Slope of Regression Line and Correlation Coefficient

Many times in the study of statistics it is important to make connections between different topics. We will see an example of this, in which the slope of the regression line is directly related to the correlation coefficient.  Since these concepts both involve straight lines, it is only natural to ask the question, How are the correlation coefficient and least square line related?   First, we will look at some background regarding both of these topics. Details Regarding Correlation It is important to remember the details pertaining to the correlation coefficient, which is denoted by r. This statistic is used when we have paired quantitative data. From a scatterplot of this paired data, we can look for trends in the overall distribution of data. Some paired data exhibits a linear or straight line pattern. But in practice, the data never falls exactly along a straight line. Several people looking at the same scatterplot of paired data would disagree on how close it was to showing an overall linear trend. After all, our criteria for this may be somewhat subjective. The scale that we use could also affect our perception of the data. For these reasons and more we need some kind of objective measure to tell how close our paired data is to being linear. The correlation coefficient achieves this for us. A few basic facts about r include: The value of r ranges between any real number from -1 to 1.Values of r close to 0 imply that there is little to no linear relationship between the data.Values of r close to 1 imply that there is a positive linear relationship between the data. This means that as x increases that y also increases.Values of r close to -1 imply that there is a negative linear relationship between the data. This means that as x increases that y decreases. The Slope of the Least Squares Line The last two items in the above list point us toward the slope of the least squares line of best fit. Recall that the slope of a line is a measurement of how many units it goes up or down for every unit we move to the right. Sometimes this is stated as the rise of the line divided by the run, or the change in y values divided by the change in x values. In general, straight lines have slopes that are positive, negative or zero. If we were to examine our least-square regression lines and compare the corresponding values of r, we would notice that every time that our data has a negative correlation coefficient, the slope of the regression line is negative. Similarly, for every time that we have a positive correlation coefficient, the slope of the regression line is positive. It should be evident from this observation that there is definitely a connection between the sign of the correlation coefficient and the slope of the least squares line. It remains to explain why this is true. The Formula for the Slope The reason for the connection between the value of r and the slope of the least squares line has to do with the formula that gives us the slope of this line. For paired data (x,y) we denote the standard deviation of the x data by sx and the standard deviation of the y data by sy. The formula for the slope a of the regression line is: a r(sy/sx) The calculation of a standard deviation involves taking the positive square root of a nonnegative number. As a result, both standard deviations in the formula for the slope must be nonnegative. If we assume that there is some variation in our data, we will be able to disregard the possibility that either of these standard deviations is zero. Therefore the sign of the correlation coefficient will be the same as the sign of the slope of the regression line.

Native Americans And The United States Essay - 2035 Words

It is no secret that many minority groups in America experience challenges that the average American is not subject to, but Native Americans, who live on reservations, experience a unique set of social hardships. Many of these hardships are due to the fact that they live on reservations where resources and esteem are scarce, but in order to preserve cultural identity and sovereignty, many natives believe it is not only their right to live on reservations, but their duty. Likewise, it is a duty of the United States government to provide these people, who have experienced a protracted history of violence and oppression at government’s hands, with the resources they need in order to live fruitful and happy lives. Native Americans are a group of peoples who deserve appreciation and dignity, but also a group who is struggling to survive as a result of the harm our nation has caused them and it is for this reason, we must increase assistance to natives on reservations. Opponents of efforts to increase aid for natives on reservations argue that if natives want a better life, they should move off the reservations and assimilate into American culture. They believe this would eliminate the problems natives face on reservations because natives would be living as normal American citizens. Although this may diminish a select few of the challenges natives face on reservations, it creates a whole new set of issues relating to Native Americans’ rights to sovereignty and the actuality ofShow MoreRelatedThe United States And Native Americans Essay1300 Words   |  6 PagesThe history between Native Americans and Americans is harsh. Native Americans have been pushed off of their land by Americans and put into smaller reservations. The united states have enforced a number of treaties trying to better the relationship but it has oppressed Natives. Recently the united states were plaining to build an oil pipeline that would run through native land and the native Ame ricans did not want the pipeline to be built. So this created more tension between the two. History ofRead MoreNative Americans And The United States Essay1671 Words   |  7 Pagesand early Americans have pushed away Native Americans. Natives were not only thrown into an unknown land, but were also killed in large numbers while changing their culture trying to fit in. The United States was nothing but rude to these people who owned the land centuries before the first Englishman ever stepped foot in America. The United States destroyed these societies to shreds without ever really giving them a good chance to live among the Americans. I believe the United States should haveRead MoreNative Americans And The United States1443 Words   |  6 PagesMany people think that the African-Americans are the most oppressed group of people ever in the United States. 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For thousands of years, Native Americans had roamed around the Americas. There had also been many tribes spread across the West that fought between each other in order to have their land.1 It wasn’t until after reconstruction in the United States, that the white Americans started having ordeals with the Native Americans. The main tribes involvedRead MoreThe Great Impact On Native American Nation And The United States Of America1767 Words   |  8 Pagesdisagreements, disrespect, feuds, or even over the smallest of matters. For example, one of the biggest feuds in American history that just ended recently was between the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s. This just shows you how petty, ignorant, and uncivilized we as a people can become. However, the greatest and most crucial feud of all was between the entire Native American Nation and the United States of America. This war of hate and disrespect towards tribes of people and their culture is uncalled for and has

Compare Contrast Free Essays

In And After The War Young men who are sent to a war learn the reality in a very harsh and brutal way. Both the stories, ‘The Red Convertible’ and ‘The Things They Carried’ portray the life of a young soldier and how he psychologically gets affected from all the things he had seen in the war. Tim O’Brien’s ‘The Things They Carried,’ is more specific on the experiences of a soldier during a war where as Karen Louise Erdrich focuses more on describing the post war traumatic stress in her short story ‘The Red Convertible’. We will write a custom essay sample on Compare Contrast or any similar topic only for you Order Now One thing similar in both the narrations is the Vietnam War and its consequences on the soldiers. From the background of both the authors it’s easy to conclude that Tim O’Brien being a war veteran emphasizes more on the war scenes where as Louise Erdrich focuses mainly on the life inside the reservations, which makes sense as she has a Native American ancestry. In both the stories authors show amp; compare the human emotions of a soldier before and after he gets drafted into a war. In ‘The Things They Carried,’ the story revolves around a twenty two year old First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, a fresh graduate from New Jersey who is drafted and sent into the Vietnam War. Tim O’Brien does a true justice to the title of the story and emphasizes on the physical strength of the soldiers, and how it gets tear down with all the situations they have been put through. At one point of the story he describes soldiers carrying mementos and objects for good luck superstitiously. For an instance, Dave Jensen one of the soldiers carried a rabbit’s foot and Norman Bowker carried a thumb that had been presented to him as a gift from a soldier of the same platoon, Mitchell Sanders. He also successfully portrays the confused state of mind of a soldier, during the conversation between Henry Dobbins and Mitchell Sanders about the reason behind Sanders cutting off a thumb from a dead corpse of a fifteen or sixteen year old boy. Mitchell tries to make Henry understand that there was a moral behind what he did but Henry walks off speaking sarcastically and unconvinced. In Karen’s ‘The Red Convertible,’ the story is narrated by Lyman Lamartine who is the younger brother of Henry Junior who had just got back from Vietnam after the war was over. The whole story is narrated in a flashback unlike Tim’s ‘The Things They Carried’ where the story moves back and forth in time. For example when the author describes the things that the soldiers carried in the very beginning of the story, he mentions Ted Lavender carrying six or seven ounces of premium dope until he was shot. Karen emphasizes more on the relationship between brothers and compares the state of mind in which they were before and after the war. The younger brother Lyman hadn’t changed much where as the elder brother Henry was completely a different person after he got back from Vietnam. In both the stories authors have successfully shown the life of a young and happy bachelor until he was drafted to the war and then things changed drastically. In ‘The Things They Carried,’ author narrates Lieutenant Jimmy Cross as a romantic young boy who would carry letters from a girl named Martha. He knew there was no such thing as love between them but he would still be hopeful that things might work out his way after the war is over and when he is sent back home. In the later part of the story after one of his soldier dies, he blames himself for what had happened. Though it can be argued that it wasn’t completely his fault but that’s what being in war can do to you. Whereas in ‘The Red Convertible’ author describes the life of the two brothers before and after the war without emphasizing much on what had happened during the war. In the whole story, the red convertible is used as a symbol of Henry and Lyman’s relationship. This is why I think Lyman drives the car into the lake, so he can bury all the memoirs which he had shared with his elder brother Henry. With this act, the author might want to show that Lyman wanted to move on with his life and which is why he drowned the car into the lake after Henry jumped in. After reading both the stories one might say that ‘The Things They Carried,’ emphasizes on the life of a soldier in the war and ‘The Red Convertible’ can be a continuation of the soldier’s life after the war is over and he comes back home. In ‘The Things They Carried’ the reader would observe the emotional stress a soldier goes through during the war. In essence, ‘The Red Convertible’ shows how these emotional stresses can be suicidal later in a soldier’s life. How to cite Compare Contrast, Papers

Emerging and Practical Areas for Runtime Process - MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theEmerging and Practical Areas for Runtime Process. Answer: Introduction This paper is a discussion reviewing the article, Business Process Management: 13th International Conference, BPM 2015, Innsbruck, Austria, August 31-September 3, 2015, Proceedings. The main purpose is to assess the undertakings of the 13th International Conference on BPM in 2015. Other articles are also used in supporting the main article in discussion to prove the credibility of the main article. This conference gave an international forum where researchers from all walks met and exchanged their views on the topics in research and also the results of the business process management. The BPM 2015 was presented by the University of Innsbruck in Austria and that happened from August 31st to September 3rd. The rest of the paper gives the account of all what happened during this conference. In this BPM 2015 conference, the researchers present gave over one hundred and twenty submissions. All of the submissions touched on the emerging and empirical areas of BPM. These submissions were rechecked by a procedure including 17 high-ranking Program Committee associates and also 75 PC affiliates. Thirty papers were accepted in total and there were 21 full papers with a 17% acceptance rate. There were also double trade papers with a general recognition rate of 24 percent. The paper aims at giving an examination of the improvement of the empirical exploration in the BPM. The paper also seeks to study the tendencies in the empirical BPM research and all the practices applied by way of an advanced background so as to identify the standing quo and to review the probable future development of the research. During this conference, there were suggestions encouraged. First, an investigation that demonstrates the interdisciplinary landscape of BPM and links with disciplines such as administration and managerial discipline, information systems, date, and information organization, social computing and service-leaning work out. The other research that was encouraged is that which examines the emerging areas of BPM and the application of concepts and methods. The main topics discussed in this paper are: Runtime Process Management The redesign of business processes according to BPM (Conference), Motahari-Nezhad, Recker Weidlich (2015) has a big prospective regarding the lowering of the courses expenditures with throughput periods and also in boosting customers satisfaction. A mere process design enterprise is comprised of a description of the as-is process. The analysis of the as-is situation helps to locate the process flaws and to generate process boosting ideas. In this article, it is said that practitioners typically use a lot of time in the explanation together with the examination of the present situation and the procedure of improving ideas mostly generated in a few workshops by the use of traditional creativity techniques mainly brainstorming. These techniques do not have guidance pertaining the type of process choices that are worth considering and they hardly give an answer for the individual inactivity to look for replacements to ensure that they are not similar with other directions. According to (Rosing, Scheel Scheer,2014), a typical process design business is composition of the description of the current process as brought out by the main article in the review. Process Modelling This refers to the description, diagram and the structural representation that explains the undertakings of a particular organizational unit (BPM (Conference), et al., 2015). Under this topic, model grounded and text based course explanations have their individual certain fortes and which charm to their shareholders. By this, it is unlikely to discover in an association descriptions of similar commercial practices in equal manners. While putting into descriptions that many of such portrayals that may perhaps be used in certain organizations by dozens of people that use different editors, there is likelihood that the risk of these representations turn into lop-sided. To minimize the period and exertion required so as to correct those circumstances, this article, grants a primary tactic to identify by design the discrepancies that arise amid the textual description with the process model. The paper also leverages the normal linguistic dispensation practices to highlight the circumstanc es where the binary procedure representations examine the undertakings in various guidelines. (Vom Schmiedel,2015) also states in process modelling, it is not easy to incorporate both business processes mode as mentioned above. Process Model Discovery I Under this, the process of mining can give a very important information for the improvement of process models and the process management, the business process execution majorly follows some pre-designed process models. These process models as brought out by (BPM Conference, et al. 2015) are mainly a following by many of but not all process executions because business processes many times undergo exceptional circumstances where the detour of to the available process models is important. The businesss needs to recheck the process models according on the previous logged executions so as to guide majority of future workflow executions. The process model enhancement benefits from the techniques from the process of mining and the process analysis. The practice mining methods are put into use to determine procedure representations from the occasion records. Various discovery techniques are suggested so as to attain a procedure model imitating a performance given in the occasion records. The processes that have been discovered may differ considerably in accordance with the chosen method discovered. The main problem with the process model discovery is constructing adequate formal model that reflects the behaviors represented in an event long in the best possible means. As brought out by (Riemann,2015), it is true that businesses should recheck their process models to ensure that they are guided in the future executions. Business Process Models and Analytics Business process models and analytics gives process participants. Related stakeholders and decision makers with insight about the effectiveness and the efficiency of the organizational process. This insight is motivated by the performance considerations. From the compliance viewpoint, (BPM Conference, et al. 2015) states that the intention of procedure analytics is the reduction of the response period of stakeholders to the proceedings could alter the variations in the routine process then to also permit for an additional instant valuation of the implication of the procedure administration choices on procedure metrics. There are many reasons for measuring the various facets of commercial procedures. First is to assess all that has occurred over the past, to comprehend whatever is occurring in the moment, and draft a comprehension of all that might happen in future. (Rosing,2014) also mentions that the analytics process is intended to minimize the stakeholder-time response to any alte rations in the performance process. BPM in Industry With the expansion in the various Workflow Management Systems (WfMSs) organizations undergo difficult decisions when choosing a suitable means on behalf of their Business Process Management (BPM) schemes (BPM Conference, et al., 2015). The major alterations between WfMSs are: the sustained controllable modeling dialects, the integration with outside tools and systems (such as Web-service APIS for business intelligence and monitoring), their robustness, their performance, non-functional requirements and operational costs. There is need to assess the different WfNSs in accordance with the runtime routine of the commercial course implementation through their Workflow apparatus. By making that assessment, it will largely help in empowering the adopters of BPM so that they can map their needs to the existing solutions and so that also the vendors of BPM and their developers can increase their technological giving. The framework for the benchmarking of BPMN particularly the WfMSs makes sur e that the benchmarking process is reliable. The framework also makes sure that it structurally defines and controls the setting in which the routine processes remain conducted plus their outcomes studied. As per (Vom et al., 2015), the businesses need to evaluate various WfNSs based on their runtime performance of their BP. Process Compliance and Deviations The biggest challenge in any business is ensuring it conforms its business undertakings to the rules that have been imposed. This may comprise of many perspectives of the business process that includes data, resources, time, control flow and the interactions of the business stakeholders (BPM Conference, et al.,2015). The process of business compliance cannot be fully arrived at during the design time although it needs to be checked regularly during the process of runtime too. The article has presented a wide-ranging outline for checking the commercial course submission visually. In opposition with other methods, the outline gives support the graphic observing of entirely important course standpoints according to the protracted Compliance Rule Graph linguistic. This doesnt only permit for detection of acquiescence abuses but then again visually pinpoints the grounds too. Lastly, the context helps in assessing the commercial progression obedience and making sure that the business proce ss is running smoothly. (Riemann, 2015) suggests that businesses cannot arrive at the process of business compliance in design time. The correctness concerns of the corporate procedure prototypes have increasingly remained deliberated for over an era. The initial grind was majorly on the syntactical accuracy together with the reliability problems such as the nonexistence of life locks and deadlocks. The obedience of the commercial procedures through the semantic bottlenecks have stayed considered progressively over the ages. Basically, the acquiescence rubrics branch from requirements that are sphere exact for instance the legal regulations and corporate standards. All these must be considered throughout the stages of the procedure development. The approaches that deals by way of the submission of commercial procedures in the event of their execution are taken care of by the compliance monitoring. Emerging and Practical Areas of BPM Technology in a BPM Perspective According to (BPM Conference, et al. 2015), technology in a BPM perspective pertains the vital significance that technology undertakes in then generation of value and also the underpinning of the BPM philosophy by providing a framework that leads an enabling reign of monitoring, traceability and optimization. It also makes sure that businesses develop various scenarios and draft the right adjustments immediately and more effectively thereby making sure that they contribute in competitive advantages. Additionally, technology gives the needed avenue to translate objective choices into rigid plans of actions and allowing the businesses to become more proactive. The aim of BPM is mainly to boost the employee and customer value by efficient, innovative and flexible processes. In such process managed businesses, it is more about the transformation of the business then about technology. It is a misunderstanding to view BPM as a label for new technology. It is purported that technology has a ssisted businesses establish effective business processes. Process Monitoring The business processes are often subjected to unexpected and continuous adjustments. The process employees may start undertaking the process differently so as to cope with the changes in season, workload, regulations and guidelines for instance (BPM Conference,et al., 2015). Detecting the business process early in accordance with the event logs-in other terms called process drift detection, makes it possible for analysts to locate and act upon the adjustments that may in turn impact negatively on the business performance. The earlier methods for the detection of commercial procedure drift are grounded on an examination of a hypothetically bigger piece space and some other circumstances, the operators are required to physically detect the certain structures that come with the gist. Subject to the discovered piece set, the techniques might slip some specific variations. This article has a statistically chastised technique aimed at the detection of the drift. The above article is suppor ted by (Rosing et al., 2014), whereby early detection of business process drift helps them make the right changes so that they are not affected by them. The main idea is to conduct a statistical experiments over the allocation of the runs seen in two successive time spaces. By adapting a sizing space, the method slowdowns a trade-off between the cataloguing accuracy and drift detection interruption. A validation on a real life and synthetic logs indicate that the method precisely detects typical patterns of change and rules up to the extent it is appropriate for wired drift discovery. Conclusion In conclusion, this paper is a review of the article Business process management: 13th International Conference, BPM 2015, Innsbruck, Austria, August 31-September 3, 2015, Proceedings, by BPM (Conference), Motahari-Nezhad, Recker Weidlich. The review is supported by other three articles on the topic BPM to bring out the credibility of the main article. Bibliography BPM (Conference), Motahari-Nezhad, H. R., Recker, J., Weidlich, M. (2015).Business process management: 13th International Conference, BPM 2015, Innsbruck, Austria, August 31-September 3, 2015, Proceedings. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23063-4. Riemann, U. (2015). Benefits and Challenges for BPM in the Cloud.International Journal of Organizational and Collective Intelligence (IJOCI).5, 32-61. Rosing, M. V., Scheel, H. V., Scheer, A.-W. (2014).The complete business process handbook: body of knowledge from process modeling to bpm. Volume I Volume I. https://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1888539. Vom Brocke, J., Schmiedel, T. (2015).BPM - Driving Innovation in a Digital World. https://proxy.uqtr.ca/login.cgi?action=loginu=uqtrdb=sciencedirezurl=https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14430-6.

Experimental Vehicle Essays - Hydrogen Economy,

Experimental Vehicle There are three types of experimental vehicle (EVs) propulsion technologies on the currently being tested. Batteries are currently the most popular power source for modern EVs but they are by no means the only available technology. A number of alternatives are under development and they, too, are well positioned to rival batteries as an effective EV power source. 1.Fuel cells Some of the most recent and exciting news in electric-vehicle development has centered around a new power source, called the fuel cell. The fuel cell utilizes a special membrane to generate electricity through the controlled reaction between hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Unlike batteries, which store electricity rather than generate it, fuel cells actually produce electricity through a controlled chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Inside a fuel cell, the two elements are fed to opposite sides of a porous membrane. As hydrogen atoms pass through the pores, they are stripped of their electrons. This results in a negative charge on the membrane's hydrogen side and a positive charge on the oxygen side. Stacking fuel cells in series produces enough power to operate a vehicle. Unfortunately, there is a downside to this innovative system?hydrogen is extremely volatile. It is also difficult to store and unavailable at local filling stations. Chrysler Corporation is currently working on a fuel cell that eliminates some of these obstacles, notably storage and inconvenience. Their efforts may make fuel cells a viable option in the near future. One of Chrysler's plans is to use small amounts of gasoline in fuel cells. Doing so would eliminate the dangerous proposition of storing hydrogen onboard an EV before converting it to electricity. A series of reaction chambers in the system would convert the gasoline to hydrogen as needed, and carbon monoxide?produced as a byproduct?would be processed in additional chambers that would convert it to harmless carbon dioxide. 2.Flywheels Another departure from chemical-based battery technology is the flywheel. All flywheels, including those presently on vehicle engines, act as sort of mechanical batteries, storing energy by spinning. Friction, of course, is their enemy. In new flywheel technology plans are to create a nearly frictionless environment?essentially a vacuum?around the flywheel by enclosing it in a shell and mounting it on liquid or magnetic bearings. To create electricity, magnets mounted on the flywheel would pass close by tightly wound wires lining the shell's interior. Drawbacks are that charging such a system requires some initial force to get the flywheel up to operating speed (which can be as high as 100,000 rpm) and that lightweight but strong composites instead of common metals must be used to construct the flywheel to prevent it from breaking apart. 3.Hybrids Hybrid vehicles typically feature two different power sources?working either in parallel or in series?to propel the vehicle. Much research is under way combining gasoline or diesel-fueled internal combustion engines with electrically powered motors to get the job done. In a parallel setup, both power sources drive the wheels. For example, an electric motor may accelerate the car to highway speeds, whereupon a small internal combustion engine, or ICE, then takes over to power the wheels for cruising. With this system, the ICE need only be large enough to maintain speed, and the energy supply for the electric motor need not provide long range. In a series setup, power from both engine sources is sent to a single additional motor or controller that drives the wheels. In such a vehicle, an electric motor might run on batteries that in turn could be charged by a generator operated by a small internal combustion engine. Such a combination could extend the range of an EV considerably. Already there has been an example of a hybrid vehicle, albeit extreme: the Chrysler Patriot race car project of the early ?90s. The Patriot used liquefied natural gas to fuel an internal combustion engine that, in turn, spun two turbines providing electricity. A flywheel generated additional power. All the electricity was controlled by a computer that both delegated which power source (turbines or flywheel) to draw from and then directed that power to the motor driving the wheels. In all, the turbines and flywheel produced about one megawatt of energy, which was how the Patriot was expected to reach speeds approaching 200 mph. These new power sources will revolutionize the transportation industry. They will replace gasoline as the predominant enegy source of our vehicles. Experimental Vehicle Essays - Hydrogen Economy, Experimental Vehicle There are three types of experimental vehicle (EVs) propulsion technologies on the currently being tested. Batteries are currently the most popular power source for modern EVs but they are by no means the only available technology. A number of alternatives are under development and they, too, are well positioned to rival batteries as an effective EV power source. 1.Fuel cells Some of the most recent and exciting news in electric-vehicle development has centered around a new power source, called the fuel cell. The fuel cell utilizes a special membrane to generate electricity through the controlled reaction between hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Unlike batteries, which store electricity rather than generate it, fuel cells actually produce electricity through a controlled chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Inside a fuel cell, the two elements are fed to opposite sides of a porous membrane. As hydrogen atoms pass through the pores, they are stripped of their electrons. This results in a negative charge on the membrane's hydrogen side and a positive charge on the oxygen side. Stacking fuel cells in series produces enough power to operate a vehicle. Unfortunately, there is a downside to this innovative system?hydrogen is extremely volatile. It is also difficult to store and unavailable at local filling stations. Chrysler Corporation is currently working on a fuel cell that eliminates some of these obstacles, notably storage and inconvenience. Their efforts may make fuel cells a viable option in the near future. One of Chrysler's plans is to use small amounts of gasoline in fuel cells. Doing so would eliminate the dangerous proposition of storing hydrogen onboard an EV before converting it to electricity. A series of reaction chambers in the system would convert the gasoline to hydrogen as needed, and carbon monoxide?produced as a byproduct?would be processed in additional chambers that would convert it to harmless carbon dioxide. 2.Flywheels Another departure from chemical-based battery technology is the flywheel. All flywheels, including those presently on vehicle engines, act as sort of mechanical batteries, storing energy by spinning. Friction, of course, is their enemy. In new flywheel technology plans are to create a nearly frictionless environment?essentially a vacuum?around the flywheel by enclosing it in a shell and mounting it on liquid or magnetic bearings. To create electricity, magnets mounted on the flywheel would pass close by tightly wound wires lining the shell's interior. Drawbacks are that charging such a system requires some initial force to get the flywheel up to operating speed (which can be as high as 100,000 rpm) and that lightweight but strong composites instead of common metals must be used to construct the flywheel to prevent it from breaking apart. 3.Hybrids Hybrid vehicles typically feature two different power sources?working either in parallel or in series?to propel the vehicle. Much research is under way combining gasoline or diesel-fueled internal combustion engines with electrically powered motors to get the job done. In a parallel setup, both power sources drive the wheels. For example, an electric motor may accelerate the car to highway speeds, whereupon a small internal combustion engine, or ICE, then takes over to power the wheels for cruising. With this system, the ICE need only be large enough to maintain speed, and the energy supply for the electric motor need not provide long range. In a series setup, power from both engine sources is sent to a single additional motor or controller that drives the wheels. In such a vehicle, an electric motor might run on batteries that in turn could be charged by a generator operated by a small internal combustion engine. Such a combination could extend the range of an EV considerably. Already there has been an example of a hybrid vehicle, albeit extreme: the Chrysler Patriot race car project of the early ?90s. The Patriot used liquefied natural gas to fuel an internal combustion engine that, in turn, spun two turbines providing electricity. A flywheel generated additional power. All the electricity was controlled by a computer that both delegated which power source (turbines or flywheel) to draw from and then directed that power to the motor driving the wheels. In all, the turbines and flywheel produced about one megawatt of energy, which was how the Patriot was expected to reach speeds approaching 200 mph. These new power sources will revolutionize the transportation industry. They will replace gasoline as the predominant enegy source of our vehicles.

Free Essays on Business

Company & Product: Glow (Fabric Detergent) Data & Demographics: A properly organized database is essential to build the direct marketing strategy. Without it, each action remains independent of others. You can not build your understanding of complex customer reactions without recording all the interactions you have had with that individual or company. The value of the database depends on its being comprehensive and up to date. Accessing the demographic data you need to expand your business, find new customers or design marketing campaigns. Analyze income and population trends, racial mix, housing values, and employment trends. Data available down to zip code level. Compare multiple Geographic’s side by side. Statistics: Probably the most often used descriptive statistic is the mean. The mean is a particularly informative measure of the â€Å"central tendency† of the cariable if it is reported along with its confidence intervals. The mean can offer information about the population. The â€Å"true† (population) mean is located (with a given level of certainty). For example, if the mean in a sample is 23, and the lower and upper limits of the p=.05 confidence interval are 19 and 27 respectively, then you can conclude that there is a 95% probability that the population mean is greater than 19 and lower than 27. Customer Relationship Management (CRM): CRM is the process that enables you to build long term profitable relationships with your customers and prospects. The central element of CRM is the customer database essential for any direct marketing strategy. This includes much more than just the basic contact details of the customer. It must record and facilitate all outgoing and incoming communication with that customer by any member of your team-personal meeting, letters, telephone, fax, email. It must also provide an automated document management service to file all documents for e... Free Essays on Business Free Essays on Business Ocean Fortune Trading Ltd is a newly company schedule to operate in Austin, Texas at the beginning of January 2006. The business has just recently found out there is a market for the new motorized bicycle in Austin. Such product is still unknown to the public and is not saturated yet as the product is in the introduction phase. Ocean Fortune believes that this market offers great opportunity to introduce and sell the electric motorized â€Å"Zap 20’ inch Power Bike† both on the local market as well as the overseas where great sales lead exists. The Z-Bike is a versatile electric bike with a clean advanced style inspired by the aerodynamics of a sports car. The 20† wheel size makes it lightweight and easy to store. The specially designed mono tube frame is both beautiful and rugged. This bike combines the latest in electric drive with practical bike features including front suspension and 6 speeds. It will go 20 – 30 Km per charge and is an exciting bike for all ages. It is supplied with a 220V charger. As an alternative mode of transportation, the Zap Power Bike is 100% pollution free and contributes to a cleaner environment and the power consumption for charging is very low. The bicycle is classified under normal bicycle and no license is required. The Z – Bike can be use as a pedal power alone or power assist. The direct marketing program that Ocean Fortune Trading Ltd will be concentrating on for the first 6 months is in Galveston, Texas only and once the business is established, the company will be looking in expanding interstate and overseas. The business consists of 2 partners and the company mainly focuses on import and export. Such business is also incorporated in Taiwan and Hong-Kong, however the major operation will be conducted in Austin. Ocean Fortune Trading Ltd is now issuing a proposal to potential investors inviting them to invest into the business and secured a Return on Investment within the n... Free Essays on Business Company & Product: Glow (Fabric Detergent) Data & Demographics: A properly organized database is essential to build the direct marketing strategy. Without it, each action remains independent of others. You can not build your understanding of complex customer reactions without recording all the interactions you have had with that individual or company. The value of the database depends on its being comprehensive and up to date. Accessing the demographic data you need to expand your business, find new customers or design marketing campaigns. Analyze income and population trends, racial mix, housing values, and employment trends. Data available down to zip code level. Compare multiple Geographic’s side by side. Statistics: Probably the most often used descriptive statistic is the mean. The mean is a particularly informative measure of the â€Å"central tendency† of the cariable if it is reported along with its confidence intervals. The mean can offer information about the population. The â€Å"true† (population) mean is located (with a given level of certainty). For example, if the mean in a sample is 23, and the lower and upper limits of the p=.05 confidence interval are 19 and 27 respectively, then you can conclude that there is a 95% probability that the population mean is greater than 19 and lower than 27. Customer Relationship Management (CRM): CRM is the process that enables you to build long term profitable relationships with your customers and prospects. The central element of CRM is the customer database essential for any direct marketing strategy. This includes much more than just the basic contact details of the customer. It must record and facilitate all outgoing and incoming communication with that customer by any member of your team-personal meeting, letters, telephone, fax, email. It must also provide an automated document management service to file all documents for e... Free Essays on Business Is most conflict in an organization is caused by poor communication? If we had perfect communication would conflict cease? Consider for example, an e-mail asking for some information â€Å"yesterday† to stress how important this request is. The sender thinks e-mails are great as they travel at the speed of light and spell things out in black & white. The recipient may consider that if it’s in e-mail then it can’t be that urgent because servers can loose, misdirect or delay an e-mails transmission. They may also consider that as the information was wanted â€Å"yesterday† it’s already too late to be effectively utilized. Both parties saw the same communiquà ©, neither read the same message. Each will blame the other for failing to communicate properly and conflict may result. E-mail flame wars are a high tech twist on whispering campaigns. And like the system of claims & loyalties in feudal states the smallest e-mail spat can spiral out of control with careless use of the C.C. and B.C.C functions. Drucker (1977) says that there are four fundamentals of communication:  · communication is perception of the recipient not the utterance of the instigator  · communication is expectation in that recipients will heed only what they are expecting to hear  · communication makes demands of the recipient that they become someone, do or believe something  · communication and information are different and largely opposite - yet interdependent Employees need to know a number of things such as what is expected of them, how they are performing and how can they advance. If these are not communicated, on a regular basis, then role or expectation conflict will develop and motivation decline as the employee is berated for failing to meet the goals their superiors [are convinced they] assigned them. But if this is all the communication they receive they may begin to feel like machines. According to Pearson & Thomas there are three levels of ... Free Essays on Business 1. Product Life Cycle a. 1. Product development begins when the company finds and develops a new-product idea. During product development, sales are zero and the company’s investment costs mount. 2. Introduction is a period of slow sales growth as the product is introduced in the market. Profits are nonexistent in this stage because of the heavy expenses of product introduction. 3. Growth is a period of rapid market acceptance and increasing profits. 4. Maturity is a period of slowdown in sales growth because the product has achieved acceptance by most potential buyers. Profits level off or decline because of increased marketing outlays to defend the product against competition. 5. Decline is the period when sales fall off and profits drop. b. 1. Introduction: Product- offer a basic product Price- Use cost-plus formula Distribution- build selective distribution Growth: Product- Offer product extensions, service, warranty Price- Price to penetrate market Distribution- increase distribution outlets Maturity: Product- diversify brand and models Price- Price to match or best competitors Distribution- build more intensive distribution Decline: Product- phase out weak items Price- cut price Distribution- go selective: Phase out unprofitable outlets 2. Pricing Approaches a. Cost-based- adding a standard markup to the cost of the product Ex. An appliance retailer might pay a manufacturer $20 for a Toaster and mark it up to sell at $30, a 50% markup on cost. Value-based- uses buyers’ perceptions of value rather than on the seller’s cost. Ex. People are looking... Free Essays on Business Critically discuss the view that â€Å"Marketing is getting people to buy things they don’t need, with money they don’t have, to impress people they don’t know†. Marketing as both a process and a philosophy has developed as society has developed. When man first realised the benefits of trade, markets were both local and relatively independent. The relationship between producer and consumer was direct and personal. The Industrial Revolution lead to changes in production and consumption. Mechanisation, mass production, and labour specialisation lead to dramatic increases in production, and with it, a need for distribution. The relationship between producer and consumer had become relatively indirect. Since the first production surplus, marketing has been based on the principle of exchange – interested parties exchanging something of value. In 1776, when Adam Smith said, â€Å"Consumption is the sole end and purpose of production† he was describ ing what in recent times has become known as the marketing concept (McDonald & Keegan, 1997, pg. 1). In marketing terms, the consumer can be defined as any individual, group of individuals or organization. The role of the consumer is expanded to include the categories of payer, user and buyer, be it an individual, a household or an organization. Products are also generalised to include all goods, services, places, people and ideas. In recent times, the broad nature of marketing has lead to acceptance of the following definition. â€Å"Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organisational goals† (Czinkota et. al, 2000, pg. 8). Simply, modern marketing includes everything from conception to consumption of an idea. Marketing stimuli consists of the four P’s – product, price, place and promotion (Kotler & Armstrong, 1996, pg. 1 43). In relation to this mix,... Free Essays on Business Questions for Management and Organizational Behavior Term Paper Please include a brief autobiography of yourself†¦ (Title, Age, Educational Background†¦) Manager of Computer Systems and Operations Age: 43 BA Liberal arts, History AA Data processing 1. What is your organization chart? What makes up your functional staff? What is your reporting relationship? Hierarchical organization. 3 staff directly under me. Report to Director of Division. 2. What is your annual operating budget? (Approximate if necessary) 1 million 3. What business are you in? What products and services do you provide? The American Institute of Physics is a Scientific Journal Publisher. We publish science research manuscripts in both printed and electronic media for AIP and member societies. Organize and provide support for member society meetings. Public relations issues for AIP and our member societies. Marketing and advertising for AIP and member journals. Computer services and support for AIP and member societies. 4. What are your departmental major objectives for 2002? Are they in writing? (Calendar or fiscal year) Migrate enterprise wide backup server to new tape library system. Migrate large enterprise servers to a SAN solution. Yes. 5. What do you consider to be your biggest challenge? Providing all the support services within a limited budget. 6. To whom do you report? (Title, Function) Wendy Marriot, Director of Business Systems and Operations. 7. How long have you been a manager? 5 years 8. How is your individual performance measured? Annual performance appraisal based on major job responsibilities and functions. Managerial type functions. 9. How do you measure the performance of your direct reports? Annual performance appraisal based on more specific job tasks for each shift. 10. Do you have a written business plan? Related Mission statement? What does it state? How can I obtain a copy? The company has a written business pla...

Effects of Culture on Art Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Effects of Culture on Art - Dissertation Example Culture is related to significance, understanding, aptitudes, business, society and standards. The purpose of the study is to have a better perceptive of the control of culture on art, a motor of financial as well as communal modernization. The culture related art is connected to the aptitude of individuals, particularly artists, to think creatively or symbolically, to test the conservative, and to call on the representational as well as affective to correspondence. Culture related art has the ability to â€Å"break conventions† (Greenberg, p. 93, 1971), the standard approach of assessment, to let the expansion of a fresh image, a thought or a product. The temperament of culture related art is directly correlated to the â€Å"nature of artistic contribution as expressed in art or cultural productions; the spontaneous, intuitive, singular and human nature of cultural creation enriches society† (Benton & DiYanni, p. 43, 2007). Theories as well as methodical advancements o ffer accommodating tools to be aware of art but are not enough to understand the cultural aspect of art. Research on creativity in relation to culture has been inclined to concentrate on the perceptive of artistic accomplishment. As a result, the importance of art is randomly applied and has been mainly influenced by business management literature background regulations to facilitate the materialization of creative administrations. The Effect of British and African Culture in their Art The contact between culture and art is difficult and culture â€Å"cannot always be associated with art† (Crowley, p. 52, 2011). Culture is as well regarding acknowledged conventions while communicating for instance legacy, customs or when it communicates to civilizing inventions that construct on the flourishing as well as the tested (results, directory management, legends). Cultural principles may as well give rise to prejudice and fanaticism that hold back creativity. On the other hand, with out art there would not be melody, verse, images, creative writing as well as all imaginative work linked with art as well as cultural industries. Foreign artists, throughout much of the Renaissance, ruled British art, however, during the 18th century a local practice turns out to be more accepted. It is mostly known to be characterized by scenery images, for instance, the work of â€Å"Turner and John Constable† (Draper, p. 54, 2004). â€Å"Portraitists like Thomas Gainsborough, Joshua Reynolds and William Hogarth† (Draper, p. 69, 2004) are as well very noteworthy. Hogarth also introduced a unique technique of satirical imaging. British creative writing starts with Anglo-Saxon narrative. For a lot many years, Latin as well as French were the chosen legendary languages of England, although during the medieval phase there was a blooming of literature within Middle British; â€Å"Geoffrey Chaucer is the most well-known writer of this period† (Draper, p. 102, 2004) . The Elizabethan period is occasionally called as the â€Å"golden age of English literature† (Draper, p. 130, 2004), as a number of outstanding writers was writing in English, and the Elizabethan plays created William Shakespeare, frequently recognized as the English national writer. As a result of the growth of English into a world language at some point in the British Empire, narrative is now written in English all over the world. Authors usually connected with England or for expressing Englishness take account of

Answer the 2 questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Answer the 2 questions - Essay Example For them Marketing is the only source through which they can reach to their potential customers. Likewise Destinations as we know have been a business for decades but since the means of transportation are way too fast and easily accessible. Going on a tour to a different country is no more a big deal. With that said, how do people know about places which are worth visiting? Again the only source is through marketing. Therefore, for marketing of this particular industry the role of DMOs is vital. DMO is the abbreviation of Destination Marketing Organization. What these Organizations do is to promote services of places which are worth visiting. Say countries, cities, towns and so on an so forth. DMOs help this industry with increasing the number of visitors. These organizations generate over billions of dollars for the tourist destinations. DMOs are known by different names such as, travel bureaux, visitors bureaux, or convention bureaux, but the main job of all of these is to market t he tourist destination. ... Natural beauty includes animals, plants, seas, rivers, caverns, landscapes, lakes, and waterfalls. Another feature a desirable tourist destination should have is artistic and architecture. It is yet another feature that is appreciated by many. This can include art museums, monuments, and galleries. Some other features that really help a tourist destination grow are, festivals and competitions, distinctive local features, ancient ruins, historical prominence, sports facilities, relaxation facilities, shopping facilities, and more importantly tourist facilities. (Hall, 2002) The characteristics of a good destination discussed above have significant value in making the brand of a company successful. People appreciate things that they can relate to. One thing that should be paid attention to is that not everything is liked by everybody. Let’s say natural beauty might be appreciated by some but some might be attracted to art musuems. So the best visiting place would that can facili tate every type of customer. therefore some of the charactristics for some might no be as appealing as some others, or vice-versa. Assessing the stages of development The visits that tourists pay to such destinations are meant to generate profit for the place being visited, basically It has become an industry itself known as tourism industry. Therefore the officials of such destinations need to have a plan and the knowledge of marketing their destination and for the further development. Basically such steps to develop and market their destination, can help boost the economy of the country, state, city and so on. In order to assess the stages of development, the study of TALC(Tourism Area Life Cycle) Butler’s lifecycle can help. Butler

Implementation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Implementation - Essay Example Creating Liasoning agents and Integrators within the organization: since the organization has formal structures the first step towards becoming a learning organization is to increase communication and coordination between departments and units, initially it needs to assign liasoning and integrating jobs to personnel and gradually move on to create task force and teams. Team Development: members from each unit/department should be identified to form a task force. This task force should regularly meet and set goals and monitor results regarding the solution to the current challenge being faced by the organization. Market Intelligence and Information Distribution System: Johnson and Johnson should improve it's existing or if not already existing, it should set up sound market intelligence and distribution systems. The unit should collect information on consumer preferences, competitor activities, and upcoming technologies and share it with all the unit managers to gear up the whole organization to increase the flow in its product development pipeline. Monetary and Technological Help to promising startup companies and entrepreneurs: since the company is finding hard to find more and more startup companies produc

What Are The Defining Elements Of Democracy Politics Essay

What Are The Defining Elements Of Democracy Politics Essay There is no universally accepted definition of democracy, and Arblaster says, Democracy is a concept before it is a fact, and because it is a concept it has no single precise and agreed meaning. (ARBLASTER, 2002: 3) Essentially democracy has three main ideals: Popular Sovereignty, the belief that the legitimacy of the state is created by the will or consent of its people, who are the source of every political power; Political Equality; and Individual Autonomy. Abraham Lincoln summed up democracy well in saying it is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, and so, in the case of liberal western democracies it is government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. For Aristotle the underlying principle of democracy is freedom, since only in a democracy the citizens can have a share in freedom. In essence, he argues that this is what every democracy sho uld make its aim. There are two main aspects of freedom: being ruled and ruling in turn, since everyone is equal according to number, not merit, and to be able to live as one pleases. Democracy is indeed a set of ideas and principles about freedom, but it also consists of a set of practices and procedures that have taken a very long time to develop. In short, democracy is the institutionalisation of freedom. For this reason, it is possible to identify the fundamentals of constitutional government that any society must possess to be properly called democratic: human rights, and equality before the law. Therefore two principles that any definition of democracy incorporates are, namely that all citizens in a state are equal before the law, and they have equal access to power. A third common principle is that all citizens are promised certain legitimised freedoms and liberties, which are generally protected by a constitution or set of legally prescribed democratic practices. This essay will explore these defining elements of a democratic society as well as considering some of the problems faced by democratic institutions in trying to realise and sustain them. One of the most essential elements in defining democracy is self-rule. The word democracy originally came from the Greek demos and kratos, meaning that the people (demos) rule. The only possible object of rule is the people who form the state or political system being considered, hence, the rulers in a democracy, the people, are also the ruled. (HARRISON, 1993) Therefore democracy can be described as people ruling themselves. If one takes the meaning of democracy literally it is essentially the rule of the many. In its original context in the city state of ancient Greece, this rule was exercised directly by the citizens, also called direct democracy. The size and scale of modern states mean this method of rule is often considered impractical. In order to reach an appropriate balance between adequate participation and adequate efficiency and practicability, peoples rule is exercised indirectly through elected political leaders that represent peoples interests (representative democracy ). However, the idea that democratic institutions could accurately represent the people has been debated thoroughly. Some political thinkers, such as Rousseau and Mill, have suggested that some degree of socio-economic equality is needed to guarantee a reasonable level of political equality and therefore indispensable for a stable democracy. Held argued that it is extreme material poverty amongst the masses that renders genuine democracy impractical. On the other hand, Dahl noted that not just absolute poverty but also relative poverty poses a stumbling block for the realisation of political equality and therefore democracy. (SORENSEN, 1993) Rousseau believed that no one could be truly free who did not govern themselves. In his Du Contrat Social, he made fun of the English form of government by claiming that the English people, is free only during the election of Members of Parliament; as soon as the Members are elected, the people is enslaved. (ARBLASTER, 2002: 59), and for him sov ereignty belonged inalienably to the people, the problem was to decide how they could retain it and exercise it. (ARBLASTER, 2002: 60) On the other hand, the English philosopher John Locke defends representative democracy as be believes that men in civil society should enter a contract with their government and that citizens are bound to obey the law, while the government has the right to make laws and to defend the commonwealth from foreign injury all for the public good. (Holden Online) This leads to another defining element of democracy; the fundamental concept which secures the rights of people is the consent of the governed. In a democracy the people are sovereign and are therefore the highest form of political authority. This means the decisions made by the government ultimately have to be accepted by the people. For example, during elections, all the candidates have to campaign freely in order to educate people on their policies and allow them to scrutinise each candidates ideas. Lewis believes Consent is an essential element of democratic theory, but not a distinguishing element. The important test is not whether a major portion of the adult population accepts or approves a government or its policies, but the manner in which this consent is secured (LEWIS, 1940) Hence it is important that elected representatives at a national and local level should listen to the people and respond to their needs and suggestions. However, Hobbes mentions in his book Leviathan t hat in exchange for security, individuals give away their rights to an all powerful ruler (Hobbes, 1651). In the modern day, it is hard for governments to be truly democratic as, due to scale, it is unlikely that all the citizens will agree with all decisions made by the government. The active participation of people as citizens in political and civil life is also important when defining democracy. Active participation of the people is one of the basic requirements for a state to be democratic, and thus it is essential in defining democracy. The main role for citizens in a democracy is for them to participate in public life, hence the right to vote increases participation amongst citizens. Schumpter puts forward a minimalist interpretation of participation in arguing that democracy should only be a mechanism for choosing political leaders. Therefore participation would be limited to voting (SORENSEN, 1993). On the other hand the concept of democratic autonomy can be regarded as an important means of participation which calls for peoples direct involvement at a local level through community institutions. (HELD, 1996) In this sense, participation would incorporate the ability of citizens to directly influence decisions that affect their lives. Therefore, citizens should essentially attempt to gain an understanding of relevant public issues, and be willing to listen to these issues and the views of the government. Education is vital in democracy because, in order for people to fully participate, they have to be informed on the relevant topical issues of their state. It can be argued that democracy relies heavily on collective participation as democracy is stronger as a whole when people actively participate. Rousseau analysed the concept of collective participation when he spoke about the idea of the general will, the result when citizens make political decisions considering the good of society as a whole rather than the particular interests of individuals and groups. (Rousseau, 1762) The active participation of citizens in political and civil spheres of society is a vital element of democracy as, Individuals must be allowed a share in political control because to command obedience without free participation in control is to deny the right of all to self-development through responsibility for their own acts is to reduce men to the degrading irresponsibility of slaves or mules. (LEWIS, 1940) However, personal autonomy must be taken into account when defining democracy. This is because for a society to be democratic people should have the freedom to choose whether to participate in the political process or hand over the decision making to a person or group more qualified to make well informed political decisions, like an elected government. Furthermore, one of the most important defining elements of democracy is that the underlying right of the people is to have rights and more specifically the right of choice. The freedoms to take pleasure in ones own culture, without such minorities being scrutinized; the freedom to express opinions and decide what to do. The European Union believes that democracy and human rights are universal values that should be vigorously promoted around the world. They are integral to effective work on poverty alleviation and conflict prevention and resolution. (http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/what/human-rights/index_en.htm) Demonstrations against government policies and decisions are also fine in true democracy, as long as the rights of others are taken into account, hence protests should be non-violent. There is now a general acceptance among the international community about the centrality of human rights and their importance to democracy, and Ghandi gave a useful definition of democracy when h e said, My notion of democracy is that under it the weakest should have the same opportunity as the strongest. The greatest protection of human rights emanates from a democratic framework grounded in the rule of law. The principle that all power ultimately rests with the people and must be exercised with their consent lies at the heart of democracy. Democracy is premised on the recognition and protection of peoples right to have a say in all decision making processes which is itself based on the central principle of equality of all human beings. The exercise of this fundamental political right requires a guarantee of crucial freedoms; to express ones thoughts and opinion without fear, to seek and receive information, to form associations and to assemble in a peaceful manner to discuss public affairs amongst others. Accommodation of the views of minorities is essential to prevent democracy from degenerating into despotism by the majority. The purpose of democracy like that of human r ights protection is to uphold the dignity of every individual and to ensure that the voices of the weakest are also heard. Its core values; freedom, equality, fraternity, accommodation of diversity and the assurance of justice underpin the norms of human rights as well. This leads on to another key element of democracy is majority rule and it is often described as a characteristic feature of democracy. The web definition of majority rule is, a decision rule that selects one of two alternatives, based on which has more than half the votes. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majority_rule) An essential process in representative democracies is competitive elections, that are fair both substantively and procedurally. Furthermore, freedom of political expression, freedom of speech and freedom of the press are essential so that citizens are informed and able to vote in their personal interests. The election process of modern liberal democracies sees the party with the majority of votes leading the government and representing the people on a national scale. This is crucial when exploring democracy because, even though only a proportion of the population are in agreement with the government, it is the largest so the greatest number possible will be satisfied. Ho wever, without responsible government or constitutional protections of individual liberties from democratic power it is possible for dissenting individuals to be oppressed by the tyranny of the majority. So, therefore, a key element of any democracy is to ensure that minorities have the right to promote their representatives for election to government against the majority view. In conclusion, Winston Churchill once said, It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried. Democracy is by no means a perfect system of government but many of its defining elements explored in this essay are vital. Indeed, as Arblaster tells us, democracy is still an unfinished business on the agenda of modern politics. (ARBLASTER, 2002: 10) and there much ground to be covered before we develop a fully democratic system. The original direct system of democracy from ancient Athens was possible down to the fact that the scale, in comparison to the present day, was far smaller. Therefore, it seems that presently, the closest we can get to proper democracy is a representative system with elected representatives making decisions and carrying out policies for the people. The nature of democracy has changed over time but the essential elements that make up its definition remain the same. To summarise, the three main elements of de mocracy are essentially participation, competition and liberties and perhaps what is most important to note is that the ideas behind democracy are based on, the hypothesis that power and the right to exercise power belongs to the people (Goodwin, 2007, p.288). The pillars of any modern day western liberal democracies are as follows; sovereignty of the people, government based upon consent of the governed, majority rule, minority rights, guarantee of basic human rights, free and fair elections, equality before the law and constitutional limits on government. A democratic society must incorporate these values as democracy is more than a set of constitutional rules and procedures that determine how a government functions. In a democracy, government is only one element coexisting in a social fabric of many and varied institutions, political parties, organisations, and associations.

No Longer at Ease Essay -- Chinua Achebe No Longer at Ease Essays

No Longer at Ease The story explores the conflicts in Obi Okonkwo's life. He is a young man from Eastern Nigeria who has to develop his career in the midst of all his problems. He is pressurised by the men of his tribe, the Umuofia Progressive Union, not to forget his traditions and to pay his dues to they helped him to be educated. He is also faced with the conflict of adhering to the Christian principle his father Isaac Okonkwo, a staunch Christian, raised him with and the seduction of the so-called â€Å"evil Western influences† on the younger Nigeria generation. Moreover he falls in love with a woman, Clara, who is considered by tribe to be from a cursed family. His parents don't approve of his engagement to her and he has to choose between his love for her or pleasing his family and tribe. Loved it No Longer at Ease is beautifully written book about colonialism and the alienating influence it has on those Africans who lose touch with their roots as they try to adapt to the changing times. I enjoyed this rich, challenging and fascinating story. The Usurper and Other Stories, The Village of waiting, Disciples of Fortune, Anthills of the Savannah, Triple Agent Double Cross are some of the other African titles I enjoyed. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 star1 star1 star1 star1 star A Sensitive, Complex Novel The title of Chinua Achebe's No Longer at Ease suggests the possibility of a time when there was "ease." The struggles of the protagonist, Obi Okonkwo, a twenty-six year old Umuofian educated in the British Colonial system and at the university in Great Britain, are analogous to the struggles facing Nigerian society during the period at the end of ... ...ose and becomes one of many bribe-taking officials that he formerly despised, leading to a tragic end. In many ways, No Longer at Ease reflects upon the problems facing much of Africa today, corruption and tradition conflicting with progress. The western world may condemn their rampant corruption as Obi first did but it is at the bottom of a spiral of other problems. Chinua Achebe continues to use his characteristically simple style evident in Things Fall Apart for No Longer at Ease. He combines phrases in native languages and uses folk tales to illustrate examples. Unfortunately, the simplicity of the language does not serve to keep the reader's interest completely. At times it feels choppy and almost too simplistic, leaving out details that could serve to further the story. Nevertheless, No Longer at Ease is a remarakble parable of modern Africa. No Longer at Ease Essay -- Chinua Achebe No Longer at Ease Essays No Longer at Ease The story explores the conflicts in Obi Okonkwo's life. He is a young man from Eastern Nigeria who has to develop his career in the midst of all his problems. He is pressurised by the men of his tribe, the Umuofia Progressive Union, not to forget his traditions and to pay his dues to they helped him to be educated. He is also faced with the conflict of adhering to the Christian principle his father Isaac Okonkwo, a staunch Christian, raised him with and the seduction of the so-called â€Å"evil Western influences† on the younger Nigeria generation. Moreover he falls in love with a woman, Clara, who is considered by tribe to be from a cursed family. His parents don't approve of his engagement to her and he has to choose between his love for her or pleasing his family and tribe. Loved it No Longer at Ease is beautifully written book about colonialism and the alienating influence it has on those Africans who lose touch with their roots as they try to adapt to the changing times. I enjoyed this rich, challenging and fascinating story. The Usurper and Other Stories, The Village of waiting, Disciples of Fortune, Anthills of the Savannah, Triple Agent Double Cross are some of the other African titles I enjoyed. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 star1 star1 star1 star1 star A Sensitive, Complex Novel The title of Chinua Achebe's No Longer at Ease suggests the possibility of a time when there was "ease." The struggles of the protagonist, Obi Okonkwo, a twenty-six year old Umuofian educated in the British Colonial system and at the university in Great Britain, are analogous to the struggles facing Nigerian society during the period at the end of ... ...ose and becomes one of many bribe-taking officials that he formerly despised, leading to a tragic end. In many ways, No Longer at Ease reflects upon the problems facing much of Africa today, corruption and tradition conflicting with progress. The western world may condemn their rampant corruption as Obi first did but it is at the bottom of a spiral of other problems. Chinua Achebe continues to use his characteristically simple style evident in Things Fall Apart for No Longer at Ease. He combines phrases in native languages and uses folk tales to illustrate examples. Unfortunately, the simplicity of the language does not serve to keep the reader's interest completely. At times it feels choppy and almost too simplistic, leaving out details that could serve to further the story. Nevertheless, No Longer at Ease is a remarakble parable of modern Africa.