Self Strengthening Movement Essay Example

Self Strengthening Movement Essay China’s Self-Strengthening Movement (1860 1894) is often regarded as a failure. To what extent do you agree with this assessment? ‘Why are the Western nations small and yet strong? What are we large and yet weak? We must search for the means to become their equal At first they may take the foreigners as their teachers and models; then they may come to the same level and be their equals; finally they may move ahead and surpass them. Herein lies the way to self-strengthening. ’1 Following Feng Guifen’s [the innovator the movement] view on Self Strengthening, why then did the the movement fail? The period of 1860 through to 1864, between the end of the Third War with the West and the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War, were critical years in China which dictated the result of the country. At the conclusion of the Taiping Rebellion, along with the peace agreements with Britain and France, China entered a period of ‘relative stability’2 and restoration. The exposure to China’s weakness through the Opium Wars, the unequal treaties and the mid-19th century rebellions forced the Qing government to acknowledge the need to strengthen their country. The aim of the Self-Strengthening movement was to build a strong defense against modern powers while still preserving the customary Chinese ways. However official’s ignorance of the requirements for industrial modernization proved an obstacle of Self-Strengtheners. This was due to their belief in maintaining Chinese traditional ways, Confucianism philosophy and also their great concern to protect China’s sovereignty against Western imperialism. Leading officials tired to adapt Western devices and institutions modeling the movement on the attractive though misleading doctrine of ‘Chinese learning as the fundamental structure, Western learning for practical use’3. However the generation of 1860 to 1900 clung to the ‘shibboleth that China could leap halfway into modern times, like leaping halfway across a river flood’4. We will write a custom essay sample on Self Strengthening Movement specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Self Strengthening Movement specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Self Strengthening Movement specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Without fundamental changes in the whole Chinese system socially, politically and economically strengthening was not possible. Perhaps the most significant and difficult change in order to modernize China was the ‘appreciation of the impossibility of altering the technological basis of production’ in China ‘without changes in social values’5. For many years China was ruled by the Qing dynasty, unchanged for centuries with social and political life based on the philosophy of Confucianism. This philosophy created a ‘stable society’6 dominated by the official class. China strived to maintain the policy of isolation by discouraging travel and disapproving of profit [trade]. The ‘out of date’7 chinese beliefs viewed their empire with a superior civilization; the Middle Kingdom. ‘The intelligence and ingenuity of the Chinese are certainly superior to those of the various barbarians’8[foreigners]. However through the events of the early nineteenth century China’s worldly position changed drastically. The Western powers completely exploited China with domination in wars through the use of modern technology which China completely lacked. Through a series of unequal treaties China’s internal weakness became exposed. Together with the continual domination of Western powers and the ineffective leadership of the Qing government, a gaining number of educated Chinese became convinced for the need of reforms. However many felt change was non-beneficial and not necessary. Influential officials, due to their basic conservative education and up brining were not equipped to realize a prominent weakness in China and therefore refused reforms. The ‘ruthless’9 Dowager Empress Cixi with the ‘capacity for intrigue and domineering will’10, was supported by the conservative Chinese to oppose any attempts to modernize. With haltering steps, the first initiatives of modernization were taken by those who crushed the Taipings; scholar-officials like Zeng Guofan and his younger coadjutor, Li Hongzhang (1823 1901) who set up an arsenal in Shanghai to make guns and boats as he believed the only way to strengthen China was to learn to use Western machinery. Along with Prince Gong’s active role in ‘seeking to improve China’s diplomatic relations and advance the military’11, the dominant leaders of modernization sought to ‘take the foreigners as their teachers and models; then they may come to the same level and be their equals; finally they may move ahead and surpass them’. Their ideas were supported by a number of provincial governors and scholar-officials who began to ‘seek out an effective path for reform’12. These efforts would become known as the Self-Strengthening Movement. The leading theorist of the movement was the scholar-official Feng Guifen who believed in order to ‘strengthen the Qing state, traditional Confucian culture and institutions must be preserved’ and ‘supplemented by Western weapons and technological learning’. Although the reforms proposed modernization, a cultural change was needed for it to truly be in effect. With the establishment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Zongli Yamen), Zeng advised to send students to Western countries for technical training and in result a mission was sent to the United States of America the following year. However after a few years the students were instructed to return to China claiming that they spent to much time on Western learning and not enough on their Chinese studies. Although, the officials most likely feared that the students were ‘learning democratic or republican ideas’13 which could become a threat to the Qing government. This old cultural way of thinking made the idea of Self Strengthening impossible and the movement for ‘westernization in China was obstructed at every turn by the ignorance and prejudice of the Confucian literati’14. During the period in which the Self-Strengthening Movement took place, there was no strong central government and a prominent lack of any direction within the movement was clear. Many of the powerful officials undermined the whole concept of modernization believing that the emphasis should be on ‘propriety and righteousness, not on power and plotting’ and the fundamental efforts ‘lie in the minds of the people, not in techniques’15. With these concepts it proved as a difficulty to gain higher power influence. Provincial authorities carried out the majority of the movements tasks meaning that reforms were conveyed at a provincial level which prevented unity and a sense of national loyalty. This resulted in reforms occurring haphazardly with no proper co-ordination between each province. Due to the wide spread corruption of the Qing dynasty and the inefficiency of officials there was a recurrent problem; lack of finance. For example, embezzlement of funds which were to have supported the navy resulted in the defeat in the war against Japan as there was not enough ammunition. Modernization, it seemed, was a ‘game played by a few high officials who realized its necessity and tried to raise funds, find personnel, and set up projects in a generally lethargic if not unfriendly environment. ’16 Although they wanted change in China, personal profit and higher power led them on. Dowager Empress Cixi, or so called ‘power behind the silk screen’17, proved a difficult obstacle for Self-Strengthening. She continually gave no ‘firm or consistent backing’18 to the reformers. She, in comparison, let the ‘ideological conservatives stalemate the innovators’19 therefore she could maintain the balance. Paraphrasing Feng Guifen’s view; he believed the only thing to learn from the ‘barbarians’ was strong ships and effective guns and to introduce Western military ideas into the Chinese armies. An initial step of the movement was to issue new European weapons to all the Chinese however it was soon realized that to be completely ‘self sufficient’ and superior, ‘China would have to produce its own arms’20 and not depend on imported resources from enemies. However ‘modern weapons were useless in pre-modern hands’21 so without a complete shift in the armies techniques and concepts, modernization and power over foreigners were hopeless. Feng Kuei-fen belonged to the former school of thought. He believed in allowing Chinese ethics and famous Confucian teachings to serve as the original foundation, and used in addition to the methods used by the various nations for the attainment of prosperity and strength; ‘Would it not be the best of all procedures? ’22 This is an example of a high majority way of thinking. Modernization of China could not arise until the realization that a whole shift in system must take place instead of incorporating old ways with new technology. Following the First and Second Anglo-Chinese Wars, foreign powers preceding Britain signed a series of ‘unequal treaties’ with China. The treaties placed China into a weakened position completely exploited by the West with no independence. The ‘economic power and influence of the Westerns’23 threatened the stability of China’s traditional ways and Confucius philosophy. The continual weakness of the Qing government with repetitive defeats to the foreigners exposed China’s struggle and raised a growth of anti-Manzu feeling among the Chinese population. During the late eighteenth century there was a period of great economic discontent throughout China with the raise in population opposing with the minimal increase of developed land and agriculture. Corruption throughout the officials demanded heavy taxes along with natural disasters resulting in many peasants becoming homeless. The discontent lead to many revolts against the Qing government including the renowned Taiping Rebellion who nearly succeeded in overthrowing the government. As the concepts to modernize and strengthen China arose, due to political reasons, finance was difficult to obtain and therefore many projects did not go ahead. Heavy corruption within the Qing government sought to misuse funds specific to modernizing reforms. During 1888 the most ‘outrageous’ example of this corruption was the building of a grand, full-sized marble boat within the confounds of Cixi’s Summer palace. The millions it cost was ‘scandalously diverted’ by a high-level official from the funds set aside for the development of China’s boats and ships. It is thought that the marble boat should be a symbol of what could have been the Qing navy. Modernizers faced enormous practical difficulties such as the ‘lack of entrepreneurial skills and capital’24 which resulted in the failures of reform and decrease of support. China was in a backward economic and technological situation and again due to the lack of direction from the central government, finance was difficult to obtain and therefore many projects did not go ahead. Even though the Self strengthening movement was seen as a failure, there was limited success. This included the establishment of factories and business companies which encouraged economic development in the treaty ports and other cities along the coast. Some peasants moved to the city and became industrial workers resulting in a new professional class of businessmen to arise, leading to a significant part in development of modern China. The ideals of this ‘Self-Strengthening’ era were based on hopes of restoring China, but according to some historians the period was only a temporary pause in the decline of the Qing dynasty; The Self Strengthening movement was ‘a superficial gesture toward modernization’25. The weakness of the movement was exposed in the Sino-French War of 1884 1885, when China was unable to defend it tributary state, Annam (Vietnam). It was further confirmed by China’s defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 1895. Traditional institutions and learning were no longer adequate, even with modern guns and ships. An appreciation of the outside world eluded China’s rulers, particularly Cixi and her conservative-minded mandarins; however, parts of the educated elite were beginning to realize that ‘change was imperative’26. To modernize China, change would have to occur in all three aspects of its society; socially, politically and economically. Despite the Self-Strengthening Movement’s shortcomings, it managed to sow the seeds for modern capitalism in China and also contributed in the development of great metropolises in various cities.

Effects of Technology on Sony Corporation Inc

Effects of Technology on Sony Corporation Inc Introduction Business environments are dynamic; they keep changing, new systems and methods of doing businesses are being implemented and shaped by external environment. Five major forces that affect business environment are political, technological, environmental, economic, cultural and social changes; a single business has no influence on the above external factors; the best it can do is devise strategies to take advantage offered by the situation as it mitigates against any threat brought about by the external environment.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Effects of Technology on Sony Corporation Inc specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Sony Corporation is the fifth largest media conglomerate with its headquarters at Minato, Japan; the company produces a range of electronic commodities like phones, radio, and television. It concentrates in consumer and professional markets oriented commodities, to remain competitive i n the fast developing electronic industry; the company has embarked on massive innovation and invention of products and processes (Hopper, 2007). One major external factor affecting Sony is the fast growth in technology. It is offering the company some competitive advantage and at the same time keeping, the company alert to tap any opportunity offered however, it has increased competition in the industry a notch higher (Sony Corporation Inc, 2011). This paper looks into the effects that technological changes have on Sony; it will focus on the effect it has on its innovativeness. Brief history of Sony The initial idea to have an international electronic company has its roots in 1945, when started a radio repair shop; Akio Morita later joined him. In the efforts to seek knowledge for their young electronic company, Masaru Ibuka visited the United of America where he convince Bell Labs to sell their invention of transistor to his company. This was the start of innovation in the company when the company decided they could use the transistor in the communication industry. In 1955, the company made Japanese first transistor radio, Sony  TR-55, which was sold commercially. The company adopted the name Sony in 1958. Since the adoption the company’s name, it has continued to grow in size and sales: it form one of the World Top 20 Semiconductor Sales Leaders. To remain competitive, the company has embarked on massive innovation, invention and development of customer-oriented products. Currently the company’s chairperson, the president/chief executive officer (C.E.O) is Howard Stringer, Vice president is Ryoji Chubachi and the chief finance officer is Masaru Kato. The current number of employees are above 167,900; in 2010 financial year, the company made an after tax profit of   7.214 trillion /  $88.205 billion (Sony Corporation Inc, 2011).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first pape r with 15% OFF Learn More Technology effects on the company The use of technology in the business arena is in different dimensions, companies embrace technology to conduct processes in different areas. Automation of processes is a crucial factor in businesses since they create an efficient way of doing business: the following are the areas that Sony has been affected by technological development: Technology as a platform of innovation In modern competitive business world, small, medium and large-scale businesses need to develop new processes, products, strategies and paradigms so as they can remain afloat and have a competitive advantage. Innovation is defined as a continuous process of selecting, developing and commercialisation new commodities, processes, approaches and business models. In Sony, the company being in the electronic industry, it develops in-house developments, inventions and innovations; these are facilitated by computer systems and software is used to simulate certain results for decision making; for example when producing Television , the company uses different technologies to produce goods priced differently. The innovation is increasingly required to include more features in the gadgets. Some of the major break through that the company has attained though the use of computer generated products is Universal Media Disc, developed in 2003, HDV with JVC, which was invented in 2004, and Blu-ray Disc  with  Panasonic  in 2006. When coming up with these products the company ensures that it consults available resources and levels of technology existing in the world (Haberbeg and Rieple, 2001). Internal process automation The company has embarked on the use of technology to automate its internal process; some of the areas involved are the use of integrated supply chain management, this is a system where different sectors of the company are integrated to assist in the management of stocks and inventories. In the process of supp lies management, the company has innovated a system that is applicable and responsive to its needs; the system has been fine-tuned by internal and external sources that it ensures that the company has a constant supply of goods and materials when they need them (Mark and  Ian, 2002). The second internal area that the company has adopted technology is in the internal auditing team management; internal management consists of a team of experts that monitor and control internal processes to ensure they are compliant with the set standards.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Effects of Technology on Sony Corporation Inc specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The department uses computers and software to monitor the level of compliance in the firm. When products have been developed, the company uses technology to test for level of quality and ensure that it meets the set standards before they find their way to the market (Hislo p, 2005). With technology, the company has been able to develop appropriate communication strategy is involved in ensuring that the right technology in terms of infrastructure and software has been adopted in the organization. The company’s information system benefits the company in the following ways. 1. Sharing of information in the company between different departments and employees 2. Facilitated communication both internal and external communication 3. Develop an online marketing and advertising mechanisms, which will work to the benefit of the company. 4. Improve efficiency in the businesses and ensure that customer’s needs are satisfied at any one point. 5. To ensure that areas of inefficiency in the business are detected and business re-engineering mechanisms adopted (Colllier ,2008)Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Technology, decision making and Business intelligence To develop effective decisions, a company needs to have sufficient information generated internally and externally. Technology has offered a number of ways to store, analyse, interpolate and report of an industries statistics/information; this has facilitated sound and responsive decision-making. In the recent past, technology has increasingly been adopted in organizations. It assists in developing efficiency and thus customer satisfaction. The competitiveness of a business is vested on the quality of its management decisions. A number of systems that aim at meeting a certain objective in the business arena have been developed. They are either homemade or all user systems (commercial systems). Business intelligence is the name used to refer to the total collection of such system; it was first coined in September 1996, in Gartner Group report. Sony has an elaborate and effective business intelligence system that offers the company sound information necessary for making decisions when they are needed. With the system that is reinforced by a knowledgeable team, the company has used it to come up with new products, improve processes and increase efficiency (Bessant and Tidd, 2007) The effects on Marketing and sales strategies Although Sony is in the industry were its products are used in technology development, the company has adopted other companies products to sell its products, the company has an automated marketing and selling strategy where it uses computers and the internet to advertise its products. The company has developed a website where it posts different information meant for consumer consumption so as consumers can get to learn of new products in the market form the company. The move to online advertising has been facilitated by the expansion of internet services in the world. Online marketing is a cheap and effective method of reaching customers spread in different parts of the globe. When a custo mer places an order, then the company undertakes the role of transporting the commodity to the most favourable place for the customer (Paley, 1999). Online marketing gives an interactive environment that the target customer can be able to communicate to Sony management team via the website and offer their views on the company’s products. This facilitates development and products differentiation. This gives the user the advantage of airing his or her views; this was never possible in the old marketing and advertising models. The population that is there in the world today, a majority is enlightened and knows its rights. In the exercise of these rights, the people need the environment that does not dictate on what they are supposed to do, the way the traditional marketing and advertisement seemed to do. The two-way system of communication is assisting in building a strong brand name and relationship marketing sees the (appendix for a summarised effect of technology). When a com pany product has a good brand name, it is to the advantage of the company since the brand becomes self-advertising (Fred, 2008). Appropriate and up to date information technology tools should be used in the entire organization. Hardware and software tools should be developed which are appropriate for the attainment of set goals and objectives. Technology and improved Customer service Technology has assisted Sony to develop better customer service; mechanisms to get feedback and respond to customer issues are developed and facilitated by computer systems. This may take the form of call centre or other feedback mechanisms. This acts as another source of information to Sony for future improvements and current gauging in the electronic market. Existing customers are a pool of assets to a company and they can give information relevant to the improvement of various processes. Marketing and selling strategies are addressed and skewed toward a customer-based approach (Fred, 2008). When info rmation is received, then the company embarks on aligning its processes to the needs of the customers. New developments have been triggered by the response of customers; they include Sony laptops, I phones and IPods which are the latest Sony products. To come up with products, there is need to simulate the situation and look for the best combinations, Sony has used computer system to create better combination. Sony is in the electronic industry that is affected directly by the advancement of computers; it gets its market from the sector of the economy, thus the more technology develops the better for the company. In other words, it can be said that technology is the product for the company thus the more improved it is the better to the company. The more it develops products the higher it is likely to enjoy a large market. How the company has reacted to the changes in technology Sony has recognized that the changes in technology have come to the benefit of the industry: the company b eing in the electronic industry has no option other than embrace changes in technology. The management understands the danger of being technology backward; it will mean that the company will lose its competitiveness. To avoid any chances of negative impact of technology, the company has developed a research and development team to pioneer on technology invention, development and innovation; the department, which works under the information and technology department, interacts with the outside world and gauges the position the company, is holding so as it can advise the company effectively. To embrace and appreciate changes, the management has invested largely on developing a freelance culture were employees are encouraged to give their views on what they feel can benefit the company technology wise. Strength and weakness of the response of Sony to technology changes The company positive approach to technology has assisted it adopt and develop new systems and modern ways of conductin g business. Technology has offered different opportunities that need to be grabbed as they come. The company has been able to take advantage of such opportunities thus increasing its gains. The strategy has made the company to be a technology developer other than being a consumer. The approach has a weakness that it can divert attention of the company to developing of new products and forget their main core business. On the other hand, it is an expensive method; when a technology has been developed, the company is so fast that it does not wait to have exhausted the benefit of current technology before it adopts another. Recommendation and conclusion Scientific inventions and innovations have resulted to a business environment where technology influences decisions made in a company. The level of technology advancement in a certain country/industry determines the level of technology to be implemented in particular companies existing in the economy. When the right technology has been a dopted, a company gets a competitive advantage; however, there is no single level of technology that can be said to be optimal, a company need to keep developing and innovating other better technologies (Mitlez, 2004). Sony is an international conglomerate company in the fast growing electronics industry, to remain competitive; the company has embarked on massive innovations and inventions of better processes and products in the efforts to become competitive. When developing processes and products, the company uses computer software to generate artificial situations that are afterwards interpolated to offer a background for strategic decisions on innovations. Other than the benefits brought by technology, it has brought competition in the electronic industry a notch higher; companies in the industry are able to reach national and international markets at a lower cost, thus Sony has to compete with a variety of companies in the industry located in Japan and elsewhere in the globe for local and international market. References Bessant, J. and Tidd, J.,2007. Innovation and entrepreneurship. Chichester: Wiley. Colllier, P. ,2008. The Bottom Billion. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Fred, D.,2008. Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases. New Jersey: Pearson Education. Haberbeg, A. and Rieple, A. ,2001.The Strategic Management of Organisations. London: Prentice Hall. Hislop, D., 2005. Knowledge Management in Organisations Oxford: Oxford University Press Hopper, P., 2007. Understanding Cultural Globalisation. Cambridge: Polity Mark A. and  Ian, D.,2002. Innovation. London: Rowman Littlefield. Mitlez, S. ,2004. Technology and culture. Michigan: Dearborn. Paley, N.,1999. The managers guide to competitive marketing strategies. London: CRC Press. Sony Corporation Inc., 2011. Sony. Available at www.sony.com . Appendix

Premise Definition and Examples in Arguments

Premise Definition and Examples in Arguments A premise is a  proposition upon which an argument is based or from which a conclusion is drawn. Put another way, a  premise includes the reasons and evidence behind a conclusion, says  Study.com. A premise may be  either the major or the minor proposition of a  syllogism- an argument in which two premises are made and a  logical conclusion  is drawn from them- in a deductive argument. Merriam-Webster  gives this example of a major and minor premise (and conclusion): All mammals are warmblooded [major premise]; whales are mammals [minor premise]; therefore, whales are warmblooded [conclusion]. The term premise comes from medieval Latin, meaning things mentioned before. In philosophy as well as fiction and nonfiction writing, the premise follows largely the same pattern as that defined in Merriam-Webster. The premise- the thing or things that came before- lead (or fail to lead) to a logical resolution in an argument or story. Premises in Philosophy To understand what a premise is in philosophy, it helps to understand how the field defines an argument, says  Joshua May, an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. In philosophy, an argument is not concerned with disputes among people; it is a set of propositions that contain premises offered to support a conclusion, he says, adding: A  premise  is a proposition one offers in support of a conclusion. That is, one offers a premise as evidence for the truth of the conclusion, as justification for or a reason to believe the conclusion. May offers this example of a major and minor premise, as well as a conclusion, that echoes the example from Merriam-Webster: All humans are mortal. [major premise]G.W. Bush is a human. [minor premise]Therefore, G.W. Bush is mortal. [conclusion] May notes that the validity of an argument in philosophy (and in general) depends on the accuracy and truth of the premise or premises. For example, May gives this example of a bad (or inaccurate) premise: All women are Republican. [major premise: false]Hilary Clinton is a woman. [minor premise: true]Therefore, Hilary Clinton is a Republican. [conclusion: false] The  Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy  says that an argument can be valid if it follows logically from its premises, but the conclusion can still be wrong if the premises are incorrect: However, if the premises are true, then the conclusion is also true, as a matter of logic.​​ In philosophy, then, the process of creating premises and carrying them through to a conclusion involves logic and deductive reasoning. Other areas provide a similar, but slightly different, take when defining and explaining premises. Premises in Writing For nonfiction writing, the term  premise  carries largely the same definition as in philosophy. Purdue OWL notes that a premise or premises are integral parts of constructing an argument. Indeed, says the language website operated by Purdue University, the very definition of an argument is that it is an assertion of a conclusion based on logical premises. Nonfiction writing uses the same terminology as in philosophy, such as  syllogism, which Purdue OWL describes as the simplest sequence of logical premises and conclusions. Nonfiction writers use a premise or premises as the backbone of a piece such as an editorial, opinion article, or even a letter to the editor of a newspaper. Premises are also useful for developing and writing an outline for a debate. Purdue gives this example: Nonrenewable resources do not exist in infinite supply. [premise 1]Coal is a nonrenewable resource. [premise 2]Coal does not exist in infinite supply. [conclusion] The only difference in nonfiction writing versus the use of premises in philosophy is that nonfiction writing generally does not distinguish between major and minor premises. Fiction writing also uses the concept of a premise but in a different way, and not one connected with making an argument. James M. Frey, as quoted on  Writers Digest, notes: The premise is the foundation of your story- that single core statement of what happens to the characters as a result of the actions of a story.† The writing website gives the example of the story The Three Little Pigs, noting that the premise is: â€Å"Foolishness leads to death, and wisdom leads to happiness.† The well-known story does not seek to create an argument, as is the case in philosophy and nonfiction writing. Instead, the story itself is the argument, showing how and why the premise is accurate, says Writers Digest: If you can establish what your premise is at the beginning of your project, you will have an easier time writing your story. Thats because the fundamental concept you create in advance will drive the actions of your characters. Its the characters- and to some degree the plot- that prove or disprove the premise of the story. Other Examples The use of premises is not limited to philosophy and writing. The concept can also be useful in science, such as in the study of genetics or biology versus environment, which is also known as the nature-versus-nurture debate.  In Logic and Philosophy: A Modern Introduction, Alan Hausman, Howard Kahane, and Paul Tidman give this example: Identical twins often have different IQ test scores. Yet such twins inherit the same genes. So environment must play some part in determining IQ. In this case, the argument consists of three statements: Identical twins often have different IQ  scores. [premise]Identical twins inherit the same genes. [premise]The environment must play some part in  determining  IQ. [conclusion] The use of the premise even reaches into religion and theological arguments.  Michigan State University  (MSU) gives this example: God exists, for the world is an organized system and all organized systems must have a creator. The creator of the world is God. The statements provide  reasons why God exists, says MSU. The argument of the statements can be organized into premises and a conclusion. Premise 1: The world is an organized system.Premise 2: Every organized system must have a creator.Conclusion: The creator of the world is God. Consider the Conclusion You can use the concept of the premise in countless areas, so long as each premise is true and relevant to the topic. The key to laying out a premise or premises (in essence, constructing an argument) is to remember that premises are assertions that, when joined together, will lead the reader or listener to a given conclusion, says the  San Jose State University Writing Center, adding: The most important part of any premise is that your audience will accept it as true. If your audience rejects even one of your premises, they will likely also reject your conclusion, and your entire argument will fall apart.​ Consider the following assertion: â€Å"Because greenhouse gases are causing the atmosphere to warm at a rapid rate...† The San Jose State writing lab notes that whether this is a solid premise depends on your audience: If your readers are members of an environmental group, they will accept this premise without qualms. If your readers are oil company executives, they may reject this premise and your conclusions. When developing one or more premises, consider  the rationales and beliefs not just of your audience  but also of your opponents, says San Jose State. After all, your whole point in making an argument is not just to preach to a like-minded audience but to convince others of the correctness of your point of view. Determine what givens† you accept that your opponents do not, as well as where two sides of an argument can find common ground. That point is where you will find effective premises to reach your conclusion, the writing lab notes. Source Hausman, Alan. Logic and Philosophy: A Modern Introduction. Howard Kahane, Paul Tidman, 12th Edition, Cengage Learning, January 1, 2012.

Organizational Change of Hilton International Term Paper

Organizational Change of Hilton International - Term Paper Example It is very important for the global company staff to communicate with diverse target audience round the clock. When restructuring jobs or refocusing the organization's direction, it is very important for the top management to clarify roles and how they support each other. Role clarification helps raise issues in a neutral manner and avoids confusion when change is in process. Special training problems are introduced for local employees to help them adapt to the new organizational environment (Hilton International 2007). With the help of the Internet, Hilton known for its patchy supply chain and bungling circulation processes will have the possibility to improve efficiency, inventory, audit control and to diminish infrastructure and operation costs by web-enabling their business online. Internet will support the hotel industry to be better equipped to handle business desires, paying attention to clients' needs, competitors and prospective partners (Hilton hits the heights of hotel 200 4), The program must then be implemented, scattered throughout the organization, monitored for effectiveness, and adjusted where necessary. The role of personal attitudes is important because they are not immediately acquired, but learned throughout life. For all people, employees and the manager, some attitudes are central such as religion or cultural norms; whereas others may change with personal experiences. In this case, the manager should take into account individual differences of employees and his personal experience (Hilton International 2007). If he had a negative experience in the past, he could apply the same management style working with other people.Management has to develop the business vision and process objectives. Senior management needs to develop a broad strategic vision, which calls for redesigned business processes. For example, Hilton hotel management looks for breakthroughs to lower costs and accelerate service that would enable the firm to regain its competitive stature in the consumer products industry (Robbins, 2004).

Question wk 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Question wk 3 - Essay Example Leaders are big zeros without followers. Followers are the strengths and weaknesses of the leaders. Some leaders might get better followers and they will face fewer problems in leading them whereas some other leaders may get problematic followers and it is difficult for them to lead such followers towards the target. People will never follow somebody blindly. They will follow somebody for some purpose. Leaders can effectively lead the followers only if they will be able to provide genuine reasons for the mutual benefits. In any case, leadership and followership are interconnected and neither of it can survive without having the support from the other one. I expect my followers to support me always even if I made some unpopular decisions. They should realize that the ultimate aim of my decisions would be to reach the target which is good for them as well. If they have some disagreements with my decisions, I expect them to make me aware of it privately rather than complaining publicly. My followers should keep all their discussions with me as a private matter and they should never discuss it with their colleagues. Such open discussions may create problems to me as well as to them also. They should accept all the responsibilities provided to them. I don’t like somebody capable of taking a responsibility, denying it when it is offered to him. My followers should reveal the truth or the exact reasons to me if they were unable to do something instructed. They should never hide any information related to the project from me. Moreover, they should have better knowledge about their own strengths and weaknesses. I expect all my follower s to communicate well with me and communicate well with each other. They should take initiatives wherever possible to solve a problem and should not wait for my instructions always, if they have absolute surety of the solutions. I always try to keep all the above aspects of followership in my dealings with my

Pierre Trudeau Essay Example for Free

Pierre Trudeau Essay Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pierre Trudeau an eternal Canadian nationalist could be rightfully ascribed for building the strong foundations of federalism in Canada in the turbulent period of the 1970’s and the 1980’s. He represented the quintessential Canadian liberal politician of his times, hobnobbing with the likes of John Lennon and Yoko Ono while imposing what some say the draconian War Measures Act in 1980 to quell the wave of terrorism unleashed by the separatists in Quebec. Unafraid to speak and act as per his personal proclivities in a World which was adjusting to the rise of Communism, Trudeau prevented its backlash into Conservatism and ultra nationalism as seen in Quebec, affect the country as a whole. His vision of nationalism included acceptance of plurality in a multi cultural state, represented by introduction of bilingualism in Canada at his behest. The force of his personality supported the strength of his ideas thereby making him a strong object of worship as well as revulsion. It was thus but natural that Trudeau would be finding many detractors particularly amongst the Francophone of Quebec. Pierre Trudeau is seen as a villain in French Canada due to his vitriolic contrarian personality, his espousal of the liberal ideology representing the virtual counter culture of the 1970’s and his strong espousal of federalism which came in direct confrontation with Quebec nationalism. Contrarian   Personality Trudeau’s flamboyant personality, his disrespect for formal authority represented by the famous pirouette behind the Queen of England’s back provided reasons to his detractors to run down his achievements. Trudeau born in a French Scottish background and educated in the College Jean-de-Brebeuf perhaps was well set to be a nationalist as well as a clerical fascist.[i] Fortunately the vistas of his personality opened as he traveled widely and came into intellectual contact with liberals as Jacques Maritain and John Locke. The influence of these years of travel and study, in France, UK including the London School of Economics and the United States bore an undefinable imprint of political liberalism on his personality. It also strangely brought him closer to figures as the British pop band Beatles. His rejection of the Second World War did not go too well with nationalists and believers who continued to have faith in the values for which the War was being fought. He is also reported to have spoken at an anti draft rally thus being expelled from the Canadian Officer’s Training School for indiscipline.   All this was not suited to endear him universally and provided fodder to the French Canadians.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After the War he became the leading dissident against the ideas of conservatism from both sides of the Anglo French divide in Canada which was expanding each day. This along with his dabbling in trade unionism with a Marxist touch was anathema to the political class of the times. The Marxist leaning was evident with the ban imposed on him in the United States for attending a conference in Moscow. However his extreme liberalism and cantankerous personality led him to even throw a snow ball at the statue of Stalin in the Russian capital much to the chagrin of his hosts. The oddities in his personalities were evident when he continued to criticize the Canadian Liberal party despite being one of its ideological supporters for arming missiles in Canada with nuclear warheads. The wave that swept him to the leadership of the Liberal party in 1968 perplexed many as a left wing politician with liberal ideas, people were quite skeptical about his approach. Yet the need for   sweeping changes in a nation which was shaping its identity found him heading the Liberals in 1968. The predominant support of the nation’s youth also resulted in an antagonism developing against him in the older, more conservative generation. His defiance of the rioting mobs on the Annual Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day parade in 1968 moved many voters to bring him to the centre stage in national politics. The fiery personality was one reason for the large body of antagonists that developed against the liberal, youthful, defiant and unafraid Prime Minister of a nation in the midst of a crisis of identity in people of two highly dominating cultures, the Anglophonic and Franco phonic, as if the supremacy in Europe post Second World War was being fought in Canada.   Pierre’s invocation of the War Measures Act in the crisis riven month of October 1970, won him detractors even within the Liberal Party, such were the strong reactions that were invoked by his personal leanings and proclivities. Trudeau’s detractors frequently called this behavior as a deliberate attempt to grab the attention of the media. Thus his personality had a major role to play in Pierre’s unpopularity amongst the French Canadians. Liberal Counter Culture   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As a leader of the political and social counter culture in Canada, Trudeau was well poised to invite many detractors. Truadeau’s liberal antecedents can be traced back to his days in the University of Montreal as an associate professor of law, where he developed his personal proclivities to support individual rather than state rights. Persuaded by friends, Pierre Trudeau was elected to the Canadian house and soon became a Minister for Justice in the Liberal cabinet of Pearson. The liberal in him saw repealing many conservative laws such as on homosexuality and divorce, earning the ire of the conservatives some of them influential personalities as the Quebec Premier, Daniel Johnson, Jr.   His left leanings were a permanent stigma that he had to carry in a Western country which was attempting to fight Communism through out the World.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The contrarian liberal in Trudeau however was seen doing an about turn, when confronted with the problem of separatist terrorism in October 1980. The firm action to quell terrorism through invocation of the War Measures Act was anathema to liberals, who never seem to have forgiven him. The creation of a multicultural society has been frequently construed as the creation of a British society with a Canadian identity. The other cultures in Canada including the French were deemed to be assimilated within this primarily anglophile culture of the country.[ii] This facet has rankled many French liberals, who deem that such a society has not emerged naturally but some how created by the likes of Trudeau. Some liberals even accuse him of creating stereo types with a view to construct an over arching structure of a nationalist government in the garb of liberalism.[iii]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However Pierre’s strongest opposition came from the Francophone of Quebec, who saw in him the principal opposition to their movement.   During the October Crisis of 1970 when the Front de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ) carried out a series of kidnappings in the province including the British Trade Consul and the Quebec Labor Minister, Trudeau did not hesitate in invoking the War Measures Act to give the government powers to ensure that the movement was brought under check by arrest and detention without a trial. This was an affront to the liberals but Pierre found it sound policy instead of giving in to the demands of radical elements in the country. While it was Trudeau who introduced official bilingualism in Canada, giving equality to French and English in all official services of the Federal government, the Francophiles saw it to be a measure towards a multi cultural society which was seemingly anathema to them. The liberals continued to ignore the fact that Trudeau ensured through his personal charisma and espousal of free ideals that the social transformation in Canada was brought about without causing revolutionary change.[iv] It is this social dynamism represented by Trudeau that could alter the polity in the country without any civil war. Quebec’s Sovereignty   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The final issue which created antagonism against Trudeau amongst the French is the immensely emotive issue of Quebec’s sovereignty.   As a champion of federalism and being in the office of the Prime Minister, Trudeau was able to influence the course by championing the cause of federalism against the call for Quebec nationalism given by Parti Quebecois led by Rene Levesque. While it goes to his credit that he ensured that the issue of sovereignty was resolved through the democratic process, it was his call for a new constitution in case Quebecois stayed with Canada that is said to have gone in favor of a majority vote for sovereignty. The Quebec nationalists could never forgive Pierre, especially so when his background was French. Moreover many believed that it was due to his forceful oratory, bilingual approach and clever articulation he had caused the mood swing even against an opponent as tough as Rene Levesque. However this was the enduring legacy that he was to provide to Canada at the cost of personal popularity amidst the French in the country. Pierre Trudeau saw in his mission a need to assimilate the French and British aspirations within the Canadian national structure by reducing inter community hostilities and provide the country an effective government.[v]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This antipathy of the French in Canada towards Pierre was to remain and has somehow emerged as his lasting legacy in Quebec, obfuscating his major achievement in creating a federal structure which prevented fracturing of the nation, which would have proved disastrous for Quebec reducing it to a minority state. The French Canadians ascribe his strong measures by invoking the War Measures Act as central to break up of FLQ. However they frequently ignore, that the other options were hardly viable, return of chaos and mayhem of terrorism in the country which would have been detrimental for Canada’s political and economic growth. The route of democratization provided by him to the French Canadians and a peaceful path to their aspirations is frequently forgotten. Thus these detractors of Trudeau ascribe their defeat by democratic forces to the force of his personality, which may to an extent be partially true, but the birth of great nations has seldom taken place without the efforts of leaders of his caliber. The support that Pierre’s federalism had been consistently receiving in Quebec was frequently ignored by the French. This was evident with the capture of a majority of seats in the federal elections of 1980 by the Liberal party, though provincially the Parti Quebecois continued to remain dominant. The Quebecois also feel that it was Trudeau’s ultra nationalism which destroyed their ambitions of seeking a unique relationship with the mainstream Canadians without necessarily renouncing their rights for sovereignty of Quebec.[vi] The War Measures Act is also seen as going against the principles of democracy. However Trudeau was a realist liberal with a reality rooted strain of liberalism which decreed that tough times required hard measures and the results achieved of suppression of FLQ in its nascence proved the righteousness of Trudeau’s cause. The Constitutional Act of 1982 has also been one of the causes of his downfall amongst the liberals in Quebec. They ascribe their inability to win elections in Quebec after the Act was introduced at the behest of Trudeau. Ironically the bilingualism introduced by Turdeau some how rankled the Francophone as well. It was a sound basis for the creation of a multi cultural society, giving the strongly predominant French voice in Quebec extension to other parts of the country. Here again the aspirations of the Franco phones were not fully met as they found that they could not really use French in all parts of the country as freely as they did in Quebec, thereby they continued to bear a grudge against him in this sphere. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the fifteenth Prime Minister of Canada, overlapping the critical period of over a decade from 1968 to 1984, with a brief interregnum of over nine months, Trudeau had an important role to play in the country’s dilemma of seeking a cultural identity.   Trudeau was primarily responsible for seminal national charters such as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms which preserved Canadian identity and virtually single handedly redefined the national agenda.   Above all he provided the moral foundations to the Canadian nation state denoted by LaSelva, roots of   which will only add to its superior nationalist character as the years go by.[vii] [i] McCall,   Christina. Clarkson, Stephen. Trudeau and Our Times Volume 1 (Paperback). Toronto, McClelland Stewart.1997. [ii] Legare, E. Canadian Multiculturalism and Aboriginal People: Negotiating a Place in the Nation. Identities 1 (4), 1995. [iii]   Larocque, E. Racism Runs Through Canadian Society. In O. McKague (Ed.), Racism in Canada., Saskatoon: Fifth House Publishers. 1989. [iv] P. Russell, Constitutional Odyssey: Can Canadians Become a Sovereign People?, 2d ed. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 1993. [v] R. Cook, Canada, Quebec and the Uses of Nationalism, 2d ed. Toronto: McClelland Stewart. 1995. [vi] Laforest, Guy. Translated by Paul Leduc Browne and Michelle Weinroth Trudeau and the End of a Canadian Dream.Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1995. [vii] Samuel V. LaSelva, The Moral Foundations of Canadian Federalism: Paradoxes, Achievements and Tragedies of Nationhood. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1996. Bibliography    Butler, Rick, Jean-Guy Carrier, eds. The Trudeau decade. Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 1979. Butson, Thomas G. Pierre Elliott Trudeau. New York: Chelsea House, c1986. Clarkson, Stephen. Trudeau and our times. Toronto: McClelland Stewart, c1990 c1994. 2 v. Cohen, Andrew, J. L. Granatstein, eds. Trudeaus shadow: the life and legacy of Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 1999. Couture, Claude. Paddling with the current: Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Étienne Parent, liberalism and nationalism in Canada. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, c1998. Issued also in French: La loyautà © dun laà ¯c. Griffiths, Linda. Maggie Pierre: a fantasy of love, politics and the media: a play. Vancouver: Talonbooks, 1980. Gwyn, Richard. The northern magus: Pierre Trudeau and Canadians. Toronto: McClelland Stewart, c1980. . Laforest, Guy. Trudeau and the end of a Canadian dream. Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press, c1995. McDonald, Kenneth. His pride, our fall: recovering from the Trudeau revolution. Toronto: Key Porter Books, c1995. McIlroy, Thad, ed. A Rose is a rose: a tribute to Pierre Elliott Trudeau in cartoons and quotes. Toronto: Doubleday, 1984. Peterson, Roy. Drawn quartered: the Trudeau years. Toronto: Key Porter Books, 1984. Radwanski, George. Trudeau. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, c1978. . Simpson, Jeffrey. Discipline of power: the Conservative interlude and the Liberal restoration. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1984. Stewart, Walter. Shrug, Trudeau in power. Toronto: New Press, 1971. Vastel, Michel. The outsider: the life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, c1990. 266 p. Translation

Journal Article Critique Essay -- essays research papers

Research Article 1 Roberts, T. (2003). Effects of Alphabet-Letter Instruction on Young Children’s Word Recognition [Electronic Version]. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95 (1), 41-51. Title The title of the article gave a fair representation of the topic as it was clear and concise in the wording. The title encompassed the idea that alphabet letter instruction on young children’s word recognition would be explored through experiments and analysis. Reading on through the article it was evident that the effects of alphabet letter instruction on you children’s word recognition were addressed. Introduction Experimental studies have been undertaken throughout the years in relation to alphabet letter instruction. The first of these experiments were undertaken with kindergarten and year one students in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The purpose of these early experiments was to examine the hypothesis that letter-name knowledge played a causal role in the relationship between letter-name knowledge and early reading. If knowledge of letter names was a causal factor, then instruction that increased children’s letter-name knowledge should increase early reading performance. It was concluded from these early studies that there was little educational benefit to be gained from letter-name instruction. A man by the name of Ehri in 1983 critiqued these early studies and concluded they suffered from a number of methodological flaws. The concluded flaws included training may have been too short and not thorough, treatment groups differed, training did not include instruction in how to use letter-name knowledge for word reading and training the children in small groups resulted in insufficient learning. Since the early studies and Ehri’s conclusions a great deal of research has demonstrated that letter knowledge is integrally involved in word recognition. The hypotheses and purpose of this later study was to examine anew the effects of letter-name knowledge associated with instruction on beginning phonetic word recognition with methodology correcting for the flaws of previous studies. After instruction the children’s ability to learn 3 types of word spellings was examined. An argument was then formulated that efforts to increase children’s attention to letter information are needed, given its clear importance in early reading. Method The subjects for this stud... ...ponent. The core of this difference seem to centre around how children should be helped to read words not in their sight vocabularies, with parents highly valuing the use of word phonetics and teachers highly valuing the use of context. There were no limitations and future research noted in this study. Critique This article discussed the views and opinions of both parents and teachers in regards to beginning reading. Literacy development is a major issue within early primary classrooms. Parent’s views on this were that literacy development is the responsibility of the school. The foundation of literacy definitely comes from the school but it is at home where it is practiced and reinforce and may even overarch the schools responsibility. Children whose parents are unable to assist them at home with their literacy development definitely fall out in respect to ongoing help and support. Children in my primary school classes whose parents were unable to help them struggled with their reading, word recognition and literacy skills the entire way through primary school. This shows that literacy development is not primarily the schools responsibility but the child’s parents at home also.

Bullying and Relevant Instructor Guidance Essay

Prior to completing this discussion, please read Chapter 5 in the textbook, review the information from Chapter One about Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological theory, read the Shetgiri et.al (2012) article, and review any relevant Instructor Guidance. Utilize Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory to address the topic of motivations for and influences on bullying. †¢Identify and describe how a child’s environment might pre-dispose him or her to bully others. Use each of the five systems in Bronfenbrenner’s theory. Bioecolgical theory lies on the side of nature/nurture continuum that favors environmental influences over maturational development Mossler, R.A. (2011). Microsystem- Has a daily, direct impact on the child, contexts like school, peers, neighborhood, and religious affiliation make up the setting in which the child lives Mossler, R.A. (2011). Mesosystem- represents the interaction of the various components of the microsystem, like parental involvement in school and a child’s friends Mossler, R.A. (2011). Ecosystem – includes community and socioeconomic variable that have more indirect impact on the child. For example, there are circumstances when parents have to (or choose to) work more hours or where there are fewer resources for childcare and supervision. These conditions may change a child’s life Mossler, R.A. (2011). Macro system- represents the cultural contest, such as lases, traditions, and customs. For instance, some governmental and cultural institutions have programs that support health, education, and welfare of children; in others, simple being a girl will restrict access. Chrono system- shows the social and historical context within which the other systems operate, and how the four systems change over time Mossler, R.A. (2011). †¢How might parents be an influencing factor on whether or not a child is prone to bullying? Depends upon parenting style there are for different type that I read about in chapter five in chart 5.2 Parenting types. Authoritarian, Permissive, Authoritive, and Neglectful. The lack of parental control can lead to a greater risk delinquency. Without parental emotional rewards to guide a child’s behavior, the child will seek external reward which can be bullying. They tend to seek respects form peers. I only say this because I was child once was I remember kids being bullied by other  kids and it was not fun at all. I often wonder myself was something going on in that child’s home and they took out on the next kid just to make themselves feel good at the time. I can’t say I was bullied but I did fill like I was under attack and that was because certain boy like me in reality so he had make his self-look good in front of his friend but come to find out in his ou r high school years that he really like see I was what you call ugly duckling most girls were more developed and going through adolescent stage early and I was still in my natural state meaning I was not being grown before my time. †¢Find and report (with proper citation) one current statistic on the factors influencing school bullying behaviors. Bullying is the most common form of violence in our society; between 15% and 30 % of students are bullies or victims. A recent report from the American Medical Association on a study of over 15,0000 6th- 10 th graders estimates that approximately 3.7 million youth engage in, and more than 3.2 million are victims of, moderate or serious bullying each year http://www.nasponline.org. †¢Does this statistic seem to follow the same trend supported by Bronfenbrenner’s theory? If not, explain how it challenges the theory. Yes because it has become a widespread problem in school in our communities kids being threatened teased harassed and it has even went to cyber bullying and also have led to suicide just last year in my daughter school and around this area there were at three suicide during the her freshmen year in high school last year because of kid making comments on Facebook or twitter social media is the worst it is anti-social behavior that is learned through influences in the environment, home , school, peer group, even the media. Brfendebrenner’s theory confirms all the above. †¢Reflect on friendships in childhood and adolescence and address the positive and negative influences they can have on bullying behaviors. I can’t say that I was bullied but I did fill like I was under attack. That was only because a certain boy like me in reality so he had make his self-look good in front of his friend but come to find out in his our high school years that he really like see I was what you call ugly duckling most girls were more developed and going through adolescent stage early and I was still in my natural state meaning I was not being grown before my time. †¢Utilize problem-solving techniques in exploring developmental issues, grounded in child development, in order to provide one unique solution to  reduce or stop bullying. I would get the parents involved I am parent and if my daughter come home and tell me some is picking on her I want go straight to the source that means parents and all I would like to sit down and have meeting all the parts that are involved some we can get things resolved because after all a child behavior and how they act starts form home. Having positive environment and early intervention would good to more teacher training as well. . http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/youthviolence/index.html http://www.nasponline.org/resources/factsheets/bullying_fs.aspx Mossler, R.A. (2011). Child and adolescent development. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc

Charles by Shirley Jackson Analysis Essay

Laurie creates an alter ego named â€Å"Charles† and uses him to take all the flaws that Laurie has in kindergarten. 2. a) The underlying message, central idea, or moral discussed in a story. b) The story teaches us that something can be going on and we may not even notice it. The mother refuses to look at what is right under her nose, for trepidation of realizing something that she doesn’t want to see- her dear, naà ¯ve little boy causing serious trouble. She adored listening to the stories her son would tell her about â€Å"Charles†. In fact, she couldn’t wait for Laurie to get home from school so she could hear them. All the while Laurie was misbehaving at home. Instead, she would relatively think that it is another little boy named Charles. Another minor theme can be: if you lie then you will in time get caught red-handed. 3. â€Å"The teacher spanked a boy, though †¦ For being fresh† (pg 8) was Laurie’s replay to his mother asking him what happened in school. When I reread this I thought that this was where Laurie decided to put on his act. Another foreshadowing example was the unusual way Laurie kept on taking about â€Å"Charles†. Another observation I made was about Laurie’s behavior. His mother also notes changes in his behavior: he no longer waves goodbye to her, slams the door when he comes home and speaks insolently to his father. Since they adore their son, his parents believe all he has to say, and this belief stops them from seeing that what he says is not the full truth. 4. When the mother discovers at the end of the story that there is no child named Charles in the class and that it is Laurie who has had trouble bending into kindergarten and has done all the bad things he credited to Charles, the reader no less than the mother is surprised. The mother’s reaction would be quite embarrassed since she is the mother of ‘Charles’. Laurie creates a double of him to do â€Å"bad† so that he might stay good in the eyes of his parents. Loving but narrow-minded, the parents do not get involved. I think after realizing that Charles is indeed Laurie, this might affect the way his parents treat him from now on. Not only that, but I think their attitude towards their own unobservant behavior might change as well. 5. This story made me think of when I was younger and the kids who acted this way to get attention from their parents. This story shows the ways children invent shadow figures as a means of confronting problematic feelings while forming their identities. I know that a lot of young children are clever enough to do a lot of things, and some times they go unnoticed, like Laurie’s travesty. In Laurie’s example mentioning Charles so much, the family’s bound to make Charlie a part of daily conversation. Why was Laurie hinting to his parents instead of coming right out and telling them? Was it because he wants his parents to shape it out on their own little heads? I too indeed might’ve lied a couple of times as of way of being included and known. Although my parents were observant and I was quick to learn that it’s not good to lie. 6. Verbal irony – contrast between what is said and what is meant. In other words, sarcasm. Dramatic irony –between what the character thinks to be true and what we (the reader) know to be true. For example: In City Lights the audience knows that Charlie Chaplin’s character is not a millionaire, but the blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill) is unaware and believes he’s rich. Situational irony – a certain fact is perhaps highlighted by an event that is in contrast to that fact. For example: An old man turned ninety-eight. He won the lottery and died the next day. 7. The point at which we the readers realize that Laurie is tricking his parents and from then on we also know— or suspect — more than the narrator about his misbehaving and amused the mothers lack of observance is an example of dramatic irony. Parents, by definition are thought to be mentally advanced than their children (when they are at such a young age such as Laurie) but are outsmarted by the imagination and creativity of a clever little nipper.

How to Use Functions and Procedures in Delphi

How to Use Functions and Procedures in Delphi Have you ever found yourself writing the same code over and over to perform some common task within event handlers? Yes! Its time for you to learn about programs within a program. Lets call those mini-programs subroutines. Intro to subroutines Subroutines are an important part of any programming language, and ​Delphi is no exception. In Delphi, there are generally two types of subroutines: a ​function and a procedure. The usual difference between a function and a procedure is that a function can return a value, and a procedure generally will not do so. A function is normally called as a part of an expression. Take a look at the following examples: procedure SayHello(const sWhat:string) ; begin ShowMessage(Hello sWhat) ; end; function YearsOld(const BirthYear:integer): integer; var Year, Month, Day : Word; begin DecodeDate(Date, Year, Month, Day) ; Result : Year - BirthYear; end; Once subroutines have been defined, we can call them one or more times: procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject) ; begin SayHello(Delphi User) ; end; procedure TForm1.Button2Click(Sender: TObject) ; begin SayHello(Zarko Gajic) ; ShowMessage(You are IntToStr(YearsOld(1973)) years old!) ; end; Functions and Procedures As we can see, both functions and procedures act like mini-programs. In particular, they can have their own type, constants and variable declarations inside them. Take a closer look at a (miscellaneous) SomeCalc function: function SomeCalc (const sStr: string; const iYear, iMonth: integer; var iDay:integer): boolean; begin ... end; Every procedure or function begins with a header that identifies the procedure or function and lists the parameters the routine uses if any. The parameters are listed in parentheses. Each parameter has an identifying name and usually has a type. A semicolon separates parameters in a parameter list from one another. sStr, iYear, and iMonth are called constant parameters. Constant parameters cannot be changed by the function (or procedure). The iDay is passed as a var parameter, and we can make changes to it, inside the subroutine. Functions, since they return values, must have a return type declared at the end of the header. The return value of a function is given by the (final) assignment to its name. Since every function implicitly has a local variable Result of the same type as the functions return value, assigning to Result has the same effect as assigning to the name of the function. Positioning and Calling Subroutines Subroutines are always placed in the implementation section of the unit. Such subroutines can be called (used) by an event handler or subroutine in the same unit that is defined after it. Note: the uses clause of a unit tells you which units it can call. If we want a specific subroutine in a Unit1 to be usable by the event handlers or subroutines in another unit (say Unit2), we have to: Add Unit1 to the uses clause of Unit2Place a copy of the header of the subroutine in the interface section of the Unit1. This means that subroutines whose headers are given in the interface section are global in scope. When we call a function (or a procedure) inside its own unit, we use its name with whatever parameters are needed. On another hand, if we call a global subroutine (defined in some other unit, e.g. MyUnit) we use the name of the unit followed by a period. ... //SayHello procedure is defined inside this unit SayHello(Delphi User) ; //YearsOld function is defined inside MyUnit unit Dummy : MyUnit.YearsOld(1973) ; ... Note: functions or procedures can have their own subroutines​ embedded inside them. An embedded subroutine is local to the container subroutine and cannot be used by other parts of the program. Something like: procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject) ; function IsSmall(const sStr:string):boolean; begin //IsSmall returns True if sStr is in lowercase, False otherwise Result:LowerCase(sStr)sStr; end; begin //IsSmall can only be uses inside Button1 OnClick event if IsSmall(Edit1.Text) then ShowMessage(All small caps in Edit1.Text) else ShowMessage(Not all small caps in Edit1.Text) ; end;

Astronaut Dr. Bernard Harris, Jr. Biography

Astronaut Dr. Bernard Harris, Jr. Biography Its no surprise that there are doctors who have served as NASA astronauts. They are well-trained and particularly suited to study the effects of space flight on human bodies. Thats exactly the case with Dr. Bernard Harris, Jr., who served as an astronaut aboard several shuttle missions beginning in 1991, after serving the agency as a flight surgeon and clinical scientist. He left NASA in 1996 and is a professor of medicine and is CEO and Managing Partner of Vesalius Ventures, which invests in healthcare technologies and related companies. His is a very classic American story of aiming high and reaching amazing goals both on Earth and in space. Dr. Harris has often spoken about challenges that we all face in life and meeting them through determination and empowerment.   Early Life Dr. Harris was born on June 26, 1956, the son of Mrs. Gussie H. Burgess, and Mr. Bernard A. Harris, Sr. A native of Temple, Texas, he graduated from Sam Houston High School, San Antonio, in 1974. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Houston in 1978 before following that up with a doctorate in medicine from Texas Tech University School of Medicine in 1982. Beginning a Career at NASA After medical school, Dr. Harris completed a residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic in 1985. He joined the NASA Ames Research Center in 1986, and focused his work on the field of musculoskeletal physiology and disuse osteoporosis. He then trained as a flight surgeon at the Aerospace School of Medicine, Brooks AFB, San Antonio, Texas, in 1988. His duties included clinical investigations of space adaptation and the development of countermeasures for extended duration space flight. Assigned to the Medical Science Division, he held the title of Project Manager, Exercise Countermeasure Project. These experiences gave him unique qualifications to work at NASA, where ongoing studies of the effects of spaceflight on the human body continue to be an important focus. Dr. Harris became an astronaut in July 1991. He was assigned as a mission specialist on STS-55, Spacelab D-2, in August 1991, and later flew on board Columbia for ten days. He was part of the payload crew of Spacelab D-2, conducting more research in the physical and life sciences. During this flight, he logged over 239 hours and 4,164,183 miles in space. Later, Dr. Bernard Harris, Jr. was the Payload Commander on STS-63 (February 2-11, 1995), the first flight of a new joint Russian-American space program. Mission highlights included the rendezvous with the Russian Space Station, Mir, operation of a variety of investigations in the Spacehab module, and the deployment and retrieval of Spartan 204, an orbiting instrument that studied galactic dust clouds (such as those where stars are born).  During the flight, Dr. Harris became the first African-American to walk in space. He logged 198 hours, 29 minutes in space, completed 129 orbits, and traveled over 2.9 million miles. In 1996, Dr. Harris departed NASA and received a masters degree in biomedical science from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He later served as Chief Scientist and Vice-president of Science and Health Services, and then as Vice President, SPACEHAB, Inc. (now known as Astrotech), where he was involved in business development and marketing of the companys space-based products and services. Later, he was vice-president of business development for Space Media, Inc., establishing an international space education program for students. He is currently serving on the board of the National Math and Science Initiative and has served as a consultant to NASA on a variety of life-science and safety-related issues. Dr. Harris is a member of the American College of Physicians, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, Aerospace Medical Association, National Medical Association, American Medical Association, Minnesota Medical Association, Texas Medical Association, Harris County Medical Society, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Texas Tech University Alumni Association, and Mayo Clinic Alumni Association. Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association. Association of Space Explorers. American Astronautical Society, a member of the board of directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Houston. Committee Member, Greater Houston Area Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and a member, Board of Directors, Manned Space Flight Education Foundation Inc. He has also received many honors from science and medical societies and remains active in research and business.

Apple company Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Apple company - Research Proposal Example Server computers followed in the form of the Workgroup Server 80 and the Workgroup Server 95. The LC 520 was launched as a home computer. Further launches included the Performa 520, the Powerbook145B, and the first active-matrix 256 color screen PowerBook 180c. Other new product launches included the low cost audio Macs Centris 660av and Quadra 840av. The PowerBook Duo product line was further extended through the launch of Duo 250 and the Duo 270c (O’Grady, 78-84). This book gives information on the developments that occurred in Apple Inc. in the latter half of the 1990s. This information is useful in understanding that in spite of the frenetic product launches in the early 1990s, market share in the personal computer market dwindled towards the end of the twentieth century. This web page provides information on the developments at Apple Company during the first half of the first decade of the New Millennium. It provides the important information of new products along with the significant iPod. This book provides information on the numerous products launches that took place from Apple Company in the early have of the 1990s. This helps to understand the pace of product development at Apple Company in the