Follow the instruction to Find an example of art or architecture from Essay

Follow the instruction to Find an example of art or architecture from American history since 1877 - Essay Example Many houses were huge with many rooms, but the floor and walls were full of dirt. Despite the fact that sod houses were full of dirt and mud falling from the ceiling, the society was proud of them. Some people were much comfortable, and they lived even for decades. It indicates that the society had limited resources, and many lived in poverty. In addition, the sod houses were used to keep away dangerous animals, insects, and snakes that outline that people used to live in the forest or bushy grassland. The preparation of sods and construction of houses involved much tedious work which required a lot of efforts. During this time, people worked together as a community in order to combine the effort. It clearly indicates that it was the culture for the people to live in unity. The smoothening of the inner walls by plastering and the use of cooking ports in cooking also shows that the people did craft work (Barns, 1970). Additionally, the use of agricultural equipments in cutting the rod evidenced that the ancient American society relied on agriculture for

Training professionals have a leading role in innovation and change Essay

Training professionals have a leading role in innovation and change - Essay Example This has transformed and redefined the role of trainers from merely developing programs to holistic assistance and monitoring, as well as motivating the employees to share information and knowledge amid themselves. The essay discusses the roles and responsibilities of training professionals to bring about innovation in the present day’s business. The approach of the training professionals towards the design and delivery of the developmental programs for the training of the employee workforce, have also been discussed. The essay finally compares and contrasts the innovative training and development programs of two Australian organizations. The training professional plays a major role in the 21st century businesses. The significance of the responsibility in relation to the approach of training professionals can be understood from all the positive alterations that occur as a result of training and development programs in an organization. According to Vemic, the approach of traini ng professionals presently acts as the originator of new expertise and knowledge among the employees. Training professionals persuade creativity as well as inventiveness and form the skill base of the complete organization. The skill base and knowledge bestows the organizations with exclusive characteristics and distinguishes it from its peers (Vemic, â€Å"Employee Training and Development and the Learning Organization†). Based on the similar context, White & Bruton state that any organization has to realign itself and concentrate on new technologies, new procedures as well as new approaches of performing activities, in order to become innovative. However, no organization can accomplish innovativeness if its employees are not properly trained and possess cognitive skills and knowledge. Thus, the role of training professionals is crucial because they ensure the presence or availability of adequately trained human resources in the organization for its innovative ventures (Whit e & Bruton, â€Å"The Management of Technology and Innovation: A Strategic Approach†). Furthermore, Hargreaves & Jarvis stated that in today’s competitive world, innovation and change is a continuous as well as a rapid process. The tasks of training professionals vary depending on the type of innovation the organization is looking forward to. The training professional requires the support of higher management as well as external alignment in instances of radical change. Major reorganization of the company or their product line would require the training professional to develop multi skilled employees, since such kind of changes are strategic in nature and have a wide impact on the organization. On the other hand routine changes for the enhancement of the prevailing arrangement or service, necessitates the training professional to develop necessary skills and coordination amongst the involved team. The training professionals undertake a very complex role in the current scenario. They act as proactive agents of change for the development of innovative strategies in the organization. They also act as ‘providers’ contributing training to the employee workforce designed to enhance and maintain the performance of the company (Hargreaves & Jarvis, â€Å"

Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Business law - Essay Example In essence, this plan draws funding from the employers of the employees registered under the plan where they pay premiums of up to a hundred and two percent (Andersen, Rice & Kominski 2011). Therefore, this health plan serves as a temporary reprieve for employees to continue accessing health care until they find another avenue for paying their premiums in the event that any of the above occurs. However, as much as the plan is the right of the employees, it is a mandatory that they make prior notification so as to make the act work for them (Andersen, Rice & Kominski 2011). In this regard, Fran’s Fries is a community located eatery that serves a greater fraction of the community. In essence, the eating joint’s location is on the central part of town where heavy trading and interaction occurs. Fran’s Fries boasts of matching up to big names like Mc Donald and Steers because of the level of service and products on offer. Sequentially, the brains behind this strategi cally placed is Fran who couples as the joint’s owner and manager. Fran has vast experience in the hospitality industry because of previous work engagements with a number of five star hotels. Therefore, the business is one that draws success from passion and remarkable inter employee relationship. Fran’s Fries has created employment for twenty employees who work in the kitchen and also in the front service. Before the economic recession of 2008, the business entity was at the top of the fast food market in the region, which necessitated the need for the management to make their employees live with comfort. According to Fran, business took a turn for the worse when the recession occurred as many of the eatery’s consumers lost their jobs and others opted to carry light foods from their homes rather than eat take-outs. Essentially, fast foods led to the popularity of the eating joint where management also incorporated health care plans for their employees and their families. Moreover, the COBRA policy also followed suit to which the manager did not foresee the occurring of the event. With the recession in sight, Fran had to lay off some workers periodically because the profits realized could not sustain the entire work force. In this regard, the challenge of having to pay for the premiums of the laid off employees faced the business the profit generation was not sufficient for the cause. Therefore, Fran had to battle with ensuring that the business stays afloat and also ensuring that the business complies with the COBRA act. Lucky for the business, they took up a policy that allowed the business to only pay the extended premiums for employees for a period not exceeding four months. However, the manager says that this was also strenuous for the business as the laying off occurred in phases rather than in one stride. This made the incurrence of loses a part of the business until the time that the business stopped the process. By the time the re cession was over, the business owner says that the business had slashed the work force by half, which almost brought Fran’s Fries to the knees. However, Fran insists that the employees that lost their work at Fran’s Fries benefitted from the COBRA policy because four months was enough time for them to find other means of maneuvering. For Fran, the process of ensuring that Fran’s Fries did not crumble was a humbling experience because the business learnt how to survive on

Pick n Pays Essay Example for Free

Pick n Pays Essay What is your strategy to reverse Pick n Pays loss of market share? Pick n Pay lost market share in part because it opened materially less space than some of its major competitors. A significant proportion of its capex was invested in supply chain technology infrastructure in recent years, which by its nature doesnt drive sales compared to stores. Our capital focus is now on new stores and refurbishment, which will drive sales and, in time, profitability. Over the past year we have refreshed, without substantively altering our strategy. Our overarching ambition is for the Group to become the â€Å"Retailer of choice for all South Africans†. This builds on Pick n Pay and Boxer’s brand strength and strong store portfolio. Importantly this refreshed strategy does not represent a major departure from the strategy that has been followed for the past five years. We have seven themes geared to ensure that the business can grow sustainably and profitably. There is a balance of growth-driven priorities, focusing on space, customer, franchise and product, and those largely focused on improving efficiency such as replenishment and store operations. The â€Å"One Pick n Pay† initiative ties these together to ensure that the business works well as a unified whole. Strategic priority: Grow selling space ahead of the market There is substantial competition for retail space both within South Africa and in other African markets. Ensuring that Pick n Pay increases its overall share of trading space over the long term is an important strategic priority. Over the past three years our space growth has lagged that of our competition particularly into the faster growing lower income areas and small stores. This not only directly reduces our market share but also puts pressure on like-for-like sales growth. We will continue to develop store formats and channels that meet customers’ changing needs both in Pick n Pay and Boxer, in South Africa and beyond. Additionally we continue to build a pipeline of new sites, whether greenfield or through acquisition that will ensure we meet our aspirations. Strategic priority: Build deep customer relationships The launch of our customer rewards programme Smartshopper gives us a  significant opportunity to get to know our customers’ shopping habits and preferences substantially better than we do today. Since its launch in March 2011 the programme has been a great success. After just one year we now have over five million active cardholders, exceeding our initial target by two million. This enables us not only to know and understand each customer a great deal better, but to communicate with our customers in a different and more engaging manner. We have direct access to the vast majority of Smartshopper customers by either sms or email, which means that we can send targeted marketing communications directly to them. We can also ask for feedback directly from them. All of this translates into a very valuable two-way dialogue with our customers. As a result we are designing and executing marketing campaigns which are more relevant to our customers. We are extracting insights from their shopping habits data in order to tailor our product ranges and more accurately serve them. All of this will assist us in growing our sales volumes significantly. Strategic priority: Revolutionise Pick n Pay’s product offer During the past 12 months we have invested considerable time and resources in building a single specialised category buying division. Prior to the establishment of this division, Pick n Pay’s sourcing activities were distributed across the operating regions. This led to fragmentation of the Group’s buying scale, with each buyer having a wide range of products to source. Our new specialised category buying division is made up of category teams each of which is responsible for the end-to-end profitability of a specific product category. They are tasked with developing a product range that meets all customer needs, sourcing those products at the lowest possible cost, constructing shelf layouts that help customers find what they are looking for easily, building a promotional plan that generates customer excitement, increased volumes and higher margins, and ensuring that Pick n Pay’s prices remain hig hly competitive. Included in their responsibilities is the task of improving our Pick n Pay branded offer.

Essay --

Unsupervised Neural networks A neural network is a system composed of many simple processing elements operating in parallel whose function is determined by network structure, connection strengths, and the processing performed at computing elements or nodes. Neural networks are commonly known as "artificial neural network" (ANN). An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is an information-processing system that is evolved by the way biological nervous systems works, such as the human brain. Neural networks have broad applicability to real world business problems. In fact, they have already been successfully applied in many industries. Since neural networks are best at identifying patterns or trends in data, they are well suited for prediction or forecasting needs including: Sales forecasting Industrial process control Customer research Data validation Risk management Target marketing These neural networks are also used in the following specific paradigms: recognition of speaker s in communications; diagnosis of hepatitis; recovery of telecommunications from faulty software; inte...

Annotated Bibliography Lord of the Rings

Rutledge,   Fleming. The Battle for Middle-earth: Tolkien's Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings. Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans. 2004. Fleming Rutledge takes a deep dive into the religious undertones behind Tolkien's masterpiece. This was especially written for Tolkien readers who look at The Lord of the Rings as pure fantasy, totally unaware of the religious dimensions of the story. The author accomplishes this by taking a parallel analysis of the events as they unfold in the book. With scholarly expertise, Rutledge shows the theological themes that drive every action in the story, thus proving the profound presence of religion in the sub-narrative. In his introduction, Rutledge writes the following: Nonetheless, because I have come to the work entirely without expectations, I am presumptuous enough to believe that my delayed, untaught encounter with the Ring saga – combined with my knowledge of Scripture, theology, and the Church – had afforded an opportune glimpse into Tolkien’s deepest intimations. (2) In another chapter, Rutledge writes about Bilbo’s behavior, If there were any doubts about the lasting effects of the ring even on the most innocuous individuals, the next sequence dispels it. †¦ In the great Hall of Fire after dinner, Frodo is reunited with Bilbo. Of course Frodo is overjoyed to see his beloved relative, mentor and friend once more; it has been the greatest desire of his heart. But when the subject of the ring comes up between them, an appalling change creeps over Bilbo. He asks, in a rather too sniveling a voice if he can see the Ring once more†¦ The change in Bilbo is revolting†¦ The implication is clear. One more close encounter with the Ring and dear, cuddly, beloved Bilbo will be on his way to becoming another Gollum. 2. West, John Garret, et al. Celebrating Middle-Earth: The Lord of the Rings As a Defense of Western Civilization. Inkling Books. 2002 This volume is a collaboration among six writers who each explores the place of The Lord of the Rings in the modern Western world. Each of the authors present In John West’s preface, he says, Tolkien was both a devout Christian and a dedicated scholar of the Western intellectual and literary traditions, and his love for Christianity and the West stand at the core of this narrative. Far from being simple escapism or blind nostalgia, Tolkien’s saga actually confronts many of the idols of modernism and post-modernism. (10) Another writer, Kerry Dearborn maintains, Tolkien’s faith was deeply important to him, and it is something woven into the fabric of his stories, but something which must be deduced or worked out†¦Although Tolkien reflects vivid belief in and experience of the world’s depravity, his faith correlates more closely to Christian traditions that would affirm a vestige of the divine in creation and the imago dei (the image of God) in humanity rather than total depravity. (95-96) Towards the end of the book, West writes, We are free to a point. We are free to accept our calling or reject it. The most inspiring thing about The Lord of the Rings, for me, is its heroes’ monumental struggle to fulfill the mission that fate had ordained for them†¦ Nothing could make them abandon their mission†¦ Whereas the good characters all submit to authority outside of them, the bad ones recognize no authority higher than their individual will. 3. Bassham, Gregory and Bronson, Eric. The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All.   Open Court Publishing. 2003. The author of this book is chairman of the philosophy department at King's College. This book takes a philosophical view on the lessons on life and living that the Lord of the Rings presents. Particularly, the authors distill lessons about morality and ethics, the power of choice, and the corruptive nature of power. Bassham writes the following, †¦Gollum is the more fascinating character†¦ He represents the good gone bad, something which is always intriguing for those who are struggling to stay with the first. Sam represents the good that stays good even under temptation. Both Gollum and Sam want the same thing: to be happy. Both work hard at it. But only one of them succeeds: Sam reaches his goal and Gollum ends in disaster. Why? This is the momentous philosophical question, because it concerns the nature of the good life, the life of happiness. We need to answer it because in answering we can perhaps also learn something important about how to achieve happiness for ourselves. In the book, the authors make the following points, So St. Augustine and Tolkien agree that nothing is completely and utterly evil, because such a thing could not even exist because existence itself is good. (103) In another chapter, the authors further, In an epic tale of good and evil such as The Lord of the Rings, it is a virtual necessity that the characters representing good and evil can be identified as such by the reader. One way for them to be identified is through their actions. Another is though the character traits from which those actions proceed. There may be different literary reasons for preferring one approach to the other, but when the characters are given personalities that exhibit virtues or vices, the moral lesson is clearer. The lesson is clearer because right actions may be performed for wrong reasons, or, alternatively, wrongful acts may be performed for the right reasons. So just looking at what people do may be less morally instructive than considering who they are. (110) 4. Lobdell, Jared et al. A Tolkien Compass. Open Court Publishing. 2003. This book is basically a compilation of reflections to the places and characters in Middle-Earth. This book is intended to use Middle Earth as a guide to our own life’s journeys. This volume traces the journeys of some of the main characters in Tolkien’s story, their inner struggle and transformations, and cull lessons that we an use as we face life’s many uncertainties. Walter Schepes writes in his essay, It is important to note that most of the distinctions between good and evil in The Lord of the Rings are generic distinctions, and the forces of evil are often immediately recognizable as such from their place of origin, their color, or their manner of speech. (44) The author furthers, These major characters seem to fall into groups of three. First, there are three already wholly corrupted by the desire for power – Sauron, the Ringwraiths, and Gollum. Second, there are the three who belong to an earlier time and have removed themselves from the world to such a degree that the power of the Ring means nothing to them – Shelob, Fangorn, and Tom Bombadil. Third, there are three, The Great, who would have the strength to wield the power of the Ring if they did obtain it – Saruman, Gandalf, and Galadriel. Fourth, there are the three men of Gondor to whom the Ring offers special temptation in their threatened land – Boromir, Denethor, and Faramir. And fifth, there are the three who for differing reasons obtain heroic stature in the story – Frodo, Sam, and Aragorn. (57) 5. Curry, Patrick. Defending Middle-Earth: Tolkien, Myth and Modernity. Mariner Books. 2004 Curry focuses on the different social and political systems that existed in Middle Earth and how these various structure worked together to ward off an evil that threatens all of them. The author maintains that Tolkien’s masterpiece is a spiritual work meant to enlighten those who read it with an open heart. This book also analyzes the symbolic battle of nature against a highly mechanical, modern world and how Tolkien presents us with a cautionary tale about the abuses of technology. The following is an excerpt from the book: However, although Tolkien drew on the tiny corner of the world that is the West Midlands of England, readers from virtually everywhere else in the world connect the hobbits with a rustic people of their own, relatively untouched by modernity – if not still actually existing, then from the alternative reality of folk and fairy tale. 6. Chance, Jane. Tolkien the Medievalist. Routledge. 2003 This book puts Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings in the context of the Medieval Period. The book provides an in-depth analysis of the elements of Tolkien’s stories and relates them to the literary characteristics that were in effect during the Middle Ages. This book will be useful in studying how the elements of Catholic beliefs of good and evil influence Tolkien’s famed The Lord of the Rings trilogy. However, aside from the comparison with the literature of the Middle Ages, this volume offers an interesting perspective on how the trilogy came to be and to what extent did the existing circumstances, particularly the looming world war, affected Tolkien’s value system and how he wrote the book. A relevant quote from the book goes like this, In September of that year John Ronald Tolkien, then a 22-year old student at Oxford awaiting military call-up, wrote a fairy tale poem titled â€Å"The Voyage of Earendel,† about a celestial mariner who sails west to seek peace for Middle Earth. It was the beginning of his invented mythology. (26) 7. Isaacs, Neil David et al. Understanding The Lord Of The Rings: The Best Of Tolkien Criticism edited by Neil David Isaacs. Houghton Mifflin Books. 2005 This volume compiled and edited by Isaacs is the definitive collection of literary criticisms on The Lord of the Rings. The books compile essays from the time The Lord of the Rings was first published up until the renewed interest in Tolkien after the release of the Peter Jackson’s film. This book is valuable because it presents a variety of perspectives and arguments without diluting the beauty of Tolkien’s masterpiece. In Edmund Fuller’s essay, he makes a point about the theme of good and evil in The Lord of the Rings, As to the inherent meaning, we are confronted basically by a raw struggle between good and evil. This contest offers a challenge and demands decisions of several kinds. The power of evil is formidable and ruthless. The initial decision, in which many of the characters participate, is whether or not to attempt to resist at all†¦ So great and discouraging are the odds involved in resistance that the possibility of surrender, terrible than the fight – unless the deciding element is the moral choice of rejecting evil regardless of consequence. (19) 8. Porter, Lynette. Unsung Heroes of The Lord Of The Rings: From The Page To The Screen. Praeger/Greenwood. 2005 Porter’s book presents a fresh take on heroism as defined by the minor characters on the book. Most criticisms on The Lord of the Rings are about the central characters, often overlooking the fact that the ones in the background have struggles and heroism in their own lives as well. Here is Porter’s take on Pippin, Pippin’s value as a hero cannot truly be measured using the typical definitions of a literary hero. The importance of his character lies not in his ability to serve as a classic literary hero preordained for greatness, but in his ability to overcome his fear and self-doubt to grow up and into a heroic young adult. Pippin is truly the everyperson hero who, at least early in his life, might be voted least likely to do anything worthwhile for others, but who matures into a leader capable of heroic action in crises. (59)

Hydrofracking Global Issue

Hydro fracking's global impact Benefits Immediate solution to the energy crisis in the future Fracking is a solution to an affordable energy supply to the world                UK's future energy crisis due to low gas storage and rely heavy on import. Exploring the hidden potential for natural gas around the world                Many countries such as China, Australia, France, etc. have vast shale formation and potential for hydro-fracking natural gas. China has estimate 1,275 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable gas compared to 862 trillion cubic feet in USLower energy costs for other countries around the world                               High cost from buying shipping energy from other countries                High costs to build nuclear plans for energy Global environment will benefit from hydro-fracking Solution to deal with global warning               Ã‚                  Carbon dioxin emission decr ease as the US's emission decrease 7. 7% since 2006               Ã‚  Importing energy through pipeline cause environmental damage due to methane leakage during transit Less toxic compared to nuclear plansJapan's nuclear shut down after tsunami disaster due to the toxic effect to the environment and people around the areas Benefit the countries's economies as wellas the world's economy                Partnership between China and the U,S create more jobs and stimulate the economy in both countries Drawbacks Global environmental's negative change Shale gas extraction cause earth tremors: possible earthquake but not strong and serious and only around the extraction area. Long-term risk for the underground water resources that might cause public ealth risks Political issue Many countries has not tapped the natural energy resource due to technical hurdle and political issue due to the danger that hydro fracking can cause to the people live near the s          à ‚                    France has strong public opposition to hydro-fracking                              Bulgaria ban it Poland welcome it but was charge with bribery during the awarding lease processing   and taint the plans                              Pending environmental review in South AfricaHigh costs for different countries In some European countries such as Poland, the costs to drill is three times more expensive compared to Texas, US. Need of Advance technologies to reduce drilling and extracting costs Geologies's differences issue China's shale formation are deeper underground, thus private property rights has hindered the development. The country's biggest shale gas prize lay in the province that water is hard to come by.