Layers of the Atmosphere

Without our atmosphere, there would be no life on earth. Two gases make up the bulk of the earth's atmosphere: nitrogen (78%), and oxygen (21%). Argon, carbon dioxide and various trace gases make up the remainder. Scientists divided the atmosphere into four layers according to temperature: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere. The temperature drops as we go up through the troposphere, but it rises as we move through the next layer, the stratosphere. The farther away from earth, the thinner the atmosphere gets. 1. TROPOSPHEREThis is the layer of the atmosphere closest to the Earth's surface, extending up to about 10-15 km above the Earth's surface. It contains 75% of the atmosphere's mass. The troposphere is wider at the equator than at the poles. Temperature and pressure drops as you go higher up the troposphere. The Tropopause:  At the very top of the troposphere is the tropopause where the temperature reaches a (stable) minimum. Some scientists call the tropopa use a â€Å"thermal layer† or â€Å"cold trap† because this is a point where rising water vapour cannot go higher because it changes into ice and is trapped.If there is no cold trap, Earth would loose all its water! Most of what we call weather occurs in the troposphere. The uneven heating of the regions of the troposphere by the Sun causes convection currents and winds. Warm air from Earth's surface rises and cold air above it rushes in to replace it. When warm air reaches the tropopause, it cannot go higher as the air above it (in the stratosphere) is warmer and lighter †¦ preventing much air convection beyond the tropopause. The tropopause acts like an invisible barrier and is the reason why most clouds form and weather phenomena occur within the troposphere.The Greenhouse Effect:  Heat from the Sun warms the Earth's surface but most of it is radiated and sent back into space. Water vapour and carbon dioxide in the troposphere trap some of this heat, preventi ng it from escaping thus keep the Earth warm. This trapping of heat is called the â€Å"greenhouse effect†. However, if there is too much carbon dioxide in the troposphere then it will trap too much heat. Scientists are afraid that the increasing amounts of carbon dioxide would raise the Earth's surface temperature, bringing significant changes to worldwide weather patterns †¦ hifting in climatic zones and the melting of the polar ice caps, which could raise the level of the world's oceans. 2. STRATOSPHERE This layer lies directly above the troposphere and is about 35 km deep. It extends from about 15 to 50 km above the Earth's surface. The stratosphere is warmer at the top than the bottom. The lower portion has a nearly constant temperature with height but in the upper portion the temperature increases with altitude because of absorption of sunlight by ozone. This temperature increase with altitude is the opposite of the situation in the troposphere.The Ozone Layer:   The stratosphere contains a thin layer of ozone molecules (with three oxygen atoms) which forms a protective layer shielding life on Earth from the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. But this ozone layer is being depleted, and is getting thinner over Europe, Asia, North American and Antarctica. â€Å"Holes† are appearing in the ozone layer. 3. MESOSPHERE Directly above the stratosphere, extending from 50 to 80 km above the Earth's surface, the mesosphere is a cold layer where the temperature generally decreases with increasing altitude.Here in the mesosphere, the atmosphere is very rarefied nevertheless thick enough to slow down meteors hurtling into the atmosphere, where they burn up, leaving fiery trails in the night sky. 4. THERMOSPHERE The thermosphere extends from 80 km above the Earth's surface to outer space. The temperature is hot and may be as high as thousands of degrees as the few molecules that are present in the thermosphere receive extraordinary large a mounts of energy from the Sun.However, the thermosphere would actually feel very cold to us because of the probability that these few molecules will hit our skin and transfer enough energy to cause appreciable heat is extremely low. The thermosphere corresponds to the heterosphere , a zone where there is no uniform distribution of gases. In other words, the gases are not well-mixed; instead they are stratified that is layered, in accordance to their molecular masses. In contrast, the gases in the homosphere (consisting of the troposphere, stratosphere and mesosphere) are uniformly distributed.

Analysis of Andre’s Mother by Terrence McNally Essay

The play, Andre’s Mother, by Terrence McNally is a story about accepting death and is based in a story about a young man who died before telling his mother that he was gay; leaving the man’s partner to break the news and to inform the mother about how much he missed seeing her and his fear of being rejected by her, in the time before his death. The theme of this story is to live life everyday with no regrets. Throughout the symbols and references you begin to understand the life of Andre. The white balloon represents letting go and leaving a young man in peace. The silence of his mother shows that she never accepted his sexual preference. While Hamlet references the struggles of his everyday life. The white balloon in the play Andre’s Mother is a symbol of Andre’s soul. Cal speaks about the white balloons saying, â€Å"They represent the soul. When you let go, it means you’re letting his soul ascend to Heaven, that you’re willing to let go. Breaking the last earthly ties†(McNally 737). Andre is saying that the white balloons are Andre’s soul and that when you release them, you’re willing to let go of all the wrong and let him rest in peace. Penny, Cal’s sister, and Arthur, Cal’s dad let go of the balloon without hesitation. After releasing their balloons Cal reluctantly admits, â€Å"I’m not ready yet†(McNally 737). This is because Cal still couldn’t let go and still had regrets. The balloon being white represents purity. Letting go of the white balloon meant that after all that was said, Andre was now clear and pure again. I believe that white balloon represented letting go of Andre and letting his soul rest in peace with no regrets and nothing left unsaid. Andre’s mother’s silence throughout the play proved to us she did not accept her son’s homosexuality. Cal tells Andre’s mother how much Andre missed her and longed for her acceptance. He gets finished with his rant and still no response from Andre’s mother. Cal gets mad and replies, â€Å"It’s bullshit. It’s all bullshit. [Still No response]† Her silence shows that she is not accepting of Andre’s sexual preference. At the end of the play Andre’s mom with her own conflicts releases the balloon. The play write quotes, â€Å"He goes, Andre’s mother stands alone holding her white balloon. Her lips tremble. She looks on the verge of breaking down. She looks at it awhile before she gently kisses it and lets go of the balloon†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I believe at that point that Andre’s mother forgave her son and was willing to wipe the slate clean by releasing the white balloon and letting Andre’s soul rest in peace. Andre’s mother’s silence throughout the play shows that she never accepted her son’s sexuality. Even though she wasn’t accepting she let her son rest in peace and let his soul ascend to heaven. Andre’s love of theater and the play Hamlet gave us an insight to his life. At the beginning of the play Cal expresses Andre’s love of theatre. Cal expresses, â€Å"God, how much he wanted to play Hamlet again. He would have gone to Timbuktu to have another go at that part. The summer he did in Boston, he was so happy! †(McNally 736). This reference to Hamlet, I believe showcases the struggles Andre went through. Andre struggled with decision-making and avoiding things, as did Hamlet. Hamlet struggled whether to avenge his father and struggled with the decision that he had been avoiding. This is also apparent when Cal brings up Andre’s great performance saying, â€Å"You should have come up the summer he plated Hamlet. He was magnificent†(McNally 738). I believe the Hamlet reference was to showcase Andre and his internal struggles. McNally uses strong a strong sense of symbolism throughout the story. First by holding a white balloon, the characters were holing a representation of Andre’s life and the memories that they each had of him. By releasing the balloon, they were letting go of the sadness of his death and for some, the secret he’d been keeping from his family. This also represented the crossing over of Andre. In the story, Andre was afraid of being rejected by his mother, whose silence throughout the play proves that she was incapable of offering acceptance to his homosexuality. With Andre’s love of the theater and specifically Hamlet, he is relating himself to one of the most recognized internal struggles of the theater world.

A cream cracker under the settee

Dramatic monologue is a variation of lyric poem in which the character expresses his/her emotions, actions, feelings or motives. It is written to reveal the situation as well as the character.In dramatic monologue, a single speaker who is not the poet utters the poem at a critical situation thereby adding depth to the character. In fact, we come to know about the myriad aspects of the character by listening to the speaker. This was developed during Victorian era and Robert Browning perfected this form.In the dramatic monologue â€Å"A cream cracker under the settee†, Alan Bennett puts forth his views on the society’s treatment of the elderly and the consequences thereof. He accomplishes this by describing an elderly lady’s view of the world and her loneliness.The play starts with Doris, the elderly lady sitting on the floor of her living room. She has fallen down while cleaning the photo of her late husband Wilfred. She strongly believes that the world of her tim e is much better than the present. She feels that people of her time were cleaner and more responsible than the people of today.This shows why she disapproves her domestic help, Zulema, who had not cleaned the photo in the first place. She enjoys her old memories and the lovely time she had with her husband as can be seen by the way she talks to her dead husband’s old photographs. This also shows that she is lonely and misses company.She feels she is â€Å"left behind† by the people of her generation. This loneliness can also be attributed to the lack of self-understanding and the understanding of others. Through the entire play, Doris attempts to alienate herself from the so-called â€Å"corrupt† society of today.Doris has a compulsive obsession with cleanliness. In her younger days, she had forbidden her husband Wilfred from taking up any hobbies that could be messy. When they were younger, they had a baby that died during birth.The nurse had wrapped the baby in newspaper, which according to Doris was â€Å"dirty†. This reveals that she did not want her child, even though dead, to be associated with anything dirty. She is very concerned about what her others would say if she is not spotlessly clean.This can be seen when the leaves from the next door blow into her garden and she says â€Å"I ought to put a sign on the gate, not my leaves†. She was scared that other her neighbors may not think high of her hygiene and so she asked her husband Wilfred to concrete the garden so that it would be easier to clean.While Doris is on the floor, she looks at her wedding photo and talks to her husband about her loneliness and how she was happier in her days. Her happiness in her younger days could be due to various reasons and one of the important reasons would be the total independence and the â€Å"ruler of the roost† that she enjoyed. She also laments about the need for â€Å"home help† now. This is why she disapproves of her home help, Zulema.She cannot accept that she needs Zulema because that means she is forfeiting her independence. She feels that she is not dependent on Zulema for anything. She gets very picky when Zulema tells her â€Å"you’d be better in Stafford House†. Stafford House is the local old age people’s home.Though Zulema’s intentions were right, she said that because she wanted someone to take control of Doris’s life, Doris felt that as an intrusion into her independence. According to Doris, Stafford House represents domination by others and the acceptance of her dependence on someone. She cannot accept her own inability to support herself physically.This yearning for independence is very evident when a policeman comes to check on her. The policeman asks her, â€Å"Are you alright?† Doris replies, â€Å"No. I’m all right.† This also reflects that she has gotten herself into a mindset which makes it difficult for her to acc ept the hardships and difficulties of old age.

Babe Ruth as cultural symbol Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Babe Ruth as cultural symbol - Essay Example In this sense, Babe has remained synonymous to baseball and stories about baseball will never be complete without mentioning his name. It is therefore undisputed that Babe becomes a cultural symbol with regard to baseball game. As a cultural symbol, it is important to develop a concept so that it can be understood why Babe is termed such. It is important to look at some of the journals that have tried to account for Babe’s life chronologically, his achievements in the baseball and the kind of attributes that made him to be a renowned baseball player. Babe Ruth formerly known as George Herman Ruth, Jr lived in the period of 1895 and 1948 (Addona 16), during his life; he acquired the nicknames Bambino and later got another one ‘sultan of Swat’. The baseball player from America was involved in almost 22-seasons in the all-prestigious Major League Baseball in the US where he was privileged to be part of three teams between 1914 and 1935 (Addona 18). With his brillianc e in the game, Babe was able to set records in the game that took subsequent players years to break. Known for his talent in the play, babe was able to perform beyond the expectation of many, in this regard, it is important to enumerate some of the performances Babe was able to realize during his time. In the home runs he was able to record 714, which has since been surpassed, in the runs batted in, he was able to record 2,213, which equally has since been broken. He also made sterling performances in the slugging percentage and on- base plus slugging with 690 and 1,164 respectively (Caser 22). These contributions by Babe in the game directly contributed to his fame in during the time when liking of baseball was fast fading. Babe was instrumental in reviving support that was fast dwindling for the game and streamlined the support to life once again. It can also not go unnoticed that Babe’s first team was Boston Red Sox, here he played the position of a starting pitcher but fo llowing his release to New York Yankees he changed his position to play right fielder full time (Tootle 18). He maintained good play in this position that saw him emerge as one of the prolific and dependable players in the team where he stood out as one of the talented and committed payers to bring change in the team as well as in the game. It is arguable that because of his participation in the team, they were able to clinch seven titles in pennants as well as four titles in the World Series. Babe also had an experience with the Boston Braves shortly before retiring and becoming one of the first players considered in an election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame (Caser 25). From the records set by Babe, it is clear the he made immense contribution into the game. Through the records set by him in the initial times, it was possible for the later generations to strive and reach his standards; this can be seen as a form of inspiration to others. Some of them will be cited in this p aper for the purposes of corroborating the statements, babe was the first of all players to in a season hit a target of 60 in home runs and that was in 1927. This mark stood to be the record for as long as up to 1961 when another player Roger Maris eclipsed it with 61 in a season-one point ahead of what babe recorded (Levin 27). That is 34 long years before the record was broken. In his lifetime in the game, he also recorded about 174 home runs; this record also

Play response paper assingment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Play response paper assingment - Essay Example e of play is entirely different, the ability of the actors to provide a sense of entertainment and interest through the use of their voice and the movements they perform is reminiscent of Jean Paul Sartre’s â€Å"No Exit†. The intrigue and central plot devices of this particular story revolve around two mischievous servants who have gorge themselves on the succulent sugary feast that their master has left behind. Aware of the fact that what they have done is inherently wrong, the servants try, unsuccessfully, to cover up their act. The manner in which the servants use their voice and movement is central is relaying to the audience the confusion, idiocy, and comedic ways in which the servants try to hide the evidence of what they have just done. Furthermore, without the availability of elaborate set design and/or complex costumes, the weight of the performance is solely rooted in the actor’s ability to express themselves through these mechanisms to their audience. Likewise, without such a performance, the comedic device of the play would not be related to the

Public School Uniforms Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public School Uniforms - Annotated Bibliography Example Therefore, when doing a research on the use of school uniforms, I would argue against it by citing this article. As they claim, it mightnot be easier to obtain equality. In fact, it might result into a conflict between the two social classes. This article was written by Brunsma, D. & Kerry A. R and published in 1998. Here, these scholars conducted a research on the influences of the use of uniforms on the learners’ behaviors and academic performance. In their analysis, they report that there is no direct relationship between behavior reforms and academic improvement and school uniform. The article can be of a great value when conducting a research on the demerits of school uniforms on the learners. It can help in justifying that school uniforms should not be mandatory since they can only contribute to poor academic performance, increased behavior problems and rampant cases of substance abuse. The above article was authored by DaCosta, K. and published by the Journal of Negro Education in 2006. In this article, DaCosta examines the reactions of the urban learners towards the use of uniforms in school. While conducting a research on the advantages of school uniforms, I would have to incorporate the use of this article. It has a lot of resourceful information on how uniform can be instrumental in creating equality amongst the learners from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. This is a very important component which must be included in the research. This article was written by Draa, V. in 2005. It presents a candid discussion about the significance of school uniforms amongst the urban-based high school learners. As reported in this article, uniform is necessary in the urban set up in which cases of gang violence, peer influence and classism are rampant. When carrying out this research, I would have to use this article. It is quite resourceful and would provide me with

Respond to a question to an article Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Respond to a question to an article - Assignment Example The staff meeting allows the employees to choose their departmental leaders. The departmental meetings will come up with a leader according to their own perception on who is the most approachable person. The decision bases on whom the employees can approach in case of a problem and who has the best problem solving techniques. The leaders will then organize their departmental meeting once a week. Their meetings should aim at discussing overall performance and production. Through the meetings, the departments will set objectives and achievable goals depending on the core objectives of the company. The dialogue and open communication creates a wider pool of information and feedback and this will allow the departmental leaders to make the best decisions. The departmental leaders will meet their CEO to inform him/her about the decisions made weekly. This technique allows for flexibility. This technique reduces time wasted in supervision as employees develop maturity and make their own dec isions faster. The problem solving technique in the company also gives the employees a sense of ownership in the company. The function of the manager will be to monitor the progress of the company and help cultivate more staff participation. The technique saves on time and creates intrinsic motivation within the departments. Constant evaluation through weekly meetings helps in correcting and adapting new techniques (Finally,

Networking Strategy and professional development Module 1 Questions Essay

Networking Strategy and professional development Module 1 Questions - Essay Example An understanding of the client’s background is essential as it helps the mentor to grow professionally. The other benefit of mentoring in the networking process is that it helps the mentor to gain professional satisfaction through the expertise that he or she shares with the clients (Crawford, 2007). Mentoring can also be regarded as essential as it helps the mentor to add value to his or her career. This is because the mentor gets an opportunity to utilize his or her skills and gain insights from the professional relationships with the mentees. Mentoring in the networking process can also be regarded to be of immense benefits to the mentee. The mentee benefits through gaining expertise from the mentor. Thus, the mentee can sharpen his or her skills. The mentee also gets an opportunity to learn some skills, which may be of immense help in the mentees personal development. In addition, the mentee benefits since he or she gets to know more about the organization, its policies, rules, as well as the culture of the organization (Whittaker & Cartwright, 2000). Networking can be regarded as one of the essential elements when it comes to the building of successful careers. Therefore, any person wishing to succeed in his or her career should consider networking with other professionals in his own field. Networking helps in building successful careers since most jobs may not be advertised. As such, networking is essential as it helps the job seeker to gain awareness and knowledge about a certain job that may be advertised. Networking is also essential in building a successful career as it helps the job seeker to be well prepared for interviews. This is because networking can help job seekers have full knowledge about the requirements of an interview. As a result, they will have an easy time during the interview and they will mostly likely get the job (Dirks, 2009). The most effective networking strategy for job search is becoming members of professional

Health Care Organization and Random Drug Testing Essay

Health Care Organization and Random Drug Testing - Essay Example Consequently, the use of drugs such as alcohol and others like opioids that may impair the capacity of performance and accuracy of service delivery is something that is not tolerated with the ethics and professionalism code. Another important arguments made is that there is no difference between the health care professional that sells the drugs meant for patient and the one that uses the drugs. The latter is dangerous to keep because he or she deplete the stock and also impair the capacity unlike the former who only deplete the stock (Follin, 2004) On resolving whether the random drug testing should be imposed, the strategy, to bring a stop, is very essential. The act is first unethical and unprofessional. The use of drugs such as alcohol and others meant for patients is an issue that is against the core value of any rational hospital. The health professionals that use the drugs can easily be identified by their colleagues because the use of addictive drug is a habit that can be easily identified without carrying out lab tests. It is believed that carrying out random tests will step on the privacy of the medics and the respect that can demoralize them. According to Fevre & Robinson (2012) a demoralized medic is worse than an addict who is intoxicated with the addictive drug while in service. In summation, the use of drugs such as alcohol while in service for the patient is unethical and unprofessional. The safety of the patient should be a priority. The addictive drugs usage is a habitual act that can be identified by colleagues and warning done before an action is taken. Use of the random testing will demoralize the medics making their performance low just as the addictive

Critically evaluate how the recent recession has been affecting Essay

Critically evaluate how the recent recession has been affecting strategic marketing management practices of Apple - Essay Example By 1980 as the sales of the company were experiencing a high the company also grew considerably in size, by the time the Apple III was launched, the company employed several thousand people and was conducting international business (apple-history, 2013). Lisa and Macintosh are hall mark products of the Apple Company. During the 1980’s the Mac II gave the windows a really tough time, taking it to the verge of a flop, due to its expandability and viability (apple-history, 2013). The release of power books in 1991 put Apple back in the race it was losing against windows 3.0, and advancements were being made at the same time towards the PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) (apple-history, 2013). Formerly known as Apple Computer; Apple Inc. is currently the biggest tech company in the world that employs more than 49,400 people and gross profit of more than $ 65 billion (Rodrigo, 2012). Competitors Apple’s competitors in the technology and computer industry are Microsoft, Dell, M otorola, LG, and Nokia. ... comes from its diverse line and range of products and the software and hardware integration of their range of products; which they have achieved over the years (Magee, 2011). Apple has led to the jointed manufacturing of computers and mobile devices, whereas this was previously done by separate companies (Magee, 2011). This allows for shared functioning and information processing, connectivity is the main feature giving these products a competitive edge (Magee, 2011). Impact of Recession The recession did not impact Apple Inc. as expected and rather than suffering massive losses like its counterparts it just received a jolt at its retail stores (MaCNN, 2009). The number of visitors per Apple retail store suffered a drop of 1.8%, and the revenues fell 17.4 percent (MaCnn, 2009). 2008 saw a drop for the company’s revenues by 0.6 percent in the last three month period (Oliver, 2009). Apple saw the revenue decrease on per store basis but as a whole the Mac sales increased year ove r year as compared to 2008 (Oliver, 2009). Apart from suffering a drop in terms of visitor per retail store the concept that Apple retail store follow, showed the success of the strategies employed by Apple (Oliver, 2009). According to Carl Howe, who is the director of consumer research for the Yankee Group said that the company is really tested during a recession, and for Apple, the ‘ think different’ motto appears to be working really well (cited in Rodrigo, 2012). Where economies, banks and companies have drastically suffered at the hands of the recession, Apple has maintained its record sales. Recession tests companies by better execution and Apple is achieving that (Howe, cited in Rodrigo, 2012). Apple’s share value doubled during 2008, the year the recession hit the hardest and

Performance Elements Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Performance Elements - Assignment Example In Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, it contains heavy dialogue which limits direction to the initial scene settings, and also limits the vocal or expressive cues for the different characters. It is thus suggested that if any of the performance elements were removed, it will leave the story’s performance suggested or with an understood tone on the dialogue which enables the reader to identify the various missing elements partly due to the logical progression of the story (Jago, Shea and Scanlon, 2011) On the other hand, The C Above the C Above High C provides more details in the plot and character development by using different performance elements such as background action, sub-scenes, visual cues, and even shifting the timeline. If any of these elements were to be removed and depend entirely on the dialogue, the play would result in a total confusing state (Wilde, 1885). This play also include political statements, symbolism as well as satire many of which will be lost if dialogue alone is employed. Symbolism and irony can be cited where Louis apply a facial cream and appears â€Å"white† though he is fairly dark but seen as very black among the rising black entertainers, and accepted by both the white and black community (Jago, Shea and Scanlon, 2011) Therefore, The C Above the C Above High C play is considered to be more in depth for the readers due to the different elements applied, hence giving the reader the ability to picture the play on the stage which lacks in the Wildes work of The Importance of Being Earnest which is heavily dialogued (Reed,

Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola Essay Example for Free

Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola Essay The book â€Å"Pagan Christianity† by Frank Viola and George Barna leads readers into the world of religion, religious customs and rituals, sermons and religious clothing. The authors show how the church has changed over times and what new practices and beliefs it has adapted. Frank Viola is known to be an American writers and speaker who has published a series of books devoted to problems with church calling people to return to the biblical principles. Therefore, the central thesis of the book is that people should get back to biblical principles in their religious beliefs because modern church practices are rooted in secular or Pagan practices which have nothing to do with the Bible and God’s commandments, as well as the church doesn’t resemble the early church which was described in the book of Acts. Modern church is based on hierarchical structure; whereas the author claims Jesus came with the strong intent to put an end to legalism, structure and hierarchy. The book is very interesting from historical viewpoint and I think that it is broadly accurate offering us new insights and facts from religious past. Pagan Christianity The authors start their narration with strong claim that modern churches have little resemblance with the early centuries churches described in the New Testament. With the partaking of the Traditional Church the author became very interested trying to reveal what we went on. The first chapter is reflection of authors’ inquiries on the subject of interest. For example, Viola questions whether there was a need to turn down light and to wait when the Spirit would move on to another church. The author thinks we are the ‘Children of Lights’, although he admits that he doesn’t agree with any theologian and preacher offering his unbiased review. It is said that the word ‘pagan’ is a part of book’s title and it is applied to the churches being discussed. However, even the authors agree that often this term is not applicable. In the second chapter the author discusses the issue of the Church Building and ‘modern’ church-goers\believers. It is emphasized that the Church has built itself. The original meaning of the word refers to the Greek language ‘ekklesia’ and it means a group assembled. Viola argues that time and words are describing the gradual development of Holy Places and things which are considered important parts of religious world. The authors discuss Constantine as he was one of the first Christians who gave legitimacy to the Christian Religion. Constantine promoted and supported grand displays of religious architecture. Further, the authors review religious clothing, music, steeples, architecture, thrones borrowed from other cultures along with customs and rituals. In the third chapter Viola provides overview of the order of traditional Worship and description of Sunday morning sets. He argues that standard order should be held in all churches with only slight differences. For example, he writes: â€Å"You can scour your Bible from beginning to end, and you will never find anything that remotely resembles our order of worship†. Further, the authors describe contributions of historical Church leaders – Luther, the Puritans, the Pentecostals, etc. In the fourth chapter they describe the sermon abandoning principles of Protestantism. The authors argue that the early churches were not the sermons; instead, they were places for gathering and Jesus functioned as its Head. In the fifth chapter Viola and Barna introduce the Pastor which is viewed as an obstacle to functioning of every member. The pastor is the fundamental figure in Protestantism and he â€Å"is often better known, more highly raised, and more heavily relied on than Jesus Christ Himself†. (p. 65) And it is a serious mistake. It is noted that the word ‘pastor’ isn’t a tile – instead, it is a function. Viola notes that the word ‘pastor’ is referred to in Ephesians 4:11 only one time: â€Å"a scanty piece of evidence on which to hang the Protestant Faith. In this regard there seems to be more biblical authority for snake handling than there is for the present-day pastor†. p. 66) In the sixth chapter there is a detailed description of Sunday morning costumes. The authors describe dressing up for church, what clothing is appropriated and why. The next chapter is devoted to the origins of Music Ministry and description of the hierarchy of clergy. The eighth chapter analyzes Tithing stressing that it is used in the New Testament and Clergy Compensation, althou gh it is never used by the Christians. Further, the authors specify Baptism, its core principles and fundamentals. They explain that Baptism has replaced the Sinner’s Prayer. The Lord’s Supper was firstly a festive banquet and, therefore, lost its concrete picture of ‘The Body and Blood’. The final chapters are devoted to religious education and how it is possible to receive the qualification to Minister the gospel. Viola and Barna provide new insight into the New Testament offering so-called second glance at Jesus, churches, pastor functioning, religious customs and education. Conclusion: Strengths Weaknesses Frank Viola and Geroge Barna offer new ideas and facts about religious order, customs, traditional music and dressing. The book is very informative, innovative and well-organized. Moreover, it is very interesting from historical perspective as it is challenging and thought-provoking. The authors incorporate many references about the culture of time, adaptation of church, etc. I like their idea about church building that church is not the place – it is the people. Nevertheless, there were several controversial moments I can’t agree with. I see that Viola offers his own version of organized empire and it seems that he is supreme speaker and the founder of knowledge. It is evidence of hierarchy which he manages to escape. Moreover, he claims that such situation shouldn’t happen in church, although he puts himself on superior position. Viola calls people to leave their church as all of them don’t follow Biblical principles. However, he tells we are the Body of Christ contradicting himself. I think that we shouldn’t worry about such doctrinal issues. Despite certain weaknesses, the book is very informative and fresh.

Effect Of Heavy Metals On The Environment Environmental Sciences Essay

Effect Of Heavy Metals On The Environment Environmental Sciences Essay Heavy metals are most abundant forms of pollution in Malaysia either in the forms of solid or liquid. With the vast industrialization and economic development in coastal region, heavy metals are continuing to be introduced to the estuarine and coastal environment which eventually end up into the river, runoffs and land based area (Yu et al., 2007). Metals diffuses into the aquatic environment will settle down and be incorporated into sediments together with organic matters, Fe/Mn oxides, sulfides, and clay (Wang and Chen, 2000). However, heavy metal mobility or availability in contaminated materials depends to large extent upon the different chemical and mineralogical forms that occurred (Song et al., 1999). Therefore, sediments seem to be an excellent medium in the assessment of the metals bound to the particulates. Nonetheless, sediments are known to act as a sink for heavy metals to be introduced into waters either from both natural and anthropogenic sources thus providing an exce llent proof of mans impact (Pempkowiase et al., 1999; Guevara et al., 2005). In addition, they may also act as traps for various types of pollutants including heavy metals (Poh and Mun, 1994). Indeed, changes in environmental conditions such as pH and redox potential should be monitored since it may results in remobilization of heavy metals. Unfortunately, due to the scarcity of information available to establish the heavy metal concentration in sediment using sequential extraction, no data is presented concerning the heavy metal pollution in the rivers except for one author Shazili et al., 2008 on Langat River Basin. Heavy metals element is particularly crucial because any slight changes in availability may cause these elements to become either toxic or deficient to plant (Krishnamurti et al., 1995). In fact, sequential extraction analysis is a technique which is used to investigate the geochemical partitioning of heavy metals amongst solid mineral and organic phases in sediment or other earth minerals (Howard and Vandenbrink, 1999). Sequential fractionation also frequently used in approaches to evaluate metals distribution into different chemical forms present in solid phases. Although direct methods provide an unambiguous identification of the heavy metal forms and ways why they occur, they might not be sufficiently sensitive where heavy metals occur at relatively low levels and they do not provide quantitative information on heavy metal mobility and availability (Song et al., 1999). However, sequential extraction approach is undoubtedly useful since few attempts have completed and few modification have been made based on Tessier et al., (1979); such as Silviera et al., (2006); Krishnamurti et al., (1995); Song et al., (1999); Forghani et al., (2009), Poh and Mun, (1994). 2.0 Problem Statement Langat river, Bernam River and Klang River basin is located in the state of Selangor in which known to be the most developing states in Malaysia other than Kuala Lumpur. All of these rivers are primarily important as water source not only limited to supplying water to consumer but also for other purposes such as aquaculture and agriculture activity, fishing, effluent discharge, irrigation and even sand mining. With the vast industrialization held in the river such as sand mining it generate the release of metal bound in sediment into the water promoting metals diffussion into the aquatic organisms and eventually ends up into humans body. Moreover, each metals poses their own threat to human, particularly Cadmium (Cd) are known for causing adverse health effects, once ingest into our body it will cause lung cancer moreover it seldom important as a cause of phytotoxicity in paddy field (Chaney, 2010). On the other hand, Zinc (Zn) is a deficient and phytotoxic element in sediment which causes abdominal pain to humans, the latter due to industrial contamination (Chaney, 2010). Copper (Cu) in sediments strongly adsorbs to clay minerals, iron and manganese oxides and organic material. In addition, it tends to remain in horizons that have a greater organic content whereas sandy sediment with low pH poses the greatest potential for Cu leaching. On contrary, lead (Pb) is considered to be one of the major environmental pollutants and has been incriminated as a cause of accidental poisoning in domestic animals more than any other substance. In a nutshell, these metals are emboldened to be analyses since this metal endured high toxicity in the environment thus poses high potential threat and risk to humans and living organisms. 3.0 Significance of Study This study is prominent since in Malaysia there is only few attempted study using sequential extraction as medium in determining the fate of metals in environment. Particularly, this study will be useful as a baseline data for goverment bodies to be more sensitive on the issues related to heavy metals. On the other hand, this study will provide a delineation on the sources of metals which contribute the most anthropogenically or naturally to the environment since the major contributor on the environment deteroriation is a non point source. Therefore, identifying the potential sources is crucial in maintaining the environment. Nonetheless, by conducting this study it ables to generate a profound understanding on the sources and parent materials of which heavy metals are highly introduce to the estuary. Thus, contribute to the discovery of metals strength and percentage of binding to organic or inorganic pollutants. Hence, providing an illustration on the status of pollution in the sel ected rivers based on screening of the forms of metals associated in the river. In addition, the attempted method will utter a method development in assesing the metal in the environment. This study is beneficiary especially by the Department of Irrigation on the overview of the river status thus able to mitigate a scheme on reducing the metal accumulation into the river by identifying the source of pollution. 4.0 Research Objective To ascertain the chemical and mineralogical forms of Pb, Cu, Cd and Zn in selected polluted river. To profile the metal speciation (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn) in the sediment at selected polluted river in Selangor. To determine the heavy metals affinity for specific geochemical phases in the recently deposited sediments in the river. To identify the pollution sources and active component of heavy metals accumulate into the surficial sediment and its chemical behavior in the aquatic environment. 5.0 Literature Review A river is component of water cycle. Mostly rainfall on land will passes through a river on its way to the ocean and smaller side streams will joins the river forming a tributaries (DID, 2010). In Malaysia, the water within a river generally originates from precipitation through surface runoff, groundwater recharge (as seen at base flow conditions / during periods of lack of precipitation) and release of stored water in natural or man-made reservoirs, such as wetlands, ponds or lakes (DID, 2010). Therefore, the rainfall will generate the surface runoff and flows into the river. While the runoff will collect all the suspended particulates on the land surface into the river. This is why source of metal is very hard to trace since it is a non point sources elements which diffuse into the river Basin. Therefore, in this case sediments play an important role in identication of the metals since it acts as transport and storage of potentially hazardous metals (Yu et al., 2008). Bernam River is approximately about 3335 km2 and it forms a boundary between States of Perak in the north and Selangor in the south. The undulating hills of Bernam River merge into an undeveloped peat swamp area where the downstream of the peat swamp is a densely populated coastal strip along the Bernam River. Rice is cultivated in the lower areas ad- jacent to peat swamps and rubber, oil palm, coconuts and cocoa are cultivated in estates and smallholder schemes. Agrochemicals (fertilizers and herbicides) used on agricultural lands suggest a potential non-point source of pollution and toxicity affecting the aquatic ecosystems (Yap and Ong, 1990). Logging generates pollution through soil erosion, siltation and sedimentation in the streams. On the other hand, Langat River basin covered an area of 1300 km2 in the south of Kuala Lumpur and the length of Langat River is approximately about 120 km long (Sarmani, 1989). Langat river known as an important water source not only limited to sup plying water to consumer but also for other purposes such as recreation, fishing, effluent discharge, irrigation and even sand mining (Juahir, 2009). Whereas, Klang River is notable as a highly polluted river in Selangor which flows through Kuala Lumpur and suburban area of the densely populated and highly industrialized Klang Valley (Tan, 1995). The upper reaches of the Klang River serve as an important source of water supply to an estimated population of two million people in this region, together with its growing industrial activities (Tan, 1995). According to the Environmental Quality Report (Department of Environment, 2007), the Klang River is regarded as one of the rivers which have been seriously affected by pollution. Discharges of wastewater from industrial activities in the Klang River basin have also contributed to increasing levels of organic chemical pollutants in the waterways. However, metals in sediment comes in various forms of elements. Therefore, each metals may give beneficiary and may also cause a potential threat to human. Once consumable in our body it might cause a significant imbalance thus causing deformities and poor health (Birungi et al., 2008). Sediment are an important features in the river any activities occured related to sediment such deepen or mining may cause the release of heavy metals into the river. This is because heavy metals may enter into natural water and become a part of the water sediment system and their distribution processes are controlled by a dynamic set of physical-chemical interactions and equilibrium (Jain, 2003). Therefore, the metals may bind to the aquatic organisms. Since these river is an essential water source in the state of Selangor, any aquaculture activity held in the river may have a significant potential of heavy metals accumulate into the fish or prawns. On the other hand, the deposition of metals in sedi ments usually occurs through an interaction between sediment and water (Piron et al., 1990), whereby changes of metal contents of sediments and water depend on changes of water chemistry, such as, temperature, pH and solute concentration. That is why such study is prominent since metals interactions between bed sediment and water in aquatic environment play an important role on water quality and the fate and transport of metals. There are series of modification of sequential extraction technique have been made upon the suitability of the study. The recent modification are introduce by Silviera et al., 2006 which proposed to the studies specifically on the tropical soil. This method listed out seven fractionation steps which each illustrates the metal bound particulate in the sediments. The first three fractionation steps explains the geochemical condition of the sediment whereas the fourth to the seventh steps refers to the anthropogenic conditions. This method is an alternative way to determine the source of metals, because the anthropogenically sourced metals preferentially partition to the non-residual phase of the sediment while the residual phase generally reflects background geochemical conditions (Forghani et al., 2009). Moreover, this method were chosen since it selectively extracts metal bound by specific sediment fractions with minimal effect on the other sediment components (Silviera et al., 2006) . In addition, this method are an important tool for predicting the potential effects of environmental changes and land application of metals on the redistribution of chemical forms in tropical sediments (Silviera et al., 2006). 6.0 Research Methodology Sediment Sampling Thirty representative surficial sediments (0-20cm depth) will be taken from selected polluted river in Selangor from upstream to downstream of the river. Surface sediments samples will be collected in triplicates and homogenised in a zip lock polyethylene bags. The sampling will be conducted during low tide to enable the source of pollution from the mainland to be determined without the influence of input from seawater compared to sampling during high tide. Sediment samples will be collected using plastic scoops, Eckman Grab or core sampler and place into acid-washed double zip-lock polyethylene bag. All samples will be stored in cool box at 4 °C during transportation to the laboratory prior to analysis. Sampling preparation The laboratory apparatus are also acid washed and rinsed thoroughly first with distilled water to ensure any contaminants and traces of cleaning reagent were removed before the analysis. Pre-clean polycarbonate centrifuge tube with soaked overnight in 5 % (v/v) nitric acid rinsed with distilled water after 24 hours prior to analysis. It is performed in clean laboratory to minimize the potential risk of contamination. Laboratory Analysis Physicochemical parameters such as pH, redox potential, salinity and conductivity will be measured using the 1:2 ratio of sediment and double deionized water (DDW). In addition, cations exchange capacity (CEC) and loss on ignition (LOI) will also be determined in the study. Physicochemical Parameters The sediment physicochemical analyses will be determined by mixing 10 g of air dried sample ( Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) Sediment samples for CEC determination will be prepare in two 10 g portions, one for treatment with a 1 M NaCl solution and other with a 1 M NH4Cl solution. Approximately about 10 ml of 95% ethanol will be carefully poured on sediment sample and drawn through the sediment by suction. The ethanol remaining in the sediment will later be removed by overnight evaporation. Then, the sediment will be transferred to small 50 ml Polycarbonate centrifuge tubes. Hence, about 30 ml of 1M NaCl was applied to one set of sub samples and 1 M NH4Cl solution was added to other set. The centrifuge tubes contains with the sediment pre-treated with NaCl and NH4Cl then will be shaken end over end for about 10-20 minutes and subsequently centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 30 minutes in order to settle the fines. After the samples are centrifuged, the supernatant will be removed with syringe and filter through a 0.45  µm filter. About 15 ml of sample will be used for the analysis of Ca, Mg, and K from the NaCl supernatant solution and preserved with 1% 7M HNO3. Meanwhile, the solution from NH4Cl supernatant will be used for determination of Na and also preserved with 1% 7M HNO3. Sample analysis for Ca, Mg, Na and K adopted similar procedure as in the case of major cations determination. The exchangeable cation concentration are converted from meq/100g to equivalent fractions (ÃŽÂ ²T) as (Apello Postma, 2005) ÃŽÂ ²T = meqI-Xz_____ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬ËœI, Jà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. meqI-Xz Where I, J,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. are exchangeable cations, meqI-Xi is normally given in meq/100 g dry sediment and à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ meqI-Xz is essential equal to CEC, ignoring minor amounts of Fe, Mn, etc. Loss of Ignition (LOI) Dry a sample in an oven at 105 °C to constant weight. Accurately weigh 1g of this dried sample and pour into a preweighed dry crucible. Optionally, a few drops of H2O2 may be added at this stage to promote oxidation. The samples will be transfered into muffle furnace and gradually increase the temperature to 500 °C. Leave inside the oven at this temperature for at least 4h or overnight if convenient. Cool, transfer to a dessicator and allow it to cool to room temperature. Weigh and calculate loss on ignition in % as: LOI (%) = 100 x (M1 M2) M1 Where M1 is the initial weight (g) and M2 is the weight after ignition (g). Sequential Extraction Procedure The methods that will be used in this study are based on modification methods from (Silviera et al., 2006). The fractionation of heavy metals in sediments will be carried out in triplicate, using 1 g of air-dried sediment. Then, sediment samples will be placed in 50 ml polycarbonate centrifuge tubes, mixed in a stepwise fashion with various reagents as shown in figure 1, and the suspensions equilibrated. By following equilibration, the solution and solid phases will then be separated by centrifugation at 1225 g for 10 min. In between each successive extraction, the solid residues are suspended in 5 ml of 0.1 M NaCl, shaken by hand, and centrifuged to displace extracting solution remaining from the previous step. The supernatant will be added to the former extractant. The steps are intended to reduce sample dispersion and to minimize read sorption of the metal. The supernatants will be filtered through a 0.45  µm membrane, and the solid residues are preserved for the subsequent extr actions. The concentrations of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd in the various extracts will be determined by Inductive Couple Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Mass balances, calculated by summing individual Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn masses recovered from fractions, were compared with the independently determined total metal masses. Data Analysis Further data analysis will be conducted using the raw data obtained from the sample analysis. Descriptive analysis, cluster analysis, factor Analysis will be conducted using few softwares such as SPSS version 17 and Multivariate Statistical Package (MVSP) and AQUACHEM. Enrichment factors (EF) will be calculated to determine the level of trace metal contamination of the sediments. 7.0 Project Benefit Research Publications 2 research journal with impact factor Output expected from the project It is expected that several publication can be produced from the data obtained in this study which useful as a reference for future research. It will provide the latest information on the level of metal pollution in Selangor which useable for relevant authority to make the future planning and management purposes. Economic contribution of the project By using the information gathered in this research, the relevant government bodies can make better planning and take preventive measures to avoid further contamination of the river as it is crucial source for the nation fisheries and aquaculture activity. Moreover, important because a lot of the population which resides near the mangrove area depend on it for their livelihood. Since, the destruction or contamination of this area will affect their source of income. The reduction in fisheries produce from the mangrove area due to metal pollution will results in higher imports of fish products which in turn increase the outflow of money from the country. 8.0 References Apello, C.A.J Postma, D. 2005. Geochemistry, groundwater and pollution. 2nd edition. Roterdam: Balkema. Birungi, Z., Masola, B., Zaranyika, M. F., Naigaga, I. and Marshall, B. (2008). Active biomonitoring of trace heavy metals using fish (Oreochromis niloticus) as bioindicator species:the case of Nakivubo wetland along lake victoria. Chaney, R. L., 2010. Cadmium and Zinc. Trace Element in Soils. Wiley Publication. United Kingdom. Department of Environment, 2007. DOE Annual Report 2007. Retrieved from http://www.doe.gov.my/files/multimedia141/AR_JAS.pdf on 10 October 2010. DID, 2010. Department of Irrigation. River Management-Activities. Retrieved on 5 October 2010 at http://www.water.gov.my/index.php?option=com_contenttask= Forghani et al., 2009. Geochemistry and speciation of metals in sediments of the Maharlu Saline Lake, Shiraz, SW Iran. Environment Earth Science (2009) 59:173-184 Guevara et al., 2005. In Yu, R., Yuan, X., Zhao, Y., Hu, G., Tu, X., 2008. Heavy metal pollution in intertidal sediments from Quanzhou Bay, China. Journal of Environment Science 20, 664-669. Howard J. L., Vandenbrink W. J., 1999. Sequential extraction analysis of heavy metals in sediments of variable composition using nitrilotriacetic acid to counteract resorption. Jain, C. K., 2003. Metal fractionation study on bed sediments of River Yamuna, India. Water Research 38 (2004) 569-578 Juahir, H., Zain, S., Yusoff, M., Hanidza, T., Armi, A., Toriman, M. and Mokhtar, M., 2010. Spatial water quality assessment of Langat River Basin (Malaysia) using environmetric techniques. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. Krishnamurti, G. S. R., Huang, P. M., Van Rees, K. C. J., Kozak, L. M. and Rostad, H. P. W., 1995. Speciation of particulate-bound Cadmium of Soils and its bioavailability. Analyst, 120.851. Pempkowiase J., Sikora A., Biernacka E., 1999. Speciation of heavy metals in marine sediments vs their accumulation by mussels. Chemosphere 1999:39(2):313-21. Piron, M., Pineau, A. and Mabele, R.M., 1990. Sediment, parameters and distribution of metals in fine sediments of the loire estuary. Water, Air, Amp; Soil Pollution 50(3), 267-277. Poh E. L., Mun Y. K., 1994. Determination and speciation of heavy metals in sediments of the Juru river, Penang, Malaysia. Environmental Monitoring Assessment 35:85-95, 1995. Sarmani, S., 1989. The determination of heavy metals in water, suspended materials and Sediments from Langat River, Malaysia. Hydrobiologia 176/177 : 233-238, 1989 . Shazili, N.A.M., Yunus, K., Ahmad, A.S., Abdullah, N. and Rashid, M.K.A., 2006. Heavy metal pollution status in the Malaysian aquatic environment. Aquatic Ecosystem Health Management 9(2), 137-145. Silviera, M. L., Alleoni, L. R. F., OConnor, G. A., Chang, A. C., 2006. Heavy metal sequential extraction methods A modification for tropical soils. Chemosphere 64 (2006) 1929-1938. Song, Y., Wilson, M.J., Moon, H.S., Bacon, J.R. and Bain, D.C., 1999. Chemical and mineralogical forms of lead, zinc and cadmium in particle size fractions of some wastes, sediments and soils in Korea. Applied Geochemistry 14(5), 621-633. Tan, G. H., (1995). Residue Levels of Phthalate Esters in Water and Sediment Samples from the Klang River Basin. Environment Contamination and Toxicology 54:171-1769 1995 Springer-Verlag New York Inc. Tessier, A., Campbell, P. G. C., Bisson, M., 1979. Sequential Extraction Procedure for the Speciation of Particulate Trace Metals. Analytical Chamistry, Vol 51, No 7, June 1979. US EPA, 1996. Method 3050B. Acid digestion of sediments, sludges and soils. Available from http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/testmethods/sw846/pdfs/3050b.pdf viewid=16Itemid=395 Yap, S.Y. and Ong, H.T. (1990) The effects of agrochemicals on an aquatic ecosystem: a case study from the Krian River basin, Malaysia. The Environmentalist 10(3), 189 ±202. Yu, R., Yuan, X., Zhao, Y., Hu, G., Tu, X., 2008. Heavy metal pollution in intertidal sediments from Quanzhou Bay, China. Journal of Environment Science 20, 664-669.

Types of Communication and the Barriers

Types of Communication and the Barriers Definition, Types of communication Communication is known as a medium of communicating, is a simple act of transferring information from point A to point B. Although this definition can sound as simple as it is, but when it differentiate the different type of communication it become more complex. Spoken, Verbal/ Non Verbal Communication Communication can be known as spoken, and it is called as verbal communication, an effective verbal or spoken communication depends on the clarity of speech, the listening skill of the listener. Verbal communication can either be face to face, through radio and also television. On the other hand, non verbal communication would be depending on the body language of someone, the gestures when they’re talking. Interpersonal communication does not only contain of words but also movement of the speaker, non verbal communication are most likely to contain messages that are conveyed by the speaker. Non verbal communication can consist of face expression, the tone of speaking, and the body language displayed on the speaker while he/she is speaking. The non verbal communication gives a lot more of clues and information about someone compared to verbal communication. Writing Skills Writing skills is also another important part of communication; good writing skills can allow you to send your message to the audience through face to face or even through writing. Correct grammar, spelling and punctuation is crucial in writing skills, for example, when you’re writing a CV to apply for a job in a hotel, the better the writing skills the higher the chances you will get the job. Visualizations We could also communicate by visual graphs such as charts or graph, logos, and other form of visualisation figure. This is mainly used during a conference or a meeting to send information of the company or the data, for example the annual sales of the hotel or the marketing plan of the hotel. Social Media Social media is also a form of communication to interact, using the network and applications that are commonly used examples, emails, Whatsapp, Wechat, Facebook. We can easily interact with anyone at anytime. The network have created a zero distance for us, for example, having video conferencing meeting with the head quarters of the company that are in United Kingdom when the office is in Singapore. The network has been the greatest creation ever to break almost every communication barriers that we have. Communication barriers Communication between two individuals can be simple if there’s not much barriers between them, but there are huge differences between talking and communicating. When we communicate, we can successfully in getting the points that the other person is trying to say on the other hand, when we talk, we would just ignore the barriers that might hinder the ability to communicate between each other. There are seven different types of communication barriers to more effective communicating, this includes Physical barriers Emotional barriers Cultural barriers Genders barriers Interpersonal barriers Perceptual barriers Language barriers There are a few reason that might have been the main barriers among human communication, for example the main reason why we can easily encounter communication barriers is due to the language differences that we might speak, even if we could speak the same language, the differences of the accent might come unfamiliar to us and it might be quite hard to understand. On the other hand, another reason why communication will fail it may be lack of interest of the person which is talking or the listener might have distractions from the other people nearby or even the noises of the crowds. Another misjudgement of common error is that people tend to expect what they hear rather than what is actually being spoken and jumping straight into inaccurate conclusions. Physical barriers The environment has been one of the main reason that causes physical barriers among employees and employers, for example, if the environment in the hotel isn’t quiet, the speaker isn’t talking in a loud voice, the listener wouldn’t be able to hear what messages is being delivered. Distance also plays an important role. For example, if the organisation in the company is made to sit in different floors or departments in the hotel, they likely would have difficulties on communicating face to face and due to long term relying on technology such as phone calls and emails; it distances the relationship of the employees and employers. Emotional barriers In a workplace, facing staffs and bosses might be a stressful task. Maintaining a good relationship in the workplace is crucial. According to Bud Craig,(2008) the classical emotions such as anger and fear, will always leads an individual to fight or fail to cooperate, therefore this is why working in an environment that does not make us happy and make us felt mistreated will lead the employees to lost interest and brings out negative impact. Cultural barriers Working in the hotel, there might be employees of different group age; every different age group would have different ways and perception of working. The age group of people would always have conflicts of describing older workers as â€Å"out of touch’ and those who just went into the organisation would be criticised by the older workers as ‘slackers’ during work time and not constantly focussing on work. Another reason of cause of cultural barriers is that the staffs would always believe in status and resistance in any sort of work place, staffs who assumed themselves as seniority status may find it hard to adapt into environments where the job tittles might be de-emphasized. Gender barriers According to Heather R,(2005), being well aware of the following generalizations will always help the organisation to have more effectively in the work place, for examples, women staffs would likely talk about people, and on the other hand, male staffs like to talk about tangible things such as sports, food and drinks. Women staffs ask many questions to gain an understanding on an issue that they are not clear about while men staffs always gives information more than asking questions Women staffs focus on feelings and senses, while man staffs always focus on the facts and the logic of problems. Interpersonal barriers The lack of desire on participating organisation events might be another reason of interpersonal barriers, Some staffs of the older age would be more frustrated on work and do not really like to socialise among the community in the company. Some other staffs who might be an introvert might also have unwillingness to explore, giving out new ideas during staffs meetings, or even speaking out the own views of the organisation, in the long run, this may lead to more unwillingness on working and even extremely frustrating among themselves. Perceptual barriers As human, we always have our own preferences, self values, different attitudes and we see it as a own kind of â€Å"flitters† in making decisions and perception of thinking. Thinking in our own â€Å"filters† and ignoring other’s opinion may lend to all sort of assumptions and misunderstanding. Language barriers Working in the front office in the hotel industry, one must be fluent in different types of languages, while people in Malaysia can usually speak more than 3 different languages and dialects, the dialectal differences will make communicating with different individuals harder. Language disabilities are the physical impediments to languages, we could not talk person which have dysphonia or how have hearing loss. According to the Rwanda Development Board, (2008) indicates that around 85,730 of the staffs in the hospitality sector are not fluent in foreign languages and therefore have less efficacy on customer service. It is also identified that language deficiency is the major problem of the hindering growth in the hospitality industry. I went to a hotel nearby my house to interview the front desk manager about the barriers that might occur working in the hotel line. Questionnaire and Answers How long have you been working in this profession? According to Ms.Cheng, (2015) she have been working in the hotel industry for more than 20 years. How did you first get into this profession? According to Ms. Cheng, (2015) she stated that her mother used to be a hotelier for her whole life, her mother inspired her to become a person like her mom, being a hotelier that cares for the people, a dedicated staff and one who try her best to serve and satisfy the need of the people who lives in the hotel. Do you like your job? Ms Cheng is a really responsible worker and she never shown up late before for the past years of working. What is the toughest problem that you have encountered so far? Stated by Ms. Cheng, (2015), working to serve the community isn’t an easy job, people all throughout the world have different cultures and beliefs, but the hardest problem to cope with is the attitude of rude or bad mannered guests. What kind of communication barrier that will affect the job working in the front line of the hotel industry? Ms Cheng stated that the language barriers is the main problem to communicate among guests, because when we do not understand the language that is being spoke, we can’t communicate and this will lead the guest to lose their temper leaving a bad impression to the company. When problems occurred, what does the organisation do to help solve the problems? The company would do their best to settle the situation of satisfaction or misunderstanding between the guest and the staffs. (Cheng, Interview) What are the ways to avoid having these circumstances working in the hotel line? When interviewed on 4th May 2015, Ms Cheng confirmed that hiring only experienced staffs with higher education level is as important as hiring staffs that have good ethics, personality, and the company should be really serious on picking people to join the company and even conduct an evaluating between the people that are in-charged in the organisation before hiring new staffs to the company. What is the main reason that communication breakdown often happens in working front line? Cheng (2015) made the claim those companies not only in the hotel industry nowadays often hires foreigner workers that are from Bangladesh, Nepal to work, and as for foreigners they do not speak our national language well or even any other language such as Chinese, English and the main reason why organisation still hire them is because the wages that is needed to hire a foreigner worker is lower than hiring the people from our own country, it helps to cut down the cost and budgets for the company and hence leads to more and more barriers to be faced during working period. Conclusion and Recommendations In this task, I have learnt that how a company communicates among the employee and how an organization work together. Besides, I learned that communication barriers come in different ways such as language carriers, cultural barriers, and emotional barriers and so on. Throughout the questionnaire and listening upon the interviewer’s answers based on the questions I have asked, I realised that effective communication is the key of managing a good company to success because a company that is poor in communication will always lead to ultimately misunderstandings. According to Forbes, (2009) problem solving is the greatest enabler for growth and opportunity. This is why they say failure serves as the greatest lesson in business and in life. In my own opinion, realising the problem is the first step to success, knowing the problems of the company, analyzing why problems occur and performing appropriate action to fix the problem as soon as possible. In my own opinion, realising the p roblem is the first step to success, knowing the problems of the company, analyzing why problems occur and performing appropriate action to fix the problem as soon as possible.

Comparing Beloved and Night Essay -- comparison compare contrast essay

Comparing Beloved and Night  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The two novels I am writing about are "Night" by Elie Wiesel and "Beloved," by Toni Morrison.   Beloved tells about slavery and an ex-slave mother's struggle with a past which is projected as the haunting of her people.   It tells the story of Sethe, a mother compelled to kill her child, rather than let the child live a life of slavery.   Toni Morrison uses ghosts and the supernatural to create an enhanced acceptance of the human condition and the struggled survival of the Black American.  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The novel is set in Ohio in the 1880's.   The Civil War had been won, slavery had been abolished, however, the memories of slavery still remain.   Although the story itself is fictional, the novel is based on   real events.  Ã‚   The events are based on the trial in Cincinnati of Margaret Garner, who with her husband, and seventeen other slaves (Kentuckian) crossed the Ohio where they supposedly found safe shelter.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When it was discovered that they had been pursued and surrounded, and her husband overpowered, Margaret knew that any hope of freedom was   in vain.   She refused to see her children taken back into slavery.   Without delay, Margaret quickly took hold of a butcher's knife which was laid on a table and cut the throat of her young daughter.   She then attempted to kill her other children as well, then herself, but she was overpowered and held back before she could follow through.   She was arrested and put on trial on the grounds that the child she killed was the legal property of the owner.  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Beloved, when a new proprietor takes over Sweet Home (the slave farm), Sethe, escapes the brutal beatings she now endures in an attempt to go from Kentucky to Ohio.   When the pr... ...took   part in the holocaust had no other choice.   They had families to take care of and home lives just like the rest of   us.   For example, I believe that many of the soldiers who took part in the Holocaust were forced through military responsibility or face   treason or death.   These soldiers have   to live with themselves knowing they killed millions of innocent people.   When an order is given, an order must be carried out.   Many soldiers had no choice, but to kill, or be killed.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We are all human beings.   We all have feelings, and families whom we love.   Sometimes the force behind the brutality is too powerful to disobey, and people (soldiers, the white man, the Americans and Hiroshima, etc., etc.) have no choice but to obey,   or face the consequences.   In the military you don't question an order; you just do it (as in Othello and Billy Budd).        

Lincoln - Douglas Debate :: essays research papers

Affirmative Case Introduction- "We must use every tool of diplomacy and law we have available, while maintaining both the capacity and the resolve to defend freedom. We must have the vision to explore new avenues when familiar ones seem closed. And we must go forward with a will as great as our goal – to build a practical peace that will endure through the remaining years of this century and far into the next.† Because I believe so strongly in the words of U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, when she spoke at the Stimson Center Event, June 10, 1998, that I ask you to affirm today’s resolution, â€Å"Resolved: The use of economic sanctions to achieve U.S. Foreign Policy goals is moral.† Before I go on, I feel it necessary to define some key phrases in this resolution: ? Economic sanctions- the deliberate, government inspired withdrawal, or threat of withdrawal, of customary trade or financial relations. "Customary" does not mean "contractual"; it simply means levels of trade and financial activity that would probably have occurred in the absence of sanctions. ? To achieve- to fulfill ? U.S. Foreign Policy goals- to encompass changes expressly sought by the sender state in the political behavior of the target state. ? Moral- capable of right and wrong action or of being governed by a sense of right; subject to the law of duty. I ask you to affirm this resolution in order to achieve my all-important value premise of societal welfare. To make my position clear, I will define societal welfare as the United States government’s duty to act in the nation’s best interest. This also refers to what the majority of the citizens want. To achieve societal welfare, I shall utilize the criterion of national security. I will define national security as the government’s obligation to protect its citizens. It is in this way that the United States government must proceed to achieve its greatest goal of societal welfare by exercising the security of our nation. Now on to the core of the affirmative case: My first contention in this debate is that sanctions aim to modify behavior, not punish. Sanctions do not exist to ostracize or punish, but rather they encourage a change of policy that leads to compliance with standards of international law. One of our goals is to change or destabilize the target’s government, which means to change its policies that involve human rights, terrorism, and nuclear nonproliferation. Others are to disrupt a relatively minor military adventure and to change the policies of the target in a major way, such as, to surrender a territory. Our goals are NOT to go

Families Growing Weak in America Essay

Higher divorce rates directly contributes to the breaking down of the family structure identifying that families are growing weaker in the United States. It is tremendously essential for family members to remain together in order to maintain a strong family unit where each individual in the home is able to prosper and develop into a more solid and successful person contributing to a stronger America. Patrick Fagan and Robert Rector, explain the negative effects of divorce on our families in America when they tell us that, (2000, Fagan, Rector) â€Å"As social scientists track successive generations of American children whose parents have ended their marriages, the data are leading even some once-staunch supporters to conclude that divorce is hurting American society and devastating children’s lives. † Not only does divorce affect each individual in the family when the separation of the family occurs but it continues to devastate those same lives later in their personal lives and in their careers later in life, contributing to the breaking down of families and causing an even weaker America. We also learn from Fagan and Rector that According to data reported in 1994 by Mary Corcoran, professor of political science at the University of Michigan, â€Å"During the years children lived with two parents, their family incomes averaged $43,600, and when these same children lived with one parent, their family incomes averaged $25,300. † It is fair to assume that families are growing weaker in our country and in to establish a more concrete and stronger family unit, it is extremely crucial that families work harder at staying together in order for the family to be more successful and grow from a weaker family in our country to a stronger one. For children to grow up to be more successful, parents must strive to build a stronger household by taking all necessary means to keep their family together as one. Dr. Scott Haltzman tells us that (2007, Haltzman, DiGeronimo)â€Å"Overall, children living with their own married parents have fewer behavioral problems compared to children whose parents are living together but not married. Differences in the area of physical health also exist. Young children in single-parent families are less healthy overall than are children in all other family types. † Children from broken homes need extra medical care because of this weakening of the family structure. It is never too late to start building stronger families and working toward improvement in America. There is outside help being offered to families who feel they may need therapy or other means of help to keep their family together. (1985, Stinnent, DeFrain) Nick Stennett and John DeFrain explain that we can get help and tells us about community services that may be beneficial. He tells us that â€Å"Many children and families are resilient, but in these complex times, sometimes they need a little assistance in overcoming the obstacles in their lives. † Reference Page Fagan, Patrick; Rector, Robert. 2000. The Effects of Divorce on America. The World and I. Haltzman, Scott; DiGeronimo. 2007. The Secrets of Happily Married Men. Jossey and Bass. Stinnett, Nick; Defrain, John. 1985. Secrets of Strong Families. Berkley Books

Qam and Qpsk

QAM and QPSK: Aim: Review of Quadrature Amplitude Modulator (QAM) in digital communication system, generation of Quadrature Phase Shift Keyed (QPSK or 4-PSK) signal and demodulation. Introduction: The QAM principle: The QAM modulator is of the type shown in Figure 1 below. The two paths to the adder are typically referred to as the ‘I’ (inphase), and ‘Q’ (quadrature), arms. Not shown in Figure 1 is any bandlimiting. In a practical situation this would be implemented either at message level – at the input to each multiplier – and/or at the output of the adder.Probably both ! The motivation for QAM comes from the fact that a DSBSC signal occupies twice the bandwidth of the message from which it is derived. This is considered wasteful of resources. QAM restores the balance by placing two independent DSBSC, derived from message #1 and message #2, in the same spectrum space as one DSBSC. The bandwidth imbalance is removed. In digital communications this arrangement is popular. It is used because of its bandwidth conserving (and other) properties. It is not used for multiplexing two independent messages.Given an input binary sequence (message) at the rate of n bit/s, two sequences may be obtained by splitting the bit stream into two paths, each of n/2 bit/s. This is akin to a serial-to-parallel conversion. The two streams become the channel 1 and channel 2 messages of Figure 1. Because of the halved rate the bits in the I and Q paths are stretched to twice the input sequence bit clock period. The two messages are recombined at the receiver, which uses a QAM-type demodulator. The two bit streams would typically be band limited and/or pulse shaped before reaching the modulator.A block diagram of such a system is shown in Figure 2 below. QAM becomes QPSK: The QAM modulator is so named because, in analog applications, the messages do in fact vary the amplitude of each of the DSBSC signals. In QPSK the same modulator is used, but wi th binary messages in both the I and Q channels, as describe above. Each message has only two levels,  ±V volt. For a non-bandlimited message this does not vary the amplitude of the output DSBSC. As the message changes polarity this is interpreted as a 1800 phase shift, given to the DSBSC.Thus the signal in each arm is said to be undergoing a 1800 phase shift, or phase shift keying – or PSK. Because there are two PSK signals combined, in quadrature, the twochannel modulator gives rise to a quadrature phase shift keyed – QPSK – signal. Constellation: Viewed as a phasor diagram (and for a non-bandlimited message to each channel), the signal is seen to occupy any one of four point locations on the complex plane. These are at the corner of a square (a square lattice), at angles ? /4, 3? /4, 5? /4 and 7? /4 to the real axis.M-PSK and M-QAM: The above has described digital-QAM or QPSK. This signal is also called 4-PSK or 4QAM. More generally signals can be generated which are described as M-QAM or MPSK. Here M = 2L, where L = the number of levels in each of the I and Q arms. For the present experiment L = 2, and so M = 4. The ‘M’ defines the number of points in the signal constellation. For the cases M > 4 then M-PSK is not the same as M-QAM. The QAM Receiver: The QAM receiver follows the similar principles to those at the transmitter, and is illustrated in idealised from in the block diagram of Figure 3.It is idealised because it assumes the incoming signal has its two DSBSC precisely in phase quadrature. Thus only one phase adjustment is required. The parallel-to-serial converter block performs the following operations: 1. regenerates the bit clock from the incoming data. 2. regenerates a digital waveform from both the analog outputs of the I and Q arms. 3. re-combines the I and Q signals, and outputs a serial data stream. Not shown is the method of carrier acquisition. This ensures that the oscillator, which supplies the local carrier signal, is synchronized to the received (input) signal in both frequency and phase.In this experiment we will use a stole carrier to ensure that carrier signal in the transmitter and receiver are in synchronism with each other. (Please read about Costas Receiver to understand more about carrier acquisition). In this experiment, two independent data sequences will be used at the input to the modulator, rather than having digital circuitry to split one data stream into two (the serialto-parallel converter). Two such independent data sequences, sharing a common bit clock (2. 083 kHz), are available from a single SEQUENCE GENERATOR module.The data stream from which these two channels are considered to have been derived would have been at a rate of twice this – 4. 167 kHz. Lowpass filter bandlimiting and pulse shaping is not a subject of enquiry in this experiment. So a single bandpass filter at the ADDER (summer) output will suffice, providing it is of adequate bandwidth. A 100 kHz CHANNEL FILTERS module is acceptable (filter #3). Experimental Procedure: The QPSK transmitter: A model of the generator of Figure 1 is shown in Figure 4. The QAM modulator involves analog circuitry.Overload must be avoided, to prevent crosstalk between channels when they share a common path – the ADDER and output filter. In practice there would probably be a filter in the message path to each multiplier. Although these filters would be included for pulse shaping and/or band limiting, a secondary purpose is to eliminate as many unwanted components at the multiplier (modulator) input as possible. T1 patch up the modulator according to Figure 4. Set the on-board switch SW1 of the PHASE SHIFTER to HI. Select channel #3 of the 100 kHz CHANNEL FILTERS module (this is a bandpass filter of adequate bandwidth).T2 there are no critical adjustments to be made. Set the signals from each input of the ADDER to be, say, 1 volt peak at the ADDER output. T3 for interest predict th e waveforms (amplitude and shape) at all interfaces, then confirm by inspection. Constellation: You can display the four-point constellation for QPSK: T4 set the oscilloscope in X-Y mode. With no input, select equal gains per channel. Locate the ‘spot’ in the centre of the screen; then connect the two data streams entering the QAM to the scope X and Y inputs.The Demodulator: Modelling of the demodulator of Figure 3 is straightforward. But it consumes a lot of modules. Consequently only one of the two arms is shown in Figure 5. The PHASE SHIFTER can be used to select either channel from the QAM signal. If both channels required simultaneously, as in practice, then a second, identical demodulator must be provided. T5 patch up the single channel demodulator of Figure 5, including the z-mod facility of the DECISION MAKER. T6 while watching the ‘I’ channel at the transmitter, use the PHASE SHIFTER to match the demodulator output with it.T7 while watching the â⠂¬ËœQ’ channel at the transmitter, use the PHASE SHIFTER to match the demodulator output with it. Tutorial Questions: 1) Explain how a QAM system conserves bandwidth. 2) The modulator used the quadrature 100 kHz outputs from the MASTER SIGNALS module. Did it matter if these were not precisely in quadrature ? Explain. 3) Name one advantage of making the bit rate a sub-multiple of the carrier frequency. 4) Why is there a need to eliminate as many unwanted components as possible into the modulator ?

Does CSR Help or Hinder a Company’s Performance?

Task 4: (582 words) Write a literature review for â€Å"Does CSR (corporate social responsibility) help or hinder a company’s performance? † This literature review explores the state of the art in corporate social innovation research. It briefly outlines the main themes in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) debate organizational legitimacy, moral choices, stakeholder interaction, sustainable development radical and user driven innovation. The paper then reviews the major objects of corporate social innovation singling out and eco innovations as key themes.It closes by analyzing how social innovation is enacted at each of the four levels discussed in the first part. The debate about CSR has been said to have begun in the early 20th century, amid growing concerns about large corporations and their power. The ideas of charity and stewardship helped to shape the early thinking about CSR in the US (Saurabh Gaur, 2011) . Our work would like to verify, after a review of literature, by using panel data, if some performance indicators can be affected by the firms’ social responsible behavior and their certifications.The novelty of our analysis comes from its dynamic aspect and from the buildin g of a CSR index that intersects two of the three main international indices (Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, FTSE4Good Index,2011), in order to be objective and to have a representative sample. The main results seem to support the idea that the CSR firms are the more virtuous, having better performances in the long run. in reporting is clearly crucial whereby being transparent does not necessarily mean revealing everything as this can be counterproductive to the communication of the key message (Bebbington et al. 1999). Consequently, companies must decide how much information to disclose. Based on different stakeholders to needs whereby it is sometimes necessary to disclose information that puts the company in a bad light. The ample room for mano euvre in identifying significant impacts and prioritising them has been partly blamed for the little significance behind achieving formal public endorsement for CSR disclosure (Boiral, 20 09).This is where the concept of Corporate So cial Responsibility, (CSR) has developed and is beginning to enter into common lexical knowledge and is increasingly being used by academics and economists for the sustainability of economic development. As often happens when new terms are coined, they tend to lose their conceptual precision, leaving their evocative value which is however watered down by the multitude of different meanings and contexts in which it is used .However, if we are to say that CSR is necessary for corporate strategy, given the recent ness of the phenomena and absence of a well-defined and universally accepted certification method, at present CSR has certain major limitations which we would like to rectify, that is an objective benchmark rather than a mere marketing tool for th e public, the principal motivation and elements that push firms into ethical behavior and suitable certification.It is actually this second point that has given rise to a proliferation of articles concerning social certification (Ullman, 1985) that have still not shed light on the mot ivation that entices firms to bear the cost of certification or looked at the experimental performance of CSR firms. As a result, various performance measures have been adopted both on the market and in accountability that all give rather discordant result s. Corporate social responsibility is the commitment of businesses to contribute to sustainable economic development by working with employees, their families, the local community and society at large to improve their lives in ways that are good for business and for development† (Cavett-Goodwin, 2007). Therefore, our paper tries to give an answer to the questions explained above. References: — Global reporting initiative, Sustainability Reporting Initiatives [online] Available from :< http://www. globalreporting. org/ReportingFramework/G3Guidelines> [Accessed 15 July, 2010]. Tsoutsoura M. , 2004, â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility and financial Perfor mance†, Center for Responsible Business, Working Paper Series, N. 7, University of Califor nia, Berkeley. – Academy of Management Review, Institute of Social and Ethical Accountability [online] Available from :< http://www. accountability. org/about-us/news/accountability-1/pharma-s-3imandate. html> [Accessed 11 may, 2010]. – Roberts C. , 1992, â€Å"Determinants of Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure: An Application of Stakeholder Theory†, Accounting, Organizations and Society, 17, 6, 595 – 612. World Business Council for Sustainable Development [online] Available from : [Accessed 15 October,2012]. – Donaldson T. , (1989), The Ethics of International Business, The Ruffin Ser ies in Business Ethics, Oxford University Press. – Sustainable investment , Ethical Investment Research and Information Service [online] Available from < http://www. eiris. org/managers/sustainable_investment. html> [Accessed 24 Jun, 2007]. – Cooperative Bank, Ethical Purchasing Index [online] Available from :[ Accessed 23 april,2005] TASK 6: (1073 words)The synthesized essay on: â€Å"Does CSR (corporate social responsibility) help or hinder a company’s performance? † Abstract The corporate social responsibility (CSR) is getting an increasingly important issue for economic agents all over the world. The development sustainable businesses need to implement their social responsibility. Though there is no detailed measurement available on the impact of these practices on business performance, CSR is believed to have a positive relationship with a company’s goodwill and also be a mean to a more profitable operation.The view that SCG should further integrate CSR programs into its business str ategies, broaden its CSR network to its various stakeholders, put more emphasis on environmental issues, and employ an efficient measurement mechanism for evaluating the impacts and benefits of its CSR programs . Introduction Reality shows that firms have recently been able to adapt to a changing world not only by developing economically but also socially and ethically. A firm’s aim remains based on a development strategy that not only favors’ its hareholders but also responds to all stakeholders involved either directly or indirectly in the production process. The social impact of big and small corporations is becoming a very important issue in business administration. A bad social impact, in fact, could increase the firm’s risk, could lead to wrong relationships with many stakeholders and could affect corporate reputation. This article presents some empirical evidence that aims to answer the following question: does CSR practice influence a company’s im age and reputation? Main body:Total Review of Related, Performance Measures and Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate Social Responsibility is getting an increasingly important issue for economic agents due to a new attention to all the aspects of firms activit ies and their relationship with stakeholders. In fact, firms with the attitude toward disclosure related to social responsibility activities appear to be able to develop and maintain better relationship with s takeholders in general Corporate Social Responsibility is a concept wit h a growing currency around the globe.It frequently overlaps with similar approaches such as cor porate sustainability, corporate sustainable development and corporate responsibility. Moreover, CSR has a wide range of potential meaning: it can be considered as the private sector’s way of integrating the economic, social, and environmental imperatives of its activities. We focus on two main characteristics of CSR: social welfare orientatio n and stakeholders’ relationship orientation.AS businesses have increased their adoption of corporate social responsibility practices, managers face growing pressure to justify the allocation of scarce firms resources and accurate measures of corporate social responsibility results are required. Because the corporate image and reputation have been considered as intangible assets and valuable resources a firm can use in order to differentiate itself from its competitors. The reputation is built over time as the result of complex interrelationships and exchanges between a company and its stakeholders.This complexity of interrelationships makes imitation difficult for competitors in the short term. The grand aggregation approach to corporate reputation loses substantial informational content unless multiple lists of stakeholders can be surveyed; this research will be conducted taking into account the perspectives of only two stakeholders. The rule contact by companies integrates social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis.When you review each of these, they broadly agree that the definition now focuses on the impact of how you manage your core business. The increasing attention to CSR is firstly based on its capability to influence firm’s performance. The researches in this field examine how CSR can provide firms with an incremental gain. For example, researchers have considered purchase intentions, increased sales, enhanced image, and improved employees morale as benefits of CSR.In particular, regarding to this aspect, the literature consists of three principal strands: the existence of a positive correlation between CSR and financial results, the lack of correlation between CSR and Many studies about the relationship between CSR and performance have focused their attention over a variety of other important characteristics that can be possible causes of firmsâ €™ performance. Some researchers have studied the effect of firm’s dimension, industrial sector, age, leverage level and intangible expenditures. t is possible to assume that the biggest firms are able to have a behavior more responsible than the smallest ones. The biggest ones probably pay more attent ion to the relationship with external stakeholders. Moreover, the firm’s dimension affects the link between certification and performance: at the beginning firm’s strategies are focused on the basic survival and just when firm is increasing its dimension because it has crossed the trigger point of survival, it can begin to take care of ethical and philanthropic responsibilities.In the meantime firm’s dimension can be linked with financial performance through economies of scale . The financial result and the existence of a negative correlation between CSR and financial results. The commitment by business to behave ethically and to contribute to economic development while improving the qualit y of the life of the workforce and the families as well as the local community and society at large The CSR is a commitment to improving the well-being of a community through discretionary business practice and contribution of corporate resources. Ethical CSR is morally mandatory and goes beyond ulfilling a firm’s economic and legal obligations, to its ethical responsibilities to avoid harm or social injuries, even if the business might not appear to benefit from this. It may be to SCG advantage to let its CSR stakeholders take a greater role in developing and implementing its strategic CSR programs SCG may further benefit from establishing broader CSR networks with its employees, customers, business partners and with non-profit organizations. Conclusion The above results give first empirical evidence that in Italy firms stock prices are not affected by CSR reports even if firms show a greater attention to these issues.The possible expla nations of these results could be the following: CSR is a relatively new issue in Italy, and most investors have a low degree of perception of the matter; The quality of disclosure for CSR is not easily measurable; there is a lack of general accepted principles and most firms use CSR disclosure as an additional instrument of advertising, avoiding to give relevant information . Most investors are short-term oriented while CSR’s impact is mostly in the medium-long term. At the moment, the small number of firms in the sample is due to few CSR reports available.But, thanks to a greater attention to CSR issues, the sample could be enlarged soon. These aspects could be the main direction of further implementations of our work. References – KAPLAN, R and NORTON, Using the Balanced Scorecard as a Strategic Management System [online] Available from: < http://www. balancedscorecard. org> [Accessed 12 July, 2011). – Carroll A. B. , 1991, â€Å"Corporate Social Performance Measurement: A Commentary on Methods for Evaluating an Elusive Construct†, p. 385-401 in J. E. Post (ed. ), Research in Corporate Social Performance and Policy, vol. 12, Greenwich, CT: JAI. – Donaldson T. (1989), the Ethics of International Business, the Ruffin Ser ies in Business Ethics, Oxford University Press. – Cooperative Bank, Ethical Purchasing Index [online] Available from :[ Accessed 23 april,2005]. – Donaldson T. , (1989), the Ethics of International Business, The Ruffin Series in Business Ethics, Oxford University Press. – Global reporting initiative, Sustainability Reporting Initiatives [online] Available from :< http://www. globalreporting. org/ReportingFramework/G3Guidelines> [Accessed 15 July, 2010] TASK 7 ( 845 words) Compare and contrast how these 2 articles discuss the financial crisis:Abstract This subject is written to the accounting on changing the wrong direction when the debate about modern auditing practices. In the context of the current financial crisis shows that, there are certain similarities between the accounting scandals and the global crisis is expected. All this directly and indirectly affect society. Beside of that, the article also pointed out in different directions to struggle to overcome. Introductions The business landscape is changing all around the world. Advances in finance and technological improvements have accelerated the rate of changes dramatically.That due to the negative impact of different accounting should push certain risks, against the backdrop of increasing economic turbulence; this paper seeks to stimulate debates a bout the quality of auditing by examining the audit reports. Different parties such as; governments, firms, especially small investors are struggling to keep up with these changes. During of that The financial crisis and shows that a large nu mber of enterprises have collapsed within a short period after receiving unqualified audit reports, so the law makers and standard setting bodie s hysterically searched the possible solutions.Some of the accounting principles are changed to having good news or optimistic idea the y are considered as revolutionary. Body paragraphs Regulators and investors have traditionally relied upon corporate financial statements to make sense of bank liabilities, risks and economic exposure, but this has been highly problematic. An early estimate suggested that despite a raft of Attention has fo cused on auditors because of the belief that a green light from an auditor means that a company’s accounting practices have passed muster.Adverse â€Å"key financial ratios† are considered to be an indicator of going concern problems. The environment in which it operates also shows that auditors received considerable income from their audit clients, which may be very significant for regional offices managing the audit. The fee dependency and related advancement o f career can create conflict of interests. A uditors may argue that the financial crisis unfolded suddenly and they were thus ill-prepared to make judgments about the likely financial distress. The issuing of audit reports is subject to organizational and regulatory politics.Auditors may be reluctant to qualify bank accounts for fear of creating panic or jeopardizing their liability position. We have reached the limits of conventional auditing technologies and ought to be considering alternative forms of accounting, disclosures and accountabilities. They are just publishing the financial analyses. This might mean; they are hiding the inputs and want the public to see only the result. the authorities do not give assurances regularly when the things go well but if there is a problem they usually ma kes public speeches to convince them.The social cost of the unfolding crisis is difficult to estimate, but vast amounts of public money are being used to prop-up distressed financial enterprises. For example, in addition to providing huge sums to stimulate banking liquidity. The UK auditing standards, closely aligned with international auditing standards, state that the â€Å"auditor’s procedures necessarily involve a consideration of the entity’s ability to continue in operational existence for the foreseeabl e future. Especially small investors are giving great importance to the financial media’s comments.Accounting is the methodology which provides measurements, statements or provisions of assurance about financial status concerning firm’s financial situations. Accounting can be described as â€Å"language of business â€Å"because accounting information provides signals to end users, especially to investors. Usually their premiums are much higher than their salaries which are generally associated with the growth of the firm. This payment system encourages or even forces them to growth. Brokers are the mediators between the buyers and the sellers.In every transaction they earn c ertain amount of commission. Even though they have certain amount of fixed income their main source of income comes from the transactions. There is an inherent conflict of interest bet ween auditor and client relations. Auditors prepare auditing reports for external users: investors, government etc. , but audit fee is paid by the client: audited company. This price would be correct and even overvalued; t here could be even further decline in the price. This station is called value trap. If the investor buys the stock, he is caught by the trap.Finally models explaining valuation of currencies such as purchasing power parity, fisher effect and international fisher effect could not be put into practice accurately because of statistical deficiencies. Conclusion The deep of financial crisis raises questions about the role and value of the independent audit. Besides that, the Markets do not seem to have been assured by unqualified audit opinions and many financial institutions either coll apsed, that had to be bailed out within a short period of receiving unqualified audit opinions.Thought out that on any independent inquiry into the role of auditing, especially at financial institutions, would help to highlight the shortcomings of the current practices. However, there are remedies for audit industry has mediated previous crises by revising auditing standards and codes of ethics and the early signs are that the same strategies will be deployed again. So on the restrictions and the consequences will be improved over time through economic struggles.