Assessing the performance of the royal mail - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1386 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Management Essay Type Case study Did you like this example? The Royal Mail (RM) is the national postal service for the United Kingodm, it was founded in 1666, and is a public limited company owned by the British government, in affect a Quango. The RM is responsible for universal mail collection and delivery in the UK. Letters are deposited in a pillar or wall box, taken to a post office, or collected in bulk from businesses. Deliveries are made at least once every day except Sundays and Bank Holidays at uniform charges for all destinations within the UK. It was not until 2006 that the RM lost its 350 year monopoly (Wikipedia 2010). A year later Industrial action took place over pay, conditions and pensions. This action was repeated more recently in 2009. In this essay I will touch on the main reasons for this industrial action by postal workers and discuss whether or not it will help RMs problems, looking deeper into the organisations structure and culture. For years as the RM operated within a monopoly it was a good source of income for the Government of the day, due to this over the decades all profits were creamed off and reinvestment never took place to help modernise the RM. While globalisation meant the world around the UK was forever evolving, global postal services were emerging with more hi-tech and profitable services, benefiting from larger economies of scale. These two factors combined meant when the postal market became derestricted in 2006 RM had a lot of catching up to do with and no money to do it with; leading to a wave of cost cutting by RM as they tried to become competitive, becoming more automated and cutting jobs. If you look back through RMs history not much has changed about how the organisation is structured, how they operate and their culture as an iconic British service. They have their own post boxs, their own trademark colour and brand, these have remained constant for decades, that is up until recently. As soon as RM came into contact with the full effect of globalisation in the form of multinational cross continental efficient postal services, culture and structure took a back seat. Run now by managers looking for bonuses and trying to increase competitiveness, employee relations became strained as disillusion and conflicts of interest became apparent between workers and management. Management practices changed as new goals and objectives were formed, Organisational culture provides meanings for routine organisational events, thereby reducing the amount of cognitive processing and energy members need to expend throughout the day. An organisations culture can be something it has or something it is. Management can use an organisations culture to guide workers into making rational decisionsIn essence Smircich believed that if an organisation had a positive culture that was in line with an organisations objectives, employees choices regarding an organisations processes would become rational. It would create an identity that all employees belong to and work for rather than against, allowing managers to steer employees in a chosen direction. RM has an engineered culture, a theory from The broad alternative or competing perspective on organisational culture is that culture is something that an organisation is. Meek (1988:459) said most anthropologists would find the idea that leaders create culture preposterous: leaders (according to anthropology) do not create culture, it emerges from the collective social interaction of groups and communities. RM believe a hastype of culture will inevitably improve their bottom line. However by controlling workers actions and behaviour by enforcing a culture, RM has left workers without a way of expressing any dissatisfaction without taking group action, they feel they have to put up and shut up. A lack of choices for workers is what was intended by RM to increase productivity and decrease the amount of decisions made by workers; however this has backfired as workers become so dissatisfied it leads to ultimatums between RM and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and therefore strike action. Striking is a last resort however because there is an opportunity cost for the lost income and a detrimental effect on relationships with both employers and customers. However workers have needs, both financial and psychological that has to be fulfilled to wish to work. Therefore if workers are dissatisfied industrial action and strikes will take place. Peters and Waterman are firm believes in is cultures and summed up their views on the has perspective by stating RM has put too much emphasis on controlling their culture; as opposed to listening to their workforce and realising it does not work. On the other hand as Meek stated earlier, it may not be wholly RMs managers fault, an organisations culture is also decided by the employees If therefore RMs workers share some of the responsibility for RMs culture today, should they be taking strike action and would this not make it worse? Yet this negative culture felt by RMs workers is exactly why they are taking strike action they are not happy with the modernisation culture, thrust upon them by management. If they are indeed partially responsible and now that the situation has gone out of their control and not to their liking so going on strike, then they are making the situation worse. Striking for the sake of regaining control would be bad for RM as a whole, both employers and employees alike. It makes them more unproductive amplifying the situation. In 1973 Pettigrew stated that he thought politics and bureaucracy was as much a part of an organisation as it was society and government. In which case problems within an organisation are quite possibly inevitable, however by forcing changes in culture upon workers and trapping them RM management have made it worse. From a workers prospective if they see the organisation they work for publishing profits that have doubled over a year, they are going to feel they need compensating. Workers feel RMs decisions and culture changes have cost them job security, flexible hours, pay and quality of life. Therefore they would strike to fight for a better deal. However this could just be workers being unreasonable and greedy. If we look at it from RMs point of view, they have produced increased profits, does this not therefore mean that the organisation is functioning correctly and efficiently and that the imposed culture by management has worked. Therefore should RM change at all, if it is working and they are becoming competitive, in the long run the workers will realise their jobs are safer with a more productive organisation. Meaning the strikes are not solving the companies problems but making them worse. Organisational structure is defined 2). Because RM has been set in its ways for so long not having to change its structure it has become redundant. Its difficult adjusting to changing times and a faster pace of business. Adam Crozier, C hief Executive of RM is reported as saying in an article by the Guardian Online, Change is difficult for everyone but Royal Mail has no alternative but to change and modernise if it is to compete in todays highly competitive communications market and keep on delivering the postal service on which so many depend, (Thursday 10 December 2009). This shows just how much the RM must change to compete with competitors if the chef executive is publically acknowledging it. By striking they hope RM will meet their demands and by doing so they will work more productively and therefore they argue RM profits and competitiveness should be maintained. This leads into the case of globalisation, while structure and culture of RM are important; surviving in a now free market is the aim of the game. Firms such as FedEx and DHL have been able to grow unhindered and with investment for years, allowing them to benefit from greater economies of scale and more efficient services. Strikes and poor servic e in 2007 led to RM loosing its second largest contract with Amazon, this shows how strikes can cause RMs problems to get worse. Amazon would now have the opportunity to go to a competitor to deliver its parcels, competing directly with Parcel Force worldwide, RMs parcel delivery service. As When RM realised it had to become more competitive, it cut costs to be able to offer lower prices. This cost cutting led to a restructuring and investment in machinery such as sorting machines that caused the redundancy of nearly 30,000 jobs. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Assessing the performance of the royal mail" essay for you Create order

Goal Setting and Overcoming Immunity to Change - 2738 Words

In March, my PSYC class was presented with a challenge - to identify a personal improvement goal and to address this issue using an Immunity to Change map. My lengthy list of personal struggles was quickly narrowed down to one item with focused reflection. My improvement goal was to engage in productive thoughts and behaviors that would provide better time management practices. I was initially looking to improve my behaviors at home so that it would translate into success in all areas of my life including my career. With thoughtful observation and consideration, the Immunity to Change (ITC) map provided a developmentally raw process that continues to help me focus on my improvement goal today. Although I am still working on this goal,†¦show more content†¦These are ideas that are not questioned whether it is based in reality or not. Once the map has been filled out, it is time to formulate an experiment to gather information and to make observations about the big assumptio ns. Starting the process is a daunting task. However, as it unfolds, details about more obvious issues are productively explored. Also, unexpected connections may be discovered. Studying the Constructive Development Theory (CDT) also provided a foundation to identify where I fit on the spectrum of adult development. Constructive developmental theory is an eye opening explanation of how people make meaning at different stages of consciousness. This theory identifies numerous areas of human development that an individual may be â€Å"subject to† or â€Å"hold object.† Each phase of development designates twelve specific factors that humans will use to make meaning from. Analyzing how a person’s meaning making or pinpointing the factors they are â€Å"subject to† or â€Å"hold object,† helps us to define an individual’s Order of Mind. Jennifer Garvey Berger (1999) explains in her guide, Key Concepts for Understanding the Work of Robert Kegan , that â€Å"things that are Subject are by definition experienced as unquestioned, simply part of self† (p. 2). For me, this concept revealed that I was subject to my behavior and attitude regarding my personal time management. I considered my lack ofShow MoreRelatedInitiating Change from Within - Change Leadership Essay2167 Words   |  9 Pages Initiating Change from Within Introduction There is an old saying that goes, â€Å"the only thing permanent in life is change†, this holds true for almost everything in life. Even our bodies attest to that fact. We are not the same physiologically, mentally and psychologically as we were, say, ten years ago. Change is inherent in the world that we live in. If change is something that is inherent in nature, it seems that resisting change is something that comes with it naturally. 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Classroom Management And Discipline In Regular Classrooms Free Essays

In â€Å" Learning to Teach, Teaching to Learn, † Harry and Rosemary Wong describe the successes and the jobs encountered by Jessica Fenton, who portions how she overcame some major obstructions she faced in her first twelvemonth of instruction. Fenton ‘s first challenge was that she was trained as an simple school instructor, but upon graduation, she was offered ( and accepted ) a place learning 9th grade English. Fenton felt overwhelmed and unprepared from the beginning, confronting jobs that were ne’er addressed in her college instruction classs. We will write a custom essay sample on Classroom Management And Discipline In Regular Classrooms or any similar topic only for you Order Now She was beguiling her clip instruction, coaching, chaperoning school dances, volunteering on assorted commissions, and assisting with graduation. Fenton was working from seven A.M. to midnight and still felt unprepared. By Christmas interruption of her first twelvemonth of instruction, Fenton was close to giving up on her dreams of being a instructor. Alternatively, she decided it was clip for a alteration and committed herself to larning how to go a better instructor. She attended seminars, attended workshops, read books, and stole any good thought she discovered along the manner. Fenton shortly realized that, with a few alterations, she could turn it all about. She started by developing a list of processs that would do her schoolroom modus operandis run swimmingly. Using the three measure theoretical account taught in The First Days of School by Harry Wong, Fenton taught these processs to her pupils by explicating each process, patterning and practising them with the category, and implementing a method of follow through to reenforce each process. Once Fenton created a new degree of direction and organisation to her schoolroom, she was able to learn with easiness. She besides distributed two press releases to her pupils. The first was a department-wide class lineation that explained the literature they would be analyzing, how they would be graded, and the policies for assignments and prep. Most significantly, at the underside of the paper was this statement: â€Å" The grade of success earned by the pupil will depend on committedness and ownership. If the three participants: pupil, parent/guardian, and teacher, work together, the pupil will see success. † This press release was sent place to parents and defenders to see. The 2nd press release was a Course Information page that laid out her major processs, listed the specific dislocation of how each twenty-four hours was traveling to be run, explained their forenoon bellwork, what to convey to category every twenty-four hours, and how they were to form their work. When F enton returned to school from the vacation interruption, she was a changed instructor. Because Fenton set clear outlooks of her pupils and herself, she set the phase for a successful remainder of the twelvemonth. At the beginning of the school twelvemonth in 2009, Fenton got the chance to run into her long-time graven image, Erin Gruwell, the instructor of the Freedom Writers. As a new instructor in Long Beach, CA, Gruwell was shocked to larn that merely one pupil in her category knew of the Holocaust. At that minute, she decided that her course of study would focus on on tolerance. Gruwell inspired 150 deprived pupils write their narratives, do films about their lives, keep diaries, read books about other adolescents, and associate the stuffs they studied to their ain lives. These pupils became known as the Freedom Writers. Gruwell founded the Freedom Writer Foundation in 1997. The end of the foundation is to â€Å" animate immature pupils to pick up pens alternatively of guns. † Now Gruwell portions her experiences with instructors across the state. After run intoing Fenton, Gruwell offered her an chance to come to the Freedom Writer Institute in California. Fenton gracefully attende d the Institution, and took what she learned back to her schoolroom. Fenton and Gruwell portion a deep passion for pupils and their profession. One of Fenton ‘s ends is to associate to each of her pupils in a personal manner. Now, on the first twenty-four hours of school, Fenton begins with a Power Point presentation presenting herself, her personal grounds for why she loves to learn, and fun facts about herself. Subsequently, her pupils make full out an in-class checklist to place the manner they learn best, what their concerns are, and what countries of the stuff they are fighting with. This encourages unfastened communicating between Fenton and her pupils. Inspired by Gruwell, Fenton sets high outlooks for her pupils by holding them make full out a study that asks what grade they hope to accomplish and how they plan to make so. The pupils are required to subscribe a statement that states their personal committedness to accomplishing their ends. Fenton is now in her 4th twelvemonth of instruction, and she believes that she has the best occupation in the universe. As an active subscriber to the New Brunswick Teachers ‘ Association and a member of the Ad Hoc Planning Committee, she portions her passion and dedication to doing a difference in her pupils ‘ lives. Though Fenton is a successful instructor, her end is to go on to larn from her pupils and to go a better pedagogue. Analysis The text edition states that Jacob Kounin conducted schoolroom surveies in the 1960 ‘s to nail the best manner to near schoolroom direction and subject. He found that good instructors used identifiable processs for deriving pupil attending and clear uping outlooks. These thoughts, which coincide with the Managerial attack, were used by Jessica Fenton to go a more effectual instructor. By puting up clear regulations, processs, and outlooks, Fenton was able to pull off and form her schoolroom in the 2nd half of her first twelvemonth. This is the recommended attack for new instructors, and one time in topographic point in, Fenton ‘s schoolroom modus operandis flowed swimmingly. By puting up clear modus operandis and processs, her pupils were organized and ready to larn. This besides left less chance for misbehaviour, because Fenton was maximising their acquisition clip. The text edition besides discusses the work of William Glasser, a head-shrinker and a great educational mind. He believes there are seven linking wonts that instructors can utilize to better dealingss between themselves and their pupils: lovingness, listening, back uping, lending, promoting, swearing, and befriending. These wonts, portion of the Humanistic attack, are used by Fenton to better her relationship with her pupils. On the first twenty-four hours of school Fenton portions facts about herself that allow the pupils to acquire to cognize her better. She besides uses an in-class checklist, in which the pupils tell her about themselves and their concerns. This opens up the lines of communicating between pupil and instructor, and promotes a figure of the linking wonts mentioned by Glasser. Fenton besides promotes ripening by holding the pupils fill out a study inquiring the class they hope to accomplish, and how they plan to make so. The pupils sign a personal committedness to ac complishing this end. In drumhead, the acquisition in Jessica Fenton ‘s schoolroom did non happen merely for her pupils. Because she was passionate about her pupils and her profession, she worked to better fix herself as an pedagogue. Her penetration was non new, as evidenced in the work of Kounin and Glasser, but her cognition of the attack to learning was new to her. Her committedness to personal growing and larning sets a criterion for her pupils to follow. A Wong, Harry and Rosemary. â€Å" Learning to Teach, Teaching to Learn. † Teachers.Net. Mar. 2010. Web. 04 June 2010. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //teachers.net/wong/MAR10/ gt ; . How to cite Classroom Management And Discipline In Regular Classrooms, Essay examples

The Double Entry System free essay sample

According to the double entry accounting system, a business transaction affects at least two accounts and the debit and credit amounts recorded for the affected accounts must be balanced. These transactions will be recorded in the appropriate books of accounts. Business entities develop a chart of accounts, a list of account titles with their corresponding account codes that the business will use in recording and posting in the books of accounts and in reporting in the financial statements. Double Entry System was invented for the first time by Lucas Pacioli’ of Italy in the year 1494 in Venice but it was developed in England. This system is based on the truth that every business transaction involves two .parties— (1) Receiver and (2) Giver. There can not be any business transaction by only one party. If one part is giver of any thing, there must be one more party-receiver. If one part is seller; there must be the other party purchases. We will write a custom essay sample on The Double Entry System or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Receiver of the transaction is debtor and the giver is the creditor. Thus the transactions take place between two parties, according to Double Entry System every transaction is recorded twice. One party is the debtor and the other party is giver. Receiver is the debtor and giver is the creditor. Accuracy of accounts. The greatest advantage of Double Entry System is that arithmetical accuracy of accounts can be checked easily. Since every transaction is recorded twice, a Trial Balance can be prepared and it can be known whether each transaction has been correctly recorded twice or not. By applying. Double Entry Principle every transaction is recorded twice. Trial Balance can easily be prepared and with the help of Trial Balance Trading and Profit and Loss can be easily prepared to ascertain the gross profit or gross loss or net profit or net loss of the business. Knowledge of Financial Position. Financial position of the business can be known easily. By preparing Balance Sheet one can know what assets are possessed by the business and what liabilities are due by the business. Chances of fraud meager. By applying Double Entry Principles chances of committing fraud is very much minimized. If fraud is committed, it can be easilychecked by verification and auditing of accounts. †¢Comparison of Expenses— Comparison of expenses of the current year with the previous can easily be made. The system of double-entry bookkeeping does have the capa ¬bility of making a positive contribution towards economic growth. Although the ability of double-entry to reveal the success or failure of a business enterprise for a specific period of lime was not valued by the early merchants, double-entrys capacity to accumulate data on individual performing activities, combined with its ability to bring order to the affairs and accounts of these merchants, rationalized the economic activities of the early English merchants

The Magic of Ritual by Tom F. Driver free essay sample

Critical review of theological cultural study of roles meaning of rituals as vital part of human life. Tom F. Driver, in The Magic of Ritual: Our Need for Liberating Rites that Transform Our Lives Our Communities, presents a theological and cultural study of the roles and significance of rituals in society. The author argues that rituals are not merely decorative additions to social relationships and identity, but rather are crucial for life to have any meaning or sense at all. He further argues that modern society is in danger of completely losing its bearings because it has discounted the importance of such rituals. Driver is as much as saying that as a nations rituals go, so goes the entire nation: To lose ritual is to lose the way. It is a condition not only painful and pathetic but also dangerous. Some people it destroys. As for the whole society, sooner or

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson in The Hound Of The Baskervilles Essay Example

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson in The Hound Of The Baskervilles Essay Example Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson in The Hound Of The Baskervilles Paper Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson in The Hound Of The Baskervilles Paper Essay Topic: Literature The Hound of the Baskervilles There are five main points I am going to explain about the different aspects of Holmes and Watsons relationship and how each point adds to the enjoyment of the novel. The first obvious main point to start with is that the book is Holmes biography. All the Sherlock Holmes books are all about what Watson does with Holmes on their cases and at home before and after each case. This particular tale however, is not only based at home and in one other place, its based on a few different places like Devonshire, Coombe Tracey etc. Watson always tells the storyline, as he is the biographer of these cases and of Sherlock Holmes life. This is evidence of the books authenticity, as this could physically happen in real life. As well as this being the biography of Sherlock Holmes, it is also an autobiography for Watson. It is shown in this book especially, as there are a few chapters where Holmes is not in the book itself, only written to by Watson. We see this point right at the beginning of the book, when it says Mr Sherlock Holmes, who was usually very late in the mornings, save upon those not infrequent occasions when he stayed up all night, was seated at the breakfast table. This shows us that Watson has been around Holmes for a while as he even knows and writes what time Holmes wakes up in the morning. This is telling us that Holmes and Watson must have been friends for a number of years because otherwise Watson would not have know about what time Holmes wakes up etc. The second main point is that Holmes and Watson are obviously very close friends but although they are such close friends their friendship is very strange as they have a very competitive side to it. The bizarre relationship between Watson and Holmes is shown especially when Holmes is listening to Watson saying what he thinks of the stick, letting Watson think hes getting it all right when actually Holmes has a completely different answer. Another time Conan Doyle adds to their friendship is by telling us the extent of which they know each other. For when I see the stub of a cigarette marked Bradley, Oxford Street, I know that my friend Watson is in the neighbourhood. This shows us how much Holmes knows about Watson. He knows that he smokes and even which brand he smokes. By using the word friend he also is explaining that it is because of his friendship, that he is able to recognize it being Watsons stub. This could also mean that this brand was not such a popular type of cigarette and Holmes knew that Watson did in fact actually like it. This makes the book extremely enjoyable to read by allowing us to see a friendship that is so realistic that its like we are actually there. No friendship is perfect and there is, like theirs, a very competitive side to any friendship. There are points in the book when we see how much Watson actually trusts Holmes. This is shown especially right at the beginning of the book, when Holmes goes to wake up Watson. This proves that Holmes is allowed to enter Watsons room and is also allowed to wake him up at any time he wants. The third main point is that they are both partners in the work of investigation and although they are only work partners, we feel at home since they are still friends and its a pleasant environment to be in. Although they are close friends, we do see that they are still work partners as every time they sit down to drink a cup of tea, they are always talking about the case that they are currently dealing with, rather than a joke that someone said in a pub last night, for example. Holmes and Watson do not have equal positions in the job that they work in. Holmes is more of the solver and does not go out to explore. He uses his mental knowledge rather than his physical capabilities as he says in chapter one I have been to Devonshire in spirit we see from here that Holmes is a man of much intellect and can picture things in his head without actually leaving the place where hes at. Watson, on the other hand, is the explorer or the worker, the man who does all the physical work, searching for clues. Holmes still thinks of Watson as an amazing detective and very important to every case he does, as he mentions twice in the book about Watson being the man of action (page 140) and also him being there at the hour of action (page 30) this is showing us how Holmes is the superior one and Watson is inferior the pair. This also provides us with entertainment whilst reading this book because we see that Holmes is a man of much intellect and a controlling genius and its as if Watson is almost running behind him saying wait up, I know what the answer is although he actually has got the wrong side of the stick. Both detectives need and value each others help in this work and it is enjoyable to watch them working together to figure out the case. There is within the friendship of Holmes and Watson an aspect of Master and Apprentice or Schoolmaster and Pupil. This is shown a lot throughout the book; especially in Chapter One when Watson is saying what he thinks has happened to the stick and how old it is. Holmes sits and listens and occasionally comments, good or excellent. This shows how Holmes is treating Watson like a schoolchild who has just answered a question correctly. Also when Holmes makes a right deduction, he says the deduction so matter-of-factly, almost like hes trying to teach him the way to work it out, for example when Holmes says Do none suggest themselves? You know my methods. Apply them! and also when he says as to the latter part he says this as if the answer is obvious and why would anyone think different! This is another element that adds humour to this incredible book. It does this by making the story sound like two people, one who is literally always being bossed around by the other and yet he still follows the bossy one about. At one point of the book, though, we see that Watson is offended and he says, Then you use me, and yet do not trust me. But as a whole we know that Watson and Holmes are very friendly with each other and each one doesnt mind the other ones faults. The construction of the story is written in a narrative point- this is the final point I wish to raise in this essay and is quite different to the other elements previously written in this book the narrator is actually the sidekick; Using a sidekick is a very useful thing for an author whilst writing a book or making a film about detectives. The vast majority of all detectives have one or more sidekicks. We see in G. k Chestertons books there are always Father Brown and his sidekick Flambeau. In Agatha Christies detective stories there is always Hercule Poirut and Colonel Hastings. All these amazing detective stories have the common denominator of a sidekick. Having a sidekick enables the author, in this case, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to control the flow of the information that gets passed to the audience. Sometimes an author can use this technique to create an irony in the story or the other way round just to confuse the readers. Sometimes by having a sidekick, it can even make people feel they are in the story by letting the readers find out something very crucial to the storyline at the same time as the characters. When they found out that the dog had killed Selden instead of Sir Henry was an exciting and relieving part of the book where one felt the same as the characters. When they found out who it was who was trying to kill Sir Henry or even at the time when Mr and Mrs Stapleton were found out not to be brother and sister. All of the times, we experience similar feeling to the narrator. It can also help to display the emotions between Holmes and Watson at different times throughout the book. Watson becoming angry in the middle of the book because of something he had not found out that Holmes had known is an example of when the relationship of Holmes and Watson gets a bit tangled up. There are lots of different aspects of the relationship between Holmes and Watson. All these aspects have been thought about before writing the book and this is what makes the book so enjoyable.

Basic Network Technology, Structure, and Protocols Essay - 2

Basic Network Technology, Structure, and Protocols - Essay Example These tutorials are meant to shed light on the networking topics covered by students in college. They can also be used for references purposes by engineers and computer scientists. The projects done by students are meant for visual demonstrations on what the tutorials cover. For instance, the client-server flash interactive animation covers protocols and computer networks in general. It is a project done in 2005 by Roman Margolis and Slav Podolsky. Animations are usually developed to show, visually, what might not be clear when just put into words alone. The 2005 animation project shows how communication happens over the internet. This normally happens via the client server architecture; as the tutorial explains. A client communicates with a server and the server responds with the information requested for by the client and sends that information. Servers are numerous and are situated at various locations around the globe. Servers can be within the same room as a client computer whil e others can be remote. The protocols described in the tutorial are: IP between client-server, address resolution DNS and ICMP. The internet communications flash animation is very interactive. This is very useful as it provides detailed information and explanations as well as graphical representations of the topic it describes. This tutorial is not only useful to computer science students but also lovers of technology and the curious computer user who may want to know how some things work on the internet. It explains how to go about surfing the internet for certain information. The computer is personified for humor purposes and it definitely does not fall short in that regard. The interactivity that the two above tutorials provide is the sole reason I choose to go through them and learn a thing or two. They are easy to understand – I believe anybody can understand them. As for the business purposes that the tutorials can be used for, animated

Personality and Time Perception Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personality and Time Perception - Essay Example Stress-depleted attention processes become focused on task relevant activities and attention to time-based cues is inhibited, that distorts perceptions of time-in-passing and for time recollection in memory (Hancock & Weaver, 2005). Time perception with regard to personality traits has had some investigation, initiated by Eysenck's interest in the study of personality. Eysenck determined that two pre-dominant personality factors existed; the tendency to experience negative emotions (Neuroticism [N]); and the tendency to enjoy positive events (Extroversion [E]). E and N provided a 2-dimensional space to describe individual differences in behavior, very similar to the longitude and latitude coordinates on a global map. Eysenck's strength was to construct a model that detailed the causes of personality (Eysenck, 1970). He suggested that extraversion was the result of variability in cortical arousal; and that introverts tended to have higher levels of activity as compared to extraverts, and were inherently more cortically aroused than extraverts (Hancock & Weaver, 2005). This at first may appears counterintuitive, only that the solitary behavior of introverts seeks to dampen cortical stimulation, whereas the extravert seeks to heighten their levels of stimulation though impulsiveness and openness to experience. These patterns of behavior can be predicted using the Yerkes-Dodson Law (i.e., an empirical relationship between arousal and performance). So that performance increases with cognitive arousal but only to a certain pointl, when levels of arousal become too high, performance will decrease. There appears to be an optimal level of arousal for any given task (Twenge, Catanese, & Baumeister, 2003).One study that investigated Eysenck's personality dimensions and perceptions of time used the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ-R) and two temporal discrimination tasks. It was found that participant accuracy in the timing of brief intervals was unrelated to EPQ-R scores. And that accuracy of timing for longer intervals between 1-2 seconds was found to be significantly associated with the personality dimension of psychoticism (P), an introvert trait (Lienert & Rammsayer, 1998). Overall, introverts defined as low-P performed the most poorly of all the EPQ-R categories.Clearly, there is limited literature available that investigates correlations between time perception and the personality trait Extroversion. This is a fault, as time perception dysfunctions have been related to impulsiveness and anti-social behaviors. The concept of impulsivity was stated by Eysenck to be a facet of extraversion (Eysenck, 1970). It appears that the cognitive tempo, or internal clocks, of the "impulsive" individual may run faster than those deemed "non-impulsive." Sp that the impulsive person is more likely to overestimate and underproduce time intervals (Hancock & Weaver, 2005). Contemporary literature generally considers impulsivity to be a trait in its own right that is highly correlated with extraversion.Patients diagnosed with orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) damage have exhibited impulsive behavior as well as showing deficits in time perception. Further, damage to the OFC has been related to dis-inhibition or socially inappropriate behavior and emotional patterns (Berlin, Rolls, & Kischka, 2004). Hence, there

Retail Marketing and Logistics Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Retail Marketing and Logistics - Case Study Example This way they maintain good hold over quality and are in position to quickly phase off food items that outlive their utility. Gregg's have their own registered charitable trust and they are actively engaged in providing grants and donations for needy causes. Their social activities include the environment, children's cancer research, breakfast clubs that provide free, nutritious breakfast for primary school children in socially disadvantaged areas, and raise funds for children in need. Their exposure to these social activities gives them the advantage of maintaining good public relations and also the marketing thrust in new regions where they open shops. Their social obligations are noteworthy and they encourage their staff to be involved in these ventures. Apart from these, their emphasis on customer satisfaction is fundamental to their success. They also constantly review their product range to ensure quality, taste and value for money. Products that appear to lose popularity are taken off the shelves without much loss of time. The products on display reveal a rich variety of food items and invite the buyers to purchase and try them. The shop design is continually modified and refined to improve the shopping experience. They are also ever on the lookout for new opportunities to open shops in areas where they perceive their products have demand (Greggs). Along with Retail Marketing Mix Along with the vision to open shops wherever there is the prospect for business, Greggs ensure that there is good management of their staff and their products are made to customer's satisfaction. This hawkish policy of making their presence where there is need has provided the company with good growth results. The company boasts of a sound system alive to customers needs and just waiting for opportunities to open shops in populated areas of towns and cities. Their marketing strategy is intrinsically held together in wooing the customers through the use of benign staff and products expertise. The policy of being where the customers are is responsible for the expansion of their business and in addition the customers are made to feel that they are welcome. The art of beguiling the customers with a smiling staff and healthy, hygienic foodstuff needs alert management trained to prod the manpower in the right direction of retention and growth (Greggs the Bakers (Shop)). The investment in purchasing or renting the shop premises is augmented with skilful handling of people in house and outside. Use of Relationship Marketing for Competitive Advantage Relationship management in Greggs is an aspect that they have diligently nurtured to secure competitive advantage. It is not only the relationship among the staff but also the way this translates with the customers. Even if the shop or outlet is small in comparison to the

Mr and Mrs Andrews Painting Analysis

Mr and Mrs Andrews Painting Analysis I chose to make the comparison between Gainsboroughs Mr Mrs Andrews and Shonebares Mr Mrs Andrews Without Their Heads because although the titles are similar and the concept is similar, there are distinct differences. The fundamental differences stem from the fact that Shonebare used mannequins, whereas Gainsborough painted in oil on canvas. Shonebare has excluded the landscape whereas Gainsborough has included his beloved landscape which is an important part of his paintings. These two artists are from two different backgrounds, different races and 235 years apart. The two pieces are an ocean apart: Gainsboroughs painting is hung in The National Gallery, London while Shonebares work is installed in The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Similarities The important differences in the two pieces are Gainsborough has a landscape in the background, whereas Shonebare has excluded this which alters the subject completely. For Gainsborough, the landscape was extremely important and by combining portraiture with landscape, this helped him to cover his love of landscape and at the same time earned a living, but it also gave us an historical insight into the landscapes in that period. Gainsboroughs sitters almost appear secondary, with the Andrews sitting under the oak tree and just about appearing in the portrait. The fact that Shonebare excludes the landscape is significant as the landscape depicts the wealth and status of Mr Andrews and by excluding this, Shonebare has appropriated a degree of this power and wealth. Gainsborough cursed the face business but Shonebares pieces without heads would not have worked in Gainsboroughs time for the simple fact that portraiture was popular in the mid 18th century. Portraitures were a way of indic ating to the world that a person had arrived. The face/eyes are the one thing that helps to give a human being identity it is like the window of a persons character and soul and by excluding this, there is an emptiness in Shonebares story, although one could argue that by being faceless the viewers can decide on the characters for themselves. Another significant factor in Shonebares Mr Mrs Andrew is by not having any heads, the eyes are drawn immediately to the beautiful vibrant fabrics. The Dutch Wax fabrics are important signifiers of Africa in Shonebares installation and although this is associated with Africa, it is in fact printed fabric based on Indonesians batik, manufactured in the Netherlands, Britain and other countries and exported to West Africa. This cloth has proved to be a rich and adaptable material, both literally and metaphorically, and it is vibrant and theatrical, although this particular installation is incongruous as the material does not marry up with the pe riod designs of the mid 18th century as it would have been highly unlikely gentlemen and ladies would have dressed in clothing from the sub-Continent, even though some of these materials are extremely expensive. Include in here Shonebares technique(why did he use material?)/Gainsboroughs brushstrokes (how has he managed to achieve such reality in his fabric? There is also something quite unsavoury about decapitated heads with the bodies still looking alive and I find the Shonebares mannequins quite surreal and disturbing having looked at this several times. Why however did Shonebare use headless characters? One of the reasons I expect could well be he wanted the characters to be mysterious but it is more likely that because Gainsboroughs painting is a celebration of deference and by being headless, Shonebare has somehow deflated their status. The eyes of Gainsboroughs Mr Mrs Andrews are staring straight at viewers, inviting them into their world. Expand here. In comparison to her neck, however, Gainsboroughs Mrs Andrews has extremely narrow shoulders which seems out of proportion to the rest of her body, and I wonder if this was naturally so or if it was to underscore that she was the subordinate of the two. Mrs Andrews faint smile indicates decorum although her narrow shoulders and posture reveals a degree of subjugation and possibly domination by her confident, no-nonsense husband. Shonebares Mrs Andrews posture has revealed a more confident looking woman with the shoulders being broader and the fact that the couple looks more equal has automatically transformed Shonebares mannequins into the 21st century. Gainsboroughs painting on the other hand is an anachronism of the past with the man standing next to his belongings: his wife, dog and gun and his land ownership in the background. Expand on Gainsborough here. Althou gh Shonebares installation is inside a building and there is just a plain background, he has managed to conjure up a feeling of a couple being outside of a building and the Rococo style bench could well have assisted in making this possible. When I look at Shonebares piece, I am thinking landed gentry but on looking again, my eyes tells me that there is incongruity as these bright colours would be classified as far too garish for these upwardly mobile folks in the middle of the English countryside. It shows Mrs Andrews in fine silk clothing, sitting on a Rococo style bench, sitting primly, while Mr Andrews is portrayed as a casually dressed gentleman with a dog and a gun, standing proudly before his sprawling land. Expand on both Mr Andrews clothes, figure and posture. I saw Mr Mrs Andrews at the National Gallery in late November 2009 and it is a relatively small oil on canvas, measuring 69.8 x 119.4 cms. It lacked that stiffness and grandeur associated with huge canvasses of that period. The young couple are shown in their Suffolk surroundings and it shows a distinctive style of portraiture, which does convey a degree of spontaneity and casualness, although that is not strictly true as the painting is highly organised. Robert Andrews would have been eager to display his latest agricultural advancement with the mechanical seed drill which was unusual in the mid-18 th century. Expand on Gainsboroughs landscape. Why did Shonebare not have a landscape/background? Why did he chose to have a 3-d installation? Could he have achieved a realistic landscape of that size in post-Modern Britain? Both artists are from completely different backgrounds and eras and to understand these pieces a little better, it is important to look in further details at their lives. Yinka Shonebare MBE was born 234 years later, in London in 1962 to Nigerian parents and lived in Battersea until his parents relocated to Lagos when he was 3. His father, a lawyer, wanted him to also study law but at 17 Shonebare returned to London and at 19 he chose to study art. He received his BA from Byam Shaw (now part of Central St Martins College of Art Design) and his MA from Goldsmith College, London University. A month into his art course he became seriously ill with a rare viral infection which attacked his spine and left him temporarily paralysed. He is now partially paralysed and walks using a stick. While at art school Shonebare was questioned by a lecturer about his choice of subject matter and why was it not more African? This started his journey of using Dutch Wax fabric as an apt metaphor for the entangled relationship between Africa and Europe in his installations. It has proved to be a rich and adaptable material, with the flexibility to be used in his installations, his paintings and in other projects he has undertaken. Shonebare works across the media of painting, sculpture, photography and filmmaking and has won several prizes, shortlisted for the Turner prize in 2004 and has been awarded the commission to make a work for the Trafalgar Square Fourth plinth in 2010. In 2005 he was awarded the MBE an award he has chosen to use as part of his artistic identity and uses this wherever his name is written. Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk, in 1727, fifth son of a cloth merchant. Having a keen interest in drawing as a child, at the tender age of 13, he was sent to London to study art in 1740. He was a founding member of the Royal Academy, but unlike his contemporary, Joshua Reynolds, he was never knighted. Gainsboroughs natural preference was always for landscape painting, but it was impossible for an English artist to make a living painting landscapes and so in 1748 he moved back to Suffolk where be became known as a portrait painter. He hated portrait painting and, like Reynolds, this was his main form of income but he felt it bounded him to the wishes of his sitters. .Nothing is worse than gentlemen I do portraits to live and landscapes because I love them, Gainsborough once said to a friend. In another letter to a friend he complained about the pressure of society portraiture, which he described as the cursd Face Business. Gainsborough was one of the most important English artists of his time. He was impressed by the natural rhythm of Dutch landscape paintings and became a dedicated admirer of Van Dyck. The focus of country life as a centre of power and privilege was faithfully reflected in Gainsboroughs art, and in Mr Mrs Andrews the landscape reflected this power and self-esteem. In this painting, his most famous, it shows Robert Andrews, Gainsboroughs childhood friend, with his wife Frances on their estate. They had been married on 10th November 1748 when he was 23 and she was 16 and it is believed that this was painted soon after their marriage. Robert Andrews inherited half of his fathers estate and the other half of the neighbouring pieces of land from his wifes father, William Carter. In Mr Mrs Andrews Gainsborough succeeded in painting both a portrait of the client and of the landscape which is natural and in fact it is possible to relocate the very tree under which the Andrews sat. Unlike the French artificial geometric gardens, he was concerned with freeing painting from any kind of stylisation although Gainsborough sometimes included his own landscape from his imagination.

A New Type of Film Essay -- Filmmaking Media Entertainment Movies Essa

A New Type of Film Every day we are one step closer to filmmaking being as easy as taking out the brush and oils for a painting (Veneruso, 1998). The new technologies that have emerged in films have been the latest in a string of inventions, to help make the film industry better. Films have become an important part of our culutre since they started being made and shown regularly around the world. Although new technology in films may be nothing compared with other technology, it does seem that this technology will benefit a lot of people, and help to improve the quality of the entertainment. These new technologies to the film industry all have important roles in the new industry. Computer generated images, subtitle technology, digital theatre systems, three-dimensnal sound, the colour and black & white technology and the new digital media technology are the main and most infulensal of these technologies for the film industry. First though to see how far films are technologically advancing we need to see have far they have come already, by following the history that is filmmaking. The movie business has been adapting to changing technology for more than 80 years. Prior to the 1930’s, movies were not only without colour, but also had no sound or dialouge (Howell, 2001). The 1920’s started films off in black and white, and most had no sound, as they were difficult to make because of the microphones being unable to move. This lead to films being accompanied by live musicans in the theatre. It become easier to make talking films in the early 1930’s and they become very famous quite quickly. The first full-length colour film was â€Å"Becky Sharp† and it was made in 1935. Once TV hit the scenes in 1950 the film industry had to re... ...ry Movies. Retrieved September 14, 2004, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june01/movies_tech.html Jardin, Xeni. (2004). MP3 Pioneer Debuts Spatial Sound. Retrieved September 14, 2004, from http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,64353,00.html Microsoft Corporation. (2002). Digital Media Distribution Opportunies for the Film Industry. Retrieved September 14, 2004, from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/content_provider/film/disopwhitepaper.aspx Saenger, Diana. (2004). New Black and White/Color Technology for Stooges DVDs. Retrieved September 14, 2004, from http://classicfilm.about.com/od/dvdnews/a/stoogesnews7210.htm Veneruso, Tara. (1998). A Report from the National Association of Broadcasters Convention Las Vegas, Nevada April 4-9, 1998. Retrieved September 14, 2004, from http://www.nextwavefilms.com/ulbp/cutnab98.html A New Type of Film Essay -- Filmmaking Media Entertainment Movies Essa A New Type of Film Every day we are one step closer to filmmaking being as easy as taking out the brush and oils for a painting (Veneruso, 1998). The new technologies that have emerged in films have been the latest in a string of inventions, to help make the film industry better. Films have become an important part of our culutre since they started being made and shown regularly around the world. Although new technology in films may be nothing compared with other technology, it does seem that this technology will benefit a lot of people, and help to improve the quality of the entertainment. These new technologies to the film industry all have important roles in the new industry. Computer generated images, subtitle technology, digital theatre systems, three-dimensnal sound, the colour and black & white technology and the new digital media technology are the main and most infulensal of these technologies for the film industry. First though to see how far films are technologically advancing we need to see have far they have come already, by following the history that is filmmaking. The movie business has been adapting to changing technology for more than 80 years. Prior to the 1930’s, movies were not only without colour, but also had no sound or dialouge (Howell, 2001). The 1920’s started films off in black and white, and most had no sound, as they were difficult to make because of the microphones being unable to move. This lead to films being accompanied by live musicans in the theatre. It become easier to make talking films in the early 1930’s and they become very famous quite quickly. The first full-length colour film was â€Å"Becky Sharp† and it was made in 1935. Once TV hit the scenes in 1950 the film industry had to re... ...ry Movies. Retrieved September 14, 2004, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june01/movies_tech.html Jardin, Xeni. (2004). MP3 Pioneer Debuts Spatial Sound. Retrieved September 14, 2004, from http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,64353,00.html Microsoft Corporation. (2002). Digital Media Distribution Opportunies for the Film Industry. Retrieved September 14, 2004, from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/content_provider/film/disopwhitepaper.aspx Saenger, Diana. (2004). New Black and White/Color Technology for Stooges DVDs. Retrieved September 14, 2004, from http://classicfilm.about.com/od/dvdnews/a/stoogesnews7210.htm Veneruso, Tara. (1998). A Report from the National Association of Broadcasters Convention Las Vegas, Nevada April 4-9, 1998. Retrieved September 14, 2004, from http://www.nextwavefilms.com/ulbp/cutnab98.html

Benefits of partnership of a community group

In the recent years we have witnessed a contract known as ‘Community Benefit Agreement’ that was signed in the USA between community groups and company owners which requires the business owners to provide certain services to the local community or the vicinity while on the other hand the community supports the businesses or will not in any way oppose them (Cnaan & Milofsky, 2007). A study reveals that when the community is more involved in the negotiation procedure, they will be able to tackle the problems to present a debate for all parts of an affected community.At the spirit of the community benefits schemes is partnership building. According to the agreement, there are various benefits a community will derive from a business operating in the vicinity. They include; good working conditions, local hiring schemes, affordable housing allowances, better remuneration packages, on job training programs, space will be set aside for other small organizations, community centre s, child care schools, enhance erection of parks and sporting amenities and giving financial support to community group programs.Benefits that a community group may accrue from a company/business through partnership Taking a case in Sydney we find that a recreation field committee of Rankin School of the Narrows in IONA being one of the beneficiaries from the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency through a strategy that was introduced known as Local Economic Benefits (LEB). Sydney Tar Ponds Agency is an agency that deals with stabilizing, solidifying and containing the contaminated materials to clean up the environment and the cleaned up space to be used for recreational purposes.Sydney Tar Ponds Agency, through the LEB program, supports promotes mission contestants and contractors to promote local community activities. LEB involves various operations such as local employment, improvement of local proficiency sets, promoting local community projects and drawing new citizens to join local communit ies. An important section that will be checked out is developing an outdoor rink, a young and adults green activity area which will allow those who have no space to plant at home to have a garden, for the young ones it will provide education on plants and how they grow.As fundraising efforts were underway for the various phases, the committee explored many ways of generating much-needed financial support. Members in the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency have testified that the strategy had helped them develop the outdoor rink that is helping them to give back to the community. This helps the community to grow in positive, healthy directions (Gale Group, 1988). Through the establishment of the outdoor rink for Rankin School of the Narrows in IONA, there will be a lot of motivation in the part of the learners as they will be able to learn extra curriculum activities such as small garden farming.It will also give individuals work to do thus avoiding idleness which could promote immorality amongs t the youths. This will develop the youngsters’ skills and talents that could be of great help to them in future. These small gardens will also add to the country’s aesthetic value thus preserving the splendour of a nation. Conclusion In order to form a triumphant community benefit agreement, it is vital to classify and retain a coalition, facilitate and expertise on a shared agenda, Collins & Porras, 2002).It is therefore important that the government empowers the community on its rights so as to improve the bargaining power of the community. We find that there are organizations which merely do anything for the community because there are no efforts to demand their contribution to the community. On the other hand the community groups should support the operations of the organization to form that mutual relationship that will promote the introduction of other benefits (Demetrios E. Tonias & Jim J.Zhao, 2007). Works Cited Gale Group. International directory of company h istories. (California: St James Press. 1988) Collins James Charles & Porras I. Jerry. Built to last: successful habits of visionary companies. (New York; Harper Business Essentials. 2002). Cnaan A. Ram & Milofsky Carl. Handbook of Community Movements and Local Organizations. (Philadelphia: Springer. 2007 pp 26, 27). Tonias E. Demetrios & Zhao J. Jim. Bridge Engineering. (New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. 2007, p 41).

Due and Owe

Due and Owe Due and Owe Due and Owe By Maeve Maddox Both due and owe have been in the language for a very long time. Due came into English from French in the 15th century. The French word it came from was the Latin verb debitum that gives us the word debt, â€Å"that which is owed.† As a noun, either singular or plural, due can mean â€Å"that which is owing.† One can pay one’s dues literally, as to a club, or figuratively, in the sense of working to get ahead in a profession, as in the headline â€Å"Ricky Gervais and David Chang Have Paid Their Dues.† The expression â€Å"to give a man his due,† means â€Å"to acknowledge a person’s merits, to do justice to a person.† The expression â€Å"to give the Devil his due,† means to give justice to a person for his merits even if he’s otherwise despicable, or if you don’t like him. As an adjective, due means â€Å"payable as a debt.† For example, â€Å"The mortgage payment is due tomorrow.† An expression that has been in the language since Chaucer’s day is â€Å"in due time† in the sense of â€Å"when sufficient time has passed†: â€Å"In due time everyone will know what happened.† Owe, in the sense of â€Å"possess† or â€Å"own† comes from a Germanic source. In some English dialects the word retains the meaning of ownership, but in standard English, the meaning has gone from the sense of â€Å"to possess† to that of â€Å"to be obliged to pay†; â€Å"Don’t forget the twenty dollars you owe me.† A similar word of Germanic origin that does retain the meaning of possession in modern English is own. As a verb, own means â€Å"to possess†: â€Å"He owns the bakery.† As an adjective, it follows a noun or pronoun: â€Å"Alfred’s own son was taken hostage.† As a pronoun, it follows a possessive: â€Å"The boy was given a horse of his own.† No doubt this discussion of due and owe will put some readers in mind of the debate that often arises regarding the proper distinction between the phrases â€Å"due to† and â€Å"owing to.† Refresher: Those who argue for a distinction between â€Å"due to† and â€Å"owing to† insist that â€Å"due to† is an adjective and â€Å"owing to† is adverbial. According to this position, it’s all right to say â€Å"He was late owing to an accident,† because â€Å"owing to an accident† tells why. â€Å"Due to† must be attached to a noun: â€Å"An accident due to carelessness made him late.† As far as general usage is concerned, the debate has become as futile as tussles over ending sentences with prepositions or splitting infinitives. According to the Penguin Writer’s Manual, not even grammarians can give a grammatical reason for insisting on the distinction: Most modern authorities recommend that the rule should be remembered, while acknowledging that its grammatical basis is shaky (there is no reason why â€Å"due to† should not be seen as a compound preposition if â€Å"owing to† is one) and that â€Å"due to† is so frequently used in the sense of â€Å"because of† that many modern dictionaries show it with that sense. The â€Å"due to/owing to† distinction is one of those things that people who feel strongly about it should observe without berating others for ignoring it. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:5 Uses of InfinitivesWhat is the Difference Between Metaphor and Simile?Rite, Write, Right, Wright

Postal and Traditional State Abbreviations Reference Guide

Postal and Traditional State Abbreviations Reference Guide Wondering when to use abbreviations versus the full names when writing about states? As a general rule, the names of states should be spelled out when they appear in sentences  but abbreviated in other contexts. For example: Our family had been  transferred from Endicott, New York, to Raleigh, North Carolina. That was the word used by the people at IBM, transferred.  (David Sedaris, Naked, 1997)Both  men were raised in the Midwest   (Garfield in Ohio, Guiteau in Illinois) by a single, widowed parent.  (Sarah Vowell, Assassination Vacation, 2005) This rule applies also if you are writing something formal and following a style guide, such as the Chicago Manual of Style, MLA Style, American Psychological Association Publication Manual (APA), or Associated Press Style (AP).   When to Use State Abbreviations In bibliographies,  lists, charts where space is at a premium, reference lists, footnotes and endnotes, and in mailing addresses, state names are usually shortened  using the postal abbreviation. This applies to  Chicago Manual of Style  and the American psychological Association Style (APA). The two-letter, no-period state abbreviations recommended by the U.S. Postal Service (See Postal Abbreviations in the chart below.) should always be used where a Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) code follows. These postal  abbreviations may also be used in any context where abbreviations are appropriate. Some writers and editors still prefer to use the older forms of state abbreviations. (See Traditional Abbreviations in the table below.) If you follow this practice, be consistent in your use of the traditional abbreviations, and remember that eight states (Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah) are only rarely abbreviated when using the older (pre-ZIP code) forms. Why the ZIP Code Abbreviations Were Developed Before 1963, there were no ZIP  codes used on postal mail in the United States, and the U.S. Post Office preferred that people wrote out state and territory names  completely  to avoid confusion in sorting mail. In the early 1800s, it had established a standardized list of acceptable abbreviations, updating it in 1874. The list remained relatively unchanged until ZIP codes were introduced.   The addition of seven additional characters on a final address line (ZIP code plus two spaces) necessitated the shortening of state abbreviations to fewer characters. The Post Office aimed to fit the final address line into 23 characters to accommodate major addressing systems. U.S. or US for United States Finally, United States may be abbreviated to U.S. when used as an adjective, but in formal writing, its customarily spelled out as a noun. If you are following the Chicago Manual, youll remove the periods to become US except in bibliography or reference entries pertaining to U.S. statutes, court cases, and other legal-context usages, which retain the periods. If youre following APA or AP, you  will keep  the periods there too. MLA prefers to spell out United States as an adjective or a noun in running text. List of State Abbreviations This handy chart has both the postal and the traditional abbreviations, for your reference: STATE POSTAL ABBREVIATION TRADITIONAL ABBREVIATION Alabama AL Ala. Alaska AK Alaska Arizona AZ Ariz. Arkansas AR Ark. California CA Calif. Colorado CO Colo. Connecticut CT Conn. Delaware DE Del. District of Columbia DC D.C. Florida FL Fla. Georgia GA Ga. Hawaii HI Hawaii Idaho ID Idaho Illinois IL Ill. Indiana IN Ind. Iowa IA Iowa Kansas KS Kans. Kentucky KY Ky. Louisiana LA La. Maine ME Maine Maryland MD Md. Massachusetts MA Mass. Michigan MI Mich. Minnesota MN Minn. Mississippi MS Miss. Missouri MO Mo. Montana MT Mont. Nebraska NE Neb. or Nebr. Nevada NV Nev. New Hampshire NH N.H. New Jersey NJ N.J. New Mexico NM N.Mex. New York NY N.Y. North Carolina NC N.C. North Dakota ND N.Dak. Ohio OH Ohio Oklahoma OK Okla. Oregon OR Ore. or Oreg. Pennsylvania PA Pa. Rhode Island RI R.I. South Carolina SC S.C. South Dakota SD S.Dak. Tennessee TN Tenn. Texas TX Tex. or Texas Utah UT Utah Vermont VT Vt. Virginia VA Va. Washington WA Wash. West Virginia WV W.Va. Wisconsin WI Wis. or Wisc. Wyoming WY Wyo.

Follys Antidote Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Follys Antidote - Essay Example t so many questions as to why war seems to have to exist and why an evolved and civilized society aware of the past would ever continue to make such blunders into war. If there are any answers or hope to be found, Schlesinger points to where they may be found, in the awareness of our history and importance of utilizing that awareness for there to be any kind of hope for us. Schlesinger, in his article ‘Folly’s antidote’ has presented historians as persons with limited vision. Historical facts as perceived by them seem to have their own version of history which change when their perception towards things or events change. It is true because history has unlimited mysteries lost in the ruins of the times. Therefore, every historian is able to unearth something new about the past, under the demand of the present. The permutation and combination of the cause and effect of the present, has a tendency to look towards the past for the answers, thus motivating the historians to look at the history from a new angle and decipher the past events leading to the present. It is important to know the history of a nation because it gives them a better understanding of the present and a wider scope to improve their future. The one lesson that history teaches is to remember that nothing remains the same. Change is the key to history and people and place evolve through time to emerge in different forms. The fact has been acknowledged by the late President of America, John F. Kennedy who had said â€Å"We must face the fact that the United States is neither omnipotent or omniscient — that we are only 6 percent of the world’s population; that we cannot impose our will upon the other 94 percent of mankind; that we cannot right every wrong or reverse each adversity; and therefore there cannot be an American solution to every world problem† (Schlesinger). America seems to ignore the calls of the history and has repeatedly committed the folly of waging wars with Vietnam and

Assume that you are a legal officer in the Department of Foreign Dissertation

Assume that you are a legal officer in the Department of Foreign Affairs in your country of nationality (Cyprus). You have been - Dissertation Example However, this announcement might be seen as a mere formality since the League of Nations provisionally recognised Palestine as an independent state as well as the 1922 Mandate for Palestine that awarded Palestine to Great Britain.1 Again in 1947, the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 181(11) Future Government of Palestine mandated the division of Palestine into two states: a Jewish and an Arab state. In 1948, the Jewish state was proclaimed as the State of Israel.2 Attempts and progress with respect to the recognition of an Arab Palestinian state however has been turbulent. The 1988 declaration did nothing to change the status quo.3 Palestine has had a difficult time achieving what many feel is its legal right: independent state status. This difficulty surrounds the lack of recognition within the international community, a necessary prerequisite for the effective acquisition of state status.4 A main part of the problem is the Arab League’s opposition to the rec ognition of Israel as an independent state. This has created significant tensions between Israel and Arabs in the region and Palestinians are paying the price. None of this diminishes the legal elements entitling Palestine to state recognition.5 The debate over the appropriate state status of Palestine is for the most part partisan.6 This report takes a wholly non-partisan approach to the issue of the appropriate state status of Palestine and examines the issue from the perspective of the people of Palestine and its territory. In this regard, separate and apart from political consideration, this reports examines the legal elements of statehood under international law as well as the right of self-determination on the part of the people of Palestine under international customary and human rights law. Cyprus knows all too well the struggles that accompany territorial claims and the denial of the right to self-determination having suffered its own division and struggles for an independe nt state in opposition to both Greece and Turkey.7 This report however, does not advocate for recognising the state status of Palestine out of sympathy, but simply because it is the right thing to do under international law and strengthens Palestine’s recognition by one of only a few member states to the EU. In making the case for Cyprus’ recognition of Palestine as an independent state this report will be presented in 5 parts. The first section provides background and historical context relative to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the state status of Palestine. Section 2 examines the Montevideo Convention criteria for statehood in relation to Palestine. Section 3 identifies and analyses the recognition of Palestine as a state within the international community. Section 4 analyses the UN General Assembly Resolution A/67/L.28 which upgrades Palestine’s state status. Section 5 of this report will analyse the right to self-determination under international huma n rights law and its implications for Palestine’s state

International Relations in Future Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Relations in Future - Essay Example Yet, it is projected, that the basic construct of the international relations will have the same foundations, as it has today. Concepts of realism, liberalism and constructivism are among the most popular in the world of politics today. Understanding the future of the world in line of the same concepts would seem apposite, henceforth. Viewing the world in 2031, the first thing that may come to mind would be the national interest of the countries. Although the total number of countries may well have changed drastically, yet the basic reason why they keep forming and breaking would be the same - the primary interest of each and every one of them. The power struggle would nonetheless still be there, although in quite a different from. Countries would probably take form as 'cyber-states', wherein the interest of the countries would not be till the geographical/political borders, but actually to every nook and corner of the universe till where their electronic influence is involved. This would involve the extensive use of satellite warfare, and even wars over the territory in space! Not gold, not uranium, but the silicon chip will be the most sought after resource, and instead of weapons of mass destructions, a fatal electronic bug would be able to wipe out the entire defenses of the enemy. The concept of liberalism would also be very much in vogue. ... Though people would still have the right to express themselves, the great fear would be not to implore into the domain of the other person. With everyone having a diverse array of personal options available at hand, the exact paradigm of individual preference would be very difficult to determine, and hence the political leaders of every country would have a very difficult time to control the people according to the interest of the country. Constructivism would also have its say 25 years down the line. Establishing goals, ideals and ambitions in conformity with the rest of thee world would be an impossible task. Every person would be a potential friend and a probable terrorist. Transformation in such a time would be very difficult. Political reform would hence only be a consequence of scientific reform. People would only follow what has been conclusively ordained by the wise, and not the mighty. Religious theologies would still grow further apart, with death and destruction happening basically at the onset of intolerance. The political line of reasoning for the present time may seem old-fashioned or even too ambitious for the future - the exact combination of political theories may never be known. However, the reality is that even in Caesar's time, the primary constructs of politics were derived from realism, liberalism and constructivism. Therefore, there is every probability that in the next 25 years as well, the drastic changes in international relations will not be able to change the very foundations upon which the politics are played. Technology cannot change a politician's mind, only interests can. Hence, the changing time will provide changing

Pyschlogical Analysis of Zombie Apocalypse Survivors Essay Example for Free

Pyschlogical Analysis of Zombie Apocalypse Survivors Essay The door slams shut as you force your weight against it. Two people whom you have never met before, merely joined during your sprint, grab the largest object in the room and wedge it in front of the door. A second later the fist of the undead outside pound on the door in attempts to get in. â€Å"We have to get out of here! † one of the others screams immediately. But why? It seems that whether it be a decrepit cabin in the woods or a home or a mall; nothing seems to be good enough for the survivors. Step one of a survival plan always seems to start with the word Escape. A casual movie buff may simply see a character’s reaction as an irrational snap decision, however, through a psychological and sociological examination, one can come to better understand of character’s pleas. One cannot assume that the character just wishes to put distance between themselves and their attackers; especially not during a zombie apocalypse. Lets take a look at George A. Romeo’s 2004 Dawn of the Dead for a moment. The mall was well defended, surely had adequate food, and they were completely surrounded. Why attempt an escape to somewhere that was referred to as â€Å"†¦an island that for all we know doesn’t even exist. †? Environmental Psychology The viewer must examine sever different aspect of the scenario that the characters are being put into. The environment itself is a large factor in the equation; also to be considered is the group dynamics and stresses that are arising. Finally, and perhaps more importantly, the risks. All of these factors of the situation in which the characters are placed can alone, or collectively, cause a people in any shelter to decide to leave. Potentially the largest determining element of any long termed survival could be the environmental aspect. Setting aside the obvious insecurities of poor shelters, try to look at the other features someone would like in their dwellings. Imagine several different locations, all equally safe for argument’s sake, an office building, a mall, a school, a prison. Some options aren’t quite as appealing as others. These differences can be seen the best by using environmental psychology to understand what a groups wants within a shelter. Someone can use environmental psychology to study an individual or a group in a social context by looking at the places where people are at and examining the perceptions, attitudes, evaluations and representations, and the accompanying behaviors (Kazdin 421). In almost any movie where the suggestion of getting out is brought up, we can look at some of the characters’ perceptions and attitudes to see that the location has fallen short of being perfect for the survivors. The environment is a relationship between individuals and their life spaces. That means not only should the environment provide us with all that we need to survive but also the spaces in which to appreciate, understand, and act to fulfill higher needs and aspirations (423). This leads to the question then of; if we cannot look at it simply as a space to stay in, then how should we look at it? The answer is that a place is not simple an empty building or space; it is, but also it is an expression of an idea or of a culture. Made to be warm and encourage relaxation, or cold and sterile to promote work and organization (420). An office building is plain, organized, and open. The idea of an office is to have very little distraction away from the work. The coloring is usually white to keep from distracting the eye or drawing attachment by employees. Typically a person enjoys a place with more color and not as structured. A good example of this idea of attachment and welcome is seen in Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead, where they chose to go to a local bar call The Winchester mainly off of the fact that is was a familiar place that they visited frequently. Altman and Chemers (1980) identified three types or levels of territory: Primary territory (e. g. home or private office space), where usually only one or two people are in control of its organization. The area is highly personalized and more easily draws attachment from a person. Secondary territories (e. g. , the classroom or open plan office), These areas are intended for larger groups but control of the area is temporary and personalization is minimal. Public territory (e. g. , the street, parks), where there is no personalization and the area is very open making protection difficult if not impossible (424). Most often primary territories are too constrained to allow for large groups to reside there for long periods. Secondary territories are typically the ones seen being used as in Dawn of the Dead where they use a mall and also in Day of the Dead where they take shelter in a large military base. They exist in a larger area but they also can retreat to a person area where they have customized a private area to their own preferences. A public place, as seen in George A. Romero’s Land of the Dead is one of few cases where such a large area is uses as a refuge. While this landscape did allow for comfortable private area’s for a select, elite few, the majority of the people lived on the streets in discontent and resentment for the others. In this scenario we can clearly see the breakdown of the environmental factors as some survivors mention escaping to Canada (an area believe to be safe from the zombie plague) even though all the citizens at this point were protected. Ideally, territories are controllable spaces that serve to allow for the personalization and regularization of who comes in. This idea, territoriality, then actually provides an actual function in being able to allow people to have a feeling of safety, predictability, order, and stability in their own surroundings (424) In movies where a group of people are kept up in a larger secure area, and they have a private space, we can then look at its own function. Understand what is involved in private space. Personal space is important for not only an individual but also the well being of the community (424). It allows people to escape from each other whenever we need a break from everything. It is our own spot to go and relax for a while as we do some personal work or just even think without having others come by and interrupt us. Not only is this seen as us having a home for ourselves away from others but almost as also having a mental sanctuary. People will use physical or mental barriers in order to keep others from wherever they’re unwanted (424). When only one person or group claims the function of a space, the control is absolute, producing feelings of security. (424) This, is the largest factor in determining whether a group can endure weeks or months at this location; however, as we have seen it is not the only contributing factor. The territory must be able to separated into private spaces for the occupants to maintain their own customization. Further more there must be an area to collect together, to allow fellowship to provide a sense of unity among the members. This is an example of where environmental psychology intertwines with social psychology (422). Sociology What is the advantage of a group as apposed to going it alone? No worries about what other people want, you can travel at your own pace, no arguments to worry about. At first glance going alone seems like the simplest plan for survival. Nevertheless, this is rarely the case in movies. And the answer is not simply because more people increases dialogue and drama. People are social beings today for obvious benefits, but it has been part of a clear survival strategy that mankind has most likely always stuck to (485). There is obvious truth in the phrase â€Å"strength in numbers†. Later on, though, we will see that this physical strength my come at a cost. First, image a person who has just run into several other survivors. The person my be excited to see others, but still skeptical in the back of their mind of the new strangers. If a person believes he or she can complete a task more easily if they are with others as opposed to if they were to go alone, the person will more than likely join or form their own group (Cialdini, 427). At first these people cannot just be considered a group. Given the situation, it can either be spoken amongst them, or simply implied by all running in the same direction. Whatever the means are, these people are making the decision to become a group then by their actions. Groups become more unified though two means, first is the enjoyment of being with the other member in the group (rarely is that so in this situation) and the second option is based off of how committed all the members are to the specific task they are all gathered together to complete (423). The members have come together with the common goal of staying alive and are relying on the others to help increase their odds of staying safe. In spite of this, the ties to one another are still weak. Very little has been established between them, only the understanding that they are all using each other for survival. Now assume that our hypothetical micro society has manages to get to safety in a suitable shelter. Once things begin to calm down then they will begin the normal group activities. If group size increases beyond a dyad or triad, a distinct leader will tent to step forward or be chosen by the members (Borgatta, 1118). Once this leadership role has been established tasks will often be assigned. Everyone is familiar with the basis types of conversation that is used to get to know someone. As we learn about a person’s past we get to know them, building a sense of unity. In small groups or micro societies an individual fuses into the group by having some of their common life and goals added to the group’s (Benokraitis, 130). If this sense of common life is not shared by all then tensions begin to form. This is seen in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later when Jim and Selena do not share the same common goals with the soldiers of making the only woman (still alive) have sex with all the men in order to stay there. As a person can see, this scenario is very difficult to manage. In contrast to typical life; where you can look at a group, see if it suits you, and leave if it does not. If the members are thrown together like this, there is no established group norm, making it very easy for one or more members to become unhappy with something going on. This potential for conflict increases with the number of members that enter the group. The ideal number of people is up to five or six people, this allows for easy communication and adaptation (Borgatta 1118). Stress After you have managed to paint your new bedroom, and you have won the Nobel Peace Prize for getting your group in line, you still have to deal with some other stresses. But first let us begin with a quick understanding of stress. No situation is inherently stressful, but rather an individual must see the situation as involving threat, harm, loss, or challenge. (Levins 640) Obviously in a zombie apocalypse someone can expect there to be a large amount of stress surrounding them. When faced with stress a person undergoes a coping process to try and regain control of the situation. Psychological, emotional, or behavior reactions are provoked by any of three distinguished stressors. Cataclysmic events: such as volcano eruptions, floods, earthquakes (zombies apocalypse) etc. Personal life events: illness, family or work issues Background conditions: traffic issues, access to services, noise or crowding. (Kazdin 429) All three of these types of stressors are clearly prevalent, and in fact, almost overwhelming in a zombie apocalypse. Between the dead attacking everyone, all of your loved ones dying, and all of the background conditions like noise and crowding becoming deafening, it is very simple for a person to not be able to handle everything that is going on. Luckily, in some sense, the body is actually prepared to deal with large amounts of stress at one time. While this system is not perfect, it works better than say a computer that would just shut down if overloaded. If there are too many stressors for one individual they deal with an overloaded system by focusing on the task at hand or the ultimate goal that they are trying to achieve. This focus is actually very demanding of an individual and results in fatigue (Kazdin 424). This process can actually be useful in several scenarios to motivate a person in order to complete a task. Still, like everything, a person can still suffer from prolonged exposure to an overload of stress. A person can deal with a great amount of stress, however if these stressors get to be overwhelming or the person is faced with a prolonged period of an overloaded system they could become delusional and even deny the distracting stimuli. If a person is pushed beyond their coping capacity the results could be worsened fatigue (430). This can be very problematic when someone is in such an issue where they cannot go outside. If they are left unattended and become convinced that the zombies are not an issue, they then put everyone at risk if they decided to leave. While someone flat out denying the zombies outside is an extreme case of stress overload, they are many other potential issues that can arise much more easily. Being exposed to stress for too long or repeatedly can result in less tolerance to frustration, shorter attention span, and become less likely to adapt to a situation (Kazdin 429). These three effects are very detrimental to a community that is locked within walls, forced to interact with each other, and with little means to resolve their stresses. While this may not be a group wide condition, these issues caused by stress are still a burden on the group even if only one person is suffering from them. In a group survival scenario being able to adapt to the conditions is key. The inhabitants need to be able to respond properly to any issue that may come about in a territory such as a fire or failing securities. In a similar fashion, it is just as important that frustration does not overwhelm a single person. Frustration is a mood that can easily be transferred from person to person. This is typically the reasoning behind characters having such short tempers and snapping at each other at the climax of movies. This is the point where all their stress is building up to, the point where a group either manages to fix their issues and resolve things, or they collapse and succumb to their fate. Even with all the possible stresses that face a person, the social aspect still comes into play here. If someone’s alternative is to be alone, even without the zombie apocalypse, they’re less likely to leave a group and more willing to put up with stress or even a feeling of hopelessness (Kazdin 448). By this point the members of the previously mentioned micro society have developed some level of bonds varying by the conditions and varying by each member. The members however will still look to the group for support and assistance during struggles with stress. If a member or several members of the group feel like they cannot be helped or that others will not help them they then fall into one of the lowest mental states. Hopelessness eventually sets in after repeated stress and disappointment on a person (Levinson 358) Alas, if a person reaches this point, they are unlikely to attempt to leave the group and go to another location. By this point the most common way a person will leave the group is through suicide. Risk There is one final piece we need to look at in order to fully understand why a person will decide to leave where they are in search of someplace else. This final part of the equation is probably the biggest factor in determining whether people leave a group or simply stay and endure the conditions. This factor is the risk. If motivation explains why the individual takes the risk, what is it that allows the individual to overcome the fear, anxiety, and rational assessment of danger? A 1997 study by Elissa Slanger and Kjell Rudestain identified â€Å"perceived self-efficacy† (a concept named and defined by Albert Bandura) as that element. Perceived self-efficacy is the belief that one can do what is required, that a challenge is within one’s ability. This self assessment may or may not be accurate, because perception of effectiveness is partially independent from actual skill. A complete understanding of risk taking, then, is comprised of two considerations: motivation (be it sensation seeking or sensation seeking in concert with other factors) and whatever it is that allows the isinhibition necessary for a person to overcome the fear and take action. (Borgatta 602) That motivation mentioned above in our case is not sensation seeking, but rather our survivors seeking one of several things. Perhaps to be in a healthier environment; one in which they can act to fulfill higher needs and aspirations. Maybe it is to get away from the current social dynam ics, look for another group with similar common life goals to their’s. Or, it could simply be that stress is building up on some people. They may feel their only escape from stress may be to escape everything and try to start again. Any of these three alone, or combined, could act as the perfect catalyst in someone’s mind. To infect them with the idea as it fester and drives them to ultimately pick up whatever they can grab and head for the door. This may be a solo trip or including the entire group depending on the conditions. Our original survivor, along with a few of his buddies, will prepare themselves at the door. Gun and supplies in hand, one look back at the former home, former group, and former issues reassumes them of their plan as the door opens before them.