Bit coin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bit coin - Essay Example As Boardman, Sondomir and Sondak (38) argues, the primary aim of Nakamoto was to create a form of online currency in order to circumvent payment processing technicalities which online traders were facing. Specifically, the entry of the transactions on the ledger or mining processes had become difficult if not impossible to such users. Apart from the mining, digital currency can be a form of exchange of currency, goods, and services. Through Bitcoins, users can make purchases of goods, send, and receive the money via electronic means for a small fee and with the help of wallet application on an Internet-enabled gadget. The virtual currency as a system of payment for commodities purchased online has undergone rapid growth, and businesspersons have an advantage to enjoy the use of the currency owing to its lower than the 3 percent typically charged for loading and or use of credit cards. Nonetheless, many governments from around the world have been hesitant to welcome the use of the currency within their respective jurisdictions, with some warning their citizens against the use of the service due to its lack of consumer safeguards. Bitcoins are vulnerable to theft and chargeback defaults. As Boardman, Sondomir and Sondak (12-29) have indicated, the use of the currency for commercial purposes is still minimal and largely preferred by speculators. This alone has added to the lots of worries and its volatility, hence the fear of the bubble effect. Bitcoin speculators have contributed to the bubble effect theory explaining the unpredictable future of the currency. This is especially true considering that speculators who top the list of Bitcoin users argue that with $200 in one’s virtual account now, the value of the money will increase to $600 or $1,000, since they will find people who are willing to buy it at that higher price. The buying of the currency in hope that the value would increase is a serious flaw in the thinking

Definition of family Essay Example for Free

Definition of family Essay The definition of a family according to the U. S. Census Bureau is that a family consists of a householder and any other person living in the same household. However, the people living in the family should be related to the householder either by birth, marriage, or by adoption. The people in a family who are related to the householder are termed as his family members. However, in some houses there might also be people living in a family who might be unrelated to the householder, therefore they are not to be included in the householder’s family while the census is being carried out and thus, the number of family households is equal to the number of families, but the family households may include more members than do families. Therefore, the crux of this would be that all the households do not contain families as they might be unrelated as well. Functions of a family Basically the two functions of a family are: †¢ Economic functions †¢ Political functions Other than these two major categories, a family has a number of functions after doing which a family can be really termed as a family in a true sense and these are mentioned below. One of the most important functions is reproduction of babies and once a child is born, it is the duty of the householder to look after the children, take care of them, monitor that day to day activities, supervise them on certain things, interact with them and provide them with all the necessities and love it would require to make them good grown ups. As it is not just necessary to give birth to the baby, however they should also be taken care of so that they survive to become adult members of the society. Two persons basically tie the knot of marriage in order to legitimize their sexual relationship and this ensures the offspring is healthy. The household head is supposed to provide economics support to the family as well as to fulfill the love, emotional, security needs of the family. In the end, I would also add that the family is looked upon in the society with respect and they have a certain position in the society than those individuals just living together without marriage. (Schwartz Scott, 2007). As mentioned above, a family consists of the household member who is basically responsible for his family members. However, to define my family I would say that my family does not fulfill the definition of the family mentioned above. This is because the fathers are usually the ones who are said to be the household heads and they are responsible of taking care of the family members. I am only the child in my family and my parents were divorced when I was four years old. I am living with my Mom right now and the rest of my family is living in China. Most of the family functions that I mentioned above are not actually applicable to my family. This is because my parents had an unhappy marriage and this thing gave me a lot of bad experiences. The first function of the family is to ensure that the baby grows as an adult of a society. In my case, however I did become an adult but it was just my mother who took care of me and looked after all my needs. A father is always necessary to make a family more strong as the responsibilities of a father are different than ones of a mother but in my case, my mother was my mother as well as my father. She was the one who was responsible for each and every activity of mine. It is believed that a family is economically supported mostly by the fathers, however as my mother had a divorce with my father, she was the one who had to support my needs all by herself. And I think that my family did not manage things well. The divorce of my parents at the time when I was just four was a shock for me as for a family to survive well; both the mother as well as the father has to be there so that they might fulfill their own set of responsibilities and ensure that the family is living happily. However, this was not the case for my family as the divorce between my parents made things worse for me. Although my mother did all she could do for me but still the presence of the father is essential for a family to prosper well. Thus, according to me, my family did not address the functions of a family well as it was an unhappy and irresponsible family. The fundamental purpose of each family is to fulfill the requirements and the functions of a family. It is vital for each family to fulfill their responsibilities as this not just affects the family alone but the society and the environment as well and it also affects the people around you. No one likes to be friends with the families who are not well settled in a way that the parents might have conflicts amongst each other or they might not want to live with each other and this would create lots of problems for their children. Therefore, for a country to prosper well it is essential that the families living there are happy and contended. The functions of the family highlight the responsibilities the household head has with reference to their family. Therefore, its informative nature helps to think about families in terms of the functions it fulfills. Reference Schwartz, M. A. Scott, B. M. (2007). Marriages and families: Diversity and change. 5th Edn. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Importance Of Sound In Movies Film Studies Essay

Importance Of Sound In Movies Film Studies Essay As we know, the film sound design is divided into two main categories. The first is sound effects design, mostly non-musicals. The second is film scores composing, in other words, the background music that is written specifically along with a film, mostly musicals. Film score ought to contain cue tracks. Each track is an individual piece, which will typically be a composition from instruments. Nowadays, a growing number of film scores include a mixture of orchestral and electronic instruments. The notion of a point of audition can have two meanings: 1. A spatial sense: from where do I hear, from what point in the space represented on the screen or on the soundtrack? 2. A subjective sense: which character, at a given moment of the story, is hearing what I hear? (Chion, 1994) Sound is indexical in our natural way of listening. Sound conveys time information more accurately than visuals. When sound occurs, an event of material interaction is taking place. Sound fertilises and enhances the visual landscape, makes us able to make an outline of information about the source as well as the cause. In short words, sound reflects the physical reality of the scene, immerses the listener into the world, which makes the environment comes alive. What is important to the audience is to know what produces the sound and where it comes from. Diegetic sound is sound whose apparent source is in the space-time continuum of the scene onscreen. Diegetic sound is sound that the film leads us to believe the characters can hear. (Chion, 2009) For indicating the materiality of the sound source more accurately, the dimensions and distances more precisely, sound effects design has more to be considered. While some sound effects are recorded while they are produced, most of them are added or created afterwards. Production mixers normally ask that all action cease for a few moments on each location so that they may record the continuous background ambient sound in that space, such as water lapping on shore. Editors will later have to reinsert ambience under dialogue and effects created during postproduction for continuity with production sound. Sounds from disparate sources must be adjusted with tools like equalisers and filters to match and flow seamlessly. Choices of characteristics imparted to the sound in reverberation, pacing, timbre, volume, and mixing of sounds with each other may not only decide our sense of the physical reality of the space, but also suggest a number of feelings, such as loneliness, joys, paranoia and so on. Reverberation is an essential tool for placing a sound in a space to indicate how far we are from a sounds source. You can clarify an element of the plot with sound, or you can make things more ambiguous, which is often what you want to do. In such close-ups of sound we must be careful, however, to bear in mind the specific nature of sound which never permits sound to be isolated from its acoustic environment as a close-up shot can be isolated from its surroundings. Music played in a restaurant cannot be completely cut out if a special close-up of say two people softly talking together in a corner is to be shown. The band may not always be seen in the picture, but it will always be heard. The close- ­up will contain the whole acoustic atmosphere of the restaurant space. Thus we will hear not only the people talking, we will also hear in what relation their talking is to the sounds all round them. We will be able to place it in its acoustic environment. (Weis, 1985) Sound can heighten realism or it can diminish it. Sound can draw attention to a detail or draw attention away from it. (Sider, 2003) The microphone is not as selective. The sound designers have to eliminate that unintended cacophony from global for audience. The camera shoots directly at a ticking clock, we may hear the ticking. But a few seconds after the character looks away, the ticking will be gradually dropped out. Inception is a film that tells a story about inception of idea in dream. The movie itself is a mind altering brainstorm and an intelligent experience. It implants much plot clue using a very good sound design. In fact, it is also a successful aural inception. This is a going through of all the interesting technical points in this film. The thing that differs Inception from the other film is the simultaneous hierarchy architecture. It is common in this film that multilayers of sound happen at the same time in the movie. And in different levels of dream, the audience get different pace of sound. You can tell somebody what part of the world they are in, depending on what kinds of sound you play. The basic timeline and plot are based on dream within a dream. Even if the characters are in dreams, we expect them to follow the laws of physics. The very use of sound in this film is that the sound is used for connecting the different layers of dreaming. The song used for the musical countdown to make the dreaming characters aware of the impending kick is Non, Je ne Regrette Rien by Edith Piaf. There are 3 versions of Non, Je ne Regrette Rien, which are the original, the slowed version and the super-slowed version. When time is shifting between the dreams, the original Non, Je ne Regrette Rien is slowing down and being cross-faded with Zimmers score. When the musical countdown is heard down a level from its origin, its slowed down by 300%, and when it passes down another level, it slows by 300% again. By slowing down Non, Je ne Regrette Rien by 300%, the sound becomes very similar to the slow horns in Half Remembered Dream at the beginning of the film. When Cobb and Ariadne descend into limbo, without any headphones on to re-adjust the tempo of the music, that same score is heard slowed down by 300%. As Cobb and Ariadne wash up on the shores of Cobbs subconscious, the loudest and most drawn-out horn section of the entire soundtrack takes place in the end of the score 528491. The audience is not the only part involved hearing the slowed score, but so are the characters in the film. Many different films have made use of first person perspectives. It is just like experiencing life from the  first  person  point of view of  Malkovich in the movie Being John Malkovich  (1999). The first-person aural perspective has an immense impact on viewing film. The first person perspectives will surely make the audience feel in the characters way. The audience hears what exactly the characters hear. Since the characters can hear the music with us, the score itself is a hint at what layer of a dream we are viewing. Knowing this, it becomes possible to distinguish between dream and reality by merely hearing the music. The fact that score never dips into the slow droning in the reality level is a pretty good proof that the top level in the movie is indeed reality. The better-defined film sound became in the high frequency range, the more it induced a rapid perception of what was onscreen. This film has a very good dynamic frequency range. As for low frequency, there is the shaking of the building and the thunder sound. As for high frequency, there is water lapping and the gun shot recording. Mysterious electronic sound at the beginning implies that it is going to be a very unusual film. The water lapping and waves sound on shore goes from right to left according to the water flowing on screen. It can be a live record, but more probably is reinserted when post production. We Built Our Own World begins when Cobb is lying on the shore. It provides a strong sense of desolation when Cobb is looking at his children, which means he is not in the reality. The sound of spinning top is much louder than it should be because the filmmaker wants us to focus on the spinning top but not anything else. Then the spinning sound gradually fades out after switching views. Recording the background voices in a restaurant where Cobb was having a meal with Saito was a clever way of delivering the idea that they were in a very big building. We can hear low-frequency noise which sounds like the ground that is shaking at the same time. And then it gets louder and louder. All the above information that sound conveys is a clue that they are actually in dreams and lay the groundwork for the building collapse soon after that. Later the audience can hear the shaking sound of the tables and the glasses very clearly. Then the ticking sound of the clock goes faster and faster, which means we are travelling from dream to reality. Without sound, the audience do not even know what is going on. Sound inevitably carries much useful information in this collapsing scene indeed. The audience can hear background riot voices when there is only inside-house shots taking on, which means these background voices come from the riot people outside. Then we hear a simulated explosion sound which makes us feel we are in the scene. When Cobb is talking with Mal, we can hear ambience sound of water lapping sound again while we cannot see the shore, which means the shore is right beside the building. One Simple Idea takes place when Cobb is trying to steal an idea from Saito in dream. That is obviously a working theme that calms the audience down and tells the audience that Cobb is in the process of doing something important. Sound designer should record the building collapsing sound or simulate it in post-production in order to immense the audience into a surround atmosphere of danger. The background music Dream Is Collapsing is a magnificent piece that we can feel the dream is in the process of collapsing. In the gun shot scene, we cannot see the bullet or the fire light but we can hear very loud gunshot so that we know they are firing at each other. When Cobb is falling into water, it seems that we can hear what Cobb is hearing. Because Cobb is dreaming, so actually he is in two layers of world. In the upper layer dream, we here the water bubble sound when Cobb is drowning into water and water is running into his ears, thus causing a reverberation. But in the dream within a dream, the water is crushing into the building from everywhere, and then we should hear a sound like massive water drop on the ground, which is very similar to waterfall sound. When the scene goes back to drowning Cobb, we hear a pulse with its frequency getting faster and faster, which means he is crossing one dream layer up. We can hear the sound of a moving train when we see the characters are sleeping and dreaming together, which means in reality they are actually dreaming in a moving train. The sound designer perfectly builds up three layers of world using sound as a clue to the audience, but it is hard for the audience to notice these little clues. Anyway the sound clue will become clear when the audience watch the film a second time. When the dreaming character listens to the music on headphone, the audiences hear Non, Je ne Regrette Rien as if they are the dreaming character. Again there are two layers of sound at the same time. In the dream layer, the character can only hear a highly filtered version of Non, Je ne Regrette Rien in a low voice as if someone is whispering beside the ears. Sound images are often used in the film for the purpose of creating an atmosphere. Just as the film can show visual landscapes, so it can show acoustic landscapes. (Weis, 1985) Sound can describe an acoustic space. (Sider, 2003) Sometimes sound is simple enough to tell the audience what is happening, we do not need an extra visual image showing the detail. When Cobb drags Saito to the ground, there is no image showing Cobb has loaded the gun, but the audience hear a bullet loaded sound, which means Cobb is threatening Saito and probably he is going to kill Saito if Saito does not tell the secret of his company. That same thing happens again in the scene when Cobb is about to kill himself in dream. When Cobb is playing the spinning top, we hear the familiar Old Souls again. Every time when Cobb is not sure if he is in dream, the theme Old Souls will appear. It feels like a looping paradox. We can never make it right; we can never go out of the paradox. That is what Zimmer tries to convey to the audience through Old Souls. When Cobb is having conversation through telephone, we hear Cobb is speaking normally, but obviously reverberation is added to the voices come from the other end and these voices are so clear as if we are hearing it from Cobbs first person perspective. The sound designer has to make it clear so as the audience will not miss any information or emotion that Cobb receives from the telephone. When they mention Mal in the telephone, the background music suddenly changes into a soft and sad piece. That means Mals dead is really a nightmare for Cobb. He cannot stop his endless grieve about Mal. The microphone is placed in two places to record the speech in a big concert room between Cobb and his architect teacher. At first it is a close-up record. When the scene changes into a wide shot, the audience can hear a distant record version with more echoes which makes the ambience sounds more realistic than before. And that truly helps push the audience into the world. During the conversation, the background music Old Souls comes up again because they are talking about the idea of designing dream. One Simple Idea is a good choice of background music when Cobb is teaching Ariadne how to design a dream world like maze. That music simply draws the audiences attention to difficult staff they are going through but not itself. That is to say, when background music goes off or goes down without any supporting emotion, it leaves the space for the audience to stay in the visual and the profound idea naturally. To make the story more logical and each plot scene connected better, a good, logical and complicated sound design is required. Even if it is in dreams, the ambience sound goes like it is in reality. When Cobb is talking with Ariadne, the voices of the other people around are still available. In order to surprise the audience with a later explosion scene, the designer would rather let the audience believe this is a reality scene at first. So everything sounds as normal as daily life at the beginning. In fact few people can notice that the Non, Je ne Regrette Rien is fading in in the explosion scene when the dream is collapsing, which means the headphone on Ariadnes ear is playing to wake her up. A ground moving sound is simulated in the scene that Ariadne is folding the ground upside down in her dream. Everybody knows there is no way to record this sound in real life, we have to record the other sound, such as rock moving on the ground, to replace the imagined sound in the scene to make it sounds like what it should be. Radical Notion is on the way when Ariadne makes everything functioning radical and unbelievable in her experimental dream. The two gradually switching chords make us feel the way like How could it be like that? What an amazing thing! If the scene has a big change, it is a good practice to insert a background music which is in completely different style from the music in the scene before. Actually the Mombasa theme has already begun long before the chasing takes place, but again it is a gradually fading in, which means something excited should be just around the corner. We can hear sound similar to helicopter and also the sound of wind when Mal is sitting on the window. The moment when she jumps out, the background music suddenly changes into a sad tune. That seems to say it is not in dream but in reality. So it deserves to be a tragedy definitely. And this theme lasts until Cobbs narration is over. When they are taking action to hijack the son of the companys head, the music becomes very intense from that time. When Arthur is having gun fire, we hear the sound from his angel but not enemies angel because we only need a first person record. The sound the enemies are hearing is not that important to the plot. We can notice that whenever the speech between the characters is over, the background music will soon get louder. The sound designer does not want the background music cover our semantic listening. It is always a serious headache to record the sound when several driving cars are firing at each other, because there is often fast switching shot. In the film, the car braking sound, the gun fire sound, the braking glass sound because of the gun shot and the water lapping sound, every sound mix with each other at exactly the same time. So post production edit for the recorded sound is obviously needed at this specific moment. Some part of the sound is reinforced while some is reduced or diminished. It is the way to select useful sound information for the audience. When we see a close-up shot of a glass of water is shaking, we get a glass shaking sound. After the shot switches to peoples face, we still get that glass shaking sound. This time we know what it is the glass that is generating the sound. And also we can judge the shaking intensity simply by the acquiring the volume of the glass shaking sound. When the glass hits the table and breaks, we hear a sound which is similar to metal ringing and the ringing keeps lasting for a long time. And that is the time when Cobbs attention is extracted by his subconscious. That ringing is a clue that he may lose himself in thinking about Mal and his children. He simply cannot run away from the idea. The sound designer has to think of a best way to deliver the sound in a virtual environment. When the scene is switching between two levels of dream, especially at the conjunction point, sound effects do not necessary have to complete a sudden change. Sometimes for the consideration for continuity the sound from the upper level will pass on to the next level. The wind blowing sound and water lapping sound from the upper level become the thunder sound causing by the strange weather in the next level. This is a very good example of designing sound according to the requirement of plot and environment. I have to say that this is really a very smart sound design. A close-up shot on Robert Fischers face with a thunder sound above makes the whole scenery more nervous. Robert Fischer definitely feels anxious about being in dream with a strange continuing thunder sound above. The very clear fast breathing sound of Robert Fischer also reveals his anxiety. We can hear almost all the detail from Robert Fischers mouth so clear that it sounds like the microphone is just around the mouth of Robert Fischer. Thus it has to be a later recorded version of syncing facial expression with a close-up recorded sound. The messy footsteps sound is a good way to show a chaotic scene, thus reflects peoples tension. When Robert Fischer is escaping with Cobb from the men who were sent to abduct Robert Fischer, the sound of footstep is getting louder and quicker. At the best part of the film when five levels of dream are interacting and the shots keep switching between these five levels every few seconds, there is no speech, only the sound effects with magnificent background music which sounds like orchestra march. That particular background piece makes up the best part of the film, telling the audience this should be a spectacular moment that they would never see in any other film. In a word this piece stirs the emotion to the climax of the whole film. When the characters on the third and fourth level of the dream put on headphone on the second level, they hear a distorted version of Non, Je ne Regrette Rien. All the perception on the upper level has a reflection effects on the deeper level. In here, the music reflection effect is distortion music sound. The music at the shore of Cobbs subconscious is a woozy piece. It makes us dont know where we are. In fact it is the fifth level of dream. It is also desolation piece that few people can enter this level of dream so far. It becomes a strong kick with a long horn when the music Non, Je ne Regrette Rien is on. This time it is not a distorted version, it is a new recorded slow version of Non, Je ne Regrette Rien. Let us take a look at the film score part of sound design. What can film score does to the film? The obvious first thing to say: It makes you feel a certain way. It adds emotion, it evokes feelings, and it creates a mood. They can establish the pace of a scene. Directors are constantly asking composers to write a piece of music which will make the scene seem to go faster, or slower, than it goes. (Sider, 2003) A good film score will push the audience into the movies plot. It should reach the perfect interaction point between audio and visuals. Usually the composer is shown an unpolished rough cut of the film, and talks to the director about what music styles should be followed. Once a composer has the film, they will then work on composing the score. Some composers prefer to work with traditional paper scores, but if it comes to score like Inception that contains odd ambient and electronic noises, it has to be written in a computer-based environment. In some instances, film composers may be asked by the director to imitate a specific style. As seen in many film DVDs, the orchestra performs in front of a large screen depicting the movie, assisting the conductor to synchronize the music with the film. Films often have different themes for important characters, events, ideas or objects. So we divide the whole soundtrack into pieces of scores. By convention, the film soundtrack is constructed so as not to draw the audiences attention to itself but to accompany the film unless it is part of the plot. The director, composer, and music editor will have a spotting session, running through and agreeing on where and what kind of music is needed. The composer of the Inception scores is Hans Zimmer, whose music is characterized by high audible. Because Inception is based on the practice of entering dreams and planting an idea in someones head, the soundtracks to Inception should be designed as dream-like and create a complete sonic world to immerse the audience into each layers of the dreams. The original soundtrack album is largely an atmospheric album. The soundtrack has to be composed in ways that are quite unrealistic so that the audience will not notice the background music. Listening to this soundtrack really guide me to recall most of the main plot, at the same time music is the perfect embodiment of the films theme. It is an aural journey into ones imagination which creates images and story lines in my mind. It is a soundtrack to the imagination, or perhaps, dreams. In viewing period, the film score will never grab the limelight of the film itself, but to help the audience build up the courage of the dream and promote the development of the plot. Inception movie scores rely more on real live instruments rather than digital audio samples. The whole soundtrack is a combination of electronic and classical. Traditional orchestra can be heard here and there in each track. Some cues even play with electric guitar, odd ambient and electronic noises. Dream Is Collapsing is one of the most powerful tracks in the score. It is seen as perfectly rational that all characters in this scene keep calm and behave naturally with having a house collapse. This technique increases the contrast of the characters rational behaviour against the powerful background score which tells the audience that it deserves to be a nervous scene. Dream is Collapsing is very well done and incredibly addictive. Dream is Collapsing is the most memorable song. Radical Notion begins with heart beat which makes the audience lulled into a false sense of security. Those low chords that switch up and down before lie underneath strings as if a beast is softly breathing, or perhaps, it implies that it is the dreamer who is breathing, and always with a slowed down version. Recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition Radical Notion is a track that walks in familiar territory in terms of the string ostinatos. It is a motif which is persistently repeated in the same musical voice. It is a succession of equal sounds, wherein each note always has the same weight or stress. The repeated idea may be a rhythmic pattern in itself. Starts off playing the main motif rather dramatically then dips into some too cool for school stuff before playing around with the little motif some more. The last moments of the track gets aggressive. Old Souls reflects Mals anxious about living in dreams. It makes the audience puzzled, wondering if they are living in dreams. And the vibrating electronic underscoring is used in such a special way. It is a long and effective track that continues the atmospheric feelings of the album. Old Souls is a cue that leads us into the conversation between Cobb and Mal and make every audience puzzled with what they are doing and why they are acting like that. Most of the original background cues have something in common, but some of cues have slight differences. Mombasa is the only percussion in the score, which has distinctive flavour from the rest of the score. What is occurring on screen is a chasing scene which lasts about 4 minutes. Thus the accompanying soundtrack should be a very fast on-going rhythm in order to provoke audiences emotions. The Hi Octane element provides intense personal experience and delivers a paranoid sense of being chased when Cobb is running to get out of the chasers. It has a fairly light start, but it soon explodes into an action cue. Dream within a Dream brings back the motif heard in Dream is Collapsing but adds some too cool for school percussion. Waiting for a Train is the longest cue of all, which feels very mysterious and nostalgic when there are too many musical elements and emotion changing blended in. Around 3 minutes, it changes the feeling completely and the atmosphere becomes a little darker in nature. At around 5:30, it gets more dramatic as there are almost only synths left. In stark contrast, Edith Piaf is in there at around 7:04. Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien is a classic, but it still sounded strange there. The female voice wakes up the dreamers. All of these form 9 minutes and 29 seconds of continuous wonderfulness. Great inspirational scores and soundtracks should all have the quality of independence from their intended film. Time may be one of the most beautiful epic songs in the soundtrack that can be appreciated independently from Inception. It gives a sense of closure by building up an emotional thread from beginning to end. There is no doubt that Time should be the main title in this original soundtrack album. The piano gets the view feeling sentimental, which brings tears to the eyes, especially at the very end after the audience has experienced all the dreams in the film. This is probably the one that most people will truly love and listen to a thousand times without being tired of. What Time did was no pure sensationalism, the fate of a sense of desolation in which the melody is along with the spinning top, so that we cannot distinguish if it is a dream or not. It is not just orchestral music, but every form of music because you never know when you might need to use some electric guitars. Great composers adapt to the story and to their directors vision. It can be said that sounds greatest influence on the film is manifested at the heart of the image itself. (Chion, 1994)

Essay --

MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS There are great insights to the managers. As the research is conducted to find out the three main objectives which are as follows: 1.) To investigate how socio-demographic (age, income and occupation) affect consumers attitude towards online shopping. 2.) To probe how the pattern of online buying (types of goods, e-commerce experience and hours use on internet) influence consumers attitude towards online shopping. 3.)To examine how purchase perception (product perception, customer service and consumer risk) influence consumers attitude towards online shopping. As the level of significance is taken as 5% throughout the full research; The results of the research on the basis of gender are as follows: 1.) Gender is independent of weekly usage of the internet because the result of hypothesis testing for this is 0.666 which is greater than 0.05. Hence, gender is not responsible for the weekly usage of the internet. 2.) Gender is independent of intention of the online purchase because the result of hypothesis testing for this is 0.910 which is greater than 0.05. Hence, gender is not responsible for the intention of the online purchase. 3.) Gender is independent of frequency of purchases because the result of hypothesis testing for this is 0.457 which is greater than 0.05. Hence, gender is not responsible for the frequency of purchases. 4.) Gender is independent of online product purchase because the result of hypothesis testing for this is 0.566 which is greater than 0.05. Hence, gender is not responsible for the online product purchase. 5.) Gender is independent of internet experience because the result of hypothesis testing for this is 0.401 which is greater than 0.05. Hence, gender is n... ... income is not responsible for the weekly usage of the internet. 2.) Income is independent of intention of the online purchase because the result of hypothesis testing for this is 0.893 which is greater than 0.05. Hence, income is not responsible for the intention of the online purchase. 3.) Income is independent of frequency of purchases because the result of hypothesis testing for this is 0.901 which is greater than 0.05. Hence, income is not responsible for the frequency of purchases. 4.) Income is dependent of online product purchase because the result of hypothesis testing for this is 0.037 which is less than 0.05. Hence, income is responsible for the online product purchase. 5.) Income is dependent of internet experience because the result of hypothesis testing for this is 0.012 which is less than 0.05. Hence, income is responsible for the internet experience.

Critical Path Analysis: Its Use and Limitations Essay

Introduction As firms begin to realize the need to improve on their project management capabilities, many companies and software developers have charged to fill this need by offering tools and techniques for a variety of projects. Some are tools for portfolio management, and some focus on particular disciplines within the project management field. Tools for resource planning, task and time management, communications management, resource allocation, or other project needs abound. Being a mature academic and practical course, Project Management has developed many tools and methodologies to assist in the planning, execution, evaluation and closeout of various types of projects. Varied tools can be used throughout many categories of project needs, while some tools are specific to certain types of projects. Some of the benefits of using project management tools and techniques as opposed to general management procedures, as mentioned in this week’s lecture, are that they have been proven to work particularly in a project environment and the uniformity of terms and approaches allows for better understanding and communication between members of the project team and the stakeholders. Tools such as Decision Trees, Cost-Benefit Analysis and programs such as Agile and Prince2 have proven to be particularly useful in producing best practice and expert results for projects that have employed them. CPA Utility and Limitations Critical Path Method (CPM) or Critical Path Analysis (CPA), as a project management tool, operates as the basis for a project work schedule, and likewise of resource planning illustrating shortest possible time to complete a project. The tool outlines critical events noting their sequencing, precedence relations, and strict timing requirements (Shtub, Bard and Globerson, 2005:395). The authors further note that PERT and CPA approaches treat ‘Finish to Start’ precedence relations using ‘zero’ as lag time between finish of last activity to start of next task along the critical path. The CPA map shows what activities cannot begin without accomplishing the preceding task, it is dependent on and also defines parallel tasks or ‘non-dependent’ tasks which can be performed simultaneously. By plotting activities using circles to represent activities noting earliest start (EST) and end times (LFT), and arrows showing sequencing of tasks, CPA clearly defines the flow of tasks, timings and therefore resources that must be allocated to accomplish activities and timelines. CPA has similarities to a GANTT chart as both tools show tasks that need to be done and the corresponding time to accomplish each. However, unlike a GANTT chart, CPA activity timings are not drawn to scale in that arrows represented with the same length may correspond to differing measures of time (e. g. same size arrows may represent 1, 2 or 4 weeks). A GANTT chart will have the tasks on a vertical axis while the time required for each task is easily identified along its horizontal axis. For both GANTT and CPA, the plan’s ‘critical path’ is the longest and has no spare time or ‘slack’/’float’ in any of the tasks. If any delays between dependent tasks in the critical path are encountered, the whole project will be delayed unless the manager makes changes to bring the plan back on track. Bringing a project back on track may be done by possibly adding resources to cut delivery time of tasks (‘crashing’) affected by the delay. Obviously, adding or re-allocating resources usually mean additional costs to the project. A sample for a 10-week computer project using a CPA map is as below. Upper left numbers within nodes represent the EST and lower left numbers on nodes represent LFT. Number on the right is the activity number and task description and duration is along the arrow lines: Source: www. mindtools. com In managing a project, a CPA map allows the project team to monitor attainment of goals and assists the project manager to see where corrective action is required to get the project back on course. Shtub, Bard and Globerson (2005:381) reiterate preparation and use of the tool requires a complete understanding of the project’s goals and structures. As most projects will have a number of stakeholders with different requirements, it must be assumed that a thorough knowledge and understanding of all these requirements are known and considered by the project manager in order to utilize a CPA approach. Moreover, considerable expertise is required in order to estimate the duration of each project task as performance and resource allocation are dependent on the accuracy of the ame. While CPA is recognized as an important part of project management, projects which may not benefit from use of this tool are those where there is a requirement for high flexibility in project tasks and schedules. ‘Project Flexibility’ is described by Maylor, (2010:86) as the capability of a project to adjust to changes. As CPA assumes that activity times are ‘deterministic’ – having a predictable outcome as all of its causes are clear and rigid, it is unlikely that the CPA tool can easily take in many adjustments during the execution stage without jeopardizing the project. Since only parallel tasks are afforded time slack within the plan, a project may experience detrimental delays and spiralling costs should situations arise where the schedules are not met, or resources cannot be re-allocated to a later or earlier timeline. In particular, R&D projects, where results of new technology or a new drug cannot be easily predicted, or may need further testing and numerous changes, may suffer from a very rigid CPA map. Moreover, project work on innovations will not have the benefit of historical basis for correctly estimating time requirements of many tasks involved which is ssential in using the CPA. The United States Food and Drug Administration (2004) comments, â€Å"A new product development toolkit — containing powerful new scientific and technical methods such as animal or computer-based predictive models, biomarkers for safety and effectiveness, and new clinical evaluation techniques — is urgently needed to improve predictability and efficiency along the critical path from laboratory concept to commercial product†. This lack of knowledge and systems in drug research and development negatively affects the proper implementation of a CPA as a project management tool. Conversely, Construction industry projects benefit widely from the use of CPA maps as there is a considerable body of knowledge, experience, and repetition in many of the tasks performed in such projects. Another weakness in the utilisation of the CPA tool highlighted by Woolf (2008) is the observation that there is as yet no â€Å"universally accepted definition of the term ‘critical path’†. He argues that this lack of consensus poses a problem in determining what is critical, nearcritical, or non-critical in nature when preparing a CPA map. Since parallel tasks falling outside of the critical path can still have grave effects on the total project should they fall behind in schedule, Woolf argues there is nothing ‘non-critical’ about a parallel activity which has -17weeks as float. It is suggested ‘criticality’ must be measurable and objective, free from comparisons which will make it subjective. Moreover, as a completed project is one unit, it is contended all tasks within the project are important/critical and contributes to its completion. This agreement in understanding and measure of terms is an important issue as one of the advantages of utilising tools and methods is its universality of understanding. In the case of R&D and highly innovative tasks in projects, this question poses an issue as unknown tasks at the start of the project which may arise and have significant implications on the project would not have been accounted for in the ‘critical path’. Shtub, Bard and Globerson (2005:382) cite overdependence on the CPA as a potential threat to project success. When pressure in sequential schedules is the primary focus, a team may cut short or totally exclude certain tasks in order to stay within timelines. This negative manner of management can be harmful to the project’s final outcome. This last observation though is not a weakness of the tool itself but is a case of weak project management. Conclusion and Recommendation: As with any tool, the user’s skill is key to its effective employment and management. CPA has been proven to be a valuable tool in project management for determining: Activities which must be performed, sequencing, prioritising, and timing Tasks which can be performed parallel to save time. The shortest time a project can be successfully delivered What and when resource will be required Remedial measures will be required and when during the performance of the project. As such, it is an integral part of the project management toolbox which can be harnessed efficiently in a variety of complex projects with proper inputs derived from experience, research, modelling and sound judgement.

Good Morning Miss Toliver essays

Good Morning Miss Toliver essays Good Morning Miss Toliver was a very inspirational video. Ms. Toliver, who is an inner-city mathematics teacher, has a philosophy that all children can master mathematics. She has different types of teaching strategies. For example, on one certain occasion Ms. Toliver entered the classroom dressed in character. Ms. Toliver also describes and demonstrates a "hands-on" approach to mathematics instruction, and strategies to get students actively involved in classroom activities. All in all, she makes her students want to learn math. Ms. Toliver discusses and demonstrates the uses of speaking and writing as tools to develop-and assess-student understanding of math concepts. For example, she uses journals for the students to remember things they have learned. This seems to be one way she greatly encourages writing in her math class. Ms. Toliver clarifies basic concepts and terms, and tries to create an atmosphere in which students can communicate freely. Ms. Toliver asks very open-ended questions. She does not just ask for the answer to her questions, but also for an explanation for their answer. Ms. Toliver encourages all answers for questions. For example one student may answer a question that is acceptable by Ms. Toliver, but she may ask for other possible answers from the class. After all, Ms. Toliver says, There is more than one way to skin a cat. In my opinion Ms. Toliver uses a different type of room organization for an older class of students. Ms. Tolivers students are seated four persons to each table. All tables and chairs are facing the board. This way she is sure to have each students attention. With this seating arrangement the students will always have team members during group activities. This is the time when Ms. Toliver explains the value of each member of the team. Ms. Toliver is great when it comes to the introduction of a new lesson. For example, she entered the classroom with a great...

The Time Travelers Wife Film Analysis According to the Book

The Time Travelers Wife Film Analysis According to the Book Intimate Relationships theories by Rowland Miller At the beginning, I would like to emphasize, that the film â€Å"Time Traveler’s Wife† is one of the best examples of relationships for the analyses through the prism of Rowland Miller’s theories and concepts. The latter had been found in the 5th edition of Interpersonal Relationships, outlining the processes of formation, development, and deterioration of human connections, explaining the problems and the roots of these problems of human relationships, and, generally, covering the main aspects of relationships paradigm. Firstly, it would be appropriate to point out the main theories of Rowland Miller’s research into interpersonal relationships. To follow the natural human development while growing up, Rowland Miller offers to our consideration the attachment theory. There he, together with scholar Dollard and Bowlby, describes the formation and mechanism of attachment, which occurs with a personality in th e years of early childhood. The attachment theory is being considered through the prism of two main approaches, including learning and evolutionary theories. The first theory anticipates the fact of child’s attachment formation to people, who provide the most primary care, while the latter claims, that children are ready to get attached to those, who respond to their releasing stimuli. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on â€Å"The Time Traveler’s Wife† Film Analysis According to the Book specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They choose a particular attachment figure, which is supposed to be further used as a firm ground for world exploration and cognition. This first child’s attachment is a pattern for interpersonal relationships in future. The next theory, introduced in the work of Rowland Miller is interdependence theory, which is inextricably linked to the terms of CL (comparison levels) and CLalt (comparison levels for alternatives). The author represents the definition and concepts of CL, which means for â€Å"the expectations that determine whether or not we are satisfied with our relationships† and CLalt , which, in its turn, denotes to â€Å"our perceptions of how well we would do if we left our current relationships†. [2] Generally, the psychologist expresses his point of view, connecting the state of satisfaction with the state of dependence. Naturally, the both mental and emotional aspects concern the issue of relationship. Hence, interdependence theory considers the interrelation between one’s expectations and one’s outcome, the balance or misbalance between what we wanted to have and what we really have. The author also emphases the inability to set a clear boundary between satisfaction with the relationships and dependence on it. Triangular love theory, being described in the Chapter 8 of the book Intimate Relationships, concerns the matter of the three separate units, the combination of which are to set up healthy long-term relationships. These are closeness, fervour, and responsibility. The author claims, that love, including only one part is much weaker, than love, including all the three in a â€Å"composite†. Rowland Miller explains, that there are many aspects, which have to be taken into consideration while analyzing love relationships. The vital role belongs to culture as a major determiner of a personality’s behavior and world outlook. Cross-cultural differences may be a reasonable destroyer of intimate relationships just for the reason, that mentality of one peoples does not fully coincide with the mentality of other. The author provides a reader with information about social exchange theory.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This theory states, that a person chooses his/he r partner according to his/her own idea about â€Å"prize and price†. A person has always been thinking about the relationship type he or she deserves. Reward is a vital issue, without which it is impossible to build up strong and healthy relationship. Defining the word â€Å"reward† in this context we cannot but mention that there exists a straight proportion between the time and effort put into the relationships on the one side and the formal â€Å"size† of reward expectations on the other side. As an analogy to the interdependence theory, the theory of social exchange is determined by balance. This balance is to be reached between the two factors, which are mentioned above. Otherwise, the relationships are doomed to misunderstanding and personal discomfort. Talking about correspondence of our needs and expectations with what we become in return, we cannot but mention the theory of cognitive dissonance. The author implies this theory to the situations of cont radiction. The latter lies the feeling of discomfort while coming to terms with two opposite statements, actions or phenomena. The theory of cognitive dissonance reflects the necessity of â€Å"reaching the compromise† between these opposites by altering our views and behaviors, making them suitable for each other and trying to combine them that they were logically corresponding. According to Rowland Miller, cognitive dissonance appears, when the particular beliefs are of the opposite extreme nature and cannot be hold by one person at a time. Hence, the most forceful reason of cognitive dissonance is an internal conflict about whether you have done right or wrong. Personal self-awareness leads to looking for excuses, finding some causes, which would explain your actions. The author uses a term of â€Å"rationalizing† while discussing this issue. In addition, the topic of cognitive dissonance deeply concerns the matter of egoism, so to say, protection of oneself from destructive processes. Moreover, the term of self-image is being used in the book referring to the willingness of a person to correspond to his/her own idea about him/herself. In further description of Rowland Miller’s ideas, I would like to provide the quotation taken from the book Intimate Relationships: The more we see and interact with a person, the more likely he or she is to become our friend or intimate partner. [3]Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on â€Å"The Time Traveler’s Wife† Film Analysis According to the Book specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This conception, defined by the psychologist as a propinquity effect, is one of the key points in strong relationships maintenance. Interpersonal relationships are also highly affected by such factors as personal traits resemblance, attractiveness, and mutual liking. Rowland Miller pointed out that â€Å"attitude similarity activates the perceiv ed attractiveness and favorability information from each other, whereas dissimilarity would reduce the impact of these cues†. [2] â€Å"Time Traveler’s Wife† Film Analyses According to the Theories and Concepts of the Fifth Edition of Book by Rowland Miller Intimate Relationships Its hard being left behind. I wait for Henry, not knowing where he is, wondering if hes okay. Its hard to be the one who stays. /Clare/ Indeed, relationships themselves are very complicated issue, leaving alone such relationships Clare and Henry had. Here we are talking about a romantic love story, including the elements of scientific fiction however, pretty much realistic – kept the viewer on the edge of his/her seat. Henry and Clare, the protagonists have met for the first time during one of Henry’s time travels. At that time this beautiful and smart little girl Clare has seen a good-looking handsome man, which soon has become her best friend.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Generally, each relationship has universal stages, which they come through while its existence. We can metaphorically compare relationships to human organism, which is born, than is developing, getting older and, consequently and inevitably dies. Therefore, the scholars distinguish the following stages of relationships: Acquaintance Development Decay So, when a little girl Clare has met her future love, we can observe the acquaintance stage. There, according to Rowland Miller, we can watch clearly illustrated theory of attachment. The girl has namely found her â€Å"base†, her â€Å"firm ground†, and no wonder it was approximately 35-year-old man. They have spent a lot of time together; he was one of the main source of her world cognition. Henry was the one who shaped her outlook, Henry was the one, whom he wanted to marry since her early childhood. The attachment strings became stronger and, due to mutual liking, interpersonal relationships became closer. During th ese time travels Clare was practically brought up by Henry. He was destined to be both her â€Å"father† and her lover. The time passed, and, naturally, the girl grew up and came to the point, when she realized, that Henry was her one and only love. At this point we have to provide the other type of relationships development stages. It is as follows: ROMANCE STAGE POWER STRUGGLE STAGE STABILITY STAGE COMMITMENT STAGE CO-CREATION STAGE So, the development of Clare and Henry’s relationships has come to the stage of transformation into romantic ones. The romantic stage lasted quite long, until their first meeting at the library. This stage can be characterized by the triangular love theory, where the two young people were combining the three most important components of healthy and strong relationships. Intimacy together with passion and commitment has made their lives full of happiness and joy, which only the true feeling can bring. They have been developing their rel ationships, which have undoubtedly led to wedding and marriage. There, however, we see the first roots of dissatisfaction in Clare’s feelings. But, at first, she covers them with the idea of true love to the person, for whom she has been waiting for her whole life. At this stage of relationships, the interdependence theory can be considered as an appropriate one in analyzing the position of Clare. At the CL (comparison level) the viewed can observe her inner doubts about how she is going to spend her life with a person, who is constantly traveling in tie and, what is more, unexpectedly. We could see the facial expression of a beautiful bride, who was left alone on the first night after the wedding party. Disappointed, she was lying on the bed trying to find excuses for the situation. However, she did found an â€Å"excuse†, being motivated by the thought, that they are really worth of each other and their love is worth fighting for. When years passed, Clare’s d issatisfaction was growing, her husband’s constant disappearing for indefinite time and unexpected coming back has caused increasing disappointments. There we can obviously notice the stage of power-struggle, the conflict of the interests of two people, whose feeling of love cannot fit into the inconveniences of practical world. Henry could not meet an ordinary woman’s requirements. Finally, after his last time travel, which lasted two weeks, he came back home, and found his wife angry and disillusioned in her own feelings. The viewer can follow how the social exchange theory is illustrated in this case. Clare has a feeling of inequality, being somehow subordinate while waiting for her husband. She is tired of being a puppet of these relationships and decides to start leading her own life. According to the theory, Clare finds, that she has spent so much time and effort on this marriage; she has tried everything and devoted herself to these relationships. However, she did not get any feedback, so-called â€Å"reward†. In this case, feeling deprived and offended, feeling, that she deserves â€Å"a normal life† induced her split with Henry. There, at the same time, we can see the example of cognitive dissonance theory. A viewer can observe typical ego-defense, which is based on willing of self-realization, living without dependence on her partner, who even does not have any social status. Indeed, during the stage of power-struggle the most divorces occur, and Clare really separated from Henry. Logically, both of them were far from being happy and satisfied with life. However, not long after, Henry makes use of his ability to travel in time and wins a lottery. This event essentially changes the quality of life of the both. They buy a large house with a separate place for Clare to work on art. So, we can state, that these two people have managed to overcome the hard times of power-struggle stage. Summing up the behavior of the protagoni sts during this period, we can say, that Henry wanted to deal with the conflict in a non-destructive manner, while Clare was at first not keen on preserving the relationship. She was unwilling to deal with the problem, she let away her aggression and discontent and did not want to seek for a compromise, to be tolerant and understanding to her husband’s way life, which he was actually not to blame. However, stability stage in the development of Henry-Clare relationships proceeds. They both are satisfied with everything they have, Henry’s timetravels have become not so often. Clare works at her little art house. Their life has acquired balance and harmony. However, the next stage of relationships strikes their faith and hope. The couple wants to give birth to a baby, but it appears, that baby is supposed to get the same â€Å"travel-ability†, like the father. That was the reason for the loss of Clare’s two children. The relationships had to face another ord eal. The conflict has started to destroy the relationship; everyday quarrels were the reason for couple’s disillusion in their happy life. However, soon Clare got pregnant and gave birth to a girl, which Henry has seen in his time-travels. Life has begun to get better and brighter. Parents, having one â€Å"aim† of child upbringing have become closer. There a viewer can observe the stage of commitment and co-creation. During this period the two people as the two separate individuals are becoming one inseparable organism, which is functioning in balance and harmony. They build up healthy relationships on the basis of mutual understanding and cooperation. This stage is determined by affection and care for each other, both talking about the both partners and about the relationships with children. To follow the plot of the film, a viewer observes further events development from the prism of fatality. Naturally, the film could hardly be called a drama and, therefore, win a ttention, without some â€Å"break†, tragic climax of love relationships. Here, in ‘Time Traveler’s Wife’ the observer can analyze the situation of Henry’s own death perception. Inability to change inevitable events at first causes mere disillusion inside of the protagonists, who are supposed to wait for the fate’s will. However, they continue to live as they use to, realizing, that everything is in the Lord’s hands. Love as a state, as a feeling and emotion between the protagonists is transcendental. It has become on the higher stage of development, which presupposes the willing to sacrifice for each other, giving away all the tenderness and warmth you have without asking anything in return. List of References Aronson, Elliot, Timothy D. Wilson, and Robin M. Akert. Social Psychology Sixth Edition. New Jersey: Upper Saddle River, 2007 Miller Rowland S. On Being Admired but Overlooked: Reflections on Attention to Alternatives in Close Relationships Psychological Inquiry, Vol. 14, No.  ¾ 2003, pp. 284-288 Miller, R, Perlman, D, Brehm, S Intimate Relationships. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006. pp.608

Vertigo Alfred Hitchock essays

Vertigo Alfred Hitchock essays Alfred Hitchcock's VERTIGO is a film which functions on multiple levels simultaneously. On one level it is a mystery about a man duped into being an accomplice to murder. On another level it is about a psyche burdened down with guilt. Finally, it is a story of a man who has lost his love. The film's screenplay, written by Alec Coppel and Samuel Taylor, was based upon the 1954 mystery novel D'Entre les Morts by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac. Even though Vertigo is one of Alfred Hitchcock's most powerful, deep, and stunningly beautiful masterpieces, it was the recipient of only two Academy Awards nominations, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, and Best Sound, and it was left without a single Oscar. The film begins with a chase scene that ends with police detective John "Scottie" Ferguson (JAMES STEWART) overcome by his fear of heights. He must retire from the police department until he finds an unlikely cure. With the help of an old girlfriend, the sensible Midge (BARBARA BEL GEDDES), Scottie attempts to return to a normal life. His friend Gavin Elster (TOM HELMORE) hires Scottie to take on a little freelance detective work. Elster asks him to shadow his wife Madeleine (KIM NOVAK), who he describes as "being possessed by a spirit" and being a "suicidal neurotic." Madeleine is beautiful and Scottie finds himself yearning to understand the woman he watches. Scottie saves Madeleine from throwing herself into San Francisco Bay and begins a face-to-face relationship with her, keeping his other identity as her husband's hired detective a secret. He falls in love with her but his vertigo keeps him from saving her when she tries to commit suicide again by jumping from a bell tower. Even thought she is dead Scottie continues to be haunted by Madeleine. He sees a woman walking down the street who looks just like her. He persues Judy Barton, a brunette department store salesgirl f ...

Comparing and contrasting China and Korea (about emotion) Essay

Comparing and contrasting China and Korea (about emotion) - Essay Example People tend to shy away from expressing their emotions and when they express, it occurs over a short period. In addition, a person suppresses emotions and only expresses minimal intensity of what he or she feels. This suggests emotional strength that allows for such a regulation even though cultural orientation also dictates it. Chinese culture preserves dominance of collective harmony in the society and established social hierarchies with which emotions should not interfere (Bond 245). Emotions among Chinese citizens also identify patriotism to their country and collectivism. Citizens, for example, have strong attachments to their country, are proud of their citizenships, and have positive attitude towards the country’s development. Strong attachment towards fellow citizens also exists, though not as strong as that towards the nation (Marsh and Lee 105). An understanding of Korean emotional orientation identifies similarities with, and distinctions from the Chinese emotional orientation. Korean cultural definition of emotion focuses on people and this suggest stronger ties to people, as opposed to the case in China in which stronger ties are towards the nation. Korean emotion is embedded in empathy in which a person feels an obligation to help a needy and feels guilty for failing to help under the circumstance. Korean emotional orientation, unlike the Chinese orientation, allows for freedom of emotional orientation, at least in such cases as funerals. The Korean concept that emotion does not interfere with a person’s rationale also suggest that social factors such as need for collectivism and social hierarchy does not constrain emotional expressions (Besemeres and Wierzbicka 121). Hofstede values for the two populations’ cultural orientation however establishes similarities of the two emotional orientations, despite the observed differences. Even though power distance, which is a significant constraint to

BUS Unit 4 DB SA FWP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

BUS Unit 4 DB SA FWP - Essay Example India was the founding member of the GATT i.e. the world trade organization in 1947 as well as WTO i.e. World Trade Organization in 1995 and the main objective was to decrease the barriers of international trade through the decrease of tariffs, quotas plus subsidies (Krueger, 2002). The drift in Indian economic trade policy is a response to the spaghetti bowl effect which is often cited as a problematic of free trade agreements. It refers to the development of overlapping bilateral as well as regional trade agreements (Mukherji, 2011). Nevertheless the average tariffs overdid 200 percent, quantifiable restrictions on imports were widespread, as well as there were stringent restrictions on foreign investment (Mukherji, 2011). India is pushing for extra liberal global trade since protective tariff and of free trade is the foundation of classical economics, it has anticipated a leadership role amongst developing nations (Krueger, 2002). An analysis of trade restrictions in Saudi Arabia displays that various restrictions besides challenges regarding regulatory and bureaucratic management in this country occurs up to now (House K, 2013). It is true that Saudi Arabia is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Greater Arab Free Trade Area GAFTA, it is an executive program to stimulate the Trade Facilitation as well as Development Agreement (House K, 2013). Import tariffs are only useful for products from third countries. Saudi Arabia also restricts or prohibits importation of certain products and needs licenses for products too. Prohibited items are for example firearms as well as alcohol (House K, 2013). Some examples for products that need licenses from Saudi Arabian authorities are medical devices and religious material that does not relate to Islam (House K, 2013). The procedure for applying for a license can be long-lasting and poses a test for applying in companies. Restrictions that apply to the exercise of certain professions

Workflow Interdependence Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Workflow Interdependence - Case Study Example The departments handling the processing can come together to increase the capacity as well as pool their resources together. They can network with one another in order to get experts to work in different departments to provide input and boost results as they all work for the same company. In order for proper interdependence to occur, it is necessary to limit the time used in the different departments for effectiveness. The processing time for example should be shortened and this is only possible with increase in capacity of the workers handling the processing. Lack of interchanging ideas and frequent open communication is what is leading to slow processing as well as risking an increase in customer complaints affecting the overall performance of the company. More interdependence means more ultimate success for the supervisors, workers and customers (Bhatia, 2008). The workflow issues are not managed properly as there are problems with communication between departments as well as issues with the technology. If the current design can focus on their workflow technology, then their design problems can be a thing of the past. The problems with the current design are evident in the article from the point in which customers are returning the products, asking for refund and the long time it takes to correct the product (Chandan, 2009). The current design of the workflow relies on the reception department to place the products in the right departments. Once each department is assigned a product, it is up to the supervisor to seek the workers to carry out assessment and those who will carry out the actual work on the product depending on their skills and knowledge of the product. This whole process consumes a lot of time which can be used in creation of more effective structures and design to minimize errors in future. Organizational effectiveness demands proper coordination

Investment Objectives Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Investment Objectives - Assignment Example The selection is as follows: 1) 1-Year Government of Canada Treasury bills The annual yield is 0.53%. It is a zero-coupon bond and thus bears no interest. Investors receive the par value at the maturity date. It cannot be redeemed before maturity and does not have call provisions. It is issued by government of Canada, so it is considered almost risk-free as few imagine the Canadian government will default. But additionally, it has disadvantages which include: †¢ Low return †¢ No periodic interest payments †¢ Low level of liquidity 2) 1-Year Government of Canada marketable bonds The annual yield is 0.57%. Marketable bonds are more liquid than Treasury bonds as they are transferable and can be sold at a reasonable price. 3) 1-Year BMO non-redeemable GIC with semi-annualinterest payment The semi-annually compounded rate is 0.875%. Compared to T-bills, GIC yields a higher return and pays interests semi-annually. Investors can enjoy fixed income stream at each payment date. The principal and interest payments are guaranteed by BMO. 4) 1-Year Nova Scotia Bank non-redeemable GIC with monthly payment The semi-annually compounded rate is 0.775%. Investment into different banks helps dispersing business risk and makes the portfolio even safer. For this reason, purchasing from more than one bank is better than purchasing only from BMO, despite of the lower interest rate offered by Nova Scotia Bank.

Technological Advancements in Historic Preservation Research Paper

Technological Advancements in Historic Preservation - Research Paper Example Historic buildings have been designed with sustainable features that respond to both site and prevailing climate (WBDG). The effectiveness of sustainable features used to preserve traditional buildings and, when incorporated in modern buildings, those features can result in substantial energy savings. The current technologically improved sustainable preservation of buildings has, therefore, been derived and adapted to supplement the inherent sustainable features in many historical buildings without compromising the unique and historic character of such buildings. For example, the Adobe houses or those made of dried bricks are among the oldest buildings made of the most common materials that are known to man today (Old House Web). The adobe bricks were not fired initially but were sun-baked first and only then used in the construction process. These bricks consist of sand, clay, water, gravel and straw or grass that are mixed with hands in wooden moulds and then are being dried in the sun (Old House Web). As the adobe bricks are not fired in a kiln, the bricks never harden permanently but remain unstable during their life time. These bricks are, therefore, prone to shrinking as water content changes with their strength fluctuating over time: the higher the water content, the lower the strength (Old House Web). The adobe bricks, though having been successfully used in the buildings, cannot bond to metal, wood or stone as they exhibit greater movements than these materials. Attempts to bond these materials resulted in cracking, separating or twisting at the interfaces, which led to cracking and failure of the buildings in most of cases. This prejudiced the preservation of these buildings. In the majority of cases, where traditional methods may not present enough strength in buildings, other technologies in the modern building construction are used to reinforce these traditional buildings to ensure sustainability and preservation of a historic fabric (Fischetti, 42 ). The early adobe building foundations varied greatly according to their differences in local building construction and available materials, which resulted in great variability in these buildings, including their sustainability (Old House Web). Lack of professionals at planning or preservation stage of a huge number of traditional buildings has had a bad effect on those buildings, thus, numerous efforts to innovate and elaborate plans for preservation in these buildings have been made recently; though there has been a growing belief in the inclusion of planning and growth management in preservation of these buildings (WBDG). Though preserving a building has been recognized as an ultimate recycling of projects, the majority of preservationists in most of cases fight the stigma of historic buildings being inefficient and stress on the need to take daunting corrective measures in order to retrofit for energy saving devices and systems with the green sustainable design being increasing ly popular in both construction and preservation of new industries (WBDG). These shortcomings in the traditional buildings and preservation approaches are continuously being reviewed though the improved technologies in both preservation of buildings and documentation of building projects so that to enhance effective preservation. The growing technological advances have made it possible to improve building preservation efficiency and accuracy with record keeping in architectural and construction projects being enhanced to

PERSONAL ETHICAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE Assignment

PERSONAL ETHICAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE - Assignment Example Mental well being of an individual is the overall result of his mind, body and soul. Therefore, it is essential to deal with the various issues confronting an individual in all these aspects. I will try to understand the various issues concerning the people of my responsibility and guide them in their mental requirements. I will assume the role of a mentor who can approach and assist them in any difficult situation. I will be greatly aware of my role as a leader in the physical well being of my people and I will always seek ways to ensure that they are physically and mentally fit. I will make sure that they go through physical training programs regularly and motivate them about the need of a sound body for a sound mind. In order to encourage them in maintaining their good health, I will also conduct such programs that motivate them. In keeping the unity and values of family relationship intact, I will encourage constant cooperation among the family members and such activities as sharing, discussions, entertainments, etc will be encouraged. I will always ensure that the people in the family and friend-circle know each other very deeply. I will encourage my acquaintances to share each other and motivate and help mutually. In the areas of education and career, I will always be cooperative with and helpful to other individuals of the group and I will ensure that there is long lasting harmony and unity in the group. I will be useful to all my colleagues and mates in their needs and will always search for their assistance and cooperation at times of need. Finances/Stewardship As a leader, I will always be careful about dealing with the finances and use my stewardship in the most effective way. I will look into the needs of my people and make use of the resources for their assistance. I will also motivate them as a steward and would not let go anything wrong about in my responsibility. I will always make sure that the people entrusted to me are at ease and comfort, and I will give priority to their needs. Service/Philanthropy In areas of service and charity, I will always maintain decorum and propriety in my activities and the people who reach out for my service or philanthropy will never be dissatisfied or frustrated about my role. I will always ensure that the people in need are given the best treatment and their comforts are always looked for. PERSONAL MISSION WORKSHEET Why do I desire to become as an organizational leader The role of an organizational leader is inevitable in the contemporary context of business and I feel it is the best way to be an agent of change in the industry. In the progress of an organization, the role of the leader is often emphasized and as a leader I desire to get the organization progressing, to get it operating at high efficiency in order to meet its short-term goals as well as the long term goals. "In a large complex organization and environment only a 100% fully engaged human leader can hope to achieve these lofty requirements to fulfill their duties. Thus, leadership is not for everyone, and leadership is one with responsibility. A leader must be able to

Investment Objectives Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Investment Objectives - Assignment Example The selection is as follows: 1) 1-Year Government of Canada Treasury bills The annual yield is 0.53%. It is a zero-coupon bond and thus bears no interest. Investors receive the par value at the maturity date. It cannot be redeemed before maturity and does not have call provisions. It is issued by government of Canada, so it is considered almost risk-free as few imagine the Canadian government will default. But additionally, it has disadvantages which include: †¢ Low return †¢ No periodic interest payments †¢ Low level of liquidity 2) 1-Year Government of Canada marketable bonds The annual yield is 0.57%. Marketable bonds are more liquid than Treasury bonds as they are transferable and can be sold at a reasonable price. 3) 1-Year BMO non-redeemable GIC with semi-annualinterest payment The semi-annually compounded rate is 0.875%. Compared to T-bills, GIC yields a higher return and pays interests semi-annually. Investors can enjoy fixed income stream at each payment date. The principal and interest payments are guaranteed by BMO. 4) 1-Year Nova Scotia Bank non-redeemable GIC with monthly payment The semi-annually compounded rate is 0.775%. Investment into different banks helps dispersing business risk and makes the portfolio even safer. For this reason, purchasing from more than one bank is better than purchasing only from BMO, despite of the lower interest rate offered by Nova Scotia Bank.

PERSONAL ETHICAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE Assignment

PERSONAL ETHICAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE - Assignment Example Mental well being of an individual is the overall result of his mind, body and soul. Therefore, it is essential to deal with the various issues confronting an individual in all these aspects. I will try to understand the various issues concerning the people of my responsibility and guide them in their mental requirements. I will assume the role of a mentor who can approach and assist them in any difficult situation. I will be greatly aware of my role as a leader in the physical well being of my people and I will always seek ways to ensure that they are physically and mentally fit. I will make sure that they go through physical training programs regularly and motivate them about the need of a sound body for a sound mind. In order to encourage them in maintaining their good health, I will also conduct such programs that motivate them. In keeping the unity and values of family relationship intact, I will encourage constant cooperation among the family members and such activities as sharing, discussions, entertainments, etc will be encouraged. I will always ensure that the people in the family and friend-circle know each other very deeply. I will encourage my acquaintances to share each other and motivate and help mutually. In the areas of education and career, I will always be cooperative with and helpful to other individuals of the group and I will ensure that there is long lasting harmony and unity in the group. I will be useful to all my colleagues and mates in their needs and will always search for their assistance and cooperation at times of need. Finances/Stewardship As a leader, I will always be careful about dealing with the finances and use my stewardship in the most effective way. I will look into the needs of my people and make use of the resources for their assistance. I will also motivate them as a steward and would not let go anything wrong about in my responsibility. I will always make sure that the people entrusted to me are at ease and comfort, and I will give priority to their needs. Service/Philanthropy In areas of service and charity, I will always maintain decorum and propriety in my activities and the people who reach out for my service or philanthropy will never be dissatisfied or frustrated about my role. I will always ensure that the people in need are given the best treatment and their comforts are always looked for. PERSONAL MISSION WORKSHEET Why do I desire to become as an organizational leader The role of an organizational leader is inevitable in the contemporary context of business and I feel it is the best way to be an agent of change in the industry. In the progress of an organization, the role of the leader is often emphasized and as a leader I desire to get the organization progressing, to get it operating at high efficiency in order to meet its short-term goals as well as the long term goals. "In a large complex organization and environment only a 100% fully engaged human leader can hope to achieve these lofty requirements to fulfill their duties. Thus, leadership is not for everyone, and leadership is one with responsibility. A leader must be able to

Banning Smoking in Public Places Essay Example for Free

Banning Smoking in Public Places Essay Millions of nonsmokers all across the globe are in danger of serious health risks because of smoking, banning smoking in public places is the only rational way to avoid such risk. Smoking is the number one leading cause of preventable death. This killer is responsible for painfully taking the life of just under a half million people a year according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC.gov; 2014) People that choose not to smoke have to bear significant health burdens by inhaling the toxic fumes of the smokers by sharing the airspace. This airspace needs to be regulated and shared equally. Smoking in public has many problems associated with it, ranging from health concerns, societal issues to even the illicit trade of un-taxed tobacco. Secondhand smoke is a combination of sidestream smoke, which is smoke that comes from the burning end of cigarettes, pipes, or cigars, and mainstream smoke, which is the smoke exhaled from the smoker. There are no safe levels of secondhand smoke. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; 2014), there are over 7,000 chemicals in secondhand smoke and 70 of those are linked to cancer. People that live with smokers increase their chance of getting lung cancer from twenty percent to seventy percent. Children are the ones most harmed by secondhand smoke. For them the issues can start in the womb, they can develop a type of liver cancer during gestation. Pregnancies are tougher when exposed to secondhand smoke, lower birth weights, premature deliveries, and even miscarriages can be a product of indirect contact. These are just a few of the ill health effects of being exposed to secondhand smoke, and how harmful it can be Anninos, H., Manolis, A. S. (2014). Everyone has been touched by secondhand in some fashion, nearly every adult has walked by a crowd of smokers and had to breathe in the contaminated air. Science and health professionals agree it is time for a change, the trick is how to make the change. There are semi-valid arguments that oppose smoking bans in public that say it will hurt the bar, restaurant, and club industries economically as pointed out by Craven, B., Marlow, M. L. (2008). They applied the Coase Theory to the subject of economic impact of smoking bans. They propose letting the free market decide for itself when and where such a ban would be implemented. This is a positive and one that should be looked at further. Americans overall want to be healthier, millions of dollars are made by people trying to be fit. If an owner of a bar decides that the bar will be nonsmoking he will attract a certain type of individual, one that is probably more educated and one that is more health conscience. People like that may be more inclined to spend more, therefore driving up profits and keeping his customers satisfied. Another positive aspect to that is the inside of the bar would be cleaner and healthier for his employees. Outright public bans are an option too, however they take a chainsaw to a problem where a steak knife would be better used. One of the main problems with outright public bans is criminalizing the behavior. On one hand the result would be a general public that does not ha ve to deal with secondhand smoke. However the criminal justice system is already hemorrhaging with non-violent offenders and one more law to ban a poor choice is not good policy. With the legalization of marijuana in two states and the decriminalization of the drug in many others, outright bans are not going to be coming anytime soon. The government is doing great work on tobacco education. They employ social media, billboards, TV advertising, and radio spots on tobacco and how awful it is. One powerful commercial shows a fifty one year old bald headed, toothless frail looking woman with a voice box giving tips on getting ready for the day. Commercials like that have direct impact on smokers, and nonsmokers. When nonsmokers become educated on the total cost of smoking they tend to push loved ones to quit. The antismoking campaign also adds a certain amount of shame to lighting up. It can been seen in every parking lot across America around lunch time, people hiding by their car and smoking. There has to be a rational and fair solution for both smokers and nonsmokers. Rights of both groups of people need to be respected when devising a comprehensive smoking ba n. The first policy that can be instituted is to restrict smoking to no closer than fifty feet from any public, or government building. Violations of the buffer rule could be met with punishments that fit the crime, such as community service. The second proposal is to require smokers that have children be educated about the proven devastating effects secondhand smoke has on the youngest of our  population. This could be done through the family doctor or even a referral from the education system. This would be completely for the benefit of the child. If parents know to what degree they are hurting their children, then their logical response should be to stop, or at least be more cognizant of where they smoke and how much exposure the children have. The last, most difficult, but one of the most important course of action is the complete smoking ban in public parks. Parks are meant to be places to connect with nature, nowhere in nature is the air perfumed with the putrid sent of burning paper and tobacco. Parks are a place where adolescents congregate and often smoking is very much a part of the activity. People using trail systems or paths in parks to exercise or go for walks have all suffered by going through the suffocating cloud. Smoking in public needs to be banned, the benefits far outweigh the cost. The victims of secondhand smoke have no alternative, they must to continue to breathe the air that has been breathed before unless the private and government leaders take action and ban smoking in public. References Anninos, H., Manolis, A. S. (2014). Where Smoking was Banned in Public Places, Myocardial Infarctions were Markedly Decreased!. Hospital Chronicles, 9(2), 1-4. Craven, B., Marlow, M. L. (2008). ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF SMOKING BANS ON RESTAURANTS AND PUBS. Economic Affairs, 28(4), 57-61. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0270.2008.00867.x Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2014) Tobacco Fact Sheet http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/

Medicaid Funding Relationship with Nonprofit Organizations

Medicaid Funding Relationship with Nonprofit Organizations Introduction/Background Allard and Smith (2014) define legally incorporated, tax-exempt entities that provide specific services to be nonprofit social service organizations. They can help low-income families that might not qualify for federal assistance. Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) can range vastly in their size, scope, and form, but they are all reliant on donations and public funds to support their operations. This public funding is supported by grants, contracts, and tax credits (Smith et al. 2012). The way in which Medicaid works can be somewhat complex. From the agency standpoint, Medicaid has set values for services its clients might use. Documentation of the actual cost of a service provided is not needed, as clients need only to prove the service was provided. Once there is proof of the service being provided, Medicaid pays out a specific dollar amount for each service. This vendor rate, sometimes referred to as the fee-for-service model, requires the agencies to consistently serve enough Medicaid-eligible clients to break even amongst their revenues. The state will only offer a certain rate for outpatient mental health counseling services, for example, regardless of an individual agencys own internal cost structure (Smith et al. 2012). The Affordable Care Act (ACA), passed in 2010, has drastically increased the number of insured Americans. The ACA, which is frequently nicknamed Obamacare, prohibited insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing health and vastly expanded the number of low-income families eligible for Medicaid. It also set a standard requirement for all United States citizens to have the minimum essential coverage of healthcare (MEC). Medicaid Funding for Nonprofits The practice of using Medicaid to supplement nonprofit organizations funds began in the 1980s. The social movement to provide services to the elderly and disabled led to increased government support for social services (US General Accounting Office, 1984). This has expanded greatly since then, with the main source of care belonging to substance abuse and mental health services. One blatant benefit Medicaid funding can have for nonprofits is its quick turnaround. Even though its services are aimed primarily at high-risk groups, Medicaid funding reimbursed at a much higher rate than other insurance options for such population groupings when compared in 2006. Medicaid has boomed in the past several years, having expanded its pool of clients to cover more and more people. Reimbursement rates allow nonprofit social service organizations to cross-subsidize their resources to other activities that might not otherwise receive sufficient funding (Smith, 2007). Unforeseen Consequences: Effects of Medicaid on NPO Funding Nonprofits exist as a federal safety net to supplement lacking government and community services. Two main problems that arise when deep dependency is placed on publicly funded nonprofit social services. State governments have been recently pressured to reduce spending on programs to make more room in the budget. Additionally, nonprofits must cope with the pressures associated with being the second order social welfare program of the government. Because all federal and state dollars are allocated at a local level for social service programs, the activity reflects the preferences and capability of the community (Allard Smith, 2014). Medicaid allocates funding to a significant portion of social service organizations in the nonprofit sector, even though such organizations may not primarily be health care providers. Over 50% of the nonprofits focused on mental health and substance abuse reported Medicaid funding in their surveys. Medicaid revenues were also provided to over 40% of those providers of mental health or substance abuse services who also engaged in assistances ranging from employment services to emergency response. It is important to note, however, that only 3.2% of these organizations providing employment or emergency services did not provide the additional substance abuse or mental health services (Allard Smith, 2014). This data indicates that while Medicaid provides funding to a wide range of nonprofits, it does place a significant emphasis on those dealing with health services in its diverse range. An Assessment of the Arguments As discussed earlier, nonprofits receive funding from Medicaid based on the services provided. To receive funding, an organization must show proof of a service provided to an individual. In this way, the funding is based on individual clients seeking services from nonprofit organizations. The mission of the organization, therefore, influences how much funding it will ultimately receive from Medicaid. In this way, Medicaid funding is said to follow clients rather than being given to a specific nonprofit organization. Nonprofits must factor in this design when creating their mission statement. They can more effectively secure their funding by having a service mission targeted towards populations that receive Medicaid coverage. Additionally, larger organizations are more likely to receive Medicaid funding because they have more resources and staff to provide these services. Conversely, smaller organizations often find themselves less likely to receive Medicaid funding regardless of their mission statement if they do not have the scale to provide as many services as their larger counterparts (Allard Smith, 2014). Conclusion Nonprofits largely reliant on Medicaid for their funding may often find themselves at the mercy of elements out of their hand. They depend on the flow of Medicaid-eligible clients using their services and resources. Thus, nonprofits are dependent on the eligibility of the clients they serve. State policies dictate Medicaid eligibility, so nonprofits are vulnerable to changes in state economics and legislation. Since it is a modest source of revenue for many nonprofits, greater instability and unpredictability may make Medicaid a less desirable source of revenue (Allard Smith, 2014). While Medicaid might not be able to be concretely predicted, it is still better than not being able to accept Medicaid at all. While it may seem precarious, organizations must adapt to changing sources of revenue regardless of if it is government-funded or not. References Allard, S. W., Smith, S. R. (2014). Unforeseen consequences: Medicaid and the funding of nonprofit service organizations. Journal of Health Politics, Policy Law, 39(6), 1135-1172. Smith, Steven Rathgeb. 2007. Medicaid funding of social services: implications for social and health policy. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Chicago, August 31. Smith, Vernon K., Kathleen Gifford, Eileen Ellis, Robin Rudowitz, and Laura Snyder. 2012. Medicaid today: preparing for tomorrow; a look at state Medicaid program spending, enrollment and policy trends. Washington, DC: Kaiser Family Foundation, Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. US General Accounting Office (GAO). 1984. States Use Several Strategies to Cope with Funding Reductions under Social Services Block Grant (SSBG).GAO/HRD-84-68. Washington, DC: GAO.