Kerrice Lawrence Essays - Literature, Film, Fugitive Pieces, Culture

Kerrice Lawrence Dr. Gayle Thrift IDST 400-1 The Role of Language and Poetic Devices in Fugitive Pieces by Ann Michaels Fugitive Pieces from the onset is undoubtedly a thrilling fiction novel. The author Anne Michaels has successfully employed first person narration and use of metaphor to illustrate events that would not be achieved by any other style. Clearly, this is a nov el that tries, through literary devices to reconstruct the experiences that survivors of the holocaust underwent. It defies earlier propositions put forth by Adorno in the Prisms , that no one should write poetry on the Auschwitz accounts as it would result in barbarism (Almon, 47) . B y virtue of this, it is clear that Fugitive Pieces is intended to portray a picture that it is possible for survivors to live with their traumatizing memories of their past, with their memories of having escaped death narrowly and still continue to live normal lives (Skog, 201). Through constant memory of the narrator, Jakob, about his family and especially his sister Bella, the author successfully delivers her messa ge that there is hope for humanity to l ive by faith and po rtray the effects that the H olocaust had on the populations that were affected. Every narrative can be thought of as a mysterious na rra tive because as Ann Michae ls has said through her character, Athos in Fugitive Pieces , "There's nothing that a man will not do to another , nothing tha t a man will not do for another " (114). The motives and intentions of a human being are complex and difficult to sort out. Their behavior could be motivated by a spontaneous feeling or by years of mulling over an injustice they feel they have to readdress. Perhaps something as simple as a rain storm can motivate an act of kindness or an act of violence. The environmental atmo sphere of a behavior may be as important as the inner workings of the human brain. For example if the environment is a concentration camp or a Nazi SS unit who can say what moves a person t o act for the good or the bad; at least there is no way to be sure with one hundred p ercent certainty. Even the person who is doing the behavior cannot necessarily be su re of why they behaved in this or that way at exactly noon on Friday in the year of 1943. Fugitive Piece s is a mostly beautifully written examination of the human condition with the traumatic events of World War II in Europe and the H olocaust in Germany acting, I would say , as main ch aracters in the book along with the human characters. Athos , a Greek archaeologist , encounters a "bog boy" when closing down a German archaeology site before return ing to Greece (Michaels, 5). The "bog boy " had become a boy of the bog because his parents and beloved sister had been s tolen from him by Nazi soldiers (Michaels, 5). The boy had hidden in a secret place in the house to avoid interaction with the Nazis. Then he became an organic part of the forest in order to survive while hiding from the Nazis outside of his r uined home. This paper argues t hat Athos, the savior of the seven year old forest boy named Jakob , is the conscience of the world. In other words Athos embodies the shock, the shame, the fear, the failures and the successes the world experienced while tryi ng to understand the horrifying legacy of WWII. Jacob's experience as a survivor mirrors the experiences and feelings of other survivors of s uch traumatic events using the H olocaust as the example. The hypothesis is that Jakob follows a path to sanity although the odds were certainly stacked against him. Michaels is expressing a way to retain o ptimism in the face of despair by describing the reaction to trauma as a universal behavior (Caruth as cited by Aloui, 10) . This paper follows the jo urney that Jakob travels with Athos in the first part of the book. The most meaningful and moving part of Fugitive Pieces

Budget-Friendly Beauty Tips For College Students

Budget-Friendly Beauty Tips For College Students Budget-Friendly Beauty Tips For College Students Who says beauty needs to be costly? With a little ingenuity, you can improve your skin tone and add life and shine to your hair without breaking the bank. You just need to have the right materials on hand and use the right techniques. Here are our top tips for staying beautiful that are easy on the budget: DIY face or body scrub with sugar There are many DIY body scrub options. A nice, low-cost one for the face is as follows†¦ stir a tablespoon or two of brown sugar into your everyday facial cleanser; and for the body, make a mixture of 1 part sugar to two parts oil. Wash with soap and water afterwards, and be especially careful after using this on the body as your bathroom floor might become slick from the oil. DIY body scrub with Epsom salt Another great way to remove dead skin cells and smoothen your skin is by using Epsom salt. Combine a cup or two of salt with your usual moisturizer and spread this all over the body. Caring for your feet To make the discoloration fade from your nails, use some lemon juice. Just immerse your feet in a solution of water and lemon juice for several minutes. For dry and rough heels and soles, rub some olive oil on your feet and leave it overnight covered with a pair of socks. Banish foot odor Lightly dust the inside of your shoes with baking soda instead of your usual foot powder to prevent odor. You can also try soaking your feet for several minutes in a solution of water and Epsom salt. Combat pimples Citrus foods like strawberries are good for your body inside and out. Problem skin can be controlled by blending equal parts strawberries and yogurt and rubbing this all over the face. Leave it on for at least 15 minutes then wash your face with soap and water. Remove makeup You don’t need expensive makeup remover to cleanse your skin. Just pour olive oil or even baby oil on a cotton ball and use this to wipe your face clean. Make your hair shiny and soft Get naturally beautiful hair with baking soda and honey. Make a paste with baking soda and water and rub this onto your hair instead of shampoo to rid your hair of dirt and impurities. After washing your hair, use some honey in lieu of conditioner and then rinse well. Moisturize skin Honey contains powerful antioxidants that can restore dry skin. Smear some honey all over your face, leave it for several minutes and then wash it off with soap and water. Alternatively, you can use the pulp of an avocado and ripe banana and use the mixture as a facial mask. Buy quality One of the worst mistakes you can make is buying low-priced, low-quality products. What ends up happening is that they break or become unusable in a short period of time and you end up having to buy a replacement in no time. Take airbrush makeup kits for example. You can get cheap kits for around $98, but paying just $100 extra gets you a kit far more likely to last longer so you end up saving in the medium term. So, by all means watch the budget, but that’s doesn’t mean you need to buy cheap. Whiten teeth The many uses of baking soda are truly astounding, whitening teeth being one of them. You can replace your regular toothbrush with baking soda for cleaner, whiter teeth. If you don’t have baking soda, lemon juice also does a good job of reducing discolorations and there are many other options also. Why pay for expensive teeth whitening when you can do it cheaply from home?! Energize your eyes Potato slices over your eyes can minimize swelling and improve dark under eyes. At a pinch, you can also press the area under your eyes with the back of a cold spoon.

Ethical Theories Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethical Theories Paper - Essay Example determined solely by its resulting consequent, though there is still a debate over the extent of consideration that should be offered to intended consequences, foreseen consequences and actual consequences. Utilitarianism can be said to be a reductionist and a quantitative approach to ethics, as well as a form of naturalism (Zilioli, 2007). It is the opposite of deontological ethics, virtue ethics, ethical egoism, and pragmatic ethics. This is an absolutist and deontological approach. It is based on the fact that individuals should believe in doing things because it is the right thing to do meaning and the duty of an individual to perform a certain act, which can be regarded as right. It does not believe that each act should be done because it results in happiness but should be done because it is the appropriate thing to do. Kant’s ethics are based on A Priori reasoning while Mill’s and Bentham’s are based on A Posteriori logic (Zilioli, 2007). This is a theory which was developed in anthropological research as axiomatic in the few initial decades of 20th century by Franz Boas and popularized later by his students (Peoples & Bailey, 2012). Boas did not coin the term. Cultural relativism involves certain methodological and epistemological claims. It is still debated whether these claims necessitate a particular ethical stance or not. This principle should be carefully distinguished from moral relativism. This is a principle of truth based on the statement "if one believes something it is true." The outcome of individual relativism results in two obvious absurdities, and consequently one nail-in-the-coffin objection. To begin with, the most obvious absurdity that is a consequent of individual relativism is if everybodys beliefs are true, then there would not be any false belief. This means everybody is always right, and their beliefs are true and cannot be false. The second relatively obvious absurdity is if there are no false beliefs, then no one will ever

Response to Client Request Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Response to Client Request - Essay Example Since, in this case the client holds the position of the lessor and the customer that has reached the client would fill the place of the lessee in this agreement. Therefore, from the client’s perspective, the leases from the standpoint for lessor hold significant value. Sales-type leases are the leases that give rise to a profit or loss to the lessor with the lease agreement as it would have done had the leased property been sold. This is because the leased property is given to the lessee at the fair value of the property which may be higher or less than the actual cost of the property. Direct financing leases are a very important type of leases as they are widely used in the lease agreements. There are certain criteria that must be met in order for a lease agreement to quality for direct financing lease. ... following criteria; the lease agreement includes three parties that are lessor, a long term creditor and a lessee, the financing provided by the long term creditor is nonrecourse as to the general credit of the lessor, the lessor’s net investment in the lease declines during the early years and rises in the later years. Any other types of leases, other than those described above, are classified as operating leases. In case of this client, the following points should also be taken into consideration. In case of direct financing lease or sales-type lease, it is also important for the lessor to ensure that the collectability of the minimum lease payments is reasonably predictable. A lessor shall not classify a lease as a direct financing lease or a sales-type lease merely on the basis of an estimate regarding the collectability of the minimum lease payments based on the prior experience with the lessee or prior experience with similar groups of receivables. The lessor should also make sure that no important uncertainties surround the amount of reimbursements to be made by the lessor to the lessee in relation to the performance of the leased property. The uncertainties might arise due to extensive guarantee provided by the lessor regarding the performance of the leased property. In this case, lessee might retrieve the amount of loss, if any, incurred by the lessee due to the lack of performance of the leased property as opposed to what was promised by the lessor. These factors shall apply in the case of the client as the client must ensure that the customer that has reached the client would be able to pay the minimum lease payments without any default in the payments. This can be ensured by conducting a market survey regarding the integrity of the customer. If the

Thresher Sinking Atlantic Ocean (1963) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Thresher Sinking Atlantic Ocean (1963) - Essay Example The disaster is also blamed on an electrical fault that saw vital pumps stop working. Known to be the worst submarine accident in U.S. history, engineers have learnt a lot from the event. Engineers have learnt the importance of upholding standards and procedures, testing procured materials, and prioritizing safety over other factors when it comes to designing and building products. Sinking of the Thresher in the Atlantic Ocean in 1963 Introduction Engineers are credited for designing different machines, equipment and structures that serve to overcome certain specific problems. As they undertake their works, engineers go to great depths to ensure that whatever they design work as efficiently as possible. Understanding the risks that their designs may pose to the public and infrastructure, they often do a lot of calculations and incorporate safety measures wherever they can in their designs. Furthermore, they are tasked with choosing materials that have properties that match the functi ons for which they are to be used. In as much as engineers do their best to ensure that what they design and make work without failing, this is not always the case. Sometimes, engineering systems fail leading to massive losses. One case of failure that resulted from an engineering error is the sinking of Thresher submarine in the Atlantic Ocean. ... Navy at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (Bentley, 1975). The submarine, which was at its time, the most advanced, was engaged in several sea trials in the Caribbean sea and the Atlantic Ocean between 1961 and 1962 only to prove its prowess as a war machine. The machine was so technologically advanced that it was rated the fastest and quietest submarine ever to be built in the world then, specifically dedicated to searching and destroying Soviet submarines (Bentley, 1975). Its sonar system had the capacity to detect ships and other submarines as far away as other submarines could not detect. Furthermore, it was installed with a highly technical weapons system which included the newest anti-submarine missile that the U.S. Navy had – the SUBROC. Apart from these amazing characteristics, the Thresher could dive far below any other machine of its ilk. Having been hit by a tug that damaged its ballast tanks while moored at Port Canaveral, Florida, it was necessary for the Thresher to undergo repairs, have its systems examined and before it could be fully certified for use during operations. After the submarine was finally certified to be operational, it was set to undergo routine tests on April, 9, 1963 (Bentley, 1975). Under the command of Lieutenant Commander John Wesley Harvey, the ship left the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine in the company of a rescue ship, Skylark, at 8 am. The rescue vessel accompanied the Thresher so that it could provide rescue services to those onboard the submarine in case of any problem. The Skylark had the capacity to provide rescue services to the submarine up to a maximum depth of about 850 feet (Bentley, 1975). The submarine

Critical Elements of User Experience Design

Critical Elements of User Experience Design Prof. Michael Weyrich, Tobias Jung, Zeller Christian Zange Hossain Mohammad Faysal Ebna Hossain Critical Elements of User Experience Design as a Success Factor for Virtual Working Spaces in the Digital Enterprise Basis    Thesis No: Type: Class of Process Model: Student: Supervisor: Begin: End: 2843 MT Model for Conceptional Projects Hossain Jg/Ze 20.09.2016 20.03.2017 Document: Version: Author: Date: Status: Basis 1.0 Hossain 16.03.17 submitted File Name: Pages: Print Date: Template: co-basis-v10 31 co-basis.dotm (Program of study: INFOTECH) Document Version Management Version Author QA Date Status Changes 0.1 Hossain Jg 11.11.2016 in progress Creation 1.0 Hossain Jg 22.02.2017 submitted Initial Submission 1.1 Introduction An Enterprise Network is the backbone of communications within an enterprise or organization that that enables the employees and stakeholders communicate with each other in an efficient and effective manner. A digital enterprise workplace is where technology, processes, people, and the Enterprise organization converge to enhance agility, engagement, and productivity. It is a virtual platform where employees and stakeholders can get the technology tools they require to do their tasks effortlessly. [UBMC15] .Here we are talking about the underlying professional and personal network. It enhances internal and external enterprise communication superintendence. The interactive characteristics on the Internet, Wiki and blogosphere have become essential nowadays. With two-thirds of the worlds Internet population are visiting a social networking or blogging site, and the amount of time spent on these platforms are increasing at more than three times the rate of overall Internet growth [UNiel09]. The Enterprise network has also been changing over past years. Social technologies have been added to the Enterprise network to increase productivity to and communication. Social technologies have apprehended the thought of consumers, business leaders, and political leaders. Millions of people have adopted new practices: conveying social interactions online, developing connections, and building and sharing content. Social technologies can be described as digital technologies utilized by people to communicate socially and collectively to build, improve, and exchange contents. Social technologies possess three major characteristics: Figure 1: Characteristics of Social Technologies [McK12] People can communicate socially (e.g., chat, share personal news, send greetings), social technologies enable anybody inside a community or organization to create, add, or modify content and communications. This involves combining or deleting content such as a document or a link, contributing to content supplemented by others, endorsing (e.g., liking a piece of content), or executing an action that an individual knows will be shared. The way of knowledge sharing and communication has been dramatically changed or improved as a side effect of using social technologies. Social technologies can perform a central role in how information is gathered, sourced, analyzed, and disseminated among interested person. 1.2 Applications incorporating Social Technologies and digital workplace    Social technologies incorporate a wide range of applications for both Customers and Enterprises. The figure below has been taken from the report published by McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) that includes applications used for social technologies: Figure 2: Wide range of applications for social technologies [McK12] Social network: A Social structure comprised of a collection of social actors (for example organizations or individuals), a collection of dyadic ties, and other social interactions among social actors are known as the Social Network. This perspective provides an assemblage of methods for analyzing the structure of all social entities. [Was94] Blogs/Microblogs: A blog is a conversation or informational web platform published on the World Wide Web comprising of discrete and usually informal diary-style text entries (called posts). Posts are usually arranged in reverse sequential order, so that the very recent post appears first, at the top of the web page. [UBlog17]. Microblogging is a service that facilitates its users to send and announce small notes, normally just text and typically react to queries. The blog is generally a personal reflection. Rating and reviews: Rating and review provide a way that enables users or readers to rank the content socially. It also allows users to reveal their feelings about the content (usually through emoticons). Social commerce: Social commerce is basically a subset of electronic commerce. It involves online social   media that promotes social interaction, and user participation to support online purchasing and selling of goods and services.[USoCo13] Wiki: A wiki is a web-based platform that implements collaborative modification of its content and composition right away from the web browser. In a conventional wiki, the words are written using a simplified markup language (known as wiki markup) and usually edited with the aid of a rich-text editor. [EnBr08]. The wiki the jointly edited content where approved users can jointly edit and publish the content. Discussion Forum: An Internet forum is an online discussion platform where users can hold discussions in the form of posted messages. The posted messages are usually longer than one line of text and are often archived. Additionally, the forum set-up in such a way that a posted message may need to be validated by a moderator before it becomes published. [UWiFo08]. The core idea of the Forum is the exchange of ideas or topics. Shared workspaces: The shared workspace is an interrelated ecosystem in which all users in separated areas can reach and interact with each other. The ecosystem maintained by electronic communications which facilitate users to overcome location and time differentials. The environment is facilitated by a shared rational paradigm, general information, and a common perception by all of the members despite physical position. Crowdsourcing: Crowdsourcing is a specific sourcing model in which individuals or organizations use contributions from Internet users to obtain needed services or ideas. Crowdsourcing was coined in 2005 as a portmanteau of crowd and outsourcing. [Mat11] Social gaming: A social network game is a type of online game that is played through social networks.[Jarv09] They typically feature multiplayer and asynchronous gameplay mechanics. Social network games are most often implemented as browser games, but can also be implemented on other platforms such as mobile devices.[Kim11] Media and file sharing: Media and files sharing among the members have a significant impact on knowledge and information sharing. It provides flexibility and alternative means to work collaboratively with the members. 2.1 Introduction User experience design is the method of improving user satisfaction with a product by enhancing the usability, accessibility, and pleasure rendered in the interaction with the product. This section begins with regular usability evaluation and why it has become progressively critical to focus on the user experience (UX). 2.2 What is Usability Usability is a quality attribute that determines how usable is a system or product by its user. The term Usability also points to methods for enhancing ease-of-use throughout the design or development process. Nielsen Norman group mentioned five quality components that defines the term Usability: [UNiel12] Learnability: How easy is it for users to accomplish basic tasks the first time they encounter the design? Efficiency: Once users have learned the design, how quickly can they perform tasks? Memorability: When users return to the design after a period of not using it, how easily can they reestablish proficiency? Errors: How many errors do users make, how severe are these errors, and how easily can they recover from the errors? Satisfaction: How pleasant is it to use the design? In brief, Usability determines how easy pleasant a product/system to use. 2.3 Importance of Usability It is very much crucial to make a system where users should not have to think too hard while they are using the system. The user should not have to refer to help sections, and they should not be constrained to feel stupid. By observing the user, finding the usability issues and resolving them in an appropriate manner these situations can be avoided. System developers usually forget that they are not typical users. There may be aspects of the system that seem apparent to the developer that might, in fact, be entirely confusing to the users. It is therefore essential to take a step back once in a while and make sure that the users are not left behind. Usability Testing is an indispensable aspect of the User-Centred method that establishes the user, at the heart of the development process rather than the system. Embracing such an approach pushes that the user should be foremost in the design determinations. According to the International Standards Organization (ISO 9241-11: Guidance on Usability) Usability is the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use. These three factors are very much important to attain business goals. An effective website An efficient website A satisfied user allows customers (users) to achieve their goals provides answers quickly achieves their goal has a high conversion rate follows a logical sequence enjoys their experience meets business objectives doesnt waste resources tells others delivers a positive brand image requires less content management time comes back again Table 1: Why Usability parameters are important [URed11] Usability testing lets the design and development teams recognize problems before roll out of the system. The earlier flows are identified and fixed; the less costly the fixes will be concerning both resource time and possible influence to the schedule.   During a usability test: Investigate the activities of the participants to see whether it meets usability objectives Identify how satisfied users are with the system or product Discover if users can accomplish specified tasks as intended Experience how long it takes to accomplish specified tasks Determine adjustments needed to enhance user performance and satisfaction 2.4 Usability Evaluation Conventionally evaluating the usability of a product does not come into play until the system development is completed or nearly completed. Once completed, users would be requested to accomplish certain tasks on the system. Their performance would then be measured, often using the five usability attributes of Nielsen: Learnability, Efficiency, Memorability, Errors and Satisfaction.[UNiel12] This way of usability testing does not include users until very late in the project and concentrates on the system rather than how the user experiences the System. Racing toward launch without looking back might have seemed like a good idea back when the launch date was set, but the result is likely to be a product that meets all the technical requirements for the project but does not work for your users. Even worse, by tackling user experience evaluation on at the end, you might end up launching a product that you know is broken but have no opportunity (or money left) to fix. [Garret10] This means of usability evaluation is often named user acceptance testing. The term accepting is important here, symbolizing that the focus lies on whether the user accepts the system, rather than whether he/she can use the system as intended 2.5 User Experience Focus Technological improvements in ubiquitous computing have created an opportunity for Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) to be a massive part of our day-to-day life. This has effected a shift from traditional usability engineering to so-called User Experience, where the emotions and motivations of the end-user are provided a principal role than traditional usability metrics such as efficiency and effectiveness. There have been studies about defining User Experience amongst UX professionals that have demonstrated inconclusive [Law09] and these are within the field of Human-Computer Interaction. One could dispute that the principles following UX could be applied to any production process. The nearest we can get to a definition is addressed in the ISO 9241-210 standard on the Ergonomics of Human System Interaction Part 210: Human-Centred Design for interactive systems (ISO, 2008): A persons perceptions and responses that result from the use or anticipated use of a product, system or service Above statement highlights the experience the user has while using or anticipates using a particular product. The notion of anticipated use grants the idea that UX can play a crucial role in the early development stages of system development mentioning that thinking UX before an actual working system is ready can produce invaluable input. User experience specialists strive to make the system User-Centered. It indicates that while the development of the system the user is constantly the principal focus point and drives the evolution process. According to the ISO standard, six postulates assure the product is User-Centered:[UUCD17] 1. The design is based upon an explicit understanding of users, tasks and environments. 2. Users are involved throughout design and development. 3. The design is driven and refined by user-centered evaluation. 4. The process is iterative. 5. The design addresses the whole user experience. 6. The design team includes multidisciplinary skills and perspectives. Second Principle (Users are involved throughout design and development) entails that UX teams should include users in all design stages: not just by operating a focus group at the beginning of design or by administering a survey at the end of the project. 3.1 Introduction Usability testing involves watching representative users working with the system so that development team can make improvements based on what participants do with the system. Usability testing provides invaluable feedback about how the users behave with the system. Knowing how users behave helps to create a much more suitable Platform or application. Rather than just guessing about what people might like on these, it is possible to see their reactions first hand, and then make sure that the system contains just the right features. Learning about issues early in the process saves development time and money. Rather than spending time developing the wrong thing, a quick usability test will tell the developer whether they are on the right track or not. Getting the data directly from the users is a much better way of doing design work than arguing about features among the team. In fact, usability testing is a great way of stopping arguments. Rather than spending time on fighting over whose idea is best, put the concepts in front of real users to see how well they can work with them. There is nothing quite like real user feedback that helps to determine the best way forward. The thing that separates usability testing from many other methods is that with usability testing, it is possible to see real behaviors, what people do rather than just asking what people think. Often watching people do something is the only way to really understand where the issues lie and how to fix the problems you see. Ease of use doesnt originate from wishful thinking. It comes from conveying methodical usability engineering activities throughout the project lifecycle. This is a real effort and sacrifices real money, though not as much as some people worry. It is possible to conduct simple forms of user testing in a few days and obtain vast insights into both user behavior and recommended design enhancements. 3.2 Usability Costs To estimate the total cost of usability (as opposed to the price of a single test), Nielsen Norman Group collected data from 863 design projects that incorporated Usability Testing. Depending on how they have calculated it, usability costs were within 8% and 13% of the projects budget. Based on these findings from other surveys, they have concluded that current best practices call for dedicating about 10% of a projects budget to usability. [UNiel03] In reality, the cost of usability doesnt extend linearly with project size, since many usability testing cost about the same, notwithstanding of how big the project is. A project thats ten times larger, for example, usually requires only four times more usability spending. 3.3 Reduce Development Cost Accurate planning at the start of a Systems design process will save time, money and effort in the long run. A study by Smith Reinersten found that the critical system-design decisions made during the first 10% of a products design process can determine 90% of the products cost and performance. This is an outstanding illustration of how a little investment at an initial stage can have a tremendous positive impact on the final product. [UWilson14] The more money will organization invest in usability at an initial design stage the greater will have the end product. A tiny amount of cash spent on usability design and testing will save the organization from costly design fixes or redesigns later in the cycle. 3.4 Reduced Support Costs An enormous gain of financing in usability is diminished support costs. Just put, a System with better usability will reduce potential customer support concerns and eventually reduce customer support costs. An excellent way to enhance the websites usability, while decreasing support costs is by giving online guidance to the users. Another illustration of how financing in usability at the early stage of the design process will save the money at a later stage. A study by Pressman found that 80% of costs during a softwares lifecycle come from the maintenance phase. The study also found that greatest part of these costs rises out of unmet or unforeseen user requirements. [UWilson14] Figure 3: Reduced call and support costs minimizes maintenance cost Spending in usability helps to resolve these issues during the design stage, where they can be dispensed with at a much lower price. All redundant second that the support staff uses responding to a customer support issue (time when paying for their wages) is the cost of poor usability investment. 3.5 Increased Sales Its not a big leap in logic to claim that improved usability for customers will make them more likely to execute a purchase or to extend their purchase volume. A study by Creative Good discovered that giving a better experience for the customers will prolong the quantity of purchasers by 40%. [UWilson14] Another study by UI Engineering observed that by giving sufficient product information to your customers at the right time you can increase sales on your site by up to 225%. [UWilson14] Improved usability makes for satisfied clients who are more likely to purchase, eventually expanding the businesss profits. 3.6 Usability Benefits The Nielsen Norman Group have analyzed data from 42 cases where usability metrics were available for website redesigns. Averaged across the 42 pairs of measures they had found, usability increased by 135% when they omitted five outliers with especially significant usability improvements. (If they include these outliers, the average improvement jumps to 202%.) [UNiel03] The improvement in usability metrics differed depending on the metric, as the following table shows: Table 2: The improvement in usability metrics differed depending on the metric [UNiel03] The current study of Nielsen Norman Group does not incorporate intranet redesign projects. However, based on their studies of intranet design potential, Jakob Nielsen consider that the average improvement in intranet usability metrics is a bit below 100%. [UNiel03] 3.6.1 Co-Creation Certainly, the very common metric of ROI is financial, and a tested-to-breaking-point product, including a user-centric UI, will assure the user experience is a pleasurable one, promoting more exchanges, and, in turn, increased revenue. 3.6.2 Trust If the organization is providing the users a great user experience, the organization will also be strengthening trust in the brand. A user is more reasonably to retain with a website or platform that theyve earlier had a trouble-free experience of, than one thats showed something of a usability nightmare. How many customers are using the system, and how many are yielding to use again, can be tracked via analytics software. 3.6.3 Productivity Profits can also be gained through an increase in productivity of any employee. Systems need rigorous testing to assure the design and UI are helpful to an experience that cuts the time it needs to accomplish a task, enabling the employee to gain more. 4.1 Introduction The scope of this user experience and usability testing of the platform is for the pilot of GIZs enterprise portal which is focused on GIZs communities of practice. For this instance, it is very much important to understand the community business processes and the specific use cases for GIZs communities of practice (CoP). A community is a group of experts / development practitioners that share knowledge on common development topics and challenges as well as work collaboratively on effective, efficient, innovative, sustainable solutions based on their own experiences and expertise. A community is a collection of people with shared values, behaviors and artifacts. 4.2 Communities of practice Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. [UWen15] Shared domain: It has an identity defined by a shared domain of interest. Website à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   community. Sense of community: In pursuing their interest in their domain, members engage in joint activities and discussions, help each other, and share information. Shared practice: Members of a community of practice are practitioners. They develop a shared repertoire of resources: experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems-in short a shared practice. This takes time and sustained interaction. Communities of practice have a great impact on organizational value chain and knowledge management including knowledge sharing. The infusing factors based on the effectiveness of the communities on practice has been explained by W.M.H. Oosting in 2009 which has shown below: Figure 4: Influencing elements of the effectiveness of a CoP [Oosting09] The core is the proper connection between purpose, content, content, conversations and connections where the purpose is at the center and everything is linked bi-directionally with it. From the figure we can express wrathfully that setting up the purpose has a great impact on the success of CoP. 4.3 Community Management Framework For the business case of GIZ, we have clustered questions which lead to the Community Management Framework. These clusters lead to the business needs of GIZs Communities. Factor Questions Purpose and incentives What is in for me? What benefits do we hope to get? Strategic relevance of the common topic? Outcomes What useful (preliminary) outcomes do we want to achieve? Stakeholders /actors Who should be a member? What is their social glue/shared practice? Have key roles been defined? Negotiations What ground rules and milestones do we need for internal cooperation and management? Orientation What common vision have we agreed upon? Resources Budget for the community? Are members given enough resources by their business units/organizations? Strategy Strategy for planning and implementation by the community? Growth Plan/concept for increasing the number of members? How to turn new members into returning members? Content and moderation Who is/are the community manager/s? Do they have enough resources (time, opportunities and ability to build bridges) and the necessary status? What content is to be created and edited? What content can members be asked to input?

Pentium 4 Essay -- Intel CPU Central Processing Units

Recently Intel introduced their newest line of the Pentium 4 processors with the new Prescott core. In this paper I will discuss how the Pentium 4 processor works and the changes that have been made since its release, but mainly on the modifications in the newest Pentium 4's with the Prescott core. I will also briefly compare the performance levels of some of the different types of Pentium 4's. The Pentium 4 line of processors encompasses a large range of clock speeds, from 1.7GHz up to 3.6GHz in the Prescott chip. Pentium 4's are all built with the same Netburst microarchitecture, but there are varieties of front side bus speeds, chip layout, and cores available. For example at 2.8GHz, one could choose from four different Pentium 4s: the 2.8GHz (a Northwood core with a 533MHz front-side bus), the 2.8C (Northwood again, but with an 800MHz bus), the 2.8A (Prescott with a 533MHz bus), or the 2.8E (Prescott with 800MHz bus). In all there are four types Pentium 4 versions that Intel has released each having slight improvements then the last. The first Pentium 4 (Willamette) was introduced in November 2000 to replace its predecessor the Pentium 3. The Pentium 4 was the first to have a totally new chip architecture since the 1995 Pentium Pro. The biggest difference being Intel's introduction of the Netburst microarchitecture, which involved structural changes that affected how processing takes place within the chip. Aspects of the changes include: a 20-stage pipeline, which boosts performance by increasing processor frequency; a rapid-execution engine, which doubles the core frequency and reduces latency by enabling each instruction to be executed in a half (rather than a whole) clock cycle; a 400 MHz system bus, which ena... ...helped immensely in offsetting Prescott's enlarged 31-stage pipeline, but did not entirely make up the gap. On balance, Prescotts are slightly slower than Northwoods. In time it is expected that the Prescott P4s will look relatively stronger as SSE3 instructions are adopted in more software application and, especially, as clock speeds rise. But it seems that the real strength of Prescott seems to lie in its Hyper-Threading performance. In the most of the multitasking tests, the Prescott performed better than the Northwood CPU. The Pentium 4 Extreme Edition was the best performer, but unfortunately it is also very expensive. The P4 Extreme Edition had the best results for content creation and video editing applications. Also as Intel suggested the P4 Extreme Edition performed very well for games, but I do not believe it is significant enough to warrant the extra cost.

Reaction Paper Title Page Essay

â€Å"The music is all around us, all you have to do is listen.† August Rush a 2007 drama film directed by Kirsten Sheridan and written by Paul Castro, Nick Castle, and James V. Hart, and produced by Richard Barton Lewis. Music has been part of our lives since memorable times. Undoubtedly, it has touched us at least once. Most people would agree that music is what helps someone to feel better or just to change one’s mood. In fact, different researches have already found a variety of benefits that it can bring. Advantages in the sensory area as well as in the emotional and cognitive ones are the most interesting topics that this current paper will analyze. Thus, one could understand and give much importance to Music in daily life. The sensory area involves everything related to senses and touch is one of them. According to Forgeard, 2008; Hyde, 2009; Schlaug et al., 2005; â€Å"Music enhances fine motor skills. Motor function is the ability to use small, acute muscle movements to write, use a computer, and perform other physical activities essential for classroom learning. The parts of the brain associated with sensory and motor function are developed through music instruction†. This helps to understand how important is music in the motor skills developing especially in children. One might clearly notice how difficult playing an instrument is; however, with practice it becomes easier. Hence, motor skills are developed. Children would become better in small movements like writing if playing an instrument is in their lives. Let us tackle on another benefit, emotions are part of any body and music may help us to change them depending on the situation. For example, when people want to feel relaxed, one thing they do is just play some music. Some people consider music as a relaxing tool in any area like work, school, home, etc. For instance, Jolkoyski points out that â€Å"Music gives pleasure and expresses nuances of emotional life for which there are no words†. Doubtless; the beat, lyrics, voice, melody or only the sound of any piece of music makes a person feel in a different place where nothing else exists. Then, by listening to music one can enter to an own world. Provided that music moves emotions, it also influences mood. There should be always a song which can change one’s attitude. For this reason; when someone is not calm enough; a soft song like a classical one can move it into relaxation. However, it depends on people’s likes because others could feel calmed with different genre. According to Bridget O’Connell â€Å"The effect of different types of music on mood will largely depend on people’s individual preference and experience† all depends on what people are into or love. Then, music helps a lot when emotions are involved. To the same extend, music plays an important role in the cognitive area. Researches have established that many different processes in the brain can be developed through music. â€Å"There’s some good neuroscience research that children involved in music have larger growth of neural activity than people not in music training. When you’re a musician and you’re playing an instrument, you have to be using more of your brain,† says Dr. Eric Rasmussen, chair of the Early Childhood Music Department at the Peabody Preparatory of The Johns Hopkins University. As a matter of fact, one can easily become good at certain activities if music forms part of his life. Therefore, music should be included in all places so that cognition could wake up in a strong way. By the same token, Professor Nina Kraus, director of the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory at Northwestern University points out â€Å"To learn to read, you need to have good working memory, the ability to disambiguate speech sounds, make sound-to-meaning connections, each one of these things really seems to be strengthened with active engagement in playing a musical instrument.† Then one can say that music helps our brain and the cognitive area in fact. Consequently, many different aspects in the cognitive development can be improved when music appears. To sum up, music will always form part of our lives. Good advantages could be taken if one notices how useful music is. Good sensory, emotions or cognitive would be the results of it. Thus, music should be in us since we are conscious of it and then anyone can be benefit of it. References http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/10/early-music-lessons-have-longtime-benefits/ http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/814331/10-reasons-why-your-child-should-play-a-musical-instrument-1 http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/wellbeing/health-benefits-of-music.htm http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/music-arts/the-benefits-of-music-education/ http://www.aep-arts.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Music-Matters-Final.pdf

Why Are Young People Predisposed to Negative Influence

Why Are Young People Predisposed to Negative Influence Raising children is never easy. It takes a lot of time, patience, and understanding to make sure your children end up on the right path. Raising children is never easy. It takes a lot of time, patience, and understanding to make sure your children end up on the right path. While you might do everything you can to teach them the right way to behave and live life, that doesnt mean that there isnt a chance that something isnt going to cause them to stray. Many people feel that some children are more rebellious by nature. They think that it doesnt matter what the parents say or do because children are going to behave a certain way regardless of what you teach them. That isnt necessarily the case. Children End Up Being Rebellious for Many Reasons When children act up, many end up saying it is because they were born that way and it is just their nature. While this might be a simple way out, it isnt the case. No child is born rebellious or wants to act out of control. It is something that they pick up on over the years. Children tend to be rebellious for a number of other factors. SEXUAL CONTENT ON TV HAS A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON TEENAGERS Something like having their parents divorce can cause a child to become rebellious. They act out because they want attention and dont feel like they are getting enough attention now that one parent is out of the home. It is a cry for help. They are letting you know that there is something going on emotionally and they need a little extra help to get through the ordeal. They arent acting up and going against you because they are hard-wired that way. By taking the time to learn whats really going on beneath the surface, you can begin the healing process and help turn things around for your child. It only takes your being willing to listen and work with them to get things going in the right direction once again. Rebellion Doesnt Equal Negative Influences While all children are going to push the boundaries at some point in time or another, that doesnt mean that they are always going to be that way. Many associate rebellious children as those who are always going to do the wrong thing and hang out with the wrong crowd. Sure, that might happen every now and again, but it isnt necessarily the norm. There are a number of rebellious children who have a lot of positive influences in their life on a regular basis. In fact, they were probably just like their peer group at one point. That is  until something happened that changed their life around and caused an upset in it. Negative Influences Are Everywhere As much as you might want your children only to hang with the right crowds and do the right things, you cannot control everything going on in their lives. There will always be negative influences out there for your children to deal with on a regular basis. The key is being able to teach them the differences between what is right and what is wrong and helping guide them on the right path. Even though you arent always going to be there to make the decisions for them, you can try to help in any way you can by preparing them for what they might face on a regular basis. SINGLE-PARENT CHILDREN BEHAVIOUR Negative influences will always be around. Whether it be in the form of peer pressure, a co-worker, friend, family member or something else, you cannot escape it. The only thing you can do is to take the time to make sure your children know what they should or shouldnt be doing and how to deal with any negative situations that might arise. Growing up is difficult enough already. By taking the time to try and prepare your children for everything the world holds in store for them as they grow older, you can make things a little easier and far less stressful. Remember, no child sets out to be rebellious. There is always something else going on beneath the surface that you need to address.

Get a job in sales with no experience

Get a job in sales with no experience Are you facing this classic career conundrum: You’re interested in getting a job in sales, which often requires sales experience, but you’re new to the field and don’t know how to break in. How do you get a job that often requires experience when you’re just starting out?Don’t let these questions derail you from pursuing a career in sales- there are pathways forward, even without a packed resume. Consider the following strategies if you’re interested in getting a job in sales but lack experience.Start at the bottom.This is a traditional way of starting out in a new industry or field- but it’s still relevant and effective today! Consider working under an experienced salesperson or sales team in an industry that interests you- perhaps as an assistant or intern if feasible- and make the most of that opportunity to learn the ropes and get your feet wet. Not only will you learn the ins and outs of sales, you’ll also have valuable exp erience that you can include on your resume.Highlight transferable skills.Revisit your resume in an effort to spin the work experience you do have to highlight your â€Å"sales potential.† Think about the qualities that good salespeople possess- are you talented at public speaking and delivering presentations? Do you have experience convincing colleagues of the value of your ideas on projects? Perhaps you’re a negotiating whiz with a track record of proven results? These are all transferable skills- they’ve served you well in your current or past positions and they’re potentially valuable skills in the world of sales. Make sure your resume’s bullet points and your cover letters make a convincing case for why this is true.Sell yourself in interviews.If you’ve followed the previous advice and made a great case in your resume and cover letter regarding your transferable skills and have landed an interview for a sales job, then congratulations- you’ve made a big first step forward. Your next step is to consider your interview as your first big sales challenge- you’re about to face a potentially tough â€Å"client† and your goal is to â€Å"sell† them on the idea that you’re worth taking a chance on!Before the day of the interview, make sure your persuasive skills are razor sharp, come equipped with real-world examples of how you’ve used your transferable, sales-related skills in previous positions effectively, and practice selling individuals- perhaps a friend, colleague, or family member- on the idea of hiring you for a sales job. Consider this time and effort an investment in your career goals.Do your homework.Another feather you can add to your job-hunting cap is a deep knowledge of each company you’re pursuing, along with some core industry knowledge. Invest some time in researching the field and how the company stacks up against the competition. Look for things that imp ress you about the company and be sure to include them in your cover letter as reasons why you’re eager to join the team. Also consider learning and dropping a few key sales industry terms in your cover letter- but don’t overdo it or it could come off as more pandering than knowledgeable.Face the challenge!When you’re going after a job in sales but have little or no experience, you’re facing an uphill challenge. You need to work extra hard in order to tip the odds in your favor, and the strategies listed here will help you do just that. The rest is up to you!

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Samsung Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Samsung - Essay Example Corporate social responsibility is a commitment by an organization to integrate responsible and ethical behaviour that contributes to both the economic development of the society and improves the quality of the life of the workforce, their families and the society by extension. It is a requirement today for firms to provide an annual report on the corporate responsibility status and how they intend to improve on such a situation (Yoo-Chul, 2010). Samsung is electronic manufacturing multinational that is based at the Samsung town in Seoul, South Korea and was founded by lee Byung-Chul in 1945; Samsung has grown to be one of the leading manufacturers of household electronics and other computer devices. It operates a number of conglomerates in different countries where most of its products are manufactured before distribution to the international markets. Samsung electronics, one of Samsung subsidiaries is the leading information technology companies according to a report released in 20 12 based on the revenues of the company. The company controls a sizeable influence of the economic and political policies that shape the development of the home country and is thus a powerful image in the country (Raymond, 2010). Samsung’s corporate social responsibilities Samsung has adopted a greater approach to corporate social responsibility that has contributed immensely to its development and growth and also to the positive image it has both in the home and international markets. This paper seeks to analyze the practices adopted by the company as part of their social corporate responsibility practices and how these practices has had an influence on the local and international markets (Lee, 2007). Samsung electronics believes that in their quest to realize sustainable growth and business performance that improves the value of the business, responsibility to the corporate citizens and the local communities must be improved. As a result, the company has developed a number of programs that aim at improving the lives of the people both within and without its ranks. The company, in line with this resolution established a social contribution program that seeks to help people with need within the local communities. In this program launched in 1995, all employees are enlightened on the need to contribute towards improving the life of the general population especially of those communities around the company’s establishments (Samsung Inc, 2011). A social contribution secretariat was developed by the company to coordinate the collection of the funds from the employees before developing framework on how it will be used. Experts in these secretariats develop policies that support employee’s volunteer programs that are part of the company’s corporate social responsibility program. The CSR motto of Samsung is ‘another family’ to illustrate the commitment of the company to the society as a whole just like any family within the soc iety would do. This program supports better future for the teenagers, assist children from low income families and the implementation of a family wellbeing program. In 2007, as part of the secretariats commitment to social responsibility, over 2500 company employees volunteered to contribute to in undertakings that were geared towards improving the lives of the surrounding communities (United Nations, 2009). Active involvements in societal activities improve an organizations image and

Australian Aboriginal Music and the Didjeridu Research Paper

Australian Aboriginal Music and the Didjeridu - Research Paper Example There is a diversity of culture among Aboriginal communities that is exhibited in the diversity of music, techniques, songs, and instruments. Ethnomusicology in Australian Aboriginal Culture Ethnomusicology is the art of using various approaches in defining music which is connected to a certain nation, group and ethnicity. This study helps in researches that are directly linked to a cultural group and the musical instruments that are used in their composition. It is openly expressed that ethnomusicology focuses on the cultural issue that connects the musical instruments to their culture (Atherton 48). The culture is steadfast and the musical instruments and musical composition will try to emphasize this fact. Similarly, the musical compositions state the need for the social setup during such cultural practices. In the ancient time, musical instruments and cultural music were savored as important activities that strengthened the culture of a community. As such, the generations that us ed this kind of social setting still use this as a social entertainment in their culture (Kaye 37). Similarly, the cultural instruments and music are used as a material to pass information to the community. This includes cognitive and biological dimensions which are expressed to the community. Since ethnomusicology is considered a Western culture, the cultural affiliations are rife in this part of the world. This explains why Australian Aboriginal music still thrives up to date. Though some of the western people are distanced from the cultural affiliations and music, they still have a soft spot for this kind of music and cultural practice (Atherton 48). It is known to instill the aspect of originality while serving the purpose of entertainment. Focusing on the... This "Australian Aboriginal Music and the Didjeridu" describes ethnomusicology in Australian aboriginal culture, types of traditional aboriginal music, instruments, and importance of the music. Ethnomusicology is the art of using various approaches in defining music which is connected to a certain nation, group and ethnicity. This study helps in researches that are directly linked to a cultural group and the musical instruments that are used in their composition. It is openly expressed that ethnomusicology focuses on the cultural issue that connects the musical instruments to their culture (Atherton 48). The culture is steadfast and the musical instruments and musical composition will try to emphasize this fact. Similarly, the musical compositions state the need for the social setup during such cultural practices. In the ancient time, musical instruments and cultural music were savored as important activities that strengthened the culture of a community. As such, the generations that used this kind of social setting still use this as a social entertainment in their culture (Kaye 37). Similarly, the cultural instruments and music are used as a material to pass information to the community. This includes cognitive and biological dimensions which are expressed to the community. Since ethnomusicology is considered a Western culture, the cultural affiliations are rife in this part of the world. This explains why Australian Aboriginal music still thrives up to date. Though some of the western people are distanced from the cultural affiliations and music, they still have a soft spot for this kind of music and cultural practice (Atherton 48). It is known to instill the aspect of originality while serving the purpose of entertainment. Focusing on the sociological perspective, it is seen that Australian music and musical instruments are displaying continuity in the Aboriginal culture. There has been an increase in the number of scholars that have directed their study towards Aboriginal music and culture. This is due to the strong aspect of originality in playing the instruments and the cultural music. In Australia, the didjeridu is an instrument that has managed to thrive through the years. Up to date, the instrument is savored as it exposes Australian cultural mu sic (Bos 21). In making a strong point out of this activity, the people studying Aboriginal Australian music have increased the theoretical framework of studying these particular cultural expressions in music.