Maslow and Taylor Essay

The maslow pyramid of needs symbolise a theory needs and motivations of the 40s by Abraham maslow this pyramid is divided to 5 levels, according to him the human being tries to satisfy one need in one level before they start thinking about the next one :the person start with the level at the bottom which is the bare necessities like food and the shelter†¦ when all physiological needs are stisfied the person steps up to the next level which is security (health, work, belongings) then they jump to the social needs where people need to be a part of a society a group a family†¦ where they can communicate and work as a team then the 4th need which is the esteem of thenselfs and people, people need to see that they are respected then the last one which is the† self actualisation† which measured by how people see themselfs and their success in challenges in their work †¦ On the other hand Taylor sees the work motivation differently and talks about it with a theory of scientific management : which is mostly based on motivation by pay because according to him workers dont enjoy their work thats why they need to be controled. for that managers should separate production into small tasks and workers should get the training for the task they are meant to do as they can work efficiently on their task , theses workers are paid according to the number0 of items they have produced on a period of time which motivate them to increase their productivity . in other words Taylor sees workers as machines and makes them over-exploited. The main difference between how maslow and taylor see the workers motivation is that the second thinks that money is the only motivation which we can see in everydays life that it is false, maslow separed motivation to 5 levels when the worker satisfies one level of needs he moves up to an other level and become more demanding this is why workers under taylorism went on strikes , because there is many factors apart from income that affects the workers motivation like the working conditions the recognisation of their work , the greatings of the manager †¦

Agriculture to economic

Agriculture is central to economic growth and development in Pakistan. Being the dominant sector it contributes 21. 4 percent to GDP, employs 45 percent of the country’s labour force and contributes in the growth of other sectors of the economy. During 2012-13, agriculture sector exhibited a growth of 3. 3 percent on the back of positive growth in agriculture related sub sectors, Crops grew at 3. 2 percent, Livestock 3. 7 percent, Forestry 0. 1 percent and Fishing 0. 7 percent. The agriculture subsector component which includes important crops other percent respectively.As the performance of agriculture sector dependent upon weather condition, timely availability of input (water). During 2012-13 weather condition and water situation has an impact on these Kharif crops that paved the way for decrease in output of rice and cotton crops. Agriculture growth percentages (Base=2005-06): Other crops that contributed 12. 3 percent value addition in agriculture witnessed a positive gro wth of 6. 7 percent in 2012-13 against negative growth of 7. 7 percent during the same period last year. The cotton ginning under new base 2005-06 has been included in agriculture value addition showed a negative growth of 2.9 percent in 2012-13 against the positive growth of 13. 8 percent during the same period last year. The Livestock sector which has a 55. 4 percent share in the agriculture grew by 3. 7 percent in 2012-13. The Fishing sector grew by 0. 7 percent as against last year’s positive growth of 3. 8 percent. Forestry sector posted a nominal growth of 0. 1 percent this year as compared to positive growth of 1. 7 percent last year. Pakistan has two crop seasons, â€Å"Kharif† being the first sowing season starting from April-June and harvested during October December. Rice, sugarcane, cotton, maize, moong, mash, bajra and jowar are â€Å"Kharif† crops.â€Å"Rabi†, the second sowing season, begins as on October-December and is harvested in April- May. Wheat, gram, lentil (masoor), tobacco, rapeseed, barley and mustard are â€Å"Rabi† crops. The crops performance is dependent upon timely availability of irrigation water. During 2012-13, the availability of water as an essential input for Kharif 2012 was 14 percent less than the normal supplies but to compare with Kharif 2011, it was 4. 4 percent less. The water availability during Rabi season 2012-13 was estimated 31. 9 MAF, which was 12. 4 percent less than the normal availability, but 8. 5 percent higher than last year’s Rabi crop Crop situation:Important croops, such as wheat, rice, maize, cotton and sugarcane account for 25. 2 percent of the value added in overall agriculture and 5. 4 percent to GDP. The other crops account for the 12. 3 percent of the value added in overall agriculture. Live stock contributes 55. 4% to agriculture value added much more then the combine contribution of important and other crops. ( 37. 6%). The production performance of impor tant crops is given in table. a. Important crops: i) Cotton: Pakistan economy depends heavily on cotton crop significantly contribute by providing raw material to the textile industry, such as cotton lint as an export item.It account for 7. 0% of value added in agriculture and 1. 5% of GDP. During 2012-13 the crops was on area of 2879 thousand heacters, 1. 6% more then last year(2835 thousand heacters). The production of 13. 0 million bales during the period2012-13 against the target of 14. 5 million bales resulted in decline of 13. 0% against the target and decrease of 4. 2 percent over the preceding year production which was 13. 6 million bales. Mild attack of Thrips, white fly and cotton leaf curl virus (CLCV) adversely effected the production of cotton boll which effected the production and yield per heacter as compare to last year.ii)Sugarcane: Sugarcane crops occupies an important position in national economy in order to drive the large sugar industry. It also provide the mate rial to clipboard, paper and ethanol. It share in value added in agriculture and GDP is 3. 2 and 0. 7% respectively. Sugarcane crops was cultivated on an area of 1124 thousand hecters,6. 2% more then last year’s area of area of 1058 thousand hecters. The main factor contributed to higher production where more area brought under cultivation due to economic return received by the grower, good management of crops and application of balance doze of inputs. iii)Rice:Rice is an important cash crop of coutry. Rice production comprises 40 percent of Basmati (Fine) type and 60% of coarse types. Rice ranks as second amongst the staple food grain crop in Pakistan and it has been a major source of foreign exchange earnings in recent years. Pakistan grows a high quality of rice to fulfil the domestic demand and also for exports. Rice accounts 2. 7 percent of the value added in agriculture and 0. 6 percent of GDP. iv) Wheat: Wheat is an essential diet of population and occupies a central p osition in agriculture polices of the government. The government announced wheat support price of R.s 1200 which created interest on the part of farming community. Wheat contributes 10. 1% to the value added in agriculture and 2. 2% to GDP. Area under wheat increased to 8693 thousand hecter in 2012-13 from 8650 thousand hecters showing an increase of 0. 5% over lats year’s area. Other crops: During 2012-2013,the production of Gram, the largest Rabi pulses crop in Pakistan, stood at 673 thousand tones, against 284 thousand tones of last year, showing an increase of about 137. 0 percent due to increase in area and favorable weather condition, while production of bajra increased 2. 0 percent.This is in contrast to other crops like jawar, Rapeseed & Mustard, Barley and tobacco showed an decline in production of 10. 9 percent, 6. 7 percent, 6. 0 percent and 1. 0 percent, respectively, in 2012-13 as compared to the corresponding period last year. Oilseed: The major oilseed crops i nclude cottonseed, sunflower, canola and rapeseed / mustard. Although the cotton crop is grown for its lint, cottonseed contributes 50 to 60 percent to local edible oil production. During the year 2011-12, the total availability of edible oil was 2. 748 million tonnes. Local production of edible oil is remained 0.636 million tonnes while imports were 2. 148 million tonnes. The import bill during 2011-12 stood at Rs. 216. 4 billion (US$ 2. 426 billion). During the year 2012-13 (July-March), 1. 738 million tonnes of edible oil valued at Rs. 153. 3 billion (US$ 1. 595 billion) has been imported. The local production during 2012-13 (July-March) was 0. 612 million tonnes. Total availability of edible oil from all sources is provisionally estimated at 2. 35 million tonnes during 2012-13 (July-March). II. Farm Inputs: i) Fertilizer: Fertilizer is the most important and expensive input.Contribution of balanced fertilization towards increased yield is from 30 to 50 percent in different crop production regions of the country. One kg of fertilizer nutrient produces about 8 kg of cereals (wheat, maize and rice), 2. 5 kg of cotton and 114 kg of stripped sugarcane. Almost hundred percent soils in Pakistan are deficient in nitrogen, 80 to 90 percent are deficient in phosphorus and 30 percent in potassium. Wide spread deficiency of micronutrients are also appearing in different areas. Soil fertility is continuously depleting due to mining of essential plant nutrients from the soils under intensive cultivation. ii) Improved seed:Quality seed plays a pivotal role in boosting agricultural production both in market oriented and subsistence farming system. Seed has the unique position among various agricultural inputs because the effectiveness of all other inputs mainly depends on the potential of the seeds. Seed is a high technology product and is an innovation most readily adapted. Improving access to good quality of seed is a critical requirement for sustainable agricultural gr owth and food security. Effective use of improved/certified seed can result in higher agricultural production and increases the net income which has a positive impact on rural development.Hence, availability of quality seed of improved varieties is essential to achieve the production targets. iii) Mechanization: Mechanization of agriculture plays an important role in increasing agricultural production. Mechanization of agriculture is crucial to achieve self sufficiency and surpluses through increasing productivity and reducing pre and post harvest losses. The government is making all efforts to modernize its agriculture and its allied fields more efficiently and productively. The use of efficient and quality farm machinery and equipment play an important role in the sowing and harvesting of agriculture crops.During July-March 2012-13 a total number of 36121 tractors were produced in the country, showing an increase of 34. 6 percent as compared to 26840tractors produced during the sa me period last year. iv) Irrigation: Water is an important input to achieve the agriculture growth and is considered to be the lifeline of agriculture activities. Pakistan has a good irrigation canal network but temperatures and rainfalls during sowing and harvesting season has its own unique importance. III. Livestock and Poultry: a) Livestock:The livestock sector occupies a unique position in the National Agenda of economic development . The sector provides net source of foreign earnings. Historically livestock has been dominated by small holders to meet their needs of milk, food security and cash income on daily basis. Moreover, livestock is considered a source of employment generation at rural level, helping to reduce income variability. It is central to the livelihood of the rural poor in the country and can play an important role in poverty alleviation and keep in uplifting the socio-economic condition of our rural masses.b) Poultry: Poultry sector is one of the most organized and vibrant segments of the agriculture industry of Pakistan. This sector generates employment (direct/indirect) and income for about 1. 5 million people. Its contribution in agriculture is 5. 76 percent, livestock 10. 4 percent and in GDP at constant cost factor 1. 2 percent. Poultry meat contributes 26. 8 percent of the total meat production in the country. Poultry sector has shown a robust growth @ 7-8 percent annually which reflects its inherent potential. The poultry value added at constant cost factor has increased from Rs.113465 million (2011-12) to Rs. 121726 million (2012-13) showing an increase of 7. 3 percent as compared to previous year. Fisheries: Fishery plays an important role in Pakistan’s economy and is considered to be a source of livelihood for the coastal inhabitants. A part from marine fisheries, inland fisheries (based in rivers, lakes, ponds, dams etc. ) is also very important activity throughout the country. Fisheries share in the GDP although very li ttle but it adds substantially to the national income through export earnings. During (July-March), 2012-13 a total of 103,822 m.tonnes of fish and fishery products were exported earning US $ 232. 4 million against a total of 90,087 m. tonnes of fish and fishery products were exported earning US $ 222. 6 million corresponding period last year showing an increase of 15. 3 percent and 4. 4 percent respectively. Future Plans: Consequent upon 18th Constitutional Amendment, the animal health and production subject have been future policy priorities therefore revolve around the following strategies. Encouraging Public Private Partnership led development with government providing enabling environment. National economic growth.Encouraging livestock sector role and using as tool for poverty alleviation & food security. Enhance foreign exchange earnings through exports of livestock products with focus on halal food market. future policy priorities therefore revolve around the following strate gies. Encouraging Public Private Partnership led development with government providing enabling environment. National economic growth. Encouraging livestock sector role and using as tool for poverty alleviation & food security. Enhance foreign exchange earnings through exports of livestock products with focus on halal food market.

Cultural Influences on Rite of Passage B

Cultural Influences on Rite of Passage Beliefs and Rituals Cultures throughout the world honor the passing from childhood into adulthood with special celebrations and rituals that coincide with religious or social traditions. World civilizations pay homage to this rite of passage differently, ranging from jovial and lighthearted galas to the barbaric rituals frequently associated with remote African tribes. There are also other sects of the population where their youth enter a transitional phase that lasts from months or years, such as the Amish and the Aborigines.Their youth use this time as a period of learning to think and act as adults and for decision making about their future. Amish or plain people as they are also known migrated from Europe in search of religious freedom. They were originally part of the Mennonite religion and follow many of the same practices today. They are governed by the unwritten rules known as the Ordnung. They live by principles of simplicity, reject ar rogance, embrace humility and socialize only within their community and avoid other parts of society as much as possible.Amish children only attend school until they complete 8th grade and higher education is discouraged or forbidden. At the age of sixteen, Amish teens are given the choice of participating in Rumspringa, a German term that translates into run around in English. During this time Amish adolescents are free to explore life among modern American society. It is believed that at this age that they have reached a maturity level where they can act responsibly as well as having the skills for making rational informed decisions.This time of reflection is for the youths to decide if they want to remain in modern society or return to the Amish community where they are baptized as adults and are expected to follow the church for the rest of their lives without question. Wargny 2 Rumspringa is also a catalyst for Amish teens to socialize and meet prospective marriage partners. Th ey congregate with other young men and women of Amish faith, experiment with alcohol, drugs, premarital sex, automobiles, cell phones, and video games. (Welcome to Lancaster County)Studies of rumspringa have concluded that approximately 85% of teens willingly return to Amish life and forfeit all conveniences of technology and English ways of life. The small percentage of those choosing to remain in modern society, do so with the understanding that they are shunned by all Amish people including their immediate family. There is no further contact or connection to their past and must live the rest of their lives as though they were strangers or non-existent to everyone they ever knew.The Australian Aborigine tribes are believed to have migrated from Asia more than 20,000 years ago and are native to the barren outback land of Australia. In ancient aboriginal culture, the rite of passage into manhood started at age 12 with a series of ceremonies and rituals held over a course of a few ye ars. The Alkira Kiumi as it is called, started at age 12, and involved the boy being repeatedly tossed into the air and caught by their male relatives of the tribe. Next was the circumcision procedure, which took place by a fire ring.The chief of the tribe sat on the boy’s chest and cut the foreskin of the penis off with a sharp stone or knife. The boy was given a boomerang to bite on for the pain. After the circumcision, the boy was made to kneel close to the fire so that the smoke would rise up and purify the wound and then the elders of the tribe fed the young man his severed foreskin to symbolize the devouring of boyhood. Wargny 3 Months after the initial circumcision, a fireside sub incision ceremony was held. A stick was inserted into the urethra to brace the knife as it cut from the urethra to the scrotum.The boy then rose and allowed his blood to drip into the flames of the fire. The second circumcision made it necessary for the boy to thereafter assume a squatting po sition in order to urinate. Anthropologists theorize that this ritual was performed so that young males would better understand and sympathize with a females’ menstrual cycle. After the circumcisions came a ceremony in which a chisel was used to knock out the front tooth of the young man as it was believed it made him more physically attractive. The next step toward manhood was to serve as a test of his courage by having him walk barefoot across a bed of fire.The final phase of the rite of passage into manhood was known as a walkabout and is also noted as a time for dreaming hence the name Dreamtime. â€Å" According to Aboriginal belief, all life as it is today is part of one vast unchanging network of relationships which can be traced to the Great Ancestors of the Dreamtime† (Rose Marina) It involved young men leaving the safety of their childhood homes to roam about in the barren desert to live on their own for a period of up to 6 months. During the walkabout; the t een boys were only permitted to rely only on nature and the spiritual guidance of their ancestors for their survival.As they roamed through the uncivilized land it was believed that if they followed the guidance of the spirits they would return to their tribes safely and would from then on be considered men. And if they succumbed to the deserts elements, then it was believed that they failed the test of manhood and died shamefully as a boy. Wargny 4 Due to contact with the modern world, the ancient rituals of the aborigine tribes have disappeared or have been replaced by more civil ceremonies that merely symbolize the original rite of passage practices for becoming a man.As validation for becoming an adult, Rumspringa and Alkira Kiumi differ vastly. Rumspringa offers the opportunity to live carefree and seductively in what the Amish refer to as The â€Å"devil’s playground† without reprisal upon their return. Alkira Kiumi was a painful and grueling experience that serv ed to prove a boy’s loyalty and faith in his heritage. Despite the overwhelming differences in these rites of passage, the completion of either of these ritualistic practices indicates a true allegiance to their respective religions and as paying homage to their ancestry.

Humanities Ethics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Humanities Ethics - Coursework Example On his premises, he developed a peculiar understanding of the human nature with regard to the moral choices that the human made. 2. What human actions are considered moral? Three examples were given by Hume to illustrate the moral position on human action and these sentiments are the major drivers of moral application. These included incest, murder and ingratitude. He sought to emphasize the reason why incest is perceived to be wrong with humans, while the same action when replicated in animals is not wrong (White, 31). To illustrate his point, Hume argued that there are no ideas or fact that support why incest is wrong in humans but the same action in animals is perceived normal. Referring to incest, He noted that there is no difference between human beings and animal actions, but only that the human being can disprove this claim. He also used deliberate murder, whether it is right or wrong and whether there are ideas or facts that support the wrongness of an action. He said that mu rder is wrong and that is a fact, but people dismiss that fact and intentionally murder. Concerning ingratitude, he argued that it is a crime, which lacks observable facts or any set of relation to ideas, but a conflict and a conviction of the mind. It is the feeling of indifference or ill will after being ungrateful. 3. What actions are often considered to lead to moral or immorality? After dismissing morals as products of facts or ideas but mere sets of sentimentalism, it is therefore clear that Hume’s way suggests that human actions are majorly guided by sentiments in as far as morality is concerned. It further asserts that reasons cannot be applied to undertake a moral action because the two (morals and Reasoning) are completely unrelated (White, 31). Contributing to Hume’s concerns on morality and human, James stipulates that â€Å"if morality had naturally no influence on human passion and action.† Moreover, he claimed, â€Å"it would be in vain to take s uch pains to inculcate it and nothing would be more fruitless than that multitude of rules and precepts with which moralists abound† (White, 31). He notes that as a practical division, morality is supposed to play an integral role in directing the human passion and action. He reiterates that because of morality the human beings, they are governed by their duties, deterred from certain actions due to the feeling of injustice and compelled to undertake certain actions as matters of obligation. 4. What actions that influences morality Acknowledging that human actions are influenced by their morals, it is infallible to depict reason as the causal subject. These premises justify that human actions are seldom determined by reason but rather sentiments. Morals have a peculiar way of exciting or stimulating human action, which results from doing the action or stopping it. James then states that conclusions cannot be extracted from the rules of morality. In line with Hume’s argu ment, James also observes that most of the human action and the outcome of such actions are elements of fact or reasons. He used willful murder as an example to establish if there exists a fact in human action. For instance, if the action is examined in all aspects there is no matter of fact or any real existence that may qualify the action as a vice. In response, only motives, passion, volitions and thoughts are present in this aspect (White, 31). In most cases, things

Referencing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Referencing - Essay Example Secondly, points of view also vary greatly within a given piece of written work. While some points of view agree within a given subject matter, others disagree in one way or another. In this respect, referencing comes in to cite differences between points of view. The third reason why references are used in writing is to strengthen a study. Past research that leads up to current technical or academic writing enhances the topic of study. Here, referencing captures previous research findings or outcomes that are relevant to the insights the writer wants to present. Finally, referencing is used to direct readers to the original source of cited information. Readers may want to refer to the original source following the contents of technical or academic writing. Referencing, therefore, acts as the bridge between readers and the main source of cited information. Technical writing is critical to the success of an engineer. In technical writing, engineers reference in various areas and for different reasons. The first area where engineers use referencing in technical writing is in defining terms used in product descriptions. Products designed by engineers often carry terms that are difficult for the layman level of understanding. For this reason, engineers need to define all terms that are not commonly used in day-to-day language. In the process, they may need to reference the source of such definitions or acknowledge the original text from which information is derived. Technical reports constitute the second area where engineers use referencing. Before an engineering project is approved for implementation, series of tests could be conducted and the results computed. These tests and result computations are followed by a professional report to the relevant personnel. To prove the validity and the credibility of such reports, engineers need to cite the different methods, analysis, and procedures employed in the testing process. This may

Contemporary vampire saga, twilight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Contemporary vampire saga, twilight - Essay Example tive of the vampire as one that went for what it desired, contrary to the modern vampire who exhibits better reasoning capabilities towards relationships and has human values. The vampire series gives the perception of love and relationships as being indiscriminate and binding in that Bella and Edward fall deep in love despite their different natures. On matters of gender, the contemporary vampire does not portray the woman as inferior and as only a target for vampires; Bella and Edward’s intense love relationship proves this. The ancient/gothic depiction of the vampire painted it as ruthless, bloodthirsty, and horrific, only driven by its desires, and portraying minute (insignificant) humanity in it. This is most evident in that it was seen mostly attacking women and children after destroying their protectors (men), and has to kill in order to live. However, the contemporary vampire is portrayed as being attractive and reasonable, with few [necessary] killings. Another aspect is that in the new form of the vampire, it possesses emotion and even falls in love with real humans, exhibiting acts of romance and chivalry, all of which are admirable. This is so unlike the gothic vampire who only perceives of women as targets to kill. Finally, and with regard to social relationships and values, the contemporary vampire constructs, rather than destroy. In the ancient ones’ portrayal, the vampire would invade relationships thus destroy them; however, the contemporary one actually takes part in constructing and maintaining them, as it is seen relating closely with people. All of these support that indeed, what we now have is a reformed-for –the-better vampire, who leans more to their human than animal nature. In Polidori’s Vampyre, there is the contrary perception of the vampire as a creature that lives underground, only coming into the world to attack its prey, and drag them into the dark ages. In the short narration, the â€Å"new† vampire, Lord Ruthven, lives

Performance Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Performance Management - Essay Example With the help of this system a company motivates its employees to delivery good performance. Retail sales associate are very important part of retail business. They directly interact with the customers and contribute a lot in satisfying them. Sale of a retail company highly depends on the behavior and approaches of its sales associate. Performance of retail sales associates is influenced by their skills. Job description of a retail sales associate helps the business in hiring desirable salespersons. The theory of organizational behavior modification (OBM) involves with changing behavior of the organizational members and their performances. This theory considers two important things which influence the performance of the employees. As per this theory a behavior which produces positive effects or consequence tends to become repeated. The organizational members become motivated to perform that specific type of behavior which helps them to get some positive results. Another thing which influences the performance of the employees is the behavior of the seniors towards them. The senior organizational members like managers, team leaders can change or influence the behavior of the employees by giving punishment or rewards to them. In the retail business for delivering successful job, sales associate needs to have some key behaviors which help them in achieving the goals and objectives of the business. These key behavioral factors are as follows: Confidence: The sales associate needs to very confident for performing their job. Sales associates need to interact with the customers directly. If they are confident about what they are saying and about their knowledge then they can convince the customers easily. It is easy for the sales associate to influence the customers with their high confidence level. Customers tend to trust the sales associate who are confident about themselves. The company can modify the confidence level of its sales associates by giving

American political history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

American political history - Essay Example War on terror is one of the major outcomes of the 9/11 incident. It started from Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, immediately after the 9/11 incident. America believes that the major culprits behind 9/11 Osama and Mulla Omar (Taliban leader) are currently operating from the Afghan-Pakistan borders. In order to seize Laden and Mulla Omar and also to destroy Taliban from Afghanistan, America started the Afghan war immediately after the 9/11. It is widely known that the roots of contemporary terrorism originated in Afghanistan when United States sponsored Afghan mujahideen in their bid to repel Soviet Union which resulted in the formation of CIA trained terrorists united under the banner of Osama Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda† (Ahmed, 2005, p.3). Afghanistan is an uncivilized country and most of the people in Afghanistan are illiterate. Religious fundamentalism is at tits bests in Afghanistan because of the organizations like Taliban. Earlier during the cold war period, Soviet Union intruded into the Afghanistan territories and America did everything possible to remove Soviet troops from Afghanistan. The United States never thought that they will face the consequences of their action in future when they cultivate religious fundamentalism in Afghanistan in order to expel Soviet troops. America deliberately cultivated strong patriotism and religious fundamentalism in the veins of the Afghan people during the Soviet regime in Afghanistan. America made the Afghan people aware of the evil effects of communism. They spread the propaganda that Soviet regime may destroy religion from Afghanistan so that the dominant Muslim population in Afghanistan may be forced to avoid their religious beliefs in future. In other words, America tried to exploit the religious beliefs

Marketing Synthesis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing Synthesis - Research Paper Example Competitive advantage therefore relates to the sustainability of a given business in relation to the threats and competition posed by businesses that are in the same markets as the entity in question. PPGL maintains a competitive advantage because it remains profitable and it controls a significant share of the market of consumers who seek babies, children and adults clothing and related equipments. Additionally, the financial statements of PPGL shows that continues to make profits and is listed on the New Zealand stock exchange as a public company. â€Å"Differentiation involves creating differences in the firms product offerings that set it apart from competing offerings† (Ferrell & Hartline, 2010 p209). Differentiation therefore refers to the ability of a business to give a unique and distinct offering to consumers. This will ensure that consumers will prefer to buy their products rather than other products. Differentiation is based on the added value that a business gives to its consumers that cannot be obtained elsewhere. PPGL has a wide range of products, most of which are unique in appearance and design. They provide seasonal ranges that are always different from what others offer and focus on contemporary designs that are appreciated by the middle-class of New Zealand. Total product offering refers to the idea of developing a unique product into a form that is acceptable for the market place (Longenecker, 2009 p160). In other words, total product/service offering is about how a business presents a given product that it sells to the public. It is concerned with branding, packaging, labeling and related issues like warranties (Longenecker, 2009 p160). PPGL has five unique brands for women and adults: Who is Henri, Spirit, Concept, Isobelle & Live.Love.Play. It also has a range of 21 brands that are related to babies clothing and equipment. All these brands provide a range of cloths that have different images and appeal to different units of

Polyvinylchloride (PVC) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Polyvinylchloride (PVC) - Essay Example PVC is highly unstable and therefore it requires stabilization which can be done in several ways. One of the common ways is prevention of dehydrochlorination. This process involves the addition of other compounds like metal oxides in order to stop or slow dehydroclorination. Most of the commercially available PVC is understood to be anamorphous glass like polymer that has crystalline structure. These crystallites are made up of few monomers that are arranged syndiotactically. As such, the appearance appears to be flowing grains that has primary aggregates embedded in them. It is often claimed that there are sub-primary particles embedded in the flowing grains but this has remained controversial. The PVC’s phase structure combines with several compounds such as chlorinated polyethylene (CPE), ethylene-vinylacetate copolymer (EVA) and acrylo-nitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR). This phase is predicated upon compatibility as well as process temperature and blending during mechanical blending. An increase of the temperature during mechanical processing of PVC to levels higher than the critical levels recommended for first degree particle fusion leads to shift. The shift leads to an inversion whereby there is a higher rubber content with 30% being non

Italian Job Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Italian Job - Movie Review Example In the Italian Job, the actors consisted of renowned individuals including Mark Wahlberg, Donald Sutherland, Edward Norton, Jason Stratham, Seth Green and Charlize Theron and Mos Def. The Setting The setting of the movie suggests that the target audiences are the youth and adults. The graphics and action in the movie clearly provokes mind interpretation and, thus, is rather inappropriate for a much younger audience. In addition to the youth, the public can learn a few lessons from this movie about partnerships and friendships. Further, this movie gets set in a societal context that amplifies its relevance to its target audience. The movie won five awards and these include Taurus Award (2004), Casting Society of America (COLA) Award (2004), COLA (2003), Black Reel (2004) and ASCAP award (2004). In addition to these awards, the movie was nominated seven times to some of the famous awards including BET awards and Saturn awards. This movie bears similarity to the 1969 version, which feat ured the Italian mafia. However, this movie has a contemporary setting that surely fits the description of The Italian Job. The Plot The Italian Job starts with a well-planned theft engineered to take possession of gold bars of value amounting to $35 million from a heavily guarded safe in Venice, Italy. The team that undertakes this endeavor is under the leadership of Charlie(Mark Wahlberg). The crew was to share the spoils of their score when greed got the better of one of them, Steve (Edward Norton). Steve opts to kill all the other crewmembers and elope with the score. Convinced that others are all dead Steve takes the gold bars and moves to Los Angeles with the intent of selling them in the black market. As it emerges, Steve only killed John Bridger (Donald Sutherland), their mentor. A year later, Charlie puts the crew back together and enlists Stella Bridger (Charlize Theron), John’s daughter and a professional safecracker. The other crewmembers include computer genius L yle (Seth Green) wheelman Handsome Rob (Jason Stratham) and Left-Ear (Mos Def), the explosive expert. The crew intends to go after Steve. However, this attempt gets it drive from revenge rather than the monetary value of the catch. Every player of this crew has something to avenge, and the recruit, Stella gets her motivation from the fact that the mark is the same man who killed her father and this alleviate her reluctance to join the crew. The endeavor proves tough since the stage is in L.A. Further, the traitor, Steve proves to be a step ahead at almost every turn, and the cost of the revenge is not as cheap as the crew anticipated. In essence, the twists and turns that almost make the endeavor a wild goose chase serve to maintain the suspense of the setting and keeps everyone guessing on the next step. The stunts in this movie are breathtaking, and graphics in the setting facilitate their success. Evaluation The movie has numerous strengths. However, though the setting had the in tent of being flawless, a few points do not conform to the intent. Nonetheless, the movie comes out on top. It is evident that the movie has enough panache to keep it afloat as an enjoyable film. The charm that each character brings to the table serves well to ensure this film achieves the standard that this genre gets associated. Stratham. Green, Def and Sunderland bring about their well-known performances. The fact that the latter’s stunts come out on top even when the script gets predictable and

Customer Service in Leisure and Recreation Essay Example for Free

Customer Service in Leisure and Recreation Essay The Importance of Customer Service Increased sales are one of the key ways to tell how well the company is doing. Excellent customer service means customers will buy more and recommend more products and services other people, which will add to the increase in sales. While sales are very important to leisure and recreation organisations, another way to measure the success is in terms of customer numbers, which is particularly true for non-profit making organisations. Customer service plays a major role in attracting new customers and the main source of this is the powerful influence of word of mouth. Existing customers who are impressed by the customer service at an organisation will tell other people about it. This means that an organisation keeps its existing customers as well as gaining new ones. An effective customer service policy is that customers will view the organisation in a positive way. This means the image of the organisation will be enhanced by the standard of customer service. Having a good public image is very important for: * Attracting new customers * Retaining existing customers * Reinforcing customer satisfaction * Securing repeat business * Gaining an edge over the competition An organisations public image is the mental picture that we have of the organisation. This can be based on our own experience, what others have told us about it or on what the organisation itself has told us about via its marketing activities such as advertising and public relations. Read more:Â  Recreational Activity Example Television programmes such as Watchdog also help us for an image in our heads, especially when they start reporting viewers complaints. This could have a very bad effect on the organisation. Good customer service can also enhance the image of an organisations individual products or services. For example, customers may have a positive image of a sports centre, but also have a positive image of the individual products and services such as the reservations system and changing facilities. Good customer service gives an organisation a competitive advantage. If you sell a similar product or service, you gain an edge by offering a better quality service and this gives a greater chance of attracting customers. A pleasant working environment is another benefit of good customer service. If customers receive good customer service, they will respond in a friendly and appreciative manner. Customer satisfaction is extremely important in a business and this means the organisation must meet the needs and expectations of the customers. Customer loyalty is very important in a business and good customer service helps reinforce customers loyalty to the organisation with every visit they make. If customers are loyal, they are likely to return and these people are known as repeat customers. This means the customers of the past become the customers of the future. If an organisation has poor customer service, they will suffer from: * Decreased sales * Fewer customers * A poor public image * An absence of competitive edge * An unhappy and less efficient workforce * Dissatisfied customers * Lack of customer loyalty and repeat business Personal Presentation The first impression the customer gets of personal presentation is very important as it is one they will never forget. It directly influences customers satisfaction and the image they have of the organisation. Personal presentation includes appearance, personal hygiene, personality and attitude. Appearance covers everything from clothes and footwear, to hair, make-up and jewellery. The reasons for providing staff with a uniform are: * It helps create a positive first impression * Staff are recognised instantly as working for a specific organisation * It is easy to identify a member of staff when a customer needs advice or assistance * It can indicate the department in which a member of staff works * It helps to create a professional corporate image A lot of organisations now provide their employees with a uniform. Organisations rely on their employees judgement for deciding what is and is not acceptable in terms of appearance. Some organisations set ground rules and to a large extent, this reflects the nature of the organisation and the type of customer it serves. For example, a five star hotel will be very strict with the dress code of the employees who work at the front-of-house. They will be required to wear a uniform and it may also include rules on footwear, hairstyling and make-up. The most important point is to make sure that dress and general appearance suit the job, the organisation and the customers expectations. On the other hand, the organisation should make sure that the uniform is comfortable, easy to maintain and look appropriate for staff of all builds. Anyone serving customers should have excellent standards of personal hygiene. Different types of organisations will have different standards of personal hygiene, for example, anyone who works in the food industry will be expected to wash their hands at least a dozen times a day. First impressions also come from the employees own personality. Again, different jobs require different personalities. A childrens sport coach will require a different personality to a personal fitness instructor because they are working with different types of people. From the personality of the employee, people can tell a lot about the organisation itself. The employees attitude towards the customer is critical. The customers feel that they want as much attention as possible when they go into a workplace and if an employees attitude is poor, they may feel neglected and not wanted. Types of Customers Customers have different needs depending on who they are and the circumstances. There is a difference between internal and external customers. Internal customers are members of staff or outside suppliers who contribute towards the service provided for the external customers. External customers are the people who actually buy or use the organisations products and services. External customers are then categorised into individual, group, age, culture, language spoken and specific needs. Many leisure and recreation providers serve groups and the individuals who compromise them in ways that enhance and promote customer service. Customer age groups are classified as children and adults. Although the companies feel the age of the customers is important, they also feel it is important not to make assumptions about customers needs based solely on age. Cultural background influences peoples traditions, tastes, preferences and opinions and it will therefore influence the type of service they need and expect. It is also important not to make assumptions on the culture of the customer. Foreign visitors are an increasingly important part of the UK tourism market. People still want to feel that they can be dealt with even though there is a language barrier. Large organisations often employ multi-lingual staff to communicate with non-English speaking customers. Some customers have specific needs that may require special customer service in addition to that provided to meet the general needs of everybody. These include sensory disabilities, mobility problems, literacy, dietary requirements and people with young children. Dealing with Customers Almost everyone working in the leisure and recreation industry has to deal with customers, whether be face-to-face, on the phone or in writing. Face-to-face communication has many advantages but only the staff use it well. For example, your presentation can help create a positive image. You can also use facial expressions and gestures to help communicate more effectively. Telephone communication is used in most leisure centres and it provides an essential part of customer service. Some organisations even use the telephone as the main method of dealing with the customers. For some organisations, written communication is the main way of keeping in touch with customers. Menus, tariffs or price lists and letters are all forms of written communication, along with bills, advertisements, notice boards, tickets, e-mails and timetables. Non-verbal communication comprises all forms of communication that are spoken or written down. 80% of communication is non-verbal, so it is clearly very important in customer service. Body language is the main form of non-verbal communication and people can tell how interested the staff are just by looking at them. Selling Skills Selling skills are an important part of customer service. Every time somebody asks for help, advice or information, it is probably a selling situation. As a member of staff, you should be helping customers a lot and to be able to do this effectively, you should have good knowledge of the products and services you are trying to sell. Customers can only buy products and services from an organisation if they know they exist, therefore raising customer awareness is a key part of selling skills Establishing rapport with the customer means encouraging a conservation in which the staff and the customer are both communicating on the same level. Within this category, you must also make the customer feel they have your undivided attention without being too over the top. The easiest way for staff to identify the customers needs is to ask if they need any help. From the reply, the staff will be able to decide what further questions to ask to identify the customers specific needs. Presenting the product or service to the customer in an appropriate way is important. For example, is someone wants to buy something but cannot afford it, then the staff should suggest something of a similar range but at a less expensive price. Closing the sale means actually getting the customer to buy the product or service you are offering. Some people may wish to go away and think about the offer that has just been made and in this case, it is probably a good idea to reserve the product or service. Taking a customers payment is also included in closing a sale. This should be done cheerfully, politely, friendly and gratefully to make the customer feel that they have made the correct choice by buying this product or service from this store or centre. Customer service does not end when the customer hands over their money. This is known as after-sales service and sometimes this will be immediate such as asking the customer of they have enjoyed their visit. Sometimes, if people subscribe to a gym for a year, they may need help in using the service after a couple of months. This is where after-sale service comes in useful. A technique known as AIDA is used in the design of advertising and promotional material and when considering effective selling skills. A stands for attention, I stands for interest, D stands for desire and A stands for action. If you use this technique, it will result in the customer desiring the product and therefore taking action by buying it.

Design Concepts in Architecture

Design Concepts in Architecture Design is the most basic human creative activity. One could argue that Palaeolithic cave drawings were based on this fundamental human creative need. The word design derives from the Italian word disegno, meaning drawing of a work. Many confuse the notion of Design to Art. Design can well be seen in art, but as an independent subject it must be considered as entirely different. One of the first to distinguish this difference, were several British design historians, dating from 1977. Design can be seen and experienced everywhere. Design can be a development progress or an object. Definition for the word design given by designer Richard Seymour is making things better for people. ¹ Design expands so vastly, It can be seen in furniture, advertising, machinery, books, media, fashion, computers, food and in many other fields. Design nowadays is a subject of university study, such as graphic design and industrial design etc. It has always been accepted that anyone who created something, or made something look good, aesthetic or beautiful could be considered a designer. Even though most people believe that a good design is one that looks beautiful, this is not always the case. A good design is one which focuses mainly upon its intended function. A successful design is one that completely fulfils the needs of its intended purpose, Form Follows Function. A designer must be able to meet several points: aesthetical, artistic, theoretical, mechanical, organizational and functional. The word design holds much meaning and design paradoxes are endless, it would therefore be impossible to analyse them all. The focus of this review essay is the architectural area of design. In early 1937, Czech philosopher, Jan Mukarovsky developed a model of five functions for architecture: the immediate, the historical, the personal, the social and the aesthetic. In the arena of Art and Architecture, Design is a basic principle that must be carried out through every piece of work. In this respect, design is an idea, a concept, which is transferred from the individuals mind on to canvas, paper, blue print etc. In England (16th century) the term design was used under the sense of plan from which something is to be madea drawn sketch for an artwork, but also s Bernhard Burdek said: an object of applied arts; Design can be anything that stings ones imagination. Italian designer Giorgio Giugiano says: there is nothing without design. As the 20th century approached new attitudes in Art made their appearance. New styles were discovered by different artistic experiments such as Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts Art Deco. These artistic trends and movements would encompass the styles referred to as the isms of the period, for example; Expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism and others. Some of these aforementioned areas had an impact in Architecture, but it must be noted that the Architectural field consisted of its own movements which rose within these decades. Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Renaissance architects and artists would combine their knowledge in order to produce a building design which combined and encompassed both the beauty of Art, but also the power and discipline of Architecture. The roots of Modern Art dates back to the 19th century. Artists were experimenting with their paintings and sculptures in order to find something different, something that could express better what the painter, sculptor saw or felt, but at the same time enabling the observer to experience the artwork himself through his personal emotions. Areas of the Modern Art movement will be further analysed in the forthcoming paragraphs and their connection with the architectural styles which were popular at that time. Even though the modern era in architecture consists of several other movements (Usonianism, Constructivism, Purism etc), the purpose of this review is to analyze the influences that Art had on Architecture during the 20th century. Within the first decade of the 20th century, the first movement in Modern Art, to make its appearance was Expressionism. Painters such as Vincent van Gogh would flatten their paintings using lines, exaggerating certain fragments of the painting, either by using bright colours or by just the simple and minimal black and white. This simplified way of painting would usually portray sceneries focusing not on the beauty as the public was use to, but the suffering, poverty and violence were the notions presented. Parallel to Expressionism in Art, Expressionist Architecture started to develop. Most examples Can be found in Germany and a few other European countries. Similarly to artists trying to picture the cold truth of a humans life without any essence of beauty, leading architects such as Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropins and Hans Poelzig developed poetical and dramatic designs influenced by natural forms which consisted of unusual shapes and massing. Manmade materials, such as, brick, steel, concrete and most importantly glass were key characteristics to this architectural style. In the lithograph on the left, Scream, also known as Shouting, the notion of sadness , fear or even death have been pictured; the print consists only of lines, which all lead to the centre of the picture, to the most important part, the screaming figure. The facial characteristics of the human head are very minimal, and may remind one of a caricature or a cartoon; even though the face is some what destroyed the person shouting, holding his head, with wide open eyes and mouth, gives one the impression of fear; as if he was facing something that scared him. The figure itself is very thin , the minimal appearance of clothing and the skinny face, may be thought to be either an old woman or man, facing the time of death. One of the buildings which has been placed under the title of Expressionist Architecture, is Hans Poelzigs exhibition space and water tower building. This extraordinary design of its time, is located in the city of Poznan, in Poland and was completed in 1991. Throughout the building it is difficult to find any straight lines; curves and flowing shapes are what make up the Einstein Tower. It looks more like a poetic and romantic sculpture than a building for such a specific use. The steps leading up to the entrance, through the body of the building with its dome like roof, reminds one of a naturally occurring organism such as a plant or an undersea creature. In France, during the period 1907 to 1914, the leaders Picasso and Braque developed the movement of Cubism, which largely differs from Expressionism. Analytical Cubism, focused on two-dimensional, flat paintings which would picture an object by breaking it down into shapes. Lines, geometric forms and bright colours were a necessary characteristic. Synthetic Cubism derived from the method of Collage, synthesising, combining painting, incorporating pictures from magazine advertisements, cuttings and clippings of different materials to generate a complete piece of artwork. As previously mentioned, Cubism was strongly associated with two-dimensional portraying. This motif in art also had an influence on architecture. Well analysed and synthesized architectural spaces, would remain in the usual two dimensions; architectural representations were based on the artistic era of the time. Closely related to Cubism is Abstract Art. Artwork now is not a matter of copying what appeared in front of ones eyes, but something that one may call a piece of decoration. What the artist feels becomes art. During the First World War, a group of young artists, named Dada, made their presence. They found a way to express their protest to the war, through their abstract painting. Picassos Violin, appears to be very confusing. By its title, one becomes familiar with what is portrayed. The painting illustrates a destroyed musical instrument, broken/cut into pieces. With its curved shapes and brown colours it is easily understood. But what is fascinating about this piece of artwork is the way the artist has shaded each part of the violin, giving it a special significance. Even though the painting is portrayed on a canvas (two dimensional), the hole picture seems to escape those boundaries, each part appears to stand out from the canvas. Dada for me was a new beginning and a closure. In free Zurich where the newspapers can say what they want, where magazines were founded and poems against the war read out, here where there were no ration-cards and no ersatz, here we had the possibility of shouting out everything that was filling us fit to burst. Richard Huelsenbeck. During 1922 to 1924, when Dada began to lose their influence, Surrealism was introduced. Painters were creating dream like pictures. Within these paintings one fragment would blend and merge into another and depending on the angle in which one viewed the drawing, the picture on the canvas would change. The same object could have two or more uses within the painting. Architecture has embraced most art movements and Surrealism was not be left out. As was analyzed in the previous paragraph, painting fragments, which had multiple uses, were one of the principles undertaken in this art style. Architects were incorporating two or more in some cases uses to a building, multiple approaches and embeddings. Within this surrealist painting of Dali, different elements accommodated a different story; and in some cases may have more than one role. In the centre of the painting , a female face appears, her eyes are also seashells on the beach, her forehead and nose form a fruit bowl full of pears; on her left hand side there is a dark tunnel with a river, whereas on the left side of the painting, there is mountain with sea waves running down towards the females face. The mountain to the right acts as a dogs head and what seems to be its collar is a bridge; many other such elements are hidden within this painting. These two multi-storey buildings, appear to be dancing. The male (cylindrically shaped building on the right), Fred, is standing next to Ginger (female). Fred seems to be reaching out his right arm to his dancing partner. This concrete structure, relates to the strong nature of a male. On the other hand, Ginger, as a woman, constructed from glass, appears more fragile, just as a woman can be elegant and delicate. Advertisements, comic books, magazines, posters, movies and everything else which portrayed some sort of a commercial image came in fashion; art was now called Pop Art. Although many believe that Pop Art was discovered in America, continuing from the movement of Abstract Expressionism in the 1930s, Pop Art was actually first seen in London. Leader and inventor of this movement was English painter and Collage artist Richard Hamilton. Often called the intellectual father of Pop Art. The Abstract era continues to grow in the United States and in Europe. Op Art, also known as Optical Art is appearing. In the period of the 60s and the 70s, vibration and optical illusions created either by monochrome, images or outstandingly bright coloured pictures consisting of basic geometric shapes were this movements principles. Similarly to optical illusions in Op Art, illusions of such type can be found within the world of architecture; maybe this is not an era called Op Architecture but defiantly architects have been inspired from this particular artistic style; Soon after came minimalism, with Kenneth Noland, Larry Poons and others. Minimalism consisted of simple colours and solid shapes based on geometric forms. Artists would reduce as much of the elements as possible within their work in order for it to appear simple but yet again well worked. Such fragments would be colours, textures and volumes. Architect Mies van der Rohe, adopted the so well know phrase les is more, by developing building designs which consisted of open plan layouts, minimal exteriors etc. Minimalism and Architecture is still a movement that continues to grow. Minimalist architecture comprising of simple volumes and clear lines, which sometimes look very similar to solid geometric shapes, is a style of architecture found all around us. Oil, water colour, charcoal, pen and ink, sculptures and photography are some of the art forms that can be found within the Fine Art department. There are different techniques in which an artist can experiment and develop in order to produce what might be a masterpiece. The French word coller meaning glue is the term used do describes one of those methods. The assembly of different materials, which create a new image, is else known as Collage. One of the first examples that can be related to this motif was found in China and dates from 200 BC, during the invention of paper. It was not until many decades later, in the era of Modern Art and during the Analytical Cubism phase, when Collage was formally introduced. Pablo Picasso and George Braque were the first to bring out the glamour of this technique in the year 1906-07. George Braque was the inventor of collage in Modern Art. He mostly applied this technique on his charcoal drawings. One of the earliest most famous collages was Picas sos Guitar, Sheet Music and Glass. By autumn 1912 it was apparent that Picasso was very interested in the three-dimensional construction of a collage. As in Picassos Violin (pg.4) for one to understand what is portrayed, one should be familiar with the object in question; in this case Guitar, Music sheet and Glass constructed in September 1912, follows the same principle. The rear surface of the collage appears to be a section of flowery wall paper; the shapes in which the other fragments of the collage are cut are very simple and one could say effortless; but the way in which they are arranged together gives the observer a clear impression of the subject. On the left hand side of the collage the body of the guitar is formed from a wood-like cut-out. The blue rectangle next to it reminds us or the neck of the guitar, and below this the white circle resembles the sound hole. A black cut out of a semicircle forms the base. To the right are strips of sheet music and below a newspaper cutting and one of Picassos sketches picturing an abstract view of a wine glass, are the fragments which are used in order to compete the Guitar, Music s heet and Glass collage. Tatlins assembly on the left is a three-dimensional abstract construction. This creates the feeling of anger or fear and is due largely to the materials chosen. Canvas or board paper are replaced by an old wooden board. Industrial materials replace paper cut-outs which are secured by screws instead of glue. The artist, in this case, is not interested in a clean finish, but creating a rougher and more textured result which all add to its beauty. The discovery that the very distinction between flat and volumetric was no longer absolute, that through a process of unprecedented spatial semantic complexity, something deeply unsettling was happening to art.? Picasso started to experiment with his papier collers adding other materials which had a special significance. Cardboard, wood, metal and other textiles were incorporated within his Cubist artworks which were soon characterized as surrealist; In the years to come, several more artists, such as, Vladimir Tatlin, Varvara Stepanova and Alexandr Rodchenko, were producing collages. Newspapers, advertisement strips, magazine parts, photographs were some of the materials used. During the First World War, a young group of artists known as Dada were introduced, and soon became very popular. Dada attempted, in their own artistic way, to protest against what was happening to the world around them. The Dada movement was controversial at the time. They introduced a new art form, the art of expressing, in a more literal way, their thoughts about the disaster of the Great War. Dada meaning Hobby Horse in French, consisted of six members. Hugo Ball, his lover Emmy Hennings, Tristan Tzara, Hans Richter, Marcel Janco and Hans Arp. The group were based in Switzerland and the Dada era was born in 1916 in the city of Zurich. Dadaism did not only produce drawings or paintings; it was an era where all visual and intellectual arts were combined together. They used drawings, paintings, sculptures and poetry. It combined artistic, philosophical, music and political aspects. Hugo Ball would take poems apart and place the words in a random sequence. This recycling words technique and later on the photomontages and collages produced by the Dada group, would make one think that they were not so much inventors but recyclers; On the other hand another member of the group, Hans Arp was concentrating on the visual representation of their protest. Through collages and reliefs he was expressing the need of change. Within those collages, elements of wood, screws and paper can be found. The construction of those art works, were based on the law of change as Arp would say. Coming back to the motif of three-dimensional collages reliefs (page 8, Picasso), the Dada reliefs made this motif obvious. The shape in which the elements of the reliefs were cut was well thought, planned and processed. Sketched beforehand and placed exactly in order to complete the artwork. Usually curved and orientated in a natural like way would be remeniscent of organic cultures and the era of Impressionism. We do not wish to imitate nature; we do not wish t reproduce. We want to produce. We want to produce the way a plant produces its fruit, not depict. We want to produce directly, not indirectly. Since there is not a trace of abstraction in this art we call it concrete art. First collages created by Hans Arp were very minimal and simple. One could say that little effort had gone into creating them. Dadas reliefs are some what different to what one has seen through the history of collage. Shapes cut out from wood in natural forms are stuck one on top of the other. This technique could remind one of the three-dimensional construction of collages during the period of 1912-14 (pg.8). But in the reliefs on the left, an abstract assembly consisting of organic shaped, wooden fragments , painted in pastel colours, give the impression of a playful scene. Maybe one from the deep oceans or a field covered with flowers; Moving away form the notion of three-dimensional construction, Dadas work also consists of papier colles; Rectangles arranged according to the Laws of Change, is one of dadas paper collages; squares and rectangles in two shades of blue are cut and randomly placed on the rear (blue) surface of the collage. No right angles appear anywhere in this piece of artwork, nor in the position in which the paper fragments are placed on the board, nor in the way the elements are cut. Arp was always pleased to work and create art with other artists. In 1916 Arp invented the Fatagaga pictures. Fatagaga was a word which derived from the first syllables of the sentence: Fabrication de Tableaux garantis gazometriques, meaning: production of guaranteed gasometric pictures. Based on this new term, Arp and other artists created the i-drawings. The group continued to express their compassion to the sufferings of the public, but this time their collages, or as they called them, photomontages, were not so simple looking. Dada brought photographs in the papier colles, which pictured human bodies with different heads or objects placed on their forehead in combination with written illustrations, suggesting in their way the political and social exasperation towards the world. With Analytical Cubism, art opened its doors to papier colle, the construction and design of collages. Dada introduced that a collage did not only have to consist of paper and glue, but it could incorporate other materials as well, (wood, photographs, paint etc). Max Ernst said: I had to admit that in most of my collages there was no use for glue; that I am not responsible for the term collage; As the 1920s entered Dada collages formed a big change; collages where now consisting if geometric shapes, well processed and cut. The i-picture on the left, is one of Arps i-drawings. Rectangles and squares with sharp lines and right angles are places adjacent one to the other; in contrary to the Rectangles arranged according to the Laws of Change (pg.11), this collage looks more like a collage an architect would create; well planned and placed fragments in basic colours. Its one of the first times where one sees the illustrations of text within Dada pa co. The letter i is placed in the centre of the collage catching ones attention, from the first glance. The Art Critic (image on the left), moves away from the graphic collages that Dada were concentrating on until the 1920s. The illustrated bright orange rear surface of the collage, gives a new feeling to the whole picture; human forms are introduced with satiric elements. The man body is a different collage fragment to the out of scale head; facial characteristics are exaggerated by the added sketches/doodles representing eyes, lips teeth etc. Part of a shoe on the forehead of the Frankensteins man and a large pen in his right hand, weapon like, add to the style of the collage. On the right a male figure appears through the newspaper cutting on a black and white photograph. A woman looks stunned by the large figure in the centre of the collage. Additional fragments taken from magazines are added to the whole creating a troublesome image. Even though collages and photomontages started to disappear during the surrealist era in Art, there are a few examples for such stylistic papier colles. Max Ernst was one of the most popular surrealist painters in the 1920s. Within his works, numerous collages can be found. By cutting and reorganising sentimental illustrations, surreal collages would make their appearance. Other artists, such as Dali were strongly connected with surrealist collages Dali would play with the observer. He did this in the way in which the fragment of his collages where placed together, he would confuse the observer about what was being viewed, where as what was actually being portrayed was different to what the eye would see. Dalis playful scene of brightly coloured elements consists of both painting and collage; this technique has been seen before with Picassos Guitar, Music Sheet and Glass collage (pg. ). The rear surface of the Accommodations of Desire collage, is painted; this would be separate to the lion heads which are glued on. The collage consists of nine incomplete lions heads and is violent in its suggestions. In the top centre of the collage a sexual scene is suggested, with a naked women and a man standing close to her. Photomontage did not make its official appearance till the First World War and the Dada movement, but there are many examples in the past, dating back as far as the Victorian era to prove that this technique was seen before. German word Montage means fitting, and explains exactly what a photomontage is, the fitting of multiple pictures/photographs together and creating a new image. Million Fox Talbot was one of the people associated with the invention of photography. He would experimented with his photographs, as any individual would when trying to invite something now, such as photography; by placing tree leafs of the photographic plates, it would remind of some sort of photomontage; In those days, without the invention of photographic paper, the photographic plates were reused and must have be well cleaned in order for the next photograph to be taken. By not cleaning the plates whilst taking a new photo, the result would look as if one image had been placed on the other. In this wa y, photomontage was beginning to appear. In this way they would experiment with multiple plates and effects. During the Victorian period, several examples of such experiments can be found. One of the most striking of its time, were the postcards portraying a human body with a different head. With the revival of Pop Art collages and photomontages were brought back to file. Pop Art Daddy, Richard Hamilton was strongly associated with those art motifs. A collage made from photographs or photograph parts is called a photomontage. At the time, for many people Pop Art was difficult era to be understood. The images portrayed in the Pop Art movement were generally seen in other context and individuals had problems embracing the new art form. In 1957 Hamilton defined Pop art as: Popular (designed for a mass audience), Transient (short-term solution), Expendable (easily forgotten), Low cost, Mass production, Young (aimed at youth), Witty, Sexy, Gimmicky, Glamorous and Big business. But Richard Hamilton found different ways in which he engaged the public with his art. His influence of Abstract Art was obvious in his works, which mostly consisted of collages and photomontages. The images used in order for him to produce a collage would have often been seen in other artistic works in the past; but Hamilton would manipulate them and make look unique. One of the first examples in Pop Art and Hamiltons most famous collage / photomontage is Just what makes Todays Homes so Different, so Appealing. In August 1956, an art exhibition opened its doors to the public. The exhibition hearing after the name This is tomorrow, took place in the Whitechapel Art Gallery, in London. The aim of this exhibit was o present new ideas to the public rather to a certain group of people. These new ideas exhibited would accommodate new, exiting and futuristic aspects which were introduced in the everyday life of an individual. For example aspects of Cinema, Comic books, Pop music, Science fiction and even the unforgettable, sexy Merlin Monroe were present; The exhibition was a space surrounded with playful imagery, music and even some shocking aspects which would make the public wonder about what Tomorrow would bring to their lifes; Richard Hamiltons collage Just what makes Todays Homes so Different, so Appealing, was created for the purposes of advertising posters and catalogue for the exhibition. Even though the artwork, consisting if collage and photomontage was only creating for commercial use, it was one of which made the British Artist famous; As mentioned in the side text, Richard Hamilton would recycle work of others, or imagery seen elsewhere; this is quite predictable, as collage can be alternatively described as a way of recycling imagery, text and photographs from other sources; but in this particular example of the collage pictured above [Just what makes Todays Homes so Different, so Appealing ], the title itself is reused; the original quat derives from an advert starting: just what is it that makes todays homes so different, so appealing? Open planning of course and a bold use of colour. all components of the collage are taken from popular 1960s adverts; The rear surface of the collage had been originally seen in the advert for Armstrong floors company floor surface types; the particular image was found in the Ladies Home Journal. Secondly, the young semi naked male, pictured holding a tennis racket, is the famous Irwin Zabo Koszewski, body builder. [photograph taken from Tomorrows Man magazine]. The woman sitting on the sofa at the rear right side of the artwork is believed to be artist Jo Bear. Opposite, on the left side, the element of the staircase accommodating a young female cleaner, was taken from the advertisement of the new, at the time, Constellation model of a hover. The painting / picture, which is hanging on the rear wall if the interior pictured in the collage, Young Romance, is part of an advert in Young Love. Below there is a television; produced be the Stromberg Carson company (1955). But not all the element accommodated within this collage are exactly cut and pasted in order to create this Pop image; Richard Hamilt on has modified certain parts, which without any hesitation contain a secrete meaning within them; in order to make this more clear, the rug, behind the young bodybuilder is actually a blown up image of the Whitley Bay Beach crowed; lastly on the ceiling of the interior, the image of the earth emerges; most probably this photograph is taken from the Life Magazine [September 1955 edition]. There may be different meanings hiding in this collage. But my personal view ion this artwork, is based on the promotion of the perfect home and family. During the period of the 1960s all was based on the visual aspects of life, new elements in the entertainment field of the public culture were been modified and everything was surrounding the new popular and exiting; cinema, magazines with shocking playful and colourful imagery were incorporated in peoples daily routines; Based on the collage Just what makes Todays Homes so Different, so Appealing , I believe that the artist is trying to portray the Perfect couple. A young , hansom, muscular male, with a sexy, beautiful woman by his side; elements of taking care if the physical body condition of both parties are suggested through the element of the tennis racket; Now there is the opportunity for the female to be the lady of the house; economical changes are suggested; now cleaners can be hired to keep the house in its perfect / clean condition and women can start taking care of themselves. Photographs were a major inspiration for Hamilton works; elements of advertising, film, photography, fashion, music, style, mass media, TV etc were always precent in his work. During the 60s R.Hamiltons works took on a more domestic feel. He was portraying interior spaces which were very similar to the scene of a film set. Some would characterise his work ironic, but for Hamilton that was not the case. By applying in his work imagery seen in the wider public and mass media environment, he addressed a problem which the outside world was facing and at the same time he would picture its possible solution. Hamilton explained in 1968: One wasnt just concerned with a car and the idea of speed but [with] the way it was presented o us in the mass media presenting a glamorous object by all the devices that glamorous advertising can add. The Pop paintings are anthologies of the mechanics of visualisation. Maybe it is not only about the entrainment and the economical but also about the political changes taking place at the time; women are becoming more important and have a say in different important matters; every home should accommodate the newest designs of furniture and electrical facilities; (TV, Hoover, Tape recorder) The perfect home sheltering the perfect couple The images of the earth on the ceiling of the interior may suggest that even in such a house, with all its fashionable and great conditions, it is actually what everyone feels within it; our house is our world; American, visual artist, Christian Marclay, concentrates on exploring the connections that may exist between music, sound and photography. He transforms sound into visual and physical form; this is represented by video, photography, sculpture etc. One of Christian Marclays projects was the Body Mix Series (1991). The project consisted of several album covers, which were collaged in such a way, in which a whole new image immerged through the stitched together pictures. One of those Frankenstein images, named Doorsiana, consisted of six different covers, one of which was the face of Jim Morrison and Diana Rosss left arm, in connection with several other albums. Seliger: It seems that from the start your work has always had a lot to do with collage, both in performance and with the objects. Marclay: Yes. Ive always used found objects, images and sounds, and collaged them together, and tried to create something new and different with what was available. To be

Visiting The Gold Coast †The Surfer’s Paradise

Visiting The Gold Coast – The Surfer’s Paradise Gold Coast – The Surfer’s Paradise Hello A coastal city in the southeast Queensland state of Australia, Gold Coast is home to around 3 million people. Surfing is one of the main interests here. Both locals and tourists take a serious interest in surfing here. 35 kilometres of its golden sand beaches puts it as one of the most popular beach holiday destinations in Australia. Over two million tourists visit Gold Coast annually. Best Season to visit Gold Coast Gold Coast is open all around the year. You can expect clear-sky winters, crisp autumn mornings and golden and vibrant summers. When you have close to 300 days of sunshine a year, formal seasons become less apparent. Temperatures are much cooler in rural areas and the hinterland all through the year. The peak seasons are mainly summer (December to February) and autumn (March to May). Highlights (Special Things to Do in Gold Coast) Adrenaline-pumping rides, exotic animals and endless number of waterslides will help cool you off here. Gold Coast holidays have a full range of interactive entertainment to offer, be it big dazzling theme parks or small yet hilariously quirky museums. Let your hair loose at one the many theme parks dotting Gold Coast. Gold Coast is home to some of the largest and best theme parks in the world. You can Cuddle a koala, feed a flock of rainbow lorikeets or even swim with the dolphins – do much more at the wild parks and aquariums nearby. Revisit history, at some of the city’s oldest and most renowned attractions. Watch Whales. Experience the bio-diverse city and the largest subtropical rainforest in Australia, at the natural parks and attractions around the city. Sample the city’s stunning walking tracks that come with incredible lookouts. Learn how beer is brewed and taste one of the region’s finest wines at a local vineyard. Rejuvenate and unwind at one of Gold Coast’s award-winning spas or wellness retreats. Indulge in sports and recreational activities, from surfing to sky diving. Hotspots of Gold Coast You can check out these popular places to visit in Gold Coast. Surfers Paradise: Surfers Paradise is the signature high-rise settlement emerging out of the commercial centre of the Gold Coast. Surfers Paradise Beach: Three-kilometre long strip of golden sands between Surfers Paradise and the Pacific Ocean is a picture perfect location that mesmerizes millions every year. SkyPoint Climb: This is the highest external building walk in Australia. Feel a sense of achievement when you stand on a 270 meter high with the sun shimmering around you with a 360 degree view of golden sands, lush green tropical mountains and the Gold Coast skyline. Ripleys Believe It Or Not!: Get overwhelmed by hundreds of incredible exhibits, rare stories, mystery and magic, incredible deceptions, interactive games and astounding movies. Movie Stunt Experience: Be an action hero, choosing whether to break through windows, commando-style or fly around by being suspended on wires or jump from buildings or even be lit on fire. Slingshot Gold Coast: Holding 2 people at a time, with a video camera attached to capture the riders’ reactions, the Slingshot catapults you 80 meters up in the air. Jetboat Extreme: Spin and slide across the sea in a custom-built, twin-jet-powered, turbo-charged jet boat. Coolangatta Coolangatta Beach: Known for its slow pace and laid back lifestyle, it is the southernmost beach in Queensland. Snapper Rocks: Snapper Rocks is a small rocky ridge that is famous for the Superbank, the start of the large sand bank. Kirra Beach: The small rocky headland Kirra Point, is known as one of the worlds leading surf breaks. This surf break is known for producing high quality waves. Gold Coast Skydive: You get to jump off a plane at 12,000 feet above the ground; free-fall for roughly 40 seconds before opening the parachute to take in the mesmerising beauty of Gold Coast, and finally landing on to the warm sand of Kirra Beach. Southport The Rockpools: A water theme park for all age groups, the Rockpools that comes with a coastal theme has a creek bed and an array of pools that mimic coastal tides. Burleigh Heads Burleigh Heads Beach: Simply Burleigh to locals, it sits like a pause, between Surfers Paradise and Coolangatta to the north and south respectively. It’s a charming punctuation mark along the Gold Coast and absolutely a place to stop and take notice. Springbrook Natural Bridge: Natural Bridge at Springbrook National Park is the most uncommon geological feature created by water flowing through the roof of a basalt cave for millions of years. It is home to an enchanting colony of glow-worms, which can be seen after sunset. Mermaid Beach Putt Putt Golf: Play golf in one of the three unbelievably themed 18 Hole Courses with themes like the Jungle Trail, Waterways Cove or the Fun Run. Navigate through bizarre animals, conquer motorised obstacles and cruise along a water filled putting adventure. Currumbin Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary: More than 1,400 native Australian animals on display here in a natural bush land and rainforest landscape. The Sanctuary offers a world of discovery through enthralling wildlife shows, night safari and an interactive science activity zone. Shopping in Gold Coast Offering a shopping experience like no other, the Gold Coast has a range of options from department stores and discount traders to boutiques and specialty shops, markets and also duty free stores. For cheap souvenirs and t-shirts go to Cavill Mall and its surrounding areas. Dozens of stores in and around Surfers Paradise cater solely to the tourist crowd and you could end up picking up sheepskins, Australian opals, wool products and even aboriginal artefacts. Out of the numerous shopping centres in Surfers Paradise the popular ones are the Chevron Renaissance and the Centro Shopping Plaza. These places are good for a tourist shopping; however for day to day value items it is better to shop elsewhere. For a selection of high-end or mid-range boutiques and shops, head to the Orchard Avenue, Elkhorn Avenue and Cavill Avenue in Surfers Paradise. Care should be taken while purchasing in Surfers Paradise as counterfeits are very common. It’s an irony that the real Louis Vuitton boutique is right next to the fake goods shops on Elkhorn Avenue. Robina Town Centre has a modern shopping mall with eateries and shops that take care of everyone’s needs. A large selection of shops across all budgets can be found at Harbor Town Center in Biggeria Waters. The small farmers market across the road is a must visit for its good restaurants and delis. How to reach Gold Coast Air By Plane The Gold Coast Airport, better known as the Coolangatta Airport, is located in Coolangatta to the south of the city. It is a pretty unique airport as it lies across the Queensland and New South Wales borders; you would always land in one state and arrive in the other. Though it is a fairly small terminal, it receives around 3.5 million travellers annually. The airport is well connected with major cities in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Another thing to keep in mind is that it is NOT a 24 hour airport, so do not plan on staying overnight before an early morning flight. The Gold Coast Tourist Shuttle runs transit services from the Gold Coast Airport to hotels and theme parks all over Gold Coast. Customer service kiosks are in the located in the international and domestic terminals. An alternative, especially if using a rented car, is to fly into Brisbane Airport. You have better connectivity from there. Land By Train CityTrain is an electric train service between Brisbane and Nerang, Robina, Coomera and Helensvale. It’s roughly a 70 minutes journey from Brisbane Central to Robina and Nerang. As the train runs along the coast you can check which station on route is closest to your destination. Countrylink in New South Wales has trains running from Sydney with bus services at the Casino to Surfers Paradise. How to get around Gold Coast Car Gold Coast is easily accessible by car, and large parking lots at most locations make parking a less harrowing experience. Most car rental services are available here. Bus Surfside Buslines, are the main form of public transport here in Gold Coast and they have designated stops on most areas. Buses are available 24 hours a day; the frequency is higher during the day. Airport Transfers (shuttles) operate point to point’ between Coolangatta Airport and most places along the coast and are a popular substitute to taxis. Taxi – Taxis are available but expect to wait longer for it on busy nights. Bike The Gold Coast Ocean way is a 36km pathway meant for pedestrians and cyclists connecting the Gold Coast Seaway to Point Danger, covering most of the coastline on route. Top areas in Gold Coast Surfers Paradise Surfers Paradise, located on long stretches of golden beaches is where surfers do more than just riding the waves. High rise apartments line the shore, nightclubs, pubs are abundant here. The late night shopping will keep you busy all through. Most Gold Coast hotels, high end and budget, are located around here. Broadbeach â€Å"Broadie† as called by the locals, it is a quieter version of Surfers Paradise. It is known for its gorgeous beaches dotted by lazy parks and bustling weekend markets. It is the second busiest tourist suburb and is home to casinos, shopping centres and many eateries. Mount Tamborine Located in the peaceful and scenic hinterland and at just an hour from Gold Coast, it is a tropical rainforest, populated with unique, vibrant and colourful, exotic birds. Many interesting types of flora and fauna can also be found here. It is also known for its serene calm atmosphere. Main Beach High-rises and resorts dot this upmarket suburb. Located at the northern end of the Gold Coast, Main Beach is called so as it was the main surf beach at Southport. Its open shore break makes it very popular with Surfers. Burleigh Heads Home to tall aromatic pine trees, this parkland has plenty of places where you can picnic or have a barbecue. You would also find arts and crafts markets here, where you can haggle your way to a good deal. You can find good mid-range accommodation here. Coolangatta – This is one of the twin cities located on the border between New South Wales and Queensland. The surf here is outstanding, particularly off the northern corner of Coolangatta Beach. Snapper Rocks and Duranbah are world-class surf breaks that are located here. You also have a few mid-range accommodation options here. Mermaid Beach This is simply a serene laid-back spot. There’s an extensive mixture of dining options here ranging from modern Australian to a lot of Pan Asian culinary options. While there are plenty of cheap accommodation options here, from apartments to caravan parks, do not forget to check out the flashy and flamboyant ‘millionaire’s row. Miami – A small beach town located south of Surfers Paradise, Miami has a beautiful stretch of golden sands that is perfect for families. Thank You!

The Rationality of Scientific Discovery: The Aspect of the Theory of Creation :: Philosophical Science Scientific Papers

The Rationality of Scientific Discovery: The Aspect of the Theory of Creation ABSTRACT: In order to understand the rationality of scientific creation, we must first clarify the following: (1) the historical structure of scientific creation from starting point to breakthrough, and then to establishment; (2) the process from the primary through the productive aspects of the scientific problem, the idea of creation, the primary conjecture, the scientific hypothesis, and finally the emergence of the genetic structure establishing the theory; and (3) the problem threshold of rationality in scientific creation. Given that the theory of scientific creation adopts the descriptive viewpoint of rationality, it therefore establishes rational principles such as the following: (1) a superlogical mode of thinking; (2) an analysable genetic structure which consists of the primary and productive aspects (including experiential facts, background theory, operational means, higher irrational factors, etc.); (3) a means of recourse to the effect of incubation of a higher idea; (4 ) a movement in thinking from generality to particularity; and (5) the replacement of irrational by rational factors. 1.The Logic Theory of Scientific Discovery and the Irrational Theory of Scientific Discovery The modern forms of the logic theory of scientific discovery have abandoned the discovery model of pure logic, and search after the discovery logic in a broad sense. Both the retrospective inference which Hanson initiated and the inductive which Maclauin elucidated deserve serious attention among them [1]. Their common charateristics are to resort to the irrational factors, at the same time, they are unable to expound the process of emergence of the new ideas. In addition, the rationality of discovery is summed up into "the algorithm" or "the patterns of discovery" is still put forward, and it holds that it is according to the overeconomical principle that the discovery of the scientific laws discovers "the patterns" in experience and data [3]. They are both the different expression of discovery logic, the former is a kind of logic of problem solving, the latter is actually an inductive inference. Their common shortcomings are the simplification and to be unable to reveal how the new ideas occur in the process of scientific creation. The irrational theory of discovery advocates "the method of bisection" of discovery and verification and holds that the scientific discovery is "the intuitional result like poetry" (Popper), and doesn't thoroughly have the possibility of epistemological research (L. Laudan) [4]. The problems of scientific discovery should be studies by psychology and sociology.

The Importance of Misunderstanding in Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison Es

The Importance of Misunderstanding in Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison    In Ralph Ellison's novel Invisible Man, the main character is faced with challenges that he must overcome to survive. Most of the challenges he faces are straightforward; however, he ends up losing to his surroundings. When he makes a speech to calm a disorderly group, he ends up unwittingly naming himself their leader, thus, changing a slightly rowdy group into a mob primed for racial rioting. How can someone's speech be manipulated into having a meaning the complete opposite of the original intent? The Invisible Man's audience decides that they are only willing to listen to a speaker presenting what they want to hear. Due to a handicap of inexperience in public speaking, his effort to calm the crowd is used by the crowd, to forcefully name him the leading figure of an unreasonable mob. While walking down a New York street, the protagonist bears witness to the eviction of an elderly black couple from their home. While a Marshal conducts his job of ordering trusties to pile the couple's belongings on the sidewalk, a crowd gathers and watches in sympathetic disbelief. The Invisible Man becomes mixed in with the crowd and feels that the older couple is much like his own mother and father because they too are hard working and honest people. Soon after his realization, the woman being evicted becomes angry over the fact that she is unable to pray on the floor of her home. When she and her husband try to run past a defending trustee, the woman ends up falling backwards down her steps, which causes the spectators to become enraged. At this point, the Invisible Man becomes the center of attention when he rushes to the steps and makes a speech. His intentions... ...ed judgment and inexperience, he is unable to carry though with his original intentions and give rational judgment to the crowd. The misunderstandings that happen at the eviction shape the Invisible Man's future, causing a milestone in his life to be covered without even giving the least amount of effort. Irving Howe was right about stumbling to individuality; the Invisible Man's future is shaped by the wishful thinking of other people. Outcomes would have been vastly different had purposes been straightforward, actions been true, and emotions been clear; however, had conditions been better, the Invisible Man might have simply prompted serenity, or been the victim of a crowd turning against their leader. Works Cited: Ellison, Ralph W. Invisible Man. New York: Vintage International, 1952. Howe, Irving. "A Negro in America." The Nation 10 May 1952:454.

Improving homeland security: challenges and improvement Essay

The United States of America had its share of enemies since it was considered as the new military superpower. But with regards to intelligence work and the ability to thwart an attack by an external army nothing was as dramatic as the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941. It was a painful lesson in intelligence failure and past presidents vowed it will never happen again. But when 9/11 shook the nation, with an attack closer to home, many are wondering who dropped the ball in terms of intelligence work. This paper will look at the major challenges faced by the US intelligence community and the subsequent changes and transformation initiated by government officials to bring upon a marked improvement when it comes to information gathering and preventing future attacks in the US homeland. Before going any further it is important to examine the historical background of US intelligence and how it was shaped by global events especially during World War II and the Cold War with the former Union Soviet Socialists Republic of Russia. The discussion will then come in sharp focus to the events surrounding the infamous September 11, 2001 attacks. Background At the turn of the century, the American government, buoyed by the economic progress from the Industrial Age began to rise as a superpower. It was considered by many in the global arena as a force to contend with. Yet it took an unprovoked attack from an Imperial Army of Japan to finally force into everyone’s consciousness that indeed America is both feared and respected. So, one Sunday morning, more than sixty years ago, Hawaii – part of the Union yet situated far away in the Pacific – was mercilessly bombed by Japanese planes. The former President Franklin D. Roosevelt was right in denouncing the surprise attack as a day of infamy. There was no doubt that it was a day of ill repute as America was rudely made aware of their fast rising status. And with it comes enemies who perceive America as a threat or a country guilty of exploiting others. Whatever the perception, the US government will have to defend itself from enemies both foreign and domestic. Intelligence Failure In the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack, the U. S. intelligence community was severely criticized for failing to warn the nation of an impending attack from the Japanese aggressors. It was found out late that there was enough intelligence gathered to have alerted the army base there, but it was largely ignored. This is a classic example of intelligence failure and the consequence of which lingers on for a long time. The Pearl Harbor incident was the catalyst that transformed the US Intelligence community. From then on the intelligence gathering capability of the United States of America was forced to improve. And then again, complacency is the predictable effect of success. When America’s chief nemesis the USSR was toppled down, America finds itself in unfamiliar territory, a world where there is no one to challenge and serve as a counter-balance to America’s military superiority. When everything was quiet no one was able to anticipate that it was merely the calm before the storm so to speak. History eerily repeated itself, the infamy of Pearl Harbor was relived again and this time it was not a thousand miles away from the center of America but the enemy struck the economic nerve center of the nation. It was the same cowardly attack that stunned an unprepared government and its people. Predictably, just as it was in Pearl Harbor, there were also a great number of casualties. In spite of the previous changes and improvements, the US Intelligence community was again caught flat footed. Intelligent Work According to Michael Turner intelligence gathering can have a variety of definitions but for the professional it is encapsulated in the following statements: †¦intelligence is a particular kind of information that helps to inform, instruct, and educate the policy world. To consumers of intelligence – the policy makers – intelligence is that and more. To political leaders [†¦] a political liability, depending on whether intelligence information helps or hinders the fulfillment of political goals (2005, p. 3). Intelligence gathering is therefore a tool that helps create certainty in a very uncertain world. It follows therefore that intelligence gathering is not merely the action of collecting data but would also mean the interpretation of the same. This aspect of intelligence gathering requires attention and the neglect of which is the root of many intelligence failures. It is simply not enough to have data but there must also be an equally effective means of interpreting the said information. Adapting to Change For thousands of years the nature of warfare remained constant. Thus, two opposing camps fight it out in the battlefield. There was the effective use of troop movement and the use of military hardware. The commander who can utilize men and resources effectively wins the battle and ultimately the war. But since 9/11 the world has been rudely awakened to a different type of warfare. It is guerilla tactics brought into urban centers and far away from the traditional fields of war. If this is the new face of war then intelligence gathering must also be transformed to adapt to it. Intelligence gathering must now be geared towards an enemy led not by a traditional army but extremists who will fight for a cause that sometimes transcend national boundaries. Rendered Ineffective Aside from the guerilla tactics used by the members of the Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups another reason for the failure of the US response were the laws that prevented for a more thorough investigation of suspicious characters. The strength of America which is the significant number of civil liberties enjoyed by its citizens became the liability that was exploited by the terrorists. In fact the 9/11 Commission pointed out that there were laws that were enacted to curtail some of the investigative powers of the FBI. According to the 9/11 Commission, â€Å"The FBI was criticized, rightly, for the overzealous domestic intelligence investigations disclosed during the 1970s. The pendulum swung away from those types of investigations during the 1980s and 1990s† (see 9/11 Commission Report). The FBI was then forced to take on kids gloves when treating suspected terrorists. Al-Qaeda on the other hand perceived these new developments as weaknesses they can exploit. Aside from ineffective laws the US Intelligence community has to deal with a host of other problems that includes 1) the improper analysis of information and intelligence; 2) the lack of coordination between government agencies; and 3) the absence of system where law enforcement agencies as well as counter-terror groups can share information. Human Intelligence But the most significant intelligence source with regards to the topic is â€Å"HUMINT† or human intelligence. And the reason is easy to understand – there are a lot of problematic factors related to this type of intelligence. First of all most information gathered through this method can be considered as secondary. There must be a way of processing raw data in order to determine its accuracy. In this regard there is now a move to develop technical and human resources that will be able to fully analyze â€Å"humint† as expounded in the following statements: The very nature of the transnational threat demands that we have analysts with language capabilities and are knowledge to understand local situations in relationship to global, transnational, and international trends and impacts. Analysts need a professional network that transcends territorial borders, and they need to be comfortable turning to local as well as global information (Sands, 2005, p. 75).