Animation Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Animation Critique - Essay Example Animation is a form of art in which a world of an energetic picture and sound may be incorporated entirely out of nothing except for an idea. The world of animation started emerging in the eyes of the general public before 1910. During the early days of animation, it was thought to be as labor intensive as many numerous drawings and paintings had to be made just to make a short few minute film. It took too many men and too much time just to make short films and was very hard as replicas of the same drawing had to be produced to bring in the motion effect in them. A very famous example of such hard work is of Winsor McCay. He was and still is known as the father of animated cartoons. MacCay was a fine hard working man and used to make his animations by himself alone. He did not use to ask for the help of the others and used to animate his films nearly single handedly by himself, from the foundation to the completion each cartoon was made by him and him alone (Crandol, n.pag) McCay was a fine animator and took his time to make his animations appear distinctive creative perspectives. He sometimes used to spend more than one year just to complete a five minute cartoon animation. This time duration was too long for the expanding viewers of the cinema world and thus the modern studios of animation came in to being. Walt Disney was the first animator in the whole world who added the effect of sound in his animations of Steamboat Willie in 1928. Later computerization changed the whole view of this industry. Toy Story that was released in 1995 was the first animated movie that was completely made on computers and this was done by the cooperation of Pixar Animation Studio and Walt Disney Animation Production (The Significance of Animation, n.pag). The production started at 1993 and the movie was released in November 1995 The movie was a hit

Lan-Base Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System Essay Example for Free

Lan-Base Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System Essay 1.1 Introduction Modernization changed our lifestyle. Technology improves us to spend time and spaces in remarkable ways. Due to rapid technological changes new things to produce better way of doing things through the help of technology. In our present life style people find way to improve their living day by day .This improvement was obviously seen in our modern technology, such modern machine, improvised gadgets, robotics and the most popular and widely influential is the modern computer. Modern computer helps people to lessen their work in such particular field of industry, particularly for those activities that requires computation storage of information presentation security and many uses of system software by the company, organization and in some aspect of educational areas. One of these changes is through the use of LAN-Based Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System of Caltex Gasoline Station which is programmed automatically set the time and date employees log; so that the office assistant monitors the record and liable easily access the payments of the employees. In the field of Information technology the knowledge in creating a LAN-Based Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System of the employees are one of the most important parts to keep a certain business stable also includes the monitoring of the employees and the payroll. The Owner can’t assure that his employee is arriving on time in Gasoline Station and he can’t also assure if the computation of the payroll is correct and accurate. 1.2.1 Background of the Study The Caltex Techron Balite Merchandise started as a Federal Gasoline station in 2007. After three years Federal Gasoline Station experienced bankrupt because of the competition in other gasoline station. The owner of Federal Gasoline Station decided to sell the property of Federal Gasoline Station to Mr. Danny Reobeca to recover his investment. In the year 2010 September 19, the Caltex Techron merchandising established in Barangay Balite. They started with sixteen (16) employees including (1) one manager, (1) one secretary, (2) two cashiers, and (12) twelve gasoline boys. Nowadays, the Caltex Techron Merchandising has (4) four Gasoline Machines, (3) three Gasoline Tanker, (1) one storage room and (1) one office room. Caltex Techron Merchandising have now (33) thirty three employees including (1) one manager as the owner, (3) three office assistant, (3) three cashier, (2) two guards and (24) twenty four gasoline boys. The operation is 24 hours and has three shifting for gasoline boy and cashiers. First shift (6:00am-3:00pm), second shift (12:00pm-9:00pm), third shift(9:00pm-6:00am), (2) two shifting for the security guard, First shift (6:00am-6:00pm) and second shift (6:00pm-6:00am) while the manager and office assistant work 8 hours start 8:00am to 4:00pm. The facilities of the Caltex Techron Merchandising are complete but proponents found out (2) problem. First, the attendance monitoring of the employee is manual like the traditional. Second, the exact computation of payroll of the employee is manual computation. They have an office assistant in the office room to manage the attendance monitoring and payroll of the employees. 1.2 Statement of the problem 1.2.1 General Problem The Manual attendance and payroll of the employees in Caltex Techron resulting lack of accuracy and security in terms of records. The main problem of manual system is very hard to retrieve information of the employees. 1.2.2 Specific Problem The Caltex Techron Merchandising has also some specific problem as they follow: * Manual recording of the time-in and time-out of the employees. * Using the manual computation of payroll. * Inaccurate employee’s attendance due to manual operation of time keeping. * Unorganized records because of many records that must be filed. 1.3 Objective 1.3.1 General Objective The Proponents aims to develop a LAN-Based Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System that will improve their service in terms of attendance monitoring and payroll of the employee. 1.3.2 Specific objectives * To develop a system that enable to search records easier and faster. * To avoid changing of time that they log. * To develop a system that will monitor the daily time record of employee. * To upgrade and standard the process of computing salaries of employees accurately. * To establish a system that will register the time-in and time-out of employees. * To prevent loosen and break down of the records and files. * To make automated the computation of the salaries of the employees. 1.4 Scope and Limitation The Proponents aims to develop a LAN-Based Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System of the employee for the improvement of Caltex Techron Merchandising. The File maintenance can easily add, search, delete, and update records, with the use of this system. 1.4.1 Scope * Computerize the Attendance of the employee. * Automated computation of salaries. * It gives accurate time and date of the employee’s log. * LAN-based System. * The administrator only has the authority to access the records of the employees. 1.4.2 Limitation * Records only the time and date of log-in and log-out of the employee but it can’t identify who are the real employees. * The LAN-Based Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System embedded only to Caltex Techron. 1.5 Significance of Study This study not only to develop a software system, It also aims to do specific task in a short period of time. Administrator/Manager: * It will help them in terms of less spending space and time. It will help them. Office Assistant: * It will be easy for them to monitor the attendance of the employee and to lessen their work. Employee: * It will be easier to get their salary because of the automatic computation. 1.6 Definition of Terms 1. Automated To operate by automation. 2. Merchandising Sales promotion has a comprehensive function including market research, development of new products. 3. Monitoring A device for observing a biological condition or function. 4. Payroll The sum necessary for distribution to those on a payroll also the money to be distributed. 5. Salary Fixed comprehension paid regularly for devices 6. Technology A capability given by the practical application knowledge. 7. Embedded Fix to the business company. 8. LAN-Based the system is running by group of personal computer and associated equipment that are linked by cable, office building and that share a communications line. 9. Manual work by hand, involving the skills and hard word of hand. 10. Traditional – from generation to generation,† Old style†.

An Analysis Of Mahatma Gandhi

An Analysis Of Mahatma Gandhi Gandhi (1982) directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Ben Kingsley in the title role, won 9 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography. The movie opens with the assassination of Gandhi. It depicts the journey of Mahatma Gandhi from sole colored practicing advocate in South Africa, who was thrown out of a train at Pietermaritzburg on his refusal to shift to third class coach while holding a valid first class ticket to the leader of community who used the principles of non-violent resistance on behalf of Indian immigrants to his relocation to his mother land, India and inspiring millions of fellow citizens by his charismatic leadership skills. The movie also portrays his individuality and relationships with his family, close-associates, friends and leaders of Indian Congress Party. Additionally, the principles followed by Gandhi are represented fairly with right blend of external factors including the British policies, his extensive travels, poverty prevalent in rural India and his conviction to remove discrimination issues, which affected his decisions, outlook and strategies adopted together with the building of his Ashram, taking up fasting and standing firm on his principles of non-co-operation and non-violence. The tag line of this movie: His triumph changed the world forever is absolutely true. WHo was gandhi? Mr. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, bestowed with the title of Mahatma: Great soul (a honorary title first used by Rabindranath Tagore), lovingly called Bapu: father, used by his followers, is the Father of nation of India. This expression was first used for Gandhi by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in his condolence message on the demise of Kasturba Gandhi, wife of Mahatma Gandhi in the year 1944. Gandhinot only raised his voice for Swaraj (home rule for India) and taught his countrymen to fight without any arms or ammunition against the British Empire, but led the world to believe and still follow his principles of truth and non-violence. Gandhi was a qualified Barrister, studied law in University College of London, lead a simple life with his wife, Kasturbai Makhanji and four sons, Harilal, Manilal, Ramdas and Devdas. Though a Hindu by birth, he believed in spirituality and not strict adherence to religious beliefs. The dialogue from the movie Gandhi clearly reveals the same: I am a Muslim and a Hindu and a Christian and a Jew and so are all of you. It is easier to explain the austerity of this great leader by borrowing the condolences of Edward R. Murrow: ..Mahatma Gandhi was not a commander of great armies nor ruler of vast lands, he could boast no scientific achievements, no artistic gift. Yet men, governments and dignitaries from all over the world have joined hands today to pay homage to this little brown man in the loincloth who led his country to freedom (Dialogue from the movie Gandhi (1982), directed by Richard Attenborough) Guiding Principles and followers Gandhi followed 11 vows throughout his life, which are described in his various writings. These vows are: Ahimsa: non-violence, Satya: truth, Asteya: non-stealing, Brahmacharya: self discipline, Aparigraha: non-possession, Sharirshrama: bread labor, Aswada: control of the palate, Sarvatra Bhayavarjana: fearlessness, Sarva Dharma Samantva: equality of all religions, Swadeshi: use of only locally made goods and Sparshbhavna: removal of untouchability. (Source:http://www.gandhimanibhavan.org/gandhiphilosophy/philosophy_11vows.htm) The Time Magazine in December, 1999 edition named The 14th Dalai Lama, Lech WaÅ‚Äâ„ ¢sa, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Cesar Chavez, Aung San Suu Kyi, Benigno Aquino, Jr., Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela as Children of Gandhi and his spiritual heirs to non-violence. (Source:http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,993026,00.html) His journey was from a briefless barrister (a term used to ridicule him by his fellow legal practitioners, as expressed by Eknath Easwaram) in Bombay to the half naked Indian fakir (as referred by Winston Churchill in his speech in 1930) to the champion of the cause of non-violence and equality. This passage was full of thorns in the form of assorted problems faced by him as well as roses as the numerous followers. Innumerable writers and leaders world-over have expressed diverse opinion about the greatest spiritual and political leader of India. Whether people follow the principles of Gandhi or they loathe him, his immense work cannot be ignored. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr. in the year 1955: Christ gave us the goals and Mahatma Gandhi the tactics. (Source: Life Magazine: Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. 40 Years Later, 2008) Leadership Qualities and styles A leader is a person who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a goal. A leader is an individual who first performs and then, leads his followers by example, so that they are motivated to follow him. He must have an innate commitment to a goal and strive to achieve it even if others do not follow him. As defined by Eric Hoffer, the leader has to be practical and realist, yet he must talk the language of visionary and idealist. (Source: http://www.vtaide.com/gleanings/leader.htm) The dictionary meaning of the term leadership is the capacity to lead others; an act or instance of guiding. Leadership is a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task as defined by Chemers. There are diverse opinions and theories regarding definitions and classifications of leadership styles. Nevertheless, in the words of Vance Packard Leadership appears to be the art of getting others to want to do something you are convinced should be done. (Source: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadstl.html) Viscount Slim listed the traits of leadership as courage, will power, judgment, flexibility, knowledge and integrity. In the words of Hill, characteristics of leader include self-confidence, morale qualities, self-sacrifice, paternalism, decisiveness, dignity, tolerance, enthusiasm, knowledge of man. In the light of these expressions, Gandhi was a true leader, who planned and performed the tasks, led by example, had strong conviction to achieve the goal and motivated his followers. The strength and character of Mahatma Gandhi is clear in his own words as: You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body but you will never imprison my mind. Kenneth Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) defined 26 different group roles that can be played by one or more persons within a group, which were categorised as: task roles, personal or social roles and dysfunctional or individualistic roles. According to these roles, in the group task roles, an individual may be initiator, coordinator, evaluator, critic, orienter or recorder. (Source: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_85.htm) Kurt Lewin led a group of researchers to identify different styles of leadership and established three major styles of leadership as: authoritarian or autocratic; participative or democratic and delegative or laissez-faire. (Source:http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadstl.html) Participative leader: Gandhi definitely was a participative or democratic leader, who involved the whole team in planning and goal setting, problem solving and emphasised team building; on the other hand, he retained his decision making authority that could not be challenged. Rather than deciding in an autocratic manner, he involved other people in the process, including his subordinates, peers, superiors and other stakeholders. Since the political situation then, was dynamic and changing frequently, the required democratic leadership flowed from Gandhi. He brought out the best of experience and skill from the fellow Congress leaders, seniors and followers. He had a strong conviction with right blend of flexibility and chose appropriate approach to be followed. The communication channels used were open and transparent; and in case of any changes, the strategy was explained unambiguously. Theories of leadership Various theories have been propounded on the concept of leadership based on varied attributes of a leader including traits, situational interactions, function, behavior, power, vision, values, charisma, ethics and intelligence among others. The following theories are relevant in describing leadership characteristics of Gandhi as explored in the movie: Charismatic leadership Transformational leadership Servant leadership Authentic and Ethical leadership Ideal leadership Follower-centric leadership Charismatic Leader: According to the trait approach, the leadership style is affected and influenced by the individual characteristics and traits of leader. German sociologist, Max Weber distinguished three ideal types of legitimate political leadership, domination and authority: charismatic (familial and religious), feudal or traditional (patriarchs or patrimonalism) and legal (modern law and state). Weber (1947) defined charismatic leadership as resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him. He defined the term charisma as a certain quality of an individual personality, by virtue of which he is set apart from ordinary men and treated as endowed with supernatural or exceptional powers or qualities, which are not accessible to an ordinary person, but of divine origin or exemplary. He further added that a charismatic leader has remarkable ability to distill complex ideas into simple messages and communicates by using symbols, analogies, metaphors and stories. Such a leader relishes risk and is an optimist, who rebels conventions. Robert House (1977) used four phrases to define charismatic leadership: dominant, strong desire to influence others, self-confident and strong sense of ones own moral values. (Source: http://www.12manage.com/methods_weber_charismatic_leadership.html) Gandhi is the best example of a charismatic leader. It was only his divine charisma that helped him fight on behalf of the Indian community in South Africa employing his principle of non-violence and wage a war against the British Empire for Indian independence. (Source: http://www.12manage.com/methods_weber_charismatic_leadership.html) Transformational Leadership: Bass (1985) extended the theory of charismatic leadership to the theory of transformational leadership, where a leader is able to inspire and activate subordinates to perform beyond expectations and to achieve goals beyond those normally set. Transformational leadership as defined by Burns (1978), is the process of motivating the team by leader to be effective and efficient and engaging their commitments in the context of the shared values and shared vision. It involves relationship of mutual trust between the leaders and the followers. (Source: http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/a/transformational.htm) Gandhi beyond doubt was a transformational leader. He utilised his communication skills for facilitating and focusing his peers and followers on the final desired outcome or goal attainment. In consonance with Burns analysis, Gandhi was highly visible and used chain of command. He focused on the ideal vision of Swaraj and was surrounded by numerous other leaders who were responsible and accountable for interim milestones leading to attaining the target. All the four elements of a transformational leader were evident in Gandhis leadership: individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation and idealized influence. He attempted to attend to his followers individual needs, acting as their mentor and addressing their concerns. He unconditionally supported his followers and respected their individual contributions. The followers also had aspirations for self development and were motivated towards accomplishing their responsibilities. He was never averse to taking risks and was open to nurturing associates and followers. He articulated a common vision which inspired his followers, peers and other contemporary leaders. His inspirational motivation and high standards challenged his followers. Also, followers had a strong sense of purpose and responded positively acting towards the attainment of goal. The visionary outlook of Gandhi was supported by his communication skills and conviction, which resulted in mak ing it precise and powerful. He instilled pride in his followers gaining their respect and trust enabling him to obtain their additional efforts. Servant leadership: Robert Greenleaf (1977) described that a servant-leader is a servant first. He elucidates that the servant-leadership begins with a natural feeling that leader as an individual wishes to serve, which is followed by a conscious choice to aspire to lead. Gandhi, the quintessential servant-leader describes his own motivation to serve as: service to the poor has been my hearts desire and it has always thrown me amongst the poor and enabled me to identify myself with them. (Source:http://www.lifepositive.com/Mind/Ethics/Servant_Leadership_stooping_to_conquer22004.asp) Spears (2002) lists qualities of servant-leader as: listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to growth of people and building community. (Source:http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/styles/servant_leadership.htm) Gandhis desire to serve a cause and adhere to his principles was evident in South Africa. His mission to serve humanity began with his concern for the equal treatment of Indians, followed by raising his voice against the Bill, which was sought to deprive Indians of their freedom. First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.: These words of Gandhi echo his persuasiveness and precision. Authentic and Ethical Leadership: In wake of financial, ethical and societal crises, people have begun clamor for authentic leadership. It is defined by Walumbwa as a pattern of leader behaviour that draws upon and promotes both positive psychological capacities and a positive ethical climate fostering positive self-development. The traits of authentic leadership embraces self-awareness of a leader, relational transparency, balanced processing of information and internalized moral perspective. (Source:http://johnmolson.concordia.ca/images/stories/graduate_prog/msc/docs/msc-agre/briand_melanie.pdf) Luthans and Avolio define authentic leadership as a process that draws from both positive psychological capabilities and a highly developed organizational context, which results in both greater self-awareness and self-regulated positive behaviors on the part of both leaders and associates, fostering positive self development. Authentic leaders inspire others by modeling positive organizational states of confidence, hope, optimism, and resiliency. By responding transparently to moral dilemmas, authentic leaders become ethical role models. Thus, authentic leadership is an umbrella that comprises of ethical leadership as well. (Source:http://leadershipskills.org.au/interpersonal-leadership/authentic-leadership-explained/) In the words of Gandhi: Everyone who wills can hear the inner voice. It is within everyone. He demonstrated characteristics of an authentic leader by being committed to truth. He knew himself well and was absolutely clear about his ideals and values. He illustrated self-discipline. Even in the movie, the dialogues between Ba, Mirabehn and Margaret Bourke-White, evidence that he strictly professed celibacy. Gandhi was extremely compassionate and genuine. Even during one of his train journeys, he releases his head cloth to a poor woman, across the river, who apparently was not wearing any proper clothing. Being an authentic leader of course, emanates from his rich experience and commitment towards serving humanity. Good leadership refers not only to the competence of leader to lead his followers to perform a task, but his responsibility for ensuring standards of moral and ethical conduct and in transforming people. Ethical leadership combines ethical decision-making and ethical behavior. Key responsibility of a leader is to make ethical decisions and behave in ethical ways and to ensure that his followers understand and practice the ethical code. (Source: http://studentorgs.unomaha.edu/documents/EthicalLeadership.pdf) An ethical leader must emphasis and reiterates the statements about importance of ethics. He must disseminate ethical guidelines to his followers. Gandhi, indeed is considered one of the most ethical leaders. He modeled his ethical behavior and set a visible example for others to follow. He set rules for himself and also, his followers as regards the dos and donts of moral behavior. This code was followed religiously by him. He criticised all unethical behavior and in case of any such unethical act by his followers, he went on to fasting as a penance. Gandhi considered that Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Ideal leadership: Ideal leadership or Inter-Disciplinary leadership is a scientific leadership theory propounded by Larry Stout (2001), which identifies six critical capabilities that are grouped under leadership capital and four capacities under leadership conditions. The six critical leadership capital capacities are vision, values, wisdom, courage, trust and voice to influence followers. The four vital leadership conditions vital for these capacities are place where the leader can hold sway, period that calls for his or her leadership, position that conveys leadership authority, and people who are ready for leadership. (Source: http://www.az-encyclopedia.info/i/1329282_Ideal_leadership/) This theory states that leader is one who leads his organization forward in a positive direction. The conditions determine who gets to be a leader in the first place a person must be in the right place, at the right time, doing the right things, with the right people in order to have an opportunity to lead. (Source: http://www.idealleadership.com/talking_about_leadership) His positive thoughts are amply clear from Gandhis words: An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Follower-centric leadership: Gandhis relation with his followers can be classified into the approach of being follower-centric. In accordance with this approach, it is pertinent that the leadership is focused on followers, and not on the leader. The leader should give attention to his followers and make them feel proud on being part of the team. In the words of Warren Bennis: Good leaders make people feel that they are at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. The follower-centric approach to leadership emphasises the information processing aspect in leadership dyads. (Source: http://learningleaders.blogspot.com/2007/12/being-follower-centric.html) Meindl propounded this theory on the argument that it is the followers rather than the leaders who construct both the phenomenon of leadership and the images of specific leaders. Gandhi followed and advocated strategies that were dependent on circumstances and his followers. For instance, when he was in South Africa, he launched his protests in a suit and a tie, whereas, when he came back to India, he dressed only in Indian self-made clothing Khadi and launched non-violent protests on an immense scale. (Source: http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/apr/11spec2.htm) Contemporary Leaders OF GANDHI There were several leaders of that era, who were contemporaries of Gandhi, including the members of Indian National Congress, striving for independence. Jawahar Lal Nehru, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Maulana Azad, Bhagat Singh, Chander Shekhar, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the leader of Muslim league, to name a few. In the movie, Muhammad Ali Jinnah is depicted as one of the strong leaders, who even went to the extent of defying Gandhi. Jinnah demanded for a new Muslim nation named Pakistan. This was completely against the principles and philosophies of Gandhi. Jinnah is officially known as Quaid-i-Azam (Father of nation) in Pakistan. He advocated two nation theory, which was opposed to Mahatmas ideology of United India. As depicted in the movie, there were several instances where Gandhi interacted with Jinnah. First encounter of Gandhi with Jinnah was in Patels Garden. They subsequently met during a meeting for demanding Home rule for India, later at Jinnahs residence at Bombay and on various other occasions. Muhammad Ali Jinnah studied law, which led him to start thinking about Indian freedom through constitutional methods and Hindu-Muslim Unity. Jinnah was the leader of Muslim community of India. The leadership style adopted by Jinnah was authoritarian and charismatic. His charismatic style helped him to gain confidence, acceptance and support from Muslims, consequently, obeying his orders. His leadership style is very well depicted in the movie during his talks demanding Home rule for India and the immediate response and enthusiasm among public. His authoritative style of leadership kept the party together where he held decision making power and exercised complete control over his follower. On comparing, leadership styles of Jinnah and Gandhi, it is evident that Gandhi was accepted among different sections of Indian society and across all castes and religions (including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and others). On the other hand, the popularity and acceptance of Jinnah was limited to only one community. Mahatma Gandhis ethics, authenticness and ideal leadership made him the leader of masses. analysis of followers According to Hill, leadership is product of projection and transference process of followers. The followers play a significant role in constructing leadership. They have cognitive schema through which they identify and assess their leaders. Once they identify small number of prototypical leadership in a person then they designate him as a leader. As depicted in the movie, Gandhi has follower driven leadership. It is amply clear that Gandhis follower played significant role in the construction of leadership. Mahatma Gandhi always worked in the best interest of his followers. Conclusion MY LIFE IS MY MESSAGE Gandhi was a great leader and independence fighter whose personality and leadership qualities widely influenced his followers. He accomplished his vision of Independent India by following on his principles of non violence and non cooperation. Opponents could never challenge his ideas and beliefs and later, he became ideal of many great leaders. Using principles of Satyagraha, he led the campaign for Indian independence from Britain. Gandhi was arrested many times by British for his activities in South Africa and India. He believed it was honourable to go to jail for a just cause. Altogether he spent seven years in prison for his political activities. Gandhi used fasting to impress upon others the need to be non-violent. India was granted independence in 1947. In the words of Indian poet, Pradeep: You gave us freedom without any sword or shield, you are a miracle.

Out of This Furnace by Thomas Bell Essays -- Papers Immigration Bell F

Out of This Furnace by Thomas Bell Out of This Furnace tells a impressive story of a multigenerational family of Slovakian immigrants who comes to the United States in search of a better life in the New World. The patriarch of the Slovak family was Djuro Kracha, who arrived in the New World in the mid-1880s from the "old country." The story tells of his voyage, his work on the railroad to earn enough money to afford the walk to the steel mills of Pennsylvania, his rejection by the larger mainstream community as a "hunkey," and the lives of his daughter and grandson. As the members of this family become more generally acculturated and even Americanized, they come to resent the cruel treatment and the discrimination they suffer. For the Kracha family, a slow rise to proud business ownership was ended by a series of events: (1) a summer of drunken abandon by Djuro; (2) his return to the steel mills (3) his daughter's (Mary) marriage to a fellow countryman also in the mills; and (4) his grandson's growing discontentment with unfair labor practices and abuses. These events in the Kracha family's lives become intertwined with the story of America's own transformation between the 1880s and the 1940s. At the time that this family arrived in the United States, a new wave of Eastern European immigration - spurred by growing industrialization and the advances in technology leading to the establishment of steel mills and other manufacturing and raw material processing factories and plants - was reshaping the American labor force. Djuro's experiences, and those of his son-in-law, Mike Dobrejcak, reflect a certain level of hostility towards these Eastern and Central Europeans from "mainstream" Americans and earlier, more acc... ...erica has come to mean many different things to many different people. At the very heart of the "American dream" are the twin ideas of freedom and equality. This nation was founded on the republican principles of justice for all, friendship with all nations, and entangling alliances with none. These basic principles have, over time, undergone some changes. The United States today has, for example, any number of "entangling alliances" that are highly influential in shaping its domestic and foreign policies. Nevertheless, the principle of "justice for all" remains in force and continues to attract new immigrants each year, while fostering conflicted efforts to determine what actually constitutes "justice and equality." Works Cited: Bell, Thomas, Out of This Furnace: a Novel of Immigrant Labor in America, Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh, 1976.

Imperfect Competition Essay

In a perfectly competitive market—a market in which there is many buyers and sellers, none of whom represents a large part of the market—firms are price takers. That is, they are sellers of products who believe they can sell as much as they like at the current price but cannot influence the price they receive for their product. For example, a wheat farmer can sell as much wheat as she likes without worrying that if she tries to sell more wheat, she will depress the market price. The reason she need not worry about the effect of her sales on prices is that any individual wheat grower represents only a tiny fraction of the world market. When only a few firms produce a good, however, the situation is different. To take perhaps the most dramatic example, the aircraft manufacturing giant Boeing shares the market for large jet aircraft with only one major rival, the European firm Airbus. As a result, Boeing knows that if it produces more aircraft, it will have a significant effect on the total supply of planes in the world and will therefore significantly drive down the price of airplanes. Or to put it another way, Boeing knows that if it wants to sell more airplanes, it can do so only by significantly reducing its price. In imperfect competition, then, firms are aware that they can influence the prices of their products and that they can sell more only by reducing their price. This situation occurs in one of two ways: when there are only a few major producers of a particular good, or when each firm produces a good that is differentiated from that of rival firms. Monopoly profits rarely go uncontested. A firm making high profits normally attracts competitors. Thus situations of pure monopoly are rare in practice. Instead, the usual market structure in industries characterized by internal economies of scale is one of oligopoly, in which several firms are each large enough to affect prices, but none has an uncontested monopoly. The general analysis of oligopoly is a complex and controversial subject because in oligopolies, the pricing policies of firms are interdependent. Each firm in an oligopoly will, in setting its price, consider not only the responses of consumers but also the expected responses of competitors. In monopolistic competition models, two key assumptions are made to get around the problem of interdependence. First, each firm is assumed to be able to differentiate its product from that of its rivals. That is, because a firm’s customers want to buy that particular firm’s product, they will not rush to buy other firms’ products because of a slight price difference. Product differentiation thus ensures that each firm has a monopoly in its particular product within an industry and is therefore somewhat insulated from competition. Second, each firm is assumed to take the prices charged by its rivals as given—that is, it ignores the impact of its own price on the prices of other firms. As a result, the monopolistic competition model assumes that even though each firm is in reality facing competition from other firms, each firm behaves as if it were a monopolist—hence the model’s name. Reference: http://classof1.com/homework-help/international-economics-homework-help

Using Technology as a Tool to Improve Teaching and Learning Processes The WritePass Journal

Using Technology as a Tool to Improve Teaching and Learning Processes Abstract Using Technology as a Tool to Improve Teaching and Learning Processes ) Truscano, M (2008), Knowledge Maps: ICTs in Education, Infodev, Washington DC, USA Ward, S and Connolly, R, (2008), ‘Let them Eat Shakespeare’, Â  The Curriculum Journal, 19:4.

Historical Truth Essays - Reality, Political Philosophy, Free Essays

Historical Truth Essays - Reality, Political Philosophy, Free Essays Historical Truth All of human history is a collaboration of truth. In it, emotion and rationality fight each other in a bitter struggle for supremacy. The outcome remains in doubt still to this day, however, as evidence of both individual and institutional involve- ment contribute towards this subtle yet potent friction. Institutions are the founda- tion of the house of social order while individuals roam free throughout the house itself. History teaches us that humanity grows and becomes strengthened by diver- sity and a common understanding of the dangers of indifference. Truth, which is the essence of human history is often manipulated to serve individual interests for the achievement of social goals on a scale monestrous to most people. Truth then becomes a controlled element in an experiment involving all of society instead of the environment in which the experiment would take place. Once manipulated, the es- sence of this 'truth' is forever changed and what we once thought of as 'truth' now only becomes data supporting claims unverifiable in a personal or historical context. The danger to society only becomes apparent when the conundrum of decep- tion falls apart in light of the human ability to see order in a universe of constructed chaos. It is the individual practice of curious introspection through innate deduc- tive and inductive reasoning fueled by the passionate need to seek a harmony with oneself and the world one inhabits (truth) that saves us from complete social de- struction. Individually, the manipulation of truth affects each of us daily on scales both small and large. Social institutions can operate on timetables and charters which maneuver truth for self-interest while at the same time masking it under the guise of 'progress'. The point at which this personalization of historical interpretation be- comes destructive to the integrity of historical order, however, is subtle. Signs and symptoms of the massaging of history for individual gain litter the timestream of human evolution, but we would be hard pressed to find evidence of this in the present without the beneficial power of historical hindsight. The present signifi- cance of individual involvement in the scope of human history is impressively diffi- cult to determine, yet the consequences of indifference to this matter would lead to the eventual end of us all. After examining these claims it becomes painfully clear that we must seek to preserve the altruistic nature of our species in spite of existing in a world of self-interest and gain through individual and institutional deceit. This battle can be fought with the weapons given to us at birth: human reason (logic), compassion for all life (love), and the ability to create (free will). A response born from the in- stinctive enmity towards social indifference will also act as a shield to protect us from the casual acceptance of any 'fact' disguised as truth. And while this aware- ness grows with experience, a knowledge of the past will safeguard us against the perils of the present and future. Hope remains within Pandora's chest. Historical manipulation can be fought. Still, individuals will come to realize that a disregard for truth brought forth from a corrupted ideal of social order will harm them all. Egalitarian methods of social conduct based on a ubiquitous view of human history will provide us with answers to these social and personal dilemmas. Indifference must fall to human nature, for the seeds of civilizational progress lie within us, not widespread destruction. Truth is the essence of human history. We can choose to cherish its generous afflictions or ignore its brazen warnings. We can mold it to benefit our own interests or bend to the burden of altruistic, social order. Such a path requires a will determined to struggle, for it is in the heart of our very nature to make known the unknowable through logic and love, but it is in that struggle for truth which we will achieve our greatest glory for ourselves and all humanity. Preserve the integrity of knowledge and understanding through a continual appreciation of truth and history is saved. Be indifferent to the wisdom of the ages (and present) and all of tomorrow is doomed.