Shewin Case

PA402: Employment Law Unit 3: The Employment Relationship – Shewin Memorandum Your Course Project: Read About the Shewin Memorandum Throughout the course, you will work on the Shewin Memorandum. Your first step is to become acquainted with Ms. Shewin and the fact pattern. Ima Shewin is a 45-year-old African-American woman with advanced degrees in English and journalism from the University of Chicago. She has been employed by The Blabber, a newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, for 10 years.She started as an entrylevel researcher. Two years later, she was promoted to a junior-level reporter position, and two years after that, to a senior-level reporter position. She has now been a senior-level reporter for the last six years. During the first eight years of her employment, Shewin reported to George Doright. Two years ago, The Blabber reorganized, and Doright was moved to another division in the company. Since then, Shewin has reported to Arthur King, The Blabber's senior editor.Follow ing the reorganization, two editors have retired. Although Shewin applied for these positions, they were not offered to her. In fact, she was only invited to interview for one of the positions, although she believes she met the qualifications for both. Last month, she applied for a junior-editor position she has been after for several years now. Based upon the qualifications that were identified in the job's classified ad, she felt she was a shoo-in. She applied and was interviewed. The interview with Mr.King did not go as well as she had hoped. The interview took place over lunch in a restaurant. King started out the conversation by engaging in seemingly harmless social banter, but Shewin was uncomfortable with his personal questions about her relationship with her boyfriend. A few weeks after the interview, the company announced that it was hiring Gene Whiz, someone from outside the company. Whiz is 26 years old and recently earned a master's degree in journalism from the Universi ty of Chicago.He has worked as a reporter for a small local newspaper. Shewin believes a number of factors may have been held against her. For example, only three women are in the upper levels of management, and all were promoted prior to the reorganization. King was not involved in the promotion decisions for any of the three women. King has a reputation for making sexist comments, which several women in the company find offensive, as do a number of men. For example, he described one pregnant reporter as barefoot and pregnant. † He has also asked Shewin out to â€Å"discuss business,† invitations that she has declined. She feels that rejecting him may have something to do with her not getting the job. Another possible factor is that there are only five African-American senior managers in the company. Shewin has heard through the rumor mill that Whiz is part AfricanAmerican. Also, prior to Mr. Doright's transfer, Shewin filed a complaint against some of her male colleag ues.Apparently the men whose cubicles were surrounding Shewin's area had a habit of discussing their weekend dates in graphic detail on Monday mornings. Although they did not make these comments directly to Shewin, the conversations PA402: Employment Law Unit 3: The Employment Relationship – Shewin Memorandum were quite loud and she overheard them regularly. After several months of hoping they would stop, Shewin brought this matter to Mr. Doright, who sternly told the employees to stop such behavior.However, since Arthur King became the senior manager, her coworkers have reverted to their old behavior, and King has taken no action against them, despite Shewin's repeated complaints to him. In fact, Shewin has observed King laughing at the conversations as he walked by. He did not, however, participate in the conversations. Finally, Shewin is more than 40 years old and has concerns that she may be getting passed over because of her age. A friend of hers overheard King talking t o another senior manager, speculating as to when Shewin would finally retire.

Baldwin & England Your England

England Your England while poking fun at the English way of life, also prides the quirky nature of England. In a way, Orwell tries to reach out to the English people by telling them what makes them unique and why they ought to stand up against an enemy trying to threaten its sovereignty. He elucidates English patriotism by stating â€Å"the tendency of nearly all its inhabitants to feel alike and act together in moments of supreme crisis† (Orwell III). He mentions the points of view of the different classes in England, thereby providing a neutral perspective.He neither commends blind loyalty to the Royal family nor does he agree with the far too pacifist views of the intellectual elite. He also mentions that business class was actually too ignorant to understand that fascism does not necessarily equate to anti-communism. Although Orwell did not entirely support England’s War with Germany, he felt that it was essential to curb the spread of Fascism at any cost. He even f eels that the anti-war sentiment of the English majority is viewed as hypocrisy by rest of the world, since the English Empire was built by waging wars.He also states that â€Å"this war, unless we are defeated, will wipe out most of the existing class privileges†, thereby appealing to the common man about the importance of England winning the War against Germany (Orwell VI). James Baldwin shows appreciation for the Nation of Islam (NOI) movement for having united a lot of African-Americans. However, he does not entirely agree with the NOI, instead of spreading the ideal of race equality, tried to instill feelings of black superiority and hatred of the White race.He states that the Nation of Islam propagated â€Å"historical and divine proof that all white people are cursed, and are devils, and are about to be brought down† (Baldwin 315). Moreover, the Nation of Islam demanded absolute control over the society, rather than sharing equal rights. Baldwin felt that love f or one another was much more significant than racial identity and could never concur with the ideals of the NOI. He stood for mutual co-existence of all races, rather than the separation of society into whites and blacks and therefore did not join the NOI movement.Baldwin condemns the White society for debasing all the other communities including African-Americans. He states that White America is afraid of being â€Å"judged by those who are not white† and therefore fails to love others. He also believes that White America is scared of African-Americans bringing â€Å"new life to the Western achievements and transform them. † He felt that American society had to treat everyone equally and renounce the craving for White superiority, if they wish to avoid facing the same plight.He feels that Whites have gotten used to being superior and racial equality will never occur until White America overcomes the fear of sharing power. In Act One, Hamlet witnesses the ghost of his father telling him that the newly crowned King Claudius actually murdered him to capture the throne. The ghost asks Hamlet to avenge his death and forgive his mother for remarrying Claudius. Horatio, a friend of Hamlet, says â€Å"tis but our fantasy† when he sees the ghost. This suggests that the ghost is actually nothing but an inner feeling that manifests as a mental image.Hence, it would not have been justified if Hamlet killed Claudius immediately after seeing the ghost of his father. It would have meant that the rage of losing his father had blinded Hamlet’s moral judgment. However, Hamlet bound by his principles does not kill Claudius until Polonius’ son Laertes finally confesses that the Claudius murdered his father. Works Cited Baldwin, James. â€Å"Down at the Cross. † 1955. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. New York: Library of America, 1998. 296-347. Orwell, George. 1941. England Your England. I-VI.

Customs Broker

A BUSINESS PLAN AND ROLE OF A U. S. CUSTOMS BROKER TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I – BUSINESS PLAN: Executive Summary General Company Description Services Market Analysis Summary Management and Organization Financial Plan PART II – U. S. CUSTOMS BROKER ROLE: Role and Purpose of a Customs Broker Preparing for the Customs Broker License Exam Harmonized Tariff Schedule Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) Importer Security Filing/10+2 Entry Process Automated Brokerage Interface Automated Commercial System Sample Import/Export Frequently Used Documents EXECUTIVE SUMMARYCustoms Broker Experts, LLC is a certified woman-owned customs broker firm located in Chicago, IL. The company has been set up as an LLC company by the owner and licensed customs broker, A. The company’s goal is to become the preferred customs broker in the Chicagoland area, increasing profitability upward of 15% annually. Customs Broker Experts will process entry clearance of merchandise bein g imported through all major U. S. ports and comply with U. S. Customs clearance procedures, laws and regulations. The company will provide the services and filing procedures to customers so hey spend less time pouring over paperwork, and more time concentrating on their business. A, an experienced Supply Chain professional, will manage and operate the company as the licensed broker and general manager. With over ten years of import experience managing substantial volume from Mexico, Germany, China, and more recently Canada, A has the knowledge, commitment, and experience to lead a successful customs brokerage organization. GENERAL COMPANY DESCRIPTION: Customs Broker Experts, LLC offers customs clearance expertise to those in the business of importing goods from all over the world.The organization offers importers its thorough understanding of the rules and regulations of the United States Customs Border Patrol to ensure goods are in compliance and abide by government regulations. T he company will process all customs-required documentation, declare the value of the merchandise, classify the merchandise, rate and pay all applicable duties on behalf of the importer prior to releasing the goods to the customer. The company has secured a two-year contract with ABC Imports, LLC and will act as the customs broker for the company for said period of time. Contract renewal will take place 18 months into the contract.ABC Imports handles merchandise shipping from Mexico, Germany, and China. Based on forecasted projections, Customs Broker Experts will generate a profit by the end of the first year with a 15% increase the second year. The projected imports are expected to vary throughout the year with May through September serving as peak season. During peak season, the company projects to import about 800 trucks and railcars a month from Mexico through the port of Laredo, Texas; Eagle Pass, Texas; and Nogales, AZ. During off season, the company projects to clear approxima tely 575 shipments. SERVICES:Customs Broker Experts will provide prompt personalized service acting as an agent between the shipper and US Customs and other government agencies. It will be our job to be sure that the importer of record is in compliance with all Federal and State laws. All customs brokerage firms are required to have a Power of Attorney on file prior to transacting any Customs business on the behalf of the importer of record. This instrument allows the broker to transact Customs business only. The document indicates the US tax reporting number, and specifies if the importer is a corporation, partnership, sole proprietor or an individual.The following is a list of commodities the company will manage, to name a few: †¢ Artifacts †¢ Furniture †¢ Household Goods †¢ Manufactured Goods †¢ Perishables There is virtually no commodity Customs Broker Experts cannot clear. Customs Broker Experts’ fully automated processes will allow for error-fre e entry presentations as well as electronic payment of duties to U. S. Customs. The company will be certified by U. S. Customs to process entries nationwide acting as liaisons with the U. S. Government preparing and processing the required documentation and paying applicable duties.MARKET ANALYSIS SUMMARY During the first year, Customs Broker Experts will concentrate on clearing shipments originating in Mexico on behalf of ABC Imports, LLC. Customs Broker Exports will concentrate on importing from Mexico during its first year because: 1. Customs Broker Experts has extensive experience importing from this NAFTA partner. 2. This industry continues to grow as the Latino population increases in the United States. 3. Customs Brokers’ extensive experience and knowledge of the importing process adds value to its clientele.Classifying merchandise to identify a product for importing can be quite complex. This type of complexity requires collaboration and coordination between a credibl e and experienced customs broker, the importer of record, and U. S. Customs. Customs Broker Experts will be marketing the business in a number of ways. First and foremost will be the company’s website. The website will allow for potential customers to request a rate quote online. It will also serve as tool for existing customers by providing links to relevant government websites as well as status of their merchandise during the importation process.Customs Broker Experts will advertise in supply chain and transportation journals. The ads in these journals will provide visibility of Customs Broker Experts to manufacturers and buyers as well as importers and exporters. The company will extend their services to other importers in the following years by bidding in Request for Proposals (RFP’s) starting in the third quarter of the first year. MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION The founder of the company, A, has 10+ years of experience in the Supply Chain industry importing goods fr om Mexico, Germany, and China.More than eight of those years were in the area of Purchasing & Inventory Management with the last two years focused in Logistics and Distribution. Having conducted business with a wide array of brokers, both foreign and domestic, over the last ten years has given Gina Gonzalez the opportunity to understand the importation process. Gina Gonzalez will lead the company as President and licensed broker. Two part-time employees and two part-time interns will be focused on the administrative process of entering and clearing entries with U. S. Customs.The part-time employees will be junior and senior-level college students while the interns are in their freshman or sophomore year. Both the employees’ and interns’ area of study will be in International Business, Operations Management, or Supply Chain Management. A third full-time employee and part owner, C, will handle the IT operations of the business maintaining the company’s website, ED I (electronic data transmission), and ABI (Automated Broker Interface) service up to date. A fourth full-time employee will manage the account payables and receivables.Gina Gonzalez will oversee and be very much involved in the day-to-day operations with primary focus in marketing the company. As the company prepares to expand their services into the second year, an additional part-time employee will be added as well as an additional licensed individual. Although the company can operate with one sole licensed broker, the additional licensed professional will add value to the company and act as assistant manager in the absence of A. The company will also offer current employees the opportunity to take the customs broker exam with all exam fees sponsored by the company upon successful completion of the exam.This fringe benefit will be extended to employees who have been with the company for a minimum of 12 months. In the event of termination of employment within 12 months after reimbu rsement, the employee will be responsible for reimbursing the company. FINANCIAL PLAN The company will charge a per entry fee. In order to streamline charges, each entry will have a flat fee regardless of the mode of transportation—rail, truck, or intermodal. The average industry charge ranges between $30 to $60 depending on length and volume stipulated within the contract.By securing a two-year contract with ABC Imports, LLC, the company is able to offer a highly competitive rate of $45 per entry. Considering the projected entries for the first year, the company expects to generate a net profit by the end of the calendar year. A portion of the profit will be allocated to bring on additional staff as new contracts are acquired. The start-up funds will be drawn from a personal investment from A, $30,000, an investor and co-owner B, $15,000, and second investor and co-owner C, $5,000. A owns 75% of the company, with B owning 20%, and C 5%. [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic]

Questions in law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Questions in law - Essay Example The magistrate courts are the basic legal structure in the courts hierarchy. Magistrate courts handle immediate cases such as crime and low valued civil cases. County courts are next in line after the magistrate courts and they handle complicated cases. Cases that cannot be handled in county courts are referred to the crown courts. The High Court deals with criminal cases that cannot be handled at lower courts. The court of appeal handles appeals for cases passed by the High Court or other lower courts. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the English legal system and it handles cases that involve the state (Best, 2007, p. 132). Ratio decidendi is a Latin term applied in courts to imply the basis of a decision. These are principles used by judges to make decisions in a court ruling. In addition, ratio decidendi create a binding precedent. Such precedent binds inferior courts to decision-making principle applied in a superior court. On the other hand, Obiter dicta is a Latin word meaning â€Å"other things said†. Obiter dicta provide principles for decision making in a law court. Unlike ratio decidendi, obiter dicta does not have a binding precedent. Overruling involves declaring pervious case ruling incorrect and terminating their application in current courts case. However, overruling does not have an effect on the previous court decisions. On the other hand, revising involves revisiting a previous court decisions. Revising takes place at the court of appeal and it can overturn a court ruling. Distinguishing is the process whereby a court analyzes the facts and principles of a binding precedent to establish their applicability in a current case. Distinguishing is applied to avoid mistakes and inconveniences committed at earlier rulings. Under section 2(a) of the contract Act 1950, an offer indicates the willingness of a person or a party to do or abstain from doing something. On the other hand, an invitation involves making a proposal for an

Is the reaffirmation of regional identities compatible with Essay

Is the reaffirmation of regional identities compatible with globalisation - Essay Example Globalisation is the latest buzzword that is most commonly expressed from the economic point of view, without really comprehending the full relevance of the word. Globalisation needs to be viewed from many sides to understand what it truly means as it is multi-dimensional. These dimensions of globalisation include a wide spectrum of factors namely development in communications, economics, work organization, ecology and last but not the least culture and civil society. It would be but natural to ask that globalisation as is commonly referred to has only economic considerations and the other factors are hardly experienced or subservient to the economic factor of globalisation and hence globalisation has only an economic substance. This is a misunderstanding of globalisation and places emphasis on the global market place and not on the many faceted dimension of globalisation. Barriers to trade have collapsed or are in the process of collapsing among all the nations of the world and that makes it possible to understand the concept of a global market. Extend this aspect to allow for the borders of the nations to become gradually irrelevant to the daily behaviour of the various other facets of globalisation namely information, technology, ecology, culture and civil society. In short globalisation implies that the artificial national boundaries gradually collapse to allow for the creation of a single social village, as would have happened, but for the erection of political boundaries as humankind evolved.

Regulation and Management in the Global Community Essay

Regulation and Management in the Global Community - Essay Example Since China will be a new market for the expanding UK restaurant, they have to acclimatize themselves with certain strategies relating to fast-food restaurant in China, these includes; the government policies on foreign investments, the location of the business, and the kind of competition involved. These factors are important for enabling a critical evaluation of the business possibility of succeeding in the foreign country. Unlike in the UK, the fast food that are experienced in the Chinese market are different, for the business to succeed in China then, they have to consider those factors that relates to the type of food that is common or favourite in the Chinese culture. The same taste and preference that is experienced in UK is not the same one that will be experienced in China, for instance when in the UK most restaurants deal in fish and chip, in China the list expands to include fried bread sticks, roast chicken, soybean porridge, porridge, fried stuff buns and so on. As such , the management of the company should be conversant with the factors listed in order to realize success in the foreign investments. Relating to the foreign investment again, the management should be cognizant of the political, economic, and social (cultural) challenges that they are likely to meet while operating the business in China, they are reported below. Political Risks that might face the Management in China Foreign countries are always faced with a number of political risks and the fast-food restaurant is not an exception, as such, it will have its fair share of the risks. One of the most common political risks that will be faced in this relation is the taxation policy; China is a country that boasts of their domestic consumption given their large population. They also give preference to their local businesses first particularly in areas that need no specialized expertise like running a restaurant. The Chinese business policies are designed to support the local business and this is through giving higher taxation to the foreign countries as a way of discouraging them from doing business in China. If the business opt to consider China as their next business zone, they will have to contend with the higher rate of foreign businesses taxation, in other words, the profit margin for the company will be tremendously be reduced owing to the taxation policy. In a bid to control the influx of foreign businesses in china, the government of China has instituted bodies that regulate the extent though which foreign businesses are invading the Chinese market. Most of the regulatory bodies are keen to block those businesses that are dominant in the country, fast-food restaurant is one of the businesses that have dominated the Chinese market for a long time and there are chances that the UK branch investment will not be allowed to operate in the country (Adekola and Bruno 2007, p.34). Before allowing foreign business to operate in their country, China is keen to look i nto the benefits that they will accrue from the business. They have to look for factors such as will it create employment opportunities to the citizens, will it pay taxes, or will it just give unhealthy competition? In this case, starting a fast-food restaurant will be considered to bring unhealthy competition to the local business and chance are that they will not permit it and if they do, it is highly probable that they will have to introduce measures and controls for the business. The Chinese government introduced a policy that

Long term Care in USA vs. Europe and East Asia Essay

Long term Care in USA vs. Europe and East Asia - Essay Example The major limitation associated with this informal arrangement of long term care provision by the USA is that there is no uniformity in the manner in which the frail, disabled and the individuals with chronic illnesses are attended to. Thus, those who are dependent on private long term care insurance and out-of-pocket spending eventually end up missing on quality long term care, considering that their resources are easily depleted, to a point where they can no longer be able to cater for such medical and non-medical needs of the deserving individuals (Saltman, Dubois & Chawla, 2006). It is against this background that the U.S. Congress is assessing the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act, with a view to establishing a formal program through which uniform long term care can be offered in the USA (Campbell, Ikegami & Gibson, 2010). According to the data released by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in 2008, Medicaid accounted for 71% of the long term care services that were provided in the USA, while out-of-pocket spending followed at 18% and finally private long term care insurance at 7% (Harris-Kojetin, Sengupta, Park-Lee, Valverde, 2013). These statistics indicate that the only individuals who benefit from long term care in the USA are those capable of meeting the expenses through out-of-pocket paying, joining private long term care insurance or enrolling for the Medicaid plan. This leaves out the bulky of the frail, disabled and the deserving dependent senior citizens in the USA without the access of long term care services. This is contrary to the situation in Europe, where countries such as Germany, Norway and Denmark have a formalized program for supporting long term care for all the deserving citizens, without causing them to deplete their resources (Saltman, Dubois & Chawla, 2006). Additionally, long term care services in some of the East Asian countries such as

Financial Manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Manager - Essay Example All the operations of the business are initiated and supported by the financial manager's evaluations and judgments. The cost/benefit analysis, the timings of the cash flows, the sources of finance and provision for liquidity are pivotal to the decision-making process of financial management. In the context of the above, a financial manager's role is three fold. He has to perform the functions of capital budgeting, capital structuring and working capital management simultaneously, providing effective risk management. Thus a financial manager best serves the owners of the business (shareholders) by identifying goods and services that add value to the firm because they are desired and valued in the free marketplace. Every business enters into long-term investments in anticipation of promising returns and higher growth. Such investments call for efficient assessments and effective decisions by the financial manager. This process of planning and managing a firm's long-term investments is better known as capital budgeting. In capital budgeting, the financial manager tries to identify investment opportunities that are worth more to the firm than they cost to acquire. This means that the value of the cash flow from generated by an asset exceeds the cost of that asset. Evaluating the size, timing, and risk of future cash flows is the essence of capital budgeting. ... In this area two main issues face the financial manager. One is that how much should the firm borrow and two is that what are least expensive sources of funds for the firm. The capital structure (or financial structure) refers to the specific mixture of long-term debt and equity the firm must use to finance its operations. In addition to deciding on the financing mix, the financial manager has to decide exactly how and where to raise the money. The expenses associated with raising long-term financing is a considerable factor. Therefore different possibilities have to be carefully evaluated. Businesses borrow money from a variety of lenders in a number of different ways. Choosing among lenders and among loan types is another job handled by the financial manager. A financial manager is also responsible for everyday financial activities and for the working capital management. Managing the firm's working capital is a day-to-day activity that ensures the firm has sufficient resources to continue its operations and avoid costly interruptions. The term working capital refers to a firm's short-term assets, such as inventory, and its short-term liabilities, such as money owed to suppliers. The working capital management involves a number of activities related to a firm's receipt and disbursement of cash. The financial manager must plan for and respond to matters as to the amount of cash and quantity of inventory to be kept on hand, should credit be allowed on sales to customers and which sources should be used for short-term financing as and when the need arises. The above three functions of financial management are very broad and only a brief overview of each category is given. By

Job Order versus Process Costing Techniques Research Paper

Job Order versus Process Costing Techniques - Research Paper Example Costing is one of the counting techniques used by companies’ manufactures goods and services to ascertain the labor, material expenses, and overheads incurred in operations. This is very crucial costing enables a company to know with certainty the materials needed, labor requirements and the overheads incurred for planning purposes. Costs are first accumulated after which they are assigned to products and services. Job-order and process costing are the two main product costing techniques usually employed for accumulating and assigning costs to services and products. Process costing, according to Finkler, Ward, and Baker, are a costing technique, which involves assigning all units produced within a given period to the same cost (34). Job-order costing, on the other hand, is a costing system that ascertains separately the costs incurred for producing the units for each job (Finkler, Ward, and Baker 34). The two costing techniques have certain differences, which makes them suitab le for certain companies and not in others. To begin with, before assigning costs to products and services, it is always necessary to accumulate the costs involved in the operation. This ensures that the company effectively determines all the overheads, labor, and material expenses involved in the operation. The two systems have several differences that distinguish one from the other. Firstly, in job-order costing system, jobs are given varying degrees of attention and skills from each operation or production department (Kinney and Raiborn 207). In contrast, in process costing system, the out-put units produced are given equal attention from each operation or production department.... Thirdly, in job-order costing system, costing is done to meet specifications of individual customers. This implies that products and services are produced in line with the requirements of a given customer. Therefore, in the job-order system, production is normally preceded by sales. In contrast, in process costing system, sales are preceded by production since production is for generating inventories for future sales. Therefore, under process costing system, there is no need of attempting to identify labor, material, and overhead costs with the specific orders made by customers. This is because each order forms just one of the many filled from a continuous flow of almost identical units from the line of production. Therefore, in process costing, costs are accumulated by departments, but not by orders, which are then assigned uniformly to all units passing through the department during a specified time. According to Finkler, Ward, and Baker, costs are not accumulated using job cost sh eets (Oliver 56). Fourthly, the two costing systems differ in accordance with how the unit costs are determined during operation. In this regard, in the job order costing system, unit costs are ascertained continually as soon as each job is completed. Process costing system, in contrast, involves periodic determination of unit costs. Additionally, in job-order costing system, material required for jobs depend on the order received. As such, the stock held is small in job costing. In process costing, on the other hand, materials required for output are known with certainty. Therefore, the material stock kept on hand tends to be higher than the job-order costing. In addition, most jobs, in job-order costing are directly traceable to other jobs, implying that a

Apple INC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Apple INC - Essay Example most of these factors are caused by the fact that there are many countries which are involved in the manufacture of Apple’s products. While most of the manufacturing activities take place in Japan, assembling activities take place in Europe and the United States. This process can be affected in terms of transport across borders considering that situation in one country have a bearing on the activities of Apple products in other counties (Porter, 1985). The PESTEL analysis of Apple Inc. can be understood as following. Most of the operations of Apple are done outside America. This implies that the overall performance of the company is prone to problems raised by bad international relations such as war of terrorism, political issues, and geopolitical instabilities, natural and man-made disasters (Apple Inc. 2008). Other problems are caused by distribution and transport issues between the two counties which can disrupt the whole operations. Such international challenges which are beyond the control of the company are common in Apple (Bright Hub, 2010). The economic factors affecting Apple Inc. are attributed to the depression which caused immense negative effects on most sectors of the economy (Business Case Studies, 2012). The rise in the inflation rate has led to overall reduction in the purchasing power of consumers. Most countries where Apple operates experience economic problems such as inflation, unemployment and slow growth. USA and Europe are experiencing high rates of unemployment recently which reduced the sales of their technological products (Marketing Magazine, 2005). Globalization has positive effects on Apple Inc. this is because technology is very influential in promotion of globalization. As such, Apple is able to market and promote most of its products globally. Furthermore, the MP3 sector of Apple enables it to cater for a wide market since the social influence is positively

Media Project Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Media Project - Movie Review Example Primal kinds of feeling are direct to commercial purposes. Therefore, it’s very hard to find a society without the contemporary discourse in presenting the truth or lies. From the second question, it’s true that Mayors signifies images as the basis of thinking. In a way, images displace the palpable physical reality. Miller brings out the concept called double think. This implies to how media images are approached by the people. He means that people on one hand knows what they see which falsity or propaganda is of images advertising and is not true. One sees through the image and thinks that it does not affect them particularly but yet with another part of their mind, they buy into it blindly. In the third question, the status of the ideal in the contemporary society is finding solutions on how to move from its current state through their way of thinking. In the ideal society, the culture has been consumed by the propaganda in the western society. Lots of repeated images with the illiterate society has slowly integrated into the day to day lives of people and become part of their culture. This has affected the level of culture of people through the onslaught embedded in images. In the fourth question, myth in the postmodern society has grown its roots that involves with advanced market economies in entering into a new era. Through the images in the advertising economies, postmodernism have dominated especially in the western culture. Postmodernism has been felt throughout the world by the influence of economic cultural and political in western countries. Through the primal feeling, images have created the reality hence facilitating postmodernism, and this hinders the societies’ intellectual thinking. In question five, the postmodern society is democratic as the consumer can choose over a variety of goods but no specific people representing the citizens choosing for the

The European Modern Art in the Period of WWI Essay Example for Free

The European Modern Art in the Period of WWI Essay The early 20th century was a period of impetuous change. The First World War profoundly altered peoples understanding of their worlds. Early 20th-century art movements powerfully reflect this new mind-set. It was a brutal reality of war that was to give abstraction its edge. To those who survived the First World War it came to embody the collapse of traditional Western culture. What had started as an exercise in honor and chivalry (for Futurists) ended as mass destruction (for Dada artists). Moreover, the First World War forced many to reconsider the kind of value system and culture that could have permitted such an atrocity in the first place. As the war dragged on, more and more artists felt themselves compromised by the act of making art at least the kind of work that seemed so much a part of a larger, hypocrisy-hidden cultural machine. For many, to continue meant a drastic re-evaluation of the role of the art for themselves and their society. The result was a radically new way of looking at the world and at art – one that survives to this day. Daringly innovatory in technical terms, movements such as Cubism and Futurism, both of which were at their height around 1910–13, neglected traditional painting to probe the structure of consciousness itself. Though, it is to Dada and Surrealism that we should look for the most compelling explorations of the modern psyche, not least because both movements placed considerable emphasis on mental investigation. Dada partially saw itself as re-enacting the psychic upheaval caused by the First World War, while the irrationalism celebrated by Surrealism could be seen as a thoroughgoing acceptance of the forces at work beneath the coating of civilization. In this work I summarize the overlapping histories of movements of Futurism and Dada, first of all, and what common features link them. Also on particular examples of Boccioni and Jean Arp’s works I endeavor to find similarities and differences of these two movements. Futurist painting is a fascinating example of how seemingly innocuous pictorial movement can take on political and social aspects. The Futurists were for the most part a collection of modernist Italian painters who saw the destruction of the old and the glory of the new as the hallmarks of a truly modern artist. The Futurist movement burst upon the consciousness of an astonished public in the years 1909-1910. For the first time artists crossed over the line between conventional taste and new ideas. Taking their cue from the anarchists with whom as youths they were in sympathy, the self-styled Futurists published shocking manifestoes, governing their art and thoughts, the most famous of which was the Futurist Technical Manifesto  negating all past values, even art itself. Fighting their way towards a new liberty against apathy, nostalgia, and sentimentality, they became for a very wide public the symbol of all that was new, terrifying, and seemingly ridiculous in contemporary art. As for the term Futurism, there is no mystery about its origin, nor was it a word thrust by chance upon the artists as were Fauvism, and Cubism or Dada. It was coined in the autumn of 1908 by the bilingual Italian poet, editor, and promoter of art, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, to give ideological coherence to the advanced tendencies in poetry. Because the Futurist painters early adapted to their own use some of the formal language of Cubism, their painting has often been considered a kind of speeded up version of that classically oriented movement. However the significant difference consisted in Futurism’s aim to represent motion, a goal better realized in moving pictures. Motion for the Futurist painter was not an objective fact to be analyzed, but simply a modern means for embodying a strong personal expression. In their iconoclasm and concern for the vagaries of the mind, they had not a little in common with Dada. The Italian Futurists were fighting the estrangement from the world, the lonely isolation of the individual that was not only the inheritance of the artist but a common threat to modern man. They rejected firmly the temptation to brood over mans plight, sentimentalizing over his helplessness in the way fashionable at the turn of the century. With Nietzschean arrogance they despised the weak and the timid, the thoughtful or hesitant, and wished to feel themselves rash, bold, and capable of infinite accomplishment. They wanted their art to restore to man a sense of daring, an assertive will rather than submissive acceptance. Perhaps the most talented Futurist artist was Umberto Boccioni, whose work and interests included both painting and sculpture. In his The Street Enters the House (Fig. 1) of 1911 it is quite apparent that he employed Cubist inventions for the depiction of a fractured space and the breaking down of forms across the picture plane. But to this he adds something Cubists had shied away from: color – the kind which illuminated and even decomposed forms. In this work forms, light and color melt into a frenzy of simultaneous activities, each actively pursuing the other for visual authority. The result is something like a visual noise, where each gesture or diminished form takes on the personality of a boisterous shout in a turbulent crowd. It appears that the radical Boccioni’s treatment of forms was to certain extent conservative. He never completely let go of the descriptive character of his work. In his sculptural work (Fig. 2) he maintains an awkward balance between the radical character of Cubist traditions and his desire to maintain a likeness. In this case, the piece looks like an icon to motion and progress and ironically discloses disdain for the whole history of figurative sculpture. Perhaps the greatest irony was the artist’s welcome to the First World War as a â€Å"cleansing† of culture. When the war was declared, he, like many of Futurists immediately enlisted and shortly after he was killed. Thus, with the horrors of the First World War, Futurism died too. Chronologically, the Dada movement (1915-1922) followed the Cubist style, from which it borrowed the papier collà © technique[2], and preceded the Surrealist movement for which it laid a foundation. Dada artists dismissed the canons of the traditional arts as well, considering their work to be non-art and, in some instances, even anti-art. More than anything else, Dada was an ‘avant-garde’ movement. The term ‘avant-garde’, which was first employed by the French utopian socialist Henri de Saint-Simon in the 1820s, initially had military connotations, but came to signify the advanced socio-political as well as aesthetic position to which the modern artist should aspire[3]. By the early 20th century, several key art movements such as Futurism in Italy, Constructivism in Russia or De Stijl in Holland, as well as Dada and Surrealism were pledged to contesting any separation between art and the contingent experience of the modern world. Appearing almost simultaneously in Zurich, New York, and Paris, the Dada movement did not represent a particular style of art as much as an intellectual rebellion of artists against the war and a general rejection of the formal traditions of culture and society. The term Dada was selected for the movement by opening a dictionary at random and arbitrarily selecting a word. This use of chance as a factor of determination and decision making would become systemized by the Dadaists in their work. The main practitioner of the art of chance was Jean (Hans) Arp, a Dada artist less inclined to grand gesture than on establishing a liberating, and thus in his opinion moral, work method for his art. The result can be seen in his Collage Arranged According to the Laws of Chance (Fig. 3). In this particular case, the actual work method is perhaps more noteworthy than the image it produced, and it hints at much larger issue in later art making – the supposed unlocking of the unconscious. Arp strongly believed that the unconscious existed and could be triggered, but revealing it required a radically different approach to art making. To produce this image, Arp simply dropped pieces of torn paper in a random manner onto a field of background color, and then glued the shapes down exactly where they fell. Such a method denies all possibility of craft concerns technical skills or even the simplest discretionary gesture on the part of the artist. All aspect of its production are left to chance. These pieces are seen as triggering mechanism to the unconscious, an activity in harmony with nature. The importance of Arp’s work lies in its acceptance of an uncontrollable event as at least as real as all of the intellectual conventions on which the European tradition was grounded. And at the time when many of these intellectual and cultural ideas were shattered by war, the unconscious might have seemed like the only place to hide. So we can conclude that both movements resemble each other in their striving to abandon conventional artistic approach and methods. However, in terms of art, Dada could be said to have had the most wide-ranging post-war impact, a fact which is paradoxical given Dadas anti-art inclinations. Dada committed itself to the deconstruction of lethal culture and its reconstruction according to more humane principles. Its success was constituted in the intensity and scope of its critique. The attitude towards the war of each of the movement was considerably predetermined by the period of their existence. Unlike Dada artists who survived the horrors of the war and under this experience reconsidered their understanding of art, Futurist artist believed in positive effect of the war. The analysis of the two artists’ works, representatives of both movements, displays the most striking difference existent between Futurism and the Dada movement, that is, art vs non-art forms. Figure 1. Umberto Boccioni The Street Enters the House 1911 Oil on canvas (100à 100.6 cm) Sprengel Museum, Hanover    Figure 2. Umberto Boccioni Unique Forms of Continuity in Space 1913 Bronze Height 110.5 cm Collection, The Museum of Modern Art, New York Figure 3. Jean Arp Collage Arranged According to the Laws of Chance 1916-17 Torn and pasted paper (48.6à 34.5 cm) Collection, The Museum of Modern Art, New York Bibliography: Braun, Emily. â€Å"Futurist Fashion: Three Manifestoes†. Art Journal. Vol.: 54. 1995: 34-49 Hopkins, David. Dada and Surrealism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004 â€Å"Papier collà ©.† Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved on December 16, 2005 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papier collà © Taylor, Joshua C. Boccioni. New York: Double Company, Inc [1] Emily Braun in the article Futurist Fashion: Three Manifestoes presents a profound insight of Futurists manifestos. [2] Papier collà © (French: pasted paper) is a painting technique and type of collage. With papier collà © the artist pastes pieces of flat material (paper, oil cloth and the like) into a painting in much in the same way as a collage, except the shape of the pasted pieces are objects themselves. (Wickipedia) [3] David Hopkins in his book Dada and Surrealism gives detailed survey of the historical, political and social backgrounds of Dada and Surrealism, as well as examines their relation to other movements that emerged at that period, 2.

Von Neumann Computer Architecture Information Technology Essay

Von Neumann Computer Architecture Information Technology Essay The Von Neumann Computer is a digital pc that storing the data in a single separate way and it use a processing unit. A digital computer keeps its program in instruction with its data as well. The Von Neumann Computer named after name of computer scientist John von Neumann. 5 Internal Components: Description of each components, how they are connected to Mother Board, Diagram. Hard Disk: Hard disk is a magnetic disk that allows you to store your computer data, a hard disk consist of several platters, which every individual platter is able to read and write. The hard disk is connected to the motherboard by ribbon cable (ATA66/100). Random Access Memory (RAM: It is type of computer memory but it can be accessed randomly, RAM is very fast to read than any storage device in a PC. As long as your computer is running the data store in a RAM but when the computer turns off, Ram will lose its data. The Ram connected to the motherboard by small circuit, in the motherboard there is two circuit places which is one for inline memory and the second is duel inline memory. Processor: Processor or Central Processing Unit (CPU) it is part of computer system and in easy way it is a brain of computer the job of CPU in a computer is to give a instruction for any computer program the processor is connected to the motherboard directly. Graphic Card: It is a bridge between processor and other devices to send command and gets back the signal, the Graphic Card is connected throw the expansion slot which is in the Motherboard. 5 External Components: Description, how are they connected? Eg Ports, USB, etc. Diagram. Key Board: keyboard is primary way to communicate with input; you can use the keyboard to input text and data. When we press a key, it presses a button, completing the circuit and allowing an amount of current to run through and keyboards are connected by USB cable or PS2. Mouse: mouse is device which lets you work with graphical objects that the computer displays on the screen. Mouse has one button or sometimes three buttons and it have scroll wheel that enable user to scrolling long document or webpage. The Mouse is connected by USB cable or PS2. Printer: It is a device that can print text or graphic that stored in a electronic form, and it connect to the PC by USB Port. Scanner: It is a device that scans data or any text, printed page or photo you scan it to the computer and it connected to the computer by USB Port. Monitor: A Monitor is like a television but the difference is that monitor display the information produced by a computer, basically it is a screen display of a computer and it connect VGA port in a PC or in some PC by the Video card. Task 2 Describe the characteristics of the various types of internal memory of computer: What is internal memory of computer? The internal memory of computer is also part of computer devices that recoding media that keep digital data used for computing for some interval of time. What are the major types of internal memory of computer? For each type of internal memory, explain how it works and what are its major characteristics There are types of computer internal memory which is Random Access Memory (RAM) and Read Only Memory (ROM). Random Access Memory (RAM): It is a temporary computer internal memory and it is a space that allows us to temporarily store data when a program is running. The contents are being lost when the computer is switched off it only holds data while power is on. There are some major types of RAM which are : Rambus DRAM (RDRAM): is a serial memory technology that arrived in three flavours, PC600, PC700, and PC800. PC800 DRAM has doubled the maximum throughput of old, but a higher speed and it use small capacitors to store each bit of memory in an addressable format that consists of rows and columns, DRAM designs with multiple channels. SIMM chips: Single in-line memory modules (SIMMs) it is a type of solid state computer memory which is used particular for the processor cache memory. The 72-pin SIMM has a notch among the contacts in the middle. An important characteristic of RAM is that the entire memory place can be accessed at almost the same speed. Read Only Memory (ROM): Is a kind of memory that store the data permanently and it cannot be removed, eventually every computer is coming with a small amount of ROM which recorded of boot firmware, when we start our computer the ROM chips will running hardware diagnostics that will loading the operating system into RAM. Cache: The cache will make our computer more skilled and better, your computer memory, cache is extremely fast memory that store data and the data is accessible quickly and it gives quickest response to the CPU. Virtual Memory: The virtual memory task was to enable a process to operate or establish the status of pages in its virtual address space. Task 3 Explain the purpose and functions of the system busses of a computer: Explain how the internal subsystems are linked through buses and where these buses could be found inside a computer. The computer internal subsystems are connect to the busses through wire inside the computer and the data transfer throw these from one part to the another part of computer. Busses connect the entire computer component with the main memory and processor. Explain the functions of control, data, and address busses. What is bus width and what is the effect of the bus width on the bus performance? The architecture of buses is a wire inside a computer which data is transfer from one part to another part inside the computer, the purpose of buses is to connect the entire computer component to the processor and to the central memory. Busses are dividing into two parts the Data busses and Address busses. The function of data busses is to transfer the data and the function of address busses is to give direction to data where to go. Bus width is a canal that information is flowing; when the bus width is wider it is beneficial for busses because more information can flow in more speedy time. What is a motherboard chip set? With use of a diagram, explain what is the role and characteristics of the North and South Bridge of a motherboard. It is a specific chip in a computer that calls motherboard chipset. The Northbridge is core logical in a computer motherboard and its role is to hold communication with RAM, BIOS ROM, PCI and CPU. The South Bridge job is to manage the basic of input/output These include all hard drive and expansion slots, USB, FireWire, RAID, audio codes, real-time system clock, system power management, interrupt controller, direct memory access (DMA) controller, and non-volatile BIOS memory. Task 4 Describe, with the aid of diagrams, what are the components and the structure of CPU and how CPU works: What is the CPU of a modern computer and what are the CPU components? The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the brain of a computer that gives function to a computer programme. Every time when CPU doing a job there is a stored code in the computers memory that instructs the CPU what to do. CPU needs to decode the instruction code to find what it needs to do finish the task. After the CPU solve the code, the CPU will start to perform calculation and the result whether it store the result back in memory, to hard drive, or the computer display. The way that we can understand how powerful a process is by the number of instruction that a CPU can execute per second. The CPU components are: Logic or Arithmetic unit (ALU) it performs calculations, there are four types of function that ALU do and it depends on these to perform and they are addition, subtraction, multiplication and division even registering and instruction. Register or the memory which stores the data, it tell CPU where the information is located, also its a temporary storage areas for instructions or data and they are not part of the memory. Register hold and transfer instructions. Register operate faster than a Ram, normally register assess by bit like 32 bits. Control unit which give direction to the data around the CPU by sending control signals and its job is to control the data that executed by the ALU, also the Control Unit keeping communicate with ALU and system memory. Use a diagram to explain the components of CPU CPU Components Diagram Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) Registers Control Unit Input Device Secondary Storage Output Device Explain shortly the Fetch Execute Cycle of CPU referring to its components and RAM. Fetch Execute Cycle of CPU it is an order of actions that the central processing unit (CPU) perform to execute each machine code instruction in a program. There are five register in the Fetch Execute Cycle which are: The Instruction Register that hold the solved and executed last instruction. The memory buffer register that use to get data from memory. The memory address registers that to be use when a word is transferred between memory and MBR. The accumulator job is to hold the result of ALU for the time being and the programme counter that hold the address of the next instruction to be fetched from memory.

Quantitative Methods for Historical Data Analysis

Quantitative Methods for Historical Data Analysis The use of quantitative methods for historical data analysis has become popularized by demographers, sociologists, social science historians, and economic historians since the Economic History Association and the National Bureau of Economic Research conference on income and wealthy in 1957.[1] In the past six decades, with the rapid development of computer information system and prevailing global Internet, quantitative analysis is gradually drawing history research closer to science and helps intensify peoples understanding of history. The first historical study that utilizes the quantitative analysis of historical data is Emily Eriksons, Malfeasance and the Foundations for Global Trade: The Structure of English Trade in the East Indies, 1601-1833.[2] In their 2006 article, Erikson and Bearman analyze that the growth and the global trade network of East India Company (EIC), 1601 to 1833, is mainly ascribed not to the entrepreneurial power of the company but to that its individual agents acting in their own self-interest, often at the expense of the EIC. To investigate the practices of individual malfeasance, Erikson and Bearman use data based on the sufficient data of 4,572 voyages taken by EIC including the records of ships, ship logs, journals, ports, voyage schedules, ledgers, individual and corporate correspondences, financial records and books, receipts, registers of cargo, personnel, and armaments. Data from The Catalogue of the East India Companys Ships Journals and Logs, 1600-1834 and The Biographical index of East India Company maritime service officers: 1600-1834 are used to demonstrate the carrying capacity of the EIC and the ports involved in the trade network.[3] Evidence reveals that the EIC management created opportunities for the private traders that were involved in malfeasance and for the relationship between EIC and the private traders. Evidence also shows how EIC management identified the private traders, the captains on the ships, and who used company resources to conduct private trades for personal profits. In addition to the impacts on economics, the history of malfeasance can be associated with social, cultural, and political factors. By using this data, Erikson and Bearman trace EIC trade from its early access to the Silk Road to the crossing of the Indian Ocean and discovering of an all-water route to Asia.[4] Through the examination of individual ships port visits, Erikson and Bearman are able to develop a thesis that argues the personal ambitions of ships captains indirectly led to a more developed globalized trade network. The second historical study that utilize the quantitative analysis of historical data is Tyler Anbinders Moving beyond Rags to Riches: New Yorks Irish Famine Immigrants and Their Surprising Savings Accounts (Anbinder 2012). In his 2012 article, Anbinder examines the financial conditions of New York Irish immigrant community in the nineteenth century. Rather than rely solely on the correspondences, employment records, and estimated assets, Anbinder uses a resource newly available to historians as of his writing: the Irish immigrants saving accounts at the Emigrant Saving Bank. [5] Anbinder challenges the long-held beliefs of many historians that Irish immigrants, particularly the Famine immigrants, were desperately poorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Widely despised, and often subsisting on the bare edge of starvation.[6] He argues that the Irish immigrants communities had optimistic chance of success based on the amount of money in their saving accounts.[7] To examine the savings of New Yorks Irish famine immigrants, Anbinder and his students conducted a research study by creating a database of nine hundred depositors (both immigrants and non-immigrants).[8] These were randomly chosen from among the first 18,000 accounts opened at the bank. Important factors examined include date of arrival in America, occupational distribution, and immigrants economic backgrounds in Ireland.[9] Anbinder argues the findings that the saving figures were underestimated the immigrants true net worth because of an overlook of immigrants additional accounts, remittances to the family in Ireland, other kinds of assets (real estate, business investments, personal property), and the actual financial resources.[10] Based on evidence, Anbinder acknowledges how the famine-era immigrant saved money from an unskilled job to a more profit-making category, own business, and/or using political connections to get higher-paying occupations. Anbinder illustrates a portrait of New York Irish immigrants using quantitative analysis of their bank records to draw out simple and independent indicators is radically different from his colleagues. In addressing his peers in eth field, Anbinder states that it is the historians responsibly to discard entirely the rags-to-riches paradigmà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and instead reconceptualize how we think about immigrant economic achievement in America.[11] He urges historians to look more at savings rather than these other measures of economic achievement. Saving is much more accurate measure of economic accomplishment, and the data is available, waiting to be explored. But it needs to be exploited soon because the records are quickly disappearing.[12] The third historical study that utilizes the quantitative analysis of historical data is the third chapter of Susie Paks Gentlemen Bankers: The World of J. P. Morgan. In her book, Pak examines the inner working of the private banking sectors from the perspective of J. P. Morgan Co. Paks approach differs from other studies of the private bankers to compartmentalize their lives into economic, business, and social circles. Studying these circles, Pak argues, is problematic in that it obscures the context in which social choice and business decisions were made and instead, call for an integrated approach. Rather than writing a biography of the Morgans, Pak takes a broad view of the Morgans relationships, combining and drawing on the studies of the Morgans social and business relations that have come before it.[13] She focuses on a history of their network, meaning it studies their relationships and how they were organized.[14] In addition to broadening the parameters of the study, Pak u ses quantitative methods to analyze historical data that helps verify some facts with results that have been mixed. In the third chapter of the book, Gentlemen Bankers, Pak examines the relationships between J.P. Morgan Co. and the Jewish banking family of Kuhn, Leob Co.[15] She argues that religion led to the rise of Jewish firms and influenced the social clubs to which certain successful bankers and lawyers belonged. To investigate how the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs) and German-Jewish bankers were able to build trust and work together under the hostile anti-Semitism in America, Pak analyzes Morgans appointment books, social club ledgers, and patterns of residence within the neighbors as well as the syndicate partners. She points out the structural and historical similarities were existed between Jewish and Yankee bankers, such as an unlimited liability private partnership, strong connections with European economic networks, shared multiple kinship ties and family marriages.[16] She also argues that social separation significantly existed because of the cultural, religious differences , language barriers, and other historical trends.[17] Starting in the nineteenth century, discrimination against the Jewish among Anglo-Americans occurred in institutions of higher learning and high society.[18] Pak illustrates that Morgan and Jewish did not reside or congregate within the same social clubs or fraternities. However, in the nine to five relationship that while Jewish and non-Jewish bankers were able to maintain their connection in downtown during the working hours, and yet the partners residences in uptown New York remained separated.[19] Pak also points out not only anti-Semitism existed between Jewish and non-Jewish bankers, racial and gender discrimination against non-white immigrants and women was not usual in the financial world during the time.[20] Paks integrated approach analyzing the appointment books, social club ledgers, and the patterns of residence within the neighbors and the syndicate partners helps interpret and analyze historical evidence more effectively. [1] North, Douglass C. Cliometrics-40 Years Later. The American Economic Review, 1977: 412-414Two presentations by Alfred Conrad and John Meyer analyzing the history of the economies of U.S. and Canada in quantitative terms, on methodology (1957) and on the economics of slavery (1958), see also Conrad, A. H. and Meyer, J. R. Economic Theory, Statistical Inference and Economic History, Journal of Economic History 17:4 (Dec. 1957): 524-44: Conrad, A. H. and Meyer, J. R. The Economics of Slavery in the Antebellum South. Journal of Political Economy 66:2 (April 1958): 95-130. [2] Erikson, Emily. Malfeasance and the Foundations for Global Trade: The Structure of English Trade in the East Indies, 1601-1833. The American Journal of Sociology, 2006: 195-230. [3] Ibid. 207 [4] Ibid. 200 [5] Tyler Anbnder, Moving beyond Rags to Riches: New Yorks Irish Famine Immigrants and Their Surprising Savings Accounts, Journal of American History 99, no. 3 (2012): 743 [6] 4 Oscar Handlin, Bostons Immigrants: A Study in Acculturation (1941; Cambridge, Mass., 1991), 69, 55; Kerby A. Miller, Emigrants and Exiles: Ireland and the Irish Exodus to North America (New York, 1985), 314-16, 321-22; Donald Harman Akenson, The Irish Diaspora: A Primer (Toronto, 1993), 236-44; Kevin Kenny, Twenty Years of Irish American Historiography, Journal of American Ethnic History, 28 (Summer 2009), 67-69; Kenneth A. Scherzer, Immigrant Social Mobility and the Historian, in A Companion to American Immigration, ed. Reed Ueda (Malden, 2006), 374; Edward Ayers et al., American Passages: A History of the United States (Fort Worth, 2000), 397. [7] Tyler Anbnder, Moving beyond Rags to Riches: New Yorks Irish Famine Immigrants and Their Surprising Savings Accounts, Journal of American History 99, no. 3 (2012): 743 [8] Ibid. 747 [9] Ibid. [10] Ibid. 751 [11] Tyler Anbnder, Moving beyond Rags to Riches: New Yorks Irish Famine Immigrants and Their Surprising Savings Accounts, Journal of American History 99, no. 3 (2012): 743 [12] Ibid. 769 [13] Susie J. Pak, Gentlemen Bankers: The world of J.P. Morgan (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Unversity Press, 2013): 4 [14] Ibid. [15] Chapter three: Anti-Semitism in Economic Network, 81-106 [16] Susie J. Pak, Gentlemen Bankers: The world of J.P. Morgan (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Unversity Press, 2013): 80-82 [17] Ibid. 86 The refusal of Joseph Seligman, to the Grand Union Hotel in Saratoga, New York, on the grounds that they were Jewish or to use the term of the hotel, Israelites,' [18] Susie J. Pak, Gentlemen Bankers: The world of J.P. Morgan (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Unversity Press, 2013): 95 [19] Ibid. 85 [20] Ibid. 103-106

India vs. Imperialism :: essays research papers fc

Safeguards Against Imperialism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After a country attains independence, it begins the long road to stability. Economic stability is a very important aspect of a nation’s independence. New countries are very vulnerable to the greedy hands of the more developed industrialized nations, so their leaders must devise means to strengthen their nation’s economy and keep the money within its own borders. India is such a developing country that has needed to protect its economy from the imperialism of other nations. This protection was generally attempted with the implementation of government-sponsored programs, which altered certain taxes and tariffs, regulated private businesses, and also created government owned businesses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One project that attempted to strengthen India’s economy was started by P.C. Mahalanobis. His idea was the second five-year plan. Lasting from 1956 to 1961, this plan implemented British socialism combined with Mahatma Gandhi’s tenets. The second five-year plan tried to eliminate the importation of consumer goods with high tariffs and low quotas. This caused seventeen industries to become nationalized. Licenses were also required for starting new businesses or producing new products. Bureaucratic control was tightened with these licenses, which were also required for shutting down or canceling workings. If a business would begin shutting down, the government would intervene and provide subsidies and assistance for as long as possible. Containing India’s consumer market within the country’s borders protected against Imperialist powers by making products produced locally much less expensive than imports, appealing to local citizens and en couraging internal growth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another leader who formed plans to strengthen India’s market was Indira Gandhi. Attempting to capitalize on Mahalanobis’ relative success, Indira began a program to promote small businesses by funding them with money formerly used for agriculture. This would lead to the loss of India’s agricultural market, but the plan included programs that would help agriculture, and small labor intensive businesses of the countryside. India’s output began to grow, but slower than other countries. The programs were created with the intent of creating enough output to eliminate poverty, and become stable enough to generate revenue from exports. Government programs do not always work, however, and these programs turned out to have more of a negative impact on India’s potential growth, as over-regulation soon followed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In addition to the over-regulation of private industries, India created direct socialist enterprises. The government of India nationalized its heavy industry and created new SOE’s, or state-owned enterprises. These SOE’s were more expensive to build and operate than private industries, and their inefficiencies quickly became apparent. India vs. Imperialism :: essays research papers fc Safeguards Against Imperialism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After a country attains independence, it begins the long road to stability. Economic stability is a very important aspect of a nation’s independence. New countries are very vulnerable to the greedy hands of the more developed industrialized nations, so their leaders must devise means to strengthen their nation’s economy and keep the money within its own borders. India is such a developing country that has needed to protect its economy from the imperialism of other nations. This protection was generally attempted with the implementation of government-sponsored programs, which altered certain taxes and tariffs, regulated private businesses, and also created government owned businesses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One project that attempted to strengthen India’s economy was started by P.C. Mahalanobis. His idea was the second five-year plan. Lasting from 1956 to 1961, this plan implemented British socialism combined with Mahatma Gandhi’s tenets. The second five-year plan tried to eliminate the importation of consumer goods with high tariffs and low quotas. This caused seventeen industries to become nationalized. Licenses were also required for starting new businesses or producing new products. Bureaucratic control was tightened with these licenses, which were also required for shutting down or canceling workings. If a business would begin shutting down, the government would intervene and provide subsidies and assistance for as long as possible. Containing India’s consumer market within the country’s borders protected against Imperialist powers by making products produced locally much less expensive than imports, appealing to local citizens and en couraging internal growth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another leader who formed plans to strengthen India’s market was Indira Gandhi. Attempting to capitalize on Mahalanobis’ relative success, Indira began a program to promote small businesses by funding them with money formerly used for agriculture. This would lead to the loss of India’s agricultural market, but the plan included programs that would help agriculture, and small labor intensive businesses of the countryside. India’s output began to grow, but slower than other countries. The programs were created with the intent of creating enough output to eliminate poverty, and become stable enough to generate revenue from exports. Government programs do not always work, however, and these programs turned out to have more of a negative impact on India’s potential growth, as over-regulation soon followed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In addition to the over-regulation of private industries, India created direct socialist enterprises. The government of India nationalized its heavy industry and created new SOE’s, or state-owned enterprises. These SOE’s were more expensive to build and operate than private industries, and their inefficiencies quickly became apparent.

Essays --

Now I can say with confidence that I had never figured out when people suffer from the unacceptable loss of a person dear to them. For my part it used to be sympathy, solicitude. When this happened to me, when my grandmother died, I started to realize the anguish people felt when their loved ones pass away. This unbearable pain which rips you apart, it feels like a heavy stone in your heart and makes you weep each time you recall a deceased family member. Time is unlikely to soothe this pain, no matter what others say. Every morning I wake up thinking that she is in the dining room drinking her coffee and watching her favorite TV shows. All of a sudden the truth starts rushing up and I come to realize that it was just a dream which was still hanging around me. In spite of my outward calmness, I felt as if there was a big hole inside me. My grandmother’s death was truly a sobering event and the most traumatic loss in my life. The commemoration of my grandmother will always be with me wherever I go and always tinting my dreams with her gentle smell of rosemary and the glittering silve...

Ford Motor Company Essay

Ford Motor Company is the third largest automobile manufacturer in the world based on automobiles sold. Ford manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents (Datamonitor 4). Ford’s brands include Ford, Jaguar, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo, Land Rover, Aston Martin, and Mazda. Ford’s key products include passenger cars, trucks, busses and vans, sport utility vehicles, vehicle accessories, after-sales vehicle parts and products and extended repair service products. According to Fortune Magazine in 2007 Ford was the seventh ranked American-based company listed on the fortune 500 list, which was based on Ford’s global revenues in 2006 of 160.1 billion. The company’s success comes from its ability to focus on customer satisfaction and loyalty, anticipating and meeting changing customer needs, and delivering innovative products that exceed quality standards and are price friendly and also environmentally friendly. The financial stability of Ford and the long-term stability of our world are met by Ford’s strategy to lead with its products. Several key strategies are used by Ford that help to develop products that are of high quality, affordable to consumers and that are in high demand. These strategies include; continuous improvement of quality standards and customer satisfaction, adjusting to consumer demands by developing state-of-the-art technology that is cleaner and more fuel efficient, and delivering customer-focused innovations faster. If these strategies are implemented correctly Ford can overcome many or the driving forces that control competition in the automobile industry. Driving Forces Driving forces in an industry are the major causes that change the industry and the competitive condition of that industry. The main driving forces that significantly alter the automobile industry include; competition and globalization, new technology and innovations, changes in cost and efficiency, regulatory influences and government policy changes, and changes in societal concerns, attitudes, and lifestyles. Globalization is when automobile manufacturers offer their products internationally. One reason manufacturers do this is to increase sales in faster growing markets. Also production costs can be cut due to lower labor costs in markets around the world. Ford Motor Company is a strong believer in globalization; it manufactures vehicles in six continents across the world. Ford focuses on three primary types of emerging markets. The first market is developing countries such as China, India, and Brazil. The economies of these markets are growing and so is the need for products like automobiles. Ford realizes the amount of money consumers make in these developing countries and adjusts products to make them accessible to these consumers. In 2006, production capacity in China increased to 200,000 units (â€Å"For a More Sustainable Future† 7.) Also in 2006 Ford ranked second for customer satisfaction in India by J.D. Power Asia Pacific. The second emerging market Ford is focusing on is revitalizing economies such as Russia that are experiencing periods of growth after long periods of economic stagnation. The third emerging market Ford focuses on is high-growth niche market across the U.S. and Europe. Ford has developed and will continue to develop hybrid vehicles, advanced clean technology, and smaller more fuel-efficient vehicles that suit customers in a certain region or customers with different driving conditions. New technology and innovations is also a major driving force in the automobile industry. The ongoing change in technology alters the pattern of competition by attracting more buyers. Innovations in production techniques allow manufacturers to produce products faster, more efficiently and cleaner. Ford focuses its innovation on design, technology, safety, and the environment. Ford’s innovations are based on customer demands. Today more customers want environmentally friendly automobiles and better fuel-efficient cars. Ford has and is also developing more advanced technologies that are environmentally friendly. Examples include biofueled vehicles, hydrogen internal-combustion engines and hydrogen fuel cell  vehicles. Ford also has an innovative manufacturing process, which is cleaner for the environment and also saves money for the company. Ford uses fluids blended from vegetable oil during engine production rather than using mineral oil. The associated waste in engine building is the most environmentally damaging part of the process. Ford also has improved its efficiency by enforcing strict energy intensive operations, such as the generation of compressed air for handheld tools on the production line. Changes in cost and efficiency also drive change in the automobile industry. In the past few years’ material costs, labor costs, employee benefit costs and oil prices have all been increasing. One way that Ford is combating high oil prices is its use of a soy-derived foam. The average vehicle made today contains 30 pounds of foam made from petroleum products. Ford is making an effort to replace 40% of the petroleum-based foam with a soy-based foam. To fight against decreasing profit, rising labor costs and employee benefit costs Ford has been implementing elements of its’ â€Å"Way Forward Plan.† This plan was developed in 2006. The plan calls for reducing the number of Ford’s North American manufacturing employees by 25,000-30,000 and also plans to idle 16 North American manufacturing facilities (â€Å"For a More Sustainable Future† 34.) Also in 2006 health care expenses for U.S. Ford employees, retirees and their dependents were $3.1 billion (â€Å"For a More Sustainable Future† 35.) Even though Ford values its’ past and present employees, the company cannot keep up with the rising prices of health care. In 2006 Ford had required retired employees to support a higher portion of their health care benefits, and active employees were asked to increase their health care contributions. Also in 2006 Ford employees were offered to leave the company. To make it appealing to employees Ford offered eight different incentive packages. A couple of these packages included early retirement and an educational opportunity package where employees with at least one year of service were eligible for up to $15,000 in tuition reimbursement per year up to four years (â€Å"For a More Sustainable Future† 34.) Another driving force that alters the competitiveness in the automobile industry is regulatory influences and government policy changes. One example of a regulatory influence would be the governments Corporate Average Fuel  Economy (CAFÉ) requirement, which measures carbon dioxide emissions. Ford has met the requirement every year since the program was first introduced. Altering societal concerns, attitude, and lifestyles are major instigators of industry change. Growing consumer concerns towards environmental safety is a major driver of change in the automobile industry. Ford recognizes that manufacturing and operating automobiles have a significant impact on the environment. Ford has several initiatives to protect the environment. The first initiative includes developing advanced environmentally friendly vehicles. Ford was the first U.S. automaker to offer a full hybrid vehicle, which was also the first hybrid from any automaker in the SUV segment. The second initiative for Ford is to meet and exceed new clean air standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency. Reducing the environmental impact of our environment is Ford’s third initiative to protect the environment. Ford also aims to recycle and reuse materials by contracting with suppliers to attain environmental friendly parts and components. An example is Ford’s â€Å"Fumes-to-Fuel technology.† A plant’s painting operations are its largest source of air emissions. Ford has developed a process that uses paint fumes to generate electricity for its plant. The last initiative for Ford is conserving natural resources by taking part in global environmental programs to conserver energy and water. Ford’s developed a software program called â€Å"WET† that creates a facility-wide water balance to quantify individual uses of water and identify areas of opportunity. Safety is another concern that drives changes in automobile designs. Not only does Ford develop innovative safety technology the company also educates drivers. In 2003 Ford teamed up with the Highway Safety Association and a panel of safety experts to create a program called â€Å"Driving Skills for Life.† This program teaches teenagers develop the skills necessary for safe driving, beyond what they learn in standard driver education programs (â€Å"For a More Sustainable Future† 30.) Five Force Analysis Intensity of Rivalry Among Competitors The automobile industry is one of the most competitive industries in the world. The top competitors globally and domestically account for most of the industry’s market share. In the United States there are three top competitors known as the â€Å"Detroit Three†, formerly known as the â€Å"Big Three.† General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., and the Chrysler Group are the three companies that makeup the â€Å"Detroit Three†. According to Ward’s Automotive Reports in 2006 the â€Å"Detroit Three† brands accounted for 41.5% of passenger car sales in the United States; of this 41.5% market share, General Motors controlled 20.8%, Ford 14.1% and the Chrysler Group 6.6%. The â€Å"Detroit Three† market share is slowly dwindling due to globalization, which is another reason that leads to stronger rivalry among competitors (â€Å"Autos & Auto Parts Industry Survey† 9.) In the United States, according to Ward’s Automotive Reports, the top three foreign competitors that are trying to take over the U.S. market include; Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. Ltd., and the Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. In 2006 Toyota, Honda, and Nissan accounted for 36.6% market share in the U.S. Individually Toyota controlled 18.7%, Honda 10.8% and Nissan 7.1% of the U.S. market share; in the truck category the â€Å"Detroit Three† brands account for 67% of Truck Sales in the U.S. Toyota, Honda, and Nissan are the foreign companies trying to compete with the â€Å"Detroit Three† (â€Å"Autos & Auto Parts Industry Survey† 9.) Lack of product differentiation is another factor that adds to the intense rivalry between competitors. Automobile manufactures products include cars, trucks and SUV’s. Even though there is a lack of product differentiation within the automobile industry there are many things that a manufacturer can do to alter design and production that make a product standout from its’ competitors. The innovation of technology and production causes intense rivalry between competitors because if automakers want to sell make the most profit they need to develop innovative technology that is a step ahead of its competitors and meets the needs of consumers or they need to develop innovative production techniques that are more  efficient and cheaper compared to its competitors. Ford is known for its innovation throughout the years; one example would be the moving assembly line. This manufacturing technique allowed individual workers to stay stationary and perform the same task repeatedly on multiple vehicles that passed them, this technique allowed Ford to be more efficient by producing many more vehicles than its competitors. Threat of New Entrants Although the automobile industry has very strong rivalries among competitors the industry will not see many new entrants in the future. There are several reasons why there is a low threat of new entrants in the automobile industry. The automobile industry has reached economies of scale and to be successful in the industry new entrants must reach economies of scale. Manufacturers must mass-produce automobiles so that they are affordable to consumers. Another reason why there are very few new entrants in the automobile industry is the very high capital requirement. Manufacturing costs, research and development costs, start-up costs, and advertising and promotion costs are a few costs that require huge amounts of costs in order to be successful in the automobile industry. With rising oil prices, increase in employee benefit costs, higher healthcare costs and also rising steel prices the threat of new entrants will remain to stay very low in the automobile industry. The current situation of the Automobile industry and the U.S economy is another factor that will keep the threat of new entrants low. Rising gas prices, low consumer confidence and shrinking home values are all factors that are causing decreases in automobile sales. Strong brand preferences and high degrees of customer loyalty is another reason there are few new entrants in the automobile industry. It is hard for a new manufacturer to attract customers that have brand preferences and are loyal customers, unless the manufacturer has a huge advertising and sales promotion budget or offer price discounts, these two things decrease profit margin. Threat of Substitute Products The threat of substitute products is very weak in the automobile industry. Automobile transportation for people makes it easy and fast to get from place to place depending on the length of their trip. Walking, biking, and riding trains, planes or subways are all substitutes to automobiles. These substitutes depend on the location of the person. People that live and work in the city will probably either walk, bike, or take a subway to work in order to avoid traffic or to protect the environment. The threat of these substitutes will always be low because it is convenient to have a car and new innovations toward environmentally friendly automobiles. Bargaining Power of Suppliers and Buyers In the automobile industry the bargaining power of the supplier is weak. There are so many part manufactures in the industry to choose from it is easy for a company to switch from one to another giving supplier no leverage. The automobile part sector is so big that it is divided into four business units: original equipment manufacturers, replacement parts manufacturing, replacement parts distribution, and rubber fabricating. According to a press release by Ford, the company spends around $90 billion on parts from more than 2,500 suppliers. Compare to the bargaining power of suppliers the bargaining power of buyers is a lot higher. Automobile manufacturers make profit from the sales of its’ automobiles. This means that manufactures have to produce automobiles that meet consumer needs and standout from its’ competitors. This is why consumers have such a high bargaining power because if they do not like a certain automobile they can choose another automobile from a different manufacturer at a relatively low switching cost. Analyzing the bargaining power of supplier and buyers, identifying the threat of new entrants and substitute products, and also analyzing the intensity of rivalry among competitors will allow a company to assess the competitiveness of a certain industry. SWOT Analysis Ford is the world’s third largest automobile manufacturer, and their brands are sold domestically and internationally, which include Ford, Land Rover,  Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury, and Volvo. In 2006 Ford received 30th place in the BusinessWeek-Interbrand ranking of the top 100 global brands in 2006. Another one of Fords’ biggest strengths is its’ industry leading innovative technology which is shown through product design, safety and production. Ford’s large network base is a strength to the company. Ford manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. Ford is also a very ethical company. For years, Ford has supported families in need. Ford encourages its employees to take two workdays per year to volunteer at an approved nonprofit organization. Although Ford is very successful it does have weaknesses. One weakness would be the decline in its’ market share. According to DataMonitor, Ford’s overall market share in the US has declined from 21.1 % in 2002 to 17.1% in 2006. Competition, globalization, low consumer confidence, and high gas prices are all factors that contribute to Ford’s declining market share. Another weakness of Ford’s is it’s declining profitability. At the end of 2006 Ford recorded revenues of $160,123,000 million which was a 9.5 % decrease from 2005. The operating loss of the company during 2006 was $16,950,000 million compared to a operating loss of $1,550,000 million in 2005. This means Ford had a net loss of $12,613,000 million in 2006, compared to a net profit of $1,440,000 million in 2005 (Datamonitor 4.) The automobile industry is full of opportunities. High gas prices and environmental issues have caused manufacturers to develop innovative technology. Ford is developing several technologies that are environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient. These vehicles include; biofueled vehicles, hydrogen internal-combustion engines and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Global demand is also an opportunity for Ford. Ford has developed strategies to bring its’ product to emerging markets like India, China and Brazil. The economies of these markets are continuing to grow along with its demand for automobiles. A major threat to Ford is its competition, which includes General Motors, the Chrysler group, Toyota, and Honda. Rising costs are also a major threat to Ford. Rising labor and employee benefit costs have forced Ford to reduce its  workforce and to close some of its vehicle assembly plants. The U.S. economy is also a threat to Ford. Consumer confidence is down due to rising oil prices and declining home values. The future of Ford and the automobile industry will continue to be worse in the near future if these threats continue. With rising costs and increased competition the U.S automobile industry does not look good. Industry sales are expected to decline in the future due to low consumer confidence, rising interest rates, and high gas prices. SUV and truck sales will decline the most due to the rising gas prices. There will be a higher demand for smaller cars that are fuel-efficient. The â€Å"Detroit Three† along with other U.S. manufacturers will increasingly focus its operations internationally to markets in Eastern-Europe, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific where production costs are cheaper. Environmental friendly technology and manufacturing will also continue to rise because of the growing consumer interest in protecting our world. Works Cited â€Å"Autos & Auto Parts Industry Survey.† Standard & Poor’s June 2007: 28 18 April. 2008. † For a More Sustainable Future.† Ford Motor Company June 2007. 19 April. 2008 â€Å"Ford Motor Company.† Datamonitor Business Information Center Nov 2007. Campbell University Electronic Library., Buies Creek, NC. 18 April. 2008 Ford Motor Company. 2008. Ford Motor Company. 18 April 2008 Ford.com/>. Gamble, John E., Strickland, A.J. III and Thompson, Arthur A. Jr. Crafting and Executing Strategy. McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2007. â€Å"The North America Automotive Sectors.† Mergent Oct 2007. Campbell University Electronic Library., Buies Creek, NC. 18 April. 2008

Teacher Learning Through The Lens Of Activity Theory Education Essay

During recent old ages, teacher larning has gained much attending of principals and school leaders. In many instances schools leaders ‘ effort has been to supply an environment in which the instructors feel supported and accordingly learn efficaciously in their categories. Fuller and Unwin ( 2006 ) have categorized schools ‘ acquisition environments, as either restrictive or expansive in respect to their nature of societal interactions. Concentrating on the impressions introduced by Fuller and Unwin ( 2006 ) , in this paper I analyze these two acquisition environments in an Persian bilingual school, in which Persian and English are the media of direction, through the lens of activity theory. Kutti ( 1996 ) defines activity theory as â€Å" a philosophical and cross-disciplinary model for analyzing different signifiers of human patterns as development procedures, both single and societal degrees interlinked at the same clip † ( p. 23 ) . Sing this definition, utiliz ing activity theory in analysing the Persian school environment, I show how this model and its rule of contradictions can be relied on to steer research in larning environment and educational engineering. Furthermore, this survey provides an penetration into alterations in the instructors ‘ acquisition at workplace when a new technological tool becomes portion of schools ‘ activities and communicating. Keywords: expansive acquisition environment, restrictive acquisition environment, formal acquisition, informal acquisition, activity theory, teacher larning, e-learning1. Introduction1.1 Introduce the Problem Schools are non merely places where pupils learn but besides are they topographic points for instructors ‘ acquisition. Nowadays, school leaders around the universe are seeking to determine a civilization in which acquisition for both pupils and instructors happens in the most effectual manner. Since school principals have realized that instructors ‘ cognition and emotional provinces may impact pupils larning, which is the ultimate end of schools, they try to supply an environment in which instructors upgrade their accomplishments and decide their emotional battles related to their workplace. However, it is of import to detect what â€Å" counts † as workplace larning for instructors. Marsick and Watkins ( 1990 ) defined this as chances for acquisition, both those that are more formalistic and knowing and those characterized as minor expense. The focal point of this survey is on instructors ‘ acquisition and larning environment characterized as restrictive or expansive. Furthermore, analysing a instance through the lens of activity theory by concentrating on contradictions inside the activity systems provides an reliable illustration of both restrictive and expansive acquisition environments. The chief intent of this survey, nevertheless, is to demo how the activity theory can be utile in analysing instructors ‘ acquisition in different acquisition environments. This survey is organized in four subdivisions. The following subdivision provides an overview on the constructs related to instructors ‘ workplace acquisition and the activity theory model, by reexamining some cardinal literatures. The method subdivision describes the types and design of this survey. The consequence subdivision looks at two different larning environments in an Persian school and an e-learning plan through the lens of the activity theory and the last subdivision, which is treatment and decision portion, wraps up the treatment with deductions and sugge stions. 1.2 Describe Relevant Scholarship In this subdivision some surveies are reviewed in order to lucubrate some of the cardinal constructs in the survey such as, â€Å" restrictive † and â€Å" expansive † larning environment, â€Å" formal † and â€Å" informal † acquisition, and the activity theory. 1.2.1 Restrictive and Expansive Learning Environments While this survey is grounded in the context of an Persian school in which two different larning environments were experienced, I believe there is a demand to acknowledge the features of each environment. The thought of restrictive and expansive acquisition environment comes from the surveies of Fuller and Unwin ( 2006 ) on learner acquisition in four different companies. During their surveies Fuller and Unwin developed a conceptual model within which to do sense of chances and barriers in learner acquisition. Pulling on the thoughts of Lave and Wanger ‘s community of pattern theoretical account and Engestrom they classified larning environments as either expansive or restrictive. The following tabular array shows an altered model for instructor acquisition environment. Table 1. Expansive and restrictive acquisition environments for instructors. Beginning: Evans, Hodkinson, Rainbird, & A ; Unwin, ( 2006, p. 53, Figure 3.1 ) Expansive acquisition environment Restrivtive acquisition environment Near collaborative working with co-workers Out-of-school educational chances, including chances to reflect and believe otherwise Explicit focal point on instructor acquisition as a dimension of normal on the job pattern Supported chances for personal development traveling beyond school or authorities precedences Colleagues are reciprocally supportive in heightening instructor acquisition Opprtunities to prosecute with working groups inside and outside of school Opportunities to widen professional individuality through boundry-crossing into other sections, school activities, and schools Support for fluctuations in ways of working and acquisition, for different instructors and sections Teachers use a broad scope of larning attacks Isolated, single working No out-of-school clip to stand back. Merely narrow, short preparation programmes No expressed focal point on instructor larning except to run into crises or imposed enterprises Teacher acquisition dominated by authorities and school dockets Colleagues obstruct or do non back up each others ‘s acquisition Work restricted to home departmental squads within school The lone chance to boundry cross associated with major alteration of occupation Standarised attacks to learning and teacher larning are prescribed and imposed Teachers use a narrow scope of larning attacks 1.2.2 Formal and Informal Learning Since one of the differentiation points between two different larning environments, viz. , expansive and restrictive, is on supplying support for fluctuations on acquisition, it is of import to acquire to cognize different types of acquisition. Marsick and Watkins ( 2001 ) qualify formal acquisition in contrast with informal acquisition as â€Å" institutionally sponsored, classroom-based, and extremely structured † ( p. 25 ) . For them informal acquisition is â€Å" incidental † and non classroom-based and extremely structured, and the control of acquisition is â€Å" chiefly in the custodies of the scholar † ( p. 25 ) . To clear up the impression they defined incidental as â€Å" a by-product of some other activity, such as undertaking achievement, interpersonal interaction, feeling the organisational civilization, trial-and-error experimentation, or even formal acquisition † ( p. 25 ) . As said by Eraut ( 2004 ) informal larning suggests more flexiblene ss or freedom for scholars. He believed that informal larning takes topographic point in a broader scope of scenes than formal instruction. This informal acquisition can take the signifiers of â€Å" conversations in the corridors or when sharing lifts with co-workers to the workplace ; detecting instructors ordaining their functions around a school ; and co-participating in normative patterns † ( Fox, Deaney, and Wilson, 2009, p. 219 ) . Eraut ( 2004 ) believed that nevertheless in informal acquisition, larning from other people is recognized as socially of import, but single bureau is more considerable than socialisation. He declared that informal acquisition plays a important function in professional development. Eraut declared that that in many scenes scholars experience both formal and non-formal acquisition. Although some bookmans acknowledge the significance of informal acquisition in professional development ( e.g. Eraut, 2004 ; Marsick, 2009 ) , Fuller and Unwin ( 20 06 ) pointed to Solomon ‘s concern about the recent accent on informal larning to state that this accent has â€Å" a negative side in that it may be sabotaging the demand to supply employees with chances to prosecute in off-the-job proviso as well † ( p. 29 ) . Fuller and Unwin added that harmonizing to Solomon ‘s position â€Å" supplying fewer off-the-job chances gives employees less opportunity to stand back and reflect critically on their pattern † ( p. 29 ) . 1.2.3 Activity Theory as a Theorietical Model As I mentioned before the instance of the Persian school under the focal point of this survey will be analyzed through the lens of activity theory. Indeed both larning environments, experienced at the school, will be scrutinized utilizing activity theory, in order to demo how each environment works for instructors in footings of acquisition and effectivity. Activity theory has had an germinating alteration from its development by Lev Vygotsky in 1920s. The first coevals of this theory, centered on Vygotsky ‘s suggestion, introduced the thought of mediation ( Engestrom, 2001 ) . Vygotsky ‘s thought of cultural mediation of actions is expressed â€Å" as the three of topic, object, and interceding artifact † ( Engestrom, 2001. P. 134 ) . This coevals of Activity Theory, nevertheless, is located on the degree of the person ‘s actions and does non exemplify â€Å" how cognitive alteration happens within a corporate context † ( Hardman, 2005, p. 2 ) . Vygotsky ‘s co-worker Alexei Leont'ev in 1981 clarified the differentiation between single action and corporate activity ( Engestrom, 2001 ) . The 2nd coevals of activity theory arose so out of Leont'ev ‘s three-level theoretical account of activity with its footing in the differentiation between action, operation and activity ( Engestrom, 1987 ) . However, â€Å" this theoretical account failed to develop Vygotsky ‘s theoretical account into one of corporate activity † ( Hardman, 2005. p. 3 ) . Engestrom in 1987 developed Vygtsky ‘s thoughts and introduced the 3rd coevals of activity theory ( Figure 1 ) : Figure 1. Components of the activity system ( Engestrom, 1987 ) Engestrom ( 2001 ) asserted â€Å" the 3rd coevals of activity theory needs to develop conceptual tools to understand duologue, multiple positions, and webs of interacting activity systems † ( p. 135 ) . Kutti ( 1996 ) defines activity theory as â€Å" a philosophical and cross-disciplinary model for analyzing different signifiers of human patterns as development procedures, both single and societal degrees interlinked at the same clip † ( p. 23 ) . As you see in the figure 2, activity theory is consisted of seven elements: Subject: the histrions engaged in the activity Object: natural stuff or job infinite at which the activity is focused ( Engestrom, 1993 ) . Tools: instruments facilitate the object of activity Community: the topics of an activity system with a common object Division of labor: horizontal and perpendicular division of undertakings and functions, power and position among members of the community Rules: explicit and inexplicit norms that control actions and interactions within the system ( Engestrom, 1993 ) Result: transmutation of the objects ; the overall mark of the activity system ( Jonassen, 2002 ) Engestrom ( 2001 ) uttered five rules that summarise his attack to the modern-day activity theory. In the first rule, he identified the activity system as the chief unit of analysis. In the 2nd rule he emphasized multi-voicedness of activity systems ; he argued that activity systems are communities of multiple points of position, traditions and involvements. In the 3rd rule Engestrom ( 2001 ) pointed to historicity of systems by stating that â€Å" activity systems take form and acquire transformed over drawn-out periods of clip † ( p. 136 ) . In the 4th rule he tried to demo the significance of contradictions by presenting them as beginnings of alterations and development. For him contradictions can ensue in tensenesss but besides transmutation in activity systems. In specifying contradiction Kuutti ( 1996 ) stated â€Å" contradiction is a misfit within elements, between them, between different activities, or between different developmental stages of a individual activity à ¢â‚¬  ( p. 34 ) . In the last rule he talked about expansive rhythm by adverting that â€Å" activity systems move through comparatively long rhythms of qualitative transmutations † ( p. 137 ) .2. MethodBecause this survey seeks to understand how activity theory can be a utile model for analysing larning environments, it adopts an explanatory instance survey design. This is a survey on an Persian bilingual school in which both restrictive and expansive acquisition environments were experienced. In order to supply a better apprehension of the context, the research worker uses her observations and perceptual experiences as one of the instructors in the school upon which the survey is built. In each acquisition environment, either restrictive or expansive, by concentrating on contradictions as dynamic forces of alteration, we can show how we can track transmutation and better understand these transmutations within an activity system. In fact, contradictions can either authorise larning to come on, or they can curtail it, depending on whether or non they are acknowledged and fixed ( Nelson, 2002 ) .3. Consequences3.1 Restrictive Learning Environment From its constitution in 2002 up to its work on 2006, the school had a restrictive acquisition environment in which instructors did non back up each others ‘ acquisition. There were some Teacher Training Courses ( TTC ) for the instructors, every one time in a piece, to order and order some instruction schemes and criterions ; later the instructors had to learn precisely harmonizing to what they had been told. Teachers had to work separately and there was no civilization of collaborative acquisition. However some informal acquisition happened inside the schoolroom for the instructors, they did non hold the opportunity of speaking to the other instructors in order to hold more informal acquisition. Despite some efforts of the supervisors on the manner of supplying chances for instructor acquisition such as category observation and supplying feedback to the instructors, teacher preparation classs, and supplying some text books for the instructors, teacher larning was non admitted explicitly as a critical issue of the school. In such an environment emerging contradictions seemed inevitable. Figure 2 shows the activity system representation of such a restrictive acquisition environment by presenting elements of the system. Figure 2. An activity system representation of restrictive school environment 3.1.1 Contradictions in Restrictive School Environment School leaders ‘ belief was grounded on the thought that individualist acquisition is more effectual for instructors, so the instructors were encouraged to analyze separately. This thought nevertheless, was non in line with the human nature which has disposition toward communicating with others. The instructors were restricted to pass on with each other and this was in contradiction with their established patterns in the society. In the communities out of this school all of the instructors had chances to speak with other people and to larn from them ; so outgrowth of a contradiction between the topics particularly the instructors with the object was obvious ( subject/object contradiction ) . On the other manus the regulations of the school were in a manner that made the instructors stay off from each other. Harmonizing to the regulations, the instructors had to pass their java interruption clip in their categories and there was no chance provided for them to pass on with each o ther ( subject/rule contradiction ) . The school supervisors were supposed to supply such a acquisition environment in which the instructors ‘ acquisition happened in the most effectual manner ; in this manner, nevertheless, they were non supportive plenty. For illustration, one of the undertakings of the supervisors in each school is detecting the instructors ‘ categories and supplying feedbacks to them. In this school nevertheless, the supervisors observed each category merely one time in a twelvemonth, and this did non hold any added value for the instructors ‘ acquisition. In this manner the instructors had to oversee their ain actions and to go supervisors of themselves ( division of labour contradiction ) . Harmonizing to the 5th rule of the activity theory â€Å" as the contradictions of an activity system are aggravated, some single participants begin to inquiry and pervert from its established norms. In some instances, this escalates into collaborative picturing and a calculated corporate alteration attempt † ( Engestrom, 2001, p.137 ) . The contradictions inside this activity system were assumed as barriers in making the school effectiveness so as a consequence of facing these contradictions, the school initiated alterations in the system in order to decide the contradictions for the interest of better results. In this respect, a sort of expansive transmutation happened in the system. As Engestrom ( 2001 ) said â€Å" an expansive transmutation is accomplished when the object and motivation of the activity are reconceptualized to encompass a radically wider skyline of possibilities than in the old manner of the activity † ( p. 137 ) . In this sense, the object of the s ystem changed to expansive acquisition undertakings and consequently the tools changed in order to advance the object to run into the result of the system. 3.2 Expansive Learning Environment Harmonizing to Engestrom ( 2001 ) activity systems take signifier and acquire changed over long periods of clip. He adds that jobs and potencies of an activity system can merely be understood against it ain history. In this instance, the school environment as an activity system changed from being restrictive to being expansive in order to be more effectual in making the end of the system. This means that the instructors were encouraged to hold a close collaborative working relationship with the other instructors. Anchoring on this thought a new e-learning plan was introduced to the instructors as a manner of communicating with the other instructors of their ain school and the instructors of another school in Malaysia. The chief end of this plan was assisting instructors to pass on their jobs with each other and with their supervisors and to upgrade their cognition. In contrast with the old manner of the system, instructors ‘ acquisition was accepted explicitly as a cardinal con struct in the school and it was considered as a chief factor in the school effectivity. The e-learning plan was an on-line plan in which the instructors could entree online classs held by teachers from Malaysia. In add-on to this formal larning some informal acquisition chances were besides provided: the instructors could be involved in voice and picture confabs online with each other and with the other instructors from the Malayan school. They could besides inquire inquiries and discourse around a subject in a treatment forum. Figure 3 shows the activity system representation of such an expansive acquisition environment. Barb, Evans, and Baek ( 2004 ) believe that as one moves toward seeking to plan community, particularly one in which the members are expected to prosecute in new patterns that challenge their current civilization, many contradictions emerge. In this activity system presenting a new engineering and new patterns caused some contradictions in the activity system. Figure 3. An activity system representation of expansive school environment 3.2.1 Contradictions in Expansive School Environment Harmonizing to Engestrom ( 2001 ) one of the rules of activity theory is the â€Å" multi-voicedness of activity systems † ( p. 136 ) . This means that an activity system is a community of different points of position, histories, and involvements. This multi-voicedness as said by Engestrom may do some problems and contradictions. In our instance, after presenting e-program as a manner of communicating and coaction some of the instructors resisted engagement in the plan and some other were actively involved in the plan. This was largely because of their involvements and backgrounds. Some of the instructors were old instructors who had got used to individualist acquisition and treated such plans as a manner of â€Å" wasting clip † . Some others nevertheless, had found it a good manner of join forcesing with the others and work outing their ain jobs and the jobs of the other instructors. While in an expansive environment instructors are supposed to be reciprocally support ive in heightening their acquisition ( Evans et al, 2006 ) , in this instance the older instructors were non supportive plenty because of their background and involvements and this caused a contradiction between the divisions of labor of the system. On the other manus, as all of the instructors were non active scholars and some of them were inactive scholars a contradiction emerged between the topics ( topics contradiction ) . Furthermore, as mentioned before, in the instance that some of the older instructors preferred individualist acquisition and resisted affecting in expansive patterns we see a contradiction between topics and object which was â€Å" expansive acquisition undertakings and patterns † ( subject/object contradiction ) . One of the grounds for the instructors who resist engagement in the new undertakings was their deficiency of cognition in utilizing technological device such as computing machines or cyberspace ( subject/tool contradiction ) . In such a system a contradiction besides emerged between tool and division of labor. The debut of the e-learning plan and computer/internet as a tool required a new division of labor due in portion to the freshness of the tool but besides due to the fact that the supervisors were non able to help all instructors with the computer/internet undertakings. Consequently some instructors who had a better technological cognition became supervisors of the other instructors with the deficiency of cognition in utilizing new devices. One of the patterns in which the instructors were involved was go toing online classs held by Malayan teachers. Since the Persian school was a bilingual school, the teachers had some suggestions for pupils ‘ linguistic communication acquisition betterment. For illustration, they suggested that doing larning groups from the pupils and inquiring them to be involved in some reliable role-playing could better their linguistic communication proficiency. But they emphasized the thought that in each group both genders should be involved. This suggestion nevertheless seemed to be effectual, but was non applicable for an Persian school, because Persian schools are non co-education systems and male and female pupils, because of the Islamic regulations, can non be in a same system. There were besides some other suggestions which were incompatible with the school regulations ( tool/rule contradiction ) . This mutual exclusiveness of the instructions with school regulations made the instruc tors uninterested in the instructions because they thought that those instructions were non utile in their instruction systems ( subject/tool contradiction ) . There were some besides some other issues in the system which caused emerging some contradictions between the elements. One of these issues was low cyberspace velocity in Iran which de-motivated the instructors from utilizing e-program as a manner of communicating ( subject/tool contradiction ) . Harmonizing to Nelson ( 2002 ) contradictions can either ease acquisition to come on, or they can impede it, depending on whether or non they are acknowledged and resolved. Introducing a new plan to the instructors, as we saw, caused some contradictions. When the school system had a restrictive environment, the school leaders tried to decide the emergent contradictions due to the deficiency of communicating. When they decided to present the e-learning plan they believed that this plan could hold been a good manner for the instructors to pass on with the other instructors inside the school and outside of it. By presenting a new engineering, nevertheless, some other contradictions emerged that the school leaders had non anticipated. So alternatively of deciding the new contradictions they decided to eliminate the beginning of them which was the e-learning plan. Despite the huge sum of budget and clip devoted to presenting the new plan, the school leaders stopped the plan because they b elieved that the plan did non hold much added value to the instructors ‘ acquisition.4. DecisionThis article began with the purpose of look intoing contradictions in different acquisition environments through the lens of activity theory. In order to show contradictions happening in different acquisition environments the article introduced a instance survey in an Persian school. However, as said by Hardman ( 2005 ) although â€Å" a instance survey does non allow one to do general statements about how something might be used in different state of affairss † , it does supply a deep description of the procedures underlying the object of the survey. Analyzing restrictive acquisition environment at the school under probe showed that most of the instructors were inclined to pass on with the other instructors for the interest of more acquisition. As one of the elements of expansive larning environment as said by Evans et Al ( 2006, is â€Å" chances to prosecute with working groups inside or outside of school † ( p. 53 ) , the e-learning plan could hold provided such an chance for the instructors. When the object and consequently the tools of the system changed and a new engineering was introduced to the instructors, some contradictions emerged. The lens of activity theory, as we saw, could supply insight into alterations in the instructors ‘ acquisition at workplace when a new technological tool became portion of their activities and communicating. In this instance some of the older instructors had some jobs with the new engineering or even with the new object ( expansive acquisition patterns such as communicating with the other instructors ) . If the school leaders and instructors tried to happen the contradictions and to decide them, the activity system could hold gone one measure in front to its end. For illustration, if merely a few Sessionss were devoted to learn computing machine and cyberspace accomplishments to the instructors, some of the contradictions could hold been resolved ; but when confronting with jobs caused by contradictions the school leaders eliminated the beginning of contradictions ( e-learning plan ) alternatively of look intoing the beginning of the jobs ( contradictions ) and deciding them. A s a affair of fact, presenting a new plan or engineering to any puting shifts participants ‘ established patterns to the new patterns, which causes some contradictions. It is of import that school leaders can place contradictions in their scenes and see how these influence school civilization and how to equilibrate them.RecognitionsI would wish to thank Dr. Alison Taylor, the teacher of my â€Å" Workplace and Learning † class at University of Alberta, who guided me through this survey.