Free Essays on Civilizations

Progress The term â€Å"civilization† implies a propelled condition of scholarly, social and material improvement in human culture, set apart by progress in expressions of the human experience and sciences, the broad utilization of record-continuing, including composing and the presence of complex political and social foundations. The accompanying components make up a progress: Urban communities - Man gets settled. Urban communities and towns are constructed, increased and thickly involved dwelling regions are gotten to by winding boulevards and water system frameworks are created to develop the land and develop food. There is a general improvement in the way of life so man remains at home more. Specialization of Labor †Overpopulation urges man to discover new food sources, henceforth, he turns into a food maker. This brings forth the Agricultural Revolution. Likewise, the training of creatures is known as the Pastoral Revolution. A few people are ranchers however a critical part of the populace could now become non-agriculturists and become masters in different occupations. Weaving, earthenware making, metal-work, exchange and development are a couple of instances of specializations of work. Composing - Not just is a typical language being shared, token and ball frameworks are supplanted by level tablets which have wanted data engraved on it by method of proper images composed with sticks. This type of composing was supplanted by utilizing a solid reed pointer known as Cuneiform. In any case, it was difficult to draw pictures with these reeds so images were imagined for each vowel-consonant mix, known as Phonetic images. Without composing, it is difficult to record history. Composed Government †Priests remained at the highest point of these profoundly religious social orders. Sorted out fighting between migrant individuals and settled individuals begins because of Nomadic individuals longing to have what settled individuals have accomplished. Presently advancement of armed forces and local army are required to maintain control. M... Free Essays on Civilizations Free Essays on Civilizations Human advancement The term â€Å"civilization† implies a propelled condition of scholarly, social and material advancement in human culture, set apart by progress in expressions of the human experience and sciences, the broad utilization of record-continuing, including composing and the presence of complex political and social establishments. The accompanying components make up a development: Urban areas - Man gets settled. Urban areas and towns are fabricated, expanded and thickly involved dwelling territories are gotten to by winding lanes and water system frameworks are created to develop the land and develop food. There is a general improvement in the way of life so man remains at home more. Specialization of Labor †Overpopulation urges man to discover new food sources, subsequently, he turns into a food maker. This brings forth the Agricultural Revolution. Likewise, the taming of creatures is known as the Pastoral Revolution. A few people are ranchers however a noteworthy part of the populace could now become non-agriculturists and become authorities in different occupations. Weaving, ceramics making, metal-work, exchange and development are a couple of instances of specializations of work. Composing - Not just is a typical language being shared, token and ball frameworks are supplanted by level tablets which have wanted data recorded on it by method of proper images composed with sticks. This type of composing was supplanted by utilizing a sturdy reed pointer known as Cuneiform. Be that as it may, it was difficult to draw pictures with these reeds so images were developed for each vowel-consonant blend, known as Phonetic images. Without composing, it is difficult to record history. Sorted out Government †Priests remained at the highest point of these exceptionally religious social orders. Composed fighting between migrant individuals and settled individuals starts because of Nomadic individuals longing to have what settled individuals have achieved. Presently improvement of armed forces and civilian army are required to maintain control. M...

Argument. Men and particularly princes Essay Example for Free

Contention. Men and especially sovereigns Essay Contention Presentation  â â â â â â â â â â Men and especially sovereigns should be cautious when settling on their choices and they ought not be worried by the settling on choices that consistently favors their subjects and companions yet they ought to be concerned more on the results of their choices and whether those choices will profit their state. I firmly accept that there ought not be methodology and techniques set to be utilized by sovereigns in managing their companions and subjects. This is on the grounds that various circumstances require to be dealt with contrastingly since the social orders continues changing and hence, sovereigns ought not follow set systems and strategies.  â â â â â â â â â â Princes are decided by their subjects through their characteristics which will make their subjects either to adulate them or to accuse them. In any case, it would be hard for the sovereigns to satisfy all the characteristics that their subjects anticipate that them should have because of human instinct. Along these lines, sovereigns ought to be exceptionally mindful so as to escape from awful notoriety of those indecencies which would cause them to lose the state.  â â â â â â â â â â I concur with the explanation that a quality which is by all accounts an ideals, whenever sought after may wind up destructing the person who chooses to seek after such a quality; while another quality which has all the earmarks of being a bad habit, if an individual chooses to seek after such a bad habit may wind up being progressively helpful to such an individual and to the general public. Along these lines, rulers ought to be exceptionally reasonable when settling on choices since a quality which is by all accounts bad habit may wind up being an excellence, and the other way around.  â â â â â â â â â â Princes can be liberal which is by all accounts a prudence however may wind up giving them an awful notoriety among their subjects. This is on the grounds that such sovereigns perhaps liberal and wind up spending every one of their assets or overburdening their subjects with unnecessary expenses and doing everything conceivable so as to the assets. This nature of liberality may give such rulers a terrible notoriety and his liberality may wind up culpable their subjects in this manner detesting their rulers. Likewise through not being liberal may lead them to give off an impression of being a grumpy person as indicated by their subjects.  â â â â â â â â â â For example, Pope Julius II in spite of the fact that he utilized his liberality to achieve papacy anyway he chose to end his liberality so as to decrease the uses to have the option to take up arms. Along these lines, rulers should utilize any goodness, for example, liberality such that won't hurt them. In such manner, sovereigns ought to abstain from overburdening subjects or getting poor because of their liberality. Likewise, all together for a ruler to abstain from obliterating their standard they ought wouldn't fret being marked as grumpy persons since this would be a key bad habit that would assist them with ruling their subjects.  â â â â â â â â â â Although rulers ought to abstain from being barbarous and ought to be forgiving however they ought to be exceptionally mindful so as not to manhandle their leniency. This is on the grounds that being too tolerant might be mishandled which may prompt issue in a state coming about to expanded wrongdoings along these lines hurting the general public on the loose. For example, in spite of the fact that cesare Borgia was respected merciless, he had the option to reestablish request, harmony and solidarity in Romagna through his pitilessness. In this manner sovereigns ought wouldn't fret being refereed to be savage in their endeavors to keep their subjects faithful and joined together. It would be a lot more secure for rulers to be dreaded than being adored by their subjects. In such manner they ought to effectively guarantee that there is organization, harmony and solidarity in their states regardless of whether it implies taking someone’s life to support their states on the loose. This may result to a portion of their subjects detesting them in any case, this would be less destructive to them and furthermore it would useful to their states on the loose.  â â â â â â â â â â Princes ought not mind much on staying faithful to their obligations to their subjects and in certain conditions the sovereigns should control their subject’s mind with astuteness if this would be progressively more secure for them and furthermore if this would be increasingly useful to their state. Rulers must know about how to manage various circumstances since satisfying their guarantees in certain conditions would carry mischief to them and to their subjects. In such circumstances such sovereigns ought to be shrewd and realize how to misdirect their subjects to abstain from satisfying their guarantees where they feel that keeping their words would carry mischief to their state or to themselves.  â â â â â â â â â â in such manner, rulers are not required to have all the great characteristics however it is significant for them to show up as though they have them. This is on the grounds that having those all characteristics and rehearsing every one of them would bring more mischief. For instance, showing up being devoted, strict, tolerant, dependable and empathetic among other great characteristics would be essential and sovereigns should realize how to rehearse them in various circumstances, in any case, rehearsing every one of them would prompt more damage than anything else as subjects would abuse them to cause issue which may expand the crime percentages which would be unsafe to the states. References Machiavelli, NiccoloãÅ"â‚ ¬. The sovereign. Beauty Fourche: NuVision Publications, 2004. Print. Source record

Remembering Gisel

Remembering Gisel I am heartbroken to tell you that this morning we learned Gisel, a beloved member of our team, died unexpectedly yesterday.   If youve applied to MIT this millennium, you probably interacted with Gisel, who was stationed at the front desk in room 3-108 for the last 20 years. If you called the office, she probably picked up the phone and connected you to the admissions officer on duty. If you emailed, she likely responded.01 In fact, she sent almost 8,000 emails to students, teachers, guidance counselors, and others over the last year alone. More than 42,000 over the last five years. When I tried to go over that, our fancy email server analytics system crashed. If you were an elementary school teacher who wrote asking for a poster of MIT to hang in your classroom to inspire your students, Gisel is probably the person who put it in an envelope and dropped it in the mail. If you were an admissions officer who realized, on the plane to some far flung recruiting region, that you forgot to pack your fact sheets, shes probably the one who shipped extras overnight so theyd be at your hotel in the morning.02 As you can probably imagine, she frequently won OVC Appreciation Awards that staff can give to each other as a thanks helping them out in a pinch. Gisels kindness towards others was not limited to her professional responsibilities. If you were the partner of a new faculty or staff member from abroad, and if you were lucky, you might have been matched to Gisel through the language conversation exchange to help you learn English and acclimate to MIT. If you were someone who had worked in the office and were leaving to take another job, she might have knit you a small beaver to remember MIT by. Her latest, unfinished, knitting project was a tiny Baby Yoda.03 Im not actually sure if Gisel had ever seen anything from the Star Wars universe; she just thought it was cute (and she was right).   a knit beaver gisel made for jessica chng when she left the office (pc jessica) Gisel was an integral member of our team and our mission; our work over the last two decades would not have been possible without her. She was what every institution needs: a maintainer, one of the people who quietly, consistently, reliably04 /spanShe was usually the first one in the office and the last one out. Earlier in my career, I remember once asking a senior colleague what Gisels job was, and them telling me, simply, “well, shes always there.” And so she was; and now shes not. kept the office â€" and the Institute â€" going.   And so I wanted to write this, on behalf of all of us here at MITAdmissions, to publicly thank and remember Gisel, and to honor her kindness, her conscientiousness, and her years of selfless service and warm friendship to her colleagues, to the MIT community, and to our applicants.   I also wanted to explain to our applicants why, if you call or email us in the near term, you may not get quite as quick of a response as you typically would, both because Gisel herself is not around to help as she so tirelessly did, and also because the rest of her team is grieving her loss. To be honest, were all in a bit of shock, and its going to take a little bit of time for us to get back up to full operational and emotional capacity. We appreciate your patience while we do so.   If you have a fond memory of Gisel that youd like to share, please feel free to do so respectfully in the comments below. I will update this post as we have more public information to share on how we might collectively honor her.   Miss you always, Gisel.   In fact, she sent almost 8,000 emails to students, teachers, guidance counselors, and others over the last year alone. More than 42,000 over the last five years. When I tried to go over that, our fancy email server analytics system crashed. back to text ? As you can probably imagine, she frequently won OVC Appreciation Awards that staff can give to each other as a thanks helping them out in a pinch. back to text ? I'm not actually sure if Gisel had ever seen anything from the Star Wars universe; she just thought it was cute (and she was right). back to text ? She was usually the first one in the office and the last one out. Earlier in my career, I remember once asking a senior colleague what Gisel's job was, and them telling me, simply, “well, she's always there.” And so she was; and now she's not. back to text ?

Consequences of the Conquest of the Aztecs

In 1519, conquistador Hernan Cortes landed on Mexicos Gulf coast and began an audacious conquest of the mighty Aztec Empire. By August of 1521, the glorious city of Tenochtitlan was in ruins. The Aztec lands were renamed New Spain and the colonization process began. Conquistadors were replaced by bureaucrats and colonial officials, and Mexico would be a Spanish colony until it began its fight for independence in 1810. Cortes defeat of the Aztec Empire had many ramifications, not the least of which was the eventual creation of the nation we know as Mexico. Here are some of the many consequences of the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs and their lands. It Sparked a Wave of Conquests Cortes sent his first shipment of Aztec gold back to Spain in 1520, and from that moment, the gold rush was on. Thousands of adventurous young Europeans - not only Spanish - heard tales of the great riches of the Aztec Empire and they set out to make their fortune just like Cortes had. Some of them arrived in time to join Cortes, but most of them did not. Mexico and the Caribbean soon filled with desperate, ruthless soldiers looking to take part in the next great conquest. Conquistador armies scoured the New World for wealthy cities to loot. Some were successful, like Francisco Pizarros conquest of the Inca Empire in western South America, but most were failures, like Panfilo de Narvaez disastrous expedition to Florida in which all but four men out of over three hundred died. In South America, the legend of El Dorado - a lost city ruled by a king who covered himself in gold - persisted into the nineteenth century.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Population of the New World was Decimated The Spanish Conquistadors came armed with cannons, crossbows, lances, fine Toledo swords and firearms, none of which had ever been seen by native warriors before. The native cultures of the New World were warlike and tended to fight first and ask questions later, so there was much conflict and many natives were killed in battle. Others were enslaved, driven from their homes, or forced to endure starvation and rapine. Far worse than the violence inflicted by the conquistadors was the horror of smallpox. The disease arrived on the shores of Mexico with one of the members of Panfilo de Narvaez army in 1520 and soon spread; it even reached the Inca Empire in South America by 1527. The disease killed hundreds of millions in Mexico alone: its impossible to know specific numbers, but by some estimates, smallpox wiped out between 25% and 50% of the population of the Aztec Empire. It Led to Cultural Genocide In the Mesoamerican world, when one culture conquered another - which happened frequently - the winners imposed their gods upon the losers, but not to the exclusion of their original gods. The vanquished culture kept their temples and their gods, and often welcomed the new deities, on the grounds that their followers victory had proven them strong. These same native cultures were shocked to discover that the Spanish did not believe the same way. Conquistadors routinely destroyed temples inhabited by devils and told the natives that their god was the only one and that to worship their traditional deities was heresy. Later, Catholic priests arrived and began burning native codices by the thousands. These native books were a treasure trove of cultural information and history, and tragically only a few battered examples survive today. It Brought Forth the Vile Encomienda System After the successful conquest of the Aztecs, Hernan Cortes and subsequent colonial bureaucrats were faced with two problems. The first was how to reward the blood-soaked conquistadors who had taken the land (and who had been badly cheated out of their shares of the gold by Cortes). The second was how to rule large swaths of conquered land. They decided to kill two birds with one stone by implementing the encomienda system. The Spanish verb encomendar means to entrust and the system worked like this: a conquistador or bureaucrat was entrusted with vast lands and the natives living on them. The encomendero was responsible for the safety, education and religious well-being of the men and women on his land, and in exchange, they paid him with goods, food, labor, etc. The system was implemented in subsequent conquests, including Central America and Peru. In reality, the encomienda system was thinly-disguised slavery and millions died in unspeakable conditions, particularly in mines. The N ew Laws of 1542 tried to rein in the worst aspects of the system, but they were so unpopular with colonists that Spanish landowners in Peru went into open rebellion. It made Spain a World Power Before 1492, what we call Spain was a collection of feudal Christian Kingdoms which could barely put aside their own squabbling long enough to oust the Moors from Southern Spain. One hundred years later, a united Spain was a European powerhouse. Some of that had to do with a series of efficient rulers, but much was because of the great wealth flowing into Spain from its New World holdings. Although much of the original gold looted from the Aztec Empire was lost to shipwrecks or pirates, rich silver mines were discovered in Mexico and later in Peru. This wealth made Spain a world power and involved them in wars and conquests around the globe. The tons of silver, much of which was made into the famous pieces of eight, would encourage Spains Siglo de Oro or golden century which saw great contributions in art, architecture, music, and literature from Spanish artists.   Sources: Levy, Buddy. . New York: Bantam, 2008. Silverberg, Robert. The Golden Dream: Seekers of El Dorado. Athens: the Ohio University Press, 1985. Thomas, Hugh. . New York: Touchstone, 1993.

The Environment Was Dark - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 745 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/05/07 Category History Essay Level High school Tags: Industrial Revolution Essay Did you like this example? As children in this time period, we consider school as our job. We go there for 8 hours every day and do classwork. Imagine our school was rarely cleaned and has no heat or air conditioning. We would be miserable. This is how women and children felt during the Industrial Revolution. They also had to struggle with how the workplace owners treated them. Everything was unsanitary and unsafe for everyone. After all that happened during the Industrial Revolution, factories horrible conditions and affected women and children in many ways.To begin, factory conditions during the Industrial Revolution were not pretty. The environment was dark, dirty, full of smoke from many machines, and not safe. Since the rooms were so small, with so many people in it, diseases spread rapidly. This also caused many deaths due to their lack of medicine (Poddar). This was a problem to workplace owners because they would rather pay people wages than pay their medical bills. Many workers developed deformities, such as lung diseases and eye problem, due to the lack of sunlight, physical activity, lack of education, and an excessive amount of dirt and dust from the machines (Hon). The air wasnt good for the workers, but neither was the temperature. Factories did not have heating or cooling, so they had to deal with the temperatures outside. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Environment Was Dark" essay for you Create order If it was cold outside, the workers would freeze. If it was hot outside, the workers would melt. They couldnt even open windows due to the fact that the threads didnt work well when the wind blew (Female Worker of Lowell). This means that no matter what it was like, the workers had to deal with it if they wanted a job and to get paid. Although these conditions seem very bad, women had it worse. Secondly, women working in factories during the Industrial Revolution struggled with how they were treated. For example, women got paid †¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"   sometimes even   of what men got. The reason women were even hired in the first place is because factory owners wanted cheap labor and working machines (Hon). As explained in the previous paragraph, factory conditions were not the best. Since women were replaceable, owners didnt care about the workplace conditions. As for their actual jobs, young women pulled sleds or carts full of coal. This caused lots of childbirth deaths due to the reforming of pelvic bones (Hon). So, not only do they make girls lives miserable, they also mess with the population. Some jobs women took on were watchmaking, candy manufacturing, carpet weaving, rope making, spinning, carding, and weaving (Manual Labor). After doing these jobs during a long day at work, most girls were very fatigued. Besides how they were treated, women were considered to be a big part of the factory labor forces (Manual Labor). Without them, factories wouldnt have been producing as many products as they were. Although women have it tough, imagine what the children have to go through. Lastly, the factory conditions, during the industrial revolution, affected children in America. Children 4 years and older were forced to work long hours in order to support their family (Child Labor). Because of the small wages, it was required in that time period for children to work alongside their parents. Its very wrong for children to live that lifestyle. It should be playing first, then working next (Child Labor). Not the other way around.   During these forced work hours, children filled boxes and pans full of beans, berries, and tomatoes. Even that seemed too hard for them (Child Labor). When they were too small to sit up, workers would put them on their lap or stow them away in boxes. (Child Labor). Thats not even the worst of it. If children working in mines fell asleep on the job, theyd be excessively beaten by the owners of the workplace. The factories conditions also played a factor in the childrens lives. Unguarded belts and wheels from machines were very unsafe for them. Some even compared how they were treated to slavery (Child Labor). In conclusion, The industrial revolution factory conditions affected both women and children in the United States. Factory conditions were very bad during the industrial revolution. This caused Women and children to suffer during work hours. They struggled through the heat, cold, and disgusting environment in factories. Each little thing affected women and children in large ways. Think about how you would feel if these things still applied today? Would you be happy or miserable?

The Simpsons Are Sociologically Savvy a Postmodernist Perspective Free Essays

string(42) " the point of absurdity† \(2004 p264\)\." The Simpsons are Sociologically Savvy: a Postmodernist Perspective Using The Simpsons, a long-running American animated continuing series, as a case study I will analyse the links between audiences, production and text in the creation of meaning. Using a triangulated approach of close textual reading, and theoretical models of post-modernism and queer theory to question the role of agenda setting in contemporary society, I will identify particular mechanisms of agenda setting within this example. The Simpsons, described by Paul Cantor (1999) is a â€Å"postmodern re-creation of the first generation family sit-com† (p738) which can be used effectively to illustrate innovative and radical themes and encourages critical thinking. We will write a custom essay sample on The Simpsons Are Sociologically Savvy: a Postmodernist Perspective or any similar topic only for you Order Now David Arnold (2001) describes The Simpsons as â€Å"an irresponsible text, one rich in associations and connotations [†¦] a self-parodic, self-referential pastiche of previous texts† (p264). I will endeavour to show that despite the fact that The Simpsons is associated with cartoons, which in their very nature are assumed to be childish and frivolous, it is because of all of the above associations that the postmodern Simpsons are useful as a pedagogical tool (Hobbs, 1998) and can be used to teach adults and children various sociological issues including sexual identities and hegemony. The Simpsons lends itself to be a vehicle of a ‘media-virus’ which according to Douglas Rushkoff (1994) can carry [the] â€Å"revolutionary message conveyed in an apparently innocent, neutral package† (cited in Irwin et Al 2001 p254). Such programmes appear to have proven to be the most acceptable and accessible spaces to show such subjects as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (glbt) identities because of their separation from reality. Arnold (2001) claims that the ridiculousness of the funny yellow looking characters who pop up on your television and look almost human, but with crazy storylines and unbelievable un-human like behaviours â€Å"increase their ability to function as satiric signifiers† (p262). It’s because of their unfeasibility, their â€Å"lack of seriousness† that Diane Raymond (2003 cited in Dines Humez) maintains allows programmes like The Simpsons to â€Å"†¦play with themes under cover of humour where those themes might be too volatile or even too didactic for another sort of audience† (p101). The Simpsons creators and writers rely on the history of other shows and they take from them all the best titbits rewarding their viewers according to Rushkoff (2004) with â€Å"a-ha moments† or â€Å"pattern recognition† (p296). Whether it is Maggie in ‘A Streetcar Named Marge’ (1992, 9F18) attempting to rescue her dummy-tit at Springfield’s day-care centre to the theme tune of The Great Escape by Elmer Bernstein. Or when Homer arrives to pick her up some of the babies are precariously perched and watch on, which to the media literate is an obvious spoof of The Birds a classic Hitchcock movie from 1963. The wedding scene from The Graduate is spoofed in ‘One fish, two fish, blowfish’ (1991, 7F11) where Homer bangs on the living room window and shouts â€Å"Marge† at the top of his voice. ‘Lisa’s Substitute’ (1991, SF19), is where we see yet another classic scene from the The Graduate, where the substitute teacher is seen at the front of the class through Mrs Krabappel’s leg which is hitched up on the desk and Bart’s teacher says those famous words â€Å"Mrs. Krabappel, you’re trying to seduce me. Some of the audience, children moreover adults may see the ridiculousness of the scenes as ‘funny’ but may not see the more hidden intertextual message due to their time spent viewing media texts. However David Buckingham (2001) claims that children are more active, and sophisticated users [†¦] that they see much more television and are able to detect and decipher the â€Å"formal codes and conventions about gen re and narrative, and about the production process† (cited in Barker and Petely 2001). These pieces of intertextual fragmented texts have different connotations to different ‘readers’. For example in The Graduate the storyline, for the chief protagonist, was about the coming of age and losing his virginity and the power it gave him, this ‘revolutionary message’ would not be available in prime-time viewing unless such a vehicle as The Simpsons made it accessible through its animation. Ironically The Simpsons was created to be a ‘bridging device’ for The Tracy Ullman Show to cross from the main parts of the show into adverts (Rushkoff 2004 p295). The Simpsons became more popular than the host show and Matt Groening the show’s creator was offered $10m and a 13 episode series at FOX Television (Ibid p295). According to Allen Larson (2004) technological advances, the availability of cable, federal deregulation and corporate consolidation were already in place from the 1980s and 90s but the media conglomerates further assisted the development of corporations like FOX Television which refined prime time sit-coms and the commodification of the audience, they â€Å"re-imagined, and re-exploited profit maximisation† (cited in Stabile Harrison 2004 p56). At the onset of the 90s production costs for a show like The Simpsons would have cost around $600,000 (Mallory 1996, Karlin 1993b cited in Stabile Harrison p56) and so attention to attracting the widest demographic was crucial. Merchandising to children was the future as the cable-age children had already become consumers and so the conglomerates â€Å"turned the full force of their attention towards maximising the potential revenue streams provided by children†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ibid pp57-59). USA Today reported in 2009 that in the previous year â€Å"Consumers worldwide spent more than $750 million on Simpsons-related licensed merchandise [†¦]† (Lieberman, 2009). Television programming is not only programming the viewer’s sets but the viewers themselves in order to sell them a product (Rushkoff 2004, p293) [†¦] which would prove why â€Å"advertisers spent $314. 8 million [in 2008] on the prime-time show on Fox and reruns that local stations air†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lieberman, 2009). Postmodernism points toward the fact that we no longer create anything other than the texts made up from the materials which already existed and we patch them together to make fun of that which is present and now. Furthermore there is a notion of ‘it doesn’t get any better than this’ The Simpsons uses all the good bits from the past to fill the present, history is no longer being made it could be perceived. Arnold claims that The Simpsons â€Å"†¦lampoon and amplifies that culture’s foibles up to and beyond the point of absurdity† (2004 p264). You read "The Simpsons Are Sociologically Savvy: a Postmodernist Perspective" in category "Essay examples" Jameson is in agreement (1984 and 1991) he insists that postmodernism has a â€Å"new depthlessness† and that globalised late capitalism does not allow for the text to be critically analysed but commodified and consumed. Jameson states that â€Å"they no longer simply ‘quote,’ as a Joyce or a Mahler might have done, but incorporate into their very substance† (1991 p3). Intertextual referencing is key to how The Simpsons works as a postmodern text, although legible to the avid reader of texts, a certain amount of media literacy is required which has taken many decades to achieve, leaving the adult to appreciate the intertextuality of high culture embedded in the ‘funny animation’. The timing with which The Simpsons emerged into mainstream television has proven to be crucial- The Simpsons could not have thrived on prime-time network television unless it was embraced by an audience so advanced in â€Å"TV literacy† that they are able to recognize and relish the signs and symbols from TV culture which the show continuously throws at them (Bj? rnsson 2006). In various episodes The Simpsons have portrayed many sociological concepts, for example; Aging and health in ‘Stark Raving Dad’ (1991, 7F24); Class and socioeconomic status in ‘Burns’ Heir’ (1994, 1F16); Crime law and criminal justice in ‘Homer the Vigilante’ (1F09). Homer has dealt with the urge to cheat on his wife Marge ‘The Last Temptation of Homer’ and ‘Life on The Fast Lane’ (1993, IF07 1990, 7G11). The horror of war was tackled in ‘The Principal and the Pauper’ (1997, 4F23) and homosexuality in ‘Homer’s Phobia’ (1997, 4F11) (The Simpsons Archive, 2010). It is this last issue of other sexual identities in The Simpsons which I will be analysing using queer theory as an analytical framework. â€Å"Queer is a category in flux† according to Raymond (2003, cited in Dines Humez p98). Historically the term was used in a negative or derogatory manner, although most recently the term is used to identify marginalised identities such as gay, lesbian bisexual and transgender (glbt). Queer theory identifies â€Å"a body of knowledge connected to but not identical with lesbian/gay studies† (Ibid p98). According to Raymond (2003) queer theory emerged in the 1960s and 1970s and â€Å"unlike their earlier theoretical forebears like Marxism and feminism †¦ [do not demand] exclusive theoretical allegiance or hegemony (Ibid p99). Instead it asks; what is the point in asking why someone is gay? Or what is the function the question of causation serves in the culture and in ideology? † Queer theorists look less at the nature/nurture argument of Charles Darwin and in addition ask that we see the term as ‘fluid’ and not ‘fixed’. ‘Homer’s Phobia’ (1997, 4F11) looks at Homer and his homophobic behaviour when he meets and befriends a gay man John who is voiced by writer and director John Waters of the critically acclaimed and very camp film ‘Hairspray’. John sells kitsch collectibles in a shopping mall and enjoys chatting to his customers. John tries to explain to Homer what ‘camp’ means when he is showing him around the shop which Homer doesn’t understand. To explain John says that camp is â€Å"The tragically ludicrous? The ludicrously tragic? † When Homer still doesn’t get it, he adds â€Å"†¦more like inflatable furniture or Last Supper TV trays† The penny finally drops as Homer has made a connection, albeit a financial one, and replies â€Å"and that kinda stuff is worth money? †¦Man you should come over to our place †¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"It’s full of valuable worthless crap†. John’s views â€Å"echoes cultural critic Andrew Ross’ argument that camp is primarily concerned with reconstituting history’s trash as reasure† (Cunningham 2003). Ross (1989) writes â€Å"The knowledge about history is the precise moment when camp takes over, because camp involves a rediscovery of history’s waste† (p151, cited in Cunningham 2003). This piece also serves to confirm Medhurst’s claim that camp â€Å"is now absolutely everywhere† (1997 p289 cited in Sullivan, p194) and so Homer has become completely blind to it. Homer has not realised John is gay even though there have been quite a few stereotypical ‘a-ha moments’ (Rushkoff, p296) or ‘knowing nods’ to his sexual identity. John has knowledge of female Hollywood actresses and gossip, an appreciation of Marge’s hair John even answers in a ‘camp’ manner with â€Å"my heart is palpitating, hoo hoo†. Marge conversely has determined John’s sexual identity and later, at home, informs Homer of it (much to his disgust). This may signal that the producers are aware of how different people have different ‘cultural capital’ (Bourdieu, 1977) or that Marge and women for that matter are more adept at reading the signals in media-represented images of sexual identities and can see the signifiers due to the time spent watching television. It may also signify the ways in which gay men have been ‘reduced’ to the status of women i. e. engaging in tittle-tattle and pointing out good hair-dos. According to Gross (1995) misinformation and gay stereotyping in the media is due to â€Å"lack of first-hand knowledge of gays and lesbians† (cited in Raymond 2003). Media texts are ‘polysemic’, meaning they have many meanings to many people, although Stuart Hall (1980) states the texts do not have an infinite number of interpretations as they â€Å"remain structured in dominance†. Nicholas Abercrombie (1996) claims that â€Å"audiences are not blank pieces of paper†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p140 cited in Hanes 2000). Reception Studies agree that the meaning is not inherent within the text itself and that the audience create the meanings using their own cultural capital. Morley’s reception study ‘Nationwide’ in 1980 will attest to this fact. In 1992 Morley revisited his ‘Nationwide’ study and found that there were â€Å"totally contradictory readings of the same programme item [†¦]†. There are many criticisms of reception theories, Morley himself states that â€Å"it shows an understanding of the micro-process of consumption†¦and without reference to the broader cultural question†¦ [which is then] of only limited value† (1992, p272). Signs of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (glbt) identities are clearly shown in The Simpsons; in ‘Homer’s Phobia’ (1997, 4F11) Roscoe and his fellow workers at the ‘Springfield Steel Mill’ are openly gay and host ‘gay discos’ after working hours. The scene in the mill looks like a ‘guerrilla attack’ where hundreds of gay men have descended on the unsuspecting Simpsons to make them feel like the minority in the ‘queered space’. ‘Guerrilla tactics’ like ‘queering’ are seen in America where glbt people gather in an unsuspecting venue. The venue would commonly be frequented by mainly heterosexuals, the dominant sexual identity. With a flood of glbt patrons the glbt have changed their position to a dominant one within that space. This encourages the audience to see what it must feel like to be in the minority, but also highlights that there are other sexual identities, that heterosexuality is not superior and that gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people live in your street, work in your factories, they have worthwhile jobs contributing to society just like heterosexual people. Queering’ extends to texts too as shown above and also in ‘Three Gays of the Condo’ (2003, EABF12) where Homer shared a room with Grady and Julio who were both openly gay. Glbt identities are also hidden, for example Judge Constance Harm is transgender in ‘The Parent Rap’ (2001, CABF22) the judge refers to ‘once being a man’. There are also the characters such as Waylon Smithers and Dewey Largo who are still in the closet and all of these stories offer viewers a little ‘queer pleasure’. In ‘My Fair Laddy’ Brunella Pommelhorst the gym teacher at Bart’s school tells her students she will return in the next semester as Mr Pommelhorst the new shop teacher (2006, HABF05). Marge’s sister Patty who ‘comes out’ to her in when Springfield became a same-sex-marriage tolerant town to bring in much needed revenue (after Bart brings it into disrepute). Agenda setting in the media is made accessible in The Simpsons and can be seen especially in ‘There’s Something about Marrying’ (2005, 16E10). Mayor Quimby in a speech says he is â€Å"happy to legalise gay money†¦ I mean ah gay marriage†. This may be in response to an article reported by Catherine Donaldson-Evans (2004) written for FOXNEWS. com that states â€Å"Recognizing same-sex couples and families as an emerging market, large corporations have begun targeting the demographic in their ads† [†¦] [the ads are] focused on the micro-lifestyles of the consumers, and same-sex families are a micro-lifestyle. † This clearly shows the emergent culture of commodification of sexual identity. ‘There’s Something About Marrying’ (2005 16E10) which is a clear intertextual reference to the film There’s something about Mary which itself may also be pointing out through the use of intertextuality the name given to Gay men i. e. ‘Marys’ or ‘little-Marys’) was it seems written in response to the controversy in America over gay marriages which was â€Å"a particularly hot topic in the US [at the moment] during election campaigning† (BBC 2004). In February 2004 â€Å"President Bush announced his support for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, saying he wants to stop activist judges from changing the definition of the â€Å"most enduring human institution† (Huus, 2004). This makes for a difficult position to be in as a queer viewer. Jacqueline Rose (1986) has noted, â€Å"The relationship between viewer and scene is always one of fracture, partial identification, pleasure and distrust† (p227 cited in Raymond, 2003, p100). The Simpsons are not subversive or anti-family, in fact they are probably quite conservative Homer attempts to vote for Democrat Barack Obama in ‘Treehouse of Horror XIX’ (S20E04, 2008) however the machine would not allow him and instead registered his vote for John McCain a Republican â€Å"in a humorous take on the allegations of voter fraud that [had] occurred in prior elections† (Stelter, 2008). How to cite The Simpsons Are Sociologically Savvy: a Postmodernist Perspective, Essay examples

Why is education so important free essay sample

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. Benjamin Franklin A direct effect of education is knowledge gain. Education gives us knowledge of the world around. It develops in us a perspective of looking at life. It helps us form opinions and develop a point of view. The information we are constantly bombarded with, cannot be converted into knowledge without the catalyst called education. Education makes us capable of interpreting things rightly and applying the gathered information in real life scenarios. Education is not limited to lessons from textbooks. Real education is obtained from the lessons taught by life. It Leads to Career Progression An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less. Nicholas M. Butler Education is important because it equips us with the expertise that is needed in helping us realize our career goals. Expertise is an in-depth knowledge about a specific field and its ought to open doors to brilliant career opportunities. We will write a custom essay sample on Why is education so important? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Education fetches better prospects of career growth. Good education is an eligibility criterion for employment in any sector of the industry. Be it any field, education always proves to be rewarding. We are weighed in the market on the basis of our educational skills and on how well we can apply them. It Builds Character A mans own manner and character is what most becomes him. Marcus Tullius Cicero The words cultivate and civilize are synonymous with educate. That says it all. Education is important as it teaches us the right behavior and good manners, thus making us civilized. It is the basis of culture and civilization. It is instrumental in the development of our values and virtues. Education cultivates us into mature individuals; individuals capable of planning for the future, and taking the right decisions in life. It gives us an insight into living, and teaches us to learn from experience. It makes us self-confident, and develops our abilities to think, analyze, and judge. It fosters principles of equality and socialism. It forms a support system for one to excel in life. It is the backbone of society. It wont be wrong to say that good education makes us more human. It Leads to Enlightenment Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel. Socrates Education paves the path to disillusionment. It wipes out the wrong beliefs from our minds. It helps create a clear picture of things around, and erases all the confusion. It kindles the flame of curiosity and helps awaken the abilities to question, and to reason. The more we learn, the more questions we have, and without questions, there are no answers. Education teaches us to find answers. It makes us more self-aware. It leads us to enlightenment. It Helps a Nation Progress Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource. John F. Kennedy Though not enlisted as one of the three basic human needs, education is equally important. For the progress of a nation, for the enrichment of society in general, education is important. A countrys literate population is its asset. In todays competitive world, it wont be wise to neglect the importance of education for the development of society as a whole. Most countries have realized this. It has led to the development of many government-aided educational programs and government grants to schools and colleges. The motive behind this is fostering education in society. The future of a nation is safe in the hands of the educated. Education is important for the social development and economic growth of a nation. Schools and other educational institutes define the basic framework of education. Schooling gives us the fundamentals. We specialize in fields of our interest during degree courses. The number of institutes offering vocational courses and those offering online education is increasing by the day. Vocational courses help earn specialized education. Online degree programs help the working class and adults pursue education even while continuing work. Distance education has proven to be of great help for many. But education is not limited to that obtained from educational institutes. Learning is a lifelong process. Rather, self-learning begins at a point where institutional education ends. The process of self-learning continues throughout ones life. This is well-supported by a speech made by US President Barack Obama. In his national address to students across the nation, he said: Every single one of you has something that youre good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. Thats the opportunity an education can provide. The process of discovering whats within never ends.

FAA - Before and After free essay sample

This paper takes a look at the FAA and its role before and after the Sept 11th attacks This paper provides a detailed look at the FAA and its role in the Sept 11th terrorist attack aftermath. It gives a history of the establishment of this institution and asks how it will have to change to cope with the post Sept 11th reality. From the paper: According to James Q. Wilson, ?War is the greatest test of a bureaucratic organization.? (Wilson, 1989, p. 45). He was of course speaking of the difficulties of leading soldiers into battle, but on September 11, airline pilots, air traffic controllers and the Federal Aviation Administration were on the front lines of a new kind of war. This essay will consider the FAA under this time of stress and rapid change.

Progressive Stuff essays

Progressive Stuff essays TRUTH AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE PROFESSIONS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF `TRUTH IN ADVERTISING' AND `TRUE AND FAIR' FINANCIAL STATEMENTS IN NORTH AMERICA DURING THE PROGRESSIVE ERA Both advertisers and auditors wrestled with the truth of their text during the Progressive Era (1880-1940). Although in North America, advertisers adopted "truth in advertising" as a theme, auditors rejected "true and fair" as a description of financial statements. Auditors instead adopted the weaker statement that financial statements were "consistent with accepted accounting principles." It is paradoxical that auditors compared with advertisers made the greatest progress toward professionalization during this era. This article documents debates about the concept of "truth" in each profession during the Progressive Era and examines the professional and legal consequences of each profession's engagement with truth. The Progressive Era, roughly the period from the depression of the late 1880s through to the late 1930s, represents a period of institutional, technical, and social innovation. During this period, most developed economies made the transition from rural to urban and from agrarian to manufacturing economies. It is a period when sectional interests, including many of the modern professions, developed. The Progressive Era is particularly marked by the conjunction of scientific knowledge and traditional values. It is a period when science and technology were thought capable of providing for the material wants of all and that the issue of social justice could be resolved through knowledge. This conjunction provides the setting in which "truth" is seen as an achievable state. The modern professions emerged from this milieu as occupations concerned with the moral and technical mysteries of life. The exemplars of the professional model were medicine, the law, and teaching. The successful professions lay claim to areas of expertise that were used to defin...

Culture and International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Culture and International Business - Essay Example Yet, McDonalds own brand also gave the company problem that is more pronounced than any other american brands. Perhaps there are no other American brands which had been patently labeled and stereotyped as a symbol of American imperialism than that of McDonalds. This issue is magnified by the fact McDonalds typically becomes a target (usually by vandalism) everytime there are protests against the American government abroad. The irony of it is that perhaps there are no other fast food chain in the market that exerts that much effort than McDonalds to assimilate with the local culture where it operates. Its franchises outside of North America are not even run by Americans but by the locals who took pains to customize its offerings just to cater to the local preference. But no matter what it does, McDonalds will always be associated with American imperialism. This misconception about McDonalds is not only limited to cultural labeling but extends to social status as well. Section II: McDo nalds, cheap yet classy? McDonalds is also having a social stratification issue on how it should position itself in the market. Shall it serve the mid section and upper section or the upper section of the market? Market response is ambivalent that it proves difficult to categorize which market should McDonals concentrate. In emerging markets such as Russia, China, even including South Asia, McDonalds is considered to be a restaurant that is a class above the rest and highly esteemed as a brand. Eating at McDonalds can even be considered as a status symbol. Yet in its major market in the United States and Europe where it derives two thirds of its revenue, the fast food chain is considered to be a cheap food, something to be eaten just to survive not to mention unhealthy. As a food, McDonalds does not have the respect in its major market compared to the esteemed it have in emerging markets. In UK, it even came to a point that McDonalds will be taxed alleging that it is damaging people ’s health and costs the health care substantial amount. In the United States, parents are even suing the company for misleading them over its nutritional value. These ambivalence of market’s reaction towards McDonalds makes it difficult for the company to adopt a universal market strategy to penetrate the global market. What it does is to constantly adapt to the eccentricities of its local market whose magnitude of its assimilation may have already changed the company itself. Section 3. Who influences who with McDonalds? In its effort to assimilate with the preferences of its local markets, McDonalds customizes its menu in a myriad of ways to the point of departure to its original menu. In Germany, McDonalds can be served with beer. In Israel, McDonald’s burgers does not have cheese. In India, its patties are not made of beef. In UK, traditional supersize meals are no longer welcome and is replaced by healthy offerings. The list goes on and on with the changes M cDonalds have implemented just to cater to the differing taste preference of its local market. These change is not only limited to McDonald’s food offerings but also extends to its suppliers. Along with the changing menu is also the change of suppliers to make such change in menu possible. These change in suppliers makes it patently un-McDonald because a

The United Nations Involvement in Rwanda during the Genocide Research Paper

The United Nations Involvement in Rwanda during the Genocide - Research Paper Example According to the research paper "The United Nations involvement in Rwanda during the genocide" findings, since the second half of the twentieth century, the bleak nature of precedents in regard to the implementation of the Genocide Convention exposes a grim account of the stance taken by the international community to crack the whip on the perpetration of such heinous acts (Verdeja 37-54). This has left experts at loggerheads concerning whether prominent cases that justify the description â€Å"genocide† passed the legal thresholds. In the current world, the wheels of justice at different levels of jurisdiction such as international tribunals and internal trial courts are slowly elaborating definitional uncertainties and raising their flag, though hesitantly, that perpetrators of genocide may be tried and jailed or executed depending on their level of culpability (Barta, Finzsch, and Stannard 111-133). Yet, the very realities that trial chambers are seeking justice for perpetr ators of genocide-related crimes stand as an apparent proof of a deeper rot, which probably led to the Rwandan genocide (Verdeja 37-54). The key perpetrator of the Rwandan massacres had not seen a serious court that would try the perpetrators of such grave crimes. The United Nations established the United Nations Assistance Mission For Rwanda (UNAMIR) on 5th October 1993 to provide the security within Rwandan capital Kigali. Other responsibilities of the UNAMIR included watching the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.

Sodor Oil Terminal Project Management

Sodor Oil Terminal Project Management The initiation phase of the Sodor project involved the formation of the project team and the nomination of the project manager. Group 12 is made up of 4 Nigerians and 1 Vietnamese which reflects a multicultural team with each nationality possessing peculiar personality traits. The objective of the first meeting was to nominate a Project Manager and to define and agree on ground rules for project team meetings. To ensure equal participation of all team members, it was agreed that the rotational project manager system will be adopted whereby each individual in the group would serve as the project manager for 1 week each throughout the 5 week duration of the Sodor project. It was agreed that meetings will be scheduled 3 times a week by the project manager lasting no more than 2 hours each. At each meeting, specific tasks is assigned to each team member to be submitted at the next meeting day. CONTRACTOR SELECTION CRITERIA The contractor selection criteria adopted by the team is the Trade-off technique. This technique uses a scoring system to quantify specific attributes of the various contractors and provides a numerical output, the highest of which represents the best contractor choice. The use of this technique provided the best possible contractors to manage the various stages of this project. CONSTRUCTION AND CLOSE OUT The close out process involved a review of the final Sodor terminal project plan to confirm scope, cost and schedule deadlines have been met. The lesson learned document was then prepared which showed the various conflicts that occurred throughout the project and how they where managed by the team in order to provide lessons for the future. The final project plan was then presented to the project sponsor and the Group 12 team was deformed by the project manager. We were able to arrive at a final project cost of  £7,356,123 and at a time of completion of 90.93 weeks. This can be mainly attributed to the fact that we used the TRADE OFF technique for contractor selection. The trade off technique provided an objective way of selecting contractors using a set of rank scores. INTRODUCTION Teamwork has been found to be an essential ingredient responsible for the success or failure of projects. The effective use and management of teams for projects has been noted to be a key determinant for how successful a project will be; however, the effectiveness of a team depends on the ability of the team members to interact appropriately with one another to produce a common output. DEFINITION Hoegl (2004) defined teams as a social interaction between two or more people within an organization who share a common task. Teams have also been described as a group of people who hold themselves mutually accountable to each other and who work together to achieve a common purpose(Scholtes et al,2003). The above definitions take into account the fact that for a team to exist, certain basic ingredients need to be in place which include; mutual accountability, constancy of purpose, and a shared responsibility for success or failure. The benefits of teamwork in project management cannot be overemphasized. Teams help in the mobilization of diverse resources to a project as compared to that achieved by a single individual. Church(1998) also noted that teams provide the flexibility to use the mobilized resources thus helping to continue with the project in the event of a particular individual being indisposed. Perhaps the greatest value of teams in managing projects rests with the ability of teams to provide a synergy of the efforts of the individual team members whereby the results achieved is greater than the arithmetic sum of the contributions of the individual members to the team. FACTORS THAT AFFECTED TEAM EFFECTIVENESS OF SODOR OIL TERMINAL PROJECT PLANNING AND DESIGN The need to have a plan for the management of the Sodor oil terminal cannot be overemphasized. Grachev et al(2006) using 3M corporation as a case study proposed that a key benefit of planning upfront for a project is the creation of well defined project goals. The goals help to give direction to a teams project. Other benefits of planning include; it helps the team members in the coordination of individual tasks by providing clearly stated assignments. Furthermore, the project plan also enables the team to have an overview of the project schedule, costs and constraints which the team can then use as a baseline to measure actual project progress. The planning and design of the Sodor oil terminal started with the identification of the Cost, Schedule and Scope goals from the data derived from the Project Sponsor. These goals where then integrated into a sequential structure by the use of the MS Project ® to produce the Sodor oil terminal preliminary Gantt chart. The final Sodor oil terminal plan is a comprehensive document showing the actual budget, time of completion, scope of the project, and the approved contractors selected for the project. Christina(2009) proposed that key factors that affect team success at the planning and design phase include; A. Well-Defined Goals: The definition of clear project deliverables has been shown to improve the success rate of project teams. Pinto and Slevin(1988) proposed that clearly defined and structured goals is a significant factor that determines the effectiveness of teams and hence the success rate of projects. Zander(1980) postulated that teams with clear and measurable goals perform better than teams with fuzzy goals. This is as a result of the use of clear goals by teams as a baseline through which team results can be measured. Furthermore, the use of clear and concise goals also helps the team in planning for what they can achieve within a particular timeframe.The goals of the Group 12 team where clearly stated and well defined at the onset of the project which was to deliver a project plan within 98 weeks at no more than the stated project budget provided by the project sponsor. B. Management Support: Pinto and Slevin(1988) suggested that the support upper management gives a team helps in facilitating team success. This occurs by facilitating the release of resources to the project team hence ensuring their efficiency and helping to remove administrative bottle necks. Group 12 received the support of the project sponsor in the designing of the sodor plan especially with respect to weekly review meetings to assess the current status of the project plan and proffer ways to bring the plan back on track. C. Cross-Cultural teams: The importance of having multiple individuals from differentcultures in a team has been proposed to impact positively on team results(Earley and Mosakowski,2000). Ochieng and Price(2009) also suggested that the effective use of proper communication techniques to handle cultural differences in a team helps in promoting project success. Multiple cultures in a team brings together people with different skills, competencies, and personal attributes dedicated to a common purpose. The multicultural environment of Group 12 provided a pool of diverse ideas derived via brainstorming from which the best possible solution was agreed on and translated into the Sodor project plan. D. Team experience and continuity: Pinto and Slevin(1988) suggested that the inclusion of individuals with specific project experience into a team helps in promoting its success. This is because this individuals already have a knowledge of the critical factors needed to ensure the success of the particular project from the lessons learned from past projects managed by them. Scott-Young(2009) suggested that the stability of a team throughout the project lifecycle helps in ensuring team success. Stable teams have been shown to maintain the consistency of ideas generation and are not susceptible to the distraction that tends to occur from a team member joining or leaving the team(Akgun and Lynn,2000). The use of team members with a wide range of experience managing projects like healthcare, education, and engineering played a key role in the results of Group 12. This is due to the diverse nature of the knowledge pool available for planning the project. The stability of the Group 12 team throughout the project lifecycle also played a key role in the design of the sodor project plan. CONSTRUCTION AND CLOSEOUT A. Handling Conflicts: The absence of conflicts in a team has been proposed to be a pointer to the failure of the team(Saj-Nicole and Damon,2009). The presence of conflicts and how the conflicts are managed indicates how successful the project team will be. The nature of the conflicts i.e. conflicts relevant to the project scope, serves to provoke a generation of ideas from the project team on the best way to manage the crises. Several conflicts arose during the management of Group 12; an example will be the, Who to choose as the project manager? The way it was managed was to have a face to face meeting with the project team, everybody laying their individual ideas on the table, then arriving at a decision mutually beneficial to everyone which is to have a rotational project manager system with each member of the project team having a taste of the pie of being the project manager for 1 week each. This solution helped during the construction phase of the plan because all the team memb ers felt a sense of belonging and making a positive contribution to the team. B. Leadership Continuity: The proposal by Akgun and Lynn(2000) on the positive benefits of leadership continuity to the project team success is largely not applicable to the Group 12 project team. This is because the use of a single leader throughout the project lifecycle will have led to the presence of domineering tendencies being shown by the individual chosen which may affect certain decisions made during the formulation of the construction plan. It will also have led to project team members being made to feel they are not a part of the team. Hence in a bid to avoid this scenario, the rotational project manager system was proposed and adopted. C. Resource availability: The availability of resources plays a major role in the ability of a team to produce results. Peters and OConnors(1980) postulated that the availability of specific resources can either promote or interfere with a team effectiveness. The resources needed by a team to be effective varies depending on the project scope. It may include financial, Human, and Environmental resources. D. Reward and Recognition: The relationship between appropriate reward structures and team effectiveness cannot be overemphasized(Bullock and Lawler,1984). Developing a reward system that focuses on the entire team rather than individuals help in improving team motivation and hence its effectiveness. It is a fact that people are motivated to achieve results if they feel that the results provide value to the organization and this value is acknowledged by the organization. E. Lessons-learned documentation: The preparation of the lessons learned document is an essential part of the project team closure phase(PMI,2008). The lessons learned document captures the lessons learned at various milestones in the planning of the project. The final meeting of the Group 12 team was a brainstorming session to identify various challenges we had during the creation of the Sodor project plan and how the challenges where managed. CONCLUSION This paper details how the Group 12 team managed the Sodor project from design to the closeout phase. It explains in detail the various factors responsible for the success of the team in arriving at the final project plan; and also the various challenges Group 12 team had and how those challenges where managed to produce positive results. The paper sheds light on the key factors that affected various stages of the project and how they where harnessed and utilized positively by the Group 12 team.

Tesco Case Study

Tesco’s main activities: -Retailing -Financial services It’s a major global retailer 1) Retail activity 5 store formats: * Tesco extra * Tesco superstore * Tesco metro * Tesco express * One stop Non-food ventures: -Tesco Homeplus – Dobbies Since 2005, they have opened a member of non-food outlets: Tesco Homeplus, Dobbies( garden centres) 2) Banking activity Tesco Bank A will to extend their involvement in the financial services Service: credit cards/ loans/ mortgages/ saving accounts/ insurance It’s run separately from the rest of the businessIt was a 50/50 joint venture with RBS( Royal Bank of Scotland) But the 28 of July 2008, Tesco bought out the shares of RBS . Internet: tesco. com .Telecom: Tesco mobile, it’s a joint venture with O2 The scale of its operation: 1994: First move into Central Europe 1998: First move into South East Asia 2007: First move in California 2008: First wholly owned Tesco opened in Guangzhou, China China/ Czech Republic/ Hungry/ Republic of Ireland/ Japan/ Malaysia/ Poland/ Slovakia/ South Korea/ Thailand/ Turkey/ Uk/ US They entered the US grocery market in 2007 Through the opening of a new chain: Fresh & EasyOver the past 10 years, the profits per year have constantly increased Tesco’s business strategy: â€Å"At the core of Tesco’s business model is a focus on trying to improve what we do for customers† .To create value for customers: In such way that â€Å"if the business is performing well in the eyes of the customers, then it will also be performing well for other stakeholders† Strategy in the UK: Growth is sought through expansion into markets such as financial services, non-food and telecom Strategy outside the UK: Growth is sought by entry into locations, most recently China, India and in the USTargets are defined under: Five prospective of the steering wheel -community -operations -people -finance -customer To increase the customer loyalty is the single most imp ortant driver of long term financial performance Tesco’s corporate culture: â€Å"Customer is king† . a customer centric company . a customer focused company Maintaining a global staff retention The average longevity within the Tesco management is around 14 years e. g. : the CEO Sir Terence Leahy joined Tesco in 1979 after graduation It’s one of the KPI ( Key Performance Indicator) â€Å"everyone feel accountable for the company’s success†Every little helps A relatively flat grade structure Five levels Whereas 470,000 employees e. g. : top grade 200 people The company’s values: .We treat people how we like to be treated * work as a team * trust and respect each other * listen, support and say thank you * share knowledge and experience No on tries harder for customers * understand customers * be first to meet their needs * act responsibly for our communities Tesco has a rather unique approach of risk management * diversification both geograph ically and in areas * risk devolvement at thedepartment level * absence of overall risk management

Agile Methodologies vs. Traditional lifecycle

Agile methodology and traditional lifecycle refers to the way in which software is developed. However, agile development develops software in a way that is different from the traditional method. Agile philosophy allows frequent inspection and adaptation of the project while the traditional methodology is a sequential method that splits the project into parts that are supposed to be fulfilled.However, it lacks adaptability and flexibility in ensuring the requirements of the project are fulfilled (Baker 2006, pp. 34).In traditional methodologies when a glitch occurs and plans are made, such as changing the software, nears impossibility which means that the software needs to go to the beginning with the development of a new code. This happens as long as there is no further glitch in the development process.On the other hand, agile methodology has a low risk level when developing the software. This means that it emphasizes the values and principles rather than traditional method of proce sses. Hence, agile methodology supports working in cycles and at the end of each cycle the priorities of the project are re-evaluated to check whether it conforms to the requirements.In most cases the Traditional lifecycle and the agile methodologies allows cutting down the total software or picture into puzzle size bits such as coding, designing and testing.However, when it comes to specific methodology in understanding the breaking down of the project, there are some variations that are evident. In the traditional lifecycle, when a stage is completed it remains like that because it is hard to manipulate according to time and user needs (Clammer 2007, pp. 56).This means that the process should start from designing a completely new system. Agile methodology is flexible and allows for change at the end of each stage depending on new ideas that may arise. It enables changes to the project without the entire project been rewritten. Hence, such approach reduces overhead costs and provid es a flexible way in which upgrade of programs can be commissioned.In the case of agile methodology, the project can be launched at the end of each tested stage. This means that it is an opportunity that ensures that bugs are traced and eliminated at the development level and it is further double tested to ensure that the first bug is eliminated.However, on the view of the traditional methodology, this capability is not provided, but the project is tested at the very end of it. It means that if bugs are found the entire program needs to be re-written (Eberle 2006, pp. 90 – 91).Another point is the customer satisfaction and object oriented designers and programmers. The modular nature of agile ensures that the right people are employed for the stage for timely release even if it does not match with the entire customer specifications.While, on the traditional methodologies it supports one main release and any problems such as delays or fulfillment of the customers specification s results into highly dissatisfied customers (Melton 2007, pp. 70).Both methodologies allows for departmentalization administration. The traditional methodology allows departmentalization at each stage while in the case of agile methodology the coding module of each stage can be delegated to separate players.Hence, allows many parts or stages to be fulfilled at the same time. However, the level of departmentalization differs; in the case of agile it is more pronounced than in the case of traditional methodology (Eberle 2006, pp. 94).The two software methodologies have diverse means in the ways that are supposed to fulfill the requirements of software development. Scalability, adaptability and flexibility in addition to customer satisfaction are the main features that set these two methodologies apart.BibliographyBaker, F. 2006, Traditional Software Development: Waterfall, McGraw Hill, New York.Clammer, L. 2007, Software Methodologies: An Introduction, Jakarta, Prentice Hall of Jakar ta.Eberle, J. 2006, Introduction to Software Development, New York Publishers, New York.Hawthorne, F. 2005, Software Development Methodologies, Oxford University Press, London.Melton, Z. 2007, Extreme Programming: Agile Software Development, Cambridge University Press, Singapore.

Are Wars Good for the Economy

One of the more enduring myths in Western society is that wars are somehow good for the economy. Many people see a great deal of evidence to support this myth. After all, World War II came directly after the Great Depression  and seemed to cure it. This faulty belief stems from a misunderstanding of the economic way of thinking.The standard a war gives the economy a boost argument goes as follows: Suppose the economy is on the low end of the business cycle, so were in a recession or just a period of low economic growth. When the unemployment rate is high, people may make fewer purchases than they did a year or two ago, and the overall output is flat. But then the country decides to prepare for war. The government needs to equip its soldiers with extra gear and munitions. Corporations win contracts to supply boots, bombs, and vehicles to the army. Many of these companies will have to hire extra workers to meet increased production. If the war preparations are substantial enough, large numbers of workers will be hired, reducing the unemployment rate. Other workers might be hired to cover reservists in private-sector jobs who get sent overseas. With the unemployment rate down, more people are spending again and people who had jobs before will be less worried about losing their jobs, so theyll spend more than they did. This extra spending will help the retail sector, which will need to hire extra employees, causing unemployment to drop even further. So a  spiral of positive economic activity is created by the government preparing for war.   The Broken Window Fallacy The flawed logic of the story is an example of something  economists call  the Broken Window Fallacy, which  is illustrated in Henry Hazlitts  Economics in One  Lesson. Hazlitts example is of a vandal throwing a brick through a shopkeepers window. The shopkeeper will have to purchase a new window from a glass shop for, say, $250. People who see the  broken window  decide that the broken window may have positive benefits: After all, if windows were never broken, what would happen to the glass business? Then, of course, the thing is endless. The glazier will have $250 more to spend with other merchants, and  these, in turn, will have $250 to spend with still other merchants, and so ad infinitum. The smashed window will go on providing money and employment in ever widening circles. The logical conclusion from all this would be ... that the little hoodlum who threw the brick, far from being a public menace, was a public benefactor. The crowd is correct in believing that the local glass shop will benefit from this act of vandalism. They have not considered, however, that the shopkeeper would have spent the $250 on something else if he hadnt had to replace the window. He might have been saving that money for a new set of golf clubs, but since he has now spent the money, the golf shop has lost a sale. He might have used the money to purchase new equipment for his business, or to take a vacation, or to buy new clothing. So the glass stores gain is another stores loss. There hasnt been a net gain in economic activity. In fact, there has been a decline in the economy: Instead of [the shopkeeper] having a window and $250, he now has merely a window. Or, as he was planning to buy the suit that very afternoon, instead of having both a window and a suit he must be content with the window or the suit. If we think of him as a part of the community, the community has lost a new suit that might otherwise have come into  being  and is just that much poorer. The Broken Window Fallacy is enduring because of the difficulty in seeing what the shopkeeper would have done had the window not been broken. We can see the gain that goes to the glass shop. We can see the new pane of glass in the front of the store. However, we cant see what the shopkeeper would have done with the money if he had been allowed to keep it because he wasnt allowed to keep it. Since the winners are easily identifiable and the losers not, its easy to conclude that there are only winners and the economy as a whole is better off. Other Examples of the Broken Window Fallacy The faulty logic of the Broken Window Fallacy occurs often with arguments supporting government programs. A politician will claim that his new program to provide winter coats to poor families has been a roaring  success because he can point to all the people with coats  who didnt have them before. Its likely that there will be pictures of people wearing the coats on the 6 oclock news. Since we see the benefits of the program, the politician will convince the public that his program was a huge success. What we do not see is the school  lunch proposal that was never adopted to implement the coat program  or the decline in economic activity from the added taxes needed to pay for the coats.In a real-life example, scientist and environmental activist David Suzuki has often claimed that a corporation polluting a river adds to a countrys GDP. If the river has become polluted, an expensive program will be required to clean it up. Residents may choose to buy more expensive bottled wat er rather than cheaper tap water. Suzuki points to this new economic activity, which will raise GDP, and claim that the GDP has risen overall in the community, although the quality of life has decreased. Suzuki, however, forgot to take into account all the decreases in GDP that will be caused by the water pollution precisely because the economic losers are more difficult to identify than the economic winners. We dont know what the government or the taxpayers would have done with the money had they not needed to clean up the river. We know from the Broken Window Fallacy that there will be an overall decline in GDP, not a rise.   Why War Doesnt Benefit the Economy From the Broken Window  Fallacy,  its  easy to see why a war wont benefit the economy. The extra money spent on the war is money that will not be spent elsewhere. The war can be funded  in  a combination of three ways: Increasing taxesDecrease spending in other areasIncreasing the debt Increasing taxes reduces consumer spending, which does not help the economy improve. Suppose we decrease government spending on social programs. First,  weve lost the benefits those social programs provide. The recipients of those programs will now have less money to spend, so the economy will decline as a whole. Increasing the debt means that well either have to decrease spending or increase taxes in the future. Plus  there are all those interest payments in the meantime.If youre not convinced, imagine that instead of dropping bombs, the army was dropping refrigerators in the ocean. The army could get the refrigerators in one of two ways: They could get every American to give them $50 to pay for the fridges.The army could come to your house and take your fridge. Does anyone seriously believe there would be an economic benefit to the first choice? You now have $50 less to spend on other goods, and the price of fridges will likely increase due to the added demand. So youd lose twice if you were planning on buying a new fridge. The appliance manufacturers would love it, and the army might have fun filling the Atlantic with  Frigidaires, but this would not outweigh the harm done to every American who is out $50 and all the stores that will experience a decline in sales due to the decline in consumer disposable income.As for the second one, do you think youd feel wealthier if the army came and took your appliances? That idea might seem ridiculous, but its not different from increasing your taxes. At least under this  plan,  you get to use the stuff for a while, whereas with the extra taxes, you have to pay them before you have an opportunity to spend the money.  So in the short  run, a war will hurt the economies  of the United States and its  allies. Next time you hear someone discuss the economic benefits of the war, tell them the story about a shopkeeper and a broken window.