Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Paiute Indians Essay

Paiute (sometimes written as Piute) is the name given to two related groups of native Americans — the Northern Paiute of California, Nevada and Oregon, and the Southern Paiute who originate in the modern day states of Arizona, southeastern California and Nevada, and Utah. The web page Paiute says that the southern group moved in California in about 1100 C. E. The name may mean either Water Ute or True Ute. Members of both groups speak languages which belong to the Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan family of Native American languages. Other people groups, namely the Bannock, Mono, Timbisha and Kawaiisu peoples, also speak Numic languages and live in adjacent areas, so they too are sometimes referred to as Paiute, though in some cases are more closely related genetically to the Shoshone people. Powell and Ingalls, in their Ind Alf. Rep. , 1873 said that the name originally belonged to only one group, those from Corn Creek in Utah, but was gradually extended to other bands. The group generally known as the northern Paiutes are closer in relationship to the Shoshone than they are to Southern Paiutes and the southern group are closer to the Utes than to the northern Paiutes. It is in language and customs that they are most closely alike. Ethnologue . com reports that the language of the Northern Paiute, alternately called Paviotso, is spoken over a distance of about 1000 miles although each reservation, there are twenty, tends to have its own dialect. There are about 1,600 speakers out of a population of 6,000, most of these speakers being older people. The group have several names. The Northern group call themselves Numa or Numu while those in the south refer to themselves as Nuwuvi. These terms have an identical meaning , â€Å"the people. † The northern people are on occasions called Paviotso. There was contact between early Spanish explorers and some Southern Paiute who called them the â€Å"Payuchi† (they did not make contact with the Northern Paiute). Other early settlers referred to both groups as ‘Diggers’, now thought of as a derogatory term, but which referred to the people’s practice of digging up roots. Life styles Before other settlers arrived in their areas the people of the north existed in their desert environment. Each smaller band had a specific territory which generally centered on an area of lake or other wetland that ensured a supply of both fish and water-fowl says one web page, but the web page Paiute says definatively that the northern group did not eat fish. Food gathering tended to follow a seasonal pattern, including trading with coastal groups by Southern Paiutes. Communal drives in conjuction with neighbouring bands were the means of hunting animals such as mountain sheep, rabbits and the larger pronghorns, a form of antelope. There seems to have been quite free movement of individuals and families between the various bands. Pinyon nuts, a form of pine nut were gathered on mountain trips in the fall. Pinon nuts have outstanding nutritional value, supplying all amino acids and various vitamins and compare well with pecans, peanuts, and walnuts. They supply all amino acids and provide significant amounts of vitamin A, and have been likened to soya beans as an important food source according to the ‘Goods From The Woods’ web pages. The seeds of wild grasses, berries and other fruit and vegetables such as musk melons, beans, tubers and roots were also food sources. Important implements were a grinding stone and hand stone ( metate and mano) and these were used to crush seeds and make a paste which could be cooked as shown on the Surweb site page Paiute People of Southern Utah. Cultivation was in the hands of the women who created irrigation channels using sticks as digging tools. Each band came from a characteristic food source, the people of the Lovelock area for instance being known as the Koop Ticutta or Eaters of Ground Squirrel. Michael Hittman, in his 1996 book, â€Å"Corbett Mack, the Life of a Northern Pauitr, mentions, ( page 2) the Tabooseedokado or ‘Grass Nut Eaters’ of Smith and Mason valleys, Nevada In the fall the various groups would gather together for dances, ceremonies and marriages, the latter not being marked by any ceremony, but was simply the setting up of a household jointly. Edward Curtis in his book ‘the North American Indian, (Volume 15, page 66) describes dances both for amusement and as a prelude to war. He describes the war dancers as wearing head dresses of eagle feathers and kilts of cords including downy feathers Although monogamy was the most usual form of marriage variants such as sororal polygamy i. e. one man marrying a groups of sisters, as is sometimes the pattern among Mormons, and polyandry, which is when one woman has several husbands, also took place according to Ronald Host in the Utah History Encyclopedia. Houses were of the most basic kind, because the bands moved frequently, and little clothing was worn, but blankets made of rabbit fur were used according to Spartacus Educational. Contacts with Settlers Although the first contact with westerners may have taken place in the 1820s, really sustained contact between the Northern Paiute and Euro-Americans did not occur until 1840s. At that point the native culture was not particularly influenced by the settlers except that they began to use horses. Large numbers however fell victim to smallpox brought to them by infected settlers. However there were some bands in the south who remained more or less in their pristine, pre-settlement state until the1870’s having acces to neither guns nor horses according to S. G. Ellsworth. in ‘the New Utah Inheritance’. In 1851, Mormon settlers began to occupy Paiute water sources. Relations between the Paiutes and the Mormons were on the whole peaceful, mainly because of the efforts of Mormon leader Jacob Hamblin. In 1854, Brigham Young had sent Jacob Hamblin and others to open the Santa Clara Region. The goal was to befriend the Indians and eventually convert them to Mormonism. Hamlin believed that if he never killed Indians, they would kill him Hamblin, together with some Paiutes, was able to establish a settlement near the Santa Clara River where dams were built in order to irrigate the area on a much larger scale than previously according to the Surweb site. There were a number of violent disputes between the natives and settlers such as the Pyramid Lake War of 1860 and the Bannock War of 1878. Such incidents in general began with disagreements between settlers and Paiutes about property. Such disputes would escalate until they required the involvement of the military. European contact with the Southern Paiutes happened first 1776 when Roman Catholic missionaries Silvestre Velez de Escalante and Francisco Atanasio Dominguez came across them while seeking an overland route to the Spanish missions in California. They reported seeing beard men and much later photographs were taken showing bearded Paiutes by John Hilliers, as can be seen on the Surweb page ‘ The Paiute People of Southern Utah’. Between 1854 and 1858 the Mormons tried hard to convert the Paiutes to their beliefs. The two sides on occasions worked together in negative ways as when, in 1857 A mixed group of Mormon militia and Paiutes attacked and killed a group of migrants at Mountain Meadows, Utah according to Virginia Simmons in her book of 2000, ‘The Ute Indians of Utah, Colorado and New Mexico’. A treaty was signed between The Utah Paiutes and the federal government in 1865, but the senate failed to ratify this. In early 1871 John Wesley Powell reached Southern Utah following his exploration of the Grand Canyon. On his first trip the party had run out of food. With the aid of the Paiutes, and their immense knowledge of the area Powell was able to arrange a successful second expedition according to the Surweb page the Paiute People of Southern Utah. The second trip was a scientific one and John Hilliers, a photographer, accompanied Powell. He was able to take many pictures of people who up to that point had had no or minimal contact with westerners. His pictures can be seen on the Surweb Pages, the Paiute People of Southern Utah. The Europeans of whatever origin practised settled agriculture and also introduced large herds of cattle, which led to over grazing. This made it hard for the native people to continue with their traditional life habits. Those living near rivers practised agriculture using the river waters as their means of irrigation. They grew corn, various types of squash and gourds, sunflowers, melons and, in later years, winter wheat. Although there were chiefs, some very influential, leadership was often to do with abilities and so was task orientated such as hunting or making baskets. With the coming of settlers there also came slaving raids from other native groups such as the Utes and Navajos, who then sold their slaves to Europeans. There were other important intrusions into Paiute life. Beatrice Grabish in her article of 1999 ‘Dry Tears of the Aral’ mentions the Owens Valley which was originally populated by Paiutes, but where the water was an attraction to urban developers seeking a permanent supply of water for Los Angeles. She reports how the local environment was devastated by the loss of ground water. Religion The supernatural belief world of the Paiutes revolved around Wolf and Coyote There was a tradition of storytelling about the activities of Wolf and Coyote together with those of other spirit animals. t the fall and winter gatherings. Wolf was considered to be the elder brother and so the more responsible god, while Coyote was often given the role of the trickster. Jesse Jennings, who has studied closely the anthropology of Utah said in 1957 in ‘Memoirs of the Society for American Archaeology’, No 14, when speaking of the people’s traditional life style :- In such situations there is little leisure, and almost no certainty about the morrow. No long-term building projects, no complicated rituals, no extensive amassing of personal property nor any long range plans can be undertaken in such circumstances. Reservations In 1874 the American government took away all Paiute land. The Malheur Reservation in Oregon was the first reservation for the northern Pauite. The government’s intention was that the Northern Paiute would be concentrated there, but because of the distance from the traditional areas of th emajority of the bands, together with poor conditions on that reservation, many Northern Paiute refused to go there or quickly left. When it became impossible for them to continue to follow their traditional patterns of life they either looked for work on white farms or in the cities. stablished Small Indian colonies were also formed where they were joined by many Shoshone and Washoe people. Later other large reservations were created such as those at Pyramid Lake and Duck Valley, but the usual pattern was small reservations near cities or farm districts. These often had mixed inhabitants including both Northern Paiute and Shoshone people. 20th Century â€Å"For many Indians the depression years were a relatively good period,† stated Professor Ronald L.  Holt of Weber State University as quoted by Becky Bartholomew ‘History Blazer’ on the web page ‘Utah History to Go’ In the early 20th century the colonies began to be awarded land by the government. In 1927 a Paiute agency was created in Cedar City under the auspices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Despite this there was little real help available for the Paiutes. The women worked as maids and the Paiute men worked on the railroad, sometimes taking intermittent work on farms as well as working their own small plots on reservation land. In 1933 President Roosevelt had appointed John Collier as a new commissioner of Indian Affairs. With the passing of the Indian Reorganization Act in 1934 colonies were given recognition as independent tribes. Known as the IRA, this act protected existing Indian lands as well as providing the means for additional land purchases. The establishment of tribal and band constitutions and councils was encouraged and funds were provided for the purchase of water rights and the creating of irrigation systems were needed. In the 1950’s the government had a policy of terminating aid to certain groups and the Paiutes were included, although Holt makes it clear that the department of Indian Affairs knew that by the they were then incapable of coping without help. Some of these terminations took a long time to come into effect. Prucha in his 1984 book ‘The Great Father: The United States Government and the American Indians’ states, ( page 1048) that in the case of the Southern Paiutes there was a three year gap between the act of termination and the date on which it took effect. Over the years the Paiutes campaigned for compensation for their lost lands and this was eventually paid, but at extremely low rates. In 1980 the then president Jimmy Carter ensured that the Paiute people again received federal recognition. In 1984 the Paiutes received 4,470 acres of poor land, not all in one place, but scattered throughout southwestern Utah. There was also a fund of $2. 5 million fund from which the group could draw on the interest. This was to be used for economic and tribal services and has been used to build houses, to open two factories and to provide health and educational facilities. The Future The future for this relatively small people group, probably about 4000 people according to Spartacus International, looks promising at present. Other estimates are rather higher, such as that on the Paiute Indian Tribe History, which claims there are up to 7,000. Naturally as time goes by there will be ever more mixing with the surrounding populations, but, unless there are major legislative changes, Paiutes will be able to follow at least some of their traditional way of life, while at the same time being active citizens of the United States. However it is obvious that certain things are in decline. A language with so few speakers spread over a vast area will soon be only of academic interest, a second language at best rather than a living mother tongue, unless there are moves such as with the Celtic languages in Europe to sustain them for example the Celtic tongues are used in the media and as a teaching medium in schools. There should be no need for war dances in modern America, so these will be just a focus for tourist cameras. With an increased interest in sustainable life styles and the protection of the planet’s resources however the Paiute still could have a valuable role if ancient skills are not lost , but passed on generation to generation.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Case Note: Winfield Refuse Management, Inc.: Raising Debt vs. Equity

Case: Winfield Refuse Management, Inc. : Raising Debt vs. Equity I. Case situation: Decision Proof: 1. First part: â€Å"†¦ , it was Sheene's responsibility to lead the discussion on how to finance a major acquisition†¦ reach a resolution this time. † 2. Last part: â€Å"Board Discussion†,†However, there was decidedly less agreement on the matter of financing†¦ † 3. The article is about background and arguments about whether to raising debt or equity. II. Options: Funding the acquisition through a bond issue or common stock? III. Creteria: 1. Maximum the interest of shareholders/not hurt the existing shareholders' interest. . Stable the stock price and make stock value growth. 3. Solidify its competitive position in the Midwest and make expansion. IV. Analysis of options: 1. Approval of Issuing stock: -Lower cost than bond: ‘the principal repayments on the bond mean an additional $6. 25 million cash outlay every year and it is over 9% of the bond issue. ‘ -‘Lower risk than bond: debt burden will increase risk and will lead to wild swings in the stock price. ‘ 2. Approval of Issuing bond: -Issuing stock would hurt shareholders: the Winfield's shares is now undervalued and issuing more shares would be a disservice to share holders. Weaken the control of Winfield family and a gift to new share holders -EPS would go up: using debt the EPS would go up to $2. 51, on the other hand, the stock issuing would make EPS decrease to $1. 91. -Other major player(competitors) rely on long-term debt in the capital structures. V. Other information: History of Winfield Refuse: -†In 40 years after 1972, the company grew through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions. † >growth history: company amalgamation >Experienced -†During the 1980s, professional management had been brought in. ‘ >Family control -†a consistent policy of avoiding long-term debt† >Risk aversi on -†very steady cash flows and 1991 pubblic stock offering† >Grow sound and already has stocks in market Expansion Opportunity: -â€Å"The management team had proven successful in the post-acquisition phase, avoiding undue actively seeking a larger acquisition target to solidify its competitive position in the Midwest. † >Experienced and well-controlled in management â€Å"As chief financial officer of Winfield Refuse Management, a vertically integrated, how to finance a major acquisition. >CFO: get oriented > identify problems > analysis > decision â€Å"†¦ a waste management operator collected the waste and then processed it for recovery, combustion for energy recovery†¦ † >company: provide new energy, environmental protection â€Å"†¦ generated very steady cash flows. † >take safe with steady cash flow â€Å"†¦ adhered to a consistent policy of avoiding long-term debt† >capability? How many shares did the company issue in the market? â€Å"The Winfield family and senior management held 79% of the common stock. † >The CFO missed the point about ratio of family control. 15 million family 80% = $11,850,000 others 20% $22. 5 million family 52% = $11,850,000 others 48% > The family control would be weakened and it may hurt family interest if issuing stocks. What's more, if one of the family member sold his/her share, the Winfield Refuse Management, Inc would no longer be a family company. â€Å"The management team had proven successful in the post-acquisition phase†¦ † >The company maybe experienced in integrating new companies into its operations but no experience in big companies. The company now has many branches but all in one industry. †¦ had consistently produced 12%-13% operating margins every year for the past 10 years. † >This figure did not compare to the average or competitors in this industry. Exhibit 2 â€Å"operating revenue: 2008: 371,868; 2009: 379. 457â €  >The company make through financial crisis. How? Exhibit 3 â€Å"2011 Total assets: $748,681; Total liabilities and stockholders equity: $749,681† >Debt Asset ratio: Total Debt/Total Assets =1 High debt to assets ratio indicate low borrowing capacity of a firm, and lower the firm's financial flexibility.Exhibit 3 >The issued bond is fixed-rate bond or variable bond? What other equity does the company have? (building, trucks, etc. ) Plus: Approval of Issuing stock: As the article mentioned, â€Å"The Winfield family and senior management held 79% of the common stock† and the fact that the company's stock is undervalued, if the company chose issuing strike, the senior management may own more shares and the change of the stock's price may benefit or hurt them. So issuing strike will motivate senior managers or other employees who own the stocks.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Comparative Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Comparative Politics - Essay Example The dictatorship or authoritarian governments can be considered as an example of elitist theory. In majority of the cases elite class of the society exercise their powers because of certain skills which are quite unique in that particular area. This is the reason on the basis of which most of the people living in elitist society could not challenge the status quo. Most of the people assume government as an elite group. However this is not the case always. Corporate sector can also act as an elite group of the society. They are on a bargaining position because of their revenue generating capability which will ultimately benefit the country. Real life scenarios of recent past suggest that corporations even play role in developing governments across the globe. Therefore it can be concluded that elite group has a powerful role to play in the growth and development. The pressure groups are almost inexistent in the elitist society. They do not have the resources to influence their point of view on elitist. Elitist theory also states that whenever attempts are made to over through elitist, the reaction of could be very harmful for the effective functioning of the society. Therefore decent homework will be required to alter such system (Machiavelli, NiccoloIâ‚ ¬, W. K. Marriott, Nelle Fuller, and Thomas Hobbes, 1955). Pluralist theory suggests that economic development of the nation is the responsibility of government. However certain pressure groups can influence the decision making process of government. In pluralist society public have the power to actively criticize the decisions of government and develop a pressure group for the improvement of their living conditions. There are classes of competing groups who try to grab maximum power by dissecting the opportunities for other pressure groups. Political scientists are of the opinion that pluralist society cannot become stable in the long run since it does not have unity of command. Unstable governments are the n orm of those societies. As far as the case of Unites States of America is concerned it can be concluded that pluralistic democratic system is prevailing in the country. Government administration of USA has to face to pressure as well as opposition members on the congress before making any decision associated with the government. Occupy Wall Street movement can be considered as an example of pressure group. There is no limitation on the general public to protest against governmental decisions (Johnson, Janet Buttolph, and Richard Joslyn, 1986). Question 2 Plurality system is the single voting system. According to this system the candidate with highest votes is elected as a member of legislative assembly. This system is based on the constituent politics. There are some political scientists who consider it as a best representative of democratic system. However opponents argue that it is not necessary that general public could elect the member who can solve their problems in the true se nse. Therefore the system cannot be considered as fool proof. The condition of absolute majority does not prevail in this system. Simple majority is enough to decide the candidature. Proportional representation system is quite different from plurality system. It is based on seats to voter relationship. For example if party A has received 30% seats in the assembly then that party should also get 30% votes in the electoral process. Political scien

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Outsourcing is either harmful or beneficial for American economic Essay

Outsourcing is either harmful or beneficial for American economic - Essay Example This activity assists companies in lowering their costs as the cost of production in US is quite high due to high cost of labor. With the economy development, more and more U.S companies would rather to choose outsourcing than the local service. To a certain extent, it is acceptable for America and American companies to be dependant on the labor of other countries. The activity of outsourcing of jobs conducted by US companies is not only beneficial for them, it is even beneficial for other nations because in these nations, there are low amount of jobs and the amount of salary they are paid is even low. Because its lower cost can help the U.S companies develop and can save the money for local customers. Also with more working positions are moving out of the country, there will create higher income jobs for local citizens. The several benefits associated with outsourcing of jobs include higher level of creativity in production, low cost of production, higher quality of service and incr eased number of jobs and wages for the workers of other nations. Outsourcing is a term used to refer to the act of obtaining goods and services from suppliers that are not located in nations that produce those goods and services. Murray Weidenbaum, a very famous economist and ex-chairman of President Regan’s Council of Economic Advisers, once announced that companies located throughout the US outsource their economic activities for several reasons. He feels that reasons for outsourcing include entrance into international markets, decrease the production cost, and to gain a competitive advantage while they compete in the global markets. The main benefit that a business within U.S obtains from outsourcing is the low cost of production as the product is produced at much lower cost in other nations as compared to the same product produced in the U.S. The U.S is importing raw materials from foreign nations, and the transfer of raw materials to the destination where they are used t o produce goods may increase the cost of production. If U.S manufacturers open their production line in areas where they obtain their resources, they no longer have to worry about the cost of raw materials transportation, and can direct deliver their products from the industry. It will become more profitable for businesses. For example, if in U.S organizations are importing raw materials from China and producing goods in the U.S. They not only have to pay the cost of the shipment fee but also need to afford the high wages in the state. If the company decide to move the manufactory into China, the wages over there are much cheaper than the U.S and set China as a delivery center, and the company doesn’t need to pay for the raw material transportation fee and only needs to pay the shipment fee of production sale which the company always have to pay either they located the manufactory in China or U.S. With this decision making, the company can save lots of money from the labor an d transportation fee, it can definitely help company to use the rest of money to expand the market and develop the company. Also once the company less their cost on producing the product, they would also cut down the price attract the consumers to make more sales revenue. Therefore the US companies are not the only one benefiting from outsourcing, even the consumer side is positively

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Stereo Field Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Stereo Field - Essay Example One of the radical changes in music production was marked through the development of computer music that involved pre-recorded media, speakers and stereos. Thus, the association between the music creation and physical human movement got disrupted through the use of computer that brought a type of non-instrumental composition in addition to the music production functions such as synthesis, recording and sequencing. However, the link between music and physical human movement has once again revived in the realm of computer music due to the use of latest sensors and the evolution of custom interfaces. The real time and highly interactive technologies allow computer music to extend itself to the physical world of human movement and thus, open the gate towards the creation of extremely imaginative alternative musical instruments such as the hyper instruments (HI’s) that were introduced by Tod Machover. Such interactive music systems offer limitless possibilities. Conventional instru ments are highly interactive systems as they respond immediately to a specific physical action with a corresponding musical action. Hyper instruments are directly derived through conventional instruments and therefore, they respect this basic link with traditional instruments. However, hyper instruments revolutionize the functionality of conventional instruments since they fundamentally enhance the two sides of the interaction.

Friday, July 26, 2019

Mens Health Magazine Research Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Mens Health Magazine Research - Case Study Example This cause may be based on observed phenomena that are directly or indirectly related to the deteriorating status of Americans' health. The next step is to establish a hypothesis to rationalize some feature of the observations (Hopper, K., 2008). Again, as far as hypothesis is concerned, the magazine's review has enough reason to speculate that children's overall health is parallel to the general lifestyle of its environment, either sanctioned by the government or common customs. The magazine has enough reasons to suspect that comparing cities' lifestyles would determine the status of children's health in these cities. The last step of the scientific method is to meticulously test the hypothesis (Hopper, K., 2008). Keep in mind that hypotheses cannot be proven (Samdahl, D. M., 1997). One can only fail to refute it. As early as now, one may actually say that Men's Health Magazine's review on the fittest and fattest cities for kids is a theory that is neither proven nor unproven. Facts about this statement will be discussed below. As a requirement, scientific method eliminates a hypothesis if tests constantly contradict the prediction. A hypothesis is only as valuable as its capacity to consistently forecast test outcomes no matter how great a hypothesis sounds. One should also remember that a hypothesis or prediction is not important if it is not testable and quantitative (Samdahl, D. M., 1997). Men's Health Magazine's theory is valid, quantitative, and testable. However, scientific method was not used quantifying and testing the publication's theory. The results are also not reliable and tend to change with a little addition or subtraction of the original data gathered. Men Health Magazine's review was based on these collected data: report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reports by the American Heart Association and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, statistics of winners of the President's Challenge, statistics by the CDC and Claritas, statistics by Economic Census, and the magazine's survey on the amount of fast food consumed within a month (Colleti, J., 2007). All these were quantitative researches on adults' lifestyle --- their exercise habits and eating habits --- and percentage of overweight adult population. Other data collected were reports on the number of fast-food restaurants per capita and sports activities (Colleti, J., 2007) offered to each child. A quantitative type of research would have been sufficient for this review except for the fact that all data gathered were mostly reports on adults' lifestyle. It is like judging a building based on the engineer, without consideration to other essential factors such as the owner's budget for the construction, the timeframe given to finish the structure, etc. While it may be commonly agreed that corpulence is contagious and children have Research Methods 4 a tendency to mimic their adults (Snyder, C., 2007), focusing on this principle does not constitute a solid review. As far as health lifestyle is concerned, the

Short answer paragraphs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Short answer paragraphs - Assignment Example Most Americans cannot afford the insurance coverage because the health care costs are high. The result is many Americans survive without the needed care that puts them at risks of various health problems. Costs for health rise as the needed treatment costs are above what would have been used to prevent the problem (Cebul 2008). A Health indicator is a characteristic that can be measured in an individual so as describe an aspect of health. Body mass index compares the weight, relative to height and age, against the measures of a healthy weight. It helps decide if interventions are needed. It refers to how societies compensate for the health care. The different options depend on the resources devoted on to them that eventually determine the amount and quality of care given to people. Some options may provide for the most advanced care while others compensate for basic care only. Medicaid is a government funded program that provides health care for low income families and those with limited resources. Those eligible to be beneficiaries can be children with disabilities, pregnant women, or parents of eligible women. Individuals in difficult conditions i.e. disabled and poor, have all their entire problems taken care of. For better services in future, beneficiaries can be asked to contribute back some share later in life when they have the capability (Cebul 2008). Increased costs of health care are due to the excess use of medical resources by patients and high costs associated charged by medics for fear of malpractice suits. The patients should be asked to take charge of their medical purchasing options. The health care system is unsuccessful because insurance dulls peoples’ consumer instincts. When medical care tends to be cheap or free, people do not shop around for other options. People do not also think otherwise before visiting the

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Philosophy - Essay Example He is separate from the mere idea of God, in the sense that all reality is contained with Him. On this idea of perfection, there is a hierarchy of perfection that begins with the purely subjective and ending with the ultimate reality, which Descartes equates with God. Descartes believes people experience an idea of the most perfect being and that existence is more perfect than existence in thought alone. Using both of these premises, Descartes concludes that the most perfect being (that is, God) exists in reality, not merely in thought. The argument is intuitively appealing, since people tend to see existence as more perfect than nonexistent. Despite this intuition, however, an entity cannot possess a characteristic (such as â€Å"being perfect†) unless that entity already exists. Accordingly, those things that do not exist cannot retain the property of perfect or imperfection. Existence serves as a precondition of perfection, not as something that occurs simultaneous to it. D escartes thinks that it is impossible to conceive of a most perfect being that does not have the characteristic of existence. Nevertheless, people, in fact, have the idea of this most perfect being. Descartes argument begs the question by basing all of existence on God and then using the premise that existence in reality is more perfect than existence in thought alone.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Open Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Open - Research Paper Example Qualifications wise the board is a mix of innovators and researchers. The board comprises two PhD holders and key personalities like Robert A. Iger the current CEO and president of The Walt Disney Company (Apple Inc., 2013b). The combination of innovation and research gives Apple’s Board the leadership qualities that are needed for consumer electronics business. Research provides Apple with access to the latest technology while innovation provides the company’s products with the competitive edge over its rivals. The board can take decisions based on both technology and innovation. 2. Committees the board sits on: The board at Apple Inc. sits on three committees: Audit and Finance, Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance. The Audit and Finance committee is responsible for maintaining the financial matters of the company. Moreover the committee looks after the audit system, performs risk management and also looks after the security of the data. Financial matt ers are of great importance to Apple Inc. and to make sure that the committee functions at optimum efficiency the members of the committee are some of the brilliant minds of the leading companies in the world (Apple Inc., 2011a). The second committee is Compensation committee whose main purpose is to design incentive plans for the company. In addition to designing the Committee can also review and modify any incentive plan as it sees fit. The committee has three members with Andrea Jung being the chairperson for the Committee (Apple Inc., 2013a). The third Committee is Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee whose sole responsibility is to nominate candidates for the Board of Directors at Apple Inc. In addition the committee can advise the Board of Directors regarding matters of governance. The committee comprises three members and William V. Campbell is appointed as the Chairperson of the Committee (Apple Inc., 2011). 3. Management at Apple Inc: Most of the individuals workin g for Apple have been working with the company since its formation. There are a few who joined shortly after Steve Jobs was made the CEO at Apple Inc. in 1997 (Apple Inc., 2013d). The management team is a relatively experienced one with people who have worked with some of the greatest companies in the world. One such example is Craig Federighi the Senior Vice President at the company. Federighi worked for NeXT Inc. and Ariba before working for Apple in 2009. NeXT Inc. and Ariba were one of the most popular IT companies of their time. Federighi is just one example of the many experienced individuals working for the management of Apple Inc. (Lowensohn, 2011). 4. Board’s Philosophy on Executive Compensation: Executive compensation at Apple Incorporation is determined by the Compensation Committee which comprises 4 non-employee directors of the company. As per the â€Å"Definitive Proxy Statement†, the executive compensation program of the company includes awarding Restric ted Stock Units (RSU) to all executive members of the company (Apple Inc., 2013d). However, the RSUs were not awarded to one executive member, Timothy Cook, who was promoted to the CEO of the company. In addition, the Compensation committee also has established a sound basis for determining the remuneration and bonuses for executive members of the company. As for instance, the Committee considers a number of factors while evaluating the remuneration and bonuses of the executive members, which include: Competitive Market

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Final Exam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Final Exam - Assignment Example A very good example of technological advancement is mobile phone. The type of mobile phone which we had in earlier times no longer exists now. There is a change in the demand of mobile phone users. This has resulted in the advancement of mobile phone technologies. The users of mobile phones demand functionality and simplicity. This has forced the manufacturers of mobile phone to develop smart phones which are computer minded, easily usable, having more functionality as compared to the mobile phones of past. Further, technological advancements have helped organizations and businesses to save cost of production and time which is an advantage to small business and have managed to use these advancements for gaining competitive advantage. A very good example is 3G/ 4G broadband. The advantage of this super fast internet has been taken by small business to reach the target market with lower cost of operation. However, there has been both positive and negative effect of technological advanc ement. ... Further, it has also increased the health risks as the technological users do less exercise. In the perspective of education, students are more dependent on computers and calculators for solving simple equations. They cannot train their brains for solving a simple task for which they become lame in class. A few technological advancements have changed the human lives in the following manner: Technological advancement has contributed a lot in health care and medicine. This has helped to save the lives of many innocent people. Further, it has improved health sciences and human medicine. The medical students and doctors use medical technological tools for carrying out extensive research on the challenges and problems related to human health. This extensive research has led to the development of treatments and new drugs which help to cure the challenging human diseases and saving the lives of many people and prolonging the lifespan of human being. For example: a smart phone ultrasound whi ch was provided by Microsoft can be used for integrating a USB based ultrasound probe with a Smart phone. This can be used to create a ultrasound device which is simple hand sized for enabling the doctors to image the bladder, liver, veins, eyes, arteries and kidney of a patient in remote areas which can detect any infection easily. This device can be used in many developing countries for saving the life of people. This mobile ultra sound can be used by the doctors without boundaries for helping the patients in remote areas. Certain other technologies in health care include use of nano-composite contact lenses for treating diabetes patients. Neuro-prosthetic chips are used for controlling artificial

Monday, July 22, 2019

The novel by Steinbeck Essay Example for Free

The novel by Steinbeck Essay Of Mice and Men, the novel by Steinbeck, frequently dramatises the constant action of back-to-back scenes. Consequently, the novel shares a strong sense of time, which is a formal element of most movies. Steinbecks novel is not targeted at a selective audience in view of its vernacular dialogue and informal touch. Also considering the fast-paced action, Of Mice and Men is very adaptable to a movie version. Using various devices up his sleeve, it is very important that the filmmaker gets across a sense of setting and colour in connection with characters thoughts and feelings. In preparing the final scene of the movie version of Of Mice and Men we were trying to focus on Lennies vulnerability in the outside world, the decline of Georges self-esteem with the demise of Lennie and how the setting and the environment (especially Lennies desired rabbits) reacted to the catastrophic conclusion. Our precise aims regarding filming technique were to use a combination of low and high-angle shots, camera FX to reflect the plot e. g. , dew, steam, fast/moderate paced camera, and deliberate exclusion of the camera from any part of the shot. For soundtracks/FX, we especially tried to imitate characters moods and feelings. Finally, suitable dialogue in calculated manner and appropriate timing re-enforced our essence of Lennies demise and Georges position. The establishing shots arouse an audiences preliminary attention and directly convey a filmmakers purposes. This is because setting, colour, smell, movement and a characters intentions are all elements of this shot. In our film, George carries a great appeal to any audience and connects them with Lennies reality. In the first subjective shot, George scrambles onto his horses saddle and shoots past the ranch at top speed while camera does not linger on setting. I thought that because the camera does not linger on setting, an audience unaware of Steinbecks final plot might get mystified or puzzled as to why George acts so instinctively. We decided on this camera movement keeping in mind that George is very determined and sincere with his friend and he will do the best up to his ability to protect Lennie. The audience can now sense something will go wrong and George will try to help Lennie to get out of the mess. This shot will prompt most audiences to form their own speculations of what is to happen next.

History of the concept of creativity

History of the concept of creativity History of the concept of creativity In spite of its current popularity, the concept of creativity, i.e. its name, is a recent notion that, nevertheless, went through a number of development stages and metamorphoses caused by the changes in the way the concept of creativity was perceived by societies at various stages of development. The process is not finished yet. Sometime in the future the general concept of creativity will hopefully be converted into a specialized concept, i. e. its regularities will be enumerated while its particularities linking it currently to a culture or a subculture will be eliminated. In the following text, the evolution of the concept of creativity throughout history is reviewed briefly, with the focus on important milestones and personalities. The milestones are arranged in a temporal sequence, whereas outstanding personalities are quoted where necessary, rather than presented in a strict temporal sequence. It is intuitively easy to accept the thesis that creative acts have been around as long as the homo sapiens, the humanoids and, indeed, living organisms. The concept of creativity appeared much later, and came forth very gradually. On the long way to establishing it, many intermediate new terms were generated, some of which have been used for centuries, in exceptional cases until our time. They help us understand more easily what creativity is and how it interacts with other operations in the intellectual sphere. Theoretical views of creativity follow the development of human culture and thought. Therefore, the concept of creativity is a component of the history of the human thought to the same extent as any other intellectual manifestation (Briffault, 1928). Much of the historical developments as accounted for in the following review are based on Tatarkiewiczs book (1980), Dictionnaire philosophique, and the following references: Verma (1969), Lindberg (1976), Abdus Salam (1984), Agar (2001), Ahmad (2002), Steffens (2006), Covington (2007), Roshdi (2007), and Medieval Classic civilization; An Encyclopaedia. Prehistoric times Remarkable and very advanced objects testifying to human creative genius are known from the art history. They originate from many parts of the world and from many different cultures and epochs. Perhaps the foremost examples of the earliest manifestations of creativity are various objects produced by the Australian Aborigines. The Aborigines are presumed to have moved to Australia from India some 50 000 years ago. Their most puzzling creative product is the boomerang for them hunting tool, for us an enigmatic object of scientific studies. Other important manifestation of human creative act and thought originates from Egypt and Mexico. These countries distinguish themselves not only by very advanced ability to produce objects, but also by the scientific (most often astronomic) knowledge embedded in these products. The pyramids of Egypt and those of Mexico, Guatemala, or Belize, the Mayan calendar, and the way of using mathematics in Egypt and in Mexico, are absolutely amazing even today. The Mayan astronomers had developed a spatial geometry parting from astronomy. The mathematics they used is still more accurate than the computational algorithms that make the flow of data in modern information networks possible (Ferrera-Balanquet, 2009). Another cultural area of great importance extends in Asia, particularly in the area comprising the present day Iraq, Iran, India, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. Buildings, materials and various concepts of physics embedded in the buildings testify to the high level of knowledge these peoples possessed thousands of years ago. In China and Japan, too, creativity enhanced knowledge in a manner that after thousands of years is still admired. India stands, as usual, apart in that it knew creativity as â€Å"insight† since times immemorial. For instance, in the extinct Pali language the word vipassanÄ  consists of the Sanskrit prefix â€Å"vi-â€Å" and the verbal root à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡paņº. It is often translated as †insight† or â€Å"clear-seeing,† One should not be misled by the â€Å"in-â€Å" prefix in â€Å"insight†.. â€Å"Vi† in ancient Aryan languages is equivalent to the Latin â€Å"dis-†. It is reasonable to conclude that in the word vipassanÄ  the prefix â€Å"vi-† generates the meaning â€Å"to see apart†, or discern. Alternatively, the â€Å"vi† can function as an intensifier. In that case vipassanÄ  may mean â€Å"seeing deeply†. A pali synonym for â€Å"VipassanÄ Ã¢â‚¬  is paccakkha, menaing â€Å"before the eyes,† which refers to direct experiential perception. Thus, the type of seeing denoted by â€Å"vipassanÄ Ã¢â‚¬  is that of direct perception and experience, as opposed to knowledge derived from reasoning or argument. It has also been adopted as the name of a kind of Buddhist meditation. Ancient Greece The people of Ancient Greece had no terms corresponding to â€Å"creativity† or â€Å"creator†. Yet, the poet was considered to be one who creates. Whatever was â€Å"creative† in the present sense of the word, was called art. The concept of art (in Greek  Ã…  Ã‚ Ã‹Å" Ã‚ Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ °, from which technique and technology evolved), implied subjection to rules. Poetry (from  Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ´Ã‚ Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ´Ã‚ Ã†â€™Ã…  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¼ to make) was an exception, although it was limited only to  Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ Ã¢â€š ¬Ã†â€™Ã…  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ °Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ´Ã‚ Ã‹â€  (poetry) and to the  Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ´Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ °Ã‚ Ã…  Ã‚ Ã… ¡Ã‚ Ã‹â€  (poet, or maker) who made it, rather than to art in general. The reason was that art was considered an imitation of what already exists, â€Å"the making of things, according to rules†, hence subjection to laws and rules. In painting, music, or literature, there was no freedom. They were governed by what was known as ÃŽÂ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ (the laws). This conservative attitude and need for subjection prevailed in the works of Plato who claimed, mainly in Timaeus, Dialogue of Ion, and in The Republic, that a good work is contingent on observing an eternal model as suggested by Nature, and never deviate from that model. The eternal models were within reach, in the surrounding world, of which artists were the imitators. They thus had to abide by certain rules. In the visual arts, freedom was curtailed by the proportions that Polyclitus had established for the human frame. He called them â€Å"the canon† (meaning, measure). Likewise, in music, no freedom was necessary because melodies for ceremonies and entertainme nt were known. They were prescribed as nomoi. Making of things according to rules, or à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ µÃƒ Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ·, was not considered to contain any creativity at all. In fact, if they had contained creativity, the state of affairs would be considered bad by the Greek standards of that time: Something similar to the negative perception of creative accounting nowadays [Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 244]. Man ought to discover the laws of Nature and abide by them. Seeking freedom of action unnecessarily distracts him from seeking the optimum way. In Ancient Greece the artist was not an inventor, he was a discoverer [Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 245]. It means that he had to study the laws of Nature, discover and see how related entities interact, and use them as a model. This world-view had its own justification. Nature is both perfect and subject to laws. The artists ambition must be to discover these laws and submit to them, rather than seek the distracting freedom from these laws, a freedom that would deflect him from attaining the optimal state. Poetry stood outside these limitations. The poet invented a whole new world and gave it life. The poet differed from the artist, the imitator, in that laws did not bind him. In spite of the absence of the term for creativity, creation, or the creator, the poet, and only the poet, was understood to be a creator.According to the Greek view, the poet was an inventor, i. e. he put together unrelated entities and let them interact in an arbitrary manner. This is what made poetry the only exception from the rules applying to art. In terms of truthfulness of this world-view, Aristotle, who established the term truth, was not sure whether poetry required adherence to truth, i. e. whether it imitated Nature. He thought that poetry was in the realm that was neither true nor false [Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 245-6]. The concepts of imagination and inspiration, too, were restricted to poetry only. Poets were seen differently and they saw things differently. But not everybody was reconciled with this restriction. An example can be found in the Odyssey, where a question is posed why the singer should be forbidden to entertain his listeners with singing as he himself will. Yet, even in this rigid environment of dogmas, some progress took place. Thus, in the 3rd century, Porphyry of Tyros graphically visualized the concept categories of Aristotle. In the 4thcentury of the Christian era, Pappus of Alexandria searched for a science of invention. He named his techniques â€Å"heuristics†. Antique Rome The Roman civilization developed from the Greek civilization. It was younger, thus more progressive and more exploratory than was the civilization of Greece. Therefore, things were seen in a different light in Rome, and the Greek concepts were viewed as partially outdated. To begin with, the vocabulary was enriched with new concepts, which shook up the foundations of the Greek thought. This effort happened to follow two counter-directions. on the one hand, Cicero wrote that art embraces those things â€Å"which are known† (â€Å"quae sciuntur†) [Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 245]. Horace, on the other hand, elevated painters to the level of poets in giving them the privilege of daring whatever they pleased (â€Å"quod libet audendi†), instead of following the â€Å"eternal model†. Moreover, in the declining period of antiquity, Lucius Flavius Philostratus discovered a similarity between poetry and art, and found that art and poetry have imagination in common. Cal listratos expanded these ideas by stating that as much as the art of the poets and writers of prosaic literature is inspired, so are the hands of sculptors. They, too, are gifted with the blessing of divine inspiration. The novelty of these postulates follows from the fact that Greeks had applied the concepts of imagination and inspiration to poetry only, but not to the visual arts. The Greek language had no word for creating, whereas Latin had. Creare and facere were two Latin words corresponding to the Greek à Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ µÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Yet, initially the two Latin terms had almost the same meaning (Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 246), and were thus interchangeable. Christianity Under medieval Christianity, the Latin â€Å"creatio† came to designate Gods act of â€Å"creatio ex nihilo† (i.e. creation from nothing). â€Å"Creatio† thus no longer could apply to human activities. Its meaning differed from the meaning of â€Å"facere† (to make). Applied to human activities, facere was the only word to be used. Cassiodorus, the important statesman and writer of the 6th century, explained that things made and created differ, because we can make but cannot create. His important works on this topic, written after his retirement, include De anima (published 540), Institutiones Divinarum et Saecularium Litterarum (published probably 543-555), and De Artibus ac Disciplinis Liberalium Litterarum [Tatarkiewicz 1980, p. 247]. This more or less â€Å"secular† interpretation of creativity collided with the archaic views of some Christian writers. To begin with, they believed that art did not belong to the realm of creativity. In this respect they had the same belief as the Greeks. Medieval Christian writers granted no exception to poetry. They claimed that poetry had to follow its rules. Therefore it was an art, i. e. a craft rather than a creative activity. The dominant figure among these writers was St. Augustine, a personality whose works are of interest even today. He is claimed to have used the word imagination as a precursor to creativity. Imagination, according to St. Augustine comprised disposition, multiplication, reduction, extension, ordering, any kind of re-composition of images, etc. (Rodari, 1983). These very same components of â€Å"imagination† are used even today [Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 247]. Further changes were recorded in the Middle Ages: poetrys exceptional status was gradually revoked, because poetry had its rules. It was thus regarded as an art, i. e. a craft, rather than creativity. The new, religious interpretation of the expression notwithstanding, the opinion that art is not related to creativity persisted. The works of two influential early Christian writers, Pseudo-Dionysius and St. Augustine, prove it. The same can be said the works of Hraban the Moor and Robert Grosseteste, in the 13th century. Renaissance There are two periods in European history, called the Renaissance. The first one is the 12th century Renaissance. It was a period of many innovative and creative cahnges during the High Middle Ages, such as social, political and economic transformations. Parallel developments in philosophy and science resulted in an intellectual revitalization of Europe. The second renaissance is the Italian Renaissance in the 15th century. Some historians claim that the changes having taken place in the Middle Ages paved the way to the Italian Renaissance, as well as to the scientific developments of the 17th century. The French historian Jacques le Goff, an agnostic, argues that the Middle Ages formed an entirely new civilization, distinct from both the Greco-Roman antiquity, and from the modern world. The medieval achievements of the human mind and the human hands can only be related briefly. The First Rrenaissance . The most creative political acts of the 12th century were the founding of the Hansa in Northern Europe (along the southern shore of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, with a few excursions deeper into Central Europe), the Crusades, the rise of towns, and the rise of the early bureaucratic states. In the cultural sphere the vernaculars began to replace Latin increasingly, higher education became more prominent, with universities sprouting all around the European continent between the Atlantic and the Theisse river, the Romanesque art was gradually replaced by the Gothic art, the liturgical drama, and a European system of law was established. These changes are true milestones. In the arts, more emphasis was put on architecture and sculpture, while in parallel there was a revival of interest in Latin poetry and Latin classics. An outer expansion began in the late 13th century, when the Venetian explorer Marco Polo set out to follow the Silk Road to China. His doc umentary Il Milone made Europeans more aware of the Far East, which inspired many missionaries (Giovanni da Pian del Carpini, Giovanni de Marignolli, Giovanni di Monte Corvino, and others) to go east and spread Christianity. The greatest leaps of human knowledge were, however, recorded in science and technology. Since Ibn al-Haytham (also known as Alhazen, 965-1039) laid down the foundations of the scientific method, the emphasis was put on seeking truth. Science thus became a formal discipline, different from philosophy. In early Middle Ages, the Byzantine Empire, the most advanced culture of antiquity, suffered losses and a decline in its scientific capacity. Likewise, Western Europe, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, suffered a catastrophic loss of knowledge. This was partially offset by the efforts of Church scholars, like Aquinas and Buridan, who preserved elements of scientific inquiry. In that manner, by translating and imitating the works of Islamic scholars Europe could begin catching up with the scientific discoveries of the Islamic world, the Mediterranean basin, India, and China. The most important steps to Europes scientific recovery at that time comprise the following events: Development of the scientific method (Alhazen, Biruni, Bacon, and Grosseteste); Arithmetic and Algebra (Al-Khwarizmi); Differential calculus (Bhaskara); Mechanics (Avicenna, with a later contribution by Ibn Bajjah, also known as Avempace, Buridan, Galileo, Descartes and Newton); Optics(Aristotle, Plato, Galen, Euclid, Hero of Alexandria, Ptolemaeus. In the 10th century, Alhazen proved empirically that light propagates linearly;Robert Grosseteste developed a theory of optics based on the works of al-Kindi and Ptolemaeus. Roger Bacon expanded on Grossetestess theory and integrated Alhazens optics into it. Finally, Kepler was able to use the foregoing findings to develop the modern theory of optics); Surgery(Abulcasis or Abu al-Qasim Khalaf ibn al-Abbas Al-Zahrawi developed procedures and instruments of modern surgery, such as the scalpel, syringe, vaginal speculum, etc.). In 1266, Theodo ric Borgogni published his Chirurgia, in which he advocates antiseptic surgery); Alchemy and Chemistry (The Jaberian Corpus, written in the 10th century by the Brotherhood of Purity (Ismaylia), the Summa Perfectionis, by Paulus de Tarento, the Secret of Secrets by al-Razi (Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya Razi);Trigonometry (al-Tusi, Regiomontanus and Puerbach made these methods wider known in the 15th century); Navigation (the astrolabe and the portable compass, Peter de Maricourt); Accurate lunar models(Ibn al-Shatir; Copernicus is believed to have relied on al-Shatirs model); Incendiary weapons and bombs (flame-throwers, land- and sea-mines, and rockets). Among important technological accomplishments and developments, the following can be listed: The windmill, first mentioned in 1185 (England); Paper manufacture began around 1270 (Italy); The spinning wheel (13th century); The magnetic compass for navigation, and the astrolabe (toward the end of the 13th century); Eyeglasses, in the late 13th century (Italy); The Hindu-Arabic numerals introduced to Europe in 1202 with the book Liber Abaci by Leonardo of Pisa; The stern-mounted rudder, which can be found on church carvings. The philosophy developed in the Middle Ages was the Scholasticism. It is founded on a reinterpretation of the works of Aristotle, with further refinements by scholars like Avicenna, Averroes, Albertus Magnus, Bonaventure, and Abà ©lard. Scholasticism believes in empirical studies, and its practitioners supported the Catholic Church. Perhaps the most famous practitioner of Scholasticism was Thomas of Aquinas. His Philosophy of mind teaches that the mind of a newborn baby is a tabula rasa that was given the ability to think, and to recognize forms, patterns, or ideas through a divine spark. In the late Middle Ages, the rate of scientific progress declined significantly due to the decline of the Muslim empires and the Byzantine Empire. This situation lasted until after the Renaissance. The Italian Reanaissance. The Italian Reanaissance brought further changes into the mode of thinking and lifestyle of people. The Renaissance philosophy is that of Humanism, which perhaps is more a method of learning than a philosophy per se. An approximate, but generally accepted definition of Humanism is â€Å"the movement to recover, interpret, and assimilate the language, literature, learning and values of ancient Greece and Rome†. Unlike the medieval scholars, humanists would apply a combination of reasoning and empirical evidence in reading and appraising ancient texts in the original. Humanist education focused on the study of five humanities: poetry, grammar, history, rhetoric, and moral philosophy. Above all, humanists asserted mans genius and the ability of the human mind, which is unique and extraordinary. Humanism is more secular in some aspects, but it unquestionably developed against a Christian backdrop, particularly in the Northern Renaissance. That period gave mankind some outstanding theologians, all of them followers of the humanist method. They include Zwingli, Calvin, Thomas More, Erasmus, and Martin Luther. In particular, Dr Martin Luther must be viewed as the liberator of the human soul, with whatever effect it had on subsequent cataclysmic developments in society, science, business, and trade. Although the people of the Renaissance were well aware of their freedom and creativity, the term creativity was not established yet. It was not until the 17th-century that the word â€Å"creativity† was applied for the first time. The man behind it was Polish poet Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski (1595-1640), also known as â€Å"the last Latin poet†. Sarbiewaski applied the term only to poetry. In his treatise, De perfecta poesi, he wrote that a poet â€Å"invents,† and creates anew (â€Å"de novo creat†) in the manner of God (â€Å"instar Dei†) (Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 248). Other arts, in Sarbiewskis opinion, do not create. They merely imitate and copy. Why Sarbiewski regarded creativity as something that only poetry could be associated with, thus excluding visual arts, follows from his opinion that arts (other than poetry) imitate and copy, rather than create, in that they assume the material from which they create is already available, and so is the subject. At the end of the 17th century Andrà © Fà ©libien (1619-75) called the painter â€Å"a creator†. Spanish Jesuit Baltasà ¡r Gracià ¡n (1601-58) saw art as the second Creator that complements nature. This formulation is reminiscent of Sarbiewskis formulations (Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 248). In the 18th century, the occurrence of the concept of creativity in art theory kept increasing. It was complemented with the concept of imagination. In Joseph Addisons opinion imagination â€Å"has something in it like creation†. A similar opinion was held by Voltaire (1740). These authors, however, equated only poet with creator (Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 248-9). Contrary views proliferated, too, particularly in France. Diderot worked with imagination, which he viewed merely as â€Å"the memory of forms and contents†, which â€Å"creates nothing†. It only combines, magnifies or diminishes. â€Å"The human mind cannot create†, wrote Charles Batteux. He, too, saw its products as displaying the stigmata of the model used. Étienne Bonnot de Condillac (1715-80) and Luc de Clapiers, known as marquis de Vauvenargues (1715-47), proposed similar ideas (Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 249). There were three reasons why they rejected the idea of human creativity: Creation was at that time reserved for creation ex nihilo. The latter was beyond mans abilities. Creation is a mysterious act. Enlightenment psychology, however, had no room for mysteries. Artists of that time age observed their rules. Creativity, however, seemed irreconcilable with rules. The third objection was, however, weak. Houdar de la Motte (1715) was one of the thinkers who suggested that rules, too, â€Å"are a human invention† (Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 249). The philosopher Marsilio Ficino wrote that the artists work is the result of thinking it up (â€Å"excogitatio†). Leon Battista Alberti, the theoretician of architecture and painting, claimed that he preordains (â€Å"preordinazione†), and Raphael claimed that his ideas shape his painting. Universal genius Leonardo da Vinci claimed that it was his idea that determined how his painting was shaped, using shapes that do not exist in nature. Another painter, Raphael Santi, too, claimed that he painted according to his ideas. Giorgio Vasari claimed that nature is conquered by art. Paolo Pino, the art theoretician from Venice claimed that painting is â€Å"inventing what is not†. Likewise, Paolo Veronese declared that painters take the same liberties as they were poets and madmen. â€Å"A new world, new paradises†was what an artist shapes, maintained Federico Zuccari. Cesare Cesariano extended this to architects whom he considered â€Å"demi-gods.† In the realm of music, according to the Dutch composer and musicologist Jan Tinctoris, a composer was â€Å"one who produces new songs†. He thus associated novelty with a composers work. Writers on poetry were even more consequent. Capriano claimed that poetic inventions spring â€Å"from nothing†. Francesco Patrizi held that poetry was a â€Å"fiction†, â€Å"shaping†, and â€Å"transformation† (Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 248). The developments in the Renaissance science were as dynamic as in the arts. Science and the arts were intermingled, which manifests best in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. He made observational drawings of nature and anatomy, set up and conducted controlled experiments in water-flow and aerodynamics, systematic study of motion, and medical dissection. Leonardo devised principles of scientific research method in the spirit of holistic, non-mechanistic and non-reductive approach popular today. Leonardo deserves the epithet â€Å"the father of modern science†. The focus on the process for discovery, the scientific method, corroborated by influential proponents such as Copernicus and Galileo, is perhaps the most significant development of that time. This revolutionary way of learning about the world stressed the importance of empirical evidence, as well as the importance of mathematics, rather than highlighting a given discovery. Age of Reason In the 18th century, the Age of Reason and Change, the concept of creativity appeared more frequently in art theory. Once again, famous personalities needed an ancillary concept to explain and justify creativity. One such concept was that of imagination. It was first used in 1712 by the English essayist, poet and publisher Joseph Addison. He published 11 essays on imagination in The Spectator. In one essay he claims that only the sense of sight supplies ideas to the imagination. He speculated about a congruence between imagiantion and creativity. By the same time, the famous French author and philosopher Franà §ois-Marie Arouet de Voltaire distinguished between passive and active imagination. On the latter he wrote in his Dictionnaire philosophique that â€Å"Active imagination is that which joins combination and reflection to memory. It brings near to us many objects at a distance; it separates those mixed together, compounds them, and changes them; it seems to create, while in fa ct it merely arranges; for it has not been given to man to make ideas-he is only able to modify them†. Voltaire continued: â€Å"This gift of nature is an imagination inventive in the arts in the disposition of a picture, in the structure of a poem.† Both authors thus indicate that poets are creative, and they equate poet with creator. Modern times The resistance against recognizing art as creativity, seen in the preceding centuries, crumbled totally in the 19thcentury. Now art gained recognition as creativity and, moreover, art alone was regarded as creativity. At the turn of the 20th century discussion of creativity in the art as well as in the sciences, e.g. by Jan Ã…Â ukasiewicz (Sinisi, 2004), and in nature (cf. Bergson, 1907) began. At this point concepts proper to art were applied to the sciences and to nature [Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 249]. There was, however, a long waiting time to the scientific study of creativity. The thinking of some modern time scholars will be expounded in the subsequent chapter. The beginning of scientific study of creativity is generally taken to be J. P. Guilfords address to the American Psychological Association in 1950. Many scholars joined in the effort to explore creativity in the years to come. They took a more pragmatic approach to this esoteric subject. As creativity became established as a discipline, scholars realized that creativity depends on being practiced. Creativity reveals itself in accomplishments and deeds, rather than in words. While a sound theoretical approach still was important, more and more emphasis was put on developing practical creativity techniques. Important personalities illustrating this approach include Alex Osborn, who in the 1950s invented brainstorming. In the same decade, Genrikh Altov, later calling himself Altshuller, came up with his â€Å"Theory of Inventive Problem Solving†, better known as TRIZ. In the 1960, Edward de Bono became famous after having developed his influential theory of â€Å"Lateral thinkin g.† These and other theories and techniques are expounded in more detail in subsequent chapters.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Impact of Uber on UK Mini Cabs

Impact of Uber on UK Mini Cabs Introduction The intense rivalry among competitors in the market is a critical driving force for each organisation. A healthy competition among competitors builds fuel for organisation long run, and while seeking progress firm practices influences other companies in the industry. The present research enables the researcher to find out such influences produced by Uber through their innovative practices. The research attempt shed lights on Uber Cab Company performance and the impact made by the organisation on other minicabs in the UK taxi industry. The researcher looks to utilise the journals of Wallsten (2015) and Edward, George and Sarkar (2010) for perceiving current issues efficiently. The investigation tries to perceive strategies and practices executed by Uber to advance in the UK taxi industry along with identifying the influence made on minicabs performance. Literature review The rise of Uber and the subsequent disruption in taxi industry has been a key research issue in recent years. For example, the study of Sundararajan (2014) revealed that the success of Uber was mainly due to the convenience offered by the service compared to existing cab services. This view has been upheld by other researchers such as Malhotra and Van Alstyne (2014) and Isaac (2014). All these studies point to the fact that Uber offer higher value to taxi customers in terms of lower charge, higher convenience and better safety offered by Uber. The theory of quality-value-loyalty chain was used by Wallsten (2015) to evaluate the success of Uber in Taxi industry. Figure 1.1: Quality-value-loyalty chain Source: Wallsten (2015) As per Quality-value-loyalty chain, price, product quality and service quality develop the perceived value of a product or service which in turn contributes to customer loyalty towards the product or service. Among these elements, competitors are easily able to imitate product quality and price. But it is very difficult to imitate service quality (Edward, George and Sarkar, 2010). Due to this, service quality has an enhanced role in creating value and loyalty for the product or service. Wallsten (2015) notes that the superior service quality of Uber has helped the company in creating value for customers and in developing loyal customer base in taxi industry. From the review of existing literature available on Ubers success in taxi industry, it can be understood that the ability of the company to offer better value, service quality and convenience was the main reasons for its success. Research purpose The study intends to identify the impacts that created by Uber Cab Company in the UK taxi industry and analyse influence that the company made on minicabs in the country.   Ã‚   The research objectives of the current research are: To evaluate the factors affecting satisfaction of cab customers To assess the factors contributing to the competitive advantage of Uber in UK Taxi industry To analyse the impact of Ubers growth on mini cabs of UK To provide suggestions to mini cabs of UK to remain competitive in UK Taxi industry Rationale Despite being a start-up in the UK taxi industry, Uber cab services had provided growth to the traditional taxi service in the country. The process made the countrys private taxi firm to stand tall where other numerous taxi companies had failed. According to Megaw (2016), 97% of the organisation that tried fit their name in the industry had fallen within the first four months where Uber showed resilience in making an impact which flew beyond the capital. The company had expanded beyond borders leaving a note on taxi industry to look for an urgent lift in which the mini cabs have experienced most of the damage. Uber was able to advance in each market that they have entered which led to protests and strikes in the UK. Uber Cab company flexibility had attracted few drivers who worked in mini cabs in London to join in the company. The low pricing strategy that the company presented has made controversies as competitors had alleged the practice unhealthy and artificial. Uber started its o peration in the UK with four locations and increased the size to eighteen with 30,000 drivers in London (Torrance, 2016). Data analysis interprets that since Uber started its operation, the private hire operations in London has attained a decline of 11% assuming minimum ten private taxi business close in every month. The research seeks to identify major reasons for the customer to choose Uber cab over minicabs by comparing their service using service quality framework and looks to interpret recommendation for minicabs in order to survive the situation. Scope and limitation of research The Uber Cab Company intervention to the UK taxi industry has been questioned severely by the minicab operators as their low payment system and other operations has affected minicabs and provoked few operators to end their operations in London area. The investigation gathers ample evidence for interpreting the features that attracted customers to Uber service so that certain recommendations could be drawn to the minicab operators in the UK for improving their business in the location. Research methodology For constituting the study, the researcher has to acquire efficient information on operations of both Uber Cab and minicab services. For carrying out the research both primary and secondary data collection method is used by the researcher. The literature and journals on the topic are utilised to attain secondary data, and the primary information is collected through executing a survey on taxi customers. The survey is conducted on 55 customers who use taxi services in London in which 30 female and 25 male customers are targeted. The survey method enables researcher to understand consumer perspectives on services provided by Uber Cab and minicab companies improving study strength. The data achieved from books, journals, articles and websites belong to the secondary resources which are used by the researcher to analyse the issue further. The adequate information attained from these practices is used to provide significant interpretations for present research problems from which efficien t recommendations are drawn for the minicab operators. Action plan      Ã‚   Research objective By when Resources to be used (2.1) when do you know this objective is achieved which is after the by when to ensure that you have actually achieve the objective How will you monitor this objective is being achieved? method of monitoring Topic selection 17th December to 22nd December 2017 Books, articles and online journals for study topic selection 21st December 2017 22nd December 2017 Reporting Regularly to supervisor Aim and objective preparation 23rd to 24th December 2017 Adequate journals and books 23rd December 2017 24th December 2017 Reporting Regularly to supervisor Literature review 25th December to 10th January 2017 Secondary resources like books and publications both online and offline for literature review preparation 8th January 2017 10th January 2017 Timely informing supervisor work status updates Research methods 12th January to 16th April 2017 Journals and books for perceiving research methods 13th January 2017 15th April 2017 Updating report status to supervisor Data collection 17th January to 16th February 2017 Survey on customers as primary resource and data from books, journals and company reports as secondary resource 15th February 2017 16th February 2017 Communicating status to supervisor Interpretation of data 17th February 1st March 2017 Comparison of primary and secondary information and analysis descriptive methods 25th February 2017 1st March 2017 Updating work status to supervisor Conclusion and recommendation March 2nd 14th March 2017 On the basis of interpreted data and analysis 13th March 2017 14th March 2017 Timely report to supervisor Final submission 15th March 2017 2.2 Undertake the proposed research investigation in accordance with the agreed specification and procedures. Questionnaire design This research was deliberated to mainly evaluate the effect of UBER Cab Company on mini cabs in the UK. For conducting the study, the research has opted UBER Cab Company to carry out the study. The research has mainly opted questionnaire method so as to gather data and information from the customers of UBER Cab Company to know more about taxi and the scope of them. For developing and evolving the questionnaire, the research has adopted Likert scale method, and to the customers of UBER Cab Company, the questionnaire was distributed with the aid of survey method. By opting the customers of UBER Cab Company for conducting the survey, the data gathered by the researcher was accurate and appropriate to the question of the research. Data collection method For the study, the research decided to opt primary data collection using survey method. The research was done with the aid of survey that was carried out on the customers of a minicab in London. The researcher decided to opt about 55 as the sample size for the study where 30 were women, and 25 were men. With the aid of survey method, the researcher could gain more knowledge and understanding about the company and the taxi services. All the research questions were related to the study and the questions prepared was simple and very easy to understand. This helped the researcher to get the opinions of customers. Advantages of survey method: With the aid of primary research, the research could gain relevant, apt and specific answers when compared to any other research methods. With the aid of Likert scales, the researcher could understand more about the topic and do not spend more time on the data collection. Survey method is cost effective and time-consuming. Disadvantages of survey method: The survey that is closed and structured might have less validity and reliability than other methods. There can be favourable answers been marked by the researcher so as to support the subject. The respondents will not be able to give their maximum as they will not be aware of the reason behind the survey. Advantages and disadvantages of ANOVA method The survey method was analysed with the aid of ANOVA method through which qualitative data collection was collected. Over more than two groups the data are examined and reviewed constancy for gaining the result in the case ANOVA method. The t-test is mainly compared to ANOVA methods as instead for ANOVA method t-test is used for the similar use. The advantages of ANOVA are: ANOVA method is mainly opted to relate groups of various samples sizes when compared to the t-test. Without cumulating the probabilities of Type, I error, with the aid of ANOVA more than two grouped can be evaluated. The disadvantages of ANOVA are: Incorrect results can be gained from ANOVA if the samples are gathered from the average population. ANOVA helps to makes sure if the samples are different from each other and also indicates the samples that are different from the similar ones. D3: Justify the choice of data collection methods To get accurate and reliable data and information the researcher adopted primary research for this study conducted on UBER Cab Company. The research has adopted survey method as the research strategy to gather data from the customers of UBER Cab Company London. The responses gathered from different customers were different and had different opinion and suggestions. The questions were closed and structured through Likert scales. Likert scales also aided the researcher in understanding the questionnaire. It was comparatively easy for the researcher to gather quantitative data with the help of survey methodology that made the research to be analysed easily with the aid of ANOVA method. 2.3 Record and collate relevant data where appropriate The researcher has used ANOVA analysis for testing the data collected from taxi customers of London. The researcher collected data from 55 taxi customers (30 female and 25 male customers). The working hypothesis adopted by the researcher is that there is clear difference in taxi service preferences of male and female taxi customers of London. This working hypothesis is tested with the help of ANOVA analysis. SS df MS F P Price 388.9286 1 388.9286 9.24 0.028759 Accessibility 388.9286 1 388.9286 5.08 0.073916 Convenience 388.9286 1 388.9286 3.56 0.117844 Driver behaviour 388.9286 1 388.9286 6.69 0.049044 Quality of car 388.9286 1 388.9286 10.89 0.021476 Safety 388.9286 1 388.9286 14.9 0.011879 2.1 ANOVA analysis of customer needs from taxi service From the above ANOVA analysis it can be understood that the opinions of male and female taxi customers significantly diverge in terms of their needs and expectations from taxi services available in UK. The analysis shows that female customers gave greater importance of safety, quality of car and driver behaviour when compared to male customers. On the other hand, male customers gave higher importance to convenience aspect while choosing taxi services. SS Df MS F P Reliability 388.9286 1 388.9286 6.65 0.049507 Assurance 388.9286 1 388.9286 14.25 0.012957 Tangibility 388.9286 1 388.9286 4.12 0.098139 Empathy 388.9286 1 388.9286 11.68 0.018887 Responsiveness 388.9286 1 388.9286 2.83 0.153344 2.2 ANOVA analysis of customer rating of service quality of Uber From the ANOVA analysis of the customer rating of service quality of Uber it is clear that both male and female customers have diverging opinions regarding the different dimensions of service quality of Uber. For example, it is evident that reliability, empathy and assurance elements of service quality of were given higher rating by female customers while male customers gave higher importance to responsiveness of the service of Uber. SS df MS F P Reliability 388.9286 1 388.9286 8.36 0.034132 Assurance 388.9286 1 388.9286 5.71 0.062422 Tangibility 388.9286 1 388.9286 21.02 0.005922 Empathy 388.9286 1 388.9286 3.28 0.129892 Responsiveness 388.9286 1 388.9286 11.02 0.021017 Methodology I used simple random sample because it is the simplest way to select participants from a population. According to Saunders, et al., using these methods means that each individual in the population has the same chance of being selected for the sample (2012) The survey questionnaire was developed on free online source distributed to employees via email, and social media messaging. Printed sheets of questionnaire were also provided for data collection. The expected sample size is set to 100 participants from the target population and the sampling is undertaken based on simple random sampling method. 2.3 ANOVA analysis of customer rating of service quality of UK minicab The above analysis of customer rating of service quality of UK minicabs reveal that female customers hold very different view regarding the service of minicabs when compared to female customers. It is evident from the analysis that female customers opinion regarding the reliability, assurance, tangibility and responsiveness of minicabs diverge from that of their male counterparts. SS Df MS F P Uber 388.9286 1 388.9286 2.43 0.179774 Minicab 388.9286 1 388.9286 14.25 0.012957 2.4 ANOVA analysis of customer likelihood of using of Uber and Minicab The above ANOVA analysis shows that female customers are much more likely to not use minicabs than male customers. On the other both male and female customers are equally likely to use Uber as taxi service in London. 3.1 Use appropriate research evaluation techniques Effectiveness of Project planning was developed by the researcher for implementing the current research project. The plan entailed the main steps of the project alongside milestones, objectives, review dates and resource allocation. This research plan was highly efficient in enabling the implementation of the research within the allocated time frame. One area where the research faced difficulty was in using ANOVA analysis method in data collation stage. The lack of knowledge and experience of the researcher in using ANOVA analysis method was a key obstacle in the smooth implementation of the research. Achievement of research objectives: Objective 1: To evaluate the factors affecting satisfaction of cab customers The primary objective of the current research was to evaluate the factors affecting satisfaction of cab customers. From the survey of taxi customers in London, the researcher was able to understand that convenience and accessibility were the most important factors that customers considered while selecting taxi service. From this it was inferred that convenience and accessibility of the cab service were the most important factors affecting satisfaction of UK cab customers. Objective 2: To assess the factors contributing to the competitive advantage of Uber in UK Taxi industry One of the other objectives of the research project was to assess the factors contributing to the competitive advantage of Uber in UK Taxi industry. With the help of the customer survey, the researcher evaluated the service quality dimensions of Uber. From this analysis it was understood that reliability, responsiveness and tangibility of service of Uber was rated highly by customers. From this it can be understood that Uber gains competitive advantage in UK taxi sector by offering reliable, responsive and tangible service. Objective 3: To analyse the impact of Ubers growth on mini cabs of UK The other objective of the research to analyse the impact of Ubers growth on mini cabs of UK. This was achieved by comparing the service quality of minicabs with that of Uber. From this comparison it was revealed that that reliability, responsiveness and tangibility of service of minicabs were inferior to that of Uber. This gap in service quality dimensions can be adjudged as the reason for the success of Uber in UK taxi market at the expense of minicabs. Objective 4: To provide suggestions to mini cabs of UK to remain competitive in UK Taxi industry The last objective of the research project was to provide suggestions to mini cabs of UK to remain competitive in UK Taxi industry. Form the research project it was understood that reliability, responsiveness and tangibility of service of minicabs were inferior to that of Uber. Hence it is recommended that minicabs seek improvement in reliability, responsiveness and tangibility elements of their service. Effectiveness of research methods: In the current research, survey method was used for collecting data from taxi customers in London. This data collection method was highly effective as it helped the researcher in collecting data from large number of customers with relative ease. As the data was collected from London this improves the validity of the research findings as London has a very diverse population. However, the research findings cannot be extrapolated across UK as the scope of the study was limited to London city. The research study is using both primary and secondary data. Primary data is obtained from the online survey and appropriate case study examples to interpret the results and Analysis. Secondary data has been used in Literature review .This section starts off by introducing you to four commonly used qualitative data collection methods. These collection methods and many others are also described and explained how to use them in evaluation. It then explains how you may go about involving participants: This is also known as sampling. The section ends with a discussion of a couple of approaches to qualitative data analysis. I will have to use some of these methods as part of your routine project monitoring activities, in a needs assessment or baseline or as part of an evaluation exercise. Quantitative and Qualitative data collection methods There are two ways of analysing qualitative data. One approach is to examine your findings with a pre-defined framework, which reflects your aims, objectives and interests. This approach is relatively easy and is closely aligned with policy and programmatic research which has pre-determined interests. This approach allows you to focus on particular answers and abandon the rest. I refer to this approach as framework analysis (Pope et al, 2000). The second approach takes a more exploratory perspective, encouraging me to consider and code all your data, allowing for new impressions to shape my interpretation in different and unexpected directions. I refer to this approach as thematic network analysis (Attride, 2001). Benefits of research results: The main benefit of the research results is that they outline the scope of competition between Uber and minicabs in UK taxi sector. This would help minicab service providers in understanding the areas where there is scope for improvement in their service. Difficulties faced in the research: One of the main difficulties faced in the current research was related to collecting data from taxi customers in London. The researcher faced difficulty in collecting data as the researcher lacked previous experience in collecting primary data through survey. 3.2 Interpretation and analysis of data 1. Gender Pie chart 1: Gender of the survey respondents Source: Created by the author Gender of the survey respondents is represented by the above pie diagram. From the above diagram, it is observed that relatively increased number of females (54.55%) constituted the participants of this survey program. 2. Rate the following factor in terms of their significance in your selecting a particular taxi serve (Scale of 1-5 where 1= Very high and 5= Very low) Bar chart 1: Ranking of factors that customers considers in selecting a taxi serve Source: Created by the author Analysing the significance of the various factors that a customer considers while adopting a taxi service, it is observed that convenience and accessibility were the mostly rated elements. The importance of safety element and pricing strategy were also identified from the customer responses. Thus it could be interpreted from this survey result that service efficiency, product attribute and pricing constitutes the main elements that influence the decision-making the process of the customers. This is in line with the literature study of Wallsten (2015) that explains the concept of Quality-value-loyalty chain. 3. Rate the following elements of service quality of Uber on a scale of 1-5 where 1 = Very good and 5= Very bad? Bar chart 2: Customer rating for the service attributes of Uber Source: Created by the author Responsiveness, tangibility and reliability were the highly rated characteristic features of Uber services. This is in line with the findings of Sundararajan (2014) and Isaac (2014) who identified that service excellence was the key element that provided an improved competitive advantage for Uber. However, it is also observed from the above pie diagram that Uber has received a negative customer response regarding its assurance. 4. Rate the following elements of service quality of minicabs of UK on a scale of 1-5 where 1 = Very good and 5= Very bad? Bar chart 3: Rating for the service quality of minicabs of UK Source: Created by the author A multitude of opinions was gathered from the customers regarding their rating for the service quality of minicabs. However analysing the above bar diagram it is apparent that majority of the customers has given comparatively a higher rating for the empathy element in the service quality of UK minicabs. 5. Rate the likelihood of you using the following services when you use taxi service next time on a scale of 1-5 (1= Very high and 5=Very low) Bar chart 4: Probability of selecting Uber and minicab services Source: Created by the author Analysing the probability of customers in selecting a taxi service, it is observed that majority of the participants opined that they prefer to opt Uber services. This signifies that Uber has achieved an improved recognition and competitive advantage compared to other minicab services of UK, which is in line with the reports of Isaac (2014) and Wallsten

Saturday, July 20, 2019

I Know What You Did Last Summer :: essays research papers

1) Julie, Ray, Helen, and Barry are four close friends, Julie and Ray being a couple and Barry and Helen also being one. Being high school students, they went late one night up to a clearing in the forest to hang out. When driving home, they had been a little drunk and were still kissing, they ran over a ten year old kid, David Gregg, who was riding a bicycle. Ray had been driving. The four kept driving until they reached a telephone, where an anonymous ambulance was called for help for the child. The four formed a pact as to keep the incident between them and not to anyone else. Julie and Ray had been against it, but agreed and made it. After that happened, Julie and Ray isolated themselves from the rest of the group. Julie, normally a highly school activity involved social girl, turned to studying and working hard for her senior year, having a new boyfriend named Bud. Ray totally fled the scene, moving to be carefree in California for a year. Helen and Barry remained a couple, Bar ry going to the local University and Helen being the channel 5 Golden Girl, or weather reporter. The real plot of the story begins with Julie receiving a note at home simply stating: â€Å"I know what you did last summer.† She gets upset over it and after not talking to her for a year since the incident, calls Helen to talk to her. Helen arranges a meeting for the three, but they all convince each other that it was just a kid pulling a prank. That blows over until Ray finally shows up, and upon finding an apartment, is mailed the article about the incident. Ray and Julie take a drive to talk about the note and article, and Julie convinces Ray to take her to see David’s parents. Not confess, just meet and ask about. They arrived at the house and rung the doorbell a few times, only to meet Megan, the sister of David. She told Julie, while Ray was off â€Å"calling for help for their car†, that David’s mother was put in a hospital due to an unstable mental s tate, her father staying by her side. Her older brother was off and out of the house. Anyway, as they left, Ray notes that Megan was hanging up men’s shirts to dry and the house’s paint looked fairly new – and in places that Megan, who was short, couldn’t reach, even with a ladder.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Free Great Gatsby Essays: Genre :: Great Gatsby Essays

The Genre of The Great Gatsby If you want to find out, into which literary corner F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece, the "Great Gatsby", belongs, you’ve got to take a look at two main genres of novel-writing, the so-called "novel of manners" on the one hand and the romance on the other. The novel of manners gives, using most of the time a rather satirical tone, a sharp portrayal of the actual life as it really is and also of the social behaviour and attitudes that are closely related with it. This type of novel concentrates on people of a certain class, time and place are clearly defined. The individual attitudes of those people, their inner desires, get into conflict with the more conventional values, which are defined by the society they live in. The result is, that the protagonist has the problem of combining himself and his desires with the rules (the manners) of society, that he himself as a part of this society helped to establish, involuntarily. Examples for this special kind of novel are creations of authors like Henry Fielding and Jane Austen. On the other hand there is the romance, not aiming at a detailed description of life, but wanting to show it as it is imaginatively seen. The romance concentrates on the inner aspects of human nature, it is not concerned with ordinary events. It is difficult to decide to which literary type the "Great Gatsby" belongs. It is possible to read it as a novel of manners for it presents life and atmosphere of the Roaring Twenties in America, the Jazz Age, marked by prohibition, the organised crime, the new woman as well as the wealthy upper-class and their carelessness in most affairs. Fitzgerald is also using a satirical and comic tone most of the time. But the book could as well be read as a romance. This seems to be even more appropriate for the book is concerned with the portrayal of a man's idealism in all its glory but as well in all its unreality and unworldliness. Gatsby is presented as a mysterious figure, fitting well within the fantasy and magic of his naive dream. He is Prince Charming, the gallant knight, trying to get his Princess in white, it's a perfect example for a sad and tragic fairy-tale. While writing the "Great Gatsby", Fitzgerald got influenced by several other books, such as "The Decline of the West" by Oswald Spengler, published 1918-1922, which is portraying the Western civilisation as being in a state of decay.