Personal statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 11

Personal statement - Essay Example I have gone through the course outline and have come to the conclusion that the courses offered and the way in which they are organised and conducted, would benefit me immensely if I am to make a name in the field of textile designing. The skills that I will be taught through this MA programme, including the innovation taught in your course work and the personal master project I will be required to develop, would be of immense value to me once I enter the professional field of textile designing. This would not only enable me to realise my true capabilities as a textile designer, the team projects would also make it possible for me to better my interpersonal and communicational skills. By working on these required team projects I would be able to better both my management and team working skills. These are all very valued skills in the field of textile designing, and I feel the programme at your institute would help me a great deal in this regard as well. Moreover, the professional links that I will make during this time would be an asset. I know that if enrolled in this programme I will be given the opportunity to be taught by, and work with, people who have already put their mark in the industry. This would be an immensely valuable experience, as I would be learning from the professionals; working towards a better work ethic along with establishing contacts that would be useful to me in the future. Another factor that made me decide on this course was the location of your campus. It would be very easy, not to mention convenient, for me to attend classes at an institute that is so close to my home. But of course, this factor did not play a key role when choosing an MA programme, though it is nonetheless one of the things that adds the charm of this course in my eyes. I would be very much interested in learning more about the multidisciplinary approach that the

Capital Account Convertibility Essay Example for Free

Capital Account Convertibility Essay Capital Account Convertibility. Should India adopt full convertibility? Capital Account Convertibility-or a floating exchange rate-is a feature of a nations financial regime that centers around the ability to conduct transactions of local financial assets into foreign financial assets freely and at market determined exchange rates. It is sometimes referred to as Capital Asset Liberation or CAC. CAC is mostly a guideline to changes of ownership in foreign or domestic financial assets and liabilities. Tangentially, it covers and extends the framework of the creation and liquidation of laims on, or by the rest of the world, on local asset and currency markets. Current account convertibility allows free inflows and outflows for all purposes other than for capital purposes such as investments and loans. In other words, it allows residents to make and receive trade-related payments receive dollars (or any other foreign currency) for export of goods and services and pay dollars for import of goods and services, make sundry remittances, access foreign currency for travel, studies abroad, medical treatment and gifts, etc. Capital account convertibility is considered to be one of the major features of a developed economy. It helps attract foreign investment. It offers foreign investors a lot of comfort as they can re-convert local currency into foreign currency anytime they want to and take their money away. At the same time, capital account convertibility makes it easier for domestic companies to tap foreign markets. At the moment, India has current account convertibility. This means one can import and export goods or receive or make payments for services rendered. However, investments and borrowings are restricted. But economists say that Jumping into capital account convertibility game without considering the downside of the step could harm the economy. The East Asian economic crisis is cited as an example by those opposed to capital account convertibility. Even the World Bank has said that embracing capital account convertibility without adequate preparation could be catastrophic. But India is now on firm ground given its strong financial sector reform and fiscal consolidation, and can now slowly but steadily move towards fuller capital account convertibility. CAC has 5 basic statements designed as points of All types of liquid capital assets must be able to be exchanged freely, between any two nations, with standardized exchange rates. The amounts must be a significant mount (in excess of $500,000). Capital inflows should be invested in semi-liquid assets, to prevent churning and excessive outflow. Institutional investors should not use CAC to manipulate fiscal policy or exchange rates. Excessive inflows and outflows should be buffered by national banks to provide collateral. Prior to its implementation, foreign investment was hindered by uneven exchange rates due to transactions, and national banks were disassociated from fiscal exchange policy and incurred high costs in supplying hard-currency loans for those few local companies that wished to do business abroad. Due to the low exchange rates and lower costs associated with Third World nations, this was expected to spur domestic capital, which would lead to welfare gains, and in turn lead to higher GDP growth. The tradeoff for such growth was seen as a lack of sustainable internal GNP growth and a decrease in domestic capital investments. When CAC is used with the proper restraints, this is exactly what happens. The entire outsourcing movement with Jobs and factories going oversees is a direct result of the foreign investment aspect of CAC. The Tarapore Committees recommendation of tying liquid assets to static assets (i. e. investing in long term government bonds, etc) was seen by many economists as directly responsible for stabilizing the idea of capital account liberalization. The Reserve Bank of India has appointed a committee to set out the framework for fuller Capital Account Convertibility. The Committee, chaired by former RBI governor S S Tarapore, was set up by the Reserve Bank of India in consultation with the Government of India to revisit the subject of fuller capital account convertibility in the context of the progress in economic reforms, the stability of the external and financial sectors, accelerated growth and global integration. Economists Surjit S Bhalla, M G Bhide, R H Patil, A V RaJwade and Alit Ranade were the members of the Committee. The Reserve Bank of India has also constituted an internal task force to re-examine the extant regulations and make recommendations to remove the operational impediments in the path of liberalisation already in place. The task force will make its recommendations on an ongoing basis and the processes are expected to be completed by December 4, 2006. The Task Force has been set up following a recommendation of the Committee. The Task Force will be convened by Salim Gangadharan, chief general manager, in- harge, foreign exchange department, Reserve Bank of India, and will have the following terms of reference: Undertake a review of the extant regulations that straddle current and capital accounts, especially items in one account that have implication for the other account, and iron out inconsistencies in such regulations. Examine existing repatriation/ surrender requirements in the context of current account convertibility and management of capital account. Identify areas where streamlining and simplification of procedure is possible and remove the operational impediments, especially in espect of the ease with which transactions at the level of authorized entities are regulations are consistent with regulatory intent. Review the delegation of powers on foreign exchange regulations between Central Office and Regional offices of the RBI and examine, selectively, the efficacy in the functioning of the delegation of powers by RBI to Authorised Dealers (banks). Consider any other matter of relevance to the above. The Task Force is empowered to devise its work procedure, constitute working groups in various areas, co-opt permanent/special invitees and meet various trade ssociations, representative bodies or individuals to facilitate its work.

Essay --

Gender roles have been a predominant factor in our world since the early emergence of human societies whether they are positive or negative. They are based on expectations that societies have over the people in them. The Epic of Sunjata, shows us how men and women are treated almost equally in different forms. Women are praised for their ability to birth leaders, which is similar to the early Greek Society. In most societies, women are treated less equal than men. This was prevalent in the early Indian society. No matter the gender role, it has been shown that any society cannot survive without both men and women. As we studied in class, early Indian culture and society in 300 C.E., the Hindu society was dominated by the caste system, which influenced almost every aspect of life. Each caste had its own particular dharma, carrying with rights, obligations and restrictions. Beyond this was a generalized dharma applicable to all: deference to the Brahmins, devotion to the gods, and reverence for the Ganges and for sacred cattle (Connections, Pg. 58). Procreation too, was considered a sacred duty: large families were seen as blessings from the gods, and any attempt to limit family size was frowned upon (Connections, Pg. 58). Since reproduction was essential to reincarnation, for most people marriage and parenthood were moral obligations. Naturally, to fulfill their dharma, people had to marry within their caste. Parents arranged proper unions for their children, sometimes at ages as young as eight or nine, before sexual attraction had a chance to complicate things. Indian society was patriarchal, centered on villages and extended families dominated by males (Connections, Pg. 4). The villages, in which most people lived, were admini... ...re treated poorly but they can overcome their circumstances so that they may still contribute to society in a powerful way. Although women in the epic Sunjata, Indian and Greek society are all seen as the subordinate gender, the women in the epic Sunjata are strong people by making the best out of situations. Some could say that women control the story. In the beginning, the hunters would not have killed the buffalo woman if not instructed to. Also, if Sogolon hadn’t pressured Sunjata to stand, he wouldn’t have walked his all his life. Throughout history, women have been mistreated as the weaker gender. It has been evident throughout the epic of Sunjata, the history of Greek society as well as Indian society. It is evident today with the social classes we have formed that there are predominant gender roles in our society; history as we know tends to repeat itself.

Operation System Security Essay

1. What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of at least three different measures used to protect operating systems? 2. The ease of implementation of the measures. 3. The associated security management issues related to measures discussed above. 4. The ranking of the measures from best to worst with supporting rationale Answer Antivirus: Antivirus is the easiest protective measure that can be implemented on an operating system, and is also usually very easy to maintain. An update schedule is scheduled, or the antivirus software is configured to be managed by a central antivirus server which disseminates updates and virus signatures. Having an up-to-date anti-virus is always a good idea; it doesn’t take much work, and offers a decent amount of protection. Image-Locking software: This type of solution which exists in software such as Deep Freeze takes an image of the computer on startup to which it reverts after each restart. While this does little to prevent the computer from being compromised, it provides the ability to undo all changes, including any changes an attacker may have made, by restarting the computer. This is more difficult to implement, and is not an acceptable solution on hosts that need to maintain dynamic information, such as a database, as it would lose all new information entered since the image was created on reboot. Host Intrusion Detection System: A Host Intrusion Detection system is similar to Antivirus in that it looks for suspicious activity and compares against a definition file, but it also inspects network traffic that comes through the local interface. This allows the HIDS to detect an attack before it has actually put anything on your computer. HIDS also creates a host baseline, to which changes are reported to an administrator. This can result in a lot of logs if changes are made on a regular basis. This solution is both difficult to configure and maintain. In a real environment, you aren’t restricted to using a single solution. If you have the resources to support it, running multiple Antivirus programs is suggested as different vendors may publish definitions earlier than others. Antivirus can also be used in tandem with the other solutions, creating a more secure host

Pamphlet analysis Essay

The purpose of this film pamphlet is to influence and persuade as much people as people to watch the film. The pamphlet also briefly describes what the film is going to be about. This pamphlet attempts to do these things by visual, layout and language features to achieve its purpose. A visual feature that helps to achieve its purpose is colour which is all over the film pamphlet. Colours may be used to create a feeling or mood depending on the context. In this particular film pamphlet, the colours have been put together to establish a romantic feel. The two most obvious colours on the cover of the film pamphlet are the orange of the title and the red of the chilli. These two colours are clearly creating a romantic sense. The tone of the title is quite light and that helps emphasise the feel of the advertisement for the title is called A Touch of Spice. Having a light tone makes it seem as though the title was written out with orange spices and supports the word touch in the title which means a small amount in this context. The large chilli on the front of the cover is highly saturated. The red on the chilli is of a high degree of purity and that helps the advertisement gain the attention of consumers and also creates a romantic feel in this context. Red in this ad can be seen as an allusion because red is a very popular colour on Valentines Day [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l43rqt12KcE] which is seen as a very romantic day where many people buy cards and flowers and even plan special occasions for the ones they love. The many colours on this pamphlet achieve their purpose by creating a romantic feeling or mood and that will hopefully lure many people who like romantic films to watch this particular film. Another visual feature that helps to achieve its purpose is the font sizes and writing style of the text on the film pamphlet. Font sizes and styles can be used to help create a sense or mood by doing things such as looking if as though the writing were done in blood, this would create a sense of horror or danger. The title A Touch of Spice on the film pamphlet is the most large and clear because of its background. The title is usually in the largest font and in this case, it is no different. This is used to hopefully gain the attention of the consumer to come and watch the film or pick up the pamphlet. The title is written in a very natural way so it makes it seem as  though someone had put some spices on a table and written the titles out with their finger. It is quite cleat that the font is not times new roman because there are lines that are sticking out of the letters which creates the effect that to make it seem as though as if it were written. By having the title in such a way it creates a mysterious and exotic feel. On the back of the film pamphlet, there is a small section of writing where it is obvious that it is in a foreign language. The small section in a different language almost guarantees that the film will be from another country. Using this technique, it will be able to attract as much viewers as possible who like foreign films and in turn achieve its purpose. A very effective technique on this particular film pamphlet would be the logo. A logo can be used to help the advertisement gain the attention from consumers such as the Sony logo on one of their products. The logo on their product would tell the consumer that the product was at a very high quality because of their reputation. On this particular film pamphlet, a logo or badge has been put in the corner of it saying that is was the no.1 film at the Greek box office for an amazing 7 weeks. This would assure many viewers that the film would be good because of its great performance in Greek. The logo achieves its purpose by hopefully building a good reputation, which the quotes on the back of the pamphlet also do, so it is able to lure as much viewers as possible to watch the film. A language technique that is used on this particular film pamphlet is repetition. Repetition is often used to help send a message across to a viewer and help them to remember the message that was put across. Repetition is ubiquitously found on the cover of the film pamphlet. The theme of spices and food is found all over the cover of the film pamphlet in simple sentences. Cinnamon is bitter and sweet, just like a womanA beautiful, touching romance that will leave you craving for moreSalt is used as needed to spice up ones lifePepper is hot and scorches, just like the sunAll of these sentences, which are all found on the front cover, refer to a theme of spices and food and then link the food to another subject such as a woman or life. The  repetition on this film pamphlet is attempting to reinforce the title A Touch of Spice which emphasises the fact that the film is a romantic film and would leave them craving for more. The repetitive messages of spices and links to romance would have been received by the viewer and so achieves its purpose so enticing them to come and watch the film. Another language technique used on this film pamphlet is adjectives. Products and services are usually described with adjectives to hopefully appeal to consumers to purchase the product. In this particular case, adjectives are not used to describe the film itself but to describe other things which the film is relating to. The film pamphlet compares spices to things such women. Cinnamonis better and sweet just like a womanPepper is hot and scorches, just like the sunBoth of these quotes contain adjectives to describe spices and link them to romantic themes. The second quote links pepper to the sun where they say both are hot. This creates a sense of passion and exoticness to viewers so they understand that this film is a romantic one. Another language feature that is used to help the film pamphlet achieve its purpose is persuasive language. Persuasive language helps to convince consumers by using powerful and effective language to hopefully get people to buy the product. On the back of the film pamphlet, there are four quotes from people who seemed to have watched the movie and enjoyed it. A film of international standards and genuine emotionis undoubtedly one of the best gastronomic movies I have seen.an intensely moving experienceAll these quotes are the reviews or opinions of those who have already watched the film. The people who created this particular chose these reviews because it is their opinion that the film is of a very high quality. By getting the message through to the consumer that the film is actually good, more people would be interested to watch the movie so the film pamphlet has achieved its purpose. A layout technique which has been used on this film pamphlet is text boxes. Text boxes are usually used in ads to help make the ad easier to read and to  help all of the text to stand out. For this film pamphlet, there are many text boxes because there are many sections of text on the back with equal importance. On the back of the film pamphlet, there are many quotes which praise the film and the advertisers would have wanted to make sure that the viewers did not miss that section. The blurb is also in a text box and that is where the creators of the film give their own description of the film and where they give their own praise. Boxes have not been only to help text to be read more easily but also for images to stand out. Since there are many pictures on the back cover of the film pamphlet, they can be made more easily seen and recognised if they are in boxes. Text boxes have been effectively used in this film pamphlet to help important information to be unmissed and easily read and that is how they achieve their purpose. The film pamphlet is created to help attract as much viewers as possible to watch their movie. The film pamphlet attempts to do so by using visual, language and layout techniques to help inform people that the film is of a high quality so they can persuade as many people as possible. bibliography: pamphlet 1994

Capitalism Stirling Engines Essay

Capitalism Stirling Engines Essay Capitalism: Stirling Engines Essay Stirling Engine The Stirling Engine was invented in 1816 by the Rev. Robert Stirling and has been used throughout history ever since. In this essay I will tell you about the inventor, the development of the machine, and the many uses it has in society today The inventor Robert Stirling was born on the 25, of October 1790; he was a Scottish pastor and also the inventor of the Stirling Engine. He was born on the Colag Farm and was the third of eight children. He studied at the University of Edinbrdough and the also the University of Glasgow becoming a minister of Scotland in 1816. Stirling built what he referred to as the Heat Economizer (now known as the regenerator) a device for improving the thermal/fuel efficiency of a variety of industrial processes. He attained a patent for the machine incorporating it in 1816. The theoretical basis of the Stirling Engine, the Stirling cycle, would not fully be understood until the work of Sadi Carnot (1796-1832). Stirling also collaborated with another inventor, Thomas Morton, who provided facilities for Stirlings research. Both men took an interenterest in astronomy, and with the help Morton Stirling invented several optical instruments. Stirling died in Glaston, East Ayrshire on 6th June 1878 Development In 1816 Robert Stirling sought to create a safer alternative to the steam engines of the time, whose boilers often exploded due to high pressure of the steam and the inadequate materials. . Though it has been disputed, and is widely supposed that it was also invented to save fuel. The Main subject of Stirlings original patent was a heat exchanger he called and â€Å"economizer† for its enhancement of fuel economy in a variety of applications. The need for Stirling engines to run at very high temperatures to maximize power and efficiency exposed limitations in the materials of the day, and the few engines that were built in those early suffered unacceptably frequent failures. Uses it has

Free Essays on Catherine The Great

She had been born Princess Sophia August Frederika on May 2, 1729 in the Baltic seaport town of Stettin, then a part of German Pomerania. Her father was an obscure German military princeling named Christian August, and her mother was Princess Joanna Elizabeth of Holstein-Gottorp. Her father was nominal ruler of the tiny principality of Anhalt-Zerbst, but the greater part of his life was spent as an officer in the service of Prussia. Little Sophia was nicknamed Feke or Figchen. Little is known about her early life, except that which Catherine related in her unfinished autobiography years later. Figchen's mother, Joanna, was the sister of Karl August, who had been engaged to Elizabeth I of Russia before she took the throne. Karl August died suddenly and unexpectantly in Petersburg in 1727. Elizabeth kept a fondness for him and his family long after his death. In the early 1740's Elizabeth was searching for a wife for her nephew and heir, Peter. Fidgen was the right age and a sentimental choice for the romantic Empress of Russia. Figchen and her mother were summoned by Elizabeth to Russia late in 1743. The potential match of the young German princess and the heir to the Russian throne was actively promoted by her mother and the Prussian King, Frederick, who saw the alliance as a way to further Prussian interests at the court of St. Petersburg. He eyed Figchen carefully at a banquet in her honor in Berlin before she left for Russia. He always claimed he saw greatness in her, even when Sophia was a child. Crossing the border into Russia she went from Riga to St. Petersburg and on to Moscow, finally meeting Elizabeth on February 9, 1744. Elizabeth was enchanted with her. Figchen immediately began to study Russian and Orthodoxy, with the end result of abandoning Lutheranism for the Russian Church, being re-christened Yekaterina - Catherine. Her husband-to-be was a great disappointment to everyone. He was sickly, mean spirited and ill... Free Essays on Catherine The Great Free Essays on Catherine The Great She had been born Princess Sophia August Frederika on May 2, 1729 in the Baltic seaport town of Stettin, then a part of German Pomerania. Her father was an obscure German military princeling named Christian August, and her mother was Princess Joanna Elizabeth of Holstein-Gottorp. Her father was nominal ruler of the tiny principality of Anhalt-Zerbst, but the greater part of his life was spent as an officer in the service of Prussia. Little Sophia was nicknamed Feke or Figchen. Little is known about her early life, except that which Catherine related in her unfinished autobiography years later. Figchen's mother, Joanna, was the sister of Karl August, who had been engaged to Elizabeth I of Russia before she took the throne. Karl August died suddenly and unexpectantly in Petersburg in 1727. Elizabeth kept a fondness for him and his family long after his death. In the early 1740's Elizabeth was searching for a wife for her nephew and heir, Peter. Fidgen was the right age and a sentimental choice for the romantic Empress of Russia. Figchen and her mother were summoned by Elizabeth to Russia late in 1743. The potential match of the young German princess and the heir to the Russian throne was actively promoted by her mother and the Prussian King, Frederick, who saw the alliance as a way to further Prussian interests at the court of St. Petersburg. He eyed Figchen carefully at a banquet in her honor in Berlin before she left for Russia. He always claimed he saw greatness in her, even when Sophia was a child. Crossing the border into Russia she went from Riga to St. Petersburg and on to Moscow, finally meeting Elizabeth on February 9, 1744. Elizabeth was enchanted with her. Figchen immediately began to study Russian and Orthodoxy, with the end result of abandoning Lutheranism for the Russian Church, being re-christened Yekaterina - Catherine. Her husband-to-be was a great disappointment to everyone. He was sickly, mean spirited and ill...

Questions Left byThe Boston Massacre

Questions Left byThe Boston Massacre The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770, and is considered one of the main events leading to the American Revolution. Historic records of the skirmish include well-documented records of events and often conflicting testimony of supposed eyewitnesses. As a British sentry was being heckled by an angry and growing crowd of colonists, a nearby squad of British soldiers fired a volley of musket shots killing three colonists immediately and mortally wounding two others. Among the victims was Crispus Attucks, a 47-year old man of mixed African and Native American descent, and now widely regarded as the first American killed in the American Revolution. The British officer in charge, Captain Thomas Preston, along with eight of his men, were arrested and made to stand trial for manslaughter. While they were all acquitted, their actions in the Boston Massacre is regarded today as one of most significant acts of British abuse that rallied colonial Americans to the Patriot cause. Boston in 1770 Throughout the 1760s, Boston had been a very uneasy place. Colonists had increasingly been harassing British customs officials who were attempting to enforce the so-called Intolerable Acts. In October 1768, Britain began housing troops in Boston to protect the customs officials. Angry but largely non-violent clashes between the soldiers and the colonists had become commonplace. On March 5, 1770, however, the clashes became deadly. Promptly deemed a â€Å"massacre† by Patriot leaders, word of the day’s events quickly spread throughout the 13 colonies in a famous engraving by Paul Revere.   The Events of the Boston Massacre On the morning of  March 5, 1770,  a small group of colonists was up to their usual sport of tormenting British soldiers. By many accounts, there was a great deal of taunting that eventually lead to an escalation of hostilities. The sentry in front of the Custom House eventually lashed out at the colonists which brought more colonists to the scene. In fact, someone began ringing the church bells which usually signified a fire. The sentry called for help, setting up the clash which we now call the Boston Massacre. A group of soldiers led by Captain Thomas Preston came to the rescue of the lone sentry. Captain Preston and his detachment of seven or eight men were quickly surrounded. All attempts to calm the crowd proved useless. At this point, the accounts of the event vary drastically. Apparently, a soldier fired a musket into the crowd, immediately followed by more shots. This action left several wounded  and five dead including an African-American named Crispus Attucks. The crowd quickly dispersed, and the soldiers went back to their barracks. These are the facts we do know. However, many uncertainties surround this important historical event: Did the soldiers fire with provocation?Did they fire on their own?Was Captain Preston guilty of ordering his men to fire into a crowd of civilians?Was he innocent and being used by men like Samuel Adams to confirm the oft-claimed tyranny of England? The only evidence historians have to try and determine Captain Prestons guilt or innocence is the testimony of the eyewitnesses. Unfortunately, many of the statements conflict with each other and with Captain Prestons own account. We must try to piece together a hypothesis from these conflicting sources. Captain Preston's Account Captain Preston claimed he ordered his men to load their weapons.Captain Preston claimed he heard the crowd yelling fire.Captain Preston claimed they were attacked by heavy clubs and snowballs.Captain Preston claimed a soldier was hit by a stick and then fired.Captain Preston claimed the other soldiers fired in response to the colonist attack.Captain Preston claimed he reprimanded his men for firing into the crowd without orders. Eyewitness Statements in Support of Captain Preston's Statement Witnesses including Peter Cunningham claimed they heard Captain Preston order his men to load their weapons.Witnesses including Richard Palmes claimed they asked Captain Preston if he intended to fire and he said no.Witnesses including William Wyatt claimed the crowd was calling for the soldiers to fire.Witnesses including James Woodall claimed they saw a stick thrown and hit a soldier, which prompted him to fire, quickly followed by several other soldiers.Witnesses including Peter Cunningham claimed an officer other than Preston was behind the men and that he ordered the soldiers to fire.Witnesses including William Sawyer claimed the crowd threw snowballs at the soldiers.Witnesses including Matthew Murray claimed they did not hear Captain Preston order his men to fire.William Wyatt claimed that Captain Preston reprimanded his men for firing into the crowd.Edward Hill claimed that Captain Preston made a soldier put away his weapon instead of allowing him to continue to shoot. Eyewitness Statements Opposed to Captain Preston's Statement Witnesses including Daniel Calef claimed that Captain Preston ordered his men to fire.Henry Knox claimed the soldiers were hitting and pushing with their muskets.Joseph Petty claimed he did not see any sticks thrown at the soldiers until after the firing.Robert Goddard claimed he heard Captain Preston curse his men for not firing when ordered.Several soldiers including Hugh White claimed they heard the order to fire and believed they were obeying his commands. The facts are unclear. There is some evidence that seems to point to Captain Prestons innocence. Many people close to him did not hear him give the order to fire despite his order to load the muskets. In the confusion of a crowd throwing snowballs, sticks, and insults at the soldiers, it would be easy for them to think they received an order to fire. In fact, as noted in the testimony, many in the crowd were calling them to fire.   The Trial and Acquittal of Captain Preston Hoping to show Britain the impartiality of colonial courts, patriot leaders John Adams and Josiah Quincy volunteered to defend Captain Preston and his soldiers. Based on a lack of substantiated evidence, Preston and six of his men were acquitted. Two others were found guilty of manslaughter and were released after being branded on the hand. Because of the lack of evidence, it is not hard to see why the jury found Captain Preston innocent. The effect of this verdict was much greater than the Crown could ever have guessed. The leaders of the rebellion were able to use it as proof of Britains tyranny. While it was not the only instance of unrest and violence before the revolution, the Boston Massacre is often pointed to as the event that presaged the Revolutionary War. Like the Maine, Lusitania, Pearl Harbor, and September 11, 2001, Terror Attacks, the Boston Massacre became the rallying cry for the Patriots.

Profile for Talent Director and Job Description for As Human Resource Essay - 1

Profile for Talent Director and Job Description for As Human Resource Coordinator - Essay Example As a result of the various layers in a bureaucratic organization, the decision making authority actually passes through several layers. Indeed, the characterization of bureaucracy as a â€Å"substitute for leadership† has been on the rise and is seen as the best way of managing organizational communication. Within the bureaucratic organizational structure, information flows from the top management. A good leader in a bureaucratic organization should enhance clear communication channels between them and their employees (Jasper 2). Thus, they the needs of the employees should be well communicated to the leaders. In this regard, effective actions are taken due to the clear information about the employees’ needs. Therefore, staffs’ needs and problems are effectively and efficiently attended to by the director. A democratic leadership style should be enhanced by the director if the needs of the staff are to be addressed properly. In this case, the leaders who exhibit this leadership style involve the staff in the decision making process. Hence the staff is able to participate in giving opinions of how activities should be handled in the organization. In this way, the staffs’ needs are catered for as they are clearly established in the participatory leadership. The director ensures the safety of the staff and consequently their safety of the work place. If the working conditions are not conducive, staff appears to lower their output. Therefore, when the need for safety is facilitated, the staff becomes enthusiastic as they feel that their needs are part of the company’s best interest. Collaborates with the director and other staff in promoting consistency with division that include organizational workflow through the guidance of institutional and departmental practice policies and guidelines The coordinator is expected ton be a team player but often became authoritative

Progressive Era Through the Great Depression Assignment

Progressive Era Through the Great Depression - Assignment Example Most of the urban towns were transformed into rural cities, and large number of people migrated to metropolitan areas to obtain higher standards of living. Many new immigrants poured in from other countries with diverse cultures and traditions (Jaycox 2005). While the progressive era was significant for the economic growth, the late 1920s marked an era of economic depression. This economic decline was the worst in the history; it spread all over the world after its origin in the United States. The prices declined drastically with considerable increase in unemployment rate. Such was the influence of this economic downfall that October 29, 1929, the day that marked the beginning of this devastating collapse, was named as Black Tuesday. Although many events took place during the period under discussion, two events can be considered as major historic turning points with a great influence on the America’s current society, economy, politics, and culture. The changes in the American foreign policy and large flow of immigrants from other nations proved to be major turning points in the progressive era through economic depression. (Jaycox 2005) American Foreign Policy and New Immigrants Prior to 1890, America followed the ideology of isolationism, and relations with the other nations were limited. The American government mostly focused on its own development and had a negligible interest in the foreign affairs. This trend, however, changed after 1890 when government policy makers adopted a more global approach and America began to influence the world affairs. This encouragement was partly due to a fact that many circumstances had changed over the years. America had evolved into an industrial juggernaut, and opening a foreign front helped the businessmen to approach the international market. Soon, the national goods were distributed around the globe, which played a major role in the economic development, global influence, and American transition into a superpower. Similarly, the flow of immigrants during this period had a great impact on the social structure of the country. This intake from diverse cultures helped formation of a multicultural environment that attracted skilled labor from around the globe. Therefore, these immigrants initially provided the unskilled labor as most of them were from poor families, but the very their presence cultivated the ground for the future intake of the more skilled immigrants who played a pivotal role in the establishment of the country. (Jaycox 2005) Women’s Right to Vote A campaign for woman suffrage in the United States is one of the highlighted events during the period under discussion. Although most of the women received their rights to vote by 1920, the western states were more liberal than the northeastern and southern states in granting women their desired rights. Few reasons can be speculated for women’s liberty in the west. First of all, women in the frontier were given more status than household articles. Many speculate that this was a result of a distinct frontier democracy or more liberal approach of the western men. But the efforts of women associations in the west were one of the important differences that can explain why women received the right to vote much earlier in the west as compared to the other states. American-Spanish War Tensions built up between Spain and the United States over the Cuban rule by the end of 19th century. America had concerns over Spanish colonization in the surrounding regions, and the incidence

Compare and contrast the potential advantages and disadvantages of the Essay

Compare and contrast the potential advantages and disadvantages of the formal rational approach to strategy development - Essay Example The approach is also structural with a top to down hierarchy for decision making and assumption of responsibility. While middle level managers implement decisions in the approach, full responsibility remains with the top organs of an organization’s structure. Developed strategies, from the approach, are also detailed, and cover wide scopes. One of the advantages of such a bureaucratic approach is cost effectiveness that arises from the organization because only necessary steps and necessary personnel are involved in the strategic development process. This makes it affordable and allows for utilization of saved resources in other areas of an organization’s needs. The formal approach is also associated with efficiency that could arise from focus on a few individuals in the process and continuous involvement of the individuals in the process, a factor that identifies benefits of specialization. Efficiency promises quality decisions for effective strategies towards supporti ng desired objectives. Related to the efficiency advantage is the speed with which the formal approach can yield desired strategies. with well defines structures and specific and specialized personnel, the decision making at the different stages of the approach are faster and are therefore able to respond to emergency needs. Other advantages of the bureaucratic approach are its stability and continuity. These are because the formal structure eliminates possible barriers such as internal resistance and it is easy to replace a member of decision-making team for sustainability of a strategy development process or a developed strategy. One of the disadvantages of the formal rational approach is its concentration of power in the hands of a few people, and this could be risky if the individuals lack necessary competence or have conflict of interest. The bureaucratic scope of the approach

Price control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Price control - Essay Example The opinion of the College of Physicians was based on the fact that it would be better to self-impose limits instead of letting the insurance companies determine the income the industry would generate. In 1989 Argentina impose price controls on all goods and service in an attempt to stop the rampant inflationary forces. The government called the new system "managed prices" and in order to raise prices businesses had to ask permission from the government to do so. Prior to the new rules the price of food items had tripled in the previous weeks. In 1992 China eliminated price controls on food items in a rational move towards moving its economic system to assimilate more a free economy. It eliminated price controls on meats, eggs, and grain. The move hurt the civilian population as the price of meat which was undervalue went up 40% instantly after the government eliminated price controls on food items. At the beginning of the 21st century the Irish government considered imposing price controls on rents and housing prices due to high inflation in this economic sector. In 2001 California and Nevada impose price controls on wholesale electricity prices. The move caused some generators to withhold supplies, which created power shortages that caused stage 2 alerts. The Bush administration through this initiative capped excess profits on energy producers. Price controls are a common practice in the petroleum industry. In 1988 the U.S. government charged the Texaco Corporation with a penalty of $1.25 billion for violations of price ceilings on the sale of wholesale crude oil. Price control regulations have not been effective at maintaining the price of gasoline down in the 21st century. In 1999 the state legislature of the State of Maine was considering either imposing price ceiling on prescription drugs or realizing mass purchases in order to lower the price of medicine for poor people. One of the worst cases of

Article Summary. See instructions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Article Summary. See instructions - Essay Example Thus, as the authors state, as many as 66% of these cases are never reported (Lohmeyer, Mccrory, and Pogreb, 2002). The authors state that IT (information technology) departments in businesses have most often been in charge of information security within companies. However, some companies have gone beyond this and made information security both a business and a technological concept. Regardless, the authors feel that there is still a wide need for improvement in information technology and business practices within the majority of businesses. According to the article, 30 Fortune 500 companies that were studied had placed a senior business executive in charge of ensuring information security. The article further states: â€Å"According to an April 2001 estimate by Gartner, half of the Global 2000 are likely to create similar positions by 2004.† (Lohmeyer, Mccrory, and Pogreb, 2002). A few of these companies are also making sure that further safeguards are being added to the technological measures already being used to protect the business information. Even this approach, however, does not se em to be working for all businesses—or not all businesses are taking it seriously enough. While some of these Fortune 500 companies are taking the concept in strict measure, several of them are ignoring the problem all tougher, and just see information security as a technological issue that only requires some kind of technological solution. This is certainly a problem, since most of those that are experts in technology know that networks cannot be made totally impenetrable, and that all security features must be constantly updated to stay ahead or up to date with hackers. (Lohmeyer, Mccrory, and Pogreb, 2002). Businesses that only focus on security issues as a technology problems are also ignoring the fact that many of these problems can

Price control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Price control - Essay Example The opinion of the College of Physicians was based on the fact that it would be better to self-impose limits instead of letting the insurance companies determine the income the industry would generate. In 1989 Argentina impose price controls on all goods and service in an attempt to stop the rampant inflationary forces. The government called the new system "managed prices" and in order to raise prices businesses had to ask permission from the government to do so. Prior to the new rules the price of food items had tripled in the previous weeks. In 1992 China eliminated price controls on food items in a rational move towards moving its economic system to assimilate more a free economy. It eliminated price controls on meats, eggs, and grain. The move hurt the civilian population as the price of meat which was undervalue went up 40% instantly after the government eliminated price controls on food items. At the beginning of the 21st century the Irish government considered imposing price controls on rents and housing prices due to high inflation in this economic sector. In 2001 California and Nevada impose price controls on wholesale electricity prices. The move caused some generators to withhold supplies, which created power shortages that caused stage 2 alerts. The Bush administration through this initiative capped excess profits on energy producers. Price controls are a common practice in the petroleum industry. In 1988 the U.S. government charged the Texaco Corporation with a penalty of $1.25 billion for violations of price ceilings on the sale of wholesale crude oil. Price control regulations have not been effective at maintaining the price of gasoline down in the 21st century. In 1999 the state legislature of the State of Maine was considering either imposing price ceiling on prescription drugs or realizing mass purchases in order to lower the price of medicine for poor people. One of the worst cases of

Business and The Law - Promisory Estoppel(case of Central London Essay

Business and The Law - Promisory Estoppel(case of Central London Property Trust Ltd v High Trees House Ltd - AND -Golfing Case - - Essay Example However, Lord Denning went on to state that the promise could nevertheless be enforced with respect to the war period because the: Promise to accept a smaller sum in discharge of a larger sum, if acted upon, is binding notwithstanding the absence of consideration: and if the fusion of law and equity leads to this result, so much the better. 5 Thus, the ruling in the High Trees case not only provided an exception to the Foakes v Beer case, but also to Pinnel’s Case which was affirmed by Foakes v Beer. ... Lord Denning then defined the parameters for the High Trees doctrine: The principle stated in the High Trees case...does not create a new cause of action where none existed before. It only prevents a party from insisting upon his strict legal rights, when it would be unjust to allow him to enforce them.7 What can be gleaned from the ruling in High Trees and Lord Denning’s explanation of the ruling in Combes, is that promissory estoppels permits a defence of detrimental reliance in the UK for the purpose of suspending a previous commitment. However, it will not be available as a defence in respect of a new action where consideration does not exist. Put another way, the High Trees significance is that it accommodates a detrimental reliance defence for suspending previous contractual commitments. The ruling in High Trees was adopted by the Supreme Court of South Australia in Je Maintiendrai Pty. Ltd. v Quaglia [1980] 26 SASR 101. In this case, the court held that in order for the doctrine of promissory estoppel to succeed it must be shown that the promise could or would â€Å"result in some detriment and therefore some injustice† to the complainant.8 Clearly, the High Trees case opened up a method by which the doctrine of promissory estoppel could be used to prevent unconscionable avoidance of commitments. In Waltons Stores (interstate) Ltd v Maher (1988), another Australian case, the court took the High Trees doctrine a step further. In this case, the limitations to the use of the doctrine of promissory estoppel established by the High Trees case were both removed on the grounds of injustice. High Trees established that in order for a promissory estoppel defence to be successful there must be a pre-existing legal relationship between

Pollution control and waste management Essay Example for Free

Pollution control and waste management Essay The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (the Department) has recognised that they are not always successful in policing and enforcing environmental laws. However, the Department is making strides to meet these challenges and to ensure that our laws are practically implemented. In March 2000, the Department published its White Paper on Integrated Pollution and Waste Management (the White Paper). The White Paper proposes a number of tools to implement the objectives of the waste management policy it sets out. The promulgation of new pollution and waste legislation such as the amendments to the Environment Conservation Act, 73 of 1989 (ECA) comprise one such tool. The objective of the Environment Conservation Act: Amendment Bill, 2003 (the Amendment Bill) is to facilitate governments general policy on integrated pollution control and waste management so as to give effect to waste management as proposed in the White Paper. The Amendment Bill will amend the ECA in three separate ways: †¢ the management of waste sites will be transferred from the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry to the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (the Minister); †¢ the Minister will have the power to make regulations for the imposition of compulsory charging for identified waste streams (for example, plastic bags) and deposit systems (for example, second-hand non-reusable tyres); and †¢ the Minister will have the power to make regulations regarding products which, by their nature, may pose a hazard to the environment and/or human health if and when they reach the waste stream (for example, asbestos products). Transfer of power The ECA governs environmental waste pollution. In particular, the ECA provides for the permitting and related control measures for the operation of waste landfill sites. The ECA specifically stipulates that the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry should administer these facilities. In accordance with the governments philosophy on integrated pollution control and waste management inherent in the White Paper, the amendment transfers the administration of these facilities from the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry to the Minister. Economic incentives In order to promote recycling and waste minimization in respect of certain waste streams such as plastic bags, glass and tyres, certain additional regulatory powers will be allocated to the Minister. The Amendment Bill proposes a financial incentive approach which will complement the existing traditional command and control approach to controlling pollution. Whereas the command and control approach relies either on administrative sanctions (for example, permitting requirements on scheduled emissions) or criminal measures (for example, fines or imprisonment if such permit conditions are breached) to regulate pollution emissions, the amendment will give the Minister the power to make regulations to encourage the re-use, reduction and recycling of specific waste types. To this end, the proposed amendment to the ECA provides that the Minister may make regulations with regard to waste management, concerning the imposition of compulsory charging, deposits systems and levies on certain waste types or specified items in waste types. The intention is that the revenue raised from such charges will be used to encourage recycling and a compulsory deposit system will promote the collection and return of types of waste. A compulsory charge on a particular waste will encourage its re-use, for example, the controversial compulsory charge on plastic bags has promoted re-use. The Minister intends to use these mechanisms to impose a deposit scheme on second-hand and unusable tyres and glass. Regulating products Currently, the ECA does not give the Minister or the Department regulatory power over products, materials or substances that may cause harm to the environment or human health should these enter the waste stream (for example, asbestos, which is found in building material, friction material and other elements). The Department does not have regulatory powers over such substances until the relevant material becomes waste. The Amendment Bill will give the Minister the power to make regulations with regard to the prohibition, control or regulation of products that may have a detrimental effect on the environment or on human health if and when they reach the waste stream.

Speed of Light and Time Travel

Speed of Light and Time Travel Introduction The prospect of time travel has mystified and intrigued mankind for centuries. Time travel has been predominant in our culture and has formed the basis of a large portion of science-fiction works including H.G. Well’s â€Å"The Time Machine†. Whether they want to go back to the past to correct a mistake or journey to the future to experience the growth of mankind, everyone harbors a desire to travel in time. However, time is elusive. Everything about it is a mystery, from its existence to its workings. Even now, we are traveling into the future at a rate of one second per second. We can travel even faster by using light to our advantage. Although mankind cannot manipulate time with the current limitations in technology, time travel seems to be an almost inevitable part of the future. Einstein explains that places are moving at constant speeds relative to each other in his theory of Special Relativity. Soon after this theory was announced, scientists concluded that space and time were not really separate. They were actually part of the same entity, space-time, which is also known as the fourth dimension. And this allows us to travel through time. However, to perform a massive jump through time, the light speed barrier would need to broken. That is almost impossible with the present technology. However, new theories and hypotheses have been brought up which seem to signify that time travel could occur on a very large scale. By bending the laws of physics and light itself, we can theoretically travel in time. Indeed, theories about traveling in ultra-fast spaceships through the vast expanses of space to bending space-time have been brought up by numerous scientists. And the majority of these theories rely heavily on the use of light. The Relationship between Light and Time Light travels at a speed of 300,000 km/s. This speed, named c, is invariant. So, if we perform calculations on an object, the fixedness of c would cause other measurements to become variable (Clegg, 20). If this object starts nearing the speed of light, it would undergo massive changes, such as time distortion. In short, the object would experience time differently than an object moving at a slower speed (Jones Robbins, 281). This is known as time dilation. The effects of time dilation can be seen clearly when muons, particles with a life expectancy of 2.2 microseconds that travel at 98 percent light speed, survive their fall to Earth from an altitude of 15 km (Clegg 22). Einstein’s theories play a massive role in the understanding of time. Special Relativity proves that the time on a clock which is placed on a spaceship far from Earth passes much faster than the time observed on a clock close to the surface to Earth (Clegg 80). The other theory, General Relativity, shows that matter causes gravity and space to warp and light to curve (Jones and Robbins, 91). Gravity influences time, causing it to slow down. For example, atomic clocks situated in space gain an additional 46 microseconds every day. Experiments show that the two theories of relativity actually oppose each other (Clegg, 32). As we approach the speed of light, time beings to slow down. For instance, consider a spaceship traveling with a speed close to 150,000 kilometers per second for 10 years. It will fall behind by 2.7 years by the time it reaches Earth because it travels at half the speed of light (Clegg, 83). Moving at a speed closer to the speed of light causes an object to move forwards in time. Moving at the speed of light causes time to stop for that object (Science Channel). It is only logical for relativity to suggest that if we manage to break through the speed light barrier, time might start flowing backwards. (Clegg, 20) However, it is impossible to guarantee that after breaking the speed of light things would continue in a smooth manner as the light speed barrier is a discontinuity in reality (Clegg, 23). Breaking through the Light Speed Barrier Using fuel to power a spaceship to reach a speed even remotely close to light speed is nearly impossible. That is because the mass of the fuel grows exponentially with the speed of the rocket (Parsons, 159). The Russian scientist Tsiolkovsky found out that the maximum speed of a rocket is proportional to the speed at which it spits out its exhaust (Benson). This causes ordinary engines to travel at a very slow speed. On the other hand, an ion drive, a type of spacecraft engine, generates exhaust speeds of over 200,000 m/s. However, only a small mass of fuel is accelerated at a time, making the net acceleration very gradual. The fastest speed it can acquire is 700,000 m/s which is only 0.2 percent light speed (Parsons, 159). It is more feasible to use solar sails, a new kind of spacecraft propulsion (Parsons, 161). The sun radiates electromagnetic waves, and the pressure of this electromagnetic output powers the solar sails. They work because light energy and electromagnetic radiation is converted to kinetic energy, which is essentially motion (Clegg, 91). Scientist speculate that it can achieve a speed of 75,000,000 m/s, about 25 percent light speed, when fused with an ion drive. (Parsons, 161) However, as the ship drifts off farther into space, it becomes harder for the sun to power it for a long period of time, and this might lead to its failure (Clegg, 91). General Relativity could be used to build a ‘warp drive’ that would allow a spaceship to travel faster than light. Mexican scientist Miguel Alcubierre envisioned arranging matter in such a way that would cause the space-time behind of the ship to expand and the space-time in front of the ship to contract (Alcubierre L73). By doing this, the piece of space containing the ship and its destination would be crossed extremely fast. In order to achieve this, ‘exotic matter’, a material possessing negative pressure and mass, would be required. Unfortunately, only tiny amounts of exotic matter have been created experimentally. To produce a working warp drive, a quantity of exotic matter equal to a third of the mass of the sun would be required (Parsons 163). The Possibility of Time Travel Traveling at a speed close to the speed of light enables us to advance into the future. A brilliant example is the Twin Paradox (Clegg 83). To comprehend the Twin Paradox, it is necessary to visualize a pair of hypothetical twins first. If one journeys to space on a super-fast spaceship and then returns home after spending quite some time in space, he would find that he has aged far slower than his counterpart on Earth. By traveling at a speed close to the speed of light, he has would have effectively traveled into the future (Jones Robbins, 291). The laws of physics do not exempt the possibility of traveling faster than light (Mark 211). The warp drive does not damage any rules. Alcubierre states: â€Å"When we study special relativity we learn that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. This fact is still true in general relativity, though in this case one must be somewhat more precise: in general relativity, nothing can travel locally faster than the speed of light.† When warp drives are out of the question, scientists still think it is possible to find particles that travel faster than light, and some have already started challenging Albert Einstein’s claim that nothing can go faster than light (Padmanabha 8). Of course, that faster-than-light travel would probably violate the law of causality, or cause and effect (Mark 217), but that hasn’t stopped people from trying. Nevertheless, it would be nearly impossible for a large object to break through the light speed barrier. Einstein was the first one to show us that mass and energy were interlinked (Jones Robbins, 88). So it only goes to say that an object that is accelerating at a high speed would have to undergo an increase in mass. Therefore, a large amount of energy would be required to keep the body accelerating (Jones Robbins, 282). However, as the object would start to approach the speed of light, the energy required to keep it accelerating would keep on growing until it becomes infinite at the light speed barrier (Parsons, 162). At that speed, it would be impossible to power to any object, unless its mass is zero, of course. Conclusion The speed of light allows us to experiment with time and manipulate it to successfully travel through time. Despite the many objections raised to this subject, the number of hypotheses surrounding this field of study keeps on increasing day by day. After all, in some instances, time travel has been proved to be successful. As the world progresses and technologies become more advanced, scientists start looking for ways to use the space-time dimension to establish time travel or prove the numerous theoretical possibilities false. Paradoxes and oddities keep on surfacing at every stage, leading people to say that time travel is impossible. They ignore the fact that time travel has been accomplished and that some people have already taken tentative steps towards venturing into the future. Mankind has been in existence for a long period of time. As the human race progresses, it makes new discoveries in the field of science and technology everyday. Our conception of truth changes as time passes. The general populace sees time travel as something impossible. They believe that this only belongs to the genre of science fiction. However, beliefs tend to change. In the past, people used to find many ideas incredulous. With the passing of time, these concepts came to be accepted as facts. And today, these facts are taken as granted. Although time travel is not entirely feasible today, physics does make it theoretically possible. Maybe in the next couple of generations or so, mankind might attempt the first large-scale exploration of time. In the end, though, everything depends on time itself.

Battling Digital Piracy Essay -- Piracy

In today’s age where Internet can provide fast access to any kind of information and media, copyrighted content faces grave threat of infringement. The distribution and unauthorized copying of such copyrighted content results in digital piracy. Common examples are downloading and uploading movies, music, e-books, software, and other copyrighted content online. Piracy deprives the original creators, scientists and artists of the deserved incentives. Digital Piracy has caused the US Copyright Industry a loss of billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs. To protect the copyright owners’ exclusive rights and encourage original ideas for scientific progress, digital piracy needs to be curbed with appropriate measures. Thus, this paper will discuss the problems caused by digital piracy and suggest measures to reduce digital piracy. With the growing popularity of the Internet, worldwide distribution of content can be done easily at lower price easily avoiding middlemen for distribution purposes. The disadvantage of such easy access is that consumers can access content that they may not be authorized to view for free. Downloading of digital pirated data being just a click away, many internet users are resorting to illegal sites or the peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. The extent of this problem is so much so that 25% of traffic on the Internet today is one resulting from copyright infringement. The progress in digital technology has enabled the production of countless replicas inexpensively and their distribution on Internet without any hassles. Content produced without copy-protection measures, the availability of high-speed internet and cheap storage means available online; all contribute to the rising incidence of piracy. ... ...gal means. Internet was meant to be open in nature, to provide information and services to everyone but was never meant to be a gigantic piracy machine. It was not designed to facilitate access to copyrighted content and encourage sharing of protected content. There is an urgent need to do away with Internet services that encourage digital piracy. Internet Enterprises, Government and consumers should together work towards maintaining integrity of Internet and take active measures to obliterate digital piracy. FCC plays an important role by implementing policy and technical controls to achieve this. Works Cited http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/resources/documents/upload/021611Leahy-RecordSubmissions-Website.pdf http://www.cs.washington.edu/education/courses/csep590a/06au/projects/digital-piracy.pdf http://www.itif.org/files/2009-digital-piracy.pdf

What Is Hypnosis? Describe the Psychological and Physical Aspects of Hypnosis and Discuss the Role of Relaxation in Hypnotherapy

Introduction This essay discusses the core characteristics of hypnosis, concentrating on its major psychological and physical features. It begins by providing a background of the practice. This is important because it draws out how the understanding and definition of hypnosis has changed over time. This is followed by a section considering the psychological and physical aspects of hypnosis, after which the final section discusses the importance of relaxation in hypnotherapy. Hypnosis is defined loosely as an altered mental state, superficially resembling sleep, characterised by a heightened awareness of subconscious detail (Brink 2008; Encyclopaedia Britannica 2004). This definition will be developed and expanded in greater detail throughout the essay. A full understanding of hypnosis and hypnotherapy requires that the practices are placed in their historical and cultural context. What is now known as hypnosis has been recorded on many occasions throughout history, dating back several millennia to the civilisations of ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece. It was typically performed as part of shamanistic, religious or spiritual rituals (Brink 2008; Waterfield 2004). However, there is some scepticism regarding the veracity of these historical accounts (e.g., Waterfield 2004). Hypnosis in its modern Western form was first practiced by Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), who was an Austrian physician. Mesmer understood it through the theoretical lens of ‘animal magnetism’ or ‘mesmerism’, which was related to the idea that health was contingent on the distribution of ‘universal fluids’. He believed that magnets could be used to direct these fluids, prevent blockages and ultimately cure disease; hypnosis worked similarly in Mesmer’s eyes in that it was able to transmit healing forces and produce cures (Waterfield 2004). This notion was developed following Mesmer’s death by Armand de Puysegur, who realised that dictation and verbal communication in the form of commands could induce trances (Hadley and Staudacher 1996). The theoretical groundwork laid by Mesmer and Puysegur was revised in the 19th century by James Braid (1795-1860), who realised that trance-like states could be brought on by suggestions as well as commands. Braid also redefined the practice, calling it ‘hypnotism’. The process began to gradually gain wider acceptance as a therapeutic agent, especially useful in the relief of pain and as an anaesthetic (Hadley and Staudacher 1996). The future of what is now known as hypnotherapy was secured in 1892 when the British Medical Association (BMA) commissioned a report on the characteristics of hypnosis for medical purposes, which yielded highly promising results (Waterfield 2004). Hypnosis and hypnotherapy were gradually refined and developed as new fields took interest and various schools of thought branched off in opposing directions, most notably in France. One of the most important developments was the relationship between Sigmund Freud and hypnosis, and it was this that saw the now crucial introduction of the theory of the unconscious mind into the practice (Waterfield 2004). Freud’s disenchantment with hypnosis in favour of psychoanalysis saw a decline in its popularity, although there was a revival after the 1950s when research unearthed a variety of new applications (Waterfield 2004). The work of Milton Erickson (1901-1980) was crucial in this respect. He built on Freud’s introduction of subconscious elements, and his success was essential in the creating the practice in its current form (Waterfield 2004). This provides an important backdrop in understanding what hypnosis actually is. It is useful at this stage to dispel a misconception, namely that hypnosis is a form of unconsciousness comparable to sleep. As shall be demonstrated, subjects are actually awake and capable of high levels of awareness, albeit not of the environment. It is more accurately described as a state of physical relaxation, including an altered state of consciousness in which the subconscious mind is more accessible and more active (Mason 2008, cited in Segi 2012: 27). In terms of its psychological characteristics, hypnosis can be described as natural, trancelike state. It is generally agreed that while under hypnosis a person has a heightened sense of focus or concentration, usually directed towards a specific object or memory, which entails an ability to block out distractions from outside (Segi 2012; Hadley and Staudacher 1996). One of the key psychological aspects of hypnosis is related to the subconscious mind, which in some shape or form is responsible for automatic and intuitive mental functions (Brink 2008; Hadley and Staudacher 1996). Since it has no clear location in the brain the subconscious can seem rather elusive, but it can be seen in many day-today tasks, such as typing, writing, or catching a ball. Driving is among the most oft-cited examples of subconscious functioning; it is common to internalise routes and to navigate while performing automatic processes such as changing gear without any memory of it. Tasks such as these can be carried out almost unknowingly and details often go largely unremembered (Brink 2008). Thus, the subconscious is highly active on a continuous basis. Hypnosis involves putting an individual in touch with the subconscious through intense concentration. It was previously thought that this was actually a kind of unconsciousness; however, as Hadley and Staudacher (1978) show, this view has come in for revision and new research has shown that a hypnotised person is fully awake and extremely focused; the appearance of unconsciousness arises because attention is diverted away from peripheral stimuli (Spiegel 1978). This is an important psychological and physical characteristic of hypnosis. One of the main psychological aspects of hypnosis is an increased susceptibility to suggestion (Brink 2008; Hadley and Staudacher 1996). The subject generally heeds only the suggestions of the hypnotist, and this appears to be done in ‘an uncritical, automatic fashion, ignoring all aspects of the environment†¦He sees, feels, smells, and otherwise perceives in accordance with the hypnotist’s suggestions, even though these suggestions may be in apparent contradiction to the stimuli that impinge upon him’ (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2004: 1). Moreover, the susceptibility to suggestion may be extended such that the subject is still under the ‘control’ of the hypnotist during ordinary, ‘waking’ activity (Heap and Dryden 1991). In terms of its physical aspects, hypnosis has several distinctive characteristics. In the first stage of the process, the subject’s body becomes extremely relaxed (this will be discussed further in the section on relaxation), which initiates a series of other physical changes. The heart rate, for example, slows considerably and with it the rate of breathing grows deeper and more rhythmic. As suggested earlier, this is not to be confused with deep sleep, which is characterised by a lack of awareness to external stimuli; rather it is a hypnotic trance in which the subject is highly attentive at all times. In fact, it is often argued that a hypnotic trance brings about a greater level of sensitivity to stimuli than usual (Karle and Boy 1987). This intense period of focus manifests in a physical change in the nature of brain activity. Physical evidence for this fact was first produced in 1929 when Hans Berger tested the brain activity of a hypnotised subject using the process of electroencephalography (the device is called an electroencephalogram or EEG) (Karle and Boy 1987). This measures electrical activity in the brain as waves. In order to understand the physical changes associated with hypnosis, it is necessary to briefly describe the four different kinds of brain waves: alpha, beta, theta, and delta. Under ordinary circumstances, mental activity produces beta waves. A heightened sense of relaxation creates more alpha waves; this state might be described as ‘light hypnosis’. As the body becomes increasingly relaxed, theta waves become dominant. This is associated with dreaming, or medium to deep hypnosis, as well as greater engagement with the subconscious. Finally, during periods of very deep hypnosis t he mind produces delta waves. These have an extremely low frequency and are usually created entirely by the subconscious, as during hypnosis or dreamless sleep (Brink 2008). In terms of underlying brain activity, therefore, the process of hypnosis initiates a transition that begins with beta waves and progresses through alpha, theta, and finally delta waves. Conversely, when a subject is brought out of hypnosis, or awakes from a deep, dreamless sleep, the stages of electrical activity in the brain are reversed, beginning with delta and ending with beta (Brink 2008). It is difficult to understand the nature of hypnosis, both psychologically and physically, without an appreciation of the tools and methods employed by a hypnotist. The inducement into a trance-like state is achieved through relaxation techniques as part of a process called ‘induction’ (Brink 2008; Hadley and Staudacher 1996). This can take different forms depending on the particular therapist, but the result is always broadly similar: a state of heightened focus on one or more specific and internal factors, and a decline in awareness of environmental or external stimuli (Hadley and Staudacher 1996). This is induced through verbal cues or instructions designed to induce a trance (Karle and Boys 1987). However, there is considerable variation in terms of the form this takes. Many therapists use authoritative commands, such as ‘you are now feeling relaxed’, or ‘I want you to picture yourself†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢; Alternatively, others employ a more suggestive style, including statements such as ‘maybe you would like to†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. While the details vary, however, all methods of induction tend to be characterised by a slow, clear prose style (Karle and Boys 1987). It is important to have an appreciation of the methods used to induce hypnosis as it is the essential precursor to the psychological and physical changes discussed in the first part of this essay. It is likewise crucial to understand the role of relaxation in hypnotherapy, as this is not only a crucial characteristic of the state itself but also the nexus between the beginning of the process and the transition into a hypnotic trance (Segi 2012). Hypnosis can only be achieved if the subject is sufficiently relaxed to disengage the conscious mind and engage the subconscious. This leaves an opening for suggestion and behavioural change, which are crucial components of hypnotherapy. In ordinary parlance, relaxation does not refer to the state necessary to induce a hypnotic trance but rather to the absence of strenuous mental or physical stimuli (Brink 2008). Thus, a person might be said to be relaxing on the sofa while reading a book. In actual fact, the conscious mind is still highly active at this stage, which precludes the opening up of the subconscious. Successful hypnotherapy requires a more ‘complete’ sense of physical and mental relaxation, including the alleviation of all forms of stress. There are various techniques involved here, but one of the most common is called Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) (Brink 2008). This works by instructing the subject to systematically relax various areas of their body i ndependently and in stages, often focusing on muscle groups. This can also be achieved via ‘self-hypnosis’, and for many people is an important part of stress- or sleep-management strategies (Segi 2012; Brink 2008). The ability of hypnosis to induce this kind of state is one of its most unique qualities, and even if nothing else is achieved the mere process of compete relaxation is an important component of hypnotherapy (Hadley and Staudacher 1996). One thing to note is that complete relaxation of this kind is not artificial or unnatural. It is part of the ordinary human condition, and the role of hypnotherapy is simply to induce it under controlled circumstances and with a particular goal in mind (Robertson 2012; Brink 2008; Hadley and Staudacher 1996). This essay has discussed some of the competing historical notions of what hypnosis is, as well as the way it is understood by modern practitioners and theorists. Both the process of hypnosis and the practice of hypnotherapy have undergone considerable change in terms of the way they are understood. This has led up to the modern theory of hypnosis as a state of relaxation and increased accessibility to the subconscious. The crucial relationship between relaxation and hypnotherapy (and hypnosis) has been drawn out. Undoubtedly, the important role of hypnosis historically is matched today, and it can be seen as a major part of many rituals, medical procedures, leisure activities, sports, and entertainment (Segi 2012). References Brink, T. L. (2008) Psychology: A Student Friendly Approach http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/TLBrink_PSYCH13.pdf [Retrieved 18/05/2014] Encyclopaedia Britannica (2004) Hypnosis http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/279820/hypnosis [Recovered 18/05/2014] Hadley, J. and Staudacher, C. (1996) Hypnosis for Change, New Harbinger Publications Heap, M. and Dryden, W. (1991) Hypnotherapy: a Handbook. Berkshire: Open University Press Karle, H. and Boys, J. (1987) Hypnotherapy a Practical Handbook, London: Free Association Books Kirsch, I. (1994) Clinical hypnosis as a nondeceptive placebo: Empirically derived techniques, The American journal of clinical hypnosis 37 (2), pp. 95–106 Robertson, D (2012) The Practice of Cognitive-Behavioural Hypnotherapy: A Manual for Evidence-Based Clinical Hypnosis, London: Karnac Segi, S. (2012) Hypnosis for pain management, anxiety and behavioral disorders. Factiva. [Retrieved 18/05/2014] Spiegel, H. and Spiegel, D. (1978) Trance and Treatment, Basic Books Inc., New York Waterfield, R. (2004) Hidden Depths The Story of Hypnosis, London: Pan Books.

Georgia Atlantic Company Essay

During the depression of the 1930s, Ben Jenkins, Sr., a wealthy, expansion-oriented lumberman whose family had been in the lumber business in the southeastern United States for several generations, began to acquire small, depressed sawmills and wholesale lumber companies. These businesses prospered during World War II. After the war, Jenkins anticipated that the demand for lumber would surge, so he aggressively sought new timberlands to supply his sawmills. In 1954, all of Jenkins’s companies were consolidated, along with some other independent lumber and milling companies, into a single corporation, the Georgia Atlantic Company. By the end of 1992, Georgia Atlantic was a major force in the lumber industry, though not one of the giants. Still, it possessed more timber and timberlands in relation to its use of timber than any other lumber company. Worldwide demand for lumber was strong in spite of a soft world economy, and its timber supply should have put Georgia Atlantic in a good position. With its assured supply of pulpwood, the company could run its mills at a steady rate and, thus, at a low per-unit production cost. However, the company does not have sufficient manufacturing capacity to fully utilize its timber supplies; so it has been forced to sell raw timber to other lumber companies to generate cash flow, losing potential profits in the process. Georgia Atlantic has enjoyed rapid growth in both sales and assets. This rapid growth has, however, caused some financial problems as indicated in Table 1. The condensed balance sheets shown in the table reveal that Georgia Atlantic’s financial leverage has increased substantially in the last 10 years, while the firm’s liquidity position markedly deteriorated over the same period. Remember, though, that the balance sheet figures reflect historical costs, and that the market values of the assets could be much higher than the values shown on the balance sheet. For example, Georgia Atlantic purchased 10,000 acres of cut timberland in southern Georgia in 1961 for $10 per acre, then planted trees which are now mature. The value of this acreage and its timber is estimated at $2,750 per acre, even though it is shown on the firm’s balance sheet at $230 per acre, the original $10 plus capitalized planting costs. Note also that this particular asset and others like it have produced zero accounting income; indeed, expenses associated with this acreage have produced accounting losses. When Georgia Atlantic was originally organized, most of the outstanding stock was owned by the senior Jenkins and members of his family. Over time, however, the family’s ownership position has gradually declined due to the sale of new common stock to fund expansion. In 1987, Ben Jenkins, Sr. died; the presidency of the firm was passed to his son, Ben Jenkins, Jr., who was 61 at the time. By the end of 1992, the Jenkins family held only about 35 percent of Georgia Atlantic’s common stock, and this represented essentially their entire net worth. The family has sought to finance the firm’s growth with internally generated funds to the greatest extent possible. Hence, Georgia Atlantic has never declared a cash dividend, nor has it had a stock dividend or a stock split. Due to the plowback of earnings, the stock currently sells for almost $2,000 per share. The family has stated a strong belief that investors prefer low-payout stocks because of their tax advantages, and they also think that stock dividends and stock splits serve no useful purpose—they merely create more pieces of paper but no incremental value for shareholders. Finally, the family feels that higher-priced stocks are more attractive to investors because the percentage brokerage commissions on small purchases of higher-priced stocks are lower than on large purchases of lower-priced shares. They cite the example of Berkshire-Hathaway, whose stock price has risen phenomenally even though it now sells for over $15,000 per share and pays no dividends. (The family does acknowledge, though, that Warren Buffett, Berkshire’s chairman, has done a superb job of managing the company’s assets, and that the rise of its stock price reflects that factor as well as Buffett’s financial policies.) As the date for Georgia Atlantic’s annual stockholders’ meeting approached, Mary Goalshen, the corporate secretary, informed Ben Jenkins, Jr., who is commonly called â€Å"Junior† at the company, that an unusually low number of shareholders had sent in their proxies. Goalshen felt that this might be due to rising discontent over the firm’s dividend policy. During the last two years, the average payout for firms in the paper and forest products industry has been about 35 percent; yet for the 58th straight year, Georgia Atlantic’s board, under the Jenkins family’s dominance, chose not to pay a dividend in 1992. The Jenkins family was also aware that several reports in the financial press in recent months indicated that Georgia Atlantic was a possible target of a takeover attempt. Since the family did not want to lose control of the company, they were anxious to keep the firm’s stockholders as happy as possible. Accordingly, Junior announced that the directors would hold a special meeting immediately after the annual meeting to consider whether the firm’s dividend policy should be changed. Junior instructed Abe Markowitz, Georgia Atlantic’s financial vice president, to identify and then evaluate alternative dividend policies in preparation for the special board meeting. He asked Markowitz to consider cash dividends, stock dividends, and stock splits. Markowitz then identified six proposals that he thought deserved further consideration: (1) No Cash Dividends, No Stock Dividend or Split. This was the position Markowitz was certain that Junior and the family would support, both for the reasons given above and also because he thought the company, as evidenced by the balance sheet, was in no position to pay cash dividends. (2) Immediate Cash Dividend, but No Stock Dividend or Split. This was simply the opposite of the no dividend policy. If a cash dividend policy were instituted, its size would still be an issue. (3) Immediate Cash Dividend plus a Large Stock Split. The stock split would be designed to lower the price of the firm’s stock from its current price of almost $2,000 per share to somewhere in the average price range of other large forest products stocks, or from $20 to $40 per share. (4) Immediate Cash Dividend plus a Large Stock Dividend. The reasoning underlying this policy would be essentially the same as that of Alternative 3. (5) Cash Dividend, Stock Split, and Periodic Stock Dividends. This policy would require the company to declare an immediate cash dividend and, simultaneously, to announce a sizable stock split. This policy would go further than Alternatives 3 and 4 in that, after the cash dividend and stock split or large stock dividend, the company would periodically declare smaller stock dividends equal in value to the earnings retained during the period. In effect, if the firm earned $3 per share in any given period-quarter, semi-annual period, and so on—and retained $1.50 per share, the company would also declare a stock dividend of a percentage amount equal to $1.50 divided by the market price of the stock. Thus, if the firm’s shares were selling for $30 when the cash dividend was paid, a 5 percent stock dividend would be declared. (6) Share Repurchase Plan. This plan is based on the premise that investors in the aggregate would like to see the company distribute some cash, but that some stockholders would not want to receive cash dividends because they want to minimize their taxes. Under the repurchase plan, individual stockholders could decide for themselves whether or not to sell some or all of their hares and thus to realize some cash and some capital gains, depending on their own situations. To begin his evaluation, Markowitz collected the data shown in Tables 2 and 3. As he was looking over these figures, Markowitz wondered what effect, if any, Georgia Atlantic’s dividend policy had on the company’s stock price as compared to the prices of other stocks. Markowitz is also aware of one other issue, but it is one that neither he nor anyone else has had the nerve to bring up. Junior is now 66 years old, which is hardly ancient; but he is in poor health, and in recent years he has been almost obsessed with the idea of avoiding taxes. Further, the federal estate tax rate is currently 60 percent, and additional state estate taxes would be due; so well over half of Junior’s net worth as of the date of his death will have to be paid out in estate taxes. Since estate taxes are based on the value of the estate on the date of death, to minimize his estate’s taxes, Junior might not want the value of the company to be maximized until after his death. Markowitz does not know Junior’s view of this, but he does know that his tax advisors have thought it through and have explained it to him. Finally, Markowitz knows that several Wall Street firms have been analyzing Georgia Atlantic’s â€Å"breakup value,† or the value of the company if it were broken up and sold in pieces. He has heard breakup value estimates as high as $3,500 per share, primarily because other lumber companies, including Japanese and European companies, are eager to buy prime properties such as those owned by Georgia Atlantic. Of course, Georgia Atlantic could sell assets on its own, but Markowitz does not expect that to happen as long as Junior is in control. Now assume that you are an outside consultant and have been hired by Abe Markowitz to help him with the analysis and make a presentation to the executive committee. First, Abe is not sure whether an announced dividend policy is a good idea. He believes an announced policy could cause the firm to feel forced to take actions that otherwise would be undesirable. He has also expressed concern about signaling and clientele effects. As old man Jenkins used to say, â€Å"If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.† Thus, analyze the firm’s present dividend policy to determine how well the company has performed compared to other firms in the industry before discussing the implications of the alternative dividend policies and making a recommendation. Markowitz also wants you to discuss whether the firm’s historical rate of return on investment has been affected by its dividend policy, the estate tax issue, and the takeover issue. Junior is famous for asking tough questions and then crucifying the person being questioned if he or she has trouble responding. That is probably why Markowitz wants you to make the presentation. So be sure that you thoroughly understand the issues and your answers so that you can handle any follow-up questions that you might receive.

Personal Administration Essay

Personnel administration, better known as human resources (HR) management, is the coordination and regulation of employees in a company. It involves organizing, recruiting, hiring, training, and assessing workers. Conflict resolution and legal compliance also are important aspects. With a good HR team doing their jobs well, a company will often be ultimately more efficient and competitive, generating additional revenue. Organization In most businesses, a well-organized workforce translates to greater efficiency, productivity, and revenue. The first goal of personnel administration, therefore, is to organize all employees in such a way that allows them to cooperate and complete tasks in the best way possible. Examples of issues in this area include how many departments are necessary, how many individuals should be in each department, what the manager to employee ratio should be, and what alternate chains of command should be used when managers cannot be contacted. Organization also deals with how to assign individuals to specific projects, as well as keeping the employees healthy and safe in the work environment. Recruitment and Hiring Once those in a company’s personnel administration team know how to organize workers and their projects, they begin to recruit and hire employees actively. They post notices about positions available, organize or take part in events such as job fairs, and conduct initial interviews to find the most qualified and experienced candidates. They then pass on information about the final candidates to department managers, who often conduct the last interviews and make the call about whom to hire. Training Employees who are new to a company do not always know the business’ policies and procedures, even if they have incredible experience and skill sets. Training is almost always necessary to remedy this. Members of the HR department may develop the training events and documentation needed to get employees working efficiently. They also put together and oversee additional training, such as that needed to advance to a different position in the company. In some instances, they partner with various educational  institutions to develop programs that will allow employees to get certifications or degrees related to the industry. Assessment Most companies want to know that their employees are performing at a certain level. They also want to know that the workers are following policies and procedures well. One duty of the personnel administration team, therefore, is to develop techniques and tools that managers can use for assessment purposes. A common example is a standardized form for an employee performance review. HR workers use the data collected through these items to analyze the activity within the company and to make decisions such as whether to increase pay. Conflict Resolution An advantage of using people over machines is that individuals can be innovative and display logical thought processes based on experience, but people do not always get along as they strive to do this. The HR department is responsible for resolving conflicts that may arise in the company, especially those between different levels of management. They also work to resolve conflicts that are not interpersonal, such as a new employee feeling out of place in his work environment. Keeping detailed records related to these activities is a must, as some conflicts eventually lead to disciplinary action or termination that, if not properly executed, can lead to lawsuits. Personnel management workers generally have an easier time resolving conflicts when they have a solid framework of clear policies and procedures to fall back on. The policies and procedures let the personnel department employees remain objective as they try to find viable solutions. They also ensure that any solutions proposed are in line with company objectives. The HR team works closely with members of management to put together policy and procedure documentation for this reason. Legal Compliance Members of the HR team look at policies and regulations not just for their company, but for their jurisdiction. They ensure that employees fill out the proper tax forms, for example, and any other government required paperwork. This task is challenging because new legislation is passed regularly, requiring the personnel administration workers to adjust the activities and documentation within the business. It is critical because failure to comply  with even one regulation can put the reputation and operation of the company at risk. Personnel Administration The scope of personnel administration is quite wide. It includes all activities which help the management in getting the work done by the labour force in the best manner possible to accomplish the organizational objectives. The main objective in any organization is the optimum utilization of available resources. Personnel administration is primarily concerned with the organization of men; therefore, the main objective may be summarized as to utilize the available human resources in a a way so as to get the work done effectively to the maximum satisfaction of the individual worker to seek their cooperation in accomplishing the general goals of the organization. The objectives of personnel administration can be classified into General objectives and specific objectives. General objectives 1. Maximum individual development – the employer should always be careful in developing the personality of each individual. If an act of the employer can adversely affect the personality of the individual, he should avoid it. Employer should establish and support such human values that may have social recognition and importance. They should always be regarded as partners and given due importance. The objective of Personnel administration as a bridge between the management and the employees is to keep the management apprised of positive accomplishments and warning signals in the personnel practices. If the human assets of an organization are being misused in the process of profit maximization, it is definitely a short term achievement, because in the long run, the adverse effects felt by the work force will translate into lesser profits for the organization. 2. Desirable working relationship between employer and employee – it is the major objective of personnel administration to achieve a desirable working relationship between the employer and the employees so that they may cooperate with the management. Both of them must rely on each other. The personnel administrator should get it realized to the top management that personnel should be given fair and equitable treatment and on the other hand, convey to the workers that they  should cooperate in achieving the goals of the management. The basic responsibility for the personnel lies with the supervisors although the administrator supplies tools such as policy, record keeping, control and advice. His objective is therefore to ensure that the line supervisor is aware of his personnel responsibilities and carries them out responsibly. Simultaneously he should also ensure ethical conduct amongst all personnel and on the part of each supervisor towards each employee for whom he is res ponsible. 3. Specialized services – The administrator provides the tools such as record keeping, policy making, controlling and advising. Although not directly responsible for the personnel, who lie with the line supervisor, he may examine causes for non-efficiency or non-effectiveness, suggest remedial measure, perform research into proposed personnel procedures, handle negotiations with a government agency, etc. The basic objective here is to provide assistance to the line supervisor whilst simultaneously ensuring that the line supervisor meets his responsibilities to the personnel. 4. Molding of human resources – Human beings is the most important resource and the only active factor which engages all other factors of production. Therefore, the administrator should emphasize the effective utilization of human resources as compared to physical resources so that production and productivity is optimized. Other factors of production will be ineffective without effective molding of human resources. Specific objectives 1. Selection of the right type and number of persons 2. Proper orientation and introduction of new employees to their jobs 3. Organisation of suitable training facilities 4. Provision of better working conditions and facilities. 5. Provision of sound, fair and effective wage and salary administration and incentives. 6. Good industrial relations with representative trade unions 7. Personnel research Duties of Personnel Staff In a dynamic working environment, the boundaries of any role cannot be clearly defined. However, the duties of Personnel staff may be described as under:- 1. As a Service Provider – providing information on market statistics of personnel availability, pay rates, etc. Interpret the complex  laws and legislations. Employment and placement programs, employee compensation programs, training and development programs, labour relations could be stated to be the duty as a service provider. It must be noted that there will often be an overlap between the different roles that a Personnel staff may assume 2. As a facilitator – advises the supervisors on employee problems, facilitates training and development, and when performance appraisals are done. One of the responsibilities of Personnel staff is also to ensure that other managers who undertake such activities are well equipped to do so. 3. as a consultant – to help the supervisors resolve problems due to lack of motiv ation, lack of training, grievances, etc. 4. As an auditor – to ensure that all members of the management perform their respective roles, to determine whether personnel policies and procedures are being administered uniformly by supervisors.