Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Reading Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7
Reading - Assignment Example The Philadelphia women bath painting depicts Renoir’s innovative power. The bathers in Philadelphia are aesthetically incongruous because all of the women are doing different things. Two women are resting under a tree near a riverbank while another girl is threatening to splash water on them (White 110). Additionally, the other women are seen wading in the river away from the rest of the women. Renoir recalls the Moulin de la Galette of 1876, the Luncheon of the Boating Party of 1881, and the Reclining Bathers of 1918 (White 111). The works of art were hilarious and novel that the 1887 work of art, the Philadelphia Museum Bathers. The painting borrowed Boucher’s techniques of art in order to make the painting interesting. The split among the impressionist group led to the development of the Philadelphia Museum Bathers paint. According to White, the impressionists’ split made Renoir to develop a new form of painting, which could be appealing to the public (114). In this regard, he took three years to develop the paint. Renoir’s relationship with Aline and the birth of their son affected the Bathers painting in the sense that the painting took a longer time to paint than was anticipated. The proof of this is the fact that the Philadelphia Museum Bathers painting took three years to complete while the rest of the artiste’s painting took one year (White 114). Renoir sought to get progressively through his unique paintings and originality in painting work. Additionally, his irregularity with regard to the techniques applied also added to his novelty in the artwork. White posits that Renoir’s relationship with great artists like Boucher led to his development, especially in the impressionism development (115). Boucher prompted Renoir’s divergence from naturalism to new classicism. The legend positively inspired Renoir to explore classicism in a new perspective (White 118). Additionally, Boucher also gave Renoir insight pertaining to
Monday, October 28, 2019
The Dilemma Essay Example for Free
The Dilemma Essay The dilemma that Ms. Lee faces is not easy to resolve. There are various factors to consider in determining what the best action to take is. This is the primary point of contention in the scenario? Ms. Lee faces the question of what is the morally and ethically sound decision to make. The choice that Ms. Lee would make would determine whether Rose lives or dies. This is indeed a major ethical dilemma. Are certain instructions enough to validate the loss of a child’s life? This Ms. Lee must make choose between two options. The first option is to honor Rose’s parent’s request that Rose would not be resuscitated in the event of a seizure. The other is for Ms. Lee to provide medical assistance to Rose despite of the parents’ orders. Each of the choices presents certain principles that need to be taken into consideration. Ms. Lee’s first option is to follow the instructions of Rose’s parents. This option would mean that Ms. Lee would go against her own principle and belief that every child has the right to live a full life regardless of any disability. Moreover, such move will go against the institution’s policy that medical assistance must be provided to any child whenever necessary and possible. The other option for Ms. Lee is to provide Rose with CPR. However, such course of action will go against the specific instructions that Rose’s parents gave. In fact, Rose’s parents submitted a formal notice to the principal of the school informing them of such decision. By giving Rose CPR, Ms. Lee will disobey the orders stated in the formal notice. Furthermore, Ms. Lee may also cause further problems for Rose’s parents who are having a difficult time making ends meet and providing for their other children. The dilemma is a case of what ethical reasoning to follow. The solution to the case will depend on what type of ethics is to be applied. The following section will discuss to possible schools of ethics that maybe applied in determining the solution to Ms. Lee’s dilemma. Consequentialism            Consequentialism is a group of moral theories that consider only the consequences of actions. Although consequentialism can be applied at various levels, the most prominent use of such normative properties is to determine how morally right the act is. What this means is that consequetialism is usually applied to cases wherein the morality of a certain action is being considered. Furthermore, consequentialism suggests that the moral status of a certain act is dependent on the goodness or badness of the consequences of the action. According to Fesser (), a consequentialist believes that, â€Å"An action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable.†There are several ethical theories that fall under the consequentialist approach. One of such theories is ulitarianism. This type of consequentialism suggests that decisions should be made by using a cost-benefit analysis. Furthermore, an important principle of utilitarianism is that the action must be beneficial to everyone or to the majority. According to Carter (2002): A commonly accepted utilitarian calculus for determining an action’s moral acceptability is; â€Å"the greatest happiness for the greatest number.†Thus, a consequentialist would typically attempt to calculate the consequences or outcome of a decision and if the benefits of the outcome are outweighed by the risks of either not performing the action or performing some other action, then the action is considered as morally desirable.            When these principles are applied to Ms. Lee’s dilemma, it is evident that Ms. Lee must choose to follow the order of Rose’s parents. Weighing the benefits of choosing to follow the instructions against the risks of doing so will reveal that more people will benefit from the decision. Since Rose’s parents have admitted that they are struggling to continue to provide their children with their needs, following their instructions will allow Rose’s parents to provide a better life for all their other children. Following the formula suggested by Carter (2002), â€Å"the greatest happiness for the greatest number,†Ms. Lee will be led to a decision where she must abide by the instructions of Rose’s parents for such move will benefit a greater number of people. Virtue Ethics            Another type or form of normative ethics is virtue ethics. This form of ethics places emphasis on the virtues or moral character of the person. Applying virtue ethics will mean that every action must be analyzed on the basis of what virtue will result from it. Moreover, virtue ethics requires an individual to answer the question, â€Å"how should I live?†The answer to such question is that one must live with a virtuous character.            Character is a vital concept in virtue ethics. The concept of character in virtue ethics is based on Aristotlean character. Athanassoulis (2006) states:  â€Å"Aristotelian character is, importantly, about a state of being. Its about having the appropriate inner states†¦ Aristotelian theory is a theory of action, since having the virtuous inner dispositions will also involve being moved to act in accordance with them. Realizing that kindness is the appropriate response to a situation and feeling appropriately kindly disposed will also lead to a corresponding attempt to act kindly.†Also, virtue ethics suggests that character traits are stable and fixed. Meaning, when a person possesses a certain trait, he is expected to demonstrate such trait in all scenarios even there are times that he will find it difficult to do so.            When applied to resolution of Ms. Lee’s ethical dilemma, one must consider the character traits that she possesses. Ms. Lee is known to be compassionate and caring especially to young children. Thus, when she sees a child or person in need, she provides assistance in any way possible.            One way to resolve the issue is for Ms. Lee to maintain her compassionate nature as prescribed by virtue ethics. Although it may be difficult to do so, owing to the fact that standing orders have been made not to resuscitate Rose, Ms. Lee is still expected to apply compassion since it is in her character. Moreover, one can view the situation from the perspective that one is ought to live compassionately which would mean that Ms. Lee ought to provide medical assistance to Rose when she needs it. It is deemed to be virtuously wrong for Ms. Lee to leave Rose be as it is not the way that Ms. Lee should live her life. Resolution of the Dilemma            I believe that in Ms. Lee’s case, virtue and character must prevail over consequences. It is my personal belief that much of what is ethically correct is based on the virtues and traits that one exercises when acting or deciding.            In the case of Ms. Lee, I believe that even before the event occurred, she already knew how she wanted to live her life. It is the same reason why she believed that every child, regardless of disability, has the right to live a full life. Such belief of hers demonstrates her character and virtue of being compassionate. Moreover, her decision to work in an SSP school shows that she wants to live a life of compassion especially for children who have special needs. Thus, it is expected that she continues to demonstrate such character trait despite the difficulty of the circumstance.            Using virtue ethics as the basis of the resolution, I find that I am more inclined to helping Rose despite the â€Å"do not resuscitate†orders of her parents. Just watching someone die is not the way one should live her life. Watching Rose lie helplessly on the floor does not show compassion. It is in helping Rose that Ms. Lee would live a virtuous life, a life of compassion and service to others. Reference: Athanassoulis, N. (2006). â€Å"Virtue Ethics.†The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 18 June 2007 from: http://www.iep.utm.edu/v/virtue.htm#SH3c. Carter, L. (2002). A primer to ethical analysis. Office of Public Policy and Ethics Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Australia. Retrieved 18 June 2007 from: http://www.uq.edu.au/oppe. Fieser, J. (2006). â€Å"Ethics.†The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 18 June 2007 from: http://www.iep.utm.edu/e/ethics.htm. Sinnott-Armstrong, W. (2007). Consequentialism, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 18 June 2007 from: http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2007/entries/consequentialism/.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Genetic Screening :: Science Technology Religion Papers
Genetic Screening The door opens and your doctor steps into the room. The doctor is wearing a frown on his face. He tells you that they just got your tests back from the lab and wants to refer you to a genetic counselor. Given the current trend in our society man y of us may fare this situation in our future. But what does this mean to our lives, what can these tests really tell us? In this document I will address what type of tests are considered genetic screening and what they can tell us, the ethical argument s floating around in the media today, and how you should embrace this new technology. What is Genetic screening Many of the tests we call genetic screening are for pregnant women. Pregnant women are given many tests to screen for possible fetal developmental problems. Some of the tests done are blood tests to tell if the women has a higher predisposition t o have a baby with spina bifida, or fetal Down syndrome. (Blatt 1997) These tests are safer than the invasive tests and many people are hoping that someday all of the genetic screening done will be done on the mothers blood, this te chnique is called fetal cell sorting. But today many of the tests that can be done on the fetus require invasive techniques, like a needle for amniocentesis and precutaneous umbilical blood sampling where a needle is inserted into an umbilical vein in ue tero. These tests can actually screen the genes of the fetuses. And in some situations women choose to terminate pregnancies because of the results. One test done on newborns has been in practice since the sixties. Phenylketonuria is a disease that can cause retardation if not caught early enough in a child's development. The government has mandated the testing of newborn for this metabolic i mbalance that can be treated by proper diet. (Blatt 1997) Many other diseases can be diagnosed at birth with relatively no danger to the infant as compared to the invasive procedure describe earlier. But many of these diseases that can be diagnosed have no known treatment for them like Phenylketonuria. From newborns on up to adulthood many new diseases can be diagnosed. Many tests have been developed, and more are developed everyday thanks to the Human Genome Project. The sheer enormity of data scientists are being presented with virtually ensure that almost everyone will have some genetic disorder that could be identified.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Advices for Those who marry
Marriage is the institution under which man and woman become legally united in a permanent basis, or it is an intimate linking together (New Webster Dictionary, International Edtion, 2004) Marriage is a life _ long, serious commitment that needs to be made between two people who are very sure about exactly what they are getting into (Romance Class. com Advice). Marriage life is a long term relationships and death is the only way that can make the man and woman separate from each other.It’s very important that once u get married both the man and woman is ready and capable enough to face the challenges they may tackle in life. Body of the Paper This paper will discuss on the possible don’t for marriage and their possible advices like for instance: Before entering into marriage life, a man and a woman must think it over and over again if they are already in the right age to become a father and a mother of their future children.It is very common nowadays that people who are together for a long period of time and suddenly to have their relationships change and ended over the years. One of the possible causes of don’ts or failure of marriage is the marrying at early age; teenagers get married just because of hot passion of love and emotions, not thinking what will happen to their marriage life in the future. Mostly of the married couples in their early age will not prosper and some lead to separation.Marriage should never ever involve someone pressuring the other, like in the Islam religions it is their parents who will choose who will be the future husband or wife of their children’s, and they are force to marry in their early age because they don’t have choice but to follow, this marriages just resulted to break ups and separation. In marriage, one of the important factors is the relationship that also needs a ton of work to keep it going. While it’s easy in the early days to coast on the rush of passion, it’s much h arder as it goes on to maintain the relationship between the husband and the wife.(Romance Class. com Advice). People don’t take breaks or break up when they’re happy but if something was wrong that will lead to destructive conclusion. One of the most important things in marriage is the ability to work through problems and actively address issues on how to resolve it successfully to preserve marriage. People should not be married if she he don’t have patience because marriage life will runs thin when we are in a hurry and want things instantly or right now; especially when it comes to love, Love is patience and kind.It is very important to know ourselves first before we try to get to know someone else too intimately, being a couple both of them must be open to each other, and must share all the happiness and frustration in life. The wrong time would be when you are marrying just to please someone else, but not yourself. Remember that you are the driving force in your own life, when you lose control or give up that responsibility to someone else, disaster will surely follow and you will be the one to suffer for the rest of your life. Some basic attributes that will help strengthen or tear down your marriage.As simple as they are, they are easily set aside or overlooked. So let's take a look and get a good reminder right now of the important â€Å"do's†and â€Å"don'ts†in a marriage. Do pray, a couple that prays together connects on an emotional level. You unite in your beliefs and values; therefore you bond emotionally and spiritually. Do show affection, play and laugh Marriage should be fun! There's enough work involved. Don't forget to enjoy each other in addition to sharing the work load. Do encourage each other, just because you are married doesn't mean you or your spouse don't need encouragement.We all do. Hearing that someone believes in you or is encouraging something that is important to you, makes all the difference in the world in how you feel about yourself and them. Do invest time in your relationship; the toughest obstacle for parents is finding time alone together. Make sure you do. Whether it's an hour locked away together before bed time or a set date night†¦ find what works for your situation. Don’t refuse to forgive, we teach our children to forgive, so should we! Some hurts take longer to heal than others, but grudges and resentments only push away love.Don’t snipe; sarcasm is the biggest disease in our homes these days. And it can be painful! Sniping and making sarcastic comments never builds up a home or a marriage. Work now at breaking this harmful habit. Don’t compare, your husband may not be like your friend's husband, but hey, you're not like your friend either! We all have strengths and weaknesses. Comparing only enhances the weaknesses instead of boosting the strengths. And it's never fair to anyone. Don’t criticize, we all make mistakes. Give each other some room. Doesn’t play the blame game, we all do this?Why is it so tough to say, â€Å"I'm Sorry†? Blaming never solves the issue at hand – it only divides you as a couple. Don’t want to personally win, Marriage is a team. You should be on the same side. Don’t yell and fight so hard, Disagreeing and arguing is bound to come to every marriage. But when you start the trend of yelling, slamming doors, etc – that can become a habit that ends up crippling communication. Learn to be constructive and practical when you disagree or take a time out until your emotions calm a little (Christian –Parent, Focusing on Family Values). Conclusionâ€Å"Every one of us is entitled to be happy†but marriage life is not an answer for that saying. Before planning or entering marriage we have to consider many things, we have to ask guidance from our parents and especially to our creator if we are ready or not to face the biggest challen ges that we in life. Marriage life is more successful if it is done in the right time, if both are emotionally stable, and if both are financially ready for their children’s to come, because the only way a relationships can work smoothly if both people was actively work to reach the goals they want to achieve.References Romance Class. com Advice, Retrieved December 9. 2006 from http:// www. romanceclass. commiscradvice653 Sanchez Dionna, Do’s and Don’ts of Marriage Retrieved December 9, 2006 from http://www. christian-parent. com/marriage/062605a. shtml Sister’s Advice, Retrieved December 6, 2006 from http://www. advicesisters. netgifts%20jpegsDoubletakeedt- When the right ones come along, Retrieved December 9, 2006 from not ready towed. http;\www. datingtop. netadvicearticle. php? id=7
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Operation Strategy
OPERATIONS STRATEGY Strategy: The Concept of Strategy The word strategy is derived from the Greek term â€Å"strategos†(plural strategoi; Greek: [ , ], literally meaning â€Å"army leader†) is used in Greek to mean â€Å"general†. However, the term is also used to describe a military governor which command, plan and conduct of a war.When strategy applied to business wars, the strategy refers to the establishment of objectives, the setting of direction, and the development and implementation of plans, with the goal (in place of military â€Å"victory†) of achieving ascendancy over one’s adversaries according to Andrews (1971), Ghemawat (2002) and Porter (1980). In order to have the desired competitive impact, a strategy has to operate over an extended time horizon and embrace a broad spectrum of activities, ranging from resource allocation processes to day-to-day operations.It must integrate decisions affecting these different sets of activities in to a coherent pattern, both over time and across groups that often compete for the same resources. An effective strategy also usually involves concentrating a company’s efforts and resources on a limited range of directions. Focusing resources on certain directions reduces available for others, nonetheless, so a coherent strategy usually required that a company make trade-offs among various â€Å"expected outcomes†.TYPE OF STRATEGY The word strategy is used in many contexts that is useful to identify and contrast three different types of management-related strategies. At the highest level, corporate strategy identifies the industries and markets in which a company will operate. Corporate strategists make decisions that implement these choices, including investment in and divestment of businesses together with allocation of resources among existing businesses.Business strategy, the second level of company strategy, is focused at the level of the individual business or b usiness unit within the company, and is concerned with where the business positions itself within a particular industry or market as well as with how and with what capabilities the business will win customers, cooperatively and in competition with other parties in its industries.In other word, the business strategy is also concerned with strategic business units (SBUs) as each SBU might have its own business strategy, which specifies (1) the scope of that business and its relation to the corporation as a whole, and (2) how it proposes to position itself within its particular industry to achieve competitive advantage in various ways according to Hayes et al (1988). To be effective, elaborated further from Porter (1980), this advantage must meet important customer needs, take into account competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, and be sustainable given the SBU’s capabilities.Empirical evidence from a study over 100 companies by Sterman (2000) found that those companies th at engaged in system level thinking about their business strategies significantly outperformed those that focused at the product level. To be more specific, Hax and Wilde 2001 differentiated three views a company might consider in developing a strategy. For IBM4710 Inter OM Chayakrit Asvathitanont, Ph. D. 1. Best Product- this view emerges from the classic competitive strategy.It focuses on competing by positioning the company’s products or services as low cost, having a unique set of features, or targeting a focused or niche segment in the market. 2. Total Customer Solution- the customer is at the center and the earliest to satisfy. It argues that very good understanding of customer and developing close relationships with those customers to support them in creating their own economic value.Company competing with this view will focus on supply chains to response to provide family of products or services that closely match customer requirement. 3. System Lock-In- this view com prehends the enterprise, the customers, the suppliers, and the most important those company whose product and services enhance the strategy-making company’s own product and service portfolio. The key to success in this view is to identify, attract and nurture those companies whose products and services are complementary, engaging them in a collective effort to please the customer.In this study, companies engaged in â€Å"system lock-in†far outperformed those employing â€Å"total customer solutions†or â€Å"best product†strategies on both Market Value Added (MVA) and Market-to-Book Value (MBV) as in Exhibit 1: Exhibit 1 Relative Performance of Three Positioning Strategies Strategy Best Product Total customer solutions System lock-in Number of companies in the study Relative Market Value Added Performance Relative Market-to-Book Value Performance 74 67 16 1. 0 1. 6 4. 0 1. 0 1. 2 2. 0 Source: Hax and Wilde, The Delta Project: Discovering New Sources of Profitability in a Network Economy, Pelgrave, 2001.Thus, to develop business strategy, the company must think about its positioning not only to its competitors but also its customers, suppliers and potential complementary product or service producers. Understanding the system-level view, the company will be able to provide better solutions from integration of value chain with attention to company produce the products or services that complement its products and services or any other solutions. However, the understanding customer is more critical to strategy development and execution.Hayes and Wheelwright (1984) and Fine and Hax (1985) had proposed five dimensions to use as the framework which are Cost, Quality, Availability, Features/ innovativeness and Environmental/ performance. Cost The cost has been defined as the cost of the product or service to the customer. Cost this includes not only purchase price of the product or service, but the cost of ownership as well. The aspects of cost to customer will be vary on the industry or category of the product such as the cost customer consumer product will be only on its selling price.While industrial product, like machine and equipment, will be more likely For IBM4710 Inter OM Chayakrit Asvathitanont, Ph. D. to extend its concern on installation, maintain and others cost related not only to the equipment alone. Quality The quality defined by Garvin (1988) and King (1987) is broken down into two aspects, the tangible and intangible. The tangible aspects of quality include the aesthetics of the product, or output of the service, how reliable it is over period of time, whether or not it is safe, and how convenience to fix and etc.While the intangible aspects include the competence, courtesy, and credibility of the people involved in the process, as well as the degree to which those people understand the customer’s needs and communicate well with the customers. They also include assessments of the environment s urrounding the purchase process or service, including considerations such as accessibility and security. In addition, to examine the quality, it may be important to differentiate assessments of the actual quality delivered from the quality perceived by the customer.Availability The availability dimension is increasingly important and demanding by customers. Availability requirements clearly vary by business. Grocery store customers expect products to be available on the shelf when they go shopping. An out-of-stock item is a lost of sale for a particular brand or product and also may be lost of sale for the store itself. Airlines buying airplanes, on the other end of the spectrum, do not expect to buy their products off the shelf, but they do expect delivery when promised.Plans are made months ahead, or in some cases years ahead, of projected delivery to put the new aircraft into service immediately upon delivery, possibly retiring and replacing another aircraft. Late deliveries can cause great disruption to an airline’s entire schedule. Availability applies to new product introductions as well. Some industries such as consumer electronics focus on fast time-to-market for new products. Others have longer product development and introduction cycles but must delivery new products when promised. Moreover, availability refers to the variety of the products a company offers.There is a wide range of ways in which companies offer customized products or services to their customers. Hence, availability describes the firm’s ability to deliver the variety of products or services its customers want when they want them. Features and Innovativeness The inherent characteristics of the product or service is Features such as the featured services from the first or business class fares on full service airlines like Japan Airline, Thai Airways or less featured services, such as passage on Southwest Airlines’, and Airasia’s â€Å"no frills†fligh t.Innovativeness is closely related to features due to the fact that advanced technologies are developed to be new featured of the product. For instance, global positioning systems (GPS), as innovative technology, is equipped with hi-end car and represent as additional feature. Environmental Performance It may apply to the product (or tangible output of a service) itself, or to the process by which that product was made or service delivered. Environmental management systems, for example, focus on processes and aim to reduce For IBM4710 Inter OM Chayakrit Asvathitanont, Ph. D. the environmental impact (e. . hazardous waste generation) of the processes used to make the products or deliver the services. ISO 14000 and the European Eco-Management & Audit Scheme (EMAS, www. quality. co. uk/emas. htm) are but two of several frameworks for companies to follow to improve environmental performance. The third level is composed of the functional strategies that support the type of competitive a dvantage to be pursued. A typical functional strategy is the sets of decisions made in each of the functional areas of an organization that determine how it will use in the overall business strategy of the company.Research and development managers make decisions about technology use, engineering resource allocation, product development process, research and development skills and organization, product prototyping and testing approaches, and involvement of customers in product development. Marketing managers make decisions about product and service positioning, advertising and promotion, and customer relationship management. Finance and Accounting managers make decisions about sources of funds, resource allocation, and currency hedging.The decisions make in these various functions make up the overall business strategy of the organization. Synergistic decision making among the functional support of an overall business strategy and leverage cross-functional capabilities to create and s upport business strategy direction is allowing the company to be successful. Beckman and Rosenfield (2008) have integrated these strategy into framework illustrated in Exhibit X. X. Each individual functional area may develop its own capabilities that in turn serve business strategy, or the functional areas may work in concert with another to create overarching capabilities.Business strategy is best supported, when the activities undertaken by the functional areas and/or the capabilities they develop complement one another and work together to achieve the goal of business (Fine and Hax 1985). They refer to this requirement as crossfunctional integration or fit. OPERATIONS STRATEGY An operations strategy is a set of goals, policies, and self-imposed restrictions that together describe how the organization proposes to direct and develop all the resources invested in operations so as to best fulfill (and possibly redefine) its mission (Hayes et al 1998).In the case of business organiza tion, the mission usually is expressed terms of survival, profitability, and growth, and is pursued by trying to differentiate itself from its competitors in some desirable way. A company’s operation strategy, then, has to begin by specifying how it proposes to support that chosen form of competitive differentiation. By integrating resources invested in the operations function into a cohesive, purposeful whole, such a strategy can enable operations to become a powerful source of competitive advantage. For IBM4710 Inter OM Chayakrit Asvathitanont, Ph.D. Operations Strategy Goal As described earlier, five dimensions of customer requirements which are cost, quality, availability, feature/innovativeness, and environmental performance has been mapped with operations performance measures by Fine and Hax (1985). In each case, operations can affect some, but not all, of the company’s performance along that dimension. Cost Operations directly affects the cost of the product or service and thus its purchase price (assuming that products are priced to achieve some profit) through its direct or indirect control of the supply chain.It can also affect the product’s cost of ownership through joint efforts with engineering (research and development) and/or marketing in the design of the product or service. Quality Operations also directly controls the quality of the product or service, again through its direct or indirect control of the supply chain. This is often thought of as a â€Å"conformance to specifications†task as operations strives to have all products and services delivered meet the specification set forth by the developers on behalf of the customers.Operations can also influence the design of a product or service so that it can be produced or delivered with higher quality. It does so, again, in joint efforts with research and development and marketing. Availability Operations is primarily responsible for the availability of products or services already in the market and often determines make-to-order versus make-to-stock strategies. Operations’ flexibility and process knowledge are critical in determining both the variety of features and the availability an organization can offer.The ability of operations to control the supply chain and the timeliness with which products or services can be delivered directly affects availability. The determination of how much flexibility operations can offer is a joint decision with marketing and research and development. Features/Innovativeness Generally, features are the purview of the marketing and research and development organizations, although the operations function is influential in determining the range of products, services, or features the firm will be able to provide based on its won ability to deliver them.Process knowledge and innovation are key to the organization’s ability to customize output to specific customer needs, to embed new innovations, and to allow research and development to create novel products and services. For IBM4710 Inter OM Chayakrit Asvathitanont, Ph. D. Exhibit 2: Business and Operations Strategy Performance Dimensions Dimension Cost Customer Concerns Purchase price Cost of ownership Operations Influence Costs of: Materials Production Delivery Distribution Capital Productivity Inventory turnover Design for cost Cost Objectives are measured using labor, materials, and capacity productivity; inventory turnover; unit cost.Quality of: Materials Production Delivery Distribution Design for quality Quality measures include percent defective or rejected, frequency of failure in the field, cost of quality, and mean time between failures. Availability Timeliness of delivery of product or service Ability to respond to volume fluctuations Timeliness of new product introductions Delivery performance is measured by percentage of on-time shipments, average delay, expediting response time. Flexibility is measured by product mix range, volume, and lead time for new products.Process capability Capabilities for more featured and innovative products and services Process knowledge and ability to extend it Design and development capabilities Measures of process capability assess the types of products or services that can be delivered. Environmental performance Managing environmental performance of suppliers or other partners in the supply chain Managing the environmental performance of internal production or service delivery operations Environmental performance measures include both emissions measures (water, air, and solid waste) as well as measures of product reuse and recyclability.Quality Tangible characteristics Aesthetics Reliability, durability, and safety Serviceability Intangible characteristics Competence, courtesy, understanding, and communication Access and security For purchase: Off-the-shell or make-toorder Of new products: Rapid cycle or planned evolution Variety of range of products availabl e: Degree of customization Availability Features/ innovativeness Inherent characteristics of a product or service Degree of innovation Environmental performanceDegree to which process that produces and delivers the product or service is environmentally sound Degree to which the product or service itself is environmentally sound and reusable or recyclable For IBM4710 Inter OM Chayakrit Asvathitanont, Ph. D. Source: Fine and Hax. (1985), â€Å"Manufacturing Strategy: A Methodology and an Illustration,†Interfaces 15, no. 6 (November-December) cited in Beckman, Sara L. , Rosenfield, Donald B. (2008). Operations Strategy: Competing in the 21st Century, U. S. : McGraw-Hill International Edition. Environmental Performance Finally, operations own the environmental erformance of both internal and external operations throughout the supply chain. It either works with suppliers to achieve adequate environmental performance in their facilities or works to achieve it in internal Operation s or both. Operations may also influence research and development to design products that are more environmentally sound (e. g. , easier to disassemble and recycle). Operations Goals in Practice Researchers have identified many alternative categorizations of these operations performance dimensions over the years (Dangayach and Deshmukh 2001).Some identify many categories such as the following 11: low cost, design flexibility, volume flexibility, quality conformance, product performance, speed of delivery, dependability of deliveries, after sales service, advertising, broad distributions, and broad product line (Miller and Roth 1994). Others summarize the characteristics in fewer categories defined as follows (Spring and Biadeb 1997): Cost: produce and distribute product (or service) at low cost. Quality: manufacture or deliver product or service with high quality or performance standards.Delivery dependability: meet delivery schedules. Flexibility: react to changes in product, chang es in product mix, modifications to design, fluctuations in materials, and changes in sequence. Yet others link clusters of operations performance characteristics into stylized business strategies such as those of caretaker, marketer, and innovator (miller and Roth 1994). Some researchers have examined similarities and differences in emphasis on these performance categories by industry, by geography, and over time.One study, for example, found that computer and electronics companies rate high product quality as their most important competitive factor, but computer companies rate innovative features and designs more highly than do electronics companies, while electronics companies place more emphasis on short lead times than do computer companies (Lau 2002). Others have found important differences among various countries or geographies in the emphasis they place on these characteristics. After achieving a high level of quality, for example, Japanese manufacturers turned their focus t o time-based competition and innovative products, while the U.S. and Europe continued to rank quality as a critical objective (Kenney and Florida 1993). The Manufacturing Futures Survey, which collected longitudinal data over many years, found that lasting improvements in manufacturing can only be achieved by first building quality, followed by delivery reliability, then flexibility and responsiveness, and then technological leadership. At each For IBM4710 Inter OM Chayakrit Asvathitanont, Ph. D. step of the progression, cost efficiency is pursued for the given capability set, culminating with an overall focus on cost leadership (Roth et al. 989, Miller et al. 1989). Operations Decision Categories Creating an operations strategy essentially entails making a set of decisions about the structure and infrastructure of operations (Skinner 1969, Hayes and Wheelwright 1984). Structural decisions deal with the vertical integration of the operations, its facilities, capacity, and process te chnology, whereas infrastructure decisions focus on organizational and human resource policies, sourcing and supply chain management practices, quality management systems, planning and control systems, and information technology.Infrastructure is developed over time through persistent day-to-day practice, top management commitment, and cross-functional efforts to create capabilities that support and leverage the firm’s structure. Infrastructure decisions usually deal with less tangible outcomes than do structural decisions, but it is the effective integration and synthesis of structural and infrastructural decisions that create long-term operations excellence (Dangayach and Deshmukh 2001).In making decisions in each of these categories, operations managers strive to ensure that the decisions are mutually supportive and consistent with one another. Further, they aim to have the collection of decisions support or facilitate the overall business strategy. The decision categories are briefly discussed hereunder. Structural Decisions Vertical Integration. Vertical integration decisions answer questions about how much of the Value chain a firm should own. Should they own more or less of the value chain reaching back to their suppliers?Should they own more or less of the value chain reaching forward to their customers? Issues considered include cost of the business to be acquired or entered; degree of supplier reliability; the proprietary or nonproprietary nature of the product or process to be brought in house; transaction costs of contracting through market versus non-market mechanisms; and impact on risk, product quality, cost structure, and degree of focus. Process Technology. Process technology decisions relate to the firm’s investment in the technology it uses to transform materials and/or nformation into products and/or services. Evaluation of this investment requires a firm to address several questions: Should its process be more labor intensive or more automated? Should it purchase technology or develop it in house, or use some combination there of? Should it be a follower or a leader in process technology investment? How does its process technology investment fit with its product technology development strategy? Capacity Capacity decisions establish how much capacity the firm will carry in order to manage both short-term fluctuations in demand and longer-term growth opportunities.Capacity For IBM4710 Inter OM Chayakrit Asvathitanont, Ph. D. may be added gradually or in large chunks. How should the firm deal with cyclical demand? Different types of capacity may be added at different times. How should the firm use capacity to influence its competitors’ decisions or actions? Facilities Facilities decisions are often closely related to capacity decisions, as firms may add or close facilities in response to a need for more or less capacity, but are often longer-term.In thinking through its facilities decisions, a firm will answer questions about how many facilities it should have, where they should be located, and what they should do. Facilities issues become even more crucial in a global environment as firms decide whether to locate facilities near the local market to increase share in that market, to access local technologies, to reduce costs, or to leverage local talent. Infrastructural Decisions Sourcing. Sourcing decisions follow closely from vertical integration decisions.Once a firm has decided not to own certain parts of its value chain, it must determine what types of relationships it should have with the entities outside the boundaries of the firm. Should the suppliers be managed with the five forces competitive-strategy framework suggested by Porter in this chapter, or with the more cooperative approach modeled by the Japanese keiretsu? Business processes, such as product and service Business Processes and Policies. generation, order fulfillment, and service and support, cut across fun ctional boundaries in an organization and are critical in serving the customer.Business process decisions include determining and defining critical processes, setting performance goals for each, and then choosing an appropriate organizational design to met those goals. Some of the organizational design questions include: How should the operations organization be structured? What are the roles of the line and staff organizations? What skills are required in operations? How should those skills be developed and retained? How should Those skills be developed and retained? How should operations personnel be rewarded? Supply Chain Coordination.While business process management focuses inside the organization, operations management today often requires management of multiple sources, markets, and flows outside the firm as well. Thus, operations managers face strategic decisions about the structure of the supply chains. Should they co-locate their own operations with those of their supplier s? How many layers should they have in their distribution networks? What modes of transportation are appropriate for which links in the supply chain? How should flows of goods among the various entities in the supply chain be monitored?Information Technology. Information technology and process technology decision are closely related, but process technology decisions relate to the physical equipment with which products and services are made and delivered, while information technology refers to the system that moves information around the operations function, between operations and the other functional areas in the firm, and among the players in the broader supply For IBM4710 Inter OM Chayakrit Asvathitanont, Ph. D. chain. There are a number of decisions operations managers make about their information technology.How automated should information processing be? Should information systems be purchased or developed internally? Should the firm be a follower or a leader in the development and/or use of state-of-the-art-technology? How does the information technology investment fit with other investments the firm is making? Operations Capabilities Development. There is some evidence that traditional operations improvement programs such as lean manufacturing, just-in-time, total quality management, focused factories, and the like are misused by managers.Often hastily adopted as an industry best practice or in emulation of a competitor, these programs can yield poor results, wasted effort, and missed opportunities for an organization. When thoughtfully and fully implemented, however, they can be enormously successful. In developing operations strategy, managers must examine such programs and consider the capabilities required to develop and implement them. REFERENCES Andrews, K. (1971). The Concept of Corporate Strategy, Dow Jones-Irwin: Homewood, IL. Beckman, S. L. , D. B. Rosenfield. (2008). Operations Strategy: Competing in the 21st Century, U.S. : McGraw-Hill Intern ational Edition. Dangayach, G. S. and S. G. Deshmukh. (2001) â€Å"Manufacturing Strategy: Literature Review and Some Issues. †International Journal of Operations & Production Management 21, no. 7 (July), pp. 949-964. Fine and Hax. (1985), â€Å"Manufacturing Strategy: A Methodology and an Illustration,†Interfaces 15, no. 6 (November-December) pp. 28-46. Garvin, D. A. (1988). Managing Quality: The Strategic and Competitive Edge. New York: The Free Press. Ghemawat, P. (2002). â€Å"Competition and Business Strategy in Historical Perspective. Business History Review 76 (spring): 37-74. Ghemawat, P. (1991). Commitment: The Dynamic of Strategy. New York: Free Press. Grant, R. M. (1998). Contemporary Strategy Analysis: Concepts, Techniques, Applications. 3rd ed. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Inc. Hax, A. C. and D. L. Wilde II. (2001). The Delta Project: Discovering New Sources of Profitability in a Network Economy, Pelgrave. Hayes, R. H. and G. P. Pisano. (1996). â€Å"M anufacturing Strategy: At the Intersection of Two Paradigm Shifts. †Production and Operations Management 5, no. 1 (Spring), pp. 25-41.Hayes, R. H. and S. C. Wheelright (1984). Restoring Our Competitive Edge: Competing through Manufacturing. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Hayes, R. H. and S. C. Wheelright and K. Clark. (1988). Dynamic Manufacturing: Creating the learning organization, New York: Free Press. Hayes, R. H. , and D. M. Upton. (1998). â€Å"Operations-Based Strategy. †California Management Review 40, no. 4 (Summer), pp. 8-25. Kenney, M. and R. Florida (1993). Beyond Mass Production: The Japanese System and its Transfer to the United States. New York: Oxford University Press. Kim, W. C. nd R. Mauborgne (2005). â€Å"Blue Ocean Strategy: From Theory to Practice. †California Management Review 47, no. 3 (Spring), pp. 105-121. King, C. A. (1987). â€Å"A Framework for a Service Quality Assurance System. †Quality Progress 20, no. 9 (September), pp. 27-32. Lau, R. S. M. (2002). â€Å"Competitive Factors and Their Relative Importance in the U. S. Electronics and Computer Industries. †International Journal of Operations & Production Management 22, no. 1, (January), pp. 125-135. For IBM4710 Inter OM Chayakrit Asvathitanont, Ph. D. Miller, J. G. , and A. V. Roth. 1994) â€Å"A Taxonomy of Manufacturing Strategy. †Management Science 40, no. 3, pp. 285-304. Mintzberg, H. (1987). â€Å"Five P’s for Strategy. †California Management Review 30, no. 1, pp. 11-24. Mintzberg, H. (1994). â€Å"The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning. †Harvard Business Review (JanuaryFebruary), pp. 107-114. Mintzberg, H. , and A. McHugh. (1985). â€Å"Strategy Formation in an Adhocracy. †Administrative Science Quarterly 30, pp. 160-197. Mintzberg, H. , B. Ahlstrand, and J. Lampel. (1998). Strategy Safari: A Guided Tour through the Wilds of Strategic Management.New York: The Free Press. Ohmae, K. (1982). The Mind of Strategist: The Art of Japanese Business. New York:McGraw-Hill Book Company. Porter, M. E. (1996). â€Å"What is Strategy? †Harvard Business Review 74, no. 6 (November-December), pp. 61-78. Prahalad, C. K. , and G. Hamel. (1990). â€Å"The Core Competence of the Corporation,†Harvard Business Review 68, no. 3 (May-June), pp. 79-93. Prahalad, C. K. , and G. Hamel. (1994). Competing for the Future. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Roth, A. , A. De Meyer, and A. Amano (1989). Global Manufacturing Strategies: An International Comparison,†In Managing International Manufacturing, ed. K. Ferdows. Amsterdam North Holland: Elsevier Science Publishers B. V. , 1989. Skinner, W. (1974). â€Å"The Focused Factory. †Harvard Business Review 52, no. 3 (May-June), pp. 113-121. Sterman, J. D. (2000). Business Dynamics: Systems Thinking and Modeling for a Complex World. New York: Irwin McGraw-Hill. Tzu, S. (2003). The Art of War. Philadelphia, PA: Running Pr ess Book. Von Clausewitz, C. (1993). On War. London: Everyman’s Library. For IBM4710 Inter OM Chayakrit Asvathitanont, Ph. D.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
The history of Eastern Europe essays
The history of Eastern Europe essays 1. The dominant civilization at the time was the Roman Empire. 2. Western Europe was right behind the Roman Empire in civilization. 3. With the fall of the Roman Empire, Western civilization fell. 1. Western Europe began to slit in to seperate counries. 2. Less people used Latin as a form of communication. 3. This made international communication difficult. 4. Many different languages emerged. 5. Christianity split up with the rise of Protestantism. A. There were lees religeous wars. B. The last religeous war was in 1648 (The 30 yrs. war) 2) Approxmiatley 1/3 of the population perished. In the early 1830's Faraday discovered the relationship between electricity and magnetism This allowed for the abilit yot generate electrcity Samuel Morse developed the telegraph By the late 1800's radios and x-rays were developed Scientists discovered that there were such things as elements Pastuer discovered what bacteria were Charles Darwin worked out the relationship between the species He came up with the theory of evolution and Natural Selection In France Napoleon III harnesses Nationalism as a motivator tio get thim elected as president. THis of course worksmand the people later grant him the status of Emperror. TO make the people happy he held frequent votes in the National Assembly but kept little power with them Garribaldi holds a revolution and conqueres the southern parts of Itlay then just hands them over to Cavour Bismark was running the governemnt for the King HE was a conservative Aristcrat and hated the idea of a democracy Prussia wars with the Danes, Austria and France and wins them all This brings the people of Germany together and they unite under Nationalism GErmany becomes the strongest power in Europe "Absolutist" Governments in the seventeenth century 1. Previous kings had more restrictions. 2. The church had separate power then the government. 3. Th...
Monday, October 21, 2019
Karl Marx Essays - Economic Ideologies, Political Ideologies
Karl Marx Essays - Economic Ideologies, Political Ideologies Karl Marx Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818, in a place called Trier in Prussia. Marx attended the university of Bonn and later the university of Berlin, where he studied law, while majoring in history and philosophy. Karl Marx was married to his childhood friend Jenny von Westphalen, in 1843. Karl met his closest friend Frederick Engels in September of 1844, when he arrived in Paris. Together they participated in the activities of many revolutionary societies, and formed the theory and ideas of revolutionary proletarian socialism, also known as communism. Marx's health declined due to his strenuous work with Frederick Engels with the theory and the ideas of Communism. On December 2, 1881, his lifelong wife passed away. And just more than a year later Karl Marx died peacefully at his home. Both were buried at Highgate Cemetary in London, where they still lie today. The belief behind socialism is that certain inequalities that are evident in our society are unfair, and that the lesser part of the population should now own the majority of the wealth. However there are different ways socialists believe this should change. Some feel that this change should come through the government, through a gradual process, and some believe this change should come rapidly through a revolution. Socialist beliefs have been growing for many years. It first originated when Western Europe and North America fell victim to the process of industrialization. Before that period, most of these areas dealt and traded in agriculture. But through industrialization, they became trading nations, and later industrial nations. Major changes in the lifestyle of society came with this major economic change. Many went from being self-employed, as a farmer for example, to working in a huge plant. This was how the working class was formed. All of this industrialization in the major c ities, caused many of the people in the rural areas to migrate to these areas in hopes of work. This resulted in the population becoming centralized. This centralization of population led to many problems caused by over-crowding such as crime, disease, and poverty. The ones working in factories weren't the only ones suffering of low wages caused by too much competition, and the desire to cut costs by the owners, but also independent shopkeepers suffered. The craftsmen who had their own shops were swallowed whole by these big factories who could make the same product at mass volumes for half the cost as the shopkeeper. These independent shopkeepers were put out of business. Without any intention at all, capitalism had developed and spread throughout Western Europe and North America. As it grew and expanded, the few owners became wealthier, and the working class became poorer. Still today in western countries exist socialist parties, who look to achieve total or partial socialism for their nation, so they do not have to worry about the problems associated with capitalism.Years later, Karl Marx and his philosophies infulenced later leaders which gave rise to Communism in the world, which then started a political war with Capitalism. One of Marx's main theories was his critical assault on the capitalist system. The capitalist system being based on private ownership of the means of production, which gives the power to very few. Marx himself mounted a full scale attack on the the theories, institutions, and philosophies of industrial capitalism. His main argument was that capitalism was irrational. Marx did agree that the capitalist system was unparalleled at the method of production it used. However, under that same system, the problem existed of how to distribute the products its factories have made. The fact was that under a capitalist system, production was meant to make a profit, not to satisfy the needs of the society. Marx stated that as long as those products being produced, were making a profit, they will remain being produced, no matter whether the public demanded that product, or not. Also with the capitalist system, came competition. This drove the capitalists to cut the costs as much as possible. This is done through cutting the wages of the laborers. It is then evident that the public could no longer afford even the products they themselves produce. Also with competition, came the desire of
Sunday, October 20, 2019
The 10 Most-Banned Classic Novels
The 10 Most-Banned Classic Novels Want to read a banned book? Youll have plenty of excellent novels to choose from. There have been many attempts throughout history to suppress or otherwise censor works of literature, even works that have gone on to become classics. Authors such as George Orwell, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, and Toni Morrison have all seen their works banned at one time or another. The list of banned books is massive, and the reasons for their exclusion varies, but books with sexual content, drug use, or violent imagery are banned most frequently, regardless of their literary value. Here are the top 10 most-banned classic works of fiction in the 20th century, according to the American Library Association, and a little bit about why each was considered controversial. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald Gatsby, Fitzgeralds Jazz Age classic is one of the most-banned books of all time. The tale of playboy Jay Gatsby and the target of his affection, Daisy Buchanan, was challenged as recently as 1987, by Baptist College in Charleston, S.C. because of language and sexual references in the book. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger The stream-of-consciousness story of Holden Caulfields coming of age has long been a controversial text for young readers. An Oklahoma teacher was fired for assigning Catcher to an 11th grade English class in 1960, and numerous school boards have banned it for its language (Holden goes on a lengthy rant about the F word at one point) and sexual content. The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck John Steinbecks Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that tells the story of the migrant Joad family has been burned and banned for its language since its release in 1939. It was even banned for a time by Kern County, Calif., which is where the Joads end up because Kern County residents said it was obscene and libelous. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee This 1961 Pulitzer-Prize winning story of racism in the Deep South, told through the eyes of a young girl named Scout, has been banned mainly for its use of language, including the N word. A school district in Indiana challenged To Kill a Mockingbird in 1981, because it claimed the book represented institutionalized racism under the guise of good literature, according to the ALA. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker The novels graphic portrayals of rape, racism, violence against women, and sex have seen it banned by school boards and libraries since its release in 1982. Another winner of the Pulitzer Prize, The Color Purple was one of more than a dozen books challenged in Virginia in 2002 by a group calling themselves Parents Against Bad Books in Schools. Ulysses, by James Joyce The stream-of-consciousness epic novel, considered Joyces masterpiece, was initially banned for what critics viewed as its pornographic nature. In 1922, postal officials in New York seized and burned 500 copies of the novel. The matter ended up in court, where a judge ruled that Ulysses should be available, not just on the basis of free speech, but because he deemed it a book of originality and sincerity of treatment, and that it has not the effect of promoting lust. Beloved, by Toni Morrison The novel, which tells the story of the freed slave Sethe, has been challenged for its scenes of violence and sexual material. Toni Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize, in 1988 for this book, which continues to be challenged and banned. Most recently, a parent challenged the books inclusion on a high school English reading list, claiming that the sexual violence depicted in the book was too extreme for teenagers. As a result, the Virginia Department of Education created a policy requiring the review of sensitive content in reading materials. The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding This tale of schoolboys stranded on a desert island is often banned for its vulgar language and violence by its characters. It was challenged at a North Carolina high school in 1981 because it was considered demoralizing inasmuch as it implies that man is little more than an animal. 1984, by George Orwell The dystopian future in Orwells 1949 novel was written to depict what he saw as serious threats from the then-budding Soviet Union. Nevertheless, it was challenged in a Florida school district in 1981 for being pro-Communist and having explicit sexual matter. Lolita, by Vladmir Nabokov Its little wonder that Nabokovs 1955 novel about middle-aged Humbert Humberts sexual relationship with adolescent Dolores, whom he calls Lolita, has raised some eyebrows. Its been banned as obscene in several countries, including France, England, and Argentina, from its release until 1959, and in New Zealand until 1960. For more classic books that were banned by schools, libraries, and other authorities, check out the lists at the American Library Associations website.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Action Learning and Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Action Learning and Governance - Essay Example He must be a person who can understand the need of the hour, possesses insight for the future, can plan rationally and can get the work done by the subordinates satisfactorily. He is no more an authoritative director who was supposed to give orders and merely direct subordinates as in the past. Today's fast growing world has new and revolutionary demands for leaders. A leader today has to be a charismatic being who does not shy away from doing work himself, rather enjoys putting valuable effort in the teamwork. Action Learning helps in producing such leaders. The practical approach of the Action Learning motivates the leaders to indulge in the work themselves to better perceive the situation. It makes them realize that they cannot win a war by standing on the edge. They will have to step into the arena to understand the demands of particular events and to decide and direct their subordinates accordingly. They will have to observe their own actions, analyze their motives and scrutiniz e their own experiences in order to find out the ways to improve their performances further. Thus, action learning teaches men to use their insight along with their knowledge and intelligence to perform better. And these very attributes have let Action Learning emerged as one of the most influential and valuable tools that is used worldwide for developing leaders nowadays. Now the question arises, which leadership style is to be followed that is most compatible with Action Learning (Gold, Thorpe, & Mumford, 2010). Let us first analyze the classical Leadership Styles offered by Kurt Lewin in 1939. According to Lewin, â€Å"there are three basic leadership styles: Authoritarian, Participative and Delegative†. The Authoritarian style asks the leaders to be autocratic and solely decide the course of action. Being the lone task master, such a leader shows less creativity and has to take the full accountability of entire group’s future prospects. Delegative style asks the le aders to let the workers do as they wish and offer no guidance. On the other hand, Participative style of leadership supports an environment with close collaboration of the leader and the workers. It is a productive situation where the actions are mutually analyzed and where the decisions are made together. The leader uses his intelligence and superior knowledge whereas the workers use their experience to find out the solution of every problem. Action learning only conforms to the Participative style of leadership to some extent unless the leader does not back away from the work himself and contributes his share willingly (Marquardt, 2004). . Today, there are numerous leadership styles in use that give rather detailed specifications of the duties and responsibilities of the leaders and the subordinates. One of these is Situational Leadership Style proposed in 1950 that supports the use of a style alterable according to the situation. The Emergent Style believes in the rise of a lead er from the subordinates who can comprehend their problems easily. The Transactional Style lays emphasis on the strict follow of the rules and regulations whereas the Transformational Style focuses the change in four variables: our self, others, groups and organizations. This style believes on the charisma of the workers and the vision of the leaders to be the road to success. Strategic leadership supports the notion of creating an atmosphere of competition among the subordinates to urge them to work harder. Team Leadership Style is a newly emerging style that lays stress on the importance of team work. 'Faceless Boss' is also a newly proposed style that diminishes the need of a prominent leader among a group to make the members feel comfortable in sharing their
Friday, October 18, 2019
Alzheimer's Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Alzheimer's - Research Paper Example During the autopsy the doctor noted dense deposits of neuritic plaques surrounding nerve cells and twisted bands of nerve fibers inside the cells. The presence of plaques and tangles during a brain autopsy is now taken as a definitive diagnosis of the condition. There have been several additional researches that have been carried out by scientist around the world since the discovery of the disease. In the 1960s researchers found connectivity between the cognitive decline and the number of plaques and tangles present in the brain. Since the 1970s scientists have made major discoveries pertaining to the complex functioning of the nerve cells in these patients and also with increasing developments in the field of genetics, genes responsible for susceptibility to this disease both in the early stages and later in life have also been unraveled. Apart from the genetic factors other lifestyle related and environmental risk factors are also being widely being explored (A History, 2009; Alzhe imer’s disease, 2010). Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease and before the symptoms are noticed sufficient damage to the brain would have already taken place. Studies reveal that this damage could occur anywhere between 10 to 20 years before the onset of the clinical signs and symptoms. Beginning with the development of tangles within the entorhinal cortex and plaques in other regions of the brain, the disease affects the functioning of neurons that eventually results in lost communication between the brain cells. When such damage occurs within the hippocampus region of the brain as the disease progresses, it affects the memory and processing skills of the individual (Alzheimer’s disease, 2010). Thus most prominent early sign of the disease is memory loss (Alzheimer’s disease, 2010; Alzheimer’s symptoms, 2009; Symptoms, 2009). Other common early symptoms include confusion, attention disorders, personality changes, difficulty with languages
Reflection paper IC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Reflection paper IC - Essay Example The information gathered by these organisations becomes fundamental to policy makers as it aids in making informed decisions. Failure by intelligence organisations to provide accurate and timely information could result in security catastrophe. The intelligence reports remain essential in evading such security threat in many parts of the world. Over the next decade, intelligence gathering could be faced by numerous challenges resulting from increased technology utilisation across the world. The American intelligence services have been faced with challenges of gaining accurate information from other regions of the world. The increased utilisation of technological devices makes information readily available from different sources. Over the next decade, technological methods will form the basis for undertaking intelligence reporting. The technology will however cause intelligence challenges, as these devices will be utilised by other people, who could have malicious causes (Drogin and Goetz 2005). The security of intelligence reports will become a major concern as technological devices remain prone to hacking and corruption of information by malicious individuals. The security of information will be a major challenge for the next decade, among intelligence agencies ( Bureau of Public Affairs 2013). The skills utilised available to the individuals undertaking different intelligence operations remain a significant challenge for the intelligence services. Many organisations utilise different approaches, some requiring intensive training, which might be increasingly expensive to pursue. The sources of security threats, like terrorists, have also advanced their knowledge of similar intelligence techniques. Over the next decade, the challenge of dealing with security threats coming from equally trained operatives shall become a reality. The training techniques and intelligence gathering
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Why Abortion is Wrong Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Why Abortion is Wrong - Assignment Example As the paper outlines, abortion is justified on the basis of the opinion that a fetus is not a human being. There is no point thinking that a baby that is in the developing stage of becoming a complete human being is not a human. An embryo is just as human as its parents are. Won’t a proponent of abortion call a baby tomato a tomato because it is not full in size? He/she certainly will call that a tomato. It is nature’s decision that it has caused certain species to develop inside their mothers’ wombs e.g. animals and has allowed other species to develop on their own e.g. fruits and birds. A baby is not a baby only as long as the sperm has not mated with the ovum. It can be so said because individual sperms or eggs cannot develop on their own or multiply in the number of cells and grow unless the two fuse together and the commencement of the development process happens. The embryo should be considered a human because it has its own DNA right from the conception. It does not require any interference or help in order to grow into a human. It lives along with the mother. The mother does not have to exert at all in order to make the embryo grow into a human. Proponents of abortion claim that it is right to kill a fetus because it is not a human. Let’s assume for a moment that the fetus is not a human being only because it is not that developed. According to such an inconsiderate and disrespectful definition of humanity, a boy with a crouch limping across the road is not a human being. Nothing can be a bigger blow to the sanctity of humanity than a belief in such a definition of humanity! Let’s look at the matter from the perspective of the well acknowledged and widely accepted theory of consequentialism. Consequentialism is a term used for all moral theories that judge the appropriateness of a decision from its consequences. According to the theory of consequentialism, if the consequences of a decision are good, the decision is right and vice versa. An act that is morally good will necessarily produce a favorable outcome. To abort a child gives pain to the fetus because a fetus has intelligence and it is alive. It can feel pain. Abortion gives pain to the fetus, which is the first bad outcome of the decision of abortion. Abortion may endanger the life of mother along with the child. Even if the mother’s life is not at stake, there are cases in which a woman loses her ability to bear children in the future after an abortion, which is the second bad outcome. Let’s suppose the child had to be aborted because if it was allowed to survive, it would have been a cause of embarrassment not only for the mother but for the whole family because the people would have come to know of the sinful act of the mother who had performed fornication outside marriage or before marriage. There is no reason to justify abortion in this case either because there are millions of married couples who could not have chil dren and would love to adopt. If an unwanted child gets adopted by voluntary parents, this consequence would be far better than the child getting aborted.
Soundscapes in which Music operates in a Worship Setting Essay
Soundscapes in which Music operates in a Worship Setting - Essay Example The "Tao Meditation", is used to convey the worshiper into a deeper and more peaceful state of worship and spiritual growth. The music is focused in soft Tibetan sounds, with wind chimes, gongs, bells and gentle natural sounds to convey a deeper sense of inner peace and a desire to enter into the inner reaches of ones spirituality. The covey of the simple music allows for the worshiper to find a peaceful oasis of relaxation and stress relief from the business of life, to tap into the inner energies of spiritual awareness and silence. The setting, that I experienced was a simple room, lots of natural light where the worshipers like myself sit in simple seating set in a semi circle, with a screen at the opening of the circle that provided the features that impact upon the sight sensory experience. The leadership by a competence alternative worship leader gently brought one into a sensory but spiritual experience. The significance of the experience is the fulfillment of the inner spirit ual finding release in the gentle art of meditation. There was no specifically set ritual, just a simple group desire to come together to enjoy and experience a deeper and more meaningful spirituality. The ritual if any; or indeed order, was the gentle leading of the group by the leader into the peaceful state of meditation. ... The leadership by a competence alternative worship leader gently brought one into a sensory but spiritual experience. The significance of the experience is the fulfillment of the inner spiritual finding release in the gentle art of meditation. There was no specifically set ritual, just a simple group desire to come together to enjoy and experience a deeper and more meaningful spirituality. The ritual if any; or indeed order, was the gentle leading of the group by the leader into the peaceful state of meditation. Gently listening to the noises and sounds of the music and visualizing the scenes being shown on the screen, before us, invoked this. The meditation allowed each of group of worshipers to concentrate on their own personal spiritual journey and belief structure. The simplicity of the meditation enacted a sense of restfulness, peace and an inner desire to enjoin with the God force or life force within each of us. This was drawn out by viewing the many simple and colorful shapes that were sometimes floated, phased in and out on the screen before us then melting into the distance of the landscape on the screen. The group were able to discuss the experience after its conclusion in a facilitated discussion led by the worship leader. Many of the participants were able to explain that it allowed them to tune into the higher self or as some put it, the "God force" within us. What I enjoyed about the experience was that it allowed one to maintain ones own identity and individuality, without placing formal belief structures and dogmatic systems before the simplicity of simply and gently worshiping and enjoying peace with God. The second experience was completely different in its setting and style. The setting was a Methodist Church, which
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Why Abortion is Wrong Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Why Abortion is Wrong - Assignment Example As the paper outlines, abortion is justified on the basis of the opinion that a fetus is not a human being. There is no point thinking that a baby that is in the developing stage of becoming a complete human being is not a human. An embryo is just as human as its parents are. Won’t a proponent of abortion call a baby tomato a tomato because it is not full in size? He/she certainly will call that a tomato. It is nature’s decision that it has caused certain species to develop inside their mothers’ wombs e.g. animals and has allowed other species to develop on their own e.g. fruits and birds. A baby is not a baby only as long as the sperm has not mated with the ovum. It can be so said because individual sperms or eggs cannot develop on their own or multiply in the number of cells and grow unless the two fuse together and the commencement of the development process happens. The embryo should be considered a human because it has its own DNA right from the conception. It does not require any interference or help in order to grow into a human. It lives along with the mother. The mother does not have to exert at all in order to make the embryo grow into a human. Proponents of abortion claim that it is right to kill a fetus because it is not a human. Let’s assume for a moment that the fetus is not a human being only because it is not that developed. According to such an inconsiderate and disrespectful definition of humanity, a boy with a crouch limping across the road is not a human being. Nothing can be a bigger blow to the sanctity of humanity than a belief in such a definition of humanity! Let’s look at the matter from the perspective of the well acknowledged and widely accepted theory of consequentialism. Consequentialism is a term used for all moral theories that judge the appropriateness of a decision from its consequences. According to the theory of consequentialism, if the consequences of a decision are good, the decision is right and vice versa. An act that is morally good will necessarily produce a favorable outcome. To abort a child gives pain to the fetus because a fetus has intelligence and it is alive. It can feel pain. Abortion gives pain to the fetus, which is the first bad outcome of the decision of abortion. Abortion may endanger the life of mother along with the child. Even if the mother’s life is not at stake, there are cases in which a woman loses her ability to bear children in the future after an abortion, which is the second bad outcome. Let’s suppose the child had to be aborted because if it was allowed to survive, it would have been a cause of embarrassment not only for the mother but for the whole family because the people would have come to know of the sinful act of the mother who had performed fornication outside marriage or before marriage. There is no reason to justify abortion in this case either because there are millions of married couples who could not have chil dren and would love to adopt. If an unwanted child gets adopted by voluntary parents, this consequence would be far better than the child getting aborted.
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Strategic Management and Business Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Strategic Management and Business Policy - Essay Example In 1995 Fortune magazine began to include service companies in its Fortune 500 list and by doing so Wal-Mart entered in at a ranking of fourth. Since then the company has remained on the list, climbing the ranks until it reached number one in 2002, where it remains today, with a growth rate of about 15%. "The revenues reflect domestic and international expansion and an increase in same store sales. Net income also benefited from reduced inventory shrinkage, improved merchandising, and a decrease in interest costs of capital leases." (Reuters) Wal-Mart does not formally spend time and resources on developing a corporate mission statement. Nor do they commit resources to research and development. The company follows a 'down home' approach to business woven into the corporate culture by its founder, Sam Walton. His approach to business was personal, with a high amount of resources devoted to community relationship. The retail giant has settled on the market segment which looks for low prices as the most important factor influencing the buying decision. The result is that Wal-Mart is perceived as a friendly place to purchase goods at low prices. This marketing approach has served the retail giant well. The corporation has a board which consists of internal membe... The internal members are concerned with the day to day of the organization, and the external members can take a wider view of the company's overall image, and influence in the community it serves. This approach to ongoing corporate governance keeps the organization grounded to the community, and allows it to function without the formal mission statement. The board serves as a rudder in the crosscurrents of today's business environment. III. External Environment. Wal-Mart employs a Buy American program, and stocks its shelves with many American goods. Wal-Mart has gained a lot of popularity through this program, and many Americans applaud Wal-Mart for its commitment to domestic manufacturers instead of catering to cheap foreign suppliers. But suppliers have complained that this has shut out non-Americans companies and suppliers from distributing through the Wal-Mart chain. This approach to business carries with it both positive and negative consequences. The company has wide product selection at deep discounts, but a slowing national economy could limit product diversity, as well as price flexibility. The company has a strong position in discount retail market but is not engaged in research and development for future market positioning. Wal-Mart is increasing market share, but faces potential market saturation and decreased profit margin without availing itself of increased product diversity. Within the communities it serves, Wal-Mart provides new jobs, often in rural areas which have limited employment potential. But the consequences of which are that many small businesses are often forced to close as a result of the price competition within a limited market. The unintended results can be development of customer loyalty, or a
Monday, October 14, 2019
Experiment 4 Rdr - Chemical Equilibrium Essay Example for Free
Experiment 4 Rdr Chemical Equilibrium Essay Iron-Silver Equilibrium In the first phase of the experiment, iron sulfate was mixed with silver nitrate, and the reaction produced solid silver and iron nitrate, which is formally written as, Fe2+ (aq) + Ag+ (aq) ⇄ Ag (s) + Fe3+ (aq) The mixture was then placed in a centrifuge in order for the solid silver to settle and separate from the supernate. The supernate was then tested for the presence of Fe2+, Fe3+ and Ag+ by placing K3Fe(CN)6, KSCN and HCl to 3 separate samples of the supernate. The result of the tests was as follows: 1.Addition of K3Fe(CN)6 After K3Fe(CN)6 was added to the supernate, a Prussian blue precipitate was formed, more formally written as, Fe2+ (aq) + Fe(CN)63- (aq) + K+ (aq) → K∙Fe2(CN)6 (s) This reaction thus proves that the supernate contains Fe2+. 2.Addition of KSCN After KSCN was added to the supernate, a blood red complex was formed, more formally written as, Fe3+ (aq) + SCN- (aq) → FeSCN2+ (aq) This reaction thus proves that the supernate contains Fe3+. 3.Addition of HCl The last test was the addition of HCl to the supernate. This produced a white precipitate, which we can formally write as, Ag+ (aq) + Cl- (aq) → AgCl (s) This reaction thus proves that the supernate conatins Ag+. The 3 tests showed that all 3 ions were present in the supernate. This goes to show that the reaction between iron sulfate and silver nitrate was in a state of equilibrium since both the ions in the product and reactant side were present, meaning to say that the forward and reverse reactions were proceeding at the same rate. Furthermore, the range of the equilibrium constant (Keq) for the reaction of iron sulfate and silver nitrate is from 10-10 to 1010 [1]. Copper-Ammonia Equilibrium The second phase of the experiment dealt with the reaction between copper sulfate and ammonia, more formally written as, CuSO4 (aq) + 2 NH4OH (aq) → Cu(OH)2 (aq) + (NH4)2SO4 (aq) The pale blue precipitate formed at the beginning of the reaction of copper sulfate and ammonia was the Cu(OH)2. From the pale blue color, it turned into a deep cerulean blue when 11 drops of ammonia was added. The solution then went back to the pale blue color after 4 drops of hydrochloric acid was added. The addition of hydrochloric acid added more H+ ions to the solution; therefore, drawing the equilibrium back to the reactant side. This equilibrium reaction is formally stated as, [Cu(H2O)6]2+ (aq) + 4 NH3 (aq) ⇄ [Cu(NH3)6]2+ (aq) + H2O (l) As observed, it took almost 3 times the number of drops of ammonia to change the pale blue color to a deep cerulean blue as compared to the number of drops of hydrochloric acid that changed the deep cerulean blue back to pale blue. This means that the reverse reaction was more spontaneous than the forward reaction. Chromate-Dichromate Equilibrium In the third phase of the experiment, the chromate and dichromate solutions were observed. Chromate had a yellow color, while dichromate had an orange color. When sulfuric acid was added to a sample of chromate and dichromate solutions, the yellow chromate solution turned orange, while the dichromate solution remained orange. The equation for the chromate’s change in color is as follows, 2 CrO42- (aq) + 2 H+ (aq) → H2O (l) + Cr2O7- (aq) When sodium hydroxide was added to a sample of chromate and dichromate, the chromate solution remained yellow, while the orange dichromate solution turned yellow, formally written as, 2 OH- (aq) + Cr2O7- (aq) → 2 CrO42- (aq) + H2O (l) The change in color of chromate as hydrochloric acid was added and the change in color of dichromate as sodium hydroxide was added was due to the instability of the reactions, causing a shift in the equilibrium. The acid H2SO4 (sulfuric acid) was used in the reaction since it’s a strong acid, and strong acids dissociate more. The added H+ ions increase the concentration, therefore, shifting the equilibrium. Based on the observations made, it could be said that the dichromate solution is stable under acidic conditions, while the chromate solution is stable under basic conditions. Iron-Thiocyanate Equilibrium In the fourth phase of the experiment, iron trichloride was reacted to thiocyanate giving way to this reaction, [Fe(H2O)6]2+ (aq) + SCN- (aq) ⇄ [Fe(SCN)(H2O)5]2+ (aq) + H2O (l) The reaction produced a light orange solution, which was then tested to determine to which direction the equilibrium shifted when Fe3+, SCN- and NaCl were added. The result of the tests was as follows: 1.Addition of Fe3+ After FeCl3 was added to a sample of the solution, the light orange color of the solution became a darker shade of orange, which could be said to show a shift to the right. 2.Addition of SCN- After KSCN- was added to a sample of the solution, the shade of orange of the solution was lighter than the solution when FeCl3 was added, but darker than the original light orange color. It could then be said that the equilibrium shifted to the right. 3.Addition of NaCl Lastly, NaCl was added to a sample of the solution. It was observed that the resulting solution had a lighter shade of orange than that of the original. With this, it could be said that the equilibrium shifted to the left. The shift to the left of the equilibrium was brought about by the reaction of Cl- (from NaCl) with Fe(SCN)3. Cobalt-Cobalt Chloride Equilibrium The last and final phase of the experiment was on the reaction of cobalt dichloride and hydrochloric acid which could be formally written as, [Co(H2O)6]2+(aq) + 4Cl- (aq) ⇄ [Co(Cl)4]2-(aq) + 6H2O(l) The first part of this phase reacted cobalt dichloride with hydrochloric acid. The pink color of the cobalt dichloride (Co2+) turned blue (CoCl42-) when hydrochloric acid was added. In the second part of this phase, the test tube containing cobalt dichloride was immersed in a boiling water bath. The pink color of the solution turned blue when the temperature increased. With this, it could be said that the equilibrium shifted to the right upon heating. When the temperature is increased at constant pressure, an exothermic reaction would proceed backward or shift to the left. In this case, the increase in temperature made the equilibrium shift to the right; therefore, the reaction is said to be endothermic. CONCLUSION The experiment basically could be summarized into the 5 different equilibrium states. First, the iron-silver equilibrium states that reactants and products could indeed co-exist in a system. Second, the copper-ammonia equilibrium states that certain chemicals could affect the state of equilibrium of a system. Third, the chromate-dichromate equilibrium states that increasing the acidity or basicity of the solution could either move the equilibrium forward or backward. Fourth, the iron-thiocyanate equilibrium states that â€Å"An increase in the concentration of the reactant or a decrease in the concentration of the product shifts the direction of the reaction towards the production of more products to return to the equilibrium position. On the contrary, a decrease in the concentration of the reactants or an increase in the concentration of the product shifts the equilibrium position towards the production of more reactants.†[3] Lastly, the cobalt-cobalt chloride equilibrium states that an increase in temperature in an endothermic reaction favors product formation, therefore shifting the equilibrium to the right. On the contrary, increasing the temperature in an exothermic reaction favors reactant formation causing a shift to the left. RECOMMENDATIONS The methods and procedures done in the experiment are sufficient to obtain the data and results needed. No further recommendation is needed. REFERENCES [1] Petrucci, Ralph et.al. General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications, 10th ed.; Pearson Canada: Toronto, Ontario, 2010. [2] Padolina, Ma. Cristina et.al. Conceptual and Functional Chemistry: Modular Approach, Vibal Publishing House, Inc.: Araneta, Quezon City, 2004. [3] Chemical Equilibrium. [Online]. http://www.scribd.com/doc/30015115/Expt-9-Chemical-Equilibrium (accessed last January 15, 2013)
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Email and Letter Writing
Email and Letter Writing â€Å"Dear Sir or Madam, in reference to your letter of February 1st†this was the way hand written letters used to start. I was sixteen years old and my dad was asking me to send a letter to the company where I would have my internship. My dad taught me how to write a letter in the correct format and how to position the outgoing address. He said: â€Å"You should put the date in the top right-hand corner of the page. The signature should be also formal and the closing line should read ‘Yours Faithfully†. The Human Resources department at the company where I interned paid a fortune for the privilege of having an intern who could string a sentence together in legible, neat and hand written German. This company would go as far as canceling an internship or sending the intern to additional classes. There are many critics that say old fashioned mail is not fast enough and is more expensive. The old fashioned mail requires buying letters and paying for stamps. Email, on the other hand, is free. Most people forget about internet and computer costs. German companies dont have these problems, because every company in Germany has a contract with the post office. They pay a certain amount of money every month and can send as many letters as they wish. Email will be received at the location to which it is sent much faster than regular mail; however, both email and mail use addresses to which someone can send a letter or a message. Every other day I receive an email from my step mom in Germany. It keeps us in touch and in more constant communication than a letter could, because the I can receive her message almost immediately. In emails and letters a person writes thoughts down and sends it to another person. Both are used to communicate with another person; however, email in these days is a modern mode of communication. In fact, email makes the modern business world more efficient. I mostly receive only emails these days (and lots of them!). When I am on vacation for a couple days and come back to work, I am guaranteed to find more than a hundred emails. All these emails, excluding spam emails, need my response and attention. Subjects who were not on the agenda before can overnight take on the highest priority and the communication about it can go half way across the world. (Kleiner) These days, when I open my mail box, I am lucky to find anything other than bills and junk mail. Unfortunately these are the only regularly visitors inside my letter box. People do not consider old fashioned letter writing an effective form of communication. When a person takes the time to write a letter, they have mostly thought their comments through which makes it to my mind a more sincere mode of communication. If the same thought process and formal way of writing would be associated with traditional letter writing when one writes an email, it would not be as impersonal. People just lose the formal style writing an email. I received the following email from a co-worker the other day: â€Å"If we already have door made the old way / we dont have any in stock, make old door, if you can. Replace it with the new one and may add a note. The note in the attachment to make it clear.†This was the complete email and I was confused. This email, as are many others, is just not enough. It requires additional personal communication. Although most of the emails I receive are in a better writing style, almost none of them are formal. Emails suffice for most business purposes and mostly daily exchanges. They can also be very fast and practical. (Wilson) So, which is better: emails or old fashioned letter writing? I believe that that letter writing itself is an art form. A persons mood and personality can be sensed, just by examining how the tails of individual letters are swept or how hard the writer pressed upon the paper. In an email, this is not possible. It is obvious that old fashioned letter writing is very time consuming and therefore one can understand the need for faster communication in this busy world. Email is a more effective form of communication. Perhaps I am old fashioned; however, I do enjoy receiving hand written letters, even though the amount of old fashioned mail is almost zero, barring birthday letters and Christmas cards. A letter is handwritten; a person touched the paper and thought about another person. It is much more personal than an email could ever be and the old fashion letter has a value that cannot be replaced. (Wilson) Sources Kleiner, Kurt. Email and Letter Writing Share Fundamental Pattern. NewScientist. N.p., 26 Oct. 2005. Web. 15 Feb. 2010. . Wilson, Carole. The Difference Between an Ordinary Letter and an E-mail. Helium. N.p., 2002-2010. Web. 16 Feb. 2010. .
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Laser Technology :: essays research papers fc
The laser is a device that a beam of light that is both scientifically and practically of great use because it is coherent light. The beam is produced by a process known as stimulated emission, and the word "laser" is an acronym for the phrase "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation." Light is just like radio waves in the way that it can also carry information. The information is encoded in the beam as variations in the frequency or shape of the light wave. The good part is that since light waves have much higher frequencies they can also hold much more information. Not only is the particle the smallest light unit but it is a particle as well as a wave. In beams of light whether they are ordinary natural or artificial the photon waves will not be traveling together because they are not being emitted at exactly the same moment but instead at random short bursts. Even if the light is of a single frequency that statement would also be true. A laser is useful because it produces light that is not only of essentially a single frequency but also coherent, with the light waves all moving along in unison. Lasers consist of several components. A few of the many things that the so-called active medium might consist of are, atoms of a gas, molecules in a liquid, and ions in a crystal. Another component consists of some method of introducing energy into the active medium, such as a flash lamp for example. Another component is the pair of mirrors on either side of the active medium which consists of one that transmits some of the radiation that hits it. If the active component in the laser is a gas laser than each atom is characterized by a set of energy states, or energy levels, of which it may consist. An example of the energy states could be pictured as a unevenly spaced ladder which the higher rungs mean higher states of energy and the lower rungs mean lower states of energy. If left disturbed for a long time the atom will reach its ground state or lowest state of energy. According to quantum mechanics there is only one light frequency that the atom will work with. There are three ways that the atom can deal with the presence of light either it can absorb the light, or spontaneous emission occurs, or stimulated emission occurs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)