Wednesday, October 30, 2019
The Panama Canal and Its Expansion Research Paper
The Panama Canal and Its Expansion - Research Paper Example Panama canal was before under the Colombian management, then came the French and America before the panamian management took over in 1999. The canal had been faced by various challenges including ships traffic jam as the number rose from 1,000 in 1914 when it was opened to 14,702 in 2008. By the year 2008, more than 815,000 ships had used the panama canal most of them bigger than the initial plans that had been made (ACP, 2009). Panamax is the biggest ships that travel through the canal at the present time. The canal was named by the American society of civil engineers as among the seven worlds wonders. Due to the increased rate of international maritime trade, increase in volumes in trade and levels of containerization, there has been a keener plan of investment of more funds in canals and the ports by the shipping lines in order to curb the growing rate of demand and needs. Since the Panama Canal does not have the capacity to accommodate all this pressure, it has been faced by several issues mostly relating to traffic congestion of the ships. The canal is known to hold a great record in the maritime trade but at the same time it has been known to lose its market shares to Suez canal,which is another route used in the same type of trade, and this is because the panama canal cannot accommodate ships more than 5,000 TEUs. The canal has also been hit by several problems,which include: a decrease in demand of transit, an old model and structure of the canal, the saturation point is reached early, lack of potential to redirect traffic congestion to other potential alternatives with longer routes, their development is unsustainable and also their level of trade in the maritime industry has been low. These problems led to the proposal for the expansion of the panama canal by the panama canal authority as it was the best solution for the business of shipping,rather than ignoring,so that,by 2014, the capacity would be doubled allowing more ships to pass through the canal. The components that make up the programme of the expansion o f the Panama Canal include: 1. Widening and making the Atlantic entrance deep. 2. Construction of the panama locks of the Atlantic post. 3. Increasing the working conditions of Lake Gatum to a maximum level. 4. Widening and making the steering channels of Culebra Cut and Lake Gatun deep. 5. Digging up the access channel of the post panamax locks. 6. Constructing locks on the pacific post panamax. 7. Widening and making the entrance of the pacific deep. Panama canal expansion will double its capacity come 2014 as it will allow larger ships to pass through. The plan for the canal expansion was presented on 24th April, 2006 by martin torrijos who was then the president of panama. The proposal was approved by the citizens of panama through a national referendum that was carried out in October 2006, and it was voted in by 76.8% of the population (ACP, 2009). The citizens of panama approved the expansion of the canal as it would allow larger vessels to transit and increase the level of ma ritime trade. The project has started to be executed by the Panama Canal authority, and it will take at least eight years to be fully implemented as they are following a well illustrated plan and it will cost them 5.25 billion US dollars. As much as this project is of much assistance to the citizens and the republic of panama, there will be a direct benefit to the maritime industry internationally through
Monday, October 28, 2019
The End of the Cold War and the United Nations Essay Example for Free
The End of the Cold War and the United Nations Essay Abstract The end of the Cold War ushered in many significant changes in the international system. Many of these changes are seen to provide an impetus for the reestablishment of multilateralism and the collective security approach to the maintenance of international peace and security, under the aegis of the United Nations. The multilateral movement gathered momentum over the first few years of the post-Cold War era and saw a number of peacekeeping missions mandated by the United Nations across the World. However, a careful inspection of these missions, and other instances when any action failed to materialize, reveals that much of the impetus gained from the end of the Cold War conflict was lost due. Several factors contributed to this outcome, not least a lack of political will on the part of the United Nations and the Member States. The essay concludes by looking at the present situation and arguing that a similar opportunity as the one in 1991 has presented itself, leaving the United Nations in particular, and multilateralism in general, with a chance to redeem itself. Introduction: The UN during the Cold War            The end of the Second World War and the institution of the United Nations in 1945 were landmark events in the history of the world. While the conclusion of the War marked the demise of European imperialism (though the decolonisation process would continue till 1966), it also signalled a change in the norms of international society. Based on the principles of collective security, as elaborated in the Charter of the United Nations, these emergent norms sanctified (international) territorial boundaries, promising to usher in a new era of international history. However, the optimism and confidence which surrounded the formation of the United Nations – as a forward-looking model of international cooperation – was soon disturbed by the Soviet Union’s entry into the nuclear club in 1949. This was the beginning of the Cold War between the USA and the USSR, which mired international politics, as well as the UN, in an ideological conflict for the next four and a half decades.            Though the specifics of how the Cold War was fought fall outside the ambit of this paper, it is important to note its effects on the functioning of the UN. The composition of the UN Security Council – the organ charged with the maintenance of international peace and security – becomes salient here: as permanent members, both the United States and Soviet Union exercised the power of the veto (a single veto from any permanent being enough to sink a Security Council resolution), according to their geopolitical interests (see UN General Assembly, 2004, p. 13-19). This crippled the development of the UN, while consequently stunting the evolution of multilateralism. Changes at the End of the Cold War: Impetus to UN Multilateralism            The end of the Cold War, in 1991, brought with it a renewed optimism and injected fresh vigour into the UN; finally rid of the ideological divide of the previous decades, the new situation led some scholars to say that: The end of the Cold War lifts a central obstacle to the strengthening of multilateral peacekeeping and the extension of multilateral operations beyond traditional peacekeeping tasks. A revived United Nations Security Council and energetic Secretary-General are the global [centre] of this rapidly evolving effort†¦ (Roper, Nishihara, Otunnu and Schoettle, 1993, p. 1). Concomitant to this belief, the number of peacekeeping operation of the UN increased, along with the establishment of the UN Protective Force (UNPROFOR) – made famous by its engagements in Bosnia – in the years following the fall of the Berlin Wall. However, to truly understand the impact of the end of the Cold War on the UN, and its efforts to strengthen multilateralism, we must be appreciative of what actually changed at the â€Å"end of history†(Fukuyama, 1993).            An era of post-internationalism, defined by a complex system of relations between nation-states and non-state actors, was thought to be the most probable outcome of the end of the Cold War (Rosenau, 1990). In reality, the most important changes occurring in the international system were: The emergence of a unipolar world – with the United States as the lone superpower – though there was a brief debate over the possibility of a return to (a somewhat Westphalian) multipolarity. The structural and ideological impediments to the UN’s operations disappeared, resulting in an environment (apparently) conducive to international cooperation. The emergence of â€Å"New Wars,†which were intra-state affairs, and fuelled by ethno-religious and cultural divides (Kaldor, 1999). The intensification of the process of globalization, rapidly intertwining the national economies of the world into the world economy and with each other, meaning that conflicts would produce more stakeholders interested in their resolution. These changes made for an opportunity for the UN to capitalise on the changing dimensions of international politics and drive home the advantage for the renewed consensus for multilateralism.            The American preponderance in the immediate aftermath of the end of the Cold War meant that the future of multilateralism would depend, to a great extent, on the willingness of the United States to support and participate in the operations of the UN. This dependence was only natural: the US was the most economically and militarily dominant power at the time, and for any successful venture on the part of the UN, US assistance (or at the very least, support) was essential. Because of the US’ political importance, Security Council resolutions backed by the country were more persuasive and influential than earlier, thus accelerating the strengthening of the UN’s multilateral foundations. Initially, the United States readily participated in UN-backed interventions and peacekeeping missions – in Iraq/Kuwait (1990) and Somalia (1992) – which coincided with its policy of â€Å"aggressive involvement†in response to international peace and security at the time (Art, 2003, p. 2-3). Thus, American primacy at the end of the Cold War provided a great impetus to UN-led multilateralism.            The fall of the East/West divide provided an opportunity to expand the realm of the UN’s multilateral operations beyond that of traditional peacekeeping, to include such areas of peace-building as providing humanitarian assistance, transitions to democratic governments and helping with national reconstruction in post-conflict scenarios. This expanding perspective was explained by the UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali to have occurred as a direct consequence of the demise of Cold War animosities amongst the permanent members of the Security Council (1992). The proliferation of UN missions in the early 1990s – to Somalia, Cambodia, Namibia, Western Sahara, Angola, Bosnia, Croatia, El Salvador and Mozambique – goes to show how much of an impetus the removal of structural impediments gave to the UN at the end of the Cold War.            The emergence of New Wars called for a change in the understanding of intra-state violence, along with a wider interpretation of the provisions of Chapter VII of the UN Charter (UN, 1945). During the Cold War, the principles of state sovereignty and non-intervention were paramount; according to Article 2(7) of the Charter, Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require the Members to submit such matters to settlement under the present Charter†¦ (1945.) However, in the post-Cold War era, there has been a considerable shift towards embracing the principles of internal justice (i.e. within states) and individual rights, which require the maintenance of certain universally accepted standards (Taylor and Curtis, 2003, p. 415). This movement towards a semblance of global governance also resulted from the impetus gained from the end of the Cold War. For example, the intervention in Kosovo (late-1990s) was purely on humanitarian grounds, and explicitly breached the (now contested) sovereignty of the Republic of Serbia. On the other hand, the intervention in Somalia was carried out at the state’s request, while that in Iraq (in 1990) depended on Memorandums of Understanding between the UN and Saddam Hussein. In all of these cases, however, the increasing tendency of multilateral involvement in the domestic affairs of states cannot be overlooked.            Due to the political and economic structural adjustment policies (enforced by the IMF against the supply of loans) experienced in many parts of the world during the 1980s, the end of the Cold War came at a time when the process of globalization had already taken shape to a certain degree. This process meant the expansion of markets, along with goods and services, across the world, making countries increasingly interdependent. Thus conflict, in any part of the world, now has the potential to disrupt more than a handful of national economies. Hence, there are more takers for multilateral action to resolve conflicts, especially after the (formal) removal of ideological differences within the UN after 1991. For example, in the case of the peacekeeping mission in Bosnia, countries as diverse as Nepal, Fiji, Argentina, Senegal and Iceland, among many others, contributed personnel and supplies to the UN. This was another impetus received by the UN at the end of the Cold War, strengthening its role in multilateral ventures.            Indeed, the renewed energy exhibited by the Member States of the UN to multilaterally solve international conflicts is evidenced by the fact that peacekeeping operations undertaken after the Cold War easily outnumber those mandated during 1945 to 1990 (UN Peacekeeping, 2008). There has also been an improved dynamism in the Security Council and the General Assembly since 1990, shown by the rise in the number of resolutions proposed and adopted, as against the oftentimes deadlocked scenario of the Cold War (UN Documentation Centre, 2008). These facts show the momentum gained by multilateralism, under the aegis of the UN, in the post-Cold War era. An Evaluation of Post-Cold War Multilateralism            It is important, however, to make a crucial qualification at this point: greater involvement through the multilateral framework does not tantamount to success in resolving or preventing international conflicts. If we are to make an analytical examination of how far the end of the Cold war proved to be an impetus for the reestablishment of the UN as the focal point for multilateral projects, we must judge the same in terms of what they achieved. The possibilities that the termination of the East/West conflict held for the UN have already been discussed; now, we shall attempt to provide a critical analysis of how multilateralism has fared to obtain the true nature of the impetus in question.            Throughout the UN’s existence, the question of intervention to stop genocide (or for genocide prevention) has been a thorn in its side. The history of the UN is replete with cases of genocide – Uganda (1970s), Paraguay (1974), Democratic Kampuchea (1975-78), Bangladesh (1970-71) and Burundi (1972-73) – where it did not take any concrete steps to stop the conflict (Kuper 1982). Regardless of the changes found in the post-Cold War era, the â€Å"right to intervene†(jus ad bellum, or humanitarian intervention), has only been enforced in Kosovo (Taylor and Curtis, 2003, p. 415). The UN, however, failed to act on time in the cases of Rwanda (1994) and Bosnia (1992-93), resulting in close to a million deaths. In Rwanda alone, the death toll reached more than 800,000, and led Secretary-General Kofi Annan to remark: â€Å"The world failed Rwanda at that time of evil. The international community and the United Nations could not muster the political will to confront it†(quoted in Glazer, 2004, p. 167). Similarly, the Security Council has been sitting on the fence with regard to Darfur, western Sudan, where Arab militias known as the Janjaweed, with help from the central authority in Khartoum, have been systematically killing (and raping and displacing) black Africans since 2003. Due to the reluctance of the UN to label the conflict in Darfur as genocide, hundreds of thousands continue to die, while more are forced to migrate across the western border into Chad (HRW, 2006).            Part of the blame lies with the Genocide Convention (concluded in 1948), which obliges Member Parties to â€Å"prevent and punish†any act of genocide. But, what this clause means in terms of policy directives remains unclear; many Parties are content to push for institutional solutions in these cases, while refraining to term a given situation as genocide, so that they are not dragged into a commitment of conflict resolution. However, at the end of the Cold War, with the consensus for international cooperation and multilateral action on a high, the UN had a golden opportunity to include or append policy recommendations to the Genocide Convention. It was essential to recognise that the history of the UN’s failure to prevent genocide was a function of reluctant nation-states wary of being drawn into a long-term commitment, rather than plainly understanding it as another aspect of the East/West conflict. By oversimplifying the causes of previous failures, the UN also lost that bit of impetus which the end of the Cold War had generated.            In addition, the multilateral movement suffered another jolt when, given the losses it incurred in Somalia (1992), the American policy slowly started shifting from aggressive involvement to selective engagement: the US, by many accounts, was only interested in taking part in such conflicts which served its national interests (Power 2002). It was the intransigence on the part of the US which, in large measure, contributed to the debacle in Rwanda. Indeed, the fact that the US was actively involved in the Bosnian peace process was not lost on many, leading to speculation that the country was atoning for it inaction in Rwanda, while spawning more radical critiques claiming that the US was more sympathetic to conflicts in Europe and North America (Cooper, 2003). In any event, the reliance on the US for multilateral action proved shaky – a reality further reinforced by its unilateral decision to engage in a preventive war in Iraq (in 2003) – and only retarded the impetus gained in 1991.            The UN, Kaldor argues, also suffers from weak conceptual and theoretical comprehension of â€Å"new wars†(1999). She maintains that it was not the unwillingness to provide resources, a lack of cohesion among peacekeepers or the general tendency of making policies offering short-term solutions which protracted the conflict in Bosnia. Instead, the international community failed to grasp the nature of the â€Å"new nationalism†that had steered the country into the abyss of an ethno-religious war (Kaldor, 1999, p. 53). This failure also led to the underestimation of how the war would progress; the UN peacekeeping force that reached Bosnia had neither the resources, nor the specific mandate, for conflict prevention. Hence, there was no peace to ‘keep’.            This brings us to the issues of deployment and mandates. The UN Assistance Mission in Rwanda, which was put in place to see through the transition to democracy – as part of the Arusha Accords of 1993 – employed 2,500 peacekeepers. At the outbreak of genocide in 1994, the Security Council decided to withdraw all but a tenth of the force, leaving those still remaining in Rwanda to stand by and watch the week-long massacres. In Bosnia, the situation was hardly any better; though the total UNPROFOR contingent totalled 23,000, the requisition to the Security Council asked for 30,000 troops for the safe havens – in Srebrenica, Zepa, Tuzla, Sarajevo, Gorazde, and Bihac – alone. In the end, 7,500 troops were provided for these areas, and resources for only 3,500 could be managed (Kaldor, p. 65). Again, in Darfur, the Security Council sanctioned a peacekeeping force of 25,000 to work alongside the African Union’s 7,000-strong peacekeeping mission; however, the mission is yet to be completely deployed, owing to organisational problems.            Most importantly, though, it is crucial to understand that whatever be the deployment, if the same is not supplied with an aggressive mandate, history shows that it is deemed to fail. An aggressive mandate would entail peace enforcement, in turn requiring a wider reading of the provisions of Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Sending lightly armed peacekeepers into zones of conflict only risks their lives and achieves very little in terms of conflict prevention. In recent years, the UN has found it preferable to mandate individual countries to enforce peace in smaller-scale incidents of violent conflict, like Australia (East Timor 1999), France (Congo, 2003) and the USA (Liberia, 2003). Whether such decisions indicate the complications of an aggressive multilateral approach is difficult to say, but these cases do suggest that unilateral solutions are sometimes simpler. The problems of troop deployment and mandates, therefore, seem to have eroded much of the impetus gained by the UN’s multilateral framework at the beginning of the post-Cold War era. Conclusion: Opportunity Lost, Perspective Gained            There are two important conclusions that readily derive from the above discussion. Firstly, the changes in the international system at the end of the Cold War produced a scenario where the UN remained the only organisation capable of maintaining peace. This provided a thrust to the multilateral framework which had suffered till then under the shadow of the East/West bipolarity. Without doubt, the end of the Cold War had supplied the UN with a vital impetus to re-establish multilateralism as the definitive path to peace. Secondly, however, an evaluation of post-Cold War multilateralism reveals that this chance was squandered, leading many to call this phase of the UN’s history as â€Å"opportunity lost†(Johnson, 1999). Indeed, the breakdown of the consensus over the war in Iraq (2003) led Annan to declare that â€Å"[t]he past year has shaken the foundations of collective security and undermined confidence in the possibility of collective responses to our common problems and challenges†(quoted in UN Press Release, 2003).            Looking forward, however, we have to contend that it is precisely the US debacle in Iraq has cast grave doubts over unilateral actions, and has prepared the ground once more for the endorsement of multilateralism. Following its initial failures in peacekeeping, the UN maintained that its role in international peace and security remained â€Å"essential†(Crossette, 1994); the reverses early on in the post-Cold War era now serve as key points of reference from which to learn and devise more viable policies. The lessons of the past, thus, must provide the paths to the present (and the future). The opportunity given to the UN and multilateralism by the fall of the Soviet Union was spurned over the subsequent decade. The international system has again generated a similar impetus which should, this time, be treated with the utmost care and responsibility. References Art, R. J. (2003). A Grand Strategy for America. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Boutros-Ghali, B. (1992). An Agenda for Peace: Preventive Diplomacy, Peacemaking and Peace-keeping. A/47/277. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www.un.org/docs/SG/agpeace.html Cooper, M. H. (February 23, 2003). Future of NATO. CQ Researcher, 13, 8, pp. 177-200. Crossette, B. (December 5, 1994). UN Falters in Post-Cold War Peacekeeping, but Sees Role as Essential. The New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E3DC1739F936A35751C1A962958260 Fukuyama, F. (1993). The End of History and the Last Man. New York: Harper Perennial. Glazer, S. (August 27, 2004). Stopping Genocide. CQ Researcher, 14, 29, pp. 165-187. Human Rights Watch. (December 2006). Darfur Bleeds: Militia Attacks on Civilians in Chad. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www.hrw.org/ Johnson, R. (January 1999). Post-Cold War Security: The Lost Opportunities. The Disarmament Forum, 1, 5-11. Kaldor, M. (1999). New and Old Wars: Organized Violence in a Global Era. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Kuper, L. (1982). Genocide: Its Political Use in the Twentieth Century. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Power, S. (2002). A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide. New York: Harper Perennial. Roper, J., Nishihara, M., Otunnu, O. A., Schoettle, E. C. B. (1993). Keeping the Peace in the Post-Cold War Era: Strengthening Multilateral Peacekeeping – A Report to the Trilateral Commission. New York: The Trilateral Commission. Rosenau, J. N. (1990). Turbulence in World Politics: A theory of Change and Continuity. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Taylor, P. and Curtis, D. (2003). The United Nations. In Baylis, J. and Smith, S. The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 405-424. United Nations Documentation Centre. (2008). General Assembly Resolutions | Security Council Resolutions. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www.un.org/documents/index.html United Nations General Assembly. (2004). Report of the Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other matters related to the Security Council. A/58/47. New York: United Nations. United Nations Peacekeeping. (2008). List of Operations: 1948-2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/list/list.pdf United Nations Press Release. (November 2003). Secretary-General Names High-level Panel to Study Global Security Threats, and Recommend Necessary Changes. SG/A/857. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www.un.org/News/dh/hlpanel/press-release-041103.pdf United Nations. (1945). Charter of the United Nations. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Human Resourse Management :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework
HR UCTION The topic under review is strategic alliances. This particular form of non-equity alliance between firms in the same industry (competitors) is becoming an increasingly popular way of conducting business in the global environment. Many different reasons of why such alliances are occurring have been recognized. These include: the increasing globalization of the world's economy resulting in intensified global competition, the proliferation and disbursement of technology, and the shortening of product life-cycles. This critique will use Kenichi Ohmae's viewpoint on strategic alliances as a benchmark for comparison. Firstly, a summary of Ohmae's article will be provided. Secondly, in order to critique Ohmae's opinion, it will be necessary to review other literature on the topic. Thirdly, a discussion of the various viewpoints and studies, that have hence arisen, will be discussed in detail. Finally, conclusions will be drawn with implications for companies operating in today's glob al environment, together with suggestions for future research on strategic alliances. THE GLOBAL LOGIC OF STRATEGIC ALLIANCES The underlying argument or reasoning behind Ohmae's opinion that strategic alliances, or entente, are the only way forward for all companies competing globally. "Globalization mandates alliances, makes them absolutely necessary." (Ohmae, 1989). The author has supported this viewpoint, that globalization makes strategic alliances necessary as vehicles for customer-orientated value, with four issues facing today's companies: 1. The Californization of Need; 2. The Dispersion of Technology; 3. The Importance of Fixed Costs, 4. Dangers of Equity. The first issue, described by Ohmae as the Californization of Need, refers to the convergence of customer needs and preferences and the fact that the national identity of many high-quality products has virtually disappeared. Secondly, companies can no longer maintain a leadership position based solely on superior, advanced technology. This results because of the increasing number of critical technologies embedded in the majority of products, therefore, no one can keep the technology out of the hands of competitors around the globe. Thirdly, Ohmae emphasizes the importance of fixed costs. He believes that companies can no longer compete by keeping their variable costs lower than their competitors. The majority of costs incurred by companies these days are fixed costs, therefore, what matters is maximizing marginal contribution from fixed costs and a logical way to do this through forming strategic alliances. The final issue Ohmae identifies is dangers of equity.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Largest Pressure Groups Essay
To what extent are the largest pressure groups the most successful ones? Some pressure groups are more powerful than others as some succeed while others fail. Success in pressure groups is defined by how they affect government policy, their agenda-setting power and how well they can change people’s ideologies. Large groups mean that they have more members. This in turn leads to more donations. Chequebook groups tend to get most of their finance from their members, for example Greenpeace get 90% of their income from their members. This means that large groups tend to be wealthy. Being a wealthy group means that they have financial and economic power. For example, major corporations such as are the main source of employment and investment in the economy so the government will seek their cooperation. For wealthy groups that aren’t business groups will possess financial strength to employ professional lobbyists and public relations consultants. However, it is the wealth not the size of the pressure group that makes them economically powerful and the biggest pressure groups are not always the most economically powerful. The CBI is more economically powerful than TUC despite the TUC having seven million members. This is because although some groups may be small, they can exert influence through their policy expertise and specialist knowledge. Another good part of being a large group is that they can claim to represent public opinion. NSPCC is an example of this as they ensure that their membership levels stay above one million. This means that governments are most likely to listen to them because their members can have an electoral impact. However having good leadership can be a more direct form of influence than having many members. Having a high profile leader, such as Peter Tatchell of OutRage!, can help as they have some political skills, political contacts and have developed media and presentational skills. Lastly, the government’s views are a very important part. A group may very well be large and wealthy, however if the government doesn’t sympathise with their aims, then it will be very difficult for them to influence policy. For example, Greenpeace are very large and wealthy but the government rarely listen to them. In conclusion, there are different factors that determine how successful a pressure group is. However, large groups tend to have a significant amount of wealth, so whether it is the size of the group or other factors that should be accredited to its success can be argued.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
The Leeuwin Current
The Leeuwin Current is a warm ocean current that flows towards the south around the Western Australian coast and turns towards the east passing through Cape Leeuwin. It continues towards the Great Australian Bight influencing as far as Tasmania. It was discovered a hundred years ago when an investigation of the marine life of the Abrolhos Islands was conducted by William Saville-Kent. It was alleged that there was a warm current flowing towards the south off Western Australia instead of the anticipated cool current that was going towards the north in the bounds of southern Africa and South America. This supposition was based on his observations of warm waters and tropical marine flora and fauna around the Abrolhos Islands. It was only during the dawn of the satellite technology in 1970s that the existence of the southwards-flowing current was finally confirmed. It was then named the Leeuwin Current by George Cresswell and Terry Golding, with its name coming from a merchant ship called Leeuwin, which meant Lioness. The Leeuwin current’s strength varied all through out the year. Its current was strongest during autumn and winter, on the months of April to October, because the opposing winds are weakest. The weakest Leeuwin current’s strength, on the other hand, is weakest during November to March. It is during this season when there are strong winds blowing towards the north opposing the southwards flow of the current. The most productive fisheries are due to the Leeuwin current’s rush of cool waters rich with nutrients. Here are the contributions that the Leeuwin current brought to the marine life and the aquatic environment that it flows through. The existence of true corals at the Abrolhos Islands and the transport of tropical marine species at the west coast and onto the Great Australian Bight are due to this current. This is because the Leeuwin Current causes the continental shelf waters of Western Australia to be warmer in winter than the regions equivalent of that in southern Africa and Chile during summer. The Houtman Abrolhos Islands which is near the edge of the continental shift off of Geraldton, is the southernmost true building corals in the Indian Ocean partly due to the effect of the nutrient-rich tropical waters of the Leeuwin current. The Leeuwin current is seldom to flow around the east of Rottnest but it oftentimes pass by its western and southwestern areas thereby also influencing the flora and fauna there. The coastal waters are relatively nutrient-poor and the fisheries are correspondingly different due to the tropical Leeuwin Current, thus we can infer that the current has a very important impact on both the climate and the marine ecosystem of Western Australia. It is also accountable for the availability of tropical marine organisms at the west and south coasts, as much far south than it could be expected. As a sample, the Leeuwin current was a major contributor to the southern bluefin tuna, the western rock lobster and a number of Australia’s coastal commercial fisheries. As it was seen by collective investigative reports done by CSIRO and the Fisheries Western Australia that spanned for the past 30 years, it was confirmed that there was a link between ocean circulation and lobster recruitment. During late winter and early spring, the puerulus, or the small rock lobsters, are carried by ocean currents back to the continental shelf and inshore coastal regions. Studies had shown that the settlement of these small rock lobsters were closely related with the changes in the flow strength of the Leeuwin Current, which is also linked with the occurrences of El Nino – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events and westerly winds. It was discovered that puerulus settlement was poor during the El Nino years, when the Leeuwin Current tends to be weak. Also, during the La Nina years, the Current tends to flow more strongly and the rock lobsters settlement was much greater as was measured by satellite sensors. The results simply showed that larger counter-clockwise eddies help larvae settle off the south western Australia, instead of being swept away towards the south. Other species that the WA Fisheries marine biologists were able to link to the strength of the Leeuwin current was that of the pilchards (sardines) on the south coast region near Albany. Also, according to data on fishery, it was seen that there is a negative relationship between the great quantities of the two-year fish with the strength of the Leeuwin Current, measured two years before the fishes’ spawning period. Another was also the whitebait. According to studies, it was concluded that the stronger the Leeuwin Current was, the greater the relative catch of whitebait will be in the next year. The presence of Australian salmon in South Australia was also related to the Leeuwin Current.It was expected that when the Leeuwin Current was flowing strongly and that warmer waters penetrate onto the continental shelf, it was also expected that the fish may simply migrate offshore into deeper cooler waters. References: Leeuwin Current. (n.d.) Retrieved August 14, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeuwin_Current. A. F. Pearce and B. F. Phillips. (1988). ENSO events, the Leeuwin Current, and larval recruitment of the western rock lobster. Retrieved August 14, 2007 from http://icesjms.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/45/1/13 Â
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
HUMAN RESOURCE LITER REVIEW Example
HUMAN RESOURCE LITER REVIEW Example HUMAN RESOURCE LITER REVIEW – Book Report/Review Example Unionization in America According to Bohlander and Snell , employees unionize for the following reasons: to meet their economic needs, to adress their general dissatisfaction with managerial practices and to fulfill social and status needs. The clip from â€Å"Bread and Roses†demonstrates the workers’ attempts to organize to fulfill all of these needs. Sam Shapiro specifically points out healthcare and respect at work as the primary reason for the workers’ organization. Throughout the process of organizing the workers have subjected themselves to loss of jobs, insults and deportation in oredr to improve working conditions for all janitors.All in all, unionization is beneficial in our society and is necessary to ensure fair wages and fair treatment of employees. Despite all the laws aimed at protecting and supporting the individual worker in our society today, the individual workers have relatively little power in their relationship with the employer; therefore t hey organize to achieve results they cannot achieve individually (Bohlander they are integral to sustaining and maintaining wages, benefits and workers rights!ReferencesBohlander, G. & Snell, S. (2010). Managing Human Resources (15th Ed). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Monday, October 21, 2019
Essays from 52 to Social Media Versus Cyber Bullying
Essays from 52 to Social Media Versus Cyber Bullying
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Is it Ever OK to Tell Your Boss Youre Looking for a New Job
Is it Ever OK to Tell Your Boss Youre Looking for a New Job It can be tricky when you’re job hunting and trying to keep it a secret from your boss and fellow employees. You might have to resort to fake doctor appointments or a family emergency to get time off for interviews. In another roadblock, your current job can prevent you from listing coworkers or members of management as recommendations on your resume. Is there any professional way to tell your boss you’re job hunting to make it easier for yourself?Examine Why You’re Job HuntingBefore checking out those job search sites, you may want to ask yourself why you are planning on finding a new job. Ask yourself if you are looking for a larger salary, more responsibilities, or are using the opportunity to switch career paths. One way to examine your reasons for job hunting is to create a list of positive and negative points of your current job. After completing the list, you will have a good idea why you really want a change.Times When You Can Tell Your Bos sActually, there are times when you can tell your boss you are job hunting without many problems. For example, if your spouse has taken a job in a different city and you are forced to move, it’s fine to share your news. Perhaps you have bought a new house on the other side of town, and the commute would add too much time to your daily routine. Or maybe you have health problems that could force you to take a job with less stress, or your spouse just retired and you want to work closer to home. Logistical reasons for a job change are fine to share with your boss.Think about the Repercussions FirstHaving a good relationship with your employer can make telling him or her a possibility. In some instances, if you are an employee who knows you are valued, you might be offered a raise, another position in the company, or added responsibilities as an enticement to get you stay with the job. However, whether you tell your boss is strictly a judgment call. If you call it wrong, yo u could be out looking for a job earlier than you had planned and without the backup of your current position.Timing is EverythingYou’ve been on several interviews and the hiring manager is talking about when you start your new job. Is it time to inform your boss and put in your resignation? Until you have actually signed the contract for your new job, you should hold off on telling your current employer. You aren’t actually hired until those papers are signed, and someone else might come along and snag the new job you thought you had. When your new contract is signed, then is the time to tell your employer. It is also a good idea to let your new employer know that you need to give notice to your current boss with enough time for a replacement to be hired to fill your position. Your new boss will appreciate your courtesy.Knowing when to tell your current employer that you are job hunting can be an important consideration to protect yourself. Job hunting with the abi lity to find all the listings that suit your position is also important, and there are easier ways than searching through job classifieds. TheJobNetwork can help. After you fill out your work interests and qualifications, TheJobNetwork searches 24-hours a day for listings that match your description and sends those listings to you as an email alert. All you do is sign up for job match alert to get started.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Describe and discuss the Ebers medical papyrus and the Edwin Smith Research Paper
Describe and discuss the Ebers medical papyrus and the Edwin Smith papyrus. When and how were they found What do they contain - Research Paper Example The main study of these papyri was conducted in Berlin in the year between1954-1973 (Atta and Hussein 123). The Ebers papyrus has haphazard collection of medical texts which are organized in paragraphs which are arranged in blocks and thus addressing specific medical conditions. It contains the most voluminous medical record of the ancient Egypt known. The proof that diseases healed from magical spells, were not available in the papyrus. Issues regarding the supernatural intervention in relation to treatment and diagnosis are highlighted in paragraphs (David and Rosalie 124). Diseases discussed by the Ebers papyrus include; disease of the stomach such as intestinal parasites, anus diseases, skin diseases, head diseases, treatment of migraines, flow of urine, hair, flesh wounds and burns and extremities of the disorders (Bonn and Kitty 45). From the Edwin Smith Papyrus, we are able to point out that, they were able to treat fractured and dislocated bones. From this again we find out t hat they too treated dislocated bones and performed minor surgical procedures. On the same note, they were able to treat diseases in physical manner. However, alongside this physical treatment, they accompanied it with spiritual practices. According, to Edwin Smith Papyrus, much of the treatment involved crushing and mixing of herbs. Diseases addressed by Edwin Smith Papyrus include: tongue diseases, conditions related to dermatology, dental diseases, ear diseases, throat and nose diseases and gynecological disorders. There are also discussions regarding the diagnosis of pregnancy, treatment of tumors, trachoma, birth control and fractures (David and Rosalie 89). About seven hundred magical formulas their remedies are also contained. The papyrus notes that the heart serves as the centre of the supply of blood with the attachment of vessels to other parts of the body. Seemingly the Egyptians did know little about the kidneys and assumed the heart to be the meeting point vessels carry ing body fluids such as blood, urine, tears, and sperm. The chapter known as the Book of Hearts gives details about the mental disorders. Dementia and depression are equally covered (Haas 90). The Ancient Egyptians, like the Ancient Greeks and the Romans, have provided modern historians with grounded knowledge and evidence towards medicine and sufficient knowledge on the medical field. This evidence is particularly based on the many papyrus found in the archaeological sites. This is like in the history of man, where some of these beliefs of the Egyptians were based; myths and legends. This should not however, be disputed with the increase of knowledge of the Egyptian people who exceedingly grew in human anatomy and plain commonsense. In the Ancient Egypt the treatment of illness was no longer carried out by the common magicians and medicine men, because knowledge of diseases and their curing method had already developed. This is supported by the archaeological evidences available in the papyri (refers to physicians and doctors). This is particularly amazing, in that there are archaeological digs that have added more evidence of men titled as physicians. This means that all the knowledge about the Ancient Egypt medicine comes from the discoveries of papyrus documents. Most of these papyrus documents have come from the era of 1900 BC and 1500 BC (White and Renee 45-67). This is the evidence to the common
Friday, October 18, 2019
The Delvoye Standard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
The Delvoye Standard - Essay Example However, it is an imperfect answer as neither states nor foreign countries trust in the convention. Keywords: custody, jurisdiction, paternity, place of residence, Discussion It is true that only 49 out of 50 United States have ratified the UCCAIA. But among them, there are some State courts that do not trust another country to abide by it either. Such was the case in In re Sigmar, found at No. 10-08-00328-CV (Tex. App.--Waco 2008, orig. proceeding). In this case the family court judge found there was sufficient reason to issue an injunction to prevent the father removing the child to Mexico because the court did not believe a court in Mexico would adhere to the HCCAIA. The Texas Court of Appeals did not believe the court had abused its discretion in doing so. It should be noted that the Court of Appeals was also upholding the lower courts’ though there was nothing entered into the evidentiary record to support the holding. Other U.S. Courts have upheld the UCCAIA, such as App ellate Court of Florida in the much-publicized case of Elian Gonzalez. Though that case was largely decided on Administrative Law through the (then) Immigration and Naturalization Services, in a statement of January 5, 2000, they relied on the basic international laws of residential placement when deciding the status of the boy from Cuba who had washed into U.S Waters (para. 2). Though Commissioner Doris Meissner does not specifically mention the HCCAIA, she uses much of the same logical analysis as does the Hague Convention, namely that the boy had a principle place of residence in Cuba with his father (para. 5). Though there is much case law around the primary residence of the infant and older child, the case law around the neonate is scant and varied. Discussions of habitual... It is true that only 49 out of 50 United States have ratified the UCCAIA. But among them, there are some State courts that do not trust another country to abide by it either. Other U.S. Courts have upheld the UCCAIA, such as Appellate Court of Florida in the much-publicized case of Elian Gonzalez. Though there is much case law around the primary residence of the infant and older child, the case law around the neonate is scant and varied. Discussions of habitual residence obscures the reality of the neonate. It is at those moments when the HACAIA becomes of paramount importance, beyond the high regard for habitual residence. Indeed a newborn to sixth-month old infant can hardly be said to have a habitual place of residence. Where lies the venue for the newborn? Schwartz (2004) provides list upon list of international custody cases. Here, however, it is appropriate to understand what happens within State courts when they fail to follow the UCCAIA. HCCAIA and the UCCEA presume that there is a custody order or some valid authority to express parental rights. Therefore they skip over that part on move on the venue. I would happily provide a citation here but its very absence from case law suggests there is a dearth of such cases at the appellate level and the UCCAIA holds no sway with the United States Courts in light of the UCCJEA, at a time when the international guidelines would be at their highest use.
Disucssion Question 1 week 2 Investment Information Assignment
Disucssion Question 1 week 2 Investment Information - Assignment Example s on a company with a good record of cash generation from its daily business so as to reduce risk of investment and boost prospects of positive returns. The firms being considered by the investor might have realized high returns resulting to good cash flows. In such cases, the criteria of choosing a suitable business entity to invest in will change- the investor should go for the company which invests its returns in a manner that would benefit him (Brigham & Ehrhardt, 2011). For example, Company A saves most of its return for a rainy day while company B pays its shareholders A balance sheet is often described as a "snapshot of a companys financial condition" categorically stating the balances of the business at the end of each financial year. The left side comprises of the Assets (things the company owns ) listed in order of the time taken to change them to money (liquidity), and the right side made up of debts of the business and amounts payable. Thus, an investor should choose to invest his or her financial assets on a company with a large asset base which will ensure security of his invested capital in case of anything, and refrain from investing in companies with a high gearing ratio since it will result to a little or zero return on his investment and the risk of losing the invested capital increases
Thursday, October 17, 2019
History of the Trumpet Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words
History of the Trumpet - Thesis Example The trumpet is often referred to in two different time frames, one before the 1700s and one after this time frame. Before the 1700s, the trumpet used natural tuning. Instead of having keys or ways to move between notes, all of the sounds were made with the embouchure of the player. The trumpet was limited to specific tones and sounds, most which were based on an interval of two to three spaces, specifically which coincided with the harmonic series used by the trumpet. The size of the instrument as well as the placement of the brass would change which tones were heard and which could be altered with the trumpet. The other tones which were used came as passing notes and occurred only when the trumpet player could slide between notes (Brownlow, 1996). The tuning of the trumpet and the natural sound which it carried caused the trumpet to hold a specific place in society. It was used mostly for solo concepts. The louder sound which was provided from the shape of the trumpet as well as the materials used created one aspect of using it for solo purposes. The natural tuning, which often didn’t match with other types of tuning, also presented problems if playing with other instruments. These two considerations led to the instrument being used with solo pieces. It was considered a way to make announcements among royalty and others in society. It was also referenced in Biblical and church components, such as when the trumpet would sound from the angels. This showed the instrument as a way to make announcements.... Before the 1700s, the trumpet used natural tuning. Instead of having keys or ways to move between notes, all of the sounds were made with the embouchure of the player. The trumpet was limited to specific tones and sounds, most which were based on an interval of two to three spaces, specifically which coincided with the harmonic series used by the trumpet. The size of the instrument as well as the placement of the brass would change which tones were heard and which could be altered with the trumpet. The other tones which were used came as passing notes and occurred only when the trumpet player could slide between notes (Brownlow, 1996). The tuning of the trumpet and the natural sound which it carried caused the trumpet to hold a specific place in society. It was used mostly for solo concepts. The louder sound which was provided from the shape of the trumpet as well as the materials used created one aspect of using it for solo purposes. The natural tuning, which often didn’t mat ch with other types of tuning, also presented problems if playing with other instruments. These two considerations led to the instrument being used with solo pieces. It was considered a way to make announcements among royalty and others in society. It was also referenced in Biblical and church components, such as when the trumpet would sound from the angels. This showed the instrument as a way to make announcements, to grab attention and to work as a way to add melody into a situation where no other music was heard (Noble, 2004). It wasn’t until the 1700s that composers involved in music began to change the arrangements and basic approaches to music. During this time, the composers became interested in the Well – Tempered tuning. This used a chromatic
Fractal Geometry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Fractal Geometry - Essay Example In colloquial speech fractal is a shape which is self-similar or recursively constructed. It means that such shape is similar at all levels of magnification and therefore it is sometimes called "infinitely complex". In the sphere of mathematic the word "fractal" means geometric object "that satisfies a specific technical condition, namely having a Hausdoff dimension greater than its topological dimension". (26) The simplest fractal is known to be Cantor Bar Set which was called after German famous mathematician. It is necessary to admit that fractals refer not only to the realm of geometry and mathematics. They can be found everywhere in natural world. Self-similarity (recursive nature) means that fractals are constructed by iteration and they are made up of the smaller parts (copies) of themselves. The examples of self-similarity are Sierpinski Gasket, the Mandelbrot Set, Self-affine fractals, etc. it must be admitted that fractals are not all self-similar objects. Scientists found out three main types of self-similarity: Exact self-similarity means that fractals are completely identical at all levels of magnification. It is the strongest type of self-similarity, because fractals bear exact and complete self-similarity. Quasi-self similarity is a loose form of self-similarity. It means that fractals are approximately identical, but not completely.
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
History of the Trumpet Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words
History of the Trumpet - Thesis Example The trumpet is often referred to in two different time frames, one before the 1700s and one after this time frame. Before the 1700s, the trumpet used natural tuning. Instead of having keys or ways to move between notes, all of the sounds were made with the embouchure of the player. The trumpet was limited to specific tones and sounds, most which were based on an interval of two to three spaces, specifically which coincided with the harmonic series used by the trumpet. The size of the instrument as well as the placement of the brass would change which tones were heard and which could be altered with the trumpet. The other tones which were used came as passing notes and occurred only when the trumpet player could slide between notes (Brownlow, 1996). The tuning of the trumpet and the natural sound which it carried caused the trumpet to hold a specific place in society. It was used mostly for solo concepts. The louder sound which was provided from the shape of the trumpet as well as the materials used created one aspect of using it for solo purposes. The natural tuning, which often didn’t match with other types of tuning, also presented problems if playing with other instruments. These two considerations led to the instrument being used with solo pieces. It was considered a way to make announcements among royalty and others in society. It was also referenced in Biblical and church components, such as when the trumpet would sound from the angels. This showed the instrument as a way to make announcements.... Before the 1700s, the trumpet used natural tuning. Instead of having keys or ways to move between notes, all of the sounds were made with the embouchure of the player. The trumpet was limited to specific tones and sounds, most which were based on an interval of two to three spaces, specifically which coincided with the harmonic series used by the trumpet. The size of the instrument as well as the placement of the brass would change which tones were heard and which could be altered with the trumpet. The other tones which were used came as passing notes and occurred only when the trumpet player could slide between notes (Brownlow, 1996). The tuning of the trumpet and the natural sound which it carried caused the trumpet to hold a specific place in society. It was used mostly for solo concepts. The louder sound which was provided from the shape of the trumpet as well as the materials used created one aspect of using it for solo purposes. The natural tuning, which often didn’t mat ch with other types of tuning, also presented problems if playing with other instruments. These two considerations led to the instrument being used with solo pieces. It was considered a way to make announcements among royalty and others in society. It was also referenced in Biblical and church components, such as when the trumpet would sound from the angels. This showed the instrument as a way to make announcements, to grab attention and to work as a way to add melody into a situation where no other music was heard (Noble, 2004). It wasn’t until the 1700s that composers involved in music began to change the arrangements and basic approaches to music. During this time, the composers became interested in the Well – Tempered tuning. This used a chromatic
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Second Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Second Life - Essay Example No doubt, it has a significant meaning for businesses and economy today. Second Life is more user centred, where the user is no more a person operating and navigating from outside but can get in and be themselves yet control the environment in SL. It is built on Web 2.0 which a decade old technology that still getting the attention of developers. It brought about major changes in the website development and World Wide Web. For example, wikis and blogs would not have been possible without this technology. They allow their users to create their own content, and to customize the page (O’Reilly, 2005). In Second Life, teens can create and customize a digital self called an "avatar," fly through an ever-changing 3D landscape, chat and socialize with other teens from all over the world, and build anything from skyscrapers to virtual vehicles. It’s a boundless world of surprise and adventure that encourages teens to work together and use their imaginations (Teen Second Life, n.d.) Also, SL depends on â€Å"user –created content†; the software is â€Å"open source†(Watte & Macedonia, 2009). Second life has similar attributes like any other synthetic learning environment with a few improvements like enabling the users to create their own content, edit and control the environment. Web 2.0 technologies are about participation, convergence, interaction, usability and data driven (Kemp, 2009). These are just a speck of the whole lot of features of Web 2.0 that SL exploits to create a virtual world. This new technology addresses the growing requirement for more open and interactive online virtual worlds. SL is a successor of one of the popular virtual worlds of the 90’s- Active Worlds. With the help of Web 2.0 technologies, SL offers user controlled options and allows the user to get immersed in the virtual world. This is the
Remembering the Alamo Essay Example for Free
Remembering the Alamo Essay This article is of course about the Alamo. It gives a very brief history of the battle at the Alamo and the characters that participated there. It momentarily mentions that there are now facts and history of the Alamo being disputed among many historians today. This article also makes comments concerning the great influence The Alamo has had in today’s culture, referring to the many productions based off this historic happening. Each time I remember the Alamo inspiration fills my chest. I love to remember the great heroes that fought so brave and valiantly in the face of the opposition; a cruel dictator (Santa Anna) and the oppression he could inflict. Many of the people that inhabited 2nd Chance Texas migrated there for primarily one reason and one reason only†¦ a second chance. Most of them, having endured hard lives and relocating to a new country, terrain and lifestyle were not about to give up their God-given rights to a Mexican dictator. While many had the chance and opportunity to get the heck out of Dodge, they chose to stay and defend what was rightfully theirs and so they did. These brave men, led by Travis, Bowie and Crockett, took a stand at the Alamo that will be remembered forever. They gave their lives not for greatness, though they earned that and more in the end, they gave their lives for what they lived for and that was to be free. We shouldn’t argue or dispute over the noble and honorable history of these great men, doing so we taint there story with our ignorance. Not all of these men may have lived great, but all of them died great in the sight of ALL AMERICANS. REMEMBER THE ALAMO.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Innovation Life Cycle Model for SAP
Innovation Life Cycle Model for SAP Introduction As an answer to global competition, companies have increased the preface of technologically sophisticated products as well as adopted advanced technologies and modifications in organisational structure and processes. For many firms, the development of new products and services is the crucial point of their business strategy and a decisive factor for competitive strength and survival (Stumpfe n.d.).. A firms competitive position is determined by their ability to innovate products and the time required to bring new products to the market. Firms have to launch new sophisticated products in increasingly fast cycles and their ability to ramp up to full scale production volume rapidly is crucial for success (Pisano 1997). A couple of years ago, such technologies called business intelligence (i.e., software solutions used on handling tons of information) were available only to the worlds biggest firms. However, as the cost of computing and storage has dropped and the systems have been enhanced and cost effective, the technology has moved into the majority. Firms are pulling together more information than ever before. In the past, they were stored in different systems that were unable to communicate to each other, such as finance, human resources, or customer management, but just recently, systems are being connected and companies are employing data-mining techniques to get a complete picture of their operations that let firms to manage more efficiently, analyze trends, and develop their forecasting (The Economist Newspaper Limited 2010). Innovation Lifecycle Model This lifecycle model can be understood as a three-stage model of technological development associated with a particular product technology (Williamson 1975). In the explorative stage many diverse models or designs are created, in the development stage products develop into standardized into a dominant design, and in the mature stage only small changes happens inside the dominant design (Frenken, Silverberg and Valente 2008). Although the product lifecycle model is widely accepted and often applied in empirical research, innovation scholars have failed to develop systematic theoretical models that explain the different stages of technological development along the lifecycle (same as Frenken, Silverberg and Valente 2008). In this study, an attempt is made to contribute to innovation lifecycle theory by using the SAP Database system and analyze its pattern. Dependent on the stage in product and process life cycle and on competitive strategy there can exist a complementary or a competiti ve relationship between the implementation of product and process innovations. The product-process life cycle theory of Utterback and Abernathy (Utterback, Abernathy 1975) provides a useful model helping to understand the pattern of industrial innovation processes. This model succeeds in encompassing the mutual relationships between the stages of SAPs product life cycle, the related production process` stages of development and competitive strategy elements (Stumpfe n.d.). SAP History During the 1970s,five former IBM employees made a decision to start their own company, when IBM rejected their recommendation to develop software designed to be used by several users simultaneously(Neumann and Srinivasan 2009). They launched their private corporation in 1972. It was named SAP (Systemanalyse and Programmentwickung-Systems Analysis and Program Development) (same as Neumann and Srinivasan 2009).The name was coined after the plan on which they have been developing at IBM.The company had its headquarters in Weinheim, and its main office in Mannheim Germany (Neumann and Srinivasan 2009). Characteristic Fluid Pattern Transitional Phase Specific Phase Competitive emphasis placed on.. Solution strategy for market entry. Innovation stimulated by Market requirements for advanced solutions application Predominant type of innovation Data processing system. Product Line Financial accounting software suite Production Processes Focused on running financial accounting software through mainframe. During this Phase of the life cycle, technical energy is expended, using materials and technologies generally available in the marketplace (Henderson and Clark, 1990).Within a year of being established, SAP had already completed its first solution for financial accounting. This single management system, designed as a real-time book-keeping and transaction processing program, tied ICIs (Imperial Chemical Industries; first SAP customer) information databases together (same as Neumann and Srinivasan 2009).It became known as â€Å"R1†, meaning that the data was processed immediately after being entered or real-time (Payne, Roets and Schlanderer 2009). It is important to note that during this early phase in the computer industry , business data had to be entered manually at the entry terminal and saved and stored, which basically means Batch processing. Inevitably the introduction of Innovation by SAP which is the real-time processing become very much popular and at that time was a genuine milestone (same as Neumann and Srinivasan 2009). At first SAP only uses the English Language for its first customer ICI,however it has obtained valuable insights from the latter on the business management side of international operations, as a result in 1975 SAP became multilingual (Lofthouse 2000). In the 1980s SAP experienced rapid growth and benefited from major improvements in the software industry (same as Neumann and Srinivasan 2009).Entering the market at that time were Computers with enhanced price-to-performance ratios which helped SAP to expand its customer base (Lofthouse 2000). During also this time the basic shape of a client-server architecture was developed (SAP Global n.d.).SAP continuously enhanced its already distributed program modules and has released the SAP R/2 system, with this the firm claimed market leadership for large companies and was ready to enter the international software market (same as Neumann and Srinivasan 2009). Characteristic Fluid Pattern Transitional Phase Specific Phase Competitive emphasis placed on.. Solution strategy for market entry. Product variation (SAP R/2) Innovation stimulated by Market requirements for advanced solutions application Increased demand by Multinational/Global Market . Predominant type of innovation Data processing system. Process innovation by system that can handle different languages and currencies. Product Line Financial accounting software suite SAP R2 Production Processes Focused on running financial accounting software through mainframe. Banking on systems stability and reliability has improved SAP R2 The Development of the Database Market A market consolidation has taken place since the mid-1990s, initiated in 1994 with the takeover of ASK/Ingres by computer associates, and reaching its highpoint so far in the middle of 2001 with the takeover of Informix by IBM (SAP Global n.d.). During the mid 90s, SAP ushered in a new generation of enterprise software, from the previous mainframe computing to a combination of uniform appearance of graphical interfaces which is called the SAP R/3 (same as Neumann and Srinivasan 2009). With this release, SAP tapped a whole new market among small and medium-sized enterprises due to relatively low cost and effective business process. Adapting to the Times SAP have realized that the internet is a very powerful force, that if utilized properly will result in more generation of income, with this recognition and incremental improvement on the R/3 system- which is named R/3 version 3.0 (same as Neumann and Srinivasan 2009) provided the first completely Internet-enabled business application package, which also increased its viability by making it more user-friendly (same as Neumann and Srinivasan 2009).They have also created the mySAP.com strategy, which represented a complete restructuring of the product portfolio and the beginning of a new direction for the company (same as Payne,Roets and Schlanderer 2009).Using this latest web technology, mySAP.com combined e-commerce solutions with the existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications, it also enabled SAP to offer an integrated business platform that has the combination of both front-end and Backoffice processes (same as Neumann and Srinivasan 2009). SAP was the first software c ompany to practise the double approach of giving standard software that could easily be implemented and managed on the one hand, while at the same time watching for and integrating key global business trends into their software (same as Neumann and Srinivasan 2009). Open Source Instead of Marketing Despite the increasing breadth of functions of the SAP DB database system, SAP AG does not intend to market the database system commercially, and to enter the DBMS market as a new competitor. Consequently, SAP DB is offered license-free in connection with SAP solutions. The users of mySAP.com applications must simply pay a support and maintenance fee that is determined as a fixed percentage of an accrued license price (Anon n.d.). An advantage of using SAP as an ERP system is that SAP has a very high level of incorporation among its individual applications which ensures uniformity of information throughout the structure and the business itself (Kumar n.d.). To support processes well, we need to have information systems and integrated information system support processes in an organization (Scheer 1998). In a standard SAP project system, it is separated into three environments, Development, Quality Assurance and Production (Kumar n.d.). The development system is where most of the execution work takes place. All the final testing is conducted before moving the transports to the production environment which is where the quality assurance system kicks in. On the production system environment all daily business transactions happen, to all companies, the production system should only include transports that have passed all the tests (same as Kumar n.d.) SAP is a table drive customisation software. It provides businesses to make fast changes in their enterprise needs with a uniform set of programs. User-exits are provided for business to add in additional source code. Tools such as screen variants are provided to let the user set field attributes whether to hide, display, or make them fixed fields (Kumar n.d.). This is what makes ERP system and SAP in particular so flexible. The table-driven customisation is driving the program functionality instead of those old-fashioned hard-coded programs. With this, new and modified business requirements can be quickly employed and tested in the system. Many other business application software have seen this table-driven customisation advantage and are now changing their application software based on this table customizing concept (Kumar n.d.). The standard programs and tables should not be changed as far as possible in order to minimise the upgrading costs (same as Kumar n.d.). The main purpose of using standard business application software like SAP is to decrease the amount of time and money spent on improving and testing all the programs. Hence, most companies will try to make use of the existing tools provided by SAP(same as Kumar n.d.). Characteristic Fluid Pattern Transitional Phase Specific Phase Competitive emphasis placed on.. Solution strategy for market entry. Product variation (SAP R/2) Never ending quality improvement. Planned quality along the entire product lifecycle and effort for Independence motivate development of own database, as well as simpler database system. Innovation stimulated by Market requirements for advanced solutions application Increased demand by Multinational/Global Market. Global Organization, plans on development in multiple international locations. Predominant type of innovation Data processing system. Process innovation by a system that can handle different languages and currencies. Creation of software applications for customers who primarily works on end to end business processes. Product Line Financial accounting software suite SAP R2 SAP R3, SAP Net weaver, mySAP.com Production Processes Focused on running financial accounting software through mainframe. Banking on systems stability and reliability has improved SAP R2 Linking e-commerce solutions to existing ERP applications, using state-of-the-art Web technology. Modern Architecture for High Performance and Availability Due to its modern architecture, SAP DB provides a high level of performance, scalability and robustness. In this way, the database can fulfil the performance demands of application environments with thousands of concurrent active users and very large data volumes. At the centre, multi-thread /multi-server architecture ensures a high degree of scalability with sparing handling of server resources. SAP DB fits flexibly into modern architectures such as multi-processor systems or cluster configurations, and uses the advantages for example, where high availability is concerned, without costly configuration. Due to the customisable architecture, SAP DB is suitable as a central database system both for three-tier and two-tier client-server environments (SAP DB n.d.). Effective locking mechanisms, efficient caching of data, intelligent optimisation of SQL applications, extensive parallel processing of read and write processes, and strategies to minimise the required write operations are among the architecture characteristics that significantly affect response times and throughput (SAP DB n.d.). SAP DB is designed for interruption-free round-the clock operation. Required maintenance tasks, such as configuration customization, the extension of data or log areas, data back-up, creation of table indexes and so on, can be performed during production operation without affecting the active users (SAP DB n.d). High Level of Automation for Unattended Operation As well as performance and robustness of SAPs Database Management system (DBMS), the main focus of the further development of SAP DB is on simpler operation of the database system (SAP DB n.d.). The vision of a database system that automatically manages itself to a large degree, and only requires minimal monitoring by the database administrator, is the guideline of development. Both the setting up of the database system and the running operation are largely automated. During configuration, SAP DB automatically sets the core parameters in accordance with the existing system environment. During the definition of database objects such as tables and indexes, the database administrator works exclusively at the level of logical schemas: SAP DB automatically makes the assignment to the physical data structures in mass storage, and the database system also handles the growth of tables and indexes completely dynamically (same as Anon n.d.). Analysis on Innovation Life Cycle Model for SAP Usefulness Lifecycle Models are largely qualitative tools by which regularities in the progress of an object between its generation and degeneration are identified; these regularities are used to deduce prognoses for future evolutions (Bullinger 2008). The Innovation Life Cycle (Utterback and Abernathy 1975) helps in determining the pattern and the basis of competitive strategy can and probably can change for most firms as the industry evolves. At the first stage (fluid phase), the introduction of the technology innovation of SAP was described as it entered the market with its financial accounting software. The dominant design used was also established which is the SAP Database management system due to its stability and reliability, moving it from the transition phase into the specific phase. The pattern starting from the product innovation was also taken into account. SAP and probably other firms in general went forward into a process innovation. Another useful attribute of this model is that the strategies employed by firms during the models stages can be clearly identified and analysed. Limitation Although the Innovation Life Cycle Model helps in examining and analysing the nature of competition within the industry to identify opportunities and potential threats, it has also several limitations. For one, this model basically is just a generalisation. In actuality, life cycles do not always follow a standard pattern that a firm has to go through. In some cases, growth is so rapid that the embryonic is skipped altogether, while others industries fail to get past the embryonic stage. Industry growth can be revitalised after long periods of decline through innovation and social change. For example, the health boom brought the bicycle industry back to life after a long period of decline (Hill and Jones 2010). The time span of the stages can also vary from significantly from industry to industry. Some industries can stay in maturity almost indefinitely if their products become basic necessities of life, as in the case of the auto industry. Other industries skip the mature stage and go straight into decline, as in the case of the vacuum tube industry. Transistors replaced vacuum tubes as a major component in electronic products even though the vacuum tube industry was still in its growth stage. Still, other industries may go through several shakeouts before they enter full maturity, as what appears to be happening in the telecommunications industry (Hill and Jones 2010).Another criticism is that they overemphasize the importance of industry structure as a determinant of company performance and underemphasize the importance of variations or differences among companies within an industry or a strategic group (McGahan and Porter 1997). Prediction of Future Evolution The existence of a life-cycle pattern of industrial growth is a significant stylized fact for the purpose of constructing a theory of uneven development, but the question remains as to how a particular pattern is itself to be explained (Harris 1978).It is quite difficult to predict what will be the future evolution of SAP if the projection is solely based on the life cycle model. Markus and Tannis (2000) correctly identified that success is a dynamic concept, and could be very different depending on the phase of implementation. Apparently, with SAPs trend of rapid growth and profitable annual revenues, we could assume that they will continue to grow and develop more reliable products and expand their client base. However, this is just a probability based on the trend we see in this model. A lot of factors still needs to be considered to really determine what will happen for the future of SAP. Conclusion Product Innovation is a vital task for the modern corporation (Shavinina 2003).Using the Innovation Life Cycle Model, one can understand how a technology such as SAP goes through the following stages. This model also aids in observing some patterns similar to other firms. For instance, during the fluid phase, it can be observed that SAP focused on determining first what the market really needs and concentrated on product innovation for their customers. During that stage and throughout the transition, the focus also changed as SAP reacted to the economic climate, industrial factors, and competition by finding opportunities to create more products based on their dominant designs success in terms of stability and reliability. They also provided again customers with a variety of software solution strategies to help their businesses. During the specific phase, SAP still continued to expand its clientele and created advanced software solutions to cater to other business process needs. They focused on maintaining their strategy of never-ending support to their clients while offering innovations to their current product roster We can also notice that SAP as a large firm is active in a range of technologies broader than the products they make, this reflects the multi-technology nature of their products, and the knowledge required to coordinate in-house product innovation with innovation in related production systems and supply chains.(Dosi, Teece and Chytry 2005). SAP has yet to saturate the market since a lot of business entities in demand of their products and services. Hence, it can be assumed that SAP is on the maturity stage of the life cycle but still on the growth stage. Looking at their share value with an increasing trend, it can be inferred that they are heading to the right direction (see figure 5). What does this suggest about using the innovation life cycle model? It is simply providing us a snapshot of a specific firms progress. Like other models, it has its own limitations and usefulness, most importantly for analysts, managers, and researchers who need to analyse and formulate strategies using any model which complements a target firm in a specific industry. Process of Literature Search The research was started by searching for any relevant material, both print and online, on the topics Innovation Life Cycle, Technology, etc. The technology chosen was SAP Database for Business Management, since it is a relatively familiar topic and sources are abundant on both print and internet media. After gathering materials, the sources were read to determine their relevance to this research. The model used was the Innovation Life Cycle Model of Utterback and Abernathy to have a clear process of steps related to SAP from its fluid stage to the specific stage, and to analyse patterns and changes throughout the whole model.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
John Locke and the Unequal Distribution of Wealth Essay example -- Empi
     It is stated by John Locke that in the state of nature no man may take more then he can consume. â€Å"†¦make use of any advantage of life before it spoils†¦whatever is beyond this is more than his share and belongs to others. Nothing was made by God for man to spoil or destroy. (Locke 14)†Locke then goes on to say, â€Å"God gave the world to man †¦ for their benefit and the greatest conveniences of life they were capable to draw from it, it cannot be supposed he meant it should always remain common and uncultivated. He gave it to the use of the industrious and rational- and labor was to be his title†¦ (Lock 15)†Both of statements can stand alone, each could be argued. For starters, it is not only selfish to take more then you ever will be able to use, it is just stupid, and if you make it with your sweat, why shouldn’t it be yours to keep or profit from. The only problem is, that one of these statements is the head of a starving serpent, and the other its delicious tale. It is hard to believe the head could stay alive without devouring the tale. We should start this argument at the head and work our way down. If John Locke were alive today he would be a lawyer. Not just any lawyer though, a big business lawyer working for a company like Enron. He would try to justify the destruction caused by overly rich, overly powerful people, with statements such as ones that will follow. When first reading Locke you might think, â€Å" Hey, this guy sounds like a lawyer....
Friday, October 11, 2019
Government Legislative Branch
The Legislative Branch is made up of the two houses of Congressâ€â€the Senate and the House of Representatives. The most important duty of The Legislative Branch is to make laws on a particular Bill, which are written, discussed, and voted on amongst Congress. In the Senate there are 100 senators, two from each state. Senators are elected by their states and serve six-year terms. The Vice President of the United States is considered the head of the Senate, but does not vote in the Senate unless there is a tie. The Senate approves nominations made by the President to the Cabinet, the Supreme Court, federal courts and other posts. The Senate must ratify all treaties by a two-thirds vote. The House of Representatives contains 435 representatives. The number of representatives each state gets is based on its population. According to Factmonster. com, â€Å"California has many more representatives than Rhode Island. When Census figures determine that the population of a state has changed significantly, the number of representatives in that state may shift proportionately. Representatives are elected by their states and serve two-year terms. The Speaker of the House, elected by the representatives, is considered the head of the House. The Senate and the House of Representatives share several functions. Both regulate interstate commerce, interstate communication, interstate transportation, the U. S. Mint, and the supply of money. Both also create courts and declare war on foreign countries. House members represent a certain district in each state. This means that members will stay in touch with their local state g overnment allowing them to connect citizens with what is going on in Washington. In doing so, House members will be more aware of their opinions and needs and be able to advocate for them. Also, one major job duties of The House will be to raise revenue through taxes. They will also participate in committees to study bills, hold public hearings, get expert testimony, and listen to votes so that legislation can be passed. The primary function of both the House of Representatives and the Senate is to make laws. First the bill is drafted, and then a senator introduces it. The bill is then referred to a committee for review. After the committee has reviewed the bill, it is debated in the Senate, and senators propose amendments in relation to the bill and determine whether it should be passed or not. If the bill passes, it is then sent to the House of Representatives and then returned to the Senate. If the House of Representatives do not change the bill, the Senate signs the bill and delivers it to the White House. The President either signs the bill to make it a law, or vetoes it. Another important part of a senator's job is representing his or her state in national issues. Most senators spend a good amount of time talking to the residents of their home state about issues of importance to them. â€Å"Part of being in The Senate it is their responsibility to hold all impeachment hearings for government officials. In impeachment hearings, the Senate Chamber is used as a courtroom, and a committee of representatives acts as the prosecutor. If two-thirds of the Senate votes to convict the official, he or she is removed from office,†states eHow. com. The Senate also approves the executive branch's treaties. To make Senate negotiations easier, some presidents have brought senators with them to treaty negotiations. The Constitution requires that U. S. senators must be at least 30 years of age, citizens of the United States for at least nine years, and residents of the states from which they are elected. Members of the House of Representatives must be at least 25, citizens for seven years, and residents of the states which send them to Congress. The states may set additional requirements for election to Congress, but the Constitution gives each house the power to determine the qualifications of its members. According to eHow. com, â€Å"As of January 2009, the annual salary of a Representative is $174,000. The Speaker of the House earns an annual salary of $223,500. Further, Majority and Minority leaders earning $193,000 annually. Representatives also receive lifetime benefits after they have served five years; which include a pension, health benefits and Social Security benefits. †Therichest. org states that, â€Å"As of 2010, yearly salaries for United States Senators were $174,000 for Basic Senators, $193,400 for Majority and Minority Leaders, $223,500 for President Pro Tempore, and $230,700 for the Vice President. †Boundless. com summarizes the constitution and states that, â€Å"Article I of the United States Constitution describes the powers of Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government. To establish the powers of and limitations of the Congress, the Article addresses the creation of the House of Representatives, which is composed of Representatives from each state. The number of representatives for each state is dependent upon the size of the population. The Article also establishes that there will be two Senators from each state. †The House and Senate are equal partners in the legislative processâ€â€legislation cannot be enacted without the consent of both chambers. However, the Constitution grants each chamber some unique powers. The Senate ratifies treaties and approves presidential appointments, while the House of Representatives initiates revenue-raising bills. The House initiates impeachment cases, while the Senate decides impeachment cases. A two-thirds vote of the Senate is required before an impeached person can be forcibly removed from office. The Constitution also goes into detail and explains the jobs of the Senate by saying that each state is represented by two senators, regardless of population. Senators serve staggered six-year terms. The chamber of the United States Senate is located in the north wing of the Capitol, in Washington, D. C. , the national capital. The Senate has several exclusive powers not granted to the House, including consenting to treaties as a precondition to their ratification. The Senate also confirms appointments of Cabinet secretaries, federal judges, other federal executive officials, military officers, regulatory officials, ambassadors, and other federal uniformed officers, as well as trial of federal officials impeached by the House. The Vice President of the United States is the ex officio President of the Senate, with authority to preside over the Senate's sessions, although he can vote only to break a tie. Senators are regarded as more prominent political figures than members of the House of Representatives because there are fewer of them, and because they serve for longer terms, usually represent larger constituencies. According to the Constitution the major power of the House is to pass federal legislation that affects the entire country, although its bills must also be passed by the Senate and further agreed to by the President before becoming a law. The House has several exclusive powers: the power to initiate revenue bills, to impeach officials, and to elect the U. S. President. Each state is represented in the House in proportion to its population, but is entitled to at least one representative. The most populous state, California, currently has 53 representatives. The total number of voting representatives is fixed by law at 435. Each representative serves for a two-year term. The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, who presides over the chamber, is elected by the members of the House, and is therefore traditionally the leader of the House Democratic Caucus or the House Republican Conference, whichever of the two Congressional Membership Organizations has more voting members. Elections for representatives are held in every even-numbered year, and on Election Day, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. By law, Representatives must be elected from single-member districts by plurality voting. Most do not see the importance of the Legislative Branch because most of its actions are done behind closed doors but that does not take away from the important jobs of the House and the Senate. The Legislative Branch keeps the other two branches in order with Checks and Balances as well as each other. Without The Legislative Branch the government would not be able to function properly and orderly.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Fatalistic World View Essay
I do think there are a large number of people who have a fatalist world view, though they might not even be aware of it. It seems to be the growing trend in the United States that a lot of people think even if there is a God he doesn’t have anything to do with them, or they only think about it in times of trouble like foxhole prayers. There also appears to be a large number of secularists, which is kind of a spin-off of fatalism, and they believe in nothing other than man’s ability to endure and overcome problems. I remember before I became a Christian I would never think about God or pray or go to church only when my life was falling apart would I think about God, and that was usually to blame him. Anytime I would start thinking about God or try to attend church I would get extremely uncomfortable. I realize now that was because the closer I drew to God the more my shortcomings were exposed not just to others but also to myself. That reality kept me running from God for many years until I had nowhere else to turn. I believe that is why there are so many with a fatalistic view of life because until self-sufficiency runs out, and our unaided human will fail us completely many people will not honestly seek God’s salvation or help. It is my prayer that fatalist and secularist alike would like me come to see their need for God’s salvation and help in their everyday life.
Hooters vs the EEOC
Is Hooters’ employee selection critical to the effective implementation of its strategy? Do the job specifications for Hooters restaurant servers have a discriminatory effect against male applicants? Does Hooters management appear to have a bias against males? Response: Hooters employee selection is critical to the effective Hooter’s primary image is that of sex appeal and the entire waitstaff is the reflection of the company’s image. Hooters main target audience is middle age men and the business sell wings by using the sex appeal of it’s servers. Hooters has a reputation of having only female waitress that are very attractive with little uniform. Even their logo resembles a female anatomy. Their whole business model is based on those principals. Majority of the customers go there to get served food and entertained by attractive waitress. Hooters is a major food retailer with 400 restaurants that employe thousands of people primarily women. These women are making a living with having a job at Hooters. Hooters has the right to hire only female waitress because that’s their ompany image and principal. Having a male waiter at Hooters just doesn’t mix with company image. Hooters will also loose a lot of customers if they integrate, because the majority of the customers go there for the female waitress. That’s what makes Hooters different from the other restaurants. There are a lot of restaurants that sell the same type foods. The customers have a lot of choices of restaurants but Hooters customers go there bec ause of the all girl attractive waitress. Hooters restaurant does not have a discriminatory against male applicants. They are not completely segregated company. They are not biased against male they can still have a career with Hooters. Hooters hires male applicants for managerial, cook and busboys positions. The management have to keep up to the company principal and image. So they are not allowed to hire any male waiters because it goes against the company image. Do you agree with Hooters’ position that female gender is a bona fide occupational qualification for the position of restaurant server? Do recent court decisions support management’s arguments? Response: I agree with Hooters’ position that female gender is a bona fide occupational qualification for the position of restaurant server. The company image and business strategy is based on the female waitresses. If you ask a Hooter customer, â€Å" what’s special about Hooters? †Their response will be about the attractive female waitress. Not about how good their burgers are. Hooters feeds both their customer’s mind and stomach. The court decisions does support the management’s arguments because they can not change their business strategy. Having male waiters will defiantly have a big impact on their business.
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
History of Visual Effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
History of Visual Effects - Essay Example That is the mystery and beauty of visual effects. Even though visual effects have had such a huge impact on our movie and television viewing habits, most people do not know the first thing about the history of this art form. This paper will serve as a historical look into the history of visual effects from the time of silent films, all the way to the most recent success of visual effects in The Life of Pi. The purpose of this paper is to allow people an inside look into the history of visual effects and how the pioneers had to struggle to create the art form that has almost been perfected in the 21st century thanks to computer graphic imaging. While previous generations may think that visual effects started with the Star Wars Prequel, in reality, these visual effects have a history that goes far back deeper than 1970's Hollywood. It was actually in 1856 when Oscar Rejlander became the first person to successfully use trick photography to create a single image. His special effects bre akthrough was done through the use of 30 different sections of negatives, spliced together to create one image. Then in 1985 Alfred Clarke built upon the success of Rejlander by creating the first motion picture special effect for the movie Mary, Queen of Scots. With Clarke instructing an actor to step up and block Mary's costume, an executioner was shown preparing to let his ax fall on her neck. At that point, Clarke ordered all the actors to stop moving while the actor playing Mary was taken off the set. A dummy was placed in her stead and when filming restarted, the ax severed the dummy's head. Thus, the love affair of the cinema with special effects began (â€Å"A Brief History of Movie Special Effects†). However, it was not until 1896 when the stop trick method was accidentally discovered by French magician Georges Melies. It was an effect that was created when while filming a street scene in Paris his camera jammed. Upon review, he found that the â€Å"stop trick†turned a truck into a hearse, his pedestrians walked in an alternate direction, and men somehow became women. Now being the stage manager at the local Theatre Robert - Houdin, he discovered an inspiration that led him to create more than 500 short films until 1914. He developed the now considered ancient effects techniques of multiple exposure, time lapse, dissolves, and hand painted color. His uncanny ability to create visual effects earned him the nickname â€Å"Cinemagician†. When he created his ode to Jule's Vern’s From the Earth to the Moon as Le Voyage dans la Lune (1902), he used a combination of live action, animation, and miniature with matte painting work (â€Å"The Grand Illusion: A Century of Special Effects†). Movie masters of this era concede that their special effects were highly influenced by magician stage tricks. Perspective exploitation and forced perspective were but a few of the old stage magic that worked quite well on film. The years fro m 1910 to 1920 saw the rapid growth of visual effects, particularly the Matte Shots done by Norman Dawn. While the Schuftan Process -- considered modifications of theater illusions, and still photography began to influence the craft in the 1920's and 1930's. This development led to the use of rear projection in cinemas which substituted moving pictures to create moving backgrounds. Visual effects also began to develop facial masks to help along the illusion of visual effects.
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