Architect History Assignment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Architect History Assignment 2 - Essay Example It is about 138 feet in diameter. Sixteen separate panels in the dome depict Jesus Christ, his mother Mary, the apostles and â€Å"saints.† The exteriors of Early Christian buildings were generally plain and unadorned; the interiors, in contrast, were richly decorated with marble floors and wall slabs, frescoes, mosaics, hangings, and sumptuous altar furnishings in gold and silver .Beneath the massive dome of the basilica is the High Altar. Here only the pope or a cardinal whom he designates in his stead can celebrate Mass. Over the altar is a canopy that Bernini fashioned, using bronze plates that Pope Urban VIII took from Rome’s well-preserved Pantheon, a pagan temple. Innovative design for the enormous ribbed dome of Saint Peter’s influenced dome design and construction for the next 300 years. The dome, which was completed after the death of Michelangelo, preserves the essential elements of his design but is taller and more elongated than he planned. The majestic dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City dominates the Roman skyline. St. Peter’s Basilica also vary according to the period in which they were built, that is, by architectural style; styles of the past have often been revived and reinterpreted. As the Roman Empire stumbled to its fall, a new force appeared. Through its early centuries, Christianity had grown slowly but steadily, despite of official persecutions and rivalry. The earliest Christian meeting places were converted houses called titulae. After Christianity was legitimized, basilicas and centralized churches sprang up quickly in the next 50 years throughout the Roman Empire. The major ones were built over the most sacred shrines; the places of the crucifixion and entombment of Christ in Jerusalem and the grave of St. Peter in Rome. At Christs tomb a circular, domed structure was built and nearby was a basilica; the two are now combined in one

Knowledge Management & Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Knowledge Management & Business - Assignment Example From this paper it is clear that the most common characteristics that indicate a firm has suffered a severe knowledge loss especially in a firm that manufactures musical instruments are the loss of people or customers especially if deadlines were not met loss of assets, loss of projects and loss of key work functions. Knowledge loss takes place in situations such as staff mobility, career moves and through retirement. Assets are also lost through transfer of assets and the lack of asset memory or historical data. Projects on the other hand are lost through insufficient experiences. To avoid knowledge loss certain tools are used that are able to effectively capture knowledge, transfer the knowledge and produce useful and accessible results.As the paper highlights  there are numerous challenges and barriers that affect the knowledge retaining and transfer process they include; lack of time, lack of knowledge retention tools, lack of funding, lack of time. For the managing director of Global Wannabe to solve the issue of knowledge loss systematically, he must understand that in this optimized and lean business world, time factor is the most valuable asset.  The managing director also has the task of ensuring that the staff is made aware of the advantages of retaining and transferring knowledge and the impact it has on the success of a business.  The implementation of the KRT or the Knowledge retention and transfer program would be the most effective strategy in reducing risks and knowledge loss.

Judiciary in a democracy

Judiciary in a democracy What is the role of the judiciary in a democracy? This work is going to examine the way judiciary works and operates in a democracy. Judiciary has definitely a very significant role in a democracy as it shapes and interprets the laws. Key roles and features of the judiciary will be discussed in this work. There will be some theories looked over at and some real life examples as well. First of all, the meaning of the term ‘judiciary needs to be established. Judiciary is ‘the branch of government that is empowered to decide legal disputes and adjudicate on the meaning of the law (Heywood, 2007:452). Democracy on its hand has the roots in Ancient Greece as even the word itself has Greek parts e.g. demos for ‘the people and kratos for ‘power. The word democracy has a lot of meanings nowadays and may not have any meaning to some people at the same time (Heywood, 2007). In this essay the word ‘democracy is going to be used in the context of ‘a system of government that serves the interests of the people regardless of their participation in political life (Heywood, 2007:72). As it was discussed in class the role of the judiciary is as follows: * Protect the constitution * Look after government and parliament * Expound the constitution and laws The key feature of judiciary in a democracy is its complete independence from government. For judges being nonpolitical is essential as well. They must be neutral in order to be legal (Heywood, 2007). Neutrality is ‘the absence of any form of partisanship or commitment (Heywood, 2007:329). Often not only the judicial independence in a democracy is the case, but the external pressure can sometimes take place. Heywood argues that in this case it ‘is not so much how judges are recruited, but who is recruited (Heywood, 2007). Judges may sometimes be the subject to internal bias and external bias. Internal bias occurs when judges may have personal preferences and cant be neutral in their decisions. External bias may occur when someone else may put pressure on the judge or put at risk his/her employment, it is said that the external bias is controlled by the principle of ‘judicial independence. It gives a suggestion that judges cant be dismissed and that the amount of cri ticism towards judges work is constrained. In reality judges tend to be dependent on certain circumstances as political bodies often have control over certain key issues e.g. judge recruitment (Heywood, 2007). As it is seen from Heywood, judges are not always neutral and therefore in a real democracy can influence the final decision in both ways. Kathleen Sullivan, the past Dean of the Stanford Law School, agrees to the statement of judiciary being the protector of constitution: ‘ It seems obvious that the court system especiallyjudicial review of the acts of the legislative and executive branches of government is, in one way,a bulwark of our constitutional democracy. The court protectscertain minority rights from being trampled by the majority, protects the basic liberty and participatory rights of all, and checks the excesses of the other branches of government.Thats all well and good and crucial for democratic self governance (http://theblog.philosophytalk.org/2007/02/democracy_and_t.html). Kathleen adds another point about judiciarys role in a democracy that we did not look at during the class: judiciary protects minorities and makes them less vulnerable to the majorities choices. Judges expounding the law and constitution have a very important role in a democracy. Many things and even lives depend on the way a judge interprets the law at that moment. Heywood states that every judge uses law in his/her own way, interprets and builds up the argument in court: ‘†¦judges impose meaning on law through a process of ‘construction that forces them to choose amongst a number of possible meanings or interpretations. In this sense, all law is judge-made law (Heywood, 2007: 330). In real life judiciary can be very contradictory. It can be observed from different angle and be seen in a different ways by different parties. For example the X case in Ireland caused a lot of confrontation. The case was about a 14 year old girl who was raped and got pregnant and wanted to go to England to have an abortion. However, she was refused to go by the High court. Later the case was solved by the appeal from the Supreme Court which stated that if there was a risk to mothers life as the result of pregnancy as there was a suicide possibility. As the result there were three amendments proposed to the constitution of Ireland. One of them argued to remove suicide threat from the grounds for the legitimate abortion and was then rejected. Other two were ratified and these are thirteenth and fourteenth amendments (http://www.ifpa.ie/eng/Hot-Topics/Abortion/Abortion-in-Ireland-Legal-Timeline). This case shows how different judges can build their arguments and interpret the law in di fferent ways and, for sure, influence the final decision. Some people have mixed feelings about the way how judges are elected in a democracy. First of all they are elected just like politicians, so it makes judges political what interferes with judges being ‘strictly independent and nonpolitical actors (Heywood, 2007:328). It is thought that appointing judges is better than electing them as they are maybe more independent than the elected ones (http://theblog.philosophytalk.org/2007/02/democracy_and_t.html). Another case is the demographical representation of the judges in democratic countries. As it was discussed in the class about 80% of all the judges in Ireland attended UCD. Most of the judges in Britain are white young males with private education (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jan/28/uk.immigrationpolicy1). There was an attempt to change this pattern and encourage women and members of the minority groups to become judges to have a more diverse judiciary. The launch of the independent Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) in 2006 was meant to herald an end to the old tap on the shoulder method of recruitment and secret soundings among existing judges, which produced a senior judiciary that was almost exclusively white and male (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jan/28/uk.immigrationpolicy1). Unfortunately, this new method of recruitment did not work as well: ‘But a Guardian review of selection shows that those appointed since last September are remarkably similar to those selected under the old process (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jan/28/uk.immigrationpolicy1). Diversifying of the judiciary is not easy, so it will take some time, but it will certainly get to the point. In the conclusion I would like to say that judiciary certainly works in a democracy. The question is if it works fairly, correctly and totally neutrally like it must work. Judiciary protects the constitution and judges interpret the laws in court and expound constitution. Real life examples can be very contradictory and be seen in different ways by different judges e.g. the X case. Bibliography. Heywood, Andrew (2007) ‘Politics. Third Edition, Palgrave. http://theblog.philosophytalk.org/2007/02/democracy_and_t.html http://www.ifpa.ie/eng/Hot-Topics/Abortion/Abortion-in-Ireland-Legal-Timeline http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jan/28/uk.immigrationpolicy1

Analysis of Baldwins Giovannis Room Essay -- Giovannis Room Baldwin

Baldwin portrays sexual oppression in his novel entitled, Giovanni's Room. Sexual oppression is exemplified through individual homosexual white men who are unable to find happiness or contentment in themselves or in everyday relationships. In Baldwin's 'Everybody's Protest Novel' he writes, 'but our humanity is our burden, our life; we need not battle for it; we need only to do what is infinitely more difficult-that is, accept it.' Giovanni's Room is about each individual's need to accept their own humanity and societies need to embrace the universal theme of suffering. Baldwin uses the main character David to exemplify an individual's struggle to accept himself, unfortunately his rite of passage is thwarted by his inability to accept his humanity in a world of socially ascribed sexual categories. One of the main themes expressed in Giovanni's Room is that of societies loneliness. Baldwin portrays this universal suffering among all of his characters and he uses this suffering as a means of motivation. Loneliness plagues each of the characters, regardless of whether or not they have accepted their humanity. Everyone from David?s father to Jacques to Hella is searching for a love or a meaningful connection in the world. At the beginning of the novel, when we are first introduced to the narrator, David, we learn about his friendship with Joey. This relationship provides David with his first sense of joy and contentment, yet his fear of falling outside of societies sexual definitions overpower these feelings and leads him back into the arms of loneliness. The narrator reflects on his experience and Baldwin writes, ?the power and the promise and the mystery of that body made me suddenly afraid. That bo... ...revents him from ever grasping his true humanity. Baldwin exemplifies his words in ?Everybody?s Protest Novel? through this novel by painting a picture of how difficult it can actually be to accept our own humanity. Baldwin clearly states a message which promotes universal understanding in a world of complex individuals. He portrays the reality of human beings common suffering, while campaigning for humanity to accept and not define individual categorizations. Baldwin uses David to show the power of love and human connection in society, along with the negative effect socially defined roles can have on individuals development. Work Cited Baldwin, James. Giovanni's Room. New York: Random House Inc., 2000. Work Consulted Mengay, Donald H. "The Failed Copy: Giovanni's Room and the (Re)Contextualization of Difference." Genders. No 17, Fall 1993.

Quantittative Research Essay

Quantitative research is very common in natural sciences. Quantitative research is used to verify or support a hypothesis that already exists. Being without the structure provided by a hypothesis in quantitative research between variables tested, may create feeling of insecurity. This is understandable since quantitative research on human behaviour has a more clearly defined research agenda. Research is conducted through a cycle of phases. The methods applied to carry out quantative research are data analysis, which is collected through statistics. The nature of this type of perspective is known as positivism because it strives to tell the world it can be understood in one context. Quantitative research uses a deductive approach, making predictions, and testing hypothesis that have already been carried out. (Coolican, H. 1999) Researchers of quantitative research work with numerical data by analysing numbers. Characteristics have to be put in place in order for results to be accurate and reliable. Prior to conducting a research, researchers have to state both hypotheses. The next task carried out prior to the research is to implement the procedure they are going to use. Researchers have to provide statistical meaningful data and in order to do this they have to use large enough samples of people. A quantifiable sample of 200 people is an absolute minimum in order to carry out a reliable statistical analysis. The accuracy of the research is important therefore correct procedures are employed to collect data analysis. In quantitative research due to the nature, certain types of methods are used to conduct research. Quantitative research is done through questioning and observing. Researchers can manipulate certain parts of the experiment when measuring the results. The methods are of systematic approach; the four main types of research used in quantitative research are descriptive or survey research, correlational research, casual comparative research and experimental research. (Bryman, A. 2004) Correlational research attempts to determine the relationships between two or more variables, experimental research attempts to look for an cause and effect between two or more variables. Correlational and group difference studies look at existing data this is a non-experimental study. The cause an effect here assess the relationship from one study that exists with another study which is the same. Whilst in casual comparative research the researcher has no control over the casual factor or independent variable because it is studied after the fact, this effect is also known as the dependent variable (D. V). Experimental research and casual comparative research looks at cause and effect relationship between two or more variables the difference between the two researches is that casual comparative research have no control whereas experimental research the researcher has control over the independent variable (I. V). (Bryman, A. 2004) A longitudinal survey was conducted looking at behavioural patterns of sport fandom’s. The usefulness of this research was to analyse the behaviour of human explained by social facts. Longitudinal studies can be useful because they study the same group of participants over a certain aspect as time passes. The survey examined showing the behavioural component of sport fandom attending games. The data was collected in consecutive seasons, the methodology of study was to be reliable and in order to do this they collected data between clubs. The advantage of this survey showed the composition of the crowd, and their overt behaviour. The usefulness of using quantative methodology was to measure overt behaviour, and the different aspects in measuring the composition of the sports crowd. This study can be replicated again to compare the quantitative methodology. In this research the reliability and validity is determined more than a qualitative technique. Even though the survey showed the composition of the crowd and their overt behaviour, the methodology does not attempt to explain the underlying assumptions of sport fandom. The individuals in the study are regarded as a â€Å"set of variables making them equivalent across persons and across situations†. (www) Structure interviews usually carried out on randomly selected sample of people. In a structured interview the researcher has pre set questions that a subject is required to answer in a given way. Structured interviews are conducted in a casual manner and may produce spontaneous and realistic answers. The standard interviews can be generalised and applied to the entire population. Sampling of subjects can be difficult, and formal interviews conducted in routine manner may not produce realistic answers. The British Crime Survey (B. C. S) carries out surveys of randomly selected sample of people questioned by structured interviews. In order to understand, the experience of crime and behaviour. (Bryman, A, 2004) In questionnaires and surveys the experiments can be studied on large sample of people. Researchers are able to ask questions about feeling and behaviour in real situations, the method is cheap. The selected people can be generalised about the real world because they are chosen randomly. In the questionnaire and survey the negative aspect can be that people may not respond truthfully. It is difficult to establish the cause an effect. Questions in surveys may not have been asked about variables. Also through surveys and questionnaires research is often collected which is manipulated. People’s responses are put in categories that might fit in order to make meaning. (Coolican, H. 1999) Asch (1951) study was conducted to carry out if conformity took place. Asch (1951) did a perceptual test to measure conformity; there were 36 confederates in the experiment, 20 trials took place. The study was carried out in a laboratory setting. In the experiment where a number of stooges who were confederates of the experiment. In the experiment the stooges where told to give incorrect answers. Participant found it hard in the perceptual test to identify which 3 lines was the same length has the standard line. In this study 74% of participants did agree with the stooges verdict and conformed. The mean average of conformity rate amongst participants was 32%. Many psychologists have criticised Asch’s study because they feel the participants where young offenders on probation. The set of participants were under authority figures acting has their experimenters. The other criticism Asch has received was how could one relate the perceptual task to conformity in real life. The other factor that could’ve affected conformity in the perceptual task was if there was one participant and one stooge, conformity would’ve been rather low than one stooge being present in the experiment; possibility of conformity would be then higher. The higher the status of stooge the likelihood of conformity would be higher, than if the stooge is a fellow student. Other factors considered to influence different results would be if lines where relatively similar to the standard line then the task would effect the conformity rate. It was a time consuming study, because one participant was tested at a time. In this study the participants were misleaded because of the stooges. The usefulness of the stooges in this experiment was to provide a result whether conformity existed. Rosenow and Rosenthal (1977) suggest that some studies, â€Å"researchers have clear expectations about what should happen in their research study this can affect on the outcome. In other words, to some extent, researchers find what they are expecting to find, simply because they are expected to find it†. (Coolican, H. 1999) Research can sometimes produce ambiguous interpretations where studies have manipulated the independent variable. Validity in experiments only exists if the true cause and effect relationship is identified. In experimental methods manipulation of one variable can take place in order to keep the other variables constant. Experiments take place to discover accurate and precise discoveries of relationships between variables. In order to rule out alternative confounding variables designs of experiments are carefully thought. Therefore a validity of experiment carried out on a study should help researcher in future to create and design better experiment. (Russel, J. 000) Researcher In quantitative research is a mere objective observer. In this research the researcher does not participate or influence what is being studied. This is the basic underlying assumption of the method that guides this study. It is through this sequence the types of data are collected. Experiments carried out in field studies are seen has reliable, because people react and behave in an everyday context. On the other hand labor atory studies can be unreliable because variables are controlled, they are low in validity and artificial. Coolican, H. 1999) Researchers use quantitative research in order to find results from experiments. Experiments used in social science have to be done so that they are internally and externally valid. (www. uwa. com In conclusion it can be said that some researchers find that some experiments using quantitative method have limited usefulness because of the low external validity for example of their inapplicability to the real world. On the other hand some researchers consider quantitative research can be statistically reliable. Some researchers find that studies in some cases are manipulated and the results are biased in the way they are measured. The determination of the reliability on quantitative research can be from one idea concept, product package if it is better than the alternative. Researchers using quantitative research see whether a particular population shares certain characteristics in common. Quantitative research is used in connection with statistical analysis and generalisation of descriptions. Therefore it is seen appropriate to be used in research to measure both attitudes and behaviour.

The Unfulfilled Aims and Golas of the Ministry

To establish whether this statement is true, the promises and reputation of Disraeli must first be identified. In his speeches in 1872 at Crystal Palace and in Manchester†s Free Trade Hall, Disraeli once again showed his skills as an orator. He laid out three basic aims or policies that he wanted to pursue, should he get in power. These were; to conserve the institutions in Britain, uphold British interests abroad and to improve the standard of life for the general population and especially the working classes. Disraeli had also created a reputation for himself with the 1867 Reform Act. He had successfully destroyed the liberal party and due to the nature of the act, extending the franchise by a considerable number, had acquired a reputation for being more open minded about matters of reform, even though the act was mainly passed through necessity, because the act would be passed and it was just a question about which party would do it. He had also tried successfully to establish the Conservative Party as the nationalistic party in the government, the one that would uphold British interest abroad and repair the damage that he claimed that Gladstone was causing. The Alabama arbitration and the dealings that Gladstone had with Russia over the situation in the Black Sea were perfect opportunities for Disraeli to show how Gladstone was destroying Britain†s Empire by his weakness in his dealings with other major powers. This meant that when Disraeli cam into power he had to act upon his criticisms of Gladstone as he had condemned the way that Gladstone had put his faith so strongly in arbitration rather than in action and the way that Gladstone was more concerned about the way that the negotiations were carried out rather than the end result. The only way that Disraeli could fulfil his promises about the welfare and conditions of the people and conserving the institutions was by bringing about various social reforms. In his famous speeches in 1872 he promised the people that he would improve the standard of their lives and give them â€Å"air light and water†. To an extent it would be fair to say that he achieved this although some of the acts that were meant to do this were not very effective at all. The Factory Legislations in 1874, 1875 and 1878 were major steps in Disraeli achieving what he had promised. These were some of his more effective acts because they were compulsory and the consequence of this was that it had a further reaching effect than a large number of the acts that Disraeli passed. In this respect it is very similar to the Public Health Act in 1875 because this also had aspects of it that were compulsory, for example the local councils were compelled to employ a Ministry of Health. The fact that acts like these were compulsory and not permissive is what makes them more successful than the others. While other acts would appear to conform to Disraeli†s claims that he was fulfilling his promises, upon closer inspection they did not have much effect upon the lives of the workingman. The Friendly Societies Act in 1875 was another act that could be used to support the statement that Disraeli†s was a government that lived up to its promises. The societies were formed as a kind of self-help organization and Disraeli†s government supported this, which indicates that he was trying to live up the promise that he would improve conditions for the working classes. The Labour Legislation and the amendment of the Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act in 1875 were other legislations that lived up to the promises of Disraeli, because they both attempted to change the law in order to make it more fair and even for the workers so that they could negotiate on equal grounds as the employer and to ensure that the laws were equal for both parties involved. The Enclosure of Commons Act in 1876 was an act that showed Disraeli trying to fulfil his promise that he would provide enjoyment of â€Å"air light and water. † However convincing these acts may seem to be in arguing that Disraeli lived up to his promises it must be recognised that there were a great many acts that he passed that were either totally ineffectual or would work in principle but not in practice. The River Pollution Prevention Act in 1876 was a totally ineffectual act. In principle it was supposed to prevent the factory owners who were polluting the rivers from doing so but in practice the pollution of the rivers continued and the act did not stop pollution. This is one of many examples of Disraeli†s government attempting to fulfil the promises that Disraeli made, but in the end passing an ineffectual act that simply does not achieve half as much as was promised. While these acts may have set a precedent to other acts in the future, they do not achieve very much at the time. Other acts like the Sale of Food and Drugs Act in 1875 show how that while the act looks to be a major act, it is only a permissive act that gives the power of change to the local councils who have men on their board who own the shops that are going to lose revenue if they are no longer allowed to adulterate the food or Drugs that they sell. As it was not in their interests, and as it was an enabling act, they simply did not bother to put anything into practice. There was a similar situation with the Merchant Shipping Act and the Artisans Dwelling Act in 1876 and 1875. These two were both permissive instead of compulsory, and both gave the power to change to those who would not benefit and may well lose out if they put the laws into practice. In the case of the Merchant Shipping Act the initiative was left with the owners of the ship who were never personally in danger abroad the ships and profited from the overloading. Again, in the Artisans Dwellings Act it was the councils decision whether to build houses or not, and to do this would require a raise in taxes for the rest of the constituency, and so the council may lose the next election so would not do anything. To illustrate this, by 1881, only ten out of 87 towns would take any action under the act. The Education Act in 1876 was not a very successful act either because it did nothing to ensure that the laws would be carried out until 1891 so there was a high level of truancy and children still worked when they should not, so although it added to the growing improvement of the education system, it did not really change anything significantly. The foreign policy that Disraeli followed between 1874 and 1880 was one that certainly appeared to be consistent with the reputation that Disraeli had acquired. It was very aggressive and he appeared to be fulfilling promises that he had made in 1872. His severe criticism of Gladstone†s weaknesses on foreign policy was one factor that formed peoples expectations that he would act upon the criticisms and that his foreign policy would be constructed so as to protect British interests abroad. Disraeli lived up to his reputation and promises in his foreign policy more than he did at home with his domestic policies. However it was not as he had promised to the people. He had promised to uphold British interests abroad, and to a certain extent he did, but there were events that he could not control and certain concessions that had to make to foreign powers that diminished the influence and threatened the power that Britain held abroad. The problems with Russia were a prime example where he had to concede and let Russia have a fleet in the Black sea even though this was against the interests of Britain. He could not realistically deliver all that he promised, as there would be times like these where he had to make concessions. On the other hand it must be said that Disraeli managed to fulfil the majority of his promises and reputation in regards to his foreign policy, even if at times he did not mean to. In a lot of his speeches a lot of what he said was rhetoric, but when men like Frere and Lytton took him at face value, and started wars with the Afghans and with the Zulus and started wars in order to preserve the British interests in those particular areas, they put action to his words. Even if Disraeli did not actually want these wars, which he did not, the two wars were both in keeping with the reputation that he had gained for being a very aggressive imperialist, even if these wars did work to his detriment. The Congress of Berlin was one of the high points of Disraeli†s foreign policy because in this he managed to rebuild Britain†s reputation as a major imperial power, which adds to the evidence that he did live up to the reputation that he had acquired, and he made secret agreements with the Turks, Russians and Austria-Hungary in order to preserve British interest in that area. The purchase of the Suez Canal shares in 1875 was another one of Disraeli's best judgements because for years on from then it was one of the biggest trade routes in the world and Britain†s involvement in it was a major asset to Britain†s power as an imperial nation. One side of Disraeli†s foreign policy that cannot be ignored is the fact that Disraeli took massive risks in his policy and could have got Britain involved in a war with Russia without nay powerful allies and with an obsolete navy, and also agreed to defend one of Turkeys frontiers without the resources to do so. The fact that was lucky and managed to steer clear of any problems is a credit to Disraeli as it would have been very easy for him to make a very costly mistake. Though Disraeli passed a large number of reforms for his time, he still managed to fulfil his final promise of his 1872 speeches and conserve the institutions. The institutions that he meant were the aristocracy, like the rich landowners and the Anglican Church. While someone like Gladstone was a fanatical Anglican, Disraeli was only really interested in it to keep everyone else happy. It has been argued that acts like the Education Acts sole intention was to prevent the board schools which were more financially popular with the working or lower classes from getting too much of a hold on the education system because most wanted the Anglican churches from being the dominant force in education and the board schools were not. During his period in rule, he did not do anything that was actively conserving the constitutions, he simply avoided doing anything that would offend or threaten the institutions. It would be fair to say in conclusion that while Disraeli fulfilled some of the promises that he made, he did not do so with all of them. His domestic policy is a hard one to say whether he achieved accomplishment of the aims that he laid down in 1872. He certainly tried to do so, as the number of acts that he passed, and the nature of them indicate that they were probably passed with the interests of the people that it would effect, in mind. However there are some opinions that argue that all of the acts passed in Disraeli†s era were in reaction to public opinion at the time. While this is not totally fair to Disraeli, there is a lot of evidence pointing to this being a major contributing factor to the decision. In the case of the Education Act the other politicians were mainly or all Anglican and so wanted to conserve the churches hold over education, in the 1876 Merchant Shipping Act, the reason was predominantly to pacify the people who worked on the docks and Samuel Plimsoll as he was getting particularly worked up over the issue. However far it is possible to give credit to these ideas, it would be unfair to Disraeli to say that he tried to passed acts solely to pacify public demand it is much more likely to be that he was more genuine in his actions than that. However, the did not live up to all of the promises that he made, he may have set a precedent for governments before him in what their duties were to the people, but to the majority of the people of the time he did not have the ability to pass anything that would significantly change their lives. This was due to a number of limiting factors, like a hostile cabinet and a general public that were already sick of reform after a great reforming ministry from Gladstone. In his foreign policy in upholding the interests of the British Empire Disraeli fared a little better. He did not make any disastrous decisions in terms of upholding British interests abroad, although his attitude to problems got him into trouble at home, and did not make any major concessions to foreign powers. His diplomacy in Turkey in 1878 probably saved the Turkish Empire and he was aggressive to an extent that nearly got him into trouble. He certainly lived up to his reputation and promises in his foreign policy, although certain reckless comments landed him in trouble. Overall I think that Disraeli†s government did not live up to the promises that Disraeli made in 1872 and although his foreign policy was very similar to what people would expect and so lived up to his reputation, he did not deliver on the domestic front. The reasons for this were not solely attributable to Disraeli, but the fact remains that he did not deliver what he promised, and if anything the situation worsened with the depression even though this was not his fault. Disraeli tried hard to deliver what he promised but the government, the budget and the attitude of the people, who were not overly enthusiastic to more reforms, limited him in what he was able to do. The Unfulfilled Aims and Golas of the Ministry To establish whether this statement is true, the promises and reputation of Disraeli must first be identified. In his speeches in 1872 at Crystal Palace and in Manchester†s Free Trade Hall, Disraeli once again showed his skills as an orator. He laid out three basic aims or policies that he wanted to pursue, should he get in power. These were; to conserve the institutions in Britain, uphold British interests abroad and to improve the standard of life for the general population and especially the working classes. Disraeli had also created a reputation for himself with the 1867 Reform Act. He had successfully destroyed the liberal party and due to the nature of the act, extending the franchise by a considerable number, had acquired a reputation for being more open minded about matters of reform, even though the act was mainly passed through necessity, because the act would be passed and it was just a question about which party would do it. He had also tried successfully to establish the Conservative Party as the nationalistic party in the government, the one that would uphold British interest abroad and repair the damage that he claimed that Gladstone was causing. The Alabama arbitration and the dealings that Gladstone had with Russia over the situation in the Black Sea were perfect opportunities for Disraeli to show how Gladstone was destroying Britain†s Empire by his weakness in his dealings with other major powers. This meant that when Disraeli cam into power he had to act upon his criticisms of Gladstone as he had condemned the way that Gladstone had put his faith so strongly in arbitration rather than in action and the way that Gladstone was more concerned about the way that the negotiations were carried out rather than the end result. The only way that Disraeli could fulfil his promises about the welfare and conditions of the people and conserving the institutions was by bringing about various social reforms. In his famous speeches in 1872 he promised the people that he would improve the standard of their lives and give them â€Å"air light and water†. To an extent it would be fair to say that he achieved this although some of the acts that were meant to do this were not very effective at all. The Factory Legislations in 1874, 1875 and 1878 were major steps in Disraeli achieving what he had promised. These were some of his more effective acts because they were compulsory and the consequence of this was that it had a further reaching effect than a large number of the acts that Disraeli passed. In this respect it is very similar to the Public Health Act in 1875 because this also had aspects of it that were compulsory, for example the local councils were compelled to employ a Ministry of Health. The fact that acts like these were compulsory and not permissive is what makes them more successful than the others. While other acts would appear to conform to Disraeli†s claims that he was fulfilling his promises, upon closer inspection they did not have much effect upon the lives of the workingman. The Friendly Societies Act in 1875 was another act that could be used to support the statement that Disraeli†s was a government that lived up to its promises. The societies were formed as a kind of self-help organization and Disraeli†s government supported this, which indicates that he was trying to live up the promise that he would improve conditions for the working classes. The Labour Legislation and the amendment of the Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act in 1875 were other legislations that lived up to the promises of Disraeli, because they both attempted to change the law in order to make it more fair and even for the workers so that they could negotiate on equal grounds as the employer and to ensure that the laws were equal for both parties involved. The Enclosure of Commons Act in 1876 was an act that showed Disraeli trying to fulfil his promise that he would provide enjoyment of â€Å"air light and water. † However convincing these acts may seem to be in arguing that Disraeli lived up to his promises it must be recognised that there were a great many acts that he passed that were either totally ineffectual or would work in principle but not in practice. The River Pollution Prevention Act in 1876 was a totally ineffectual act. In principle it was supposed to prevent the factory owners who were polluting the rivers from doing so but in practice the pollution of the rivers continued and the act did not stop pollution. This is one of many examples of Disraeli†s government attempting to fulfil the promises that Disraeli made, but in the end passing an ineffectual act that simply does not achieve half as much as was promised. While these acts may have set a precedent to other acts in the future, they do not achieve very much at the time. Other acts like the Sale of Food and Drugs Act in 1875 show how that while the act looks to be a major act, it is only a permissive act that gives the power of change to the local councils who have men on their board who own the shops that are going to lose revenue if they are no longer allowed to adulterate the food or Drugs that they sell. As it was not in their interests, and as it was an enabling act, they simply did not bother to put anything into practice. There was a similar situation with the Merchant Shipping Act and the Artisans Dwelling Act in 1876 and 1875. These two were both permissive instead of compulsory, and both gave the power to change to those who would not benefit and may well lose out if they put the laws into practice. In the case of the Merchant Shipping Act the initiative was left with the owners of the ship who were never personally in danger abroad the ships and profited from the overloading. Again, in the Artisans Dwellings Act it was the councils decision whether to build houses or not, and to do this would require a raise in taxes for the rest of the constituency, and so the council may lose the next election so would not do anything. To illustrate this, by 1881, only ten out of 87 towns would take any action under the act. The Education Act in 1876 was not a very successful act either because it did nothing to ensure that the laws would be carried out until 1891 so there was a high level of truancy and children still worked when they should not, so although it added to the growing improvement of the education system, it did not really change anything significantly. The foreign policy that Disraeli followed between 1874 and 1880 was one that certainly appeared to be consistent with the reputation that Disraeli had acquired. It was very aggressive and he appeared to be fulfilling promises that he had made in 1872. His severe criticism of Gladstone†s weaknesses on foreign policy was one factor that formed peoples expectations that he would act upon the criticisms and that his foreign policy would be constructed so as to protect British interests abroad. Disraeli lived up to his reputation and promises in his foreign policy more than he did at home with his domestic policies. However it was not as he had promised to the people. He had promised to uphold British interests abroad, and to a certain extent he did, but there were events that he could not control and certain concessions that had to make to foreign powers that diminished the influence and threatened the power that Britain held abroad. The problems with Russia were a prime example where he had to concede and let Russia have a fleet in the Black sea even though this was against the interests of Britain. He could not realistically deliver all that he promised, as there would be times like these where he had to make concessions. On the other hand it must be said that Disraeli managed to fulfil the majority of his promises and reputation in regards to his foreign policy, even if at times he did not mean to. In a lot of his speeches a lot of what he said was rhetoric, but when men like Frere and Lytton took him at face value, and started wars with the Afghans and with the Zulus and started wars in order to preserve the British interests in those particular areas, they put action to his words. Even if Disraeli did not actually want these wars, which he did not, the two wars were both in keeping with the reputation that he had gained for being a very aggressive imperialist, even if these wars did work to his detriment. The Congress of Berlin was one of the high points of Disraeli†s foreign policy because in this he managed to rebuild Britain†s reputation as a major imperial power, which adds to the evidence that he did live up to the reputation that he had acquired, and he made secret agreements with the Turks, Russians and Austria-Hungary in order to preserve British interest in that area. The purchase of the Suez Canal shares in 1875 was another one of Disraeli's best judgements because for years on from then it was one of the biggest trade routes in the world and Britain†s involvement in it was a major asset to Britain†s power as an imperial nation. One side of Disraeli†s foreign policy that cannot be ignored is the fact that Disraeli took massive risks in his policy and could have got Britain involved in a war with Russia without nay powerful allies and with an obsolete navy, and also agreed to defend one of Turkeys frontiers without the resources to do so. The fact that was lucky and managed to steer clear of any problems is a credit to Disraeli as it would have been very easy for him to make a very costly mistake. Though Disraeli passed a large number of reforms for his time, he still managed to fulfil his final promise of his 1872 speeches and conserve the institutions. The institutions that he meant were the aristocracy, like the rich landowners and the Anglican Church. While someone like Gladstone was a fanatical Anglican, Disraeli was only really interested in it to keep everyone else happy. It has been argued that acts like the Education Acts sole intention was to prevent the board schools which were more financially popular with the working or lower classes from getting too much of a hold on the education system because most wanted the Anglican churches from being the dominant force in education and the board schools were not. During his period in rule, he did not do anything that was actively conserving the constitutions, he simply avoided doing anything that would offend or threaten the institutions. It would be fair to say in conclusion that while Disraeli fulfilled some of the promises that he made, he did not do so with all of them. His domestic policy is a hard one to say whether he achieved accomplishment of the aims that he laid down in 1872. He certainly tried to do so, as the number of acts that he passed, and the nature of them indicate that they were probably passed with the interests of the people that it would effect, in mind. However there are some opinions that argue that all of the acts passed in Disraeli†s era were in reaction to public opinion at the time. While this is not totally fair to Disraeli, there is a lot of evidence pointing to this being a major contributing factor to the decision. In the case of the Education Act the other politicians were mainly or all Anglican and so wanted to conserve the churches hold over education, in the 1876 Merchant Shipping Act, the reason was predominantly to pacify the people who worked on the docks and Samuel Plimsoll as he was getting particularly worked up over the issue. However far it is possible to give credit to these ideas, it would be unfair to Disraeli to say that he tried to passed acts solely to pacify public demand it is much more likely to be that he was more genuine in his actions than that. However, the did not live up to all of the promises that he made, he may have set a precedent for governments before him in what their duties were to the people, but to the majority of the people of the time he did not have the ability to pass anything that would significantly change their lives. This was due to a number of limiting factors, like a hostile cabinet and a general public that were already sick of reform after a great reforming ministry from Gladstone. In his foreign policy in upholding the interests of the British Empire Disraeli fared a little better. He did not make any disastrous decisions in terms of upholding British interests abroad, although his attitude to problems got him into trouble at home, and did not make any major concessions to foreign powers. His diplomacy in Turkey in 1878 probably saved the Turkish Empire and he was aggressive to an extent that nearly got him into trouble. He certainly lived up to his reputation and promises in his foreign policy, although certain reckless comments landed him in trouble. Overall I think that Disraeli†s government did not live up to the promises that Disraeli made in 1872 and although his foreign policy was very similar to what people would expect and so lived up to his reputation, he did not deliver on the domestic front. The reasons for this were not solely attributable to Disraeli, but the fact remains that he did not deliver what he promised, and if anything the situation worsened with the depression even though this was not his fault. Disraeli tried hard to deliver what he promised but the government, the budget and the attitude of the people, who were not overly enthusiastic to more reforms, limited him in what he was able to do.

Free Essays on Wicca, The Religion

According to (Larson), an estimated 9 million women and girls met death by fire between the years of 1300 and 1700 for practicing witchcraft. In the eighteenth century, 19 suspected witches were killed in Salem, Massachusetts. Despite such extreme countermeasures, the occult rituals of witchcraft are widely practiced today around the world (p. 464). Wicca is a religion that has been around for a long time. There are many different types of Wicca, but the background in all off them is the same. The more established and well-known Wiccans sects include; Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Faerie, Blue Star, Georgian and the American Welsh. Those who practice Wicca are called Wiccans. Wiccans are believed to be a cult that worships the Devil. The word Wicca can be defined as twisted, bent, or warped. Wicca is known for its back to nature religion that worships the sky and Earth. As noted on (Fortunecity), Wicca is a pagan religion containing traditions of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. (Pagan religion family includes Druidism, Asatru, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman). The roots of Wicca can be traced even further back to Paleolithic peoples who worshipped a Hunter God and a Fertility Goddess. Cave paintings found in France (and dated at 30,000 years old) depict a man with the head of a stag, and a woman with a swollen, pregnant belly. They stand in a circle with eleven mortals. These archetypes of the divine are worshipped by Wiccans to this very day. The laws against Witchcraft were repealed in England, in 1951. Gerald Gardner was the first to come into the public eye with a description of what modern witches were practicing. In the writings of (Heart), Gerald Gardner took the helm and lead Witchcraft, or Wicca back from the shadow and into the light. His information came from the traditions of a coven called the New Forest Witches, and from Ceremonial Magick and the Cabballah. He began what is now called the Gardnerian Tradition ... Free Essays on Wicca, The Religion Free Essays on Wicca, The Religion According to (Larson), an estimated 9 million women and girls met death by fire between the years of 1300 and 1700 for practicing witchcraft. In the eighteenth century, 19 suspected witches were killed in Salem, Massachusetts. Despite such extreme countermeasures, the occult rituals of witchcraft are widely practiced today around the world (p. 464). Wicca is a religion that has been around for a long time. There are many different types of Wicca, but the background in all off them is the same. The more established and well-known Wiccans sects include; Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Faerie, Blue Star, Georgian and the American Welsh. Those who practice Wicca are called Wiccans. Wiccans are believed to be a cult that worships the Devil. The word Wicca can be defined as twisted, bent, or warped. Wicca is known for its back to nature religion that worships the sky and Earth. As noted on (Fortunecity), Wicca is a pagan religion containing traditions of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. (Pagan religion family includes Druidism, Asatru, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman). The roots of Wicca can be traced even further back to Paleolithic peoples who worshipped a Hunter God and a Fertility Goddess. Cave paintings found in France (and dated at 30,000 years old) depict a man with the head of a stag, and a woman with a swollen, pregnant belly. They stand in a circle with eleven mortals. These archetypes of the divine are worshipped by Wiccans to this very day. The laws against Witchcraft were repealed in England, in 1951. Gerald Gardner was the first to come into the public eye with a description of what modern witches were practicing. In the writings of (Heart), Gerald Gardner took the helm and lead Witchcraft, or Wicca back from the shadow and into the light. His information came from the traditions of a coven called the New Forest Witches, and from Ceremonial Magick and the Cabballah. He began what is now called the Gardnerian Tradition ...

Enigmas, Puzzles, and Riddles

Enigmas, Puzzles, and Riddles Enigmas, Puzzles, and Riddles Enigmas, Puzzles, and Riddles By Maeve Maddox On the day of the Iowa Caucus, pollster Ann Selzer made the following comment about Donald Trump: He’s just this riddle inside a puzzle. I immediately thought of Winston Churchill’s oft-repeated comment about Russia at the beginning of World War II: a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. I couldn’t help wondering if Ms. Selzer chose the word puzzle because she felt that the general American public in 2016 were less likely to understand the word enigma than a general British public in 1939. But, I’m probably being uncharitable. Puzzle is a valid synonym for enigma, although not nearly as classy. Enigma is from Latin aenigma, â€Å"a riddle or a mystery.† The Latin noun is from a Greek verb meaning, â€Å"to speak allusively or obscurely.† Riddle is a word inherited from German. In Old English, riddle was the usual English translation of Latin aenigma and referred to what modern speakers, especially children, mean by riddle: â€Å"a question or statement intentionally phrased to require ingenuity in ascertaining its answer or meaning. For example, â€Å"How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?† Puzzle is of unknown origin. Its earliest English use was as a verb meaning, â€Å"to cause a person to be at a loss what to do; to create difficulties for someone.† The verb came to have several meanings, including these: to cause someone to feel confused because they cannot understand something. to perplex or bewilder the brain. to be at a loss how to act or decide to search in a bewildered or perplexed way The noun puzzle is derived from the verb and means â€Å"a perplexing question or a difficult problem.† It can also signify â€Å"a person who is difficult to understand.† Note: Selzer’s remark referred not so much to the man, but to his apparently inexplicable popularity with â€Å"moderate and mainstream† Republicans as well as with extremists. English has numerous words to convey something that is baffling or mentally challenging. Here are some others: mystery conundrum paradox quandary brainteaser Most are near synonyms. All imply something baffling or challenging, but they carry different connotations. A mystery invites speculation. A conundrum, like a riddle, is often phrased as a question. The answer usually involves a play on words or a twist in thinking. For example: What is greater than God, more evil than the devil, the poor have it, the rich need it, and if you eat it, youll die? (Answer: Nothing) A paradox seems absurd, but in reality expresses a certain truth. For example, â€Å"Youth is wasted on the young.† A quandary is a state of extreme perplexity. A person or a group is said to be â€Å"in a quandary,† as in this headline from The Gaffney Ledger: â€Å"Council still in a quandary over healthcare insurance.† Of the three words in the title of this post, puzzle is most frequent in a Google search (296,000,000), riddle next (140,200,000), and enigma last (64,400,000). The figure for enigma is no doubt inflated because of the popularity of the word in the entertainment industry. References to the German â€Å"enigma machine† probably also account for some of the results. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund Phrases"Have" vs "Having" in Certain ExpressionsWood vs. Wooden

Business Economics for Sustainable Living

Sustainability has some main pillars or rather aspects and these aspects were identified in the year 2005 during the world summit on social development. These aspects contribute to the social science and philosophy of sustainable development. These aspects have formed the backbone of dealing with the main areas that the world focuses on. As described by Brundtland mission, sustainability is a development aspect which meets the present needs with no promise of the future generations’ abilities in meeting their needs (Holden and Linnerud, p 175). Therefore the future has to be considered while making present decisions. The main two aspects include economic development ad environment aspects. Most people have had disagreements based on political ideologies regarding what is and is not economically sound. It has thus proven to be very problematic. The manner in which this aspect affects business, jobs and employability is also still a debatable issue. Economic development mostly deals with the process of how business incentives are provided in situations where such businesses and other organizations are supposed to adhere to the sustainable guidelines that are found beyond their normal requirements for legislation (Ellis and Moarif, p 11). This aspect also encourages and fosters incentives for an average person in which they are able to do their activities to the much they can. It’s seen that an individual may not achieve as much as a group would have because for some effects to be felt they have to be cumulative. The consumer nature of the supply and demand market has made the need for many resources in the modern life to be very high on a daily basis. From the environmental aspect what matters most is how we get whatever that needs to be consumed. Therefore if people are given whatever they want with no promise to the quality of life then this is referred to as economic development. This is more relevant in the developing countries where reduction in the financial burden and the ‘red tape’ of doing things right is still a big issue to deal with (Chan and Lee, p 249). For economic sustainability to be felt the human munity in the globe should be able to sustain their independence and gain access to the required resources as well as finances so as to meet their needs with ease. The systems of economy ought to be intact and all the activities be made available to everyone for instance their needs to be sources of livelihood that are secure enough. The economic sustainability is involved with ensuring that businesses in place are able to make profits and their operations do not in any way create environmental and social issues which are likely to harm the success of the business which may be envisioned to be long-term.   If any nation focuses on environmental and social issues the profitability of the economy will definitely flow. This is because most of the social initiatives tend to have a great impact on the behaviors of modity consumers as well as the performance of employees (Perrini, Russo and Tencati, p 291). On the other hand environmental initiatives like efficiency in energy supply and mitigation of pollution has a direct impact on waste reduction creating a good environment for the economy. Most people know what they need to do to protect the environment and especially from pollution. However the small things that have been neglected are some of key contributors to environmental pollution and thus loss in terms of sustainability. Such things like recycling, reduction in power consumption through switching off power when not in use, walking some short distances as opposed to using vehicles if assumed can lead to great environmental destruction. There are regulations for businesses in which they are supposed to keep the carbon emissions low as well as prevent pollution. Incentives exists which promote projects for installing power sources that are renewable in businesses and homes. This aspect is thus the main concern regarding the future of humanity (Dempsey, p 257). This aspect offers definition on how the environment should be protected and a lot of focus is placed on elements that seem to stress the environment. It’s concerned with how technology can be used to drive a future that is green. The developments that focus on biotechnology and technology are important to attaining environmental sustainability and thus protect the future environment from any damage that may be caused by technological advances (UNPF, p 7). To attain environmental sustainability ecological integrity has to be maintained. The earth’s environmental systems need to be kept in balance and the natural resources in the environment need to be consumed by human beings at a rate in which they can replenish themselves. The systems and activities in place should also be able to reduce the impact of the environment on the environment. When it es to the resources that are renewable the rate at which they are harvested is not supposed to exceed the rate at which they regenerate back (Maslow, p 58). In relation to pollution the rate at which wastes are generated from the ongoing projects should not go beyond the capacity for assimilation by the environment. In case of the nonrenewable resources their depletion requires the development of substitutes that are renewable. Such goals include zero waste by the organization, reduction in the use of plastic bags and ing up with initiatives that reduce carbon footprint through management of energy consumption (Ebner, p 8). Some organizations like Nestle have identified the main priority areas regarding environmental sustainability such as agricultural raw materials, water, packaging that is specific to their beverages and food and manufacturing and distribution. In relation to energy use Verizon pany has initiatives that aim at environmental sustainability like the recycling of tel equipment and reduction in energy use through provision of flexible working conditions at work, it has also worked on reducing   intensity in carbon and getting some more efficient solutions to its fleet that is eco-friendly (Jackson, P 21). Therefore this environmental aspect aims at acknowledging the necessity o f enhancing and maintaining the biophysical systems which sustain life with a focus on the natural ecosystem structure and the interactions which exist among them. Innovative ideas have contributed a lot when it es to ensuring sustainability is achieved in different sectors such as environment, economic sector and even the social sector. Such innovations include; innovation from new light technologies have invented air carbon which is a plastic material that is carbon neutral produced from greenhouse gases such as methane (Eurostat P 15). This is used in the packaging and furniture industries in which it matches oil based plastics both in performance and price. This innovation has helped solve the issue of non biodegradable nature of plastic bags. High energy savings have also been archived by the use of view intelligent window. This window regulates the light and temperature of the room in which it’s used. It’s been mainly designed for mercial buildings so as to eliminate the need for shades and blinds. Outerwall pany has recently introduced outerwallecoATM which is a network of recycling kiosks that are automated for the tech products (Jacobs P 36). Customers can easily follow simple steps and be able to recycle old tablets and phones and any other electronics and receive cash in exchange. Powwow energy is an innovation in which unnecessary losses of resources especially water are prevented. The powwow energy detects any water leaks from an irrigation system that is used in agriculture and informs the farmers immediately for repair. The Retroficiency software is designed to fight losses of energy in buildings. The data sets are used by Retroficiency to make suggestions on energy saving ideas for both businesses and homes. It works on the bination of both energy analytics and the models of buildings with the use of data that they get from the already existing energy audits to give out ideas relating to energy saving. The BioTrans system is used in restaurants where it’s installed to collect and grind any leftovers into a biomass that is homogenous (Jenks and Dempsey, P 175). There has been the invention of DessoThe AirMaster a form of carpet which is used to capture pollutant particles and fine dust from rooms thus providing healthier indoor climates. It’s made of recycled carpets and proves to be better than the hardwood flooring when related to prevention of allergies. From the discussion above its evident that sustainability is not just matters environment but in the many definitions of sustainability we are able to find the concerns about social equity and the development of the economy. It’s in this regard that the motivations behind sustainability are in most cases diverse, plex and personal. It is almost unrealistic for one to e up with a list as to why many people are working hard to achieve this goal. Thus sustainability in most cases boils down to the future the current generation is leaving for the next generation. These aspects of sustainability are therefore shared by many people who aim at demonstrating their importance in developing many policies. It’s therefore the duty of the people in today’s generation along with those of the future to create solutions that are adaptable and aim at fostering sustainability. When a pany chooses to define sustainability with the two aspects in mind then it’s easier to determine its own successful road that is sustainable. If any one of the aspects is weak or given less attention then the whole system of an organization may b e unsustainable since they are both interlinked.   Chan E, and Lee GKL. 2008. Critical factors for improving social sustainability of urban renewal projects. Social Indicators Research 85: 243–256. Dempsey N. 2008b. Quality of the built environment in urban neighbourhoods. Planning Practice and Research 23: 249–264. Ebner D. 2008. Assessing Corporate Social Responsibility in Industrial Firms: the CSR-Assessment. Pg 8. Montanuniversità ¤t Leoben Ellis, J. and Moarif, S., 2009. GHG mitigation actions: MRV issues and options. Draft for review. OECD/IEA Project for the Annex I Expert Group on the UNFCCC, Paris.pg 5-15 Eurostat, 2009. Measuring progress towards a more sustainable Europe. 2009 monitoring report of the EU sustainable development strategy. Pg 13-19. Office for Official Publications of the European munities, Luxembourg. Holden E, and Linnerud K. 2007. The sustainable development area: satisfying basic needs and safeguarding ecological sustainability. Sustainable Development 15: 174–185. Jackson, T., 2009. Prosperity without growth? Transition to a sustainable economy. Sustainable Development mission, London p 21. Jacobs M. 1999. Sustainable development as a contested concept. In Fairness and Futurity: Essays on Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice, Dobson A (ed.). Oxford University Press: Oxford; 21–45. Jenks M and Dempsey N. 2007. Defining the neighbourhood: challenges for empirical research. Town Planning Review 78: 153–177. Maslow, H.A., 1968. Toward Psychology of Being, 3rd Edition 1999. John Wiley and Sons, New York. Pg 55-61. Perrini F, Russo A and Tencati A. 2007. CSR strategies of SMEs and large fi rms. Evidence from Italy. Journal of Business Ethics 74(3): 285–300. UNPF (United Nations Population Fund). 2007. State of World Population 2007: Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth. UNFPA: New York. Pg 4-10.  

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease - Essay Example The superficial layer of the esophagus is known as adventitia. The adventitia attaches the esophagus to surrounding structures. The esophagus secretes mucus and transports food into the stomach but it does not produce digestive enzymes. The stomach contents can reflux (back up) into the inferior portion of the esophagus when the lower esophageal sphincter fails to close adequately after food has entered the stomach; the condition which is known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In GERD, the basal layer of of the epithelium is is thickened, and the papillae of the lamina propria are elongated and extend toward the surface. Abnormalities of the lower esophageal sphincter, Hiatus hernia, Delayed esophageal clearance, Gastric contents, Defective gastric emptying, Increased intra-abdominal pressure, and Dietary and environmental factors may be the factors involved in GERD. Clinically, GERD may be diagnosed by radiographic examinations using dyes, endoscopy, and esophageal pH-metr y. PPI trial is also an accepted method of first line diagnostic test. Treatment involves both non-pharmacological treatment measures as well as pharmacotherapy. Non-pharmacological treatment include avoidance of foods and medications that exacerbate GERD, smoking secession, weight reduction, taking a small meal at a time, avoidance of alcohol and elevation of the head of the bed. Drugs for treating GERD include H2 receptor antagonists like cimetidine, ranitidine, famotidine or nizatidine. Proton pump inhibitors such as omeprazole, pantoprazole, lansoprazole and rebeprazole are found to be very effective to reduce acid reflux and hence inflammation. H2 blockers were found to heal ulcers and erosions but the typical reflux changes of the squamous epithelium of the esophageal mucosa are not recovered. Studies confirmed that PPIs not only heal ulcers and erosions but also cures basal cell hyperplasia and elongation of the papillae. The percentage of normal epithelium were also reported to increase significantly after PPI administration in patients with GERD. Two commonly employed treatment alternatives for GERD are antirefluctive surgery and Endoscopic Treatments. Surgery is preferred only when the patient fails to respond to pharmacological treatment, when the patient prefers surgery, in those patients who have complications of GERD like barrett's esophagitis, or if the patient has atypical symptoms and reflux documented on 24-hour ambulatory pH monitoring. Several randomized controlled trials have confirmed that open fundoplication and medical treatment have similar long-term effects for GERD. Laparoscopic antireflux surgery is also reported to have similar outcomes to the open procedures. Endoscopic Treatments for GERD include plicating gastric folds methods (Endoscopic Gastroplication, ELGP method, thermal tissue remodeling /neurolysis method, and bulking injection method. These endoluminal treatments augment the reflux barrier. Section I: Organ system structure and Function. Explain the accepted normal healthy structure of parts and function of organ system; How it works The esophagus is a collapsible muscular tube, about 25 cm (10 in.) long that lies posterior to the trachea. The esophagus begins at the inferior end of the laryngopharynx and passes through the mediastinum anterior to vertebral column. Then it pierces the diaphragm through an opening called the

BEA System and CSR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

BEA System and CSR - Essay Example A more current understanding of the managerial concept implies the achieving of core organisational objectives through the activities of other people. In this definition, it is clearly reflected that the manager in an organisation is not required to conduct business activities by oneself. Rather such a person can manage business activities through supervising the acts of other people working under him. The above discussion henceforth holds management as a special skill or art which is practised by the managers to fulfil organisational objectives through the acts of others (Peel, 1994, p.1-4; Liebler and McConnell, 2004, p.51-53). Having discussed the emergence and development of the management concept the focus is now rendered on one of the approaches to the management science known as the model for Competing Values Framework. It is found by different management experts like Quinn that the different approaches to management that had emerged with the development of scientific management had some common traits which helped the concepts to merge with each other. This merging of the concepts gave birth to a composite model known as the Competing Values Framework which is considered the appropriate model for future managerial uses. This model is considered best for future managerial applications owing to the prevalence of different types of mindsets which are closely integrated to help business managers to compete effectively with the competing and dynamic current business environment.

Select an interesting Topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Select an interesting Topic - Essay Example The first word of the title says it all, and is actually quite a humbling thought. Let me explain. While I have never considered myself to be a ‘poor’ writer, I simply did not consider all of my initial drafts to be pure and utter crap. To do so would be to admit that I am not perfect. I mean, after all, who wants to admit that? Seriously, though, I have simply never considered that a first draft should never be looked upon as a paper that anyone but myself would see. Instead, I figured that if I put my thoughts down on paper in a semi-coherent manner, well, that would be enough. Now I understand otherwise. I am actually going to take quite a lot away from having read Lamott’s essay. While I may never be a professional writer, I can certainly strive to do better with recording my thoughts and ideas on paper. I should look at a first draft as an opportunity to expand my ideas and truly capture my thoughts on paper. To do this, I can take the first draft and really polish it up, looking for items I may have missed, and tossing others that, upon reflection, add little substance to the piece. When I do this, I will certainly create better work, no matter how big or small the assignment may

Darwin's Dangerous Idea Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Darwin's Dangerous Idea Discussion - Essay Example Darwin’s evolution theory paved way for the science technology to adopt new approaches to evaluate his ideas. The close match between the human DNA and the DNA of the chimps is a scientific finding that was originally approached as an idea by Darwin. In this sense, Darwin was ahead of his time. Nevertheless, I am skeptical of the idea that things really evolve into something different. I identify the change in the HUV gene with the introduction of medicine in the patient with adaptation rather than evolution since evolution has to induce permanent changes to differ from adaptation. Overall, the video was very informative and educative. I agree that survival in the ever changing environment necessitates evolution for things with DNA. Even human beings have seen this evolution in terms of the variety of races, and features. Likewise, different varieties of the same animal living in different conditions suggest that the bodies have evolved so as to adjust to their environments. For example, same animals in the colder regions are furry whereas those in the warmer areas are not. However, I differ with you on your consideration of the theories of Darwin about the relationship of all living this leading up to this breakthrough as original and unmatched; nearly 50 years before him, Jean-Baptist Lamarck who was a French naturalist had already proposed the idea of occurrence of evolution and had proceeded it according to the laws of nature. Nevertheless, I do acknowledge that his proposal of the natural selection’s idea as a means of working for the evolution was original. Yes, the scientists over the passage of time did feel empowered by Darwin’s theory since it suggested something so inherently attractive to science with complete obliviousness, if not refutation, to what is beyond the reach of the scientific eye. You have captured Darwin’s nervousness and the underlying reasons for it

SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES Research Paper

SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES - Research Paper Example The whole process is often inefficient due to several documentation procedures that are often involved. The slow procurement processes are often disadvantageous to the government departments like the Department of Defense whose operations can be delayed with significance negative impacts on its mission attainment. In relation to this, the government through the congress intervened to develop procurement procedures that could be more efficient and cost-effective for relatively smaller purchases. The program was initiated in the early 1990s and has hard various improvements since then. The US General Accounting Office (GAO) has provided various reports that focus on the effectiveness of the program. This paper focuses on a 2001 report by GAO on the benefits of these new procurement procedures. The report indicated that the benefits of the procedures were not clearly demonstrated even though the executives believed in their effectiveness. Similar results were provided in another 2003 re port by GAO. 2. Simplified Acquisition by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) The Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAPs) are procurement procedures authorized by the Federal Acquisition Regulations to speed up the procurement process to the benefit of the two or more parties involved. The SAPs allow for quick procurement procedures through accelerating the evaluation and selection of the contracting officers and removing unnecessary documentation procedures that can slow the procurement process (US GAO, 2001, p.2; GAO, 2003, p.2). The use of these procedures was authorized in 1994 by the Congress and at this time, it only applied for the purchases not more than $100,000. Further adjustments were made on the simplified acquisition procedures in the subsequent periods. In 1996, the Congress allowed an extension of these procurement procedures to the purchases up to $5 million worth of products or services (GAO, 2003, p.3). The program removed some of the procedural requirements involved in procurement when purchasing products worth this value in a bid to improve the operations at the business organizations and the federal agencies. The program was instituted to serve the government and the business industry in a number of ways. Firstly, the program aims at reducing the administrative costs at the federal agencies due to the improved procurement process (Straight, 2004, p.1). Various personnel involved in the usual procurement procedures make the agencies incur some huge operations costs. Secondly, the programs are aimed at improving efficiency and economy in contracting. The initiatives enable small business organizations to have a better access to the government contract since the tedious and costly procedures are not involved (Straight, 2004, p.1). The program ensures that the burden on the contracting agencies is reduced. 3. The conditions for use of simplified acquisition procedures according to the FAR It has been stated that the simplified acquisiti on procedures were extended to the purchase of items no not exceeding $5 million in order to improve the efficiency and economy of the procurement process. It is then inappropriate to apply the procedures in the situations that these desired objectives cannot be met. For instance, it will not be economical to apply the procedures for a procurement exceeding the stated value. Section 13.003 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation stipulates the federal agenc

Select an interesting Topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Select an interesting Topic - Essay Example The first word of the title says it all, and is actually quite a humbling thought. Let me explain. While I have never considered myself to be a ‘poor’ writer, I simply did not consider all of my initial drafts to be pure and utter crap. To do so would be to admit that I am not perfect. I mean, after all, who wants to admit that? Seriously, though, I have simply never considered that a first draft should never be looked upon as a paper that anyone but myself would see. Instead, I figured that if I put my thoughts down on paper in a semi-coherent manner, well, that would be enough. Now I understand otherwise. I am actually going to take quite a lot away from having read Lamott’s essay. While I may never be a professional writer, I can certainly strive to do better with recording my thoughts and ideas on paper. I should look at a first draft as an opportunity to expand my ideas and truly capture my thoughts on paper. To do this, I can take the first draft and really polish it up, looking for items I may have missed, and tossing others that, upon reflection, add little substance to the piece. When I do this, I will certainly create better work, no matter how big or small the assignment may

SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES Research Paper

SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES - Research Paper Example The whole process is often inefficient due to several documentation procedures that are often involved. The slow procurement processes are often disadvantageous to the government departments like the Department of Defense whose operations can be delayed with significance negative impacts on its mission attainment. In relation to this, the government through the congress intervened to develop procurement procedures that could be more efficient and cost-effective for relatively smaller purchases. The program was initiated in the early 1990s and has hard various improvements since then. The US General Accounting Office (GAO) has provided various reports that focus on the effectiveness of the program. This paper focuses on a 2001 report by GAO on the benefits of these new procurement procedures. The report indicated that the benefits of the procedures were not clearly demonstrated even though the executives believed in their effectiveness. Similar results were provided in another 2003 re port by GAO. 2. Simplified Acquisition by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) The Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAPs) are procurement procedures authorized by the Federal Acquisition Regulations to speed up the procurement process to the benefit of the two or more parties involved. The SAPs allow for quick procurement procedures through accelerating the evaluation and selection of the contracting officers and removing unnecessary documentation procedures that can slow the procurement process (US GAO, 2001, p.2; GAO, 2003, p.2). The use of these procedures was authorized in 1994 by the Congress and at this time, it only applied for the purchases not more than $100,000. Further adjustments were made on the simplified acquisition procedures in the subsequent periods. In 1996, the Congress allowed an extension of these procurement procedures to the purchases up to $5 million worth of products or services (GAO, 2003, p.3). The program removed some of the procedural requirements involved in procurement when purchasing products worth this value in a bid to improve the operations at the business organizations and the federal agencies. The program was instituted to serve the government and the business industry in a number of ways. Firstly, the program aims at reducing the administrative costs at the federal agencies due to the improved procurement process (Straight, 2004, p.1). Various personnel involved in the usual procurement procedures make the agencies incur some huge operations costs. Secondly, the programs are aimed at improving efficiency and economy in contracting. The initiatives enable small business organizations to have a better access to the government contract since the tedious and costly procedures are not involved (Straight, 2004, p.1). The program ensures that the burden on the contracting agencies is reduced. 3. The conditions for use of simplified acquisition procedures according to the FAR It has been stated that the simplified acquisiti on procedures were extended to the purchase of items no not exceeding $5 million in order to improve the efficiency and economy of the procurement process. It is then inappropriate to apply the procedures in the situations that these desired objectives cannot be met. For instance, it will not be economical to apply the procedures for a procurement exceeding the stated value. Section 13.003 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation stipulates the federal agenc

Principles of Macroeconomics Essay Example for Free

Principles of Macroeconomics Essay An increase of government purchases occurs after a rise in aggregate output and employment. This tends to stimulate the economy, people then tend to buy more and save less. Therefore, it results to a higher importation than exportation, known as the trade deficit. The budget deficit increases the external deficits because the exports do not proportionately increase to counterweight increase imports. This explains that a large budget deficit raises domestic interest rates and the exchange rate. With a higher exchange rate the domestic products becomes more expensive and foreign goods cheaper. Hence, the import increases while export decreases. Resulting, the trade deficit to be enlarged. Consequently, to help drive the trade and current account of the balance of payments into deficit there is a combination of a higher interest rate and a stronger currency. However, to defend that the budget deficits mainly results from tax cuts that tend to reduce both public revenues and public saving; many researchers have justified the Ricardian equivalence hypothesis. Nevertheless, these tax cuts are effective on reducing public savings and enlarging the budget deficit, equivalently they increase private saving by amount. However, Ricardo’s neutrality hypothesis recommended that the private sector views budget deficits as public investment and treats public and private investment as perfect substitutes. How do the CPI and the GDP deflator differ? Why do economists believe that the CPI overstates the rate of inflation? Is this an important problem? CPI is an accurate measure of inflation. When the price basket goes up so does the CPI. It is limited to what it measures. It only measure the prices of the goods and services purchased by the urban consumers which is about 60% of the total production of the economy whilst on the contrary the GDP deflator measures the total production in the economy. It also allows to show up in the deflator the as people respond to changing prices. With this approach, the GDP deflator is being rebound up to date expenditure patterns. Despite that CPI only measure about 60% of the total production, it helps people give the idea how it affects them because it measures the type of goods they buy. Moreover, it comes out monthly and available anytime. With the historical comparison, most of the time the CPI and GDP price deflator had the same inflation rate, and when there is a difference, they do not differ much. However, if the CPI differs from the GDP deflator, it is only by a fraction of a percentage point, even so this could be important for some economic policy decision. Many economists believe that CPI overstates the rate inflation because they think that CPI is not a good indicator of a current inflation. According to David Ranson, a U. S. economist, a better indicator of current inflation would be increases in the price of commodities because initially inflation affects commodity prices and it will probably take several years for this commodity inflation to work its way through an economy and be reflected in the CPI. It is not an important problem so long as one is using whichever measure is appropriate for their findings. Reference Quantcrunch Tutor (April 2009 ) QA in Macroeconomics http://qainmacroeconomics. blogspot. com/2009_04_01_archive. html

Acquisition and Participation Metaphors of Learning

Acquisition and Participation Metaphors of Learning Introduction A wealth of research has been devoted to the goal of understanding an array of different theories of learning which have emerged within the last 50 years. The focus of this paper is to address two specific paradigms, within which learning is now understood. These consist of the acquisition metaphor and the participatory metaphor of learning. The relative merits of each paradigm, has been evinced through a coalescence of scientific research, appropriating findings from an array of emerging fields of inquiry. Greeno (1997:14) notes that progression in the field of cognitive science has illuminated our understanding of the â€Å"processes of problem-solving, reasoning, understanding and memory†, whilst advancements in understanding social interaction are derived from â€Å"ethnography, ethnomethodology, symbolic interactionism, discourse analysis, and sociocultural psychology.† In broad terms, these two distinct lines of inquiry have fuelled the alternate metaphors of acqu isition and participation, as ways of thinking about the nature of learning. When paradigms such as these develop, they bring with them the distinctive array of terminology characteristic of the intellectual currents, which spawn them. Griffin (2003: 68) helpfully acknowledges that the reason in part why the lines of inquiry about learning have been divergent is that â€Å"different authors have used different terminology to describe the types of learning that they have studied.† Greeno (1997: 14) rightly concedes that the â€Å"prospects for theoretical advancement† are improved if the scientific agenda prizes synthesis. The proverbial maxim that ‘iron sharpens iron’ is relevant here, where the two metaphors of learning have lived through an intellectual period in binary opposition, illustrated by aspects of Brown, Collins and Duguid (1988); Andersen, Reder and Simon (1996) and Greeno (1997). Indeed, as Greeno (1997: 15) notes in his concluding remarks, à ¢â‚¬Å"the cognitive and situative perspectives are both valuable for informing discussions of educational practice, but in rather different ways.† The prismatic-like dimensions of learning have allowed it to be categorised variously, reflective of a variety of operating paradigms. Binary categorisations including â€Å"single or double loop† (Argyris and Schà ¶n, 1978); â€Å"maintenance or innovative† (Botkin et al 1979); â€Å"banking or problem-posing† (Freire 1972); â€Å"reflective or non-reflective† (Jarvis 1992); â€Å"formative or transformative† (Mezirow 1991); or â€Å"surface or deep† (Marton 1982); are all noted by Griffin (2003: 68-72). These theoretical constructions of learning, can be in part at least, subsumed within the ambit of the two metaphors in question, namely learning as ‘acquisition’ or learning as ‘participation.’ Jonassen and Land (2000: 28), note that â€Å"Resnick (1987), in her presidential address to the American Educational Research Association, examined the practices in schools, which are predicated most strongly on the acquisition metaphor, comparing them to how individuals learn and use knowledge outside of schools. Her analysis focused attention on the collaborative, contextualised, and concrete character of learning outside of school, as opposed to the individual and abstract character of learning that occurs inside of school. Arguably, it was this analysis that served as one of the principal stimuli for the development of the participatory perspective with its emphasis on situated activity.† The Participatory Metaphor While the field of cognitive psychology is well established, the fields of social psychology and cultural studies are emergent fields. The participatory metaphor of learning has grown out of these more recently emerging psychological and sociological disciplines. Brown, Collins and Duguid (1989) observed that methods of learning that try to teach abstract concepts independent of authentic situations overlook the way understanding is acquired and developed through continued, situated use. These researchers also assert that â€Å"understanding is reliant upon complex social interactions and negotiations†. Brown, Collins and Duguid’s (1989) assertion that the nature of language acquisition is analogous to the nature of all knowledge acquisition is a useful interpretive device. Language vocabulary acquisition is a relatively rapid and efficient process when learners are participants in ‘authentic situations’, in this case explained as situations where a genuine functional need for language acquisition exists in order for individuals to participate in the flow of real life conversations. Herein, learners are active participants with ‘practitioners’, indeed ‘cognitive apprentices’ as Brown, Collins and Duguid (1988) postulate. An authentic language acquisition environment, encourages the awareness of nuance and the practice of negotiation to promptly deal with uncertainty, an option, arguably not as available to students in conventional classroom settings. By way of contrast, Brown, Collins and Duguid (1989) describe typical language acquisition approaches in schools as extremely inefficient, due to the level of contrivance, belying the value of formal definition and memorisation without regular practice. According to Brown, Collins and Duguid (1989:1), knowing †¦is inextricably situated in the physical and social context of its acquisition and use.† This representation of knowing resonates with Jonassen and Land’s (2000: 28) comments that, â€Å"knowing about refers to an activity not a thing. Knowing about is always contextualised not abstract; knowing about is reciprocally constructed within the individual-environment interaction not objectively defined or subjectively created; and knowing about is a functional stance on the interactionnot a ‘truth’.† Participatory advocates underline the â€Å"inseparability of knowing and doing†, an assertion, which, if widely true, raises enormous challenges for schools and other formalised educational institutions. Brown, Collins and Duguid (1989), explore the enticing notion of ‘cognitive apprenticeship,’ positioning teachers as masters of apprentices, who utilise authentic domain activity. They make the astute observations that, â€Å"social interaction, social construction of knowledge is significant, therefore conversation, narrative and anecdote, should not be dismissed as noise.† Furthermore, they assert ‘legitimate peripheral participation’ is significant for it often involves apprentices, attempting to enter the culture. This articulation of genuine learning imbibes the sociological significance of the learning framework. The participatory metaphor of learning empowers the individual and the social group within the learning context. Other common terms noted amidst situated cognition adherents, terms such as participatory, brokering and negotiating, elevate the status and significance of the learner within the learning environment, implying an active, eng aged and enculturated role on behalf of the learner, in relation to the learning process. These concepts indicate the premise that learning is an active process, and certainly not an inert, static product, such as an intact body of rarefied knowledge, permanently beyond dispute or modification. This framework for understanding learning has real currency at a time when geo-political shifts in an increasingly globalised world and village, exposes the tentative nature of knowledge, which may have been perceived as immutably fixated in previous centuries. The elevation of the learner’s status in relation to the act and process of knowing, is an appealing way to view the nature of learning. A logical extension of this interpretation of learning, is its predilection according to Brown, Collins and Duguid (1989), for â€Å"collective problem solving, enacting multiple roles, confronting ineffective strategies, and utilising collaborative work skills.† The corresponding conviction, that learning is a transaction, also pinpoints a false assumption. In this light, it is deemed to be false, â€Å"that knowledge is individual and self-structured, that schools are neutral in terms of what is learned in them, that concepts are abstract and immutable, and are independent of the context in which they are acquired, that (JPF) behaviour should be discouraged.† Johansen and Land (2000: 84) notes ‘situated cognition’, (or SitCog to its pundits), while holding some advantages over previous foundations, does not presently offer a comprehensive account of cognition. â€Å"For SitCog to fully serve as an integrating framework, a means of accommodating multiple perspectives needs to be developed, to allow inclusion of selected ideas and practices from behaviourism, symbolic cognition, and other theories, both psychological and non-psychological.† Johansen and Land (2000) note that SitCog also presents an opportunity to define the designers role in new ways. The design task is seen in interactional, or participatory (rather than rational-planning), terms. They assert that (2000:84) â€Å"design and control become situated within the political and social context of actual learning environments. Rather than applying the best learning theory, designers and participants of learning environments honour the constraints and affordances of the local situation. A situated view of design, then, is one that supports the worthy practices of participants and stakeholders, using whatever theories, tools, or technologies at their disposal.† New situations continually recast concepts in a more densely textured form- concepts are ever evolving. Concepts are always under construction and defy categorical description Brown et al (1988) provide a clear account of situated cognition, a term noted frequently in the literature review which draws attention to the critical role of situation or context in the process of learning. The concept of situativity, is a key component of the participatory metaphor of learning. It asserts that knowledge is a product of a specific learning situation, embodying a set of cultural assumptions, which facilitate the cultural construction of knowledge The researchers advocate the â€Å"inseparability of knowing and doing†, which has enormous implications for education and learning, if their further assertion is correct, than conventional educational settings and theories of mind, disassociate knowing and doing as two distinct practices. This conceptualisation of learning acknowledges the significance of the activity, whereby authentic activities are defined as ordinary activities of the practitioners of a culture. Brown, Collins and Duguid (1989), indicate school activities are hybrid- framed within the values of one culture- school, (while attributed to the culture of another domain, such as that of the historian or the mathematician). Proponents of the need for authentic learning activities, applaud the participatory metaphor of learning. These researchers desire learning activities congruent with what practitioners do, a noble aspiration embracing the insights of the apprentice model of admission and enculturation, into the beliefs and practices of particular learning communities. The corollary, amongst some situative theorists, most notably Lave, is regrettably a fairly strident expose of the limitations of schooling, since knowing becomes transmuted within school contexts, so school culture replaces, rather tha n allows access to the authentic domain of knowledge. Assert that growing body of research into cognition undermines the notion that abstract knowledge can readily be transferred from the minds of teachers to the minds of students. â€Å"Knowing †¦is inextricably situated in the physical and social context of its acquisition and use† p1 If extracted from these, it is irretrievably transformed. Anderson, Reder and Simon (1996) attempt to distil four key claims posed by the situative learning proponents, then to systematically dismantle each one, from a viewpoint more akin to the acquisition metaphor of learning. To complicate this debate, Greeno’s (1997) rejoinder, asserts that Anderson et al (1996), misreads the paradigm of situative cognition, providing an overly simplistic distillation of the case for the ‘SitCogs’. Andersen et al (1996), state that ‘sitcogs’ claim all knowledge is context specific or context bound, yet this is going too far. Their rebuttal suggests research yet to be conducted may show that knowledge is made more transferable, when initial explicit instructions that transferability of knowledge concepts is articulated and value. They also found some research failed to find evidence of context specificity in relation to learning; that how tightly knowledge is bound to context depends upon the nature of the knowledge. Furthermore, they concluded that knowledge is more context-bound when taught in a single context, moreover links between school based competencies and workplace competencies show some correlation, diffusing a degree of the potency of some situated learning advocates. The Acquisition Metaphor The consolidated field of cognitive psychology, shaping theories of learning over several decades, has espoused the view that knowledge is a product that is capable of consumption and acquisition. This more long-standing understanding of learning has not surprisingly felt threatened by the situative cognition view. It is seen by many as a conservative or conventional conceptualisation of learning, attuned to the enculturation process of traditional schooling. A belief from within this camp, is the notion of the existence and value of abstract knowledge; deemed to be valuable in its supposed dexterity, to be able to reappear for reapplication in relation to additional contexts in meaningful ways for learners. Greeno (1997:15) admits that while more drawn to the situative learning paradigm, nonetheless, â€Å"the cognitive perspective clarifies aspects of intellectual performance and learning, with its emphasis on and clarification of informational structures of skill, knowledge, strategies and understanding.† While the situative camp has to some extent charged knowledge with an inability to be transferred, once stripped of the original context in which it is learnt, Greeno (1997), defends the participatory model. He suggests its recognition that the notion of transferability of knowledge must be examined with greater subtlety and detection of nuance. Andersen et al (1996), cites evidence of studies to show the full gamut of opinion about degrees to which knowledge transfers or not, which superficially appears to undermine the situative, participatory view, that knowledge removed from its context is diminished. The further claim attributed by Andersen et al (1996), to the situative view of knowledge and seeming attack upon the acquisition pundits, is the assertion that training by abstraction is of little use. The writers support the use of abstract instruction combined with concrete examples as a powerful approach to knowledge acquisition, citing studies which purport to demonstrate the e fficacy of abstract knowledge. Finally, they pose the claim by situative proponents, that instruction needs to be done in complex social environments. To counter this, Andersen et al notes that part training is often more effective than holistic training, exemplified through tax code being better learnt whilst removed from the social context of interaction with a tax client – thereby removed from the social environment. Furthermore, cooperative, group learning studies which are deemed to be inclusive, yet studies do not categorically show group learning to be necessarily superior. Recommendations and Conclusions Brown, Collins and Duguid (1989) recommend that since situated learning postulates that activity and perception precede conceptualisation, they therefore need to be better understood. In line with this, key terms used to bolster both the participatory and the acquisitional metaphors of learning need more precise definition. It seems that both conceptualisations of learning recognise much of the merit in the opposing camp, as well as (at least in an intuitive manner) the artificiality of binary opposition in fields of academic research and inquiry. The dialectical approach to research within the relevant scientific disciplines, appear to recognise the value and goal of synthesis, in order that robust progress in understanding of the nature of learning occurs. Bibliography Books Griffin, C et al (2003) The Theory Practice of Learning, London. Kogan Press Jonassen, D.H., and Land, S.M., (2000) Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments.. Mahwah, NJ. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Journal Articles Anderson, J. R., Reder, L. M., Simon H. A. (1996). Situated Learning and Education, Educational Researcher, Vol 25, No. 4, pp 5-11, American Educational Research Association Brown, J.S., Collins, A. Duguid, S. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher,Vol 18, No. 1, pages 32-42. American Educational Research Association Greeno, J,G. (Jan. to Feb. 1997) Response: On Claims That Answer the Wrong Questions, Educational Researcher, Vol 26, No. 1, pages 5-17, American Educational Research Association