Notes On Avatars And Chat Bots - 844 Words

Short paper on Avatars and Chat bots By Bhagya Lakshmi Vegiraju IT-660 Artificial Intelligence Avatars and Chat bots: In today’s world, computers are all about text input and output. Our way of communication with computer is pointing the mouse, menus and commands. Chat-bots is an end point to such text input-output kind of communication with a computer. Chat-bots enables you to converse with a computer in such a way that you usually talk to a person and it talks back ,which seems realistic as if you were talking to a real person. Chat-bot is basically a program that converse in a natural language with the user. Avatar on the other hand, is a visual character operated by a person or a chat-bot. Do you think these technologies are realistic? I think these technologies are realistic because they respond to you in a such a manner as if you are talking to a real person. A lot of research shows that users develop more of a relationship with a chat-bot or avatar than they do with pages of text and images because they seem realistic. Chat-bots allow users to access the information as though they had someone to assist them. The chat-bot can take general language queries, give general language responses, and show users the parts of the content they were searching for on the internet ,for example ‘Siri’ technology. I tried a conversation with few of theShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Digital Identification : An Analysis Of Virtual Surrogacy3268 Words   |  14 Pagesactively constructed presentation of oneself. In some online contexts, including Internet forums, online chats, and massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), users can represent themselves visually by choosing an avatar, Avatars are one way users express their online identity. Microsoft’s XBOX, a popular video gaming brand, has moved a step further from creating and designing Avatars. They have now not only provided multiplayer features but have also enabled gamers to communicate with

The Proclamation For Equal Authority - 977 Words

RHETORICAL ESSAY The Proclamation for Equal Authority It has now come a time that the quandary of authority or political power is unrightfully justifiable in the thick of selfdom, as opposed to equality. Its domination by whom sworn duties of moral respect are inalienable for human rights. Public figures have proven to take advantage from the privileges of their titles in the form of vanity, towards the outnumbered citizens of our city, state and government It is evitable that we are all created equally by earthly signs of justifiable evidence, with permissible authorship directly from the source of our creator, and it is also written by the standing Forefathers of this country with respect and truth. Yet, the outcome has destined to a reactant solution of leaded disgorgement that protects and serve its citizens well, thus a community that acquiesce such actions. When any authority unjustly stands in their proposition, â€Å"We the people†, have the right to amend such authority to reform his or her title of position, for a new and profound antipodal. Eccentric sonderling, bribery and tyranny of the supposed individuals, we must form a defense for a call of action to be set in place for restoration. Therefore, to all righteous equal men and women, we call upon an immediate call of action for equal authority. We deem to render a cause opposed to political power along with unethical or authorized biases of social injustice currently taking place in America, today. -TheyShow MoreRelatedLincoln s Emancipation Proclamation : The End Of Slavery935 Words   |  4 PagesFrom Guezlo’s introduction of â€Å"Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation: The end of Slavery in America†, he acknowledged that this is one of the representative of President Lincoln’s writings in the history demonstrating his dedication to free â€Å"four million black slaves†. At the end of Guezlo’s introduction, he proposed the idea of how Lincoln would be a white frie nd to African American due to the power, the position he had that can help him to start deliverance. The author stated, â€Å"It would be specialRead MoreLincolns Emancipation of the Slaves Essay1334 Words   |  6 Pages The Emancipation Proclamation speech was actually intended for most of the people that would free the slaves, not to the slaves. According to Carl Rollyson the Proclamation was not intended for the slave, blacks, or former slaves. The â€Å"Emancipation Proclamation† speech was during the Antislavery Movement or what some people call the Abolitionist Movement, during the 1860s. The main leaders of the abolitionist movement were Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas. The point of Lincoln writing theRead MoreAnalysis of the Emancipation Proclamation Speech1339 Words   |  6 Pages The Emancipation Proclamation speech was actually intended for most of the people that would free the slaves, not to the slaves. According to Rollyson the proclamation was not int ended for the slave, blacks, or former slaves. The â€Å"Emancipation Proclamation† speech was during the Antislavery Movement or what some people call it the Abolitionist Movement, during the 1960s. The main leaders of the abolitionist movement were Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas. The point of Lincoln writing the speechRead MoreLincoln s Rights Of Slavery1730 Words   |  7 Pagesconstitution protected slavery, yet he interfered with this institution after his 1860 election. Though Lincoln had no plan â€Å"to interfere† with slavery when the war started, by 1862 Lincoln understood that in order to save the Union and win the war, he had authority as commander in chief to emancipate all the slaves in the Confederate States, where the states were in a status of rebellion. Abraham Lincoln naturally hated slavery yet he believed he could not do anything about where it already existed; his onlyRead MoreThe Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther Kings Speech895 Words   |  4 PagesAmericans. His dream for African Americans to be equal, appealed to the emotions of his audience. The desire to live a civil life and not be oppressed was felt by many. Martin Luther King delivered a speech that would immensely make an impact on the country. Summary and background Martin Luther King introduces his speech by acknowledging the efforts of a monumental president (Abraham Lincoln) to end slavery and pass the emancipation proclamation. Throughout the speech King uses metaphors to describeRead MoreProclamation of the Irish Republic1131 Words   |  5 PagesRAÚL MUÑOZ RODRà GUEZ CORREO - E: irokuoiraul@yahoo.es rmunoz62@alumno.uned.es COMMENTARY TEXT Proclamation of the Irish Republic, 24 April 1916 â€Å"Proclamation of the Irish Republic† was one of the more important aspects in the Easter Rising. It ´s a historic – circumstantial text. In order to maintain secrecy the Proclamation of the Irish Republic was printed out on a hand press a few hours before the Rising. It was produced in two sections and due to the shortage of lettering, theRead MoreRacism And The United States1178 Words   |  5 Pages America is internationally viewed as a land where all races, ethnicities and people have equal representation and freedom of equality. Not only, is this international recognition what makes the United States a divergent society, but it is the principles that we were established on that makes us a well-functioning society. Although, these American principles elude to a liberating, symbolic, and personal appeal, it is internally flawed by governments beyond the beltway. Corruption is the root of allRead MoreAbraham Lincoln And The Abolition Of Slavery879 Words    |  4 Pagesequality and freedom above all as a basis for a united nation because he wrote the Gettysburg Address at a crucial time during the civil war to earn favor among freed slaves and to those opposed to slavery in the North and he decreed the Emancipation Proclamation as a stepping stone to achieve his ultimate goal. Lincoln had deep feelings on the subject of liberty. He knew it was a vital but delicate concept, which needed to be cared for. Nearly a ten years earlier, in the midst of agitation over the Kansas-NebraskaRead MoreLincoln, Race, And The Spirit Of The 761247 Words   |  5 Pagesdone during his presidency was writing the Emancipation Proclamation. The idea of Lincoln trying to declare all slaves free in the Confederacy was thought about in the summer of 1862. In Christopher E. Henry’s, Forever Free, he indicates that, â€Å"With the South’s surrender in 1865, however, all slaves in the old Confederacy were automatically free† (67). By having Christopher E. Henry express â€Å"surrender† shows how the Emancipation Proclamation could help transform slavery. This shows how the south isRead MoreAbraham Lincoln s Greatest Presidents1671 Words   |  7 PagesAbraham Lincoln was one of America’s greatest presidents was that Paludan stated Lincoln was a p resident who wanted to defend and uphold the constitution of the United States, especially since President Lincoln always stated that all men are created equal and that meant blacks to in his opinion. He was the type of person who talked to the people not at the people when he spoke. Paludan believes Lincoln was a president that was greater than any other President in history. He feels that Lincoln wanted

The Role of Project Management in Todays Business Environment

Question: Discuss about The Role of Project Management in Todays Business Environment. Answer: In my opinion project management is actually a discipline. A discipline that requires careful planning, initiating, executing, closing, and controlling the operation of a group or team of professionals engaged in particular job oriented to achieve definite goals and success criteria. A project is a temporary or short term endeavor set by most businesses these days for the purpose of attaining certain stipulated goals (A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide), 2004). These goals may be oriented towards production of goods, or catering services which further have a definite beginning and an end time stipulated prior to the commencement of the project. According to me project management is an efficient discipline which can be implemented in business operations from time to time with the aim to bring about an added value to the business or beneficial change. The provisional nature of the projects contrasts the perpetual operations of the businesses and requires much more efficiency in regards to managing the activities involved (Graham, 2011). I believe the chief reason that present day businesses require project management is because of the changing nature of the people across the world around which a business revolves. With proper implementation of project management businesses would not only be able to meet with their customers changing demands but also will be able to meet those demands efficiently and in due time. In my experience I have gathered that the core framework of the project management is that it allows me make use of the time more efficiently. In addition, I found it to be more useful in ensuring that the achievement of the goals stipulated prior to the commencement of the project is certain (Heaslip, 2014). The importance of project management in contemporary businesses is very important as it helps businesses to cope with their shortcomings effectively and positively. The day to day business operations often fail to achieve the daily targets which result in the shortcomings in the first place. Furthermore, with an appropriate project management framework I am able to convert the day to day business operations into short term projects. For instance, declaring a certain months operation to be a project I am able to achieve a better success rate than a regular operational month (Kerzner, 2001). This is due to the series of planning that is involved with the project. Before initiation a project requires a great deal of planning, significantly setting the targets to be accomplished and the way the project is about to be carried out. This will involve in setting individual roles for each of the members of the group involved in the project. Subsequent to this a definite time period will be set for the project. Now, the members involved in the project will have a clear perspective in regards to their role in regards to what they have to achieve and the ti me period in which they have to achieve. Most importantly as a result of the short term nature of the projects members involved in projects operate in a highly motivated manner, this is because that they are aware that work pressure is temporary and as per the targets and job responsibilities are previously stipulated they will get paid accordingly, resulting in a higher rate in employee satisfaction and successful conclusion of the project (Kerzner, n.d.). In my opinion when it comes initiating a project I would rather hire a team of professionals as per the nature of the project than carry out the project with my regular work staffs. This I feel because professional project management teams have higher proficiency in terms of controlling, managing, executing and completing the project goals. If I am able to achieve an aggregate of 70% out of the project with the regular staff I would be able to increase my success rate to 15-25% more with the help of professional teams (Lock, 2007). Most of the reputed corporate businesses like Apple, IBM, and Microsoft have their very own project management teams which they use to coordinate various projects that help the company accomplish a little more extra. For instance, the game developing department of Microsoft uses their project management teams to sort out bugs and glitches in the new games they launch, while their team of developers works on other stuff. This helps the company to motivate i ts staffs to their originally designated works, and the project management teams carry out the work which could have hindered the business operations. I feel that businesses should incorporate project management in their infrastructure more and often (Organizational learning and knowledge, n.d.). This would not only help the businesses to achieve more out of their operations but also will enable them to understand the potential of the business they are carrying on.

The Jewish Revolt Led By Bar Kochba In 132 AD Was Not The Work Essays

The Jewish revolt led by Bar Kochba in 132 AD was not the work of a single if a single radical revolutionary. It was the inevitable result of years of promises not kept to the Jews, and laws which suppressed the basis of Jews as a nation. To understand the reason for Bar Kochbas Revolt one must go back many years even before the war. Prior to Hadrian, an emperor by the name of Trajan was the ruler of the Roman empire. Due to the rebellion of the Jews in the Diaspora to the east and the west of them, Trajan, in order to keep the Jews in Palestine from rebelling he had to send a great general to be governor of the Jews in Palestine, a general who was well with the harshness in which he treated people. This generals name was Tineius Rufus, he was the general that put down the uprising of the Jews in Parthia. Because of Rufus reputation of his severity to the Jews, he uprooted any thought of the Jews in Palestine to rebel against Rome at that time. The Jews did not want to rebel anyway. Trajan had promised the Jews that he would rebuild the asenv ,hc, the Jews assumed this also meant to rebuild Jerusalem. The Pagans in Palestine did not want the asenv ,hc to be rebuilt, they thought that if it was rebuilt it would be the rebirth of the Jewish nation. Also, in addition, Trajan, the Emperor who made this promise died and was succeeded by Hadrian. The Jews were unsure if Hadrian would keep the promise that Trajan once made. Hadrian wanted to go to Jerusalem to see what he was rebuilding before he started the construction. When Hadrian got there he was awed by the sight of a once desolate and fruitful city in ruins. He immediately wanted to start the reconstruction. However later the Jews were surprised and disappointed to discover that Hadrian wanted to rebuild Jerusalem not as a city for the Jews to restart in, but as a Pagan city sanctified to the Pagan G-d Jupiter. He was going to put an alter where the Jews asenv ,hc once stood. Hadrian was to be the high priest. What once was called Jerusalem would now be called Aelia Capitolina. This was a mockery to the Jews. The Jews waited sixty years from the destruction of the Second asenv ,hc for Rome to restore it to them. The Jews held themselves back from Rebelling with their neighboring Jews in Diaspora because they held onto, and believed that Trajans promise would be kept. Furthermore, Hadrian later made a prohibition of circumcision. "Consequently the Jews saw in Hadrian another Antiochus Epiphanes. And where there was an Antiochus, a Maccabee was bound to arise." THE JEWS HAD TO REVOLT. The Romans had by now either banned or mocked some of the most important beliefs in Judaism. If they did not revolt against the Romans they would have died, in a spiritual sense. Even if the Romans didnt kill them, they would not really be Jewish anymore. Circumcision, which was the physical difference between them as Jews and, as well as a basic premise of their Jewish beliefs. Their only choice was to gain their independence. Rabbi Akiva, a great scholar of his day, also once believed in Tarsus promise. He had also been led astray. Therefore, the great Rabbi helped organize thousands of soldiers to fight for the independence and welfare of the Jewish people. Rabbi Akiva also picked a man named Shimon Bar Kochba to lead his army. Rabbi Akiva was sure that Bar Kochba would turn out to be "A second Judah the Maccabee." Rabbi Akiva was so sure of this that he called Bar Kochba the jhan. His name alone was a reference to him being the jhan, his name Bar Kochba means "Son of a Star" from the word Kochab which means star. There was also a sentence in the Torah which stated, "A star has come forth from David." Both times a star is mentioned. This is a direct referral to him being the jhan. Bar Kochba had to make sure his army was ferocious and unstoppable. To make sure that his army only consisted of the strongest warriors, he said that only men who would bite a finger off his right hand would merit to be in his army, 200,000 people passed this test. The Rabbis objected to this manner of testing Jews. They said to Bar Kochba, "How long are you going to turn Jews into ohnun

The French Revolution and Napoleons Governance

The French Revolution and Napoleons Governance The French Revolution (1789-1799) became the period of significant changes within the French society and in the political life of France. It began with the meeting of the Estates-General in May, 1789, and finished with Napoleon Bonaparte’s coming to power in November, 1799 (Duiker and Spielvogel 394).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The French Revolution and Napoleon’s Governance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Like any substantial change in the political life of any country, the French Revolution consisted of several stages of the dramatic transformation of the state system, political and social life in France. In this paper, we will discuss the period from the Thermidorian Reaction to the last years of Napoleon’s government. We will discuss the reasons and the course of change of leadership in France during this period. The Thermidorian Reaction, 27 July 1794, was the response on the violent p olicies of Reign of Terror and actually put an end to it. Being inspired by the ideas of the French Revolution, the people of France continued their struggle for their rights and for effective state system. The power in the country was taken by the Executive Directory (1795-1799). The new body of executive power that consisted of five elected Directors started functioning within the country and at the same time took intense military actions abroad. The inner policies of the Directory were not successful with people and gradually led to the loss of its authority. Particularly, the inability to implement successful taxation and financial policies, â€Å"flourishing† corruption and faction between the directors (ibid.) were step by step undermining the influence of the Directory. The French people expected the opportunity to forget about the events of the last years; however, the governance of the Directory did not meet their expectations, as the country did not approach to the desired stability. On the other hand, the military successes of France did not contribute to the authority of the Directory, but backwards, actually gave birth to Napoleon’s bright political start. In 1799, the Directory finished its existence. Failures in the inner and foreign policies gave a good opportunity for Napoleon who came to France after the military operations to overthrow the Directory and seize power. Napoleon’s success at the first stages of his governance can be explained by the effective balance between â€Å"liberation† and strengthening of his own power. He understood that the processes emerged during the first years of the Revolution could not disappear: they were more likely to be a starting point for the further changes.Advertising Looking for essay on eastern europe? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus, it is possible to say that since the beginning of Napoleon’s era , the political life in France took its course between two poles, which are Napoleon’s personal motives of keeping and maintaining his power, and the inertial power of the French Revolution (Hunt et al 650-652). The slogan â€Å"Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity† reflects the essence of French Revolution; its focus was defense and equalization of the human rights and transformation of the social and political system in France, which included elimination of monarchy and replacing it with republic. During Napoleon’s governance, these two matters submitted to the interests of Napoleon as a governor. Instead of republic, Napoleon established an empire and defended his power by means of strong military services (652). Since that moment, the notion of â€Å"liberation† stated by the revolutionary slogan had lost its initial meaning and served to Napoleon’s plans as the justification and disguise for his intent of conquest, being realized in his French-st yle reforms throughout the lands belonging to France. In 1789, The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen proclaimed â€Å"freedom of religion, freedom of press, equality of taxation, and equality before the law† (660). Napoleon slightly followed the statements born by the Revolution, adapting them to the needs of strengthening his power: for example, he reduced an initial number of newspapers in Paris, which was seventy-three, to thirteen and then to four (684). He cultivated and popularized the image representing him as a hero, a magnificent governor. When forming the new political system of France, Napoleon followed his imperial intents: he focused on eliminating both the ascendancy of the old nobility and the influence of the contemporary revolutionary trends of equality and liberation, and the most appropriate decision was to create the new nobility based on the military estate which would support his power. Besides the political field, Napoleon reformed the legislation, having introduced the Civil Code: again, on the one hand, it was aimed to provide equality; on the other hand, this concerned only the adult males, omitting the rights of women and children. The social transformations were fulfilled by Napoleon’s predecessors as well; however, they had another nature: the Revolution had penetrated into the life of the citizens too deeply, touching upon all fields of their life, including even the forms of speech and the names of the months (669).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The French Revolution and Napoleon’s Governance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Certainly, this intrusion was not a single factor which caused the resistance to the Revolution: some people were just tired of the hard conditions of life, such as â€Å"long bread lines† (670) or of the terror; however, the combination of a range of factors impacted on the total outcome of the Revolution. Thus, Napoleon came to power when the revolutionary â€Å"foam† descended and focused only on the matters which could impact his position and power, which defined the direction of his policy. During the decade of his government, Napoleon’s power was strengthening within and outside the country. By 1812, the military success of France was impressive: only Great Britain and Russia as two major European countries kept their full independence (692). In fact, the Great Britain was the main obstacle on Napoleon’s way to fulfillment of his plans: the country â€Å"ruled the seas† (691), and its economy was developing rapidly; Britain produced goods and exported them to the European markets. On the other hand, Napoleon’s power was undermined by his military failure in the war against Russia: trying to fight on two fronts simultaneously, having not enough provision and being not ready to the cold climate of the Russian territories, the French a rmy failed. In 1813, the coalition of the Russian, Austrian, Prussian and Swedish armies (with the financial support of the Great Britain) defeated Napoleon. Duiker, William J., and Speilvogel, Jackson J. The Essential World History. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008. Hunt, Lynn, et al. The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures, A Concise History. 2nd edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006. Print.

Prosauropods - The Ancient Cousins of the Sauropods

Prosauropods - The Ancient Cousins of the Sauropods If theres one rule of evolution, its that all mighty creatures have smaller, less overwhelming ancestors lurking somewhere back in their family treesand nowhere is this rule more evident than in the relationship between the giant sauropods of the late Jurassic period and the smaller prosauropods that preceded them by tens of millions of years. Prosauropods (Greek for before the sauropods) werent simply scaled-down versions of Brachiosaurus or Apatosaurus; many of them walked on two legs, and theres some evidence that they may have pursued an omnivorous, rather than strictly herbivorous, diet. (See a gallery of prosauropod dinosaur pictures and profiles.) You might assume from their name that prosauropods eventually evolved into sauropods; this was once thought to be the case, but paleontologists now believe that most prosauropods were actually second cousins, once removed, of the sauropods (not a technical description, but you get the idea!) Rather, it appears that prosauropods evolved in parallel with the true ancestors of sauropods, which have yet to be definitively identified (though there are a number of likely candidates). Prosauropod Physiology and Evolution One of the reason prosauropods are fairly obscureat least compared to raptors, tyrannosaurs and sauropodsis that they didnt look all that distinctive, by dinosaur standards. As a general rule, prosauropods had long (but not very long) necks, long (but not very long) tails, and only attained median sizes of between 20 and 30 feet and a few tons, max (with the exception of odd genera like the giant Melanorosaurus). Like their distant cousins, the hadrosaurs, most prosauropods were capable of walking on two or four feet, and reconstructions tend to show them in a relatively clumsy, ungainly posture. The prosauropod family tree stretches back to the late Triassic period, about 220 million years ago, when the first dinosaurs were just beginning to establish their worldwide dominance. The earliest genera, like Efraasia and Camelotia, are wrapped in mystery, since their plain vanilla appearance and anatomy meant their ancestors could have evolved in any number of directions. Another early genus was the 20-pound Technosaurus, named after Texas Tech University, which many experts believe to have been an archosaur rather than a true dinosaur, much less a prosauropod. Other early prosauropods, like Plateosaurus and Sellosaurus (which may have been the same dinosaur), are much better established on the dinosaur evolutionary tree thanks to their numerous fossil remains; in fact, Plateosaurus appears to have been one of the most common dinosaurs of late Triassic Europe, and may have roamed the grasslands in giant herds like modern bison. A third famous prosauropod of this period was the hundred-pound Thecodontosaurus, which was named for its distinctive, monitor-lizard-type teeth. Massospondylus is the best-known of the early Jurassic prosauropods; this dinosaur did in fact look like a scaled-down sauropod, but it probably ran on two legs rather than four! What Did Prosauropods Eat? Over and above their evolutionary relationship (or lack of relationship) to the giant sauropods, the most controversial aspect of prosauropods concerns what they ate for lunch and dinner. Based on an analysis of the teeth and relatively lightweight skulls of certain prosauropod genera, some paleontologists have concluded that these dinosaurs werent very well equipped for digesting the tough vegetable matter of the late Triassic period, though there are no direct proof that they ate meat (in the form of fish, insects or smaller dinosaurs). On the whole, the preponderance of the evidence is that prosauropods were strictly herbivorous, though that what if still lingers in the minds of some experts.

Tomb of Itimad Al-Dawla Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Tomb of Itimad Al-Dawla - Research Paper Example The top was built in the seventeenth century. Generally, the tomb is regarded as being representative of the period of transition in Mughal architecture (Sagar, 1992). It combines the architectural designs of the first phase of this architecture and the second phase. The elements of transition are always witnessed in the use of red sandstones while the second phase was effectively realized with white marble. Generally, this tomb represents all the artistic and architectural elements of seventeenth century Indian-Islamic architecture that combined influences from a range of other civilizations that had brought strong impacts on India’s cultural life. The tomb of Itimad ut Daulah is widely regarded as having set the trends that would later define the progress and development of Indian architecture. In essence, it was assumed that some of the influences that brought together the elements of art would be captured in the expression of art as a representation of both religion and cu lture. Preceding works of architecture took up the skills and designs of this tomb and evolved them in ways that were symptomatic of the transition of architectural works (Chandra, 2003). It is on this ground that the tomb is regarded as having set the pace for the Taj Mahal. Marble was mainly used to emphasize on the aesthetic value of the structure. The architecture was largely made to capture the aspect of nature as it fitted within the concept of architectural beauty. The tomb of Itimad ut Daulah was designed with numerous outbuildings and features a range of gardens all around it. Ultimately, the design was made to mirror certain aspects of beauty as represented within the cultural values and aesthetics of Indian and Islam. The tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah is located close to a river known as Yamuna. The proximity to the river was meant to enhance the aesthetical elements of the tomb, particularly from the natural aspect of beauty. Merging architecture with nature was one of the ha llmarks that defined the quality of the seventeenth century Indian architecture. The magnificence and size of the tomb are brought out in ways that offer strong hints of affluence and power. In some way, these qualities might be used to offer glimpses into the extent of the economic power of the Indian state as it reflected in the seventeenth century. In essence, some of the issues that attend to the aspect of power might be understood in terms of the manner in which the material aspects of the culture and economic life are represented. It is also possible to tell much about the socio-cultural, political, and cultural life by observing some of the symbols that feature in the marble decorations. For instance, images of wine bottles and vases of bouquets feature prominently among the decorations. Such images are important signs that bring out the society represented as one the cherished high values and some kind of good and ostentatious lifestyles. In essence, the tomb could be regard ed as some kind of a giant symbol or signifier that illustrates the totality of life as lived through the economic, political, and cultural front. The determination of these forces might be considered as one of the most manifest signs

Competitive Profiles Matrix of Walmart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Competitive Profiles Matrix of Walmart - Essay Example However Kmart has emerged as the main competitor to the Retailer (Houston, 2006). Company Strengths Compared to Kmart, Wall Mart operates in more countries and this gives it a larger market space that results to high sales turnover. While Wall Mart is based in 14 countries, Kmart is only based in 5 countries. Shopping in Wal -Mart is convenient, Wal -Mart stores are equipped with almost everything a customer would be searching for under one roof, a customer has the liberty and privilege to shop for everything from one point and during any time of the day. The numbers of products offered by Wal Mart are more varied compared to Kmart’s, this gives it a differential advantage, keeps Wal-Mart ahead of it. Wal -Mart goods are low, this is attained because the Retailer has entered into huge contracts with suppliers like MacDonald’s and Disney enabling it to get substantial discount, more over it buys products in mass attracting quantity discounts. Having a cost advantage over Kmart and other firms in the same industry gives it a higher ranking. This aspect enables families to save on money, some of the items that are sold at a cheaper price compared to other supermarkets are; sugar, fruit, vegetable and soda.

Riordan Manufacturing Team Building Essay Example for Free

Riordan Manufacturing Team Building Essay Riordan Manufacturing is a global plastics manufacturer employing 550 people with projected annual earnings of $46 million. The company is wholly owned by Riordan Industries, a Fortune 1000 enterprise with revenues in excess of $1 billion. Its products include plastic beverage containers produced at its plant in Albany, Georgia, custom plastic parts produced at its plant in Pontiac, Michigan, and plastic fan parts produced at its facilities in Hangzhou, China. The companys research and development is done at the corporate headquarters in San Jose. Riordans major customers are automotive parts manufacturers, aircraft manufacturers, the Department of Defense, beverage makers and bottlers, and appliance manufacturers. As you can see Riordan is a large company with offices worldwide and communication and travel can be a major expense for the company especially when implementing new lines and technology at one of their facilities. Future statements made by Riordan, We will maintain an innovative and team oriented working environment. By assuring that our employees are well informed and properly supported, we will provide a climate focused on the long term viability of our company. We must be focused in achieving and maintaining reasonable profitability to assure that the financial and human capital is available for sustained growth. As Riordan moves forward with their mission statements the cost of implementing new technology and training employees to operate and manage these new systems costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. The companys most recent expansion took place in 2014 when it opened its operations in China. At that time, the entire fan manufacturing operation was moved from Michigan to China and the Pontiac, MI facility was retooled for the manufacture of custom plastic parts. During the first quarter of the  expansion travel costs alone just for the training of the ongoing systems integration project surpassed one hundred thousand dollars. We know that Riordan will always be on the forefront of applying new technology and systems to keep up with market trends in the future. This is why implementing the creation, deployment, and support of effective interactive distance learning and communication systems to improve business, is crucial to the ongoing success of the company. The CADE system will reduce thousands of dollars of travel expenses directly related to the training required with each new system at all of the company’s facilities. Developing a distance learning system that will allow Riordan to provide effective training through teleconferencing from their headquarters in San Jose CA to facilities all over the world will reduce expenses by millions of dollars over the long term. The Need for Training and Communication The cornerstone of a competitive organization is its highly trained workforce. In today’s market, product life-cycles are shorter, more complex. The available time for training is greatly reduced. Many companies are downsizing and the responsibilities of those that remain are increased, jobs are consolidated. Corporate communication and training needs have never been more important Time becomes one of the most limited resources. Regardless of the industry, many of these issues are very much the same: (Velocedge Inc, 2014). High cost and increased difficulty of travel Inability to reach all employees anywhere, anytime High cost of training, continuing education Lack of qualified instructors or presenters Time it takes to get a message to all employees Expensive to develop effective training and communication programs Loss of productivity when employees take off work for travel, training, or meetings Difficulty in transferring knowledge throughout the organization The CADE System The Communications And Distance Education (CADE) system is designed to  facilitate live, interactive programs over a satellite, Internet, or streaming video network as well as capture those programs for later playback. Interactive Satellite Delivery During an interactive broadcast, the instructor or presenter can ask multiple choice, true/false, yes/no, numeric, and multiple selection questions and participants can respond with either wireless remote controls in a classroom setting or through a personal computer. The PC at each remote location collects participant responses from the wireless remotes and transmits them back to the presenter over an intranet or Internet connection. Participants may also speak with the presenter, using voice over IP, PBX, or standard telephone line, and everyone in the broadcast can listen to that conversation. Interactive Web Delivery With CADE eTutor, interactive training and communication programs can be delivered over the Internet/Intranet. It provides the same capabilities of the satellite delivery system, as well as a few extra features, in a desktop version using highly compressed audio and video over IP. Capture All Interaction Participant responses are captured, time-stamped, and stored in a web-based learning management system. In addition to capturing the satellite based information, the CADE system also supports web based training, classroom, paper based, and is fully SCORM compliant. All data in the CADE system is created, managed, and accessed through this web-based portal to the database. CADE System Components The CADE system is comprised of a number of software applications. These applications include: Studio Control System The instructor or presenters interface Virtual Classroom The remote site control program eTutor The web-based interactive delivery system Learning Management Web The web-based learning management system New System Flow Diagram for CADE System at Riordan Manufacturing The new CADE is a free standing system that has virtually no effect or interaction with any of the present Information systems or processes currently in use by Riordan Manufacturing. The CADE system is designed to facilitate live, interactive programs over a satellite, Internet, or streaming video network as well as capture those programs for later playback. CADE is primarily a software based product but it represents a new paradigm in software development, utilizing an effective integration of world-class software components and Internet technologies in an adaptive architecture. To keep pace with todays rapidly changing world, CADE was designed to incorporate change as quickly as an organization realizes the need for change. Corporate management faces many issues that can keep an organization from being as competitive and profitable as it needs to be CADE wont be one of them. As a new or better technology solution is identified, an idea to improve a feature, or a new function desired, that change can be easily incorporated into the CADE products keeping your system continually up to date, meeting each new requirement, and keeping your investment protected. Satellite -Live -On-demand -Prerecorded Interactive Web Training Audio/Video -Live -Prerecorded Web Courses SCORM Classroom Video On Demand Desktop Classroom CADE Advantages to Riordan Interactive Distance Learning Even though there is a lot of talk about distance education, over 90% of all formal training continues to use classroom delivery. The major cost driver of training is delivery. Satellite or web based, Interactive Distance Learning (IDL) provides the benefits of classroom without the large cost. (Velocedge Inc, 2014). . Faster Deliver to more people in less time, Concept to delivery time in hours or days, Cut classroom delivery time in half, Deliver to entire target population in one broadcast Cheaper Fewer experts needed to deliver message, Deliver to more people with less cost, Low cost to develop and deliver content, Incalculable cost savings: time off work, travel, per diem, etc. Better Over 25% improvement in student retention, Most consistent message delivery, one voice Standardized design , Utilize only the most qualified instructors, Provides detailed tracking and reporting (Velocedge Inc, 2014). Presently Riordan’s first quarter number’s pertaining to the General Administrative line item is over budget one hundred thousand dollars due to travel and per diem expenses related to emergency training of the new systems that have been added. By incorporating the new CADE system to provide long distance training this will eliminate any additional over budget expenses caused by the new systems and also provide low cost long distance training for any future systems that are put in use by the company. The new CADE system will reduce company expenses in many ways: reducing or eliminating travel and per diem costs, reducing course development costs, reducing the number of trainers, reducing the time off work, reducing the time to develop a course, and many other ways. Pricing is based on the number of remote sites you have and the Presentation Studio System that is specified. However, the cost is a fraction of what you are spending now to train your employees. References Velocedge Inc. (2014). velocity and knowledge. Retrieved from http://www.velocedge.com/ Learn.net. (2014). The CADE System. Retrieved from http://www.velocedge.com/CADEnew/Products/index.htm

Wal-mart: Not A Villain :: essays research papers

I live in Mentor, Ohio, a suburb about thirty-five miles east of Cleveland. It used to be all greenhouses, until a few decades ago when it began the process of commercialization, along with other neighboring cities. Big-name stores moved into town, slowly at first. After awhile, along came a shopping mall and stores such as K-Mart. These businesses really began to change the community for the better. As the area became more developed, more people moved there. Eventually Wal-Mart made its way into town. The onset of competition forced K-mart to relocate (less than a mile down the road from the original site, across the street from where the Wal-Mart was being built) and upgrade to a Super K-Mart Center. The difference between K-Mart and Super K-Mart is that Super K-Mart has everything that regular K-Mart has, but it is now also equipped with a complete grocery section. This enables customers to do all of their shopping in one location.It all started in 1962. The first Wal-Mart Discount City opened that year in Rogers, Arkansas, and the franchise has been growing exponentially ever since. In 1980 there were 276 stores, and in the year 2000, there are more than 3,400 Wal-Marts in every state of the USA and a handful of foreign countries. These countries include Germany, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, and Korea, to name a few. Wal-Mart has aspirations to be globally recognized like McDonald's and Coca-Cola. For five years, the state of Vermont waged a war against Wal-Mart, refusing to let any of these super stores inside state boundaries. Eventually Wal-Mart won the battle and the first store opened in Bennington, Vermont. Instead of expected protests, Wal-Mart's business was booming. During the first week, the store had almost 1.5 times as many transactions as people live in the town. According to "Shopping With the Enemy", town life will never be the same because "people crave the low prices, large selection and convenient parking," offered by discount stores (146).In the article "Wal-Mart's War on Main Street," by Sarah Anderson, it is correctly stated that "rural life is changing and there's no use denying it." (Anderson 139) Even without imposing businesses, the technological advances of today make the world smaller and smaller. It used to be that in rural places there would be one farm and then nothing for miles. There wasn't much contact with people outside of one's family.

CSR of Apple

Apple is making genuine strides in the direction of environmental friendliness by designing for energy efficiency, reducing packaging, and using recycling materials. Its websites also releases an extensively breakdown of company’s annual corporate carbon emissions. Apple says it emits 10. 2 million tons of carbon emissions annually. Meanwhile, HP says it releases 8. 4 million tons annually and it was just named the best S&P companies for the planet by Newsweek. Dell came in second and emits just 471,000 tons annually. Both of those companies only assess what happens during the production process. By contrast, Apple includes what happens once the product is being produced. The biggest source of emissions comes from customers using its product at home. The next biggest source of emissions comes from manufacturing which accounts for 45% of company’s emissions. However, using less material may bring some problems to Apple. Some customers complain that Apple’s products are more fragile than its predecessors. Therefore, the balance between durable product and reducing materials is very important for its product design. Apple publishes a supplier code of conduct and launches supplier audits to ensure that the code of conduct is being followed. More importantly, Apple does not hide bad conducts of its suppliers and releases it to public. In its latest Supplier Responsibility 2011 Progress Report, Apple outlines its specific findings of its own supplier audits. In 2010, its audit of 127 facilities revealed 37 core violations; 18 facilities where workers had paid excessive recruitment fees, which it considers to be involuntary labor; 10 facilities where underage workers had been hired; two instances of workers endangerment; 4 facilities where records were falsified; 1 case of bribery; and 1 case of coaching workers on how to answer auditors’ questions. The transparency of Apple’s report reveals Apple’s concern for its suppliers’ actions. Even if Apple has outsourced its supply chain, it still has a corporate social responsibility to ensure socially and environmentally sound business practices of its subcontractors. Apple may be praised for its openness. However, some customers think Apple is merely trying to get ahead of the ever-pervasive media by releasing this information themselves. The enforceability of supplier code is much more important than making this information available to public. If Apple is determined to enforce its code f suppliers, its business may be disrupted by termination of contracts with suppliers because of its outsourcing of supply chain. Therefore, a back-up plan is needed to prevent disruption of business. Termination with suppliers may contribute to loss of reputation and increasing transaction costs with alternative suppliers. So another issue Apple needs to consider beforehand is supplier selection which is an important part of supplier management. Therefore, Apple should set up more eff icient and relevant performance measures of suppliers and continuously evaluate these measures.

Psychological Testing to Assess Motivation in the Workplace

Every employer seeks to find new employees that are a perfect match for the available position in their company. Many employers are now leaning towards organizational psychologists to assist them in finding the â€Å"perfect† employee. Organizational psychologist are able to assist companies in screening possible employees for personality traits that are necessary for the person to be successful at the potential job. Employers have also started to integrate psychological testing into the interview process to assist psychologists in picking out potential candidates who hold these desired traits. In addition, psychological testing is used to test current employees to determine what company improvements are needed to improve overall success. A largely researched topic in this area of psychology is motivation and reasons for motivation in employees. Article Summary The ability to measure factors that energize, channel, and sustain work behavior over time is essential for capturing employee motivation and for developing interventions aimed at enhancing motivation, job satisfaction, and performance (Tremblay, Blanchard, Taylor, Pelletier, & Villeneuve, 2009). Tremblay et al. (2009) suggests that self-determination theory (which focuses on why a person is motivated) applies to activities which people find interesting, challenging, or pleasing. This type of motivation is called intrinsic motivation. In addition, activities that are not experienced as interesting or pleasing are unlikely to get accomplished, unless there is an instrumental reason in doing so. This is called extrinsic motivation. The self-determination theory states that intrinsic motivation leads to the most positive outcomes, whereas extrinsic motivations lead to more negative outcomes such as counterproductive performance and employee withdraw (Tremblay et al. , 2009). Low work motivation has been linked to depression in employees, higher turnover rates, and job burnout (Tremblay et al. , 2009). Since better job performance, employee engagement, and employee retention as all considered vital for overall success of a company, it is important that research be conducted on tests that are able to determine otivational characteristics in company employees. The Work Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation Scale (WEIMS) The WEIMS is a 18-item self-report scale that was developed by Tremblay et al. (2009) to measure both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in employees. The scale is also theorized to determine successful job performance based on six types of motivation determined by the self-determination theory. Partic ipants were asked to provide their answers to the 18 items on a Likert-type scale, ranging from 1 (does not correspond) to 5 (corresponds exactly) (Tremblay et al. , 2009). The researchers then created a formula to assess the scores of the scale. The total score derived from the formula reflects the individuals’ level of self determination. This research was conducted to determine the accuracy of using the WEIMS in different work environments to determine levels of motivation in employees. The WEIMS was hypothesized to predict positive and negative motivators based on the self-determination scale and to determine psychological ideas related to work motivation (Tremblay et al. , 2009). In addition, this research aimed to gain reliability and validity of the WEIMS scale. Three separate studies were conducted in an attempt to support the proposed hypotheses Effectiveness of the WEIMS In the first study, the WEIMS showed mid to high correlations for each type of motivation. Researchers indicated that this represents an indication of construct validity (Tremblay et al. , 2009). This study also determined that results indicated that extrinsic motivation was the main reason why employees were involved in their work. In study number two, results again indicated extrinsic motivation as the main motivation for employees (Tremblay et al. 2009). Results also indicated that a positive work environment leads to higher levels of self-determination, which in turn leads to the employee being more engaged in their work and a higher level of job satisfaction (Tremblay et al. , 2009). In addition, organizational support and positive work environment also showed a positive correlation with four of the types of motivation. In the third study, results were identical to t he first two studies. This indicates that the reliability and validity of the WEIMS measure is positive (Tremblay et al. , 2009). In addition, the original hypotheses that the WEIMS predicts positive and negative motivators based on the self-determination scale was supported (Tremblay et al. , 2009). The overall effectiveness of the WEIMS measure, as used in an employment setting, was positive. â€Å"The WEIMS has construct, content, and criterion validity for organizational settings† (Tremblay et al. , 2009, p. 221). In addition, results of all studies were consistent with the hypothesis that as self-determination increases, job satisfaction and commitment rises as well (Tremblay et al. , 2009). This study also supports that the WEIMS has the ability to predict positive and negative work experiences based on extrinsic and intrinsic motivations. Tremblay et al. (2009) did specify that although the found results are promising, further research is needed in order to determine if the WEIMS is useful in predicting future motivational behaviors based on this evaluation. Conclusion The use of psychological tests, such as the WEIMS, are able to provide employers with information that could potentially be used for improvement of overall work settings and ultimately the improvement of work performance. The use of the WEIMS by employers can contribute to a better understanding of of employee motivation and overall organizational functioning (Tremblay et al. , 2009). Increased motivation of employees is a critical asset in maximizing company profits in the current economy. With increased motivation of employees comes a more sufficient means of production, resulting in better quality and quantity of company products. Overall, psychological testing is able to assist employers in determining weaknesses in employees and the company. Using the results of testing to develop training strategies and programs to counteract negative feedback is vital in the improvement of any work setting. Psychological testing can also be used for positive feedback for the company, by using testing results to determine which employee traits work well for the success of that specific employer. The WEIMS, specifically, shows promising influence in determining both positive and negative aspects of employee motivation. This tool, if used correctly, has the potential to have a large impact on the way employers address overall motivation in the workplace.

Top-level Accommodations for Students in the USA

Top-level Accommodations for Students in the USA Best Students USA Accommodations Apparently, you are convinced that college accommodation is definitely one of the worst things you should survive while obtaining your degree. Besides doubtful neighbors, you will face living in a new space, which most of us imagine like small, uncomfortable room, where one is stuck for three or five years. Thus, most students try to hire flats or live at their parent’s place, which can be not very convenient due to additional time and transport expenses. Students’ accommodation is usually situated on the campus territory, so living there you have distinctively more time for sports, library attendance, writing essays or entertainment with your friends. So, what is it better to do in such situation and how to cope with this difficult choice of place for living? Before preferring any of your options concerning living conditions, we recommend you not to haste and find out everything about the accommodation at your college. You will be exceedingly surprised, but we want to astonish you with the fact that accommodations can be even architectural masterpieces. So meet these well-planned buildings, which dismantle all stereotypes. Baker House This building is designed and built for Cambridge students in Massachusetts. The project of the Baker House is executed by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. The architect embodied his ideas to provide a view out over the Charles River for each student and located the Baker house along the river. Besides, Alvar Aalto tried to avoid making typical and ordinary room design. Thus, he created 22 bedrooms on each floor. These bedrooms are saturated with individuality due to different shapes. The building has facade, made from red brick and fascinates all passersby by its look. That is so great for students to live in such an outstanding accommodation, which can become not only the place for living, but one of the vivid and bright recollections, concerning their years at the university. Peabody Terrace This students’ housing is located also in Harvard, Massachusetts and was designed by an architect Josep Luis Sert. Being the dean of the architecture school at Harvard University, Josep selected several room designs and arranged them into sections, creating terraces. The building has complex and peculiar design, but there can be hardly any students, who will not appreciate living at such astonishing place. Architects emphasize it outstanding design and ideological commitment and it will be an exciting experience for students to spend their time at this building. Noyes House This student dormitory is located in New York at the territory of the Vasar College campus. This building was designed by Eero Saarinen in slick crescent-shaped form. It was built in 1958 and symbolized the new breath to the residential life of the students. Though its architecture has respectful age, at those times it was a real breakthrough in the design of such buildings. Noyes House gives house for 178 students and is not a simple accommodation. It represents the first, progressive steps in the area of architecture masterpieces in regard to college and campus buildings. Olympia Avenue This is totally innovative residence hall for students, located in the Washington State. This building combines great interior design and superb interior planning, which presupposes lounges, kitchens, laundry facilities and studies, located on each floor. Except modern design this hall offers a lot of friendly features – storm water collection, geothermal heating and cooling, site restorations by means of natural landscaping and vegetation. So along with the living function Olympia Avenue executes the educational function, teaching its dwellers to take care about the environment. These students’ accommodations prove that there are always exceptions from the rules and college dormitories can be a great place for living. Just imagine how much friends you will make and what a great time you will spend, living in one of such dormitories at the campus area. Treat it as one of the adventures of your life and enjoy the best years at your college.

Words Spelled with AE

Words Spelled with AE Words Spelled with AE Words Spelled with AE By Maeve Maddox Words with the AE digraph (two letters written together to express one sound) are often misspelled by reversing the letters, for example, writing â€Å"Ceasar† for Caesar. Once I had a high school student who spelled his name Micheal. The first time he turned in a paper, I corrected his name. When I understood that it was the spelling on his birth certificate, I learned (with difficulty) to control the impulse to correct it. Here are five proper names that are spelled with the AE digraph: Aesop Cadfael Caesar Maeve Michael An ae proper noun often misspelled is Israel. Here the ae is not a digraph, but two separate letters representing two distinct sounds: Is-ra-el. Most of the ae words remaining in English have variant spellings, but a few are spelled only with the ae, even in American usage: aerate aerobics aeronaut maestro Some ae words have variant spellings: aesthete/esthete anaemia/anemia anapaest/anapest archaeology/archeology caesura/cesura encyclopaedia/encyclopedia mediaeval/medieval judaeo/judeo paean/pean The word faerie, can be used as variant spelling of fairy, but more often it refers to fairies collectively. With the variant spelling faery, it refers to the realm where fairies live, a land of enchantment: Faerie is a perilous land, and in it are pitfalls for the unwary and dungeons for the overbold. J. R. R. Tolkien On Fairy Stories in Tree Leaf 11, 1964   Ã‚   The entry for the word daemon in Merriam-Webster states flatly, â€Å"variant spelling of demon.† The OED entry for daemon gives this definition: A [computing] program (or part of a program), esp. within a Unix system, which runs in the background without intervention by the user, either continuously or only when automatically activated by a particular event or condition. As any fan of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials can tell you, neither dictionary has done an adequate job of defining daemon: A dà ¦mon is a type of fictional character in the Philip Pullman fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials. Humans in every universe are said to have dà ¦mons, although in some universes they are visible as entities physically separate from their humans, and take the form of animals, while in other universes they are not. Wikipedia, â€Å"Daemon (His Dark Materials)† The different pronunciations of the ae spelling must be left to another post. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Inquire vs Enquire20 Words Meaning "Being or Existing in the Past"What the Heck are "Peeps"?

Administering the School Budget Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Administering the School Budget - Essay Example This objective is extremely essential as it negates possible fund embezzlement. Without proper financial management, the school administrative would enormous losses. (Brimley et al, 2008).In an education set up, there are three most influential financial functions. These include auditing, budgeting, and accounting functions. Although, the functions are separate, discrete, and distinct operations, nonetheless they have close relationships. They are the required financial activities that provide a reliable fiscal data, information, accountability, and guidance to government funds allocated to public school programs. Budgeting is the system through which the funds allocated expenditure is particularly determined and approved. Accounting takes care of money organization by use ledger that standardizes the spending. Financial accounting, for the state and local school system applies the coding system, to enable financial auditors analyzes the school spending, and makes sure that the legal procedures and appropriate use of public funds.Budgeting is a vital tool for the school districts. It ensures the successful operation of the local and state public schools. Nonetheless, effective budgeting paves way for significant mission planning opportunities, achieving the educational goals and objectives, and improving administrative operations. As such, financial loss is considerably evaded. This allows the state to gain confidence of the running of public schools. As a result, government disburses more financial aid to these schools for effective learning (Brimley et al, 2008). Additionally, it creates a positive image of local schools to the public thereby enhancing beneficial relationships. Therefore, attracts potential stakeholders to donate for the local school funding programs. More technically, a budget is a statement presentation of the total amount of school spending, and the necessary resources required to run the program and an approximation of the revenues that c overs the expenditure. The education system has experimented many organizational budgets that aim at eradicating financial losses. This ensures that the students are well catered for, and child misses the essential education. No leaving trails can be experienced in the future with proper financial budgeting. Leaving trail is deviating from the path of practice (Brimley et al, 2008). The incidences of fund misuse are substantially minimized when a thorough budgeting program is set for the public schools. It provides clear, authentic education system responsibilities that help achieve high standards of education. The local schools often take the basic objective budgeting systems alongside the program budgeting systems that zero in to the required school objectives. These programs narrow down the possibility reports of child education fund misuse at the local level. The activities are particularly done with the aim of linking the budget system to school goals and objectives but simulta neously devolving a budgeting system at the local education level (Brimley et al, 2008). Budgeting at the school level helps track costs and school spending to ensure accountability and responsible spending. Budgeting performs crucial functions for most of the district schools. The budgeting system at the school level organizes public spending along the basic functions and proper management of the system. This includes student care and support, student’s transportation to school, administration functions but not limited to school operation, staff and nonstaff support (Brimley et al, 2

Professional development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Professional development - Essay Example Unfortunately, there are some factors that disturb necessary reflective practice. At first, time restrictions do not give much air to reflective practice, as I have to solve numerous technical problems that should be settled immediately. Generally, my activity is not supposed to include much time for reflections, and custom practice also demands settling down definite concrete problems, rather than reflection in order to find alternative approaches or theoretical basis for professional strategies. Professional attitudes also comprise various kinds of activity, including technical support and resolving technical questions. Unfortunately, there are very few possibilities to implement mental activity for special theoretical reflections. But I need the time for mental activity, because it pushes me to self-development and this could help me in my professional sphere. In my experience over and over again I face the situations when technology outdoes the practice of tutor. These situations should be regarded from the point of view of the theory that comprises the notions of single-loop learning and double-loop learning. These schemes may be illustrated by examples from my professional experience. An example of single-loop may be a case when I have to print out a poster for a customer. At first, I need to choose a computer which is attached to the device. Then the poster is printed, I roll it up. The next step is to inform the user that the poster is ready and then I bring it to the reception and the customer collection for the user. As for double-loop learning, it is implemented in the case when after a virus that could damage the University system is reported; a team meeting is held out to find the most effective strategy to stop the virus. In this case the decision will depend upon the situation and possible effects. Often I implement reflection-in-action that is often described as thinking and making decisions while the situation unfolds. It involves changing the plans according to the circumstances of the situation. "The practitioner allows himself to experience surprise, puzzlement, or confusion in a situation, which he finds uncertain or unique. He reflects on the phenomenon before him, and on the prior understandings, which have been implicit in his behavior. He carries out an experiment which serves to generate both a new understanding of the phenomenon and a change in the situation." (Schn 1983: 68) Reflection-in-action may be characterized with the help of examples of single and double-loop learning. The former is implemented in the situation when I make copies of Microsoft CDs in QUB without changing the motives and governing variables. Double-loop learning is implemented in situation, when, for instance. A customer requires to provide him with a special equipment to be moved off, because it is old. In such cases I need to use a special program that is called autoclave to format a hard disk to delete the information. After that I contact Belfast City Council to learn about the costs, set a collection time and organize a session, where I will help a customer to get the equipment off. The practice described led me to use and explore the theories of Kolb. In order to make learning more helpful, Kolb (1976) came over with the idea that learners should go through four different stages. These stages are the following: the stage of experience, reflection, the development of new ideas and testing of the new ideas in practice (active

Proposed reform on Judicial Review Research Paper

Proposed reform on Judicial Review - Research Paper Example Whereas the level and extent to which other reforms may be beneficial to the judicial process are not in question, this author will lay out but a few salient reasons why the judicial nomination process is one of the most important functions that government makes with regards to the functionality, diversity, fairness, and representative nature that the judiciary should display. Furthermore, due to the fundamental shift in the judicial nomination process that has been experienced over the past 50 years, this author will seek to lay out a series of issues that define the shortcomings that the current legal system experiences as well as seeking to law out what steps could be effected in order to ameliorate these. The first issue that this analysis will consider is the fact that the judicial nomination process has turned into what can only be considered a type of media and political frenzy. Whereas the constitution states that the president should seek the counsel of congress in order to appoint a judge, the actual process whereby the judge is vetted is not enumerated upon and has largely become to be defined by Congress as something of an evolving practice that draws on prior precedence and the political fervor of a given point in time (Gonzalez et al 2003). As Congress itself, nor the president for that matter, can be trusted to make a determination based upon qualifications, the process oftentimes diverges into a political mudslinging contest where both sides attempt to paint the other as either obstructionist or attempting to push through some form of radical judge to the bench. As such, this interpretation of the law and precedent is neither helpful to the understanding of the constitution nor the judicial nomination process. As a function of this, the following analysis will detail and proscribe a set of solutions with regards to this particular shortcoming. Recent court appointments have highlighted the fact that rather than determining the overall qualificat ions of the judge, the opposing political party merely regresses to performing a series of partisan character attacks as a means to stymie the process and generate a degree of public awareness and involvement (McGinnis et al 2010). This of course is counterproductive and forces the process itself to be a multipart game that both the Congress and the sitting president at the time engage upon. Oftentimes the way that such a game progresses is that the president will nominate a series of un-selectable and/or unqualified candidates as a means to exhaust the Congress or the general public with the intractability of the process. Only once this has been accomplished, the president will nominate the candidate that he truly wanted to be make it through the process in the first place. This game theory is counterproductive, inefficient, and wastes a great deal of shareholder time and energy. A better and more efficient process for nomination and selection is therefore necessitated in order to institute a process that is not only more efficient but also a better representation of how the constitution originally envisioned the process of judicial nomination. In this sense, the entire process is hijacked at the expense of political posturing, partisanship, and a degree of political gain

Relationship Between Transformational Leadership And Employee Wellbeing Management Essay

Relationship Between Transformational Leadership And Employee Wellbeing Management Essay Leadership has been defined by various authors in different ways. According to Barron and Greenberg (1990 cited in Rollinson, 2005) leadership is the name of the process where a person influences a group of other persons or members and motivates them for the achievement of some specified group or organizational objectives. According to Rollinson (2005)in other words leadership can be defined as a process in which a person interact with his followers in such a way that he influences the actions of his followers in a non-coercive way to achieve specified goals and objectives. To manipulate the efforts of individuals in most effective way it is the leader who plays an important role. An intellectual and a dynamic leader provides personal attention to his employees, provides encouragement of specific behaviour in workers through personal stimulation, empowers them in terms of decision making and problem solving (Sashkin and Rosenbach 1993, cited in Nielsen et al ,2009). In addition employees well being at work both physically and psychologically is the most important factor for the success and achievement of organizational goals. These are the transformational leaders who make sure about the interests of their employees, their wellbeing in terms of physical and mental health and about their satisfaction of the job (Bass, 1999). Transformational Leadership: Transformational leaders are the leaders who make sure and protect the interests of their employees, subordinates and colleagues and they broaden and elevate their interests as well. They create motivation and attention amongst their followers to the purpose of their group and/or organization in such a way that they give preference to the interests of their organization over their own personal interests. (Nielsen et al, 2009). The term Transformational Leadership was used by Burns in 1978. According to Bass (1985, cited in Humphreys, 2005) transformational leaders create enthusiasm and awareness in their employees in a way that they struggle more and work hard effectively for the betterment and success of their organization and for the achievement of their organizational objectives. They engage themselves with their followers in such a way that they enhance each other capability and moral in the terms so that the goals of each person come together in the best interest of the organization. According to Bass (1990) the principle of the transformational behaviour is that the relationship between the leader and the follower should not be based on something like personal interest and value system, so acting upon this principle the transformational leader keeps his followers unite and in addition he transforms the objectives of his followers in most positive way towards the success of organization. He influences his employees by demonstrating; Individual Consideration Intellectual Stimulation Inspirational Motivation Charisma Avolio (et al 1991, cited in Humphreys, 2005) explains the above qualities of leadership as follows: Individual Consideration: The most important factor of the individual consideration is that the transformational leaders understand the needs of their employees and they know that these needs also change with the passage of time, and they keep themselves aware about any kind of differences amongst the employees. They also keep a close eye on the performance of their followers and on any kind of hurdles that may distract the efficiency of the individuals, and they take effective measures to remove these kinds of obstacles. They act as a guide and mentor to each individual and they advise them in order to improve their efficiency. Intellectual Stimulation: By demonstrating intellectual stimulations the transformational leaders convince their followers to change and adopt new ways and strategies in solving the problems and difficulties faced by each individual, by enhancing their behaviour, attitude and values, and for this purpose they give solid reasons to followers so that they can change their thinking about the issues regarding their work capability. Inspirational Motivation: The quality of inspiration and motivation in a transformational leader is the image which is created in the eyes of followers by demonstrating personal consideration and intellectual stimulation. The transformational leaders inspire and motivate employees to achieve the organizational goals by focussing the important factors in a very easy and simple way. This behaviour of the transformational leaders maximizes the confidence and encouragement of the staff which help the employees in tackling the problems in the time of crises. Charisma: Transformational leaders are the persons who are given respect and honour by their followers and also the followers show confidence and commitment upon them. It is a crucial step for the transformational leader to achieve a charisma in the eyes of the followers (Bass, 1990). The charismatic behaviour of the transformational leadership is depicted by Bass as a behavioural and attributed idealized influence which is considered to be created by individual consideration, intellectual stimulation and inspirational motivation along with trust and emotional relation with the leader (Avolio et al., 1991, cited in Humphreys, 2005). Relationship between Transformational Leadership and Employee Wellbeing: Close relationships have been reported between Transformational Leadership and employee wellbeing and job satisfaction. The term wellbeing includes physical, mental, social, intellectual and spiritual health as well. The relationship between the leader and the employee is a very important factor in employee wellbeing. Employee Wellbeing: According to CIPD Change Agenda creating an environment to promote a state of contentment which allows an employee to flourish and achieve their full potential for the benefit of themselves and their organization. In an organization having a transformation leadership style, there is always a close and strong relationship between the employees and the managers and thats why the level of employee wellbeing remains high. Transformational leader keep themselves aware about the workload on a group or on an individual, their likes and dislikes and their need etc and in this way they are more likely to create an environment in the organization where a high level of individual and group wellbeing is achieved. Employees wellbeing at work: The wellbeing of employees at work is the most essential factor for the achievement of organizational goals and all the organizations try their best to be in a healthy environment. Employers are realizing now that they should have a wellbeing strategy to improve mental and physical health of their staff. Most of employers now provide private health insurance and some employers provide also access to gym and counselling. If the employees in an organization are physically, mentally and socially healthy then this must contribute to their success. On the other hand the imbalance of work load, threat of insecurity, irritative relation amongst the employees or with the line managers and a lack of empowerment will result a high rate of stress, absence, inefficient staff performance, and concerns about job satisfaction. According to CIPD absence management survey (2006, cited in CIPD, 2007) the work related stress and mental conditions are the main reasons of employees absence and according to that survey the average rate of absence is eight days per employee per year which costs the organizations about  £600 per year per employee. According to ESRC (2006) report around 28 million days are lost every year due to staff absence. It is estimated that stress costs businesses about  £3.8 billion per year (Health and Safety Executive, 2006, cited in Baptiste, 2007 ). The organizations that have realized that the health and safety, employee wellbeing and their satisfaction about job is the most important factor in terms of good performance and goal achievements and they have made investments in employees wellbeing these institutions are enjoying the advantages of their healthy and confident workforce towards their organizational success. (Peccie, 2004, cited in Baptiste, 2007). Under the transformational leadership style the employees in an organization are given the opportunity to apply and enhance their knowledge and skills to get the job done. Institute of Directors discovered that wellbeing satisfy the small businesses in terms of client requirements, controlling insurance charges, increase production and it also satisfies, attracts and motivates the staff (IOD 2006, cited in CIPD, 2007). According to Baptiste In the organizations where the employees have a voice and they have provided with support and encouragement from their leaders they work more effectively and their positive behaviour and commitment results in best performance and productivity. HRM practices which create a relationship between leadership and employees, and help in developing trust and engagement, also contribute towards the effective attitude of employees and ensure wellbeing at work which consequently results in better performance. According to Ilies, R., Morgeson, P. F., Nahragang, J, D.,(2005) the positive organizational scholarships ensure the effective organizational behaviour which results in enhanced employees wellbeing and is distinguished from traditional organizational studies in that it seeks to understand what represents and approaches the best of the human condition . The recent theories and discussions regarding the positive and ethical leadership in organizations have induced to a combine effort to ensure all the effective approaches to leadership. Within the context of increasingly important field of employee wellbeing and the positive characteristics of human functioning like positive emotions, hope, struggle for the achievements of organizational objectives for the social and mental health and wellbeing. According to Avolio Gardner, 2005 this combine effort consequently results in the positive leadership approaches like transformational, inspirational, charismatic leadership. These kinds of le aders are trustworthy and they keep themselves aware about their own values as well as they modify their employees thinking and objectives in terms of positive organizational context. Trainings to manage workplace stress: Shuttleworth, A., (2005) states, since its the duty of the employers to take care of their workers and which is mentioned in the Health and Safety at Work Regulation 1999, the HSE draft management standard has revealed the accountability cases that employers face due to workplace stress. In February 2000 a former post office manager made a claim against stress related sickness due to extra work load and he got  £175000. Employers are now engaged in essential trainings to overcome stress related issues at workplace such as bullying, to enhance empowerment, improve resilience to stress. Furthermore the organizations are emphasising the senior management and leaders to be actively participate to support and develop the initiative and its design. Role of Transformational Leader in Combating Employees Negativity: According to Avey, J, B., (2008) now a day in the print media special attention has been paid to the soaring figures of employees working hours and to the level of its stress. It is the result of the new global market trends in the world economy where due to an increase in the demands, the organizations are putting extra pressure on their employees to work for extra hours which is resulting in some negative effects like cynicism and their decisions to quit the jobs etc but a less importance has been given to these issues regarding workers negativity and how to overcome these negative factors. Previous theories and researches have shown that the transformational leadership help in combating employees negativity and enhanced their psychological wellbeing, empowerment, self confidence and independence which results in subsequent engagement and satisfaction about job. (Dvir et al, 2002). According to Avolio et al, (2004) transformational leadership empowers and motivates employees to job commitment. And empowerment subsequently results in job satisfaction; it reduces work related strain and also enhances employees efficiency positively (Avey et al., 2008). It reduces the level of disappointment and anger in employees feelings regarding their job (Judge and Ilies, 2004). In the development of positive and effective organizational behaviour the recent studies (Avey et al., 2008) have shown that there is a close relationship among the psychological capital, performance and absenteeism (Avey et al., 2008). According to Harter, J, K., Schmidt, F, L., and Keys C, L, M., (2003) by demonstrating the individual consideration, intellectual stimulation and inspirational motivation the transformational leaders provide an opportunity to their employees where there is no presence of strain (too much challenges) or boredom (too little challenges) which affects adversely the quality and quantity of employee performance as well as their standard of life (Edwards, Caplan, Van Hrrison, 1998). In this kind of environment the workers face interesting and meaningful job tasks as Brim (1992) has called manageable difficulties and Csikszentmihalyi (1997) called as optimal states, it is the state where workers feel themselves as energetic, productive, growing, happy and engaged, and it is the situation where the demands are equal to or slightly above the level of resources (Waterman, 1993). By enhancing the workers emotional wellbeing and their satisfaction with work and workplace, transformational leader s promote the quality of individuals life as well as the productivity of entire community which consequently results in organizational outcomes in terms of best productivity, profitability, employee turnover and customer loyalty etc. Role of Empowerment: Empowerment is a main factor of the transformational leadership style in terms of work satisfaction and enhanced employees psychological wellbeing. The relationship of empowerment to job satisfaction is founded positive and it is related negatively to work strain (Avey, et al., 2008). In terms of a motivational means the empowerment consists of four cognitions like meaning, competence, self determination and impact. The meaning refers to the individuals personal standards to the value of work objective. Competence refers to the trust and confidence in the individuals mind regarding their ability to perform their organizational job tasks with personal skills. Self determination means the concept in the employees mind that they have some options and choices to start and regulate their job activities and strategies and the term impact refers to the level of individual influence on strategies and operating consequences. Role of Leadership, Empowerment and Positivity in combating employee negativity Figure 1. source from Avey et al (2008). Transformational leadership is positively related to empowerment (Kark et al., 2003, cited in Avey et al., 2008). Positive work outcomes like good performance and job satisfaction is positively related to the transformational relationship (Lowe et al., 1996, cited in Avey et al., 2008). Followers of the transformational leader found that they perform their job duties in most positive way and with most self confidence (Bono and Judge 2003). This gives further support to the theories that the followers of the transformational leaders are more empowered in term of decision making, greater autonomy and ownership etc. Transformational Leadership, Employee Attitude and Job Commitment: According to Kelloway, E, K and Barling Julian (2000) the concept that the transformational leadership which consists of the four important dimensions of Individual consideration, Intellectual stimulation, Inspirational motivation and Charisma is now well established in the literature (Avolio, 1999; Bass, 1985; 1990; 1998; Conger and Kanungo, 1987; House, 1977). Problems are also identified by various authors in the measurement of transformational leadership (e.g., Bycio et al., 1995; Carless, 1998) and there is enough support as well for the transformational leadership in relation to efficiency, production, quality and other attitude related to outcomes. The employees behaviour towards organization in terms of job commitment (Barling et al., 1996; Bycio et al., 1995), fairness sense in the organization (Pillai et al., 1999), trust in leader (Pillai et al., 1999; Podsakoff et al., 1995), satisfaction with job and with leader (Hater and Bass, 1988; Koh et al., 1995) etc are also linke d with the transformational leadership. Role of Leadership and Leader-member exchange: According to Jean Lee (2005) the most comprehensive theory is the multi-factor leadership theory that holds a range of leadership behaviours (Jean Lee, 2005). Transformational leaders enhance the relationship with their employees in such a way that prove more than an economic and social exchange. The current studies have revealed that the relationship of transformational leadership is related to effective efforts (Jean Lee, 2005), leaders satisfaction and trust (Jean Lee, 2005) and to the employees respect for the leader (Conger et al., 2000). The transformational leadership style creates a meaningful exchange, remove status barrier and physical distances between leader and employees. They also maximize the level of exchange with their employees (Jean Lee, 2005). By setting themselves as a role model for employees transformational leader enhance the level of trust and contribution because the employees feel that their leader is sacrificing and taking risks for the benefits of the gro up or team (Jean Lee, 2005). From the above data it can be observed that transformational leadership has a positive association with affect, loyalty, contribution and professional respect. Role of Emotional Intelligence: According to Barling, j, Slater, F and Kelloway (2000), as it is obvious from the literature (Barling et al., 2000) that the theory of transformational leadership has gained more scrutiny and we now know that there is a close relationship between transformational leadership and employees satisfaction (Barling et al., 2000), job commitment and trust ( Barling et al., 2000) and further more it is linked with work unit performance (Barling et al., 2000). Some present studies are now emphasising on another component Emotional Intelligence which may induce leaders to adopt transformational attitude (EQ). According to Salovey and Mayer (1990) and Golman (1995, cited in Barling et al., 2000) the emotional intelligence consists of five features such as knowledge of ones emotions, the way of managing them, self control over own emotions ability to delay indulgence, and to manage the relationship. Golman argues that high emotional intelligence in a leader lead to use transformational behaviou rs because they know and have control over their own emotions and represent themselves as a role model for their workers which develops their trust in and honour for the leader. Secondly leader with high emotional intelligence knows about other emotions and they can easily judge the limits to which followers expectations could be improved. Another important factor of individualized consideration is that with emotional intelligence the leader understands their workers needs and they react to them accordingly that result in managing and enhancing relationship positively. Conclusion: Transformational leaders play a vital role in the success of organizations. By demonstrating individual consideration, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and charismatic behaviour they create an ideal environment for their followers and subordinates in which the purpose of the individuals and/or group comes together in the best interest of the organization. In addition they promote the wellbeing of their followers and subordinates in terms of physical and mental health which in turn develops the trust and their satisfaction about the job as well as trust among the employees and in the leader. In return under the transformational leadership and a healthy environment the organizations enjoy the benefits of their healthy workforce in terms of best performance, productivity and profitability.

Essay example --

Grace Stafford Mr. Tappy English 1-2 9 December 2013 The Darkness of Ambition President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s wife Eleanor Roosevelt once said, â€Å"Ambition is pitiless. Any merit that it cannot use it finds despicable.† Ambition can be an emotion that can drive people to madness and this character flaw is seen in William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. Macbeth is about a Scottish Thane that decides to kill the King of Scotland to get the crown. This murder starts a chain of evil acts by Macbeth because he doesn’t know how to handle his ambition. By the end of the play the reader learns that ambition was really Macbeth’s downfall. In the renowned play Macbeth, Macbeth’s character flaw of ambition causes him to self destruct over anything else. At the very beginning of the play Macbeth is already starting to be overtaken by his yearning for power. Macbeth’s ambition starts to blind him when three witches tell him that he will be Thane of Cawdor and King. The reader can see his desire for power begin to grow and blind him in this quote, â€Å"This supernatural soliciting Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill, Why hath it given me earnest of success, Commencing in a truth? I am Thane of Cawdor,† (Act I.Scene III.134-137). This quote explains how Macbeth thinks how could killing the King be bad or good? If anything the witches say is bad then why am I Thane of Cawdor? If he wanted to do the right thing he wouldn’t even think about killing King Duncan. Ambition is already starting to show as his flaw. Later into the act, Macbeth’s lust for power comes into full swing when he decides that he will kill Duncan. This lust blinds him to what he really should do. The audience can see this greed in this quote, â€Å"If it wer... ...eactions of ambition such as lying, cheating, and stealing to get ahead. Everyone has flaws but very few peoples’ flaws end in their destruction. This ,however, is not the case in Macbeth. The main character, Macbeth, uses his flaw of ambition and ends up getting killed for it. His ambition starts out small such as just thinking of the idea of killing Duncan but then turns into to actually killing him. After that, he kills his friends,innocent women and children, and he brings pain and suffering unto his country. However, in the end he is finally able to see that he has been blinded and he hasn’t taken the right path. Like when Eleanor Roosevelt once said, â€Å"Ambition is pitiless. Any merit that it cannot use it finds despicable.† Ambition doesn’t pity anyone and it devours every good aspect of people. Macbeth is a famous example of what ambition can do to a person.

Dissolved Oxygen Lab #1 Assignment Essay

Determine which of the following observations are testable. For those that are testable: †¢ Write a hypothesis and null hypothesis †¢ What would be your experimental approach? †¢ What are the dependant and independent variables? †¢ What is your control? †¢ How will you collect data? †¢ How will you present your data (charts, graphs, types)? †¢ How will you analyze your data? 1. When a plant is placed on a window sill, it grows faster than when it is placed on a coffee table in the middle of the living room. . The teller at the bank with brown hair and brown eyes is taller than the other tellers. 3. I caught four fish at seven o’ clock in the morning but didn’t catch any at noon. 4. The salaries at Smith and Company are based on the number of sales and Billy makes 3,000 dollars more than Joe. 5. When Sally eats healthy foods and exercises regularly, her blood pressure is lower than when she does not exercise and eats fatty foods. 6. The Italian restaurant across the street closes at 9 pm but the one two blocks away closes at 10 pm. 7. Bob bought a new blue shirt with a golf club on the back for twenty dollars. 8. For the past two days the clouds have come out at 3 pm and it has started raining at 3:15 pm. 9. George did not sleep at all last night because he was up finishing his paper. 10. Ice cream melts faster on a warm summer day than on a cold winter day. 11. How can you apply scientific method to an everyday problem? Give one example.

Narrative Links in Holes Essay

In kissing Kate’s narrative, she used to make delicious and sweet peach jam. In Stanley and Zero’s narrative, they found and ate kissing Kate’s peach jam ( sploosh ) In Stanley Yelnats III’s narrative, his invention smells like peaches. God’s thumb In Sam’s narrative, Sam had his onion fields on top of God’t thumb. In Stanley Yelnats I narrative, He was left stranded in the desert, found his way to God’s Thumb and the spring. When Stanley Yelnats VI escaped Camp Green Lake to find Zero, they made their way to God’s thumb also. Stanley and Zero ate sweet onions that were still growing by the spring. Trainers  In Stanley Yelnats III narrative, Stanley Yelnats III is an inventor trying to find a way to recycle old trainers. In Stanley Yelnats IV narrative, He got the blame and got arrested by cops because of a pair of stinky trainers that fell on his head from â€Å"the sky†. He thought that the old trainers was â€Å"destiny’s shoes† In Zero’s narrative, Zero took the trainers in the homeless shelter. He didn’t know that the shoes were Clyde Livingston’s nor did he know that what he did was stealing. He got scared and put the famous shoes on top of a parked car when people were going crazy about the missing shoes Zero took. Later the trainers fall off the car and dropped on Stanley’s head, making him think that the shoes fell from the sky. Onions In Sam’s narrative, He sold sweet onions, products and medicines made from his onions In Stanley and Zeros narrative, they ate onions to survive. The onions saved Zero from dying from eating bad food. A boat called Mary Lou was build by Sam. He named the boat after his donkey. He had put kissing Kate barlow’s peach jam inside the boat. In Zero and Stanley’s narrative, They found the peach jam an old boat called Mary Lou and ate it.