Positives And Negatives Of Technology - 1037 Words

The purpose of this research is to identify the positives and negatives of technology. Those positive and negatives include healthcare, jobs, education, and the environment. The aspects of technology are rapidly changing forcing us worldwide to adapt to those changes. The study concludes that technology could harm out environment with possible pollution in the air and could potentially lead to job loss in the future. The larger technology becomes workers are increasing their productivity, but median income jobs are becoming scarce. But some of the positives include virtual classrooms that allow students to learn from home. Technology and health information are connected through patients researching information online about their health. This is crucial because there s risk that involve patient security, but health electronic records make it easier for employees to keep up with patient records. In order for us to determine how technology should be integrated in our lives, we have to a nalyze the positives and negatives that come with a technological advanced future. Technology is changing the way we live as humans and it will continue to. It changes the way we understand our surroundings and how we interact as humans with one another. It influences our modern life in many ways and as it keeps advancing many are wondering if we can keep up. These effects are positive, negative or even both. Technology impacts everything, but it has a large impact on the future of theShow MoreRelatedDisruptive Technology: Positive or Negative790 Words   |  3 PagesEvery innovation has positive and negative effects. The key consideration is whether the positives outweigh the negatives. In addition, what is positive for the innovator may be negative for the incumbent. Therefore, there is likely that no consensus can be reached on a listing of the pros and cons. Firstly, I address the need for a simple coherent definition of disruptive technology. Next, the focus moves to the impacts of disruptive technology. Finally, I consider critical factors in a responseRead MorePositive And Negative Effects Of Technology1600 Words   |  7 PagesTechnology is a very controversial topic in our modern day world. Because of the controversy of the inclusion of technology in the education system, the overuse and abuse of technology, and how it is affecting the way we behave and think in the world, various authors and producers over the years have commented about the increasing use and incorporation of technology in today’s world through their work. Many authors have very different views on the topic, some such as Ann Woo and Vannear Bush argueRead MoreTechnology Is A Positive Or Negative Advancement?877 Words   |  4 PagesTechnology in Classrooms A chalkboard used to be all that existed in classrooms. Now, if you walked in a classroom you would most likely see a SMART Board, dry erase board, and laptops or tablets. As digital and traditional learning styles mix and mingle, reactions have exploded over whether educational technology is a positive or negative advancement. The negatives outweigh the positives and the truth about educational technology may hurt. First, many schools are switching over to a laptop/tabletRead MoreThe Positive And Negative Aspect Of Technology Essay1853 Words   |  8 PagesTechnology is a huge part of our lives in the 21st century. Everyone, even children under 15 years old, have smart phones, tablets, computers, and smart watches. These devices can be used for multiple reasons, especially for education. Educational technology has transformed the teaching world in the past 20 years, with many new forms of technology to help students learn more efficiently and more effectively. In this essay, I will discuss the positive and the negative aspect of technology in educationRead MorePositive And Negative Effects Of Technology801 Words   |  4 Pagesplayground. With the invention of new technology we have simplified and aided processes in countless fields. While electronic technology may be beneficial; it has some detrimental effects. Technology has had a massive, negative impact on our society: our children are learning differently, our social skills and ability to communicate are becoming compromised, and the invention of social media is becoming a leading cause to numerous mental health issues. Technology is taking over, like the apocalypseRead MorePositive And Negative Effects Of Technology In Education838 Words   |  4 PagesThere are always two sides to everything in life. Technology has proven this several times. It can either be seen as beneficial or detrimental. Society seems to be fascinated by the eruption of technological advancements in the educational field. In 1981 about eighteen percent of U.S. public schools had one computer for instructional use. By 1991 that percentage increased to ninety-eight percent (Alhalabi p.22). Studies have shown that technology helps work get done in a more efficient manner. TeachersRead MorePositive And Negative Impact Of Technology Essay805 Words   |  4 PagesDoes Technology have a positive or negative effective on America’s future education system? Livening in today’s age we see the use of technology everywhere. People are constantly on their phones, looking for the newest update on life. We have heard about the positive and negative impacts of technology in our society. However, how has this affected our schools teaching environment? Studies have shown that technology advancement is the way of the future. Firstly, technology has had a high influenceRead MoreTechnology Has A Positive Or Negative Impact Essay1627 Words   |  7 PagesThe extreme advancements and the more accessible increase in technology has a choice to become a positive or negative impact nearly every day. The uninformed consumers are deceived into believing that their excessive usage is unavoidable, because without such habits electronic producers businesses’ would never prosper to their full extent. As technology becomes more accessible, the more this generation is being distracted, consumed, and physically damaged by electronics. Time Management SolutionRead MoreThe Positive and Negative Impacts of Technologies on Enterprises1712 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Technologies have the ability to revolutionize enterprises, making them more customer-centric and giving them the ability to be more resilient in the face of significant and often unforeseen change. The intent of this analysis is to evaluate and describe five specific areas where IT represents a significant risk to a companys competitive advantage. Second, this analysis concentrates on the five specific areas in an enterprise where IT can support and strengthen enterprises coreRead MoreThe Positive and Negative Impacts of Technology on Family Life1291 Words   |  6 PagesThe Positive and Negative Impacts of Technology on Family Life â€Å"Is technology tearing apart family life? Text messaging, social networking, and online video are changing the way parents and children see the world—and each other.† There are many technologies in today’s world that are widely used not just as a want, but as a necessity of life. This term paper will focus on relationship between family life and computer technologies, which have become the most widely used technology in the

The Lost Symbol Chapter 37-39 Free Essays

string(35) " her whole head under the ethanol\." CHAPTER 37 Mal’akh had seen some eerie spaces in his life, but few rivaled the unearthly world of Pod 3. Wet Pod. The massive room looked as if a mad scientist had taken over a Walmart and packed every aisle and shelf with specimen jars of all shapes and sizes. We will write a custom essay sample on The Lost Symbol Chapter 37-39 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Lit like a photographic darkroom, the space was bathed in a reddish haze of â€Å"safelight† that emanated from beneath the shelves, filtering upward and illuminating the ethanol-filled containers. The clinical smell of preservative chemicals was nauseating. â€Å"This pod houses over twenty thousand species,† the chubby girl was saying. â€Å"Fish, rodents, mammals, reptiles.† â€Å"All dead, I hope?† Mal’akh asked, making a show of sounding nervous. The girl laughed. â€Å"Yes, yes. All very much dead. I’ll admit, I didn’t dare come in for at least six months after I started work.† Mal’akh could understand why. Everywhere he looked there were specimen jars of dead life- forms–salamanders, jellyfish, rats, bugs, birds, and other things he could not begin to identify. As if this collection were not unsettling enough on its own, the hazy red safelights that protected these photosensitive specimens from long-term light exposure gave the visitor the feeling he was standing inside a giant aquarium, where lifeless creatures were somehow congregating to watch from the shadows. â€Å"That’s a coelacanth,† the girl said, pointing to a big Plexiglas container that held the ugliest fish Mal’akh had ever seen. â€Å"They were thought to be extinct with the dinosaurs, but this was caught off Africa a few years back and donated to the Smithsonian.† Lucky you, Mal’akh thought, barely listening. He was busy scanning the walls for security cameras. He saw only one–trained on the entry door–not surprising, considering that entrance was probably the only way in. â€Å"And here is what you wanted to see . . .† she said, leading him to the giant tank he had seen from the window. â€Å"Our longest specimen.† She swept her arm out over the vile creature like a game-show host displaying a new car. â€Å"Architeuthis.† The squid tank looked like a series of glass phone booths had been laid on their sides and fused end to end. Within the long, clear Plexiglas coffin hovered a sickeningly pale and amorphous shape. Mal’akh gazed down at the bulbous, saclike head and its basketball-size eyes. â€Å"Almost makes your coelacanth look handsome,† he said. â€Å"Wait till you see her lit.† Trish flipped back the long lid of the tank. Ethanol fumes wafted out as she reached down into the tank and flipped a switch just above the liquid line. A string of fluorescent lights flickered to life along the entire base of the tank. Architeuthis was now shining in all her glory–a colossal head attached to a slithery mass of decaying tentacles and razor-sharp suckers. She began talking about how Architeuthis could beat a sperm whale in a fight. Mal’akh heard only empty prattling. The time had come. Trish Dunne always felt a bit uneasy in Pod 3, but the chill that had just run through her felt different. Visceral. Primal. She tried to ignore it, but it grew quickly now, clawing deeply at her. Although Trish could not seem to place the source of her anxiety, her gut was clearly telling her it was time to leave. â€Å"Anyhow, that’s the squid,† she said, reaching into the tank and turning off the display light. â€Å"We should probably get back to Katherine’s–â€Å" A broad palm clamped hard over her mouth, yanking her head back. Instantly, a powerful arm was wrapped around her torso, pinning her against a rock-hard chest. For a split second, Trish went numb with shock. Then came the terror. The man groped across her chest, grabbing her key card and yanking down hard. The cord burned the back of her neck before snapping. The key card fell on the floor at their feet. She fought, trying to twist away, but she was no match for the man’s size and strength. She tried to scream, but his hand remained tightly across her mouth. He leaned down and placed his mouth next to her ear, whispering, â€Å"When I take my hand off your mouth, you will not scream, is that clear?† She nodded vigorously, her lungs burning for air. I can’t breathe! The man removed his hand from her mouth, and Trish gasped, inhaling deeply. â€Å"Let me go!† she demanded, breathless. â€Å"What the hell are you doing?† â€Å"Tell me your PIN number,† the man said. Trish felt totally at a loss. Katherine! Help! Who is this man?! â€Å"Security can see you!† she said, knowing full well they were out of range of the cameras. And nobody is watching anyway. â€Å"Your PIN number,† the man repeated. â€Å"The one that matches your key card.† An icy fear churned in her gut, and Trish spun violently, wriggling an arm free and twisting around, clawing at the man’s eyes. Her fingers hit flesh and raked down one cheek. Four dark gashes opened on his flesh where she scratched him. Then she realized the dark stripes on his flesh were not blood. The man was wearing makeup, which she had just scratched off, revealing dark tattoos hidden underneath. Who is this monster?! With seemingly superhuman strength, the man spun her around and hoisted her up, pushing her out over the open squid tank, her face now over the ethanol. The fumes burned her nostrils. â€Å"What is your PIN number?† he repeated. Her eyes burned, and she could see the pale flesh of the squid submerged beneath her face. â€Å"Tell me,† he said, pushing her face closer to the surface. â€Å"What is it?† Her throat was burning now. â€Å"Zero-eight-zero-four!† she blurted, barely able to breathe. â€Å"Let me go! Zero-eight-zero-four!† â€Å"If you’re lying,† he said, pushing down farther, her hair in the ethanol now. â€Å"I’m not lying!† she said, coughing. â€Å"August 4! It’s my birthday!† â€Å"Thank you, Trish.† His powerful hands clasped her head tighter, and a crushing force rammed her downward, plunging her face into the tank. Searing pain burned her eyes. The man pressed down harder, driving her whole head under the ethanol. You read "The Lost Symbol Chapter 37-39" in category "Essay examples" Trish felt her face pressing into the fleshy head of the squid. Summoning all of her strength, she bucked violently, arching backward, trying to pull her head out of the tank. But the powerful hands did not budge. I have to breathe! She remained submerged, straining not to open her eyes or mouth. Her lungs burned as she fought the powerful urge to breathe in. No! Don’t! But Trish’s inhalation reflex finally took over. Her mouth flew open, and her lungs expanded violently, attempting to suck in the oxygen that her body craved. In a searing rush, a wave of ethanol poured into her mouth. As the chemicals gushed down her throat into her lungs, Trish felt a pain like nothing she had ever imagined possible. Mercifully, it lasted only a few seconds before her world went black. Mal’akh stood beside the tank, catching his breath and surveying the damage. The lifeless woman lay slumped over the rim of the tank, her face still submerged in ethanol. Seeing her there, Mal’akh flashed on the only other woman he had ever killed. Isabel Solomon. Long ago. Another life. Mal’akh gazed down now at the woman’s flaccid corpse. He grabbed her ample hips and lifted with his legs, hoisting her up, pushing forward, until she began to slide over the rim of the squid tank. Trish Dunne slithered headfirst down into the ethanol. The rest of her body followed, sloshing down. Gradually, the ripples subsided, leaving the woman hovering limp over the huge sea creature. As her clothing got heavier, she began to sink, slipping into the darkness. Bit by bit, Trish Dunne’s body settled on top of the great beast. Mal’akh wiped his hands and replaced the Plexiglas lid, sealing the tank. Wet Pod has a new specimen. He retrieved Trish’s key card from the floor and slipped it in his pocket: 0804. When Mal’akh had first seen Trish in the lobby, he’d seen a liability. Then he’d realized her key card and password were his insurance. If Katherine’s data-storage room was as secure as Peter had implied, then Mal’akh was anticipating some challenges persuading Katherine to unlock it for him. I now have my own set of keys. He was pleased to know he would no longer have to waste time bending Katherine to his will. As Mal’akh stood up straight, he saw his own reflection in the window and could tell his makeup was badly mangled. It didn’t matter anymore. By the time Katherine put it all together, it would be too late. CHAPTER 38 â€Å"This room is Masonic?† Sato demanded, turning from the skull and staring at Langdon in the darkness. Langdon nodded calmly. â€Å"It’s called a Chamber of Reflection. These rooms are designed as cold, austere places in which a Mason can reflect on his own mortality. By meditating on the inevitability of death, a Mason gains a valuable perspective on the fleeting nature of life.† Sato looked around the eerie space, apparently not convinced. â€Å"This is some kind of meditation room?† â€Å"Essentially, yes. These chambers always incorporate the same symbols–skull and crossed bones, scythe, hourglass, sulfur, salt, blank paper, a candle, et cetera. The symbols of death inspire Masons to ponder how better to lead their lives while on this earth.† â€Å"It looks like a death shrine,† Anderson said. That’s kind of the point. â€Å"Most of my symbology students have the same reaction at first.† Langdon often assigned them Symbols of Freemasonry by Beresniak, which contained beautiful photos of Chambers of Reflection. â€Å"And your students,† Sato demanded, â€Å"don’t find it unnerving that Masons meditate with skulls and scythes?† â€Å"No more unnerving than Christians praying at the feet of a man nailed to a cross, or Hindus chanting in front of a four-armed elephant named Ganesh. Misunderstanding a culture’s symbols is a common root of prejudice.† Sato turned away, apparently in no mood for a lecture. She moved toward the table of artifacts. Anderson tried to light her way with the flashlight, but the beam was beginning to dim. He tapped the heel of the light and coaxed it to burn a little brighter. As the threesome moved deeper into the narrow space, the pungent tang of sulfur filled Langdon’s nostrils. The subbasement was damp, and the humidity in the air was activating the sulfur in the bowl. Sato arrived at the table and stared down at the skull and accompanying objects. Anderson joined her, doing his best to light the desk with the weakening beam of his flashlight. Sato examined everything on the table and then placed her hands on her hips, sighing. â€Å"What is all this junk?† The artifacts in this room, Langdon knew, were carefully selected and arranged. â€Å"Symbols of transformation,† he told her, feeling confined as he inched forward and joined them at the table. â€Å"The skull, or caput mortuum, represents man’s final transformation through decay; it’s a reminder that we all shed our mortal flesh one day. The sulfur and salt are alchemical catalysts that facilitate transformation. The hourglass represents the transformational power of time.† He motioned to the unlit candle. â€Å"And this candle represents the formative primordial fire and the awakening of man from his ignorant slumber–transformation through illumination.† â€Å"And . . . that?† Sato asked, pointing into the corner. Anderson swung his dimming flashlight beam to the giant scythe that leaned against the back wall. â€Å"Not a death symbol, as most assume,† Langdon said. â€Å"The scythe is actually a symbol of the transformative nourishment of nature–the reaping of nature’s gifts.† Sato and Anderson fell silent, apparently trying to process their bizarre surroundings. Langdon wanted nothing more than to get out of the place. â€Å"I realize this room may seem unusual,† he told them, â€Å"but there’s nothing to see here; it’s really quite normal. A lot of Masonic lodges have chambers exactly like this one.† â€Å"But this is not a Masonic lodge!†Anderson declared. â€Å"It’s the U.S. Capitol, and I’d like to know what the hell this room is doing in my building.† â€Å"Sometimes Masons set aside rooms like this in their offices or private homes as meditation spaces. It is not uncommon.† Langdon knew a heart surgeon in Boston who had converted a closet in his office into a Masonic Chamber of Reflection so he could ponder mortality before going into surgery. Sato looked troubled. â€Å"You’re saying Peter Solomon comes down here to reflect on death?† â€Å"I really don’t know,† Langdon said sincerely. â€Å"Maybe he created it as a sanctuary for his Masonic brothers who work in the building, giving them a spiritual sanctuary away from the chaos of the material world . . . a place for a powerful lawmaker to reflect before making decisions that affect his fellow man.† â€Å"Lovely sentiment,† Sato said, her tone sarcastic, â€Å"but I have a feeling Americans might have a problem with their leaders praying in closets with scythes and skulls.† Well, they shouldn’t, Langdon thought, imagining how different a world it might be if more leaders took time to ponder the finality of death before racing off to war. Sato pursed her lips and carefully surveyed all four corners of the candle lit chamber. â€Å"There must be something in here besides human bones and bowls of chemicals, Professor. Someone transported you all the way from your home in Cambridge to be in this precise room.† Langdon clutched his daybag to his side, still unable to imagine how the package he carried might relate to this chamber. â€Å"Ma’am, I’m sorry, but I don’t see anything out of the ordinary here.† Langdon hoped that now at last they could get to the business of trying to find Peter. Anderson’s light flickered again, and Sato spun on him, her temper starting to show. â€Å"For Christ’s sake, is it too much to ask?† She plunged her hand into her pocket and yanked out a cigarette lighter. Striking her thumb on the flint, she held out the flame and lit the desk’s lone candle. The wick sputtered and then caught, spreading a ghostly luminescence throughout the constricted space. Long shadows raked the stone walls. As the flame grew brighter, an unexpected sight materialized before them. â€Å"Look!† Anderson said, pointing. In the candlelight, they could now see a faded patch of graffiti–seven capital letters scrawled across the rear wall. VITRIOL â€Å"An odd choice of word,† Sato said as the candlelight cast a frightening skull-shaped silhouette across the letters. â€Å"Actually, it’s an acronym,† Langdon said. â€Å"It’s written on the rear wall of most chambers like this as a shorthand for the Masonic meditative mantra: Visita interiora terrae, rectificando invenies occultum lapidem.† Sato eyed him, looking almost impressed. â€Å"Meaning?† â€Å"Visit the interior of the earth, and by rectifying, you will find the hidden stone.† Sato’s gaze sharpened. â€Å"Does the hidden stone have any connection to a hidden pyramid?† Langdon shrugged, not wanting to encourage the comparison. â€Å"Those who enjoy fantasizing about hidden pyramids in Washington would tell you that occultum lapidem refers to the stone pyramid, yes. Others will tell you it’s a reference to the Philosopher’s Stone–a substance alchemists believed could bring them everlasting life or turn lead into gold. Others claim it’s a reference to the Holy of Holies, a hidden stone chamber at the core of the Great Temple. Some say it’s a Christian reference to the hidden teachings of Saint Peter–the Rock. Every esoteric tradition interprets `the stone’ in its own way, but invariably the occultum lapidem is a source of power and enlightenment.† Anderson cleared his throat. â€Å"Is it possible Solomon lied to this guy? Maybe he told him there was something down here . . . and there really isn’t.† Langdon was having similar thoughts. Without warning, the candle flame flickered, as if caught by a draft. It dimmed for a moment and then recovered, burning brightly again. â€Å"That’s odd,† Anderson said. â€Å"I hope no one closed the door upstairs.† He strode out of the chamber into the darkness of the hallway. â€Å"Hello?† Langdon barely noticed him leave. His gaze had been drawn suddenly to the rear wall. What just happened? â€Å"Did you see that?† Sato asked, also staring with alarm at the wall. Langdon nodded, his pulse quickening. What did I just see? A moment earlier, the rear wall seemed to have shimmered, as if a ripple of energy had passed through it. Anderson now strode back into the room. â€Å"No one’s out there.† As he entered, the wall shimmered again. â€Å"Holy shit!† he exclaimed, jumping back. All three stood mute for a long moment, staring in unison at the back wall. Langdon felt another chill run through him as he realized what they were seeing. He reached out tentatively, until his fingertips touched the rear surface of the chamber. â€Å"It’s not a wall,† he said. Anderson and Sato stepped closer, peering intently. â€Å"It’s a canvas,† Langdon said. â€Å"But it billowed,† Sato said quickly. Yes, in a very strange way. Langdon examined the surface more closely. The sheen on the canvas had refracted the candlelight in a startling manner because the canvas had just billowed away from the room . . . fluttering backward through the plane of the rear wall. Langdon extended his outstretched fingers very gently, pressing the canvas backward. Startled, he yanked his hand back. There’s an opening! â€Å"Pull it aside,† Sato ordered. Langdon’s heart pounded wildly now. He reached up and clutched the edge of the canvas banner, slowly pulling the fabric to one side. He stared in disbelief at what lay hidden behind it. My God. Sato and Anderson stood in stunned silence as they looked through the opening in the rear wall. Finally, Sato spoke. â€Å"It appears we’ve just found our pyramid.† CHAPTER 39 Robert Langdon stared at the opening in the rear wall of the chamber. Hidden behind the canvas banner, a perfectly square hole had been hollowed out of the wall. The opening, about three feet across, appeared to have been created by removing a series of bricks. For a moment, in the darkness, Langdon thought the hole was a window to a room beyond. Now he saw it was not. The opening extended only a few feet into the wall before terminating. Like a rough-hewn cubbyhole, the recessed niche reminded Langdon of a museum alcove designed to hold a statuette. Fittingly, this niche displayed one small object. About nine inches tall, it was a piece of carved, solid granite. The surface was elegant and smooth with four polished sides that shone in the candlelight. Langdon could not fathom what it was doing here. A stone pyramid? â€Å"From your look of surprise,† Sato said, sounding self-satisfied, â€Å"I take it this object is not typical within a Chamber of Reflection?† Langdon shook his head. â€Å"Then perhaps you would like to reassess your previous claims regarding the legend of a Masonic Pyramid hidden in Washington?† Her tone now was almost smug. â€Å"Director,† Langdon replied instantly, â€Å"this little pyramid is not the Masonic Pyramid.† â€Å"So it is merely coincidence that we found a pyramid hidden at the heart of the U.S. Capitol in a secret chamber belonging to a Masonic leader?† Langdon rubbed his eyes and tried to think clearly. â€Å"Ma’am, this pyramid doesn’t resemble the myth in any way. The Masonic Pyramid is described as enormous, with a tip forged of solid gold.† Moreover, Langdon knew, this little pyramid–with its flat top–was not even a true pyramid. Without its tip, this was another symbol entirely. Known as an Unfinished Pyramid, it was a symbolic reminder that man’s ascent to his full human potential was always a work in progress. Though few realized it, this symbol was the most widely published symbol on earth. Over twenty billion in print. Adorning every one-dollar bill in circulation, the Unfinished Pyramid waited patiently for its shining capstone, which hovered above it as a reminder of America’s yet- unfulfilled destiny and the work yet to be done, both as a country and as individuals. â€Å"Lift it down,† Sato said to Anderson, motioning to the pyramid. â€Å"I want a closer look.† She began making room on the desk by shoving the skull and crossed bones to one side with no reverence whatsoever. Langdon was starting to feel like they were common grave robbers, desecrating a personal shrine. Anderson maneuvered past Langdon, reached into the niche, and clamped his large palms on either side of the pyramid. Then, barely able to lift at this awkward angle, he slid the pyramid toward him and lowered it with a hard thud onto the wooden desk. He stepped back to give Sato room. The director repositioned the candle close to the pyramid and studied its polished surface. Slowly, she ran her tiny fingers over it, examining every inch of the flat top, and then the sides. She wrapped her hands around to feel the back, then frowned in apparent disappointment. â€Å"Professor, earlier you said the Masonic Pyramid was constructed to protect secret information.† â€Å"That’s the legend, yes.† â€Å"So, hypothetically speaking, if Peter’s captor believed this was the Masonic Pyramid, he would believe it contained powerful information.† Langdon nodded, exasperated. â€Å"Yes, although even if he found this information, he probably would not be able to read it. According to legend, the contents of the pyramid are encoded, making them indecipherable . . . except to the most worthy.† â€Å"I beg your pardon?† Despite Langdon’s growing impatience, he replied with an even tone. â€Å"Mythological treasures are always protected by tests of worthiness. As you may recall, in the legend of the Sword in the Stone, the stone refuses to give up the sword except to Arthur, who was spiritually prepared to wield the sword’s awesome power. The Masonic Pyramid is based on the same idea. In this case, the information is the treasure, and it is said to be written in an encoded language–a mystical tongue of lost words–legible only to the worthy.† A faint smile crossed Sato’s lips. â€Å"That may explain why you were summoned here tonight.† â€Å"I’m sorry?† Calmly, Sato rotated the pyramid in place, turning it a full 180 degrees. The pyramid’s fourth side now shone in the candlelight. Robert Langdon stared at it with surprise. â€Å"It appears,† Sato said, â€Å"that someone believes you’re worthy.† How to cite The Lost Symbol Chapter 37-39, Essay examples

Comprehension Passage free essay sample

Comprehension Passage 1 No longer is asthma considered a condition with isolated, acute episodes of bronchospasm. Rather, asthma is now understood to be a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways†that is, inflammation makes the airways chronically sensitive. When these hyper-responsive airways are irritated, airflow is limited, and attacks of coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and breathing difficulty occur. Asthma involves complex interactions among inflammatory cells, mediators, and the cells and tissues in the airways. The interactions result in airflow limitation from acute roncho-constriction, swelling of the airway wall, increased mucus secretion, and airway remodeling. The inflammation also causes an increase in airway responsiveness. During an asthma attack, the patient attempts to compensate by breathing at a higher lung volume in order to keep the air flowing through the constricted airways, and the greater the airway limitation, the higher the lung volume must be to keep airways open. The morphologic changes that occur in asthma include bronchial infiltration by inflammatory cells. Key effector cells in the inflammatory response are the mast cells, T lymphocytes, and eosinophils. Mast cells and eosinophils are also significant participants in allergic responses, hence the similarities between allergic reactions and asthma attacks. Other changes include mucus plugging of the airways, interstitial edema, and microvascular leakage. Destruction of bronchial epithelium and thickening of the subbasement membrane is also characteristic. In addition, there may be hypertrophy and hyperplasia of airway smooth muscle, increase in goblet cell number, and enlargement of sub-mucous glands. Although causes of the initial tendency toward inflammation in the airways of atients with asthma are not yet certain, to date the strongest identified risk factor is atopy. This inherited familial tendency to have allergic reactions includes increased sensitivity to allergens that are risk factors for developing asthma. Some of these allergens include domestic dust mites, animals with fur, cockroaches, pollens, and molds. Additionally, asthma may be triggered by viral respiratory infections, especially in children. By avoiding these allergens and triggers, a person with asthma lowers his or her risk of irritating sensitive airways. A few avoidance techniques nclude: keeping the home clean and well ventilated, using an air conditioner in the summer months when pollen and mold counts are high, and getting an annual influenza vaccination. Of course, asthma sufferers should avoid tobacco smoke altogether. Cigar, cigarette, or pipe smoke is a trigger whether the patient smokes or inhales the smoke from others. Smoke increases the risk of allergic sensitization in children, increases the severity of symptoms, and may be fatal in children who already have asthma. Many of the risk factors for developing asthma may also rovoke asthma attacks, and people with asthma may have one or more triggers, which vary from individual to individual. The risk can be further reduced by taking medications that decrease airway inflammation. Most exacerbations can be prevented by the combination of avoiding triggers and taking anti-inflammatory medications. An exception is physical activity, which is a common trigger ot exacerbations in asthma patients However, asthma patients should not necessarily avoid all physical exertion, because some types of activity have been proven to reduce symptoms. Rather, they should work in conjunction with a doctor to design a proper training regimen, which includes the use of medication. In order to diagnose asthma, a healthcare professional must appreciate the underlying disorder that leads to asthma symptoms and understand how to recognize the condition through information gathered from the patients history, physical examination, measurements of lung function, and allergic status. Because asthma symptoms vary throughout the day, the respiratory system may appear normal during physical examination. Clinical signs are more likely to be present when a patient is xperiencing symptoms; however, the absence of symptoms upon examination does not exclude the diagnosis of asthma. 1 . According to the passage, what is the name for the familial inclination to have hypersensitivity to certain allergens? a. interstitial edema b. hyperplasia c. hypertrophy d. atopy 2. Why does a person suffering from an asthma attack attempt to inhale more air? a. to prevent the loss of consciousness b. to keep air flowing through shrunken air passageways c. to prevent hyperplasia d. to compensate for weakened mast cells, T lymphocytes, and eosinophils 3. The passage suggests that in the past, asthma was regarded as which of the following? a. a result of the overuse of tobacco products b. a hysterical condition c. mysterious, unrelated attacks affecting the lungs d. a chronic condition 4. Which of the following would be the best replacement for the underlined wordexacerbations in this passage? a. allergies b. attacks c. triggers d. allergens 5. The passage mentions all of the following bodily changes during an asthma attack except a. severe cramping in the chest. b. heavy breathing. c. airways blocked by fluids. d. constricted airways. 6. Although it is surprising, which of the following triggers is mentioned in the passage as possibly reducing the symptoms of asthma in some patients? a. using a fan instead of an air conditioner in summer months b. exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke c. the love ofa family pet d. performing physical exercise 7. Why might a patient with asthma have an apparently normal respiratory system during an examination by a doctor? a. Asthma symptoms come and go throughout the day. b. Severe asthma occurs only after strenuous physical exertion. c. Doctors offices are smoke free and very clean. d. The pollen and mold count may be low that day. 8. Who might be the most logical audience for this passage? a. researchers studying the respiratory system b. healthcare professionals c. a mother whose child has been diagnosed with asthma d. an antismoking activist 9. What is the reason given in this article for why passive smoke should be avoided by children? a. A smoke-filled room is a breeding ground for viral respiratory infections. b. Smoke can stunt an asthmatic childs growth. c. Smoke can heighten the intensity of asthma symptoms. d. Breathing smoke can lead to a fatal asthma attack.

Internet Privacy Essays (652 words) - Privacy, Digital Rights

Internet Privacy Internet Privacy Why should I worry about privacy and security? I'm not a criminal or a terrorist. I've got nothing to hide. These are things that most people think. They also believe the internet is much more secure and that their personal information is only available to them, whereas this is actually quite wrong. There are more reasons to want to protect your privacy than can be named. The important principal is that you have a right to privacy as long as that right is used within the bounds of the law. Seeking privacy should not make you feel guilty. Privacy should be expected, and demanded. The reasons might be as simple as preserving your right to express unpopular opinions without being subjected to persecution, or as serious as communicating sensitive business information, revealing credit card numbers, legal discussions with your accountant, or hiding your true identity from a secret government. Regardless of your reasons, privacy is your right. Contrary to what some governing bodies might want the public to believe, not all those concerned with security and privacy are hackers or terrorists. The internet provides one of the easiest communications tools ever afforded by mankind. It is quick, convenient, cheap....and as insecure as it is quick, convenient, and cheap. A message sent many months ago may remain on an ISP's server or as a backup, and can be easily retrieved by anyone who knows how to do so. This is information which you personally have deleted for a reason - not to be accessed by someone else after you have finished with it. There have been times where information has be retrieved up to 6 months after, and used in a court case as evidence. It can be quite simple for someone to intercept your messages or information if they want it. This may be just an administrator of your ISP or your office network. Or it might be a business competitor, legal foe, or government agency, with much more serious intentions. There are an abundant means available to protect online privacy. Some are large and complex while others are extremely simple. The important fact is that some methods are almost totally lacking in security while others are practically bulletproof. It is an all too common misconception that anonymity equals privacy. Anonymity and privacy may be related, but their significance is quite different. Do you wonder what other people know about you? Cookies are available on certain websites, and these small files are placed on your computer and record data which most often contains information that the user would rather be kept secure. Information including passwords, credit card numbers and where the user has been. There are hundreds of web-based email services that appear to offer anonymity. Few really do. These include names such as Hotmail, Yahoo, Excite and many more that could be listed. In each of these cases, the user is allowed to create a personal username that he uses for his messages. Unfortunately, through sign-up procedures and logging, it is amazingly simple to determine your ISP, and even your true identity, when you use these services. For the obvious reason, there is no point in wasting space dealing with those types of services. As the user, it is your responsibility to know that your internet anonymity is only as secure as the service's privacy policy. You should always familiarize yourself with the usage and privacy policies of any E-mail or internet service you consider using. Who wants to know what you're saying? It might be a nosey fellow employee, your employer, your ISP, a competitor, friend, or legal team. Regardless of who wants to, it is remarkably easy for someone else to read what you write. It is common sense to protect information that you don't want others to know, and people should ensure that they go to some lengths to do so. There are a large number of nonprofit organizations that specialize in protecting your rights to privacy. It is time well spent to visit these sites, as you can learn what the current laws are, what is being proposed, and what is being done to protect privacy.

Korean War Essays - Battles Of The Korean War, Korean War

Korean War Essays - Battles Of The Korean War, Korean War Korean War The Korean War (1950-1953) The Korean War was the first war in which the United Nations played a major role in. It was also part of the cold war between the US and Soviet Union. One of the deadliest war in history, it took many lives in such a short span of time of three years. Even after all these deaths, the conflict isn't completely resolved in Korea. There are still American troops stationed in South Korea, in case the Communists decide to take aggressive action. In WW II, Japan had gained control in Korea. At the end, when Japan was defeated by the Allies, the US and Soviet forces moved in Korea . Korea was divided to serve as the purpose to move the Japanese troops out. The line which was at the 38th parallel divided the country in about half. The Soviet forces were responsible for the north and the US for the south part of Korea. Later, this partition was made permanent. In 1947, the UN declared for elections to be held in all of Korea to decide one government for the country. However, North Korea refused to take part in the elections and didn't allow it. So on May 10, 1948, South Korea voted for a national assembly which set up the Republic of Korea. On September 9, North Korea set up the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. North and South Korea claimed the whole country and their troops fought several times between 1948-1950. The US removed it's troops from South Korea in 1949. It also said that Korea was outside of US defense line. N orth Korea saw it's chance for military action to take over South Korea. In June 1950, North Korea surprised South Korea with an attack. At the time, the North Korean Army had 135,000 soldiers, most of them veterans of WW II. It also had airplanes, tanks, and artillery that outnumbered South Korea by three to one. On the other hand, South Korea had 65,000 combat troops who had small arms and light artillery. On the day the war began, the UN Security Council issued a resolution demanding the Communist retreat back to the 38th parallel. The Soviet Union was a permanent member of the Security Council. However, it didn't go to the meeting because it had been boycotting the Council meetings. This was because the Council was denying the Communist Chinese government. If the Soviet Union had been there, it could have voted against the resolution or deliver a veto. North Korea chose to disregard the resolution. On June 27, North Korean troops reached South Korea's capital, Seoul. Seoul fell in four days. In the US, President Truman and the UN took action to stop N orth Korea from advancing. President Truman, going by his containment policy, sent US air and naval forces to help South Korea. The UN also asked its members to help South Korea. On June 30, Truman ordered the first ground troops to go to South Korea. General Douglas Macarthur was the commander of the ground forces. Congress supported Truman but didn't officially declare war on North Korea. Other troops from UN nations began soon after the US. Part of the US army on July 1, came from Japan to southernmost Korea at Pusan. Soon, these troops very moving close to south of Seoul. The first fight that took place between the US and North Korea was at Osan, south of Seoul. North Korea had already surpassed Seoul. On July 7, Truman named General MacArthur the commander of UN Commands. He had control over all of the forces in South Korea. By August 2, the North Korean army had advanced to the Pusan Perimeter. The Pusan Perimeter was on the southeast corner of South Korea. This was one of the many turning points in the war because the North Koreans lost nearly 58,000 people. The UN ground forces were led by General Walker who attacked the North Koreans with reserves. US planes helped out by destroying the enemy from above. On August 6, the North Koreans succeeded in crossing the river that stopped them from reaching Pusan. However, the UN forces counterattacked and pushed them back on August 25. North Korea tried

Causes and Effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Posttraumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder caused by exposure to a trauma event. When the body feels that it is in danger, it responds to flying or fighting reactions designed to protect people from harm. When the body faces horror, functions such as memory, emotions, thinking, etc. are currently not important and are turned off. This allows the body to concentrate on adding stress hormones to increase heart rate, blood movement to the muscles and in the case of injury in combating infections and bleeding (National Alliance on Mental Health Website, 2014). Post traumatic stress disorder, that is exactly that. The first response to this disease would be the pressure for over-application and trauma experience. Kay Jankowsi (2010) said posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be traced back to ancient times. History Medical literature literature began with civil war, where PTSD-like disease was called Dakosta syndrome (Jankowsi 2010). Janko wsi (2010) argues that Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that may occur after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event (gospelassemblyfree.com). Post-traumatic stress disorder post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental illness that people remember repetitiously or have a dream of a terrible experience (post traumatic stress disorder 710). The explanation of post traumatic stress disorder mainly focuses on the way in which psychological trauma experience is affected. When a person is facing an overwhelming trauma, the brain can not handle information or emotion correctly (Cohen Web). Post traumatic stress disorder changes the body's response to stress. Hundreds of different types of psychiatric disorders, fourth edition are posted in the mental disorder diagnosis and statistics handbook. (DSM - IV) One of them is called post - traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to this study post-traumatic injuries usually experienced and witnessed life-thr eatening events such as military attacks, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, serious accidents and rape, and other violent personal attacks It will occur later (Harvard Women 's Health Watch, 2005). Causes and Effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Posttraumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder caused by exposure to a trauma event. When the body feels that it is in danger, it responds to flying or fighting reactions designed to protect people from harm. When the body faces horror, functions such as memory, emotions, thinking, etc. are currently not important and are turned off. This allows the body to concentrate on adding stress hormones to increase heart rate, blood movement to the muscles and in the case of injury in combating infections and bleeding (National Alliance on Mental Health Website, 2014). Post traumatic stress disorder, that is exactly that. The first response to this disease would be the pressure for over-application and trauma experience. Kay Jankowsi (2010) said posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be traced back to ancient times. History Medical literature literature began with civil war, where PTSD-like disease was called Dakosta syndrome (Jankowsi 2010). Janko wsi (2010) argues that Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that may occur after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event (gospelassemblyfree.com). Post-traumatic stress disorder post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental illness that people remember repetitiously or have a dream of a terrible experience (post traumatic stress disorder 710). The explanation of post traumatic stress disorder mainly focuses on the way in which psychological trauma experience is affected. When a person is facing an overwhelming trauma, the brain can not handle information or emotion correctly (Cohen Web). Post traumatic stress disorder changes the body's response to stress. Hundreds of different types of psychiatric disorders, fourth edition are posted in the mental disorder diagnosis and statistics handbook. (DSM - IV) One of them is called post - traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to this study post-traumatic injuries usually experienced and witnessed life-thr eatening events such as military attacks, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, serious accidents and rape, and other violent personal attacks It will occur later (Harvard Women 's Health Watch, 2005).

Data Communication assignment - 4G Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Data Communication assignment - 4G - Essay Example It all started with 1st generation mobile communications that were focused on analogue means of communication, this was followed by 2nd generation which resulted in a total shift of medium from analogue to digital(Palanivelu & Nakkeeran 2009). Ever since the introduction of digital sources of communication there has been no looking back, and the current standings are at 3rd, 4th generation and beyond. Furtherance and change being natural phenomena, mobile communications have seen a revolution in the manner in which they are operate today. State of the art technology exists in the field of mobile communication that has made the once impossible, possible. 4G is a generic term that represents a family of number of standards that are around in use. The family encompasses all those elements that are beyond 3G, namely Wimax, L.T.E, Wimax 2.0, HSDPA, Advanced L.T.E and all other standards that fulfill the demands and specifications being presented by International Telecommunication Union (W ang, Kondi & Luthra 2009). 4G standards provide data rates nearly ten times higher 3G (Aktas & Ismail 2004) with focus on resolving the last mile issues once for all by reaching to even the most remote of areas across the globe. The most prevalent of 4G family is Wimax. It has been around for 6 to 7 years now and has made inroads into the market on commercial scale. More promise is being shown by L.T.E which is termed as the true representation of 4th generation technologies that will set the platform for coming generations in telecommunication world. The journey towards 4th generation technologies started with Wimax in early 21st century. Wimax is an acronym for World Wide Interoperability Microwave Access. It is another name for ubiquitous internet connection, be it on the go or under the roof. Work was in place for last few years and it was first introduced on commercial scale for public use in South Korea. Many more countries have joined the caravan and have implemented 4G on co mmercial scale. The recently published requirements for a true 4G system specified by I.T.U, demand more than Wimax and L.T.E initial versions offered, Wimax 2.0 and L.T.E Advanced fulfill the requirements being stated by I.T.U as the just members of 4th generation(Cox 2012). Wimax has made rapid progress in last few years and has a cluster scattered in various parts of the world already. Few of the companies that have implemented Wimax include Sprint, Etisalat, and Nexter to name a few. T-Mobile is aiming at L.T.E implementation on fully commercial scale in coming days. 802.16d vs. 802.16e: Improvements have been made in the Wimax technology periodically, the initially launched version was 802.16d which provided limited or no mobility. In order to capture large scale market and attract customers to itself, a new version 802.16e was introduced later in 2005 which provided ease of movement and had focus on mobility Features of Wimax: Wimax provides large number of features compared t o its predecessors and few of them are: OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Access): An interface aimed to overcome the short comings of OFDM, provides the feature of entertaining multiple users at the same time and brings about more stability and reliability in the network. The use of Fast Fourier Transform (F.F.T) by the incumbent allows increased number of bits being transformed from one source to another (spectral efficiency) .802.16d made use of OFDM while the later version (802.16e)

LP6- Juvenile Justice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

LP6- Juvenile Justice - Assignment Example However, some adverse effects may vary depending on the quantity consumed, the rate of body metabolism, and individual mood. Some of the most commonly abused drugs include marijuana, cocaine, heroin and alcohol (Bruce and Tracey 2-6). Marijuana is dry shredded leaves ranging from brown to green mixture of flowers stem and leaves of a plant termed as cannabis sativa. This type of drug in its resinous form is called hashish. Marijuana contains a chemical component known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), this chemical subjects the body it into euphoric state (feeling high). According to center of diseases and control (CDC), marijuana contains over 70% cancer causing substances compared to cigarettes and persistence use often lead to inflammation on the respiratory system. Several studies have also indicated that this drug causes abnormalities of the brain giving a leeway to diseases such as psychosis. In male, marijuana changes the structure of the formation of sperm cell and this may lead to infertility and it interferes with the menstrual cycle in women. The drug also causes abnormal cell division leading to premature births and is one of the leading causes of leukemia amongst newborn children. In conclusion, cannabi s increases the rate of heartbeat, interferes with the physical coordination and causes dizziness (Diane and Samantha 100). Cocaine falls amongst the addictive stimulant drugs generated from a coca plant mostly grown in South America. This drug in its processed form is known as crack. Cocaine drug is inhaled through the nostril or can be directly injected into the blood stream in form of solution. This drug increases the rate of heartbeat, nausea and enhances abnormal breathing patterns (Diane and Samantha 100). Even though cocaine is mainly associated with short term effects, its abusers often suffer from damaged nose cartilage thus leading to paranoia and abnormal breathing

Cultural evolution Essay Example for Free

Cultural evolution Essay In his article â€Å"Where Do Social Relations Come From? †, Michael Grossetti discusses the ways that human relationships are studied by sociologists, citing that often the methodology begins by starting with the relationship ad working backward to define it (Grossetti,p. 289). The most lasting relationships are the ones that come from organizations, he concludes, especially those related to family and friends. When we related this conclusion back to cultural evolution theory, we can argue that the lasting relationships of this generation because at this point in time most relationships are forged out of organizations or via our families. However, we can clearly argue that once this may not have been true as people had longer term relationships with people in their neighborhoods and those with whom they had a physical proximity. Grossetti argues that neighborhoods do not provide a basis for lasting relationships as they do not necessarily share life values or interests which draw people together (p. 292). When discussing this assertion in relation to cultural evolution, we can argue that in the recent past, neighborhoods did share a commonality that is now missing – immigrants would tend to settle in neighborhoods, neighborhoods would be divided by racial or religious lines, or at the most tangential neighborhoods would be reflective of a certain socio-economic status. Now, according to Grossetti’s study, relationships have evolved to the point that people develop relationships based primarily on organizations which they belong to –church groups, work groups, or interest organizations. When this is combined with the use of social networks, it can be observed that people are then creating a new means to segregate themselves via their interests. People have developed a new means to identify people with like interests and create new association groups. The interesting aspect of this evolving form of meeting may be that it creates relationships among people who in previous generations may never even have met. Because social networking allows people with common interests to meet without the traditional introduction of a mutual friend, they may completely change the way relationship develop in the future, dovetailing nicely with the theory of cultural evolution.

Stereotypes about Homelessness in America in Dumpster Diving by Lars Ei

Stereotypes about Homelessness in America in Dumpster Diving by Lars Eighner Lars Eighner's short essay, "Dumpster Diving," reveals the stereotypes about homelessness in America. In order to confirm these known stereotypes about American culture, Eighner includes autobiographical accounts of the economically inferior class, as well as revealing his elitist rules that governs the life of a homeless person. According to Eighner, homeless people fall into the following categories, 'can scroungers', 'Dumpster divers', and 'scavengers.' (Eighner, 1993). In addition, Eighner's blatant demonstration of his superiority to the people he scavenges from reveals his true character of snobbery. Although Eighner reveals that his chosen lifestyle was to live on another's refuge, he kept in accordance with his acts of superiority and snobbishness by excluding himself from the term "Dumpster Diving." Instead, he preferred to be called a "scavenger because of its frankness in the term." (Eighner, 1993). Furthermore, Eighner, explains that there are rules to abide by when successfully "scavenging" through dumpsters, "using the senses†¦knowing the dumpsters of a given area†¦. [and] Why was this discarded?" It is the explanation of the three guidelines Eighner asserts to be superior to 'can scroungers' (Homeless people who rummage through the dumpsters for money). The author further elaborates his snobbishness by revealing that he has tried the heinous lifestyle of "can scroungers," and deduced that only a few dollars could be obtained. Moreover, Eighner states, "one can extract the necessities of life from the dumpsters directly with far less effort than would be requir ed to accumulate the equivalent of cans." (Eighner, 1993). The author stereoty... ...ghner, 1993). It is the authors belief that consumers are aware of their consumption, as well as realize how wasteful they are with food in general For the students who do not fit into Eighner's wasteful category, he presents a grouping of frugal consumers who, "carefully wrap up even the smallest leftover[s] and shove it into the back of the refrigerator for six months or so before discarding it" (Eighner, 1993). Through the essay, "Dumpster Diving," Eighner impresses his superiority by illustrating disinterested people and their lack to complete certain tasks the author is skillful at. His disdain and impudence of students†¦ Eighner's autobiographical essay not only shows the degradation homeless people indure, but his personal snobbery of those around him Works Cited Eighner, Lars. Dumpster Diving. http://www1.broward.edu/~nplakcy/docs/dumpster_diving.htm

Management Information System to Organisations Essay

â€Å"Management information system is essential for creating competitive firms, managing global corporations, and providing useful products and services to customers.† (Laudon, 2002,P1) It provides information figure of reports and displays to managers. For example, sales managers may use their computer workstations to get sales results of their products and to access weekly sales analysis reports, and then evaluate sales made by each salesperson. â€Å"Management information systems arose in the 1970s to focus on computer-based information systems aimed at managers.† (Laudon, 2002, P15). Because of the growths of the Internet, globalisations of trade, and the rise of information economies, have to improve the role of information systems in business and management. And then it needs pays attention to organisation management information that issues raised by sociology, economics, environment and psychology. â€Å"An organization is a stable, formal social structure that takes resources from the environment and processes them to produce outputs.† (Laudon, 2002,P87) This essay will be evaluating the contribution of Management Information System to Organisations. Like as What relationship between information and manager’s job; computer network’s importance for management information development; different types of management information systems to use differences and how it is impact and limitation of information systems. Firstly, before organisation Management Information need to understand it that have four factors determine the usefulness of information a manager: quality, timeliness, completeness, and relevance (Gareth, 2000,P613) â€Å"Accuracy and reliability determine the quality of information.† (Gareth, 2000,P613) tell us higher quality of information need have greater accuracy and reliability. The greater accuracy and reliability’s information will bring correct decision for manager. For example, accounting informstions, † information as accuracy refers to the extent to which information effectively represents a situation as it really is, the accuracy of each source of data used varied widely.†((Volking, 1993, P8) The source where accuracy posed the greatest problem was the marketing database.So I think usefulness informations need have accuracy and  reliability, accuracy and reliability determine the quality of information. â€Å"Information that is timely is available when it is needed for managerial action, not after the decision has been made† (Gareth, 2000,P614) In today’s speedily changing world and technology ‘s developing, lead to information changing frequently. Real-time Information is reflecting current conditions. (Gareth, 2000,P614) For example, productions’ price changing frequently in marketing because manager wants to make profit in competition’s marketing. So manager should be pay attention to information’s changing. Catch Real-time information is very importance. Look at timeliness in accounting â€Å"Timeliness: accounting information should be made available to external decision-makers before it loses its capacity to influence decisions.† (Dyckman, 1992, P44) Like the news of the world, old financial information never carries the same impact fresh information carries. Otherwise lack of timeliness reduces relevance. â€Å"Information that is complete gives managers all the information they need to exercise control, achieve coordination, or make an effective decision.† (Gareth, 2000,P615) information’s completive will provided good help to manager to decision. When you set up a new business, look at complete information is importance. Such as, how is this productions sold, how long can make profit and how much capital need put in this company at first time. Also information in accounting system also need pay attenation to information’s completetive. â€Å"Information that is relevant is useful and suits a manager’s particular needs and circumstances† (Gareth, 2000,P615) It can make a difference in a user’s decision. Relevance refers to the capacity of accounting information to make different to external decision-makers who use financial reports. They use accounting information with either or both of two viewpoints in mind: Forecasting what the economic future is likely to hold. Confirming the accuracy of past forecasts. Stated more technically, relevant accounting information help users to make predictions about future events, to confirm or correct prior expectations, and to evaluate current conditions. (Dyckman, 1992, P43) In my opinion, relevant is most importance, because if the data are not relevant to the task at hand, manager will be make mistake by these wrong information, and west time in wrong decisions. And then will bring some problem for this company’ s operation. Information decision, control and coordination Secondly, information technology’s development is importance for management information development. Because the growths of the Internet, globalisations of trade, and the rise of information economies, it have to improve the role of information systems in business and management. Software is the detailed instructions that control the operation of a computer system. Without software, computer hardware could not perform the tasks we associate with computers. The functions of software are to (1) manage the computer resources of the organisation (2) provide tools for human beings to take advantage of these resources, and (3) act as an intermediary between organisations and stored information. Selecting suitable software for the organisation is a key management decision. (Laudon, 2002,P172) Thirdly, different types of management information systems to use differences: a transaction-processing system is a system designed to handle large volumes of routine, recurring transactions. (Gareth, 2000,P625) For example, managers use transaction- processing system to record sale of items and path inventory levels, employee record keeping, and payroll. â€Å"A management information system that gathers, organize, and summarizes comprehensive data in a from that managers can use in their nonroutine coordinating, controlling, and decision-making task.(Gareth, 2000,P626) Operational Systems are concerned with transaction handling and the  day-to-day operation of the organisation, usually for a particular department within the organisation. Data are entered and stored in a file format, and are updated regularly during routine processing. Example, Producing invoices and monthly reports for operational-level managers, and fortnightly payroll cheques. The major disadvantage of this system is that they are inflexible and so not able to be adapted easily to do new tasks, or expected tasks earlier than usual. They also do not support any decision-making advice ability for tactical and strategic-level managers. Most companies today have gone beyond this system. (Long, 1994,P365-397) Decision support systems give direct computer support to managers during the decision-making process. For example advertising managers may use an electronic database packs up to do what, if analysis as they test the impact of other advertising budgets on the forecasted sales of new products. (O’Brien, 1997,P31) A Decision Support System is an interactive information system that rely on integrated user-friendly hardware and software designed to assist mangers make decisions related to the efficient and profitable running of the business. Expert systems can provide expert advice for operational chores like equipment diagnostics, or managerial decisions such as loan portfolio management. (O’Brien, 1997,P32) Expert systems have been developed for subjects such as medical diagnosis, oil exploration, financial planning, taxation return preparation, chemical analysis, surgery, weather prediction, computer repair, nuclear power plant operation, newspaper layout, interpreting government regulation, and troubleshooting computer systems configurations (eg. MS Help). (Long, 1994,P365-397) Finally, management information systems also have some limitations and some technology impact its development. The advance in management information system and technology are having important effects on managers and organisations. (Gareth, 2000,P629) One of the most important of these  involves the subjectivity of the scoring technique. Clearly establishing the extent to which a data attribute is inherent in any one data source is highly judgemental. Likewise, establishing weightings for each attribute is also a highly subjective process. These tasks are therefore very much subject to the perception of the individuals who carry them out. This problem could be partly overcome by increasing the objectivity with which such estimates are made. Conclusion, Management information system is an information system that managers’ plan and design to provide themselves with the specific information they need. (Gareth, 2000,P615)This essay has Evaluated the contribution of Management Information System to Organisations. Including about Like as What factors determine the usefulness of information a manager; computer network’s importance for management information development; different types of management information systems to use differences and how it is impact and limitation of information systems. From this essay, we can know MIS have some advantages for our used, however this tool is not perfect, also have limitations for it. So Managing a good company , need understand it first. Reference: Gareth R.Jones, Charles W.L. Hill & Jennifer M.George, 2000, Contemporary management, The McGraw-Hill Companies, America. Kenneth C. Laudon & Jane P. Laudon, 2002, Management Information Systems, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458,America. Galliers.R., 1992, Information System Research: issues,methods,and practical guidelines, Blackwell Scientific Publications,UK. Dyckman, T., & Dukes, R., 1992, Intermediate Accounting, IRWIN, America. O’Brien, J., 1997, Introduction to information, IRWIN, America. Stair.,R, & Reynolds, G., 2001, Principles of Information Systems, Course Technology, Australia. Mitchell, Volking, Yan E. Management Decision. Analysing the quality of management information: A suggested framework, London,1993. Vol. 31, Iss. 8; pg. 12, 8 pgs. Larry Long, Computers and Information Systems, 4th Ed., 1994, Prentice Hall, ISBN: 0-13-497884-6, chapter. 12, pages 365 – 397 Krumwiede, Kip. Cost Management Update. Survey reveals factors affecting, Montvale: Apr 1996. p. 1 (2 pages) URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2003&res_id=xri:pqd&rft_val_fmt=ori:fmt:kev:mtx:journal&genre=article&rft_id=xri:pqd:did=000000009475160&svc_dat=xri:pqil:fmt=text&req_dat=xri:pqil:pq_clntid=20901 Grover Dunn, Debra K Walker, Steve Hannaford. Air Force Journal of Logistics. Information technology, Gunter AFS: Spring 2003. Vol. 27, Iss. 1; p. 14. URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2003&res_id=xri:pqd&rft_val_fmt=ori:fmt:kev:mtx:journal&genre=article&rft_id=xri:pqd:did=000000382958551&svc_dat=xri:pqil:fmt=text&req_dat=xri:pqil:pq_clntid=20901 Steven A Morris, Thomas E Marshall, R Kelly Rainer Jr. Information Resources Management Journal. Impact of user satisfaction and trust on virtual team members, Hershey: Apr-Jun 2002. Vol. 15, Iss. 2; p. 22 (9 pages)

Marketing Concept Summary

Summary Definition of Marketing Marketing is not manipulating consumers to get them to buy products they do not want and it is not just selling and advertising. Marketing is a group of activities designed to expedite transactions by creating, distributing, pricing, and promoting goods, services, and ideas. Marketing facilitates the exchange, the act of giving up one thing in return for something else. The central focus of marketing is to satisfy needs. Example) People is willing to exchange their â€Å"something of value-money or credit-for soft drinks, football tickets, or new shoes because you consider those product more valuable or more important than holding on to your cash or credit potential. Functions of Marketing Marketing includes many varied and interrelated activities; buying, selling transporting, storing, grading, financing, marketing research, and risk taking. (Example) Fresh oranges are only available for a few months annually, but consumers demand juice throughout th e entire year.Seller must arrange for cold storage of orange juice concentrate so that they can maintain a steady supply all of the time. Creating Value with Marketing Marketing creates value, which is an important element of managing long-term customer relationships and implementing the marketing concept. Value is a customer’s subjective assessment of benefits relative to costs in determining the worth of a product. (Customer Value = Customer Benefits – Customer Costs) Also you can read this summary –  Protecting Freedom of Expression on the CampusThe Marketing conceptThe marketing concept is the idea that an organization should try to satisfy customers’ needs through coordinated activities that also allow it to achieve its goals. If a company does not implement the marketing concept by providing products that consumers need and want while achieving its own objectives, it will not survive. (Example) McDonald’s faces increasing pressure to provide more healthful fast-food choices. To keep pace with the customers’ needs, it has eliminated supersized fries and soft drinks and put nutritional information on its food packaging. It also switched to trans-fat-free cooking oils.Although customer satisfaction is the goal of the marketing concept, a business must also achieve its own objectives, such as boosting productivity, reducing costs, or achieving a percentage of a specific market. If it does not, it will not survive. (Ex ample) Dell sold computer for $50 and give customers a lifetime guarantee, which would be great for customers but not so great for Dell. To implement the marketing concept, a firm must have good information about what consumers want, adopt a consumer orientation, and coordinate its efforts through the entire organization. Developing a Marketing StrategyA marketing strategy is a plan of action for creating a marketing mix (product, price, distribution, promotion) for a specific target market (a specific group of consumers on whose needs and wants a company focuses its marketing efforts). Some firms use a total-market approach, designating everyone as the target market. Most firms divide the total market into segments of people who have relatively similar product needs. A company using a concentration approach develops one marketing stratagem for a single market segment, whereas a multi-segment approach aims marketing efforts at wo or more segments, developing a different marketing st ratagem for each. (Example of a total-market approach) Salt, sugar, and many agricultural products (Example of market segmentation) Woman, Hispanic, and minority population Key Points and Terms Marketing A group of activities designed to expedite transactions by creating, distributing, pricing, and promoting goods, services, and ideas. Exchange The act of giving up one thing (money, credit, labor, goods) in return for something else (goods, services, or ideas) ValueA customer’s subjective assessment of benefits relative to costs in determining the worth of a product. (Customer Value = Customer Benefits – Customer Costs) Marketing Concept The idea that an organization should try to satisfy customers’ needs through coordinated activities that also allow it to achieve its own goals. Marketing Orientation An approach requiring organizations to gather information about customer needs, share that information throughout the firm, and use that information to help build long-term relationships with customers.Marketing Strategy A plan of action for developing, pricing, distributing, and promoting products that meet the needs of specific customers. Market A group of people who have a need, purchasing power, and the desire and authority to spend money on goods, services, and ideas. Target Market A specific group of consumes on whose needs and wants a company focuses its marketing efforts. Total-Market Approach An approach whereby a form tries to appeal to everyone and assumes that all buyers have similar needs. Market SegmentationA strategy whereby a firm divides the total market into groups of people who have relatively similar product needs. Market Segment A collection of individuals, groups, or organizations who share one or more characteristics and thus have relatively similar product needs and desires. Concentration Approach A market segmentation approach whereby a company develops one marketing strategy for a single market segment. Multi-segment Approach A market segmentation approach whereby the marketer aims its efforts at two or more segments, developing a marketing strategy for each.

How to Amend the Constitutionâ€About the Process

How to Amend the Constitution- About the Process Amending the Constitution was never meant to be simple. Although thousands of amendments have been discussed since the original document was approved in 1788, there are now only 27 amendments in the Constitution. Though its framers knew the Constitution would have to be amended, they also knew it should never be amended frivolously or haphazardly. Clearly, their process for amending the Constitution has succeeded in meeting that goal. Constitutional amendments are intended to improve, correct, or otherwise revise the original document. The framers knew it would be impossible for the Constitution they were writing to address every situation that might come along in the future. Ratified in December 1791, the first 10 amendments- The Bill of Rights- list and vow to protect certain rights and freedoms granted to the American people and speak to the demands of the Anti-Federalists among the Founding Fathers by limiting the power of the national government. Ratified 201 years later, in May 1992, the most recent amendment- the 27th Amendment- prohibited members of Congress from raising their own salaries.   The Two Methods for Amending the Constitution Article V of the Constitution itself establishes the two ways in which it may be amended: The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate. In simple terms, Article V prescribes that amendments may be proposed either by the U.S. Congress or by a constitutional convention when and if demanded by two-thirds of the legislatures of the states. Method 1: Congress Proposes an Amendment An amendment to the Constitution may be proposed by any member of the House of Representatives or the Senate and will be considered under the standard legislative process in the form of a joint resolution.  In addition, as ensured by the First Amendment, all American citizens are free to petition Congress or their state legislatures to amend the Constitution. To be approved, the amending resolution must be passed by a two-thirds supermajority vote in both the House and the Senate. Given no official role in the amendment process by Article V, the President of the United States is not required to sign or otherwise approve the amending resolution. Presidents, however, typically express their opinion of proposed amendments and may attempt to persuade Congress to vote for or against them. States Ratify the Amendment If approved by Congress, the proposed amendment is sent to the governors of all 50 states for their approval, called â€Å"ratification.† Congress will have specified one of two ways by which the states should consider ratification: The governor submits the amendment to the state legislature for its consideration; orThe governor convenes a state ratifying convention. If the amendment is ratified by three-fourths (currently 38) of the state legislatures or ratifying conventions, it becomes part of the Constitution. Resurrecting ERA? Clearly, this method of amending the Constitution can be lengthy and time-consuming.  However, the U.S. Supreme Court has stated that ratification must be completed within â€Å"some reasonable time after the proposal.† Beginning with the 18th Amendment granting women the right to vote, it has been customary for Congress to set a maximum time period for ratification. This is why many have felt the Equal Rights Amendment is dead, even though it now needs only one more state to ratify it to achieve the required 38 states. The ERA amendment was passed by Congress in 1972; 35 had ratified it by its extended deadline of 1985. However, in 2017 and 2018, two more states ratified it, concerned about the constitutionality of setting those deadlines. If Virginia would ratify it in 2019, people expected a battle to ensue in Congress over whether to accept the late ratifications. Method 2: The States Demand a Constitutional Convention Under the second method of amending the Constitution prescribed by Article V, if two-thirds (currently 34) of the state legislatures vote to demand it, Congress is required to convene a full constitutional convention. Just as in the Constitutional Convention of 1787, delegates from every state would attend this so-called â€Å"Article V Convention† for the purpose of proposing one or more amendments. Though this more momentous method has never been used, the number of states voting to demand a constitutional amending convention has come close to the required two-thirds on several occasions. Indeed, the mere threat of being forced to surrender its control of the constitutional amendment process to the states has often prompted Congress to preemptively propose amendments itself. Although not specifically mentioned in the document, there are five unofficial yet legal ways of changing the Constitution  used more often- and sometimes even more controversially- than the Article V amendment process. These include legislation, presidential actions, federal court rulings, actions of the political parties, and simple custom. Can Amendments Be Repealed? Any existing constitutional amendment can be repealed but only by the ratification of another amendment. Because repealing amendments must be proposed and ratified by one of the same two methods of regular amendments, they are very rare. In the history of the United States, only one constitutional amendment has been repealed. In 1933, the 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment- better known as â€Å"prohibition†- banning the manufacture and sale of alcohol in the United States. Though neither has ever come close to happening, two other amendments have been the subject of repeal discussion over the years: the 16th Amendment establishing the federal income tax and the 22nd Amendment limiting the president to serving only two terms. Most recently, the 2nd Amendment has come under critical scrutiny. In his editorial appearing in the New York Times on March 27, 2018, former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens controversially called for the repeal of the Bill of Rights amendment, which guarantees â€Å"the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.† He argues that it would give more power to peoples desire to stop gun violence than the National Rifle Association. Sources The Constitutional Amendment Process. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. November 17, 2015.Huckabee, David C. .Ratification of Amendments to the U.S. Constitution  Congressional Research Service reports. Washington D.C.: Congressional Research Service, The Library of Congress.Neale, Thomas H. .The Article V Convention to Propose Constitutional Amendments: Contemporary Issues for Congress  Congressional Research Service.

Should the police use deceit in interrogations Essay

Should the police use deceit in interrogations - Essay Example endment provides a person with the right not to confess anything against one’s own will, there are bunches of strong psychological techniques that help police to extract the confessions they need from their suspects, making a suspect confused in whether his confession is his own or has come against his actual will (Najdowski & Bonventre 26). Hence, police workers often use multiple tricks and deceptive methods during interrogations of their suspects. The use of deceit during interrogations may be implemented in multiple forms. Policemen often speculate with false evidences and assert that they have something on the suspect, for instance, that they’ve found fingerprints of personal stuff of the suspect on the crime scene, or that they’ve got some witnesses who saw the suspect making the crime, when in fact they’ve got nothing on the person. Such kind of method of interrogation is not only unethical but may lead to a case going in the wrong path of investiga tion. First of all, application of tricks and different deceptive psychological techniques during the interrogation process can make a suspect to confess in a crime one hasn’t done. Some studies on the matter mark out two kinds of false confessions result from a suspect’s entanglement in the current state of affairs of a case. The â€Å"coerced-compliant† (Conti 22) confession is the confession when a suspect is stressed and terrified by the police’s psychological oppression and agrees to confess in order to get rid of the stress he’s got into. Thus a person might be aware of the fact that he hasn’t done anything wrong but thinking of the police having something on him makes one desperate, so he starts considering confession, as it may probably shorten his sentence. Moreover, police often offers some deals of protection in court, so the suspect decides that if anyway he’s going to be sentenced, then why not to get at least a smaller sentenc e. The second type of false confessions is called

Usage Of Cloud Computing In IT-Sphere Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Usage Of Cloud Computing In IT-Sphere - Essay Example To understand the concerns, insights and popularity of cloud computing by both private and public sectors, not only currently but also on the future perspective, IT Professionals conduct statistics and conclude suggestions and likely future predictions to comprehend their observations and understandings for current and future implementation of cloud computing and what IT assessment makers need to consider. With the growth in applications and infrastructure that support and collaborates with cloud computing, the growth trend in its acceptance, use and promotion are likely to give rise to a whole new dimension in Information Technology’s system delivery (Sosinsky, 2011). E-mail, web conferencing etc. are the most common collaboration services which use cloud services. Currently, 92% of large enterprises use a minimum of one cloud service while on average each enterprise has 6 applications usage to the cloud. IaaS and PaaS in the cloud are increasing as 42% of future implementations of clouds indicate 6 more applications. This owes to the immense current and future usage with development in infrastructure and virtualization as a source of cloud acceptance and popular use. The economic perspective of efficiency in work, support, better productivity and low-cost initiative of cloud tends IT decision makers to make a close observation of cloud services. Since the promising new environment of technology has to offer more, the IT professionals are attracted to cloud services implementation. However, reputable service provider and  Service Level Agreements (SLAs)-which are always not clear, raise security and protection issues. I.T Professionals fear the risk of being cheated, the information getting lost or the privacy of the consumer at risk. These risks keep development of platform low.

Provide an explanation that reconciles this research finding with Coursework

Provide an explanation that reconciles this research finding with expectancy theory - Coursework Example Expectation theory operates on the premise that people choose a certain course of action because they find it more rewarding because of the desirable outcome. This desirable outcome can come in several ways either that the individual will become more successful and/or that there is remuneration that awaits for choosing such course of action. We can set the example in a sales organization where sales people are given high quotas which entail high compensation in the form of commissions and salaries and other perks (including recognition and possible promotion) and mediocre quotas where they are only given basic pay. Sales people will tend to prefer the more difficult goal of having high quota because its outcome is more rewarding and desirable. In sum, when difficult goals are established that it is more rewarding and has more desirable outcome, individuals would prefer it rather than mediocre goals that has little reward or less desirable

Assignment - Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Assignment - Interview - Essay Example He gained working experience in server administration, and simultaneously specialized in network storage technologies by taking a certified course. His combination of skill, knowledge and experience saw him rise very fast up the corporate ladder. He now leads the ICT department of Travelways Inc. and takes a special interest in ensuring that there is no disruption to the ICT support his team provides to the organization. 1. Travelways Inc. is a travel and holiday organizer. Every aspect of its functioning right from the initial stage when a prospective client makes an enquiry is dependent on ICT. Clients access our servers for all information they require at all stages of their travel and holiday. We use the Internet to make contact with airlines, railways, shipping corporations, hotels and tour operators all over the world to book passages and make reservations. The very business of Travelways Inc. can be termed a ICT business. Its ICT department is the most crucial department. 3. Yes, some disasters are unavoidable in spite of all precautions. Of course, we have a disaster recovery plan integrated with out business continuity. I would like to distinguish between the two. The Disaster Recovery Plan or the DRP is usually specifically concerned with the restarting of a crucial set of ICT systems and infrastructure components. The process of Business Continuity Planning or BCP, on the other hand, is concerned with the enterprise as a whole, and deals with business functions rather than application systems. What however needs to be understood is that Disaster Recovery is a core component of any Business Continuity effort with many overlapping areas. They address the same basic problem. 4. Yes, many companies first build a working DRP before taking the next logical and inevitable step and developing an overall BCP. If the relation between the two processes is understood well enough, then knowledge gained in one

Human Resource

Human Resource Human Resource (H.R): Introduction The word â€Å"manage† as used in business can simply be defined as the art of dealing with people with the aim of bringing the best out of then so as to improve the productivity of the business. It is not easy to manage some of the things we have that have no life let alone people. People are complex in themselves and to have different people from different backgrounds to work together can prove to be very difficult. It is however possible for people to come together for a common goal. It does not matter how they are going to achieve their goal but the common thing that they want to achieve plays a very important role in taming people to put their differences aside and work together. Rothwell (2008, p.23) argues that it is mandatory for a leader in a business to be very good at people-skills for it is the people working at the business that are the most important people in the business. Without employees in a business then the business does not achieve its goals. They are the people that make things move. There is therefore no escaping people-skills if a business venture is to highly perform. â€Å"Management is nothing more than motivating other people†. These are the words of Lee Iacocca – former CEO Chrysler. It is therefore important for a manager to have some basic tips on how to manage people. It is vital that a manager delegates most of the objectives set to achieve so that he or she gets time to manage the team he or she has been given to manage. It also helps the manager to clear his or her mind. It is very important that the person who delegates has a clear head on his or her shoulders. Pearce and Conger (2002, p.41) identify that one of the most important â€Å"X factor† is team work. A strong team delivers most of the things put before it. This paper will focus on teamwork and critically analyse it on how it can be used to improve performance. When people come together, more ideas are bound to be generated, there is strength in numbers and also there is the variety being applied in order to achieve a common objective. Whenever humans come together with a common objective there is very little that they cannot do. It is important that the tem leader gets to have a one on one understanding with each of the team members so as to know the individual strengths of the team members. It is in this way that the responsibilities are divided. One does what they are good at but with the conscious awareness that he or she is only but a piece of a jigsaw, that there are others that are also specialising in their area of expertise to complete the jig saw into one complete thing that makes economic and objective sense (Michaels, 1994, p.45). The only reason a company would invest in its people is so as to enhance performance of the business. They are the key players in an organisation and should be handled with care. There are various ways in which organisations or businesses entice and build their employees so as to achieve higher quality and quantity performance. A business is judged by its outcome. It is the various people employed to work for the venture equipped with the spirit of teamwork that determine the performance of the business. It is quite clear that team work is then a very important factor as it is the ship in which if the business sails, it will never drown or subdue to the waves of furious business challenges. The winning team It is always feels good to be associated with winning. It makes one feel like they are pursuing a worthy cause. If a team is to be put together in a business then it better be a winning team. It is not enough to hire professionals who know what they are supposed to do at exactly which time to have a winning team but recruiting a group of people who will work together in the most efficient of ways. A team that has people who share the same destination work extremely well with each other. It is only when people in a team do not share a vision that they do not work well. A team is defined by the togetherness in achieving the specific goals and objectives of a business. When people share a vision then what do they have to fight over and not work together? Nothing. Differences may exist between individuals but for as long as they have a common goal then they can do anything despite their differences. In order for a team to have a common goal, then it is good practice for members to meet in order to discuss the various projects that have to be undertaken. The secret behind managing people is in a business is to make the employees or the team members feel like they coined and own the business objectives, vision and mission. Koestenbaum (2002, p.74) reveals that this will help people to have a common sense of direction. This implies that he visions, missions and objectives of a business need to have a strong base upon which, a strong team is built. Any team has problems but it is up to the team leader to be very sensitive to any slight behavioural change that would reduce the performance of the team in the long run. The team leader as a people manager should also talk to the team members and encourage them. When one is given motivation to do something, a person is performs even better as they flourish in the though that it is not only him or her that believes he or she can do it but also the team leader. There are teams made up of simple human beings like any human being but thee is always something about the teams. They have the attitude that they were born to win. An example of one such team is â€Å"Manchester United Football Team†. They believe that they are winners. When a person believes something, it is very difficult for them not to make it a reality. It is important that people managing people instil a winning attitude in their team members (Lawler et al., 2004, p.14). It goes a long way in building a strong competent team. How Teamwork affects other key performance areas This can be illustrated by a diagram which is shown below: According to Vandenberg and Lance (1992, p.156), under managing self we have several issues that are worth elaborating and they are eight in number. The very first one is the creative nature and originality of the self. Teamwork improves the ability of a person to get creative and think of ways to get out of tasks presented to him or her that are challenging. This is because the person is always trying to get out of something and always jogging his or her mind to get out of something. The person also wants to be original. It is very difficult to find unethical leadership in a person who leads a team or even the team member himself or herself. A person is always out to improve and to build the winning team so as to achieve the objectives of the business and also get to improve the performance of the team. Performance is core in teams so the self is built to consider ethics when tackling organisational challenges (Walker, 2002, p.36). It is the people around us that build us. Man is no island. People in good teams have been found to have a better way of communication and also have the character to go with this. For a good team to succeed, the members that comprise it have to be in constant communication with each other. A marriage is a good example of a team. Whenever there is breakdown of communication in a marriage then it becomes difficult for things to move. Good marriages are ones in which there is constant effective communication going on, on the regular (West, 2004, p.6). It is through teamwork that a person becomes effective in communication and also gets to know the character he or she should acquire in order to succeed in the business world. Managing people is not only about managing other people but also managing the self. Team work greatly helps in doing this. In teams, it is normal for people to make contributions that they own in order to steer their objective forward. This helps to build a person I problem solving skills which is a factor important to have in the business world. Williams and Anderson , (1991, p.604) concurs that the values of the self are also improved or built. In good effective teams, good values are encouraged as undesirable ones are normally discouraged. This helps a person to always focus on having good values whose practice leads to them sticking. Effective teams have brainstorming sessions where team members contribute in order to make the achievement of their objectives a success. This helps a person to improve their thinking capacities and also helps team members to think in a way that optimises the performance of the business (Blau, 1985, p.279). It gives the individual that deliberate way of thinking that involves thinking in a certain direction. Team members benefit by being in such teams. For a team to succeed then the personalities of the persons in it need to be on point. It is the work personality that helps team members to be able to work through their differences with that common vision in mind. When members learn the personality they need to have in order to work together they will definitely practice this as all of them want to get to the goal so bad. In life, it really matters how badly, one wants to get something as if one does not want something so badly, they will not put differences aside, they will not work hard enough and they will not value input from team members. Under managing people, there are four key areas that need to be discussed and team work is a major component or ingredient in managing people. Arbinger Institute (2002, p.9) suggests that there is team work, the diversity of people, transformed leadership and motivating people. Team work is intertwined with the three issues as it is in team work that people are motivated to push on in order to improve performance. Leadership Leadership is also transformed in team work as most of the time, it is not the team members that learn from the team leader but it is the team leader most of the time rather than not that learn from the team members (National Institute of Social Work, 1996, p.11). The members teach the leaders on hoe to lead knowingly or unknowingly. This gives birth to a new way of leading especially if the leader of a tea listens to his members. Teams can be made up of a rich diversity of people which can either be used to achieve the objectives of a business or also allow the differences that exist within to ruin the team. In International Companies, recruitment as in the type of the company is done at an international level. This means that people will be mixed from different cultures and backgrounds and also different races as well (Block, 1996, p.33). It is quite challenging building a team of people of the same background. It is quite tasking to build a team that comprises of different people. People of one background have been seen to appreciate the music from another background even when they do not know what they are saying. It is in this regard that a team leader needs to direct his team members to be able to dance to the same tune which is synonymous to achieving the same objectives of the business. Such teams come to appreciate diversity. They come to understand that people are different but sure can work together in order to achieve a common goal. Brown and Wardle (1996, p.12) argues that managing work is also another factor that is intertwined with team work. In order to manage a team then the work also has to be managed; the work needs to be kept track of. It is very important that work goes on smoothly in a team even when the management of the team has to be changed for this purpose. Managing work involves the judgement of decisions and also the ability to manage the decision. A decision can be evaluated on the basis of the results of the work that is done or the work that has been achieved in order. The team can easily be evaluated on the same based on the decisions the team made. A team can be judged based on the decisions they made. The decisions they make have to improve performance in the business or organisation (Covey, 2009, p.62). Once the decision is made, then it needs to be managed. When a decision is not managed, then it beats logic to have made the decision in the first place. It is important that team members carry follow through their decisions in order to achieve the task given to undertake. A good team is one that manages the team members well. A strong human resource management is a must in strong teams. Whenever the human resource in a team is good, there are very slim chances of a team not doing its best to accomplish whatever task that is presented before them. We have seen that people are very important and it is through people that a business gets to achieve its objectives. According to Dimma (2007, p.47), a good human resource department forming part of a team will value the employee and make that employee as reasonably comfortable as possible in order for the business to achieve its objectives. A good human resource sub team will provide incentives to persons working in their business; give them a reason to turn down job offers given by other businesses or companies. Good teams also ensure that they manage the information they have in a way to improve performance rather than sitting on information. It is the information we gather in business or in life that assist us in making decisions hence the word informed decision. It is important that a team acts on the basis that it has information. Innovation, Priority management and Objective setting are al components of managing work but also relate to team work (Harrison, 1972, p.28). It is in teams that innovative ideas, decisions and work emerge from. This is because of the team aspect. Teams also prioritise in terms of work so as not to leave important work pending for a long time than usual. It is important that a team sets for itself objectives aside from the objectives of the business so as to also have a common goal in terms of work. Team building and Team Work Companies have been seen to spend quite a lot of money so as to improve the team building skills of their employees. This goes on to show just how important team work is important in the world we live in today especially in the business world. It is essential that a manager has team building skills as it is part and parcel of managing people. It is an important part of managing people. The same people can work by themselves but achieve less productivity. A good, strong team is one in which these same people come together and work towards a goal but perform much better than when they were working on an individual basis. This is the idea behind merging. Some companies merge because together, they have more yields and perform on a different level, giving their customers higher quality of service than when the companies were doing it on their own (Iverson and Roy, 1994, p.39). This is the secret of synergy. Individuals are different but synergised so as to achieve optimum performance. In team building, there are two very important factors to consider. One factor that we have to appreciate in team building is the diversity that exists in terms of the personalities that exist and also the skills. The different people have to be in such a way that they fully exploit their potential to the last drop but again, the weaknesses of the same people are covered for by the other people‘s strengths. Their different personalities have to be in a way that they balance out. In a good team, all ideas, works and decisions in a team made by different individuals are directed to a common purpose either created within the team or the objectives of the business (Goodwin, 2005, p.91). The goals have to be clearly understood by the team members. When some team members get it while others don’t then already there is a loophole and the team is bound to fail because of a different set of goals embedded in the different team members’ minds. Team building Activities aimed at team building are very important so as to assist in the establishment of a strong team. To have a great team takes a lot of hard work, dedication and determination. Team building activities are therefore very important in that they assist in the building of a great team. It is important that a team is led by someone but not just anyone but a good leader. It may not help that a team has clearly understood the objectives, they ma have the same personality thus resulting in conflicts mostly because of fighting (Charan, Drotter and Noel, 2001, p.29). If everyone in a team wants to be a leader then we have a problem as each team member will be acting so as to show how he or she can dominate people. This has led to in-house fighting on too many an instance. There are many factors that have to be overcome to have a good team which is reason the more for team building activities to be taken seriously. There are basic techniques that have to be in place for an effective team to be built. The most obvious one is that all the team members need to have understood and clearly have the goals and objectives behind having the team and also the goals and objectives behind having the business or organisation. There also has to be a clear chain of command in that every single team member is completely aware of their duties and responsibilities and there should be no grey area in this. All the roles have to be distinct so that in the case that there is competition over a certain role then the role needs to be split into smaller distinct roles so as to avoid conflict in the team built. A team leader also needs to be able to spend time with his or her team members so as to understand the various personalities and skills he or she has in the team and also appreciate the same. When a team leader is fair, open, honest and loyal then it becomes a little bit easier to have the same back from the employees or team members. This may be summarised to leading by example. It is in team building activities that members learn how to trust each other and also be open with each other. When this is done then they work together better. The activities should have social times deliberately to prompt people to bond and share their experiences. They get to know each other better which is good for the business as this will help them accommodate each other’s faults but accentuating their strengths (Brion, 1989, p.32). This is what we want to achieve by having a team working on something. An example of one such activity is scheduling the week such that a specific day of the week is set aside so that employees or team members can share lunch. It is over this that they bond. The secret to having an effective team built is also to have the practice of involving the team members in the decision making process so that they feel like they own the decision. When one owns something, it is very difficult for them not to take care of it and watch it grow. The goal can be set in a group. The tactics to be used to undertake in undertaking challenges presented to a team are also brainstormed by the team with them being encouraged to give possible solutions. This leads to the obligated feeling of a team member since a sense of ownership has been cultivated in him or her, which leads to the commitment of team leaders to the cause of the team. There is also need to keep the lines of communication open in a team. It is through this that a team can succeed. Conclusion In today’s world, it is not so fashionable to do things on an individual basis as performance is result driven. The world expects so much from people that the only way the same expectation can be met is through team work. Most of the world’s greatest achievements have been accomplished because of team work. It is very difficult to achieve the results desired in a business single handily. It will have to be in a team. Team work is a very important aspect of business (Curry, et al., 1986, p.851). This explains why businesses always want to now if one is a team player before recruiting them into their companies. Business owners will look at a person’s history to be able to establish whether they are team players or not. It is quite normal in the global arena to find teams in businesses as people have appreciated strength in numbers. To achieve almost perfection in a business and to boost sales or improve the quality of businesses, team work is essential. It is important to have team skills whether one will eventually be a team member or a team leader (Kelley, 1999, p.63). A team leader is a leader to the extent of the performance of his or her team. A team leader is always a member of another team only on a different level. It is quite clear that the world revolves in team work. It is safe to say that the world is a family of teams; its just that they have different objectives and different personalities and skills. References Arbinger Institute, 2000, Leadership and self-deception: getting out of the box, London: Berrett- Koehler Publishers. Blau, G 1985, The measurement and prediction of career commitment, Journal of Occupational Psychology, Vol. 58, pp.277-288. Block, P 1996, Stewardship: choosing service over self interest, Sydney: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Brion, J.M 1989, Organizational leadership of human resources: the knowledge and the skills, New York: Jai Press. Brown, J., Wardle, M 1996, Chance favors the prepared mind: leadership, teamwork and mapping change for human resources, Cambridge: H.M.S.O. Charan, R., Drotter, S.J., Noel, J. L 2001, The leadership pipeline: how to build the leadership-powered company, London: John Wiley and Sons. Covey, S.R 2009, Principle-centered leadership, California: Summit Books. Curry, J., Wakefield, D., Price, J., Mueller, C 1986, On the causal ordering of job satisfaction and organizational commitment, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 29, No.4, pp.847-858. Dimma, W.A 2007, Tougher Boards For Tougher Times: Corporate Governance In The Post- Enron Era, Mombay: Wiley-India. Goodwin, N 2005, Leadership in health care: a European perspective, New York: Routledge. Gratton, L., Hailey, V.H., Stiles, P 1999, Strategic human resource management: corporate rhetoric and human reality, Cambridge: Oxford University Press. Hare, S.E., Hare, A.P 1996, SYMLOG field theory: organizational consultation, value differences, personality and social perception, Michigan: Praeger. Harrison, R 1972, Understanding your organization’s character, Harvard Business Review, pp.22-32.. Hersey, P., Blanchard, K.H 1988. Management of organizational behavior: utilizing human resources, 5th ed., London: Prentice-Hall. Iverson, R.D., Roy, P 1994, A causal model of behavioral commitment: evidence from a study of Australian blue-collar employees, Journal of Management, Vol. 20, No.1, pp.15-41. Kelley, R.E 1999, How to be a star at work: nine breakthrough strategies you need to succeed, Atlanta: Times Business. Koestenbaum, P 2002, Leadership: the inner side of greatness : a philosophy for leaders. 2nd ed., Cairo: John Wiley and Sons. Komives, S.R., Lucas, N., McMahon, T.R 1998, Exploring leadership: for college students who want to make a difference, Michigan: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Lahiry, S. 1994, Building commitment through organizational culture, Training and Development, Vol. 3, pp.50-52. Lawler, E.E., et al. 2004, Human resources business process outsourcing: transforming how HR gets its work done, Boston: John Wiley and Sons. Michaels, P 1994, An expanded conceptual framework on organizational commitment and job satisfaction for sales force management, Journal of Business and Society, Vol. 7, No.1, pp.42-67. Mowday, R., Steers, R., Porter, L 1979, The measurement of organizational commitment, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Vol. 14, pp.224-227. National Institute of Social Work, 1996, Leadership, teamwork and changing practice, New York: National Institute for Social Work. Parcells, B., Coplon, J 1995, Finding a way to win: the principles of leadership, teamwork, and motivation, Edinburgh: Doubleday. Pearce, C.L., Conger, J.A 2002, Shared leadership: reframing the hows and whys of leadership, Boston: SAGE. Phillips, D.T 1997, The founding fathers on leadership: classic teamwork in changing times, Beijing: Warner Books. Ramsey, R.D 2005, Lead, follow, or get out of the way: how to be a more effective leader in todays schools, 2nd ed., Berlin: Corwin Press. Rothwell, W.J 2008, Human Resource Transformation: Demonstrating Strategic Leadership in the Face of Future Trends, Edinburgh: Davies-Black Publishing. Roth, K.K 2004, Executive Leadership Attributes Relating to Transformed Organizational Human Resource Services: A Study of Transformational Leadership, Amsterdam: Universal-Publishers. Schermerhorn, J., Hunt, J., Osborn, R 1994, Managing Organizational Behavior, New York, NY: Wiley Sons. Stogdill, R.M 1974, Handbook of Leadership: A Survey of Theory and Research, New York, NY: Free Press. Storey, J 2004, Leadership in organizations: current issues and key trends, London: Routledge. Vandenberg, R., Lance, C 1992, Examining the causal order of job satisfaction and organizational commitment, Journal of Management, Vol. 18, No.1, pp.153-67 Walker, J 2002, Ready, Aim, Inspire!: 101 Quotes on Leadership Teamwork, Washington: iUniverse. West, W.A 2004, Effective teamwork: practical lessons from organizational research, 2nd ed., New York: Wiley-Blackwell,. Williams, L.J., Anderson, S.E 1991, Job satisfaction and organizational commitment as predictors of organizational citizenship and in-role behaviors, Journal of Management, Vol. 17, No.3, pp.601-17.