Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Suggest a Performance Management Systems for a small government Essay

Suggest a Performance Management Systems for a small government department. Explain how can the Balanced Scorecard complement the Performance Management System - Essay Example The performance management system outlined in this paper come from the personal experience of CEOs of big and small companies, business analysts, consultants and major players in the business world as well as management experts in non profit organisations. While these individuals may differ on how the performance management system should be constructed, they are all united on the point that such systems and the performance review process itself is an essential part of employee growth which in turn leads to the growth and development of the organisation. In fact, Jack Welch served as the CEO of General Electric for more than two decades and links performance management to the overall mission of the company. He says that â€Å"Every decision or initiative was linked to the mission. We publicly rewarded people who drove the mission and let go of people who couldn’t deal with it for whatever reason (Welch, 2005, Pg. 16).† This idea connects directly with the idea of the balanced scorecard given by Kaplan and Norton (1992) primarily due to the fact that it connects employee performance management with the idea of promoting the objectives and mission of the organisations rather than any other factor. GE’s own mission, when Welch was running the company, was to be the most competitive company in the world which fits with the approach of rewarding and doing the utmost to keep the best talent within the organisation and letting go of those who do not perform to a certain level. Such tactics could only be employed when an effective performance management system is place and GE’s system for performance reviews has been lauded by critics as well as copied by the competition simply because it is one of the best. In the modern concept of governance, government departments certainly note the importance of human resource management. However, the process of applying the concepts of human resource management which are created in a

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Godfather Movie Analysis Film Studies Essay

The Godfather Movie Analysis Film Studies Essay The Godfather (1972) is a one of a kind movie; it is even considered by many an American classic. The American Film Institute (AFI) has The Godfather listed at number two in 2008 as one of the greatest films in American culture today. This movie has everything from great action scenes to world famous actors. This movie stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, and James Cann among many others. The Godfather portrays one major theme throughout the entire movie and that is violence. Almost every scene in this movie is either a shot of actual violence accruing or the audience sees some of the characters talking about violence. However, it is the violence in this movie that makes it the classic it is today. The opening scene in The Godfather is of man pleading with Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) to hurt some men out of justice for his daughter. This man tells his story of his daughter being taken advantage of by some young men and it is indicated to the audience that this mans daughter was raped. This opening scene is dark with very little light shown which sets the mood for the entire movie. The audience gets the sense right away the Don Corleone holds the power to make things happen such as justice and make people pay for the wrong they have caused. After what seems to be an eternity Don Corleone grants the man his wish to bring justice to his daughter but in exchange Don Corleone tells the man that one day in the future he will call upon him for a favor. It is here in this scene that we see that Don Corleone is in charge and that violence is the reoccurring theme in the entire movie. The next scene is of a singer Johnny Fontane (Al Martino) which happens to be Don Corleones godson. Johnny is there to ask the Godfather for his help in landing a lead role in an upcoming movie. Johnny believes that if he gets this role it will help boost his career and stardom again. With this request Corleone sends his adopted son Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) to California to make the director of the movie cast Johnny. After the director refuses to cast Johnny, Tom Hagen cuts the head off the directors favorite horse and puts it in the directors bed while he is sleeping. We assume that after this violence occurs the director casts Johnny in his movie. When the camera shoots to the director in bed there is a lot of blood and the audience actually gets to see a severed horse head. This is scene is very gruesome and realistic. After this scene it is clear that if the Corleone family doesnt get or hear what they want that they will use any action to make their needs met. This scene is use d to show the power the Corleone family holds throughout the country. Again violence was the main objective in this scene. In the upcoming scenes in The Godfather are some of the most important events in the movie because these events are what lead to the continuation of the movie. When Hagen returns from California, the entire Corleone entourage goes to a very important meeting where they meet up with a man named Virgil Sollozzo (Al Lettieri.) Sollozzo wants Corleones corporation in protecting the rival Tattaglia family because of their interest in getting started in trafficking heroin. Coreleone refuses to help because he believes that getting involved with narcotics will destroy his political connections and his reputation. After this meeting Corleone becomes very concerned and sends one of his biggest men, Luca Brasi (Lenny Montana) to check in with Sollozzo to see what he is up to but while Brasi is there he is stabbed in the hand and is beaten to death. Again, we see violence used as a way to get things done. Brasi is killed because Sollozzo is being set up. It comes as a shock to the audience beca use in this scene all of the characters are standing calmly talking to one another when all of a sudden a man takes a knife and stabs Brasi hand into the counter top. The audience gets to experience the entirety of how horrific it is for Brasi because the camera is focused on Brasi hand when the knife goes through it. In this scene it is clear that other families have efficient ways of handling business. It seems as though there is a competition between the different families and who ever can do the most damage is the family who holds the most power. The next major, important scene is where Corleone is shopping in an outdoor market, purchasing fruit. Corleone has his back towards the camera and the audience feels that something bad is about to happen. Moments later the camera shows men running towards Corleone with guns pointed toward him. These men start shooting Corleone until he falls to the ground. These men shot Corleone because he refused Sollozzos offer. At the same time Corleone is being shot, Sollozzo captures Hagen and tries to convince him to tell Corleones oldest son Sonny (James Cann) to take the offer. This is one of the less graphic scenes the audience gets to experience, this is probably done discretely because it represents the respect people hold for Corleone. Here, the audience experiences more of an emotional effect when Corleone is shot. Even though he is a mob boss the audience has learned to except and like Corleone and to see him shot causes sadness. There is hope for us that he is okay and that becomes a relief. The youngest son out of the Corleone family is Micheal (Al Pacino) who is a war hero and is assumed to not follow in the family mob business. This all changes though when Michael goes to visit his father in the hospital and realizes that there is a set up occurring in an attempt to try and kill his father for a second time. When Micheal stops the murder attempt, a corrupt police caption name McCluskey (Sterling Hayden) breaks his jaw out of frustration. Sonny then retaliates by killing Tattaglias son. This is almost another touching scene because we see how emotional Corleone sons are towards their father. The audience really starts to see the meaning of family and how strong their bond is. Michael is really starts to be seen here because he steps up and keeps his cool unlike his brother Sonny. This family is willing to do anything to keep each other together and safe. After Michael gets his jaw broken there is a fire inside of him that is initiated and he wants to seek revenge not only for himself but also for the attempt on his fathers life. With that being said he meets Sollozzo and McCluskey at a small Italian restaurant to settle and end this dispute. Halfway through the meal Michael asks to use the bathroom; in the bathroom Michal has planted a gun so he could kill Solozzo and McCuskey. As Michael returns to the table we hear the sound of a subway train which is loud and very squeaky and this sound contradicts the calm movement and expression on Michaels face. Because of the harsh sound of the subway and Michaels cool attitude the audience knows something bad is about to happen. Then all of sudden Micheal pulls out the gun and shots Sollozzo and McCluskey it the head. At this point the audience starts to notice the strength of violence in this film but it is done in almost a tasteful way. There is never a crime committed in this movie that is nt done without purpose and deep thought. Every murder is thought out and planned carefully. The mafia business is scary to the audience but for these characters it is everyday business that they have to take care of. Even though there is a great deal of violence in this movie and around the corner of every scene there seems to be a murder or crime being committed there is something else the audience gets to experience and that is the strength of family unity. The Corleone family has a very strong bond and will do anything to keep the family safe and together. We especially see this when Sonny gets a phone call from his sister Connie (Talia Shire.) Connie proceeds to tell Sonny that she is being abused by her husband Carlo (Gianni Russo.) With this news Sonny goes and beats up Carlo and warns him that if he touches his sister again he will kill Carlo. Just as the audience expected Carlo beats Connie again and so now Sonny goes to kill him but while Sonny is at a toll booth he is ambushed and shot to death but the other rival families. The last major scene that involves violence is at the very end of the film. The scene starts with christening of Connies baby where Michael is to assume role of the godfather to the child. As the christening proceeds has planned the assassination of the murder for each the heads of the rival families. While the audience sees shots of the christening taking place there is also scene shots of the murders of the heads of the family. Each head is shot to death and this shows the power Michael has now. Michael can be doing some completely different but has the control to handle business while doing something so pure, such as being at a christening. There is great irony in that. It shows the value of family but also how the family business will take over Michaels life. Michael, as much as his father had tried to steer Michael away from the family business is now clearly the new leader and assumes all the responsibility that his father had.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Sports Injury :: essays research papers

Alcohol use and behaviors in women long-distance race participants reporting a history of bulimia and/ or anorexia nervosa   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  women long-distance racers were more likely to report a past history of an eating disorder than the control population and that reported in the general population. We cannot say that running was responsible for the development of the eating disorder. It may be that running can prevent or control eating disorders. High achieving, disciplined, organized women with a history of an eating disorder may be attracted to long-distance running. The method of defining a case was based simply on the respondent replying affirmatively to the questions â€Å"Do you have a history or bulimia/† and/or â€Å"Do you have a history of anorexia nervosa?† This method of case definition is based on a history of such a disorder and does not necessarily reflect an active problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Researchers found that women reporting a past history of bulimia and a history of problem alcohol behavior as noted by other investigators and were more likely to report a biologic family member with a history of problem drinking. Even with their history of problem alcohol behavior, the runners reporting a history of bulimia did not differ from other runners or the control population in their drinking patterns in a recent two-week period. Total amount of alcohol consumed, occasions of drinking and occasions of binge drinking were not significantly different among any of the women. Researchers were unable to ascertain if running helped control alcohol consumption in a person prone to problem alcohol consumption in a person prone to problem alcohol behavior or if the decreased alcohol consumption predated the onset of running.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Those women reporting a past history of a mixed type of eating disorder, perhaps reflecting severity, ran more days of the week and more miles per week than other runners. These women also had the lowest weight and desired weight of any group. The drive for thinness is a hallmark of anorexia but anorexics with bulimia generally are more prone to use vomiting and/or laxatives for weight control than intense exercise or severe food restriction. This subtype of anorexia is also more likely to be prone of problems with alcohol. This was not true for the women in this study.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A limitation of the study is the small numbers in the eating disorder groups. With a larger series of cases, the small differences in alcohol consumption could be significant.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Potential Of Coconut Water as Source of Electricity Essay

One of the major problems in our country is energy shortage. There are many methods and proposals on how to conserve it such as the use of batteries. One of these is an electrolytic cell. It contains an electrolyte through which an externally generated electric current is passed by a system of electrodes (electrically positive electrode is called the anode and the negative electrode the cathode) in order to produce an electrochemical reaction. Such a reaction involves the transfer of electrons between two electrodes immersed in an ion-conducting medium – the electrolyte. A batter unit is often referred to as a cell. Electrolytic cells have many practical uses, including the recovery of pure metal from alloys, the plating of one metal with another, and the manufacture of chlorine and sodium hydroxide.1 Coconut (Cocos nucifera) water contains a variety of nutrients including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, enzymes, growth factors, and other nutrients. Coconut water is a good source of the major minerals like magnesium, calcium, and potassium. It is particularly rich in potassium, an essential nutrient; one 8-ounce cup of coconut water has more potassium than a banana. It also contains a variety of trace elements such as zinc, selenium, iodine, sulfur, manganese, boron, molybdenum, and others. These are derived from volcanic soils and seawater from which the coconut palms are grown. All of these minerals are in the form of electrolytes so they are easily absorbable by the human body. Many of the health benefits attributed to coconut water can be traced to its mineral content.2 With this information, the researchers decided to test if coconut (Cocos nucifera) water is feasible as an electrolyte to conduct electricity to contribute for lessening the energy shortage that we had encountered. B. Statement of the Problem This study aims to know if coconut (Cocos nucifera) water can be a source of electricity. Specifically, the study seeks to answer the following questions: a. How much voltage can be obtained in the coconut (Cocos nucifera) water; b. Is the coconut (Cocos nucifera) water has enough current to lighten a LED light; and c. Is there any similarity between the coconut (Cocos nucifera) water and vinegar as electrolyte in conducting electricity in terms of: electrical voltage ability to light LED Light price being environment friendly C. Objectives The main objective of this study is to make use of coconut (Cocos nucifera) water as an electrolyte for electrolytic cell. To support the main objective, the sub-objectives are as follows: a. to know the capability of coconut (Cocos nucifera) water as an electrolyte in generating electricity; b. to make an alternative for expensive commercialized electrolytic cell; and c. to lessen the waste because coconut water are usually just thrown away by the vendors. D. Hypothesis There is a significant difference between the coconut (Cocos nucifera) water used as an electrolyte and the vinegar for electrolytic cell in terms of voltage measured. E. Scope and Delimitation of the Study This study only focuses on how coconut (Cocos nucifera) water can be a source of electricity. The study will be conducted from November 2009 to August 2010 at First City Providential College Laboratory, City of San Jose Del Monte Bulacan. The equipments needed were coconut water, vinegar, beakers, electrodes and the multitester. The beakers will be borrowed at the FCPC’s Laboratory. The coconut water will be collected from Tungkong Mangga Wet Market. F. Significance of the Study Electricity is not an unlimited resource but must be generated through various means. Just as a decade ago, the Philippines suffered from energy deficit. The energy supplied by the power plants did not reach the level of demand for electricity means that electricity must be efficiently used to avoid another crisis in the future. The problem of energy shortage is not merely a matter of building more power plants since they do not only offer energy solutions but also cause environmental problems. To lessen the problem about that the researchers wants to test if coconut (Cocos nucifera) water can be a source of electricity. In this study the community and the environment will be benefit by this because it is organic and affordable. G. Review of Related Literature G.1 History of Coconut The English name coconut, first mentioned in English print in 1555, comes from the Spanish and Portuguese word coco, which means â€Å"monkey face.† Spanish and Portuguese explorers found a resemblance to a monkey’s face in the three round indented markings or â€Å"eyes† found at the base of the coconut. On the Nicobar Islands of the Indian Ocean, whole coconuts were used as currency for the purchase of goods until the early part of the twentieth century. Coconuts are the fruit of the coconut palm, botanically known as Cocos nucifera, with nucifera meaning â€Å"nut-bearing.† The fruit-bearing palms are native to Malaysia, Polynesia and southern Asia, and are now also prolific in South America, India, the Pacific Islands, Hawaii and Florida. The light, fibrous husk allowed it to easily drift on the oceans to other areas to propagate. The coconut fruit has many food uses for its water, milk, meat, sugar, and oil. It also functions as its own dish and cup. The husk was burned for fuel by natives, but today a seed fiber called coir is taken from the husk and used to make brushes, mats, fishnets, and rope. A very potent fermented toddy or drink is also made from the coconut palm’s sap. Coconut oil, a saturated fat made from dried coconut meat, is used for commercial frying and in candies and margarines, as well as in non-edible products such as soaps and cosmetics. Although it takes up to a year for coconuts to mature, the trees bloom up to thirteen times a year. Fruit is constantly forming, thus yielding a continuous harvest year-round. An average harvest from one tree runs about 60 coconuts, with some trees yielding three times that amount. The coconut’s name is a bit of a misnomer, since it is botanically classified as a drupe and not a nut. It is the largest seed known.3 G.2 Coconut Water Physical Properties The coconut seed contains a white, fleshy part which is edible and used fresh or dried in cooking. Coconut meat, a soft, pudding like meat provides an excellent source of lauric and caprylic fatty acids which is known for being antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, boosting the immune system and killing off intestinal worms. This meat is high in raw protein, enzyme-rich, easy to digest and contains all the essential amino acids. What makes the coconut water more effective is when we turn the water and meat from young green coconuts and ferment it with kefir grains to turn its natural sugar into a probiotic. It has shown to alkalize the body very quickly so cravings for starches and sugars are replaced for cravings of healthy foods like vegetables. The young green coconut has adequate natural minerals and a high quality raw protein which are valuable for growth and repair of the body. Coconut water is the liquid endosperm inside young coconuts. As the coconut matures, this liquid largely becomes absorbed into the flesh found in mature coconuts. Coconut water has long been a popular drink in the tropics, especially in Tropical Asia and Trinidad and Tobago, where it is available fresh or bottled. It is naturally fat-free and low in food energy (16.7 calories or 70 kJ per 100 g). Due to its sterility, pH, mineral, and sugar content, coconut water had been successfully used as liquid in intravenous therapy in emergency situations. Coconuts for drinking are packaged and sold in many places. These are typically Thai coconuts whose outer green husk has been removed, and the remainder wrapped in plastic. Coconut water can also be found in regular cans or tetra paks (and often with coconut pulp or coconut jelly added) and is also marketed as a sports drink because of its high potassium and mineral content, which helps the body recover from rigorous exercise. Chemical Properties The cavity of the coconut is filled with â€Å"coconut water† containing sugars, fiber, proteins, anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals. Young coconuts have more ‘water’ and soft, gel-like meat, and mature coconuts have firm meat and less ‘water.’ The coconut water provides an excellent isotonic electrolyte balance, and an exceptional nutritional food source, which is why it is used as a refreshing drink throughout the humid tropics. Also it contains essential minerals from land and sea to adequately hydrate and nourish the body. In fact, during the Pacific and Vietnam young green coconut water was siphoned directly from the nut to give emergency plasma transfusions to wounded soldiers.4 Coconut water is more nutritious than whole milk; it has no casein and a good balance of magnesium and calcium. It is rich in Vitamin C, acts as a natural diuretic and helps cleanse the liver and kidneys. It reduces problems for infants helps with GERDS, failure to thrive and other intestinal disorders such as indigestion, colitis, gastric ulcers, and diarrhea. It serves as an antioxidant, scavenging many types of destructive free radicals and protecting hemoglobin from nitrite-induced oxidation. Chelating properties the coconut water contains â€Å"gold: and â€Å"silver† and sulphurated proteins which is crucial to detox mercury and other heavy metals out of the cells and membranes, also it makes a certain â€Å"tension on the surface† which solves the heavy into a solution. Also it has certain fatty acids and sulfur holded amino acids to attach to the mercury. He said it is really water which contains a nature’s â€Å"trick†. The following are the major chemical constituents of coconut water: Sugars Sugars in the forms of glucose and fructose form an important constituent of the tender nut water. The concentration of sugars in the nut water steadily increases from about 1.5 per cent to about 5 – 5.5 per cent in the early months of maturation and then slowly falls reaching about 2 per cent at the stage of the full maturity of the nut. In the early stages of maturity sugars are in the form of glucose and fructose (reducing sugars) and sucrose (non-reducing sugar) appears only in later stages which increases with the maturity while the reducing sugars fall. In the fully mature nut approximately 90 per cent of the total sugars are sucrose. Vitamins and Minerals Tender coconut water contains most of the minerals such as potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorous, iron, and copper, sulphur and chlorides. Among the minerals more than half is potassium the concentration of which is markedly influenced by potash manuring. Tender coconut water being rich in potassium and other minerals plays a major role to increase the urinary output. It contains both ascorbic acid and vitamins of B group. The concentration of ascorbic acid ranges from 2.2 to 3.7mg per ml, which gradually diminishes as the kernel surrounding the water begins to harden. Protein Coconut water contains small amounts of protein. The percentage of arginine, alanine, cysteine and serene in the protein of tender coconut water are higher than those in cow’s milk. Since it does not contain any complex protein the danger of producing shock to the patients is minimized.5 Analysis of Mature and Tender Coconut Water G.3 Vinegar History of Vinegar The Babylonians used it to preserve foods and as a seasoning for their food. We have record of the Greek using it to preserve foods and Roman soldiers made a beverage used as they travelled. Not much has changed with our use of vinegar, we still use it to preserve foods and season with. The name comes from the simple compounding of 2 words by the French and probably not uttered pleasantly. When a cask of wine got a crack in it and became exposed to air they most likely uttered †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦vin ..aiger †¦.which means ..sour wine. Uses Vinegar is an acid with a low ph. So many germs and virus are killed with it. Michael Mullen a spokesperson for him Heinz Corporation says that straight 5% vinegar will kill 80% of the germs and virus. Heinz says they can’t make the claim on the bottle that it kills bacteria because of the EPA laws. If you do the research though you will find that the claims are sound. Here are some other ailments that people use vinegar to help heal. Relieve mild arthritis pain, cure a stomach ache, dissolving warts, relieving itching from mosquito or bug bites, soothing sunburn pains, relieving a sore throat, jelly fish stings, these are only a few, there are hundreds of applications used by many even in the health field. It is said that vinegar is also very versatile for cleaning and sanitizing. Keeping a spray bottle of straight 5% distilled vinegar is useful to clean and disinfect many things. You can sanitize your cutting board and spray hard to clean kitchen appliances that have many nooks and crannies that come in contact with bacteria. Also spray on door handles, and all the bathroom fixtures to disinfect. Its odor dissipates fairly quickly. Buying distilled vinegar in a gallon bottle is very economical. Toothbrushes can be boiled for a minute in vinegar to kill germs. You can also kill molds and fungus. Spraying feet helps prevent athletes’ foot.6 Physical Properties Vinegar is mainly a dilute aqueous solution of acetic acid and this is reflected in its physical and chemical properties. It’s the product of two biochemical processes. These processes are alcoholic fermentation and acid fermentation. Alcoholic fermentation converts natural sugar to alcohol. Acid fermentation converts alcohol to acid via microorganisms, which are present in the air, we breathe, called acetobacter. The acid part of vinegar is what gives it its sour taste and its antiseptic (germ killing) properties as well as its cleaning properties. Vinegar isn’t simply a dilute solution of acetic acid. Depending on the fruit or other organic starting produce and the amount of processing, it can contain varying amounts of minerals, enzymes, vitamins, fibre and other organic compounds. But these are just minor components of the vinegar, even though they are all major contributors to its flavour, colour, aroma and overall nutritional benefits.7 Chemical Properties The pH of vinegar depends upon how much acid is present, but most commercial distilled white vinegars contain 5% acetic acid and have a pH of about 2.4. To put that in perspective, the following table compares the pH of vinegar to some other common solutions: G.4 Battery Characteristics There’s more than one way to make a battery light up several bulbs at the same time. For example, you can connect the bulb in a kind of chain, one after another, or ‘in series’. In a series circuit the current from the battery passes through the first bulb, then through the next bulb and so on.8 The battery produces the current by pushing electrons along the wires, the stronger the push, the more electrons flow along the wire each second. The current heats the thin wire inside the bulb and makes it glow brightly. The strength of this push is measured in volts. The word â€Å"volts† comes from the name of the Italian who invented the first battery.9 An electric current is a movement or flow of minute particles called electrons. Normally, electrons are attached to an atom and circle round its central nucleus in orbits- just like artificial satellites orbiting the earth. A current of electricity must have a completely unbroken path, or circuit. If we could follow a current as it flowed along a wire we should eventually arrive back at our starting point.10 The electromotive force or EMF develops between the electrodes and if they are connected by a wire a current will flows. All such cells have a limited lifetime because the oxidation or reduction process reaches completion. The EMF of a cell depends on the chemical composition of the electrodes and the electrolyte not on how large it is. The size of a cell does, however, affect its capacity. Large electrodes and a large capacity- it will continue to produce current for a longer time. The current it is able to deliver depends crucially on the size and separation of the electrodes. A cell with large electrodes close together has a low internal resistance and is consequently capable of delivering larger current.11 G.5 Related Studies In the past few decades, there has been a marked advance in the development of technology especially in the field of electromagnetism. Different ways of consuming and conserving of energy in our daily life such as the use of the power plants, an alternative source of energy (renewable and non-renewable energy) and also the use of batteries are all innovated. Batteries in all of the studies gives more benefit especially in times of energy insufficiency. The following are some of the studies conducted to search for a new material to conduct electricity and new alternative batteries: Kamias and Tamarind as Electrolyte for Dry cell Batteries They used kamias and tamarind to produce electrolyte for dry cell batteries. Kamias and tamarind are citrus fruits so it contains many electrolytes. Citrus Fruits as Multi-cell Battery Citrus fruits like oranges and lemons are excellent conductors. They don’t produce much energy on their own but if you utilize a few of them in a series within the circuit, you can produce enough electricity to power a light bulb. This creates a multi-cell battery, which makes the citrus fruits electricity more powerful and practical. Copper Sulfate as Electrolyte The electrodes used are copper and zinc. Results and findings showed that the solution generated 0.7V, that didn’t light a 1.2V bulb. Potato as Source of Electricity The study is conducted by using potato as a source of electricity. Through copper and zinc electrodes, juices generate electricity. Results and findings showed that it generated 1.2V. But it didn’t light up the miniature bulb; instead, it lit up the lEd as substitute for the bulb. Sawdust as Electricity The project of light-generating electricity with the used of sawdust was developed by the researchers at the N.E. Bauman Moscow State Engineering University which can generate a 10 kilowatts of electricity. The installation is not only cost-efficient. It also contributes to saving the environment. Using this model, you can generate electricity from waste-perfect for farms that never run out of vegetable waste and wood. The result in an even more economical cycle of resources, something that both a farmer and Mother Earth would appreciate. Alipuina galanga as an Electrolyte for Wet Cell Batteries Unknown to many, langkwas (Alipuina galanga) is a highly acidic plant, with 48 percent methyl cinnamate as its active ingredient. Because of its acidic properties, the researchers tested langkwas’ effectiveness as an electrolyte in wet cell batteries. Chapter 2 Methodology A. Materials The materials used in the experimentation are coconut water, copper wire (positive electrode), and galvanized nails (negative electrode), plastic cups as containers, beakers for measurements, multitester for getting the voltage, alligator clips to connect the circuit, LED light and calculator for testing, masking tape to hold the electrodes and vinegar as the control. B. Procedure a. Preparations of Coconut Water Coconuts were first collected. The water was obtained from the coconut. When the coconut water is now collected from the coconut it will be strained using a clean cloth to remove the impurities. The filtered coconut water would then serve as the electrolyte for the modified electrolytic cell. b. Preparation of the Electrolytic Cell The electrolytic cell battery used coconut (Cocos nucifera) water as electrolyte. A pair of electrodes was placed on each beaker and connected in series circuit using the wire. Each beaker represented one electrolytic cell, and once it was connected in series with another cell, the potential difference produced increased. C. Determining the Potential Difference Produced The potential difference was measured using multitester. The positive and the negative terminals of multitester are attached to the electrodes submerged in the 200 ml electrolyte. Then the reading from the multitester was recorded. D. Treatment To determine the feasibility of coconut (Cocos nucifera) water as electrolyte over vinegar electrolyte, eight experimental setups were prepared. The first setup had one cell; the second setup had two cells; the third setup had three cells; the fourth setup had four cells; the fifth setup had five cells; the sixth setup had six cells; the seventh setup had seven cells; and the eighth setup had eight cells. (Setup means one vinegar electrolyte and one coconut ((Cocos nucifera) water as electrolyte battery). All setups differed only in the number of cells. Having different number of cells was important to be able to see the consistency of the potential difference produced by both coconut (Cocos nucifera) water and vinegar electrolytes. E. Statistical Analysis To know whether there are differences among the treatments, a technique called T-Test was done. This technique was used to test whether the coconut (Cocos nucifera) water can be a source of electricity. The test of the hypothesis was done at 0.05 level of significance and the critical value of 2†¦ The null hypothesis is accepted if the T-calculated

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Digital Media Impact Upon Consumer Transactions Education Essay

Digital media are known to hold a differentiated impact upon consumer minutess, information assemblage and citizen engagement ( Long, Webber and Li, 2008 ) . As Frand ( 2000 ) points out, many concern sectors like banking and publication, are confronting an unsure scenario with the rise of the new coevals of Digital Natives: will anyone travel to a â€Å" bank † any longer? Will textbooks still be printed? Will libraries be on-line electronic aggregations? As mentioned in the debut of this survey, the Digital Natives are an of import mark for sellers because of their size and disbursement power, but their ingestion forms are today far from being to the full understood ( Baronial, Haytko, Phillips, 2009 ) . Furthermore, this coevals will shortly be portion of the work force and it is a cardinal issue for internal market oriented employers to happen the best schemes to actuate them in the workplace, by bettering the company ‘s internal selling ( Raines, 2002 ) . Digital Natives behaviors and penchants, like their scarce tolerance for holds, omnipresent connectivity and penchant for typing over authorship, are of import to houses who want to offer a good service to Digital Natives clients. In the epoch of eBay, on-line banking 24/7 and Amazon, Digital Natives expect high degree of reactivity from companies, every bit good as from self-service engineerings. Surveies by Long and McMellon ( 2004 ) proved that baffled definitions of clients ‘ outlooks are one of the most of import causes for electronic services to neglect in meeting quality demands. It has besides been proved that a consumer ‘s overall engineering beliefs have an influence on their leaning to follow new engineering ( Parasuraman et al. 2000 ) . In other words, â€Å" client specific properties might act upon, for case, the properties that clients desire in an ideal web site and the public presentation degrees that would signal superior e-Service Quality † ( Parasuraman et al. 2000, p.216 ) . The list of Digital Natives attributes employed in this survey is a first measure to assist developing a new set of penchants and beliefs among Generation Y consumers that might be need to be considered when planing effectual web sites and e-services. Digital Natives accomplishments are indispensable to employers ( Raines, 2002 ) and the other articles on their direction†¦ .add Irish bull here. It has been argued that as information is going more and more a trade good ( Openshaw and Goddard 1987 ) , the deficiency of cognition on how to utilize information engineering is a important barrier to employment ( Long, Webber and Li, 2008 ) . Investigating the motive and the school consequences of pupils who possess an Information age mentality is hence indispensable as those accomplishments, needed in the workplace, might necessitate to be leveraged by colleges and universities to break the pupils ‘ employability records and fix them to carry through the demands of modern organisation. If the simple accretion of cognition is going less of import and college dropouts such as Bill Gates become icons of the new coevalss, possibly Digital Native upholders are right in naming for an educational reform that taps into the pupils ‘ new accomplishments. Lack of accomplishments with engineering might besides convey to societal exclusion Acadamic public presentations of their pupils by tapping into their new digital accomplishments could besides assist to make full the Digital Divide that As information becomes progressively commodified the deficiency of entree to a computing machine, or a deficiency of cognition of how to utilize it, may in clip become as important a beginning of disadvantage as for illustration entree to or deficiency of entree to a auto or entree to or deficiency of entree to cardinal warming. Arguably, in footings of employability, a deficiency of competency in the usage of information engineering may go as important a barrier as a deficiency of higher educational makingsThe Digital Natives and the Information Age MindsetLiterature on e-Service quality measuring present several dimension like Access ( the ability to acquire on a website rapidly and to make the company when needed ) , Responsiveness ( i.e. speedy response and the ability to acquire aid if there is a job or a inquiry ) and Ease of pilotage ( Zeithaml, Parasuraman, and Malhotra, 2000 ) that are related Today ‘s pupils are defined by Prensky ( 2001a, p.1 ) as ‘Digital Natives ‘ i.e. â€Å" native talkers of the digital linguistic communication of computing machines, video games and the Internet † . As a consequence of the fact that these pupils have grown up immersed in engineering and ne'er knew a clip without the Internet, e-mail and nomadic telephones, Prensky theorizes that they think and process information in a different manner from old coevals. To prolong this statement, he relies on neuroplasticity theories, which suggest that the encephalon is flexible and able to accommodate to alterations in the environment. Therefore, he argues, immature pupil ‘s encephalons are wholly different from grownups who grew up without engineerings. Following this lingual metaphor, in Prensky ‘s footings today ‘s grownups and instructors are Digital Immigrants â€Å" who speak an out-of-date linguistic communication † ( 2001a, p.2 ) . They might be able to larn the new linguistic communication, but they will ever retain their immigrant ‘accent ‘ . The Immigrant/Natives duality is believed to hold serious negative effects on pupil motive, attending spans, satisfaction ( Oblinger, 2003, Prensky, 2001a ; Levin and Arafeh, 2002 ) . For Prensky, instructors are fighting to learn these new coevalss, while pupils â€Å" cry out † for new attacks to instruction. Prensky ‘s definition of Digital Natives is partially derived from Frand ( 2000 ) who identifies ten properties of what he defines the Infomation Age Mindset. These properties are used in this survey as a base for an operational definition of the concept of ‘Digital Nativeness ‘ and hence are worth a farther scrutiny. The first property ascribed to Digital Natives by Frand is that they view computing machines as a normal portion of life, instead than as â€Å" engineering † . If engineering is considered as â€Å" anything that is n't about when you were born † ( Frand, 2000 p.16 ) it ‘s easy to state why computing machines are non seen as engineering by the immature coevalss. Rather than being impressed by new, extremely sophisticated appliances, the Natives tend to hold a â€Å" what took so long? † reaction alternatively. A 2nd feature of Digital Natives is the belief that Internet is better than Television. Frand states that the Natives are utilizing the web as their primary beginning of information. On one manus the Internet is a more synergistic media compared to the Television and this should partially get the better of one of the Television major defects. On the other manus, the information overload and the fundamental hunt techniques adopted by the bulk of them makes it hard to separate facts and fiction, dependable and undependable beginnings. Information overload and deficiency of clip might besides be some of the ground why pupils ‘ engage in a test and mistake attack instead than utilizing traditional job work outing techniques ( see the Nintendo over Logic property ) . The 3rd characteristic of the Digital Natives is named by Frand Reality no longer existent. This attribute refers to the job of content genuineness on the Internet. Many Internet resources are non dependable and personal individualities can be stolen or cloned. Distinguishing between what is existent and what is non has become one of the major challenges for the Digital Natives. A 4th quality of the Digital Natives is their penchant for Making an activity instead than cognizing the theories behind it. This property is cardinal to this survey as it is straight related with pupil ‘s achievement end orientation ( command or public presentation orientated pupils ) . Frand observes that in a universe dominated by digital engineerings, where drastic alterations occur, the life span of information is measured in months. Therefore, cognizing many facts is going less and less of import, while the ability to cover with complex and equivocal information is cardinal for pupils come ining the work force. Another acquisition penchant is the 1 that involves the acceptance of a â€Å" Nintendo † attack to acquisition, that is, utilizing trial-and-error, to accomplish desired consequence instead than careful research. Frand describes this manner as typical of the new coevals of pupils, born with videogames, that tend to near jobs in a test and mistake manner instead than utilizing the scientific method attack, i.e. careful rating of the effects before trying a solution. Whether this might impact pupils ‘ capacity of in-depth analysis is a much debated inquiry. Prensky ( 2001b ) besides considers that Digital Natives have lost in contemplation and critical thought while they have enhanced parallel processing accomplishments ( see the Multitasking property ) . The 6th Digital Natives property identified by Frand is a authoritative of the Digital Natives literature and it describes their penchant for Multitasking, with no undertaking having full attending from the pupil. Along with the test and mistake attack, this is one of the most common scheme adopted by Digital Natives to get by with the information overload and the deficiency of clip for deep job rating. Harmonizing to Prensky ( 2001b ) , kids are now capable of administering their attending strategically while go toing two undertakings at a clip. The job with this new accomplishment, enhanced by digital engineerings, seems to be that Digital Immigrants pedagogues, who merely do non believe that pupils can larn while listening to music, ignore it. Detecting Digital Natives, Frand came to the decision that they prefer Typing on a keyboard instead than composing on paper. The power of word-processing goes beyond betterments in spelling and discernability and allows trade name new manner of playing with thoughts, leting non-linear thought. Similarly, spreadsheet and databases enable to work out job and do determination in a new manner. The typical Digital Natives pupil is ever connected, no affair what. Here the power of networking is considered as a map of the figure of people that take portion to that web. The more people, the more that web will be utile to its users. Love for squad work and networking is a trait of the Digital Natives that is good know and recognized by many surveies ( e.g Howe and Strauss, 2000 ) . Harmonizing to Frand, Digital Natives are besides impatient, demoing â€Å" zero tolerance † for holds. The cyberage has modified our demand for immediateness. We have already discussed that the clip to bring forth accurate in-depth analyses is a luxury that few people can afford and we mentioned multitasking every bit good as test and mistake as schemes used by the Digital Natives to get by with clip restraints. As effect, the new coevals of pupils besides expect zero holds when accessing to services or information. 24/7 banking services, instant messaging, omnipresent broadband connectivity are merely useless proficient agencies if the human constituent of the service act as a constriction in the information bringing processes. The â€Å" nothing tolerance for hold † property is more apparent when we think about electronic mails: people tend to apologise if they are non reacting instantly and follow a much less formal linguistic communication to rush up the communicat ing. The last consideration made by Frand is that the traditional differentiation between Godhead and consumer of information is film overing. This tendency is about omnipresent: User Generated Contents, Mash-Ups, Creative Commons licences, open-source motions, societal bookmarking. Everywhere users are acquiring involved in bring forthing, sharing and bettering contents, without copyright limitations. Where in traditional media the users where involved in co-create the significance of the content by construing it, now they are capable of modifying the content itself and portion it back with the audience. This is consistent with the â€Å" making instead than cognizing property † that already takes into history the Digital Natives penchant for taking portion into productive procedures instead than being inactive scholars. Similar positions on Digital Natives are shared by other writers ( Oblinger, 2003 ; Oblinger and Oblinger, 2005, Tapscott, 1998 ; Rainie 2006 ; Gibbons, 2007 ) . These surveies confirm that pupils nowadays demo distinguishable larning penchants such as squad working, multitasking, usage of engineering and experiential activities. Underbrush ( 2007 ) emphasis on the being of a Natives / Immigrants Digital divide and quote grounds from Hargittai ( 2002 ) that showed how immature coevalss are more skilled in seeking the web than people over 30s. However this duality has been to a great extent criticized by many observers: while it is doubtless true that immature people have familiarity with a greater scope of ICTs in their family, tend to utilize the Internet as a first port of call and multi-task more ( Cheong, 2008 ; Dutton, Helsper and Gerber 2009 ; Helsper and Eynon, 2010 ) , important differences found within cohorts of immature people undermine the thought of homogeneousness that prevarication at the base of the Natives / Immigrants resistance.The Digital Natives DebateWhen it comes to quantitative grounds, the Digital Natives definition becomes a controversial subject: Kvavik, Caruso and Morgan ( 2004 ) for illustration, surveyed 4,374 pupils across 13 establishments in the United States. On one manus the y found high degree of engineering ownership ( 93,4 % for personal computing machines and 82 % for nomadic phones ) and high degrees of academic and recreational activities based on Information Technologies ( 99.5 % users used word-processing, e-mailing and Internet browse for pleasance ) . On the other manus, pupils showed merely a moderate penchant for the usage of engineering in schoolroom and as Kvavik ( 2005, p.98 ) points out, â€Å" ironically, many of the pupils most skilled in the usage of engineering had assorted feelings about engineering in the schoolroom † . A much more extended follow up to this survey among 18,000 university pupils ( Caruso and Kvavik, 2005 ) seems to corroborate the fact that no important correlativity exists between usage and accomplishment of engineering and penchants for increased usage of engineering in the schoolroom. Some writers refuse the Digital Natives statements radically: Facer and Furlong ( 2001 ) point out that the differentiation between indigens and immigrants is non backed up by any empirical grounds. The writers besides warn about the possible dangers coming from instructors who assume a degree of digital cognition that is non accurate for all pupils. Similar statements are made by Bennett et Al. ( 2008 ) who quote several quantitative studies measuring that a important proportion of immature people do non keep the entree or the technologic accomplishments predicted by Digital Natives upholders. She deducts hence that â€Å" It may be that there is every bit much fluctuation within the digital native coevals as between coevalss † ( p.779 ) . This is confirmed by Krause ( Krause 2007 ; Kennedy et Al. 2008 ) who conducted a survey on 2,000 first twelvemonth university pupils in Australia whose consequence shows that the forms of entree and usage of a scope of engineerings and too ls ( e.g. computing machines, nomadic telephones, electronic mail ) alteration sanely across the pupil populations ( harmonizing to socio-economic background, age and gender ) . She concludes saying that the â€Å" premise of homogeneousness is misdirecting and unsafe † ( 2007, p138 ) . Significant differences in how and why pupils use information engineerings have been besides highlighted late by a figure of authors ( Livingstone and Helsper,2007 ; Hargittai and Hinnart, 2008 ) . More late, Helsper and Eynon ( 2010 ) analyzed secondary informations on UK pupils coming to the decision that coevals is non the lone forecaster of Digital Nativeness. From their research it seems clear that many other variables such as gender, instruction, experience and comprehensiveness of usage concur to explicate this behavior. Since coevals seem to be non the lone ancestor to Digital Nativeness, it is non surprising that many research workers criticized the Natives-Immigrants duality ( Bayne and Ross, 2007 ) or introduced extra classs based on a continuum ( Currant et al. , 2008 ) , to better reflect the fluctuation in Digital Nativeness that is considered to be cross-generational. In the visible radiation of the many surveies demoing deficiency of homogeneousness within the pupil population, the research design of this survey is presuming that the chosen sample ( a category of undergraduate pupils belonging, hence, to the same coevals ) is demoing important fluctuation in the grade of familiarity with engineering ( i.e â€Å" Digital Nativeness † ) , measured utilizing Frand ‘s ( 2000 ) definition of the Informational Age Mindset. A farther verification that a fluctuation in the concept is to be observed comes from Frand itself, who states that his 10 properties are wide generalisations, non all of which apply to each person. The above considerations have led the critics to be cautious about rethinking established learning methods and a call for a more mensural argument between skeptics and advocators of the Digital Natives thought has been made ( Bennett et al. 2008 ) . To cast more visible radiation into the Digital Natives argument, this research is looking at the motivational deductions of the Digital Nativeness property, look intoing whether pupils who respond to the Digital Natives definition show amotivated or work-avoidant behavior.AmotivationMotivation can be defined as â€Å" the physiological procedure involved in the way, energy and continuity of behavior † ( Bergin, Ford and Hesse, 1993, p.437 ) . As Prensky ( 2003, p.1 ) puts it â€Å" a sine qua non of successful acquisition is motive: a motivated scholar ca n't be stopped. † Research describing on high school pupils ‘ motive to larn argued that motive is a cardinal factor in the success or failure of instruction ( Natio nal Research council, 2004 ) . The motivated scholar position is frequently depicted as an ideal status, where pupils are enthusiastic, focussed and relentless. Constructivist larning theoreticians ( e.g. Piaget, Papert ) have ever stressed on the demand of prosecuting and actuating pupils, a undertaking whose troubles seems to be increased by the rise of new engineerings and videogames ( Carstens and Beck, 2005 ) . Digital Native upholders typically support the Immigrant/Native resistance as based on age differences ( Prensky 2001a ; Gibbons 2007 ; Underwood, 2007 ) . One of their most debated claims is that the spread between the technological accomplishments of the new pupils and the limited usage of engineering adopted presents by instructors has a negative impact on pupil motive, doing alienation, disaffection and letdown ( Prensky, 2005 ; Levin & A ; Arefeh, 2002 ; Oblinger, 2003 ) . â€Å" It by and large is n't that Digital Natives ca n't pay attending, it ‘s that they choose non to † ( Prensky, 2001b, p.4 ) . Students ‘ deficiency of motive and disaffection from school has received some grade of attending from educational research workers that recognize it as one of the most outstanding academic jobs ( Legault et. al 2006 ) . Harmonizing to the self-government theory ( SDT, Deci and Ryan, 1985 ) , amotivation is a category of behaviors that are either performed for unknown grounds or non executed at all. Amotivation is a province in which the individual can non comprehend the nexus between their behavior and the result of that behavior. As a effect, amotivated persons perceive their behavior as caused by forces that are non under their control. They feel detached from their action and hence will put small attempt or energy in its implementation ( Legault et.al 2006 ) . Traditional SDT attack defines amotivation as a unidimensional concept and in this signifier it has been used for mensurating pupils orientation toward the academic environment ( Vallerand et. al. , 1992 ) . However farther surveies ( Pelletier et. Al. 1999 ) showed the multidimensional nature of amotivation. Legualt et.al ( 2006 ) , in a series of surveies, developed a taxonomy of grounds that give rise to academic amotivation, consisting of four dimensions: ability beliefs, attempt beliefs, feature of the undertaking and value placed on the undertaking. For the intent of this survey, feature of undertaking and value placed on undertaking are the lone relevant amotivation dimensions that are included in the conceptual theoretical account. The features of undertaking dimension â€Å" denotes the specific characteristics of the academic undertaking that may take to amotivation † ( Legault et. Al. 2006, p.569 ) . Unappealing undertakings are likely to be neglected, taking to detachment. The value placed on undertaking evaluates the credence of an activity from the pupils. It has been proved that when a undertaking is non of import to the pupil, amotivation is likely to originate ( Ryan and Deci 1999 ; 2000 ) . Upholders of the Digital Natives/Immigrants resistance claim that new coevalss, born with videogames, should be engaged through the usage of multimedia or instructional games ( e.g. Carstens and Beck, 2005 ; Garris et Al. 2002 ) and are non paying attending because of the manner undertakings are really presented in category ( Prensky, 2001b ) . The undermentioned hypothesis is hence included in this survey: H1: Students with a higher grade of ‘Digital Nativeness ‘ will be more amotivated than pupils with a lower grade of ‘Digital Nativeness ‘ From a conceptual point of view, amotivation subtypes are associated with negative results such as hapless academic public presentations, low academic self-pride and purpose to retreat from high-school ( Legault et. al. , 2006 ) . As a effect it will be hypothesised that the amotivated Digital Natives pupils will demo hapless academic public presentations. H2: Students with a higher grade of ‘Digital Nativeness ‘ will demo worse test public presentations than pupils with a lower grade of ‘Digital Nativeness ‘Work AvoidanceAcademic amotivation is non the lone concept that has been examined by motivational research worker interested in damaging behavior. Within the Achievement Goal watercourse of motivational research, the work turning away end ( besides named â€Å" academic disaffection † ) received a considerable sum of attending ( Meece et al 1988 ; Nolen, 1988 ; Nicholls et al 1985 ; Elliot and Harackiewicz, 1996 ; Seifert and O'Keefe, 2001 ) . Work turning away end is defined as an effort to acquire away with seting every bit small work or attempt as possible into achievement undertakings ( Elliot, 2005 ) . Similarly to amotivated pupils, pupils with a work turning away end are likely non try to make their work. Their chief concern is to acquire the work done with a minimal sum of attempt ( Meece et. Al, 1988 ) . However, work avoidant pupils unlike amotivated 1s, have a motive: which is to set small attempt on work. Work avoidant pupils hence do non comprehend the deficiency of eventuality between behavior and result, typical of amotivated pupils ( Seifert, 2004 ) . Work avoidant ends are besides to be distinguished from public presentation ends. In public presentation ends, success with small attempt is a prove of ability whereas failure with small attempt does non supply a cogent evidence of low ability. In work turning away ends, alienated pupils have their involvement and beginning of self-esteem exterior of the schoolroom and so deficiency of attempt is non used as a manner to hide deficiency of ability ( Archer, 1994 ) . The thought that Information and Communication Technologies are, in general, bring forthing disaffection in human acquisition and societal exchange has been sustained by many writers ( Cooper, 1995 ; Rintala, 1998 ) . Some pedagogues like Tell ( 2000 ) described Digital Natives as an anomic young person, surfing the cyberspace in societal isolation. As Knapp ( 1998 ) points out, the â€Å" computer-based information engineerings separate and alienate people from direct experience with nature and community [ †¦ ] and lead to inadequate course of study † ( p.7 ) Digital Natives upholders support the thought that the Natives/Immigrants divide, combined with deficiency of engineering in schoolroom, is the cause of pupil disaffection, whereas these observers ascribe disaffection to Information Technologies and modern-day society. While the latter positions are partially surpassed with the breakage of the Social Web, they offer a post-modernist account for the pupils ‘ acceptance of work-avoidant ends. Whatever the ground for this behavior might be, the literature offers adequate grounds to speculate that pupils with high grade of Digital Nativeness will demo amotivated and work-avoidant behaviors. H5: Students with a higher grade of ‘Digital Nativeness ‘ will be more work-avoidant than pupils with a lower grade of ‘Digital Nativeness ‘Achievement Goal OrientationIn their reappraisal of the effects of computing machine based direction ( CBI ) on motive, Moos and Marroquin ( 2009 ) show that while a figure of surveies investigated effects of CBI on Interest, Intrinsic/Extrinsic motive and self-efficacy, there is a deficiency of research within the goal-theory model. Acknowledging the cardinal function of the achievement end orientation on academic public presentations, this survey is make fulling this spread with a deep probe of pupils ‘ goal-oriented behavior. As mentioned in the reappraisal of the Digital Natives literature, many observers, based on research grounds, made a call for a mensural argument on the Digital Native thought before rethinking the whole educational system. In fact, far from hungering for a complete digital experience, pupils seem to acknowledge the motivational function of instructors in instruction. Qualitative research from Oblinger and Oblinger ( 2005, p.14 ) , for illustration, reports the undermentioned pupils ‘ considerations: Teachers are critical to the acquisition procedure. Tech is good, but it is non a perfect replacement. Computers can ne'er replace worlds. Learning is based on motive, and without instructors that motive would discontinue to be. Similar considerations can be done looking at Kvavik, Caruso and Morgan ( 2004 ) quantitative research: if many of the pupils most skilled in the usage of engineering have mixed feelings about engineering in the schoolroom, they have less ground to demo the amotivated or work-avoidant behaviors theorized by Digital Natives upholders. Further uncertainties on Prensky ‘s thought of amotivated pupils ( Prensky, 2001a ) may lift looking at the pupils traits as depicted by Howe and Strauss in many of their plants ( Howe and Strauss, 1993 ; Strauss and Howe, 1997 ; Howe and Strauss, 2000 ) . It emerges a image of pupils comprehending themselves as particular and extremely anticipant. Ambitious, even though directionless ( Schneider and Stevenson, 1999 ) , they are besides described as really confident and have been encouraged to believe in themselves from parents and instructors ( Lancaster and Stillman, 2002 ) . Howe and Strauss besides point out that their parents have pushed Digital Natives to be the best they can, coercing them to execute and stand out. As pupils, they feel the force per unit area to conform to these outlooks and have developed one of their primary features that is their demand for accomplishment. They expect high classs as a wages for conformance to academic criterions, they like to hold changeless feedback ; they are competitory and goal-oriented. This sort of accomplishment, goal-oriented behavior has been analyzed extensively within the motive literature associated with the survey of academic accomplishment. The achievement end orientation is defined as â€Å" a set of behavioral purposes that determine how pupils approach and engage in acquisition activities † ( Meece, Blumenfeld and Hoyle, 1988, p.514 ) . For Dweck, â€Å" Achievement ends must lie at the bosom of any analysis of achievement motive † ( quotation mark ) Writers like Nicholss ( 1984 ) and Dweck ( 1986 ) identified two types of ends that have received great theoretical and empirical attending in the motive literature: Mastery end ( besides called learning end ) defined as a desire to derive competency or get the hang a new set of accomplishments or cognition ( Archer, 1994 ) ; Performance end ( besides called turn outing end ) defined as desire to execute better than others, showing one ‘s competency or avoiding to demo incompetency ( Elliott, 2005 ) . It was ab initio hypothesized that command ends led to positive results ( e.g. continuity in the face of failure, deep processing of survey stuff, enhanced task enjoyment ) , while public presentation end led to deleterious one ( backdown of attempt, surface processing, decreased undertaking enjoyment ) ( Nicholls, 1989 ; Nolen 1988 ; Dweck and Leggett, 1988 ) . A closer scrutiny at research surveies nevertheless, indicated that while command end seemed to take to positive results, assorted consequence were obtained when looking at public presentation ends ( Harackiewicz and Elliot, 1993 ) . As a effect, Elliott ( 1994 ) suggested the incorporation of another differentiation ( approach/avoidance ) to explicate the fluctuation in consequences for public presentation ends. â€Å" In attack motive, behavior is instigated or directed by a positive or desirable event or possibility, whereas in turning away motive, behavior is instigated or directed by unwanted event or possibility † ( Elliot, 1999, p.170 ) . A first, trichotomous accomplishment end theoretical account was introduced by Elliot and Church ( 1997 ) including command end, performance-approach and performance-avoidance end. Performance-approach end focal point on the attainment of possible positive result ( e.g. executing better than other pupils ) , whereas performance-avoidance end focal point on the turning away of possible negative result ( e.g. avoiding executing worse than other pupils ) ( Elliot, 2005 ) . A huge bulk of empirical surveies based on this theoretical account ( over 60 by the terminal 2003 harmonizing to Elliot ( 2005 ) ) clearly documented that the bulk of negative effects of public presentation ends were to due to performance-avoidance end orientation. Successively Elliot and McGregor ( 2001 ) extended the approach/avoidance differentiation to the mastery-goal, ensuing in the 2Ãâ€"2 Achievement end model and in the development of the Achievement Goal Questionnaire ( AGQ ) employed in this research. Mastery-approach ends entail endeavoring to develop one ‘s accomplishment and abilities ( Elliot, 2005 ) and are similar to the command end as antecedently defined in the literature. But as Elliot and McGregor point out, attack is non the lone signifier ordinance for command orientated pupils. For illustration, pupils might endeavor to avoid misinterpretation or neglecting to larn class stuffs, or avoid burying what they have learned. This is an avoidance signifier of ordinance, typical of perfectionists, who avoid doing errors or making anything incorrect ( Elliot and McGregor, 2001 ) . It is possible to reason that the performance/mastery differentiation relates with many of the properties refering to the Digital Natives as described by Frand ( 2000 ) , including the â€Å" making instead than cognizing † attack that is cardinal to this survey, as it should straight impact the accomplishment end that pupils will put. Furthermore, the performance-approach end orientation ( that is related to executing better than other pupils ) is instead consistent with the competitory and confident traits described by Howe and Strauss ( 2000 ) . By being confident of their competency, pupils are more likely to favor a performance-approach over a performance-avoidance or work-avoidant ends. These considerations lead to the undermentioned hypothesis: H3 Students with a higher grade of ‘Digital Nativeness ‘ will demo a penchant for performance-approach ends In the visible radiation of the approach/avoidance differentiation a new form became clear and it is that mastery-approach ends frequently did non foretell positively public presentation attainment as originally believed, whereas performance-approach ends did, on more consistent footing ( Elliot, 2005 ) . Therefore the undermentioned hypothesis will be tested: H4: Students with a higher grade of ‘Digital Nativeness ‘ will demo better test public presentations than pupils with a lower grade of ‘Digital Nativeness ‘Critical ThinkingExtra statements against the Natives/Immigrants resistance come from cognitive research workers that argue against the thought that immature people ‘s encephalons have changed in recent times ( see Herther, 2009 for a reappraisal ) . But whether or non we are confronting a revolution in encephalon constructions, it is however true that experience is able to change our cognitive capablenesss. What is still to be established is whether engineerings are doing us smarter, like Digital Natives upholders claims, or lazier and less able, like some observers ( Carr, 2008 ; 2010 ) suggest. Obviously there is no clear reply, but both Carr and Prensky agree on the fact that something got lost with the diffusion of Digital Technologies and the list includes deep processing, contemplation and crit ical thought. Similar observations are made by Frand ( 2000 ) in his analysis of the effects of the test and mistake attack. The writer expresses concerns whether pupils who can non deduce an reply from utilizing test and mistake are prepared to prosecute in deep analyses. The undermentioned hypothesis is hence stated: H6: Students with a higher grade of ‘Digital Nativeness ‘ will demo a lower grade of Critical Thinking Literature suggests that Digital Natives thrive when multitasking, parallel processing and surface thought. In a fast-paced universe, these accomplishments might possibly be more of import, as is suggested by Digital Native upholders. Are the current scrutiny and learning methods tapping those accomplishments? To happen out, this survey is besides looking at the correlativity between the Digital Nativeness concept and the pupils ‘ Academic public presentations.Academic Performances ( Grade Point Average )There is a whole organic structure of literature that investigated the relationship of academic motive with academic public presentation. Different motivational attacks have been used by different writers: anticipation value theory ( e.g. Berndt and Miller, 1990 ) end theory ( e.g. Meece and Holt, 1993 ) self-efficacy theory ( e.g. Zimmerman et al. , 1992 ) , and self-government theory ( e.g. Grolnick et al. , 1991 ) . In general, such researches reveal that academic motive pos itively influences academic public presentations. In this survey both the Self finding theory ( for the Amotivation concept ) and the end theory ( for the achievement end orientation and work turning away concepts ) models are employed. Amotivation has been proved to be an first-class index of GPA ( Karsenti and Gilles, 1995 ) and to be related with negative results ( Deci and Ryan, 1985, Vallerand 1997 ) . Similarly, work avoidant pupil are likely non to prosecute with schoolroom work and impact negatively their accomplishment. Furthermore, larning disaffection has been proved to hold an reverse relation to academic accomplishment ( Johnson, 2005 ) . Within the achievement end orientation model, performance-approach ends, as antecedently stated, have been proved to foretell positively public presentation attainment. Harackiewicz et Al. ( 2002 ) supply a reappraisal of a series of research that systematically demonstrates that performance-approach ends are the lone accomplishment ends that are positively related to existent public presentation ( e.g. semester GPA, exam public presentation and concluding class ) . This means that alternatively of favoring content command, pedagogues could really promote pupils to follow performance-approach ends in order to actuate them to win. Sing the direct relationship between Digital Nativeness and GPA, Kvavik ( 2005 ) found no important relationship between computing machine accomplishments and GPA. Similarly, in the same survey no relationship between GPA and penchant for engineering in the schoolroom was found. Unsurprisingly, pupils with lowest GPAs were found to pass more clip playing computing machine games, whereas pupil with highest GPAs pass more clip utilizing the computing machine in support of schoolroom activities ( Kvavik, 2005 ) . However, the effects that the Digital Natives ‘ mentality and survey penchants have on GPA have ne'er been considered before. By including the go-between consequence of amotivation, work-avoidance, critical thought and performance-approach end orientation, this relationship is investigated, ensuing in the undermentioned theoretical theoretical account: Amotivation H1 H5 Work Avoidance H2, H4 4 Academic Performance Digital Nativeness H3 Performance Approach H6 Critical Thinking As the theoretical account shows, viing hypothesis H2 and H4 are a consequence of the on-going Digital Natives argument and the opposite positions spliting skeptics and partisans. Rather than accepting one hypothesis over another, this survey investigates whether engineering is traveling to hold a positive ( H4 ) or a negative impact ( H2 ) on Academic public presentation, as a consequence of the considered go-betweens ( Amotivation, Work Avoidance and Performance Approach Orientation ) .Selling deductionsAchievement end orientations have been proved to be related with occupation Motivation i? Prosecuting worker through Digital Technologies = Internal Marketing Orientation. Technology spontaneously delight clients Herzberg ‘s two-factor theory [ 21 ] , Maslow ‘s hierarchy of demands [ 32 ] , and McGregor ‘s theories [ 34 ] F. Herzberg, Work and the Nature of Man. World, Cleveland, OH, 1966. A.H. Maslow, Motivation and Personality. Harper & A ; Row, New York, 1970. D. McGregor, The Human Side of Enterprise. McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 1960. The theoretical foundation includes besides the work of Vroom

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Globalization of Capitalism

The Globalization of Capitalism Capitalism, as an economic system, first debuted in the 14th century and existed in three different historical epochs before it evolved into the global capitalism that it is today. Lets take a look at the process of globalizing the system, which changed it from a Keynesian, New Deal capitalism to the neoliberal and global model that exists today. Foundation The foundation of today’s global capitalism was laid, in the aftermath of World War II, at the Bretton Woods Conference, which took place at the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire in 1944. The conference was attended by delegates from all Allied nations, and its goal was to create a new internationally integrated system of trade and finance that would foster the rebuilding of nations devastated by the war. The delegates agreed to a new financial system of fixed exchange rates based on the value of the U.S. dollar. They created the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development,  now a part of the World Bank,  to manage the agreed upon policies of finance and trade management. A few years later, the General Agreement  on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was established in 1947, which was designed to foster â€Å"free trade† between member nations, premised on low to non-existent import and export tariffs. (These are complex institutions, and require further reading for deeper understanding. For the purposes of this discussion, it’s simply important to know that these institutions were created at this time because they go on to play very important and consequential roles during our current epoch of global capitalism.) The regulation of finance, corporations, and social welfare programs defined the third epoch, New Deal capitalism, during much of the 20th century. The state interventions in the economy of that time, including the institution of a minimum wage, the cap of a 40 hour work week, and support for labor unionization, also laid pieces of the foundation of global capitalism. When the recession of the 1970s hit, U.S. corporations found themselves struggling to maintain the key capitalist goals of ever-growing profit and wealth accumulation. Protections of workers rights limited the extent to which corporations could exploit their labor for profit, so economists, political leaders, and heads of corporations and financial institutions devised a solution to this crisis of capitalism: They would shake off the regulatory shackles of the nation-state and go global. Ronald Reagan and Deregulation Ronald Reagan’s presidency is well known as an era of deregulation. Much of the regulation created during Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency, through legislation, administrative bodies, and social welfare, was torn down during Reagan’s reign. This process continued to unfold over the coming decades and is still unfolding today. The approach to economics popularized by Reagan, and his British contemporary, Margaret Thatcher,  is known as neoliberalism, so named because it is a new form of liberal economics, or in other words, a return to free-market ideology. Reagan oversaw cutting of social welfare programs, reductions to federal income tax and taxes on corporate earnings, and removal of regulations on production, trade, and finance. While this era of neoliberal economics brought the deregulation of national economics, it also facilitated the liberalization of trade between nations, or an increased emphasis on â€Å"free trade.† Conceived under Reagan’s presidency, a very significant neoliberal free trade agreement, NAFTA, was signed into law by former president Clinton in 1993. A key feature of NAFTA and other free trade agreements are Free Trade Zones and Export Processing Zones, which are crucial to how production was globalized during this era. These zones allow for U.S. corporations, like Nike and Apple, for example, to produce their goods overseas, without paying import or export tariffs on them as they move from site to site in the process of production, nor when they come back to the U.S. for distribution and sale to consumers. Importantly, these zones in poorer nations give corporations access to labor that is far cheaper than labor in the U.S. Consequently, most manufacturing jobs left the U.S. as these processes unfolded, and left many cities in a post-industrial crisis. Most notably, and sadly, we see the legacy of neoliberalism in the devastated city of Detroit, Michigan. World Trade Organization On the heels of NAFTA, the World Trade Organization (WTO) was launched in 1995 after many years of negotiation and effectively replaced the GATT. The WTO stewards and promotes neoliberal free trade policies among member nations, and serves as a body for resolving trade disputes between nations. Today, the WTO operates in close concert with the IMF and the World Bank, and together, they determine, govern, and implement global trade and development. Today, in our epoch of global capitalism, neoliberal trade policies and free trade agreements have brought those of us in consuming nations access to an incredible variety and quantity of affordable  goods, but, they have also produced unprecedented levels of wealth accumulation for corporations and those who run them; complex, globally dispersed, and largely unregulated systems of production; job insecurity for billions of people around the world who find themselves among the globalized â€Å"flexible† labor pool; crushing debt within developing nations due to neoliberal trade and development policies; and, a race to the bottom in wages around the world.

Monday, October 21, 2019

How far was the limited impact of British Fascism in the 1930s due to Sir Oswald Mosleys failings and errors as a political leader Essays

How far was the limited impact of British Fascism in the 1930s due to Sir Oswald Mosleys failings and errors as a political leader Essays How far was the limited impact of British Fascism in the 1930s due to Sir Oswald Mosleys failings and errors as a political leader Essay How far was the limited impact of British Fascism in the 1930s due to Sir Oswald Mosleys failings and errors as a political leader Essay Sir Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Union of Fascists, undoubtedly had his flaws and failings which were, of course, a key feature in the failure of fascism in Britain. However, more important were the political and economic circumstances in Britain at the time. Unlike Germany and Italy, in which the circumstances were highly conducive to the rise of fascism, Britains political, and more importantly economic position, was such that fascism was simply unable to flourish and the BUF was unable to succeed.Sir Oswald Mosley was in many respects a brilliant man. He was, in reality, far from untalented. The historians John Stevenson and Chris Cook state that it is difficult to conceive of a fascist movement of any significance at all in Britain without Mosleys leadership, and this may well be the case. He had risen to the top of the Labour Party at a young age in a meteoric rise and by the age of 33 he was effectively in the cabinet. This was an achievement simply too great to be acco mplished by someone completely incompetent. Furthermore, he was charismatic and a fine orator (although more so prior to the creation of the BUF, when he adopted the mannerisms of Hitler), as well as being a prolific writer, writing extensively on fascist ideology. His three most notable titles were The Greater Britain, Fascism: One Hundred Questions Asked and Answered, and Tomorrow we Live- British Union Policy. In addition, he was an imaginative man, with a genuine interest in ideas. He was, in fact, no less talented than one of the leaders of a successful fascist movement. Mosley was not as talented as Hitler, who was an exceptional orator, judger of public mood and propagandist. But equally, he was no less talented than the Italian fascist leader, Mussolini.However, Mosley had his flaws which, among other factors, proved crucial in the BUFs lack of success. His character was undeniably flawed, he had a desire to be taken seriously as political leader whilst at the same time soci alising in Mayfair. A.J. P. Taylor once described him as a highly gifted playboy. As a result, he was never fully able to devote himself to a cause without becoming distracted by women or his rich friends in Venice.His second major flaw was that he was prone to making poor political judgements. Firstly, he had an appetite for violence; this was demonstrated most clearly with the Olympia meeting. On the 7th June 1934, the BUF held a large rally at Olympia. About 500 anti-fascists managed to get inside the hall. When they began heckling Oswald Mosley they were attacked by 1,000 black-shirted stewards. Several of the protesters were badly beaten by the fascists. This tasteless violence resulted in a public outcry. Lord Rothermere, proprietor of the Daily Mail (the BUFs principal backers), and author of the article Hurrah for the Blackshirts! withdrew his support of the BUF. Over the next few months membership went into decline, indicating that people were not willing to support a party as tastelessly violent as the BUF. His second poor political judgement was his imitation of continental fascism. Mosley copied several features directly from his European counterparts. For example, the name and uniform of the BUF paramilitary organisation (the Blackshirts) was copied directly from Italian fascism. From Nazi Germany, Mosley borrowed the Nazi salute.This earned him the nickname Moslini from his critics and opponents. He also had strong links with the continental fascist governments, with large amounts of funding coming from Italy and Germany. Mosley, however, failed to understand that these links and imitations made fascism appear un-British, thus damaging the prospects of the party. Another of Mosleys political misjudgements was his misunderstanding of the nature of the economic crisis. During his time in the Labour Party, Mosley emerged as the foremost advocate of economic radicalism to tackle the unemployment crisis. He presented his ideas to Ramsay Macdonald in t he form of the Mosley Memorandum but this was rejected and subsequently leaked, causing much embarrassment to Mosley. He resigned from the labour party and created the New Party, expecting to achieve spectacular support for his policies of ridding Britain of the old gang holding her back, but this support was simply not present. Mosleys also made the mistake of expecting widespread support. He expected the party to sweep to power on the basis of this support, but again, the backing was not there.Mosleys third major flaw was that his political strategy was inconsistent and not at all well thought out. This inconsistency was demonstrated by Mosleys complete change of direction from the early 1930s to the later 1930s. In the early 1930s, Mosleys strategy involved public meetings, paramilitary activity and propaganda with the intention of increasing the momentum of British fascism and creating a violent crisis from which the BUF could arise as Britains saviour. However, following the di sastrous Olympia meeting of 1934 the BUF strategy changed, placing much less emphasis on paramilitary activity and instead concentrating on electoral strategy. This complete change of direction could have been confusing to potential supporters of the BUF.More important than Mosleys flaws, however, was the economic and political context. The impact of war had a great effect on the way in which fascism rose in Europe. In Germany and Italy there was an intensely nationalistic mood. In Italy this was the case because at the signing of the Treaty of Versailles she was sideline, when initially she had been promised huge territorial gains. Italy had lost a larger proportion of the population than Britain and had been engaged in a mountain war just as horrible as the Western front. This became known as the mutilated peace. Germany had an intensely nationalistic mood due to the loss of the war and the huge losses made at Versailles. In Britain, there was no heightened sense of nationalistic feeling as Britain has won the war. There were psychological effects, but this did not take the form of nationalism because Britain was not defeated, her empire remained fully intact and in fact, her imperial position was actually strengthened, making territorial gains in the Middle East and South Africa. Externally, this made Britain look stronger than ever (although internally the empire was beginning to fall apart); Britains world influence was at a zenith.The economic factor in the failure of the BUF, rather than its leaders flaws or other external factors, was the most crucial factor. There are three main economic factors. The first was that the economic conditions in Britain were simply not severe enough to be conducive to a rise in fascist support. Undoubtedly, there was an economic crisis in Britain, however this crisis was nowhere near as severe as the European crises that occurred in which fascism was able to succeed. In Italy there was suffering during the transition from war to peace. During the bennio rosso (the two red years) there were large scale military socialist acts and chaos in the industrial cities. Germany from 1929-1933 faced massive economic collapse like never before, the crisis was out of control making the country appear ungovernable. In both cases there was genuine fear among the middle classes that their respective country was about to fall to communism. This fear was simply not present in Britain. Clearly there was a UK economic crisis, but the most severe conditions were localised. Furthermore, from 1932, the British economy began to recover. Areas such as Romford and Ilford had a huge house building boom bringing with it a sense of prosperity. There was new industry too, for example, a new car plant at Dagenham.Also, there is the fact that the BUF was founded too late. The BUF was founded in 1932, by which time the depression had already bottomed out and things were beginning to get better. In early 1932, unemployment peaked at just under three million according to official figures (although this may well be inaccurate). Therefore, the party could not take full advantage of any desperation that was present.The economic factor in the failure of fascism was the most important factor, although this has been disputed. The historian Alan Sykes argues that the political factor is the most important. He states that there was a point in the first half of the 1930s at which the British economy appeared to be in sufficient trouble to threaten social and political instability. Although in reality the situation was never as serious as Sykes suggests with safety features, such as the dole, preventing great unrest within the working class. Furthermore, he states that it was during this time that fascism achieved its peak membership, but this is wrong. By this time, the BUF had barely been created; it was in fact formed after the depression had bottomed out. The economic factor was the more important for two main reason s. Firstly, because the political factors were to some degree dependant on the economic position.Had there been a complete economic meltdown it is highly possible that the Communist Party would have gained more support. Another reason was the political culture. There was a political culture in Britain. Belief in British values of tolerance, non-violence and respect for the constitution was also dependant on the economic situation. Had the circumstances been as severe as in Germany, it is possible that the opposition to violence would have disappeared. In Germany there had also been a strong political culture, but the loathing of violence disappeared in the depths of the depression.Despite this, the political factors were nonetheless important. There were two political reasons why the BUF was unable to succeed. Firstly, in Italy and Germany there was always a fear that the country was about to fall to communism, but again, this fear was not present in Britain. The Communist Party in Britain was a negligible and inconsequential force which at its peak had less than 18000 members. In Germany there was an acute economic crisis and Nazi propaganda led to panic in the Mittelstand. Support for communism in Britain only grew during the Spanish Civil War; the economic crisis had no effect on Communist support. The Communist Party was useless at targeting the discontented whereas Labour Trade Unions were effective at doing so.Therefore, it was not plausible for Mosley to generate a Red Menace alarm. There were several features of Britain which prevented the Communist Party of Great Britain from gaining support. Firstly, if people were badly hit by the depression, public welfare was available. In 1911 the National Insurance Act had been introduced, which involved the employer, the employee and the state each putting a certain amount of money into the National Insurance fund which would grant benefits for a fixed period of time in the event of unemployment. The dole was n ot generous but it allowed people to retain a sense of self respect. It was sufficient for little more than basis subsistence but it prevented complete desperation. Public welfare in Germany and the USA was nowhere near as generous.As the unemployed did not face destitution, they were much less likely to turn to communism. Secondly, young people (often the most active supporters of extremism), moved to look for work, particularly to the South East of England to the areas in which prosperity was returning, moving from their home patches and avoiding becoming embroiled in extremist politics. Therefore, the middle classes were not worried that the country was about to fall. Also, in the worst affected areas, unemployment was no new problem. For several years, Britain had been facing structural unemployment. This is when one industrial process supersedes another due to technological changes or a permanent fall in the demand for a product causing long term unemployment. Structural unempl oyment had hit coal, iron and ship building industries particularly badly since the 1920s. The areas in which these industries had been most prominent were also the areas worst hit by the depression, the result being general apathy as they had been facing unemployment since the 1920s.Secondly, Mosley could not play the Red Peril card with the Labour Party claiming that labour where the main threat from the left. This would have been completely implausible as Labour was a moderate political party with no revolutionary feelings. It even banned Communists from the party and shunned any affiliation with militant socialists. Labour had not supported the General Strike of 1926 and during its periods in government in 1924 and 1931 it had not done anything radical at all. Also, Labour was too weak to be dangerous. The party had only advanced at the expense of the Liberals and even so, it had not advanced spectacularly. Even when there was a Labour government (1924, 1929-31) it was still a m inority. In 1931 Labour became weaker because of a split. This was catastrophic for the party as it brought their advance to a halt and they fell from office.Thirdly, there is the argument of the distinctiveness of the British national character. However, it is debatable as to how important this is as a factor. D.S Lewis suggests that it is as well to dispense at the outset with the popular myth that fascism was eliminated by the moderation and toleration of the British character, or culture. This argument can be supported by the fact that there were acts of violence in twentieth-century Britain, for example, the Tonypandy incident where there was fighting between miners and police. Although this may well be true to a certain extent, states do have a political culture and indeed Britain has its distinctive features. It is true that Britains political arrangements were the product of several hundred years of evolutionary change and the assumption at the time was that Britains politic al system worked effectively thus making people willing to stick with the system with the expectation that it would pull through.Also, both the Conservative Party and the Labour Party had very deep roots in British society and therefore could claim to be national as opposed to sectional. The Conservative Party, although having started off for the Conservative sections of the landowning class, had under Peel and Disraeli opened its doors to new social groups and from 1885 the Party was the dominant force in British politics. Also, when Baldwin was the leader of the party, he reinforced the image of moderation. Likewise, Labour was also a moderate party who even after the 1931 split was able to retain the majority of working class support ensuring that Mosley was unable to attract it.A less important point, but nonetheless a factor in the failure of fascism, was the response of the British government to the BUF. Following the Battle of Cable Street, the government passed the Public Or der Act of 1936, giving police the power to ban marches and all marches had to take place with the permission of the police. It also outlawed the wearing of paramilitary uniform in public. This knocked back Mosleys plan of marches. It showed the government was capable of robust and decisive action. This not a key cause as it came late in Fascisms life.In conclusion, although Mosleys failings and errors were a key reason for the failure of fascism in Britain, there were more important factors. Namely, the resilience of the British political system, more importantly, the economic conditions in Britain and less importantly, but a factor nonetheless, the response of the British government.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Speech Acts in Linguistics

Speech Acts in Linguistics In linguistics, a speech act is an utterance defined in terms of a speakers intention and the effect it has on a listener. Essentially, it is the action that the speaker hopes to provoke in his or her audience. Speech acts might be requests, warnings, promises, apologies, greetings, or any number of declarations. As you might imagine, speech acts are an important part of communication. Speech-Act Theory Speech-act theory is a subfield of pragmatics. This area of study is concerned with the ways in which words  can be used not only to present information but also to carry out actions. It is used in linguistics, philosophy, psychology, legal and literary theories, and even the development of artificial intelligence. Speech-act theory was introduced in 1975 by Oxford philosopher J.L. Austin in How to Do Things With Words  and further developed by American philosopher J.R. Searle. It considers three levels or components of utterances: locutionary acts (the making of a meaningful statement, saying something that a hearer understands), illocutionary acts (saying something with a purpose, such as to inform), and perlocutionary acts (saying something that causes someone to act). Illocutionary speech acts can also be broken down into different families, grouped together by their intent of usage. Locutionary, Illocutionary, and Perlocutionary Acts To determine which way a speech act is to be interpreted, one must first determine the type of act being performed.  Locutionary acts  are, according to Susana Nuccetelli and Gary Seays Philosophy of Language: The Central Topics, the mere act of producing some linguistic sounds or marks with a certain meaning and reference. So this is merely an umbrella term, as illocutionary and perlocutionary acts can occur simultaneously when locution of a statement happens. Illocutionary acts, then, carry a directive for the audience. It might be a promise, an order, an apology, or an expression of thanks- or merely an answer to a question, to inform the other person in the conversation. These express a certain attitude and carry with their statements a certain illocutionary force, which can be broken into families.   Perlocutionary acts, on the other hand, bring about a consequence to the audience. They have an effect on the hearer, in feelings, thoughts, or actions, for example, changing someones mind. Unlike illocutionary acts, perlocutionary acts can project a sense of fear into the audience. Take for instance the perlocutionary act of saying, I will not be your friend. Here, the impending loss of friendship is an illocutionary act, while the effect of frightening the friend into compliance is a perlocutionary act. Families of Speech Acts As mentioned, illocutionary acts can be categorized into common families of speech acts. These define the supposed intent of the speaker. Austin again uses How to Do Things With Words to argue his case for the five most common classes:   Verdictives, which present a findingExercitives, which exemplify power or influenceCommissives, which consist of promising or committing to doing somethingBehabitives, which have to do with social behaviors and attitudes like apologizing and congratulatingExpositives, which explain how our language interacts with itself David Crystal, too, argues for these categories in Dictionary of Linguistics. He lists several proposed  categories, including directives (speakers try to get their listeners to do something, e.g. begging, commanding, requesting), commissives (speakers commit themselves to a future course of action, e.g. promising, guaranteeing), expressives (speakers express their feelings, e.g. apologizing, welcoming, sympathizing), declarations (the speakers utterance brings about a new external situation, e.g. christening, marrying, resigning). It is important to note that these are not the only categories of speech acts, and they are not perfect nor exclusive. Kirsten Malmkjaer points out in Speech-Act Theory, There are many marginal cases, and many instances of overlap, and a very large body of research exists as a result of peoples efforts to arrive at more precise classifications. Still, these five commonly accepted categories do a good job of describing the breadth of human expression, at least when it comes to illocutionary acts in speech theory. Sources Austin, J.L. How to Do Things With Words. 2nd ed. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1975. Crystal, D. Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. 6th ed. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2008. Malmkjaer, K. Speech -Act Theory. In The Linguistics Encyclopedia, 3rd ed. New York, NY: Routledge, 2010. Nuccetelli, Susana (Editor). Philosophy of Language: The Central Topics. Gary Seay (Series Editor), Rowman Littlefield Publishers, December 24, 2007.