Definitions of HRM Essay

Introduction and Overview Definitions of HRM. The employment relationship. Commitment and control. Internal fit. Textbook: Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart and Wright (2012) Human Resource Management: Gaining a Competitive Advantage. Chapter 1, pp. 2-68. Examples of exam questions: How and why has the role of the HR department been changing in Western firms since the 1980s? How far and for what reasons would you agree that the debate over the differences between HRM and personnel management is all ‘hot air? Lecture 2 Analysis and Design of Work Job analysis; Job design; employee involvement; quality circles; team working Textbook: Competitive Advantage. Chapter 4, pp. 154-190. Examples of exam questions: Who benefits from employee involvement? Compare quality circles and team working with regards to their impact on the economic outcomes of a company. Lecture 3 Personnel Selection Selection criteria, Big-5 personality dimensions, selection methods, predictive validity, reliability Textbook: Competitive Advantage. Chapter 6, pp. 230-267. Examples of past exam questions: Critically discuss the use of interviews as a primary basis for selection decisions. What criteria should be considered in selecting new employees to support firm performance? How do interviews fare in evaluating these criteria? Lecture 4 Performance appraisal Competitive Advantage. Chapter 8, 338-393. Examples of past exam questions: Critically evaluate performance appraisal at work. What are the purposes of conducting performance appraisals? How might appraisals differ depending on the purpose? Lecture 5 Pay Systems Content of pay systems; selecting pay systems; pay and firm performance; pay outcomes for employees. Textbook: Competitive Advantage. Chapter 1 1, pp. 0-519. Examples of exam questions: Which factors should HR managers take into account in designing a fair pay system? Evaluate options for the design of pay systems for different employee groups. Lecture 6 Human Resource Planning, Flexibility and Turnover Human resource planning; the model of the flexible firm; contingent employment; temporary work; employee turnover Textbook: Competitive Advantage. Chapt er 5, pp. 191-211 and Chapter 10, pp. 440-478. Examples ot exam questions: ‘Temporary agency workers are hired to protect the employment security of the core workforce. Discuss critically. Contingent workers facilitate the use of high commitment management systems. Discuss. Lecture 7 Strategic Human Resource Management: Best Practices vs. Best Fit Strategic HRM; models of HRM; best practice and business strategy models Textbook: Competitive Advantage. Chapter 2, pp. 70-105. Examples of exam questions: Evaluate the relationship between the business and the human resource management strategy of a firm. Contrast and evaluate the concepts of horizontal and vertical fit in human resource management. Lecture 8 Strategic HRM: The Resource- ased View and Stakeholder Models Continuation of lecture 7: strategic HRM; resource-based view; institutional / stakeholder perspectives on HRM Textbook: To what extent do managers have a strategic choice with regards to human resource management? Critically discuss the implications of the resource-based view of the firm for designing HRM strategies. Lecture 9 Equal Employment Opportunities Competitive Advantage. Chapter 3, pp. 106-153. Examples of past exam questions: Do women have equal opportunities at work? What actions might employers take to address any inequalities? Evaluate human capital theoretical explanations of the gender earnings gap. Lecture 10 Industrial Relations Introduction to industrial relations; purposes of collective organization; effects of unions; recent trends in industrial relations Textbook: Competitive Advantage. Chapter 14, pp. 598-647. Examples of exam questions: What are the consequences of a lack of effective worker representation, be it through trade unions or some other form of worker representation at the workplace? Why do workers Join trade unions and what are the effects of union activity? How has this changed in liberal market economies in recent years?

Analytical review of the financial position and reporting

This is what the University of Bradford policy on academic integrity says about plagiarism: â€Å"A dissertation, thesis, essay, project or any other work which is not undertaken in an examination room under supervision but which is submitted by a student for formal assessment must be written by the student and in the student's own words, except for quotations from published and unpublished source, which shall be clearly indicated and acknowledged as such†¦ † If you copy work for assessment, it defeats the whole purpose of the exercise.When work that you have copied is marked it is not your progress that is being evaluated but that of somebody else. And if it is someone else's work, the feedback you receive will not help you improve your own potential. Plagiarism is an issue that the University of Bradford takes very seriously and is treated as a form of Academic Misconduct (or cheating). There are four main forms of plagiarism: 1. Copying or using another person's work, including the work of another student (with or without their consent), and claiming or pretending it to be your own; 2.Presenting arguments that use a blend of your own and the directly copied words of the original author, with or without acknowledging the source; 3. Paraphrasing another person's work, but not giving due acknowledgement to the original writer or organization publishing the writing, including work on Internet sites; 4. Colluding with other students and submitting identical or near identical work. However it is very important that you are aware of Self-plagiarism. This is described in a document called â€Å"What is Academic Misconduct† which is available on the Legal and Governance website.You must not submit the same assignment, or the any part of that assignment, as the assessment for two modules, nor should you â€Å"cut and paste† large sections of work from one submission into another. You can refer to your own work (whether vomited for another mod ule or published elsewhere) but you must acknowledge this by citing the original work, Just like any other source that shapes your own work. How to avoid plagiarism: Applying, analyzing, criticizing or quoting other people's work is expected of you and is perfectly acceptable providing you always: 1.Attempt to summarize or restate in your own words another person's work, and give acknowledgement to that person. This is usually done by citing your sources in the text of the assignment and presenting a list of references at the back ; or 2. By always using quotation marks (or indenting lengthy quotations in your text) to distinguish between the actual words of the writer and your own words. Once again, you would cite all these sources in the text straight after the quote and present full details of these in your list of references.Using Turning: You must be very careful to ensure that your submission is free from Plagiarism before you submit it. All submissions are made electronically via Turning which is a piece of software that is able to identify â€Å"non-original† content within a submission. When you submit your work it is matched to previously submitted work both at the University of Bradford, on the web and work submitted to other Universities across the world. You will be presented with an Originality Report which will highlight any non-original content in your work.You are permitted to submit a draft version of your work to Turning before the final submission deadline. This will allow you to see the Originality Report for the draft and to address any issues that the report identifies. The report can take a few hours to generate, so give yourself sufficient time to receive and examine the report and to be able to work on your submission as necessary before the deadline passes. It is essential that you understand what is expected and how plagiarism can be avoided.The university provides a great deal of resources to help students understand their r esponsibilities. Information about these services is available at the LASS workshop site. If there are any specific issues relating to plagiarism and or Turning please contact the relevant Module Leader or your Personal Academic Tutor. Executive summary The purpose of this report is to prepare an analytical review of the financial position of BP Billion, using the ratio analysis as a financial instrument.This review is Sistine to the stakeholders (investors), based on the latest available annual financial statement, to identify and reconcile the group's profit position and identify trends in the business performance. The company's performance is analyzed more deeply using ratio analysis. In addition, we will compare the group main indicators with the respective figures of close competitors such as ROI Tint, Vale S. A. And Alcoa Inc. As well as Mining Industry and Energy Sector average coefficients (Scimitars 2014).Background Information BP Billion was set up in 2001 as a result of a Dual Listed Company (DEL) merger twine Broken Hill Proprietary Company known as BP Limited, an Australian-listed company, and Billion Pl, a I-J-Existed company (BP Billion 2013). Although the companies have preserved their separate ownership structures both are run by the almost identical committees of directors and one managing body. It is a leading global resource company and its major business units are: Copper; Iron Ore; Manganese and Nickel; Coal; and Aluminum, Petroleum and Potash.The aim of the group is to provide long-term shareholder value through the development, acquisition and marketing of natural resources. Despite the continuing recession the group has continued to retain its market position with capitalization US $147 billion at 30 June 2013, revenue US $66 billion and net profit US $11 billion for 2013 financial year and there are now 128 thousand employees and contractors working in 140 subdivisions in 26 countries (BP Billion 2013). This year the group announced t he appointment of Andrew Mackenzie as CEO who replaced Marcus Slippers.The company being a participant of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (2014) conducts the corporate procedures and policies in concordance with hose principles to provide security for its operations. The recent study suggested that the 90 fossil fuel marketers (Goldenberg 2013) are in charge of two-thirds of the greenhouse gas emissions produced in the industrial age and BP is in this list. According to the management's statement Just the tenth of the emissions are from direct operations, while the rest are from outsourced goods (Hannah 2013).In 2011 BP Billion initiated with University College London the foundation of two energy institutions aimed at teaching and research of sustainable use of the environment and resources (CUL 2011). Basis of preparation The financial information for the year ended 30 June 2013 has been prepared on a going concern basis in accordance with Australian Accountin g Standards that is an Australian equivalent of International Financial Reporting Standards (FIRS) and FIRS and their interpretations as adopted by European Union effective as the reporting date.The principles of accounting for DEL merger were adopted under I-J and Australian Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (GAP) and the consolidated financial statement is compiled as follows: Assets and liabilities of the BP Billion PL and BP Billion Limited Group were consolidated at the date of the merger at their book value; Results for the period ended 30 June 2013 comprise the consolidated data of the both entities.A number of new standards and interpretations have not yet entered into force, and their demands are not taken into account in preparing the consolidated financial statements: FIRS 11 Ð’Â «Joint ArrangementsÐ’Â » modifications were not applied but will have an impact on financial years commencing from 1 July 2013. The company will recognize its share on a single line in entities where it does not meet with the revised definition of Joint control. AFRICA 20 Ð’Â «Striping Costs in the Production Phase of a Surface MineÐ’Â » modifies the policies for production striping and applies to annual periods starting on 1 January 2013.The company disclosed the effect of adjustments at the transitional date of 1 July 2011. Ratio Analysis External factors and trends affecting to the group's financial outcomes The major external trends and factors have had a considerable impact on the company financial position and ratios and the next section disclosures them. Commodity prices. Metal commodity prices were decreased in comparison with the previous year as a result of apply growing faster than demand. For instance the average price of Iron Ore decreased 16% from IIS$1 51 /DMS to IIS$127/DMS, Aluminum decreased from IIS$334/ DMS to US$327/DMS according to the Note 3. . 1 of the Financial Statement (BP Billion 2013). Metal products share in aggregate reven ues exceeded 63% whereas crude oil and gas totaled 20%. Metallurgical coal price decreased 31% from IIS$239/t to IIS$1 59/t mostly driven by low growth rates of global pig iron production. Conversely energy commodities' price were affected positively namely crude oil price increased by 8% driven by Chinese demand growth in the first half of the year followed by moderate improvements in macroeconomics in the United States later. In whole the price effect reduced underlying BIT by IIS$8. Billion but partially offset by increased sales volumes. Exchange rate. Other substantial risk influencing profitability ratio is exchange rate as majority of sales are denominated in US dollars as well as this currency plays major part in the group financial activities. Operating costs are primordially influenced by changes in local currencies such as South African rand, Chilean peso and Australian dollar. Overall the Australian dollar, Brazilian real and South African rand ended the financial year w eaker against the US dollar, while the Chilean peso strengthened.Product demand and supply. Global demand and supply for the products is a crucial factor of market prices, and fluctuations in commodity supply and demand influence the group performances, including asset values and cash flow. The company forecast relatively balanced growth over the long term as large developed economies, such as the US, grow despite fiscal challenges and China also shows the development of its economy. Operating costs. As the product prices are regulated by the global commodity markets controlling production costs is a key task of the management.The company could reduce external services by IIS$2 billion and third party purchases by IIS$O. 7 billion, government royalties by IIS$O. 4 billion and exploration and evaluation expenses by IIS$O. 6 billion. But these reductions were offset by higher impairment charges of IIS$I . 9 billion, additional depreciation charges of IIS$O. 5 billion, decrease in fore ign exchange incomes of IIS$O. 2 billion as it was shown in Note 3. 4. 4 of the annual report (BP Billion 2013). Capital and exploration expenditures.This item increased almost 77% in the previous 2012 year from IIS$13 billion in 2011 to IIS$23 billion. It related to investments in project pipeline, especially in Petroleum, Iron Ore and Coal divisions. The management concentrated on monitoring capital and exploration expenses in the reporting year and it reduced by IIS$O. 7 billion. Interest rates. The company financial performances are sensitive to alterations of interest rates as the majority of company borrowings are based on floating interest rates (see the Note 29 of the financial statement).Based on the net debt position as at 30 June 2013, taking into account interest rate swaps, cross currency interest rate swaps and captions, it is estimated that a one percentage point increase in the US LABOR interest rate will decrease the company's equity and profit after taxation by US $136 million. Profitability ratio In this year Return of capital fell by 26% as against 2012 year and equaled 17% (see Appendix 3). Firstly, it associates with the reduction of Gross profit by 19% or almost IIS$4. Billion as the income fell by 9% (see Appendix 1), namely Coal unit's revenue reduced by IIS$2. Billion, Iron Ore income by IIS$2. 4 billion (see the section Ð’Â «Commodity pricesÐ’Â »). In any case it should be noted that this figure is considerably high than the close competitors' results: Vale S. E. (2014) showed 14%, ROI Tint (2014) 5% (see Appendix 3). The details of calculations are given in the Appendix 4. Gross profit margin ratio equaled 29% although that is less by 11% as compared to 2012 (see Appendix 3).This can be explained by disproportionate decrease of production costs by 4% billion (see the section Ð’Â «operating costsÐ’Â ») with respect to revenues (see the section Ð’Â «Commodity pricesÐ’Â »). But it corresponds with the respective average ratio of Metal Mining Industry (Scimitars 2014). Vale S. E. ‘s figure exceeded with 30% Gross margin (see Appendix 2) but its Net profit margin totaled Just 1% due to extremely high interest expenses (see Appendix 2) whereas BP Billion demonstrated consistent performances with 17% Net profit margin.Net profit margin for 2013 totaled 17% as against 22% for previous year chiefly due to decrease of the amount of Gross profit (see the previous paragraph) and increase of financial expenses by 60% (see the section Ð’Â «lintiest ratesÐ’Â »). In spite of this the company's result is outstanding in comparison with the industry index (2%) as well as immediate rivals (ROI Tint – 2%, Vale S. A. – 1%). Efficiency ratios Asset turnover ratio of the last year decreased by 17% and totaled 0. 6.This is due to the fact that the amount of total assets were increased as additional construction expenses were capitalized to the sum of IIS$20 billion, and decrease of t otal revenue of the group for reasons described earlier (see the section Ð’Â «Commodity pricesÐ’Â »). At the same time the group continues to use its assets efficiently in comparison with lose rivals 0. 5 for ROI Tint (2014) and Vale (2014) 0. 4 (see Appendix 3) as well as the average industry figure (0. 4). The details of calculations are given in the Appendix 5.With respect to Receivable turnover ratio it has not been changed and equaled 9 that is in the middle of ROI Tint and Vale's coefficients (10 and 7 respectively). The decrease in Trade and other receivables correlated with the same trend in the revenues of the last two years (see the section Ð’Â «Commodity pricesÐ’Â »). Interestingly, the industry average ratio did reach 12 (see Appendix 3). Inventory turnover has slightly en decreased by 6% and totaled 11 that is twice better than industry figure (5) and close rivals (8 and 10 respectively).The number of employees increased by 7% and totaled almost 50 thous and. It together with the revenue reduction resulted to Revenue per Employee ratio that decreased by 14% and equaled IIS$I ,332 thousand per employee. At the same time this performance significantly exceeded the industry average ratio (IIS$486 thousand) as well as close competitors (ROI Tint with IIS$775 thousand and Vale S. E. With IIS$583 thousand). It can be explained by diversified cuisines structure of the group as the average Energy sector Revenue per Employee totals US$1,896 thousand at the same period of time (see Appendix 3).Liquidity ratio The current ratio totals 1 that indicates that the group has enough short-term assets to cover its short-term debt. It is advisable to improve this performance further (0. 9 for previous 2012 year) as for instance the industry (1. 9) and major market players (ROI Tint 1. 4, Vale S. E. 2. 5) demonstrated better short-term financial health. The details of calculations are given in the Appendix 6. Quick ratio also remains worse Han competit ors. But it corresponded with the industry average figure 0. 6 and seemed enough (see Appendix 3).Financial gearing The Gearing ratio has slightly been changed and totaled 39% and it indicates relatively prudent attitude of the management and low degree of creditor's funds (see Appendix 1). For example the same coefficient for both of close rivals' equaled 44% whereas the industry average figure exceeded 150%. The details of calculations are given in the Appendix 7. The performance of interest cover ratio was felt by 56% due to impact of interest rates (see the section Ð’Â «lintiest ratesÐ’Â »). Even so it showed due to low gearing and high gross profit of the group (see the respective analyses).Investment ratio Price per earning for 2013 equaled as 12 and became worse as against 8. 8 for previous period. It associates with the reduction of earning per share by almost 30% (see Appendix 1). But dividend yield with 8% is positive as compared to rivals (ROI Tint 4%, Vale S. E. 1%) and average industry ratio (2%). Conclusion Based on the review above we can see that BP Billion is a highly profitable company that provided consistently strong operating performance during the analyzed period of time. The total dividend for 2013 was increased by 4% to IIS$116 cents per share (BP Billion 2013).The low gearing ratio in comparison with rivals indicates the group's financial strength and invulnerability to downturns in the business cycle that is important particularly in the last years. The high efficiency ratios witnessed how well the group used its assets and liabilities internally relative to the others. Also we saw its importance because an improvement in these ratios translated to improved profitability. Though the current ratio is relatively lower than he industry average likely the group will not experience any difficulty meeting current obligations.

Ethics in Public Administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

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Economic downturn Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Knowledge Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words - 1

Knowledge Management - Essay Example ess the issues, questionnaire survey was conducted by integrating 30 fulltime employees from both municipal and water level functions of the Ministry. According to the analysis of the data obtained from questionnaire survey, majority of the respondents expressed their concerns towards the failure of training department to link its training programs with the functional path of the Ministry. Moreover, a lower amount of investment portfolio was observed to radically minimize the efficiency of the training programs and hinder the productivity skills of the employees. In order to deal with the issues, the study provided an effective set of recommendations that can enable the training centers of the Ministry to define appropriate training path facilitating the employees to meet the functional objective of the organization. Ministry of Regional Municipalities & Water Resources (MRMWR) is responsible for controlling and managing water resources across the different areas of Oman. The Ministry has been involved in wide range of functional activities in terms of emphasizing effective use of water resources and improving the quality of life for the citizens of Oman. The department has long been witnessed to effectively deal with wide range of issues associated with managing water resources and provide adequate support to each community across the nation (Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, 2011). However, the MRMWR has also been facing a significant issue associated with its knowledge management initiatives in its training centers that further resulted MRMWR to face major obstacles in terms of aligning its operational goals with the primary objectives of the organization. Moreover, the organization is often identified to face problems relating to financing the training centers in terms of hiring training experts and enabling employees to efficiently meet the organizational goals and objectives (Pinto-Coelho, 2010). The concept of knowledge management

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

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Post-traumatic stress disorder Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Post-traumatic stress disorder - Research Paper Example Threats of natural disasters like flood, storm, earthquake, fire etc and manmade disasters like terrorism, prison stay etc can cause PTSD. For example, after the 9/11 World Trade center attack, many of the Americans experienced PTSD because of the threats from Al-Qaida. This paper analyses the cause, symptoms and treatment options of PTSD. â€Å"PTSD starts at different times for different people. Signs of PTSD may start soon after a frightening event and then continue. Other people develop new or more severe signs months or even years later. PTSD can happen to anyone†(Medline Plus, 2011). The real cause of PTSD is still unknown to medical science. However, it is believed that various genetic, environmental and social factors are contributing to PTSD. The entire stress management mechanisms of the body are changed as a result of PTSD. â€Å"It affects the stress hormones and chemicals that carry information between the nerves (neurotransmitters). Having been exposed to trauma in the past may increase the risk of PTSD†(Post-traumatic stress disorder, 2011).Normal people and people with PTSD respond to abnormal behaviors differently. Normal people gradually forget about the abnormal event whereas for the PTSD patients, the memories of the trauma keep on agitate them in their future life.

Leading Public Relations Efforts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Physician Billing research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Social and Political Implication of Social Media Essay Example for Free

Social and Political Implication of Social Media Essay Communication is as old as humankind, it is the basis of social interactions and life blood of human societies, we can say without communication. Each individual would merely be an island isolated from all other such islands, communication in a simple sense is the process of transferring meaning in the form of ideas or information from a person called the sender to another or people called receivers. The human life depends on communication to attain their full potentials, communication is also a social necessity without it there cannot be real community or society because it is the link between individuals who constitute a community and the link between community in the formation of a larger whole-a metropolis, a province or a nation, society as a whole cannot survive today if they are not properly informed about political affairs, international and local events, all these functions are perform through a media which are the vehicles of transmitting information. In essence, when people communicate with one another, they do so by a medium, some device or process through which they convey information, these means which people use is called social media. 2 This paper will pretend a short historical back ground of social media, the development of social media will be summarized, and much attention will be on the current means of such media which has taken a paradigm shift as a result of technological advancement and modernism such as internet, home video, news paper, magazines, e. . c the social and political implications will be critically explored, for the umpteenth time we should have it in mind that social media has ethical end epistemological implication in human kind and the society, in fact some of its implication could be said to be negative while some could be describe as positive, the implication affects all aspect of human life, belief, religious and even the socio-economic status, most importantly the governance of this great country Nigeria. Social medial technologies take on many different forms including magazine, internet forums, weblogs, social blogs, microbloggind, wikis, social networks, podcast, photographs or pictures, video, rating and social bookmarking, Technologies include: blogs, picture-sharing, wall-postings, email, instant messaging, to name a few, many of these service are integrated via social network aggregation platform by applying a set of theories in the field of media research (social presence, media richness) and social processes (self-presentation, self-disclosure) Kaplan and Haenlein created a classification scheme with different types of social media, they are ;collaborative projects for example, Wikipedia, blogs and microblogs like Twitter, content communities for example, YouTube, social networking sites like Facebook, and virtual social worlds, however, the boundaries between the different types have been increasingly blurred. Social media refers to the means of interaction among people in which they create, share and exchange information and ideas in communities and network. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content,5 social media depend on mobile and web-based technologies to create highly interactive platforms through which individuals and communities share, co-create, discuss, and modify user-generated content, It introduces substantial and pervasive changes to communication between organizations, communities and individuals. Media is as old as human kind as said earlier, from the ancient time, history make it know that our great grand-fathers make use of gong, songs e. t. to communicate, pass information and transfer beliefs, there was paradigm shift as a result of education and civilisation, gong now change to written literatures such as news paper, then technology now help in developing telecommunication such as Television station, radio station, and the current social media, while other media such as magazine, published works also developed, today social media is the leading means and is now in various form, internet website that post information to the whole world in second such as facebook, twitter, 2go, Ebuddy and sites and blogs. 7 Social media differentiates from traditional/industrial media in many aspects such as quality, reach, frequency, usability, immediacy and permanence. There are many effects that stem from internet usage, according to Nielsen, internet users continue to spend more time with social media sites than any other type of site 8. Social media in sum is the communication channels through which news, entertainment, education, data or promotional messages are disseminated this includes every day broadcasting and narrowcasting medium such as newspaper, magazine , T. V, radio, bill boards, direct mail, telephone, fax and internet, social media offers innovative opportunities for people, in a democratic society like Nigeria, social media offers innovation to political actors, political institutions and the public to interact with one another. As said from the beginning that social and political implication of social media could be ethical and epistemological, Cultivational theory expose some ethical issues is a theory that also provide justification about the implication of social media, this theory states that the media is essential with the responsibility for the way in which people view the world,9 this theory explain that media heavily impacts society by influencing the normal view of gender roles, body image and normality, the theory attributes extreme social power to the media and hold that people are taught over time to respond to situations based on what they think is the appropriate way, this theory in essence show some epistemological and ethical implication of social media on human kind, , media teaches normality through television, video, music e. t. , this theory assumed the life we live as a reflection of media ideals that have been portrayed to us since childhood for example we tend to see small children im itating and practising what they watch in movies, most ladies watch Nollywood movies on the internet to sharpen their romantic styles and learn some other necessities of life, styles of dance either good or bad example is the idea of sagging of trouser common among people all these media influences. The truth is we generate belief from media and perceived that it is normal way to live, various advertisement tell woman how to dress, cook and soon on, a recent study in University of Washington found that the amount an adolescent watches soup operas and musical videos is directly correlative with negative body image. Psychological egoism is another implication of social media, psychological egoism is the view that people act in their own interest even what seem to be acts of altruism11, owing to the fact that social media is used as a tool for some people, in a democratic setting like Nigeria, politicians and government use social media for their egoistic nature, the media publish orchestrated information to either promote image or give wrong destroy image, here we realized that the epistemic belief that most of this social media project to the world are cooked, biased and distorted, and these are registered in the mind of people in the society, no doubt also that this info sometimes reveal certain secret, recently through social media Nigerians known that the so called spokesperson of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Lagos command do not know the official website of the Corps he is working for, this popular scenario is tagged my oga at the top courtesy Channels television The corollary of the above is that media circulate information, beliefs and knowledge, either acknowledge or not, to the society in a very speedy rate, the question now remains the authenticity and genuineness of this information. Social media are becoming increasingly popular among politicians and organisations as a means to disseminate political message, learn about the interest and needs of constituents and broader public, raise funds and build network support, these activities often take place is private run social networking site or stations that allow political figures and institution to communicate with the public in unmediated, society media are being used by Citizen also to connect with the public, influences decision makers and hold legislature and government to account, take the case of January 2013 subsidy removal, many people could not get to Abuja but somehow they made their opinion known to people through the website one way or the other in form of internet gossiping, example is a social site called Niaraland, people chat there, gossip, make connections either for business or another thing maybe like love affairs and so on, in essence this site through the gossips of it member evaluate the activ e the politicians or government of the country is. Since social media give anyone with internet access an opportunity to disseminate their ideas, the mainstream media sources no longer ,monopolize information channels, in turn new issues and ideas that might otherwise be ignored by the mainstream media can receive public attention, given the vary level of expertise, individual users have unequal right to full potential of social media as a publishing platform, what this implies is that social media help in exercising freedom as a component of modernism, liberalism and democracy. Another social and political implication of social media is that it enables citizen to become more effective political actors, social media remove barriers to collective action and empower citizen to influence and monitor the work of policy makers through a long distance participation, social medial also allow citizens to interact with public institutions and figures in an informal and interactive manner, through social media who are avid users of social media often discuss political issues interactively online with the opportunity to reach a large audience with criticisms of political figures and institutions, another similar social and political implication is that it provides opportunity for synthetic lobbying 12, well crafted and executed social media campaigns led by special interest groups can dominate online exchanges with political figure and institution to the point where decision makers are misled about the actual extent to which ideas are shared via these campaigns as repr esentative of a widely held point of view, such advocacy tactics are often referred to as synthetic lobbying, this occur when coordinated letter writing campaigns have long been an element of politics and the policy process and policy makers have developed mechanisms that identify online submission from the public that form part of coordinated advocacy campaigns by weeding out these particular submission whether email to representative or submitted to an online forum. The use of social media by public institution and figures may lead to surveillance state, by monitoring the information shared citizens on a special media sites, policy makers and representative can gain a better understanding of citizens interest and needs, also government can also use this to work against those they see as opposition, as reported by virtually all Nigerian Newspaper on April 25, 2013, the president of Nigeria Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR, awarded a contract over forty million US Dollars to one Israeli company to monitor emails and social network communications, this is part of the implication of social media we are talking about, it implies that the freedom of the people in the society is somehow restricted, I should be aware now that my so called private email message is monitored if one way or the order I radically against the government , it could be hazardous, though this surveillances could also help in checking certain fraudulent activities like yahoo fraudste rs, organised crime and terrorism networks, and so on, but the implication of this is that the negative freedom as Isaiah Berlin postulated, that is, absence of external constraint in individual to act the way they want example is freedom of speech 13, this negative freedom is will now be limited, whatever this implication (surveillance state) appears either positive or negative, data shared by citizens via social media including sexual orientation, religious belief, political affiliation and other sensitive information will be monitored and used in ways that breach privacy right. A cursory survey of this work shows a philosophical discourse on media and social media, its social and political implication has been so far discussed, in sum the implications are both ethical and epistemological, social media has become instrument that create awareness, publicise beliefs and transmit norms, it could be said that most of the action of human kind if not all is an imitation from the media, the implication of social media is undoubtedly positive and negative. In addition the picture of a society is painted to the world through social media, some years back when Dr Dura Akuyili was still the minister of information, she embarked on a project called rebranding with the slogan Nigeria good people, great nation, this was to change the bad image of the country and most of the activities she used to perform this crusade were majorly on media and social media. Much of the criticism of social media are about its exclusiveness as most sites do not allow the transfer of information from one to another, disparity of information available, issues with trustworthiness and reliability of information presented, concentration, ownership of media content, and the meaning of interactions created by social media. However, it is also argued that social media has positive effects such as allowing the democratization of the internet while also allowing individuals to advertise themselves and form friendships Most people associate social media with positive outcomes, yet this is not always the case. Due to the increase in social media websites, there seems to be a positive correlation between the usage of such media with cyber bullying, online sexual predators and the decrease in face-to-face interactions, social media may expose children to images of alcohol, tobacco, and sexual behaviours. Whether the implications are beneficial or risky, what is clear is that social media are quickly becoming standard communications tools for political figures and institutions and the citizens they serve, this paper recommend whoever is still lacking the knowledge of using social media to do that without wasting time, above all apply Descartes methodic doubt to every information the social media provided, that is subject social media information to thorough scrutiny before taking them as beliefs, also this paper remind the public of the dangers and vices of social media hence, the wise be more wise and the less wise should upgrade not be a victim of the bad influences.

Comparison of Panhellenic Structures and Greek Sanctuaries

Comparison of Panhellenic Structures and Greek Sanctuaries In What Ways Were Panhellenic Sanctuaries Distinctive in Comparison with Other Kinds of Greek Sanctuaries? This work is going to centre on the Panhellenic sanctuaries of Olympia and Delphi and what made them distinctive, but also the reasons why these distinctions occurred. To achieve this I am going to focus the discussion on the origins of the sanctuaries in comparison to others that did not have Panhellenic status and also the types of activity that were established at these sanctuaries that were able to appeal to such a vast selection of people. According to tradition the Olympic games were first held in 776 BC, but cult activity at Olympia had its origins some time before this as evidenced by the presence of terracotta and bronze votive figurines, which suggest a date of at least the late 10th century BC (Morgan 1990: 57). During this period however the sanctuary was by no means Panhellenic and was mainly used by local groups. The site of the sanctuary of Zeus Olympios at Olympia was located in a fertile plain on the banks of the River Alpheios in the northwest Peloponnese, and was not controlled by any one state, which, as we shall see, was a key requirement for it becoming Panhellenic. Metal evidence of bronze and occasionally iron tripods points to settlements from the regions of Messenia and Arkadia as the main groups participating in the sanctuary in this earlier period and the reasons for this may have been to do with the remoteness of the site. It may have been, as Morgan suggests, a neutral meeting place at which in ter-regional relations were developed (Morgan 1990: 30, 85, Hall 2007: 272). It can be seen therefore that even during its earlier history, Olympia took on a role that fostered relations between different groups, in this case of the western Peloponnese rather than the larger Greek world. In the 8th century the number of communities using the sanctuary hugely increased as shown by a massive rise in the number of tripods being dedicated there. Tripods were seen as high status items and were an indictor of wealth, and were among the prizes given by Achilles at the funeral games of Patroclus in the Iliad: For swift charioteers first he set forth goodly prizes, a woman to lead away, one skilled in goodly handiwork, and an eared tripod of two and twenty measuresfor him that should be first.'(Homer Iliad 23.264-265) It can be seen from this that in around 700BC, the approximate date of the composition of the Iliad, tripods were given as prizes, but as Osborne notes, it is difficult to determine whether this association existed earlier in the 8th century. Despite this he suggests that the rise in tripod dedication coincides with the traditional creation of the Olympic games in 776 and argues that the reason for there being many more tripods than the number of possible victors is that the range of type and manufacture points to people bringing their own tripods to dedicate whether victorious or not (Osborne 1996: 96). It is the view of Hall however that this date of 776 was exaggerated through the calculations of Hippias of Elis to increase the standing of the games. He asserts that as the other great Panhellenic games were not established until the 6th century the Olympic games may also have their origins in this century (Hall 2007: 32, 272). Morgan on the other hand, believes there may be an ele ment of truth in Pausanias account that the games were re-established in 776, and puts forward the idea that there may have been a small scale local festival tradition in place prior to the 8th century. She argues that although a precedent may have been in place, wider participation in the games did not commence until c.725BC (Morgan 1990: 48). It does seem odd however that the other Panhellenic games at Delphi, Nemea and Isthmia were not established until over a hundred years after those at Olympia, and yet these were apparently founded within quick succession (between c.582 and c.573). I am therefore in support of Halls position that perhaps the antiquity of the games was exaggerated, and it seems more likely that their origins lie in the late 7th or possibly even early 6th century. If it were not games then, what drew people to the Olympic sanctuary to cause the sudden increase in the number of tripods dedicated? There is another explanation which shows a changing attitude in the ideas of individual identity and the display of wealth. The dedications could reflect a new desire to display wealth for the viewing of a much wider audience. This would therefore have been a way of displaying social status but may also have provided opportunities for increasing your position within a social hierarchy. The sheer numbers of tripods may also reflect the need to compete with others outside of your own community. Olympia was therefore the ideal place for these activities, situated on two major rivers and so providing ample status boosting attention and also on neutral territory in a remote location, the distance, and thus the added danger, increasing the prestige of the dedicator (De Polignac 1994: 11, Osborne 1996: 98). This seems to be a valid suggestion in explaining th e influx of votive offerings. A fundamental change in attitude appears likely as an explanation for these new practices, as an increase in cultic practice was taking place throughout Greece. For example in the sanctuary of Pherai only two fibulae have so far been found dating to the 9th and early 8th centuries compared to 1783 from the late 8th and early 7th. This can also be seen in a range of other objects at various different sanctuaries, and is not restricted to the future Panhellenic sites (Osborne 1996: 93). Snodgrass suggests this represented a redirection of wealth to the dedication of the gods, and so it may be no coincidence that in this same period there was also a change in custom in that the dead were no longer buried with the range or wealth of grave-goods that they once were (Snodgrass 1980: 53-4, Osborne 1996: 82). This would imply a change in belief from the display of power, of an individual or possibly even just a family group, in death through the inclusion of wo rldly possessions, to an active display of wealth and social status in life. This may of course have been a factor prior to the 8th century but it is not as archaeologically visible as it becomes through tripod dedications. This is not to say that the games could not have been taking place at the same time, as neither activity is mutually exclusive; however it highlights the practical impossibility of identifying the origins of the games through available archaeology. The sanctuary of Apollo Pythios at Delphi had quite different origins to Olympia and there is no evidence that it had any cult associations until around the start of the 8th century, when bronze tripods and figurines appear. It is Morgans view that the sanctuary began life as a local shrine for the village of Delphi, which was subsequently adopted by neighbouring states (Morgan 1990: 106). During most of the 8th century dedications were relatively limited especially when compared to other sanctuaries such as Perakhora. These increased considerably in the last quarter of the 8th century, but unlike Olympia where this apparently trailed off in the 7th, these dedications steadily continued coming from locations as diverse as the Peloponnese, Attica and Crete (Osborne 1996: 202-203). Similarly to Olympia, Delphi was situated in quite a remote location on the slopes of Mount Parnassos, north of the Gulf of Corinth, in central Greece. This remoteness likewise allowed for its appeal to a wider audience, but it did evolve as part of a community, unlike the much more isolated Olympia and there was also a strong Corinthian involvement. The key issue however is that it did not fall directly within the territory of a developing powerful political centre. The aforementioned sanctuary of Hera at Perakhora for example became part of the territory of the city of Corinth and despite its similar origins and superior wealth in the 8th century at least to Delphi, it never achieved Panhellenic status. It would come under what Marinatos calls an extra-urban sanctuary, in that it fell under the direct administration of Corinth but was not within the urban space of the city. Urban sanctuaries, such as the Acropolis at Athens, were prominent features within the boundaries of a city and were used as an obvious display of the wealth and power of the respective city. Extra-urban sanctuaries on the other hand had a different political function; to define the territory of the city administering it, such as Corinth in the case of Perakhora. They also acted as small scale pan-Hellenic sanctuaries in as much as they united followers of a particular cult within a region and were not just for members of a specific polis. The Panhellenic sites of Delphi and Olympia fall under the title of inter-urban sanctuaries (Marinatos 1993: 229). This status largely depended on where the sanctuary was when cities became politicised, and the creation of, or claim for possession of a sanctuary probably indicated the beginnings of regional awareness (Morgan 1990: 7). The position of a sanctuary therefore defined its function, thus also changing the types of votive objects dedicated. Morgan believes Perakhora came to reflect the personal concerns of the people in the region of Corinth, while the elite utilized Delphi for the display of their wealth; this change in focus can be seen at Perakhora through dedications of items such as clay model koulouria and other feminine items linked to Hera (Morgan 1990: 144). The major investment in sanctuaries within polis territories however came in the form of monumental architecture which was constructed in these locations at least a century before that of any of the temples of the major Panhellenic sanctuaries (Hall 2007: 271, De Polignac 1994: 12). Prior to the construction of these temples the main focus of cult activity at all sanctuaries had been just an open air altar. The small temple of Hera at Perakhora built c.800 BC was one of the first to be constructed and was probably a one roomed building around 8 metres long and 5 metres wide. The initial temple of the Heraion at Samos was also constructed in this period; though it was far more monumental in structure at just over 30 metres long, although still only 6 metres wide. The temple to first be built entirely of stone however was not erected until the 6th century, though perhaps it is not surprising that this was also at a polis sanctuary; the temple of Artemis at Kerkyra (Coldstream 1977: 322, Coldstream 1985: 70-3). It is interesting then that these smaller, localised polis sanctuaries received this type of investment from communities long before the Panhellenic sanctuaries in the 7th and 6th centuries. Did this mean that urban and extra-urban sanctuaries were more important? Hall asserts that local sanctuaries must have been of a higher priority and Morgan takes this further in saying that the reason for this is that the state had to be defined politically, spatially and socially before formal investment could take place outside of its borders (Hall 2007: 271, Morgan 1993: 19-20). Coldstream also agrees with this view, and it is his opinion that the construction of temples, among other signs, marked the arrival of the polis (Coldstream 1985: 68). This would therefore seem to show that local temples such as that at Perakhora, were a key component of polis identity, and so it would seem only natural that city sanctuaries were invested in before competing against other poleis on the wider stage at the sanctuaries of Delphi and Olympia. As a result, it would seem less an argument of which was the more important and therefore most deserving of communal investment, and more about which was the most fundamental to the establishment of a collective civic identity. This change in the notion of identity, away from the promotion of self interest of the individual and towards the collective identity of the polis, is also noticeable in the building of treasuries, particularly at Delphi. At first these were constructed by elites in order to promote their own status, such as the treasury of Cypselus mentioned by Herodotos: These bowlsstand in the Corinthian treasury though to speak strictly it should not be called the public treasury of the Corinthians, but the treasury of Cypselus, son of Eà «tion.'(Herodotos Histories 1.14) As Hall notes however, by the 6th century these, despite still probably being financed by the most affluent, were constructed in the name of the polis, the treasury of Knidos being built in c.560-550 and the treasury of Siphnos in 525 for example (Hall 2007: 272-3, Snodgrass 1980: 141). Their function would have been the same, but the focus had shifted to the glorification of the polis rather than individuals. Only once a city state, and thus the communal identity that went with it, had fully formed could this be possible and allow for competition between states. Treasuries also existed in state sanctuaries, but all would have been financed by local inhabitants of the controlling city again differentiating from the Panhellenic appeal of Olympia and Delphi. The Heraion at Samos for instance has several possible treasuries, which were likely funded by local elites (Kyrieleis 1993: 129, 133). As previously mentioned, the majority, if not all of the Panhellenic sanctuaries introduced games in the early 6th century and this is the period when they can truly be called Panhellenic, involving competition between many poleis, rather than just elite individuals from neighbouring states. Individuals were still fà ªted as heroes for victory, both by their polis and on a wider scale; through winning they had increased their own status, but also the prestige of their home city. All athletic competitions were linked to religious festivals, and by 500BC there were around 50 sets of games in place throughout Greece (Sweet 1987: 3). This wider recognition of ability of course, could not happen at these local games, such as those of the Panathenaia, and so added to the appeal of the Panhellenic games and must have been one of the main reasons for the assured interest of so many states. Again the reason that so many city-states could come together in one place to compete was because none of the Panhellenic sanctuaries were dominated by a powerful state. This meant that there was no reason to feel threatened as perhaps could happen at more urban sanctuaries, located within or close to a dominant polis. This was one of the reasons why the Panathenaia, despite efforts from the Athenians to make it an inter-state festival to rival the Panhellenic games, was ultimately unsuccessful in attracting other poleis to compete (Finley 1985: xviii-xix). The Pythian games at Delphi and the Olympic games consisted of similar events, except that Delphi also offered musical competitions: contests for harpingfor flute-playing and for singing to the fluteThe competitions being the same as at Olympia, except the four horse chariot, and the Delphians themselves added to the contest running races for boys, the long course and the double course.'(Pausanias Description of Greece 10.7.4-5) These contests clearly fixed the Panhellenic status of these sanctuaries, but could they have been classed as Panhellenic prior to the introduction of athletic competition? This is harder to determine with Olympia, as the games were the main attraction of the sanctuary but also because the origins of the games are so hard to determine. Delphi however was just as famous, if not more so, for its oracle. The Delphic oracle is believed to have been established in the late 8th century, although like the Olympic games this is disputed. Again the only material evidence is the rise in votive offerings at the end of the century, which as discussed above is present in many places and could be indicative of a number of practices. There is a mention of the oracle in the Odyssey however: in sacred Pytho, when he passed over the threshold of stone to enquire of the oracle.'(Homer Odyssey 8.79-82) If its provenance is to be believed, and if it was not a later addendum to the story, then this would seem to support an 8th century origin for the oracle. Whatever the actual date, it is Morgans belief that the introduction of the oracle may reflect early state domination of the sanctuary, in a similar fashion to the way treasuries began to reflect the polis rather than the individual (Morgan 1990: 184-5). Osborne advocates that the oracle was part of the wider appeal of Delphi, but Delphi was not the only sanctuary with an oracle, and this again brings us back to the question of when it first became Panhellenic and what determined this status; the oracle or the Pythian games (Osborne 1996: 204). No matter what the actual cause of panhellenism was, the activities in place at both Olympia and Delphi were available elsewhere at many other sanctuaries that never achieved the status Panhellenic. The apparent reason for this, as has been reiterated many times through this work, was the geographical location of the sanctuaries. The Delphic oracle would have been perceived as far less likely to give biased advice to protect its political allegiances, as its neutrality meant that it was not dependent on the ambitions of a controlling polis. Similarly, the Olympic and Pythian games would have provided impartial ground on which to compete for greater glory than was possible within the confines of a state or intra-regional festival. It can be seen therefore that the origins of both Panhellenic and civic sanctuaries were quite comparable, and it was only following the emergence of a fully defined state, with territorial awareness, that the varying roles of sanctuaries became distinct. Co nsequently, it is my belief that it was a combination of geographical location and the rise of the polis that provided the environment for Panhellenic sanctuaries to be set apart, but that they had to have something to offer in order to appeal to a wider audience, whether it was an oracle or athletic competition. It is mainly through these factors that inter-urban sanctuaries differentiated from those directly under the control of a city-state. Bibliography Herodotos. Histories, translated by A. De Sà ©lincourt (Penguin Classics). London: Penguin Books. 2003. Homer. Iliad, translated by A. T. Murray. London: Heinemann / Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 1924. Homer. Odyssey, translated by A. T. Murray. London: Heinemann / Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 1919. Pausanias. Description of Greece, translated by W. H. S. Jones and H. A. Ormerod. London: Heinemann /Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 1918. Coldstream, J. N. 1977. Geometric Greece. London: Ernest Benn. Coldstream, J. N. 1985. Greek Temples: Why and Where? In P. Easterling and J. Muir (eds), Greek Religion and Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. De Polignac, F. 1994. Mediation, Competition, and Sovereignty: The Evolution of Rural Sanctuaries in Geometric Greece. In S. Alcock and R. Osborne (eds), Placing the gods: Sanctuaries and Sacred Space in Ancient Greece. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Finley, M. 1985. Foreword. In P. Easterling and J. Muir (eds), Greek Religion and Society. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press. Hall, J. M. 2007. A History of the Archaic Greek World ca. 1200-479 BC. Oxford: Blackwell. Kyrieleis, H. 1993. The Heraion at Samos. In N. Marinatos and R. Hà ¤gg (eds), Greek Sanctuaries: New Approaches. London and New York: Routledge. Marinatos, N. 1993. What were Greek Sanctuaries? A Synthesis. In N. Marinatos and R. Hà ¤gg (eds),Greek Sanctuaries: New Approaches. London and New York: Routledge. Morgan, C. 1990. Athletes and Oracles: The Transformation of Olympia and Delphi in the Eight Century BC. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Morgan, C. 1993. The Origins of Pan-Hellenism. In N. Marinatos and R. Hà ¤gg (eds), Greek Sanctuaries:New Approaches. London and New York: Routledge. Osborne, R. 1996. Greece in the Making: 1200-479 BC. London and New York: Routledge. Snodgrass, A. M. 1980. Archaic Greece: The Age of Experiment. London: J M Dent. Sweet, W. E. 1987. Sport and Recreation in Ancient Greece: A Sourcebook with Translations. Oxford:Oxford University Press.

The User Experience in Mobile Computing

The User Experience in Mobile Computing ABSTRACT Mobile phones have become a necessity for almost every person throughout the world. Cell phones have become almost a status symbol in addition to the convenience and security that comes from owning them. In this article, We would like to discuss the importance of the user experience and the user interface in Mobiles/Soft Wearables. 1INTRODUCTION In this paper, We would discuss the user experience/ user interface with mobiles/soft wearables in the past, current and future. We would also look at design approach to soft wearables, material explorations. At the end we would see the challenges or difficulties in mobile user experience. 2DISCUSSION Scientists have researched a lot regarding the user experience in Mobiles/Wearables. Early research in this field frequently encouraged people to share their devices to create a collective experience or reach a common goal. Most of this first-wave  research initially looked at the use of smartphones (and tablets) to study mobile collocated interactions. As a result, early mobile collocated interactions research tended to be device-centric. Nowadays, Computers have transitioned from being in a large room (e.g., ENIAC), to our desks (e.g., PCs), to a bag (e.g., laptops), and to our pockets (e.g., mobile phones). Wearable computers (e.g., the WIMM watch) have continued the trend towards ever-smaller computers, ones that can be worn on our wrists (e.g., Apple Watch) or other parts of the body (e.g., Google Glass, Microsoft HoloLens). While the first-wave of mobile collocated interactions seemed device-centric, this current second wave is user experience-centric. Such novel mobile collocated interactions may include clothing, accessories, prosthetics, and jewelry. One s uch example is Its About Time which explores extending smartwatch interactions to turn personal wearables into public displays. Adopting ideas of proxemics could allow for designers to better shape each individuals personal motivations and perceptions of their interactions with both devices and others, to better support their experiences. Soft wearables include clothing and textile-based When designed well, they leverage the cultural, sociological and material qualities of textiles, fashion and dress; diverse capabilities and meanings of the body; as well as the qualities and capabilities afforded by smart and programmable elements. When designing soft wearables a designer must consider a range of requirements that do not typically demand focus when designing products that are not worn, including: sensitivity to material detail; an eye for fit and comfort on bodies with diverse shapes and movement capabilities openness to a diversity of meanings that may be generated; as well as consideration of wearers intimate relations with technology. Soft wearables allow for greater scope within these requirements. Using smart textiles and soft electronic interfaces in wearables opens up the opportunity to engage with wearers senses in diverse and subtle ways. A knitted garment for example can deform and reform as the body moves and pushes against the fabric. When augmented with smart capabilities, such deformations may be used to sense engagement and trigger events. But, There are a number of technological challenges for designing user experience such as binding, security, spatial registration, heterogeneous platforms and sensors, non-touch interaction as well as development and runtime environments. In addition to these, there are social challenges such as privacy, social acceptability, social participation, social exclusion and social engagement. There are a number of Perceptual and Physiological challenges such as varying display resolutions, luminance, effective visual fidelities, visual interference, color or contrast in display overlap which can be experienced with body proximate ecosystems. 4 CONCLUSION Today, mobile application development technology is evolving at a very shocking pace. User experience is becoming an increasingly crucial feature when it comes to the digital landscape. It defines how the user feels and thinks about your product from his or her own perspective. It is about making something valuable, easy to use and effective for your target market. However, in a market where quality and performance always come before brand loyalty, creating a fluid user experience (UX) is key to the success of any mobile app development project. REFERENCES [1] Andrà ©s LuceroEmail author, James Clawson, Joel Fischer and SimonRobinson Mobile collocated interactions with wearables: past, present, and future Nov 2016 [2] Oscar TomicoEmail author and Danielle Wilde Soft, embodied, situated connected: enriching interactions with soft wearables June 2016 [3] Jens GrubertEmail author, Matthias Kranz and Aaron Quigley Challenges in mobile multi-device ecosystems Aug 2016

Organization Design in FMC Green River Essay -- Business Management Es

Organization Design in FMC Green River Organization design is a formal, guided process for integrating the people, information and technology of an organization. It is used to match the form of the organization as closely as possible to the purpose of the organization. This design process seeks to improve and facilitate the efforts of members within the organization. With respect to FMC Corporation’s Green River, Wyoming facility, under the guidance of this entity’s site manager, Kenneth Dailey, the design should be approached as an internal changes within the organization with the entity’s members working together to define the needs of the organization then create systems to meet those needs most effectively. FMC Green River (the â€Å"company†), in Wyoming, mines and manufactures sodium carbonate soda ash, maintaining the largest sodium tripolyphosphate plant in the world, relying on the coal and natural gas abundant in the Wyoming/Utah/Idaho basin. The company is part of the Alkali Chemicals Division of FMC that supplies sodium-based chemicals to the detergent industry, the glass industry and large commercial chemical plants. The large underground mine of the Green River facility has 400 employees and produces about 5 million tons of trona ore a year. Green River’s first plant was built between 1948 and 1953, producing approximately 1.3 million tons of various grades of soda ash a year. The second refining plant was completed in 1970, producing approximately 1.5 million tons of a single grade of soda ash a year. Currently, Dailey was in the process of supervising the construction of three new smaller plants, one each for 60,000 tons annually of sodium bicarbonate, 30,000 t ons of sodium cyanide used in refining precious metals, and 60,000 tons of caustic sodium hydroxide. Upon discussions held with employees who observed the modifications made at the Aberdeen plant of South Dakota, which deals in the production of a single product related to the defense industry, whose single customer was the US Navy, Dailey is ready to identify key areas of improvement for implementation within his Green River facility based on these procedures and methods placed in Aberdeen facility, as applicable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As indicated in the background of the company above, FMC Green River is in the business of the production of specific chemicals, competing against Texas Gulf, Ge... ...ilitation of the feeling of family, through the notion that management truly cares. This can be reinforced through the same notions provided by Aberdeen of creating a variety of social events that help build the family culture such as plant sponsored events of sports teams, fun sport tournaments and annual social functions and or plant/team parties. Organizational ethics can be achieved by instilling trust within the organization and its employees. Aberdeen did this well, by allowing employees to make their own decisions and judgments on the job that they felt would benefit the organization. As noted within Clawson’s, Custom Business Resources, morale at Aberdeen was consistently high. â€Å"People commented on how much they appreciated being trusted by management, having management’s help in times of need, having management who listened to their concerns and having control over their work environment, pace and structure.† This form of environment may also benefit Dailey’s Green River facilities, as employees who feel important and always feel that management will support them will willingly work better and be more productive because they will truly feel like they work as a family.

Fitzgeralds Satirical Portrait of Modern Society :: essays research papers fc

Fitzgerald’s Satirical Portrait of Modern Society   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Great Gatsby,† a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, depicts life in the 1920’s. â€Å"The Roaring Twenties,† a nickname given to the decade laden with flippancy, is a time where the rich people in society have little to do, and a lot of money to spend in many ways. Jay Gatsby, one of the â€Å"newly† rich people, chooses to spend his money throwing wild parties every weekend in the summer. Fitzgerald paints a picture of modern society by writing about the lavish parties thrown by Gatsby and the behavior of the guests who attend them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Nick Carraway describes the scene at Gatsby’s mansion while preparing for a party, â€Å"At least once a fortnight a corps of caterers came down....On the buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors d’ oeuvre, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs...In the main hall a bar with a real brass rail....By seven o’clock the orchestra has arrived† (44), he tells of the luxuries provided by Gatsby in order to impress his guests. Fitzgerald is mocking the way people in society try, at great extents, to impress each other. Gatsby’s careless spending of his money parallels the decadent spending of people in modern society. One of the â€Å"twins† tells Nick about how Gatsby bought her an expensive gown, â€Å"When I was here last I tore my gown on a chair, and he asked me for my name and address- inside a week I got a package from Croirier’s with a new evening gown in it,† (47). This shows that Gatsby spends his money in an exorbitant manner, much like the way modern society spends money.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The people at Gatsby’s parties often stay for days and are uninvited. Most of the guests don’t know Gatsby, let alone care about him. The loss of manners and self-centeredness of modern society are exemplified by the way the guests treat Gatsby, and how they gossip about their host. They impose upon his hospitality and outstay their welcome, â€Å"A man named Klipspringer was there so often and so long that he became known as the boarder- I doubt if he had any other home,† (67). When Gatsby is not around, the guests often fabricate stories about his life. â€Å"He’s a bootlegger. One time he killed a man who had found out that he was nephew to von Hindenburg and second cousin to the devil,† (65). Rumors of his personal life circulate his parties and grow as his guests embellish on them.

GIBSON’S PASSION? :: Essays Papers

GIBSON’S PASSION? I grew up in a suburb outside of Chicago where there were lots of Jewish people and Jewish students that I went to school with. There wasn’t any religious discrimination at all between Christians, Catholics or Jews. Mel Gibson's new controversial movie, â€Å"The Passion of the Christ† portrayed the Jews in a negative way and not only stereotypes them again, as being mainly liable for the death of Christ, but even causes violence and breeds disgust towards them. This film will cause and outline how millions of Christian movie-goers should look upon Jews in the future, and this may destroy an important Jewish-Christian union that’s developed over the years, that bond of brotherhood and understanding. Historically, the beating and death of Jesus has been known by Christians as his â€Å"passion.† However, Mel Gibson’s movie â€Å"The Passion† is based on the Passion Plays during the Roman Empire, that were written specifically back then to incite and anger people against the Jews. Jews have been the victims of hatred by many groups over many generations. Persecution has been a way of life for the Jewish people since in every generation there have been those who felt that the Jews just â€Å"don’t fit it.† Cecil B. Demille, the famous director of â€Å"The Ten Commandments,† first directed the film â€Å"The King of Kings,† which was the first anti-Semitic movie that offended Jews, seemingly making them responsible for the death of Christ, rather than the Romans. Whether or not Demille meant harm to the Jews is unknown, but the film launched a wave of anti-Semitism. Historical movies such as â€Å"Schindler’s List† and â€Å"Gettysburg† are accurate interpretations of what really happened in history. Even biblical epics such as Franco Zeffirelli's â€Å"Jesus of Nazareth† and the hit Broadway musical â€Å"Jesus Christ Superstar† avoided anti-Semitism. A recent 2001 movie drama about Adolf Hitler as a young child called â€Å"Max† starring John Cusack, responded to the criticism the movie got and accepted input and changes from critics. With the good suggestions they received, it made for an even better film, and the public voice was heard. A year before â€Å"The Passion† was due to open in theatres, Jewish officials offered changes to the film, but these were rejected by Mel Gibson. â€Å"The Passion† isn’t the real story of Jesus Christ’s death, but rather Mel Gibson’s own interpretation of it. People, nevertheless, will watch â€Å"The Passion† and believe that it is the truth.

Case Study of Architect Abdul Harris Othman

THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISMIntroductionAbdul Harris Othman was born in Pokok Sena, Kedah on 4th April 1957. He grew up in Jitra, Kedah and started to prosecute his survey in Australia in 1975 after he won the Colombo Plan Scholarship. He returned to Malaysia after 10 old ages to function the state. He has designated as Principal designer of KLCC and the designer of record for Petronas Twin towers in the twelvemonth of 1992. Armed with these experiences, he established his ain architectural pattern with the aim to supply first architectural and urban design services. Designed by Abdul Harris Othman, the Serendah House is located at the Serendah territory, Rawang in Malaysia. The house attempts to make a new genre for residential architecture that meets the modern modern-day demands of client but at the same clip presents the state heritage and individuality. This house has nominated for several awards globally such as the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for 2005-2007 rhythm and the ARCASIA Gold Medal Award 2003 This paper attempts to convey an apprehension of the architect’s architectural theory through the observation and analysis of Serendah Houe. Using this architecture as primary text, this undertaking is to analyse and analyze the Serendah House in relation to its relevant architectural theories, societal, cultural and rational context.AnalysisClimateThe Serendah House is located at the border of a golf class, next to a wood modesty. Situating in the thick of a wood hill, the design has a great potency in incorporating the climatic factors into its spacial and massing planning. First and first, the major infinites in the house such as the chief deck, life and dining country and the maestro sleeping room are designed confronting to west to capture the green position and the beauty of the Sun set. We have known that the long facade of a edifice facing to east and west will increase the heat addition of the house. However, the west side of the selected site is surrounded by abundant of trees. The designer used the advantage of the site to orientate most of the major infinites confronting west to border a romantic position to the house. Due to the ideal geographical contour, the trees surrounded besides act as the shading devices for infinites like maestro sleeping room, gallery and the chief deck. For the facade confronting east which is non covered by trees, the designer has minimized the gaps to cut down heat addition into the house. Despite the assistance of the bing trees, the design of the roof construction with deep roof eaves, wickets, louvres and operable folding door at the facade besides provide shade over Sun yet let indirect natural visible radiation to perforate the interior infinites. The living country, dining country, chief deck, gallery and maestro sleeping rooms are besides designed to be unfastened or with big gaps to catch the prevailing air current, therefore the house gets first-class airing. The house was designed around the natural contour and bing trees. Assortment of gaps, Windowss timber wickets, roof spreads and louvres that positioned to be confronting the prevailing zephyr provide maximal transverse airing while the hot air will be drawn upwards, to be dispelled through the air current tower. The suites in the house are stacked up non merely for the intent of stack consequence airing but besides to cut down the impact to the wood. Sometimes, the house will acquire excessively blowy at the hillside during dark clip as the chief infinites are confronting the optimal air current way. The encircled trees are happened to be the natural parka at this point. Besides, the designer has intelligently integrated the benefit of the site contour in be aftering the drainage of the house. The broad overhang eaves aid to cast the rain H2O and the deep angle roof directs the rain H2O to the margin without the usage of troughs into the wood, reduced the impact of building to the environing wood. The designer has designed a roof garden extension with a studio infinite below it for the house. The green roof is non merely a great chilling device for the studio below ; it is besides an attack in returning the green land to the nature.ClientThe client of the Serendah house influenced the design of the house physically and spiritually. The client, Nor Aliza Abu Bakar is an creative person with strong sensitiveness to her Malays tradition and Muslim roots, a modern yet dynamic concern adult female. To do this architecture more interesting is that the client besides happened to be the married woman of the designer. Both of them shared a batch of similarities that influenced the design of the house. The purpose of the design purpose is to make a separation between the â€Å"real universe † and the â€Å"illusion† . Harmonizing to the perceptual experience of the client, her ‘real world’ is her private universe and female parent nature whereby the ‘ill usion’ is mentioning to the mundane, public, work, pandemonium and day-to-day swot. In accomplishing the construct of the client, the entryway door, tower and walls at the signifier a symbolic and physical boundary between the two universes. The heavy mass entryway tower contrasts with the visible radiation and aired atmosphere inside, supplying a feeling of come ining the private kingdom for the client. The openness interior infinites that exposed to the beauty of the nature blurred the boundaries between interior and outside, so the client can be in touch with the nature peacefully, reminding her fugitive presence in this planet. In order to heighten the major infinites quality, the private infinites that ruling the private activities of the client such as maestro sleeping room and studio for the client are exposed to the juicy verdure positions. As the client is an creative person, she is able to work in her studio that surrounded by verdure position, as a manner to acquire inspiration. The privateness of the client is concerned while be aftering the layout of the house. Due to the topography contour which is at the border of a hill side confronting the jungle, the client can bask different beds of forest position while standing in different place in the house. The upper portion of the house offers a dramatic distant wood position and it is continuously cooled by the prevailing zephyr, picturing a restful atmosphere while the private infinites such as the maestro sleeping room and studio are positioned at the lower land exposed to the nearest wood positions, offering the closest existent nature image to the client. Therefore, the noise from the exterior, public and semi-private country of the house at the upper land floor degree ( entrance degree ) can be minimize to the lower limit through the well-designed spatial layout, meanwhile it meets the construct of ‘real world’ and ‘illusion’ by the separation of difficult and soft landscape, pub lic and private country. To complement the individuality of the client, the designer borrowed the infinites such as ‘serambi’ the gallery, ‘pangkin’ the raised platform and ‘para’ ventilated kitchen shelves from the traditional slang campong house into the Serendah House. The ground of making that is because the designer and client both have a common apprehension towards their civilization and background. Hence the design of the house must be relevant to their Malayans civilization yet run into their modern life style and needs as to supply the sense of belonging.TheoriesBased onThe Phenomenon of Place by Christian Noberg-Schulz, architecture should hold the ability to do the environment meaningful through the creative activity of specific topographic points. ( Norberg-Schulz, 1995 ) The Serendah House can be defined as a meaningful topographic point for the client as it is her escape path for her day-to-day hustle modus operandi. The designer has designed harmonizing t o the human experience alternatively of barely functional agreement of infinites. The client’s needs, her backgrounds and her thought have been taken into consideration in making a piece of architecture that belongs to her but non merely a conventional house. The ‘genius loci’ of the Serendah House introduced the spirit of a Malayan house that situated at the hill side exposed to the forest positions. The designer to the full utilized the advantage of site in making the religious topographic point for the client by unfastened up the position to the tropical alcoholic verdure, bring in the female parent nature into the house. One of the maestro jury fromGold Medal, ARCASIA Award 2003has explained that: â€Å"This house has a strong physical presence. But at the same clip it has blended harmoniously with the cragged nature of the site and surroundings†¦the sensitiveness towards different spacial elements are all manifested into a fantastic expression† The Serendah House enhances the spirit of nature scene, denotes a life to the hilly side by infixing the client’s experience into it. In order to make sense of topographic point for the client, the designer has meticulously positioning every infinites in the house based on the clime, societal and cultural context. The distant hills and verdure provide ocular pleasance while the zephyr gives alleviation from the energy salvaging run downing humidness of the metropolis. The silence of the wood is a great assistance for relaxation. The designer has successfully gives the infinite a specific character. When the client lives indoors, she will be able to orientate herself, and has individuality herself with the environment. The client is able to orientate herself, has individuality about how she is in the topographic point. As an creative person, the house is designed in such manner that allowed her to prosecute her ain ‘private’ universe closest to the Mother Nature. T he client herself stated that the house has a harmonious balance and trade with paradoxes. It is cosmopolitan yet personal, non intrusive and non overpowering. She is satisfied as the house met her demands both spiritually and functionally. Based on the Prospects for a Critical Regionalism by Kenneth Frampton, intercrossed universe civilization will merely came into being through a cross fertilisation between frozen civilization on the one manus and cosmopolitan civilisation on the other. ( Frampton, 1995 ) Therefore, in denoting a new genre of Malayan lodging architecture, Harris has blended the state heritage individuality into the design while accommodating the modern-day societal demands of a house. He believes that a good piece of architecture in this epoch should be able to talk a local yet cosmopolitan linguistic communication. For Serendah House, it deals with the paradoxes. From the transmutation of the stiff concreteness at the entryway tower to the interior dynamic infinites with openness program reveal the combination of the attacks of the designer in uniting the slang and modern architecture together. The usage of concrete construction for the tower and chief construction reveals the cosmopolitan linguistic communication for modern-day architectural stuffs while the lumber construction represents the tropical civilization scene of the house in Malaysia. Critical regionalism suggests the usage of local stuffs and craftmanship, and reactivity to visible radiation and and clime. In this instance, the designer has extensively used the local stuffs such as chengal lumber, ,resak lumber, belian lumber herpes zosters wood, and sand rock slate floors to showcase the presence of the house in response to the tropical scene. He has the designer has intelligently integrated the local stuffs with modern lodging architecture that response to climatic factors. The incursion of natural visible radiation and cross airing through the lumber wickets, lourves and turn uping door show the integrating of basic cardinal elements rule of the peculiar site in farther enhancing that the design is a site-specific architecture. The house is non intended to simply denote the slang ; it does combined interaction of clime, civilization and trade that express the critical regional individuality.Discussion and DecisionSerendah House has no uncertainty in stand fori ng its designing designer, Abdul Harris Othman. Overviewing from his childhood background, educational exposure and working experiences, the award winning Serendah House shows his architectural perceptual experience and theories towards architecture today. From the analysis of the external contributing above, the attacks of the designer in planing the Serendah House have been implemented exhaustively from climatic facet, the demands of clients, contextual and senses facets. It is decidedly a state house that represents the Malaysia context architecture yet non abandoning the cognition that he learned from the West about the modern architecture theory. The house might hold paradoxes in uniting the modern and common architecture. At the first glimpse, one might experience it looks excessively traditional or symbolical to Malay’s common architecture while most lodging these yearss have taken the modern modern-day subject to their place redevelopment design and the traditional elements of the state are hardly seeable except in the types of ornaments used within the place itself in Malaysia. The signifier of the roof of the Serendah house is chiefly influenced by the architect’s background that exposed to a batch of transverse civilization tradition such as Bidayuh and Thai. Through his extensively travel experience, he besides aware the transmutation of modern architecture and the importance of cultural individuality of a state. His sensitiveness towards cultural context inspires him to come across with a design that fulfills the modern and cultural heritage individuality. Our ain state tends to pretermit the ain unique individuality by seting the postmodern design construct without sing whether it is contextually suited or non. In fact, architecture in Malaysia or in tropical regional context should be incorporating the modern functional design yet uniting with the local context individuality. The hybridisation of the functional modern design standards and the spirit of the contextual siteshould be farther heightening in the lodging architecture in Malaysia. The signifier of the Serendah House might be non every bit appealing as other lodging design, but its meaning evokes the liquors of the tropical alcoholic forest Malaysia context that able to remind one’s presence in the planet when you been to the house. Harris has taken a great enterprise in conveying a new coevals of Malaysia residential architecture which can be identified globally as a great piece of Malaysia Architecture but non simply a great piece of architecture. The construct ofmastermind venueis exellently adapted. MentionsAndo, T. ( 1995 ) . Toward New Horizons In Architecture. In K. Nesbitt,Speculating A New Agenda For Architecture: An Anthology of Architectural Theory 1965-1995( pp. 458-461 ) . New York: Princeton Architectural Press. Chan, E. J. ( 2013, June 28 ) .Architechnique Theme for DaATUM: KL 2013. Retrieved from The Edge Malaysia: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.theedgemalaysia.com/property/243348-architechnique-theme-for-datum-kl-2013.html Davies, C. ( 2011 ) . Chapter4: Space. In C. Davies,Thinking About Architecture: An Introduction to Architectural Theory( pp. 62-81 ) . London: Laurence King Publishinhg. Frampton, K. ( 1995 ) . Propects For A Critical Regionalism. In K. Nesbitt,Speculating A New Agenda For Architecture: An Anthology of Architecture Theory 1965-1995( pp. 470-481 ) . New York: Princeton Architectural Press. Norberg-Schulz, C. ( 1995 ) . The Phenomenon of Place. In K. Nesbitt,Speculating A New Agenda For Architecture: An Anthology of Architectural Theory 1965-1995( pp. 414-425 ) . New York: Princeton Architectural Press. Powell, R. ( 2008 ) . Serendah House. In R. Powell,The New Malaysian House( pp. 206-215 ) . Hong Kong: Periplus Editions ( HK ) Ltd. Group, R. H. ( 2013 ) .RDA Harris Architects+Urban Designers. Kuala Lumpur: RDA Harris International. Serendah House, Serendah, Malaysia. ( n.d. ) . Retrieved from RDA Harris Design Group: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.rdaharrisdesign.com/r7.html Traditional Home Design Gets A Modern Twist by RDA Harris International. ( n.d. ) . Retrieved from Habitat: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.habitat-my.com/index.php/design-stories-page/12-article-type/bungalow/170-traditional-home-design-gets-a-modern-twist-by-rda-harris-international? xpert=off