Saturday, August 31, 2019

The Lost Symbol Chapter 37-39

CHAPTER 37 Mal'akh had seen some eerie spaces in his life, but few rivaled the unearthly world of Pod 3. Wet Pod. The massive room looked as if a mad scientist had taken over a Walmart and packed every aisle and shelf with specimen jars of all shapes and sizes. Lit like a photographic darkroom, the space was bathed in a reddish haze of â€Å"safelight† that emanated from beneath the shelves, filtering upward and illuminating the ethanol-filled containers. The clinical smell of preservative chemicals was nauseating. â€Å"This pod houses over twenty thousand species,† the chubby girl was saying. â€Å"Fish, rodents, mammals, reptiles.† â€Å"All dead, I hope?† Mal'akh asked, making a show of sounding nervous. The girl laughed. â€Å"Yes, yes. All very much dead. I'll admit, I didn't dare come in for at least six months after I started work.† Mal'akh could understand why. Everywhere he looked there were specimen jars of dead life- forms–salamanders, jellyfish, rats, bugs, birds, and other things he could not begin to identify. As if this collection were not unsettling enough on its own, the hazy red safelights that protected these photosensitive specimens from long-term light exposure gave the visitor the feeling he was standing inside a giant aquarium, where lifeless creatures were somehow congregating to watch from the shadows. â€Å"That's a coelacanth,† the girl said, pointing to a big Plexiglas container that held the ugliest fish Mal'akh had ever seen. â€Å"They were thought to be extinct with the dinosaurs, but this was caught off Africa a few years back and donated to the Smithsonian.† Lucky you, Mal'akh thought, barely listening. He was busy scanning the walls for security cameras. He saw only one–trained on the entry door–not surprising, considering that entrance was probably the only way in. â€Å"And here is what you wanted to see . . .† she said, leading him to the giant tank he had seen from the window. â€Å"Our longest specimen.† She swept her arm out over the vile creature like a game-show host displaying a new car. â€Å"Architeuthis.† The squid tank looked like a series of glass phone booths had been laid on their sides and fused end to end. Within the long, clear Plexiglas coffin hovered a sickeningly pale and amorphous shape. Mal'akh gazed down at the bulbous, saclike head and its basketball-size eyes. â€Å"Almost makes your coelacanth look handsome,† he said. â€Å"Wait till you see her lit.† Trish flipped back the long lid of the tank. Ethanol fumes wafted out as she reached down into the tank and flipped a switch just above the liquid line. A string of fluorescent lights flickered to life along the entire base of the tank. Architeuthis was now shining in all her glory–a colossal head attached to a slithery mass of decaying tentacles and razor-sharp suckers. She began talking about how Architeuthis could beat a sperm whale in a fight. Mal'akh heard only empty prattling. The time had come. Trish Dunne always felt a bit uneasy in Pod 3, but the chill that had just run through her felt different. Visceral. Primal. She tried to ignore it, but it grew quickly now, clawing deeply at her. Although Trish could not seem to place the source of her anxiety, her gut was clearly telling her it was time to leave. â€Å"Anyhow, that's the squid,† she said, reaching into the tank and turning off the display light. â€Å"We should probably get back to Katherine's–â€Å" A broad palm clamped hard over her mouth, yanking her head back. Instantly, a powerful arm was wrapped around her torso, pinning her against a rock-hard chest. For a split second, Trish went numb with shock. Then came the terror. The man groped across her chest, grabbing her key card and yanking down hard. The cord burned the back of her neck before snapping. The key card fell on the floor at their feet. She fought, trying to twist away, but she was no match for the man's size and strength. She tried to scream, but his hand remained tightly across her mouth. He leaned down and placed his mouth next to her ear, whispering, â€Å"When I take my hand off your mouth, you will not scream, is that clear?† She nodded vigorously, her lungs burning for air. I can't breathe! The man removed his hand from her mouth, and Trish gasped, inhaling deeply. â€Å"Let me go!† she demanded, breathless. â€Å"What the hell are you doing?† â€Å"Tell me your PIN number,† the man said. Trish felt totally at a loss. Katherine! Help! Who is this man?! â€Å"Security can see you!† she said, knowing full well they were out of range of the cameras. And nobody is watching anyway. â€Å"Your PIN number,† the man repeated. â€Å"The one that matches your key card.† An icy fear churned in her gut, and Trish spun violently, wriggling an arm free and twisting around, clawing at the man's eyes. Her fingers hit flesh and raked down one cheek. Four dark gashes opened on his flesh where she scratched him. Then she realized the dark stripes on his flesh were not blood. The man was wearing makeup, which she had just scratched off, revealing dark tattoos hidden underneath. Who is this monster?! With seemingly superhuman strength, the man spun her around and hoisted her up, pushing her out over the open squid tank, her face now over the ethanol. The fumes burned her nostrils. â€Å"What is your PIN number?† he repeated. Her eyes burned, and she could see the pale flesh of the squid submerged beneath her face. â€Å"Tell me,† he said, pushing her face closer to the surface. â€Å"What is it?† Her throat was burning now. â€Å"Zero-eight-zero-four!† she blurted, barely able to breathe. â€Å"Let me go! Zero-eight-zero-four!† â€Å"If you're lying,† he said, pushing down farther, her hair in the ethanol now. â€Å"I'm not lying!† she said, coughing. â€Å"August 4! It's my birthday!† â€Å"Thank you, Trish.† His powerful hands clasped her head tighter, and a crushing force rammed her downward, plunging her face into the tank. Searing pain burned her eyes. The man pressed down harder, driving her whole head under the ethanol. Trish felt her face pressing into the fleshy head of the squid. Summoning all of her strength, she bucked violently, arching backward, trying to pull her head out of the tank. But the powerful hands did not budge. I have to breathe! She remained submerged, straining not to open her eyes or mouth. Her lungs burned as she fought the powerful urge to breathe in. No! Don't! But Trish's inhalation reflex finally took over. Her mouth flew open, and her lungs expanded violently, attempting to suck in the oxygen that her body craved. In a searing rush, a wave of ethanol poured into her mouth. As the chemicals gushed down her throat into her lungs, Trish felt a pain like nothing she had ever imagined possible. Mercifully, it lasted only a few seconds before her world went black. Mal'akh stood beside the tank, catching his breath and surveying the damage. The lifeless woman lay slumped over the rim of the tank, her face still submerged in ethanol. Seeing her there, Mal'akh flashed on the only other woman he had ever killed. Isabel Solomon. Long ago. Another life. Mal'akh gazed down now at the woman's flaccid corpse. He grabbed her ample hips and lifted with his legs, hoisting her up, pushing forward, until she began to slide over the rim of the squid tank. Trish Dunne slithered headfirst down into the ethanol. The rest of her body followed, sloshing down. Gradually, the ripples subsided, leaving the woman hovering limp over the huge sea creature. As her clothing got heavier, she began to sink, slipping into the darkness. Bit by bit, Trish Dunne's body settled on top of the great beast. Mal'akh wiped his hands and replaced the Plexiglas lid, sealing the tank. Wet Pod has a new specimen. He retrieved Trish's key card from the floor and slipped it in his pocket: 0804. When Mal'akh had first seen Trish in the lobby, he'd seen a liability. Then he'd realized her key card and password were his insurance. If Katherine's data-storage room was as secure as Peter had implied, then Mal'akh was anticipating some challenges persuading Katherine to unlock it for him. I now have my own set of keys. He was pleased to know he would no longer have to waste time bending Katherine to his will. As Mal'akh stood up straight, he saw his own reflection in the window and could tell his makeup was badly mangled. It didn't matter anymore. By the time Katherine put it all together, it would be too late. CHAPTER 38 â€Å"This room is Masonic?† Sato demanded, turning from the skull and staring at Langdon in the darkness. Langdon nodded calmly. â€Å"It's called a Chamber of Reflection. These rooms are designed as cold, austere places in which a Mason can reflect on his own mortality. By meditating on the inevitability of death, a Mason gains a valuable perspective on the fleeting nature of life.† Sato looked around the eerie space, apparently not convinced. â€Å"This is some kind of meditation room?† â€Å"Essentially, yes. These chambers always incorporate the same symbols–skull and crossed bones, scythe, hourglass, sulfur, salt, blank paper, a candle, et cetera. The symbols of death inspire Masons to ponder how better to lead their lives while on this earth.† â€Å"It looks like a death shrine,† Anderson said. That's kind of the point. â€Å"Most of my symbology students have the same reaction at first.† Langdon often assigned them Symbols of Freemasonry by Beresniak, which contained beautiful photos of Chambers of Reflection. â€Å"And your students,† Sato demanded, â€Å"don't find it unnerving that Masons meditate with skulls and scythes?† â€Å"No more unnerving than Christians praying at the feet of a man nailed to a cross, or Hindus chanting in front of a four-armed elephant named Ganesh. Misunderstanding a culture's symbols is a common root of prejudice.† Sato turned away, apparently in no mood for a lecture. She moved toward the table of artifacts. Anderson tried to light her way with the flashlight, but the beam was beginning to dim. He tapped the heel of the light and coaxed it to burn a little brighter. As the threesome moved deeper into the narrow space, the pungent tang of sulfur filled Langdon's nostrils. The subbasement was damp, and the humidity in the air was activating the sulfur in the bowl. Sato arrived at the table and stared down at the skull and accompanying objects. Anderson joined her, doing his best to light the desk with the weakening beam of his flashlight. Sato examined everything on the table and then placed her hands on her hips, sighing. â€Å"What is all this junk?† The artifacts in this room, Langdon knew, were carefully selected and arranged. â€Å"Symbols of transformation,† he told her, feeling confined as he inched forward and joined them at the table. â€Å"The skull, or caput mortuum, represents man's final transformation through decay; it's a reminder that we all shed our mortal flesh one day. The sulfur and salt are alchemical catalysts that facilitate transformation. The hourglass represents the transformational power of time.† He motioned to the unlit candle. â€Å"And this candle represents the formative primordial fire and the awakening of man from his ignorant slumber–transformation through illumination.† â€Å"And . . . that?† Sato asked, pointing into the corner. Anderson swung his dimming flashlight beam to the giant scythe that leaned against the back wall. â€Å"Not a death symbol, as most assume,† Langdon said. â€Å"The scythe is actually a symbol of the transformative nourishment of nature–the reaping of nature's gifts.† Sato and Anderson fell silent, apparently trying to process their bizarre surroundings. Langdon wanted nothing more than to get out of the place. â€Å"I realize this room may seem unusual,† he told them, â€Å"but there's nothing to see here; it's really quite normal. A lot of Masonic lodges have chambers exactly like this one.† â€Å"But this is not a Masonic lodge!†Anderson declared. â€Å"It's the U.S. Capitol, and I'd like to know what the hell this room is doing in my building.† â€Å"Sometimes Masons set aside rooms like this in their offices or private homes as meditation spaces. It is not uncommon.† Langdon knew a heart surgeon in Boston who had converted a closet in his office into a Masonic Chamber of Reflection so he could ponder mortality before going into surgery. Sato looked troubled. â€Å"You're saying Peter Solomon comes down here to reflect on death?† â€Å"I really don't know,† Langdon said sincerely. â€Å"Maybe he created it as a sanctuary for his Masonic brothers who work in the building, giving them a spiritual sanctuary away from the chaos of the material world . . . a place for a powerful lawmaker to reflect before making decisions that affect his fellow man.† â€Å"Lovely sentiment,† Sato said, her tone sarcastic, â€Å"but I have a feeling Americans might have a problem with their leaders praying in closets with scythes and skulls.† Well, they shouldn't, Langdon thought, imagining how different a world it might be if more leaders took time to ponder the finality of death before racing off to war. Sato pursed her lips and carefully surveyed all four corners of the candle lit chamber. â€Å"There must be something in here besides human bones and bowls of chemicals, Professor. Someone transported you all the way from your home in Cambridge to be in this precise room.† Langdon clutched his daybag to his side, still unable to imagine how the package he carried might relate to this chamber. â€Å"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but I don't see anything out of the ordinary here.† Langdon hoped that now at last they could get to the business of trying to find Peter. Anderson's light flickered again, and Sato spun on him, her temper starting to show. â€Å"For Christ's sake, is it too much to ask?† She plunged her hand into her pocket and yanked out a cigarette lighter. Striking her thumb on the flint, she held out the flame and lit the desk's lone candle. The wick sputtered and then caught, spreading a ghostly luminescence throughout the constricted space. Long shadows raked the stone walls. As the flame grew brighter, an unexpected sight materialized before them. â€Å"Look!† Anderson said, pointing. In the candlelight, they could now see a faded patch of graffiti–seven capital letters scrawled across the rear wall. VITRIOL â€Å"An odd choice of word,† Sato said as the candlelight cast a frightening skull-shaped silhouette across the letters. â€Å"Actually, it's an acronym,† Langdon said. â€Å"It's written on the rear wall of most chambers like this as a shorthand for the Masonic meditative mantra: Visita interiora terrae, rectificando invenies occultum lapidem.† Sato eyed him, looking almost impressed. â€Å"Meaning?† â€Å"Visit the interior of the earth, and by rectifying, you will find the hidden stone.† Sato's gaze sharpened. â€Å"Does the hidden stone have any connection to a hidden pyramid?† Langdon shrugged, not wanting to encourage the comparison. â€Å"Those who enjoy fantasizing about hidden pyramids in Washington would tell you that occultum lapidem refers to the stone pyramid, yes. Others will tell you it's a reference to the Philosopher's Stone–a substance alchemists believed could bring them everlasting life or turn lead into gold. Others claim it's a reference to the Holy of Holies, a hidden stone chamber at the core of the Great Temple. Some say it's a Christian reference to the hidden teachings of Saint Peter–the Rock. Every esoteric tradition interprets `the stone' in its own way, but invariably the occultum lapidem is a source of power and enlightenment.† Anderson cleared his throat. â€Å"Is it possible Solomon lied to this guy? Maybe he told him there was something down here . . . and there really isn't.† Langdon was having similar thoughts. Without warning, the candle flame flickered, as if caught by a draft. It dimmed for a moment and then recovered, burning brightly again. â€Å"That's odd,† Anderson said. â€Å"I hope no one closed the door upstairs.† He strode out of the chamber into the darkness of the hallway. â€Å"Hello?† Langdon barely noticed him leave. His gaze had been drawn suddenly to the rear wall. What just happened? â€Å"Did you see that?† Sato asked, also staring with alarm at the wall. Langdon nodded, his pulse quickening. What did I just see? A moment earlier, the rear wall seemed to have shimmered, as if a ripple of energy had passed through it. Anderson now strode back into the room. â€Å"No one's out there.† As he entered, the wall shimmered again. â€Å"Holy shit!† he exclaimed, jumping back. All three stood mute for a long moment, staring in unison at the back wall. Langdon felt another chill run through him as he realized what they were seeing. He reached out tentatively, until his fingertips touched the rear surface of the chamber. â€Å"It's not a wall,† he said. Anderson and Sato stepped closer, peering intently. â€Å"It's a canvas,† Langdon said. â€Å"But it billowed,† Sato said quickly. Yes, in a very strange way. Langdon examined the surface more closely. The sheen on the canvas had refracted the candlelight in a startling manner because the canvas had just billowed away from the room . . . fluttering backward through the plane of the rear wall. Langdon extended his outstretched fingers very gently, pressing the canvas backward. Startled, he yanked his hand back. There's an opening! â€Å"Pull it aside,† Sato ordered. Langdon's heart pounded wildly now. He reached up and clutched the edge of the canvas banner, slowly pulling the fabric to one side. He stared in disbelief at what lay hidden behind it. My God. Sato and Anderson stood in stunned silence as they looked through the opening in the rear wall. Finally, Sato spoke. â€Å"It appears we've just found our pyramid.† CHAPTER 39 Robert Langdon stared at the opening in the rear wall of the chamber. Hidden behind the canvas banner, a perfectly square hole had been hollowed out of the wall. The opening, about three feet across, appeared to have been created by removing a series of bricks. For a moment, in the darkness, Langdon thought the hole was a window to a room beyond. Now he saw it was not. The opening extended only a few feet into the wall before terminating. Like a rough-hewn cubbyhole, the recessed niche reminded Langdon of a museum alcove designed to hold a statuette. Fittingly, this niche displayed one small object. About nine inches tall, it was a piece of carved, solid granite. The surface was elegant and smooth with four polished sides that shone in the candlelight. Langdon could not fathom what it was doing here. A stone pyramid? â€Å"From your look of surprise,† Sato said, sounding self-satisfied, â€Å"I take it this object is not typical within a Chamber of Reflection?† Langdon shook his head. â€Å"Then perhaps you would like to reassess your previous claims regarding the legend of a Masonic Pyramid hidden in Washington?† Her tone now was almost smug. â€Å"Director,† Langdon replied instantly, â€Å"this little pyramid is not the Masonic Pyramid.† â€Å"So it is merely coincidence that we found a pyramid hidden at the heart of the U.S. Capitol in a secret chamber belonging to a Masonic leader?† Langdon rubbed his eyes and tried to think clearly. â€Å"Ma'am, this pyramid doesn't resemble the myth in any way. The Masonic Pyramid is described as enormous, with a tip forged of solid gold.† Moreover, Langdon knew, this little pyramid–with its flat top–was not even a true pyramid. Without its tip, this was another symbol entirely. Known as an Unfinished Pyramid, it was a symbolic reminder that man's ascent to his full human potential was always a work in progress. Though few realized it, this symbol was the most widely published symbol on earth. Over twenty billion in print. Adorning every one-dollar bill in circulation, the Unfinished Pyramid waited patiently for its shining capstone, which hovered above it as a reminder of America's yet- unfulfilled destiny and the work yet to be done, both as a country and as individuals. â€Å"Lift it down,† Sato said to Anderson, motioning to the pyramid. â€Å"I want a closer look.† She began making room on the desk by shoving the skull and crossed bones to one side with no reverence whatsoever. Langdon was starting to feel like they were common grave robbers, desecrating a personal shrine. Anderson maneuvered past Langdon, reached into the niche, and clamped his large palms on either side of the pyramid. Then, barely able to lift at this awkward angle, he slid the pyramid toward him and lowered it with a hard thud onto the wooden desk. He stepped back to give Sato room. The director repositioned the candle close to the pyramid and studied its polished surface. Slowly, she ran her tiny fingers over it, examining every inch of the flat top, and then the sides. She wrapped her hands around to feel the back, then frowned in apparent disappointment. â€Å"Professor, earlier you said the Masonic Pyramid was constructed to protect secret information.† â€Å"That's the legend, yes.† â€Å"So, hypothetically speaking, if Peter's captor believed this was the Masonic Pyramid, he would believe it contained powerful information.† Langdon nodded, exasperated. â€Å"Yes, although even if he found this information, he probably would not be able to read it. According to legend, the contents of the pyramid are encoded, making them indecipherable . . . except to the most worthy.† â€Å"I beg your pardon?† Despite Langdon's growing impatience, he replied with an even tone. â€Å"Mythological treasures are always protected by tests of worthiness. As you may recall, in the legend of the Sword in the Stone, the stone refuses to give up the sword except to Arthur, who was spiritually prepared to wield the sword's awesome power. The Masonic Pyramid is based on the same idea. In this case, the information is the treasure, and it is said to be written in an encoded language–a mystical tongue of lost words–legible only to the worthy.† A faint smile crossed Sato's lips. â€Å"That may explain why you were summoned here tonight.† â€Å"I'm sorry?† Calmly, Sato rotated the pyramid in place, turning it a full 180 degrees. The pyramid's fourth side now shone in the candlelight. Robert Langdon stared at it with surprise. â€Å"It appears,† Sato said, â€Å"that someone believes you're worthy.†

Friday, August 30, 2019

Deviant Behavior and Social Control Essay

Durkheim said, â€Å"We must not say that an action shocks the common conscience because it is criminal, but rather that it is criminal because it shocks the common conscience. † The strain theory by Robert K. Merton suggests that American are geared toward deviance because of a lack of legitimate options to attain the monetary goal that Americans emphasize (Tischler, p. 146). Travis Hirschi posed the control theory which focuses on the importance of the people around you to mold you into a regular lifestyle. He said that there are four main points to why someone will become deviant or not: attachment to others, commitment to conformity, involvement in conventional activities, belief in the moral validity of social rules. If someone displays these four points than they will probably be a functioning member of society. Sociologists suggest the techniques of neutralization, which are ways we will justify the deviant act to ourselves so that we are able to complete it. The five techniques are denial of responsibility, denying the injury, denial of the victim, condemnation of the authorities, and appealing to higher principles of authorities. Lastly, there is the labeling theory which states that individuals will commit secondary deviant acts after the fact that they have already been deemed a deviant by society. A flaw in this theory is that it does not give reason for why the original deviant act was committed. Every theory previously posed does have legitimate facts behind why it could be the cause for deviant behavior, but no single one is completely correct. Although the mesomorphic body type may be deemed as a more aggressive person, this would not be the only reason why the person was deviant, so the biological theory cannot stand alone. The psychological theories have a lot of mental disease that makes them more prone to deviant activity, but it is also proven that these traits are overcome by a good social environment and in some cases the proper medication. Just like the psychological theories, the sociological theories are proven that the environment that one is raised or lives in is a highly important factor, but it is possible for someone in a good environment to be deviant and vice versa. 2. What types of crime exist in the Unite States? There are four main categories of crime in the United States and these crimes range from rape to robbery to embezzlement to public drunkenness. The first category of crime is violent crime which consists of acts such as murder and assault. These crimes usually come with the longest prison sentences, and the good news is that these types of crime have been on the decline over the past few years. Next we have property crime which consists of three quarters of the crime in the United States. Car theft and burglary are examples of property crimes. According to the FBI, a white-collar crime is â€Å"characterized by deceit, concealment, or a violation of trust. † Bernie Madoff, the Enron corporation, and ponzi schemes are what we consider to be white-collar crimes. Finally, we have what are called victimless crimes. These are crimes that break what is considered law, but have no direct victim. Prostitution, drug use, and DUI are all what can be considered victimless. They use the term â€Å"victimless† but the argument can be made that the victim is the person committing the crime because their actions usually harm themselves. 3. What parts of the court and prison system are effective, and what parts are ineffective? Only two out of the four major goals of prison are effective. The first of which is to separate criminals from society, is accomplished by the physical act of taking criminals off the street and putting them behind fences that are twenty feet high with barbed wire, towers with armed guards, and impenetrable buildings of brick and mortar. This is honestly the only thing that our courts succeed in doing, but when you separate them from society, you put them with fellow criminals who have new crimes to teach. The second goal that can be considered effective is that prison is a legitimate punishment for criminal behavior. For me, being in prison is a mental and physical hell because it causes you to be broken down while in a small cell with a bar door and no window and no means of escape. For others it may not be like this though, because as mentioned before in the theories of deviance, a criminal may have psychological problems where they are unable to conform and prison makes them conform so they begin to enjoy what they are unable to have on the outside. Also, most criminals peers are other criminals, so while incarcerated they do not feel completely separated from their usual world. The other two primary goals of the prison systems can be considered highly ineffective. Deterring criminal behavior is the third goal of prisons and as the statistics show, this is not commonly achieved. If prison were a good deterrent than we would not have the crime rate that we have today. If the reward of the crime is greater than what the punishment will be, a crime will be committed. The last goal of the prisons is to rehabilitate. The facts are concrete when showing that prison and the programs within have minimal success rates. My personal observations over the past two weeks concur with the facts. I would estimate that close to ninety percent of the inmates who are in here for drug and alcohol related offenses talk about getting high or drunk on the day they are released, and with fellow inmates. The inmates who are guilty of burglary or robbery and other related offenses admit that they don’t know any other way of life, and that they will continue their criminal ways when released. There will never be a perfect society in which there is no deviant behavior. There is, however, ways in which we can continue to develop a better understanding of what causes the deviant behavior and ways in which we can prevent it. The prison system is continually developing new trial programs to help addicts and alcoholics, along with incorporating programs for criminals to get started on a career path instead of a criminal path. I do not believe that these will ever be one definite answer to why one becomes deviant, but let’s hope that as future progresses the rate at which deviance occurs decreases.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

The Downside of Mining in Nevada

The reputation of Nevada as a major producer of gold and silver is a well-known fact already. The state is not called the Silver State for nothing. What are new here are the many negative impacts this reputation to the environment of the state and its consequences. The extensive mining of gold and silver causes disruption in the environment that has effects that could last a long time. The conversion of land, the vast usage of water, and deforestation mining has brought to the state is very alarming (Solnit, 2004). In order to produce gold, large chunks of land is dug up for ores. But then, to yield an ounce of gold, a hundred tons of ore is needed. Imagine how much land will have to be dug up and pulverized to mine the gold Nevada is producing. Therefore, mining gold disrupts the habitat of the different species that live in the places that are dug up. It also affects the agriculture of the state. Mining does not improve soil conditions, it actually worsens it. So, if the soil is not suitable for farming, the food that the farmers will produce will also be affected. This consequence directly affects the people living in the state, since food is essential for living. This activity also destroys groundwater which is an essential source of drinking water. According to Solnit (2004) mines pumps out groundwater during mining, but this water is discarded. Thus, groundwater dug up is not used but its sources are dried up. Also, water in gold-rush districts is being contaminated by gold. Some are being directed to other waterways. This effect to groundwater will surely result in scarcity. And humans again are directly affected. What is there to drink if the waters have went out of the state and the people are left with the contaminated ones? Indeed, the gold and silver reserves of Nevada are good sources of income for the state and the whole country. However, the government still has to guard their courses of action about this matter. If the environment becomes completely destroyed it will affect its people greatly. References Solnit, Rebecca (2004). Meanwhile Back at the Ranch:The Wild, Wild Wars in the West. ZNet: A community of people committed to social change. Retrieved February 1, 2008, from http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=6017

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Ashoka and Emperor ashoka ( choose heading) Essay

Ashoka and Emperor ashoka ( choose heading) - Essay Example However, a look at some of the stone pillars in some part of the modern-day India proves that such an empire existed. For example in Bihar, India, there are stone pillars that are inscribed with the Emperor’s statues and edicts. Ancient Sanskirt literature also shows that there was a great Emperor called Ashoka. In Sarnath city which is also in India, there are statues of lions which are now part of India’s National emblem (Rao 96). These are the Ashoka lions, of course named after the Emperor Ashoka. He Emperor ordered installation of these pillars (Joshi 60). A look at the statues and some of the stone pillars shows that the Emperor had them inscribed with merciful laws. Based on the evidence from Joshi’s book and a history professor called B.V. Rao, Emperor Ashoka waged a constant war for the first eight years when he was in power. It is also clear that the Emperor had inherited a large empire, which he expanded in his reign to include some of the other Indian subcontinent. He also expanded his empire to the modern-day borders of Burmese eastern border, western side of Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Iran (Rao 94). It was only Sri Lanka and other southern parts of India which remained out of the Emperor’s reach. However, despite the ancient Kalinga kingdom, north of India, being out of his reach, he attacked the kingdom in year 265. He took advantage of the fact that it was his second wife’s homeland, Kaurwaki. The Mauryan Emperor had sought refuge from his hostile half-brothers, in the Kalinga kingdom. He gathered the largest army in Indian history to attach Kalinga, which crumbled after losing most of its warriors. After going through the story about this Emperor and his dynasty I got surprised after discovering that he was one of the many ruthless rulers in human history to change into one of the most respected rulers. I expected to find a

Organizational changes in Management Accounting Essay

Organizational changes in Management Accounting - Essay Example Kaplan (1984) remarks; "Despite considerable change in the nature of organizations and the dimensions of competition during the past 60 years, there has been little innovation in the design and implementation of cost accounting and management control systems." In spite of important changes taking place in the quality and operations of organisations, the techniques adopted by companies and those mentioned in text books of management accounting date back to 1925. Thus Kaplan and many other scholars, encourage researchers to develop the subject of managerial accounting by conducting research and case studies. They state that "to describe and document the innovative practices that seem to work for successful companies" more and more research work and case studies have to be taken up. Following Kaplan and others call for research work and case studies a plethora of novel procedures in management accounting found its way into the field. A few of such new techniques were Just-in-Time (JIT), activity-based costing (ABC), and total quality management (TQM) which were accepted. According to Wendy L. Currie (1999) the objective he states is to incorporate into a single framework a number of factors that tempt the function of management accounting techniques in organisations using cases or degrees of organisational alterations categorised by N. Venkataraman. N. N. Venkataraman (1994) remarks that "The underlying goal for the framework is designed to reveal the distinctiveness of each technique in the organisational change context. Specifically, is there a systematic approach to applying change techniques and anticipating issues we may encounter in the change process" This paper examines the thesis statement which is; "Is this the hour to critically evaluate and reconcile the need for new management accounting techniques in the 21st Century with the compelling case for understanding and applying aspects of management accounting that have been taught traditionally" (Anthony, R, 1965) Formulating the theoretical account Thomas Walther, et al, (1997), remarks that the new environment which is produced by the authority of computing and the dislodgment of conventional accounting tasks, companies are counting on their financial specialists to "act as business partners with operations managers" by furnishing information to back up decision making. Christopher D. et al (1997 a, and 1997 b) states thus; "Accountants are increasingly involved in strategic management through the development and implementation of new accounting models integrating financial and non financial information". If the essence of the techniques intersects, accountants must clarify these intersecting areas to demonstrate how they may enforce to patronise different strategic intentions. Factors which call for changes in Management Accounting Internal organisational elements like organisational structure and culture, determine change and the execution of management accounting methods. But still sometimes these factors are not considered while implementing management accounting techniques. According to Jerold L. Zimmerman, (2001): "Total quality management, reengineering, activity-based costing, the theory of constraints, value chain management, just-in-time, and the balanced scorecard all assume that agents will enthusiastically adopt the new approach because it promises to maximize firm value." J. H. Waterhouse and Peter Tiessen (1978)

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Changes in Network Structure and Ownership of US Broadcast Television Case Study

Changes in Network Structure and Ownership of US Broadcast Television - Case Study Example The site inspection conducted on 3 selected venues at London Hilton, the London Park Lane and the International Continental Hotel, Park Lane and the key issues involved in hiring a particular venue are elaborated. Further, these 3 venues are compared and analysed for the suitability of choosing a specific venue to stage the event. The wedding day is one the most memorable moment in a girl's life. Therefore, it is the aspiration of every girl to celebrate it in a unique, memorable and fascinating way. The bride and the group want to celebrate this wedding in a secular way as none of them has any religious background. After discussing various ideas as to how this event should be celebrated, it is decided to do a 1920's themed wedding so as to impress the attendees with a different and unique experience in which the food, the d'cor, the flower arrangements and the dress have typical elements to mark it an 'poque. They want to celebrate their commitment and share this beautiful day with their friends and family. The attendees being in the range of 30-70 of age are encouraged to be highly appreciated for their formal dress according to the occasion. The style of the themed wedding is formal and emphasis is laid on elegance, sophistication and grandeur of the 1920's. The attendees coming from abroad are accommodated in a 5 star hotel.. 3. Venue selection process Over the past 10 years the demand from the private and public sector to hold the sports and festival events has been increased. Consequently, the venues have to be selected according to the demand and nature of the festival to accommodate and entertain the attendees. Monroe (2006) describes two types of venue verities available; the standard type venues like hotels, conference centres and restaurants, and the non-standard venues, built for other purpose than staging events, like museums, stadiums and parks. There are also unique venues like airports, hangers and historical sites etc. He further highlights the advantages of the purpose-built venues as they are cost-effective and usually provide most of the standard requirements, while the non-standard venues have limited services to offer to their customers, hence, the manager of the event has to work around with what is available (Monroe, 2006). Finding a suitable cost-effective venue is a constant challenge for the event organizer (Confex 2007). London Launch reveals there are more and more venues that see potential to increase their revenue by hiring buildings out for special events. In London alone, there are more than thousand of venues available to cater for all types of events. Yeoman et at (2006) is of the view that the venue selection process is one the most important element for staging an event as the success or failure depends solely on its right selection. Therefore, the following aspects should be given due consideration before selecting a venue. Does the venue match with the selected theme' What is the capacity of the venue' Is the venue accessible' What facilities does the venue offer' What is the price and what is included' What is the availability perspective' What is the venue's reputation'

Monday, August 26, 2019

RESPONSE PAPER for Comparative Politics class Essay - 1

RESPONSE PAPER for Comparative Politics class - Essay Example According to the research article by Questia, the capacity of a party-state aimed at preserving both communist rule and social harmony was lightweight when placed close together against a global and interconnected world. The preference for a panoptic control shows strict constraints deserving a strong emphasis which is the nature of the medium in connection with political context requiring further exploration. This exploration is the communist heritage that is a matter of interdiction as of social mobilization. The Society of China has begun putting into use the resources of new information technology to put effectively pressure on the authority regarding social and economic issues (Questia, 2015). Wider patterns of social privileges and disadvantages remain as an influence on the public society. Some accounts show that new ways of state-society relations have reduced the influence of class and race on politics and policy (Orvis & Drogus, 2015). Shifts in modes of state-society relations have tampered with the mechanisms of racial influence and social class in ways that sometimes reward economic and social benefits. For example, business mobilization and citizens around economic development and environmental issues in some parts of France and USA has reinforced the local governance against most disadvantaged neighbor-hoods (Orvis & Drogus, 2015). Elsewhere, more so in the northern part of Europe, a great local participation is working to the advantage of marginal groups in social policy. In other developing cities in the world, a growing opposition from the middle and upper-class car owners are underestimating initiatives to curb vehicle pollution. How do institutions affect sate-society interaction? Although institutions are important, other types of institutions have emerged to control and regulate governmental and state-society relations.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Corporate Financial Reporting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Corporate Financial Reporting - Assignment Example Suncor energy inc. declared force majeure under a contractual obligation, suspended and ceased its operations as a result of a political unrest. Since there has been no resolution of the political situation at the end of second quarter of the year 2012, an impairment test was conducted in the company’s assets in Syria. Consequently, the company identified after-tax impairment charges and write downs worth $694 million. The impairment losses identified were recorded as part of depletion, depreciation, amortization and impairment expense and were charged against property plant, and equipment ($604 million) as well as other current assets worth $23 million. Thereafter the company wrote off the remaining Syrian receivables in Syria for $67 million. Previously in December 2011, receivables worth of $64 million were written off. In 2012 (4th quarter), the company received risk mitigation proceeds worth $300 million that were associated with its Syrian operations. After the proceeds were received, the impairment test was conducted in December 31, 2012, implementing the value-in-use methodology. Unexpected cash flow approach was adopted by the company which was based on the year end reserves data of 2011 which were updated with three scenarios for the company’s best estimate of price realizations as well as remaining revenues. The scenarios represent: recommencement of operations in a year, recommencement of operations is 5 years, total loss. The scenarios where the companies recommence their operations include repayment of the risk mitigation proceeds according to the terms within the agreement. The scenarios were weighted equally on the basis of the company’s best estimate and were valued according to the risk adjusted discount rate of 19%. On the basis of this assessment, the company identified an impairment reversal worth $177 million which were related to the company’s

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Natural Resources and Environmental Economics Essay - 2

Natural Resources and Environmental Economics - Essay Example This essay has been aimed at showing the possibility for the economic instruments to work effectively for the minimization of the pesticide water pollution on the local level. While the legal threshold of pesticide residues is equal to 0.1 ÃŽ ¼g/l, 5 to 10% of waters in Belgium, Denmark, the UK and France are found to be contaminated with the levels of pesticides exceeding these limits. As 65% of Europeans use ground waters for drinking, the seriousness of the problem increases and needs expensive treatment. The major impact that is mentioned in the essay is made on the local communities which mostly rely on groundwater supplies. Though there have been shown the disadvantages in the previous policies, the general direction in which the authorities work is correct. There have been shown the possible strategies and recommendations to make this work even more effective. It is suggested by the researcher of the essay that the future work in the area of pesticide pollution is concentrated on the development of the new economic instruments in combination with ecological knowledge. It will also be useful to account the international experience, though any policy should first of all be implemented at the local level. The advantage of the local addressing the issue is in the fact that local authorities are more able to control each polluter separately, which ultimately makes the whole work in the sphere of environment protection at the state level more effective and produces better results.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Services-Learning Individual Reflection Paper Assignment

Services-Learning Individual Reflection Paper - Assignment Example The primary role of a community health care nurse is to render service that helps to rehabilitate people with special needs through prevention, diagnosis and treatment. In my selected community site, the role of a community health care nurse was to improve the quality of the patient’s life by restoring the functions caused by either temporary or permanent conditions and promoting good progress. The role of the community health care nurse is of utmost importance especially while working in a culturally diverse community due to the disparities relating to different cultures, castes, language, food habits and customs of different people. Utmost attention and care should be taken by the health nurse in order to avoid clashes of opinions in such vulnerable diverse groups. As a change agent in my community, it is imperative to acquire a high level of skills and knowledge of evidence based research in order to improve the standard of living of people with disabilities. Through collaboration of both education and practice, improving communication and other skills and keeping up with current research in the health care system, I could make my role as a change agent more meaningful. If I had to repeat such an experience in community health I would first update myself on the current research in the field by reading current literature on the subject and I would also try to visit such communities and gain hands on experience on how to care for people with special needs. To accomplish cultural nursing competency within a diverse community, I try to make myself more familiar with a patient’s cultural background, likes and dislikes, temperament etc. For example, I could welcome or wish patients in their own language or I could help them with things that they are familiar with in their culture or background. Co-ordination and integration of the knowledge gained through

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The Change of Jem and Scout Essay Example for Free

The Change of Jem and Scout Essay She began to see how cruel the world could be to someone who is a little different or strange. She gained the knowledge of the pure hate that one man can show another. The kid’s relationship with Atticus starts out normal. Though, as the story progresses, they recognized he’s different then other men. This shows when Scout says â€Å"He did not do the things our schoolmates’ fathers did: he never went hunting, did not play poker or fish or drink or smoke. He sat in the livingroom and read† (pg 89). Atticus had the courage to take the case of a black man, Tom Robinson. It was obvious they didn’t stand a chance going against a white man in court but Atticus did it anyways. He did something that no other man would do, not for the glory, but because he can show a great example to his kids and it is the right thing to do. The kids learned not to be prejudice and not be ashamed if they have friends who are a different race then they are, for example Calpurnia. The way the children’s relationship changed about Boo is probably the most interesting part in the book. It went from an obsession to an unconditional love. First the children believed that anything that comes from the Radleys property is poison. Jem yells at Scout once saying about the Radley property: â€Å"Dont you know youre not supposed to even touch the trees over there? Youll get killed if you do! † (pg. 33). The kids didn’t know that Boo admired them, even though he barely knew them. After a while they noticed that Boo was giving them little hidden presents, and they realized that he is the one who folded and sewed together Jem’s pants. He showed an unconditional love that most people his age would not show. When Boo saved the children’s lives, he proved that he loved them. He was so kind that he risked his own life for the children, and that is why Scout grows to loved him, instead of being tremendously scared of him. Jem’s faith in truth and justice is very badly damaged. When the shameful courtroom proceedings are over he retreats into a troubled state of deep disillusionment. Prejudice and racism do not make any sense to Jem, because he never noticed it in his environment. He does not understand why all of this is happening. The kids matured a lot during the course of this book, especially Scout. She went from a six year old child with no knowledge of the real world to an about ten year old who had a lot of life’s most important lessons shown to her at a very young age. They had to learn, very quickly, that life would not always be easy, fun and fare. We cannot let children face the ugliness that they learned. It was too much, to fast, even for Scout who is so smart. We must show love to everyone so that children will show love back.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Compare three pre-20th Century poems about London Essay Example for Free

Compare three pre-20th Century poems about London Essay I am going to compare three very different poems about London. The first poem is London by William Blake, written around 1800. Upon Westminster bridge is the second poem , by William Wordsworth, again written around 1800. The third poem by Mary Ann Evans in the mid-19th century is called In a London drawing room. William Blake was a man of strong opinions, he was a strange person who painted horrific art and walked around naked in his garden. He was a strict Christian and wrote hymns. People disliked him for his strange ideas and strong criticism of what he felt was wrong. William Wordsworth lived in the Lake District, and wrote poems about where he live; the countryside. Whilst visiting London he wrote a poem about what he could see from Westminster bridge. Mary Ann Evans lived in London she was a tomboy by the name of George Elliot. Her father was a vicar. She moved to London to live a more interesting life. Working for a printing company she realised how mistreated women were. The story behind Upon Westminster bridge is:- London looks very beautiful. Youd be sad not to be impressed. Its about what Wordsworth sees from Westminster bridge. His theme is simple; He likes what he sees. London has a very different theme: William Blake lives in London and cant stand it. The story is very simple the poet wanders through Londons streets thinking about what he sees. In a London drawing room also has a simple story; Mary Ann Evans is in a drawing room looking out into the street. Her theme is much more complex She talks about how London through this window is dull, grey and boring. When she says this she actually means thats how she feels inside and expresses it through her poetry. Upon Westminster bridge is a sonnet because it has fourteen lines praising Londons beauty, it has only one verse. It has a regular iambic rhythm all the way through: Giving the poem a joyful sound. There is no regular rhyming pattern but some lines rhyme. London uses quatrains which means it has four equal lines into four verses. London has a regular and joyful rhythm, which is ironic because of its sad message. The rhyming follows an ACBD pattern (A rhymes with line C-B rhymes with line D.) In a London drawing room has no verses, twenty lines which have each ten syllables in them. There is no regular rhythm, because of the regular enjambment. Cutting the sky with one long line of wall Like soled Fog: Far as the eye can stretch. The enjambment causes lines to run into each other. There is no rhyme a tall in the poem. There is a lot of figurative language in Upon Westminster bridge. wear The beauty of the morning; silent bare, This a personification because the city wears the beauty of the morning like a dress. The river glideth at his own sweet will: In line twelve names the river a he. This poem has a lot of imagery, one of them mentions valley, rock and hill, putting the picture of the valleys, hills and rocks on the horizon. In a London drawing room too uses figurative language, The world seems one huge prison-house and court, this is a similar because the world seems to be like a prison-house. A metaphor would be, Cutting the sky with one long line of wall, this is calling the row of houses a wall cutting the sky. The figurative language in London are, The mind-forgd manacles I hear. Means the people in London believe they are in manacles. The metaphor at the end of the third verse is about the old war soldiers begging outside wealthy houses, And the hapless soldiers sigh Runs in blood down palace walls. In Upon Westminster bridge most of the play on words are to keep the rhyme and rhythm in a pattern. London plays on words quiet a lot compared with Upon Westminster bridge. At the end of the first verse there is an element of alliteration, Marks of weakness. Marks of woe, woe is a much more powerful word to use than sad plus it alliterates with weakness. The second verse uses in every. Four times to get the point that this is serious across more strongly. The mind-forgd manacles I hear, is an alliteration of the letter M. On the last line, the last two words are marriage and hearse (car that carries a coffin) this is called juxtaposition; because marriage is associated with beginning and hearse is associated with the end they are opposites. This is an interesting way to end the poem. The only real play on words in in a London drawing room was the last line because the three last words are the only positive words (colour, warmth and joy) in the whole poem but just before it says with lowest rate of. So they might be positive but shes saying there is no colour, warmth or joy. I feel London is the most effective poem. This is because I like the irony in the rhythm and rhyme which sounds happy but its meaning is sad. I also like the Juxtaposition in the last line Marriage hearse. He uses clever words and sentences to put down London. I dont like In a London drawing room because it drags on so as to lose its meaning. Upon Westminster bridge I quite like because its cheerful but I still prefer the way London is written because it uses good words and clever poetry.

Change management models and processes

Change management models and processes I) Three major model of change: 1) Lewins Change Model 2) McKinsey 7-S Change Model Let go through these each model in brief†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 1) Lewins change model: Kurt Lewin projected a three stage theory of change generally referred to as Unfreeze, Change, and Freeze. Stage 1: The first stage of Lewins change model is unfreeze, the stage is about being prepared for change, the model is trying to show that change is essential ,and we have to ready for change by putting all our present comfort and habits. This stage is about to make ready ourselves and other before the change. By putting Unfreeze Lewins want to say following things: Its about to understand others that change is required and its an essential process. Change requires overcoming from failure and for achieving better things for organization. Stage 2: The second stage is called as Change or Transition, in this stage people start to change they have many doubts and fear in their mind relating to change which is going to be occurring, at this stage they need all support, in the form of learning training guiding and support that mistake are the part and elements of this stage. This stage is about: To make change by putting out all traditional and odd things To being prepare for change Providing support in the form of training, guiding in the processes of change Stage 3: The third stage is called as Refreeze: At this stage people starts to use to with the changes which occurs in second stage, they start believing in change, refreezing may be a slow process as transition rarely stop cleanly, but go more in fits and starts with a long tail of bits and pieces. There are good and bad things about this. The apparent signs of the refreeze are a steady organization chart, reliable job descriptions, and so on. The refreeze stage also wants to help people and the organization internalize or institutionalize the changes. This means making sure that the changes are used all the time; and that they are incorporated into everyday business. With a new logic of constancy, staff feel positive and happy with the fresh ways of working. Advantages of Lewins change model†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. It is a very simple and easy model to understand, by giving example of ice-cube Lewin;s very simply tried to understood this model. He puts three different stage to understand each stage like first stage unfreeze in which he try to understand about essentialness of changes, second stage changes in which people start to change towards new ideas, like policy procedure, rules and regulation, and third stage in which changes starts to give benefit. ii) Process for implementing change†¦ The Kotters introduce 8-steps process for implementing change Step One: Create Urgency For change to take place, it helps if the entire company really wants it. Develop a sense of urgency around the need for change. This may help you spark the initial motivation to get things moving. This isnt merely a matter of showing people poor sales figures or talking about enlarged rivalry. Open an honest and credible dialogue about whats happening in the marketplace and with your competition. If many people start talking about the change you propose, the urgency can build and feed on itself. What you can do: Classify possible fear, and expand scenarios viewing what could occur in the future. Look at opportunities that should be, or could be, oppressed. Start straightforward debate, and give energetic and realistic reasons to get people talking and thinking. Demand shore up from consumers, outside stakeholders and industry people to support your argument. Step Two: Form a Powerful Coalition Encourage people that change is essential. This may takes tough leadership and noticeable support from key people within your organization. Managing change isnt enough you have to lead it. In this step we can do following things Recognize the real leader in our organization. Work on team structure within your change coalition. To get know the different areas in which the team is weak, to find out the strength and its weakness.. Step Three: Create a Vision for Change In this stage, it is very essential to create a strong vision for change, to let people know why change is necessary, this is the process to about know what the benefits of change are, this clear vision will encourage them to prepare themselves for change In this step we have to do following things To make a clear and easy vision, to understand people the purpose of change To make a strategy for change. Step Four: Communicate the Vision Ones vision has been created its a essential to communicate that vision, means to watch out the plan, process and procedure properly working as per planning, things are going properly or not is the essential part of this process . We can do the following things in this step: Converse frequently about your change vision. Honestly and sincerely speak to peoples concerns and anxieties. Apply your vision to all aspects of operations from training to performance reviews. Tie everything back to the vision. Step Five: Remove Obstacles. In this step we have to identify the factors which are obstacles for change, to watch out all the activities in organization, to know whether things are going as plan or there is any barrier towards plan activity. Identify and reward people for making change happen. Recognize people who are resisting the change, and help them see whats needed. Take action to quickly remove barriers. Step Six: Create Short-term Wins Success motivates everyone, to make winning habits in staff, to make short term goal and try to achieve them first along with direction for long term goals To reward people for their achievement. To appreciate work To make weekly target instead of long term planning Step Seven: Build on the Change In this step we have to analyze the things, what went right and what went wrong in the process of change, to look after the area in which improvement is needed. After every win, examine what went correct and what requirements needed to improve. Set goals to continue construction on the impetus youve achieved. Keep thoughts fresh by bringing in new change agents and leaders for your change combination. Step Eight: Anchor the Changes in Corporate Culture Make persist efforts to make sure that the change is seen in each and every part of your organization. This will help give that change a solid place in your organizations culture. Consist of the change principles and ethics when hiring and training new staff. Publicly recognize key members of your original change coalition, and make sure the rest of the staff new and old remembers their contributions. Create plans to replace key leaders of change as they move on. This will help ensure that their legacy is not lost or forgotten. iii) Why people resist change†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 1) Fear: The most important factor for which people resist change is fear, fear of unknown they dont know about changes, thats why they started to fear, for example if the labor company announce changes that now they will take more use of computers to improve their techniques it certainly creates fear on present employees who dont know how to use it and they start to resist about the changes. 2) Comfort: This is also one of the reason for which people resist change, because they do not want to leave their present comfort, they think that if change occurs than they have to work more hard for getting things done..for example if company announce that marketing department now have to achieve weekly sales target than certainly the present employees have to work more hard and hence they might resist it. 3)Lack of trust: This is one the reason people resist change, if people havent trust or faith on changes or idea than they start to resist changes, for example if the employees of the company do not have trust on their manager capability than they create doubts on employee mind and hence they do not trust him. 4) Dont know about changes: one of the reason people resists changes because people dont know about changes, they dont know about their importance, they dont know how they going to benefit them, they have not any kind of idea regarding to changes, for example †¦.if company announce incentive system for their employees instead of fixed salary than employee start to oppose it even they have a chances to get benefited by high incentive system, all these because of lack of knowledge. 5) Dont trust on their capabilities: This is one of the reason why people resist changes because they have doubts on their capabilities, they dont think that they will able to make adjustment. IV. I recommended Lewins change model is best to use for a change management model because of its simple description, by giving example in three stages Lewins very simply described about his three stage change model, the three stage process includes unfreeze, change, and refreeze. http://www.mindtools.com/media/Diagrams/Lewin.gif Reason for recommendation of above model: As we can see in diagram the lewins very simply gave example based on ice about three stage change†¦.figure one described as a unfreeze in which there is a picture of large ice cube by which Lewins try to say at first stage people are very use to their routine works and very happy to do work with their old and traditional techniques, even though if they know this techniques is not very useful or worthless for goodwill of the company, but as they very use to with that method of work they denied change, for example if a patient of village very use to with homeopathy and naturopathy treatment which is referred by doctor at old times than certainly that patient denied to do surgery and operation for his illness which was recommend by doctor at modern times so its hard to convince them about the benefit of latest technology of health improvement same the case applies here, in this stage the task is to convince people of change them and to tur n them to modern techniques which can be beneficial and useful to them. The second figure show that the large ice-cube turns to round shaped ice-cube, which change its shape, by this Lewins tried to say in this stage that this stage is about change, change from rigid structure towards the new one as we can see in the figure that ice-cube change its shape to round structure, so that people start to change themselves and have to come out with adapting new ideas, knowledge, and techniques which would be more beneficial and successful for both for organization and also for themselves. To start adopting new ideas ,and technology of work by coming out from old ones , like for example the company make change in their timing to start their work from 10 clock to early 8pm so that employee get more time to done their task and can achieve high incentive , which is profitable to both employees and the company as well but at a certain period of time employee also have to be aware of benefit from the situation otherwise it will create doubts on their mind regarding to changes like they have work more hard in lesser wages so might they dont prefer it, at this time they require more proper guidance, knowledge and training regarding to changes so this change can be worth full for the company, at this time people are learning new things and adapting new ways in their work so they require all the support , training from their supervisor. The third figure shows the stability from the 3rd figure we can see the steady ice-triangle by which Lewins try to show the refreeze model, means once the change has been made in second stage now the people accepted those changes as per their new routines and norm now they started to accept that changes as per their daily routine work for example they start to find them comfortable with the new timings , new incentive base system, new product and procedure of the company, things are going easily for them as they know what to do , so the task is to fellow this procedure and practice properly for easy going. Advantages and disadvantages of this model†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Lewins change model is very simple and easy to understand, its shown in three simple stages, so the company till using this model. In unfreeze process Lewin,s show that company needs changes, which can be done by Motivating employee towards the change, which called sense of urgency towards change, it use Simple language. Role of leader in particular change model: The leader must have to make afford to motivate his employee towards new changes The leadership must adopt training and guiding process for employee in order to get them ready for change. They have to create an appropriate plan and to work upon that, like for example if they want to increase their sale than they have to work upon marketing and advertising skills so that they can achieve their sales target. Once the change has been made leader has use his techniques and qualities like providing training and guiding to their employee, so they can work well. Change strategies †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. The following steps are to be taken for change strategies Recruitment on the basis of qualification, for example if someone need in marketing sector than the guys must be take on the qualification base on marketing, the person who has marketing subject or degree on it, if needs in administration than prefer more to MBA student so this can create specialization which is good for a company. Use of the techniques which is essential for company , like if there is more administration work than there should more computer place in the company so that work flow can go easy and good To develop training programs for their new employee, to know about the company well to be aware of all its process and procedure so when they start their real work they dont feel unnecessary burden on them. Interview system, to modify it so that right people can select for right position, like for example if person have to select for account position than interview must conduct on accounting basis instead of testing his or her general knowledge.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

A Biblical Response to Society Essay -- Sociology, Society, Culture

Sociology is an extremely valuable tool in understanding how society and individuals interact, function, develop, and change. The study of sociology seeks to make sense of what occurs in front and behind the scenes in a society. For the purpose of clarification, society is defined as a â€Å"comprehensive, territorially based social grouping that includes all the social institutions required to meet basic human needs† (Popenoe, 86). We live in a secular world and in a society permeated with sin. As Christians we need to have a proper, Biblical response to society and the world around us. The three aspects of society that will be addressed in this paper are culture, social norms and mores, and social ills and injustices. First, culture is simply the â€Å"shared products of a human group or society† (Popenoe, 53). The two products of culture are nonmaterial culture and material culture. Nonmaterial culture is basically the intangible such as right and wrong, values, and knowledge. Material culture is material objects that tend to represent nonmaterial culture. Material culture ranges from monuments to fads and technology to even the mundane. All material culture represents nonmaterial culture. A culture can easily be metered by its nonmaterial values. America was originally founded on solid values that today are all but abandoned. Self-discipline and hard work have been replaced by instant gratification and laziness. Also, the American material culture is shown though the products sought after in our materialistic society. The iPod, sports, car, boats and other luxury items are what are considered America’s material icons. It is becoming harder and harder to live a Christian testimony given the negative cultural shift in our society. G... ... to correctly. All in all, the greatest priority a Christian should have in society is to bring glory to God and be the salt and light of the earth. Christ mandated we be different and gave us the great commission before departing to heaven (Matthew, 5). Paul exhorted the Corinthians to bring glory to God no matter what is done (I Corinthians 10:31). To that end, humans were created. God is the only one who can bring about revival and reformation, but we still have the Bible to follow. Every situation is different, but the Bible never changes. The Reformation was a great spiritual shift toward God that resulted in a major positive social change. Man did as God commanded him, and God gave grace and blessing. The â€Å"five solas† were the biblically extrapolated principles that were followed by Christian reformers. Though God’s grace both Christians and society prospered.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Essay on Discourse in A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man

Authoritative Discourse in A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man    In James Joyce's A Portrait of An Artist As A Young Man, the main character, Stephen Dedalus, struggles between his natural instincts, or what Bakhtin calls the "internally persuasive discourse" that "[is not] backed up by [an] authority at all", and his learned response, reinforced by the "authoritative discourse" of religion. To Stephen's "internally persuasive discourse", his natural sex drive is not 'wrong'. It is only after he succumbs to the "authoritative discourse" of religion that he learns that such a natural human drive is 'bad'. Thus, he learns that it is wrong to succumb to sex: he does not think that it is bad on his own. In this case, the "authoritative discourse" that considers sexual drive to be 'bad' becomes Stephen's "internally persuasive discourse". He learns that his natural urges are wrong and, as a result, he learns to deny them and pretend them to be nonexistent. This is how the "authoritative discourse" becomes Stephen's "internally persuasive discourse".   Ã‚  Ã‚   The evidence that Stephen relies on his senses is best shown by the description of how much he has to deny his senses in order to reach the "discourse" of religion.    Each of his senses was brought under a religious discipline. In order to mortify the sense of sight he made it his rule to walk in the street with downcast eyes, glancing neither to right nor left and never behind him. His eyes shunned every encounter with the eyes of women (162-3).    However, there is a natural impulse from which he cannot escape: and that is his sense of touch. He may try to deny it in all possible ways but he cannot wholly escape it. This sense of touch is what causes ... ...567-75. Epstein, Edmund L.   The Ordeal of Stephen Dedalus.   Carbondale and   Edwardsville:   Southern Illinois U P, 1971. Givens, Seon, ed.   James Joyce:   Two Decades of Criticism. New York:   1948. 2nd ed.   1963. Goldman, Arnold.   The Joyce Paradox:   Form and Freedom in his Fiction.   Evanston,   IL:   Northwestern U P,   1966. Halper, Nathan.   The Early James Joyce.   Columbia Essays on   Modern Writers.  Ã‚   Ed.   George Stade.   New York:   Columbia U P, 1973. Joyce, James.   A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.   The Portable James Joyce.   Ed.  Ã‚   Harry   Levin.   New   York:   Penguin, 1976. Levin, Harry.   "The Artist." James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man:  Ã‚   Text, Criticism, and Notes.   Ed.   Chester G. Anderson.   New York:   Penguin,   1968.   399-415. Wright, David G.   Characters of Joyce.   Dublin:   Gill and Macmillan, 1983.   

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Brooks, Gwendolyn Essay -- Essays Papers

Brooks, Gwendolyn Poet, writer. Born June 7, 1917, in Topeka, Kansas. Throughout most of the twentieth century, Gwendolyn Brooks was a lyrical chronicler of the black urban experience in America. In 1950, she became the first African-American poet to win the Pulitzer Prize. Brooks grew up on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. She began writing poetry as a young girl, and by the age of 16 had begun publishing her poems regularly in The Chicago Defender. She attended the Woodrow Wilson Junior College in Chicago before marrying a fellow writer, Henry L. Blakely, in 1939. The couple lived together in Chicago, divorcing in 1969 but reuniting in 1973. They had two children, Nora Brooks Blakely and Henry Blakely Jr. Brooks earned a good deal of critical attention in 1945 with the publication of her first anthology of poetry, A Street in Bronzeville. (â€Å"Bronzeville† was Brooks’ name for the predominately African-American South Side of Chicago.) Over the next several years, Brooks won a grant from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and several fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation. She published her second volume of verse, Annie Allen, in 1949. The book, which followed a Bronzeville girl throughout the stages of her life, was written in a loose, experimental form that Brooks called the â€Å"sonnet-ballad.† Annie Allen won the Pulitzer Prize the following year, catapulting Brooks to a whole new level of literary and popular acclaim. A novel, Maud Martha (1953),...

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Love and sex in Geoge Orwell’s novel “1984” Essay

George Orwell’s novel 1984 explores intimate human relationships in a bleak futuristic society as experienced by protagonist Winston Smith. Since there are few bonds stronger than those developed from loving relationships among family, friends, and lovers, the only entity acceptable to love in Oceania is the face of the Party, Big Brother. This restriction is necessary to achieving complete power and control over its citizens, as the Party must dissolve all loyalties derived through love, sex, and family and redirect them upon itself. By destroying trust the Party has â€Å"cut the links between child and parent, and between man and man, and between man and woman†(220). To train the citizens of Oceania for complete submission and devotion to Big Brother and the Party the family bond has been completely devalued, as â€Å"No one dares trust a wife or a child or a friend any longer.†(220) The Junior Spies are an organization in which children have become the police and denouncers of their parents in the name of Big Brother. By this means, the Party has managed to wedge itself between one of the most powerful instinctual bonds to turn parental devotion into fear and children into faithful machines of the Party as an extension of the Thought Police. Parsons’ remark â€Å"In fact I’m proud of her. It shows I brought her up in the right spirit, anyway†(193) in response to his daughter’s betrayal, clearly portrays the Party’s influence in the family institution. Not only does the daughter value the Party’s approval more than her father’s life, but also Parsons’ appropriate response is to be gra teful for the betrayal and to those who enforce it. The betrayal of the family bond is a common theme in 1984. Orwell illustrates how weak that loyalty has become with the skull-faced man’s desperate begging to watch his wife and children’s throats be slit as an alternative to the Ministry of Love’s room 101 with a complete lack of â€Å"private loyalties†(136). Winston’s memories of his mother’s love â€Å"in a time when there were still privacy, love, and friendship, and when the members of a family stood by one another without needing to know the reason†(28) confront his suspicions that to â€Å"remain human†, one was â€Å"not loyal to a party or a country or an idea, they were loyal to one another†(136). Technically, consorting with prostitutes is forbidden, but it seems to be tacitly encouraged just the same, as a means of relieving natural tensions. The more serious crime involves relations between Party members. The Party does not wish to allow the development of loyalties to any other acts or persons than itself, so it tends to deny permission of marriage to couples who appear attracted to one another, and it campaigns actively against sex as anything other than a slightly disagreeable duty whose sole purpose is propagation of the species. The Party feeds off the hysteria produced from sexual privation, as it is conveniently transformed into â€Å"war fever and leader worship†(110). Through its control of marriages and sexual mores, the Party resembles a conservative religious institution. By attempting to control people’s loyalties and loves, and redirect those towards itself, the Party posits itself as the end and the ultimate salvation. Katharine even calls sex â€Å"our duty to the Party,† and it is a weekly ritual almost like a martyrdom, in which both she and Winston are uncomfortable but must suffer through it anyway. Clearly, Winston’s desire to have a woman of his own with whom sex could be pleasurable is yet another instance of his heretical tendencies. It does not seem something that he has experienced yet, since his encounter with the prostitute was somehow dirtying in every sense. His desire to evoke desire is itself thoughtcrime, and part of his overall rebellion against the world he lives in. . The Junior Anti-Sex League is one of the propaganda organizations used to control desire and teach sexual orthodoxy. The Party’s sexual puritanism is due to the fact that â€Å"the sex instinct creates a world of it’s own†(110) and is therefore out of the Party’s control and must be destroyed; â€Å"The sex instinct will be eradicated. Procreation will be an annual formality like the renewal of a ration card. We shall abolish the orgasm†(220). The sex instinct is dangerous to the Party and makes a â€Å"direct, intimate connection between chastity and political orthodoxy†(111). Sex is an act of outright rebellion, as all enjoyable sex must be in a society where the act is  supposed to be free of pleasure. In this sense Winston’s affair with Julia is a political act against the Party, which is part of the attraction. Perhaps the greatest crime they commit is declaring love for someone as an individual, someone who is separate from t he Party. Love, the clear anti-thesis to everything the Party stands for, has heavily ironic meaning in 1984. The language along with the emotion is manipulated by the Party to gain control of the people. The Ministry of Love, for example, â€Å"concerns itself with torture†, and the destruction of the individual is referred to as â€Å"love for Big Brother†. Winston battles to discover his humanity by equating the ability to feel love with the essence of being human. Winston progresses from seeing Julia as an outlet for his political unorthodoxy and his sexual energy, to seeing her as a companion, linked to him in a marriage of love. As long as Winston loves Julia, and what she represents to him, he is able to believe in himself and his humanity enough to hate Big Brother. Once he betrays that love, he violates his own humanity and can no longer love another human; â€Å"All you care about is yourself†(240). The Party, through Winston’s betrayal of Julia, has cut another link to loyalty derived by love and redirected it upon itself. Winston is left a shell of a man having â€Å"won the victory over himself† and learned to love Big Brother (245). The goal of the Party is to wipe out the individual; â€Å"There will be no loyalty, except loyalty toward the Party. There will be no love, except the love of Big Brother.†(220) In 1984 Orwell warns about the future of man who is doomed to lose his individualness without love and loyalty. Family, sex, and love are the anchors that hold the emotions of human essence to our individual selves, resulting in â€Å"Ownlife.†

Friday, August 16, 2019

A Character Study About An Enemy

  We all go through life meeting various people and learning how to handle the varying degrees of personality that are presented to us. Some of the people whom we understand and can identify with to a certain extent become our friends and acquaintances.While the others whom we cannot relate to or have a serious clash of personalities with become our enemies. The degree and extent of how we are enemy’s to a person will solely depend upon how we choose to handle our friction with that person.We can choose to ignore the person and try to avoid all contact with that person in order to avoid trouble. But, there are times in our lives when we simply cannot avoid those people or that person because the circle we move in is so small that we have no choice but to mingle and work with the person. This particular scenario is most evident during our growing up and maturing years in school.The school bully is the most typical enemy that an adolescent or teenager can have. An enemy can co me in any shape, form, size, and gender, so how we deal with that person depends upon the foundation of the relationship with that person.For starters, I have to point out that nobody ever sets out to meet people thinking of whom will be an enemy at the end of the day. A person sets out looking for friends and sometimes, it is those friends who eventually turn into an enemy.That is what happened to me and the person who has become my enemy. We actually grew up a few houses from each other and were friends during our early childhood. We spent our childhood as friends and playmates, even sleeping over when it was possible to do so. But one day, things changed between us. The parents of my friend divorced and my friend had a really hard time coping with the situation.Over time, I saw that my friend was slowly morphing into my enemy and I was helpless to do anything about it. The more I tried to help, the angrier the person got until it got to the point that I was told to back off any s tay out of this person’s personal business. After that, this person chose to go with some of the kids in the town who were deemed â€Å"the wrong crowd†. It was at this point where my friend turned into my enemy.Over time, our physical characteristics changed just   as this persons unexplained hatred towards me seemed to grow with every passing day. My enemy was now a person a full head taller than me, of a thinner build than I am, but with 4 times my body strength.I really did not understand what I had done wrong for this person to hate me so much that I had been turned into a virtual bully target every single day at school. The anger only seemed to reach a feverish pitch every time there was a parent-child activity in school where I participated on my parents nudging because it was a good social activity for all of us.The day after the activity was always the hardest part for me at school because this person seemed to be waiting with so much pent up anger that was just waiting to be released, usually upon me. I could not understand why this person was like this when we were so close before. It was only after careful analysis of the situation that I narrowed down the reason for the anger to envy and jealousy.This person had resented that my parents were not broken up and that we were still a happy family while theirs had fallen apart. The envy of having both parents there for me when I needed them was too much for this person to see so the only solution was to act upon the anger.I viewed the person as my enemy because of the hurt being inflicted upon me mentally, emotionally, and at times physically, while this person saw me as an enemy because I had what was now lost to him, a family unit.Such a problem was beyond my power to solve and so I had to accept the fact that my friend was gone and in his place was this person whom I no longer knew nor understood. Nothing was left of our original friendship, instead, what we had now was just bad bloo d and my hope that eventually, my enemy would once again be my friend.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Contract memorandum Essay

Teri is a firefighter who lives and works in Boston, Ma. She is selling her home and found a buyer named Jack. Teri received an offer from Jack for $300,000. Teri accepts the offer and they sign a contract to that effect. After the contract is signed, Teri learns of a Boston rule that all firefighters must live within the Boston city limits. Teri decides not to move and contacts Jack to let him know she won’t be moving after all. Jack sues Teri in municipal court, asking for specific performance in accordance with the original deal. Teri argues that, although specific performance is usually appropriate in land sales contract cases, the judge has the discretion to deny specific performance. ISSUE #1: Whether Jack is due specific performance? RULES: In Raynor v. Russell, 353 Mass. 366 (Mass. 1967), a police officer had entered into a contract to sell his home. The police officer was planning to move to property in a town more than ten miles from the city, but because a certain statute was accepted by the city in effect requiring its police officers to live within ten miles of it, was not an adequate ground for denying specific performance of the contract sought by the purchaser in a suit in equity. Also stated in Raynor, The court held that †the prospective purchasers were entitled in lieu of the relief granted by the final decree to specific performance upon payment of the purchase price less the amounts already paid as a deposit, as well as interest thereon.† The court also concluded that â€Å"there was not any hardship shown sufficient reason for denying specific performance.† The court held that because specific performance was to be granted, the price set by the oral agreement made by the buyers must be paid. In Joseph A. Cardillo Revocable Trust v. Cardillo, 17 LCR 55 (Mass. Land Ct. 2009), is that Joseph seeks specific performance of the agreement and an order that Charles be compelled to convey the subject property to Joseph for a consideration of $ 125,000. Specific performance is also permitted when the buyer reasonably relied on a contract and the continual assent of the selling party and the buyer’s position has been changed for the worse. Also stated in Joseph, the court ordered â€Å"specific performance of a written agreement between two brothers dividing up a plumbing business that included the purchase by one of the brothers of the other’s 50% interest in the business real estate held by the two as tenants in common.† ANALYSIS: A Judge will grant specific performance in a land or real estate deal as stated in Raynor,†the purchasers were entitled of the relief granted by the final decree to specific performance upon payment of the purchase price less the amounts already paid as a deposit, as well as interest thereon.† Since Teri had signed a contract with Jack the Judge should grant Jack specific performance based on the original agreement. As stated in Joseph, Specific performance is permitted when the buyer reasonably relied on the contract with the seller and the buyer’s position has changed for the worse. CONCLUSION: Therefore, specific performance is not a strict and absolute right and it rests in sound judicial discretion. Jack should receive specific performance because of the duty owed him in the original signed agreement. ISSUE #2 However, will Teri’s circumstances cause the judge to use his discretion and deny specific performance? RULES: In A. B. C. Auto Parts, Inc. v. Moran, 359 Mass. 327 (Mass. 1971), the plaintiff appeals from a final decree in the Superior Court denying specific performance of an alleged oral contract to sell property in Cambridge and ordering the return to the plaintiff with interest of the deposit it paid to the defendant concurrent with the alleged making of the contract. In order to entitle the buyer to specific performance on a contract of sale, it is necessary that the buyer tender the purchase price to the seller on behalf of the buying corporation within the reasonable time implied by law unless the seller evidences an unwillingness or inability to convey. Also stated in A.B.C. Auto Parts, the court stated that â€Å"in order to entitle him to specific performance on this contract it was necessary that Kagan tender the purchase price to the defendant on behalf of the plaintiff corporation within the reasonable time implied by law unless the defendant evidenced an unwillingness or inability to convey.† There was evidence that Kagan was ready, willing and able to perform, and this was all that was required in the circumstances. ANALYSIS: The Massachusetts Superior court may deny specific judgment as stated in A.B.C. Auto parts, an order Teri to return the deposit with interest to Jack concurrent with the making of this contract, if the judge uses his judicial discretion in doing so. CONCLUSION: Therefore Jack is due his duty of specific performance because of the binding contract that he had with Teri. However, the judge may use his discretion and deny the specific performance to Jack and require the return of Jack’s deposit as stated in A.B.C. Auto parts. It is to the judge’s judicial discretion.

4 Special Techniques of Technical Writing Essay

The four special techniques are DEFINITION, DESCRIPTION OF MECHANISM, DESCRIPTION OF A PROCESS, and CLASSIFICATION. These techniques are not types of reports and it is important to remember that these techniques usually appear in a single report. It would be exceptional to find an entire report, even a short one, only one of these techniques. For example, two containing or more techniques might be closely interwoven as a writer described the design, construction, and operation of a mechanism. The intermingling of these techniques, however, does not alter the basic principles of their use. These techniques can be studied most effectively by taking one technique at a time. 1. Definition In technology, words have precise, specific meanings; therefore there is a need for defining a technical term clearly. The extent to which a term should be defined or the length of a definition depends on the writer’s purpose and the knowledge level of the reader. Before going to the problem of â€Å"how to define†, it is better to â€Å"think about what should be defined first.† It is not possible of course, to set up an absolute list of terms and ideas that would require definition, not even for a specific body of readers, but it is possible and desirable to clarify the point of view from which the problem of definition should be attacked. 2. Description of a Mechanism A mechanism is generally defined as any object or system that has a working part or parts. Most often the term suggests tools, instruments, and machines. But other examples of mechanisms could be the human body and systems like the universe or a city, which is composed of parts that work together like parts of a machine. A technical man constantly works with mechanisms and always needs to understand them; what they do, what they look like, what parts they have, and how these parts work together. There are three fundamental divisions of the description and these are the  introduction, the part-by-part description, and the conclusion. 3. Description of a Process A process is a series of actions, and fundamentally the description of a process is the description of action. The action may be either one of two types. One type is that in which attention is focused on the performance of a human being, or possibly a group of human beings. A simple example is filing a work piece by hand; in a description of this process, emphasis would fall naturally upon the human skills required. The other type involves action in which a human operator either is not directly concerned at all, or inconspicuous. An instance is the functioning of a contactor. 4. Classification Classification is the orderly, systematic arrangement of related things in accordance with a governing principle or basis. The classifier notes the structural and functional relationships among things that constitute a class. In recording this relationships, the classifier employs certain conventional terms. Acquaintance with these convenient terms will make the rest easy to follow. Differentiate Mechanism is generally defined as any object or system that has a working part or parts while the Process is a series of actions and fundamentally is the description of action. Mechanism also has three fundamental divisions of description namely the introduction, the part-by-part description, and the conclusion. Process in the other hand has two types of action. The first type is focused on the performance of the human being or possibly a group of human beings. The second type involves action in which a human operator either is not directly concerned at all, or inconspicuous. Example of Each Technique: Definition -An Electrician is a Technician -A technique is a systematic procedure used to accomplish a complex or scientific task. Description of Mechanism -The pendulum of the clock swings to the left. The pallet moves in the opposite direction to the right. The right leg of the pallet engage a tooth of the escape wheel. Description of a Process -A dropped of blood traced through the entire body takes the following course: the blood with oxygen from the lungs goes through the pulmonary veins to the left auricle, to the left ventricle, and then to the aorta or great artery. This artery and its branches carry the blood to all parts of the body. Classifications -According to fuel consumption, cars can be categorized into two types, hybrid cars and regular cars.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Accounting Theory Half a Defence of Positive Accounting Research

The main aim of this report is to critically evaluate the article "Half a defence of positive   accounting research" by Dunmore (2010) in order to develop understanding in the area of   accounting research theory. On the basis of this article, positive   accounting research can be defined as a research which is used to successfully complete broader intellectual scientific research projects with the purpose to understand the cause and effect relationships in the world under a study (Dunmore, 2010). Positive   accounting is considered in this article as a research program, which is aimed to develop human behaviour's casual explanations in accounting settings. The report provides a summary of the article in terms of the main arguments including aim, overall findings, and its theoretical contribution and arguments. It also discusses the value of hypothesis and its relationship with the literature review. It also identifies and discusses the theoretical framework of the paper contributing to the research element. Moreover, it also presents the article's significance and limitations by discussing methodology used and research conclusion that is justified by the methodology, impact of the limitations on the article's significance, and findings. In last, it summarizes the main points by depicting the implications of the critique. The main aim of the article is to examine the ontology (system) and epistemology (philosophy) of a positive accounting research program. It is found from the article that the logic of statistical hypothesis testing while superficially correspondent to Popper's falsification criterion is not so strong. The main argument behind this is that falsification is not able to perform its normal function because many assumptions must come in the theoretical   anticipation and falsifying the anticipation does not explain which assumption is wrong (Dunmore, 2010). It means that the theory cannot actually be falsified. In addition, the author also found that although the potential of the broad positivist research program is strong enough, however it is lowered by insufficiencies in the practice. For instance, some common problems were identified including 'building casually theoretical models to be tested, excessive trust on the logic of hypothesis testing, a lack of interest in the parameters' numerical value, the use of theory as a way to examine qualitative data rather than testing of the explanations, and insufficient replication to justify assurance in accepted findings that affect the use of this program' (Dunmore, 2010). The researcher also argued that the current way of using positive research in accounting is not effective and it is largely incompetent to attain scientific objectives. But at the same time, the researcher also argued that the use of 'Kuhn's description of normal' science can be quite effective in the context of positive accounting research. Thus, it can be stated that this article significantly contributes in developing knowledge towards the effective utilization of positive research program in accounting studies so that better results can be produced and objectives can be attained. It can also be stated that it is essential to use specific models to test theories, better measurement, use of parameters, and extensive replication for designing effective quantitative positive research. As a part of intellectual research project, the author developed four hypothesis. The first hypothesis is   related with the presence of a world, which is independent to the people's imagination. It is because people do not develop them and therefore, events in such situations cannot be controlled by individuals. The second hypothesis is that in such a kind of world, events have causes, which are also a part of the world (Dunmore, 2010). It is the reason that events are not completely random as well as the results of intervention from the outside world. The third hypothesis is that there is potential for general people to attain fairly dependable and authentic information about events in the world through a careful observation. It also indicates to the importance of observation, which is mainly used for understanding the world and its causes as event. But at the same time, it is also possible that people can be wrong in their observations as observations are not completely disconne cted to the world. Lastly, the main purpose of intellectual research project is to use observation to develop knowledge about the world, mainly in the case of causation (Dunmore, 2010). Additional, individuals attempt mental models because these help in correctly mapping the casual processes that take place in the world. All these hypothesis are valuable because these provide a background to successfully conduct an intellectual enquiry. In addition, these are also valuable to prove different theories in the context of positive accounting research. In addition, the results of this article developed based on these hypothesis can be valuable to enhance the relevancy of positive accounting research. Moreover, in an intellectual research, it is also assumed that non worldly things such as gods and spirits cause an event in this world (Dunmore, 2010). But, concurrently, there is disagreement in relation to the thing that cause an event. Similarly, in this article, the role of human behaviour in the context of accounting research is discussed. The author is intended to resolve the issue that how the current practice of accounting research fails to meet the requirements to execute the research program in a successful manner. Through this article, the researcher is not affirming the truth of these hypothesis, but simply asking for a 'willing suspension of disbelief' to allow their discussion. It also indicates that these hypothesis are developed by the researcher on the basis of the literature review to clear the doubt about the truth in the context of positive accounting research. In addition, the author developed these hypothesis for this article in a tentative and conscious way by considering human experiences and value with the review of available literature. The literature review in this article is also supportive to provide sufficient proves in the context of falsification and hypothesis testing as well as the use of models and frameworks to ensure the proper utilization of positive accounting research (Dunmore, 2010). Overall, it can be stated that by developing knowledge regarding existing accounting research theories and models, literature review helps in building hypothesis for this enquiry. In this article, the author reviews the wider intellectual project in a brief manner with its system and philosophical assumptions to understand the significance as well as deficiencies of positive accounting research. The author used different theories to examine the importance and inadequacies of positive accounting research. For instance, the use of theory by Kuhn (1970) suggested that "positive research may be a paradigm which is optimal for solving accepted puzzles" (Dunmore, 2010). Concurrently, the example of positive accounting research also provides a theoretical framework for this article. For instance, through the views of Watts and Zimmerman (1978, 1986, 1990), Dunmore (2010) clarifies that the concept of "positive accounting theory" is more extensive than their particular theory. It encourages the author to find the ways that can be used to enhance the effectiveness of accounting research. In addition, the author also used a theoretical framework as 'fundamental model of rational self-interested human behaviour' suggested by Fukuyama (1995, p. 13) (Dunmore, 2010). It shows that human behaviour is not capable to defended in quantitative terms. Concurrently, it is evaluated that this model is correct about 80% of time. It is also the reason that behaviour in accounting context is examined by some accounting research without assuming rational behaviour. For example, judgements by the audit experts, use of discretion by the managers in performance evaluation systems, etc (Dunmore, 2010). At the same time, Popper's theory of falsification and hypothesis testing is also an important part of the theoretical framework of the chosen article. Scientific researchers involve the collection of both qualitative and quantitative data and Popper's criterion is helpful to understand the philosophy of science at all (Michael, 2015). The use of this theory is beneficial to perform positive accounting research in a scientific context. In this article, the criteria of falsification is applied to evaluate the possibility of developing falsified principles within the positive accounting research. As per the falsification criterion, a theory can only be scientific when the variables can be developed in terms of principles (Baruk, 2008). Moreover, audit-complexity and audit-fee are other parts of theoretical framework in this article, which are used to discuss the importance of measurement in comparison of the testing. In order to enhance the effectiveness of positive accounting research, it is essential to define and measure the concepts so that the testing can be made more reliable and valid (Mintz, 2013). In this article, through the use of principles and assumptions, normal science theory of Kuhn is discussed. This theory shows that to make sure about the presence of scientific nature in a theory, it is important to discuss common paradigm. Moreover, normal science theory states that success of each theory is not critical due to the importance of problem-solving science nature. This theory also promotes the organization of in-depth study with the adoption of a puzzle solving approach for conducting scientific enquiry (Biondi and Zambon, 2013). At the same time, this theory is considered in this article as an impo rtant way to identify the limitations of positive accounting research. On the basis of the review of the chosen article, some implications and limitations are identified. The key strength of the article is related to the method of data collection as it enabled the researcher to define different models and theories in the context of positive accounting research (Hoque, 2006). Moreover, it also supported the researcher to justify the arguments for deficiencies in the practice of current positive accounting research. In addition to this, the inclusion of literature from qualitative and quantitative research perspective, accounting, and auditing also enabled the author to design a suitable theoretical framework for this study (Dunmore, 2010). The use of Popper's criterion was also significant to learn about the process of hypothesis testing. Concurrently, the author also found this theory's limitation as it does not include any aspect to invent a new theory. The author also discussed the importance of creativity and imagination process to enhance the streng th of positive accounting research. The consideration of ontology and epistemology of positive research by discussing interpretive and inductive aspects as well as human behaviour, rational conduct, and normal science theory are also effective to enhance the validity of this article (Wolk, Dodd, and Rozycki, 2016). In addition, it can also be discussed that the author described the theoretical conclusions from the research. For instance, the author discussed that the example of positive research in accounting has no means exhaustive, but he effectively defined that the concept of positive accounting research is large enough than the theory. The author also concluded that 'any research aiming to understand the nature and causes of particular accounting phenomena, even if those causes lie in non-rational aspects of human psychology, qualifies as positive and scientific accounting research' (Dunmore, 2010). In their views, the accounting phenomena is caused by 'the operation of rational self-interest among parties who interact through express or implied contracts in various types of organization'. The author acknowledged the limitation of this theory as Dunmore (2010) clearly discussed in this article that Watts and Zimmerman's theoretical model does not draw appreciably all the areas of positive accounting research. But, at the same time, this theory is significant to make accounting choices by the managers of the company, reporting and pricing decisions by auditors, standard setting decisions by the politicians and regulators, and expert advice offered by the academics (Mattessich, 2007). Thus, it can be stated that the author provided effective theoretical conclusions from the research that are also justified by the methodology.   For example, the author provided recommendations in the article for quantitative positive research, which enhance the validity and reliability of the res earch outcomes. In order to summarize the above discussion, it can be concluded that this article includes adequate discussion of different models and theories, which are effective to develop knowledge regarding the positive accounting research. In addition, it can also be stated that the recommendations provided in this research are also effective to successfully complete a scientific quantitative research study.   In addition, the researchers can avoid insufficiencies such as building of theoretical model, lack of measurement, and hypothesis testing model in order to make sure about the success of accounting research. Baruk, I. (2008). Causality I. A Theory of Energy, Time and Space, Volume 2. Lulu.com. Biondi, Y. and Zambon, S. (2013). Accounting and Business Economics: Insights from National Traditions. UK: Routledge. Dunmore, P.V. (2010). Half a Defence of Positive Accounting Research. Retrieved From: https://www.massey.ac.nz/~pvdunmor/HalfaDefence.pdf Hoque, Z. (2006). Methodological Issues in Accounting Research: Theories, Methods and Issues. Spiramus Press Ltd. Mattessich, R. (2007). Two Hundred Years of Accounting Research. UK: Routledge. Michael, M. (2015). Evolution by Natural Selection: Confidence, Evidence and the Gap. USA: CRC Press. Mintz, S. (2013). Accounting for the Public Interest: Perspectives on Accountability, Professionalism and Role in Society. Germany: Springer Science & Business Media. Wolk, H.I., Dodd, J. L., and Rozycki, J.J. (2016). Accounting Theory: Conceptual Issues in a Political and Economic Environment. USA: SAGE Publications. 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