Saturday, August 31, 2019

12 angry men paper Essay

The movie â€Å"12 Angry Men† is about a murder trial set in the mid 1900’s when the American legal system had very different rules from what it has now. The trial is about a 16 year old boy who supposedly murdered his father late one night in New York City. He was from a slum, with a history of problems with the law, including knife fights. The jury is made up of twelve white men who are supposed to deliberate about the boy’s fate when he is Latino. In the beginning of the movie it’s very clear that eleven of the twelve jurors have already decided that he was guilty, the only one who said not guilty is juror number eight. Juror number eight believes that you can’t send someone to die without even talking about the case first. As the movie goes on they discuss the different parts of the case and one by one the jurors begin to change their vote to not guilty. The first thing they discuss is the knife that was used to kill the father, then they discuss the time it took the only man on the floor below to get to the door after he heard the body hit the floor. After that they went on to deliberate more about previous things talked about, until finally they talked about the women who actually viewed the killing through a passing L train. One of the jurors remembers that she had indents on the sides of her nose indicating that she wore glasses, so they come to the conclusion that she couldn’t of seen anything since she wasn’t wearing her glasses while lying in bed. Once they finally call for a last vote they come to the verdict of acquitting the boy. All twelve jurors finally agree on the decision of not guilty. Throughout the entire movie there are many different dynamics at work among the 12 jurors. One of the main dynamics is that the boy is Hispanic during a time when racism was a natural part of society. You can clearly see that racism, and stereotyping played a huge part when even before they started deliberating eleven out of the twelve jurors voted guilty. There wasn’t a doubt in their minds that he didn’t do it, they based that solely off of the fact that the defendant was Hispanic. Having a all white jury for a trial with a Hispanic person as the defendant in the 1950’s, without a doubt racism will play a major role in deciding weather or not he is guilty. Another dynamic at play during this movie is that they are all in a group together giving them group mentality where they will be hesitant to speak out, or change their vote because they are self conscious of what other people will think about them. Throughout the movie there where many different things that influenced individual jurors and the jurors as a whole. In the movie 12 Angry Men there was an abundance of things that influenced individual jurors. One of the main things that influenced many of the jurors is racism because the defendant was Hispanic. One juror said â€Å"He’s an ignorant kid from a slum who doesn’t speak good English†. That’s flat out racism, there’s no way around the fact that racism played a huge role in their decision making process. In the 1950’s racism was part of everyday life, it was socially accepted during that time. Another thing that influenced one of them was that he had baseball tickets to a game later that night so he was going to side with what ever got him out of their sooner than later. He was voting guilty all the way till it became a split between the jurors on weather he was guilty or not. That shows that it affected his decision making process, because he was going to side with what ever side got him out faster. Another thing that influenced individual jurors is their fear to speak their minds, or side with the side they really think is the right one. In the beginning you could tell that some of the people were hesitant because they were afraid of what other people would think of them, that’s why they had to do a silent ballot in order to keep deliberating. There were other factors that affected the group as a whole in their decision making process. Different things affect the group than the individual jurors. The main thing that affected their decision making process is the extreme heat, the heat would make them want to get out of there as fast as possible, making them side with whatever side will get them out faster. I know I can’t work right when I’m extremely hot, I get frustrated really fast and have no patients, I know I would want to get out as fast as possible. You can tell that it affects people because they snap at each other at the drop of a hat, and they were sweating the whole time till they turned on the light. Another thing that affected the group as whole was groupthink, which is the practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility. They will make decisions as a group so no one person can be blamed for whatever happens, people don’t like too much responsibility. Lastly another thing that helped sway their decision making process as a group is the fact that one person was trying to pressure other people into speaking, and pressuring them into siding with him. The movie 12 Angry Men was about a trial during the 1950’s in which a Hispanic boy supposedly killed his father, and twelve white men deliberate to determine his fate. They start out 11 to 1, and one by one they change sides till they eventually acquit him of all the charges. Things like racism, baseball tickets, and fear of what other people think are a few things that affected their individual decision-making. Things like groupthink, the heat, and the fact that you would run out of patients at a certain point, and you would start to snap at each other at the drop of the hat. In my opinion I think this movie was really good and a good look into the American legal system, because it shows the changes that have been made from them to now. 12 Angry Men Paper Essay â€Å"If there’s a reasonable doubt in your minds as to the guilt of the accused, a reasonable doubt, then you must bring me a verdict of not guilty†¦however you decide, your verdict must be unanimous.† The movie, The Twelve Angry Men, was a fascinating movie. Surprisingly, it was very interesting and engaging even though it was in black and white and made in 1950. This movie was a perfect demonstration of how individuals who meet in a goal orientated group fulfill roles, create norms, have status, acquire power, and become leaders, and how a group decides on a unanimous outcome. Each of the twelve jury members fulfilled a role at some point within the movie. They fulfilled task roles, maintenance roles, and self-centered roles. They had to learn to work together despite the roles they played to come to a unanimous decision. The Forman (Juror #1) fulfilled one group maintenance role (tension reliever) and two group task roles (procedural technician and initiator). As a tension reliever, the Forman told Cobb to calm down when Cobb started on his rant. He often tried to relieve tension in situations with conflict. As a procedural technician, Forman emphasized teamwork by asking the group to vote a couple of times in a couple different ways, vocal ballots and silent ballots. This helped the group stay on track. He also ran errands for the group, like retrieving the knife and the apartment blueprint. As an initiator, the Forman initiated the discussions after the jurors would break in the beginning of the movie. Whimpy (juror #2) fulfilled a group maintenance role as a supporter. Once Whimpy changed his vote to not guilty, he supported Fonda’s ideas. When Fonda was conversing with Cobb about the glasses, Whimpy supported Fonda’s point of view and told Cobb, â€Å"You can’t send someone off to die on evidence like that!† Lee J. Cobb (juror #3) played three individual roles (blocker, dominator, and confessor) and one group task role (opinion giver). Cobb played the role of the blocker most often. From the beginning to the end of the movie, he disagreed and ignored any of the jurors’ statements that are different from his opinion. At one point, Cobb shut down Whimpy who wanted to speak up. As a dominator, Cobb belligerently yelled at anyone who voted non guilty. He often started on a rant of his opinions and refused to let any of the other jurors s peak. Cobb played the role as a confessor towards the beginning of the movie when he shared the picture of his son. As an opinion Giver, Cobb said over and over that he was positive the boy was guilty and deserved the death penalty. He  repeatedly stated through out the movie, â€Å"he (the boy) has to pay for what he did.† E. G. Marshall (juror #4) played a group task role. As an opinion giver, Marshall was loyal to his vote. His opinion towards the end of the movie was still not guilty because of the eyewitness testimony from the women across the street. He was firm in this belief until the eyeglasses fact was brought up. Jack Klugman (juror #5) fulfilled a group task role. As an elaborator, he often compared and contrasted the case to his own life on the street. Specifically, he brought valuable information to the case when talking about the proper way to use a switch knife and how this information compared to the father’s stab wound. The painter (juror #6) was an information seeker, a group task role. It seemed as if the painter was unsure of where he stood for the majority of the movie. At one point he said to Fonda, â€Å"Supposin’ you talk us all out of this and, uh, the kid really did knife his father.† He was seeking information that would make him sure of his decision. Jack Warden (juror #7) played a group-building and maintenance role (follower) and an individual role (Joker). He wanted the jurors to reach a conclusion as soon as possible. He had tickets to see a baseball game, and did not want to miss it. He followed and switched his vote to whatever the popular vote was, so that he could leave as soon as possible to get to the baseball game. As a joker, he said nothing that contributed to making a decision. He mostly joked or complained that the process was taking too long. Henry Fonda (juror #8) fulfilled many group task roles in this film including informational seeker, informational giver, and initiator. As an informational seeker, Fonda asked for important facts that could help convince the jurors that it was possible the boy was not guilty. For example, when the elderly man pointed out that the witness had dents on the sides of her nose, Fonda asked for an explanation and clarification on what the elderly man meant by pointing this out. As an informational giver, Fonda demonstrated this role when he reenacted how long it would take the crippled old man to get across his bedroom, down the hall to unlock the door, and to see the boy run down the stairs. As the initiator, Fonda proposed new ideas and suggestions that there was a possibility that the boy was not guilty. He was the first person to suggest that the boy was not guilty. He initiated most of the conversations that lead to their verdict of not guilty. The elderly man (juror #9) fulfilled a group task role and a group-building and  maintenance role. As an information giver, the elderly man was the one to notice that the witness had notches on the side of her nose where typically eyeglasses usually sit. He was the one to point this out to the group. As an encourager, the elderly man was the first to understand and accept the not guilty vote that Fonda made. He agreed with Fonda’s ideas and suggestions that there is reasonable doubt that the boy may not be guilty. Archie (juror #10) played an individual role of special-interest pleader. At the end of the film, Archie had a melt down. He yelled and offended many of the jurors with his unnecessary crude insults and racist remarks. He was trying to sway the group based on his own personal biased opinions instead of the facts of the case. The watchmaker (juror #11) fulfilled one group task role as a recorder. At one point in the movie, the watch maker stood up and told the group that he had been listening and taking notes of what the other group members have been saying. Slick (juror #12) played a group building and maintenance role as a follower. He did not speak up much about the case. When he did speak, it was about his ad agency. He thought very highly of himself and his job. He changed his vote back and forth several times. Additionally to roles, there were many social norms that developed through out this movie. All of them were violated by at least one person at some point. Sometimes, the jurors who violated the norms were punished and other times they were not. The first social norm that was created was to vote guilty. Fonda was the first to violate this norm by voting not guilty. Eventually the rest of the group slowly changes their vote, and the group created a new norm of voting not guilty instead of guilty. Another social norm that was created by the legal system was that the jurors’ decision had to be unanimous. Fonda violated this norm by voting against the group. As punishment for violating the norm, the group verbally attacked him before they gave him a chance to explain his reasoning. Because of this, a norm developed that it was okay for the jurors to harass and belittle Fonda for his not guilty vote. The elderly man violated this norm. He was subjected to harassment and belittlement as well as his punishment. After time went on, more people started to agree with Fondaâ₠¬â„¢s ideas, and the group did not follow this norm any more. An additional social norm was to make a decision based on facts, not prejudice or stereotypes. Those who obeyed the norm, like Fonda and Marshall, were looked to as leaders. The juror that made  arguments based on stereotypes, Archie, was eventually ignored. From this, a norm that no racial prejudices would be tolerated was created. Archie violated this norm when he said that he knew people of these kinds very well. As punishment, one by one group members left the table and turned their backs on him. In every group, there are members of high status and of low status. In this movie, there was almost an equal balance of high status jurors and low status jurors. The status of the jurors developed when they assumed a role within the group. The high status members included, the Foreman, Cobb, Marshall, Fonda, the Elderly Man, and Archie. The Foreman assumed a high status role because he organized where everyone would sit, passed out the ballots, and was able to rein the jurors back in to vote when needed. Cobb would be considered high status because he dominated a lot of the conversations. He communicated more than other group members, and other jurors listened to him in the beginning of the movie. Marshall is a stockbroker and was viewed as high status because of his education. Fonda was definitely a high status member. Over the course of the movie, he convinced the other eleven jurors to change the ir vote by pointing out new ideas and suggestions. The elderly man proved his high status when he pointed out the information about the witness wearing eyeglasses. That swayed the rest of the jurors. The low status members included, Whimpy, Klugman, the painter, Warden, Archie, the watchmaker, and Slick. Whimpy tried to voice his opinion, but was rarely listened too. Klugman was viewed as low status because of his life on the streets. The painter, Warden, the watchmaker, and Slick were all considered low status, because they barely contributed to the group’s decision. Archie is considered low status because of his racial insults. None of the jurors listened to him because they were all offended by his speech. In addition to status, power is also a big part of the movie. Every powerful individual was considered to be high status. Some people used their power for the good, others for the bad, and one person completely gave up his power. As the jurors begin their deliberation, the foreman was selected to be the leader of the group. He had legitimate power. He told the jurors that the vote has to be unanimous, that they have to sit in juror number order, and he tried to keep the group on task. After the foreman stopped using his power, Fonda and Cobb became more powerful. Fonda had an expert power. He suggested ideas and facts that the other jurors listened to. He influenced the group through their knowledge, thus an expert power. Cobb, however, had a coercive power. Cobb thought he could he could â€Å"punish† the other jurors into thinking his way. He would â€Å"punish† the other jurors by manipulating and belittling them.Also, Klugman had expert power for a couple minutes in the movie. His street knowledge about the knife and how it was used gains him this power. Although he had an expert power, he was not viewed in the same regard as Fonda. Most of the low status member did not have any power at all. Whimpy, the painter, Warden, Archie, the watchmaker, and Slick lacked the status to gain power. However, they did play an important role in power, because in a way, they gave the power to the people who had it. In a way, leadership and power go hand in hand. In this movie, the powerful individuals had at least a few leadership characteristics. The foreman had a chance at leadership, but he gave it up. Cobb had some negative leadership qualities that were eventually rejected. Fonda was the most important leader in this movie. He took over as a leader after foreman stepped down. He attended to maintenance needs, he proposed valid information, and was passionate toward swaying the group not to condemn the boy to death. As a leader, Fonda listened to the low status people when they had information to give. For example, Klugman had information about the knife that might have been overlooked if Fonda was not respectful of him. In the end, the group did arrive at a high quality decision. Although the case in the courtroom seems crystal clear that the boy was guilty, there were some misleading facts that were given. The jurors unanimously voted not guilty; however, they were not positive the boy was not guilty. There was not enough substantial evidence to prove if the boy did or did not stab his father. If the jury had voted guilty, the boy would have been condemned to death. This was a life or death decision, not just a guilty or not guilty. When the Fonda and some of the other jurors started to break down the evidence and the facts, they found the evidence to be misleading to the point were it might not be factual. Although the boy could have killed his father, there was reasonable doubt in the evidence to make the jurors believe the boy may be innocent. Even the possibility of condemning an innocent boy to death is horrifying. The group made the right high quality decision.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Managing a diverse workforce

Managing a Diverse Workforce Our society is becoming more diverse. We can see people from different nation or different racial in our daily life, this situation is more obvious in school and workplace, especially in multinational. A diverse workforce combines employees from different nations, ethnic and gender that together create a more creative, innovative, and productive workforce. Many companies see workplace diversity as an investment toward building a better business.However, although workplace diversity can help many make more profits, it also brings some challenges to employees and managers. Below are several common challenges often happened in workplace diversity. First challenge is poor communication (Holt, n. D. ). Workplace diversity often has employees from various backgrounds and experiences. Sometimes, those employees do not have common language. Therefore, it caused difficulties for employees to communicate with each other, and lead to misunderstandings and a decrease in productivity.Second challenge is resistance (Holt, n. D. ). Although oracle diversity can help company make more profits, some employees or business owners may not want to make any change, because those people only want to stay in their comfort zone. Therefore, making diversity in workplace without any plan may cause negative impacts, such as decrease productivity, damage morale and lead to bad workplace environment. Third challenge is discrimination. Employees may discriminate against others because those employees think they are better than others.There are several types of discrimination may happened in workplace. For example, local employees may discriminate against foreign employees because local employees think they have geographical advantages, male may discriminate against female because male think they are better than female, white may discriminate against black or yellow because white think they are superior than them. There are too many possible discrimination may hap pen in workplace. For managing a diverse workplace, some companies use affirmative action to maintain the diverse in workplace.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Political Violence in Syria And Iraq Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Political Violence in Syria And Iraq - Essay Example It is believed that the Syrian civil war was sparked by school boys. The boys were discussing the uprising that had engulfed Syria, expressing their frustration that their nation was ruled by the repressive Assad’s family. Bashir Abazed, painted in huge letters a defiant message that was aimed at President Bashar Assad, (Lischer & Kenyon 2007). The defiant message written in Arabian was translated to mean it is your turn doctor. Another teenager a slogan saying ‘down with Bashir as-Assad’. The government responded to the protests with violence and shooting, that led to the death of many people. This forced the protests to spread to the rest of Syria.Political repression was a major cause for rebellion and protests among the citizens. When President Bashar assumed power in 2000 after his father’s death, he promised people to make reforms that would better their lives. The reforms were needed since his family had retained political power since the year 1970 a nd left citizens with little power to participate in decision-making. Syria had a one-party-political system that was heavily dominated by the Assad’s family. Bashir failed to deliver on his promise of better reforms to diffuse power and give citizens a more political say over decisions that affected them directly. The poor economic situation in Syria also caused the revolution. The government reforms opened doors to private investors. The privatization favored families that had close links to the Assad’s family.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

US. Energy Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

US. Energy Policy - Essay Example eaties and other incentives to investment, that aim at revamping the energy sector to make it responsive to modern day needs as well as making it sustainable for future generations (Moselle Jorge and Richard 117). The US Energy Policy is a collective responsibility of various organs at the federal, state and local authorities. These organizations have the responsibility of managing production or energy, its distribution and consumption. They also address issues such as gas mileage standards and building codes. Currently, about 85% of energy in the US comes from fossil fuels while the rest comes from Nuclear and Hydro stations. Most of the energy is used in industries, transport and domestic use. A big percentage of oil, gas and electricity imports in the US comes from Canada (Moselle, Jorge and Richard 106). The current energy policy in the US includes three Energy Policy Acts and various initiatives to promote renewable sources of energy, innovation and affordability of energy. President Obama’s administration has instituted various reforms in the energy sector that aim at reducing CO2 emissions in the atmosphere and promote sustainable energy development. The US government has over the years, proposed different initiatives as a response to different energy needs, but there still lacks an elaborate long-term energy policy. The fact that is no elaborate energy policy for the long term has elicited heated political debates with some people criticizing the government for being short cited and only responding to energy crises at the expense of preparing for the long-term challenges. There is also criticism that government energy policies in the US enacted after the oil crisis in 1973 ignore market forces and technology to provide quick fixes for emerging crises. Scholars in the US have also criticized Energy Policies for not focusing on research, innovation and entrepreneurship in the energy sector. They criticize the energy policy for focusing on short-term

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Dangers of texting and driving Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dangers of texting and driving - Essay Example The basis for the risk in texting while driving is distraction of drivers’ attention from focusing on the road. The few seconds when a driver types some text on their phone is equal to driving for the exact number of seconds while blindfolded. There are real dangers involved in this with loss of human life being the ultimate risk. This act is unacceptable by its very nature of posing a risk human life. Klauer et al, conducted a study on the risks of a crash or near crash for both novice and experienced drivers when their attention is distracted yielded a positive relationship between number of distractions from secondary tasks while driving and risk of crash or near-crash. It was established that the risk increased at a significant rate among novice drivers than among experienced drivers. The secondary task distractions considered included picking a mobile phone, replying to a text or email and reading the same. However, the research did not include browsing the internet while driving (Klauer, et al., 2014). This gives a clear indication that texting while driving poses a real danger of an accident or a near- accident regardless of a driver’s competence. This act not only poses danger to the driver but also the pedestrians walking by the roadside (Rumschlag, et al., 2015). Consequences of this act reverberate across several areas of the society which include medical servic es sector, motor vehicle insurance sector as well as the country’s labor force.

Monday, August 26, 2019

Environment & Diversity in Community Health Assignment

Environment & Diversity in Community Health - Assignment Example This does not dispute the fact that even low levels of Ozone can cause health effects. Children, adults, older people, people with lung diseases and people who are aggressive or active outdoor may be particularly sensitive to ozone. Ozone is the main component of smog in Middletown. Despite the fact that it takes place naturally in the atmosphere to offer protective layer above the earth, at the ground, it is the main component of smog (Manderscheid 51). When Ozone is inhaled, it can cause respiratory problems, inflammation of the lungs, impair body immune system thus making people susceptible to respiratory diseases including pneumonia and bronchitis and lastly, it can exacerbate asthma. The ozone pollutes or harms the environment in that it interferes with the capability of the plants to manufacture, produce and store food in that growth of the plant and food production are compromised. In addition, it weakens sensitive vegetation thus making plants more susceptible to plant diseases, environmental stress and pests (Brenkert 41-4). A nurse led program would aim to reduce risk of disease up to 15 to 20 percent in children’s lung infections by providing adequate medication to the diseases (McCann 78). Furthermore, it would focus to reduce risks of moderate to complicated respiratory symptoms in children such as aggravated coughing and painful breathing. More so, it would aim to protect the environment by trying to reduce production loss of major agricultural plants such as commercial forests, wheat and soybeans. Manderscheid, R. (2009). Aiming for a healthier population by 2020: Moving our fields towards prevention, early intervention, and population health. Behavioral Healthcare, 29 (1), 51- 52. Web. May 14

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Cross Cultural Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Cross Cultural Communication - Essay Example In seeking the relevance of English use in the international business environment, McKay (2003) proposed that English has achieved its status as the global lingua franca as an increasing number of individuals in the world believe it is of their advantage to acquire English as an additional language. Graddol (1999, 62) actually predicted that, "based solely on expected population changes, the number of people using English as their second language will grow from 235 million to around 462 million during the next 50 years." This staggering growth impacts on the use of English as the international business language. In order to address English language use and culture understanding in the business context, it is also necessary that the business organisations' side be properly assessed in what ways does culture and language have to be incorporated in the day-to-day operations. Mattock (2003) presented a need to examine the following in order to fully comprehend and develop ways to address organisational issues in the global context: Communications are ways and means to connect, be understood and eventually become acceptable within an organisation or locality in consideration of various languages, understanding of common language use, among others. Likewise, when organisations already defined ... Timing encompasses understanding of daily routines, concept of late and on time, proper situational clues and even days and months or years when executives must implement what they plan Communications are ways and means to connect, be understood and eventually become acceptable within an organisation or locality in consideration of various languages, understanding of common language use, among others. Likewise, when organisations already defined their goals and plans within the context of learning and incorporating national and organisational cultures, personality types, tactics and negotiation skills, as well as timing and communication, all these lead to the role of language use. These basically comprise immersion and total commitment towards the host country of which culture and language play major roles in order to realise organisational goals. Likewise, other problems have been identified with regards to the international setting for business organisations. The recent decades global economic growth saw widespread changes and foreign investment so that business expatriates from Western developed countries like: USA, France, Germany, Australia and UK (Selmer, 2001) representing mostly multinational enterprises (MNEs) were assigned to overseas territories as other countries are closely consider their moves as their international companies aspire a foothold in many areas. Asian, South American, African and formerly Russian countries have become a top expatriate destination by many western multinational enterprises as foreign direct investment (FDI) set to continue growth. This research besides noting the prevalence of English usage in pop culture that characterises

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Academic Sucess Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Academic Sucess - Essay Example Success in education is determined by the interplay of many factors that contribute to an individual’s success both in academics and life. To be successful, extreme effort needs to be applied to reach your goals. Purpose, responsibility, hard work all lead to success. Students who apply these principles have a greater chance of achieving success. Therefore, this paper focuses on discussing the necessary steps an individual has to take to ensure or increase the probability of success in academics. Purpose in life is the greatest motivator in life, a life without purpose is at most meaningless because it lacks direction and the passion necessary to live a fulfilling life. When this is applied to academics, it plays the same role of charting a path for the student and determining the kind of attitude that a student is going to have towards achieving their academic goals. For a student to be able to properly harness the true capacity that is induced by purpose, they should first evaluate what motivates they desire to excel in academics and apply these motivators on self (Moon, 2008). According to Moon, students should endeavor to understand that excellence can only be achieved through individual commitment and participation and that no external factor can influence their success without their direct involvement. Applying oneself to the objective of excelling requires an individual to have a healthy self-esteem by thinking highly of themselves and being worthy of the high aspirat ions that they desire (Moon, 2008). Lack of self-esteem in individual confines the limitless potential that can be realized by the belief in one self. A student should be capable of identifying the reasons behind their aspirations and justify them as being able to satisfy their desired objective. The need to lead a better life, through improved living standards, can be cited as the drive towards achieving academic excellence because

Friday, August 23, 2019

Magic Carpet Airlines Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Magic Carpet Airlines - Case Study Example They used the League of Flight Attendants to articulate their issues with the management. The other stakeholder in the case was Magic Carpet Airlines team that represented the company with whom these issues were being addressed (Kennedy, 2007). Compensation was one of the major problems in this situation. The base wages for Magic Carpet Airline’s flight attendants were relatively low and the data that they collected from Monthly Labor Review helped them conclude that the base wage was not matching the cost of living that had gone up. The airline’s flight attendants observed that the company’s wage scheme was fixed and was contended for a five-year wage review (Guasco, 2007). Job security was the other major issue in this situation. The flight attendants felt that they risked losing their seniority if the deal between Magic Carpet Airline and RCA went through. The company did not provide a clear way of reassuring its flight attendants that their contract was binding and this made them feel like they could lose their jobs anytime (Kennedy, 2007). The third major problem in this situation was working conditions. The company assigned its flight attendants a prolonged trip trading lead-time of five days but they felt that it should be reduced to one day. The company provided $6 monthly for the maintenance of flight attendants’ uniforms but they felt that the about needed to be raised to $20 (Shell, 2006). The fourth major problem in the negotiations was the disparity between the wages and wok rules, and Magic Carpet Airline’s financial performance. The league of flight attendants demanded for the harmonization of the company’s wages with its financial performance. I would recommend that the League of Flight Attendants utilize quarterly meetings with the board of directors of the company in order to discuss their issues. This would provide a platform for them to air their grievances before they escalate. Secondly, I would

Demand and Supply Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Demand and Supply - Essay Example People specialize in the production of goods and services -- or more existentially, as dictated by their environment, heredity, and/or fate in order to alleviate human suffering [their own existence included]. In the process of pursuit of own self-interests to satisfy needs and wants, individuals succumb to the unintended, invisible market forces that compel others to react by supplying necessities to make life even better in an engagement that leaves interactive parties better off as oppose to having excesses of what one produces in abundance, thus the very essence of efficient allocation of resources in the society studied in microeconomics (Stead and Stead, 2009, p.42). Economists are in agreement that prices and quantities are descriptively the most observable attributes of individual interests that interact within a market structure to facilitate mutually beneficial exchanges as envisaged by Adam Smith (Friedman, 2009, p.145). Thus, for the exchange of interests (expressed in terms of goods and services) to occur, demand and supply has to exist, but at some costs. From the field of academia to industrial circles, the basic premises of supply and demand are integrated into the daily actions of the society. To be sure, the theoretical mastery of economics depends much on the understanding of the theory of demand and supply (Gandolfi, Gandolfi, and Barash, 2002, pp. 5-6). The theory of demand and supply is, therefore, an organization principle that coordinates the production of goods and services (in quantities, often referred to as output) to satisfy societal needs through the market/price mechanism. Intuitively, the price mechanism moderates the e xchanges to the point where goods and services delivered by suppliers (supply side) and paid for by the consumers (demand side) always tends towards a state balance with reference to the compensation packages received by either side. The dynamics of demand and supply applies best to a theoretically free market

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Hiroshima- John Hersey Essay Essay Example for Free

Hiroshima- John Hersey Essay Essay ‘Hiroshima is not merely a documentary, Hersey manages to inject into the narrative both compassion and awareness of the ultimate triumph of humanity. ’ Discuss Hiroshima from this perspective. Hiroshima is an historic depiction of a disaster that shocked the world. Utilizing the experiences of six Japanese atomic bomb survivors Hersey expresses compassion and awareness of the city’s triumph over the disaster. The narrative creates compassion by showing perseverance of common people and their journeys to overcome the tragedy. By using the patriotism of the dying victims Hersey creates empathy and outlines the nation’s indefatigable pride, He depicts Hiroshima’s triumph as a community uniting together to help each other in a time of adversity. The narrative focuses on six bomb survivors and their accounts during and after the bomb. Using the accounts of the survivors’ Hersey is able to extract compassion to the reader. Mrs Hatsuyo Nakamura was a widowed mother of three who suffered great poverty after the bomb; she was left torn and fragile. Suffering from radiation sickness and no means of income, Mrs Nakamura never loses hope. In an attempt to overcome her obstacles she worked countless jobs but barely earned enough to suffice. Regardless of how hard the task was physically and emotionally Mrs N was willing to do and sacrifice anything for the good of her children She earned barely enough for food†¦ Her belly began to swell up, and she had diarrhoea and so much pain she could no longer work at all†¦ The doctor treated Nakamura-san†¦to pay the doctor she was forced to sell her last valuable possession, her husband’s sewing machine. (p119, 120). And after all the hardship she was finally able to rebuild her life slowly: She felt at home in her body now; she rested when she needed, and she had no worries about the cost of medical care†¦It was time for her to enjoy life. (p128). Using her experiences Hersey is able to construct an emotional bond between the reader and Mrs Nakumura by retelling the hard and miserable journey she took just to stay alive and her triumph over her sickness and poverty. Mrs Nakumara was just one of the six stories Hersey used to convey compassion to the readers of Hiroshima. Hersey’s presentation of patriotism among dying bomb victims creates a sympathetic bond to the reader for their triumph over the devastation. After the attack on Hiroshima the survivors refused to die in vain in spite of what tragedy had hit their city. Even in the face of death, the survivors were rejoicing their heritage, dedicating their last breaths of life to their motherland and were determined keep their morale even after the devastation. One of the girls begun to sing Kimi Ga Yo, the national anthem, and others followed in chorus and died. (p 116). As a reader it was hard to comprehend the significance of honour these people felt for their country. After the bomb, they were suffering from poverty and tragedy, yet by hearing the emperors’ voice on broadcast they were touched and gratified: the Emperor, they cried with full tears in their eyes. ‘What a wonderful blessing it is that Tenno himself call on us and we can hear his own voice in person. We are thoroughly satisfied in such a great sacrifice †¦Japan started her new way. † (p 85) Hersey uses the patriotism of the survivors as an example of a triumph of humanity. The survivors were too proud to let the enemy take their last shred of hope their national dignity, opting to die with honour and pride. In addition to compassion, Hiroshima also raised awareness of the city’s triumph of humanity. A new sense of community and unification was present at the time of crisis; the atomic bomb left Hiroshima demolished. Hersey painted a dark and disastrous image, yet as a result, contrasted and portrayed the high points of humanity. Father Kleinsorge, a priest of the Society of Jesus, felt that he was an outsider prior to the bomb, yet after the bomb he was filled with gratitude for the cities new found acceptance: she came to him and said These are tea leaves. Chew them, young man, and you wont feel thirsty. The womans gentleness made Father Kleinsorge suddenly want to cry. For weeks, he had been feeling oppressed by the hatred of foreigners (p 70). The enemies’ intention to tear the city apart emotionally and physically backfired as it left the city stronger and united. One feeling they did seem to share†¦ was a curious kind of elated community spirit†¦ pride in the way they and their fellow-survivors had stood up to a dreadful ordeal(p114). Hiroshima raised awareness of the Japanese people’s indestructible spirit even when their city lay in ruins they would not be defeated and stayed strong. John Hersey’s Hiroshima gives a simple insight into one of the most devastating tragedy which creates compassion and awareness of Japans’ ultimate triumph of humanity. Hersey was able to use the perseverance of everyday people battling the effects of the atomic bomb to create compassion. In addition to this, he was able to express the importance of national-pride felt by victims who displayed patriotism, who were prepared to die for their honour. Hersey raised awareness of how Japanese civilians were able to unite and overcome the bombs aftermath. Hiroshima is not simply a monotonous documentation of the atomic bombs effects on a city, but a representation of empathy and compassion that notifies people of Japans triumph over adversity.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Classical And Modern Liberalism Politics Essay

Classical And Modern Liberalism Politics Essay Liberalism is a political ideology portrayed as the ideology of the industrialized West. Although liberals of all time never waver in their faith in protecting the liberty of individuals, the meaning of the word keeps changing over time. The main purpose of this essay is to examine the differences of classical liberalism and modern liberalism. The first part will provide the definition of liberalism in general, focusing on the shared elements in all forms of liberalism. The second part will introduce the history of liberalism, from classical and modern liberalism till contemporary neoliberalism, and try to illustrate the connection between their main doctrines and historical contexts. In the last part, I would closely examine the differences between classical and modern liberalism, and discuss the boundary between liberty and government intervention in contemporary society. Definition of Liberalism Liberalism, as implied in its name, is a political ideology whose main concern is to protect and enhance the liberty of individuals. As a political doctrine, liberalism did not emerge until the early nineteenth century. However, liberal thoughts and values had been developed through enormous social changes from the sixteenth century, and can even be traced back to as early as ancient Greece and Rome, although there are some distinctions in the main elements. (Heywood 46) There are several common elements shared by all variants of liberalism. According to John Gray, they can be summed up in 4 points(x). Firstly, individualism. It reflects the belief that human beings are foremost individuals, rather than subjected to any collectivity. Therefore, liberals aim at constructing a society in which individuals are provided the freedom to pursue his or her own good or happiness. Secondly, egalitarian or equality. Liberals believe that all individuals are born equal, in terms of two equal rights, namely legal equality and political equality (Heywood 46). However, as people have different talents or abilities, liberals are devoted to provide equal opportunities for everyone to realize their uneven potential. Thirdly, universalism. They affirm that the human process a unified morality. It should be taken in account ahead of the difference of their cultural. Fourthly, meliorism. By meliorism, liberalism firstly implies a belief in the reason of human beings. Thr ough reasoning, individuals can make wise judgments and resolve disputes by the means of debate and discussion. In this way, the society, which is the collection of individuals and its construction are generally progressing. On this premise, liberals believe that people should be offered enough toleration in order to pursue their own interests. It is under this circumstance that the balance and progress of a society can be achieved. However, liberalism has several different sources. It owes something to Stoicism and to Christianity, it has been inspired by scepticism and by a fideistic certainty of divine revelation and it has exalted the power of reason (Gray: x). Apart from its multiple sources, liberalism is also sensitive to the variation of time and conditions. French liberalism and English liberalism have many significant differences. Classical liberalism and modern liberalism are notably different in many ways. For these reasons, liberalism is sometimes seen as a meta-ideology, which consists of rival beliefs and values. History of liberalism Classical liberalism The political foundations of classical liberalism root in a series of social changes from the sixteenth century. The late Medieval saw the dissolve of feudalism and the rise of absolutism. Meanwhile, the power of papacy was weakened and religious reformation was seen in European countries. Rulers had to enforce the conformity either to Roman Catholicism or Protestantism. This process triggered conflicts within and among the states. One example was the Thirty Years War from 1618 to 1648, which brought Europe an enormous damage. In the next century, as industrialization gained pace, a new social class, namely the middle class emerges. They yearned for more political participation and economic freedom. These factors triggered the revolutions in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, the most notable of which were the Glorious Revolution in England in 1688, the American Revolution from 1775-83, and the 1789s French Revolution. In this circumstance, liberalism gradually emerged as a poli tical doctrine. (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica) In the light of the philosophy of English liberals John Locke , French political philosopher Montesquieu , and even earlier the individualism of Thomas Hobbes , early liberals aimed at restricting the power of the government over individuals. In the word of UK-born political activist and pamphleteer Thomas Paine, the government is a necessary evil. (Heywood, 2007:47) Opposing feudal privilege and absolutism, liberals emphasize the importance of constitution and a representative government. The structure of a minimum government was supplemented by Montesquieu. He designed a mechanism of check-and-balance by advocating the separation of three power of the government: legislative, executive and judiciary.(Gingell, Little and Winch 105) Classical liberals, such as Locke also asserted that private poverty is the foundation of liberty of individuals (qtd. in Gingell, Little and Winch 71-79). Another crucial element of classical liberalism is economic liberalism. This principle was mostly provided by Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations. In a word, classical liberals advocate Laissez-faire, believing in the self-regulating of the market and the minimum of government intervention, which guarantees liberty of individuals and the prosperity of the market (Heywood 47). The philosophical justification of classical liberalism is supplemented by utilitarianism. It was put forward by Jeremy Bentham, James Mill and J.S. Mill. They believe that the goal of a society is to obtain the greatest happiness of the greatest number. In achieving this goal, a representative government which upholds liberty is necessary. (Gingell, Little and Winch 225-228) Classical liberalism had a profound impact on the politic throughout the centuries. It inspired the creation of unified, independent, constitutional states which based on representative principles and the rule of law. In After the Glorious Revolution, under influence of the Whigs, who was the precursor of todays Liberal Party, precepts of classical liberalism had long governed England. In France, liberal goals were achieved in 1871 by the Third Republic. Another significant success was the found of the United States in 1776. In the economic realm, numerous feudal restrictions on manufacturing and internal commerce were abolished. Meanwhile, tariffs and restrictions on imports intended to protect domestic manufactures were put into end. (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica) Modern Liberalism By the end of nineteenth century, problems had gradually revealed in the free market economy in England and North America. Profits of the booming industry were concentrated in the hand of big companies, while the mass benefited very little. Consequently, the gap between the rich and the poor was significantly enlarged. Moreover, as the poor mass was not able to consume, there were a large surplus of supply, which led to depressions. Meanwhile, as the rich gained more and more power, they were increasingly able to influence politic and limit competition. (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica) In this circumstance, liberals of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth (e.g. T.H. Green and L.T Hobhouse) started to seek for reforms. Their ideas were strongly influence by J.S Mill, who was widely recognized as the watershed philosopher in liberalism. (Grey 30-31; Heywood 48) Generally, modern liberals hold that freedom does not equal to being left alone. Being left alone, human beings are weaker instead of stronger. They would be stuck in poverty, hunger, illness and helpless and that enjoy less liberty to realize themselves. Hence, Social welfare in particular is to be provided by the government. Meanwhile, the laissez-faire capitalism was rejected by new liberals. Ideas of classical liberals were proved defective in the industrialization and were further challenged by the two world wars and the Great Depression in the 1930s. In The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money , UK economist J.M. Keynes argued that it was laissez-faire policies that resulted in huge unemployment and economic instability, thus the government should manage the aggregate demand in the economy through tax and spending policies. (Heywood 190) From 1950 onwards, government intervention had expanded into various areas of life. (Grey 28) Social welfare starting from free public education and workers accident insurance were established. Modern liberalism reached its peak in the post war period, when everything, from industries to the dignity of individuals, was to be reconstructed. Welfare programs were further expended throughout western world, including social insurance, pensions, family allowances, medical care, and government-funded higher education. (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica) In economic sector, visible hand of the government had achieved remarkable results. For example, President Franklin Roosevelts New Deal (1933-1939) successfully lifted American out of the Great Depression. Neoliberalism Neoliberalism is a retrieve of the political economy in classical liberalism. The ideas were developed by twenty centurys economists, e.g. Friedrich Hayek and philosophers such as Robert Nozick (Heywood 52). They address the problem of the slowing down economic growth which starting from the mid-1970s in the western world. (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica) Neoliberals hold that intervention, whether with a good intention or not, would have negative effects. The best solution should still be found in self-help, individual responsibility and entrepreneurialism (Heywood 52). One expression of the idea was Margaret Thatchers policies. She also asserted that there is no such thing as society, only individuals and their families (Heywood 52). Comparison of classical and modern liberalism Negative liberty vs positive liberty The distinctions between classical and modern liberalism root in their different understanding of liberty. English philosopher Isaiah Berlin made a profound distinction between two concepts of liberty, which he called negative liberty and positive liberty. By being free in a negative sense, Berlin meant not being interfered with by others (123). While in the second case, freedom means the capability of the individual to be his own master (131). Classical liberals focus on the maximizing of negative liberty, while by contrast, modern liberals hold that the government should assistant individuals to realize their positive freedom. Minimum state vs social welfare By advocating a minimal state, classical liberals focus on the maximizing of negative liberty. In a minimal state, only three core functions are left in hand of the government. Firstly, maintaining domestic order with organizations such as police force. Secondly, it should enforce contracts or agreements between citizens, which means the function of judiciary. Thirdly, the state should protect the people from external threat, thus a military is needed. (Heywood 99) By contrast, modern liberals hold that the government should assistant individuals to realize their positive freedom. Therefore, social welfare programs are strongly upheld. However, there was still a boundary. According to T.H Green, when and only when individuals are in threat of being enslaved by liberty should the government intervene (Tyler).In another word, social welfare should help those who cannot help themselves. Laissez-faire vs government intervention Adam Smith asserted that the invisible hand, namely the self-interest of the individual in a free market would lead to the well-being of the economy. In order to benefit himself, one has to produce according to the demand of the market, which Smith phrased as invisible hand (Smith vol. 2a) On the contrary, government intervention is dangerous  as it was exercised in the hands of a man who had folly and presumption enough to fancy himself. (Smith vol. 2a) By contrast, modern liberal economists, such as Keynes, pointed out that economy is not perfectly self-managing. Only under the rule of supply and demand, monopolization is unavoidable. Profits fall into the hands of a few people while the mass are incapable of consuming, which doom the end of capital circulation economic prosperity. Only with government intervention can the economy maintain a prolonged prosperity. (John Maynard Keynes). However, it is notable that the idea of free market was never fully abandoned by modern liberals even Keynes. Unlike socialists, they had no intention to nationalize the economy or interfere with the mechanism of supply and demand. According to Keynes, the visible hand functions not by cutting wages to insure full employment, but by expansionary fiscal policy, such as spending money on public projects to expand demand.(Sharpe) In order to evaluate both concepts of liberalism, we should take in to consideration their historical contexts. Because every political philosophy is the product of a certain time and circumstance and therefore has its limitation. As showed above, classical liberalism was born in a time of the transformation from feudalism to absolutism. It was a time when the government still ruled over people. Hence, the deep suspicion of the government is reasonable. In a time when the negative liberty of individuals were everywhere under threat, it is important to introduce the concepts of social contract and restrict the power of government at any cost. Modern liberalism however, addressed mainly the problem emerging in industrialization. It had been observed that even if free from all external restrictions, sometimes people are still vulnerable and incapable to realize themselves. In addition, with the development of representative democracy, government itself had gained more trust that it can represent the will of the individuals. Nowadays the idea of social welfare and economic intervention has been widely accepted in most western countries. However, there are still a lot of questions. One of them is that if government is justified to intervene, what should be the limitation? With respect to social welfare, modern liberals have provided the answer themselves. In his Theory of Justice, John Rawls suggested two principles to justify redistribution. The first one, which he called equal principle, suggests that individuals should have equal rights to basic liberty. The second principle, which is difference principle, inequality is justified, only if it promotes the well-being of the worse-offs compared to in the condition of equal liberty. (Rawls, John) This boundary is of great importance. Because, firstly, equality is an indispensable principle of liberalism. Policies in favor of the weak should be designed to compensate the existing inequality, not to create new inequality. Excessive protection would jeopardize social equality and lead to negative consequences. Take the debate over Affirmative Action in the United States as an example. This action was aimed to redress the disadvantages caused by historical discrimination. However, the clauses had aroused intensive controversy, being accused of generating inverse discrimination. For example, in the 1978 Regents v. Bakke case, student Bakke sued the Medical School of University of California at Davis, for it reserved sixteen present of studying slots to minorities, which was ruled by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional. (Fullinwider) In this case, intervention did not only help the worse-offs, but also harm the better-offs. Secondly, excessive welfare would make the people depend too much on the state and lose the motion of self-realization. As a result, the drive for social progress will be impeded. For instance, nanny state, which provide social care from curdle to grave are always criticized for   creating an  underclass  of  welfare  dependents. (Nanny state) However, as for economy, the line is much vaguer. Neoliberals of our time remind us the warning of Adam Smith that economic planning was doomed to fail. The reason is however, according to Von Hayek, that even if with good intention, the government would never have enough knowledge to make the right decision. Hence, they rejected the direct government intervention to promote demand, but suggested that government should maintain a stable value of money. (Ingham) From the 1970s, Keynesianism seemed to reach its bottleneck. Regulations concerning the insurance, banking, and financial industries were eliminated in the next decades. (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica). Relaxed regulations have brought good effects, but would that be the permanent prescription? The answer is in the negative. The economic crisis of 2007-08 originating in the financial system in the U.S. exemplified the shortcoming of insufficient regulation. In his last term, President Barack Obama undertook a series of policies that re-regulate or nationalize the bank (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica). In Neoliberalism: A Critical Reader edited by Alfredo Saad-Filho, the defects of contemporary Laissez-faire policy were examined. These include unemployment, enlarged domestical and international inequality, and the destruction of environment. (Saad-Filho and Johnston 5) The development of society sometimes shows a pattern of a waving pendulum. Capitalism is and will always trying to find a balance between efficiency and equality. Conclusion From its sprout in the seventeenth century, to its transformation starting in the late nineteenth century, and until the revival of its original ideas in the recent decades, liberalism constantly adjust itself according to time and circumstances. Due to different historical contexts, Classical and modern liberalism explained liberty from different perspectives. Compared with classical liberals, modern liberals have more confidence in the government and that uphold more intervention in social and economic affairs. Nevertheless, the belief in the supreme value of individuals and the reason of human beings, the respect for equality and universality of morality remain unchanged. In contemporary society, although it have been widely accepted that government should protect the positive liberty of individuals, what is the limitation of government intervention will remain a question.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Predictive Capabilities of the Simulex Model

Predictive Capabilities of the Simulex Model Introduction The purpose of this study is to analyse the predictive capabilities of the Simulex model, used to simulate the movement of people in evacuation simulations. Other evacuation models used within the fire engineering community, i.e. Firewind WayOut and simple hand flow calculations, provide quick and easy access to a reasonable estimate for a required movement time for egress in a building. This study will help to reveal whether the additional data used within the Simulex methodology aids the user in reaching a more accurate overall estimate. This will be done by carrying out a number of evacuation scenarios and comparing the results collected using the Firewind WayOut model and hand calculations. A multi storey hotel tower will be used to carry out the study. The outcome of the study will help to calibrate the components of the human behaviour in the Simulex model, as it is suggested that Simulex enables you to simulate occupant behaviour in the event of a building evacuation (IES, Sim ulex simulation of occupant evacuation). A considerable amount of study has been carried out on all aspects of human evacuation from emergency situations, and the affects of human behaviour on evacuation times can be seen as a major factor in terms of life safety. The majority of movement models to date take into account little consideration of the behavioural aspects of the occupants under emergency and focus their work on the flow of occupants. An evaluation of the results gathered in this study will help to show whether Simulex takes occupants-occupants interaction into account. Studies carried out in the past have revealed that occupant evacuation times are highly dependent on their perceived threat of the fire event. Appearance, proximity, propagation, time, and toxic gases of the fire threat also tend to predispose the individual to a higher level of behavioral activity, again depending upon the individuals perception of these threat variables. Thus, occupants located in close proximity to a developing fire, and with clear sensual links with smoke and heat, are likely to react more speedily than those who are reacting solely on alarm signals (John L. Bryan, Human Behavior and Fire). The importance of such an analysis tool is becoming essential in building design as regulation moves to a more performance based system. The purpose of this dissertation is to outline the methodology used within the Simulex model. The outputs determined by each of the models can then be compared along with the hand calculation work carried out. A sensitivity analysis will be performed for the Simulex model and this will help provide a clear evaluation of its predictive potential. Aim To evaluate the predictive capabilities of the Simulex movement model by carrying out both sensitivity and comparative analysis from results gained using the Firewind WayOut movement models and simple hand flow calculations. To gauge the effectiveness of the additional methodological approach taken by Simulex in gaining an overall more accurate estimate. Objectives Carry out a literature review of papers available which cover all aspects of building evacuation. Estimate crowd densities for use as input assumptions for Simulex, Firewind WayOut and hand calculations. Evaluate the model outputs and make a comparison between the methodologies adopted by each of the models. Conclusions should be formed on the basis of this evaluation. Carry out a sensitive analysis of both the Simulex and WayOut models. This can be achieved by altering the user input data to see how this effects the overall evacuation times. Gauge the predictive capabilities of each of the models in terms of how all aspects of building evacuation are taken into account. Investigate how the Simulex model attempts to deal with merging behaviours in a staircase. This will be carried out in reference to the information gained from previous work detailed in the literature review Provide concluding statements with reference to the results gained using the Simulex model. This should include an insight into whether the results gained using this method provide a more accurate estimate of the likely real life evacuation time. Methodology Carry out a literature review of the existing information available which relates to building evacuation and evacuation modeling. Factors to consider include a detailed evaluation of all aspects which affect the evacuation procedures of occupants i.e. affects of alarms, pre-movement times, human behaviour, crowd dynamics, and travel times. A study will be required relating to the current scope of movement models used within the fire engineering community. The methodologies used within the Simulex and the Firewind WayOut models will be studied and form part of the literature review. This will highlight all the differences and similarities between the methodologies incorporated into the tools. This information will be of significant importance when analysing the output data and forming any conclusions. Choose a suitable building design which can be used to carry out the study. The chosen building has been selected as the multi-storey hotel tower, Shibboleth project. Further information of the building will be provided further on in the text. CAD drawings of the Shibboleth hotel tower are required as this design will form the basis of the study. A collection of CAD drawings showing the Shibboleth floor plans will be used as a base to creating these geometries. The CAD drawings will be stripped down (removing inanimate objects i.e. furniture etc) to reveal only boundary layers i.e. walls, floors, etc. These barriers are those in which occupants are unable to pass through. A sensitivity analysis of Simulex and Firewind WayOut models will be carried out. This requires some factor of validation data to be collected by varying single point of input data and analysing how greatly they affect the overall results. By independently altering all the required input data, it is possible to monitor the effect each of the inputs has on the model outputs. This analysis will be carried out for each of the models. Run a mock evacuation using the Simulex model. To achieve this all CAD drawing will be turned into DXF files and inputted into the model. Staircases and floor plans can be linked and occupants will be added relevant to the room sizes as uses (Occupant loading will be calculated for the building and agents will be calculated and added accordingly). Run a mock evacuation using the Firewind WayOut model. The CAD drawings will again be used to measure all lengths and areas in the building. The occupant loading will be kept similar to those used in the Simulex calculation. Carry out hand calculations for the building. The process which will be followed is provided in the SFPE Handbook (SFPE Handbook, Section 3, Chapter 14; Emergency Movement). All input data used will be maintained from the previous work carried out in the computer models. This enables a conclusion to be reached as to whether the innovative tool can be used under the performance based regulatory system and form part of a successful fire engineered solution. Gaining a clear understanding of such information will allow the user to evaluate the results in a more efficient manner. An exhaustive analysis of the output data produced by both movement models will be carried out by the author. A conclusion will then be reached as to whether the FDS+Evac model can provide similar data as the movement model selected as the comparative tool. As this Simulex model is used presently within the fire engineering community to perform evacuation analysis on a number of real projects, it can then be assumed that such a tool supports the engineers performance based design solution. The results will also provide the evidence which will be required to evaluate whether the FDS+Evac model takes into account the threat perceived by the occupants in close proximity to a fire event, and incorporates this into the evacuation time for these occupants. Scope and Limitations Only two models are being reviewed in the study. The university has both Firewind WayOut and Simulex available for use at present and no other models were available at the time this study was carried out. The Simulex model is not used extensively through the course at the university and as a result the user had limited experience in operating it at the time of the study. The modelling work, i.e. measurements of lengths and areas, was carried out entirely from the drawing provided; no site visits etc were made to the building. Only one scenario has been run to carry out the study, a greater timescale for the work would have allowed a more exhaustive study, i.e. greater test cases, to be carried out. As the methodologies in each of the models vary slightly, it was only possible to minimise the extent to which occupant characteristics varied, but it was not possible to eliminate it altogether. Literature Review Regulatory Perspective As architects, designers and engineers continue to push the boundaries of building design, the regulatory system in Scotland continues to move towards a more performance based system. This system allows all parties involved in the design stage a far greater amount of freedom, i.e. promote innovation and limit the impact of regulation (S. Kipp, 1999), when ensuring a building design meets the requirements of the relevant codes. Professionals working within the built environment are now able to incorporate much more of their experience and judgement when developing a design than when following the outdated prescriptive approach, which were conceived for typical buildings. As a result of this, a number of tools have been developed within each discipline which allows each innovative design to be exhaustively tested, ensuring an adequate level of safety is provided before they are incorporated into any building design. For a fire engineer, many of these tools require computational technologies to perform a number of these tasks. Fire modelling is becoming more and more involved in the design stage of many large and complex projects all over the world. A number of models are available, varying in complexity, to carry out any necessary analysis within a number of complex spaces. They allow engineers to evaluate many fire safety related features of a building design before they are finalised, and ensure that any areas of issues with the design can be resolve before a project reaches the construction phase, as altering designs at this point can be extremely expensive and time consuming for all parties. In the UK, the current emphasis for escape design sets out to limit the distance and therefore time in which occupants are subjected to surrounding which will increase the risk of alarm or injury. The current timeframe in which occupants should have to travel from their place or origin and reach a place of safety is 2 minutes 30 seconds. This time had been calculated as a factor of the maximum allowable travel distance and the average walking speed of an occupant. Storey exit widths are sized assuming a specific flow of 80 persons/minute/metre clear width and a flow time of 2.5 minutes (Boyce et al, 2009). The time which is required to clear a floor is an important factor which must be considered to achieve an effective fire safety engineered design. The functional standards allow an engineer to carry out comparative analysis between the required safe egress time (RSET) and the available safe egress time (ASET). A building is deemed to provide an acceptable solution if the time required for egress is less than the time available before conditions are judged untenable by some factor of safety. This requirement is subject to an exhaustive analysis being carried out by a suitable professional, on all aspects of the design which will affect occupant egress. Human Behaviour in Fires A lot of research has been undertaken within the fire engineering community to gain as much understanding as possible of the factors affecting human behaviour when occupants are faced with emergency evacuation procedures in the built environment. John L. Bryan has covered a lot of work studying person-fire interaction and how occupant awareness can affect pre-movement times D. Canter has done a lot of work in gathering data from a number of sources to paint a clearer picture of the evacuation process. E. R. Galea covered a study dealing with human behaviour during evacuation of the world trade centre attack in 2001. Jonathan D Sime has produced work dealing with peoples ability to way find in a building, his work has shown that it may be more effective to incorporate escape routes into the general circulation routes as this will increase occupant familiarity with evacuation routes. Lars Benthorn provided an insight into how people evaluate information and subsequently choose their escape path. There are many more professionals who have done excellent work in analysing human behaviour in emergency situations and all the information collected is useful as it can then be incorporated into the design of evacuation tools. Building evacuation takes on a number of stages and involves a timeframe from the incipient stage of a fire right through until the last occupant has reached a place of safety. Human behaviour can affect both pre-movement and movement times, therefore it is essential to have a clear understanding of how to adapt an evacuation design to maximise its potential in life safety terms. The time to evacuate a building is a combination of several stages, these stages are: Detection time; Alarm time; Pre-movement time, (this is a combination of recognition and response time); and Travel time. The time taken for each of these stages of the evacuation process is dependent on the occupants response and behaviour. Figure 1: Factors involved in assessing the total escape time. (CIBSE Guide E: Fire safety engineering design approaches, 4-7). Pre-movement Time Distribution The pre-movement time of a building is the time for occupants to react to the alarm signal and begin their evacuation process. There are many factors which can affect the pre-movement times of occupants and these will be highlighted later in this text. In multi storey, multiple use occupancies, such as the one selected as part of the study, it can be assumed that not all occupants will have comparable pre-movement times, and for this reason it is good practice to study the appropriate time distribution curves in order to provide an accurate account of an expected pre-movement time in a building simulation. Purser et al, 1999, suggest from their work that Once the first few occupants have begun to move, the pre-movement times for the remainder of the occupants in an enclosure tend to follow a logarithmic–normal frequency time distribution. The shape of the above curves follow a typical pre-movement tome distribution following what has been observed historically; the initial delay of start up highlights the time taken for the first of the occupants to make the preliminary movements towards their chosen exit. This is followed by a rapid increase in frequency as the majority of others tend to initiate their travel phase. The long tail of the curve illustrates the last remaining occupants who will begin their travel period which will signify the end of the total pre-movement phase of the evacuation process. The above distributions are fit well for open plan occupancies where occupants have a clear view of the majority of other persons in the premises. In a building hosting a large number of enclosures, it can be assumed that the time distribution will be far wider than shown in the above diagram. This is due to the limited visibility which would be available for occupants in such a premises; the herding effect as occupants will be reduced as they would have less chance of grouping together and following the actions of the first occupants who move. Purser et al, 1999 , suggests that a range of 20-30 minutes would be more suitable for a multi occupancy building with sleeping risk (such as the Shibboleth hotel tower used to carry out the study). Many different factors will influence how a person will react and the decisions they make will determine their evacuation process. It can be very difficult to obtain real evacuation behavior; real evacuations may be undertaken by people who are unaware of the actual urgency to escape. They may perceive the alarm as a drill (Jake Pauls, 2003) People are often unaware that the alarm they hear is not a false one and so they will proceed to evacuate as they see fit to do so. Stopping to gather up personal belongings or only beginning to evacuate when others around them do. People have both reaction times and pre-movement times, reaction time is the time taken to perceive the alarm and decide to take action; and the pre-movement time is the time that elapses while the occupant is preparing to leave. L. Benthorn (1999): People usually choose to leave a building the same way they came in, even if this is a poorer alternative than other available. Within the field of behavioural science, it is pointed out that people often choose the known before the unknown, which would explain the above behaviour. Occupants in a building will tend to head for the exit them came in through not only are they familiar with this exit it but it will lead them to a place they will recognise. This is particularly true for those people who are not familiar with their surroundings. People will continue to do this and follow the crowd until they are either faced with the fire or are given further information. It has been suggested that incorporating evacuation routes wherever possible into the main circulation routes at the design stage will aim to optimise the effectiveness of the evacuation strategy. This is due to the fact that occupants tend to use a familiar route. The occupant characteristics that should be considered in performing an evacuation analysis are listed below: Population numbers and Density The maximum potential load should be used to give a conservative estimation. The number of people using a building or space and their distribution will greatly affect the travel and flow speeds speed of occupants. Familiarity A persons familiarity and regular use of the building and its systems may cause them to respond differently. Competent users of the building will have prior knowledge of the nearest escape routes and they may have had the opportunity to have participated in drills. Those unfamiliar with the building will rely upon the knowledge of staff and the clarity of signage available, and may be less responsive to warning systems. Distribution and Activities Distribution will impact on movement speeds and density will impact on the ability to communicate instructions. Activities people are involved in will affect their initial response. Those who are dedicated to a task within a building will not necessarily be able stop their job on activation of the alarm system. Level of Alertness The commitment of people to their activity or their interaction with others can affect their awareness. A premise which holds a sleeping risk for occupants can be expected to have a delayed response time. Physical and Mental Ability Some occupants may rely entirely on assistance, disabled; those with a hearing disability or those with a visual disability may require special means of notification. Level of Mobility Affected by the age of occupants, age can influence the ability of an individual to independently make their way along an exit route and reach a place of safety within an acceptable timescale. It may also reduce an occupants ability to withstand exposure to smoke and other harmful bi-products of fire. Social Affiliation Behaviour will be strongly influenced with the interaction between occupants. Groups of people who have a social connection (i.e. parent and child who are separated within premises at the time of the fire event) will try and regroup before making their way to an exit. The time spend undertaking such an act may increase the level of risk for these occupants. Groups of evacuees try to stay together and the slowest member of the group influences their speed. Role and Responsibility Sufficiently, well-trained and authoritative staff will shorten the pre-movement phase of an evacuation process. An effective management plan followed by all members of staff will ensure this is provided within premises. Location Can influence a persons choice of exit and the time to notification. Travel distances will be affected by location. Commitment Those who are committed to their activity will be reluctant to respond to an alarm, especially if it means their task is to be started again. Responsiveness The extent to which a person is likely to respond to alarms, those who have previous experience of emergency situations may be less likely to respond quickly as they are aware of the most appropriate action to take. The Panic Theory When people, attempting to escape from a burning building pile up at a single exit, their behaviour appears highly irrational to someone who learns after the panic that other exits were available. To the actor in the situation who does not recognise the existence of these alternatives, attempting to fight his way to the only exit available may seem a very logical choice as opposed to burning to death. (Turner and Killian 1957) The concept of panic is attributed to occupants lack of knowledge about a fires existence before a fire reaches a size where it can seriously hamper the ease in which evacuees are able to escape. This can be due to a problem with the detection and alarm system installed within premises, or the lack of information available to occupants as they try and make their way to the relevant escape routes. The theory of panic is not an easy thing to define, yet a set of definitions are presented below: A sudden and excessive feeling of alarm or fear, usually affecting a body of persons, originating in some real or supposed danger, vaguely apprehended, and leading to extravagant and injudicious efforts to secure safety. (John L. Bryan 1984) A fear-induced flight behavior which is nonrational, nonadaptive, and nonsocial, which serves to reduce the escape possibilities of the group as a whole, (Kentucky State Police, 1977). In the stress of a fire, people often act inappropriately and rarely panic or behave irrationally. Such behavior, to a large extent, is due to the fact that information initially available to people regarding the possible existence of a fire and its size and location is often ambiguous or inadequate. (Ramachandran, 1990.) Affect of Alarm on Pedestrian Movement The type of detection and alarm system in a building can greatly affect the way in which occupants despond to the emergency signal, and this is turn will affect the response time of occupants. The level of information that occupants are provided with in the early stages of evacuation can influence their decision to evacuate. It has been common practice to use traditional ringing sounders within non-domestic premises in recent years. One drawback of using this form of alarm signal is that occupants are not being provided with any informative information regarding the fire event. Evacuees could benefit from a system which would inform them of a fires location and lets them know which evacuation route is the safest in terms of their location in the building. This is a difficult system to integrate into a building as fires are extremely unreliable and information is specific to a single fire scenario. Sounders themselves are not the most informative method of warning system; they convey little information and have been proven ineffective (Bob Choppen, 2003). Voice alarm systems are largely becoming a more acceptable mode of informing occupants of a fire occurrence in modern buildings. Large premises which are designed to cater mainly for the general public will benefit greatest from a voice alarm system. Occupants are fuelled with much more information of the emergency event than in the past using traditional alarm signals. Voice messages can convey a greater deal of information to the occupants. John L Bryan concluded from his research that the use of voice alarms/public announcements with an alarm bell was the most effective way of warning occupants. Ramachandran in his review of the research on human behaviour in fires in the UK since 1969 summarized the effectiveness of alarm bells as awareness cues: The response to fire alarm bells and sounders tends to be less than optimum. There is usually skepticism as to whether the noise indicated a fire alarm and if so, is the alarm merely a system test or drill? A lack of panic is attributed to a number of factors including: Insufficient seriousness of an emergency. Acceptance of staff responsibility to direct occupants to exits. Evacuation process is complete before occupants have come in sight or contact with fire and smoke. Panic was not initiated at exit paths due to sufficient exit widths being available, thus eliminating the chance for queuing to occur, i.e. little competition for similar exits by occupants. Human Stress Model. (University coursework notes, Evacuation Systems Design model; Powerpoint Presentation namely Human Behaviour in Fire (Slide 48/51), Dr. Iain Sanderson, 2008). Evacuation Modeling Evacuation models can help engineers prove that tenable conditions will be available to occupants for the timescale required for all occupants to reach a place of safety, which an element of safety built in. The total time for occupants for occupants from the time of detection and alarm, to the time for the last occupant to reach a place of safety, is called the Required Safe Egress Time (RSET). This is traditionally compared with the time from fire ignition until tenable limits are exceeded, and conditions have reached a level where humans will be unable to continue their process of escape. This time is called the Available Safe Egress Time (ASET). As long as RSET > ASET by some factor of safety, a building is deemed to provide an adequate level of safety for all occupants to escape in an emergency situation. Pedestrian movement models have typically fallen into two categories, one category dealt independently with movement and the other tried to connect both movement and human behaviour. S. Gwynne (1999) highlights the main approaches available of computer analysis models: Computer based analysis of evacuation can be performed using one of three different approaches, namely optimization, simulation and risk assessment. Furthermore, within each approach different means of representing the enclosure, the population and the behaviour of the population are possible. Movement models can be categorised in a number of forms; Ball bearing, Optimisation, Simulation or Risk Assessment models. Ball bearing / Gaseous This example of movement model treats its subjects as inanimate objects. Sometimes referred to as environmental determinism, subjects are unthinking individuals who respond only to external stimuli, thus human behaviour it not taken into account. Occupants are assumed to begin their evacuation instantly, with no regard to the time taken for detection, alarm and pre-movement times. Factors effecting occupant movement therefore only include physical considerations of the occupants and their surroundings (i.e. crowd densities, exit widths and travel speeds). Individual occupants are merged into units and their movement treats their egress on masse (S. Gwynne, 1999). A good example of a model which employs this type of methodology is Firewind, with its WayOut tool. Optimisation This form of pedestrian movement model deals with large crowds of people at the same time. Evacuees are treated as homogeneous groups, thus there are no independent characteristics for a particular individual. People are uniformly distributed; all exits will be equally shared. One of the best examples of this form of model is EVACNET. 6.5.3 Simulation These models try and take into account not only the physical characteristics of the space, but also consider some representation of human behaviour in emergency scenarios. They attempt to produce as an output the path and decisions taken my individuals during the evacuation process. Examples of this type of model include Simulex and buildingEXODUS. 6.5.4 Risk Assessment Model These models are an attempt to identify hazards associated with the evacuation of a building, be it due to the occupants or the building, and attempt to quantify the resultant risk. An example of this type of model would be Crisp, and WayOut. 6.5.6 Enclosure Representation Enclosure representation of the geometries created within a computer models can take on two forms; fine and course networks. Enclosures are subdivided into a number of zones which are interconnected with neighbouring zones, and the characteristics of each of these affect the parameters found in each on the adjoining cells. The detail and size of each of these zones determines which category a model shall fall into. NODE ARC NODEOne or more arcs connecting 2 nodes are called a Path. (John M Watts 1987). Definition of a network model is given by John M Watts (1987), A network models is a graphical representation of routes by which objects or energy may move from one point to another. 6.5.6.1 Fine Networks Models using this method divide the entire floor space of the enclosure into a selection of shapes or nodes. The size and shape of these nodes will vary for different models. The node is connected to its neighbouring node by an arc. Paths of individuals are tracked over time. Examples of such models include Bgraf, Egress, buildngExodus, Magnetmodel, Simulex and Vegas. 6.5.6.2 Coarse Networks Models following this form of enclosure representation do not allow individual occupants to be followed independently of other within the group. Single nodes represent large spaces, such as rooms and corridors. As evacuees moved from space to space, users will be unaware of their position in each node. A coarse network does not provide information regarding person-wall, person-person and pe

Monday, August 19, 2019

My Best Friend’s Wedding :: Film Movies

My Best Friend’s Wedding My Best Friend’s Wedding is a romantic comedy with a guide to sabotaging your old beau’s nuptials. When she broke up with Michael (Dermot Mulroney), her boyfriend in college, Julianne made him her new best friend and security blanket. They made a pact—if they were still single at 28, they’d marry each other. Now they’re almost 28. And Michael, a sports writer, is in Chicago and wants Julianne to call him. She is touched and nervous. She has always really loved the guy but he’s not calling to propose. He’s calling to explain he’s engaged to be married in three days to a junior at the University of Chicago who is willing to drop out of college and sacrifice her own aspirations as an architect to support his career because she is devotedly in love with him. Julia Roberts makes you feel so guilty for rooting for her character, as she is a confident restaurant critic who panics after hearing friend and ex-flame Michael is getting hitched. Julianne’s—or how Michael considers her, Jules—strategy is simple: put on a happy face, pretend to go along and destroy from within. Kimmy (Cameron Diaz) knows she’s got a remarkable opponent, and her strategy is to befriend Jules. â€Å"You win. â€Å"He’s got you on a pedestal and me in his arms.† She asks Jules to be her maid of honor since all her female relatives are supposed sluts and mostly because she wants to keep her eye on Jules so she doesn’t get her grips on her man. Jules stoops to evil means worthy of a minor Batman villain: She fakes an engagement to George (her guy friend played by Rupert Everett), forges a brutal, sneaky, and really mean email from the bride’s rich daddy (who owns the White Sox and a cable television empire) to the editor of Michael’s sports magazine that could ruin Michael career, and forces her trusting and tuneless rival princess to perform in a karaoke bar—ouch! You never thought that innocent and loving Julia Robert would not be the heroine of this movie or any movie. She is willing to fight dirty to steal another woman’s man. My Best Friend’s Wedding may be a flick for chicks, but it foils some of the common expectations of romantic comedies. It manages to keep alive the mystery of who will end up with whom. Things aren’t as clear-cut as they initially seem to be.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Emily dickinson Essay examples -- essays research papers

Emily Dickinson’s poetry powerfully indicates values of society of the time. It does this through its conciseness, its simplicity and its control. Indications of society’s values are seen in many of Dickinson's poems, but they are especially noticeable in ‘It was not Death’, and ‘Because I could not stop for Death’. In Dickinson’s poem ‘It was not Death’, she demonstrates how restricting and stereotyping society can be on an individual, and how society values the conformity of the whole community, even though they may not want to. In Dickinson’s poem ‘Because I could not stop for Death’, she is questioning society’s values on religion and everlasting life. Emily Dickinson’s poems analyze her perception of the world and society, which is different to that of the commonly accepted, objective perception. The reader sees this perception in her poem ‘It was not Death’, where Emily appears to perceive a world full of confusion and chaos. She also observes that society tries to place people into stereotypes, and feels that she herself is restricted to one. The Figures I have seen Set orderly, for Burial, Reminded me, of mine – Dickinson shows in these lines that her own life reflects that of a dead persons – it appears to be a living thing, but lacks something that makes it alive. It seems that life is a convential pattern, and she is conformed in society just like the people in the coffins. She resents the way that in her society people were heavily placed into stereotypes. As if my life were shaven, And fitted to a frame These lines express Dickinson’s thoughts about the restrictions of her life in her society. The fact that her life was ‘shaven’ seems to give the image of being cut down to size with a razor to fit her frame, and this is a very sharp image. It also seems to hold connotations to the times of torture and the methods they used, and she may be suggesting that the rest of society make her life torture. It is as if her whole life has been shaped and trapped, which is not by its own nature, and from which it can not escape. Emily Dickinson also gives the impression of confusion and chaos through the verse techniques employed in her poem ‘It was not Death’. There are a mixture of images which give the impression of confusion and chaos. In the poem there is action (‘I stood up), sound (‘Bells’), frost, heat (‘Siroccos’, ‘Fire’), shipwreck (‘Without a Ch... ...else, it just simply stops, whilst you are still aware of it. Since then – ’tis Centuries – and yet Feels shorter than the Day I first surmised the Horses’ Heads Were toward Eternity – The lack of punctuation in the last stanza is to show breathlessness and panic as the woman realises that she has come to a state of eternity, and also emphasises that this is a long time – forever. This is how Emily Dickinson shows her theory of eternity after death, which contradicts the values of the rest of society. Values of society of the time can be seen through Emily Dickinson’s poetry. She powerfully shows society’s values of conformity in her poem ‘It was not Death’, as well as how she and many others were expected to fit into stereotypes, even if it meant sacrificing their natural state. This is shown through the form of the poem and the poetic devices that are used. ‘Because I could not stop for Death’ powerfully shows some of society’s values by contradicting them. Emily Dickinson displays her own beliefs on what comes after death, and they are certainly not to do with an afterlife in Heaven, or other religious beliefs. These are examples of how Emily Dickinson’s poems are powerful in

My Philosophy of Education :: Educational Teaching Teachers Essays

My Philosophy of Education â€Å"In modern times there are opposing views about the practice of education. There is no general agreement about what the young should learn either in relation to virtue or in relation to the best life; nor is it clear whether their education ought to be directed more towards the intellect than towards the character of the soul†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Although Aristotle wrote that passage more than 2,300 years ago; this is still the argument today. Philosophers, teachers, and educators alike, can create as many methods of teaching as they want. It will always come down to the fact of, which is more important or appropriate and is there a better one. There is never going to be that one perfect method of teaching. This is because each student learns differently. The varieties of methods available are there to suit each individual child. There are those students who need more hands on attention, those who do better with independent study, and those who learn things so quickly and thoroughly they’ll only need to hear a theory once and remember it for the rest of their lives. With all of this in mind, I wish we could stop arguing about which is the best theory or method and utilize them all. I think we should focus on what the children need. We should accept and embrace every method available and use them to the fullest capacity. By exposing a child to several methods of teaching, you could discover which method works best for what children. By accomplishing that discovery, you would then know how to help that child get the most out of his or her education. I am a firm believer that as long as an educator believes that every child has the potential to learn and do something great with his or her life, it’s possible. The greater expectations a teacher has the higher achievement they’ll see. There will always be obstacles and problems preventing children from reaching their potential. It’s an educator’s job to learn how to rise above that and demand excellence. For as long as I can remember it has been a passion of mine to influence people in a good way. Causing someone to smile, if even for just a second, has the ability to make my day ten times better.