them. For instance, he gave the opportunity to his employees to form unions and chose to rearrange the working schedule instead of firing the excess staff. He had charisma as he loved what he did and used the German traditional automobile industry strengths to bring innovation. He understood the market and its demands and using his new strategy he led VW to a transformation to the top. Through his ability to turn words into successful resulted actions, Pià «ch is an authentic leader. When he first took over VW he had self-awareness and market awareness so as to be confident enough to implement his strategy. He followed the steps of his grandfather and combined them with the different time period and the knowledge he had. He could read the environment around him and along with the communication he had with this staff and his colleagues he built a strong organization which succeeds until now. Pià «ch succeeded in his work as a CEO in VW by aligning his strategy according to the environment. The automobile industry is a highly competitive industry which in the early 1990s was going through a financial crisis. The technology was changing every day, the costs were high for creating each model and the consumers were not happy. Pià «ch introduced a new platform manufacturing system which allowed VW to produce same parts for different car brands and most importantly, lower costs. He is also known for his aggressive moves into other markets. In order to sustain a competitive advantage, Pià «ch continued updating the product line and achieved a respectable market share around the world. As Pià «chs leadership style was affected by his childhood and the WWII, he grew up to believe that alliances were a guaranteed strategy for anything you do. Therefore, he acquired other companies such as the Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti. The core competencies of VW after the transformatio n by Pià «ch were the restructuring of the company, its efficiency, the product line, the platform system and its globalization. A key competence in the success run of VW is its employees. As mentioned before, VW estimated of having 30,000 employees who were not needed. Therefore, VW adopted a four day schedule per week and reduced wages by 16% while supporting the unions. VW became an innovator as the labour relations are concerned and aided in reducing unemployment rates. Furthermore, Pià «ch reduced the number of the board members from nine to five and reduced their salaried by 20%. According to the Level 5 Leadership framework by Collins (2005) Pià «ch is a level 4 effective leader. He had passion for what he was working for, he had clear goals and a vision and was able to motivate the individuals around him and lead VW to success. Through the characteristics of his environment one can conclude that even though he has no humility (he had a patriarch, egoistic style), he was committed and very confident for the future. The action logic Pià «ch follows, according to Rooke Torbert (2005) is a combination of the achiever and the strategist. Pià «ch when he started, had a vision for VW and had the capabilities to implement his goals. He was well aware of the market and at the same time he managed to transform the organization into an international, successful company. Pià «chs personality is definitely a driving force for his actions and results. He once said: It was always my goal to lead a bigger company than my grand-father. He was described as a very passionate man who through the cars design and the patriarchal protective approaches he was using to his workforce, wanted to keep his grandfathers memory and style alive. Pià «ch loved technology and cars and had a deep understanding of the customers. However, his fellow executives saw him as an egoist who considered himself the patriarch of VW. It is no surprise, that his personal life is as controversial as his professional one. He is the father of 12 children, who he has limited relationships with, by four different women and was also accused of an affair with his cousins wife. The reality was that in 1992, he was the best candidate for leading VW out of the crisis. He had knowledge of the auto industry, especially the German motor industry with its strengths, disputes and weaknesses. According to Aiken Keller (2006), a leader transforming an organization must have and illustrate a meaning for his actions, inspire people, build loyal and strong teams and be ready for any collision. As a result, a successful turnaround will occur like Pià «ch did with VW. Even though Pià «ch was described by the press, his family and his co-workers as a CEO who led by fear, he was always ready for the future and had the brilliance of steering this delicate network. Ferdinand Pià «ch is not only a successful CEO but he is a leader who managed to turnaround VW and position it at the top of the automobile industry worldwide. In the years between 1993 and 2001 sales reached à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬88.5 billion from à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬39.1 billion and an increase of 17% of the international sales occured. It was no surprise when in 1999 he was awarded the prize of Car Executive of the Century. In 2002 he retired from VW but still remains on the board of directors and today, in his 70s, he superv ises the extraordinary legacy he left behind. VWs CEO in the US today is Stefan Jacoby. His strategy is focused around 5 foundations. Local production, the organization, the dealer network, the products and the brand. Jacoby is concentrating on most of the values Pià «ch introduced in 1993 when he first took over VW. However, Pià «ch was following the patriarchal values and style of his grandfather. It is important to adjust the strategic model according to the environments trends. It is a challenge of taking over a successful organizations and trying to keep it at the top with a different leader. To conclude with, it is necessary for VW to grasp on the fundamental values that Pià «ch used to make it successful and at the same time be ready to implement radical changes in case of a crisis.

Confucius in Modern China Essay -- philosophical ideologies

Every culture is composed of many philosophical ideologies that comprise the ever-changing nature of said nation. Many cultures do not have a monolithic, nor static nature; ideas such as Maoism, Daoism, Christianity, etc., challenge the preexisting notions that are part of a culture. Even though the Chinese government has established a strong strand against Confucianism, it is still a part of the Chinese culture in socio-political, economic, familial, and individual levels. Confucianism is still prevalent though business, education, the Confucian revival, the previous ties China had with Confucianism, and a return to old traditions as a default. Through the economic-business aspect point of view, Confucianism still holds sway over many of the actions and feelings in Chinese business, and some even say that, â€Å"it is impossible to do business in China and not feel the effects of Confucian philosophy† (Jacobs 29). For example, the sense of a social hierarchy is painfully obvious when foreign entrepreneurs do business with Chinese companies. In a business venture, â€Å"a British marketer who invited several Chinese guests to a trade promotion reception†¦ According to Chinese tradition, the glass of wine should have been presented to the highest trade official first† (Jacobs 29). This sense of hierarchy is also integrated into several manifestations of Chinese business management, particularly in an individual level that builds up to the corporation as a whole; due to the fact that the majority of people are expected to behave according to rank, they are disinclined to present ideas that may lead to the de velopment of the business. Jacobs also says that this explains â€Å"much of the inertia in Chinese businesses, particularly in state-owned en... ...ts influence is still strong. For example, â€Å"the Chinese state is allocating a $10 billion fund to sponsor a worldwide network of schools to promote Chinese culture and language† in the Chinese Bridge Program, which is viewed as he first step to a wider global acceptance of Confucian philosophy (Zhu). Speaking in a historical sense, in times of major social change, such as when the Communist party came into political power, Confucianism was derided and dismissed. Although political agendas and events try to mask the traditional ideologies of the Chinese people, recent political changes have said to create a new structure (Jacobs 30). Just as any other philosophy that has been imbued with a culture, Confucianism is not easy thing to dissolve; the basic principals form the basis of much of China†²s culture on a business, familial, socio-political, and individual levels.

IT Doesn’t Matter by Nicholas G. Carr Essay

Over the years the importance of IT has increased a lot. So much so that whole business processes revolve around the IT system. According to Nicholas Carr, the huge increases in investment in IT systems may be because of the assumption by companies that IT provides them with a strategic advantage. However, this assumption is flawed. A technology doesn’t give strategic advantage because of its ubiquity but because of its scarcity. As IT becomes cheaper and available to everyone, its strategic advantage vanishes. Secondly, IT being an infrastructural technology, it’s meant to be shared as it provides more value when shared than in isolation. Mangers believe that the innovations brought by infrastructural technology will last forever. However, this isn’t the case. As huge amount of investment pours in, competition increases and the technology becomes cheaper and commoditized. The same thing has happened with IT (Carr, 2003). After establishing that IT isn’t that important, Nicholas then proposes some recommendation for today’s managers. Firstly, managers should start spending less on IT. They should rigorously analyze alternatives before investing in a particular IT system. Moreover, managers should look for open source or cheaper alternatives. Furthermore, managers should focus on reducing waste. More than thirty percent of storage capacity is used to serve the customer – the rest is used to store Mp3s, video and emails (Carr, 2003). Secondly, companies should follow instead of leading. With every new technology becoming obsolete the next month, it’s better to wait and then make a move for the right kind of IT system (Carr, 2003). Finally, IT should now be seen as important to the competition but insignificant to the company’s strategy. Managers should now focus on sustaining the current IT system rather than upgrading it, as a small disruption can have a destructive effect on the company’s profitability and reputation but an upgrade doesn’t contribute much to profits (Carr, 2003).

Impact on Environment by Mining Essay

Overview Rainforests are the biggest source of oxygen, wood and medicines on this earth. Amazon rainforest is known for alluvial gold deposits. Gold is found both in river channels and at the banks of the river after floods (floodplains). Hydraulic mining techniques are used for mining gold. The method involves blasting at the banks of the river. This has caused irreversible damage to trees, birds and animals. While separating the sediment and mercury from the gold-yielding gravel deposits, small-scale miners who are less equipped than industrial miners, may ignore release of some mercury into the river. This mercury enters the food chain through aquatic animals and their predators. Highly poisonous compound ‘cyanide’ is also used to separate gold from sediment and rock. In spite of all precautionary measures, it sometimes escapes into the surrounding environment. Those who eat fish are at greater risk of ingesting such toxins. Read more:  Bad Effects of Festivals on Environment Effect on Land Deforestation: Mining requires large areas of land to be cleared so that the earth could be dug into by the miners. For this reason, large-scale deforestation is required to be carried out in the areas where mining has to be done. Besides clearing the mining area, vegetation in the adjoining areas also needs to be cut in order to construct roads and residential facilities for the mine workers. The human population brings along with it other activities that harm the environment. For example, various activities at coal mines release dust and gas into the air. Thus, mining is one of the major causes of deforestation and pollution. Loss of Biodiversity: The forests that are cleared for mining purposes are home to a large number of organisms. Indiscriminate clearing of the forests leads to loss of habitat of a large number of animals. This puts the survival of a large number of animal species at stake. The cutting down of trees in itself is a big threat to a number of plants, trees, birds and animals growing in the forests. Pollution: Despite measures being taken to release the chemical waste into the nearby rivers through pipes, a large amount of chemicals still leak out onto the land. This changes the chemical composition of the land. Besides  this, since the chemicals are poisonous, they make the soil unsuitable for plants to grow. Also, the organisms that live in the soil find the polluted environment hostile for their survival. Effect on Water Pollution: Chemicals like mercury, cyanide, sulfuric acid, arsenic and methyl mercury are used in various stages of mining. Most of the chemicals are released into nearby water bodies, and are responsible for water pollution. In spite of tailings (pipes) being used to dispose these chemicals into the water bodies, possibilities of leakage are always there. When the leaked chemicals slowly percolate through the layers of the earth, they reach the groundwater and pollute it. Surface run-off of just soil and rock debris, although non-toxic, can be harmful for vegetation of the surrounding areas. Loss of Aquatic Life: Release of toxic chemicals into the water is obviously harmful for the flora and fauna of the water bodies. Besides the pollution, mining processes require water from nearby water sources. For example, water is used to wash impurities from the coal. The result is that the water content of the river or lake from which water is being used gets reduced. Organisms in these wate r bodies do not have enough water for their survival. River dredging is a method adopted in case of gold mining. In this method, gravel and mud is suctioned from a particular area of the river. After the gold fragments are filtered out, the remaining mud and gravel is released back into the river, although, at a location different from where they had been taken. This disrupts the natural flow of the river that may cause fish and other organisms to die. Previously buried metal sulfides are exposed during mining activities. When they come in contact with the atmospheric oxygen, they get converted into strong sulfuric acid and metal oxides. Such compounds get mixed up in the local waterways and contaminate local rivers with heavy metals. Spread of Diseases Sometimes the liquid waste that is generated after the metals or minerals have been extracted is disposed in a mining pit. As the pit gets filled up by the mine tailings, they become a stagnant pool of water. This becomes the  breeding ground for water-borne diseases causing insects and organisms like mosquitoes to flourish. Examples of the Environmental Impact of Mining 1. Environmental Impact of Mining In Guyana In 1995, in Guyana, more than four billion liters of waste water that contained cyanide, slipped into a tributary of the Essequibo; when the tailings dam, which was filled with cyanide waste, collapsed. All the fish in the river died, plant and animal life was completely destroyed, and floodplain soils were heavily poisoned, making the land useless for agriculture. The main source of drinking water for the local people was also polluted. This was a major set-back for the eco-tourism industry on the river. When trees are cut (forest clearing for the construction of roads and mines, wood for the immigrated people, workers, etc.) and water sources are contaminated, animal populations migrate or die. Moreover, hunters are hired to feed the people working at the mining sites. 2. Mining in Goa Illegal mining in Goa is being projected as a bigger scam than Bellary. While revenue losses from illegal mining has been estimated at about Rs 3,000 crore, the loss by way of damage to the environment and loss of livelihood has not been estimated. | | Take the instance of Caurem village in Quepem taluka in south Goa. It has 2,000 families whose farms have been destroyed by illegal mines operating in the area. The silt from mining has entered the fields which now resemble a large quagmire. Tukaram Velip, a resident says that the perennial stream that irrigated the village fields is polluted and agriculture has been completely destroyed. People are left with no means of earning their living, he says.Most of the mines in the state are concentrated in four talukas—Bicholim in north Goa, and Sattari, Sanguem and Quepem talukas in south Goa. Activists say that an estimated 100,000 people living in the villages in these four talukas are affected. Besides loss of livelihood, they are also suffering from the adverse effects of air noise and water  pollution. â€Å"Mining has caused irreversible damage to forests, agriculture, fisheries and water aquifers,† says Abhijit Prabhudesai, member of Goyencha Xetkarancho Ekvott (GXE), a non-profit in Margaon city. He says the government has allowed mining even in forest areas despite the presence of wildlife. The mining has also affected the Salaulim dam on the Salaulim river in Sangeum taluka, which supplies drinking water to half the state’s population, besides providing water for irrigation and to industries. Over 20 mines are operating in the vicinity of the dam. Heavy silt has settled in the dam reservoir because of mining. An official in the state water resources department admits that mining has damaged the state’s water resources and says the department is now reassessing the life span of the Salaulim dam. The dam was commissioned in the 1970s with an expected life span of 100 years. A study conducted by The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) in 1994 showed excess iron and manganese levels in the Salaulim reservoir water. â€Å"This was when mining was at a much lower scale as compared to present level of mining. We have repeatedly asked the government to conduct a study on water availability and quality, but nothing has been done till date,† says Prabhudesai. 3. Environmental Impacts Of Mining On Bundelkhand Region In the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh, mining has had a huge negative impact on the environment. A Study was done to quantitatively evaluate the extent of the impact and the results were disappointing. The desirable limit of Fe is 0.3 mg/l and maximum permissible limit is 1.0 mg/l as per Indian standards. If water content more than these limit gives brackish color and bitter or metallic taste, therefore may not be use for drinking purposes. Concentrations of Cu in GW and SW samples varies from 0.029 to 0.088 mg/l and 0.039 to 0.062 in all the three seasons indicates that samples have more than permissible limit of Cu (

Mediated Modes of Communication and Its Impact to Society

As we bask into the Information Age, human communication is ongoing and transforming to become more interactive and accessible. As we all know, communication is dynamic, ongoing, ever-changing, and continuous. Simple communication entails the message being sent and the receiver perceives and accepts the message. Communication models find their origins in Greek antiquity. Aristotle recognized the speaker, speech, and audience as communication components. Five hundred years before Christ, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, observed that â€Å"a man (or woman) can never step into the river twice. The man (or woman) is different and so is the river† (Gortner et al. 1997, p. 36). Change and continuity are intertwined—as men or women step into the river—in a process of actions which flow through the ages. Communication is a process and flows like a stream through time. It is indubitable that technology has brought about gargantuan impacts to the past modes of communication, be it formal and informal. In an era of faxes, computers, and photocopying machines, communication challenges will emerge that are even more complex, demanding, and technical. Moreover, cell phones, e-mail, and telephone answering machines contribute to the narrowing of the gulf between formal and informal communication distinctions. Anthropologists already have researched on the relationship of conventional forms of verbal interaction and those mediated by new technologies such as the Internet, satellite transmissions, and cell phones. Crystal (2001) had revealed that the Internet constituted a new frontier in human social interaction on par with the inventions of the telephone and telegraph, and even print and broadcast technologies. Scholars of language use, language change, and ideologies of language must surely explore and interrogate the effects of these technologies on traditional modes of communication, the impact of our new capacity to communicate instantly anywhere in the world, and the meaning of language contact as it is taking place in cyberspace. Most of these technologies, notwithstanding constant new advances in computer-mediated graphics, are text or voice based. Thus, â€Å"if the Internet is a revolution, therefore, it is likely to be a linguistic revolution† (Crystal 2001, p. viii). Many observers allege that the Internet is changing society. Perhaps not surprisingly, given the novelty of the new digital media, there is little agreement about what those changes are. It is believed that it is important for sociologists to address these issues for three reasons. First, the medium’s rapid growth offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for scholars to test theories of technology diffusion and media effects during the early stages of a new medium's diffusion and institutionalization. Second, the Internet is unique because it integrates both different modalities of communication (reciprocal interaction, broadcasting, individual reference-searching, group discussion, person/machine interaction) and different kinds of content (text, video, visual images, audio) in a single medium. This versatility renders plausible claims that the technology w ill be implicated in many kinds of social change, perhaps more deeply than television or radio. Finally, choices are being made–systems developed, money invested, laws passed, regulations promulgated–that will shape the system's technical and normative structure for decades to come. Many of these choices are based on behavioral assumptions about how people and the Internet interact (Dimaggio, Hargittai, Neuman & Robinson, 2001, p. 307). As these technological innovations are revolutionizing information and entertainment delivery, these technology-mediated modes of communication have affected the transformation of people’s social lives and behaviors, even political institutions and the role of citizens within them. As people argue that the new technology of short messaging system (SMS), email, online discussions, on-demand information, and web-powered information diffusion and interest aggregation will lead to a more informed, engaged, and influential mass public. With this, will we live in a better informed and connected, more engaged and participatory society—or in a society of lonely ex-couch potatoes glued to computer screens, whose human contacts are largely impersonal and whose political beliefs are easily manipulated, relying on the icons of a wired or wireless society? Fact is that, Erbring and Lutz (2005) have indicated that when people spend more time using the Internet, the more they lose contact with their social environment. They cited a study that this effect is noticeable even with people using just 2-5 Internet hours per week; and it rises substantially for those spending more than 10 hours per week, of whom up to 15 percent report a decrease in social activities. Even more striking is the fact that Internet users spend much less time talking on the phone to friends and family: the percentage reporting a decrease exceeds 25 percent—although it is unclear to what extent this represents a shift to email even in communicating with friends and family or a technical bottleneck due to a single phone line being pre-empted by Internet use. Because of the accessibility of the new modes of communication, people have used these as tools to avoid confrontation that is emphasized in face-to-face communication. In fact, in   UAE and in Malaysia, cell phones have been used to end marriages by SMS-ing â€Å"Talaq, Talaq, Talaq† (â€Å"Divorce, Divorce, Divorce†). But then, this is not the first time technology has been used in officially terminating a relationship. Earlier, it was telephonic, postal and telegram divorces; now there are divorce via e-mail and SMS. Technology has changed the way people are courting, getting married and yes, also the way they are separating. â€Å"If people are meeting and dating on the Internet, why not divorces?† says Anuradha Pratap, principal of Al-Ameen Management College in Bangalore, India. â€Å"If weddings can take place using technology, why not divorce?† asked Ayesha Banu, a Bangalore resident. â€Å"There were telephone weddings nearly two decades ago. It’s only the technology that has changed, everything else has remained the same† (Kiran, 2 June 2003). On the other hand, Halliday (1990) noted that â€Å"when new demands are made on language †¦ [and when] we are making language work for us in ways it never had to do before, it will have to become a different language in order to cope† (p. 82). It is arguable that technology-based media present new demands which have the potential of promoting variations in language use Perhaps, the demands are not novel in itself, but it is rather the blurring, the amalgamation, of previous demands which may result in linguistic variations. Take, for instance, computer communication systems which have placed demands, often associated with spoken language, on the production of written language. This reassignment is most observable in synchronous computer-mediated communication such as MOOs (MUD Object Oriented), MUDs (Multi-User Domain), and Chat. While the language takes on a written form, it is constrained by temporal limitations which require immediate responses. Conversely, this type of synchronous communication, which can be considered an essentially oral language (Collot & Belmore, 1996), is also constrained by norms — including spelling and grammar norms — most often associated with written language. For example in SMS, people usually shorten their message to hasten the process. Like sending the message â€Å"Are you going to the party tonight?† would be shortened to â€Å"R U GOING 2 THE PARTY TONYT?† Indeed, grammar and spelling would be gravely affected, just to facilitate the convenience of a faster communication process. However, from a perspective of language change multimodal forms of communication, such as emails, text messages and chat rooms, are essentially new forms of communication. As used here the term ‘multimodal' refers to the way that texts use devices from a range of different communication systems at the same time. So, for example, you can send an email message to six of your friends simultaneously; previously you could only do this through speaking to them as a group. In other words writing takes on a characteristic which once belonged to speech only (Beard, 2004, p. 44). Emails are usually message exchanges between a pair of named individuals communicating on a single issue, chat-groups usually involve several people: they can be anonymous or use a pseudonym; their communication can be of an indefinite length; and they can cover a wide range of topics. Crystal (2001) uses the term ‘asynchronous' to describe groups where ‘postings' are placed on ‘boards' and ‘synchronous' to describe groups who ‘chat' in real time. The terms 'email' and ‘text message' both suggest a written form, but the terms ‘chat-room/ chat-group' suggest a form of talk; a form of talk – chat – that is traditionally seen as social rather than serious in its content. Although the terminology that labels new communication genres draws upon the traditional binary opposites of speaking/writing (mail/ chat), it is not very helpful to see such texts as products of these opposites. Instead each of the genres has its own unique methods of communication, and then each of the texts produced within the genre has its own specific context. So, for example, the idea of turn-taking, which is crucial to many kinds of vocalized talk, is achieved in very different ways in chat-groups. The acts of reading, thinking, replying and sending the reply, which is not necessarily received instantly, is being undertaken by each of the participants at the same time. This inevitably leads to a dislocation of the exchange in a way that does not happen with emails and text messages. Yet, participants within the process are well able to manage this complicated exercise in pragmatics. Another aspect of pragmatics involves the fact that whereas in face-to-face group conversation your presence is still registered, even if you are silent, this is more problematic in chat-groups. As Crystal (2001) notes: â€Å"in chatgroups silence is ambiguous: it may reflect a deliberate withholding, a temporary inattention, or a physical absence (without signing off)†. Indeed, technology is crucial in the development of the information highway that would link every home to a fiber-optic network over which voice, data, television, and other services would be transmitted. The internet’s architecture is determined by an informal group of U.S.-based software and computer engineers. The internet’s global scope and electronic commerce’s growth make its management an international policy issue. Analysts and government believe a hands-off approach is best (Cukier 1998, p. 39-41). People and organizations determine the course of the future, not computers. As a form of communication, the internet can be used by individuals, private corporations, and government agencies for good or bad, but it cannot influence the direction our society chooses to take. The internet only reflects the society that created it. The development and use of the telegraph and telephone provide a definitive pattern for how the newest form of networked communication, the internet, will be used in the future (Nye, Fall 1997). The lack of accountability and civility have increased as the anonymity in U.S. society has increased, states newspaper columnist Ellen Goodman. She cites the anonymous zones of talk radio and cyberspace among the fox holes for people who want to say anything and everything with impunity (Goodman, 5 September 1996). Despite the downside of the information highway, internet access has made communication between local government and citizens much easier nationwide. Public records access, personnel postings, permit applications, and legislative updates are available online in dozens of cities and counties (Bowser January 1998, p. 36). The technology of the internet may afford the masses access to much more information and many more options. So, internet technology is neither evil nor good. â€Å"Thanks to the internet and satellite TV, the world is being wired together technologically, but not socially, politically, or culturally,† concluded New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman (12 May 2001). â€Å"We are now seeing and hearing one another faster and better, but with no corresponding improvement in our ability to learn from, or understand, one another. So integration, at this stage, is producing more anger than anything else.† The new modes of communication educate people faster than any previous technology the world has known. However, the internet can just as easily infiltrate the minds of millions with lies, half-truths, and hatreds. Friedman (12 May 2001) deemed that â€Å"the internet, at its ugliest, is just an open sewer: an electronic conduit for untreated, unfiltered information.† The internet and satellite TV may inflame emotions and cultural biases, resulting in less understanding and tolerance. Government programs are built on political consensus. Legislation is enacted for the long term. Compromises are based on education, exchanges, diplomacy, and human interaction. However, due to the lack of face-to-face context and the lack of interactional coherence in e-mail and SMS, people need to be more explicit and concise in order to make their message as well as the purpose transparent to their audience, especially in initiated, not responsive, messages. If the message is not explicit enough, the receiver may not be able to provide an optimal response, or the message may turn into a lengthy sequenced exchange before a desired response is obtained. Thus, language use and structure are greatly affected but the intention remains the same. With the fear of the deterioration of language through these new technologies, it is only right that people should still be educated appropriately with regards to the correct structure and use language, so that they will not be confused when they utilize the normal modes of communication. Technology should enhance how society behaves and interact and not the other way around. Works Cited Beard, Adrian. Language Change. London: Routledge, 2004. Bowser, Brandi. Opening the Window to Online Democracy: www.localgovernment. com, American City & County 113.1 (January 1998): 36–38. Collot, M. and N. Belmore . Electronic Language: A New Variety of English. In S. C. Herring (Ed.), Computer-Mediated Communication: Linguistic, Social and Cross-Cultural Perspectives (pp. 13-28). Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 1996. Crystal, David. Language and the Internet. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2001. Cukier, Kenneth. Who Runs the Internet? World Press Review, 45.5 (May 1998): 39–41. Dimaggio, Paul, Eszter Hargittai, W. Russell Neuman, and John P. Robinson. Social Implications of the Internet. Annual Review of Sociology (2001): 307. Friedman, Thomas L. Global Village Idiocy, The New York Times, (May 12, 2002). Goodman, Ellen. Anonymity Breeds Incivility, Boston Globe, (September 5, 1996):17A. Gortner, Harold F., Julianne Mahler, and Jeanne Bell Nicholson, Organization Theory: A Public Perspective, 2nd ed. (Fort Worth, Tex.: Harcourt Brace, 1997), pp. 135–141. Halliday, M. A. K. Spoken and Written Language. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1990. Kiran, Jyothi. SMS Divorces, Women’s Feature Service. (June 2, 2003). Nie, Norman H. and Erbring, Lutz. â€Å"Internet Use Decreases Social Interaction.† The Internet. Ed. James D. Torr. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Nye, David E. Shaping Communication Networks: Telegraph, Telephone, Computer, Social Research, 64.3 (Fall 1997): 1067–1092.