Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Money Makes The World Go Round English Literature Essay

Money Makes The World Go Round English Literature Essay The quotation money makes the world go round was first used in a musical play Cabaret, it was written in the 1960s. the play was a melancholy one, in one of the songs the female lead expresses her wish for love, the male protagonist replies with this line in the song. The main aim of this line was to say that it is money that makes the world turn, not nobility or love. It highlights the fact that our society is heavily dependent on money.  [1]  Charles Dickens further stresses this point in his novel Dombey and Son where Paul asks his father about the powers of money. Hisfather replies it can do everything, little Paul then intelligently questions his dad as to why money did not save his mother. Charles Dickens very clearly portrays both sides of the argument. The phrase basically means that everything in this world would stop without money. To some extent this statement is true because without money you cannot afford a shelter on your head, have food, go from point A to point B, etc. It is often said that money can take you places, in many instances it proves true because money can and often does open up many doors for a person. However, in todays world we are all too preoccupied with the notion of acquiring wealth, so much so that other aspects of life that are equally important are neglected. The main reason behind this is our distorted view of success. The word success is usually taken to mean material success; the more the money the more successful one is. This includes the amount of money one earns, the type of car he drives or the size of his house. The importance of money becomes very clear when a person has no money, Money for a poor person is everything, it becomes very important for him to earn so that he can fulfill his basic needs. However, recently everyone has become consumption oriented. We want to buy anything that is new on the market and catches our interest and we are falling prey to the attractive packaging and advertisiments of a product. Thus we buy things that we have little need for which in turn makes us want more money. Money enables us to afford a better quality of life; more money means bigger and better houses and cars, better quality products, better entertainment etc. Another advantage is less stress in paying bills and other household expenses. Money may also allow a person to persue his dreams, for example a person who wants to attain higher education may not be able to without money. Literature also supports this in many places, one such example is where Charles Dickens in another Novel A Christmas Carol  [2]  shows how love is pushed aside for money. This happens when young Ebenzer Scrooge had made a promise to a girl Belle to provide for her, however Belle chooses a crooked businessman Jacob as he offers her a quick gain of fortune to the girl. A number of quotations from the book the great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald  [3]  also highlight the importance of money. One such quote mentioned the effect that money has on Gatsby when he is unable to even speak in front of Daisy Buchnan as he gets intimidated by her wealth. This shows how wealth encompasses every aspect of our lives, so much so that it even reflects in the voice and mannerisms of a person. Another description from the same book is about a character Tom whose wealth has given him a lot of power. It allows him to treat others how ever he likes and his elitist nature also makes him condescending towards other people. Thus another thought is that wealth gives one power. Money may be a motivator it influences human activity from geological exploration to politics. Money itself may not be evil, it is the greed for money that becomes the root of evil. Despite popular arguments I believe that money does not make the world go around. we have created the monster and allowed it to take over and control our lives.  [4]  Even though money does have some importance in our lives as every aspect of our lives revolves around money, but if we tried to be content with less we may not face such dependency. The variety of products that we are faced with makes it very difficult for us to be content with what we have. We have made money so central to our lives that we place it above life and even happiness. This never ending pursuit of money has made the society a selfish one. People forget that there are many things that money cant buy. A Chinese proverb summarizes this argument very well by saying that money can buy a house but it cannot make a home, that it can not buy time, sleep knowledge, health, respect and a good life only the material aspects can be bought but not ones that come from within. Stephen R. Covey in his book seven habits of highly effective people also mentions that some of us tend to be centered around money and so our sense of security and happiness is directly related to how much money we have and since its human nature to never be satisfied with what one has he is likely to remain unhappy most of the time. Even a huge increase in wealth is unlikely to satisfy such a person. For this purpose we need to alter our centres to what we really want at the end of our lives. Money can buy a lot of things but it cannot buy good health, respect, love, inner peace etc as these only come from good principles. A person can have million in his bank account but still feel poor because he is not content with his life, more money gives him only minimal satisfaction. Security come from within from knowing that what you have is enough for you to be happy, it comes from believing in your self. All of us tend to think that happiness comes from outside i.e. through money. A short story that supports this notion is A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote it is the story of a child who does not get anything for Christmas except handed down and worn out except for a kite but he is still satisfied and goes out to fly it. In another instance was when the family was offered money for a new Christmas tree but they refused it believing that their old tree was more precious and nothing could replace it. Both these examples reflect the importance of contentment and satisfaction ove r money. One important error that we make is that we equate money with success, this is not true. Success can be divided into 8 categories, these are: health, personal needs, family, career, spiritual, financial and community. To be truly successful you need to be more than just financially successful. There have been many cases whereby a rich man was unable to spend all his fortune due to his health and died despite his accumulated wealth. Such a man cannot be called wealthy as all that he accumulated was left behind, and it was not able to help him when he needed help the most. Thus a rich person who lacks in other aspect of life is as good as being poor. Let us not get carried away with the idea of acquiring wealth and money and fail to consider other aspects of our life.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Managing the Transition from Maturity to Decline: Diamond Power Corporation :: essays research papers

Managing the Transition from Maturity to Decline: Diamond Power Corporation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This case study, prepared by Richard C. Scameborn, follows the Diamond Power Specialty Company from its humble beginnings in 1903 to its decline in 1991. The birth of Diamond came with the invention of the hand cranked soot blower. As the years and technology progressed, so did the Diamond soot blower. Along with this main product, Diamond also added several other products to its line, but none had the profitability of the soot blower. Diamond had the market to itself for a number of years, but eventually two competitors sprang up to challenge Diamond: Copes-Vulcan and Bayer Company. Competition did not become fierce until World War II, when the soot blower became a major commodity used by the U.S. Navy to clean boilers on board its ships. At this point, the soot blower industry became a seller's market and the need for strategy (both corporate and business) became a necessity for growth and survival.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Diamond Power's main mission at its beginning, to produce soot blowers that would efficiently clean the inside of boiler as it continued working, basically stayed the same up until the addition of competition into the market. At this point, Diamond had to revise its mission to include technological advances to stay ahead of it main competitor, Copes-Vulcan. With the passage of time, production efficiency and technology were not enough. Diamond eventually had to add foreign sales, customer service, and replacement part production to its original plan to keep ahead of the game. By the 1970's, the mission to supply replacement parts and service became one of Diamond's top priorities as it opened parts and service plants in New Jersey, Georgia, Ohio, Texan, Colorado, North Dakota, California, and Washington.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Diamond Power's goals over the years seem to stay pretty congruent with its mission up until the early 1980's. Basically, Diamond's goals included staying on the moderate levels of technology, building a foreign market by exporting machines and parts and establishing joint-venture manufacturing companies overseas, establishing an extensive and profitable domestic aftermarket support system that included minifactories that supplied both parts and service, and to keep the upper hand on the soot blower market share. Diamond Power's parent corporation, McDermott, Inc, utilized several different corporate strategies to try to achieve Diamond's goal of a profitable and extensive aftermarket support system. However, some of the decisions made by McDermott, Inc in regards to its replacement part division caused more harm than good. For example, when a small operator began to copy and sell Diamond replacement parts at a lower cost than Diamond with great success, McDermott

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Ethics in ICT Education: Utilizing Mobile Gadgets in Teaching and Learning Process Essay

In a technology-driven and digital society, getting information quickly is important to both instructors and students. The expansion and everyday use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) have made it possible to quickly and instantly find information, share ideas among peer groups, allow instructors to easily interact with their students, and provide them with enabling platform for research and exploring new ideas. According to FBI-Internet Crime Complaint Center, Nigeria ranked third in the world after US and UK, in internet fraudulent activities. Yet, there is no cyber security law to checkmates these issues locally. Thus, government should work closely with the ICT community (NCC, NITDA, NigComSat, Galaxy backbone,Telecoms firms, and Consultants), in conjunction with legal community, to enact appropriate cybercrime laws. The write-up, bring to light the importance and application of mobile gadgets in learning process, issues associated with using mobile devices and ways to combat them. Keywords: Digital society, learning, students, instructors, education, mobile gadgets. Introduction: Mobile gadgets and phones can be a double-edge sword; the two can be used as a source of many benefits, for instance, the ease with which digital information can be analyzed, transmitted, and shared among numerous people and groups. On the other hand, they can be used to create ways of breaking laws or taking benefits away from others. For example, sending unsolicited e-mails is one of the compelling ethical issues raised by contemporary mobile gadgets users. Generally, information and communication technology (ICT) and the used of mobile gadgets are applied for the good of humankind; however it can also be abused and used as a tool for felony (L&N Long, 2005). Thus, the evolution of mobile gadgets have generated intense controversy and raised serious issues about information and communication technology ethics. An ethical individual accepts and lives by a set of moral principles and values. These principles define what is socially accepted as â€Å"good† and on the other hand what is â€Å"bad†, until today society continues to raise questions about what is or not ethical in the used of information technology gadgets. These issues are so important to our society, to the extent that educators see it as core subject that shall be integrated into college curricula. Educators believe that, if members of the society are made aware of the consequences of their actions, then there would be only fewer(marginal) people that will be motivated to commit computer crimes, contaminate systems with false information, post pornographic material to the internet, or abuse sanctity of intellectual property (K & J Laudon, 2003). . Ethics, Education, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT): Ethics in information technology â€Å"can be defined as the moral conducts and decisions confronting individuals, groups or institutions engaged in information and communication technology (ICT) practices (Martin M. 2009). It could also be defined as the study of moral ideals, character, policies and relationships of people and institutions involved in the activities of information and communication technology (Martin M. 2009). Whereas; educational technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources (AECT, 2004). Conversely, information and communication technologies (ICTs) can be defined as a set of technological tools and resources used to communicate, create, disseminate, store and manage information. These technologies include internet, tablet computers, smart phones, and broadcasting technologies such as radio and television (Kukulska-Hulme et. al. 2005). The use of ICT (mobile gadgets and phones) for a range of different learning processes has been the prime concern of every right-thinking individual in this era. It is realized that, mobile gadgets and phones could add a completely new dimension to the teaching and learning process due to a wide range of attributes, such as being portable, ubiquitous, pervasiveness and the functions such as voice, video and data services, camera, video, radio, and the internet connectivity (Kukulska-Hulme et. al. 2005). Besides, Bressler, D, et.al. (2007) states that youth should be the target and first priority user group of mobile based teaching and learning, because research showed that teenagers and college students have a higher interest in every mobile phone activity than any other age group. Research Questions: This text endeavor to address the following questions raised by mobile gadgets and users: I. What ethical, social, and political issue arises by the uses of mobile technology gadgets? II. What are the specific codes of conduct that may be used to guide decision about cybercrime? III. Why do contemporary mobile gadgets pose challenges to the protection of individual rights and intellectual property? IV. How do mobile gadgets affect everyday life of instructors and students? V. How could mobile gadgets allow continuous access to education and reach marginalized groups of a society? RQ1-What ethical, social, and political issues arises by the uses of mobile technology gadgets? Ethical, social, and political issues are closely linked together. The ethical dilemma we may face in our academic system typically is reflected in social and political settings of the society (K & J Laudon, 2003). Let’s imagine our society, in which we are all living before the advent and penetration of mobile gadgets as a calm pond, an ecosystem in partial equilibrium with individual, society, and political institutions. Under this condition, everyone knows how to act in this pond because social institutions (family, colleges, polytechnics, universities, and organizations) have developed well-honed rules of behaviors and these are backed by laws developed in the political zone of the society that stipulate different do and promises appropriate penalty for violation any of the laid down policy and guiding principles. Now, information technologies development tosses a rock into the pond. The forces and pulsation as a result of tossing rock (mobile gadgets evolution) into the ponds, which is a powerful shock of new information technology revolutions that hit our social systems which is more or less (at rest or partial equilibrium) and thus generates positive and negative pulses. Suddenly, individuals, and society are confronted with new situations often not covered by the old laws (rules and code of conduct of the nation). The figure below portrays moral dimensions that connect ethical, social and political issues (K & J Laudon, 2003). Figure 1: Moral Dimensions (Ethical, Social, & Political) Issues Related To Mobile Gadgets: Excerpt from: Essential of Management Information Systems, Fifth Edition. Information /Property rights and obligations: what information rights do individual or institutions posses with respect to the information about themselves? What can they protect? How will traditional intellectual property be protected in a digital society in which accounting of ownership is difficult? Accountability and Control: who will be held responsible and liable for the harm done to individual, institutions and collective information and property rights? System and Life Quality: what services should we demand to protect individual rights and the safety of the society? What services and practices are supported and accepted by the society? RQ2- What are the specific codes of conducts that can be used to guide decision about cybercrime? Cybercrime can be referred to as the use of mobile gadgets or computers and internet to commit illicit act. Cybercrime (computer assisted crime) includes e-mail scams, hacking, distribution of hostile software (viruses and worms), denial of service(DoS) attacks, theft of data, fraud and impersonation, online auction fraud, phishing, child pornography, espionage (theft of trade secrets), cyber contraband and so on (Uwaje Chris, 2009). With the proliferation of mobile gadgets that allow easy access to internet and online resources, it becomes more disturbing because the cyber space, through which these crimes are perpetuated, is not defined by political or geographical boundaries, thus enacting or amending laws to curb them becomes a challenge. According to FBI-Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3 report, 2009), Nigeria ranked third in the world after US and UK, in internet fraudulent activities. Yet, there is no cyber security law to checkmate these issues locally. Similarly, Ewelukwa (2012), lamented that various legislative bills before the National Assembly, aimed at preventing cybercrime, have been neglected by the lawmakers including â€Å"The Computer Security and Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Bill 2005 sponsored by the Executive failed to become law (Ewelukwa, 2012). Ewelukwa (2012) further stated â€Å"Other related legislative bills that have not yet been passed by the National Assembly include the Cyber Security and Data Protection Agency (Establishment, etc) Bill 2008, Electronic Fraud Prohibition Bill 2008, Nigeria Computer Security and Protection Agency Bill 2009, and the Computer Misuse Bill 2009. Cyber security entails all measures taken proactively to prevent and ensure safety from cyber attacks and related crimes. Cyber attacks vary and evolve on daily basis with advances in ICT gadgets. Therefore, government should work closely with the ICT community (NCC, NITDA, NigComSat, Galaxy Backbone, Telecoms firms, Experts and Consultants), legal community, to enact appropriate cybercrime laws, and expedite action to sign the aforementioned bills into laws. Thus, would boost the nation’s image before the online community and globally. RQ3- Why do contemporary mobile gadgets pose challenges to the protection of individual right and intellectual property? Ethical issues have long preceded the evolution of information technology, they are the abiding concerns of every society everywhere on earth, nevertheless, information technology has raised and heightened ethical concerns, put stress on existing social arrangement, and made existing law obsolete or severely crippled. There are three key technological trends that are responsible for these ethical traumas (K & J Laudon, 2003): I. Increases in Computing Power: Everyday people are getting possession of different mobile gadgets for their day to day undertakings (research works, businesses, leisure and entertainment), due to invention of high powered gadgets with varieties of features made available by the manufacturers. II. Advancement in Data Analysis & Declining Data Storage Costs: it is clear that with contemporary information systems technology and data analysis techniques, one can assemble and combine myriad pieces of information about an individual much more easily than in the past. For instances, information about an individual such as credit card purchases, telephone calls, magazine subscriptions, video rentals, mail order purchases, banking records, local, state, and federal governments(including court and police records), can all be gathered and mined properly. III. Networking and advances in Internet: sharing and accessing large quantities of data over the internet, open the possibility of mining large pools of data remotely using mobile gadgets, and thus permitting the invasion of privacy of others. RQ4- How do mobile gadgets affect everyday life of instructors and students? ICT and mobile gadgets in schools, colleges and universities have affected everyday life of both instructors and students, either in positive or negative directions as pointed out below: Students can record homework and assignments on their phone calendar. Help instructors to monitor their lecture schedules. Use of camera functions in geography and physical sciences subjects to records things and report back to class. Some teachers learned to teach in different ways with an emphasis on independent study, and thus incorporated mobile gadgets in their lessons. Disruption during lectures in cyber- bullying one another using text and blackberry messaging(BBM) Spiteful comments or spreading malicious gossips. Some students used mobile gadgets (for fashion) to chase opposite sexes RQ5- How could mobile gadgets allow continuous access to education and reach marginalized groups of a society? It would be very difficult or impossible for the conventional (class-room) delivery method of education to provide continuous and educational opportunities for majority members of a society. ICTs and mobile gadgets have the answers and potential to help reach this objective. They are portable, pervasive, personal, affordable, ubiquitous, and interactive and hence, instruction can be delivered anywhere and at anytime through it. Moreover, it is an aid to formal and informal learning, it supplement and enrich formal schooling, make learning more accessible, personalized and flexible for students everywhere. And thus holds enormous potential to transform the delivery of teaching and learning process. Mobile devices can overcome geographic, social, and infrastructure barriers to reach populations, and marginalized groups by providing them with access to further learning and development. These devices facilitate distance learning in situations where access to education is difficult or interrupted because of geographical barriers. And therefore, m-learning or mobile learning, offers modern ways to support learning process through mobile devices, such as handheld tablet computers, MP3/MP4 players, smart phones and mobile phones. And thus, a mobile gadget is not only a device, but a door to greater education and continuous interactive learning process. Advantages of using Mobile Gadgets: Students, teachers, and researchers have many reasons to consider using mobile gadgets, since these devices are one of the most versatile electronics gadgets in the market today. Besides the obvious communication advantages, mobile phones have features, such as cameras and internet accessibility, that can help students and researchers in all aspects of their learning processes, from their studies to their social and professional lives and practices. Kat Stafford (2013) stated in his write-up some advantages of mobile phone to college students, among which are: emergency communication, parental connection, studying and research, capture memories, social and professional networking and organization. Issues and Crimes Associated with Mobile Gadgets: As cell phones have rapidly become ubiquitous in everyday life, the issue of cell phones in school has become a hotly debated topic. Many disadvantages also exist concerning student cell phone use, Rebecca Richards (2012), mentioned few such as: causes distractions, exams cheating, e-mail scams, pornography and cyber contraband. Recommendation: Provision of redundant internet services (both wired & wireless) in our various institutions of learning using technology such as WIFI, or WIMAX, to facilitate learning processes using ICT gadgets. Universities, polytechnics, COEs, and other institution of learning should use proper network administrative tools to police students over inappropriate use of services provided to them; it can equally ban and restrict access to ALL social networks that can cause distractions to their studies. Use of software tools like web anonymizers (such as Psiphon, Surfola, Silent Surf, and Merletn) to hide user tracks from their predators. Every institution should review its code of conducts to include contemporary netiquettes, so that students and researchers are made aware of the cause of actions of every crime they committed. Likewise, at national level government should work closely with the ICT community (NCC, NITDA, NigComSat, Galaxy Backbone, Telecoms and IT firms, Experts and Consultants) and Legal community to enact appropriate cybercrime laws, and expedite action to sign all the legislative bills before them into laws. Conclusion: While there are enormous benefits to be gained out of mobile gadgets in terms of m-learning, enrichment, portability and flexibility in using ICTs throughout formal educational systems, there is even greater value to be gained in using the mobile technologies to increase access to millions of instructional resources who are currently outside the educational footprints. A combination of mobile technologies and relevant applications softwares, have the potential to overcome the barriers of time, distance, and allow adult education for those who have not been properly educated and now wish to be informed, well educated, trained or enlightened. It is apparent that ICTs offer opportunities not available previously to educators, using tools such as e-mail; Webinar, audio-video, computer–conferencing, both synchronously and asynchronously. With aid of ICT and appropriate set of application tools, a very rich interactive and learning environment can be created that allows learners to dictate their pace of learning, or place of learning. While the ICT tools empower our communities, they need not take away the role of the instructors or research supervisors; instead, students, firms, researchers and instructors should come together for a common purpose, work collaboratively with clearly defined roles on a shared platform to attain the set objectives of any kind. These communities encompass all levels and sectors of human endeavor, from basic education to postgraduate studies, from teacher training to business studies, and from non formal studies to language instruction, companies and research institutes. However, only infrastructure, fiscal resources, and policy support, would inhibit exploitation of this potential. And thus, an ICT world is an exciting planet of continuous learning process. References: AECT (2004). â€Å"Association for Educational Communications and Technology† Retrieved from: http://ocw.metu.edu.tr/file.php/118/molenda_definition.pdf visited on 05-04-2013. Bressler, D, et.al.(2007). â€Å"Information and Communication Technology in Education, Retrieved frm. http://www.schoolnet.lk/research/mobile_phones_for_teaching_learning_science/ visited on 07-05-2013. Ewelukwa (2012).† Wanted: A law on cyber security† Retrieved from: http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/business/35334-wanted-a-law-on-cyber-security.html , visited on 07-05-2013. IC3,(2009). â€Å"Internet Crime Complain Center 2009†Retrieved from: www.ic3.gov/media/annualreport/2009_ic3report.pdf , visited on 19-04-2013. Kukulska Hulme et.al .(2005). â€Å"Innovation in Mobile Learning: a European Perspective† Retrieved from : http://www.schoolnet.lk/research/mobile_phones_for_teaching_learning_science/ , visited on 19-04-2013 Kat Stafford, 2013). â€Å"Use of Cell Phones and College Students† http://www.ehow.com/list_5961606_advantages-cell-phones-college-students.html, visited on 07-05-2013. Laudon K.J, (2003). Essential of Management Information Systems, Fifth Edition, Chapter 5: Ethical and Social Issues in the Digital Firm, P. 142-143 Long L.N, (2005).Computers Information Technology in Perspective, 12th edition, Chapter IT ethics, Crime, and Privacy. P. 278 Martin M. (2009).Ethics in Engineering, 3rd edition New Delhi: MC Graw-Hill P.2-3 Rebecca, Richards (2012). â€Å"Use of Cell Phones and College Students† Retrieved from: http://www.ehow.com/list_5961606_advantages-cell-phones-college-students.html, visited on 07-05-2013. Uwaje, Chris (2009). â€Å"Cyber Crime: Its Implications for Internet Business Growth In Nigeria† Retrieved from: http://techtrendsng.com/cybercrime-its-implications-for-internet-business-growth-in-nigeria/, visited on 15-05-2013.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Hydraulic Fracturing Of Natural Gas From Deep Below The...

Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing involves the extraction of natural gas from deep below the ground. A shaft is drilled into the ground followed by a horizontal well hole that flows to the gas layer of the earth. The well is divided into smaller sections and these sections are fractured in sections. Fracking fluid (7 million litres of water is used, several thousand tonnes of sand and 200,000 tonnes of chemicals (de Rijke, 2013)) is then pumped into the ground at high velocity. Cracks are produced in the rocks, the sand in the mixture prevents cracks from closing again. The water is then pumped out and natural gas is now easily obtained. (BBC News, 2016). The first well was constructed in 1949 and as a result of a technology†¦show more content†¦Three other sites have been located in Wales, two sites for just obtaining geological samples and the other one has been refused in Llandow, Vale (Raeng.org.uk, 2016). Fracking is a hot debate in Scotland, with labour issu ing a firm no on the issue to undergo fracking as of March 2016 (BBC News, 2016). Also, in Northern Ireland, Taboran Resources has an interest to undertake fracking located on an area that is on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (Raeng.org.uk, 2016). Two of the main companies involved in fracking in the UK include, Cuadrilla and Igas. Many protests have been carried out to object to the fracking issue. Igas say that there are many new investment opportunities, for example a  £2.3 billion steel requirement in Britain, a  £4.1 billion waste, storage and transportation requirement and a skills and specialised equipment requirement of  £17 billion. (Igasplc.com, 2016). As of December 2012 there have been two planning applications for fracking processes by Cuadrilla, at Prestion New Road and Roseacre Wood, before Lancashire City council and they will frack for shale gas if it is approved. (British Geological Survey, 2015). Many of the issues involved with fracking arise from the use of fracking in the US. There are many positive outlooks when it comes to fracking; Shale gas is not found all over the UK, only in certain areas. There is said to be a plentiful supply of shale, with Cuadrilla stating that there is 5.7