Managing Operations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Managing Operations - Essay Example Vertical integration will ensure that the company owns upstream buyers as well as downstream suppliers. This kind of strategy, unlike the horizontal integration, is characteristic of one firm engaging in diverse production processes that include manufacturing, transportation, marketing of its products and the end process of retailing. Vertical integration will also enable the new company expand vertically through processes of acquisition (Holloway, 2002). Such processes of acquisition will enable the company to expand. Expansion in business is desired because it consolidates the supplies needed by the company in the production of the needed products and their subsequent marketing and sale. This results to a more diverse and efficient business entity that incurs lower costs of production and surge in profits. Related to this is lateral expansion, which means growth of the business through acquisition and purchase of similar firms in anticipation of attaining economies of scale. Throug h these kinds of expansion strategies, there are increases in scales and market shares. However, internal/external losses and gains are characteristic of vertical integration. They differ depending on the technological state of the manufacturing sector/industry that produces power hand equipment/tools (saws, sanders, and electric drills). They correspond to the stages that characterize the industry’s life cycle. The company is therefore set to gain in terms of lower costs in transaction, the synchronization of demand and supply along the supply chain’s products. The supply chain is also set to gain from higher levels of investment and lower uncertainty. Another gain that the proposed business is set to achieve is the ability to capture and monopolize the market by selling high quality products that are capable of propelling the company’s fortunes in profits and market share. Vertical integration would also translate to strategic independence of the company in ca ses where vital inputs are scarce or their prices are highly volatile (Bovel, 2003). Vertical integration also attracts some losses to the company. These losses touch on high coordination costs, high organizational and monetary costs brought about by changing to other buyers/suppliers. There is also less motivation for quality performance at the beginning of the business because sales are guaranteed and substandard quality may be included into other types of inputs at subsequent stages of manufacturing. Five major performance metrics ought to be adopted by the proposed supply chain business. These metrics ought to be measured regularly, for instance, after a period of one month or so, for each specific product of the business. One of the performance metrics that should be used to measure performance of the supply chain is the Fill Rate, which is the order percentage, delivered on schedule/time. This means the products are delivered to the customers on time as requested. Another perf ormance metric that should be incorporated by the supply chain is the Response delay, which is the difference between the negotiated day and the requested day of delivery expressed in normal working days. Measuring frequencies of different delay values can enable estimations of the statistical order distributions with a specific delay value. In this instance, managers ought to be interested in the probability of surpassing a given value. Stock is the next

Vikki and Tim decide to meet with a mortgage lender Essay Example for Free

Vikki and Tim decide to meet with a mortgage lender Essay Vikki Rocco, (age 26) has been living in her apartment for three years. Her savings system is well organized and she feels comfortable about the progress she is making with her financial goals. Her credit card balance is now paid in full monthly. She is continuing to save more than 10% of her gross salary in her 401(k) plan and she stay within budget. After dating for two years, she is engaged to Tim Treble (age 28), and they are planning to be married in nine months. Because they want to buy a house within the next 2 or 3 years, Vikki and Tim decide to meet with a mortgage lender to determine how large of a mortgage they will be able to afford an what they need to save. The mortgage lender asks them both questions about their finances that they hadn’t yet considered. Although Vicky feel comfortable with the questions, Tim is nervous when he forced to take a closer look at his finances. He discovers that he has much more debt than he realized. Vikki and Tim’s financial statistics are shown below : Assets Liabilities Checking Account *$10,500 (Vikki), $4,000 (Tim) Including their emergency funds Student Loan $9,000 Credit Card Balances (Tim) Car $2,500 (Vikki), $15,000 (Tim) 401 (k) balance $25,000 (Vikki), $8,000 (Tim) Income Monthly Expenses Gross Annual Salary $50,000 (Vikki) $48,000 (Tim) After-Tax Monthly Salary $2,917 (Vikki) $2,800 (Tim) Rent $750 (Vikki), $450 (Tim) Food $250 (Vikki), $350 (Tim) Student Loan $250 Credit Card Payment $300 (Tim) Entertainment-$300 Wedding Expenses $500 Gas/Repairs $350 (combined) Retirement Savings : 401 (k) Vikki $500 per month, plus 50% employer match on first 7% of pay. Tim $400 per month, plus 50% match on first 8% of pay

Social Status Essay -- Sociology, Society, Roles

Roles are created from social status. Social status is the position we have in a social hierarchy. As a person’s social status change, their role also changes. Many will have more than one status at a time but they will perform their role one at a time. The roles we go through are not as easy as they seem to be. Each role has to be properly fulfilled in order to get approval from the society. Roles are difficult to maintain and succeed in for the reason that society expects other to behave a certain way according to their roles and if they do not, then they point their fingers at them. The roles can be classified from the way one dresses, such as their clothing, language, demeanor and general appearance will be different from male to female. Many might have endured role conflicts with a multiple role expectations. People will always try to perform their best when performing a role, even though it can be very difficult. One’s position can be over seen over all other stat us is master status. There can be a positive or a negative effect on the master status but depends on the society to decide what ones master status is. The expectations that must be fulfilled for a role to be properly played are the actions that society has set. The behavior one should follow in order to proper attain the role. an example of this would be the role of a father taking care of his family, playing with his children, support them financially and much more. His master status will be positive and every one will appreciate him for fulfilling his role perfectly. Nevertheless if one was to do something different from the norm, then the society labels the person negatively. If the father was to neglect his responsibilities of the family and start drinking, th... ... status that is given since birth. There are multiple roles to be performed with each status that a person holds. The roles we go through are not as easy as they seem to be. Each role has to be properly fulfilled in order to get approval from the society. It is difficult to carry out a role perfectly because the society has expectations set. The difficulties that one may endure while performing a role is that their appearance, language, demeanor will not be appropriate to the role. Another problem that many people go through is role strain, role conflict. They have trouble figuring out how to balance two roles at a time. Master status is a behavior, appearance or anything that stands out the most in a person. It can be taken negatively or positively. Generally, many have encountered how it feels to perform a role and tried their best to get society’s appreciation.

Leadership Styles and Employee Ethical/Unethical Behavior Essay

Transformational leaders encourage followers to embrace moral values and to act in the interest of the collective rather than self interest. Transformational leaders are thought to raise followers’ level of moral development and to focus followers’ attention on higher level needs and values. Transactional leaders rely on rewards and punishments to direct followers’ behaviour. Transactional leaders are inconsistent with moral leadership because transactional approaches ignore followers’ needs and aspirations and that transactional leaders focus on the status quo rather than on an inspiring vision of the future and may be motivated by their own achievement and power rather than followers’ needs. Multidimensional transformational leadership construct with the following dimensions which consist on individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, idealized influence, and inspirational motivation. Transformational leadership has been associated with many positive outcomes such as workers’ satisfaction with work and the leader, organizational commitment, citizenship behaviours, and job performance. Ethical leadership is not a rare phenomenon in today’s business organizations. Ethical leaders are both â€Å"moral persons† and â€Å"moral managers†. We think of the â€Å"moral person† as representing the â€Å"ethical† part of the term â€Å"ethical leadership,† and we think of the â€Å"moral manager† as representing the â€Å"leadership† part of that term. Ethical leaders are thought to be moral persons because they are honest and trustworthy, take good care of their people, and do the right things in both their personal and professional lives. They make decisions based on values and ethical decision rules, and they are fair and concerned about stakeholders’ interests and long-term outcomes. As moral managers, ethical leaders are clear about their expectations of followers. They are visible role models of ethical behaviour, communicate with their people about their ethical and values-based expectations, and use the reward system to hold followers accountable for ethical conduct. The relationship between leadership and employee ethical conduct can be explain by social learning and social exchange. In accordance with a social learning perspective, they behave ethically in their personal and professional lives, and they make decisions based on ethical principles and the long-term interest of multiple stakeholders. Ethical leaders send clear messages to organizational members about expected behaviour and use the reward system to hold everyone accountable to those expectations. This aspect of ethical leadership depends on social learning and can be viewed as more transactional than transformational because followers behave ethically and refrain from unethical conduct largely due to the observed consequences. In social exchange perspective, ethical leaders were described as being trustworthy and as treating their people with care, concern, and fairness. As such, they are likely to create social exchange relationships with their subordinates, who can be expected to reciprocate this care and fair treatment by engaging in citizenship behaviours and by refraining from unethical conduct. Ethical leaders are likely to influence their followers to engage in ethical conduct and to refrain from unethical conduct by way of multiple processes that rely on both transformational and transactional approaches to leadership. There are several potential limitations on the role of leadership. First, we expect that some employees will be less influence by leaders than will others. Second, employees at the lowest levels of cognitive moral development (preconventional) should be less influenced by leaders than by reward system contingencies. Third, ethical leadership may be less influential in homogeneous settings where leaders and their followers share values based on age and cultural similarity. Fourth, Supervisory leaders may be more or less influential depending on characteristics of their work group such as size and type of work. For example, the larger the span of control, the more difficult it may be to communicate ethical standards and to hold work group members accountable. Fifth, individual leaders may also be less influential to the extent that the organization has a strong ethical climate and culture that incorporates formal and informal systems to support ethical conduct. Lastly, some organizations have a strong culture and climate that supports unethical conduct. For example, Douglas Durand had worked for 20 years at Merck & Company which had a strong ethical culture where ethics and social responsibility were taken seriously. Once he arrived, he quickly discovered a culture where sales representatives bribed doctors, did not account appropriately for free samples, and engaged in Medicare fraud. Durand tried to change the culture but failed to do so. Much leadership research does not distinguish between the executive and supervisory levels, although such a distinction is likely to be important for leaders’ influence on ethics related outcomes. Based on our executive ethical leadership data, we inferred four types of executive leader which are ethical leader, unethical leader, hypocritical leader and ethically neutral leader. In conclusion, leaders should play an important role in influencing employee and to be an ethical leader who can be viewed as an attractive, credible, and legitimate role model who engages in normatively appropriate behaviour and makes the ethics message salient.

Economic theory of mercantilism Essay

Mercantilism was popular and it was the prevailing economic philosophy in the Great Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, and France from the 16th to the 18th century (Gabay, et al. 2007). Gabay, ET al. asserts that according to the theory of mercantilism, for a nation to become rich and powerful, it needs to export more and import less. This basically meant that a nation on its conquest to grow richer, it had to achieve that at the expense of other nations. The difference would be an inflow of precious metals mostly gold. The more gold a nation had the richer and powerful it was. Due to this idea, mercantilists pushed for the government to restrict import and stimulate export and the fact that not all nations could do this, the mercantilists acquired precious bullion or precious metals at the expense of weaker nations (Gabay, et al. 2007). According to Ingrid Hahne Rima (2009) the larger issue of the role of trade in raising living standards of the English was not the concern of the mercantilists. For them the purpose of trade is to enrich the king and strengthen the nation politically. Rima asserts that their â€Å"fear of goods† was rooted in the premise that the quest for gold, like the quest for territory, is a zero-sum game; that is, more for England is at the expense of Spain, Italy, and Holland, and vice versa. According to Ingrid Rima (2009), most mercantilists suspected a direct relationship between the quantity of money and the level of prices. The earliest theoretical analysis of the relationship between the quantity of money and inflationary price increases was made by the sixteenth century French political philosopher Jean Bodin. He attributed the marked price rise experienced by Western Europe in his time primarily to the inflow of monetary metals from South America. Rima states that Bodin also observed that monopolies, through their policies of restricting output, and large demands by consumers of luxury commodities contributed to price increases. According to Rima, since few mercantilists favored inflation, their recommendations for a continuous accumulation of monetary metals via a favorable balance of trade appears contradictory. The mercantilists typically thought that increases in the amount of money â€Å"quicken trade† instead of producing an inflation of prices. Their advocacy of a favorable balance of trade, with its associated inflow of specie, was thereby rescued from a seeming contradiction of objectives. According to Rima, this line of reasoning reflects awareness that a growing volume of money and credit is essential to continued expansion of the physical volume of trade. Mercantilist reasoned that an inflow of hard money would keep interest rates low, while the downward pressure on prices resulting from an inadequate supply of money would serve to dampen further expansion of economic activity. Mercantilists seemed to sense the necessity of avoiding downward pressure on prices if commercial activity was to be expanded (Ingrid Hahne Rima, 2009). According to Walter LaFeber (1998) the mercantilist solicitude for production did not arise originally from a fear of overproduction, underemployment, or overpopulation. The desire for a favorable balance of trade which would result in an inflow of bullion caused the seventeenth-century thinkers to want increased production. Preoccupation with the wealth and growth of the state and the acquisition of treasure played a vital role by setting the stage for a number of corollary doctrines and policies intended to foster the achievement of these goals (Ingrid Hahne Rima, 2009). Rima states that the theory of production is of major importance, for the creation of the largest possible export surplus requires maximum utilization of the factors of production. Rima asserts that mercantilists distinguished between productive and unproductive labor in terms of its contribution to the national opulence. Manufacturers and farmers were regarded as productive, though the warmest praise was, understandably, reserved for merchants. It was also urged that the government hold the number of unproductive people to a minimum in order to direct their labor to some more useful occupation. According to Rima, mercantilist ideas on production are part of their legacy from the Scholastics of the medieval period, who regarded wealth as evidence of God’s bounty and production as the exploitation of this bounty by labor. According to Rima, another aspect of mercantilist emphasis on the importance of labor in production is the encouragement of population growth, not for the sake of mere numbers, but to increase the size of the working force. It was generally accepted that a large population, by keeping wages close to subsistence levels, would not only reduce the cost of producing goods but would also discourage the idleness that might become associated with higher wage levels. One of the most interesting bits of mercantilist reasoning incorporating views on both labor and balance of payments, according to Rima, was that when goods were exported, foreigners, in effect, pay the wages of the workers employed in making them, whereas imports involve like payments to foreigners. The obvious duty of government would therefore be to minimize foreign imports in order to achieve a favorable balance of foreign-paid income. Rima asserts that bullion is the most desirable import because it is wealth, and also has little labor incorporated in it s compared with the manufactured exports. During the era of mercantilism, economic behavior began to manifest itself through commercial activities. This is according to Ingrid Rima (2007). Rima states that mercantilist thinkers emphasized the importance of commerce and industry and the role of state in promoting economic development and national wealth (Ingrid Hahne Rima, 2009). References Gabay, Et Al (2007): Economics: It’s Concepts & Principles (w/ Agrarian Reform & Taxation) 2007: Rex Bookstore, Inc. Ingrid Hahne Rima (2009): Development of Economic Analysis 7e: Taylor & Francis Walter LaFeber (1998): The new empire: an interpretation of American expansion, 1860-1898 Cornell paperbacks: Cornell University Press

Taming of the Shrew essays

Taming of the Shrew essays Within The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare unfolds a plot that uses the tools of silence and misinterpretation to satirize the roles of women and marriage during Elizabethan times. Ironically, it is Katherine who is labeled a shrew, yet she has very little actual voice within this play. On the other hand, while acting in a shrewish manner, Petruchio gives voice back to Katherine in exchange for her submission. The silence of Sly is important, as his presence buffers the seriousness of the concerns raised by the perspective of his character watching a play. This leads us to question: is it Katherine who is being tamed, or is it the audiences reaction that is being tamed? During the Elizabethan era, women were expected to conduct themselves according to strict social norms. A woman was only considered suitable for marriage if she were obedient, chaste and silent in manner. For a woman to step outside of this traditional role whether by voicing an opinion in contradiction to her husband, or in not obeying his instruction was to break social order and thereby be labeled a shrew. This behavior was considered the ultimate curse to a husband. It was acceptable custom for the perpetrating wife to be carted through town, publicly humiliated and cast out of their circle of friends and neighbors. According to the historical reference in the Oxford English Dictionary, the term shrew meant an endless chattering tongue, but also denoted an evil or disdainful nature. The term was typically applied to women. Shakespeare pokes fun at the formal restrictions on behavior of females in Elizabethan society and questions the benefits of marriage in this play, yet he does so in a removed fashion through the use of Slys character most likely so as to not to invoke contempt of the court. The audience is watching Sly watching a play. Shakespeare tells us ...

Participative Leadership Strengths and Weakness

Participative Leadership Strengths and Weakness Introduction Organizations often desire to achieve high performance. According to scholars in organizational behaviour, organizational leadership is one of the key determinants of organizational performance. Organizational leaders need to choose the right approach of leadership that can help steer the organization towards meeting its goals. There are different approaches of leadership.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Participative Leadership: Strengths and Weakness specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Each approach or leadership has its strength and weaknesses; thus, organizational leaders have to be careful when choosing the leadership approach to adopt (Ballantyne, Berret Wells, 2011). This paper discusses participative leadership as one of the styles of leadership. The paper gives an overview of the approach, followed by the strengths and weakness of participative leadership. Overview According to Mumford (2010), par ticipative leadership, which is also known as democratic leadership, is one of the most desirable approaches of leadership in contemporary organizations. It entails the involvement of all organizational members in key decision making. The final decisions are approved after wider consultations have been made across the entire organization. The presumption of this kind of leadership is that each employee has a given piece of information that can aid the organization in meeting its objectives. Therefore, employees are consulted on most of the wider plans of the organization. Here, organizational managers are often seen as facilitators of the leadership process in the organization. They code the ideas of organizational members into key decisions in the organization. In this era where more people are enlightened, most organizations are borrowing the principles of this approach of management in order to make the best use of the diverse knowledge and skills of their employees. This is repl icated in the decisions of most organizations to form decision making groups, where all organizational members are given a chance to air their views on organizational decisions (Mumford, 2010). Strengths and weakness The participative approach of leadership has numerous strengths. First of all, participative leadership promotes a healthy working environment through making each member feel important and needed in the organization. This promotes self esteem of each member of the organization. It also raises the level of communication and cooperation in the organization.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More By allowing all members to participate in the decision making process, the quality of decisions reached are often of a higher quality. Lastly, the approach gives employees room to gain understanding of the complex processes and issues in the organization (Mumford, 2010) . This approach also has numerous weaknesses. Fist of all, the approach elongates the span of time that is taken to make decisions, thus it may not be favourable for responding to emergency situations. Secondly, the decisions reached may be too complex to implement. The rationale behind this is that the decisions are reached out of a wider consultation and input processes. Therefore, whereas the decisions may be of a high quality, they may as well be complex and hard to implement (Mumford, 2010). Matrix Participative leadership Key areas Strengths Weakness Goals Activities designed by all organizational members Time taken to make decisions is too long Behaviours Cohesiveness, high self esteem, and cooperation Desired outcomes Higher quality and inclusive decisions Complex decisions Organizational example An example of an organization that uses the participative approach of leadership is Microsoft Incorporated. Bill Gates, the president of the company, embraces partici pative leadership through empowerment of the subordinates who work on the innovative projects of the company. Employees at Microsoft are allowed to work in groups, where each employee gets a chance to come up with innovative ideas. One best way of participative leadership is providing employees with resources and allowing them to work on organizational projects (Nayab, 2011). Conclusion Organizational leadership, more so the approach of leadership is critical to the performance of an organization. The paper has explored the participative approach of leadership, where it has been noted that this is the most desired approach of leading contemporary organizations. The main strength of this approach is that it encourages the exploration of the skills of employees. Its main weakness is that it may take too long to make decisions. References Ballantyne, S., Berret, B., Wells, M. E. (2011). Planning in reverse: A viable approach to organizational leadership. Lanham, MD: Rowman Littlefiel d Education.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Participative Leadership: Strengths and Weakness specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Mumford, M. D. (2010). Leadership 101. New York, NY: Springer Pub. Nayab, N. (2011). Five Reals of Successful Leadership. Retrieved from https://www.brighthubpm.com/resource-management/120498-five-real-world-examples-of-successful-leadership/

Converting Angstroms to Nanometers Example Problem

Converting Angstroms to Nanometers Example Problem This example problem demonstrates how to convert angstroms to nanometers. Angstroms (Ã…) and nanometers (nm) are both linear measurements used to express extremely small distances. Problem The spectra of the element mercury have a bright green line with a wavelength of 5460.47 Ã…. What is the wavelength of this light in nanometers? Solution 1 Ã… 10-10 m1 nm 10-9 mSet up the conversion so the desired unit will be canceled out. In this case, we want nanometers to be the remaining unit.wavelength in nm (wavelength in Ã…) x (10-10 m/1 Ã…) x (1 nm/10-9 m)wavelength in nm (wavelength in Ã…) x (10-10/10-9 nm/Ã…)wavelength in nm (wavelength in Ã…) x (10-1) nm/Ã…)wavelength in nm (5460.47/10) nmwavelength in nm 546.047 nm​ Answer The green line in mercurys  spectra has a wavelength of 546.047 nm. It may be easier to remember there are 10 angstroms in 1 nanometer. This would mean that 1 angstrom is a tenth of a nanometer and a conversion from angstroms to nanometers would mean moving the decimal place one position to the left. Remember to check your significant figures when reporting measurements. In science, even if you do the calculation correctly, your answer is technically incorrect if not reported using significant digits.

Democracy in the digital age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Democracy in the digital age - Essay Example As Balkin (2004) argues, digital technologies increase opportunities for widespread cultural participation and social interaction at scales previously unimaginable. For instance, the internet allows individuals to access global audiences and sources of information with considerable ease and convenience. Almost anyone with access to the internet can publish a blog, interact with individuals from all corners of the earth and share experiences. According to Shane et al (2009), digital technology promotes democracy as a core individual and community need, with those able to access digital tools and skills acquiring social, economic and political advantage over those without. Democracy arising from the advent of the Digital Age is further exemplified by the impact of the internet in development of informed communities driven by the values of openness, empowerment, inclusion, participation and the pursuit of truth. A stark reminder of the power of digital communication is in its recent rol e in organizing entire populations across North Africa in a series of coups against undemocratic governance (ICG 2011). However, the digital revolution has also created opportunities for increased limiting and control of cultural participation and interaction. Balkin (2004) discusses how conflict arises due to the advent of the digital age. First, it has to be appreciated that the digital revolution is both an economic and a technological phenomenon. The same features that empower ordinary individuals including cheaper distribution of information and easy reproduction and transfer also attract commercial interests. Here, DVDs, compact discs and streaming forms of media are the perfect examples in terms of low cost production and distribution. The observed democratization by digital technology is thus in conflict with commercial interests as it leads to issues of intellectual

Sustainable Drainage Systems and Piles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sustainable Drainage Systems and Piles - Essay Example Firstly it would be Infiltration trenches and the second will be Detention Basins. Infiltration trenches This is a system in which a trench is made and filled with artificial layers of granular material/aggregates which are clean and dry and then this is used in combination with geotextile. These granular materials have voids which are used to trap water and retain it for some time. Where as geotextile material prevents from clogging and durability. The Granular material should be 50 mm clear stones. Then the materials are layered in the manner shown below. There are some conditions for its construction. Almost of the trench is underground and hence its maintenance will be expensive. The trenches are constructed at least 1.5m above the maximum groundwater level and it should be at least 5 m away from the foundations or buildings lines. It is used in areas where the silt/clay content is not more than 40 %.It is made in areas with type A and Type B soils. It should not be constructed n ear septic tanks or water supply line and the areas near it should have good house keeping, if it is not done it will result into choking of the voids that retains waters. Then to improve the life and decrease the maintenance of the trenches it should be provided with Leaf screens, Vegetated filter strips or grass swales and similar devices such as grit separators, goss separator etc. Then these trenches are designed with an impervious drainage area to treatment facility area ratio of between 5:1 and 20:1. Therefore its is clear that the land take is very less and this option will be suitable where areas is less such as commercial areas. Where as the maintenance of the trenches are done by cleaning out leaves, debris and accumulated sediment caught in pretreatment devices, inlets and outlets annually or as needed. If this is not done on regular basis then the trenches will choke and then a complete overhaul needs to be done which is costly. Normally the trenches’ material is replaced in 5 years. Although the cost of construction is low but the maintenance cost is high and needs to be repeated. Then in this type of system when the water passes through the layers of the trenches the solid particles are filtered and the geotextile improves the process. Eventually the quality of the water is improved but the water does not provide microbiological purification. Concluding the merit of the system are that they require less space, the improve water quality, have less construction cost, reduce the runoff during rainy season and reduce the erosion that might occur by heavy rainfall and its runoff. Where as the demerits are that the maintenance of the system is high and repetitive, the system doesnot purify biologically. It cannot be made in areas where underground services are present. These systems are not used in high slope areas. It is ineffective in areas where soil is contaminated and polluted. It looks the worst when the system is choked as the water stays and do not drain. Detention Basins As the name indicates this system impound water in an excavated area or basin. Primarily this is used in areas where there is heavy rainfall and frequent flooding. These basins are used in reducing peak storm water discharges, controlling floods and preventing downstream channel scouring. There are two type of detention basins dry detention basin (storage is for specified short time) and the other is extended detention basin (used for retention for

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 201

Summary - Essay Example The Bedouin people are described as nomadic and the government effort to offer them alternative settlement has led to resistance and subsequent failure. This is because their ways of life are not similar as that adopted by the nation states. Following the advice of Dawn Chatty an anthropologist, the society is slowly embracing change. The society has begun to change in some aspects such as adoption of trucks instead of a camel. The author begins with a description of how potatoes are grown in the Andean highlands of South America. Potatoes are mostly grown in the highlands and not on lower lands in the region. The assumption is that because corns are grown in the lower lands, there is less space available to grow potatoes. Therefore, potatoes are likely to be grown in highlands where conditions are poor for corns. In addition, anthropologists are hired to advice on how potatoes production can be increased in a sustainable manner in Peru. The anthropologists conducted an investigation in different parts of the world. The results were worrying as they showed that the growth of potatoes in highlands had severe consequences. This is because it damaged the environment as most of the land was left free for erosion to take place at high rainfall. Hence, the advice of anthropologists showed that the production of potatoes in highland is not

Ethical Business Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethical Business Behavior - Essay Example The bottom line is that the conceptual framework in the organization is laid upon the ethical framework. This study would include assessment of two famous organizations called Anglo American and Primark on the basis of their ethical practices. Ethical business practice is like a hot selling cake in the global market, but the question is that how many organizations are following them too. Formulation is easy, but implementation, control, monitoring and evaluation of the same are tough and require knowledge and expertise (Svensson, & Wood, 2011, p. 2-3). The study would begin with a brief overview of business ethics in organization and its significance, further leading to detailed description of the essay structure. In the body, a comprehensive discussion regarding the ethical business behavior has been presented, followed by ethical business practices of Anglo American and Primark. Furthermore, a cost benefit analysis has been drawn to show that how ethical business practices benefit organizations and reduce cost. In order to support the view point, Svennson & Woods’ Model has been utilized to throw light on other facade of ethics and its importance in business. Finally a conclusion has been included to summarize the learning and to highlight the key areas from the study. Ethical Business Behavior of Organizations - Anglo American and Primark Most of the newspapers are filled with the names of those executives or organizations that follow unethical practices. Companies like Tyco International, Global Crossing, Parmalat, Systembolaget, WorldCom, Qwest, Arthur Andersen, Barings Bank, Enron, and Skandia (Carroll and Meeks, 1999) have all come to eminence on immoral grounds. Across the world it has been seen that eminent personalities, highly influential people, etc have faced issues due to their unethical practices. The word ethics has many nuances. It basically deals with the enquiry of morality and setting grounds based on the morality to make judgment, st andards, or code of conduct. Business ethics deals with standards, principles or values which draws the line between wrong and right organizational practices (The Times Newspaper, 2011, p. 1-2). Ethical misconduct has become a major issue in the organization nowadays. The resource center for ethics, National Business Ethical Survey (NBES), has conducted a survey among 3000 US employees in order to collect reliable data on the ethical practices of the organizations. It was found that about 49 percent employees reported to have seen at least one type of misconduct was surely seen in their organization. About 63 percent of the employees reported about such misconduct to the management (Ferrell, & Fraderich, 2012, p. 8). The results depicted that almost all the organization were the victims of unethical practices. Ethical business practices comprises of assuring that the maximum lawful and ethical standards in case of maintaining relationships with the organization and its people (Anglo American, n. d.). Anglo American is an American mining company, who are highly committed to follow the ethical business standards for conducting business. They also include their employees in their campaign of following ethics in business. Even the stakeholders of the company are not exempted from the policy of ethical business practices of the company. The company has independent whistle-blowing facilities for both internal and external stakeholders of t

Effectiveness of Executive Compensation Scheme Assignment

Effectiveness of Executive Compensation Scheme - Assignment Example The Tournament theory suggested that a small and a minute difference in ability basically leads towards high compensation. In simple terms, this definition basically fails to consider the main and the important significance of the executive compensation scheme or ECS in the overall governance of the organizations, for instance how and why these kinds of different bonuses are basically awarded and what actual benchmark is used.   ECS have basically four main and important components which are:- The base fixed salary.- The stock options.- The long term incentive plans.- The annual bonuses which are usually being monetary or shares.All the stock options are normally based on the company's overall performance. Although the presentation and the features of the stock option are usually vivid and clear, the exact amount of the compensation can also be unclear as the amount could have been set many years ago and the share prices may also have changed. Furthermore, the executives may circum vent this in order to improve their performance with the help of accounting decisions in the earlier years before the turnover, which basically increases the reported results, or with the help of income-smoothing practice, which basically borrows the income from the future.   Bonuses are basically shown separately to the share options in the company proxy statements. Although the cash compensation and all the other types of the compensation are disclosed separately in different other places like footnotes it is therefore termed as the complexity of the separation that can usually cause the reports to be more unclear for all the shareholders long term interest.   This basically suggests that the executives wield at least some kind of pressure on both the level and also on the structure of their compensation.   For instance, most large US firms have a well-organized remuneration committee which basically consists of two or more two outside directors.   Although all the major d ecisions which are related to the top-level compensation are passed through this organized committee, the committee then rarely conducts the market studies of the competitive compensation levels or the initiates or they propose new ECS or the executive compensation schemes.

Market prices, Valuation Principle, Net present Value, interest rates, Essay

Market prices, Valuation Principle, Net present Value, interest rates, and bonds - Essay Example Through the market price, the financial managers can easily know the current price of the products and services of the company and also can estimate the future price of the products and services. The managers can also be aware of the price of the raw materials and other necessary things that are required for the smooth functioning of the business. Another essential thing that is important and can be known through the current market price is the requirement of working capital of a business. Moreover, through these the future working capital requirement can also be met. Understanding the current price of the debentures and shares is also of high value for the finance manager. The price of the share and debenture are of great importance to the financial manager because through these prices the total share capital and the value of the business can be calculated. Furthermore, on the basis of these values and financial structure, the firm can expect higher investment from the public. Hence , on the basis of the above analysis it can be said that the market price is highly useful to the financial manager (Investopedia, n.d.) Question 2: Discuss How the Valuation Principle Helps a Financial Manager Make Decisions Valuation is the method of judging the potential market value of the assets and liabilities of a firm. Valuation is essential and is required in the business for the future prospects. The work of valuation generally arises from mergers, acquisition, valuation of assets and liabilities. The valuation principle is of great importance to the finance manager in order to make the decisions regarding the future possibilities of the firm. Risk is associated with every aspects of the business. Through different valuation techniques, the finance manager can estimate the future risk associated with the business or any other projects. After considering the level of risk the finance manager can estimate the profits associated with the businesses and projects. The valuation principle helps the finance manager to estimate the outlook of the assets and liabilities of the business and can also make an assessment for the future requirements by the business house. Tax assessment is one of the important aspects of the business for the finance manager. Hence, with the various tools of the valuation principles, the finance manager can easily estimate the tax structure of the future. For assessing the financial feasibility and viability of the future, the principles of valuation play a significant role in the job profile of the finance manager. Moreover, in case of mergers and acquisitions, the valuation principles are needed for the business with the available in-depth financial information of the company. Hence, it can be concluded that the valuation principles are of high importance to the financial manager in order to make decisions (Blackburn, 2001). Question 3: Describe How the Net Present Value Is Related To Cost-Benefit Analysis The distinction between the present value of cash inflows and cash outflows is known as the Net Present V

Effectiveness of Executive Compensation Scheme Assignment

Effectiveness of Executive Compensation Scheme - Assignment Example The Tournament theory suggested that a small and a minute difference in ability basically leads towards high compensation. In simple terms, this definition basically fails to consider the main and the important significance of the executive compensation scheme or ECS in the overall governance of the organizations, for instance how and why these kinds of different bonuses are basically awarded and what actual benchmark is used.   ECS have basically four main and important components which are:- The base fixed salary.- The stock options.- The long term incentive plans.- The annual bonuses which are usually being monetary or shares.All the stock options are normally based on the company's overall performance. Although the presentation and the features of the stock option are usually vivid and clear, the exact amount of the compensation can also be unclear as the amount could have been set many years ago and the share prices may also have changed. Furthermore, the executives may circum vent this in order to improve their performance with the help of accounting decisions in the earlier years before the turnover, which basically increases the reported results, or with the help of income-smoothing practice, which basically borrows the income from the future.   Bonuses are basically shown separately to the share options in the company proxy statements. Although the cash compensation and all the other types of the compensation are disclosed separately in different other places like footnotes it is therefore termed as the complexity of the separation that can usually cause the reports to be more unclear for all the shareholders long term interest.   This basically suggests that the executives wield at least some kind of pressure on both the level and also on the structure of their compensation.   For instance, most large US firms have a well-organized remuneration committee which basically consists of two or more two outside directors.   Although all the major d ecisions which are related to the top-level compensation are passed through this organized committee, the committee then rarely conducts the market studies of the competitive compensation levels or the initiates or they propose new ECS or the executive compensation schemes.

PEST(LE) Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

PEST(LE) Analysis - Essay Example In UK market, there is further scope of growth for the company. UK’s consumer market demand is well aligned with business strategies of IKEA. The company has been able to secure desirable market share due to its effective cost control strategies, continuous new product development and competitive operational procedure. IKEA is inclined towards offering low prices to customers for its wide array of innovative products. According to Allen (2006), PESTEL analysis is a strategic tool that helps to determine key drivers of change present in the business environment. The main components of this tool are political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors. Political factors stands for government policy which directly impacts workplace environment, technology quality, health and safety conditions, etc. Economic conditions include interest rates, rate of economic growth and taxation charges. Social factors relate to all possible events which are affecting community and market socially (Allen, 2006). As per Das and Teng (2009), it comprises of population dynamics, cultural expectations, norms, health consciousness, etc. Technology factor states that new products or processes are developed with the support of advanced technology. This factor facilitates quality enhancement, innovation and reduction in overall costs. Legal aspect corresponds to legislative and regulatory framework tha t governs countries of operations or respective product areas. Environmental factors encompass changes in climate and weather. Environmental awareness is an area of concern for all business organizations (Das and Teng, 2009). Research methodology lays the foundation for any research study. Any study can be classified as quantitative or qualitative research study. Quantitative study deals with market related data which can be statistically analyzed. On the other hand, qualitative study is opinions or views of experts. There are two

From the Farm, Inc Marketing Plan Essay Example for Free

From the Farm, Inc Marketing Plan Essay The purpose of this paper is to determine how to drive more sales to From the Farm’s website as well as increase overall brand awareness through the use of targeted marketing and advertising programs and also to gain a deeper insight of prospective customers which can assist in forming target market segments and creating targeted marketing and advertising programs that cater to those segments. Furthermore, we need to determine how to remain cost-effective with these proposed improvements to the marketing programs. Being a small e-commerce startup with limited funds and personnel, FTF has struggled for over four years to create effective marketing programs and have seen very little positive impact of their past marketing efforts. The lack of an effective marketing strategy which includes targeted advertising has led to increased and somewhat unnecessary marketing costs because several of the marketing campaigns are built on the premise of â€Å"testing it out† and seeing what kind of response it gets. The implementation of targeted marketing and advertising programs can not only increase From the Farm’s sales revenue, but also be more cost-effective since the campaigns are targeted and relevant to their audience. In addition, an improved digital marketing strategy can help FromTheFarm. com improve their overall market positioning due to the fact that they will gain a better understanding of their customers through the data that is collected and thus enable them to build a more effect online marketing strategy. Furthermore, this enhanced insight of their customers can also enable them to improve their product development and product offerings on their website. All of these things combined can definitely contribute to growing their sales revenue and more importantly, by having targeted marketing and advertising programs, they can ensure that every dollar spent is not a dollar wasted. Company Background From The Farm, Inc. (FTF) is a privately-owned e-commerce company headquartered in Stockton, California which specializes in the sales and home delivery of gourmet and organic foods and produce. FTF was founded in 2008 with the purpose and intent of becoming â€Å"America’s Online Farmer’s Market†. According to a report done by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), farmers only earned an average of $0. 16 for every dollar spent on the food they produced (Canning, 2011). FTF’s mission is to provide an online marketplace which connects customers with American Family farms by offering farm-fresh products and other specialty food items delivered straight to their door. By allowing customer to purchase directly from the farmer though the website, they cut out the middle man, and therefore give customers the opportunity to taste and experience what truly fresh food and produce tastes like while also supporting the success and livelihood of hard-working farmers all over the county. FromTheFarm. com is currently funded by its parent company, Onions, Etc. , one of the largest onion distributors in the United States. Currently, FTF only has two full-time employees – the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)/General Manager and a Marketing Specialist – in addition to the Founder/CEO, one marketing intern, and one contract-based Marketing/PR Consultant. Any other tasks with regards to finance and accounting are handled by Onions, Etc. personnel and all IT related tasks are outsourced to an outside IT firm and web design firm. FTF has undergone major organizational changes in the past twelve months, in an effort to restructure the marketing team with the intention of implementing an improved marketing strategy in order to grow sales and increase brand awareness. Due to limited funds and personnel, FTF has struggled to create an effective targeted marketing and advertising strategy and as a result have not seen much growth since being founded in 2008. 1. 0 Market Summary and Target Audience Being that From the Farm is a small, family-owned company they do not have the financial strength that other larger food retailers have; however they still have a tremendous opportunity to capture the market being that the food e-commerce market has yet to be penetrated. According to a recent report by eMarketer, as of 2012, U. S. -commerce sales have grown to $224. 2 billion and are expected to grow to $361. 9 billion by 2016. Currently, online food and beverage sales is the smallest U. S. e-commerce category, however, this segment reached sales of $5. 09 billion and experienced a 17% growth in 2012 (eMarketer, 2012). Another report by Nielsen indicates that the sales rate for consumer packaged goods online is expected to reach $25 billion by 2014. This t rending growth can be attributed to the fact that more and more consumers are beginning to do their grocery shopping online (Nielsen, 2011). FTF can definitely capitalize on this emerging trend since the online grocery shopping experience is primarily fueled by a needs-driven experience since there are a greater variety of options available online. In addition, e-commerce allows for smaller companies such as FTF to compete against â€Å"Big Brand† companies since the big brand physical advantages become nonexistent and opens up the opportunity to create a niche brand for customers who prefer to buy their food and groceries online. With a creative and effectively targeted market program, FTF can reach a significant amount of customers online and leverage unique and exclusive products such as tropical fruits, figs, Piedmontese beef, and fresh cherries to capture these customers. There is a huge opportunity to capitalize on the available internet marketing technologies being that there is so much data available through these marketing channels and the fact that many consumers are turning to e-commerce to purchase goods. According to a recent Digital Marketing Report by eMarketer, â€Å"88. % of US internet users ages 14 and up will browse or research products online in 2012, an 83. 9% of that group will make at least one purchase via the web during that year† (Peart, Utreras, Wang, 2011). Target Market Since From the Farm is a food e-commerce company, it is easy to assume that this website and its products can appeal to the masses. There is a large assortment of foods from fresh fruit and produce includin g exotic tropical fruits to certified organic meats to an array of desserts which means that FTF has something to offer every kind of customer. FTF’s customers will consist of individuals who are 25 years old and up and have a wide range of preferences when it comes to food, whether it may be parents looking for healthy foods for their kids or health conscious individuals who prefer organic and gluten-free products or chefs and restaurant owners that need to order in bulk, From the Farm can accommodate a very diverse set of needs. Nonetheless, From the Farm’s products aren’t just for those who want to purchase these items for personal consumption because From the Farm also offers products that can be sent as gifts. As stated previously, From the Farm’s customer base is diverse since it consists of individuals with varying needs and preferences when it comes to food selections. The primary market that FTF will target is the online grocery shopper market. The profile of typical online shoppers is as follows: single or dual-income households with no children and are technically savvy, affluent, and time poor. This group consists of early adopters of new technology and is heavy internet users who regularly purchase goods online. Convenience is a main factor for this group and they have little to no concern about product price or delivery charges. The other major category within this market is families with young children. Similar to the previously discussed category, this category includes single parents, dual-income households, middle-income and above average-earning households. The key differentiator is that this category has one or more children, typically with at least one child under the age of five years old. This group consists of adults in their late 20s to 40s. The individuals in this category turn to online grocery shopping because it saves them time, is less hectic, and overall more convenient in nature. Other categories include college students and military families who are not located close to a standard-size store or who wish to purchase products found only in their home regions. In addition, the elderly, disabled and those individuals who find it difficult to get out of the house make up a significant share of online grocery shoppers. As such, the share of senior citizens and disabled individuals has grown over the past five years and is expected to continue growing in the future. Furthermore, online grocery shoppers are more than twice as likely as the average internet user to go online to read and post product reviews, download coupons and search for recipes, according to a study by the Nielsen Company from September 2009 (Panteva, 2012).

Witchcraft in the Elizabethan Era

Witchcraft in the Elizabethan Era Elizabeth Carlos The Elizabethan Era lasted from 1558 to 1603, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. This period was a time of growth and expansion in the areas of poetry, music, and theatre. Because of this, and the peace throughout England at the time, the Elizabethan Era was often referred to as the Golden Age of history (Elizabethan England Era Life). Even though there was a small expansion of knowledge during the period, there was still the belief in supernatural beings, such as witches at the time. The Majority of witches accused were women, and often poor, old, sick, or widowed. There was not much knowledge of medicine during the era, so women were expected to create cures as part of their job of taking care of the household. Those who used herbs for ointments were known as wise women. However, the Catholic Church as the timed defined witchcraft as any knowledge of herbs, which was associated as the work of the devil (Elizabethan Witchcraft and Witches). People of the Elizabethan Era seemed to take interest in knowledge and learning such as sciences and inventions, but the belief in superstitions were still there. Most superstitions developed from old traditions or beliefs. The reason for the arise of superstitions was because of ignorance. Many also feared what they did not know. Some common superstitions that came to be in the Elizabethan Era included leaving the door open behind you, spilling salt, and a lunar eclipse. These were all associated with bad luck. The most common superstition, and the most feared by the Elizabethans, was the existence of witches (Superstitions of the Elizabethan Era). Witchcraft originated from peoples misconceptions of the causes of everyday troubles. Witches were thought to be those who prayed to spirits and performed rituals to resolve problems. These rituals were referred to as magic. Witches were a way to make sense of the unexplained for the people all of Europe during this time. This is also why many blamed seemingly unexplainable events such as fires, floods, droughts, bad harvests, and epidemics, on witches. One of these epidemics, the Bubonic Plague, or the Black Plague, was blamed on witches because of the lack of knowledge of medicine. Men during this period had greater importance than women of the Elizabethan Era. Because of the male dominated society, more women were accused of witchcraft than men. Out of 270 tried, 247 were women and only 23 were men. The women who were accused were usually and most often poor, elderly, sick, or widowed. Besides the fact that men were held higher in society, those who had power or wealth were exempt from most accusations (Witchcraft in the Elizabethan Age). Wise women at the time were often helpful members of Elizabethan society, even though they were considered witches by the Catholic Church. Black witches were much different from white witches. Black magic was practiced to inflict harm onto others. White witches were also known as cunning folk or healers. White magic was just the use of herbs and potions that were thought to have healing powers. However, during the Renaissance this distinction between the two was lost through the witch hunts. Queen Elizabeth I passed a new law in 1562. This Law did not define sorcery as harecy. In France and Spain the punishment inflicted upon the convicted witches was burning at the stake, which is an agonizing way to be put to death. The new law established in 1562 only called for the witches who were convicted of murder by witchcraft were to be hanged. The less severe crimes committed by witchcraft meant they were to be pilloried or to be attacked, ridiculed , and publicly humiliated. Queen Elizabeth I was considered to be more lenient towards witches. Some assume the reason for this is because Elizabeths mother, Anne Boleyn, had been accused of witchcraft and was later put to death. Elizabeth was also highly intelligent for a woman of the time. She had John Dee, an English mathematician and astronomer, as an advisor. Elizabeth herself took an interest in astrology, which some think explained her leniency towards witchcraft (Elizabethan Witchcraft and Witches). Before the Elizabethan Era, in 1486, the Malleus Maleficarum was written by Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger. The Malleus Maleficarum, which means The Hammer of Witches in Latin, was one of the most well known medieval treaties on witchcraft. The treaty was written to help interregate and convict witches as well as to argue against the beliefs that witchcraft did not exist (The Malleus Maleficarum). In 1566 a woman, Agen Waterhouse, was put on trial in Chelmsford, Essex. She was accused of causing William Fynne to become ill. Fynne later died from his illness. She was also accused of using black magic to kill livestock. She was then blamed for the death of her husband. Agnes was found guilty, and she was hanged. She became the first woman to be executed for witchcraft in England. Elizabeth Francis had been accused of witchcraft at the same time as Agnes but she was not found guilty until 1579 when she and several other women were put on trial and found guilty. In 1882, fourteen women were convicted after being put on trial for witchcraft in St. Osyth, Essex, which seemed to be a common place for accounts of witchcraft at the time. In 1884, a man named Reginald Scot published a book called, The Discoverie of Witchcraft. In this, he stated his beliefs about those who were accused of witchcraft. Scot felt that the punishments were un-christian and he blamed the Roman Church. In 1589, three women were convicted of the practice of witchcraft, Joan Cony, Joan Upney, and Joan Prentice. Cony was a worshiper of satan and was convicted of the murder of Elizabeth Finch. Upney was convicted of murdering Alice Foster and Joan Harwood. Prentice was accused of speaking with satan and murdering a little girl by the name of Sara Glascock. An old woman Alice Samuel was accused of being the reason for the Throckmortan children throwing fits. Then in 1590, when Lady Cramwell, an extremely wealthy woman came to visit Warboys, she claimed that she was being tormented by Alice Samuel in her dreams. In 1593, George Gifford published a book called A Dialogue Concerning Witches and Witchcraft. In this he wrote about the ministerial challenges. He brought attention to the challenges brought by witch beliefs (The Beliefs in the Devil During the Elizabethan Times). Witchcraft is something that has been practiced since the beginning of time. It has been a way for humans, in their own mind, to make sense of what they do not understand, or the unknown. Before society knew anything about medicine, or science, they would make up their own reasoning and share their ideas. Sadly, because of our fear of the unknown, many innocent people may have died in the witch trials and witch hunts. Though now we do not have witch hunts and witch trials, some of the superstitions still stick with us. We also have many more religions and much more diversity in religions. Now we know that the reason for the Black Plague and so many illnesses were related to the lack of cleanliness and knowledge of common medicine of the time, and not because of supernatural beings or witches. The existence of witchcraft in todays day and age depends on how you define it. In the Elizabethan Era it was considered witchcraft just to have knowledge of herbs, which we still use today for many different things including using herbs to make natural healing remedies (Elizabethan Era England Life). There are some people in parts of the world who still identify as witches as part of their religion. However, this is much different than the way witches were perceived in  medieval times and in the Elizabethan Era. Those who identify themselves as witches (Pagan or Wiccan) do not, in any way, worship the devil. In the early 20th century a new religious movement developed known as Pagan Witchcraft. Pagan witchcraft is also known as Wicca. Wicca was introduced by a man named Gerald Gardner. There have been books about the core meanings and rules of this religion but Wicca has changed over time. There are many versions of how Wicca is structured. Because of this, Wicca is divided into sects know as traditions. Normally those who follow the Wiccan religion worship a God and Goddess. However, there are others that have very different beliefs. Some believe in duotheism, monotheism, monism, polytheism, or pantheism. Wicca is a form of modern Paganism. Wiccans perform ceremonies and rituals that they refer to as magic. They also believe the work of magic is through nature and senses and that it is misunderstood by science. Even though in most of todays societies witchcraft is not part of daily life, the witch trials and witch hunts were still a big part of history (Witchcraft in the Elizabethan Age). There were many deaths caused by the Bubonic Plague at the time and because of that more deaths were caused from witch executions. The Bubonic Plague became such an epidemic was because the plague was spread by rats that were infested with fleas that carried the disease. However, during the time of the witch hunts, people thought that cats were associated with witches and their black magic, because of this they also began killing the cats as well as the witches. The problem that came from the decrease in the cat population was an increase in the rat population. This is why some people think that the reason that the  plague became a huge epidemic was because people blamed the witches for the plague and killed many witches as well as cats. The witch hunts eventually ended but the effects of witchcraft made an impact on history, in different ways. Many still take an interest in witchcraft. Some even still believe in magic. Superstitions however, are still alive as ever. They have changed throughout time by being passed down through generations (Superstitions of the Elizabethan Era). Works Cited Elizabethan Era England Life. Elizabethan England Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.  . Elizabethan Witchcraft and Witches. Elizabethan Witchcraft and Witches. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.  . Superstitions of the Elizabethan Era. Graziatripodi. N.p., 22 Jan. 2012. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.  . Witchcraft In Elizabethan England. Witchcraft In Elizabethan England. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.  . Witchcraft in the Elizabethan Age . Witchcraft in the Elizabethan Age . N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.  . The Beliefs in the Devil During the Elizabethan Times. Synonym. Synonym, 25 Aug. 2013. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.  .

Helena Blavatsky :: Ukraine Biographies Writers Authors Essays

Helena Blavatsky Helena Blavatsky was an intriguing woman from the country of Ukraine. She could be considered a nomad for her time; however, she was not interested in finding food and shelter. Helena wanted to find those who were considered spiritualists like herself. She lived from 1831-1891 and can be considered a very influential woman from her era. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky was born August 12, 1831 in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. Her father was Colonel Peter von Hahn and her mother was Helena Andreyevna von Hahn. Colonel von Hahn was a military man fighting in Poland when Helena was born. Her mother, often hurt by her husband’s absence and wrote about the turmoil of being a woman in her time. She published 8 novels by the time she faced an untimely death at the age of 27 as a highly regarded novelist. Helena’s mother knew from the time she was born that she was no average child. (3, 4, 5, 6) When Helena was born she was very weak and the people around doubted she would even live. Therefore, before the baby was even 24 hours old a baptism was held. Helena’s aunt, a young child, was asked to stand in as a godmother. During the ceremony, the child became restless and knocked over a candle without anyone noticing. The priest performing the baptism suffered severe burns when his robe caught fire. The people at Helena’s baptism saw this as a sign. She was nicknamed Lyola because her grandparents and servants thought she had powers. (6) As a child, she had great passion for magic and the unknown. She was often found playing by the river in Ekaterinoslav. She said she was playing with the russalkas whom were green haired nymphs thought to haunt the riverbanks. When servants and other children bothered her, she threatened to have the russalkas tickle them to death. (2) While Helena, her mother, sister, and brother traveled a lot due to her father’s military position, Helena was always happiest playing with the servants’ children and not the children of her rank and aristocracy.

Is the National School Lunch Program a Success or Failure? Essay

Recently there has been revisions to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and schools were required to overhaul their entire menus to provide the students with healthy and nutritious foods including fruits and vegetables. The new school lunch rules are part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 which has been implemented this fall. (Post Standard) The Hunger Act allows the USDA the opportunity to make reforms to the school lunch and breakfast programs. With these revisions come strict guidelines from the federal government that each school district must follow in order to receive funding and reimbursement (National School Lunch Program, 2012, August p. 1). In this essay i will be comparing the positive and negative effects of these recent revisions to the NSLP. I will then discuss whether or not these changes are beneficial to the children receiving the meal and whether NSLP is leaving children hungry or helping children make healthy food choices. The NSLP was established by President Truman in 1946 and has expanded ever since (Congressional Digest, 2010, p. 292). In its first year of the program 7.1 million children participated in the NSLP. Today, thirty-one million children each day get their lunch through NSLP. The cost of this program is approximately $6.1 billion annually and continues to rise with the cost of food (Congressional Digest, 2010, p. 293). The new NLSP standards aim to combat childhood obesity, malnutrition and educate children on how to make healthy food choices. The requirements for kindergarten to fifth grade are as follows: limited sodium and saturated fat, must be trans-fat free,  ½ cup of fruit,  ¾ cup serving of vegetables, 8 oz of fat free milk, 8-10 ounces of meat/meat alternates a week or 1 ounce daily, and 1 oz serving a day of grains and half of the grains offered per week must be whole grain. The calorie range for a lunch, kindergarten through fifth grade is a minimum 550 calories and the maximum is 650 calories. Schools are also required to serve  ½ c dark green,  ¾ c red/ orange, 1/2c legumes and 1/2c starchy vegetables weekly. The revisions have increased the fruits by a  ½ c, vegetables by  ¼ c, decreased the meat from 2 oz to 1 oz, and milk must be fat free or 1% low fat ( Dietary Guidelines 2012). These revisions have been met with positive and negative responses. I decided to discuss this by interviewing Terry Warwick the Director of Food Services at my son’s school Granby Elementary. She is responsible for planning and implementing the changes from the NSLP. She designs the menu, orders the food and continues to attend workshops to stay current with the new guidelines. The first question i asked was, what difficulties did you have implementing the changes to NSLP? She explained that it is difficult to meet the needs of all students with one standard. Many students such as athletes require more calories, so they leave the cafeteria hungry. The school cannot discriminate one group of students over another, so they encourage the students to take everything offered not skipping fruits and vegetables. I then asked her if they are noticing a lot of food waste, students taking the extra fruits and vegetables and then throwing them out. She replied that the students are hungry at lunch, they want to eat therefore they haven’t seen very much waste. Students are given the choice of fruits and vegetables they can refuse two but are required to take three and if they want they can take all fruits and vegetables offered. Terry Warwick informed me that the cost of buying lunch had gone up twenty five cents from last year, i asked her if this is a result of the changes to the NSLP and she said yes. The cost of fruits and vegetables has escalated so they had to increase the cost of lunch. The government subsides our school by $1.50 per meal served if they meet the NSLP requirements. She explained the new guidelines are very strict and require a specific computer program to follow all restrictions based on color, food and serving size. She has seen many positive results to these changes including students are trying more fruits and vegetables that they don’t always get at home. Students are learning to make healthy choices and it is encouraged to see them load up on fruits and vegetables (Interview Terry Warwick, 2012, November, 15). I found this interview very informative. As a parent I was very pleased to know the amount of effort that is being made to plan and prepare the lunch that is served at my son’s school. The changes to the NSLP have had many positive effects on the students that can be seen in their daily performance at school. Children who eat healthy perform, learn, have more energy and are generally happier kids. It is reassuring as a parent to know your child is eating healthier foods at school. The main focus of the NSLP is to teach children to make healthy choices and help combat childhood obesity. Students are learning to eat more fruits and vegetables and to try things they might not have at home. They are more likely to be fit and active and participate in activities like school sports, develop socially and have self confidence. The revision to the NSLP have also had some negative effects on students and parents. Students who do not eat enough fruits and vegetables leave the lunchroom hungry. Parents have children coming home from school starving and this is when the complains begin. Many students who are athletic require more calories than they are given and therefore, needs are not being met by the new NSLP revisions. A recent article in the Post Standard talks about the boycott a student has organized at our local high school. This student is trying to bring attention to this growing problem of students still being hungry after lunch. He states â€Å" 850 calories is ridiculously low,† he said. â€Å"If you get salad, it’s just lettuce and the green beans don’t taste good. So it means I come home and binge eat because I’m so hungry.† (The Post Standard, 29 Oct. 2012). This boycott has been especially difficult for students who receive free lunch. Peer pressure has prevented some from getting sometimes the only meal they eat that day. Another big problem is the decrease in entree size, foods such as meatballs portions have been cut in half so instead of 4 meatballs they get 2. Some articles written on this have said there is a big percentage of food waste especially in high schools as much as 30%. Schools that prepare their meals from scratch have noticed that there is little waste because the food is not processed and fresh. The revisions to the NSLP have had many hurdles to overcome and it is very difficult to have one standard for everyone to follow. As a parent I have listened to both sides of this topic and will evaluate whether or not i think the NSLP is beneficial to the students. I noticed shortly after the first week of school, my son was coming home from school starving. He indicated there wasn’t enough food on the days he bought lunch. After a phone call to the school, i learned about the revisions and talked with him about taking all the food that was offered to him whether or not he liked them. The outcome from this conversation has been great, he has started eating more fruits and vegetables that he wouldn’t even try at home. He has talked more and more about making healthy choices and is asking questions about what foods are healthy and what are not. I really think age is a big factor in implementing the NSLP, children at a young age are more likely to learn how to eat healthy than at a high school age. I think the negative effects we are seeing to these revisions are largely in part because students did not learn how to eat healthy at a young age and it is difficult to change those unhealthy eating patterns as young adults. Teenagers eat an amazing amount of food and it is very hard to have one standard for all, students do have the option to buy a second meal and parents should pack an extra sandwich for athletes so they don’t come home starving. Childhood obesity is growing at an alarming rate and something needs to be done to stop it, if children aren’t learning how to make healthy choices at home then at least they are learning that at school. I think the National School Lunch Program is beneficial in decreasing the rate of childhood obesity and assisting our children adopts healthy eating patterns that will follow them through life. Works Cited Page Concannon, K., (2012). National School Lunch Program. Website: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/lunch/ Retrieved on November 16, 2012. Lincoln, B., (2012). Federal Child Nutrition Programs Food Assistance and Dietary Education. Congressional Digest Debates. Retrieved from http://congressionaldigest.com/issue/ on November 17, 2012. McGregor, J., (2012). â€Å"Federal School lunches ruled that started this fall leave many Center New York students hungry.† The Post Standard 29 (10). Warrick, T., Personal phone interview on November 14, 2012. Fulton, New York. Dietary Guidelines and the School Nutrition Program from Terry Warwick 11/15/12

Law Like love Essay

Different opinions are an aspect of life that is widespread throughout the world. In â€Å"Law like Love†, W. H. Auden intends for the reader to understand that the nature of a person’s perspective is dependent on one’s surroundings, because each person has their own view of the world, causing the formation of many different ideas and inadvertently representing a freedom of speech. Determined by physical and mental environment, an individual’s viewpoint will vary accordingly. For example, in â€Å"Law like Love† Auden writes that a carefree, out-of-doors gardener will see Law as the sun. The sun is something that is a constant component in a gardener’s life. Creating a set of rules and procedures, the sun controls plant growth and work periods, thus unintentionally asserting its power into a gardener’s life. To light- hearted, joyful children, â€Å"Law is the senses of the young†. They do not pay much attention to the responsibilities and rules of society, living in a totally different world from older adults. Acting only when their senses tell them it is justified, children live in a world of innocence. Priests, people who spend their time in church believe that â€Å"Law is the words in my [their] priestly book†. They believe that divine intervention is integrated into every person’s life; and since rules and policies had been inscribe into their â€Å"book†, everything that â€Å"book† discloses is truth, or in other words, Law. Influenced by an individual’s surroundings, the many different perspectives people experience create a multitude of diverse ideas. Ideas are born from the imaginations of people. When each person has their own views on life and how it works, then different ideas will be conceived in each mind, therefore creating countless unlike beliefs and opinions. W. H. Auden’s poem, â€Å"Law like Love† reveals the opinions of many different people on what Law actually is. The gardener believes it is like the sun, the scholars say Law is only composed of crimes, grandfather’s say it is the wisdom of the old, while judges insist that Law is only the Law. Each of these individual’s live their own lives and have different morals and principles, therefore creating different opinions. Examples of political ideas being formed are â€Å"Law is our State† and â€Å"Always the loud angry crowd, Very angry and very loud, Law is We†. This shows that even if there is a  current government who is creating and enforcing the Law, there will always be others who believe they can do better, hence the creation of political parties, all with different political ideologies. In addition to producing ideas, various perceptions and standpoints also help to promote freedom of opinion and speech. Freedom to express your feelings and opinions is a privilege many individuals possess. â€Å"Although I can at least confine, Your vanity and mine, To stating timidly†¦ Like love I say.† demonstrated that W.H Auden believed that Law was like love. He had the liberty to voice his opinions to others without fear of punishment or retribution. The other theories- â€Å"Law is our Fate†, â€Å"Law is our State†, â€Å"Law is We†, â€Å"Law is the clothes men wear†- all indicate ideas Auden had to right to share. Therefore, the sharing of different perspectives on any issue is a freedom that is constantly being promoted. In â€Å"Law like love†, the author intended for the reader to discover that ones perspective is directly influenced by one’s surroundings and environment, and can change constantly, creating many ideas and encouraging the sharing of these ideas. An important feature of life, there will always be conflicting points of views on any matter.

How Social Media Has Changed Our Society Media Essay

Social media has changed the way we live in many ways. It has changed everything from the way we communicate with each other to where we get our news from. It happened so fast that people hardly realized just how much their lives had changed. Personal and professional communities are now intertwined and within arm’s reach and our once small social and work networks have now expanded to proportions that were once unimaginable. Just like in any revolution or period of expansion, there are many positive and negative aspects involved in the world of social media. The world of social media is complex and nowhere near its pinnacle. It’s exciting to think of where it will take us in the years to come. Needless to say, our communication has sped up tremendously since social media was introduced. It has made it easier to keep in touch with people all over the country or all over the world for that matter. Social media has even made finding a date easier to a certain extent by mu ltiplying the size of our social circles. Social media allows people with similar interests to connect and converse. It allows professionals to network easier than ever before. Social media allows businesses to advertise for free and actually seem somewhat human to consumers. It also allows for cost effective campaigns and strategies for growing businesses. It also has the power to drive traffic to a website or even a real business. Some people think that social media is adding to human interaction while other people think that social media sites are basically replacing face-to-face interaction. see more:speech about social media Online interactions can become a substitute for actual human contact. It can encourage people to say or do things they never really would have done or meant to do, due to the fact that they feel like it’s not reality. It can lead to covert dealings and perhaps lead to infidelity. This social media frenzy has allowed bullies to spread destructive information about others and they can even bring out the nastiest conversations because people feel anonymous in some instances. Social media can ruin the image of a company due to the wrong angle or brand image. It can also have a negative impact on worker productivity. Either way you look at it, whether you like it or not, social media is changing our lives in one way or another. One aspect of society that will experience the greatest amount of social change over the next ten years is social media. Social media is going to grow larger and become more encompassing of our lives and able to capture more of our lives. Because we capture more of our  lives the people in our social circles will spend more of their time living vicariously through us. Therefore, they will spend less time learning about society and less time developing their own interpersonal relationships. Already social media encompasses several different media forms. Currently, these forms are music, writing, video, and pictures. Soon social media will include other forms of communication, such as augmented reality. Projects like Google Glass place a screen in front of your eyes all day; the glasses can recognize people’s faces and provide information. The glasses are able to listen to your conversation and provide relevant Google search results, for information you might want to know during the conversation. Therefore, interactions between people will be more fact-checked by information people make on the internet. As augmented reality projects like Google Glass become more widespread and developed, people will be constantly plugged into the internet and to the â€Å"hive-mind†. Eventually people will start dreaming their lives on the internet in part or in whole. You will become more of a public person, and in doing so more shaped by the society around you. Social media changes at the speed of which the technology that supports social media is developed and embraced. For new developments in social media to be embraced the new technological developments must be useful and intuitive. People need to have a reason to care about a new development. Society embraced the sharing of pictures because we like to capture glimpses of other people’s lives. We have embraced video because it expands upon pictures. Words were the first versions of social media, and were exchanged because they are the essence of communication. As long as people exist we will continue to seek new ways of exchanging information. What we call social media now will be but a small fraction of what social media is ten years from now. Eventually social anthropologists will look back at these times just as current social anthropologists examine cave paintings. We can ask ourselves, â€Å"What are the engines that are driving this change in our society?† For example, there are many reasons that drive people to use the site know as Facebook. Research resulted in nine ways that drive people to use Facebook; to conduct a survey, upload photos, putting your page together, posting an event, ask a question, create desktop backgrounds using images from an ev ent, and you can even post a picture of the day. The news media even use it to run a contest and give away merchandise, and posting of videos. Facebook has become an  overnight sensation for social networking, and what makes this so amazing is that Facebook did not even exist until 2004. Three college students created it to allow other students to network and meet each other, and it has caught on with people around the globe. Facebook has had many impacts on today’s technologically advanced society. It allows people who probably never would have met each other in person to communicate; it creates new relationships and friendships, and it places distance between people who could communicate in person but instead choose to communicate online. Facebook is nothing more than a medium for communication, and yet, it is so much more than that. At a glimpse, a person can learn everything from what gender a member of Facebook is, to what religion they believe in, what school he or she attends, and their likes and dislikes, with just a click of a mouse. An article in the Network Journal of Communications written by Brent Leary, compares and contrasts popular social networking sites and his recent experiences with them. He talks about being a member of over twelve differe nt social networking sites in which he has spent time using each network. One of the main interest in this article was the author’s insight into his most recent addition to his list; Facebook. He also notes that business application providers such as Yahoo, Finance, Zoho, etc. are building widgets to work with Facebook in order for Facebook to infiltrate further into the business networking field. The most appealing characteristic of Facebook is that they have been able to grow from what was once only a college based network, to a worldwide network with many different areas of interest. Most importantly they have been able to do this while staying very user friendly, professional, and private, unlike other social networks such as MySpace. This has allowed Facebook to become as financially valuable to its creators as it is socially valuable for its members. It is very interesting to see how Facebook has not only established itself in the networking world, but in the financial market as well that people use it for. Experts estimate that many people now spend at least 50 percent of their waking time online. For many, a large part of this time is spent in social networking sites like Facebook. Facebook on the surface is a socially acceptable networking site for students and others to connect, share experiences, and meet old friends. It does say some disturbing things about how our society is adjusting to the age of technology, and it brings into question how a generation of Face  bookers will deal with the challenges of the real world in person like career, family, and success. There are tons of data that show that the social media wave (hype) is going to continue and is here to stay. Take Facebook and Twitter for instance. Many large associations and companies advertise on these social media platforms like the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL to name a few. From a company stand point CBS, CNN, Wal-Mart, and Apple advertise on these social media platforms also. According to Michael A. Stelzner, â€Å"Social media marketing involves engaging people with online social networks to generate exposure, increase traffic, gather insight, improve search rankings, enhance customer relations, build strong brand advocates, generate quality leads and grow sales† (â€Å"Quickly Grow Your Business†). Social media helps businesses grow around the world. This is one major reason why social media is going to continue to prosper. Social media involves a lot of youth in today’s society. For example, social media has greatly influenced youth to vote or seek education about this year’s Presidential Election. According to Foster Web Marketing, â€Å"The younger genera tion (18 to 35 years old) is the largest group of social media users. They pretty much rely on social media and other internet sources for information. With the structure of social media, information is easily skewed as users exchange it with others. Because someone has to pass on the information to another, they can add their 2 cents along with the relevant content, meaning the end result can lean heavily toward one side or another†. It was said that in this year’s Presidential Election, the youth played a big role in the reelection of Obama. Social media played a major role this election and is projected to play a bigger role in the next Presidential Election. Social media also allow news companies and news stations to get information out to the world within minutes. Good or bad, social media has impacted the world in a major way. It has allowed long lost friends, family members, and lovers to reunite. Since its arrival, social media has changed the way the world socializes in general. Undoubtedly, social media is capable of bringing people together. They potentially create friendships and partnerships, expose users to advertisements therefore developing business endeavors, and allow individuals who would otherwise remain silent virtually shout their thoughts and opinions to a broad range of strangers, friends, and acquaintances alike. There are certainly already  acknowledgeable pros and cons to social media. With the cyber doors wide open, people are able to learn a lot about someone before they even lay their own eyes on them: name, address, looks, personal preferences, etc. It is easy to assume that many social media users are alienating themselves from true personal contact with potential friends and partners. Granted this will not always hold true, younger generations who will grow up under the direct influence of social media will come to believe that it’s okay to meet all their acquaintances through the internet which would ultimately hinder their social skills, confidence, and charisma. In order to measure the future impact of social media on society, over the next decade we will inevitably have to look to efficient research methods for accurate conclusions. Sociologists rely on surveys to gather information about both small and large populations- mostly behavioral and opinion information. â€Å"Surveys are one of the most commonly used quantitative research techniques in sociology.† This method of research is the most effective because surveys allow the sociologist to capture an opinion of a large group which will therefore give the data that is needed to site the information. This information will show the change accurately and promptly. Random sampling for the survey w ill give everyone an equal opportunity in participating in the survey. A diverse amount of people will result in finding an abundant amount of opinions about this topic. We have seen the social media change in just months since new phones have emerged such as the iPhone 5. Apple is one of the number one leading companies in technology and their Apple products are constantly updating. From the article on the apple website, it states, â€Å"We use the iPhone to log in and launch an infrastructure management client. I can screen share with senior architects and lead them through the challenges they’re facing. Being able to do that anywhere — without a computer — is a major benefit to us. We can respond to customer needs much faster and solve problems on the go.† As we can conclude from this quote, the change is inevitable because it’s more convenient, and convenience is what we love. Social media has undergone such a significant change since its founding. This is due to all of its possible uses. When social media first began it was for the purpose of enabling it’s users to locate and communicate with others. Now it has broadened from that into many other possible uses. There has been such a variety of benefits, for both  individuals and business, to using social media. For individuals, one of the benefits has been that they have been able to keep in touch with their friends and loved ones. They are able to see what they have going on in their lives and contact those that they have lost contact with. Individuals are able to stay abreast of the different activities and functions in both their area and other areas. They also use social media to spread the word of functions, using this as a free method of invitation. Social media has also been a beneficial tool for children as well. Kids gain confidence from interacting with others online, which has long term benefits. Online communities are very diverse and expose children to different viewpoints, technologies and ideas. In addition, this is the easiest way of communicating internationally. For businesses, they have caught hold to the trend and have acknowledged the benefits and possibilities to grow their corporations. This has become used by both large and small businesses. They use social media to both promote and survey their businesses. They have saved an abundance of money by using it as a method of free advertising. Many businesses have grown, become established, or have been saved by using social media. They also use this as a way to widen business contacts and as recruitment tools. Social media will experience more social change than a ny other in its class because as times change, need will change. Social media will adapt to meet the needs of society. There will be different and more advanced searches and possibilities for both individuals and businesses. Technology has become the forefront of advancement in today’s society and social media will be modified to meet the needs and encourage different endeavors for its users. With the already present benefits of social media, there will continue to be advancements that will add greater opportunities for growth than any other area in the next ten years. We all enjoy a little social media one way or another in today’s society. Some of us, in fact many of us can’t survive a day without updating our MySpace, Twitter, or Facebook. With the help of these social networking sites, the internet has made our lives as Americans extremely simple and easier. These sites allow their patrons to not only connect with their friends, but are very useful for things such as employment, networking and even getting your brand as an artist, whether music, drawing or any other talents that you may have, out and viewable by today’s society. But with time always comes change. Whether  good or bad, change is the one constant entity in society. The functionalist theory of social change best describes the change in social media because these sites have changed the way we as Americans live and adapt to this new phenomenon. Functionalism is a macro level of analysis, which basically describes how each level or part of society contributes to society as a whole and when something changes from the norm the ability to adapt to that change. Take this for example; milk of course comes from cows for the most part, so it would originate from a farm somewhere in Middle America. After being collected from the farms, it would be transferred via most likely an eighteen-wheeler to a factory for processing. After being deemed consumable, it would then be bottled up and placed perhaps on another eighteen-wheeler, plane or other mode of transportation to be transferred to your local market, and later delivered to your doorstep by your milkman. In this instance, the farm, the eighteen-wheeler, the factory, the market and the milkman are all parts of society working together in the milk industry. But what happens if you were to remove one part of the process. Milk delivered to your front door step isn’t very common anymore, which took the milkman out of the equation. Society didn’t just stop enjoying the great taste of milk; they simply went to the market themselves to purchase the milk. They adapted to the change that was presented to them. Social media has no doubt changed society as a whole, but have we as a society been able to adapt to that change? Without a doubt, the answer is yes. A lot of parts in certain processes that are being used in today’s society have experienced changed due to social media. Take Facebook for example and the effect it has had on the hiring process. Generally, face to face interviews were used to develop an idea of what type of person an applicant may be, but now if you throw Facebook in the mix, employers can take a look at potential employee’s page and develop an idea on that person’s character from their page. In this instance an interview may not be needed, and if you do get an interview, the employer may have developed an idea of your character and has decided whether or not you’re going to get that job. The internet changed the hiring process and we as a society have adapted. Functionalism best explains the change in social media and social networking. Our society has shown that change will always occur but it’s the ability to adapt to the change that actually brings the change to light. In conclusion, social media has forever  changed the way society works, whether it’s the sharing of an idea, the communication of news, or the availability of a product or service. Society today is on the verge of a new way of existing that it’s never experienced before. No longer will people from one side of the world be really able to say that they will never see a person or communicate with someone from the other side of the world ever in their life. No longer will people not be able to share an idea, if they really want to share it (no matter how radical it may be or no matter how many people may disagree with it). No longer will the spreading of information or the expressing of an opinion be able to be completely silenced. As long as there is a person who wishes to express their opinion, share their music or art, or simply say hello to another human being in another country or culture, social media will allow them to do so.