Monday, September 30, 2019

Fire Behavior Essay

Fire has been associated with mankind for a very long time. There was probably a time when mankind had no fire, and later became acquainted with fire, derived naturally. Man then learnt to preserve fire so as to be able to use it whenever required (Ed Semmelroth, 1998). Today man has come a long way in not only being able to generate fire, but also vary its properties according to his needs and requirements. Today, man has successfully learned to harness this fire power because of his better understanding of the properties of fire. The qualities of fire are various, ignited by different factors and sustained by many factors. A fire which keeps spreading can be examined and estimated using various parameters. Generally people including fire fighters have less understanding on the spread of fire and concentrate only the closest fire front or that which look dangerous. However fire can be more effectively tackled when the science behind it is better understood. The attributes of a fire like the direction of spread, its strength etc. are determined by fire behavior. There are several types of fire based on their strength and spread. For instance, firestorms are high strength or high intensity fires, spreading rapidly. Fires of low strength and rapid spread are referred to as flashy fires while fires with low spread and low intensity are called creep fires (Marco Morais, 2001). The behavior of fires depends on several factors like fuel, weather and topography. A change in any of these factors would cause an appropriate and immediate change in the behavior of fire. The fire behavior is also affected by the interaction of these factors. Fuel is an important determinant of fire behavior and most fuels don’t change rapidly. The behavior of fire is directly related to the amount of fuel present. Lower quantities of fuel result in low strength, low spreading fires, like creep fires. Fuel in larger quantities could produce heavy fires that are most likely to get out of control. When the quantity of fuel is more, the intensity of fire is more and more heat is generated. The total quantity of fuel present in a given area is determined by fuel loading, which is the amount of fuel present in a given area that can burn under high or intense conditions. The fuel loading factor is almost constant and require a long period of time, like a year, to change. On the other hand, the available fuel is the quantity of fuel that can burn at any particular time, under the existing circumstances relevant to that point of time. The size of fuel is important in deciding its ignition time. Smaller fuel can be ignited more rapidly than larger fuels. This is because the time required to heat and ignite fuel is directly proportional to the ratio of surface area to volume. The presence of small sized fuels is also essential for the spread of fire and constitute the fuel bed; and help in igniting larger fuels. The burnout periods of the fuel are determined by their diameter. Fuels with a diameter of less than 0. 25 inches are classified as one hour fuel while fuels with a diameter of 1 to 3 inches are referred to as 100 hour fuel. Dry leaves, twigs and sticks are examples of small fuels while logs and big stumps are large fuels (PFMT). The behavior of fire is also influenced by the arrangement of fuels. Fuels that are more loosely arranged would quickly ignite and burn more rapidly than compactly arranged fuels, due to the availability of oxygen. There are several fuel models which are based on the main cause of fire propagation, like grass, shrub, litter, logging slash etc. The fire behavior can be easily assessed when a single fuel model corresponds to a particular area. By observing the fires and analyzing their behavior, it is possible to assign a fuel model based on its characteristics (NIFC, 2006). Each model has distinct qualities and sometimes the fire may be attributed to the interaction of several models. The behavior of fire is also dependent on the amount of moisture content in the fuel. Combustion is slow in moist fuels as the heat is utilized in converting moisture to steam. The fuel can reach ignition temperature and undergo combustion only when the entire moisture is removed. The behavior of fire is also dependent on the shape of the fuels present. Fuels having a flat shape have a higher surface-volume ratio and therefore burn more rapidly. Weather is another important factor of behavior determination. Winds of high speed, low humidity and absence of rains contribute to the acceleration of fire. High temperature and hot air can reduce the moisture content present in the fuel, contributing to the intensity and spread of fire. Wind is a source of oxygen required for fire sustenance and winds of higher speed provide more oxygen and thus more intensity fire. It should be noted here that when the wind speed is doubled, the rate of fire spread is quadrupled. Winds can also carry with them small burning fuels which can start fresh fires on their own. During periods of drought, the shrubs and grass are dry and serve as an ideal fuel for fire. Under such intense dry conditions, even logs and greener leaves get dried quickly and become inflammable. Therefore, rains have a dampening effect on the fuels and suppress fires. (Australian Bureau of Metrology, 2008) The weather changes are rapid, changing even on an hourly basis, causing appropriate change in fire behavior. Topography or the nature of the earth’s surface is an important determinant of fire behavior. The characteristics of a region are unique and is the resultant of existing natural and man made features. The topography of a given region doesn’t change much. In the mountainous regions, topographic factors contributing to fire behavior are crucial while most of these factors are not relevant to fire behavior in the coastal plains. These factors include slope, aspect and barriers. Fire is spread more rapidly up slope than down slope as fuels are preheated by the approaching flames which are closer to them on the uphill side than the downhill side. Hot air from fire move upward drying up fuels which facilitate ignition and burning. Fire spread is doubled when a given slope is raise by 10% (Tropical Savannas CRC, 2008). The direction of the slope favorable for fire is indicated by the aspect factor, which determines the amount of solar radiation received by the slope face. South to southwest facing slopes receive more solar radiation than slopes that face the northern direction. These slopes which receive more radiation would have less humidity and moisture, be drier and burn easily. The barriers to fire in a topography are the presence of roads, lakes, wet swamps etc. Such barriers prevent or retard the advance of fire. Complex terrain can result in fire behavior being very erratic. REFERENCES Marco Morais. What is fire behavior? (2001) [Electronic Version]. Downloaded on 28th May 2008 from http://www. physics. ucsb. edu/~complex/research/hfire/fbehave Private Forest Management Team Fuel’s effect on fire behavior [Electronic Version]. Downloaded on 28th May 2008 from http://www. pfmt. org/fire/fuels_effect. htm Tropical Savannas CRC (2008) Topography [Electronic Version]. Downloaded on 28th May 2008 from http://learnline. cdu.edu. au/wip/fire2/fundamentals/topography. html Australian Bureau of Metrology (2008) Weather and fire Topography [Electronic Version]. Downloaded on 28th May 2008 from http://www. bom. gov. au/inside/services_policy/fire_ag/bushfire/wandfire. htm National Interagency Fire Center (2006) NWCG Fireline Handbook [Electronic Version]. Downloaded on 28th May 2008 from http://www. nwcg. gov/pms/pubs/410-2/appendixB. pdf Ed Semmelroth (1998) A brief history of fire and its uses [Electronic Version]. Downloaded on 28th May 2008 from http://hearth. com/what/historyfire. html

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Heavenly Creatures Film Analysis Essay

Heavenly Creatures is based on a true story about two teenage girls who murder one of their mothers in Christchurch, New Zealand. The film, directed by Sir Peter Jackson, uses many techniques in the opening scene to efficiently show how vital this scene is to the film. These techniques include a documentary clip, costume, cinematography and sound. In the beginning of the opening scene, a documentary clip is used to introduce us to the town of Christchurch, New Zealand. The director uses this to show us how seemingly perfect the town of Christchurch was. In the clip it includes appealing imagery of flowers, gardens, lakes and schools. Accompanied with joyful music, Christchurch is presented to be the idyllic town. Described as a â€Å"quiet haven,† the audience become aware of how unlikely and implausible it would have been at the time for two teenage girls to commit a brutal murder against one of their mothers. The clip is used to create juxtaposition and shock the audience and to illustrate how alarming it would have been in the 1950’s for a murder of this nature to have occurred. Jackson wanted us to see the situation through the eyes of the people of Christchurch in the 1950’s – it would have been completely out of character for their town, causing quite a scandal. Therefore the media, at the time, would have had a field day. The media were quick to accuse the girls of being â€Å"lesbian school girl killers,† the girls became far more outcast than they already were. They were essentially the villains of the town. Jackson said up until the murder, he had tried to portray the girls from a sympathetic point of view. They were misunderstood creatures, exiled from their peers. The cinematography is used very effectively in the opening scene of â€Å"Heavenly Creatures.† An example of cinematography in the scene is when we see shots of the girls’ legs running up a path. They are covered in blood and screaming. This is paralleled with another shot of the girls’ legs, but this time they are running towards Juliet’s parents, on a boat. The next shot shows the girls both yelling â€Å"Mummy† as they get closer to Juliet’s mother. These shots show the girls are running from reality to fantasy. The fantasy scene where they are running towards Juliet’s mother shows that the girls desired to be sisters. Pauline would have done anything to be a part of the Hulme family, including killing her own mother. The  director wanted the audience to see how much of an intense relationship Juliet Hulme and Pauline Parker had- they killed someone in an attempt to stay together. The black and white colouring on the boat scene represents the girls’ fantasy, and how it was not real. The director also uses establishing shots to introduce us to the two main characters. We see Pauline exit from a shed-like house and jump down from over a fence. Her hair is unkempt, and she seems to be unhappy. Later in the scene when Pauline has arrived at school, there is a tracking shot of her walking down a school corridor. She seems awkward, and as she walks past her school peers she seems outcast. When people greet her, she would half-heartedly reply. The director wants us to see that Pauline does not come from a rich family, and to show she is quite different than the rest of her peers. Juliet, however, is first introduced with a shot of her travelling in a flash car, and later an establishing shot of her with her perfectly tidy hair and uniform as she is being introduced to the French class. The director shows that she comes from a wealthy and respectable background. When Juliet outsmarts the French teacher and is not afraid to speak up for herself, the audience is shown that Juliet, as well as Pauline, stands out from the rest of the class. The girls together were outsiders, and became fast friends because of this. Costume is also used skilfully in â€Å"Heavenly Creatures.† In the majority of the opening scene we see the girls, Pauline and Juliet, dressed in their identical school uniforms. As the school gathers for their morning assembly, they sing school hymns. High angle shots show all the girls in their identical uniforms and haircuts. The director wants us to realise that in a girl’s school in the 1950s, individuality was not widely accepted. The girls were expected to be well behaved, polite and obliging. Every girl is the scene is singing and looking relatively happy – except for Pauline. Though she is dressed correctly from top to toe in he r black leather shoes and white socks, her blue school-girl uniform dress and her short hair, Pauline stands out from the crowd. She is not singing the hymn and looks bored and sullen. Her hair is also far more dark and unruly than the rest of the girls around her. The director wants to show that Pauline is not just the average school girl, and she detests being in unison with everyone else, as she desires to be unique. Pauline and Juliet both had the desire to be unique, to stand out from the crowd with their own ideas and  own opinions, but that was not socially acceptable in their society or school. People, including the girls’ own family looked down on them for creating their fantasies and imaginary worlds. They did not fit in with their society in the 1950s. Expertly crafted in the â€Å"Heavenly Creatures† opening scene is the soundtrack. During the documentary clip, the music playing is cheerful and happy. This is because the clip is showing Christchurch to be a beautiful and harmonious place. The music helps to create the illusion that everything in the world of Christchurch is perfect. But as the scene transitions from the documentary clip to the actual story line, the music becomes dark and almost menacing. The director uses this to show that Christchurch is hiding a daunting side to it; this side involves deluded and murderous young girls. The music also creates tension which could be linked to how the outside world of Christchurch at the time were feeling – the shock of the murder case was startling, and the audience lives this too, through use of music. The director also wants to see past what Christchurch looks like on the outside, and realise that underneath, the town has damaged and scared parts, just as every other town does. The town of Christchurch has both good and bad people who do good and bad things. The harmonious music and the dark music is a way of symbolising the town and the people who live in it.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Comparison of Leo Tolstoys War and Peace and A Prisoner in the Essay

Comparison of Leo Tolstoys War and Peace and A Prisoner in the Caucasus - Essay Example In general and on a whole, it can be stated that there are more differences than similarities between the two. War and Peace provides ample background as to the war that is taking place, describing in detail the events leading up to the war, the reason for it, the points of view and particularities of both sides involved, and the historical context surrounding the characters and occurrences that are significant to the story. It is a standalone piece that a reader can approach without the need to be versed or even familiar with the history of the time period in which it unfolds, given the fact that all of this information is provided therein, whereas in "A Prisoner in the Caucasus", the only piece of information given as to historical context is that it is taking place amidst the war between the Russians and the Tartars, forcing the discerning and curious reader to research the circumstances of, and time in history when, said war was waged if he/she wishes to obtain some temporal refe rence or detailed contextual information that would serve as a basis for better understanding the tale's time and place. Another general and very important difference between the novel and the short story consists of the fact that the latter was written by Tolstoy based on actual experiences. "A Prisoner in the Caucasus" fictionalizes Tolstoy's first-hand experience as a soldier in 1852 fighting in the war against the Chechenians, Tartars who rebelled against Russian rule. Evidence of actual occurrences that Tolstoy lived during his military career, which he either described in detail to instill realism into certain passages of his story or embellished upon to create memorable scenes, abounds in scholarly biographical works on the author. One such event is beautifully narrated in A Cadet in the Caucasus (Simmons, p. 23): [Tolstoy] and Sado were in a convoy of stores from Fort Vozdvizhenskoe to Fort Groznoe. Although regulations strictly forbade anyone detaching himself from the convoy, because of the danger of being cut off by roving mountaineers, he, Sado and three mounted officers, impatient with the slow pace of the infantry, rode on ahead. Tolstoy and Sado ascended a ridge to see if any of the enemy were in sight. A large band suddenly appeared a short distance away. Shouting a warning to their three comrades below, Tolstoy and Sado galloped for the fort, less than three miles away. The Chechen band divided, seven taking up the pursuit of Tolstoy and Sado and the rest dashing after the other officers. These men had been slow to take the warning and two of them were severely wounded before reaching the convoy. Meanwhile Tolstoy, who had been trying out Sado's spirited new horse and hence might easily have escaped, refused to desert his friend, who was mounted on Tolstoy's slow ambler. The Chechens drew nearer and nearer, while Sado tried to keep them at a distance by threatening them with an unloaded gun. The enemy could have shot them down, but apparently they desired to take them alive, especially the renegade Sado, whom they no doubt wished to torture. Fortunately, a Cossack guard at the post saw their plight. A rescue party at once galloped out and the Chechens fled. This close encounter

Friday, September 27, 2019

Criminal Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Criminal Justice - Essay Example rce of profit for the organized crime operators is the supply of certain illegal goods and services such as drugs, gambling, pornography, and prostitution. Regardless of any regulation or social barriers, they operate illegal business with little ethical concern. In addition to money, power and prestige also becomes the associated objectives of criminals. Another notable feature of the organized crime is that it is being operated with all characteristics of a legitimate business following specific organizational hierarchy of their own. For instance, there will be a CEO, manager, sometimes an HR director and so forth to operate the business in a regular manner. According to Shelley (2002) today terrorism and transnational crime are the two central threats to our national and international integrity. He describes the linkage of the two as follows; Furthermore, members of the organized crime groups maintain high level of professionalism in their work. They seldom compromise with situational constraints, and are exceedingly committed to their assigned goals. This appreciable (?) professional approach to work has enabled many groups to become powerful enough to influence the industrial sectors and even the economy of many of the developed countries. Like any other legitimate organization they also promote or degrade their members according to their level of performance, outstanding achievements, and potential. On the other hand, it is highly sensitive in its way of responding to failures or treachery. It tends to persuade members to be the part of group for whole life so that it can ensure secrecy. If anyone goes beyond the determined limits they can be punished instantly or might encounter death. The organized crime groups also have created national and international linkage with other rebellious groups like terrorists. Organized crime affects the social, economic, and political stability of the every nation. Since there are no unanimous criteria or international

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Business Research Individual Work 1 Week 12 Essay

Business Research Individual Work 1 Week 12 - Essay Example The SME Research and Statistics is an example of business report that tries to meet the conventional report format standards. In the report, the author Andrea Prince incorporates some of the components of a conventional report. SME Research and Statistics contains an executive summary, an Introduction, Research methods (data source and definition), Summary, and Discussion, Appendix and finally References (Pierce, 2013). The research report lacks components such as Background Literature. Thus, the report fails to meet the standards of a conventional report format since the author never incorporated the entire components as outlined in the textbook. Despite the existence of some conventional standards of report formats, some reports do not strictly adhere to the format. For instance, the SME Research Profile was incoherent and presented differently in various forms (Pierce, 2013). First, the author merged various components in the report. A good example is the merger of Introduction component with that of the Background thereby forming one part. The merge mingles vital information in the introduction and background segments thereby forming the Introduction component. Similarly, Andrea merges the Summary and the Discussion segments thus making it rather difficult to distinguish various issues in a quicker and easier manner. The situation is uncommon in conventional report format whereby all of the components are separated and independently presented. Consequently, the section on Data source and Definition seems different from the conventional format of Research methods component (Pierce, 2013). Existence of conspicuous differences between the conventional research report format and the SME Research Profile have significant influences in the interpretation and understanding of the research report. First, the merging of various components of research into one

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

EFT4 task 5 SUBDOMAIN 602.4 - SUBJECT-SPECIFIC TEACHING METHODS Essay

EFT4 task 5 SUBDOMAIN 602.4 - SUBJECT-SPECIFIC TEACHING METHODS (ELEMENTARY) - Essay Example Students are asked to change the two dimensional objects into the three dimension objects. A cube is formed from six faces with identical squares, which are joined by their edges. A vertex is formed by joining of the three edges at the each corner. This cube is too known as the regular hexahedron. The cube is very common 3-D (three-dimensional) object. The shape is displayed in the figure below. For understanding the concept of finding the surface area of a cube in grade 5 and 6, there is need to educate the students in a logical and more practical manners (Mighty students, 2010). The use of real time practical examples can help the students of this age to get better understanding of the concept of surface area of a cube. According to McDoniel (2008) the topic relates to the understanding the surface area of a cube. The author also describes the methods for making the concepts for the students of grade 5 and 6 through the use of real world practical examples. There are some prerequisite skills, which are necessary for getting better knowledge about the concept of surface area of a cube. These important requirements are as follows: The students must be familiar with cubic shape items. For making cube shape things like a bin, student must make square shape pieces. This concept is based on the turning two-dimensional squares into three-dimensional cubes. When students are asked to make a cube shape bin, for this task they must cut the square shaped six pieces and all these six pieces must be of same size. This concept relates with the cubes. After having six same sizes square pieces combine them together to make cube shape of a bin. From this the surface of a cube is calculated by using the above formula of SA= 6 * a2 (The World of Math online, 2005). To determine the exterior surface are of a cube there is need to find the height, width and depth. A cube has six faces and three- dimensions. All faces of a cube item are shaped as square.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Human Resources Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Human Resources Management - Essay Example REFERENCES EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The role of human resources manager is very diverse and requires a complicated individual in the job role with a vast understanding of information technology, human behaviour knowledge, psychology, conflict resolution, and planning innovator. HRM now fulfils, due to environmental or internal factors, a role where more intervention and inter-connectivity between line management roles and strategic leadership are becoming strengthened. It is not a segregated business function today where once it was likely limited to just control methodologies to secure lower budgeting; a hard view of HRM. It is much softer today and requires empowerment strategies as a key resource for improving the competitive position of the business or bring more human-related value. This report identifies the changing role of HRM using appropriate expert theory and experience. Introduction The role of human resources managers has changed in recent years, most of which is derived of cha nging roles and activities within the entire business network. Areas such as supply chain, global competition, new technology development and attitude recognition of workers at the psychological level in order to gain new motivation or performance outcomes have brought these changes. There is must more interaction between human resources and line management as a product of these evolutions, therefore seeming to make them indistinguishable and also inter-connected roles. From recruitment through the process of ensuring employees achieve a satisfactory work environment when measured against performance standards, the HRM process is that of a counsellor, coach, mentor, skills developer, and even strategist. There is virtually no area of the business that is not, in some fashion, influenced by the HR manager or the processes that guide HR practices. The roles of HRM Empowerment of workers is one of the major human resource goals and is a central focus of their activities. â€Å"Empower ment will allow greater control over non-management staff by line managers and supervisors when given authority or more authority in areas such as recruitment, discipline and absence control† (Yusoff & Abdullah, 2008, p.10). Thus, there is a control element of the HRM role when working toward some sort of empowerment model. The HRM manager acts then as a facilitator of empowerment for not only the worker, but colleagues at the management level. They allow managers to become familiarized with and adapt to changing human resources principles and then offer them guidance to remain self-focused on running the management floor. â€Å"HR should be a support for departmental managers and members of staff. For that they should come out of their office and talk to people and not delegate the job to departmental managers† (Watson, Maxwell & Farquharson, 2007, p.31). This author reinforces that the role of HR is highly visible in the organization and there is direct contact with s enior-level managers or same-level management peers only as a facilitator of their line management activities with a touch of human resources focus1. It reinforces the connection between management and operations and the HR practitioner in a way that provides stronger connections with managers and meets the overall goal of empowering them to take HR action where needed; and perhaps recognise where certain deficiencies lie. The HR manager also works with a composite of different technologies to support the HR function. Computer

Monday, September 23, 2019

How might wind or water power become at least partial, but significant Essay

How might wind or water power become at least partial, but significant solution to global energy issues - Essay Example However, in the recent times, governments have concentrated on large-scale projects to produce electricity, while ignoring many opportunities to produce hydroelectricity in small scale. Of course, there are a number of advantages for producing hydroelectricity in large scale from the larger rivers. On the other hand, tapping hydroelectricity from the smaller rivers can also provide very many advantages and would also help in supplementing energy production. This has been seen to happen in the many developing countries, where governments may not have enough funds to start and complete large projects. Almost any country has more small rivers than big rivers, and these small rivers can be used by local communities to produce energy for local use. This is unlike the traditional way in which large scale hydroelectricity is produced and then carried kilometers away from the point of production to users, who live so far from the source and may not even know how the electricity is produced. With the small scale hydroelectricity production, smaller rivers that are not seasonal can be used to produce energy for the local communities. This is especially possible and even economical for communities where the population is farming communities, which live in the countryside instead of the urban folk. The main advantage of this is that this kind of hydroelectricity is much cheaper and the local community can enjoy energy at much lower prices, probably as low as 30 percent, because they will produce the energy themselves rather than depending on a third party hydroelectricity producer. To be a ble to take advantage of this small scale hydroelectricity energy production, governments can try and make sure that the machinery used to harvest hydroelectricity are accessible in smaller capacities rather than the huge multibillion machinery, that is directed towards

Sunday, September 22, 2019

USA Sports Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

USA Sports Law - Case Study Example Sports torts are "legal actions taken against professional athletes, teams, organizations and other parties in the sports field for a civil wrong done against and individual" (Epstein, 2008). In this case, Vikings will be accused of a tort against one of their spectators, Johnny Sharman. What Sharman will be fighting for is a recovery of the medical expenses incurred and other associated losses. This is because the injury was caused by the negligence on the part of Vikings. The courts may decide that Vikings owed a duty of care towards the fans that were attending their matches. Because Vikings breached that duty, the courts may rule that the defendant is liable to the damages that were caused by this negligence. There is the aspect of fans expectations. Sharman and his father, when they came to the field, expected to be protected from injuries arising from other spectators. It was the duty of the security agents of the club to refuse entry to the field fans who were drunk and who were liable to causing injuries to their fellow fans. This expectation may nullify the waiver on the back of the ticket. This expectation, though not stated on the ticket, was implied, or can be referred to as an officious bystander. The defence of Vikings will be that al fans "assumes the risk" of being injured during a game. This is expressly indicated on the back of the ticket, and a purchase of the ticket equals acceptance of the terms. As such, Vikings is partially liable or not liable at all. Sharman was negligent because he was not drunk, yet he went and sat together with drunkards who were likely to cause damage in the sport. Conclusion Vikings is either partially liable or not liable at all in this case. It is not fully liable given the fact that they had taken the precautions of erecting the wire mesh and inserting the waiver clause on the ticket. Sharman is partially or fully liable because the ticket indicates that he is liable, and he went to sit with drunkards. Question Two: Billy Rogers' NBA Draft Legal Memorandum Your recent problems, as Billy Rogers and an athlete at State University, stem from the fact that you are unable to attain the relevant academic qualifications for the forthcoming NBA draft. Your bane has been the refusal by the New School to admit you for the independent degree program, whereby you could have acquired a degree and qualified for the draft. It is my understanding that you have made three trials, all to no avail. It is only after the third trial that you became aware of the alleged irregularities with which your application was handled. Allegations of plagiarism and dropping of some topics from your dean led to the school admission officials' overturning of the decision

Saturday, September 21, 2019

USA Foreign Policy and Intervention Essay Example for Free

USA Foreign Policy and Intervention Essay During the first half of the 1990s, many intervention operations were launched, including in Somalia. In general, their main aim of intervention in Somalia was to alleviate the conflict. Notwithstanding, the instruments that were used to achieve this goal were mainly military. The reaction of the Western military establishment, asked to intervene in armed conflicts in the developing world, has been to look at familiar concepts used in military training and operations (Deutsch 12). It has been argued that their outlook on armed conflict, dominated by Cold War inter-state war thinking, was at the heart of the many difficulties the intervening states faced in these interventions. What has gone wrong in Somalia, what could have been done differently and how to change approach? Answers to these problems range from instituting a different emphasis in the training of soldiers, to reform of the United Nations to deal with armed conflicts. Background and Overview At the beginning of 1992, Mohammed Siad Barre, who had ruled Somalia for two decades, was overthrown. At this time civil war and starvation grasped Somalia. In January of 1992, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution. This resolution called to cease fire a political settlement of the conflict (Duyvesteyn 78). In March this cease-fire went into effect. However, already by August â€Å"as many as 1. 5 million of an estimated Somali population of 6 million were threatened with starvation, with approximately 300,000 Somalis already having died, including roughly 25 percent of all children under the age of five† (Duyvesteyn 80). In April, the Security Council created a modest military operation. However, negotiations with Somali factions detained the implementation of the operation. On July 27, the Security Council voted to airlift food to Somalia, and on August 12 the U. N. announced plans to send 500 troops to protect the international relief effort. On August 14, the White House announced that the United States would take charge of the airlift (Duyvesteyn 90). The 500 troops arrived in September—â€Å"with the support of four U. S. warships carrying 2,100 Marines†Ã¢â‚¬â€but proved unable to do much to protect the relief effort (Duyvesteyn 78). In November, U. N. secretary general Boutros Boutros-Ghali declared the Security Council that the relief measures were not working. On November 26, the Bush administration decided that the United States to send troops to Somalia. For this the Security Council had to pass an authorizing resolution. On December 3 the Security Council passed the resolution. On October 3-4, 1993, eighteen U. S. soldiers were killed and dozens were wounded in a fierce firefight in Mogadishu, Somalia. Their deaths were the direct result of U. S. leadership in a series of United Nations -sanctioned military interventions in Somalia that. With the Cable News Network (CNN) providing almost instantaneous transmission to audiences in the U. S. and abroad, the victorious Somali forces not only paraded a captured U. S. helicopter pilot, Corporal William Durant, through the streets of Mogadishu, but also dragged the naked corpse of a U. S. soldier past mobs of Somali citizens who vented their anger by spitting on, stoning, and kicking the body (Freidman 2). These media images triggered a firestorm of public debate that asked, in the words of one journalist: â€Å"How did an operation that began with American soldiers feeding starving Somalis wind up with an American soldiers corpse being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu by Somalis starving only for revenge? † The visceral response of the American public was to demand an immediate withdrawal of U. S. military forces. â€Å"Its really very simple,† explained Tony Bright, an emergency health care administrator who captured the public wave of protest against any further U. S. involvement in Somalia. â€Å"If I have to choose between pictures of starving Somalian babies or dead American soldiers being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, well, I dont want to see any more dead Americans. Sorry. Its time to bring the boys home† (Ayres 3). The Somalia case presents a splendid opportunity to examine U. S. decision making in the post-cold war period. The implementation of Operation Restore Hope constituted the first time that the U. S. had supported a peacemaking (as opposed to a peacekeeping) operation under the auspices of the U. N. and without the approval of the sovereign government of the target country. The case is also unique in that the U. S. experience had a negative impact on the way U. S. policy makers perceived the viability of future U. S. involvement in peacemaking operations in Africa and the other regions of the Third World, most notably the U. S. ability to resolve ethnic strife and the practicality of launching joint U. S. -U. N. military operations. High-Level Neglect in the Bush Administration The first phase of U. S. policy lasted from January 1991 to December 1992. In this phase presidential and congressional attention focused mainly on the Gulf War. This phase involved leadership from the traditional foreign policy bureaucracy, especially the State Departments Africa Bureau. The decline of cold war tensions ensured that neither the Somali civil war nor the impending overthrow of the Siad regime attracted the ongoing attention of the White House, despite the fact that President Bush had to authorize the emergency evacuation of U. S. embassy personnel in Mogadishu. Humanitarian Crisis and Military Intervention under Bush In the late fall of 1992, the second phase of U. S. policy began. It involved high-level attention to what was perceived to be an accelerating crisis in Somalia. Images of a humanitarian disaster displayed daily in practically every media outlet. Congressional and public criticism was increasing. White House attention focused on Somalia shortly after the 1992 election. As a consequence of high-level White House reviews in November 1992, President Bush and his top advisers devised a plan to deal with the events in Somalia. In sharp contrast to the limited objectives associated with Operation Provide Relief, Bush announced on December 4, 1992, that his administration was prepared to lead a massive multilateral military operation to â€Å"create a secure environment† for the distribution of famine relief aid. Five days later the first contingent of U. S. troops led by three teams of navy SEALS (sea-air-land commandos) landed on the beaches of Mogadishu and secured the airport and the port. The U. S. military operation popularly was referred to as Operation Restore Hope and known in U. N. circles as the United Task Force (UNITAF). The operation was sanctioned by U. N. Security Council Resolution 794. In the weeks that followed, over 38,000 foreign troops from twenty countries (including approximately 25,000 U. S. military personnel) occupied various cities and towns throughout central and southern Somalia. The troops began the task of opening food supply routes, as well as creating distribution networks. The UNITAF ground forces were under the direct command of Lieutenant General Robert Johnston, chief of staff to General Norman Schwarzkopf during Operation Desert Storm, who reported to General Joseph P. Hoar, commander of the U. S. Central Command (CENTCOM) (Scott 65).

Friday, September 20, 2019

Physical Structure Of Management Information System

Physical Structure Of Management Information System Jump to: Physical Structure of Management Information Systems Management Information System Types Advantages of Management Information Systems Disadvantages of Management Information Systems Management Information Systems in Banking Conclusion and Recommendations The report on Management information systems reviews the role of information systems in an organization. It is a system through which organization takes an effective decision which help to attain the overall objectives of an organization. A management Information System is a system which consists of people, computers and procedures for collecting and organizing of information that will help mangers to take decision in an organization. It aims as to provide information to the top level managers so that they can take effective decisions in an organization. Information system is a system which helps manager to make effective decisions for an organization. Information system can be defined as a set of interrelated components that collect, process, store and distribute information to the management of an organization for making effective decisions, to ensure coordination and control in an organization. (Laudon, 2006) Information systems consist of information related to people, places and things in an organization or outside the organization .i.e. the environment surrounding business. (Laudon, 2006) Functions of an Information System Information systems consist of three important activities which provide information to an organization to make relevant decisions, to control operations of an organization, to identify problems and to create new products and services. Three important activities in an information system are input, processing and output. (Laudon, 2006) Input collects data from within the organization or from its external business environment. Processing converts the data to an useful and meaningful form i.e. information Output helps to make available the processed information to the user of information. Output also provides feedback to the organization. Management Information System A management information system is a computerized system (Sarkissian, 2009) that is designed to provide useful information to an organization which will help them to make decision so as to attain their short term and long term goals. MIS is a combination of people, computers and procedures for collecting and organizing information in an organization that is useful for decision making in an organization. (Sarkissian, 2009). MIS is an integrated system for gathering relevant data, convert it in to right information and supplying the relevant information to concerned executive thus it is a system to provide the right information to the right person at the right time.(management-hub.com) The main objective of MIS is to provide necessary information to an organization so as to manage organization effectively. It is a communication tool between the top management and staffs that helps organization to attain their overall goals.( Sarkissian, 2010) Physical Structure of Management Information Systems A MIS is an organized system which consists of people, hardware, and communication networks and data sources that collects, transforms and distributes information in an organization. It is a tool which helps mangers in making decisions by providing regular flow of accurate information in an organization. (Sarkissian, 2009) The physical components of an MIS include hardware, software, database, personnel and procedures. Hardware Hardware consists of all physical components of a computer system like central processing unit (CPU), input devices, output devices, storage and communication devices. (Sarkissian, 2009) Software Software is an interface between the information system and users of information system. Software can be of two types system software and applications. The system software includes the operating system and special purposes programs. Application is developed to achieve a specific task. Software plays an important part in MIS. (Sarkissian, 2009) Database A database is a centrally managed and organized collection of data. Database helps to store data in an organized manner and to make available to those who need that data. Database helps to reduce duplication of data as it is centrally managed data one data can be store at one place avoiding redundancy and duplication of data. (Sarkissian, 2009) Procedures Procedures are essential for effective use of information system. Procedures consist of various instructions like user instructions, instructions for input preparation and operating instructions. These instructions help in using information system effectively. (Sarkissian, 2009) Personnel Number of personnel is required for implementation of MIS like computer operators, programmers, systems analysts and managers. Human beings are key requirements for implementation of MIS. In MIS both technical and managerial level people are required for proper implementation of MIS. (Sarkissian, 2009) Types of Management Information Systems There are four types of Management Information systems (Sarkissian, 2009) Transaction processing systems: TPS is a type of MIS which records a huge volume of recurring and routine data. They were introduced in the 1960 and are used widely today. TPS record transactions relating to inventories, raw materials, customers and sales. Many organizations use these systems to record day to-day transactions like banks use these systems to record deposits and payments made into bank accounts and Manager Use TPS to record transactions related to payments made to suppliers, customer billing and so on. (sarkissian, 2010). These systems help manager to determine trends in data and help them to plan accordingly in order to achieve overall organizational objectives. Operations information systems: These systems were introduced after TPS. They access data from TPS and organize data into a useable form. They were basically used to obtain data related to sales, inventory, and accounting and other performance related information. Operations information systems are used to plan and schedule production and assembly functions. (sarkissian, 2010). They help managers to take various curial decisions like how much raw materials to be ordered, when to schedule production and when to assemble the final products. It also help managers to take decisions about the manpower which will be require in the production and assembly processes. Decision support systems: A DSS helps managers to make important decisions. It consists of three fundamental components: Database management system (DBMS): it stores large amount of data related to all problems the DSS has been designed to tackle. Model-based management system (MBMS): it helps to convert data from DBMS into useful information which help managers in decision making process. Dialog generation and management system (DGMS), it provides a user-friendly interface between the system and the managers who are not experts in computer. (sarkissian, 2010). Expert systems: These systems uses human knowledge stored in a computer to solve problems same as human beings. These systems recognize, formulate and solve a problem. They also explain their solutions and learn from their experience. (sarkissian, 2010) Advantages of MIS MIS helps organization in their functioning. MIS record, process and tabulate all business transaction which helps organization to refer to the relevant data and to make improvements in the business transaction where the organization feels that they are lacking behind. (Moorty, 2009) For example the organization can compare actual and projected sales and can take necessary steps to improve their sales performance. (Moorty, 2009) MIS helps the top management of an organization in good decision making. It also helps the top management to evaluate whether the allocated resources have been properly utilized and whether the targets are been met by each department. It helps to facilitate a two way communication process in an organization. (Moorty, 2009). The top management communicates to employees what is expected from them and employees discuss their problems to their top management. Therefore MIS ensure an effective communication in an organization. Facilitates planning and controlling MIS provides relevant information from the top management to people working as staffs in an organization. It helps the top management to facilitate proper planning of organizational activities by providing relevant data of past and present. MIS integrates all information and ensures that each department is aware of the problems and requirements of another department and thus leads to co-ordination in an organization. (management-hub.com) Relevant Information MIS only provides relevant data by compressing the huge amount of data which helps management in quick decision making. Fast reaction to market changes MIS provides facts, data and trends which help organization to react immediately accordingly to the changes happening in the market. (Pirraglia, 2010) Competitive advantages Today Competition is very strong in any industries. It is important for an organization to identify their competitive advantage in order to differentiate them in the market. MIS provides huge amount of data to management which help them to identify their competitive advantage and to make strategies to enhance their competitive advantages through their decisions. (Pirraglia, 2010) Disadvantages of MIS MIS is a useful tool for management for making effective decisions for an organization. But there are many limitations of MIS which are as follows. MIS cannot be used independently MIS cannot be use independently in an organization. MIS provides only information which is useful for an organization but the interpretation and analyzes of the information requires human being and therefore MIS cannot use interpedently in an organization. (Moorty, 2009) MIS Expense MIS helps in effective decision making process but the implementation of MIS in an organization can be very expensive as all the divisions and processes of an organization should be reviewed. Training of new employees for the MIS can also add up to implementation charges. Besides this the installation charges are also huge. (Vitez, n.d) Employee Training MIS helps in effective decision making through review of all the processes and operations of an organization and proper trained employees are important for MIS implementation. Employees are involved in all the operations and processes of an organization and providing proper training to the employees will help the organization to achieve their overall objectives. (Vitez, n.d) MIS Flexibility MIS once installed in an organization may prove to be inflexible. And Changes in MIS program may require huge cost Information Flaws MIS helps management in effective decision making by providing information to the management. The main disadvantage of MIS could be that MIS sometimes gives improper or inadequate information to the management which makes it difficult for management in making decisions. (Vitez, n.d) Analysis and Discussion Example: Lakshmi Vilas Bank Lakshmi Vilas Bank is a fast growing private sector bank in India. The bank provides its banking services to several customers through a network of 271 branches and 168 ATMs spread over 14 states and one union territory. (lvbank, 2010) The products of Lakshmi Vilas bank consists of business credit, home loans, rental loans, car loans, education loans, SME credit facilities, NRI Services and online banking. It also provides mutual funds products and life insurance products of Aviva Life Insurance Co. Ltd. and general insurance products of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd. (lvbank, 2010) The LVB has been offering various technology products through innovative delivery channels like NEFT, RTGS, SMS Alerts, SMS Pull Services, Net Banking, ATMs Mobile Payments and E-commerce. (cxotoday) Online services provided by Lakshmi Vilas bank National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT) NEFT is an efficient, secure and reliable system of funds transfer between accounts of customers of different banks. (lvbank, 2010) REAL TIME GROSS SETTLEMENT SYSTEM (RTGS) RTGS enables an efficient, secure and reliable transfer of funds between accounts of customers of different banks. (lvbank, 2010) INTERNET BANKING Internet banking allows customers to do their financial transaction from secure website of bank. Lakshmi Vilas Bank started internet banking on August 9, 2008. This facility is available to all their customers, who wish to do online banking. (lvbank, 2010) SMS BANKING Lakshmin Vilas bank also provides SMS banking to their customers. Using the mobile customers can enquire about their account balance and the status of their cheque book (lvbank, 2010) Electronic Clearing Service (ECS) Lakshmi Vilas Bank provides ECS facility to their customers. It allows fund transfer electronically and it is generally used for bulk credit and debit transactions like distribution of dividends, interest, salary pension, payment of bills. (lvbank, 2010) Problems Faced By Lakshmi Vilas Bank The Banks systems were unable to provide collective information to the manager which resulted into delay in decision making process even during emergency. (Microsoft, 2009) The accounts and planning team spend a huge amount of time in collating financial data from 250 branches which was submitted in various format. Analyzing all these data and preparing statutory reports took valuable time and resources of the bank. (Microsoft, 2009) The efficiency of the bank was affected due to lack of up to date information (Microsoft, 2009) Customers wanted fast information and more reliable information. Employees Productivity was affected Management was facing problem in their decision making process due to unavailable of proper information. Use of Information systems in Lakshmi Vilas Bank Lakshmi Vilas Bank International Visa Debit Card. The Visa debit cared introduced by Lakshmi Vilas Bank has help the bank to provide its new as well as existing customers with the facilities to shop, pay their bills, book their movie or airline and rail tickets online. (lvbank, 2010) MPLS architecture It is the first bank in Tamil Nadu to achieve 100% Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Architecture. The implementation of MPLS architecture helped LVB to reduce network operating cost as well as to provide higher availability of network for the branches. It helped bank to better performance of the application at branches through lesser congestion o the network. MPLS architecture will help bank to reduce maintenance and operational cost of 21 hubs of their bank. (cxotoday) Enterprise storage solution LVB has acquired enterprise storage solution which is a centralized system and will help bank to consolidate all its business database into one single system to effectively manage their customers. This solution has helped the bank to improve their overall efficiencies. (Information week, 2010) Datacraft IT security infrastructure and datacenter upgrading Datacraft is a provider of IT solutions and services. It had given IT security infrastructure and datacenter upgrading to LVB which will help the bank to avail the benefit of security for all their branches. (ciol, 2010) D2K technologies The bank chose MIS solution offered by D2K technologies while helped bank for consolidating real and accurate information for internal and compliance related reports.(Microsoft, 2009) Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Microsoft SQL Server 2008 provides security and reliability to banks business applications. As Mentioned by chief technology officer of Lakshmi Vilas Bank which says that the speed with which they were able to provide information to internal stakeholders, customers and government departments has improved significantly. (Microsoft, 2009) Advantage of information Technology and MIS in the Lakshmi Vilas Bank MIS in LVB helps the bank in their accurate reporting and functions of the bank. It helps them to plan their business activities, performance their business review and to exchange information in accurate time. (expressindia, 2001) Savings and Earning Potential Up MIS has help bank to savings in many forms. The branch is not busy preparing statement and the account department does not spend much of their time collating reports of 251 branches. On an average each person saves almost 3 hours a day leading to huge savings in people cost. The systems has also helped bank to available all the data centrally and that is why the branches doesnt have to submit their report to central office. (Microsoft, 2009) Improves Financial Management Compliance The time spends on consolidation of statements from 251 branches by the account department and planning department has been reduced by 30%. As stated by assistant manager of Lakshmi Vilas Bank, Compliance and reporting to the RBI and other government agencies have become fast and accurate as per compliance requirements. (Microsoft, 2009) Dashboards Enable Management with Decision Making The decision support system type of MIS enables management in fast decision making process by providing tabular and graphically representation of information. This system provides banks management by setting new goals by evaluating past trends. Each employee of the bank can access relevant and more secure information from central location. Customers and all stake holders of the bank can access relevant information from the bank. (Microsoft, 2009) Conclusion and Recommendations Information system is a system which helps management to take effective decisions for an organization. It is a tool which collect, process, store and distribute information to the management. Information systems are useful for providing information rather than raw data to the management. Data only shows number whereas information provides logical understanding of a figure. Information systems basically consist of data related to people, process and procedures inside the organization as well as it provides information of external business environment affecting the business. Information system performs the functions of processing of input into output .i.e. collecting of data and processing of the data into information and thereby helping managers in their decision making process. Management information system is a computerized system of providing information to the manager so that they can take long term and short term decisions in an organization. MIS is organized system which consists of people, hardware, and communication networks that collect data and transform that data into information. There are various types of Information systems based on different levels of organization i.e. strategic level dealing with the top most management for their long term decisions. Management level which deals with various managers with their plans and operational level that deals with the day to day activities of business. There are different types of Management information systems like Transaction processing systems that records huge volume of recurring and routine data like raw materials, inventories, customers and sales. Operations information systems track data from TPS and whose aim objective is to plan and schedule production and assembly functions. Decision support systems deal with making important decisions. Experts systems is a system which helps organization in solving their problems like human beings through their past experience. MIS helps organization by providing various benefits like MIS compares the performance of an organization which helps managers to identify whether the organization is performing good or not. It helps management in their decision making process by providing useful information to them. It is a tool of communication between top level management and employees. It provides only relevant data to management by compressing huge amount of data. It helps to ensure better co-ordination in an organization. It helps company to identify their competitive advantage and help them to enhance the value of their products. Besides various benefits there are some limitations of MIS like MIS cannot be independently used in an organization. The expense of installing MIS is very huge. MIS is a technical product which requires organization to provide training to huge number of their employees. Once a MIS is installed it is very costly to change that MIS system. Sometimes it may happen that MIS provides inadequate data which may not prove helpful for an organization. We have also taken example of Lakshmi Vilas bank in order to understand the impact of information systems on the working of the bank. It helped this bank to increase the speed and accuracy of information flow in the organization as well as outside the organization Today MIS is a useful tool of making effective decisions in an organization so it is very important that it should have no limitations. The cost of implementing MIS in an organization is very huge and is not flexible enough so it is important to make available MIS which doesnt cost much for an organization and which can accept changes. As stated earlier in our example of Lakshmi Vilas bank, the bank is using Information systems effectively and earning profits from it but there are many things bank should focus on With the increase in technology Bank should update their IS so that they can provide their customer with better services and increase its productivity. The IS used in a bank should be more secure. Thus Management Information system helps management in their effective decision making process and help them to run their organization profitably.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Dub Revolution :: essays papers

Dub Revolution The Story of Jamaican Dub Reggae and Its Legacy I. DUB REVOLUTION This is dub revolution . . . music to rock the nation. -Lee à ¬Scratchà ® Perry In the modern age of electronic music, the word à ¬dubà ® has become a buzzword for virtually any style of music that utilizes the remixing of prerecorded sound as a mode of artistic expression. The idea of taking apart the various instruments and components that make up a recording and remixing them into something that sounds completely different is a common practice today, being used in various styles of music such as jungle, house, hip-hop, and even metal. It is often overlooked, however, that the dub technique and style originated in Jamaican rocksteady and reggae. The great sound system engineers of Jamaica in the late 1960s and early 1970s pioneered the instrumental remix and were the first to make the style popular. Using only primitive recording and mixing equipment, the mixing engineer took a lead role in defining the sound of the recording, using the mixing board as his instrument. The resulting dub craze that occurred in Jamaica in the mid 1970s further established the m ixing engineer as an artist. For the first time in recorded music, the à ¬soundà ® of a recording become connected not only with the musicians and the producer, but with the mixing engineer as well. Dub became a tradition and a part of the musical culture in Jamaica. The proliferation of instrumental mixes, known as à ¬versions,à ® as well as radically remixed à ¬dubsà ® that resulted opened the doors to a vast new field of musical expression that would eventually be embraced not only by Jamaican music but by popular music all over the world. The story of how all of this happened in Jamaica is a fascinating tale of the unique cultural and socioeconomic setting in which the Jamaican music industry produced some of the most influential music ever recorded. This essay explores the evolution of dub reggae in Jamaica and the contributions of some of its most innovative pioneers, as well as the influence that dub reggae has had in the development of other styles of music. Finally it will analyze the sound of the music itself and how it is created, which will be supplemented by a sampling of some dub recordings. II. DUB EVOLUTION To truly understand the origins of dub reggae, one must first understand the nature of the Jamaican music scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the role of the dancehall in Jamaican music.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

FDA and Merck :: essays research papers

The FDA and Merck Vioxx Scandal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the news recently, many different companies have been recognized for their unethical practices in their company and towards the public. One of these companies is the FDA and Merck. The FDA, the Federal Drug Administration, is one of the most trusted companies in the pharmaceutical market. This company tests different drugs and gives approval for them to be obtainable to the public. Merck is a company that creates these drugs and then has them tested by the FDA for approval. Some of the drugs that Merck has been known for are Singulair for asthma and seasonal allergic rhinitis, Fosamax for osteoporosis, Cozaar/Hyzaar for high blood pressure, Vioxx and Arcoxia for arthritis and pain, Cancidas for infections, Cosopt for glaucoma, Proscar for benign prostate enlargement, and Maxalt for migraines.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recently, the FDA and Merck have been battling with many facilities and the public over the drug Vioxx. Vioxx was produced to help arthritis pain in patients. The FDA approved the drug that Merck produced and has been in the market for four years, and recently pulled off of it. Evidence is continuing to surface showing the FDA knowingly approved and promoted the drug, and refused to recall it after showing many health risks and deaths because of it. Evidence has also shown Merck trying to hide evidence of heart disease after the FDA has approved it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the FDA and Merck has lied to the public and drawn out many health risks because of drugs that they have approved, it is difficult to come up with an idea that will restore the public’s trust towards both companies. The FDA which was already one of America’s most trusted companies in the medicine industry, has lost the faith that customers always had. To regain the trust of the public, the company could have different public announcements to explain the situation and what occurred with the Vioxx scandal.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

National Parks or National Problems? Essay -- Critical Thinking Essays

A bear meanders across the road several hundred yards in front of your slowly moving vehicle. A doe and her fawn leap back into the brush as you approach. The sun shines in such a way that it seems the mountains above you go on forever. This pristine image of our nation's national parks is unfortunately getting harder to find today. The approximately 270 million visitors to the parks annually have begun to take their toll on the wild and preserved areas of our nation. Congress created the world's first national park, Yellowstone, in 1872. For many years after the beginning of Yellowstone (and other such parks), the wilderness could be viewed from afar, but not entered. Camping within park limits was something that was just not done by visitors (National Park Service, Caring for Legacy, 1). The national parks were much less accessible to the public sector in the early 1900's than they presently are. A staggering 68% of Americans have visited at least one area of the National Park System today, and all these visits have undoubtedly led to the gradual degradation of our parks (Rettie, 124). Our National Park Service, or the NPS, is the agency responsible for the upkeep and management of the national parks (Rettie, ix). The service was created in 1916 (National Park Service, When Did the NPS, 1). The early parks, including Yellowstone, didn't have a central governing body for over forty years. This meant that the first parks had to struggle to stay alive and running. In addition, many fell into ruin due to lack of public support or due to the fact that some Americans didn't even know that these parks existed. People also weren't sure how to handle themselves within park boundaries, which is still a problem today. Several of the ... ... American Press, 1990. Keiter, Robert B., and Mark S. Boyce, eds. The Greater Yellowstone System. London: Yale University Press, 1991. Leal, Donald R., and Holly Lippke Fretwell. "Users Must Pay to Save Our National Parks." Consumers' Research Magazine, August 1997. First Search. Online. 12 Oct. 1998. National Park Service. "Caring for the American Legacy." http://www.nps.gov/legacy/mission.html. (24 Nov. 1998). National Park Service. "Fire in the National Parks." http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/issues/fire.html. (15 Nov. 1998). National Park Service. "National Park Resources in Peril." http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/issues/paril_p_.html. (20 Nov. 1998). National Park Service. "When Did the NPS Begin?" http://www.nps.gov/legacy/legacy.html. (20 Nov. 1998). Rettie, Dwight F. Our National Park System. Urbana and Chicago: University Of Illinois Press, 1995.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Cai in Chemistry

1 COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION IN CHEMISTRY IN RELATION TO LEARNERS’ PERSONALITY Dr. R. Sivakumar Abstract The aim of this study was to find out the effectiveness of Computer Assisted Instruction in Teaching Chemistry In Relation To Learners’ Personality. The sample consisted of 40 students in Control group and 40 students in Experimental group. The data were collected using appropriate tools and it was analyzed by t’ and F’ test. The finding is that the achievement scores of Experimental group Students were higher than the Control group Students. Introduction Today is an era of Computer. Read this Practice Test Chem 105Computer finds a big place in educational technology. Many research studies proved CAI has been effective in realizing the instructional objectives. But there is dearth of studies in establishing relative effectiveness among different modes of computer based instruction. The studies have also proved the effectiveness of different media changes with respect to individual differences among learners. Under this circumstance it is inoperative to establish whether the personality of learners has any influence in determining the media effectiveness. The investigator has thus chosen computer as the medium to teach Chemistry.The Investigator has also measured the effectiveness of teaching Chemistry through computer over the conventional method namely lecturing 2 Computer Assisted Instruction The most exciting innovation in the Educational Technology is Computer Assisted Instruction. It is a development of systematic programmed learning and teaching machine. It is a self-instructional device with the principle of atomization. Computer Assisted Instruction as â€Å"Computer applications applied to traditional teaching methods such as drill, tutorial, demonstration, simulation and instructional games†.It is an effective media and an indispensable aid in the teaching-learning process. The instructional process carried out with the help of computer is known as Computer Assisted Instruction. It is not merely a sophisticated type of programmed instruction but a different kind of instruction altogether. It uses programmed instruction electronic data processing, data communication, concepts of audio-visual and media theory, communication theory, system theory and learning theory.Computer technology is likely to influence education enormously and can play an important role in enhancing the efficiency of the teaching-learning process. C. A. I. is perhaps the best, because it offers: ? Individualized instruction ? Effective interaction with t he learner and ? Immediate feed back Science In common usage, the word science is applied to a variety of disciplines or intellectual activities, which have certain features in common. Usually a science is characterized by the possibility of making precise statements, which are susceptible 3 of some sort of check or proof.This often implies that the situations with which the special science is concerned can be made to recur in order to submit themselves of check, although this is by no means always the case. There is observational science such as astronomy or geology in which repetition of situation at will is intrinsically impossible, and the possible precision is limited to precision of description. Science Education It we throw a bridge between science and education, using psychology, we arrive at the concept of science education, which bluntly speaking, is an integrated concept.If so it is then, within the realm of possibility to link the most powerful concepts of science to the growing minds of children through active experimental pedagogy. In that case, science education need no longer remain a single dimension activity. It would be our job then to develop the scientific and technical capabilities of our school going pupils. We may be then able to win our race in education in the 21st century. The field of science education is thus coterminous with life. This view promotes as well the inherent value system of science on a very large scale.It is precisely for this reason that research in scion is needed and, if so, needs to be produced for relevance at an early hour. Chemistry Chemistry is a physical science related to studies of various atoms, molecules, crystals and other aggregates of matter whether in isolation or combination, which 4 incorporates the concepts of energy and entropy in relation to the spontaneity of chemical processes. Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes i t undergoes during chemical reactions.Chemistry is the scientific study of interaction of substances called chemical substances that are constituted of atoms or the subatomic components that make up atoms: protons, electrons and neutrons. Atoms combine to produce ions, molecules or crystals. Chemistry can be called â€Å"the central science† because it connects the other natural sciences, such as astronomy, physics, material science, biology, and geology. Objectives of Teaching Chemistry The knowledge gained about the universe is science and this knowledge is so vast that the human mind cannot comprehend it completely.Hence science has deferent divisions as Physics, Chemistry, and Biology among these divisions â€Å"Chemistry† has a greater importance since a number of chemical compounds are applied in our day to day life. Hence chemistry becomes a vital aspect in all levels of education. ? The pupils develop scientific attitude towards chemical phenomena. ? The pupils develop the skill of enquiry observation accepting the facts based on repeated and relevant experimentation. ? The pupils acquire knowledge and understand the chemicals terms, facts, concepts, principles and processes. 5 The pupils apply knowledge and understanding of chemistry in unfamiliar situations. ? The pupils develop skills in handling apparatus, reporting chemical information, evidences and results using scientific technology. ? The pupils appreciate the chemical phenomena in nature and the role of chemistry in human welfare. ? The pupils develop interest in living world. Concept building is an essential goal in teaching of science. In order to make scientific concepts more meaningful, suitable communication media are needed. Need For the Study Computer is very effective for teaching learning, analysis and evaluation.Though, the computer has flourished in many ways, there is another side in which the teacher taught through conventional method. It has been observed that ther e are some defects or disadvantages in conventional classroom method of teaching and learning. In this type of teaching, students have to observe classroom under tight-control and rigid supervision. It is highly laborious and time consuming. There are many types of diversion occur due to various factor such as poor performance of the students, inadequate class room climate, excess class strength, noisy situation etc. The students can learn at their own convenience.There performance or the assessment will not be exactly correct. They cannot be active as compare to experiment method. There are many external disturbances is learning. Thus it has been found that Computer Assisted Instruction is very much suitable method for the teaching and learning. 6 Objectives of the Study 1. To develop and validate CAI Software for teaching Chemistry for XI Standard Students. 2. To find out whether there is any significant difference between the students’ achievement scores in Chemistry of th e control group and experimental group at Pre – test level. 3.To find out whether there is any significant difference between the students’ achievement scores in Chemistry of the control group and experimental group at Post – test level. 4. To find out the effect of CAI software on the achievement in Chemistry in different learning objectives such as Knowledge, Understanding, Application and Skill. 5. To find out whether there is any significant difference between control and experimental group of students’ achievement in Chemistry of various categories of sub-samples wise. i. Gender ii. Locality of the students iii. Parental Education v. Parental Occupation v. Computer Knowledge and vi. Residence of the Students 6. To find out the effect of CAI software on the achievement in Chemistry among control and experimental group of students based on different Personality types. 7. To find out whether there is any significant difference in the achievement of the follow-up tests conducted during the treatment for XI standard students. 7 Hypotheses of the Study 1. There is no significant difference between the students’ achievement scores in Chemistry of the control group and experimental group at Pre-test level. 2.There is no significant difference between the students’ achievement scores in Chemistry of control group and experimental group at Post-test level. 3. There is no significant difference among groups taught through CAI and Lecture method on the achievement in Chemistry in different learning objectives such as Knowledge, Understanding, Application and Skill. 4. There is no significant difference among groups taught through CAI and Lecture method on the achievement in Chemistry with respect to students’ classified on the basis of i. Gender ii. Locality of the students iii. Parental Education iv. Parental Occupation . Computer Knowledge and vi. Residence of the Students 5. There is no significant difference among groups taught through CAI and Lecture method on the achievement in Chemistry with respect to students’ personality types. 6. There is no significant difference in the achievement of the follow-up test conducted during the treatment for XI standard students. Methodology An experiment involves the comparison of the effects of a particular treatment with that of a different treatment or of no treatment. In a sample conventional 8 experiment, reference is usually made to an experimental group and to a control group.These groups are equated as nearly as possible. The experimental group is exposed to the influence of the factor under consideration; the control group is not observation is made to determine to what difference appears or what change or modification occurs in the experiment as contrasted with the control group. The present study, which aims at finding the Computer Assisted Instruction in Teaching Chemistry for XI Standard Students, has been designed using the methodolo gy as Experimental method. Sample of the Study The Investigator selected 200 students in XI Standard.Out of these 200 students, 80 students were selected, based on their performance in the half-yearly exam, which is a common one. For that, those students who have secured 60% and above marks are alone selected. Further an entrance test prepared by the Investigator was administered to the 80 students thus selected. Based on the marks of the entrance test, students were arranged in descending order. From that the Investigator selected the first one for control group, next for experimental group. The control group consists of odd number of students and experimental group consists of even number of students.Control group was exposed to traditional method of teaching. It consists of 40 students of XI standard. In the same way experimental group was given treatment through Computer Assisted Instruction in teaching. It also consists of 40 9 students of XI standard. Thus 80 students were the total sample selected for this study. Tools Used 1. Syllabus based CAI software packages were developed for the topic â€Å"Chemical Bonding† of XI Standard Chemistry. 2. Syllabus based Pre-Test and Post-Test Materials were prepared and validated. 3. Myers-Briggs Types Indicator (MBTI) Personality test was used. (Developed and Standardized by Jung, 1971) 4.The Personal data of the samples were collected through the questionnaire. Statistical Techniques Used Statistical techniques serve the fundamental purpose of the description and inferential analysis. The following statistical techniques were used in the study. 1. ‘t' test was applied to analyze the deferential hypothesis. 2. ‘f' test was used to find out the significance of relationship between the Sub-group variables. Analysis of Post-Test Performance The following table furnishes the data on the Post-Test performance of the Control and Experimental groups and also furnishes the significance of ifference betw een the achievement scores of students in various groups in detail. SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ACHIEVEMENT SCORES OF THE CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUP IN PRE-TEST LEVEL Sl. No. Variable N Mean S. D. t’ Test Level of Significant 1 Control 40 14. 3 1. 9 0. 55 Not Significant at 0. 05 level Experimental 40 14. 1 2. 16 10 SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ACHIEVEMENT SCORES OF THE CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUP IN POST-TEST LEVEL Sl. No. Variable N Mean S. D. t’ Test Level of Significant 2 Control 40 71. 27 6. 44 17. 35 Significant at 0. 05 level Experimental 40 90. 6 2. 83SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ACHIEVEMENT SCORES OF THE CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUP IN DIFFERENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES SUCH AS KNOWLEDGE, UNDERSTANDING, APPLICATION AND SKILL Sl. No. Objectives Variable N Mean S. D. t’ Test Level of Significant 3 Knowledge Control 40 26. 08 2. 76 13. 88 Significant at 0. 05 level Experimental 40 32. 3 1. 11 4 Understanding Control 40 21 . 3 2. 02 23. 58 Significant at 0. 05 level Experimental 40 29. 45 0. 85 5 Application Control 40 12. 2 1. 22 16. 05 Significant at 0. 05 level Experimental 40 15. 6 0. 55 6 Skill Control 40 11. 7 1. 21 4. 74 Significant at 0. 05 levelExperimental 40 12. 95 1. 07 SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ACHIEVEMENT SCORES OF STUDENTS WITH RESPECT TO GENDER, LOCALITY, KNOWLEDGE OF COMPUTER AND RESIDENCE Sl. No. Variable Sub Variables N Mean S. D. t’ Test Level of Significant 7 Gender Boys 20 90. 5 3. 05 0. 221 Not Significant at 0. 05 level Girls 20 90. 7 2. 65 8 Locality Rural 24 90. 83 2. 61 0. 635 Not Significant at 0. 05 level Urban 16 90. 25 3. 17 9 Knowledge of Computer With Computer Knowledge 13 88. 84 2. 37 3. 11 Significant at 0. 05 level With out Computer Knowledge 27 91. 44 2. 66 10 Residence Hosteller 18 89. 66 2. 78 1. 94 Not Significant t 0. 05 level Day Scholar 22 91. 36 2. 68 11 SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ACHIEVEMENT SCORES OF STUDENTS WITH RESPECT TO PARENTAL EDUCATION AND PARENTAL OCCUPATION Sl. No. Variable Categories Sum of Squares df Mean F Level of Significant 11 Parental Education Between Groups 9. 079 2 4. 540 0. 555 Not Significant at 0. 05 level Within Groups 302. 521 37 8. 176 Total 311. 600 39 12 Parental Occupation Between Groups 427. 746 5 8. 549 1. 08 Not Significant at 0. 05 level Within Groups 268. 854 34 7. 907 Total 311. 600 39 SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ACHIEVEMENT SCORES OF THE CONTROL ANDEXPERIMENTAL GROUP IN DIFFERENT TYPES LEARNERS’ PERSONALITY Sl. No. Variables N Mean SD t Level of Significant 13 Extroversion 22 89. 09 2. 43 4. 59 Significant at 0. 05 level Introversion 18 92. 44 2. 12 14 Sensing 14 92. 14 1. 95 3. 07 Significant at 0. 05 level Intuition 26 89. 76 2. 91 15 Thinking 17 92. 29 2. 31 3. 8 Significant at 0. 05 level Feeling 23 89. 34 2. 53 16 Judging 15 88. 73 2. 96 3. 7 Significant at 0. 05 level Perceiving 25 91. 72 2. 09 SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ACHIEVEMEN T SCORES OF THE CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUP IN FOLLOW-UP TEST Sl. No. Variable N Mean S. D. ’ Test Level of Significant 17 Control 40 71. 25 7. 15 14. 8 Significant at 0. 05 level Experimental 40 89. 32 2. 89 FINDINGS 1. The calculated t’ value 0. 55 is very much lesser than the critical value 1. 99 at 0. 05 level of significant. This implies that the difference in the achievement of Control group and Experimental group is not significant. 12 2. The calculated t’ value 17. 35 is very much greater than the critical value 1. 99 at 0. 05 level of significant. This implies that the difference in the achievement of Control group and Experimental group is significant. 3. The calculated t’ value 13. 8 is greater than the critical value 1. 99 at 0. 05 level of significant. This indicates that the difference in the achievement of Control group and Experimental group is significant in the learning objective Knowledge level. 4. The calculated t’ value 23. 58 is greater than the critical value 1. 99 at 0. 05 level of significant. This indicates that the difference in the achievement of Control group and Experimental group is significant in the learning objective Understanding level. 5. The calculated t’ value 16. 05 is greater than the critical value 1. 99 at 0. 05 level of significant.This indicates that the difference in the achievement of Control group and Experimental group is significant in the learning objective Application level. 6. The calculated t’ value 4. 74 is greater than the critical value 1. 99 at 0. 05 level of significant. This indicates that the difference in the achievement of Control group and Experimental group is significant in the learning objective Skill level. 13 7. The calculated t’ value 0. 221 is very much lesser than the critical value 2. 02 at 0. 05 level of significant. This indicates that the difference in the achievement of Boys and Girls is not significant. . The calculated t†™ value 0. 635 is lesser than the critical value 2. 02 at 0. 05 level of significant. This indicates that the difference in the achievement Rural and Urban area students is not significant. 9. The calculated t’ value 3. 11 is greater than the critical value 2. 02 at 0. 05 level of significant. This indicates that the difference in the achievement of students having with computer knowledge and without computer knowledge is significant. 10. The calculated t’ value 1. 94 is lesser than the critical value 2. 02 at 0. 05 level of significant.This indicates that the difference in the achievement of Day Scholar and Hosteller students is not significant. 11. The calculated F’ value 0. 555 is lesser than the Critical value 3. 23 at 0. 05 level of significant. It implies that the difference in the achievement of the Student of various groups, based on their Parental Education is not significant. 12. The calculated F value 1. 08 is lesser than the Critical value 2. 48 at 0. 05 level of significant. It implies that the difference in the achievement of the Student of various groups, based on their Parental Occupation is not significant. 4 13. The calculated t’ value 4. 59 is greater than the critical value 2. 02 at 0. 05 level of significant. This indicates that the difference in the achievement of extroversion and introversion personality type students is significant. 14. The calculated t’ value 3. 07 is greater than the critical value 2. 02 at 0. 05 level of significant. This indicates that the difference in the achievement of sensing and intuition personality type students is significant. 15. The calculated t’ value 3. 8 is greater than the critical value 2. 02 at 0. 05 level of significant.This indicates that the difference in the achievement of Thinking and Feeling personality type students is significant. 16. The calculated t’ value 3. 7 is greater than the critical value 2. 02 at 0. 05 level of significant. This ind icates that the difference in the achievement of Judging and Perceiving personality type students is significant. 17. The calculated t’ value 14. 8 is very much greater than the critical value 1. 99 at 0. 05 level of significant. This implies that the difference in the achievement of Control group and Experimental group students is significant. Summary of the FindingsThe major finding of the study reveals that Experimental method of teaching more effective than the Traditional method in teaching Chemistry. In other words teaching Chemistry by using CAI is more effective. There is no significant difference between the Control group and Experimental group in the pre-test. But in the post-test the Experimental group performed better than the Control group. 15 Conclusion From the above study, the investigator has an idea that CAI provides greater opportunities for the students to learn. It is better than the traditional method of learning.It brings a new kind of experiences for t he students in Higher Secondary Schools. Therefore, the investigator desires that more number of Educational institutions should teach Chemistry by using CAI and make the process of teaching and learning more effective. References Aggarwal,Y. R. , (1998), â€Å"Statistical Methods†, Sterling Publications Pvt. ltd. , New Delhi. Best J. W. , (2003), â€Å"Research in Education†, Ninth Edition, Prentice Hall of India, New Delhi. Gupta and Jangir (1998), Cell Biology – fundamental and applications, Published Agro Botanica, Bikaner. Kent, W. A. Lewis, R. (1994), Computers Assisted Learning in the Humanities and social sciences, Blackwell scientific publications, London. Lewis R. , (1997), Trends in computer assisted education, Blackwell scientific Publications, London. Mangal S. K. , (2005), â€Å"Statistics in Psychology and Education†, Second Edition, Prentice Hall of India, New Delhi. Mridula D. Ranade (2001), â€Å"Science Teaching through Computer Assist ed Instruction: Research Findings and Insights† SNDT Women’s University, Pune, India. Percival Fred (1994), â€Å"A handbook of Educational Technology†, Cogan pages Publishing House, London.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Surviving School

I never enjoyed going to school. It was always the bane of my life. When sitting in classes I just looked at my watch counting the minutes down until I could leave. Each day, .time seemed to tick slower. It was like being in prison, just counting the days down until you would be released. There was a reason why I hated school so much. It wasn't the rest of my peer group, but one particular teacher who made my life the living hell that for me was my school life personified. Loren was his name – Ralph Loren. He was the Maths teacher who picked on me in every lesson. He even made fun of me in front of my fellow peers, telling them to laugh at me every time I got something incorrect. Maths was a lesson which we had every day and therefore it was almost impossible to avoid his daily burning hatred for me. I felt he treated me differently from the others. It was as though he had this burning desire inside him to make my life a living misery. But for what reason I don't know. Coming from a tough background made me quite a tough cookie, but Mr. Loren made me feel different. I couldn't stand the bullying and physical abuse he gave me. I tried telling my parents but my Mum was too busy with work trying to keep the family afloat. My Dad? Well he used to be a professional boxer before he became brain damaged. He was an excellent professional boxer fighting only the best but he suffered a high degree of brain damage in a championship fight and is now restricted to the use of a wheel chair as he has now nearly lost all mobility and memory. Doctors say it will only be a few more months before he forgets even his own family. Needless to say I learned to look out for myself and fight my own battles after all that we've been through. It's tough but it has to be done if I'm to survive and keep my sanity. . However I still have the problem of Mr. Loren. I decided that strict action was to be taken. I had to fight this battle alone but I needed help. I contacted a few old friends who used to live on the estate with me in Brixton. They didn't like me and I didn't like them but we all had an unspoken understanding and when there was trouble we looked out for each other. We had to for our own safety. These people were the sort of people who you wouldn't want to meet out on a dark night on your own!. These were people who the Mafia wouldn't even want to do business with! They were really that bad. They offered me a few solutions to my ‘problem' and I said I would get back to them with my decision in the next few days. It was a lot to mull over. I decided to leave it a few days in case things got a little better which I sincerely doubted. For the next week Mr. Loren bullied me like never before. He hit me; he even beat me with metre sticks. I had bruises down my body, I was in real agony. I decided to leave him in the grasps of my mates from Brixton. He had to be taught a lesson like never before. For the next week Mr. Loren was absent from school. Everyone thought he was just ill. The school knew nothing of his whereabouts. As time went by people seemed to forget about Mr. Loren as we now had a replacement Maths teacher who was absolutely brilliant and I longed for her to stay on full time if Mr. Loren was not to come back. As time went by I forgot all about Mr. Loren. I just assumed that he had learnt his lesson and fled the country. It wasn't until one night when I really realised what had happened. I was walking back from town one evening when I passed the Television Rentals store. I always liked to have a glance at what was on because I had never owned a television before. I was wandering around the shop glancing at the programs on the various screens. When suddenly I saw the latest news bullet flash up onto the screen. An unidentified man had been reported missing matching roughly Mr. Loren's description and had subsequently been found by police searching the area. Police had scoured sections of woods and lakes when a few passers by had noticed a floating body in an old marshy lake on the outskirts of town.. My heart seemed to stop beating momentarily. I didn't know what to think. I decided that the best course of action was to run to the other side of town to gather what was going on. I had never run so fast in my life. When I reached the crime scene the whole area was cordoned off with tape. I asked whether the body had been identified yet and they said that the corpse was still undergoing identification. After hours of patient waiting the corpse was identified as a one Mr. Loren. I was horrified at the news. I left for home as swiftly as I could escaping without trying to look so suspicious. I didn't know why I was worried though because I never carried out the crime. I never intended for anything like this to happen anyway. All I wanted my mates to do was give him a good beating to get the message through to him that he should leave the country. I got home and went straight up to bed without saying a word to anyone. The next morning I tried for hours to get through to the boys in Brixton. Eventually when I did get a reply it was an elderly woman who had just moved in and knew nothing of any boys that used to live there. The boys had obviously decided to leave and rightly so after what they had done. I thought I was in the clear. I picked up a newspaper on the way to school the following day and it had the horrific build up story of what had happened to Mr Loren the night he had been murdered. It said that he had been shot five times in the head and chest and had sustained serious bruising all over the body. The paper was asking for witnesses to come forward. Even Mr. Loren's family was offering a reward for the capture of his brutal murderer. A shiver ran down my spine. All I hoped was that the murder weapon was still in the safe hands of the Brixton boys. A few weeks later the murder weapon had been found in some nearby woods. The gun was to be checked for fingerprints and I knew that it would have the Brixton Boys' prints all over it. I was wrong I had been framed. I remember as a boy shooting pigeons with a small colt pistol that the Brixton boys had given me. When I left I returned it to them as I no longer needed it and said I was mending my ways. They weren't best pleased as you could well imagine. I now know why they were only too pleased to help me. They wanted to get me back for all those times when they did something wrong and I ratted on them.. I now know never to trust a living soul again. tried life on the run for a few days but eventually I couldn't take it anymore. I handed myself in. I knew I stood no chance of defending myself as the gun had only my prints on. I am now facing a secure unit then when I'm eighteen I will be moved into a secure unit. After a few weeks of life inside I learnt of the sad death of my father, which inevitably lead to the sorrowful suicide of my Mother.

Towards an Understanding of Human Resource Management

Aim: With today’s rapid economic development, human resource is the only major success in continuing operations. In fact, my parents are engaged in furniture retail industry in south of China, Guangzhou. In the company’s daily operations, we found a lot of issues about human resource management. Employee’s demission and training, and the negative attitude become major obstacles in the way of our company’s development. Through HRM study, I want to understand what factors affect staff movement behavior and loyalty to the company, in order to deal with the staff situation in the company more efficiently. Method: In this thesis, the case study approach was used. Case study research is suitable for explanatory, descriptive and exploratory. Our research chooses two in-depth case studies that base on the interviews with human resource managers. The information that we collect is from qualitative interviews. Through loyalty and movement theory, to identify which factors are affecting staff movement behavior and loyalty to company, as well as analyze how to solute the issue in my family company. Result & Conclusions: After discussion and analysis, the study found: high wages is not the only way to retain employees. Money as reward can cost a lot, and it’s impersonal. Workplace, leadership style, enterprise potential, training opportunity and promotion space also can affect employee loyalty. According to Motivator-Hygiene Theory, to establish motivation system, exciting staff’s enthusiasm for the work. Let staff realize that the successes of the company are directly connected to their performances; staff have responsibility for company’s successes. This is a powerful way to keep employee motivated. For company development of long standing, organization should command constantly more new technology. Staff as the work of actors, to learn more work skills is essential. Employees and the company’s desire is the same. Companies focus on their own development, but also to enhance staff capacity. For development of the company, it should give staff more training and promotion opportunities. Suggestions for future research: It has to note that the limitation of this study is the small number and the limited scope of interviewees. Contribution of the thesis: In this study, I mainly find the solutions that the issues in my family company. After discussion and analysis, I am cognizant of the long-term relationship between staff and organization is important for company development. The rewards for the employee are not just money, but also can be other. That effect and help my family firm staff management.