Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Garbage Land On the Secret Trail of Trash

Question: Portray about the Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash. Answer: The book Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash (Royte, 2005) is a significant fascinating story, however somewhat gross, of the considerable number of things that are discarded by us. It is bright just as clever the main issue being that it can now and again be baffling because of the realities which are such a large number of and translations of these which are excessively not many. The inquiry that Elizabeth Royte tries to answer is the place does the waste we toss, end up and do the things that we toss into the reuse canister quite reused. This book isn't just for the tree hugger yet additionally for each one of those individuals who discard things in the rubbish. This is the illuminating book on that part of our regular daily existence over which not many individuals put in much idea or need to consider in incredible detail, yet the way wherein Royte handles this matter of subject is diverting, and this book is a significant fast perused by me. The data is introduced by her in a way which is non-critical and clear, and the treatment of the topic of the book is in a way which is generally diverting. The manner by which she sincerely evaluates her own propensities which are trashy and her diversion which is self-deploring in nature makes it's easier for everyone to investigate things which they themselves continue destroying each day. There are two stories which have been interlaced together in this book. The principal story includes the encounters of Royte herself, there are representations of architects, laborers in sanitation and tree huggers with who she talks with; she likewise depicts the reusing plants and landfills that she visits; the mission which has been taken by uniquely to however much as could be expected reuse; and the perceptions over this that she guilefully has. The logical piece of the book the second piece of the account, it is with respect to what is befalling the rubbish in America at a level which is factual in nature. Royte in this books gives the peruser a great deal of what before coming really to the point of what is straightaway. It is just towards the book's end where there is an area which has cleverly called as Piling On' does she ask for getting increasingly cognizant about the refuse that we dispose of. She in this book calls attention to that an American averagely consistently tosses out the trash of 4.3 pounds which is around 1.6 pounds more noteworthy than what was being tossed out around thirty years prior. In the book, Royte states that there is no need that is there of a superior method of disposing of the refuse. What is vital is to dispose of the thing totally either by guaranteeing that it remains in the framework by method of ceaseless cycling or by guaranteeing that it isn't planned as it were. In the first place the book, the introduction is itself worth a read. Here she uncovers the reality regarding how her intuition started as for where the waste is going; it was on a kayak trip during Earth Day in New York City when she had gone with a portion of her companions who are engaged with the Club Sierra. Feeling that the activity would be useful for paddling about and getting the trash that was there in Gowanus Canals which is in an area in Brooklyn, she was shocked by the measure of crude sewage and refuse that she saw there. It was at that point just when she understood that she too was mindful incompletely for this in light of the fact that the muck's profluent from her Park Slope in the Brooklyn neighborhood additionally streams into the Gowanus Canals downhill. The path of Royte's own trash is trailed by her in the book, and she begins this with scrutinizing the junk jockeys in her neighborhood. She at that point visits the exchange stations which are constantly situated in the areas of the city which are poor. The excursion proceeds in this book where she lets us follow the trash to the rustic towns which are blasted with destitution which permit the trash of others into their town for producing pay. There are different ecological issues that are connected with trash. Be that as it may, Royte centers around the issues identifying with ecological equity issues also. A large portion of the garbage she clarifies winds up in the town of Pennsylvania which is the place the excursion prompts. She further clarifies that consistently there is around ten million ton of waste which is imported from the states that are neighboring, which is substantially more than that which is imported from some other state in the US. In spite of the fact that there is salary which is created by this yet there is the cost which is paid by the individuals particularly the individuals who are living in the towns that are neighboring because of all the traffic of the trucks, property estimations that are debased, the odor and the downstream progression of the run-off. The book educates about a subject which is as of now known to me. I was unquestionably very mindful of the holes in landfills, however I learnt in this book the ecological effect this has is a lot more noteworthy because of the deficiency of innovation to have the option to ensure the groundwater and stream contamination. It has been composed by Royte in this book there is a wide affirmation of the reality, even by the EPA, which the best sort of landfill liner will likewise spill eventually, and this break will be a long time before the danger the waste it contains of corrupting the earth stops. I was aware of the way that methane has on the atmosphere a tremendous effect. Be that as it may, I was uninformed of the way that methane is what is smelt by us when we drive over any landfill zone. I likewise had never thought the effect that the traffic from the trucks has and that they are discharging carbon dioxide into the earth. The assortment of electronic and materials which are risky are additionally examined by Royte. The new true to form is certainly not a generally excellent one that she shares nor is her decision that we may feel that a great deal of things are there which we are reusing however we are not really reusing them. The title part which is the best in this book is Satan's Resin where she discusses plastic. It may as of now be known by nearly everybody that its absolutely impossible where plastic can be reused. There are higher changes of it getting being shaped into products of plastic which are of lesser quality yet is just postponing the inescapable procedure of it being dumped into the sea or landfills. In spite of the fact that it has been a long time since this book was distributed seven years prior creation the measurements in the book somewhat repetitive and there may have been changes in different regions in the way in which they arrange and gather garbage, this book anyway stays a generally excellent read. Royte's book from the begin to end has been an amazing perused; it will be more clear the idea of trash and waste disposal and the different impacts that it has on the earth and this regardless of the book being excessively hauled out or being a uninteresting perused. Royte comes to her meaningful conclusion while keeping the peruser bound to the book. References Royte, E. (2005).Garbage land. New York: Little, Brown.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Strategies of Pressure Groups

Systems of Pressure Groups Weight Groups Robert Hassam England is regularly alluded to as a homogenous society as the open will in general offer comparable political perspectives. In any case, more as of late, there has been a decrease in enrollment in ideological groups and an expansion in the participation of weight gatherings. In this paper I mean to characterize pressure gatherings, investigate their job and significance to British popular government. As indicated by Duncan Watts, apressure groupscan be portrayed as a sorted out gathering which tries to impact government arrangement, ensure or advance a specific reason or intrigue. They can likewise be depicted as ‘interest groups’, ‘lobby groups’ or ‘protest groups’. Anyway a few people abstain from utilizing the term ‘pressure group’ as it might unintentionally be deciphered as significance the gatherings utilize real strain to accomplish their points, which doesn't really occur. Weight bunches are unmistakable from ideological gr oups in that they don't look for political force, rather they intend to impact those as of now in power. The term pressure bunch is moderately later, anyway deliberate associations have been endeavoring to impact approach since the time the late eighteenth Century. A run of the mill case of this, is The Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Which was established in 1787 under William Wilberforce, and effectively accomplished its target to nullify bondage in 1807. A weight gathering might be a tremendous association, for example, the British Medical Association (BMA), which stand speaks to specialists both separately and by and large on a wide assortment of work issues, or it might be a solitary issue privately based association like CLARA (Central Area Leamington Residents Association), which speaks to under 300 family units battling to save and improve the town of Leamington Spa. Weight bunches are recognized by size, cause, and point yet in addition by the degrees of radicalism, for example, the Animal Liberation Front, which has much of the time enjoyed criminal ope rations to advance its points and destinations. Weight gatherings may likewise host solid connects to political gatherings, for example, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), which have connections to the Labor government and have standard contact with bureau pastors. (Jones Norton, 2010) Weight bunches are isolated into the accompanying sub-gatherings: Causal (or special) gatherings, Sectional (or Protection) gatherings and furthermore that they are so near the administration known as either Insider or Outsider gatherings. Causal gatherings are engaged with a specific issue or issues and serve this reason by advancing it. These gatherings change in size and points, which can be lasting ‘such as companions of the earth’ who ceaselessly crusade for their specific reason or they can be brief, for example, CND, the ‘campaign for atomic disarmament’ who might scatter if their motivation was achieved or irreversibly lost. Sectional gatherings speak to and further the interests of a specific piece of society and therefore the individuals from these gatherings are all the more straightforwardly worried about the result of the current battle as they for the most part remain to pick up something (expertly, financially). Along these lines participation is generally restricted to the sole individuals from that specific gathering of the populace and intend to include every one of those that are qualified to join. Insider bunches have solid connections with leaders and are normally counseled. They are the gatherings that the administration nearby and national considers to be authentic and are, along these lines, offered access to leaders. This class incorporates the National Farmers Union (NFU) and the police power, as they are associated with the conference procedure as per usual when government recommendations applicable to their exercises are talked about. An untouchable gathering is one that works outside the administration, they have no unique connections with them however they despite everything try to impact leaders by (generally) assembling popular sentiment, a model would be Fathers 4 equity. Theyre by and large not associated with the Law Making process thus dont get an opportunity to impact enactment. This might be becaus e of past fights or shows which have made their relationship with the administration antagonistic. By and large, Insider gatherings would be increasingly effective that untouchable gatherings in light of the impacts that they do hold and the force they need to change the choices made by the administration. (Jones Norton, 2010) (http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/higher/current/uk_gov_politics/central_gov/amendment/4/) Weight bunches go about as middle people between the administration and the general population. This job has gotten progressively significant as the extension and unpredictability of governmental issues have expanded and as it hosts become increasingly hard for political gatherings alone to play out all the delegate capacities. This implies they go about as a representative or arbitrators for the benefit of plainly characterized sectional interests, for instance the ‘National Farmers Union’ which follows up for the benefit of ranchers or the ‘British Medical Association’ which follows up for the benefit of clinical experts or specialists. Furthermore pressure bunches help governments to make and complete their methodologies by going into point by point counsels on suggestions for regulatory activity or enactment and thusly by passing on a proportion of open agree to the yield of approach and dynamic procedures. For instance, settlement has extensively affect ed lodging enactment throughout the years, the Child Poverty Action Group has reliably squeezed for changes to support poor people and especially families with kids. Weight bunches enable new concerns and issues to accomplish the political plan, in this way encouraging social development and maintaining a strategic distance from social stagnation, for example the women’s and naturalist developments. Weight bunches assemble social attachment and political strength by giving very nearly a wellbeing net to individuals and aggregate requests. (Forman and Baldwin, 2007) For a long time, pressure bunches in Europe worked at or underneath the degree of the state. Then again, they have been dynamic in the EU since its arrangement, assuming a huge job in its political improvement and approach making. The development of political force towards the EU has inferred that more force is continuously being moved to Brussels. Subsequently pressure bunches are progressively going to Brussels to crusade on issues as issues tend to deal with an overall level, for example, an Earth-wide temperature boost. Weight gatherings would now be able to affect decisions made on an overall level. The quick ascent of worldwide starts additionally infers these organizations have impact on a worldwide level. Henceforth individuals need to crusade through compel gatherings to affect them on key issues like kid work and organized commerce. (Watts, 2008) A lot of what the open thinks about legislative issues begins from the exercises of weight gatherings. They engage political guidance and raise political mindfulness. They submit significate assets to completing examination, looking after sites, commenting on government approaches and utilizing prominent and master people to get over their points of view. A model would be Bob Geldof and the Live Eight shows held in 2005 out of ten urban communities, which was intended to squeeze the G8 pioneers to handle worldwide destitution. Weight bunches moreover give a way to participation in nearby legislative issues between decisions. For example, in 1994 the A452 Coordination Group crusaded to square plans by Warwickshire County Council to make the A452 a double carriageway. After the gatherings outstanding crusading, the board dropped the courses of action. . (Forman and Baldwin, 2007) (http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/what_are_pressure_groups.htm) The techniques and strategies used by pressure gatherings can impact its prosperity, for example, promoting. Weight bunches try to affect general feeling through the media and mass correspondence including procedures of publicizing and advertising. Gatherings that utilization publicizing efforts, for example, NSPCC and GOSH (Television promotion crusades) bid to a wide crowd which frequently make the gathering an easily recognized name. Another procedure used by pressure bunches is ‘lobbying’. Campaigning is the specialty of developing and impacting the assessments of approach producers, for example, MPs and Lords. Strategies for campaigning fluctuate and can extend from sending letters, making introductions, giving instructions material to Members and composed assemblies. Another strategy utilized by pressure bunches is taking part in exposure stunts. In 2008, Greenpeace fought against the third runway at Heathrow Airport by breaking into the air terminal and fighting o n one of the planes, this produced a ton of media inclusion and consideration from both everybody and the legislature. The utilization of open exhibits can likewise help the accomplishment of a weight gathering, which can be seen from the 2010 NUS (National Union of Students) show against the ascent in college charges in London, this was incredibly publicized and the gathering drew a lot of consideration, in any case it didnt sway the administration and the ascent in expenses despite everything happened. Weight bunches likewise raise petitions which can prompt achievement, for instance the National Trusts request against the administration selling ranger service lands which was a triumph as Cameron dropped the recommendations not long after the appeal was introduced. Weight bunches that utilization methodologies and strategies broadly are more disposed to be powerful instead of gatherings that kick back and are not associated with any open shows or petitions such a Tentelini, a gath ering that isnt known to utilize any techniques to pick up consideration or to impact the legislature. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hello/uk_politics/7338875.stm) (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/instruction 20412792) A weight gatherings can utilize a wide range of strategies to impact law. Right off the bat, it can

Thursday, July 30, 2020

A Quick Guide to Theory of Constraints

A Quick Guide to Theory of Constraints © Shutterstock.com | igorstevanovicThe number one duty of a manager is to ensure that processes take place efficiently and smoothly. This involves decision making and the implementation of the decisions and it is the difference between good managers and okay managers.Every manager has his way of doing things. Although the goal of all these methods is to ensure smooth operation, some have higher chances of success than others.Management is a very broad discipline. This partly explains why managers â€" even within the same industry â€" have different approaches towards the achievement of goals, whether organizational or personal. It can easily get confusing, especially when concepts start overlapping each other.However, there are several management concepts and paradigms that persist to this day, no matter how many other, newer, concepts are introduced. Right off the top of your head, you can probably name more than a few of them. Six Sigma. MRP or Manufacturing Resource Planning. JIT or Just-in-Time Manufacturing. TOC or Theory of Constraints.In this article, we will be focusing on the last one mentioned, the Theory of Constraints and what it can do to your business.THE CORE CONCEPTS OF THEORY OF CONSTRAINTSThe TOC Institute provides what seems to be the most straightforward definition for the Theory of Constraints (TOC). The theory involves identification of constraints, and simply managing them in order to continuously improve the effectiveness and efficiency of a system.When Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt first introduced the TOC concept in his bestselling book “The Goal” in 1984, it was seen as an organizational and management paradigm that would help you as a manager to make decisions about “changes”, and how these changes can provide solutions to various business problems or issues that arose in the course of business operations. Goldratt’s presentation of the concepts was written in such a way that it was told like a story, which added a practical and reality-based touch, allowing readers to connect with the topic and understand it better and easier.TOC, which is sometimes referred to as “constraints management”, has one ultimate goal, and that is profit improvement. The final goal is clear-cut enough. The confusion comes when you try to achieve this goal through the application of TOC.Essentially, the TOC holds that every organization has at least one constraint that stands on the path, blocking it from reaching its final goal of improved profitability. By definition, a “constraint” is any limiting factor that restricts one from achieving a goal. In the context of business and management, a constraint is any element or factor that serves as a bottleneck that limits the organization from improving profits.Therefore, it is the TOC’s view that every process, system, or organization has a constraint that must be identified and managed in order to clear up the path towards improved profitability. It works under the premise that even a single bottleneck will have a negative effect on performance and subsequently the results of operations.Therefore, the theory then provides a suite of tools and techniques that help in managing these constraints to improve performance. This is done until the constraints cease to become limiting factors, and the company can go on its way towards reaping higher profits.The TOC has a holistic view, looking at the big picture, rather than the small details. Instead of managing separate resources, assets, or procedures to optimize their productivity, the TOC focuses on the interconnections and links among these separate components, specifically on the barriers that impede them from working as a single unit. The result is an entire system that flows and operates smoothly, free of any bottleneck. THE BENEFITS OF TOCTo find out if the theory of constraints is worth implementing, we have to first verify that the implementation has benefits to the companies.This is a no-brainer, really, but it has to be said: businesses and profit-oriented organizations have one ultimate goal, and that is â€" obviously â€" to earn more profits. Despite how overwhelming it might look on the managers, even investors expect their investments to bring in more profit every period. Making more money and earning a higher profit involves several components and the TOC postulates that its implementation is one method towards higher profit margins.Through successful implementation of the TOC, an organization may reap the following benefits:Reduced inventories. Improvement of processes by managing and eliminating bottlenecks will reduce cycle times in the production process, which means there will be lower inventory of materials, in process, and finished goods. It will also reduce lead times in the supply chain, as well as the distribution chain.Reduced operating costs and expenses. There are many ways that management of constraints can reduce costs of operations. For example, reduced cycle times mean lower overhead costs. Reduced inventories, on the other hand, mean lower warehousing and storage costs. Stock-outs across the supply chain will also be eliminated, and this will translate to more cost savings for the company.Increased throughput. A business will enjoy increased productivity of a business process, procedure, machine or system through the application of the TOC. If cycle times are reduced, the company can actually take this as an opportunity to increase the production process throughput. Elimination of a constraint is likely to reveal idle resources and free up additional production capacity, which is definitely to the advantage of the company. It is essentially handed an opportunity to produce more, without having to make any additional investment.Improved workplace synergy. Often, employees have conflicts that are work-related. Application of the TOC will help in minimizing these conflicts and sometimes even eliminating them fully. The result is mo re time spent on actual productive duties.Improved operational control. Most of the time, the reason that managers lose control of operations is the lack of a fixed guide that will point them in the right direction. The TOC provides this guidance, so that managers can focus on what needs to be prioritized.Improved business reputation and branding. The company’s branding will also benefit. Improved processes can mean that products and services will be delivered to customers on time, in full, and with no defects, thereby improving the company’s relationship with the customers. This will eventually trickle to its relationship with the other key players in the market, improving the company’s standing in the industry. Better reputation will lead to more sales revenues and, ultimately, higher profits.THE TOC TOOLSAs mentioned earlier, the TOC offers a set of tools that managers and other change agents may employ in constraints management. We will take a look at three of these tools, and how they are applied.The sets of tools include:The Five Focusing StepsThe Thinking ProcessesThroughput AccountingI. The Five Focusing Steps of TOCIn order to manage constraints (and drive and improve systems performance), a manager must have an inquisitive mind, asking questions and actively seeking their answers. If your company is focused on its goal of earning higher profits, it also has to be focused on the impediments in order to get them out of the way.Goldratt identified five focusing steps that must be followed for the identification and elimination of constraints. (Take note that there may be more than one constraint. However, for purposes of simplifying this discussion, we will be using a scenario with only one constraint.)Step 1. Identify the systems constraint.This goes without saying because you really can’t fix a problem you don’t know exists.You will be looking for the “weakest link” in the system. Which part of the production process yields the highest a mount of bottlenecks? Where are you experiencing the largest number of unnecessary delays? Which unit or branch are you experiencing resource hemorrhage?A constraint can either be a physical constraint, or a matter of policy. The most common types of physical constraints may include:Capacity constraint. This exists when your company’s operations expose a lack of capacity to satisfy demand for its products and services in the market. If this constraint is present, the priority is to eliminate it so that more capacity will be freed up to offer more earning power.Market constraint. There is a market constraint if the company has more than enough capacity (to the point that it has idle time and resources), but there is not enough demand in the market to translate into sales and, eventually, profit.Material constraint. Your company’s operations will definitely encounter problems if it experiences trouble obtaining the materials and supplies needed to make and sell products to meet ma rket demand.Cash constraint. Difficulties in cash flow are also considered a constraint, since they could mean an inability on the part of your company to meet its working capital requirements and continue making and selling its products and services.As an example, let us consider a bottleneck in capacity arising from machine inefficiencies, such as when a specific machine requires a downtime period for maintenance and recovery. This will result in a stall in the production process, slowing it down. It is also likely to result in the overstock of supplies and raw materials that are input into the production process. Employees in processes that require input from the faulty machine will be left idle. In short, operations (and its corresponding costs) will still continue even with the stall in production. This is referred to as bottleneck operations.Physical constraints are relatively easy to identify. Policy constraints, on the other hand, are not as obvious, and sometimes pose more challenges for change agents. This is because the cause of impediment to performance lies in a rule, behavior or policy within the organization.For example, a company may follow a policy on batch production, opting to make products in large batches in order to keep production overhead costs low. However, this also means high costs in storing of work-in-process inventories and warehousing of finished goods. Customer satisfaction can also be affected if the distribution process causes delays in delivery of finished products.The most obvious way to identify constraints is through the use of existing information regarding the current state of operations in your business. By taking a look and reviewing the current flow of processes within your organization, (e.g. determining activities that incur the highest costs, aspects of customer service that gets the most negative feedback) you can immediately spot the constraint that must be dealt with swiftly and accordingly.Here is very cool vid eo on compraing different systems using the theory of contraints. Step 2. Decide how to exploit this constraint.Making use of the resources that are currently available, apply quick improvements to the throughput of the constraint. By ‘quick improvements’, we mean actions that can be performed as fast as possible, without spending or investing too much the changes and upgrades. Usually, the corrective actions are free, since they involve the use of resources that are already available to the company.What can you as the change agent do to quickly address the issue? What capabilities can you acquire or obtain from the constraining component?In the example, one way to exploit the constraint will be to reduce the downtime of the bottleneck operation, perhaps by coming up with a machine maintenance and setup schedule that will cut the downtimes into shorter intervals. Another exploit action would be to assign mechanics and other appropriate personnel to keep close tabs on the machine ’s preventative maintenance.Step 3. Subordinate everything else to exploit this constraint.There is a need to ensure that all the other activities, steps and elements that are not constraints remain in alignment with the decisions made in Steps 1 and 2 with respect to the identified constraint.This will require that you take a look at all the other activities and steps for a thorough review. You have identified the constraint, and you already have a plan on how to exploit them to increase and maximize profit. Now you have to make sure that the plan is actually put into motion, with everything else falling in line.Let’s take a look at an example. A machine specialist is assigned on the major machine where capacity constraint is identified is a non-constraint. In the process of ensuring that the machine does not cause stalls in production, the specialist may be tasked to focus solely on that machine. However, this has a potential of leading to an inefficient use of the non-constra int, which is the skill and capabilities of the machine specialist.Subordinating the non-constraint may entail tasking the machine specialist to also focus his efforts on the other machines in the production process. This will, after all, translate to the benefit of the entire process, and your company, since it will ensure that all the other machines are well-maintained, while keeping the costs of operation at the same level. You see, you’ll still be paying the same salary or wage to the machine specialist whether he spent his work hours on that one machine alone, or if he also performed preventative maintenance on the other equipment and machinery.If, in this step, the constraint has been eliminated, you may proceed directly to Step 5.Step 4. Elevate the system’s constraint.If, at this point, the constraint still remains and has not budged despite the quick improvements you applied, it is time to take another look at the other possible actions that you can do in order to elimi nate the constraint.In actual practice, to “elevate” usually means that it will cost a lot more money than when you are simply “exploiting”. In the example, if the current mechanic or machine operator is unable to fix things, you may have to seek services of a specialist. Or simply purchase a new machine to replace it.It is not a surprise if this step will last for quite a while, since it may involve the performance of several actions until such time that the constraint has been “broken”.Step 5. If, in any of the previous 4 steps, the constraint has been “broken”, repeat Step 1 on the next constraint.A “broken” constraint means the problem has been resolved. Is that the end? Of course not. There is still the next constraint to deal with and, for that, you have to go back to Step 1 and do the whole thing all over again. What used to be the weakest link will be strengthened, but that also means that another link has earned that spot.But wait! You have to take cauti on in the last step. See to it that inertia does not become the next constraint. Application of the Five Focusing Steps is a cycle. It is, after all, geared for continuous improvement. As long as there are constraints, the steps have to be performed in a cyclical manner, eliminating one constraint at a time.The downfall of most businesses is due to their loss of focus. Just because they succeeded in doing away with one constraint, they think they can afford to be complacent about it. Well, you should not. Business landscapes are volatile, changing every second, which means constraints are bound to arise even when you least expect it. In fact, constraints will mostly come up when you least expect them.II. The Thinking ProcessesThe Thinking Processes are put in place to provide tools specifically designed for analysis of problems and coming up with their solutions. They are usually applied more than the Five Focusing Steps when dealing with policy constraints which, as we’ve already established earlier, are much harder to identify and manage.As tools, the Thinking Processes are designed to be scientific in their approach, identifying the root causes and their negative effects, and removing these effects by coming up with solutions to effect changes. They are the preferred tools in rooting out policy constraints. This is why you will likely see them applied in win-win conflict situations or when communication problems exist within the organizational structure. The Thinking Processes are also seen to be effective in delegation of duties and responsibilities, empowering employees and fostering teamwork within the organization.Basically, the TOC, through the Thinking Processes, aids managers in addressing these questions, with respect to decision-making with respect to continuous improvement of systems and processes:What needs to be changed?What should it be changed to?How should we cause the change?When Goldratt formulated the Thinking Processes, he also introduc ed the Categories of Legitimate Reservation (CLR), a set of logic rules to guide change agents in making decisions for continuous improvement.There are several tools that make up the Thinking Processes, often referred to as the “four trees and a cloud”. We will look at each of these components briefly.Current Reality Tree (CRT)This is the first tool to make use of the cause-and-effect logic. In fact, it is seen as the most probable and realistic cause-and-effect chain, since it is designed to depict the current actual state of a given system.The objective of the CRT is to identify the various issues that are currently being faced, and understand how they are interrelated. This understanding is what will enable you as a change agent to come up with a probable solution for the problem. In the process, a top-down approach is utilized.Undesirable effects are identified.The probable causes of those undesirable effects are postulated.The postulated causes are tested by running them th rough the CLR.Evaporating Cloud (EC)The EC goes by several other names, including “conflict cloud”, “conflict resolution diagram”, and “dilemma cloud”.The focus of this tool is the second question: “What should it be changed to?”In order to answer this question, as the change agent you must go beneath the surface and seek out underlying assumptions, which will subsequently be tested through the CLR. The testing could invalidate or replace, these underlying assumptions. If this happens, the conflict is “evaporated”, hence the name.Among the identified Thinking Processes tools, the EC is considered to be the most multi-purpose one, best used in coming up with win-win solutions, without having to make compromises. It is also very useful in situations that require making tough business decisions and negotiations.The EC is not only proven to resolve conflicts while avoiding compromises; it is also a great tool in creating breakthrough solutions that allow both sides o f a conflict to win.Future Reality Tree (FRT)Yet another tool that makes use of the cause-and-effect structure, the FRT takes a look at how the changes that are being contemplated or proposed are likely to affect reality if they are actually implemented. Usually, what you will look at is whether the proposed changes can give rise to favorable outcomes. The goal of FRT is to turn the undesirable effects into desirable ones, by using cures or “injections” on the identified causes of those undesirable effects.At first glance, you’d probably say that the FRT is similar to the CRT. You won’t be wrong, because they do have similarities. However, the FRT takes it a step further with the inclusion of the proposed solutions.The FRT finds excellent use, among other things, as an initial planning tool, since it allows effective testing of new ideas prior to committing resources to implementation.Transition TreeThis is the third of the three tools that derive support from the cause-and- effect logic. This time, it is concerned with the third question, which is on the “How” of things. How can you make the change happen?This tool derives its name from an action plan, which is also called a transition tree. Its objective is to allow change agents to implement change. In order to do that, they must determine the specific actions that are necessary to implement the solution, and this requires delving into the details of the action plan. The other tools take a broader tack in their approaches; the Transition Tree goes into the small details that make up the whole, making it an ideal “operational tool”.Successful application of the Transition Tree is possible if all the four elements, as identified by Dettmer, are present.A current, actual condition, or a condition of existing realityAn unfulfilled needA specific action that must be taken to fulfill that needThe expected effect, result or outcome from the application of the identified action to fulfill the need th at exists in realityAs mentioned earlier, Transition Tree is most effective for change implementation, and this is largely because of how it provides a step-by-step guide for implementation of actions that will bring about the changes. It also allows you to move things along the change process without deviating from the original goal or objective.Prerequisite Tree (PRT)Just because you thought of an idea does not mean that it has actually become a solution. It is a mere idea of one, and the only time it becomes an actual solution is when it is fully implemented, and the desired favorable outcome is obtained.PRT works by identifying the obstacles that prevent the achievement of desired outcomes and subsequently identify the remedies that can do away with these obstacles. It is also useful in coming up with action plans, with the actions mapped out in a sequence of responses, all aimed at achieving the desired results.III. Throughput AccountingGoldratt was cognizant of how TOC is not supported by traditional accounting systems, and this is what spurred him to provide for an accounting method for measuring performance and providing information that will guide management decisions, in accordance with the principles of TOC, and it is called Throughput Accounting.Traditional accounting practices and methods, when applied in consonance with TOC, will undoubtedly result to distortions that will be in contradiction with the goal of organizations on why they are applying the TOC in the first place. Even the slightest distortion can be very harmful, since it will have an effect on decision-making processes of managers with regards to operations.As an alternative accounting method, Throughput Accounting (TA) eliminates these distortions and supports the increase of profits through the TOC. It is decidedly more simple, and geared towards management accounting than straightforward financial accounting.Many have mistaken TA to be the same as variable cost accounting. That is not true. They are two different beans, although they may have come from the same pod. To be more precise, it is safe to say that TA is an offshoot of variable cost accounting.The main principle of TA involves the treatment of Direct Materials Costs as the only variable costs. All other costs are assumed to be fixed.According to TA, there are only three ways to boost the profits of a company.Increasing Throughput“Throughput”, in this context, refers to the money coming into the company, generated through its revenue or profit-generation activities. In short, it is the total sales, decreased by the Truly Variable Costs.As the level of sales increases, so will the variable costs, but only up to the extent of the cost of making and selling additional units. The other costs remain fixed, which means that the company will definitely register an increase in profits.Reducing InvestmentBy TOC definition, “investment” refers to the money currently tied up in the system. Certain sour ces make use of the old term, which is “inventory” instead of “investment”, but the principle still applies.Essentially, a business invests when it makes or sells a product or service. This could be in the form of acquisition, maintenance and usage of equipment, machinery, facilities, and various inventories. In short, it costs money to make money.By minimizing investments â€" without compromising the quality of products and services â€" the company can definitely maximize throughput and, ultimately increase its profits.Reducing Operating ExpensesThis follows the same line of reasoning as the reduction of investment. “Operating expenses” are all the money spent turning investment and inventory into throughput, which will then be sold to generate revenue. It can refer to direct labor, supplies, and utilities. Even depreciation of assets will fall under this category.With all things being constant, specifically the sales and the fixed costs, a reduction in the incurrence o f operating expense will increase profit.It is to be noted that, in order for TOC to guarantee profit increase, all three measures have an interdependent relationship with each other. For example, a reduction in operating expense will mean a corresponding reduction in the amount of investment. Similarly, if throughput is increased by making and selling more units, the amount of inventory remaining in the company will decrease.If we take a look at the nitty-gritty of the measurement processes in Throughput Accounting, there are four derived measures to take note of.Net ProfitThe net profit is the income remaining to the company after all operating expenses have been deducted from the revenues generated through the sale of products and services. The formula is:Net Profit  =  Throughput â€" Operating ExpensesIn other instances, the formula can be translated to total Sales, decreased by total Variable Costs and Operating Expenses.Return on Investment (ROI)This refers to the gains obta ined from the investment, in comparison with the total cost of investment. Essentially, it is a comparison of how much profit the company earned with respect to the total amount of capital investment. The formula is:ROI  =  Net Profit / InvestmentProductivityTA defines “productivity” as the average measure of the efficiency of production, comparing the production output to the input placed at the beginning of the production process. In this case, input refers to the operating expenses, while the output refers to the throughput. The formula is:Productivity  =  Throughput / Operating ExpensesInvestment TurnoverAlso referred to as “investment turns”, this is the ratio of the value of the throughput (sales or revenues) in relation to the value of the investment, or capital invested. The formula is:Investment Turnover  =  Throughput / InvestmentIn order to successfully ensure the achievement of the goal of TOC, which is increased profitability, it is important to maximize t hroughput while keeping investment and operating expenses at a minimum. Take note that the priority among the three is the throughput. That is because the TOC puts more emphasis on maximizing Throughput (by increasing Sales) more than cutting down on investment and other operating costs and expenses.To this day, the Theory of Constraints remains to be a highly pervasive discipline, also giving rise to other management concepts that are widely used and applied across industries, not just in manufacturing. Therefore, do not be surprised when you come across TOC concepts when you are on a foray to other management concepts, especially lean production or lean manufacturing.

Friday, May 22, 2020

A Definition Of Strategic Leadership - 1868 Words

A Definition of Strategic Leadership â€Å"The key to strategic planning is competent strategic leadership.† Strategic leadership requires personal outlook of the church which will increase the involvement and ministry outreach of the congregants. Strategic leadership in the twenty-first century has increased as the rising Millennial generation places new aspects of leadership which require higher standards more relevance from the church; becoming transparent. Malphurs stresses the concern of the church, stating, â€Å"I have compared the typical church in North America to a ship without a compass, drifting aimlessly on the ocean. It doesn’t know where it is or where it is going. And if that is not bad enough, the winds of change and the current of postmodernism are relentlessly blowing and pulling the church even farther off course.† Postmodernism has become the venom the church has struggled to keep the church alive by biblically attacking the theory â€Å"t here is no absolute truth,† which contradictory to the biblical context. Strategic leadership has increased amazingly in most areas of the church, but in the majority, the church has declined because of the lack thereof. Competent strategic Christian leadership is having the ability to lead spiritually, gifted with the ability to lead, and to communicate your plan, vision, and mission effectively which directs your members in the same path. To keep your competence in our strategic planning in Christian leadership, weShow MoreRelatedDr. Martin Luther King Jr. And His Influence On The American Civil Rights Movement765 Words   |  4 PagesWhen talking about leadership, I would think of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his influences on the American civil rights movement. His famous speech – â€Å"I have a dream† is one of the most compelling in all times. The speech was powerful because it was simple and brought out a clear and focused theme. The audiences’ e motion was agitated instantly by his speech. And the reaction and impact were enormous. Of course, leadership is not only about powerful speeches, but involves the leaders’ characteristicsRead MorePatterns in Strategy Formation1504 Words   |  7 Pagesthe term â€Å"strategy† and shows how the definition leads to the choice of a research methodology. Following this, he details the four steps of research methodology. 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We go throughout our everyday lives being lead, or leading ourselves, and we may not even recognize it. Leadership is something that some consider a unique ability that only few possess, when in actuality we can all do it. By observing and noting specific factors in leadership, you are able to craft your own definition of leadership, and recognize how it is everywhere in our lives. When attempting to define leadership, there

Sunday, May 10, 2020

Reported News on Outline of Research Revealed

Reported News on Outline of Research Revealed The Fundamentals of Outline of Research Revealed Without a comprehensive plan behind it, it's busy work. When you have completed your outline, you've done almost all of the tough work. Whether you're a struggling college student or at the surface of your class, ABCPapers are always able to help you. For some of them you will require help, while others you'll be able to write by yourself. Outline of Research Features The Yahoo acquisition of Broadcast Com is a terrific illustration of a lousy purchase. If you wish to acquire high high quality research and thesis papers in time and for a sensible price, you should probably attempt using EssaySupply.com. A systematic approach will definitely assist you to develop a brilliant research paper. You should understand the brief in the event the client wants a superb article. Outline of Research Options Show me that you understand how to find and can analyze data from sources in your discipline. It is possible to connect important parts of information, manage their interconnections, link to the documents and offer brief summaries for every single important bit of document. Consult with the chart or graph in the text in which you discuss the info. Even then you're unable to discover the informative and accurate info. The Honest to Goodness Truth on Outline of Research When you finish your research notes you can begin writing with confidence that you have all of the pieces you have to create a wonderful essay. If you're thinking that you require someone to compose my essay at this time, you can just rely on our honest reviews. It's not quite as easy as writing an essay about your s ummer vacation, your family members, or the previous party you've been to, as you don't need to do research to learn about your own private experience. There are numerous essay writing services that think they're the very best, and therefore don't be cheated and check the real collection of the very best. If you are searching for top essay writing companies, try out the mentioned above. Take a look at our writing services reviews and find out how top rated essay writing companies do the job. If you're one of them knowing you've gotten the remedy to address all you're writing concerning research proposal. The increasing number of essay writing services is totally overwhelming. Outline of Research Ideas Integration is the critical word. Research paper is a kind of essay that's written in your style. Your research paper is at least as excellent as your outline is. The thesis has to be adequately supported by the content in the finished paper. Writing is a type of art, and the objective of art is to inspire. As a result, if you'd like to reach excellent grades, you should Buy College Essay help on law. Introducing Outline of Research The best method to get a comprehension of the APA outline format is to have a look at examples. Additionally, among the important purposes of an outline is to clearly convey the relation between the thesis and every one of the topic sentences. There's a second outline type an official outline. A comprehensive outline is essential for writing a great research paper. Our writers always create unique content that is totally free from all grammatical error. If writing is a necessity for you while you read, you can begin with an outline draft first where you mention the main points. You could also see biography outline. For what it's worth, you always need to comply with the conventional 500-word essay format. One of the most important aspects to taking a large undertaking, including writing a book, is the excellent fortune of being in a position to learn so much along the manner in such a brief quantity of time. Research proposal writing is quite a crucial step in achieving a person's degree. Don't forget that if you analyze your paper, your principal task is to make sure your audience understands the significant points without a lot of difficulty. In the event of a lengthier project, it's challenging to imagine a successful writing process with no obstacles in the event the outline is missing. Writing software will be able to help you re duce the mess and the diversions by eliminating everything that's redundant. The editing procedure is potentially the most significant part writing. Outline servers automatically update with the most recent security settings, which means you don't need to fret about keeping software up-to-date.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Misconception of a Role Model and the Relation to an Athlete Free Essays

A role model: a noun, meaning a person whose behaviour, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people. An athlete: also a noun, a person who is trained in exercises or contents involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill. Two entirely different words, and two very different definitions, yet one must wonder; could it be that these terms may in fact be very closely related? Thus bringing us to the much debated issue of whether or not athletes can be positive role models. We will write a custom essay sample on The Misconception of a Role Model and the Relation to an Athlete or any similar topic only for you Order Now Over the years, this has proved to be an extremely opinionated issue for many. The truth is, an athlete is simply â€Å"a person†, and if we have people who are our role models, then yes, athletes, being people, can be positive role models too. However in today’s society there is a huge misconception surrounding the term â€Å"role model† and therefore there are many mixed opinions regarding this topic. Firstly, could it be that our expectations of athletes that are perhaps too high, thus preventing us from seeing the â€Å"positive-ness† in them. Secondly, in such a materialistic world, people often forget the difference between what they want and what they need, and therefore if the world wants to see prefect role models, with money, talent, and beauty, then they will look for that in people like athletes, because quite frankly, people are constantly in search of that â€Å"good life† concept. Lastly, there is a reason why the word role comes before model. Our role models are only models in a certain role, or as one may say forte. Athletes are role models in our society, however only in the role of an athlete, and we often forget that. Consequently we may need to re think our definition of a role model before we determine whether or not athletes can be considered positive influences on our society. Today, when a high-status athlete is accused of a serious offence or of cheating the game, of course it is news and newsworthy! Take Michael Phelps for example; no matter how many world records he breaks in the future, there will always be someone there to bring up the pact that he smoked marijuana at a party once. He wasn’t even in competition season, or training that day, ut he did it. He did something that many of us have done, yet because he is Michael Phelps, everything changes. We cannot consider ourselves perfect, because we make mistakes all the time, so maybe we need to allow these athletes to try and fail at the â€Å"non-athletic† human qualities, because in the end, they are simply human and, like us, they often make mistakes too. We have these silent requests for athletes. We force them into be coming our role models; we force them into achieving excellence in the athletic world. Therefore, the mere fact that athletes are constantly accomplishing this excellence, although they are under great pressure, is evidence not of the failure of professional sports in society but of their triumph. We should be proud of Michael Phelps, because he is a positive role model, regardless of whether or not he smoked once upon a time, that just shows us that this man has the talent and ability to maintain athletic success, and the events of a normal humane life, at the same time. We should be proud because the days of baseball players drinking beer during the game or basketball players using drugs prior to the tip-off are long gone; today we find less of the athletes who carelessly fritter away their talent, and more of the athletes who are more admirable and, more superior role models than before. So maybe we are unsuccessful when it comes to recognizing this, and as a result we require even more from them. This could be hy our vision of a role model, when it comes to athletes, is impractical and unreasonable. Furthermore, in such a materialized world as the present, we have forgotten what we need and replaced it with what we want. We used to have a good vision of the â€Å"good life† where all we really needed was the basics, which can be found on Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. Basics and necessities such as: air, food, shelter, sex, safety, love and belonging, self esteem, and personal fulfilment. Now however, we have become more technologically advanced, and the media has become such a huge influence in our lives which, inevitably, causes us to forget about the basics, and instead fill ourselves with greed, and want. We now feel that in order to have a good life, we must have money, fame, health, and beauty in appearance; all of which we can find in athletes. So now, instead of having role models who are successful, and respect all of Maslow’s basic needs, we have role models who have all the things that we want. We look at these talented athletes, and we pick out the parts of them that we want to have in our â€Å"good life† and we forget the parts of them that we need to have in our â€Å"good life†. We look at their outer selves, and forget about their achievements, and their stories. Therefore, athletes can be positive role models for us, depending on what our image of a â€Å"good life† is. Now at last we look at what a role model is meant to do for us. A role model is not just a model; they are a model of a specific role which is a vital limitation. Like previously stated, none of us are perfect, thus, realistically speaking; none of us are models for others. Parents, principles, community leaders; we should all be modest and hope that the younger generation do not follow in our footsteps entirely. For example, in the future, I would like my children to have my voice, passion for writing and sports, and my sense of love and belonging. However, I would not like them to have my health issues, or patience skills and tolerance when it comes to ignorance. You see, everyone wants to set good examples, we all want to have a good life, filled with our good qualities, not the bad, because then those who follow in our footsteps will be heading in the right direction straight from the beginning. So yes, of course athletes will often fail to model the role that we expect them to model, however we all make mistakes. We cannot expect them to model a role that they are not capable of leading, but nevertheless we can expect them to display good sportsmanship and commitment to fair play. In the end, we must come to realize that the question is not exactly â€Å"Can athletes be positive role models? † but instead, â€Å"What kind of role model do you see athletes as? † Our idea or a role model is distorted. We have such high expectations of them, causing us to treat them as if they were not human. We also need to take into consideration, our thoughts on a â€Å"good life† the difference between what we want to see in our role models, and what we need to see in our role models, because often we are looking at the outer athlete, and not the true inner talent that they might have. Subsequently, we must remember that athletes are models for their own specific roles, and like any role model they can be successful or they can fail at that role. Therefore we must simply judge them based on the vital constriction that comes with their role, and no more than that. We must expect from them only what they are capable of doing. The study and analysis of this issue has brought me to the realization that we have a huge misconception of what a role model is, and whether or not the relation between role model’s and athlete’s can be made. How to cite The Misconception of a Role Model and the Relation to an Athlete, Essay examples

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Suburbanized or Communalized free essay sample

Throughout the generations, Canada’s favorite sport has definitely revolutionized and transformed itself into something bewildering. Hockey has drastically changed since the puck was first thrown on the ice. In Ken Dryden’s text, Guy Lafleur, he explains how hockey has become a completely suburbanized sport and has lost the careless, free spirit touch it used to have. He breezes through the many ways different sports now have way too much structure and not enough love of the sport. However, in Lynn Coady’s article, Hockey Night in Port Hawkesbury, she makes the reader understand how hockey can give a person a sense that they belong. To this author, the sport is a way to integrate yourself in your community, a way to make a typical teenage girl feel like she’s part of her family. The two essays may revolve around the same subject, but they are completely different from one another. We will write a custom essay sample on Suburbanized or Communalized? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They have two completely different themes, are structured in dissimilar ways, and are put in similar, but opposite contexts. It is without a doubt true that the two authors capably demonstrate, in different manners, the various ways hockey has changed our lives. Firstly, the theme Dryden got readers to understand and relate to was how hockey and other sports have been completely suburbanized with time. To him, â€Å"Hockey has become suburbanized, and as part of our suburban middle-class culture; it has changed.† In other words, hockey is no longer something people do on their free time for fun, but something parents run out the door on weeknights to bring their kids to. The pleasure of the sport, in his mind, has evaporated. There is too much structure, too many rules, and too much memorizing involved. The theme of this work is something many people can relate to, so it is quite convincing, and very easy to understand. On the other hand, Coady’s article revolves around the thought that hockey creates a sense of community, a sense of involvement. She feels as though going to the hockey game made her a part of her community, even if she didn’t quite understand the game itself. Even as a young girl going through bizarre t ransformations, all she had to do was go to her small town’s hockey game and â€Å"For a moment, I belonged.† Therefore, in her eyes, hockey gives people an escape from the real world. People can easily relate to the theme in Coady’s text, for many people who don’t enjoy hockey still go to the games just to feel included. Two different point-of-views, both being valid. Next, Dryden and Coady use very dissimilar structures in order to get their message through. As for ken Dryden, he began the essay with a small story about Guy Lafleur then moved on to stating his thesis and supporting arguments. An interesting inclusion of his text is a short biography of Guy Lafleur, in order to make a valid point: people used to take every opportunity to practice; now they go when they have to. He glides gracefully between general ideas and comparisons to Lafleur’s life. This structure may seem disorganized, but it seems to create a good flow so the reader never gets bored of what she or he is reading. It also may symbolize that life doesn’t always need structure and organization to be great. The text never stays the same. Alternatively, Lynn Coady’s text has a pretty firm structure, beginning with a small description, then going into an anecdote. Within the small story she tells, she states her thesis about belonging in the community. Afterw ards, she uses supporting arguments to validate her point and refers to many known personalities. She ends her work with a bang, â€Å"I grew up with the understanding that hockey was all-important, hockey players were gods, and to be a hockey fan was to enter into some kind of enchanted circle (†¦) That’s what I was feeling that night.† Her structure gives validity to the text and definitely doesn’t confuse the reader. Finally, the two texts may have been set in the same country, around the same time but the contexts are totally different from one another. Dryden refers to the many places hockey has been played, in the past and today. â€Å"A game we once played on rivers and ponds, (†¦), we now play in arenas (†¦)† Using this context, Dryden makes a valid point: hockey used to be a natural sport, now it’s industrialized. This makes the reader reflect on how just a simple change of setting can completely change something. However, Coady situates her article in one particular small town in Canada: Port Hawkesbury. The reader gets the community feel while reading the text, making references to their own experiences. The concentration on one particular place adds emphasis to the text and creates atmosphere. In conclusion, it would be fair to state that even though texts revolve around the same subject, they can be completely opposite. Their themes, structures, and use of settings either make or break the text. Dryden’s essay reached readers on a much more intuitive level than Coady’s did, for he gave the readers something very vast to think about: how suburbanization changes all the small things. Coady touched the readers on a more personal level, going with the idea of belonging. It is without a doubt true that even the small things can affect one’s life on a wide range of aspects.

Friday, March 20, 2020

Character Motivation How to Write Believable Characters

Character Motivation How to Write Believable Characters Character Motivation: How to Write Believable Characters If an author wants to focus on making their stories more believable, it’s crucial for them to fully understand character motivation. Readers will happily accept and suspend their disbelief for any story - whether it’s set deep in space, or in a society run by terriers - so long as all the characters have relatable motivations and behave plausibly.In this post, we’ll look at some of the big questions behind character motivation in fiction and help you understand why it’s important and, crucially, how to apply it to any book you are working on.What is character motivation?Character motivation is the reason behind a character’s behaviors and actions in a given scene or throughout a story. Motivations are intrinsic needs: they might be external needs and relate to survival, but they might also be psychological or existential needs, such as love or professional achievement.This motivation is at the heart of character profiles and is necessary if your g oal is to write believable and compelling characters.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

William Hazlitts On Going a Journey

William Hazlitts On Going a Journey Its fortunate that William Hazlitt enjoyed his own company, for this talented British essayist was not, by his own admission, a very pleasant companion: I am not, in the ordinary acceptation of the term, a good-natured man; that is, many things annoy me besides what interferes with my own ease and interest. I hate a lie; a piece of injustice wounds me to the quick, though nothing but the report of it reach me. Therefore I have made many enemies and few friends; for the public know nothing of well-wishers, and keep a wary eye on those that would reform them.(On Depth and Superficiality, 1826) The Romantic poet William Wordsworth echoed this assessment when he wrote that the miscreant Hazlitt ... is not a proper person to be admitted into respectable society. Yet the version of Hazlitt that emerges from his essays witty, passionate, plain speaking continues to attract devoted readers. As the writer Robert Louis Stevenson observed in his essay Walking Tours, Hazlitts On Going a Journey is so good that there should be a tax levied on all who have not read it. Hazlitts On Going a Journey   originally appeared in the New Monthly Magazine  in 1821 and was published that same year in the first edition of  Table-Talk. On Going a Journey One of the pleasantest things in the world is going a journey, but I like to go by myself. I can enjoy society in a room; but out of doors, Nature is company enough for me. I am then never less alone than when alone. The fields his study, Nature was his book. I cannot see the wit of walking and talking at the same time. When I am in the country I wish to vegetate like the country. I am not for criticising hedgerows and black cattle. I go out of town in order to forget the town and all that is in it. There are those who for this purpose go to watering-places, and carry the metropolis with them. I like more elbow-room and fewer encumbrances. I like solitude when I give myself up to it for the sake of solitude; nor do I ask for a friend in my retreat,Whom I may whisper solitude is sweet. The soul of a journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do, just as one pleases. We go a journey chiefly to be free of all impediments and of all inconveniences; to leave ourselves behind much more than to get rid of others. It is because I want a little breathing-space to muse on indifferent matters, where Contemplation May plume her feathers and let grow her wings,That in the various bustle of resortWere all too ruffled, and sometimes impaird, that I absent myself from the town for a while, without feeling at a loss the moment I am left by myself. Instead of a friend in a postchaise or in a tilbury, to exchange good things with, and vary the same stale topics over again, for once let me have a truce with impertinence. Give me the clear blue sky over my head, and the green turf beneath my feet, a winding road before me, and a three hours march to dinnerand then to thinking! It is hard if I cannot start some game on these lone heaths. I laugh, I run, I leap, I sing for joy. From the point of yonder rolling cloud, I plunge into my past being and revel there as the sun-burnt Indian plunges headlong into the wave that wafts him to his native shore. Then long-forgotten things, like sunken wrack and sumless treasuries, burst upon my eager sight, and I begin to feel, think, and be myself again. Instead of an awkward silence, broken by attempts at wit or dull common-places, mine is that undisturbed silence of the heart which alone is perfect eloquence. No one likes puns, alliteration, alliterations, antitheses, argument, and analysis better than I do; but I sometimes had rather be without them. Leave, oh, leave me to my repose! I have just now other business in hand, which would seem idle to you, but is with me the very stuff o the conscience. Is not this wild rose sweet without a comment? Does not this daisy leap to my heart set in its coat of emerald? Yet if I were to explain to you the circumstance that has so endeared it to me you would only smile. Had I not better then keep it to myself, and let it serve me to brood over, from here to yonder craggy point, and from thence onward to the far-distant horizon? I should be but bad company all that way, and therefore prefer being alone. I have heard it said that you may, when the moody fit comes on, walk or ride on by yourself, and indulge your reveries. But this looks like a breach of manners, a neglect of others, and you are thinking all the time that you ought to rejoin your part y. Out upon such half-faced fellowship, say I. I like to be either entirely to myself, or entirely at the disposal of others; to talk or be silent, to walk or sit still, to be sociable or solitary. I was pleased with an observation of Mr. Cobbetts, that he thought it a bad French custom to drink our wine with our meals, and that an Englishman ought to do only one thing at a time. So I cannot talk and think, or indulge in melancholy musing and lively conversation by fits and starts. Let me have a companion of my way, says Sterne, were it but to remark how the shadows lengthen as the sun declines. It is beautifully said: but, in my opinion, this continual comparing of notes interferes with the involuntary impression of things upon the mind, and hurts the sentiment. If you only hint what you feel in a kind of dumb show, it is insipid: if you have to explain it, it is making a toil of a pleasure. You cannot read the book of Nature without being perpetually put to the trouble of translating it for the benefit of others. I am for the synthetical method on a journey in preference to the analytical. I am content to lay in a stock of ideas then and to examine and anatomise them afterward. I want to see my vague notions float like the down of the thistle before the breeze, and not to have them entangled in the briars and thorns of controversy. For once, I like to have it all my own way; and this is impossible unless you are alone, or in such company as I do not covet. I have no objection to  argue  a point with  any one  for twenty miles of measured road, but not for pleasure. If you remark the scent of a bean-field crossing the road, perhaps your fellow-traveller has no smell. If you point to a distant object, perhaps he is short-sighted and has to take out his glass to look at it. There is a feeling in the air, a tone in the  colour  of a cloud, which hits your fancy, but the effect of which you are unable to account for. There is then no sympathy, but an uneasy craving after it, and a dissatisfaction which pursues you on the way, and in the end probably produces ill-humour. Now I never quarrel with  myself and take all my own conclusions for granted till I find it necessary to defend them against objections. It is not merely that you may not be of accord on the objects and circumstances that present themselves before youthey may recall a number of ideas, and lead to associations too delicate and refined to be possibly communicated to others. Yet these I love to cherish, and sometimes still fondly clutch  them when I can escape from the throng to do so. To give way to our feelings before  company seems extravagance or affectation; on the other hand, to have to unravel this mystery of our being at every turn, and to make others take an equal interest in it (otherwise the end is not answered) is a task to which few are competent. We must give it an understanding, but no tongue. My old friend C [Samuel Taylor Coleridge], however, could do both. He could go on in the most delightful explanatory way over hill and dale, a summers day, and convert a landscape into a didactic poem or a Pindaric ode. He talked far above singing. If I could so clothe my ideas in sounding and flowing words, I might perhaps wish to have  someone  with me to admire the swelling theme; or I could be more content, were it possible for me still to bear his echoing voice in the woods of All-Foxden. They had that fine madness in them which our first poets had; and if they could have been caught by some rare instrument, would have breathed such strains as the f ollowing Here be woods as greenAs any, air likewise as fresh and sweetAs when smooth Zephyrus plays on the fleetFace of the curled streams, with flowrs as manyAs the young spring gives, and as choice as any;Here be all new delights, cool streams and wells,Arbours oergrown with woodbines, caves and dells:Choose where thou wilt, whilst I sit by and sing,Or gather rushes to make many a ringFor thy long fingers; tell thee tales of love,How the pale Phoebe, hunting in a grove,First saw the boy Endymion, from whose eyesShe took eternal fire that never dies;How she conveyd him softly in a sleep,His temples bound with poppy, to the steepHead of old Latmos, where she stoops each night,Gilding the mountain with her brothers light,To kiss her sweetest.- Faithful Shepherdess Had I words and images at  command  like these, I would attempt to wake the thoughts that lie slumbering on golden ridges in the evening clouds: but at the sight of Nature my fancy, poor as it  is droops  and closes up its leaves, like flowers at sunset. I can make nothing out on the spot: I must have time to collect myself. In general, a good thing spoils out-of-door prospects: it should be reserved for Table-talk. L [Charles Lamb]  is, for this reason, I take it, the worst company in the world out of doors; because he is the best within. I grant, there is one subject on which it is pleasant to talk on a journey; and that is, what one shall have for supper when we get to our inn at night. The open air improves this sort of conversation or friendly altercation, by setting a keener edge on appetite. Every mile of the road heightens the  flavour  of the viands we expect at the end of it. How fine it is to enter some old town, walled and turreted, just at approach of nightfall, or to come to some straggling village, with the lights streaming through the surrounding gloom; and then, after inquiring for the best entertainment that the place affords, to take ones ease at ones inn! These eventful moments in our lives are in fact too precious, too full of solid,  heart-felt  happiness to be frittered a nd dribbled away in imperfect sympathy. I would have them all to myself, and drain them to the last drop: they will do to talk of or to write about  afterwards. What a delicate speculation it is, after drinking whole goblets of tea, The cups that cheer, but not inebriate and letting the fumes ascend into the brain, to sit considering what we shall have for suppereggs and a rasher, a rabbit smothered in  onions or an excellent veal-cutlet! Sancho in such a situation once fixed on cow heel; and his choice, though he could not help it, is not to be disparaged. Then, in the intervals of pictured scenery and Shandean contemplation, to catch the preparation and the stir in the kitchen  Procul, O  procul  este  profani!  These hours are sacred to silence and to musing, to be treasured up in the memory, and to feed the source of smiling thoughts hereafter. I would not waste them in idle talk; or if I must have the integrity of fancy broken in upon, I would rather it were by a stranger than a friend. A stranger takes his hue and character from the time and place:  his  is a part of the furniture and costume of an inn. If he is a Quaker, or from the West Riding of Yorkshire, so much the better. I do not even try to  sympathise  with him, an d  he breaks no squares. I associate nothing with my  travelling  companion but present objects and passing events. In his ignorance of me and my affairs, I in a manner forget myself. But a friend reminds one of other things, rips up old grievances, and destroys the abstraction of the scene. He comes in ungraciously between us and our imaginary character. Something is dropped in the course of conversation that gives a hint of your profession and pursuits; or from having  someone  with you that knows the less sublime portions of your history, it seems that other people do. You are no longer a citizen of the  world; but  your unhoused free condition is put into circumspection and confine. The  incognito  of an inn is one of its striking privilegeslord  of ones self,  uncumbered  with a name. Oh! it is great to shake off the trammels of the world and of public opinionto lose our importunate, tormenting, ever-lasting personal identity in the elements of nature, and become the creature of the moment, clear of all tiesto hold to the universe only by a dish of  sweet-breads, and to owe nothing but the score of the eveningand no longer seeking for applause and meeting with contempt, to be known by no other title than  the Gentleman in the  parlour! One may take ones choice of all characters in this romantic state of uncertainty as to ones real pretensions, and become indefinitely respectable and negatively right-worshipful. We baffle prejudice and disappoint conjecture; and from being so to others, begin to be objects of curiosity and wonder even to ourselves. We are no more those hackneyed commonplaces that we appear in the world; an inn restores us to the level of Nature, and quits scores with society! I have certainly spent some enviable hours at innssometimes when I have been left entirely to myself and have tried to solve some metaphysical problem, as once at Witham-common, where I found out the proof that likeness is not a case of the association of ideasat other times, when there have been pictures in the room, as at St Neots (I think it was) where I first met with Gribelins engravings of the Cartoons, into which I entered at once; and at a little inn on the borders of Wales, where there happened to be hanging some of Westalls drawings, which I compared triumphantly (for a theory that I had, not for the admired artist) with the figure of a girl who had ferried me over the Severn, standing up in a boat between me and the fading twilightat other times I might mention luxuriating in books, with a peculiar interest in this way, as I remember sitting up half the night to read Paul and Virginia, which I picked up at an inn at Bridgewater, after being drenched in the rain all day; a nd at the same place I got through two volumes of  Madam  DArblays Camilla. It was on the 10th of  April 1798, that I sat down to a volume of the New Eloise, at the inn at Llangollen, over a bottle of sherry and cold chicken. The letter I chose was that in which St. Preux describes his feelings as he first caught a glimpse from the heights of the Jura of the Pays de Vaud, which I had brought with me as a  bon  bouche  to crown the evening with. It was my birthday, and I had for the first time come from a place in the  neighbourhood  to visit this delightful spot. The road to Llangollen turns off between Chirk and Wrexham; and on passing a certain point you come all at once upon the valley, which opens like an amphitheatre, broad, barren hills rising in majestic state on either side, with green upland swells that echo to the bleat of flocks below, and the river Dee babbling over its stony bed in the midst of them. The valley at this time glittered green with sunny showers, and a budding ash-tree dipped its tender branches in the chiding stream. H ow proud, how glad I was to walk along the high road that overlooks the delicious prospect, repeating the lines which I have just quoted from  Mr. Coleridges poems! But besides the prospect which opened beneath my feet, another also opened to my inward sight, a heavenly vision, on which were written, in letters large as Hope could make them, these four words, Liberty, Genius, Love, Virtue; which have since faded in the light of common day, or mock my idle gaze. The Beautiful is vanished, and returns not. Still, I would return some time or other to this enchanted  spot; but  I would return to it alone. What other self could I find to share that influx of thoughts, of regret, and delight, the traces of which I could hardly conjure up myself, so much have they been broken and defaced! I could stand on some tall rock and overlook the precipice of years that separates me from what I then was. I was at that time going shortly to visit the poet whom I have above named. Where is he now? Not only I myself have changed; the world, which was then new to me, has become old and incorrigible. Yet will I turn to thee in thought, O sylvan Dee, as then thou wert, in joy, in youth and gladness; and thou shalt always be to me the river of Paradise, where I will drink the waters of life freely! There is hardly anything that shows the short-sightedness or capriciousness of the imagination more than  travelling  does. With  change  of place we change our ideas; nay, our opinions and feelings. We can by an effort indeed transport ourselves to old and long-forgotten scenes, and then the picture of the mind revives  again; but  we forget those that we have just left. It seems that we can think but of one place at a time. The canvas of the fancy is but of a certain extent, and if we paint one set of objects upon it, they immediately efface every other. We cannot enlarge our conceptions, we only shift our point of view. The landscape bares its bosom to the enraptured eye; we take our fill of  it; and  seem as if we could form no other image of beauty or grandeur. We pass on and think no more of it: the horizon that shuts it from our  sight,  also blots it from our memory like a dream. In  travelling  through a wild, barren country, I can form no idea of a w oody and cultivated one. It appears to me that all the world must be barren, like what I see of it. In the  country, we forget the town and in the  town, we despise the country. Beyond Hyde Park, says Sir Fopling Flutter, all is a desert. All that part of the map which we do not see before  us  is a blank. The world in our conceit of it is not much bigger than a nutshell. It is not one prospect expanded into another,  country  joined to  country, kingdom to kingdom, lands to seas, making an image voluminous and vast; the mind can form  no  larger idea of space than the eye can take in at a single glance. The rest is a name written on a map, a calculation of arithmetic. For instance, what is the true signification of that immense mass of territory and population, known by the name of China to us? An inch of paste-board on a wooden globe, of no more account than a China orange! Things near us are seen of the size of life; things at a distance are diminished to the size of the understanding. We measure the universe by  ourselves and even comprehend the texture of our own being only piece-meal. In this way, however, we remember an infinity of things and places. The mind is like a mechanical instrument that plays a great variety of tunes, but it must play them in succession. One idea recalls another, but it at the same times excludes all others. In trying to renew old recollections, we cannot as it  were unfold  the whole web of our existence; we must pick out the single threads. So in coming to a place where we have formerly lived and with which we have intimate associations,  every one  must have found that the feeling grows more vivid the nearer we approach the spot, from the mere anticipation of the actual impression: we remember circumstances, feelings, persons, faces, names, that we had not thought of for years; but for the time all the rest of the world is forgotten! To return to the question I have quitted above. I have no objection to  go  to see ruins, aqueducts, pictures, in company with a friend or a party, but rather the contrary, for the former reason reversed. They are intelligible  matters and will bear talking about. The sentiment here is not tacit, but communicable and overt. Salisbury Plain is barren of criticism, but Stonehenge will bear a discussion antiquarian, picturesque, and philosophical. In setting out on a party of pleasure, the first consideration always is where we shall go to: in taking a solitary ramble, the question is what we shall meet with by the way. The mind is its own place; nor are we anxious to arrive at the end of our journey. I can myself do the  honours  indifferently well to works of art and curiosity. I once took a party to Oxford with no mean  Ãƒ ©clatshewed  them that seat of the Muses at a distance, With glistening spires and pinnacles adornd descanted on the learned air that breathes from the grassy quadrangles and stone walls of halls and collegeswas at home in the  Bodleian; and  at Blenheim quite superseded the powdered Cicerone that attended us, and that pointed in vain with his wand to commonplace beauties in matchless pictures. As another exception to the above reasoning, I should not feel confident in venturing on a journey in a foreign country without a companion. I should want at intervals to hear the sound of my own language. There is an involuntary antipathy in the mind of an Englishman to foreign manners and notions that  requires  the assistance of social sympathy to carry it off. As the distance from home increases, this relief, which was at first a luxury, becomes a passion and an appetite. A person would almost feel stifled to find himself in the deserts of Arabia without friends and countrymen: there must be allowed to be something in the view of Athens or old Rome that claims the utterance of  speech; and  I own that the Pyramids are too mighty for any single contemplation. In such situations, so opposite to all ones ordinary train of ideas, one seems a species by ones self, a limb torn off from society, unless one can meet with instant fellowship and support. Yet I did not feel this wan t or craving very pressing  once when I first set my foot on the laughing shores of France. Calais was peopled with novelty and delight. The confused, busy murmur of the place was like oil and wine poured into my ears; nor did the  mariners hymn, which was sung from the top of an old crazy vessel in the  harbour, as the sun went down, send an alien sound into my soul. I only breathed the air of general humanity. I walked over the vine-covered hills and gay regions of France, erect and satisfied; for the image of man was not cast down and chained to the foot of arbitrary  thrones: I was at no loss for language, for that of all the great schools of painting was open to me. The whole  is vanished  like a shade. Pictures, heroes, glory, freedom, all are fled: nothing remains but the Bourbons and the French people! There is undoubtedly a sensation in  travelling  into foreign parts that  is  to be had nowhere  else; but  it is more pleasing at the time than lasting. It is too remote from our habitual associations to be a common topic of discourse or refere nce, and, like a dream or another state of existence, does not piece into our daily modes of life. It is an animated but a momentary hallucination. It demands an effort to exchange our actual for our ideal identity; and to feel the pulse of our old transports revive very keenly, we must jump all our present comforts and connections. Our romantic and itinerant character is not to be domesticated, Dr. Johnson remarked how little foreign travel added to the facilities of conversation in those who had been abroad. In fact, the time we have spent there is both delightful and in one sense instructive; but it appears to be cut out of our substantial, downright existence, and never to join kindly on to it. We are not the same, but another, and perhaps more enviable individual, all the time we are out of our own country. We are lost to ourselves, as well as to our friends. So the poet somewhat quaintly sings: Out of my country and myself I go. Those who wish to forget painful thoughts, do well to absent themselves for a while from the ties and objects that recall them; but we can be said only to  fulfil  our destiny in the place that gave us birth. I should on this account like well enough to spend the whole of my life in  travelling  abroad, if I could anywhere borrow another life to spend  afterwards  at home!

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Potential reasons for the increase of gas prices Essay

Potential reasons for the increase of gas prices - Essay Example It is not believed by everyone, but it is a fact that the total quantity of crude oil is not utilized for the production of gasoline. Gasoline is produced by converting only fifty-one percent of an oil barrel. Subsequently, heating oil, jet fuel, refinery gas, and a number of other oil products are produced by rest of the oil barrel. In the result, the role of a high demand commodity is played by the oil, and as oil is not produced by most of the countries, import of oil has been a regular and necessary practice in most parts of the world. (Jaffe, pp. 23-25, 2006) This also results in the increase in the high prices of the oil and gas around the globe. Thus, fluctuation of prices can vary due to the demand and supply of different countries in a global oil and gasoline market. For instance, a flourishing economy has been represented by China, which has resulted in its high requirement of oil, as compared to its oil and gas requirement in the previous years. In the result, crude oil becomes shortage due to an increment in its global demand, and consequently, gasoline, jet fuel, lubricants, and prices of similar products become high. Therefore, increase in the demand of oil in a stabilized and economical country can affect the price of gasoline in other countries of the world. Thus, fluctuation of oil demand and supply is another potential factor that results in the higher prices of gasoline and other oil products in different regions of the planet.

Monday, February 3, 2020

CONFLICT OF LAWS IN BUSINESS & COMMERCE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

CONFLICT OF LAWS IN BUSINESS & COMMERCE - Essay Example This report will first provide a brief explanation of basic issues that arise in reference to the enforcement of foreign judgments in England and then apply them in the context of the four different instances where damages have been levied on Pulman Technics by foreign courts. A dispute over a foreign judgment may involve one of three elements (a) whether the Court which issued the judgment has the necessary jurisdiction (b) choice of law applicable in those judgments and (c) recognition and enforcement of judgments (Clarkson and Hill, 2007:131). Foreign judgments are recognized and given effect to by courts in other countries, because the recognition of foreign judgments is one of the essential elements of private international law on the basis of res judicata provisions. Through the application of the full faith and credit doctrine, courts do recognize the judgments delivered by other courts functioning within a competent jurisdiction. The Theory of obligation rests on the premise that if the original court’s assumption of jurisdiction was in order, then it should prima facie be recognizable in England.(Clarkson and Hill, 2007: 133) In the case of judgments that have been passed within countries that are a part of the Brussels Convention, such judgments would be enforceable in England, provided they are not repugnant to the principles of morality and fairness advocated under English law.In the case of foreign judgments passed in countries that are not a part of the Brussels Convention and where no reciprocal enforcement treaties exist, the action to enforce the judgment must be brought under common law rules. The matter of consent will be established if there is a contractual clause allowing jurisdiction to the foreign court, or if there is a voluntary appearance by the judgment-debtor. (Clarkson and Hill, 2007:136). A defendant must have been present in the foreign country where action is being brought against him or her and in the event,