Thursday, November 28, 2019

Manhattan Project Essays (3447 words) - Manhattan Project

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project Imagine a weapon so powerful that it could literally destroy the world, a weapon that vaporizes anything living thing within its radius. In an effort by the United States, which also involved the United Kingdom and Canada, was a project to design and build the first atomic bomb, the project was code named the Manhattan Project. The Manhattan Project was one of the most secretive projects in the history of the United States. It took place during World War II and its purpose was to create a bomb by splitting atoms apart. This project was a success and created one of the most devastating bombs ever used by mankind, the atomic bomb. The president at the time, Harry S. Truman, had to face the many factors that were involved in making the decision to drop the bomb. In this paper I will discuss those and the events leading up to The Manhattan Project. The factors in dropping the bomb can be put into three categories: military, moral and political. I will also go into the scientific means of developing such a weapon. Albert Einstein was living in Germany at the time Hitler came into power. Albert Einstein, Edward Teller, Leo Szilard and the rest of his colleagues wrote a letter in August 1939 to warn the United States that Germany was researching and developing nuclear weapons. They were afraid that once Germany finished building the bomb, they would use it on the United States. (Cayton, Perry, Winkler, 1995, pg. 786). When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt received the letter, he was both amazed and scared. He was amazed that science could make such a devastating weapon, a weapon that could destroy an entire city. President Roosevelt then quickly assembled the Manhattan Project so they could build the bomb before Germany. The Manhattan Project started in 1942 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The name "Manhattan Project" was secretly coded as a United States effort in an attempt to build an atom bomb during World War II. It was named after the Manhattan Engineer District of the US Army Corps of Engineers, because most of the research was done in New York City. In Oak Ridge there were tests for separating a rare Uranium-235 (U-235) an unstable isotope from Uranium-238 (U-238). General Leslie Groves was chosen by President Roosevelt to lead the project. Grove's major task was to build the huge industrial facilities needed to separate the small amounts of rare uranium-235, uranium-238 and plutonium needed for a bomb. He built the facilities on an isolated mesa at Los Alamos, New Mexico. The project employed nearly 129,000 people. But out of those couple of thousands of scientists, there were six scientists who contributed to the project the most: Neils Bohr, Joseph Carter, Glen Seaborg, Enrico Fermi, Richard Feynman, and Albert Einstein. (Wyden, 1984, pg. 113) Albert Einstein predicted that mass could be converted into energy early in the century. The idea of energy from atoms comes from Einstein's equation: E=mc2. Atoms consist of three sub-atomic particles. The particles are protons, neutrons, and electrons. The neutrons and protons are closely clustered to form the nucleus and the electrons orbit around the nucleus. The actual mass of a nucleus is always less than the sum of the neutrons and protons that make up the nucleus. The difference is the mass equivalent of the energy of formation of the nucleus from its constituents. The conversion of mass to energy follows Einstein's equation, E=mc2, where E is the energy equivalent to a mass, m, and c is the velocity of light. His theory was confirmed experimentally by John D. Cockcroft and Ernest Walton in 1932. In 1939, Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann discovered nuclear fission. (Lanouette, 1992, pg. 82) Fission is a process where certain nuclei of heavy atoms split up into two nearly equal parts when they are bombarded by neutrons. Neutrons are used to split the atom because they have no electrical charge. If scientist used a particle that has a positive charge, the uranium atom would repel the positive charge particle. (Taffel, 1992, pg. 790) Neils Bohr discovered that U-235 had the capability to create fission. To initiate fission, a nucleus from a

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Outsourcing (Australia) essays

Outsourcing (Australia) essays Kraut t a new idea. He sees the concept of outsourcing as an ever-changing process, and notes how we as individuals outsource the things we cannot do ourselves or are too busy to do...Just like companies... The work of Peters, Greer Outsourcing has fostered the concept of core activities staying within an organisation (Domberger 1998). According to the Australian Government Publishing Service (1996), outsourcing is when an organisation opts to have an activity or function performed for them by an external agency, which has overall responsibility for the activity. Directly related to core competency in outsourcing is the desire for increased efficiency. Similarly, Ivancevich (1998) defines outsourcing as the practice of hiring another firm to complete work that is important and must be done efficiently. Mike Johnson (1997) agrees, saying a manager should find the most practical, productive, cost-effective source to getting a job done, a product made, an idea developed. Outsourcing is becoming increasingly important in a constantly changing economy. The Australian Outsourcing Summit 2000 focused on this importance, and on the emergence of outsourcing as a powerful tool for transforming organisations and driving innovation (Corbett 2000). Managers, in searching for ways to streamline th...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Information of JADE from Neolithic period to Han dynasty Research Paper - 1

Information of JADE from Neolithic period to Han dynasty - Research Paper Example Previously, history has not recorded the use of metals by humans in any concrete sense. Therefore, China can be seen as a pioneer that ushered in the transformation in this era around 7000 BC though this process of change dates back to a much earlier phase in time. As there is no written evidence, much is not known about who these people were, what language they spoke, and what social norms they followed. However, evidence throughout the history shows that jade remained a major influence in Chinese culture and civilization in the Neolithic period, transcending to the Han Dynasty and beyond. Evidence unearthed from many sites in the form of houses, burials, pottery, and tools suggests the distinction of different cultures through various artifacts. While the earlier settlements flourished all over mainland China, in the north the provinces of Henan, Hebai and eastern and southern Shaanxi thrived with the Peligang and Cishan Cultures. In the central and western province, along the Yellow river and its tributary the Wei, Yangzi and its tributaries, the Yangshao culture (c.4800-4300BC) with its distinguished painted potteries, and later the Majiayao culture (c.2500-2200BC) inhabited. In the east at Hemudu (c.5000BC) near Hangzhou and adjoining regions, an amalgam of different cultures came into prominence. In these cultures, especially in the eastern ones where specialization was intensive, the devotion to jade work and fine ceramics were cultivated with an affinity towards various rituals and ceremonies. Thus, jade was extensively used in creating different versions of weapons, tools that came hardy on everyday life. Besides, decorative items and ceramics were elaborately used in the formation of high pierced stands and lobed bodies of aesthetic and artistic value. When dwelling on the culture of jade in the Chinese history, a mentioning of the Hongshan societies in the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The Effects of Globalisation on UK Education Essay

The Effects of Globalisation on UK Education - Essay Example The force in the market demands higher education, which can churn knowledge workers who possess both technical and managerial skills. The UK government has responded to these global needs by changing its higher education system. The paper will address school standardisation, early year education and care, and overseas student education in British Universities. School Standardisation Globalisation in the context of education standardisation would refer to changes developed in the education system in response to demand of human resource. Knowledge steers every sector of economy at national and global scale. This attribute dictate the response that the UK government towards realigning its education policies. Policy makers in education sector have identified the need to adapt to global changes. Foskett, Nick and Maringe (2010: 54) argue that globalisation defines the rationale for changing the structures of education system with a view of meeting the needs of national economy. The economic success of a country depends on higher value added production mechanism, which embraces the use of technology and continual innovation. Since information is the central factor that contributes to knowledge flow, UK universities have embarked on innovative education integration with an aim of responding to the global needs. The UK government has argued that its global competence de pend on unlocked potential of its citizens (Pratt-Adams, et.al. 2010:78). The argument suggests that viability of an individual in the job market would thus depend on higher education level. The reward to an individual would derive from his job or her job would depend on level of education. This factor is in line with market principle, which argues that prosperity of a labourer would depend on the ability to market his skills. Critics have observed that globalisation influence education by forcing societies to evolve and change as a part of their development agenda, emphasising on insertion of neo liberal principles observed in the market with an aim of raising standards (Pratt-Adams, et.al. 2010:78). This influence has led to reformation of public education system with a view of creating different types of schools that would generate skills that would lead to attainment of global competitiveness. Some critics have described global economisation of education as process that fails to account for local and cultural discourses (Barton & Armstrong, 2008:127). For instance, the government of Wales have pointed out the need to create more vocational skilled labor. However, education critics have pointed that standardisation of education, testing, uniformity of curriculum, and ranking waters the value of education (Pratt-Adams, et.al. 2010:78). However, it is important to note that the role of education is to prepare workforce for the labour market. Critics of education believe that different people possess different abilities, which means that the system of standardisation must address these special needs (Great Britain Parliament. 2009:129). Curriculum adaption to global changes Education system that seeks to respond to the global goals has to change its curriculum in accordance with the global framework. The challenge in curriculum construction is balancing between the national needs and the global needs (Frau-Meigs and Torrent, 2009:129). These two factors have

Monday, November 18, 2019

Research Methods Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Methods - Research Paper Example According to Zwass, electronic commerce is defined as â€Å"the sharing of business information, maintaining of business relationships, and conducting of business transactions by means of telecommunications networks†. The electronic commerce activities are inter-organisational processes of market-based sell-buy relationships and collaboration, consumer oriented activities, and inter-organisational processes that support them (Zwass). The innovation diffusion theory by Rogers has been widely applied as a theoretical framework to analyse adoption of technology. The framework identified five factors which influence adoption of technology in organisations. These factors are relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability and observability. Relative advantage is defined as â€Å"the degree to which an innovation is perceived as being better than the idea it supersedes†. Compatibility is defined as â€Å"the degree to which an innovation is perceived as consisten t with the existing values, past experiences, and needs of potential adopters†. Complexity is defined as â€Å"the degree to which an innovation is perceived as relatively difficult to understand and use†. ... This study therefore seeks to identify the factors that influence adoption of e-commerce in organisations using Rogers’ model. Research Questions 1. What is the effect of relative advantage on adoption of e-commerce? 2. Does compatibility affect adoption of e-commerce? 3. What is the effect of complexity on adoption of e-commerce? 4. Does trialability affect adoption of e-commerce? 5. What is the effect of observability on adoption of e-commerce? Research Objectives The objectives of this study are: 1. To examine the effect of relative advantage on adoption of e-commerce. 2. To determine the effect of compatibility on adoption of e-commerce. 3. To assess the effect of complexity on adoption of e-commerce. 4. To examine the effect of trialability on adoption of e-commerce. 5. To determine the effect of observability on adoption of e-commerce. Significance of the Study This study is very important to organisations in Saudi Arabia as well as other Arab countries. The results of t his study will be very valuable in informing the management of these retail stores on how a number of factors will influence adoption of e-commerce for those who wish to do so. The study is also important to government agencies in charge of policy-making decisions. The study will provide valuable recommendations on how regulation of e-commerce should be carried out based on the results on the adoption factors of e-commerce. The policy recommendations will therefore help come up with solutions that will address the challenges of e-commerce among retailers. Researchers will also find this study valuable source information as a reference material as well as act as a basis for

Friday, November 15, 2019

Development of the Peoples Bank of China

Development of the Peoples Bank of China People’s Bank of China seeking a fresh start in 2030 after a tough period of restructuring People’s Bank of China (PBoC) after experiencing a great collapse in June 2020 is  aiming for a sustainable recovery. A historic tragedy in China which happened in 2020 where PBoC used deposits to write of its Non Performing Loans (NPL) which accounted for more than 4 trillion Yuan. There were problems of shadow borrowing with Chinese banks in the early years of 21st century. There were many issues and many were responsible for the incident but China recovered well considering the fact that last decade taught China a lot over the issues. People realized their fault of relying the banks and banks realizing the fault of relying on the government. But their beliefs were failed as PBoC was not supported by the government during its crisis. PBoC president recalled the event and mentioned that for the past 5 years PBoC was restructuring and reframing rules to make sure that it should really be for People of China. PBoC has also adapted a new policy called ‘Transparent insigh ts’ where it will show where the money deposited was invested and how much interest PBoC get out of it and the risks associated through such investment. There are may new policies announced by PBoC keeping in mind that their customers are their king and with a primary focus that they need serve their customers. Many technologies were adapted to keep track of defaulters and the president of PBoC promised that it would be default proof. People are confident in investing in PBoC after the restructuring which took nearly 10 years. Chinese Yuan after facing a tough time for more than a decade is appreciating and experts believe that Yuan will touch single digits by mid of June 2030. The bank has also introduced a new concept to help the depositors and the stakeholders called ‘Choose your Borrower’. According to this, certain depositors (Preferential) will be given rights to choose their borrower so it becomes easy for the bank that they may not worry too much on the risks involved as the depositor knows who the borrower is and this kind of transparency helps them to service better. Overall PBoC has adapted an environment which is friendly to depositors and stringent to borrowers. Hoping for a good start to the New Year, president told that ‘Friendly Environment for Depositors – by keeping their money and future safer than ever before’. Friendly Environment for FDI: As Yuan appreciates against US strongly over a period of 1 year, it is expected that there would be boom in foreign direct investment (FDI). As expected the FDI started to grow. There has been a repeated complaint by the foreign investors that the Chinese employees have not been treated properly. Employees in China have been forced to work under dangerous environment  with absolutely no security to their own life. This has been raised as an issue when FDI withdrew from China when there was a problem in PBoC (People’s bank of China) in 2020. Keeping in mind all those issues, the Chinese government in coordination with the State owned Entreprises (SOEs) which are responsible for employing people in their own location have decided that people are the most important capital in any economy. China glorified in 20th century was just because of their people’s hard work. The people in China unlike other nations are very hard working. But the government took advantage over thei r commitment and made them work for long hours. Their average working hours per week would be around 60 hours which is 1.5 times that of what has been the norm followed throughout the world. The very common and popular example is Laborers working in factories for Apple faced lots of problems: Exposure to working environment which is very dangerous to life. Living accommodation provided was not fit for living. Using certain chemicals to clean the outer cover without the use of gloves of Apple’s Iphone which was harmful to life. Failing to pay the insurance cost to laborers. This is one such examples of what happened over the last decade. This action by the state owned Corporation (SOE) and the Chinese government’s lazy involvement to this matter was severely condemned by people throughout the world. Even then they followed the same practice. The investors faced lots of problems with the response of Chinese officials in their own country. They were waiting for an opportunity to get out of the country. An opportunity has strike them in the form of PBoC. The investors utilized this opportunity to get their money back home. But after a decade, as the investment climate returned normal, the Chinese government has taken the issue seriously and issued a law for laborers and told that the defaulters would be punished severely. This step forward by Chinese government was appreciated by many investors across the world. China ready for self sufficient solar power system installation: China is all set to use solar energy as its main source of energy. Over the past 5 years, China has been investing  heavily on this project. The project will be successful and is expected to come into existence in another few months. With already many areas in China powered by solar panels, the next aim of China is to eliminate its reliance on fossil fuels. China has already started its research and development in the field of Automobiles to make itself independent form other countries. Driven by the thirst of self sufficiency, China has proved the world that a nation can be independent and it can also make other nations dependent on it for almost everything. The future is sustainable. While all the nations were investing money to improve their economy back in 2010, China invested in possibly all kinds of research projects to make sure that it becomes self sufficient. The work it has put in 2 decades ago has really paid off well today as China will very soon become the first ever c ountry which uses solar power as its major source of energy. With the investment climate getting better due to the measures taken by Chinese government and by the PBoC, many investors started turning into China. When the investment climate is good, China doesn’t need to worry about investing its surplus in infrastructural development projects. With China adapting all the new technologies to minimize its expenditure, many industries started turning their decision to start their factories in China. With everyone approaching China, it’s now the turn for China to choose the best companies to enter into its environment. The changes adapted by China recently are very aggressive and keeping in mind about the future of Chinese people. With this kind of infrastructure China has proved itself as an Asian dragon with an ability to fight any downturns. T20 Cricket world cup in China 2031 China is all ready for its inauguration t20 world cup. With over 2 decaded of existence in cricket, China has finally decided to make it for the t20 version of cricket in the international arena. Speaking about its future plans, (Chinese Cricket Association) CCA chairman told the reporters that they have been planning for the occasion. They were very positive about their scope and their future in cricket. China is the No.1 country known for its olympic champions. Everyone know that Chinese sports people were known for their commitment. They will give their heart and soul to work when they are up for a task. The team contains a mix of youngsters and experienced people who were practicing day and night to get in for their inaugural T20 world cup entry. With China being qualified for T20 world cup 2031, expectations are set high from their people. Many giants of the game were fearing about China’s presence in this world cup. The upcoming world cup will help them to build their future in the area of cricket. The Chinese coach is very confident about their team winning in the world cup. The stadiums are ready for the world cup. With more than an year left, the Chinese cricket fans were eagerly waiting for their home team to put in their good show. With a tremendous performance in the qualifiers round of T20 World cup, China is very confident in getting into the world cup. As the pitch will be very new for all the countries who are about to participate in the upcomeing year, it would be a great challenge to every one. Playing on their home ground is an advantage for China as they have been used to playing in these conditions. The world itself is very much excited with certain new entrants into the cricket. The pitch in China is behaving a bit differently. Sometimes the pitch seems to be as if like england and sometimes the pitch is very dry and very much suitable for batting. With the climatic conditions similar to most of the countries except few asian countries, this would prove to be a good contest overall.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Jack Kerouac’s On The Road - The Impact of Dean on Sals Identity Essay

Impact of Dean on Sal's Identity in On the Road       In part I, chapter 3 of Jack Kerouac's On the Road, Sal arrives at Des Moines and checks into a cheap, dirty motel room. He sleeps all day and awakens in time to witness the setting sun. As he looks around the unfamiliar room, Sal realizes that he doesn't understand his own identity. Identity lost, he states "I was half way across America, at the dividing line between the East of my youth and the West of my future." He has lost the calming influence of his aunt, and Dean and partners are not around to feed his wild streak. The only clues to his identity are to be found in the strange motel room. This appeal to emotion gives the reader personal hints to identify with.    Many people have become lost in the context of their life and do not understand what they have been doing or what the purpose of existence is. The manner in which Kerouac relates his own feelings to the dark, soothing atmosphere of the room gives the reader a clear idea as to what he is experiencing. This appeal to style lulls the reader into contemplation concerning their... ... of my life you could call my life on the road." Sal needed Dean to have an identity. In fact, as much of a driving force that Dean was, in the end, Dean and Sal needed each other to balance out the holes in their personalities.       Bibliography    Charters, Ann. Kerouac: A Biography. New York: A Warner Communications Company, 1973.    Kerouac, Jack. On the Road. United States of America: Penguin, 1976.    Tytell, John. Naked Angels: the Lives and Literature of the Beat Generation. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1976.      

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Compare and Contrast Key Perspectives in Psychology Essay

Psychology literally means the study of the mind, translated from Ancient Greek as psyche, meaning â€Å"mind† or â€Å"soul† and logia, meaning â€Å"study†. The most accurate description of psychology is that it is the science of mind and behaviour (Collin et al, 2011). Psychology evolved from philosophy and can be dated back to the time of Ancient Greek philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle (325 BCE). Studying the nature of subjects such as the memory, thoughts and the consciousness, did not make psychology a standalone science, instead it was viewed as a form of philosophical speculations. Psychology became a separate, scientific discipline in the late 19th century. The world’s first experimental laboratory of psychology was founded in 1879 by Wundt. As many philosophers and scientists tried to explain the inner world of a person (psyche) since ancient times, many key perspectives of modern psychology appeared as a result. These key perspectives include: Psychodynamic, Behavioural, Cognitive, Humanistic, Evolutionary, Biological and Cross-Cultural (Cherry, 2014). This essay will explore and compare two of these perspectives, Behaviourism and Psychodynamic, and their influence on modern psychology. The psychodynamic approach is based on the theories of Freud, Adler, Erikson and Jung. Freud was the founder of psychoanalysis. Together with Breuer, Freud developed psychological treatment, known as talking therapies, believing that many forms of mental illness, such as: irrational fears, hysteria, anxiety and imagined pains, were the results of a traumatic experience acquired by the patient in the past. Freud believed that people store their ideas, memories and impulses in the unconscious when they become too overwhelming for the conscious mind to bear, this is known as repression. He believed that the conscious mind is just the surface (likening it to an iceberg) of a complex psychic realm, which included the ego, superego and id. The id is driven only by the fulfilment of basic drives, for example; food, comfort, warmth and sex, and obeys the Pleasure Principle, meaning that each impulse must be gratified immediately. The ego, one the other hand, accepts the Reality Principle, which says we cannot have everything we desire. The ego negotiates with the id and may be compared to the moderator between id and superego (Collin et al, page.111). The  superego is the internal voice, influenced by our parents and the society’s moral code, it is a judging voice of our conscience, which tells us what we should and should not do, and may often become the source of guilt and shame (Collin et al, 2011, pp.94-99). In Freud’s opinion, the difference between conscious and unconscious thoughts creates psychic tension, and that this is how many mental problems originate. Repressed and unprocessed emotions build up and then become revealed in anger, depression, anxiety, alcohol abuse and so on. These problems can be helped by releasing them and confronting them during the process of psychoanalysis. Freud tried to free his patients from repressed memories and ease their mental pain. Dream Analysis was a method which in Freud’s opinion allowed to access and encode messages sent by the unconscious. Despite all of this, even Breuer criticised Freud for concentrating too much on the sexual origins of neuroses (Collin et al, 2011, p.95). The humanistic approach criticised psychodynamics of excluding the thought of free will (McLeod, 2007). Furthermore, today Freud’s interpretation of dreams appears unreasonable to many. In spite of all the criticisms, many accept that Freud highlighted the importance of childhood experiences and his methods inspired many famous psychotherapists to develop new types of treatment. One example includes Virginia Satire, who stresses the importance of the family environment (Collin et al, 2011, pp.146-147). Freud also introduced the idea of defence mechanisms which is widely used today in different therapies. Denial, repression and displacement are some examples of defence mechanisms (Cherry, 2014). In addition, psychodynamics also made the case study method popular in psychology. One of Freud’s eminent theories was about the Oedipus Complex. Freud used his case study known as ‘Little Hans’ to support this theory. Hans was 5 years old at the time and had a phobia of horses. Hans’ father, who was Freud’s friend, wanted Freud to cure Hans from his phobia. Freud was mostly interested in how the phobia was triggered and how it could be linked to his idea of the Oedipus Complex. By analysing Hans’ dreams, Freud ruled out that they boy’s phobia of horses was caused through the fear of being castrated by his father because he had sexual desires for his mother. Freud advised Hans’ father to reassure his son that he would not castrate him and eventually the boy’s phobia resolved. Despite curing Han’s phobia, Freud’s emphasis on the phobia being caused by an underlying fear of his father seems farfetched,  especially when it is known that Hans witnessed how a horse died on the street, an event which traumatised him. This would seem a more plausible reason for the child’s horse phobia, but instead Freud emphasised that this case study was a perfect example of the Oedipus Complex. In addition, Freud didn’t work directly with Hans, almost all of his investigation of the case and all ‘therapeutic work’ occurred through correspondence with Hans’ father, who was Freud’s admirer and friend. (McLeod, 2008). Therefore, this doubts the authenticity of the study. Later, it became obvious that Freud sometimes distorted his patients’ case histories to fit with his theories (Sulloway, 1991). In 1960, Beck exposed the weaknesses of traditional psychoanalysis and proposed cognitive therapy as he could not find any reliable studies proving the success rates of psychoanalysis – only anecdotal evidence of case reports. Furthermore, many psychoanalysts objected scientific examination (Collin et al, 2011, pp.175-177), which brings up the contrasting approach of behaviourism. Behaviourism is based on the works of Darwin, Thorndike, Watson, Pavlov and Skinner. The behaviourism approach suggested that psychology should be treated as a science and must be based on observations, research and experiments (Collin et al, 2011). Is it possible to measure behaviour? Behaviourism stated that it is. In order to do this, behaviourists experimented firstly on animals. Therefore, physiology has had a lot of influence on this approach. In 1890 Pavlov, developed the concept of classical conditioning (Collin et al, 2011). Pavlov introduced such terms as ‘unconditioned’ and ‘conditioned reflex’, ‘response’ and ‘stimulus’ in physiology and psychology. Later some behaviourists switched to experimenting on humans. Yet, it cannot be said that these early experiments on humans were very ethical. With this in mind, one example is that of a case study known as ‘Little Albert’, carried out by Watson (1920), on a nine month old baby, ‘Albert B’. Today his method would arguably be considered unethical and even cruel. However, Watson thought that the experiment was a logical continuation of previous animal studies. The aim of Watson’s experiment was to find out if it was possible to teach an infant to fear an animal by repeatedly presenting it at the same time with a loud, frightening noise, or a stimulus. Watson put the baby on a mattress and then showed him  a dog, a rat, a rabbit and a monkey. Albert showed no fear and his natural instinct was to touch the animals. In this case, the animals were used as a neutral stimulus. In Watson’s opinion, this was a baseline, from which he could measure any change in Albert’s behaviour. Then, Watson started to frighten the child with a loud noise, an unconditioned stimulus, by striking a metal bar with a hammer. Watson then paired the sighting of an animal with a frightening noise, and as a result, each time Albert saw an animal he burst into tears, because his n atural response to the noise – fear and distress – had now become associated with animals. All that was very good from the point of view of Pavlov’s classical conditioning, however today it may be argued that Watson’s experimentation method was unethical. Nevertheless, Watson’s experiment demonstrated that human emotions are susceptible to classical conditioning. This was his new input on Pavlov’s theory, because previous stimulus-response experiments had focused on studying behaviour, not emotions. Later, Skinner published ‘The Behaviour of Organisms’ (1938) and developed the concept of operant conditioning. Operant conditioning is a form of conditioning in which the outcome depends upon an animal operating upon its environment, such as pressing a lever to obtain food (Collin et al, 2011, p.342). Skinner carried out multiple experiments on animals, studying satisfaction and discomfort. He used positive and negative reinforcers, working with rats and pigeons as well as primary and secondary reinforcers (Jarvis and Russell, 2002). Through his experiments, Skinner proved that behaviour is often shaped not by a preceding stimulus, how it was stated previously in classical conditioning, but instead by the consequences of that behaviour (Collin et al, 2011, p.59). Today, Skinner’s ideas are used in workplace psychology, for example they influenced the method of rewards and incentives. The attractiveness of the reinforcer (incentive) can increase the productivity of workers and it is widely used in different industries. Similarly, operant conditioning has an application in today’s clinical psychology. For example, in the study of depression. Also, self-harming addictions are explained in terms of operant conditioning, which is now often called behaviour modification. Behaviour modification is used in treating mental disorders and in programmed learning. Ghosh and Chattopadhyay used behaviour modification techniques when treating children with ADHD (Jarvis and Russell, 2002). The  Behaviourists’ approach has its’ strengths as it is scientific, their theories are supported by experiments. Behaviourism focuses on observable behaviour that can be measured (McLeod, 2007). On the other hand, behaviourism does not consider emotion and thinking. Watson denied the inheritance of capacity, talent, temperament and mental constitution (Collin et al, 2011, p.28). Not all human behaviour can be explained by operant conditioning, which is why Skinner’s ideas are no longer popular with many psychologists today. Behaviourism does not explain complex mental processes, for example that humans often learn by the observation others, not just by punishment and rewards. Furthermore, operant conditioning does not explain the aspects of how hormones and genetic predispositions affect and shape behaviour. However, because Pavlov and Watson successfully trained animals’ and children’s new behaviours through stimulus-response patterns, other researchers understood that if behaviour could be learned, it can also be unlearned. For example, based on that mechanism, Wolpe created treatments for ‘war neurosis’ and phobias (Collin et al, 2011, p.87). How are these two perspectives viewed and applied in psychology today? Behaviourism was always considered as a more scientific, objective approach as compared to psychodynamics. Modern psychology is based on much more empirical, objective evidence than before, due to the efforts of behaviourists. Behaviourists introduced modern methodology, which includes efficient ways to observe, collect data and carry out credible experiments. Watson demonstrated that human behaviour can be predicted, controlled and modified. Unlike behaviourism, Freud’s ideas were based on observation case histories rather than on experimental research. Behaviourism and psychodynamics are similar in their rejection to free will (McLeod, 2007) and their belief that everyone is born ‘tabula rasa’, or as a blank slate (Collin et al, 2011, p.29). Despite this, behaviourists criticised psychoanalysts and vice versa. Freud criticised behaviourism as it did not consider the unconscious. However, Wats on criticised Freud’s idea of unconscious as not provable, because it is unconscious and therefore difficult to access. (Collin et al, 2011, p.94) On the other hand, some of Watson’s methods are now dismissed as unethical. For example, Watson advocated unemotional parenting, which he thought would be beneficial to  children, but later he was largely criticised for his ideas, even by the mother of his own children. Watson grew up with an alcoholic father, and was not shown much attention as a child. Consequently, Watson did not have much empathy to children himself. Virginia Satire later stressed the importance of affection and compassion in creating a healthy family and shaping a successful person (Collin et al, 2011, p.146). Also, behaviourism does not recognise a difference between animals and humans. In contrast, due to Freud, more than 22 different schools of psychoanalysis have evolved from his method. It may be argued now that Freud’s theories were not as scientific as the behaviourist approach, but nobody else influenced 20th century psychotherapy in general as much as he did. Freud started what is now called ‘talking therapies’ (Collin et al, 2011, p.99) For example, Freud’s ideas influenced cognitive therapy and humanistic psychotherapy (Collin et al, 2011, p.91). By the mid-20th century both behaviourism and psychodynamics were being critically examined. Finally, at the end of the 20th century, after all the criticism and controversy, the best of psychodynamics and behaviourism joined together and gave birth to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). It happened when Wolpe’s behavioural therapy merged with Beck’s cognitive therapy. There is strong empirical evidence for the success of CBT as compared with classical psychoanalysis (Collin et al, 2011, p.176). CBT is widely used today for the treatment of different anxiety and mood disorders (Mà ¥nsson et al, 2013). To conclude, it would be fair to say that both the behaviourism and psychodynamic perspectives have had a vast influence on modern Psychology.

Friday, November 8, 2019

The Eight Spellings of Long O

The Eight Spellings of Long O The Eight Spellings of Long O The Eight Spellings of Long O By Maeve Maddox English is blessed with many homophones: one of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or derivation or spelling (as all and awl; to, too, and two; rite, write, right, and wright) called also homonym (Merriam Webster Unabridged Dictionary) The sound of long o is especially rich in alternate spellings. Such spellings are best learned when we are children, before weve been around long enough to regard such facts of life as something to be complained about. Here are the eight spellings of long o. (not counting exceptions, of course.) o o says /Ã… / at the end of a syllable: so, go, open o+e Silent final e makes the o say /Ã… /: stone, throne, shone (Am.) ow The spelling ow can represent two sounds: /ow/ as in cow and /Ã… / as in show, slow, grow. ou The spelling ou can represent four sounds: /ow/ as in round, /Ã… / as in four, /oo/ as in you, and /Ã… ­/as in country. Note that the second sound of ou is long o. oo The spelling oo can represent three sounds: /oo/ as in boot, /à »/as in foot, and /Ã… / as in floor. oa This is the o of boat. oe This is o of toe ough Ah, yes. This is the most ridiculed of all English spellings, good old ough. This spelling can represent six different vowel (or semi-vowel) sounds. The good news is that once youve learned the following six words, youre home free: /Ã… / as in though /oo/ as in through /uf/ as in rough /awf/ as in cough /aw/ as in thought /ow/ as in bough Note that /Ã… / is the first sound of ough: though TIP: English spelling is not for sissies. It can, however, be mastered by people who use words for a living. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Cost-Effective vs. Cost-EfficientOne Fell SwoopMood vs. Tense

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

How to Write a Coursework in Business Studies a Full Guide You Always Needed

How to Write a Coursework in Business Studies a Full Guide You Always Needed A coursework is a written project usually carried out over the duration of a term. It may take different forms and be of different sizes depending on the discipline, topic and the preferences of your professor, but its general nature remains mostly the same: it aims to teach a student how to perform independent research. Usually you have to choose the topic yourself (albeit within certain limits), which also serves to increase your level of independence – you have to define the direction of your work, not just follow the instructions of your supervisor. Business studies being a mostly practice-oriented discipline, you will most likely be expected to deal less with theory and more with how to improve a business’ profitability: finding better ways to sell products, predict trends, deal with customers and influence their behavior. Remember: your coursework will significantly contribute towards your overall grade for the course. In many situations, it is just as important as the grade you get for your exam. Make use of it, especially if you know yourself to break down under the pressure of time-limited exams. A coursework gives you an opportunity to show your full potential in a virtually stress-free environment – at least if you approach the task properly. How to Choose a Suitable Topic for Your Business Studies Coursework 1. Take Your Time You will not be asked to select a topic right away, so put the time you have to good use. Before you settle upon something, study the topic you are considering carefully. Check the following: Are there enough information sources covering it? Will you be able to access them? Is there any research that is identical or similar to what you intend to do? Is the scope of the topic feasible? Is it realistic to cover it in an assignment of this size? Is it too narrow or too broad? Is it relevant? Is there a point in doing this research? Is it likely to produce valuable results? If any of these points make you doubtful, better choose another topic or modify what you currently have. 2. Think of Something Genuinely Interesting You will spend an entire term writing this coursework. Whatever enthusiasm you have initially will dwindle away, especially if you hit some roadblocks. Therefore, try to choose something you are enthusiastic about in the first place, or this assignment will turn into torture. 3. Choose Something Measurable Business studies are primarily concerned with practical results. You cannot write about something that is based merely on your ideas or conjectures – you will have to work with measurable metrics and provide facts, statistics and reports as a foundation of your work. So think ahead and decide how you are going to measure your results. 4. Think of Something You Have Already Worked On If you have already done some research or investigative work on a subject that is of interest to you, see if you can think about something related to it so that you can leverage your existing knowledge and experience of working with the topic. Can you look at it from a new or unusual angle? Did you previously encounter some point or points that warranted additional research but weren’t directly related to the assignment you were doing at the time? For example, you’ve written an assignment on the effects of rotating employees between different departments and noticed an interesting relation between this practice as used in some companies and employee retention rates. You can write a more detailed coursework dedicated specifically to this relation. 5. Check the Allowed Topics Although you are mostly free to choose whatever you want, there are still limitations. You may have to stick to a particular general theme. Some topics may be specifically excluded (for example, if there is a later exam on them). 6. Ask for the Supervisor’s Opinion He/she is not supposed to define the direction of your research, but it is completely natural to ask him/her for advice. Prepare some rough drafts of a topic or topics and bounce them off your advisor – he/she will help you add some polish to it and make it more writable. Here are some examples of topics for you to see what you should be looking for: Regulating Workplace Diversity: Existing and Potentially Effective Practices; Cotton Industry in the United States: Its Role Historically and Today; Overqualification in American Industries: Causes, Effects and Potential Implications; The Future of Family-Owned Businesses in the United States; Bullying in the Workplace and Its Effects on Business Effectiveness in Modern America. Before You Start Writing Your Coursework: The Preparatory Phase Even if your coursework is humble in size and is little more than an extended essay, remember its role in your overall grade and treat it accordingly. You cannot just start writing one – this work requires preparation. 1. Prepare the Timeline Even if you are used to waiting until the last possible moment before starting to work on your essays, this approach will spell disaster if you try it on a coursework. It requires too much research to do it in a hurry. First, study the assignment requirements and check the deadlines. Usually there are at least two of them: namely, the dates when you should submit your first and final drafts. Try to estimate how much time you will need to do it, and set aside blocks of time to work on the paper regularly (either a little bit every day or for longer periods every few days) so that you can complete it with time to spare. Do not plan expecting to complete the assignment right before the deadline – delays will happen, so strive to complete the job some time before the final submission date. Do not rely on these deadlines too much – divide your work into parts and assign your own deadlines to them. 2. Gather Your Sources The main purpose of a coursework is to test and enhance your ability to do research, so treat the work with the sources as a crucial part of the assignment, not a formality. Your professor will evaluate the quality of your research as just as, if not more, important as the smoothness of the paper that results from it. The guidelines sometimes mention how many sources you need. If there is no such information, try to use at least three plus one for each page of your coursework. Beyond that number, use as many as you see fit, but remember that you actually have to use them and not just add them to the bibliography to bloat its size. Try to make this list diverse and use different types of sources: books, journal articles, newspaper publications, websites, etc. You can find your first set of sources by singling out keywords related to your research and running some searches using academic databases and search engines. Pay special attention to resources such as EconBiz, EconLit and NBER, as they contain plenty of business-related texts. However, multidisciplinary databases like Google Scholar and JSTOR can also be useful. Run your searches, study the texts that come up, then look through their bibliographies and see if there is more related literature there. 3. Study the Sources By now, you should see who the most important authorities on your chosen subject area – these are the writers with the most publications on it and with the most references in other sources. Start reading up on the subject, paying special attention to them. You do not have to read every word of every book you have gathered, but you should familiarize yourself with at least the most important sources. Make notes – you will have to use quotes in your coursework, so prepare them beforehand. 4. Prepare a Plan Although the structure of your coursework may differ according to the guidelines, usually it is an extended essay and contains the same parts: introduction, thesis statement, body paragraphs and conclusion. Note down what you are going to write and where: how to introduce the main topic, how to phrase your thesis statement, in what order to mention the main points and how to connect them to each other, what to pay attention to in the conclusion. You should not be thinking about it as you write – by then, you should simply write up what you have already decided. Writing a Business Coursework: Assignment Structure 1. Introduction By definition, there is no single approved way of writing an introduction – if you find somebody suggesting one and try to follow it, it will make the first lines of your coursework (the most important for general impression) look stilted, artificial and formulaic. Instead, focus not on form but on function. Do everything relevant to lead up to the main point of your argument and grasp the reader’s attention with the first couple of sentences. For example: Start with introducing the main subject and explaining why your research is important; Refer to an authority on the subject; Start with a quote; Offer an unusual or unpopular point of view; Define any ambiguous terms or expressions. E.g., ‘Henry Ford believed that the business success is based on the best quality goods, lowest possible costs and highest possible wages. However†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Your introduction should take about 10-15 percent of the entire paper. 2. Thesis Statement It may or may not be a part of introduction. Either way, its nature remains the same – it is a short expression of the main point of your work. Make sure you do not mix it up with your topic. A topic is what your coursework is about, e.g., ‘Effects of Deregulation on Business Development and Growth’. A thesis statement is a statement on this subject that you make and back up in your paper, e.g., ‘Deregulation has both immediate effect on business’ efficiency and long-term positive consequences for its growth’. A thesis statement should be: Specific. It should express a single point or, at most, two very closely related ones; Short. No more than two sentences – if you cannot boil it down to this, it most likely indicates that your thesis is not specific enough; Clear. There is no place for any ambiguity. 3. Body The main part of your coursework, it should constitute about 70-75 percent of its word count. Depending on the guidelines, it may consist of either body paragraphs or a few sections with subheadings. Either way, the principle remains the same: you should introduce one point per paragraph and accompany it with supporting facts. Add transition words or phrases at the end and the beginning of each paragraph, e.g., ‘therefore’, ‘thus’, ‘so’, ‘consequently’, etc. 4. Conclusion Conclusion should be about 10-15 percent of the entire coursework, and its main role is to recount everything you have said up to this moment and indicate what results your research brought. Have you proved your original point? What findings have you made? What is its importance for the field? What warrants additional research? What are the limitations of your work? Post-Writing Check: Bringing Your Business Coursework to Perfection If you heeded our advice and strictly followed your timeline, you finished writing at least a few days before the deadline and have plenty of time to do further work on your paper. Here is what you have to do before submitting it if you want a good grade. 1. Logic Check While you are writing, you only see one fragment of your coursework at a time. Now you should carefully read the entire paper and see if it makes sense. As you write (especially if it takes a long time) you may forget what you said before and start contradicting yourself, making logic leaps and repeating what you have already said. For example, when speaking about overqualification, you may cite it as a cause of both over- and underemployment in different parts of your work. See if anything of this is true for your text. Double-check everything you doubt. Ask somebody else to read the paper and say if its logic is sound. 2. Word Count Check Guidelines usually limit the length of a coursework, so check again if you exceeded it. Make sure the guidelines directly say if the bibliography is included in the word count – if you misunderstood it earlier, you may have to either cut some parts of your paper or make additions. 3. Proofreading You may use an online tool like Scribens to check your text for grammar, syntax and spelling errors, but do not trust the results too much – it is safer to hire a professional proofreader. Also, do not trust your own ability to notice mistakes – you know your paper too well and are likely to miss something. 4. Formatting Check Check if you followed the instructions of the formatting style assigned to your paper consistently. 5. Bibliography See if it complies with the format. If you use sources of different types, check if you have written all of them correctly – for example, books, journal articles and web publications are cited differently in most styles. Also, see if you have included all the sources used in the paper. A coursework may not be as complex as a thesis or dissertation, but it is likely to be the first piece of independent research you encounter in your life. We hope that this guide answers all your questions.

Monday, November 4, 2019

What does the use of the Term Equality infer to in the Context of Essay

What does the use of the Term Equality infer to in the Context of Employment - Essay Example This is regardless of their individual race, sexual orientation, needs, belief or religion, age or gender. Equality has also been variously described as not only attempting to try and treat everyone in a right and equal manner, but trying to treat various individuals in a manner that will ensure that the general outcome will be found to be similar for all the concerned individuals (Dautrich and Yalof 2012). Importance of Equality Equality is seen to not necessarily mean that that women should now be assigned more duties pertaining to construction labor or that their male colleagues should be assigned more secretarial functions. Equality is perceived to be critically important as most individuals are seen to be not contented to be perceived as being second class citizens as a result of there being some inequality in an organization. Without proper inequality in an organization, the employees who are seen to be given less than equal treatment will eventually shut down, distance themselves and reduce their overall productivity much to the detriment of the concerned organization (Academic, 2008). In the event that a given organization fails to implement measures designed to promote equality, there can naturally develop a subsequent exclusion of some of the employees as a result of some of their working in some of the marginalized situations (Kornblum and Smith, 2012). These employees are se en to tend to feel as if they are unable to function as an active part of the organization even if this was not the organization’s original intention. Organizations can be able to achieve a measure of equality by ensuring that the employees have been ably supported to be able to easily access the organizational resources and decision making. This can be further enhanced by ensuring that the employees are valued, recognized and adequately respected within the organization. Models of Equality There are a number of different models of equality that have been develop to aid organizations in ensuring that they implement policies and procedures that will ensure that they maintain utmost equality. Some of these Equality models are seen to variously include: Equal Opportunity as Equal Share (Radical Approach) Equal Opportunity as Equal Access (Liberal Approach) Equal Opportunity as Equal Treatment (Reactionary Approach) Equal Opportunity as Equal Share (Radical Approach) The equal op portunity as equal share approach that is popularly termed as being the radical approach is seen to try and seek to make a direct intervention in the workplace practices with the sole objective of attempting to try and achieve some form of a fair distribution of rewards among the organization’s employees as is primarily measured by some established criterion of worth and moral value. The radical approach emphasizes on justice and freedom being the collective responsibility of all the individuals involved within the organization. It can thus be see the radical approach is primarily concerned with the eventual outcome of the contest as opposed to the established rules of the game (Kumra, Manfredi and Vickers, 2011), it is characterized with being more concerned with the fair distribution of the rewards achieves as opposed to being more concerned with the actual fairness of the procedure. In line with this approach, Jewson and Mason (1986) are keen to argue that although discrim ination tends to mostly affect specific individuals, it can nevertheless only be identified at the group level. In this respect, it is generally found to

Friday, November 1, 2019

Supply chain management of Mark & Spencer Essay

Supply chain management of Mark & Spencer - Essay Example (Company Report 2008). Today, in businesses the world over, customer satisfaction lies at the heart of all modern thinking on quality and business management (Johnson et al 2007). Customers like a company’s suppliers are important stakeholders. â€Å"Stakeholders are those individual or groups who depend on the organization to fulfill their own goals and on whom, in turn, the organization depends† (JSW: 2005:179). Many corporate mission statements set customers as the focus of an organization’s business activities, while key thinkers have defined the quality of goods and services with reference to how well they satisfy needs and expectations of the customer base. At the other end, some companies are paying performance premiums (Christopher 2005, Mangan, Lalwani, &Butcher, 2008). These are companies that have failed to realize the strategic importance of their supply management processes. Such companies are victims of their actions as they have unintentionally set up conflicting objectives between engineering, marketing, purchasing and manufacturing that form barriers to good supply management (David and John1993P.1). This paper, examines the supply chain management functions of M&S. The next section of the paper presents a framework upon which the supply management functions of the enterprise revolves around. The paper looks into its relationship with the suppliers, its quality management system, its global sourcing principles, ethical trading, animal welfare and fare trade. The last part of the paper looks into the global sourcing principles, and how M&S can still remain competitive. As seen from the above figure 1, the activities of M&S is facilitated by a pool of suppliers and customers, dotted all over the world. With the ever growing scale of activities, suppliers in Europe were always grouped under Europe and the Scandinavian, though with