Explain how the sea breeze and land breeze can happen Assignment

Explain how the sea breeze and land breeze can happen - Assignment Example The air above the land is warmer as compared to the air above the sea because of this heat absorption difference. The warm land air rises all through the day which results in decreasing the surface pressure. This difference in pressure causes the wind to blow from the high pressure area (sea or ocean) to the low pressure area (land) causing the sea breeze (Climate Education, 2013). The strength of the sea breeze depends on the difference in temperatures between the sea and the land. The more the difference, more strong will be the sea breeze. The largest example of sea breeze development is the Monsoon season in Southern Asia in which huge differences between the temperatures of cooler Arabian Sea and warmer land areas provide a strong base for the development of sea breeze (Holmes, 2007). The development of land breeze is just the opposite case of the sea breeze development. Land breeze usually occurs in the night when the temperature of the ocean becomes warmer than that of the land. The reason is that land loses the absorbed heat more quickly as compared to sea. Sea is a good absorber of sun’s energy due to which it cannot lose heat quickly when the sun goes down. On the other hand, land cannot absorb sun’s energy as efficiently as an ocean can do it because of which it loses heat more quickly upon sunset. The surface pressure also goes up on the land as the result of which the air starts moving towards the sea which is the low pressure area during night. Winds always blow from the high pressure surfaces to the low pressure surfaces. Therefore, when warm air rises, the temperature of the land goes down and a high surface pressure is created which causes the wind to blow towards the sea where the surface pressure is low. This shift of wind from the land to the sea causes the land breeze (Climate Education,

Persuasive effect Essay Example for Free

Persuasive effect Essay How is the writing persuasive? Work through the article commenting on how the choice of words, the style of the writing and the way the information is presented work together to create this persuasive effect. Several techniques are used in the writing to persuade us, to her side of the argument. The first one we meet is the large, bold title of ZOOOOOOH! Tthis is attention grabbing and the linguistic cleverness combines the subject of the article, zoo and the idiotic reactions of the visitors, i. e. Ooooooh. The title has a subtle meaning; it has in it the mindless, moronic reactions of the visitors on seeing the animals, and the graphic design cleverly manipulates our thoughts on the critical comments on zoos. Also there are a line of animal pictures on the bottom of the page, this is to create a sense of realism through illustrations. The sub-heading is in bold as well though it is not as large as the title, this play on words is reflected by the way that she combines her anecdote with an inverted situation, Tess Lemmon watches people watching animals. The effect of that being that it is a play on words with an element of graphic design and it makes us want to read the article and it subtly introduce the idea that she is analysing the reactions of the people, as if in a scientific way. The quotes in bold below the sub-heading are for entertainment, she deliberately takes the most inane comments from the people that she watches and let them argue the case for her, this is called Aunt Sally she has quoted the opposition and has reiterated the quotes for her own needs, the entertainment is in fact a secondary purpose to the real purpose of summing up the attitudes to the animals that the visitors feel in the zoo and shaming them and parodying it. The last quote is the most stupid of them all and has been given its own extra space for its summing up of her views and thoughts on the subject. The first paragraph is devoted nearly entirely to the technique of making short, sharp points, lies on a slab of concrete, stares into space, flicks its tail. People stop, make comments, then go this has the effect of making us think about what the visitors do, because she has summarised what they do in one short paragraph. Exaggeration is also used (which is also called hyperbole), the tiger lies on a slab of concrete, this makes it sounds worse than it is especially as she has generalised the idea of that all the animals lie on a slab of concrete in all zoos while there may be some exceptions, this is bias. This stresses her point of animals in a cell and lying on a slab of concrete without anything to do and living in an unnatural environment, the short sentences also leads us on to the arguments of zoos. She also uses Aunt Sally to a great effect with quoting, a good day out, this makes a point to us of her sarcasm towards the idea of going to the zoo for entertainment and a parodying subject. She uses colloquial language, But hang on a minute running aroundin our backyards, this is used to convey ideas to the reader through an easier way, the effect is, that of an friend having an conversation with you, it is used to put us at ease to seem that she can be trusted, and the language involves everyone, especially using the possessive adjective our and Were this effect in context with colloquial language is that the piece becomes avuncular and inclusive and it invites us to contribute, this makes the writer identify herself with the readers, this encourages the readers to agree with her view and to make us sympathetic to her views. She also uses a rhetorical question, Whatever is in this day and age? to lead on to her arguments, this question makes us feel involved, as it seems as if she cares about our own opinions, it also adds emphasis and stresses the point that we can not allow an animal in a cage, they have the same effect as the use of directives-they make you think that the writer is talking to you personally. The exaggerated tone of the question makes us think about the point of the question and agree with her. This paragraph has a certain amount of sarcasm and Aunt Sally in it, the exaggeration in, the tiger is living it up like nobodys business. Makes the zoo director sound bad, and the section of, saved from having to earn it doesnt even have to walk anywhere. In it one can detect the sarcasm of her writing, on quoting the zoo director. The quote in itself makes the animals sounds quite like prisoners really, with their meals handed to it on a plate, and it doesnt even have to walk anywhere, the effect of that compared with the fact she hints to us about the, zoo directors office is that of the zoos using the animals as exhibits to make themselves rich. Also the tone of, with his tongue only half way in his cheek, brings out the bad habits of the person that she has interviewed the effect of that is to present to us negative opinion of him and also the sentence has a literal meaning as well, of not meaning what you say so that the effect is she doesnt want us to take his views seriously. Also an Aunt Sally was used in describing the zoos as an, Welfare state, this suggests to us that she does not agree with the views of the zoo director and it is an irony that the zoos are described as an, welfare state. Another Aunt Sally is used to great effect in describing her feelings to the reasons trotted out by the zoo whenever their existence is challenged. Also the words in quotations, an ambassador for the wild is there because it reinforces her opinions of zoos and their well-used phrases, as she doesnt believe them. She uses her title of, as an anthropologist This gives credibility to her article and research as we think she would give an unbiased opinion, but in fact this is a trick so that we think she is not biased, but rather using the title, she hides herself and still, gives us the biased opinions under the pretence of being a scientist, having spent hours She repeats herself once more as she says, watching people watching animals, this merely emphasis the point that her subject is on humans and repeating the point in the sub-headings, this is also an anecdote so that we believe in her because she has experience. She then goes on to say her conclusions after giving us her title of an anthropologist and make her sound more reliable, she goes on to say about her opinions of zoos, it is almost a directive/imperative language as she says, no zoo can fulfil no zoo can bring about presents a distorted picture this almost commands us to believe in her research and her conclusion. Also another important is the use of 3 words grouped together, good, bad, best in the world the good, bad, best, bit emphasises the point, it somehow strengthens and stresses the point she is making. Another good persuasive trick used by her is to mingle fact with opinion and make it sound all like fact, in this next paragraph we see her doing just that, many of the main European zoos were founded at the beginning of the last century this is all fact and now she astutely and subtly adds her opinions on that, hand in hand with the spirit of adventure conquest and acquisition it is no coincidence that the zoo as we know it sprang up in the colonial era this makes us understand the real reasons for displaying the animals while it is still only her opinion. This affects us on whether we believe and trust the text, she gives a lot of facts but she has hidden her opinions in the form of fact among the facts, so we would tend to believe her, she uses opinions based on facts while giving facts as examples to illustrate her point. To further the readability of her article, colloquial language is used to simplify the language barrier between the grammatically correct English and her colloquialism so that it is easier to read and to digest the information, these days gawp a rhetorical question is used, so what do the zoos do? this is colloquial language with rhetorical question working at the same time. The answer has sarcasm built in, she hypes what the zoos say they do, serious scientific research total commitment to conservation vital role as educators then she dashes it all to pieces with 2 sharp points, they go to see the animals-and to be entertained. The effect of that is to drag down the zoos lofty ideals so that she can now put her argument to use with the subject now, of why we need zoos, this is divide and conqueror, she uses a linked process of arguments and then one by one she moves on to another stage and to convince us in the end to her beliefs. Another rhetorical question, Just what do people see when they look at an animal in a zoo? this time it is all in a paragraph of its own, this is so, so that we would have time to reflect on the question before she goes on to one of her main arguments. We then see the use of inclusive language, were most of us we tell us this language includes us and therefore more closer to the authors thoughts and we would believe it more as the argument appeals to us as the reader. In the next paragraph, we see emotive language been used, harmful stripped torn away reduced it to be an object to be observed, the emotive language used appeals to our heartstrings and it arouses strong feelings within us, to do something to stop the suffering.

Creating Shared Value From Corporate Social Responsibility Commerce Essay

Creating Shared Value From Corporate Social Responsibility Commerce Essay This research is an investigation into Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and what it means to the companies that practice it. The subject remains an intriguing one because it raises questions about a companys responsibility towards society and whether it is good or bad for businesses (Crane et al, 2008). There is a need to understand why a company should be concerned about what is happening to the communities they are operating in, the impact of its operation and whether it can assist without compromising its bottom-line. The concept of CSR came in to focus in the early 1950 (Crane et al, 2008), it is now generally accepted by most companies and is expected by communities (Porter and Kramer 2006, Savitz and Weber 2006, Blowfield 2008). This has come about because of several events that started in the USA, causing negative impact on communities for example the Vietnam War 1960, the Watergate scandal during the Nixon era, the oil embargo 1973, later Enron collapse, Exxon Valdez oil spill (Argenti 2003) and recently the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Another factor has been globalisation by large companies in less developed countries whereby there has been human and environmental consequences (Blowfield et al 2008: 92). These events have propelled the rise of pressure groups, public and media scrutiny and government legislations on social and environmental issues and so encouraging companies to be ethical, accountable and transparent at all levels of management and not just at operational level. However CSR has been generally voluntary with philanthropic and charitable activities (Crane et al, 2008) aimed towards the environment and the immediate community because of these practices, CSR has been perceived by many to be a marketing tool and for enhancing the image and reputation of the company (Savitz and Weber, 2006). Therefore companies need to avoid public suspicion by finding ways to satisfying the stakeholders, make a profit and be competitive in a sustainable approach such as building on material resources, cultural advantages and, stakeholder connection (Savitz and Weber 2006 145). As a result there is a need to understand how companies can secure long-term economic performance by avoiding short-term behaviour that is socially detrimental or environmentally wasteful (Porter and Kramer 2006: 6). This can be achieved by making CSR part of core company strategies and integrated into the value chain to create shared value and gain competitive advantage over rivals (Porter and Kramer 2006: 13). However, Blowfield (2008) states that the social responsibilities of multinationals varies from small or medium businesses. Overall aim and objectives Following what has been mentioned above the overall aim of this research is to provide an understanding on how CSR can add value to the company in the course of meeting stakeholders expectations, be profitable and competitive in a socially acceptable manner. There is a lot of literature on CSR, however not a lot has been written on how CSR in the value chain can create a shared value for the stakeholders and the business simultaneously. With regards to the value chain most literature on it is related to gaining competitive advantages and profits making but little impact on societal needs. Therefore this research shall investigate CSR in the context of the value chain. However the investigation extends to the supply chain which, if sustainable creates the value chain. To realise the overall research aim, the following objectives have first to be realized. Critical examine the concepts CSR shared value in relation Critically evaluate the integration of CSR into the supply and value chain. Analyse how practices of CSR can create shared values. Draw conclusion on the findings of CSR practices in the supply and value chain. This allows further questions to be raised: Why is it, that CSR means different things to different people? What is the relationship of CSR practices, within in the supply chain and the value chain? How can value gained from CSR be measured? It is hoped that this research will make a contribution to the current literature of CSR practices. Consequently offer an understanding of CSR in the supply and value chain and the benefit of value creation it can offer. This study is suitable for other business management students or academic researchers that may wish to study more on the subject of CSR and its purpose in the supply and value chain. Overview of literature The first aim of this literature review is to identify the most important concepts in the field of CSR, identify definitions and key issues that arise. Secondly the background and similarities and differences between the supply and value chains will be considered. The final discussion shall be on the relationship of the value chains and CSR. The research within this literature review focuses on objectives 1 and 2 as set out above. 3.1 CSR Concept CSR not a relatively new concept it can be traced back centuries, the mid 1800s the industrial revolution brought about the first steps of CSR as businesses where concerned with their employees welfare and increasing their productivity (Crane et al, 2008). However CSR really gained importance in the 1950s it was known as the philanthropic era (Crane et al, 2008). One of the first CSR definitions came from Howard Bowen who made the link between business responsibilities and communities expectations. It (SR) refers to the obligations of businessmen to pursue those policies, to make those decisions, or to follow those lines of action which are desirable in terms of the objectives and values of our society (Crane et al 2008: 25). Bowens definition places a social obligation on businesses when making decisions to consider their impact on the communities. However in contrast to Bowen, Milton Friedman sees management as having only one responsibility to maximize profits of its shareholders (Friedman, 1970). This leads to the shareholder theory, which suggests that companys managers, are supposed to spend corporate funds only in ways authorized by the shareholders (Smith, 2003). Therefore managers are not to spend this fund on non-profitable activities that does not increase shareholders value. Friedman does state that while it is true that managers should increase profit for the shareholder they need to play by the basic rules of the society (Carroll, 1991). However individuals and groups are affected by negative business activities and operation. These are the stakeholders internal and external of the company to whom they have obligation and responsibilities (Galbreath, 2009). In contrast to shareholder theory Freeman citied in Crane et al 2008: 69 states that managers have a moral duty to protect all stakeholders. To merge the stakeholder and the shareholder theory Carroll introduced the Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility. Figure 1: Source: (Carroll, 1991) The pyramid, attempt to summaries and classify the numerous definitions of what constitute CSR within four categories economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic (Carroll, 1991). However it gives the impression that economic responsibility is the first step toward CSR and once achieved the next levels can be attempted and that philanthropic responsibility can only be achieved when all the levels are completed. Secondly ethical and legal responsibilities are pursued concurrently with any activity gear towards for profit maximisation and cannot be practise separately as it frequently required by the law. Philanthropic responsibility can be said to be voluntary and companies does not have to contribute to the communities that should the responsibility for governments. To address the confusion, the four tiers can be further broken down. The Triple Bottom Line (TBL) may better represent the pyramid with the three Ps (Savitz and Weber, 2006). TBL like Carrolls Pyramid suggest that companies should take care not only of their bottom line but also their social/ethical and environment bottom lines (Meijer Schuyt, 2005) commonly identified as People, Planet and Profit. The diagram above illustrate that companies can pursue any of the three Ps in any particular order depending on what is priority for the company With these three social responsibilities to focus on companies should look at, how it can be integrated into the business. 3.2 The Supply Chain and the value chain This chapter shall look at the concept of the supply and value chain along with how economical, social and environmental responsibilities are managed to gain benefits for the stakeholders and the company. The supply chain is defined as The supply chain is defined by Supply Chain Council (1997) as a term increasingly used by logistics professionals it encompasses every effort involved in producing and delivering a final product, from the suppliers supplier to the customers customer (Lummus Vokurka, 1999) (Lummus Vokurka 1999: 11). It is a flow of goods (raw material) and services from a number of suppliers linking together to meet the needs of the customer at the end of the supply chain. From the researchers understanding the supply chain is a business process that forms part of the value chain. This understanding comes from the supply chain definition given by Cox citied Lummus Vokurka 1999 :11 the function within and outside a company that enable the value chain to make products and provide services to customers. The value chain of a company is a collection of activities that are performed to design, produce, market, deliver and support its product (Porter, 1998). It is a combination of two types of value adding activities primary and support (Porter, 1998) within the company that creates economic and social value (Porter and Kramer 2006: 13). Both the supply and value chains are vital for the integration and practice of CSR. The supply chain is more about effective and efficient processes from supplier/ producer to costumer, whilst the value chain activities links together to provide value to the stakeholders. Companies must use their supply and value chain to convert social needs and social issues into opportunities with the aim of meet the expectation of their stakeholders and achieve a unique strategic position. 3.3 From CSR to creating shared valued Traditionally companies carried out CSR through cash donation, charitable and philanthropic activities but these social initiative according to Michael Porter are however not effective as its often not carefully planned and not part of company strategies hence in the long term it is not effective (Porter Kramer, 2006). However, companies are increasingly aware that they can have long-term success only if they can create the same value for shareholders and the community in which they operate (Brabeck-Letmathe 2010). According to Nestlà © Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, for CSR to be a success for the company it needs to be part of the business function of creating value for shareholders and communities. Companies need to be able to integrate unmet social needs of employees and communities into the core business strategy and so unite all stakeholders values. Nestlà © employs the approach of Creating Shared Value (CSV) as a CSR practice. It involves addressing social causes that can in the long term provide added value for the shareholders and community. Research Design and Methodology A research is something that is undertaken by the people to find out things in a systematic way to increase knowledge (Saunders et al 2003:3). These involve finding a research methodology that can explain how the research is designed, how data will be collected, how the findings will be analysed and presented and also account for any limitations. In order to find the best research approach and the research strategy the researcher will follow the research process onion developed by (Saunders et al 2003: 83). This process allow for a systematic approach to answer the research questions and consequently meet the objectives set out above. The research methodology has five sub headings starting with the research philosophy and ending with data collection method at the centre of the onion. Figure 2: The Research Process Onion Source: Saunders et al 2003: 83 4.1 Research Philosophy This is about the way knowledge is gain and how it is developed. There are three recognised research philosophies positivism, interpretivism and realism. Positivism research process attempt to copy the method of the natural science and takes the role of an objective analyst, collecting data from the social external world in a value free manner (Saunders et al, 2003). Knowledge by this method is developed by reducing phenomena to simple elements representing general laws (Blumberg et al 2005: 23). While, the philosophy of interpretivism is motivated by subjective meaning of human interest (Saunders et al, 2003). Realism shares the philosophies of both positivism and interpretivism but at the same time stressing the error of studying people as objects in the style of natural science (Saunders et al, 2003). The philosophy framework adopted shall be the interpretivism, for the reason that corporate social responsibilities in the supply and value chain are complex and unique phenomenon wh ich cannot be generalised in a value free manner (Saunders et al, 2003). Furthermore, social phenomenon cannot be understood from just facts but from the exploration of people different experiences and why these differences result in the different construction and meanings people give to the social world (Blumberg et al 2005:21). 4.2 Research approach This involves the use of theory and the design of the research (Saunders et al, 2003). The theory approach includes inductive and deductive whilst the latter involves qualitative and quantitative approach. 4.2.1 Deductive This approached is adopted for scientific researchers were by a hypothesis is deducted and tested rigorously from a theory by the use of the appropriate research strategy (Saunders et al, 2003). For the deduction to be correct it must be both true and valid (Blumberg et al, 2005). 4.2.2 Inductive This involves building theory and defining the hypothesis by observation of empirical data (Saunders et al 2003:479). This study will have an inductive approach with the aims to understand why something is occurring and to build the theory by investigating CSR in the supply and ask why it influences the value chain and so infer a hypothesis that will answer the research questions. 4.2.3 Qualitative vs. quantitative These two approaches are generally used to gather data for unique phenomenon. Quantitative approach relies on gathering of numerical data and figures only. The objective of this approach to seek answers by measuring, analysis and interpretation of data with the aid of computer programmes (Saunders et al, 2003) (Zikmund, 2003). Such quantitative data gathered from large scale surveys or from electronic database are suitable for descriptive and causal studies (Hair et al, 2003). Qualitative approach involves the gathering of non numerical data (sentences or narratives) (Blumberg et al, 2005). The researcher has more control over the type of information gathered though leading or probing questions (Blumberg et al, 2005) or if collecting primary data through observation method, decisions can be taken on how and where the study will take place (Blumberg et al, 2005). Typically this study requires smaller samples or case studies and it is best suited for exploratory studies (Hair et al, 2003). 4.3 Research strategy Research strategy can be described as tool(s) utilised to answer the research questions. Saunders et al (2003) identify six main strategies experiments, Survey, case study, grounded theory, ethnography and action research that can be used, depending on the research approach selected. A case study is defined as a strategy for doing research which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence (Saunders et al 2003:93) In this research a case study strategy will be used because of its ability to provide answers to the why and how questions. Saunders et al, states that a simple and well constructed case study can be used to challenge existing theory and provide source to hypothesis (Saunders et al, 2003). 4.4 Time horizons This involves deciding whether the research will be a snap shot taken a point in time (cross-sectional) or be a representation of event over a long period of time (longitudinal studies) (Saunders et al 2003:95). This research will utilise a snapshot approach or cross sectional studies because the research is not interested in change or development (Saunders et al, 2003) but at a point in time where the supply chain and value chain are influence by CSR practices. 4.4.1 Research purpose Saunders et al states that research enquires can be classified in terms of their purpose. These classifications include exploratory, descriptive or explanatory studies (Saunders et al, 2003). The purpose of this study is classified as an exploratory, whose objective is to find what is happening to seek new insight; to ask questions and to assess phenomena in a new light (Saunders et al, 2003).The exploratory study may be achieved by the use of both qualitative and quantitative tools but is most dependent on qualitative approach (Blumberg et al, 2005). 4.5 Data collection methods Data is collected depending on the nature of the research (Hair et al, 2003). As mentioned above this study is exploratory with the aim of exploring relevant literature and interviewing specialist on the subject (Saunders et al, 2003). Exploratory research provides the secondary data and primary data needed for analysis. The research aims to make use of both secondary and primary data. The former relates to data previously collected for other purposes and these are classified as documentary data, survey- based data and those complied from multiple sources (Saunders et al, 2003). For this research, secondary data regarding CSR practices shall be collected from relevant companies websites. In contrast primary data are collected for specific purposes through observation of peoples behaviour or utilizing semi and in-depth interviews (Saunders et al, 2003). Primary data can be collected by two methods, observation and survey which are further sub-divided into human and electronic observation as well as self completion and interviewer administered surveys (Hair et al, 2003). In this study primary data will be collected via interviewer administered surveys of individuals (Hair et al: 125). This approach is particularly helpful in collecting valid and reliable data (Saunders et al 2003: 245). 4.5.1 Interviews The primary data can collected from structured, semi-structured and unstructured interviews. This study shall employ a semi structured approach which is often used in exploratory research. This type of interview usually starts with specific questions but the respondents are permitted to follow his or her own thoughts subsequently (Blumberg et al, 2005). The interviewer has the flexibility to omit or raise new questions depending on the organisation or change the order of the questions to suit the flow of the conversation (Saunders et al, 2003). This type of interview being qualitative in nature requires that data are collected by note taking or by tape- recording (Saunders et al, 2003). 4.5.2 Sampling Sampling is the technique that enables the reduction of data by selecting only part of the population rather than all possible cases or elements (Saunders et al, 2003) due to time constraint. There are two approaches to choosing the appropriate sample probability or non-probability sampling. In probability sampling each case or element of the population has known and none zero probability of being selected randomly (Saunders et al, 2003: 486). While, for non-probability sampling the probability of each case or element being selected is not known (Saunders et al, 2003). Non probability methods include quota, purposive, snowball, self- selection and convenience sampling. Non probability will be best suited for this study as it allow for the selection of participants that can help answer the research questions and meet set objectives. This type of sampling is used when the researcher wishes to select cases that are particularly informative (Saunders et al, 2003). Data Analysis and interpretation Data analysis involves managing large amount of data collected by summarising and arranging it in a meaningful format (Zikmund, 2003). Saunders et al put forward two strategies for analysis of qualitative data these are theoretical or descriptive frameworks (Saunders et al, 2003). The first strategy of theoretical framework relies on the analysis of data according to a deductive position where the use of existing theory is needed to formulate research questions. The second strategy entail an inductive position whereby the descriptive framework is used to start and direct the analysis of your data (Saunders et al: 389) by transforming data in a form easy to interpret (Zikmund, 2003). This research will make use of the second strategy descriptive framework, in order to organise the case study on the basis of description of the general characteristics and relations to the research questions (Yin, 1994). Research Limitation Limitations should to be taken into consideration while conducting a research. This research will be investigating multiple case studies as oppose to just a single case study. This is because with multiple case studies their results are considered more robust (Blumberg et al 2005: 376). However, it demands a lot of thinking on how to best select the appropriate case studies for the required evidence (ibid). The research also utilise a range of academic literatures and reputable publications. However, the literature listed in the reference may not include all of the best up-to-date sources. Many other sources that could have been used but decision was taken to focus on particular literature mainly due to having access to them albeit some dated from the year 1991 and 2003. So the research structure depends on the type of sources found. Validity and reliability According to Saunders et al reducing the possibility of getting the answer wrong means that attention has to be paid to two particular emphases on research design reliability and validity (Saunders et al 2003:100). Reliability This means that the research can only be characterised as reliable, firstly if it can yield the same results consistently free from error (Saunders et al, 2003) (Zikmund, 2003). Secondly, the same observation ought to be observed by others and thirdly raw data has to be interpreted in a transparent way (Saunders et al 2003:101). Reliability of a research can be tested by repeatability and internal consistency. The former involves, similar scale or measure to the same respondents at different times to concur the same result (Zikmund, 2003). If the results gathered at the different times are dissimilar this indicates a low degree of reliability (Zikmund, 2003). However this test is more suitable for longitudinal studies where there is little time constraint. Internal consistency involve the measure of homogeneity where by all similar questions are grouped together in a questionnaire to measure the same concept (Zikmund, 2003). Validity On the other hand, this is about how data collection methods accurately measure what is intended to be measured and whether the findings are really about what they appear to be about (Saunders et al 2003:101, 492). There are three tests to be used when testing quality of case studies these are construct validity, internal validity and external validity (Yin 1994: 33). Table 1, summaries the three tests for validating of research. Test Description Case study Tactic Construct Validity Establishing correct operational measures for the concept being studied Use of multiple sources of evidence Establish chain of evidence Have key information review draft case study report Internal Validity Establishing a casual relationship, whereby certain conditions are shown to lead to other conditions, as distinguished from spurious relationship Do pattern matching Do explanation- building Do time- series analysis External Validity Establishing the domain to which a study findings can be generalised Use replication logic in multiple- case studies. Table 1 Quality Test Description and case study tactic (Yin 1994: 33) In this research, certain measures will be employed to increase the validity. To increases the construct validity it is import prior to the interview the questionnaire is pilot tested so as to ensure that respondents will have no problem to understand and answer questions (Saunders et al 2003: 308). A tape recorder will be verified to ensure that data can be recorded proficiently and this should allow focus on the interview and not note taking. The benefit with a tape recorder is that it can be replayed whenever required. Internal validity concerns with explanatory studies, where the research try to determine casual relationship between variables (Saunders et al, 2003). This research is exploratory and the internal validity of this study is not relevant. External validity is concerned with knowing that the results of the case studies are generalise or not (Saunders et al, 2003) and retested through replication (Yin, 1994) to other research settings. Timescale

Crop Circles :: essays research papers fc

Crop Circles have been found throughout the whole country. They are one of the most intriguing things that I have read and researched. There have also been many shows that I have watched that have been very interesting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first recent evidence of a crop circle was in 1966 in Tully England. The circles themselves ranged from a few inches in diameter to a few feet. There is also evidence of a crop circle in Hertfordshire, England in 1678.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There have been many theories as to why these peculiar circular shapes have appeared in peoples crops. These theories include UFO’s, energy fields, and also plasma vortexes(sine 1). There is no evidence as to how these patterns are formed. There is evidence that there is an electric field aroound some of these circles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One theory is that electrified air forms mini-tornadoes and causes the circles. This is called the â€Å"Plasma Vortex Theory†(Sine 1). Another theory that is very prominent is that all of these circles are hoaxes and were made by people to recieve publicity. Hoaxes are blamed for many of the circles especially the ones that are more complex. There have been people to admit to man making some of these circles. Two people who have admitted to this are Doug Bower and David Chorley(Sine 1). They admitted to faking around two hundred fifty cirle formations. Many of the circles that were admitted hoaxes were under suspicion because of there ragged look. Also some of the more complex and intricat ones are thought to be fakes. The amount of these circles is proof in itself and the fact that they are spread throughout the world is also proof that it is not all a hoax.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most interesting theory is that UFO’s made the circles(sine 2). there have been sightings of UFO’s and circles have been at the sight the next morning. There also has been sightingds of balls of light over the fields at night that have left these circles on the ground. When some of these circles have appeared a â€Å"sceaming†(Sine 1) noise was heard in the night along with strange nocturnal lights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sometime in the 1970’s circles appeared on the farm of a guy anmed Billy Meier’s farm. This person also had claimed to have been abducted by aliens in the past. The grass was flat but not broken just bent over.

The Great Depression

9. 04 The Great Depression A. Heading: * Address (imaginary) * City, State (imaginary) * Date (Month, Day, Year in the 1930s) B. Greeting: Dear ________: C. Body Your letter should focus on the following aspects of your life: * Paragraph 1: In the introduction to your letter, identify two causes of the Great Depression. Utilize the web sites in the Resource section. Explain how the Great Depression has affected you and your family. Use specific details from the web sites (For example, how did Black Tuesday affect your family or relatives? What is your standard of living? * Paragraph 2: a. Describe your family. Who are your brothers, sisters, relatives? What do your parents and relatives do for a living? b. Choose one of your relatives that has a job set up by FDR's New Deal. (For example, an uncle might be employed by the WPA). Choose a specific program within the New Deal—do not simply reference the New Deal in general. Describe the job with details. What is the purpose of th e organization? * Paragraph 3: c. Describe your school, classes, and teachers. Who are your friends? . Describe the town where you live. Who are your neighbors? Describe important celebrations, events, and people. Where do you like to hang out or play? * Paragraph 4: e. What is happening in the nation politically and economically? Look carefully at the date of your letter. Include specific details from the resources. f. What is happening in the nation's culture? Tell about music, radio programs, movies, sports. (Minimum of two specific details from the timeline according to the date of your letter. ) * Paragraph 5: a. What are your dreams for the future? b. What do you think the world will be like? c. How do you think the events of the Great Depression will affect you? | 76 Fort Street Johnston, West Virginia January 15, 1936 Dear Home Owner, My name is Frank Rollins and one day you will find this letter in my old house as part of a time capsule to be opened in the year 2007. It will hopefully help you and others understand what life is like for the people living through the tough economic times of today and hopefully will help you appreciate the many things that you may have. It will help you understand that standards of living can change very rapidly in times of economic turmoil and that what was once taken for granted can just as easily slip through your hands as if it wasn’t there. It will also hopefully help you understand just how quickly things change. Most importantly, I hope this letter helps you appreciate that the people in your lives are so much more important than the things. I am writing this letter as one final activity in this wonderful home where we have lived for 12 years. I am 33 years old, married to a beautiful woman, and we share 5 children between the ages of 5 and 11. We bought this house as our first home and thought that we would live here to raise all of our children. It is a wonderful neighborhood and the people here are friendly and kind. We have made friends that we will have for life and our children have too. Today is a very sad day for my entire family and for the friends that we have made. Unfortunately, we have to move because we can no longer afford to pay for the house that we treasure so much. Times are tough in this country and although we thought we would make it, things have changed. I was once the manager of the town’s bank and I made a very good living. We have been able to live in this affluent white collar neighborhood, be part of the country club and send our kids to private school where they were around other kids with the same standard of living. I worked hard to earn the wage that I did and I moved up the ladder in a meticulous manner so that I could maintain stability and growth. I wanted to provide my wife and children with the best that life has to offer and I was successful until October 29th, 1929, Black Tuesday. That was a day that changed my future and my destiny. It was the day that the stock market crashed and that people lost much of what they had. It was the day that caused panic for everyone, but bank managers in particular were in a predicament that was not too pleasant. Money just seemed to disappear and everyone blamed us. What they didn’t understand is that a bank is a business and somehow we had to pay our bills too. We had lent money and lent money and lent money and now, as people couldn’t pay it back, we were really in a pickle. It was a tough day followed by a rougher few years. I saw people’s houses be taken from them and people were just crushed. I was not able to help because the bank didn’t have any more money to lend. Roosevelt had placed a temporary close on banks to figure out who could legitimately stay open and who had to close for good. My bank stayed open for a while, but the time came 3 months ago when the doors had to close. You see, what happened is that people got really comfortable spending their money and other people’s money. Borrowing started, lots of borrowing, and people no longer lived with debt. It became a way of life. Then, people wanted more and more stuff. This was all in the 1920’s by the way when all of these new things were being manufactured and people were in awe of the new technology. As people bought it, more stuff was made until there was too much stuff on the store shelves. People had started to smarten up a little bit and they stopped buying. Production continued and the businesses were paying the price for that over production. When businesses have to pay, they cut costs somewhere else. In this case, it was in laborers. So people got laid off and were now out of work. The whole thing spiraled out of control and devastated the entire country. At the time, Hoover was our President and although he gets blamed for a lot of this stuff, it wasn’t really him who was to blame. He could have been more alert to what was happening I guess, but it was hard for anyone to see. He lost the election last year when Roosevelt was brought in with the promise of the New Deal. The New Deal is the promise for everything to be put back together financially in the country. It is the promise for jobs and for businesses to get back on their feet and for the country to become prosperous again. Will it work? It is hard to say becuae we are in the beginning phases of it. Roosevelt is definitely doing what he can to help the American people though. He has puts programs in place that are funded by the federal government that will insure that another Black Tuesday doesn’t happen. He has the FDIC which insures people’s banks deposits, the Works Progress Administration to offer jobs building new highways, the Social Security Administration to help people who are elderly or retired and about 12 other programs beyond that. They are all there to offer education, work and insurance that people’s money is safe. I think it will be several years before we know what will come of all of this but we will keep our fingers crossed that things get better. I will actually benefit from Roosevelt’s new deal as I begin my job as a highway builder next week. It will not provide the private school education that my kids are used to, or the continuation at the country club, but it would be unfair if it did. It is not the government’s job to provide me with anything but I am really happy that it will help me provide food to my family. Right now, every little bit helps. I look at this opportunity as a way to appreciate what I had and to look forward to gaining it back one day. I will do that as things get better and people get more in touch with the realities of what they have. It will be a while before banks are trusted and there are some people who still hold me personally accountable for their losses. That is the worst feeling in the world because I pride myself on honesty and integrity. The highway building will be a good respite and a way for me to get in better touch with what I will do in the future. My children will begin in the public school on Monday too. It will be the beginning of our new life with all kinds of changing happening next week. They will go to a one room school instead of a school where each grade is separated. Their teacher seems so nice though and I think they will benefit from their time learning together instead of apart. They will go from 8am til 12 pm and return home for lunch and to do their homework, chores and play. What my wife and I have stressed to them is how lucky we are to have each other, good health, and grandparents who have a home big enough for all of us to stay in. There are many less fortunate than us who don’t have a place to go and they don’t have food to put on their table. That is the ultimate tragedy really, isn’t it? We will still have a radio to listen to and we will continue to dance the way that we used to at night after listen to Roosevelt’s fireside chat. We dance in hope that the promises he is making will come true and we dance to celebrate life. Some nights we listen to the baseball games and root for Babe Ruth. He is the ultimate baseball of all time. We also read together so that our minds can keep growing and as a way to entertain ourselves. Sometimes we act out the stories in our family just for fun. One of my daughters has a flare for the dramatic and she loves to be an actress. She loved going to the movies when we could afford it, and I can’t wait to be able to take her again when times are a little better. The other kids like to play baseball in the yard with the kids in neighborhood, climbing trees and swimming at the country club. I suppose we will have to go to the river to swim for the time being and the new experience will be a great one for all of us. What I want you to know as you read this letter is that times are tough and in history, people should be aware of how tough times are for some people and how they got that way. I hope that you cherish the people in your life more than the things that you can have and that you make sensible choices when spending money that you have worked hard for. I believe that people should try to live without debt for the trivial things in life. Clothing, cars and things of that nature should be paid for without using someone else’s money. I understand that houses are very expensive and that in normal circumstances people must borrow money for them and that one expense is the only one that should leave you owing someone else money. There will temptations in life and pressures from others to spend money you don’t have, but I beg of you not to do it. I am giving up my home tomorrow and I am thankful the most for the wife and children. The things we have accumulated are only reminders of how I could have saved that money and been paying for my home right now. Be grateful for health and cherish the smiles that you see as people pass you by. Maybe one day, I will rebuy this old home of ours, and maybe it will be one of my grandkids who opens this time capsule letter. That would be the ultimate gift, but for now, I can only hope that the people who move in here enjoy it as much as we did and that they have good fortune and prosperity. And 70 years from now, in 2007, I hope that all of Roosevelt’s new programs have worked and that we, in the worst of financial times, have made it right for future generations. Change is not a bad thing, it lays the groundwork for new and better times. Best wishes to you and your family. I hope that you enjoy our home as much as we did. Sincerely, Frank Rollins The Great Depression 9. 04 The Great Depression A. Heading: * Address (imaginary) * City, State (imaginary) * Date (Month, Day, Year in the 1930s) B. Greeting: Dear ________: C. Body Your letter should focus on the following aspects of your life: * Paragraph 1: In the introduction to your letter, identify two causes of the Great Depression. Utilize the web sites in the Resource section. Explain how the Great Depression has affected you and your family. Use specific details from the web sites (For example, how did Black Tuesday affect your family or relatives? What is your standard of living? * Paragraph 2: a. Describe your family. Who are your brothers, sisters, relatives? What do your parents and relatives do for a living? b. Choose one of your relatives that has a job set up by FDR's New Deal. (For example, an uncle might be employed by the WPA). Choose a specific program within the New Deal—do not simply reference the New Deal in general. Describe the job with details. What is the purpose of th e organization? * Paragraph 3: c. Describe your school, classes, and teachers. Who are your friends? . Describe the town where you live. Who are your neighbors? Describe important celebrations, events, and people. Where do you like to hang out or play? * Paragraph 4: e. What is happening in the nation politically and economically? Look carefully at the date of your letter. Include specific details from the resources. f. What is happening in the nation's culture? Tell about music, radio programs, movies, sports. (Minimum of two specific details from the timeline according to the date of your letter. ) * Paragraph 5: a. What are your dreams for the future? b. What do you think the world will be like? c. How do you think the events of the Great Depression will affect you? | 76 Fort Street Johnston, West Virginia January 15, 1936 Dear Home Owner, My name is Frank Rollins and one day you will find this letter in my old house as part of a time capsule to be opened in the year 2007. It will hopefully help you and others understand what life is like for the people living through the tough economic times of today and hopefully will help you appreciate the many things that you may have. It will help you understand that standards of living can change very rapidly in times of economic turmoil and that what was once taken for granted can just as easily slip through your hands as if it wasn’t there. It will also hopefully help you understand just how quickly things change. Most importantly, I hope this letter helps you appreciate that the people in your lives are so much more important than the things. I am writing this letter as one final activity in this wonderful home where we have lived for 12 years. I am 33 years old, married to a beautiful woman, and we share 5 children between the ages of 5 and 11. We bought this house as our first home and thought that we would live here to raise all of our children. It is a wonderful neighborhood and the people here are friendly and kind. We have made friends that we will have for life and our children have too. Today is a very sad day for my entire family and for the friends that we have made. Unfortunately, we have to move because we can no longer afford to pay for the house that we treasure so much. Times are tough in this country and although we thought we would make it, things have changed. I was once the manager of the town’s bank and I made a very good living. We have been able to live in this affluent white collar neighborhood, be part of the country club and send our kids to private school where they were around other kids with the same standard of living. I worked hard to earn the wage that I did and I moved up the ladder in a meticulous manner so that I could maintain stability and growth. I wanted to provide my wife and children with the best that life has to offer and I was successful until October 29th, 1929, Black Tuesday. That was a day that changed my future and my destiny. It was the day that the stock market crashed and that people lost much of what they had. It was the day that caused panic for everyone, but bank managers in particular were in a predicament that was not too pleasant. Money just seemed to disappear and everyone blamed us. What they didn’t understand is that a bank is a business and somehow we had to pay our bills too. We had lent money and lent money and lent money and now, as people couldn’t pay it back, we were really in a pickle. It was a tough day followed by a rougher few years. I saw people’s houses be taken from them and people were just crushed. I was not able to help because the bank didn’t have any more money to lend. Roosevelt had placed a temporary close on banks to figure out who could legitimately stay open and who had to close for good. My bank stayed open for a while, but the time came 3 months ago when the doors had to close. You see, what happened is that people got really comfortable spending their money and other people’s money. Borrowing started, lots of borrowing, and people no longer lived with debt. It became a way of life. Then, people wanted more and more stuff. This was all in the 1920’s by the way when all of these new things were being manufactured and people were in awe of the new technology. As people bought it, more stuff was made until there was too much stuff on the store shelves. People had started to smarten up a little bit and they stopped buying. Production continued and the businesses were paying the price for that over production. When businesses have to pay, they cut costs somewhere else. In this case, it was in laborers. So people got laid off and were now out of work. The whole thing spiraled out of control and devastated the entire country. At the time, Hoover was our President and although he gets blamed for a lot of this stuff, it wasn’t really him who was to blame. He could have been more alert to what was happening I guess, but it was hard for anyone to see. He lost the election last year when Roosevelt was brought in with the promise of the New Deal. The New Deal is the promise for everything to be put back together financially in the country. It is the promise for jobs and for businesses to get back on their feet and for the country to become prosperous again. Will it work? It is hard to say becuae we are in the beginning phases of it. Roosevelt is definitely doing what he can to help the American people though. He has puts programs in place that are funded by the federal government that will insure that another Black Tuesday doesn’t happen. He has the FDIC which insures people’s banks deposits, the Works Progress Administration to offer jobs building new highways, the Social Security Administration to help people who are elderly or retired and about 12 other programs beyond that. They are all there to offer education, work and insurance that people’s money is safe. I think it will be several years before we know what will come of all of this but we will keep our fingers crossed that things get better. I will actually benefit from Roosevelt’s new deal as I begin my job as a highway builder next week. It will not provide the private school education that my kids are used to, or the continuation at the country club, but it would be unfair if it did. It is not the government’s job to provide me with anything but I am really happy that it will help me provide food to my family. Right now, every little bit helps. I look at this opportunity as a way to appreciate what I had and to look forward to gaining it back one day. I will do that as things get better and people get more in touch with the realities of what they have. It will be a while before banks are trusted and there are some people who still hold me personally accountable for their losses. That is the worst feeling in the world because I pride myself on honesty and integrity. The highway building will be a good respite and a way for me to get in better touch with what I will do in the future. My children will begin in the public school on Monday too. It will be the beginning of our new life with all kinds of changing happening next week. They will go to a one room school instead of a school where each grade is separated. Their teacher seems so nice though and I think they will benefit from their time learning together instead of apart. They will go from 8am til 12 pm and return home for lunch and to do their homework, chores and play. What my wife and I have stressed to them is how lucky we are to have each other, good health, and grandparents who have a home big enough for all of us to stay in. There are many less fortunate than us who don’t have a place to go and they don’t have food to put on their table. That is the ultimate tragedy really, isn’t it? We will still have a radio to listen to and we will continue to dance the way that we used to at night after listen to Roosevelt’s fireside chat. We dance in hope that the promises he is making will come true and we dance to celebrate life. Some nights we listen to the baseball games and root for Babe Ruth. He is the ultimate baseball of all time. We also read together so that our minds can keep growing and as a way to entertain ourselves. Sometimes we act out the stories in our family just for fun. One of my daughters has a flare for the dramatic and she loves to be an actress. She loved going to the movies when we could afford it, and I can’t wait to be able to take her again when times are a little better. The other kids like to play baseball in the yard with the kids in neighborhood, climbing trees and swimming at the country club. I suppose we will have to go to the river to swim for the time being and the new experience will be a great one for all of us. What I want you to know as you read this letter is that times are tough and in history, people should be aware of how tough times are for some people and how they got that way. I hope that you cherish the people in your life more than the things that you can have and that you make sensible choices when spending money that you have worked hard for. I believe that people should try to live without debt for the trivial things in life. Clothing, cars and things of that nature should be paid for without using someone else’s money. I understand that houses are very expensive and that in normal circumstances people must borrow money for them and that one expense is the only one that should leave you owing someone else money. There will temptations in life and pressures from others to spend money you don’t have, but I beg of you not to do it. I am giving up my home tomorrow and I am thankful the most for the wife and children. The things we have accumulated are only reminders of how I could have saved that money and been paying for my home right now. Be grateful for health and cherish the smiles that you see as people pass you by. Maybe one day, I will rebuy this old home of ours, and maybe it will be one of my grandkids who opens this time capsule letter. That would be the ultimate gift, but for now, I can only hope that the people who move in here enjoy it as much as we did and that they have good fortune and prosperity. And 70 years from now, in 2007, I hope that all of Roosevelt’s new programs have worked and that we, in the worst of financial times, have made it right for future generations. Change is not a bad thing, it lays the groundwork for new and better times. Best wishes to you and your family. I hope that you enjoy our home as much as we did. Sincerely, Frank Rollins The Great Depression The Great Depression was caused by not just one event, but by a combination of factors that led to the Great Depression. These included the stock market crash of 1929, the failures of nine thousand banks, drought conditions in the Mississippi valley, also known as the Great Dust Bowl, in 1930 and American economic policies with Europe, including the Smoot-Hawley Tariff in 1930, which reduces trade with Europe and contributed to an overall reduction in purchasing of durable goods. The stock market crash of 1929 was the event that sparked everything off. On September 3, 1929, the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached a high of 381.2, a record high at the time.At the end of the market day on Thursday, October 24, the market was at 299.5, this was a twenty one percent drop in just under two months. In November of the same year, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was at 199. By the time 1932 was over, the market had lost over ninety percent of its value. Banks, at the time, were also largely unregulated and often loaned out more money than they had on hand. Brokerage firms would lend out none dollars for every dollar, their investors had deposited. This was called buying on a margin. When the market failed, these loans were called in and the investors had no way to pay.This was worsened when many loans could not be collected on and depositors demanded their money back. There was no such thing as the FDIC back then, and the banks depositors lost their entire savings when a bank failed. The dollar was also decreasing in value while the debit people had stayed the same. This caused banks to decrease lending, which in turn, disrupted businesses, causing job losses as these businesses failed as well. It was a vicious cycle made worse by runs on the banks. Bank runs are when people rush to withdraw their money from banks for fear of losing it if the bank was in financial trouble. When people were unemployed and fearful of the banks, they tried to withdraw money that simply w as not there.The Decline in the Supply of MoneyAs we have discussed, a chain of events led to the great depression one of those was a decline in the money supply. The table below will help understand better the status of the money supply before and after the great depression years. (Watkins, 2013) M1= The sum of currency in circulation and the level of demand deposits M2- The sum of M1 plus time depositsThe Money Supply and Consumer Price Index (CPI) Before and During the Great Depression Years Demand Currency Consumer M2 M1 Deposits in circulation Price Index YEAR ($bill) ($bill) ($bill) ($bill) (1947-49 =100) 1926 43.7 26.2 22.2 4.891927 44.7 26.1 22.1 4.85 74.2 1928 46.4 26.4 22.5 4.80 73.3 1929 46.6 26.6 22.7 4.75 73.3 1930 45.7 25.8 22.0 4.52 71.4 1931 42.7 24.1 20.0 4.82 65.0 1932 36.1 21.1 16.2 5.70 58.4 1933 32.2 19.9 14.8 5.72 55.3 1934 34.4 21.9 17.2 5.37 57.2 1935 39.1 25.9 21.1 5.57 58.7 1936 43.5 29.6 24.3 6.24 59.3 1937 45.7 30.9 25.3 6.45 61.4 1938 45.5 30.5 25.0 6.46 60.3 1939 49.3 34.2 28.1 7.05 59.4 1940 55.2 39.7 32.0 7.85 59.9 1941 62.5 46.5 38.1 9.61 62.9 1942 71.2 55.4 43.8 12.38Political DebateDuring the Great Depression, the political parties had some heated debates between each other to try and solve the crisis. Essentially the debates among parties during the great depression are not unlike the fiscal debates that have gone on since the parties’ inception. Fiscally conservative and liberal parties both have good points and have both been proven successful in the pas t. The problem is that both theories have also shown examples of failure. FDR originally took a fiscally conservative approach during the recession but soon adopted a new strategy.In April 1938 he took advice from Harry Hopkins and other advisers who believed that government spending on  relief and public works would revive the economy, even if it produced larger deficits. The idea was that the depression was the product of under-consumption and that giving consumers more money (â€Å"priming the pump†) would stimulate consumer spending and fix the economy’s recession. FDR asked Congress for a $5 billion relief program, which passed in the spring and summer of 1938. But it didn’t really have an effect because although this was an aggressive approach to the recession, it was still too conservative. The amount of $5 billion was too little to provide the necessary stimulus.

How Does Facebook Impact on Your Life Essay

What is the most popular social network in the world? I believe that most people prefer the answer â€Å"Facebook†. Nowadays, there are more and more people join the Facebook. You can always see such situations that some people refresh their Facebook when they have nothing to do, and there are some people even only use Facebook to keep in touch with others. Actually, Facebook has already become a part of our life; and it changed our lives in four aspects: it changed our online life, relationships with our parents, relationships with our friends, and also eased our feeling of loneliness. The first aspect is that Facebook fulfilled our Internet lives. Do you still remember what did you usually do on the Internet before the Facebook was invented? Use my own experience for example; before the Facebook was invented, I only use the basic functions of the Internet, such as check the emails, look for some news on the Internet, sometime I also play some online games. At that time, I prefer to watch TV rather than surf the Internet. However, after the Facebook was invented, my online life changed. When I surf the Internet, the first thing I have to do is check my Facebook, because many of my friends who changed their states everyday. From their states I can know what happened to my friends. Sometimes I can also share some interesting videos and pictures to my friends, it also made me feel closer with my friend. Actually, not only myself, but also other teenagers have the similar situations. In â€Å"Facebook is a major influence on girls, says survey†, Sean Coughlan (2010) reported that there is a survey based on 3000 parents and 1000 children in the UK, and they found that Facebook made a big influence on children, especially on girls. In that survey, children are asked to list three important things in their life. The result shows that 41% of the girls and 17% of the boys believe that technology is one of the biggest influences, and many girls regard the Facebook as their important part in their life. They believe that Facebook is more important than TV, magazines and even their brothers or sisters. It sounds a little crazy, however, it is true that Facebook has already changed our Internet life. In fact, Facebook didn’t only change our Internet life, but also create a new way to communicate with your parents and friends. As there are more and more teenage Facebook users, many parents try to communicate with their kids through Facebook. However, is it an effective way to use Facebook to get closer with their child? In â€Å"Student’s Facebook ‘friends’: public and private spheres†, Anne West, Jane Lewis and Peter Currie (2009) analysis that most teens feel weird when adults have Facebook. Huffington Post (2007) use a student’s words as example, the student said that if his or her parents know so much about his or her Facebook activities, he or she will has a feel that his or her parents want to know the secrets between his or her friends. He or she wants his or her parents could understand that Facebook profile is prepared for people who are sharing his or her experience (cited in West, Lewis & Currie, 2009). From this example, we can see that many teenagers don’t like adding their parents as friends. They want a world that they can chart with their friends without worrying about their parents. However, there are still many teenagers believe that Facebook is a good way to communicate with their parents. For instance, there is a girl noted that her mother just got into Internet for few days and her mother likes to see her photos. The girl believes that it is a good way to keep in touch with her mother (West, Lewis & Currie, 2009). In another case, there is a friend of mine insist on communicating with his mother through the Internet. They believe that add each other as a Facebook friend is a symbol of reliance. My friend likes to update some photos with his friends, and his mother likes to share some tips in daily life with Facebook. With the help of Facebook, their relationship became better and better. As there are more and more people who know how to use Internet, we need to believe that one day, parents can get closer with their kid by using Facebook. Facebook does not only change our relationships with our parents, but also with our friends. Before the Facebook was invented, maybe the most common way to communicate with others is cellphone. You can text or phone others. However, with the birth of the Facebook, we have a new way to communicate with our friends. In â€Å"Me and My 400 Friends: The Anatomy of College Students’ Facebook Networks, Their Communication Patterns, and Well-Being†, Manago, Taylor and Greenfield (2012, pp. 374) did a survey on 400 people. According to their study, the average time that people spend on the Facebook is a little over an hour, and 80% of the people would log in the Facebook many times a day. Most people would like to update their status a few times a week. Status is most common use of the Facebook. From our friends’ statues we can know more about our friends’ life. To some degree, it is a kind of communication when you see your friends’ statue and leave a comment under their statue. According to Manago, Taylor and Greenfield’s study, the most common statues are others’ emotion condition (51% of participants). Then the second and the third most common statue is â€Å"what you a doing† and â€Å"vent frustration†. Therefore, we can easily know something from others’ statue. That is why Facebook provide us a new way to communicate with our friends. Actually, most young people like to use Facebook to keep in touch with their friends. Use my friends for example; Dale and Ronda are young couple with two kids. They like to go vocation in holidays. Each time when they come back they will update their statues and photos. It makes them feel closer with their friends. From these examples we can see that Facebook really changed our relationship with our friends a lot. The forth aspect that Facebook influent our life is that Facebook can ease our feeling of loneliness. In the article â€Å"Is Facebook Making Us Lonely? †, Marche (2012, P. 62) points out that Americans are much more lonely than ever before. In 1950, only less than 10% of the homes have only one person. However, by 2010, nearly 27% of the homes have only one person. From these information we can see that people became more and more lonely, because many of them living alone, they don’t have somebody to talk with them. That is the problem, and Facebook can solve this problem perfectly. Although you could not live with your friends, you could communicate with them through Facebook. Marche (2012, P. 64) also reported that in 1985, only 10% of the Americans had no one to talk about vital matters. However, by 2004, the year when Facebook launched, 25% Americans had no one to talk to. To solve this problem, Facebook provides a platform that you can discuss important matters with others. Facebook is not only a social networking, but also a â€Å"medicine† which can reduce the feeling of loneliness. There are some people argue that the motive for using Facebook may impact on loneliness. For instance, some people may addict to Facebook, so they prefer to use the Internet to communicate with others but not talk to others in reality. About this point, Mathew Ingram, an excerpt from BusinessWeek blog post, explains that Facebook would not promote connections in real world. He met many friends from Internet. He agrees that there are people became lonelier because of using the Internet, just like many lonely people like to watch a lot of late-night TV show. However, it doesn’t mean that Facebook causes loneliness (cited in Marche, 2012, P. 17). From the information above, we can see that Facebook really changed our life. In conclusion, Facebook changed our life in many aspects. It does not only add more happiness on your Internet life, but also make your relationships with others better. In the modern world, people became lonelier and lonelier. With the help of the Facebook, we can meet more new friends; we can keep in touch with our old friends, it can also help us to get out from the shadow of the loneliness. Facebook or social networking has already been a part of our life. Therefore, all we need to do is to make good use of the Facebook and let it serve us in a better way.

Manufacturing Research Paper

Manufacturing Research Paper Introduction The main aim of the research paper is to ascertain the extent of participation, the types of alliances used and the problems faced by these firms which are basically into developing and manufacturing telecommunications, transport, information, lethal platforms, and components for the operation of these platforms for military organisations. Exposure to decreasing defence budgets of nations, global competition, and open market practices, has made the environment of the defence equipment manufacturing firms, which have constraints for technology transfers and use of popular corporate strategies due to the very nature of their business, unpredictable, uncertain, and a threat to their survival. In such a situation, strategic alliances are a good option for these firms. But given the political and commercial constraints, the best practices of the alliance formation may not be relevant to these firms. This paper looks at how these firms are practising strategic alliances. The Defence Industry Environment It appears that the issues facing the defence industry and the new emerging constraints have attracted a lot of attention of contemporary authors, but the responses to these issues and their effects are somewhat still unclear to the industry. Since the end of the cold war in early 1990s, the trend in Europe is that of declining defence expenditures, shutting down of many such defence equipment manufactures and the reduction of employees in this sector. Two other important factors that influence the sector are the decreasing control of the state in arms manufacturing and the break up of the military industrial complexes. Also, due to reduction in Russian threat, the customer base has reduced, but competition has increased. This has been highlighted by the example of the Aerospace industry, wherein only four models exist, but every contract is vital for the company’s survival. This condition has led to increasing alliances even between competitors in an attempt to prevent or rev erse poor performance. The authors have adopted Cosentino’s seven symptoms of change in the defence industry as more costly programs, cuts in military expenses, growing Asian markets, reducing government support, demand for return on investment, new competition, and demanding customer requirements. The globalisation of arms market and the diminishing national control over arms supplies has resulted in competitive disadvantages for firms which have persisted with purely national procurement and manufacturing strategies. The authors have summarised the reasons for the changes in the defence industry as declining budgets of governments, demand for greater accountability in defence procurement, growing demand for latest and best technology, declining market size, and increasing competition from global players. The authors observe that the conditions, which existed previously, have resulted in conditioning of employees of these firs to aberrant business practices. But this disadva ntage is negated by their common cultural backgrounds. Types of Strategic Alliances Strategic alliances are agreements between firms to cooperate with each other in some way for varying lengths of time. What differs is the degree of co-operation, structure and duration. Strategic alliances have gained popularity across many industries and the literature available or the studies conducted are not industry specific, but mostly cross-sectoral. There are many ways of classifying strategic alliances. They can be classified into four categories based on the nature of allying firms as pro-competitive (inter industry), non-competitive (intra industry, non competing), competitive (direct competitors), and pre-competitive (unrelated industries). They can also be classified as horizontal (between competitors), vertical (between members of supply chain), or diagonal (between firms in different industries). In any case, what is common to all these alliances is transfer of knowledge, which may or may not be equal in both directions for the allying firms. Strategic alliances inclu de collaboration, joint ventures, consortia, licensing agreements, offset agreements and essentially any form of co-operation or exchange of resources between two or more partners. Drivers of Strategic Alliance Formation The drivers of strategic alliance formation include global economic downturns, new economic opportunities, the need for survival within the firm and the collective fear of risk inherent in business. Also, the process of selection of the right type of alliance is a mix of selecting suitable ones and eliminating unsuitable ones. The process is also dependent on the dominant drivers during the alliance formation and the tailoring of the type of alliance is done to suit the needs and goals of the allying partners. The primary driver of strategic alliances seems to be globalisation, or the advent of global competition, due to which such alliances are observed commonly across various industries like automobile, pharmaceutical, aerospace, etc on a global level. What needs to be examined is whether firms are adopting this as defensive business strategy for survival, or proactive strategy to reduce competition. Motives of Strategic Alliance Formation The motives pertain more to specific sectors or firms within the industry as opposed to drivers, which create an overall need for change within the industry. It is necessary for the motives to fit into a strategic plan. Examples of motives are acquisition of technology, or resources, or attaining economies of scale, which seems relevant to the defence industry. If they do not fit into the strategic plan, they may pose hurdles in further strategic moves. Strategic Alliance Life Cycles The authors have adopted the concept from Doz and Hamel, who have developed a process for alliance formation which is classified under four headings as operational scope, configurations and contributions, alliance governance, and alliance interface. These are not unambiguous and the whole process can be looked at as a map of alliance formation, with different kinds of alliances having different starting and ending points. Learning, Trust and Culture Various researches have proved that a lot depends on the inter-relation of these three parameters in a strategic alliance. During the period of alliance, the firm that learns more from its partner, stand to gain more from the alliance. Hammel refers to this as internalisation of partner’s skills. Such internalisation is primary motive of many firms in entering alliances and on termination of the alliance, they are still successful in their motive. The most attractive resources to internalise are leading edge technology and management techniques. For such alliances, the structure, culture, and communication patterns are not as important as the learning process. The authors touch upon the issue of trust by mentioning that the best practices of interaction between senior executives of partnering firms, shared values, effective communication, and a multi-disciplinary effort between the firms is responsible for good trust building. Culture and its compatibility, especially in pooli ng of resources for research and development work is also an important aspect of strategic alliance, relevant to defence manufacturing industry. Defence Manufacturing and Strategic Alliances Not surprisingly, there is a tremendous growth in the strategic alliances in defence manufacturing industry as a result of the factors mentioned above. However, one factor that goes against this phenomenon is the sovereignty of operations as a result of the state determining supply and demand of this industry, which is a strategic economical d military asset. The advantages of such alliances have been adopted from Draper as acquisition of technological assets, lowering of unit costs, and vertical development of supply chain. The objectives of the nation to maintain its proprietary technology are contrast with the objectives of joint ventures, which are to gain technological resources for the second tier countries, and to gain access to cheaper manufacturing and sourcing for the first tier countries, besides the joint objectives of larger market access and amortisation of defence research. An option to full blown cross border mergers is collaboration which has the advantage of sharing of non-recurring costs, interoperability, economies of scale, lesser chances of scraping of projects amongst others. But the chief deterrent is the issue of sharing workload in proportion to investment made, leading to excessive capacities, complex industrial arrangements, and impedance to free technology transfer. Alliance Life Cycles Within the Defence Manufacturing Industry Due to the decline of number of firms in this industry, the firms lay emphasis on reputation and experience in strategic alliances as well as the technology to choose their partners from the limited pool. In the first phase of alliance formation, the opportunities from the business venture are checked for fit with the firm’s strategic plan. In the second stage, a cost benefit analysis is done. The further life cycle is very well demonstrated with a diagram, which highlights stages like Partner selection, Agreement on goals, Development of relationships, Binding initial agreement, and Ensuring equality. Also, this industry is characterised by typically high research costs and the risks were formerly covered by the large national defence budgets. But with reducing budgets and the demand for cutting edge semiconductor technology, this risk has now blown beyond proportion for firms to handle it alone. An unsuccessful bid may result in a financial hiccup whereas an uncompetitive pr oduct would result in shutting down of a large part of production units. Results of Empirical Investigations The formation of strategic alliances varies between the sectors within the industry due to varying corporate culture. The levels of cross border cooperation vary between sectors, with electronics leading the pack and ordnance and small arms lagging far behind. The structure of alliance depends on the size of the partners, with the SMEs preferring licensing agreements and the larger players preferring collaboration, for commercial and governance reasons. On the other hand, joint ventures allow the marriage of complementary competencies and provide an opportunity to gain contracts from the partners’ markets. In partnerships involving partners of unequal sizes, friction is caused due to different perceptions of life cycle and time. The development of the structure in the defence manufacturing industry depends very much on the position of the firms within the industrys hierarchy and its ability to select the best structure to fit into its overall group structure. Yet this is very much customer driven and depends on the governments, which are the major customers. If the goal of the alliance is knowledge transfer, there is a lot of communication at lower levels in the student teacher mould, and this diminishes with time. Also, it depends on the sizes of the firms. The nationalities of firms induce superiority or inferiority complexes in partners based on history. Relationship development is important and is demonstrated with the help of the example that though UK and US have compatible cultures and one would expect successful strategic alliances between them, that is not the case and there arise many misunderstandings between partnering firms. This also demonstrates the importance of cultural compatibilities and the need for the senior executives of the partnering firms to make conscious efforts to internationalise and remove cultural interpretative difficulties. Legality of the agreement is given particular emphasis because of the high cost of cutting edge te chnology and the sensitive nature of the industry. The agreements ensure that the resources promised by the partners are released, that the potential demands are not inflated and the technology is not sold to a rival government to be used against the firm’s nation. Firms use this initial period of agreement formation to try to identify any hidden agendas on the part of the prospective partner by analysing what the partner is looking for and why. Issues of equality of control and risk are sensitive to handle and have importance only in equity based alliances. In a working alliance, communication gaps are a major problem, owing to difference in language, culture and management styles. The degree of communication required depends on the type of alliance, being maximum in joint ventures and least in licensing. The older executives tend to neglect the market dynamics, owing to an orientation towards protected industry as it used to be. Also, it can be hypothesised that the degree to which an alliance is formally reviewed depends on the size of the firm. Contrary to the literature, which says that alliances in this industry are formed for operational reasons like gaining economies of scale and share risk, the research finds that the alliances are formed for strategic reasons like maintaining market share and market power. Discussion The authors say that contrary to the belief, globalisation is not the primary driver for alliances in the defence manufacturing industry, which is consolidating. They point out that the high technology, which is tools for many industries for operations, is the product for this industry and its expenses and relationships are well documented. To gain the advantages of controlling the partnership and the prevention of the partner’s internalisation of its competencies, the firms in this industry prefer collaboration, which are also easier to manage, and can be structured to accommodate legal changes to initial agreements, like workshare proportions, sales estimates, etc, including change of partners. The nature of the strategic alliances also depends on the nationality of firms, with the US firms showing significant orientation for collaborations and licensing agreements. Also, the US firms indulge in a lot of alliances and most of them are to gain technology which they have not a lready developed. But they later impose restrictions such that market development for their partners, using the US technology becomes impossible. UK, France and Germany are next in the number of alliances, with UK- France partnerships being primarily in electronics and Germany’s involvement in land vehicles, aircrafts, etc. The authors also point out that the effect of commercial practices on corporate culture needs to be investigated. The authors end with a note on convergence of mutual perceptions. The give examples of The US firms perceiving European short tem partners as less beneficial in the long run and UK experiencing competition from other European countries to partner with US. The authors are quick to point out that the future of European markets is difficult to predict and that a lot would depend on Government support and influence. Personal Opinion The drivers for change in the defence manufacturing industry have rightly been identified. In today’s world, no country has the economy to sustain long term war, except the US. Owing to this, the market for the industry in question is definitely reducing. The other observation is about government control over this industry. With the primary intention of building efficiencies in this industry and to incorporate accountability, the states are making conscious efforts to privatise the industry. As a result, the support which the industry had to cover financial risks is fast disappearing. Also, the sensitivity of the industry, makes it difficult for the players to operate in the open economy environment and to indulge in technology transfer. All these key issues have definitely made strategic alliances a key strategic policy. This also the reason why the industry is consolidating. Also, the issue of costs of research and development is another prime driver. But what needs a deeper thought is the way the companies exercise this strategic tool. For this analysis, the concept of life cycle of the alliance is very useful. But a detail study of some of the failures need to be done in the context of the lifecycle. What kind of partnership can go wrong at what stage with what kind of mistakes needs to be found out. The strategies for success, in this case lie in searching the reasons for failure. Also, the prices of most of these equipments is prohibitively high. So the strategic alliances for firms belonging to nations, which do not have the potential to buy the equipment, is a sensitive issue. It need to be found that what kind of companies look for partners in such countries. Are sourcing considerations the only ones for such alliances, and the benefits derived for the smaller partner need to be looked at. The other major consideration is the influence of European Council on such partnerships. Also, the organisations like NATO should have some effect on them. Wh at needs to be found out is the stage of the lifecycle in which these factors gain importance. Also, the extent to which these factors influence is not known. Another important part is that the customers drive the decision about the kind of alliance that the partners enter into. But does this not conflict with the aim of the organisations? This a question to which answers can be provided only by scrutinising case studies of attempts to form strategic alliances. The one other important issue is the legality of the agreements. The issues involved are sensitive and the partners try to make these as watertight as possible. The effect of this on the trust and information sharing between partners is of prime importance. The transfer of knowledge and it use later on is dependent on these agreements, and the US seems to be taking complete advantage of thefact for maximum benefit. And the final point that comes to the mind is the effect of such alliances on the relations between the nations of the partnering firms. In some cases, the relations between the nations have an effect on the strength and structure of partnerships. In some cases, it is the opposite, and the relations between the nations may be based on the strengths of the partnerships. Conclusion To conclude, I would like to say that the best practices for the success of strategic alliances are based on the structure of industries. It is pretty obvious that when it comes to defence industry, the structure is significantly different from the other industries. So, the best practices in other industries may not be viable in the case of the defence industry. But the recommendable practices need to be identified to help the industry benefit from the experience of the other firms in theprocess of such strategic alliances.

Female Rights in Kuwait essays

Female Rights in Kuwait essays When we read reports by the western media or government agencies, such as the Human Rights Watch of the US Department of State, we note that there is a very high degree of bias against social, legal, and political, and religious practices in Arab countries. This bias is primarily due to the insistance of judging our practices, and culture, according to Western practices and culture and, naturally, there is a tremendous difference between the two. One area of concern in the West is human rights issues in Arab countries, with a strong focus on womens rights. According to the Western perspective, Arab women do not have access to the most basic human rights enjoyed by Western women, are discriminated against by law, and are denied any effective role in their societies. The West incorrectly assumes that such abuse is established by Islam. In fact, the Quran explicitly establishes gender equality, contrary to Western perceptions of it supporting gender discrimination. In Sura 3, Vers e 195 it states that be it man or woman, each of you is equal to the other (Gender Equality In Islam 1). Islamic law, as defined by both the Quran and the Prophets Hadith, outlines womens economic, political and social rights, further prohibiting all form of violence against females (An Islamic Perspective of Violence Against Women 1). The simple fact is, however, Arab culture and practices, as defined by Islam, are different from those of the West as are concepts regarding female rights. Apart from voting, Kuwaiti women have access to their Islamic rights and, consequently, are among the most highly educated in the region, are economically active, and are involved in organizations demanding the implementation of the political rights. The western media and human rights organizations state that Kuwait does not recognize the rights of its female population, and that the legal system actively encoura...

Case Brief

The Superior Court of Philadelphia County affirmed and Plaintiffs Appealed. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania affirmed. Issue: Did Defendant owe Plaintiff, at the time of the accident, a duty of care when Plaintiff was one mile away from the scene of the accident? Holding: Where a close relative is not present at the scene of the accident and instead learns of the accident from a third party, the prior knowledge learned of the accident serves as a buffer against the full-fledged impact of observing the accident scene. Disposition: Order affirmed. Legal Rationale: Plaintiffs argues recovery under the â€Å"reasonably Foreseeability† test, which would allow a Plaintiff outside the â€Å"Zone of Danger† to recover, which was adopted in Sinn v. Burd, 486 Pa. 146 (1979). The Court stated in response that the Plaintiff’s flexible interpretation of the â€Å"jurisprudential concept †¦which require[s] that the defendant’s breach of a duty of care proximately causes plaintiff’s injury,† was flawed. Moreover, that â€Å"at some point along the causal chain, the passage of time and the span of distance mandate a cut-off point for liability. † Id. Justice Nix, quoting Justice Andrew’s dissent in Palsgraf v. Long Island R. R. , 248 N. Y. ,352 argued public policy cannot allow the Defendant to be responsible for every unforeseeable proximate cause that consequently results from of the Defendant’s negligent conduct. Justice Nix admittedly quotes Sinn v. Burd, 486 Pa. , that â€Å"the defendant did owe a duty of care to the bystander†¦Ã¢â‚¬  However, he also notes â€Å"[f]oreseeability enters into the determination of liability in determining whether the emotional injuries sustained by the plaintiff were reasonably foreseeable to the defendant. † Mazzagati at. 75. Justice Nix asserts that the Court has adopted the Dillon v. Legg, 68 Cal. 2d 728 () parameters in determining whether the claim for Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress was reasonably foreseeable. Justice Nix, moreover, quotes that the progression of the law and public policy reveals that: ‘[O]nly a few jurisdictions recognize th e right of the plaintiff witness who did not suffer an impact, was not in fear of his own safety, and those jurisdictions require that the severe emotional distress to the plaintiff result from the direct and contemporaneous observance of the accident. Mazzagati at. 276. Nix favors an obligation definition of â€Å"duty† as opposed to a â€Å"causal sequence of events. † Mazzagati at. 278. In summation, Justice Nix held that the Defendant’s conduct was not negligent because it did not involve an invasion of the Plaintiff’s legal right, therefore making the claim unactionable. [ 1 ]. In Dillon, it was held that a cause of action is stated when the following criteria are met: (1) Whether the plaintiff was located near the scene of the accident as contrasted with one who was a distance away from it; (2) Whether the shock resulted from a direct emotional impact upon the plaintiff from the sensory and contemporaneous observances of the accident, as contrasted with learning of the accident from others after its occurrence; and (3) Whether plaintiff and the victim were closely related as contrasted with an absence of any relationship or the presence of only a distant relationship.