Reflection paper on the documentary Worse than war by Mike DeWitt with Essay

Reflection paper on the documentary Worse than war by Mike DeWitt with Daniel Goldhagen as a main star in it - Essay Example Despite the beautiful landscapes that the documentary dots the chilling events with, Goldhagen offers a concise narration of the events behind these genocides and helps in bringing out the serious atrocities. Besides this narration, the documentary brings out deeper implications of these wars with much deeper effects on victims than just the actual act of war, a view that is in most cases not brought to the international focus. As the title illustrates, most of these genocides were not just usual wars but were strategically planned and orchestrated towards weakening a certain side politically, socially, or economically, to offer the perpetrators a leeway to dominate their victims for many years into the future. For instance, the documentary takes viewers to the harrowing stories of Burundi and Rwanda survivors, revealing the real motive of the genocide. The genocide targeted the Hutu to seriously weaken their power in ensuring the Tutsis have unmatched powers to dominate the countryà ¢â‚¬â„¢s politics. The slaughter was not motivated by anything else other than to lessen the powers of Hutus, in addition to eliminating the political elites who were a threat to the prevailing political dynamics. The Hutu survivors narrated how the Tutsis killed or forced their elite tribesmen into exile. One of the respondents noted that the Tutsis wanted to kill their clan because his clan was more educated and thus perceived as a threat to the power hungry Tutsi cliques. This explains the arrest of most victims in government offices or other powerful offices, killed or incapacitated to weaken the voice of the Hutu. In other words, the documentary brings out the point that when the elite in the society is eliminated, the poor have no powers, leaving the perpetrators with an easy way to pursue their agendas with little or no criticism. In Germany, as the documentary narrates, Hitler alongside with the Nazis killed or incarcerated most of the German elites inclined to the communist s or socialist movements, which offered an excellent opportunity for the Nazis to have a total grasp of the country in 1933. After conquering Poland, similar to the Rwandese case, most of the elites in Poland were massively slaughtered, which reduced the resistance of the people towards the German policies to occupy and execute their power in Poland. Genocide is a perfect tool to consolidate power and silence any possible critiques in a regime, offering them the right environment to propagate their ideologies unopposed. Another powerful tool used in these genocides is to socially destabilize the perceived enemies by annihilating the masses from their homes and ancestral lands, which later offers some political expediency as the victims would not have the time to vote or be involved in the political affairs of the country. This was achieved in Indonesia where the mass followers of a communist party were forced into camps. Despite such annihilation, such genocides as happened in Indon esia have religious implications, which permanently alter the life of the victims long after the war. In Indonesia, as the documentary illustrates, the Muslim majority who perpetrated the genocide forced most of the non-muslins to convert into Muslim religion, which changed the victims’

Globalization and advancement in technology Essay Example for Free

Globalization and advancement in technology Essay Globalization and advancement in technology has resulted in the governments taking a back seat as regards shaping the destiny of its people. The increased capacities of individuals do not seem to provide any point of refuge. The most difficult thing from this situation is the fact that the new political agenda being championed for the millennium is not well documented for. The book China and Globalization presents an in-depth analysis of the political, economic and social transformations that the Chinese society and state went through over the past thirty years. The author argues that the rise of China throughout this period has been propelled through the dynamic geopolitical environment as a result of community building efforts that enhance economic cooperation CITATION Gut09 l 1033 (Guthrie, 2009). A Brief History of Neoliberalism by David Harvey aims to find out the goals of neoliberalism and presents a useful explanation on why neoliberal policies do not always follow neoliberal theory. Harvey simply considers this new form of political economy as a means through which the global economic elite reconstitutes the high class power CITATION Har05 l 1033 (Harvey, 2005). He states that elite power often takes precedence in the event of a conflict with the contemporary neoliberalism economic principles. Harvey’s book is a powerful tool for analyzing the accumulation by deficiency concept. Doug emphasizes that this has been the foundation to the facilitation and eventual institutionalization of China’s economic integration. This argument is quite a challenge of David Harvey’s neo liberal argument that the rises of neo liberal economies like the United States and capitalist China is the cornerstone of an intended project to restore the noble power. According to Doug, the rise of Chinese revolution is â€Å"the result of methodical and careful government policies† (p 8). The fundamental element basis of Doug’s argument lies in her view that the successful revolution of China was because it was gradual and was led by the state. She states that China’s propagation of bilateral PTA’s is a â€Å"necessary intermediate step toward a seamless integration into a pan regional framework† (Guthrie p.15). This argument, though quite an optimistic and bold claim by Doug Guthrie is in contrast to David Harvey who argues that the propag ation of bilateral PTAs is an emasculation to region building in Asia. David Harvey’s sanguine view is that most bilateral PTAs are merely destabilizing to regional cooperation owing to the fact that most bilateral PTAs are strategically or politically driven. The Chinese government led by Deng Xiaoping introduced reforms that allowed the actors of the economy to master the rules of capitalism rather than making assumptions and withdrawing perceptions based on intuitions CITATION Gut09 l 1033 (Guthrie, 2009). Incentives were stimulated by granting autonomy to the local government. Currently, foreign investors in China deal with provincial bureaucracy and build long term alliances rather than the central government. Guthrie points out that the crucial underlying mechanisms that boosted a much freer Chinese environment were the autonomy of individuals at the workplaces and the depletion of monitoring capacity of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Individuals no longer had to de pend on their superiors or work units despite the fact that there was a major rise in corruption among local officials. The results of such reforms were the evolution of an independent middle class that was economically secure. High rewards were offered to holders of foreign language skills and university degrees and the access to female education increased. Guthrie advocates for China to engage strongly with the United States in order to acquire grander external motivation as a way to overcome domestic hindrances. However, her assertion that a futurist state can better engineer changes from socialism raises questions as to whether or not developing countries can only grow by enforcing autocratic policies CITATION Gut09 l 1033 (Guthrie, 2009). David Harvey argues that while neoliberal economies may boast of allowing the free market to take its course, government intervention and regulation only comes into place when it is beneficial to economic elites. Thus from a neoliberal perspective, environmental and labor regulations by the government always lead to inefficiency by distorting free market price mechanisms CITATION Har05 l 1033 (Harvey, 2005). In his opinion, the main aim of neoliberalism was not wealth increase but wealth redistribution and uses statistics to explain this phenomenon. Harvey’s argument is supported by the decrease of real wages in the poorer sectors of neoliberal economies like the United States and the massive wealth increases of the economic elite. In his view, Harvey refers to this type of wealth distribution as accumulation by dispossession and goes on to state that this is how neoliberalism has managed to redistribute wealth and considers it a transition to the onset of capitalism. Among th e main aspects of this one sided wealth redistribution are monetization, privatization, state redistributions, commodification and the management by manipulation of crises. Harvey presents a brief history of neoliberalism where he point out that before its existence the political economy was dominated by embedded liberalism which was a form of capitalism. His assumption of neoliberalism is that it is quite extremist in its operation and if unchecked will be unruly because of socialism failure to develop a reliable model. The pretense by socialism as a means of management of the state and its people without any form of intervention of market forces results in social destruction CITATION Har05 l 1033 (Harvey, 2005). He is attached to this political tradition of democratic capitalism. His view is that of economic restructuring for the development of the people in general. To this effect, Harvey fails to understand why the way of doing things in neoliberal economies is more prominent across the globe even though they embrace democratic capitalism. The push and pull between the two ideologies of Guthrie and Harvey could be attributed to economic growth witnessed across the globe in this period. Harvey asserts in his writing that neoliberalism to some extent does not meet up its expectations by the people. The win by embedded neoliberalism according to him was not a stable environment to create a socially stable environment. Both authors present vague points at some point. Doug Guthrie believes that China is taking baby steps to becoming a capitalist nation and therefore the way to remain economically viable is through slow transition from a command to market economy. Guthrie in totality misses the whole idea that democracy and growth in newly industrialized countries have an inverse relationship. David Harvey on the other hand fails to clearly highlight the main economic policies of neoliberalism. From the review of the different aspects of the books by Harvey and Guthrie, it is indeed difficult to exactly point a celebration o f the past century with the misery related to the so many ideologies that have not been successful in the long run. The books depict a situation of melancholy with the authors coming to terms so late in agreeing with the disadvantages related to these ideologies and their lack of appreciation of the one ideology that has revealed the aspirations of human and has been able to change to the different circumstances of life as it is. References   Guthrie, D. (2009). China and Globalization: The Social, Economic and Political Transformation of Chinese Society. New York: Taylor Francis. Harvey, D. (2005). A Brief History of Neoliberalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Source document

Violation of Rights in the Film Guilty by Suspicion :: essays research papers

America is the land of the free. America is the land in which "Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech or the right of the people peaceably to assemble." (Amendment I to the US Constitution.) This means that Americans can say whatever they believe, and be part of any club, group, or political affiliation they choose. The Bill of Rights also declares in the Fifth Amendment that ?No Person shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." This means that in court, a person may remain silent, and cannot be forced to incriminate themselves. An American also may not be deprived of their life, freedom, or belongings without a trial. Guilty by Suspicion is about how the violation of these rights affected normal, innocent, Americans. Many, many lives were ruined by the unjust accusations and the insistence on confessing that others were Communists. In Guilty by Suspicion, I really understood how the characters felt. The one standout actor was Patricia Wettig, as Dorothy. She was heartbreaking as the actress who commits suicide after she is accused of being a Communist by her husband, she cannot find work, and her child is taken away from her. Joe Lesser was a small but memorable character played by Martin Scorsese. Joe was memorable because his hyper, obnoxious, Chihuahua-like acting style really took away from the solemnity of the rest of the movie. The filming was not especially notable, but there were other nice effects. The period music was great, with motifs such as Louis Armstrong. The continuing music and film from the classic Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was wonderful. It was ironic that when David id being told to get a lawyer, so he won?

Time and Attendance Management

AcknowledgmentsI owe a great many thanks to great many people who helped and supportedme during the project. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my mentorsDr. Hiral Shah, Dr. Ben Baliga, and Prof. Gary Nierengarten for all their support and encouragement at every step throughout my course of study at St. Cloud StateUniversity. First and foremost, my deepest thanks to my advisor, Dr. Hiral Shah, myGuide for this project. I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for herguidance and support throughout the project.I would also like to express my thanks to Dr. Ben Baliga, Prof. GaryNierengarten, and Dr. Balsubramanian Kasi for their precious time in carefullyreviewing my project. I am grateful for their valuable suggestions and comments.Finally, I would like to thank my family and all my friends for constantlyencouraging and supporting me in this endeavor. It is with their help that I have beenable to successfully complete my Master's Program in Engineering Management.IntroductionChapter I: IntroductionEmployee time and attendance is a vital part of the workplace as it allows forbetter workforce management. Time and attendance management facilitates HumanResources to better understand employee attendance, and are necessary forcollecting information for payroll (Time Well Scheduled, n.d.). It is important forcompanies to assemble, categorize, and utilize workforce data, which will allow themto make critical decisions (Data Management Services, Inc., n.d.). In this ever evolving and technologically savvy century, companies are oftenforced to adapt to the needs and requirements of the market. Companies preferportability, flexibility and access to applications they use from anywhere and across all platforms, so that work and management become easier and less complex.Agile methodology is the most widely used project management technique by several organizations for their software development projects. This methodologyworks great in environments where requirements change rapidly throughout theproject scope and has been proven to achieve high project success rate for manyorganization (Battagiri, 2015). There are several software development techniqueswithin the agile methodology. This project demonstrates the use of agile methodologyto create web-based reports for employee Time and Attendance. Problem StatementABC application is currently a desktop applicationwhich facilitates clients to use the software on the local system where theserver is located. This is a drawback8since the client cannot access the application on a remote device. Clients nowrequire flexibility to use the application from across any platform and any devicewithout having to personally be present at the location and the local system wherethe Application is hosted. This can significantly reduce time and effort and increasethe productivity of the workforce.Nature and Significance of the ProblemFor any company, it is necessary to manage its time and attendance and thework schedules of the employees who are the number one capital expense. Improperscheduling and attendance management can lead to a host of issues, includingoverscheduling a shift, costly overtime pay, and even litigation (Data ManagementServices, Inc., n.d.). With the change in dynamics of the work environment in the present day world, employees have the option to work from remote locations. A lot of companiesallow their employees to work from remote locations and to manage their time andattendance, it becomes an arduous task to keep track of the Human resources, whichcan lead to billing issues and corrections which can become costly.Currently, ABC company TC-1 software is only limited to systems that have the database running on theirservers. If employees of any of the clients are requiredto work from a remote location, or if the manager wants to access employeeinformation, payroll, scheduling, they have to be physically present at theirworkstation where this application is hosted. An effective solution which can provideaccess to the application on any device would help the management in accurately9tracking employee work time and also reduce managerial time spent on timekeepingand payroll tasks.Objective of the ProjectTo identify the tools and technologies required for the development of thisapplication and create a web enabled application that interfaces with theserver on the backend and presents a browser-based client interface to theuser in an agile environment.2. Identify the core areas of business and implement them in phases andrelease for production.Project QuestionsAfter successfully accomplishing the project, the following questions wereanswered based on the results obtained from the project:What current drawback s of thedesktop application have been resolved in the Web based application and up to what extent?How was Scrum agile methodology useful in developing this project?How effective would the proposed solution of bringing in a web basedinterface help in resolving the clients' needs?What are the factors of Scrum which were helpful in identifying any threatsin this project?Can new changes and modifications be made during the implementation of the web-application? 11evolutionary development, early delivery, and continuous improvement,and it encourages rapid and flexible response to change (Wikipedia, n.d.).c)Scrum methodology:Scrum is a management and control process thatcuts through complexity to focus on building software that meets businessneeds. Management and teams are able to get their hands around therequirements and technologies, never let go, and deliver working software, incrementally and empirically (Scrum.org, n.d.). d) Socket Programming: Sockets provide the communication mech anismbetween two computers using TCP. A client program creates a socket on its end of the communication and attempts to connect that socket to a server. When the connection is made, the server creates a socket objecton its end of the communication (Tutorialspoint.com, n.d.).e) Server:A server is a computer program or a machine capable of accepting requests from clients and responding to them. Their purpose may be to share data or hardware and software resources among clients(Quizlet.com, n.d.). f) Web Application:A Web application (Web app) is an application program that is stored on a remote server and delivered over the Internetthrough a browser interface (Jdsofttech.com, n.d.).g) Desktop Application:A desktop application is a self-contained programthat performs a defined set of tasks under the user control. Desktopapplications run from a local drive and do not require a network or 12connectivity to operate or function properly, though if attached to a networkdesktop application might use the resources of the network (Socmedtech,2014).f) TheSoftware Development Life Cycle (SDLC)is the process of developing or modifying software systems by following softwaredevelopment methodologies. People, process and technology play a vitalrole in success of the software development lifecycle (Battagiri, 2015).g) Pair programmingis an agile software development technique, where twoor more programmers work together on a software development task. One,thedriver, develops the code while the other, theobserver, reviews thecode developed by the driver. The driver and the observer switch roles to achieve better results (Battagiri, 2015).h) Best practicesare the set of rules followed in software developmentwhich can help in developing software which is effective as well as efficientand within the budget. A combination of best practices can be used to bestfit a specific software development environment. The core agile softwareprogramming practices (versionone.com) are the following:Iterative development,Test driven development,Quality testing,Requirement change management,Following standard coding practices,13Software version control.Project management best practices help us successfully initiate,plan, execute, monitor, control and close our projects.Best practicesrepresent the practical application of the concepts, processes, andtools defined in the project (Battagiri, 2015).SummaryThis chapter introduces the problem statement and objective of the project.The nature and significance of the project are discussed. Limitations of this projectimplementation are also addressed. Important terms and keywords are brieflyexplain ed, which are necessary to understand the project. The next chapterdiscusses the framework and research methodologies used to conduct the project in detail.

Root Causes of the Holocaust and Wwii

WWII and the Holocaust were two key events of the 20th century. Each had their own causes and historical factors leading up to their development. While the two events occurred close to each other each developed independently and neither was cause for the other. Anti-Jewish prejudice has a long history and was present in Germany long before WWII. The German people elected the Nazi party and it was its rise to power that lead to WWII. The Nazi party had many other strange policies that, while not as extreme as the Jewish policies, were odd and extreme in different way.The roots of WWII are based on the Nazi party’s economic policies and not as a mask for genocide. Therefore WWII was not a cause of the Holocaust and it was not used as a mask for the Holocaust. Prejudice against Jews has existed from pre B. C. times through the Holocaust to the present day. There are countless examples throughout history of Jewish persecution. One of the earliest references to other nationalities persecuting Jews is told in the Bible’s Book of Exodus. The Exodus of the Israelites (Jews) from Egypt is the theme described in the above-mentioned book after the Egyptians treated them as slaves.In the First Crusade, 1096, communities on the Rhine and the Danube were utterly destroyed. In the Second Crusade, 1147, the Jews in France were subject to frequent massacres. The Jews were also subjected to attacks by the Shepherds’ Crusades of 1251 and 1320. The Crusades were followed by expulsions, including in, 1290, the banishing of all English Jews; in 1396, 100,000 Jews were expelled from France; and, in 1421 thousands were expelled from Austria. These examples show how throughout history Jews have been persecuted and discriminated against by various nations.Several European writers twisted Darwin’s Theory of Evolution to suggest there was a hierarchy of races with Jews at the bottom. â€Å"In addition, misuse of the theory of evolution was an important factor in the extreme forms of racism, especially that against blacks and Jews, that flourished at the turn of the century and for many years beyond. † This quotation helps support the idea that The Theory of Evolution has been used in only extreme cases of racism and the Nazi party used this theory to prove that Jews are inferior.Jews have been portrayed as moneylenders and manipulators of financial systems. In Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, the character Shylock is a Jew and seen as the villain of the story. To begin with the Merchant of Venice, for most of the history of the reception of the play, Shylock has been seen as fundamentally an unsympathetic character if not a villain. He is also often seen as a caricature of a grasping, vicious and resentful Jew. The debate is not about whether or not Shylock is bad, but really is about whether Shylock is bad because he is a bad Jew or bad because he is simply a Jew.This quotation, as said by Hussein Ibish, proves that even Shak espeare was racist towards Jews. This is another historical example that the Nazis used to suggest that the Jews were the cause of the poor German economy. The Nazi party tapped into shared German feelings of the above points to rise in popularity with the voters. The Nazi party utilized the German people’s prejudices and worries to get democratically elected. Due to the Treaty of Versailles that ended WWI, Germany was sentenced to make payments to the victors.This crushed the German economy and made the people unhappy and in search of someone who could bring them out of this mess. The Nazi party rose in popularity due to poor economic conditions and the people’s fear of the rise of the communist party given the mess that Russia was in due to communism. In December of 1928, Joseph Goebbels posted an essay to persuade the Germans not to buy goods from the Jews. The essay was called â€Å"Deutsche, kauft nur bei Juden! † When translated, it means â€Å"Germans: D on’t buy from the Jew! He believed the Jews produced bad quality goods and would cheat you out of a good price. Because the Jew sells cheap, but shoddy merchandise, whereas the German sets a proper price for good merchandise. Because the Jew cheats you, whereas the German treats you fairly and honestly. Because you can buy all sorts of trash from the Jew, but the German sells mostly only quality goods. The Nazi party promised a solution to the economic problem that was affecting all of Germany. In 1928 the Nazi party came in 2nd and by the 1932 election they won the majority of seats. The economy was still in crisis.In the election of July 1932, the Nazi Party won 37% of the Reichstag seats, thanks to a massive propaganda campaign. For the next six months, the most powerful German leaders were embroiled in a series of desperate political maneuverings. Ultimately, these major players severely underestimated Hitler's political abilities. It was the people of Germany that put Na zi party in power which caused them to takeover and become greedy with power. In January 1933 Hitler was appointed German Chancellor. In the March 1933 final election the parliament votes to give Chancellor total power putting an end to the Catholic party.Later that year, President Hindenburg died and Hitler blended the two roles of President and Chancellor under the title of Der Fuhrer. The people had so much faith in the Nazi party that they allowed them to take complete control by democratic elections. The people voted in the Nazi party which allowed them to enact numerous extreme policies. The Nazi party also had many other oppressive policies at this time besides the anti-Jewish ones. The party promoted removing women from the workforce to help male employment rates and offered money to women to have kids; more kids more money.The money came from taxing single men and childless families heavily. On November 14, 1935 a law was passed banning German marriage to gypsies, negroes a nd people of mixed race (this would include jews). NOVEMBER 14, 1935? NUREMBERG LAW EXTENDED TO OTHER GROUPS? The first supplemental decree of the Nuremberg Laws extends the prohibition on marriage or sexual relations between people who could produce â€Å"racially suspect† offspring. A week later, the minister of the interior interprets this to mean relations between â€Å"those of German or related blood† and Roma (Gypsies), blacks, or their offspring.This policy displays how the Nazi party was not just racist towards Jews, but they viewed themselves as the dominant race above all others. Women were expected to have at least 4 children and if they did they received a medal every year on the birthday of Hitler’s grandmother. The Nazi party also forced teachers to follow revised textbooks. School lessons were based on Nazi ideas. Math problems involved calculations about bombing targeted countries such as Poland and killing invalids. Schools were single sex and girls were educated much differently.They studied no foreign languages and the only subjects they were taught related to cooking and childcare. By changing the textbooks for children in school is made Germans look good in history; history has to show they are the superior race and make up for the fact that they lost WWI. The Nazi party also banned Mickey Mouse and Disney movies. The fate of Mickey Mouse under the Third Reich offers a bizarre insight into the impact of Nazi policies relating to the media and the control of ideas. †¦ Hitler ordered the Disney films featuring him and other cartoon characters to be banned.The Nazis accused Walt Disney himself of having Jewish ancestry and feared that his innocent-seeming cartoons threatened Germans with being ‘infected by undesirable cultural influences’. Even more striking is the interpretation that Mickey Mouse †¦ could be seen as positively symbolizing the Jewish ‘outsider† overcoming adversity and that, Hitler loathed the portrayal of the mouse as clean and harmless since his propaganda machine was focused on representing Jews as dirty vermin. Walt Disney was thought to be a Jew and mice are vermin, like Jews.This goes to show how twisted the minds of the Nazi party really were to ban an innocent cartoon character because of what it could be morphed to stand for. It wasn’t until 1941, well after the start of the war, that the Nazis decided to kill the Jews and began sending them to extermination camps in eastern European countries such as Poland. This was the Holocaust. This policy was created by Hitler’s senior officers in the party (Himmler, Heydrich and Eichmann) and Hitler allowed it. This policy was not made public and only after the war ended was the full extent of it discovered.The Nazi party also had extreme solutions for their economic issues. The attention of the Belgian, Czechoslovak, G reek, Jugoslav, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norwegian, Polish, Sovie t, United Kingdom and United States Governments and also of the French National Committee has been drawn to numerous reports from Europe that the German authorities, not content with denying to persons of Jewish race in all the territories over which their barbarous rule has been extended, the most elementary human rights, are now carrying into effect Hitler’s oft-repeated intention to exterminate the Jewish people in Europe.This was the most extreme of the policies, but it was just another policy, not the idea intended from the start. The above policies show that the Nazis could provide extreme solutions and this will be shown in their economic solutions as well. The true cause of WWII flows from the Nazi party solution to Germanys economic problems. The Nazi solution to shortages was to create a plan to acquire more land and raw materials. I today present the following as the new Four-Year Plan.In four years Germany must be wholly independent of foreign areas in those mater ials which can be produced in any way through German ability, through our chemical and machine industry, as well as through our mining industry. The re-building of this great German raw material industry will serve to give employment to the masse. This quotation was a proclamation from Hitler proving that the Nazis was not just simply to take over. They were mainly focused on acquiring more raw materials. Germany deployed the strategy by taking over Austria, parts of France and Czechoslovakia. He attached Austria to Germany in just few days, without the help of his army. In fact his generals were against an Austrian invasion. Italy was supposed to defend Austria; they had a pact. Italy did not respond; not against Hitler. † Britain and France continued to let Hitler expand more in hopes he would soon be satisfied, but their assumptions were wrong and he continued to expand. In an effort to avoid war, the leaders of several European countries met in Munich to discuss how to avo id war and establish a peaceful Europe.Hitler demanded parts of Czechoslovakia be absorbed into Germany, and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain agreed, giving Hitler a chunk of Czechoslovakia that was home to three million ethnic Germans. With these deal in place, Chamberlain believed he had satisfied the German war machine. Germany expanded into other countries while Britain and France foolishly allowed it. Germany invading Poland was finally too much for Britain and France to handle so on September 3, 1939 they declared war. At 4:45 a. . , some 1. 5 million German troops invade Poland all along its 1,750-mile border with German-controlled territory. †¦ Nazi leader Adolf Hitler claimed the massive invasion was a defensive action, but Britain and France were not convinced. On September 3, they declared war on Germany, initiating World War II. Germanys invasion per their economic policy pushed France and Britain too far and finally triggered the war. It was Germanys econ omic policy of expansions that triggered the war, nothing else.The above paragraphs of historical fact show that the war started before the Holocaust and its causes were independent of the causes of the Holocaust. We have seen how prejudice against Jews has built up over time and how the Nazi party took it to the extreme by starting a mass genocide in 1941 – the Holocaust. We have also seen that the Nazi solution to Germany’s economic problems relied on taking over countries to get resources and cheap labour, which eventually lead to the declaration of war in 1939. These were two independent paths.War was declared before the Holocaust and for reasons that had nothing to do with the Holocaust. The world didn’t even know in 1939 about the atrocity that was to come. This it is clear from historical fact that WWII was neither a cause of the Holocaust or a mask for it. ————————————â⠂¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œ [ 1 ]. Bible Gate Way, Exodus 1:8-14 http://www. biblegateway. com/passage/? search=Exodus+1&version=GNT [ 2 ]. Wikipedia, â€Å"History of the Jews and the Crusades. † http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_and_the_Crusades [ 3 ]. Dr.Jerry Bergman, â€Å"Darwinism, Evolution, and Racism. † Bible Believers, http://www. biblebelievers. net/creationscience/kjcevol1. htm [ 4 ]. Hussein Ibish, â€Å"Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice and The Jew of Malta,† The Weblog of Hussein Ibish, http://ibishblog. com/blog/hibish/2009/12/05/anti_semitism_merchant_venice_and_jew_malta [ 5 ]. Joseph Goebbels, â€Å"Germans, Buy only from the Jews!. † Calvin College – Minds In The Making. (Munich: Zentralverlag der NSDAP. , 1935), pp. 331-333 http://www. calvin. edu/academic/cas/gpa/angrif10. htm [ 6 ]. The Florida

end to evil essays

end to evil essays An End to Evil is a novel about how to win the war on terror. David Frum and Richard Perle wrote the novel An End to Evil. David Frum is a former Presidential speechwriter for George W. Bush and a bestselling author of The Right Man. Richard Perle is a former assistant to the secretary of defense in the Regan administration, the chairmen of the Defense Policy Board under the President George. W. Bush, and is one of the most influential foreign policy leaders. The Random House Inc. in New York City published An End to Evil in 2003. This book was printed in the United States and Kapo Ng designed the cover. David Frum and Richard Perle designed this book to illustrate the changes America needs and the processes on how to win the war on terror. This book illustrates how the U.S. should deal with Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Israel/ Palestine, Syria, France, and North Korea. Among the topics this book addresses are The United States needs to withdraw its support from the United Nati ons if it does not reform. Why France and Saudi Arabia have to be treated as adversaries, not allies, in the war on terror. What to do with North Korea if negotiations fail, and how to tighten immigration and security at home in the United States. The United States should withdraw its support from the United Nations if it does not reform. In October of 2002 congress voted to use force with in Iraq. Then in November of 2002 the United Nations Security Counsel passed the Resolution 1441, which was designed to force Iraq to disclose their current whereabouts of their weapons of mass destruction. Members in congress did not believe that the United Nations had acted with enough authority and pleaded with president Bush to return to the United Nations and demand for more serious action. Many members in congress believed that the United Nations had not done a significant job at holding authority over Iraq and forcing them to the laws at hand....

An Overview of the Sunbelt in the U.S.

An Overview of the Sunbelt in the U.S. The Sun Belt is the region in the United States that stretches across the Southern and Southwestern portions of the country from Florida to California. The Sunbelt typically includes the states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California. Major U.S. cities placed within the Sun Belt according to every definition include Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando, and Phoenix. However, some extend the definition of Sun Belt as far north as the cities Denver, Raleigh-Durham, Memphis, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco. Throughout U.S. history, especially after World War II, the Sun Belt saw abundant population growth in these cities as well as many others and has been an important area socially, politically, and economically. History of Sun Belt Growth The term Sun Belt is said to have been coined in 1969 by writer and political analyst Kevin Phillips in his book The Emerging Republican Majority to describe the area of the U.S. that encompassed the region from Florida to California and included industries like oil, military, and aerospace but also many retirement communities. Following Phillips introduction of the term, it became widely used in the 1970s and beyond. Although the term Sun Belt was not used until 1969, growth had been occurring in the southern U.S. since World War II. This is because, at the time, many military manufacturing jobs were moving from the Northeast U.S. (the region known as the Rust Belt) to the South and the West. Growth in the South and West then further continued after the war and later grew substantially near the U.S./Mexico border in the late 1960s when Mexican and other Latin American immigrants began to move north. In the 1970s, Sun Belt became the official term to describe the area and growth continued even further as the U.S. South and West became more important economically than the Northeast. Part of the regions growth was a direct result of increasing agriculture and the earlier green revolution which introduced new farming technologies. In addition, because of the prevalence of agriculture and related jobs in the region, immigration in the area continued to grow as immigrants from neighboring Mexico and other areas were looking for jobs in the U.S. On top of immigration from areas outside the U.S., the Sun Belts population also grew via migration from other parts of the U.S. in the 1970s. This was due to the invention of affordable and effective air conditioning. It additionally involved the movement of retirees from Northern states to the South, especially Florida and Arizona. Air conditioning played an especially significant role in the growth of many Southern cities like those in Arizona where temperatures can sometimes exceed 100 F (37 C). For example, the average temperature in July in Phoenix, Arizona is 90 F (32 C), while it is just over 70 F (21 C) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Milder winters in the Sun Belt also made the region attractive to retirees as much of it is relatively comfortable year-round and it allows them to escape cold winters. In Minneapolis, the average temperature in January is just over 10 F (-12 C) while in Phoenix it is 55 F (12 C). Additionally, new types of businesses and industries like aerospace, defense and military, and oil moved from the North to the Sun Belt as the region was cheaper and there were fewer labor unions. This further added to the Sun Belts growth and importance economically. Oil, for example, helped Texas grow economically, while military installations drew people, defense industries, and aerospace firms to the desert Southwest and California, and favorable weather led to increased tourism in places like Southern California, Las Vegas, and Florida. By 1990, Sun Belt cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Dallas, and San Antonio were among the ten largest in the U.S. In addition, because of the Sun Belts relatively high proportion of immigrants in its population, its overall birth rate was higher than the rest of the U.S. Despite this growth, however, the Sun Belt did experience its share of problems in the 1980s and 1990s. For example, the regions economic prosperity has been uneven and at one point 23 out of the 25 largest metropolitan regions with the lowest per capita incomes in the U.S. were in the Sun Belt. In addition, the rapid growth in places like Los Angeles caused various environmental problems, one of the most significant of which was and still is air pollution. The Sun Belt Today Today, growth in the Sun Belt has slowed, but its larger cities still remain as some of the largest and fastest-growing in the U.S. Nevada, for example, is among the nations fastest-growing states due to its high immigration. Between 1990 and 2008, the states population increased by a whopping 216% (from 1,201,833 in 1990 to 2,600,167 in 2008). Also seeing dramatic growth, Arizona saw a population increase of 177% and Utah grew by 159% between 1990 and 2008. The San Francisco Bay Area in California with the major cities of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose still also remains a growing area, while growth in outlying areas like Nevada has decreased significantly due to nationwide economic problems. With this decrease in growth and outmigration, housing prices in cities like Las Vegas have plummeted in recent years. Despite recent economic problems, the U.S. South and West (the areas that comprise the Sun Belt) still remain the fastest growing regions in the country. Between 2000 and 2008, the number one fastest growing area, the West, saw a population change of 12.1% while the second, the South, saw a change of 11.5%, making the Sun Belt still, as it has been since the 1960s, one of the most important growth regions in the U.S.

Bohr Model of the Atom - Overview and Examples

Bohr Model of the Atom s The Bohr Model has an atom consisting of a small, positively-charged nucleus orbited by negatively-charged electrons. Heres a closer look at the Bohr Model, which is sometimes called the Rutherford-Bohr Model. Overview of the Bohr Model Niels Bohr proposed the Bohr Model of the Atom in 1915. Because the Bohr Model is a modification of the earlier Rutherford Model, some people call Bohrs Model the Rutherford-Bohr Model. The modern model of the atom is based on quantum mechanics. The Bohr Model contains some errors, but it is important because it describes most of the accepted features of atomic theory without all of the high-level math of the modern version. Unlike earlier models, the Bohr Model explains the Rydberg formula for the spectral emission lines of atomic hydrogen. The Bohr Model is a planetary model in which the negatively-charged electrons orbit a small, positively-charged nucleus similar to the planets orbiting the Sun (except that the orbits are not planar). The gravitational force of the solar system is mathematically akin to the Coulomb (electrical) force between the positively-charged nucleus and the negatively-charged electrons. Main Points of the Bohr Model Electrons orbit the nucleus in orbits that have a set size and energy.The energy of the orbit is related to its size. The lowest energy is found in the smallest orbit.Radiation is absorbed or emitted when an electron moves from one orbit to another. Bohr Model of Hydrogen The simplest example of the Bohr Model is for the hydrogen atom (Z 1) or for a hydrogen-like ion (Z 1), in which a negatively-charged electron orbits a small positively-charged nucleus. Electromagnetic energy will be absorbed or emitted if an electron moves from one orbit to another. Only certain electron orbits are permitted. The radius of the possible orbits increases as n2, where n is the principal quantum number. The 3 → 2 transition produces the first line of the Balmer series. For hydrogen (Z 1) this produces a photon having wavelength 656 nm (red light). Bohr Model for Heavier Atoms Heavier atoms contain more protons in the nucleus than the hydrogen atom. More electrons were required to cancel out the positive charge of all of these protons. Bohr believed each electron orbit could only hold a set number of electrons. Once the level was full, additional electrons would be bumped up to the next level. Thus, the Bohr model for heavier atoms described electron shells. The model explained some of the atomic properties of heavier atoms, which had never been reproduced before. For example, the shell model explained why atoms got smaller moving across a period (row) of the periodic table, even though they had more protons and electrons. It also explained why the noble gases were inert and why atoms on the left side of the periodic table attract electrons, while those on the right side lose them. However, the model assumed electrons in the shells didnt interact with each other and couldnt explain why electrons seemed to stack in an irregular manner. Problems with the Bohr Model It violates the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle because it considers electrons to have both a known radius and orbit.The Bohr Model provides an incorrect value for the ground state orbital angular momentum.It makes poor predictions regarding the spectra of larger atoms.It does not predict the relative intensities of spectral lines.The Bohr Model does not explain fine structure and hyperfine structure in spectral lines.It does not explain the Zeeman Effect. Refinements and Improvements to the Bohr Model The most prominent refinement to the Bohr model was the Sommerfeld model, which is sometimes called the Bohr-Sommerfeld model. In this model, electrons travel in elliptical orbits around the nucleus rather than in circular orbits. The Sommerfeld model was better at explaining atomic spectral effects, such the Stark effect in spectral line splitting. However, the model couldnt accommodate the magnetic quantum number. Ultimately, the Bohr model and models based upon it were replaced Wolfgang Paulis model based on quantum mechanics in 1925. That model was improved to produce the modern model, introduced by Erwin Schrodinger in 1926. Today, the behavior of the hydrogen atom is explained using wave mechanics to describe atomic orbitals. Sources Lakhtakia, Akhlesh; Salpeter, Edwin E. (1996). Models and Modelers of Hydrogen. American Journal of Physics. 65 (9): 933. Bibcode:1997AmJPh..65..933L. doi:10.1119/1.18691Linus Carl Pauling (1970). Chapter 5-1.  General Chemistry  (3rd ed.). San Francisco: W.H. Freeman Co. ISBN 0-486-65622-5.Niels Bohr (1913). On the Constitution of Atoms and Molecules, Part I (PDF). Philosophical Magazine. 26 (151): 1–24. doi:10.1080/14786441308634955Niels Bohr (1914). The spectra of helium and hydrogen. Nature. 92 (2295): 231–232. doi:10.1038/092231d0

Summary of health article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary of health article - Essay Example The database, managed by United Health Group Inc. subsidiary Ingenix Inc., has been alleged to be seriously flawed and manipulated by the insurers, resulting to poor reimbursements and higher medical bills for consumers. Most recent complaints on this accuse Aetna of manipulating the database to get rid of valid high charges. According to a complaint filed recently in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Aetna and Ingenix collaborated to fabricate figures favorable to the company, thus corrupting the database to yield inaccurate results, lowering down the reimbursements for doctors. The complaint further claims that this has greatly damaged physician-patient relationships. Dr. Nancy H. Nielsen, President of A.M.A., stated that the association is putting an end to the health insurers’ unfairly manipulative business practices, disregarding patients and the legally acceptable costs of caring for them, citing a certain case of an anonymous surgeon who was paid way below his billed charges. To these, Aetna spokeswoman Cynthia Michener commented that they will by all means defend the company amidst similar claims by consumers in New Jersey and Connecticut. She further expressed disappointment over the medical community’s move to sue them when the company has succeeded to develop better collaboration with doctors. Cigna, on the other hand, believes that physician’s pricing must be more transparent in order to achieve lower costs at higher quality

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

Physics - Essay Example The heat that is produced will be calculated from the amount of carbon dioxide that is produced. For a mile, the heat that is produced seems to be high in the first mile than in the next miles. The reason behind is that, in the first mile, there are additional heat changes that are produced as the automobile begins to accelerate (Stapleton, 200). Due to the fuel economy that has been used as a technique of manufacturing many automobiles, the amount of heat that is produced is limited since the automobiles are more automated. A modern car will produce less heat in a short period since the amount of petrol and diesel that is burned is less. When the amount of fuel that is burned in a short period is less, the heat that will be produced will be less. The size and density of the automobiles engine will also contribute to the amount of heat that will be produced. A big-sized engine is likely to produce more heat when compared to a small engine-sized automobile. In calculating the amount o f heat that is produced in a mile, we will have to calculate Gallons per mile to get the real heat produced (Stapleton, 125). 2. What is the average temperature of the exhaust gas? The exhaust gas is estimated to have the same temperature to that of the engine at that particular time. It is usually tricky get the temperature since the exhaust gas since after it comes outside the engine other external factors immediately affect. Another factor that is likely to affect the real value of the temperature is the fact that the measurements will be calculated away from the place where combustion takes. The exhaust system as a whole will affect the right temperature of the exhaust gas (Stapleton, 112). In a case where gasoline and air are mixed in a proportion that will lead to complete combustion, the temperature of the exhaust gas is estimated to be 1500 F ranges. This temperature is estimated to be very high to cause catastrophe in the engine. Therefore, it is said that in most cases com plete combustion does not occur (Stapleton, 205). Manufactures at most times will manufacture vehicles with a limited space for combustion so that complete combustion does not take place. At most, a case, the temperature that is estimated by manufactures is 1200 F to 1300 F range. This temperature can withstand the harsh conditions in the engine. When the temperatures range at these temperatures, the functioning of the engine will be proper. At proper temperatures, the combustion that will take place will be favorable functioning of the engine. At high temperatures, the pressure will be minimal thus proper working of the engine (Stapleton, 99). 3. Design a method to reclaim the thermal energy from the exhaust? It can be either electrical or mechanical energies The energy that is produced in the exhaust is in the most cases wasted into the atmosphere. This energy can be reclaimed through various methods. Some of them have been tried out but they have not showed any positive results. The methods to claim the energy can be electrical or mechanical. In my case, I am going to design an electrical method of reclaiming the energy (Stapleton, 211). In my model, the apparatus will be electrical wires that can be identified as positive and negative, cathode, and anode. In the model, the connections will bring from the combustion chamber where the exhaust gas will be directed

Assignment 1: Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tasks of HR Managers - Essay Example It covers numerous areas of the human resource like recruitment, performance, and compensation among others. Designing HR strategies refer to formulating ideas, which will make an organization achieve its goals (Graham, 2010).   A Human Resources manager, director, or generalist plays many roles in an organization (Leatherbarrow, 2010). Basing on the size of the company, these HR jobs, might have overlapping duties. In larger organizations, the HR manager, generalist, or director has clearly defined and separate roles in HR management. These duties or responsibilities bring extra responsibility and authority in the hands of the HR manager, then the director, and eventually, the Vice President who might lead several departments such as the administration. HR managers, and occasionally HR directors, oversee numerous different departments, which are each led by specialized or functional HR staff such as the compensation manager, the training manager, or the recruiting manager. Human R esource managers are supporters of both the company and the persons who work for the company. Therefore, a talented HR professional conveys a constant balancing performance to meet both needs productively (Martin, 2010). Therefore, HR managers should have full choice in implementing and designing HR strategy. There is an ever-present jeopardy that the idea of strategic HRM can become somewhat nebulous, meaning pleasant to have but difficult to realize. The risk of creating a rhetoric or reality gap is heightened. Broad and habitually bland statements of strategic intent can readily be created (Mayo, 2011).  Ã‚  

Corporate social responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Corporate social responsibility - Essay Example Some theorists as well as practitioners describe CSR as a form of corporate compliance with the spirit and the letter of the law; or, as a business approach that takes into account the manner in which the organization’s activities impacts upon its different stakeholders (Nehme & Wee, 2008:129). Pursuant to its legal mandate, CSR is seen as a condition where the corporation acts as a free agent of the state, to the extent that the expressed social objectives are imposed on the corporation by law (Manne & Wallich, 1972, p. 40). On the other hand, more than just compliance with legal mandate, CSR is also thought to pertain to the corporation’s efforts above and beyond regulatory requisites, in effect finding an equilibrium between the needs of stakeholders on one hand, and those of making a profit for the investors in the other (Nehme & Wee, 2008:132). CSR is â€Å"[a] concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis† (European Commission, in Nehme & Wee, 2008:131). CSR, from a market viewpoint, has been identified as a source of competitive advantage, as the company explores ways of approaching and engaging with their stakeholders (Corporation and Market Advisory Committee, 2006). â€Å"CSR is the result, implicit or explicit, of the nature of a firm, its role in society, and its relationships with its internal and external stakeholders† (Argandoà ±a and Hoivik, 2009, p. 229). The same activities, it is observed, may be undertaken whatever theory is adopted, as even community-focused activities may actually be undertaken in the service of corporate interests – a form of market development effort. Nevertheless, embarking on these activities which do not directly comprise the company’s main business operations are taken to be external manifestations of the company’s CSR program. Ever since the advent of

Can Love Be Bought With Money Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Can Love Be Bought With Money - Essay Example In our society, many young girls in search of shortcuts to wealth want to get married to a matured person, preferably of the age of their father. Apparently, it does seem odd but they have a reason for it which they are not quite comfortable revealing. When asked why that is so, most of these girls would reply that they like aged men because they are more decent and matured as compared to young boys. This is hardly ever true! Apparently, when one of these girls gets married to an aged person, it seems that the old man has managed to buy love, but this is mostly false! In a vast majority of cases, the girl chooses to stay with the aged husband because, in the capacity of his wife, she is able to get his signatures on blank cheques. The girls retrieve money and assets from the aged husbands so that they can live a fulfilling life with their young boyfriends once the aged husband dies or they have retrieved sufficient money from him to seek the divorce. These aged men don’t buy l ove but are just used by young girls to become rich. A rich man is apparently able to get more friends than a poor man, but the friends only stay with him as long as they can benefit from his money. Rich men are often hidden in a circle of friends in social gatherings. An outsider may think that the rich man has a very strong personality or is a beloved person, but the fact is that the people around him are there for their personal interests. People seek rich people for friendship so that they can have financial support when they are in trouble.

Corporate social responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Corporate social responsibility - Essay Example Some theorists as well as practitioners describe CSR as a form of corporate compliance with the spirit and the letter of the law; or, as a business approach that takes into account the manner in which the organization’s activities impacts upon its different stakeholders (Nehme & Wee, 2008:129). Pursuant to its legal mandate, CSR is seen as a condition where the corporation acts as a free agent of the state, to the extent that the expressed social objectives are imposed on the corporation by law (Manne & Wallich, 1972, p. 40). On the other hand, more than just compliance with legal mandate, CSR is also thought to pertain to the corporation’s efforts above and beyond regulatory requisites, in effect finding an equilibrium between the needs of stakeholders on one hand, and those of making a profit for the investors in the other (Nehme & Wee, 2008:132). CSR is â€Å"[a] concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis† (European Commission, in Nehme & Wee, 2008:131). CSR, from a market viewpoint, has been identified as a source of competitive advantage, as the company explores ways of approaching and engaging with their stakeholders (Corporation and Market Advisory Committee, 2006). â€Å"CSR is the result, implicit or explicit, of the nature of a firm, its role in society, and its relationships with its internal and external stakeholders† (Argandoà ±a and Hoivik, 2009, p. 229). The same activities, it is observed, may be undertaken whatever theory is adopted, as even community-focused activities may actually be undertaken in the service of corporate interests – a form of market development effort. Nevertheless, embarking on these activities which do not directly comprise the company’s main business operations are taken to be external manifestations of the company’s CSR program. Ever since the advent of

The Feasibility of Implementing Continuous Decent Approaches in Highly Research Paper

The Feasibility of Implementing Continuous Decent Approaches in Highly Congested Airspace - Research Paper Example y higher for longer, and then to descend continuously from the level of bottom of stack, intercepting the 3 degrees grid path to runway (Civil Aviation authority, 2009). This method does not require any additional engine power. The approach involves much less noise and reduces environmental pollution. Therefore, though not widely embraced in aviation (Shresta, Neskovic & Williams, 2009), CDA promises much better environmental sustainability in the future of aviation industry, due to significantly reduced fuel consumption and much less noise pollution. However, CDA in densely populated and congested airspace my not be reality due to space constraints and the requirements of a clear flight path for each landing plane. Alam et al (2010) in a study on dynamic CDA methodology of noise and emission reduction observed that there are 64 possible dynamic CDA routes at the Sydney airport. This implies at any one time, 64 airplanes can land on the airplane at different CDA routes. This was found to have a reduction of 14.6% noise, 11.6% nitrogen oxides, and 1.5% reduction compared to standard CDA trajectory route. Such a model offers approach in highly congested airspace. However, Robinson & Kamagarpour (2011) stressed that traffic separation demands and airspace restrictions should not in any way interfere with flight decent path. On the other hand, Dinges (2007) explains there are only a few studies on involving large numbers of flights in an individual airport. Alcabin et al (2009) extrapolated a small number of flights to the entire NAS, to portray effect of mass decent by planes in different airports in both congested and uncontested periods. Tong (2006) investigated the benefits of new approach proc edures using dual runaway operations at IAH airport. Moreover, Wat using flight recorder data estimated the benefits of about 150 continuous descent operations at Schipol (Wat, 2006). Reynolds (2009) while using flight recorded data tried to separate the vertical path and

Historical Background Of Lokoja Environmental Sciences Essay

Historical Background Of Lokoja Environmental Sciences Essay If a legal institution has life, it is delivered when an urge for public discipline begins to overtake events SALVATORE .J.NATOLI. Zoning was born out of such a concern for the unplanned and undisciplined growth of cities, zoning has become almost as ubiquitous as cities themselves. Over time, and through past prudent land planning decisions, thats the topographic organization of the campus has influenced the location of various campus functions. Though the sectors are interrelated, each has unique characteristics and specific planning priorities. A successful university campus embraces the physical context in which it resides, understands the various forces that shape its edges and mould its core, and incorporates community representation and constituencies into its planning processes. Land use zoning for institutions has been seen in the past to foster successful interactions with all who use it and simultaneously convey unity in its visual appearance with a sense of adventure and discovery. University should be cohesive in its organization while remaining open and inviting at its perimeter. By zoning, the environment communicates the importance of university in our society through its unique sense of place and academic traditions and provides the critical con tinuity between the past and future. University should convey a sense of dignity while celebrating the nobleness of its purpose. In supporting the basic missions of the university and providing a variety of venues for numerous events and other activities, the distinctive qualities of the physical environment are meant to provide an atmosphere conducive to intellectual discovery and interaction as well as repose and contemplation. A well planned campus should promote curiosity, discovery, and inspiration. The interest for this study is to balance the needs of Federal University Lokoja. Studies have shown that the initial visual impression of a campus has notable influence on prospective students when making decisions about attending a university. Perceptions of the campus environment depend on the qualities of the landscape, buildings, and the spaces between them. The research study intends to look on how land use zoning contribute in providing mechanism for the coherency of purpose and direction, which will result into an efficient, safe, and visually attractive campus environment with a view to convey and celebrate a sense of arrival for members of the campus community as well as for visitors. The role of land use zoning in improving the qualities of the physical environment of an institution, as a unity of visual character, a unique sense of place, and the activities that are encompassed on the main campus , which will provide an exceptional asset to the city, the region, and Nigeria as a whole. The contribution of higher education institutions to regional development is a theme which has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Currently, it is expected that the role of the institutions is not only to conduct education and research, but also play an active role in the development of their economic, social and cultural surroundings. In view of this, land use zoning for Federal University Lokoja permanent site cannot be compromised. This study attempt to make a proposal of land use zoning of permanent site of the Federal University Lokoja using map produce with the use of geographical information system and computer aided design to harmonize the activities of land use in the institution in order to mitigate the spillover effect of the existing land uses in the surrounding environment. 1.2 Statement of problems As population and human aspirations increase, land use zoning for institutional uses is seen as an important tool to mitigate the negative effects of land use and to enhance the efficient use of resource with minimal impact on future generations. An effective zoning system promotes the future of physical development of a University which makes it to be sympathetic and respectful of the residents, business establishments, and other interests that surround it. Due to the dire urge for a rapid development, the Kogi State Government through the Ministry of Environment and Physical Development now Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development empowered the Ministry to embark on the preparation of various Layout plans and Planning Scheme. This is to address critical planning issues in Lokoja, like housing supply for both private and public use or acquisition, provision of office accommodations, through the identification of land area that are most suitable for such needs. Hence the resultant Layout plan and planning schemes spread across the metropolis. However, some of the planning schemes have either been distorted or abandoned due to the fact that most of the basic infrastructural facilities such as roads, drainages, electricity supply e.t.c within these schemes are left unaddressed. Due to the rapid urban growth of the town, there are many un-planned rural-urban fringe within Lokoja. This un-controlled land use has resulted in illegal construction of houses and construction on drainage channels and other areas not fit for residential construction. This is common in places like Felele, Adankolo and SarikinNoma areas among others. The stress can be displayed on the traffic congestion usually along the Okene-Abuja Express road; this congestion is associated with the already existing Kogi State Polytechnic and Lokoja International Market. The road over the years has become too narrow, with no space enough for cars to pull off the road (i.e., park) and the space for pedestrian (walk way) is almost disappearing. This congestion is further compounded when luxurious buses and tankers travel through the roads which also house the permanent site of the Federal University. Noise pollution is a major factor in the study area due to the quarry activities carried out along the Crusher Village by the Gitto Construction Company. They create a lot of negative impact on the environment due to the effect of blasting of rock by the Company. Disturbance in various forms is associated with this zone and makes the environment unfriendly. As a result of the impact highlighted above, these call for concern in order to mitigate the spillover effect of the land uses associated with the surrounding environment of the institution. 1.3 Aim and Objectives Aim The aim of this study is to prepare a proposed land use zoning plan for Federal University Lokoja permanent site in order to mitigate the spillover effect of the existing land uses. Objectives The objectives of the study include the following, To ensure that the proposed land use zoning fit in with existing situation of the site and the surrounding environment. Make provision for future development that will key in into the aim and objectives of establishing the institution. Integrating the four categories of land uses relating to an institution (the civic administrative core, the academic zone, the student residential zone and the staff residential zone) to be functionally efficient and logically organized in accommodating a variety of needs and users. Make recommendation that will enhance the functionality of the institution regarding to the proposed land use zoning. 1.4 Scope of study The scope of this project is to prepare a proposed land use zoning for Federal University Lokoja permanent site, located along Okene-Abuja Road Felele covering the entire area and integrating the four categories of land uses relating to an institution (the civic administrative core, the academic zone, the student residential zone and the staff residential zone).In order to make recommendation that is aimed at improving the growth and development of the institution, the study shall be limited to the permanent site of Federal university of Lokoja which falls within 16km radius of Lokoja with a total land area of 798.52 Hectares. 1.5 Justification There are significant reasons why this research is justifiable, the point of call is to serve as a guideline to those involved directly or indirectly with the development of campus. The institution being newly established, different proposals will spring up as to what the institution would look like in terms of planning. In view of this, a proposed land use plan for the permanent site of the university will go a long way in guiding the institution as to what kind of land use zoning pattern in terms of planning the institution would like, broaden their horizon as to what facilities and services, is suitable for a particular area and what are the prospect of sitting it there. This research will go a long way in addressing issues regarding to land use zoning for institutions, due to the fact that most institution are usually faced with following zoning problems that includes, what type of land use zoning is required, is it adequate to address the requirement, is there a system for land use zoning, is it aimed at reducing risk while accommodating future growth and what is the institutional mechanism for implementation of zoning. 1.6 The study area 1.6.1 Historical background of Lokoja Lokoja is one of the ancient towns in Nigeria. The town assumed metropolitan status from pre-independence days, harboring many Nigeria ethnic groups. It is both the administrative and commercial capital of Kogi state, the most centrally located state in Country. The state is located between Latitude 70 47 N and Longitude 60 46E.Wth an annual growth rate of 2.5% raised the population by 1996 to 49,258. The original settlers of Lokoja were the Bassa-Nge arriving in 1831 and followed by the Oworos in 1970, Akamisoko (2002). Since then, different ethnic groups have peopled the town. The present Lokoja comprises of, in addition to the Bassa-Nges and Oworos, the EgbirraKoton, Hausa and several Nupe language groups, Kakanda, Kupa and Egan. Other Nigerian ethnic groups found in Lokoja include Yoruba, Igbo, Tiv and Igala as well as, many slave aborigines of Sierra Leone origin (being a former slave depot); Alaci (2009), Lokoja is therefore cosmopolitan in nature. The socio-political prominence of Lokoja dates back to the 18th century British exploration, culminating in the arrival of Williams Balfour Balkie to the Lokoja in 1860. Lokoja has since been an important commercial settlement which compose of liberated Africans, immigrant settlers and indigenous populations who were encouraged to move down the top of mount Patti, thus Lokoja was transformed from a transit trading point to a viable commercial center for European firms in the early 1860s. The ancient town was originally ceded in 1841 to the British by the Attah [King] of Igala and was selected to be the first British Consulate in the interior (1860-1869) and subsequently, the Military headquarters for Sir George Goldies Royal Niger Company (1886-1900). With this status, the town witnessed an upsurge of diverse ethnic groups who settled in Lokoja to exploit the benefits acquired from European activities. Lokoja therefore, became a melting pot for a collection of diverse ethnic groups. Lokojas fame however, began to decline in 1904 when its military headquarters status was moved to Zungeru, which was further north but was restored when Lokoja became capital of the British Northern protectorate and remained a convenient administrative town for the British colonial government after the amalgamation of Northern and southern protectorate into one nation called Nigeria in 1914. The first Governor General, Lord Frederick Lugard therefore ruled the new nation of Nigeria from Lokoja. Formerly the capital of Kabba province, it was later a Divisional and Local Government Headquarter in Kwara State. Lokoja remained part of Kwara State up to 1991. During these periods several layout plans were prepared to suit Lokojas status and most of these plans were known as Town planning Schemes (TPS) or layout plans (LP).Preparation of the schemes was centered on areas known as Government Reserved Area (GRA), where most top government officials and Europeans lived. By the 27th of August 1991, the status of Lokoja was boosted when new states were created and Lokoja became the capital of the new Kogi state. This necessitated the enacting of an edict declaring Lokoja Metropolitan Area; this was put at 16km radius around the town centre marked by the General post office as the centre of the radius. C:UsersbilyyPicturesloja.PNG FIG 1.1; MAP OF NIGERIA SHOWING KOGI STATE (source: internet) C:UsersbilyyPicturesloja2.PNG FIG 1:2: MAP OF KOGI STATE SHOWING LOKOJA L/GOVERNMENT (source: internet) 1.6.2 Geography of Lokoja Climate: The site has a tropical climate that comprises of two season namely dry and wet seasons. The wet seasons starts from the month of April and ends in October, while the dry season starts from November and continues till March. The two seasons are affected by the south-westerly winds coming from the Atlantic Ocean and north-easterly winds which come from the Sahara Desert. Another weather phenomenon (micro climate) is associated with the presence of inselbergs. This feature exerts an influence on local weather greater than their size. Wind Dust: Two major air masses dominate the climate of the study area. These are the Tropical Maritime air mass and the Tropical continental air mass. The Tropical Maritime is formed over the Atlantic Ocean to the South of the country and is therefore warm and moist. It moves inland generally in a South-West to North-East direction. The Tropical Continental air mass is developed over the Sahara Desert and is therefore warm and dry and blows in the opposite direction, (north-east to south-west). The oscillation between these two air masses produces high seasonal characteristics of weather conditions in the country. The Tropical Continental air mass is associated with the dry season and the Tropical Maritime air mass creates wet season. Rainfall:s There are two seasons, dry and wet; the dry season lasts between October and April in each year while the wet season lasts between May and September. The annual average rainfall ranges between 1000 mm and 1500 mm while the mean annual humidity is about 70%. Humidity and Temperature: The highest temperatures in the study area always tend to occur at the end of the dry season close to the spring equinox. Thus March has the highest temperature of about 34.5o C , while the lowest temperature occur in the middle of the dry season in December/January, when outgoing radiation is encouraged by low humidity, clear skies and longer nights. The temperature at this time falls as low as 22.8o C. In the dry season there is a decrease in relative humidity from south to north in the study area caused by the higher elevation in the north. In the rainy season, this variation disappears and associated with the high relative humidity is an extensive cloud cover over the region. Geology: The geology are dominated largely by rocks of basement complex which consists of the varied assemblage of coarse grained porphynitic granites, dissected by pegamateric dykes and reins, iolite-horn which has undergone varied degrees of metamorphosis. Vegetation: The vegetation of the study area falls within the Guinea Savanna belt of Nigeria. This vegetation type has many variants, affecting both the floristic diversity and the structural appearance of the plant communities. Equally, there are several Forest Reserves in the study area and some of the notable economic trees that can be found in the reserves include Iroko, Mahogany and Obeche. Human activities have however altered drastically the natural vegetation especially in the central zone where urbanization and mining activities predominate. Since Lokoja became an administrative headquarters of Kogi state in 1991, it has been experiencing an explosive population increase which had also led to expansion with significant changes in its physical landscape-land use cover types over the years. The built-up area, vacant land, cultivated land and other land use types increased in the study area at the expense of vegetation cover. For example in 1987, the vegetal cover was about 42. 21km2 and by 2005, it had reduced to 8.41km2. (Alaci and Amujabi). Soil: The soil within the study area is mostly loamy having composition of silt, sand and clay. The surrounding hilly area like Mount Patti is composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks belonging to the basement complex. Out of this majority is composed of mica-schist gneisses and Meta sediments. Weathering of these materials from the plateau gives them a thin soil cover that is being washed down by erosion to give medium aggregates particularly desired by the building/ construction industries. Topography: The dominant physical features of the study area in the western axis are largely mountains coupled with a number of intermittent valleys and rivers crossing the breadth of the subject area. Mount Patti which is the highest point has a height of about 458 meters above sea level and gently reduces in height till it reaches river Niger at the height of 45 meters above sea level. On the other hand, the territory on the East of river Niger is relatively flat but perforated by the presence of low leveled rocks and tributary rivers to rivers Niger and Benue. 1.6.3 History of Federal University Lokoja (FUL)  ¹ Federal university Lokoja was established along with other eight new Federal Universities on the 16th of February, 2011 following a pronouncement by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to cater for the increasing demand in the Educational sector. Soon afterwards, a vice chancellor and Registrar in the persons of Professor Abdulmumini Hassan Rafindadi and Mrs. HabibaAnavozaAdeiza were appointed. The university is sited at Lokoja, the capital city of Kogi State of Nigeria, in the North central political zone. The motto of the university sic itur ad astra, this Latin phrase means THE SKY IS THE LIMIT. The University presently have two faculties running, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences with five degree awarding courses: Economics, English and Literary Studies, Geography, History, and Political Science and Faculty of sciences with six degree awarding courses: Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geology, Mathematics and Physics, with a total of 443 students for the first matriculation for 2012/2013 academic session starting with 185 staff. Presently the total staff strength of the University is hard to define due to the series of interview still going on for employment at different levels. With the temporary site located within Lokoja city centre at Adankolo and the permanent site recently allocated along Okene- Abuja Road Felele. C:UsersbilyyDocumentshope.jpg FIG 1:3 GOOGLE EARTH IMAGE SHOWING PERMANENT SITE(FUL)  ¹, EXISTING LAND USE AND RELIEF FEATURES C:UsersbilyyPictureshi.PNG FIG 1:4; DIGITIZED MAP OF LOKOJA SHOWING THE LOCATION OF PERMANENT SITE (FUL)  ¹ Definition of Terms Spillover: Seen as the side effect of existing land uses of an area. Effect: A changed state occurring as a direct of action by somebody or something else. (FUL)  ¹: Federal University of Lokoja. CHAPTER TWO 2.0: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 2.1 INTRODUCTION This chapter reviews some of the recent literature on land use zoning for institutional uses with particular attention to the ways in which it has contributed to the development of institutional vision and transformation. This chapter will be organized as follow, the conceptual framework while the second will talk about literature review. 2.2.0 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 2.2.1 Euclidean Zoning The term Euclidean Zoning  refers to the conventional mechanism of applying different regulations to parcels of land by creating districts that segregate land into various classes of uses such as residential, commercial, and industrial. A zoning ordinance based on Euclidean Zoning specifies for each class of uses, called zoning districts, activities permitted as a use by right and those activities permitted conditionally by obtaining a special use permit from the local government. Typically, in a residential district only single or multi-family residences are allowed as a use by right, whereas only retail and office uses are allowed in a commercial district. Euclidean Zoning is a nickname derived from the 1926 U.S. Supreme Court decision in  Village of Euclid (Ohio) v. Ambler Realty Co., 272 U.S. 365 (1926), which affirmed the validity of comprehensive zoning. Thus, the term refers to the city where a challenge to the legality of zoning first resulted in the affirmation of zoning as a valid police power of local government. Euclidean zoning, like all forms of zoning, runs with the land, not the owner. That means when a property is sold the zoning of the property does not change. The new owner is subject to the same class of allowable uses for the property as the previous owner. Any special conditions, such as variances or special use permits, still apply and the new owner does not need to get reauthorization for the use. A Euclidean zoning ordinance is comprised of a zoning map and a schedule of regulations in text form. The zoning map depicts the zoning district that applies to each parcel of land in the community. The specific regulations that apply to a particular zoning district are then explained in the text of the zoning ordinance. Under Euclidean zoning, the use of private land is the activity that is principally regulated, followed by the regulation of the density of structural development, and the dimensions or bulk of buildings on lots. Specific regulations typically found in a Euclidean zoning ordinance include the use of the property, minimum parcel size, minimum size of structures on the property, maximum height of structures, minimum setback of structures from property lines, and maximum lot coverage of structures, among others. Euclidean zoning  regulates development through land use classifications and dimensional standards. Typical land use classifications are single-family residential, multi-family residential, commercial, institutional, industrial and recreational. Each land use must comply with dimensional standards that regulate the height, bulk and area of structures. These dimensional standards typically take the form of setbacks, side yards, height limits, minimum lot sizes, and lot coverage limits. The traditional planning goals associated with  Euclidean zoning  are providing for orderly growth, preventing overcrowding of land and people, alleviating congestion, and separating incompatible uses (such as insuring that a noisy factory cannot be built near a residential neighborhood). 2.2.2 Performance Zoning Performance zoning uses performance standards to regulate development. Performance standards are zoning controls that regulate the effects or impacts of a proposed development or activity on the community, instead of separating uses into various zones. The standards often relate to a sites development capability. In agricultural areas, for example, performance zoning could be used to limit development on prime agricultural soils and allow development on lower quality soils. Performance zoning is closely tied to the planning process because the local government must identify planning goals and then write regulations that specifically achieve those goals. Performance zoning is often used in industrial zoning to control impacts such as noise, odors, smoke, and other side effects from industrial activity. Performance zoning is an alternative to traditional land use zoning. Whereas traditional land use zoning  specifies what uses  land can be put to within specified districts, performance zoning  specifies the intensity  of land use that is acceptable. In other words, it deals not with the use of a parcel, but the performance of a parcel and how it impacts surrounding areas. A key goal of zoning codes is to limit conflicting and incompatible uses. Traditional  Euclidean zoning  does this by regulating land use and bulk.  Performance zoning, however, regulates the effects  or impact of land uses through performance standards. Performance standards usually concern traffic flow, density, noise and access to light and air. Developers can build almost any building that meets the performance standards for that district. Therefore,  performance zoning  allows for a great deal of flexibility. This level of flexibility makes it a very useful tool. 2.2.3 THE RELEVANCE OF THE THEORIES TO THIS STUDY Looking at the potential spillover effect of the adjacent land uses with the existing opposite uses of Federal University Lokoja, such conflicts need to be remedied or minimized through land use zoning. These theories provide guidelines in mitigating the effect of traffic and other external effects such as noise associated with the surrounding of the campus through the use of standards to ensure adequate Landscaping, buffering, and screening to minimize the negative effects. 2.2.4 Advantages of the theory Protect and preserve natural features in the environment by evaluating the directly the impact. Promote public health and safety. Manage traffic. Provide for more orderly development and density. 2.3.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.3.1 Spillover effect and the Environmental Quality of an institution Externalities Spillover effects of land use for which initiator is not held accountable (traffic congestion; run off; smoke, gases, and particle emissions; noise; urban sprawl; disorderly extension of urban infrastructure) (Katherine Mau, Real estate principle, chapter 5). Advocates of environmental protection express exasperation with local decisions that permit developments whose adverse effects spillover to the rest of the region (Reilly, 1973). This gives rise to at least two issues. The first has it that competition among municipalities for commercial and industrial property will create a race to the bottom in environmental quality, causing the environment of both the community and its region to be degraded. The second issue concerns itself with relations between the community and its immediate neighbors. It is commonly asserted that communities pursue a beggar thy neighbor policy by zoning land on municipal borders for such unlovely uses as landfills, shopping centers, sewage plants and industrial parks. Because such policies may invite retaliation, the story goes; beggar they neighbor also reduces the quality of the regional environment. I shall treat them in reverse order. The ratio of evidence to assertion of the beggar-thy-neighbor idea is re markably small. Sewage plants are, by casual observation, often close to municipal borders, but that is most likely because water runs downhill. The least costly place to put such a plant is at the lowest point in the community, and that is often the point at which a river leaves the jurisdiction and enters another. (As I tell my undergraduates, if it were practicable to require municipalities to take in drinking water downstream and release sewage in the same river upstream, each community would have the optimal incentives to treat its sewage. For less fanciful, common-law approaches to disputes among municipal neighbors, see Ellickson, 1979.) But it is worth unpacking this proposition because of the light it may shed on intercommunity relations and their consequences for environmental issues. Imposing unilateral costs on ones immediate, permanent neighbors is perhaps one of the least profitable activities in the world, as any homeowner knows. The reason is that one has to live for a long time with such neighbors and, over the long run; there will be many opportunities for the neighbor to retaliate. The retaliation at the municipal level could be unfavorable treatment along other borders, but it more likely would be lack of cooperation in other inters municipal activities. They include mutual aid agreements for fire and police protection, cooperation for specialized school programs and coordination of regional development activities. This does not mean that all inter municipal spillover will be internalized by a self-interested spirit of neighborliness. But self-neighborliness is observed often enough in other activities that it would be strange to rule it completely out in the municipal land-use context. Where one would expect it not to succeed is when the costs can be imposed on a highly diffuse and remote group of communities. Upper-atmosphere and large-river pollution would not necessarily rise to being an affront to ones immediate neighbors. But hardly a nyone disputes the idea that such spillovers require the attention of larger-area governments, and that most of the controls should be aimed at the activity that gives rise to the pollution, not the specific location of the polluter. The race to the bottom claim is a more common and more important criticism of local land-use autonomy (Esty, 1997). There is little doubt, as an empirical matter, that municipalities do seek to have commerce and industry located within their borders in order to promote local employment and improve the local tax base (usually property taxes). Because many communities do so, it is likely that some of the competition takes the form of relaxed environmental standards, if one understands such standards to include all conceivable infringements on residential amenities. Much of the criticism of this process comes from those who at least assert that any public sacrifice of environmental quality in exchange for other goods is unacceptable. It is generally agreed that some forms of exchange are desirable and that the presumption of a catastrophic race to an environmental Armageddon is not warranted (Oates and Schwab, 1988; Revesz, 1992). But less extreme criticisms of regulatory federalism are possible. The more plausible anxieties focus on failures of the local political process to value the foregone amenities (Esty, 1997). Within the homeowner-dominated community, one would expect that amenities would be capitalized in the value of homes. Lower property taxes (or other ongoing fiscal benefits from firms) increase their home values, but the disamenities of firms that pay the extra taxes would tend to lower them. Several theories hold that this trade-off provides efficient incentives in the homogenous homeowner community in which the median voter prevails (Fischel, 1975; Fox, 1978). The implication of this view is, incidentally, that most property rich communities have in fact paid for the fiscal benefits of an industrial tax base in forego ne amenities; the larger tax base is not a windfall. This does not mean, of course, that homebuyers in such communities received no gains from the exchange; only that redistribution of tax bases would cause some regret (and capital losses) among communities that had been willing to accommodate industrial uses (Gurwitz, 1980; Ladd, 1976). All of this is not to suggest that there are no asymmetries in the local process. Voters who are renters might be indifferent to improvements captured in property values, so they might be more inclined to vote for land use policies that increased their wages even if property values shrank. (This could be partly offset by rent control, which gives renters a stake in property value changes.) On the other hand, compensatory payments by firms may be inhibited by the transaction costs of working through the public sector, thus biasing the result towards a residential status quo. The more troubling issue

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Nervous System Involvement :: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Medical Essays

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Nervous System Involvement Upon concluding my neurobiology course, I spent some time reflecting on what I've learned about the nervous system and its functions. I thought about how much progress has been made in the last couple of decades alone in defining and understanding certain aspects of neuronal functions, and must admit that I am very impressed. However, there is still so much we don't know about this area, and nowhere has this notion proved more true than in my exploration of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. As will soon be clear, this disease is highly debilitating and can greatly lower the quality of an individual's life, yet to date there are no definite findings about the etiology of this illness. But even more importantly, this illness shows the importance of understanding and being able to assess the different workings of our nervous system and its complex nature. Unfortunately, the study of this same disease also shows the human inability to yet do so. So what is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or CFS? I would like to be able to explain exactly what CFS is, but true to the nature of what is known about this illness, there is no precise way to describe CFS. Rather, the disease is identified through a number of symptoms (both physical and psychological), including unexplained and persistent fatigue of new or definite onset, concurrent with short-term memory loss, sore throat, tender axillary lymph nodes, muscle pain and unrefreshing sleep, among a number of others, for a duration of at least six months. As is probably evident, the above symptoms, in addition to being signs of CFS, are also the same (or very similar) symptoms experienced in such diseases as Lymes disease and "the flu." There are symptoms that involve the Gastrointestinal Tract (GI), immunological-related symptoms, symptoms of psychiatric disease like depression, sexual malfunction, endocrine dysfunction-basically every system in the body. This is part of the reason why CFS is hard to detect, and is usually chosen as a diagnosis only at the exclusion of all other possible ailments. The other difficulty that lies with diagnosing CFS is that there is no way of measuring the level of a person's fatigue-there is no way for a physician to tell whether a patient complaining of fatigue is experiencing the type of fatigue associated with CFS or he/she is just extremely tired and overworked.

Competitive Strategy and Competitive Advantages Essay

1- Innovation is important because it allows differentiation from competitors, manufacturing is easier and more flexible, the bar for competition is raised, and there is greater market segmentation. 2- Some advantages of technological innovation are: a wider range of products and services can be delivered to people, GDP has increased, people can communicate in every part of the world, the production of food has become more efficient, and it has yield medical treatments to improve medical conditions. The quality of life has improved. It has created new knowledge to solve practical problems. Disadvantages include: harmful pollution to surrounding communities, erosion from fishing and agricultural technologies, elimination of natural habitats, genetic modification, and antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. 3- Many innovations projects fail to generate an economic return because it takes a long time to research and develop the innovation. Once this product comes out on the market, it has already become obsolete because a new technology is already being researched as technology is constantly changing. Also, clear strategies are not developed by a firm and poor management of the innovation occurs. Chpt 2 – Sources of Innovation 1(a) Advantages of individuals as innovators: deep understanding of their unmet needs and the incentive to find ways to fulfill them, users have no initial intention to profit from their inventions, new industries can be created. A disadvantage include lack of entrepreneurial traits. 1(b) Advantages of firms as innovators include alliances with stakeholders, absorptive capacity is built via the firm’s in-house R&D. A disadvantage is when firms collaborate with complementors, the firms produce a range of goods and the line between the firm and the complementors becomes blurred. 1(c) Advantages of universities: staff is encouraged to engage in research that may lead to innovations. If an invention is commercialized, the income is shared with the individual inventor. The disadvantage to this is the university has the sole discretion to commercialize the invention and not the inventor. 1(d) Advantages of government institutions as innovators include: the government grants innovative small businesses funding, it develops science parks and incubators. The disadvantage to this is, since the government support so much R&D and funds firms, the government spends less money on R&D as the years passes. 1(e) Non profit organizations perform their own research and development activities and also fund the development efforts of others. 2- Traits include: unconventional thinking, analytic skills, articulation of ideas, self- efficacy, tolerance for ambiguity, and a willingness to to overcome obstacles and take reasonable risks. These traits do not necessarily lead to successful inventions because the inventor may know too little or too much about the field. Also, at times the inventor may not have enough support to think creatively. 3- Firms can look at where individuals have worked before and what they have invented/created. Their past background can indicate they have potential to be more creative. 4- If a firm’s culture, structure, routines, etc supports creativity, then it can perhaps encourage creativity in individuals. These things can inspire an individual to be creative because they are being supported by their employer. Google supports creativity; the firm allows employees to have their own creative workspaces and also gives them the employees great independence. This inspires creativity. 5- Collaborative research develops relationships and networks where people can share information, resources, and ideas to develop something that is innovative. Results can be achieved better this way rather than individually. Chpt 3- Types and Patterns of Innovation 1- Some reasons are: R&D costs can be very high, the innovation can probably take years to develop, technology performance can decrease fast depending on how much effort was put into it, the new technology is threatened by discontinuous technologies, the market for the technology is not large enough, people are unwilling to adopt to the new technology, the technology does not fit in with the firm’s current abilities, and products and services relating to the new technology may be unreliable and/or expensive. 2- Well developed firms are likely to adopt to new technologies instead of developing them because new technologies does not have a dominant design. Established firms are very familiar with the dominant design and do not experiment with new technologies. Instead, the established firms focuses on new knowledge/understanding of existing technologies. It tries to improve products and make production more efficient. New entrants are eager to experiment with new technologies because they are introducing something new into the market; they can perhaps build on that to develop market share. 3- The invention of a laptop with Internet is a radical innovation. It is portable, users can access internet on the go without wires, and work can be done from anywhere. The laptop is competence enhancing as it has built the way for other technologies (e.g. tablets). 4- S-Curve technology improvement: in the early stages, the technology is not understood and effort is put into understanding the technology, when the understanding of the technology is better, improvements are accelerated. The technology begins to gain legitimacy, more improvements are made and the performance begins to increase rapidly. When the limits if the technology is reached, diminishing returns is seen. S-Curve technology diffusion: the adoption of a new technology is slow initially because people are unfamiliar with it. As the technology is better understood, it is utilized by the mass market. When the market has become saturated, the rate if new adoptions declines. 5- Customers are slow to adopt new technologies if there is no trend or demand in the market; technology changes everyday, thus improvements are faster and customers may or may no know about technological trends. If a firm develops a technology beyond the current state of the market need, it has a high competitive advantage, considered innovative ( the firm can build on this) and profit can be made. However, if there is no demand for this technology and the firm cannot penetrate the market, the firm’s costs can become very high and it will lose profit. 6- Short technology cycles: IT, software, social networking, engineering, food, music Long technology cycles: medical, auto, energy, finance, Factors: customer needs, demand, competition, markets, R&D, government, laws Chpt 4- Standards Battles and Design Dominance 1- Sources: learning effects- the more a technology is used, the better it is understood and the more efficient and effective it becomes. Performance is increased and costs are reduced because of these factors. Network externalities- the value/benefit of a good increases because other users in large numbers utilize this particular good. 2- Industries with increasing returns to adoption: Internet software/services, e-commerce, banking, security systems, social networking 3- Increase R&D research, patents, market the properly, hire the best and the brightest from all over the world, increase the industry standard and absorptive capacity, develop more complementary technologies. 4- Network externalities and the stand alone functionality 5- Consumers: yes; they can rely on one firm for the technology because the standard is high and the product is good Competitor: no; they do not have the market share, customers, or profit Complementors: yes; more profit and customers