Friday, January 31, 2020

Hammer Wines Business Report Essay Example for Free

Hammer Wines Business Report Essay Introduction Colin Hammer, after arranging an independent review, has found that many of his employees have been avoiding work and other responsibilities by searching the Internet for non-work related amusements. This act is known as cyber slacking and it is said to cost companies billions of dollars each year and often results in managers blocking or limiting access to certain websites. Concerned for productivity, this report will outline the current usage and array of sites potentially being used by the Hammer Wines employees. The sites include those for entertainment or work purposes, and restrictions based on these findings should be implemented. These restrictions must be forever changing and expanding, as each website has a different effect on the varying departments its respective employees. These modifications will also affect the productivity of Hammer Wines and will be discussed in the report by making an â€Å"internet use† policy. Findings Department Spending Most Time on the Internet Cyberslacking is a prominent occurrence amongst the Hammer Wines employees. However, of all employees, the Receptionists spent the longest time on the Internet throughout the one-week trial (see figure 1.0 below). This may or may not be detrimental to Hammer Wines. Often, receptionists complete their work before their set time, meaning that if they’re browsing the Internet, still answering their phone and have completed required work, productivity will remain normal. Studies also show productivity can increase when employees are less restricted with the Internet. This productivity can swing both ways. Negative productivity will be detrimental to Hammer Wines if the receptionist fails to multitask and therefore ineffectively completes required jobs. Internet Productivity and Cyberslacking From the array of websites (see figure 1.1 below) it is difficult to tell if Cyberslacking is present at Hammer Wines. This is because many websites, such as facebook.com and twitter.com, are huge social marketing websites, but can also used as a cost effective methods for company awareness and advertising. These sites, however, can also be misused for personal use. Unless the employee is caught directly misusing these sites, it is hard to tell weather they are cyberslacking or not. Facebook.com is one example of Cyberslacking. It is Hammer Wines’ second most visited Internet site, being used by Sales and Marketing, Reception, Manufacturing and Distribution, Human Resources @ Training and IT Services. Sales and Marketing are the only employees likely to need the site for work purposes. For all other departments, employees must use Facebook.com for personal interests. Websites, including deals.com are often used for both work and leisure. Reception, Human Resources @ Training, Manufacturing and Distribution, Sales and Marketing are all using this site. Assumptions cannot be made in relation to website use. Human Resources @ Training, Manufacturing and Distributing, and Sales and Marketing departments all have valid work-related grounds to use Deals.com, as it is great for promotional and comparative purposes. IT Services were found to be using Games.com. A total of 120 minutes was recorded throughout the week. This is a website purely dedicated to fun and games. This is the seventh most used website recorded. Although it is only a small fraction of the Internet usage, it is clear that productivity has decreased in the IT department, and through the given statistics, Cyberslacking is present. Similarly, Tatts.com was used by the Sales and Marketing department, for up to 80 minutes throughout the recorded week. Tatts.com is a betting website and has nothing to do with the Sales and Marketing of Hammer Wines. However, productivity can be increased in the workplace, with employees having some freedom on the Internet. The use of social media and other personal websites can release stress and tension, thus not wholly being to the determent of Hammer Wines. Conclusion Hammer Wines has a vast array of websites being used by employees for both personal and work use. Cyberslacking is present amongst all employees, with websites aimed at socialization and productivity which both highly used. This, however, is hard to monitor as some sites – such as Facebook.com or Deals.com are used in the companies Sales and Marketing department, but also used in recreational down time by most, if not all, other departments. It is important for Hammer Wines to implement a strategy to monitor all Internet usage. Receptionist work productivity remained high in correlation to time spent on internet, however, it was obvious the Cyberslacking was overruling the IT department, as they spent 120 hours over the duration of the week on a games and entertainment website. Solution Internet Use Policy Hammer Wines should enforce an â€Å"Internet User Policy† in the employees contract, defining the terms of use for recreational Internet. Any employee found misusing the Internet for purposes strictly other than work, may lead to disciplinary action, and their position at the company may be compromised. Blocking Sites Permanently blocking all Internet sites at Hammer Wines could result in a drop in productivity. Alternatively, a system that allows employees to have an allocated time throughout the day, to specifically visit sites such as Facebook.com and Twitter.com will allow staff members to have high productivity through compromise and strategy. One example of strategic blocking is unblocking all websites for 15 minutes every 3 hours, enabling employees to use restricted sites that coincide with structured break times (lunch, snack and end-of-day). A second option for Hammer Wines is to block all websites, only allowing those who hold a position of authority (manager) or employee that has spoken to someone in a position of authority, to get a specific code to access a blocked website. This code then unblocks all sites and remains unblocked until the page is exited. This could be implemented when departments wish to use sites such as Facebook.com for marketing or promotional purposes.

Monday, January 27, 2020

Literature Review On Mobile Apps Information Technology Essay

Literature Review On Mobile Apps Information Technology Essay In order to achieve a competitive edge over competitors by investing into emerging ICTs and growing their international market, Mobile Construction Ltd is considering innovative ways of providing their service to global customers. As the Global Reach Manager, the CEO asked to explore the potential of delivery and retrieval service for enterprise-wide, on-demand mobile Apps. Also, the Global Reach manager needs to identify benefits and barriers of using mobile Apps, as well as strategy for effective use of existing Apps and development of new Apps. 2 Literature review on mobile Apps 2.1 Mobile Application Market Early mobile application solutions required enterprises to choose between cradle-based synchronization through a wire line network or a pure online wireless solution (PENTA group, 2010). However, Mobile applications are a rapidly rising segments of the international mobile market, which consist the software runs on a mobile device and performs certain tasks for the clients. Because of the various functions including user interface for basic telephone and messaging service as well as advanced services, mobile Apps are widely used by customs. Also, mobile Apps are a large and continuously growing market and served by an increasing number of mobile App developers, publishers and providers (the Mobile Marketing Association group, 2008). New research suggests that the global market for mobile applications will explode over next two years. Research has been done for Getjar, the worlds second biggest Apps store, said that the market will grow to $17.5bn (Â £12bn) in the next two years and downloads would rise from 7bn last year to 50bn by 2012 a 92% increase (BBC News, 2010). 2.2 Existing Mobile Applications For a technical aspect, mobile Apps can be divided by the runtime environment they are executed: Native platforms and operating systems, such as Symbian, Windows Mobile and Linux. Mobile Web/browser runtimes, such as Webkit, Mozilla/Firefox, Opera Mini and RIM. Other managed platforms and virtual machines, such as Java/J2ME, BREW, FlashLite and Silverlight. (Mobile Marketing Association group, 2008) IPhone has acted as a revolution of global mobile phones. It has set a platform to develop all sorts of mobile Apps helping paint a better picture in mobile computing. The advantages of iPhone is that it is numerous with multi-touch interface, accelerometer, GPS, proximity sensor, dialer, sqlite3 database, OpenGL ES, Quartz, Encryption, Audio ,Game and Animation , Address book and Calendar including latest features of iPhone Gaming . Windows mobile application is the latest technology every mobile technique should process. This technology allows the user to browse the internet, send receive mails, check with schedules contacts, and prepare presentations, in short manage your whole business with the usage of your mobile. Android has been creating waves in the coming times with high technical interface in the mobile world. This latest innovation helps the publishers to deliver applications directly to the end user and easy downloads of applications can be achieved. The term BlackBerry has become the synonyms of the word Smart and Trendy. BlackBerry Smartphone are the worlds most desired integrated communication device. This brilliant application not only meets a single need of one person but the usage can extend to an entire enterprise be it a small scale or a huge industry. (Maadesigns.co.uk, 2010) 2.3 Infrastructure Cellular technology have largely expanded the frequency use of mobile phones, the first generation cellular mobile telephones developed by using incompatible analogue technologies while the second generation cellular mobile telephone and GMS was developed by using digital technology in 1980 (Gans G.S. et al, 2003). Over thirty years of mobile cellular networks advancements, data transmission over cellular systems has been major breakthrough in recent years. Third generation systems (3G) have been developed as new mobile cellular networks, which is known as IMT-2000 (International Mobile Telephony-2000) by ITU(Wiley J. Sons, 2005). 3G have met the single-user data rates requirement of the IMT-2000 on a technical level. However, it is limited 3G services in some areas such as video telephony (Agilent Technologies, 2008). ITU has received six candidate technology submissions for the global 4G mobile wireless broadband technology known as IMT-Advanced. And it is expected in October 2010 , the selected technologies to be accorded the official designation of IMT-Advanced to qualify as true 4G technologies (ITU, 2009). The south Korean government is already developing 5G access which may be ready soon after 4G service put into market, although 4G cellular wireless still waiting (MNM Media, 2009). Cloud computing is described as both a platform and type of application. As a platform, cloud computing can be physical machines or virtual machines dynamically servers as needed. Advanced cloud computing include other computing resources such as storage area networks (SANs), network equipment, firewall and other security devices. As a type of applications, cloud computing use large data centres and powerful servers host Web application and Web services since it can be extended accessible through the internet. It is said that anyone can access a cloud application with a suitable internet connection and a standard browser (IBM, 2007). Typically, it can divid cloud computing into three levels of service, which support virtualization and management of differing levels of the solution stack, offerings: Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) (Oracle Corporation, 2009). 3 Opportunities for mobile Apps in construction The PENTA team (2010) insists that the construction industry is a mobile workforce, which comprised of a range of companies with self-performing Electrical and Mechanical contractors to Engineering and Construction firms to specialty concrete and plumbing. Mobile phone is the most convenient device to deliver mobile Apps, particularly for emerging because of it is a daily used device. The most use mobile Apps in construction industry are calculation, drawing, management, measurement and video records which are based on variety of software. 3.1Calculation It is quite normal for using smart phones as calculators in different areas. In construction industry, calculations can be used anywhere, such as, material supply, finance calculation, dynamic calculation, structure calculation and calculation in measurement and design. Generally speaking, the calculation in construction industry is not too complicate, therefore it is convenient to install calculation software for smart phones in order to get emergency result and check and calculate. Currently, there are several kinds of mobile apps such as Construction advantage calculator 2.0, AFHTech RC Columns and Beams 1.0.0 and PocketStatics 2.01. 3.2 Drawing Nowadays the architecture drawing is mainly based on computers, by using powerful design software architects can get the most accurate and clear drawings. Smart phone can also works as minicomputer for architecture drawing by using related software to check the original drawing and do some changes. Also, the architects can create the sketch work and get design ideas in record time without leaving the clients. Furthermore, they can use massage function of smart phones to send their works or ideas to the company. Power CAD Site Master CE 1 has been welcomed by construction workers for years. 3.3 Management Computer is used by construction manager and builder to get technological solutions of scheduling and delivery the construction process efficiently. Also, site managers and builders use computer to manage contracts, manage delivery, record construction process and manage and record risk happened in construction process. Since, site manager and builders cannot get computers anywhere, it is quite convenient for them to use smart phones with mobile Apps to check and complete their works, particularly in emergency situation. The popular Apps for construction management are Construction Manager 2.5 and Penta Mobile Field Reporting. 3.4 Measurement Instead of big and heavy measurement equipment for construction measurement work, smart phone with mobile Apps can work well for the measurement task. By using GPS function of smart phones, you will not lose or cannot find the construction site. Also, mobile Apps can make smart phones work as plumb, to get horizontal, vertical and spirit level measuring. Most popular Apps are Kais Bubble Level.Net 2.2 and Plumb-bob. 3.5 Camera record Camera record is a powerful App for smart phones using in construction area. It can take pictures and videos for the visible construction information such as gather site information, get risk information, record construction process, store property information and so on. The Apps can get literature record works together with camera can make the construction information more clear and visible. Also, it will make video conference on mobile phone become more and more popular. 4 Infrastructure/system requirements As mobile phone needs the infrastructures to support it works, the quality of infrastructure/system requirements is deeply related to the quality of mobile Apps service. The infrastructure/system requirements is summarized as: good network to support data requirement, developed device to support the Apps works, high speed operation platform to support the Apps work well. 4.1 Network Signal quality is almost the most important factor which effects the mobile communication and mobile Apps works. Since 3G network is the most popular wireless network for Mobile Apps, the majority of developed countries have been developed the communication technologies. Current mobile Apps are mainly produced based on 3G network system, and there are lots of limitation and restrict on improvement of Mobile Apps because of the limitation of data transmission. Therefore, it seems that it is impossible to widely develop the video transmission Apps at this moment. 4G system may make it possible for widely developed the Apps in construction areas when it become commercial used. 4.2 Device The mobile phone device is known as the hardware to apply Mobile Apps. The processor is the heart of Mobile device which must quick enough to support the calculation speed. As well, the battery is required powerful enough to support the mobile phone works long time. The screen and keyboard need to convenient for the use of Mobile Apps in construction area. The hard drive or storage space need to enlarge for video or files to store and the run of systems and mobile Apps. The newest Apple iPhone 3GS with 32 G storage space which can record clear video about one day on theory, however, the battery can just support the video process less than 3 hours. 4.3 Operation system Operation system is the platform of mobile Apps software and many mobile Apps software are produced based on the operation systems. For example, the operation system requirement of calculation Apps such as Construction advantage calculator 2.0, AFHTech RC Columns and Beams 1.0.0 and PocketStatics 2.01 is Windows Mobile 2003. Currently, the most popular smart phone operation systems are Apple OS, RIM Black Berry OS, Symbian OS, Android OS and Microsoft Mobile OS. The diversity of operation systems creates trouble for mobile Apps work well under different operation systems. The adaptability of mobile Apps and operation system should be improved because of the difference of the operation systems. 5 Implementation Strategy Since 4G system will make mobile Apps more powerful and more convenient, smart phones will play more and more important roles in construction industry. The implementation strategy on mobile Apps which used in construction will be created based on 4G system. Because of the 4G system can enhance peak data rates to support advanced services and applications and the targets of 4G system are established as 100 Mbps for high and 1 Gbps for low mobility (Agilent Technologies, 2008). Thus, by developing the existing mobile Apps in construction areas, it can create the implementation strategy based on 4G system can focus on e-business, video conference and GPS measurement. 5.1 E- business With the high speed data transfer speed, the mobile Apps for E-business can be developed. The construction companies can receive and send out their contracts immediately after the decision making. Also, the companies can negotiate the contracts price and amend their contracts without delay by mobile Apps. The construction managers can manage the contract by mobile Apps easily, by the wireless with their company computers. Furthermore, the implemented E-business Apps allow construction managers to get the detail information of their clients, material suppliers and their employees. Thus, it is quite necessary to implement E-business in construction organizations. 5.2 Video transmission 4G system can offer high data delivery speed which allows video conference and video transmission as mobile Apps more frequent and more effective. During the 3G period, it can also using video transmission though smart phones, however, the video transfer speed and quality is so poor that it cannot for widely use in construction area. This situation will be totally changed during 4G period when high speed data transfer can enable video conference and video record transmission during different stakeholders in construction organization. Also, video transmission can be developed as distance guidance programme, when the risk happens the recorded video can be transferred to the professional group who communication by video conference with smart phones, also they can guide the construction workers to solved the problems by video conference. Therefore, video transmission will share a large market of mobile Apps in construction area. 5.3 GPS measurement GPS measurement is frequently used in construction area, particularly in highway construction and energy supply line construction. The original GPS equipments is big and heavy to carry, it mean the mobility of GPS equipments are poor. It can implement the mobile phone to replace the GPS equipments as measurement tools through the mobile Apps. Currently it can use GPS Apps in smart phone for location guides. Since the smart phone is quite convenient to carry and it can work as plump equipment with mobile Apps, it is essential to implement the Apps work together with GPS Apps and developed new GPS measurement Apps. Also, Infrared measurements can be used as measurement apps in mobile phone. 6 Benefits and Barriers The benefits and barriers of the mobile Apps in construction areas are difficult indentified sometimes. However, it can general get the benefits and barriers factors for using mobile Apps in construction areas. 6.1 Benefits The benefits of using mobile Apps in construction areas cannot calculation by how many pounds or dollars, since you cannot evaluate the apps used during emergency. Generally, the benefits of using mobile Apps can be defined as saving transport fees and dealing with emergency. 6.1.1 Saving transport fees Mobile Apps are used for connecting with the construction company groups in different areas. Transport fees are saved since mobile Apps can take the roles of many function tools such as camera, pump and professional calculator and so on. As well, the mobile can used as camera, many managers are not necessary to get site visit in order to acquaint the construction site. 6.1.2 Dealing with emergency Many emergencies happened in construction area need professional tool to deal with; however, mobile phone with the Apps in construction area can act as the professional tools sometimes. There are huge benefits of mobile phone Apps used for emergency, which cannot measured by money. 6.2 Barriers Since it needs to develop mobile Apps for enterprise-wide and on-demand mobile service delivery, the network coverage level in different countries has great gap and the internet security problems cannot solved will be the main barriers. 6.2.1 Unbalanced Network coverage Because the unbalanced economic and technology development of the world, the developed countries such as the UK, the US and the EU countries have already complete their 3G network coverage a decades before, however, the developing countries such as China has just begin the coverage project of 3G network. The developed countries plan to develop 4G network coverage since 2012, but for the developing countries may be need another decade. 6.2.2 Security problems Using wireless connection in transferring information from construction site to the main office and having that information stored in mobile memory, the security is a big issue which is concerned by many construction organizations. The stolen of mobile device, the leak of commercial secret and the attack by hacker, all these problems will cased the lost of company benefits. Thus, it is quite essential to solve the security problems in mobile Apps. 7 New Apps Development The aim of the development this new Apps is offering the full service delivery for construction companies globally. The idea of the new App based on 4G system and cloud computing used in construction area, thus the name of the new App is cloud computing construction programme. 7.1 Cloud computing construction programme (CCCP) Cloud computing construction programme (CCCP) is an idea of new mobile Apps in construction area. The programme will developed based on 4G system, which requires high data transfer speed. The functions of the new App will contain commercial management, GPS measurement, video record and transmission, architecture drawing and risk management. Considering the compatibility of different functions Apps work in one programme, it is planned to divide the programme into small function programmes. The structure of the programme is showed as figure 7.1. C:Documents and SettingsxuweiweiDesktop11.jpg Figure 7.1 Cloud computing construction programme structure 7.2 Cloud Computing Since the CCCP is a big programme for smart phone device and operation system, it is considering the new App will use cloud computing to share the capitation and run speed by the Internet. Because of the App can share the Internet as part of processor, the hardware requirements of smart phones to run the new App will be greatly reduced. Also, by using advanced cloud computing to support the new App, it can share other computing resources and data centres and powerful servers host Web. Although this App is support by cloud computing, cloud computing is totally separate from the operational system of the mobile device. In this programme cloud computing is used both as Apps and platform. Conclusion The use of mobile Apps in construction organizations has great benefits and advantages. Also, there are many barriers for develop mobile Apps for enterprise-wide, on-demand mobile service delivery and retrieval. However, the barriers of mobile Apps in construction area will be less and less because of the development of mobile network coverage and mobile phone device development.

Thursday, January 23, 2020

General Support for Class Size Essay -- essays papers

General Support for Class Size â€Å"Of course class size is important. You have to find the child before you can teach the child (Archived†¦ 2000).† Though this opinion may seem radical to most people, you can see the underlying theme in the argument. Smaller classes allow students to have more personalized, individual attention from teachers. Many teachers and smaller class size advocates believe that such classes will allow for more constructive group activities, strengthen students’ problem solving and critical thinking skills, and accommodate for a wide range of learning paces. These advocates also believe that a reduced student to teacher ratio will give teachers more time to be innovative and develop new ideas, lead class discussions to further understanding, and give more practice exercises. For parents who want the best education for their children, these proposed effects of small class size make you wonder where the hard evidence is to back them. Project STAR Case studies have been key in generating research information on the effects of smaller class size. Similar results have been attained from studies in Tennessee, California and Wisconsin. Project STAR (Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio) in Tennessee is â€Å"one of the most important educational investigations ever carried out (HEROS, 2001).† In 1985 the Tennessee passed the proper legislation to put into effect a four year class size study of students in grades K-3, using three million state dollars. The study chose a cross section of inner city, suburban and rural schools to participate as experimental and comparison groups. The groups were divided into classrooms with small enrollment (13-17 children), regular enrollment (22-25 children), and regular en... ... The growing case for smaller classes.(2001). American Teacher v.85(no.8), p.2. Retrieved 10/9/01 from WilsonSelect database. This short resource takes a general look at project STAR in Tennessee. It also discusses how to close the racial achievement gap. Study confirms value of small class size.(2001). American Teacher v.85(no.6), p.2. Retrieved10/6/01 from WilsonSelect database. This resource discusses project SAGE. It describes why class size reduction was successful in Wisconsin. Toch, T.(1997). Does class size matter?. U.S. News & World Report v.123, p.22-5. Retrieved 10/9/01 from WilsonSelect database. This periodical discusses whether or not class size matters in achievement. This resource discusses class size in specific cases in which class size matters. It takes a look at Tennessee and California class size reduction initiatives.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Soul Coughing - The Songs on Ruby Vroom :: Music

Soul Coughing - The Songs on Ruby Vroom Rock works on many levels: as a shared enthusiasm, public entertainment, communal experience;, but also as secret fantasy, private escape, a personal obsession Jim Miller    Floresent lights splash across the sea of bouncing bodies and swirling appendages. Occasionally a strobe awakes from its narcoleptic slumber to wink at the nocturnal nation cavort across fog flooded floors. I sit in the shadows. I am an island ( not in the geographical formation sense, but rather in the Simon and Garfunkle sense). Music seems so tainted; its freshness extracted by the incestuous industry. Get an acclaimed producer, and make a video to show how pretty your band is. Become a whiney lesbian folk singer professing cynical prophesies with an acoustic ax, a violent criminal that uses his vehemence as an art form, a diva whose love songs are darker than her exposed panties, or perhaps a greasy haired bar-chord master with a chip on his shoulder and a heroin needle in his arm proclaiming how hard life is in suburbia. There must be something new in rock's tepid arena, and not just another "underground" sound that is this week’s salt-lick style. There must be a band out there in the very nucleus of pop music that will not take its precious history and throw it away. That will endure to "stand on its shoulders," understand it and explore its depths to form new music (Percy 49). There must be a band that has a lead singer who wrote a poem about Neil Young vomiting, and then had the audacity to name the band after it (Park). There is. This is Soul Coughing. Seeking shelter from the neon disco aerie, I float into the leaf –thatched shack of the "Casiotone" Cantina. Clans of Muppet dancing hybrids convulse to the sounds of freak jazz – "sugar free" of course. The rest of the clientele, stupefied, look googly eyed into their empty beakers. An intoxicated, but not completely drunk, man offers me a "velvet crush." He is a bit shifty looking, with his "blue eyes and skinny tie," so despite my thirst I decline. Besides, I’m underage; I wouldn’t dream of drinking alcohol. His name is "Moon Sammy" and he hands me a card for "The People’s Republic of Lumps in My Oatmeal"(PRLMO). He tells me he is on the run. He "crashed a plane into the Chrysler building," and now a "Mr. Soul Coughing - The Songs on Ruby Vroom :: Music Soul Coughing - The Songs on Ruby Vroom Rock works on many levels: as a shared enthusiasm, public entertainment, communal experience;, but also as secret fantasy, private escape, a personal obsession Jim Miller    Floresent lights splash across the sea of bouncing bodies and swirling appendages. Occasionally a strobe awakes from its narcoleptic slumber to wink at the nocturnal nation cavort across fog flooded floors. I sit in the shadows. I am an island ( not in the geographical formation sense, but rather in the Simon and Garfunkle sense). Music seems so tainted; its freshness extracted by the incestuous industry. Get an acclaimed producer, and make a video to show how pretty your band is. Become a whiney lesbian folk singer professing cynical prophesies with an acoustic ax, a violent criminal that uses his vehemence as an art form, a diva whose love songs are darker than her exposed panties, or perhaps a greasy haired bar-chord master with a chip on his shoulder and a heroin needle in his arm proclaiming how hard life is in suburbia. There must be something new in rock's tepid arena, and not just another "underground" sound that is this week’s salt-lick style. There must be a band out there in the very nucleus of pop music that will not take its precious history and throw it away. That will endure to "stand on its shoulders," understand it and explore its depths to form new music (Percy 49). There must be a band that has a lead singer who wrote a poem about Neil Young vomiting, and then had the audacity to name the band after it (Park). There is. This is Soul Coughing. Seeking shelter from the neon disco aerie, I float into the leaf –thatched shack of the "Casiotone" Cantina. Clans of Muppet dancing hybrids convulse to the sounds of freak jazz – "sugar free" of course. The rest of the clientele, stupefied, look googly eyed into their empty beakers. An intoxicated, but not completely drunk, man offers me a "velvet crush." He is a bit shifty looking, with his "blue eyes and skinny tie," so despite my thirst I decline. Besides, I’m underage; I wouldn’t dream of drinking alcohol. His name is "Moon Sammy" and he hands me a card for "The People’s Republic of Lumps in My Oatmeal"(PRLMO). He tells me he is on the run. He "crashed a plane into the Chrysler building," and now a "Mr.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Satire and irony by Jonathan Swift

Satire and irony are the main literary tools used by Jonathan Swift in A Modest Proposal and Gulliver’s Travels. The author has used irony to create satire in making the audience see the deeper truths within the prevailing social, moral and political circumstances prevailing during the time. While making a comparison between A Modest Proposal and Gulliver’s Travels, one can see that the author has used satire, irony and satirical settings in highlighting the problems and contradictions present in society. The author also intends to make comments on such circumstances without intentionally addressing the reader for his response. In both A Modest Proposal and Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift has used irony and satire to achieve certain goals primarily because of the disparity in the structure of each work. There is a strong variance in the use of satire in A Modest Proposal and Gulliver’s Travels. A Modest Proposal is certainly a satire which aims at making people of that period to realize the patterns of cold and calculated callousness demonstrated by forthright rationalism in dealing with issues related to poverty and over population. Swift’s works fall under two kinds of satire; the formal and the indirect. Formal satire is narrated in first person while indirect satire is in the form of the character appealing to the audience. A Modest Proposal is an indirect satire since the author speaks on behalf of a character who proposes to provide solutions to an audience that is primarily anonymous while addressing the political economy. The satire used by Swift in A Modest Proposal is aptly demonstrated by the following; I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout† (Swift, 1996). The irony in A Modest Proposal has been presented by the author mainly through characterization whereby the speaker makes the proposals. For example the speaker in A Modest Proposal who is ironic is able to discuss coldly about the social and economic advantages of killing children and then eating them without a tinge or presence of any thought being given to the related moral problems. The irony exhibited by this character does reveal that he can just go on criticizing the moral weak points of mothers who undergo immoral acts such as abortions and committing infanticide. In a dramatic and very ironic statement, one of the characters in A Modest Proposal balks at the prospect of eating teen-agers because it amounts to cruelty, which is in stark contrast to the other suggestions in it. The characters in A Modest Proposal use satire and irony in indirectly telling the readers to ignore the other options and ideas thus giving an example of being represented by the most terrible social planners and politicians. The character can make ironical statements in making them to appear perfectly economical without appearing to comprehend the appalling nature of the same. For example, on one occasion the character talks about selling children as food, which is narrated in A Modest Proposal as â€Å"I grant this food [children] will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children. † Indeed this is a very powerful statement in being disguised as being the meaning that conveys the philosophy of the speaker and in addressing the fact that the rich land owners of England and Ireland had taken away all that the poor inhabitants had. Such ironic narrations in A Modest Proposal convey to the reader in a rather cold manner about how children’s skin can be used in making †¦ â€Å"admirable gloves for ladies and summer boots for fine gentlemen†. It appears quite normal and nothing extraordinary for the narrator to rattle out such ironical words in implying as if it was something very simple and beautiful. The inherent irony in A Modest Proposal does make the reader understand the dangers involved in blindly adhering to a single philosophy especially when the entire population is likely to be adversely influenced. Verbal irony is the main figure of speech in A Modest Proposal, whereby the character says exactly the opposite of what he intends to mean. Swift has tactfully used such a device in making his arguments about the Irish people deserving improved conduct from the English, which is indeed extremely amusing and powerful. In pointing out that the Irish should not be ill treated as animals, Swift has written, â€Å"I rather recommend buying the children alive, and dressing them hot from the knife, as we do roasting pigs. In Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift has made the bureaucracy of England as the main target of irony and satire. Gulliver’s Travels is primarily a work of satire. According to Rodino , â€Å"Gulliver is neither a fully developed character nor even an altogether distinguishable persona; rather, he is a satiric device enabling Swift to score satirical points† (Rodino, 1992). Sure the work begins with a lot of satire in attacking the different political machines. Primarily, however, Gulliver's Travels is a work of satire. â€Å"Gulliver is neither a fully developed character nor even an altogether distinguishable persona; rather, he is a satiric device enabling Swift to score satirical points† (Rodino, 1992). Indeed, whereas the work begins with more specific satire, attacking perhaps one political machine or aimed at one particular custom in each instance, it finishes with â€Å"the most savage onslaught on humanity ever written,† satirizing the whole of the human condition. Murry, 1972). During the time of Swift, the monarchy in England had lot of influence in most realms including law despite the increasing power of the bureaucracy. It is this aspect which has been made as the object of satire in Gulliver’s Travels by way of the actions of the Lilliputians who take detailed stock of the possessions of Gulliver and in being prone to making official proclamations about the factors that governed the life of Gulliver along with that of the other citizens. This is evident from what Gulliver remarks in an important quote from Gulliver’s Travels, â€Å"I could not sufficiently wonder at the intrepidity of these diminutive mortals, who durst venture to mount and walk on my body, while one of my hands was at liberty, without trembling at the sight of prodigious creature as I must appear to them† (Swift, 1983). Such overpowering self importance is an example of the satire used by Jonathan Swift in Gulliver’s Travels. It can be seen that a small and unimportant matter can be transformed and made into a bureaucratic and political issue of great importance. The satire is also evident for example when there is a war between Blefuscu and Lilliput because the Emperor cut his finger with an egg shell and there was no consensus about the best way to break the egg. This is evident from the quote from the book, â€Å"Whereupon the Emperor published an edict, commanding all his subjects, under great penalties, to break the smaller end of their eggs. The people so highly resented this law, that our histories tell us there have been six rebellions raised on this account† (Swift, 1983). The war had specifically broken out between Blefuscu and Lilliput because the debate ended without any conclusion being arrived at in regard to interpreting which end of the egg was smaller. For the author of Gulliver’s Travels, Lilliput represents England while Blefuscu represents France. In narrating this story, Swift has satirized the aimless bickering and power struggle between the two countries. The introduction of Lilliput in Gulliver’s Travels is indicative of an absurd and miniature England instead of a distant Utopia. In conveying the description of the government and the land it is made clear that despite the Lilliputians suffering from the same faults as present in the English society, they possessed several principles that allowed them to have a Utopian existence, particularly when its comparison was made with England. After Gulliver escapes from Lilliput he goes to England and returns back to sea after some time. This time he lands in a strange land where he is the smaller one as compared to Llliput but is alone in this world and when he does encounter the first inhabitants he gets scared, â€Å"for as human creatures are observed to be more savage in proportion to their bulk† (Swift, 1983). This indicates that Swift has used satire in attacking humanity for their ways. The satire in Gulliver’s Travels reaches the pinnacle whereby â€Å"Swift put his most biting, hard lines, that speak against not only the government, but human nature itself† (Paij, 2009). Using a great deal of irony, Swift makes Gulliver to come in contact with the Yahoos when he comments about a Yahoo, â€Å"My horror and astonishment are not to be described, when I observed in this abdominal animal a perfect human figure† (Swift, 1983). Gulliver ponders that the basic difference between him and the yahoo was the absence of clothes and cleanliness; otherwise the animal was no less than a human. In making such narrations Swift achieved his goal in expressing the satire in showing that humans have overpowering flaws which ultimately lead to the degradation of man. He has used a satirical technique in Gulliver’s Travels in order to attack modernity. He is seen as being concerned about the enhanced power of Europeans throughout the world, the nastiness of the privileged and the increasing importance of wealth for achieving happiness in life (Harold, 1986). Swift took Gulliver on four voyages which made him have a larger understanding of the flaws in human nature. Gulliver’s perceptions about humans and the world change and it is the change in his narrations that conveys the author’s social commentary and satire. Gulliver’s image of humans is not much influenced after the first voyage and so is the case for the second one. But his image of humans declines steadily by the end of the fourth voyage when he comes across the Yahoos. It is in this way that Swift has presented his opinion about human conditions.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Lotf essays

Defend and/or criticize Ralph's actions as leader. What were his motivations? Did he contribute to the tragedy in any way? Could he have acted to prevent any of the deaths? What would you have done differently in his situation? . Describe the religious imagery in Lord of the Flies: the forces of good and evil, a all from grace, a savior, and eventual redemption. How does Goldings depiction of the island compare to the Garden of Eden? 3. Some readers of Lord of the Flies have argued that each and every one of the boys' actions is nothing more than an attempt to survive in difficult conditions. Think about the mounting of the sows head, Simon's ascent up the mountain, and the murder of Piggy in particular, as well as any other key scenes that stand out for you.Is it fair to say that the boys' actions were merely the result of the human survival instinct? Why or why not? If so, can you use these examples to draw some general conclusions bout the human instinct to survive? 4. Support the argument that Simon is a â€Å"Christ Figure. † Do you agree or disagree with the idea that Simon is a Christ Figure? Discuss the development of this character from the frail, shy, fainting kid to the well-developed character that faces the Lord of the Flies and the beast, eventually being sacrificed as a result. . The conch is an all-important symbol in the novel. It is almost a character in its own right. Trace the development of this symbol. How does Golding develop this shell into this symbol? Discuss what it means, and the effect it has on the group of oys, from the first assembly to its eventual destruction. You may want to include in your discussion its relation to characters like Ralph, Piggy, or even Jack. 6. Discuss the development of one of the major characters (Ralph, Piggy, Simon, Jack).How do they change from beginning to end? Is the change a â€Å"good† change, or a â€Å"bad† one? Be sure to support you response with specific examples from the t ext, as well as information you learned from class discussions (Simon as Christ Figure, or Piggy as representative of knowledge, etc. ) 7. Another topic that you feel strongly about – you have to prove a thesis using a upported argument, and your topic must be approved by me before you begin.

Monday, January 6, 2020

Bally Total Fitness Case Analysis - 2361 Words

1. Situation Bally Total Fitness is a public firm in the U.S. health club industry. Since 1962, the company had developed into a large and nationwide commercial operator of fitness centers in the Unite States. But with the increasingly fierce market competition and the internal management problems such as poor accounting standards, the stock price of the company collapsed. Some shareholders had lost faith in the company. A major shareholder of the company was urging the CEO to sell the company. So the company faced two alternatives, one alternative was to sell the company to meet the demand of shareholders; the other alternative was to strengthen its internal control system to remedy the management fault. In this way to restore the†¦show more content†¦So in order to compete with other competitors in the market, companies should provide more diverse products to meet the customer needs. Second, the customers switching costs was small. Members were likely to drop out anytime they like or renew membership. According to statistics, about 30% of members dropped out after a year and 70% members renew their yearly subscription every year. Because of this situation, the competition between the exiting competitors had become more intense. As noted before, the company should provide diverse products and addition of new programs to get back members. Consumers are powerful in this industry. Because there were many clubs for consumers to chose. So the consumers would choose the club which meets their need such as low price, convenient location, and specific services and so on. Consumers were more like the payment style of â€Å"pay-as-you-go†. They did not want to bind themselves in a long-term contract but rather pay per visits. Consumers had more flexible choice in this way. So clubs did not make a lot of money from enrollment. They must think about how to improve the quality of services and provide diverse services to meet different needs from consumers. The consumers have power in the pay style, the price, and the service contents in this industry. These factors will greatly impact the development of Bally. Most of clubs bought equipment from a small number of well-known suppliers. SoShow MoreRelatedBally Total Fitness Corporation Operates Fitness Centers1914 Words   |  8 PagesBally Total Fitness Holding Corporation operates fitness centers in the United States and Canada. The Company s fitness centers feature cardiovascular, conditioning, and strength equipment, as well as aerobic training programs. Bally Total Fitness was created in 1983 when Bally Manufacturing purchased Health and Tennis Corporation of American and Lifecycle, an exercise bike manufacturer, in 1983. Soon after, the fitness center expanded their resources through obtaining American Fitness CentersRead MoreAn Analysis of the U.S. Health Club Industry in 2004 and the Role of Bally Total Fitness3120 Words   |  13 PagesAn Analysis of the U.S. Health Club Industry in 2004 and the Role of Bally Total Fitness Executive Summary Introduction The rise of the U.S. health club industry can be traced back to the 1980s and 1990s when the majority of health clubs emerged. By 2004, this $14 billion industry claimed 41 million members. 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(3) At the end of the chapter, an Ethics Case simulates a business situation and asks you to put yourself in the position of a decision maker in that case. When analyzing these various ethics cases and your own ethical experiences, you should apply the three steps outlined in Illustration 1-3. Illustration 1-3 Steps in analyzing ethics cases Solving an Ethical Dilemma 1. Recognize an ethical situation and the ethical issues involved.Read MoreBrand Building Blocks96400 Words   |  386 Pagesbe utilized to present the portfolio structure. Brand groupings: A brand grouping is a logical grouping of brands that have meaningful characteristics in common. The groups provide logic to the brand portfolio and help its growth overtime e.g. in case of Johnson and Johnson Ltd., the brand grouping can be made using following characteristics. Segment (Infant Care and Intimate Feminine Care) Product (Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals) Design (Classic and Contemporary) . Brand hierarchy trees: Sometimes

Friday, January 3, 2020

A Short Note On Ct Dose Calculation ( Ct ) - 1217 Words

iSAP – CT Dose Calculation Introduction: The role of computed tomography (CT) in imaging has risen substantially in the previous decade (Hess et al. 2014). With its increasing demand, one of the most predominant concerns for radiation workers is the dose administered to the patient (Hess et al. 2014). Therefore, the calculation of dose is a parameter that must be monitored closely. Task 1: Exposure Exposure is the amount of electrical charge produced by ionising radiation per unit mass of air. It is measured in Coulomb per kilogram C kg-1, where its former unit was Roentgen (Schoepf 2005). Absorbed dose The absorbed dose is the energy (joules) deposited by ionising radiation per unit mass of material in kilograms, as a result of exposure to ionising radiation. The absorbed dose is therefore measured in J/kg or gray (Gy) where 1Gy = 1J/kg. 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Then report your conclusion to the class, and invite comments on your ideas. A. ï‚Ÿ What is there to be gained from engaging your efforts in this area and not any other? ï‚Ÿ Why is the study worth doing? ï‚Ÿ What is the rationaleRead MoreCase Study Essay33967 Words   |  136 Pagesmorning Furosemide (Lasix) 80 mg IV push (IVP) now, then 40 mg/day IVP Potassium chloride (K-Dur) 20 mEq/day PO 4. What is the rationale for changing the route of the furosemide (Lasix)? M.G. is fluid overloaded and needs to decrease fluid volume in a short period. IV administration is delivered directly into the vascular system, where it can start to work immediately. 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With CourseSmart eText, students can search for specific keywords or page numbers, make notes online, print reading assignments that incorporate lecture notes, and bookmark important passages for later review. For more information, or to purchase a CourseSmart eTextbook, visit www.coursesmart.com. Pearson’s Self-Assessment Library (S.A.L.) A hallmark of the Robbins seriesRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesPsychological Resiliency 139 Social Resiliency 143 Temporary Stress-Reduction Techniques 144 SKILL ANALYSIS 147 Cases Involving Stress Management 147 The Turn of the Tide 147 The Case of the Missing Time 150 SKILL PRACTICE 155 Exercises for Long-Term and Short-Run Stress Management The Small-Wins Strategy 155 Life-Balance Analysis 156 Deep Relaxation 158 Monitoring and Managing Time 159 SKILL APPLICATION 161 Activities for Managing Stress 161 Suggested Assignments 161 Application Plan and Evaluation 162