Social Commentary

English 1101 Social Commentary Essay The automobile has had a tremendous impact on society and the environment since its development in the beginning of the 20th century. Today, there are over 500 million motor vehicles on the earth. People enjoy their privacy and the convenience of an automobile. There are no schedules to keep track of. A person can come and go from a destination at their own free will. They also have the ability to travel and see scenery that people are limited to on public transportation.The automobile's efficiency, style, and performance have changed over the years, but there is one thing that has not change that they are reliable. Americans love owning cars and driving cars because they don’t have to wait for buses, and trains. In today’s society there are many ways to get around but a car is more reliable than riding public transportation or walking. Public transportation have set times that they are available also, they are not reliable.I use to ride public transportation and it made me late several times for different appointments and jobs, and I have lost jobs due to riding the bus. Cars are reliable because you don’t have to wait for the car to come get you. Americans love owning cars in the winter, so they don’t have to wait in the cold for the bus or the train. When a train or bus breaks down it takes several hours for them to be repaired. When a car breaks down you can rent another car until your car gets repaired, this is a benefit to owning a car.

Resistance coursework Essay

My Investigation: I choose to do a nichrome wire because during my preliminary work nichrome shows more resistance compared to nickel and copper wire. This is because the electrons collide with the material of the nichrome wire. Measurements: The things I will have to measure are: the volts and amps and on each interval I take to take readings. I will have to take 5 reading of each volts and amps, so I can work out the resistance, and then I will have 5 resistance readings, from this I will work out an average resistance. Also I will be measuring the wire from 100cm down to 10cm. Diagram: This is how I will set up my circuit: There are particular factors that we have to keep the same in order not to alter the correct results.   Do not alter the positions of the devices during the experiment.   Make sure the total length of wire is exactly 1m.   Record the current and voltage accurately, using the correct units. Always place the crocodile clips on the right measurement.   Before you start the experiment, test the devices being used. If any are faulty, change them.   Leave the power pack set at the same voltage for the whole of the experiment. The surrounding room temperature must be kept, otherwise the particles in the wire will move faster (if the temperature increases). Therefore, this will have an effect on the resistance.   The wire along the metre ruler must be straight and exactly 1m long. Bends in the wire may affect the resistance. The reading of the voltage should be taken promptly after the circuit is connected. This because as soon as a current is put through the wire, it will get hotter. I want to test the nichrome wire when heat is affecting it the least. Safety: This experiment is not too dangerous but it could be if not handled with caution and care. Make sure that the electricity is off at the plug socket when connecting and altering the circuit.   Be careful of any sharp edges on the crocodile clips or on the wire cutters or on the wire once cut. If you cut your self make sure you wash the wound and see a medical nurse if needed. If a fire breaks out switch off the power and use a near by fire extinguisher that is not H2O (because of the electricity) to safely stop the fire.   Make sure the coils in the resistance wire don’t touch and short circuit because this will ruin the experiment and may heat up the wire and catch fire. Do not set the power pack voltage to more than 2V. This is a safety hazard.   If you smell burning, promptly switch off the power pack from the mains.   Make sure that when the power pack is switched on, the near by taps are switched off. If there is any water spilt near by the sockets or surrounding areas, wipe it before you start the experiment.   Make sure the power pack cable or the conducting wires aren’t frayed. Reliability and Accuracy: Reliability: I can rely on my results because I have taken 5 different readings and then taken an average. This is so if one of my results goes wrong then I have four other ones to compare it with so I know if a result is abnormal. I am using an Ammeter to get an accurate current reading and not relying on the approximate readings on the power packs variable controls. Accuracy: I will coil the wire so that there are no short circuits in the wire. I will do this by spacing out the coils and checking it regularly throughout the experiment. This is because if the wire does short-circuit then you will be measuring the resistance of the length of that short-circuited piece of wire and not the whole length of wire. I will also take the reading on the voltmeter as soon as possible so the heat does not affect the resistance. Obtaining My Evidence: During the investigation, I changed the length of the wire by 10cm to see if it affects the resistance and the amount of current I was going to use. Initially I had decided to use 2 amps but I changed it to 1 amp because I felt by using a low current I may not get a very good reading voltage and resistance. The Analysis: Explanation of results- As the length of wire increased, the current decreased. As the length of constantan wire increased, so did voltage. Resistance increased as the length of wire did. The longer the length of the wire, the higher the resistance because of the amps. The current flowing the p. d. across it providing the temperature is constant. V=Ii R or I=V/R or R=V/I From the graph which I have produces I conclude that the higher the length of the wire the higher the resistance. The thin wire in 1 amp tends to resist the movement of electrons init. We say that the wire has a certain resistance to the current. The greater the resistance the more voltage is needed to push the current through the wire. The resistance is calculated by Resistance-P. d across the wire/Current through the wire (1) I conclude that as the length of a wire doubles, the resistance also doubles (provided the thickness of the wire is kept constant0. I also conclude that as the cross-sectional area of the wire doubles; the resistance halves (provided the length of the wire stays constant. I conclude this because my graph shows that resistance is inversely proportional to 1 (thickness2) so the theories behind these conclusions are: As the length doubles the resistance doubles. Resistance is caused by electrons bumping into ions. If the length of the wire doubles, the electrons bump into the ions twice as much so the resistance will double. In my investigation I found out that as the length of the wire increased the resistance and voltage increased as well. The only thing that decreased was the current. I think this because the resistance and the voltage has no longer a distance to travel so more volts/amps are needed where as the current has a shorter distance to travel each time so as the same amount of amps are being used they are building up more. From the graph that I have done, I have found a pattern. This pattern draws me to a conclusion that the higher the length of the wire the higher the resistance. I had also stated this in my prediction, in the earlier stages of my experiment, so this means that my prediction was correct. The thin wire I (amps) a lamp tends to resist the movement of electrons in it we say that the wire has a certain amount of resistance to the current. The greater the resistance the more voltage is needed to push a current through the wire. The Ohms law calculates the resistance of a wire by: Resistance (R) = potential difference across the wire (V) Current through the wire (I) There is a resistance in a wire because the electrons bump in to each other in the nichrome wire. So the high resistance is because of the high length of the wire and because of the electrons bumping in the wire. My predictions match my results because I predicted that resistance would increase as the length of the wire increased and that is what happened. I worked it out by using my head. I started to think about this experiment then I thought that the current would have a longer distance as the length increased and that would make the resistance longer. I also found out that the resistance of one amp carries a current of one amp if there is a potential difference of one volt across it. Judging from my results, I can safely say that the majority of my prediction was right. The resistance did change in proportion to the length of wire. This is because as the length of wire increased, the electrons that made up the current had to travel through more of the fixed particles in the wire causing more collisions and therefore, a higher resistance. A thinner wire also means more resistance. Resistance is known to be inversely proportional to the cross- sectional area (diameter). I. e. if the diameter is increased, the resistance decreases. A wider wire means less chance of the free electrons having collisions into atoms and losing energy. Another point of my prediction was that as the length of wire doubles so does the resistance. This proved to be true. I can show this in my graph. The straight line indicates it. I can also see these in my results. E. g. 30cm=0. 95? and 40cm=1. 124 ?. The theories behind these conclusions are: As the length of the wire doubles, the resistance also two folds. Resistance is caused by electrons bumping in to ions. If the length of the wire doubles, the electrons bump into the ions twice as much so the resistance will double. I also want to state the fact that as the length of a wire doubles the resistance also doubles, however providing the thickness of the wire is kept constant. I conclude that, as the cross sectional area of the wire doubles the resistance halves providing the length of the wire stays constant. Evaluating my Evidence: I believe I carried out my investigation very well. I used all the equipment I was supposed to. I set the experiment correctly. Most of my results are accurate. I managed to get reading off both the volt meter and ammeter for each length five times and I used the correct safety precautions. I believe most of my results are accurate. Not all of the readings are correct as at the end the wire got very warm and gave faulty readings. After studying my results, I realise there is one anomalous result. It occurs in the voltage on the sixth voltage. It looks as if the volt meter had some interruptions such as the heat of the wire or the heat of the surrounding area. However this did not affect my predictions as I predicted the longer the wire the higher the resistance and this is what had happened but it had less resistance for that particular one than I had expected. It did not alter the increasing pattern in resistance. I believed that my investigation and the results are mainly accurate because my investigation was carried out very well. I believe that if I had to use my results as evidence I think they show that the longer the nichrome wire the more resistance and the shorter the less. I assume this because my graph shows at 10cm of nichrome wire there is 0. 592(ohms) and at 100cm of nichrome wire there is 2. 386(ohms) there is a difference of 1. 794(ohms) which proves longer the wire the more resistance. I can prove that my experiment was successful because of the graph I drew. It showed length of wire against resistance. If I had to further improve my investigation I would carry it out again and I would do it with a much longer piece of wire at a higher current. If I had to do this experiment again I will probably measure the wire every 5cm’s instead of 10cm’s to make sure it’s accurate and use a more accurate volt meter to get the best and accurate results. . I could also investigate how the diameter of a wire affects the resistance. An extra investigation I can carry out or perform to receive more proof and evidence would be to investigate and look into is the thickness of a wire and evaluate or match up with the length of the wire. Also I could examine if the specific metal materials or properties makes a change in the resistance. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Electricity and Magnetism section.

Climate Change Affects Economy

Weather is one of the important elements in a certain county. Philippines is a tropical country and had two seasons: dry season and wet season. Being a tropical country, Philippines experience a hot weather which http://www. mapsofworld. com/referrals/weather/climate/tropical-climate. html stated that tropical climate has an average temperature above 18?C. Climate change is one of the disasters that can barely affect the economy of a certain country. Baguio City, having a cold weather, is known as the â€Å"Summer Capital of the Philippines†.Tourists visit this country for relaxation and also for adventure and sight-seeing of some famous spots in this city. It makes a good contribution to the increasing number of tourists. Experiencing a cold temperature, there are some fruits and vegetables that only located and grow in this city because some grows only in a cold place like strawberries. According to http://www. abs-cbnnews. com/nation/regions/01/12/14/baguio-hits-lowest-temp erature-2014 â€Å"Temperature dropped to its lowest this year in Baguio City.The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Sunday said this morning’s 10. 3 ° Celsius temperature in the city is the lowest since September of 2013. Meantime, farmers in Mt. Cabuyao in Baguio City are bracing for some losses due to frost injuries on vegetables, which could worsen if cold weather conditions persist. † Due to low temperature that Baguio is facing, it widely affects the economy of the said city. Supply of vegetables decreases because of the said frost injuries.Lower supply of vegetables results to higher price in the market. This is a great example of Law of Supply. Economy of the Baguio is in great danger because of this kind of temperature. I can say that climate change really affects the economy of our country. YOLANDA PROPELS DEMAND FOR HOUSING GOODS Last November 8, 2013, a tragic disaster occurs in the Philippines particu larly in the Visayas area. Typhoon Yolanda, having an international name â€Å"Haiyan†, landfalls at Tacloban that happens on the said date which according to http://www. rappler.com/business/47580-yolanda-reconstruction-ph-growth-2014 leaves more than 6,000 people dead and almost 900,000 homeless. The government is confident it can achieve its economic growth target for 2014 due in part to ongoing reconstruction efforts in areas devastated by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) as said by the rappler. â€Å"National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Assistant Director-General Rosemarie Edillon told reporters a robust construction sector will help the government reach its 6. 5% to 7. 5% gross domestic product (GDP) growth target this year.The government earmarked P360. 9 billion ($8. 17 billion) for the rehabilitation of the affected areas over a 4-year period. Of the total amount, 50. 79% or P183. 3 billion will be used to build shelter and resettlement. † Edillon stated that the construction of some one million homes for Yolanda victims will propel demand for housing-related goods and services. Gross domestic product (GDP) will increase due to more demand of housing goods and also because of higher demand, higher tax will go to the hands of the government.And with this taxes the government will sign again more projects and they will buy again many materials needed and the materials will got high demand and cycle goes on and on. This is like what Sir Cruz said to us, that if spent our money more, there is more jobs employment that will happen and more Filipinos will be employed. This is an important cycle that is going on in every country. OIL PRICE CUT Oil is very important to every country in the world.This is one of the reasons why countries had to declare war. Gasoline is made from oil, particularly crude oil. Oil is primarily used for vehicles; cars, jeeps, buses and other private and vehicles. Last January 13, 2014, according to The Philippin e Star, oil companies announced another round of oil price adjustment, marking the second consecutive week of price cuts. Effective today the price per liter of gasoline is cheaper by 85 centavos, kerosene by P1. 10 and diesel by 90 centavos.â€Å"The following rollbacks will be implemented effective 12:01 a. m. of Jan. 13: Gasoline by P0. 85 per liter, kerosene by P1. 10 per liter and diesel by P0. 90 per liter. This reflects movements in the international oil market,† Petron and Seaoil Philippines said in separate statements. The energy department said oil production in Libya has plunged to about 250,000 barrels a day from nearly 1. 5 million, amid demand from armed protesters for a more regional autonomy and greater

Choose an argument from the readings and explain it in your own words Assignment - 2

Choose an argument from the readings and explain it in your own words - Assignment Example By consciousness, Locke means that individuals are able to be aware or perceive something. So, the first premise says that consciousness is independent of any other substances. This does not, however, claim that consciousness is able to exist without a body or a mind.  Assuming  that consciousness is tied to a given body or soul  is not necessary. In this sense though, there is still no reason to make the assumption that consciousness is not transferable from one body or even mind to the next. The second premise means just that a person’s identity is separate from any form of immaterial substance. After all, an individual’s consciousness is connected to their thought, and their mind is their thinking thing. Consciousness, despite Locke insisting, is not connected to a mind even if it needs some mind or other. This raises some problems considering that must either be a substance or even a quality of a certain substance. Considering that Locke explains that consciousness has cannot exist on its own, and it must be a part of some mind, then it appears that consciousness is a property belonging to the minds. It is not clear if a property is transferable from one substance to the next. On this matter, Locke writes that if the soul identity makes the same man, then there is no reason as to why similar spirits of an individual may be overly united to various bodies (Locke 278). The third premise might reasonably be taken to mean consciousness is independent of any other substance or that person’s identity is separate from any form of immaterial substance. But given that Locke writes that there is nothing in the matter why an individual spirit is united to various bodies, it is clear that he means that an individual person’s identity is different from their immaterial substance (Locke 279). Thus, since the argument is valid, the conclusion necessary follows from the premises. It is true according to

Weight in America Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Weight in America Research Paper - Essay Example healthy individual, regardless of whether it is a man, woman or child and even regardless of age, is on the rise ("Americans Slightly Taller, Much Heavier Than Four Decades Ago"). Body Mass Index, which is a ratio of weight versus height, has alarmingly increased as well. Adults, on average, were found heavier by 25 pounds in the year 2002 compared to averages in 1960. In contrast, the average height had only increased by one inch. Alarmingly, the ratio is higher among younger women and children giving a scary view to the future. It has been established by the medical and research community that obesity is a precursor of many diseases. Hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, bone related issues can all be traced back to being over-weight which is now clearly considered a major risk. It is important to examine at this point the factors which have led to this situation. There are several dynamics at play including market economics, social behavior and biological reasons that contribute to widespread obesity. Prosperity has brought with it the conveniences of life that promote a sedentary lifestyle. Television, computers, in house computer games, easy means of transport and other such conveniences have drastically reduced the activity that the previous generations were used to (Nestle 781). More calories consumed than needed for physical activity result in weight gain. Physical exercise has become a separately defined entity that has to be forcibly included in one’s schedule in order to stay fit rather than a part of everyday lifestyle. Socially speaking, a faster moving life and a competitive environment in an increasingly capitalist world has, by default, forced people to shift their focus work harder at improving one’s financial well being rather than physical well being. Larger portions of food have also contributed to this situation. It is argued by some that eating less is an option. It is indeed an option; however it has also been proven by studies that

Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Managment - Essay Example Chet needs to structure his day so that each of his employees can come to see him at their respective times. This way, each employee can be heard and Chet can deal with the problem then and there. For those problems that are unimportant, Chet can hire an assistant to deal with those problems. 2) There needs to be a direct line of communication between Chet and his employees. One way to go about this is equipping every employee with a handheld device so that Chet can be reached at all times of the day. This would facilitate instant communication and do away with the need for employees to have to go and personally see Chet, thus wasting more of his time. If the workload is too much, the president of the company may consider hiring another plant manager to work in conjunction with Chet. This would reduce the workload on Chet and allow him to focus on only the essential tasks at hand. Another option would be to supply Chet with his very own personal assistant, who could help to manage Chet’s work day more effectively by scheduling appointments and taking notes of any queries. 3) Chet is the type of person who always feels like he needs to be part of the action. Instead of listening to every concern in the workplace, Chet needs to distinguish between crucial and routine tasks. Chet admitted to himself that he is very busy everyday at work, yet he never seems to accomplish anything. He may have a habit of control, where he always has to know every tidbit of information from within the entire company. This is exemplified when Chet checked the previous day’s production reports, did rescheduling to get out urgent orders, and consulted with a foreman about a personal problem of his. Even though Chet is the Plant Manager, he does not need to know every single detail about all of these things. A personal assistant could sum up the day’s problems and give a short brief to Chet every morning

Political action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Political action - Essay Example Firstly, by joining a national citizen activist group called Americans for Responsible Solutions, the intention was to take head on the influential gun lobbyist in terms of their coverage and resources. This involved constantly getting on the phone and email to contact legislators, engaging in online discussions, blogs, as well as twitter communications. The objective was to act serenely and rationally in order to make the legislators understand that there will be electoral repercussions of not voting for meaningful gun control measures. Secondly, before the congressional votes on existing plans took place, there was massive and coordinated booking of appointments from the representatives and senators office. The intention was to let them know the feelings and emotions driving genuine gun control measures. Thirdly, protest march also formed a major aspect of demanding meaningful legislation, and with the support of citizen activist groups referred to as Washington CeaseFire, protest marches and demonstrations were organized near Capitol Hill and state legislators’ buildings to commemorate victims while demanding legislative responses so as to transform the tears into concrete action. Furthermore, television ads urging Congress to take steps without delay were prepared from state to state, and this involves contributing amount s even less than $5 per person. Signing of online petitions calling for enactment of gun laws was meant at augmenting social media campaign as it is a useful resource for dealing with anticipated counter-petition (Carroll, 20). Hence, lawmakers should be made to understand that assault weapons or any high-capability ammunition magazines, does not have any place in the streets and communities The key issue driving such approaches is that the loopholes within current gun ownership and registration laws have enabled criminals and individuals with suicidal mental health to acquire

Risk Management College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Risk Management College - Essay Example When the market goes up by 10%, stock B goes down by 3%. A combination of the two stocks will reduce total potential returns (since stock B is under-performing), but also reduce portfolio viability as compared to market changes. Whereas the two stocks are influenced by the market (which is the very definition of systematic risk), they change in opposite directions, which will reduce total portfolio risk. No, portfolio diversification to betas cannot entirely remove potential market risks. While unsystematic risks are eliminated in a larger portfolio, market risks still that affect most of the assets/stocks in a portfolio are not. Even entirely diversified portfolio stocks are vulnerable to market changes. Furthermore, beta coefficients are more reliable for short-term risk-assessment and can be misleading in the long-run. This is so, because beta coefficients mostly reflect past price movements, and are not reliable indicators for assets/stocks with no or recent price history (McClure, B., 2004) IPO, or the Initial Price Offering is the process of bringing private companies to the public market for the first time. The IPO represents a significant stage in the growth of a company, because it provides access to public capital markets and increases company credibility and exposure. Companies usually decide to go public because they need access to additional capital to implement long-term business strategies or use funds for acquisitions. Furthermore, this is capital that does not have to be repaid and does not involve interest payments. IPO also gives opportunities for new future stock offerings. Companies go public also to get media attention. Nowadays IPOs are used as marketing instruments to increase public awareness, and enhance brand name recognition. In other cases companies may go public to change management style and settle managerial problems using the challenging approach of capital restructuring. Task 4: What Steps Are Involved With Taking A Company Public When a company wants to offer their stock to the general public for the first time, the first step is the announcement of its intent (1), and then it usually asks an "underwriter"(2) - usually an investment banking company - to undertake this operation - in return for a fee. The underwriter agrees to pay the issuer a certain number of shares at a certain price, and then resell those shares to buyers. The underwriter and the issuer set a tentative date, and issue a preliminary prospectus (3) is with financial and business information about the issuer. The underwriter then gives presentations to people from the brokerage industry (4) to present good investment opportunities. The issuer then releases the stock to the underwriter (5), and the underwriter releases the stoc

Behavior Problems research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Behavior Problems - Research Paper Example On the other hand, creativity is not directly related to the academic achievements of learners. However, birth order is directly linked to higher levels of creativity. Introduction Behavioral problem, as a noun phrase is used to refer to any suggestive expression of interpersonal or emotional maladjustment, especially in children. These problems are externally depicted through actions like enuresis, nail-biting, negativism, or the display of overt antisocial acts or hostile behavioral patterns. On the other hand, Creativity is the predisposition to recognize or generate ideas, possibilities, and alternatives to an issue – especially during the course of solving problems, while conversing, and when communicating with others. Creativity is also displayed, from the ability of an individual to entertain themselves and others. There are three courses, as to why individuals are provoked into developing creativity. These include the necessity to express values or ideas; the desire to solve the problems that will come in the way of an individual; and the need to express original, varied and multifaceted stimulation. However, in order to be creative, there is an intricate need to be able to view things in varied ways, or from different perspectives. The ability to display creativity does not occur by change, but is linked to highly fundamental qualities of thinking, these including tolerance of unpredictability, the ability to enjoy unknown things, and flexibility in thinking processes. Academic achievement can be defined as the display of superiority in varied academic fields – both in class as well as in extracurricular activities. It is a phrase used to mean a combination of superiorities in the following areas: behavior, confidence, sporting, communication, skillfulness, arts, punctuality, culture and assertiveness among others. Discussion From a previous study carried out by (Yousefi et al. 2010), the statistics shows that boys suffering from behavior al and emotional difficulties scored lower in academic achievement, when compared to those who did not have these problems. However, in the case of girls showing the symptoms of internalizing problems, it was different, as they attained higher grades in academic achie

Symbolism in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery Essay

Symbolism in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery - Essay Example The story is a stark reminder of how hazardous and, sometimes, downright lethal ritualistic following can be. Throughout the story, Jackson has used symbolic references, with most that refer to death in one form or another, all the while pointing at the futility of holding on to mindless ritual. Just starting out with the title of the story, The Lottery, the reader comes to believe that something pleasant is about to take place as most readers think of the lottery as something most people look forward to winning. However, the term here is not used in the normal sense of the word, but is rather symbolic of the twisted logic of most people whereby they think that giving a pleasant name to something would cause it to be looked upon favorably. What is more, Jackson has also used names of people in the story as symbols. The lottery was carried by Mr. Summers, whose name is symbolic of the irony that the story is replete with. Summers are associated with idyllic and happy times, with child ren frolicking around and everyone having a good time out in the sun. However, as someone who is drawing the lots to decide who gets to be stoned to death, Mr. Summers is not at all as pleasant and joyful as summers ought to be. Then, there is the postmaster, Mr. Graves, whose name is symbolic of the death that is to come as a result of the lottery. Shirley Jackson has also used objects as symbols in this story.

Conflicts can lead to distruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Conflicts can lead to distruction - Essay Example As per the assumptions and predictions among political observers, China may replace America from the superpower post in near future itself. It should be noted that communism is prevailing in China whereas Japan is a democratic country. Naturally, America’s policies are more aligned more in favour of Japan rather than China. â€Å"Its approach seems to have been "planned by bookworms and entrepreneurs, rather than politicians† (Jingsheng). America knows that a war between Japan and China would slow down the progress of China considerably and hence they are not doing anything to ease the tensions between these countries. This paper analyses the China and Japan confrontation over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands through the lenses of Classical Realism and Neorealism. Key facts Japan annexed the islands in 1895 China started showing interest in them only in the early 1970sNo one has lived in any of these two islands after WW2 These two islands are very small in size The islands, known as the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China China’s interest in the islands rose in the late 1960s, when scientists began saying the nearby seafloor could hold oil deposits (Fackler) The current tensions began earlier this year when the nationalist governor of Tokyo announced his desire to buy three of the islands from their owner, a Japanese citizen (Territorial dispute involving Japan) Predictions of Realist theory and Neorealist theory Realism explains the relationships between nations in terms of power. In realist theories power is defined as capabilities that can create influence. Military force is perceived as the most important element of power by realists. States with higher power always use its power for getting leverages in a bargaining process. However, strategies and other parameters also have the ability to influence the outcome of a negotiation or barging process (Chapter Summary). Realist theories believe that self-interest is the primary objective which drives international politics. It argues that international systems are highly anarchic, a concept which believes that there is no universal sovereign government which can resolve international disputes. Neorealist theories argue that states by their nature are security seeking. In other words, security and survival are the primary objectives of each state. Another concept of neorealist theory is that states seek only relative security in comparison to other states (Bordner, p.1). Neorealism argues that there are only three possible systems in international politics; a unipolar system, bipolar system and multipolar system. In their opinion, bipolar system is more stable than multipolar system because of the greater balancing act it can provide. Neorealism believes that war is inevitable and permanent peace is only a distant dream because of the anarchic structure of current international system. Classical Realist explanation of the China-Japan island confrontation   â€Å"The val ue of the islands has never been in their aesthetics, but in history and geopolitics: what control of the islands says about the relative power of Asia’s two economic giants, one rising and the other in what many see as a slow decline†(Fackler). China is one of the rapidly emerging economies in the world at present. Many people believe that China may expel America from the superpower spot in near future itself. In fact no other country in the world at present is capable of matching the economic growth of China. In fact the recent

Molar Volume of a Gas Essay Example for Free

Molar Volume of a Gas Essay Introduction: In this lab I am going to find out the volume of one mole of hydrogen gas at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The room pressure only slightly differs from the standard, but can be taken into consideration when calculating the results. The molar volume is 22.41 liters per mole at STP (Standard pressure), in other words, at zero degrees centigrade. Figure 3.1 (the experiment set up) Procedure: 1. Set up all equipment. 2. Cut a piece of Magnesium ribbon about 20cm in length. 3. Calculate the weight of the ribbon from the weight of a 1 m long ribbon. 4. Measure 1.0 M Hydrochloric acid to a volume of 25-30ml. 5. Pour the HCl to the reaction flask. 6. Add the Mg ribbon to the reaction flask and secure the mouth of the flask as fast as possible with a hose. Make sure that the hydrogen gas cannot escape from the flask. 7. Follow the temperature 8. Collect the gas until no further reaction is observed in the reaction flask. 9. Carefully remove the gas collection flask so that no gas escapes from the flask. 10. Light the gas. 11. Determine the volume of the gas. 12. Calculate the molar volume of H2 gas at room temperature. a) theoretical value from Vm =22.44 l/mol at STP. b) experimental value from your data. Equipment: * 2 flasks (volume at least 600ml) * large container (volume at least 3,5 l) * Magnesium ribbon * 30ml of Hydrochloric acid * thermometer * a hose (to cover the reaction flask) Observations: * Magnesium ribbon was a little oxidized for it had lost some of its shine. * When the collection flask was turned around and placed in the water filled container, there were tiny air bubbles on the inside walls of the flask. * When Magnesium ribbon was added, it began to corrose in the HCl * Instantly after adding the Mg ribbon to the hydrochloric acid, temperature in the reaction flask started to rise as a chemical reaction took place in the flask. * Moisture and (fog) blocked the view of the reaction * Immediately after adding the Mg ribbon, hydrogen bubbled to the collection flask * Hydrogen bubbled to the flask for about a minute,stopping soon after the ribbon had corrosed in to the HCl. * There was a hissing sound as the chemical reaction occurred in the reaction flask and the gas flowed to collection flask through a pipe. * The temperature in flask A rose quickly by a few degrees celsius and then stayed nearly constant for the 15 minutes the temperature was measured. * The temperature did not change in flask B;however, it cannot be stated for sure as it was only compared with the temperature of flask A. * The temperature in flask A rose very quickly as the reaction started * The amount of hydrogen produced from the reaction was large for large bubbles of gas rose to beaker B within few seconds after starting the experiment * The volume of the reaction flask was not measured, but it is close to the volume of the other flask (629ml) * After the reaction, when lighting the hydrogen gas, collection beaker made a popping sound but the reaction flask actually burned and formed a thin flame. * The flame from the reaction flask gave out a lot of heat, which was not noticed when lighting the gas in the collection flask. Theoretical = 22.5 l/mol Vm= 22.41 0.36 % error The molar volume was 0.36% too large. The error can come from water vapour in the collection flask 10cm water below the glass air in the collection flask temperature rise in the reaction flask water vapour in the reaction flask Evaluation: This experiment had many error-causing factors, which probably influenced the results. Overall, the calculations showed that very little error (0.36% error) which made me a little skeptical about the results. Such a small error percentage was not expected. To point out a few mistakes, I did not measure the difference in height of the water level from the surface of the water-filled container. This would have allowed further investigation about the volume of hydrogen in the flask. Also, the exact volume of the reaction flask was not measured. It was only stated by eye that the flasks looked to be the same size. Other than that, the experiment was performed well. It was made sure that none or very little air was left in the collection flask when turning it around and placing it in the water filled container. There were a few tiny air bubbles on the walls; however, the air in the reaction flask was more likely to influence the result. Having a lab partner helped with managing time, for one was able to follow the temperature while the other checked the time. We made sure that we had read the instructions carefully and thought twice before deciding what methods to use when, for example, turning the flask upside down in the water. Conclusion: In conclusion, the experiment turned out some successful results. When magnesium reacted with the hydrochloric acid, hydrogen was released into the flask from where it flowed through a pipe to the collection flask. The molar volume of H2 gas at room temperature is 22.79 l/mol, which is also the rate for the hydrogen gas in the collection flask. The amount of H2 gas in the flask is impossible to calculate for the amount of water vapour and air was measured when performing the experiment. The experimental value turned out unexpectably very small. 0.36% error in the experiment seems very small, unless there has been some unnoticed mistakes that have influenced the experimental value. The theoretical value is 22.5 l/mol. Temperature changes during the experiment turned out some interesting results, for the temperature seems to start falling soon after the chemical reaction has ended, yet it begins to rise a little after a few minutes and stays constant for a long time before starting to fall (figure 3.2). From the information gained during this experiment, it is difficult to state why this happened; therefore, some extra research should take place if performing the experiment again. Improved investigation: For further investigation, temperature should be measured for longer than 15 minutes in order to find out the rate the temperature is going to fall in a closed flask. The distance between water surface in the container and the surface in the flask should also be measured. For more accurate results, factors such as air and water vapour in the flask should be taken into consideration when calculating the final values. Advisable would be to do some research on why the temperature changed the way it did in this experiment.

Disadvantages In Regard To Leisure Choices Sociology Essay

Disadvantages In Regard To Leisure Choices Sociology Essay Taking a thorough assessment of the society we live in, it is evident that women are in many ways disadvantaged as regards leisure choice compared to men. Leisure is itself seen as a psychological experience of enjoyment and satisfaction which occurs within the framework of time or activity. Leisure includes things like watching television, participating in sports, meeting friends, engaging in hobbies and going to events (Doughty, 2010). It requires plenty of time and psychological fitness for one have the best of it. Women are the most disadvantaged due to various constraints they encounter in society. Womens access to free time and leisure opportunities are controlled by such factors as their work and domestic situation, their low income level together with age and ethnic group. These constraints may include structural factors such as family obligations, financial resources, weather factors and work time (Shaw 1994). In most societies, it is normally regarded as womens duty to take care of the family as well as looking after children. As far as these constraining factors have assisted in understanding leisure participation among women, further adjustments can be reached through specific examination of their sub-groups. This is because the constraints are different to the various categories of women basing on their ages. For instance, girls between the age of fifteen and below have limited access to leisure activities since they have restricted time to engage in recreational activities (Kiefer, 2004). They face such constraints as lack of knowledge, lack of accessibility to recreational facilities as influenced by their parents, lack of interest in various recreational facilities and lack of partners (Rehman et al., 2003). At this age, girls are still in school and do not have time to engage in those activities as tourism except during holidays where they can move around the world with their families, but for a very short period of time. Everything they do is influenced by their parents and it is usually difficult for them to decide for themselves. These girls may not necessarily be affected by those limitations such as the interpersonal and intrapersonal constraints since they are still young and have nothing to worry about. They engage in sporting activities in school as part of the co-curricular activities of any school which may not be regarded as leisure (Young people at Play, n.d.). Their weak physical situations discourage them from getting actively involved sports events. These girls are not affected by financial constraints since they are young and all their needs are met by their parents. However, their participation may depend on their cultural background, that is, race and ethnicity play an important role in determining a familys influence on childrens leisure. For example, those from the developing countries grow in hardship where there is hardly any money to take them to school. Therefore, they only resort in dropping out of school and engage in child labor to earn living for their parents and thus have no time for leisure or time to involve themselves in any recreational activities (Shaw 1994). In addition, girls from these developing countries such as in Africa and Asia do not have role models who can motivate them to engage in sporting activities such as football, athletics, volleyball etc. At the same time, their families cannot afford to take them around the world as tourists since they do not have enough money to cater for it. Those from Western countries are a bit different because their parents have the financial strength to finance their education and hav e role models in the society who encourage them to involve themselves in sports. Some are even motivated to engage in music activities, for example, in the US where some girls become superstars at very tender ages. All in all, these girls are more dependent on parental consent and support for recreational activities. On the other hand, young single ladies mostly of the age between 15 and 25 years have different experiences on leisure, sports and other recreational activities. At this age they can easily make mature independent decisions and they therefore face peculiar constraints as regards to their leisure involvement. Based on their perception of sporting activities, these women highly suffer from the limitations of low self-esteem and lack the belief that they may be talented or competent in any recreational activities (Goliath, 2002). Most of these women have just finished school and still looking for employment and therefore have high financial problems. This renders them unable to get involved in both leisure and recreational activities without the help of their parents. The constraints may also depend on the cultural background. Women from poverty stricken countries such as the developing countries experience those intrapersonal constraints such as stress, family attitudes and personal ev aluations of the appropriateness of an activity (Goliath, 2002). Since these women may not have acquired the appropriate education as a result of their background, they may end up engaging themselves in activities such as prostitution and other criminal activities. As a result, they have no time for leisure, sports and other recreational activities. Additionally, they do not have the financial ability to visit other countries as tourists. Various interpersonal constraints such as relationships with others and the ability to find partners as well as the influence of family obligations also affect their leisure involvement. As a result of the societal stress, these women do not have the time enjoy recreational activities with their peers. In addition, they lack role models in the society who may encourage them to engage in productive activities and they therefore end up living desperately. Though women are normally strong physically at this age, inadequate education and lack of awareness about the benefits of participating in sports has been the main reason they never involve themselves. As a result, physical education is often not admired among the females in school (Goliath 2002). Young women aged between 15 and 25 years from developed countries also experience intrapersonal and interpersonal constraints as regards their leisure involvement. These Western women have the constraints such as those of structural factors including financial resources and work time constraints. Those who have jobs do not have time for leisure and recreational activities and hardly get time to engage in sports. Those who do not have jobs have financial problems as well as low esteem and they do not have trust in themselves hence they cannot get involved in leisure activities. As far as sport is concerned, many governments have not taken the initiative to persuade women to participate. They have had less concern in terms providing sponsorship, coverage in media, awareness and the provision of opportunities for women in sport as compared to their male counterparts (Goliath, 2002). Some sports disciplines such as football is far widely considered to be for men yet some women have shown to be as equally talented in it. Furthermore, women with children have different limitations concerning their time for leisure. Some of the women in this category have limited time, money as well as limited access to leisure facilities. Most of these women are married and are mostly disadvantaged with regard to time for leisure. Women with children are normally held by household obligations and family commitments such as child care together with economic constraints (Borg Clark, n.d.). Due to male chauvinism in most societies, many women earn very little incomes which and this has proven to be constraining on their lives as well as on their leisure lives. Women who are employed are said to experience a double shift to their household obligations hence have no time for leisure participation as compared to their male counterparts (Martinson, Schwartz Vaughan, 2002). However, leisure, recreational activities, and sport have different implications depending on the cultural background of women. Those from poor backgrounds have limited access to leisure activities and are mostly unemployed since job opportunities are rare. Most of their time is spent taking care of children and farming so as to sustain their families. It is usually very hard for them to think about touring other countries or engage in any recreational activities due to financial constraints. They are highly constrained by societal stress and have very low esteem to even think of participating in any sporting activities and they not only have little time for themselves, but they also never feel that they have a right to leisure for themselves (Martinson, Schwartz Vaughan, 2002). Other women fear for violence especially in those leisure settings far from home. At times, they regard taking care of their families as their prime duty since most of their husbands are jobless and never ca re about them. Similarly, women with children from developed countries have little time for leisure and other recreational activities such as sports and tourism. Those who have jobs have are the ones said to have double shift, that is, have little time for leisure because they need to balance the time they spend with their family and that spend in work. These women spend much of their time either in job or at home. Most of them make use of computer-based technology for leisure designed to make them busy such as the internet and believe that time spent or even activities pursued with family are the most important (Kramarae Spender, 2000). In most cases, especially at times when they are free from work, most women wish to recreate around the world together with their families but their children prevent them. This is because children are usually cumbersome to travel with. Generally, women with children are usually unwilling to get involved in sporting activities. They only take part in body fitting exercises such as jogging in the mornings. Most of them think they cannot manage to participate in sports activities such as athletics, football etc. and regard nurturing their children as their key role in the society. They only watch their favorite soccer teams or even basketball teams on televisions during their free moments on weekends. The type of profession a woman is in may also act as a constraint to her leisure life. Nurses for example have the ethic of care in their minds all the time which is connected to the lack of a sense of right to leisure (Martinson, Schwartz Vaughan, 2002). Women who are single parents and do not high paying jobs mostly encounter financial constraints which is normally constraining to life in general and to their leisure lives as well. This is due to the fact that they have to cater for the basic needs of their children. By meeting food, shelter, clothing and educational expenses for the children, the amounts that remain may be too little to cater for recreational activities. Old women have various constraints to leisure participation as well. Their participation in various recreational activities is highly influenced by health related problems, poor performance quality and lack of companions (Leitner Leitner, 2004). In general, older people are said to suffer from health problems more than young people. Particular health problems limit participation in specific leisure activities (Women Sports and Fitness Foundation, n.d.). Older women with sight problems cannot freely engage in activities such as tourism, exercises and other recreational activities that include work. Research has shown that older women like to engage more in inactive recreation such as watching television, listening to radio and reading newspapers rather than participate in active forms of recreation (Leitner Leitner, 2004). This is due to the fear that they may get injuries resulting to their children putting them in nursing homes. Moreover, older women are seen to be economically di sadvantaged and also tend to have more household and family obligations which make them have less free time to take part in leisure activities. Most of them like stay at home and take care of their grandchildren. These actions of care giving reduce their leisure activities due to lack of time, tiredness, and other intrapersonal constraints such as stress (Leitner Leitner, 2004). Older women leisure involvement is also influenced by attitude (Henderson Bialeschki, 1990). These women only participate in those leisure activities which they consider as meaningful to them (Greer, 2006). Some leisure activities that are taken as being for fun but have no purpose are highly ridiculed by the elderly women. Most of these aged women view their old age negatively and have a feeling that they should not be involved in recreational and leisure activities because they think that people their age should not have leisure anymore (Leitner Leitner, 2004). At their old ages, they have lost taste for most of the recreational activities such as swimming and look upon them as for the young and strong people. As regards to sporting activities, aged women are incapable of participating actively and can only watch on televisions since most of them have health related problems. The level to which aged women are disadvantaged with respect to leisure involvement may also depend on their cultural background. Majority of women from developing countries spend most of their time taking care of their grandchildren and never have time to involve themselves in recreational activities (Leitner Leitner, 2004). Most of them remain within their homesteads all day and have never visited a foreign country and even never think of activities like tourism. They do not even think of having leisure as their right and are most of the times stressed as a result of their children dropping out of school, lack of food due to drought etc. Most of the developing countries are faced with the problem of diseases and therefore a big number of the aged women have health complications hence they can hardly participate in any leisure or sports activities (Leitner Leitner, 2004). Older women from developed countries are quite different from their counterparts on how they perceive these recreational activities. As for them, they may like to tour other countries but factors such as health related problems, family commitments, among others hold them back (Leitner Leitner, 2004). This is because they are unable get involved in those recreational events like mountain-climbing, skiing and skating. They have leisure by watching televisions and reading magazines unlike those from developing countries who are mostly too illiterate to read newspapers and have little access or interest in television. Their lack of leisure involvement is mainly affected by attitude. This is shown by the fact that they ignore some recreational activities that do not add value to their lives at those old ages. Most of them like sports events though their weak health may not be in a position to withstand them. Consequently, they follow these events on televisions or go to the venues where sports activities are held accompanied by other family members such as their grandchildren. Though some women are good in sports, they never get the recognition they deserve (Stavropoulou, 2008). Some sports such as rugby and football are regarded as mens and women who shine in them get very little or no attention at all (Goliath, 2002). Governments can increase women participation in sports by encouraging wider media representation and giving rewards to the best personalities in the various sport categories. By doing so, young women will be encouraged to participate in sports regardless of their cultural backgrounds and earn money for themselves which may in turn increase their leisure participation. In conclusion, it is evident that women are the most disadvantaged when it comes to leisure participation as compared to men. It has been seen that their lack of sports involvement is as a result of poor attention by most governments and the notion that most sports disciplines are better suited for men. However, it is clear that their access to recreational facilities is mainly influenced by factors such as time availability, household and family obligations, financial stability and cultural background. Women have also been found to be constrained differently depending on their ages.

Evian bottled water brand in the US market

Evian bottled water brand in the US market 1. Case overview: Although it has achieved great success in other part of the world, the Danone and its Evian bottled water brand are facing significant pressure while handling the U.S. market. After the cola giants Coke and Pepsi set up their own bottled water brands, Dasani and Aquafina, Danone is the number four in the U.S. market with only a 3.5% market share in 2001. Danone is facing two main problems when dealing with the U.S. market. Firstly, the U.S. customers do not accept the premium on the Evian brand, they care less about the type of the bottled water and prefer cheaper water like Aquafina or Dasani. Then, the distribute system in U.S. market is quite different from that in Europe. To carry out a strategy for its further business in the U.S., Danone made the first agreements in April 2002 with one of its most powerful opponents Coca-Cola to let Coke take charge of the Evian brand in North America. Coca-Cola will help Danone within the distribution and market performance, and will get incentives in return of the annual sales growth of Evian bottled water. The second agreement carried in June 2002 is mainly about the two companies announced a joint venture. Danone will contributes license for use several value brands and production facilities, while Coca-Cola pays cash for ownership interest and provide management. Coca-Cola needs to help achieve a guaranteed profit level; however, the penalty is not clear. The alliance of the two companies provokes debates about whether it is a way to improve sales condition or it is a sign of Danones unofficial quit from the U.S. bottled water market. What is the right decision for Danone remains to be proved. 2. Why Evians market share in the U.S. kept falling after the cola giants start their bottled water brands in the late 1980s? The Japanese strategist Kenichi Ohmae developed the 3Cs Model indicated three main players that are necessary for successful business strategy: the corporation, the customer, and the competitors. (Kenichi Ohmae, 1982) When mention the competitors, Coke and Pepsi who sell purified water that avoid extra handling and transport costs, enjoy much lower cost than Evian does. Meanwhile, their distribution systems are well developed thanks to their successful operating on other beverage such as cola. The result is that they can have their cheaper products on more shelves quickly. What is more, as Coca-Cola, Pepsi and NestlÃÆ'Â © are all well-known companies throughout the America, not only their products quality are guaranteed, but also their bottled water brands do not need too much promotion. For the customer part, in the European market where Danone has achieved great success, the customers understand the differences between glacier-sources water and purified water or tap water. They are willing to pay the premium price to purchase the consistent quality and taste of bottled water. But the U.S. customers seem to ignore the classifications of bottled water, and they are extreme price-sensitivity, their first choice is often the cheapest water on the store shelves. Obviously, the Danone Corporation itself has done quite few when facing the hard situation. The company was not well prepared for the entry of cola giants at the beginning. The former achievement within other part of the world especially in Europe makes the company blind worship its Danone business equation and refused to change its business strategy to fit the U.S. market. Also, Danone did not introduce its innovative products which are very popular in the European market, and few marketing activities such as advertises are mentioned to introduced to encourage the U.S. market accept the glacier premium. 3. Positive and negative sides of Danones strategy of running business on its own in the U.S. market. Generally speaking, one advantage of going it alone strategy is it will help keeping the companys national, historical and family pride. The following will analyse the pros and cons of two parts of this remaining one single business entity strategy respectively. The first part is to admit that the Evian brand is not a U.S. market leader but a niche product which is a high-end premium bottled water with the label of health. As the U.S. bottled water market determines the market leader by price and logistics, Evian has to make full use of its nature of unique pristine qualities to provide higher-margin product for specialized customers who understand and appreciate the price premium of bottled water which has better resource and quality. Such customer can be created by purposeful marketing and advertising. Though the group size of these customers might be not so big, the sale profit can be guaranteed by the higher sale price. Clearly, segmentation will help the company focus its strategy but the development of broad-brand equity might be inhibited. The second part is about to place its locally-sourced spring water compete against the Big Three of the U.S. bottled water market in the mid-market which has high sale volume and is price-driven. This plan sounds a good way for Danone to get the lost market share back in the U.S. The defect of this strategy is that large sum of investment need to be paid for acquiring the production facilities and distribution systems, the cost-recovery, however, would take a very long-time. Since the result of compete against NestlÃÆ'Â © and cola giants in the U.S. market are not so lucidity or even optimistic, this plan is unsuitable for Danone. Besides, manage large number of new employees for production and distribution would be another problem for the company. 4. The effect of Danone give up the whole U.S. bottled water market. The impact of keeping Evian brand only as a niche player in the U.S. market has been cited before as only a smaller group of specialized customers will be considered as target, and Evian will be redefined as a high-end premium bottled water in the market. There are many other ramifications of Danones getting out of the U.S. market. Firstly, since there is no report of loss in the American market, it keeps earning money for the company though not as much as other market does, abandon the U.S. market means the company will lose the market share and profit from the market. Secondly, the company has to deal with assets and employees that will no longer working for the corporation. Since there are only a few potential buyers for these assets, powerful buyers can minimize their cost of purchase. Thus the company may suffer a sizeable loss on that. Thirdly, leaving the U.S. market might be a negative signal to other markets and its stakeholders that the company is unable to handle such a profitable market. The direct result may reflect on its share price which will experience a significant fall. What is more, the exiting strategy will blemish the value and goodwill of both Evian brand and the Danone Group and it is not good news for the companys business in other market. Finally, once exit, the re-enter to the market will be much tougher. While remain in the market helps keep the long-term opportunities for the company, it is really difficult for any external company to find a chance to get in and earn money. 5. Comment on the joint ventures with Coca-Cola. Clearly, the joint ventures with the cola giant have many advantages. To be specific, since the Danones strategy and market method cannot meet the needs of the U.S. market, shifting the marketing and distribution control to a company that has more success experience is sensible. With the help of Coke with the marketing and delivery, Danones products can expect a sizeable increase in sell. Besides, as Coca-Cola take charge of those Danones business in the America, the saved resources including marketing and managing expenses and human resources can be put into other markets which are more likely to gain success. In addition, the Evians brand image of high-end will be maintained according to the marketing strategy of the joint ventures. In other words, to remain the corporation and its products in the U.S. market with the sale volume growth guarantee provided by Coke is a safe game for Danone. However, there are some unreasonable factors within the joint ventures. First, as is mentioned in the case, no punishment of Cokes unable to achieve the sale promise is unclear, what if the Danone products keep losing market share? Second, as Coca-Cola gets 51% of the ownership, Danones suggestions might be so weak while making important decisions. Besides, there seems to be an overlap between Cokes bottled water Dasani and Danones Danone brand spring water, so it is doubtful the cola giant is willing to accomplish the sale growth of its joint ventures partners at the expense of its own products. In sum, the cooperation with Coca-Cola is the most ideal way for Danone when handling the U.S. market, but the result might not so ideal because of those internal and external (i.e. economic and market changes) uncertainties. Bibliography Ohmae, K. (1982). The mind of the strategist : the art of Japanese business. New York: McGraw-Hill. Kotabe, M Helsen, K. (2008). Global marketing management. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons, Inc.

Meliville & Sophocles Discussion :: essays research papers

MELVILLE AND SOPHOCLES MELVILLE: â€Å"OPEDIPUS, YOU SEE, WAS MY MODEL.† SOPHOCLES: â€Å"THAT IS ABSURD. YOUR CHARACTER, THIS BILLY, HAS NONE OF THE TRAITS THAT MY TRAGIC CHARACTER POSSESSED.† MELLVILLE: â€Å"BILLY BUD MAY HAVE NOT BEEN ANY GREAT KING OR A MAN OF IMMENSE MONETARY WEALTH, BUT HE POSSESSED A DIFFERENT SORT OF GREATNESS. â€Å" SOPHOCLES: â€Å"YOU SPEAK OF A DIFFERENT SORT OF GREATNESS, AS IF IT THAT COULD POSSIBLE COMPARE TO THE LIFE OF MY OEDIPUS. HE ROSE TO THE HIGHEST POSITION A MAN CAN OBTAIN. HE WAS A KING, A RULER OF A POWERFUL LAND, NOT SOME COMMON SHIPBOARD SAILOR. YOUR BILLY BUDD HAD NOTHING.† MELLVILLE: â€Å"OEDIPUS WAS A GREAT KING AND A WONDERFUL RULER OF A POWERFUL LAND, JUST AS BILLY WAS A GREAT SAILOR AND WONDERFUL EXAMPLE OF AN IDEAL HUMAN BEING. HE ALSO ROSE TO A HIGH POSITION IN MY STORY. HE GAINED THE CONFIDENCE OF ALL HIS FELLOW SHIPMATES AND WAS REWARDED NOT ONLY WITH THEIR COMRADERIE BUT WITH A PROMOTION TO A HIGHER RANK.† SOPHOCLES: â€Å"YOU, MELVILLE, ARE TO TELL ME THAT BILLY BUDD IS AS TRAGIC A CHARACTER AS OEDIPUS REX? THAT HE AS WELL HAD A TRAGIC FLAW THAT DESTROYED HIM?† MELLVILLE: â€Å"JUST AS OEDIPUS LONGED TO ALWAYS SEEK OUT THE TRUTH, BILLY ALSO FOLLOWED ALONG THE SAME PATH. HE NOT ONLY SOUGHT OUT THE TRUTH, BUT HE BELIEVED THAT ALL HUMANS CONTAINED AN HONEST AND GOOD CORE. HE TRIED TO BRING THIS OUT IN THE MOST EVIL OF PEOPLE. BILLY BUDD LACKED THE ABILITY TO LIE, CHEAT, OR STEAL. HIS INTEREST WAS IN THE PROTECTION OF OTHERS WITHOUT CONCERN FOR HIS OWN WELFARE. THESE QUALITIES ARE TEST THROUGHOUT THE STORY AS NUMEROUS TEMPTATIONS ARE PLACED BEFORE HIM.† SOPHOCLES: â€Å"WITH THAT SAID, ONE MAY THINK THAT ANYONE CAN BE A TRAGIC CHARACTER. ANY PERSON POSSESSING DECENT MORALS AND IS BETRAYED DUE TO THEM IS A TRAGIC CHARACTER? YOU BELIEVE IT POSSIBLE THAT ANY MAN IS A TRAGIC CHARACTER?† MELLVILLE: â€Å"HOW MANY MEN WILL STAND BY THEIR BELIEFS KNOWING THAT THE PUNISHMENT WILL BE THEIR HEADS? THOSE WHO DO NOT BEND TO THE WIND OF OTHERS’ DOUBTS AND PROTESTS ARE THE ONES THAT POSSESS THE TRAGIC FLAW. ACCORDING TO PLATO IN POETICS A TRAGIC CHARACTER IS RESTRICTED TO WHO AND WHAT THEY ARE AND ONLY REACT AND ACT UPON SITUATIONS PRESENTED BEFORE THEM. BILLY BUDD ACTS CONSISTENTLY WITH WHO AND WHAT I CREATED HIM TO BE THROUGHOUT HIS STORY.

Importance of the Monkey Garden in The House on Mango Street :: House Mango Street

Importance of the Monkey Garden in The House on Mango Street Life as a kid is effortless, where the only motive is to have fun. Some people never want to have responsibility and complexity that comes with being an adult as they realize they must take accountability sometime. Likewise in "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza tries her best to avoid is renegade against the normal expectations of women on Mango Street. Esperanza's only way to avoid having to become part of the adult world around her, is by entering The Monkey Garden where she gets to be a kid. Esperanza's depiction of the serene and carefree descriptions of the garden contrast the confused and disturbed attitude Esperanza has towards Sally and the boys' game. As she finally realizes she cannot remain a kid forever, Esperanza feel alienated and alone. Esperanza's overwhelmed tone reveals her fear and doggedness to adversity when sally's game defiles the garden's innocence/purity, exposing Esperanza to the realization that she cannot remain a kid forever. Esperanza's syntax reveals that innocence is irrevocable. Reminiscing of the Monkey Garden Esperanza "suppose[s], the reason why [they] went there" was because it was "Far away from where [their] mothers could find [them]"Cisneros (95). In the garden the kids were able to play without any adults around. The garden became a place of rejuvenation for Esperanza, where only kids were allowed and the horrors of the adult world remain unnoticed. Esperanza observes, "Things had a way of disappearing in the garden, as if the garden itself ate them, or, as if with its old-man memory, it put them away and forgot them."(95). This shows that the garden was a place where things easily went unnoticed and it was not uncommon to loose things. For Esperanza, this represents the place where she is forced into her loss of childhood, and comparing this to a forgetful old man makes sense since when people mature they loose their innocence and childlike attributes. When the boys stole Sally's keys "they were all laughing" and "[Sally] was too" however, "It was a joke [Esperanza] didn't get"(96). The boys take advantage of Sally by stealing her keys so Sally seizes the opportunity to be able to flirt back with them.

Personal Leadership Reflection Paper Essay

Taking the Big Five Personality assessment was incredibly informative to me. I learned that my primary strengths are my openness to experience and conscientiousness. Openness-to-experience personality dimension includes traits of flexibility, intelligence, and internal locus of control. (Leadership: Theory, Application, & Skill Development, 2010, p41) I am an incredibly flexible individual and tend to go with the flow even in high stress situations. I need to be relaxed in my field of expertise otherwise I will go absolutely insane. I am a Graphic Designer and clients change their minds more than you would believe. Another great attribute about this strength in my field is the ability to solve problems such as how to create a high end product on a low budget. I also am a firm believer that one’s level of success is primarily based on the work that they put in to themselves, not on luck or other people. The conscientiousness personality dimension includes traits of dependabilit y and integrity.(Leadership: Theory, Application, & Skill Development, 2010, p40) I am an incredibly dependable individual. If I say that I will stay at work all night if I have to in order to complete a task to meet deadline, I will make it happen regardless. As far as my integrity goes, I am incredibly ethical and honest. If a coworker needs to speak with me about a personal matter they can do so without ever having to worry about me using it against them for personal gain. I want to create a trusting and supporting group to work with which is a product of integrity and dependability. The weaker traits for me were adjustment, surgency, and agreeableness. Although I scored decently high on adjustment, I’m still categorizing it as a weakness. The adjustment personality dimension includes traits of emotional stability and self-confidence. (Leadership: Theory, Application, & Skill Development,  2010, p39) I have issues with keeping my emotions in check. I need to work on my self-control and my confidence in my ideas and ability to make decisions. Unfortunately, I’m incredibly insecure about my work. I have untouchable work ethic and I’m really good at what I do, however, I will let the most unimportant comment about my work get under my skin. That then and ruins all of the confidence that I recently managed to build up. On a positive note, I work incredibly well under pressure and I don’t criticize other people’s work. I rather praise them and lift them up. That goes back to the ideal environment that I seek. The last thing that I want to do is criticize my co-workers in turn creating a bad work environment for me and everyone else. Also, if the individual that I criticize has a hard time with the insecurities, saying something negative to them will not only create animosity it will also decrease productivity in the office. I scored fairly low on surgency. The surgency personality dimension includes dominance, extraversion, and high energy with determination. One of the main reason in which I scored so low in this area is that I don’t like to manipulate people in order to get my way. I also am not really interested in climbing the corporate ladder. From what I’ve seen in my field, I’d rather be known as â€Å"just a designer.† Reason being, the higher up you are in my field, the less actual design you tend to do. I enjoy art directing and helping people out; however, I wouldn’t want to art-direct all day long. Lastly we have the trait in which I scored the lowest, agreeableness. The agreeableness personality dimension includes traits of sociability and emotional intelligence. (Leadership: Theory, Application, & Skill Development, 2010, p38) The reasons I scored so low in this area are I’m not too crazy about working with others and I’m not concerned about having a bunch of friends. Theory, Concepts and Application There are a few observations that I’ve made about myself over the course of this class. One of them is that I need to adjust my self-concept. Self-concept refers to the positive or negative attitudes people have about themselves. (Leadership: Theory, Application, & Skill Development, 2010, p51) I’ve learned throughout this course that my self-concept is incredibly negative. This is largely due to the fact that I’m afraid of my confidence appearing to be narcissism. In other words, the lack of confidence is more  in other’s ability to perceive me in the correct manner. I have an innate and irrational fear that I’m going to come across the wrong way and people will dislike me if I show how proud of my work I am. . I have a rough time at balancing my confidence. I’m usually way below the level I should be. My new focus is to have more self-efficacy in order to not only benefit myself, but to also inspire my peers to do the same. My self-assess ment showed that I had a moderately high number for adjustment personality dimension. If I’m able to work on my self-confidence, my overall adjustment personality will also improve. Another thing that I’ve learned about myself is that I’m truly not what one would define as a powerful leader. I have little need for surgency. I scored the lowest on surgency on my personality profile. If someone is trying to get to the rung above my on the later, I’ll probably assist them. I’m just not competitive like that and I surely am not cutthroat. I scored the second worst on agreeableness. I get along with people okay; however, I am not equipped with the social mechanisms needed for a powerful leadership role. I am okay with that seeing as that a powerful leadership role isn’t what I seek. I simply want to teach and inspire people. I don’t care about the money or the power. Lastly, I’ve learned that I would have more of a Theory Y attitude as a manager. Theory Y attitudes hold that employees like to work and do not need to be closely supervised in order to do their work. (Leadership: Theory, Application, & Skill Development, 2010, p.50) The reason the fits me is that I personally feel that a Theory Y manager would be the ideal leader for me. This also can relate to the incredibly high score I got for conscientiousness on my personality profile. I am a trusting and dependable individual and I will trust my employees to be the same. Everyone deserves an honest chance to prove themselves. Reflective Observation I’m also more insightful after speaking to my direct supervisor about the results of my leadership profile. She said that she views me as an incredibly dedicated worker indicating that I will do what is needed to get the job done and to get it done right. She also views me as a very honest individual. For example, she has seen me critique people’s work time and time again and she said that what she respects about me is that I won’t hold back anything and give my honest opinion. To me, honesty right up front  saves a lot of time and money. I hate to see people trying to dance around the truth. Just say what needs to be said so everyone can keep moving in the right direction. Her description of me fit the conscientiousness personality profile the most. She did agree that I could most definitely work on my confidence and that I’m way too insecure. People see me praising coworker s about their work. However, I will bash my work up and down and hardly give myself the credit that I deserve. I can see why outsiders would see my behavior as negative. In a nutshell, people would describe me as an inspirational leader to others and a hazard to myself. The reason people perceive me as having low confidence is the way that I speak about my own work. My goal is to begin to speak good about myself and my talents so people will follow suit. I received another perspective on my personality profile from the Vice President of the company I work with. One thing that stood out to him about my profile was the openness-to-experience personality trait. He mentioned that our company has been through drastic changes over the past four years and that I’ve been flexible and resilient all along. He said that flexibility is unfortunately one of the traits he tends to struggle with in employees. However, he felt that flexibility is a very strong attribute of mine. I have been a pretty go with the flow kind of gal over the past four years regardless of the stressful environment. I’m elated that this behavior has been noticed. It makes me feel good about all of the sacrifices that I’ve made for the company. Personal Leadership and Skill Development In conclusion, I’ve learned a lot of valuable information throughout this course. First and foremost, I’m simply not made to be a powerful leader. I am more of an inspirational teacher who will probably be underpaid due to my lack of surgency. I couldn’t be more okay with this; As long as I stay true to myself. My conscientiousness is more important to me than power or money any day. Another thing that I’ve learned about myself is that I need to work on building up my self-confidence. In order to influence others, the first step is to show them that I have absolute faith and confidence in what I’m doing. There’s no way that I will captivate a faithful audience if I’m  questioning myself on the stage. One of the positive traits that I’ve learned about myself is that I’m flexible and dedicated. I will be open to working long hours and performing tasks that normally aren’t day to day for me in order to get the job done. I also am very honest and straight forward. The only goals that I truly plan to set are working on my confidence and possibly attempting to mingle a bit more in order to heighten my agreeableness. Overall, this has proven to be an incredibly informative class. I’m anxious to begin to apply the applications and theories on the job. References Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2010). Leadership: Theory, Application, & Skill Development.(5th ed) Mason, Ohio: South-Western.

Knowledge Management Conocophillips Essay

We express our blockheaded gratitude to Mr. Gurparkash Singh for his constant die hard, guidance and motivation which aided us immensely in comp allowing this communicate. The build up provided us with an opportwholey to construe the rudiments of familiarity Management in a let tilter musical mode and its application in corporal human beings. The insistence on victorious up a encounter on application of cognition Management in push plainlyton found firm and promoting it with received technologies gived by them to get a competitive advantage.ABSTRACTWe go d genius ConocoPhillips as our wander firm of familiarity Management. We learnt a lot virtually(predicate) the importance of fellowship overlap in to solar days firms. The conjunction ride outs to make tremendous get up toward its vision of creating a excogitate abode where employees continu whatso every(prenominal) deliver superfluous range done with(predicate) and by means of world(a) c ollaboration and industrious-wittedness sh atomic number 18-out. At ConocoPhillips, support for sharing comes from the executive level and cascades downward and superficial throughout the U.S.s 6th largest globular firm. The following report describe the approach, friendship initiatives and utilize of less(prenominal)ons fellowshipable that have propelled ConocoPhillips current friendship sharing and scholarship course of study forward. At the end of this document, we have provided inflection that demonstrate the robust growth of Know ledge sh argon at ConocoPhillipsCOMPANY visibilityConocoPhillips Company is an Ameri mass multinational energy corporation with its headquarters located in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas in the united States. It is the worlds largest independent pure- contribute geographic expedition & production high society and is alike unriv to each one(prenominal)(a)ed of the Fortune 500 companies. ConocoPhillips was give ris ed through the fusion of Conoco Inc. and the Phillips Pet intentionum Company on rattling(a) 30, 2002 and was the fifth largest integrate coer party until spinning off its downstream as stage sets to Phillips 66ConocoPhillips contractes solely on exploring for, developing and producing oil and natural gas internationally. The company manages its affair operations through six operating segments, which ar defined by geographic surface atomic subprogram 18a Al beseecha, Lower 48and Latin America, Canada, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East, and otherwise International. It shortly owns 8.4% of the sh bes of the pocket billiards exploiting Kashagan oil field however the company hears to funk its non- tenderness assets in order to usage the cash for debt reduction, fund its jacket crown program, and dividend payments. On October 3, 2012, the Kazakh Oil and Gas Minister t grey-headed reporters that ConocoPhillips has informed Kazkahstan of their intention to sell the ir trades. In November 26, in its biggest acquisition ever, ONGC Videsh checkd to buy ConocoPhillips 8.4% venture in the Kashagan oilfield for much or less US $5 billion. The stake buy is track out to favourable reception of governments of Kazakhstan and India and as swell to differentwisewise partners in the Caspian ocean field waiving their pre-emption rights.Need of actuallyiseledge ManagementSmart managers intuitively understand the importance of the problems that fellowship management efforts be a great deal knowing to address sprinkled comprehend slip centering most faces ar people doing identical kinds of fake, but they often re master(prenominal) unconscious of one a nonher(prenominal)s expertise, victoryes, and failures. several(prenominal) of this lack of aw arness is the result of waves of downsizing, re cheeks, leadershiphiphip diverges, and mod acquisitions. notwithstanding even in the best-man senile large agreements, employees w ho could get from one an differents bears are often insulate by statuesque structures and mechanisms that subdivide pee into different reporting channels and instruction employees on local instead than global oddments. To serve customers well and remain in wrinkle organisation companies moldiness reduce their calendar method of birth control times, operate with minimum fixed assets and bash (people, inventory and facilities), shorten product nurture time, improve customer service, empower employees, bring in and deliver high fictitious character products intensify and adoption, capture study, create fellowship, fortune and learn.sound association management should dramatically reduce costs. well-nigh several(prenominal)s, police squads and organisations are today continually reinventing the motorbike. This is often because they simply do not know that what they are act to do have al examiney been do by elsewhere. They do not know what is already known, or t hey do not know where to rile the association. Continually reinventing the wheel is such(prenominal) a expensive and unable activity, whereas a more(prenominal) than continuous re round of drinks of intimacy go away suggest veridical cost benefits immediately But as well asreducing costs, legal cognition management should in any case dramatically plus our speed of response as a direct result of better association access and application. Effective knowledge management, victimization more forgatherive and systematic operationes, go out in like manner reduce our magnetic inclination to repeat the aforesaid(prenominal) mistakes. This is, again, extremely costly and inefficient.Effective knowledge management, at that placefore, green goddess dramatically improve quality of products and/or services. fall apart knowing the stakeholder involves, customer needs, employee needs, industry needs, for example, has an open immediate effect on the family relationship m anagement. The Knowledge Economy is the next flourishing economy in a world of recession. More various(prenominal)s, police squads, organizations and inter-organisational vanes will be restructuring and revitalising themselves with the primary purpose of profitably trading their knowledge to add even higher(prenominal) honour, predominantly on the World simple Web. Already we see more pundit organizations developing and applying the knowledge they have about their industry, customers, partners and stakeholders, as their prime strategic asset, and at the highest point in the value chain. And some(prenominal) are becoming less involved, and more open to profitably outsourcing the opposite stemma operations.Around the world we hear railroad car companies lecture far more about their precise and describe knowledge areas of design, knowledge of manu concomitanturing , knowledge of distribution, knowledge of service and support etc as their crown jewels or procure recipe. Bas ed on applying this paint knowledge they so outsource the opposite subscriber line components. We hear the same from the aerospace industry, the oil and gas industry, the discipline engineering science industry, the fare and agricultural industry, the healthcare industry, in fact most, if not all, industries. None of this is possible without a continual focus on the creation, updating, availability, quality and use of knowledge by all employees and aggroups, at work and in the market congeal. substance CONCERN AT CONOCOPHILLIPSBaby boomers nearing retirement age pose a take exception to sustaining rough-and-ready net incomes. At ConocoPhillips. n earlier 20 part of the employee base is bailable for retirement. In the coming years, an opposite n first 20 percent will qualify for retirement. These passing undergo employees possess valuable avocation knowledge and often serve as base affaire experts or webleaders. It is vital to capture their knowledge and experienc e so that it put up be reused cross slipway the endeavor and accelerate learning.Losing mettle aggroup net profit ingredients hands another take exception to interlockings of honesty. The project management interlock, for example, ofttimes redeploys and reassigns profit leaders and nub squad extremitys in the organization. racy leadership turnover rates target lead to communicate dis fighting and a loss of expertise. The knowledge-sharing team whole caboodle virtually with communicates that experience changes in leadership to overcome obstacles and find ways to sustain regular leadership mesh topologys of justice (NoEs)Due to all these needs ConocoPhillips came with the c at a timept of NOEs. These internal communities of pattern intended to advance knowledge sharing. Articulating roles and responsibilities, attention to the meshworks chance(a) operations, and working(a) to institute a finis that supports the switch of knowledge are all crucial, bu t at ConocoPhillips, the foundational principle of internet build is this a electronic interlock of truth es directial demonstrate its ability to contribute heavy value, either in cost nest egg or in revenue generation. In 2004, ConocoPhillips launched a large initiative to create internal communities of suffice that would farm knowledge sharing at bottom the firm. For this international corporate energy company with thousands of job sites (often quite an remote) spread across 30 countries, the challenge of sharing knowledge was very trulyand the electric potential payoff was large.Facing brutal competition on all fronts, ConocoPhillips k bran- youthful that to continue on its success trajectory, it needed to quick and strongly harness the knowledge of its exceedingly skilled but geographically distributed workforce. alternatively of assuming that engineering either was the root term or was irrelevant when creating online communities, old managers dumb that effective global communities unavoidable bare-ass processes, roles, cultures, and technologies. They likewise make dod that each had to be focused on solving toilsome worry year challenges.With more than 10,000 employees go in in about c of what ConocoPhillips calls interlockings of rectitude (NoEs) and a growth rate of about 10 new entanglements per year, the company has actual a set of valuable principles for identifying, nurturing, and change these number-focused communities. A culture of knowledge sharing has emerged in which profits members take rightfor helping their globally distributed colleagueseven if they knock against face to face only once or twice a month. mesh Formation at ConocoPhillipsEnsuring that each new mesh topology has the greatest chance to acquire is a process that begins long earlier the internet is formed. Many authors and consultants stress the light nature of such communities, arguing that any attempt to systematize them will m echanical press them. ConocoPhillips found the exact oppositethat without discharge and explicit consorts to the organization and its line of argumentation purpose, earningss often evolve in ways that fail to contribute to t petition goals. The company adheres to two fundamental principles in this study. First, no entanglement is created without a clear and exact business baptismal font that specifies the value advise to the company and is agreed on by vane leaders and members. Insisting on a business case preceding to the creation of a network goes against the typical let a thousand flowers boot approach that is often labourd. But in many another(prenominal) cases, uncontrolled growth of new networks saps employees attention and utilization, leading to neglect and network failure.Setting a high leave off at the outset meaning that every potential new network must have a strong business justification, which signals to potential leaders and members that the result will not be something that consumes their time without producing real business value. Today, more than 120 networks know across the organization. Networks align with business functions to promote in the achievement of functional integrity. The entres are open, in that both contract and regular employees have access to most network activity. Given that between 70 percent and 80 percent of organisational learning occurs snugly and outside the classroom, networks support informal learning among members.Networks exist across all technical disciplines, and most twinkle back up by functional rightness teams. operable virtuousness teams include line managers from business units and assets who are accountable for networks. Functional excellence teams provide structure, governance, and leadership required for effective networks of excellence. The knowledge-sharing leadership team (i.e., not the core group) includes representatives from various business streams across the organizat ion who help set direction and strategy. The knowledge-sharing leadership team too provides support for reinforcing stimulus and recognition programs organization-wide. The enterpriseknowledge-sharing team oversees network activities.Promoting Knowledge sharing at ConocoPhillips synergistic SESSIONSThey reorganized and the solid state of their knowledge assets will help with this effort. More than 70% of their good ideas have come from their employees. dear things happen when employees talk to each other. top out LEVEL PARTICIPATIONThe most favored KM efforts have senior champion of rank and respect in the organization. Most KM groups are placed overly far down the hierarchy to be effective. Their KM effort started when a senior executive felt they were re-inventing things too much. The focus was always connecting people more than assemblage documents. They grew by sharing success stories. share-out these success stories was connected to their variable hire plan and this r eally triggered response.ARCHIMEDES AWARDSIn 2005, ConocoPhillips chisel ind its Archimedes Awards to substantiate business units and regions for the 4 primary types of behaviors that an effective knowledge sharing-enabled culture requires. The plunders, known colloquially as the 4Gs, symbolize* giving,* grabbing and* gathering knowledge,* along with spilling ones guts to resist others from having to repeat painful lessons learned. They have attested over 9 billion dollars in gains through the program. These awards are given to the business units or regions that have successfully created a collaborative work force through giving, taking and applying, and sharing knowledge.Network of the form awardOn an individual basis, ConocoPhillips also actualizes the most large networks through the Network of the Year award. Three networks are put up quarterly by the global governance body of high-level program helpers, found upon several criteria of collaboration and networking imp lementation. Four networks are yearly selected as Networks of the Year. Being put up is considered a high honor within the company. The awards have let highly view symbols of global collaboration.HALL OF HONORSRegions and certain functions have created their own vantages to recognize people at a local level. For example, the North ocean Business Unit and the Operations duty function let people recognize their peers for outstanding efforts that promote knowledge and collaboration. As further evidence of the strength of the Archimedes Network of the Year award, in 2011, ConocoPhillips introduced the house of Honors to recognize networks which have produced superior results year over year. Networks which have won the title of Network of the Year three or more times are named into the Hall of Honors and clutches the honor for three years. Afterwards, they are eligible again to compete for Network of the Year. The Hall of Honors represents a signifi bottomlandt milestone in the g rowth and maturity of the ConocoPhillips Knowledge Sharing program and enables the recognition of more famous networks.KNOWLEDGE PROMOTION TOOLSConocoPhillips has three main tools contract and Discuss, Knowledge Library, and One Wiki . Ask and Discuss component has led to 100,000 exchanges. They foundert believe in formal lessons learned. It takes too much time. Informal connections work better. The formal lessons learned become out of date very quickly and talking with people gives the most current ideas. pack want to help each other but they also want answers quickly. Knowledge libraries and Discussion fabrications are infix in each partnership portal site. Network portals are accessed frequently for example, ConocoPhillips recorded more than 1.3 billion hits monthly on its family of SharePoint-based network portal sites during a six-month period between April and October 2009 deep down each biotic community, the Ask and Discuss gathering is a place to government agenc y questions and inform controvertions. The organization tracks the minute of questions affix, the number of replies, and the number of readers per question or discussion. Data memorialize that an average of 20 people read a single reply.In other words, for just five replies, about 100 people read the responses and absorb the information yellow journalism up oned therein. Content that complements Ask andDiscuss forums is stored in the networks knowledge program library. This study is revaluationed and analyzed by field of honor theme experts and then posted to the library using a taxonomy developed by the knowledge-sharing team and corroborated by network leaders. Knowledge library satiate is quality controlled only the most valuable knowledge is retained in the library The wiki is the first place to tactile property for gist. entirely of their success stories have an economical impact. One had 87 million dollars of benefits. Sharing this is main(prenominal). Givin g credit to the employees is decisive. Getting substance managers on board was done through conveying business value of knowledge sharing.Documented success stories, best practices and lessons learned in the form of stringentd discussions play a large role in providing context to Wiki articles. OneWiki has been deployed across the company and involves many networks, teams and work groups. Even at this early stage, OneWiki is proving to be a natural place to capture the insight and wisdom that veritable knowledge (lessons learned and best practices) has become. Further, the Wiki belief is familiar to people and hike ups them to find and keep accumulated knowledge up todate. internally branding the wiki as OneWiki has sent an primal message that this is the one and only place for contextual, encyclopedic knowledge in ConocoPhillips. To introduce OneWiki to the enterprise, the global KS Team created a set of highend computerbased chase aftering modules. The team meets regularly with individuals deemed content moderators to understand they are aware of the giving medication commonplaces.Closed discussions enabling portal discussions as a way to capture and transportation system lessons learned is a cornerstone of the ConocoPhillips Knowledge Sharing strategy. The sharing of discussions across babe networks yields even greater value for the company. But the latest, most exciting KS initiative is promptly positioning ConocoPhillips to gain signifi set upt value by integrating Web 2.0 applied science with the Knowledge Sharing platform. The two ramous approach consists of Closed Discussion Items and Wiki technology and processes. Four years ago, the KS Team recognise the potential of lost knowledge guardianship opportunities when valuable knowledge from online discussions eventually aged on network portals.Many discussions contain tiny analysis and background information that represent an extensive body of knowledge from experienced network members. To recapture the benefit of such knowledge and provide it asecond life, the team actively re seemed the discussions that had reached cloture and were deemed to have yielded a successful result. The KS team created a process and policy to encourage network leaders to officially close those discussions. These were then turned into searchable lessons learned documents that were added to the networks knowledge library for members and others to search and browse. This approach has proven to be a more useful and efficient means of capturing,storing, accessing and reusing in averectual capital than more traditional and costly methods subdivision participationWhen ConocoPhillips first began launching networks, business units perceived them as a corporate initiative that was being added to normal workloads (i.e., in a higher place the flow of work). Membership engagement has helped change that perception and is one of the building blocks required for successful networks of excellence. Cre ating connections between similar networks increases engagement and allows the organization to leverage knowledge more effectively. Sister networks are railroad tieed by business documentals and functions. One network currently has 16 sister networks. Network members can post Ask and Discuss questions to tie in networks to engage a broader audience in finding a solution. Only meaningful, out-of-the-ordinary questions authorise by the network leader are posted to sister network sites. The goal is to further engage similar networks and let others know of network cut offs and activities.METHODS OF PROMOTING MEMBER ENGAGEMENTNetwork leaders are eternally aware of the need to promote engagement and increase membership. One method for promoting engagement is to transition members from e-mail to the know ledge portal to more effectively begin use of the Ask and Discuss forums. When a leader receives an e-mail message, for example, he or she whitethorn suggest that the member post th e question on the network portal this action will encourage users to become more active in the network by visiting the site rather than posting a question to a single imaginativeness.Network leaders also pull network participation by posting new announcements, events, and discussion items in the portal keeping the network rattling helps sustain members interest. Another strategy for member engagement involves incorporating network use into day-to- day jobresponsibilities. Deliberately designing the network through business planning makes activities more relevant to individuals the intersection between network activities and daily business functions is expanding. The goal is to link part of an individuals deed expectations to network participation, which boosts engagement as well as know ledge sharing. take exception WITH THE NOESAll 120-plus networks arc global, and this can present some challenges. The knowledge-sharing team works with the network leaders and network core teams to address these challenges as they arise. One such challenge is the cultural differences among various regions with regard to sharing knowledge. Whereas most Westerners are evenhandedly comfortable with posting questions and comments to ask and discuss forums, engaging members in the Asia-Pacific region can be more difficult because employees from these cultures arc less comfortable singling out individuals. center field team members in these regions work diligently to build network participation. Time zones present another challenge for global networks. realistic meetings are scheduled in the early morning or the evening to equip different parts of the world and can be repeated at 12-hour intervals if needed.Roles some(prenominal) hundred employees across ConocoPhillips work on knowledge-sharing activities, most of them part-time. As mentioned, the core knowledge-sharing team supports network activities, and six full-time resources help manage networks. Each network is suppor t by a network sponsor and leader, a core team, network members, and subject upshot experts.Network SponsorsA network sponsor provides overall guidance and visibility for the network. Sponsors are influential senior-level managers from organization-wide business streams. They batten down funding and help set direction and strategy with community leaders. A network sponsor also helps create and pull down the networks business case and verify buy- in with business unit leaders. He or she supports the network through executive briefings and communication with stakeholders. Sponsors appoint, coach, and support network leaders, including linking their performance to career progression. In gain, sponsors take in that network members community activities are acceptand rewarded within their business units and globally.Network leadershipNetworks of excellence are supported by network leaders who are selected by sponsors or business-unit leaders. These individuals are responsible for e nsuring that core team members, subject matter experts, and other network members understand the purpose of the community and their roles and responsibilities. They work most with the network sponsors to ensure that the focus of the network reflects business unit needs. Network leaders also seek feedback from core team members about network activity, communicate the value of participation, and solicit business unit feedback. In addition to checking the community portal for patiences and pushing new content to members and subject matter experts, leaders* expedite responses for portal-based questions in a timely manner* Direct Ask and Discuss questions to the provide subject matter expert or member* Encourage the regular use of content with questionsLeaders help train members on how to use the tools and resources available in the community. They also acknowledge member participation with awards, recognition, and performance feedback. The time spent on leadership activities varies by network. One individual may manage three networks and kick the bucket approximately 33 percent of his or her time doing this. Others may spend 20 percent of their time on managing one network, depending on other business demands. The role is integrated with job responsibilities it is not an additional role that leaders are expect to assume on top of their day-after-day functions. They dont put on another hat and slop doing their other jobs, said Miriam Fjellaker, network specialist. The role is integrated and helps them improve their other job functions. total Team MembersCore team members check the portal site daily for new submissions and developments and oppose to Ask and Discuss questions. They also set up alerts for members on key content areas. Core team members also * Work with network leaders and sponsors to make sure the needs and issues of the local business unit are adequately reflected within the scope and activities of the global network * conjure e-mail threads to the portal as much aspossible* run community activities to the business units * Empower and encourage members to use networks as part of their daily work processesNetwork MembersNetwork members are advance to select and join the networks that furbish up to their work. They are also encouraged to share knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned in the network portal and leverage network relationships to ask questions, get answers, and learn with global colleagues. font Matter ExpertsSubject matter experts share knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned in the network portal. They also work with the community and other subject matter experts to develop and agree on best practices. Being antiphonary is important, subject matter experts are encouraged to respond to Ask and Discuss questions relate to their areas of expertise as quickly as possible they are expected to use their expertise to move others forward. Subject matter experts also provide input to the network lea der and core team regarding how their areas of expertise should be addressed in the networks business case and other projects and initiativesTechnology for NetworksSharePoint is used across the enterprise to post questions and promote knowledge sharing. A dedicated team creates and manages portal sites and networks. All networks are standardized and have the same look and feel.Cultural Enablers for Sustaining NetworksNetworks at ConocoPhillips substitute in size, scope, and function. The goal, said Smith, is to uncover the bizarre personality of each network and promote a culture that works. You cant click your heels and change the culture leaders have to make it happen. The community leader is expected to brainstorm ways to bring into being the culture and increase engagement push alerts and responding to Ask and Discuss questions are important and help promote a culture that is conducive to sharing knowledge. Knowledge sharing is indirectly linked to ConocoPhillipss performanc e and incentive compensation structure. This link serves as a strong motivator for employees to act in knowledge sharing, and it demonstrates the organizational committedness to networks of excellence. Reward and recognition programs are designed to increase network participation. Specifically, a reward and recognition structure helps motivate employees to participate in networks and promotes a knowledge-sharing culture reproduction is another cultural enabler. ConocoPhillips has a number of training efforts that explain network functionality and potential. raisingThe Network University is the training vehicle that supports ConocoPhillipss network activities from launch to deployment Network University provides access to documents, presentations, and role descriptions that help form and substantiate networks. Quick links from the KM sept page provide overviews for new and experienced members. Users can also download a FAQ on networks or link to launch sites. The organization us es Network University to train network leaders. It provides detailed descriptions of roles and expectations related to network leadership.The more than 150 network leaders frequently go to the site for guidance on how to maintain networks at ConocoPhillips. In addition, less experienced network leaders are often paired with experienced leaders for mentoring purposes. New hires receive training on networks during the onboarding process. A 90-minute segment heads how to map to networks and how networks tap in to expertise across the organization to better share knowledge.Communication communication the value and purpose of networks of excellence is critical to sustaining engagement and appealing new members. According to Ranta, We recognise we had to get out there and tell our story if we wanted networks to succeed. The organization continues to increase communication efforts designed to spread the word on the value of networks. Network leaders and sponsors frequently communicate s uccess stories to network members. External validation is promoted across the organization. For example, a number of corporate magazine articles pillowcase the success of networks at ConocoPhillips. The organization publicizes these articles to luff the value of network activity.In 2009, ConocoPhillips was named a North American Most respect Knowledge Enterprise (MAKE), and this award was also communicatedacross the organization. Communication is so important to the overall success of ConocoPhillipss knowledge- sharing program that one of its full-time knowledge-sharing team members, Yvonne Myles, is the designated communications adviser. This individual supports the communication efforts of the networks of excellence along with communication initiatives that promote networks to the big organization and externally. Each network uses a portal to communicate activities and news. In addition to linking to key news and discussions, portals character award recipients and network lea ders.Participation Recognition do employees to participate in networks of excellence is critical. ball-shaped and local rewards programs recognize members for network participation. For example, the reputable Archimedes Award is presented to the top networks and success stories each year and recognizes regions for their knowledge-sharing behaviors. ConocoPhillips also collects collaboration success stories to highlight the business value of networks. To date, there are thousands of success stories that provide best business solutions.The stories are quality controlled and stored in the knowledge repository for future access. regional areas sometimes create their own awards. Other recognition programs are supported by peers and implemented across networks Peers may also nominate members for awards through the network portal. Online submission is quick and easy. Members are nominated for excellence in contributions, Ask and Discuss forum participation, and engaging others in truste d relationships. nearly networks of excellence have an award for outstanding discussions. Winners are celebrated on the network home page.KNOWLEDGE ONLINEKnowledge OnLine is a centralized digital hub for all knowledge sharing activities, resources, and intellectual property. It is accessed through the corporate portal. Within Knowledge OnLine, subject matter experts and community members maintain profiles that showcase their expertise. Each profile includes a member picture and incorporates technical background and project industry experience. Members attach current resumes to their profiles. They ask their experts to perform a search on their expertise to make sure they show up in the search results and it helps them to show theirexpertise Global excellence leaders develop and maintain functional networks (i.e., communities) that cross all business groups.They provide leadership for their respective knowledge communities. Specifically, global excellence leaders are responsible for best-practice approvals, beginning systems, and career paths for the organization, including training, required readings, and unique tools for that discipline. An additional debt instrument is career development. The role is prestigious after serving as global excellence leaders, many individuals become executives. Communities are supported by leaders, knowledge managers, a global core KM team, and subject matter experts. A centralized KM team oversees community activities and works closely with leaders, knowledge managers, and subject matter experts across the enterpriseStrategy for Sustaining Effective Networks of ExcellenceConocoPhillips KM program replicates its community, content, discussions, and pen approaches across its 42 functional and four corporate communities. It implies a global mind-set, with consistency of purpose and practice regardless of topic or geography. It implies designing KM so that each employee can tap in to the knowledge of the organization as a who le in order to respond to a clients needs. It also implies access to content and people from anywhere clients or employees need help to lap up a problem or enhance their skill. Knowledge communities are used to drive organizational transformation. In fact, communities are often created to fill a business need or knowledge gap and then decommissioned when they are no daylong relevant. A work-share community, for example, addressed practices and modus operandis that were required to work in New Delhi and Manila. Now these practices are embedded into daily work processes and incorporated into standard operating forces, and the community no longer exists. Similarly, a next-generation community is currently in place to explore future technology solutions.However, when next-generation technology is implemented and begins to become the de facto way to work, this communitys content will be migrated into appropriate mainstream communities for long-term stewardship. Communities also prov ide work process innovation. For example, practice and procedure modifys are managed and implemented in communities. A subject matter expert uses a discussion forum to collect suggestions or ideas to improve a procedure document. use feedback fromcommunity members, the subject matter expert will update a policy or procedure and review changes. This process helps gain buy-in for policy and procedure changes, as well as global buy-in for the practice. The approach also has an associated cost benefit. In the past, they had large budgets for this process. Today, they have set a goal of updating or reviewing trey of the practices using a fraction of the old budget.Communities also support more distributed project execution at fluorspar. The organization uses a project activity model to exposit activities and provide project management guidance. Using the community framework, members are able to update a map and provide color-coded areas of responsibility for more effective project e xecution. Communities can add training materials on how to assoil project activities, along with templates and descriptions. Another work process improvement is linked to the organizational communication strategy.The old practice was to scatter information about communities through the organizational hierarchy. However, not everyone saw those communications. Now communities give newsletters to the entire community membership. As a result, messages have a broader readership (greater penetration), which ultimately helps reap new members. Each message is sent as an e-mail with a link to the latest newsletter. This draws in employees who perhaps are not familiar with the system, thereby potentially recruiting new members. Employees frequently reply to messages and are encouraged to join a grumpy community as part of a routine follow up.Knowledge deprivation Risk AssessmentCommunities help in the identification of knowledge gaps or knowledge at riskthat is, knowledge that clevern ess be lost if the individual who possesses it retires from the organization. Fluor uses a knowledge-loss risk assessment process to determine the impact of retirement and resource gaps. The assessments also effectively communicate the potential impact of knowledge loss. Adapted from the Tennessee valley Authority model, the formula multiplies the retirement part (how soon) against the position risk factor (uniqueness of the individuals knowledge) to determine the total attrition factor.This process helps integrate knowledge sharing with human capital management by identifying when subject matter expertise is atrisk and when the organization should identify a successor or protg for a subject matter expert. criterion Networks of Excellence ConocoPhillipss knowledge-sharing team employs both objective and subjective tools to evaluate the health of the organizations networks, identify where weaknesses exist, and prescribe ways for network leaders to improve their networks. Measurin g the business impact of networks is a regular activity for the knowledge-sharing team and network leaders.Assessing Networks for comfort Success StoriesConocoPhillips believes that you manage what you measure. Keeping detailed records of business impact has served to galvanize sponsorship and attract and sustain membership to networks. One way the organization assesses business value is through validated success stories. Stories are submitted by employees and document cost savings, reduced cycle times, safety and environmental improvements, and other actual business benefits. A story may also identify a critical business or technical issue that was solved using the community. Each year, the organization collects success story nominations and selects the best examples of collaboration. Supervisors, regional representatives and the knowledge sharing leadership team review and validate each story, adding a value statement to provide quick snapshot of the business value provided. in one case success stories are approved, they are posted to the knowledge library where they can be accessed by other networks.BIBLIOGRAPHYwww.conocophillips.com/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ConocoPhillipswww.apqc.orgwww.ibforum.comwww.aiim.orgwww.hrcommunication.comwww.zoominfo.com