Tuesday, November 26, 2019

What are the Main Limitations of the Solow Model

What are the Main Limitations of the Solow Model Introduction – Explanation of Solow model Solow model is one of the unique theories that explain the long-term national economic growth. In spite of its uniqueness, it has some significant limitations. This paper discusses the meaning and major limitations of Solow model with respect to the available theories and economic references.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on What are the Main Limitations of the Solow Model? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The model is based on three major assumptions. First, the two factors of production (capital and efficient labor) possess perpetual returns to scale. Labor as well as knowledge develops exogenously at considerable rates. This means that the number of effectual labor units will grow at a rate given by the sum of population growth (n) and (Output per worker (g). Secondly; it assumes that other inputs apart from capital, labor and knowledge are not significant. And final ly, the portion of the production invested or saved is constant and equivalent to savings in a closed economy (Todaro Smith 2011, p. 82). The fundamental explanation of the Solow model is that simply the promptness of the technical growth is lasting for significant durable economic advancement. Thus, political advancement can only be fruitful in the long run so long as it favors the technical advancement. This model was established by Robert Merton Solow and Trevor Swan in 1956. The Solow model enlightens long-term economic growth based on technological advancement, work, and majors on the national economy. The fundamental support is that economic progression converges on a lasting foundation against equilibrium, where the investments into the capital stock become equivalent to the writings-off from the capital stock. This support is reasonable, because in this equilibrium the discarded machines are instantaneously exchanged with new ones. This implies that, the national economy wi ll develop provided that the investments are greater than the writings-off and the reverse will also be true. In addition, approval is attained to the degree that the pro head capital stock descends with increasing population growth, because the available revenue has to be distributed on more people.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Furthermore, the rate of the technical development is shown in the domestic economy. This lets the available capital stock to come to be obsolete (Krugman 1994, p. 73). This model is also known as neoclassical growth model. It is varies from other economic development models since it comprises of several equations to illustrate how production, capital goods, working time, as well as investments influence each other. It is based on the fact that different nations use their resources effectively, and with increase in labor, there is a decl ine in returns. In addition, Solow model indicates that technology is a very significant factor for economic growth, and capital grows with improvement in technology. As a result the investments of a country increase and then it realizes an overall economic development. Also, it determines that the advancement on each and every national economy meets against a point provided on a long-lasting basis by the investments put into the national economy. The continuous writing-off rate is dependent on population increase as well as the rate of technological advancement. Therefore, for long-term development in the national economy, there have to be technological advancement (Ray 1998, p.100). Main limitations of Solow model There have been numerous denunciations of Solow model, most of them associated with its combined and wholly supply-side nature. It is not practical to explain all economic production in just a single production function (Solow 1994, p.23). Besides, aggregate capital stoc k can never be symbolized by one function as in the Solow model (Solow 1957, p. 315). There are several various kinds of output, most of which are never included in the typical GDP accounts, and investments assume several different forms.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on What are the Main Limitations of the Solow Model? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Positively, there is no one decrease function, considering the fact that there are several diverse forms of capital. Furthermore, there is no distinct saving function that can be associated with the entire production function since national economy involves numerous different kinds of people, whose combined savings is based on the distribution of revenue and several other factors that diverge liable to the kinds of production outcome. For instance, there is dissimilarity between human and physical capital. Physical capital comprises of tools, machineries, structures, t ransportations, and power plants, among others, that are employed by human beings in production. In contrary, human capital includes skills acquired through schooling, training, practice, and socialization (Ellman 1989, p. 64). The word Human capital is used by economists since, like all capital, it is an expensive resource made in the economy through the process of investments. For instance, in most cases, Economists model training as an investment is a prolific resource. Again, just like physical capital, human capital is dependent upon decline and undesirability. Proponents of the Solow model overlook the awareness and human technologies that have been internalized, and, as technological transformation takes place, some accrued knowledge and experience could become obsolete. Eventually, old people pass away and the younger generation who substitute them must be provided with knowledge from the civilization’s store of knowledge. Just like physical capital, growth in per cap ita human capital necessitates investments that surpass the declining stock of the per capita human capital.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The neoclassical Solow model fails to differentiate between the different kinds of capital and, thus it can never be used to assess the dissemination of returns from investment in physical of human capital. Remarkably, there is an indication that human capital is particularly significant for growing knowledge and technology, a factor the Solow model considers as exogenous. Most of the critics of the Solow model are strong supporters of endogenous growth. One of the major limitations of this theory lies in convergence of the progress of a national economy as advocated in the Solow model. This implies that inferior national economies unlock on a lasting basis to the wealthier nations, because they are able to develop at much faster rate without much difficulties (Bosworth Collins 2008, p. 53). However, this convergence could not be established in every national economy. Some of the nations that experienced converging growth include Europe and North America. Besides, Southeast Asia al so realized converging economic growth up to the financial crisis, which was experienced in the 90’s. Moreover, the calculated convergence speeds are extremely high and the Solow model indicates only significant results for the 20th Century. Solow model is also established on the theory of a closed economy. This means that, convergence theory assumes that a group of nations does not have any kind of relationship. Nevertheless, this problem can be avoided, according to Solow, that each and every model has certain imaginary assumptions but could flourish if the final consequences are not subtle to the generalizations used. Besides the model recommended by Solow, there have been several efforts at building a growth model for an open economy, for instance those developed by Birro, Mankiw and Sala-l-Martin in 1995 (Nelson Pack 1999, p. 418). The major reason why there is a global economic crisis is that people have failed to recognize that they form part of the environment, and i t is their obligation to protect it. Additionally, they have failed to acknowledge that they are responsible for controlling the available natural resources for successful economic advancements (Hunter James 20). Currently, there is a heated debate concerning the viability of the business world. The debate is whether the achievements of a business organization should be determined by the quantity of shares and profits realized or whether some other factors should also be taken into consideration. When evaluating the ability of a business organization to maintain its operation, and the challenges it faces, investors will majorly consider the effects of the business on the local people. Besides, they will consider how the operation will affect the natural resources being used. Precisely, it is notable that Solow model was developed to explain long-term national economic growth in a more precise manner. It is a unique theory and it varies from other economic development models since i t comprises of several equations to illustrate how production, capital goods, working time, as well as investments influence each other as indicated before. Another limitation of Solow model is that technological advancement is the only factor considered for long-term national economic growth but at diverse levels of revenue based upon investments and population growth. However, technological development is considered as exogenous since it not explained as it is by this model. The equilibrium growth rates of the pertinent variables is determined by the rate of technological advancement, which is an exogenous factor, the persons in the Solow model as well as theories developed from it does not have the incentive to create new goods. In this essence, Solow model does not integrate human capital, which not only common sense but also new growth theory, would consider very significant for national economic growth. According to capital acquired from the assessments of the model, inherent share of revenue does not relate closely with national accounting information. Nations that that grow rapidly, especially picking up after a crisis, are likely to have a swift turn-over in technologies since they accumulate more capital. However, most critics put forward that this will make it more challenging to gain sufficient experience with the existing technologies. Moreover, in these instances, zero Solow residual points out to increasing labor productivity. In the Solow model theory, if labor productivity as a factor of production is not declining as new areas of expertise become necessary then it implies that the work force is proficient of adapting. This is likely to have the growth of output undervalued by the residual. In other contexts, organizational turnover is associated with the way businesses change and develop specifically. According to the Solow model, this increases or decreases the number of employees that decide to leave a business. There are problems with the development within a business and lapses in the production that occurs (Mankiw, 2004). More important, there are difficulties with the communication and development within a specific organization. Employee development, commitment, and intention are the three top factors of turnover rates as well as the empowerment that is associated with those who are within an organization. If these do not factor in the correct way, then it leads to difficulties within the workspace, specifically because there are problems with growth and development with individuals and the association, which they carry with career skills. The other employees as well as the organizational environment suffer from the impact because of the human assets which each employee carries in his or her endeavors. In 1998, Lucas tried to solve this complication by enlarging the conception of capital to take account of physical and human factors. Human factors comprise of education, and every so often health. In addition, savi ngs or investments that are the vital variable enlightening what extent of steady state revenue various nations attain, is also exogenous (Solow, 1956). The disapproval to exogenous technological growth assumes the endogenous growth theory. As well, this model does not provide answers to the how and why questions related to the occurrence technological progress. As a consequence of these failures, endogenous growth theory was developed. This explains technological development as well as accumulation of knowledge. Closely related to these critics of the Solow model, in 1992, Mankiw and Romer published a reviewed description of the model, which comprised of the human capital factor and education into the calculation of growth. The challenges of the misplaced convergence and overrated convergence speeds are clarified accurately in this manner (Romer 1993, p. 552). From the understanding of Solow model, it is expected that the economic retention rate is based on various aspects of the o rganization, including communication, information, and job satisfaction. Information is one of the several aspects which changes the level of job satisfaction and which leads to employee turnover rates that are within an economy. The information which is provided by organizations directly affects the Solow model, levels of performance and employee turnover rates. The qualitative and quantitative aspects of Solow model show how information is one of the main variables that links to communication, perceptions, turnover rates, and job satisfaction associated with an economy. The fact that Solow model is established on the theory of a closed economy (as indicated earlier) denotes every model has certain imaginary assumptions but could thrive if the final consequences are not subtle to the generalizations used. Besides the model recommended by Solow, there have been several efforts at building a growth model for an open economy. As indicated before, process evaluation is vital since it d eals with the active monitoring of the activities as well as inputs involved towards the achievement of both long-term and short term goals. The basic aim behind process evaluation is therefore to put the project processes under a streamlined and uniformly objective system of action. Therefore, process evaluation remains a critical monitoring approach that unlike both other types of evaluation occurs immediately after a project has been executed. The process occurs throughout the project phase and is basically the directing evaluative component of the program with a fundamental objective of putting the program into the proper channel (Gertler World Bank 2010). In perspective, Solow model offers a monitoring aspect to several economic projects and is carried out continuously. The process allows projects to identify and recognize the factors that are less pertinent, or the economic indicators of the project that may not be performing well. In the execution of model, the deviant facto rs or processes are identified and adjustments are conducted in the process to channel the program towards efficiency and success (Solow 1994). The basic objective here is to enhance the effectiveness as well as efficiency of the model. Thus, it is crucial to note that a project might go astray or lose its course of model if process evaluation components are not considered. This is because the short term outcome as well as the long term impact evaluations usually occurs after specified intervals while process evaluation is a continuous process right from the program initiation stage. Conclusion Solow model was developed to explain long-term national economic growth in a more precise manner. It is a unique theory and it varies from other economic development models since it comprises of several equations to illustrate how production, capital goods, working time, as well as investments influence each other. However there are several critics of this model. Some of the critics discussed here include; in Solow model, technological advancement is the only factor considered for long-term national economic growth but at diverse levels of revenue based upon investments and population growth, and another limitation of this theory lies in convergence of the progress of a national economy as discussed. Precisely, Solow model is one of the unique theories that explain the long-term national economic growth. In spite of its uniqueness, it has some significant limitations. The paper discussed the meaning and major limitations of Solow model with respect to theory and economic references. Agreeably, the Solow model enlightens long-term economic growth based on technological advancement, work, and majors on the national economy. List of References Bosworth, B Collins, S 2008, Accounting for growth: comparing China and India, Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 45-66. Ellman, M 1989, Socialist Planning, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Krugman, P 1994, The myth of Asias miracle, Journal of Foreign Affairs, vol. 73, no. 6, pp. 62-78. Mankiw, N. G 2004, Macroeconomics, chs. 4 and 5, Elsevier Mosby, London. Nelson, R Pack, H 1999, The Asian miracle and modern growth theory, Economic Journal, vol. 109, no. 1, pp. 416-36. Ray, D1998, Development Economics, Princeton University Press, Princeton. Romer, M 1993, Idea Gaps and Object Gaps in Economic Development, Journal of Monetary Economics, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 543-573. Solow, M 1957, Technical Change and the Aggregate Production Function, Review of Economics and Statistics, vo. 39, no.1, pp. 312-320. Solow, R 1956, A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth, Quarterly Journal of Economics, vol. 70, no. 1, pp. 65-94. Solow, R 1994, Perspectives on growth theory’, Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1-32. Todaro, M Smith, C 2011, Economic Development, Addison Wesley, London.

Friday, November 22, 2019

The Novel Writer’s Secret Short Stories - Freewrite Store

The Novel Writer’s Secret Short Stories - Freewrite Store Today’s guest post is by author Jeff Somers.  He has published nine novels, including the  Avery Cates Series  of noir-science fiction novels from Orbit Books, the darkly hilarious crime novel  Chum  from Tyrus Books, and most recently tales of blood magic and short cons in the  Ustari Cycle. Go Short to Go Long: Going from Short Stories to Novels The Short Story is having a bit of a Moment these days. After a lengthy period of being overshadowed by longer-form fiction, readers, critics, and (most importantly) film and television producers seem to be waking up to the unique old-school pleasures of a short piece of fiction. Writers like George Saunders, who largely specialize in short stories (Lincoln in the Bardo was his first published novel), have bubbled into the mainstream- Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad is composed of interlocked short stories, and it won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize. Some of the biggest movies of the past few years- like Arrival or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- have been based on short stories. And Amazon just picked up Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams,an anthology series based on the short works of the famous sci-fi author. A lot of writers shy away from short stories. Stories don’t earn a whole lot of money, as a rule, and so can be seen as a poor use of a writer’s time. Plus, they’re tough to write; unlike a novel, where you can spin words upon words as you write through problems, the format is tight and constricted, requiring ruthless cutting and efficient plotting. This is also whyevery writer who aspires to write and sell a novel should be writing short stories- and a lot of them. Challenge: Accepted George R.R. Martin, a man who has managed to make writing huge, wordy novels look easy, once offered this piece of writing advice: â€Å"I would also suggest that any aspiring writer begin with short stories. These days, I meet far too many young writers who try to start off with a novel right off, or a trilogy, or even a nine-book series. That’s like starting in at rock climbing by tackling Mt. Everest. Short stories help you learn your craft.† The fact that writing a coherent short story that’s an affecting, complete piece of work is difficult is your first clue that you should be doing it. In fact, writing a short story exercises several writing muscles that will benefit your novel writing: Finishing. Probably the hardest part of writing any piece of fiction is getting to The End. Books often begin with a blaze of inspiration and excitement, then get bogged down in characters that don’t seem interesting, plots that go nowhere, and the slow creeping sense that you are a fraud and an impostor. Short stories train you to get from the beginning to the end without investing months or years of your time- and like any muscle memory, physical or mental, the more you get to The End the easier it becomes in the future. Efficiency. The open-ended expanse of novels (first drafts can be as flabby and overwritten as we like, after all) encourages experimentation and, to use a scientific term, noodling. All that noodling can bulk up your word count without actually moving the story forward or clarifying your characters’ motivations. Word count is a satisfying metric, making you feel like you’ve achieved something regardless of the quality of those words. But in a short story, there’s no room for noodling. Writing the short form forces you to cut your plot, your characterizations, and your world-building down to the essentials, making your game that much tighter. Creativity. Short stories also offer a way of capturing ideas when you don’t have time to work on a longer version of an idea. Haruki Murakami, the author of Kafka on the Shore and 1Q84 among many other amazing novels, once said â€Å"A short story I have written long ago would barge into my house in the middle of the night, shake me awake and shout, 'Hey, this is no time for sleeping! You can't forget me, there's still more to write!' Impelled by that voice, I would find myself writing a novel. In this sense, too, my short stories and novels connect inside me in a very natural, organic way.† In other words, sometimes a short story is just a short story, and sometimes it’s the tip of a novel-length iceberg. Short Stories Every Day When discussing the craft and process of writing, you’ll eventually hear that if you want to improve you need to write every day or as near to it as possible. The more you write (and the more you read), the better your writing will become because practice is an essential part of any skill or craft. Most of us have to work pretty hard to find the time to write every day, making that time precious. Your choice of what to work on during those precious hours (or minutes) is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a writer. I strongly suggest you use that time to work on short stories unless you have a very clear concept and way forward for a novel. I’ve completed 35 novels. Many of those are awful, some are mediocre, and nine have been published (so far). One reason I’ve been able to plan, compose, and sell so many novels is that I write at least one short story every month, without fail. I started doing this thirty years ago, and I now have more than 500 stories written in long-hand in notebooks. When I finish one, I immediately start another. As with my novels, most of these aren’t great; I’ve sold about 40 over the years, and most of them never make it out of the notebooks at all. My goal isn’t necessarily to write a brilliant, publishable short story, though- those come as a side-effect of my true goal, which is to practice. To try different things. Working on a story each month means I can play around with a narrative device for a month, then capture an idea that’s been buzzing inside my head the next. After that, I can write a story focusing on a dialog trick I’ve thought of, and the month after that I can write my version of someone else’s story so I can tear apart their style, their mechanics, their tricks, and tics to see what can be seen. Every story I write, month after month, I’m trying something new, something that maybe I’m no good at, something that won’t work at all- but it’s low-risk, because at the end of the month I write The End and mo ve on to the next idea, the next experiment, the next challenge. This has had an incredibly positive effect on my longer works. First of all, some of these experiments lead to ideas and scenarios that grow naturally into novels- my book We Are Not Good People ultimately sprang from a pretty awful short story written a long, long time ago when I thought a mullet was an acceptable hairstyle. And every time I push myself to write a story in a new way, or using new, unfamiliar tools, I get a faint echo of that first crazy energy that drove me to write in the first place. And the fact that every day, without fail, I’m working on a new story means that my mind is always focused on writing and the mechanics of telling a tale, keeping me sharp. The TL;DR version is: Short stories for the Win. So, writers, how do you keep your skills and mind sharp even when your novel only exists as 4,000 Post-It Notes and a dream journal?    Jeff Somers (www.jeffreysomers.com) began writing by court order as an attempt to steer his creative impulses away from engineering genetic grotesqueries. He has published nine novels, including the Avery Cates Series of noir-science fiction novels from Orbit Books (www.avery-cates.com) and the Ustari Cycle  Series of urban fantasy novels. His short story Ringing the Changes was selected for inclusion in Best American Mystery Stories 2006,his story Sift, Almost Invisible, Through appeared in the anthology Crimes by Moonlight edited by Charlaine Harris, and his story Three Cups of Tea  appeared in the anthology Hanzai Japan. He also writes about books for Barnes and Noble and About.com and about the craft of writing for Writer’s Digest, which will publish his book on the craft of writing Writing Without Rules in 2018. He lives in Hoboken with his wife, The Duchess, and their cats. He considers pants to always be optional.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

HRM1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

HRM1 - Essay Example The human resources comprising the firm, has in recent years become strategic to decision-making in a strong way. Strategic Human Resource Management (HRM) researchers have devoted considerable effort toward demonstrating that the ways that people are managed, particularly through HR practices, have strong empirical relationships with organizational performance.(Huselid, 2005) The theory of close relationship between HRM and economic success has grown significantly in the last fifteen years. This theoretical progress can be seen in two different arenas: meta-theories describing broad rationales for why HRM and economic success should be linked, and middle level process theories describing how this linkage takes place. The firm's strategy determines the design of the HR system. The HR system impacts the employee skills and motivation, which in turn results in creativity, productivity and discretionary behavior. And, employees' behavior influences the firms operating performance, which leads to profitability, growth and market value. (Wright & Haggerty ) The development of the meta-theory which emphasizes the new process theory of the relationship between HRM and economic success reveals the current trend to identify some of the key variables which are indicators of this relationship. This includes the consideration of three important concepts: time, cause and individuals in the determination of the relationship of HRM with the economic success in the functioning and the operation of the SME's in this era pf globalization. The experience of working in advanced and growing economy of Australia, and the developing economy of Vietnam can be good background for initiating a developmental and strategic plan for the focus of the expansion in China which is the fastest growing developing economy in Asia. Meta theories such as the resource based view indirectly consider time, usually suggesting that competitive advantages stemming from HRM evolve over long periods of time. In which time comes into play with regard to "sustainable" competitive advantages as suggested by Barney (1990) suggesting that the concept requires an advantage that is held over time, it is important to specify both the amount of time and the process through which this evolution occurs to really understand the impact of these practices on the economic success. Another very significant consequence is the relationship between which explores the causal relationship between HRM and the economic success as the temporal precedence serves as a precondition to inferring cause. They propose three criteria for the inferring cause: co variation between the resumed cause and effect, the temporal precedence of the cause, and the ability to control or rule out alternative explanations for a possible cause and effect connection. The final area of the future theoretical attention emerges from the role played by the individuals adding complexity to the phenomena within models of the relationship between HRM and economic success. This considers the emphasis on the different levels of analysis tension inherent in research on people in organization. At the organization and the unit level, theories seek to explain how variation in one level variable relates to variation in

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Analysis of the criticism of the design and development of the Essay

Analysis of the criticism of the design and development of the scottish parliament building at Holyrood, Edinburgh - Essay Example The extent to which these problems correspond to those identified in literature has also been evaluated. The United Kingdom of Great Britain was formed in 1707 as per the provisions of the Treaty of Union, merging the two separate countries of Scotland and England. The enactment of the Scotland Act 1998 and the Devolution of 1999, once again made possible the formation of a separate Scottish Parliament .The perceptible need for a separate building for the Parliament resulted in the Holyrood, site being chosen for the construction of , what was, in Donald Dewar’s words, a â€Å"purpose-built parliament offered to make a statement about Scotland’s future†(White &Sidhu, p 6). Though the Scottish Parliament Building Project, was fated to land itself in a series of controversies, resulting in its price tag continuing to rise beyond comprehension1, leading to what critics of the Project consider as the greatest fiasco ever that has happened in recent Scottish history, the fact remains that this magnificent building symbolizes the rebirth of a nation. The Genesis of the fiasco lay in Westminster, in the pay-as-you-go contracts signed by U.K. Ministers much before the Scottish parliament had ever been elected. 2 The crucial decision to adopt the high risk Construction management Route was taken unilaterally by the Project Manager without, without a proper evaluation. 3 The appointment of Bovis, the highest tenderer as Construction Manger smacked of favoritism on several counts. Besides, EU The feasibility studies were merely indicative in nature and did not represent the actual costs. Even at the time of designer competition, no tentative cost estimate was made, but undue reliance was placed on the verbal assertions of the architectural joint to budgetary compliance.(Fraser, Para 4.51) In addition, the Time-table was too

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Creating an Academic Budgeting Scheme for Chris Essay Example for Free

Creating an Academic Budgeting Scheme for Chris Essay A student’s entry into a university could entail a lot of things. For instance, it means that a student, in this particular case Chris, would have to live away from his mom and move into a semi-independent environment. It could thereby be considered as a preparation for the new things to come. Chris needs a lot of changes to be able to adapt. He needs to more responsible in this new chapter in his life, bringing along all of the necessary values that he learned upon growing up. He will have needs, mostly academic in nature. Chris has to have a great deal of addressing these needs with little dependence from his mom because he now lives on his own. This entails additional responsibilities which maybe new to him. Chris is not an isolated case when it comes to budgeting in a university. Everybody went through those adaptations and the processes and means involved may vary from person to person. The difference is, Chris is not from an affluent family. He has to budget his resources well, if not, he will end up starving literally. The case gives us that Chris has a quarterly expenses that averages into $1500. The thought of managing his personal finances during his days in college can probably be the most crucial thing for Chris to fully appreciate the concepts that the subjects presents. It is in this time that he could say that he have learned things the hard way. Finding out solutions to his financial dilemmas may serve as a guide for his towards his future decisions. These same decisions will teach Chris to think quite a lot of times before he spend, keeping in mind the practical applications of what he will learn in his days in college. Life has a way of letting us know that things are not permanent and that can be learned in college the hard way. Say Chris has a $500 allowance left. If he spent half of that today, he will suffer for the rest of the quarter. Another concept of financial management which could aptly be applied here is the concept of savings. Saving or rather allocating finances for each day of the week is one thing Chris could effectively do in order to survive (Sebastian United States. Government Accountability Office. , 2006). Taking the bus for instance in going to campus instead of using his car could be a good start. He will then save gas costs. But in any case, those savings most of the times serve as a buffer or a fallback each time he may ran short. Probably one of the most effective ways of managing Chris’ finances is the painstaking task of listing his expenses on one of his notebooks which he could browse over at the end of the day so as to assess his spending patterns. It could really help him a lot in managing the money he has and thereby helps him in spending the next day or so. That don’t mean Chris has to do the debit and credit thing but at least he knows where the money goes. A lot of people can be quite dumb at times especially when it comes to spending allowances from our parents. We have them first day in the week and we live like rock stars spending it like we don’t care. Nothing’s really wrong if we do it, in any case the money is there to be spent but it won’t hurt if we would think twice before spending (Farr, Shatkin, JIST Works Inc. , United States. Dept. of Labor. , 2007). One concept in Financial Management that Chris could apply is the concept of alternatives. Well, some things can not really be avoided when it is in front of us. For example, his academic expenses, Chris could use the library and find it practical than being in an internet cafe. Maybe it is, but what if there is a cheaper one around just waiting for us to notice? For example, Chris may find a house to stay in at half the cost in university dormitories. He won’t find it unless he looks for it. Furthermore, Chris needs to identify opportunities as they arrive in order for him to be able to grasp control of his source of funding aside from the school loan board and his mom (Financial Management Association International. , 2000). As he moves on to his independence, Chris also has to secure a stable source of income. $750 a month of clearance of his accountabilities is a promising remark and that could entail a lot from this lad who is approaching financial maturity. Opportunities therefore are necessary. For instance, since he likes gaming, attending conventions and joining tournaments could be a source of income. If Chris is really good at it, he could well make a living out of it in college. The opportunity cost however should be taken well into consideration as he also has to attend to his academics. This is one thing that Chris must not be able to forget even if he has to work to support himself. As his teacher said, â€Å"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. †

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Paper Making :: essays research papers

I once saw a futuristic movie about a little girl who finds a book, â€Å"a real book,† she gasps, â€Å"made out of paper.† In the future world of this movie, all books had been confiscated from homes and libraries and were converted into electronic files. The books could still be read, but not held. To me, this was more of a horror movie than science fiction! Part of my love of books comes from feeling the paper and hearing the rustle of the pages as they are turned. With the increasing use of the Internet and talks of a â€Å"paperless society,† perhaps paper will someday become a thing of the past. So for now, I will appreciate every piece of paper that I can get my hands on, and hope that it won’t simply become a page, er, file in history. According to history books, the earliest paper used in books produced in the United States was handmade and imported from Europe, mainly England. Although the first American paper mill was built around 1690 in Germantown, Pennsylvania, most of the paper used in the U.S. was still imported from Europe until the American Revolution. A year after the Stamp Act of 1765 was passed, wire papermaking molds were first made, and paper-making in this country finally got its â€Å"official† start. The handmade paper used in the 17th and 18th centuries can be distinguished from paper that was made later by holding the paper up to a light and looking for "chain-lines" which are left from the wires in the paper mold. With this method, fewer fibers accumulate directly on the wire, so the paper is slightly thinner and more transparent to light. This pattern is usually very apparent and appears as lines that run about an inch apart, with several horizontal short lines connecting the long wire lines. Some modern paper has artificially-applied chain lines, and is usually referred to as "laid" paper, which is the name given to handmade chain-line paper. The handmade chain-line paper was made of cotton and/or linen rags, which were soaked in liquid until the fibers broke down into bits.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

African American Women in Hollywood Essay

In early film many African American actresses portrayed roles as mammies, slaves, seductresses, and maids. These roles suppressed them not allowing them to show their true talents. Although they had to take on these degrading roles, they still performed with dignity, elegance, grace and style. They paved the way for many actresses to follow both blacks and whites. These women showed the film industry that they were more than slaves, mammies, and maids. These beautiful actresses showed the film industry that they are able to hold lead parts and even carry the whole cast if need be. Phenomenal actresses such as Hattie McDaniels, Pearl Bailey, Ethel Waters, Nina Mae McKinney, and Dorothy Dandridge, to name a few, are African-American stars who paved the way for so many African-American actresses today despite the hardships that they were faced with. These women displayed beauty, intellect and talent, which allowed the stars that followed that they do not have to just settle for stereotypical roles. In early film there was much propaganda and even today, which lead to these demeaning roles that they had to betray, Professor Carol. Penney of Yale-New Haven writes, â€Å"Film is one of the most influential means of communication and a powerful medium of propaganda. Race and representation is central to the study of the black film actor, since the major studios reflected and reinforced the racism of their times. The depiction of blacks in Hollywood movies reinforced many of the prejudices of the white majority rather than objective reality, limiting black actors to stereotypical roles† (1). Hattie McDaniels, a trailblazer amongst African-American film, acquired many firsts for African-American actors. McDaniels was the first African-American to sing on the radio, first to receive an Oscar for best supporting actress in Gone with the Wind. She was also the first African-American to star in a sitcom in 1951 that featured an African-American actress in the title role (Pax 1). â€Å"McDaniels appeared in more than three hundred films during the twenties and thirties. Her career was built on the ? Mammy’ image, a role she played with dignity† (Smith 7). She received much flack from the blacks because of the roles she played in film and on radio. Blacks felt that she was degrading the race but her reply was to these views were, â€Å"Hell I’d rather play a maid than be one† (Encyclopedia of World Biography 406). After her acclaim role as Mammy in Gone With the Wind, McDaniels was never paid anything less than $31,000 for a performance. This was much for an African-American as well as a white entertainer. Even though she broke that barrier McDaniel was still oppressed by racism not only on film, but also off film. She was faced with racial legal problems when trying to acquire a home in Los Angeles. At that time there was a limited black land and home ownership right. Though she won the suite she still was subjected to racial hostility from her neighbors. McDaniels experience oppressions of many types during her career, but she continued to take the mammy roles but played them with dignity and respect. In spite of her being the mammy, McDaniels made sure that her characters had the â€Å"upper hand†. After McDaniels death the mammy roles died with her. Pearl Bailey, the â€Å"Ambassador of Love† career took off on Washington’s U street at the age of fifteen years of age. She started off as a singer and appeared in many nightclubs. In the mid-30’s she performed with the Noble Sissle’s Band in the Village Vanguard and Blue Angel Club. In the 40’s she was the lead singer for Count Basie, Cab Calloway and Cootie Williams. She debuted on Broadway in St. Louis Blue; she won honors for as Broadway’s best newcomer. After her debut on Broadway films she performed in Variety Girl, Isn’t It Romantic, Carmen Jones, and Porgy and Bess. â€Å"In 1967 she won a Tony Award for heading the all-black cast of Hello Dolly! A role that allowed her, she said, ? to sing, dance, say intelligent words on stage, love and be loved and deliver what God gave me? and I’m dressed up besides'†(Black History: Virginia Profiles 1). Hello Dolly! allowed Bailey to be beautiful. Former President Ronald Reagan awarded Bailey was with the Medal of Freedom in 1988. She was also a special delegate to the United Nations under Ford, Reagan and Bush. While in her sixties Bailey went back to college and received her degree in theology from Georgetown University (2). Ethel Waters, â€Å"Sweet Mama Stringbean†, started her career in Vaudeville and nightclubs. In the 1921 Waters performed her first debut album â€Å"The New York Glide† and â€Å"At the New Jump Steady Bump†. In the mid-twenties she was coined as a pop singer (Red Hot Jazz 1). â€Å"On stage she was in successful productions of Africana, Blackbird of the 1930, Rhapsody in Black, and Cabin in the Sky† (Penney 8). She also starred in Pinky in 1949 this was a message film on racism. Waters did not receive recognition for her work until she portrayed Berenice Sadie Brown in The Member of The Wedding. â€Å"The Member of the Wedding was more than simply a movie. It was very important repects a motion-picture event. Foremost, it marked the first time a black actress was used to carry a major-studio white production. Secondly, the movie was another comeback for Ethel Waters. Her autobiography, His Eye Is On The Sparrow? she told all the lurid details of her life the turbulent events in the autobiography convinced patrons that Ethel Waters, who always portrayed long-suffering women, was indeed the characters she played? Now patrons rooted for her to succeed? to triumph†(8). During Waters’s career she was nominated for an Oscar best supporting actress in the film Pinky. She also received the New York Drama Critics Award for best actress. Ethel Waters’s last performance was in the film The Sound and the Fury in 1959. She continued singing and touring with evangelist Billy Graham until her death in 1977 (Red Hot Jazz 1). Nina May McKinney was â€Å"the screen’s first black goddess† (Penney 3). â€Å"She was the first black actor in the film to be recognized as a potential mainstream star† (7). McKinney was also the most successful African-American actress in the 1920’s and 1930’s (South Carolina African American History Online 1). McKinney’s career started as a New York City nightclub dancer and later received a role in Lew Leslie’s Blackbird Revue. In 1929, King Vidor, of MGM Studios, casted McKinney as Chick, a promiscuous young woman in Hallelujah. â€Å"In the famous cabaret scene McKinney, as Chick, danced a sensuous dance which has been copied by leading lady Lena Horne in Cabin in the Sky to Lola Falana in The Liberation of L. B. Jones† (Penney 7). In Hallelujah, â€Å"Chick represented the black woman as an exotic sex object, half woman, half child. She was the black woman out of control of her emotions, split in two by her loyalty and her own vulnerabilities. Implied throughout the battle with self was the tragic mulatto theme? In this stereotypical concept the white half of her represented the spiritual; the black half-animalistic† (7). Hallelujah was considered the â€Å"‘ace of all-black pictures’? The film had a strong plot, but unfortunately the message was? blacks should stay in their place. Though McKinney received much praise for her role as Chick she did not generate leading roles in the American film industry. â€Å"She was relegated to assuming routine black characters or to partaking in independently produced, low budget all black movies, as was the pattern for most of the outstanding African-American actors and actresses of the era? McKinney acted in a few other films in the 1940’s. Her most notable role was in Pinky. McKinney was also a stage actress and performed at the famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem. Barred from opportunities and stardom in Hollywood, she soon departed the United States and took her great talents to Europe? in Greece she was known as the Black Garbo? she also starred with the great actor Paul Robeson in the film Sanders of the River† (South Carolina 2). Later in McKinney’s life the great star returned to the States and died in New York City in 1967. Dorothy Dandridge is amongst Hollywood’s beauties in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Though she receives much recognition today as the most beautiful and talented actresses of her time, but at that time she was seen as just another Black actress. Followed in the footsteps of the great Nina Ma McKinney, though they possessed the beauty and the charisma as other female actresses of their time their color was still seen first. Like many actors and actresses of her time Dandridge career went through many highs and lows because of her race. Dandridge’s career began as a singer with her sister Vivian, they were known as the Wonder Children and later the group became a trio by the name the Dandridge Sisters. She played in many movies in the 1940’s such as: Yes Indeed, Sing for My Supper, Jungle Jig, Easy Street, Cow Cow Boogie, and Paper Dolls to name a few. She was not recognized until her performance as Carmen in Carmen Jones. Her co-stars were Harry Belafonte, Pearl Bailey and Diahann Caroll. She was the first Black to be nominated for an Oscar for best actress (African-American Almanac 248). Dandridge’s role as Carmen lead to more opportunities for African-Americans in films. Dandridge was the first African-American woman to be held in the arms of a white man in the film, Island in the Sun. She was also the first African-American to have an interracial kiss in The Decks Ran Red (Pioneer Actress 2). Though the film Carmen Jones allowed Dandridge to have a lead role she the character was the stereotypical mulatto woman with a high sex drive and filled with deceit. Penney writes, â€Å"The irony that overshadowed Dandridge’s career was that although the image she marketed appeared to be contemporary and daring, at heart it was based on an old classic type, the tragic mulatto. In her important films Dorothy Dandridge portrayed doomed, unfilled women. Nervous and vulnerable, they always battled with the duality of their personalities. As such, they answered the demands of their times. Dorothy Dandridge’s characters brought to a dispirited nuclear age a razor-sharp sense of desperation that cut through the bleak monotony of the day. Eventually- and here lay the final irony- she may have been forced to live out a screen image that destroyed her† (10). Dorothy Dandridge broke many barriers during her career. She opened the doors for black romance in films. She crossed over the racial lines with interracial relationships on and off screen. Later in Dandridge’s career she found it hard to get work. She filed for bankruptcy and later committed suicide. Dandridge made it possible for African-American women to be seen as beautiful and not exotic and sexual. In conclusion, many African-Americans actresses were blackballed by the industry. They were not able to achieve the success that they were entitled to because of the era that they were living in. These stars were oppressed because of the color of their skin and not because they did not possess talent. They were limited to roles that did not allow them to be the damsels or have leading roles. And if they were cast as the lead the film stereotyped the Blacks as shiftless, deceitful, or ignorant. These are just a few of the great African-American women in film that made it easier for African-American women to get into the industry. Though today African-American people are still seen shiftless, drug addicts, gang bangers, killers, whores, and criminals, but now they have more access to the industry because now African- Americans are able to write and direct films that depict them in a better light. Film today has changed for the past from mammies. Now African-American women are teachers, doctors, lawyers, business tycoons and what have you. Yet, they are still oppressed because they are only able to produce what the movie studios say that they can produce. Today there are films like Soul Food, Love and Basketball, Rosewood, Bamboozled, and many more that have messages and have African-American women in lead roles and not being in the background. These great stars allowed Black girls to see their own kind on a big screen and feel that they are beautiful too. Work Cited The African-American Almanac, 1997. Detroit: Gale Research, 1997. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Vol. 10&16. Detroit: Gale Research, 1987. â€Å"Ethel Waters. † Online. 10 March 2005. Available: www. http://www. redhot jazz. com/waters. html. â€Å"Honoring Black History Month. † Pax Stars. Online. 10 March 2005. Available: www. http://www. pax. tv/bios/one-bio. cfm/hattie-mcdaniel. â€Å"Nina Mae McKinney. â€Å" South Carolina African American History Online. Online. 11 March 2005. Available: www. http://www.scafam-hist. org/aahc/. â€Å"Pearl Bailey. † Black History: Virginia Profiles. Online. 13 March 2005. Available:www. http://www. gatewayva. com/pages/bhistory/1996/bailey. shtml. Penney, Carol. â€Å"Black Actors inamerican Cinema. † Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. Online. 12 March 2000. Available: www. http://www. yale. edu/ynhti/cirriculm/units. â€Å"Pioneer black actress Dorothy Dandridge has a famous cast of modern-day admirers. † Online. 12 March 2005. Available: www. http://ohio. com/bj/fun/tv/0299/002827htm.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Distance Education Versus Face-to-Face Learning Essay

December 1 , 2009 Persuasive Essay – Game Theories Has Virtual Reality Taken Things Too Far? Distance Education versus Face-to-Face Learning In Clive Thompson’s â€Å"Game Theories†, the author illustrates how virtual worlds, such as Everquest and Second Life, have surprisingly become much like the real world. Everquest is an online virtual reality video game that allows individuals to create fictional characters to â€Å"generate goods as they play, often by killing creatures for their treasure and trading it† (Thompson 332). This has created an economy-like setting in he game but has eventually evolved to leak into the real world economy by exchanging real money for the purchase of virtual characters and their winnings. Thompson’s article shows how the line between virtual reality and real world reality often becomes blurry, encouraging people to consider ways where virtual technology can enhance and possibly replace the current systems already in place. However, not everything done through computers and virtual technology are as effective as one thinks. Sometimes, the traditional way of doing things are perfectly fine and more effective Just the way they are. Distance education, in particular, is a phenomenon that has been a growing popular alternative to traditional face-to-face education. I am here to argue that learning behind a computer at home cannot effectively replace the traditional face- to-face education offered at colleges and universities. Difficulty in self-directed learning and instructional misunderstandings can occur in any online course, a lack of a set schedule allows for distractions and procrastination, non-existent interaction inhibits growth and learning, and the probability of cheating is greater among online tudents versus campus students. Although there are many people who favor the online-learning alternative, this paper will challenge their confidence and counter- arguments on the issue. Distance education can be quite difficult. There are several courses that have concepts that can be quite tricky and complicated to understand, especially if one is learning on their own using a textbook. Shelia Tucker, an assistant professor at East Carolina University, stated that â€Å"students learn far too little when the teacher’s personal presence is not available because the student has far more to learn from he teacher than texts† (par. 2). For example, an accounting teacher can easily explain the advanced calculation of earnings per share and diluted earnings per share through the use of their own methods and organizational charts. Learning the same topic but reading texts from a course book can be quite challenging without a teacher to provide tips and tricks for remembering the formulas. As I am an accounting student aspiring to be a CGA, I am tremendously afraid of entering their factors influencing completion and non-completion of community college online ourses, â€Å"students indicated that online learning did not fit their learning style preference. Comments were received from students that they could not get a response from their instructor, the materials were not available, and the course was confusing† (Aragon & Johnson 155). Because of the difficulty experienced in online courses, â€Å"some community colleges are reporting drop-out rates 20% higher than in face-to- face classrooms† (Aragon & Johnson 146). Another drawback of online learning is the lack of a set schedule. Without a fixed timetable, the opportunity for distractions and procrastination often presents itself. These online courses require motivation and self-discipline to complete the courses and programs in a timely manner. This will be especially hard for those who tend to procrastinate and need the extra push from teachers to complete the work or require constant reminders of assignment due dates and examination dates. Because the online courses are quite flexible, these courses can often be put on the â€Å"backburner†, because the students are aware that some of these courses are self-paced. One major downfall of distance education is non-existent interaction that results from learning and working behind a computer. Communication with the teacher is limited to text correspondences and even replies to the emails may be delayed. Comparing this scenario to a classroom course, questions are answered and uncertainties are clarified immediately after the teacher is asked. There is no personal attention given to students and these learners are expected to find their own resources for completing assignments. Not only is interaction limited with teachers, but interaction with other students is limited as well. Randy S. Hanson, Ph. D. , made a point that the only interaction with classmates are through email, chat ooms and discussion boards. Parties and offline get-togethers [were] rarely experienced among online students (par. 17). In her article about the controversy of distance education, Roda Joanna Abaya asserts that â€Å"students do not learn only on formal and educational conversations. As social beings, it is important that they too interact with others and have informal talks or converse with lighter topics† (par. 8). Another concern that Abaya has about distance education is the lack of hands-on training in online courses (par. 7). Interaction with people and objects are vital in the earning process and because of these missing components in online courses, the effectiveness of education falls short when compared to the traditional face-to-face classes. According to an article about academic honesty in online courses, â€Å"some claim that because students and faculty do not interact directly in such classes, online classes will invite more cheating than traditional classes† (GriJalva, Therese C. et al. par. 2). This is certainly true in that distance education is being carried out at home, away from teacher supervision. Anne Mullens exclaims that â€Å"cheating appears to be ncreasing at universities, especially at the larger campuses and impersonal classes†¦ † (23). In an examination of cheating in both traditional and online criminal justice and legal studies courses, Lanier (2006) found the behavior to be more common in online courses† (Dobbs, Rhonda R. et al 13). Who knows how many students cheat during an online exam, having their books open in front of them while actual student writing the exam? Cheating is unethical and universally wrong but there are many students who cannot help themselves from get ting all the help they can get to score the good grades. There are several counter arguments that can be raised against the thesis of this paper. After â€Å"googling† and researching the pros of distance education, the recurring and most significant point was the flexibility of online courses. There are no set class times and it is the student’s discretion when to complete the assignments and readings so those with busy schedules are able to accommodate education. Stephen Downes states that there is â€Å"more work in the distance ed version†¦ simply because it tries to make up for the lack of any class contact† (par. 1). I have heard students and riends complain about the amount of work required for the online LIBS 7001 course at BCIT, where as the in-class version compares much favorably. With the course load being heavy for online courses, the flexibility to dedicate time to other priorities is hindered with the stress of work to be done for distance education. Some argue that online learning benefits those who requires more time, are language challenged, or are introverted. But on the contrary, it hinders rather than allows growth and learning. Those who require more time will always have that excuse to fall back on. Next thing they know, a year has passed since having started the course. The things learned at the beginning of the on-line class will have been forgotten and time would have been wasted. Those who are foreign students that struggle with the language barrier would benefit much more with an available teacher who is able to give them personal attention and needed help. To leave them on their own, trying to understand the course concepts from a textbook or a set of written notes can leave them overwhelmed and confused. Even those who are shy do not gain any benefit for enrolling in online courses. In fact, it is more of a detriment to their development and knowledge. Attending campuses and universities allows students to interact with classmates, and even encourages group projects to develop team buildings skills for individuals. At BCIT, students are often required to do presentations in front of the class and even in lecture halls. This is because the real world will often put people in similar situations and the training for that is attained easily when attending school on campus. This will also develop individuals’ interpersonal skills, and will help them overcome any shyness they may have. Another counter argument that can be raised is that costs are reduced when taking distance education. Not only are travel costs and commuting time decreased, but the necessary housing costs and meal plans are also saved if one is required to move to campus for attending university. However, the â€Å"cost of training teachers, the cost of hardware and software, human resources such as technicians and other people involved are to be considered, we can say that establishing online education is not as cheap as it may seem for others† (Abaya par. 6). These costs will certainly rickle down to the students, eventually having them pay through the increasing course fees.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Grams and Telegrams

Grams and Telegrams Grams and Telegrams Grams and Telegrams By Mark Nichol This post lists and defines words derived from the Greek term gramma, which pertains not only to a small weight, as in gram and compound words in which gram is the base, but also to letters (hence telegram) and writing (hence grammar). Words That Begin with Gram gram: a metric unit of weight equivalent to one one-thousandth of a kilogram, the base unit of weight in the metric system; gram is also an unrelated term for any of various legumes, such as chickpeas, and an informal variant of grandma gramarye (also gramarye): magic, enchantment, or necromancy (likely from the Old French term gramaire, which initially referred to any book written in Latin and came to pertain to a book of grammar or of magic) gramercy: an obsolete construction derived from â€Å"grand mercy,† a Middle English expression of gratitude or surprise based on the Anglo-French phrase grand merci (â€Å"great thanks†) grammar: the study or system of word classes and their inflections, functions, and interrelationships; the application of rules of grammar in speech and writing; a grammar textbook; and, by extension, principles and rules of a particular practice or technique, or a set of such guidelines grammar checker: software that evaluates grammar in writing used in electronic documents grammarian: one knowledgeable about grammar grammatical: pertaining to grammar grammatist: a strict grammar expert grammatolatry: worship of letters and words, especially in the context of devotion to Christian scripture Grammy: one of a number of awards given for excellence in recorded music (derived from gramophone; see gramophone, below); the plural is Grammys gramophile: one who collects or otherwise enjoys phonograph records gramophone: a former trademark for a brand of phonograph, or record player grimoire: a manual for calling demons and spirits (from an alteration in Old French of the word gramaire; see gramarye, above) Words That End with Gram aerogram: an obsolete term for an airmail letter, one specially designated for shipment on an airplane at a time when mail was usually sent by sea anagram: a word or phrase formed by transposing another word or phrase angiogram: an X-ray or gamma ray photograph produced by injecting a substance into blood vessels that is visible in the image cardiogram: a tracing of movements of the heart centigram: a metric unit of weight equivalent to one one-hundredth of a kilogram cryptogram: a message in cipher or code, or a figure or symbol with hidden significance dactylogram: a fingerprint diagram: a drawing, or a chart or plan, that explains or shows parts of an object or an organism; as a verb, to explain or show something with such a representation electroencephalogram: a tracing of brain waves hexagram: a six-pointed star (a similar figure is called Solomon’s seal) histogram: a visual record of frequency of occurrence hologram: a three-dimensional image, or the pattern producing the image derived from a laser beam or similar beam ideogram: a picture or symbol used to represent a thing or an idea rather than a word or phrase; also, a synonym for logogram (see logogram, below) kilogram: the basic unit of weight in the metric system, roughly equivalent to 2.2 pounds lipogram: a piece of writing deliberately written so that a particular letter of the alphabet is never used logogram: a sign such as an ampersand (), or a dollar sign, that represents a word mammogram: a photograph of breasts using X-rays for medical examination, or the procedure for producing a mammogram milligram: a metric unit of weight equivalent to one one-thousandth of a gram monogram: a sign that combines a person’s initials into one symbol pentagram: a five-sided star used as a symbol of magic or the occult phonogram: a character or symbol that represents a sound, syllable, or word pictogram: an ancient drawing or painting on rock, a symbol in a graphic system using pictures, or a representation of data using pictures (also called a pictograph) seismogram: a record, produced by a seismograph, of a tremor spectrogram: a diagram or image of the spectrum of light telegram: a message sent by telegraph tetragrammaton: the four Hebrew letters, usually represented by YHWH (Yahweh) or JHVH (Jehovah), constituting the name of God Gramineous and graminiverous, meaning, respectively â€Å"pertaining to grass† and â€Å"having a diet of grass,† are unrelated. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Capitalize Animal and Plant Names10 Types of TransitionsWhat Is a Doctor?

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Teddy Roosevelt Simplifies Spelling

Teddy Roosevelt Simplifies Spelling In 1906, U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt tried to get the government to simplify the spelling of 300 common English words. However, this didnt go over well with Congress or the public. Simplified Spelling Was Andrew Carnegies Idea In 1906, Andrew Carnegie was convinced that English could be a universal language used around the world  if only English was easier to read and to write. In an attempt to tackle this problem, Carnegie decided to fund a group of intellectuals to discuss this issue. The result was the Simplified Spelling Board. The Simplified Spelling Board The Simplified Spelling Board was founded on March 11, 1906, in New York. Included among the Boards original 26 members were such notables as author Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), library organizer Melvil Dewey, U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Brewer, publisher Henry Holt, and former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Lyman Gage. Brander Matthews, professor of dramatic literature at Columbia University, was made ​the chairman of the Board. Complicated English Words The Board examined the history of the English language and found that written English had changed over the centuries, sometimes for the better but also sometimes for the worse. The Board wanted to make written English phonetic again, as it was long ago, before silent letters such as e (as in axe), h (as in ghost), w (as in answer), and b (as in debt) crept in. However, silent letters were not the only aspect of spelling that bothered these gentlemen. There were other commonly used words that were just more complex than they needed to be. For instance, the word bureau could much more easily be spelled if it was written as buro. The word enough would be spelled more phonetically as enuf, just as though could be simplified to tho. And, of course, why have a ph combination in phantasy when it could much more easily be spelled fantasy. Lastly, the Board recognized that there were a number of words for which there already were several options for spelling, usually one simple and the other complicated. Many of these examples are currently known as differences between American and British English, including honor instead of honour, center instead of centre, and plow instead of plough. Additional words also had multiple choices for spelling such as rime rather than rhyme and blest rather than blessed. The Plan So as not to overwhelm the country with an entirely new way of spelling at once, the Board recognized that some of these changes should be made over time. To focus their push for adaptation of new spelling rules, the Board created a list of 300 words whose spelling could be changed immediately. The idea of simplified spelling caught on quickly, with even some schools beginning to implement the 300-word list within months of it being created. As the excitement grew around simplified spelling, one particular  person ​became a huge fan of the concept - President Teddy Roosevelt. President Teddy Roosevelt Loves the Idea Unbeknownst to the Simplified Spelling Board, President Theodore Roosevelt sent a letter to the United States Government Printing Office on August 27, 1906. In this letter, Roosevelt ordered the Government Printing Office to use the new spellings of the 300 words detailed in the Simplified Spelling Boards circular in all documents emanating from the executive department. President Roosevelts public acceptance of simplified spelling caused a wave of reaction. Although there was public support in a few quarters, most of it was negative. Many newspapers began to ridicule the movement and lambasted the president in political cartoons. Congress was especially offended at the change, most likely because they had not been consulted. On December 13, 1906, the House of Representatives passed a resolution stating that it would use the spelling found in most dictionaries and not the new, simplified spelling in all official documents. With public sentiment against him, Roosevelt decided to rescind his order to the Government Printing Office. The efforts of the Simplified Spelling Board continued for several more years, but the popularity of the idea had waned after Roosevelts failed attempt at government support. However, when browsing the list of 300 words, one cannot help but notice how many of the new spellings are in current use today.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Place, Promotion and Price Strategies. ZTE Computer Tablet Market Research Paper

Place, Promotion and Price Strategies. ZTE Computer Tablet Market Entry in the US - Research Paper Example This makes the product life cycle management a very important function of the business. The ZTE Corporation is a global company; they are providers of telecommunication equipment and networking solutions. The company was founded in 1985 and has come a long way to become China’s largest listed telecom equipment provider (ZTE official website). ZTE has a very comprehensive product portfolio that provides â€Å"end-to-end† solutions. They aim at providing high quality innovative products that are also affordable. They have operations in more than 140 countries globally. The tablet market is a fast growing one; some even predict that soon tablets will take over the PC market too. But that day is not very close for the general masses because tablets are expensive and the greater the offering, the higher the cost. ZTE has a devised a very successful approach towards tapping this market. They aim to product economically feasible tablets and make them accessible and available in everyone’s reach. The company started off with the ZTE Pro Light and Light and now aims to offer the ZTE Light Plus. Market Introduction Stage for ZTE ZTE Corp, China’s second-largest manufacturer of cell phone and related equipment is expected to launch their tablet in the United States the following year (Kharif, 2011). Presently the key players in the tablet market are Apple Inc. and Amazon. They intend to sell the tablet through the US phone company Lixin Cheng. ZTE has an already established image in producing low-cost devices. The market segmentation of the tablet PC is very complex because everyday someone discovers a new and innovative way to use the tablet PC. The introduction phase of the product primary involves it launch into the market, the aim at this stage is to ensure that the marketing is most impactful. ZTE believes that by 2015, it the tablet users will grow from the present users of 26 million to 82.1 million markets (Market Watch, 2011). The US market is expected to be the biggest market for tablets and smart phones, and they expect to sweep the market with their afforda ble prices. Product Strategies This is currently challenged by Amazon’s Kindle Fire whose recent performance in the market is predicted to dethrone Ipad’s leading position in the market. â€Å"According to leaked screenshots by an Amazon source of its internal inventory management system Alaska, and published by the Cult of Android, the Kindle Fire is on its way to outselling even the Apple iPad† (Barbara, 2011). This can also come as good news to ZTE, to depicts that the market is rip for affordable tablets. However, for proper execution at this stage, they need to conduct market research. They need to understand the customer requirements of product features, design, servicing and pricing. According to Liu the backside of the tablet supports the Google logo depicting that the product supports Wifi and