Thursday, October 31, 2019

Motivation Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Motivation Assignment - Essay Example Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation differs in different contexts. For instance, in the workplace, extrinsic motivation comes from either monthly or weekly salaries. On the other hand, the source of intrinsic motivation can be from the desire to build one’s skills. Schools have different ways of motivation (Sansone 27). These include good grades in the examinations and exemplary teaching methods from tutors. Back in our homes, nice comments from our parents are great sources of motivation. This gives someone a sense of belonging. Consumer motivation is an important aspect in any project or business venture. It is an essential tool because increases the number of consumers and profits. This means that managers have to be keen to know what fully satisfies their consumers. They should seek to know the sources of customer’s dissatisfaction (Sansone 54). To motivate customers, managers have to try to know the areas of improvement in the delivery of services. These may include the features absent in the offered services and the charges. Total consumers satisfaction promises positive impact to the growth of the ICON Health and Fitness. It is evident from the above discussion motivation is a great source of energy to succeed any

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Law - Assignment Example Answer: the Florida State Court would have jurisdiction over the civil case if the complaint filed was for tort and the amount of damage is $5,001/$15,000 and the parties have sufficient contact with the state of Florida. a.) Answer: The Court acquires personal jurisdiction over the plaintiff through the pleadings filed such as complaint and serve the defendants the summons and copy of the complaint. The court has jurisdiction over the person of the plaintiffs since they are residents of the state and they have connection to the geographic area on which the court sits. b.) Answer: State Court acquires jurisdiction over the defendant by serving him the summons and complaint. Ureta 2 c.) Answer: The court acquires personal jurisdiction over Crete Carrier Corp., the Lincoln, Neb., trucking company by serving it the summons and copy of the complaint and by the application of the long arm statute. 5. Answer: The principal, which is the Crete Carrier Corp., the Lincoln, Neb., is primarily liable because under the agency law, the principal is liable for all the acts of the agent which are within the authority usually confided to an agent of that character, notwithstanding limitations, as between the principal and the agent, put upon that authority. The driver was acting within the authority confided to him by the principal when the accident happened. 6. Answer: As an independent contractor, the driver of the truck is primarily liable because the employer has no control how the work is done provided the result was delivered to him. 7. Answer. a. the plaintiffs can collect the entire judgment from either defendant 8. Answer: Punitive damages are in order in this case for this is a tort case of a highhanded nature. 9. Answer: a. The plaintiffs would divide the punitive damages among themselves. 10. a. yes Explanation: In cases of accident, the defendant may be sued criminally and civilly. In the tort case, the defendant is liable for damages while in criminal case, he is liable for the deaths of the 7 children. b. Answer: No Explanation: The trucking company, which is a corporation may only be civilly sued by the plaintiffs in order to recover damages. A corporation cannot be held criminally responsible for any tortuous act of its employee’s for it cannot be put to jail. Ureta 3 PART B Section 1. Article Identification: Title of the Article: State investigates Slope accident that crushed worker (PINNED: Alaska West Express worker, Fay, suffers crushed chest) Name of Publication: Anchorage Daily News retrieved from http://www.adn.com/2009/11/02/997243/state-investigates-slope-accident.html Date of Publication: November 2, 2009 Article Summary Just before midnight of October 27, 2009, a worker of Arctic Slope Regional, Inc., named John Fay was pinned between a tractor truck and a semi-trailer. An employee of Alaska West Express Inc. a trucking subsidiary of the Anchorage-based Lynden Inc drove the truck. Arctic Slope confirmed that Fay who rem ained in critical care at Providence Alaska Medical Center works for the company. Preliminary information gathered was that the truck either backed into John Fay or ran him over. It operates divisions in petroleum refining and marketing, government technical services, energy services and construction. It was not immediately clear what division of the company Fay worked for but Steve Standley, chief of enforcement at Alaska Occupational Safety and Health, said preliminary reports are that he was a laborer. Section 2: Information About the Type of Case State

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Effects of Mobile Phones in Society

The Effects of Mobile Phones in Society IMPLICATION OF HANDPHONES TO THE SOCIETY TODAY INTRODUCTION In the recent years, handphones have become ubiquitous in our society, it have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Handphones have been around for several decades in some form or another. The technology began in the late 1940s, when the idea of a handphone was bring to the society. A handphone, also referred to as mobile or cellular phone is defined as a portable telephone device used for mobile telecommunications which does not needed the use of landlines over a cellular network of specialized base stations. Unlike the usual home phones, handphones can be easily carried anywhere, from place to place. Handphones utilize the frequency transmitted by cell towers to join the calls between two devices. The base stations and also handphones send and receive signals using radio waves. Handphones are different from the cordless telephones that usually being used in a home or an office. Handphones does not have the same characteristic as the cordless telephones as the cordless telephones only provide telephone service inside a limited scope or area through a fixed line and a base station as well as from radio telephones and satellite phones. Handphones transmit and receive information such as voice messages by the use of radio communication. The phone transmits radio frequency signals to the base station and incoming signals are sent to the phone from the base station at a slightly distinct frequency. The base stations connect handphones to rest of the mobile and also fixed phone network. When the moment signals reach to a base station, it can be transmitted to main telephone network. Handphones are looked upon as a modern invention, but their origin can be traced back to the invention of telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in 1870s and success in capturing of radio message. Since then, these basic technologies have combined and shaped themselves together as what we called handphone. The history of handphones is divided into different generations (first, second, third, fourth and so on) which used to indicate the significant step changes in power or abilities as the technology getting better and better each year. In the first generation 1G, analog circuit-switched technology is used together with FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access). It worked mainly in 800 to 900Mhz frequency bands. 1G is the earliest cellular system to build up. The network contained unreliable handover, poor voice quality as well as poor security. As the limitation of the 1G, people are trying to create a newer generation of mobile communication, this is the second generation. 2G introduced for the first time the system used purely digital technology. Even though quite a few of the principle connected in a 1G system apply to 2G, there are deviations or a significant change in way that the signals are handled, and 1G networks does not have the capability to give more features ahead in development of the 2G systems, such as text messaging and also caller identity. 3G The third generation networks are the latest stage in the process development of wireless communications technology. They can support higher data transmission rates and provide increased capacity. This allows them to be used for high speed data applications and also for the normal voice calls. 3G systems are created according to a design in such a way to process data, and since the voice signals are transformed into digital data, this leads to the speech being dealt with in similar way as other kind of data. 3G systems use packet-switching technology, which is more effective and faster as compared with the traditional circuit-switched systems. 4G The fourth generation networks are more reliable. At the present times, more and more companies have began researching and creating the 4G communications system, this technology can have a high uplink rate to approximately 200Mbps, therefore a large number of data can transfer in the handphones. The 4G handphones contain more function such as the television. A large portion of handphone networks are digital and use the standard such as CDMA, GSM, or iDEN. They are all operating at various radio frequencies. A multi-mode phone operates across different standards whereas a multi-band phone is designed to operate on more than one radio frequency. In addition to the standard voice function, current generation handphones can support numerous additional services and also accessories rather than only voice calls or text messaging. For example, Bluetooth, infrared, USB, memory card reader (SD), MMS for sending and receiving multimedia elements, email, WiFi connectivity, instant messaging, camera with video function added, music (MP3) and video (MP4) playback, radio, alarms, memo, GPS navigation and so on. Some of the phones also include a touchscreen to make it much easier to be used. IMPLICATION OF HANDPHONES TO THE SOCIETY TODAY The changes of communication technology do have a critical impact on society today which associated with time and space as fundamental dimensions. The investigation on the structure and dynamics of the network society has shown the emergence of new forms/processes of space and time: the space of flows and timeless time (Castells, 2000). For examples, space of flows are consider of the material organization of simultaneous social interaction at the distance by networking communication via telecommunications technology support, interactive communication support systems, and fast transportation technologies. In a simple word we can call it as the territorial basis of each communication node (network). While, timeless time referred to the random order of moment when using handphone. The great advancement of communication technology greatly influenced our daily life by spreading the space of flows and timeless time. On the other hand, communication technology enhancement does benefit the people, â€Å"distance† can be shortened, and time can be saved. The â€Å"freedom of contact† provided by the handphone means for people to free themselves from the place-based context of their interaction, shifting their frame of reference to the communication itself, that is to a space made of communication flows, based on the availability of the technological infrastructure that makes it possible. (Crabtree et al, 2003) And yet, when society is too dependent on such high-tech mobile, those whom not equipped or forget to bring their handphones will be socially disabled. As what Misuko Ito said, â€Å"To not have a keitai (cell phone) is to be walking blind, disconnected from just-in-time information on where and when you are in the social networks of time and sp ace† (Ito, 2003) Moreover, the availability of wireless communication may saturate time with social practice making other practices cannot be conducted by inserting communication in all moments , such as the â€Å"in-between† time during transportation or in a waiting line (Larimer, 2000, p. A29). For examples, leisure time or working time would be affected when people use this time playing, sending SMS, or listening to music. Mobile communication may have greatly enhanced opportunity of reach of interpersonal sociability and shared practices but lots of undeniable impacts of handphones to the society. Implications of both positive and negative impacts draw up the contribution to the advantages and disadvantages of handphone to the users. First advantage of having handphone implies when someone is having emergency. The hand phones are undoubtedly a lifesaver on numerous occasions. When travelling abroad, peoples still can keep in contact and it become the most convenient way to communicate. On the other hand, having a handphone for some people, gives them a sense of security, they have the knowledge that the can contact and be contacted at anytime of the day. This is especially important where teenagers are concerned, more or so on the female, were parents may worry if they are out late; if they have a handphone with them, then they can be contacted to see when they are coming back. Therefore, parents boug ht handphone for their children to act as a safety device. Through the handphone, parents may know the location of their children as well as the activities their children were conducted. Nowadays, handphone is also use as an entertainment tool. Examples of service that provided are personal organizer, gaming, mp3 and mp4 player, camera, camcorder, Bluetooth, Wifi, GPS navigation RDS radio receiver, and more. No doubt, the rapid developments of handphone do bring a lot of advantages to the world. Short Message Service (SMS) spreads into everyday life is one of the facets in which technological evolution acts as a factor of cultural and behavioural change in the mobile society. First of all, SMS influences the writing skill of both children and teenagers. The length limitation to 160 characters and the challenge of the interface are two main influential factors in the mobile communications. According to Manuel Castells et al (2004) cited Ling and Yttri (2002), young users have to improve their ability to synthesize and summarize their messages in order to optimize each sent SMS. Therefore, young users develop a new language that can be defined as a new â€Å"writing orality† based on symbols and abbreviations. The new language is based on phonetics due to the reproduction of the oral language helps to save characters, a scarce resource when texting. According Manuel Castells et al (2004) cited Kasesniemi and Rautiainen (2003), messages often bear more resemblance to co de than to standard language and a text filled with code language expressions is not necessarily accessible to an outsider. The unique writing style creates opportunities for creativity. A mistake in one letter such as a typing error can produce a new term of endearment, which may remain in the SMS language either for a short time or permanently. SMS can lead to discreet and asynchronic communication. Texting turned out to be a more â€Å"relaxed† way to inform about feelings and delicate subjects because SMS is not direct confrontation. Users may be more embarrassed to communicate the same information without SMS. Texting helps teenagers and some adult male to overcome awkwardness and inhibitions and to develop social and communication skills. They communicate with more people, and more frequently, than they did before mobiles. (Manuel Castells et al (2004) cited Fox, K, 2001) The creativity being observed among SMS users is the compression of text dates back to shorthand wr iting, for example for taking class notes and secret codes among friends. On the other hand, older generations are uneasy about the effect this has on the Standard English language as messaging language seeps into formal writing tasks. Besides that, users can now both send and receive images in addition to text using Multimedia Message System (MMS). MMS is normally used by the teenagers to send a photo/graphic or a short video. Real state agents use camera telephones to forward pictures to prospective buyers for giving a speedy edge in a competitive market. Interns are allowed or permitted to send pictures of an x-ray to the senior doctors in order to speed up the diagnosis as well as suggested treatment process. Apart from that, the social learning process through handphone can be identified as the social appropriation or domestication process. People have learned how and when a handphone could be used and, moreover, some old embarrassments are not usually happening nowadays thanks to the generalization of some technical features. New design of devices has evolved in this direction such as vibration or silent modes. The use of handphones in indoor public places entails the possibility of being overhead and disturbing people around. A common rule of mobile etiquette (Crabtree et al, 2003) is to talk in a low voice as noisy users are considered the main negative aspect of mobile telephony in public places. Handphones use has been incorporated to everyday life activities whether they are legal or illegal. According to Crabtree et al (2003), one of the main reasons to purchase a handphone is safety and security. For example, car accidents or main catastrophes in which lives were saved thanks to the availability of a handphone. Besides that, people were able to report to their dearest ones some dramatic situations in which they were involved and even let them know their love (Manuel Castells et al (2004) cited Agar, 2003). According to Manuel Castells et al (2004) cited Ling and Haddon (2001), the device is useful for the coordination of the daily family activities. Almost all the family members are networked and remote care-giving functions can be developed more easily nowadays. This is valid for children and old-aged persons. Coordination is related to the members of a family habitually do travelling. These journeys can be made by car, public transportation or foot, and include diverse activities. For instance, the activities could be to go to the supermarket or to pick up the children from school and drive them to any out-of-school activity. According to the study done by Manuel Castells et al (2004) cited Ling and Haddon (2001), the mobile telephony is not significantly changing the number of trips a person makes, but allows the redirection of journeys that have already begun. Micro-coordination is the nuanced management of social interactions and can be seen in the redirection of trips that have a lready started. It can be seen in the iterative agreement as to where and when can meet friends and the ability to call ahead when we are late to an appointment. (Manuel Castells et al (2004) cited Ling, 2004) Next, handphones are helping, and allowing, communication with and within some handicapped individuals. For example, texting is bringing a kind of new normality in the communications of deaf-mute persons and has facilitated improvements in dyslexic children (Manuel Castells et al (2004) cited Kasesniemi el al., 2003). Handphones are very useful in particular situations. For instance, vibra-call is a very interesting feature for deaf persons or even the possibility of preprogramming the automatic dial of a given number when pushing just one button helps old-aged people to begin a remote communication. However, there are still some deficiencies to be solved with the handphones. For example, blind persons have more problems with handphones than they have with traditional wired telephones because interfaces are more complicated. Furthermore, our working world has been changed by mobile telephony. Indeed, first adopters of the device were truckers, construction workers and maintenance engineers and the device was used as a tool for work. First affected what we can call mobile workers is the staffs that work both at the office and out of the office considering both long distances travels and short distance ones. For example, a mobile worker could be a commercial that has to visit different clients located in the same city where the office is or in another continent. Although technological facilities to be used could be different, but the situation is similar because as long as the staff is away from the home office, contextual constrains become unpredictable (Manuel Castells et al (2004) cited Perry et al. 2001). Handphones reinforce networked activity and allow new ways of connectivity to be more easily than other ones. For instance, in long distance travels that need at least one night away from home office, e-mail is generally checked in the evenings, at the hotel room; while the handphone is used more often and, sometimes, as a way of solving disconnection problems which is created during a trip. Moreover, mobile workers who cover short distances routinely also use the handtelephone during car travels. According to Manuel Castells et al (2004) cited Laurier (2002), the workers take advantage of certain situations and try to complete particular pending tasks. This includes making calls or going on with some practical and limited business when there is some time between two programmed activities. All these activities are done despite the fact that access to documents and information is usually poorer than when working in the home office. The disadvantages brought along with this fast grown development cannot be ignored. First of all, handphone that provided us safety and protection may bring opposite effects. It might attract danger, the danger of being rob. Example was taken from an article, â€Å"A girl was seriously ill in hospital last night after being stabbed by a gang of teen robbers for her mobile phone. The youngster was jumped by three youths as she stood at a bus stop in Croydon, South London. The gang stabbed her twice in the back and the leg, before snatching her mobile phone and running off, leaving her lying in a pool of blood. She was rushed to hospital suffering from a punctured lung.†(Versatile, 2002) Besides that, it inflicted handphone addiction is also a big social problem. People, especially teenagers are easily attracted by the services provided by the handphones in all time. Moreover, it is a trend to get up to date handphone model makes people tend to change their handphone frequently and this caused unnecessary spending on bills and costs. After all, being fully acquainted with the handphone, people find uses, that they are able and desired to and thus it lead to another crimes call cyber crimes by abuse people using handphone. Next, many scientists do believe that radiation coming from the handphones may affect our health such as headache, earaches, blurring of vision and most crucial sickness, cancer. Thus many people are advice to reduce the usage of handphone although there is still no concrete evidence since this may only appear in long term of using. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS RESPONDENTS OPINION OVER IMPLICATION OF HANDPHONES TO THE SOCIETY Figure above shows the opinion of the respondents over the implication of handphones to the society. The result shows that most of the respondents agree that handphones will bring positive impact to the society. Out of 100 respondents, 73 of them believe that handphones will bring positive impact to the society while 27 of them believe that it will bring bad impact to the society. From the respondents of who choose handphones will bring positive impact to the society, they believe that handphones are good because it bring the people closer together. This is because they could use handphones to contact their love ones. For example, parents could use handphones to contact their children who are studying abroad or far away from their hometown to keep in touch with them. Besides that, they could use it to fill up their free time by playing games or listen to the music using their handphone. For example, people who are waiting for LRT or bus to go to work could use handphone to play some simple games or listen to the music. For the respondents who choose negative impact, they believe that handphones wasted their childrens time because they become addicted to the game provided by the handphone manufacturer. Besides that, some of them also believe that handphone will bring negative or bad impact to the society as those students will busy â€Å"SMS† during the class and pay no attention to the teacher. In short, there are more respondents agree that handphones will bring positive impact to the society as compared to negative impact. WHEN STUDENTS START TO OWN A HANDPHONE Based on the feedback from the students, out of 100 students, 20 of them got their first handphone during primary school while 7 of them received their first handphone after secondary school. Besides that, as we can see from the pie chart, majority of them received their first handphone during secondary school. According to one of the students who received his first handphone during primary school, he said that due to the poor condition in the school facilities, his parent was buying him a handphone so that he could make a call to them if he was in urgent. In the sense of care, this is correct but in the sense of security, this might cause jealousy in between classmates and caused some conflicts. Minor of them received handphone after they graduated from the secondary school. Their reason is because their parents think that they are more suitable to get a handphone after they finish their secondary school as they will be more mature and think wisely. As we can see from the pie chart shown above, majority of the students received their first handphone during secondary school. This is commonly happening everywhere. A lot of the parents will allow their children to own a handphone during secondary school. According to one of the students, her parent gave her handphone is due to the numbers of tuition class that she needed to attend and some other activities that she involved. Handphone make her contact her parent easily and report to them about her current location. Another reason that mentioned by a student is because some fall into a relationship during secondary school time, thus they need more privacy to talk and handphone is the solution. Other reason is due to the peer pressure. One convinced his/her parent to buy him/her a handphone because his/her friend had it. IS IT A NEED FOR THE PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS TO OWN A HANDPHONE TO CONTACT PARENTS DURING EMERGENCY? Figure above shows the opinion of respondents on whether should a child own a handphone. The result shows that 68 percent of the respondents think that the students do not need a handphone while only 32 percent of the respondents think that it is needed. The reason that the respondents think the students do not need a handphone is that the primary students are still very young and they will only abuse the handphone and use it to play games. Even if emergency really happens, the students can always consult their teachers to ask for help or contact their parents using a public telephone booth. On the other hand, the respondents who agree that primary students do need a handphone because in some of the rural school, the facilities are very limited and some school even do not have a public telephone booth. Therefore, it is more convenient for a student to own a handphone since it does not cost much to buy a handphone with a basic call function. In short, most of the respondents think that there is no need for a primary school student to own a handphone. IMPORTANCE OF HANDPHONE According the chart above, we can see that 10% of 100 students think that handphone is very important while 15% of them think that handphone is not important to them. Besides that, between moderate and important, it is only 5% different which is 40% for important and 35% is for moderate. Based on the feedback from the students, they feel that handphone is important because handphone make life easier. They can contact their friends without whenever they need. Besides that, due to the service like SMS, MMS, 3G that offer by the operators, handphones become a need. Other than that, handphones nowadays do allow public to install some applications like calculator, to-do-list, languages translators etc do make their life even easier and flexible. Some even use handphones to watch live show or TV. Another function that comes with the handphone is the camera which is the big temptation and the reason why handphone is important for them. THE IMPORTANT OF THE FUNCTION PROVIDED BY HANDPHONE BASED ON THE RESPONDENTS OPINION The importance of the function provided by handphone based on the respondents opinion Figure above shows the respondents opinion over the function provided by the handphones. Based on the survey, we can see that voice call is the most important function for a handphone. Out of 100 respondents, 57% of them think that voice call should be the most important function on a handphone followed by SMS (20%), gaming (8%), music player (6%), camera (6%) ,GPS navigation (3%) and also video call (1%). Most of the respondents choose voice call as the most important function of a handphone because of the fact that the main function of a handphone is to make voice call to other person. Besides that, SMS becomes the second important function because it is convenient and cheaper way to contact other person. Moreover, gaming becomes the third most important function because nowadays, many teenagers buy sophisticate handphone such as IPhone which provides numerous free games for the user. For other function such as Camera, Music Player, GPS navigation and video call, they are just optional function and it is implemented as an extra credit for the user. Some respondents do think that camera is an important function as they could capture down those memorable moment with his handphone while others prefer music player as they like to listen to music anytime and anywhere. In short, voice call remains as the most important function of a handphone. However, more function equipped inside it will definitely attract large number of customers to purchase it. CONCLUSION Almost everyone owns at least one handphone in today society. Over 50 percent of the population now owns a handphone, and the percentage is growing rapidly each year. During the time when handphones hit the street many years ago, it is a fantastic and wonderful invention that brought to this world, beside providing us the ability to communicate with our beloved family, friends as well as colleagues anytime and anywhere, at the same time, it also brought along a great impact to our society, transforming our social behaviour and made a enormous cultural impact as well. Based on the results of the survey, we can clearly conclude that most people think that handphones are important to them. Handphones can be considered to be a necessity nowadays. There are enormous numbers of additional functions added in the modern handphone, making life easier as well as flexible. The additional functions included are calculator, alarm, to-do-list, stopwatch and many more. Some of the handphones are just like a mini computer which can provides access to the internet if configured. Next, we can also make a conclusion that majority of the people strongly agree that handphones will bring positive impact to the society rather than negative impact. Handphone is a device that enables to bring people closer together regardless of how far the distance between both of them. Handphones bring into existence of massive social change in our lifestyle patterns and also behaviours. From the research that we have conducted, we can observed that the impact of handphone on the society varied in both positive and negative outlooks. Even though there are quite a number of negative impacts of handphone to the society. However, one cannot overshadow the comfort provided by handphone. With no doubt, handphones have successfully making the world look smaller than ever before. APPENDIX Assignment 1: Implication of handphones to the society today. Questionnaire: 1. Handphone is the most important and common device nowadays for communication. Agree? 2. According to your opinion, handphone gives positive impact or negative impact to the society? Why would you say so? a) Positive impact, because __________________________________________ c) Negative impact, because __________________________________________ 3. When you start to own your first handphone? a) primary school b) secondary school c) after secondary school (university time or working time) 4. Is it a good or bad to own a handphone during early age? Why? 5. The students nowadays normally own a handphones. This is encourage by the parents in the sense that student can contact parents during emergency. Is it a need for a primary school student to own a handphone? Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6. Nowadays students bring their luxury handphones to school just to show off. Agree? Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 7. Some said handphone is part of the accessories for the body in nowadays. Do you agree that? Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8. How important is the handphone to you? a. very important b. important c. moderate d. not important 9. Please rate from 1 to 6 most important to unimportant according to the function of the handphone. (Eg: 1 = unimportant, 7 = most important) ___ Voice call ___ Take photo ___ SMS ___ Listen to music ___ GPS navigation ___ Gaming ___ Video Call REFERENCES * Castells, M. (2000). The Rise of the Network Society (2nd Edition). * Crabtree, J. N. (2003). MobileUK. Mobile phones and everyday life (Electronic Edition). * Ito.M., D. a. (2003). Camera Phones Changing the Definition of Picture-Worthy. Japan Media Review. * Larimer, T. (2000). What Makes DoCoMo Go. Time. * Manuel Castells, Mireia Fernandez-Ardevol, Jack Linchuan Qiu, Araba Sey. (2004). The Mobile Communication Society: A cross-cultural analysis of available evidence on the social uses of wireless. * Versatile. (2002). Mobile Phones in Society/General A DEADLY TREND. Retrieved from ciao!: http://www.ciao.co.uk/Mobile_Phones_in_Society_General__5176697

Friday, October 25, 2019

Saving the Old Growth Forests Essay -- Logging, Deforestation Essays

Saving the Old Growth Forests America’s Old Growth Forests are an endangered resource that is quickly disappearing. The ancient forests are being unnecessarily wasted, and are growing smaller and smaller with each passing moment. Because the logging industry and the organizations in control of much of the remaining old growth (approx. 5%) are failing to see its value from an ecological/spiritual perspective, the children of tomorrow may never gaze upon the history of today if we do not take a stand now, and prevent the short-sightedness of others from destroying what ultimately belongs to us all. Alternatives to Destruction: Saving the Old Growth Forests. Imagine walking down an ancient path amidst a forest of tangled and twisted trees, some of which have existed since before a time even great grandparents can remember. The air echoes with sounds of life, and the fragrance is that of cedar or juniper†¦ or something not quite either. The living things that dwell here, bridge a gap in time that many are totally unaware of and for the reasons about to be explained, may never become so. The beauty that surrounds this place is unexplainable in the tongue of man, yet its presence can be felt by all who choose to behold it. At least for now†¦ â€Å"In addition to being places of magnificent beauty, the old growth forests of the world represent hundreds of years of life on this planet, and many of the trees are the tallest living things on the planet (Old Growth Forests, 2004).† Because of their size, these trees, and the forests they reside in, are targeted by logging companies such as Weyerhaeuser as highly profitable areas that provide supposed economical benefits to surrounding communities in the way of new jobs. Howe... ...te, and one of world’s most precious and oldest resources will cease to exist, and the only bridge left that spans this ever widening gap in time will be forever closed to those who follow after us. References Brown, P. (1998). Issues and Opportunities Emerging from the Kyoto Protocol [Special issue]. Climate, and Forests. Abstract retrieved March 30, 2004, from http://www.wri.org/wri/biodiv Old Growth Forests. (2004). Saving the Tallest Living Things on Earth [Special issue]. Preserving America's Ancient Forests. Retrieved March 30, 2004, from http://www.americanlands.org/forestweb/oldgrowthed.htm Rain Forest Action Network. (2004). Wake Up Weyerhaeuser. RAN. Retrieved March 30, 2004, from http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/old_growth/ Seideman, D. (1993). Out of the Woods: Vol. . A Forest of Voices (2nd ed.) [Conversations in Ecology].Mayfield.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Online Communication

Online Communication is used every day in most of our lives. We communicate with family, friends, colleagues, etc via Social Network Sites and Email. Our Employers use Online Communication to relay messages, train in product lines and hold meetings just to name a few. Just like our Employers and ourselves, colleges have begun to offer online education to its students. This form of learning enables the students to enroll in a class and do assignments, reading, writing, and tests via online communication. There are two benefits to online learning.The most important benefit of online learning is the flexibility that is given to the student taking the class. In this day and time there are many people working full time jobs, raising children and still pursuing a degree. Online education provides the ability for the student to study, test, write, etc on their time. The online student doesn’t have to rework his/her work schedule since they can proceed through the course at their pace and on their time. Flexibility is the most important benefit of online learning. The second benefit of online learning is the knowledge the student is getting of the computer.Not only is the student learning the coursework they are enrolled in but they are also learning how to maneuver the computer and its processes. Since every business, company, school, etc uses computers then it is important that all university students develop a decent knowledge of the computer. This can be done in an online course. Flexibility and Knowledge are just two benefits of online learning. Having a flexible school schedule and learning the basic uses of computers and the course programs are just a few of the benefits of taking an online class.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Is conflict a key aspect of family life? Essay

Conflict is indeed a key aspect of family life. It happens on a daily basis in almost every home in the country; even the Waltons had conflict with each other. I have the view that conflict is a corner stone of our life; it can help bring us together, not just drive us apart. During Flight this is particularly apparent, but in Your shoes conflict seems to have a negative effect. At the beginning of Flight the ‘old man’ seems to be looking for conflict; â€Å"‘Hey! ‘ he shouted; saw her jump†¦ ‘Waiting for Steven, hey?’ he said, his fingers curling like claws into his palm. † Within thirty lines Lessing had set the scene for the family tension and demonised the old man. As Flight progresses we find out that the old man only causes the conflict in an effort to retain his last granddaughter, which removes most of the negative feeling. The turning point, the point where the old man’s conflict is lost, is central to the story; â€Å"On the wrist of the post master’s son balanced a young pigeon, the light gleaming on its breast. ‘For me?’ said the old man, letting the drops shake of his chin. ‘For me? ‘† The relationship brought the granddaughter and her mother together because they were both united against the old man, but when the post master’s son gives him the bird as a peace offering he lets go of his anger and is drawn closer to his family, even though his family is moving further away. The repetition of ‘For me? ‘ is the strongest indicator of this new found peace with his family, showing his sincerity and to an extent his acceptance of the marriage of his granddaughter. In Your shoes the opposite of Flight happens. The conflict of the father aimed at the girl and the girl aimed at the mother was all bottled up, until a small and almost insignificant fuse was lit. Your shoes is narrated only by the mother so we get a very bias account of events leading up to the daughter’s departure. We mainly have to read between the lines and make assumptions, such as the daughter and mother often rowed. However there are brief accounts which seem to be the real truth and not just the mother’s perception; â€Å"You’ve got to understand. When your father called you a dirty slut he didn’t mean you to take it personally. It was just a manner of speaking. In the heat of the moment. He adores you, you know that. † Here the mother tackles the main reason for her daughter’s exit and defends it. She first clears him of any blame and then claims he loves her. I feel from her explanation that she almost doesn’t believe it her self because of her short snappy and almost panicky sentences. In conclusion I believe that conflict is common in family life and Flight and Your shoes are just two of hundreds of short stories which try to convey the subject. Flight shows a better side of conflict where it is resolved peacefully and ultimately brings the family closer, where as Your shoes attempts to convey an uglier side to conflict, resulting in distancing the father and the daughter and turning the mother into a nervous wreck not knowing what to believe.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

5 Common African American Stereotypes in TV and Film

5 Common African American Stereotypes in TV and Film African Americans may be scoring more substantial parts in film and television, but many continue to play roles that fuel stereotypes, such as thugs and maids. The prevalence of these parts reveals the importance of  #OscarsSoWhite and how African Americans continue to struggle for quality roles on both the small and big screens, despite having won  Academy Awards  in  acting, screenwriting,  music production and other categories. The Magical Negro Magical Negro characters have long played key roles in films and television programs. These characters tend to be African American men with special powers who make appearances solely to help white characters out of jams, seemingly unconcerned about their own lives. The late Michael Clarke Duncan famously played such a character in â€Å"The Green Mile.† Moviefone wrote of Duncan’s character, John Coffey, â€Å"He’s more an allegorical symbol than a person, his initials are J.C., he has miraculous healing powers, and he voluntarily submits to execution by the state as a way of doing penance for the sins of others. A ‘Magical Negro’ character is often the sign of lazy writing at best, or of patronizing cynicism at worst.† Magical Negroes are also problematic because they have no inner lives or desires of their own. Instead, they exist solely as a support system to the white characters, reinforcing the idea that African Americans aren’t as valuable or as human as their white counterparts. They don’t require unique storylines of their own because their lives simply don’t matter as much. In addition to Duncan, Morgan Freeman has played in some such roles, and Will Smith played a Magical Negro in â€Å"The Legend of Bagger Vance.† The Black Best Friend Black Best Friends typically don’t have special powers like Magical Negroes do, but they mainly function in films and television shows to guide white characters out of a crisis. Usually, female, the black best friend functions â€Å"to support the heroine, often with sass, attitude and a keen insight into relationships and life,† critic Greg Braxton noted in the  Los Angeles Times. Like Magical Negroes, black best friends appear not to have much going on in their own lives but turn up at exactly the right moment to coach white characters through life. In the film â€Å"The Devil Wears Prada,† for example, actress Tracie Thoms plays friend to star Anne Hathaway, reminding Hathaway’s character that she’s losing touch with her values. Also, actress Aisha Tyler played friend to Jennifer Love Hewitt on â€Å"The Ghost Whisperer,† and Lisa Nicole Carson played friend to Calista Flockhart on â€Å"Ally McBeal.† Television executive Rose Catherine Pinkney told the Times that there is a long tradition of black best friends in Hollywood. â€Å"Historically, people of color have had to play nurturing, rational caretakers of the white lead characters. And studios are just not willing to reverse that role.† The Thug There’s no shortage of black male actors playing drug dealers, pimps, con-artists and other forms of criminals in television shows and films such as â€Å"The Wire† and â€Å"Training Day.† The disproportionate amount of African Americans playing criminals in Hollywood fuels the racial stereotype that black men are dangerous and drawn to illicit activities. Often these films and television shows provide little social context for why more black men than others are likely to end up in the criminal justice system. They overlook how racial and economic injustice makes it more difficult for young black men to evade a prison term or how policies such as stop-and-frisk and racial profiling make black men targets of the authorities. They fail to ask whether black men are inherently more likely to be criminals than anyone else or if society plays a role in creating the cradle-to-prison pipeline for African American men. The Brash Woman Black women are routinely portrayed in television and film  as sassy, neck-rolling harpies  with major attitude problems. The popularity of reality television shows adds fuel to the fire of this stereotype. To ensure that programs such as â€Å"Basketball Wives† maintain plenty of drama, often the loudest and most aggressive black women are featured on these shows. Black women say these depictions have real-world consequences in their love lives and careers. When Bravo debuted the reality show â€Å"Married to Medicine† in 2013, black female physicians unsuccessfully petitioned the network to pull the plug on the program. â€Å"For the sake of integrity and character of black female physicians, we must ask that Bravo immediately remove and cancel ‘Married to Medicine’ from its channel, website, and any other media, the physicians demanded.  Black female physicians only compose 1 percent of the American workforce of physicians. Due to our small numbers, the depiction of black female doctors in media, on any scale, highly affects the public’s view of the character of all future and current African American female doctors.† The show ultimately aired and black women continue to complain that depictions of African American womanhood in the media fail to live up to reality. The Domestic Because blacks were forced into servitude for hundreds of years in the United States, it’s no surprise that one of the earliest stereotypes about African Americans to emerge in television and film is that of the domestic worker or mammy. Television shows and movies such as â€Å"Beulah† and â€Å"Gone With The Wind† capitalized on the mammy stereotype in the early 20th century. But more recently, movies such as â€Å"Driving Miss Daisy† and â€Å"The Help† featured African Americans as domestics as well. While Latinos are arguably the group most likely to be typecast as domestic workers nowadays, the controversy over the portrayal of black domestics in Hollywood hasn’t gone away. The 2011 film â€Å"The Help† faced intense criticism because the black maids helped catapult the white protagonist to a new stage in life while their lives remained static. Like the Magical Negro and the Black Best Friend, black domestics in film function mostly to nurture and guide white characters.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Evaluation Essay Sample on the Effect of Video Games on Youth

Evaluation Essay Sample on the Effect of Video Games on Youth An evaluation essay is a type of work that implies assessing a particular subject of a social interest by establishing a list of criteria to illustrate the author’s objective attitude towards it. Among the main purposes of this genre, it is significant to distinguish such functions as argumentative judgment, critical evidence, and gathering of credible scholarly information to support the thesis statement. The latter has to be elaborated coherently and clearly so that a potential reader is likely to understand the author’s objective position regarding the selected evaluation essay topic without any efforts. Furthermore, unlike many other similar work types, evaluation essay can be both academic and non-academic which makes this genre ambivalent. In particular, academic evaluation purports to provide objective and research-based assessment concerning a socially substantial topic, whereas non-academic style can appear in personal blogs, literature, and other sources that do not demand the necessity to present a scholarly point of view. Overall, the need to write an evaluation essay depends on the quantity and quality of topics of public concern as this genre is important for people to be aware of impartial viewpoints. ‘The Effect of Video Games on Youth’ Essay Sample With the advent of the digital era, video games have become an inseparable part of children’s life. Before the revolution of computing technologies, youth were limited to playing in the yard and participating in various activities like sports or games that involve being a socially integrated person. Nonetheless, recent decades have entirely subverted the conventional paradigm due to the rapid progression of technologies. Having roots in World War II, computers had been seriously upgraded since the first example of digital machines, that allowed modern people to employ them with different purposes. Considering video games as an effective means of escapism, it is essential to underline that similar variants of addiction are controversial and do not enable scholars to attribute this category to either positive or negative aftermath of the digital epoch. On the one hand, some computer games are influencing youth in a negative perspective as they are promoting a violent, aggressive behavior, contribute to children’s antisocial attitude, and negatively affect human health, whereas on the other hand, many video games can be useful in terms of learning, relaxing, and developing online communication. Firstly, the majority of video games can be dangerous regarding the message of violence they are conveying to still developing minds of youth. When in the late 1990s, society was evaluated on the subject of attitude towards the first popular computer games, governments were astonished that almost all people became fond of such a type of pastime. Nevertheless, scholars appeared to be confused by such unexpected statistics and were not certain how to react to the abrupt success of video games. The vast majority of laboratory-based experimental studies have revealed that violent media exposure causes increased aggressive thoughts, angry feelings, physiologic arousal, hostile appraisals, aggressive behavior, and desensitization to violence and decreases prosocial behavior and empathy (Anderson et al. 142). Thus, if an unformed consciousness of a child is subject to violent actions and images on the screen, it is highly probable that they will be imprinted in subconsciousness and employed as a pattern for further behavior. Proceeding from the notion that children are absorbing everything that happens to appear in front of their eyes, if video games are marked with violence, they may cause deterioration of communication among peers, engender suicidal inclinations, and stimulate aggressive behavior. Secondly, a lot of video games are harmful, seeing that they are creating an opportunity for children not to participate in social activities and spend too much time sitting in front of screens. It has a negative impact on social participation. Aside from violence aspect, computer games allow youth to lead a passive lifestyle since MMORPG, a genre of online games, provides users with a possibility to chat while playing, so there is no need in meeting with friends outdoors. Escapism is a form of denying the contemporary social means of existence by refusing to participate in common human activities that comprise cultural peculiarities and factors separating humans from animal species. Video games, as one of the most beneficial and simple methods of escapism, are widening the divide between the members of society. Youth should learn how to communicate with one another, but after years spent in the digital realm, adolescents are no longer able to cooperate in real life processes success fully enough to be left without adults’ assistance. Every factor which is participating in the functioning of a human organism, be it some organ or a muscle, can atrophy as a result of non-use. Language is not an exception, so the lack of communication may influence a child’s future in a negative way. Thirdly, video games imply spending too much time leading a sedentary lifestyle that detrimentally influences a child’s unformed state of health. Without a doubt, computer technologies enable scientists to develop extremely valuable and useful aspects of human life, whereas video games, being an inseparable part of gadgets appear to be a bait for teenagers that they can not refuse to utilize. Owing to parents’ lack of reasonable care, teenagers are receiving as many gaming devices as they want which results in deterioration of vision, scoliosis, and nervous breakdowns. Besides, it is plausible that the absence of sports activities will eventually cause various severe diseases like obesity and diabetes. Due to investigations: â€Å"Physical activity reduces the risk of incident diabetes† (Zhu and Owen sect. 8). At this point, it is necessary to state that the abundance of comfort and simplification factors like devices that combine all functions in a single gadget , are significantly contributing to the deficiency of receiving enough fresh air and a shortage of regular strolls. Nonetheless, as the issue of video games can be envisioned as an ambivalent phenomenon, there is a need to examine the positive consequences of spending time on computers in general and video games in particular. Except for negative aftermaths, video games are allowing youth to educate themselves by means of broadening their horizons, widening the vocabulary, learning foreign languages, or developing logical reasoning. Moreover, computer games can be based either on a violent background that entails an increase in aggressive ideas or relaxing atmosphere. The latter can be comprised of games centered on logic, analysis, cognitive skills, and many other aspects of learning. In contrast to shooters, horrors, fighters, and detective games demanding careful attention and reaction, there are video games that teach how to undertake an architectural project, play a musical instrument, and even create a family. Additionally, there is a considerable lack of evidence proving video games to be completely harmful to a teenager’s consciousness. As recent studies affirm: â€Å"None of the studies provided evidence for concerns linking video game violence to aggressive behaviors or reduced empathy in youth† (Ferguson et al. 399). Therefore, this subject has to be thoroughly examined and investigated in the future because the contemporary scientific discoveries on this matter are not sufficient to prohibit children from playing video games. Another advantageous aspect regarding modern pastime in the digital realm is the concept of relaxation. Proceeding from the information that the twenty-first century has inaugurated the exuberance of information, a modern person requires more time to relax and relieve oneself of a load of work or study. Even though there is plenty of other means of entertainment including sports, meeting with friends in real life, or reading books, today people may not have either enough free time or energy after a long work day to spend the rest of leisure hours outside. The digital epoch implicates that a modern human is absorbing too many pieces of information on a daily basis in comparison to people from the previous century. Thus, adolescents, who are expected to study in educational institutions, require enough free time to forget the reality and relax the brain. In addition, the process of video gaming is often accompanied by musical compositions, which have a soothing effect on a childâ€℠¢s tired mind. When a teenager’s consciousness is busy with processing the relieving information that is issuing from a video game, his or her nervous system is resting, in case the game is not violent. Communication skills are the most important factors of a child’s intellectual advancement as without the ability to share thoughts properly a person is unable to negotiate, understand other people, and convey messages to the audience. In particular, modern types of online video games enable young users to share opinions in live chats and communicate with other players in different foreign languages without exiting a game. Typing is a cognitive element of learning that amplifies the ability to produce coherent and clear messages. Also, there are multitudes of video games with the main purpose to evolve logical functions of the brain and thus help a player to answer questions quicker than before playing the game. The gist of many language-based computer games is to guess words, reply to logical questions and puzzles. In recent experiments, scholars determine that â€Å"playing commercial video games can have a positive effect on communication ability, adaptability, and resource fulness in adult learners, suggesting that video games may have a role to play in higher education† (Barr 95). It has been proved that in the case of educationally focused computer programs, video games can indeed be a perfect instrument in helping students to learn in a relaxing form. In conclusion, the phenomenon of video games may be considered a double-natured problem since, from one perspective, some exemplars are likely to develop a violent inclination in adolescents’ minds, while from another perspective, numerous video games are demonstrating the opportunity to teach. Ultimately, it depends on a specific type of video game, whether it is harmful to a child or it has positive consequences on children’s behavior and health. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that everything has to be strictly limited even for adults, let alone children. Video games are no exception because, if played too much, any game can be dangerous at least regarding health. Thus, despite that they are marked with many negative aspects, video games have occupied a certain niche in the modern life of every generation. If limited to an adequate amount of time for playing, video games can be not only beneficial regarding education and relaxing but also cause no harm to the nervous system. The prepared material and the accompanying sample are useful sources to get acquainted with the Evaluation Essay type of work. To conclude, it is necessary to resume that it is a significant academic work type which allows potential readers to derive the needed pieces of information to conclude whether a certain issue is worth paying attention to or not. In contrast to many other similar variants of essays, evaluation essay should be conducted by an academically prepared person, who is able to tell the difference between a credible and an unreliable source; who can construct a syntactic structure coherently, so that readers are capable of finding answers to their questions without putting extra efforts. One of the purposes of an evaluation essay is to provide readers with an opportunity to define whether a particular subject has more positive or negative consequences. This genre of an academic essay is helpful whenever there is a need to study and scrutinize a single issue without appealing to other additional or secondary problems concerning the key one. Evaluation essay sample provides an assessment in terms of which the author assembles different arguments and thoughts on a strictly limited subject that allows estimating its value. This type of work can be useful for both readers and writers, seeing that the author has a possibility to investigate a specific issue and a reader to find solutions to a problem of concern. Precisely this sample of an evaluation essay has been written with the purpose of demonstrating the structure of similar work types, content, and an appropriate linguistic style. Anderson, Craig, et al. â€Å"Screen Violence and Youth Behavior.† Pediatrics, vol. 140, no. 2, 19 Apr. 2017, pp. 142–149. AAP News Journals Gateway. Barr, Matthew. â€Å"Video Games Can Develop Graduate Skills in Higher Education Students: A Randomised Trial.† Computers Education, vol. 113, Oct. 2017, pp. 86–97. Elsevier. Ferguson, Christopher, et al. â€Å"Digital Poison? Three Studies Examining the Influence of Violent Video Games on Youth.† Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 50, Sept. 2015, pp. 399–410. Elsevier. Zhu, Weimo, and Neville Owen, editors. Sedentary Behavior and Health: Concepts, Assessments, and Interventions. Library of Congress, 2017.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Business operational Essay Example for Free

Business operational Essay To provide learners with an understanding of the role and importance of operations management (OM) in the efficient and effective production of goods and services. Scenario: WH Smith is a major, well-known and publically-quoted book retailer and newsagent in the UK. Recently it was reported how Kate Swann, the former CEO for the last 10 years, has turned the company around from ? 135m losses to ? 106m profit in a decade. (source: www. theguardian. com/business/blog/2013/jan/23/wh-smith-kate-swann-profit, accessed 1 October 2013) (Also see copy attached) This is an example of how the principles of operations management can be used to reactivate a firm. How did she do it? Using the above as a starting point, together with other information sources, which you should research yourself, on WH Smith, you are asked to address the Tasks below regarding operations management. Task 1 (this meets LO 1, ACs 1. 1, 1. 2 and 1. 3) Based on the Scenario, produce a document explaining the nature and importance of Operation Management and its key elements. Your document for this Task must include the following elements (among others as you wish): I. A definition of OM and an explanation of its importance; II. The key elements of OM; III. The need to produce goods or services on time and to cost, with the right quality and within the law; IV. The role of OM in achieving strategic objectives; and V. Produce systems and sub-systems diagrams for any WH Smith operations processes, including a brief explanation of your diagrams. Task 2 (this meets LO 2 ACs 2. 1, 2. 2 and 2. 3) Based on the Scenario, produce a document explaining the relationship between OM and strategic planning. Your document for this Task must include the following elements (among others as you wish): I. II. III. Explain the implementation of the â€Å"3Es† in WH Smith; Critically review the tension between cost minimisation and quality maximisation in the context of WH Smith; and Assess the importance of the five performance objectives that underpin operations management. Task 3 (this meets LOs 3 and 4 in full) Base on the Scenario, produce a document explaining how to organise and apply relevant techniques in a typical production process. Your document for this Task must include the following elements (among others as you wish): I. II. III. IV. Comment briefly on the importance of operational planning and control. Explain what linear programming is, and give an example in relation to any part of the operations of WH Smith; Produce a network plan and indicate the resultant critical path for any operation in WH Smith. (for this task, you should include a set of operational outcomes, which are clearly defined). Explain how quality can be defined and maintained. Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria In order to Pass this unit, the evidence that the learner presents for assessment needs to demonstrate that they can meet all the Learning Outcomes for the unit. The Assessment Criteria determine the standard required to Pass this unit. The Assessment Criteria will act as a guide to help you put into context your answers to fulfill the Learning Outcomes. Learning Outcome Assessment Criteria 1. 1 explain the importance of operational management 1. 2 explain the need to produce safely; on time; to cost; to LO 1Understand the quality and within the law nature and importance 1. 3 explain the link between operations management and of operational strategic planning management 1. 4 produce a systems diagram to illustrate a typical business 2. 1 explain the ‘Three Es’ (economy, efficiency and effectiveness) LO2 Understand the link between operations 2. 2 explain the tension between cost minimisation and management and quality maximisation strategic planning 2. 3 evaluate the significance of the five performance objectives that underpin operations management 3. 1 explain linear programming LO3 Understand how 3. 2 evaluate critical path analysis and network planning to organise a typical 3. 3 explain the need for operational planning and control production process LO4 Be able to apply relevant techniques to the production of an operational plan for a typical business 4. 1 produce a set of clearly defined operational outcomes 4. 2 produce a network plan and indicate the resultant critical path 4. 3 explain how quality could be defined and maintained. INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION FOR LEARNERS This assessment and the Tasks above are designed to assess your achievement of all four of the Learning Outcomes and associated Assessment Criteria for a Pass in the ‘Employability Skills’ unit of the qualification you are undertaking. Your tutor/ deliverer will advise you when you should start work on the assignment, the date when you must hand in your completed work and when you can expect to get your mark and feedback on your work. Guidance on this subject is provided on page 1 of this assignment brief. You should make sure that you plan your work carefully, to ensure that you cover all four learning outcomes of the assignment, and complete it within the time limit specified. There is no official guideline wordcount or percentage marking (other than Pass/ Merit/ Distinction/ Refer). By way of guidance only for this particular assignment, it is recommended that you write a minimum of 2000-2500 words total and match the weighting of your efforts to the wordcount indicated. Your statements in answer to the Learning Outcomes need to be prefixed with the specific Learning Outcome title or at least the Learning Outcome number. This will help you keep on track and should ensure you address the details. You must make sure that you acknowledge any sources you have used to complete this assignment, listing reference material and web sites used. The assignment result will be published on BITE’s Moodle online education materials platform, normally within 6 weeks of the submission date. If your assignment is assessed as referred, you will be notified with an indication of the areas to be addressed. You may resubmit an assignment, or submit a new assignment, on a further two occasions during your period of registration as an Institute learner with Edexcel. If there is anything in these instructions or in the assignment itself which you do not understand, please seek guidance from your tutor/ deliverer. Merit grade Descriptors For learners to achieve a Merit they must: Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions Indicative characteristics Learners must demonstrate that: An effective approach to assignment planning, study and research is in evidence Evaluations and judgements, using evidence, have been made Problems with a number of variables have been considered Select/design and apply appropriate methods/techniques A range of relevant theories have been included Relevant theories and techniques have been applied to the case study A range of different sources of information have been used The selection of methods/techniques of analysis and use of source material have been justified Information/ data has been synthesised and processed Present and communicate appropriate findings The written assessment is coherent, shows logical development and a sound understanding of theories, concepts and research evidence The written assessment demonstrates that an appropriate structure and approach has been used The written assignment demonstrates a writing style appropriate for audiences both familiar and unfamiliar with the subject. The written work is clearly written and technical language has been accurately used Distinction grade Distinction descriptors For learners to achieve a Distinction they must: Indicative characteristics Learners must demonstrate that: Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions. Conclusions have been arrived at through synthesis of ideas and evaluation of research evidence and have been justified The validity of results has been evaluated using defined criteria Realistic and informed recommendations have been proposed against defined characteristics for success Take responsibility for managing and organising activities. The written assignment shows excellent planning, is organised coherently and is clearly expressed Independence of thought and gathering of research material has been demonstrated Material used has been clearly understood and well organised The importance of individual and group behaviour in organisations and its management has been recognised and addressed Demonstrate convergent/lateral/creative thinking. There is evidence of self-generated ideas with evaluation Convergent and lateral thinking are evident in the written assignment Creative thinking is evidenced with unfamiliar material. Problem-solving is in evidence Innovation and creative thought are in evidence Receptiveness to new ideas is evident Ideas have been generated, evaluated and informed decisions/ recommendations are made. Case Study: WHSmith †¢ WH Smith: Kate Swann turns ? 135m losses into ? 106m profit in a decade One of the UK’s most highly regarded – and highly paid – retailers achieved success by going against the grain WH Smith chief executive Kate Swann favours the old retail adage: sales are vanity, profits are sanity. Photograph: PA When Kate Swann arrived at WH Smith in 2003, there was a widely held view that the chain’s days were numbered. A decade on, she has turned losses of ? 135m into a profit of probably ? 106m this year, and shares that were languishing at 250p are now changing hands at 650p. Swann is now one of the UK’s most highly regarded – and highly paid – retailers. Yet she has achieved this remarkable feat by breaking many of the â€Å"rules† of running a successful high street retail business. When Swann announced she was pulling out of selling music and DVDs because the profit margins were thin and getting thinner, rivals thought she had taken leave of her senses – she was instantly kissing goodbye to about 30% of Smith’s turnover. On a same-store basis on the high street, WHS now sells roughly ? 65 of goods for every ? 100 of custom seven years ago. The demise of Zavvi and HMV in the face of online competition shows it was a brave – and correct – decision. Swann favours the old retail adage: sales are vanity, profits are sanity. By focusing on profitable sales and cutting costs relentlessly, she has boosted profit margins – according to analyst Nick Bubb by an almost incredible 15 percentage points. While other retailers have been pouring resources into the digital world, Smith’s big online strategy is its Funky Pigeon card site. Instead, Swann plans to open more shops, even though they are, to be frank, deeply unpleasant places to shop, stuffed with stock and screaming promotional banners. While the supermarkets have to tread carefully in the products they offer and have been targeted for displaying sweets at the checkout, Smith’s has sold stationery aimed at teenagers and young women adorned with the Playboy bunny motif and Swann’s checkout assistants attempt to force-feed the nation giant bars of Galaxy and chocolate oranges. Her secret? Maybe it’s the low profile. While many rivals enjoy the limelight, holding forth on the woes of the economy, the lack of women in the boardroom and political issues such as the in-out debate, Swann says nothing. She doesn’t give interviews. On Wednesday, at Smith’s AGM, a shareholder stood to offer thanks for her transformation. Asked to respond, she merely said: â€Å"Thank you, let’s move on. † No doubt she will. There will be a queue for her services. Business operational. (2018, Oct 18).

Friday, October 18, 2019

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 3

Leadership - Essay Example This essay discusses that  these leadership duties were performed up to certain extent by Mr. X who is the Director of the Middle East operations in my company. Certain extent in the sense, although he exhibits effective leadership traits during various scenarios, he falls short in some other situations. I work for a heavy-lifting manufacturer, which is one of the top level companies in the world in the sector of lifting. The company is an American one and is made up of two segments, heavy- ­lifting and food making machines, and is a global leader in both. The company has a global reach, with operations all over the world spanning, North America, Asia as far as the manufacturing plants are concerned.  According to the report findings  as leaders are the people in lead, they usually have a major impact on how the group initially defines and sets into an organization. Typically, the founders as leaders have strong assumptions about the nature of the world, the role that organiz ations play in that world, the characteristics that make up human nature and relationships, how truth is arrived at, and how to manage time and space.  This initial stage imposition of leader’s assumptions, as a form of good culture is one of the good leadership traits exhibited by Mr. X. As he is one who is the initiator of operations in Middle East, he started imposing his ideas and assumptions as form a organizational culture and it was widely accepted by the employees.

Financial Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Financial Economics - Essay Example ecent finance theory are applicable across countries, much is still to be done to bring out the effect of different institutional features on capital structure choices. Our knowledge of capital structures has mostly been derived from data from developed economies that have many institutional similarities. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the capital structure choices made by companies from developing countries that have different institutional structures (Artikis, 2007). The study also is to examine the determinants that can be used in capital structure choices of firms. This is mainly for small and private firms. In the study, there was use of data obtained from World Bank to determine the differences that exist in capital structure in the countries (DeMarzo & Sannikov, 2004). In accordance with the capital structure theory, the importance of firm level elements of capital structure, tangibility in terms of assets, and profitability of firms and size of companies are brought out. Results are healthy to the different descriptions of size. Large and listed firms can have easy access to finance in developing countries, thus they have higher leverage and higher debt maturities (Bierman, 2003). For small and private firms, access to finance is depended on the conditions of economic environment. Leverage and debt maturities are sensitive to macroeconomic factors. The knowledge on the capital structure in the essay was also used to analyse the choices that are made by institutions, mainly from developing countries that have different structures in their institutions. As in Gordon and Li (2005), profitability is measured using the return on sales (ROS), return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE). With respect to leverage, there are several measures in the literature. Following Gordon and Li (2005), the paper considers the following ratios: Total Debt to Total Assets ratio and total debt to equity ratio. From analysis, it was found out that financial

Week 1 discussion questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 1 discussion questions - Essay Example The imperatives of organizations must involve a ready preparedness for changes. According to Marrow ‘the changes required by the welfare of the business become everybodys business and get made’ (Marrow, 1957, p. 66). The changing business strategies to cope with the fast transforming socio-economical paradigms of the times have become crucial factors because they enable the businesses to compete against their rivals. The main risk of adopting changes in the business processes is the resistance from the workforce. They become unsure about their own ability to successfully adapt the changes in their work practice. As a result of their irrational fear, they fight against any change to defend their position and job in the organization. A good managerial leadership within the organization facilitates better understanding, prediction and improvisation in work place, leading to improved performance. Conflicts can be solved through effective communication that encourages discussions and doubts clearing sessions and leaders must adapt such techniques to overcome resistance and create congenial atmosphere in the organization. Proper dissemination of information is essential to dispel any doubts about their ability to adapt successfully to the changes and the usefulness of the new resource, thereby facilitating a change that is positive. In my office environment of meat processing organization, introduction of new technology in the packaging section has become vital to meet the challenges of the new business competitiveness. The initial apprehension of the manager was overcome through his judicious and widely popular managerial expertise which facilitated the changeover with smoothness and without any bad feeling or insecurities among the employees. The manager had ensured that all the employees were taken into confidence regarding the growing

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Entrepreneurship and Innovation - Research Paper Example There is no fast forward way of attaining innovation in any process or technology. Rather the journey is strewn with intermittent success and failures and long periods of stagnation. Innovation has occurred in all spheres of activity starting from the development of products to the development of services. In the last 70 or 80 years the Information Technology industry witnessed the highest degree of innovation. The innovation of the Information Technology industry and the electronics hardware industry were followed with equivalent degree of innovation in the telecommunication industry (Achrol, 2011). The process of innovation of Omantel is discussed in this research study. For a better comprehension of the research methodology, the whole research is divided into 4 parts. In the first part of the discussion the process and technique of innovation is assessed and analysed. The strategy followed for managing the innovation of Omantel is discussed. The latter parts of the discussion are about the company establishes an innovative environment within its organisation and the strategic implications for Omantel based in Oman. Assessment and reflection on the process and techniques of innovation Schumpeter’s Theories of Innovation is discussed in this section along with other related theories. ... In order to bring innovation the entrepreneurs need to access capital and resources. Innovation and price competition are sides of two different coins, where one negates the other. If firms compete on the basis of price then only price classification occurs with no or little innovation. In order to make sure that the correct path is taken which will lead to innovation, it is absolute necessary to control the process applied. Whereas, if only inputs are considered as the most important entity rather than the process of innovation itself, then more time is wasted before innovation is finally achieved. Innovations as well as developments are non exogenous in nature. This means that innovation can occur, by simply using the internal factors present in the economic system. Fig 1: Cycle of innovation Source: (Andrews and Smith, 1996) Some of the most important factors that lead to the excellent growth of innovation are entrepreneurship and in-house capability to conduct the research and de velopments. Entrepreneurship still remains to be the most important factor among all the other factors. Instead of going for a competitive pricing strategy, a simple method of pricing is followed (Bajaj, 2001). The base price is fixed by taking into consideration the high quality of the integrated components. For example, the organisations which decided to simply add features to their previous models of products or services were outsold by those organisations that considered innovation rather than mere up gradations. Organisations like Nokia focused on innovation, while Sony and Motorola focused on up gradation only. As a result Nokia outperformed and outsmarted the other two organisations significantly which focused more on pricing strategy (Benner and Sandstrom, 2012). Those products

Economics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Economics - Research Paper Example What is critical however is the assumption that governments, in this type of situation, tend to adapt expansionary macroeconomic policies in order to stimulate growth and increase in employment level. Depression however, is an entirely different aspect of business cycle as it indicates more depressed levels of economic activity. (Krugman and Wells) The current economic situation is quite alarming due to the fact that despite the extensive support from the government, economy is not recovering. The discussion on the double dip recession is heating as many economists feel that US economy specifically may face the double dip recession if timely corrective measures are not taken. (Elliott). This situation is therefore turning out to be the same situation which America experienced during 1930s as same macroeconomic indicators were not showing satisfactory performance at that time also. This paper will therefore attempt to argue that currently America is going through a depression and not the recession as macroeconomic variables are showing same signs as they were during the depression of 1930s. There are key differences between recession and depression as both indicate the degree of severity faced by the economy. Recession is often characterized by the decline in the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country by more than a quarter. This decline is often limited to less than 10% decline in GDP of the country. Recession is also characterized by the decline in the industrial production as well as the real income. Whereas depression is considered as an economic situation where the overall economy shrink by more than 10% over the period of one year in any given period. Thus the difference between the two is really dependent upon the length of time the economy experience a continuous decline in the key economic variables. Depression therefore indicates a more grave situation

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Retail marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Retail marketing - Essay Example The concept of retail marketing is quite different from other marketing aspects. The branding in retail industry is based on the service and quality a retail organisation is providing to the customers. In present scenario, retailing has become an international industry (Ailawadi & Keller, 2004). In this paper a company with retail based outlet is selected which has not yet made international expansion. The various important aspects that company i.e. Morrisons Supermarket has to keep a close view on for its intended expansion in international market have been explained in detail. In this paper, the competitive advantage of Morrisons over other competitors has been discussed properly. The paper covers the marketing mix and environmental condition of the retail organisation. Challenges and opportunities which can be faced by the supermarket in their endeavour of entering in the new foreign market have also been explained properly. The relevant theories of retail internationalisation are also provided in this context. 2.0 Choice of Retailer The report is required to be prepared by taking into consideration the retail marketing business of a retail outlet which has no international expansion and is planning to enter into the market of Sweden. The retail company named as Morrisons Supermarket has been chosen which is considered as the fourth leading supermarket chain in the UK. It is selected as it has no international presence and can make a significant expansion in the Swedish market. This supermarket is also selected because it has received honour for maintaining its quality standard of food products. As Sweden is a country which is much concerned with health and fitness, thus it will be a scope for such a supermarket with quality services and products to expand its retail outlet in foreign country. The country is also well known for retail business and several foreign companies get an opportunity to perform their business in this market. 3.0 Analysis of the Basis of Competitive Advantage Morrisons is one of the largest chains of supermarket. They deliver both branded as well as their own brands products. The strategy of the company is to provide customer with best value for money. The prices of their products are also same in every store. They manage in-house commercial operation which includes fresh fruits as well as vegetables, meat processing, fresh food and transport. Fresh foods are delivered in the UK and abroad by keeping them in the controlled temperature in warehouses as well as packing plants of the company. The processing of meat, beef, pork and lamb is done by them and are then supplied to the butcher in their retail stores (Morrisons, n.d.). Morrisons has adopted the strategy to extend qualification of 100,000 staffs by 2011. The staffs are provided 100 courses since 2009. The company has offered diploma at QCF level 2 to the staffs. AdExcel training programme is provided to butchers, bakers, fishmongers as well as greengrocers in order to gain competitive advantage in training and educating the staffs. This strategy will assist the staffs to become skilful butcher and can also guide them in cooking and thus in turn satisfy the customers needs (Retail Gazette, 2011). Morrisons has taken the strategy to buy

Economics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Economics - Research Paper Example What is critical however is the assumption that governments, in this type of situation, tend to adapt expansionary macroeconomic policies in order to stimulate growth and increase in employment level. Depression however, is an entirely different aspect of business cycle as it indicates more depressed levels of economic activity. (Krugman and Wells) The current economic situation is quite alarming due to the fact that despite the extensive support from the government, economy is not recovering. The discussion on the double dip recession is heating as many economists feel that US economy specifically may face the double dip recession if timely corrective measures are not taken. (Elliott). This situation is therefore turning out to be the same situation which America experienced during 1930s as same macroeconomic indicators were not showing satisfactory performance at that time also. This paper will therefore attempt to argue that currently America is going through a depression and not the recession as macroeconomic variables are showing same signs as they were during the depression of 1930s. There are key differences between recession and depression as both indicate the degree of severity faced by the economy. Recession is often characterized by the decline in the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country by more than a quarter. This decline is often limited to less than 10% decline in GDP of the country. Recession is also characterized by the decline in the industrial production as well as the real income. Whereas depression is considered as an economic situation where the overall economy shrink by more than 10% over the period of one year in any given period. Thus the difference between the two is really dependent upon the length of time the economy experience a continuous decline in the key economic variables. Depression therefore indicates a more grave situation

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Cross-Linguistic and Cross-Cultural Identity Essay Example for Free

Cross-Linguistic and Cross-Cultural Identity Essay I grew up in a country whose native language is not English. But I grew up learning the English language nevertheless. In my home, we had access to English shows which I was constantly exposed to at a very young age. This is the reason why I learned English without much conscious effort. The language learning was taking place within the sub-conscious, which is the best way to learn any language: constant exposure at a very young age. Mei-Yu (1998, paragraph 2) once said that in the acquisition of oral language, â€Å"young children are active agents†, constantly refining and defining the inputs that they get from their surroundings in way that makes sense to them. Children create hypotheses about language rules, constantly filtering them through active engagement with the more competent language users in their immediate environment. Unconsciously, they learn to recognize contexts and begin acquiring fine discrimination in their use of a language. Looking back, I guess the constant exposure to the English language is the reason why I grew up knowing how to use it. There was never a conscious effort on my part to use or learn English, because it was already ingrained in my person. The people in my household knew English and spoke it on many occasions. I also had access to English books which strengthened my phonological awareness or sound-symbol relationships. This happened side by side while I was learning my mother language as well. As a child with a facility for the English language, I was subject to an excess of attention that I would not have received otherwise, had I just spoken our native tongue and nothing else. There is a prestige attached to the English language that makes people in my country take a second look and listen closely to what I have to say. They also make speculations as to whether my family is reach and if I grew up in the United States or have been travelling there on a regular basis. Such is the high stature of the English language in my country that if you speak it well enough, most people that you are rich or your family is. Growing up, my situation as a multi-lingual was even more fascinating. Perhaps it was because as I grew older, I became more aware of people’s actuations, and I am also more able to discern their motivations for why they act the way they do towards me. In my country there is a fascination for the English language because there is a fascination for the country. My people look at the United States as magical place where dreams come true, and life is generally better. To them, it seems like those who can speak the English language have greater chances of going to the United States as well. This general notion extends in every situation. That is why in every conversation where my ability to speak the English language is displayed, people seem to treat me better and pay me more attention. Sometimes, in order to avoid embarrassment, I hide my fluency in English when interacting with my community. Clearly, there is an overt favor towards those who speak the language, as if we are better than the rest of the local people. This is consistently true in all areas of endeavors, from school to social, to professional career. It is a sad situation, but true nevertheless, and I used my fluency in English and strive to make more of myself, in order to meet society’s expectations. Sometimes it can be difficult, trying to rise up to expectations, but I felt that it was my duty to do so, especially for those who sincerely believed that I could. The situation changed when I moved to the United States. If you are multi-lingual, you are regarded as ethnic, especially if your pronunciation has a very thick and recognizable accent. You will be subject to stereotyping, and in some cases, be even regarded as second class citizens. While I am not saying that everyone will react negatively to your accent or your use of your mother language, it is a reality that there are some people who will take it against you. If there is any field that multilingualism is always an advantage, and that is in the corporate world. This is especially true in the age of globalism, where most companies deal with overseas transactions. Being multilingual means that I can communicate with my colleagues, and at the same time be able to communicate with a client or supplier who speaks my mother tongue, but nothing else. Thus, I am able to bridge the communication gap and make sure that there will be no misunderstandings and conflict later on because of the language barrier. Actually, upon deeper reflection, I realize that people do not react to your multilingualism as much as they are reacting to the accent or how you speak the English language. The lesser your accent, the better people regard you. And this is true regardless or what place you are in. What we speak and how we speak, speak about our history as an individual. How we speak makes a statement towards who we are as a person. And people, for better or for worse, react to that. In an era of increasing globalization, more and more people want to learn English to make themselves more marketable and competitive. However, the value of the mother tongue should never be forgotten. Our mother language keeps our identity intact and sets us apart from the rest. Knowing English is the ship that will help us to get where we want to go, but it is our mother tongue that will be our anchor; the one that will help us find our way should we get lost. Reference Lu, Mei-Yu. (1998). Language Learning in Social and Cultural Contexts. ERIC Digest. Retrieved: April 14, 2007 from http://www. ericdigests. org/1999-2/language. htm

Monday, October 14, 2019

New Ternary Fe-Ni-Cu Invar Alloys Preparation

New Ternary Fe-Ni-Cu Invar Alloys Preparation Preparation and Characterization of New Ternary Fe-Ni-Cu Invar alloys S Ahmada, A B Ziya[1], a, A Ibrahimb, S Atiqb, N Ahmada and F Bashirc Abstract. Six alloys of Fe65Ni35-xCux(x= 0, 0.2, 0.6, 1, 1.4, 1.8 at.%) have been prepared by conventional arc-melting technique and characterized by utilizing in-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at a range from room temperature to 773 K for determination of phase. The studies show that these alloys form face centered cubic (FCC) throughout the investigated temperature range. The X-ray integrated intensities of various reflections were used to determine the coefficient of thermal expansion ÃŽ ±(T), mean square amplitude of vibrations and characteristic Debye temperature ÃŽËœD. The ternary substitution of copper has a minor effect on the lattice parameter but the Debye temperature ÃŽËœD is found to decrease with the increase of copper content in the alloy. The coefficients of thermal expansion ÃŽ ±(T) were found to be comparable to those for conventional Fe-Ni invar alloys. Keywords:  Invar alloys; lattice parameters; thermal expansion; X-ray diffraction Introduction Iron rich invar alloys have been of keen interest for researchers and developers, for their own reasons and interests, since their discovery in 1898 Guillaume and Hebd (1987) because of their unique set of properties labeled as invar anomaly or invar effect. A number of theories and models have been postulated to explain these deviations in the behavior of these alloys from other materials but still there are many queries unresolved Sanyal and Bose (2000); Iwase et al (2003); Matsushima et al (2006); Goria et al (2010); Yichun et al (2009); Tabakovic et al (2010); Pepperhoff et al (2001); Duffaut et al (1990); Matsushita et al (2008). One of the most important property of these alloys that made them most sought for material for applications in especially the electrical/ electronic precision instruments is their very low coefficient of thermal expansion around room temperature as compared to other metals and alloys. But, these materials also have their limitations and to overcome them , the researchers have either made ternary additions to the basic alloy or have turned their focus onto other combinations of elements termed as invar type Ono et al (2007); Matsushita et al (2004); Gorria et al (2006); Zhichao et al (2002); Rongjin et al (2010); Kaji et al (2004); Matsushita et al (2009); Matsushita et al (2007). For example, in some electrical/electronic applications another important property required in candidate material is good electrical conductivity. Iron based invar alloys cannot be grouped as good electrical conductors. Consequently, to develop invar alloys that exhibit inherent low coefficient of expansion and comparatively better electrical conductivity, ternary additions of elements like copper have been studied Stolk et al (1999); Bernhard et al. (1987). Not to mention such addition is expected to decrease the manufacturing cost. Many research groups have undertaken the study of effect of addition of copper onto invar properties of binary iron nickel a lloys but lacked correlation between the copper addition to change or no change in invar properties. This study has been carried out to correlate the invar effect to ternary addition of copper to base iron nickel invar alloy by replacing nickel with copper and to determine thermal properties of the newly developed alloys for comparison with same properties of binary invar alloys. Experimental methods For this study, one binary Fe65Ni35 (subscript indicates atomic percent of the element) and five ternary Fe65Ni35-xCux where x was selected to be equal to 0.2, 0.6, 1, 1.4 and 1.8 were prepared. High purity elements (>99.9%) were weighed and combined on water cooled hearth of a vacuum arc melter. The process was carried in 600 mbar argon atmosphere created after evacuating the chamber to 10-5 mbar pressure. The alloys were melted several times to ensure thorough mixing of the ingredients. To ensure homogeneity, the samples were then heated under vacuum in a Nebertherm furnace at 1273 K approximately for one hundred and seventy hours. Homogenized samples were then weighed as well as chemically analyzed and found to be well within the selected range of set composition. Each sample was then cold rolled to about 0.2 mm thickness and then heated at 1273 K for four hours to remove rolling stresses. Samples of suitable dimensions were then cut from each strip for characterization through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). XRD was carried out in a Bruker D8 Advance diffractometer equipped with MRI high temperature chamber fitted with PtRh heater element. Operating conditions for the X-ray tube were set at 40 kV and 40 mA. The diffraction patterns were recorded in the step scan mode in the 2ÃŽ ¸-range from 20 to 120o with a step of 0.01o. The in-situ high temperature X-ray diffraction of all samples was carried out in 10-6 mbar vacuum with Ni-filtered CuK radiation from room temperature to 473 K with a step of 20 K and thereon with a step of 50 K till 773 K. DSC of all samples was carried out on SBT-Q600 differential scanning calorimeter from room temperature to 1473 K at a heating rate of 20 K/minute under argon atmosphere. 3. Results and discussion 3.1. Structure and lattice parameters DSC scans of the six selected invar alloys were measured (not shown here). No sharp exothermal or endothermal peak was observed in the investigated temperature range, it is thus assumed that the samples were single phase. Room temperature XRD patterns of binary classical invar alloy of Fe65Ni35 and ternary alloys of Fe65Ni35-xCux (x=0.2, 0.6, 1, 1.4 and 1.8) are shown in Figure 1. It can be seen that all alloys are single phase and possess face centered cubic (FCC) lattice structure in confirmation to already published data on similar alloy systems Ono et al. (2007). The lattice parameters of the samples under study were determined by the extrapolation of lattice parameters for all reflections against Nelson-Riley function to minimize the random errors Ziya et al (2006). The values of calculated lattice parameters are given in Table 1. It can be seen that copper addition to the binary composition causes marginal decrease in the lattice parameter as expected because the copper with sm aller atomic radii replaced nickel atoms in the structure of relatively larger radius. 3.2 Thermal parameters To investigate invar effect in the newly developed alloys, it was planned to measure / calculate three major thermal properties / parameters vis-à  -vis temperature; namely, coefficient of thermal expansion, Debye temperature and mean square amplitude of vibration. The results obtained for each of them are discussed in succeeding sub sections. 3.2.1 Thermal expansion To investigate invar effect in these newly developed alloys, high temperature XRD technique was employed. A common observation from the scans of all the samples was that these samples are single phase alloys and no phase change occurred in any of the alloy up to scan temperature (773 K). This observation is consistent with the results of DSC measurements. One of the major parameter relating to invar effect is coefficient of thermal expansion which is primarily a reflection of change in lattice parameter with temperature. Temperature dependence of lattice parameter was calculated for each sample from the high temperature XRD data collected during this study. Scan at smaller step, 20 K up to 473 K and then larger step of 50 K to the maximum temperature, 773 K was set based upon the results published in literature for similar type of invar alloys. For calculation purpose data pertaining to (311) peak of binary alloy, (220) peak of Fe65Ni34.8Cu0.2 and (400) peak for all other composition was used. Selection of these peaks was solely made due to their better temperature dependence over the entire temperature range. It can be seen that in all the samples the lattice parameter almost remains unchanged up to about 473 K and there onward, the lattice parameter increases negligibly to a maximum of about 0.004 Aà Ã‚ ¦ at the maximum test tempe rature. However, the effect of increase in temperature on increase in lattice parameter in binary alloy is gradual and almost linear whereas, in ternary alloys, the increase in lattice parameter up to 473 K is insignificant but beyond this temperature it is visible and becomes steep with increase in copper content. Coefficient of thermal expansion ÃŽ ±(T) was then calculated by least square fitting the calculated lattice parameter data to second degree polynomial: ÃŽ ±(T) = A + BT + CT2 Where constant A represents lattice parameter of alloy at absolute zero, while B is the linear term coefficient and C represents the nonlinear term. The calculated values of ÃŽ ±(T) and these constants are tabulated in Table 2 whereas ÃŽ ±(T) versus temperature is plotted in figure 2. It was found that no appreciable change occurs in the thermal coefficient (ÃŽ ±) with temperature which is in line with the conclusion from the lattice parameter calculations. Further, the values of thermal coefficient ÃŽ ±(T) calculated in this study match very well to the values reported earlier for Fe-Cu alloys by other researchers such as (Goria et al. 2004 ). He (Goria et al. 2004) has reported ÃŽ ± (T) for said alloys in the range of 3Ãâ€"10-6K-1 at a temperature of 350 K whereas in the present study same value of ÃŽ ±(T) has been found up to the temperature of 450 K. Based upon above presented results and their analysis it can be concluded that these ternary alloys possess invar characteristics up to test temperature range. 3.2.2  The Debye temperatures and the mean square amplitudes of vibration Debye temperature is usually determined from the slope of ln(Iobs/Ical) versus temperature curves which is then subsequently used to find mean square amplitude of vibrations. Detailed procedure is already presented elsewhere [30]. Accordingly, the ratio of the observed and calculated intensities for each composition over the investigated temperature range was determined for selected Bragg reflections after stripping KÃŽ ±2-components from peak intensity. The peaks selected were (200) for binary, 0.2 at.% Cu and 1.4 at.% Cu containing alloys, (220) for 0.6 at.% Cu and (400) for 1 at.% and 1.8 at.% Cu containing alloys. Again the reflection lines were selected based on their relatively better dependence on temperature and integrated intensities were then determined from selected data by employing a line profile fit software. The results are presented in figure 3. It may be noted that for alloy containing 1.8 at.% Cu, the intensity data below 350 K has not been included because of exces sive scatter. Apart from this exception, for all other compositions and temperatures the points lie well along the fitted line. Debye temperature(ÃŽËœD) was then determined and plotted for all samples over the test temperature range in figure 4. First of all, these values have been found to be in close concurrence to those reported in literature (Gorria et al. 2009). In addition, from the comparison of these curves with each other two major facts can be deduced; firstly, the value of ÃŽËœD decreases as the amount of copper in the alloy increases, secondly up to the temperature of 473 K, ÃŽËœD for each composition remains almost unaffected by the increase in temperature. However, beyond this temperature and up to the maximum increased temperature, the value of ÃŽËœD decreases. These observations are in line with earlier findings that in these alloys invar effect is present up to 473 K because increase in length due to anharmonicity is compensated with magnetostricion. Furthermore, de crease in ÃŽËœD value both with increase in Cu contents as well as increase in test temperature indicates softening of the material. Mean square amplitude of vibrations ( was then calculated from the ÃŽËœD values as explained in reference (Ziya and Ohshima 2006). The result is tabulated in Table 3. Again the results indicate that there is very slight variation in with increase in temperature for every alloy composition. 4.  Conclusions Effect of copper addition in different percentages to binary iron nickel invar alloy has been investigated through in-situ XRD over a temperature range of 298 to 773 K. Thermal properties, i.e. the coefficient of thermal expansion, Debye temperature and mean square amplitude of vibrations of each of the ternary alloy has been determined and compared to the binary invar alloy prepared for this study as well as with the results published by other researchers for similar alloys. The results indicate that the newly developed ternary alloys exhibit Invar effect up to added copper contents although the temperature range is marginally decreased with the increase in copper contents. References Bernhard H, Volker B, and Jurgen H 1987 J. Mag and Mag. Mat 70 423 Duffaut F and Tiers J-F 1990, Industerial application of Invar, J. Written(Ed), The Invar Effects, TMS, Palo Alto, CA, P. 238 Guillaume Ch. E and Hebd C R 1987 Seances Acad. Sci. 125 235 Goria P , Martinez-Blanco D, Jesus A B, Ronald I S 2010 J. Alloys and Compounds 495 495 Gorria P, Martinez-Blanco D, Iglesias R, Palacios S L, Perez M J, Blanco J A, Barquin F, Hernanddo A, Gonzalez M A 2006 J. Mag and Mag. Mat 300 229 Gorria P , Martinez-Blanco D, Blanco J A, Hernando A, Garitaonandia J S, Barquin L F ,Campo J and Ronald I S 2004 Phys Rev B 69 214421 Gorria P, Martinez-Blanco D, Blanco J A, Maria J P, Hernando A, Maria A L, Daniel H, Souza-Neto N, Ronald I S, Marshall W G, Garbarino G, Mezouar M, Fernandez-Martinez A, Chaboy J, Barquin L F, Rodriguez Castrillon J A, Moldovan M, Garcia A J, Zhang J, Liobet A and Jiang J S 2009 Phys Rev B 80 06442 Iwase A, Hamatani Y, Mukomoto Y, Ishikawa N, Chimi Y, Kambara T, C.Muller C, R. Neumann, Ono F 2003 Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 209 323 Kaji S, Chiyoda S, Saito R, Oomi G, Yoshimura M, Tokunaga A and Kagayama T 2004 J. Mag and Mag. Mat 272-276 792 Liu Y, Lei L, Jiake L, Shen B, Wenbin Hu 2009 J. Alloys and Compounds 478 750 Lu Z, Dern L, and Junyi L 2002 J. Mag and Mag. Mat 239 502 Matsushima Y, Sun N Q, Kanamitsu H, Matsushita M , Iwase A, Chimi Y, Ishikawa N, Kambara T and Ono F 2006 J. of Mag and Mag. Mat 298 14 Matsushita M, Inoue T, Yoshimi I, Kawamura T, Kono Y, Irifun T, Kikgaw T, Ono F 2008 Phy Rev B 77 064429 Matsushita M, Endo S, Miura K, and Ono F 2004 J. Mag and Mag. Mat 269 393 Matsushita M, Ogiyama H and Ono F 2009 J of Mag and Mag. Mat 321 595 Matsushita M, Endo S and Ono F 2007 J of Mag and Mag. Mat 310 1861 Ono F, Matsushima Y, Chimi Y, Ishikawa N, Kambara T, Iwase A 2007 J. Mag and Mag. Mat 310 1864 Ono F, Chimi Y, Ishikawa N, Kanamitsu H, Matsushita Y, Iwase A, and Kambara T 2007 Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 257 402 Pepperhoff W and Acet M 2001 Constitution and Magnetism of Iron and its Alloys, Springer, Berlin p. 106 Rongjin, Huang, Zhixiong W , Xinxin C, Huihui Y, Zhen C and Laifeng L 2010 Solid stat sci 12 1977 Sanyal S and Bose S K 2000 Phy. Rev. B 62 12730 Stolk J and Manthiram A 1999 Mat. Sci and Eng. B 60 112 Tabakovic I, Inturi V, Thurn J and Kief M 2010 electchem. Acta. 55 6749 Ziya A B and Ohshima K 2006 J. alloys and compound 425 123 [1] To whom all correspondence should be addressed; Email: [emailprotected] Tel. No.: +92-61-9239942; Fax: +92-61-9210068