LA Phil Concert Mozarts Requiem at Hollywood Bowl by Los Angeles Philharmonic free essay sample

I would like to play Mozart’s Requiem at my wedding. (My mother said that she would approve of any person who would agree with this request.) Although the Requiem has a decidedly dark tone, the piece, written by Mozart on his deathbed, emanates with lively energy, awakening all who listen to it. My introduction to Mozart’s Requiem was many years ago when I watched Amadeus. I developed an obsession with this piece, repeatedly listening to the Berlin Philharmonic’s recording, featuring soprano Anna Tomowa-Sintow. When I saw it was on the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s season calendar in August 2017—featuring Gustavo Dudamel as the conductor— I lobbied my mother to let me see it (and forced her to take me on the 2-hour round trip to the Hollywood Bowl on a school night). As the concert approached, I listened to the Kyrie movement ten times a day, studying the structure of the movement. We will write a custom essay sample on LA Phil Concert: Mozarts Requiem at Hollywood Bowl by Los Angeles Philharmonic or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I was very excited for this concert. The concert began, not with Mozart, but with Harmonium, a choral piece composed by John Adams in 1980. John Adams is a postmodernist minimalist composer, similar in style to composers Philip Glass and Steven Reich. Harmonium is written like a choral symphony, and is a background to three poems, corresponding to its three movements. The first movement, â€Å"Negative Love,† is based on the poem by John Donne and begins softly with an ethereal mood. Dudamel conducted this restrained piece in a reserved way, his baton keeping him in check. Although â€Å"Negative Love,† like the rest of Harmonium could be mistaken for ambient music, it creates a mysterious mood and possesses sufficient musical merit and complexity to avoid this label. Based on poems by Emily Dickinson, the following movements, â€Å"Because I Could Not Stop for Death† and â€Å"Wild Nights,† were similar in timbre, rhythm and varied mostly in volume. John Adams presented himself to the audie nce at the end of the first half and received the applause of the crowd, a nice reminder that all composers from all time periods were living breathing human beings at one point. That is, not all composers are dead. Next came the Requiem, the star of this show. The Requiem Mass was Mozart’s final work, as he died during its composition. Completed posthumously by Franz Sussmayr, one of Mozart’s pupils, Mozart’s Requiem is reminiscent of Baroque Cantatas, particularly in the fugal Kyrie movement. However, the Requiem is distinctly Classical for the majority of the work, with an overall homophonic texture and the key and rhythmic changes characteristic of this period. Softly, with a ,slow tempo, the Requiem began in the key of D Minor. The Introit – Requiem movement began with low strings and woodwinds. Building gradually, the chorus joined in, with a solo by the soprano, Miah Persson. Building to a climax, the movement then softened, and concludes. Dudamel let go of all restraint and dropped his baton for this second half, conducting solely using his passionate body motions. Next came my favorite movement. Kyrie is a choral double fugue with a lively tempo written in duple meter. This movement began with the words â€Å"Kyrie Eleison,† the primary six note subject of the fugue, followed by the secondary subject â€Å"Christie Eleison,† a fast ascending conjunctive phrase that rings out distinctively. This movement alternated between strings and chorus singing the subjects, with extreme kinetic energy. The sound of the LA Phil possessed a distinctive and agitated timbre. In the middle of the movement, the key of the subject changed to major, and built in volume and complexity. This movement ended with a loud subject, before continuing onto the Dies Irae movement. This movement, full of fire, ended with the tempo slowing, timbres becoming less harsh, and the whole character changing. The piece then moved into a call-and-response section with many bass and tenor voices. The movements progressed with similar texture and timbre, with the Lacrimosa section, and the Offertorium movement, before returning to a recapitulation of the Introit. After these inner sections, we returned to the Communio section, a repeat of the Requiem Aeternam and the Kyrie fugue. This piece ended grandly, leaving me full of awe with a bit of sorrow as the concert had come to an end. In reflection, the pairing of Harmonium by John Adams (1980), a contemporary minimalistic composer, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem Mass K.62 was an inspired choice. Both are choral works broken into short sections; both are meditations on death. In this way, Harmonium is a contemporary Requiem and a fresh compliment to Mozart’s Requiem. Having loved Mozart’s Requiem for many years, and having seen it once before (at the London’s Academy of St. Martin in the Fields in 2014), I was amazed at the quality and awe-inspiring nature of this piece and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and I found Dudamel’s passionate interpretation of this marvelous work to be absolutely fantastic. I hope to see both Mozart’s Requiem and Dudamel in concert again in the future. After all, I have become even more convinced that I would like to play Mozart’s Requiem at my wedding.

Vicious Cycle The Flipside of Brazils Agricultural Expansionist Policies

Vicious Cycle The Flipside of Brazils Agricultural Expansionist Policies Introduction Being the fifth largest country in the world both in terms of geographical size and population, Brazil epitomizes the ongoing global tension pitying biodiversity preservation against agricultural sustainability and economic development.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Vicious Cycle: The Flipside of Brazil’s Agricultural Expansionist Policies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Available statistics demonstrate that Brazil is a critical emerging economic power with a GDP of US$604.0 billion and a GDP per capita of US$3,326.21 in 2004, and that the country’s environment is one of the richest in the world not only because its fauna and flora is found nowhere else on earth, but also due to the fact that its ecosystems contain in excess of 15 percent of the plant and animal species known to science (European Commission, 2007). Holding up to 12 percent of the available freshwater worldwide , the country is undoubtedly one of leading producers of food and biofuels in Latin America and globally (Ferreira et al., 2012). But while Brazil continues to play an increasingly important role in the global challenge to supply food to a growing and more affluent human population through agricultural expansion activities, hence driving rapid economic development, available literature demonstrates that such events have also had significant adverse impacts on biodiversity and the conservation of ecosystem services in the country (Ferreira et al., 2012). This paper borrows from Ascher and Healy’s (1990) concept of vicious cycle to demonstrate how Brazil may be sucked into the vicious cycle, entailing economic production, the environment, income distribution and resources, if policies are not put in place to address adverse impacts caused by agricultural expansion. Understanding the Vicious Cycle the Brazilian Problem In their influential reading, Ascher and Healy (1990) emplo y the vicious cycle metaphor, which essentially is a circular constellation of forces tending to act and react upon one another in such a manner as to keep a poor country in a state of poverty, to demonstrate the complex interrelationships among four critical facets of sociophysical production namely economic production, distribution of income, natural resources, and the environment. In the four key attributes, economic production is described as the level, source, and composition of the goods and services generated by the economy at any point in time, while income distribution is perceived as including functional distribution, size distribution among recipients of diverse income levels, distribution of in-kind income such as government services or gratification from environmental quality, as well as regional income distribution.Advertising Looking for critical writing on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn Mor e Likewise, natural resources have been described as a broad assortment of substantial natural endowments such as land, water, timber and minerals, while environment refers to the natural systems that provide the background or surroundings for human activity (Ascher Healy, 1990). Unlike other less advanced and developing countries, Brazil is on the verge of achieving long-term economic development that is partially fuelled by effective exploitation of natural resources (Ferreira et al., 2012), which not only include â€Å"the dense tropical rainforests of the Amazon, but also the important biomes of the Savannah-like Cerrado, the arid scrublands of the Caatinga, the Atlantic Forest, the grasslands of the Pampa and the wetlands of the Pantanal† (European Commission, 2007 p. 11). Reports released by The Economist (2010) and Food Agriculture Organization (2012), cited in Ferreira et al. (2007), show that the phenomenal expansion of Brazilian agriculture has been at the core of its most recent economic expansion, corresponding to 28% of the country total exports. However, as demonstrated by these authors, â€Å"there are rising concerns about the threats that these changes represent to Brazil’s globally significant biological wealth, including widespread deforestation and clearance of native vegetation, and rapid increases in the use of fertilizers, pesticides and other agricultural chemical supplies† (p. 535-536). This observation, in my viewpoint, has the capacity to ignite a complex vicious cycle which will ultimately cut across two or more attributes of sociophysical production Exposing the Adverse Relationships Ascher Healy (1990) have taken considerable effort to demonstrate the interrelationships between the various facets, such as the vicious cycle between economic development and environment and vicious cycle between economic development and income distribution. In the Brazilian context, for example, it is evident that attem pts by government and other stakeholders to enhance the country’s economic development through agricultural expansion have continued to generate a multiplicity of environmental externalities, such as reduction of biological diversity, soil erosion in rural farming areas, watershed damage, depletion of natural resources, soil and habitat degradation due to continued use of harmful pesticides, rise of slum areas, as well as health-related conditions brought about by overcrowding and increasing lead emissions from automobiles (Carneiro Danton 2011; Ferreira et al., 2012).Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Vicious Cycle: The Flipside of Brazil’s Agricultural Expansionist Policies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the same vein, it emerges that the urge to achieve sustained economic development has catapulted policymakers into availing vast tracts of previously virgin land for cultivation aimed at increasing agricultural yield. Although a sizeable proportion of farmers are employing modern practices to increase acreage and agricultural output, many are still using poisonous pesticides and farming practices that contribute substantially to soil erosion and degradation. Consequently, it can be suggested that a vicious cycle between economic development and environmental degradation has already set in. But more importantly, environmental policymakers in Brazil should realize that another vicious cycle between economic development and income distribution will set in the near future as long as farmers in North-East regions of the country continue to use harmful farming practices to expand their agricultural production and benefit from international food markets. When agriculture will no longer be sustainable due to ongoing poor farming practices, these farmers will lose their economic backbone, and hence, the income inequalities will increase. Conversely, it can be argued that these farmers will not only lack the capacity to take care of their social and health needs but will also continue to haphazardly exploit available natural resources for economic gain, resulting in a vicious cycle that will have major adverse impacts on biodiversity and the conservation of ecosystem services in the country. Way Forward The way forward for environmental policymakers in Brazil, therefore, is to put in place strong institutional policies for managing resources and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the agricultural sector. The government, in conjunction with relevant stakeholders, must act with immediacy to break the vicious cycle between economic development and environmental degradation by coming up with educational and awareness programs targeting farmers who use inferior farming methods to enhance their agricultural output.Advertising Looking for critical writing on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Additionally, it is imperative for the government to develop clear management objectives and sufficient implementation capacity of the existing policies to ensure that the beneficial urge to achieve economic development through agricultural expansion does not shift into unwarranted destruction of the country’s strikingly rich biodiversity and ecosystem. These interventions, in my view, will arrest the vicious cycle before it gains momentum towards a hazardous level. References Ascher. W., Healy, R.G. (1990). Natural resource policymaking in developing countries: Environment, economic growth, and income distribution. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. Carneiro, M.J., Danton, T. (2011). Agriculture and biodiversity in the Brazilian social sciences: A possible state-of-the-art scenario. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Sciences, 24(3), 225-246. European Commission. (2007). Country strategy paper 2007-2013. Web. Ferreira, J., Pardini, R., Metzger, J.P., Fo nseca, C.R., Pompeu, P.S., Sparovek, G., Louzada, J. (2012). Towards environmentally sustainable agriculture in Brazil: Challenges and opportunities for applied ecological research. Journal of Applied Ecology, 49(3), 535-541.

How a Tree Gets Its Scientific Name

How a Tree Gets Its Scientific Name Tree species and their names are a product of a two-part plant naming system that was introduced and promoted by Carolus Linnaeus in 1753. Linnaeus grand achievement was the development of what is now called binomial nomenclature - a formal system of naming species of living things, including trees, by giving each tree a name composed of two parts called the genus and the species. These names are based on never-to-change Latin words. So Latin terms, when broken into their respective tree genus and species, are called a trees scientific name. When using that special name, a tree can be identified by botanists and foresters around the world and in any language. The problem before the use of this taxonomic Linnaean tree classification system was the confusion surrounding the use, or misuse, of common names. Using common tree names as the only tree descriptor still presents problems today as common names differ greatly from location to location. Common names of trees are not as commonly used as you might think when traveling through the trees natural range. Lets look at the sweetgum tree as an example. Sweetgum is very common throughout the eastern United States as both a wild, native tree and also a tree planted in the landscape. Sweetgum can have only one scientific name, Liquidambar styraciflua, but has several common names including redgum, sapgum, starleaf-gum, gum maple, alligator-wood, and bilsted. A Tree and Its Species Classification What does species of tree mean? A tree species is an individual kind of tree that shares common parts on the lowest taxonomic level. Trees of the same species have the same characteristics of bark, leaf, flower, and seed and present the same general appearance. The word species is both singular and plural. There are nearly 1,200 tree species that grow naturally in the United States. Each tree species tends to grow together in what foresters call tree ranges and timber types, which are confined to geographic areas with similar climatic and soil conditions. Many more have been introduced from outside North America and are considered to be naturalized exotics. These trees do very well when grown in similar conditions they were native to. It is interesting that tree species in the United States far exceeds the native species of Europe. A Tree and Its Genus Classification What does genus of tree mean? Genus refers to the lowest classification of a tree before determining the related species. Trees of the genus have the same basic flower structure and may resemble other genus members in outward appearance. Tree members within a genus can still vary significantly in leaf shape, style of fruit, the color of bark and tree form. The plural of genus is genera. Unlike common tree names where the species is often named first; for example, red oak, blue spruce, and silver maple - the scientific genus name is always named first; for example, Quercus rubra, Picea pungens, and Acer saccharinum. The Hawthorn tree, genus Crataegus, leads the tree genera with the longest list of species - 165. Crataegus is also the most complicated tree to identify down to the species level. The oak tree or genus Quercus is the most common forest tree with the greatest number of species. Oaks have some 60 related species and are native to nearly every state or province in North America. North Americas Species-Rich Eastern Forest Eastern North America and most particularly the southern Appalachian Mountains claim the title of having the most native tree species of any area of North America. Seems like this area was a natural sanctuary ​where conditions allowed trees to survive and multiply after the Ice Age. Interestingly, Florida and California can brag about their total number of tree species which were, and are, transported into these states from all over the world. One may cringe when someone asks them to identify a tree from these two states. They know immediately that it will be a word search of a bountiful tropic tree list. These exotic immigrants are not only an identification problem but also an invasive problem with future negative habitat change.

Life Cycle of the Service Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Life Cycle of the Service Industry - Essay Example As the report declares the products are of a wide variety due to few cases of imitation and replication. Competition is not intense because the industry is yet to be flooded with new firms. For a firm to survive this stage, it needs to advertise its services and take measures to retain customers.  At the growth stage, demand is growing because the industry can penetrate the market. Firms are utilizing and innovating new technology. The quality and design of products improves because they now know what the clients want. Competition is growing because of new entrants leading to mergers and exit of some firms. For a company to survive this stage, it should be creative in the way it offers its services.  This discussion stresses that at the maturity stage, demand is improving due to repeat buying. Customers are also becoming price sensitive. Firms are using innovative technology to beat their rivals and retain clients. Consumers can now differentiate between the firms through their b rands. Competition is stiff. Weaker firms are falling out. A company that survives this stage should have a strong brand, better technology and the muscle to rival out competitors. The decline stage is the final phase of the industry cycle. The demand for the services has gone down due to obsolescence. There is little technological innovation in firms. The services are all similar in the eyes of the consumers. The competition is intense- there are price wars and exits.  

Development of an information technology (IT) project Essay

Development of an information technology (IT) project - Essay Example The project seeks to coordinate and maintain the records of the professional development of its employees spread across Colorado, Illinois, Texas and Florida. The project is estimated to cost the organization three hundred thousand dollars. This project charter formally authorizes the existence of the project and the Project Name. It seeks to provide resources to run the activities to the manager of the project. If there is a change in the project scope, the charter will be updated and submitted for re-approval. The development of the project aims to integrate all the four branches of the company allowing the extensive number of 30000 employees to locate and schedule professional development activities that relate to their positions. Most important is to facilitate coordination and manage a record of its employees and their progress. The project aims to build a system that allows location and scheduling of tasks, has an extensive search capability, and enable employees to schedule events (Bolles & Hubbard, 2007). Further, it should allow integration of a social network platform and incorporate a notification module for both the managers and the employees. The project will cover gathering the requirements for the system, building of the system, developing a guide for the user and making a presentation on the system and its functionality in general. However training the individual persons will not be done at this stage. A project manager is required to be ethical since they need to handle people of various calibers, a lot of cash, and most of all lead the staff to deliver the product. In this endeavor, they need to admit to doing wrong, making hard but necessary choices and centralizing blame in case it

Issue Management at Gap Inc. Essay Example for Free

Issue Management at Gap Inc. Essay Introduction Gap Inc. : Low Morale and Absenteeism Low morale and absenteeism of are serious problems of Gap Inc. that cuts across industry. On a distinctive day between 2 and 4% of employees at Gap Inc. fail to show up for work, which does not sound like a high rate of absence, but more time is lost for the reason that of low morale and absenteeism than through strikes and lockouts. The yearly costs of low morale and absenteeism in the United States are estimated to be $29 billion and a change of 4. 99% in the national absence rate changes the gross national product by $10 billion. (London, 2003) A great number of studies are done to identify the determinants of low morale and absenteeism. Many variables are found to be considerably related to indices of absence, the results appear to be unstable across situations and time. The Way Incentives Work Every incentive program is based on a formula for enhancing motivation that engages four fundamental variables: effort, performance, outcomes, and satisfaction. The logic behind these programs goes something like this: employees at Gap Inc. will put in the accurate quantity of effort to meet performance hopes if these part time employees at Gap Inc.obtain the types of outcomes that include pay raises and promotions which will provide part time employees satisfaction. In simpler words, Gap Inc. should provide its employees what they want, and employees will work hard to get it. Effort = Performance = Outcomes= Satisfaction Conversely, the problem with most incentive programs like of Gap Inc. is that they centre exclusively on the submission of outcomes and overlook the three beliefs that are the key to making the motivation solution work: †¢ Can one do it? †¢ Will outcomes be tied to one’s performance? †¢ Will outcomes be satisfying to one? The first conviction compacts with the relationship between employee effort and performance. The second compacts with the relationship between performance and outcomes. And the third compacts with the relationship between outcomes and satisfaction. These three beliefs form the basis of the belief system of motivation and performance. Accepting that these beliefs are decisive preconditions for motivation helps to explain why incentive programs generally yield such lacklustre results like in case of Gap Inc. Since employees do not always hold these beliefs to be true, attempts to improve motivation by using incentives cannot make the grade, even when the incentives are highly desirable ones. Types of Motivation Problems One cannot do it Motivation problem: Lack of confidence Associated feelings: Self-doubt Anxiety Frustration Outcomes are not tied to one’s performance Motivation problem: Lack of trust Associated feelings: Scepticism Disbelief Mistrust Outcomes will not be satisfying to one Motivation problem: Lack of satisfaction Associated feelings: Anger Rebelliousness Low Morale and Absenteeism At Gap Inc. a major transformation attempt only makes difficult the situation. If any of three beliefs are shaky to begin with, organisational change at Gap Inc. can weaken them even further. The result is often serious motivation and performance problems, at a time when organisations can least afford them, and a resultant surge in the negative emotions associated with change. When an employee believes ‘one cannot do it’ for example, one may develop a lack of self-confidence and begin to experience many of the unpleasant feelings that go along with it: self-doubt, anxiety, and frustration. About a year into the change effort, one manager portrayed the inner turmoil one went through by comparing the restructuring to building a ship at the same time one is trying to sail it. (Mele, 2003) Worker beliefs that ‘outcomes are not tied to one’s performance’ can also escort to noteworthy motivation problems, especially lack of trust. This is normally accompanied by feelings of scepticism or disbelief; precisely the emotions that another manager felt when one was told early on change effort that power would be allocated differently. Employee beliefs that ‘outcomes will not be satisfying to one’ often escort to a third major problem, chronic dissatisfaction, and to feelings of anger, rebelliousness, low morale and absenteeism. (Miner, 2002) Like as the negative emotions allied with change can often go undetected, the motivation and performance problems that cause them frequently remain hidden and unresolved. Due to this, managers who lead change are sometimes frustrated in their efforts. They fail to realise that it is not enough to appeal to the intellect of their workers. So managers must also win employees’ hearts in order to implement change successfully. The reason behind why are motivation problems so difficult to uncover is that employees are afraid to speak about them or even admit that they exist like at Gap Inc. Though most employees know when they have a motivation problem, many feel that acknowledging it is tantamount to admitting failure, and, naturally, they do not want to appear weak or incompetent to their manager. The belief system approach is practical method that can help manager at Gap Inc. resolve these problems effectively. It takes the guesswork out of the search for motivation problems and alerts managers to the three principal types: †¢ Motivation problems caused by a lack of confidence. †¢ Motivation problems caused by a lack of trust. †¢ Motivation problems caused by a lack of satisfaction. The approach is based on the expectancy theory of motivation and on the research of Yale University professor Victor H. Vroom. In conducting Vroom’s analyses of why motivation improvement so often fails, Vroom came to the conclusion that motivation at work depends on certain employee expectations or beliefs: that effort will lead to performance, that performance will lead to outcomes, and that these outcomes, when received, will be satisfying. (Thomas, 2004) Like other expectancy theorists, Vroom maintained that the tendency of people to act in certain ways depends on the strength of the expectation that their actions will be followed by certain outcomes and on the perceived value or valence of those outcomes. This combination of expectation and valence is what determines peoples behaviour, Vroom and colleagues argued, and unless both expectation and valence are present to some degree, there will be little or no motivation to act. For example, if a person wants a certain outcome but doesnt feel it can be achieved through one’s efforts, then that person wont be motivated. Similarly, that person will also lack motivation if one believes that a certain outcome can be achieved but is undesirable. The application model relies on structured, facilitated meetings between managers and their direct reports to find the answers to the three basic questions that uncover motivation problems: †¢ Does the employee believe that one’s effort will lead to the expected performance? †¢ Does the employee believe that outcomes will be tied to one’s performance? †¢ Does the employee believe the outcomes will be satisfying? Preconditions for Employee Motivation AT Gap Inc. managers have to note that an employee is motivated to perform when †¢ The employee believes that effort will lead to performance. †¢ The employee believes that performance will lead to outcomes. †¢ The employee believes that outcomes will lead to satisfaction. AT Gap Inc. once a manager has recognised a specific motivation problem, one can then work with the employee to find its cause and develop an appropriate solution. There are several reasons that this model performs far better than managers expect such as: †¢ This model prepares managers and employees for solving motivation problems by getting them to think about these issues before they meet. †¢ This model promotes effective change by clarifying expectations, uncovering hidden agendas, and managing emotions before they escalate. †¢ This model relies on the cooperation and involvement of the one person who knows most about the problem and what may be causing it: the employee. (Caruth, 2001) By gently forcing an accurate diagnosis of problems and their causes, the belief system model increases the prospects of finding good solutions to performance shortfalls. After all, it takes information to solve problems, and the goal of the belief system model is to uncover critical information about performance and motivation and to guide managers and employees in applying it productively. The model works to generate an environment in which managers and employees divide the responsibility for solving performance problems, and it fosters the kind of communication that helps managers maintain the critical preconditions for employee motivation: confidence in their ability to meet performance expectations, trust in others to tie outcomes to performance, and satisfaction with their job and the outcomes that they receive. Works Cited Butkus T. Raymond, Thad B.Green, (1999), Motivation, Beliefs and Organisational Transformation. Quorum Books. Westport, CT. Cameron Judy, Pierce W. David, (2002), Pay and Motivation: Resolving the Controversy. Bergin Garvey. Westport, CT. Caruth L. Donald, Handlogten D. Gail, (2001), Managing Compensation (And Understanding It Too): A Handbook for the Perplexed, Quorum Books. Gorman Phil, (2003), Motivation and Emotion. Routledge. New York. Hanlan Marc, (2004), High Performance Teams: How to Make Them Work, Praeger. London Manuel, (2003), Job Feedback: Giving, Seeking, and Using Feedback for Performance Improvement, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Mele R. Alfred, (2003), Motivation and Agency, Oxford University Press. Miner B. John, (2002), Organisational Behaviour: Foundations, Theories, and Analyses, Oxford University Press. Thomas Neil, (2004), The Concise Adair on Teambuilding and Motivation, Thorogood. White Geoff, Druker Janet, (2000), Reward Management: A Critical Text, Routledge. New York.

Global Warming Essay -- Environment Climate Change

Global Warming and The Environment Global warming is a term used to describe a gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and its oceans (All About Global Warming, 2007, para.1). There is no doubt this is an important matter that will impact planet earth for many years to come. Global warming is a critical issue that impacts the entire world and the potential consequences caused by it will have a negative impact if human contribution is not reduced. Although many people disagree with the causes and outcomes, there is certainly enough information available to support the argument. At this time, global warming is said to be a crisis with carbon and emissions of Co2 being made out to be the culprit (Turpin, 2007, p.30). These are just two of the multiple human contributions that add to the cause. The relationship between human effect and the significant impact on the environment are in relation with the respect to global warming. It is not necessarily the human need or desire to drive gas guzzling vehicles, littering the earth, or to cut down precious trees to destroy the environment, but the need of those on earth to be wasteful and destructive. Another factor to consider in the contribution is that livestock are also responsible for 18% of green house gas (methane and nitrous oxide) world wide ? more then all the planes, trains and automobiles on the planet (Turpin, 2007, p30). In addition to the natural causes of global warming, humans also play a significant part in the contribution. Although little can be done to reverse the damage that is already apparent, there are many habits that can be changed by those living on this earth to slow down the process, outside of the natural causes. Some o... ...007). All About Global Warming. Retrieved April 11, 2008, from http://www.livescience.com/globalwarming/ NASA Top Story. (2003). Recent Warming of Arctic May Affect Worldwide Climate. Retrieved April 12, 2008, from http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2003/1023esuice.html. New York Times.(2008). Global Warming. Retrieved April 12, 2008, from http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier# Species Extinctions. (2007). Species Extinctions still rising, experts warn. Retrieved April 11, 2008, from http://www.msnbc.msn.msn.com/id/20738173/ Turpin, J. (2007). Is Carbon the Culprit? Air conditioning Heating & Refridgeration. Retrieved April 11,2008, from http://wf2dnvr3.webfeat.org/fvVkJ13/url=http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=5&hid=16&sid=ac7d44ab-7544-4b7c-9bda-9eafea0d9398%40sessionmgr107

Foreign exchange Essay

As mentioned above, there was a significantly high supply of money in the United States, which characteristically led to depreciation of the United States dollar. In addition, the period was characterized by a high rate of inflation, implying that considerably larger sums of money would be used in buying commodities that would have been bought inexpensively in the earlier period (Atkinson and Hutto). On the international scale, the high cost of United States commodities meant that importers had to pay lots of money to acquire the goods, which ultimately lowered the level of international trade between the United States and other countries (Table 3). Consequently, the United States dollar fluctuated against other world currencies such as the Japanese yen, the Sterling Pound, Chinese yuan and the Australian dollar (Atkinson and Hutto). For instance, the Sterling Pound exchanged at between $1. 9548 and $2. 0442 in 2007 (Table 3), which was a very large variation. period Australia (dollar) Canada (dollar) China, P. R.(yuan) EMU Members (euro) Japan (yen) Mexico (peso) South Korea (won) Sweden (krona) Switzerland (franc) United Kingdom (pound) 2000. .5815 1. 4855 8. 2784 . 9232 107. 80 9. 459 1,130. 90 9. 1735 1. 6904 1. 5156 2001 . 5169 1. 5487 8. 2770 . 8952 121. 57 9. 337 1,292. 02 10. 3425 1. 6891 1. 4396 2002 . 5437 1. 5704 8. 2771 . 9454 125. 22 9. 663 1,250. 31 9. 7233 1. 5567 1. 5025 2003 . 6524 1. 4008 8. 2772 1. 1321 115. 94 10. 793 1,192. 08 8. 0787 1. 3450 1. 6347 2004 . 7365 1. 3017 8. 2768 1. 2438 108. 15 11. 290 1,145. 24 7. 3480 1. 2428 1. 8330 2005 . 7627 1. 2115 8. 1936 1. 2449 110. 11 10. 894 1,023. 75 7. 4710 1. 2459 1. 8204 2006 . 7535 1. 1340 7. 9723 1. 2563 116. 31 10. 906 954. 32 7. 3718 1. 2532 1. 8434 2007 . 8391 1. 0734 7. 6058 1. 3711 117. 76 10. 928 928. 97 6. 7550 1. 1999 2. 0020 2007: I. .7865 1. 1718 7. 7582 1. 3109 119. 33 11. 024 938. 98 7. 0089 1. 2330 1. 9548 II. .8316 1. 0983 7. 6784 1. 3484 120. 80 10. 878 928. 69 6. 8641 1. 2221 1. 9862 III. .8471 1. 0456 7. 5578 1. 3748 117. 74 10. 965 927. 27 6. 7402 1. 1986 2. 0213 IV. .8898 . 9811 7. 4336 1. 4482 113. 23 10. 849 921. 26 6. 4148 1. 1468 2. 0442 2008: I. .9058 1. 0039 7. 1590 1. 5007 105. 17 10. 803 956. 12 6. 2668 1. 0670 1. 9790 II. .9435 1. 0099 6. 9578 1. 5625 104. 62 10. 428 1,017. 02 5. 9862 1. 0316 1. 9712 III . 8879 1. 0411 6. 8375 1. 5030 107. 58 10. 328 1,064. 56 6. 3175 1. 0734 1. 8924 Table 3: Foreign exchange rates between 2000 and 2008 Source: Modified from GPO Access The strong dollar against the yen between 2001 and 2002, which was the beginning of the Bush administration, discouraged importation by Japan from the United States (Atkinson and Hutto). At the same time, citizens of the United States opted to import valuable items such as automobiles at the expense of the locally manufactured ones, thus putting the United States automobile industry in the quagmire in which it is today (OECD). The consequence of this is that major competitors such as the Japanese automakers have adversely affected local automakers such as Ford, and the whole industry has been earmarked for revival in the Economic Stimulus Package (OECD). Interest rates Government bond yields and interest rates generally declined between 2000 and 2008. For instance, the value of bills at auction declined steadily from $ 5. 85 to $1. 01 in 2003, but steadily rose from $1. 38 to $4. 73 in 2006 (GPO Access). The low price of bonds meant that banks were in a position to purchase more government bonds, thus diverting their attention from other financial service users such as borrowers (Crutsinger and Aversa). Ultimately, banks were forced to impose high interest rates on the loans they offered to the public, implying that most small business holders and individuals were crippled by a massive credit crunch (Crutsinger and Aversa). The ensuing credit crunch adversely affected the United States economy particularly towards the ends of the end of the Bush administration (Crutsinger and Aversa). Banks were most affected by the financial woes and this necessitated the Bush administration to consider taking ownership of various banks in a bid to protect them from collapsing (Crutsinger and Aversa). This move was however also ill planned, as it would result in unnecessary government expenditure, resulting into higher inflation in the United States (Hanke). In addition, there was no assurance that with the government’s acquisition of the banks, their performance would improve (Hanke). Conclusion. Even though the world witnessed a massive economic recession, the woes in the United States stemmed from the fact that the Bush administration spent excessively on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, which generally weakened the performance of most local institutions. The underperformance in various sectors was shown in high rates of unemployment, high inflation, fluctuating levels of money supply and foreign exchange rates as well as high bank interest rates. The combined effect of the various phenomena led to a crisis in the entire United States economy, thus making the Bush administration one of the worst leaderships of the United States. References Atkinson Robert D and Julie Hutto 18October 2004. Bush vs. Clinton: An Economic Performance Index. 10 March 2009. http://www. ppionline. org/ppi_ci. cfm? knlgAreaID=107&subsecID=295&contentID=252964 Crutsinger, Martin and Aversa, Jeannine 8 October 2008. Bush administration mulls bank stakes. 10 March 2009. http://www. freep. com/article/20081008/BUSINESS07/81008120/1015/BUSINESS02/Bush+administration+mulls+bank+stakes Curl, Joseph. 23 Oct. 2008 McCain lambastes Bush years. 10 March 2009. http://www. washingtontimes. com/news/2008/oct/23/mccain-lambastes-bush-years/ GPO Access . Civilian unemployment rate. 10 March 2009. http://www. gpoaccess. gov/eop/2009/B42. xls GPO Access . Money stock and debt measures, 1965–2008. 10 March 2009 http://www. gpoaccess. gov/eop/2009/B69. xls GPO Access. Bond yields and interest rates, 1929–2008. 10 March 2009. http://www. gpoaccess. gov/eop/2009/B73. xls GPO Access. Changes in consumer price indexes for commodities and services, 1929–2007. 10 March 2009. http://www. gpoaccess. gov/eop/2009/B64. xls GPO Access. Foreign exchange rates, 1985–2008. 10 March 2009. http://www. gpoaccess. gov/eop/2009/B110. xls. Hanke, Steve H. September 24, 2008 The Bush Legacy: Deflation or Inflation? 10 March 2009. http://www. cato. org/pub_display. php? pub_id=9663 Irwin, Neil and Eggen, Dan. 12 Jan. 2009. The Washington Post. Economy Made Few Gains in Bush Years: Eight-Year Period Is Weakest in Decades. http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/01/12/ST2009011200359. html National Organization for Women. 27 August 2004. Bush’s Economic Failure Weakens Middle Class, Deepens Poverty and Harms Women and Families. 10 March 2009. OECD. Macroeconomic indicators. 10 March 2009. http://stats. oecd. org/mei/default. asp? lang=e&subject=15&country=USA Robinson, Woodward, Gellman. Timeline: Bush’s Eight Years in Office. 10 March 2009. http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-srv/politics/bush/legacy/timeline Shi, Leiyu and Stevens Gregory D. Vulnerable Populations in the United States. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2004 The High Cost of Health Care. 25 November 2007. The New York Times. 10 March 2009. http://www. nytimes. com/2007/11/25/opinion/25sun1. html? _r=1 United states Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. 10 March 2009 http://www. bls. gov/.

Class System in Pakistan

ABSTRACT In this paper I would like to introduce interrelated propositions about the Social structure of Pakistan: (i) that Pakistan society is characterized by a social stratification process which is compensatory in nature; (ii) that the compensatory process of social stratification over the years has given rise to status-centric value orientation; and (iii) that the most significant indicator of status-centric orientation is emergence of artificial middle class which can be distinguished from real middle class in terms of norms. INTRODUCTION They originated as the cast system in the time of divin-reite monarchs,  Upper  related to, or avored by the monarchy. Middle related to management, legal and business. Lower:  often called, â€Å"The work force those whom have no rights the ones that die and sweat. That the rich might richer get. The everlasting poor. In Pakistan society, the  middle class may be divided into two or three sub-groups. When divided into two parts, the lower middle class, also sometimes simply referred to as â€Å"middle class†, consists of roughly one third of households, roughly twice as large as the upper middle or  managerial class. Common occupation fields are semi- professionals, such as lower-level managers or school teachers, small business owners and killed craftsmen. These individuals commonly have  some college education  or perhaps a  Bachelor's degree  and earn a  comfortable living. Already among the largest social classes, rivaled only by the working class, the lower middle class is diverse and growing. Though not common in sociological models, the middle class may be divided into two sections, And the least working class that’s express a lot of peoples. A social class is a homogeneous group of people in a society formed on the combined basis of * Education * Occupation * Income * Place of residenceAnd have who have similar social values similar interest in life and they behave a like have approximately equal position of respect or status in a society. The social classes of Pakistan: – 1. Upper class 2. Middle class 3. Working class 1. UPPER CLASS: – The upper social class which generally have high level of income and belong to be most high paying profession and they live in most cleanest place of the country and money will be no problem for them and their size is  2%  of the total society and approximately  3. 7 million  they have 60% to 65% of money of the country. They are actually * High status leadership * Big business man Top management of the company Members of the upper class control and own significant portions of the corporate and may exercise indirect power through the investment of capital. The high salaries and the potential for amassing great wealth through  have greatly increased for the power and visibility of the â€Å"corporate elite†. Many sociologists and commentators, however, make a distinction between the upper cla ss (in the sense of those in the families of inherited wealth) and the corporate elite. By implication, the upper class is held in lower regard (as inheritors of idle wealth) than the self-made millionaires in prestigious occupations.Yet another important feature of the upper class is that of inherited privilege. While most Americans, including those in the  upper-middl class  need to actively maintain their status, upper class persons do not need to work in order to maintain their status. Status tends to be passed on from generation to generation without each generation having to re-certify its status. Overall, the upper class is the financially best compensated and one of the most influential socio-economic classes in society. (i) Upper Middle Class The upper middle class consists of highly educated salaried professionals whose work is largely self-directed.Many have advanced graduate degrees and household incomes commonly exceed the high five-figure range. Members of this cla ss commonly value higher education – most holding advanced academic degrees – and are often involved with personal and professional networks including professional organizations. The upper middle class tends to have great influence over the course of society. Occupations which require high educational attainment, are well-compensated and are held in high public esteem such as physicians, lawyers, engineers, scientists and professors are largely considered to be upper middle class.The very well-educated are seen as trend setters with movements such as the anti-smoking movement, pro-fitness movement, organic food movement, and environmentalism being largely indigenous to this particular socio-economic grouping. Education serves as perhaps the most important value and also the most dominant entry barrier of the upper middle clas 2. MIDDLE CLASS: – The USC and MSC education are met different like USC study in foreign country like oxford university and MSC are study in local university of their country but income size will found more different their houses are ifferent their house are not huge and not think for a huge house of defense and think a house of Gulshan-e-iqbal their population is 28% out of the total population their population is 53 to 54 million of the total population They are actually * They are small to medium size business man. * Middle management * Low ranking govt officer And the big difference in USC and MSC is house concentration they focus more to their house but USC not so much home focus they are less and MSC lot home focus. The  middle class  is perhaps the mostly vaguely defined of the social classe.The term can be used either to describe a relative elite of professionals and managers also called the upper middle class or it can be used to describe those in-between the extremes of wealth, disregarding considerable differences in income, culture,  educational attainment, influence, and occupation. As with all soci al classes in pakistan there are no definite answers as to what is and what is not middle class. Sociologists have brought forth class models in which the middle class is divided into two sections that combined constitute 47% to 49% of the population.The upper middle or professional class constitutes the upper end of the middle class which consists of highly educated, well-paid professionals with considerable work autonomy. The lower end of the middle class – called either lower middle class or just middle class – consists of semi-professionals, craftsmen, office staff, and sales employees who often have college degrees and are very loosely supervised. Although income thresholds cannot be determined since social classes lack istinct boundaries and tend to overlap, sociologists and economists have put forward certain income figures they find indicative of middle class households. Sociologist identifies a husband making roughly $57,000 and a wife making roughly $40,000 w ith a household income of roughly $97,000 as a typical middle-class family. Sociologists identify household incomes between $35,000 and $75,000 as typical for the lower middle and $100,000 or more as typical for the upper middle class. Though it needs to be noted that household income distribution neither reflects standard of living nor class status with complete accuracy. i) Traditional Middle Class Those households more or less at the center of society may be referred to as being part of the pakistan middle or middle-middle class in vernacular language use. In the academic models featured in this article, however, the middle class does not constitute a strong majority of the population. The most prominent academic models split the middle class into two sections. Yet, it remains common for the term middle class to be applied for anyone in between either extreme of the socio-economic strata.The middle class is then often sub-divided into an upper-middle, middle-middle, and lower-mid dle class. In colloquial descriptions of the class system the middle-middle class may described as consisting of those in the middle of the social strata. The term middle class in this manner, especially when discussing the  middle-class squeeze. The wide discrepancy between the academic models and public opinions that lump highly educated professionals together in the same class with secretaries, may lead to the conclusion that public opinion on the subject has become largely ambiguous. ii) Lower Middle Class The lower middle class is, as the name implies, generally defined as those less privileged than the middle class. People in this class commonly work in supporting occupations. Although they seldom hold advanced academic degrees, a college degree (usually a bachelor's degree) is almost always required for entry into the lower middle class. Sociologists divide the middle class into two groups. In their class modes the middle class only consists of an upper and lower middle cla ss.The upper middle class, as described above, constitutes roughly 15% of the population with highly educated white collar professionals who commonly have salaries in the high 5-figure range and household incomes in the low six figure range. Semi-professionals with Bachelor's degrees and some college degrees constitute the lower middle class. Their class models show the lower middle class positioned slightly above the middle of the socio-economic strata. Those in  blue  and  pink-collar as well as  clerical  occupations are referred to as working class in these class models. . WORKING CLASS: – The term working class applies to those that work at this tier in the social hierarchy. Definitions of this term vary greatly. Population to be in either the upper-lower class or lower-lower class in 1949, modern-day experts argue that the working class constitutes most of the population. The WSC are not much more educated they are not in very accurative profession their incom e is low and they build one two room poorly houses, electricity not available water etc. Their size is 70% out total population of Pakistan.They are actually * They are very small size shop owner. Skill, semi skill ; unskilled * Low grade govt staff ( peons, driver) * Poor former * Political worker The term commonly includes the so-called â€Å"blue bloods† (multi-generational wealth combined with leadership of high society). There is disagreement over whether they should be included as members of the upper class or whether this term should exclusively be used for established families. Twentieth century sociologist divided the upper class into two sections: the â€Å"upper- upper class† and â€Å"lower-upper class† .The former includes established upper-class families while the latter includes those with  great wealth. As there is no defined lower threshold for the upper class it is difficult, if not outright impossible. Income  and  wealth  statistics m ay serve as a helpful guideline as they can be measured in a more objective manner. In 2012, approximately one and a half percent (1. 5%) of households in the had incomes exceeding $250,000 with the top 5% having incomes exceeding $157,000. Furthermore only 2. 6% of households held assets (excluding home equity) of more than one-million dollars.One could therefore fall under the assumption that less than five percent of Pakistan society are members of rich households As the day proceeded, I found myself reflecting and comparing the education system of that of Canada to that of   various parts of the international community. Before proceeding let me attest to the reality that I am in no way suggesting that the education system of that of Canada is not saturated with disparities, BUT, I do however want to allude to the reality of the increasing opportunity when considering the  access to education  when compared to countries like Pakistan, for example. my reference to Pakistan i s a direct reflection of my personal interactions with various members of the Pakistani community hence my first-hand take on the dynamics unfolding within the Pakistani education system) In Pakistan, and in most countries for that matter, (comprising the ‘West)  is  seen as  a provincial responsibility  ensuring the attainment of education  up to and including high school. Access to education in Pakistan however, does not serve as a preamble  for  social or economic  progression in the near future.Gender disparities,   the social hierarchical positioning of an individual, income, religious affiliation and perhaps the most infuriating of all, the structure of the education system in Pakistan all serve as challenges to achieve a substantive level of access to education. The society that limits access to education and knowledge is short-sighted and destined for extinction, like the societies described in  Collapse  by Jared Diamond. Furthermore, along with people’s pursuit of social justice one needs to also embark  on the pursuit of equal opportunities in education.Plato in â€Å"Utopia† makes reference to every citizen, regardless of sex, outlining that we must receive education from an early age, and that this should be the earliest concept of equality of educational opportunity. Education provides the bedrock for reducing impoverishment and enhancing social development. In Pakistan, there has been a downsizing trend for the quality of education but moreover, the transparency of curriculum made available to students in various schools is questionable as different schools provide arraying levels of educationMadrasas (religious schools housed at local mosques), state-owned schools, English  governed schools  and private schools are the various components of the educative framework in Pakistan. Although Canada also consists of both public and private schools, does curriculum vary by leaps and bounds in such a way t hat it further perpetuates class difference, taking away from any opportunity to erode the clashing of civilizations? Are students in Pakistan belonging to the lower classes able to even fathom the idea of attending a private and/or prestigious school within Pakistan?Why has the education system become reflective of the social and economic classes of Pakistan? Why the arraying curriculum? Are school’s like Karachi Grammer School, Frobels, Aithison College, Beaconhouse, American School Franchise   (and many others for which I would have to re-engage into conversations with certain individuals to remember and that in itself would be an unbearable task for me)   not aware of the students that are being pumped out of their system? The ‘elite’ schools of Pakistan are producing replicas of individuals who acclaim to be ‘elite’ as they are able to converse in English, shunning and onsidering their very own culture to be tainted with traits of backward a nd outdated. If access to education wasn’t atrocious enough, such ‘elitist’ schools have further contributed to ejecting students who, in some cases, further foster the already created social hierarchies within Pakistan. [Case and point:  Ã‚  Consider the social interaction of  some Pakistani students abroad and their pre-conceived notions of each other based on the school they've attended within Pakistan Access to what may be considered ‘decent’ education is undeniably tied to the class structure looming within Pakistan.This included geographical placement (and 70% of Pakistanis live in rural areas) so if one does not live in a major city your hopes for a post-secondary education are drastically low. When shedding light on job prospects and a prosperous future, the decline ratio between that of the Cambridge system (targets upper and upper-middle class) and the Urdu medium system (this encompasses government schools catering to the ‘restâ €™ of the population) is dramatic and continues to rise exponentially. From Nicholas D. Kristof’s article, formulated in Nov 2010 and published in the NY Times states One reason Pakistan is sometimes called the most dangerous country in the world is this: a kindergarten child in this country has only a 1 percent chance of reaching the 12th grade, according to the Pakistan Education Task Force, an official panel. The average Pakistani child is significantly less likely to be schooled than the average child in sub-Saharan Africa. † Such numbers are not surprising, but it seems that they have to be parroted time and time again to shake up the myopic vision of upper-class Pakistan. It is said that nations are not developed in factories and industries but it is developed in  colleges and universities.In the 2nd world war Churchill and Hitler passed a resolution that both armies were not attack on the  universities  of other countries. You can’t believe that most of the  children  those were born during 2nd world war were born in  colleges and universities. This resolution revealed the importance of education in the western countries. They believed that  colleges and universities  are the factories where their future leaders would be made. The education system of developed countries is very much strong and effective while the education system of under developed countries like  Pakistan  is not so good.Our  educational  system in  Pakistan  is facing lots of problems and  not working  properly. The main deficit of our  educational  system is that we have not a proper system on which every one should act. The education minister who is governing the education of  Pakistan  doesn’t believe on his own system and send his/her  children  abroad for studies. The upper class of  Pakistan  also send their  children  abroad for studies or they adopt the British  educational  system O’ Level and A’ Level in  Pakistan. The lower class people send their  children  in  government  schools that schools are at bottom in  ranking  due to bad performance.The products of these schools not compete with the upper class  children  which makes a huge difference between both classes. When both classes  students  got admission in  colleges  are  universities  for higher studies there is also a big difference in them due to the quality of education in English medium schools and the low quality of education at  government  school. Now the  government  has taken initiative to reduce this difference that English is necessary for all  government  educational  institutes. Here we will discuss the  educational  system of  Pakistan  in  colleges and universities.Students  are very much assured about getting job right after the graduation or master’s degree in any renowned  university. But they have to wait for a l ong time for a good job first they have to gain experience of any field. In our  educational  system of  Pakistan  you know  examination  system is not very good, you can’t believe it that at master’s level if you’ve read only 10 to 15 questions that are enough for passing exams. Some  universities  there are semester system and some has annual system, interesting is that there are many  universities  which have both semester and annual system at a same time in different disciplines.All the Pakistani  universities  and  colleges  have developed their own curriculum for studying. There should be the same course and curriculum for any  university  or college in  Pakistan. Government  should do some arrangement for this that all the  universities  should have same course outline of a specific study program. If the  universities  have the same course outline it would be very beneficial for the  students  as well as it would be helpful to improve education in  Pakistan. Poorstudents  of a college in a village would be study the same course and subjects which would be read by a student of any biggest  university  of  Pakistan.

Critical Thinking Essay

Critical Thinking Essay Critical Thinking Essay Negotiating a topic for your critical essay writing should prompt you to ask your lecturer the following question: 'Do you think this topic is worth writing about or should I try something else?' As typical, the mistake made by many students is the choice of the critical essay topic that is far too wide, or to choose one which lends itself to too long description instead of analysis. You will be more than likely steered towards a focused and specific critical thinking essay topic. If you're looking at historical documents or sorting out your reading, you need to look for issues and things you can question while writing an essay. There has to be something worthy of writing about in the college critical essay and you won't get that by describing a document. You have to look at your evidence and try to understand what it means. For instance, we're looking at the 'Music Hall' as evidence of imperialism - so we'll look at the songs and try to find out what values are embedded in the verses. Then we'll relate those values to other types of evidence from the period. You should write critical essays because they teach you something, not just as an exercise to prove your ability to write. Besides gaining a coursework grade or mark, English essay writing clarifies your thinking, gives you some idea of how well you understand the subject critically, and helps you to develop your own thoughts and to present them logically. The process of writing critical essay is as important as the end product: Critical Essay Format Devising questions can help you to find an essay focus to write about. You might begin by finding essay problem, a puzzle, or an issue that intrigues you. Studying History you might wonder, for example, what some Edwardian values such as patriotism meant to people at different times. If you are studying a foreign language you might be interested in difference between your native language and the foreign one. In Politics you might consider how power had shifted between local councils and central government. English Literature might prompt an essay about the portrayal of Shakespeare's King Lear. Questions similar to the following ones might help you generate some of your critical essay material: Critical essay questions: What did Edwardian values like patriotism mean to people at different times (compared with our understanding of patriotism today)? Are some everyday objects more useful than others for the learning of French? How has power shifted from local councils to central government? Should Shakespeare's character Lear be played as a fool or a madman? .Com If you are not sure how to write a good critical thinking essay on the assigned topic, you are welcome to place an order at and one of our experienced writers will help you with essay writing. We deliver only custom written papers, critical essays, and dissertations on any topic and prior to deadline! Read also: Dissertation Paper Dissertation Help Creative Writing Thesis APA Thesis Writing a Term Paper Critical Thinking Essay Critical Thinking Essay Free Online Research Papers Critical thinking and decision making is the process to find the truth. An important aspect of thinking is the process that relies on the ability to coordinate and structure our ideas so that they make sense. Training our mind to use the critical thinking process gives people a better understanding of the information. This paper will discuss the three different thinking styles. It will also compare and contrast logical style, persuasive style, and creative style. Critical thinking will be applied to the decision making process by using work environment examples. The logical style of thinking is a complex process in which reasoning is used to come to a conclusion. This style involves a sequence of steps or thoughts used to solve a problem. According to Kirby and Goodpaster (2007), along with creative thought, inductive and deductive logic comprise the bedrock and substance of all our thinking. Using the two major elements of logical thinking, deductive and inductive reasoning, solutions can be tested with tried and true methods. This style is very distinct and follows a more structured and analytical path using proven methods in order to reach the conclusions. When comparing logical thinking to the creative and persuasive styles of thinking, all three require detailed processes to reach conclusions. With the creative style, the conclusions are inspired by the ideas that can be gathered using metaphors, brainstorming and starbursting. While the persuasive style of thinking can incorporate biases, emotion, motivation and even manipulation, it usually requires some sort of credibility to be successful. Logical thinking affects the critical thinking process because it uses Deductive thinking which â€Å"is the kind of reasoning that begins with two or more premises and derives a conclusion that must follow from those premises, a conclusion† (Kirby and Goodpaster, 2007) and inductive reasoning which â€Å"usually begins with a set of evidence or observations† (Kirby and Goodpaster, 2007). All three thinking styles are required in the critical thinking process in order reach a valid and sound conclusion. In real estate, all three of these styles of thinking must be incorporated. For example, when taking on a new listing, a detailed step-by-step process must be followed. This series of paperwork is very straight forward and completed in sequential order. If this order is not followed correctly, company rules, association bylaws and even board ethics could be violated. During the marketing phase, creativity is a must in today’s world. The listing agent must ask many questions of the seller in order to present the property to the right audience and in the right manner. When the time comes to show homes to a perspective buyer, the art of persuasion comes to play. The agent must make sure that the properties being shown appeal to the buyer’s needs, wants, values and sometimes even egos. The persuasive thinking style involves getting your audience to believe, go along, or act in accordance with what you want. With this style of thinking, if a person is an effective persuader you can basically get anyone to agree with just about anything. Persuasion and manipulation have a thin line between the two of them. Persuasion is the act of getting someone or a group of people to agree with your views, and beliefs basing your information on facts and truths. For example; getting people to drink more water because it’s healthier for their kidneys than sodas or fruit drinks is the act of persuasion. On the other hand attempting to have people drink more water because soda and fruit juices cause cancer is an act of manipulation, especially if the presenter is receiving some type of benefit for this fictional information. Using critical thinking in the decision making process in the workplace is significant. For example, if a bakery is considering getting a new oven for efficiency then all thinking styles can come into play. First, the creative style can be used to brainstorm the different types of oven, performance, efficiency and effectiveness. Second, the logical process comes into play narrowing the field of ovens down to a few which can be decided on. Third, the persuasion process can then be used to narrow the selection of ovens to either the most efficient, quickest, or least expensive. No individual has a lock on creativity, and that allows individuals to think about unlocking the creativity each possesses (Kirby, Goodpaster, 2007). When one creates a new idea, that individual is taking an old idea and mixing it, moving it, or building it into a new idea (Kirby, Goodpaster, 2007). Therefore, creative thinking can be used by anyone, to a certain extent. Personal barriers such as an individuals brain and the language it contains, limit the amount of creativity one may possess. On the other hand, traits such as humor, laughter, courage, and calm help individuals be more creative by breaking out of structured thoughts and making new combinations by reorganizing these thoughts (Kirby, Goodpaster, 2007). In the workplace, brainstorming and starbursting during the critical thinking process allows for many creative ideas to be generated. Brainstorming should have no boundaries, so the mind can move from one thought to the next, allowing for the creation of ideas. These creative ideas can be evaluated, picked apart, and restructured at a later time to help meet the needs of the organization. Starbursting is an important tactic to use because the central topic of any problem is already established, allowing for questions and ideas to be created around that topic. Creative thinking encourages an individual to think outside the box to generate innovative ideas. At Centocor, associates are encouraged to participate on teams that are put in place to improve processes. Creative thinking plays an extensive role in critical thinking because the team must think differently from the normal process that has been used for the past 10 years. At Centocor there are staff members working with a team that is restructuring the training process of new employees. The current process has been in place since 1997, but the process lacks the structure needed to train an individual properly. A brainstorming session was used to generate over 600 aspects of training that needed to be considered for the improvement to be effective. These topics were evaluated and analyzed for relevance and used as a guide for the formation of important steps in the training process. Because the team already knew the main point was training, questions were generated to help identify where the most improvement was needed. This project is still ongoing, and because of the tactics of brainstorming and starbursting, the project has an ample amount of ideas to continue to move it forward. In conclusion, each thinking style has its advantages and disadvantages. Logical thinking, persuasive thinking and creative thinking styles have been compared and contrasted. Learning how to use each thinking style correctly will help you to apply the accurate style in different circumstances. Learning each style and applying it correctly will help you to achieve the best results. When these multiple thinking styles are properly combined, solutions to problems are more easily accepted and resolved. â€Å"Thinking styles is ideal for use in situations at work where strong relationships are critical for success.† (Flinstone, 2001) Research Papers on Critical Thinking EssayThree Concepts of PsychodynamicComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaBringing Democracy to AfricaBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfResearch Process Part OneThe Project Managment Office SystemArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Effects of Television Violence on Children Critical Thinking Essay Free Online Research Papers Logic and critical thinking go hand in hand. Most of my major decisions are thought through and analyzed. I take the information I am presented with and then go from there. This is very important if my decision is going to affect more than one person. If a decision effects my family or people I care about I am more likely to take a little longer to analyze the information presented. When people that you care about are involved it takes you through so many obstacles and thoughts. There are times when you are not sure what would be the best thing to do in a situation. The nature of logic as understood is when you have a situation, belief, or tradition. It is a situation examined and reviewed in great detail to discover the reasoning behind a behavior. Critical thinking as I understand it is when you view a situation in multiple ways to get an accurate answer or results. The nature of logic relates to critical thinking by examining the situation and thoughts to get a clearer decision of possible outcomes, or reasoning. Critical thinking, by definition, involves elements of logic and perception. Without logic, one cannot complete a critical thought. There was a time in my life where my perception was far from reality it was when I perceived that my grandfather would beat the battle with diabetes. What I thought was going on is that his body was stronger than ever to fight off this horrible disease. I just knew without a doubt the man that I grew to know as my father and gave me such great advice and encouragement could overcome anything even this disease. He had never complained not one day about how he really felt inside, his will was strong and he epitomized what strength should be like for anyone with such an illness of this degree. I knew that there were many stages of diabetes but he had dealt with it so well I never thought that it would eventually get the best of him. What was truly going on is that day-by-day little by little diabetes was slowly taking his life away. He truly had the whole family convinced that any day now he would be back to his normal life. Reality set in and I saw the illness for what it really was li fe threatening. Perception set in once my grandfather had a doctors visit and the doctor advised my grandmother that some drastic changes needed to be made or my grandfather had no chance. My family knew that my grandfather was a really stubborn individual. His favorite saying was We all have to go someday somehow. We knew then that my grandfather would see his last day sooner than later. I perceived the worse case scenario my grandfather would die. Perception is not always the best way to look at things because emotions can be involved and clear thinking is not always possible when that happens. The best way to look at any situation is with logical or critical thinking. We continue to build on our knowledge about subjects based upon what we know and from new information provided to us. Critical thinking helps us ask relevant questions to get the information we need, weigh evidence offered in support of arguments. It also helps us to interpret difficult problems, and make the right decisions. This is especially important when you realize that many problems do not lend themselves a solution. It is important to think before you speak because you never know where miss understanding may take you. Do not assume, but think about all of your possible choices before making a fair decision. In the end not only will you gain knowledge, but you will also enhance your way of thinking to understand and except different people and environments. This course of events has not changed my process of critical thinking at all. I still take the information I am given, analyze to see how it will affect me and those around me and then make the best possible decision. I think this is the best way to look at any situation. Research Papers on Critical Thinking EssayThree Concepts of PsychodynamicComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceBringing Democracy to AfricaCapital PunishmentThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsLifes What IfsBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of Self

An Analysis of Project Networks as Resource Planning Tools

| Following is an analysis of project networks as resource planning tools. The analysis will be segmented into three topical areas to include: * Risks associated with leveling resources, compressing, or crashing projects, and imposed durations or â€Å"catch-up† as the project is being implemented; * Advantages and disadvantages for reducing project scope to accelerate a project and what can be done to reduce the disadvantages * Three options for reducing project duration and advantages and disadvantages to these options Risks Associated with Leveling Resources, Compressing, or Crashing Projects, and Imposed Durations or â€Å"Catch-Up† The text (Gray and Larson, 2008) gives good definitions for the risks associated with certain actions used to offset resource constraints. The act or process of evening out â€Å"resource demand by delaying noncritical activities (using slack) to lower peak demand† (Gray and Larson, 2008) is considered leveling resources. This action ultimately increases the resource utilization, which is more than likely the desired result. Even though one may get the desired results resource-wise, leveling resources often results in pushing out the end-date of a project. In most cases, that is the extreme outcome. Another risk that bears its head when slack is reduced, is loss of flexibility which equates to an increase in critical activities. Without slack anywhere in a project network, ALL activities become critical. This means that everything has to fall perfectly in place in order to stay on the prescribed timeline. Compressing a schedule means that you will be conducting project activities in parallel. Compressing is not applicable to all project activities. A good example can be seen if you have activities labeled â€Å"Hire Workers† and â€Å"Dig Foundation†. You can’t implement the â€Å"Hire Workers† and â€Å"Dig Foundation† activities in parallel because to dig a foundation you need to have someone to do the digging. (brighthub. com/office/project-management/articles/51684. aspx#ixzz0ongX7ECF, 20 May 2010). Risks of compressing include: * Increases risk of rework * Increases communications challenges, and may * Require more resources Crashing a schedule involves allocating more resources so that an activity can be completed on time or before time, assuming that by deploying more resources the activity can be completed earlier. One good aspect about crashing a schedule (just like compressing), you do not need to crash all activities. The activities that impact the schedule are those with no slack, thus being the only ones that are affected. Risks associated with this action are as follows: â€Å"Budget: Since you allocated more resources, you will not deliver the project on-budget. Demoralization: Existing resources may get demoralized by the increase in people to complete activities that were originally assigned to them. Coordination: More resources translates to an increase in communication challenges† (brighthub. com/office/project-management/articles/51684. aspx#ixzz0onfuKUmj, 20 May 2010). These risks combined or by themselves can ultimately pose the overall risk of reducing the effectiveness of the existing resources. Advantages and Disadvantages for Reducing Project Scope to Accelerate a Project and what can be Done to Reduce the Disadvantages Reducing the scope of the project can lead to big savings both in time and costs. It typically means the elimination of certain tasks. At the same time scaling down the scope may reduce the value of the project such that it is no longer worthwhile or fails to meet critical success factors. An advantage to reducing project scope is the project is more likely to stay on schedule and on budget. It also allows for more focus being applied to the remaining deliverables in the project scope. A disadvantage that may arise is loss of quality in work due to key quality deliverables selected to be cut in order to balance the timeline of the project. The key to offsetting the disadvantages is â€Å"reassessing the project requirements to determine which are essential and which are optional. This requires the active involvement of all key stakeholders. More intense re-examination of requirements may actually improve the value of the project by getting it done more quickly and for a lower cost. † (just answer. com 21 May 2010) Three Options for Reducing Project Duration and Advantages and Disadvantages to these Options Reducing the duration a project can be managed by reducing the duration of an activity/activities almost always results in higher direct cost. When the duration of a critical activity is reduced, the project’s critical path can be change with other activities and that new path will determine the new project completion date. Following are three options to reducing project duration. Adding Resources: This is a popular method to reduce project time by assigning additional staff and equipment to activities-if it is assessed appropriately. The activities at hand need to be researched accordingly and proper determinations of how much time will be saved prior to just throwing bodies at it. The first thing that comes to mind when you add resources is â€Å"double the resources, reduce the length of the project in half. The unforeseen disadvantage that arises is the increase in the amount of time that an existing team member must spend in explaining what has been done already and what is planned. This increases the overall communication time spent by the team which phenomenally ends up adding/losing valuable time. Outsourcing Project work: A common method for shortening the project time is to subcontract an activity. The subcontract may have access to superior technology or expertise that will accelerate the completion of the activity (Gray and Larson, 2008). Additionally, significant cost reduction, and flexibility can be gained when a company outsources (Gray and Larson, 2008). Disadvantages that may be experienced are conflict due to contrasting interpersonal interactions and internal morale issues if the work has normally been done in-house (Gray and Larson, 2008). Scheduling Overtime: The easiest way to add more labor to a project is not to add more people, but to schedule overtime. The www. businesslink. gov outlines potential advantages of using overtime working include: * a more flexible workforce * the ability to deal with bottlenecks, busy periods, cover of absences and  staff shortages without the need to recruit extra staff * increased earning for employees * avoidance of disruption to jobs where the workload is more difficult to share,  e. g. ransport and driving * the ability to carry out  repair and maintenance which has to be done outside normal working hours However, disadvantages may include: * the expense of premium overtime rates * inefficiency if employees slacken their pace of work in order to qualify for overtime * regular long wo rking hours, which  can adversely affect employees’ work, health and home lives * fatigue, which  may increase absence levels and lead to unsafe working practices * employee expectations of overtime, leading to resentment and inflexibility if you try to withdraw it. (businesslink. gov, 22 May 2010) Conclusion Usage and availability of resources are essential considerations when establishing Project Networks in Resource Planning. This analysis has focused on some of the risks of certain actions used to offset resource constraints, advantages/disadvantages for reducing project scope, and options/advantages/disadvantages for reducing project duration. If implemented correctly, careful consideration of the outlined risks will make managing a project a little less painless. References Brighthub. com. Difference Between Schedule Crashing and Compressing, Retrieved 20 May, 2010 http://www. brighthub. com/office/project-management/articles/51684. aspx#ixzz0onfuKUmj Brighthub. com. When to Crash or Compress a Schedule, Retrieved 20 May 2010 http://www. brighthub. com/office/project-management/articles/51684. aspx#ixzz0onfuKUmj Read also: Conveyor Belt Project An Analysis of Project Networks as Resource Planning Tools | Following is an analysis of project networks as resource planning tools. The analysis will be segmented into three topical areas to include: * Risks associated with leveling resources, compressing, or crashing projects, and imposed durations or â€Å"catch-up† as the project is being implemented; * Advantages and disadvantages for reducing project scope to accelerate a project and what can be done to reduce the disadvantages * Three options for reducing project duration and advantages and disadvantages to these options Risks Associated with Leveling Resources, Compressing, or Crashing Projects, and Imposed Durations or â€Å"Catch-Up† The text (Gray and Larson, 2008) gives good definitions for the risks associated with certain actions used to offset resource constraints. The act or process of evening out â€Å"resource demand by delaying noncritical activities (using slack) to lower peak demand† (Gray and Larson, 2008) is considered leveling resources. This action ultimately increases the resource utilization, which is more than likely the desired result. Even though one may get the desired results resource-wise, leveling resources often results in pushing out the end-date of a project. In most cases, that is the extreme outcome. Another risk that bears its head when slack is reduced, is loss of flexibility which equates to an increase in critical activities. Without slack anywhere in a project network, ALL activities become critical. This means that everything has to fall perfectly in place in order to stay on the prescribed timeline. Compressing a schedule means that you will be conducting project activities in parallel. Compressing is not applicable to all project activities. A good example can be seen if you have activities labeled â€Å"Hire Workers† and â€Å"Dig Foundation†. You can’t implement the â€Å"Hire Workers† and â€Å"Dig Foundation† activities in parallel because to dig a foundation you need to have someone to do the digging. (brighthub. com/office/project-management/articles/51684. aspx#ixzz0ongX7ECF, 20 May 2010). Risks of compressing include: * Increases risk of rework * Increases communications challenges, and may * Require more resources Crashing a schedule involves allocating more resources so that an activity can be completed on time or before time, assuming that by deploying more resources the activity can be completed earlier. One good aspect about crashing a schedule (just like compressing), you do not need to crash all activities. The activities that impact the schedule are those with no slack, thus being the only ones that are affected. Risks associated with this action are as follows: â€Å"Budget: Since you allocated more resources, you will not deliver the project on-budget. Demoralization: Existing resources may get demoralized by the increase in people to complete activities that were originally assigned to them. Coordination: More resources translates to an increase in communication challenges† (brighthub. com/office/project-management/articles/51684. aspx#ixzz0onfuKUmj, 20 May 2010). These risks combined or by themselves can ultimately pose the overall risk of reducing the effectiveness of the existing resources. Advantages and Disadvantages for Reducing Project Scope to Accelerate a Project and what can be Done to Reduce the Disadvantages Reducing the scope of the project can lead to big savings both in time and costs. It typically means the elimination of certain tasks. At the same time scaling down the scope may reduce the value of the project such that it is no longer worthwhile or fails to meet critical success factors. An advantage to reducing project scope is the project is more likely to stay on schedule and on budget. It also allows for more focus being applied to the remaining deliverables in the project scope. A disadvantage that may arise is loss of quality in work due to key quality deliverables selected to be cut in order to balance the timeline of the project. The key to offsetting the disadvantages is â€Å"reassessing the project requirements to determine which are essential and which are optional. This requires the active involvement of all key stakeholders. More intense re-examination of requirements may actually improve the value of the project by getting it done more quickly and for a lower cost. † (just answer. com 21 May 2010) Three Options for Reducing Project Duration and Advantages and Disadvantages to these Options Reducing the duration a project can be managed by reducing the duration of an activity/activities almost always results in higher direct cost. When the duration of a critical activity is reduced, the project’s critical path can be change with other activities and that new path will determine the new project completion date. Following are three options to reducing project duration. Adding Resources: This is a popular method to reduce project time by assigning additional staff and equipment to activities-if it is assessed appropriately. The activities at hand need to be researched accordingly and proper determinations of how much time will be saved prior to just throwing bodies at it. The first thing that comes to mind when you add resources is â€Å"double the resources, reduce the length of the project in half. The unforeseen disadvantage that arises is the increase in the amount of time that an existing team member must spend in explaining what has been done already and what is planned. This increases the overall communication time spent by the team which phenomenally ends up adding/losing valuable time. Outsourcing Project work: A common method for shortening the project time is to subcontract an activity. The subcontract may have access to superior technology or expertise that will accelerate the completion of the activity (Gray and Larson, 2008). Additionally, significant cost reduction, and flexibility can be gained when a company outsources (Gray and Larson, 2008). Disadvantages that may be experienced are conflict due to contrasting interpersonal interactions and internal morale issues if the work has normally been done in-house (Gray and Larson, 2008). Scheduling Overtime: The easiest way to add more labor to a project is not to add more people, but to schedule overtime. The www. businesslink. gov outlines potential advantages of using overtime working include: * a more flexible workforce * the ability to deal with bottlenecks, busy periods, cover of absences and  staff shortages without the need to recruit extra staff * increased earning for employees * avoidance of disruption to jobs where the workload is more difficult to share,  e. g. ransport and driving * the ability to carry out  repair and maintenance which has to be done outside normal working hours However, disadvantages may include: * the expense of premium overtime rates * inefficiency if employees slacken their pace of work in order to qualify for overtime * regular long wo rking hours, which  can adversely affect employees’ work, health and home lives * fatigue, which  may increase absence levels and lead to unsafe working practices * employee expectations of overtime, leading to resentment and inflexibility if you try to withdraw it. (businesslink. gov, 22 May 2010) Conclusion Usage and availability of resources are essential considerations when establishing Project Networks in Resource Planning. This analysis has focused on some of the risks of certain actions used to offset resource constraints, advantages/disadvantages for reducing project scope, and options/advantages/disadvantages for reducing project duration. If implemented correctly, careful consideration of the outlined risks will make managing a project a little less painless. References Brighthub. com. Difference Between Schedule Crashing and Compressing, Retrieved 20 May, 2010 http://www. brighthub. com/office/project-management/articles/51684. aspx#ixzz0onfuKUmj Brighthub. com. When to Crash or Compress a Schedule, Retrieved 20 May 2010 http://www. brighthub. com/office/project-management/articles/51684. aspx#ixzz0onfuKUmj Read also: Conveyor Belt Project

Writing assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing assignment - Essay Example The interviewer was inquiring as to the trouble of instituting democracy in the Middle East and in so doing referred to a traditional concept that the individuals there are simply not capable of democratic order. In refuting this notion, Michael Scheuer remarks that the issue is not a sort of innate resistance to democracy, but instead the long ingrained combination of church and state in the region that makes instituting democracy a highly challenging process. Scheuer indicates that when the West points to its own prosperous ways and the democractic political process that they were brought about through, the Middle Eastern people still believe that this form of government is man-made and has turned its back on God. Scheuer goes as far as to argue that the least exportable thing the United States has is its democracy. The remark underlines one of the critical areas of difference between the United States and Middle Eastern states. Namely this difference is a core value system, with t he West pursuing a socially constructed sense of profit and equity, and the Middle Eastern clinging to an ancient religious order. Within this spectrum of thought, one begins to question the sociological elements that have led to the Middle East retaining their religious affiliations, while the United States has adopted a more profit-centered existence.