Article Report Example

Article Report Example Article Report – Book Report/Review Example Article Report: Mate-Choice Copying in Japanese Quail Coturnix coturnix japonica is a type of species among the Japanese quails. To determine the criteria that significantly affect how female Japanese quails are searching for their mate, the authors hypothesized that â€Å"female birds copy one another’s choices of males† (Galef & White, 1998: 545). To initiate breeding condition of female quails, the researchers placed them inside a stainless-steel cage for a maximum of 30 days. To initiate breeding condition among the male quails, the researcher purposedly placed the male quails with the females under breeding condition. On a daily basis, each male quail was paired with a couple of randomly selected female quails until the male quail would mount the two females for two weeks. To find out whether or not the authors’ hypothesis is acceptable or not, the researchers conducted a series of experiments using 10 male and 10 female Japanese quail that was taken from a commercial breeder in Ontario. The first experiment examines the female choices on male quails. The second experiment examines whether watching mating changes females’ criteria in choosing male. The third experiment examines how female quail chooses their male counterparts. The last experiment aims to monitor changes in female perception on male quails or male behavior.The authors confirmed that the researchers’ hypothesis which suggests the idea that â€Å"female birds copy one another’s choices of males† is acceptable. Based on the research study result, female quails that were given the opportunity to watch their non-preferred male spent significantly more time together with the male quail during post-tests as compared to pre-tests. Furthermore, watching male and female quails mate does not create any significant changes with regards to the preferences of female quails when choosing a mate. However, it was noted that female quails who mated with a non- preferred male becomes less attractive to them as compared to their non-preferred males whom they have not mated. *** End ***ReferencesGalef, B., & White, D. (1998). Mate-choice copying in Japanese quail, Coturnix coturnix japonica. Anim. Behav. , 55(3):545-552.

Clinton scandal essays

Clinton scandal essays The evidence against President Clinton for sexual misconduct is very strong. There have been too many scandals that have surrounded his presidency. This forces the citizens of the United States to deny his plea of innocence. In the spring of 1995, Monica Lewinsky graduated from Lewis and Clark College. She then started an unpaid internship at the White House. Allegedly in November of that year, she became involved in a sexual relationship with President Clinton. Shortly after this point Lewinsky was hired as a full-time White House employee. She left the White House for a public affairs position at the Pentagon. Here she became friends with Linda Tripp, a former White House employee, who worked in the same office. During this time President Clinton apparently sent gifts to Lewinsky, most importantly in the case against him a dress, which she saved as a souvenir, had the President's DNA on it. With things heating up in the Paula Jones case, the President asked Lewinsky to lie about visits to his office. Turning her back on Lewinsky, Tripp taped telephone conversations between herself and Lewinsky about the affairs with Mr. Clinton to setup him up. Lewinsky, allegedly quoting Mr. Clinton, said, "Look them in the eye and deny it." After anonymous tips are given to a firm connected with the Paula Jones case, Lewinsky decided to leave the government and find a new job. On January 7, 1998, Monica Lewinsky signed a sworn affidavit in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case, stating she did not have an affair with the President. Following this, Linda Tripp brought the recorded phone conversations to Independent Counsel for the Paula Jones case, Kenneth Starr. With assistance from the FBI, Tripp wore a wire while Lewinsky lead her step-by-step through her entire sexual relationship with Mr. Clinton. The following day, Lewinsky gives Tripp points on how to respond to Paula Jones' lawyer's questions. After receiving ne ...

Accouting Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Accouting - Speech or Presentation Example The formula to calculate dividend yield ratio is dividends per share divided by market price per share. Dividend yield ratio = $1.50 / $60 = 2.5%. d) The price-earnings ratio is an index that shows whether a stock is relatively cheap or expensive in relation to its earnings. The formula to calculate the price-earnings ratio is market price per share / EPS. Price-earnings ratio = 60 / 7.8 = 7.69. The book value per share is lower than the market value per share by $20. This figure does not necessarily reflect that the stocks of the company are selling at a bargain price. The book value per share reflects the amount that would be distributed to investors if all assets were sold at their balance sheet values after paying off the creditors. a) The current ratio is calculated dividing current assets by current debt. Current ratio = 1,120,000 / 600,000 = 1.87. The current ratio shows the ability of a company to pay off its current debt. A general rule for the current ratio is that if the ratio is above 1.0 it is good. The company is in a good position to pay off its current debt. The current ratio of the firm is below the industry average of 2.1. b) The quick acid ratio is another solvency metric. It is calculated similarly to current ratio with the exception that inventory is deducted from the numerator. Quick acid ratio = (1,120,000 – 610,000) / 600000 = 0.85. The quick acid ratio of the company is below the industry average of 1.2. e) The debt to equity ratio is a measure of the amount of assets being provided by creditors for each dollar of assets being provided by the stockholders (Garrison, et. al.). The ratio is calculated by the following formula: total liabilities / total equity. The purpose of the ratio analysis performed was to determine whether Stephens Company qualifies for a $500,000 loan. The broad profitability of the company is a little lower than the

Responsible Gambling Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Responsible Gambling - Assignment Example It is done in order to save the customers from the negative impacts of gambling or gaming. Apart from this, maximum extent of the industries or organizations operating in this industry try to implement land-based and online gambling services so as to enhance the reliability of the customers (Wenderoth, 2009, p. 21). Other than this, with the help of responsible gaming or gambling process, the customers get protection from vulnerable practices, protection against fraud and non-ethical behaviours of other consumers, maintenance of varied information’s utterly private, ensuring prompt payments, delivering a fair and ethical gaming experience, high-level of commitment is also observed to enhance customer satisfaction and demands to retain them. Such types of behaviours are extremely essential for the consumers of the industry of gaming or gambling as their age-bar differs from one another. The prime target audiences seen in the industry of gaming or gambling are mainly youths within an age limit of 18 to 28. In order to fulfil their excitement and fun, maximum extent of these youths of the wealthy families of China, Thai and Korea enter into this sector. The individuals getting attracted to gambling, desire to attain relief from varied types of mental distress and tension, so it is extremely essential to present humble behaviour with them. Otherwise, due to certain fraudulent conducts, he or she might get disturbed resulting in breakdown of their physical and mental health. Due to which, the reputation and image of the organization might get ruined resulting in switch-over of numerous other customers as well. Moreover, adults and parents, suffering from varied types of economic and social hardship, desire to engage themselves in gambling to get rid from such problems. Thus any type of worse behaviour might create an

Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor versus Pressurized Water Reactor debate Essay

Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor versus Pressurized Water Reactor debate - Essay Example On the contrary, the Pressurized Water Reactors are cheaper to maintain, environmentally safe and reliable. This prompted the government to commission the Sizewell B project. Future energy generation considerations are likely to favor the use of renewable sources that are cheaper, and environment friendly. Contents 1.0 Introduction From the 1960s, there was a clarion call to develop nuclear energy in UK with Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactors (AGRs) being the preferred choice. The first prototype of the advanced gas-cooled reactor was developed in 1962, but the first commercial AGR became operational in 1976. Complexities in implementation of the prototype delayed completion of the first AGR commercial plants. Other AGR projects were to be commissioned later in the 70s, and the 80s. However, they faced the same challenge (delayed implantation) compounded with a heavy cost implication. This led to an acrimonious debate about the use of AGR technology to generate electricity, when other econ omically viable means were available. The immense pressure forced the UK government to abandon building AGRs anymore and instead focused on the Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs). This led to the commissioning of Sizewell B in 1987 to 1995. The PWRs were considered to be cheaper, environmentally safer and more reliable than the AGRs. ... The AGR is designed to use carbon dioxide as a coolant and graphite as a moderator. The AGR is a specifically UK breed of reactor developed, from the design for the very first nuclear reactor, to generate electricity for commercial use, a reactor built at Calder Hall in Cumbria, UK (Breeze, 2005, p. 258). Figure 1: Schematic diagram of an AGR Source: World Nuclear Association There are several advanced gas-cooled reactors built in the UK, but they have been found to be costly to operate. Most of the AGR plants cost more at the completion than it was initially anticipated and no further units of the design are planned. Instead, the last nuclear power plant built in the UK employed a United States PWR design (Breeze, 2005, p. 258). Pressurized water reactors (PWRs) are used in light-water reactor power plants. Although, there are different manufacturers in the United States, the fundamental characteristics of the PWRs are the same: the main coolant brings up steam vapor in the heat exc hanger, known as the steam generator and this steam drives the turbines. Figure 2: Schematic diagram of a PWR Source: Tennessee Valley authority By the 1970s, United Kingdom was the only major Western Europe country yet to adopt the use of light water reactors (LWR) technology to develop. This was a result of a protracted debate between the protagonist of the AGR and the LWR. It was argued that the LWR was unsafe, thus the promotion of AGR usage. The Magnox stations in UK had for a long time been faced with the problems of low volumetric power density, low operating temperatures and low pressures. The time had come to look for an alternative, and well improved design. This led to the development of the advanced gas-cooled reactors.

Pros and Cons of Creative Labour

Pros and Cons of Creative Labour Assignment question: Critically evaluate the concept of creative labour. Is it good or bad for workers and society? For the last 20-30 years the information, communication technology, media and services and industries have become the most essential and demanded things in the modern world. They bring people new opportunities, which can simplify people’s needs and wants. I believe this Charles Landry claimed : suggests â€Å"that the developments made are essentially cultural as they reflect the way people perceive their problems and opportunities† (Charles Landry). The important point here is that these technologies and services designed and developed by humanity, are what we now call the ‘creative labour’ market. â€Å"Creativity is essential to the way we live and work today, and in many senses always has been† (Florida, 2002 p. 21). The purpose of this essay is to critically evaluate the concept of creative labour in order to answer the question: â€Å"Is it good or bad for workers and society in our world†. Debate continues as to what creativity is exactly, what it means to be creative and how this fits into society and the wider economic environment. John Hawkins (2002) claimed that the best way to define creativity as ‘having a new idea’; he argued that our society needs information. He also advocated that we need to be active, clever, and persistent in challenging this information. In his words, â€Å"there is a need to be original, sceptical, argumentative, often bloody-minded and occasionally downright negative – all these things make us creative. However, it leads us to the question: â€Å"where does this creativity take place?† It is possible to say that creativity is produced by creative industries and it would be the right answer, but in our society, creativity can take place anywhere†. As Hawkins (2002) said, â€Å"creativity is where the brain works in the determining motive†. The psychologist Dean Keith Simonton argued that creativity is favoured by an intellect that has been enriched with diverse experiences and perspectives. Creativity is associated with a mind that exhibits a variety of interests and knowledge (Florida, 2002 p. 33). Peter Drucker said that â€Å"knowledge† and â€Å"information† are the tools and materials of creativity (Florida, 2002 p.44). Because of the ideological freight of its specific features, creative work heightens and denaturalises normal principles of work. In creative work’s marginal context, normal principles of work seem to contradict broader social values. (Theorising Cultural Work, 2013 p.74) To conclude this point, creativity is where thoughts are not ordinary, aesthetic, individual, smart and clever. A creative person innovates, produces, provides and develops new ideas and concepts. Creativity covers social, cultural and economic areas. The creative-labour market is crucial for workers. A creative worker is someone that communicates with society. The creative worker innovates, creates and develops for people; they focus on production. Raymond Williams claimed that creative workers are different from other workers, â€Å"The creative worker makes the communication of experience their central work in life – the artist’s work is the actual work of transmission and uses learned skills to transmit that experience†. â€Å"Creativity involves distinct kinds of thinking and habits that must be cultivated both in the individual and in the surrounding society† (Florida, 2002 p.21). Creative industry workers are organised and mobilised so time constraints such as normal office hours and workspaces are not set in stone. Creative workers are very influential, they form the core of the economy: science, engineering, architecture and design, education, arts, music and entertainment – even finance , law and healthcare. The creative class generates wealth and happiness – local government should develop policies to cultivate them (Florida, 2002). The creative process is social, not just individual, and thus forms of organisation are necessary (Florida, 2002). Creative work is a cooperative and independent model of production. Creative labour is power to people, where a person can take control over things they are going to create and choose how they relate to the world around them. Creativity breeds freedom, autonomy and choice, aspects which make the employee feel empowered, comfortable and in control. Free agents, so the argument goes, are able to break free from the stranglehold of large organisations and take control of their lives. (Florida, 2002 p.28). Another huge benefit for creative workers are good working condition, you can work not only at an office, but you could be in a film or radio studio, atelier, at home or even travelling across the world. Being creative is in itself a challenge, dependent upon many factors including interest and involvement from society. One example of the challenges could be an interview taken from Creative Labour. Media work in three cultural industries, told by faced is below – a documentary producer, Malcolm who shares his experience of working in the creative industries: â€Å"I have had an amazing life. I have watched democracy come to Argentina, witnessed the most violent riots they had in country for 50 years. I was there when the gate of Gaza were opened. I’ve been attacked by the KGB. I’ve filmed with the Contras in Nicaragua, all kinds of places and amazing experiences from plane[WU1] crashes to sharing terrible tragic moments to moments of great elation. I have seen so much of the world and I have been paid to do that. So it has been a very intense life with great experiences and I am glad I had it. (Interview 37 p. 128 â€Å"Creative Labour. Media work in three cultural industries) The Malcolm interview explains that the experience and skills the workers earn in creative labour area cannot be found or reproduced, or recreated in other areas, but moments in history can be captured by individuals and reflected back to a wider audience. This not only provides opportunities to be a witness of history in the making but also be part of this history. To conclude, the issue of creative work is complex and contradictory – a mixture of autonomy, glamour and exploitation, inequality and precarious conditions. Media companies operating in fields as diverse and interconnected as public relations, marketing, advertising[WU2] and journalism have traditionally been considered cultural industries, representing those companies and professions primarily responsible for the industrial production and circulation of culture. (Hesmondhalgh, 2002 p. 163) In the ongoing academic debate on the definition of culture (or cultural) industries, media production tends to be emphasised as particular to the field of action of the companies and corporations involved. In recent years, policy makers, industry observers and scholars alike have reconceptualised media work as taking place within a broader context of creative industries. The term was introduced by the UK government Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in 1998, defining creative industries as: those industries which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation pf intellectual property. This includes advertising, architecture, the art and antiques market, crafts, design, designer fashion, film and video, interactive leisure software and computer games, television and radio. Creativity also has some negative effects on workers. The ‘creative process’ can take a long time and there is a high level of risk. In recent times, technological advances have increased so rapidly, that adopting and working with the new technologies can make workers feel uncomfortable and left behind somewhat. With the economy as it is currently, and such high levels of unemployment, workers in the creative industries can struggle to maintain their career progress. This has led to a high level of competition and creates high levels of stress, but ultimately results in progress. David Hesmondhaulgh, a prominent academic and a director of Media Industries Research Centre stated in his book that ‘creative labour and creativity is the big aspect for media workers[WU3]’(Hesmondhalgh 2002 p.168). In his opinion professional identity of creative industries involves four constituent elements: content, connectivity, creativity and commerce (Ibid) Professionals in media industries in particular and creative industries more generally produce content, yes. However, they also invest in platforms for connectivity – where fans and audiences provide free labour. Media work involves the ‘creation’ with the industries, yes, but tends to take place within a distinctly commercial context. Within a context of destabilising legacy industries and dissolving boundaries between media consumption and production, the media worker may feel isolated. However, this isolation can give some creative control to the media professional as well. Arthur (1994) suggests that â€Å"creating a career without boundaries could be the best, if not only, way to survive in the current work environment†. To some extent, individuals could be seen as taking control of their career paths, resulting in a new type of self-directed job security. It could also be said that those who are willing to train themselves, become more[WU4] attractive to management and employers. By being proficient in various methods of media production, workers can use multiple creative talents to their advantage – and are increasingly expected to be doing so. In the everyday construction of a sense of self for cultural workers – that leads to a more or less coherent (or at least imagined) professional identity – it is the interplay between the values of providing[WU5] content, organising connectivity, managing creative freedom and being commercially successful (which is not necessarily an expression in monetary terms) that structures one’s negotiations. There is an argument to say that working in the creative industries would seem to allow the individual to identify themselves as a single producer of content and as part of a larger whole, whereas the intermediate level of the company or organisation seems to disappear. (David Hesmondhalgh, 2002) Society massively benefits from creative and cultural labour. Creative workers are constantly thinking about what audiences’ think, what they want and work on ways of delivering this. There is huge demographic analysis and numerous surveys undertaken in either new creations of technological innovations, the making of new TV shows, art, literature and other various media platforms. Creative workers make products for people and society. As Maurizio Lazzarato[WU6] said: â€Å"The image of society is dominated by knowledge and information work† (Lazzarato, 1996). Creativity and creative labour have a huge effect not only on workers and industries, but also on society and the world. London is a perfect example of a city of huge world status, which is defined and almost created by its cultural identity, practices and the development of its creative industries. Industries present in the capital are internationally oriented and diversified; which in itself cultivates the necessary support for both local and international creative activity. This type of activity makes London a more attractive environment to people that are artistic, thus resulting in the development of the city in economic, social and cultural ways. Charles Landry, (1997) claimed, â€Å"Cultural activities are inextricable to innovation and creativity, and historically this has been the lifeblood of cities as a means of unleashing their capacity to survive and adapt†. The places where the creativity and cultural activities took place in large lead only to development and gr owth of characteristic mentioned above. The cultural and creative industries are part of what is commonly referred to as the ‘service and knowledge economy’. Writers who stress the role of creative (as a source of competitive advantage) point to the injection of ‘creative’ work into all areas of economic life. (Andy Pratt, 2006). Another important point to make here is that creative labour and creative industries create the so-called â€Å"New Economy†. The New Economy, is defined as the transition from ‘heavy industry’ to a new technology based economy. Creative labour is very connected to this concept because the provision of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is central to determining our economy be dynamic rather than just stable. Terry Flew (2001) stated that the core dynamics of this economic system arose out of the fusion of technologies of knowledge generation, information processing, and symbol communication with the processes of globalisation, digitisat ion and networking. He stated that these have led to the rise of the network society as the dominant form of social organisation. The point Terry Flew makes, is that creative industries and labour, whilst providing knowledge, new ideas and innovation of technologies make a huge contribution and are central to the development of our economy, which brings only benefits to our society and world as a whole. In so-called ‘old economy’ markets are stable, in ‘new economy’ markets are dynamic, the scope of completion are less national, more global. Manufacturing used to be at the core of our economy, now everything is centred around services, knowledge and information. The source of value in ‘old economy’ is raw materials or physical capital; you could say that now, more value is placed on human resources and social capital. In business areas, key drivers of growth was capital and labour, now is about innovation, knowledge and networking. The main source of competitive advantage was lowering cost through scale, but now is made by innovation, quality and the depth and breadth of communication. The innovation of new information and communication technologies made by creative labour has changed the tastes of business and economy workers, people started to gain broad skills and adaptability when previously they have basic job-specific skills. Innovation a nd creativity make society think and discover differently in a way that is developing all the time. To conclude, creativity, creative labour and creative industries are great, significant and essential thing in our world. Creative labour creates and innovates things, new technologies, it provides new theories and information, which affects and influences workers, people, and the overall economy. It makes social and cultural life of people, cities and the world more positive and our ways of working smarter. Creative industries is useful for workers, especially media because of its highly popular graduate employment destinations with glamorous and exciting places to work alongside other highly educated, highly skilled workers. Creativity took place in media and communications. These are: advertising, architecture, the art and antiques market, crafts, design, designer fashion, film, interactive leisure software, music, the performing arts, publishing, software, television and radio. (Creative Industries Task Force, 1998) Reference Baker S. and Hesmondhalgh, D. (2011). Creative Labour. Media Work In Three Cultural Industries. Routledge Blair, H. (2001). ‘â€Å"You’re Only as Good as Your Last Job†: the Labour Process and Labour Market in the British Film Industry.’ Work, Employment and Society. 15(1): 149-169. Florida, R. (2004). The Rise of the Creative Class: And how it’s Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life. London: Basic Books. Flew, T. (2012). The Creative Industries: Culture and Policy. London: Sage Gill, R. and Pratt, A. (2008). ‘In the social factory? Immaterial labour, precariousness and cultural work’. Theory, Culture and Society. 25(1): 2-30 Hartley, J. (2005). Creative Industries. Blackwell. Oxford Hesmondhalgh, D. (2007). The Cultural Industries, 2nd Edition. London: Sage [WU1]Done paraphrasing [WU2]Done paraphrasing [WU3]Check para [WU4]Done in next page [WU5]Working on it [WU6]Can’t find a particular sentence in the book

Micro Environmental Factors Essay

What micro environmental factors have affected Xerox’s performance since the late 1990s? Xerox has dominated the industry by inventing photocopying, but changes in the internal environment shook its fortune and market value. At the beginning of technological change, Xerox lacked a solid management level. Poor leadership makes poor marketing decisions. Restricted product options limited necessary opportunities for growth and staying atop competition. They were stuck on the copying and printing technology at the time when the customer market moved on to sharing documents and information digitally. The inability to meet customers’ demands drove down the stock price and cost the company profits. To stay in business, Xerox had to make changes in marketing channel firms, namely the revision of suppliers, by outsourcing to China. It improved product cost, while preserving quality and creating better customer value. Vast management modifications, in form of attaining good leadership, cutting down on workforce, and changing focus from selling product to fitting customer needs, saved company’s economics from declining. It is until the recession of 2001 that negatively marked all economic activities; to recover, Xerox made a major decision to acquire ACS, an IT company. Incorporation has equipped the company with new expertise, capabilities, and business channels to proceed with a new business plan. Importantly, innovations allowed improving document management process, Xerox’s new production and marketing focus, dropping the number of technological errors and lowering labor to complete tasks. As the company expanded offering a broad portfolio of document management technology and services products, it redefined its name and altered Xerox’s competitors from copy machine producers to IT companies like HP and IBM. A new strong competition usually inspires more effort to serve customers better. These changes in the Xerox’s micro environmental factors have positively affected the company’s ability to serve its customers. Being in business for more than 50 years brings the company advantages in the form of branding and strong reputation with consumers and other customers.