Saturday, August 31, 2019

Gay Rights Persuasive Speech

What’s the definition of marriage to you? To me, it’s a great bond of two people under holy matrimony. Notice that I didn’t say a great bond of man and woman. Ninety percent of people might disagree on what I have said, but what about the other ten percent? The other ten percent have another twist on the fact that marriage doesn’t necessarily have to be the bond between man and woman, but may be as well, a brilliant bond between man and man or woman and woman. I truly believe that homosexuals should have the right to be able to marry their significant other and should be able to have as many rights as an average married couple because they should go ahead and love the person they really love, without any laws holding them back just because they’re homosexual. Homosexuals should be able to have rights, just like us. The reason that homosexuals choose to marry is due to the fact that marriage isn’t mainly about benefit, or respect, but mainly about love and family; the same reason that heterosexuals (straights) choose to marry. But, the one thing that holds them back is the law. Many states in the U. S banned homosexual marriage due to the fact that marriage between man and woman has been around for the past millennia. Lots of people thinks that same-sex marriage is one of the reasons that and that it supposedly wrecks the balance between traditional marriage and the balance between man and woman that’s supposed to equally balance the differences and family to create a brand- new creation to create man and woman as one. Phooey. People don’t know who is able to enforce marriage. The government has the actual power to marry people but society helps families through the emotional parts. Since marriage has no absolute definition, it’s not fair to not let gays marry. The state should allow gays to be with each other so that they can have a â€Å"marital† relationship. Even though most of society doesn’t accept the fact that homosexuals should marry, they are beneficial to others as well as states. Most homosexuals have the weight of pressure society gives to them in order for them to live a daily and average life. They’re like a very fragile vase ; they are beautiful people on the inside, but shatter instantly if you hurt them. Many homosexuals try very hard to fit in society, and yet society brings them own to a certain extent that they have no choice but to either commit suicide or hide in celibacy. Just think of washing your hair. If shampoo gets in your eyes, you feel an awful sensation and you want to wash it out right away. To homosexuals, fitting in into society and being accepted into society is just like that, but the pain never goes away. It just shatters my heart and feelings that society look down towards homosexuals, and that they tease them just how my older cousin did to me when I was a kid . Perhaps there would be more happy families and fewer sad deaths every day if society was more considerate and content for homosexuals. One of the main things that society doesn’t understand is that the ability to love and commit to each other is such a special gift that no one can take away or give two people the ability to love each other. The state could recognize these commitments, or they couldn’t. If you truly love someone to such a point where you basically die for the right of marriage, then I don’t really get it if the state were to not legalize homosexuals marrying, and at the same time, making many homosexuals die for the sake of legalizing just one tiny law out of thousands, maybe even millions. Homosexuals should have the right to marry their significant other. You all, being very well educated citizens of this so called â€Å"free nation† , should stand up and fight for the protection of another unique human; a homosexual. I would choose to gladly accept a law to rid of the invisible chain that locks the homosexuals to the law. Would you?

Friday, August 30, 2019

Hr Case Crisis Study

Human Resource Management Critical Incident Case on Trackon Couriers Pvt. Ltd Course Details Co Prepared By: Case on Trackon Couriers Pvt. Ltd Abstract: – The case discusses about the requirement for different management styles at different phase of an organisation and highlights a situation how once effective Managers can become a problem for the organisation if they are not trained and updated with changing environment and organisational goals. Also, the case discusses about the requirement for performance parameters in all aspects of business. New Delhi – December 31st 2005 – Just returning after his regular badminton game Mr. P. K. Anand Managing Director and CEO of Trackon Couriers Pvt. Ltd was sweating in spite of five degree Celsius temperature outside. He had a very tuff decision to make – either to compromise on the company’s existence or to go against the interest of his once blue eyed boys. Obviously as an entrepreneur he wanted to save the company. Having taken the decision he wanted to decide on the strategy to be adopted, he had invited his colleagues for the New Year eve party which is also going to be an important meeting to decide in the company’s future. Company Back Ground: – Trackon Couriers Pvt. Ltd founded by Mr. Anand in December 2004 amidst of crisis in management of On-Dot Couriers Pvt. Ltd, headed by him. Mr. Anand erstwhile agent of DTDC Courier started On- Dot Couriers along with his business partner Mr. Dinesh Rautela in April’ 1993. Though it was though time to hold on to Business Mr. Anand sustained and made it a Limited Company in 1999 adding three more directors to the board Mr. Y. K. Dabas, Mr. P. K. Singh and Mr. Lokesh Anand younger brother of Mr. P. K. Anand. Shares of the Company were distributed as follows: – Mr. P. K. Anand 32 % Mr. Lokesh†¦

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Haiti Education Essay

The Future of Education in Haiti and The Future of Education in Haiti continued†¦, in which both primary and secondary education in the country was evaluated. Highlighting how the aftermath of the quake left children the most vulnerable and susceptible. According to the Haitian Ministry of Education, 80 percent of those schools in the quake-affected areas were damaged or destroyed. In the six months following the quake, the majority of those schools have now been re-opened and up to 40 percent of schools damaged in the earthquake have been cleared of debris. Nonetheless, school attendance rates continue to suffer as the country slowly works to recover from the devastation, a concern which weighs heavy on many’s minds regarding the stability and future development of the fragile nation. Schools act as a safe-haven for children and help them deal with the heavy stress that follows disaster, as many children suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome. It is essential that Haitian children return to school as quickly as possibly, and while temporary means are obviously to be sought as the country continues to dig itself out from the rubble, international efforts must seek to see that the country’s educational system is rebuilt. To mark the day UNICEF Radio podcast moderator Amy Costello reported from Haiti, speaking to Coralie Norris, a 14-year-old student, and Lisa Doherty, the UNICEF Haiti Education Cluster Coordinator, regarding the current climate in the country facing schoolchildren six months after the quake. You can learn more and listen to the podcast here.

Set size and search type effect on search time during visual search Essay

Set size and search type effect on search time during visual search task - Essay Example Feature Integration theory There are a number of researches with various stimuli, while most prevalent idea proposed for human visual search comes from A. Treisman (1980), who conducted a research illustrating Feature integration theory. It asserts that a visual search is faster in presence of dissimilar background and the number of distracters involved in background do not affect the time consumption in case of a feature search (a search that involves identification of a direct feature like color, shape, orientation or curvature). On the other hand, a conjunction search is affected widely with the number of distracters presented in the background. A conjunction search is defined as a search which does not involve a direct feature but a similarity of multiple features among the various objects. (For example ‘blue square’ has similarities with ‘blue triangle’ and ‘red square’.) Consequent of the propositions, feature integration theory illustrate s that those two searches consists of different methodology for human visual search. Those methods are characterized as parallel searches and serial searches for feature and conjunctive patterns. As further illustrated in Feature Integration theory, feature search and conjunction search differ widely on time consumption patterns as conjunction search follows a twofold process which requires identifying the features and categorizing the conjunctions to create a pattern of search. The distracters found in the patterns are responsible for time consumptions. The feature-integration theory of attention suggests that attention must be directed serially to each stimulus in a display whenever conjunctions of more than one separable feature are needed to characterize or distinguish the possible objects (Treisman and Gelade, 1980) There are number of arguments and theoretical results that involve some serious diversions and modification to this theory. However, most of the theories involve th e base of feature integration which asserts that there are found clear differences in the types of searches when direct features are involved or eliminated. Other theories and Guided search In contrast with feature integration theory there are some proposition which offers different arguments and researches for visual search. A major theory is in the propositions of Wolfe (1989) who offers a broad research for how visual search is not limited only to the factors if the searches are parallel or serial but it also depends largely on the motivating factors for a visual search. Wolfe presents this theory as the guided search theory. In his propositions, a number of subjects were passed through the experiments with varying number of stimuli and the data outcome was measured over the graphs to provide a serious deflection from Feature integration patterns. Subjects searched sets of items for targets defined by conjunctions of color and form, color and orientation, or color and size. Set s ize was varied and reaction times (RT) were measured. For many unpracticed subjects, the slopes of the resulting RT x Set Size functions are too shallow to be consistent with Treisman's feature integration model, which proposes serial, self-terminating search for conjunctions (Jeremy M. Wolfe, 1989). As those results offer a diversion in self-terminating s

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Business Ethics - Essay Example In summary, Enron collapsed due to bankruptcy that was associated with a major audit failure of the company’s books of accounts. The bankruptcy led to major losses to shareholders, highlighted by a dramatic fall in prices from 90US dollars to less than a dollar within one year (Thomas, 2002). This was followed by investigations and summoning of the company’s executives who were later sentenced in various prisons. WorldCom was a big company involved in telecommunications business. It was declared bankrupt around July 2002 due to an accounting fraud, but later reemerged for business in 2004 after changing names to MCI (Tolunay et al., 2005). WorldCom was regarded as one of the largest telecommunications company operating in the United States, where it had expanded from Mississippi in 1983. Downfall of WorldCom begun when it started experiencing diminishing infrastructural demands due to the oversupply of telecommunications, and as a result, its revenues had fallen since t he debt was used to finance huge infrastructure investments. Thus, the main cause of demise of WorldCom was the increasing of net income and assets through transfer of expenses to the main capital account (Tolunay et al., 2005). There was an understatement of operating expenses and capitalized costs were treated as investments. There are specific ethical violations in accounting practices that were done by Enron and WorldCom since in the year 2000, Enron had started showing financial difficulties and problems. CEO Jeffrey Skilling did one of the ethical violations, as he had formed a method of concealing and hiding some company operations and financial losses it incurred. This was referred by financial analysts as Mark-to-Market accounting (Seabury, 2011). As Seabury (2011) highlights, it is a method used in trading securities by the determination their actual value at the current moment. This method is considered as not suitable for conventional businesses. The second violation tha t led tocollapse of Enron was issues of corporate governance (Jickling, 2002, p. 4). This was caused by a conflict of interest between the executives and the company. For example, Andrew Fastow, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), had made a deal with Enron by partnering with it to do business. In these transactions, the CFO concealed losses and debts which were acrued by Enron. Hence, this had a significant impact on the reported Enron profits (Jickling, 2002). The third ethical violation in accounting practice by Enron was referred to as Accounting issues (Jickling, 2002). This was due to the fact that Enron recorded cancelled contracts and projects as assets in its books and did not indicate which ones were cancelled. In accounting issues, Jickling highlights, Enron used derivative to manipulate accounting figures, and this was an ethical violation of accounting ethics. The fourth ethical violation was pension issues whereby, Enron’s employees held large percentage of stock . The last violation of ethics was in financial audit. The firm’s auditor used careless standards in auditing Enron due to a conflict of interest over the fees they levied for their services. They used unrealistic payment ratios which generated controversy as to whether they were taxable or not. On the other hand, WorldCom had also violated some ethics in accounting practice. Tolunay et al. (2005) highlights that there were three ethical violation

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Is bureaucracy irrational Reflect critically Essay

Is bureaucracy irrational Reflect critically - Essay Example Many large scale organizations follow a form of structure which is more systematic and legitimized policies. In fact, following a systematic structure in every organization is insisted by many of the management theorists, bureaucracy has gained significance among the development of theories and is frequently observed as a sub-section typical topic. The study of bureaucracy is studied as a new approach to organization and the business. Though the classical writers picked up their ideas and principles from practical experiences, their theories are also based on older basis of management concepts. Before we discuss about the rationality, we should know about Max Weber’s Bureaucracy and its key aspects. Max Weber is originally a German sociologist initiated a certain concern for bureaucratic structures in organization, when he was studying on power and authority as a main stream. This bureaucratic structure is the idea which to Weber almost came as a part of his study. He insisted that the key role played by the organization’s top decision makers brings about the change within the structure of management and also provided a steep rise to stable and standard administration procedures. The responsibilities and the tasks definitions played by the decision makers bring about these changes (Andreski, 2008). ... This social network of intellectuals in diverse disciplines helped create a flexible mind with the ability and tendency to take assorted points of view (Allan, 2005). The term bureaucracy has its own criticisms that it is not observed necessarily in depreciative formal organizations. Weber analyzed that bureaucracies’ are not the same quality followed in all organizations. He viewed a clear progress of bureaucracies are markedly visible as the profits of increasing in identifying order and level-headedness into the society and its life. Max Weber’s bureaucracy was one of the most successful organization structures in the last century and also regarded the perfection of bureaucracy. The key characteristics of bureaucracy are outlined below: Formal Hierarchy Every higher level in an organization controls the lower level, thus forming a hierarchy which forms a basis of centralized scheduling and decision building (Slattery, 2003). System of Structure: The rules and policie s made by the company permits decisions stated at high levels which in turn to be administered to the lower levels of the bureaucrats (Macionis, 2006). Work Specialization People are divided into several divisions on the basis of what kind of job they perform or the expertise they do. Work specialization allows people to do certain jobs in perfection (Macionis, 2006). Mission Focused Here, the purpose of the organization is of two means, focused above and focused below. If its main focus was to satisfy the suppliers, the panel or any group authorized it. If suppose, the focus lies towards serving the organization itself and some other internal processes like raising the profits high and approved

Monday, August 26, 2019

Strategic Human Resouce Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic Human Resouce Management - Essay Example The paper tells that a key component of any working and successful company is a fully established human resource department. This department has the sole responsibility to ensure the provision of the essential component of entrepreneurship, which is labor. The human resource department has the concern to establish organizational activity of bettering the overall performance of the personnel working in the organization. Management in its broad terms entails a critical review of the developments in the company or firm to establish the sections that affect the company growth Thus, with respect to the current developments in Cop Motor Vehicle manufacturers the observable decline in sales, in addition to other internal factors reflecting in Cop Motor Vehicle manufacturers need agent redress from the management. The firm deals with the production of vehicle brands and spare parts. The responsibility to make the key decisions regarding this firm rests on the position of CEO. However, the de cisions that affect the human resources in the firm requires essential evaluation from the human resource department, to establish the measures to address the cause of the decline in sales and losses the firm is facing. Notably, the developments are forcing the CEO of Cop Motor Vehicle manufacturers to take drastic measures on the programs established by the human resource management department to develop the workforce for better performance of the firm. However, before taking such a measure, it is essential to evaluate the consequential impact of this decision on the firm and its eventual performance. This entails evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of the decision to cut on the expenditures of the company on employee training and development, as well as, the other elements associated with the decision. Cop Motor Vehicle manufacturers have over 40 hands-on employees, 4 supervisors, and heads of the various departments, in addition to Chief Executive Officer. The stakes in t he training program entail the various sponsors for the training, the development managers and the clients who are the employees. In this case, Cop Motor Vehicle manufacturers rely significantly on the role and input of the employees in the production process. Therefore, it is notable that sales decline are a result, which most likely emanates from the employees directly.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Carbon dioxide emissions from existing housing stock Essay

Carbon dioxide emissions from existing housing stock - Essay Example The world community today has become increasingly conscious about the way we should treat our environment while carrying out routine jobs and business activities. The gaining popularity of green buildings, green technology and green standards of living are an indication towards the increasing consciousness for reducing the usage of substances harmful to the nature. The existing housing stock is another cause of worry for the environmentalist for couple of reasons. This study is an effort to look into the extent of carbon dioxide gases released by the housing stock and how some concerned citizens and organisations have taken up the task of minimising these emissions. Boardman (2007) contends that, "Of the homes we will inhabit in 2050, around 80 percent are already standing today and these have to be the main focus of carbon-reduction policies". This study is an effort to analyse the statement in right earnest and to understand the severity of the dangerous proportions it may acquire if we do not take the requisite steps for our future generations. In UK alone about a quarter of all carbon emissions are stated to be emanating out of the domestic building stocks1. This has resulted into efforts towards environment friendly housing. ... for Urban Design Information (RUDI) an independent body catering to the needs of researchers in the field of urban design and place-making, predicts that, UK might fall 'drastically short' of long-term targets towards reducing emissions without urgent action to cut carbon dioxide output from homes2. The Global Trends UK is not the only country facing the ill effects of carbon emissions. The Energy Information Administration, EIA (2008), a US government agency has come out with startling statistics pointing out the sources of carbon emissions in different parts of the world. As per the report from EIA titled, 'International Energy Outlook 2008', Carbon dioxide happens to be the most abundant anthropogenic (human-caused) greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Though studies point out that about 82 percent of the greenhouse gases are because of the energy consumption by the people and industries, but the EIA study points out that3 the building sector contributed to more than 48 percent of carbon emissions since 1990. This is an indication towards how the rapid pace of globalisation and industrialisation is adversely affecting the ecological balance around us. OECD, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, a group of 30 industrialised nations like USA, UK, Germany, Canada, Japan, Korea e tc, has been the torch-bearers of globalisation and industrial activities. The EIA report indicates that 'Carbon dioxide emissions per capita in the OECD economies are significantly higher than in the non-OECD economies (Figure). The figures indicate that if things continue with the existing pace the situation might be headed to uncertain times for the humanity. While the projected increase in the carbon emissions per capita is almost similar in OECD and non-OECD nations, the

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Fire service administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Fire service administration - Essay Example f fire extinguisher, burglar detection system in place and how the insured came to know about the fire, are essential for investigation (Redsicker & O’Connor, 2010). The fire fighters officially need no warrant to enter in a building for a specific time having reasons to be there to investigate the matter. If the above persons are in a state of doubt, they have every right to arrange administrative or criminal search warrant as the case may be for necessary searches by intimating to the office of Prosecutor. For more elaborate investigation, they seek permission of district attorney coupled with crime specialists and legal experts to face the questionnaire relating to affected scene (Davis, 1978). If search needed, it should be specific in respect of the ingredients that are location of the property to be searched and specific items that require searching. If there is no reason or evidence available, the investigator may have some probable cause (Davis, 1978). A Probable Cause Affidavit should contain many aspects such as when and where the incidence took place; relevant information should be in chronological order leading to the ending point of ample evidence for a particular location; if other investigator need to investigate the place of incidence, it requires the following conditionality and in order to ensure maximum effectiveness, it should be with the consensus of all the stakeholders; Investigators are duty bound to keep that cause of fire for examination later on; the mentioned laws allow sharing of information between the police and fire investigator besides the investigators of the insurance company (Davis, 1978). The key aim is to ensure flow of vital information between the law enforcers and the insurers. It provides opportunity to the insurer or other persons connected with fires that seem to be suspicious in its originality. It permits insurer to inform the state organs about fire and share the information that has developed during the course

Friday, August 23, 2019

Leadership Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leadership - Research Paper Example According to Collins (2001), a Level 5 Leadership style is utilized by diverse organizations in order to fabricate enduring prominence through a paradoxical merge of individual humility and proficient will. These are certain inherent qualities of an individual which are essential to improve the condition of an organization in this modern era. In addition, in order to sustain in the age of globalization and industrialization, level 5 leaders are always significant to any organization. It paves the path of an organization to become excellent from the position of best among others in the market. Moreover, Collins also observed that along with organizational transformation, the employees are also undergoing certain specific alterations in order to improve their efficiency and effectiveness. This would augment to enhance organizational as well as employee productivity (Collins, 2001, pp.17). Apart from these, level 5 leadership style also deals with recruitment of accurate employees in order to enhance the image and the position of an organization in the marketplace. As the employees or workers are fundamental sources of an organization, exact enrollment is very vital. This is because it is the employees who are primarily responsible for the betterment of the organization in the long run. Furthermore, apposite environmental culture is also the other essential ingredient responsible for organizational success as well as a prime objective of ‘level 5 leadership style’. ... As the employees or workers are fundamental sources of an organization, exact enrollment is very vital. This is because it is the employees who are primarily responsible for the betterment of the organization in the long run. Furthermore, apposite environmental culture is also the other essential ingredient responsible for organizational success as well as a prime objective of ‘level 5 leadership style’. A uniform organizational culture can provide consistency and stability among the workers thereby improving the morale and the satisfaction towards work (Collins, 2001, pp. 17). Thus, in order to maintain a pleasant environmental culture, it is essential for level 5 leaders to be modest, determined, to have fierce tenacity, communication ability, motivational ability and propensity to offer recognition to other co-members. Apart from these, the level 5 leaders should also incorporate honesty, humility, ambition and strong will-power in order to resolve any problem. Moreov er, level 5 leaders always attempt to work for the organizational benefits rather than personal ones. Thus, the above discussed characteristics of level 5 leaders help to enhance the growth and development of an organization in the long run (Collins, 2001). Level 5 leadership style is different from other prevalent leadership styles. This is because in authoritative leadership style, the leaders force the members to follow their guidelines or regulations while resolving any problem whereas in case of participative leadership styles, mutual discussion is taken in order to solve any dilemma. The other important leadership style followed in many organizations is

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The Role of Self- Reflection in Fifth Business By Brooke von Schilling Essay Example for Free

The Role of Self- Reflection in Fifth Business By Brooke von Schilling Essay Self-reflection makes happiness more accessible. This is shown in the book Fifth Business by a contrast of characters, such as introvert and extrovert. In the book Dunstan Ramezay is shown as an introvert and spends his entire life focusing on the spiritual aspect of himself and others. Dunstan is a self-reflecting person who does not find joy in material things, but finds happiness in the wisdom of the spirit. On the contrary, Percy Staunton only finds joy in the material things that life brings him. Percy must have the best of everything and finds joy in showing those things to the world. He loves to prove that he is better than everyone else because of the things he has. Although Percy is joyous for a small amount of time, he is always searching for something bigger and better than what he already has. Other characters show the importance of spiritual aspects of the world and how humans have destroyed the freedom of wonder and self-reflection. To make sense of life and all its marvels you must be self-reflecting. Dunstan is taught that in order to move forward and become successful he must reflect in himself and forgive himself for doing what all humans do. Father Blazon says â€Å"forgive yourself for being a human creature, Ramezay. That is the beginning of wisdom. † Blazon is saying that by letting go of the average mistakes Dunstan will be able to focus on what he needs to and have better knowledge of himself because he is not stuck on his small mistakes. This quote can relate to all humans because everyone needs to be able to forgive himself or herself to move past what they have done. This proves that self-reflection makes happiness more accessible because by moving past the insignificant things the spirit is able to focus on becoming greater. By self-reflecting one is able to see the marvels in everyday. People are always trying to find marvels in material items but by seeing the marvels that one holds within will make one truly happy. â€Å"Why do people all over the world and at all times want marvels that defy all verifiable fact? And are the marvels brought into being by their desire, or is their desire and assurance rising from some deep knowledge, not to be directly experienced and questioned, that the marvelous is indeed an aspect of the real. (202) This quote is made by Liesl, she is saying that people spend too much time obsessing over the things in life that wont bring you true happiness instead of focusing on the inner desires. This quote is saying that the marvels that are desired by the spirit are what will bring happiness. This point is also shown by Father Blazon when he states â€Å"Life itself is too great a miracle to make so much of a fuss about dotty little reversals of the natural order. † By self-reflection one is able to look past the small details and see what a miracle everyday life is. Also, this quote teaches that one needs to be able to make sense of themselves so they can make sense of life and all of its wonder. It is easier for one to make their own happiness than to wait upon others. By relying on yourself you can find out what you truly need and find ways to receive it, but if you depend on others then you only think about what others are willing to provide. This is shown in the quote: â€Å"He had to run his mission by begging, and that sometimes begging yielded nothing; when this happened he prayed for help and had never been refused what he needed. (118) When the man relied on others to get what he needed he did not always succeed but when he found it within himself to pray for what he needed then he was more successful. By praying the man looked inside himself and thought about what he really needed and asked for it, instead of just taking what anyone would give him. This quote proves that happiness is more accessible when you self reflect because he accepted the fact that he needed help, he knew exactly what he needed, and he received it when he looked inside himself. The only way someone can be truly happy is if they rely upon themselves. Dunstan states that nobody- not even my mother- was to be trusted in a strange world that showed so very little of itself in the surface. Dunstan is saying that everyone has their inner desires and needs but they dont show them on the surface. He is saying that you should trust nobody but yourself because youre the only one that knows exactly what you want. In this quote Dunstan relates to his mother because she is the one h should be able to trust the most but really the only person he can trust is himself. You never know what others truly think of you or your desires so you should only listen to your inner self. By self-reflecting Dunstan is able to know his desires and figure out a way to reach them, because he cant show the things he want on the surface. Education does not teach one to self-reflect or to show their true desires. One simply has to look within themselves to realize what you want. Our world relies so much on education that people forget to strive for their passion. Eisengrim teaches this when he states We have educated ourselves into a world from which wonder and fear and dread and splendor and freedom of wonder have been banished. This quote is saying that People are so focused on what they need to learn to be successful that they forget to look within themselves and find their aspiration. Eisengrim is a magician and he looked within himself to figure out what he really wanted to be. He is one of the best at what he does so this teaches that if you look inside yourself and find your true desire you can be great at anything you do. Education was not needed for Eisengrim to be great at what he did because unlike most people, he felt the freedom to wonder what his passion was. Eisengrim is a great example to show that self-reflection makes happiness more accessible. You cannot always rely on others to make you happy, sometimes the best way to be happy is to know what excites you and keep doing whatever that may be. Even if the world is trying to bring you down, if you know yourself and the reasons you did the things you did, you can always be happy. Mrs. Dempster showed this when Dunstan explains that: She knew she was in disgrace with the world, but did not feel disgraced; she knew she was jeered at, but felt no humiliation. She lived by a light that arose from within. Dunstan explains that even though the whole world is against Mrs. Dempster she was still happy because she was happy with herself. This proves that self-reflection makes happiness more accessible because if she had not been happy with herself then she would feel disgraced and humiliated. She knew the reasons why she did what she did so there was no need to let what others said bother her. Because Mrs. Dempster was an introvert she did not feel the need to have a good reputation, all she needed was her own approval. Self-reflection is all one needs to be truly happy with themselves.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

English Essay Example for Free

English Essay Culture polity, traditions, language, food, costume, belief system, architecture, arts, craft, music, dance, and sports which will be discussed in this article to give you an indication of Fijis indigenous community but also the various communities which make up Fiji as a modern culture and living. The indigenous culture is an active and living part of everyday life for the majority of the population. However, it has evolved with the introduction of vibrant and old cultures including Indian, Chinese and European culture, and various cultures from the Pacific neighbors of Fiji; in particular the Tongan and Rotuman cultures. The culture of Fiji, including language, has created a unique communal and national identity. Tradition and hierarchy Fijian indigenous society is very communal, with great importance attached to the family unit, the village, and the vanua (land). [1] A hierarchy of chiefs presides over villages, clans, and tribes. Chiefly positions are hereditary; a deceased chief is invariably followed by a kinsman or kinswoman, though not necessarily his own son or daughter. This reflects Polynesian influence: in most other Melanesian societies, chiefs are appointed on merit. The largest social unit for Fijians is the Yavusa, defined by R. A. Derrick as the direct agnate descendants of a single kalou-vu (deified ancestor). Chiefly succession was from older brother/sister to younger brother/sister, after the death of their father/mother. When the youngest brother/sister died, the eldest son/daughter of the eldest brother/sister became chief. This tradition still influences Fijian society today, though less rigidly: there is more of a tendency nowadays towards primogeniture. [2][3] Each brother/sister in the family then formed his own branch of the yavusa, called the Mataqali. Each mataqali became the custodian of a specific task. A fully developed Yavusa has several mataqali: * Turaga: This mataqali descends from the original ancestor through primogeniture inheritance of the eldest son in each succeeding generation. The chief of a village is always chosen from the Turaga mataqali. [1][4] * Sauturaga: These are next in rank to the chiefs, support him, and enforce his commands and also have final say in the installation of a Chief[1] * Mata ni vanua: These form the official heralds of the village. They are also in charge of ceremonial functions. [5] * Bete: This was the traditional priestly class. The kalou-vu was believed to speak through the Bete. [1][6] * Bati: This mataqali forms the traditional warrior class. [6] * Dau (skill) and Matai: these are the crafts people and specialized skilled people of the tribe e. g. Dau ni vucu (Poet/choreographer/composer), Dau ni yau (treasurer), Mataisau (carpenter/or Canoe builder)[1] The mataqali are subdivided into Tokatoka, each comprising closely related families. Several mataqali comprise a village, several of which form a yavusa or district. The British colonial rulers amalgamated the districts into Yasana, or Provinces. The districts also form three Matanitu, or Confederacies. These are often said to be agglomerations of provinces, but as the latter were a colonial imposition, the boundaries do not coincide exactly, and the Provinces of Tailevu, Ra, Naitasiri, Lomaiviti and parts of Yasawa and Ba makes the Kubuna Confederacy. This Confederacy in modern Fiji is considered to be the most senior. The other two are Burebasaga (covering the rest of Viti Levu), and Tovata, covering Vanua Levu, Lau archipelago and Rotuma. Despite its isolation and relatively small size, Tovata has been politically dominant since Fiji gained its independence in 1970. Language The official language is English while the national indigenous language is Bauan which is only one of the many dialects that exist in the Fiji Group, each of the fourteen provinces more or less have their own dialect though there is a clear distinction between the dialects of the West, Central and Eastern parts of the country. Other languages spoken in the country are Fiji Hindi, Cantonese, Rotuman, Gilbertese (Rabi Island), and Tuvaluan (Kioa Island). The Fiji Islands are traditionally linked to their island neighbours Rotuma, Tonga and Samoa, and this is evident in the culture and dialects of the Northern and Eastern provinces being Cakaudrove, Bua, Macuata, and Lau. The many dialects spoken in these four provinces consistently use sounds that are heard in Tongan and Samoan, but not so with dialects from the Western and South Western parts of Fiji. The Fijian language uses a Latin alphabet. However, the Fijian alphabet is dissimilar from the English alphabet. Fiji English The existence of many dialects within the Fijian language as well as exposure to the other languages spoken have contributed to many Fiji Islanders being bilingual. For general communication in an informal environment, a very interesting cross use of the languages has developed, resulting in slang now commonly referred to as Fiji English. In formal settings, of course, correct usage is adhered to. Fiji English comprises aspects of Fijian, English and Hindi, which reflects the history and identity of the people of Fiji. Fiji English is non-rhotic. . Cultural arts and social polity In culture, its various crafts and music give it an identity along with it traditional etiquette and varying forms of clothing attire, its unique architecture also tells a story of a culture and its evolution, the following will discuss these aspects of culture in Fiji. Arts and crafts Fijis arts and crafts reflect local adaptations of their Polynesian and Melanesian heritage. By tradition, the mens and womens crafts are separate. Womens crafts The village of Na lotu on Kadavu Island is famous for its pottery, the making of which is still governed by strict rituals. Nadroga and Rewa also produce fine pottery. Each region has its own unique style in the making of pottery. Tapa from the Lau Islands in Fiji. The making of Tapa cloth, or (masi), is another craft associated with women. Tapa is made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree and decorated in charcoal with symbolic motifs and various patterns. In modern times, it has become fashionable for a masi to bear the name of the person who made it. Masi are often exchanged as gifts on formal occasions. The island of Vatuelele of the southern coast of Viti Levu is famous for its masi products. Most Fijian mats are made from the leaves of the pandanus tree. The long process of preparation includes scraping and boiling the leaves, and drying them in the sun. There are different mats used for different occasions, and some are made as gifts for formal occasions such as weddings. Most mats are bordered with highly decorative and brightly coloured wool. One well-known Fijian mat is the kuta, made by women in Vanua Levu, particularly Bua. Weaving using various materials was another craft generally mastered by the women but also aspects of weaving were mastered only by the men, various types of weaving practiced were and still are; basket weaving, coconut rope weaving, and coconut leaves weaving. Mens crafts Carving was practiced by the men; carving would be used for items of practical use and simple shapes and design were used. A lot of effort was put into well adorned weapons and items for the home and ceremony, today carving is practiced for its use in tourism and no longer plays a major role in Fijian society and life except in the case of the Tanoa used from drinking Kava. Drua, the most impressive Fijian canoe. Canoe Building was another art practiced only by the men, canoes were not only the major form of communication, but were important in all aspects of Fijian society, from the gathering of food and transporting of crops to use in presentation ceremonies and they were instrumental in wars and politics which were rife in Fiji. 9] The art of Canoe building was varied across the group and had several different types but of a similar design, the Camakau was a small twin hulled canoe for fishing or small transportation purposes, the most impressive of Canoes in Fiji were that of the Drua. In Fijis early history before European involvement, Control of the seaway was a major and decisive objective; disrup ting or cutting off the enemies supply and reinforcements gave great advantage in battle and would ensure victory. Sea battles involving hundreds of canoes were frequent. The canoe, which inspired fear and awe and so often held the balance was the mighty Drua. One of the most elaborate and beautiful artifacts of Oceania, the Drua was a product of considerable group efforts and human sacrifice. Double hulled and of gigantic proportions, the Drua was a masterpiece of design and craftsmanship, requiring total community involvement in its construction and human sacrifice in its launching. 10] Its speed out at sea would be in excess of twenty knots and still remained highly manoeuvrable, it was capable of carrying upward of 150 warriors and took some 6 to 7 years to build and would vary in length from 100 feet to 118 feet and have a mast height of 60 to 70 feet, in the mid-19th century the following accounts were recorded: Up went the huge sail, down went the great steering oars, splashing into the sea, and away we shot like a racehorse. Owing to the great rate at which we were going, the sea was like a hissing cauldron on either side of our course, and the vessel, instead of having time to mount over the smaller waves, cut its way through them. (West, 1869). It had a magnificent appearance with its immense sail of white mats; its velocity was almost inconceivable. (Wilkes, 1840). Ratu Seru Cakobau commanded an impressive fleet which had Several Drua with armed warriors ready for battle the led Canoe was named Rusi I Vanua or Cursed is the land. 11] Much of the art of Canoe building has been lost and only a small few still practice the art on a very small scale as its use in this modern era seems to have lost its place. The craft of Canoe building was traditionally reserved for the male. Performing arts Fijian Rugby Team Performing a Traditional War Dance before their Rugby encounter against Canada. The Meke An indigenous art form is the Meke, which may incorporate the seasea (womens fan dance) or a meke wesi (mens spear dance). It is usually a narrative of an important event such as a war, a chiefly installation, or even a scandal. Some mekes are generations old, and form an important part of Fijis oral history. In olden times, the meke was considered to be an oracle from the gods, and the Dau ni vucu, or composer, would often go into a trance before a performance. Others are modern, composed for a particular event, much as a poet laureate might write a poem to celebrate an event in a Western country. Each district of Fiji has its own form of meke, performed in the local dialect. Other forms of Polynesian and Melanesian dance art forms exist with most widely known being dances of Rotuma and Tonga. There are also various Indian dances and Chinese dances which are performed at relevant festivals marking important times for these communities which are now a part of Culture in Fiji. Music Music of Old Fiji consisted of various chants which often told a story or preserved information to be passed on from generation to generation, these songs used various traditional instruments. With the introduction of European and Asian cultures music in Fiji has evolved and songs sung in the Fijian vernacular are popular but so also are songs in Indian and English, some local artists mix all three languages and traditional instruments from each culture making for a very interesting musical experience. A distinct Indian sound has evolved in Fiji that some see as influencing modern Indian music and even jazz. Clothing and costume The traditional attire was loin cloths for men and grass skirts for women. Skirts were short for single women, and long for married women, with girls wearing virgin locks before marriage. Most ladies of rank had the lower parts of their bodies decorated with tattoos. Chiefs dressed more elaborately. Modern Fijis national dress is the sulu, which resembles a skirt. It is commonly worn by both men and women. One type worn by both men and women is the Sulu va Taga pronounced Sulu vah Tanga which is a wrap around piece of rectangular material which is elaborately decorated with patterns and designs of varying styles this is for more casual and informal occasions. Many men, especially in urban areas, also have Sulu va taga which is a tailored sulu and can be tailored as part of their suit. Many will wear a shirt with a western-style collar, tie, and jacket, with a matching Sulu va taga and sandals, this type of sulu can be worn to a semi formal or formal occasion. Even the military uniforms have incorporated the Sulu va taga as part of their ceremonial dress. Women usually wear a multi-layered Tapa cloth on formal occasions. A blouse made of cotton, silk, or satin, of often worn on top. On special occasions, women often wear a tapa sheath across the chest, rather than a blouse. On other occasions, women may be dressed in a chamba, also known as a sulu I ra, a sulu with a specially crafted top. There are many regional variations throughout Fiji. Residents of the village of Dama, in Bua Province and Cakaudrove i Vanua (Province), Fiji wear finely woven mats called kuta, made from a reed. While traditional and semi-traditional forms of dress are still very much in use amongst indigenous Fijian culture, there is a greater influence for Western and Indian Fashion in urban areas as in neighboring developed nations. Traditions and ceremonies Etiquette in indigenous Fijian ceremony is rather intricate depending on the function as various formalities and presentations which do several things; firstly it shows respect between two communal groups, strengthen tribal and family ties and reinforce social, tribal and family ties. Various items are used in ceremony and surrounded by ceremony, Kava, known in Fiji as yaqona, is Fijis national drink. Traditionally, it was used only in important ceremonies. Nowadays, it is a social beverage. There is a strict protocol associated with yaqona drinking. One should clap once, clasping the hands, take the cup, and drink the yaqona in a single draft before returning the cup to the bearer. Another highly prized item in ceremony is the tabua or Whales tooth, other items also the use of mats (masi) are also used traditionally in ceremony also various regions have tradition that has been passed down generation to generation for centuries one example are the firewalkers of beqa. The Sawau tribe of Beqa are noted for their ability to walk on white hot stones without being burned. 12] Strict rituals have to be observed before the firewalking ceremony. There is an ancient myth about how an ancestor of the Sawau tribe was given this power by a spirit god in exchange for his life, after the god was captured by the man who was fishing for eels. Cuisine The cuisine of Fiji in pre-colonial times consisted of root crops, vegetables, and fruits, as well as various land animals such as wild pig, human, and various birds. The coastal tribes would have had the same, but also had a large amount of local seafood. These would have been prepared with local herbs and spices on wood fire rock ovens. Most cooking areas were located in the center of house so the smoke would repel insects and strengthen the roof thatching. Another popular method of cooking, which is still used today, is the lovo which is an earth oven[13] — a fire made on in a pit in the ground lined with heat-resistant stones. It closely resembles the hangi of the New Zealand Maori. When the stones are hot, food wrapped in (banana) leaves, is placed in the pit, covered with soil and left to cook before being exhumed and eaten. Dishes cooked this way include palusami, parcels of taro leaves saturated with coconut milk, onions, and sometimes tinned meat. Modern Fijian Cuisine is rather diverse with great influence from Indian cuisine and spices. When these are applied to local traditional dishes, it makes for interesting eating. European, Indian, and Chinese variants of cuisine, along with traditional foods, are common place in most, if not all households in Fiji. Architecture A bure kalou, a sketch done in the early 1800s. In Old Fiji, the architecture of villages was simple and practical to meet the physical and social need and to provide communal safety the houses were square in shape and with pyramid like shaped roofs,[14] and the walls and roof were thatched and various plants of practical use were planted nearby, each village having a meeting house and a Spirit house. The spirit house was elevated on a pyramid like base built with large stones and earth, again a square building with an elongated pyramid like [14] roof with various scented flora planted nearby. The houses of Chiefs were of similar design and would be set higher than his subjects houses but instead of an elongated roof would have similar roof to those of his subjects homes but of course on a larger scale. With the introduction of communities from Asia aspects of their cultural architecture are now evident in urban and rural areas of Fijis two main Islands Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. A village structure shares similarities today but built with modern materials and spirit houses (Bure Kalou) have been replaced by churches of varying design. The urban landscape of early Colonial Fiji was reminiscent of most British colonies of the 19th and 20th century in tropical regions of the world, while some of this architecture remains, the urban landscape is evolving in leaps and bounds with various modern aspects of architecture and design becoming more and more evident in the business, industrial and domestic sector, the rural areas are evolving at a much slower rate. Literature The emergence of Fijis literature (as distinct from oral literature) coincides with the countrys transition to independence in 1970. Among the first published works of Fijian literature, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, were Raymond Pillais short stories (in English) and Pio Manoas poetry (in English and in Fijian). More recent notable Fiji writers include Satendra Nandan (poet and novelist), Sudesh Mishra (poet), Larry Thomas (playwright), and Joseph Veramo (novelist). Religion Religion is quite diverse with Christianity being the dominant faith in Fiji. Many Christian denominations are present in Fiji, the most prevalent of which is Methodist. Of the other Asian religions the Hindu faith is dominant, followed by Islam. There are other belief systems observed by Fijians as well. The impact of Christianity The impact of Christianity in the 19th century resulted in certain traditions being proscribed. In the pre-Christian era, human sacrifice was practiced. Men were buried alive to hold the pillars to the house of a chief. Cannibalism was practiced, too:[16] the bodies of enemies slain in battle, or in sacrifice, were piled up and cooked for festivals, such as the installation of chiefs or the launching of a great canoe. 16] Seru Epenisa Cakobau. The Bauan warlord who united the disparate tribes of Fiji and proclaimed himself King in 1871, renounced cannibalism on his conversion to Christianity in 1854. A bure kalou, a pre-Christian Fijian religious Building. Old religion Fijis old religion is no longer practiced by the majority in the indigenous community who have adopted Christianity. Old deities are still acknowledged and respected, but not worshipped. Fijian rituals still exists in private. Demographics Of the various faiths, Christianity is the dominant belief system and ncluding all the various denominations of the Christian faith they number in total 449,482. Hindus, with their various denominations, number in total 261,097. Muslims make up 54,324 of Fijis population. Followers of other belief systems make up 10,166 of Fijis population. Sports Sports culture is unique as different racial mixes and cultures come together in a common interest. Fiji is fanatical about sports and the two most dominant being rugby and soccer. Traditional sports Sports in older times had a practical place, apart from recreation, helping to train young warriors. One such practice would have the older men bring the male children a severely injured captive of war, allowing the boys to practice their archery skills against this living target. There were other sports that were practiced in older times which are not practiced now. Notable traditional sports used to be played were tiqa, ulutoa, veisaga, and veisolo. Modern sports The Fiji sevens team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Sports have developed greatly over the past two decades in Fiji with a wide variety of sports undertaken. Fiji is most well known for its prowess in the game of rugby union and in particular rugby sevens. Rugby union Rugby union is the most popular sport in Fiji. The highest level of competition is the Colonial Cup. The Fiji national rugby union team has competed in five Rugby World Cup competitions. The Fijian Rugby Sevens team is constantly one of the top two or three teams in the world, often the premier team. Rugby league Rugby league is a popular team sport played in Fiji. The Fiji national rugby league team is known as Fiji Bati, with the team competing in three Rugby League World Cup competitions. They made it to the semi-finals of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. Football Football was a minor sport, but over the last decade with further international funding from FIFA and sound local management of the sport has grown in popularity amongst the Indian community initially but now also the Fijian community. Other sports Many sports exist in Fiji and in many ways has its own cultural following, sports such as golf which has been made famous by Fiji athlete Vijay Singh. Sports such as cricket and surfing which was brought to prominence by former world champion and Fiji athlete Tony Philips. Sailing in varying forms, various adventure sports, athletics, various Asian martial arts, boxing, and the list goes on.

PESTLE Analysis for Dialog Axiata

PESTLE Analysis for Dialog Axiata Dialog Telekom PLC (The Company) operates Sri Lankas largest and fastest growing telecommunication network Dialog GSM. Dialog Telekom is one of the largest companies listed under the Colombo Stock Exchange. It is a subsidiary of the Axiata Group Berhad. Due to Dialog the Sri Lankan mobile industry has achieved new heights and has come at par with the developed world. The telecom company operates 2G, 3G and 3.5G mobile services, supporting the current trends in mobile internet and multimedia services, as well as international roaming. Dialog Telekom accounts for more than 50% of Sri Lankan mobile phone subscribers. Along with the mobile telecommunication business Dialog Telekom operates a wide portfolio of international telecommunication services including retail and wholesale international voice and data services. Dialog Broadband Networks Pvt. Ltd. (DBN) is an owned subsidiary of the Company, and is an important player in Sri Lankas ICT infrastructure sector. DBN was also the first service provider in Sri Lanka to introduce high-speed broadband internet services based on Wi MAX technology. Dialog Television Pvt. Ltd. (Dialog TV) is another subsidiary of Dialog Telekom PLC. It operates Dialog Satellite TV, a Direct-to-Home (DTH) Satellite TV service. Dialog TV supports a wide range of international and local television channels. Regarding the structure of the company, Dialog Telekom Ltd. has got a Hybrid structure which is a combination of Matrix structure as well as Modular structure. As in each Strategic Business Unit (SBU) works independently and every function of each SBU has communication linkages with one another. Top down as well as bottom up communication is available and it uses worldwide resources and technologies. MICRO ANALYSIS THROUGH SWOT Analysis (S)trengths Dialog has the first mover advantage of GSM technology in Sri Lanka. Due to its strong infrastructure it has got one of the best and far reaching mobile telecommunication coverage. Relationship with a telecommunication tycoon in the same region; Telekom Malaysia Group. Extension in collaborations maintaining good relations with other Telecom companies has enabled Dialog to have a global approach with services such as and Satellite Coverage high roaming. Dialog Telekom has got a very aggressive marketing strategy which enables it to have a good and stable Brand Equity. Companys financial analysis proved excellent stability in financial statements regarding investments. Strong Public Relationship that has been built up over the years. Expanded CSR initiatives increased the social value of the firm. High quality technical innovations has made dialog market leader in Sri Lanka. Constant rise in the share prices has gained the confidence of the investors leading to value increment. Strong distribution network spread throughout the entire island.. Well managed customer care support techniques has increase the level of customer satisfaction. Wide variety of products. Management Team is efficient and hard-working. High level of corporate business knowledge retention through low employee turnover (W)eaknesses Though the investment on advertising and value addition through technical innovation is high, there is no clear aim and idea of a broader market Poor performance as on ISP. Compared to its competitors Dialog lags behind in innovations related to pricing strategies. The head office in Colombo is of a distributed nature due to non-expandability of the current location. The level of motivation of internal employees is decreasing. Due to the rapidly growing customer base the trends in Quality of Service are going down by the day. In the front-office employee turn-over is high. (O)pportunities Telecom is one of the fastest growing sectors in Sri Lankas 19.5million people As per estimations 4.5million users would have mobile phones by the end of 2006 The communication industry is growing rapidly. Fixed line penetration is low. The approval and acceptability of the Value Added Services (VAS) by the users has increased the probability and success of any new VAS initiative. The strategic partnership of Dialog Telekom with Vodafone UK. Dialog has got the potential to gain benefits of Value Chain Convergence. Technology advancements especially in mobile multimedia technologies and the advent and use of the next 3G mobile communications. (T)hreats Strongest Competitor of Dialog, the Mobile wing of fixed line telecom giant SLT is focused on cost-cutting strategy through its low cost pre-paid products in the market. Rapid changes in the political, social and economic conditions as well as the laws and regulations. Changes in currency exchange rates and high inflation which is inversely affecting the global business. Rapid change in customer preferences and their growing needs due to high level of customer awareness. Constant changes in technology. Dialog had to switch off all base station in northern-province during the last few months due to military operations by the Sri Lankan Govt. forces. Thus there is an uncertainty due to the growing counter terrorist campaigns. PESTEL Analysis (P)olitical Sri Lanka has very positive foreign investment policies. However though Sri Lanka identified importance of liberalization early as in 1977, due to political interventions bureaucratic attitudes inherited from colonial reign and poor governance, the country as a whole and specifically the industry has not grown as it was foreseen at the time of liberalization. During the past two decades, terrorist activities have remained constant as well. (E)conomical Unstable macro-economic environment and trade policy regime has a negative impact on the industry. The fall of the exchange rate over the years happened on a gradual pace. Since the inception of liberalization policy it has undergone massive reforms in this sector. However Sri Lanka lags dynamics incorporated by India to attract foreign direct investments. The attitude towards foreign direct investments needs to be improved. (S)ocio-Cultural Sri Lanka has better social conditions for example literacy rate is high, infant mortality rate is low and life expectancy is long. The country also has an educated and trainable work force. Nevertheless Sri Lankans inherit a bureaucratic attitude from the colonial administration that results in inefficiencies and discrimination. (T)echnological Sri Lanka depends on technology transfers from foreign direct investments. However TRCSL encourages local research and development. The country comparatively has not performed well enough to adapt technological changes on a timely manner. For example the shift from analogue to digital and the adoption of CDMA technology materialized in a slow pace. (E)cological (L)egal TRCSL the regulatory body takes up multidimensional roles. It ensures fair enforcement of Govt. policy, hold operators accountable for performance, address consumer issues, monitor changing industry needs and provide feedback to the policy making units. However TRCSL has been criticized over the years for information asymmetry, inefficiency and discrimination. Porters Five Forces 1. Threat of New Entrants Indias Bharti AIRTEL has got the fifth mobile operator license in Sri Lanka As per TRCSL, no more licenses would be awarded Thus it creates an entry barrier for all others to the market 2. Bargaining Power of Customers Consumer protection groups are almost non-existing As compared to the west, consumers are not that strong in their demands Quality standards and supports are comparatively not major concern if they exist at a basic level Low switching costs Customers are highly cost conscious 3. Threat from Substitutes Almost negligible Alternatives are fixed line and the more recent CDMA connectivity This is a much smaller market as compared to the huge total market 4. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Local and International suppliers for Dialog Depends on SLT, MTT and a few other VSAT operators to access the national backbone Thus these particular suppliers are extremely powerful Acquisition of MTT and the creation of the new subsidiary known as Dialog Broadband Network 5. Rivalry Among Competing Firms Very high competition with constant pricing wars Dialog certainly has an edge because of their Value Added Services and differentiation strategy and the huge customer base Value Added Services are becoming very popular among the consumers Strategic Groups Adopted by the Company Dialog strategies are visible in the companys corporate, business and functional levels. They have already diversified their business across many areas during the last few years. For instance, by acquiring MTT, Dialog managed to strengthen its transmission backbone. Also recent past it has acquired CBNSAT, a satellite TV transmission company, and DERANA TV Channel with a long term objective of a value chain convergence. In addition to reach the customer, Dialog has created many alliances with other business corporations. Cargills-Dialog alliance to allow Cargills customers to settle Dialog bills is just one such example. The business plan is formulated at the beginning of the year considering main objectives of the company. The progress of each project is monitored in a monthly basis through different strategic committee meetings. On the other hand, Dialog tries to introduce latest technologies into the market considering global mega trends through its comprehensive Research and Development wing. Among them, the Dialogs initiative to setup the Dialog Research Lab at the University of Moratuwa is of importance because it effectively enabled Dialog to provide tailor made solutions to the local market. Nokia phones with Sinhala language support and Tsunami warning system for mobiles are just to name a few such examples. These technology initiatives can be considered as a strategy used to capture the market by effectively staying ahead from the competition in the technology and innovation sphere. Structure The Companys business and operations are managed under the supervision of the Board of Directors comprising of 5 non-executive directors and 1 executive director. The Board has the power to appoint executive directors including the CEO. Divisional structure can be identified in company level but performances of the divisions are measured through different strategic committees. Systems Apart from the technical backbone, Dialog uses several systems to execute their business strategies successfully. For example- SAP ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) This was launched in 2006 January to integrate identified key process in the company. CCBS (Customer Care Billing System) Currently existing billing system is going to be migrated into a new system to provide more customer centric services. HRIS Used for Human Resource Management and all the day to day functions are carried out through this system. Style The management style always depends on targets and objectives. Strict deadlines are imposed while performance and progress are very closely monitored at all levels of the organizational structure. Rewards and benefit schemes are in line for the top performers and better achievements. All the employees will have a number of recreational opportunities such as trips, get-together, sports etc. to take some time off from busy work schedules. Staff The Company currently employs a workforce of 2500 who in turn are considered pivotal to the organizations growth and success. Annual manpower planning and recruitment is carried out in parallel with the business plan preparation. The capabilities required by potential employees are based on the requirements of the business plans applicable to respective departments of the company in any given year. Recruitment to the Company is governed by several policies. The core policy on filling vacancies spells out the Companys intention to attract the best with the aim of exploiting the individuals potential while providing career development opportunities irrespective of communal or gender differences. 7% of the total HR cost is devoted to training and development. The training needs for individuals and teams are identified from the competency requirements arising from the Companys business plan and employees annual performance review. Subordinate Goals All individuals with different backgrounds, different ethnics and nations are teamed up and driven towards a common set of goals and objectives at Dialog Telekom. The company has been successful in focusing the entire team towards a single vision by incorporating all individuals goals and personal objective together. Skills Dialog team consists of number of individuals with distinctive capabilities and competencies from top to bottom. Dialog is proud to have a very energetic and talented CEO in the caliber of Dr. Hans Wijesuriya. In addition to that Dialog is served by a team of top class individual in the Sri Lankan industry with lot of talent and exposures. Different Strategies Adopted by Dialog Telekom Corporate Strategy Considering the current performance, the key success factors and the SWOT analysis the directional strategy alternatives would be the following Growth strategy to expand the activities of Dialog Telekom further would be the first alternative. Since the current product lines have real growth potencial concentration of resources on those would be ideal. In concentration Dialog Telekom can follow the vertical growth strategy to take the benefit of the value chain convergence opportunity that is existing in Sri Lankan context. Stability strategy to continue with current activities without any changes to the direction would be the second alternative. Here Dialog Telekom can utilize pause/proceed with caution strategy to have only incremental improvements while the weaknesses stated are overcome. It can use this time to stabilize the organization due to the changes took place due to multiple strategies it adopted earlier such as acquisitions and investing on innovative developments, which will help to get back the loosing internal employee motivation. The first alternative will move Dialog Telekom further away from the competition and create a monopoly temporarily for converged industries of telecommunication, content, media and retail. However unfocused highspeed growth to capture the market without stabilizing the existing acquisitions can disassemble everything. The second alternative will give Dialog Telekom and its employees much needed breathing space. The recommendation would be to implement the second alternative initially to stabilize the organization without any other drastic change in the direction. And after some time they can adopt their long term beneficial value chain convergence option depicted in first alternative. Business Strategy The business strategy alternatives available for Dialog Telekom to improve the competitive position in the industries it operates would be The first alternative for the competitive strategy would be to improve on the current strategy of differentiation. It can improve this by having unique Value Added Services for each of its current strategic business units DBN, CBNSAT and Dialog Telekom itself. This can improve the customer loyalty and thereby can charge a reasonable premium rate than competitors. Second alternative which Dialog Telekom can try to implement is cost leadership to overcome the threat of lower rates provided by competitors, Mobitel. Since the VAS are less in Mobitel the switching from Dialog to Mobitel is not much in urban people who use these VASes. But people who are using purely as a voice/sms only are shifting as most of them are cost conscious and there is not much of a difference in coverage. Hence if Mobitel improves on its VASes it would become a serious threat at a stage at which only the rates would decide the attraction of that segment of the market. Typically the differentiation strategy is more likely to generate higher profits than low cost strategy. However differentiation strategy implementation may involve higher investment than low cost strategy. Competitive scope is an important factor when considering competitive strategies. The recommended alternative depends on the competitive scope in this situation. Considering both alternatives and the pros and cons of each most ideal would be to have culmination of both differing from the segment of the market. Dialog Telekom should have a focused differentiation strategy in the market where people are valuing the VASes and cost focus in the market where usage is purely for voice/SMS. Simultaneously Dialog Telekom should look at strategic alliances as a corporate strategy to gain competitive advantage by working with other organizations. Currently they have stated this with some banks and some supermarket chains as mentioned earlier. However this can be vastly improved to include alliances with insurance companies, stock brokers, popular food chains etc.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Role of Graphic Communication in Avant-Guard Architecture Essay

Introduction’ As the medium of architecture design must be â€Å"informed by the world around it† .Architecture is a language close to graphic design . Aim of this essay is to differentiate and distinguish between the architectural academic realm and architectural real applications, what roles do avant-garde ideas play in creating this realm . In order to discuss this matter it is inevitable not to discuss 60’s architecture as some of the most avant-garde designs of contemporary times stems from that area and in specific by the people behind magazines which later on went to be just more than a magazine and became and ideology hence it is not a surprise to come across terms such as Archigramism .The pivotal role that Graphic design played in facilitating one of the means of expression for this realm was intensified by the Works of pioneers such as late Ron Herron as early as 1964 and later on his corporation with architects such as Peter Cook , David Greene and others. Briefly the effects of pop culture in architecture is discussed and also how graphic design would be the best means of communication to masses of people who tec hnically are the main artist of popular art by their choice and the most sporadic selected ones will eventually become the pop art. Archigram as the flag bearer flaunted the sporadic nature of it’s publications . This irregularity not only deemed negative but was even praised . Architects such as Geoff Manaugh prove this fact , by publishing BldgBlog in the same way. Avant-garde architects are not exclusive to certain geographical boundaries as it will be discussed within this essay many Russian architects showed their avant-garde tendencies within constructivism and this can be explained with regard to soc... ...ure/bldgblog/. Last accessed 20th Feb 2014. Tschumi, B. (1976). Advertisements for Architecture. Available: http://www.tschumi.com/projects/19/#. Last accessed 20th Feb 2014. Labeca, A. (2009). Architecture and Graphic Design. Available: http://urbanlabglobalcities.blogspot.co.uk/2009/08/architecture-and-graphic-design.html. Last accessed 20th Feb 2014. Unknown . (2010). Avant-gaurd . Available: http://www.citrinitas.com/history_of_viscom/avantgarde.html. Last accessed 20th Feb 2014. wikipedia. (). Constructivism. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructivism/. Last accessed 20th Feb 2014. Zak Kyes. (2014). Zak Kyes. Available: http://zakgroup.co.uk. Last accessed 20th Feb 2014. arttattler. (1978). The Radical Little Magazines of Architecture — 1960s-1970s. Available: http://arttattler.com/architecturelittlemagazines.html. Last accessed 20th Feb 2014.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Organic Foods: They Are Only Natural! Essay -- Health Benefits of Orga

When going to the grocery store or supermarket, people have a one track mind. Their one and only concern is food, food, and more food. Most shoppers come prepared with a list, so they can get in, get the supplies they need, and go happily on their way. Some shoppers tend to pick out brand name or well advertised products. Others prefer the brands they grew up with as kids. However, many choose the money saving route and buy only the items that are on sale or the cheap knock-offs of the original. With all these different kinds of shopping habits, do any of these customers stop and think about what items might be the best for their families and the world? Do the consumers know where their products come from, and how they were produced? There is one item on the shelves that states it directly on the label. This item is organic food. Organic foods may be found in multiple stores and supermarkets now, and shoppers are becoming more and more aware of them. Organic foods are produced for t he benefit of people and the environment in terms of how they are grown, raised, and processed; additionally, their cost, availability, and health benefits play dominant roles in human and environment welfare as well. In fact, organic foods are beneficial to society because of the way they are grown and maintained. â€Å"Organic farming is based on the idea of producing healthy, natural organic food, keeping the soil healthy, encouraging and enhancing biodiversity, and using sustainable farming methods,† stated Healthy Eating Made Easy (â€Å"What Are 1†). Organic farms do not use synthetic, artificial fertilizers or pesticides on crops; only biological pesticides, pesticides from natural resources, are used. Natural fertilizers include manure and compost to ... ... not only a healthy choice for a single person, but also a choice for future generations and the world. Works Cited Byrum, Allison. â€Å"Report Confirms More Health Benefits of Organic Food.† American Chemical Society 3 Mar. 2003. 1-2. Web. 4 Mar. 2010. Healthy Eating Made Easy. â€Å"What Are Organic Foods?† Healthy Eating Made Easy 1-3. Web. 4 Mar. 2010. Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. â€Å"Why Organic Food Is Better Food.† Planet Maine 1-3. Web. 4 Mar. 2010. Mayo Clinic Staff. â€Å"Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious?† Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research 20 Dec. 2008. 1-5. Web. 7 Mar. 2010. Organic Facts. â€Å"Health Benefits of Organic Food.† Organic Facts 1-2. Web. 4 Mar. 2010. Organic Fruits and Vegetables. Philippines Manila News. 10 Sep. 2008. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. USDA Label. The B.S. Report. 30 Jul. 2009. Web. 10 Mar. 2010.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Little Fugue and Morning Song by Sylvia Plath Essay -- Sylvia Plath Po

A relationship is an emotional connection to someone involving an interaction between two or more people. There are many types of relationships, some functional and others far from being workable. I will demonstrate this through my texts of; Little Fugue, and Morning Song both poems written by Sylvia Plath; the movie, Love Actually; and the book, Trickster’s Choice by Tamora Pierce. Little Fugue by Sylvia Plath is my first example of how we all perceive our different relationships. This poem is about Plath talking of her father and herself and the lack of communication between the two. Throughout the poem, Plath contradicts herself, saying, ‘I was seven, I knew nothing’ yet she constantly talks of the past, remembering. Her tone is very dark and imposing, she uses many images of blindness, deafness and a severe lack of communication, ‘So the deaf and dumb/signal the blind, and are ignored’. Her use of enjambment shows her feelings and pain in some places, in other places it covers up her emotional state. She talks of her father being a German, a Nazi. Whilst her father may have originated from Germany, he was in no way a Nazi, or a fascist. He was a simple man who made sausages. ‘Lopping the sausages!’ However she used this against her father, who died when she was but eight, saying that she still had night mares, ‘They color1 my sleep,’ she also brings her father’s supposed Nazism up again, ‘Red, mottled, like cut necks./There was a silence!’. Plath also talks of her father being somewhat of a general in the militia, ‘A yew hedge of orders,’ also with this image she brings back her supposed vulnerability as a child, talking as if her father was going to send her away, ‘I am guilty of nothing.’ For all her claims of being vul... ...r child being an alien, she still stumbles from bed ‘cow heavy’ at a single cry from the child. Morning Song is literally the cry of a baby, as it calls for it’s mother. The relationship between mother and child is strong although Plath seems to view her child as something totally unchildlike. She doesn’t seem to be able to connect with her child in any way. I have learned that relationships are diverse and can change from one moment to the next. I have learned that not all people share the same views as I do when it comes to the people I hold dear. The world around me is a very different place to my perceived ideals. Relationships are like diamonds, with many sides and facets. It can be perfect and clear, or cloudy and distorted. It is life. 1American spelling used as it is a direct quote 2Corus is the capital city of Aly’s home country, Tortall

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Meaning of life †Purpose Essay

Life is a gift. It is an honor, a spark, an excitement. We all have a world of our own. Albert Camus, once said, â€Å"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life† (Camus, 1946). Life is about living to your fullest abilities. Why waste our time looking for the meaning of each breath we take? Each person is a part of life. Each life has a world of its own. I believe that the meaning of life, is to find meaning in our own life. The meaning of life is a philosophical question concerning the significance of life or existence in general. It can also be expressed in different ways, such as Why are we here? , What is life all about? , and What is the purpose of existence? It has been the subject of much philosophical, scientific, and theological assumption throughout history. There have been a large number of proposed answers to these questions from many different cultural and ideological backgrounds. The meaning of life is in the philosophical and religious conceptions of existence, social ties, consciousness, and happiness, and borders on many other issues, such as symbolic meaning, value, purpose, ethics, good and evil, free will, the existence of one or multiple Gods, conceptions of God, the soul, and the afterlife. Scientific contributions focus primarily on describing related experiential facts about the universe, exploring the perspective and parameters concerning the how in life. Science also studies and can provide recommendations for the pursuit of well being and a related origin of honesty. An alternative, humanistic approach poses the question â€Å"What is the meaning of my life? † The value of the question regarding to the purpose of life may agree with the achievement of ultimate reality, or a feeling of oneness, or even a feeling of sacredness (d2bb. org,2011). The meaning of life is a question that is thrown around from person to person asking them what they think. Some people have an idea of what the meaning of life is and other has no clue. Some believe that you just live life and others believe while living life you find the meaning. When I had a conversation with my father about what the meaning of life is all about he had the same response to the question that basically everyone else had came up with. The one difference that he said while we were talking was that life is full of choices and decisions. I thought for a while about what he said thinking that there was more behind it then just what he had stated. What I came up with was that maybe he was implying that what we do during our period of living is what sets up the next thing that happens in life. So each choice that we make is important in that it’s not the meaning of life that’s so important but the concept of what we do during life is the meaning. Some might disagree still thinking about what my father has said to, but its just another point of view and I have no problem looking at it from a different angle. Another big topic when it comes to the question of the meaning of life is music. Music is a great way to hear what other people and especially artist think about the meaning of life thought their songs. Sometimes it’s hard to hear but if you listen closely there is always a message somewhere that says something about the meaning of life. For example, in the song I don’t wanna be by Gavin Degraw, he speaks out about what he thinks about the meaning of life threw what other people are and what he doesn’t want to become. â€Å"I’m surrounded by liars everywhere. I turn. Imposters everywhere. I turn surround me. I’m surrounded by identity crisis everywhere. I turn Am I the only one who’s noticed? I can’t be the only one who’s learned I don’t want to be anything other than what I’ve been trying to be lately. All I have to do is think of me and I’ve peace of mind, I’m tired of looking ’round rooms wondering what I got to do Or who I’m supposed to be. I don’t want to be anything other than me† (azlyrics. com). What these lyrics are basically saying is that he can see that everyone around him is acting like something that there not. Then he says that he doesn’t want to act like everyone else and not know who he is but he just wants to be himself and live life the way he wants to. The next topic that is a good place to find out the meaning of life is the creative minds of artist and there art work. Art work is always a good place to find out the meaning of life because again the artist have a message in there work hidden and you have to find what there saying. The only difference from music is instead of saying the message they paint the message in a form of image weather it’s a paining or it’s a sculpture. There is many ways that you can discover meaning of life. In some ways its not what you find the meaning of life in its more about what you perceive of the meaning of life. When you look at something like a painting or a song what do you think it is trying to say? Does it paint a picture in your head and what does that picture look like? I find that the best way to see the meaning of life is threw movie. Movies are an image of the life that we live but it shows us the true meaning of life in a way that we can all understand. People are blind when it comes to what makes them in this world. Hope is another one, if you don’t have hope then you have nothing to look forward to so then what is the point of living. The main thought in a lot of movies are get busy living or get busy dieing. What this is suppose to mean is if your not going to start living and doing all the things you want to complete in life you might as well start on dieing. That brings me to my next question. Is there a God? If there is, why did he put us here? Any Christian asked will say our sole purpose is to serve God. First of all, what does that even mean? And second, I must ask why? Why would a supernatural being place us strategically on this planet strictly to serve him? That sounds pretty selfish to me. There has to be something more. Something solid or something greater. How could there not be (brainpickings. org)? The meaning of life is very complex and you can’t always pick up everything that it’s going to throw at you. That’s why movies, art and music in around so that other people who think about the topic more can show you there incite. If you listen and look at thoughts things you can learn things that will show you what the meaning of life is or at least what you can do to get started on living your life. I believe the meaning of life is to give life a meaning. Throughout my entire life, I have wondered what the purpose is. Why am I and every other human being even on this planet in the first place (thinksimplenow. com)? All my life I have worked hard to succeed. I have challenged myself and fought to do better than my best. Why? I asked myself. Why stress so much when I’m only going to die in the end? Pessimistic, I know. Finally, I thought, maybe the meaning of life doesn’t have to be so complex. Maybe the meaning of life is whatever we want it to be. Maybe the meaning of life is to give life a meaning. I do what I do because I want to do it. It’s that simple. I do it because it means something to me. Everyone adds their own meaning to life. The meaning of life is never universal. The meaning of life is never complex. The meaning of life is actually quite simple to think about. Many people help the needy. Others play sports. Both activities add meaning to those lives involved. Purposes change, but the overall meaning of life will always stay the same. The meaning of life is simply to give life a meaning. This I believe. Reference Degraw, G. (2009). I Don’t Wanna Be. Retrived December 31, 2012, from AZ Lyrics website: http://www. azlyrics. com/lyrics/gavindegraw/idontwanttobe. html Calmus, A.(1946). The Strangers. New York, NY: Vintage Books Brian, M. (2011). The Meaning of Life. Retrieved January 1, 2013, from Deciding To Be Better website: http://d2bb. org/meaning-of-life. htm Popova, M. (2012). Charles Bukowski, Arthur C. Clarke, Annie Dillard, John Cage, and Others on the Meaning of Life. Retrieved December 28, 2012, from Brain Pickings website: http://www. brainpickings. org/index. php/2012/09/17/the-meaning-of-life/ Su, T. (2011). What Is The Meaning Of Life. Retrieved December 28, 2012, from Think Simple Now website: http://thinksimplenow. com/happiness/what-is-the-meaning-of-life/.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Was Darwin Wrong?

{draw:g} {draw:g} {draw:g} Table of Contents Introduction Who was Charles Darwin? Charles Darwin was born in 1809 in Shrewsbury, England. Originally, Darwin did not believe in the idea of evolution and trained to be a priest before studying geology and biology. In 1831, when Darwin was 22, he set sail around the world on HMS Beagle, a naval survey ship. The trip lasted for 5 years during which time the ship stopped at many places including the Galapagos Islands, just off the west coast of South America. Darwin examined animals and plants from everywhere he visited, taking specimens back to England and recording his observations in a diary. However he was most intrigued by the finches on the Galapagos Islands†¦ What was Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection? {draw:frame} Darwin noticed that there were wide variations in the finches’ size, beaks and claws. He decided the beaks were designed for eating different things and concluded that the finches must have evolved from just one species which had changed over time. They had adapted to their surroundings. In order to begin to understand natural selection, it is important recognise how the many hundreds of thousands of living organisms are classified. The diagram on the next page shows an example of how we determine a species. {draw:frame} {draw:rect} A species can be defined as a group of organisms so similar they can breed together to form fertile offspring. For example, a horse and a donkey can breed to produce a mule but the mule, is infertile therefore showing a horse and a donkey are of different species. Within a species there are still differences and this variation is very important in evolution because without them, natural selection could not occur. Variation can be either genetic, environmental or a combination of both. For example: Variation caused by genes includes eye colour , gender Variation caused by the environment includes accent Variation caused by a combination of both includes high blood pressure, weight Nearly all variation is caused by a combination of these factors. Many people before Darwin thought about evolution and most scientists agreed that life on earth started from a few, simple living things. Alfred Russel Wallace and Jean Baptiste de Lamarck both had ideas about evolution, but Darwin was the first to come up with a plausible idea of how evolution happened. This is what he called Natural Selection and when he returned from his round the world trip, Darwin spent over twenty years working to prove his theory. Wallace wrote to him asking him for advice and together they wrote a paper about evolution. To summarize, Darwin’s theory is basically: Species change over time. This is supported by the fossil record. All organisms share a common ancestor which explains the similarities between organisms that are classified together. This is supported by evidence of vestigial organs and homologous structures (see page 6). Evolutionary change is gradual and slow. This is also supported by the fossil record. Another crucial conclusion Darwin made, was that there are always going to be too many of one species for each of them to survive. This is because they will always be in competition for food and space. He established that those best suited to survive pass their genes onto their offspring, which causes their species to change over time and could lead to their extinction. {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:rect} {draw:frame} {draw:rect} {draw:rect} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:rect} Diagram to show the steps in natural selection Why the population of a species changes over time {draw:frame} In the above graph, the Canadian lynx eats the Snowshoe hare. No other cat is so dependent on a single prey species. Two years after a rise in the snowshoe hare population, there is a rise in the lynx population. Then, the Snowshoe hare population falls. When there are too few Snowshoe hares for the lynx to survive, their population starts to fall as well. Because the predator population has now decreased, it allows time for the prey population to increase again. As there is now more food, the predator population starts to increase again. This cycle repeats itself over and over. That is why we say there is a clear pattern of interdependence between the two populations. What Evidence did Darwin Use? Fossil Record A fossil is a dead plant, animal or other once-living thing that has been preserved for millions of years and leaves an imprint in stone. Almost all fossils are from extinct species. Darwin used fossils to prove that evolution happened. He could determine the relative age of various fossils by looking at the layers in the rock and he could see the changes in one type of fossil. For example, by collecting many fossils of one animal, he could see how it had evolved over time. An animal may become extinct when there is a sudden change in their habitat – for example food or temperature. A new species can become either the predator or the prey of a species already living there, thus placing either species under possible threat of extinction. The extinction of a species has an effect on the food chain. Limitations of the Fossil Record There are gaps in the fossil record because the conditions were not always suitable for fossils to develop. This meant that not every species was recorded as a fossil and sometimes a species would occur that had no link to a previous one. Also, because evolution happens over a long period of time and often in sudden bursts, (these bursts could be up to 10,000 years apart) evidence of smaller changes were not recorded. Vestigial Organs A vestigial organ is one that has little or no use now, but was well developed in its ancestors – exactly like our appendix. By looking at vestigial organs in modern species and seeing if older species had used that organ, Darwin could determine how a species had changed over time. Homologous Structures Darwin also compared homologous structures which are body parts that structurally similar in related species. If two or more different species have homologous structures, it shows that they have come from the same origin. For example, gorillas and homo-sapiens both have similar body features (hand, skulls†¦ ) illustrating that the two species have the same ancestors. Was Darwin’s theory accepted at the time? Darwin’s theory was widely rejected at the time because many people were creationists. This means they believe the creation story in the bible i. e. ll life was created in six days. Darwin’s theory of evolution challenged this view, but because there were gaps in the fossil record, it was hardto trace the changes in a species and convincing people, therefore was very difficult. Also, the age of the earth was estimated by using the Bible to be about 6000 years old, but this did not seem long enough for evolution to have taken place. Finally, although Darwin knew certain features were passed on from generation to generation, he could not explain why (see later). What other theories were there? Lamarck’s theory Lamarck had a different theory. He believed that by striving to fit into their surroundings, the animal’s bodies changed. According to his theory, the giraffe developed its long neck by stretching it to reach the leaves on trees. Similar to other scientists he explained that life started with simple living things. However, he believed that at each generation, they became more complicated. His theory did not take account of the single celled life that still existed on Earth. Lamarck could see the changes in a species, but tried to explain it in a different way because he was afraid that people would not support the idea of natural selection. Mendel’s theory George Mendel was born in 1822. Because he was poor, he joined a monastery, but also studied at the University of Vienna where he learned to carry out scientific experiments. At the monastery he learned how to breed plants and one of his jobs was to create better varieties. He was very interested in how features were passed on from one generation to the next and he decided to crossbreed different pea plants to see what would happen. He crossed red flowered plants with white and the resulting plants were all red. He then bred these plants together and this experiment returned mostly red but some white. Mendel concluded that there must be different versions of the same genes. What evidence has been obtained since Darwin? Peppered Moths – Kettlewell studies of the 1950’s During the industrial revolution, carbon (soot) coated trees in a dark colour. The once dominant and well camouflaged pale moths (typica) were now being replaced by the rarer darker moths (carbonaria). These moths continued grow in numbers and by 1895 they represented 98% of all moths in Manchester. Naturalists at this time suggested this was a result of the industrial activity on the local landscape and that the darker moths had a survival advantage. They had become so well camouflaged on trees they had stopped being eaten by birds, whereas the paler, typica species had now become clearly visible. The general population had changed from the pale coloured moth, to the darker coloured moth and this was another example of natural selection. In 1998, a scientist called Michael Majerus re-examined Kettlewell’s studies and concluded that the colour change in the moths is an example of natural selection, but predation by birds is only one factor – not the sole factor. DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) and Genetics Francis Crick, a scientist from Cambridge announced in 1953, he and James Watson had found the â€Å"secret of life† – the structure of D. N. A. D. N. A. is the material inside the nucleus of cells and carries the information of how organisms develop. It is copied when new cells are made, but can be damaged or changed, usually resulting in the death of the cell. Genes are passed on from parents to offspring ensuring that the most successful individuals survive. Variation is caused because of differences in genes. Bacterial antibiotic resistance Sometimes a mutation in D. N. A. can be beneficial for the bacteria. For example bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics and this gives them an added advantage over non-resistant bacteria. Why I think that new evidence will continue support Darwin’s theory I think that new evidence will continue to support Darwin’s theory for a number of reasons: Advances in technology mean newer ways of discovering the past will become available As species evolve further, scientists will have etter records to get information from Now scientists know what they are looking for which provides evidence of evolution Overall, I agree with the scientific belief today that â€Å"natural selection is the mechanism which leads to adaption and diversity† whilst â€Å"genetics provide the mechanics for traits to be inherited† Bibliography