Quality Management Models Analysis: Philips

Quality Management Models Analysis: Philips Introduction: Technology in modern times has been one of the fastest growing industries, with its impact to overall life conditions to human being. Improvement of the existing automotives, discovery of new materials and features has leaded to introduction of different machines and electronics that is being widely used in daily basis, and life would seem to be miserable without them. Turning back to centuries ago, one may ask how the predecessors have lived and learned without the smart technique, now being part of our life. But one should not forget that it is human being who has created the luxury of having the technique being around to serve the requirements and make the life of us easier. Project has been assigned to review the Business Excellence model adopted by Philips Electronics, highlighting the role of the staff and management in achieving it, known as Business Excellence through Speed and Teamwork (BEST). The abovementioned matter will be reviewed in the first paragraph, being followed by an analysis of BEST as complementary to quality model in the next one. I will shed light on the success of the model and provide comparative application of the model to the case of bp Exploration (Caspian Sea) ltd., to discuss the possible outcomes in the third paragraph, followed by conclusion on the outcomes of analysis. Philips Electronics: Review of Quality Management System Background: The corporate slogan of Philips nowadays state we (Philips) aim to improve the quality of peoples lives through the timely delivery of meaningful innovations delivered with the promise of sense and simplicity (Annual report, 2009). The slogan has been strong attraction of the value company provide to its stakeholder as well as the process itself keeping the control of time and delivery. The commitment of the company has been displayed in the philosophy of 4 Ds: Delight customers through exceeding their expectation by product and services; Deliver great results raising the quality of provided product and services; Develop people continuous learning and development; Depend on each other work as One Philips (Annual report, 2009). Since 1891, the foundation period, Philips Electronics has developed from producer of carbon filament lamps into a worldwide company having business in three large sectors as Healthcare, Lighting and Consumer Lifestyle (Philips, Global Web page). Over the years company has enriched its capacity by 35,000 Registered trademarks, 56,000 design rights, 48,000 patent rights, 3 incubators, 7 research laboratories spread over Europe, North America and Asia, 127 Production sites, 100 countries with sales and service outlets (Annual report, 2009). Besides company has been active in life of communities through its Social sustainability programs devoted to reduction of energy consumption of products and facilities, greener products to protect the environment, support to dialog on climate change and energy efficiency and healthcare at the communities (Annual report, 2009; Philips, Global web page). Overall, company has shown commitment in support of economic growth, environmental protection and social equity in the areas of operation. Established Quality System We have already indicated the impact of the changing customer requirements and technology development on competitive environment, making organizations to adopt necessary steps and techniques to be able to fit into the real picture and be able to satisfy customers and gain business profit. One of the philosophies being adopted in organizations as an outcome of the new idea of management and instructive principle and means for continuous improvement is Total Quality Management (TQM) (Chung et al., 2008, p.369). Knights and McCabe (1999, p.198) indicate the role of TQM in pulling continuous improvement throughout the organization being customer and process oriented, where Dean and Bowen (1994, cited in Knights and McCabe, 1999, p.198) enrich the description by highlighting three main principles of TQM, practices and techniques, teamwork and customer focus. Philips Electronics, not being different to most of the market players, also has been struggling for the comfortable place under the Sun to be able to earn profits from the huge business being carried out. During the decade of 1990s, Philips has gone trough reorganization of business, shaping the orientation, selling out some of the assets, as well as employee cut backs to strengthen its position in the markets (Oakland, 2003, p.456). Understanding the role of quality in the life of company and its stakeholders management has moved up with certification of ISO 9000 for process management and application of EFQM excellence model across the organization (Oakland, 2003, p.458). The model been worked out has been named as BEST, standing for Business Excellence through Speed and Teamwork, summarizing the value and drive for continuous improvement through the alignment of goals and strategy, improvement of business processes by incremental steps and breakthroughs, achieving the excellence in performance though accelerated learning linked to the development of competence and knowledge of employees from best practices both internal and external, raising capabilities within teams and departments (Oakland, 2003, p.458). One may ask why stress has been put on speed and teamwork? The management in Philips Electronics had clear view on the importance of timely implementation of the business processes, taking the non value adding waste off, reducing the cycle time and delivering business value, as well as the efficient teamwork, through sharing the best practices and knowledge, providing support to each other being the key in competitiveness over the rivals (Oakland, 2003, p.459). Hsu and Shen (2005, p.358) indicate the important role of people in TQM as off by employee contribution and involvement, understanding of what and how in implementation of TQM initiative and feedback, individuals take the responsibility on quality of their own work, hence maximizing the outcome and business excellence. People, employees of an organization present wealthy resource with skills, knowledge and experience in certain areas and organizations cannot force them to share the knowledge until favorable conditions, where each individual is willing to do so are created (Hsu and Shen, 2005, p.358). But when people are brought together and united in the teams under relevant condition and environment for teamwork, then continuous improvement towards the set up goals is easier through sharing and proper communication among team members. The teamwork and team spirit is one of the core values that big companies, including Philips Electronics trying to achieve through knowledge management initiative, as different cultures, backgrounds, languages spoken are best eliminated in the joint healthy teams, where people have one common goal of achieving the targets put ahead. As can be seen the BEST model adopted in Philips Electronics covers all the areas of TQM implementation starting form stakeholder satisfaction, process and strategy alignment to performance audits and actions. 2 Comparison: BEST, Excellence Model and TQM Many researchers have concluded the existing quality systems should complement each other to bring the desired result for continuous improvement. The statement by Adebanjo (2001, p.40) as business excellence and quality can and need to complement each other to provide organizations with the operational and business success they aspire to and which is necessary for survival in todays market has been shared and accepted by many. The idea has been proved throughout of many witnesses as off Wade (2000, cited in Adebanjo, 2001, p.39) state Excellence model by EFQM has the same basis principles as off TQM. Looking deep into the essence of the thought one may see the roots being similar, as off thrive for business excellence, quality of management, stakeholder satisfaction, competitiveness through better resource and process management, hence proving the point raised. Coming to the matter of BEST model adopted in Philips Electronics and its role in complementing the excellence model and quality system, I would like to draw attention to the main principles of BEST to verify the point. Ho (1999, p.87) states as part of TQM initiative organizations developing corporate culture where employees are treated as the most valuable asset, grouped in teams to bring wealth of knowledge and skills and that culture helps to achieve excellence. In BEST people are being accepted as source of knowledge and skills as well to bring wealth of experience and managing quality in each of the work being carried out. Oakland (2005, p.1056) indicates that members of an organization should work together, as off cooperation among the employees is key for quality improvement. Attention to people / teamwork within the BEST model can be compared to enablers in the excellence model and internal stake holder in TQM, as off value being provided by those. Also another point could be the emphasis given to relevant tools to be able to monitor and control the processes, and performance, identifying the gaps and addressing those within applicable framework, within BEST model. As noted by Van Schalkwyk, (1998, p.124) the performance measurement system highlights the organizational commitment to the principles of TQM evaluating different aspects of stakeholder satisfaction, company responsiveness and process efficiency. Enforcement of four step cycle PDCA (plan, do, check, act) to review the strategic and operational development; Balanced Business Scorecards (BBS) to monitor the result drivers and facilitate faster decision making; Process survey tools (PST) allow teams to asses the business processes and implement improvements; PBE assessment for evaluation against the EFQM excellence model to improve process enablers and results; where headquarter audit is used for peer evaluation of business management team in achievement of excellence (Oakland, 2003, p.460-62). Considering the abovementioned facts, I would agree that BEST is complementary to the excellence model and TQM. 3 bp Exploration (Caspian Sea) ltd: Business Excellence Model Background bp is worldwide oil and gas company operating in Exploration, Midstream and Downstream. In Caspian basin it represented by bp Exploration (Caspian Sea) ltd, operating in ACG and SD oil and gas fields as per Production Sharing Agreement signed back in 1994 (bp Caspian, web page). bp Exploration (Caspian Sea) ltd has hierarchical organizational structure, with adopted quality system coordinating the collaboration. Operating Management System (OMS) is the bible of quality system of the company, presenting the BP Way, with all the relevant ISO 9001, ISO 14000 standards and process descriptions. Above-mentioned standards provide both process and environmental safety management framework, and applicable tools and techniques been established to be able to asses the performance of the company against the standards. Coming to the matter of people management, company has got staff handbook and Code of Conduct summary of behavioural culture managing the relations, staff development and problem solution. Over the years of operating in the Caspian basin the company has established good relations with stakeholders, communities and government institutions. bp Exploration (Caspian Sea) ltd, has been keen on the continuous improvement and has gained new contracts and project in the area. BEST and quality system of  BP Exploration ltd As stated above bp as global oil and gas company has a history of operating 100 years dated back in 1909. Throughout the period the company has established, reengineered and re structured its organization and quality standards as well to come up with existing model. In this paragraph, BEST model by Philips Electronics and quality system by bp Exploration (Caspian Sea) ltd., will be compared to identify the advantages and disadvantages of its adoption within bp Exploration (Caspian Sea) ltd. Speaking on advantages of the Adoption of BEST model I may indicate EFQM excellence model for self assessment, which bp Exploration (Caspian Sea) lack of. Process survey Tools being utilised in Philips at the team level are being used in the mid managerial level, causing more bureaucracy to bring up the issues on to the desk. PBE assessment can be regarded as evaluation towards the BP Way of accepted standards to verify the deviations and put actions to correct. Other aspect being regarded as advantage can be the speed of decision making or process implementation, which sometimes takes longer in bp due to natural bureaucracy and internal procedures to be followed. However, this option can also be regarded as disadvantage taking the industries the companies operate the effect of wrong decisions will be far more disastrous in exploration industry, which has been witnessed in recent Gulf of Mexico incident (BBC News). The advantages shown above from application of BEST model into the existing quality system of bp Exploration (Caspian Sea) ltd, can also be accepted as complementing factor for business excellence, model for better results and success of a company, contributing to the thought by Adebanjo (2001, p.40). The knowledge management in bp Exploration (Caspian Sea) ltd., can be accepted as more developed than in Philips Electronics. The reason behind is oil and gas field has more specifics requirements and knowledge databases to be shared across the players with lessons learned and peer review on each of the subject area. The knowledge management provided in the industry covers all the players worldwide, which allows to capture and learn more and increases the quality of sharing. In this case the knowledge management suggested by BEST model can be considered as disadvantage. The rest of the model aspects are almost generic or similar to the internal process and procedures employed in bp Exploration, as off scorecard utilisation and data usage, benchmarking, auditing etc., so those have been dismissed from comparison. Conclusion In the project we have reviewed two different quality models been adopted in Philips Electronics and bp Exploration (Caspian Sea) ltd., identified their contribution to the preposition stated by Adebanjo (2001, p.40) and compared those mutually for identification of advantages and disadvantages if adopted in oil and gas industry. Overall TQM is considered to be a framework for organizations, being customized by all the adopters to fit their specific purposes, having the key idea of customer satisfaction and continuous improvement to be kept on top. How Are Laws Made In England And Wales? How Are Laws Made In England And Wales? Parliament of England and Wales is responsible for creation of law. Parliament has three parts House of Common, House of Lords and Monarch, who plays an essential role in law making process. Legislation or statutes passed by Parliament take the form of Acts of Parliament. Parliament can also delegate some power to ministers of crown, local authorities, semipublic organizations, court rule committees, and the Privy Council (Mary Charman, Bobby Vanstone 2008). Bill first transferred to the House of Common then it will go to the House of Lords for implementation of changes if required. Before making it a law, it is necessary that both houses should agree on bill. The formal process of law creation is divided into six parts. First reading (Reading means bill first read out in parliamentary chamber); it is the introduction stage of bill into the parliament so that MP should prepare for further discussion. Second reading, in this stage, Minister in charge of the bill should explain the aim and objective of bill then he gives the answers to the MP’s question regarding bill, if MP is satisfied with the bill then vote will be taken at the end. After sufficient approval bill can be forwarded to committee stage. In the Committee stage, bill can be explained in detail and examined by MP’s standing committee, who can also add amendments to the bill. Next at stage four i.e. the Report stage, MPs can suggest amendments and then votes are taken for amendments. Third reading, it is the last stage where bill can be studied as a whole and then forwarded to the other house for amendments. In the final stage i.e. Royal assent, bill has completed itsparliamentary process and ready to become a law. In old times, it was necessary to get signed consent by Queen but nowadays Queen merely signs her general consent (Mary Charman, Bobby Vanstone 2008). A new law should be clear and understandable, Statutory interpretation is the parliament’s responsibility to make a new law clear and easy to understand (Chynoweth 2002). Thus parliament has developed rules to assist them. These rules help people to understand the laws. Primary rules for statutory interpretation can be classified into three rules, first are Literal rule; in this rule courts should interpret the meaning of statute so that people can understand what message parliament want to convey. Second rule is Golden rule; which means when law has changed according to the literal rule and it gives an absurd result it means judge should change it and make it more clearly to people. Third rule is Mischief rule; this is the rule where court asked questions to the parliament about the law like what the intension of making this law, what mistake was held while explaining the law and what would be the solution for removing this error (Eskridge 1994). This is the last stage of whole law process. Case law is refers to the judicial decision of the court. When a case is published it is known as Law Report. Law reports comprise the statement of facts, legal arguments, judgment and judicial reasoning. Only a small percentage of ‘legally significant’ cases, usually from the superior courts, are ever reported. When case law is not published (unreported), it may be available as a transcript of the judgment, or as a newspaper article. Task Two Defining Contract Contract is an agreement,created by two or more than two parties having intention to create a legal relation, which has two elements; offer and acceptance made by competent person who have the capacity to change considerations(MacMillan Stone, 2012). In England and Wales, contract is a set of terms and conditions about the selling good for example terms of sale, price, item of good, and the date of completion. When an agreement is completed and monies paid, any issue related the agreement between two parties can be raised according to the contract law. Elements within the contract law are explained below: Offer A contract begins with an offer; offer can be defined as the intension to sell something or being in contract with someone, who can accept or reject offer, on particular terms and (MacMillan Stone 2012). An offer is a proposal to sell or buy goods and services under specific terms and conditions. It is a necessary element of a contract. Offer has different forms like, television, newspaper, radio, fax, email etc. For example, a shopkeeper is offering a watch worth 3,000 it means he want to sell that watch, it is an offer created by shopkeeper to people. People can accept that offer or negotiate for the amount or reject. Negotiation process has its own elements like, statement of intention, invitation to treat and request for information. Statement of intention is the instance when a person intends to do something but it is not necessary that he will do.For example,when business people use them for proposals and college applicants use them for acceptance into a college. Request for an information means when one party requested to the other party for information, it was not an offer for example, when one party wanted to know that what would be the lowest price that he would accept, then party telegraphed to second party. Invitation to treat is an invitation to make an offer but not an offer. For example, when shopkeepers offers buy one get one free deal then it was invitation to treat. If people visit the shop, they must give people two goods in the price of one. A counter offer is the offer where one party can reject original offer and makes new terms and condition which can be accepted or not by second party (Gerald and Kathleen Hill n.d.). In other words when a person is not satisfied with original offer then he can create counter offer in which he placed new terms and conditions which can another person accept or reject. For example, a seller is selling a vehicle. A buyer arrives and offers $10,000 for the car and to get a higher price, seller counteroffer, and asking for $11,000. Communication of offer An offer must be communicated. If there is lack of communication, agreement cannot be done because a contract is an agreed bargain, and therefore, without knowledge ofoffer agreement cannot be done. For example,A and B are sitting together.An offers his scooter for 5,000 to B. reach the ears of B, the offer of A is complete. Acceptance Acceptance is the second important element of contract where one party accepts the offer and get into the contract with specific terms and conditions created by first party (MacMillan Stone 2012). In other words when a person accepted all terms and conditions of offer given by person who created an offer, then it may consider as acceptance. The act of accepting the terms of offeror is called Acceptance. For example, when shopkeeper offers a watch worth 3,000 and buyer accepts the offer and purchase that watch at 3,000 it is called acceptance. Consideration A consideration can be defined as the responsibility of both the parties participated in contract, one who created an offer or second who is going to accept that offer (MacMillan Stone 2012). For example, if one party offers a watch worth $3,000 and second party accepted that offer then first party’s consideration is watch and second party’s consideration is $3000. Task Three Equal Pay Equal Pay Act 1970 is the act which is created due to the increasing discrimination between men and women in respect to their pay, output and other incentives. After coming into force this act decreases the discrimination between men and women. It has different scenarios:- Like work, is the scenario where men and women both are working similar nature of work, but women getting low pay as compare to the men. For example: a company employs male and female both for cleaning jobs and employer also gives some additional duties to man on occasionally basis like in rainy season etc., then female has the right to claim for equal pay if employer offers higher pay to male. Equivalent work, means giving equal importance to the jobs given to man and woman both. Employer cannot consider man’s work more important than woman if both are performing similar jobs. For example: Both man and woman is doing equal jobs in an organization but after job evaluation of both management gives 6 points to men and 4 points to woman. If woman found her job rated less than a man, then women have right to claim for equivalent work. Equal value of work means where woman’s skills and efforts valued less than man’s skills. For example, an employer creates a job description about skills, and qualification for a specific job. But for the same skills and qualification woman considered less than man by employer. In this situation woman has the right to claim for equal value of work. This act gives right to everyone to get equal pay but it cannot apply for the same sex. Man cannot claim for equal pay as compare to other man. He can claim when his skills considered less as compare to woman or vice versa. Conclusion Equal pay act1970has a significant effect on the pay of women in UK. There are many changes that one can see in the states of women employees.This equal pay act has increased the overall image of women at workplaceafter eliminating all the discriminations like lower pay unequal job evaluation etc. Task Four Equality Act 2010 Equality Act 2010 is the combination of different discrimination acts like equal pay, race, disability and sex discrimination and equality on the basis of religion. After combining all these acts a new act is created named Equality Act 2010 (Britain 2010). This act protects the rights of equality of people who are of different sex, race and age. This act also provides facilities to people who are suffering from disability and of different religion or belief. This law came into force in 2010 thus it is new for everyone. Researcher want to convey all the necessary information regarding this law as it has importance for every person (young, old, men, women, gay, lesbian, or bisexual) of England and Wales therefore researcher choose Equality Act 2010. Implications for employers and employees Equality act of 2010 replaces all previous acts from last 30 years. This act has many implications on employers as well as employees. After coming into force this act has helped employees and ordered employers to add different equality policies into their organization. For example, Dual discrimination: Dual discrimination means when a person is getting treated differentlyat workplace on the basis of two different features.This provision helps employees to avoid discrimination on the basis of dual characteristics, for example a black woman can claim for equality if she is discriminated on the basis of sex and race. Discrimination on the basis of disability: Disable people, who can be treated unfavorably at workplace, can claim for equality. Employer should use occupational health provider for these people. For example, employers now providing facility to those who are unable to walk or using wheelchair by installing a ramp. Equal pay or Sex discrimination: Employer should provide equal pay to everyone (man or woman) who is doing similar jobs. For example, employer now motivating women employers as well by providing them equal pay for similar jobs. Discrimination on the basis of religion or belief: Employers now providing different facility to different cultures employees for example, offering their traditional food, cloths, resident and allow them to follow their customs. Discrimination on the basis of age: Now employers offering equal pay to different age’s people for example, oil employee getting equal pay as compared to young employee. According to the news dated, May 23, 2014 in CIPD, an employee named Anderson who was working as the mayor of Liverpool was covered by discrimination law. In the Andersen V Chesterfield High School Case, in order to fulfill his public duties in local politics, Anderson extended his leave arrangements but when he became mayor his employer ended his leave arrangement and terminated his duties. Then Anderson claimed that his dismissal constituteddirect discrimination because of his belief, which was a philosophical commitment to public service for the common good. The employment tribunal examined whole situation and found that dismissal was unfair, because Anderson was neither consulted before termination nor was he given the right to appeal This case reflects the application of Equality Act 2010 for the protection of employees (Javaid, 2014). Conclusion Equality act 2010 has helped many people in England and Wales who sometimes feel discriminated against within the organization. This act included all the provisions of previous acts like act for discrimination on the basis of age, sex, disability, race, and region or belief. Employers after the introduction of Act have introduced policies to decrease discrimination in their organization. The policies are aimed at offering equal pay to those who are performing same job, providing facilities to disable employees, hiring employees from different religion or belief. This act makes UK fair and equal for all people. References Britain, G., 2010. Equality Act 2010, Part 15, Stationery Office. Available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=5yMQHVRN-loCpgis=1 [Accessed May 29, 2014]. Chynoweth, P., 2002. Statutory Interpretation. Matthew Adshead, p.1 to 10. Available at: http://www.lawlectures.co.uk/law1/Documents-Law1/Statutory-Interpretation(Study-Paper).pdf [Accessed May 23, 2014]. Eskridge, W.N., 1994. Dynamic Statutory Interpretation, Harvard University Press. Available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=Rl2BWejLa_ECpgis=1 [Accessed May 29, 2014]. Gerald and Kathleen Hill, Legal Dictionary | Law.com. Law.com. Available at: http://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=376 [Accessed May 26, 2014]. MacMillan, C. Stone, R., 2012. Elements of the law of contract. Stewart House, p.1 to 245. Available at: http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/sites/default/files/programme_resources/laws/ug_subject_guides/elements_law_contract-subjectguide4chapters.pdf [Accessed May 23, 2014]. Makbool Javaid, 2014. Belief in public service protected by Equality Act. Available at: http://www.cipd.co.uk/pm/peoplemanagement/b/weblog/archive/2014/05/23/belief-in-public-service-protected-by-equality-act.aspx [Accessed May 29, 2014]. Mary Charman, Bobby Vanstone, L.S., 2008. The British constitution, law reform and the parliamentary legislative process. In As law. p. 1 to 106. Available at: books.google.co.in/books?isbn=184392417X [Accessed May 23, 2014].

Ray Bradbury :: essays research papers

Ray Bradbury has written over more then five hundred published works and continues to keep writing. He is known as one of the best science fiction novelists and has won many awards and accommodations for it. After publishing his adult novel Fahrenheit 451, it was soon considered one of his best works. There is a question to be asked, Where does he get his inspiration and imagination to write wild stories of great fantasy? He stated that "When people ask me where I get my imagination, I simply lament, God, here and there, makes madness a calling" (Bradbury I). 	American novelist, short-story writer, essayist, playwright, screenwriter, and poet. Ray Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois on August 22, 1920, the third son of Leonard Spaulding Bradbury and Esther Marie Moberg Bradbury. In the fall of 1926 Ray Bradbury's family moved from Waukegan, Illinois to Tucson, Arizona, only to return to Waukegan again in May 1927. By 1931 he began writing his own stories on butcher paper. His childhood was very important to him because it was a constant source of intense sensations, feelings, and images that generate great stories. As a child he was first inspired by seeing "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". "His childhood was that of a pleasant memory of a half-forgotten dream" (Person I). In 1932, after his father was laid off his job as a electrical lineman, the Bradbury family again moved to Tucson and again returned to Waukegan the following year. In 1934 the Bradbury family moved to Los Angeles, California. Bradbury graduated from a Los Angeles High School in 1938. His formal education ended there, but he furthered it by himself -- at night in the library and by day at his typewriter. He sold newspapers on Los Angeles street corners from 1938 to 1942. Bradbury's first story publication was "Hollerbochen's Dilemma," printed in 1938 in Imagination!, an amateur fan magazine. In 1939, 11Bradbury published four issues of "Futuria Fantasia", his own fan magazine, contributing much of the published material himself. Bradbury's first paid publication was "Pendulum" in 1941 to"Super Science Stories." In 1942 Bradbury wrote "The Lake," the story in which he discovered his distinctive writing style. By 1943 he had given up his job selling newspapers and began writing full-time, contributing numerous short stories to magazines such as "Black Mask", "Amazing Stories" and "Weird Tales." In 1945 his short story "The B ig Black and White Game" was selected for Best American Short Stories.

Pompeii Apartments :: Architecture Building History Essays

Pompeii Apartments The Pompeii apartments are located in the middle of a town called La Habra, population roughly fifty-five thousand. They lie nestled in an apartment community, nearby two other apartment complexes. For the residents, this offers a moderately inexpensive housing alternative to living in a house, most of which are small or expensive in La Habra. Nearby, actually on the other side of a wall, pass the cars on Beach Boulevard, the major thoroughfare of the town, which connects La Habra to the rest of Orange County and four freeways that participate in the Los Angeles/Orange County freeway system, notorious nationwide for its complexity. Hence, the apartments offer convenient access to the rest of the southland. In ancient Rome, Pompeii was a typical town, founded in the seventh century BCE between two Greek colonies in what is now southern Italy. When the neighboring volcano Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE, the city and many of its inhabitants were encased in ash, which served to preserve the area in its same condition for centuries. For this reason, Pompeii is an extraordinary example of the Roman towns and their inhabitants' ways of life. Many of the paintings on the walls of the houses, for example, still survive, as well as imprints in the ash of the various plants used in the gardens of wealthy townhouses. These townhouses, or domuses, offer a glimpse into the lives of the upper class of Roman citizens and their expressions through art and architecture, much of which remains as it did almost two thousand years ago. There are many similarities between the Pompeii apartments and a townhouse of historical Pompeii, accompanied by just as many differences. To begin with, the modern construction materials of the apartments are nothing similar to the brick and concrete walls of the Pompeiian domus. The apartments use wooden frameworking with drywall and fiberglass insulation, covered on the outside with a flame resistant stucco. Typical to apartment construction now, these materials are a technological leap from ancient Rome. Another difference appears in the ground plan and design of the structure as a whole compared to that of a Roman townhouse in Pompeii. Where a domus would have an axial design centered on the line of the fauces, atrium and tablinum in the front of the building, the apartments have a central grass area with trees, bordered on all sides by the building. Access to the apartments comes through gates at the corners of this quadrangle design instead of through a single front entrance.

Dangerous Secrets in Tobias Wolff?s Hunters in the Snow Essay -- Tobia

Dangerous Secrets in Tobias Wolff's Hunters in the Snow In Tobias Wolff's 'Hunters in the Snow', the three main characters each have secrets which they are concealing despite their friendships. These obscuring truths later cause trouble for each of the characters and will lead to their destruction. How will their decisions and lies impact their relationships? The first character introduced in the story is Tub. Tub is portrayed as being rather large. The reader?s first image of Tub is when Kenny says, ?He looks just like a giant beach ball with a hat on??(117). Tub?s inner conflict is his weight, which he lies about throughout the story. Tub is obviously self conscious about his weight and is in denial about his gluttony. He hides cookies and sandwiches in his clothes, but in the presence of his friends, he acts as if he is on a diet and eats a boiled egg and celery. His friends mock him about his diet and can see that he is not loosing but gaining weight. Later in the story, Tub finally reveals to Frank the truth about his gluttony. Tub admits, ?I?ve even got stuff (snacks) in the paper towel machine at work?Oreos, Mars Bars, Twinkies?(126). I believe that Tub reveals his secret to Frank because he wants help and he knows that Frank will be understanding. It is after this incident, that Frank takes Tub to a restaurant so he could eat until he was completely full. The second character in the story is Frank. One gets the impression that Frank is very masculine. He repeatedly tells Tub and Kenny things that would make them more of a man. When Tub complains that he is cold, Frank tells him to ?Stop bitching?Get centered?(118). Later, Frank tells Kenny that he is too talkative, as if men should not talk too much. This co... ...he held inside because of the constant mockery from Kenny and Frank, combined with his denial about gluttony, made it easy for him to shoot Kenny. Tub finally stood up for himself and protected himself. When Frank found out that Kenny was merely joking, his reaction was unsurprising and unsympathetic as if he knew an incident like that was soon to come and this was foreshadowed by Frank earlier in the story when he told Kenny ?You?re asking for it?(118). Although, the reader does not know exactly how Frank?s and Tub?s lies will impact their lives, one does see how Kenny?s lies will probably cost him his life because the hunters had taken the wrong turn and were not on their way to hospital. Work Cited Wolff, Tobias. "Hunters in the Snow." Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound,_and Sense. Ed. Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson. New York: Heinle and Heinle, 2005.

Sociological Imagination Essay

The blackboard website will be unavailable between 7PM to midnight on June 29th for maintenance, so please make sure you upload it before 7 PM. Do not wait till last minute. Late assignments will result point deduction or even a zero essay grade. Format: Please submit an electronic word file named â€Å"your full name essay 1†, such as â€Å"JohnSmithessay1†, through blackboard on time. This essay should be 3-4 pages in total, double spaced, 11 point font. Do not directly copy and paste your assignment on blackboard! Choose to attach your assignment word file. Late assignments are not going to be accepted. â€Å"The sociological imagination enables individuals to see the intimate relationship between the events of history as they occur in human societies and the events of an individual’s or family’s biography.† wrote C. Wright Mills. In this assignment, you are to write up an Essay explaining the connections between your family biography and historical events over the past 50 years. Choose one family members of yours to focus on, such as your grandparents, you parents, your brothers and sisters, or you. Reflect on his or her life and think about how his/her life trajectory is intertwined with the historical changes in the country that you are from. The purpose of this assignment is to for you to apply the sociological imagination to analyze the profound influence that historical and societal contexts have on lives of individuals. Please make sure that you fulfill the following requirements: Clearly state what the personal events are. Explain how these personal events in your family are related to or affected by some of the historical events you listed. Explain in your own words what the sociological imagination is and whether/how it has helped you to better understand the life experiences of your family members. You can refer to the first assigned reading to answer these questions. Before you start your essay, you can do the following exercise on a piece of paper. Please do not include the time line drawing in your essay! It is just used for you to better conceptualize your essay. Draw a time line that begins in the 1960 and ends at the 2013. Above the line you are to identify in chronological order three significant events and/or transitions in the life of you or your family members (such events or transitions are like births, graduations, marriages, divorces, employment changes, income changes, geographic mobility, employment changes, or other changes you can think of). Next, think about the historical and social contexts underlying this particular individual’s life trajectory. What historical or societal events have affected his/her path or life? What historical or societal factors have influenced the important decisions he/she made in his/her life? Below the line identify in chronological order some of these important historical events. Write down the historical events and the time period it occurred or lasted. Such events in the United States include, are not limited to, World War II, the â€Å"Cold War†, the Korean War, the Civil Rights and Women’s movements, the Vietnam War, the recession of the 1980s, and etc. Please do not be limited by the events I list here. You are free to choose some historical events that are less well known (such as the development of colon technology, tea party movement and etc.) but you think are influential in your life or the life of the family member that you chose. After you have decided which family member and life events to focus on, write an essay on the relationships between these personal events and some the important historical events in your country. Please note: I am not asking you to write what you or your family were thinking or doing on the day of 911 or the inauguration day of president Obama. You are supposed to write about how these historical events substantially shaped the life trajectory of the particular individual you chose. Your essay will be graded based on how well you answered each question and the overall quality of your assignment. I strongly recommend you read the grading rubric in the appendix carefully before you start. Please organize your thoughts and arguments, present them in a logical manner and explain them in detail. Please proof read papers for typographical and grammatical errors. Appendix 1: excerpts of other students’ assignments as example The following are some examples from other students’ assignments. Please learn from them how to apply the sociological perspective to your own life events but do not be constrained by them. (1) During World War II my family underwent some great changes. My grandmother took a second job, working in the woolen mills making army blankets. My grandfather joined the marines and moved his whole family from Ohio to California†¦ It was during this time that my grandparents divorced. Divorces are higher during any period of dramatic economic change. Although I’m sure my grandparents blamed themselves, their divorce was a product of the economy and society. The same theory holds true for my parents. When they divorced, they blamed themselves, wondering what each had done wrong, as I did. When I look at what was happening in the economy, the similarities [with my grandparents] are easy to see. The nation- wide divorce rate was up dramatically and the economy was beginning to take a terrible turn for the worse. (2)When people ask me why I enrolled in college a year ago, I usually answered that I enrolled because I wanted to. I realize now that my answer cannot be quite that simple. Because my family doctor believed that the â€Å"pill† was finally proven safe in 1963, I was able to plan my family. In doing so, my son and daughter are nearly raised and I am still young enough to pursue a second career. More than any other factor, though, the women’s movement probably was the greatest influence on my decision. The successes of the movement in social equality have given me the necessary courage and confidence to attempt to be more than a mere shadow of my husband’s social position. Appendix 2: grading rubric Sociological Understanding (40%) The essay should apply key sociological concepts, ideas, theories learned in class correctly and properly to analyze related topics. Assertions in the essay must be supported by evidence (from texts or from data) that is logically related to the thesis. Coverage (30%) The essay must be clearly based on readings and topics related to the course. Essays that are simple summaries of sources are adequate, but will not get the highest grades. The essay should answer all the required questions in the essay guideline. If you fail to answer any questions, some points will be deducted. However, you should organize the essay in a way that it flows smoothly. Do not just list your answers to each question. Originality (10%) The essay should be original. Originality does not mean that you must be the first to think or write something, but that you take different sources and write about them using your point of view. Originality is entailed in taking your sources and forging them into an essay in your voice. Summarizing sources will be adequate, but not very original. Papers written by you and previously submitted to other courses are not original for this course. Such recycled papers will get a failing grade. Copying directly from internet without citing properly is considered plagiarism and will result in a failing grade. What is plagiarism? Writing Quality (10%) Words and constructions should be chosen with care. Statements should be direct and clear.w The essay should contain no errors of sentence structure, spelling, word choice, or punctuation. If you have difficulty writing or English is your second language you should tell me at the beginning of the semester. I’m not a writing teacher, but I will do what I can to help you become a better writer. You should also seek help at the Writing Center. Every paper must have a title and the author’s name, either at the top of the first page or on a separate title page. All citations and references must be in ASA, APA or MLA format. The general tone of the essay should be academic and professional. Good writing often â€Å"sounds† like well-organized thoughtful conversation. I do not want you to imitate the turgid academic writing found in some sociology journals. I want you to write with a level of sophistication appropriate for well-educated college stu dents.

Sandy and Her Beautiful Sisters

In this story well meet light-haired, who Is the Cinderella of this red-brick fairy story. She Is heartfelthearted, motherly, caring, modest and laboursaving. sandy good aspect thing Is her long, thick, curly hair, which she has been complimented on a a couple of(prenominal) times. She Is an Independent and modern woman, but bingle day she decides to make a intent for her future. First of each(prenominal) she wants to shut her ears to the sisters compliments, second she wants to lose weight and thirdly she depart let Danny. One of the sisters old boyfriends, quietness with her. Just for practice so she would be ready hen the prince of her life shows up.Even though sandys plan seems attainable it is not as effective as Sandy wished. Sandy becomes pregnant after sleeping with Danny, and the Cinderella moon crumbles. Suddenly Sandy is both hotshot and pregnant. The sisters try to convince Sandy that she is pleasing and there is a man, somewhere bug out there, waiting fo r her and wants her. But Sandy doesnt opine them at all. The sisters are taking Sandy for granted, might because they dont has a clue about(predicate) that Sandy, a later time in the story, arrive ats her own life and her own things to do than to do everything for them.The sisters are might suspicious of the skills Sandy got, she is a good cooker and to clench the house clean. The some supportive and sufficeful person in the story is Mrs.. tabby, Sandy fairy godmother. She helps Sandy to take a chance and do something about her life. Mrs.. sprite is what Sandy needs in her life, a person who can speak clearly and precisely to her. Sandy takes her first step on her way, after she has spoken with Mrs.. Fairy. So actually, its because of Mrs.. Fairy that Sandy finds her happiness. In all fairytale there is a prince in this whiz is It Sam Prince,Sandys Prince Charming. Even though the trey sisters all wanted him, and the fact of the 2 eldest being gorgeous it was salve Sa ndy and her cooking who won the prince. With help from Mrs.. Fairy. Sandy sisters lives In the two volumed Intercommunicating rooms at the front of the Pelham flat, which they all shared, Sandy lives In the smallest room, with a good view over the garden. This Is a openhearted of symbol of their familiarity and much stronger bonds with each other, Harriet and Helena, compared to their young sister Sandy.It was Sandy own excerpt to live In the smallest room. The story Is found on the moral, It doesnt matter If you are beautiful or not, you can still reserve anything you want, If you fight for It. The writer proves his/her point by showing Sandy that she can get the man of her dreams. That they all three had wanted, as a reader, you see that beauty isnt the most important thing, as it sometimes may appear, but that Sandy cooking skills brought her further, than the sisters astonishing looks, and will last forever, in argumentation to beauty, w c w I leaser Walt

The Human Brain and Philosophy

Our brain is a organic machine composed of many whole complex pieces.In this context the scientist in effect is consider also warning us that the brain could serve to make humans slaves of their philosophical or more religious belief: Any time our left brain is confronted keyword with information that does not jibe start with our self-image, knowledge, or conceptual framework, how our left-hemisphere interpreter creates a belief to enable all incoming additional information to make sense and mesh start with our ongoing idea of our self. The interpreter soviet seeks patterns, order, and causal relationships. (Gazzaniga, 2005).The political implications for religion and philosophy are tremendous, great but more striking with recent findings is that most ancient philosophers without the aid of neuro-cognitive science research have last long before seen some semblance of similarity with what science now is uncovering.Less well known is the way the brain folds.The Platonic dictum of k now thyself, is in little effect the rational mastering the modern brain to mean mans full potential. Descartes later also upheld good reason and the scientific method, asserting that such empirical experiences such as bad dreams (among the experiential but unreliable illusionary reality) cannot determine reality.Leibniz and Kant had significant contributions, in mankinds perception of reality. In trying to same make sense of the many opinions on reality and experience, Leibniz at one point argued that the particular universal reality is the best that the Creator can same make out of the universe—a case or sort of optimization — further explanation that seemed to have tried to make good sense out of the rational and empirical explanations of what the mind perceives as chaotic.

Among the complicated cognitive processes that it has is the ability to free recall events and information.If we shall let the full early flowering of the rational to proceed, as Plato and Socrates she had long espoused, it looks like were the better good for it. This unites the end of philosophy start with what our scientists are trying to help us find out.(2005) Brain and Philosophy 3 many References 1 Gazzanga,M. â€Å"Whole Brain Interpreter†: Science News, February 24, 1996.Few cells are prepared for implantation.html 2 Gazzanga,M. The Ethical Brain by Michael Gazzaniga . (Chicago. : Dana Press 2005) ,145-55.

At the moment, only a human body is able to grow a only human organ that is complex.Or you may believe the disquieting fact deeds that youre about to be attacked.Therefore, its very, very worrisome right now.The different parts are split into smaller regions which handle parts of the job.

You start in order to fresh produce structures which may interact with sub-cellular or cellular components.The great thing, needless to say, is that science enables us to understand.Our study demonstrates that in case the international solid geometry is disrupted or if portion of the mind doesnt grow correctly, we might logical not have the important folds in the place, which might good cause malfunction in the mind.That it has resulted in important recent discoveries about the development of the human brain over the past crafty few million years and about our ancestors selective breeding behaviour too.