.

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

2-3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

2-3 - Assignment Example The second fallacy is that of helplessness which a certain co-worker of mine applied in his real life. He would always complain of too much paper work and that he could not help himself out of the situation. The truth of the matter is that of he practiced time management well and set his priorities straight, he would not be missing the deadlines given to him. Because of his attitude, we shoulder the burden along with him because he is part of our department. Sadly, he doesn’t want to be helped and all of us are affected in the workplace. What I did was just exert the best effort possible to do my job and focus so that I would accomplish my own job. The third fallacy is that of approval. I learned that not all the time, one should please others to get their approval. Because of this wrong attitude, I cannot refuse the request of my co-workers and it came to a point where they abused my kindness. When I realized this was happening to me, I taught myself to say â€Å" no† when I could not really afford to do errands or favor from some of my co-workers. It was difficult but I had to discipline myself or suffer the consequences of being treated poorly. Later, my co-workers realized that I had changed and they stopped pushing me around which I earned me

Monday, October 28, 2019

The Virgin of Guadalupe Essay Example for Free

The Virgin of Guadalupe Essay It was clear to me that the Virgin of Guadalupe is a powerful cultural symbol of Mexican identity and nationhood. In colonial times the Virgin of Guadalupe was interpreted as a native, loving and forgiving mother, the intercessor to God the Father and his son, Jesus Christ. Today Guadalupe has been reinterpreted as an empowering symbol of liberation and action rather than as female passivity. In contemporary society the populist appeal of the image cuts across all sectors of Mexican life, and her image is displayed not only in churches, but can also be seen in taxis, buses, on tee-shirts, amulets and as tattoos. Chicano and other Latino societies helped establish the Virgin of Guadalupe as an archetypal emblem of mestizaje. Criollos interpreted Marys appearance that Mexico was a favored city. From reading I learned that the origin of the importance of the Virgin of Guadalupe can be traced back to the religious beliefs and ceremonies that animated the daily lives of pre-Hispanic people from birth to death. Even though the Spanish conquest imposed Christianity and colonialism on the original populations, the Catholic Church allowedsome say even encouragedthe association between specific locations and Aztec deities as a means to effect an easier transition from native religions to Christianity, resulting in the introduction of localized patron saints. Worship of the Virgin Mary was encouraged through a variety of manifestations, such as the Virgin of Remedios and the Immaculate Conception. After the conquest, the church destroyed shrines to indigenous gods and goddesses, and tried to stamp out the cult of Tonantzin, an Aztec virgin deity. Since manifestations of the Virgin had encouraged the conquistadors, many images of the Virgin Mary had made their way to the New World. Indians, mestizos, and criollos lent new meanings to the cult of the Virgin Mary. The devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe is a syncretic manifestation of Catholic and Aztec beliefs. The Virgin of Guadalupe continued to play an increasingly important role in the development of Mexican national identity. The criollos interpreted her appearance as a legitimization of their national aspirations and propagated the cult as part of a plan to build New Spain in Mexico. The campaign to legitimize the Virgin of Guadalupe began in 1648 with Miguel Sanchezs book which argued that Guadalupe was authentically American, emphasizing her appearance to a poor, humble native and stressing the Virgins use of Nahuatl to address Juan Diego. Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz wrote one known sonnet to the Virgin of Guadalupe in 1680, published in 1729, which retells the story of the apparition and reinforces Marys function as protectress of the Americas in her role as la Rosa Mejicana. A symbol of popular religiosity and a feminine metaphor in the comprehension of the divine, The Virgin of Guadalupe continues to convey a paradoxical message that can be manipulated for political purposes.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Spike Lee Analysis Essay -- essays research papers

The thread of African American history is spun from two sources: the struggle to define a place in the wider American life and the effort to maintain an authentic black presence in the larger American culture. This duality has meaning in the realm of filmmaking because the tools of cinema, film and cameras, cost more than the paper and pencil tools of writers. It is the cost of doing business that affects, indeed, threatens the black presence on the screen. The costly collaborative nature of filmmaking has blurred the definition of a "black" movie. Is it black if it is merely angled toward blacks, or must it be made by blacks, or both? Spike Lee has established himself as one of Hollywood's most important and influential filmmakers in the past decade. In the critically acclaimed...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Rates of Reaction Investigation :: Papers

Rates of Reaction Investigation Aim - We are trying to see what effect changing light intensity has on the volume of oxygen produced. Prediction - Photosynthesis is where a plant uses sunlight, carbon dioxide and water to produce oxygen and glucose. The equation for this is: Carbon dioxide = water ====== glucose = oxygen I predict that as the lamp is placed further away from the plant the amount of oxygen produced will decrease. The factors that will affect the rate of photosynthesis are the amount of sunlight, the amount of carbon dioxide and water. These affect the rate of photosynthesis because they are the main factors. Temperature also affects the rate of photosynthesis because the enzymes stop working when the temperature becomes too high. The enzymes also work better at a warmer temperature than at a colder temperature because the particles move faster. This means that the faster moving particles collide with each other more. The more they collide the faster the rate of photosynthesis. The only plants that can photosynthesize are plants that are green. The plants that are green contain the pigment chlorophyll can photosynthesize. After entering the leaf through the stomata the carbon dioxide is trapped. The stomata in the leaf control how much water and carbon dioxide are let in and how much oxygen and glucose is released. The water is carried through the xylem from the roots and it is trapped in the chloroplasts. When the light hits the leaf its energy is trapped and used to break the bonds in the water and carbon dioxide. This means that the two compounds are being split into their elements. The elements of carbon dioxide, hydrogen and oxygen reform to create the compound glucose and molecules of oxygen. A limiting factor is one, which will not change so it is limited. The factor that I am going to change is light intensity. This is the main factor that will affect the rate of photosynthesis. The more light there is the more oxygen that will be produced.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Health Care System Evolution

This paper is an overview about the evolution of the US health care system from the Great Depression to the current Health Reform Bill. I will give an understanding to Medicare and Medicaid program, which also will include a history of these two programs. Even though these two programs are a very complex in helping many poor, elderly, people with certain disabilities, and as well as low income pregnant women they are getting the care that they need as well as what they deserve. Health Care System Evolution, Medicare/Medicaid. Without the introduction of Medicare/Medicaid in July 1965 there would be many problems in the United States today. We would probably have disease outbreaks, and a large population without any health cost coverage. I believe that many people would not go to see a doctor because the cost of private medical care would be too expensive. I also believe that if Medicare and Medicaid did not come into existence that there would be mast amount of death in this country. Between the Great Depression through July 1965 health care had numerous debates in this country. In the 1930s a third-party payer health insurance was introduced including Blue Cross and Blue Shield and others to cover the cost of care in the event of illness or accidents. This only helped the people who could afford private insurance. The United States still was in need of helping the poor and uninsured. In the 1930s the Social Security Act supported public health care for just mothers and children. There was still a great demand to help all other uninsured people. After World War II the government supported and idea for public financed health insurance. In 1959 the Department of Health and Human Services helped in providing hospital insurance to Social Security beneficiaries. In the early 1960s Congress passed the Kerr-Mills bill, which helped the elderly that weren’t the poorest but who still needed assistance with medical expenses. President John F. Kennedy helped in the start of the 1965 bill for Medicare and Medicaid. This bill was known as the King-Anderson bill. This amended the Social Security Act and this covered hospital and nursing home costs for people over the age of 65. In July 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Social Security Amendment into law. With that signing of this law came the introduction of Medicare and Medicaid. Today Medicare/Medicaid has helped millions of elderly, low-income people, people with certain disabilities, and low-income pregnant women have health care because of this law. This program helps pay for services such as hospitals, physician visits, and preventive benefits. Medicaid and Medicare are two of the most enduring social programs in the US, providing different services to different groups of people. †1 Medicaid is a state administrated program, so each state varies in there program. Medicaid is also based on their income. Unfortunately, if their income is too high they will not be eligible for Medicaid. In 1990 the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act that requires state Medicaid care program s to cover the premiums for children ages six to eighteen whose family’s income is between 100-120% the federal poverty level. In 1997 the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was introduced. This program helps states to receive federal money for uninsured children whose families are not eligible for Medicaid due to their income exceeds the limit for Medicaid. In 1976 formed the Health Care Financing Administration which is a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, then in 2001 the name was changed to Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Medicare is a social insurance program that provides health coverage to individuals, without regard to their income or health status. †3 Medicare provides health insurance to people over the age of 65, people with certain types of disabilities and people of all ages with kidney failure. The Medicare program is funded two ways, one by people that paid into most of their working lives by payroll tax revenues, and secondly premiums paid by beneficiaries of the Medicare program. â€Å"Medicare has been one of the fastest growing federal programs. 2 Medicare is broken down to four parts, Part A is the hospital insurance and with this part of insurance all persons aged 65 and older are automatically entitled to this benefit. Part A is broken down to inpatient hospital care, skilled nursing facility care, home health agency and hospice care. Part B is a supplementary medical insurance, which is available to people over the age of 65, which people must paid for through monthly premiums. Part C is the Medicare Advantage that is a set of options for health care under a managed care plan. Then in 2006 Medicare put into law a plan for prescription drugs which is Part D. With these two programs in the United States today helps the poor, elderly, people with certain disabilities get the care that they need and deserve. Today with unemployment at all time high and many baby boomers that will be in need of some type of health insurance; the inception of a new health plan became law. In the year 2010, President Obama signed into law the Health Reform Bill. This will give health insurance to all people. This reform will strengthen Medicare benefits by providing lower prescription drug costs and this will also give a chance to the people who didn’t qualify for Medicaid received the care they need. The reform law will help with Medicare/Medicaid fraud as well as stopping the abuse of Medicare/Medicaid to save taxpayers money. Medicare and Medicaid have come a long way from the Great Depression. I know that there are many abuses within the system and with this new reform bill I do hope that this system will change, because everyone deserves that right health care and to be a healthy person.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Paper Movie Response essays

The Paper Movie Response essays The only way of describing The Paper, is entertaining, extremely informative, and a rapidly-paced film that literally puts you on the front lines with the people behind the news stories which we read in our newspapers every day. This film was interesting to me, because it seemed to give me a lot of insight into the high-flying antics of a big city newspaper. Well, watching the movie and seeing how it isbehind the lines,? I have noticed that all of the reporters working forThe Sun? seem to be under considerable stress, based upon my observations. I could even say that they are the most stressful people in the world, because they are under so much pressure to get the headlines in before the printing presses role. They probably get high blood pressure by the time they?re thirty. An example of this pressure is Henry's fight with his female boss! He was so stressed out and so determined that he assaulted her just to get theproper? story across. If it wasn't for gatekeepers to keep those hectic reporters under control, then every major reporter would probably be assassinated. I say this, because gatekeepers are responsible for making sure that reporters don't put something too biased or discriminative. These sorts of things, if they ever happened, would cause mayhem. So, basically you can say that gatekeepers make sure that nothing too racial, too sexiest, or too discriminative gets into their paper, because if they do, they can ruin the paper's reputation forever. The power and influence of a newspaper is like that of an atom, they are both plain and abundant, but when they are both played around with they can have tremendous amounts power and influence on people, good or bad. Never under-estimate the power of words, they can have a great impact upon people if used the right way or the wrong way. For example, the word nigger, only 6 letters, but it carries approx. 400 years of racial discrimination, so its power is great, and it te...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Southwest Airlines Essays - Southwest Airlines, American Brands

Southwest Airlines Essays - Southwest Airlines, American Brands Southwest Airlines Introduction While flying home to Texas last summer with Southwest Airlines, I had the most fun and unique experience with an airline that I could ever remember. It all started out quite oddly enough in the lobby just before takeoff. As I was checking in at the ticket counter, the representative asked me if I wanted to play a game that could get me free round trip tickets. Sure, who wouldn't, I exclaimed. As she gave me my boarding pass she said, Great, how many holes do you have in your socks? Initially caught off guard, I responded, Excuse me! The free tickets are being given to the customer who has the most holes in their socks, she explained with a perky smile. It was just my luck that I was wearing sandals. I told her, Too bad your not checking underwear, because I'm sure I could be in the running for some free tickets with that sort of game. The remainder of the flight was filled with jokes and gags yet quality service from the pilot to the flight attendants. I can remember our flight attendant, dressed in a T-shirt, shorts and tennis shoes along with the rest of the staff, enhanced the safety announcements with the remark: There may be fifty ways to leave your lover, but there are only six ways to leave this aircraft. Having fun is obviously a big part of Southwest Airlines formula to success. It all starts from the top with their childish yet brilliant boss Herb Kelleher. Kelleher, the company's CEO, is the nut behind these shenanigans. This chain-smoking, Wild Turkey-drinking Texas transplant from New Jersey has: Dressed for employee celebrations as Roy Orbison, Elvis, a medieval knight and a teapot; Passed out the peanuts himself on board his orange and brown 737s In front of cheering employees, arm-wrestled another CEO for the right to use the slogan Plane Smart. (He got whipped, but he used the slogan anyway.) This man, once called The High Priest of Ha Ha by Fortune Magazine firmly believes: If you feel real good about coming to work, if you feel real good about what you're doing, if you feel you are doing something for a meaningful cause and you're having fun while you're doing it, then you look forward to coming to work. You don't succumb to stress as easily and you cooperate with other people more quickly and more easily. If you have a sense of humor . . . it tends to not allow you to make mountains out of molehills. 1 Kelleher, known as Herb to the troops and his partners, reinvented air travel twenty-five years ago with its low fares and zany irreverent style. This paper will give a historical overview of the company, discuss the ingredients to the company success, offer some financial strengths and present a final conclusion. Section I: Southwest's History Twenty-seven years ago, Rollin King, a San Antonio entrepreneur who owned a small commuter air service, and Kelleher, who was a lawyer at the time, got together and decided to start a different kind of airline. They began with one simple notion. If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make certain they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline. And you know what? They were right. Within those 27 years, Southwest Airlines became the fifth largest major airline in America. Today, they have flown over 50 million passengers a year to 54 cities all over the southwest and beyond. They do it over 2,300 times a day with over 267 of the newest jets in the nation and fly only one type aircraft; the B-737. The average age of their fleet is only 8.4 years and they own over sixty percent of them. In May 1988, they were the first airline to win the coveted U.S. Department of Transportation Triple Crown for a month - Best On-time Record, Best Baggage Handling, and Fewest Customer Complaints. Since then, they've won it thirty-one times, as well as five annual Triple Crowns for 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996. They have been an airline whose has led to the advancement of the commercial airline industry. They were the first

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Walt Whitman and the Civil War

Walt Whitman and the Civil War The poet Walt Whitman wrote about the Civil War extensively.  His heartfelt observation of life in wartime Washington made its way into poems, and he also wrote articles for newspapers and a number of notebook entries only published decades later. He had worked for years as a journalist, yet Whitman did not cover  the conflict as a regular newspaper correspondent. His role as an eyewitness to the conflict was unplanned. When a newspaper casualty list indicated that his brother serving in a New York regiment had been wounded in late 1862, Whitman traveled to Virginia to find him. Whitmans brother George had only been slightly wounded. But the experience of seeing army hospitals made a deep impression, and Whitman felt compelled to move from Brooklyn to Washington to become involved with the Union war effort as a hospital volunteer. After securing a job as a government clerk, Whitman spent his off-duty hours visiting hospital wards filled with soldiers, comforting the wounded and the sick. In Washington, Whitman was also perfectly positioned to observe the workings of the government, movements of troops, and the daily comings and goings of a man he greatly admired, President Abraham Lincoln. At times Whitman would contribute articles to newspapers, such as a detailed report of the scene at Lincoln’s second inaugural address. But Whitman’s experience as a witness to the war was mostly important as an inspiration for poetry. A collection of poems titled Drum Taps, was published after the war as a book. The poems contained in it ultimately appeared as an appendix to later editions of Whitmans masterpiece, Leaves of Grass. Family Ties to the War During the 1840s and 1850s, Whitman had been following politics in America closely. Working as a journalist in New York City, he no doubt followed the national debate over the greatest issue of the time, slavery. Whitman became a supporter of Lincoln during the 1860 presidential campaign. He also saw Lincoln speak from a hotel window in early 1861, when the president-elect passed through New York City on the way to his first inauguration. When Fort Sumter was attacked in April 1861 Whitman was outraged. In 1861, when Lincoln called for volunteers to defend the Union, Whitman’s brother George enlisted in the 51st New York Volunteer Infantry. He would serve for the entire war, eventually earning an officer’s rank, and would fight at Antietam, Fredericksburg, and other battles. Following the slaughter at Fredericksburg, Walt Whitman was reading casualty reports in the New York Tribune and saw what he believed to be a misspelled rendering of his brother’s name. Fearing that George had been wounded, Whitman traveled southward to Washington. Unable to find his brother at military hospitals where he inquired, he traveled to the front in Virginia, where he discovered that George had only been very slightly wounded. While at Falmouth, Virginia, Walt Whitman saw a horrifying sight beside a field hospital, a pile of amputated limbs. He came to empathize with the intense suffering of wounded soldiers, and during two weeks in December 1862, he spent visiting his brother he resolved to begin helping in military hospitals. Work as a Civil War Nurse Wartime Washington contained a number of military hospitals which took in thousands of wounded and ill soldiers. Whitman moved to the city in early 1863, taking a job as a government clerk. He began making the rounds in hospitals, consoling the patients and distributing writing paper, newspapers, and treats such as fruits and candy. From 1863 to the spring of 1865 Whitman spent time with hundreds, if not thousands, of soldiers. He helped them write letters home. And he wrote many letters to his friends and relatives about his experiences. Whitman later said that being around the suffering soldiers had been beneficial to him, as it somehow restored his own faith in humanity. Many of the ideas in his poetry, about the nobility of common people, and the democratic ideals of America, he saw reflected in the wounded soldiers who had been farmers and factory workers. Mentions in Poetry The poetry Whitman wrote had always been inspired by the changing world around him, and so his eyewitness experience of the Civil War naturally began to infuse new poems. Before the war, he had issued three editions of Leaves of Grass. But he saw fit to issue an entirely new book of poems, which he called Drum Taps. The printing of Drum Taps began in New York City in the spring of 1865, as the war was winding down. But then the assassination  of Abraham Lincoln prompted Whitman to postpone publication so he could include material about Lincoln and his passing. In the summer of 1865, after the war’s end, he wrote two poems inspired by Lincoln’s death, â€Å"When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d† and â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† Both poems were included in Drum Taps, which was published in the fall of 1865. The entirety of Drum Taps was added to later editions of Leaves of Grass.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Development Finance and Funding (Real Estate Development) Essay

Development Finance and Funding (Real Estate Development) - Essay Example This number of floors can however be reduced or increased depending on the size and type of foundation which is an intended building shall have. The wider a foundation is, the more the number of floors which can be accommodated. All buildings in the area must be fitted with all social amenities and rates for facilitating those services must be remitted appropriately when needed. Before any building is constructed in this area it is recommended that an environmental impact assessment report be submitted to ensure that any expected or perceived environmental concerns are addressed on time. It is therefore important for all contacts of relevant authorities be established and consulted before any transaction in regard to the land and intended purpose can be approved. This report must accompany any other application which shall be made regarding the land. This 2.5 acre piece of land is located in a prime region where so much residential housing development is extensive and complex. As such its cost is relatively very high compared to other regions within the town. It might be very difficult to purchase the land using the present resources of the company. The terms of sale of the land will be effectively evaluated and measures taken to ensure all the money are available. There are several options the company has including buying the land, develop it or sell it as shall appear appropriate depending on the capacity of the company to manage increased responsibilities which shall come as a result of expanding the company. The rate at which land appreciates is the main motivation behind the decision to buy this land. This is an investment which shall never be regretted. The decision as to what the land shall be put into will depend on several reasons as shall be agreed during deliberations from the relevant committees of the company. As at now the focus is on purchasing the land with the assurance that even without any development

Friday, October 18, 2019

Assignment for Operations Management course Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

For Operations Management course - Assignment Example With batch manufacturing process, a specific process is designed for the product where it has to go through all stages on by one. Since producing caps undergoes several steps, batch method would be suitable simply because caps must finish production in one stage before the next one. Batch production is suitable when producing similar things. It reduces the time required to change machine or materials in producing things. The suitable production process for the company would be batch production (Schroeder 254). Customers are friends of restaurant simply because they must visit the place in order to have something. Mom’s kitchen restaurant offers a limited menu to customers on a daily basis. In order to retain its customers, Mom’s restaurant has to change its menu slightly. It is the work of the restaurant to ensure that customers have been satisfied. In producing all foods in the right manner and time, job production process is one suitable for the restaurant. Job or single product process is suitable when producing items that have a different style of production. Production of different things run parallel and production of one does not interfere with the production of the other. A team of small people with different skills work towards realizing goals of the company. The reason why job production process suits companies such as the restaurant is because they enable production match the customer’s needs. Customers feel satisfied something that allows him or her return for more services next time. I would ensure that all items of the day are produced parallel in order to ensure they are ready by the time. Customers in a restaurant have different tastes and specifications that may prevent the company from early production. Job production process helps customers give their specifications and in return get their desired services (Schroeder 354). Commonly, Six Sigma theory have

Changes Made to America Society during WWII Essay

Changes Made to America Society during WWII - Essay Example The Second World War brought various changes in America. The war affected all the spheres of life including economic, political and social life. Economically, the economy was strained since all the efforts were aimed at winning the war(Kennedy, 2005).The war led to various to effects on labour, and the government came up with various policies to support the economy and the much-needed resources and labour. Controls were put on the economy, the most crucial ones being the price controls put on most products by the office of price administration and wage control (Mansfied, 1951). Hence, goods were sold at the set prices and traders had no autonomy to set their prices. Employee wages were controlled to specific ranges and amounts. A rationing system was introduced to provide for minimum amounts of necessities to everyone so as to prevent inflation that was eminent due to over production of industrial goods and low production of necessities (Kersten, 2000). Rationed goods included rubber, due to the interruption of natural rubber; gasoline with limits being set on the amount of fuel one could use, food items and, as a result, ration coupons were introduced to purchase basic food items such as milk, sugar, margarine. Every household booked rations while taking into consideration the number of family members. The children guided each family on the amount of rationed goods they would receive. The production of most durable goods like cars and house appliances were banned until the end of the war.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Sources of Revenue for the New Company Assignment - 24

Sources of Revenue for the New Company - Assignment Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that when the new company is being opened up, it will have to encounter a number of start-up costs. These costs will consist largely of new equipment that the company will have to buy up to provide production and hosting for customers. In addition, other costs will include the materials that will have to be used to manufacture coffee and other food items. The new company will have to invest in coffee roasters, mixing and blending machines, a refrigerator, baking machines (if the company chooses to bake its own products) and furniture for hosting the clients. Furthermore, the company will have to pay for the security and rent of the shop they occupy along with some renovation costs. In terms of materials, the company will have to buy up coffee beans, cream, milk, flour, sugar, and other such consumables.  Other than these costs, the company will have to look into recurring expenditures such as costs of utilities and pays for part-time worker s. Based on these projections, the company may or may not make profits depending on the market they are present in as well as the financial backing they have available to continue with these expenses in the beginning. The owners will have to focus on the economic environment because economic recession and a slow resurgence of the economy have meant that disposable incomes are low. People would be less than willing to spend more on items such as coffee and non-essential food items because their finances would be already restrained. Another external environment that the owners would need to look into is the political environment.  

Operational Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Operational Management - Essay Example The range of the bolts according to the length differs from 2 inches to 12 inches. According to the length and function of the bolts, thickness of the bolts varies. In the particular section of the organisation bolts come in several sizes. Here sizes differ either by half inch or by an inch. Mostly the different sizes of bolts are received in the organisation in an ascending order and the bolts are loaded in the container accordingly. The containers do not arrive in a specific order. Each container consists of 5000 bolts irrespective of the size. Special colour codes are used for recognising the varieties of bolts contained in each container. Nuts also arrive in the assembly line in the similar manner as the bolts. The major work process of the employees starts after arrival of both bolts and nuts as they need to couple up the nuts and bolts. After coupling up the nuts and the bolts, it should be loaded in a designated container. The responsibility of carrying out the loaded containe r for weighing is the responsibility of other employees employed for the specific purpose. Regarding the productivity of the section, it can be stated that 1000 nuts and bolts are coupled up in an hour. This productivity is not according to the expectation especially while measured in comparison to the cost of production. Moreover, to deal with the bulk sales, the productivity needs to be stimulated. 2.0 Assembly Methods Assembly methods can be of several types. From the above discussion, the method followed by the organisation can be identified. Assembly line can be considered as a line of the factory equipments and workers associated with the production work and manufacturing products that move on the line from station to station until the products come as the final products. Assembly line methods are introduced in a manufacturing unit to stimulate its efficiency and productivity as it can reduce the required time to manufacture finished goods. The method that has been used in thi s manufacturing unit is a break down method where the entire production processes are divided into certain units. The nature of the work of each section is different. The reason behind breaking down the production process is to enhance the accuracy of the production. Moreover, the assembly method used in this section can be considered as the manual assembly because there is involvement of 200 employees. The comparison between the different assembly methods including manual method can be exhibited in terms of cost of production and volume of the products as follows: Figure 1: Comparison of Assembly Methods Source: (Chan & Salustri, â€Å"Comparison of Assembly Methods†). In this note, it can be recommended to the management to adopt ‘just-in-time’ process. Through this process delivery of the goods can be ensured in proper time. Thus, wastage of idle time and space and processing waste can be eliminated to a certain extent (Inventory Solution, 2007). 3.0 Current A ssembly Station and Employees’ Feedback The number of current assembly stations is four. At the first assembly station different sizes of nuts and bolts are

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Sources of Revenue for the New Company Assignment - 24

Sources of Revenue for the New Company - Assignment Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that when the new company is being opened up, it will have to encounter a number of start-up costs. These costs will consist largely of new equipment that the company will have to buy up to provide production and hosting for customers. In addition, other costs will include the materials that will have to be used to manufacture coffee and other food items. The new company will have to invest in coffee roasters, mixing and blending machines, a refrigerator, baking machines (if the company chooses to bake its own products) and furniture for hosting the clients. Furthermore, the company will have to pay for the security and rent of the shop they occupy along with some renovation costs. In terms of materials, the company will have to buy up coffee beans, cream, milk, flour, sugar, and other such consumables.  Other than these costs, the company will have to look into recurring expenditures such as costs of utilities and pays for part-time worker s. Based on these projections, the company may or may not make profits depending on the market they are present in as well as the financial backing they have available to continue with these expenses in the beginning. The owners will have to focus on the economic environment because economic recession and a slow resurgence of the economy have meant that disposable incomes are low. People would be less than willing to spend more on items such as coffee and non-essential food items because their finances would be already restrained. Another external environment that the owners would need to look into is the political environment.  

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Sage 50 Construction Accounting 2014 Research Paper

Sage 50 Construction Accounting 2014 - Research Paper Example The software also allows a company to come up with custom reports, draft budgets for various departments and branches, and integrate different organizations for financial reports among other functions (Franks pg95). Sage 2014 software contains various customization tools to enable a construction company smoothly run its activities. Some of the tools used are progress billing, robust job costing and industry specific reports. These tools are designed and premeditated in such a way that intensifies accuracy, save time and assist in understanding business profitability. Other tools and services provided by Sage are pro accounting that provides efficiency to your company, facilitate quick expansion, customize inventory, manage client contracts, trail jobs and facilitate shipping and vendor management. Premium accounting tool enables a constructing company manage its budgets, strategic planning and filter financial records. Last but not least is a quantum accounting tool which manages large amounts of data, and a wide range of customer access requirements. As the business world expands, it is now vital to integrate technology in business by use of electronic commerce packages. Sage 2014 construction accounting software integrates technology in business, by allowing online payment, by use of credit and debit cards. Online payment has opened up global buying and selling of the software thus increasing sales in the construction industry (Morris and Richard pg210). Use of electronic commerce saves on time and costs incurred in preparing documents. This software also enables twenty four seven services to customers and suppliers. The software also facilitates communication between the suppliers, clients and the construction industry. Complaints brought forward are dealt with within a short time. This leads to improved services as

Slaughter and the Speckled Band Essay Example for Free

Slaughter and the Speckled Band Essay The Two works that I am comparing for this essay are Lamb to the slaughter by Roald Dahl and the Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Speckled band is a stereotypical Sherlock Holmes murder mystery written in 1892 and Lamb to the Slaughter was written some 60 years later by Rhoald Dahl in 1954. We can therefore safely expect their to be many differences in plot and language and some themes, but both share the common themes of murder. Both texts are murder mysteries but there is a single important difference. In TSB we are encouraged to find the solution to the murder by assembling our evidence from the text and drawing conclusions as we see fit. There is, though, a red herring clue included to throw the reader, the most obvious example being the presence and the close association of the Gypsies with Dr Roylott. In LTTS we know who has committed the murder and the details, but the fun is in seeing if she will get caught. Both pieces of text have unusual murder weapons but this is a norm with murder mysteries which continues to this day; the Jonathon Creek series being a popular notable example. The characters in both texts are well worth a mention. In TSB the characters are predictable. The strong, brutal male, Dr Roylott is the murderer and the emphasis is less on who and more on how. I dont think that Sir Arthur Doyle would be allowed to get away with this in either the present day climate or the climate of 1954. Just as Dr Roylott is an obvious murder suspect Helen Stoner is the obvious damsel in distress. The dragged out description of her and her features describe a woman with a figure of thirty but starting to sprout premature grey hair. In TSB the characters are subject to a much longer introduction and time of description. Rhoald Dahl does not do this and hardly describes Mary Maloneys physical appearance at all leaving each individual reader to draw his or her image. The reader though cannot disagree on the mindset of Mary Maloney; she is obsessed with her husband and routines. Even though TSB is written in the first person I think we can still tell more about Mary Maloneys character. Sir Arthur Doyle has not delved too deeply into Dr Watsons thoughts and this is deliberate. The only think that Sir Arthur Doyle concentrates on in Dr Watsons subconscious mind is his admiration of Sherlock Holmes, after all they are the Sherlock Holmes series of books and Dr Watson is only a clever literary narrative tool. In LTTS the characters are less predictable. We know that Sir Arthur Doyle did once try to make his characters actions unpredictable to the extreme by killing off Sherlock Holmes but the pressure of public opinion forced him to resurrect his most famous character. The murderer this time is not the brutal male but the supposedly timid housewife. Notice also that the sex of the murderer has changed. It would be fair to say that this would mirror a change in the opinion of the role of women, there gaining of the vote and there rise to equals of the male sex. The feelings and sympathies we have with the murderers is also worthy of attention. We feel sorry for Mary Maloney up to a point in LTTS because she is six months pregnant and we sympathise with her shock and we recognise that her murder was more of a spur of a moment murder rather than a carefully constructed and well executed murder plot as is the case with DR Roylott. The point where I no longer feel sympathetic was when she laughed at the very end of the text. This displayed a deeper evil that had gone unnoticed before in the text. The feelings we feel for the victims are very different. In TSB we feel sorry for the victim in the text, Helen Stoners sister, who is in the prime of her life and is about to get married. This increases our hatred of Dr Roylott. The victim in LTTS is a man who is leaving his wife who is six months pregnant. His conduct up to the point of his death is rude and arrogant. He uses monosyllabic answers to firmly control his wife. Also when he leaves his wife he is more worried about the effect it may have on his job. We are not too sorry to see him go. The two pieces do have a number of similarities. They both have unusual murder weapons and they both remind us that even respectable, or in the case of Dr Roylott once respectable members of the community can kill, whether that is because of financial or personal reasons. They share common themes such as murder, murder mystery and deceit.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Complete draft dissertation

Complete draft dissertation Chapter One Introduction Music can provoke different responses because of the way its message communicates and gives meaning to peoples lives. Ned Rorem stated, ‘music is the sole art which evokes nostalgia for the future (Shuman 1997: 140). The music scene is testimony to the way in which old musical genres have either provoked a sentimental nostalgic response in wanting to maintain and preserve a traditional sound, or a pragmatic artistic response which chooses to use the memory of an old musical message and sound to inspire new, creative innovations. Flamenco is no exception. Throughout its history there are those who have sought to encase it, referring to it with notions of romanticism and sentimentality, and those who have embraced its evolving nature. The first is true of intellectualists Falla and Lorca, who sought to preserve cante jondo -the ‘deep song of the outcasts by hosting festivals strictly for traditional artists to display its ‘purity. It is also evident in the attraction of the rising middle classes in Andalusian cities toward the tragic song of flamenco. Flamenco provided a romantic perspective of the past, a ‘folklore-like history to provide a distinctive identity for Andalusians, also allowing them to express their sympathy for the downtrodden. The poor, for their part, embraced the ‘romantic song style of flamenco because it expressed their anguish, and also allowed them in hindsight to have a rosier slant on their miserable pasts ‘holding out a hope, however faint, that the since rity of their song would qualify them as bonifide cultural heroes in the future (Washabaugh 1996: 55). Since flamenco evokes ancestral history, the art form can encase and preserve these memories, only to re-live them through melancholic sentimentality. Conversely, Và ©lez suggests that ‘the pleasures of the past are not lost to the present, but are transformed into radically different aesthetics by the manifold forces that operate through time (Và ©lez 1976: 25). This approach recognises the contributions of the past that keep giving to the present, allowing the process of musical evolution to keep an art form alive and developing. In this way, ‘each generation builds new pleasures on top of old, and adds fresh memories to existing recollections (Featherstone 1991: 32). This is true of modern flamenco artists, who seek to recognise their ‘roots, while introducing their own interpretations and often experiment with other musical sounds. Globalisation has meant th at the product of this approach is seen in a fusion of elements with very diverse musical styles. Modern flamenco fusion band Ojos de Brujo share this approach: Flamenco is in many places and it can evolve in many ways†¦ we draw from the same source and we have the same love and the same respect for this music (Flamenco World 2002). This dissertation will examine the main perceptions of flamenco; an older, traditional perspective that views flamenco as  ´dead ´ and another younger perspective that argues flamenco is still a vibrant and living art form. It will account for aspects within the raging debate over flamencos historical purity, studying how it has remained a constant, changing and evolving art form. Chapter Two will examine the  ´purity ´ of the history of flamenco, considering the four main perspectives through which it has been viewed. Chapter Three studies the significance of the message and emotion characterising flamenco, and the way in which the song forms serve as a window into the lives of the flamenco community. It also accounts for the fact that though traditionalists contend for one ‘pure song form, there are in fact many branches within the genre. Chapter Four describes the journey in the modernisation of flamenco, considering how traditionalists blame this era for the ‘degeneration of flamenco, whilst modernists praise it for its progress. Chapter Five analyses the two groups that have emerged in the flamenco scene, the purists who insist that ‘true flamenco resides in the past, and the modernistswho look embrace the evolution of the art form. Chapter Two The History of Flamenco Flamenco holds many threads of history. Depending on who is narrating its past, the  ´proper ´ and  ´true ´ history of flamenco can be found in various long-lived and widespread claims. Washabaugh identifies four main ideologies held by flamencologists; ‘Andalusian, ‘Gitano, ‘Populist and ‘Sociological (Washabaugh 2006: 32). This chapter will consider the debate over the purity of the history of flamenco and examine the four main varying perspectives through which its origin has been viewed. The line of ideology emphasisng the Andalusian character of flamenco music conveys its deeply-rooted and cultural musical characteristics only formed by Andalusia ´s unique history and demographic make-up that created the conditions which birthed a very distinct art form. Unlike the constructions of Spanish nationalism, especially in the Basque and Catalan regions, Andalusian identity was not predicated on the notions of racial purity, Andalusia ´s unique identity was often defined by the very multiplicity of cultural and racial layers from which it had evolved (Brown 2007: 230). Contributing to this melting pot, the 800 year reign of the Moors tolerantly allowed other diverse culture groups to cohabit within their society; Arabs, Jews and Catholics all contributing to the rich mix found in multicultural southern Spain. However, the Christian Reconquista in 1492 brought a new era of hostility to the region, driving out all Jews and Muslims who refused to convert to Christianity, alongside gitanos who refused to conform to sedentary occupations. This expulsion united the persecuted cultures against the Inquisition who now shared a muliticultural common life. An intense blend of Muslim, Jewish, Indian and Christian cultures characterised these underground communities, producing a fusion of distinct musical sounds which formed what we now call flamenco, here, in the midst of the minorities. ‘And there it stayed, performed in the privacy of their houses or caves unknown to the world until the end of the eighteenth century when it began to be heard in the ta verns and other public places (Totton 2003: 15). There is a vivid debate between the gitanos and payos over the origin of flamenco, both people groups insisting on their contribution due to their cultural bonds.  ´The majority of non-gitanos do not deny the role of the gitanos in the enriching and developing process of the flamenco art, but they are very absolute when it comes to the origin, Andalusia (Papapavlou 2003). Many composers and philosophers such as Manuel de Falla were keen to preserve a musicological perspective that contributed to a Spanish identity based on the romanticism of Andalusias origins as a primitive artefact. Writers and philosophers ´ diverse assertions of a distinct Andalusian identity give varying emphasis to oriental music through Indian (the gitanos place of origin) and Arab roots, Sephardic Jewish music, as well as influences as far back as the early Greek, Roman, Visigoth and Byzantine rulers. These concepts are all based on the diverse musical influences that can be traced in the flamenco cante, baile and toque; its very un-Western chant like melodies and long melismatic wails, its strong twelve-count compà ¡s which provides a driving underlying rhythmical structure with syncopated accented golpes, as well as the exaggerated upper body movements and stamping zapateado created by the bailaor. Altogether these speculative transferring influences are said to play a pa rt in the evolution of flamenco. These claims also contain cultural connotations that provoke issues of race and identity, which seek to shape Spanish cultural consciousness and identity. In this way,  ´the anthropomorphised Andalusia passionate, musical, changing, and anarchical- had become the true source of flamenco ´ (Deutsch 2004: 220). ‘Though Lorca contends that flamenco has to do with a purely Andalusian canto which existed in embryonic form before the gypsies arrived, others think that flamenco is the ethnic music of the gitanos (Steingress 2003: 154 quoting Lorca 1984). The active participation of the gitano community created a phenomenon by virtue of their extraordinary facility for adaptation which brought the diverse cultures of Andalusia finally into harmony (Leblon 1994: 72). Cante gitano refers to the songs that expressed the pain of the gitanos under persecution. They were kept alive ‘underground and performed in the gitanos notorious family gatherings and fiestas where the atmosphere was conducive to spontaneous song and dance. These performances were so intimate that the distinguishing lines between audience and performer were blurred. Their strong oral traditions and  ´gritty ´ songs of old provided a strong identity amongst the Andalusian gitanos, the reason why writers such as à lv arez Caballero believe they were nothing short of the prime movers of flamenco (Caballero 1988: 70 Washabaugh p.34). To many, therefore, the word flamenco has become a synonym for the gitano. This is helped by the fact that thiscommunity is still a very visible sector of society. Although historically by the nineteenth century the gitanos were now an integrated part of Spain, they represent a people group with a uniquely separate racial status, while still forming an integral part of Andalusian culture (Brown 2007:230). The gitano perspective is not without criticism, however, and there are debates about attributing the entire creation of flamenco to the gitanos, some flamencologists even questioning the very nature and instinct of the gitano to be able to create an art form. Ruiz, amongst others, believes that the gitano by nature does not create, but assimilates and integrates, contributing, rather, his influence in this way (Ruiz 2007). Similarly, Totton believes that the gitanos did not bring their music to any country they settled in. Instead, they adopted the music of that country, adapting it to their own particular style of musicality, their strong rhythmic sense, and their tendency to dramatise. In this way he believes that  ´the gitanos have been the catalysts, but flamenco developed in the melting pot of Andalusia ´ (Totton 2003: 14). Others believe that the origins of flamenco matter not, and that flamenco is not just the music of southern Spain but forms a way of life that influences the daily activities of many southern Spaniards. Moreover, one does not have to be a performer of flamenco to be a flamenco.  ´A flamenco is anyone who is emotionally and actively involved in this unique philosophy†¦an outward expression of the flamenco way of life ´ (Pohren 2005: 9). This ideology is also held by the populist point of view which sees flamenco as a voice of resistance. Instead of emphasising its ethnic origins, flamenco primarily is seen to have been used as a means by which to express an outcry from the conditions of oppression in which marginalised people found themselves. This account merits these oppressed artists as the creators of flamenco, their cante jondo marked by a deep and moving performance brought to life by duende. ‘For Lorca, the supernatural force of the duende enters human beings and possesses them as they create inspired, deeply moving work (Hayes 2009: 40). A performance which lacks the essence of duende would be considered as shallow and ‘unpure; a common accusation of the flamenco purists of modern, more commercial, performances. This populist account suggests that the flamenco style persisted in Andalucà ­a for nearly 500 years. However, ‘during the nineteenth century that resistant song of the lower classes began to lose its bite with the commercial developments of the art form (Washabaugh 1996: 36). Still others argue that the spirit of duende continues. The sense of Andalusian oppression has been a central theme in flamenco, and the present political freedom and crisis of mass emigration have, if anything, intensified the use of flamenco as a vehicle of social commentary both through text content and, less overtly, through stylistic innovations (Tong 1998: 176). The sociological perspective is that flamenco is a phenomenon that brings classes together, and disagrees with many populists assessment of the  ´degrading ´ transition flamenco went through in its commercialism. Flamenco remained a voice of the lower classes though it became popular and began to be heard by the upper classes in the  ´golden age ´ of the cafes cantantes. It was on this stage that performers were able to vent their tragic past to their audience of wealthy oppressors. Washabaugh explains that  ´the song, on this account, performs a double catharsis, exposing and relieving both the pain of the poor and the guilt of the wealthy ´ (Washabaugh 1996: 36). In this way, flamenco is a means of connecting both sectors of society as both poor and wealthy can walk away from the performance psychologically unburdened by the awareness of their different social standings. Focussing on the sociological history of flamenco, this perspective coincides with what is described as the ‘second wave of the genre, a time when flamenco embarked on a process of what Biddle and Knights term as  ´re-Andalusianisation ´, finding its identity in both a local and global dynamic (Biddle and Knights 2007: 14). Though this point in flamencos development is seriously criticised by flamenco purists, for sociologists it was here that flamenco truly came into being, reaching the popular scene, and finding its  ´Golden Era ´. In this way, some authors believe ‘there is no point in searching in the distant past for origins or a genre that really did not come into being until the middle of the last century (Leblon 1994:77). Upon reflection, the tradition of flamenco has not enjoyed the same faithful written record as other classical forms (Hayes 2009: 53). The origins of flamenco seem likely to remain shrouded in mystery for some time to come, due to the circumstances surrounding its birth and musicologists ´ unwillingness to tackle the question. As long as the only efforts made in this field have as their sole aim the ruthless elimination of a given community from the competition, there is no chance of our knowledge progressing (Leblon 1994:73). To conclude, this chapter has exposed the variation in the historic accounts of flamenco, and the ideologies that have emerged from four different perspectives. It is therefore evident that flamenco has not followed a  ´pure ´ linear history, but has encountered many different components equally indispensable to the process of its creation. Chapter Three The Voice of Flamenco in Society Flamenco has been described as ‘a way of life, a way of perceiving and interpreting daily existence (Martinez 2003: 5). Its central position in its communities distinguishes the art form from many other musical genres, and only in understanding its voice in society can one appreciate the passion that flamencos feel for their music. This chapter therefore sets out to discover the significance of flamenco and its legacy by studying the messages that its song forms carry, which serve as a window into the lives of the flamenco community. It will also examine the importance of personal expression channelled through the three musical elements of flamenco: cante, baile and toque. Furthermore the chapter accounts for the different subdivisions of the genre, also suggestive of the fact that there is not one ‘pure form of flamenco but many branches that serve as a reflection of different flamenco communities. Though there is much discussion concerning the exact origins of flamenco, it is evident that, at first, it was an art form in the hands of the minorities. There are many song forms within flamenco that serve as a window into the lives of these communities. Flamenco was a reflection of social life, engaging not only with universal themes such as love or death, but also referring to religious and political issues affecting personal life. Many have examined the way in which the community expressed their ways of life through flamenco; lifes pressures, work conditions and the inequality of hierarchy in labour, social structure, and social divisions. En este aspecto, la desigualdad es el eje vertebrador del cante a travà ©s de diversas temà ¡ticas que, aun referidas a lo universal, al amor, a lo panhumano de la muerte o el dolor, està ¡n siempre socializadas traspasadas por una experiencia cultural no abstracta ni confundible con otras: la andaluza (Roldà ¡n : 112). Flamenco palos, or song forms, convey these themes, many categorically giving emphasis to one theme in particular. For example, amongst many, Carceleras are prison songs, alboreà ¡s are gypsy wedding songs, and mineras are miners songs. Other song forms emphasising a more general theme accentuate a specific musical element of flamenco: the cante, toque or baile. Flamenco in its original form was only cante, a primitive cry or chant accompanied only by the rhythm which would be beaten out on the floor by a wooden staff or cane. These styles are known as Palos Secos and they are the oldest forms of cante known today. These including the tonà ¡s, and the saetas, religious songs thought to be of Jewish decent used during processions, improvised without any accompaniment. Other palos are above all rhythmic which have also given rise to leading dance forms, such as the soleà ¡, and bulerà ­a. In the revelation of these mostly tragic song themes, it is important to convey the difference between flamenco and western music, primarily in the way in which, in the west, one hears the tune first, and then only then, perhaps, the harmony, rhythm and words. To the flamenco, the tune is little or nothing, and the harmony less, being aware, above all, of the words and their rhythmic and forceful expression (Totton 2003: 84). Fà ©lix Grande has defined flamenco as ‘a tragedy in the first person and ‘a protest without hope or destination (Grande 2007). The siguiriya is an example of this concept, the heart of cante jondo. ‘It expresses anguish, lament, and despair, and has been described as an outcry against fate and quintessence of tragic song (Totton 1995: 90). It is an example of how the transmission of song serves as a window into the lives of the flamencos. The following copla from a traditional siguiriya is an example of how the history of these Andalusian communities is communicated through the art form: Seà ±or Alcalde mayor Lord high mayor Y demà ¡s seà ±ores And other fine lords Estas penitas a este cuerpo mà ­oThe pain in this body of mine No le corresponden Is not deserved (Kirkland 2001 :9) Felix Grande would respond to such an example by saying : Listen closely to a tonà ¡, truly hear a seguiriya; let some tientos slide through the hairs of your arm. Perhaps you will sense something resembling the hand of Philip V signing a paper in 1745- surely without trembling- to authorize those pursuing a Gypsy to enter a church and take him from its protection (Kirkland 2001: 9). The striking imagery and emotional purity of cante lyrics is also evident in the following coplas: El tiempo y la marea todo me viene en contra; los golpecitos de este mar furioso salen por la popa ( : 94). Hasta las piedras saben la desgracia mà ­a que yo las vendo -mis desgracias- de noche y de dà ­a (: 95) On one level, the coplas serve as a descriptive reflection of the lives of the flamencos, and on another, serve as a representation of complaints, hopes and vindication. El flamenco sirve para descubrir la realidad, para exponer las formas de vida y hasta cuadras de costumbres, pero tambià ©n para reflexionar sobre ellas y denunciar las desigualdades. Pasa de lo descriptivo a lo analà ­tico sin saberlo, y a veces a lo crà ­tico (Roldà ¡n : 112). It is therefore evident that the role of flamenco in society is not merely aesthetic, or for ephemeral enjoyment, but that it has become a living testimony of the flamencos themselves, and an outlet for emotional unburdenment. No canten, pues, con el à ºnico objetivo de hacerlo mejor que la vez anterior o mejor que otros cantaores: cantan porque es sus propias carnes o en las carnes de su propio grupo social o clase han padecido marginaciones y atropellos que a su vez se convierten en exponentes y portavoces de sus propios grupos, familias o entornos. (Gelardo y Belade :21) This is also suggestive of the reason why purists seek to protect the purity of this expression. Clemente believes that dealing with cantes, palos, compà ¡s, and melody is like dealing with living beings, ‘they deserve the respect involved in keeping them alive (Clemente n.d). This reveals an intrinsic link between the lyrics and expressive aspects of the music. Early developments of flamenco show that the socio-political dimension of the art form is manifested in both these facets. Pohen (1995) believes that it can not be overemphasised that flamenco, above all the jondo flamenco, is in essence an emotional art. Moreover, the artist needs only enough technique to enable him to convey his emotions to himself and to his public: The improving of technique to the point of virtuosity is not usually synonymous with the improvement of the artist ´s ability to communicate. Conversely, the opposite is more often true. The virtuoso often becomes a cold machine, too concerned with his technique, too complicated, too entangled in his own virtuosity, too conscious of the fact that the majority of the public is awaiting this virtuosity more than any duende he may impart (Pohen 1995: 58). This emotion is woven through the cante, baile, and toque, each embodying the rhythm and expressive force necessary to bring the words of the coplas to life.The cante is said to have been developed in isolation by Andalusians, and especially gitano Andalusians, ‘and which redeems humans from the prison of language and the darkening isolation of social life (Washabaugh 1996: 90). The flamenco cantaor recreates and embroiders the song form in a personal way, expressing to the audience what the words mean to him (Totton 2003: 84). The quejà ­o, melisma,the manipulation of the compà ¡s, and the quality of voice itself are ways to enforce the power of the cante. The cantaor also adds emotion by spontaneously weaving his voice around the words, envoking duende. The intensity of the cante means that many cantaores prefer to sing al golpe,accompanied only by knuckles on the table and the cries of encouragement from the jaleo. The baile also takes on the character of the coplas by concentrating on forceful rhythms. This contrasts from the graceful movements given importance by modern music academies, a feature of modern flamenco also criticised by purists. Prejudices run deep on the subject, and the Spanish language marks the difference: the classically trained dancer (whether or not also dancing flamenco) is a bailarà ­n; the flamenco dancer is a bailaor or bailaora (Totton 2003: 51). ‘Pure flamenco baile is expected to be individual, forceful, downward, and introvert. A similar prejudice has been established between classical guitarists and a true, flamenco tocaor. The difference can be seen in the very way the guitar is held to the emotional way the tocaor marks out the rhythm and compà ¡s through plucking, strumming, tremolo and banging the wood, and also the ability to improvise, adding his own falsetas. Toca de oà ­do, por intuicià ³n, improvisando continuamente, y aporta, como productos de cosecha propia, las falsetas (Ruiz 2007: 90). Though the toque element was introduced later on in the evolution of flamenco song forms, it is still seen to be an important element. La gran originalidad de la mà ºsica flamenco de guitarra se resume en el hecho que los elementos melà ³dicos, armà ³nicos y rà ­tmicos que la componen tienden a inferirse en provecho de un elemento expresivo superior que engloba y enriquece a los demà ¡s y que podrà ­a calificarse de dinamismo (Hilaire Ruiz 2007: 91) Uniting all elements of flamenco, lyrical, musical and emotional, is the strong sense of tradition and heritage manifested in the art form itself. In this manner, flamenco receives and keeps giving back its communities, allowing the flamenco legacy to live on. It is important to note that until recently, music and lyrics were never written down but transmitted orally. Compositions from the past have been handed down through the generations, and the extensive categorisation of palos reveal that there are many branches of flamenco, originating from numerous communities from different parts of Andalusia and further afield, all adding their musical flavour and history. These branches can be as contrasting as the discussed traditional tragic siguiriya and cante jondo to the cantes de ida y vuelta which were exported from Spain to the New World where they acquired new influences, later to be re-imported again to Andalusia by returning emigrants. These contribute to the rich diversity of so ng forms which have evolved from the original palo seco to varying rhythmic song forms which incorporate baile and toque, two main elements of flamenco that were integrated later on in the evolution of flamenco. Throughout the evolution of flamenco song forms, purists insist that the ablility to evoke duende distinguishes the ‘true flamencos from modern, experimental musicians, due to their ability to identify with the anguished themes of the cantes, re-living these emotional experiences. This chapter has discussed the role of flamenco in society through analysing the dual function of the art form. Firstly, it is evident that the genre transmits the history of a marginalised people through the coplas. Secondly, and entwined with the first, is the expressive, mainly painful, release of emotion associated with life experiences through the three channels of flamenco; cante, baile and toque. In this process, the evoking of duende is what sets flamenco apart from other musical forms, and is suggestive of the purists insistence of protecting a ‘traditional and ‘pure music. However, the many branches of musical style within flamenco also alerts one again to the fact that, though flamenco demands a purity of emotion, there is not one ‘pure song form and single history within the genre, but many stories with diverse themes and musical influences, inevitable in an art form of oral tradition. Chapter Four A New Era of Flamenco When evaluating the different phases of flamenco, flamencologists have tried to define the time line into conveniently identifiable eras. ‘The stages flamenco has passed through until the present day are identified by the venues where it was staged, as well as the artists who were most popular at any given moment (Martà ­nez 2003 :66). Biddle and Knights (2007) refer to these historical stages as ‘waves, while Steingress (2003) refers to them as  ´steps of hybridisation ´, both studies highlighting exhaustive influential causes of change undergone by flamenco. The phases which have contributed to the modern evolution of flamenco are important to highlight because of the way they have changed the face of flamenco, both musically and culturally, not only adapting its sound but its audience also, taking it from the primitive privacy of the juerga to the very public showcasing platform. This chapter will examine the stages marked by three main venues that changed the ima ge of flamenco: the cafà ©s cantantes (1860-1920), the theatre which hosted à ³pera flamenca (1920-1950), and the tablaos and peà ±as (1950-1975). Through describing their effect on flamenco, the chapter will also study the way in which these periods have provoked a debate which accuses this period of evolution of either the ‘degeneration or ‘making of the art form. The study will account for the perspective that, whilst many look to the past to define flamenco, the genre has encountered many different components equally indispensable to the process of its creation. The cafà ©s cantantes laid the groundwork for what has been termed the ‘Golden Age of flamenco. ‘Having only existed as a way of life, little by little flamenco gained popularity, and by the middle of the last century, sharp businessmen realised that flamenco could be exploited profitably in commercial exercises (Pohren 1995: 146). Flamenco was introduced as a public attraction and customers flocked to witness the novel presentations of the flamencos who complied to life as a paid artist and higher standard of living. One of the things that the cafà © cantantes achieved for flamenco was to broaden the range of non-gitano performers who were willing to make crowd-pleasing innovations and modulations, as neither the payos nor their audiences had quite the same distaste for broad popular appeal (Drummond 2006: 168). Those who performed in the cafà ©s naturally followed the tastes and whims of the customers and it is argued that thistrivialised flamenco, ‘since patrons requests favoured ‘festive rather than ‘deep flamenco performances (Hernà ¡ndez 2008: 15). Furthermore it is contested that this enforced a staged professionalisation inspiring competition amongst performers, not a feature of flamencos emotive purity and unconcern for virtuosity. ‘The guitar, in particular gained eminence in cafà © performances and, from being an instrument to accompany song and dance, it became a show in itself, and solo guitar performances soon became popular favourites (Hernà ¡ndez 2008: 15). In addition, ‘artists from the different provinces of Andalusia contributed to an enhancement of flamenco by elaborating their regionally distinctive substyles (Washabaugh 1996: 33). An important artist to emerge from this era was Silverio Franconetti, a non-gitano who opened his own succes sful cafà © cantante, and is amongst a group of flamenco  ´legends ´ to emerge from this era. His legendary fame for contribution to the flamenco scene, even recognised amongst gitanos themselves, however, is ironically criticised. This accounts for the parody of the  ´Golden Age ´. On one hand, condescension for the beginnings of crass commercialism, and on the other, an excitement for the new wave of creative and technical competence. Nevertheless, in the light of the modernisation that was to come, many  ´pure ´ artists were still able to enjoy the profit of this time, being able to make a decent living from what they loved most. Desperate to preserve tradition in the threat of modern change, Spanish Intellectuals Manuel de Falla and Federico Garcà ­a Lorca attempted to revitalise the  ´true ´ and  ´pure ´ spirit of Andalusian flamenco by promoting the Concurso de Cante Jondo in 1922. They rejected the name  ´flamenco ´, embracing the term  ´cante jond o ´ in order to stimulate interest in uncommercial styles of flamenco which were in decline. However, the initiative could not prevent the second wave of modernisation which replaced the cafà ©s cantantes with

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Racial Inequality in the United States :: Race Social Justice Essays Blacks

Racial Inequality in the United States The book, Volunteer Slavery, is Jill Nelson’s account of the racial problems she faced as a Black employee in a White company. Working for the Washington Post was a terrible experience for Nelson whose race prevented her from fitting in with co-workers or agreeing with management. Alex Kajtar says, â€Å"...Jill Nelson's account of an authentic African-American experience is a disturbing, disappointing and upsetting image of present-day American society...† (Kajtar). Many people would agree with this statement if they read the book, too. However, the problem is that most Americans will never read her book, and will remain ignorant to the plight of the Black American. Thus, the problem is not that Blacks cannot assimilate into White society â€Å"properly,† it is that Whites prevent Blacks from developing their identity. In America there is a phenomenon where some people benefit from the color of their skin, while others are persecuted for the same reason. The White establishment thrust Blacks and other minorities into an â€Å"other† category, and punishes them for their differences. This system gives White people many advantages over other groups. This racial advantage has been labeled â€Å"White privilege, and allows Whites to be complacent about racial issues because instead of be hurt they actually benefit from their race. Their blindness to the problems of American culture like this, prevent them from seeing the â€Å"disturbing, disappointing and upsetting† aspects of Black life. Whites are highly unaware of the â€Å"authentic African-American experience† because they choose to remain ignorant (Kajtar). In this way the also choose to benefit from their inequalities that they have implemented into the American system. Blacks are prevented from enjoying life in the American work force because of their race. The problem is that Whites cause Black misery, but do nothing to change this. Jill Nelson’s White supervisors could have been more accommodating to Nelson’s needs. They could have taken measures to make her more comfortable in the work place, possible by hiring more Blacks. Their newspaper could have began to portray Blacks in a more positive, truthful light.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Nothing is free. Essay -- essays research papers

I definitely think the best things in life are not free. There are so many examples I can name. For one, every thing you want in life you have to work hard to earn it. Nothing is given to you for free. Everything in life costs you or someone else money, time, or effort. This includes all the important things in life like air, freedom, life, living, love, children, marriage, jobs, and friendships. However, if we consider the meaning of free, "without cost of any kind to anyone at any time--past, present or future", it would be hard to find anything that is free. Every aspect of life carries some sort of commitment. Freedom is not free. In order for this great country of ours to possess freedom that it offers, countless numbers of men and women have paid a high price to make it so. In order for us to go about freely in this great country, we have to follow certain guidelines or obedience of laws for the general welfare. If we insist on not doing so, eventually, our freedom will be lost and then placed under guarded control. Life is not free. One has to commit to life. Even though a child is brought into this world through no decision of his or her own, it costs someone to bring that child into this life, and it will further cost for life to be maintained for that child. In addition, in order to live, one has to commit to the idea of living, at whatever standards they choose or their circumstances dictate. Living is not free. Life consists of many elements and th...

Confession of a Former Drug Addict: Learning the Value of Family

Confession of a Former Drug Addict: Learning the Value of Family Misguided Youth â€Å"Oh now that I think back about it, I was really stupid when I was young and that my mother is really unfortunate to have a son like me! † Kong said as he ended with a short embarrassed laugh while he recounts the past he isn’t exactly proud of in mandarin. Kong, 36 , had spent most of his youth in and out of the drug rehabilitation centre and prison. His parents separated while he was still young and their mother decided to bring him and his younger brother along to move into their grandmother’s place at Ang Mo Kio.Kong was the eldest among the grandchildren left in his grandmother’s care. With his mother busy at work to support the family and his grandmother busy attending the younger kids, the mischievous boy always finds the chance to sneak out of the house. It was then when he got acquainted and started hanging out with the older kids around his neighborhood. These a re the friends that very much influenced and helped mold him into a teenage delinquent. â€Å"I was encouraged by them to join their gang, to skip school and hang out with them.And it was then when I learn how to shoplift, cutting chain off bicycles to steal, extorting money from other kids and getting into fight for the most minor reason, just for the sake of getting into trouble and seeking thrill out of it. †, Kong explained how he was a wayward boy that followed whatever his peers instigated. â€Å"And it felt really good to be part of the gang and ‘cool’ to be doing things other normal ‘good’ kids didn't dare to do. † It was then when young Kong’s misbehaviors and actions, prove that it can have direct consequence on his family, and the first to experience it was none other than his younger brother.Both brothers were studying in the same neighborhood secondary school. Kong’s truancy and bad records kept piling up and finally one day, he even threatened to hurt the school’s principal while being called to discipline. That’s when the school decided enough is enough, and Kong’s expulsion was announced. But not just him alone, his younger brother was to be expelled along with him. Sure the younger brother wasn’t exactly the good obedient student, had been seen around Kong, caused some mischief and playful enough to skip school occasionally.But he never crossed the line or got involved with Kong’s unlawful activities. Still, the school found these reasons enough to get the siblings off their ground permanently. â€Å"The principal felt that because he’s my younger brother, he’s nature is surely as bad as me! Just because he’s my younger brother. † Kong said while shaking his head slightly. â€Å"You may think that’s unfair but things were different back then during that time. Now if something like this happened nowadays, you will see the principal and school getting onto news! † Kong ended with a laugh. From Bad to WorseHis mother and grandmother blamed him for dragging his younger brother into that situation because of the troubles he brewed and being a bad influence. But this incident didn’t make Kong reflect on his actions. He didn't think of it as a big deal. He didn’t care about anything. The teenager’s rebellious nature only served to take things for the worse. Soon after getting expelled from school, he soon finds himself experimenting with drugs. It was the norm as people around him were doing inhalants and drugs. The first he experimented was glue sniffing. Then he moved on to trying out ecstasy and heroin etc.Experimentation turns into dependency. The addiction works in an insidious way, it crept in and slowly took over Kong’s life before he realized. Days of drug taking ritual turned to weeks, then months and years. It seems like Kong wasn’t the one controlling th e drugs, it was the other way round. Spending his life in a drug-fuelled haze, it revolved around being troubled over where to find money to support his next supply of drugs. Keeping up with the addiction proof to be not cheap. Although he had joined and worked for the lion dance troupe that was associated with his gang, it wasn’t enough to keep up with his expenses.To satisfy with his drug cravings, he resorted to theft and robbery, even stealing from his family. The one he hurt most during this period was his mother. Seeing her cry because of him was nothing new. His desperation for drug even made him turned his hand on his very own mother. Kong recalls that particular incident that he will feel bad for as long as he lived, â€Å"This one time I was having this great urge for drugs, but I didn't have money with me, I ransacked the house and approached my mother in the kitchen. But she wasn’t willing to hand me any money and was screaming at me to quit.I got impatien t and this sudden surge of anger rose up and I exploded,† He slapped his own mother across the face. Kong then continued remorsefully, â€Å"I was an unfilial and disgraceful son. Unfit to be human for hurting my mother like that. Like what they say, I deserved to be struck down by lightning. † Relatives chided him as being ‘useless, and a shame to the family. ’ Kong ended up caught and admitted to the drug rehabilitation centre. After his release, Kong was still mixing around with the ‘bad’ group of friends as he felt being shunned by the society and this was the group of people most accepting of him.He couldn’t stay clean and soon fell back to his old ways after gaining freedom. He was sent back to the drug rehabilitation centre once more for relapse. â€Å"I was stubborn and self-centered. I didn't really try hard or be determined enough to change my life. I just thought I was unlucky to be caught the first few times. ’ Kong s ays. He continued his old ways, involving in gang fight and robbery with hurt. He was sentenced to imprisonment for a total of 7 years and given 10 strokes of cane. Turning PointWhen he was finally released from Changi Prison, Kong, 30 by that time, felt that he had already wasted a large part of his youth. He made sure to remind himself of the guilt and shame. The heart wrenching moment etched in his memories when he saw how his mother broke down in tears when he was sentenced, how his aged grandmother with declining health having to make her way to visit him in prison over the years. â€Å"I robbed my mother for years because of my rebellious nature, because of my selfishness. All I did was lying and being dishonest with everything they confronted with me.I never thought about the damage I imposed on my family because of my actions. I took advantage on how they dote, only to make them heart-broken. † Kong confessed. Now, he deeply understands for mistakes he made, he wonâ⠂¬â„¢t be the only one paying his dues. His family and loved ones will inevitably bear his consequences one way or the other. Among the tattoos that he was inked over his body during his rebellious younger days, he is now sporting a ‘sak yant’ on his back, a traditional form of tattoo normally performed on followers by Buddhist monks in Thailand.He decided to embrace Buddhism and was on a religious trip to Thailand to receive a ‘sak yant’. But the tattoo wasn’t what he received. It was there where he got to know this local young woman from Chiang Mai, who soon became his wife. Kong and his wife now have two young daughters. Unfortunately, their first daughter Elina, 6, is diagnosed with minor autism and currently attending a special school. But their younger daughter has an even more unfortunate fate. Rita, now 3, was born with a severe spinal deformity which was curved at 80 to 90 degree in ‘S’ shape.She is the youngest and one of the m ost serious cases of congenital scoliosis in Singapore. Two titanium rods each 15 cm to 20 cm long was inserted into her body to straighten her spine and ribs when she was 2. Every six to nine months, Rita will have to go through operations until she is 14 years old, to expand the rods allowing growth. Being the sole breadwinner of the family, Kong currently works as a cargo assistant with a monthly salary of $1600. He tried to working overtime whenever possible so as to provide more support to his family.He was able to cover more about half of the medical expenses from his own Medisave and Medifunds for Rita’s medical expenses. He shared how he learnt humility and helpfulness receiving help from relatives and donations arranged by the hospital. â€Å"Sometimes I think that maybe it’s because of my past deeds, it might have been my karma that caused even my daughters to have to suffer. Being a father made me realized how much the heart hurts when parents see their chi ldren suffer, like how my mother used to feel.Even now, I haven’t revealed all Rita’s condition to my Thai wife. I’m worried she may not be able to take it. Sometimes she will cry while looking at the long deep surgery scars running on Rita’s back. .† Kong said. â€Å"I’m really grateful for my family and relatives who knew of my past, but still accepted me, loved and cared for my daughters as their own too. † Kong added. Even though life may not have turn up perfect, family is now the fuel and motivation for Kong to not turn back his old ways, to be a responsible father and son.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Relative Rates: Free-Radical Bromination

BroIn this experiment of the relative rates of free-radical chain bromination, we were expected to be able to determine the relative reactivates of the many types of hydrogen atoms involved toward bromine atoms. Bromination is defined to be a regioselective reaction meaning bromine has preference of making or breaking a bond over all other directions that it may have had available.In this case, Markovnikov’s rule is revealed to be the case in this situation that states that adding a protic acid represented as HX to an alkene (sp2 hybridized), the hydrogen from that HX would be attracted to a carbon with the least alkyl groups and the halide (X) would become more attracted and will attach to the carbon containing more alkyl groups. Within the intermediate stage of the bromination reaction, the bromine radical will have already formed and the electronegatively charged radical will have a choice of how to protonate in order to create a stable carbocation.In order to determine the se sp3 hybridized carbons stability, it can be determined by knowing that while comparing, if there are less alkyl groups attached to a carbocation, then there would not be enough electrons to slightly mask over the positive charge on that certain carbocation. Due to this, the more alkyl groups that are attached, the more stable the carbocation would be due to the fact that the electron flow in the electron cloud slightly donates to the carbocation making it almost completely stable.During the experiment, we were expected to organize two groups of tubes with methylene chloride with their respective hydrocarbon (10 drops) as well as the addition of a small amount of bromine. One group of tubes was set in the light and one was set in the dark and when compared, you were already able to see that the ethylbenzene and toluene were the fastest to react in both situations.Due to this fact we can tell since they were the fastest reacting, they can be associated with the fact that they were more than likely secondary and primary benzylic carbons due to their excellent stability and fast reactions. The only other tube that reacted through observation (by eye) by the end of the experiment was the methylcyclohexane; and we could tell that it had slightly reacted by it’s slight orange color, but was not still completely red like the others(sign of bromine).The next most stable carbocation form would be the tertiary aliphatic carbon, so we will infer that this is what has occurred in this case. Due to the fact that methylcyclohexane is sp3 hybridized, we can pin point that our assumption that the bromination is tertiary aliphatic because it is stable with there being three alkyl groups present which means that the electrons within these groups are delocalized and are contained within an orbital that extends over the adjacent atoms involved. The last two tubes to react within the group were cyclohexane and t-butylbenzene in that order.When first added the bromine, the se two were the only ones that seemed to remain red longer and remained the same shade of red even after all of the other tubes had reacted. The reaction of cyclohexane however was expected to react slightly more than the t-butylbenzene due to the fact that the positive charge on the carbocation is delocalized â€Å"better† when there are more alkyl groups involved. This will match up the two with secondary (cyclohexane) and primary aliphatic (t-butylbenzene) bromination.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Anthropology (Cultural Diversity) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Anthropology (Cultural Diversity) - Essay Example This could also be a cultural symbol since "sun" can also signify something different in other cultures. Shamans, in some societies have priest-like roles. They often serve several functions such as healing, fortune-telling, and dealing with souls or serving as the connection between the physical and the spiritual world. However, the difference between a shaman and a priest is that the priest's role focuses more on conveying the teachings of God. The priest does not engage in fortune-telling, but instead, sets out to instill in people's minds how they should live their lives, according to the written commandments. Witches, on the other hand, are considered as the priests' female counterpart. However, their religious obligations are more on the care for nature and the maintenance of peace. A Monomyth is basically divided into three stages- the Departure or Separation, the Initiation and the Return. Below is an example of a heroic story, which is derived from one of the most well-known movies and Monomyth, The Lord of the Rings. The story begins with the hero living peacefully and quietly in a cottage, just beside a stream. Everything starts to shaken up when he meets his uncle who leaves a letter at his doorstep.

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Calvinism and Ephesians Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Calvinism and Ephesians - Essay Example It stands for Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace and the Perseverance of the saints. These Five Points were adopted by the Synod of Dordt (or Dordrecht), each point the subject of a chapter or head of the Canons of Dordt. According to the followers of Calvin, the Five Points "set forth clearly the biblical teaching on the sovereignty and particularity of the grace of God in salvation."1 Total depravity" is often mistaken to mean that humans are all hopelessly, intensely sinful. Actually, it means something quite different: as a result of Adam and Eve's disobedience to God -- the Fall of Man -- sin has extended to all parts of every person's being: "his thinking, his emotions and his will." Sometimes, this has been called "Total inability." This is the concept that it is impossible for the ordinary "natural" human to understand the Gospel's message. They are spiritually helpless. First, God must first decide to intervene in the form of the third personality within the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, the person is lost forever. 2 This is seen in Romans 5:12: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" and in Mark 4:11: "And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables."3 Unconditional Election is the concept of predestination: that God has divided humanity into two groups. One group is "the elected." It includes all those whom God has chosen to make knowledgeable about himself. The rest will remain ignorant of God, and the Gospel. They are damned and will spend eternity in Hell without any hope of mercy or cessation of the extreme tortures. God made this selection before the universe was created, and thus before any humans existed. The ground or grounds that God uses to select the lucky few is unknown. What is known is that it is not through any good works on the part of the individual. It is not that he extends knowledge to some in order to find out who will accept salvation and who will not. There is a degree of tension within the Bible concerning precise division of responsibility between God and humans on this matter. The Bible does not resolve this issue. Hyper-Calvinists believe that a person has zero responsibility for their own salvation; it is all up to God. Arminians teach that humans have free will and thus can accept or resist the call of God.4 This is supported by Romans 9:15: "For he saith to

Monday, October 7, 2019

Essay (mass communication) Review assay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

(mass communication) Review assay - Essay Example The new media has made access of information easier than ever, it offers a communication and information in a delightful, interesting and useful manner. Theorists (Livingstone & Lievrouw 2006, Manovich 2003) asserts that media like feature films, television programs, newspapers, magazines, books and other paper based publications do not include in the new media. The new media has emerged as a forceful component of the modern communications during the past two and a half years. Before 1980s media users relied upon older forms of media including television, radio, books and newspapers. The new manipulative nature of the new media has raised many questions since the information disseminated through this can be controlled and distorted in order to achieve specific political, cultural, or social goals. Due to this force of the new media globalisation is taking place and the social and cultural values are expanding beyond the boundaries of specific nation states (Flew 2002). One of the most important features of the new media is its interactivity. Various users can interact to each other in a very effective manner (Manovich 2003). The interactivity of the information is also important since various sources of information are available on the internet which can be compared, contrasted and evaluated interactively. This feature allows speedy communication and convenient access to the sources of information. Plenty of theorists have presented their theories concerning the new media, its characteristics and its implications on the social, cultural, political and psychological values of the people using it. Sonia Livingstone is one such theorist who has shed light on the new media as an object of research. She is concerned with the every changing nature of the Internet as an object of research. Livingstone argues that the audio-visual based Internet of the late 2000s is extremely different from the text-based media of the late 1990s (2005, p. 12). Livingstone

Sunday, October 6, 2019

New Zealand Bank Lending Practice Research Proposal

New Zealand Bank Lending Practice - Research Proposal Example Personal Lending is one such area where the lending rates are higher as compared to other conventional users of banking thus finance companies tend to bet more on them and in the process sometimes violate their own lending criterion. Finance Companies in New Zealand are continuously heating up the personal lending market by allowing generous limits to the consumers. In this process they tend to violate their own lending policies also. This research will undertake to analyze the reasons behind the violations of the lending policies by Finance companies in New Zealand. The current subprime crisis in US clearly suggest that finance companies including Banks have tended to avoid exercising general prudence while making lending decisions. Getting consumer credit through various financial institutions especially banks requires consumers to maintain a certain degree of credit rating in order to qualify for those loans. Unlike large corporate companies, consumers or rather individuals pose a different challenge and dynamics to financial institutions to cater their needs for credit and formal funding requirements of these individuals. It is because of this reason that various banks and financial institutions have developed their internal rating methodologies which they assign to various consumers asking for credit. Banks than through their internal as well external credit scores or ratings decide to whom they should provide the credit. These criteria of credit rating often are designed to be tough since Banks in order to avoid defaults, tighten their cri teria to extend the credit to these customers. However, due to increasing needs of those customers, whose credit history or their credit ratings do not fall under the criteria laid down by the banks, banks try to accommodate them also. Most of the banking groups within Australia and New Zealand have therefore entered into practices which defy the most basic precautions when lending in personal loan market. This is now resulting into increasing provisions from the banks. (Verrender, 2008) Statement of the Purpose and Significance of the study The study is significant in the sense that it would be one of its kinds to study the qualitative reasons behind this phenomenon and may lead us to the indications of the financial procyclicality impacts on the financial sector of New Zealand. The so called KiwiSaver rules have allowed banks to charge interest rates much beyond the normal rates despite the fact that Card debits especially in case of Credit Cards, Mortgages as well as personal loans are tied up with the mortgages of the customer. In this way, they get extra and in order to earn extra, they loose or violate their lending practices to accommodate the borrowers. (Stock, 2008) Further, to this, Finance Companies in the country are considered to be more aggressive while making lending decisions which in turn put pressures on the overall liquidity position in the financial sector thus effectively straining the resources of the nation. It is believed that the Finance companies in New Zealand have not yet fully developed the credit scoring models also to effectively