HR Audit Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HR Audit - Assignment Example In some cases, the productivity may be at par despite the fact that some of the human resources are underperforming. In such a scenario, the best step would be to apply the HR audit, as it is the best tool to identify such hitches in an organization. Besides helping to make decisions at crucial times the HR audit can also be a very comprehensive source of data on an organization, which is essential in carrying out research work on the organization’s human resource. First step before carrying out an audit; it is best to first come up with the problem area in which the results of the audit need to address. The success of the audit in finding the cause of problems or level of performance in some areas is very high. It is for this reason that the HR audit is a reliable source of data that can be linked to the audit to solve the problem. A lot of thought must be considered when choosing who to conduct the audit and major argument should revolve around the objective of the audit. An in-house staff could be good because of their familiarity with the staff, and again this could be the disadvantage depending on the cause for the audit. Third-party staff is another best solution but sometime could be expensive and unnecessary. The main reason for the audit is to evaluate the organization’s HR and its performance; therefore the results from the audit s what determines the next step of action. According to an article by ABC NEWS Business Unit one of the five highest paid CEOs but worst among the five worst performers is the CEO of Nabors Industries (Gomstyn, 2009). The article states that the CEO is handsomely paid despite his poor performance delivery to the shareholders. This offers a good situation where there is need for the HR audit. Its objective is to find out the root cause of the company’s poor performance and if there is enough reason to retain the CEO. The weakness

Chateau Lafite Rothschild (China) Essay Example for Free

Chateau Lafite Rothschild (China) Essay Situation in China: China is one of the most important markets in the world, and with a growth of the Chinese economy in the past decades; it has encouraged international suppliercompaniess to enter the Chinese market. Living standards as well as purchasing power parity have improved since the countries openness to a market-oriented economy. Due to this openness foreign companies have attracted the consumption of wine from the middle-class, generating an increase in the last years of wine sales. Wine consumption continues to grow at a rapid rate in the country. The Chinese wine market is a complicated due to its numerous wine producers (local producers) and wine companies entering china to exploit the wine market. China as the most populated country in the world is a commercial paradise for all the enterprises wanting to expand to new markets. By the gain in market share by the introduction of new products to the Chinese market, foreign companies take advantage of a growing market. In the last years the French wine companies have been exporting to china expecting to gain market share in the wine sector taking advantage of one of the world’s fastest growing economy. For French wine export companies, it is important to understand the market, due to the Chinese wine companies and local wine production and how they have been gaining ground in the wine market. Due to the countries emerging economy and the growth in economical aspects the population in china have been entering a new era of consumption of foreign products, and due to this reasons most foreign companies have set up subsidiaries or the most common joint ventures with other Chinese companies to enter the country’s market and gain some ground on the major cities. One of the most important and emerging sectors in the Chinese society are the luxurious products. After the purchasing power of the individuals, luxurious products have acquired more interest and represent an improvement in status of the Chinese population either local or international status. The wine sector represents an important sector for upcoming expenditures for the Chinese population, although the purchase of wine is more business oriented than for personal consumption. The preferred wines for this type of consumption are the high-end French wines (Bordeaux and Burgundy). The market situation is very open nowadays due to the facility of the Chinese consumers o access wines imported from major foreign producing countries as well as local produced wines (France, Italy, USA, Chile and Australia). To have great success in the Chinese wine market the companies have to apply a strong marketing promotion compared to the local mass promotions by Chinese producers. The foreign brands have to apply a strong marketing promotion, but due to lack of resources the advertisements from foreign companies has a limited reach. To improve the image of foreign wine brands, foreign companies must intensify their promotions and advertisements, generate a consumer education by creating events, wine demonstrations and wine-food events, as well as lowering the prices to accommodate them to the population’s purchasing power (different levels of purchasing power). STRENGHTS: †¢ Luxurious and high-end wine. †¢ Renown wine company over the world. †¢ French presence and popularity in the wine market. Bordeaux and Burgundy wines considered one of the best wines in the world. WEAKNESES: †¢ Weak marketing. †¢ High product prices. OPORTUNITIES: †¢ Fastest growing market in the world. 20% growth from 2006-2011 and with a forecasted growth of 54% for 2015. †¢ Most populated country in the world. †¢ Economy has been growing at over twice the world’s average, generating future markets for imported products. †¢ Wine market in china is expected to continue its growth, placing itself in 4th place in the world’s markets. †¢ Elevated purchasing power from the Chinese consumers. Accelerated increase in consumption. THREATS: †¢ Corruption and smuggling from the neighboring countries. †¢ Chinese wine producers awakening. Chinese wine companies have gained the majority of market share in the country. †¢ Growth of china’s vineyards has surpassed the production from three countries combined (Australia, Chile and South Africa).

Societys Indifference in Out, Out- by Robert Frost :: Out, Out- Robert Frost

Society's Indifference in Out, Out- by Robert Frost In what society do we live in today, where a women can be raped and killed, and the crime is thought to be common place? In "Out, Out-", Robert Frost almost satirizes society's indifference at a child's death. In lines 3-6, Frost sets the scenery of the poem by describing "sweet-scented stuff", the scenery of beautiful mountains and a beautiful sunset. He begins it in a traditional transcendentalist fashion where nature seems perfect and nothing could ever go wrong. All of a sudden Frost makes a rapid shift to describing the snarling and the rattling of the saw as if mimicking an evil snake waiting to attack. With the line "And nothing happened: day was all but done.", Frost quickly reverts to his peaceful tone; a tone which creates doubts in the picture he is painting and begins to foreshadow the upcoming tragedy. In line 19, the first traces of society's indolence towards death appear as the boy does not scream at the pain; instead, he puts forth a "rueful laugh". The irony continues when the boy holds up his hand "in appeal", as if anything can be done for his hand. He then pleads with his sister to disallow the removal of his hand. This whole section is very graphic and the boy's pleas for help serve to darken the mood even more from the once "sweet-scented stuff" of the first six lines. Frost makes his final point very clear in the last two lines where the boy finally dies and his family, as well as society, decides to return to their affairs. The boy can no longer saw the wood and is therefore no longer useful, "no more to build on there." Frost is being quite cold in the end of the poem as he hits you hard with the reality that Society's Indifference in Out, Out- by Robert Frost :: Out, Out- Robert Frost Society's Indifference in Out, Out- by Robert Frost In what society do we live in today, where a women can be raped and killed, and the crime is thought to be common place? In "Out, Out-", Robert Frost almost satirizes society's indifference at a child's death. In lines 3-6, Frost sets the scenery of the poem by describing "sweet-scented stuff", the scenery of beautiful mountains and a beautiful sunset. He begins it in a traditional transcendentalist fashion where nature seems perfect and nothing could ever go wrong. All of a sudden Frost makes a rapid shift to describing the snarling and the rattling of the saw as if mimicking an evil snake waiting to attack. With the line "And nothing happened: day was all but done.", Frost quickly reverts to his peaceful tone; a tone which creates doubts in the picture he is painting and begins to foreshadow the upcoming tragedy. In line 19, the first traces of society's indolence towards death appear as the boy does not scream at the pain; instead, he puts forth a "rueful laugh". The irony continues when the boy holds up his hand "in appeal", as if anything can be done for his hand. He then pleads with his sister to disallow the removal of his hand. This whole section is very graphic and the boy's pleas for help serve to darken the mood even more from the once "sweet-scented stuff" of the first six lines. Frost makes his final point very clear in the last two lines where the boy finally dies and his family, as well as society, decides to return to their affairs. The boy can no longer saw the wood and is therefore no longer useful, "no more to build on there." Frost is being quite cold in the end of the poem as he hits you hard with the reality that

What is a Dream? Essay -- Literary Analysis, Shakespeare, Carroll

Your eyelids are heavy and your mind is fogging, finally they close entirely with the weight of the eyelids, and in a few minutes you have fallen into slumber. You wake up with a vivid image in your mind, but you have no clue as to what it means: it was just a dream. A dream, some may argue is irrelevant; images assorted together creating nonsense. Others depict a dream as a message our mind is telling us. Throughout the day, the mind subconsciously picks up pieces of our daily life, whether they are thoughts, emotions, ideas, or interactions. The brain naturally resists chaos and is attuned to order and organization and, therefore, sees past the commotion and malfunctions, it begins to matrix things, such as images in the clouds. It is through dreaming that these images sort out all the confusion in the ordinary daily life and reveals a bizarre and unrealistic world, which is a reflection of the unstable reality that is actually lived in. Reality is considered unstable because it is constantly changing, moving and transforming into something else whether people are aging, dying or being born. It is a constantly changing factor that people refuse to accept, and it is in our dreams that it is revealed. It is in this dream world where William Shakespeare and Lewis Carroll use fantastical characters, such as fairies and the White Rabbit to exemplify the daily interactions one must make to seek the truth. It is in the court and woods where everything is turned upside down, and where what is right is wrong, and what one knows, are no longer relevant. Ultimately these dreams illustrate the absence of time within these worlds. The dream process plays an essential function in both Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Carroll’s Alic... ...nuously move to get somewhere and when they find they are looking for, they still have to keep going. The characters met through the journey represent the logical and illogical strangers that people face every day and some may help while others might pull them down. These interactions are significant because every interaction and actions affect a person even if it is not all that clear. Time is the biggest factor in how reality is unstable. No matter what a person does, time is constantly there, and every second is a second past. The main reason it is not stable is because it is always changing and moving and whether one likes it or not, no one can change time. In a dream, time is not a factor and characters met can have no significance and in a dream, just for those few hours, the world can be a perfect and stable place, at least just until it is time to wake up.

Experiments in Art and Technology Essay

â€Å"The new interface I will define is one in which the artist makes active use of the inventiveness and skills of an engineer to achieve his purpose. The artist could not complete his intentions without the help of an engineer. The artist incorporates the work of the engineer in the painting or the sculpture or the performance. † what a perfect synergy! Introduction ‘Experiments in Art and technology’ (E. A. T. ) is an aged non profit making and tax exempted organization instituted as far back as 1966 by renounced engineers and artists. The engineers included the persons of Billy Kluver and Fred Waldhauer, while the artists, the persons of Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Whitman. Experiments in Art and Technology was pioneered from the experience of a popular work titled – ‘9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering’. The notable event was of the 69th ‘Regiment Armory in new York City, United State of America† (October 1966). About 40 engineers and 10 popular artists symbiotically worked together to put up an engineered and equally artistic performances. With the works of E. A. T. , artists and engineers’ relationships have received huge boost, thereby stimulating the willingness and participation of industries in artistic events. Companies’ cooperation through sponsorship is one of the achievements of E. A. T. There was fast expression of interest in the group over the space of time. Three years after the inauguration of Experiments in Art and Technology, the organization recorded over 4,200 memberships of diversified artists and engineers all around the United States of America, South America, Japan, Canada and every other interested industry all over the world. Through the process towards achieving the aim of E. A. T. , there was a local program within the group named the Technical Services Program. This program enhanced the effective collaboration of artists working hand-in-hand with engineers on a specific assignment/project. This was made possible by a deliberate effort at pinning suitable artists with appropriate engineers for synergic results. The program also assisted the collaborators in reaching out to industries and corporate-business communities in meeting the needs to accomplish outstanding project. Furthermore, E. A. T. commissioned inter-field projects and events which were anchored by artists involving the use of new technological woks. Some of the projects included the earlier mentioned ‘9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering† in 1966’, ‘Some More Beginning in 1968’ – the later happened to mark the start of ‘exhibition of art and technology. The exhibition was held at a museum in Brooklyn. Included in the list of the project was the â€Å"artist-engineer collaborations to design and program the Pepsi Pavilion at Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan. † Picture showing First meeting of E. A. T. in November 1966 The Story of Experiments in Art and Technology When Andy Warhol was trying to create floating light bulbs, he asked Billy Kluver for his kind assistance. Kluver, who was an engineer working at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, rejected the plea but instead promised to offer him a wrapper usually use to wrap sandwiches, the material is silvery. Warhol fashioned the material into a rectangular object called Mylar today. Injecting Helium into this Mylar created a floating funhouse mirrors in 1966. This example of collaboration between artists and scientists was a motivation to forming Experiments in Art and Technology (E. A. T. ). The artist-engineer collaboration in E. A. T. was formalized at the event of â€Å"9 Evenings; Theatre and Engineering†, (Oct. 1966, in New York). The program exposed audience to â€Å"state-of-the-art performances and music† from about 50 artists and engineers. Technology electrified things in an appreciable ways, e. g. â€Å"Dancers tripped light switches by moving their legs past photo-cells, and a tennis game was amplified through microphones in the rackets. The compliment received was overwhelming reflecting the need for engineers in artistic works. E. A. T. was then established in November, and by the early ’70s it had already absorbed networks of over 6,000 members. â€Å"Throughout the lifespan of E. A. T. , affiliated groups produced over 500 artworks; most common was the body-oriented performance or supercharged minimalist sculpture. One of the most memorable projects commissioned was the Pepsi Pavilion of Expo 1970 Osaka. There, over 60 artists and engineers contributed to the interactive exhibits inside the futuristic dome† The Pepsi Pavilion at Expo ’70 Osaka with Fujiko Nakaya’s mist shroud Aims and objectives of E. A. T. The non profit making organization was vibrant primarily within the two decades of its institution in 1966 by Billy Kluver, Fred waldhauer, Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Whitman. It was carved out of the need to ‘mobilize the ingredients of arts, industry and science around collective projects, calling the participation from different disciplines. E. A. T. also aimed at encouraging the technical harmony towards the realization of new means of expressing arts using modern technological equipment such as computer-made images, sounds, video, (audiovisual), manufacturing materials and robotics. To start with, ‘Experiments in Art and Technology’ brought artists and engineers together to enlighten the participants in order to accustom them with â€Å"tele-writing and satellite transmission using telecommunication technology†. In addition, E. A. T. aimed at giving the developing countries around an ease of Communication Bridge through certain project assignments. In pursuance of these goals, E. A. T. began opening annexes in the US, Canada and Japan. Other Projects Projects realized at the advent of interdisciplinary included: The Anand Project of 1969, this project aided educational television whereby public spaces were linked together to facilitate interactions irrespective of the distance apart. Through this, different countries all around the world can exchange disturbing questions even about a common uncertainty. For example, â€Å"Anand Dairy Cooperative in Baroda (India); Telex: Q&A (1971), which linked public spaces in New York (U. S. ), Ahmadabad (India), Tokyo (Japan) and Stockholm (Sweden) by telex† Still among the projects is the ‘Children and Communication in 1972’this particular project piloted the enabling of children within the suburb of New York City, to exchange conversation with telex, telephone and fax machine. Also, in El Salvador is a project to fashion out methods for storing culture and tradition in the region (1973). Collection of E. A. T. ’s Published Documents Detailing the activities of Experiments in Art and Technology in 1980; over 400 documents were stored in archive ranging from information bulletins, exhibition catalogues, periodicals, photocopies of press clippings, proposals, lectures, announcements newsletters reprints of major articles, among others. The archive was deposited at major libraries in New York, Moscow of Russia, Washington in U. S., Paris in France et cetera. The archive was aimed at monument the reflection of E. A. T. ’s wide geographical tentacle with technical and artistic diversity. Technical Service Program (1966-1973) Technical service program (TSP), founded as a subgroup in mid 60s, permits specialist in art and engineering to collaborate with the aim of meeting the artist’s technological needs without interruption in the team projected design and developmental stages. Highly technical projects were accomplished with this partnership. This collaboration was publicized when E. A. T. group came up with EAT News that announced projects at different stages of completion. Still, was the periodic public forum held on upcoming technologies such as ‘lasers and holography. ’ The TSP came to an end in 1973 Technical Information (1966) This program provided consulting services for artists. The service provisions included ‘technical libraries’ for artists in New York and telephone assistance line operated by engineers from E. A. T. offices. The library collection features documented activities of EAT from ‘60s to ‘80s. More on â€Å"9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering† (1966-2005) These were series of events that catapulted performances of artists and engineers working in unison as an E. A. T. group. The performances broke down inter-relationship barrier. It went does: Billy kluver and Robert Rauschenberg requested the working relation of 30-man engineer at Bell Laboratories, seeking their involvement in an inter-disciplinary project where avant-garde theatre, dance and new technologies were blended together. The artists involved were John Cage, Lucinda Childs, Oyvind Fahlstrom, Alex Hay, Deborah Hay, Steve Paxton, Yvonne Rainer, Robert Rauschenberg, David Tudor and Robert Whitman. These artists were paired with engineers to produce technical components on the podium used by the participants. It was indeed a break through adventure in the field of Art and technology. Billy Kluver, farther of ‘Experiments in Art and technology’ Reference http://www. fondation-langlois. org/html/e/page. php? NumPage=306 The Man Who Made a Match of Technology and Art

Free Essays on The Porter

, a treasonous liar. The second sinner is a man who more often than not, tells lies and is deceitful. The Porter notes that the man has ‘committed treason enough for God’s sake.’ This is a representation of Macbeth, who is deceitful towards his king and his friend. The final sinner is an English tailor who stole... Free Essays on The Porter Free Essays on The Porter Shakespeare’s Macbeth has a most interesting scene of comic relief in Act Two, Scene Three in which the Porter is keeping a vigil over the castle gates. As put by the Weird Sisters in the initial scene of the initial act of the play, what is ‘fair is foul’ and what is ‘foul is fair,’ thus instituting the play’s series of contrasts. Parallel to this foundation, this comic scene allows humor, but also displays itself as one of seriousness concurrently. In this scene, the Porter imagines himself as the Saint Peter of Hell and the castle gates as the Hell-Gate. This scene of comedy actually has a lot of implications. The Porter, in a way, is truly guarding the gates of a figurative hell. A murder has just been committed by Macbeth inside the castle walls, now stained with betrayal, murder, and lies. Hell’s fortress is not only a place stained with sin, but is also a place to torture those who have committed it. Macbeth, the Devil of his sel f-erected Hell is tortured by visions of hands after his eyes and insomnia since there is no rest in Hell. As the Gatekeeper of Hell, it is the Porter’s job to send people into its ‘battlements.’ The first person the Porter lets in is a farmer who has hung himself because he expected an abundance of crops during the year, but there was none. The first sinner is a representation of Lady Macbeth, who had expected that murdering the king and gaining power would be her greatest fantasy, but she ultimately goes insane, and driven by guilt, she commits suicide, just as this passage foreshadows with the farmer hanging himself. The second person is an equivocator in other words, a treasonous liar. The second sinner is a man who more often than not, tells lies and is deceitful. The Porter notes that the man has ‘committed treason enough for God’s sake.’ This is a representation of Macbeth, who is deceitful towards his king and his friend. The final s inner is an English tailor who stole...

Free Essays on Indo European Language

). Cantonese and Mandarin are another two languages that are similar to each other, but they are very different from either English or German. A type of scientist called a "Historical Linguist" looks at similar languages and tries to reconstruct the language that was the ancestor of both the modern languages. Sometimes, if he's very lucky, he will find writing in the ancestral language, which lets him check his work. For example, French and Spanish are very similar because they both came from Latin, and we have lots of written Latin to prove it! More often, historical linguists are not that lucky. The beginning of Historical Linguistics was probably a paper read by Sir William Jones in 1786 that discusse... Free Essays on Indo European Language Free Essays on Indo European Language There are two ways to study the way that language has changed over time. The first is to start at the beginning of language and trace changes forward through time. The other is to start with language as we know it now and trace its changes backward as far as we can go. Let's try both. About seven million years ago, a type of ape lived in Africa. Some of its descendants are called "gorillas," some are called "chimpanzees," and some of them are us. Two out those three descendant species don't speak, so we are fairly sure that this ancestral ape didn't speak, either. Our own ancestors, and only our own ancestors, started to speak at some time between then and now. We don't know when language started. We don't know why it started. This is not very good progress! Perhaps we can learn more by looking at our current languages and working backwards. Some languages are very similar to each other in vocabulary and grammar. For example, the German word "Mann" and the English "man," the German word "jahre" (pronounced "yar") and the English "year" are very similar. Grammatical similarities between English and German include the use of male, female and neuter genders for every noun. ("He," "she," and "it" are the English words). Cantonese and Mandarin are another two languages that are similar to each other, but they are very different from either English or German. A type of scientist called a "Historical Linguist" looks at similar languages and tries to reconstruct the language that was the ancestor of both the modern languages. Sometimes, if he's very lucky, he will find writing in the ancestral language, which lets him check his work. For example, French and Spanish are very similar because they both came from Latin, and we have lots of written Latin to prove it! More often, historical linguists are not that lucky. The beginning of Historical Linguistics was probably a paper read by Sir William Jones in 1786 that discusse...

Trash Islands - the Ocean Garbage Patch

Trash Islands - the Ocean Garbage Patch As our global population expands, so does the amount of trash we produce, and a large portion of that trash then ends up in the worlds oceans. Due to oceanic currents, much of the trash is carried to areas where the currents meet. These collections of trash have recently been referred to as marine trash islands. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch The Great Pacific Garbage Patchsometimes called the Eastern Garbage Patchis an area with an intense concentration of marine trash located between Hawaii and California. The exact size of the patch is unknown, however, because it is constantly growing. The patch developed in this area because of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre- one of many oceanic gyres caused by a convergence of ocean currents and wind. As the currents meet, the earth’s Coriolis Effect (the deflection of moving objects caused by the Earth’s rotation) causes the water to slowly rotate, creating a funnel for anything in the water. Because this is a subtropical gyre in the northern hemisphere it rotates clockwise. It’s also a high-pressure zone with hot equatorial air and comprises much of the area known as the horse latitudes. Due to the tendency of items to collect in oceanic gyres, the existence of a garbage patch was predicted in 1988 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) after years of monitoring the amount of trash being dumped into the worlds oceans. The patch was not officially discovered until 1997, though, because of its remote location and harsh conditions for navigation. That year, Captain Charles Moore passed through the area after competing in a sailing race and discovered debris floating over the entire area he was crossing. Atlantic and Other Oceanic Trash Islands Though the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the most widely publicized of the so-called trash islands, the Atlantic Ocean has one as well in the Sargasso Sea. The Sargasso Sea is located in the North Atlantic Ocean between 70 and 40 degrees west longitude and 25 and 35 degrees north latitude. It is bounded by the Gulf Stream, the North Atlantic Current, the Canary Current, and the North Atlantic Equatorial current. Like the currents carrying trash into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, these four currents carry a portion of the worlds trash to the middle of the Sargasso Sea where it becomes trapped. In addition to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the Sargasso Sea, there are five other major tropical oceanic gyres in the worldall with conditions similar to those found in these first two. Components of Trash Islands After studying the trash found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Moore learned that 90% of the trash found there was plastic. His research groupas well as NOAAhas studied the Sargasso Sea and other patches around the world and their studies in those locations have had the same findings. It is estimated that 80% of the plastic in the ocean comes from land sources while 20% comes from ships at sea. The plastics in the patches consist of items like water bottles, cups, bottle caps, plastic bags, and fish netting. It’s not just  large plastic items that make up the trash islands, however. In his studies, Moore found that the majority of the plastic in the worlds oceans is made up of billions of pounds of raw plastic pellets called nurdles. These pellets are a byproduct of plastics manufacturing. It is significant that most of the trash is plastic because it does not break down easilyespecially in water. When plastic is on land, it is more easily heated and breaks down faster. In the ocean, the plastic is cooled by the water and becomes coated with algae which shield it from sunlight. Because of these factors, the plastic in the world’s oceans will last well into the future. Garbage Islands Impacts on Wildlife The presence of the plastic in these patches is having a significant impact on wildlife in a number of ways. Whales, seabirds, and other animals can easily be snared in the nylon  nets and six-pack rings prevalent in the garbage patches. They are also in danger of choking on things like balloons, straws, and sandwich wrap. Additionally, fish, seabirds, jellyfish, and oceanic filter feeders easily mistake brightly colored plastic pellets for fish eggs and krill. Research has shown that over time, the plastic pellets can concentrate toxins which are passed on to sea animals when they eat them. This could poison them or cause genetic problems. Once the toxins are concentrated in the tissue of one animal, they can magnify across the food chain similar to the pesticide DDT. Finally, the floating trash can also aid in the spread of species to new habitats. Take, for instance, a type of barnacle. It can attach to a floating plastic bottle, grow, and move to an area where it is not naturally found. The arrival of the new barnacle could then possibly cause problems for the areas native species. The Future for the Trash Islands Research conducted by Moore, NOAA, and other agencies show that  trash islands are continuing to grow. Attempts have been made to clean them up but there is simply too much material over too large of an area to make any significant impact. Some of the best ways to aid in the cleanup of these islands are to suppress their growth by enacting stronger recycling and disposal policies, cleaning up the worlds beaches, and reducing the amount of trash going into the worlds oceans.

Team Creation Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Team Creation Paper - Essay Example A project manager is typically responsible for managing the member of a project team. If he directly selects a team or if he simply works with different human resources within a business he must be able to recognize the players within the company with specific characteristics and skills that can help him accomplish the project goals. People that are open minded and work well with others who are respected among their peers, supervisors and stakeholders of the company are excellent candidates to work in a team project (Prosci, 2001). It is also essential for the project manager to build a balance team in which its members are diverse individuals with a variety of skills. The composition of the team should include the following people: Once a team is build there are practices that enhance the functionality of the team. Some of these practices are establishing objectives together, performing organized meetings, a clear understanding of the team rules, promoting team responsibility and establishing specific time commitments (Msh, 1998). Conflict is a common occurrence in virtually all projects. The most important responsibility of the project manager when dealing with conflict is not to let it escalate to a level in which a single conflict compromises the completion of the entire project. There are a variety of sources which cause conflict within the project. A common conflict is the different goals and perspectives a project manager has in comparison with the functional managers of a company. These two parties differ over aspects of the project such as cost, reward and relative importance of timing (Conflict and Negotiation). Within the project team at times there is uncertainty of who has the authority in different aspects of the project, the PM or the functional manager. Conflict can also arise between the client and the project manager or between the

Global Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Global Supply Chain Management - Essay Example Secondly, a high demand for quality and safe products become a challenge to a majority of Supply chains. Normally, the first obstacle and a lack of understanding on how to reduce the costs cause this. Management of supplier relationship could prove imperative in overcoming this challenge. Additionally, outsourcing, regular maintenance of machines as well as forecasting and preparing for customer’s ever-dynamic needs could be helpful. Thirdly, inadequate knowledge of the need to have a supply chain resiliency plan has been identified as the major hurdle for many. Three important relations in this third option include the supplier-customer, top management-supplier, and top management-customer relationships. This paper has extensively handled this topic, and hopefully, it will offer the much-needed solution. Supply chains play a critical role in ensuring that the services needed are delivered to their respective clients. On the other hand, the clients trust this industry to deliv er products and services, which are reliable, safe, and ones that meet the precise need they have. However, the recent horsemeat scandal involving Tesco has cast a shadow of doubt on the supply chains. A debate has since risen on the need to change the way supply chains do business with some calling for transparency on this industry’s operations. While it is easy to criticize an industry whenever a scandal especially one that has to do with health concerns, this paper’s takes a different approach. With an aim to provide a solution to a vital industry whose services are needed, this paper seeks to highlight at least three obstacles the Supply chain has to overcome. To achieve this goal, this paper uses the UK automobile manufacturers, Jaguar as a case study originally named ‘Swallow Sidecar Company’, Jaguar Landrover is UK multinational company headquartered in Whitley.

More Help for Agent Orange's Victims Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

More Help for Agent Orange's Victims - Essay Example And apparently, America did not learn from the tragedy they had brought about, as they used another, equally destructive weapon against civilians during the Vietnam War, where history yet again repeated itself in the form of the biological weapon known as Agent Orange. While not nearly as infamous as its earlier use of nuclear weapons against Japan, this act on America's part unsurprisingly drew condemnation from various sectors. And considering how the Vietnamese in particular continue to suffer as a result of Agent Orange, such condemnation is at least partly justified - which makes the lack of restitution on the part of America rather confusing and, indeed, maddening. Though weapons may come in all shapes and sizes, there is rarely doubt that these are meant to be used against armed targets. However, as demonstrated by the terrible, terrible damage wrought by Agent Orange on the Vietnamese people, this is not always the case. This paper thus aims to explore the plight of the Agent Orange victims, first by examining what happened on that fateful day. The idea is to spell out to the American government the consequences of what they did - and from there, convince them to make the necessary reparations to the Vietnamese people. ... Whether from deprivation of food due to the herbicide-induced destruction of food crops, or from poverty brought on by forced draft urbanization, the Vietnamese people as a whole suffered as a result of Agent Orange (Kolko 144). In fact, Agent Orange was known to have directly resulted in 400,000 deaths, while also causing 500,000 more children to be born with birth defects (York and Haley, â€Å"Last Ghost of the Vietnam War†). This is not unlike the aftereffects of the aforementioned bombings, which claimed millions more through the side-effects such as radiation, leukemia and others. Unfortunately, the US Military has always had a reputation for being good at what it does, and Agent Orange was no different. Taken in this light, the use of anthrax and other chemical weapons by terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda may be considered as karmic retribution - or, for extra irony, even directly inspired by - the Agent Orange used by the United States at the time. From what has transp ired since, it can thus be said that their chemical warfare operation was one that had gone horribly right. Indeed, no less than the Red Cross of Vietnam estimates that Agent Orange has had at least a million victims, all of whom continue to feel the effects of a weapon used against their parents and grandparents decades ago (King, â€Å"US in first effort to clean up Agent Orange in Vietnam†). Tragically, yet unsurprisingly, it was the children who suffered the worst of it, developing multiple health problems and abnormalities as a result (York and Haley, â€Å"Last Ghost of the Vietnam War†). The breast milk of expectant mothers became saturated with abnormally

Magodi project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Magodi project - Essay Example .higher level of employees involve more in mental calculation while physical jobs are take up by lower level workers. The objective of the work is a key element and should be given utmost importance. It is the most important planning aid which assists an organization in achieving success. An objective has more importance than a goal and a manager should be keen on this aspect. Operational need is also an important aspect to be considered before a certain job or work plan is drawn into action. This concentrate on different activities to be carried out to make the plan successful. The resources needed to fulfill a particular work are materialized and plans are made to put them in practice. Efficiency of the worker and the plan has a great role to play. The machines and equipments involved in the work should be of high quality so that minimal energy is consumed with high out put. Workers have to be efficient in their field of activity. A good organization of the activities will ensure more efficiency in the working plans. The plans should be studied intensively and negative and positive activities have to thoroughly check before implication. Time has to be utilized well and there should be good quality of communication between all people involved in the work plan. Cost factor is a major element to be given utmost importance. The plan should be economical and should not impose great financial burden on the firm. A proper estimation has to conduct in order to find the costs involved and their respective outcome. Cost refers to the value of the resource spend on particular activities involved in the business. Cost involved in the process of work should be studied with the aid of professionals and estimation should be created. â€Å"Cost-effectiveness values are a useful tool for comparing the relative merits of Consultation is to be done before initiating any plan or work. The appropriate professionals have to approach to take valuable advice and

Research on Meth Addiction Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

On Meth Addiction - Research Paper Example There were efforts to control them through regulation through the Food and Drug Administration as well as by law enforcement. However, these illicit drugs are still a part of our society, often having comorbidity with other aspects of crime, which disrupts our society. Methamphetamine is an extremely powerful narcotic. It has multiple ways of being ingested into the body. Sometimes, it is injected through the use of hypodermic needles, while other times it is snorted or smoked. Typically, snorting will have the quickest effect on the body due to the fact that methamphetamine is lipid soluble, which means it can interact past the blood brain barrier faster than any other route of administration. It was and still is the cause of many problems in relation to drug abuse in our society. It enslaves the user through powerful chemical drug dependence. This works because it changes the brain on a fundamental level. Freud was one of the first psychologists to say that humans operate on a plea sure principle. This rewarding pathway in the brain is known as the dopaminergenic reward pathway. Dopamine is one of the primary rewarding neurotransmitters in the brain and is responsible for regulating many actions such as hunger, sex, etc. Methamphetamine affects this system by causing a large increase in the amount of dopamine. This is why drug users feel such a high euphoric effect. The withdrawal effects of methamphetamine are also extremely unpleasant. Therefore, drug users self-administer more of the drug in order to not â€Å"crash†. As a result, they become chemically addicted. This occurs due to the fact that the brain rewires itself and does not secrete dopamine in the normal amounts of a person who does not use methamphetamine. Methamphetamine users comment that while they are not using the drug that there is a lack of feeling and everything seems grey. This is a primary motivator in encouraging the user to continue using the drug as a result of physiological re sponse. This physiological response is what drives the psychological and behavioral response. It works in both ways of classical and operant conditioning. Drug users learn that with the drug they will experience a state of euphoria. As a result, they develop not only the physiological dependence to the drug, but they also develop a psychological addiction. This in turn fuels other aspects of crime. Methamphetamine is common in all social classes, however it affects the lower classes the most. Often, many of these lower class citizens do not have a surplus income in order to fuel their drug addiction. Thus, they turn to other criminal activities in order to supply the income required to fuel their habit. This exposure to the drug often also causes problems among families. Methamphetamine can tear families apart and often leaves children with parents behind bars. Prostitution is also common for drug users in that they can take methamphetamine as collateral for sexual favors. The side effects of the use of methamphetamine are wide and varied. The fact that methamphetamine is a stimulant means that it promote a wide variety of anxiety and â€Å"twitchy† behavior. It also can lead to attentiveness problems as well as deficits in cognitive function and memory. As discussed previously, the dopaminergic reward system is highly stimulated when methamphetamine is in the system and that long-term use can lead to dopamine deficit. This puts high, chronic methamphetamine use

Magodi project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Magodi project - Essay Example .higher level of employees involve more in mental calculation while physical jobs are take up by lower level workers. The objective of the work is a key element and should be given utmost importance. It is the most important planning aid which assists an organization in achieving success. An objective has more importance than a goal and a manager should be keen on this aspect. Operational need is also an important aspect to be considered before a certain job or work plan is drawn into action. This concentrate on different activities to be carried out to make the plan successful. The resources needed to fulfill a particular work are materialized and plans are made to put them in practice. Efficiency of the worker and the plan has a great role to play. The machines and equipments involved in the work should be of high quality so that minimal energy is consumed with high out put. Workers have to be efficient in their field of activity. A good organization of the activities will ensure more efficiency in the working plans. The plans should be studied intensively and negative and positive activities have to thoroughly check before implication. Time has to be utilized well and there should be good quality of communication between all people involved in the work plan. Cost factor is a major element to be given utmost importance. The plan should be economical and should not impose great financial burden on the firm. A proper estimation has to conduct in order to find the costs involved and their respective outcome. Cost refers to the value of the resource spend on particular activities involved in the business. Cost involved in the process of work should be studied with the aid of professionals and estimation should be created. â€Å"Cost-effectiveness values are a useful tool for comparing the relative merits of Consultation is to be done before initiating any plan or work. The appropriate professionals have to approach to take valuable advice and

Electric and Magnetic Fields Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Electric and Magnetic Fields - Assignment Example The paper tells that the force of magnetism acts in a region around a moving electric charge or a magnet; this region is defined as a magnetic field. It is shown in Fig. 1. The magnetic field can be conceptualized in terms of magnetic field lines. The density of field lines determines the field strength, Magnetic flux is defined as the total number of lines of the magnetic field that pass through an area. Magnetic flux is measured in terms of Tesla meter squared (T †¢ m2) another name for which is Weber (Wb). A magnetic field’s intensity can be expressed in terms of the magnetic field strength. A distinction can be technically made between magnetic flux density B and magnetic field strength H. Magnetic flux density is also called teslas (T) and is measured in Newton-meters per ampere (Nm/A) whereas magnetic field strength is measured in terms of amperes per meter (A/m). The density of magnetic flux reduces as the distance is increased from a straight line that connects ma gnetic poles’ pair around which there is a stable magnetic field. There is direct proportionality between the magnetic flux density and the current in amperes at a location in a current carrying wire’s vicinity. A piece of iron or some other ferromagnetic object when brought inside a magnetic field experiences a force known as the magnetic force which is directly proportional to the magnetic field strength’s gradient with respect to the location of the object. In telecommunications, a measuring device known as field strength meter is used to measure the electric field that a transmitter causes. Magnetometers are the devices used to measure the strength of a magnetic field. Some important magnetometers’ classes comprise use of a rotating coil, NMR magnetometers, fluxgate magnetometers, SQUID magnetometers, and Hall Effect magnetometers.

Prejudice And Discrimination Article Essay Example for Free

Prejudice And Discrimination Article Essay One of the most interesting places to visit in this world is India. Located in South Asia it is officially called the Republic of India. India is well-known for being the second most populous nation in the world next to China.   There are many diverse ethnic groups among the people of India. The six (6) main ethnic groups are Negrito, Proto (Australoids or Austrics), Mongoloids, Mediterranean or Dravidian, Western Brachycephals and the Nordic Aryans (â€Å"People of India,† n.d.). India is also known to be the country from which one of the world’s largest religious congregations has originated, Hinduism. Thus, â€Å"about 80% of the population is Hindu, and 14% is Muslim. Other significant religions include Christians, Sikhs, and Buddhists. There is no state religion (â€Å"India,† n.d.).† India and the large number of its population is home to a vast array of culture and people, and a distinct classification of its Hindu believing population of the structural and hierarchical classification of its own members known as the caste system.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The caste is a closed group whose members are severely restricted in their choice of occupation and degree of social participation. Marriage outside the caste is prohibited. Social status is determined by the caste of ones birth and may only rarely be transcended† (â€Å"Caste,† n.d.). The caste system is an intricate classification of its population and many people can directly associate the said term with the â€Å"untouchables† or the Panchamas or Dalits who are the lowest ranked within the system and are tasked to perform the most menial tasks of the community (â€Å"Caste,† n.d; â€Å"Dalit,† n.d.). Even though the Constitution of the Republic of India disallows â€Å"untouchability† the caste remains to be very influential in Indian Society (â€Å"India,† n.d.). Likened to other countries or states, India is also home to its own indigenous people, one of which is the so called Adivasis or literally the original inhabitants† who comprise a substantial indigenous minority of the population of India.   These Indian tribes are also called Atavika (forest dwellers, in Sanskrit texts), Vanvasis or Girijans (hill people, e.g. by Mahatma Gandhi) (â€Å"Adivasi,† n.d.).† Together with the Dalits, the Adivasis form the most discriminated group of people in the Indian community. These groups of people are said to be constantly subjected to ridicule and shame all over India in a constant basis. A study conducted by Mayell, H. (2003) has chronicled some atrocities committed particularly against the Dalits who are historically the only   ones referred to as â€Å"untouchables† by citing that â€Å"Statistics compiled by Indias National Crime Records Bureau indicate that in the year 2000, the last year for which figures are available, 25,455 crimes were committed against Dalits. Every hour two Dalits are assaulted; every day three Dalit women are raped, two Dalits are murdered, and two Dalit homes are torched.† Furthermore, she stated that â€Å"No one believes these numbers are anywhere close to the reality of crimes committed against Dalits. Because the police, village councils, and government officials often support the caste system, which is based on the religious teachings of Hinduism, many crimes go unreported due to fear of reprisal, intimidation by police, inability to pay bribes demanded by police, or simply the knowledge that the police will do nothing (Mayell, 2003.)† The Dalits can trace its being oppressed from the fact that India being largely a country of people adhering to Hindu beliefs from which the caste system is derived, are the people who are supposed to be the untouchables or, as discussed, ranked at the lowest. As a result of this, naturally the Dalits are can be rightfully perceived and treated the way religion, tradition and history has treated them, which is sadly bordering on slavery.   However, without passing judgment, albeit being quite possibly insensitive, the plight of the Dalits can easily be viewed as part of the natural made up of the Hinduism belief from which any non-Hindu society member can not and should not question. Religiously speaking, based on the Hindu belief a Dalit is a person who has does not have any varnas. Varna refers to the Hindu belief that most humans were supposedly created from different parts of the body of the divinity Purusha. The part from which a Varna was supposedly created defines a persons social status with regards to issues such as who they can marry and which professions they could hold (â€Å"Dalit,† n.d.). For their parts, the Adivasis being the original dwellers of India had their own unique way of societal structure, culture and tradition which has like most indigenous tribes all over the world become outmoded as the modern world around them evolved. The discrimination and pitiful situation of the Adivasis are not directly rooted to Hinduism but possibly to a mix of modernization and the former. This possible mix can not be easily discounted knowing the fact that most people in India are Hindu or believers of Hinduism. It is important to stress that the Adivasis as a classification within the Indian population is not brought about or classified as such by Hinduism per se or as part of its caste system. As discussed, the Adivasis is an ethnic group who are original inhabitants of India possibly even prior to the birth of Hinduism whose culture has failed to completely cope up with the modern world. Thus, Bijoy, C. (2003) said â€Å"relegating the Adivasis to the lowest rung in the social ladder was but natural and formed the basis of social and political decision making by the largely upper caste controlled mainstream. The ancient Indian scriptures, scripted by the upper castes, also further provided legitimacy to this.† Hence, even though that the Adivasis can mostly trace their own problems from the failure of their culture and practices to conform to the modern world, as contrast to that of the Dalits, which can easily trace their own problems from its religion, the Adivasis by simply being not well-equipped enough to cope with the modern world are easily lumped together with the Dalits. As a result, together the Dalits and Adivasis form the most oppressed people in India who are more known as the untouchables. According to Tarique (2008) it is not only a struggle for dignity and self-respect that these poor groups of Indian people are fighting for. They are also engaged in the â€Å"struggle for their rights and entitlements for land, access to natural resources, livelihood, employment and to market in general. (Tarique, 2008.)† It is sad to note that these said factual happenings in a modern world such as ours are still happening.   It is but a semblance of irony knowing that the problems that these people are facing and fighting everyday are rooted to one of man’s most sacred possessions, his religious beliefs, which in itself has taught us notions of goodness and the proper way to which we should live our lives; religion, from which ideas of turning away from sin and helping one’s own fellowman being the exact cause of a structuralized system of discrimination and oppression.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Strictly speaking it is difficult to question the plight of these untouchables more so with the Dalits than the Adivasis because the former’s pitiful situation can be justified by the fact that society has adapted it as part of its religious beliefs. An outsider or any non-Hindu looking into the said situation may not have the proper perspective to look into the plight of these untouchables.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, it is without a doubt that when one adapts the globally accepted notion of humane treatment, the sorry plight of these untouchables more so that of the Adivasis who are clearly not directly   Hindu in origin, but more of an â€Å"accidental untouchables†, are well   below the world standards of humane treatment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Today as the world has chosen to progress and adapt globally its own evolving norms of legal and illegal, acceptable and taboo, good or bad, the world has given more emphasis to equality among ALL MEN without qualifications based on race, gender, birth, color of skin and etc. It is without a doubt that the untouchables of India both the Dalits and Adivasis are victims of a society who have failed to progress with the times.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Adapting the global perspective and the trend to which modern world is predominantly practicing, today’s world would put any country into shame when one does not act upon or even question the sad and pitiful plight of the Dalits and the Adivasis, the so called untouchables, the accidental slaves of society, people who are as early as birth are discriminated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In fact as already pointed out, it shall be everyone’s dream to realize and fulfill the perceived mandate of the Indian Constitution itself that outlaws this form of treatment of the so called untouchables. Perhaps only then one can give more emphasis and be prouder to claim India as a country truly rich in culture and proud history. References: Adivasi. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2008, from Reference.com website: http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Adivasi Bijoy, C. (2003). The Adivasis of India. A History of Discrimination, Conflict and Resistance. PUCL Bulletin. Retrieved January 8, 2008, from http://www.pucl.org/Topics/Dalit-tribal/2003/adivasi.htm Caste. (n.d.). Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2008, from Reference.com website: http://www.reference.com/browse/columbia/caste Dalit. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2008, from Reference.com website: http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Dalit India. (n.d.). Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 10, 2008, from Reference.com website: http://www.reference.com/browse/columbia/India Mayell, H. (2003). India’s â€Å"Untouchables† Face Violence, Discrimination. National Geographic News. Retrieved January 9, 2008, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/06/0602_030602_untouchables.html People of India. (n.d.). People of India. Retrieved January 9, 2008, from http://www.webindia123.com/india/people/people.htm Tarique (2008). Fact Finding Mission on the Violence against Dalit and Adivasis Kundahamal District. India News. Retrieved January 10, 2008, from http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2008/jan/09/fact_finding_mission_violence_against_dalit_and_adivais_kundahamal_district.html

Effect of Social Media on Relationship Satisfaction

Effect of Social Media on Relationship Satisfaction Implications of Social Media to Relationship Satisfaction and Conflict Resolution Skills Introduction Social media is a group of internet based applications which build on the technological and ideological foundations of Web 2.0. They allow exchange and creation of content generated by various users. Currently, the major sites that provide ample networking include Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Tumblr. In addition to these, there exists multiple end-user new sites that support only two way participant interaction and communication. The most recent is WhatsApp. This allows for a more personalized interaction. Usage for social media is measured through frequency of logins, postage, updates and interactions. The traditional relationship model has been altered by the success of the new media forms which include social media websites and text messaging (Coyne et al., 2011). According to Coyne, social media affects the communication in a romantic relationship thus influencing satisfaction. It also identified that how family members and friends relate is also influenced. The article reviews the literature available in relation to how social media can either minimize or improve the satisfaction in a relationship. In addition, it realizes that through social media, other interpersonal skills may either be lost or developed. One of the key social interpersonal skill is conflict handling which relies heavily on communication. The article sheds focus on it as well. Discussion The younger generation and the modern culture has witnessed communication being turned into a social dialogue by social media. According to Qualman, (2009), social media is rated as the number use of the Internet which is an always growing percentage. The connectivity throughout the globe has thus been growing. Therefore there are people who meet through the internet. Dependency on social media has thus been growing. Looking at why so many individuals are growing the admiration for social media, the impact it has on users and society is critical. The literature reviewed seems to be focusing on how addiction to social media relate with interpersonal relationships. Social Media Use Uses and Gratifications Theory was used to study social media use (Sheldon, 2008). In this study, Sheldon aimed at discovering reasons as to why students had grown in addiction to Facebook use. Frequent checks on Facebook accounts had grown to be routine behaviour. The reasons for always being online were entertainment and diversion, to keep informed, good feelings, peer identity, sounds and sights, communication, coolness and career (Charney Greenberg, 2001). The above thus highlights why social media becomes a variable in the satisfaction of a relationship. Media and Relationships Both mobile and web-based technologies have presented newer forms of media which now allows the users to be more interactive considering the content. Such technologies have created an interactive platform in which communities and individuals share, modify and create user generated content (Kietzmenn et. al, 2011). User generated content has grown over the years to the present state in which the aspects now associated with social media are identity being the most important, presence, reputation, relationships, groups, conversations and sharing. One’s identity in the internet is revealed by the extent of disclosure (Kietzmenn et. al, 2011). Although technology can be critical in beginning relationships, it may be the key contributor in the ending of a relationship. According to Brown (2011), social media creates virtual and natural distance thus it allows for individuals to conduct unpleasant interpersonal skills. This demonstrates the negative effects of social media in a relationship. The presence of an individual is not key in a breakup process as social media could be employed as the mediator. In virtual communications, there are options for social network sites, e-mail, text messaging, cell phones, even webcams and blogs. Each of these mediums has a key role in the maintenance, initiation and relationship termination (Coyne et. al, 2011). Most couples turn to a given kind of communication and maintain certain media forms. Text messaging is a common form because it is accessible while other aspects such as Facebook demonstrate affection. Messaging is first thus an immediate way in which partners can demonstrate immediate affection. Ideally it is difficult to predict how social media will affect interpersonal relationships in future, however, researchers have focused to identify the effects that have been recorded so far. At this point, the researchers have shifted focus to cyber-optimists and cyber-pessimists. The latter is of the view that Internet has a negative effect on social life while cyber-optimists maintain the effect could be positive (Pollet et. al, 2011). The researchers identify some relationships are dependent on social media. Internet Dependency Looking at the average use in American homes of technology, Kelly (2011) believes that technological revolution time has been attained. People now access what they desire within the blink of an eye. Internet dependency is about how individuals have made internet to become a priority in most of their day to day activities. The growing nature of the media and the internet further elaborates the need on analysing relationship dependency. Interpersonal Relationship Satisfaction Interpersonal relationships’ interactions can be conducted nonverbally, verbally and currently, computer-mediated communication and social media allows for the interaction to be virtual. Usefulness of communication is determined by interpersonal relationship satisfaction. The content of the communication and future interactions are also key (Anderson Emmers-Sommer, 2006). According to many psychologists, satisfaction in a close relationship means that there is adequate communication in addition to comfort during the interaction at hand. Communication satisfaction results to closeness, immediacy with increased disclosure to the relational partner. Satisfaction in a given relationship refers to the notch to which an individual is not only satisfied but also content with her or his relationship. When the degree is high, the relationship may turn out to be lengthy and successful. Determinants of a relationship satisfaction include trust, intimacy, similarity, commitment, attribution confidence and communication satisfaction (Anderson Emmers-Sommer, 2006). The higher the rate of this predictors, the higher the satisfaction rates. Internet is easily and often accessed thus it has changed how we conduct our communication thereby influencing the present quality of romantic relationships. In a relationship, satisfaction sprouts from a positive level of contentment, needs, wants and expectations being met by a partner as well as having a mutually beneficial position in the relationship. Face-to-face interactions improve relationship satisfaction with nonverbal communication being a key area (Emmers-Sommer, 2004). According to Anderson Emmers-Sommer (2006), there is direct relationship between relationship satisfaction and partner communication. They added that face-to-face communication are key in the maintain ace of relationship satisfaction. Social Media and Relationship Satisfaction Individuals in online relationships do not have the ability to physically see each other. As a result therefore, there is great need that communication satisfaction is attained. The online platform is thus a base for which the relationship could grow, be maintained and satisfaction of each other. Communication lengths and terminology are existing examples of familiarity that exists between online interactions and face-to-face communication. In the current world, Twitter, Facebook and text messaging are part of the relationship life cycle in which many partnerships for men in the range of 18-24 spend a lot of time in social media. Implications of Social Media on Relationships Most of the young adults currently use social media multiple times a day for relationship purposes and communication. Social media is appealing in that it has content that is user-generated and dynamic as well. Social media accessibility gives user the authority to remain connected with people and they can thus contact each other frequently. Studies have found out that relationship satisfaction depends mainly on communication which could imply that the medium for communication does not necessarily matter. Individuals aged 18-24 are fond of both Facebook and Twitter. Understanding intentions and motivations in the mediums is one of the key factors that would advise on whether an individual has priority for relationships. The two provide critical information as well as communication and this becomes an integral psychological need for which people grow, survive and learn. The concern hereby should be how dependency on social media is influencing the modern medium for communication. Face -to-face communication has received neglect as individuals are adopting text messaging as the priority medium. It is a utilization of modern technology in the increase and improvement of communication for interpersonal relationships. Understanding such implications is essential for relationships improvement and social media communication. With more frequent use of social media in modern life, individuals can still find a way of maintaining an interpersonal relationship that is satisfying through these or other mediums. As a result therefore, communication in social media should improve quality relationship and not cause negative effects. Social Networking and Conflict Resolution The social media platform allows interaction for people who know each other as well as individuals who have absolutely no clue about each other. Most internet users have ended up co-constructing their own environment. In this environment, each participant has a social role to play. According to Greenfield and Yan (2006), any individual who might be affected by the social media environment especially for being a participant creates a new environment and they thus have a dual core in controlling technological side-effects thus large scale implications. Communication has an integral role to play in personal relationships. In essence, relationships can be assessed by communication skills. Therefore, communication impairment hinders successful relational development especially for the young adults. There are impacts on various sets of life areas such as socialization, employment, school performance and family relationships. In addition, the mere fact that the young adults may fail to resolve conflicts may end up jeopardizing safety which could then result to chronic acts of violence that include fighting, verbal threats, pushing, punching and grabbing (Woody, 2001). The development of interpersonal skill in handling conflicts may be impacted by the excessive use of modern technology. Conflict Resolution and Communication Skills The most important use of the Internet for adolescents is communication (Greenfield Yan, 2006). Responses to hypothetical conflict situations in the social media industry is similar to the responses in real life. The decline observed in the face-to-face interaction would imply that there is decreased potential in handling of real-life conflicts. To support thus, Mishna (2009) found that in his research, adolescents recorded high cases of conflicts with parents in addition to communication levels that were still low with their parents. In addition, the research indicated that the adolescents who frequently used online communication and were in significant trouble or were frightened failed to reach out and have face-to-face communication with their parents. At this point, it is key to note that such adolescents miss out on a psychological development in which they should receive education on handling conflicts from parents. For social media, just like face to face communication, a rel ationship may turn to be volatile and unpredictable. In adopting the social exchange theory, psychologists indicate that the principle of maximizing benefits while minimizing costs is prominent in social behaviour. This is applicable in conflict resolution. One must give to receive. For maximum satisfaction, the degree of expected rewards has to be greater than the degree of expected costs expended during interaction. For the social exchange theory, Ripa and Carrasco (2007) maintain that the six major rewards are both intangible and tangible. They include information, services, goods, status, money and love. The social exchange theory is influenced by the role of psychological, social, political, economic and historical factors. Technologically therefore, exchanges between individuals should capture a mutual cost-benefit structure (Drussell, 2012). The energy and time that one spends in texting, comments’ posting and Facebook updates directly perceives rewards of responses and likes. The sense of power can be endured in social media especially with high number of followers, friends, likes, comments and shares. While that may exist, the opposite may occur for which an individual has minimal of the above. It would thus mean that fear and rejection grows in them. In addition, the objects relations theory is applicable for this scenario. Psychologists differentiate this theory from the rest on the basis that it pays attention on how needs are not met or are met in a relationship. This contrasts the idea of impulses and drives. In this theory, external needs should be met by other people. The external needs are inclusive of being valued and viewed as individual by others, being accepted for both negative and positive qualities and being given protection, love and care (Ripa Carrasco, 2007). Internet-based communication and texting facilitate a relationship world that is virtual. It allows users to internalize other people’s mental representations. With the abs ence of face-to-face communication, the participants rely on constructions to incorporate meaning and imagination to such relationships. As a result therefore, users’ internal worlds may be vastly different from the facts that they present in the social networking environment. The conflict resolution process is complicated and communication as the reality facts may be hidden in the interactions. According to Drussell, (2012), texting and Facebook have failed at improving the ability in resolving conflicts. In the study, it was identified that despite the fact there were many individuals who adopted social media and used it frequently, in most cases they did not turn to it when solving conflicts. The study deduced the fact that most young adults deemed it wise to solve conflicts on a face-to-face communication. However, there were concerns in which case social media users did not personally know each other and had a considerable distance between them. For such cases, when conflict arose, it was probably never revisited. Such a relationship would be difficult to mend through social media and a large population would prefer to abandon it entirely. Conclusion The basis for conflict resolution and relationship satisfaction lies on communication. Social networking seems to facilitate communication at various levels. Social network users vary along continuum which is inclusive of negative, neutral and positive attitudes. Regardless of the attitude, the literature review indicates that communications may be misinterpreted during these kinds of communication. That is one of the weakness that social networking has in comparison to face-to-face communication. The communication aspect that is strengthened by social media makes friendship even stronger. The major worry for many individuals is that social media and networking seems to be causing a deterioration of persons’ ability to talk with each other. The face-to-face talk is the one suffering in the face of prominent social media dependency. Social media can be a source of conflict in the relationships, the best approach in handling such a conflict should be face-to-face communication a nd interaction. Going by the literature reviewed, social media users do not feel unsatisfied in interpersonal relationships that they engage in. The observation is that, social media improves satisfaction in a relationship as it brings about the issue of frequent interactions. Long distance relationships benefit from this interaction though further psychological based research should be done in relation to it. Technology will keep on evolving for which case social media prominence will still persist. Further research on the impacts of social media prominence is essential to understand how society will be impacted. References Anderson, T., Emmers-Sommer, T. (2006). Predictors of relationship satisfaction in online romantic relationships. Communication Studies, 57(2), 153-172. doi:10.1080/10510970600666834 Brown, A. (2011). Relationships, community, and identity in the new virtual society. Futurist, 45(2), 29-34. Charney, T., Greenberg, B. (2001). Uses and gratifications of the Internet. In C. Lin D. Atkin (Eds.), Communication, technology and society: New media adoption and uses and gratifications (pp. 383-406). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton. Coyne, S., Stockdale, L., Busby, D., Iverson, B., Grant, D. (2011). I luv u :)!: A descriptive study of the media use of individuals in romantic relationships. Family Relations, 60(2), 150-162. Drussell, J. (2012). Social Networking and Interpersonal Communication and Conflict Resolution Skills among College Freshmen. Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers. Paper 21. http://sophia.stkate.edu/msw_papers/21 Emmers-Sommer, T. M. (2004). The effects of communication quality and quantity indicators on intimacy and relationship satisfaction. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24, 399-411. Greenfiled, P. Yan, Z. (2006). Children, adolescents, and the internet: A new field of inquiry in developmental psychology. Developmental Psychology, 42 (3). 391-394. Kelly, K. (2011). Understanding technological evolution and diversity. Futurist, 45(2), 44-48. Kietzmann, J. H., Hermkens, K., McCarthy, I. P., Silvestre, B. S. (2011). Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media. Business Horizons, 54(SPECIAL ISSUE: SOCIAL MEDIA), 241-251. Mishna, F., McLuckie, A., Saint, M. (2009). Real-world dangers in an online reality: A qualitative study examining online relationships and cyber abuse. Social Work Research, 33 (2). 107-118. Pollet, T. V., Roberts, S. B., Dunbar, R. M. (2011). Use of social network sites and instant messaging does not lead to increased offline social network size, or to emotionally closer relationships with offline network members. Cyberpsychology, Behavior Social Networking, 14(4), 253-258. Qualman, E. (2009, August 11). Statistics show social media is bigger than you think. Retrieved from http://www.socialnomics.net/2009/08/11/statistics-show-social-media-is-biggerthan-you-think/ Sheldon, P. (2008). Student favorite: Facebook and motives for its use. Southwestern Mass Communication Journal, 23(2), 39-53.

Analysing Blessing and An Old Woman` Essay -- Poetry Imtiaz Dharker Ar

Analysing Blessing and An Old Woman Poetry from other Cultures Question 2 Culture means the beliefs, traditions, and customs of people within a society. Fundamental aspects of a culture are faith, values, and history. People that share a culture also share its beliefs and ways of life, which are different to others. Poetry is an effective way of describing and exploring a culture, and events within it, because certain aspects can be expressed with vivid descriptions, and imagery that would be unsuitable in other types of text. Some cultures have also used poetry as a form of storytelling, describing events that happened to their ancestors, or even themselves. Poems can be concise and leave some details to the imagination of the reader, therefore they are easier to remember, and remain in the readers mind for longer, which makes them more memorable. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The two poems that I have chosen are 'Blessing' by Imtiaz Dharker and 'An Old Woman' written by Arun Kolatkar. I selected these poems because they are both set in poor, third-world countries, and the people within their communities value so strongly items that are take for granted in developed countries. In 'An Old Woman', a beggar woman is trying desperately to get 'a fifty paise coin', which is equivalent to less than 1 pence, off a tourist. This amount of money is frequently, and carelessly dropped on the floor without a second glance, in countries such as our own, yet in India an elderly woman needs this to survive. In 'Blessing' water is highly valued, and every drop is precious because their community is so short of such a substance. However, people in our, more developed, comm... ...tent and happy with the life that they live. However, in 'An Old Woman' this impression is not given. The beggar does not appear to be content with her way of life and is worn and tired as a result of it. I think her discontentment is conveyed in line 20-21 "bullet holes she has for eyes". I believe this, because she has to hide her true feelings from the outside to prevent anyone knowing what she really feels, and therefor her eyes seem to just glaze over and hold no feelings. I think she does this so that she can concentrate on trying to earn a living to stay alive, in doing this though, all her feelings are trapped inside and she is unable to overcome them. In doing this, it appears that she has no feelings and is completely isolated from the rest of the community. This is illustrated in line 29-30 "round the shatter-proof crone who stands alone".

Literature Review †Business Schools Role in Society Essay

Introduction Since 2007, the people of this planet have been living on 150 percent of its natural resource capacity (WWF, 2010). Increase in consumption does not show any signs of slowing down, as a consequence of emerging third world countries. The role that business schools play in this situation and its importance cannot be understated (Financial Times, 2010). In order to save this planet, we need to create a sustainable business environment, where corporations put ethics and social responsibility in front of profits. We need to switch the focus of all businesses from shareholders to stakeholders. Can this actually be taught? Or do governments need to legislate such actions? This topic is especially interesting because of the weight of our future that lies within this. If we do not change the way we teach students about core values of our society, the future of our planet may become very undesirable. These sources were acquired mainly from the EUR sEURch engine, as well as reading several articles from global news agencies in order to grasp a certain overview of this topic. * * * Literature Investigation * Addressing Concerns Raised by Critics of Business Schools by Teaching Multiple Approaches to Management (Dyck, B et al. 2011) 0 This article is a study about two ways of teaching management at classroom level. The article mentions concerns from other researchers about the way management is being taught in today’s universities. The authors argue that today’s students have a materialistic-individualistic point of view during their studies, and that these characteristics are consolidated during their time in the business study. These arguments are supported by an experiment. The authors indicate that there is flaws in the way business schools teach, and therefore actions should be taken. Others reject this and say management is an objective science. * This article might help to understand how business schools can change in order to make students more focused on stakeholders and ethics than shareholder profits. The article was published in a journal called Business and Society Review. It holds many references, where three of them are from Harvard Business Review. It was published 2011, therefore its currency cannot be questioned. Arguments are supported by an experiment. However, only one experiment was conducted which included a relatively small sample. The role of business schools in society (Cornuel, E 2005) The main subject of this article is very closely related to arguments stated in the introduction. It underlines the important role that business schools play to raise awareness of corporate social responsibility. It briefly mentions the need of humbleness in today’s business schools. Published in The Journal of Management Development in 2005, the importance and relevance of this article has become more of a current interest after it was published. Although the arguments are logical, this source does not provide sufficient support for its arguments. However, it does discuss interesting points and views within the subject. The author is Eric Cornuel, an Affiliate Professor at HEC, and Director General & CEO of EFMD. The non-profit turn and its challenges for business schools (Cornuel, E & Kletz, P 2011) Here, the researchers describe the challenges that business schools are facing today. Aiming towards the increase in demand for managers with an education in non-profit organizational management. The increase in large foundations (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for example) is supposedly one of these demand shifters. The recent financial crisis is also argued to be one of the reasons for the movement towards education for non-profit and sustainability management at top business schools. There are two different models in how to change the curriculum in order to fill this need. The Double Standard Model, which argues that non-profit organizations should be managed differently than ordinary businesses, while the Business-Driven Model argues the opposite. Same author as in the previous source, Eric Cornuel, together with Pierre Kletz, Mandel Leadership Institution, Jerusalem, Israel. This research paper was published in the Journal of Management Development in 2011. This source gives meaningful insights to how and why business schools should make changes in their curriculum. Strategy & Society: The Link Between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility (Porter, M & Kramer, M R 2006) This article was published in the Harvard Business Review in 2006. It is about how corporations can benefit from corporate social responsibility, instead of seeing it solely as a cost. One of the two authors is Michael Porter of Harvard Business School, one of the world’s most famous economists. This source is highly reliable because of two reasons. 1. Reputation of the author. 2. For the fact that it was published in one of the world’s most prestigious journals. It provides useful information for my future arguments, when it comes down to what business schools and businesses can gain from increasing CSR, and thereby improving global sustainability. Conclusion These articles all have one common argument. Business schools have to change. The disagreements lie in how this change should be executed, and what result that is to be expected from it (Financial Times, 2008). They all agree that business schools have a major impact on society, and therefore a great responsibility. Most researchers focus on how corporations must change, consequently leading to a change in demand for young managers with special skills in that area. Hence provoking the change of the business schools curriculum. This could be seen as delegating the responsibility of change to those corporations. As shown in the recent financial crisis, greed can make top executives act unethically, with no sense of corporate social responsibility. Should corporate social responsibility be legislated in order to achieve global sustainability? What role do business schools play in this? How can business schools act to ensure a positive future for our planet? Bibliography WWF 2010. Human demand outstrips nature’s supply, viewed 14 April 2012, Financial Times, 2010. Schools ignore sustainability revolution, viewed 17 April 2012, Dyck, B et al., 2011, ‘Addressing Concerns Raised by Critics of Business Schools by Teaching Multiple Approaches to Management’, Business and Society Review, Volume 116, Issue 1, pp. 1 – 27, viewed 17 April 2012, retrieved from Wiley Online Library database. Cornuel, E 2005, ‘Role of Business Schools in Society’, The Journal of Management Development, Volume 24, Issue 9, p. 819, viewed at 17 April 2012, retrieved from ABI/INFORM Complete database. Cornuel, E & Kletz, P 2011, ‘The non-profit turn and its challenges for business schools’ Journal of Management Development, Volume 30, Issue 5, pp. 483 – 491, viewed at 17 April 2012, retrieved from ABI/INFORM Complete database. Porter, M & Kramer, M R 2006 ‘Strategy & Society: The Link Between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility’, Harvard business review, Volume 84, Issue 12, p. 78, viewed at 17 April 2012, retrieved from Business Source Premier database. Financial Times, 2008. The importance of sustainability, viewed 16 April 2012, Self Reflection I approached the writing of this essay by and initial review if my previously submitted work, in order to grasp the full context, but also to see where I wanted to go and remind myself of the opinions I had while writing. I mostly free wrote for quite some time, and then later putting it all together with more approvable sentences in an academic sense. My biggest struggle was to get all the sources together to create some sort of an overview of the topic, since many of the articles were devoted to certain specific topics. I (hopefully) overcame this by reading a lot of different sources, and making connections to my own topic. I learned that starting an essay by free writing is the best approach for me personally, although a lot of time has to be dedicated to editing in the end, especially in the sense of making it all stick together as a whole piece. *

Beauty in Architecture

Art has been around for so long that it has become an integral part of a human being's life. A thorough observation of all forms of art speaks of one common significance – art as the so-called â€Å"universal expression of the soul. † The ancient carvings in an Egyptian cave, the soothing melody of a harp, the beautiful words of a poet, and the abstract objects in a painting all define art as timeless, pure, and perfect. But how far can a universal language serve mankind? Can an old fine-tuned guitar or a gold-textured jug stand as a man's ally in his lifetime?It is somewhat ironic to admit to ourselves that we have gotten so used to the notion that the most beautiful will never be the most useful. One form of art though that has stood apart from this irony is architecture. In its most basic explanation, architecture is both a combination of a work of art and science to build and erect buildings. For a builder and designer called the architect, architecture is a monumen tal task. First, because it is an art that speaks of a meaning; and second, because its completion will serve more than man's desire for beautiful things.Architecture stands so unique from the rest of all artistic forms. A building will stand tall and proud for the entire world to see long after the beauty of the most expensive painting loses its appeal for the eyes. Architecture has a dynamic role to play and to sustain. One vivid example of its difference from all arts is a home. Inside a house are walls with paintings in every corner, an elegant piano in the living room being played by well-trained hands, and a long hallway lined with slender China vases about a foot tall.Overtime as the family living inside the house grew up and changed physically and mentally, so are their treatment for all these pieces of art. The hands that once played the piano may later find other interests to pursue, one or two of the vases gets broken into pieces because of carelessness or accidents, and the paintings may one day be moved to another room where no one can eventually look at it. A helpless and unhappy ways for these arts to retire. But not for the house.Children go to school, attend college, and get married but they always come back to the house that have been there since their birth. A few repairs here and there over the years, fresh interior and exterior paints, and an installation of new household technologies may be a part of the family’s growth but the house remains a house. A shelter and a fortress for mankind. It has protected the family from vicious storms and heavy rains, from the terrible heat of summer, from the freezing temperatures of winter. Above all, it has become a symbol of the family’s traditions and cultures.It no longer portrays a spacious neat place where children, parents, relatives, and friends can gather around comfortably. It has grown into something the inhabitants can be proud of because its structures and textures have been t ransformed into a representation of status, wealth, achievements, educational degrees, and even religion. This is only a brief and simple example of the importance of architecture in an ordinary life. Moving on to a broader and global view of the existence of architecture, we find buildings and establishments housing larger groups of people.From the family who lived in the house with occasional visits from friends and relatives, we shifted our eyes towards the cathedral or mosque in the city that symbolizes its flock of followers that goes in and out to worship and pray. There is also the hospital that is structured to accommodate as many sick patients as possible and the palace or mansion that epitomizes the actions and behaviors of a certain type of government and ruler. Bridges made of wood or steel provide a passage for fast and accessible transportation.The St. Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican became the seat of Catholicism in the world. Buckingham Palace symbolizes the royalty as the reigning ruler of Great Britain and the White House the powerful effects of a nation’s unity. The Chrysler Building exemplifies a wealthy businessman’s passion for automotives. Not only does architecture speaks of religion, government, and education, it also evokes feelings. The Great Walls of China was both a protection and defense from enemies in ancient Chinese times.Taj Mahal was a man’s undying profession of love for his wife and The Statue of Liberty was a gift of one nation to another. Architecture is more than an expression of our joys, anguish, rage, victories, and problems. Architecture must follow a strict set of guidelines before expressing man’s varying emotions. Tradition and culture lead the guidelines and principles in erecting and building. A man must design and create in accordance to the period or backdrop a piece belongs. Through architecture, the community and its inhabitants can speak to another generation their beliefs, righ ts, and traditions.When a building, a bridge, or a church has served its function, when we have declared architecture as more lasting than the rest of the arts, and when we have given the establishments too much credit for serving us loyally, we seek and desire for something more from them. As we evolved mentally and emotionally, we develop dissatisfaction for simplicity, plainness, and mediocrity. We use our common senses to start discerning that which is not plain, simple, and mediocre and the greatest tool for this task is our philosophy.And what better way to apply philosophy in architecture than to criticize a structure for its beauty or ugliness. Once we have applied this philosophy, we discover how sad our evolution has become. As our societies change forth into what we call a modernized world, our â€Å"modern† minds would dispose or discard slowly and gradually the old ways and traditions. There is no longer that appreciation for the artistic sides of things. They ha ve been dismissed as impractical, costly, and useless, turning everything we create into mere thresholds of function (McElwee, 1996).With this realization we go back to our dissatisfactions. Plainness and ugliness cannot stay visible forever, we consciously decide. It is no longer enough for a church to be just a place of worship. It has to speak through its design, color, and texture the religion of the people. To build a bridge is not only to nail pieces of woods and steel together and cover them up with solid cement. It has to be shaped in elegance and style. Monuments are not only a plain sculpture of a legend’s bust or body. It could be a palace or a beautiful arched tower. A business establishment is not merely a tall building.Its concept of design could be stemmed from a businessman’s view of a successful life. Even a house or an apartment is not at all roofs on our heads and walls on our sides. It could be an outstanding structure among its surroundings. This i s a tremendous challenge for architecture. It has to serve its basic purpose and function, and at the same time pass the critical judgment of philosophy, in this case, the philosophy of art and beauty called aesthetics. Of course there are always exceptions from the judgments and scrutiny. Poverty and economic instability are one.In modern America, the poorest has to live in dilapidated housings where shelter is the only option to survive the cold and the heat. The lower-class struggle everyday to earn a penny for food and clothing. An idea to build a beautiful and spacious home is too bleak to consider. Some might just dwell under the bridges or lie down on the side of the streets. However, modernization has almost found itself among the groups of the poor. It has created, too, a concept that a structure that serves a role other than functionality is simply preposterous. Style, color, and beauty are not among the plans of the design.They are costly and time-consuming for the owner. Architects are distressingly left with no choice but to build a cheap establishment that takes fewer amounts of time and effort. The concept of architecture has solely described the kind of life a man has with technologies around him. There is no longer a place for art and beauty in a vehicle and mobile revolution. A house or an apartment in this period is no longer designed with curves, arches, and elegance, but with dull straight lines that accommodate enough appliances and technologies the dwellers have in their life.Aesthetics can help our modern minds get back to the original fundamentals of architecture: that beauty is included together with function and structure (Gatto, 2002). There is so much more in architecture than anything found in a painting on a wall, a sculpture of a goddess, a song of an opera, and a rhyme in a poem. But one should never forget that architecture, too, could stand beside these forms of art and be functional and beautiful at the same time. What then are the criteria for beauty? Do we build houses, towers, and bridges the way we paint a picture or write a song?In a way, we do but, along with the history it represents, there are aesthetic values to consider. There has to be art and science in architecture. It is the aesthetic value of a piece of architecture that separates distinctly its function and purpose from the beauty and art in its form. It involves a calculative thinking of a mathematician and an expressive feeling of an artist. Beauty in architecture competes with beauty in nature. While nature has been the most beautiful and timeless piece of art ever created, architecture, too, has a responsibility to play as nature to man.A construction of an object has to make the nature in the background looked more beautiful and appealing. It does not destroy or diminish the surrounding to where it stood. Considering the background was a barren piece of land, the object doesn’t make the whole picture look uglier, boring, and dry. It has to stand out as a distinction from the place, like a garden in a dessert or a lighthouse in a terrible storm. And of course, its beauty has to sustain its purpose. To design and to build is also to preserve its function and appeal.It takes a specialty and an education to criticize a piece of architecture according to its beauty. According to Scruton, as cited in A Weekly Dose of Architecture website (2006), calling a painting or music beautiful is different from calling architecture beautiful. Only the keenest of eyes equipped with aesthetic knowledge can understand architecture’s details of structure, function and beauty. Beautiful for man is what he perceives as pleasurable to his senses. The colors of a painting, the sound of music, and the grace of a ballerina catches the eyes, the ears, and the sensations.It is man’s most basic instinct of his judgment of beauty. That which delights and pleases him is beautiful. That which irritates and disgusts him i s ugly. What makes certain things labeled as the opposite of beauty? A look at the surface of beautiful objects evokes timeless joy and appreciation. But to understand why it has delighted us takes a thorough observation and scrutiny of our eyes and minds. Beauty is an association and combination of the aspects of art – color, structure, shapes, texture, etc.A right combination of colors, a perfect variation of lines and angles, and a precise proportion of each shape constitute a very attractive model of beauty. As mentioned earlier, man’s mentality evolves and changes. Our judgment for beauty deepens together with our intellect. Our feelings towards pieces of architecture vary overtime depending on the type of piece. We may have an understanding tolerance for a house or a store lacking in repairs but we don’t give considerations to a government hall, a church, or a huge commercial building to become less than what they were originally created for.There are cert ain levels of judgment applied to different degrees of art. An architecture that houses, sustains, and encompasses a great number of dwellers requires greater attention and care for beauty and its preservations. Judgment is not only based in evolving intellects and mentality. So, too, can our emotions and beliefs towards certain things affect our taste for beauty. Religious biases, political dissents, racial and intellectual discriminations among other things provide a pre-conceived notion of how we view and react to things and objects.The grandeur of the Vatican may look commanding and dominant for others who see Catholicism as not entirely the perfect religion around. The White House may disgust other countries because of the government’s overbearing tactics in war. Even the handsomely restored Germany may forever be treated with dread and despise by the Jews affected by the nightmares of the holocaust. This is what the great German philosopher Immanuel Kant pointed out (In ternet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2006). Man simply has this idea inside his head about a certain object. Through these ideas he forms his judgment and reactions to it.So when the object has been made visible in front of his eyes, he already discerns it as beautiful or ugly. There is none of the hard work done in a careful assessment and scrutiny of every tiny detail. According to Kant, there are at least four factors to consider in making a judgment of beauty. A man has to experience joy and delight in something he sees as beautiful. The perfect blend of colors in a rainbow makes him smile that is why he calls it beautiful. Our judgment has to agree with almost everyone else, in fact with the whole universe, making the object universal.The object has to have a role to play other than for display and viewing and creation simply has to serve its purpose that it has been designed for. In Kant’s Critique of Judgment, he emphasized the importance of an experience of observing be auty before judgments as to how and why it is called beautiful are being set up. In Christopher Alexander’s Nature of Order, Book 1: The Phenomenon of Life, he pictures the present generation of architecture as lacking in life (Mehaffy, n. d. ). He blamed architects for the sluggish attitude in designing and constructing buildings.Architects have developed a similar attitude with the people, that in a technology-ruled and fast-paced world we lived in, we neglect to put details in architecture that breathes life. According to him, life is the most fundamental foundation of a structure. Life is breathing and moving. Architecture should be based on this and not on the robotic and mechanistic way our technologies convey. In our modern scientific way, the use of art has slowly been diminishing. Before it happens completely, let us bear in mind that without beauty in it is like a lonely statue of a hero standing out in a cold hard rain.The statue has no life and it no longer feels cold or heat. But architecture is an essential part of our life. So its essence and foundation must breathe life. We must take comfort not only for the roof it provides above our heads but also for the pride it makes us feel because of its beauty. Architecture is both a responsibility and a privilege to provide and attract. It has to welcome and not to frighten anyone away. It has to project a remembrance of its existence and not to kill all the memories forever. Even an old uninhabited castle’s haunted feeling depicts the lives of the powerful family who once lived there.But in our time today, the ugly unoccupied building gives us the shivers not because of the memories left there but of the hideous structure of the place. Architecture should never lose its beauty. After all, its ability to be the symbol of both science and art is what sets it apart. A house, a church, a store, a town hall, and a community that is devoid in beauty lack the true essence and purpose of life â €“ creation. If we are indeed too practical, busy, and perhaps too frugal to incorporate art with our dwellings, then we are better off to live in cold hard unshapely caves. Works Cited