Playboy of the Western World free essay sample

The Playboy of the Western World gains its title from the scene in which Christy cant be beaten in play at any of the village sports, hence he becomes the playboy. The phrase of the Western World leads the way into Synges theme of Irish mythmaking, then still especially noticeable in unsophisticated peasant groups. With the inclusion of this phrase, the myth of the playboy encompasses the whole world. Mythmaking deviates from reality, as is made clear by the stretch of the title: Irish village game championship cant possibly trump an entire world of athletes. Synge isnt discussing a universal theme but rather exposing a particularly Irish theme, that of mythmaking. The play opened in January of 1907 at Yeatss Irish Literary Theatre to outraged indignation and riots but over the course of the twentieth century has gained ever greater currency among critics. Had Yeats not held a public debate on the concept of artistic freedom, The Playboy may have died an ignoble death. We will write a custom essay sample on Playboy of the Western World or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As it happens, though, the play has by later critics been called the most rich and copious store of character since Shakespeare’’ (P. P. Howe) and a play riotous with the quick rush of life, a tempest of the passions (Charles A. Bennett). These seem to be the reasons that The Playboy of the Western World has current appeal. Whereas original audiences cared about morality and decorous representations of peoples and countries, the increasing and ever increasing reach for realism, ethnic diversity and authentic representations has brought The Playboy into vogue because it was the avant garde and the precursor of what is presently valued and sought after: unveiled realism. Incidentally, one might argue that this unveiled realism, which is the idol of the present milieu, has been carried so far that realism is now a fancy in that it is a reality beyond reality and that it carries such clout that it is creating new reality (of questionable benefit) in its wake, which is a divergent reality from the realism that Synge depicted after living with, studying and capturing in three acts the cultural and psychological realities on the Aran Islands, from which he derived The Playboy of the Western World.

Free Essays on The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel about a young boy’s coming of age in the Missouri of the mid-1800’s. The main character, Huckleberry Finn, spends much time in the novel floating down the Mississippi River on a raft with a runaway slave named Jim. Before he does so, however, Huck spends some time in the fictional town of St. Petersburg where a number of people attempt to influence him. Before the novel begins, Huck Finn has led a life of absolute freedom. His drunken and often missing father has never paid much attention to him; his mother is dead and so, when the novel begins, Huck is not used to following any rules. The book’s opening finds Huck living with the Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson. Both women are fairly old and are really somewhat incapable of raising a rebellious boy like Huck Finn. Nevertheless, they attempt to make Huck into what they believe will be a better boy. Specifically, they attempt, as Huck says, to "sivilize" him. This process includes making Huck go to school, teaching him various religious facts, and making him act in a way that the women find socially acceptable. Huck, who has never had to follow many rules in his life, finds the demands the women place upon him constraining and the life with them lonely. As a result, soon after he first moves in with them, he runs away. He soon comes back, but, even though he becomes somewhat comfortable with his new life as the months go by, Huck never really enjoys the life of manners, religion, and education that the Widow and her sister impose upon him. Huck believes he will find some freedom with Tom Sawyer. Tom is a boy of Huck’s age who promises Huck and other boys of the town a life of adventure. Huck is eager to join Tom Sawyer’s Gang because he feels that doing so will allow him to escape the somewhat boring life he leads with the Widow Douglas. Unfortunately, such an escape does not occur. Tom Sawyer promi... Free Essays on The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Free Essays on The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn The entire plot of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is rooted on intolerance between different social groups. Without prejudice and intolerance The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn would not have any of the antagonism or intercourse that makes the recital interesting. The prejudice and intolerance found in the book are the characteristics that make The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn great. There were many groups that Clemens contrasted in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The interaction of these different social groups is what makes up the main plot of the novel. For the objective of discussion they have been broken down into five main sets of antithetic parties: people with high levels of melanin and people with low levels of melanin, rednecks and scholarly, children and adults, men and women, and finally, the Sheperdson’s and the Grangerford’s. Whites and African Americans are the main two groups contrasted in the novel. Throughout the novel Clemens portrays Caucasians as a more educated group that is higher in society compared to the African Americans portrayed in the novel. The cardinal way that Clemens portrays African Americans as obsequious is through the colloquy that he assigns them. Their dialogue is composed of nothing but broken English. One example in the novel is this excerpt from the conversation between Jim the fugitive slave, and Huckleberry about why Jim ran away, where Jim declares, â€Å"Well you see, it ‘uz dis way. Ole missus-dat’s Miss Watson-she pecks on me all de time, en treats me pooty rough, but she awluz said she woudn’ sell me down to Orleans.† Although this is the phonetic spelling of how some African Americans from the boondocks used to talk, Clemens only applied the argot to Blacks and not to Whites throughout the novel. There is not one sentence in the treatise spoken by an African American that is not comprised of broken English. The but in spite of that, the broken English does add... Free Essays on The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Overview Of The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is probably Mark Twain’s most well-known and famous novel. It was written in 1885 and banned by the Concord, Massachusetts Library that same year because of â€Å"rough language†. Even though it was written so long ago it still remains a classic today. Mark Twain’s style, literary devices, satire, and dialect all contributed to its success. In the beginning of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck is presented a large amount of money. This causes his delinquent lifestyle to change drastically. Huck gets and education and a home to live in with a caring woman. One would think that Huck would be satisfied. However, he wasn’t because he wanted his old lifestyle back. When Huck’s drunk father returns, he is unhappy with Huck. He feels that no son should live better than his father. He tries to take Huck’s money, but fails repeatedly. He then takes Huck and brings him to a cabin on the outskirts of town. Huck tries to escape but cannot. He then stages his own kidnapping and murder, and takes a raft to the Mississippi River. He meets up with a runaway slave, Jim, when they decide to leave the area. They both escape big problems and continue their road to freedom. In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, uses many different literary devices, including â€Å"real† language, diction and satire. Twain’s style is simple and conveys his ideas in a boyish mood. The book is somewhat of an irony in itself because of this style. He gives his complex observations on society through the eyes and through the speech of a young boy out for adventure. He also pays close attention to detail in dealings with the different areas down the river, especially in speech and dialogue. â€Å"Real† language is the way the characters talk, of the time period that people really spoke. Twain wrote his novel this way and it was more effective because one can l... Free Essays on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel about a young boy’s coming of age in the Missouri of the mid-1800’s. The main character, Huckleberry Finn, spends much time in the novel floating down the Mississippi River on a raft with a runaway slave named Jim. Before he does so, however, Huck spends some time in the fictional town of St. Petersburg where a number of people attempt to influence him. Before the novel begins, Huck Finn has led a life of absolute freedom. His drunken and often missing father has never paid much attention to him; his mother is dead and so, when the novel begins, Huck is not used to following any rules. The book’s opening finds Huck living with the Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson. Both women are fairly old and are really somewhat incapable of raising a rebellious boy like Huck Finn. Nevertheless, they attempt to make Huck into what they believe will be a better boy. Specifically, they attempt, as Huck says, to "sivilize" him. This process includes making Huck go to school, teaching him various religious facts, and making him act in a way that the women find socially acceptable. Huck, who has never had to follow many rules in his life, finds the demands the women place upon him constraining and the life with them lonely. As a result, soon after he first moves in with them, he runs away. He soon comes back, but, even though he becomes somewhat comfortable with his new life as the months go by, Huck never really enjoys the life of manners, religion, and education that the Widow and her sister impose upon him. Huck believes he will find some freedom with Tom Sawyer. Tom is a boy of Huck’s age who promises Huck and other boys of the town a life of adventure. Huck is eager to join Tom Sawyer’s Gang because he feels that doing so will allow him to escape the somewhat boring life he leads with the Widow Douglas. Unfortunately, such an escape does not occur. Tom Sawyer promi...

Medical Ethics and Recognizing the Higher Faculties of Humans Assignment

Medical Ethics and Recognizing the Higher Faculties of Humans - Assignment Example Written by Mitch Albom in 1997 to pay for his favorite teacher’s medical bills (CNN, 2001), â€Å"Tuesdays With Morrie† has sold more than 1 million copies and is one of the top literature used to teach and cultivate critical thinking skills in undergraduate health care courses. The novel tackles the true story of Morrie Schwartz, a sociology professor of Brandeis University who developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a summary of the weekly conversation between the author and Morrie which dealt with issues such as marriage, family, relationships, culture, love, emotions, forgiving, aging and death. Mitch described it as their â€Å"last class together†¦[where they] talked all day about what’s important in life once you know you’re going to die† (CNN, 2001). The book is often categorized as a biographical and philosophical novel and is read for entertainment but it also provides different insights for medical practitioners. Over the years, it has served as a guide towards understanding health equity, and social justice in health care. Its lessons about aging and dying provides readers with a unique approach towards dealing with individuals who are terminally ill. The story raises various moral dilemmas, perhaps the most important of which is the understanding of death. In the book, Morrie remarks, â€Å"Everyone knows they’re going to die, but nobody believes it† (Albom, 1997, p.76). This was a comment not only about the fear of death, but also, the lifestyles that people live. Morrie believed that most Americans do not prepare for death, hence they are unable to appreciate their lives. He expounds, â€Å"[M]ost of us walk around as if we’re sleepwalking. We really don’t experience the world fully, because we’re half asleep, doing things we automatically think we have to do† (Albom, 1997, p. 77). People prioritize work over their families because they think they need money in order to enjoy life, but in the process, they waste their time working, never realizing that their families are moving on without them. People have become so involved in materialistic things that they never really appreciate the beauty of nature, â€Å"the loving relationships we have, the universe around us, we take these things for granted† (Albom, 1997, p. 78). Morrie’s insights were unique in that it talks about the failure of the American culture to provide its people with a sense of purpose. The American belongs to a society of consumers – their homes, cars, and bank accounts determine their success. Hence, early in life, most people are already conditioned to work hard in order to fulfill their economic needs. For Morrie, people waste their time running after things that does not provide them with purpose. He says to Mitch,

Nurse as Educator Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Nurse as Educator - Essay Example In today's healthcare arena, the unique holistic perspective of nursing practice mandates that nurses possess the knowledge and skills necessary to educate various audiences in a variety of settings with efficiency and effectiveness. The fundamental ideas related to person as caring and nursing as a discipline and profession that serves as the perspective grounding for the theory Nursing as Caring. A new generic understanding of caring or of discipline and profession, but to communicate some of the ideas basic to Nursing as Caring. Caring is an essential feature and expression of being human. The belief that all persons, by virtue of their humanness, are caring establishes the ontological and ethical ground on which this theory is built. Persons as caring are a value which underlies each of the major concepts of Nursing as Caring and is an essential idea for understanding this theory and its complications. Being a person means living caring, and it is through caring that out being and all possibilities are known to the fullest. The concept of nursing situation is central to every aspect of the theory of Nursing as Caring. ... Being a person means living caring, and it is through caring that out being and all possibilities are known to the fullest. NURSING SITUATION AS THE LOCUS OF NURSING The concept of nursing situation is central to every aspect of the theory of Nursing as Caring. The nursing situation is both repository of nursing knowledge, the context for knowing nursing, shared lived experience in which the caring between the nurse and the one nursed enhances personhood. It is to the nursing situation that the nurse brings self as caring person, expressing unique ways of living, attends to calls for caring, creating caring responses that nurture personhood, in the fullness of aesthetic knowing. The nursing situation comes into being when the nurse actualizes a personal and professional commitment to the belief that all persons are caring. It should be recognized that a nurse can engage in many activities in an occupational role that are not necessarily expressions of nursing. When a nurse practices nursing thoughtfully, that nurse if guided by his or her conception of nursing. The concept of nursing formalized in the Nursing as Caring theory is at the very heart of nursing, extending back into the unrecorded beginnings of nursing and forward into the future. Remember that the nursing situation is a construct held by the nurse, any interpersonal experience contains the potential to become a nursing situation. In the formal sense of professional nursing, the nursing situation develops when one person presents self in the role of offering the professional service of nursing and the other presents self in the role of seeking, wanting or accepting

Epistemologhy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Epistemologhy - Essay Example A good example was the challenges that people had back in the 50s when the radio program, "The War of the Worlds" was played. This was a popular novel back in 1938 and on Sunday, October 30, 1938 at 8 p.m. this radio broadcast was done. Because people relied on the radio to give them the "correct" news, they believed that the broadcast was "true". This created a panic across the nation and people called radio and television stations to find out what they should do (Rosenberg 1). This example shows how it is difficult to know what is "real" and what is "not real" when we are talking about knowledge. Descartes had a lot to say about knowledge and it is difficult for us to truly understand what knowledge is and how it is used in the world. On the one hand, we can say that someone "knows" something but we cannot really say how the individual knows what they know. In thinking about knowledge we have to go deeper and wonder whether knowledge is a belief or it is something that we learn. Descartes tells us that we must look at reality and determine what that is first before we can say what knowledge is and we must understand it without doubt. Descartes ideas seem rational although they are somewhat difficult to explain.(Newman par. 1). He believed that if any thought could be subjected to any doubt then it was false (Skirry par. 2). Although this idea has some validity it is this researchers opinion that his idea does not go far enough. If we were to categorize thoughts it would be difficult to tell which ones were "true" and which ones were "false" because there is always room for d oubt. In fact, most people would suggest that their way of thinking was "true" no matter what it was and therefore our thoughts would be different on a variety of issues. Descartes had some of the information but not all of it (although we do have to think about what was available to him

Safety Management Plan For Night Time Work Construction Essay

Safety Management Plan For Night Time Work Construction Essay In the previous in Chapter 1, the overview of this study was explained about and the problem was identified. Then from the overview, the aims of the study are to explore the challenges faced in construction site during night time, to identify the different factors associated with safety during night-time construction. Through the chapter, the elaborations of the topic are clearly described. The clarification of the sub-topic will studies about the night time construction, planning aspect, and the impact of night-time construction operations on safety, quality, environmental factors, and productivity. 2.2 Overview of Night work 2.2.1 Definition of Night work According to Derek Simpson (2005), night work is defined as a 7 hour period which includes that between midnight and 5am, usually 11pm to 6am. Anyone who normally works at least 3 hours of their working day during this night period is classed as a night worker. Night workers should not work more than an average of 8 hours in every 24. Where such work involves any special hazards or heavy physical or mental strain the 8 hours limit applies to each 24 hour period, not an average 8 hours over the reference period. According to the North Region Construction Night Work Guide (2007), night work is the most difficult and challenging time for the contractor to work to meet his contractual obligations and therefore the most difficult time for the inspector to ensure the work meets the standards and levels of quality while also ensuring that everything is done safely. 2.2.2 Safety Management Plan for Night time Work A management plan should be well documented and structured so that both employers and employees can benefits from its use. The following are recommended components of a safety management plan for night time works(: Site personnel responsibility It should be determined and stated clearly in the safety management plan the responsibility of each individual at construction site for night time works. Project Manager, Engineers, Designers, Safety Officer and Site Supervisors as well as workers each have their specific responsibility to make sure the highest level of priority are given towards safety and health issues. Permission to work at night Permission to work at night should be obtained from the relevant authority before construction works at night is carried out. Employers should submit their application for work permit to Local Government Authority and it is advisable to follow all requirements enforced by the authority prior to executing night time construction works. It is also recommended to notify the nearest police station, BOMBA, hospitals or clinics so that they can prepare accordingly in case of an emergency. It is also recommended that night work approved by the local authorities be informed to the residents/occupants of the surrounding neighbourhood. Inventory preparation for safety equipments Before night works are carried out, check the inventory of safety equipment to make sure they are sufficiently available, appropriate, and in good working condition. Purchase sufficient new safety equipment for a new construction project or to add existing inventory. Equipments such as retro-reflective signage, barriers, retro reflective tapes and lighting equipment are some example of safety equipment that should be provided for night time construction works. Material and Machine movement / coordination Employers should be aware that material and machine movement that is not well supervised could potentially cause serious injury and harm to workers and properties. Housekeeping Accidents can occur as a result of poor housekeeping. Hazards at construction site are the same for both day and night shift while the risks of injury are much higher during night works because of the inherent poor illumination. It is essential that the workplace is kept clean and tidy to ensure safety and prevent accidents. Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) One of the most important elements to consider before work at night is carried out is the EPR specifically for night time environment. A well established EPR can help both employer and employees to prepare; response and recover should a disaster occurs. Public safety When construction works involves public area, it is important to make sure the safety of the public. Consider the following when planning for night time work; identify the hazards for example construction vehicle movement or too much glare from lighting equipment and plan for vehicular movement to not interrupt peak hours and make sure adequate supervision is provided for such movement. Provide sufficient signage to warn the public and put barriers at a safe distance to keep the public away. Set up a safe walk ways where it is unavoidable to work near or in public vicinity. Arrange noisy equipments or machinery at farthest point from the public or adopt an engineering control to reduce the noise. When overhead crane is operating near the public, clear off the area and make sure adequate supervision is in place. Schedule for daily cleaning of the adjacent public road and filling up holes as well as uneven surfaces. Working hours manpower arrangement Employers should identify at which construction phase the need for night time work is required. Consider the following when planning for night time work; arrange a special team to work at night and allow for shift rotation and inform workers of the special hazards and risks at night to allow effective adaptation with the work environment. It is also recommended to send workers for health screening to make sure the workers are fit to work at night. Allowing an unfit worker to work at night will endanger the worker and other worker in the same work area. 2.3 Overview of Night-time construction According to the Guidelines for Construction Activities at Night (1999), there is an increasing demand for performing construction of highways and buildings at night, especially in the urban areas to reduce conflict between the public and the stakeholders of the projects. This approach can be beneficial in particular, for reducing traffic disruptions and meeting the completion deadlines. However, contractors should consider the increased safety risk at the workplace when conducting any construction activities at night. 2.3.1 Planning of construction work at night Working during night time by its very nature is dangerous. Workers are exposed to many high risk unsafe working conditions at construction site. Common problems that might occur are poor visibility in the working environment, working in a drowsy condition, and communication problems with the day shift. This could contribute to other work related safety and health problems for example drug and alcohol abuse, psychological problems, and physiological problems. (Shane J.S., 2012). Therefore, it is very important to plan any works for night time is engaged. Employers need to plan before hand the workforce required, special arrangement for safety provision such as sufficient work area lighting, retro-reflective clothing, flashing lights on equipments or structures and retro-reflective tape at work area surroundings. 2.3.2 Factors affecting night time work In order to decide when to conduct night time work, factors (parameters) affecting night time work must be identified. The following factors were identified: (Douglas K.D., 2003) Risk Illumination Nuisances Productivity Cost Safety Risk Night time construction introduces numerous risks to a construction project. One clear set of examples is driver and worker fatigue and reduced visibility, which are factors that could increase safety risks. Other major factors contributing to the risks of night time work are human factors such as sleep, stress, work, social or domestic issues, and psychological characteristics, such as appetite and safety. Additional factors associated with the risks of night time construction work zones are reduced work space for machinery and equipment movement, inadequate lighting, high speed of traffic during the night, and long working hours (12 to 14 hours). (Shane J.S., 2012). Risk management process The best way to address night time construction work-zone risks and hazards is through risk management programs. It is suggested that agencies and contractors begin their risk management processes early and review the risk management program carefully prior to beginning night time work. Risk management is the term used to describe a sequence of analysis and management activities focused on identifying and creating a response to risks and, in the case of night time construction, to project-specific risks (Shane J.S., 2012). Various organizations use very similar steps, but slightly different terms, to describe their risk management approach. These are the important risk management steps: 1. Risk identification. 2. Risk assessment/analysis. 3. Risk mitigation and planning. 4. Risk allocation. 5. Risk monitoring and control. Risk identification is the process of determining which risks might affect the project and documenting their characteristics using tools such as brainstorming and checklists. Risk assessment/analysis involves the quantitative or qualitative analysis that assesses impact and probability of risk. Risk mitigation and planning involves analyzing risk response options (acceptance, avoidance, mitigation, or transference) and deciding how to approach and plan risk management activities. Risk allocation involves placing responsibility for a risk on a specific party or parties typically through a contract. The fundamental tenets of risk allocation include allocating risks to the party that is best able to manage them, allocating risks in alignment with project goals, and allocating risks to promote team alignment with customer-oriented performance goals. Risk monitoring and control is the capture, analysis, and reporting of project performance, usually as compared to the risk management plan. Risk monitoring and control assists in tracking and resolution. Types of Risk The first step in an effective risk management program is to identify possible risks. Specific concerns related to night time work zones include poor visibility and work quality, staffing issues, unwanted noise and glare, decreased worker and driver alertness, impaired drivers, higher vehicle speeds, increased labour costs, materials and traffic control, and problems in logistics and supervision. These risks are categorized broadly as safety, cost/production and schedule, quality, organizational relationships, technical, construction, economic, and environmental. Illumination Night time construction lighting arrangements have an impact on project safety, quality, cost, and productivity. One of the main reasons illumination levels have a strong impact on the other aspects of night time construction is the fact that light influences human performance and alertness. Recommended lighting level A major problem with night time work-zone lighting arrangements is the insufficiency of the lighting provided to perform the construction or maintenance task. The level of lighting needed for specific construction activities depends on factors related to the humans performing the activities, as well as factors relating to the task at hand and the environment in which it takes place. For example, visual ability is a human factor that is known to vary among workers. Therefore, lighting standards assume reasonable visual abilities that are considered to be normal, while giving some allowance for variations among individuals. This assumption allows for visual standards to be based mainly on the visual requirements of the specific tasks construction activities required (Shane J.S., 2012). Task Dependency Visual Standard Required Accuracy The higher the precision required in a task, the higher the level of illumination needed. Background Reflection The ability to visualize an object or a target depends on the contrast between that object and the background. Highly reflective backgrounds decrease the visibility of the target or object. Relative Speed The relative speed of the object/target or its observer is another factor directly affecting the level of lighting needed for the construction task. Faster moving objects or targets necessitate higher levels of illumination. Objective Speed The size of the target observed in construction tasks has an impact on the needed level of illumination for the task. The smaller the object, the higher the level of lighting needed. Seeing distance The distance between the observer and the target in each task is another determining factor in setting illumination levels. Larger distances necessitate higher levels of illumination. Table 2.1: Task-dependent visual standards Sources: A Guidebook for Nighttime Construction: Impacts on Safety, Quality, and Productivity. Nuisances Sound Sound is energy in motion as a pressure wave through the air produced by a vibrating body. A decibel (dB) is the basic sound level unit; it denotes a ratio of intensity to a reference sound. Most sounds that humans are capable of hearing have a decibel range of 0 to 140. Zero dB, by international agreement, corresponds to an air pressure level of 20 micro-Pascals (in other words, the agreed-upon threshold of hearing). A whisper is about 30 dB, conversational speech is about 60 dB, and 130 dB is the threshold of physical pain. Humans sense the intensity difference of one sound from another. A three-decibel change in noise level is a barely noticeable difference, while a 10-dB change is perceived subjectively as a doubling/halving in loudness (Shane J.S., 2012). Noise Noise can seriously harm human health and interfere with peoples daily activities at school, at work, at home and during leisure time. According to World Health Organization (WHO) (2004), the main health risks of noise identified are: Pain and hearing fatigue Hearing impairment including tinnitus Annoyance Interferences with social behaviour (aggressiveness, protest and helplessness) Interference with speech communication Sleep disturbance and all its consequences on a long and short term basis Cardiovascular effects Hormonal responses (stress hormones) and their possible consequences on human metabolism (nutrition) and immune system Performance at work and school Environment Critical health effect Sound level dB(A)* Time hours Outdoor living areas Annoyance 50-55 16 Indoor dwellings Speech intelligibility 35 16 Bedrooms Sleep disturbance 30 8 School classrooms Disturbance of communication 35 During class Industrial, commercial and traffic areas Hearing impairment 70 24 Music through earphones Hearing impairment 85 1 Ceremonies and entertainment Hearing impairment 100 4 Table 2.2: WHO Community Noise Guidance Sources: Occupational Noise-World Health Organization Vibration According to Shreve (1994), vibration can be defined as simply the cyclic or oscillating motion of a machine or machine component from its position of rest. Many types of construction activities cause vibrations that spread through the ground (ground-borne), most notably pile driving, hoe ram demolition, blasting, and vibratory compacting. Though the vibrations diminish in strength with distance from the source, they can produce annoying or objectionable audible and feel able levels in buildings very close to construction sites. Rarely do vibrations reach levels that cause structural damage to buildings. However, minor cosmetic damages can occur at lower vibration levels and, in the case of old, fragile, or historical buildings, a danger of significant structural damage always exists. Dust During the night, many households leave their windows open to take advantage of the cool night air. With urban night time construction projects being very close to peoples living space, dust can be a problem. Night time construction dust problems are accentuated by the lighting, which makes the particulate matter very visible. Fugitive dust may be generated by construction operations, and the contract specifications should require that the contractor prepare a dust control plan. In many cases, dust control is not a problem that is limited to night time activities; therefore, air quality or dust control plans should be for all hours of the day or night (Shane J.S., 2012).

GEORGE ORWELL Essay -- essays papers

GEORGE ORWELL George Orwell also known as Eric Arthur Blair lived from 1903 - 1950. He was a British writer who wrote documentaries, essays, and articles. He was born in Motihari, India. Orwell was educated at Eton College in England. From an early age Orwell said, " Perhaps the age five or six, I knew that when I grew up I should be a writer." After Orwell did not win a university scholarship at Eton College he joined the Indian Imperial Police. He served with the Indian Imperial police in Burma from 1922 - 1927. At the age of twenty- four, he started to teach himself how to write. After his time as a police officer in Burma he returned to England for a couple of years he went on living in London and then Paris among the poor. Out of George Orwells experiences he wrote about conditions in his life and ordeals that occurred that no one had ever done before. Orwell experienced many difficulties in his field. First as a police officer in Burma he saw how brutally the people where being treated by the other police officers. He also wrote about his resignations that he had abo...

Bold Flash Case Essay

BoldDisk, currently known as Boldflash, was founded in 1982 in Waltham Massachussets. Originally manufacturing computer storage medias like floppy disks for original equipment manufacturers and consumer markets, BoldFlash’s product mix has evolved in due course of time. In 2012, the company began offering customers contemporary solutions in flash memory for products such as digital cameras, mp3s and most importantly smartphones, the latter accounting for 40% of the overall market . However, the inability of the company to keep up to date with the dynamic nature of this 20 billion dollar market has led to the decline of the company in regards to product innovation and customer satisfaction. Even though there are macroeconomic factors that brought about this predicament, the effect of managerial inefficiency also has to be taken into account. This essay will do as such by critically viewing the top-down management approach this company has used from both the human relations and power perspectives. The situation that the company currently finds itself in can be attributed to several factors. When looking at Boldflash’s management from a human relations perspective, the issue of bad management becomes more apparent. The previous vice presidents decision of tackling issues through a top down approach can be one cause to the company’s failure in creating value for customers. One problem with this autocratic approach in an innovation company is that it leads to the breakdown of communication and teamwork. The numerous conflicts between manufacturing and sales can be attributed to the simple fact that the culture of the company was not based on communication between the two parties, it was based on following orders from corporate. This lack of vertical loading, or dispersal of authority, has on one hand an effect of inefficiency in trying to create value for the company and its customers, but it also causes the employees to feel neglected. This apparent disconnect between management and workers can and has caused conflicts within the organization that when not addressed can become, according to Herzberg, hygiene factors that inhibit motivation and therefore innovation in the company. Another problem with this management approach is that it acts as hindrance to the development of new products.  The ramifications of taking this McGregor’s Theory x approach, neglects non economic factors such as performance appraisal and participation which are considered as key motivators. Moreover, Maslow’s theory supports the argument that autonomy and room for personal growth are the key motivators for employees to add value to their company through the process of satisfying their own need for self actualization. When looking at this company from a political perspective, the question of how Harrison’s style of management had an effect on the company’s structure is relatively obvious. It is more important to emphasize that the crux of the matter was the major deficits in product development (2nd paragraph; further examined pp.2). According to the present paper, former vice president Jim Harrison commanded a rather strictregiment and had a management style that can be described as autocratic. That suggests the assumption that he made use of Luke’s first dimension of power, namely orders. A clearly visible way of solving conflicts with the results he was in favour of. It’s hardly surprising that this proceeding didn’t lead to a multifarious company culture, or a structure which encourages employees to bring in their ideas. in fact, it shows a second possible reason for BoldFlash’s failure in the tablet-chip market: the market’s potential was not r ecognized to its full extent and was therefore the opportunity was underplayed by management. Another side of BoldFlash’s structural problems are highlighted by the fact that the actual product development group was being led by the marketing department. Disregarded by Harrison ,Cahill notices a loose form of leadership, which – in his view – does not succeed in integrating the talents of the employees. Contrarily to the general culture of strict orders, power is not used much in this group – leaving Cahill with the impression that there were neither clear achievements nor direction in which to move the company. However. the structure of the company is changing as a result of the new vice president. under the structure of a divisionalized form, Robert Cahill leaves to its managers of divisions (Sales, Marketing etc.) the freedom of  decision and then controls the results. This enterprise makes sure that the standardization of outputs are respected through an important performance control. (meetings: definitions of targets, objectives and strategies for each division that decisions makers must keep in mind as they make specific decisions in the front). One can now notice that a formal communication exists -limited to transmission of results- between Cahill and the supervisors of each department. Nevertheless we can focus on what create a discord between all workers. It is mainly due to the division’s culture. We notice that even if all the members work at the same final goals, they all have a different vision of how to perform. Thus their main goal becomes to keep it like a â€Å"treasure† and make sure that nobody will treat it; they are on guard and make their best to keep their â€Å"territory† safe, acting without considering the others. In conclusion, the top down model used by the late Jim Harrison and its autocratic nature hinders organizational performance in respect to understanding the market as well as having a cooperative and innovative environment. this approach neglects the inputs of employees and affects their performance as well as their ability to stay motivated, ultimatly affecting the company’s overall success and profitability, as is the case with BoldFlash.Considering that Fiona Wilson wrote a whole book questioning the totalitarian ambition of management theories, it is not surprising that a vice president with an ambition like that analogically narrows the view of the whole organization.

Forward the Foundation Chapter 17

10 Seldon strode into Amaryl's office, unannounced. â€Å"Yugo,† he said abruptly, â€Å"the session with General Tennar has been postponed.† He seated himself in a rather pettish manner. It took Amaryl his usual few moments to disconnect his mind from his work. Looking up finally, he said, â€Å"What was his excuse?† â€Å"It wasn't he. Some of our mathematicians arranged a week's postponement so that it wouldn't interfere with the birthday celebration. I find all of this to be extremely annoying.† â€Å"Why did you let them do that?† â€Å"I didn't. They just went ahead and arranged things.† Seldon shrugged. â€Å"In a way, it's my fault. I've whined so long about turning sixty that everyone thinks they have to cheer me up with festivities.† Amaryl said, â€Å"Of course, we can use the week.† Seldon sat forward, immediately tense. â€Å"Is something wrong?† â€Å"No. Not that I can see, but it won't hurt to examine it further. Look, Hari, this is the first time in nearly thirty years that psychohistory has leached the point where it can actually make a prediction. It's not much of one-it's just a small pinch of the vast continent of humanity-but it's the best we've had so far. All right. We want to take advantage of that, see how it works, prove to ourselves that psychohistory is what we think it is: a predictive science. So it won't hurt to make sure that we haven't overlooked anything. Even this tiny bit of prediction is complex and I welcome another week of study.† â€Å"Very well, then. I'll consult you on the matter before I go to see the General for any last-minute modifications that have to be made. Meanwhile, Yugo, do not allow any information concerning this to leak out to the others-not to anyone. If it fails, I don't want the people of the Project to grow downhearted. You and I will absorb the failure ourselves and keep on trying.† A rare wistful smile crossed Amaryl's face. â€Å"You and I. Do you remember when it really was just the two of us?† â€Å"I remember it very well and don't think that I don't miss those days. We didn't have much to work with-â€Å" â€Å"Not even the Prime Radiant, let alone the Electro-Clarifier.† â€Å"But those were happy days.† â€Å"Happy,† said Amaryl, nodding his head. 11 The University had been transformed and Hari Seldon could not refrain from being pleased. The central rooms of the Project complex had suddenly sprouted in color and light, with holography filling the air with shifting three-dimensional images of Seldon at different places and different times. There was Dors Venabili smiling, looking somewhat younger-Raych as a teenager, still unpolished-Seldon and Amaryl, looking unbelievably young, bent over their computers. There was even a fleeting sight of Eto Demerzel, which filled Seldon's heart with yearning for his old friend and the security he had felt before Demerzel's departure. The Emperor Cleon appeared nowhere in the holographics. It was not because holographs of him did not exist, but it was not wise, under the rule of the junta, to remind people of the past Imperium. It all poured outward, overflowing, filling room after room, building after building. Somehow, time had been found to convert the entire University into a display the likes of which Seldon had never seen or even imagined. Even the dome lights were darkened to produce an artificial night against which the University would sparkle for three days. â€Å"Three days!† said Seldon, half-impressed, half-horrified. â€Å"Three days,† said Dors Venabili, nodding her head. â€Å"The University would consider nothing less.† â€Å"The expense! The labor!† said Seldon, frowning. â€Å"The expense is minimal,† said Dors, â€Å"compared to what you have done for the University. And the labor is all voluntary. The students turned out and took care of everything.† A from-the-air view of the University appeared now, panoramically, and Seldon stared at it with a smile forcing itself onto his countenance. Dors said, â€Å"You're pleased. You've done nothing but grouse these past few months about how you didn't want any celebration for being an old man-and now look at you.† â€Å"Well, it is flattering. I had no idea that they would do anything like this.† â€Å"Why not? You're an icon, Hari. The whole world-the whole Empire-knows about you.† â€Å"They do not,† said Seldon, shaking his head vigorously. â€Å"Not one in a billion knows anything at all about me-and certainly not about psychohistory. No one outside the Project has the faintest knowledge of how psychohistory works and not everyone inside does, either.† â€Å"That doesn't matter, Hari. It's you. Even the quadrillions who don't know anything about you or your work know that Hari Seldon is the greatest mathematician in the Empire.† â€Å"Well,† said Seldon, looking around, â€Å"they certainly are making me feel that way right now. But three days and three nights! The place will be reduced to splinters.† â€Å"No, it won't. All the records have been stored away. The computers and other equipment have been secured. The students have set up a virtual security force that will prevent anything from being damaged.† â€Å"You've seen to all of that, haven't you, Dors?† said Seldon, smiling at her fondly. â€Å"A number of us have. It's by no means all me. Your colleague Tamwile Elar has worked with incredible dedication.† Seldon scowled. â€Å"What's the matter with Elar?† said Dors. Seldon said, â€Å"He keeps calling me Maestro.' â€Å" Dors shook her head. â€Å"Well, there's a terrible crime.† Seldon ignored that and said, â€Å"And he's young.† â€Å"Worse and worse. Come, Hari, you're going to have to learn to grow old gracefully-and to begin with you'll have to show that you're enjoying yourself. That will please others and increase their enjoyment and surely you would want to do that. Come on. Move around. Don't hide here with me. Greet everyone. Smile. Ask after their health. And remember that, after the banquet, you're going to have to make a speech.† â€Å"I dislike banquets and I doubly dislike speeches.† â€Å"You'll have to, anyway. Now move!† Seldon sighed dramatically and did as he was told. He cut quite an imposing figure as he stood in the archway leading into the main hall. The voluminous First Minister's robes of yesteryear were gone, as were the Heliconian-style garments he had favored in his youth. Now Seldon wore an outfit that bespoke his elevated status: straight pants, crisply pleated, a modified tunic on top. Embroidered in silver thread above his heart was the insignia: SELDON PSYCHOHISTORY PROJECT AT STREELING UNIVERSITY. It sparkled like a beacon against the dignified titanium-gray hue of his clothing. Seldon's eyes twinkled in a face now lined by age, his sixty years given away as much by his wrinkles as by his white hair. He entered the room in which the children were feasting. The room had been entirely cleared, except for trestles with food upon them. The children rushed up to him as soon as they saw him-knowing, as they did, that he was the reason for the feast-and Seldon tried to avoid their clutching fingers. â€Å"Wait, wait, children,† he said. â€Å"Now stand back.† He pulled a small computerized robot from his pocket and placed it on the floor. In an Empire without robots, this was something that he could expect to be eye-popping. It had the shape of a small furry animal, but it also had the capacity to change shapes without warning (eliciting squeals of children's laughter each time) and when it did so, the sounds and motions it made changed as well. â€Å"Watch it,† said Seldon, â€Å"and play with it, and try not to break it. Later on, there'll be one for each of you.† He slipped out into the hallway leading back to the main hall and realized, as he did so, that Wanda was following him. â€Å"Grandpa,† she said. Well, of course, Wanda was different. He swooped down and lifted her high in the air, turned her over, and put her down. â€Å"Are you having a good time, Wanda?† he asked. â€Å"Yes,† she said, â€Å"but don't go into that room.† â€Å"Why not, Wanda? It's my room. It's the office where I work.† â€Å"It's where I had my bad dream.† â€Å"I know, Wanda, but that's all over, isn't it?† He hesitated, then he led Wanda to one of the chairs lining the hallway. He sat down and placed her on his lap. â€Å"Wanda,† he said, â€Å"are you sure it was a dream?† â€Å"I think it was a dream.† â€Å"Were you really sleeping?† â€Å"I think I was.† She seemed uncomfortable talking about it and Seldon decided to let it go. There was no use pushing her any further. He said, â€Å"Well, dream or not, there were two men and they talked of lemonade death, didn't they?† Wanda nodded reluctantly. Seldon said, â€Å"You're sure they said lemonade?† Wanda nodded again. â€Å"Might they have said something else and you thought they said lemonade?† â€Å"Lemonade is what they said.† Seldon had to be satisfied with that. â€Å"Well, run off and have a good time, Wanda. Forget about the dream.† â€Å"All right, Grandpa.† She cheered up as soon as the matter of the dream was dismissed and off she went to join the festivities. Seldon went to search for Manella. It took him an extraordinarily long time to find her, since, at every step, he was stopped, greeted, and conversed with. Finally he saw her in the distance. Muttering, â€Å"Pardon me- Pardon me-There's someone I must-Pardon me-,† he worked his way over to her with considerable trouble. â€Å"Manella,† he said and drew her off to one side, smiling mechanically in all directions. â€Å"Yes, Hari,† she said. â€Å"Is something wrong?† â€Å"It's Wanda's dream.† â€Å"Don't tell me she's still talking about it.† â€Å"Well, it's still bothering her. Listen, we have lemonade at the party, haven't we?† â€Å"Of course, the children adore it. I've added a couple of dozen different Mycogenian taste buds to very small glasses of different shapes and the children try them one after the other to see which taste best. The adults have been drinking it, too. I have. Why don't you taste it, Hari? It's great.† â€Å"I'm thinking. If it wasn't a dream, if the child really heard two men speak of lemonade death-† He paused, as though ashamed to continue. Manella said, â€Å"Are you thinking that someone poisoned the lemonade? That's ridiculous. By now every child in the place would be sick or dying.† â€Å"I know,† muttered Seldon. â€Å"I know.† He wandered off and almost didn't see Dors when he passed her. She seized his elbow. â€Å"Why the face?† she said. â€Å"You look concerned.† â€Å"I've been thinking of Wanda's lemonade death.† â€Å"So have I, but I can't make anything of it so far.† â€Å"I can't help but think of the possibility of poisoning.† â€Å"Don't. I assure you that every bit of food that came into this party has been molecularly checked. I know you'll think that's my typical paranoia, but my task is guarding you and that is what I must do.† â€Å"And everything is-â€Å" â€Å"No poison. I promise you.† Seldon smiled, â€Å"Well, good. That's a relief. I didn't really think-â€Å" â€Å"Let's hope not,† said Dors dryly. â€Å"What concerns me far more than this myth of poison is that I have heard that you're going to be seeing that monster Tennar in a few days.† â€Å"Don't call him a monster, Dors. Be careful. We're surrounded by ears and tongues.† Dors immediately lowered her voice. â€Å"I suppose you're right. Look 'round. All these smiling faces-and yet who knows which of our friends will be reporting back to the head and his henchmen when the night is over? Ah, humans! Even after all these thousands of centuries, to think that such base treachery still exists. It seems to me to be so unnecessary. Yet I know the harm it can do. That is why I must go with you, Hari.† â€Å"Impossible, Dors. It would just complicate matters for me. I'll go Myself and I'll have no trouble.† â€Å"You would have no idea how to handle the General.† Seldon looked grave. â€Å"And you would? You sound exactly like Elar. He, too, is convinced that I am a helpless old fool. He, too, wants to come with me-or, rather, to go in my place. I wonder how many people on Trantor are willing to take my place,† he added with clear sarcasm. â€Å"Dozens? Millions?† 12 For ten years the Galactic Empire had been without an Emperor, but there was no indication of that fact in the way the Imperial Palace grounds were operated. Millennia of custom made the absence of an Emperor meaningless. It meant, of course, that there was no figure in Imperial robes to preside over formalities of one sort or another. No Imperial voice gave orders; no Imperial wishes made themselves known; no Imperial gratifications or annoyances made themselves felt; no Imperial pleasures warmed either Palace; no Imperial sicknesses cast them in gloom. The Emperor's own quarters in the Small Palace were empty-the Imperial family did not exist. And yet the army of gardeners kept the grounds in perfect condition. An army of service people kept the buildings in top shape. The Emperor's bed-never slept in-was made with fresh sheets every day; the rooms were cleaned; everything worked as it always worked; and the entire Imperial staff, from top to bottom, worked as they had always worked. The top officials gave commands as they would have done if the Emperor had lived, commands that they knew the Emperor would have given. In many cases, in particular in the higher echelons, the personnel were the same as those who had been there on Cleon's last day of life. The new personnel who had been taken on were carefully molded and trained into the traditions they would have to serve. It was as though the Empire, accustomed to the rule of an Emperor, insisted on this â€Å"ghost rule† to hold the Empire together. The junta knew this-or, if they didn't, they felt it vaguely. In ten years none of those military men who had commanded the Empire had moved into the Emperor's private quarters in the Small Palace. Whatever these men were, they were not Imperial and they knew they had no rights there. A populace that endured the loss of liberty would not endure any sign of irreverence to the Emperor-alive or dead. Even General Tennar had not moved into the graceful structure that had housed the Emperors of a dozen different dynasties for so long. He had made his home and office in one of the structures built on the outskirts of the grounds-eyesores, but eyesores that were built like fortresses, sturdy enough to withstand a siege, with outlying buildings in which an enormous force of guards was housed. Tennar was a stocky man, with a mustache. It was not a vigorous overflowing Dahlite mustache but one that was carefully clipped and fitted to the upper lip, leaving a strip of skin between the hair and the line of the lip. It was a reddish mustache and Tennar had cold blue eyes. He had probably been a handsome man in his younger days, but his face was pudgy now and his eyes were slits that expressed anger more often than any other emotion. So he said angrily-as one would, who felt himself to be absolute master of millions of worlds and yet who dared not call himself an Emperor-to Hender Linn, â€Å"I can establish a dynasty of my own.† He hooked around with a scowl. â€Å"This is not a fitting place for the master of the Empire.† Linn said softly, â€Å"To be master is what is important. Better to be a master in a cubicle than a figurehead in a palace.† â€Å"Best yet, to be master in a palace. Why not?† Linn bore the title of colonel, but it is quite certain that he had never engaged in any military action. His function was that of telling Tennar what he wanted to hear-and of carrying his orders, unchanged, to others. On occasion-if it seemed safe-he might try to steer Tennar into more prudent courses. Linn was well known as â€Å"Tennar's lackey† and knew that was how he was known. It did not bother him. As lackey, he was safe-and he had seen the downfall of those who had been too proud to be lackeys. The time might, of course, come when Tennar himself would be buried in the ever-changing junta panorama, but Linn felt, with a certain amount of philosophy, that he would be aware of it in time and save himself. Or he might not. There was a price for everything. â€Å"No reason why you can't found a dynasty, General,† said Linn. Many others have done it in the long Imperial history. Still, it takes time. The people are slow to adapt. It is usually only the second or even third of the dynasty who is fully accepted as Emperor.† â€Å"I don't believe that. I need merely announce myself as new Emperor. Who will dare quarrel with that? My grip is tight.† â€Å"So it is, General. Your power is unquestioned on Trantor and in most of the Inner Worlds, yet it is possible that many in the farther Outer Worlds will not just yet-**accept a new Imperial dynasty.† â€Å"Inner Worlds or Outer Worlds, military force rules all. That is an old Imperial maxim.† â€Å"And a good one,† said Linn, â€Å"but many of the provinces have armed forces of their own, nowadays, that they may not use on your behalf. These are difficult times.† â€Å"You counsel caution, then.† â€Å"I always counsel caution, General.† â€Å"And someday you may counsel it once too often.† Linn bent his head. â€Å"I can only counsel what seems to me to be good and useful to you, General.† â€Å"As in your constant harping to me about this Hari Seldon.† â€Å"He is your greatest danger, General.† â€Å"So you keep saying, but I don't see it. He's just a college professor.† Linn said, â€Å"So he is, but he was once First Minister.† â€Å"I know, but that was in Cleon's time. Has he done anything since? With times being difficult and with the governors of the provinces being fractious, why is a professor my greatest danger?† â€Å"It is sometimes a mistake,† said Linn carefully (for one had to be careful in educating the General), â€Å"to suppose that a quiet unobtrusive man can be harmless. Seldon has been anything but harmless to those he has opposed. Twenty years ago the Joranumite movement almost destroyed Cleon's powerful First Minister, Eto Demerzel.† Tennar nodded, but the slight frown on his face betrayed his effort to remember the matter. â€Å"It was Seldon who destroyed Joranum and who succeeded Demerzel as First Minister. The Joranumite movement survived, however, and Seldon engineered its destruction, too, but not before it succeeded in bringing about the assassination of Cleon.† â€Å"But Seldon survived that, didn't he?† â€Å"You are perfectly correct. Seldon survived.† â€Å"That is strange. To have permitted an Imperial assassination should have meant death for a First Minister.† â€Å"So it should have. Nevertheless, the junta has allowed him to live. It seemed wiser to do so.† â€Å"Why?† Linn sighed internally. â€Å"There is something called psychohistory, General.† â€Å"I know nothing about that,† said Tennar flatly. Actually he had a vague memory of Linn trying to talk to him on a number of occasions concerning this strange collection of syllables. He had never wanted to listen and Linn had known better than to push the matter. Tennar didn't want to listen now, either, but there seemed to be a hidden urgency in Linn's words. Perhaps, Tennar thought, he had now better listen. â€Å"Almost no one knows anything about it,† said Linn, â€Å"yet there are a few-uh-intellectuals, who find it of interest.† â€Å"And what is it?† â€Å"It is a complex system of mathematics.† Tennar shook his head. â€Å"Leave me out of that, please. I can count my military divisions. That's all the mathematics I need.† â€Å"The story is,† said Linn, â€Å"that psychohistory may make it possible to predict the future.† The General's eyes bulged. â€Å"You mean this Seldon is a fortune-teller?†** â€Å"Not in the usual fashion. It is a matter of science.† â€Å"I don't believe it.† â€Å"It is hard to believe, but Seldon has become something of a cult figure here on Trantor-and in certain places in the Outer Worlds. Now psychohistory-if it can be used to predict the future or if even people merely think it can be so used-can be a powerful tool with which to uphold the regime. I'm sure you have already seen this, General. One need merely predict our regime will endure and bring forth peace and prosperity for the Empire. People, believing this, will help make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. On the other hand, if Seldon wishes the reverse, he can predict civil war and ruin. People will believe that, too, and that would destabilize the regime.† â€Å"In that case, Colonel, we simply make sure that the predictions of psychohistory are what we want them to be.† â€Å"It would be Seldon who would have to make them and he is not a friend of the regime. It is important, General, that we differentiate between the Project that is working at Streeling University to perfect psychohistory and Hari Seldon. Psychohistory can be extremely useful to us, but it will be so only if someone other than Seldon were in charge.† â€Å"Are there others who could be?† â€Å"Oh yes. It is only necessary to get rid of Seldon.† â€Å"What is so difficult with that? An order of execution-and it is done.† â€Å"It would be better, General, if the government was not seen to be directly involved in such a thing.† â€Å"I have arranged to have him meet with you, so that you can use your skill to probe his personality. You would then be able to judge whether certain suggestions I have in mind are worthwhile or not.† â€Å"When is the meeting to take place?† â€Å"It was to take place very soon, but his representatives at the Project asked for a few days leeway, because they were in the process of celebrating his birthday-his sixtieth, apparently. It seemed wise to allow that and to permit a week's delay.† â€Å"Why?† demanded Tennar. â€Å"I dislike any display of weakness.† â€Å"Quite right, General. Quite right. Your instincts are, as always, correct. However, it seemed to me that the needs of the state might require us to know what and how the birthday celebration-which is taking place right now-might involve.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"All knowledge is useful. Would you care to see some of the festivities?† General Tennar's face remained dark. â€Å"Is that necessary?† â€Å"I think you will find it interesting, General.† The reproduction-sight and sound-was excellent and for quite a while the hilarity of the birthday celebration filled the rather stark room in which the General sat. Linn's low voice served as commentary. â€Å"Most of this, General, is taking place in the Project complex, but the rest of the University is involved. We will have an air view in a few moments and you will see that the celebration covers a wide area. In fact, though I don't have the evidence available right now, there are corners of the planet here and there, in various University and sectoral settings mostly, where what we might call ‘sympathy celebrations' of one sort or another are taking place. The celebrations are still continuing and will endure for another day at least.† â€Å"Are you telling me that this is a Trantor-wide celebration?† â€Å"In a specialized way. It affects mostly the intellectual classes, but it is surprisingly widespread. It may even be that there is some shouting on worlds other than Trantor.† â€Å"Where did you get this reproduction?† Linn smiled. â€Å"Our facilities in the Project are quite good. We have reliable sources of information, so that little can happen that doesn't come our way at once.† â€Å"Well then, Linn, what are all your conclusions about this?† â€Å"It seems to me, General, and I'm sure that it seems so to you, that Hari Seldon is the focus of a personality cult. He has so identified himself with psychohistory that if we were to get rid of him in too open a manner, we would entirely destroy the credibility of the science. It would be useless to us. â€Å"On the other hand, General, Seldon is growing old and it is not difficult to imagine him being replaced by another man: someone we could choose and who would be friendly to our great aims and hopes for the Empire. If Seldon could be removed in such a way that it is made to seem natural, then that is all we need.† The General said, â€Å"And you think I ought to see him?† â€Å"Yes, in order to weigh his quality and decide what we ought to do. But we must be cautious, for he is a popular man.† â€Å"I have dealt with popular people before,† said Tennar darkly.

Factors Influencing Resource Allocation on Traditional Farms Essays

Factors Influencing Resource Allocation on Traditional Farms Essays Factors Influencing Resource Allocation on Traditional Farms Paper Factors Influencing Resource Allocation on Traditional Farms Paper Biological factors include pests, diseases, and natural conditions (weather) which reflect the fact that crops are living things unlike machines which are not susceptible to weather changes, disease or pests. The spatial factor that influences resource allocation refers to the limited amount of land that a traditional farmer by definition has, therefore traditional farmers must allocate resources to maximize use of the limited land that they have. Seasonal factors refer to the highs and lows that occur In the use of labor because labor Is used Intensively during harvest times and significantly less at other times. In response, farmers develop a farming system which allocates resources in such a way as to make use of labor most intensively all year round. The kinds of farming systems that traditional farmers have developed address the constraints or characteristics of agriculture in order to make best use of land and labor and increase overall average production. Therefore, the farmer must evaluate any new innovation taking into account how It will affect the whole farming system and therefore overall production. While adopting a new Innovation or farming practice may seem more profitable or more productive at first glance, It might increase production of one crop but come at the expense of increased risk, or a decrease in the ability to use land and labor as efficiently as they had been used before. : When viewing the farm system as a complex system that the farmer has developed to minimize risk, and maximize the use of land and labor given the characteristics of agriculture that he faces, the farmers failure to dado a new Innovation/farming practice can be seen as rational because he Is looking out for the overall productivity of his farm which may be negatively Impacted by adoption of the particular innovation. The biological nature of agriculture reflects the susceptibility of agriculture to pests, diseases, and natural conditions. Since these factors negatively affect levels of output and since traditional farmers usually depend (at least in part) on their output for food, they are naturally very risk averse. Some of the risks that farmers face Include risks from natural disasters, weather related uncertainly, agricultural diseases and pests, and price and market related risks. To reduce risk, farmers use crop varieties and breeds of livestock that have proven dependable under poor conditions like low fertility or rough terrain. They also plant root crops which can be pulled at different times of the year in order to make up for an unexpected bad year for other crops. Two commonly used techniques for reducing risk used by traditional Tatters are meal cropping Ana meal Tarring. Meal cropping Is a rills spreading mechanism which reduces reliance on the success of a single crop. With many crops, farmers will not be devastated if one crop does not do well. Mixed farming means that farmers plant multiple crops on a single plot of land at the same time. Mixed cropping has many advantages. Not only does it reduce reliance on the success of en crop, it also creates the opportunity for one crop to provide shade for the other. Mixed cropping also provides protection from natural disasters since pests or diseases may affect one crop but not another, and some crops have higher tolerance in drought or excessive rainfall than other crops do. This technique also provides protection from fluctuating prices for a particular crop. Since crops are harvested and brought to market at the same time by all farmers, competition is often the cause of large price drops. By harvesting crops that few other local farmers produce, traditional farmers can overcome this treacherous loss of income. Mixed farming is the raising of livestock in addition to crops. Livestock can be consumed or sold during crop failures. In addition they provide sources of fertilizer, fuel, hides, and can be providers of power and transport. Thus mixed farming is another risk saving mechanism. The spatial nature of agriculture refers to the limited amount of land available to traditional farmers. By definition a traditional farmer owns less than 10 acres of land. This fact makes allocation of land a very important issue to the farmer. To address this issue, farmers plant different crops on the same plot of land at the same time mixed cropping) in order to use every level of land since different crops take root at different levels in the soil. This technique maximizes the farmers use of land. The seasonal nature of agriculture reflects the fact that there are highs and lows in the use of labor because labor is used intensively at harvest times and significantly less at other times. Thus farmers plant different crops together so that they have different harvest times and can use labor all year round. Similarly, farmers raise both livestock and crops so that when labor is not tending to crops, they can tend to livestock. In this way, farmers maximize their use of labor. Once it is understood that resource allocation makes up a complex farm system designed to address the biological, spatial, and seasonal constraints that farmers face, one can see that introducing some change into it can have many more consequences than one might initially expect. Seen from a limited framework, a particular innovation or practice may increase the productivity of a particular crop and failure to use the innovation by the farmer may cause one to say he/she is irrational. However, when the innovation is evaluated in terms of how it affects the hole farm system and the ability to maximize the use of land and labor, one can see that the farmer is not being irrational at all. While a particular innovation can increase the productivity of a single crop, it may be at the expense of increased risk, a decrease in the ability to mix crops, or a decrease in the ability to mix livestock and crops. So, when considering the issue of rationality versus irrationality, it makes sense to talk about evaluating any new innovation in terms of how its going to affect the overall system and if it will disrupt the system in some way that is unacceptable to the farmer.

Management Strategies in Action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Management Strategies in Action - Essay Example In most cases, the number of customers may be too many having different expectations, some of which may be contradictory to those of other customers. For example, some customers expect high mileage from an automobile, while others want more power. Another set of customers may want both mileage and power. The designer of the engine of the automobile has to satisfy the expectations of this whole group of customers in the best possible way. Customers have their own unique way of expressing their expectations, when enquired about. QFD helps to convert these expectations, called 'Voice Of Customers' (VOC), into engineering or technical requirement. In the example of automobiles, expectation of high power would technically mean generation of high torque by the engine, while expectation of high mileage would employ the technical need for a 4 stroke engine. QFD lets the designers know where their products or services stand vis--vis the competitors' products or services on the customer expect ation profile. QFD aids in objectively determining which technical requirement implemented would result in maximum possible satisfaction of most customers. Also it lets the designers know which technical requirements if neglected completely and not implemented, would not affect the satisfaction level of customers much. QFD emerged as a useful tool manufacturing but also in services set-ups. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) has been used in Japan since 1966 to help companies better understand how their customers define quality, and then assure that the internal operations such as design and manufacturing can actually deliver it. QFD has been widely practiced by various divisions of Japanese competitors of ours such as NEC [Akao 1990, Takada 1992, Uchimaru et al., 1993] and Panasonic [Akao 1990], and even European [Olsson 1993, Jacobs 1996] and American ones [Bosserman and Stoner 1994, Bohem and Squires 1995, Richardson and Barnard 1996, Stickel and Bosserman 1996]. There are references to the application of this technique during the 1970's at Mitsubishi Heavy industries, by Komatsu, Fuzi, Isuzu, Konica and Matsushita. Yogi Akao (1972), presently a professor at Asahi University. Yogi Akao has been credited with developing this technique to the present form. In 1987, the QFD research group of the Japanese society of quality control (JSQC) led by Akao published a final survey report on the status of QFD application among 80 Japanese companies (Akao et al., 1987; 1989). The companies surveyed listed the following as the purpose of using QFD: setting design quality and planned quality; benchmarking competitive products; new product development that sets the company apart from competitors; analyzing and accumulating market quality information ; communicating quality related information to later processes; deploying design intent into manufacturing & identifying control points for the GEMBA (a Japanese term that refers to the place where source infor mation can be learned); reducing initial quality problems, reducing design changes; cutting development time; reducing development costs & expanding the market share. In recent years, the more QFD-proficient of these companies have upgraded to Comprehensive QFD, which includes several tools to better analyze the Voice of the Customer, and more concise deployment matrices that address specific design requirements such as performance, function, technology, capability, as well as the components,

Information management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Information management - Term Paper Example Just like other projects, IT projects are also business project and should have a well-defined structure. The projects must have realistic plans, the entire organization must be interested in the end results, the project team must communicate to the organization management and the projects must have realistic expectations. The projects must be projected to solve the specific problem of its implementation, failure of which it will lose its meaning and structure. Failure to solve the business problem and poor strategic vision for the project will lead to failure of the project (enterprisecioforum.com). Failing to plan well is planning to fail. Details such as resources, technical solution, and management models are required for proper planning. Proper planning of the IT/IM project prevents poor performance by ensuring that the project delivers the desired results. The end results of the project must reflect its initial purpose and give the solution to the specific problems of the project. Humans are known to make mistakes and fail at a certain point because they are not perfect. Humans are not perfect and so make mistakes, use shortcuts, and have limited permission to all the information they require at every step in the process to make an ideal decision. Limited information, wrong information, unclear structure and wrong decision making can lead to poor projects execution which can intern lead to failure of the project. Every organization has competing interests and priorities among various stakeholders.