A Child of Two Worlds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

A Child of Two Worlds - Essay Example Three key things that I have considered within me whenever am faced with this challenge and these are my physical appearance, family as well as personal values and the place where I am situated at that moment. I must admit that in the past I used to irritated, distressed, anxious and confused whenever such question was about to emerge either from me or from those I was interacting with. My high school life has had a number of challenges especially emerging from my fellow classmates who have formed a negative opinion of me due to my mixed race status. Some are due to their envy as well as their inability to appreciate themselves. They have less information on what it means to belong to the mixed race. This has made me to particularly hate my high school and on many occasions, I have had to come up with a number of excuses so as not to go to school. I remember one day when I had to fake sickness for a whole week so as to avoid going to that school. I must admit that the journey towards acceptance and self-realisation has not been easy and a number of factors have served to make it less easy. However, my family has been of great assistance in this journey as they have helped me to accept myself through several initiatives. My parents have treated me with equality from both sides and I have never been under pressure to conform to one side of the race I really appreciate my parents as they have never dictated to use the people we need to associate with or keep away from. When I tend to identify with Whites, my mother seem less concerned neither is my dad when I associate closely with those of the Asian descent. One cannot change those around them but can change the perception that they have of themselves. I have therefore come to the point of personal acceptance irrespective of the views of those around me. I firmly believe that achieving my personal goals and visions in life is not based on my race but is on the perception that I form of myself.  Ã‚  

Mass media in Saudi Arabia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Mass media in Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example Saudi Arabia achieves control of the media mainly through the Ministry of Information, which administers the national news agency and the broadcasting services, and is responsible for applying censorship regulations (Rampal, 1994). Simons (2006) states that the three main roles played by mass media are as mirror, witness, and transmitter. This refers to the necessity for media to reflect the news, events, and situations, to observe occurrences of social, political and other interest, and to convey the information, observations and analysis to the general public. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the various aspects of mass media in Saudi Arabia, including its functioning and conditions affecting Arab mass media. 2. An Authoritarian Mass Media System The standard systems of classifying mass media are as authoritarian, libertarian, social responsibility and totalitarian (Siebert, Peterson & Schramm, 1963). The Arab media do not fall specifically into any one of the above categories, but some elements of all four systems are found in the mass media system of Saudi Arabia. In most of the Arab countries the media function under different variations of the authoritarian theory; thus, of the four theories this is the one that most closely explains the Saudi Arabian mass media operations. The authoritarian governments in these Arab countries play a part in the use of authoritarian media functions. In the authoritarian system, the media â€Å"support and advance the policies of the government, which controls the media either directly or indirectly through licensing, legal action, or perhaps financial means† (Rugh, 2004, p.23). Rampal (1994) reiterates that despite political reform initiatives, Saudi Arabia remains an absolute monarchy. The authoritarian political system has resulted in a controlled press, particularly since 1958 when the government’s Publications Department was goven to censor publications. The authoritarian reg ime permits the media to discuss society and the machinery of government, but not of the people who hold the political power. This system is built on the theory that truth does not emerge from a great mass of people, but of a few wise men capable of directing and guiding their fellow human beings (Siebert et al, 1963). In the authoritarian system comment and criticism are carefully guided, and lucid goals for the community align with the objectives of the regime

Case study analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Case study analysis - Essay Example Discussion Division â€Å"A† manager has proposed the management and the stakeholder of the organization about the automation of the data. It is an effective and useful idea. It can ease the business process of the organization. In addition to this, adoption of the automation process can help the organization to reduce the stress level of the employees as it will save time and physical effort of an individual. Looking into these advantages, the management and stakeholder of the organization approved the proposal of Division â€Å"A† manager. Moreover, the organization paid huge capital to develop this automation system. The â€Å"A† division of the organization is consists of two sections, such as Section â€Å"G† and Section â€Å"S†. After getting the approval, it was the responsibility of the division â€Å"A† manager to ask his two sections to focus on this project. Major reasons behind the project were high capital investment and to work with organization’s vision in order to improve its service. The major portion of the employees in the sections under the Division â€Å"A† manager was not competent to use the newly approved data automation system and instead was willing to carry out their daily paper based activities. Several arguments were framed by the employees to explain the shift in the working platform as a glamorous attempt to keep up with the vision on technological advancements. Thus the employees resisted to the forces of change. The steps taken towards change management in the organization were extremely crucial to keep up with the competitive environment. The employees resisted to change due to the gaps in the desired level of knowledge and skill required to adopt the data automation platform. There was also lack of transparency in the organizational decisions on change managements and it was not conveyed properly to the employees who would execute the work in the automated data platform. The practices of the Division â€Å"A† manager and the Section â€Å"S† manager in putting pressure on the employees to work on the automated data platform reveal unfair practices and inefficient leadership skills to motivate the employees (Schein, 2010). The recruitment of the new Finance Manager in order to achieve integration of finance function with the data automation platform resulted in conflicts between the managers due to difference in individual interest. One of the managers may be inclined for individual incentives while the other may have the broader perspective and will take decisions that are god for the organization. Here a conflict of their interests may arise. The employees started to take sides in order to establish their position in decision making. The lack of coordination among the managers, chaos among the employees led to the creation of a toxic work environment. All these reflected weakness in organization culture. Poor communication or interac tion among the managers will slow down the work flow. The existence of informal information will shed the impact upon the work process. Recommendation The senior management of Emirates especially the Human resources department had to the take up a host of actions for the improving the workplace environment of the company. First of all, the employees had adopted themselves to the conventional system of paperwork and therefore they were not ready to adapt to the new system of

The Evolution of Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Evolution of Work - Essay Example The significant changes in work ethic will be covered as well with relation to history and economy. The definition of work is the physical and/or mental efforts and other activities associated with the accomplishment of a specific duty. The applications of work in everyday life provide a more complicated meaning in part due to the constantly changing actions of humans themselves. This has caused historical context to become more important in the definition of the word. One noteworthy piece of history, which provided work, a new definition, was in the 15th and 16th centuries. The age of navigation was at its peak, and the colonial age became an integral part of history. In this time, work could be defined in two different ways. The first was through thte eyes of the colonizers themselves, and the other was through the eyes of those that were colonized. There was a plethora of work readily available about the western power, as well as in context of the un-colonized world at the time. I n respect to the western power, work was generally defined as parenthood. For these people, conquest was bringing civilization to what they perceived as an uncivilized world. Thus, the processes of conquests were important in the achievement of creating civilization among uncivilized people. The colonizers took the memories they had of their schoolmasters and used them, as they were the learned ones who were charged with the education of the uneducated and to show them a better life (Geddes). However, that definition of work that was exclusive in the eyes of the western power was masked. The plans of the colonizers sounded promising, as they promised a better life and way for the un-colonized people. They introduced the concept of civilization and education through their conquests as a primary source of bringing the life that they had experienced in the lands from which they came. The definition of work was not the same for those who were colonized. For the natives, the definition o f work as acculturation and conformity to their masters demands (Geddes). Although the promises of a better life through the development of the economy was seen as a compromise of the colonies, the benefits of this process being one-sided. This compromise was only beneficial to the colonizers. They began exploiting natural resources and introduced the idea and development of slavery. They took it upon themselves as a burden of their powers to civilize the native people and take the economic advantages they gained for themselves as part of a new development for their homeland (Geddes). Work for the natives ultimately meant the physical aspects of its definition. The natives were placed in forced labor, similar to the curve of the British Empire in India. Work for the colonized people was very hard, as they had to suffer the dictation of the colonizers along with the abuse of their masters (Geddes). As happens with historical progression, economic development and the definition of wor k became more diluted. Mercantilism became moot and capitalism began through the Industrial Revolution. It was in this time that the complications of work became evident through the new technology developing at the time. New machines were invented and introduced, allowing for mass production for the first time. This allowed them to produce products in greater volumes at lower costs. Capital investing and saving were being more strongly considered, and the introduction of wages for workers and profits for

Coursework 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Coursework 2 - Essay Example The project must be delivered within the stipulated time and within the projected budget cost. Such expectations with time require strict operation and ultimate discipline especially with procurement and implementation. Considerations when Accepting a Contractor’s Work Programme When evaluating the possibility of accepting a contractor’s work programme in regard to a construction project, various points must be considered. Ashworth (2006) asserts that the key concerns towards the acceptance of the programme will be considered in the pre-construction conference. During this conference, I as the contract administrator will verify whether the contractor has been able to provide pre-requisite documents as required for the project before issuing the Notice to Proceed. These documents include certificates of insurance, letters of credit as bond for the project cost which should be 40% of the project cost, building permits and contractor’s license. This process ensure t hat third party liability and accidents surrounding the project are adequately covered thus ensuring the safety of the project. The contractor’s license will give an assurance towards the eligibility of the contractor and give an indication into his experience to carry out the stipulated works (Chappell 2006). Further to the contractor complying with the documentation and security and safety measures, it is important to ensure that the contractor will be able to accomplish the project requirements within the time lines. In this regard, the proposed programme provided by the contractor is to be evaluated to ascertain practicability. The programme should ensure that the construction works are completed in good time to allow for inspection and mitigation where issues could arise (Stoll & Reilly 2006). The programme provided by the contractor in this project does not include road improvement and cabling works. However, this programme runs into the expected time for completion of the entire project. Though the cabling works is a separate contract by another contractor, it is clear that the road improvement and electricity cabling works should come after the construction of the production units and so the contractor should have allowed enough time for such related works. In light of the above, as the Contract Administrator, I will not be able to approve such a programme due to the risk of not being able to deliver the project within the time deadline. Advice to Help Complete the Construction work earlier From the initial contract agreement, the lead contractor is to take charge of the construction of the factory units and the improvement of the service lane as well as the junction with the dual carriageway. The other works of diversion of electrical cabling is to be undertaken by a different contractor but one who must start work after the construction of the factory unit and the service lane. Therefore, to ensure that all the project deliverables are achieve d within the deadline of 1st June, the construction of the factory units and the service lane must be completed before then. Consequently for the construction work to be completed by mid May, the employer has three options to pursue: a. The employer may have to bring forward the commencement date so that the actual construction work begin two weeks earlier. This could mean the works beginning by mid December as opposed to 1st January. This is likely to be impossible because of the

Online education Essay Example for Free

Online education Essay The shift from a traditional classroom setting to online education has both been hard and easy. The transition has been easy because the internet and other on line websites are not new for the generation of today thus there is really not much adjusting that is needed to be done in order to be familiar with this tool. There has been sufficient guidance extended by the schools which makes the transition easy and there are approachable staffs that are ready to answer any queries about the new system. The change also allowed the students to manage their time better because they are now less time constraints since there is no requirement to attend classes personally. (Clark, Kim. Online Education Offers Access and Accessibility. Retrieved from website http://www. usnews. com/articles/education/online-education/2009/04/02/online-education-offers-access-and-affordability. html. Everything is being done through the computer. The transition was hard at first because of the adjustment in a new learning environment. There are no more fixed school schedules to attend to thus there is a need to discipline students regarding their task to finish school work. The two systems can co-exist because the choice of one would not really result to the elimination of the other. If a student would chose to avail of attending some regular class and also of taking some online education subjects, this would work for the advantage of the student. The reason for this is that the student is given the option to manage his or her time properly and chose what subjects he or she thinks is better to be completed within the school grounds for reasons of the use of the library or counseling from the professor.In this way, the student would be able to maximize both his and her time and potential in a subject that truly interests him or her. Reference: Clark, Kim. April 2, 2009. U. S. News. Online Education Offers Access and Accessibility. Retrieved on May 7, 2009 from website http://www. usnews. com/articles/education/online-education/2009/04/02/online-education-offers-access-and-affordability. html.

Crossover Design for Speakers

Crossover Design for Speakers Crossover Design In terms of crossover design, there are two distinct options; passive or active crossovers. Passive crossovers are the most common implementation, since only one amplifier is required. In this case, filters comprising passive components (inductors, capacitors and resistors) are used to ensure that the correct frequency range is supplied to each driver. Low-pass, high-pass and band-pass filters are commonly used and need to be matched to ensure that the frequency roll-offs compliment each other, such that in the crossover zone(s) the combined acoustic output of the drivers maintains a flat frequency response. In terms of these passive filters, it is the order of the filters used that is the primary consideration. A first order filter has a roll-off of -6dB per Octave and a Butterworth characteristic. First order filters are undesirable for two reasons; a +3dB peak is introduced at the centre of the crossover band and the crossover bandwidth is large due to the gentle roll-off, which means the drivers need to be capable of handling a greater frequency range. However, first order filters require the least components, incur less power loss as a result and do not introduce a phase change in the output. Second order filters are the most commonly used type in passive crossovers, since they are relatively simple but solve the problems associated with first order filters. The roll-off is -12dB per octave and the filters may be designed with a Linkwitz-Riley characteristic which maintains a flat frequency response across the crossover band, unlike the combination of Butterworth filters. Third order filters offer a roll-off of -18dB per octave, however there is a problem of phase separation; in a two-way configuration there is a phase shift of 270 degrees which â€Å"can result in lobing and tilting of the coverage pattern† (DellaSala, G. 2004). Some designs such as the D’Appolito configuration[1], which uses three drivers, actually make use of this phase separation in order to minimise lobing, however the D’Appolito configuration is notoriously complex and difficult to implement well without precise driver measurements. If a high-order crossover is desired, fourth order filters are perhaps the best choice. Although they are more complex in terms of design and require more components, the advantages are a small crossover bandwidth (roll-off is -24dB per octave) and a 360 degree phase shift; hence no phase correction is required. Passive crossovers beyond fourth order are generally not considered. Borwick (2001, p.267) notes these â€Å"are seldom used in passive crossover designs because of their complexity, cost and insertion losses†. The other approach to crossover design is the active crossover. In this case active filters (normally based around op-amps) are used to divide the input signal into the required frequency bands prior to amplification; the crossover has multiple outputs and a separate power amplifier is needed for each frequency band. Some audiophiles complain that active crossovers (which normally employ high-order active filters) are not a good choice, due to the poor transient response of high order filters. However as Elliot (2004) notes, â€Å"the additional control that the amp has over the drivers behaviour improves the transient performance, and especially so at (or near) the crossover frequency the most critical frequency point(s) in the design of any loudspeaker†. Apart from the increased complexity and multiple power amplifier requirement, active crossovers are far superior to their passive counterparts in almost every way, although some purists may disagree. Good quality op-amps are cheap, as are the required resistors and capacitors (since these do not need to handle much power). The active solution means frequency response is no longer defined by the quite complicated combined resistive, capacitive and inductive load of the passive crossover and drivers. Thus the frequency response of the crossover is independent of dynamic changes in the load. Furthermore, the active crossover makes it easy to tune the crossover dynamically; with most commercially available active crossovers one can simply dial in the required frequency bands. Efficiency is improved with active crossovers, since no power is lost by the amplifier in driving passive inductors or resistors. The amplifier also has the best possible control over transient response, since there is nothing between it and the driver other than cable. Thus the amplifier can respond directly and â€Å"presents the maximum damping factor at all times, regardless of frequency† (Elliot R. 2004). In view of the above one may then wonder why passive crossovers continue to remain so popular, since it seems far more logical to implement frequency division before amplifying the signal. Ease of installation is perhaps the main factor. Almost all commonly available hi-fi systems use speakers with passive crossovers. For the consumer this makes things easy; the speakers are simply connected to the amplifier and installation is complete. In contrast, turnkey active solutions for the average consumer are not forthcoming, although rack-mounted â€Å"professional† active crossovers can be obtained for quite reasonable prices (around  £150 for a 4th order 2 way Linkwitz-Riley design)[2]. However, these require a fair amount of audio engineering expertise to set up correctly and the typical home listener simply does not possess this knowledge. For the high-budget client seeking the best audio reproduction, active crossovers are certainly the best option; the technical advantages have been seen to be numerous. This is offset by the fact that the system will be far more complicated to correctly install, but it is assumed in this case that complexity of installation is of little concern to the high-budget client who is unlikely to handle the installation themselves in any case. For the low-budget client, the best solution is the passive crossover. It is a simple option, only requires one amplifier and yet produces acceptable sound quality. It is far from the best solution, but adequate if a competitive price point is desired. In conclusion, all but a few dyed-in-the-wool purists will agree that the active crossover is a superior solution in terms of quality and control. What it lacks in simplicity is outweighed by a far superior level of control over frequency response and the drivers themselves. However, due to issues of complexity one can expect that the traditional passive crossover shall continue to lead a healthy existence in the majority of loudspeaker designs. Sources Borwick, John. (2001). Loudspeaker and Headphone Handbook, Focal Press. DellaSala, G. (2004). Filter Crossover Types for Loudspeakers, Audioholics Magazine. Dickason, V. (1995). The Loudspeaker Design Cookbook, Audio Amateur Publications. Elliot R. (2004). Active vs Passive Crossovers, Elliot Sound Products. Rossing, T. (1990). The Science of Sound, Addison-Wesley. 1 [1] D’Appolito’s full 1983 paper may be obtained here: http://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=11762 [2] For example the Samson S-2: http://www.inta-audio.com/products.asp?partno=sto-oth-sam2w