Friday, February 14, 2020

Leisure and technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leisure and technology - Essay Example In the contemporary world, things have taken a different direction especially after industrialization. The aspect of leisure time activities has been intertwined with technology. In most cases, the leisure-time mobility and activities have tended to develop through technology use (Castle, 2006). The technological aspects, which had previously been developed for military, scientific and commercial purposes, have shifted towards leisure-time use. Currently, new technologies concepts have a leisure-time use phase. Alternatively, technological devices tend to serve as prototypes for various models which are then adapted for leisure time use. New researches suggest that pervasive technological tools tend to be killing off leisure activities. The younger generation is the mostly affected by the aspect of technology and leisure. In most cases, students and the younger workers tend to work for longer hours hence taking shorter vacations. If they decide to go for the vacation, all they do is take their laptops, tabs and cell phones along. Most organizations also tend to encourage this aspect by recommending the use of internet to do organizational chores while on holiday. Examples of leisure activities, which have been affected by technology, include games, book reading among others. In the contemporary world, children and even the young adults prefer computer games during their leisure and not the real game on the ground (Castle, 2006). Football is nowadays played over the internet. Alternatively, people prefer to watch football or any other game on the television instead of going to the stadium to watch it live. Nowadays people do not spend their free time reading novels and magazines. With the introduction of the internet, most people prefer reading online articles and books. With modernization, traditional forms of leisure have been replaced

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Estimating the Damping in a Single Degree of Freedom System Lab Report

Estimating the Damping in a Single Degree of Freedom System - Lab Report Example The movements include free response and forced response. Free response is made as a result of initial conditions while forced response is made as a result of outgoing input to the system. Free response in this context consists of oscillations at a particular frequency which is natural. When there is no dumping in the situation, the oscillation continues in the system indefinitely. When there is dumping, the 1 Degree of Freedom undergoes decaying oscillations. Forced response in 1 Degree of Freedom consists of vibrations that occur at a frequency which is majorly dictated by the input of force. Force response increases when there is also an increase in input. When there occur an initial transient portion of response, the steady state response contains an oscillation which is at the same frequency as the input. The amplitude and phase in this situation depend on the frequency of input. The main requirements in the experiment include an oscilloscope, a potentiometer, a variable dumping unit, a digital weighing scale, a helical spring and signal amplifier, Experiment can be carried out for a free a free vibration and forced vibration. For this laboratory, a mechanical strip-chart recorder is to be used to capture the free vibration motion of a simple single-degree-of-freedom system. The strip-chart recorder consists of a marking pen a fixed to amass carriage, which is movable in the vertical direction, and a continuous strip of paper which, when driven by a rotating drum, moves in a horizontal direction past the pen. A drawing of the single-degree-of-freedom system, with the strip-chart record The forced vibration will be provided by a shaker, which is driven by a sine wave function generator. The system is attached to the shaker plate and then forced into motion. The motion is sensed using two accelerometers, one attached to the base and one attached to the upper portion of the system.

Friday, January 24, 2020

Grazing Versus Ecosystem Conservation: Managed Grazing Techniques Must

Grazing Versus Ecosystem Conservation: Managed Grazing Techniques Must be Implemented One of the major issues confronting western America is that of environmental conservation and protection versus agricultural essentials and needs. This issue includes the environmentalists' fight against herbicides and pesticides, reservoirs for irrigation water, and livestock grazing on public land. The controversy that this essay confronts will be that of the desire to use public land for livestock grazing versus the importance of preserving the rangeland ecosystem. Importance is found on each side of this controversy by various groups of people. What will there be for tomorrow's generation if the ecosystems of public lands are not preserved? Where will the meat come from for today's generation if the nation's cattle ranches do not have enough food to raise their livestock? I believe that the answer to both these questions lies in the solution of both economical and ecological sustainability. Although overgrazing in past history has greatly damaged rangeland ecosystems of today, su stained economy and ecology can coexist in harmony, not through environmentalist's visions of cattleless rangelands or through cattlemen's aspirations of unchecked rangeland grazing, but rather through managed grazing techniques and practices. This controversy has emerged mainly because of overgrazing in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (CAST "Livestock"). Due to their lack of knowledge and experience, ranchers, the public, and the government all supported year-round grazing of rangelands. It helped to boost the economy by allowing ranchers to produce more cattle. However, all three of these groups soon found that the boost in the economy resulti... ...-Ecology and Management of Annual Rangelands. Comp. Stephen B. Monsen. Ogden: United States Department of Agriculture; Forest Service; Intermountain Range Station, 1994. 414-416. Stevens, Allan R. and John F. Vallentine. "Use of Livestock to Control Cheatgrass-A Review." Proceedings-Ecology and Management of Annual Rangelands. Comp. Stephen B. Monsen. Ogden: United States Department of Agriculture; Forest Service; Intermountain Range Station, 1994. 202-205. Tipton, F.H. "Cheatgrass, Livestock, and Rangeland." Proceedings-Ecology and Management of Annual Rangelands. Comp. Stephen B. Monsen. Ogden: United States Department of Agriculture; Forest Service; Intermountain Range Station, 1994. 414- 416. Vavra, Martin. "Public Land and Natural Resource Issues Confronting Animal Scientists and Livestock Producers." Journal of Animal Sciences. 76 (1998): 2340-45.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Osama Bin Ladin Essay

Osama Bin Ladin, the most brutal terrorist and the key influence behind the September 11th attack, is quoted to have said, â€Å"All these crimes and sins committed by the Americans are a clear declaration of war on God, his Messenger, and Muslims†¦. [T]he jihad is an individual duty if the enemy destroys the Muslim countries†¦ As for the fighting to repulse [an enemy], it is aimed at defending sanctity and religion, and it is a duty†¦ On that basis, and in compliance with God’s order, we issue the following fatwa to all Muslims: The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies-civilian and military–is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it. † (Knapp) In the above quote, Osama Bin Ladin uses the term Jihad to distinguish his faith and states that his religious duty is to declare war on the enemy. The significance of the Jihad is based upon the â€Å"Quran’s command to struggle (the literal meaning of the word jihad) in the path of God and in the example of the Prophet Muhammad and his early Companions. † (Esposito 117) Jihad has been interpreted differently between the Muslim populations some view the doctrine as a justification of violent actions and others as a peaceful Islamic commandment. To the extreme Muslim fundamentalist, it’s used to interpret and justify radical acts of religious demonstrations, such as September 11, 2001. The Islamic religion was developed in the 17th century and an instrumental doctrine crucial to its founding is the doctrine of Jihad, â€Å"waging holy war on behalf of Islam as a religious duty. † (Arbuckle, 11) Muslims have disagreed between themselves throughout history as to the true meaning of the term. Most Islamic theologians in Muslim history â€Å"understood this obligation to be in a military sense. † (Knapp) A common misperception – because of Jihad, Islamic Law condones warfare. According to Michael Knapp in his article titled The Concept and Practice of Jihad in Islam, â€Å"Islamic law condemns all warfare that does not qualify as Jihad, especially any warfare among Muslims. † Islamic militant and religious based political groups have become increasingly larger over the past 30 years. Many of these groups’ philosophy is based on the demands of the Jihad and their driving force is to create a society governed by the â€Å"the Shari’ and a unified Islamic state, and to eliminate un-Islamic and unjust rulers. These groups are also reemphasizing individual conformity to the requirements of Islam. † (Knapp) However, it is important to note that by Islamic Law, no war can be waged on the basis of Jihad unless it is endorsed by its leader and the right intention is imperative. Waging war for personal gain, such as money, conquest, or for political gain is unjust in the eyes of the Jihad. (Knapp) Radicals do not solely focus on the Jihad when waging war or making an extreme political statement. Radicalism has been a result of various reasons – religious, cultural, political and socio-economics. (Knapp) The fundamentalist Muslims are focused solely on the traditions and customs of the Islamic religion and when that custom or way of life is threatened there is a dramatic reaction. Many radical Islamic groups have blamed Western civilization as a threat; they believe that it is an evil â€Å"that replaces Muslim religious and cultural identity and values with alien ideas and models of development. † (Knapp)

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Is Schizophrenia A Mental Health Disorder - 3492 Words

Is it Possible for Somebody Diagnosed as a Schizophrenic to Live What Would be considered a ‘Normal Life’? Introduction Schizophrenia is an exceptionally challenging mental health disorder, which is synonymous with the inability to distinguish between what is real and what is unreal, creating and maintaining relations and managing ones emotions and thought processes. It is an extremely complex disability, which can restrict people form leading a normal life. This does not mean, however that they are without hope. With the right treatment through medication and support it is in my opinion very possible to live a fulfilling life. Definition and Explanation of Symptoms? The word Schizophrenia comes from the Greek skhizein meaning â€Å"to†¦show more content†¦These include but are not limited to delusions, hallucinations and hearing voices as well as disorder and disarray of thought and speech patterns. Typically these are regarded as manifestations of psychosis (described as a lack of contact with reality), these symptoms are also regarded as the most serious and threatening, however they are in generally react better to the main form of treatment to the condition; antipsychotic medication. †¢ Negative symptoms are classified as a deficiency of normal emotional responses described by many as emotional flatness. Examples of this are the lack of any facial expressions, loss of involvement and interest in life and are no longer willing to take part in activities they would have once enjoyed. †¢ Cognitive symptoms are symptoms involved with the thinking processes of the individual, they can be positive or negative in nature and include a serious lack of concentration span, difficulty understanding situations or following instructions and having generally a poor memory. Causes The exact causation of schizophrenia is not yet fully understood, since it has a very complex relation between genetics, brain chemistry and environmental factors. 1. Genetics Many falsely assume that the disease’s cause is limited to only genetic predisposition whilst this is not the whole story it is true that it does play a large part in ones chances of developing

Monday, December 23, 2019

What Is Enlightenment - 1120 Words

In his essay titled What is Enlightenment? Immanuel Kant defines enlightenment as mans leaving his self-caused immaturity. (145) In order to fully comprehend his definition, one must first clearly understand Kants use of the term immaturity. He explains that immaturity is not thinking for oneself because of a lack of determination and courage to use ones intelligence without being guided by another. (145) To Kant, immaturity is the individuals fault. He explains that a pattern of immaturity is difficult to break, because it becomes comfortable for the individual to rely on others for knowledge. (145) The chief example that Kant provides to illustrate this point is domesticated animals. As an allusion to the role of government†¦show more content†¦But as a scholar, he has full freedom, in fact, even the obligation, to communicate to the public all his diligently examined and well-intentioned thoughts concerning erroneous points in that doctrine and concerning proposals regarding the better institution of religious and ecclesiastical matters. (148) While it is unacceptable for the priest to preach his displeasure to his congregation, he is free to (and ought to) write a critique on the specific points of his dissatisfaction so that they may be examined by those superior to him. It becomes evident to the reader that Kant draws a line between the freedom to express ones opinions as opposed to the freedom to act according to such opinions. To Kant, it is essential that individuals obey the established laws of their society because doing otherwise undermines all authority of such a legal structure. A disobedient society cannot achieve enlightenment. (150) Immanuel Kant lived in a world where monarchy was a widely accepted (and practiced) form of government, much unlike the modern world. This may lead one to question whether Kants prescribed process for the societal achievement of enlightenment can be applied to the democratic world. The answer is most certainly no. The reasoning behind this answer is inarguable. In Kants essay, heShow MoreRelatedWhat Is Enlightenment1028 Words   |  5 PagesA More Enlightened Contemporary Society What is Enlightenment?, an explication that was written in 1784 in Prussia by the philosopher Immanuel Kant, discusses the principles that he deems to be truths surrounding significant topics such as freedom, reason, and an individual’s and/or societal necessity to be fully mature, in terms that he described as being scholar. Here, what is most evident is the reality that while he perceived the society as being unprepared to be fully mature, he neverthelessRead MoreWhat is Enlightenment? 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Sunday, December 15, 2019

SWOT analysis of IKEA Free Essays

Introduction The following essay is a critical analysis of two of Gareth Morgan’s metaphors in relation to a real organization that, over the course of the organization existence and expansion, has in some way applied these two metaphors for attaining success and sustainability. The metaphors that will be discussed for this study are the image of an organization as an organism, and an organization as a culture. The organization studied in relation to these metaphors is IKEA, the home furniture retailer. We will write a custom essay sample on SWOT analysis of IKEA or any similar topic only for you Order Now Relevant examples within the organization evolutionary process will be given where necessary to illustrate the significance of the metaphors in question. It is, however, vital to learn the organization background to delve any further. IKEA prides itself to be the most successful and largest furniture retailer in the world, and boasts provision of everything and anything for a home, having products suited for people of all ages, and all this at low prices. The company promises excellent value for money spent with all of their products designed with an emphasis on natural colours to bring a light and airy atmosphere within a home. This concept is based purely on IKEA’s Swedish origins, where people pride themselves in living in harmony with nature with simple home designs which offer maximum efficiency in all weathers (http://www.iamaceo.com/marketing/ikea-brand-success-strategy/). IKEA’s vision, â€Å"to create a better everyday life for the many people† is reportedly largely aimed at the global middleclass which is also evident from their business idea, â€Å"to offer a wide range of well designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them† (http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/about_ikea/press_room/student_info.html). To achieve this global mission, IKEA is well known for having a rapid internationalisation process from its Swedish origins and its rapid expansion into countries with cultures very different from its original Swedish national culture (Hollensen, 2007). With 265 stores worldwide, where 235 are owned by the IKEA group while the remaining 30 by franchisees outside the group; the extent of IKEA’s expansion is obvious (IKEA, 2007). Although owned by franchisees in some countries, the IKEA concept and trademark are solely owned by Inter IKEA Systems B.V in Netherlands. This means Inter IKEA Systems B.V is the franchiser for all IKEA stores within or outside of the IKEA group, ensuring uniformity of corporate values right from the centre (IKEA, 2007). Having looked into the organisation’s background, it is now important to study Morgan’s metaphors, which can then be applied to the organisation. Firstly, Morgan suggests that organisation theorists, after decades of comparing organisations as mechanistic entities, have moved to the biological sciences for more apt comparisons, where individuals, groups, organisations, populations or species of organisations, and their social ecology are paralleled with molecules, cells, complex organisms, species and ecology (Morgan, 2006, pg 34). The idea derived from drawing such comparisons is that certain species of organisation are adapted to certain external conditions just as certain species of organisms are to certain environments (Morgan, 2006, pg 33). Such metaphoric views have changed the classical mechanistic focus on efficiency, and structure to the basic element of survival with more emphasis on the organisation-environment relationship (Morgan, 2006; 1998). This can be f urther complimented with modern environmental analysis methods like SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) and PEST (political, economical, sociological and technological) analyses, that have been developed solely for comparing an organisation’s internal abilities to the external factors that may or are affecting its survival and performance in that environment (Johnson et al, 2008; Kotler, 2003). Within the metaphor of an organisation as a living organism, Morgan introduces certain characteristics like the open systems approach, adaptability to the environment (contingency theories), different species of organisation etc (2006; 1998), but this essay will mainly look into the organisation as an open system, and its adaptability to the external environment. The open system approach is based on the theory that organic systems at the cell level, as complex organisms, and as part of a population of organisms, exist in constant interaction with their environment, and this interaction is vital for the very survival and sustainability of the organism. A similar approach can be applied to an organisation, where individuals, groups, and the complex organisation are in constant interaction with their market environment for survival (Morgan, 2006; 1998; Dowling et al, 2008; Johnson et al, 2008). In support of the open systems approach Morgan discusses the law of requisite variety according to which, the internal regulatory/functioning mechanisms of a system must be at least as diverse as its environment in order to deal with the variety and challenge posed by the environment (Morgan, 2006; 1998; Watson, 2002). This brings us to the challenge of adapting internal characteristics to the external environment, also called ‘contingency theories by Morgan (2006), where he argues that all organisational systems are open systems in relation to the environments they operate in, and careful management is needed to â€Å"satisfy and balance internal needs and to adapt to environmental circumstances† (Morgan, 2006, pg 42). This approach assumes that the environment dictates the changes within the organisation, and that managers employing different approaches to management, must continuously strive to bring about a strategic fit between internal and external factors (Morgan, 2006; Johnson et al, 2008). This is especially applicable to multinational organisations that have to constantly adapt themselves to local conditions, whilst still working towards the original corporate objectives. Dowling et al (2008) summarise this by saying, â€Å"†¦the International Organisation will be called on to operate across a wide variety of competitive environments and yet somehow balance these diverse social, political and economic contexts with the requirements of the original home context.† (Pg 25) IKEA has been one of those international organisations that have had to constantly adapt to the different environments where it operates. The company had initially employed an ethnocentric approach of management where only Swedes were recruited for management positions so as to ensure the original ‘Swedishness’ of the organisation. But this approach eventually met with criticism and a temporary setback in IKEA’s overseas operations, where the organisation was faced with the task of revising its overseas recruitment policies in order to meet the demands of local cultures and employment laws (Kling and Goteman, 2003; Kochan et al, 2002). According to Bjork (1998), every time IKEA was faced with a struggle due to internationalisation, new cultural management policies would be implemented, the latest being Diversity Management. IKEA has had to rapidly transform itself from an ethnocentric corporation to an organisation that embraces people of all backgrounds, and has in many communiques expressed the importance of having a culturally diverse workforce in order to obtain competitive advantage on the global scene. This is evident from the organisation’s recruitment websites in various countries, where emphasis is given for potential employees to ‘be themselves’, but at the same time adhere to shared corporate values such as ‘simplicity’, ‘cost-consciousness’, ‘hard work’ etc, but almost all of the websites show a picture of a man and woman of Scandinavian origin (see case, also Bjork, 1998). This has created a paradox within the IKEA Group’s core values, where there is still a strong emphasis on the company’s Scandinavian background. This is found more on the websites of stores directly owned by the IKEA Group, whereas the stores owned b y outside franchisees are more receptive to their local environments. IKEA in Dubai, UAE, for example, is franchised by Al Futtaim Group, which acts as the main recruiting agency for the company. Since its opening in 1991, the Dubai franchise has been a major success story in terms of recruitment and organisational performance, which led to its expansion into neighbouring Abu Dhabi. (http://www.ikeadubai.com/content/careers.asp http://www.afuturewithus.com/careers/al-futtaim/home.aspx). The above, if studied in context with Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, would suggest that IKEA was more or less forced to employ external organisations, like in the case of Dubai, for its local recruitment procedures, as Middle Eastern cultures pose stronger environments due to rigidity in peoples’ cultural and traditional preferences, requiring the organisation to recruit local personnel to manage local workforce and operations (Hofstede, 1997; Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, 1998). This may not be largely applicable in western operations, as again according to Hofstede, western cultures are weaker and more flexible to adapt, creating flexible environments in which to operate, thus not requiring external agencies for local operations, and IKEA may even get away with having its Scandinavian focused marketing efforts in such environments (1997; Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, 1998), and moreover, ‘brand’ culture is more prevalent in the west than in the Middl e East (Kotler et al, 2006). It can thus be asserted that in the case of the Middle East, the environment dictates the changes within the organisation in accordance to Morgan’s adaptability theory (2006), whilst in the west; the organisation may have more of an influence on the external environment due to the power of the brand upon consumers’ psych, which is in contradiction with Morgan’s theory of the environment being the dominant party. The above clearly shows IKEA’s existence in accordance with Morgan’s organism metaphor due to the organisation’s focus to change its internal capabilities to match with the external environmental factors. The company seems on the right track by employing external agencies with more local knowledge to manage local operations exhibiting need for change, and to tap into local talent, which may also prove less expensive when compared to its Scandinavian counterparts (Keeley, 2003), especially where the environment seems the dominant force. The organisation as a culture metaphor is slightly intertwined with the above concept of the organism, where the organism metaphor refers to a series of internal changes within the organisation to fit with external changes, the culture metaphor refers to a change in the very behaviour of the organisation through a change in its corporate culture (Morgan, 2006). Corporate or organisational culture, as defined by Schein (2004) is, â€Å"A pattern of shared assumptions a group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way you think, perceive, and feel in relation to those problems† (Pg 17) In other words, the methods the organisation uses to bring about the internal changes to align with the environment are expressed in the form of culture. Schein (2004) puts the definition in simpler words by saying, â€Å"it’s the way we do things around here†. But since organisations are made up of groups and individuals, where each individual brings in their own personality and characteristics to a group, based on their own cultural mental programming (Hofstede, 1997) in the society, the organisational culture then becomes a culmination of different cultures and perspectives brought in by the external society. This brings us to the assumption that organisational culture is largely affected by societal and national cultures (hofstede, 1997; Morgan, 2006). In light of the above discussion on the changes IKEA was forced to bring about for its international operations, it may now be significant to learn about the company’s corporate culture. IKEA’s corporate culture is based on the concept of shared values, some of which, as the organisation proclaims, are togetherness, cost-consciousness, respect, and simplicity. These values project a very democratic form of leadership where considerable freedom is given to employees to contribute to the company’s success. IKEA claims to treat all employees, no matter what rank they carry, as partners in the business. The company also boasts no restrictions upon employees in using their own initiatives and offers full support to meet each individual’s needs, ambitions and capabilities. But perhaps the most important proclamation is that â€Å"you can take IKEA out of Smaland but you can’t take Smaland out of IKEA†. Smaland being the village in Sweden where the founder Ingvar Kamprad was born and raised, and also the place to which IKEA attributes its qualities like humility, simplicity and hard work. (http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/jobs/join_us/ikea_values/index.html) This clearly indicates IKEA’s attachment to its roots in spite of its internationalisation. This also suggests that the core-culture of IKEA, especially where individual branches are directly owned by the IKEA group, is quite rigid and is aimed at promoting its Swedish culture to the rest of the world rather than incorporating the different local cultures that it operates in, but where the branches are owned by franchises in places or countries with strong national cultures, IKEA has had to change its internal culture to align with the national culture(s). Hence the organisation can be seen as a culture due to the fact that, like in the case of IKEA, it has a set of values and beliefs and methods of doing things that are shared and expressed, and taught to new comers as the right way to go, where these values and beliefs and expressions are largely influenced by the individuals and their own perceptions, which are then shared by a group, and are extended to the whole organisation (Morgan, 2006; Schein, 2004; Mullins, 2003; Robbins, 2001). This is especially evident in the case of IKEA, where the dominant cultural element initially has been the Scandinavian focus, as the organisational structure was largely made of Scandinavian personnel and the culture was passed on to new recruits. But due to the company’s aim of expanding worldwide, they have had no choice but to change this internal cultural focus to incorporate other cultures to make up a core organisational culture based on Scandinavian principles rather than personnel, but a culture that embraces differences in local operations, hence creating flexibility. After studying the two metaphors, the writer is inclined to the assumption that both these metaphors deal with the same element of changing the internal to align with the external. It may be plausible to think that a distinction between the two may not even be necessary, because, if an organisation changes its internal operations, at some level, it is ultimately engaging in changing some aspect of its behaviour, which suggests change in culture. So the main critique for Morgan may be that he has introduced too many divisions of metaphors when they are all intertwined in some respects with each other. References: DuPraw, M., Axner, M. (1993). 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Open University Press, Philadelphia Online Resources: Iamaceo (2011) â€Å"IKEA brand success strategy† http://www.iamaceo.com/marketing/ikea-brand-success-strategy/ Assessed on the 23rd of February 2011 IKEA (2011) â€Å"Student Information† http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/about_ikea/press_room/student_info.html Assessed on the 24th of February 2011 IKEA Dubai (2011) â€Å"Jobs at IKEA† http://www.ikeadubai.com/content/careers.asp Assessed on the 25th of February 2011 A future with us (2011) â€Å"Jobs at IKEA† http://www.afuturewithus.com/careers/al-futtaim/home.aspx Assessed on the 25th of February 2011 IKEA (2011) â€Å"Join us† http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/jobs/join_us/ikea_values/index.html Assessed on the 26th of February 2011 How to cite SWOT analysis of IKEA, Essay examples