Information Literacy And An Age Of Information Overload

Information literacy is critical today because we like in an age of information overload. There will continue to be an increase in the amounts of information. In addition, there will be expansion in technologies that is used for accessing, manipulation and creating information. The ability to find, evaluate, and share is important. Information literacy is a critical component and contributing element in lifelong learning. Information literacy has become prevalent in higher education today. More and more it has become an integral of the curriculum in both the traditional classroom and in the online classroom. Providing information literacy instructions and support to meet online distant learners’ needs can be challenging. How can faculty and librarians determine the information literacy needs of online graduate education students? Most graduate student distance learners are often working adults that for convenience sake take online classes. They may not be able to be full tim e and only part time students. They may live in remote areas or they may not be able to attend classes at specific time. They may have family responsibilities too. In addition to technical and administrative support, library support is essential to their success in online courses or programs because an inability to access and use library resources can result in frustration and can increase dropout rates in courses (Lee, 2000). Information literacy is important in student achievement and considered aShow MoreRelatedNew Medi New Digital Age1254 Words   |  6 Pages Living in a new digital age, we are seeing more computerized devices like smartphone and computers replacing old media technologies like newspaper, radio and television. Characteristics of new media as being digital, computerized, interactive and hypersexual have shaped new forms of communication. 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Youth Culture And The School Of Rock Free Essays

The movie School of Rock is a film that revolves around a first class pseudo rockstar and bogus school teacher which Jack Black portrays in the film whose exploits to find a temporary way to earn money took him inside the classroom of a prestigious grade school which he transformed from an avenue of academic learning towards his very own band practice and rehearsal studio, complete with a new set of band mates to replace the ones that dumped him at the early part of the film (Christian Spotlight on Entertainment, 2003). The movie takes a spin on education, and how it is important to teach students not just the sciences, math, history, English, literature, art and current events, but as well as the craft in looking more inwardly and less outwardly. While the seemingly unnoticeable improbable areas of the movie was not sought by most viewers, the poor manner by which the principal hires teachers which proves potent in jeopardizing the school’s erstwhile good standing and high esteem is highly improbable considering that the protocol for hiring could have immediately alerted the principal about the fraudulent effort of Black. We will write a custom essay sample on Youth Culture And The School Of Rock or any similar topic only for you Order Now But because of the effort to justify the point of the creators of School of Rock, viewers are forced to accept the fictional situation Black was into to see how both plot and conflict progresses towards the impending climax of the movie that threads the borderline separating propriety from rebellious attitude, norms and deviance, piety and blasphemy, and the overall outlook of what is right and wrong. I. The extent of the critique that the movie School of Rock provided when it comes to criticizing the existing youth culture as portrayed in the movie can be found in the manner by which that particular age (prep school) was portrayed – including all of the noticeable characteristics of the age group the most important of which is compliance and being overly impressionable. Obviously, the aim of the movie is to glorify rock n roll, and one of the most dedicated soldier of rock n roll – Jack Black – was sent on another mission to educate the modern day heathens of rock n roll by describing children inside prep schools as nothing but geeks, grade-conscious smart alecks, bullies and insecure individuals. That is the main premise of the critique of the movie about the existing youth culture today, but that does not seem to be consistent with the current youth lifestyle. Thanks to technology, music became alive in the digital sphere, and can be accessed more conveniently. Real-world kids with the same age and profile as the kids presented in the movie may have their Ipods on most of the time in between class lessons and at home, their Internet powered computers make them closer to more rock music and rock n roll culture. They listen to rap-metal bands like Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit and punk rockers like Avril Lavigne and Green Day. In the age of MTV, they do not just get to listen to their rock idols; they also get to see them even when there are no scheduled concerts. Because of this, the attack of the movie on the existing youth culture and how it is bereft of rock can be merely deduced into something that the movie presumes. Youth culture is generally the result of the influence of the adults that surround a particular youth and influence him or her either by directly shaping the behavior through conscious actions or efforts or as a result of how a particular youth’s subconscious mind reacts to the experience he or she shares with a person, ultimately creating influence in the youth’s mind and the culture to which it responds and reacts to. Most of the parents portrayed in the film are consistently admonishing their kids to focus on studies and make little time for less important things, like playing the musical instrument and later on, listening to rock n roll albums (Sweat, 2008). The movie illustrates the situation of the youth and the adults when it comes to culture building and cultivating – the youth are generally in a greater position to be left without any other options or alternatives towards what culture to embrace, and that is why there are those who are subservient to the culture that is introduced to the youth. In the movie School of Rock, the prevailing youth culture among the students is a culture that is characterized by the desire to learn, the desire to please the parents with good grades, the desire to go with the existing school program not generally because they were forced to like it but because they were left with very little choice in the options detailing the culture they may and can embrace, a situation that changed when Black arrived (Christian Spotlight on Entertainment, 2003). Characters like Summer Hathaway illustrate the fact that while being submerged in a culture that leaves very little option for variety, selection and the exercise of free will, that still, there is a very good way of making the most of what is being presented to the individual and come out from that experience a better person. The movie did not indicate that the children have bad parents; it just so happen that they did not know rock n roll in any of its types of forms that made the infusion of rock in their new school life as a totally exciting and new experience. The culture of subservience and the characteristic of the students to adapt is the existing youth culture; rock and roll was not the symbolic youth culture – it was the fact that sooner of later a new influence will be introduced to the youth and to the existing culture and this new idea/belief/system will either replace the old culture or assimilate itself to the old culture and create an entirely new and different culture. What happened to the students of School of Rock is the experiencing of the culture change that underwent transformation via the assimilation of a new idea/culture; when they learned how to enjoy rock, the change generally affected the outlook and not the aspects of the student/youth’s life that characterizes the complete taking over of a new culture – remember that music is already part of the youth culture embraced by these children in the movie, as portrayed and established early in the film (Christian Spotlight on Entertainment, 2003). They were excellent musicians who were all oddly enough exposed to classical music and a dose of pop music that included Christina Aguilera and Puff Daddy. And more importantly, they did not slack from studying and that the new musical education was showed as something that the parents later on happily integrated to the culture of their children, and it goes to show that music is not the blanket culture but a section of the culture that is generally about malleability in adjusting to the changing times. There are areas in the American youth culture criticism of the movie towards real life situation that is generally done in poor taste, particularly how some of the students were made to represent stereotyped characters in a modern day grade school – Lawrence, who was an Asian American student was stereotyped as the Asian geek; Billy was a gay stereotype (note the reference to Lisa Minnelli, another effort at stereotyping), a particular aspect of the movie that was also noticed by individuals making comments about the movie in the Christian Spotlight on Entertainment website. All in all, the extent of the critique included the criticism on the use of extreme rigidity to make students obedient, compliant and disciplined which may not be necessary now since more and more schools are now taking a different approach towards a more liberal take on music as well as of life and how these are integrated in the overall holistic approach towards an improved way of student self development. There was also an area in the criticism of the youth culture via the use of the movie that defeats itself – youth culture today is not in need of an out of the box experience to be able to experience pop culture because youth is pop culture, and rock n roll is not a musical elitists anymore that the youth are ignorant about it and the parents of the students are disturbed by the impact of rock n roll to the youth and the assimilation of this type of music to the youth culture. Somehow, the writer and the director of the film made poor research about the drastic change in the personality of rock and how it has crossed towards becoming a mainstream entity that it is today – is rock music is indeed something that does not go well with learning and studying, then why is there a product called Multiplication Rock, wherein the lessons in mathematics are taught using rock music? Why are there products like Toddlers Sing Rock N Roll which is being distributed as a for sale items that parents enjoy and even recommend having? Why is the discussion on rock n roll and the links to related articles found in educational and learning support websites like Lee’s Summit? II. The movie, however focused on the rockstar dreams of the character of Jack Black, put a serious statement regarding the perceived ‘stiffness’, strictness and lack in personality found in some of the schools in America. In the movie, it was clear that prior to Black’s entry to the school system, the students are characterized as compliant to the system, and it was only Black and his effort to teach the kids rock n roll that became the avenue to which the students learned to infuse personal decision and personal direction in how their lives will shape out, and not depend entirely on the system that is designed to make them compliant and obedient members of the society (Christian Spotlight on Entertainment, 2003). Black was trying to teach the kids one of the basic tenets of rock n roll, and that is the characteristic that allows for the constant challenging of the norms, which, according to Black, was an action that is known as ‘sticking it out to the man’. Rock n roll was the instrument that Black used so that the students were made aware of the fact that it is important to known one’s self and reconcile one’s self with the realities in life. The effect manifested itself later on in the movie – there were go-getters and self expression was unhampered by the consideration that they should first please other people and consider first their opinion and say. Because of the breaking of the cycle that makes students compliant through the influence of the school system, some members of the class started understanding themselves and making reality check on their mindset. Music was an effective tool because unlike the other aspects of the youth culture imposed and forced upon them, music is not force-fed to them; it was continuously opening new doors that allowed for many personal conflicts and personal problems to be addressed. The character Zack Mooneyham found rock n roll as an effective way for him to express his artistic side by not just covering songs but also by getting the chance to write and play songs which he himself wrote; the character Freddy Jones managed to re-direct his anger and obvious penchant for hostility by becoming a full fledged drummer and percussionist; Tomika managed to overcome her insecurity about her weight problem while the rest of the band’s support crew showed marked excellence in their particular assignment during the performance night. This may not be included in the curriculum, but the children are learning different new things in a different way. III. The movie also indicated how much influence school is, not just in providing an avenue wherein the students can harness their economically viable skills which they can use when they grow up and become members of the workforce, it also showed that the experiences of a student inside the school, as well as the culture wherein a student is a part of, are crucial factors in the formation of the cognition and drive of the student towards what he or she wanted to become as a member of the workforce. Brian Falduto’s character already knew what he can and cannot do, and the rock project allowed for him to showcase his potential. This was the case of Summer, who was also showing inclination in making the managing of the band a serious business that can lead to a full time career in the future. While these may all be temporary for these fictional characters, the point is that rock n roll gave the students a chance so that they themselves can see what they wanted to do most probably when they grow up, and get a crack at that with a head start this early. The authoritarian conflict that the students are already subjected to even when Black was not even in their lives was mirrored by Black’s identical authoritarian leadership when he came into the lives of the students, which was in irony about the fact that Black’s character was all about going against the system and sticking it to the man. But Black nonetheless proved to be the tipping point for the students who, through the short course of time they were together prior to the battle of the bands, were already showing signs of skills and competencies that they may or may not use as part of their professional capacity range once they started their active participation in the work and labor strata. Conclusion – It is easily understandable that what Black was hinting on is that the youth culture of today is bereft of the impact and influence of old school rock artists, and it is because of Black’s puritan outlook that School of Rock has become less and less of an effort to show how music influences lives and instead becoming the one man act of the shoving of Black of a particular type of music from a particular era of rock to kids who are exposed to the rock music of their age and time. Black was worshiping his particular understanding of rock n roll so much that the criticism for youth culture did not have enough legs to stand on – it was being attacked by a work of fiction that does not engender musical heterogeneity, which was made obvious during the time when Black showed intolerance to the mere mention of musical artists who are not included in his rock n roll list. Black and his character was a snob, and at the end, he showed how he is not a teacher one bit by showing very poor characteristics and capabilities that is necessary for effective teaching. In retrospect, the movie seemed like a criticism about the lifestyle of rock n roll puritans who cannot and would not go anywhere because of the culture that they imbibe. The kids, it turned out, are all right after all – the question is, can they say the same thing for the character of Black in the movie and his own culture? Maybe what needs a serious scrutiny and criticism is the youth culture of people like Black’s character in the movie. They should stop seeing grade school student as idiots and innocents when it comes to music and perhaps with that, they may be able to provide a more youth culture critique. How to cite Youth Culture And The School Of Rock, Papers

Computer Piracy Essay Example For Students

Computer Piracy Essay Computer piracy is when software gets copied without permission from the copyright holder. This means that the copyright holder (usually the one who makes the software) will not get any reward for his/her product. It is illegal to infringe the copyright law and can result in imprisonment and/or fines. There are five types of software piracy. These include: softlifting, hard disk loading, renting, downloading, and software counterfeiting. Softlifting is when someone buys a single licensed copy of the software and loads it on several computers, contrary to the license. So if the program is loaded into friends and co-workers computers there will be a breach of the copyright. An exception can be made because the user has the right to make one backup copy for emergency use only. Hard disk loading is then unauthorized copies of software are placed on the disk when you buy a new personal computer. This is a way for the computer dealers to sell a computer at a low price with an added value f or their customers. The computer market is competitive and computer dealers try really hard to sell a PC that includes so much software and hardware as possible with a low price. Renting is having software for temporary use. This means that I is illegal to rent software for a while and then give it back. I had always wondered how you could rent Nintendo and other games but no computer software, but that is because it is loaded on a computer no just put into a drive. Downloading is where you connect VIA modem from your computer. As much of you know you can find just about any software you want to if you search the Internet. This is called pirated software (AKA Warez). Unauthorized copyrighted software can easily spread this way. Software counterfeiting is the illegal duplication of software. I think this branch of piracy is increasing because the CD rewritable drives now. It is nothing to put a windows 98 CD in and burn it to a blank CD. Sometimes it can be really difficult to determine whether the software is original or if it is an illegal copy. The documentation may look like the original but the money you pay for it never gets bak to the copyright holder. Some instances of piracy in my opinion are ok. I know many people who have borrowed a friends game or other software, and put it their computer. Not only is this ILLEGAL, but you get lack of tech support from the software maker, lack of upgrades, and get inadequate documentation. Some people think software piracy is ok as long as the person they get it from doesnt gain a profit. Some people do it to save money or because they think everyone else pirated software so why shouldnt I. Because of software piracy software companies lose billions of dollars so they raise the price of the software. So I think piracy is just the consumers way of fighting back at the extreme prices. I hope you have gained a knowledge of the different types of software piracy: softlifting, hard disk loading, renting, downloading, and software counterfeiting. Software piracy is illegal and can have serious consequences. Speech and Communications

The Alibaba Company Strategy

Introduction A strategy direction is an overall plan for deploying organizational resources with a view of establishing a favorable business position. It shows a company’s awareness of its competitors. Attracting and retaining customers is the ultimate goal of strategic management in the achievement of economies of scale.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Alibaba Company’s Strategy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A number of factors that include the company’s structure, competitive position of the organization, current policies, and functional processes play a crucial role in determining the viability of strategies that need to be implemented in the business. However, such factors have to be evaluated profoundly according to the recommendations for execution of the strategies. The Alibaba Company is an online marketing business that bridges wholesalers and retailers all over the world. A r obust online marketing strategy is the sole determinant of the company’s success. Innovation requires establishment of a stable and competitive position in the ever-dynamic online business. This essay critically discusses the interplay of the abovementioned factors with a view of highlighting apt ways implementing the strategic recommendations. Recommendations for the Management of the Alibaba Company To remain abreast with modern business activities that are driven by unpredictable technology, the Alibaba Company is recommended to invest in innovation, web-based customer services, employee training, and electronic human resource (EHR) systems. A vast application of information technology in present-day business has become a norm in modern organizations. The Alibaba Company is faced with a challenge of handling a million inquiries from its enormous customer pool worldwide. Establishment of a web-based customer support forum will not only handle common customer questions at a time but will also minimize communication costs that are incurred by the company and its customers.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Frequent questions that pertain to the location of the business, working hours and types of services and products will be answered via the web easily rather than making calls to the individual customers. Secondly, the Alibaba Company has an enormous employee population. Workforce issues form an integral part of human resource roles. With this high number of employees in different countries globally, it has become an enormous problem for the human resource managers to handle individual cases. Therefore, there is a need to establish electronic human resource services in the company to handle cases that arise from the infinite number of employees. The implementation of a web-based human resource site that allows employees to report working hours, t ax withholding options, and beneficiary services, among other responsibilities will be an efficient method of minimizing the operational costs of the company. At the Alibaba Company, employees have to send a request for change through the central human resource office and remain hopeful that it will be considered. This situation has created an obstacle to the employees since most of them do not understand the manipulation of taxes and payrolls. Therefore, designing a user-friendly tool that allows individual employees to input most of the information in a computer interface creates an immense workload relief to the human resource staff. This situation creates more time for the HR department to provide a quality response to the customer needs; hence, the employees remain motivated. There is also a need to train employees on self-management skills to minimize unnecessary consultations that can lead to time wastage within the organization. This situation will also reduce instances of a uthorizations that direct report managers have to approve. As a result, redundancy of the HR activities will be lightened.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Alibaba Company’s Strategy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Changing the office of the HR manager to a portal is the primary objective of this strategic recommendation. Today, many firms provide universal access to HR services using technology and web-based applications. This situation has radically changed the practice of human resource management. These changes often result from the need to cut costs, expand, and improve services. Organizations that adopt refined HR technology tools outperform those that do not. Therefore, implementation of this recommendation is paramount to the success the Alibaba Company. It will help the HR to change the business operations of the company. It will also cut unnecessary costs. Moreover, the Alibaba Company shoul d document transaction records using various means such as hand-written books, physical storage vaults, electronic, and/or online data recording avenues. These methods of storage will result in increased savings since the time for reviewing and approving manual records will be reduced significantly. For instance, in case operators make mistakes during data entry, electronic systems will prompt them to make real-time corrections to prevent adverse effects on company data. Functional Policies that Favor Implementation of Strategic Recommendations Functional policies are a set of standardized guidelines or procedures meant to guide an organization’s workforce on proper ways to provide products and services. It is the sole responsibility of management to outline these procedures, especially for an international business and ensure their strict adherence for the business to remain competitive and operational. Standardization ensures stability of the company’s capital activi ties and fosters productive relationships of employees. A careful study of the Alibaba Company reveals that there is a need for the management to redefine its structure to keep its workforce abreast with the dynamic environmental and technological changes in the modern regardless of the functional rules in place.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The management will need to standardize its processes by preparing precise instructions for the employees to ensure efficiency and proper organization of the business. Some of these directions include proper analysis of all business operations of the Alibaba Company, preparing the company for change, process monitoring, developing a plan for streamlining and formalizing the company processes, and identifying the company’s weaknesses in effectiveness and performance. Change management is necessary as it handles human behavior and attitudes, some of which hamper the success of projects due to a tendency to resist change. On the other hand, process management involves specific tasks executed by the company’s workforce and systems in a guided way to attain specified objectives or results. The marketing strategy recommendation forms an integral part of the Alibaba Company. Senior managers in the company need to understand the importance of inculcating an innovative culture. This situation can be achieved by engaging key decision-makers, marketing managers in fundamental marketing functions of the company, such as strategy formulation. It is important to engage managers in strategy formulation to ensure smooth implementation of changes in the organization. This situation reduces chances of resistance. There is a need to ensure respectable personal interactions between senior managers and departmental managers. Therefore, removing organizational communication hurdles can fruitfully encourage mutual consultations among management. In the prevalence of technological dynamism, creating a room for rapid and timely flow of information is inevitably important. As an online-based business, the Alibaba Company must ensure fast communication processes. It is also important for the company to delegate authority to marketing managers as this move enhances flexibility to adapt to changes. The senior management should create a favorable atmosphere of innovativeness, responsiveness, and openness. The strategy of empowering the marketing manager is very effective. It ensures the development of personal values and interpersonal relationships. This situation encourages them to engage other stakeholder firms actively. The ultimate goal of authority delegation to marketing managers is provision of support to innovative practices in the organization. Fostering interactions amongst different management levels fosters commitment and trust. The marketing department of this company will explore ways of remaining knowledgeable of the latest market trends through conducting a market survey over the internet. The information gathered will be weighed against the current position of the organization. This survey will entail new trends such as social media marketing and advertising, brand recognition, and company’s growth rate against competitors, among other market-related variables. The company will also look into its current position concerning techn ological changes. In the advent of online marketing, which has been adopted by many business organizations, the management cannot relent on keeping abreast with the latest online marketing practices. The management of the Alibaba Company has recommended training its Information Technology (IT) department to keep pace with technological advancement. This responsibility is crucial to positioning the company competitively up-to-datee technologically. Some key roles of the IT department would include prompt updating of information on websites regarding products descriptions and their prices. Furthermore, there is a need to ensure availability of promotional services and products to attract more customers. The strategic role of top management is to provide the necessary support to the IT managers to ensure that plans to keep pace with technological changes are implemented in time. Evaluating the Organizational Structure of the Alibaba Company Organizational structure influences informati on flow, coordination of work, and decision making as part of strategy implementation. A company’s structure is based on some proportions, which determine the successful implementation of top managerial strategic directions. The directions include formalization, centralization, and specialization. A formal structure is the one governed by rules and procedures that provide a means for defining appropriate work practices. The Alibaba Company currently adopts an organic structure. Horizontal and vertical communication models characterize this structure. Although this structure enhances flexibility of roles, it cannot be the best for the company. To encourage a collaborative and innovation supported culture, the organization can do better with a structure that removes superiority. Since the Alibaba Company is an online business that primarily depends on dynamic market changes, it should adopt a centralized structure. To achieve innovation and achieve strategic marketing direction s the company will adopt the specialization structure. This structure allows specialist to tackle tasks that they are best suited. This phenomenon will ensure that within the departments only the specialists handle the relevant tasks. For instance, the marketing department can focus on cooperative promotions and advertising, pricing, distributor relations and proper identification of market segments. E-marketing forms the basis of the company. Specialization in the marketing department will contribute significantly to the company’s success. The Company’s Culture Organizations culture comprises shared beliefs, norms, and values in an organization. It is the basis for strategic directions as its influences formulation and successful implementation. Culture influences strategy implementation in various ways. A flexible and stable culture brings about partnerships, togetherness, teamwork, and cooperation among the company’s workforce. On the other hand, a culture of resistance will derail success of the business. As an online business, the Alibaba Company will create and sustain a collaborative culture that will ensure active interdependent interactions among department managers and the top management. This situation will create an amicable environment for creative consultations besides encouraging support for new ideas. The Alibaba Company will focus on cultural alignment. When the culture sides with strategy implementation, the company positions itself efficiently in the international market. Culture allows staff to practice dedication and honesty when working individually or in a team. For technological innovation to be successfully implemented the company will need to encourage an innovation culture through the provision of necessary support. This support can be based on managerial, financial, or labor aspects. This situation calls for the entire company workforce to be well aware of the importance of innovation. Next, each person will see the need to support new ideas. The ultimate achievement is success of the company. Adaptability to the rapid change in the modern-day business calls for a culture that allows employees to switch to new ways of doing business. Proposed Functional Tactics, Cultural, and Structural Changes for the Alibaba Company The company will need to address functional policies, culture, and the current structure if successful implementation is to be realized. Change and process management procedures will be properly executed to keep the employees and departmental managers focused on the goal and processes of the company. The top management of the Alibaba Company has to outline rules and procedures to avoid duplication of processes and deviations. These policies should be enforced in each department. Proper training is also required for the employees to understand the importance of adherence. Successful implementation of the marketing strategies will require delegation of authority to managers. It is advisable for the company to discard the formalized structure and embrace specialization as the latter ensures that activities are not generalized. Only specialists in the particular departments handle them. This move avoids unnecessary costs by eliminating incompetent decisions that result in losses and poor performance. It also ensures time efficiency because experts formulate the implementation decisions. Cultural alignment is paramount to fruitful strategy implementation. It ensures that the company to encourages adaptability and stability. Employees should be thoroughly educated on the importance of the vital cultural practices. The management can achieve this through goal definition and goal unification. Managers should define culture in terms of performance, development, customer orientation, goal orientation, and administration to take care of the overall objectives of the organization. Obstacles/Constraints and Management Solutions The management can face a number of ob stacles during implementation of strategies. Such obstacles include financial constraints to fund market surveys and research. In addition, the company can face employee resistance in cases where change has to be implemented. Insufficient guidelines can result in poor execution of business strategies. Inexperienced employees lack adequate knowledge about implementation of new strategies in the business. To improve the application of new strategies, some elements need to be tackled. The management should be in a position to ensure availability of important resources, communication channels, and distinct action plans. Failure to empower people in the organization creates an inferiority complex. This state of affairs hinders the motivation among employees. Conclusion From the above discussion, it is evident that strategy implementation is not an easy task. It is the duty of the management to outline functional policies. It should also adopt an appropriate structure that aligns with the organizational culture. Coupled with the involvement of the management, innovation, and technological competency, this situation will ultimately lead to the overall success of the Alibaba Company. The key strategy of online marketing requires a specialization structure that calls for recruitment of competent specialists in various departments in the organization. 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Skyscraper Architect William Le Baron Jenney

Skyscraper Architect William Le Baron Jenney Famous for his large commercial buildings, William LeBaron Jenney helped launch the Chicago School of architecture and pioneered skyscraper design. Background: Born: September 25, 1832 in Fairhaven, Massachusetts Died: June 15, 1907 Education: Studied engineering at Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard University1853-1856: Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, Paris, France Important Projects: 1868: Col James H. Bowen House, Hyde Park, Illinois1871: West Park System, Chicago1871: Riverside Water Tower, Riverside Community, Illinois1879: Leiter Building (First), Chicago (Demolished in 1972)1885: Home Insurance Building, Chicago (Demolished in 1931)1891: Second Leiter Building (Sears, Roebuck Building), Chicago1891: Ludington Building, Chicago1891: Manhattan Building, Chicago1893: Horticultural Building, Worlds Columbian Exposition, Chicago Related People: Note that except for Olmsted, Jenney (1832-1907) was about 15 to 20 years older than these other influential architects and planners. Part of Jenneys importance in architectural history- an element of every architects legacy- is his mentorship of others. Louis Sullivan (1856-1924)Daniel H. Burnham (1846-1912)William Holabird (1854-1923)Cass Gilbert (1859-1934)Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) Jenneys Early Years: Born into a family of New England ship owners, William Le Baron Jenney grew up to become a teacher,   engineer, landscape planner, and pioneer of building technologies. During the Civil War he and fellow New Englander Frederick Law Olmsted helped engineer better sanitary conditions for the Northern troops, an experience that would shape most all of his future work. By 1868, Jenney was a practicing architect designing private homes and Chicago parks. One of his first commissions was interconnected parks- known today as Humboldt, Garfield, and Douglas parks- designed in the manner of what his friend Olmsted was doing. Working in Chicago, Jenney designed West Parks, where tree-lined boulevards connect an extensive system of connecting parks. Jenneys residential architecture was similarly designed, as a series of interconnected rooms within an open floor plan- free, roaming, and connected like the West Park System. The Swiss Chalet style Bowen house is a good example of this type of ar chitecture, which was later popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959). In addition to his building designs, Jenney made a name for himself as a town planner. With Olmsted and Vaux, he helped create the plan for Riverside, Illinois. Jenneys Most Important Contributions: Jenneys greatest fame came from his large commercial buildings. His 1879 Leiter building was an experiment in engineering, using the popular cast iron and masonry to support large exterior openings filled with glass. Again, natural light was as important an element in Jenneys tall buildings as it was in his designs of park systems. The Home Insurance Building in Chicago was one of the first buildings to use a new metal, steel, as a   skeleton for support. It became the standard for American skyscraper design. Jenneys skeleton-frame Manhattan Building was the first to achieve a height of 16 stories. His Horticultural Building was the largest botanical conservatory ever built. Student draftsmen who learned from Jenney included Daniel H. Burnham, Louis Sullivan, and William Holabird. For this reason, Jenney is considered the founder of the Chicago School of architecture, and perhaps the father of the American skyscraper. Learn More: Chicago Skyscrapers, 1871-1934 by Thomas Leslie, University of Illinois Press, 2013The Chicago School of Architecture by Carl W. Condit, University of Chicago Press, 1998 Sources: William Le Baron Jenney by Theodore Turak, Master Builders, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Wiley, 1985, pp. 98-99; The City in a Garden, Chicago Park District at www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/history/city-in-a-garden/west-park-system/ [accessed May 12, 2016]

Building Owners and Managers Association

Grade A building as standardized by Building Owners and managers Association (BOMA) is addressed to buildings having finishes of top quality standard, exceptional accessibility, state of the art systems as well as concrete presence of market. Grade A building has top-notch features like impressive architectural design, interior decorations and innovative design. Grade A buildings are maintained by trustworthy panies having prestigious area of city and goof reputation. The current report provides a brief for investigating regarding constituents of ‘Grade A specification’ examining issues and evaluating international literature/guidance, local practice, criteria for determining ‘Grade A specification’ class with particular reference to electrical and mechanical provision of services. Case studies are also provided to support arguments and r mendations have been provided in the current report. The aesthetics, age, features and infrastructures usually classify specifications of the buildings. This system of classifying buildings were created for surveyors and agents of real estate for justifying office space price as well as prepare information of market and survey buildings. According to the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), grade A building has finishes of high quality standards, state of the art systems, definitive market presence and top class accessibility. Office spaces that has highest quality standard belong to Grade A office building with updated and advanced features. Grade A office buildings are usually maintained by panies having trustworthy management system and are aesthetically appreciable. Generally, Grade A office buildings have special construction features like raised floors, lifts, suspended ceilings, air conditioning and other state of the art facilities and features. These offices are highly furnished with marbles, tiles, mahogany finishes and glass lobbies. These office buildings depicts symbol of luxury, elegance and sophistication. Another easy way to determine whether a building is of Grade A specification is by the height of building. Usually Grade A buildings have large dimensions, high ceilings and are usually skyscrapers. As per guidelines by British council of offices (BCO), a grade A office should have a workplace density of 8 – 13 m 2 with around 6 m 2 means of escape. Approximately 10 – 12 m 2 of core elements are present in such buildings. On floor services constitutes around 8 – 10 m 2 of area. Floor plate efficiency of low-rise buildings is around 80 – 85 %. For deep plan, window-to-window depth is of 15 – 21 m and window to core is around 6 – 12 m. In case of shallow plans, window-to-window is around 12 – 15 m and window to core is around 6 – 7.5 m. Floor to ceiling height is around 2.6 – 2.75 m with around 2.45 m refurbishment.   The planning grids is around 1.5 m by 1.5 m with a column grid of 7.5 m, 9 m, 12 m and 15 m. Around 10 m 2 of male to female ratio is around 60% by 60% toilet provision. Performance requirements for lift should be about 80% with less than 25 seconds of waiting time and up to 12% handling capacity l ess than 90 seconds of time for destination. Approximately 150 mm overall raised floors with typical floor refurbishment of 100 mm and trading floors of around 300 – 500 mm is required top classify the building as Grade A office (Bco.org.uk 2017). Finished floor to underside of ceiling Less than 90 seconds (Till 15th floors) Table 1: Grade Aoffice specification as per BCO The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) is a professional organization for US and Canada based mercial real estate professionals that provides specification for office. BOMA has defined grade A buildings as the most high quality buildings that are used for peting executive and top class office users with building rents more than average of the area. The buildings have top quality standard finish, systems that are state of the art as well as top notch accessibility, which is extremely efficient as well as presence of a definitive market. Visually attractive facades, attractive finishing. Class A buildings are described as the most premium buildings at best locations Advanced designing methods with updated and current standards, very well maintained with updated security. Building is generally situated in CBD and identifiable location with convenient access. Class A buildings use classic design methods especially with concrete and steel structure. Superior interior quality as well as exterior quality finishes is used for curtain walls including elevators and washrooms. Top quality management practices are present with enhanced services and security, HVAC, maintenance, quality and environmental management. Class A buildings contain systems meeting industry standards with automated electrical, mechanical, safety and security systems as well as electrical systems. The backup power system is also available in these buildings. Class A buildings hold at least one environmental certification such as BOMA 3 or 4 LEED that is responsible for sustainable practices in place. Call systems that include maximum response time, security, maintenance, tenant coordination and administration as well. Additional services are also present such as fitness centers, conference centers, cafeteria and food courts as well as restaurants, dry cleaning services, ATM and Wi-Fi services. Table 2: Grade Aoffice specification as per BOMA Office market performance in Dublin Ireland is approximately 2866787 sq. ft. The vacancy rate being 7.8% and a prime rent of 55-60 Euros per sq. ft., market performance is quite good in Dublin. The stock under construction is around 3099789 sq. ft. Currently Grade A buildings that are pleted and available in Dublin is around 80000 sq. feet with nothing larger than 60000 sq. ft in the city centre. 3.7% of the vacant stock is only available through lease currently. Specifications of the building is governed by BREEAM standard with building life of 15 years for air handling units, 20 years for chillers, 20 years for boilers, 20 years for pump sets, 15 years for pressurization units. 20 years for humidifiers, 20 years for control panels, 15 years for luminaries, 15 years for chilled beam units and lifts for 20 years are also governed. Office depths for ground to fourth floor is around 13.85m and fifth to sixth floor is around 12.4m. The 4th to 6th floor should have a clear floor to ceiling cover of 2900-millimeter cover. Import floor loadings should be around 2.5 kilo Newton per meter square. Raised floor building service suspended ceiling loading should be around 0.85-kilo Newton per meter square glazing in doors and windows should be double glazed sealed clear glass. U value should be as per building regulations. The basis of a small overloading will be around 25 Watt per meter square. The basis of gain of heat for lighting will be a maximum of 12 watt per meter square. Electrical Engineering Services will also be a basis for the design of the following elements with office mechanical lighting of 10 watt per meter square, general lighting of 1 watt per meter square. Small power for mechanical services engineering should be in watt per meter square and mechanical services for general should be around 60 watt per meter square. The lifts should be consuming 5 watt per meter square in a little space of 151 per meter square. Fire alarm system should be design as per BS standard 589 types 2.9 with open call analogue system that is addressed. It should be manageable form a ground floor central control panel through interface. The security system should be accessed via proximity sensor card that covers main entrances and floors of property owner areas. Intruder alarm is present in each floor and a vi deo inte system on maintaining a munication between grounds for reception individual. Lighting levels in the plant should be around 200 lux and lighting to the office area should be around 350 lux. Maintained in average with the open plan the overall uniformity ratio of around 0.8 at the defined task area or at desk height should be incorporated. Simple systems of automated lighting should be provided in accordance with BREEM, ADL and CRCEES (Jll.ie 2017). Mechanical services provided consists of the imposed floor loadings should be approximately of 2.5 kN/m 2 , demountable partitions supernumerary to the above loadings are 1 kN/m 2 .   The raised floors, services of buildings with suspended ceiling loads are around 0.85 kN/m 2 .   The curtain wall system consists of opaque as well as clear glazing to the main entrances as well as feature stairs. The flat rain screens panels of rear of the stair cores and main cores are included as well as perforated metal screenings are louvers towards the plant roof. The aluminum window systems need to be coated with thermally broken frames of polyester power coating. The total insulation U value is according to the current regulations of building. Glazing is of double glazed type and lifts provided consists of 2 x 12 person lifts that serves basement to sixth floor and ground to sixth floor. The stainless steel coverings of the door consist of 900 mm wide openings framing system. There needs to be a 100mm overall raised system of flooring of medium grade for providing nominal zone of approximately 70mm clear void through use of 600 x 600 mm encapsulated panel with system of adjustable steel pedestal. The ceiling metal tile system needs to be around 150 and 330 micro perforated. External conditions of the dry bulb summer to be around 29 0 C, wet bulb summer to be around 19 0 C, dry bulb winter to be around -4 0 C and wet bulb winter to be around -5 0 C. The heating systems needs to be conditioned according to constant active multi service chilled beams volume that is suspended directly to the soffit for giving clear minimum ceiling height of 2650 mm AFFL cooling and heating demand through air sensors that is located at occupied space. The three-park place of Dublin Ireland is a Grade A building used for office purpose. The building is ideal as office location as it helps in maintaining a proper work life balance. The concert venues, galleries, museums, colleges, universities and museums are in close proximity of the building. It has a substructure specification that includes ground floor slab of 320-millimeter thickness reinforced concrete floor slabs. The structural flat slab in situ concrete thickness is 324 mm. External walls have a high quality double glazed proprietary system of curtain walling having a silicone external frameless joint as well as pacified glass insulated spandrel panels for elevations to hatch street. Three-park place in Dublin has met the specifications and criteria of being a Grade A office building as it has highly efficient as well as flexible floor plates. The reception is impressive and has double height. It is targeted by LEED platinum and the reception, toilet, shower facilities and lobby is finished as per highest corporate standard. The building has excellent shower and bike facilities, natural lighting for floor, standby generators, efficient LED PIR lighting, raised access floors, 4 pipe air conditioning systems with blank thermal storage bank is present with a total occupancy density of 1.7 m 2 . There are six high-speed 17 passenger lifts with efficient rainwater harvesting system. The raised access floor has a void of around 200mm. The total suspended ceiling has a void of 400 mm. The total floor to ceiling height is around 2.83 m.   Ã‚   It can be concluded that Grade A office buildings maintain quality standards of buildings that provides the user with fort as well as energy efficiency. Further it is also seen that Grade A office buildings have excellent mechanical as well as electrical properties. Advanced designing methods with updated and current standards, very well maintained with updated security is used in grade A office buildings. Class A buildings also use classic design methods especially with concrete and steel structure. Superior interior quality as well as exterior quality finishes is used for curtain walls including elevators and washrooms. Office market performance in Dublin Ireland is approximately 2866787 sq. ft with a vacancy rate being 7.8% and a prime rent of 55-60 Euro per sq. ft, grade A office buildings have a strong hold in Dublin, Ireland. Electrical Engineering Services is based for the design of the following elements with office mechanical lighting of around 10 watt per meter square and g eneral lighting of 1 watt per meter square. It is r mended that Grade A office buildings should ply with BREEM standards and energy efficiency. Further, the electrical equipments should also be ensured to be energy efficient. The office buildings should also incorporate renewal of office wastes and keep recycling process available. Sustainability within the building should be maintained suing lean approach and further improvements of the building should also be incorporated such as introduction of cloud based IOT within different building ponents like video inte and CCTV cameras. Bco.org.uk, 2017, British Council of Offices [online], Available at: https://www.bco.org.uk/ [Accessed 25 Apr. 2017] Jll.ie, 2017, 2016 Dublin Office Market Outlook [online], Available at: https://www.jll.ie/ireland/en-ie/Research/JLL%20Dublin%20Office%20Market%20Review%20and%20Outlook%202016.pdf?fb56ea68-273e-43f7-b8b1-62d6178406c1 [Accessed 25 Apr. 2017]

Reflection paper on a documentary Night And Fog(1955) directed by Essay

Reflection paper on a documentary Night And Fog(1955) directed by Alain Resnais - Essay Example The film combines both images and narrated stories to unveil a great deal of evidence of atrocities that were committed in Europe in the 1940s as part of discrimination against particular groups of individuals. Genocide is therefore a central theme in the film and the infamous holocaust and anti-Semitism, as well as other inhumane treatments in the detention camps, have been used as examples to illustrate the effects of this crime. Genocide can be defined as the systematic and deliberate destruction of a group of individuals on the basis of their ethnic origin, religion, tribe, race, caste or nationality. The UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of t5he Crime of Genocide (CPPCG) in 1948 described genocide a deliberate crime that involves killing, causing mental and physical harm as well as inflicting on the conditions of life of a group or part of it based on nationality, ethnicity or race. Genocide is a crime punishable in international law. In this essay, I will reflect o n the concept of genocide and the film, Night and Fog, as well as other issues expressed in the film. The film details a very contemplative, moving and emotional account of the situation in the Nazi concentration camps. I concur with film critic Francois Truffaut that the short documentary film is one of the greatest movies ever made. After watching, Night and Fog, I firmly support the need for international regulation of genocide. The international community needs to come together and establish stringent laws and regulations that can prevent events such as the holocaust from reoccurring. Individuals and governments or any other groups supporting, financing or orchestrating the mass killing of individuals as a way of discriminating against their group for one reason or the other ought to be brought to book and forced to face justice. The emotions expressed in the short film Night and Fog, are too much for one to bear, let alone to witness such events unfolding in real life. I hail t he director of the documentary, Alain Resnais, for detailing such events in a classical film that even future generations will look at and regret actions committed by other human beings. I felt the general mood of the film was bleak, disturbing and thought provoking. I also think the approach taken by the documentary in explaining the series of events is very realistic, solemn and serious. This helps the film to delve in to details of the incident, enough to give viewers a reality check on how bad human nature can get if not controlled. In my opinion, the documentary is a masterpiece and classical. The film is very much relevant today as it was when it first came out. I would recommend the documentary to any individual fascinated by history and past events as well as international crimes and anyone who is interested in finding out the truth about the Nazi Rule in Germany. The film documents history lesson of utmost significance using a masterful and stylistic approach to deal with t he horrible subject of genocide and the holocaust. However, before one sits down to watch the film, I would advise them to be fully prepared to go through the difficult, albeit an invaluable experience. The film, despite being only 31 minutes long, tells a long story of past injustices and crimes that had been committed in Europe in the mid 1940s. The documentary is set in Poland and follows back on victims of the infamous

NO TITLE NEEDED Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

NO TITLE NEEDED - Essay Example Once the diet of the children is not checked, it will result to health problems such as obesity, marasmus,and kwashikor among other nutritional disorders. Nutritional disorders eventually affect the life of the individuals as they will results to body failures and disadvantaged characters (Zoumbaris and Sharon 67). With the help of the various nutritional organizations such as the National Research Council will make it much easier in facilitating the ideas of diet checkup. The government through the campaign propelled by the first lady will be able to reach the many individuals within the different states in the country. Raising the nutritional status of the American citizens is in the rise to promote nutritional suitability for a healthy life. With the support of the nutritional companies, Michelle Obama will be able to reach his target of promoting a healthier eating among the Americans by advocating against taking of junky and fatty foods. The foods tend to be less nutritional henceforth being discouraged from taking them. They also tend to be more likely to cause diseases that might be terminal such as cancer. Excessive taking of the junky foods may also cause nutritional diseases such

Research Methods in the Media Industry Essay Example for Free

Research Methods in the Media Industry Essay There’s a whole variety of reasons why research is undertaken in the media industry and there’s also a number of different ways to carry out research to acquire the different forms of information required. This report will be discussing the following in detail audience research, qualitative methods, quantitative methods, primary research and secondary research lastly consumer awareness Why we research in the media industry? As I said before research is undertaken for a variety of reasons. It might be so the director knows what they possibility may need to adjust in their production based on what it’s about, and this is known as content analysis where the producer and the director will research the subject matter to gather information to include into the final production. In addition research might also be undertaken be aware of legal restrictions for instance copyright infringement simply when you want to use the same ideas or the same content you will require written consent from the person who originally invented or owns the idea, in most cases copyright infringement doesnt protect the underlying ideas, it also doesn’t protect facts. For instance, copyright doesnt stop or limit you from expressing in your own words thoughts and facts that originate in any sources you read or view however you must give appropriate credit to the sources in which they originated from. For instance, there have been several, Alien based films, however only one E.T. Audience research Media products all have a target audience which could be defined by several factors, including age, gender as well as demographics. Whether it’s a chat show, daily newspaper, film or any other media form, each has a clear target audience. You must beware that audiences are not the same besides the audience research tells the producer what most applies to the audience how they can take advantage of what applies to the audience. They may watch previously released films/programmes and find out if they were successful at appealing to that audience. On the other hand they can observe a group viewing of a series premiere to see the group’s reaction and see if they’ve met their expectations and getting a calculation from the observation to see if they need to make some alterations to the production. Additionally Producers may also use BARB to find out further details about their selected audience what exactly is appealing to them after that discus features that will be in the production. Qualitative research methods Qualitative methods are better for finding more descriptive data and opinions because you interact with the research which lets you to explain any misunderstood questions and to go into further detail meaning you get a more factual answer. Methods that are categories under qualitative research range from case studies, interviews, diary analysis and focus groups. For instance the producers of a film will pick out a group which has the profile of their target audience, and will show them the film. This can be done both pre and post release if the film is not performing as well as predicted. The producer could then use the focus group’s response to alter or completely rethink, or even go ahead and take nothing on board and confirm the look and content of the film. Quantitative research methods Quantitative research mainly is numerical data. It could be used by producers of a film or by the company which is marketing it. UK based TV company’s use the( Broadcasters Audience Research Board) BARB for short to analyse viewing ratings, plus radio station use ( Radio Joint Audience Research Limited) short for RAJAR will view the listening numbers. Qualitative and quantitative methods are constantly used together in order to research the habits and preference of the target audience. In order to identify the profile of the audience, producers may look at current demographic models has on age or gender, or they may try to create a new audience for their film. Creating a new audience is much harder to accomplish additionally a producer may have to come up with a film which is appealing to those that feel there’s a gap in the industry, or gather a group of individuals together who all desire a possible reinvasion in the market. Finally when a target audience has been recognized, the film producer will then target the audience by using a series of carefully organised ad campaigns. The films could be promoted in newspapers that the target audience reads, also online sites which are frequently visited by the target audience, or show an ad when you’re guaranteed the most viewers such as champion’s league games or X factor episodes. Primary research methods Primary research is any research that’s done by an individual first hand. There’s a wide range of techniques for primary research from focus groups, interviews, observations and questionnaires, all come under as primary since questions are being asked directly this is research that is done first hand. Primary research is more suitable for finding out detailed information since you wouldn’t have to rely on anyone else’s results to be correct since the individual would have gathered the necessary information themselves so they know everything was done exactly how they wanted so the information is reliable. Primary research can come in the categories of both qualitative and quantitative research since there’s a variety of ways to conduct this research. Detailed look at a few the primary research techniques Questionnaires are regularly used by researchers when they need to gather essential information from a number of people targeting certain groups by age, ethnicity, and gender even social class. There practically surveys that can be sent on the internet in the post or hand out person to person. It’s easy to analyse questionnaires since its just basically gathering numbers, in addition it’s a much cheaper but sometimes a more time consuming process to gather information. Then again on the down side questionnaires aren’t able to get hold of, detailed information since they typically have closed questions yes or no type or the listed options provided in questionnaire. Another potential problem with questionnaire is that the individual taking part in the questionnaire may get the wrong end of the stick about a particular question or just not understand completely. For that reason the individual organising the questionnaire may possibly not get the right results from the questionnaire. Possible way to evade this you could do a pilot study to examine the questionnaire and make any necessary alterations after. Interview: interviews can be divided into three areas structured, semi structured, unstructured interviews. Structured: Structured interviews stick to a specific guideline with set questions sticking to the ones written. Semi structured: Semi structured interviews have some questions however questions can be added on the spot to go into more detail with the questions. Unstructured: lastly unstructured interviews have no questions set. The interviewer will bring up a topic with some questions in their head, similar to a casual conversation than anything. Interviews are mainly qualitative forms of research this method of research can very fruitful to the researcher since you are capable of going into more detail and thus gather further information for your research. On the other hand, the questions asked in an interview may be bias if the interviewer has their personal biased viewpoint placing their opinion in the questions. This may be done by the interviewer if they ask leading questions for instance. Tell us the reason why you like this film, instead of do you like the film. Secondary research methods Secondary research is gathered information that was done by someone else and made accessible to the public. For instance through archives, the internet, and other media outlets such as the news all of these come under secondary data since the information that you receive from these sources is information that the individual never gathered themselves. Potentially secondary research maybe unreliable option of researching since the individual can’t be sure that everything written is accurate since they never carried out the research themselves and they can’t test it and get the same results. On the plus side secondary research is significantly cheaper and faster process to use since the information has been completed for you already by someone else. Detailed look at a few the secondary research techniques The most common practice of secondary research done nowhere days is on the internet to think not too long ago we spent while copy the information on a copy machine. With the vast amount of online resources, traditional means of research done by books seem out dated. It’s now common for a student to complete an essay without opening a single book. However there are always pros and cons with any new technology. Some people like to say there’s a skill involved in finding a book in the library and searching. An Individual can ignore the entire topic that was read thoroughly for pertinent information. This may lead to more people getting the wrong end of the stick and not understanding the subject matter. But it’s a free vast amount of information; free for use for anybody much easier and less process, as well as getting qualitative information and opinions including polls, surveys, are simpler with the internet, assuming you’re aware of where you’re getting your information from. That could lead to a con since it’s not wise to use information from an unaccredited source, not from opinion based sites a lot of these sites around that look creditable but are far from it Consumer awareness Consumer awareness is the understanding that a consumer is knows his or her legal rights and duties. It’s essential for a consumer to stick to these rights. It’s implemented for the protection of the consumer, so the consumer is not exploited. But the producers may look into consumer awareness to discover if their ad campaign successful or if it’s unsuccessful. NRS The National Readership Survey NRS for short is provides the most dependable and respected audience research in operation for the advertising sector in the UK. The NRS reports on over 250 of the UK’s mainstream newspapers and magazines, you get a sense of the size and nature of the audiences they attract. In this always evolving digital age the NRS still create partnerships with the leading digital data sources providing a clearer vision of the combined total audience future. This is a great source for gathering information since data posted on this site are available without subscription. Already prepared for producers and so on only thing to do now is compare. Company Structure NRS Ltd is regulated and for the most part funded by three shareholders (IPA) The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (NPA) The Newspaper Publishers Association (PPA) The Periodical Publishers Association Why are the surveys so important? The way surveys are carried out affects the estimations it produces. Particularly for media measurement surveys NRS randomly selects individual aged 15+ in the UK. Only the chosen individuals may be interviewed to ensure that the surveys are clear and representative. The demographic characteristics won’t have the same reading habits according to their lifestyle and availability. It’s better for NRS to use random testing to reduce the favouritism towards people who are available for interview than others. The Interviews Structure A nonstop survey, all 12 months of the year, 7 days a week Total number: around 36,000 interviews a year with adults aged 15+ per year A random sample: interviews only conducted at randomly selected addresses with randomly selected individuals The average time for an hour takes half an hour http://www.nrs.co.uk/access.html

The Day My Life Changed Essay -- essays papers

The Day My Life Changed I stepped through the door to my grandmother and grandfather's home without even a knock. My grandpa looked up from the television he was watching, from his cozy comer chair. He had a head of snowy white hair gleaming in the room. Over his broad body, hung a navy blue dress shirt and a fuzzy cardigan sweater. He wore slacks, held up awkwardly by a belt, allowing his small potbelly to hang over it. His face showed the years of worry and stress, and his white bushy eyebrows and growing second chin showed his old age. His smile greeted me. As I drew close to him, his aging arms reached out and wrapped around my body and pulled me into a warm loving hug. As he released me from the hug, I said, "Grandpa, I have some news I want you to hear" as I plopped down in the chair beside him. "I wanted to let you know that I am getting married," I told him. The room was left in a dead silence, frozen for a brief period of time, as we recovered from the intensity of the news I had brought him. Reaching for the remote to turn off the television, my grandfather looked at me. Before he could say a word, the excitement of an unseen grandmother came from the kitchen. Both our eyes looked toward the cheerful light and the sounds of my grandmother's excitement As the excitement faded away, his eyes turned toward mine. Awaiting his comments, my eyes were open wide. Excitement had filled my body, because of the news I had just brought him. "Wonderful, go ahead...

Accounting Research Project: Walt Disney

| 2012| | Acc: Research Project | [The Walt Disney Company]| Ticker Symbol: NYSE:DIS A brief summary of the company’s products, history, and financial operations over the last year. | General Overview The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) is one that I have been familiar with my entire life. However, I have never known much about the business side of the company.It was founded in 1923 by Roy and Walt Disney, who came to Hollywood from Kansas City, Missouri. Walt and Roy produced a short animated film series that became known as the Alice Comedies. The small studio in which they worked was outgrown and replaced by a larger facility, where they became Disney Bros. Studio (Disney Archives). In 1928, Mickey Mouse was born, followed by Pluto, Goofy, and the rest of the Disney gang, and the Disney Brothers Studio became the Walt Disney Studio. Disney’s first full-length animated film came out in 1937.Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs became the highest grossing film by 1939 and th e first animated feature film ever produced (studioservices. go. com). During World War II, production was slow, and Disney was contracted into creating propaganda films to endorse the war and boost morale on the home front. However, in 1950, Cinderella revived the company and the Walt Disney Productions theme park plan was set in motion, opening Disneyland in 1955. Walt Disney died in 1966 of lung cancer (age 66), and his brother Roy took over as chairman, CEO and president.The Walt Disney World Resort opened in Orlando, Florida in 1971, and Disney began to make its way into live-action films. Since then, the Walt Disney Company has made its name in the family and entertainment business, becoming one of the largest and most influential companies worldwide, owning markets in China, Japan, North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australia, and Russia. The company headquarters is located in Burbank, California, headed by Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, who ook over the company in 2 005 and acquired other such productions as Pixar (2006), Marvel Entertainment (2009), and Lucasfilm (2012) (thewaltdisneycompany. com). As well as owning several media networks, hotels and resorts, Disney Consumer Products, according to the company’s website, is the business segment of The Walt Disney Company and its affiliates that extends the Disney brand to merchandise ranging from apparel, toys, home decor and books and magazines to foods and beverages, stationary, electronics and fine art.This is accomplished through a franchise-based licensing organization focused on strategic brand priorities, including:  Disney Classic Characters & Disney Baby; Disney Live Action Film; Disney Media Networks & Games, Disney & Pixar Animation Studios; Disney Princess & Disney Fairies;  and  Marvel. Other businesses involved in Disney's consumer products sales are Disney Publishing Worldwide, the world's largest publisher of children's books and magazines, and  www. DisneyStore. om  and  www. DisneyStore. co. uk, the company's official shopping portals. The Disney Store retail chain, which debuted in 1987, is owned and operated by Disney in North America, Europe, and Japan (thewaltdisneycompany. com). In recent news, Netflix announced on December 4, 2012 that it has signed a multi-year deal with The Walt Disney Company. According to the article by Ramon Aranda, this will give Netflix the exclusive rights to run feature films available for users to watch instantly.Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer at Netflix said, â€Å"Disney and Netflix have shared a long and mutually beneficial relationship and this deal will bring to our subscribers, in the first pay TV window, some of the highest-quality, most imaginative family films being made today†¦ It’s a bold leap forward for Internet television and we are incredibly pleased and proud this iconic family brand is teaming with Netflix to make it happen. † The article also states that the fin ancial terms of this agreement have not been disclosed.Another recent event for the company was the purchase of the Star Wars franchise Lucasfilm for four billion dollars at the end of October. 100 percent owned by founder George Lucas, an article in USA Today says Disney received the empire at a cost of $4 billion, 40 million Disney shares, and a year and half pursuit. This amount of shares makes Lucas the company’s second largest non-institutional shareholder of Disney, after the trust of Steve Jobs (Krantz, Matt, et. al). The article goes on to note that this deals marks Disney’s fourth largest deal ever, after Capital Cities/ABC (1995), Pixar (2006), and Fox Family (2001).Disney plans to expand on the Star Wars film schedule. CEO Bob Iger said, â€Å"our long term plan is to release a new Star Wars feature film every two to three years,† beginning with Episode VII hopefully releasing in 2015. George Lucas will serve as a creative consultant, but plans to ret ire, saying, â€Å"For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see  Star Wars  passed from one generation to the next. It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers† (Krantz, Matt, et. al).The current price per share of the company’s common stock is $48. 67. This number has fluctuated a bit over the last year, but has remained mostly close to the recent price. The lowest price over the last year has been $34. 52, with the highest price at $53. 40 (thewaltdisneycompany. com). Financial Status (2012) According the company’s most recent accounting statements (2012 fiscal year), total assets equaled $74,898; total liabilities equaled $32,940, and the total equity for the year totaled $41,958 (in millions). $74,898 = $32,940 + $41,958The company earned a net income of $5. 682 billion, an eighteen percent increase from the previous year. The earnings per share during the year 2012 increased 24 percent to $3. 13 fro m $2. 52 the prior year. Earnings per share is important because it is a measure of a company’s profitability. It is one of the most closely watched financial ratios in the business world. The revenues for The Walt Disney Company totaled $42. 278 billion, a 4 percent increase from the previous year. Two of Disney’s competitors, News Corp. and Time Warner Inc. have revenues that fall significantly lower than this corporate giant, with News Corp. revenues totaling $33. 88 billion and Time Warner Inc. at $28. 76 billion. Disney’s current assets total $13. 709 billion, with current liabilities totaling $12. 813 billion. The current ratio: 13. 709/12. 813 = 1. 07. The current ratio generally shows the ability of a company to pay back debts. However, if a company is good at managing and planning cash flows, a low number does not necessarily mean they cannot pay back its debts on time.This number has decreased compared to the previous year, which had a current ratio of 1. 13. Disney’s long-term assets include film and television costs, investments, parks, resorts, and other properties (attractions, buildings, and equipment), projects in progress, land, intangible assets, and goodwill; 82 percent of Disney’s assets are long-term. Compared to prior periods, these assets have increased (approximately $2 billion more than 2011). In addition, The Walt Disney Company calculates depreciation using the straight-line method.The long-term liabilities of The Walt Disney Company total $20. 127 billion, or 61 percent of the total liabilities, compared to 63 percent of total liabilities in 2011. Disney has over one trillion shares in circulation currently, both of preferred stock and common stock outstanding. The company saw an increase in cash and cash equivalents of $202 million, giving Disney an end of year balance of $3. 387 billion, compared to the $3. 185 billion from the previous year. According to Disney’s report, cash provided by operations increased 14 percent compared to 2011.The increase in cash provided by operations was due to â€Å"higher segment operating results and the timing of and improved receivable collections, partially offset by higher income tax payments, the payment of interest accrued in prior years on Disneyland Paris borrowings, and higher film production spending† (thewaltdisneycompany. com). Disney uses the average-cost method in order to calculate inventory, stating, â€Å"Inventory primarily includes vacation timeshare units, merchandise, materials, and supplies.Carrying amounts of vacation ownership units are recorded at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Carrying amounts of merchandise, materials, and supplies inventories are generally determined on a moving average cost basis and are recorded at the lower of cost or market. † Only a small portion of the total assets is represented by inventory. In 2012, the inventory only accounted for 2 percent of the company ’s total assets, which is consistent with the 2 percent of total assets in 2011. Work Cited A History of The Walt Disney Company. † Disney 23. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. ;http://d23. disney. go. com/archives/a-history-of-the-walt-disney-company/; Aranda, Ramon. â€Å"Netflix Announces Multi-Year Agreement with The Walt Disney Company. †Ã‚  examiner. com(2012): n. pag. Web. 13 Dec 2012. ;http://www. examiner. com/article/netflix-announces-multi-year-agreement-with-the-walt-disney-company;. Disney Studio Services. â€Å"The Walt Disney Studios History. † Web. 12 Dec. 2012. ;http://studioservices. go. om/disneystudios/history. html; Krantz, Matt, Mike Snider, Marco Della Cava, and Bryan Alexander. â€Å"Disney buys Lucasfilm for $4 billion. â€Å"USA Today. 30 2012: n. page. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. ;http://www. usatoday. com/story/money/business/2012/10/30/disney-star-wars-lucasfilm/1669739/;. The Walt Disney Company. Annual Report: The Walt Disney Company Reports Fourt h Quarter and Full Year Earnings for Fiscal 2012. Burbank: The Walt Disney Company, 2012. 15 Dec. 2012. ;http://thewaltdisneycompany. com/;

Investigative Technology Review and Critique Essay

Dr. Derek Paulsen examines geographic profiling methods and technologies. The findings are the result of a research grant from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). The purpose of this research is to analyze the accuracy of and suggest methods for increasing the effectiveness of geographic profiling technologies. The research emphasizes the importance of making the distinction between commuter or marauder offenders prior to geographic profiling. Dr. Paulsen demonstrates that by improving the commuter/marauder prediction early in the process and by conducting more targeted research in the field, geographic profiling technology can be more effective and results can be more accurate. Geographic profiling has been used in crime analysis since the early 1990s. It is an investigative methodology that relies on location of connected crimes series as a means of determining the next probable location known as an offender anchor point. According to Dr. Paulsen, 20 to 60 percent of crime series are committed by commuters, and geographic profiling is highly inaccurate in predicting these series. Therefore, it is important to analyze variables and methods used to classify commuters and marauders prior to geographic profiling. This study analyzed 106 crime series gathered from 25 U. S. jurisdictions. This study differed from traditional methods in the use of variables applied to classify offenders as commuter or marauder. Traditional models use residence as primary variable to determine classification. Paulsen modified this method to look at any of 14 known variables which might classify as marauders where traditional models may classify as commuters and performing logistic regression with SPSS software. Since profiling is inaccurate in predicting commuter series, Paulsen’s results improved the accuracy of prediction rate from 60% to 81% by changing the classification process. The findings are significant in that they are at odds with traditional theories of offender patterns and characteristics. Traditional theories state that marauders commit offenses closer to home. However, Paulsen’s research shows that commuters operate in smaller geographic areas with more locations while marauders operate in larger more dispersed areas. Three important implications arise from this study. Further research is needed to develop a method for determining commuter/marauder classification that can be used in multiple geographic profiling systems. Research is needed to determine if methods and results are accurate in various jurisdictions with differing demographics and crime characteristics. Alternative profiling and forecasting methods must be weighed against this and other existing research. Previous studies were limited in number, only two, and in scope, focusing on software platform features and case studies and covering limited jurisdictions. This study more extensive in size and scope. The primary limitation of this study is that the entire sample consists of previously solved crimes. This underscores the need to conduct similar research on unsolved crimes to determine the accuracy of this model when all variables are not known. Additionally the case selection process for this study is limited by the police departments’ rationale for selecting cases to send for the study which is not addressed. Geographic profiling is a widely used crime analysis methodology which can and should be more effective. By analyzing existing results and modifying components of the profiling process crime prediction rates can be significantly improved. Improving results of geographic profiling will depend on continued research of adequate size and scope that focuses on alternative classification methods, a range of geographic locations, and solved and unsolved crimes. Reference Paulsen, D. (2007, September). Improving Geographic Profiling through Commuter/Marauder Prediction. Police Practice & Research, 8(4), 347-357. Retrieved March 11, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.

An Era of Punk essays

An Era of Punk essays Sex, drugs, and rock and roll was the rallying cry for a movement that changed American culture forever. Rock and roll first startled the American scene in the mid-1950s, but no one then could have predicted the remarkable vitality and staying power of this new music. The early tradition of rock has gone through many transitions. Provocative and outlandish stage attire and behavior have been an important resource since the birth of rock and roll. Decades following the birth of rock and roll, many have witnessed a steady ever changing parade of hair styles, costumes, gestures and props. As the level of tolerance and acceptance grew, rock stars adopted more bizarre and shocking images. It is in this context that punk rock, seen by some as a startling new direction in the late 1970s must be considered. Rock music achieved a new respectability and power at the same time (Ward, Stokes, Tucker, Rock of Ages, 547). Punk was rocks most notable attempt in the late 1970s to inject angry, rebellious, risk taking notations into the music. The musical style called punk rock developed in the United States out of raw and energetic music played by the garage bands of the mid-sixties. These bands were mainly teenagers playing basic guitar chords, and failing away at drums and cymbals in their own garages. This resulted in sounds that were rough, raw, and musically undisciplined, which expressed their interests and brought music to their level (Charlton, Rock Music, 204). Given that the greatest garage bands could barley play, we may assume not only that virtuosity has nothing to do the form, but also that the Utopian dream of every man and artist can come true right here, in our suburban land of opportunity the ultimate proof that rock and roll is the most democratic and all-American of art forms (Miller, History of Rock While teenage gara...

Facebook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Facebook - Essay Example This web based business will be based on two types of business models. The first business model will be based on the direct books sales and second one will offer the facility to purchase the books using affiliated partners such as Amazon, Microsoft and publishers. The main step in this web based business implementation is the analysis of the market place for the new web based business development and implementation. In this phase of the web based business analysis we will assess the market trends and business activities. This will help us in establishing a practical business policy that can facilitate the effective business implementation. In the next step we will develop an e-business implementation plan and e-commerce revenue models. These both areas will be the foundations of the online business development and implementation. The business policy will address the business customers, target market, privacy policy, underlying business deals, etc. While the ecommerce revenue models will provide us the basic platform regarding the online revenue generation. The main revenue models we are going to implement are (Carter, 2009): The next step in this system implementation is system design and development. The system designing involves all the necessary web based usability aspects that offer the user a clear view of the system development and offer the online customer a better and enhanced interaction. The web based system development will involve the implementation of the web based system and making system according to the established system requirements. The next phase involves the web based system implementation. In this phase initially we need to purchase a web site domain name that will be used for our website. The next step regarding selection of the services and ISP (Internet services provides) to make our website available on web. These also involve the

What's the difference between the hacker's viewpoint on access to Research Paper - 1

What's the difference between the hacker's viewpoint on access to information on the Web and yours - Research Paper Example They are highly despised and avoided. Being a hacker is a one-way ticket to being an outcast, both socially and morally. These points show that hackers are not just talented programmers but are also really intelligent people with a great IQ. But their presence has been marred by a similar, but little known class of separate computer geeks known as crackers. The website THE JARGON FILE identifies them as Therein lies the whole mystery of the famous cyber war and confusion of the entire world, Crackers do it and hackers have to face the consequences. Crackers are the ones who love to look into people personal accounts all over the world by getting past security passes. And as people are not knowledgeable about it so they blame the poor hackers. Even the Encarta dictionary tells about the difference between them: â€Å"cracker is someone who is a computer user, and who gains unauthorized access, to a computer or system data, belonging to someone else, and hacker is somebody who is interested or skilled in computer technology and programming.† Hackers first got recognition in 19060s by the hacker culture around TMRC an the MIT labs. This term was used by teenage radio hams and electronic tinkerers in the mid-1950s. This community world-wide is very protective of their rights and cultures. And have many variant points on their work and how it affects the normal human community. The normal human community deems them unsafe. The many questions asked are , can hackers be trusted, do they do any good, how do we identify them. This paper will answer these questions while following the following points of interest: The hackers are a community of highly intelligent people, who are intent on making the internet a better and friendlier place to be. All they require in return is unlimited access to all the possible internet they can have. But they certainly don’t in any way require

Mentorship and work based learning and assessment Essay

Mentorship and work based learning and assessment - Essay Example The whole process of this developmental and assessment framework is required to be supported and assessed by mentors. The midwifery mentors who have additionally qualified to be sign-off mentors as part of their mentorship qualification programme would make the final assessment of practice, and after the assessment, if the registrant qualifies the NMC standards, they would be recommended to be registered (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2004). To be able to do this, NMC has further designed the framework in such a way that if the outcomes are met within the rigorous provisions of accountability, the registrant midwives will be qualified to be registered. The domains in this framework are establishing effective working relationship, facilitation of learning, assessment with rigorous accountability, evaluation of learning, more importantly creating an environment of learning, establishing context of practice, promoting evidence-based practice, and inducing leadership. This framework wil l be suited for working in the modern healthcare, and there would be a perspective of inter-professional learning (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2006). Furthermore, this has a close correlation with the career pathways of the midwives due to the fact that NHS has launched KFC scheme as indicators of terms and conditions of service for their employees (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2006b). Career pathways in midwifery is considered as part of the new pay and career structure that have been developed in Agenda For Change, and this has been linked to the Knowledge and Skills framework. The Agenda For Change is a career framework for the NHS employees that include the midwifery professionals (UKCC, 1999). The KSF in turn is a framework to assess the progress and development of the staff within the pay bands. This needs a modification of the professional demarcations and