Faithful Elephants Book Review Essay

Greed. Fear. Anger. These traits define the human being. No matter how rational, how sensible or reasonable a person can be, these attributes linger about them, silent, like a shadow. In times of peril, when pressure is great, often people are unable to control their savage inner instincts, and these characteristics explode out of them, gripping them tightly, seizing them from the inside, consuming them. When that happens, the human being can become unpredictable and volatile. And with them, follows great sadness. Many of these traits, and more, are present in the book ‘Faithful Elephants’, causing the lives of three innocent animals to be taken. The protagonists of the story – John, Tonky, and Wanly – are forced to endure such pain, paying for others sins. Despite this, they are still faithful and loyal to their once-loving masters, even though they have been betrayed over and over again by them. Spun from the hands of Yukio Tsuchia, Faithful Elephants begins with a startling bout of activity – it is staged during WWII, at the climax of the war. The leaders of Japan, afraid of Allied bombings, declared that all vicious or harmful animals were to be killed. Should a bomb detonated near the zoo, the animals might have escaped, and harm the general public. This was enforced in all zoos, and the Tokyo zoo was no exception. Gone were the tigers, lions, bears, and snakes, all poisoned to death. It gave the zookeepers great pain, but they were kept a stern eye on by the government, and were forced to kill the animals. Finally it came to the day in which the three Elephants were to die. Due to the fact that the elephant’s were smart enough not to eat poisoned food, and also strong enough to not be effected by poison syringes, the zookeepers decided to starve the animals to death. They could often be seen performing their ‘Bonzai’ trick, which normally would have earned them food and water. Alas, even though the keepers did all they could to try and keep the animals alive, the elephants, as innocent and pure as they were, died later. After inspection, they were found without a single drop of food nor water in their shrunken stomachs. I personally think that this story reflects how damaging conflict is to people. The Japanese public were hurt, the keepers were hurt, the Elephants, mere animals, were hurt. It displays the voracity of human beings, and their warmongering instincts. I believe that this should never happen again to anyone or anything on the globe. Such damage, as devastating it is physically, strikes a huge mental blow into the minds of commonpeople. Everyone is effected, with us all paying the toll of the wars. Hopefully, this will truly be the ‘war-to-end-all-wars’ and remind the people of earth to strive to solve conflict peacefully, with minimum use of force. Of course, this will be very hard to do, but I have a strong confidence that we will be able to accomplish this goal. During the reading of this book, I was both deeply touched and angered. How could such a horrendous thing happen? Instantaneously, words sprang to my mind as I read on. Betrayal. Devastation. Torture. These three words burned a hole in my mind, mentally fusing into my thought. It would be less cruel to shoot them, or hang them. Causing them to endure such pain is an unthinkable prospect, something I am sure the zookeepers would agree with. However, this is a valuable lesson to people, as I know people understand. Already, we have formed peacekeeping organizations to promote harmony and tranquility, the most famous of which is the UN. With these considerations in the minds and hearts of our people, I hope that this will teach us that we do not benefit from war. I also must stress how deeply I had thought about another message from the book – the value of life. No mater how large, nor how small, animals and humans alike should all be treated equally. The zookeepers in the book understand this, having treated their animals with respect and care. Animals have limited lifespans too. We often mistake them as ‘dumb’ or ‘without feeling’. This is not true, as obviously stated by the book. The animals were still loyal to their masters, and were smart enough to attempt to find a way for the masters to feed them, shown by their performance of the ‘bonsai’ trick. As I read the book, I was stunned. I could really feel like I was in the action, with scenes swirling into my mind. The author could really paint a vivid picture in my head, with both detail and suspense. I was also amazed simply because when I had read the book, I had almost begun to believe that I was the main character, I was in the middle of the action. And I am not talking about being a zookeeper, either. I was imagining I was an elephant. I could imagine their strong, bulky bodies shrinking to dull husks. I could imagine their deteriorating health, their pleading ‘bonsai’ trick performances. I was completely astonished. This book reminds me of another book I read, â€Å"When My Name Was Keoko†. In the book, one of the main characters also dies, having being forced into the war. Both the Elephants, and When My Name Was Keoko’s character, die, despite the fact that they are completely innocent. They die simply because of the war, because of other’s greed. Overall, I really loved this book. By fusing a cleverly created plot, real facts, painstaking detail and a good narrative voice into the story, I was captivated by this book. I would personally recommend anyone who would need a good book to read this one, and it is one of the best and most moving books I’ve read in a long while. A great read.

From Classical Hollywood to New Hollywood Essay

The movies Rebel Without a Cause and Bonnie and Clyde offer two prime examples of the difference between â€Å"Old Hollywood† and â€Å"New Hollywood. † Rebel Without a Cause was released in 1958 and, although it pushed the envelope for movies at that time, it still was very much a depiction of â€Å"Old Hollywood. † Bonnie and Clyde released in 1967 was one of the first films of â€Å"New Hollywood† in that its style, acting and storyline moved it into a new generation of filmmaking. In this paper I will analyze these two films and contrast their different styles and also show how Bonnie and Clyde set a new standard in the filmmaking industry. I will also look at readings from class and draw from them in order to back up my discussion. Rebel Without a Cause (Old Hollywood) â€Å"If I had one day when I didn’t have to be all confused and I didn’t have to feel that I was ashamed of everything. If I felt that I belonged someplace. You know? † (Rebel Without a Cause, 1958). This quote was from the protagonist Jim Stark who is a 17 year old whose parents just moved to Los Angeles. His parent’s fight often in front of him and his mother is very domineering toward his father and Jim doesn’t like this. He feels his dad is not man enough to stand up for himself and he sees him as being week. Even though his father loves him a lot and shows him affection, Jim wishes he was more of a man. Throughout the movie he tries to tell him that he needs to just stand up for himself and set a good example for his son, but his father doesn’t get it. He’s just too used to being bullied around by his mother. Jim even goes so far as to say that he never wants to end up like his father. This was just one of the many films during the fifties that depicted the youth of America as being insubordinate and not having the same moral makeup as past generations. This film also looks at parenting styles and how they affect the youth at that time. The main character Jim continuously gets into trouble as a result of his confusion and detachment from his parents. The style in which the film was made goes right along with what was being done in that era. The acting, at times, was very over dramatic and the dialog was sparse and very â€Å"clean†. The high school kids were rebellious and got into fights, but there is very little blood and the discourse was very civil. Up until the fifties, the movie business had grown exponentially and was dominated by about eight different studios located in Los Angeles. Small budget films were being made at the time but wouldn’t make money simply because the â€Å"Giants† had all the talent and money to produce large-scale productions. At that time it was also accepted that the larger the amount of money put into a film, the more it would make. It was published to the public amounts that were invested into the films (Maltby, 113 – 125). In the postwar period, the foreign market became an even more important source of income to Hollywood. By the early 1960’s foreign sales generated about half of the majors’ revenues†¦but instead of bringing European stars to Hollywood, American production migrated abroad (Maltby, 127). So part of â€Å"New Hollywood† was it’s presence abroad and actually filming and producing films in foreign nations. However, not many were ready for the movie that, in essence, changed how filmmaking was done. Bonnie and Clyde (New Hollywood) â€Å"This here’s Miss Bonnie Parker. I’m Clyde Barrow. We rob banks. † (Bonnie and Clyde, 1967). Directly influenced by the â€Å"French New Wave† style of cinematography, Bonnie and Clyde broke all of the rules associated with â€Å"Old Hollywood†. The film portrayed sex and violence on a graphic level not really ever seen before. And, although, the movie started out as sort of a comedy, it quickly turned dark as the violence began. Many different societal taboos were broken regarding sex and violence. This new style also included a more â€Å"real† form of filming in that it was more graphic and the filming itself was more choppy. The comedic way that it depicted violence along with its quickly shifting tone toward the dark side of violence was something new at the time. Since the production of Bonnie and Clyde many others followed suit in its overt display of sex and violence in the movies. â€Å"The impression created is one of restlessness, edginess and a palpable sense of sexual hunger and longing† (King, 12). Clyde is a thief that meets up with Bonnie while he’s trying to steal her mother’s car. She falls in love with him and they go on a bank-robbing spree together. As they get better at what they do, the level of violence is escalated and the amount of gore depicted in the film rises. Sexual overtones are constant and this entire concept of glorifying sex and violence on film was brand new at the time. During the late fifties and sixties, times were tumultuous in America and Hollywood cinema reflected that. Making connections between Hollywood movies and the times in which they appear is not as straightforward a business as it might often appear. Sometimes, however, the case seems more clear-cut; the times are such that they appear to impose themselves forcefully on our consciousness, unmistakably invading the terrain of popular entertainment such as Hollywood cinema (King, 14). Because of social events and tragedies that were taking place in that era such as the Kennedy assassinations, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, people were longing for films that helped express how they were feeling. Conclusion Both movies were epic pictures that were preserved in the United States Library of Congress’s National Film Registry and even though their release dates were only twelve years apart, watching them makes you feel as if they were made in completely different eras – which, in fact, they were. Rebel Without a Cause, arguably James Dean’s best film, sort of represents the innocence of America at that time. You feel as if you are watching something that would be rated G today, or would be on the Disney Channel. Bonnie and Clyde represented the direction that America was moving in. People might not have been ready for it at the time, however, they went to the theaters in drones to see it. It was the start of a brand new era in filmmaking and stands to be one of the founders, if not the founder, of New Hollywood today. Works Cited Bonnie and Clyde: Memorable Quotes. (1967). Retrieved from http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0061418/quotes King, G. (2002). New Hollywood Cinema: An Introduction. New York: I. B. Tauris & Co Ltd. Maltby, R. (1995). Hollywood Cinema. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Rebel Without a Cause: Memorable Quotes. (1955). Retrieved fromhttp://www. imdb. com/title/tt0048545/quotes

Cog. Psyc wk2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cog. Psyc wk2 - Essay Example List the factors that influence attention when performing this task and why they are of influence. There will be several factors which will influence an individual undertaking writing and reading at the same time. The first of these is how effectively an individual can divide his conscious attention between these two demanding tasks (Spelke, Hirst & Neisser, 1976). This factor greatly influences the multitasking ability of an individual as it is central to his ability to perform. Another factor in terms of dual-task interference results because of the presence of a single channel bottleneck which will frequently cause a delay in the response. This influences the individuals’ performance because supposing we ask them a question while they are performing it will lead to a possible pause, delay or error in their work as they strive to respond to your question (Mei-Ching, Ruthruff, and Johnston). In terms of attention the locus of this bottleneck (asking a question) in a personâ⠂¬â„¢s information processing system can either translate into a perceptual limitation ( it takes them time to formulate a response) or response limitation ( it delays the time it takes for them to respond or they respond in a limited way by nodding or shaking their head). Then, describe three things that can be done to increase attention when engaged in the situation. The first thing that can be done to increase attention when engaged in multi tasking is by practicing the tasks in a routine. Because the brain cannot fully focus when multitasking, people take longer to complete tasks and are predisposed to error. The essence of multi tasking through practice hence unconsciously induces an element of becoming automatized in their behavior. That is, when people attempt to complete many tasks at one time they are in fact rapidly going between them (Meyer 2003). Second by extensive undertaking of the task one can bypass the central bottleneck (distracters). Studies by Spelke, Hirst, and Neisser (1976) prove that due to the formulation of a pattern in their reading while accurately transcribing spoken words subjects were able to clump the activity as if it were a single unit. Take driving for example; by the formulation of a pattern (driving the car) the individual reaches a level of automatization which enables him to multi task (drive as well at perhaps talk on the phone). Initially for a new driver the aspect of driving itself was the combination of a number of processes (shifting gears, using the brakes etc) (like a conjunctive search) until through practice he was able to see it as one unit ( kind of like a feature search). This brings us to the third aspect of the visual-search ?ndings which aim to increase attention by suggesting that certain perceptual processes can operate in parallel after practice (Spelke et al, 1976). An implantation of this visual search aspect strives to improve our ability to multitask by utilizing the aspect of task familiarity. Ref erences Mei-Ching, Ruthruff, and Johnston. Attentional Limitations in Doing Two Tasks at Once. Oregon State University, University of New Mexico, and NASA Ames Research Centre. Retrieved form: http://www.unm.edu/~ruthruff/Lien%20Ruthruff%20Johnston%20CDPS%202006.pdf Spelke, Hirst & Neisser. 1976. Learning to Multitask. Retrieved from:

Cash Flow Statement Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cash Flow Statement - Coursework Example When the business makes repayment of principal loan, the repayment is made from the net income or earnings. This transaction is not included in the cash flow because they are going toward settlement of business loan. Net income is prepared based on the general accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Under the accrual accounting principle, expenses are matched with revenues earned in that accounting period (Rich, 2010, p. 56). For instance, a business purchase and pays for merchandise in May, assuming that the merchandise remain in inventory until it is sold in November (end of the accounting period of the business). To this end, business’ net operating cash flow decreases in May when the business pays for the merchandise. However, the net income figure decreases in November when the cost of goods sold is matched with the November sales. Question 2 The main difference between direct and indirect method of cash flow is on the presentation of net cash flow from operating activities. Operating cash flow under direct cash flow statement adds major operating cash receipts and subtracts major operating cash payments. The cash payments are subtracted cash receipt of the business to arrive at the net cash flow from operating activities. The two companies are consistent in using the indirect method of cash flow statement. In addition, EA GAMES and UBISOFT recorded an increase in the net operating cash flow activities due to increase in net income and proper management of working capital.

Magnolia Therapeutic Solutions Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Magnolia Therapeutic Solutions - Case Study Example Question 1 How could your decision be compared to the board’s decision? Why did you make this decision? What effect did organizational infrastructure and culture have on your decision? Definitely, I would not approve the budget. In the first place, I would find considerable support of my decision prior to my approval of it. There must be reliable references or supporting evidences needed in the first place in order to justify my decision. A budget needs to have substantial references or supporting facts in order not to have a shortfall or over calculation in the future. Thus, it should guide and even predict future actions or moves (Hutton & Phillips, 2009). In the case of Mary Stewart’s decision, she failed to consider the point that her assumption would be subjected to environmental factors. Being confident that the government would renew its grant given to Magnolia in 2001, Mary assumed that the budget in 2002 would be substantially higher as compared to that of the previous year. Furthermore, she also failed to consider the ailing economy and so was able to address the steeper demands with regard to the development department. This would incur additional cost which eventually led to having one third of her staff laid off; it had negative impact on the remaining staff and organization that could cause stagnation of the organization in years to come. With the kind of decision that I have taken, I could have probably saved one third of my staff. The point is I would not have focused on giving substantial budget for the development department. This has to be considered in the first place because overspending would not be the right approach, especially in a poor economic condition. My decision would remarkably maintain the potential teamwork at Magnolia because everyone would be encouraged to potentially use and maximize only what was available. Question 2 What do you think were the main causes behind the problems that Magnolia ultimately suffered? What would you have done differently to avoid those problems? In the first place, considering that Magnolia was not a profit organization, there was a clear evidence of poor financial management within the organization. This becomes clear when one looks at the way the budget was emancipated in 2002. Lack of financial knowledge was one of the main reasons. This eventually led to poor organizational structure, which also resulted in lacking the ability to handle financial resources in the best way possible. Furthermore, Mary was made assumptions without any reliable basis. In other words, Mary herself lacked managerial skills in handling the organization, particularly within the context of planning strategy. As reflected on how the planned budget in 2002 turned out, Mary simply was missing the point on how to efficiently handle the financial resources. If I were Mary, I should have hired a financial consultant who could give me professional advice on what to include in my budget plan for 2002. Furthermore, knowing this would help me to come up with good plans in the future. The point in here is that Mary’s organization was still moving forward closer to financial stability. In other words, this has to remain her critical area of consideration prior to displaying any ambitions as to other future plans. As for me, since the organization was already doing great in its service and became popular in its field, financial

Summary of Images of Women in Early Buddhism and Christian Gnosticism Essay

Summary of Images of Women in Early Buddhism and Christian Gnosticism - Essay Example 95 problem The main problem addressed by the paper is: the paper seeks to obtain reasons why these negative attitudes towards women exist while it is known that they take an active role in their religious lives. This paragraph is important since it tries to show that women also take an active role in religious activities regardless of the perceptions held by men about them. Research question Why should these negative attitudes towards women persist when we know that women actively supported and participated in the religious life of both Buddhist and Gnostic communities? This is essential since it shows that the author has a point to advance to the readers as well as to get the answers why women are treated that way. Paragraph 3, p. 95 Both scriptures show that women are capable of seducing men to engage in sexual intercourse. This paragraph seeks to support the argument raised by the author that women are evil people. Paragraph 1, p.96 thesis -Both religions assume the wrong doing of women disrupted an otherwise perfect world. This thesis statement seeks to show that the author is of the view that women are responsible for human kind’s disgrace on earth. Paragraph 2, p.96 claims -The Buddhist myth posits to the effect that men’s disgrace came after he tasted food from the earth -this mainly contributed to the fall of humanity. This paragraph is very important since it highlights the source of sin among human kind. Paragraph 3, p. 96 evidence -The Christians on the other hand also attribute this myth of women’s evilness to the issue of Adam and Eve who tasted the forbidden fruit in Eden which led to sexual intercourse. -this paragraph is also important since it tries to show the evidence to prove that women were the causes of sin on earth Paragraph 1, p. 97 (Note- starts with this sentence: Other tractates, The Book of Thomas .... Eating the forbidden fruit led to the fall of humankind as shown by the actions of Eve. This section also seeks to advance the author’s argument with regards to perceptions held by men about women. Paragraph 2, p.97 evidence continues Both religions attribute the fallout of men to the deliberate act of consuming the earthly fruits that were not allowed by God. This led to sexual desire which could be satisfied through sexual intercourse. This paragraph again supports the thesis of the paper. Paragraph 3, p. 97 The Buddhists view the body of a woman as a symbol for desire and the Christian writings which also have same views for women. This paragraph is meant to support the view being presented by the author. Paragraph 1, p. 98 (note, it begins with this sentence ‘These intemperate attacks on the impurity of women's bodies and sexual...’ Womanisers are just like dogs. This paragraph is important since it helps to show that women play a major role in seducing men. Paragraph 2 p.98 Sexual intercourse is related to child bearing it is viewed as an impediment to full participat ion in religious lives. Men are encouraged to live solitary lives as an example shown by Buddha himself. This paragraph supports the thesis. Paragraph 3 p. 98 claims Christian doctrine also has negative attitude towards sexual intercourse and child bearing. These are related to suffering and Jesus even pointed out that people should destroy the works of femaleness. -both religions share the same view against sexual intercourse which leads to child birth. This is very important in the paper since the author tries to elaborate the

Entrepreneur Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Entrepreneur Report - Essay Example Based on self-evaluation, it is quite evident that the development in some of my personal traits would prove to be effective on obtaining the desired objectives. In this regard, a few of the major life roles that I have garnered throughout different stages of life can be duly considered as a set of major attributes, which can encourage me of being as a successful entrepreneur. Such roles include the following: In the context of being as a manager, I must ensure to have the capability of planning, organizing and controlling skills for attaining both short and long-term organizational goals. Correspondingly, I should also focus on effectively practicing different job positions in order to be a competent achiever in the entrepreneurial roles. Additionally, I also have strong self-believed in terms of evaluating my own strengths and weaknesses, which can also help me to play the role of an entrepreneur efficiently. In this context, I am also determined to continuously dealing with my weaknesses and strengthening self-believe especially in terms of managing, controlling and decision making activities. In the context of the role as a risk taker, I should highly focus on strengthening my abilities to deal with different complexities and uncertainties that are essentially required to become a successful entrepreneur. In relation to play the role as a creator, I would like to develop exceptional way of improving business performance and handling risks with the best and possible ways. Beyond the above mentioned entrepreneurial objectives, I would also pay utmost attention on increasing my knowledge and abilities to understand or grasp the opportunities by evaluating the prevailing different market scenarios. Nevertheless, improving perceptual skills and maintaining adequate flexibility to learn new ideas would also be certain other major areas to be taken into concern within my entrepreneurial objectives. In relation to define the critical success

Stevie Wonder's Misrepresented People Research Paper

Stevie Wonder's Misrepresented People - Research Paper Example Most of the African Americans were subject to â€Å"forced labor† (Boundless Learning 178; Butler 126). They were literally deprived of having the opportunity to gain access to proper education but also to get some decent paying jobs, attend churches, enter a hotel, have the right to vote, or to even participate in politics (Tischauser 86). Due to hatred, most of the African Americans were also not allowed to reside in the West (Tischauser 86). Back then, only 8% of the African Americans were treated as free (Boundless Learning 178). Instead of receiving formal education in schools, most of them were taught by the Muslim people. During the 17th century, the Europeans did not only enslave the African Americans but also â€Å"committed genocide against indigenous Americans† (Zach 169). â€Å"In the so-called â€Å"Land of God† My kind were treated hard. From back then until now I see, and you agree— We have been a misrepresented people† (2) â€Å"Fro m back then until now Just see my family tree; We have been a misrepresented people. We have been a misrepresented people.† (3) The second and third stanza expresses the idea that God created all human kind equally; yet they were treated badly by other race because of their â€Å"skin color† (Tischauser 86). ... (4) The fourth stanza talks about the development on how the African Americans were made free from forced slavery. In relation to Berlin’s Freedom Project, the African Americans became active in fighting for their â€Å"liberalization† and â€Å"emancipation† (Barney 56). After the African American soldiers went through a series of civil war, the African Americans had finally won their freedom from slavery (Barney 56). In fact, the civil war back then became a significant part of the American Revolution which has lead to the development of the concept of democracy and equality (Alexander and Rucker xxxiv). It was in the 20th century when the African Americans had finally had a complete freedom from their past. It was also in the 20th century when the African Americans were free to speak out their thoughts and ideas. â€Å"But while I prayed to God My moms and pops got whored. From back then until now You’ll see our history; We have been a misrepresented p eople†. (5) â€Å"From back then until now Just see my family tree; We have been a misrepresented people Yes, we have been a misrepresented people†. (6) â€Å"Though we march across time, A sea of victories, We have been a misrepresented people†. (9) The fifth, sixth, and ninth stanza strongly suggest that no matter what the African Americans do, there are still some people around the world who looks down on them. Over the past few decades, the African Americans have fought for their freedom and equal rights as human beings. Yet, despite winning a lot of victories over their freedom, some of them are still experiencing inequality and racial discrimination. All these are very much evident with the kind of job and educational opportunity that majority of the

Bio Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Bio Ethics - Essay Example The numerous aspects affecting application of bioethics continue to be identified as major debates of human enquiry. The allocation of scarce healthcare resources continues to be an increasingly discussed element of bioethics. As opposed to other ethical values of humans, bioethics concerns the application of ethical values in biological and medical practice. Commonly discussed bioethical values include aspects dealing with life, like abortion, surrogacy among others. Bioethics seeks to achieve biomedical practices exhibiting human dignity (Jonsen, p198). Though they cannot be considered as moral values, the application of bioethics ensures proper undertaking of biomedical operations. Organ transplant falls among the scarce healthcare resources that continue to be identified as essential bioethical elements. Organ transplant could be defined as biological tissue or organ donation from one person to another (Jonsen, p295). The person offering the biological tissues is referred as dono r and the person receiving, a recipient. The biological dilemma in organ transplant remains the ability for the donor to receive reimbursements for the donated biological tissues. Necessary legislation regarding the issue of conducting organ transplants differs within different countries. The various legislations existing in this field concern the availability of consent from the donating party. In opt-in system the requirement remains for donors to give consent, while in opt-out system the requirement remains for donor not to refuse. In the latter system, failure to refuse indicates a probable donor, while the former system offering consent confirms an individual as a donor. The fundamental issues regarding organ transplant remain naturally semantic. This follows the confusing definition of essential clinical terminologies. The translation of several clinical terminologies in the legal platform continues to be a debatable point within the aspect of organ transplant. The controversi es revolving around the legal definition of terms like death, life, among others continue to create immense confusion within the medical profession regarding organ donation (Rachels, p176). The legal determination of the qualifications of donors differs from the medical identification of donors. While an individual might meet all required specifications of donors legally, the same individual might not meet the medical requirement. While the law requires donors to provide consents regarding acceptance to donate, medical testing might reveal the possibility of transplant rejection. Following the legalization of organ selling, transplants continue to be viewed by many as treatment methods for the rich. Stereotypes continue to develop leading to donating individuals being perceived as extremely impoverished. Attaching commercial and financial values to biological organs essentially creates a controversial situation surrounding the transplant (Rachels, p189). In the developed nations, fo r example, the demand for biological tissues surpasses the supply. In third-world countries the situation occurs in the opposite of the developed nations. Discussions continue to elicit mixed reactions among concerned parties. Within the underdeveloped countries, concerns continue to be mounted regarding exploitation of the poor by the rich. Introduction of financial reimbursement for donors appears as attractive to poor people as a method of improving economic status. In one case involving Ruth Sparrow, the woman experienced financial constraint following gall bladder surgery. Having a medical bill of $20,000, the woman sought to trade her kidney on condition the hospital clears her pending bill. The administration refused the offer,

Microeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Microeconomics - Essay Example The nation with the greatest income disparity associated with inequality is Great Britain (Economist, 2007). Having equity in a system is very important. Equity is relative to the size of the family nucleus. A family with an income of $40,000 with six members has a lower standard of living than a single person with the same income. The importance about balance is that it has helped transform the United States into a society in which unity exists due to the existence of equity. In any system in which inequality a way to change the nation faith is by emphasising in the nation’s educational system. Those who waited for the reward that comes with education will have more opportunities that those who are not in a position to do the same and achieve a higher educational status such as a bachelors or a masters degree. In the village depicted in the story Patient Capital (2007) the Indian tribe members were witness of inequality rising within their communities due to a variety of factors. One of the most influential factors for the appearance of inequality among the Indian members was education levels. Most of the society did not have opportunities for college education due to family and village responsibilities which were necessary for the survival of a group of people living in very high levels of poverty. The educated member of the tribe gain much more wealth than the rest of the members. In the United its agriculture trajectory is good example how a group of people was able to evolve its economy by switching from agriculture model to a manufacturing and service economy. Such an economy is better able to provide greater levels of income which improve standard of living of the people. There are many persons in the US who have struggled to break the barriers of inequality. In systems such as the United States prior to the civil movements of the 1960’s or in South Africa prior to the elimination of apartheid in 1994

High School and Social Support Essay Example for Free

High School and Social Support Essay The purpose of the study was to determine possible differences in leadership behaviors, using the Revised Leadership for Sport Scale (RLSS), between male and female coaches and among different coaching levels. The researchers submitted two hypotheses. The first hypothesis was that male and female coaches would respond differently to the RLSS in overall leadership behaviors. The second hypothesis was that differences on the RLSS would occur among coaching levels: junior high, high school, and college. The sample was nonrandom, including 162 coaches that were chosen on a volunteer  basis. Within the sample, 118 (0. 73) of the coaches were male, while 44 (0. 27) were female. With regard to coaching level, 25 (0. 15) were junior high coaches, 99 (0. 61) high school, and 38 (0. 24) at the college level. While this is a good sample size, the problem lies with the distribution of the sample. The sample number for junior high coaches, in particular, is rather low. A larger sample with regard to all categories would have aided in the data analysis, particularly when looking for possible interactions between gender and coaching level. The instrument utilized was the Revised Leadership for Sport Scale (RLSS) developed by Zhang, Jensen, and Mann in 1996. This scale is used to measure six leadership behaviors: training and instruction, democratic, autocratic, social support, positive feedback, and situational consideration. The scale uses 60 statements, which were preceded by â€Å"In coaching, I:† A Likert scale was then given for each statement: 1 = never; 2 = seldom; 3 = occasionally; 4 = often; and 5 = always. This produced an ordinal level data set. Scales were administered in a number of environmental settings: classrooms, gymnasiums, practice  fields, and offices. The internal consistency for each section was calculated: 0. 84 for training and instruction; 0. 66 for democratic; 0. 70 for autocratic; 0. 52 for social support; 0. 78 for positive feedback; and 0. 69 for situational consideration. There was no information, however, regarding the validity of the RLSS. A MANOVA was used to analyze the data for differences between male and female coaches with regard to leadership behaviors. This is not consistent with the type of data collected. The RLSS used a Likert scale (ordinal), yet a MANOVA would be most  applicable for normally distributed, quantitative data. The analysis showed there were no significant differences between male and female coaches in overall leadership behaviors. When the six leadership styles were examined separately, there was a significant difference in social support between males and females. In general, females scored much higher than did the male coaches. A MANOVA was also used to examine the data for differences between the three levels of coaching (junior high, high school, and college) with regard to leadership behavior in general. There were significant differences between the three levels. When breaking down the six behaviors and examining them individually, an ANOVA was used to analyze the data. Again, because the data for the RLSS is ordinal, an ANOVA is not the best analysis tool. The three coaching levels scored differently on three of the six behaviors: democratic behaviors, training and instruction, and social support. High school coaches scored much higher than college level coaches in democratic behavior. Junior high coaches were significantly lower in training and instruction than either high school or college coaches. Junior high coaches also demonstrated a lesser degree of social support than either the high school or college coaches. A MANOVA was again used to analyze the data for any interaction between gender and coaching level with regard to overall leadership behavior. Once again, a better analysis method could have been chosen based on the nature of the data collected. The results indicated no significant interactions. The ecological generaliziability for the study is fairly high. The surveys were mailed out, and returned on a volunteer basis. However, due to the nonrandom nature of the sample, the results would not generalizable beyond the 162 participants in the study. There was no effect size is listed for the study. In order to reduce threats to internal validity, the participants were asked to respond honestly and confidentiality was stressed so that the â€Å"coaches might feel more at ease in responding. † No other efforts were indicated. The researchers mention that the scales were given in a variety of settings. This could present a threat to the internal validity in that participants might not have been entirely focused on completing the scale, but instead on coordinating practice, completing  paperwork, etc. There are a number of other factors that could effect the internal validity of the study, yet were not addressed by the researchers. Coaching experience would greatly effect the responses of the participants, yet this was not considered in the study. The gender of the athletes may be a contributing factor to the coaches’ responses. It is not unreasonable to suppose that coaches of female athletes, particularly at the junior high and high school levels, will demonstrate more social support than those of male athletes. The nature of the  sport could also be critical. Certain coaching styles are more applicable for individual sports (wrestling, track, and tennis) than for team sports (football, soccer, and basketball). The socioeconomics and population of the school itself could play a factor. Certain schools have better athletes and programs in a particular sport, while others may not be able to field a winning team. In addition, at the high school level, coaches are occasionally asked/forced to work with a program they have no knowledge of or desire to coach due to staffing  shortages. This could dramatically influence a coach’s response to the scale questions. The history of the program as well as the individual coach’s personal coaching history could greatly influence responses. If the program has had several losing seasons in a row, perhaps the attitude of the coach could be different than that of a coach who has recently won a state title. An additional set of questions regarding the personal history of the coach in question could have helped reduce many of these threats. With additional information, the  researchers may have been able to use a modified matching system when analyzing the results. By increasing the number of independent variables to include things such as coaching experience and gender of the athletes, the researchers could have reduced some of the potential threats to internal validity. In addition, bringing coaches together to a common setting could have reduced location threat. Coaches meet seasonally for clinics. Perhaps obtaining permission to administer the survey during these meetings would have been possible. It would have also been possible to actually go to individual  schools and meet with the coaches as a group to administer surveys. This method would have given a good cross-section of gender and coaching experience for a variety of sports. While the study has merit, the methods need to be re-evaluated. The power of the study needs to be increased by obtaining a larger sample size. The numerous potential threats to internal validity need to be addressed and minimized where possible. It would also be helpful to be given data regarding the validity of the RLSS. Without these, it is impossible to evaluate the potential meaningfulness of this study.

The traditional meanings Essay Example for Free

The traditional meanings Essay Innovation is the identifiable tool of free enterprising—the undertaking that provides resources with a fresh ability to generate affluence. Peter Drucker The traditional meanings of innovation involves the process of introducing something new or something that is newly introduced (either an idea, method, or device) with tangible societal impact, according to The American Heritage Dictionary. In this definition, an innovation is not its technical description until a person effectively realizes the idea or a thing and creates profit on it. An innovation may be immense or minor. New-fangled or barely somewhat changed, it does not carry some weight. It can also be visibly intricate or apparently uncomplicated. Innovations are time and again assumed in terms of practical attainment; however, they can as well be outlines. The category, industry and manner of innovation are immaterial, yet its bearing establishes its aptitude. The existence of a whiz person can facilitate originality. The thing may have speedy outcome by having an individual who can observe critically and manage the things to take place in the future. On the other hand, innovation is above the creation of any genius individual such as Einstein. It entails carrying the design of a person or group of originators to expansive viewers. The opportunity of a lot of industries is reliant upon the capacity of the businesses to innovate. Since competition is intense, information unfolds rapidly. The power of a business enterprise to not merely sustain with its recent commerce systems but to surpass its particular prospects as well as its competitors are vital to its continued existence. Theories of Innovation There are several presumptions of innovation, namely breakthrough, incremental, disruptive, and transaction cost and network theory as some. There are cases asserting that innovations are required to be disrupting to meet the criteria of innovation. The change which occurs may represent both drastic and additional variations to items for consumption, schemes or services. The frequently implicit objective of innovation is to resolve a predicament. Others claim that any modification, on condition that it is quantifiable, becomes certified as innovation. Certain population would like innovations to be exposed and to be made accessible to each and every one as a way of defying even added development and inventiveness. Then again other people still think that new breakthroughs and channels have to be improved in confidence. The theory of breakthrough innovation is the one responsible for having pioneering ideas, products, or services. According to Nelson and Winter (1977, pp. 36-37), introducing a completely original creation or service rather than offering improved goods services along the similar lines as presently may incorporate risk. The vagueness of breakthrough innovations denotes that hardly ever do businesses accomplish their breakthrough aims this mode, nonetheless those periods that breakthrough innovation becomes successful, the compensation can be great. Incremental theory of innovation, on the other hand, concerns the revised form of ideas, products, or services. This innovation includes substantial adjustment or conversion in fundamental technologies and approaches, shaped by those functioning beyond typical production and out of presented paradigms. Every now and then, it is exceptionally difficult to create a distinction between breakthrough and incremental innovation, especially of ideas. Disruptive theory of innovation, then again will regularly have features that customary sections of consumers may not yearn for, at least at the start. Such advancements will come into view as bargain basement priced, more plain and even with substandard class if matched up to accessible ideas, goods, or services; although a quantity of subsidiary or new part will appreciate it. With the purpose of getting to the bottom of these troubles, establishments should construct a self-regulating commerce division whose dimension complements the surfacing market. This kind of innovation theory is somewhat a result of the aforementioned two theories. The occurrence of breakthrough and incremental innovations will mean better bounds of awareness, conceivably insistent of a fresh technique of considering the entire problem, almost certainly obtaining a much bigger threat than lots of individuals concerned are pleased about. There is repeatedly substantial hesitation in relation to forthcoming results. There may be significant disagreement to the suggestion and queries on the subject of moral principles, reasonableness or outlay of the application may be heaved. Communities may probe if this is or is not, an innovation of an idea, tool, or course. In the operation expenditure and net assumption point of view, innovation is an original building block instituted in the set of connections which alters the expenditure of dealings among components in the system.

Issues in the Construction of the Scottish Parliament

Issues in the Construction of the Scottish Parliament Introduction This report intends to answer how a national iconic project turned into â€Å"a hugely expensive and politically embarrassing fiasco?† (Fortescue, 2004) by analyzing the reasons that led to delay, cost overrun and quality issue in construction of new Scottish Parliament Building. This report has utilized the researches available on the internet, auditors report and other articles available from varied sources. This report will start by introduction to the background of Scottish Parliament project and will continue by discussing the reason for delays and cost increases, role of the project management and at the end concluding the lessons learned from this project. The reason for selection of this project is that the Scottish Parliament building was estimated to be completed in  £40m but finished at over  £400m which is an interesting parameter to study (BBC, 2004). Background to the Scottish Parliament Project: After the referendum in 1997, Scottish parliament was established as a devolved legislature by Scotland Act 1998. Thereafter, Donald Dewar, Secretary of Scotland state adjudicated to have a purpose built facility to accommodate the Parliament in the Edinburgh city. After having a chaotic journey to completion, Scottish parliament Complex was inaugurated on 9 Oct 2004 by Queen Elizabeth II. Remarkable features of the complex consist of leaf-shaped buildings, flipped over boat shaped roof, a grass-roofed division meeting into adjacent parkland and gabion walls made from the stones. All over the building there are various repeated motifs. Scottish parliament is a complex building comprising of new and old buildings such as Dewar room, Canon gate building, Debating chamber, Garden lobby, MSP building, Media tower, Main hall, Tower building, and Queensberry house. All of these buildings were renovated or constructed as per Architects vision. High end materials like Granite, Cattiness Ston e, Oak Timber, Sycamore Timber, Steel Glass and Marble was used in the construction. Detailed environment and sustainability study was carried out which confirmed that propose built complex is environment friendly (Fraser, 2004). Brief summary of the Project: Road to Holyrood Site Selection: To begin with, Edinburgh City Council provided a long list of 27 sites in Edinburgh. In September 1997 officials short listed three leading options: two new build options, either at Leith or Haymarket, or adapting and developing the existing St Andrews House building (old Royal high school). At this stage, an engineer Jones Lang Wootton was engaged by the Scottish office to viably evaluate the acquisition costs of the shortlisted sites. Measurements of environmental issue and traffic issue were also considered at this point. Haymarket was never considered as preferred option and officials sensed real hostility in Edinburgh to house the Parliament anywhere except centrally thus reducing the chances of Leith (Auditor General, 2000). The Holyrood site was not considered at this stage as it was occupied by Scottish and Newcastle brewery and was anticipated that it would not be completed within the required deadline. However, an accidental meeting of a civil servant on train with an official of Newcastle and subsequent negotiations resulted in the company demonstrating that they would evacuate the site in early 1999. As a consequence, on 8th December Holyrood was short-listed, and design and cost viability studies undertaken. Davis, Langdon and Everest (DLE) , Cost Consultants were commissioned to provide initial cost estimate for proposed sites and the Holyrood site was selected in early 1998 from the shortlist based on the following cost estimate (Auditor General,2000).: Design Selection: Once, the location was finalized the Scottish Office announced an international competition to acquire a designer for a new-fangled building to accommodate the parliament through a competitive selection procedure. The competition was suitably setup with a press release on 26 January 1998. The final design teams named on 7th May 1998 providing the project cost as being in the range of  £50 million excluding VAT (Fraser, 2004). Under the chairmanship of Dewar, a design committee was allotted to choose from a shortlist of designer. Conceptual designs were cost and displayed for public to view and provide their opinion. Feedback from the public depicted that the Catalan architect Enric Miralles designs were one of the most popular. The design team considered public opinion on the designs, and on 6 July 1998 the Enric Miralles‘s design was selected, with work being awarded to a Spanish Scottish design company namely EMBT/RMJM (Scotland) Ltd, exclusively created for the project. Construction management system of procurement was adopted and BLL was appointed as construction manager. In June 1999, construction commenced, by demolishing the Scottish and Newcastle brewery and opening the foundation work (The royal society of Edinburg, 2001). Journey of Estimate: The construction of the Scottish Parliament Complex generated controversy in several aspects. Spiraling costs and the use of public capital to fund the project rendered most controversy. By early 2004, the project was estimated to be  £430m, some ten times higher. In my opinion it is not fair to compare final figure with initial figure of  £10m as it was never an estimated price but an indicative one (Fraser, 2004). Time delay and cost overrun From the beginning, the complex and its construction have been controversial. For instance, Auditor General of Scotland expressed â€Å"in the recent history of Scotland there has not been public building project as complex or as difficult to deliver as the Holyrood Project† (Prasser, S., n.d.). Almost all aspect such as location, design, architect, construction management company, project manager all have been criticized by different factions namely, politician, media and general public. Due to complexity of the project, it is very difficult to single out one reason for delay and cost overrun but infect it was compound and interaction of many factors that resulted in delay and cost overrun (Fraser, 2004). Location: Selection of Holyrood to be the seat of parliament has contributed to delay and cost overrun. Holyrood was not an easy area to work due to the approach and being located in populated area. The selection of Holyrood added  £4.5m to the project being the cost for site acquisition and clearing. As the table1.1 (Fraser, 2004) shows, according to the costing done by DLE Holyrood was not economically attractive. Design and Design Development Factor: Main cause of the delay to the project was from Sept2000 due to the production of detailed design variations and the late supply of information during the construction process (Auditor General, 2004). Construction started in June1999 but Stage D design was approved after a year. Everyone anticipated that this will put an end too uncertainly and provide some sort of anchorage for the project but it did not happen. The project was densely populated, unusual and complex and was pitted against tight deadline. In some cases, trade contractors were responsible for part design but both the architects and some trade contractors failed to deliver some critical elements on time. Design development process added another  £80m to the cost of project. It is a process of bringing approved design to detailed design. This process runs parallel to Tendering and award of work packages and subsequent work on site. From 2000 onward, client didnt change its requirements significantly but the cost of br inging envisioned design to reality escalated (Black, 2004). Increase in area: after several revisions and new requirement were incorporated, total area reached from 16000.00 m2 to 31,000.00 m2 resulting in an increase of 47% and consequently effecting schedule and cost of the project. Building users brief prepared by the authorities substantially underestimated the requirements which resulted in various revisions and thus increase in area. For instance, Mr. Stewart said that the original estimate was â€Å"absolutely, too optimistic for a public building of this nature† (Fraser, 2004). The experience and expertise in construction management was not fully developed and was not present in the early stages of development. Procurement vehicle: In 1998, Civil servants opted for fast track method known as construction management form of procurement to build the parliament complex (Fraser, 2004). It works by fragmenting complete job into several small packages that are awarded, monitored and designed independently of one another. Its advantage is that the overall design doesnt have to be complete at the start of building works. In this form of contract, risk stays with the client, which is responsible for management of each individual work package-in this case around 60. However, after keeping in mind importance and urgency of the project, construction management procurement was the only viable option available. For instance, Harry Thorburn articulated, â€Å"The reality is that construction management was the only contract option for a client wanting to make an early start on a project that was still at the design concept stage† (Fortescue, S. 2004). Communication and coordination was another issue which added to the foes of already troubled project. Fraser (2004) reports that there was a lack of communication, coordination and understanding between stakeholders, for example, resolution of many design issues was delayed due to misunderstanding and lack of communication between RMJM EMBT. Landscaping is although minor part of overall figure, still it reflects failure of system. Cost of landscaping amounting to  £ 14 m came to the surface and was added when the project was well underway during autumn 2001 (Fraser, 2004). Schedule: Time-table for completion by project management was very demanding and idealistic rather than realistic. Construction manger consistently tried to achieve the set target but failed. According to Auditor Generals report (2004), schedule set in Sept 2000 for completion by December 2002 was probably unachievable. Proper EU guidelines and procedures were not followed for appointment of Bovis Lend and Lease as construction manager. BLL was not the lowest, yet they were awarded. BLLs contract was supposed to be converted to Lump sum after finalization of cost plan but was not done. Conversion of fees would have provided a powerful incentive to Bovis to apply maximum rigor in relation to cost control. No system was devised and implemented neither for performance measurement nor for cost reporting, analysis and financial control. Queensberry House proved to be the most costly item, in terms of cost per square meter (Fraser, 2004). However, Queensberrys cost was comparatively minor in context of the full cost of the Project at completion. Golden triangle of quality time and cost was ignored and quality was preferred against time and cost, time was preferred against cost. The undue importance given to time and quality resulted in escalated cost. Security issue and 9/11 factor also played an important role in delay and spiraling cost of the project. Fraser in his inquiry agrees that security bill amounted to  £29.11. Design of anti-blast measures causes a sum of  £17.54m and delay associated with blast causes additional sum of  £11.57m. Another major factor to be recognized was constructing a very complex, unusual building, visionary architecture was difficult to bring to reality. The Debating chamber roof, for example, was an extremely challenging task both for designers and builders (Fraser, 2004). Proper risk analysis and cost management studies were not done. At the early stage of decision making, no independent professional project management company was involved to advise the client. Role of Project Management Role of Project management is to deliver the project on time, within budget and with acceptable quality (Fraser, 2004). In this case, Project management provided an exceptional complex of high quality but failed miserable in context to cost and time. Black (2004) criticized performance of the project management or officials responsible for delivering the project. Decision making process and control over project was not clearly recognized along with lack of leadership. Normally project director is responsible for leadership and control, client delegates the authority to project director to render the project. Here, project director should have had clear responsibility in making decisions on balancing time, cost and quality/performance of the project. Auditor General (2004) affirmed that the client (the Parliament) did not clearly establish leadership and control of project. Leading parties could not agree on cost plan which was a missing link in effective project management, a draft plan was made in late 2000, that was an indicator of the costs instead of available estimate of the cost. Under construction management, design was vague and deficient initially, therefore the risks remained with the client (Fig 1.1). Project management selected a high risk route but failed to manage it properly. Risk accounting was insufficient in early stages and there was no quantified allowance for risk facing the project. Initially project management did introduce a process for quantifying risk and conducted some reviews but the general approach was to accept the cost increase and increase in the forecast as risk materialized. No system or forceful action was adopted to reduce the increase in cost (Fraser, 2004). Project management did not fully implement cost reporting and financial controls. Regular reporting of the total estimated costs of the project only started in July 2003(Black, 2004). Earlier financial reporting was neither comprehensive nor systematic. Once, the overall budget constraint of  £195m was removed by Parliament in June 2001, management did not establish an alternative budget which gave them liberty to achieve high quality and tight deadlines without due considerations of cost implications (Black, 2004; Fraser 2004). Conclusion Project management plays an important role in the success of mega and prestigious projects. Construction of Scottish parliament has put a negative mark on the role of project management. Delay and cost overrun of the project cannot be attributed to the failure of project management only, Fraser (2004) in his inquiry stated that it was the result of systematic failure and it is difficult to single out one villain. Also, there were several mistakes but the biggest one was involved in Procurement system. They were interconnected, increased exponentially, and had a rippling effect which was visible all throughout the period of construction. Despite of all the problems, Scotland has got an architectural gem; its an iconic building representing the land. In few years, the people of Scotland will be as proud of it as the people of Sydney are of Opera House, which was also an example of project failure when it was built (Australian Government Department, 2006; Mosaic Projects, n.d.). The entire project should have agreed project budget and proper set of performance indicators. Proper benchmarking should be done to measure the performance. If, competition is commissioned for selection of design, proper evaluation of pre qualification must be done and compatibility of working cultures should be considered. While selecting the design, attention should be paid to cost and execution problems that may arise due to complexity of design. Procurement route must always be chosen with care coupled with comprehensive evaluation. Construction management procurement route should be used rarely for public projects. Before construction starts adequate time should be available for the planning stage. As Fraser (2004) reports that investing time initially, to develop complete definitions reduces the chance of changes later. Good planning will involve (a) right sequence of construction to avoid delays and extra costs, (b) risk management (c) using value management to evaluate the role of each element of the construction processes (Black, 2004) (d) Selection of proper planning system â€Å"There must always be sufficient time for procurement to allow the clients requirements to be adequately defined so that it may obtain fixed and firm prices for the work in a competition† (Black, 2004). In all projects, performance payment incentives system should be initiated for contractors to perform against targets for quality, time and cost. Clearly defined duties and single point of leadership with explicit authority and responsibility should be ensured. Strong system of reporting and transparent channels of communication must be devised. It is essential that full contracts, guarantees and bond should be secured to prevent the risk. Early involvement of contractors in design phase might help in solving the problems later on. Concurrent engineering should be carried out to avoid complications during execution. Safety measures needs to be a considered as an integral part. In this particular case, no one would have anticipated the impact of 9/11. So it is better to have some contingency plan in place to tackle unforeseen events. Bibliography: Auditor General (2004). ‘Management of the Holyrood building project prepared for the Auditor General for Scotland Project overview, the reason for later delivery and increased costs, project management and control. Chapters 1-5., pp 1-92. Available from: http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/central/2004/nr_040629_holyrood_project.pdf [Accessed: 2nd April 2010]. Auditor General (2000). ‘The new Scottish Parliament building an examination of the management of the Holyrood building project prepared for the Auditor General for Scotland. Available from: http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/central/2000/nr_000919_new_parliament_building.pdf [Accessed: 3rd April 2010]. Australian Government Department (2006). ‘Sydney Opera House Nomination by the govt of Australia. Available from: http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/uploadedFiles/About_Us/Ad_Hoc_Information_Pages/WorldHeritageNominationDocument.pdf [Accessed 8th April 2010] BBC (2004). ‘Timeline: Holyrood. Available from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3210729.stm [Accessed: 2nd April 2010]. Black, R. (2004). ‘Presentation by the Auditor General for Scotland, Robert Black to the Audit Committee of the Scottish Parliament, on his report, Managing of the Holyrood building project Available from: http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/central/2004/nr_040629_holyrood_projec_statement_pr.pdf. [Accessed: 4th April 2010] Black R. (2004) ‘Audit Scotland. Available from: http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/publications/pdf/2004/04pf07ag.pdf [Accessed: 4th April 2010] Black R. (2004) ‘Audit committee official report 29 June 2004 Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/committees/audit/or-04/au04-1402.htm [Accessed: 4th April 2010] Edinphoto (n.d.). ‘Scottish Parliament Complex at Holyrood. Available from: http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/0_edin_t/0_edinburgh_transport_buses_terminus_36_holyrood_024373.htm [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Fortescue, S. (2004). ‘The  £431 million question. Available from: http://www.pennwood.org.uk/Level%20Four/L402/Holyrood%20example.pdf [Accessed: 3rd April 2010] Fortescue, S. (2004). ‘The  £431 million question supply management. Available from: http://www.supplymanagement.com/analysis/features/2004/the-431-million-question/ [Accessed: 3rd April 2010] Fraser, R. H. L. (2004). ‘A Report by the Rt Hon Lord Fraser of Carmyllie QC on his Inquiry into the About Holyrood Project. SP Paper 205. Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-00.htm [Accessed: 2nd April 2010]. Fraser, R.H.L. (2004). ‘Events Prior to 1 May 1997. Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-02.htm. [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Fraser, R.H.L. (2004). ‘White Paper to the Passing of the Scotland Act 1998. Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-03.htm [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Fraser, R.H.L. (2004). ‘Selection of the Holyrood Site. Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-04.htm [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Fraser, R.H.L. (2004). ‘Appointment of the Architect Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-05.htm [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Fraser, R.H.L. (2004). ‘The Evolution of the Building User Brief. Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-06.htm [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Fraser, R.H.L. (2004). ‘Construction Management. Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-07.htm [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Fraser, R.H.L. (2004). ‘The Appointment of the Construction Manager. Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-08.htm [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Fraser, R.H.L. (2004). ‘Project Management 1998 to 1 June 1999. Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-09.htm [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Fraser, R.H.L. (2004). ‘The Project from Handover to February 2000. Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-10.htm [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Fraser, R.H.L. (2004). ‘Early 2000 and the Establishment of the Holyrood Progress Group. Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-11.htm [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Fraser, R.H.L. (2004). ‘The Holyrood Project June to December 2000 -Stage D The Cost Plan. Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-12.htm [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Fraser, R.H.L. (2004). ‘The Project from Late 2000. Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-13.htm [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Fraser, R.H.L. (2004). ‘Planning, Queensberry House and the Role of Historic Scotland. Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-14.htm [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Fraser, R.H.L. (2004). ‘Programming and Design Delay- Factual Background- Construction Manager. Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-15.htm [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Fraser, R.H.L. (2004). ‘Security Issues. Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-16.htm [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Fraser, R.H.L. (2004). ‘The Holyrood Project from Autumn 2003 Onwards. Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-17.htm [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Meredith, J.R. Mantel, S.J. (2006). ‘Project management a managerial approach 6th edition. John Wiley sons, New York. Mosaic Projects (n.d.). ‘Avoiding the successful failure. Available from: http://www.mosaicprojects.com.au/PDF_Papers/P046_Successful_Failure.pdf [Accessed: 8th April 2010]. Prasser, S. (n.d.). ‘Parallels with Overseas Experience: The Holyrood Building Project, Scotland Overcoming the White Elephant Syndrome in Big and Iconic Projects in the Public and Private Sectors. Available from: http://epress.anu.edu.au/anzsog/imp/mobile_devices/ch05s07.html [Accessed: 4th April 2004] Project Management Institute (2004). ‘A guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge third edition (PMBOK Guides). Project Management Institute. Newtown Square. USA.:Philadelpia. Roberts, D (2003). ‘MSP says Holyrood builders are left idle Available from: http://www.scotsman.com/politics/MSP-says-Holyrood-builders-are.2459894.jp [Accessed: 4th April 2010]. Supply management.com (2004). ‘The  £431 million question. Available from: http://www.supplymanagement.com/analysis/features/2004/the-431-million-question/ [Accessed: 3rd April 2010] Scottish Parliament, (2001). ‘The Scottish Parliament building. Available from: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/research/pdf_res_notes/rn01-64.pdf. [Accessed: 5th April 2010] The royal society of Edinburg (2001). ‘Engineering the Scottish Parliament building. Available from: http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/events/reports/2000-2001/rae_01.pdf [Accessed: 4th April 2010] The Scottish Government (2007). ‘The government economic strategy. Available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/202993/0054092.pdf. [Accessed: 3rd April 2010] Westland, J. (2006). ‘The Project Management Life Cycle. London: Kogan Page.

Reflexivity: Crossing That Line Essay -- Ethnography Anthropology Essa

Reflexivity: Crossing That Line Traditionally, ethnographic works had always been about objective studies of the â€Å"other.† The discipline attempts to use non-biased methods to research of our subjects to qualify anthropology into the category of science. However, an increasing number of anthropologists begin to question the existence of objectivity in fieldwork. More recently, some anthropologists advocate the incorporation of the self, or the use of reflexivity, in the research to acknowledge our biases; at the same time, enhance the quality of our ethnographies. Others further assert that reflexivity is the only way to complete ethnographies. These propositions prompted concerns and provoked intense criticisms among scholars from different areas of study. One argument maintains that while moderate use of reflexivity is necessary in ethnographic research as exemplified by Dorinne Kondo and Renato Rosaldo, it is problematic when it is taken too far as did Ruth Behar. Before use of reflexivity can be analyzed, it is important to discuss what reflexivity is. As its use is controversial, to define the term is complex task. One way to describe it is to characterize it as a piece of work involving the self and some sort of reflection. Another mean to understand the concept is to imagine a mirror; and reflexivity is a description of the images reflected in the mirror, which includes â€Å"others† as well as the â€Å"self.† Interestingly, even though we have yet to define the idea, many uses and styles of reflexivity exist. Or perhaps, the difficulty to produce a working definition stems from its wide range of uses. For example, Kamala Visweswaran uses reflexivity to evaluate the discipline in which she belongs – namely feminis... ...r, anthropology is not a coherent discipline and should be divided to accomendate these difference styles of writing ethnography. Nonetheless, all these questions and confusions points out one thing, that subjectivity is inevitable. Otherwise, we would agree on all these issues. But, it is these issues that cause trouble that make the discipline attractive, exciting, and worthwhile. Reference: [1] Behar, Ruth. 1996. Anthropology that breaks your heart. In The Vulnerable Observer: Antrhopology that Breaks Your Heart, pp. 161 –177. Boston: Beacon Press. [2] Kondo, Dorinne K. 1986. Dissolution and reconstitution of self: implications for anthropological epistemology. In cultural Anthropology 1(1): 74-88. [3] Rosaldo, Renato. 1993. Grief and a headhunter’s rage. IN Culture and Ttruth: TheRremaking of Social Analysis, pp. 161- 177. Boston: Beacon Press.

Reminders of Love Lost in Wraith of the Rose :: Wraith of the Rose Essays

Reminders of Love Lost in Wraith of the Rose Everyone has been hurt by loves sweet embrace. The memories that are left behind can haunt us everyday. The music, dreams, smells, a name, or a rose can strike up memories of ones love lost. But when love leaves you alone, the memories and the ghosts of love are never gone. There is always something to trigger thoughs memories bad or good. Something that needs to be known about the poem is that it was written impromptu in a visiting card. The Wraith of the Rose by Frances Sargent Locke Osgood is a poem of how a ghost of a rose reminds her of a life that she loved. The word wraith means; 1) the ghost of a dead person (or a dead rose) or 2) something shadowy and insubstantial. The line near the beginning of the poem "Long since Love's rose, it's perfume, shed," shows how that Love's rose is long since died. The fragrant aroma and its pedals are gone. Nothing that can be touched the rose is nothing but a memory. She has focused on a rose that reminds her of Love. By reading this poem closely the word LOVE in the poem is a persons name. In both lines of the poem Love is capitalized which leads the reader to assume it is someone's name. Like in the line above how it is written that "Love's rose," this leads me to understand that she is identifying the rose that was given to her by someone named Love. This is one of the main ways that the author remembers Love is by the rose that was given to her by him. The main line that directs the poems feelings is "The wraith of Love's sweet Rose is here, It haunts me everywhere! ". The ghost of "Love's sweet rose" is in my life and mind. The ghost of that rose is in my presents and is with her everywhere she goes. Osgood wishes that she kept the rose to remind her of Love's life. All that she has to hold onto is the memory (ghost) of that lovely rose that was given to her by Love. The rose was the last found token that was given to her by Love.