Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Bloody civil war Essay

The final two chapters of the novel, Ike tries to discover and understand the history of his own family and the way in which they had treated the blacks. He even attempts to make amendments to one of them, by sending some money. The brief chronicle that he finds of his family helps him reconstruct some parts of the history. He remembers for example, the little hut in which all the black people were herded together, and the way in which the whites manufactures bleaching substances for the blacks to use so as to change their color: â€Å"[†¦]the square, galleried, wooden building squatting like a portent above the fields whose laborers it still held in thrall ’65 or no and placarded over with advertisements for snuff and cures for chills and salves and potions manufactured and sold by white men to bleach the pigment and straighten the hair of Negroes that they might resemble the very race which for two hundred years had held them in bondage and from which for another hundred years not even a bloody civil war would have set them completely free[†¦.]†(Faulkner, 245) This forced change of hair color is very significant: the author emphasizes the fact that the whites wanted to transform the black and make them as themselves, a race however quite imperfect since it is the one that invented slavery. Neither the land nor the people can be bought, since they have been left to live free by the creator of the world. Man’s possession of land or of slaves only imaginary, since these primary things cannot be bought: â€Å"’Bought nothing. Because He told in the Book how He created the earth, made it and looked at it and said it was all right, and then He made man. He made the earth first and peopled it with dumb creatures, and then He created man to be His overseer on earth[†¦]Because it was never Ikkemotubbe’s fathers’ fathers’ to bequeath Ikkemotubbe to sell to Grandfather or any man because on the instant when Ikkemotubbe discovered, realised, that he could sell it for money, on that instant it ceased ever to have been his forever, father to father to father, and the man who bought it bought nothing. † (247) In the family’s brief chronicle, Ike discovers many of the iniquities that were common at the time, in what regarded the black people. His grandfather had had sons and daughters of the black slaves, and never acknowledged them. Also, the contracts done between the blacks and the whites were invalid, since the black man had no way to claim his rights or to prove them, since he was usually even unable to read: â€Å"and it would seem to the boy that he could actually see the black man, the slave whom his white owner had forever manumitted by the very act from which the black man could never be free so long as memory lasted, entering the commissary, asking permission perhaps of the white man’s son to see the ledger-page which he could not even read, not even asking for the white man’s word, which he would have had to accept for the reason that there was absolutely no way under the sun for him to test it[†¦]†(256) Ike ironically observes the extent of the injustice done to the children that were not acknowledged because they were black, and the way in which they were usually simply given a sum of money to make amends: â€Å"So I reckon that was cheaper than saying My son to a nigger he thought. Even if My son wasn’t but just two words. † (259) Thus, Faulkner’s novel is centered around the idea of the essential freedom given by nature to any creature. The bear is a symbol for this freedom, and his spirit is akin to that of the blacks and Indians: â€Å"[†¦]an old bear, fierce and ruthless not just to stay alive but ruthless with the fierce pride of liberty and freedom, jealous and proud enough of liberty and freedom to see it threatened not with fear nor even alarm but almost with joy, seeming deliberately to put it into jeopardy in order to savor it and keep his old strong bones and flesh supple and quick to defend and preserve it; an old man, son of a Negro slave and an Indian king, inheritor on the one hand of the long chronicle of a people who had learned humility through suffering and learned pride through the endurance which survived the suffering, and on the other side the chronicle of a people even longer in the land than the first. † (Faulkner, 267) The same ideas appear in the short story called That Evening Sun, but the author here emphasizes the barrier that existed between the blacks and the whites. The story, which has the same characters of the Compson family as The Sound and the Fury, is centered on a black servant called Nancy and on her agony at having been left by her husband and the terror that he might return and kill her. Nancy is terribly beaten by the police when she tries to claim her pay from a white man, and then locked up: â€Å"When you going to pay me, white man? When you going to pay me, white man? It’s been three times now since you paid me a cent-‘ Mr. Stovall knocked her down, but she kept on saying, â€Å"When you going to pay me, white man? It’s been three times now since—‘ until Mr. Stovall kicked her in the mouth with his heel and the marshal caught Mr. Stovall back, and Nancy lying in the street, laughing. She turned her head and spat out some blood and teeth and said, ‘It’s been three times now since he paid me a cent. ’†(Faulkner, 289) The story focuses on the impressive agony of the woman and her loneliness, as the whites refuse to comfort her in any way. The prejudices against the blacks are again obvious: as in The Bear, the villagers remark that a black person would never commit suicide, unless under the power of a drug: â€Å"He said that it was cocaine and not whiskey, because no nigger would try to commit suicide unless he was full of cocaine, because a nigger full of cocaine was not a nigger any longer. †(Faulkner, 291) The idea of the white people is that the black have no feelings and no inner life of their own, and that they live mostly like beasts, therefore could never have the impulse to suicide. The woman tries to cling to the children’s company in her distress and her fear of the husband that she thinks will come after her. The recurrent remark that she makes, saying that she is no more than a nigger is very significant. She underlies the fact that she is actually perceived as only a nigger, and that even she feels like that: â€Å"I ain’t nothing but a nigger,† Nancy said. ‘It ain’t none of my fault. ’† (Faulkner, 296) She cannot escape her race, and, although she feels she has an inner life she does not have an identity to associate it with. The last fragment of the story is of utter importance: Quentin, the storyteller remains listening to the sounds made by Nancy after they live her house, and hints at the barrier between the white and the black. The whites merely live her and her problems, as she is not considered to be important enough for further consideration: â€Å"But we could still hear her. She began as soon as we were out of the house, sitting there above the fire, her long brown hands between her knees. We could still hear her when we had crossed the ditch, Jason high and close and little about father’s head. Then we had crossed the ditch, walking out of Nancy’s life. Then her life was sitting there with the door open and the lamp lit, waiting, and the ditch between us and us going on, dividing the impinged lives of us and Nancy. â€Å"(Faulkner, 300) Thus, Faulkner describes the lives of the black and white people in the Southern world with great insight, emphasizing the essential freedom of man as of nature, and the impossibility to possess or reduce them and limit their importance. Works Cited: Abadie, Ann J. Faulkner in Cultural Context. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1997. Clark, Jim. â€Å"On Faulkner. † The Mississippi Quarterly. http://www. questia. com/app/direct/SM. qst Faulkner, William. Collected Stories of William Faulkner. New York: Random House, 1950. — Three Famous Short Novels. New York, Vintage Books, 1958. Singal, Daniel J. William Faulkner: The Making of the Modernist. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997. â€Å"William Faulkner†. http://www. kirjasto. sci. fi/faulkner. htm

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Literacy & Numeracy Difficulties

As stated by Robinson (Foreman, P. 2008), Difficulties with Literacy and Numeracy affect and influence all aspects of school achievement. It is the largest disability in the community. Literacy and Numeracy problems are not always visible. Intervention is needed earlier to ensure the learning gap is not enhanced. Children with learning difficulties need to be identified in the foundation years to enable early intervention. Learning difficulties in Literacy and Numeracy leads to a downward learning cycle; as a lack of achievement causes a lack of motivation and confidence, which causes a further lack of achievement (Hunter-Carsch 2001). Teachers need to recognise and respond by tailoring instruction to the student’s interests, put in the time to motivate students to read, by developing the student’s confidence and commitment. Teachers need to understand how students feel and how to support them. The interactive model approach is becoming increasingly accepted, as it uses both the whole word/stories and letter-sound association in learning to read. This enables all students to learn reading strategies in the learning environment, with the effective intervention using phonological, semantic and syntactic cues. Literacy difficulties affect numeracy learning. Students need to learn basic mathematics for sufficient skills to survive in daily living. This is an essential component of the NCLB Act. Students must understand the language and concepts of mathematics, along with the processes of basic problem solving. Mathematics requires a detailed word-by-word approach, (Henderson 2001;Jitendra et al. 1998), to ensure a student builds an understanding of basic mathematical language and concepts. To achieve the understanding of basic mathematics language and concepts emphasis needs to be placed on doing things that relate to the students life and everyday activities, using concrete materials that reflect this. Students with learning difficulties have memory deficits which impair their ability to memorise information, therefore instruction should focus on the ‘figuring out the number facts’ (Ginsburge 1997). Early intervention can also come from parental input using resources such as ‘Tool kits for Parents’. Students need to see that tasks are meaningful and be able to be confident to complete tasks. To do this activities and resources used are to be specific to the students’ needs and interests and be clearly demonstrated to them. Identifying materials and resources to their local community would enable this. This is backed by McMillan (2011) and Rief, S. F & Heimburge, J. A. (2006) Ch. 3 Understanding and Reaching Special Populations of Students. Reference list Carnellor, Y (2004) Teaching Mathematics to Children with Learning Disabilities, Encouraging Mathematical Success to Children with Learning Difficulties, 2004. Ch. 1 pp. 1-10. Social Science Press, Australia. McMillan, J (2011) Classroom Assessment – Principles and Practice for Effective Standards-Based Instruction, 5th Ed, Boston, M. A: Pearson. Rief, S. F & Heimburghe, J. A, (2006). How to reach and teach all children in the inclusive classroom (2nd Ed. ). San Francisco: Wiley. Pp. 36-40. Robinson ‘Understanding Literacy and Numeracy’ Ch. 7, pp. 247-254; 285-289. Foreman, P. (2008) Inclusion in action. Cengage Learning. Robinson ‘Developing Literacy and Numeracy Skills’ Ch. 8, pp. 303-308. Foreman, P. (2008) Inclusion in action. Cengage Learning.

Reflexion on Class Observation

The class I observed was a third grade and the topic was body parts. This was my first time observing this class. What immediately noticed and called my attention was the excellent classroom management that the teacher has. In spite of students are not in silence the whole lesson, of course; they are children, she is able to catch their attention when explaining, giving instructions and so on.At the beginning of the lesson, she caught students’ attention through a song that is related to the topic of the class. Also, she asks students to dance, which I think is excellent, because students were coming from the break with lot of energy and when they sang the song and move their bodies, they used that energy but at the same time they were focusing their attention on what the lesson was going to be about. Then, the teacher introduced keywords through flashcards.When she did it she asked students about what they saw in them and what I liked about it, is that she considers not just answers in English, but also in Spanish, but when they did it in Spanish she immediately said the word in English and asked student to repeat after her. When she was presenting the keywords she was putting them on the board and writing the names of every part of the body next to each flashcard and they were the whole lesson there, on the board, so when students had doubts they could resort to it.What I like about it was that it gave to students like a kind of confidence, because if they are shy and feel afraid of asking questions, they have the resources to answer the questions they could have by their own. Moreover, it can also provide independence to students when they are working on the tasks they have to do and in that way they can develop autonomy and do not depend all the time on the teacher. An aspect that I could notice and I consider extremely important in a Language class, is students’ participation.The teacher is always encouraging students to do so. During the les son she asked students to play a game. The class was divided in groups, each row was a group. The game consisted of changing the order of the flashcards and students have to rearrange them putting the flashcards in the correct place (where the word of the part of the body was) the teacher asks students to say a number and at random (according to the number) a child had to go to the board to match one of the flashcards. If it was good, they row gained a point.This activity worked out very well, students were very motivated to participate and they could internalize the keywords. In the post activity, the teacher includes numbers, a topic that students had learnt previously. I consider it as something interesting because students put into practice not just the contents that they have learnt during that lesson, but also their previous knowledge. What they had to do was draw a monster. It monster was very meaningful for students because the teacher and them decided how it was going to be .The teacher asked students to say numbers, she wrote them next to each flashcard and according to that they had draw their monster. For example if next to the flashcard of the head was a four, the monster had to have four heads. Students work very well on this activity but the teacher did not check it in the class and did not close the lesson either. The lesson ended and the students did not have time to think what they had learnt. In general I consider that the class was very good, but there are certain aspects that I would improve.On one hand, the teacher do not speak the whole class in English, I know it is complicated to speak the whole class in English, when the students does not manage the language, and that sometimes when we are in front of the class and students are not understanding we tend to speak in Spanish, for them to understand and also because of classroom management; if students are not understanding they lose their attention and start doing another things such as speaking, drawing, etc. ut I believe it is important to try and believe in students; the can understands. Maybe, what English teachers could do is acting and be very explicit with their body language in order to make students understand or try to guess what is being explained. On the other hand, I could realize that the teacher did not pay attention to the children with special needs in the classroom. She just ignores their necessities and acts as if all the children were able to understand at the same time and in the same way.There is no special attention on them, I know it is very difficult to focus your attention on one or two children with disabilities if you have forty more in the classroom, but I believe it is possible to integrate them, maybe adapting the materials or when you are monitoring students work you can go to the position of that student more frequent that the other ones, because with the ones that does not have special needs, you can check easily on the board, in g roups, orally in front of the class, etc.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Is the US government acting ethically towards detainees with regards Essay

Is the US government acting ethically towards detainees with regards to confinement, access to legal representation, torture methods - Essay Example But the ethical consideration in acting towards detainees with regards to confinement, access to legal representation, torture methods etc remain the most pertinent issues of the contemporary times in America. The widespread cases of in-house torture and in-human treatment of wartime prisoners and civilian detainees have brought to the fore the need for more effective measures of ethical paradigms and human rights. The Guantanamo torture of detainees and Abu Ghraib, unlawful detention of civilians and other such cases expose the human rights violations of American forces and homeland security. The aftermath of 9/11 has brought out ‘war on terrorism’ where torture of innocent has become a by-word for preemptive and preventive actions against future terrorist acts. The post 9/11 scenario has seen a marked paradigm shift in the outlook of the racial and religious background of the people and has especially been traumatic for persons of Moslem origin and Asians. The general motives of the terrorists in this country and abroad involve coercive tactics and unlawful intimidation of the government bodies to force the government to accede to their vested interest regarding political, ideological or religious demands. To safeguard people’s interests, new strategies and plans were required to be developed and enforced. US Patriotic Act was amended and renamed ‘USA Patriot and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act’ (USPA). It was made more stringent and extra statutes included with wide ranging terrorists relating offences like deliberate and destructive activity against the state or its people resulting in loss of life or property, money laundering, surveillance and detention of people under suspect of terrorist activities etc. with capital punishment introduced. Jane Mayer asserts that ‘United States made terrible decisions in the pursuit of terrorists around the

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Assignment Example Thus there exists a significant relationship between the content and the process. Content is one side of teaching on the science subject where you need to know what needs to be taught. The content is the knowledge side of the activity of teaching. This knowledge needs to be imparted in an effective manner in the classroom which suits the pedagogy of the students and generates an interest on the subject. For example, an adoption of the process of meta-cognitive discussions include discussing the strategies required to effectively disseminate the learning to the students creates a balance between the two concepts in the classroom. Setting ground rules, providing a road map, taking feedbacks from the students on their expectations followed by delivery of the educational content fulfils the objective of learning in a balanced manner. Answer 2 The five elements of effective adolescent literacy program are i) direct, explicit and comprehensive instruction, ii) effective instructional princ iples embedded in the content, iii) motivation and self directed learning, iv) text based collaborative learning, v) strategic tutoring. In elementary level grade, strategic tutoring is essential for effective adolescent literacy program. The teachings on science concepts are imparted through strategic instructions on reading and writing given to an individual and group of students. The requirements of the students are assessed in terms of their needs and expectations and strategic instructions are given to the students to suit their capacity of learning. For example, a group of students who may not be able to keep up with pace of progress of studies could be instructed separately to bring their reading and writing skills on the same platform. This helps to carry out the classroom program in elementary grade in an effective manner. Answer 3 A culturally responsive classroom environment celebrates the existence of different culture and languages in the environment. The activities to support culturally responsive instruction includes i) labelling of objects of the classroom like desk, chair, table by different languages, ii) inviting students from different cultural background to share stories of the culture and religion of their origin, iii) use of video clips of different regional sources in the course of learning, iv) having a world map or globe to promote acceptance of global views, v) using choral readings for students with limited fluency of language of instruction. During science classes in elementary grade, the invitation to students to share stories on scientific achievements of their countries would help to promote a culturally responsive classroom environment (Gay, 2010). Answer 4 The B-D-A framework of teaching is adopted by the teachers that are largely dependent on the students present in the classroom, the text that is to be studied during the course of education and the kind of activities that are to be performed in the classrooms. The three stag es of B-D-A activities are the before reading stage, during reading stage and the after reading stage. The purpose of the before-reading stage is to understand the knowledge and awareness of the students on the subject. The responses of the students are connected to the areas of learning through engagement in activities. For example, small groups of students are formed and are made to participate on activities related to science subjects and then feedback is taken from the students on t

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Managing Contention for Shared Resources on Multicore Processors Case Study - 1

Managing Contention for Shared Resources on Multicore Processors - Case Study Example As a result, they ran a group of applications on different schedules, paired differently such that each application had the opportunity to pair with the other applications. They ran each possible schedule in the same memory domain rather than as an individual entity. In doing this they managed to attain the actual degradation of each bench mark while sharing the same memory domain as another bench mark. They then compared the actual best schedule with the estimated best schedule, that is they compared the degradation of the estimated best schedule in relation to the actual best one. They concluded that high-rate-miss applications should not be combined with low-rate-miss applications. Zhuravlev et al.(2) adds that previous works meant to improve thread performance in multicore systems was based on cache contention as it was assumed that it was the main, if not the only cause of performance degradation. They also state that (Zhuravlev et al. 20) "in this context cache contention is suffering extra cache misses because its co-runner (threads running on cores that share the same LLC) bring their own data into the LLC evicting the data of others." As stated by (Federova et al. 45) when a thread requests a cache line that doesnt exist, then a cache miss is registered, and a new cache line must be allocated. Chandra, Guo, Kim and Salihin (nd, p1) indicate that the sharing of a cache by threads in multicore processors is important to prevent redundancy. However, when several threads share the same cache, they compete for the available cache space. The sharing of cache space isnt uniform and therefore, the performance of those threads that access less cache space is greatly reduced. Federova et al. (32) have throughout the analysis aim to prove that the best formula to avoid contention in multicore processor systems is by building a contention-aware scheduler. They state that assigning applications to cores depending on the best possible schedule, may

Friday, July 26, 2019

Investing in Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Investing in Energy - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that one reason for the oil foreign policy being different from the conventional Prisoner’s Dilemma game is that we are dealing with exchanges in the world’s political economy. One of the most common and fundamental interests of a multi-national corporation is the land rights on which oil can be produced and manufactured. Most of the oil consumed in the world today has moved from one country to another. It is, by far, the largest single commodity in international trade. This is why it is important. The Red Line Agreement of July 31, 1928, is an example in the history of oil co-operation, in which the United States did not get what it wanted in negotiations. Negotiations for the agreement began with the US and Great Britain squaring off for access to oil in the region that is now Iraq. At the end of World War I, the San Remo agreement awarded Britain mandate over Iraq, but the Americans opposed this. They claimed that since the war was won by the Allies collectively, oil exploration rights in the Iraq region should be shared. However, the British refused. Facing this impasse, the seven American oil companies decided to pursue their oil interests by official means through the Turkish Petroleum Company (TPC, later known as the Petroleum Company). Thus, negotiations with the TPC began in 1922, with the Americans actively pursuing the open-door policy. Essentially, it was in their interest to be assured that they had access to the oil regardless of the new developments that took place in oil production, in the Mesopotamian region. This was a critical time for the Germans and French since the US was making the transition from being one of the major providers of oil to one of the largest importers. One of the biggest problems for the American group and their pursuit of the open door policy is what is referred to as the â€Å"self-denying clause.† In the Foreign Office Agreement of 1914, the â€Å"self-d enying clause† prohibits owners of TPC from handling the production or manufacturing of crude oil other than through the TPC.

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Antibiotics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Antibiotics - Research Paper Example About eighty percent of all antibiotics available are used in agriculture, for the purpose of fighting infections and for promoting unhealthy but profitable weight gain. According to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural affairs, on-going low-dose administration of antibiotics can increase the efficiency and rate of weight gain in healthy livestock. Further, it is likely that the presence of antibiotics may change the composition of the gut flora in favor of healthy growth. However, there is a debate concerning the way in which gut flora are changed. It may be merely a change in species composition, reduction in numbers, or a combination of both. Some antibiotics given to healthy livestock may also improve feed consumption and healthy growing by stimulating an animal’s metabolic process. Jill U. Adams of the Los Angeles Times argues that many ranchers and farmers give tetracycline, penicillin and other antibiotics to healthy animals to avoid them from being sick . They also grow big after they use the antibiotics (Adams, 2012) Raising healthier animals can be unhealthful for humans. Experts recently reviewed most of the scientific writings on the subject of the use of antibiotics in animals and the health hazards in humans. They concluded that, the extent to which antibiotics in livestock use contributes to antibiotic resistance in bacteria that cause food borne diseases in humans is unclear. The experts asserted that wide scientific studies affirm that individuals are most probable to get resistant illnesses due to their own use of antibiotics. Concerning food borne infections, luckily, for most healthy persons, majority of food borne infections including those brought by resistant bacteria, are not extremely severe to require antibiotic treatment (Chiras, 2005). Nonetheless, to help limit potential risks, the Food and Drug Administration policies include a procedure to establish if using a certain antibiotic can increase resistance risk. FDA also enforces that if deemed suitable, conditions for the prescription of the antibiotic would hinder resistance development. However, meat consumers should always adhere to recommendations to avert the occurrence of food borne illnesses, such as thorough cleaning of food preparation regions, frequent hand washing, and cooking foods, especially meat to recommended temperatures. Overuse and misuse of antibiotics may create selective evolutionary pressure that favors antimicrobial resistant types of bacteria to increase quickly than antimicrobial vulnerable bacteria. This increases the chance for people to be infected by resistant bacteria. Since antibacterial drug use contributes to the growth of drug resistant organisms, these vital drugs should be utilized judiciously in both human and animal medicine to slow down the emergence of resistance. Meat from animals treated with antibiotics is the main source of pathogens in humans that are resistant to antibiotics. This is evidenced when the author writes that for about 40 years, FDA has been concerned that the use of antibiotics in livestock may be accelerating the increase of pathogens in humans that are not susceptible to doctor’s medication. In addition, he mentions that people infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria or pathogens seem to be more seriously ill and are not easy to treat (Adams, 2012). Pathogens that are resistant to antibiotic accounts for approximately $20 or more billion healthcare expenses in the United States yearly, inclusive of longer

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Supreme Court Holdings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Supreme Court Holdings - Essay Example United States, 365 U.S. 505, 509 -512 (1961).†2 â€Å"[This] however, [which held] that, when the Government does engage in physical intrusion of a constitutionally protected area in order to obtain information, that intrusion may constitute a violation of the Fourth Amendment even if the same information could have been obtained by other means.†3 The search and seizure in U.S. v. Karo was highly unusual. However, it was held that â€Å"[t]he evidence seized in the house in question, however, should not have been suppressed with respect to any of the respondents.†4 â€Å"The information that the ether was in the house, verified by use of the beeper without a warrant, would be inadmissible†¦invalidat[ing] the search warrant†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 5 So, even though the search warrant was eventually inadmissible, there was enough evidence that was pertinent to the case which was not tainted which allowed for the defendant to finally be prosecuted. â€Å"[This premise won’t] be violated,†¦no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the person or things to be seized.†7] To this writer, what is particularly disturbing is that the Fourth Amendment does not guarantee completely against unreasonable searches and seizures, as the plaintiff in Knotts and the defendant in Karo were both subject to actions basically without warrants. Further, what is more cogent is that one needs to impress upon those in power that the authorities must â€Å"obtain a search warrant from a magistrate by showing the need for it, and to conduct themselves according to law. This is an important guarantee of the right of privacy.†8 To the naked eye it seems that Constitutional rights were violated. In both cases, sufficient evidence was supposedly later found to corroborate with not having invaded personal privacy—and if personal privacy was invaded, Constitutional

Compare and differentiate the nature of the imagination in Tintern Essay

Compare and differentiate the nature of the imagination in Tintern Abbey by William Wordsworth and Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Essay Example erences could be more marked that in Coleridges â€Å"Kubla Khan†, and Wordsworths â€Å"Tintern Abbey†, two poems that are as different in tone, subject matter, and treatment that it seems possible for two poems to be. â€Å"Kubla Khan† is an elaborate and sensual adventure, it is fantastical and a phonic treat, conjuring amazing, startling images in the minds eye and enacting this creation through the medium of sybaritic, mesmerising poetry. â€Å"Tintern Abbey†, on the other hand, written as it is in blank verse, is more austere and more consciously philosophical. Its dominant mode is not that of the image, but of thought, its rhythm more steady. These differences, albeit whilst they mask some similarities, are indicative of Wordsworth and Coleridges divergent understanding of the nature of the imagination. For a large part of the critical history of â€Å"Kubla Khan†, the poem has been considered as something slight, when it was published it was considered nothing more interesting that a nonsense poem. This reading is certainly a mistake and one made, I imagine, because of a misunderstanding of how to read the poem. It cannot be read, or at least to understand its significance it should not be read, on an ordinary level, for its word by word, phrase by phrase significances. Rather the very motion of the poem, its exaltation in creation is its sense; the poems means of creation is equal to what is created. In other words, the meaning of this imaginative poem, a poem that the imagination has slaved long over, is imagination itself. If we see the imagination at work as that which is represented in the poem, then we can also decipher precisely what the nature of imagination is in Coleridges conception. For example, in the very first stanza we see Kubla Khan â€Å"decree† his â€Å"stately pleasure dome† (2). Note that he decrees it, he does not decree that it be built. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, its construction begins: â€Å"So twice five miles of fertile ground /

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Criminal Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Criminal Justice - Essay Example This dissertation will look into the case of state of Connecticut versus Jeff Jackson, which will outline activities that took place after the appeal in the Appellate court. It will also discuss criminal jurisprudence and honor of defendant’s proof of free from criminal charges beyond any reasonable doubt. The courts, in accordance to criminal justice, conduct justice operations in various ways that give a plaintiff a chance for probation revocation appeal and plea-bargaining that do take place in between the time of arrest warrant and sentencing (Connecticut, 2011). The laws of Connecticut were officially released on a date when a slip of opinion was the operative Appellate petitions and filing of cases was certified as a way acceptance appeals. In that date, Jeffrey Jackson appealed to the Appellate court for conviction of judgment, which was concluded by the jury in the trial court after his trial. Jeffery Jackson was given a warrant of arrest due to possession and use of n arcotic drugs and in violation of General Statutes that resulted to trial by court’s jury. After hearings, the defendant proved his innocence of allegations to a point of reasonable doubt (Connecticut, 2011). This had diluted the burden that required proof to take improper judgment. The Appellate Court on consideration of defendant’s claim, with the reversing of the judgment by the jury of the trial, Jeffrey Jackson requested for a new hearing in the Appellate court. Thereafter, the Appellate court accepted the request on a state’s petition that guaranteed certification to consider appeal, but with limited issues regarding the Appellate court (Katz, 2007). The court’s jury objection to statutory evidence that abided with criteria of operation in the law firm was not to be considered by the Appellate court. The jury objected to requests from the Appellate court regarding determination of overall judgment as per instructions referring to reasonable doubt. T he impermissible burden of proof was diluted improperly according to state of opinion set by the jury upon the Appellate court. While incarcerated at a correctional center, Jeff Jackson underwent strips of searches led by a correctional officer to provide reasonable evidence of possession of the narcotic drugs. The jury ordered a state of carriage of burden that required proofing substantial and empirical evidence. This involved blood tests from samples of blood from Jeffrey Jackson as well as tests for positive result from use of cocaine (Connecticut, 2011). Proof beyond reasonable doubt leaves the plaintiff firmly convinced that the defendant is guilty or not guilty, from the fact that the jury has absolute certainty for siding with the defendant, and not the plaintiff but constituting maintenance of judicial and law ethics. The procedural history was additional facts that were exceptional according to the defendants routines that involved carrying procedural activities most of th em that differed from the presentation given by jury’s ruling. The jury did not ordain a standard charge in the basis of reasonable doubt decision making and ruling as per the plaintiff’s charges (Connecticut, 2011). The reason as to why the jury did not describe reasonable doubt in the case of Jeffrey Jackson was the reasonable prudence that hesitated to perform more weighty cases that awaited the jury’s intervention. The court acknowledged difference in trial and sentencing in the

Monday, July 22, 2019

Gabriel Oak Essay Example for Free

Gabriel Oak Essay The minor character in the novel, such as the farm labourers and Bathshebas maids, although appearing to be insignificant and unimportant actually have influential and crucial roles to play in the novel. They provide the story with many aspects which help move the plot forward whilst bringing authenticity, humour and personal views to the tale. Undeniably the most important minor character is Liddy, she provides the reader with large amounts of valuable information concerning the personalities of Bathsheba from the conversations they hold. This is mainly due to the close relationship between the two, Liddy being Bathshebas maid. As a result, the characteristics of the latter are shown, not through narration which would be too crude and observable for Hardys style, but through conversations between the two. By using this method Hardy can exercise his trademark subtlety and let the audience come to their own conclusions concerning Bathsheba, that of which Hardy originally intended. A good example of this technique where by using Liddy as a medium in which the characteristics of Bathsheba are fed to the reader is at the beginning of the novel where we first come into contact with Bathshebas excessive vanity. The following quote was from a conversation between the two women on the subject of Oaks proposal: HHHHHHHHHHHHsad A man wanted to once, she said, in a highly experienced voice How nice it must seem! said Liddy, with the fixed features of mental realization. And you wouldnt have him? He wasnt quite good enough for me. Although Liddys main role is to provide the reader with the characteristics of Bathsheba, she has also serves the purpose of moving the plot along. In fact, one of the most essential developments in the story was sparked by a comment from Liddy, the decision to send Boldwood the Valentine card which later lead to his complete psychological breakdown: What fun it would be to send it to the stupid old Boldwood, and how he would wonder! said the irrepressible Liddy. Besides Liddy there are also many other minor characters that play important and influential roles in providing the story with the ingredients that contribute to making the whole book an attractive read. One of the most major roles that they play is their comments on the main characters and actions which take place. This was Hardys method of relaying information that have not been directly covered in the narration to the readers. The mindless chat of the labourers and maids provide us with essential gossip on the actions of the main characters but also they provide the audience their own views on the subject in hand. By giving the reader views from characters in the book, Hardy knew that this would inspire our own thinking upon the subject and they for us to form our own judgements. From those judgements, the majority of the reader will come to the same conclusion, that of which Hardy originally intended. Due to the predictions that the reader will be subconsciously making whilst all this information is relayed to them it creates an air of suspense as one waits to see if their prediction was correct. An example of this can be seen when Gabriel Oak first arrives in Weatherbury and is told about the story of the stealing balif by the rustics: As to shepherd, there, Im sure misess ought to have made ye her baily-such a fitting man fort as you be. This comment by Joseph Poorgrass makes the reader wonder if Bathsheba will indeed employ Oak as her balif. And automatically the audience moves to the question of whether Oak and Bathsheba will actually develop a relationship should Oak work for her. This is Hardys technique of ensuring interest from the audience, by using the comments of the rustics he is able to create curiosity and suspense in the story. Another example of Hardys style of parallels of what is to happen comes from a conversation Liddy and Boldwood hold after the town hears of the death of Troy: My mistress certainly did once say, though not seriously, that she supposed she might marry again at the end of seven years from last year. Reading this remark once again sparks the interest of the readers drawing them to the question: will Bathsheba marry again at the end of the seven years and if so who? Boldwood or Oak? However, despite the subtle intention of drawing attention from the readers the rustics also have a more basic objective of providing the reader of more understanding of the characters and the events. Especially, we learn more detail regarding the past of the main characters which gives us a more comprehensive understanding of the saga as a whole. In addition, from this knowledge more accurate pre conceptions are made and leads back to the point I suggested previously on the topic of drawing interest. We learn that Boldwood has had madness in his family and therefore gain a more perceptive insight into Boldwoods passion and obsession: Oh Coggan, said Troy, as if inspired by a recollection, do you know if insanity has ever appeared in Mr.Boldwoods family? Jan reflected for a moment.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Is Psychology a Science? Theories and Research Methods

Is Psychology a Science? Theories and Research Methods Is psychology a science? Discuss with reference to scientific method and bias in psychological research. Psychology can be viewed in a variety of ways as accords to the many schools of thought that pertain to psychology. From its origins in philosophy, psychology has undergone a variety of classifications. The major scientific paradigms born from philosophical enquiry were the school of empiricism and the school of rationality. Essentially, these two approaches dictated the direction that psychology must take if it was to be regarded as scientific. One of the first schools of thought in psychology was heavily concerned with its reputation as a scientifically validity enquiry. This was to be known as the behavioural approach to psychology or the behavioural perspective. The behavioural perspective was devised by Watson who used observation to determine evidence. As a consequence of according to the governing principles of objective scientific research, Watson rejected the notion of any internal psychological mechanisms as he believed that this could not be quantifiably measured (Miell et al, 2002). All Watson was interested in was the observable external phenomena, which meant the analysis of behaviour. Consequently, Watson placed an emphasis on psychology as primarily a learning phenomenon. A fundamental distinction that occurs within behaviourism is within this role of learning. Essentially, two approaches formed called classical and operant conditioning. Research into classical conditioning was defined by physiologist Pavlov who was also concerned with scientific analysis. Pavlov observed that in relation to certain stimuli dog’s behaviour could be conditioned through association (Miell et al, 2002). Using a dogs’ biological respons e to hunger, Pavlov was ble to scientifically demonstrate that there was a basic relationship between an observable stimulus and the animals learned response. Whilst in operant conditioning, Skinner was able to ascertain that there was a pre-conceived notion in the environment that led the animal to learn through a process of trial and error, which led to observable schedules of behaviour (Skinner, 1946/1990). In both classical and operant conditioning we can see that learning is defined as a scientifically observable and so provable modification of behaviour caused by association and manipulation of the environment. However, this approach clearly lacks greater insight into the role of the mind, its cognitive processes and also suffers from being based upon animal and not human studies. The cognitive approach addresses the human capacity to categorise, generalise and conceptualise certain phenomena. Primarily concerned with the functioning of the mind itself it engaged in the scientific analysis notions such as memory, perception and categorisation (Miell et al, 2002). Unhappy at the flaws in behavioural psychology, cognitive psychologist Bruner, devised a test to see how we mentally constructed categories. Unlike the objective approach of conditioning, Bruner suggested that this was an engaging intelligent procedure that was performed by way of hypothesis testing stages of acceptance and rejection based upon trial (Bruner et al, 1956). To be valued as scientific, a test involving a variety of shapes were used in a variety of conditions. Some of these conditions shared the same number of shapes, some the same colour of shape, whilst others shared the same number of borders. No two varieties were identical. From the results of this experiment, Bruner was able to sur mise that there were tw forms of cognition that had been present. Successive scanning, which tested one hypothesis at a time and conservative scanning, which sought to eliminate classes of hypotheses (Bruner et al, 1956). Unlike the behavioural approach, we can see from the findings and classifications of these studies that an attempt is being made to understand the intelligent human mind with regards to categorisation. However, categorisation is not accepted by everyone in the field of science and its objective validity does suffer from critical enquiry. For instance, addressing the empiricism versus rationalism argument, many have argued that the categories in the study are innate rather than learned (Chomsky Fodor, 1980). This strengthens the behavioural notion that the conceptual structure of the mind is open to interpretation, and so cannot be considered an entirely scientific approach to psychology. Another school of thought within psychology is that concerned with the social aspect. This is primarily interested in the role that social influence has on our behaviour. For instance, in the findings of a test put forward by Sherif, we can see the extent to which people will use the word of others and the resource of group norms to ascertain a truth about something. This is an important concept with regards to the influence of social norms as we can observe that our psychology is influenced by our conformity to social norms (Sherif, 1936). Similarly, a test devised by Asch revealed that conformity of an individual to a norm was indicative of individual identity (Asch, 1956). Similarly, research by Baron indicated that through a lack of responsibility that an individual felt to correct and deviate from a social norm an account could be made to configure their potential to conformity (Baron et al, 1956). Essentially, these tests revealed that the role of responsibility was based upon conscriptions o social norms, attitudes, beliefs and ideologies. However, these findings suffer from being based upon social norms and cultural constructs such as identities and beliefs and so cannot be considered universal, objective principles that would accord to the main scientific schools such as physics and chemistry. Another key school of thought is psycho-analysis and developmental psychology. Stemmed from Freudian theory, psycho-analysis and developmental psychology is concerned with the development of the subject’s personality in relation to underlying motives and mainly sexually based desires and conflicts (Freud, 1917/1973). Using a notion of base primordial drives, Freud put forward various schemas of development that dictated our personality and variations in our behaviours, such as conforming to social norms. The agents at work within these drives and the accompanying stages of development were commonly referred to as defence mechanisms. Defence mechanisms were put forward as being ways in which the subject could cope with the real and disturbing psychological issues that they had to face throughout life, such as anxiety and confusion. These mechanisms consisted of such concepts as denial, projection and regression and are commonly established psychological phenomena that infor the core rationale of developmental and psycho-dynamic paradigms (Freud, 1917/1973). Although these factors are well established concepts within mainstream psychology, they still depend upon a structural paradigm to be understood. Much criticism has come in the form of humanistic approaches who have suggested that these models of development are dependent upon the objectifying of the subject and that this approach is a convenient theoretical model rather than being scientifically accurate. Another school of thought is one that actually rejects objective science at its core. The phenomenological approach to psychological study is primarily based upon perception and subjectivity. Formed as a way of countering the empirical approach to psychology that had led to the field of cognitive psychology, phenomenological psychology suggested that knowledge was learned entirely from the external environment via lessons that were encapsulated in our experience (Merleau-Ponty, 1964). Detaching from the scientific notion of tabula rasa, which had dominated the opposing stance to the rationality of science, Merleau-Ponty looked at the notion of perception and in particular how it was informed by phenomena, rather than through observation of objects taken from their natural environment. Fundamental to this approach is the notion that everything we experience accords to the phenomena in which it is presented, and so objective science cannot tell us about our psychological experience. Th is approach most ertainly rejects psychology, as well as many other enquiries, as a scientific pursuit. We can see from these schools of thought that to call psychology a pursuit of objective scientific fact is flawed. However, we can also see that there is a strong emphasis in each case placed upon validity. Even the rejection of objectively defined scientific principles shown by the phenomenological approach gives indication that validity and limitation of enquiry are paramount, which is surely the premise of scientific analysis. Bibliography Asch, S, E., (1956) Studies of independence and conformity. Psychology Monologues, 70. Baron, R, S., Vandello, J, A., Brunsman, B. (1996) The Forgotten Variable in Conformity Research. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 70. Bruner, J, S., Goodnow, J, J., and Austin, G, A., (1956) A Study of Thinking New York: John Wiley and Sons. Chomsky, N., and Fodor, J, A., (1980) Statement of the Paradox, in Piatelli Palmarini, M. (ed.). Freud, S., (1917/1973) Introductory lecture on Psychoanalysis. Harmondsworth; Penguin. Merleau-Ponty (1964) The Primacy of Perception London: Routledge Miell, D., Phoenix, A. and Thomas, K. (2002) Mapping Psychology 1. Milton Keynes, Open University. Sherif, M., (1936) The Psychology of Social Norms. New Yoprk: Harper. Skinner, B, F., (1946/1990) Walden Two London: Collier Macmillan. Cell membrane: Structure and purpose Cell membrane: Structure and purpose BIOPHYSICAL CHEMISTRY ESSAY: CELL MEMBRANE STRUCTURE AND PURPOSE Introduction Cell membrane is a biological barrier that separates the interior part of the cell (i.e. the Cytoplasm, nuclei and the other cell organelle) from the outer environment, thus permits cellular individuality and also gives shape to the cell. This membrane is a mixture of lipids, protein and carbohydrates, therefore is a complex structure. The membrane is semi-permeable and thus only allows selective ions and molecules to go through it into the cell or leave the cell. This is achieved by formation of concentration gradient across the membrane, which many biological processes depend upon. The movement of the biological molecules across the membrane is either passive, which happens without the input of cellular energy or active transport that requires the cell to use energy. The cell membrane also helps in maintaining cell potential. Proteins of the cell membrane form the essential component of the biological membrane since they function as pores, channels or transporters. Proteins thus have the capability of selective passage across the lipid bilayer. Some proteins that are embedded in the cell membrane act as molecular signals and therefore carry out communication. They act as receptors and receive signals from other cells or from the external environment and elicit a response in the cell. Some proteins function as markers which aid in identification of unknown cells. The membrane also aids in intercellular interactions. The lipid bilayer of the cell membrane is only a few nanometres thick and is not permeable to most molecules that are soluble in water, and hence acts as a barrier to regulate the transport of ions, proteins and other molecules through the membrane. Since the phospholipid bilayer is not permeable to many ions, it helps in the regulation of salt concentration and pH by regulating the pumping of ions in and out of the cell via proteins called ion channel pumps. The Fluid mosaic model is the most widely accepted biological membrane model that was proposed in the year 1972 by Singer and Nicolson. Floating in the phospholipid bilayer are molecules of protein, which is analogous to icebergs floating in a sea. The model is referred to as fluid because of the lateral motion of the bilayer macromolecules, and is referred to as mosaic because of the different molecular components [1][2][3][4]. Purpose of cell membrane Cell membrane performs the following functions: Membrane Transport of Small Molecules: Transport proteins present in the bilayer can transport polar molecules through the membrane. There are various types of membrane transport proteins: Uniport This simply moves the solute from one side to the other side of the membrane. Cotransport This system moves two solutes simultaneously across the lipid bilayer. They are two types of this transport-symport (solutes are sent in the same direction) and antiport (solutes are passed in opposite directions). These transports are come under the category of passive transport where no energy expenditure is involved. Here the solute moves from a higher concentration to a lower concentration gradient. Examples of this include channel proteins, which allow the solute to pass if they are of a specific charge or size. Carrier proteins bind to the solute and help in its movement through the bilayer.[5] There are two main categories of transport of molecules are there in cells: Active transport Passive transport Small molecules like oxygen, ethanol and carbon dioxide pass through the membrane by simple diffusion (passive transport) down a concentration gradient. Transport of macromolecules like proteins, polynucleotides and polysaccharides is done by active transport using ATP, against the concentration gradient. There are two types of active transport : 1) Exocytosis Process by which waste substances are removed from the cell by vesicle formation and expulsion [6]. 2) Endocytosis- The molecule causes the cell membrane to bulge inward, thus forming a vesicle. Phagocytosis is a type of endocytosis where the whole cell is engulfed. Pinocytosis is another type when the external fluid is engulfed. Receptor-mediated endocytosis occurs when the material to be transported binds to specific molecules in the membrane. Example: transport of insulin and cholesterol into animal cells [6]. Cell signalling across the membrane Transmembrane signalling occurs through the generation of a number of signals like cyclic nucleotides, calcium, phosphoinositides and diacylglycerol. Specific signals of neurotransmitters hormones and immunoglobulins bind to the specific receptors on the membrane, which are mostly integral membrane proteins. This is the Ca2+-phosphatidylinositol signalling pathway which plays a major role in transmembrane signalling in a large number of different cell types. This pathway leads to the activation of G-proteins. This initiates activation of phospholipase C and the subsequent formation of DAG and IP3 which triggers the generation of repetitive [Ca2+] spikes [7]. Intercellular intractions Gap junctions are structures that allow the small molecules that are up to ~ 1200 Da to be transported from one cells cytoplasm to the other. These structures contain proteins called connexins. Six connexins form a hemiconnexin and two hemiconnexins form a connexon. These connexions in the gap junction form cylindrical bridges through which substances are transported between cells [1][8]. The Fluid mosaic Model: This model is the widely accepted membrane model. The membrane has a biomolecular lipid bilayer layer. There are proteins that are inserted in it or bound to the surface. Integral membrane protein is the proteins that are embedded in the membrane they play a key role as transporters for various molecules that cannot enter through the cell membrane. The integral proteins have an extra-cellular domain and cytoplasmic domain and are separated by a non-polar region that holds it tightly in the membrane. Proteins that are loosely bound to the to the outer membrane are called the peripheral proteins. Many of the proteins that are present and almost all the glycolipids have an externally oligosaccharides chains that are exposed outside the membrane [1][9]. The membrane fluidity very much depends on the lipids concentration in the membrane. The hydrophobic chains of the fatty acids are much aligned therefore giving it a stiff structure. The transition(Tm) is the temperature at which the transition takes place from ordered to disordered state, this is the change that happens in the hydrophobic side chain. Cholesterol affects the fluidity of the membrane. It increases fluidity below Tm and decreases fluidity above Tm. Modifications to the fluid mosaic model state that the lipids and proteins in the membrane are not randomly distributed. Randomness occurs when interaction energy of these molecules are close to their thermal energies. Since interaction energies cannot be in a narrow range due to large number of interactions, there is very less chance for randomness to occur. Hence the model was found to be more mosaic than fluid [10]. The modified view of membrane model is shown in figure 7[10]. Specialised structures in the membrane: There are some special features in the membrane like lipid rafts, caveolae, tight junction, desmososmes, adherens junctions and microvilli. These are found in the recent years of research. Lipids Raft is the area in the membrane that has relatively higher concentration of cholesterol, sphingo-lipids and some proteins, than the other parts of the membrane. It plays a major role in cell signal transduction. This is under research that if we increase the amount of this and clustering them closely may increase the overall efficiency of the cell. Caveolae are special types of lipid rafts. Many of them have protein called caveolin-1 that is involved in the process. They were observed under electron microscope and were found to be flask-shaped. Proteins that are detected in this also play a role in signal transduction, example is insulin. Proteins found in this also play in role in folate receptor. This field is a growing interest for research. Tight Junctions are present on the surface of the membrane and their major function is to prevent diffusion of macromolecules between cells. They are present below the apical surface of the epithelial cells. They are made up of various proteins including occludin, various claudins and junctional adhesion molecules [1]. Desmosomes also called macula adherens are the specialised cell structures for cell to cell adhesion. Their function is to resist shearing force. They are mostly found in simple and stratified squamous epithelium [11]. Adherens junctions are the proteins that usually occur at cell- cell junction .They are made up of proteins like cadherins, ÃŽÂ ²-catenin, ÃŽÂ ±-catenin and sometimes delta catenin. Their function is to provide strong adhesion between adjacent cells. They hold the cardiac muscle cells firmly together as the heart beats and do not allow it to collapse [12]. Microvilli are very small finger like structures found on the cell membrane. They are mainly found on the epithelial cells, they increase the surface area of the cells therefore increasing the absorptive capacity of the cells. Actin filament extends from the end of these microvilli [13]. Components of cell membrane Cell membrane is a complex structure and is composed of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids. Different cell membranes have different compositions. Lipids Phospholipids: There are two major class of phospholipids out of which in the cell membrane the phosphoglycerides are the most commonly found ones. Phospholglycerides are esters that are made up of two fatty acids, phosphoric acid and a trifunctional alcohol. Phosphoglycerides with sphingomyelin have Sphingosine backbone instead of glycerol. They play a role in signal transduction. They are prominent in myelin sheaths [1]. Glycosphingolipids: These are sugar containing lipids that are present in the membrane. They have a backbone made of ceramides. These are amphipathic molecules consisting of a ceramide lipid anchor linked to an oligosaccharide chain of variable length and composition [1]. They are required for proper functioning of nervous system. Determining their function will help to understand neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, immune function and diseases of metabolism [14]. STEROLS The most import sterol in the membrane is cholesterol. Proteins in cell membrane Integral membrane proteins: also called intrinsic proteins t has its some part of the protein embedded in the phospholipid bilayer. Most of these proteins have hydrophobic side chains that interact with membrane phospholipids fatty acyl groups. They are called transmembrane proteins if they one or more membrane spanning domains. The transmembrane proteins of the membrane spanning domains are made up of ÃŽÂ ± helices or multiple ÃŽÂ ² strands [8]. These proteins are made up of two hydrophilic and one hydrobhobic region. The hydrophobic region traverses through the bilayer. They are asymmetric in nature. The transmembrane region of many integral membrane proteins is made up of a bundle of hydrophobic ÃŽÂ ±-helices [7]. Their major role is as transporters, and are also structural membrane-anchoring domains. They function by transporting hydrophilic molecules through the membrane. Many Integral Proteins Contain Multiple Transmembrane ÃŽÂ ± lpha Helices [8]. Examples: Insulin receptor, Glycophorin, Rhodopsin, CD36 and GPR30. Peripheral membrane proteins: They are also called as extrinsic proteins; they do not interact with hydrophobic core of the membrane phospholipid bilayer. They are bound to the membrane by interaction with the intergral proteins or are bound to the bilayer outer lipids polar heads groups. They are only present in the cytosolic region of the cell membrane. They play an important role in signal transduction. Some peripheral proteins are localized to the surface of the plasma membrane, these are called exoplasmic proteins. Peripheral enzymes are involved in the synthesis of different membrane components like lipids , cell wall oligosaccharides , or proteins. Membrane peripheral proteins are of five types: Structural proteins, channel proteins, transport or carrier proteins, enzymes and receptor proteins. Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are attached to membrane lipids and proteins as short oligosaccharide chains. Proteins attached with sugar molecules are called glycoproteins and lipids attached with sugar molecules are called glycolipids. The carbohydrates form a protective coat called glycocalyx around the cell, which helps in cell recognition. Glycoprotein Glycoproteins are formed by glycosylation of proteins. There are two types: N-glycosylation (sugar links to nitrogen atom of asparagines residue) and O-glycosylation (sugar attaches to hydroxyl group of serine or threonine rsidues). Examples of glycoproteins found in the body are mucins, collagens, transferrins, immunogloulins, etc. Glycolipids Glycolipids are lipids linked to oligosaccharide chains. Examples include glycosphingolipids which contain a hydrophobic ceramide, N-acylsphingosine and saccharides. They are generally located on the outer membrane surface. The composition of the carbohydrate chain depends on the type of the cell and development of the organism.[9] Refrences: [1] Harper [2] http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/C/CellMembranes.html [3] http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/BioBookCELL2.html [4] http://www2.estrellamountain.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/biobooktransp.html [5] http://library.thinkquest.org/C004535/cell_membranes.html [6] http://library.thinkquest.org/C004535/molecule_transport.html [7] Chay, Lee, Fan, 1995 Appearance of Phase-locked Wenchbach-like Rhythms, Devils Staircase and Universality in Intracellular Calcium Spikes in Non-excitable Cell Models [9] The Fluid Mosaic Model of the Structure of Cell Membranes Cell membranes are viewed as two-dimensional solutions of oriented globular proteins and lipids. S. J. Singer and Garth L. Nicolson [10] http://www.cytochemistry.net/cell-biology/membrane3.htm [11] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmosome [12] http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/J/Junctions.html [13] Krause J. William (July 2005). KrauseHYPERLINK http://books.google.com/books?id=cRayoldYrcUCpg=PA37HYPERLINK http://books.google.com/books?id=cRayoldYrcUCpg=PA37s Essential Human Histology for Medical Students. Universal-Publishers. pp. 37-. ISBN 9781581124682. Retrieved 25 November 2010. [14] ] Glycosphingolipid functions: insights from engineered mouse models, doi: 10.1098/rstb.2003.1268 Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B 2003 358, 879-883 [15] [16] Endosytosis image: http://php.med.unsw.edu.au/cellbiology/index.php?title=2009_Lecture_6 excoystoisis http://cellbiology.med.unsw.edu.au/units/science/lecture0805.htm figure 1 Gap junction pic: http://www.cytochemistry.net/cell-biology/membrane3.htm cell membrane pic http://www.microscopy.fsu.edu/cells/plasmamembrane/plasmamembrane.html

Analysing a Company: DHL

Analysing a Company: DHL   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The aim of this strategic planning document is to thoroughly analyze a company and based on the analysis find the right strategy that fits the companys business purpose and mission. The right strategy, depending at what is directed, should help the company strengthen its position on the market; increase profits; help with further development. If a company implements a wrong strategy, it can cause bad damage or it can have huge financial impact on the company which could even end up in bankruptcy, which wipes the company off the market. The company chosen for this paper is DHL Express with focus on European region. DHL is part of the Deutsche Post DHL (further DP DHL) brand/group. The reason why I have chosen DHL for the Strategic Planning Document is that I have been working for DP DHL group for four years. I work specifically for IT Services which is the service line that internally supports the whole IT technology of the whole DP DHL group. ABOUT THE COMPANY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  DHL was founded in San Francisco exactly 40 years ago by 3 budding entrepreneurs Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom and Robert Lynn. It went from small company shipping papers by airplane from San Francisco to Honolulu1 to global company shipping EVERYTHING around the world. DHL delivers time-critical shipments as well as goods and merchandise by road, rail, air or sea. DHL transports courier and express shipments via one of the worlds most extensive networks to over 220 countries and territories. The company employs more than 300,000 employees all around the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  DHL Express provides wide range of easily accessible services and solutions for their customers; from transport of letters, information to transport of parcels and goods. It operates in more than 220 countries around the world and employs more than 100,000 employees. DHL Express is number one in Europe with 25% of market share. Brief history 2 1969 DHL founded by Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom and Robert Lynn in San Francisco; 1974 The first UK office opened in London. Globally, DHL had more than 3,000 customers; 1979 DHL extends its services to delivering packages. Only document services had been available until now. 1983 DHL is the first air express forwarder to serve Eastern European countries. An international distribution centre was opened in Cincinnati, USA; 1985 A state of the art hub was opened in Brussels. More than 165,000 shipments are handled per night 1998 Deutsche Post became a shareholder in DHL; 2002 Deutsche Post World Net became the major shareholder in DHL and 100% shareholding was completed by the end of the year. DHL: Our Company Portrait [online]. Available at www: DHL: Steps to success [online]. Available at www: 2005 DP DHL acquires Exel, the British logistics corporation. Exel primarily offers transport and logistics solutions for key customers; 2008 DHL opens new state of art European air hub at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany. DHL legally operates under Groups title defined as Deutsche Post AG and uses its brand name DHL. As previously mentioned DHL is part of DP DHL group and is formed by 3 divisions: Express, Global Forwarding, Freight and Supply Chain supported by internal services Global Business Services. Mail is a standalone division that is part of Deutsche Post brand. All four divisions together create Deutsche Post DHL as the picture below describes. DP DHL: Corporate Presentation, October 2009, p. 3 [online] Available at www. DHL has a divisional form of structure. The DP DHL group is organized into four operating divisions, each of which operates under the control of its own divisional headquarters. The Group management functions are performed by the Corporate Center. Management responsibilities are structured in accordance with decision-making, responsibility and reporting lines: Board departments Corporate departments Business departments Service departments Regions Departments DHL Express provides standardized products and services courier, express and parcel (CEP) both locally and globally depending on the country. Whether it is document or parcel, road or air, DHL Express provides several different types of services that are divided to four basic groups: 1. Same Day An immediate pick-up of a shipment by a dedicated courier, with an emergency delivery within the same day via a dedicated network. 2. Time Definite Express door-to-door delivery by a certain time on an overnight or next possible business day basis. 3. Day Definite Reliable door-to-door delivery within a certain number of days 4. Optional Services Shipping convenience with a range of optional services to support your express transportation DP DHL: Annual Report 2008, p. 22 [online] Available at www. DHL: Express Services Good afternoon [online]. Available at www: External Analysis Courier Express and Parcel (CEP) services exist in every single country around the world. It is neither country specific nor region specific industry. There are thousands of logistics companies operating locally or internationally around the world and Europe is not an exception. PESTLE PESTLE analysis is a view on external environment companies operates in. There are five external factors that influence life of organizations: Political environment, Economical environment, Socio-cultural environment, Legal environment and Environmental factor. The below PESTLE analysis focuses on CEP companies in European market. Political Environment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  European region is stable environment that is not affected by any significant political crisis in countries and no major changes in political structure are expected in near future. More than half of European states are integrated into European community, European Union and create one of the biggest single markets for trade and investment in the world. EU enlargement has removed border lines and has made trade and business more accessible for its members. It has brought greater opportunities for businesses, wider range of companies and benefits for their customers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  EU has created closer links with immediate neighbors and enables bigger exports, free movement of services, payments and capital for trade and investment. Prior liberalization in 90s there were many national postal operators acting as monopolies. EU decided to start postal reform that firstly completely liberalized CEP market. Liberalization has enabled both national postal operators (Post Offices) and private postal companies to enlarge their business portfolio into parcel and express market. This happens through acquisitions of well-established companies and smaller national companies. Exactly, as it happened to DHL through acquisition by Deutsche Post in 2002. Full liberalization in Europe will be completed by 2012 which gives current companies time to strengthen their positions, build new networks and gain wider portfolio of customers. EU has also built up confidence in European political and economical future of each member which enables companies to make longer term decisions, strategies and investment plans. Currently the CEP market is highly competitive and companies have to have capital to establish strong and powerful position in such an environment and have to have built up networks supported by the modernist technologies. Summary: Europe is stable environment where no major political changes are expected. Full liberalization of European postal market that will be finished by 2012 will bring more competition especially on domestic level. However, there is a potential to merge or acquire those companies operating in the local markets and increase market share. Big companies operating on international level have an advantage of built global networks and modern technology behind them. Economical Environment CEP is highly potential market and its growth is directly related to the level of GDP. Global trade is on the rising level and together with industrialization has made CEP services more important for majority of industries. Additionally, product life cycles have been reduced, quality awareness among customer is growing and in order to succeed companies are forced to maintain high quality standards. The global economic crises caused decline in economy and it has affected the entire logistics sector. Volume of shipments decreased and the recession slowed down the whole market. Even the big corporations have to fight with decreased revenues and change their investment plans and business strategies. Governments around Europe support investment plans by structural reforms and programs that encourage investors to invest. During the big economic crisis in 30s this did not happen and governments tended to act individually without multinational or even global cooperation. Todays economies learnt from those mistakes which help to lower the implications, increase customer demand and support start of growth. Due to the crisis companies changed their investment plans but did not stop them. Merges with smaller companies, agreements and strategic acquisitions represent one way of increasing the competitive advantage. Emerging markets represent big opportunity in long-term perspective. There is potential for investment and development in emerging markets and it is expected that industrialization will bring opportunities, the economy will growth and market for services will accelerate. The crisis negatively affects profits of every company on one hand but on the other hand big corporations with strong brand and position in the market have to exploit this opportunity. Smaller companies do not have potential to expand because they are in bigger risk of losing money or even bankruptcy if they fail. Big corporations are able to absorb that risk much easier. Companies have started to reduce cost and people have started losing their jobs. Restructuring of company structure is one of the way how to move forward. IT is core element of every company that operates in logistics industry. Companies have to invest huge amount of money to development and maintenance of their IT infrastructure. Recent trend leaves development in Europe and transfers hosting and maintenance of the infrastructure to Asia. Summary: Conclusion from the Economical environment analysis is that companies should not stop their investment plans because of economic crisis. It is important in current situation to strengthen position in the market and expand if possible. Emerging markets represent a potential of rapid economy growth. The risk of loss is the same for all companies but for big corporations is more acceptable. Reduction of cost is evitable for every company and restructuring or outsourcing are the ways of dealing with it. Socio-Cultural Environment The third aspect of PESTLE analysis focuses on forces within society. Social and cultural forces affect customers attitudes, interests and opinions. Companies must be able to offer products and services that aim to complement and benefit customers needs and wants. If they do not quickly respond to changes in society they will lose market share and demand for their product or service will decrease. Removing of border lines makes trade and business in Europe more accessible. Emerging markets are place that is constantly developing and rapidly growing. Although the infrastructure is not as developed as in Western countries, there will be improvement with economic growth. It is important for the company to establish its brand and achieve good and reliable image and service quality among its customers. The portfolio of services that is offered in developing countries is not usually complete and focuses on the biggest needs and wants of the business. Companies do not have the only affect and responsibility to their customers. There are different parts of society they are in contact with. There are needs of employees, investors and the society as a whole. Research Development department play an important role in this area. Customer satisfaction surveys, employee satisfaction surveys, market surveys help the company to build its brand and image, increase employees commitment and shape public awareness. CEP market and logistics industry play one of the key roles in the economic growth globally not only within European market. Increases in volumes of goods transport has lead to higher CO2 emissions which according to climate scientists have direct affect on global warming. It is social cost for the society and governments discourage those social costs with fines, taxes and legislation. Companies responsibility is to decrease these cost and work with more efficient and environmentally friendly means of transport. Social cost have negative affect on customers spending but could be balanced by larger offer of environmental friendly oriented products. Summary: Social forces affect customers needs and wants and it is important for the company to know it and benefit from it. Therefore the role of Research Development is very important. Company has to respond to changes in society quickly not to loose market share and demand for services. Customer satisfaction surveys, market surveys, employee surveys play important role in building companys brand and image in the market. Border lines have been removed within EU and services are more accessible in the whole Europe. Emerging markets represent an opportunity for companies to enter and establish their brand and image. Additionally, there are also social costs for the society that companies have responsibility for. The affect on environment is significant and companies role is to decrease those costs by working with more efficient and environmentally friendly technology which is then balanced by larger portfolio of environmental friendly oriented customers. Technological Environment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Technology environment is vital part of every business that rapidly moves it forward. Technological innovations have changed the world and manner in which every business operates. Technology has created society expecting immediate results. Information exchange between customers, companies, people or any stakeholders is faster. That gives benefit to businesses as they can react quickly to any changes in the operating environment. However, the ability to quickly react also brings extra pressure on companies because they are expected to deliver on time and without any delays. Customers in service industry have to continuously face new challenges in planning, managing and monitoring their business processes. Companies in CEP market (and not only there) started offering customized logistics solutions to meet challenges: for example safety transport of sensitive products such as pharmaceuticals and vaccines to the healthcare industry done within a temperature-controlled environment. Operations in logistics industry is not only about cars, vans and aircraft there are other parts of infrastructure that needs technological development and improvement: posting, collection, sorting, transport, warehousing, delivery and last but not least Information Technologies. IT is core. Speed and reliability are key success factors to be able to meet standards and quality and gain advantage among competition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is important to pay special attention to IT area because service industry is fully dependent on it. Companies invest huge amount of money to development and maintenance of their IT infrastructure. As mentioned above IT is one of the key elements for logistics and operations processes. Systems must be accessible and available at all times; security is evitable unauthorized access to data and data manipulation must be prevented, to ensure that software is not delivered with defects or too late. Companies have to fight with decreased revenue and reduce their cost in times of economic crisis but importance of IT technology is so significant that they cannot stop investing in it. Otherwise there is a threat that they will fall behind and loose their market share.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Outsourcing or in other words subcontracting is a way of reducing cost in IT area. Development of new technologies, software or applications goes to another organization. Usually, the company is specialized in software development. Or hosting and maintenance of applications or services are transferred to another company. The decision whether to do in-house or outsource is often based on achieving lower production cost and usage of available resources in better way and focus energy on the core competencies of the business. Summary: Modern technology and environment is key to success of the company that helps to maintain or gain competitive advantage. IT is the most important technology factor for logistics business because speed and reliability are equal to success. However, there is an indisputable constant threat of falling behind.Investments to the modernist technologies are evitable and in times of economic crisis are much more important then anytime before. Company has to decide if it runs internal IT organization or if it outsources most of the services and reduce cost. Legal Environment Legal rules play a role in nearly every aspect of companys operation from state regulations through contracts to treatment of employees. Legal factor is very important because companies work within legislative framework where legislation can either place numerous obligations or can create market conditions beneficial for business. CEP market is regulated by Postal directive applicable in all EU states. Full liberalization process will be completed by 2012 which gives current companies time to strengthen their position, build new networks and get more customers before new competition arrive. CEP market was fully liberalized during 90s and no special license or authorization is required in most of the EU countries. Ten states of EU require companies to receive explicit decision of National regulatory authority that is called general authorization that enables them to start operating in those countries but it does not represent a barrier. General authorization document contains several conditions that are related to e.g. confidentiality of correspondence, restrictions on transport of dangerous goods, data protection standards, etc. As I said previously there are social cost for the society that must be balanced by companies obligations in terms of fines, taxes and additional legislations related to regulation of aircraft noise, regulations concerning emission standards, obligations to reduce greenhouse gas that forces companies to invest into more environmentally friendly means of transport. Summary: Legal factor is important for operations of every company. Companies have obligations like directives, taxes and rules that they must be aligned with to be able to operate in the market. Legal factor can either place numerous obligations on the company or can create market conditions beneficial for business. Liberalization is an example of the benefit. Removal of border lines together with liberalization enabled building and strengthening of positions in the logistics market. There are no special and expensive authorizations necessary in CEP industry which is another benefit for companies. On the other hand there are obligations that balance the above benefits in terms of fines, taxes and directives that are mainly related to environment. Companies are forced to invest into environmentally friendly operations. Environmental Analysis Transportation industry causes major impact on the green house gases in the atmosphere. Mobility has increased and brought many indisputable advantages that must be weighed against the social, economic and environment costs it causes. Countries issue legislation that forces companies to reduce emissions. Companies have started implementing projects that help them to find out ways how to reduce pollutions and to be compliant with issued legislation. Transportation companies are dependent on fossil fuels and to reduce their dependency they have to look for commercial vehicles and aircraft powered differently or non-conventionally. Change of vehicle is not the only option that would reduce air pollution there are other ways that companies could take: to make their business more efficient and effective, to reduce shipping time, to take uniform approach, to offer climate-neutral products or train employees. Research Development department plays important role in those projects because it helps to come up with new ideas, technologies, procedures and processes. Summary: Transportation industry has great effect on air pollution globally. It is undisputable fact and companies are forced to fulfill the requirements of governments to reduce their contribution on pollution of the global environment. Companies have started implementing projects that help them fulfill those requirements. Research Development department is key to the success of it. PESTLE Summary Based on the PESTLE analysis I have identified opportunities and threats that will be taken into account during the SWOT analysis. Opportunity: Full liberalization of European postal market that will be finished by 2012 brings new opportunities to increase market share by acquisitions or merges with other logistics companies or newly liberalized companies. Established companies wit big market share, global network and technology have competitive advantage. Opportunity: Border lines have been removed within EU and services are more accessible in the whole Europe. Emerging markets represent a potential of rapid economy growth therefore it is an opportunity for companies to enter and establish their brand and image and gain bigger market share. Threat: Role of Research Development department in the company is very important. Company has to respond to changes in society quickly not to loose market share and demand for services. Customer satisfaction surveys, market surveys, employee surveys play important role in building companys brand and image in the market. Threat: In times of economic crisis economy slowed down and revenue decreased. Reduction of cost is evitable for every company and restructuring or outsourcing are the ways of dealing with it. Threat: Social costs represent a responsibility of companies towards society. The affect of transportation and logistics companies on environment is significant and companies role is to decrease those costs by working with more efficient and environmentally friendly technology which is then balanced by larger portfolio of environmental friendly oriented customers. Companies are forced to invest into environmentally friendly operations by fines, taxes and directives placed by governments. Therefore, companies have started implementing projects that help them fulfill those requirements. Threat: Modern technology and environment is key to success of the company that helps to maintain or gain competitive advantage. IT is the most important technology factor for logistics business because speed and reliability are equal to success. However, there is an indisputable constant threat of falling behind. Investments to the modernist technologies are evitable and in times of economic crisis are much more important then anytime before. The role of Research Development is evitable here. Porters Five Forces   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Courier Express Market is highly competitive market and its growth is directly related to growth of GDP. Customers of logistics companies are demanding. Technology improvements reduce product life cycles, quality awareness among customer is growing and in order to succeed companies are forced to maintain high quality standards. DHL Express has three biggest competitors in CEP market. They are UPS, TNT and FedEx. As you can see in the Picture 2 below DHL Express has the highest market share of 25% as a single company in Europe. All four major competitors operate internationally and have global network with good and modern technology behind them. The picture below also shows us that third of the European market is dismantled among small and medium sized companies that operates independently. European market portrait Customers of logistics companies vary from individuals to big industrial or manufacturing companies. All of them expect that the delivery service will be simple and convenient and that the delivery will be on time without any delay and in a good quality. Customers are more and more demanding because range of suppliers is broadening and they are looking for customized and innovative solutions for delivery of their goods. DP DHL: Annual Report 2008, p. 58 [online] Available at www. The range of offered products is wide but could be introduced in three basic categories: Courier services are fast, door-to-door pick up and delivery services of high-value goods or urgently required documents. Express services are time-sensitive, usually guaranteed services and have delivery time a specific day (in general the next day) and/or specific time. Parcel services are the transport of largely standardized packages with usually non-guaranteed delivery time of 2-3 days (Time-definite and Day-definite) Porters Five Forces mode will help me to analyze five forces that influence the logistics industry and better understand the environment in which DHL Express operates in and competitive advantage the company has or could gain. Threat of New Entrants HIGH   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  CEP market is large and very attractive to business. Everyone needs to deliver package or parcel. Everyone needs to use courier. Logistics industry is important and dominates to the service sector. It is very easy to entry. There are no special legal barriers, patents or licenses necessary to run the business. There are exceptions as described in PESTLE analysis but those exceptions do not represent impossible to achieve requirements. The market is still growing and there is an assumption that will grow further.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are no border lines among members of EU which would threaten new companies to enter the CEP market. Company that wants to succeed in such a competitive environment has to have a good network that enables it to operate on local and international level. Good network requires time and financial investment. High technology standard is must. Companies have to protect themselves from the threats of new entrants therefore it is important for them to find ways to turn disadvantages in their favor. They have to capitalize from their historical experience and try to find better ways to provide their service. Current big players in CEP market are well established leaders that have significant cost advantage that is unavailable for the new entrants. Large companies have buying power that allows them to offer discounts to their customers. Simply, bigger the business is lower average unit cost they are able to produce. Customers loyalty is another important factor that increases barriers to entry for other competitors. Loyal and satisfied customer will be unlikely tempted to go to competitors or new entrants. Established companies usually do business set on long-term partnerships and contracts. The basic rule says that customers get everything they need or want.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many advantages that economies of scale gives to big corporations but there are also limitations that must be taken into account. Those limitations give competitive advantage to smaller and medium sized companies. Large companies are very complex and with higher complexity the product range is widening. This makes it difficult to succeed and be the best. Specialization and innovative ideas are crucial. Large companies are also known for their high level of bureaucracy which gives smaller companies big advantage because they can satisfy customer faster and it is what matters in logistics industry. Also large companies have thousands of employees with different labor relations in every country which causes additional legal cost. In case of powerful workers union it can decrease power of the company and make their operation more difficult especially in time of restructuring.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As I have mentioned modern technology is an important factor that significantly helps to increase market share and creates more barriers for new entrants. Outsourcing or off shoring are possibilities for companies to take advantage of other economies of scale and use their buying power and specialization in favor of further development. Summary:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In summary, logistics market is large and is attractive to business because when GDP grows the demand for services grows. There is no special barrier to entry. In fact, it is very easy to entry. The market is still growing and there is an assumption that will grow further. Successful companies have built networks that enable them to operate on local and international level. Good network requires time and financial investment. High technology standard is must. Historical experience and appearance in the market is an advantage for companies like DHL. Big companies and corporations use economies of scale in their favor. Bigger company can provide higher discount and has lower profit. Customers loyalty is another important factor that increases barriers to entry for other competitors because of long-term partnerships and contracts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the other hand there are also disadvantages for big companies that must be taken into

Saturday, July 20, 2019

The Luddite Revolt :: European Europe History

The Luddite Revolt England at the Turn of the Century At the beginning of the 1800's England was still largely an agricultural country. Frank Ongley Durvall in his text, Popular Disturbances and Public Order in Regency England, states that "over half the population [was] living in the country"(12). In London there were over one million dwellers. Nevertheless, this city's population comprised only one-tenth of the entire population of England. Aside from London, most cities and towns contained only several thousand people, where the average household size was between five to six persons. The transportation of products and people around the nation was limited in part by the fact that the English population was still predominantly dispersed throughout the countryside and that most goods were still being made locally. However another factor that limited transportation was its relative lack of modernization. At the turn of the century England had yet to establish a railroad system. The primary means of shipping goods was either by boat using canals or by horse-drawn cart on roadways. Meanwhile, travelers depended upon either their feet or horse-drawn carriage to get them where ever they wished. As I briefly mentioned above during this period most industry was located in the country, with the majority of work taking place in the home work-shops of craftsmen. Any manufacturing plants that did exist at that time were water powered. These factories were usually small and only employed a handful of workers. The major industries at the beginning of the 1800's were textiles, hosiery, lace, iron mining and manufacture, ship building, and coal mining. Yet, agriculture was still the number one business, with some 35 percent, or more, of the populace of the island working in it(14). In many villages craftsmen would not only work making goods but would also cultivate small private lots. From these household plots they would harvest crops for their family's consumption and for trade. If these craftsmen did not own their own plot they would join others in tending to a communal field from which all members of the community could partake of the harvest. Because of this agriculturally powered economy most businesses remained predominantly local. Business owners were usually residents of the town where their businesses were located, so that they had a material interest in the prosperity and success of the town. This localization of business, along with industry, allowed for a harmonious connection to develop between the owners and their workers.