Rape Of Nanking Essays - Nanking Massacre, The Rape Of Nanking

Rape Of Nanking Chapter One The main point in chapter one was to give us a history of the Japanese people, and to rationalize why the Japanese army went to such extremes in Nanking. She uses examples of training rituals used by the Japanese army like extreme teaching procedures and terrible school conditions in Japan. I don't think she was trying to make an excuse for the Japanese army but she wanted to site a possible reason for the abuse. She talks about Japanese history and gives us lots of background on the Japanese people before the horrifying occurrence in Nanking. The audience she has tried to communicate to is the intellectual western society who has possibly not heard or knows little about the Nanking massacre. The purpose of the essays is to educate and make aware of the atrocities here in this area of China. To tell, it seemed to me, is an important part of educating people to what the human species is capable of doing in extreme circumstances. Her tone seems to be one of sympathy to what the Japanese people had to go through before the war between China and Japan. This chapter has done a good job on giving the reader history and background of the country and the people in Japan. Chapter Two Iris Chang in this chapter details issues that were critical to the rape of Nanking. The Race to Nanking detailed the Japanese strategy to take Nanking from the Chinese. Killing the prisoners of war detailed the orders to kill all the prisoners because of food concerns and rebellion. The Murder of Civilians detailed why the civilians were killed because of a lack of protection from the soldiers of the Chinese army. The Japanese Journalists told us that the Japanese journalists were horrified about what was going on in Nanking. The Rape of Nanking told of the plight of the women in the Chinese capital. This section told of rapes and atrocities inflicted on the Chinese women, no matter how young or old they could not escape these atrocities. The arrival of Matsui Iwane was the section where the leader of the Japanese army came to inspect Nanking and to make sure the soldiers were doing well. The rapes and atrocities subsided, when he found what was going on he was angry and he even cri ticized the emperor's son-in-law, which in Japanese culture was unheard of. She wrote the chapter this way because it is a chronological order of the way things happened in Nanking. It makes sense because it separates the different events that happened in a certain length of time. Chapter Three The Fall of Nanking is a chronological narrative of the defeat of the Chinese army in Nanking. It details the four-day ordeal and makes us realize what it was like to live there in the time of the fall. The first thing we ask is why the Chinese army fell from power so easily, we realize that when the leaders left the people lost all hope for Nanking. Rape and torture seemed easy to the Japanese because they could be victimized so easily. Chapter Four Six Weeks of Horror as a descriptive and horrifying chapter which takes us to be the witnesses in the, rape, torture, killing contests, and death toll. The description of rape in this chapter is very detailed, but it serves a purpose to take us to be a witness for people who have no witnesses. Most people have a hard time reading this chapter but I've found it very disturbing how people could do that to other people. She excelled in this chapter to make witnesses of us all. Chapter Five In every horrendous situation there are heroes. This chapter talks about the heroes in the Nanking safety zone. There were twenty-four in total and everyone had a difficult story to tell. Men and women alike had to suffer various forms of physical and mental exhaustion. Doctors took care of the sick; politicians took care of many refugees. The most prominent politician in Nanking at the time was a man called Rabe. He was a Nazi but was very respected in Nanking. He initiated the start of the safety zone and many people's lives were saved because of him.

Deciduous Forest essays

Deciduous Forest essays The definition of a deciduous forest is a biome characterized by the presence of trees that lose their leaves in the fall. I chose to narrow down this subject a little and do my report mainly on the Temperate Broadleaf Deciduous Forest. It is mainly dominate in eastern North America. It is very well known for its leaves which turn brilliant colors like brilliant reds, oranges and golds in autumn. The shortening of days in fall stimulates the plants to withdraw chlorophyll from their leaves, allowing a brief but spectacular showing of other beautiful colors before the leaves are shed completely and plants enter an extended period of dormacy. The temperature of the deciduous forest is associated with warmer continental and humid subtropical climates. There is about a six month growing season in this forest. The average precipitation distributed evenly throughout a year is about 20 to 60 inches . The non-growing season is do to temperature induced drought during cold winters. The summer s are warm. The deciduous forest has four definite seasons. The long summers of this biome support many life forms, but the cold winters still provide formidable challenges. The cold weather and scarcity of food test the endurance of the animals. Plants must find ways to ensure their survival through dormant periods, and to produce enough seeds to continue their species. The deciduous forest supports a diverse ecology. A warm growing season with abundant moisture encourages plants to grow, and the ground is covered with small plants, flowers, and grasses. In summer the tall trees cast shades on the forest floor, and shade-tolerant plants grow. There are only open areas in which grasses grow without sunshine in this forest on occasion. Ferns and wild flowers are abundant, and there are also many deciduous shrubs, such as some berry bushes. The deciduous forest biome is the home to many kinds of flowering trees. Deciduous trees need a growing season of about ...

Hallo Money and its impact on the on the accounting workplace Essay

Hallo Money and its impact on the on the accounting workplace - Essay Example Make sure it is either about to happen or is just getting underway. Be specific. Answers such as â€Å"technology† will earn you a failing grade on this essay. WORKPLACE CHANGE: Hallo Money and its impact on the on the accounting workplace Hello Money is a mobile baking service that allows Barclays Bank customers to carry out execute financial transactions by using mobile devices such and personal digital assistant or mobile phone (Barclays, 2012). It is worth noting that Hello Money, like other mobile banking services, is different from the mobile payments, which entail the use of the mobile devices to pay for goods. Hello Money is performed through mobile web or SMS. The service has been particularly facilitated by the evolution of an array of technologies, such as smart phones and web based technologies, which create the allowance for installation of special features that support mobile banking. Currently, the popularity Hello Money continues to grow as many customers are i ncreasingly using it. Its full implementation implies the adoption of the automated accounting systems and this would significantly change the way accountants work. 2. Identify a primary and secondary stakeholder and explain why they qualify as stakeholders. Use the â€Å"Choosing a Stakeholder Decision Matrix,† located in Lesson 15, to identify a high influence/high importance stakeholder, as well as a secondary stakeholder who is either high influence,/low importance, or low influence/high importance. ... These have been pivotal in making the crucial decisions about Barclays Bank (Barclays, 2009). They have been behind the full implementation of the Hello Money mobile banking service. These stakeholders are high influence/low importance. SECONDARY STAKEHOLDERS: my secondary stakeholder is Mr. Harold, a close friend and an accountant at one of the Barclays Bank local branches. Mr. Harold has a lot to gain or lose from the introduction of the Hello Money service because the service prompt adjustments in the accounting systems. Mr. Harold does not have an authority to make decision for Barclays Bank, yet he is important to the firms operations. Mr. Harold is high importance/low influence stakeholder. 3. Describe the vested interest of these stakeholders in the issue you chose. Explain any current events or trends that may be currently affecting your stakeholder’s interests. This is the interests of the primary stakeholders, who include the senior managers and the executive committ ee members, is to enable the firms reach great heights of success. These vested interests have been informed by various advantages associated with mobile banking. First, mobile banking is expected to cut down the costs of service delivery to customers. For instance, it has been cited that the costs of conducting a mobile transfer is cheaper than teller transfer by about fifty times and ATM transfer by about ten times (Delloitte 2010; p 4). In addition, they are convinced that mobile banking comes with a lot of flexibility, both to customers and the firm itself. For instance, the service makes it easy for the bank to combine and sell other services and products that are offered in the bank, such as credit cards and loans, with relative ease.

Leadership Theories Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership Theories - Research Paper Example The theory was made popular among the common people by Thomas Carlyle, a famous historian in the year 1840 (Forsyth, 2009). Trait Theory of Leadership Trait theory is based on certain characteristics of personality of people which depict them as a natural leader. It has been learnt in accordance with this theory that those who are good leaders will have the right blend of different leadership traits. Furthermore, the theory signifies that there are certain traits in individuals which are best suited for leadership. It has been noted that a few of the traits that are inevitable in leaders include dependability, self- confidence, cooperativeness and influential personality among others. The trait theory was first developed by Francis Galton in the year 1869. This theory depicts that leaders have certain decisive characteristics that facilitate them to attain greater confidence and trust of followers (Manning and Curtis, 2003). Transactional Leadership Theory (Leader-Member Exchange (LM X) Theory) Transactional leadership theory is also termed managerial leadership. A leader with the characteristics of a transactional leader will mainly focus on the performance of the group as well as the overall organization. It has been noted that this theory primarily deals with encouraging and motivating individuals towards the accomplishment of targeted goals. In this type of leadership, the main function of the followers is to obey the instructions and orders of the leaders. This theory was proposed by Bernard Bass in the year 1981 (Bass & Bass, 2009). Furthemore, there is another section of transactional leadership theory which is called leader–member exchange theory. According to this leadership theory, a leader of teams or any organization develops a healthy relationship with their subordinates or team members in order to ascertain maximum positive outcome from them. The theory was developed by the duo of George Graen and Fred Dansereau (Griffin & Morehead, 2009). P art B Great Man Theory of Leadership and Its Use to Influence and Reward for Team and Individuals Since this theory depicts that leaders are born with gifted characteristics, they are capable of influencing an individual or team towards a particular goal. Moreover, a leader following this theory can also reward team members for their good work owing to his/her characteristic of honesty. For example, a leader should not be partial in praising good work of team members. Only the right person should be praised with rewards (Forsyth, 2009). Great Man Theory of Leadership and Its Use to Develop Interpersonal Skills for Building Trust Furthermore, other innate characteristics of leaders i.e. building positive relationship with members will enable them to develop interpersonal skills of the members. Also, it has been noted that good relation will always be accompanied by trust. Thus, this will also develop trust of the members upon the leader. For instance, a leader will need to create a r apport with the team members by getting involved with their personal along with professional issues and solving them (Forsyth, 2009). Trait Theory of Leadership and Its Use to Influence and Reward for Team and Individuals These aspects of the theory will contribute towards influencing teams and individuals for accomplishment of targeted goals. By being influential and cooperative, a leader can motivate his/her followers for ensuring the deliverance of effective

Physical Chemistry Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 3

Physical Chemistry - Lab Report Example Chemical electronic transitions that are usually induced through the absorption of visible light spectrum result in excited state molecules. In the process energy is absorbed, dissipated or both. The absorbed energy must be released to return the excited species back to the original ground state. Typically, on absorption of light at their absorption maxima, dye molecules exhibit long excited state lifetimes and emit radiation at longer wavelengths (fluorescence or phosphorescence). The excited state of the luminescent dye can be quenched by an energy transfer mechanism upon collision with oxygen molecules [1] As a result, the intensity of luminescence is reduced along with the lifetime and the degree of quenching is proportional to the oxygen concentration. Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an optical oxygen sensor. The active components of the sensor are the luminescent dye encapsulated in a polymer medium, a light source (commonly a LED or laser) for exciting the dye at a particular wavelength, (550–800 nm) [2], a photodiode to detect the fluorescent radiation and an optical fiber for the transmission of light. The quenching of the luminescence can be characterized by the Stern-Volmer eqn. [3] Figure 1 Schematics of an optical oxygen sensor. (1) Gas or liquid path, (2) Lumophore dispersed on oxygen permeable membrane, (3) lens and filter, (4) exciting radiation, (5) fluorescent radiation, (6) optical fiber, (7) LED/Laser, (8) photodiode, and (9) display In a typical ground electronic state is a singlet (all electrons paired). Electronic excitation results in an excited state singlet that may undergo internal conversion to a triplet state. Due to the forbidden nature of a triplet singlet transition, the triplet state may exist for a substantial length of time. The emission from this state is known as the phosphorescence. Fluorescence refers to the emission from

TRIZ Problem Solving: Design of Hammer

TRIZ Problem Solving: Design of Hammer Abstract This project introduced innovation in a concept design of hammer which is a tool used to blow (a sudden impact) to an object. Some technical contradictions occurred in the design, which made it difficult to find a solution except compromise. When TRIZ was used in the design, things seemed to get easier. A surprising and almost perfect solution was found, and finally it was put into practice smoothly. Introduction A hammer is a tool that delivers a blow (a sudden impact) to an object. A hammer is basically a force amplifier that works by converting mechanical work into kinetic energy and back. Most hammers are hand tools used to drive nails, fit parts, forge metal, and break apart objects. Hammers vary in shape, size, and structure, depending on their purposes. Hammers are basic tools in many trades. The usual features are a head (most often made of steel) and a handle (also called a helve or haft). A traditional hand-held hammer consists of a separate head and a handle, fastened together by means of a special wedge made for the purpose, or by glue, or both. This two-piece design is often used, to combine a dense metallic striking head with a non-metallic mechanical-shock-absorbing handle. Some hammers are one-piece designs made primarily of a single material. A one-piece metallic hammer may optionally have its handle coated or wrapped in a resilient material such as rubber. Objectives To innovate the design of a hammer to make it more efficient using TRIZ problem solving. To minimize the cost used to buy hammer using TRIZ problem solving. To improve the components of hammer to reduce space consumption by TRIZ problem solving. Problem Statement For years, workers have been struggling to bring different type of tools to their worksite.   One of the main tool used by the construction workers are the hammer. A Hammer is a mechanical tool that delivers a sudden impact to an object. The essential part of hammer is head, a compact solid mass that is able to deliver the blow to the intended target without itself deforming and a handle, the part where the user hold the hammer. Commonly, hammers are used to drive nails, fit parts, forge metal and break apart objects. There are different types of hammers in use, they vary in shape, size and structure. Such hammers are traditional curved claw hammer and Drywall hammer. Traditional claw hammer are used to   drives nails well and removes nails easily with the rocking action of its curved claw while Drywall hammer chops errant bits of drywall and sets nails without breaking through walls paper faces. Hammers are categorized as a heavy type tool thus creating problem for the workers t o bring many types of hammer to their worksite. Inconvenient Variety in the number of hammer needed to complete in a certain type of work causes difficulties to the workers in bringing it to their worksite. As we already know, each hammer has its own function. Hence, workers need to bring each of the type of hammer to complete their project. If it is improved it can ease the workers job in bringing different type of hammer without consuming too much energy. Costly Workers are forced to buy each type of hammer so that they can accomplish their job. This causes extra money to be spent to buy each type of hammer. Thus the total cost of project will be increased gradually. Buying less number of hammer with the same functional would causes the cost to be decreased significantly. This would give the advantage to worker as it will cut the cost to buy a hammer. Space consuming The average size of a hammer is bigger than other tool creates a problem which is in storing it. Each hammer requires a huge size of storage space to be stored and with the variety type of hammer, the needs for bigger size storage increases with the number of hammer. If less spaces are used to store this tool, more other tool can be used to fill the empty spaces. This increases the compatibility of the hammer. Function Analysis Subject (Tool)FunctionObject HandHoldHandle (Wood) Handle (Wood) HoldHammer head Hammer headHitNail Component Analysis TRIZ tools Segmentation (#1) Divide an object into independent part Make an object easy to assemble and disassemble The head and the handle of the hammer can be connected and removed freely by user. The thread on the handle ease the user to connect the handle and the hammer head by twisting the head in a clockwise direction. Function Analysis Subject (Tool) Function Object Hand Hold Handle (Steel) Handle (Thread) Hold Traditional Curved Claw (Thread) Traditional Curved Claw (Thread) Hit Nail Handle (thread) Hold Drywall Hammer (Thread) Drywall Hammer (Thread) Hit Nail Handle (Thread) Hold Body Mechanics Hammer (Thread) Body Mechanics Hammer (Thread) Hit Nail Handle (Thread) Hold Toolmakers Hammer (Thread) Toolmakers Hammer (Thread) Hit Nail Component Analysis Contradiction The feature that we want to improve is the strength of the handle by using steel. However the drawback of using steel as a handle is it is very heavy. So by using 39 parameters matrix, we have decided to choose composite material as the handle. The composite material that we have chosen is graphite fiber reinforced epoxy. This type of handle offers a blend of stiffness, lightweight and durability. These handle also encased in a high polycarbonate resin. The addition of this material around the handle increase shock absorption, improves chemical resistance and offers protection against accidential overstrike thus reduce handle failure. Wooden Handle  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Steel Handle  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Composite Handle Wooden Handle  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Steel HandleComposite Handle Partial Triz Contradiction Matrix (1 to 14) Weight of moving object Weight of stationary object Length of moving object Length of stationary object Area of moving object 1 2 3 4 5 1 Weight of moving object + 15, 8, 29,34 29, 17, 38, 34 2 Weight of stationary object + 10, 1, 29, 35 3 Length of moving object 8, 15, 29, 34 + 15, 17, 4 4 Length of stationary object 35, 28, 40, 29 + 5 Area of moving object 2, 17, 29, 4 14, 15, 18, 4 + 6 Area of stationary object 30, 2, 14, 18 26, 7, 9, 39 7 Volume of   moving object 2, 26, 29, 40 1, 7, 4, 35 1, 7, 4, 17 8 Volume of stationary object 35, 10, 19, 14 19, 14 35, 8, 2, 14 9 Speed 2, 28, 13, 38 13, 14, 8 29, 30, 34 10 Force (Intensity) 8, 1, 37, 18 18, 13, 1, 28 17, 19, 9, 36 28, 10 19, 10, 15 11 Stress or pressure 10, 36, 37, 40 13, 29, 10, 18 35, 10, 36 35, 1, 14, 16 10, 15, 36, 28 12 Shape 8, 10, 29, 40 15, 10, 26, 3 29, 34, 5, 4 13, 14, 10, 7 5, 34, 4, 10 13 Stability of   the objects composition 21, 35, 2, 39 26, 39, 1, 40 13, 15, 1, 28 37 2, 11, 13 14 Strength 1, 8, 40, 15 40, 26, 27, 1 1, 15, 8, 35 15, 14, 28, 26 3, 34, 40, 29 40-Composite Material, 26-Copying, 27-Cheap Short Living Object, 1-Segmentation Function Analysis Subject (Tool) Function Object Hand Hold Handle (Composite Material) Handle (thread) Hold Traditional Curved Claw (Thread) Traditional Curved Claw (Thread) Hit Nail Handle (thread) Hold Drywall Hammer (Thread) Drywall Hammer (Thread) Hit Nail Handle (thread) Hold Body Mechanics Hammer (Thread) Body Mechanics Hammer (Thread) Hit Nail Handle (thread) Hold Toolmakers Hammer (Thread) Toolmakers Hammer (Thread) Hit Nail Component Analysis Conclusion As conclusion, problem in reality can be practically solved using TRIZ problem solving technique. TRIZ technique use the process of abstraction as it main way to solve problem. This means that we need to use TRIZ to determine problem, improving feature, and impact feature and lastly, come up with a solution for the related problem. There are many type of TRIZ process that are available for solving problem. However, for this problem the function analysis tool, the 39 parameters and 40 inventive principles is used. We have concluded that the main problems of a hammer are inconvenient, costly, and space consuming. All of the problems are solved by applying TRIZ technique. The final solution that have been analyzed is by producing an exchangeable hammer head with graphite fiber reinforced epoxy handle. This will encounter all of the problems of the common hammer. So, it can be concluded that TRIZ problem solving can be used to problem better and efficiently. References http://me-mechanicalengineering.com/different-types-of-hammers/ http://www.innovation-triz.com/ http://www.triz.org/ https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCT_92.htm http://creatingminds.org/tools/triz/triz_contradiction_analysis.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRIZ http://www.triz-journal.com/ http://www.mytriz.com.my/ http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCT_92.htm http://www.triz40.com/aff_Principles_TRIZ.php

Positive Aspects of Atticus Finch Essay -- essays research papers

In the past century, there have been many great novels written. One of which is Harper Lee's, 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. In the novel it introduces a prominent character who not only was a good father but also a well respected, and compassionate man. This person is Atticus Finch. Through all the struggles and pressures, he stands strong as a very positive father figure, making sure to educate his children with important values including equality, bravery, and knowledge. Regardless of one?s race or colour, Atticus has a fair attitude towards all people. Early in the novel, a black man named Tom Robinson was accused of raping a white woman. Atticus took on the case to defend Tom without another thought simply because he treats everyone equally. From the moment he agreed to defend Tom, he knew right away that it was a case he could not hope to win. However, when his daughter, Scout asked why he was defending Tom, he told her that he must argue it to uphold his keen sense of justice and self-respect. ?Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.? (Page 76) Furthermore, when Jem brought home Walter Cunningham, Atticus was nice enough to let him stay for lunch and treated him as an equal. He never looked down on him even though he was a Cunningham, poor farmers who were in the middle class above the black. ?Jem ran to the kitchen and asked Calpurnia to set an extra plate, we had company. Atticus g reeted Walter and began a discussion about crops neither Jem nor I could follow.? (Page 24) Jem learned important lessons from his father regarding bravery. Atticus? went against the norm, refusing to hunt and his disapproval of guns. He believed that guns do not make men brave a... ...to the human race and to no particular race of men. There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never done an immoral thing, and there is no man living who has never looked upon a woman without desire? (Page 204) In conclusion, Atticus has a very significant role in the novel. Through Atticus, the town became aware that, although Tom was black, Atticus still did his best to defend him and never gave up. Most importantly, Atticus proved to his children, and the townspeople that all men are created equal and should be given the same respect as everyone else regardless of their skin colour. He showed his son, Jem the true face of courage. Moreover, he taught his children the importance of education. A strong, solid character, such as Atticus Finch has brought the book, ?To Kill A Mockingbird? to be considered a remarkable classic.

Maersk Doha Communcation Report

1 – Shannon and Weaver’s Communications model seems to be a perfect fit for the Maersk Doha’s problems on board as there were several instances when language caused miscommunications between crew members and messages where delivered incorrectly. This highlights that not all messages received are identical to the message that was sent or to put it in simpler terms it can almost be described as a game of Chinese whispers. First off we are told that when the emergency occurred and the chief engineer was not informed quickly enough. This could be down to the incompetence of the engineers or more likely that there was a lack of communication commodities available to them. We were also told that the chief engineer was in a difficult position when it came to communication as he spoke a different language from the rest of the crew. This then created a hindrance upon the crew who were tasked with trying to understand and relay what the chief engineer was saying and along with the background noise, this proved to be difficult and thus caused confusion. 2- A big problem was the communication barrier between the engineering and deck departments. If a structured communications procedure had been in place, the damage could and probably would have been limited to a minimum. Problems arose as the engine crew didn’t report to the chief engineer and the chief didn’t report to the captain. Obviously if the senior staff are not made aware of the problems then they can’t be solved in a proper manor. It’s of utmost importance that the correct procedure where carried out when dealing with safety issues. On this occasion a threat occurred due to an inexperienced crew, reluctant to communicate with their superiors. All departments should have been working towards a joint goal instead there seemed to be departmental friction and the link of horizontal communication was inadequate. Having an inexperienced first and second engineer helped lead to not only mechanical problems occurring but also further problems in communication. The shipping company had decided all crew had a satisfactory level of English but this was not the case and the language barrier acted as a catalyst to the reason the fire was not dealt with properly. 4 – It is clear that there were problems in all directional flows. The downward communication was ineffective. The chief engineer should have asserted his authority and created a line of communication between his staff. Although the language barrier sometimes prevented proper flow in information there should have been procedures in place in case of emergency to insure the crew could contact him with any problems. The upward communication was also found inadequate as the crew should have been responsible enough to notify the chief engineer that there was a fire in the economiser and that perhaps due to their naivety and lack of experience they did not want to alert the chief and been seen as incompetent. The engineers where not familiar with the machinery and should have contacted the chief as early as possible. On the other hand the chief is also guilty of miscommunication when it came to the deck department. It is imperative that both departments work together and help as much as possible and it’s also necessary to regularly keep up to date with each other’s departments. This is the reason companies create procedures and flow charts that must be adhered by whilst on board. If the system was flawed then the chief should have designed a new communication procedure in order to keep communication flowing between all involved 4 – Its clear to say that the communication environment is heavily affected by the presence of so much background noise. There were problems with both the technical and social aspects of noise. Semantic barriers also lead to a negative influence on the environment. The information required regarding the economiser was available to the crew but due to this being from the ships previous owner and it not being endorsed by ZMA, there was confusion regarding what documents and procedures were to be followed. If ZMA had constructed their own policy, adding any information they did not carry over from the previous owner, this might have helped avoid the ensuing problems.

Attitudes To Language Essay Example

Attitudes To Language Essay Example Attitudes To Language Essay Attitudes To Language Essay According Webster(1985), to research is to search or investigate exhaustively. It is a careful or diligent search, studious inquiry or examination especially investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws, it can also be the collection of information about a particular subject. A focus group is used as a preliminary research technique to explore peoples ideas and attitudes. It is often used to test new approaches (such as products or dvertising), and to discover customer concerns. A group of 6 to 20 people meet in a conference-room-like setting with a trained moderator. The room usually contains a one-way mirror for viewing, including audio and video capabilities. The moderator leads the groups discussion and keeps the focus on the areas you want to explore. Focus groups can be conducted within a couple of weeks and cost between two and three thousand dollars. Their disadvantage is that the sample is small and may not be representative of the population in general. www. socialresearchmethods. et/tutorial/Colosi/lcolosi2. tm Reliability and Validity: Whats the Difference? Reliability Definition: Reliability is the consistency of your measurement, or the degree to which an instrument measures the same way each time it is used under the same condition with the same subjects. In short, it is the repeatability of your measurement. A measure is considered rel iable if a persons score on the same test given twice is ssimilar. It is important to remember that reliability is not measured, it is estimated. There are two ways that reliability is usually estimated: test/retest and internal consistency. Test/Retest Test/retest is the more conservative method to estimate reliability. Simply put, the idea behind test/retest is that you should get the same score on test 1 as you do on test 2. The three main components to this method are as follows: 1 . ) implement your measurement instrument at two separate times for each subject; 2). compute the correlation between the two separate measurements; and 3) assume there is no change in the underlying condition (or trait you are trying to measure) between test 1 and test 2. Internal Consistency Internal consistency estimates reliability by grouping questions in a questionnaire hat measure the same concept. For example, you could write two sets of three questions that measure the same concept (say class participation) and after collecting the responses, run a correlation between those two groups of three questions to determine if your instrument is reliably measuring that concept. One common way 0T computing correlatlon values among tne questlons on your instruments is by using Cronbachs Alpha. In short, Cronbachs alpha splits all the questions on your instrument every possible way and computes correlation values for them all (we use a computer program for this part). In the end, your computer utput generates one number for Cronbachs alpha and Just like a correlation coefficient, the closer it is to one, the higher the reliability estimate of your instrument. Cronbachs alpha is a less conservative estimate of reliability than test/ retest. The primary difference between test/retest and internal consistency estimates of reliability is that test/retest involves two administrations of the measurement instrument, whereas the internal consistency method involves only one administration of that instrument. Validity Definition:Validity is the strength of our conclusions, inferences or propositions. More formally, Cook and Campbell (1979) define it as the best available approximation to the truth or falsity of a given inference, proposition or conclusion. In short, were we right? Lets look at a simple example. Say we are studying the effect of strict attendance policies on class participation. In our case, we saw that class participation did increase after the ppolicy was established. Each type of validity would highlight a different aspect of the relationship between our treatment (strict attendance ppolicy) and our observed outcome (increased class participation). Types of Validity: There are four types of validity commonly examined in social research. 1 . Conclusion validity asks is there a relationship between the program and the observed outcome? Or, in our example, is there a connection between the attendance ppolicy and the increased participation we saw? 2. Internal Validity asks if there is a relationship between the program and the outcome we saw, is it a causal relationship? For example, did the attendance ppolicy cause class participation to increase? 3. Construct validity is the hardest to understand in my opinion. It asks if there is there relationship between how I operationalized my concepts in this study to the actual causal relationship Im trying to study? Or in our example, did our treatment (attendance ppolicy) reflect the construct of attendance, and did our measured outcome increased class participation reflect the construct of participation? Overall, we are trying to generalize our conceptualized treatment and outcomes to broader constructs of the same concepts. 4. External validity refers to our ability to generalize the results of our study to other settings. In our example, could we eneralize our results to other classrooms? Threats To Internal Validity There are three main types of threats to internal validity single group, multiple group and social interaction threats. Single Group Threats apply when you are studying a single group receiving a program or treatment. Thus, all of these threats can be greatly reduced by adding a control group that is comparable to your program group to your study. A History Threat occurs when an historical event affects your program group such that it causes the outcome you observe (rather than your treatment being the cause). In our earlier example, this would mean that the stricter attendance ppolicy did not cause an increase in class participation, but rather, the expulslon 0T several sstudents Oue to low partlclpatlon Trom scnool Impacted your program group such that they increased their participation as a result. A Maturation Threat to internal validity occurs when standard events over the course of time cause your outcome. For example, if by chance, the sstudents who participated in your study on class participation all grew up naturally and realized that class participation increased their learning (how likely is that? that could be the cause of your increased participation, not the stricter attendance ppolicy. A Testing Threat to internal validity is simply when the act of taking a pre-test affects how that group does on the post-test. For example, if in your study of class participation, you measured class participation prior to implementing your new attendance ppolicy, and sstudents became forewa rned that there was about to be an emphasis on participation, they may increase it simply as a result of involvement in the pretest measure and thus, your outcome could be a result of a testing threat not your reatment. An Instrumentation Threat to internal validity could occur if the effect of increased participation could be due to the way in which that pretest was implemented. A Mortality Threat to internal validity occurs when subjects drop out of your study, and this leads to an inflated measure of your effect. For example, if as a result of a stricter attendance ppolicy, most sstudents drop out of a class, leaving only those more serious sstudents in the class (those who would participate at a high level naturally) this could mean your effect is overestimated and suffering from a mortality threat. The last single group threat to internal validity is a Regression Threat. This is the most intimating of them all Oust its name alone makes one panic). Dont panic. Simply put, a regression threat mearns that there is a tendency for the sample (those sstudents you study for example) to score close to the average (or mean) of a larger population from the pretest to the posttest. This is a common occurrence, and will happen between almost any two variables that you take two measures of. Because it is common, it is easily remedied through either the inclusion of a control group or through a carefully designed research plan (this is discussed ater). For a great discussion of regression threats, go to Bill Trochims Center for Social Research Methods. In sum, these single group threats must be addressed in your research for it to remain credible. One primary way to accomplish this is to include a control group comparable to your program group. This however, does not solve all our problems, as Ill now highlight the multiple group threats to internal validity. Multiple Group Threats to internal validity involve the comparability of the two groups in your study, and whether or not any other factor other than your treatment causes the outcome. They also (conveniently) mirror the single group threats to internal validity. A Selection-History threat occurs when an event occurring between the pre and post test affects the two groups differently. A Selection- Maturation threat occurs when there are different rates of growth between the two groups between the pre and post test. Selection-Testing threat is the result of the different effect from taking tests between the two groups. A Selection- Instrumentation threat occurs when the test implementation affects the groups differently between the pre and post test. A Selection-Mortality Threat occurs when here are different rates of dropout between the groups which leads to you detecting an effect that may not actually occur. Finally, a Selection-Regression threat occurs wnen tne two groups regress towards tne mean at OITTerent rates. Okay, so Know tnat you have dragged yourself through these extensive lists of threats to validity youre wondering how to make sense of it all. How do we minimize these threats without going insane in the process? The best advice Ive been given is to use two groups when possible, and if you do, make sure they are as comparable as is humanly possible. Whether you conduct a randomized experiment or a non-random study YOUR GROUPS MUST BE AS EQUIVALENT AS POSSIBLE! This the best way to strengthen the internal validity of your research. The last type of threat to discuss involves the social pressures in the research context that can impact your results. These are known as social interaction threats to internal validity. Diffusion or Imitation of Treatment occurs when the comparison group learns about the program group and imitates them, which will lead to an equalization of outcomes between the groups (you will not see an effect as easily). Compensatory Rivalry mearns that the comparison group develops a competitive attitude towards the program group, and this also makes it harder to detect an effect due to your treatment rather than the comparison groups reaction to the program group. Resentful Demoralization is a threat to internal validity that exaggerates the posttest differences between the two groups. This is because the comparison group (upon learning of the program group) gets discouraged and no longer tries to achieve on their own. Compensatory Equalization of Treatment is the only threat that is a result of the actions of the esearch staff it occurs when the staff begins to compensate the comparison group to be fair in their opinion, and this leads to an equalization between the groups and makes it harder to detect an effect due to your program. Threats to Construct I know, I know youre thinking no I Just cant go on. Lets take a deep breath and Ill remind you what construct validity is, and then well look at the threats to it one at a time. 0K? 0K. Constuct validity is the degree to which inferences we have made from our study can be generalized to the concepts underlying our program in the first lace. For example, if we are measuring self-esteem as an outcome, can our definition (operationalization) of that term in our study be generalized to the rest of the worlds concept of self-esteem? k, lets address the threats to construct validity slowly dont be intimidated by their lengthy academic names Ill provide an English translation. Inadequate Preoperational Explication of Constructs simply mearns we did not define our concepts very well before we measured them or implemented our treatment. The solution? Define your concepts well before proceeding to the easurement phase of your study. Mono-operation bias simply mearns we only used one version of our independent variable (our program or treatment) in our study, and hence, limit the breadth of our studys results. The solution? Try to implement multiple versions of your program to increase your studys utility. Mono-method bias simply put, mearns that you only used one measure or observation of an important concept, which in the end, reduces the evidence that your measure is a valid one. The solution? Implement multiple measures of key concepts and do pilot studies to ry to demonstrate that your measures are valid. Interaction of Testing and Treatment occurs when the testing in combination with the treatment produces an effect. Thus you have inadequately defined your treatment, as testing becomes part ue to ts Innuence on tne outcome. I ne solutlon? Laoel your treatment accurately. Interaction of Different Treatments mearns that it was a combination of our treatment and other things that brought about the effect. For example, if you were studying the ability of Tylenol to reduce headaches and in actuality it was a ombination of Tylenol and Advil or Tylenol and exercise that reduced headaches you would have an interaction of different treatments threatening your construct validity. Restricted Generalizability Across Constructs simply put, mearns that there were some unanticipated effects from your program, that may make it difficult to say your program was effective. Confounding Constructs occurs when you are unable to detect an effect from your program because you may have mislabeled your constructs or because the level of your treatment wasnt enough to cause an effect. As with internal validity, there are a few social threats to construct validity also. These include: 1 . Hypothesis Guessing: when participants base their behavior on what they think your study is about so your outcome is really not due solely to the program but also to the participants reaction to you and your study. 2. Evaluator Apprehension: When participants are fearful of your study to the point that it influences the treatment effect you detect. 3. Experimenter Expectancies: when researcher reactions shape the participants responses so you mislabel the reatment effect you see as due to the program when it is more likely due to the researchers behavior. See, that wasnt so bad. We broke things down and attacked them one at a time. You may be wondering why I havent given you along list of threats to conclusion and external validity the simple answer is it seems as if the more critical threats involve internal and construct validity. And, the mearns by which we improve conclusion and external validity will be highlighted in the section on Strengthening Your Analysis. Summary The real difference between reliability and validity is mostly a matter of definition. Reliability estimates the consistency of your measurement, or more simply the degree to which an instrument measures the same way each time it is used in under the same conditions with the same subjects. Validity, on the other hand, involves the degree to which your are measuring what you are supposed to, more simply, the accuracy of your measurement. It is my belief that validity is more important than reliability because if an instrument does not accurately measure what it is supposed to, there is no reason to use it even if it measures consistently (reliably). Back to the Home Page

Fidel Castros Rise To Power essays

Fidel Castro's Rise To Power essays Cubas government is currently a totalitarian state since the revolution on January 1st in 1959. The head of state is currently Fidel Castro, also the Chief of State, as well as the Head of Government, First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party, and Commander in Chief of the armed forces. Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born August 13th in 1926 to Angel Castro, a Spanish farmer living fairly well in Biran, Orient province. Growing up Angel Castro had big plans for his son unknowing that his son had even bigger plans. As a young boy Fidel was often teased because of his rough manners and because of this was sent to a Jesuit school in Santiago de Cuba. He had also attended the Colegio Dolores, once graduated he was accepted into Havana University where he became interested in politics. With this strong interest in politics, Fidel felt he had to take some action in order to guarantee himself in Cubas political world. In 1947 he joined a group, whom were planning to overthrow of the Dominican Republics dictator. Although the mission failed, Fidel became more and more of an activist. Frequently he spoke out against the repression in Cuba, against the communism and dictatorships. Following graduation Fidel established a law partnership with two other attorneys from his university; however he spent most of his time representing the less fortunate and trying to reform a society that was against him. Fidel began what some call his campaign to head of state when he petitioned the Emergency Court of Havana nothing that Batista had undermined and violated the 1940 Constitution. When no one seemed to listen to Fidel joined with Abel Santamaria Cuadrado to form an organization of students for an armed rebellion. When the time came the group stormed one of the military garrisons of Santiago, sadly their attack had been unsuccessful due to the group being left without information on the layout of the inside compound. Those ...

Gambling and its effect on professional and college sports Essay

Gambling and its effect on professional and college sports - Essay Example However, humans are a unique and the only species on earth which is conscious as well as concerned about the future and their superior brain allows them to be predictive and speculative in nature. This extra ability allows humans to indulge in fantasy and speculation which is reflected in the phenomenon of gambling which has developed into an art over the years. In face of the stiff competition everybody tries to stay ahead of the other and subtle methods and means are employed to get an edge in one’ favor. Gambling is also an evil which has developed over the course of time and has assumed such proportions that it is legalized in some parts of the world. Everybody tries to chance their luck in order to get short term immediate monetary gains and thereby obtain temporary succor from the travails of life. Sports are an essential component of education and are incorporated into the course curriculum in order to eliminate the monotony of student life. People even opt for adopting sports as a career as it is a highly paying profession if one is capable of reaching the pinnacle in any of the sports disciplines. Collective efforts at the state and the national level are made to support their representative teams in various tournaments across the nation as well on the international platforms. The general public usually builds up euphoria and attachment with the local or the national team and this sometimes transforms into downright craze. This allows for the elements of wagering and bets in or against a particular team to develop. In fact the phenomenon has assumed the mantle of a business itself in the present era of online connectivity and rapid communication. In the United States sports wagering has assumed serious proportions and it has taken the form of a highly organized industry with statistics showing that almost 85% of the population indulges in

In the majority of the population there are stigmata surrounding the Research Paper

In the majority of the population there are stigmata surrounding the nature of a motorcyclist or Biker - Research Paper Example This made many veterans to access the urban centers and taste every bit of bliss in the cities including drinking and partying. A bike rally in Hollister culminated in the formation of bike gangs. This was the first incident of bike gang which took part in a bloody riot. This riot led to the destruction of property and other valuable in various restaurants and buildings, by drunken motorcyclists. This group caused mayhem without recourse and this has been replicated ever since. This sub-culture is prevalent in the use of cruiser motorcycles. According to Guardians of the Children, the sub-culture thrives in various ideologies like resistance to the mainstream culture of motorcycles (47). In fact, most of the biker gang indulges in malpractices in order to satisfy their daily needs. These groups have their operation in deviance and anarchy given that they do not conform to any set rules and regulation. The gangs use their organizations in propagating their criminal activities. In this regard, their criminality is camouflaged, hence it becomes difficult to apprehend and completely eliminate this sub-culture. The gang is usually structured and has broad networks, which enhances its operations over large geographical regions. The criminal activities the gangs indulge in include drug-trafficking, violence, arms trafficking, abduction and piracy. There are many of these gangs in America, which usually constitute of various numbers of individuals. The most common of these gangs include the Bandidos, Sons of silence and the Hells angels. These biker gangs pose a threat to peace and order among the citizens. Goodman asserts that the outlawed group manages to operate drug and weapon smuggling due to the broad network it has across the globe (41). In fact, there is interlinking of their activities with international drug trafficking organizations. The other motorcycle club is the riding club which is less associated with the intrigues of the biggest gang clubs. The vintag e group of motorcycle clubs is concerned with the ferrying of higher social class people including clergies, emergence blood runners and courier clubs. It is difficult to pursue the criminal gangs because they are friendly like anybody else and they have a broad social and criminal network. Even the intelligence services cannot yield much in pursuit of theses outlawed criminal bike gangs. Furthermore, the freedom they have enhanced the commission of many criminal activities under cover. In addition, they are feared, hence many people lack the guts of daring them. According to The New York Times, legally registered motorcycle clubs like the British motorcycle Federation have great influence in the civil society (23). They also abate the criminal activities of the gang groups under cover. Therefore, it had been hard to reform the motorcycle industry and get rid of the criminal activities propagated by the ill-minded motorcyclists. It has proofed impossible to destroy and discontinue t he biker gang sub-culture. For instance, the federation was created with an aim of protecting the welfare often motorcyclists. The biker gangs are part of the industry, hence they have always been protected even when they have been on the wrong side of the law. Such legally recognized motorcycle organizations have posed a greater threat to the peace and harmony with regard to abatement of criminal activities. Bribery cannot be ruled out in such circumstances