Saturday, December 28, 2019

What Does the Constitution Say About Slavery

Answering the question What does the Constitution say about slavery? is a little tricky because the  words slave or slavery were not used in the original Constitution, and the word slavery is very hard to find even in the current Constitution. However, the issues of slaves rights, the slave trade, and slavery have been addressed in several places of the Constitution; namely, Article I, Articles IV and V and the 13th Amendment, which was added to the Constitution nearly 80 years after the signing of the original document. The Three-Fifths Compromise Article I, Section 2 of the original Constitution is commonly known as the three-fifths compromise. It stated that slaves counted as three-fifths of a person in terms of representation in Congress, which is based on population. The compromise was struck between those who argued that slaves should not be counted at all and those who argued that all slaves should be counted, thereby increasing  representation for slave states. Slaves did not have the right to vote, so this issue had nothing to do with voting rights; it merely enabled slave states to count slaves among their population totals. The three-fifths law was, in effect, eliminated by the 14th Amendment, which granted all citizens equal protection under the law. Prohibition on Banning Slavery Article I, Section 9, Clause 1 of the original Constitution prohibited Congress from passing laws that banned slavery until the year 1808, 21 years after the signing of the original  Constitution. This was another compromise between Constitutional Congress delegates who supported and opposed the slave trade. Article V of the Constitution also ensured that there could be no Amendments that would repeal or nullify Article I before 1808. In 1807, Thomas Jefferson signed a bill abolishing the slave trade, made effective January 1, 1808. No Protection in Free States Article IV, Section 2 of the  Constitution prohibited free states from protecting slaves under state law. In other words, if a slave escaped to a free state, that state was not allowed to discharge the slave from their owner or to otherwise protect the slave by law. In this case, the indirect wording used to identify slaves was Person held to Service or Labour.   13th Amendment The 13th Amendment refers directly to slavery in Section 1: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Section 2 grants Congress the power to enforce the Amendment by legislation. Amendment 13 formally abolished slavery in the US, but it didnt come without a fight. It was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, but when it was voted on by the House of Representatives, it failed to  receive the required two-thirds vote for passage. In December of that year, President Lincoln appealed to Congress to reconsider the Amendment. The House did so and voted to pass the Amendment by a vote of 119 to 56.

Friday, December 20, 2019

Four Different Economic Systems and Which One I Think Best...

The different emphasis placed by different societies about several goals and priorities to answer the three key economic questions has lead to the evolvement of four different economics systems which i will critically analyse in this assignment. Furthermore, i will be critically discussing South Africa as a mixed economy as to why it is characterized as a mixed economy and the suitability of the economic system for the current economic conditions. â€Å"A government is not need to ensure the whole society’s welll-being† Adman Smith. 2.LITERARY REVIEW OF THE FOUR ECONOMIC SYSTEMS 2.1. Traditional Economic System: The traditional economy is a system whereby the goods and and products created by the society are shaped by the customs,†¦show more content†¦Decisions on investment and the allocation of producer goods through markets is a significant defining element of a market economy. In comparision to the mixed economy, a market economy may have more income inequality due to the role palyed by the state. 2.4. Mixed Economic System: The mixed economy is an economic system which is characterized by the co-existence of both the private and public sector, incorporating aspects of both market economies as well as planned economies.Plenty of the economic decisions are made by individuals in the market but the state does close supervision in existence of monopolies and plays a role in the allocation and distribution of resources. Harris, L.. (1990/91:33) stated †The idea of a mixed economy also has a political role which is more substantial than its role as a label in a world where ideologies and perceptions are changing†. Private participation in production is permitted which regulates healthy competition leading to profitability, in contrast it plays a role of contribution to public ownership in manufacturing to address social welfare needs. On the other hand features of production my be paralyzed by unsuccessful regulations. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS South Africa is characterized as a mixed economy as it isShow MoreRelatedEdexcel Igcse Economics Answer49663 Words   |  199 PagesAnswers: Section A: The Market System Chapter 1 (a) In all of the photographs goods are being traded. In A, people are buying goods from market traders in a souq. In B, goods are being sold by auction. In C, shoppers are buying goods from a supermarket. And finally, in D, cars are being bought at a car lot. (b) In C, shoppers queuing at a checkout will pay the price that is displayed on the labels of products (or at the point of sale). Shoppers will either pay the price shown or choose notRead MoreInternational Management67196 Words   |  269 Pages10020. Copyright  © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Previous editions  © 2009, 2006, and 2003. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. Some ancillaries, including electronic and printRead MoreProcurement in Oil and Gas Industry in Developing Countries Nigeria Agip12200 Words   |  49 Pagesthese monetary and organizational reforms, this segment has already appeared as one of the most attractive sectors for investment in the country. Among the main causes for the poor financial performance are economic mismanagement and dishon esty. In adding, the countrys extreme dependence on petroleum trades (about 85 percent of the total) makes it susceptible to sharp swipes in the worldwide price of oil. The Nigerian economy is based on two major segments, agriculture and upstream oil business. 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Thursday, December 12, 2019

Defining Visual arts Essay Example For Students

Defining Visual arts Essay These definitions should not be taken too tricky as many artistic disciplines (performing arts, conceptual art, textile arts) involve aspects Of the visual arts as well as arts Of Other types. Also included within the visual arts are the applied arts such as industrial design, graphic design, fashion design, interior design and decorative art. Basically, visual art would be any type of art that can be appreciated visually. Differentiation from other creative expression The visual arts set themselves apart from other art forms due to their very name and meaning, Literally, it refers to art work which can be appreciated visually, not audibly, or theoretically, but tangibly visible. Visual arts are very expansive and do not only include unique or fine art, but also practical things such as standard building design and practical objects like Aboriginal tools or other artifacts. In some peoples eyes, something as plain as a school bus could be considered visual art. Visual arts media types The Visual arts have many different media types with which visual artists can paint. Some of the types are: Dry Media Liquid Media ? Encrusting painting is one example of a type of liquid media, Drawing media, Mixed media, Printed Media, and many more. Virtually any way one can create visual art is derived from a type of Visual arts media. Meaning Of visual arts values Just as society and individual people have their values, so does the artist. The values behind visual arts can be compared to understanding the meaning behind the lyrics of a song. If one does not understand the artists views and/or aloes, they will not understand the true value off particular work of art. This is not true in every piece of art, however, In some cases, an artist intends for his viewers to ascertain the values of the artwork on their own. Factors tot interpretation In factoring interpretation, there are different ways to interpret anything, whether its music, dance, or static visual art displays. If an artist wants their artwork to be interpreted in a certain way, they would have to take into account the overall public opinion on a topic. The values of a piece of artwork play a major role in how a piece is interpreted. As mentioned in the text, Westerners look at the picture of the Arabic woman with a gun, and can only think of one thing, when in reality, the photographer had other intentions for the interpretation of that photo-art.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Conference On Emerging Trends In Mechanical -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Conference On Emerging Trends In Mechanical? Answer: Introduction Six Sigma programs is a process of improvement in the organizational performance. The main aim of the implementing six sigma tool is to bring improvement in the quality process by detecting and reducing the causes of defects. This also minimizes the variability in the manufacturing process (Furterer, 2016). A set of quality management methods and statistical methods is included in six sigma tool. An organization is able to create a special infrastructure in an organization by applying six sigma tool. However, this tool reduces the process cycle time, pollution and operating cost. Apart from this, it helps the organization to increase the customer satisfaction and profit in the context of a business. This study deals with the implementation of six sigma tool in the context of 3M, Inc. Action plan According to the given scenario, 3M, Inc has decided to implement six sigma programs to enhance their financial performance and the customer satisfaction level. 3M, Inc is a leading organization of electronics, healthcare products, safety, industrial products and office products. This company has diversified technology (Arthur Linderman, 2007). This company was facing flat financial performance and need to bring improvement in this area. For this reason, they have implemented six sigma programs. The following steps are followed to implement the six sigma program: Steps Action plan Outcomes Step 1 (2 week) Introduction of the six sigma programs Enhances the overall organizational performance Step 2 (12 weeks) Select the people and trained them Improve the performance level of the individuals Step 3 (6 weeks) Development and implement the improvement plan Identify the loopholes of the existing system Step 4 (2 weeks) Monitor and evaluate the implemented plan Measures the effectiveness of the implemented plan Step 5 (2 weeks) Sustain the gains Maintains the continuous improvement Table 1: Action plan for the implementation of six sigma programs (Source: Author) Benefits, cost and risks of the six sigma program Six Sigma programs have various benefits in enhancing the organizational performance. It also involves in increasing the quality as well as financial performance of the organization. According to the given scenario, 3M, Inc has implemented the six sigma programs to improve their financial performance (Arthur Linderman, 2007). However, six sigma program is a methodology that allows a business to reduce inefficiencies and operating cost by identifying the wasteful processes from the operating process (Ozkan et al., 2017). In the context of 3M, Inc implementation of six sigma program was beneficial to bring a greater return from the research and development in the context of this operations. On the other hand it had increased the quality of the service, operating process and customer satisfaction. The sales revenue of 3M, Inc had been increased by the implementation of the six sigma program as this program includes a training program for the middle managers in this organization. The fi nancial departments were able to tackle the all projects as a result savings had done in a proper way. Such financial departments had to use a tracking system in the Six Sigma program, which reduced the defects and calculate the savings. 3M, Inc had changed their working process by this program and had observed the significant result. Product design is another benefit of the six sigma program. In the context of 3M, Inc they were able to specify the product along with the reduction of risks from product portfolio. Computer simulations of design and quality function deployment were the major tools that had been used in six sigma programs to improve the product. Employment training is a big part of the six sigma programs (Callahan Roberts, 2017). In the context of 3M, Inc almost 1700 employees were trained under the six sigma programs and there were 600 projects in this organization in which almost 3000 people are involved. Many projects were in control phase that ensures that the improvements were taking place. The team of six sigma measured that significant outcomes were accounted and the achieved results were sustained. In the context of 3M, Inc after the implementation of the six sigma program their sales had been increased. In the year 2003, their sales were less than $10 billion which increased up to $20 billion that is 65% increased by the year 2012. One of the major risks of sigma programs is the blockage of creativity, innovation and the development of new products (Martin, de Camargo Zambelo, 2016). 3M, Inc also suffered innovation challenges by the implementation of six sigma programs. Apart from this complexity of the program and difficulties in measuring the outcomes of the business are the others risks of six sigma programs. Therefore, six sigma is a complex process and consists of many statistics. Therefore, the training program for a full time black belt to improve the quality is too costly. Six Sigma programs is a costly process and 3M, Inc expended $100,000 to implement this program. Various functional areas in 3M, Inc be included in six sigma initiatives and the role of the seniors and middle management According to the current scenario, various functional areas of 3M, Inc were included in the six sigma programs. Hence, the activities are taken to improve the performance of the organization rather than the quality of the products. It is important for 3M, Inc to include each and every area of their business operation in the six sigma initiatives. The productivity of the organization is a crucial area that needs to be improved to enhance the profitability (Al-Aomar Chaudhry, 2018). 3M, Inc should enhance their productivity by identifying the manufacturing issues in their organization as productivity is related to the manufacturing process. By the implementation of new technology in the manufacturing process will be helpful to increase the productivity (Nadeau, 2017). Incorporation of the modern technology will be beneficial to change the traditional way of manufacturing and to bring rapid growth in the business. However, 3M, Inc had the low yield in their manufacturing process, which has been identified by the six sigma programs. Thus, by incorporating the productivity area into six sigma initiatives this organization can identify other loopholes in their manufacturing process. In order to improve the financial performance cost reduction is necessary for a business (He et al., 2017). In the context of 3M, Inc they should incorporate the supply chain management process in the six sigma initiatives. This will help such organization to purchase their raw materials in a smarter way, which saves the business cost. However, if the organization can reduce the raw materials cost then they will be able to provide the customers cost-effective and beneficial products. Financial planning should be taken under the six sigma program. However, it is important for a business to make a financial planning properly to reduce the cost. For this reason, cost management is crucial (Albliwi et al., 2017). By following the six sigma initiatives 3M, Inc will be able to manage the indirect cost reduction in their operating process. This will help them to bring significant growth in their financial performance. Apart from this innovation should be incorporated into the six sigma prog ram. Hence, it is important for 3M, Inc to put their innovation as well as product designing process under the six sigma programs as it will help this organization to improve their product design process by quality function deployment tool and computer simulation tool. Seniors and middle managers have to carry out huge responsibilities in the implementation of the six sigma programs in an organization as they are the major managerial heads of an organization (Hwang, Lee Seo, 2017). In the context of 3M, Inc the middle managers and senior managers play the role of the trainer and the senior executives take the training from them. However, the salaried executives also receive green belt training in the six sigma program. Role of six sigma programs in corporate strategy Six Sigma brings changes in a business. However, an organization incorporates six sigma tool in their business to refine their business process and to improve the value of an organization (Albliwi et al., 2017). Six Sigma program includes the concept of to enhance the existing business process and by saving the cost and increasing the customer satisfaction. Six Sigma program consists of two models that are the DMAIC improvement model, which focuses on the process definition, analysis, measurement, improvement and the control. Another model is DFSS model, which highlights the needs of the customers and product specification based on the customer demand (Mahato, Rai Dixit Agrawal, 2017). In the context of 3M, Inc their financial performance is not significant. Customer dissatisfaction is one of the major causes of such issues, which is also related to the low financial growth in this organization. However, application of the six sigma program is helpful for the corporate strategy as it is beneficial for an organization to improve the skill of the employees (Kaushik Kumar, 2017). In the context of 3M, Inc six sigma program includes the training program, which is associated with the improvement of the employee performance. Employee training is the part of the corporate strategy that is fulfilled by the six sigma training program. Sis sigma program involves in the enhancement of the productivity by product specification. Productivity improvement is another part of the corporate strategy. Hence, six sigma programs contribute more in meeting the goal of such corporate strategy in the context of 3M, Inc. However, the establishment of a customer-centric business by satisfying the customers is a vital goal of the corporate strategy. According to the current scenario, 3M, Inc can give more concentration on the customer needs by the implementation of six sigma methodology as it helps to improve the product feature by making changes in the product design process. Growth, cost reduction, and cash savings are the main three corporate strategies that can be fulfilled by the application of six sigma program (Patel,2017). According to the case scenario, 3M, Inc has implemented six sigma methodologies in their business to improve their financial performance. To enhance the growth they need to satisfy their customers. By applying this six sigma program the customers can see a financially healthy company along with solid investment. On the other hand, six sigma program helps this organization to improve their leadership skill and offer more competitive product and leadership skill. Cost reduction can be done in the operating process of 3M, Inc by identifying the defects from the existing system, which enhances the productivity (Roger et al., 2013). This is another positive outcome of six sigma program. DMAIC model of six sigma program defines the blueprints of the business strategy (Chen, Chen Chang, 2017). In the context of 3M, Inc this model ident ifies the current economic situation or current market. The next step is the measured phase where the baseline of operation is measured in 3M, Inc. In this phase, the data is collected to understand how the company is racking. In the analyze phase 3M, Inc can identify their strength, weakness, threat, and opportunities. In the improvement phase, this organization is able to implement their business strategy and to take necessary actions to reduce the loopholes from their business performance. Finally, in the control phase 3M, Inc is able to measure the company performance against their strategy by conducting the monitoring process. Hence, to complete such steps 3M, Inc should include six sigma program to enhance their corporate strategy. Human resource implication for deploying six sigma An organization needs to allocate right human resources for the deployment of six sigma programs. 3M, Inc needs to manage the human resource implication to deploy the six sigma programs in their organization. However, six sigma programs include many steps, which require specific human resources. Such selected human resources need to have multiple skills and a clear understanding about the end to end operation in an organization (Mefford et al., 2017). The resources should have business knowledge, product knowledge, and technical knowledge to reduce the technical complication from the business process. 3M, Inc has implemented six sigma programs and the middle and senior managers are provided training to the senior executives to enhance their technical as well as other skills. On the other hand, a large number of workforces is required to give shape the six sigma programs as it includes many steps. In the context of 3M, Inc about 1,700 employees are given the training to improve their skills. This ensures that strong human resources are involved in managing the six sigma programs. This organization has 600 projects and more than 3,000 people are associated with these projects. To deploy a six sigma program coordination between each stage of the resources is required (Ben Romdhane, Badreddine Sansa, 2017). However, lack of coordination between the resources causes poor outcomes from this methodology and the entire process can be less effective. In the context of 3M, Inc they have provided training to their employees but there should be a good coordination between employees to give shape the plan. However, if the team or an employee is not compatible with the six sigma project due to lack of knowledge and skill need to be changed in another project. In the context of 3M, Inc to get a better outcome they need to use a different set of knowledge and skill for their every project. This organization has improved the knowledge of the employees first then allows them to involve in their six sigma project. Six Sigma project affects the innovative culture Six Sigma program is effective for the continuous improvement of the quality in an organization but it hinders the innovative culture in an organization. Application of six sigma methodology often blocks the creativity, innovation and the product development process (Nupur, Gandhi, Solanki Jha,, 2018). 3M, Inc has faced challenges in measuring their organizational outcomes due to the implementation of the six sigma programs. Six Sigma programs reduce the inefficiencies of the system (Mefford et al., 2017). According to the scenario, 3M, Inc has followed the rules of six sigma program, as a result, the strong restriction on the error resists this organization to develop a creative product. However, to make something new this organization need to take the risk. As per the given scenario, six sigma resists the 3M, Inc to do something creative in RD. Hence, six sigma programs do not allow the organization to take a risk; as a result, they are forced to avoid innovation and creativity. On the other hand, training cost is another loophole of six sigma as maximum business organizations cannot afford such cost. In order to complete this phase of six sigma creativity of an organization is hampered due to the lack of financial resources. There has been huge argumentative discussion regarding the effectiveness of six sigma programs over the media. Based on the findings it can be said that six sigma is not enough as a balance should be made between the creativity of the organization and the implementation of six sigma. As per the case study, it has been observed that application of six sigma methodology in 3M, Inc inhibits the product development in this organization in terms of R D (Research and Development) innovation. For an organization, it is important to bring innovation in their business and research to develop something new to enhance the customer satisfaction. Following the six sigma programs, an organization is not able to incorporate new ideas as new ideas always include risk and six sigma methodologies always focuson the reduction of risk to secure an organization financially (Hwang, Lee Seo, 2017). Based on this principle of six sigma program, the innovation of 3M, Inc is affected. Thus, six sigma programs are not enough for an organization to enhance the complete growth. Conclusion The entire study gives a brief account of the application of six sigma programs in the context of 3M, Inc. It has been found that six sigma programs affect the innovation in an organization as 3M, Inc has suffered to innovate something new in their RD. Therefore, the financial performance of 3M, Inc is stagnant thus to improve this condition they have implemented the six sigma programs. It has been observed that six sigma program is beneficial to reduce cost and save the cash flow. Skilled employees are the major requirement of six sigma program. References Al-Aomar, R., Chaudhry, S. (2018). Simulation-based Six Sigma value function for system-level performance assessment and improvement.International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management,67(1), 66-84. Albliwi, S. A., Albliwi, S. A., Antony, J., Antony, J., Arshed, N., Arshed, N., ... Ghadge, A. (2017). Implementation of Lean Six Sigma in Saudi Arabian organisations: findings from a survey.International Journal of Quality Reliability Management,34(4), 508-529. Alhuraish, I., Robledo, C., Kobi, A. (2017). A comparative exploration of lean manufacturing and six sigma in terms of their critical success factors.Journal of Cleaner Production,164, 325-337. Arthur, V., Linderman, K. (2007). Six Sigma at 3M, Inc.Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota. Ben Romdhane, T., Badreddine, A., Sansa, M. (2017). A new model to implement Six Sigma in small-and medium-sized enterprises.International Journal of Production Research,55(15), 4319-4340. Callahan, C. D., Roberts, T. S. (2017). Performance Measurement and Operations Improvement Using Lean Six Sigma. InPractical Psychology in Medical Rehabilitation(pp. 569-573). Springer International Publishing. Chen, K. S., Chen, H. T., Chang, T. C. (2017). The construction and application of Six Sigma quality indices.International Journal of Production Research,55(8), 2365-2384. Furterer, S. L. (Ed.). (2016).Lean Six Sigma in service: applications and case studies. CRC Press. He, Z., Deng, Y., Zhang, M., Zu, X., Antony, J. (2017). An empirical investigation of the relationship between Six Sigma practices and organisational innovation.Total Quality Management Business Excellence,28(5-6), 459-480. Hwang, G. H., Lee, K. C., Seo, Y. W. (2017). How does Six Sigma influence creativity and corporate performance through exploration and exploitation?.Total Quality Management Business Excellence, 1-17. Kaushik, P., Kumar, S. (2017). An application of six sigma for SMEs: A case study.Management Science Letters,7(3), 145-152. Mahato, S., Rai Dixit, A., Agrawal, R. (2017). Application of Lean Six Sigma for cost-optimised solution of a field quality problem: A case study.Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture,231(4), 713-729. Martin, E. J. P., de Camargo, L. H. F., Zambelo, E. A. (2016). Operation of six sigma in production engineering.GEPROS: Gesto da Produo,11(1), 113-126. Mefford, R. N., Tay, N. S., Doyle, B., Ohara, F. (2017). Portfolio Risk Management Using Six Sigma Quality Principles.The Quality Management Journal,24(2), 6. Nadeau, S. (2017). Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma in higher education: a review of experiences around the world.American Journal of Industrial and Business Management,7(5), 591-603. Nupur, R., Gandhi, K., Solanki, A., Jha, P. C. (2018). Six Sigma Implementation in Cutting Process of Apparel Industry. InQuality, IT and Business Operations(pp. 279-295). Springer, Singapore Ozkan, B., Ozkan, B., Rubio, J. F., Rubio, J. F., Hassan, M. K., Hassan, M. K., ... marketing, J. R. (2017). Six Sigma, stock returns and operating performance.Management Research Review,40(3), 331-351. Patel, M. T. (2017, February). Six Sigma in Service OrganizationA Critical Review. InProceedings of International Conference on Emerging Trends in Mechanical Engineering. Roger G. Schroeder, Susan Meyer Goldstein, and M. Johnny Rungtusanatham. McGraw-Hill Irwin. . (2013). Contemporary Concepts and Cases, 6th Edition.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Symbolism in the awakening Essay Example For Students

Symbolism in the awakening Essay The Awakening contains many symbolic features, such as the way Edna uses art, the birds(the parrot and the mockingbird), sleep, music, and the houses Edna Pontellier lives in, butperhaps two of the most significant symbols are the clothes in the novel, not only of Edna,but also the other characters, and the water, whether it be the ocean, the gulf, or the sea. These two symbols are possibly the most significant because of their direct relationship toEdna Pontellier. Both the water and her clothes have the power to not only emphasize, buthelp show exactly how and what Edna is feeling. We will write a custom essay on Symbolism in the awakening specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Clothes appear to have significant meaning in The Awakening, enough so that theyare mentioned at almost every description of the characters. Edna Pontellier starts the novelfully dressed and appropriately dressed for a woman of her responsibilities, however, at herfinal moment, she is naked on the beach. Other women in the story also represent theirposition and the way they feel in the way they dress. For example, Madmoiselle Reisznever changes her clothes. This could possibly symbolize her physical detachment fromanything around her, including nature and any suppressed feelings. In contrast, Ednasclothes represent her physical attachment to society. She sheds her clothes the way a snakesheds its skin when it is time for a new one and it does not fit into the old one any longer. Edna doesnt feel like she can fit into society any longer. Madmoiselle Reisz, on the otherhand, does not seem to have any desire to be more than what she has been given in thesociety in which she lives. There fore, she does not change her clothes, because she does notfeel the need for change in her life. Other characters, such as Madame Leburn always have new clothes to cover theirbodies. This could, perhaps, represent the constant need to cover their sexuality as women insuppressed roles as wives and mothers. Ednas nakedness at the end of the novel symbolizesher freedom from any claims her children may have on her and shows how her lack of clothesis equal to her lack of responsibility, of her family and the 1890s society. The Ocean is a clear symbol of freedom for Edna. The water is where Edna feelsreplenished and she begins to realize that she is not satisfied with her life and roles as wifeand mother. This happens on the day she learns to swim, which is something she had wantedto accomplish all summer. By learning to swim, she is empowered and becomes moreself-aware, of not only her sexuality, but also of who she is and not who society says sheThe water in The Awakening could be seen to symbolize Ednas rebirth into a moreassertive woman. Every time she enters the water, she gets stronger, until finally her strengthis more powerful than her love for her children, or her life. At this point she goes so far outto sea, that the water takes back the strength it had geven her. Both the water and the clothes in the novel are very important symbols, both helpingto emphasize Edna Pontelliers new life. She starts the novel as a very suppressed woman(fully clothed) and covered by society and its strict roles, and then ends naked as if she isescaping the restricted boundaries of her clothes and of society. The water is a constantsource of new life for Edna, and as her clothes are removed to go into the water, they arereplaced by a more greater sense of power and energy, the freedom that the water has helpedBibliography:

Sunday, November 24, 2019

angola crisis essays

angola crisis essays In past centuries, Angola was among the areas most-devastated by the slave trade. In recent decades, it has been afflicted with wars. However, in both eras, much of the violence was driven by powerful external forces. This is because Angola, with an abundance of oil and other resources, could develop into a very prosperous country if led and controlled by the right power. In 1975 Angola was released from colonialism by Portugal. This pivotal event in history sparked the beginning of a massive conflict between many of the key players in world power. These key players included the United States, Cuba, China, and the Soviet Union. After reading three separate accounts of the crisis in Angola (U.S. Senate hearings led by Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, a personal memoir by 1975 Assistant Secretary of State Nathaniel Davis, and a biography entitled In Search of Enemies: A CIA Story by John Stockwell), I have come to several conclusions. Although these three men all held important positions in the U.S. government, multiple contradictions exist in their chronologies of events. Of the discrepancies I found, all of them put Stockwell in opposition with Kissinger and Davis. I believe this is due to his position in the Central Intelligence Agency, where the greater availability of information was his advantage. Moreover, since all three accounts agree that the U.S. involvement was essentially a covert operation led by the CIA, I feel the account written by Stockwell was the most valid of the three. When looking at the differences in chronologies, it is necessary to start from the beginning of the conflict. The first difference I found dealt with CIA involvement in Angola. Stockwell, an experienced, senior CIA case officer (Stockwell, 31), marked early July 1974 as the start of CIA support. In July 1974 the CIA began funding Roberto without 40 committee approval, small amounts at first, but enough for ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Discuss the ways in which social class is embodied within British Essay

Discuss the ways in which social class is embodied within British culture in terms of media, lifestyle, consumption and taste - Essay Example ts in various social classes is also impacted by the income earned, occupation and level of education of the members in these social classes (Andersen and Gray, 2008). Social class is normally set up in a hierarchical manner. The social classes are arranged in a hierarchy that ranks from low social status to a high social status. The British society is divided into various classes such that people of the same group or class have similar income, education and occupation. These three aspects differ from one social rank to the next and are very important in creating the differences that occur between these classes (Bell and Hollows, 2006). This fact leads to the general assumption which members of a certain class believe that they have the same status in the society as their fellow colleagues in the same class, lower status compared to members of a higher social class and a higher class compared to members of a lower social class (Bendix and Lipset, 1953). In traditional British culture, the social class used to be determined based on an occupational scale. They rank from higher professional and managerial occupations such as company directors, professors and teachers to those people in the society who are unemployed. Despite the fact that people may assume social classes to be objective they subjectively appear to exist if a certain group of people come to realize their similarity and hence share a common goal and interests (Bihagen, 2000). It is common to find people in the same job group having almost similar income, economic assets, and level of education and hence having a similar lifestyle. In the British culture, the working class a social class in itself. In recent times this is not applicable due to the fact that a labourer in a farm cannot be in the same social class with a senior doctor or an engineer due to the difference in income, education and occupation (Benson, 2003). The British culture has a tradition working class. The traditional working class

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Issue in case transaction Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Issue in transaction - Case Study Example The business during the manufacture and sale of large quantities of soup are likely to experience gains or losses due to the difference in foreign exchange translations. Losses or gains will also be experienced because of misjudgment on what, where or when to invest. This is a case of capital financing decision. A. Specifications The Oriental Delight soup product should and has to be produced just as the formula that was formulated by Specialty Laboratory. Apart from the production, the product must also be canned and labeled according to the requirements of Hen Hao. The specifications are well laid down and no change shall be made to them unless through writing. Concerning the specifications there is a risk that Gumpbell may not produce the goods exactly as prescribed and when this takes place, the company will suffer the damages as the goods are rejected by Hen Hao. Such an impact can be avoided if Gumpbell is sure of its production capacity to be able to fulfill the contract to th e end. In addition, the labor employed by Gumpbell must posses the skills required by customers and when this is not available then Gumpbell has to recruit such a labor to avoid such risks. B. Quantities Quantities will depend on the demand requirements by the consumers as studied by the supplier (Hen Hao). Hen Hao’s annual demand is likely to be ranging between, 200,000 to 450,000 cases; this is within the term as prescribed in the supply agreement. Now Hen Hao is not capable of estimating that their current demand is and the time of the year they expect it to be shipped. Apart from the quantities depending solely on demand, the costs per unit would also influence the quantity that Hen Hao would demand. C. Purchase Order Procedure Hen Hao already has the specification of how they demand that the product be manufactured. The manufacturer already holds the specifications; what Hen Hao needs to do each time is to make purchase orders through order forms supplied by the producer s (Gumpbell). Such order will be submitted online using internet resources. The purchase orders must be submitted early enough (30 days prior to when they are required) when it is expected that they would be acted upon in time. The purchase order will give the manufacturer the quantity demanded and hence decide on the amount to produce; as well, the shipping instructions and the shipping date are also included. The manufacturer is given a period from which they relax, this is despite the fact that an acknowledgement of Purchase order receipt. D. Forecasts At the onset, Hen Hao could not predict its requirements of the soup within a given specific time. This scenario is likely to change over a given period, as Hen Hao will be in a position to now conduct such forecasts and submit the purchase order forecast to Gumpbell. Failure to submit the forecasts would cause a risk that the soup may not be prepared in advance and the consumers whose appetites are sharp enough would be disappoint ed. Forecasts are important since most of the time they act as a guide towards that which is required. PHASE II: Transportation, Delivery, Transfer of Title and Risk of Loss Once a sales agreement has been got into, the tendency that the goods would move from one party to the other is certain. The movement involves physical movement as well as contractual movements. Just as goods would move from the manufacturer to the producers is the same way such goods are likely to move from the distributor to

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Helicopter paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Helicopter paper - Essay Example This involves studying the current parameters and the attributed measurements. In the case, the following table will be used in restructuring the measurements so that they can meet the expectations of the customers by improving the PHC helicopter construction in a bid to prolong the flight time. The table indicates the needed adjustment on the PHC helicopter to have met the customers’ desires of unlimited flight time. The current measurements as indicated in X offer the limited flight time which the customers are complaining about. In the case of Y, it represents the measurements which will offer the customers a prolonged flight time (PILGER, 2005). The results in the table attributed to the five factors which are the primary impediment are studied through a factorial experiment. From the table of results above, it can be deduced that when the new modifications have been implemented in the PHC helicopter the optimum flight time improves from the initial least optimum flight time. The following computations give the mean of the flight time before and after modifications. The results indicate that the five factors were the cause of the limited flight time. In the event that they are adjusted as indicated earlier, the new design of the helicopter will meet the customers’ needs of having a prolonged flight time. The new modifications of the wing length, body length, body width, paper clips and folded wings. This explains the reason why the modifications are necessary when certain efficiency is required. Based on the results, the relationship between the five factors and the flight time can be deduced. The magnitude of the curvature as evidenced in the results needs to be ascertained whether it is significant on the dependent variable, which is the flight time. In essence, the number of the paper clips has a fairly negative effect relative to the flight time. For instance, the more the number of the paper clips the faster the flight time. In

Friday, November 15, 2019

Analysis of Financial Annual Reports

Analysis of Financial Annual Reports The Home Depot and Lowe’s Companies are major American home improvement retailers, keen rivals with Home Improvement leading both in sales and in profits. This assignment aims to analyse their operational and financial results in detail for a period of five years, namely 2002 to 2006 on the basis of the following Annual Reports filed by the companies with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) Company Year Ending Year Ending Year Ending Year Ending Year Ending Home Depot January 28, 2007 January 29, 2006 January 30, 2005 February 1, 2004 February 2, 2003 Lowe’s February 2, 2007 February 3, 2006 January 28, 2005 January 30, 2004 January 31, 2003 The working details and financial calculations used for the analysis are available in the appendices at the end of the assignment. Whilst the two companies operate in the same market and are keen rivals, with Lowe’s’ being the nearest competitor to The Home Depot, the actual distance between these two is prima facie substantial with The Home Depot being practically two times the size of Lowe’s, both in sales and in profits. The analysis of the financial statements of the two companies for the five years 2002 to 2006 covers issues like the percentage increase in sales and profits during this period, as well as the analysis of a number of ratios that indicate (a) year on year increase of turnover and profits, (b) profitability, (c) use of long term assets, capital employed and working capital, and (d) capital gearing. An analysis and comparison of various financial and operational ratios over a period of a number of years helps in validating the authenticity of presented figures by enabling analysts to compare related figures, for example year on year increases in sales and profits, and the relationships between sales and profits, sales and capital employed, and current assets and current liabilities, and locate and investigate anomalies that arise from year to year. â€Å"While it is useful to understand the absolute quantum of each asset, liability and revenue item in isolation, far greater understanding of its implication with respect to the trend and performance of the company can be achieved by a `relationship study. For instance, if one studies profits in relation to sales for the current year and compares it with the same relationship for a series of years, a greater understanding of the trend and performance can be had. The `relationship study referred has two facets: i) the relationship of one item to another for the current or previous years, but in respect of the same company, and ii) the relationship of these parameters with industry figures or representative figures of competitors or of firms of similar size and operations. The first set enables one to understand the performance of the company in isolation, while the second gives an insight as to where the company stands vis-à  -vis the industry or competition.†Ã‚   (Osteryoung Others, 1992, p72) The following inferences can be drawn on the basis of information culled from the audited financial accounts and filed with the SEC. Whilst The Home Depot has been growing at a steady pace of around 10 to 11 % during the specified five year period, Lowe’s, which recorded a much higher pace of growth (of around 18 %) during the first four years found its year on year increase slowing to 8 % in the fifth (last) year. Both companies have comfortable Gross and Operating profit margins. Whilst GP margins have consistently been in the region of 30 %, Operating profit margins have remained at around 10 to 11 percent. Although both companies maintained their profitability margins during the five years, the profit before tax for The Home Depot was eroded significantly in 2006 because of substantial increase in finance charges, consequent to significant increase in debt. This increase in debt has increased the capital gearing ratio of the company from a low 0.08 to a more comfortable 0.30. An analysis of various operational ratios for both the companies over the five year period, by and large, indicates substantial s tability in their operations. Practically all ratios, ( and that too for both the companies), be they return on capital employed, asset utilisation, profitability, liquidity, working capital, or capital gearing, are remarkably stable from year to year for all five years, a fact that counters, (even if it does not negate) the possibility of manipulation of figures. The single large scale departure from the norm occurs in the case of capital gearing ratios for The Home Depot but that is explained by the increase in debt from 2672 million USD for the company in 2006 to 11643 million USD in 2007, a fact that also explains the change in interest cover and profit before tax for 2007. A detailed ratio analysis of the figures made available in the financial statements filed by the two companies with the SEC would thus tend to indicate (a) that both companies are progressing well, both in sales and in operational results, and (b) that the figures presented can be taken to be fair and representative of the working of the companies. Gauging the fairness and reliability of information available in the financial statements is however a far more complex exercise, the validity of the presented figures also depending upon other factors like (a) the value of plant, property and equipment, which may be depreciated on historical cost and thus be recorded at values much below current market rates, (b) securities reported at lower of cost or market, which usually means a recorded value below the current market rate, (c) recording of inventories at LIFO, whereas replacement costs are usually higher, (d) recording of debts or leases at favourable rates, (which amount to unrecorded assets because the company’s effective liability becomes lower than normal), (e) uncollected receivables bearing little or no interest, (e) obsolete or slow moving inventories, (f) under or overstatement of contingent liabilities such as threatened or imminent lawsuits, employee settlements like dismissal recompense, service and incentive c ontracts, obligations for goods returns and discounts, merchandise warranties, and guarantees of third-party borrowing. (Radebaugh Others, 2006) An analysis of the accounting policies and procedures of Lowe’s reveals that the company (a) operates a reserve for losses on obsolete inventory, inventory shrinkage, and sales returns, which is adjusted and charged to earnings every year, (b) records receivables that may change depending upon the performance of the company’s products, (c) does not have off balance sheet financing, apart from executing operating leases (d) monitors risks that could arise out of change in interest in long term debt, (e) has entered into an arrangement with GE in 2004 for sale of existing accounts receivables and those that would arise subsequently (f) has entered into an agreement with GG whereby GE funds the company’s proprietary credit card purchases (g) values assets at cost and depreciates them over their useful lives (h) undertakes self insurance for certain liabilities relating to workmen’s compensation, automobile, property and general and product liability claims. ( Annual Reports of Lowe’s Companies, 2003 to 2007) Whilst The Home Depot also by and large follows similar principles, the company (a) offers credit purchase programmes through third party credit providers, (b) depends substantially for sales achievement on offering extensive credit to customers (c) continually patents its intellectual property, (d) is involved in a large number of legal proceedings that could lead to payment of substantial amounts of money, (e) values inventories at lower of cost or market, a practice that could lead to off balance sheet assets (f) uses a number of estimates for reporting assets, liabilities, contingent liabilities, revenues and expenses, (g) has reasonably high receivables, which it needs to collect and whose accuracy is largely a matter of surmise (h) records assets at cost and depreciates them over their estimated useful lives (i) checks goodwill every year for impairment purposes (j) committed errors in stock option practices that led to an erosion of retained earnings to the tune of 227 million in 2006 (Annual Reports of The Home Depot, 2003 to 2007) Off balance sheet assets for both of these companies could arise from undervalued plant, property, and equipment, as well as inventories that may be worth more than their recorded value. On the other hand both companies do not have systems strong enough for effective recording of obsolescence, a fact that could lead to certain slow moving inventory items being shown at values higher than what could be realised in the market. With the companies having receivables that could change on the basis of the post sales performance of products, adverse changes in this area could lead to negative effect upon earnings. However it also needs to be considered at this stage that The Home Depot and Lowe’s have large operations and changes arising from behaviour of off balance sheet items could well be negligible in comparison to actual recorded figures. In value terms much of the difference in the evaluation of balance sheet items could arise from value of plant, property and equipment. With both retailers having extensive prime quality real estate by way of shop space in well frequented locations, the actual value of property may be far in excess of that stated in the financial statements. Whilst an actual quantification of value would have to be preceded by an elaborate exercise, it would be fair to surmise that such a valuation would lead to a substantial enhancement in the market values of both firms. Both companies recognise revenues when customers take possession of goods, whilst goods that have been paid for but not delivered to customers are shown as deferred revenue. This method is open to criticism because it does not sufficiently provide either for return of goods taken by customers or the possibility of customers not picking up goods for which they have made advance payments. Whilst large sales volume turnovers effectively mask the impact of such basic anomalies in accounting procedures, the adoption of conservative accounting practices for revenue recognition, where sales are confirmed only after customers accept goods as purchased could impact sales volumes significantly. Such a practice would obviously have a strong impact on ratios that concern sales, operations, and profitability. Whilst an analysis of ratios over a five year period for both companies does indicate long term stability of accounting practices, the accounting practices followed by The Home Depot indicate an excessive preponderance to use estimates and approximations for arriving at revenue figures. Although such practices could be based on past practice as well as eminently reasonable assumptions, the fact that serious errors have occurred in the past, especially in the practice and disclosure of stock options, indicate that the company should implement much stronger systems and adopt more conservative accounting policies. Another issue of concern with The Home Depot is the substantial amount of litigation in which it is currently involved. With the company admitting the possibility of the results of these lawsuits going against the company, the chances of substantial future outflows with adverse effects upon the company’s earnings does exist. As such, whilst The Home Depot is a far larger company, both by way of sales and by way of profits, than Lowe’s, an impartial evaluation of accounting policies and procedures indicates Lowe’s to be more carefully run. Whilst the current depression in the housing market is keeping investors away from home improvement companies, Lowe’s could well prove to be better equipped to riding out the current crisis and therefore a safer investment. Appendices All figures in Million US Dollars (unless otherwise stated) 1. Appendix A Balance Sheet of the Home Depot Description 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 Long Term Assets 34263 29136 24747 21111 18094 Current Assets Inventories 12822 11401 10076 9076 8388 Accounts Receivables 3223 2396 1494 1097 1072 Others 1955 1472 2703 3155 2507 Total Current Assets 18000 15269 14273 13328 11917 Total Assets 52263 44405 39020 34437 30011 Current Liabilities Accounts Payables 7356 6032 5766 5159 4560 Others 5575 6674 4689 4395 3475 Total 12931 12706 10455 9554 8035 Debt 11643 2672 2148 856 1321 Others 2659 2118 2259 1620 853 Equity 25030 26909 24158 22407 19802 Total Liabilities 52263 44405 39020 34437 30011 2. Appendix B Profit and Loss Account of the Home Depot Description 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 Net Sales 90387 81511 73094 64816 58247 Percentage Change 10.89 11.51 12.77 11.28 Cost of Sales 61054 54191 48664 44236 40139 Gross Profit 29783 27320 24430 20580 18108 Operating Expenses 20110 17957 16504 13734 12278 Operating Profits (before Interest and Tax) 9673 9363 7926 6846 5830 Finance Charges 365 81 14 3 (42) Profit before Tax 9308 9282 7912 6843 5872 Percentage Change 17 16 17 Tax 3547 3444 2911 2539 2208 Profits after Tax 5761 5838 5001 4304 3664 Basis Earnings per share 2.80 2.73 2.27 1.88 1.56 3. Appendix C Ratio Analysis of Home Depot Financial and Operational Results A. Profitability Ratios 1. Return on Capital Employed = Operating Profits (before Interest and Tax)/ Capital Employed Details 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 Capital Employed is equal to Total Assets less Current Liabilities 39332 31699 28575 24483 22076 Operating Profits (before Interest and Tax) 9673 9363 7926 6846 5830 Return on Capital Employed (%) 24.59 29.53 27.73 27.96 26.41 2. Asset Turnover Ratio = Sales/ Capital Employed Details 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 Capital Employed is equal to Total assets less Current Liabilities 39332 31699 28575 24483 22076 Sales 90387 81511 73094 64816 58247 Asset Turnover Ratio 2.29 2.57 2.56 2.65 2.64 3. Gross Profit Margin = Gross Profit/ Sales * 100 Details 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 Gross Profit 29783 27320 24430 20580 18108 Sales 90387 81511 73094 64816 58247 Gross Profit Margin (%) 32.95 33.57 33.42 31.75 31.09 4. Operating Profit Margin = Operating Profit (Profit before Interest and Tax) / Sales * 100 Details 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 Operating Profits (before Interest and Tax) 9673 9363 7926 6846 5830 Sales 90387 81511 73094 64816 58247 Operating Profit Margin (%) 10.70 11.44 10.84 10.56 10.01 B. Asset Turnover Ratios 5. Long Term Assets Turnover = Sales/ Long Term Assets Details 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 Long Term Assets 34263 29136 24747 21111 18094 Sales 90387 81511 73094 64816 58247 Long Term Assets Turnover 2.63 2.80 2.95 3.07 3.22 C. Liquidity Ratios 6. Current Ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities Details 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 Current Assets 18000 15269 14273 13328 11917 Current Liabilities 12931 12706 10455 9554 8035 Current Ratio 1.39 1.20 1.37 1.40 1.48 7. Accounts Payable Cover = Current Assets / Accounts Payables Details 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 Current Assets 18000 15269 14273 13328 11917 Accounts Payables 7356 6032 5766 5159 4560 Accounts Payable Cover 2.45 2.53 2.48 2.58 2.61 D. Capital Structure, Gearing and Risk Ratios 8. Gearing Ratio = Long Term Debt/ Capital Employed Details 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 Long Term Debt 11643 2672 2148 856 1321 Capital Employed = Total Assets less Current Liabilities 39332 31699 28575 24483 22076 Gearing Ratio 0.30 0.08 0.08 0.04 0.06 9. Shareholder’s Ratio = Shareholder’s Funds/ Capital Employed Details 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 Shareholders Funds 25030 26909 24158 22407 19802 Capital Employed 39332 31699 28575 24483 22076 Shareholder’s Ratio 0.64 0.85 0.85 0.92 0.90 10. Interest Cover = Profit before Interest and Tax/ Interest Details 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 Operating Profits (before Interest and Tax) 9673 9363 7926 6846 5830 Finance Charges 365 81 14 3 (42) Interest Cover 26.5 115 566 2282 NA 4. Appendix D Balance Sheet of Lowe’s Companies All figures in Million US Dollars (unless otherwise stated) Description 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 Long Term Assets 19447 16851 14235 12229 10541 Current Assets Inventories 7144 6635 5850 4584 3968 Accounts Receivables (Included in Others) Others 1170 1153 1016 1938 1600 Total Current Assets 8314 7788 6866 6522 5568 Total Assets 27761 24639 21101

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Germany :: essays research papers

And in the midst of the Japan crisis there is Germany. Germany had no idea that they were really losing WWI. They finally found out by reading it in the paper and this caused great psychological shock. Their leaders had lied to them. Germany thought they had lost in an unfair fight. Nazi’s said that the Jews had stabbed them in the back. And they were humiliated by the Treaty of Versailles. In 1923 the currency was so inflated that it wiped out the savings of the middle class of Germany. They did recover some prosperity during 1923-1929 but the economy had not completely recovered. By the 1930s their economy had stabilized due to American loans. The Great Depression had really hit Germany hard. This is what gave Hitler is chance to move. He promised to restore jobs to Germans, which he did to some degree. Hitler was a Nazi. Nazi’s denounced communism, rejected democracy, believed in the right of the individual, and anti-seminitism (Jews were to blame for all the Germany’s problems). Germany had no universal knowledge. They said that there was only a German science and a German math. And that Physics was a Jewish discipline. Germany lost some of it’s leading physicists because of this view, and even today in 1999 they have never regained their stature in science. Hitler wanted to reunite all the German people. He wanted to restore Vokdeutsch. So he took over the Rhineland and Austria. Then he stepped into Sudetenland and that’s when problems began. He said that they were German and that it should be his land. Well, Chamberlain basically gives Sudetenland to Hitler because he thought it was a way to avoid war with him. But Hitler wants a war really bad. But March 15, 1939 Hitler takes over ALL of Czechoslovakia. This is a clear sign of aggression. But he didn’t want to fight a two front war, so on Aug 23, 1939 he signed a non-aggression pact with Joseph Stalin of Russia. This amazed the world because this was his biggest enemy. Well, this freed Hitler’s hands to make war in the east. And on Sept 1, 1939 German army invades Poland. Poland quickly falls to Hitler’s blitzkriegs. Well, Britain and France had given Poland sovereignty so they go to war with Germany. Well, Russia then moves in to Poland and basically splits it down the middle with Germany.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Romanticism and Realism

Romanticism and Realism Romanticism: [pic] Francisco De Goya. â€Å"The Third of May 1808† Oil on Canvas – Imagination and emotion are more valuable than reason. The romantics championed the struggle for human liberty. They celebrated nature, rural life, common people, exotic subjects in art and literature. – Era: Industrial and French Revolutions – Technique: Dramatic scenes of nature or man and ideal landscapes. – Artists: Goya, Delacroix, Constable, Duncauson Realism: [pic] Gustave Courbet. â€Å"The Stone Breakers† Oil on Canvas Art should deal with human experience through observation, without exocticism, nostalgia or idealism. It offered the painter and the viewer humanity and insight into everyday world. †¢ Era: Industrial and French Rev †¢ Technique: Almost photographic and always portraying the dignity of ordinary people. †¢ Artists: Courbet, Bonheur, Eakins, Tanner, Daumier Impressionism and Expressionism Impressionis m: [pic] Claud Monet. â€Å"Impression: Sunrise† Oil on Canvas †¢ Concern themselves with visual issues. They paint what the eye sees rather than what the mind knows. The effects of light on a subject is emphasized. †¢ Era: Development of camera †¢ Tech: Small dabs of color that appears as separate strokes of paint when seen close up. Yet with distance, one sees uniform subjects. †¢ Artists: Money, Renoir, Cassatt, Morisst Expressionism: [pic] Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. â€Å"Street, Berlin† Oil on Canvas †¢ General term for art that emphasizes inner feelings and emotions over subject depiction such as: sorrow, passion, spiritual and mysticism. †¢ Era: 1910-34 World War I †¢ Tech: Emphasis on color intensity as a means to express a mood. Artists: Kirchner, Kandinsky, Nolde, Kollowitz Surrealism and Cubism Surrealism: [pic]Joan Miro. â€Å"Woman Haunted by the Passage of the Dragonfly, Bird of Bad Omen† Oil on Canvas †¢ The belief that the unconscious mind is a higher reality than the conscious mind. The painters/ artists goal was to make visible the imagery of the unconscious. †¢ Era: 1920-40 (Sigm und Freud, manuscript was published) †¢ Tech: dreamlike imagery affected by color was most important to the work. †¢ Artists: Dale, Miro, Magritte, Kahlo Cubism: [pic] Pablo Picasso. Les Demoiselles D’avignon† Oil on Canvas †¢ Reconstruction of objects based on geometric shapes †¢ Era: a mechanized world. Industry simplified forms †¢ Tech: simplified surfaces and shapes; Fractured angular figures or landscapes †¢ Artists: Picasso and Braque Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art Abstract Expressionism: [pic] Jackson Pollock. â€Å"Autumn Rhythm† Oil on Canvas †¢ Artists expressed in their work a balance between spontaneity andformal structure. Individual expression is emphasized. †¢ Era: 1948-65 America after WWII Tech: use of color to influence mood and the energy of the artist is prominent. †¢ Artists: De Kooning, Pollock, Rothko Pop Art: [pic] Roy Lichtenstein. â€Å"Drowning Girl† Oil on synthetic polymer paint on canvas. †¢ Deals with commercially driven â€Å"mass culture†. Commercial art is the inspiration for pop art. †¢ Era: flower generation †¢ Tech: artists created cool mechanical images using photographic screen printing and airbrush tech to achieve the look of advertising imagery but used it on canvas. †¢ Artists: Warhol, Hamilton, Lichtenstein, Rosenquist. Romanticism and Realism Romanticism and Realism Romanticism is the idealism for a better world. Writers believe that they can portray their beliefs and emotions though their writing. They hoped that this would encourage the people of the world to become something more than what they are now. They valued the human imagination and imposed emphasis on individual freedom and political restraints. They also had a great interest in the middle ages. The emphases on emotion lead to Dark Romanticism such as the poetry by Edgar Allan Poe.Poe wrote with extreme emotion about death and the loss. While realism s more about the attempt to represent events and social conditions as they are. There is no idealization of events instead writers attempt to be as factual as possible. Writers of this form of literature stress reality over fantasy. They value the attention to detail and an effort to recreate the true nature of reality. This is the reason that most realist literature is written according to the time period of the writer.It is not to say that what realist writes is a true story exactly but rather it is to convey what is happening in the world at that moment in time. They write about the hardship and the malice with no sugarcoating of events but rather the brutal truth. The individual is an important aspect in the writing of romanticism. The writers view the individual as an important part of society. They reject authority and look to have self reliance. There is no need to have society accept them in order to have the life that they want.Emerson wrote â€Å"Great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude† giving credence that social acceptance is not needed (Emerson 578). While in realism the individual idealism is not as important as the realistic portrayal of the individual and the society. Realistic writers write about how self reliance is portrayed in society. Whether it is oppressed or whether it was achieved. Chopin writes a bout self reliance as an aspect that the American women at the time have not been able to achieve to its fullest.Instead self-reliance is something that eludes women due to the social hierarchy that has been established for centuries. In both romanticism and realism pride is a preemptor to the loss of whatever good is one's life. In while in romanticism this is portrayed with exaggeration of potions ND death in â€Å"The Birthmark† by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Realist writers such as Chopin use real situations of slave owners and the issue of race in their lives.Government and politics has been a subject in literature for a long time. In realism it is the description of the governments and the actions taken by them. It is about the truth of what that the political machine has done to the world. There is no idealism as there is in Romanticism. Politics in romanticist writing is about the hope for a better society. Their way of achieving this betterment is also a part of the romanti cism in the literature. GOD By hoosegow

Friday, November 8, 2019

Free Essays on Circle Stories

Circle Stories â€Å"Circle Stories: A collaborative Project† by Riva Lehrer, is a collection of paintings and stories of artists who have some form of disability. The author, Riva Lehrer is disabled, as shown in her self-portrait. Riva Lehrer compiled this collaboration to give all society a compassionate insight into the lives of disabled people in the arts. Her collection can be evaluated based on the author’s background, and the collaboration between the disabled artist and the author. Riva Lehrer has a very personal interest in â€Å"Circle Stories: A collaborative Project†. In her self-portrait, one can see that she is wearing corrective shoes to fix an orthopedic problem, and her story indicates she has spina bifida. The fact that she herself is disabled does shine an extra light on her work. Riva Lehrer’s goal with her work is to inform with a tone of understanding. If a collection like this was composed from a â€Å"normal person†, I would speculate the underlying tone would be pitiful and patronizing. This idea is evident in the work Diane Arbus, tragically famous (and non-disabled) photographer of, as she calls them, â€Å"freaks†. A freak is generally someone who is abnormal and unlike the rest of normal society. As quoted by Sara Ironman at www.temple.edu/photos, â€Å"Freaks was a thing I photographed a lot. It was one of the first things I photographed and it had a terrific kind of excitement for me.† This statemen t by Diane Arbus indicates little empathy for the people she photographs. Further, the attention to detail in the portraits done by Lehrer illustrates the life of the person painted, unlike the photographs taken by Diane Arbus. Arbus’ photos black and white, as if a dark shadow was cast when the picture was taken. In one Arbus’ photos, there is a teenage unattractive, short couple, standing in a dirty alley behind a dingy gray building. My reaction all of her photos, especially one o... Free Essays on Circle Stories Free Essays on Circle Stories Circle Stories â€Å"Circle Stories: A collaborative Project† by Riva Lehrer, is a collection of paintings and stories of artists who have some form of disability. The author, Riva Lehrer is disabled, as shown in her self-portrait. Riva Lehrer compiled this collaboration to give all society a compassionate insight into the lives of disabled people in the arts. Her collection can be evaluated based on the author’s background, and the collaboration between the disabled artist and the author. Riva Lehrer has a very personal interest in â€Å"Circle Stories: A collaborative Project†. In her self-portrait, one can see that she is wearing corrective shoes to fix an orthopedic problem, and her story indicates she has spina bifida. The fact that she herself is disabled does shine an extra light on her work. Riva Lehrer’s goal with her work is to inform with a tone of understanding. If a collection like this was composed from a â€Å"normal person†, I would speculate the underlying tone would be pitiful and patronizing. This idea is evident in the work Diane Arbus, tragically famous (and non-disabled) photographer of, as she calls them, â€Å"freaks†. A freak is generally someone who is abnormal and unlike the rest of normal society. As quoted by Sara Ironman at www.temple.edu/photos, â€Å"Freaks was a thing I photographed a lot. It was one of the first things I photographed and it had a terrific kind of excitement for me.† This statemen t by Diane Arbus indicates little empathy for the people she photographs. Further, the attention to detail in the portraits done by Lehrer illustrates the life of the person painted, unlike the photographs taken by Diane Arbus. Arbus’ photos black and white, as if a dark shadow was cast when the picture was taken. In one Arbus’ photos, there is a teenage unattractive, short couple, standing in a dirty alley behind a dingy gray building. My reaction all of her photos, especially one o...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Bootstraps and Bootstrapping

Bootstraps and Bootstrapping Bootstraps and Bootstrapping Bootstraps and Bootstrapping By Maeve Maddox In the literal sense, bootstrap is a loop attached at the top back of a boot to make it easier for the wearer to pull on the bootif, that is, he is sitting down. On a woman’s bootin the days when women wore skirts to ride, the bootstrap looped round the boot to hold down the lady’s skirt. In the 19th century the expression â€Å"to lift oneself by one’s bootstraps† was used as an expression of the impossiblelike pigs flying, or hell freezing over. Early in the 20th century, the expression gained a popular new meaning: â€Å"to achieve financial independence by one’s own unaided efforts.† The epitome of this extraordinary accomplishment of the impossible feat of lifting oneself by the bootstraps was the Horatio Alger hero who goes from rags to riches aided by nothing more than honesty and hard work. Today’s politicians are especially fond of the metaphor: Despite the fact that Democrats and Republicans see themselves as having competing views about America, the theme of bootstrapping, or lifting oneself up the social and economic ladder through individual effort, hard work and personal responsibility, have taken center stage for both parties. They all either bootstrapped themselves up the economic ladder or benefitted from the bootstrapping of their parents and grandparents.Noliwe M. Rooks, Time Ideas, Sept. 7, 2012. Politicians, journalists, news commentators, social reformers, and even athletic coaches seem to find in the expression an irresistible metaphor, although not everyone who uses the term sees it as positive, or even as meaning the same thing. Now, in Texas, we believe in the rugged individual. Texas may be the one place where people actually still have bootstraps, and we expect folks to pull themselves up by them.Julian Castro, Sept. 4, 2012 The Poor have no Boostraps to pull up. –Tom Whitby As the U.S. auto industry pulls itself up by its bootstraps, the gloves are starting to come off.book review So well just have to regroup, pick ourselves up by the bootstraps and get ready for Tuesday and North Carolina.football coach But tomorrows a new day, the sun will probably come up and weve got to pull up our bootstraps and get going.hockey coach The high cost of gas is just one thing forcing the nations school districts to tighten the bootstraps this year. journalist writing about education In addition to its social applications, the word bootstrapping has taken on new meanings as occupational jargon. In computing, bootstrapping is â€Å"the procedure of using a fixed sequence of instructions to initiate the loading of further instructions and ultimately of a complete program (esp. the operating system).† It is this type of â€Å"bootstrapping† that gives us the verb â€Å"to boot,† in the sense of turning on a computer. The idea is that the first program pulls up all the others. In statistics, bootstrapping is a type of resampling in which a small sample is repeated numerous times in order to build up data. As happens with all overworked expressions, the original wording tends to break down. One commenter says he heard the following on CNN twice in one week: â€Å"[He needs to] pull up his boot straps.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Bare or Bear With Me?Yay, Hooray, Woo-hoo and Other AcclamationsPrepositions to Die With

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Managing markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managing markets - Essay Example "Customer relationship management teaches the tools that are needed to reach a customer in a way that instills trust and confidence. Some of these tools include methods in the way the customer is approached. Building up a level of common ground with the customer is an effective way to start building that confidence. Studies show that people are drawn to what they are attracted to. When a customer is approached by a salesperson that is confident, well dressed, and can communicate well, they are more likely to listen from the beginning to the end" (StreetDirectory). The customer relationship strategy can either be an IT-based or a staff-based solution. Markets with low contact such as through the internet should employ an It-based solution, while markets with high contact such as a high-fashion shop should employ a staff-based customer relationship strategy. The other necessary to a successful customer relation is of course the staff. Being the people who have direct dealings with the customers, the staffs can make or break customer relations. If the service is excellent, then customers will be encouraged to return, as opposed to an ugly and disrespectful service. To maintain an effective staff, the management has a very active role to do. First important thing to have is a good salary. It is understandable that a good salary breeds contentment and loyalty. Second is good working condition. Inevitably, the working condition affects the mood of the workers. A good working condition lightens up things for the workers and this is conveyed to the customers. Lastly, a good management brings a smile to the staff. With a good management, staffs find it more enjoyable to work. Conclusion Customer relation has its roots from the management. This is transcended into the employees and staff and conveyed to the customer. An excellent service, coupled with information technology would both boost relationship with the customer. Works Cited StreetDirectory. Importance of Customer Relationship Management. 9 September 2009 . TechTarget. http://searchcrm.techtarget.com. 9 September 2009 . Public Relation and Social Networks Introduction Public Relation is the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organization and its publics. "The main goal of apublicrelationsdepartment is to enhance a company's reputation. Staff that work inpublicrelations, or as it is commonly known, PR, are skilled publicists. They are able to present a company or individual to the world in the best light. The role of apublicrelatio

Friday, November 1, 2019

Organizational Culture and Structure Research Paper

Organizational Culture and Structure - Research Paper Example It had the good foresight that GSM will be replaced by a new technology, and so it was not afraid to take the risk. Its advances in technology were brought by this excellent foresight. T-mobile boats of its â€Å"latest technologies and modern multimedia services† faring well with its fiercest competitors such as Vodafone. â€Å"In line the Companys vision of ‘Connected life and work’, the mobilization of personal social networking is at the heart of T-Mobiles corporate activities† (Deutsche Telekom, 2009). An example of this is their mobile internet offering, the web’n’walk which enables customer to have a mobile access to the internet. Taking advantage of its wide product portfolio, Deutsche Telekom Group has increasingly its integrated product portfolio, â€Å"which enables standardized access to personal data like music, videos and addresses across all terminal equipment and which also provides for ever more integrated services on an incr easing number of mobile devices† (Deutsche Telekom, 2009). In an industry where technology spells success, T-Mobile’s key culture is its fast, timely and courageous innovation. Taking advantage of its wide business portfolio, Deutsche Telekom Group has never stopped to amaze its customers with innovative and valuable IT solutions. â€Å"This becomes even clearer with mobile web surfing: T-Mobile was the first provider in Europe to give its customers open access to the Internet and thus offer them unrestricted access to the web. The range of news, films, music and infotainment available to customers is constantly growing† (Deutsche Telekom, 2009). Currently, Deutsche Telekom is â€Å"is systematically gearing its business to broadband services and mobile Internet† as this is the need of the hour (Deutsche Telekom, 2009). This is in congruent to their vision of connected life and work. Recently, it has adapted its â€Å"Focus, fix and grow† strategy which is

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Discussion on Price and Purchase Indexes Dissertation

Discussion on Price and Purchase Indexes - Dissertation Example There is a continuous inflation as years increase from the base of 1999, the strongest inflations being found in petroleum at 44%, vegetables at 25%, housing at 11% and meat products at 10%. Alcohol and tobacco prices have also increased by about 20% since 1999. This shows that prices on necessities such as food and housing have a dramatic increase over previous years. The average increases per year in comparison to 1999 are: There was an increase in vegetable sales in 2001, but as prices skyrocketed by 2002, sales fell away-being the only one to decrease in 2002. There are several inferences that can be made from this statement, the first being that people are not buying vegetables because of the cost, and the second being that since all other purchase categories increased, we can assume that family size also increased-this leaves a hole in healthy eating habits of our residents. Meat purchases increased by 32%, tobacco and petroleum by 60%. Probably the most disturbing inference to be made from this table and one that points to a serious problem for the quality of life in Chignor is that alcohol purchases have increased by 100%. Average purchasing increases show that since 1999, purchases increased dramatically in 2002. If we remove alcohol and tobacco as being unnecessary to a healthy lifestyle, the increase in 2002 is 23.25% compared to 1999, which is far more dramatic than previous years. This shows that meat and petroleum purchases have increased, which leads to the possibility that there are more people in the Chignor area, and raises a consideration that vegetable sales have actually decreased from 2001-2002, very possibly because TECCO employees can simply not afford to buy vegetables. Year Increase % 2000 1.75 2001 9.9 2002 42.08 Income Index Last, we need to examine the incomes of residents. In 2000-2001, there is a 6 percent increase in TECCO employees incomes from 1999, but there was not an increase from 2000 to 2001 (no pay raises). Furthermore,

Monday, October 28, 2019

Introduction to Linguistics Essay Example for Free

Introduction to Linguistics Essay What is meant by the field of linguistics? This introductory chapter concerns some dimensions of linguistics, which give us a general idea of what linguistics is, including the history of linguistic, grammar, and other disciplines of linguistics study. What does grammar consist of and what are the relationship between one and another? How many languages do human beings have the capacity to acquire? What other studies are made in recent centuries? Each of these aspects are clearly described, and other chapters will go into further details. While in this chapter we will provide some less detailed information on the various aspects of linguistics mentioned so far. 1. 1 Defining Linguistics There is nothing that can be said by mathematical symbols and relations which cannot also be said by words. The converse, however, is false. Much that can be and is said by words cannot successfully be put into equations, because it is nonsense. C. Truesdell Linguistics is a study to describe and explain the human faculty of language. There is no doubt that linguistics has changed through human development. 1. 1. 1 History of linguistics See more: how to write an introduction The history of linguistics can be divided into three periods: antiquity, middle ages and modern linguistics. 1. 1. 1. 1 Antiquity Dating back to earlier period of linguistics, linguistics is often associated with a need to disambiguate discourse, especially for ritual texts or in arguments. Ancient Indians made a big contribution to linguistics development. Similarly, ancient Chinese played a key role in improving linguistics development. Around the same time as the Indian developed, ancient Greek philosophers were also debating the nature and origins of language. During this period, syntax and the use of particles developed fast. In addition, scholars proposed that word meanings are derived from sentential usage. 1. 1. 1. 2 Middle Ages In Middle East, in terms of expanding Islam in 8th century, a large number of people learn Arabic. Because of this, the earliest grammar came to being gradually. At the same time, Sibawayh, a famous scholar, wrote a book to distinguish phonetics from phonology. In the 13th century, Europeans introduced the notion of universal grammar. 1. 1. 1. 3 Modern Linguistics Modern linguistics beginning can date back to the late 18th century. With time passing by, the study of linguistics contains increasing contents. Meanwhile, it is used in other fields, computer, e. g. , has come to be called computational linguistics. The study of applications (as the recovery of speech ability) is generally known as applied linguistics. But in a narrower sense, applied linguistics refers to the application of linguistic principles and theories of language teaching and learning, especially the teaching of foreign and second language. Other related branches include anthropological linguistics, neurological linguistics, mathematical linguistics, and computational linguistics. However, linguistics is only a part of a much larger academic discipline, semiotics. It is the scientific study of language. It studies not just one single language of any one society, just like Chinese or French, but the language of all human beings. A linguist, though, does not have to know and use a large number of languages, but to investigate how each language is constructed. In short, linguistics studies the general principles whereupon all human languages are constructed and operated as systems of communication in their societies or communities. 1. 1. 2 An Interesting Comparison. Linguistics is a broad field to study, therefore, a linguist sometimes is only able to deal with one aspect of language at a time, and thus various branches arise: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, applied linguistics, pragmatics, psycholinguistics, lexicology, lexicography, etymology and so on. Suppose that the study of linguistics can be considered to be a computer, so linguistics is equal to the CPU, which supports all the other parts. Moreover, sound card would stand for phonetics and phonology, and then morphology and semantics are like the memory of the computer. Whats more, syntax plays as an important role to translate single words to a whole sentence which is full of meaning, just like a graphics card, which uses picture to make sense of the idea of memory stick. Finally, everything is ready, it s time to use computer and the same goes for language acquisition. Very interestingly, the properties of computer are amazingly similar to human language. from www. iflytek. com/english/Research-Introduction%20to%20TTS. htm Above all, linguistics is concerned with the study of verbal language particularly speech and written language. Whats more, language is a system and there is a set of options of which one must be chosen depending on the purpose and context. (Marie E. John P. , 1991, p. 64). 1. 2 The broad study of language Language is a highly complex system of communication, so it sometimes will be called a ‘system of systems’. It is used to construct, exchange, express, and record information and ideas. It performs these functions effectively because it is based upon systems that are understood by those using the language. In this chapter, four topics will be concerned. They are phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. In this section, some overall definitions and interactions among the four parts will be talked about. 1. 2. 1 Phonology In order to assist learners at the early stages of literacy, it is very important to understand the relationship between sounds and letters. The sounds of speech are studied in phonetics and phonology. (Marie E. John P, 1991) 1. 2. 1. 1 Definitions of phonology and phonetics Phonology is the study of sound systems- the invention of distinctive speech sounds that occurs in a language and the patterns wherein they fall. In other words, we study the abstract side of the sounds of language, a related but different subject that we call phonology (Peter, 2000). In short, it is about patterns and roots. On the other hand, it is more strict linguistics. Phonetics is the science which studies the characteristics of human sound-making, especially sounds used in speech, and provides methods for their description, classification and transcription. In common, speech sound is used everywhere, and it can be divided into three parts: articulatory phonetics, auditory phonetics, and acoustic phonetics. 1. 2. 1. 2 The difference between phonology and phonetics It seems that phonology and phonetics are similar. That is why both of them make learners confused. In fact, they have great difference. Phonology pays attention to how speech sounds of a language pattern are put together according to regular rules. On the contrary, phonetics focuses mainly on description of how speech sounds are made. For instance, if someone says â€Å"we should get our two lips close together and then push them open with a strong air†, that means he or she is relevant to phonetics field. Another example is â€Å"no words should begin with the ‘ng’/N/ sound, the sound only occurs at the end of words†, and this concerns phonology area. Plenty of terms are used to describe different patterns of letters and sounds. Some of the common used terms are blend, digraph, schwa, syllable and phonics, which are widely and frequently applied. 1. 2. 2 Morphology Morphology has been regarded as a necessarily synchronic discipline. That means the rules focusing on the study of word structure instead of the development of words (Katamba, 1993, p.3). It is the basic element used in a language, and the concept of morphemes is one of the main aspects in the study of morphology (Yule, 2006, p. 66). Basically, it is the branch of linguistics that studies the internal structure of words. In morphology, morphemes are the minimal units that have semantic meaning. It is the linguistic term for the most elemental units of grammatical form (Fromkin, Rodman, Hyams, 2006, p. 77). 1. 2. 2. 1 The classification of morphemes Morphemes are composed of free and bound morphemes. Free morphemes are the morphemes that can stand by themselves as single words, while bound morphemes are those that can not normally stand alone, but that can be attached to affixes (Yule, 2000, p. 75). Free morphemes contain lexical and functional morphemes. The first category, free morphemes, is the set of ordinary nouns, adjectives, adverbs and verbs which carry the content of the conveyed messages (Yule, 2000, p. 76), and most English words refer to this category. The functional morphemes consist largely of the functional words, including conjunctions, prepositions, articles and pronouns (Yule, 2000). Bound morphemes can also be divided into two categories. They are derivational and inflectional morphemes. Derivational morphemes are those which make new words in the language and make words of a different grammatical category from the stem (Yule, 2000, p. 76), which means that it can change the meaning or the word class, whereas the inflectional morphemes are used to indicate aspects of the grammatical function of a word (Yule, 2000, p. 77). 1. 2. 2. 2 The interaction with other aspects Morphology has interactions with phonology. The selection of the form that manifests given morpheme may be affected by the sounds that realize neighboring morphemes (Katamba, 1993). For example, prefixes and suffixes will normally affect the stress. Meanwhile, there is interaction between morphology and syntax. The form of words may be influenced by the syntactic construction in which the word is used (Katamba, 1993, p. 13). 1. 2. 3 Syntax So far in our study of language, we have made studies of phonetics, phonology and morphology. We have analyzed the structure of sounds and words. Therefore, we have been concentrated on the level of small units of language. After our analysis of words, we move to the consideration of larger structural units of language: phrases and sentences. If we concentrate on the structure and ordering of components within a sentence, we are studying what is technically known as the syntax of a language (Yule, 2000, p. 100). Syntax can be simply defined as the scientific study of sentence structure. According to Geoffrey (2005), syntax is a term used for the study of the rules governing the way words are combined to form sentences. The origin of this word is from Greek and it means a setting out together or arrangement (Yule, 2000). In the sentence The boy hits the door, we can discover that the words are related to each other in this order that it only has one meaning. If we change the order of the words The door hits the boy, the sentences meaning has totally changed and it is nonsense. The reason is that the parts of the sentence are structurally related to each other, and this structure is reflected in the word order. In English, the word order is very necessary and important for the meaning of the sentence according to linguistic rules. In some languages, word order plays a less important role. The meaning of the sentence depends more on the form of the words themselves. In such cases, it is possible for sentences with totally different word order to have the same meaning. English used to be one of these languages. The following examples are taken from Old English: Se cyning metech thone biscop-The king meets the bishop Thone biscop meteth se cyning-The king meets the bishop Although the words are arranged differently, they still mean the same. However, nowadays, the word order is very crucial for meaning. As a consequence, there is a great need for us to explore syntax. Some important concepts are included in the study of syntax. 1. 2. 3. 1Complex and compound sentence Three sentence types are basic in the syntax. There are simple sentence, compound sentence and complex sentence. A simple sentence includes one word. However, in some situation, the simple sentence contains two words. A compound sentence contains at least two simple sentences. The sentences are linked with a conjunction. A Complex sentence composes of at least one main clause and one subordinate clause. 1. 2. 3. 2 Syntax Analysis The following example is provided for syntax analysis. The football team won the match last year. S NP VP NP Det N Vt Det N Adv Ext(time) The football team won the match last year. The chart above is called tree diagram. The letters above each indicate: S = sentence, NP = noun phrase, VP = verb phrase, N = noun, V = verb, and so on. The syntacticians use this method to analyze the sentences. 1. 2. 3. 3 Basic Syntactic Structure In English, the structure of sentence depends heavily on word order. The four basic structures are listed as follows: SNP + Vc + NP ( NPN, NP Det + N) SNP + VP ( NPN, VPVc + Adj) SNP + VP ( NPN, VPV) SNP + VP (NPN, VPVt + NP, NPDet + N) 1. 2. 3. 4 Basic Syntactic Generative Process. There are four basic syntactic generative processes: substitution, expansion, extension, transformation. Take the following sentence as an example to clarify these three concepts. Ken is a policeman. Substitution: Ken is a policeman. Tom is a policeman. Expansion: Ken is a policeman. Ken is a bad policeman. Extension: Ken is a policeman. Ken is a policeman at that time. Transformation: Ken is a policeman. Is Ken a policeman? 1. 2. 4 Semantics Semantics, a subfield of linguistics, is the study of literal meaning. It is the recent addition to the English language. (Palmer, 1976, p. 1). According to Matthews (2007), during the early years the study of meaning focused on the lexicon alone. The scope of the study has expended since 1960s to include both semantics and pragmatics (analyzed in 1. 3), which come to the main fields of the study of linguistic meaning(Katamba, 2000 Matthews, 1997). Semantic meaning is fixed and abstract. It can be understood by surface. However, it is de-contextualized. In another word, it is easily subverted by different gestures or intonations. Semnatics interacts with other aspects of linguistics. For example, when synonyms are used, they can be understood, so it fits the rule of syntax. However, synonyms are used to describe something similar. In a sentence, a synonym can be substituted by another synonym. However, the meaning of synonyms speaker or writer determines or predicates have different degrees, which indicates the meaning is actually different (Alan, 2004). Thus, it is the interaction between syntax and semantics. As for the interaction with phonology, the term tonic syllable in phonology has three kinds of functions. The first one is the accentual function, which is to indicate the focus of the information. The second one is the attitudinal function that is to indicate the speakers attitude. And the last one is grammatical function. If speakers use these functions, the same sentence will turn out to have various meanings. To conclude, in this section, linguistics is analyzed from the aspects of sounds, word structure, grammatical rules and meaning. Each of them is in charge of a certain system. Thus linguistics can help people to communicate, to express, and to be understood. 1. 3 Other disciplines Apart from the core subparts of linguistics, which we have demonstrated before, for further reading, we introduce some other exciting aspects in the field of linguistics. There are a lot more to discover than those areas. 1. 3. 1 Sociolinguistics People may know something about you through the way you speak, for example, where you come from, where you spend most of your life time, your social identity and so on. Two people growing up in the same geographical area, at the same time, may speak differently owing to a number of social factors (Yule, 2000). Consequently, it’s very important to consider the social aspects of language. It’s because speech is a form of social identity and is used, consciously or unconsciously (Yule, 2000). The study of the social aspect of language is known as sociolinguistic. â€Å"Sociolinguistic is concerned with investigation of the relationship between language and society† (Ronald, 2006, p. 13). It consists of cultural norms, expectations, and context on the way language is used. The first linguists who studied the social aspect of language are Indian and Japanese in the 1930s. Another person called Gauchat who came from Switzerland had a analysis of this in 1900s as well. However, these three people didn’t receive much attention in the West. Until the late 19th century, the study of social aspects of language laid its foundation. Sociolinguistics gradually appeared in the 1960s in the West. Linguistics such as William Labov in the US and Basil Bernstein in the UK first brought out this concept and explored it. (Wikipedia, 2007, para. 1) 1. 3. 2 Neurolinguistics Though the neural structures of most animal species are very distant from man, there are still resemblances between human and animal languages (Marler, 1981; Nottebohm, 1970), since neurons work in both. Human brain contains billions of neural cells, and so far, the exact number of those so-called neurons is still to be defined (Fabbro, 1999, p. 21). These teeny tiny neurons have close link with the production of language. There can be innate or learnt vocal utterances. Oral language can be the innate property of the human brain, written language, however, is an invention of humankind. Dogs can bark, cats can miaow, and man can cry even after the removal of the midbrain, whereas parrots cannot imitate human sounds, and we cannot produce human language (Fabbro, 1999, p. 21). Therefore, the neural center of our brain is playing an irreplaceable role in the production of language. How does the main cerebral structure serve the production of human  vocalizations? The study of neurolinguistic rely on the study of neurology and neurophysiology, and in these fields, all parts of the nervous system, each having different functions in generating language, are discovered. Theories are found based on lots of experiments concerning the removals of different sections of the brain. The destruction of different language areas destroys language distinguishingly. 1. 3. 3 Historical linguistics Historical linguistics definitely is not concerned with the history of linguistics, though historical linguistics has played an important role in the development of linguistics. It is the main kind of linguistics practiced in the 19th century (Campbell, 1998, p. 5). Historical linguistics concerns the investigation and description of how languages change or maintain their structure in the course of time. Language change can be easily proved by documents written in the same language but at different periods of history. The differences of wording and structure of sentences can reflect the historical development of language. From series of datable documents, Lord’s Prayer widely recorded the history of mankind, and different versions help us analyze the language of each period (Bynon, 1978, p. 7). Meanwhile we can also discover that certain structure rules are still used in current language. There are some constructs and rule that link the grammars of two different but related languages, which descend from a single original language, sharing a common ancestor. More accurately, historical linguistics deals with the kinds of changes, and the techniques and methods we have use to discover history, rather than the origin of words themselves (Campbell, 1998, p. 5). 1. 3. 4 Anthropological linguistics Anthropological linguistic is the study of relations between language and culture. It is related to human biology, cognition and language. It belongs to the field of linguistic anthropology, which is a branch of anthropology that studies human-beings through the language they use(Wikipedia, 2007, para. 1). Some Linguists who explore theanthropological linguistics consider these topics such as chimpanzee communication, pidgins and creoles, structural linguistics,total languages, whorf hypothesis, etc. 1. 3. 5 Pragmatics According to Kate (2000), pragmatics is one of the two main fields in the study of linguistic meaning. Pragmatics deals with natural language, while language is always used in context for an intended purpose. The listeners must try to grasp the meaning implied, enrich the ideas, and finally make out the opinion that what the speakers meant when talking about a particular expression (Kate, 2000). According to Yule (1996), ‘pragmatics studies the context in which the utterance is produced as well as the intention of language user. ’ That means pragmatic meaning depends on context or situation. Without context, meanings can be vague and may be misunderstood by people. Two of the branches are: speech acts that cover ‘requesting’, ‘commanding’, ‘questioning’ and ‘informing’, and politeness that shows the awareness of another person’s face. In short, sociolinguistics is the analysis of interrelationship of language and society. Neurolinguistics is the study of the brain and how it functions in language. Historical linguistics is the consideration of language change and how different languages are related to each other. Anthropological linguistics is the study of language and culture. There are some other disciplines in linguistics. Pragmatics deals with the speakers meaning. The five mentioned above are some main disciplines in linguistics. Different disciplines of linguistics enrich the content of linguistic. The study of linguistics tends to be more and more detailed and completed. 1. 4 Language Acquisition This chapter began with a general introduction to language study. It ends with a consideration of the acquisition of language, containing first, second and foreign language, which is affected by the relationship between teacher and learner. Some experienced educators advise that it is only through learning to speak a language that you can fully analyze it (Everett 2001). Acquisition is described as occurring in spontaneous language contexts (Krashen, 1982), is subconscious, and leads to conversational fluency. 1. 4. 1 First language acquisition For a child, learning first language is automatic, not after starting school, not in specific circumstance and not by great efforts (Yule, 2006). It requires only basic physical capability of sending and receiving sounds directly or indirectly, and interaction with others using this language. Children are brought up in particular environments, being affected by different surroundings, especially by those people whom they spend most of their time interacting with. Infants start express themselves through some simple utterance, such as some vowel-like sounds. Children gain increasing abilities at different development stages, from producing single-unit utterance to producing speech by communicating through expressions (Yule, 2006), since they are able to understand what others said. This a big step forward, like quitting toddling and being capable of walking steadily, forwards, or backwards. As children are being increasingly exposed to communication and interaction, their language skills are developing rapidly because of the expansion of vocabulary. They are never forced to speak first language and seldom be corrected by others, but they correct themselves through interactions every day. Then children learn to use verbs in different sentences, and how to use different words to form a sentence (Yule, 2006). They gradually learn to ask questions correctly and how to use the word no in their speeches to express negative meanings. The last stage of first language acquisition is the ability of making meaningful sentence (Yule, 2006). There is massive variation in the rate at which features of ones first language are acquired. 1. 4. 2 Second language acquisition  Being able to speak first language is one of the basic skills of second language acquisition. Except for the minority of people who are bilingual speakers, most of the learners have no access to a second language until our late childhood. Actually most of the Chinese learners are now learning English as a foreign language, because it is immediately back to Chinese speaking time out of the classroom. But later on they may have the chance of learning it as a foreign language in a native speaking environment, during immersion semesters, when they will acquire this second language in circumstances similar to those of Chinese acquisition. There are obviously differences in foreign language achievement, sometimes related to differences in aptitude (Carroll, 1982), sometimes to affective factors (Gardner Lambert, 1972), sometimes to learner strategies (Naiman, Frohlicn, Stern Tedesco, 1978), sometimes to environmental factors such as opportunities for language use or instructional conditions (Long, 1982), and sometimes simply to time (Carroll, 1975). Human beings have the ability to learn more than one language all through ones live. Farwell (1963) (cited in Taylor, 1976) reports that a British explorer in the 19th century claimed to have spoken more than 40 languages and dialects. Usually, however, after the age of 10, the acquisition of second language is very different from the way one acquired his first language, which is relatively slower and cannot achieve native-like proficiency. 1. 4. 3 Educational factors Most of us begin learning second language in teenage years, spending only few hours on it every day and for most of the daily activities we use our mother tongue. Accordingly, we will encounter lots of difficulties in learning second language without enough exposure to it. Therefore, the largely distinguished part of acquiring first and second language should be language teachers. In order to learn a second language, we must learn from a teacher, or at least follow their guidance. The classroom is a very powerful instrument of instruction and it can control language learning in a very direct way (Richard, T. Roger,H. ). As language teachers, we should focus on students requirements and follow learner-centered approaches. We should impart knowledge in a more practical way so the students can receive easily. Keep the class disciplined and orderly so that students can learn most effectively from the lessons. There are often the situations that the students seldom volunteer answers, and the teacher sometimes has to call on someone and wait for a long time before a response is forthcoming. Why not try breaking away from typical Hong Kong classroom practices in class? Like, students do not have to stand up to greet teachers, and they do not have to raise their hands or stand up when they answer questions. In a relaxed classroom atmosphere, students will feel free to interact. They will not fall silent when the teacher enters the room, then stand up and chant a choral greeting. If the pupils are put in this position in the classroom, they can be more effectively kept in their place in social life. During the class, we teachers should never say like this: I am your teacher. By the authority vested in me I have the right to ask you to behave in a certain way, whether you like it or not. And you, in your role have the obligation to obey (Widdowson, H. G. ). Whereas, we should say that in another way: Do this because I am the teacher and I know whats best for you, but not Do this because I am telling you and I am the teacher. This difference has the advantage of largely increasing participation in the use and practice of language. 1. 4. 4 Summary Approaches to the acquisition of language account for different backgrounds of learns first language, and different conditions of exposure. In acquiring language, learners often go through transitional stages of development, which is at distinguished rates. References Cruse, A. (2004). Meaning in language : an introduction to semantics and pragmatics. Oxford, New York, Oxford University Press. Bynon, T. (1983). Historical Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Campbell, L. (1998). 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