Is It A Disease Of The Nation - 1337 Words

Jocelyn Pennington Freshman Composition Argumentative Paper 14 November 2014 Perfection is a Disease of the Nation Just like Beyoncà © says in her new song Pretty Hurts, you automatically see what you think is wrong , so therefore you want to fix it. But just because you fix it does not mean your satisfied. Plastic surgery has become the new fad in the 21st century. Your not satisfied with your nose? Get a nose job. Do you think your boobs are too small? Get a breast reduction. Are you tired of exercising and want a flat tummy now? Get lipo! Anything that you do not like with yourself, you can get that fixed. But once you get your problem area fixed, will you really be happy? Young†¦show more content†¦The second is a person that has lowered self-esteem due to an obvious part of their body that they have tried to deal with. There are some who are not suited for cosmetic surgery. Sometimes awkwardness and shame about the way one looks can prevent honest communication to one’s surgeon. Some examples of poor candidates for cosmetic surgery are the Idealist, the Chaotic, and the Jumper. The Idealist patient has unrealistic expectations of surgery,for example, an idealist patient may want to look like a famous person. The Chaotic patient is in a crisis and feels the need to be â€Å"fixed.† Most â€Å"chaotic† patients have been through a divorce , have experienced rejection, or have experienced some other type of life changing event. They often believe that having surgery will heal their grief. The â€Å"jumper† patient goes to surgeon after surgeon looking for the doctor that will tell them what they want to hear. Last ly, there is the pleaser. The â€Å"Pleaser† patient is the person who gets surgery because they believe that it will make someone else like or accept them. In other words, make them more pleasing to the eye. According to recent findings in psychology, patients who had not been satisfied with their previous surgeries, or patients who have a history with depression are less likely to be satisfied with the result of their surgeries. An estimated 7 to 15 percent of plastic surgery patients have body dysmorphic disorder, which is when a

The Movie Park Avenue Money, Power And The American Dream

The Truth behind a Dream It is easy for a person to put away a dream as a mere fantasy that cannot be achieved in life. For this reason, people never take the opportunity to evaluate the true facts behind that dream. In the documentary â€Å"Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream† by Director Alex Gibney, an analysis of the true facts behind the ‘American dream’ is presented (Lee). Similarly, the poem â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est† by Wilfred Owen speaks about the true facts of a war that people foolishly dream to go to for honor (Owen). The two are distinct in the sense of their nature. The first piece by Gibney is a documentary film while the second one by Owen is a poem. For this reason, they apply different strategies to put across their themes to their audiences. Despite the clear distinction between the two, there exist clear similarities in trying to analyze the true facts behind a dream. The documentary directed by Gibney, analyzes the true facts of the gap between the poor and the rich in the America dream. It shows that the gap has been increasing over the last thirty years. The Park Avenue that passes through Manhattan (where the rich stay) and South Bronx (where the poor stay) shows this distinction (Lee). The two are separated by a river making the gap appear smaller but in real sense it wide. The intended audience of this documentary is the American population, especially the rich. In the documentary, the tone is negative especially towards the rich people whoShow MoreRelatedStructural Racism And Racial Equity Analysis Essay1850 Words   |  8 Pagesa better life here in the states, â€Å"The American Dream†. However, is the â€Å"American Dream† really a dream or a nightmare for these immigrants. The whole thought of the American Dream is that everyone has an equal opportunity in America, but this is truly not the case. 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Time Series Free Essays

A time series is a set of observations, xi each one being recorded at a specific time t. After being recorded, these data are rigorously studied to develop a model. This model will then be used to produce future values, in other words, to make a forecast. We will write a custom essay sample on Time Series or any similar topic only for you Order Now Important Characteristics to Consider First When first looking at a time series, some questions must be asked:Does the time series has a trend or seasonality over time?Are their outliers? With time series data, the outliers are far away from the other data.Is there a long-run cycle or period?Is there constant variance over time? Essential of Good time series Data must be for a sufficient period Equal time ga Constant or normal period. Example1The following plot is a time series plot of the annual number of earthquakes in the world with seismic magnitude over 7.0, for 99 consecutive years. By a time series plot, we simply mean that the variable is plotted against time.Some features of the plot:There is no trend.The mean of the series is 20.2There is no seasonality as the data are annual data.There are no outliers. Example 2 The plot at the top of the next page shows a time series of quarterly production of beer in Australia for 18 years.Some important features are:There is an increasing trend.There is seasonality.There are no obvious outliers.The Components of Time SeriesThe components of time series are factors that can bring changes to the time series:Trend component, TtWhen there is an increase or a decrease over a long period of time in the data, then we say that there is a trend. Sometimes, a trend is said to be changing direction when it goes from an increasing trend to a decreasing one. It is the result of events such as price inflation, population growth or economic changes.Seasonal component, StA seasonal pattern exists when the time series exhibits regular fluctuations at specific time. It arises from influences such as natural conditions or social and cultural behaviors. For example, the sales of ice-cream are relatively high in summer. So, the salesman expects greater profit in summer than in winter. Cyclic component, CtIf the time series shows an up and down movement around a given period of time, it is said to have a cyclical pattern.Irregular component, ItIrregular components consist of changes that are unlikely to be repeated in a time series. Examples are floods, fires, earthquakes or cyclones.Combining the time series componentsTime series is a combination of the components which were discussed above. These components can be either combined additively or multiplicatively.Additive modelIt is linear, and the changes are made by the same amount over time.Yt = Tt + Ct + St + ItMultiplicative modelIt is non-linear such as quadratic or exponential, and the changes increase or decrease over time. Yt = Tt Ãâ€"Ct Ãâ€" St Ãâ€" ItUsesTime series can be useful in the following fields:StatisticsSignal processingEconometricsMathematical financeAstronomyEarthquake predictionsWeather forecastingImportance of Time series for businessesThere are many benefits of time series for business purposes:Helpful for study of past behaviorBusinessmen use time series to study the past behaviors and to see the trend of the sales or profit of their businesses. Helpful in forecastingTime series is a great tool for forecasting. Businesses can make a time series of the past strategies of their competitors and make an estimate of their future strategies. In this way, they make can built a better strategy and make more profits.Helpful in comparisonTime series can be used to calculate the trend of two or more branches of the same company and compare their performance. On their performances, rewards can be given. However, time series can have some limitations for a business. Sales forecasting relies on the past results to predict future expectations. But, if a company is new, there is a limited amount of data to make predictions. Even so, past results do not always indicate what the future sales will be.To fully understand this topic, we will work out this example.Example 2We will consider the actual arrival of passengers from an airport over the year 1949 to 1960. From these data, we will make a forecast. The first step is to plot the data and obtain descriptive measures such as trends or seasonal fluctuations.The second step is to check for the stationarity of the time series.StationarityA time series is said to be stationary if its mean and variance does not change over time. Obviously, not all the time series that we encounter are stationary. It is important because, most of the models we work on, assumes that the time series is stationary. If the time series has the same behavior over time, there will be a high probability that it will follow the same trend in the future.How to check for stationarity?For the graph that was plotted, we can see that it has an increasing trend with some seasonal pattern. But, it is not always evident to see whether a plot is increasing or has a seasonal trend. We can check for stationarity using the following:Plotting rolling statisticsWe plot the moving average or variance and see whether it changes with time. But, as it is a visual technique, we will take more consideration for the next test.Dickey-Fuller testIt is one of the statistical methods to check for stationarity. The null hypothesis is that the time series is non-stationary, and the alternative hypothesis is the converse.As shown below, the test consists of the test statistics and critical values at different significant levels. If the test statistics is less than the critical value, we reject the null hypothesis. Results of Dickey-Fuller Test: Test Statistic 0.815369p-value 0.991880#Lags Used 13.000000Number of Observations Used 130.000000Critical Value (1%) -3.481682Critical Value (5%) -2.884042Critical Value (10%) -2.578770According to the Dickey-Fuller test, the test statistics is less than the critical value. Therefore, the time series is not stationary. However, there are various methods to make a time series stationary.How to make a time series stationary?The assumption of stationarity is very important when modelling a time series, but most of the practical time series are not stationary. Eventually, we cannot make a time series one hundred percent stationary, most of the time, it will be with a confidence of 99%.Before going into detail, we will discuss on the reasons why the time series is not stationary. There are two major reasons to that, trend and seasonality.Having discuss the reasons, we will now talk about the techniques to make the time series stationary:TransformationLog transformation is probably the most commonly used form of transformation. Differencing Differencing is a widely used method to make the time series stationary. It is performed by subtracting the previous observation from the current one. When making the forecast, the process of differencing must be inverted to convert the data back to its original scale. This can be done by adding the difference value to the previous value.Using the Dickey-Fuller test we can see that the test statistic is -2.717131 and that the critical values at 1%, 5% and 10% are -3.482501, -2.884398 and -2.578960 respectivelyThe time series is stationary with 90% confidence. The second or third order differencing can be done to get better results. Decomposition In decomposition, the time series is divided into several components mainly trend, cyclical, seasonal and irregular components.The time series can sometimes be broken down into an additive or multiplicative model.We will assume a multiplicative model for our example.Since the trend and seasonality were separated from the residuals, we can check the stationarity of the residuals.Results of Dickey-Fuller Test is test statistic is -6.332387e+00 and the critical values at 1%, 5% and 10% are -3.485122e+00, -2.885538e+00 and -2.579569e+00 respectively. We can conclude that the time series is stationary at 99% confidence.Now, we can go forward with the forecasting.Forecasting the time seriesWe will fit this time series using the ARIMA model, ARIMA is an acronym that stands for Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average. It is a linear equation similar to a linear regression. The first goal is to find the values of the predictors (p, d, q), but before finding these values, two situations in stationarity must be discussed. A strictly stationary series without any dependence among the values. In this case, we can model the residual as white noise.The second case is a series with significant dependency among the values.The predictors mainly depend on the parameters (p, d, q) of the ARIMA model:Number of AR(Auto-Regressive) terms (p)It is the number of lag observation that were included in the model. This term helps to incorporate the effect of the past values into the model. Number of MA (Moving Average) terms (q)It is the size of the moving average window, that is, this term sets the error of the model as a linear combination of the error values observed at previous time points in the past.Number of differences(d)The number of times that the raw observations are differenced.In order to obtain the values of p and q, we will use the following two plots:Autocorrelation Function, ACFThis function will measure the correlation of the time series with its lagged version. Partial Autocorrelation Function, PACFThis function measures the correlation between the time series with a lagged version of itself, controlling the values of the time series at all shorter lagsIn the ACF and PACF plots, the dotted lines are the confidence interval, these values are p and q. The value of p is obtained from the PACF plot and the value of q is obtained from the ACF plot. We can see that both p and q are 2.Now, that we have obtained p and q, we will make three different ARIMA model: AR, MA and the combined model. The RSS of each of the model will be given.AR modelMA modelCombined modelFrom the plots, it is clearly shown that the RSS of AR and MA are the same and that of the combined is much better. As the combined model give a better result, the following steps will take the values back to its original scale.The predicted results are stored.The differencing is converted the log scale. This can be done by adding the differences consecutively to the base numbers.The exponent is taken and is compared to the original scale.Therefore, we have the final result. References Aarshay Jain(2016) A comprehensive beginner’s guide to create a Time Series Forecast (with Codes in Python) [WWW] Available from https://www.analyticsvidhya.com/blog/2016/02/time-series-forecasting-codes-python/ [Accessed 14/04/18] Maxime Phillot (2017) How do I interpret the results in an augmented Dickey-Fuller test? [WWW] Available from https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-interpret-the-results-in-an-augmented-Dickey-Fuller-test [Accessed 23/04/18] Jason Brownlee (2016) What Is Time Series Forecasting? [WWW] Available from https://machinelearningmastery.com/time-series-forecasting/ [Accessed 23/04/18] Chris St.Jeor and Sean Ankenbruck (2018) Time Series for dummies- The 3 step process [WWW] Available from https://www.kdnuggets.com/2018/03/time-series-dummies-3-step-process.html [Accessed 22/04/18] Pennsylvania state university (n. d) Overview of Time Series Characteristics [WWW] Available from https://onlinecourses.science.psu.edu/stat510/node/47 [Accessed 22/04/18] How to cite Time Series, Papers Time Series Free Essays Introduction A time series is a set of observations, xi each one being recorded at a specific time t. After being recorded, these data are rigorously studied to develop a model. This model will then be used to construct future values, in other words, to make a forecast. We will write a custom essay sample on Time Series or any similar topic only for you Order Now When looking at a time series, some questions must be asked:Does the time series have a trend or seasonality?Are their outliers? Is there constant variance over time?Essential of Good time seriesThe data must be long enough.There must be equal time gap.There must be a normal period.Example1The following plot is a time series plot of the annual number of earthquakes in the world with seismic magnitude over 7.0, for 99 consecutive years. By a time series plot, we simply mean that the variable is plotted against time.Some features of the plot:There is no trend.The mean of the series is 20.2.There is no seasonality as the data are annual data.There are no outliers.Example 2 This shows a time series of quarterly production of beer in Australia for 18 years.Some features are:There is an increasing trend. There is seasonality.There are no outliers.The Components of Time SeriesThe components of time series are factors that can bring changes to the time series:Trend component, TtWhen there is an increase or a decrease over a long period of time in the data, then we say that there is a trend. Sometimes, a trend is said to be changing direction when it goes from an increasing trend to a decreasing one. It is the result of events such as price inflation, population growth or economic changes. Seasonal component, StA seasonal pattern exists when the time series exhibits regular variations at specific time. It arises from influences such as natural conditions or social and cultural behaviors. For example, the sales of ice-cream are relatively high in summer. So, the salesman expects greater profit in summer than in winter. Cyclic component, CtIf the time series shows an up and down movement around a given period of time, it is said to have a cyclical pattern.Irregular component, ItIrregular components consist of changes that are unlikely to be repeated in a time series. Examples are floods, fires, earthquakes or cyclones.Combining the time series componentsTime series is a combination of the components which were discussed above. These components can be either combined additively or multiplicatively.Additive modelIt is linear, and the changes are made by the same amount over time.Yt = Tt + Ct + St + ItMultiplicative modelIt is non-linear such as quadratic or exponential, and the changes increase or decrease over time.Yt = Tt Ãâ€"Ct Ãâ€" St Ãâ€" ItUsesTime series can be useful in the following fields: StatisticsSignal processingEconometricsMathematical financeAstronomyEarthquake predictionsWeather forecastingImportance of Time series for businessesThere are many benefits of time series for business purposes:Helpful for study of past behaviorBusinessmen use time series to study the past behaviors and to see the trend of the sales or profit of their businesses. Helpful in forecastingTime series is a great tool for forecasting. Businesses can make a time series of the past strategies of their competitors and make an estimate of their future strategies. In this way, they make can built a better strategy and make more profits.Helpful in comparisonTime series can be used to calculate the trend of two or more branches of the same company and compare their performance. On their performances, rewards can be given. However, time series can have some limitations for a business. Sales forecasting relies on the past results to predict future expectations. But, if a company is new, there is a limited amount of data to make predictions. Even so, past results do not always indicate what the future sales will be.To fully understand this topic, we will work out this example. Example 2We will consider the actual arrival of passengers from an airport over the year 1949 to 1960. From these data, we will make a forecast.The first step is to plot the data and obtain descriptive measures such as trends or seasonal fluctuations.The second step is to check for the stationarity of the time series.StationarityA time series is said to be stationary if its mean and variance does not change over time. Obviously, not all the time series that we encounter are stationary. It is important because, most of the models we work on, assumes that the time series is stationary. If the time series has the same behavior over time, there will be a high probability that it will follow the same trend in the future.How to check for stationarity?For the graph that was plotted, we can see that it has an increasing trend with some seasonal pattern. But, it is not always evident to see whether a plot is increasing or has a seasonal trend. We can check for stationarity using the following:Plotting rolling statisticsWe plot the moving average or variance and see whether it changes with time. But, as it is a visual technique, we will take more consideration for the next test. Dickey-Fuller testIt is one of the statistical methods to check for stationarity. The null hypothesis is that the time series is non-stationary, and the alternative hypothesis is the converse.As shown below, the test consists of the test statistics and critical values at different significant levels. If the test statistics is less than the critical value, we reject the null hypothesis. Results of Dickey-Fuller Test: Test Statistic 0.815369p-value 0.991880#Lags Used 13.000000Number of Observations Used 130.000000Critical Value (1%) -3.481682Critical Value (5%) -2.884042Critical Value (10%) -2.578770According to the Dickey-Fuller test, the test statistics is less than the critical value. Therefore, the time series is not stationary. However, there are various methods to make a time series stationary.How to make a time series stationary?The assumption of stationarity is very important when modelling a time series, but most of the practical time series are not stationary. Eventually, we cannot make a time series one hundred percent stationary, most of the time, it will be with a confidence of 99%.Before going into detail, we will discuss on the reasons why the time series is not stationary. There are two major reasons to that, trend and seasonality.Having discuss the reasons, we will now talk about the techniques to make the time series stationary:TransformationLog transformation is probably the most commonly used form of transformation. DifferencingDifferencing is a widely used method to make the time series stationary. It is performed by subtracting the previous observation from the current one. When making the forecast, the process of differencing must be inverted to convert the data back to its original scale. This can be done by adding the difference value to the previous value. Using the Dickey-Fuller test we can see that the test statistic is -2.717131 and that the critical values at 1%, 5% and 10% are -3.482501, -2.884398 and -2.578960 respectivelyThe time series is stationary with 90% confidence. The second or third order differencing can be done to get better results.DecompositionIn decomposition, the time series is divided into several components mainly trend, cyclical, seasonal and irregular components. The time series can sometimes be broken down into an additive or multiplicative model.We will assume a multiplicative model for our example.Since the trend and seasonality were separated from the residuals, we can check the stationarity of the residuals.Results of Dickey-Fuller Test is test statistic is -6.332387e+00 and the critical values at 1%, 5% and 10% are -3.485122e+00, -2.885538e+00 and -2.579569e+00 respectively. We can conclude that the time series is stationary at 99% confidence.Now, we can go forward with the forecasting.Forecasting the time seriesWe will fit this time series using the ARIMA model, ARIMA is an acronym that stands for Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average. It is a linear equation similar to a linear regression. The first goal is to find the values of the predictors (p, d, q), but before finding these values, two situations in stationarity must be discussed.A strictly stationary series without any dependence among the values. In this case, we can model the residual as white noise.The second case is a series with significant dependency among the values. The predictors mainly depend on the parameters (p, d, q) of the ARIMA model:Number of AR(Auto-Regressive) terms (p)It is the number of lag observation that were included in the model. This term helps to incorporate the effect of the past values into the model.Number of MA (Moving Average) terms (q)It is the size of the moving average window, that is, this term sets the error of the model as a linear combination of the error values observed at previous time points in the past. Number of differences(d)The number of times that the raw observations are differenced.In order to obtain the values of p and q, we will use the following two plots:Autocorrelation Function, ACFThis function will measure the correlation of the time series with its lagged version. Partial Autocorrelation Function, PACFThis function measures the correlation between the time series with a lagged version of itself, controlling the values of the time series at all shorter lagsIn the ACF and PACF plots, the dotted lines are the confidence interval, these values are p and q. The value of p is obtained from the PACF plot and the value of q is obtained from the ACF plot. We can see that both p and q are 2. Now, that we have obtained p and q, we will make three different ARIMA model: AR, MA and the combined model. The RSS of each of the model will be given.AR modelMA modelCombined modelFrom the plots, it is clearly shown that the RSS of AR and MA are the same and that of the combined is much better. As the combined model give a better result, the following steps will take the values back to its original scale. The predicted results are stored.The differencing is converted the log scale. This can be done by adding the differences consecutively to the base numbers.The exponent is taken and is compared to the original scale.Therefore, we have the final result. References Aarshay Jain(2016) A comprehensive beginner’s guide to create a Time Series Forecast (with Codes in Python) [WWW] Available from https://www.analyticsvidhya.com/blog/2016/02/time-series-forecasting-codes-python/ [Accessed 14/04/18]Maxime Phillot (2017) How do I interpret the results in an augmented Dickey-Fuller test? [WWW] Available from https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-interpret-the-results-in-an-augmented-Dickey-Fuller-test [Accessed 23/04/18]Jason Brownlee (2016) What Is Time Series Forecasting? [WWW] Available from https://machinelearningmastery.com/time-series-forecasting/ [Accessed 23/04/18]Chris St.Jeor and Sean Ankenbruck (2018) Time Series for dummies- The 3 step process [WWW] Available from https://www.kdnuggets.com/2018/03/time-series-dummies-3-step-process.html [Accessed 22/04/18] Pennsylvania state university (n. d) Overview of Time Series Characteristics [WWW] Available from https://onlinecourses.science.psu.edu/stat510/node/47 [Accessed 22/04/18] How to cite Time Series, Papers

Review Of Riverdance Essay Example For Students

Review Of Riverdance Essay From the moment I started to get near the Gershwin Theatre I felt some kind of uplifting energy inside of me. As soon as I came to the doors I saw lot of people waiting to get in. All of us came for the same reason to see the Riverdance. I felt very enthusiastic as I walked down the lobby to the escalators. The atmosphere of the theatre was solemn: coat-checkers, all people well dressed, everyone is smiling and expecting the event. As I sat down on my seat, I started to look around. It was a big auditorium with a seats arranged so everyone will see the event no matter where you seat. Gershwin Theatre is the proscenium kind of theatre. The stage didnt have any particular decorations that will catch your eye, so I flipped the playbill to get some information before the beginning. As the lights went down, from the first minute of a play I was swept away with a beautiful music and stayed like this until the last minute of the show. It seemed for me, though the musicians are the heart of the play. They brought life and energy. Some of these musicians were actors too. For example, one young lady who played violin came on to the stage a few times in the show, and danced and played solo, and with the rest of dancers at the same time. Music itself, which was a folk Irish transformed to something modern, was fantastic. A cappella singers also perform as a sort of chorus. Throughout the play we were able to hear the voice of unseen narrator, who were telling an impressionistic story of the Irish. The lighting pointed out the important moments and people at the write time. It did not have any special lighting effects and it really didnt need to. All together, lighting and sound created some feeling of spirituality for the show. Scenery of the play was very simple. It didnt use any extravagant decorations. Everything was very simple but it didnt give a feeling of emptiness. I felt that it was good because it didnt disturb attention of an audience. However, it was giving very basic information to what is going on a stage. The colors of the scenery corresponded to the scene. It helped the audience to feel what the dance is about. Most of the decorations were shown as symbolic elements that gave a feeling of appropriateness. Riverdance tells us the story of Irish history and dance in the abstract, mixing Irish step dancing with other folk forms like African American tap, Russian folk and Spanish flamenco. Production of the dances began slow at the first moment and then was getting faster and faster. I felt that I have no time to relax, dancers were holding all the attention. The piece with the Irish dance required from a few people on stage to a full stage of dancers. At the moments when everyone danced on the stage, the movements were so synchronized that it was giving a feeling that everyone flows together as a unit. With its movements dancers were able to show the mood of dance. I were able to laugh, feel joy and sadness. I think it was a most important thing for dancers to transform the feeling of their mood to the audience. What I also liked the most is that dancers did not dance with a stone look on their faces while dancing. Their expression changed to what the dance required it to change. Costumes of the dancers were nothing extravagant, but simple and good. It reflected the period of the play. Style of the costumes depended on the dance. If the dance was Russian folk costumes were right accordingly to it. The haircut corresponded to the dance either. When it was a Spanish flamenco the design of the dancers hair was the one that all the traditional dancers of this type of dance wear. The color of the costumes reflected the dance and story. I felt that director John McColgan completed a task not from an easy one. This show did not contain much of a plot and still director has been able to bring the feeling of unity. Everything: dancers, singers, light, and sound moved together. And production was not only technically correct, it were able to give a feeling to the audience. Pace of the play was very correct. It grasped attention of the audience bit by bit, but then it was holding all the attention to the very end. Rhythm was correctly chosen also. It changed from the fa st tones to the more slower ones and vice versa, so the spectator were able to rest a little without loosing the flow of the emotions. I also think that director used all his available space correctly. Even though there was not much of a decoration, there was not a feeling of emptiness on a stage. Instead of scenery free space was filled up with people as much as it needed to. .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8 , .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8 .postImageUrl , .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8 , .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8:hover , .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8:visited , .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8:active { border:0!important; } .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8:active , .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8 .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub36b6b7f55aab767a4795c2ef99cc4f8:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Rosa Parks And the Montgomery Bus Boycott EssayTo conclude, I just want to say that this show was fascinating. It didnt seem that there were some mistakes done neither from actors, nor technicians or directors. This was a great experience for me, which I were not ready for, since I am not very fond of dance productions. But I was swept away with the quality of the performance and the beauty of Irish folk music. Theater Essays

Harrod-Domar Model Essays (1056 words) - Economic Growth

Harrod-Domar Model The Harrod-Domar Model is the simplest and best-known production function used in the analysis of economic development. This model explains the relationship between the growth and unemployment in advanced capitalist societies. However, the Harrod-Domar Model is used in developing nations as an easy way of looking at the relationships between growth and capital requirements. This model does explain the differences in growth performances between countries. The model allows you to predict an estimate of growth for a nation. Which can be compared to predictions of growth for a different country. B) The "sources of growth" is a different form of the production function. This new function gives the analyst the ability to separate out the different causes of growth. The factors of this equation concern the growth rate of any variable, share of income in any input, national product, capital stock, labor, arable land & national resources, and measuring the shift in the production function resulting from greater efficiency in the case of inputs. Growth Accounting Analysis takes into account of two conclusions that are due to the variations in the way different economists carry out growth accounting. The analysis shows that the efforts to measure the sources of growth have shown that increases in productivity really account for the higher relation of growth. Also capital does not give as much to growth as assumed in early growth models. Capital does play a major role in the expansion of contemporary developing nations. An example of the analysis is in the comparison of wages. Perhaps the wages of a high school graduate is equivalent to the salary of 2 workers who have only had grade school education. Also the earnings for a college graduate maybe twice the amount of a worker of only high school education. C) Both the balanced and unbalanced growths predate much of the quantitative work on patters of development. Balanced growth agrees that countries have to develop a wide range of industries all at the same time if they are ever to prosper in attaining sustained growth. This is when the population of that nation will all have enough wealth to buy goods that they produce. While in an unbalanced growth, only one or few industries prosper, giving wealth to those only working in those areas. In a balanced growth mostly everyone will prosper from the industry. Whereas in an unbalanced growth only a selected few will achieve any gains. #2 A) Income distribution is split up into two categories, functional and size distributions of income. Both distributions of income are interrelated. Functional distribution of income shows how national income is divided among factors of production, traditionally identified as land, labor, and capital. This can be used to measure the productive contributions made by the different factors. Size distribution of income shows the amount of income of all functional kinds received by the rich, poor, & middle class individuals or families and is often read as a direct measure of welfare. B) The evidence regarding inequality and growth shows that it is necessary for economic growth but there is not enough for improving the living standards of large numbers of people in countries with low levels of GNP per capita. Sometimes governments promote growth not just to increase the welfare of their citizens but also to bigger the power and bring glory to the state and its rulers. For example when a country buys missiles and nuclear weapons, they spend large amounts of money, which do not really provide much benefit to the country's citizens. Also resources may be greatly invested in further economic growth, with important utilization increases deferred to a later date. As well, the income and consumption may amplify but only those that will benefit are those who may not need them. As the saying goes, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. C) Some important strategies for achieving growth with equity are: redistribute first, then grow; redistribution with growth; and basic human needs. Redistribute first, then grow suggests mainly to confiscate from one and assign to another. The affect that this has on income distribution is that it spreads it out to everyone. The people who have a lot will not have as much anymore and those who have none will have some now. This gives everyone an equal opportunity to grow. Redistribution with growth says for the implementation of policies that shape the pattern of development so that low income producers see an increase in earning opportunities and at the same time obtain the resources necessary to take advantage

The Great Awakening Essay Example

The Great Awakening Essay Example The Great Awakening Essay The Great Awakening Essay Essay Topic: The Awakening The Great Awakening started as a questioning of religion and authority of government.This led to tolerance of new beliefs.The Great awakening created a sense of shared American identity that affected the people who experienced it all across the colonies.People grouped together no matter were they were from or whom they were.It also led to religion for black slaves and Indians because of missionaries. There were many causes and effects of the great awakening.One cause was the low attendance at churches.People thought what is the need to go to church if we can earn or way to a higher place ourselves?After people challenged the church the thought why cant we question the government?The government was threatened by this because they knew the people could and would.It had many effects like the growth in amount of churches.The churches were very competitive to get people to attend their churches. It also lead to many new colleges referred to as the New Light. The great awakening had a v ery intense religious revival.There were many people who led revivals for religious reasons.Jonathan Edwards was one of thefirst and then George Whitefield who made the biggest impact of all the revivalists.George Whitefield went along the Atlantic seaboard preaching looking for sinners who would convert.People who converted felt very independent being able to do what they wanted freely.People who did not convert criticized conversion, also viewed the converters as a threat to established order. The awakening gave America a sense of shared identity.During the great awakening everyone came together due to religion and to convert.Even Indians were involved with Americans religion because of missionaries. All people no matter what race, sat in the same church listening to people like George Whitefield.The awakening was a big step because it brought all people in America together.

My American Scholarly Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

My American Scholarly Experience - Essay Example I hope to gain more from the university and the American society in general. This essay provides a comprehensive narrative of my experience as a Chinese student in America, forming a potential foundation for others in my position to adjust and reap maximum benefits from the American society. Before coming to America, I always had a dream to study abroad in the hope of pursuing high quality education. In addition, I hoped to experience other people’s cultures, while getting a global point of view of issues surrounding the modern society. My parents and peers encouraged the move, terming it as a path towards self-discovery and exploration of my career options. Given all these factors, my move to America was filled with high expectations, hopes to make friends immediately, and enjoying all the things that the new culture had to offer. Even though I was slightly nervous during my flight from Beijing, my excitement was more than any concerns. For this reason, I did not take possibl e challenges into consideration and as a result, I was not fully prepared for the American life. On arrival from China, I was welcomed quickly but warmly at the airport. It is here that I began observing the differences between China and America. For example, while back at home people take their time to show you around or at least give you directions to wherever you want to go, majority of Americans do not have the patience for that. I also came to realize that many people in America are highly suspicious of strangers and therefore.

Change and Culture Case Study II Part TWO Essay

Change and Culture Case Study II Part TWO - Essay Example As shown in the organizational chart in the previous assignment, departmental heads have been appointed in such a way that representation from both the merged organizations is equally distributed. In order to avoid any ego problems; the CEO of ABC Healthcare was an efficient and an outside person who was previously employed as a vice-president of a well-known health service provider in the country. Six months after the merger, it was seen necessary by the management to implement some major changes within the organization in order to be more competitive in terms of cost of service. One of the features of this organizational change was reduction in the number of employees and the introduction of the concept of ‘universal workers’ who will be trained to perform multiple tasks. This concept will involve major changes in job design across several classes of employees especially among the nursing and administrative staff. Apart from the above, it was decided to implement the concept of organizational learning within the organization as a part of its strategy. The strategy involves the concept of ‘learning organization’s conceptualized by Peter Senge which was first published (and widely accepted) in his bestselling book The Fifth Discipline. This paper reviews the implementation of the concepts of universal worker and organizational change in ABC Healthcare in order to remain efficient in terms of costs, resources, service, and management. Employees are an integral part of any organization and are often referred to as one of its most important assets. The management of any organization has to have a balance between employee efficiency and employee satisfaction. In a sense, there is an inherent contradiction between the aims of employees and the management. Employees are concerned with concepts like job security, and adequate compensation while the management is concerned with maximization of efficiency and profits. This contrast needs

The Religion of Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Religion of Christianity - Essay Example Aeneas is the center character of Vigil’s Latin epic The Aeneid, a legendary story of a Trojan (Aeneas) who traveled to Italy and became the ancestor of Romans. Aeneas is depicted as an ideal and one of the great epic heroes. He was one of the few survivors of the Trojan War and an ancestor of the Roman emperor Augustus. He had guided the men through the perils of uncharted waters, and other adversities to their destined land that was supposed to become Rome someday. Aeneas has been endorsed with the characteristics, which were highly idealized during Vigil’s time in Rome. These virtues were piety or faith in the will of God, courage, determination, skilled warrior ship and inspiring leadership. Aeneas reflected the personification of the heroic origins of Rome and a flawless hero. Conventionally a young student should read Julius Caesar, Cicero, Ovid and Catullus before reading Aeneid. The character of Aeneas should be studied and understood by the young Roman students mainly to understand the virtuous Roman ancestory and the values of a great leader that one should find in Aeneas. Piety or reverence for Gods was one of the values highlighted in the epic through the character of Aeneas who sent prayers and sacrifices to the gods and asked for assistance. It also reflected the devotion and the power of the gods who helped in the creation of Rome. Through the role of Aeneas Vigil showed how prayers worked and disrespectful (towards the will and power of gods) people are punished. For an instance during the war between Aeneas and Mezentius, Aeneas’ prayers to Apollo gets answered by his victory while Mezentius who claimed not to care for or fear gods has to face death. Aeneas’ sacrifices of the cow and sucklings to Juno, prayers to Jupiter before killing Remulus, all reflect his utter dedication and faith. At times the reader may feel that he was too much into the sacrifices and prayers but the connection between profound faith and success is established – a faith that was embedded in the tradition of Rome and hence the young generation also needs to remember that.

Why did the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa take so long?

Why did the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa take so long? Why did the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa take so long? The struggle to end apartheid in South Africa appears, at the dawn of the twenty first century, to be an aberration of social and world history. Viewed within the context of the pervasive civil rights movement in North America and the abolition of slavery (first in Britain at the beginning of the nineteenth century and followed by America after the Civil War in 1865), apartheid seems like a medieval notion that was imprinted upon modern history; an anachronistic nightmare imposed on civilised society. In a world that had banished National Socialism and seen the back of Stalin, the Immorality Amendment Act (1961) remained a legal statute in South Africa until 1985, making sexual relations between whites and non‑whites an unlawful act under apartheid. Yet the very singularity of apartheid remained a key reason for its longevity: for as long as South Africa could be isolated and swept under the international diplomatic rug the rest of the free world could comfort itself in its li beral attitude to race relations while leaving the citizens of South Africa to play the role of international pariahs. However, as Barber ascertains, â€Å"although western governments continued to criticise apartheid, their criticism was often drowned out by accusations of their hypocrisy.† For the purposes of this study, analysis will take a chronological form, tracking the genesis of apartheid as a political creed to understand how it became a part of the South African way of life. In this way it will be shown how apartheid took so long to be rooted out of the national culture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The greatest mistake for historians today is to view South Africa from a solely British colonial perspective. It is important to understand that the country had a long and rich social history before the arrival of the British. It was a legacy tainted with taut race relations between the indigenous African tribes and the first settlers, the Boers. Indeed, before the arguments pertaining to apartheid were ever voiced, the British and Boers fought a long war of attrition (1899‑1902) to determine which nation should govern the land that was rich in minerals and therefore important in an economic and strategic sense. Conflict is thus at the heart of the history of South Africa. Like Northern Ireland one should not dismiss the effects of repetitive differences of opinion whereby war and aggravation can become deep rooted within the culture.   Ã‚   The eventual British victory in the Boer War sewed the seeds of the resentment that would ultimately harvest apartheid (apartness). Boers, or Afrikaners as they were known within their own ranks, felt like aliens in their home land, made to speak a foreign language and pay allegiance to a detested foreign power. During the first three decades of the twentieth century Afrikaners felt more alienated than ever with a large wage and lifestyle discrepancy between the English‑speaking South Africans and the Afrikaners. By the end of the Second World War, the Afrikaners were an ethnic group on the verge of revolting. Therefore, when the alliance between the National Party and the Afrikaner Party bore fruit in the way of a unified South African national election victory in May 1948 the result was a reversal back to political ideals that were envisaged in the pre‑British days of the nineteenth century – apartheid being one of several popular ultra‑conservative slog ans used during the preceding electoral campaign. The day after the victory, party leader, Malan declared: â€Å"Today South Africa belongs to us once more. South Africa is our own for the first time since Union, and may God grant that it will always remain our own.† With such a resentful and dislocated background, apartheid was introduced as a means to perpetuate white rule. As a social and political philosophy, it was a backlash against modernity – specifically against the civil rights movement. Traditionally, prejudice thrives on routine and wilts in the face of modernity and the speed with which the North American people vented their disgust at segregation in the Deep South shocked the white leaders of South Africa, not only for the ferocity of the rage against the state but also for the composition of the dissenters, many white, middle‑class and well‑educated. Yet there were distinct and fundamental differences between the South African national experience and that of the USA. Although both America and South Africa were initially colonial countries, the influx of immigrants to the USA was markedly different to the migration of people to South Africa. As New York took over from London as the financial capital of the West after 1918, South Africa remained a predominantly agricultural country. The relevance of this in terms of the perpetuation of apartheid is that while one nation became a melting pot of differing ideologies, religions, races and creeds, the other became entrenched in a formulaic white‑black divide with a history of Afrikaner and British land‑holders dictating policy to a black populace. Apartheid should be viewed as part of a broader policy of deconstruction taking place in post‑war South Africa, all facets tied to the dual desire to keep power from black people as well as moving away from the disapproving gaze of the West. The removal of both the British National Anthem and the Union Jack as cultural symbol (1957), the replacement of UK currency (1961) as well as the referendum (1960) and subsequent formulation of the republic (1961) highlighted the uniquely South African experience, which was designed as a means to create white unity and loyalty to South Africa alone. In this sense, apartheid was strongly tied to Afrikaner nationalism, making it a movement beyond the comprehension and control of the former British colonial masters. â€Å"While there was very little difference between Afrikaners and English‑speakers in their support for white supremacy, residential segregation and migrant labour, English opinion‑formers constantly tried to distance themselves as much as possible from the racial politics of Afrikaner parties. They found the crude expression of racism distasteful and resented being shut out from power.† Political apartheid in South Africa was so durable because it was built upon a well‑founded ideological structure that curbed black influence in all corners of society. Apartheid can be viewed as a pyramid. The first building block was the political obstacles put in the way of black participation in administrative affairs leaving politics to be a whites’ only domain. The National Party next used enforced separation of existing physical communities to perpetuate their rule, followed by the segregation of education and the labour market (black workers were not officially permitted to form trade unions). Not only did the National Party separate black and white communities but they also restricted movement within the country in the same way that Jews were not permitted to travel within Nazi Germany. The formation of the Bantustans (black ‘homelands’) meant that blacks were put out of sight of the white minority rulers giving rise to two completely separate soci o‑economic groups within one sovereign nation. The sum of these measures was to make a law of a loose body of segregation and prejudice methods of divide and rule that were already in place before 1945, making apartheid the most extreme version of institutionalised racism anywhere the industrialised world. â€Å"Segregation doctrine was supplanted by the more dangerous notion ‘separate development.’ This involved the idea that Africans and others should reside, and enjoy citizenship rights, in distinct ethnic homelands. Whereas White supremacy and segregation had involved an explicit racial hierarchy in legislative and political practice, the NP from 1961 was committed to formal equality between groups understood in ethnic terms.† It is a key point to make in terms of comprehending the durability of apartheid. While segregation alone would have ensured white supremacy for a generation, the complete stagnation of educational or vocational opportunity for blacks meant that they were, over successive generations, unable to wrest power from Afrikaner hands. Moreover, the notion of two ideals of citizenship in one country gave the blacks the illusion of self ­ rule even though, in reality, their human rights were worth next to nothing under apartheid.  Ã‚   Of all the installations of prejudice utilised by the National Party to ensure the penetration of apartheid, the restriction of physical movement proved to be the greatest obstacle to long term change. Throughout history, all of the momentous instigators of social change heralded from industrial cities where like‑minded individuals could disseminate information to one another and could meet in secret underground. Paris, Boston and St.  Petersburg are all examples of the role of the modern city as conduit through which progressive ideas might puncture throughout society so as to induce cultural change. In 1948 there were two million blacks located in South African cities compared to six million in the countryside and the great majority of these lived in slums. With the arrival of the Bantustans, the blacks were further constrained in terms of being able to form a coherent opposition to apartheid along the lines of the Black Panther Party in the USA or the NICRA in Northern Ir eland. Clearly, the lack of intellectual, philosophical and political discourse within South African urban centres meant that apartheid was more difficult to dislodge from within than was the case in, for example, French Algeria, South Africa’s closest continental equivalent.    If the period 1945‑1961 is seen as the foundation of apartheid in South Africa, then the years 1961‑1980 should be viewed as the era of ‘high apartheid’, where the NP regime fought against modernity and international opinion to maintain a political system that was at odds with the rest of western civilisation. Acts of state‑sponsored atrocity such as the Soweto Massacre (1976) shocked the world and divided international opinion. In 1966, at the heyday of apartheid during the final year of Verwoerd’s term in office, 1.5 million blacks were kept in reserve who would otherwise have become urbanised and, potentially, radicalised. Yet it should be understood that the international community was compliant in the continuation of apartheid during this time. It has been shown that the blacks within South Africa were powerless to form opposition to apartheid from within. Hope therefore rested with the outside world.    â€Å"Enforcing apartheid required not only a range of oppressive methods domestically: intimidation, abandonment of the rule of law, torture, outright terror including assassination – all these were commonplace in South Africa. But the tentacles of the police state also spread abroad, often assisted by Western intelligence services in ways which infected and compromised the democratic politics of these countries. From the late 1960’s onwards, South African agents were responsible for a series of attacks on anti‑apartheid organisations across the world.† Thus, as the horrors of the Holocaust faded into history and the world became united by satellite communication, the National Party treatment of blacks could only have been perpetuated via external assistance. Although sanctions were imposed and diplomats constantly sent to Pretoria, the police state apparatus was aided by international impotence in the face of extreme racial oppression. Indeed, the nerve centre of apartheid during the era of high apartheid was the South African equivalent of the Gestapo – the Afrikaner Broederband, established by three Afrikaner nationals in 1918. â€Å"The Afrikaner Broederband made the nature of the apartheid administration unique. Most of the country’s leading government members, generals, judges and senior police officers, along with many Church and education officials, operated on the deeply secret level of the AB.† Economic and cultural ties also ensured that key European countries such as Britain and West Germany continued to trade with South Africa, and the illegal arms trade made certain that the AB and hit‑squads of apartheid were always supplied with the tools to guarantee black suppression. In addition, the spectre of the Cold War loomed large over the issue of apartheid. Not only did the USSR divert attention away from the atrocities taking place in South Africa, but the nation was seen, in much the same way as Vietnam, as a key battleground in the spreading of communist theory across the post‑war globe, exacerbated by the rich economic opportunities prevalent in the country. Perversely, the Soviet states supported the liberal racial ideologies of the suppressed black South Africans, fuelled by the extreme anti‑communist stance of all of the NP leaders, who each played a major role in apartheid. â€Å"Apartheid’s phases have been stamped by Afrikanerdom’s great men: Malan preached Afrikaner unity, Strydom the republican ideal; Vorster’s rule was marked by pragmatism and tough security laws; and PW Botha’s era was distinguished by the total onslaught and militarism tinged with reformism.† That the compliance of the international community was a major factor in the continuation of apartheid can be seen through the means via which it was eventually dismantled. The beginning of the end of apartheid was the revised 1984 national constitution, which aimed to highlight existing divides within the nation to split the burgeoning black political parties. The new constitution differentiated between Indians, ‘coloureds’ and whites leaving blacks as the sole focus of racism in South Africa; however, in attempting to woo other ethnic groups the National Party gave explicit encouragement to, among others, the UDF (United Democratic Front). â€Å"The view from below was of a galling piece of political expediency. The new constitution amounted to an admission that apartheid was a failure.† De Tocqueville in the nineteenth century noted that people may endure grievance and abuse only for as long as they feel as if they are powerless to do anything about it. This had certainly been the case in the history of South Africa until the second half of the 1980’s. Yet with the dilution of the ethnic pool over a period of four decades, and the subtle shift in symbolic power from the NP to the ANC, apartheid was ultimately doomed to failure. Conclusion The widespread feeling of isolation was at the root of the perpetuation of apartheid in South Africa. Isolation was first experienced by the Boers and Afrikaners who then transmitted this sense of alienation to the blacks under the guise of apartheid. Isolation was likewise the tactic employed by the international community after the National Party victory in 1948, which further assisted the policy of apartheid. History reports that expulsion from international groups and treaties benefits no‑one but the dictators in charge of the nation that has so offended the free world. The recent examples of Iraq and Zimbabwe highlight the futility of isolation as an international relations panacea to the social ills of the modern world. It is therefore prudent to see apartheid in South Africa as the vision of Afrikaner racists fuelled by international compliance via ineptitude. Apartheid’s longevity was also aided by the presence of communism and the enticing economic climate of South Africa, which ensured that a tougher stance was not taken against the NP. In this way the struggle to end apartheid took the best part of half a century; the greatest surprise was that by 1990 it ended so quickly without recourse to civil war or mass bloodshed. BIBLIOGRAPHY BARBER, James. Mandela’s World: the International Dimension of South Africa’s Political Revolution, 1990‑1999. Oxford, James Currey, 2004. BELL, Terry. Unfinished Business: South Africa, Apartheid and Truth. London, Verso, 2003. BUTLER, Anthony. Contemporary South Africa. London, Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. GILIOMEE, Herman. The Afrikaners: Biography of a People. London, Hurst Co, 2003. HAIN, Peter. Sing the Beloved Country: the Struggle for the New South Africa. London, Pluto, 1996. MAMDANI, Mahmood. Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism. Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1996. MOORCRAFT, Paul. African Nemesis: War and Revolution in Southern Africa, 1945‑2010. London, Brassey’s UK, 1994. POSEL, Deborah. The Making of Apartheid. Oxford, Clarendon, 1991. ROBERTSON, Janet. Liberalism in South Africa. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1971. SPARKS, Allister. The Mind of South Africa: the Story of the Rise and Fall of Apartheid. London, Heinemann, 1990

The History of the Panama Canal :: American America History

The History of the Panama Canal The Panama Canal has been called the big ditch, the bridge between two continents, and the greatest shortcut in the world. When it was finally finished in 1914, the 51-mile waterway cut off over 7,900 miles of the distance between New York and San Francisco, and changed the face of the industrialized world ("Panama Canal"). This Canal is not the longest, the widest, the deepest, or the oldest canal in the world, but it is the only canal to connect two oceans, and still today is the greatest man-made waterway in the world ("Panama Canal Connects). Ferdinand de Lesseps, who played a large role in building the Suez Canal in 1869 (Jones), was the director of the Compagnie Universelle Du Canal Interoceanique de Panama ("Historical Overview"). At first De Lesseps seemed to be "the perfect choice for the Panama task." Though as time went on De Lesseps was found to be "anything but the ideal" (Dolan). As soon as de Lesseps' company took over the canal it was doomed (Jones). De Lesseps was a 74-year-old man who was stubborn, vain, and very opinionated (Considine). Because of his experience with the Suez waterway, De Lesseps thought he was smarter than all the engineers beneath his command (Dolan). De Lesseps overrode all opposition of his sea-level canal due to his very popular reputation. He was sold on the idea of a sea-level canal and would not listen to the ideas of others such as French engineer, Adolphe Godin de Lepinary. De Lepinary's idea was to create two large lakes on either side of the mountains. In order to do this they w ould have to dam the Chagres River on the Atlantic side and the Rio Grande River on the pacific side (Considine). Although as time went on more than just a poor director held back the finalization of the canal. Disease, death, and rough terrain slowed down the completion of the canal. "The Terrain at the Isthmus was something they had never experienced and had not put a serious study of it, a very grave error" ("Panama Canal Connects"). Mosquitoes were responsible for many deaths. Illnesses such as yellow fever and malaria made "many of the work forces go to the hospitals or in some cases die" ("Panama Canal"). Mosquitoes carried the diseases and when a person got bit he would give a disease to the mosquito and the mosquito would pass it on to the next victim ("Historical Overview").

Impact Of The Latest Advances In Technology On Recruitment And Selection

ABSTRACT In the face of a new era of downsizing, garnering of qualified workforce remains a key organizational goal. A commonly held view among the human resource managers is that the human resources are the most important assets of an organization and that they offer the only non-imitative competitive edge. As the point of entry, the process of recruitment and selection of employees plays a crucial role in enhancing the success and survival of the organization in the extremely competitive and turbulent business environment. This paper explores on how the latest advances in technology have impacted on the process of recruitment and selection of employees. Different aspects of the use of new technology will be examined including internet based recruitment, telephone and video conferencing, computer based testing and IVR or Automated telephone interviewing. This will include an overview of the potential advantages as well as challenges arising with the use of each wave of technology. INTRODUCTION In the face of a new era of downsizing, garnering of qualified workforce remains a key organizational goal (Bauer 2004). As the point of entry, the process of recruitment and selection of employees plays a crucial role in enhancing the success and survival of the organization in the extremely competitive and turbulent business environment. Traditionally, the recruitment and selection process relied on fairly low-tech methods such as employee referrals and newspaper ads, in locating and attracting qualified candidates (Lievens, et.al 2002). Successful job seeking included frequenting the local job center (Lievens, et.al 2002). This has however changed over the past few decades as a result of advances in technology. The recruitment process, just like all other business functions, has become increasingly tied to technology (Lievens, et.al 2002). The common practice of mailing applications and waiting to be called for an interview via a phone call has been trumped by technological advances which have eased communication. Technological advances such as internet-based recruitment and candidate assessment, computer-based testing, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), telephone and video-based interviews among other information technologies are now increasingly being used in recruiting and selecting qualified candidates (Chapman & Webster 2003). In this paper, we examine how the latest advances in technology have impacted on the process of recruitment and selection of employees. The following sections will explore on these technological advances, in particular, how they are impacting on recruitment and selection process. This will include an overview of the potential advantages as well as challenges arising with the use of each wave of technology. We begin by exploring on internet based recruitment, which involves recruitment via the web.a. INTERNET BASED RECRUITMENTThe most popular ways through which advances in technology have significantly impacted on recruitment and selection is through the internet. Organizations are increasingly making use of the internet technology, particularly the World Wide Web, as a platform for testing and recruiting potential candidates (Baron & Austin, 2000). Social networking websites, software and online job boards has helped in linking applicants to hiring professionals with focus on knowled ge, skills and abilities (Baron & Austin, 2000). Social networking sites such as LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, monster.com and universe.jobs hold millions of jobs and resumes in their databases (Neil 2003). These professional networking sites play a significant role in the process of recruitment and selection. LinkedIn, for example, is used as a business-oriented social networking site whereby applicants are linked with the employers. LinkedIn is widely used globally as a professional network service and has currently 90 million users (Neil 2003). It is currently valued at over $2.51 billion USD and operates in more than 200 countries (Neil 2003). Advances in technology have indeed shaped the process of recruitment and selection. Online ads are now the lead recruitment methods employed by employers. Recruitment and selection via the web has enabled the employers to build a ‘talent pool’ of qualified candidates and lessen their reliance on conventional print media (Thompson et al., 2008). This has led to significant cost savings as employers lessen their reliance on recruitment agencies (Thompson et al., 2008). In this regard, Harris & Dewar (2000) noted a significant reduction on the cost per-hire from $ 3,295 (for the conventional recruitment methods) to $377 (for internet based recruitment). There are many benefits arising with the use of internet based recruitment method as well challenges that it present to the organizations. It should be noted that internet based recruitment is not without its shortcomings, but the cons must be weighed against the pros in order to determine if this recruitment method is supported. BENEFITS OF INTERNET BASED RECRUITMENT The internet provides efficiency in the administration and scoring of test as the content can be easily modified and answers captured in electronic form (Van Hoye & Lievens 2007). It also enables routine checking of errors, automatic scoring of tests and provides instant feedback to the applicants (Van Hoye & Lievens 2007). This administrative ease enables recruiters to save on costs and time giving them a competitive hedge in the tight labour market. It also provides for increased flexibility for both the employer and applicants in the administration of tests and performance of work in varied geographical locations (Van Hoye & Lievens 2007). Moreover, the widespread of information in a globalized market widens access to a diverse geographical labour pool (Lievens & Harris 2003). Additionally, there is a greater transparency in the selection process as candidates are selected based on their skills, experience and competence (Lievens & Harris 200 3). CHALLENGES TO INTERNET BASED RECRUITMENT While it is apparent that online recruitment help cut on recruitment costs, increase efficiency and transparency in the selection process; there are some potentially major drawbacks. Due to the high number of applicants, screening and checking the authenticity and mapping of skills may be a time consuming exercise (Lievens & Harris 2003). The large number of indistinguishable resumes from the various applicants coupled with inadequate software and procedures may lead to poor results in the selection of the ideal candidate (Lievens & Harris 2003). This problem can largely be attributed to the existing methods for parsing resumes which is dependent on software that truncates and exclude the totality of content (Lievens & Harris 2003). Also, failure by the industry software to produce optimum candidate and position convergence may result in correspondingly low retention rates of the new employees hence costing client companies thousands of dollars (Lievens & Harris 2003). Despite having automated assistance, managing the workload remains a daunting task for HR managers. While software has reduced on the number of resumes from the applicants, that would otherwise be manually reviewed, it has not been successful in narrowing candidate resume pools to the ideal qualified applicants (Harris & Dewar 2000).It should be noted that most of the software employed in the process of recruitment and selection generally uses rudimentary lexical and semantic algorithms (Harris & Dewar 2000). These algorithms tend to generate a large candidate pool with most candidates insufficiently suitable for effective use (Harris & Dewar 2000). This is because the industry software lacks the ideal filtering capabilities necessary for the proper parsing of resume. Crucial data that could help in identifying the ideal candidate and position convergence is therefore lost. Without sufficient data, there is not enough variance that could be used in distinguishing among candidate and position suitability (Harris & Dewar 2000). This next section will explore on interactive voice response (IVR) which is also known as automated telephone interviewing. The method is also gaining popularity and is increasingly being used by firms in recruiting and selecting new hires. b. AUTOMATED TELEPHONE INTERVIEWING/INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE (IVR) The use of interactive voice response (IVR) which also referred to as automated telephone interviewing is one of the newest ways to recruiting and selecting new hires (Thompson et.al 2008). IVR technology allows for human interaction with the computer via a telephone keypad or through the use of voice recognition (Thompson et.al 2008). This wave of technology is increasingly gaining popularity in the recruitment and selection of employees due to its many advantages. ADVANTAGES OF THE IVR IVR is an easily accessible technology. Take for example the United States where 95% of the households own phones (Thompson et.al 2008). With IVR, applicants can initiate the interview at any time. The applicants or potential employees can initiate an interview by simply making a phone call to a toll-free phone number and be automatically interviewed without any intervention from the operator (Thompson et.al 2008). IVR or rather automated telephone interviewing can help in eliminating interview biases (Thompson al 2008). It is highly cost effective in screening the candidate pool. DISADVANTAGES OF USING IVR While IVR is increasingly being used by many businesses to cut on the costs and give a better experience, it is not without its shortcomings. One of the greatest challenges to using IVR systems in recruitment and selection of employees is that the users find it hard to follow telephone menus and lengthy instructions (Thompson et.al 2008). Also, IVR screening is considered lower in terms of treatment and openness as well as in reconsideration opportunities than the conventional face to face interviewing (Thompson al 2008)..c. TELECONFERENCING AND VIDEO CONFERENCINGThere is also the use of telephone and video conferencing. Teleconferencing involves setting up of a conference telephone call between the selection committee and potential candidates (Gilliland 1993). Job interviews by teleconferencing are common where the applicant and the selection committee are located in geographically sparse regions. Video conferencing, on the other hand, involves the combination of both the audio and video transmissions, hence allowing for communication to take place by a way of an audio visual link (AVL) (Gilliland 1993). With video confer encing, both the applicant and selection committee members are able to share their views and at the same time see each other on the screen. BENEFITS OF VIDEO CONFERENCING Despite reducing the in-person meetings, video teleconferencing as well offer the advantages of face to face communication (Gilliland 1993). There is also significant cost reduction for both the applicant and the employer as there is no need of travelling and associated costs of lodging and meals (Gilliland 1993). There is also the added environmental benefit as a reduction in traveling implies a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (Gilliland 1993). Further, upon placement this technology allows for the continued collaboration with the team members from remote locations (Gilliland 1993). CHALLENGES OF VIDEO CONFERENCING Similar to other technological innovations, video conferencing is not without its shortcomings. There might be a difference in time zones when conferencing in remote geographical locations (Gilliland 1993). Also, some of the human ways to communicating may not translate well with video conferencing (Gilliland 1993). For example, eye contact may not be easily delivered through a webcam, unlike in the conventional face-to-face interviewing where one can easily make eye contact and judge whether the interviewee is paying due attention. Last but not least, we explore on how computer based testing has impacted on recruitment and selection process.d. COMPUTER BASED TESTINGThe use of computer based interviews has increased in the recent years with a wide range of organizations utilizing computer-based online tests for selection purposes (Aptitude/psychometric tests) (Chapman & Webster, 2003). There are several reasons for increased reliance on psychometric tests in the recruitment and selection of employees. Key among these is the increased regulation and legislation, and loss of confidence in academic qualifications (Chapman & Webster, 2003). INCREASED REGULATION AND LEGISLATION Reliance on test use in the selection process has been used as a defensive strategy to regulation and legislation (Chapman & Webster, 2003). Tests are seen as objective indicators of how the skills of potential candidates align with the job description (Chapman & Webster, 2003). These competency tests promote fairness and equal access to opportunities available. LOSS OF CONFIDENCE IN ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS There is a growing body of evidence for a loss of confidence with the formal academic qualifications. This is largely attributed to bad governance and corrupt institutions that may award degrees or certificates to incompetent individuals. As such, competency based tests are increasingly being used in screening the candidate pool and in identifying candidates with skills that align with the â€Å"competency profile† for the job in question (Chapman & Webster, 2003). Computer based testing facilitates the selection process by quickly pinpointing the candidates ability more accurately (Chapman & Webster, 2003). Take for example the BULATS online test, a robust business English language test, which is widely used in helping organizations make timely decisions in the recruitment process (Chapman & Webster, 2003). This online test provides a fast and more accurate method of pinpointing the candidates’ ability and suitability to work by using adaptive testing techniques (Chapman & Webster, 2003). CONCLUSION Clearly, we have identified a number of benefits to using technology for purposes of recruiting and selecting job applicants. A quick recap of some of the benefits include increased efficiency in the administration and scoring of tests, increased flexibility, greater transparency, reduction in biases, widened access to a diverse geographical pool of potential candidates, and cost reduction among others. There are however challenges arising with the use of technological advances in recruitment and selection process. For example, the exercise may be time consuming as a large number of applicants need to be screened. Other shortcomings include poor results due to inadequate software and procedures, and difficulties in filtering of potential candidates, among others. Nonetheless, the latest advances in technology have significantly impacted on recruitment and selection process. As pointed out by Kay (2000), the power of the Web and e-technology has changed the way recruitment and selections of employees occur. Technological advancements and the ubiquity of the internet (especially with social networking) have become powerful additions to the process of recruitment and selection. However, these should not be considered as the only solutions to finding the ideal candidate. While changes are still underway, it is clear that advances in technology have dramatically impacted on the recruitment and selection process. REFERENCES Bauer, et.al, 2004. â€Å"Applicant reactions to different selection technology: face-to-face, interactive voice response and computer-assisted telephone screening interviews†, International Journal of selection and assessment, Portland State University: Blackwell publishing ltd. Baron, H., & J. Austin, 2000. Measuring ability via the Internet: Opportunities and issues. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, New Orleans, LA. Chapman, D.S., & J. Webster, 2003. â€Å"The use of technologies in recruiting, screening and selection processes for job candidates†, International journal of selection and assessment, Vol.11 (2), pp. 113-120 Gilliland, S.W, 1993. â€Å"The perceived fairness of selection systems: an organizational justice perspective†, Academy of management review, 18, pp.694-734 Harris, M., and K. Dewar, 2000. Understanding and using web-based recruiting and screening tools: key criteria, current trends and future directions. Workshop presented at annual meeting of the society for industrial and organizational psychology, San Diego, CA. Kay, A. S., 2000. â€Å"Recruiters embrace the Internet.† Informationweek: pp.72-80. Lievens, F., K. Van Dam and N. Anderson, 2002. â€Å"Recent Trends and Challenges in Personnel Selection†. Personnel Review, 31 (5-6), 580-601 Lievens, F., & M.M. Harris, 2003. â€Å"Research on Internet Recruiting and Testing: Current Status and Future Directions†. In: C.L. Cooper & I.T. Robertson (Eds.) International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Chicester: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. vol. 16., pp. 131-165. Neil, A., 2003. â€Å"Applicant and recruiter reactions to new technology in selection: a critical review and agenda for future research†, International journal of selection and assessment, Vol. 11 (2) Thompson, L. F., P.W. Braddy, and K.L. Wuensch, 2008. E-Recruitment and the Benefits of Organizational Web Appeal. Computers in Human Behavior, 24 (5), 2384-2398. Tourangeau, R., D.M. Steiger & D.Wilson, 2002. â€Å"Self-administered questions by telephone: evaluating interactive voice response†, public opinion quarerly, 6, pp.265-278 Van Hoye, G. and F. Lievens, 2007. â€Å"Investigating Web-Based Recruitment Sources: Employee Testimonials versus Word-of-Mouse†. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 15 (4), 372-382.

Principles Of Diversity Essay

Ai Explain in your own words what each term means. Give one example from care practice to illustrate your explanations. Diversity It means understanding that each individual is unique and recognizing our individual differences. These can be race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, physical abilities and economic status. Example: Two of my workmates are homosexual, I accept that and do not make fun of there sexual orientation and do not treat them any differently to other work mates. Equality It means treating everyone the same way regardless of there diversity. Example: Two clients accommodation is on the first floor, they both want to come down stairs because they want to participate in the afternoon entertainment. One of them has dementia and can be difficult and inter fear with other clients, you leave him or her up stairs and bring the other client down. That is not equality because of her mental diversity you are not treating him or her equal to the other person. Read more: Indirect discrimination in health and social care essay Inclusion Inclusion at its simplest is ‘the state of being included’ It is to promote that all people should be freely and openly accommodated without restrictions or limitations of any kind. Example: I make sure that every one in my care setting knows what activities are planed for the day so they can have the choice to participate if they want to. Discrimination Is the act of treating a person differently because of that  person’s race, class, sexual orientation or gender. Example: Not taking a client shopping because of her colour I would be discriminating against her because of her race. Aii For each of the following people/groups of people, describe two different possible effects of discrimination. An Individual Anger, hurt feelings and if it continues could lead to depression or loss of life. Their Families Helplessness, anger. Wider society Rioting, turn a blind eye not want to get involved. Those who discriminate A sense of power, could lead to criminal record. Aiii Identify three ways of challenging discrimination, and describe how each will promote change. Challenge: On hearing a discriminating remark I would challenge them in a calm and professional manner and tell them that what they are saying is totally unacceptable and explain why. It will promote change by educating them and would point out that they could be disciplined for there actions. Report: On witnessing a discriminating act I would report it to my manager so it can be dealt with in the appropriate manner. It will promote change by bringing it to the managers attention and he or she can deal with it quickly and efficiently and if needed further train the perpetrator in discriminate law. Positive Behaviour: I could actively challenge discrimination by acting in a way that it empowers others to challenge discriminating behaviour. Task B Leaflet Bi Your work setting is running an induction course for new social care workers in an adult social care setting. Create a leaflet, which can be used to support this course. The leaflet must include the following: a) A description of the legislation and codes of practice relating to diversity, equality, inclusion and discrimination. b) An explanation of the possible consequences for individuals, social care workers and others if the legislation and codes of practice are not followed. c) A description of how inclusive practice can promote equality and support diversity. d) An explanation of how to support others to promote diversity, equality and inclusion. Seven Gables Care Home Totland Induction Pamphlet for New Starters Legislation and codes of practice relating to Diversity, Equality, Inclusion and Discrimination. The Equality act is a legislation that is in place to ensure that people are given equal rights and opportunities regardless of there age, gender,disability, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation. The legislation is there to promote Diversity, Equality and Inclusion by making it a requirement that they are practised and incorporated into our social care setting. It is illegal to discriminate against a person/persons for any reason. A new Equality Act came into force on 1 October 2010. The Equality Act brings together over 116 separate pieces of legislation into one single Act. Combined, they make up a new Act that provides a legal framework to protect the rights of individuals and advance equality of opportunity for all. The main pieces of legislation are: the Equal Pay Act 1997 the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 the Race Relations act 1976 the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 the Equality Act 2006, Part 2 the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 It is the homes code of practise to follow these legislations, by not following the legislation could have severe consequences for this home and your self. If not followed the consequences can be diverse from loosing your job to being sent to prison. Please familiar your self with the codes so it does not effect your position here and the people you work with. Try to use inclusive practise to promote equity and support diversity which means treat every one the same. Every one is treated equal here at Seven Gables from staff to clients no matter what there race, gender, sexuality, disability, religion or age. Bii Give two examples of how you could raise awareness of diversity, equality and inclusion. Through Training and Discussion: Training and discussions are essential to raise awareness of diversity, equality and inclusion in any work settings. Discussion in meetings or group discussion among staffs play a vital role to raise awareness of equality, diversity and inclusion. The more they will engage in discussion or obtain trainings about this issue the more they will learn and be aware of and also they will be able and put them in their every day’s practice. Through providing leaflet, information and policies and procedures: Providing leaflets and sufficient information regarding diversity and equality can raise awareness to a social care worker by acquiring adequate knowledge about it. It also helps them to know about the consequences if agreed ways of working are not followed which restrain them from doing any form of discrimination relating this issue. Task C Reflective account Ci Write a reflective account describing: †¢ How your personal preferences, attitudes, heritage and beliefs might impact on working practice. †¢ How to ensure that your own practice is inclusive and respects the beliefs, culture, values and preferences of individuals. Suggested word count: 500 – 700 words Cii Write a brief account that describes examples of inclusive practice. Suggested word count: 150 – 200 words (Ciii Write a brief account that describes practice, which excludes the individual and is discriminatory. Suggested word count: 150 – 200 words Reflective account I work in a Residential Care home where we have a mixture of clients with different faiths and upbringings. Because of the age difference between me and the service users, the way I was brought up will be totally different to the way the service users would have been brought up. When I was I child I was told that there was a god and had to go to Sunday school, but as I got to my teenage years I started to doubt there was a god. When I turned 18 I joined the army, where there is a strong church of England presence and at times I took comfort in the Sunday church service. It was not until I went to Rwanda that I new there was not a god, because no god would let so much killing or atrocities happen that is what I believe. But even thoe I was probable coming in to contact with the people who committed the vile acts, I had to stay professional and not let my emotions or believes stop me in doing the job I was sent there for, giving medical aid with the United Nations. Just because I don’t believe in god, do’s not mean my beliefs should impact on a service users beliefs. Many of the service users in my work setting like to mend there own clothes and darn there socks, if you say to them that shirt or dress has a hole in it and it needs to be thrown away, they look at you in discuss. When they were growing up times were hard and they had to make do with what they had and threw nothing away. My parents were the same, in 2015 thoe thing are a lot cheaper and easily obtained. But that does not mean that I should disregard there heritage and throw there  stuff away, because I no they could easily replace it. Another example is preferences, I recently had a conversation with a female service user I care for about cleanliness, she explained to me that when she was growing up she only had a bath once a week and that was only on a Sunday. I replied that I must have a bath or shower at least three times a week. I said that she can have a bath more than once a week if she would like, but I will respect her preference to have a bath once a week and on a Sunday. On leaving her room it got me thinking on my childhood and I remembered that like her I to only had a bath on a Sunday before bed. But it just shows you how some peoples preferences change over time and some stay the same. Inclusive Practise Inclusive practise is making sure that all service users are able to participate or join any activity that is planned in there care setting for example: The care Manager has organised a trip out to Ventnor Botanical Gardens. Three residents are unable to walk, to make sure they are included three wheel chairs are sourced and a special adapted minibus with a rear hydrolic ramp to which the wheel chairs can be pushed on and loaded in to the minibus is hired. All service users are there for included and no one is left behind. When there is a film afternoon planned in the t.v room, the service users that cant walk can all so be brought down from whatever floor they are on by using a wheel chair and lift so they are included in the film. Excluded Practise Excluded practice is when service users are not treated the same, for example when we have a film afternoon in our care setting. All the service users are invited including the hearing impaired, if we did not consider the people or person who is death or partially deaf, then we would be discriminating against them if we did play the film with subtitals. Another example could be if the service manager took questionnaires around to each service user, but did not consider the blind or partially blind service users. If he left the leaflet then he would be discriminating against them because he did not provide the leaflet in Braille.