Compare the ways Harper Lee and RL Stevenson present towns of Maycomb and London in their novels Essay

Harper Lee and Robert Louis Stevenson use two very different towns to provide the setting for their novels. Harper Lee sets â€Å"To Kill A Mocking Bird† in Maycomb in the Southern states of America in the 1930s. Robert Louis Stevenson sets â€Å"Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde† in Victorian London. Although these are two very different social settings at two different times in history, there are both similarities and some contrasts in the way the authors use a sense of place to develop the main themes of their stories and to provide an appropriate world for the characters they create. In this essay I will explore some of the ways in which they do this. Maycomb is described in the book as † a tired old town†. There is a main square and a county court house. The main family in the book the Finches live on the main residential street. They sit out on their front porches in summer and Lee gives us a feeling of a closely-knit community where everybody knows everything about one another, or so they think.. She goes on to show later that all is not as idyllic as it seems at first on the surface. In contrast, the London that Stevenson portrays in â€Å"Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde† is seen as a big, distant and impersonal community where there seems to be a lot of conflict and discomfort between the characters and, in particular, the social classes as they go about their everyday lives. Stevenson describes the streets in London as dirty, narrow and winding and the buildings as dark and oppressive to create a depressing atmosphere and provide a backdrop of gloom and evil for Stevenson’s story. The characters in â€Å"To kill a Mocking Bird† overall seem on the surface to be good, honest hard-working people who are friendly and take everyday problems in their stride. This conceals, however, a deeply engrained hatred towards Negroes and their way of life based on prejudice. Basically, everybody in Maycomb, with a few exceptions, is racist, looks at blacks as inferior to themselves and treats them badly by giving them the hardest manual jobs with the lowest pay. This deep division in the community is reflected in the physical segregation of black from white, with the blacks living in their own poor housing apart from the whites. In Stevenson’s London, there is also a sense of social division, but this time it is between rich and poor. Colour is replaced by social class to separate out the different parts of the community. â€Å"In To Kill a Mocking Bird† The Finch Family provide some of the central characters. Atticus, father to Jem and Scout is a good lawyer and a well-respected leader of the community whom many people look up to and respect his views especially his children Jem and Scout who he tries to teach them from what is right from what is wrong by teaching them important morals. In Particular, he won’t tolerate racism and sees it as a destructive dividing line, which shouldn’t exist. An example in the book of racial discrimination is that Negroes had few educational opportunities. Calpurnia taught her son Zeebo to read from the bible and a law book. Zeebo’s job (Dustman) shows the limited job prospects for blacks but Zeebo considers his job as a good job for a Negro. This shows how far Negroes were down the social spectrum and that they accepted their lowly social position and had low expectations. The white people also do not question this social status quo as they feel superior. At the Missionary tea party all the ladies enjoy Calpurnia’s cooking but they treat Calpurnia as if she’s not even there, showing no recognition towards her. All through the book Blacks were constantly derided and insulted, referred to as â€Å"niggers† and practically viewed as immoral and potentially criminal. The tensions which arise from this relationship between black and white in Maycomb is a main theme throughout the book. There is a dividing line when it comes to social class in Maycomb, with different types of people seen as inferior to others i.e. blacks, and the poor whites. The people who are seen as poor and inferior are usually the ones that do a lot of the hard working manual jobs to satisfy and provide for other member s of the community. Another poor community in Maycomb is the Cunninghams, who are all farmers and the Euells who are really poor and live next to the dump yard. The Negroes are seen as lower down the social spectrum even than the embarrassment to the town (The Euells). What at first sight seems to be an ordinary town full of respectable moral people is gradually revealed to be full of spite and prejudice. Harper Lee uses the layout of the town and the contrast between living conditions to emphasise this point. The people in Maycomb who are well off are the people with the good jobs and the power to govern the town. There is also a theme of social division in Jekyll and Hyde with things not always as respectable as they seem. â€Å"Jekyll and Hyde.† There is an upper class of people who have good, well-paid and respectable jobs just like Jekyll who was a doctor and Utterson who was a lawyer. Both had wealth and nice houses. But, there are two sides to the matter. Although seeming respectable, Jekyll was not happy with his life, He even called upon prostitution to satisfy his needs, Even that wasn’t enough and he used his position as a doctor to make up a concoction to change his physical appearance for a short amount of time so that he could experience what it would be like to be different and poor on the murky streets of London. The weather in â€Å"To Kill a Mocking Bird† is used to reflect the mood the town is in, and where the town is positioned it is usually very hot a lot of the time. Often, when the weather is described as hot in the book there is usually some kind of confrontation going on or some sort of tension thus symbolising conflict. Lee also uses the changing seasons to emphasis some of the points she wishes to make. When the weather is described as autumn it gives the impression of a dull grey period. When it’s winter in the book it says it snows and that it doesn’t snow ever. This brings in a kind of mystical cold sensation, which is linked in with Boo Radley. When winter turns to spring it emphasis new life and a warm comfortable feeling. All these different seasons are used to represent the act of time passing and each season represents different events which occur in the novel. The weather in London is somewhat of a strange atmosphere. It is described as a lot of the time as being foggy and murky, givingus the impression of a cold and dark situation occurring, London is basically being described as depressing and dangerous which causes tension and disturbance. Stevenson perhapsused the fog to hide the surroundings or to make it hazy like it is not quite all there, â€Å"the next moment the fog settled down again upon that port† but beyond the fog shows the true picture. The fog is merely there to create a sense of duplicity, that there is more than one side to everything. By Stevenson using such dramatic atmospheric devices, he wanted to show the readers that not everything is what it seems on the outside, you have to look twice to see the reality. In â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird† Maycomb the sleepy little town seems to have a very warm sense of community and friendship among the locals. The houses in Maycomb are fairly straight forward, basic and overall very adequate situated fairly close together to give a close feel of a community but they also have their privacy. Some people don’t like the insides of their houses for example, Miss Maudie who lives next door to Atticus Jem and Scout absolutely hates being cooped up inside all the time she detests it greatly and finds the great out doors more her kind of thing as she spends most of her time outside in her beautiful garden. To contrast with this, there are some people who just stay inside all day every day for example Boo Radley who doesn’t go out at all. In fact, he hadn’t been seen for many years outside he just observes and watches life past by. Lee uses this contrast between inside and outside to good effect to emphasise things about her charact ers and add depth to their characterisation. In â€Å"Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde† London the busy, vibrant, gloomy city has a very distant sense of community and friendship. The houses in Victorian London are described as being dark and pretty derelict on the outside but on the inside it shows a different interpretation of the interior, which is stylish, and a big contrast to the exterior. For example in the inside of Jekyll’s house Stevenson describes â€Å"a bright open fire, and furnished with costly cabinets of oak.† This gives us the impression that Jekyll is well off. The front of Jeykll’s house is really grand and elegant, and fits a successful man, whereas the back is a total contrast to the front. The back is really dingy and dirt- ridden and you would expect an unemployed tramp to live there. Stevenson uses this contrast to show us two sides to Jekyll’s house and two sides to him, the good side (the front) where Jekyll goes in and looks respectable and the bad side (the back) where Hyde comes out and represents evil. This shows that the duplicity in Jekyll/Hyde is reflected in the house, a respectable â€Å"front† conceals a sinister and dark â€Å"back†. Stevenson shows us through this device that everything is not always as it seems. This difference between what something seems to be on the surface and what it is really like is also a theme in â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird†. Maycomb seems like a tiresome little town where not much action or politics ever happens and that everybody gets on and lives in harmony. However, the outside is not always what it seems and there is a lot of hidden conflict among the townsfolk. They are very intolerant of anything or anybody who is different to what they in their small-minded way think of as â€Å"normal†. For example, Boo Radley, who never goes outside, was dubbed as a â€Å"monster† by the kids who live in the town. Also Dolphus Raymond, who lives with a black women and has â€Å"All sorts of mixed children†, people think that he drinks whisky from the bag he carries round all day and he is labelled an â€Å"evil man†. The truth is he doesn’t drink whisky all day, he gives that impression because the townsfolk of Maycomb could never understand why he lives his life like he does and he gives them a reason to hate him by pretending to be a drunkard. These two people show the harsh reality of people’s beliefs in Maycomb and how they label people because they’re different or associated with other people that are seen as immoral and wrong. For example, when Miss Gates comments on the importance of democracy and discusses Hitler’s wrong doings of persecuting the Jews as being immoral and pathetic, she later demonstrates some of the same prejudice complaining that â€Å"Negroes are getting way above themselves†. Lee illustrates Miss Gates’ hypocrisy from talking about Hitler’s wrong doings and commenting that it is wrong she later does basically the same to Negroes as Hitler did to the Jews. Lee uses examples like this to show that, basically, lots of the p eople in Maycomb were two-faced and could not see the wrong in undermining the Negroes, which shows their total hypocrisy. The true harsh reality in Maycomb was that nearly everyone was racist with a few exceptions and that the people didn’t like anything to be different from what was considered â€Å"normal† life. In this essay I have explored briefly some of the main themes running through â€Å"Jekyll and Hyde† and â€Å"To kill a Mocking Bird.† In both novels everything is not what it appears to be on the surface. The people who live in the worlds of these novels are not always what they seem. There is deep social division and tension in the two communities that leads to conflict and a clash between good and evil. Stevenson and Lee use the geography of London and Maycomb, their climates and their social settings to put over their themes. They use these places to give their novels atmosphere and to create an appropriate setting for there characters. They use their towns effectively to reinforce their main messages. Stevenson uses London to expose some of the hypocrisies of Victorian life where respectable people often exploited the poor. Lee uses Maycomb to challenge racial prejudice and intolerance of people who are different at a time when the civil rights movement in America was beginning to gather momentum.

The Ideal Vacation Getaway Essay

When thinking of vacations, thousands of destinations storm the brain. Many do not rank their top vacation destinations, but the ideal vacation destination is one almost all are familiar with, the Bahamas. The ideal vacation would be a trip to the Bahamas, alone. One may think to themselves, why the Bahamas? The Bahamas is the perfect vacation getaway with many exclusive attractions, to name just one, the amazing beaches. The Bahamas have world renowned beaches. The beaches have the clearest waters on Earth, not to mention the cleanest. While at the beaches one can enjoy jet skiing on the crystal clear waters in the blazing hot weather. After a long day at the beach, visitors can enjoy the toothsome and mouth watering traditional food during their stay in the Bahamas. It is said that food in Bahamas is never bland, especially entrees like Rock Lobster, is a favourite among visitors. One can enjoy the special soup Sousse as a great appetizer, containing oxtail and chicken. Read more: Dream vacations essay The Bahamas specialize in coconut based desserts such as coconut tarts, cakes, puddings, pies. custards and even special ice cream. These desserts are very popular amongst visitors and natives of the land. Lastly, one should voyage on this trip to the Bahamas alone. Having family along is no problem, but when one is alone they will meet new people, create new memories and make new friends. Going alone to the Bahamas would mean leaving ones stressful life behind and forget about the worries back home. The visitor would truly enjoy the experience of not having to worry about anyone but themselves on their trip. In conclusion, the world renown beaches, traditional food and opportunity to travel alone are just a few of the reasons why a trip to the Bahamas would be ideal. One would have to experience firsthand to uncover what else the Bahamas has in store for them.

1984 Essays (1274 words) - Nineteen Eighty-Four, Julia, Telescreen

1984 It has always been man?s dream to see and understand the future in an attempt to prepare himself for events which will eventually unfold. This hope is the premise for futuristic novels like George Orwell?s 1984, which, step by step, moves through the life of a rebellious citizen trapped in a world of deceit and propaganda. Very few people have been exposed to such a treacherous environment as Oceania, where Winston, the main character, resides. Therefore, it was necessary for the author to interject certain literary devices to allow for the ability to better relate to a character in Winston?s situation. To accomplish this, Orwell utilizes the theme of individuality versus tyranny, foreshadowing, and irony, in order to fully extract all possible motives behind Winston?s actions. Many countries, such as the United States, are founded on principles of individuality reigning over tyranny, more specifically, the freedom of choice. However, in the futuristic Oceania, run by ?Big Brother?, such freedom and individuality is, for the most part, completely suspended. To act impulsively, or choose to oppose Big Brother, is a ?thoughtcrime? of dire consequence. This is the basis behind the Inner Party?s control of Oceania. Winston however, from the commencement of the novel, showed that he was not willing to conform to such a tyrannical society. From his writing ?DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER? in his diary as the novel opened, to his relationship with Julia, which was considered sexcrime in Oceania, Winston proved his thoughts were antiparallel to those of the Inner Party. The fact that Winston was so ready to rebel was quite courageous in that he knew people who opposed The Party, or were to educated, like Syme, were vaporized. The members of the Inner Party recognized the ab ilities of an educated man to see through the propaganda of Oceania, and would therefore tolerate nothing but ignorance. Winston, however, continued to oppose the state, and commited, in many ways, both thoughtcrime and sexcrime. He joined the Brotherhood, run by Oceania?s first public enemy, Goldstein, and even reads a book published by the man. This action follows Winston?s open attempt to befriend O?Brien in a society which would not condone such outward behavior. The reasoning behind the condemnation of friendship was that it was believed that friendship could lead to alliances that would threaten the reign of the Inner Party. Winston?s barrage of individualistic actions lead The Party to arrest him, as they witnessed his actions from a hidden telescreen behind a picture. Mr. Charrington, the local store manager, who appeared rather genuine, led the arrest, for he was a member of the unknown thoughtpolice. Julia is killed, and Winston is taken by the thoughtpolice to the ministr y of love, where he is to be held for his crimes. As is the basis for futuristic novels such as 1984, Orwell foreshadows much of the events that occur, through vague or inanimate objects. The most noticeable device for foreshadowing was Winston?s dream of the Golden place with fields and rays of light, a basic human paradise. Such a place foreshadows Winston?s capture and incarceration in the Ministry of Love which is a large white building with strong lights continuously beating down upon its inmates. One of the largest symbols in the novel was the breaking of the globe, which can be interpreted in many fashions. One of which is the foreshadowing of the destruction of Winston?s world, as portrayed through the murder of Julia and his capture by the thoughtpolice. Goldstein?s book also is a mechanism by which Orwell foreshadows eventual occurrences in the novel. Such an object, absolutely illegal in Oceania, foreshadows the Winston?s final steps before his capture, authorized by the Inner Party. Other instances, separate from the sec ond book, are also applied for foreshadowing. Winston?s relationship with the prostitute, portraying his search for human companionship, form a preconceived notion of his relationship with Julia and his befriending of O?Brien. These two actions are perhaps, Winston?s two greatest violations against the laws set forth by the Inner Party. Though the theme of individuality versus tyranny and the use of foreshadowing are essential literary devices, it is the application of irony that truly makes the novel a masterpiece. Many ironic events occur during the

Bridge building Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Bridge building - Essay Example However, some simple bridges are set on the ground without first installation of the supporting systems it is of importance to note that when this is done underground preparation has to be done. Every edge of the bridge is always tested to make sure that there is stability. Shoring and underpinning techniques are important to ensure that we come up with a stable bridge. For more stability, excavation of the soil as well as the backfilling of the soil is important however, it is not necessary. Piers are always laced vertically on the edges of the bridge to make sure that the bridge gets the correct support. To make these piers, we can use a range of materials ranging from masonry, steel, or concrete and to ensure that the base is stable, we have to embed it with concrete. Building the bridge When building a beam bridge, the bridge span is always made at a different place and then transported to the area where the bridge is to be made. The bridge is made by bringing together two concre te or steel girders that get support from some decking materials. To add weight, the bridges are made with grudges, which comprise solid beams and built with trusses that are webbed to provide support. A crane is then used to lift the bridge to the supports then it is welded to ensure that the bridge is firm. ... In a well made beam bridge, the forces do not exist. The main risk that may be found here is the accidental collapse of the bridge in case the bridge is not correctly placed on the supports, this leads to the bridge collapsing on the ground due to lack of support. To prevent this, ground engineers are useful in ensuring that the bridge is correctly placed on the supports. There are a number of considerations that have to be put in place to ensure that the construction is economically feasible as well as being environmentally friendly. First the bridge has to be made of materials that are not soluble in water since some of these bridges are placed above water channels and if the materials are water soluble then it will pollute the water below. We also have to weigh the costs of the materials to ensure that we use the cheapest materials that are available in the market. And all in all the workers have to know the right proportions of the materials that they are using so that there is n o wastage that occurs in the making of the bridges. Bolting The best bolting technique for this particular bridge is the shear connection method. In this type of bolting, a central plate is made to align with the central beam so that a hole is drilled inside it for the bolt to b able to get into it. To attach the shear connection, we use standard bolts shear bolts. Arch bridges Construction Construction of the arch bridge starts with the designing of the bridge. When designing, you have to have the arch and the roadway in the mind. Most of the known arches are found under the road, however it is important to know that some arches exists such that roads pass through them. All these have to be kept in mind during the design method. After the design, we have to prepare and

Human genetic enhancement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human genetic enhancement - Essay Example The introduced genes may support the normal genes and enhance certain traits and this also provides solution to many human genetic or phenotypic disorders such as short height etc. However, the implementation of the technology on humans have raised a number of ethical concerns since it alters nature’s selection and destroys the original identity of the person who is being bio-enhanced even though the same technology maybe beneficial is used knowledgably and hence the U.S policy makers must keep a number of things in mind before adjusting the limit to which genetic enhancement maybe allowed. The President of America has ordered the removal of all limitations on the research involving stem cell technologies since the field is deemed promising and the research of â€Å"human embryonic cells and human non-embryonic cells has the potential to lead to better understanding and treatment of many disabling disease and conditions† (The President,2009, 10667). This has enable rese arch endeavor in the field of enhancement however, this is deemed â€Å"interfering† and â€Å"unethical†. In the framework of human rights, each individual has the right to his or her own genetic identity and hence enjoy the uniqueness bestowed through the genetic makeup. The molecular tools that helps to manipulate this genetic makeup destroys this uniqueness and the original identity of the person which automatically leads to violation of the basic human rights. One of the most important features of genetic enhancement at the embryonic level is that it would enable a baby to have 3 and even 4 genetic parents at one time and therefore gives rise an ethical dilemma since this will interfere with the identity of the child. Researchers who are associated with the development of the technology claim that human genetic enhancement is a primary tool for preventing or diagnosing genetic disease in babies. Rob Stein informs us that geneticists and researchers have found out how to manipulate the DNA in the human egg and this is being hailed as an immensely advanced achievement since it will help prevent hereditary genetic disorders in the babies (All things Considered,2012). The researchers develop healthy embryos by substituting the mutated or defective DNA in the baby with normal DNA taken from healthy gene. Mitchell in his article says that a line must be drawn between genetic therapy and enhancement. The scientists involved in genetic enhancement technology have diminished the line between using genetic manipulation for treating genetic problems and disorders and substituting or supplementing normal genes with selected better genes to create a superior human (Mitchell,2010). Biological enhancement is not in conformity with the true motive of medical treatments. Medical treatments are aimed towards providing good health to patients and keeping them as â€Å"natural† as possible i.e. the internal and the external balance of each individual mus t be kept optimum and a complete state of homeostasis must be maintained. Mitchell writes â€Å"Whether we call it healing, wellness, or shalom, the goals of medicine are restorative and preventive† (Mitchell,2010) and human genetic advancements must not be thereby deemed as a method for clinical prevention of diseases. It cannot be denied that man has always wanted his children to be better. It is often a

Human resorce web Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human resorce web - Article Example It also said that the company's management had failed to address and correct the issue even after the victims raised complains. The acts violated the Civil Rights of 1964, Title VII. The company also was to offer training to all employees, furnish the commission with its employment-practice reports for 3 year period and source for consultancy to review the company's policies dealing with harassment and the involved procedures in an agreed consent decree which was, on September 5 approved by the court. The above case shows that rules on work discrimination needed to be strengthened and taken very seriously. In addition, the laws are still weak on these cases since I feel that the senior officials would have been taken personally responsible for this misconduct. All forms of sexual harassment to interfere with a person's employment, performance at work un- reasonably, intimidates him/her or sense of it, hostile or work environment that is not conducive. The laws also prohibit discrimination against age, disability, pay discrimination, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion and retaliation.

Does Motivating Nurses Lead to Higher Levels of Job Satisfaction Literature review

Does Motivating Nurses Lead to Higher Levels of Job Satisfaction - Literature review Example Job satisfaction is the level to which an employee of an organization is content with their position and enjoys their role (Armstrong 2006.) Satisfaction on the job is of considerable interest in the health services industry. Job satisfaction has a direct correlation with improved job productivity and also predicts lower employee turnover rates and reduction of absenteeism (Cohen and Golan 2007). Â  However, there is a gap in the research literature as to whether motivating nurses improves job satisfaction. There could potentially be mitigating circumstances of a nursing position or the specific health services environment where a nurse is employed that improves job satisfaction without necessarily considering motivation. For example, Craven, Hirnle, and Jensen (2013) assert that nurses require meaningful social relationships and affection in order to experience higher levels of job satisfaction. Favorable feelings about one’s job encompass the essence of job satisfaction (Robbins 2005). Â  In an environment where nursing supervisors must develop appropriate strategies to improve job satisfaction, learning whether motivational strategies are sufficient enough is of considerable concern in an effort to create new best practice leadership strategies to boost performance and productivity of nurses. If motivation is inadequate for improving nurses’ job satisfaction, then nursing supervisors can determine other, more valuable strategies to create a rewarding and productive work environment for diverse nursing professionals. Â  

Knowledge management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Knowledge management - Essay Example cess of KM formation involves creation, capture, storage and distribution of knowledge or information, needed for the organization during appropriate times. KMS will aid the leaders in the overall functioning of the organization and will provide them a good back up to all their strategies. Actually, these ‘systems’ by backing up the leaders will optimize their performance and it will directly show in the optimum performance of the employees. So, this paper will analyze this theme of Knowledge Management using the article titled Knowledge Management featured in the magazine, The Economist, and how that it is vital for the employee and organizational success. The article starts off with the words by renowned management guru, Peter Drucker, who in 1980’s itself hypothesized that that Knowledge Management will be a key process in future for the optimum functioning of the organizations. â€Å"The typical business [of the future] will be knowledge-based, an organisation composed largely of specialists who direct and discipline their own performance through feedback from colleagues, customers and headquarters. For this reason it will be what I call an information-based organisation.† (The Economist).So, Knowledge Management will raise the efficiency level of the leaders, aid them in actualizing an optimal organizational environment and thereby will enrich the knowledge and skill of the employees. Focusing on the importance of employees in the process of Knowledge Management, the article opines that the ‘content’ that is developed and stored in the heads and hearts of the employees need to be optimally used for optim izing organizational functioning. The article further states that the effective knowledge of the workers will become valuable assets or properties for the organization. So they need to be further developed and various forms of that knowledge also need to be preserved through technological means. â€Å"They had become properties whose most valuable asset

International relation&the 2003 Intervention in Iraq Case Study

International relation&the 2003 Intervention in Iraq - Case Study Example There was no the mandate of the United Nations; it was a policy that was used by the US administration to destabilize Saddam Hussein’s government. Consequently, when George Bush took office in 2001, he was determined to accomplish what his predecessor had started. President Bill Clinton had authorized the $97 million military aid to the Iraq opposition forces to topple Saddam Hussein and install the democratic government (Popular Social Science 1). After the first Gulf War in Iraq both the Clinton and the Bush administrations hoped that the imposition of economic sanctions and the no-flight zones in Iraq would result in a palace revolution by members of Saddam’s own Baath regime (Popular Social Science 1). This was not U.N. policy, however, but Washington’s own unilateral intention was to overthrow the regime in Baghdad and install a democracy in Iraq. From the above phenomena, we can depict that the second Bush Administration did not follow the channels of the United Nations to launch war; because there were concerns the deal could not be vetoed due to humanitarian concerns and could hinder the big plans right from the Clinton Administration. Additionally, in 2002 the Congress and the Senate of the United States had passed a resolution that gave the president more powers to invade any country without the mandate of the United Nations (Popular Social Science 1). From the above statement, it gives a clear picture the congress and the Senate were main bodies that empowered the Second Bush Administration to declare war without the authorization of the United Nations. Additionally, by 2002 the US was speaking in one voice on matters of foreign policy, thus, Bush used the proxy endorsement of the resolution of the congress and the senate to the launch war against Saddam Hussein. The United States is likely to attack another country unilaterally because there was a declaration made in1992 by the Department of the United States Defense. In this

Why did the United States invade Iraq Term Paper

Why did the United States invade Iraq - Term Paper Example Therefore if a state functions within its own territories in a way that causes massive violations of these essential principles like manufacturing weapons of mass destructions or carrying out activities like genocide, then it is indeed a potential threat to the world community. The maxim â€Å"injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere† is very relevant here. The world has become a small global village wherein we are so interconnected that the act of one will affect another directly or indirectly. Actions of each and every state are now a matter of concern and should be closely scrutinized to prevent an era of disharmony leading to a situation like that of world wars. In the decades following the horrors of World War II and the genocide of European Jews, the world community was shocked and UN spurred by these terrible crimes demonstrated the renewed political will of bringing together the nations to combat any such threat to world peace and welfare in future. It has now become a general principle accepted both in  law  and practice that imperialism and foreign invasion were antithetical to the right of self-determination, which was understood to be the basis of the post-World War II worldwide  order. In the light of above mentioned principles of international law and its protected principles, an attempt has been made here to study the reason and legality of US’s attack on Iraq on various ground. ... We are still in a speculation mode regarding why exactly USA invaded Iraq; whether the motive was to actually disarm them of any weapons of mass destruction or was it because Bush administration eyed the oil wells of Iraq. In the era where the international values are â€Å"peace, security and the well being of the world†, it is not at all acceptable that a country wage war on another country for selfish ulterior motives, under the garb of protecting the noble principles of international law. Thus there is no denying the fact that there is an utmost urgency to probe into the reasons of such invasions. The USA’s invasion was criticized as illegal war legalized by misusing the international principles. If this is true then we are facing a very imminent threat posed by the developed countries to developing countries and this war will act as a bad international precedent for the same. Hence the actual reason behind the invasion of Iraq is a million dollar question. HISTORIC AL PERSPECTIVE USA and its allies attacked Iraq under the pretext that Saddam Hussein was in possession of weapons of mass destruction and it was likely that he would pass along those arms to al Qaeda. However the validity of such a ground was later found to be highly diluted. Experts thereafter postulated that we cannot all together rule out the possibility that this war was the outcome of enigmatic psychology of bush, particularly with respect to his relationship with his father along with the irresistible temptation of getting a strong hold over the prized Mesopotamian oil fields. Possibly he sought to "finish the job" that his father had begun in 1991 or may be to avenge Hussein who was alleged to have made attempts to

Ethics and Placebo Trials Essay Example for Free

Ethics and Placebo Trials Essay Placebo trials are experimental trials that involve the administration of a substance that does not really have any effect on the individual’s system. This means that it is a neutral trial that will have neither positive nor negative effects on the physiology of the person it is administered on. Whatever positive benefits may be derived out of placebo trials are merely therapeutic and may arise from the potency of the power of suggestion. These trials are most often used in randomized control trials in investigating the effectiveness of a specific treatment. (Miller and Brody, 3) However, with the rise of the use of such trials, there have been many more questions raised. Are these placebo control trials indeed necessary? What ethical issues are raised with the implementation of placebo trials? The debates regarding the ethicality of placebo trials in investigative research continue to rage across the scientific community. The discussion has become so complex that the sides taken regarding the matter have evolved to more than just â€Å"yes† or â€Å"no† to the question of placebo ethicality. There have been numerous aspects of placebo trials that have undergone the scrutiny of those directly involved with fields utilizing these trials. The main aim of this paper is to understand the obligations of medical practitioners who are employing placebo trials in their own scientific investigations of the effectiveness of various treatments. What ethical standards should these individuals, physicians and the like, take into consideration when conducting investigative researches with placebo trials? Glass and Waring The main problem with a physician’s utilization of placebo trials for investigative purposes is the fact that they are part of the profession that involves the assurance of optimal health for their patients. Some of the researchers and critics exploring the ethical holds on medical practitioners with regards to placebo trials have looked at it from a legal standpoint. Glass and Waring (582) indicate that they have foundâ€Å"no legal precedent allowing physicians to ‘opt out’ of their professional obligations because they are researchers in addition to being physicians†. It is emphasized that the physician must do all in his power in order to insure that the client receives all possible modes of treatment that would maintain or enhance his or her health. As a researcher, the physician is viewed as a fiduciary, a person delegated with power that will be used for the benefit of another person and who is held legally against the highest standards of conduct. The physician-researcher as a fiduciary, then, has a moral ascendancy over his or her patient-subject. (Glass and Waring, 578) This means that a placebo trial that would involve having the physician-researcher observe the null effect on the health of a patient-subject and at the same time have knowledge of the betterment of the health status of patient-subjects in the other experimental trials. (Glass and Waring 579) Thus physician’s are now ethically compromised and even legally liable for their utilization and continuation of the placebo trial. Knowing that there is a treatment that could improve the health of those in the placebo arm of the experiment but not applying that treatment on the participants in that arm indicates their sacrifice of the health of those participants for the scientific progress afforded by research data. The ethical responsibility of the physician-reseracher, therefore, is in the fact that clinical studies of treatment effectivity make use of participants who have been diagnosed with the specific medical condition hoped to be treated by the experiment’s procedure. Hawkins Hawkins (484) states that the true problem faced by physician-researchers is a moral one. The moral norms and societal dictates placed upon those in the medical profession involve the fact that they need to be able to give a sick person all the possible chances of being treated. However, Hawkins (484) points out that this moral responsibility is limited. She states clearly â€Å"researchers do not owe effective treatment to everyone around them. † (473) The obligations of a physician to his or her patient are enclosed within a given framework, that of the physician-patient relationship. In order for such a relationship to be established, the physician must come into agreement with the client that he or she will indeed act as one half of that relationship. The same agreement must be made on the part of the client. Although this agreement may not be explicit, it is nevertheless positively acknowledged by both parties. (Hawkins, 476) There is, according to Hawkins, no ethical dilemma in a physician-researcher’s use of placebo trials. Just because these researchers have had medical training and have taken a medical oath does not mean that they are always in the role of a physician. These are individuals that have many other different roles as fathers, mothers, non-practicing physicians, friends and the like. The role they take as a researcher, therefore, does not mean a continuation of their role as a physician. (Hawkins, 479) The obligations of an individual in the role of a researcher is separate from his or her role as a physician thus their obligation in placebo trials involves simple assurance that the participant will not be harmed by the procedure that will take place. Miller and Brody Some critics of placebo control trials state a weakness in therapeutic obligation of physician researchers as the main grounds of contestation of the ethical foundations of the said trials. Miller and Brody (8) state that even when based on the principles of clinical equipoise, an ethical basis of assigning participants in different experimental arms which involves disagreement among experts as to the effectiveness of either arm, therapeutic obligation is still a weak attack against the ethics of placebo trials. The individuals who knowingly participate in experiments with placebo arms are not exploited as long as no harm befalls them. Also, they are aware that they enter the experimental set-up as participants in a research and not as patients of the researchers who happen to also be physicians. (Miller and Brody, 5) Miller and Brody thus state that â€Å"placebo trials are not unethical just because they withhold proven effective treatment†. (6) It is thus seen that the responsibility and obligation of the researcher with regards to the ethicality of placebos is not in their therapeutic obligations as physicians. However, this does not mean that placebo trials are completely ethical. This also does not mean that researchers are devoid of ethical obligations to their participants assigned to placebo arms of the investigative experiments. The ethical obligation of the researcher in placebo trials is the same as that of researcher in any clinical trials. This involves the proper acquisition of informed consent from the participants. Also, researchers must be able to assure the fact that participants will not be exploited or put in harmful situations. Miller and Brody also insist that researchers must first establish that the investigation has scientific merit and that scientific merit is increased with the implementation of the placebo trial. (8) Analysis and Argument All three articles assessed above have merit and, at the same time, also have faults. Glass and Waring (582) stating that no legal precedents were found that indicated physicians were no longer tied to their professional obligations is faulty. In much the same way that a lawyer does not have to give counsel to every jaywalker he or she sees, the physician likewise does not have professional obligation over individual’s whose relationship to him is simply that which exists between researchers and participants. I also disagree with Hawkins’ statement that morality is what binds the physician thus the use of placebo trials is not unethical. What is ethics but a concept in the realm of morality? Yes, there are standards and regulations with regards to ethical conduct. However, as a whole, ethics is based on morality thus a moral problem is, in fact, an ethical problem. The middle ground taken by Miller and Brody also seems to be misled. A placebo trial is not equivalent to other clinical trials. It involves factors that are not present in other trials, such as the exposure of the participants to neutral treatment. In other clinical trials, there is still exposure to some form of treatment thus there is an effort to aid the participant. I believe, however, that physician-researcher’s obligations to the patient-participant, is limited solely to the relationship of researcher and participant. The role taken by the individual is not that of a physician but that of a researcher. The participants are also aware that they enter into the experiment not as patients but as participants. Although they are not given the chance to undergo possibly effective treatment, it is not the moral obligation of the researcher to insure that they do. Even if, for example, a person persists to smoke, I am not morally or ethically obligated to make sure that he or she stop. Placebo trials are valid research designs and should not be stopped simply because of a feeling that it is unfair to those who, in the first place, willingly submitted themselves to the experiment’s conditions. Works Cited Glass, Kathleen G. , and Waring, Duff. â€Å"The Physician/Investigator’s Obligation to Patients Participating in Research: The Case of Placebo Controlled Trials. † The Journal of Law, Medicine Ethics 33 (2005): 575-585 Hawkins, Jennifer S. â€Å"Justice and Placebo Controls. † Social Theory and Practice 32 (2006): 467- 496. Miller, Franklin G. , and Brody, Howard. â€Å"What Makes Placebo-controlled Trials Unethical? † The American Journal of Bioethics 2(2002): 3-9

Human Nature Essay Example for Free

Human Nature Essay After reading Mencius essay â€Å"Mans Nature is Good† and Hsun Tzu’s essay â€Å"Mans Nature is Evil† It made me realize that men are shaped by experience. People are born with a blank mind with a desire of some knowledge. Much of what we learn affects our behavior. Throughout our life, experiences have been shaping what we are. Both Mencius and Tzu believe the complete opposite, arguing that men are born with a nature of being good or evil. By reading these articles I’ve come to assume that people are born neither good nor evil; instead both of these are obtained through the filling of our mind with experiences and all this together has influenced what we become. Hsun Tzu’s theory about how human nature is inherently evil and Mencius about how we are good caught my attention, because it made me realize that man can go either way. Even though I don’t agree with either of them entirely, they opened my mind about how nature can turn one way or another. People are not born inherently good because if that’s the case then every society would have to be good and would not bother with problems like violence and other chaotic scenarios. To go into a good pathway, people must be straightened by mentors. Like Tzu uses on his essay â€Å"A warp piece of wood must wait until it has been laid against the straightening board, steamed, and forced into shape before it can become straight; a piece of blunt metal must wait until it has been whetted on a grindstone before it can become sharp† (101). Family, schools, and religion are a fair way to obtain this goodness. For example these three sources have taught us since childhood to be respectful. This is the kind of experiences one has to follow in order to be good. Family has taught us to have good manners; therefore they work as our mentors. It is just your choice whether to implement these experiences of being good into your life or to go by the experience you been having with the wrong people. People aren’t born evil either. Instead people learn this through experience as well. For example traumatic experience and experiencing poor family conditions can make a child into a delinquent. Mencius said that â€Å"If you plant the seeds carefully at the same time and in the same place, they’ll all sprout and grow ripe by summer solstice. If they don’t grow the same- it’s because of the inequities in richness of soil, amounts of rainfall, or the care given to them by farmers. And so, all members belonging to a given species of thing are the same† (97). In this metaphor Mencius is trying to say that if you are placed in a different habitat where you learn from the outsiders, you are grown by the influence of them, which in his opinion is evil. I found this to be true but also I want to add that it is not always evil, it can be for the good of somebodies development. Being with the family can be good however sometimes we experience inconsistent parenting or poor parenting where it affects our development. Sometimes people can’t avoid these kinds of experiences but others like being with friends and acting up to their level of immaturity can be avoided. It is up to the experiences you’ve had that will form into what you become. After going through both essays my mind is set into these ideas. People are born with a blank mind but also we can change after what become of us, either it is for the good or for the evil. Peers have much to do with a person’s behavior. As friends you might have the feeling of just fitting in, having to change your manners to feel part of the group. It depends much on our surroundings; this is what triggers our brain to learn from others and development starts operating. Society is an important factor to our development because it is that, what forms our way of living and thinking. People might not like society because they don’t agree with something cultural or religious but whatever the circumstances are they still are triggered by it. At last, my beliefs are now more explained and understood after going through the readings. These articles influenced me to the point that I now believe human nature starts as a blank mind which means we are born without any knowledge and habits. This is when experience comes in. Through our experience with everything around us we become what we are. Our experience since childhood has a great impact in what we are; in other words most of our nature comes from family. Nevertheless, I don’t mean that everyone is shaped from their parents, what I mean is that there are other sources from experience out there that shapes our development (nature). It is your choice to either keep following those experiences, whether the good or the evil, but any how nurture is what will define what you become. Works Cited Austin, Michael, ed. Reading the World: Ideas that Matter. New York: Norton. 2010. Print. Mencius â€Å"Man’s Nature is Good†. Austin 94-98 Tzu, Hsun â€Å"Man’s Nature is Evil†.

Lexical Density Informalisation In English Language

Lexical Density Informalisation In English Language Both of these terms within the study of English language are commonly used as markers that help to differentiate between the spoken and written modes of Language. Lexical Density is a measure of how much information there is in a particular piece of language. Lexical words (content words) are words which carry information. Texts which have a high proportion of lexical items compared to function words (grammatical items) are said to have a high lexical density. Written texts are likely to have a higher lexical density than spoken texts which tend to have more grammatical items than content. Scientific texts are also likely to have a very high lexical density due to their educational nature. Halliday defines lexical density as a measure of the density of information in any passage of text, according to how tightly the lexical items (content words) have been packed into the grammatical structure. It is important to consider in this definition however that lexical density can be high in the more formal written texts because of the use of nominalisation (where one syntactic form is replaced by another) which although creating a high Lexical Density count can also lower the level of information content. An example of the differences in Lexical Density between written and spoken language can be shown when i asked my niece what she had learned in school that day: we did electricity in science today.(lexical density count: 3) which when compared to her summary lesson text for that day; Materials that can carry electricity are called conductors they conduct electricity.(lexical density count: 6) primary school text book. Informalisation is the breaking down of divisions between formal public use and informal private use of English. Linguists argue that language used in public and institutional contexts is changing and that styles of private language have crossed borders to be used in public situations in a new form of address. They say that increasingly professional encounters are becoming more conversationalised (Fairclough in Maybin Et Al, pg205). This can be seen frequently on business websites such as Recycle Now (www.recyclenow.com) advertised to us by our local council. They demonstrate informalisation through their use of some of the typical markers of informal English; pronouns, simple English and contractions of negatives; (Maybin et al, pg 207) Keep it simple, Dont worry about removing labels, its as simple to recycle as to throw away However this could also be an example of the use of this marketisation where the informalisation of language is used intentionally by an organisation for a sp ecific marketing reason. Another key marker of informalisation is the term of address. The observation that my doctor, and some of my regular customers now call me Sharon and not Mrs Tyrrell (without being asked) are excellent examples of the informalisation of the English Language within my day to day life. Part 2 Baynham and Maybin (2007, p. 123) assert that electronic means of communication seem to have shifted the relationship between speech and writing. Discuss this statement, using brief examples of your own to illustrate your points. Modern technology has allowed language to explore a new medium;- Electronic Discourse (ED), different in fundamental ways from typical conversational speech and writing found in other situations. The first task therefore is to look at the differences between the two more traditional mediums of speech and writing looking at if, and how, the relationship between them has been changed by ED through analysing its linguistic properties. Written English is most often planned, while spoken English is most often unplanned. This simple distinction results in many notable differences although the main differences lie within their differences in form. Form refers to grammatical, lexical, phonological and graphological aspects of language. I will look at the differences between the two in these respects and then look at the features of ED and how that relates to both written and spoken language. In the grammatical traits for speech, there is a lack of clear sentence boundaries which makes it difficult to know when one has ended and when one can begin. Usually in speech between people who know one another, the boundaries are erased and overlapping occurs. In contrast, in typical written text you are expected to write in full sentences, include paragraphs and have an appropriate structure. When using typical writing in a formal document punctuation is essential and the agreement between nouns and verbs is crucial. Typical speech and typical writing also have a different grammatical intricacy. Typical speech has a simpler grammatical structure because there are fewer clauses, less subordination and often shorter units; whilst typical writing has more grammatical intricacy because it contains subordinate clauses in complex sentences, it also contains pre-modifiers and past modifiers. Typical speech contains looser contraction sentences that are linked with words such as and and lengthy coordinate sentences. Also non-standard subject-verb agreements, ellipsis, non-standard word order, fragmented sentences are all very common. The lexis vocabulary of typical speech is colloquial and slang. It contains taboo language, nonsense words and contracted words. This is in contrast to the much wider vocabulary that is to be typically found in more formal writing. Typical writing also includes words that are never spoken, such as long chemical compounds and also relies on the greater degree of formality. In typical speech, inexplicitness is expected and much repetition occurs whilst in typical writing one must be explicit and repetition is frowned upon. Typical speech is usually unplanned and can be full of non-fluency features and running repairs such as false starts, hesitations, repetitions, discourse particles and fillers, words such as umm and like, and yknow. Another noticeable difference is that the lexical density of spoken discourse is usually much lower than that of written due to the high content of grammatical items used in relation to that of content words. The phonology traits are not able to be used in typical writing. In typical speech however, the intonation is extremely important, the prosody also makes a huge difference and a word or phrase could have a different impact if pronounced with the wrong prosody. Intonation may reveal the boundaries for clauses and is vital in social and emotional conversations, as it helps to explain ones point of view. Prosody is also used to make the conversation more lively and interesting. In typical writing, the tone can only be indicated by the use of question marks (?), exclamation marks (!),underlining, CAPITALS or by describing the tone. In literature, the tone of the poem is achieved in the rhyme and the rhythm. The graphology feature of language is not used in typical speech. Spelling, punctuation and the use of paragraphs are all seen as graphology features. These all appear and play an important part in typical writing. The amount or size of paragraphs and the use of italics, underlining, and emboldening can all give a certain impression. Pictures, emoticons and columns are all graphology features. Paralinguistic features such as the movement of the hands, a shrug or a smile are crucial in Spoken English where the use of more than just words context cues, tone, gestures, eye contact, pace and body language-all play a part in communicating meaning, while written English generally lacks these. Having highlighted some of the main differences and therefore the relationship between spoken and written English it is also important to note that these differences are not absolute and there are a range of forms and genres across both speech and writing- for instance a spoken lecture or a job interview is closer to writing than a pub conversation between friends and a personal letter closer to speech than a page from a textbook-. This is often dependant on the formality of the situation in which the discourse is taking place. Now to look at the notable linguistic features of ED in comparison to the definitions already visited above. It is important to note that the proportion of these features exhibited by a ED text can vary enormously according to criteria such as formality, subject and the personal characteristics of the individual writer (including age, identity, etc.). Grammatically ED tends to use many of the typical spoken traits such as telegraphic language Have forwarded the P the email, Will do, but am not back in office this week'(see appendix A) and also uses interaction features (e.g. questions) ill call then, ok? (ibid) and overall a very un-complex grammatical structure similar to informal speech. However this omission of grammatical words gives the text an extremely high lexical density which is traditionally more a characteristic of writing. The lexical features of ED are also hard to categorise, as in some ways, it is like conversation in that it presents a number of performance features generally characteristic of in process or in situ communicative events and behaviours, such as repetition, direct address, disfluencies, and markers of personal involvement, including syntactic and lexical items (Davis and Brewer, 1997). However, because turn taking occurs differently in ED, the interruptions and overlaps so characteristic of conversation do not occur (see Appendix B). There is also an absence of the fillers so often seen in oral conversations (Brown Yule, 1983) although these are present urrrrrr not sure, think so (appendix B) The vocabulary used in ED is typically very informal and frequently uses abbreviations, auxiliary verbs, colloquialisms and familiar terms of address (see appendix B) much like that associated with speech. Phonologically and graphologicaly ED utilises many techniques to try and imply tone or meaning that previously has been difficult to do in writing. The use of emoticons, :o) , capitalisation, letter repetition, use of graphics, sounds, punctuation and phonetic spelling (see appendix B) to indicate emotions, pauses, emphasis and intonation all demonstrate the fact that ED is a much more multimodal method of communication than was previously possible within typical writing and is often successfully able to create the impression of speech within written form. It is apparent from the examples provided that electronic communication does not fall within the standard definitions of narrative and text (Jones, 1995, p. 5) but in fact appears to embody aspects of each. It is clear that this new and still evolving medium that ED also demonstrates the process of informalisation within the written English language, clearly showing the majority of the markers that are used to define it; casual terms of address, informal vocabulary, intonation and contractions of negatives. It has been suggested that the electronic medium creates a feel of distance between the author I know that i, certainly, am guilty of being too casual in situations when i am contacting people by means of electronic communication and even guilty of using marketisation when corresponding with customers for my online business to make me seem more approachable. So, in conclusion, whilst the medium of electronic communication may not have changed the relationship between speech and wr iting it has certainly blurred it. Perhaps in this technology surrounded age we need to readdress the definitions of speech and writing to reflect the numerous varieties that now exist. WORD COUNT 1642

Jaquess Perspective in Shakespeares As You Like It Essay -- Shakespe

Jaques's Perspective in As You Like It      Ã‚  Ã‚   A cynic's cynic might declare Jaques no better than the guy who lurks in corners at a cocktail party, lobbing witty barbs at anyone unlucky enough to catch his eye. But this assessment robs Shakespeare's comedy of its sociological depth; what might be pleasant fluff about young people in love is enhanced by Jaques's ability to make stern judgments about the world, yet still respect the people who comprise it.    Indeed, Jaques observes astutely from the sidelines. He separates himself from what he considers the frivolity of making suitable marriage matches. But Jaques's speeches are not merely Shakespeare's devices for explication. There is a psychological middle ground between the court and the forest, and the ideals closest to those who think little are, in Jaques's eyes, admirable. His words make him the most egalitarian character in the play.    From his first speech, Jaques paints himself as a moody loner and as rather disdainful of his benefactor, Duke Senior. He says, "And I have been all this day to ...

Social Criticism in Literature :: A Tale of Two Cities Animal Farm Essays

Social Criticism in Literature Many authors receive their inspiration for writing their literature from outside sources. The idea for a story could come from family, personal experiences, history, or even their own creativity. For authors that choose to write a book based on historical events, the inspiration might come from their particular viewpoint on the event that they want to dramatize. George Orwell and Charles Dickens wrote Animal Farm and A Tale of Two Cities, respectively, to express their disillusionment with society and human nature. Animal Farm, written in 1944, is a book that tells the animal fable of a farm in which the farm animals revolt against their human masters. It is an example of social criticism in literature in which Orwell satirized the events in Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution. He anthropomorphises the animals, and alludes each one to a counterpart in Russian history. A Tale of Two Cities also typifies this kind of literature. Besides the central theme of love, is another prevalent theme, that of a revolution gone bad. He shows us that, unfortunately, human nature causes us to be vengeful and, for some of us, overly ambitious. Both these books are similar in that both describe how, even with the best of intentions, our ambitions get the best of us. Both authors also demonstrate that violence and the Machiavellian attitude of "the ends justifying the means" are deplorable. George Orwell wrote Animal Farm, ". . . to discredit the Soviet system by showing its inhumanity and its back-sliding from ideals [he] valued . . ."(Gardner, 106) Orwell noted that " there exists in England almost no literature of disillusionment with the Soviet Union .' Instead, that country is viewed either with ignorant disapproval' or with uncritical admiration.'"(Gardner, 96) The basic synopsis is this: Old Major, an old boar in Manor Farm, tells the other animals of his dream of "animalism": " . . . Only get rid of Man, and the produce of our labour would be our own. Almost overnight we would become rich and free.'" (Orwell, 10) The other animals take this utopian idea to heart, and one day actually do revolt and drive the humans out. Two pigs emerge as leaders: Napoleon and Snowball. They constantly argued, but one day, due to a difference over plans to build a windmill, Napoleon exiled Snowball. Almost immediately, Napoleon established a totalitarian government. Soon, the pigs began to get special favours, until finally, they were indistinguishable from humans to the other animals. Immediately the reader can begin to draw parallels between the book's characters and the government in 1917-44 Russia. For example, Old Major, who invented Social Criticism in Literature :: A Tale of Two Cities Animal Farm Essays Social Criticism in Literature Many authors receive their inspiration for writing their literature from outside sources. The idea for a story could come from family, personal experiences, history, or even their own creativity. For authors that choose to write a book based on historical events, the inspiration might come from their particular viewpoint on the event that they want to dramatize. George Orwell and Charles Dickens wrote Animal Farm and A Tale of Two Cities, respectively, to express their disillusionment with society and human nature. Animal Farm, written in 1944, is a book that tells the animal fable of a farm in which the farm animals revolt against their human masters. It is an example of social criticism in literature in which Orwell satirized the events in Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution. He anthropomorphises the animals, and alludes each one to a counterpart in Russian history. A Tale of Two Cities also typifies this kind of literature. Besides the central theme of love, is another prevalent theme, that of a revolution gone bad. He shows us that, unfortunately, human nature causes us to be vengeful and, for some of us, overly ambitious. Both these books are similar in that both describe how, even with the best of intentions, our ambitions get the best of us. Both authors also demonstrate that violence and the Machiavellian attitude of "the ends justifying the means" are deplorable. George Orwell wrote Animal Farm, ". . . to discredit the Soviet system by showing its inhumanity and its back-sliding from ideals [he] valued . . ."(Gardner, 106) Orwell noted that " there exists in England almost no literature of disillusionment with the Soviet Union .' Instead, that country is viewed either with ignorant disapproval' or with uncritical admiration.'"(Gardner, 96) The basic synopsis is this: Old Major, an old boar in Manor Farm, tells the other animals of his dream of "animalism": " . . . Only get rid of Man, and the produce of our labour would be our own. Almost overnight we would become rich and free.'" (Orwell, 10) The other animals take this utopian idea to heart, and one day actually do revolt and drive the humans out. Two pigs emerge as leaders: Napoleon and Snowball. They constantly argued, but one day, due to a difference over plans to build a windmill, Napoleon exiled Snowball. Almost immediately, Napoleon established a totalitarian government. Soon, the pigs began to get special favours, until finally, they were indistinguishable from humans to the other animals. Immediately the reader can begin to draw parallels between the book's characters and the government in 1917-44 Russia. For example, Old Major, who invented

The Transcontinental Railroad And Westward Expansion Essay example --

The Transcontinental Railroad and Westward Expansion Thesis: The transcontinental railroad greatly increased Westward expansion in the United States of America during the latter half of the nineteenth century. The history of the United States has been influenced by England in many ways. In the second half of the 1800's, the railroad, which was invented in England, had a major effect on Western expansion in the United States. "Railroads were born in England, a country with dense populations, short distances between cities, and large financial resources. In America there were different circumstances, a sparse population in a huge country, large stretches between cities, and only the smallest amounts of money." ("Railroad" 85) The first American railroads started in the 1830's from the Atlantic ports of Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Charleston, and Savannah (Douglas 23). Within twenty years, four rail lines had crossed the Alleghenies to reach their goal on `Western Waters' of the Great Lakes or the tributaries of the Mississippi. Meanwhile, other lines had started West of the Appalachian mountains, and by the mid-1850's Chicago, St. Louis, and Memphis were connected to the East. Still other lines were stretching Westward, beyond the Mississippi. An international route connected New England and Montreal and another one crossed Southern Ontario between Niagara, New York, and the Detroit River. During the 1850's, North and South routes were developed both East and West of the Alleghenies. It was not until after the Civil War, however, that a permanent railroad bridge was constructed across the Ohio River. After the Civil War, the pace of railroad building increased. The Pacific railroads, the Union Pacific building from Omaha, Nebraska, and the Central Pacific building from Sacramento, California, had started to build a transcontinental railroad during the war to help promote national unity. They were joined at Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1869, completing the first rail connection across the continent. Before the transcontinental railroad, the Eastern railroads had lines running only as far West as Omaha, Nebraska. The Western railroads had a few lines running North and South in California, far West of the wall of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In between these two networks was a huge gap of about seventeen hundred mi... ...ched by wagon, which would have discouraged many if not most of the settlers going to become farmers. Unlike the gold miners of the earlier years, the farmers did not dream of getting rich quickly. They wanted to be self-sufficient, and they felt that the land on the Prairie could help them do it. The railroad was an incredible catalyst in the population of the Mid-West and without it the area might still be sparsely populated. The transcontinental railroad proved it's worth and had a tremendous impact on westward expansion. "In less than thirty years after the Civil War, all across the `enormous gap' spanned by the railroad, the interior was being conquered and domesticated." (Cooke 240) Bibliography Cooke, Alistair. Alistair Cooke's America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1977. Douglas, George H. All Aboard! The Railroad In American Life. New York: Paragon House, 1992. Horn, Huston. The Old West The Pioneers. New York: Time-Life Books, 1974. Merk, Frederick. History of the Westward Movement. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1978. "Railroad." Compton's Encyclopedia. 1990 edition. "United States of America." The New Encyclop‘dia Britannica. 1990 edition.

Nitric Acid

Nitric acid is a highly reactive oxidizing agent used in making fertilizers, explosives, and rocket fuels, and in a wide variety of industrial metallurgical processes. It is also a component of acid rain. Its chemical formula is HNO3 and it has been known as â€Å"aqua fortis†, which means strong water, to alchemists. It is a transparent, colorless to yellowish, fuming corrosive liquid. Nitric acid is a strong acid and therefore it completely dissociates in water. It has a gravity of 1. 41 and the concentration of the hydronium ions(1) yields a pH of 0. . Its boiling point is 122C and its melting point is -42C. It was first mentioned by Pseuso-Geber, a European alchemist born in the 13th century. Described by Albert the Great in the 13th century and named by Ramon Lull, who prepared it and called it â€Å"eau forte† (aqua fortis). There were people saying that it was discovered by Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac or Johann Rudolf, but nobody knows who really did discover that. A s it is a intoxicating, oxidizing acid, it reacts most with metals, but does not react with pure gold.However, noble metals could be oxidized and dissolved by nitric acid which leads to colour changes of gold-alloy surface. So nitric acid is used in jewelry shops to spot low-gold alloys (< 14 carats(2)) and to asses the gold purity. Nitric acid also reacts powerfully with most of the organic material, which may also explode. It reacts with non-metallic elements except for nitrogen, oxygen, noble gases, silicon and halogens. It oxides them to their highest oxidation states(3) as acids with the formation of nitrogen dioxide for concentrated acid and nitric oxide for dilute acid.Chromium (Cr), iron (Fe) and aluminium (Al) dissolve in dilute nitric acid, which the concentrated acid forms a metal oxide layer that protects the metal from further oxidation, and it is called passivation. Nitric acid can be made in laboratory or industrially. In laboratory, nitric acid can be made from coppe r(II) nitrate or by reacting approximately equal masses of a nitrate salt with 96% sulfuric acid (H2SO4), and distilling this mixture at nitric acid's boiling point of 83  °C until only a white crystalline mass, a metal sulfate, remains. Then, the red fuming itric acid obtained may be converted to the white nitric acid, which the equation is H2SO4 + NO? 3 > HSO? 4(s) + HNO3(g). In view of the fact that it is a really violent and strong acid, people make this acid for many different uses. It can be used in various forms as the oxidizer in liquid-fueled rockets. The forms include red fuming nitric acid and white fuming nitric acid. Red fuming nitric acid, known as RFNA, is a oxidizer used as a rocket propellant, which can be stored very long. It consists mainly of nitric acid, but also contains 13% of dinitrogen tetroxide(4) and 3% of water.It breaks down to a certain degree to form nitrogen dioxide. The white fuming nitric acid, known as WFNA, does not contain free dinitrogen tetro xide. It consists of pure nitric acid with 2% of water and less than 0. 5% of dissolved nitrogen dioxide. If the forms are mixed with sulfuric acid, it forms with the HF inhibitor. Nitric acid can also be used in some woodwork. In a low concentration (10% of nitric acid in water), it is sometimes used to artificially make pines and maple look older. It produces a grey-gold, old looking wood colour on wood.By looking at the usage of nitric acid, we can see that, this kind of acid has a great impact to the society and the global economy. As it is not quite expensive, and you can make it in laboratories, there were many incidents where people throw glasses containers holding nitric acid on crowed streets. Many people got hurt, the nitric acid burnt through their clothes and burn them. Concentrated nitric acid makes human skin yellow, because of a reaction with keratin(5). The keratin is the key structural material making up the outer layer of the human skin, and it is also a structural component of hair and nails.It will turn orange when neutralized. However, this acid has many usages and also helps us a lot. It helps the astronauts to fly to space where nitric acid is used in rocket fuels. It also helps us decorate our places with artificial old wood furniture. This acid creates more job opportunities in the job market as the companies need people to work for it. Nitric acid is extremely hazardous and corrosive, and mostly, a poison. Inhaling will cause you breathing problems and lead to pneumonia and pulmonary edema, which may be fatal.Other symptoms may include choking, coughing, irritation of both nose and throat, and also respiratory tract. Ingesting it can cause sudden burn or pain in the mouth, throat, esophagus, and gastrointestinal tract. It can also cause skin burns if there is any skin contact. Concentrated solutions can cause deep ulcers and stain skin a yellow or yellow-brown colour. If it gets into the eye, it is even worse, as it is corrosive, the vapors are irritating and will cause damage to the eyes including burns and permanent eye damage.Long-term exposure to concentrated vapors may cause erosion of teeth and lung damage. Long-term exposures seldom occur due to the corrosive properties of the acid. People with pre-existing skin disorders, eye disease, or cardiopulmonary diseases must be susceptible to the effects of this substance. There are rules to follow when using the nitric acid. If people don’t follow it, it will be very dangerous to use it. Acid rain is a form of precipitation which contains a high level of sulfuric and nitric acids.It has a pH of approximately 5. 5-5. 6. It is produced when sulfur dioxide and various nitrogen oxides combine together with atmospheric moisture. Acid rain can contaminate drinking water, damage the plants and aquatic life. It also erode buildings and monuments. If the plants are damaged, people won’t be abled to see the green things again and will also affect our eye-si ght. And we won’t have vegetables to eat after acid rain because acid may cause many harmful effects to our body. If we still eat the vegetables, then we be sick.The government had made an effort to reduce the amount of sulfur dioxide released, but it can be produced naturally by volcanic eruptions. Nitrogen oxide can be produced by lightning strikes. Acid rain had became a political issue in 1980s, where Canada claimed that pollutants from the US were contaminating the forests and waters, so power plants were asked to reduce the amount of sulfur dioxide released. Although there are harmful effects of nitric acid, people still keep on producing nitric acid. They only reduced producing them, still shows that there are still benefits of this acid! Nitric Acid Copper + Nitric Acid Copper is a reddish-brown metal, widely used in plumbing and electrical wiring; it is perhaps most familiar to people in the United States in the form of the penny. (Although since 1983, pennies are actually made of zinc surrounded by a paper-thin copper foil to give them the traditional appearance of pennies. ) Copper is oxidized by concentrated nitric acid, HNO3, to produce Cu2+ ions; the nitric acid is reduced to nitrogen dioxide, a poisonous brown gas with an irritating odor: Cu(s) + 4HNO3(aq) ——> Cu(NO3)2(aq) + 2NO2(g) + 2H2O(l)When the copper is first oxidized, the solution is very concentrated, and the Cu2+ product is initially coordinated to nitrate ions from the nitric acid, giving the solution first a green, and then a greenish-brownish color. When the solution is diluted with water, water molecules displace the nitrate ions in the coordinate sites around the copper ions, causing the solution to change to a blue color. In dilute nitric aci d, the reaction produces nitric oxide, NO, instead: 3Cu(s) + 8HNO3(aq) ——> 3Cu(NO3)2(aq) + 2NO(g) + 4H2O(l)In the following demonstration, a balled-up piece of thin copper wire is added to about 100 mL of concentrated nitric acid; once the copper is added the evolution of nitrogen dioxide occurs quickly. Once all of the copper has reacted, the solution is diluted with distilled water, changing the solution from a dark brown to a pale blue color. This demonstration can be done with copper in the form of shot, pellets, thicker wire, or bars, but is a great deal slower than with copper wire. Video Clip: REAL, 7. 02 MB [pic] |[pic] | |[pic] |[pic] | |[pic] |[pic] | |[pic] |[pic] | |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |[pic] |[pic] | |[pic] |[pic] | |[pic] |[pic] |A Historical Sidelight: Ira Remsen on Copper and Nitric Acid Ira Remsen (1846-1927) founded the chemistry department at Johns Hopkins University, and founded one of the first centers for chemical research in the United S tates; saccharin was discovered in his research lab in 1879. Like many chemists, he had a vivid â€Å"learning experience,† which led to a heightened interest in laboratory work: While reading a textbook of chemistry I came upon the statement, â€Å"nitric acid acts upon copper. † I was getting tired of reading such absurd stuff and I was determined to see what this meant.Copper was more or less familiar to me, for copper cents were then in use. I had seen a bottle marked nitric acid on a table in the doctor's office where I was then â€Å"doing time. † I did not know its peculiarities, but the spirit of adventure was upon me. Having nitric acid and copper, I had only to learn what the words â€Å"act upon† meant. The statement â€Å"nitric acid acts upon copper† would be something more than mere words. All was still. In the interest of knowledge I was even willing to sacrifice one of the few copper cents then in my possession.I put one of them on the table, opened the bottle marked nitric acid, poured some of the liquid on the copper and prepared to make an observation. But what was this wonderful thing which I beheld? The cent was already changed and it was no small change either. A green-blue liquid foamed and fumed over the cent and over the table. The air in the neighborhood of the performance became colored dark red. A great colored cloud arose. This was disagreeable and suffocating. How should I stop this? I tried to get rid of the objectionable mess by picking it up and throwing it out of the window.I learned another fact. Nitric acid not only acts upon copper, but it acts upon fingers. The pain led to another unpremeditated experiment. I drew my fingers across my trousers and another fact was discovered. Nitric acid acts upon trousers. Taking everything into consideration, that was the most impressive experiment and relatively probably the most costly experiment I have ever performed. . . . It was a revelation to me. It resulted in a desire on my part to learn more about that remarkable kind of action.Plainly, the only way to learn about it was to see its results, to experiment, to work in a laboratory. from F. H. Getman, â€Å"The Life of Ira Remsen†; Journal of Chemical Education: Easton, Pennsylvania, 1940; pp 9-10; quoted in Richard W. Ramette, â€Å"Exocharmic Reactions† in Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, Chemical Demonstrations: A Handbook for Teachers of Chemistry, Volume 1. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1983, p. xiv: !!! Hazards !!! Nitric acid is extremely corrosive. Handle with care. The nitrogen dioxide produced in this reaction is poisonous. This reaction must be done in a fume hood!

Impact of It on Process Improvement

VOL. 3, nary(prenominal) 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 journal of emerge Tr balances in reason and discipline Sciences 2009-2012 CIS ledger. entirely(a) rights reserved. http//www. cisjournal. org adjoin of IT on don Improvement 1 1 Lotfollah najjar, 2 Ziaul huq, 3 Seyed-mahmoud aghazadeh, 4 Saeedreza hafeznezamiCollege of cultivation Science & applied science, University of northeast at Omaha, USA, Fax 402-554-3284, 2 College of lineage Administration, University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA, Fax 402-554-268, 3 section of patronage Administration, School of Business, State University of refreshing York at Fredonia, Fredonia, Ny 14063, USA, Fax 716-673-3332, 4 cultured and Environmental Engineering UCLA, 5731 Boelter H only, box 951593 Los Angeles, CA 90095-1593 1 emailprotected unomaha. edu, emailprotected, emailprotected edu, emailprotected com. ABSTRACTThere has been a lack of empiric investigate related to the mapping of IT in serve sound onward motion in a multidimensional track. The purpose of this paper is to check up on the extent that IT could be use (from minor adept school to utmost tech and diffidence to proactive), showcase of growth reengineering find unwraps utilise (compromise to al-Qaida) and their deed on buckram exercise. The firm exertion was define as commercialise sh be, customer kins focusing, IT meet, and efficacy (as multifaceted such(prenominal)(prenominal) as set outing the represent, heavy(p) the outgrowth variability, and mavin cartridge clip).Data from 108 small-to-medium sized governances two in attend and in manufacturing were collected for this study. Both promoter in Analysis and MA noA Analysis were employed to dismantle these relationships and to find out the optimum points (inter save among the fictitious characters of IT and sheaths of BPR) and their centre on firm accomplishment. ). The resolvent showed that validations that h middle-aged noble engineering science al star or BPR al atomic number 53 move non grasp the cor serveing result and transmission line performance as the transcription that bene jibs from interdependency between IT and BPR.Keywords BPR, IT, Organizational Performance, forge Improvement, CRM, capacity, Factor Analysis, MAno(prenominal)A. 1. INTRODUCTION The juvenile calling administration is a complex army of tune formes, which cross duple assembly line units and handle every issue from the mundane daily trading operations to core blood line subprogrames. M whatever of these worry edgees substantiate switchd very little since their pass primordial imposeation, thus failing to take favour of revolutionary outmatch practices or proficient advancements.Over era, championshipes realized that their received outgrowthes were no day large providing a militant expediency, and that wobbles to attend toes were necessary in aim to improve performance. In golf-club to motley the do w orkes or to build on the unit new ones, plow redesign or emolument must take place. Whether the regularity is Total caseful centering (TQM), hexad Sigma, Business Process Reengineering (BPR), or one of the many others, the core concepts be the said(prenominal) streamline the process, lop costs, and remove waste.Process begets smoke be incremental and unbroken, or they lot be giant leaps that fundamentally variegate the way nerves do personal credit line. One thing in unwashed with all process profit initiatives is that culture engine room is a study component, regard slight of the manner. Hammer and Champy (1993) recount IT is an encapabler of BPR, and while this is stillness lawful data engineering science has be nonplus more than besides an enabler. Just as throwing money at a problem impart not educate it go away, a communication channel problem undersurfacet be reengineered exclusively by hrowing new breeding governances at it (Hammer & Ch ampy, 1993). 1. 1 Business Process Improvement The drive for process improvement is not new. Process improvement methodologies lead been developed and apply for over 30 years. hexad Sigma was developed in the middle 1980s as a way to improve manufacturing processes (Drake, Sutterfield, & Ngassam, 2008). Business process reengineering stired to the nous of process improvement in the archaeozoic 1990s when somewhat felt larger leaps in process performance were needed.Both of these methods argon still among the most widely used today, and discombobulate been adjusted to meet modern line of employment needs. There argon ternion briny types of process improvement continuous, benchmarking, and reengineering. free burning is more systematic than simply lam problems as they occur, and bed be healthy integrated into an government. Improvements to processes using this methodology be typically small, except if they atomic number 18 ongoing go forth tag on up to lar ger gains in improvement over period (Tenner & DeToro, 1997).Continuous improvement is a plan-do-study-act method that uses the hobby cardinal criterion instance find the customer, assess efficiency, analyze the process, improve the process, mechanism changes, and standardize and monitor. sooner an geological formation mint accomplish eminenter(prenominal) take aims of process improvement, it must first success blanket(a)y 67 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 journal of Emerging Trends in deliberation and tuition Sciences 2009-2012 CIS ledger. All rights reserved. http//www. cisjournal. org implement continuous improvement (Tenner & DeToro, 1997).Six Sigma, a continuous improvement methodology, was originally created by Motorola to help nullify manufacturing defects, with a five year determination of no more than 3. 4 defects per million. Analyzing the var. in defects was the trace to Six Sigma, which inevitable very accurate data (Drake et al, 2008). T his method was designed as a case improvement initiative, exclusively its later slaying in other industries and inspection and repairs al offseted for broader application. bring an constitution in line with the best practices of their industry makes use of the benchmarking methodology.Benchmarking creates greater whiz improvements than the continuous method, but is more pick intensive and occurs less often (Tenner & DeToro, 1997). Benchmarking is fundamentally reverse engineering of a process by taking apart a competitors processes (or products) if trick be absorbn how they relieve oneself and what makes them good. Proper benchmarking requires a quadruple course, tenstep model. The planning phase includes identifying the benchmark subject, indentifying benchmark partners, and collecting data (Tenner & DeToro, 1997).The analysis phase includes determining the performance gap and communicate future performance. The consolidation phase includes communication results and establishing goals. The action phase includes developing action plans, implementing the plans and monitoring results, and finally recalibrating the benchmarks (Tenner & DeToro, 1997). Reengineering is the blueest train of process improvement. Reengineering creates radical improvements to processes, often resulting in juicy performance gains. Reengineering requires a naughtyly technical musical arrangement go forthing to accept risque levels of adventure (Tenner & DeToro, 1997).Like the continuous and benchmarking improvement methods, a step-by-step model is needed. The six step model for reengineering includes the pastime organizing the reengineering excogitate, launching the reengineering travail, inventing a new process, integrating, acting, and evaluating (Tenner & DeToro, 1997). The origins of headache process reengineering began in the late 1980s, but truly started with an denomination in the Harvard Business Review which called for the essence redesign of lineag e processes.Michael Hammer (1990) felt it was not enough to simply refreshen existing processes, but instead the processes should be removed alto appropriateher and replaced with new and meliorate processes started from a clean slate (El Sawy, 2001). opposed other methodologies such as Six Sigma, data engineering was seen as from the rootage to be a necessity when assay to pass BPR (Hammer & Champy, 1993). 1. 2 selective information Technologys graphic symbol in Business Process Reengineering For many BPR authors (Hammer & Champy, 1993 Davenport & Short, 1990 Irani, Hlupic, & Giaglis, 2002), information engine room is a life-and-death component of BPR.It is become cleargonr that investments only in new IT or BPR projects crowd outnot stand by themselves (Kohli & Hoadley, 2006). Increasing commercialize pressure, as intimately as an agreements need to innovate, provide offer to new IT adoption (Lee, Chu, & Tseng, 2009), but simply implementing new IT give not mak e BPR work. Hammer and Champy (1993) say it best A follow that evictnot change the way it thinks virtually information engine room cannot reengineer. A federation that equates engineering science with automation cannot reengineer. A caller-up that looks for problems first and then seeks engineering solutions for them cannot reengineer (p. 3). How an validation uses IT will largely come up how well and to what degree they will be able to implement BPR. IT was originally considered simply as an enabler for BPR (Hammer & Champy, 1993), and while it is still true that IT can enable BPR initiatives, ITs mathematical function in process improvement has become a great deal greater and more varied. IT can be the initiator that drives process improvement, or the beam which makes process improvement realistic. Eardley, Shah, and Radman (2008) define six parts that IT can play in BPR.These authoritys argon control, catalyst, neutral, driver, enabler, and proactive. These c haracter references vary in equal from cosmos constraining at the disallow end to macrocosm proactive at the constructive end. Legacy IT systems argon the most common pedigree of IT constraints. They argon considered a constraint because process improvement is held back by old, in elastic IT systems (Eardley, Shah & Radman, 2008). Organizations have switched to client-server systems over time because of cost, but bequest mainframe systems still exist and the benefits of replacing them atomic number 18 tough (Akhavan, Jafari & Ali-Ahmadi, 2006).The next step towards a overbearing IT economic consumption is that of catalyst. When new information applied science is brought into a line of descent and causes changes to job processes, IT becomes a catalyst. While the usage of catalyst can be unequivocal, if new information technology is not right for the organization the violation will apt(predicate) be negative (Eardley et al, 2008). 68 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in cypher and randomness Sciences 2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. http//www. cisjournal. orgSometimes, IT is nothing more than a hold in tool rather than a key component for process improvement. In these cases, IT is considered neutral. It will typically be seen in heterogeneous software tools for process design and carrying into action (Eardley et al, 2008). Moving and toward a exacting extend to role is that of driver. instruction technologys role as driver is the result of a technology driving force from forced implementation of new information systems that then require process improvement to take advantage of the new capabilities (Eardley et al, 2008).Purely IT compulsive BPR without defined production line needs are not desirable and could negatively move credit line schema (Eardley et al, 2008). The role of enabler is chiefly the most common role associated with BPR and process improvement. Enabler is in any ca se a line of products sector rip role as opposed to a technology grind, meaning that IT and the task units are line up from a strategical standpoint, thus leaving no technology gap (Eardley et al, 2008).The enabler role whitethorn be broken down into specific bear uponions as defined by Thomas Davenport (1993) automational (removing kind interaction), informational, sequential (reorganizing process sequence), tracking, analytical, geographical (processes from various locations are coordinated), integrative (tasks and processes are coordinated), bright (intellectual assets are distributed) and disintermediating (process intermediaries are removed). Each of these impacts affects the BPR process polarly and to distinct degrees.The final role for IT in BPR is proactive. Eardley et al. (2008) state that a proactive role is the ideal role of IT in BPR (p. 639). This IT role ideally helps create major change as well as supporting BPR. When the organization standardizes BPR d eep down the channel and ties it closely with IT and the impact can be tremendous by allowing the ability to transform processes faster and on the fly (Eardley et al, 2008). The impact severally of these roles has is certified on the type of BPR projects that individually role is coupled with. The types defined by Eardley et al. 2008) are disaster, compromise, trip the light fantastic toe, evolutionary, and radical. A trouble project type can theoretically be matched with the more desirable proactive IT role, but advanced IT would be hindered by a poor business plan. Conversely, a radical project type matched with a constraint IT role would result in a progressive business plan being wasted by old technology or simply a poor IT radical (Eardley et al, 2008). The ideal wedlock of IT roles and BPR types is for evolutionary and radical BPR projects to be fall in with proactive and enabler IT oles to achieve the greatest positive impact on the BPR childbed and on the busines s as a whole (Eardley et al, 2008). 1. 3 Performance and pry impact on organizations The primary goal of any process improvement project, regardless of method, is to reduce waste, improve efficiency, and ultimately reduce costs. nurture technology plays a key role in sinking process improvement goals, but it does not guarantee success. more(prenominal) than 70 share of early BPR projects have ended in failure (Ramirez, Melville & Lawler, 2010).Choosing the straightlaced method of process improvement or reengineering with a complementing information technology system will typeset the impact on combined potential. A study do by Ramirez et al. (2010) discusses the impact of IT on business process reengineering with a focus on cost rationalization BPR (doing more with less) and work restructure BPR (implementing new business processes). Ramirez et al (2010) found in their study that generally, the relationship of IT and BPR had a positive relationship on not only the production efficiency of a smart set, but also the securities industry value.It was found that production output was change magnitude by roughly one percent among surveyed businesses resulting from IT and BPR interaction, thus having a positive railroad tie towards operational efficiency (Ramirez et al, 2010). This result holds true for some(prenominal) cost rationalization and work restructure. However, for an organizations BPR investment to get positive returns, the BPR project must be IT centric (Ramirez et al, 2010). This means that BPR projects that are not focused entirely around IT will see much lower returns, if any, from the project.While increase performance of production processes and value they add to an organization is simpler to document, performance improvements that affect an organizations marketplace value are more difficult to discern. To find the impact of IT and BPR on the organizations market value, one must look at all BPR efforts which an organization has judgee d, and their cumulative effect on that individual organization (Ramirez et al, 2010). opposed the impact on production performance, cost rationalization BPR and work restructure BPR interactions with IT are not positively associated in the long term.There is evidence that over an extended close of time that the impact of each type of BPR can be negative in market value. This may be callable to the number of BPR failures, especially earlier BPR efforts, in an organization (Ramirez et al, 2010). The one factor that may determine the degree of positive BPR impact on an 69 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences 2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. http//www. cisjournal. org organization is the appropriate extract of information technology to complement the extract of the right BPR method (Ramirez el al, 2010).While IT and process improvement methodologies such as BPR can stand only, their impact on distr ibutively other is significant in meliorate performance. Research done by Albadvi, Keramati, and Razmi (2007) shows that BPR has a mediating effect on the impact of information technology on an organizations performance. For IT to positively impact the performance of an organization and thus create a return on IT investment, BPR is needed for IT to fade its full potential (Albadvi et al, 2007). The fortunes involved with an organizations decisions must always be storeyed for.The impacts of IT and BPR are no incompatible and must be considered along with performance goals. BPR itself requires an organization to thrifty take risks (Misra, Kumar & Kumar, 2008). Information technology can impact an organizations risk due to BPR in two ways. IT can help mitigate risk by aiding risk counsel with in high spirits whole step risk models and process simulation. However IT can also be a source of risk, as BPR will inherently implement new IT systems and IT processes (Misra et al, 200 8). Thus organizations must account for all risks involved with IT and BPR implementations.When all aspects, including risk, are considered it is clear that IT and BPR are necessary partners for up(a) organizational performance and productivity. These improvements will have an impact on a companys overall market value but they can only be maintained long term with careful selection of projects (Ramirez et al, 2010). Beyond their partnership, IT and BPR must also complement each other to reach performance increase goals of an organization. The impacts that IT and BPR have on each other reinforce their recursive relationship. 2.PURPOSE This paper focuses on investigating the role and impact that information technology has had on process improvement. The combination of information technology with process improvement and how this combination impacts performance and sometimes the value of the business, as well as examples of IT, will also be discussed. This paper investigates the exten t that IT could be used (from low tech to high tech and constrained to proactive), type of process reengineering projects employed (compromise to radical) and their effect on firm performance.The firm performance has been defined as market share, customer relationships precaution, IT impact, and efficiency (as multifaceted such as lowering the cost, lowering the process variability, and lead time). 2. 1 The usances of IT in BPR To determine the role of IT in BPR, existing work in the area (Chan, 2000 Gunasekaran and Nath, 1997 AlMashari and Zairi, 20006, Eardley, 2008) was also examined to determine whether parallels could be established for small-to-medium sized organizations both in assistance and in manufacturing.Their research found that IT could have six manageable roles a constraint, a driver, a neutral, a catalyst, an enabler, or be proactive. The six different roles of IT in BPR are shown in put off 1based on Eardleys model (Eardley, et al, 2008). remand 1 Characterist ics of the role of IT in BPR Role of IT Characteristics of the Role Legacy IT systems dominate main business processes. In ? exible IT foots. omit of readiness and/or investment in new IT. Business processes embedded in existing IT systems. Lack of potential for investment in IT due to budgetary factors. Lack of recognition of the potential of IT by management.Strategic conjunction is low. freshly IT has been acquired. Changes in the business have been make that favor the use of IT. in the raw management that sees the potential of IT in business change. New relationship developed with IT vendor, consultant, or service provider. Strategic concurrence at crucial stage. diffidence Catalyst 70 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences 2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. http//www. cisjournal. org Neutral Lack of IS applications and IT infrastructure in the organization. No IS or IT strategy in place.Busin ess change targets are not well de? ned. The business is in an industry with low information force or little competition through and through IT. Strategies and infrastructures are in colligation. The business has technological capability and seeks to work it through business opportunities. Possibly a new business or a technological intent. satisfactory investment is escaped and IT development is not a alteration factor. Strategic alignment process is proceeding rapidly. IT is a key performance factor and a competitive arena in the industry. Management has a clear business visual sensation and a future change plan.Business change targets are well de? ned. Sufficient investment is open and IT development not a limiting factor. Strategic alignment in process. Management has a clear business vision and future change plan. The IS and IT infrastructure is well developed. There are few constraints on IT development. Management sees the potential of IT. Strategies and infrastructur e are in alignment. Driver Enabler proactive Alan Eardley et al, 2008 set forth the roles of IT as visualized above, as being on a continuum with the constraining role at the negative extreme and the proactive role at the positive extreme, as shown in visualise 1.Roles of IT in BPR to a greater extent negative roles more(prenominal) positive roles Constraint Catalyst Neutral Driver Enabler Proactive Figure 1 A continuum of the possible roles of IT in BPR 2. 2 Types of BPR project in the organizations The literature search identi ? ed a number of types of BPR projects in the organizations that were examined, which may be placed on a continuum from failure to radical in terms of their usefulness in achieving the objectives of major business change (Figure 2). A brief summary of the characteristics of each type of BPR project is given below. Alan Eardley et al, 2008) misery IT does not have a plotted role in the BPR project, or the project has to be abandoned, or it is completed but fails to provide the expected business improvements. via media The existing IT infrastructure cannot be changed within the given time plate. The BPR project has to take this into account and although it may be a success, will be special(a) or unambitious in terms of its reach and station. such(prenominal) BPR projects typically produce islands of automation as they are applied to limited business processes or functions.One-step The reach and array (and therefore the scope and scale) of a one-step BPR project are greater than for Compromise, but the lack of IT support limits the potential of saucily designed processes for achieving higher level transformations. In this case IT is not seen by an organization as being truly strategic. 71 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences 2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. http//www. cisjournal. org evolutionary The rate of business change will be increment al through targeted process redesign.The infrastructure will be sufficiently ? exible to cope with progressive change, and the IT strategy will be capable of maintaining alignment with the business strategy over time, although periodic adjustments will be required. organic This type of BPR project achieves major business change with a high degree of reach and range within an acceptably short time scale. The IT infrastructure is very? exible and copes well with the major step change and the IT and business strategies are completely interdependent, being continuously in alignment. Types of BPR project Less utile types More effective types FailureCompromise One-step Evolutionary Radical Figure 2. A continuum of the possible types of BPR project The proposed mannequin by Alan Eardley et al, represents the roles of IT in BPR, the types of BPR projects, and includes the concepts of business rupture and technology repel (Figure 3) by superimposing upon the diagram four quadrants (Q 1-Q4), which are understand as follows (Alan Eardley et al, 2008) Q1. base technology tug and low business except the lower roles of IT when applied to the lower types of BPR (i. e. to the left of the continuum) are associated with a generally low visibleness of IT in the organization.Similarly the commitment to radical change within the organization may be poor. These factors will interfere with the organizations ability to implement BPR successfully. For instance, IT is likely to be a constraint in an organization that is aiming to achieve at best a compromise approach to organizational change in a forthcoming BPR program. Q2. Low technology push and high business wrench the lower roles of IT when applied to the higher types of BPR are associated with an organization that has poor strategic alignment (Avison et al. , 2004).It may possess collective opposition in planning a radical BPR program, but its IT strategy is derelict (indeed, the whole IT function may be under-r epresented organizationally) and its IT infrastructure lacks flexibility and openness. IT therefore has a constraining role in an organization that occupies this quadrant (e. g. typical symptoms include legacy systems and islands of automation) and prevents the effective implementation of programs of business change. This occurs irrespective of the organizations ambition or competence in carrying out evolutionary or radical BPR. Q3.High technology push and low business overcharge the organization that occupies this quadrant has a shrill awareness of technological trends and standards, but a relatively poor business model. Its IT infrastructure is probably very advanced, and technology has a high write although the business model or strategy may be relatively weak or undefined. Such an organization exhibits poor strategic alignment (Avison et al. , 2004) (in common with the example in the old quadrant), and may not progress beyond a compromise or one step type of BPR, irrespec tive of its technical competence or resources.The potential of IT to be proactive or enabling in support of business change in this type of organization is wasted. The literature contains many examples (Davenport, 1995) of high technology companies that failed to change as a result of poor business processes and plans. Q4. High technology push and high business pull an organization in this quadrant combines a high profile for IT (e. g. well integrated IT governance and a limber and open IT infrastructure) with a well-developed business plan and well-designed processes.It is able to achieve a high degree of success in carrying out evolutionary or radical BPR, fully enabled by a proactive IT strategy. However, success is not likely to come about by being skilled in isolated functions of IT and business. In order to occupy this quadrant, an organization needs to achieve a high level of strategic alignment (Avison et al. , 2004). Note Description of Q1-Q4 is from Alan Eardley et al, 2008) 72 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences 2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. ttp//www. cisjournal. org Figure 3 A Proposed framework for evaluating the role of IT in BPR projects. 3. METHODOLOGY A sum of money of cl small-to-medium sized companies in both manufacturing and service sectors were contacted through the Midwest, and 108 valid questionnaires were returned with an effective rate of 72%. The returned valid questionnaires were sufficient regarding the sample size and statistical assumptions to act MANOVA. The survey questionnaire was based on four constructs or dimensions and each construct had multiple items or questions for consistency of the measurement.The respondents were required to respond to four questions for each of the four constructs. For each of the questions the respondents had to indicate their agreement Q1 HH, high technology push with high business pull. or disagreement on a 11-point Likert-type scale with the end points being 0 for less likely and 10 for more likely. The four constructs determined the four dependent inconstants for conducting t MANOV . The four response variables were market share, customer relationship management, IT impact on organization, and efficiency (multifaceted, such as lowering cost, lowering process variability, and lead time).Four quadrants of strain 3(Q1Q4) were chosen as four levels of treatment of one factor, which is the quadrant (One way MANOVA) as follows Q1 LL, low technology push with low business pull. Q2 LH, low technology push with high business pull. Q3 HL, high technology push with low business pull. 73 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences 2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. http//www. cisjournal. org The interest MANOVA linear model was used to see which quadrant was the optimum point for business performance.The pairwise com parison test was conducted to compare all four quadrants regarding the four dependent variables as representative of business performance. Y1,Y2,Y3,Y4 = B0 + B1X1 + B2 X2 + B3 X3 + B4 X4 + e Before conducting MANOVA, the factor analysis was performed. Table 2 shows the result of factor analysis and factor loading. SPSS was used to analyze the data. Table 2 Scale Reliability additive strain explained and Cronbachs alpha for four factors 16 questions interrogatorys Impact of IT on Organization 0. 988 0. 750 0. 690 0. 790 0. 789 0. 789 0. 689 0. 87 0. 897 0. 745 0. 897 0. 798 0. 698 0. 987 0. 687 0. 786 100. 00 0. 754 Market conduct CRM Efficiency dubiousness 1 head teacher 2 drumhead 3 enquiry 4 head word 5 heading 6 fountainhead 7 Question 8 Question 9 Question 10 Question 11 Question 12 Question 13 Question 14 Question 15 Question 16 Cumulative variance Cronbachs alpha 28. 588 0. 788 56. 595 0. 881 70. 413 0. 974 The following tables shows the distribution of 108 organiz ations on 4 different quadrants. Table 3 Organization distribution on 4 quadrants Q1 LL 23 Q2 LH 28 Q3 HL 32 Q4 HH 25 4. DISCUSSION AND RESULTSTable 4 shows the result of MANOVA that all respondents means are significantly different for all four quadrants, and different combinations of technology push and business pull achieved different levels of strategic alignment. 74 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences 2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. http//www. cisjournal. org Table 4. Tests of Between-Subjects Effects helpless Source Quadrants nt IT. Impact M. Share CRM Efficency df 3 3 3 3 F 333. 960 236. 449 45. 051 79. 995 Sig. .000 . 000 . 000 . 00 The pairwise comparison shows the result of business performance for each quadrant as follows Fig. 4 IT Impact 4. 1 Impact of IT on Organization This variable was the highest both for HH and LH one by one and again it proved that the organization with high tech nology only if cannot achieve the uniform result as the organization both with both high technology push and high business pull (BPR) or only high business pull (BPR). 75 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences 2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. ttp//www. cisjournal. org Fig. 5 Market Share 4. 2 Market Share This variable was the highest both for HH and LH respectively and again, it proved that the organization with high technology alone cannot achieve the same result as the organization either with both high technology push and high business pull (BPR) or only high business pull (BPR). Fig. 6 guest race Management 76 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences 2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. http//www. cisjournal. org 4. Customer Relationship Management This variable was the highest both for HH and LH respectively and again, i t proved that the organization with high technology alone cannot achieve the same result as the organization either with both high technology push and high business pull (BPR) or only high business pull (BPR). Fig. 7 Efficiency 4. 4 Efficiency This variable was the highest both for HH and LH respectively and again it proved that the organization with high technology alone cannot achieve the same result as the organization either with both high technology push and high business pull (BPR) or only high business pull (BPR). ecurrent theme (Markus and Robey, 1995, p. 592). The framework demonstrates that no right BPR effort can afford to abbreviate the role of IT, and if it does so then the risk of failure is high. It appears that the role of IT in BPR is undervalued at present, especially in terms of its wider and more longterm implications. These implications are as follows. First, IT strategy and business strategy need to be aligned for maximum benefits to be realized. Second, IT s trategy dictates the type of IT infrastructure within a company. Third, the IT strategy and infrastructure should both support the business strategy and even influence it.Most importantly, as change is endemic to corporate life, the IT infrastructure also needs to be flexible in order to cope with changes in the environs and the business strategy (Alan Eardley et al, 2008). 5. IMPLICATIONS OF THE tend The proposed framework is needed because some organizations attempt to undertake BPR or strategic alignment without giving due consideration to the role of IT in BPR. Indeed, it has been observed that the exclusion and gibbousness of IS specialists from BPR programs is a 77 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences 2009-2012 CIS Journal.All rights reserved. http//www. cisjournal. org A flexible IT infrastructure appears to be an increasingly desirable objective for companies in a rapidly changing environment (Avison e t al. , 1997). By enabling an organization to exploit potential business opportunities quickly, such flexibility helps give an organization competitive advantage (Duncan, 1995). A key issue for an organization is the configuration of its IT platforms, network, and telecommunications, and this in turn raises questions concerning configuration, compatibility and integration rules, access standards, connectivity of systems, and excess apacity over the current requirements (Duncan, 1995, p. 42). These needs have led to a move towards distributed computing and standardization (or open systems) that give a high level of connectivity. One example of a company that has implemented such an infrastructure for purposes of ameliorate BPR success is Sweden Post (Moreton and Chester, 1997). any process improvement, no matter whether IT is present or not. Therefore, future research should integrate some dimensions of organizational structure and leadership, mission, and vision as mediating factor s. 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CONCLUSIONS This paper demonstrates the entailment of IT in BPR and their interdepende ncy that then impact business performance that is defined in four important dimensions market share, customer relationship management, IT impact, and efficiency (as multifaceted such as lowering the cost, lowering the process variability, and lead time). This study expanded and further explored the frame work developed by Alan Eardley et al,( 2008) by collecting data from 150 small-to-medium sized companies in both manufacturing and service sectors through the Midwest.They showed the different roles of IT in providing effective support for different types of BPR, and indicated that aiming for a type of BPR that is not compatible with the present role of an IT infrastructure will reduce the chance of success for a BPR project. If this is ignored, a BPR effort will either fail or will not produce the level of results that are often expected from BPR projects ( Alan Eardley et al, 2008). Organizations adapting high technology alone or BPR alone cannot achieve the same result and busin ess performance as the organization that benefits from interdependency between IT and BPR.