Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Web Portal. Environmental Research Data Management Essay

Web Portal. Environmental Research Data Management - Essay Example Ecology may generally be defined as the relationship between living organisms, including plants and animals, and their environment (Levitt, 2008). It will be noted that the living organic component of the environment has so much dominance on the outcome and preservation of the environment. Much of the issue of environmental outcome and preservation also depends largely on how these living organisms relate to each other and influence the living of each other. In today’s era of environmental advocacy for the conservation and preservation of the environment therefore, it is proposed that the use of ecological web portals could be used as very effective avenues and media for the promotion of environmental awareness on how human behaviour in the ecosystem can influence the perpetual conservation and eventual preservation of the environment. The idea behind the use of ecological web portals to promote environmental protection is to ensure that there is a centralized destination and system, from which data and information regarding environmental interactions between various living organisms, and more specifically the effect of human behaviour on the environment can be sampled from. To effectively achieve the goal of the proposal, it is expected that a number of research questions will be answered. Through the use of research data collection in answering these questions, it is expected that the aim of the proposal will be achieved in the long while. The research questions are given as follows: 1. What are the specific human behaviours that impact on the environment negatively? 2. How can the use of a centralized web portal be used to solve these problems? 3. How can the use of web portals be promoted to reach a wider audience to play the role for which it is implemented? 4. What challenges are likely to be faced in the use of ecological web portal to promote environmental protection? In relation to the first research question, it will be noted that the human spe cies is a very powerful component of the ecosystem, which controls majority of the interactive activities that take place within the environment. This is said because the human beings have the power to raise other organisms and species within the ecosystem such as animals and plants and directly influence the way that these species relate to the environment. Due to this power possessed by humans, there are number behaviours that they put up that have been identified to affect the ecosystem negatively. In an attempt to answer the first research question therefore, the researcher shall undertake a comprehensive and systematic literature search to come to terms with examples of human behaviours and practices that affect the environment negatively. It is proposed that when most of these ecological practices and behaviours are known, it will pave the way for much information to be given on these behaviours on the web portals to the designed. Another relevance of this research question is that when the specific behaviours that affect the ecology are not known, the portal will only be championing a course that does not affect its users in any way. On the use of a centralised web portal to solve problems related environmental protection, it can said that this is a more modern form of information transmission that promises to have a larger reach and coverage than most available avenue (Popovic et al, 2005). This is because web portals are seen as components of the new media and for that matter, social media that have currently taken over the use of the internet. Because of the scope of users of web portals, the coverage of the advocacy that will take place will be impacting. For instance schools of higher education including universities, could become major targets for

Monday, October 28, 2019

Determining the identity of an organic unknown Essay Example for Free

Determining the identity of an organic unknown Essay When supplied with a organic unknown there are many ways of determining its identity and it is important to use as much information as can be gained to work out the identity of an unknown as many are very similar in physical properties, chemical properties and/or chemical make up. In this experiment I will be using a flow chart to identify the functional group that the unknowns contain, and once I have suggested this I will then use spectra given to me to determine what the identity of the organic unknown is. I have been told that the organic unknown, will one of the following functional groups: Alcohols Probably the most common of these functional groups is the -OH group, which is known as the hydroxyl group. It is NOT the hydroxide ion, OH1-, as it does not have a charge. The dash in front of the OH stands for a single covalent bond, which is what will be formed between the oxygen and a carbon atom. An aliphatic hydrocarbon that has one hydroxyl group attached to a carbon is called an alcohol. The simplest alcohol is methyl alcohol, or methanol. The molecular formula is usually written as CH3OH, because it gives more of a picture of the actual structure than does CH4O. This way of writing the formula becomes more important as the number of carbons increases. Take the case of ethyl alcohol, or ethanol. The parent compound is ethane, so the formula is C2H6O, but C2H5OH gives specific information that the compound is an alcohol and not any other compound. Phenol Colourless solid, partially miscible in the cold water, soluble in organic solvents. Differ in many ways to aliphatic alcohols. Like alcohols contain -O-H group but also a benzene ring. The difficulty in substituting the -OH group is due to the stabilisation caused by the overlap of the p-orbital of the oxygen atom with the bonding in the ring. The situation is similar to that in chlorobenzene. Phenols have many chemical properties i) Acid-base properties Phenol is a stronger acid than water whereas aliphatic alcohols are weaker. The polarity of the hydroxyl bond facilitates the loss of a proton and the formation of a phenoxide ion and the delocalisation in the phenoxide ion also stabilises it as compared with RO- or OH- ions. If electron-withdrawing groups (-Cl) are substituted into the benzene ring the polarity of the O-H bond is increased still further giving still stronger acids. Aldehydes A new class of substituted hydrocarbons arises when an oxygen atom is double bonded to the carbon at the end of the chain. In this case there are two less hydrogen atoms, so instead of three end hydrogens, there is the C=O and only one hydrogen. The simplest aldehyde is, formaldehyde, CH2O. Its IUPAC name is methanal. It has an -al ending as opposed to the -ol ending that alcohols have. These compounds show the generic formula, H-R=O. Ketones A different class of organic compounds results if the C=O occurs somewhere along the chain other than on the end carbon. The simplest ketone has three carbons. It has the common name acetone, and is in most fingernail polishes and removers. It is sometimes called dimethyl ketone, but is more properly called propanone. Break apart the name to see how the name propanone gives a better picture of the compounds formula than does acetone. Â  First of all, the propan- indicates that the parent hydrocarbon is propane, and thus has three carbons. Second, the ending -one goes along with the ending of the name of the class of compounds to which it belongs, ketones. The generic formula for ketones is R-C=O(-R). Carboxylic acids Carboxylic acids have a more complex functional group, and if you look at it, you can see both the C=O of the aldehyde and the -OH of the alcohol. The organic, or carboxyl group, is -C=O(-OH), often written as COOH, or even CO2H. Organic acids may have more than one carboxyl group. The simplest organic acid is methanoic acid, CHOOH, or formic acid, to use the older name. Ants inject formic acid into their victim whem they bite them. The next in line is, of course, ethanoic acid, CH3COOH. Notice the ending, -oic, to the IUPAC name, and -ic, to the common name. There are some very important organic acids, and one of the most important is ascorbic acid, better known as Vitamin C. The generic formula is R-(COOH)x Why are these compounds acids? Well, they must be able to produce at least one hydrogen ion when they are put into solution, since that is the general definition for an acid. Even though these organic acids may contain quite a few hydrogen atoms in the molecule, only select hydrogens are able to be ionized or turned into hydrogen ions. These select hydrogens are those in the carboxyl group (-COOH) The presence of one or more of these groups, therefore, causes the compound to belong to the organic acids. Ester An ester results when there is an oxygen atom between two carbons in the chain. The simplest is dimethyl ester, which has the same molecular formula as ethanol. The way the formula is written to show the ester, rather than the alcohol, is CH3OCH3. There are two other esters of interest, ethylmethyl ester and diethyl ester. You should be able to write the formulas for each of these. Esters are represented as R-O-R, where R and R can be the same or different hydrocarbon units. Method Apparatus i 10 cm3 measuring cylinder i Teat pipette i Test tubes i Electric hotplate Reagents i Bromine water i 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine i Tollens reagent i Aqueous sodium carbonate i Lime water i Acidified potassium dichromate Only small volumes of the unknown compound need to be used in each test as they are in a pure form. Therefore I will only use 3cm3 of each reagent and the unknown compound. Test for presence of alcohol:An oxidation reaction must take place. Mix equal volumes (3cm3) of dilute sulphuric acid and potassium dichromate solution. Then add the same volume of the unknown to it. If the solution turns from orange to green then a primary or secondary alcohol group is present. Test for presence of a carbonyl group: A condensation reaction takes place. 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine solution is added to the sample, if the solution turns into an orange precipitate then a carbonyl compound is present. Test to distinguish between a ketone and an aldehyde: An oxidation reaction takes place. Add a small volume of sodium hydroxide solution to 3cm3 of silver nitrate solution until a slight precipitate forms, than add ammonia solution dropwise until the precipitate dissolves. Then add a few drops of the unknown sample and warm in a water bath. If a silver mirror forms, then the compound has an aldehyde functional group. Test for presence of carboxylic acid: An acid / base reaction occurs. Aqueous sodium carbonate solution is added to the sample. If effervescence occurs and the gas evolved is carbon dioxide (test gas by bubbling into lime water) then a carboxylic acid group is present. Test for presence of phenol: A substitution reaction occurs. Bromine water is added to the sample and if a phenol group is present then the bromine water decolourises and a white precipitate is formed. Test for ester group: Esters have a distinct fruity smell. There is no simple test to carry out for identifying an ester, so I will determine the sample is an ester by negative results from the previous tests. Saftey Safety is imperative when carrying out experiments in the lab, this is even more true when the identity of a compound is unknown as it could have any dangerous properties, gloves should be used when handling substances and goggles worn, long hair tied back and cuts covered. Flow chart Results of organic tests All organic tests proved negative, apart from the test for an alderhyde although this test did not produce a silver mirror some dark precipitate was formed indicating the likeliness of the presence of an aldehyde. Analysis of spectropic data Conclusion I conclude that the organic unknown is an aldehyde this is because of the results found from the chemical tests performed , the specific aldehyde I believe the unkown to be is benzaldehyde. This is because not only does its physical properties fit those described in text books it also has the right structural formula to fit with the spectropic data provided. benzaldehyde benzaldehyde or benzenecarbonal , C6H5CHO, colourless liquid aldehyde with a characteristic almond odour. It boils at 180i C, is soluble in ethanol, but is insoluble in water. It is formed by partial oxidation of benzyl alcohol, and on oxidation forms benzoic acid. It is called oil of bitter almond, since it is formed when amygdalin, a glucoside present in the kernels of bitter almonds and in apricot pits, is hydrolysed, e. g. , by crushing the kernels or pits and boiling them in water; glucose and hydrogen cyanide (a poisonous gas) are also formed. It is also prepared by oxidation of toluene or benzyl chloride or by treating benzal chloride with an alkali, e.g. , sodium hydroxide. Benzaldehyde is used in the preparation of certain aniline dyes and of other products, including perfumes and flavourings. Evaluation Overall I feel this experiment went very well as I was able to determine both the functional group present and then with the aid of specropic data the exact compound. I carried out the experiment safely following all guideline set in my method. The only test that could have been performed more accurately was the test for an alderhyde that did not produce a silver mirror.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Nuclear Weapon?s Future Essay -- essays research papers fc

For almost a half a century, the United States and the U.S.S.R. fought a nuclear arms war, the â€Å"Cold War.† The â€Å"Cold War† officially ended August 19, 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed. Ironically, the war ended without a battle or a shot fired. In fact, nuclear weapons have only been used once. In the Second World War, the United States dropped two nuclear bombs, one on Hiroshima, the other on Nagasaki. So, what is the future of the Nuclear Weapons Policy, housed in the United States? For now, the future seems to lie in reduction and deterrence. In 1991, the United States and Russia signed the first Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I). According to the treaty, the United States and Russia reduce the number of strategic nuclear warheads deployed by the two countries from 13,000 and 11,000, respectively, to around 8,000 each. The Second treaty (START II), signed in 1993 and ratified in 1996 by the United States says that each nation would further condense their number of deployed warheads to between 3,000 and 4,500, which brings the total to approximately 10,000 nuclear weapons for each side, by the projected 2003 date. START III, which would reduce the level of warheads to 2,000-2,500, cannot be discussed until START II Russia ratifies START II. In addition, nuclear testing ended for both sides and the production of weapon-grade fissile material has stopped. The nuclear treaties leave enough nuclear capability, in both the United States and Russia, to damage an attacking nation. In fact, without Russia and the United St ates nuclear arsenal, there are a little over a thousand weapons divided among the rest of the world, as reported by the Center for Defense Information, as long as all the countries in the world approve Test Ban Treaty. In addition, defense experts believe it would require only a little over a thousand nuclear missiles to fen off an attack. Therefore, neither country needs to fear that they will not have the strength to retaliate. Actually, the United States and its NATO allies retain their Cold War â€Å"weapons of last resort’ doctrine that allows the first use of nuclear weapons if deemed necessary to cope with non-nuclear attacks, and Russia has announced that she will abandon the USSR’s no-first-use pledge for a position similar to NATO’s. ‘â€Å"The US and Russia have 5,000 to 6,000 nuclear missiles ready to launch on 15 minutes notice,’... ...ssile could fight the war and maybe only a few hundred thousand will perish, instead of a million. However, the future seems to pull toward reduction and deterrence. Works Cited Landy, Jonathan S. US Downsizes its Nuclear-Weapons Ambitions (December 24, 1997). The Christian Science Monitor. 14 November 1999. . Nuclear Facts ‘n’ Figures. Center for Defense Information. 14 November 1999. . Summary of the Center for the Security Policy’s High Level Round Table Discussion on the Future of the U.S. Nuclear Deterrence, 15 July 1997, the Ana Hotel, Washington D.C. The Center for Security Policy. 13 November 1999. . The Future of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy: Executive Summary. Academy of Sciences. 12 November 1999. . Newman, Richard J. A U.S. Victory, at a Cost of $5.5 Trillion: The Nuclear-Arms Race Gets a Price Tag (7/13/98). U.S. News & World Report. 1999 Nov 18. .

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Evaluate How Practitioners Use Text, Symbols and Compositional Strategies to Construct Meaning in Artworks.

Evaluate how practitioners use text, symbols and compositional strategies to construct meaning in artworks. Artists such as Mexican Frida Kahlo and British Francis Bacon are two 20th Century practitioners who employ text, symbols and compositional strategies to construct meaning about themselves and the wider world in their paintings. Kahlo’s artworks such as he â€Å"Self-Portrait as a Tehuana (Diego in my thoughts)† and â€Å"Henry Ford Hospital 1932† provide an insight of her life and her obsessions with child-bearing and her husband, Diego Rivera.Likewise, Francis Bacon’s â€Å"Three Studies for the Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion† and his â€Å"Self-portrait 1971† conveys the suppression of his sexuality and inhumanity of one man to another. Self-Portrait as a Tehuana (Diego on my thoughts) 1943 Oil On Masonite 29 7/8 † x 24 † Gelman Collection, Mexico City Self-Portrait as a Tehuana (Diego on my thoughts) 1943 Oil On Ma sonite 29 7/8 † x 24 † Gelman Collection, Mexico City Frida Kahlo’s artworks usually construct meaning through compositional strategies including autobiographical references and personal symbolism.Kahlo’s ethnicity also has a significant impact towards her art making practices such as the repetitive themes of life and death. Her excessive fascination towards childbearing and her husband, Diego Rivera was evidently portrayed in her artworks such as her â€Å"Self-Portrait as a Tehuana† and â€Å"Henry Ford Hospital†. Kahlo’s Mexican culture is highly apparent through the traditional Tehuana costume found in her self-portraiture artwork whilst a sense of estrangement and detachment from this culture is manifested in her artwork â€Å"Henry Ford Hospital† through her representation of Detroit where she had experienced her second miscarriage.Kahlo’s life was perceptibly dominated by her obsessive love and constant thought of D iego that is has impacted her artworks thematically. This notion is evident in her self-portrait painting where Diego’s miniature portrait appears on her forehead that literally and metaphorically signifies Diego’s presence in her mind, which was also conveyed in the subtitle of her work â€Å"Diego on my mind†. Diego’s repetitive influence on Kahlo’s work is again presented in another artwork however conveyed in another context.Kahlo’s â€Å"Miscarriage in Detroit (Henry Ford Hospital)†, painted in 1932 elucidated her emotional and physical agonies from her miscarriages within her marriage to Diego. This artwork supports the notion of Frida Kahlo’s infatuation towards child-bearing whereby the six floating images that connects to her lower abdomen by an umbilical cord-looking red lines precisely references to her second miscarriage. Henry Ford Hospital, 1932 Oil on metal 32. 5 x 40. 2 cm Collection Museo Dolores Olmedo Patino, Mexico City. Henry Ford Hospital, 1932 Oil on metal 32. 5 x 40. 2 cm Collection Museo Dolores Olmedo Patino, Mexico City.Kahlo also uses symbolism and texts to convey the depth of her artworks in relationship with her personal emotions and life experiences. The artwork â€Å"Miscarriage in Detroit† evokes the excruciating experience that she had with childbearing whereby the six floating images suggests a sense of detachment and loss of control of her body. It also educes her constant link with Diego through the floating foetus that was named Dieguito meaning â€Å"little Diego†. A snail was used to represent the slow torment and horror of losing a baby while the machine is to symbolise her medical impersonality.Frida’s study of medicine prior to her bus accident enabled her awareness towards the impact of her bus accident to her body and bones. This incident significantly affected Kahlo’s artworks and was evidently revealed in her â€Å"Miscarriage in Detroit† painting where the images of a pelvis and a side-view of a female anatomy represents this event along with an orchid that her husband Diego gave her. The concepts of connection and detachment are both portrayed in this artwork whereby the floating images are â€Å"connected† to her through the umbilical cord-like string connecting to her uterus.This string-like line links the objects to herself advocating its personal connection to Kahlo. The floating images also metaphorically suggest her detachment to the place where she had her second miscarriage. Kahlo also used personal symbolism to convey meaning in her artworks, which was clearly portrayed in her â€Å"Diego on my mind† painting in 1943. Diego’s obvious domination in Kahlo’s life is evident in her artworks where her obsessive love and constant thought of Diego has become a thematic notion in most of her paintings.Diego’s miniature portrait on her forehead indicates her obsessi ve love and constant thought of him. Due to this desperate infatuation of Diego, she painted herself in the costume that he greatly admired to attract and entice him closer to her. The roots of the leaves surrounding her head metaphorically symbolises a pattern of a spider’s web in which she hoped to trap her prey, Diego. The impassive image of Rivera’s face on Kahlo’s forehead however indicates her psychological obsession towards Diego but also of her â€Å"philandering† husband’s tarnished indifference to her feelings.Surrealist artists such as Frida Kahlo evoke the meaning of their artworks through the use of symbols, texts and various compositional strategies. Musee National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris Francis Bacon, a British painter elucidates his personal emotions through abstraction and surrealism which are evident in his artworks such as his â€Å"Self-portrait 1971† and one of his triptych series â€Å"Thr ee Studies for the Figures at the base of Crucifixion† in 1943-1944. Bacon portrays both the suppression of his sexuality and similarly to Kahlo’s feeling of detachment and hostility.His â€Å"Self-portrait 1971† conveys a provocative and disturbing representation of Bacon, one which embodies the painter’s strong feelings of despair and vulnerability that was possibly caused by the suicidal death of his lover Dyer during the same year. This distorted image of himself intensified with his use of broad-brush strokes, as well as the dark colours which are made harsher and more prominent but the added whites and blues. His emotionless state and detachment from the audience was symbolised through his blackened eyes thus also conveying his constant motif of death and â€Å"silent screams†.The name of his artwork is somewhat ironical towards his painting as the text states that it is a self-portrait however, it was distorted and perhaps metaphorically refe rring to his emphasis to the suppression of his sexuality. Bacon’s artwork â€Å"Three Studies for the Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion† in 1943-1944 summarises themes explored in his previous paintings, including his examination of Picasso's biomorphs and his interpretations of the Crucifixion and the Greek Furies.Bacon did not realise his original intention to paint a large crucifixion scene and place the figures at the foot of the cross. The structure of the artworks when put together does not convey any commonality thus further emphasising his personal emotions towards the feelings of displacement. The brightness and contrasting colours used in this artwork signifies the chaotic environment that he was in. The third image illustrates an open and gaping mouth as if it was screaming out of pain.This idea references back to his childhood and the suppression of his sexuality. The screaming object in the painting is a representation of Bacon’s emotions during the times when homosexuality was a crucial topic to the society. The artists Francis Bacon and Frida Kahlo both convey the meaning of their artworks with references to their personal life experiences through the use of symbols, texts and compositional strategies.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Deviance and Social Control Experiments Essay

An interesting assignment was assigned to us this week, one that I was excited and a little nervous to get started on. Our society is quite dependent on what is â€Å"normal. † Normal is following a routine, one that was set only by you and no others. Normal is to dress in what is considered socially acceptable, not garb that would throw you into a social outcast setting. But what happens when you defy these norms and start to step out of the box? At home my husband and I have established a routine that works well for us. Simple chores, such as, loading and unloading the dishwasher and laundry are split equally between us. Another routine that took shape shortly after we were married was where we sat in relation to the television. I sat on the long couch on the middle cushion; he sat on the love seat with the recliner. I have no idea where this tradition came from but I was excited to shake it up. I started sitting in the recliner. No words were spoken about it beforehand; it was just claimed as mine. This behavior merited a few odd looks and that was that. I suppose to think this behavior was odd is to know my husband. The most laid back person I have ever met, he shies away from confrontation on any level. I brought up the subject a few days into the experiment and he simply shrugged his shoulders and said that it was just a place to sit. We have since fallen back into our routine but now we both have an unspoken knowledge that it is indeed, just a place to sit. When it comes to fashion sense, mine falls under classy yet comfortable. I was excited to see that fashion could play a role in this assignment and actually chose to utilize the entire week. Being a stay at home wife means that there is hardly a dire need for me to leave the house. Errands can be accomplished in one day. However, I do enjoy the library and frequent it often, but instead of visiting in casually comfortable clothing I wore a party dress. Not just a party dress but one with ridiculous shoes, rain boots. I felt so silly at first but boldly embraced my fashion choice as the day wore on. Many patrons of the library stole glances but didn’t say much. I was feeling sad for myself, I was finding that standing out is much harder that I imagined but also admiration for those who do it daily and have no tribulations. As I was leaving a little girl came and grabbed my poufy skirt and told me she liked my dress and I found it to be an instant mood booster, one that made this little experiment well worth the challenge. My mother and I have a wonderful relationship, one that took years and years of teenage angst and stubbornness to overcome. These days, however, we are thick as thieves. I call her daily just to chat and she is a shoulder to cry on during hard times. She is, in no way, soft spoken but in her aging years has gotten to be much calmer. We rarely fight or argue anymore and when we do we simply get off the phone. One day I called her and talked to her in a loud voice. As I did I was having flashbacks to my teenage years where, it seemed, all I did was talk to her like this. She was instantly upset with me and asked why I was mad and yelling. I wasn’t yelling just talking loudly and since it happens so rarely anymore she mistook it for yelling. We have maybe a minute long talk and she hung up. I was severely upset and hated doing this experiment. I had no idea it would upset her so much and that, in turn, would upset me. I called her back immediately and informed her of the assignment. She thought it was hysterical. She laughed so hard but I feel it was more out of relive than anything else. Overall, this assignment was enjoyable. I learned how to step out of routine and that sometimes that is ok. It is not going to shake up life as much as would be expected. I learned that fashion is in the eye of the beholder. It is not something that should hold as much pressure as magazine emphasis and that sometimes a little girl knows all the right words to turn your day upside down. I learned how sensitive my mother can be and also, how sensitive that makes me. I learned not to take myself to seriously because nobody else does.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Deciphering 7 Job Ad Phrases and What They Really Mean

Deciphering 7 Job Ad Phrases and What They Really Mean Sometimes reading a job description is a bit like trying to decipher The Matrix. While some phrases are literal, others are more cryptic, leaving you to wonder, â€Å"Is this really the right job for me?† This handy crib sheet can help you understand what employers really mean when they write job descriptions. 1. â€Å"Multitasking†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Multitasking† sounds like a great skill, right? Being recognized for your ability to do many things at once is, on the surface, a positive one. However, while the job description may simply mean that you will be expected to balance, prioritize, and complete work in order of importance, it can also have an underlying meaning: that your employer will expect you to do anything and everything - whether or not it actually falls under the roles and responsibilities of your job.If you like to have understanding of what your job will entail, and prefer to stay within those guidelines, then the â€Å"multitasking† keyword may set off alarm bells for you.2. â€Å"Team Player†In our increasing era of collaboration, the need for team players goes without saying. So what does it mean when a job description highlights this fact? Along the same lines as â€Å"multitasking,† this may cloak what employers are really looking for: someone to do the dirty work in the form of the department’s most untenable work. Or, you may be asked to put aside your own work to help a teammate who dropped the ball. Over time, this can become a major frustration.3. â€Å"Entrepreneurial†Entrepreneurial skills are highly prized in today’s business world. While some companies may be looking for movers and shakers, others may be cloaking an unclear or irregular job description.Rather than being given a firm set of responsibilities, you may be expected to intuit where you need to be and when, which can be a recipe for disaster in uncertain situations.4. â€Å"A Fast-Paced Job Environment†This one m ay sound like a thrilling opportunity. After all, who wants a job that’s slow and boring? But this description may be a hidden warning that you’ll be working in a pressure-packed environment. While this may work for you if tight deadlines and frenetic work hours help keep you motivated, if you prefer a more stable environment, think twice.5. â€Å"Must have a good sense of humor†A sense of humor is an addition to any office, but that goes without saying. However, if a good sense of humor is requisite for the job - and the job doesn’t involve working in comedy club - then more likely than not this may indicate that the company culture leans toward the off, unusual, inappropriate, or even alienating.It may also mean that they are looking for an employee who will laugh in the face of adversity†¦and thereby that adversity exists.6. â€Å"Perfect for stay-at-home moms and students.†Stay-at-home moms and students may be looking for flexible hours, so job descriptions which put these words front and center may be particularly appealing to them. However, this may also be a way of suggesting that both experience requirements and pay are minimal.Many people in need of part-time work are also willing to work for less so the competition may be surprisingly steep.7. â€Å"Passionate†It’s good to be committed to your job, but not if â€Å"passionate† means â€Å"willing to work for much less to do what you love.† It may also mean that an employer expects candidates to be willing to put their jobs above all other commitments.As the competition for the best candidates becomes fiercer, employers are getting savvy about crafting job descriptions that catch the attention of potential applicants. Savvy applicants, meanwhile, can be prepared to decode job description lingo and find a job description that matches their expectations when it comes to a real-world job.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Pronouncing the LL of Spanish

Pronouncing the LL of Spanish More than any other letter combination, the ll of Spanish has a sound that varies with region. Even within one country, its sound can vary. The sound youre most likely to hear for the ll (and the sound youll hear in our​ audio lesson on the ll sound) is similar to the y of yellow. So in much of the Spanish-speaking world, there is no difference between the sound of the ll and of the y when it is used as a consonant. And if you pronounce the ll that way, you will be understood everywhere. In some areas, the ll sounds like the lli in million, so that calle would be pronounced something like CALL-yeh. Also common is pronouncing the ll something like the s in measure (sometimes called the zh sound), although perhaps a bit softer, and in some areas somewhat similar to the g sound of wage but softened a bit. Rarely, it can even have an sh sound. In these areas, the sounds of ll and y are differentiated. Sentences youll hear in the audio lesson are Llà ©venos al centro (take us downtown) and Ella no est en la calle (she isnt in the street).

Sunday, October 20, 2019

About Addison Mizner and Floridas Resort Architecture

About Addison Mizner and Florida's Resort Architecture Addison Mizner (born: December 12, 1872, in Benicia, California) remains one of the most influential figures of southern Floridas early-20th-century building boom. His fanciful Mediterranean style of architecture launched a Florida Renaissance and inspired architects throughout North America. Yet Mizner is largely unknown today and was rarely taken seriously by other architects during his lifetime. As a child, Mizner traveled around the world with his large family. His father, who became the U.S. minister to Guatemala, settled the family in Central America for a time, where the young Mizner lived among Spanish-influenced buildings. To many, Mizners legacy is based on his early exploits with his younger brother, Wilson. Their adventures, including a stint looking for gold in Alaska, became the subject of Stephen Sondheims musical Road Show. Addison Mizner did not have formal training in architecture. He apprenticed with Willis Jefferson Polk in San Francisco and worked as an architect in the New York area after the Gold Rush, yet he could never master the task of drawing blueprints. When he was 46, Mizner moved to Palm Beach, Florida because of his ill health. He wanted to capture the diversity of Spanish architecture, and his Spanish Revival style homes won the attention of many of the wealthy elite in the Sunshine State. Criticizing modern architects for producing a characterless copybook effect, Mizner said that his ambition was to make a building look traditional and as though it had fought its way from a small unimportant structure to a great rambling house. When Mizner moved to Florida, Boca Raton was a tiny, unincorporated town. With an entrepreneurs spirit, the eager developer aspired to transform it into a luxurious resort community. In 1925, he and his brother Wilson started Mizner Development Corporation and purchased more than 1,500 acres, including two miles of beach. He mailed out out promotional material that boasted a 1,000-room hotel, golf courses, parks and a street wide enough to fit 20 lanes of traffic. Stockholders included such high-rollers as Paris Singer, Irving Berlin, Elizabeth Arden, W.K. Vanderbilt II, and T. Coleman du Pont. Film star Marie Dressler sold real estate for Mizner. Other developers followed Mizners example, and eventually, Boca Raton became all that he envisioned. It was a short-lived building boom, however, and within a decade he was bankrupt. In February of 1933, he died at age 61 of a heart attack n Palm Beach, Florida. His story remains relevant today as an example of the rise and fall of a once-successful American entrepreneur. Significant Architecture 1911: Additions to White Pine Camp/Coolidge Summer White House, Adirondack Mountains, New York State1912: Rock Hall, Colebrook, Connecticut1918: Everglades Club, Palm Beach, Florida1922: William Gray Warden Residence, 112 Seminole Ave., Palm Beach, Florida1923: Via Mizner, 337-339 Worth Ave., Palm Beach, Florida1923: Wanamaker Estate / Kennedy Winter White House, 1095 North Ocean Boulevard, Palm Beach, Florida1924: Riverside Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Florida1925: Via Parigi, Palm Beach, Florida1925: Administration Buildings, 2 Camino Real, Boca Raton.1925: Boynton Womans Club, 1010 S. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach1925: Boca Raton Resort and Club, Boca Raton, Florida1926: Fred C. Aiken House, 801 Hibiscus St., Boca Raton, Florida Sources Boca Raton Historical Society and MuseumDivision of Cultural Affairs, Florida Department of State [accessed January 7, 2016]Florida Memory, State Library Archives of Florida

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Implications of a published quantitive study Essay

Implications of a published quantitive study - Essay Example The authors do not state precisely the data analysis methods adopted in the study. However, the authors rely on tabulation and graphical analysis of the collected data. The tables organize the results into a logical format and where trends can be observed at a glance. Also, the scatter graph provides visual correlation between the DAFNE and non-DAFNE groups. The study has several implications for the nursing profession. First, nurses must first investigate whether a patient has undergone training on managing blood sugar level before medicating them. This is because some patients have managed to balance their blood sugar using a precise mix of diet and insulin. When patient factors are not considered upon admission, patients can lose focus and control of their blood sugar due to medication and different diet at the hospital. In conclusion, the study stresses that DAFNE assists diabetes patients to manage blood sugar at home, thus reducing diabetes-related deaths. However, the study has questionable sections as noted above. Data collection methods and analysis should have wide

Friday, October 18, 2019

Policy Brief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Policy Brief - Essay Example This might lead to worse security situation in that state. Improving law and order in that state might be the first step instead of imposing penalty on possession of guns. Continuing with the previous example of drug control policy, a report was published by GAO on March 26, 2013 (Larence & Kohn, 2013) that mentions a policy by Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), which nose-dived horribly in achieving its goals. The policy was stated in the year 2010 as a part of National Drug Control Strategy. It was supposed to achieve its targets of reducing illicit drug use by year 2015. Various economic analysis models used for evaluating public polices depend on the nature, its goals and the demographics. Deterministic models and simulation models are among the many that are employed by public policy analysts. For the policy by ONDCP, the analytic models used were primarily for studying other aspects of the policy that included politically driven agenda. For instance, there are some states that have allowed the use of medical marijuana. To study the reason as to why they are allowed to smoke weed, needs to go in the analysis if ONDCP is to be successful in reducing its usage. It’s quite startling that the model used to analyze this revealed that such states already had a high usage of marijuana even before medical weed got the green signal from the authorities (Larence & Cohen, 2013). Equity in a public policy doesn’t refer to the stock market shares. It might seem to be closely related to equality but it is not. For instance, equity in a public policy generally refers to proportionate allocation of resources, which is not equality (Nagel, 1983). Resources could be in any form, money, commodity, manpower etc. Relating the concept of equity to the case under discussion, suppose two cities get $200,000 each to collect

Racism and Discrimination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Racism and Discrimination - Essay Example When they come to the realization that they had been suppressed and oppressed, and their own individual human rights and those of the race are very adversely affected and endangered, they feel isolated from the society. As a result they long for a cultural identity for the blacks in America. Thus many Afro-American writers have tried to instill black racial pride in the minds of regress. The Harlem Renaissance and the civil rights movement of the 1950s played major roles in this change of outlook. Langston Hughes strongly believed that the educated black elite should lead blacks to liberation. Most of his poems exhort the readers to be proved of one’s black identity and raise one’s voice against any sort of injustice: â€Å"In poem ‘Theme for English B,’ by Langston Hughes, Hughes talks about the African American struggle of equality. This is a common subject for Hughes. In many of his poems, he speaks about blacks and the injustice that they face.† (Theme for English B; Hunnie 522-2006. Planet Papers). Hughes stressed the importance of a racial consciousness and cultural rationalism and encouraged blacks to take pride in their own diverse black folk culture and black aesthetics. The poem â€Å"The Theme for English B,† expresses Hughes’ experience as the only African American in an all white composition class in the 1920s. His English instruction asks him to write a poem and remarks â€Å"And let that page come out of you†¦ Then, it will be true.† This makes the poet to think of his black ideality and he expresses the blacks’ desire to eat, sleep and be in love just like the white man. He is afraid that because he is black, his writings would be discarded as mere blackish babblings: â€Å"I guess being colored doesn’t make me NOT like the same things other folks like who are other races. So will my page be colored that I write?† (Hughes, Langston. â€Å"Themes for English

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Conference and Exhibition Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Conference and Exhibition - Assignment Example All these people have important tasks to perform and it's not easy. A successful conference needs these people to perform their entire required tasks efficiently and effectively2. Right now there are different types of conferences being held at different places during the same time. Conferences can also help a person to better understand a problem, this is due to the fact that the speakers present in a conference are experts at the topic and have done a lot of research on it. Conferences can be of different types like for example a conference can be on a topic that is an issue to be solved a conference can also be held to bring awareness about an issue or on a topic that has been debated for a long time3. The success of conferences to solve problems or bring about a change has made them increasingly important in the right now world. The success rate is not very high but its still there which makes a conference an important part of the world today. Conferences are being held for almos t everything in the world from sports to daily life problems, from politics to poverty issues, from city level problems to global problems they are everywhere that's why their importance cannot be subdued. Another reason which highlights the importance of a conference is that differences of opinions are also handled in a conference and they are corrected if proven wrong, apart from this the perceptions of people also tend to change after attending a conference as more facts are kept in front of them which they never knew before. A conference is a combined effort of all the managers involved in arranging it, and due credit should be given to them if a conference is successful. A conference is incomplete without proper speakers, and to find them is another tough job4. Speakers are also an integral part of a conference; the better they are the better would be the conference. The interest of the speakers and their homework before a conference can have a great impact on their performance during a conference that in the end affects the overall success of a conference. 3rd Teachers Conference In my scenario it was the 3rd time the students were organizing the teaching conference. The conference was really important for me, as I was the food and beverage manager. After a lot of thinking and analysing we decided to organize this event in a way that would be new to the delegates. We had planned to use the new cafeteria as it was recently made and never used for any such events before. The original idea was to give the delegates a new and exciting environment. Another reason was to let the people know that this place would be ideal to conduct these types of conferences and any other events in the future. Apart from all these reasons another cause of doing this conference on a new place was the arrival of the new vice chancellor. Me becoming the food and beverage manager had its reason as well. First of all i had previous experience in this field as I was working as a PA for a celebrity chef. Apart from this I felt that this job was a challenging one and would earn me essentia l experience in my field5. As being the food and beverage manager my first job was to get in contact with the person who had the authority over granting permission to hold the network lunch at the new cafeteria. After some major

Issues in Free Enterprise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Issues in Free Enterprise - Essay Example Ultimately, the benefit of a megamerger will intrinsically be related to context, socio-economic factors and the impact on all relevant stakeholders affected by a merger proposal such as stockholder profits, economic base of communities, and the new capital investment plans of area impacted, technological innovation, consumer choice (Davidson 1). Matthews and Berman (1999) comment that the US social security system â€Å"was initially intended to provide financial security† (p2). However, the current system is suffering from funding challenges due to the pressures of the dedicated payroll tax system and it is estimated that by 2016 the expenses of the social security will exceed revenues (Matthews & Berman 2). This is further compounded by the reality of an aging population and lower ratio of paying workers (Matthews & Berman). Additionally, whilst the current system is not in crisis, in the long term the social security system is unsustainable (Boyberg, 2005). Moreover, the US government has borrowed and spent the accumulated surplus funds and therefore reform needs to be considered now to address the future lack of sustainability of the system going forward. Economic activity and expansion rates particularly in third world countries are changing the face of natural environmental systems and Michael posits that â€Å"human pressures on the environment are damaging the world’s biophysical and ecological systems† (Michael 2008). This argument would point in favour of the assertion that current activity is placing the earth at risk. However, on other hand some commentators argue that the earth is going through various cycles and denounce the climate change aegis as an excuse to implement politically motivated agendas (Wodak & Meyer 114). Nevertheless, it is submitted that the balance of evidence would appear to tip in favour of

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Conference and Exhibition Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Conference and Exhibition - Assignment Example All these people have important tasks to perform and it's not easy. A successful conference needs these people to perform their entire required tasks efficiently and effectively2. Right now there are different types of conferences being held at different places during the same time. Conferences can also help a person to better understand a problem, this is due to the fact that the speakers present in a conference are experts at the topic and have done a lot of research on it. Conferences can be of different types like for example a conference can be on a topic that is an issue to be solved a conference can also be held to bring awareness about an issue or on a topic that has been debated for a long time3. The success of conferences to solve problems or bring about a change has made them increasingly important in the right now world. The success rate is not very high but its still there which makes a conference an important part of the world today. Conferences are being held for almos t everything in the world from sports to daily life problems, from politics to poverty issues, from city level problems to global problems they are everywhere that's why their importance cannot be subdued. Another reason which highlights the importance of a conference is that differences of opinions are also handled in a conference and they are corrected if proven wrong, apart from this the perceptions of people also tend to change after attending a conference as more facts are kept in front of them which they never knew before. A conference is a combined effort of all the managers involved in arranging it, and due credit should be given to them if a conference is successful. A conference is incomplete without proper speakers, and to find them is another tough job4. Speakers are also an integral part of a conference; the better they are the better would be the conference. The interest of the speakers and their homework before a conference can have a great impact on their performance during a conference that in the end affects the overall success of a conference. 3rd Teachers Conference In my scenario it was the 3rd time the students were organizing the teaching conference. The conference was really important for me, as I was the food and beverage manager. After a lot of thinking and analysing we decided to organize this event in a way that would be new to the delegates. We had planned to use the new cafeteria as it was recently made and never used for any such events before. The original idea was to give the delegates a new and exciting environment. Another reason was to let the people know that this place would be ideal to conduct these types of conferences and any other events in the future. Apart from all these reasons another cause of doing this conference on a new place was the arrival of the new vice chancellor. Me becoming the food and beverage manager had its reason as well. First of all i had previous experience in this field as I was working as a PA for a celebrity chef. Apart from this I felt that this job was a challenging one and would earn me essentia l experience in my field5. As being the food and beverage manager my first job was to get in contact with the person who had the authority over granting permission to hold the network lunch at the new cafeteria. After some major

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Teacher Satisfaction and Student Academic Achievement Essay

Teacher Satisfaction and Student Academic Achievement - Essay Example It is a mixed study that was conducted to gain a better understanding of the beliefs and attitudes of teachers concerning job satisfaction from the viewpoint of small school district teachers. It is a study that attempts to understand more clearly the factors and reciprocal influences that affect teacher job satisfaction, particularly in the context of the operation of small schools, faculty stability, homegrown and transplanted teachers, teacher quality, and the relationship between teacher job satisfaction and student achievement. There is general consensus that small district schools exist in a unique environment as compared to the balance of other types of schools in public education (Anschutz, 1987, Arnold, 2005, Belsie, 2003). Small district schools operate working under the same laws and with comparable expectations and goals as their urban and suburban counterparts, but absent of the same quantity or quality of support and resources available from the school's central organization or the local community. Ultimately, it remains a school district's responsibility to provide a quality and appropriate education to the youth of their community. To accomplish this, teachers are the main vehicles that set the climate, offer encouragement, and deliver the curricula that students require, in pursuit of successfully meeting the expectations set by state and federal legislation, as well as the local administration, regardless of the functioning condition of the district. Consistently, the most valuable and accessible resources located within a school district are the teaching staff. Despite having teachers as an easily available resource, schools often do not include teachers as a resource at the levels desired or expected by

Monday, October 14, 2019

Italy between 1918 and 1929 Essay Example for Free

Italy between 1918 and 1929 Essay Fascism was born with an ambiguous face, surging from socialist ideas developed in a strong nationalistic way, embracing monarchy and free-trade; it also had expansionist policies. Mussolini himself was in fact socialist, but as his party was not getting as many votes as he expected he shifted to fascism, but reluctantly breaking his links with socialism. The rise and the consolidation of power was done in a superficially legal manner, but a party led by a dictator needs a harsh rule to stay in power and be to some extent ruthless to bring order something Europe needed, specially after the mess created by World War One. By 1900 the process of unification in Italy, the Risorgimento, had largely been completed territorially, but not in any other respect. The vast majority of the population still felt no real attachment to Italy at all, as a result of Italys continuing weakness as a cultural, industrial, military, and colonial power compared to older European states. This resulted in a deepening national inferiority complex and led to various projects for the renewal of nationalism, both from the extreme left and the extreme right. Italy was promised land in the war and joined at the side of the Allies, but in the end it did not gained what it was promised and this was known as the mutilated victory. The political sphere indicated the government in power was vulnerable, the Italians blamed the government for it did not take a stronger stand. Economically, Italy was in a great (fake, as it was believed it was about to collapse) boom. The North seemed to be booming more than the south. The fear of a communist revolution seemed to have given Mussolini an increasing amount of supporters such as the wealthy (who were afraid of the end of private property), the agrari fascists, richer peasants, estate managers and urban professionals joined the communists in a struggle against the revolution. Fascism survived the 1919 crisis due to the Wealthy Milanese help and the unsuccessful anti-fascist general strike in 1922 launched by the socialists. Still, the PNF (Partio Nazionale Fascista) was not able to win power legally so it was decided to promote the March on Rome, ill armed (they could have easily smashed). The King feared the fascist bonds with the army would drive the country into a civil war and gave Mussolini  the Prime Minister post. After 1922 Mussolinis role was to consolidate his power. In the beginning, however, he decided to slowly ensure his power rather than start a complete political revolution, so not to lose the power he now had. To make fascism stronger a combination of elements was necessary: The ras (headed extensive fascist organizations), the fascist left'(ex-syndicalists seeking popular enthusiasm through a national syndicalistic state), the fascist technocrats (who saw fascism as an elitist, modernizing force, nationalists (pushed fascism to a more pro-capitalist and imperialist way) and the conservatives (wanted the party to gain power as well and defended the social-political status-quo). These pressured Mussolini for a complete fascist takeover. It meant Mussolini had to tighten control over the ras and other rebellious supporters. To do so he created the Fascist Grand Council, what strengthened even more the partys position. In the 1923, in an electoral reform, the Acerbo Law was designed. This would give the leading party at the general election two-thirds of the parliamentary seats. At the April 1924 elections fascism led the way. The Acerbo Law proved to be useless as the fascist party legally got the two-thirds seats. It is believed, however that many of the votes were gotten with the use of violence and bribery from the fascist side. This same year a scandal about the Matteotti murder involving fascist came to public notice. It consisted the murder of a socialist murdered by fascists, increasing the anti-fascist movements and making Mussolini more vulnerable. Many boycotted the parliament Aventine Cexxession (what in the end was, in the end, positive for Mussolini) The ras (at this point made consuls), threatened to take Mussolinis position if a move towards dictatorship was not made and it was in 1925 that Mussolini made clear to the parliament (or what remained of it)his intentions as a dictator (the Fundamental Law was created). Even after the Matteotti crisis the King did not ask Mussolini to resign (willingness of conservatives to abandon the fascist movement fearing a left-wing revival). With his own words, Mussolini affirmed in 1925 that to go against him was to  go against the State, aiming at a totalitarian state. In 1927 a circular status that provisional prefects must obey, even by fascist was created and In 1928 the new Electoral Law was applied while the boycotting of the parliament was taking place. It meant that if one wished to become a member of the parliament, this person should first be accepted by the fascists. By 1929 Mussolini had an accumulation of offices 8 ministries. This is known as the Cult of the Duce (cult of leadership) and was given a major importance in the indoctrination process, in giving Italy a national identity. The educational system had a vital change text books became a state monopoly by 1936. two years later racism was thought in classrooms and one year later a fascist School Charter was created. Youth groups were created outside the school sector it was necessary to keep the young ones as far from the older generation as possible.  The older generation had more experience and could represent a threat to the regime. Culture was also controlled by the government. In 1925 a film institute was set up. In 1934 an office to Cinematography was established. The control of the press symbolized the major oppression freedom of expression was taken away from the Italians by 1926, when the Exceptional Decrees suppressed many papers. Two years later compulsory registration of all journalists with the Fascist Journalist Association became obligatory. Linked to the indoctrination process it is possible to see the coercion, the use of force. In 1926 the OVRA was set up and a Special Tribunal for the Defense of the State. The OVRA was the secret police, responsible to eliminate party traitors and enemies. Furthermore, Mussolinis image was essential for the party to maintain control and popularity over Italy. In 1929 the Lateran Pact would establish relations between the Catholic Church and the Italian State, securing wider acceptance of Mussolinis ruling. By this date the fascist dictatorship was reinforced by supporting a repressive legislation and this treaty would be significant to increase Mussolinis popularity and the support for his  regime thus securing his power. Mussolini promised to bring peace to Italy if possible by love, but if necessary by force as he said in a speech in parliament, which made clear the methods he used for consolidation. To conclude, Mussolini was undoubtedly a great speaker, and the Italians believed he would de the one to bring respect and importance to Italy in a world wide manner. Nevertheless, up to 1926 Mussolini was seeking power through aggressive ways to consolidate his power as quickly as possible, as his fellow communists pressured him to do. From this date onwards, he felt more secure and based himself on persuasive methods to stay in power. Squadristi violence was the most common among the fascists, but censorship can also be considered as an aggression towards the Italian people. Other parties were outlawed, alarming people of the danger to stand up against the party.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Volunteering In Sports Social Work Essay

Volunteering In Sports Social Work Essay This literature review focuses on sports volunteering as part of an investigation into the successfulness of leadership academies. By critically examining existing research and related literature, this review aims to draw up key issues and identify gaps in the current volunteering system. The scope of the searches for relevant literature was restricted to material dated from 1990 onwards, with to enable the literature review to concentrate on the most recent information. Literature was sourced through databases and websites linked to volunteering, sport, active citizenship and leadership. As such, this literature review draws on a variety of subjects which will be identified throughout the review. This paper reviews key literature, focusing on the need for continued involvement in leadership and volunteer opportunities within the school and community context. Introduction It is a cherished belief within physical activity and sport communities that participation in leadership and volunteering has the potential to offer young people a range of physical, psychological and social benefits, whilst also as a provider of sporting opportunities and in the development of sport, from increasing participation through to supporting excellence and elite performance. More recently in the UK, this belief has become prominent in government policies, are seeking to engage young people in order to inspire individuals and even though the London 2012 Olympic Games is 3 years away strong planning for volunteering is being put in place as the aspect of major events that has the potential to contribute to social regeneration and the strengthening of social capital. The phrase volunteering is the lifeblood of English sport is often used in todays sporting society. With it being well recognised that volunteers provide the core support for sport in the United Kingdom and without the 2 million adult volunteers who contribute at least one hour a week to volunteering in sport, community sport would simply grind to a halt (Sports Council, 1996). The research, commissioned by Sport England (2003) and carried out by the Leisure Industries Research Centre, provided the hard evidence to support this contention. It demonstrates the breadth and depth of support given by people across the country, who provide their time and rarely look for any reward beyond the personal satisfaction they get from the opportunities they provide for others to participate and achieve in sport. Volunteers also play an incredible role in staging some of Englands most prestigious sporting events. Volunteering in the UK has a long and established history (Ockenden, 2007) and withou t its volunteer workforce, events simply wouldnt happen. Such reliance on volunteers in UK sport lead to the production of the government strategy, A Sporting Future for All. The policy has a major focus on ensures that volunteers get adequate training, support and strategic management (DCMS, 2000). Defining volunteering As suggested by Cluskey, et al (2006) defining volunteering is something that on the surface appears to be relatively simple, but in reality it is actually quite complex. Many researchers have stated that the term volunteering is vague, covering different activities and participation at all levels of society, with volunteering traditions being affected by cultural and political contexts (Salamon Anheier, 1997; Lukka Ellis, 2002; United Nations, 2001). Although the word volunteer may seem to have a common shared meaning, there is not universal consensus about the meaning of the term. It should be highlighted that there is no single meaning of volunteering or of a what volunteer is (Volunteering England, 2008). Davis Smith (2000) and Nichols (2004) highlight four characteristics of volunteering within a UK context: That it should be undertaken for no financial gain That it should be undertaken in an environment of genuine freewill That there are identifiable beneficiaries or a beneficiary That there can be formal and informal types Current context for sports volunteering in the UK The voluntary sector plays a central role in sports development and the provision of sporting opportunities in the UK. Volunteers are key in the organisation of UK sport and the sector also provides a major economic contribution to the total value added of the industry (Shibli et al, 1999; Gratton and Taylor,2000). Volunteering in the UK has a long and established history (Ockenden, 2007) and the valuable contribution volunteers make to society is increasingly being recognised. All levels of government are becoming more and more keen to raise active citizenship, and volunteering is promoted as one of the best examples of how individuals can make a meaningful contribution to civil society with volunteering seen as an important expression of citizenship and fundamental to democracy (EFSD, 2007). There has been two main research documents both commissioned by Sport England, which look into sports volunteering in England. The latest Active People Survey (2006) showed that over 2.7 million people put some voluntary time into sport (at least one hour a week volunteering to sport). The Sports Volunteering in England (2002) found numerous results some of the headline information from this research is below: There are 5,821,400 sport volunteers in England. This represents 14% of the adult population. 26% of all volunteers cite sport as their main area of interest. That makes the sport sector the single biggest contribution to total volunteering in England. Sport volunteers contribute one billion hours each year to sport equivalent to 720,000 paid workers. These results have seen a massive change as results from five years previous in the 1997 National Survey of Volunteering (Davis Smith, 1998) indicated a sharp reduction in levels of participation by young people. Volunteering by those aged 16 to 24 was down from 55% in 1991 to 43% in 1997, reversing the trend towards higher rates of volunteering in the previous decade (Lynn and Davis Smith, 1991). Government change over time Eley and Kirk (2002) identified during the 1990s there became a recognition of the benefits of volunteering which led to greater interest in volunteer activity among young people and the political parties developed strategies to help attract and encourage more young volunteers. The government has now identified engaging people in voluntary work as a key way to reaching out to those most at risk from social exclusion. This was linked with New Labour coming to power in 1997, as numerous initiatives recognised and supported volunteering were established: Millennium Volunteers an England wide scheme that aimed to increase volunteering for people aged 16 to 24 year olds. Now been re-branded as the vinvolved programme, currently funding voluntary organisations and encouraging young people to get involved in volunteering. The Year of the Volunteer 2005 a  £10 million campaign funded by the Home Office and aimed at raising the awareness of volunteering, increasing opportunities for people to become involved whilst also encouraging more individuals to volunteer Although these programmes are generic volunteer programmes they include projects that take place within sport. A Sporting Future for All (DCMS, 2000) and Game Plan (DCMS, 2002) ensured that volunteering in sport appeared on the strategic agenda. Sport England was made responsible for raising the profile of and promoting volunteering within sport. Given the role assigned to sport in achieving new Labours social inclusion and active citizenship agendas (PAT 10 Report, DCMS, 1999), numerous nationally driven initiatives that promote volunteering in a specifically sporting context have appeared. As stated by Volleyball England (2004) over the past few years leadership for young people within sport has become a hot topic on the Governments agenda leading to specifically targeted policies. The Physical Education and School Sport and Club Links (PESSYP) strategy which came into place in 2003, consisted of 8 strands which covered an array of areas aiming to enhance the take-up of sporting opportunities for pupils five to sixteen year olds. Step into Sport was one of the eight strands which focused on developing leadership. Now, the new PESSYP Strategy which shows the Governments continued interests in improving school PE, added 2 extra strands to the policy with Volunteering and Leadership having its own priority. Current Sport England programmes: Recruit into Coaching is part of the wider PE and Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP) coaching strand. Recruit into Coaching focuses on the 70 most deprived areas of England as identified through the highest ranked local authorities. It is flexible in terms of the sports it includes as its based very much on local need. Which meets to the view of Rochester (2006) of using volunteering for civic renewal and social inclusion. The Young Ambassador Programme was born and initiated in the summer of 2006 as a direct response to the promise that London would use the power of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to inspire millions of young people to choose sport. London 2012 Olympics volunteering The London 2012 games will depend on up to 70,000 volunteers to make sure they run smoothly and successfully. This has lead to the creation of a number of volunteer schemes, which are aiming to allow for the volunteer spirit spreading wider than the Games themselves by encouraging everyone to give their time to help others. The Young Leaders Programme, supported by BP,  is one of the volunteer scheme which is designed to give a group of disadvantaged young people the chance to make positive change to their lives by using the summer games as a catalyst. Rochester (2006) suggests that within the UK, two broad policy streams encourage voluntary activity within sport and other contexts. These consist of, civil renewal and social inclusion. The aspect of civil renewal is aimed at targeting the increasing amount of people who are becoming disengaged from public life. Disengagement is regarded by the government as posing a threat to democracy and having a harmful impact on community cohesion, with individuals progressively losing their sense of common purpose and belonging within the society (Jochum et al., 2005). Social inclusion has also become a hot topic for new Labour. The formation of the Social Exclusion Task Force, which was established in 2006 shows the commitment creating inclusive communities. It has been identified that participating in voluntary work as a way to reach out to people at risk of social exclusion and promoting correlative social inclusion (Social Exclusion Task Force, 2009). Champion Coaching was the first nationwide scheme created to help the support volunteers. Motives for volunteering Whilst evidence shows that there is widespread commitment to increase numbers and strengthen the volunteer base, a clear picture of what we know about young volunteers does not exist. Gaskin (1998) created the most detailed and comprehensive information on young peoples attitudes and what they want from participation in volunteer activity. It established that the personal benefits gained by young people through volunteer and community service in sporting (Hellison, 1993) and general contexts (Pancer Pratt, 1999) which include an increase in confidence, personal development and pro-social identity. Many researchers have identified that people volunteer for a variety of reasons, both egoistic and altruistic, and the motivation for engaging in volunteer activity can vary greatly from person to person and over time for one person and many volunteers commonly cite multiple reasons for their involvement (Clary et al., 1998; Clary Snyder, 1999, 2000; Farmer Fedor, 1999; Wardell et al., 2000; Coleman, 2002; Taylor et al., 2003). Different age groups may also change their motives for volunteering, with younger groups regarding volunteering as a way of using and expanding their leadership skills, learning new skills and helping them with their future career prospects (Davis-Smith, 1998; Eley Kirk, 2002; Coalter, 2004; Kay Bradbury, 2009) while older volunteers more commonly mention a desire to fill up spare time and cite involvement in volunteering as part of their philosophy of life (Doherty Carron, 2003; Low et al., 2007). The contribution of young sport leaders takes an added si gnificance because their leadership training in sport not only contributes to their own personal skills development but they also use those skills through volunteering to provide greater sport opportunities for other young people to participate in sport (Elay and Kirk, 2002). Perhaps one of the most widely adopted theoretical approaches to understand volunteer motives is that of Clary and Snyder (1991) citied in Cluskeley, et al (2006) who argued that people act to satisfy socio-psychological goals and although individuals may be involved in similar voluntary activities, their goals can vary widely. Their perspective identified four key distinct functions which categorise the motives behind an individuals involvement; Expression of value acting on the belief of the importance to help other Understanding and knowledge need to understand others Social engage in meeting others through volunteering Ego defensive or protective relieve negative feeling through service to others Issues faced by volunteers Volunteers are under increasing pressures in their roles, as indicated by Sport England studies (Taylor et al, 2003; Nichols et al, 2003; Gratton et al, 1996; Nichols, Shibli and Taylor, 1998). These include societal pressures such as the constraints of time imposed by the paid workplace and family commitments and some which are institutional: for example, heavier obligations as a result of legislation (e.g. health and safety, child protection) and greater demands from NGBs and Sport England (e.g. funding requirements, equal opportunities policies, accreditation schemes). Findings published in Gaskins (1998) Vanishing Volunteers created the message that volunteering has a poor image among young people. Although they generally approve of volunteering as beneficial to society and to individuals, its appeal to them is limited. An examination by the National Centre for Volunteering of the barriers to volunteering in 1995, for example, identified five obstacles for young people: lack of awareness of the benefits of volunteering, and negative images of voluntary work as boring, badly organised, the preserve of white, middle-aged, middleclass females, and expensive and time consuming (Niyazi, 1995). This view was also highlighted in the Millennium Volunteers scheme which concluded that for the programme to be successful it would need not only to raise the profile of volunteering but also to carry images of volunteering which are relevant and meaningful to young people (DfEE, 1998). OLYMPIC VOLUNTEERING CHANGING THE IMAGE Promoting active citizenship The British government has been concerned with increasing citizenship and a sense of community spirit in young people for a number of years. In June 1998 the government published a policy framework for a scheme called the Millennium Volunteers. This programme created by the Department for Education and Skills was the one of the first to incorporate aims focused around increasing citizenship and rebuilding a sense of community among young people. Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister at the time expressed his concern about the need to support and recognise community involvement in order to bring about a giving age (Heath, 2000). The government is attempting to increase public engagement in civic institutions and society and respond to societal breakdown by promoting active citizenship and public participation as the responsibility of every individual. The governments commitment to such policies can be seen by the promotion of volunteering in schools through the introduction of citizenship as a subject in the national curriculum, extra support made available for employee volunteering, the creation of institutions that promote citizenship and, new funding initiatives and policy proposals that link citizenship to volunteering (NCVO, 2009). This change to the national curriculum links closely to the view of Elay and Kirk (2002) who identified the benefits of volunteering are also evident from an educational perspective because it is central to the issue of how young people should be taught about their rights and responsibilities to the community. Conclusion This literature review has been able to identify that sport has had a long history on heavily relying on volunteers. It remains one of the most popular fields for engagement for volunteers, with between 13% and 26% of all voluntary work in the UK taking place in a sporting context. Although sport is so reliant on its volunteers it has only started to receive recognition and support from the government or the broader volunteering infrastructure in recent years. The significant difference now however is the substantial funding which is being invested into school leadership programmes designed at creating lifelong volunteers. Volunteering may well be a catalyst for changing communities with excluded individuals, but there is no guarantee that this will always occur and it isnt backed up with enough solid information to create a solid case. Although volunteering does have a vast array of people involved the message from young people is that it needs a make-over to gain further participants. By improving its image, broadening its access and provide what todays and tomorrows young people need. Volunteering suffers from outdated associations with worthy philanthropy and conjures up images that do not appeal to the young. However, it is recognised as potentially offering opportunities to young people that are scarcely available anywhere else. The research suggests that there is a vast pool of young people who could benefit from voluntary work, if certain conditions are met. (Gaskin, 1998)

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Women in Movies Essay -- essays papers

Women in Movies Since the 1940’s, movies have predominately portrayed women as sex symbols. Beginning in the 1940’s and continuing though the 1980’s, women did not have major roles in movies. When they did have a leading role the women was either pretreated as unintelligent and beautiful, or as conniving and beautiful: But she was always beautiful. Before the 1990’s, men alone, wrote and directed all the movies, and the movies were written for men. In comparison, movies of the 90’s are not only written and directed by women, but leading roles are also held by older and unattractive women. In this paper I will show the variations and growth of women’s roles in movies from the 1940’s though the 1990’s. In the 1940’s women did not have predominate roles in movies. In the few movies that were based around women, the woman’s character was written by a man, and the woman was portrayed as a sex symbol. In the movie Double Indemnity, a woman named Phillis is plotting to have her husband killed because she wants to collect his life insurance and be freed from an unhappy marriage. She uses her sexuality and good looks to convince Walter Neff to help her in her scheme. In this movie, Phillis is a beautiful, sexy, conniving killer.In the end, however, because she does not have the heart to kill her husband, the audience is supposed to redeem her conniving image. In the 1940’s movie Gilda, the women has two different stereotypes. The first stereotype is a beautiful sex goddess. She is so beautiful that any man would love to be with her. The second stereotype parterres her as a scorned women. After a past relationship with a man named Johnny has left her angry, she reacts by trying to make him jealous by having affairs with other men. Through out the movie Gilda marries Johnny ‘s boss and then cheats on him a few times. Even though Gilda does all of this by the end of the movie Johnny forgives her and once again turns the women’s life into something meaningful. These two movies party two women who act very much alike. They both use their sexuality to get men to give them what they want. In the 1950’s women are either sex goddess or homemakers, but they are both looking for husbands. In the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the women are blonde, beautiful, and voluptuous. They are so beautiful that when they walk into a room the men dr... ...end of the movie the fall in love. This movie portrays a woman having a horrible life until a man comes along and gives it meaning. The latter 1990’s have brought many wonderful movies to theaters worldwide. More movies now are about women and their lives. The movie G.I. Jane is about a women who goes through navy seals training. She is picked out of many women to go through this training. She is chosen because she is pretty and feminine. She proves herself by successfully completing her training and becoming a navy seal. Although she is a strong woman and she is not supposed to be a sex symbol, she is still shown throughout the movie with little clothing. The movies are different from movies in the 1940’s because women are taking different roles than that of the homemaker or the slut. Now men find women who are strong physically and mentally. Women’s roles in movies have changed dramatically throughout the years. In the 1940’s women’s characters were stereotyped as sex objects. In the 1990’s women’s characters are stereotyped to be strong individuals. I am glad that women’s characters are now portrayed as they truly are, and not how men think they should be. Women in Movies Essay -- essays papers Women in Movies Since the 1940’s, movies have predominately portrayed women as sex symbols. Beginning in the 1940’s and continuing though the 1980’s, women did not have major roles in movies. When they did have a leading role the women was either pretreated as unintelligent and beautiful, or as conniving and beautiful: But she was always beautiful. Before the 1990’s, men alone, wrote and directed all the movies, and the movies were written for men. In comparison, movies of the 90’s are not only written and directed by women, but leading roles are also held by older and unattractive women. In this paper I will show the variations and growth of women’s roles in movies from the 1940’s though the 1990’s. In the 1940’s women did not have predominate roles in movies. In the few movies that were based around women, the woman’s character was written by a man, and the woman was portrayed as a sex symbol. In the movie Double Indemnity, a woman named Phillis is plotting to have her husband killed because she wants to collect his life insurance and be freed from an unhappy marriage. She uses her sexuality and good looks to convince Walter Neff to help her in her scheme. In this movie, Phillis is a beautiful, sexy, conniving killer.In the end, however, because she does not have the heart to kill her husband, the audience is supposed to redeem her conniving image. In the 1940’s movie Gilda, the women has two different stereotypes. The first stereotype is a beautiful sex goddess. She is so beautiful that any man would love to be with her. The second stereotype parterres her as a scorned women. After a past relationship with a man named Johnny has left her angry, she reacts by trying to make him jealous by having affairs with other men. Through out the movie Gilda marries Johnny ‘s boss and then cheats on him a few times. Even though Gilda does all of this by the end of the movie Johnny forgives her and once again turns the women’s life into something meaningful. These two movies party two women who act very much alike. They both use their sexuality to get men to give them what they want. In the 1950’s women are either sex goddess or homemakers, but they are both looking for husbands. In the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the women are blonde, beautiful, and voluptuous. They are so beautiful that when they walk into a room the men dr... ...end of the movie the fall in love. This movie portrays a woman having a horrible life until a man comes along and gives it meaning. The latter 1990’s have brought many wonderful movies to theaters worldwide. More movies now are about women and their lives. The movie G.I. Jane is about a women who goes through navy seals training. She is picked out of many women to go through this training. She is chosen because she is pretty and feminine. She proves herself by successfully completing her training and becoming a navy seal. Although she is a strong woman and she is not supposed to be a sex symbol, she is still shown throughout the movie with little clothing. The movies are different from movies in the 1940’s because women are taking different roles than that of the homemaker or the slut. Now men find women who are strong physically and mentally. Women’s roles in movies have changed dramatically throughout the years. In the 1940’s women’s characters were stereotyped as sex objects. In the 1990’s women’s characters are stereotyped to be strong individuals. I am glad that women’s characters are now portrayed as they truly are, and not how men think they should be.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Calorimetry Lab

Which foods have the most calories? Hypothesis: If we burn the food then the heating released will be measured as calories because the energy stored Inside Is released as heat and light. Parts of the experiment Control Group-water Experimental Group- different foods Independent variable- Type of food Dependent Variable- temperature of water Controlled variables- water temperature of unheated water Materials Stirring Rod, Beaker, ring clamp, evaporating disk, matches, crackers, marshmallows Analysis Questions 1 . Which foods gave off the most calories/gram?Marshmallows 2. Which foods gave off the least calories/gram? The chips give off the least, when they were burned we realized they had the least. 3. How do these results compare with your prediction? The result are somewhat like my prediction, I predicted that when the food is burned it will release heat and light.I liked this lab because it's a way to figure UT certain things within food substances. I probably would not take the ti me out to try it out at home, but I did like the lab. Despite us being very careful with trying to make everything accurate I don't think everything was so accurate. However scientists do this all the time to fugue out the calories of foods, so it is still a legit experiment. The temperatures did not change drastically it was mostly around 4 or 4. 5 degrees Celsius. Citation Mar. 2013. Web. 14 May 2014. Http://www. Chem†¦ Davidson. Deed/vice/calorimeter/ heatcapacityofcalorimeter. HTML

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Pragmatic Accounting Essay

There is no generally accepted theory of accounting. There are a number of accounting theories (though a systematic attempt has been made by Financial Accounting Board (FASB) of USA and IASC and other to formulate a comprehensive theory of accounting). The definition of Accounting Theory given by Hendriksen as â€Å"a set of broad principles that (i) provide a general frame of reference by which accounting practice can be evaluated, and (ii) guide the development of new practices and procedures† lead us to perceive accounting theory as a basis of explanation and prediction. The primary objective of accounting theory, as it follows from this definition, is to provide a coherent set of logically derived principles that serve as a frame of reference for explanation/prediction of accounting events and behavior. Classification of Accounting Theories There are several ways of classifying accounting theories. They may be classified, for example, according to time e. g. steward accounting, decision usefulness accounting, and accountability or societal responsibility accounting. Other ways of classifying theories can be (i) Inductive versus deductive, and (ii) normative versus positive. Glautier and Underdown are of the view that the roots of accounting theory are decision theory, measurement theory, and informational theory. Hendirksen says that â€Å"a useful frame of reference is to classify theories according to prediction levels† there are, according to him, three main levels of theory. The levels are as follows: 1) Structural or syntactical theories. 2) Interpretational or semantical theories. 3) Behavioural or pragmatic theories. Behavioral or pragmatic theories: These theories emphasize the behavioural or decision-oriented effects of accounting reports and statements. It has been noted that accounting is now regarded as a process of measurement and reporting information to the users- internal and external. Since 1945 onwards it is being realized that accounting is useful not merely to assess the result of past performance but also that it can be more useful in decision making by the management , shareholder, creditor, present and potential investors, government and others. The objective of accounting now is not only to provide information to management for decision making. Outsider interested individual and groups of individuals are also supplied necessary and timely information for making rational decisions. The focus is on relevance of information being communicated to decision makers and the behavior of different users as a result of presenting of accounting information, e. g. an effort to and be made to find out the extent to which security prices reflect fully and promptly all available information or what is the impact of providing price-adjusted accounting information during inflation on decision makers. It can thus, be seen that in recent times communication-decision orientation has been emphasized in the development of accounting theories. Behavioural theories attempt to measure and evaluate the economic, psychological and sociological effect of alternative accounting procedures and reporting media. ACCOUNTING is utilitarian. It represents a response to needs. The measure of its achievements at any point in time and in any particular context is the extent of this response to the needs of that particular time in that particular context. Underlying accounting standards represent the concept of usefulness. The truth of this is evident in the decision-oriented accounting which forms such a large part of the accounting task. The accounting required to satisfy the demands of stewardship, law and regulation, and reporting minima, forms only a minor part of modern data processing and information systems. The detailed classifications and task-oriented analyses which are a feature of the modern system are justified only by their capacity to provide at the margin a value in excess of the incremental cost. Management needs information to use as a basis for decision-making. The value we are concerned with is value to management  An accounting system accumulating, classifying, analyzing and relating both financial and statistical data is the major source of managerial information. In the first place there is the value of the record itself. It is necessary to have ready access to facts, and reliable evidence of facts. For example, detailed and verifiable records of debtors’ current accounts are essential. In the second place, there is value in the analysis of the results of past activity and past decisions, particularly if this can be related to standards and to individual responsibilities. Finally, there is value in data classified and accumulated for the purposes of projection. There is truth in the criticism that we are a long way from using the economic potential of electronic computers in the business sphere, and that the future will see an increasing use of computers in the scientific projection of past data to provide a constantly updated guide for managerial planning. Administrative accounting is a response to managerial needs. It is economic only insofar as it provides, at the margin, value at least equal to cost. It follows that, in the rapidly changing scene which is typical of today, there is a need for a continual reassessment of needs, of responses, and of economics. It follows too that the administrative accountant is concerned not just with meeting general needs typical of the particular type of enterprise, but also the particular needs of those responsible for administering the particular enterprise. Finally, the administrative accounting that is done in a specific enterprise is the concern of the management of that enterprise rather than of the accountancy profession. Accounting is a system-centered activity carried out to meet particular needs. But a study through time, and a study of systems in widely varying enterprises, reveal the existence of some broad needs and the development of some common methods and generally accepted standards in the meeting of those needs. In their valuable study of accounting continuity,’ Littleton and Zimmerman have traced three general and continuing needs which have been and continue to be the concern of accounting: 1. The need to record in order to report. This is the concept of stewardship; but is concerned too with the need for dependable facts. . The need to audit in order to trust. This is the concept of verification, ex-pressed in the modern context in the auditing function. 3. The need to analyze in order to understand. The need to interpret, they suggest, is the greatest of these needs, and by corollary the most important of the accounting tasks. Its systematic implementation is through classification, analysis, and comparison. Common needs might well be expected to stimulate common responses, though environmental factors will lead to differences in these responses. Double entry accounting has been one such response, and its value is evidenced by its continuity after some six hundred years of experience. The social need for reliability and comparability of accounting reports has led to the concepts of â€Å"general acceptance† and â€Å"the true and fair view. † But both methods and concepts require continuing’ review to determine, in a changing world, the extent to which they are meeting both broad needs and particular needs. Many accountants would maintain that the time honored double entry system, fundamentally based on flows of historic costs, is in-adequate to meet the needs of the modern era. The Accounting: The Survival of Satisfactory The accounting bequeathed to us today as a gift from yesterday exemplified a response to past needs; but not necessarily of the â€Å"a survival satisfactory. One must ask the questions â€Å"Satisfactory to whom? † and â€Å"Satisfactory for what purpose? If standards are to have a sharp cutting edge, then they need to be concerned with the particular needs of particular individuals or groups. The broader the group, and the more diverse the needs, the less incisive and useful are the standards. â€Å"Fairness to all† and â€Å"general acceptance† tend to reflect custom and com-promise. Such concepts are not without value-the same value as Common Law has in our legal system. But where there is a potential towards bias, where there are vested interests, social interests, and interests requiring the protection of society the law tends to be more specific. And this is the situation in the external reporting field which is the particular concern of the accountancy profession. One result is that professional pronouncements on controversial matters have tended to lack clear definition and to give tacit acceptance to what Leonard Spacek has called â€Å"double standards. Another result is that the reaction of accounting practice in re-porting to changing needs has tended to be very slow, and to receive its main stimulation from disaster rather than from the evolutionary process envisaged by Little-ton and Zimmerman. Let us assume that we have overcome the problem of definition of â€Å"the satisfactory. † What conditions are necessary for the timely emergence of the satisfactory? I suggest that it requires a regular critical examination of current needs, objectives, standards, compromises, methods and rules, with an adequate testing of new concepts and methods. The basis for testing should be the closeness of approach to the revised objectives, and the practicality and economics of the change (considered in the very broad sense). In fact our re-examination have tented to be spasmodic and uncritical. That testing is inadequate is clearly by the evidence negative reaction to the suggestion that supplementary statements be published, incorporating price level changes. Firm objectives to use as a basis for judgment are at least not clearly expressed-if they are expressed at all.

Does Ma Relevant

Has The Management Accounting Information in Malaysia Losing Its Relevancy? Rosniza Binti Ramli Universiti Teknologi Mara, Malaysia. Abstract Malaysia is one of the developing countries that affected by the globalization process and emerging economic environment throughout the world. To be sustain in future, Malaysia organization especially should cope and response effectively with the changes in economic sector. But, has the management accounting information can help the manager in making good decision for their organization?Does management accounting in Malaysia also evolve or changes due to an emerging economic environment? Research papers on Relevance Lost: The rise and Falls of Management Accounting and Evolution of Management Accounting (IFAC, 1998) will be discussed further in this research in order to have better understanding about changes and evolution of management accounting in Malaysia. This research done by reviewing the prior research, articles, thesis and journals. Th e changes and evolution has been found based on the reviewed of prior research.Introduction Research papers on Relevance Lost by Johnson and Kaplan found and gave us the picture of the rise and fall of management accounting throughout the centuries. The authors explored about nineteenth-century cost management system, efficiency, profit and scientific management on 1880 to 1910 until management lost its relevance on 1980s. Furthermore they analysed and explored the new global competition and new systems for process control and product costing and also performance measurement system for the future.In nineteeth- century, companies having a transformation process from two or more process into a single economic activity. In all cases, the information focus on how to improve the process of managing the resources effectively and also do determine the sources of companies profit. In late nineteenth-century, conversion cost system was emerged to systematic management where focused on determ ination of correct information about efficiency of workers in mass-produced complex machine –made. Taylor and Emerson devised new accounting procedures to assess the efficiency of the task and processes in complex machine-making firms.Futhermore, Church’s devices to use product costing in order to determine how much profit of individual product contribute to the firm’s overall profitability. But, G. P Norton rely on th standard cost information and comparing an integrated multiprocesstextile company’s performance with profit earned internally. After 1900, the integrated firms developed system to track the performance of the company and use one common denominator, return on investment that give attention to the amount of capital invested in the enterprise.Furthermore, after 1900, based on discussion on cost accounting’s lost relevance for cost management, the managers not compile accurate product costs data and affect their judgement on the costs an d benefits of such information not lost sense of the relevant information to management decision. The inventory costs information did not reflect the accurate guide to determine the product cost and in complex real-word setting, it also not relevant for actual management decisions.When multidivisional organization first appear around 1920, they used ROI (return on investment) targets to assess the performance of managers. On 1980s, the author claimed that contemporary management accounting systems were became obsolete and affected the large organization. The information provided were not help in reflected the effective and efficiency of internal process. Besides that, the organization were became vulnerable to competiton and more focused organization. In the nest chapter, authors discussed the new global competiton of the 1980s.The revolution of economic condition were contributed by the Japanese manufacturing where develop the innovative practice in management accounting such as to tal quality management, just-in –time inventory system and computer integrated manufacturing system. Most of the firm more focused not on the reducing cost of product but on the different strategies to attract customer with special product and services. In other word, competitive advantage that made organization more competitive than their rivals.They were more interested to create the value of the firms and how to create long term economic wealth. Since the early twentieth century, technology has taken part and eliminated all manual operation and replaced with digital technology. Products can be processed using machine for controlled manufacturing operations company. Furthermore, the new challenges to the firm is to develop the new approach, tools and technique to design the effective cost accounting, management control and performance measurement system.Other than that, the authors also discussed on process control and product costing systems. The objectives requires separa te system for financial reporting, process control and product costing because each systems have different time frame for the activities, where process costing reported hourly, daily, weekly. Financial reporting system reported annually and quartelly and product cost information requires a longer time horizon. They also differ in terms of traceability and allocation, behaviour, set of relevant costs and audiences.In the last chapter, authors argued that existing sytems are not posible to measure the performance of the firms. The short-term financial performance measurement has been undermined by changes in technology and innovation in the firms production operations. The measurement should be reflects the greater complexity of product and process in the firm and consisten with the firms goal and objectives. Firm should also need to determined the inadequacy of any single financial measure in order to summarie the economic performance of the firm during short periods.Research paper o f Evolution of Management Accounting (IFAC, 1998) were discussed the evolution of management accounting by Financial and Management Accounting Committee (FMAC) of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). They claimed that management accounting has developed through four evolutionary stages under Western approach. First stage, prior to 1950 focus was on cost determination and financial control and the main source of data was from financial statement. On that time, ratio and financial statement analysis were very popular.The second stage, years of 1965, focus changed to the provision of information for management decision-making, planning and control such as decision analysis and responsibility accounting. The techniques that support the decision analysis were Cost-volume –profit, and marginal costing. By the year 1985 in the stage three, attention was focused on the reduction or managed the waste in business resources, through the elimination of non-value added acti vities, use of mathematical formula such as Economic Order Quantity (EOQ), inventory evaluation such as FIFO, LIFO and multiple regressions.The fourth stage by 1995, focused had shifted to the generation or creation of value through the effective use of resources, through the use of technologies which examine the drivers of customer value, shareholder value and organizational innovation. The advanced management accounting methods that were popular such as Just-in-Time (JIT), Balanced Score Card, and Strategic management. IFAC (1998) had identified most of the developed countries had shifted to this stage between the years of 1985 to 1995.Japanese or Eastern perspective on the evolution of management accounting also consists of four stages, namely Drifting, Traditional, Quantitative and Integrative Management Accounting. The drifting management accounting such as ratio analysis, traditional such as budgetary control and standard costing, while quantitative such as mathematical formul a and equation and integrative such as JIT, Target Costing and Kaizen. Literature review Based on the review of the prior study, there are some purposes to be review. First, the problems with modern US cost accounting and management control system and challenges and recommendation to overcome it.Second, changes in management accounting practices in Malaysia. Third, the rise and fall of activity based costing. Forth, the management accounting practice in selected Asian country. Fifth, the current state of mangement accounting practice in selected Malaysian companies. Problems, challenges and recommendation of modern US cost accounting and management control system The problems arose in the cost accounting and management accounting were, the business ran by the manager based on the financial performance or in numbers.Johnson and Kaplan addressed that the process of cost and management accouting have developed to the stage where senior executives believe they can run their firms by the numbers (p 15). They were recommended that the firm should relates the human performance in organization both internally through management accounting and externally through financial accounting. They also suggested that Western approach to managing by the numbers, based in financial measure of control were became powerful of control in US and increasingly in UK business organization and remain acceptable in Japanese industry.Based on the prior research Mahmoud Ezzamel (1990), he and collegues criticts on the suggestion by Johnson and Kaplan and gave alternative ways of acounting for the problem with cost accounting. They do not agree with the precise history that Johnson and Kaplan told, with the understanding of accounting and its power to which their history leads them. They told a history that basically good but went increasingly wrong. Mahmoud Ezzamel also argued that cost management based upon accounting has problem and bound to be problematic and that this is what the histor y of 19th century accounting such as how to find true cost shows.From the historical development of cost management and cost accounting, Johnson and Kaplan derive a diagnosis of the causes of a modern ‘disease’. Changes in management accounting practices in Malaysia Malaysia has moved towards global competitivenesss, this changes makes manufacturing companies in Malaysia need to ensure their business operation and management cope with the current changes. ( Tuan Zainun, 2011). This prior study carried out to investigate how changes in Management accounting practice took place in Malaysia companies.Following Johnson and Kaplan (1987), MAP have been further developed for better decision making and management control. Globalization has brought the new and advanced technology and made a developing country open to greater competition (Kassim et al, 2003). This condition were affect the MAP in a business organization in order to fit the changes in the business operation. This study can be an evidence that the management accounting information change due to certain reason and made it relevance to be used by the companies. The rise and fall of activity based costing.Activity based costing tool can help the firm to determine the cost effectively based on the cost pool and cost driver. ABC is still the most appropriate cost system in management accounting. Many advantages of using ABC system in the firm such as ABC data is more accurate and reliable than traditional costing. It also can be used for decision making and performance evaluation. Furthermore, Kaplan, Weiss and Desheh (1997) reported the successful implementation of ABC transfer prices at Pharmaceutical Industries, which diminished the endless disputes between the marketing and production departments.ABC also handles overhead costs and leads to a better understanding of the cost drivers that generate these cost. Besides that, ABC also suitable to implemented by the service organization sucha s go vernment organization, insurance firms and banks. But, ABC also have the weaknesses such as ABC is based on subective arbitary cost allocations where ABC costing system more complicated and cannot predict profits and not adequate for decision making. ABC also ignores constraints and not take an account a bottleneck. The cost of the various products are irrelevant for product mix decision.ABC regards the relation between activities and resource consumption as linear, absolute and certain, where in reality the cost is discontinue. Even though most of firms tried ABC ultimately decided to abandon it, they did seem to regard it favorably, based on many case studies and articles (R. Cooper and R. S. Kaplan, 1991). ABC should emphasize the need to focus and cut down the cost of operational complexity. Management accounting practice in selected Asian country Prior study by Maliah Sulaiman observed the management accounting practices in Asian countries, Singapore, India, Malaysia and China. Authors claimed to be excellent in running the business and to be competitive in the global economic, firm should use the advance management techniques such as Just in Time, ABC, TQM and process re-engineering. Various authors have argued that traditional budgeting and cost volume profit analysis are no longer adequate to be used as planning andd control tools in the present manufacturing environment (Brownwich and Bhimani,1994). Many have predicted that traditional tools cannot cope with the changes of the shorter product life cycles, advanced manufacturing technologies and global competition.Its very important to determine the practices of management accounting in the real world because it can help the academician to have an accurate pictures for their teaching, if not, the accounting curriculum should be change to better reflect the needs of industry. Willett et al (1997) concern that studies on the management accounting practices in this region lag behind studies in financial ac counting. Choi and Mueller, 1992 cited that accounting is a product of it environment, means accounting is shaped by the environment, so different countries have different practice on mangement accounting.The current state of mangement accounting practice in selected Malaysian companies Prior study, Ghosh and Chan (1997) indicated that management accounting practice in Singapore, many of the firms already used various of management accounting techniques but not more used new technique such as the ABC and TQM system. Most of the local company were not competitive and lag behind the multinational companies. The study also indicated that Singapore companies not improve their management tools since 1997. they also avoided of used the advanced toos because they claimed that the implementation of the dvanced tools required complex process and additional resources needed. Then, Adelegan (2001) were studied on companies in Nigeria, where most of the companies only focused on process of cost determination and financial control uing budgets and cost accounting technologies. They has fully in the second stage and on the move to the third stage of evolution. Nishimura (2002) that conducted research on the Japanese affiliates in three Asian countries of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand claimed that most of the companies in that countries had shifted from the traditional management accounting practices to the next stage of evolution.It was also found that some of the companies were move towards by using the advanced management accounting technique. There also research conducted in Malaysia that studied on the small and medium industry by Omar, Abdul Rahman and Zainal Abidin in year 2002. The research found that SMIs in the Klang Valley were still relying on the simple and not complicated management accounting practices such as budget and standard costing but they seemed to have acceptance of the advanced management accounting techniques and there was a positive trend toward s the implementation of these new techniques in the future.Findings The result from the review of the articles, found that, Johnson and Kaplan rediscovery the management accounting system in the nineteenth century history is more about the practical business management not only the historical question. These major achievements were important to the international management accounting and culture. But, in the 1980s, the management accounting has been developed. Then due to modern process of production technologies and global competition, the information was become irrelevant.They claimed that the cost accounting is by-product of the financial accounting, so firms decided not to maintain Management accounting system separated from financial accounting system because of too expensive for them. Besides that, the irrelevance became worsen due to short-termism where the financial accounting only focuses on the short-term results, the control function, timing being too aggregated and unhel pful to organization. Then the academic accounting also failed to focus on the routine financial accounting consistently and the academic writing has lost touch with real world concerns.Furthermore, the major innovations in US firms lead to the failure of the MAS to provide managers with the information they need. The recommendations There are third recommendations by Johnson and Kaplan, first MAS should render more relevant time frames for the activities undertaken by the firm, where should have reporting cycle specific with the process control such as daily, weekly or hourly. In product costing, MAS should change the short –term decisions in management accounting texts into longer time horizon to have better strategic decisions.Second, the allocation of the cost between product and process control should be different to be focused on flexible budgets. Then the cost allocation for the product should be trace in order for the firms to develop strategic decisions on the produc t development and discontinuance. Third, the future performance measurement should be based on long term measures, not forgotten the non-financial indicators to highlight the firms performance in many areas such as marketing and manufacturing.The changes of Management accounting practices in Asian country Furthermore, from the reviewed of the articles and journals, found that the Management Accounting practices have a significant change in traditional and advanced MAP in Malaysia manufacturing companies from 2003 to 2007. The changes might be because of changes in the business environment and the competition and advanced technology used by the firms.This factor encourages the emergence of MAP in order to serves the organization with the accurate and reliable information to make a better decision in achieving the objectives of the organization. It also found that the manufacturing companies in Malaysia relied on the foreign multinational companies for export. This condition leads to sharing or transferring the advanced MAS to be adopted by Malaysian manufacturing companies. Besides that, the result showed that the increased in the use of MAP in manufacturing companies in parallel with the advanced technology used in the manufacturing.The changes also shows that the management accounting in Malaysia recently have through the process of evolution and keep changes to cope with the business environment challenges. In the other hand, management accounting practices in Asians countries such as Singapore, India, Malaysia, and China the evidence reviewed suggest that there were not used the contemporary management accounting tools as a whole. For example evidence in India, most of the company still uses traditional management accounting techniques (Joshi, 2001).They resistance to change to the new tools were because of the manager perception and culture that risk averse or not a risk taker. They also claimed that a lot of cost will incur in implementing the new tools i n their organization. Same goes in Singapore where most of the companies used the traditional tools because they claimed that no reasons for them to change to the new tools. It also due to lack of expertise, knowledge and top management support to implement the new tools of management accounting.In Malaysia and China, most of the company there also still uses the traditional method and they claimed maybe they will change to new tools such as Balance score card and ABC in the next five years. Based on other articles, the current state of management accounting practice in Malaysia, there have seven techniques of management accounting that popular such as, budgets, income statement analysis, cash flow analysis, balance sheet and financial ratio analysis, cost and benefit analysis and finally the product costing.This is indicated that the stage one and stage two of management accounting still be practice by selected Malaysian companies. For the use of stage three and stage four among th em are extremely low. But most of the selected companies in Malaysia have evolved into the third and fourth stage of management accounting evolution. (Rosmawati, 2004) In order to enhancing the management accounting practice in Malaysia, the professional body should have unit to implement and promotes the use of advance management accounting practices.Furthermore, academician and also practitioner, or business organization should work together and discuss further about the needs and roles of management accountant in order to develop new definition of the management accounting in the country. It’s important to build a communication between the academician and practitioner because practitioner should informed the changes of the practices uses in organization to academician, so it will help in constructing the better curriculum for students that can reflects the real world practices.Other than that, proper planning should be constructing to educate the practitioner and also publ ic by conducting the seminar in management accounting, so they will alert and realize with the evolution and new techniques in management accounting. Next, academician especially should be encouraged to write the articles, journal and research that reflects the evolution of the current management accounting practices. Then, it should be publicize in the magazines in order to spread the new information regarding the new management accounting practices to the business organization or public. The rise and fall of Activity based costingActivity based costing now still being used in most of the companies in the world, even though the system have problem because many organizations regard their cost systems for financial reporting, decision-making decentralization, price justification, control and performance measurement. But, ABC requires more efforts and skills without better results, so, the alternative are to hold to the traditional cost system. Prior case study, Y. Eden (2002) said it was disappointment with traditional cost accounting and lack of appropriate alternatives that prompted the initial enthusiasm for ABC.Managers also felt that the traditional cost accounting is not relevance, so they should do something to overcome it. Even though most firms that tried ABC decided to neglect it, they did seem to regard it favorably. However, the benefits to the firms not from the cost allocation data but from the ABC pilots involved thorough analysis of processes and costs and drew attention to neglected aspects of organizational activities. ABC systems just need to focus and to cut down the cost of operational complexity.But when manager realized these lessons, the complex data not make the improvements, so they used non-financial measurements. Conclusion From the reviewed, the management accounting practices and information in Malaysia will lost it relevancy if process of evolution did not take into action. Due to rapid changing in the global business environment, management accounting information should not lag behind it in order to stand in line with the advanced technology changes. With that, Malaysia should start to implement the advanced management accounting techniques in managing and control the business activities.It’s important to help them use the resources effectively and to measure the performance efficiently. New advanced management accounting practice implementation will contribute significantly for creating the value and also to maintain the sustainability of the organization in the future. Management accountant also should play role and becoming a part of management team in the organization. This is to make sure that the management accounting information will remain relevant in the new challenging business environment.Nishimura (2003), management accountant should work together with other practitioner such as engineer, marketing directors, designer and product directors so management accountant will understand more the ir work field and they will share opinion and recommendation with fulfill the various needs and goal from different departments and then come out will ultimate goal and objectives that can help the organization to achieve it successfully. Moreover, the suitable changes in their MAP especially in manufacturing companies should maintain effectiveness of the business activities.The advanced and traditional system should be used both to compliment and substitute for each other. When the traditional system can be useful and able to provide some information, the organization should adopt new advanced system to assist the more useful information to make decision. But when the traditional system fail to provide useful information, then it should be replaced with a more advanced system. This is very crucial to the management accounting and should be careful when making decision on what MAP that suitable for the condition of the business. If not it might be jeopardize the firms’ perfor mance. References H.Thomas Johnson, Robert S. Kaplan. (1987), â€Å"Relevance Lost: The Rise and Fall of Management Accounting, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, Massachusetts. Rosmawati Mahfar, Normah Omar. (2004), â€Å"The current state of Management Accounting practice in selected Malaysian Companies: An empirical evidence†, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, International Business Management Conference 2004. Mahmoud Ezzamel, Keith Hoskin and Richard Macve. (1990), Managing It All By numbers: A review of Johnson & Kaplan’s ‘Relevance Lost’†, Accounting and Business Research, Vol. 20, No. 78, pp. 153-166, 1990. 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