Self-Publishing a Family Memoir

Self-Publishing a Family Memoir Self-Publishing a Family Memoir Having previously published many children's books, Malaika Rose Stanley is no stranger to publishing. Yet with Loose Connections, she attempted something completely different from her usual style of writing. Read on to know what it was like for her to  self-publish her book and go on a familiar yet new adventure.Loose Connections is my first independently published book, my first book for adults and my first non-fiction book. But I have a history of writing traditionally published books for children dating back to 1996. I had to look back and check - and I’ve completely shocked myself with the realization that I’ve been involved in this writing and publishing malarkey for twenty years!‘Write what you know’ is a well-worn authorial snippet of advice, a clichà ©. At times, I’ve taken heed but at others, I’ve totally ignored it. My motivation for Loose Connections and for all my books has been to write what I love, to write what stirs my soul ; I don't plan them so much as channel what flows through me.My sons were born in the 1980s and I started writing children’s books when I realized that the lack of diversity in children’s and young adult books had persisted from my childhood to theirs – and I wanted to do something about it. I started to write Loose Connections because I wanted to tell another invisible story - of my mother’s incarceration in a mental hospital as an unmarried mother of a mixed-race child, and of what came before and after. At first, I tried to write the story as fiction; I tried to write it without including myself so the transition to ‘creative non-fiction’ and ‘family memoir’ was a lengthy process. I have files buried on my hard-drive that are at least ten years old.Why I chose self-publishingI decided to go down the route of self-publishing partly because I am familiar with and realistic about the barriers into traditional publishing for peop le like me. I’m not a bright, young thing with a literature degree from Oxbridge or a creative writing master’s degree from East Anglia or City East, at the beginning of my writing career.I’m not seen as ‘commercially viable’ or ‘marketable’ with a blog with thousands of followers, a huge social networking platform or a reality TV fan-base. I’m more likely to be perceived as a grizzled old cynic, with a chip on my shoulder and an axe to grind.It’s not true, of course - I’m actually rather delightful, with a story to tell! Loose Connections was published at the beginning of June - and my first Amazon review says it’s a ‘†¦wonderfully moving book†¦ really well written, clear and simple but heartbreaking too.’ Also true! I decided to self-publish even though I didn't have a huge social networking platform or fan-base. The Reedsy experienceThe Reedsy marketplace was a revelation. Although there is an option to ‘shortlist’ up to five professionals, I quickly narrowed down my choice to two editors and sent them a request for a quote for a structural edit together with a synopsis and the first chapter of my book. They both responded very quickly and it was clear that they were highly skilled and experienced. I thought either would be able to do a good job so my final choice came down to cost, although I definitely struck gold with Gillian Holmes. She did a first read-through, followed up with a phone call about possibly libelous content and my overall intentions for the book, a few minor copy editing corrections and queries about continuity, proposed cuts and a couple of gaps, in tracked changes – and then a detailed restructuring proposal. Wow! Her recommendations were straightforward and simple but I clearly hadn’t been able to see the wood for the trees – excuse th e continuing lumberjack analogies – and her suggestions were spot on!How to Write a Memoir: Breathe Life into Your Story in 8 Steps Read post What were, for me, the unforeseen advantages of self-publishing have been huge: creative control of my own work, choosing my own editor and designer and yes, compared to traditional publishing, which can take months – or years – even the speed of the process from word doc manuscript to e-book download and beautifully typeset, beautifully packaged paperback book! I would definitely recommend Reedsy and the self-publishing option to any new and aspiring authors and to grizzled old cynics alike. Two months ago, I swore blind I would never do it again, but now I’m already planning my next project, an anthology.Loose Connections  is available on both  Amazon US and Amazon UK, get your copy now!Ever thought of writing a family memoir? Would you self-publish it like Malaika did? Leave your  thoughts and experiences, or any questions for Malaika, in the comments below.

That vs. Which

That vs. Which That vs. Which That vs. Which By Ali Hale One of our readers, Justin, recently wrote to ask: When proofreading a peers article on the solar system, I realized that she, and I, are unsure of the proper use of that and which in a sentence. Below is [SIC] two examples of the same sentence, one using that and the other which. To our knowledge, it is the only body in the solar system which currently sustains life, although several other bodies are under investigation. To our knowledge, it is the only body in the solar system that currently sustains life, although several other bodies are under investigation. Which is the correct sentence, and what is the general rule of thumb? Justin, Ill give you the answer now, rather than making you read to the end of the whole article: the second version of that sentence, using that is correct. When To Use That and When To Use Which Before I come on to the that/which rule, just a reminder that â€Å"who† should always be used when referring to people. The boy who threw the ball. This is the woman who always wears a black shawl. When referring to objects, though, the rule for using â€Å"that† and â€Å"which† correctly is simple: THAT should be used to introduce a restrictive clause. WHICH should be used to introduce a non-restrictive or parenthetical clause. If that leaves you more confused than when you began this article, read on A restrictive clause is one which is essential to the meaning of a sentence – if it’s removed, the meaning of the sentence will change. For example: Chairs that don’t have cushions are uncomfortable to sit on. Card games that involve betting money should not be played in school. To our knowledge, it is the only body in the solar system that currently sustains life A non-restrictive clause can be left out without changing the meaning of a sentence. Non-restrictive clauses are either in brackets or have a comma before and after them (or only before them if they come at the end of a sentence): Chairs, which are found in many places of work, are often uncomfortable to sit on. I sat on an uncomfortable chair, which was in my office. Why You Need to Use That or Which Correctly Changing that to which or vice versa can completely change the meaning of a sentence. Consider the following examples: My car that is blue goes very fast. My car, which is blue, goes very fast. The first sentence uses that – suggesting I own more than one car (and even implying my other cars might not be so fast). This is what happens if we leave out the clause and write: My car that is blue goes very fast. My car goes very fast. The sentence’s meaning has changed: the reader does not know which one of my cars goes very fast. However, the sentence using which simply informs the reader that my car is blue. We can take the clause out without losing any essential information: My car, which is blue, goes very fast. My car goes very fast. That and Which in Common Usage It is common today for which to be used with both non-restrictive and restrictive clauses, especially in informal contexts: Who ate the cake that I bought this morning? Who ate the cake which I bought this morning? The clause â€Å"that I bought this morning† is essential to the meaning – I’m not asking about a cake which I bought yesterday, or this afternoon. Therefore, the first example using â€Å"that† is the correct one, but many people would not consider the second ungrammatical. It is, however, incorrect even in informal contexts to use that for a non-restrictive or parenthical clause. For example, these sentences would be considered incorrect: This computer, that I have never liked, is very slow. The blue desk, that my father gave me. An easy way to watch out for these is to look for instances where you have a comma followed by the word that. If Id know this years ago, it would have saved me a lot of frustration with Microsoft Word! Even though the usage of which has been relaxed to some extent, it is still better to keep your writing as clear as possible by using which for only non-restrictive clauses, and that for restrictive ones. So, to return to Justins example: To our knowledge, it is the only body in the solar system which currently sustains life, although several other bodies are under investigation. To our knowledge, it is the only body in the solar system that currently sustains life, although several other bodies are under investigation. The second sentence, using that is correct, but many people would consider the first sentence permissible too. In a formal context such as a scientific paper, it is better to use that for total clarity. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Slang Terms for MoneyDo you "orient" yourself, or "orientate" yourself?Neither... or?

Services Marketing and Characteristics of Services Essay

Services Marketing and Characteristics of Services - Essay Example The inseparability of a service means that the production of service cannot be separated from its consumption; thus, the customer is a party to the production of the service. Hence, one can not provide banking services to a customer who is not present (either physically or through other means). A waiter cannot serve to a customer if there is no customer present in the restaurant. This is what inseparability of the service means; that the service is generated and consumed at the same time. This makes the quality control process even more difficult and hence efforts are made to overcome the inseparability aspect of the service by separating production and consumption of services. This is another important characteristic of services and refers to the change in service quality and effectiveness each time the service is produced and consumed. For instance, the same waiter serving two different customers, or even the same customer two different times, may provide different quality of services. Sometimes, it is essential to adapt to the specific needs of the customer while providing services like dentists who spend more time with children than adults, assuring and reassuring them that the treatment will not hurt. At other times, a quality control system may be put in place to eliminate the inconsistencies in services, for example, in call centers where all operators are taught to communicate similarly with customers. A drawback of service is that it is difficult to store it and reuse when required. Since services are generated and consumed at the same time usually, these are perished hence minimizing idle time is critical to provide quality services.  Ã‚  

Liabilities of the company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Liabilities of the company - Essay Example The use of insurance is a great way to protect assets. The three most important items that must be protected by insurance are property, income, and liabilities. Most large corporations have billions of dollars in physical assets. These assets such as buildings and machinery should have insurance against fire and natural disasters. On March 11, 2011 Japan was struck by the 4th largest earthquake in the history of mankind. A natural disaster can occur at any time since these are natural events that occur at random. Some of the natural disasters coverage that companies should seek includes earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, tsunamis, fire, and floods. The liabilities of a company are an important aspect of the capital structure of a company. Normally liabilities of corporate debt are hard to protect against. A method that can be use to create a certain level of protection for debt is to use a portfolio approach to protect the debt by formulating a strong portfolio of financial instrumen ts that serve as a safe haven in case the company is not able to pay for its debt due bad operating results. The liquid portfolio can be partially liquidated to create cash that the firm can use to pay its current debt and other operating expenses such as payroll. Another important asset that must be protected is inventory. ... Insurance can also be used by corporations to protect against workers claims and lawsuits by internal and external stakeholders. When a lawsuit is filed it is often better to settle out of court to lower legal costs and to reduce the impact of bad publicity to the company. The corporate image of the company is sacred. Back in 1998 Nike Corporation lost half its customers instantly due to the revelation of a sweetshop scandal. The use of an internal control system is extremely beneficial to a company. It can be used in order to increase the efficiency and productivity of the entire staff of employees. One of the benefits of the use of internal controls is that it safeguards the assets of the company. The most valuable asset of a company which must be protected at all times is the cash. Cash is the most liquid asset in existence. In the international arena the currency of most countries is different. Three of the most valued currencies in the world are the U.S. dollar, the Euro, and th e British Pound. The U.S. dollar is used as the reserve currency in the majority of the countries in the world. Internal controls can also be used to minimize the theft of inventory in a company. A way to protect the inventory is by placing hidden cameras across the entire warehouse where the inventory is being kept. In the retail environment cashiers must count the money when the cash register is cash out and the manager must verify the amount. Both employees must sign a document regarding the cash. The cash should then be taken to a safe prior to the money being deposited in the bank account of the company. The use of internal controls can prevent the managers and the accounting staff from colluding

The Holocaust Essay Example for Free

The Holocaust Essay The term holocaust was coined in a general context, to describe   the brutal killing of   European jews during the second Woerld War, this was part of the National Socialist devised and employed extensive campaign to intentionally abolish jewish presence in Germany at the time.   Conversely, numerous scholars and historians only apply the term to the barbaric treatment of the jews, not to all the recipients of the Nazi Violence.   Several theories have been applied as to how and why the Holocaust happened.    The main objective is to answer two major queries about the Holocaust.   The primary question wishes to findout if there was a master plan behind Hitlers execution of the Holocaust.   The other question is about the initiative of the Holocaust and to whom it is credited.   Two good ways to explore the roots of such brutality and the causes as well as the inentions of the Holocaust are in the intentionalist and the structulist standpoints. Theoratically, the intentionalist view is concentrated on the effects of what a particular act wishes to accomplish.   The Intentionalist view simply interprets that Hitler already expressed hatred of Jews and has been vocal of his desire to push the Jews to the brink of extinction even before his rise to power took place.[1]   [In support of the intentionalist aspect, Lucy Dawidocz suggests that Hitlers long kept intentions against the jews were evident in the   crimes of genocide and discrimination that were executed in installments.   Dawidowicz also implies that the initiative originated from Hitler himself.[2]   ] [The legislation of the Nuremberg Laws of 1935 formalized the casual measures against Jews.   Hitler emphasized on the deprivation of civil rights of the jews just to show the consistency in   Nazi platform.[3] ] .   The first law forbade non-Aryans (Jews) to have marital engagements in order to preserve German purity in blood.   Second was the segregation of pure Germans from cross-bred citizens into nationals and Reich Citizens.   The legislation was symbolic due to the fact that Hitler and the German Parliament were already acting independently via the dictatorial Enabling Act.   . Practically, Hitler forced Jews to work for the industry of the German War only with primitive tools and barely adequate provisions up to the pinnacle of humane physical limit.   [According to Dawidowiczs book, The war Against the Jews, the provisions of the German frontline in the USSR were disrupted so that the jews may be transported to the extermination camps.[4]   ] [By these elements, it was evident that Anti-jewish advocacies reached critical levels via Hitlers personal emotions and his ressurection of previous perspectives by a former German King and re-introducing them in the policies of Nazi Germany. .[5]   ] In another intentionalist view,   Hitlers intentions erupted as a result of his rise to power and the long wait for the aforementioned intentions to become a reality.   It was obviously felt through the German governments treatment of slaves as expendable property and of little or no worth in the operation of war machines, hence, they were disposed after doing their part.[6]   Slave driving never placed Hitler in the pedestal of contentment.   Hitler brought out more from his arsenal in terms of methodology as the Hitler regime, after the conquest of Poland in eastern Europe, deployed an army whose sole purpose is to slay jews and the political adversaries of the Nazis.   Just a sample of how far the German Government, and Hitler for that matter, are willing to go just to ensure a jewish free Germany, and probably the world. [Dawidiowcz notes that Hatred and anti-semitism have never been a blatant aftermath of a system of beliefs by a group, let alone a person.   Hitlers view of the jews was the the most probable origin of   expounding vile belief in the justification of viscious murders, an instance never encountered in history before. ]   Moreover, Hitlers hatred of the Jews were the core of his beliefs and is credited to be the sculptor of his general outlook and political intentions.   It is in this contexts that the heart of the National Socialist constitution was grounded. In the structulist angle, there were several factors that contributed to the Holocaust.   [Primarily, the components of the German Government were in direct inolvement as far as the operations on the mass killing were concerned, classifying Germany as a Genocidal State.[7]]   Legislative acts regarding persecution of jews were already drafted and approved long before Hitler acquired power.   Hence, the Holocaust was also influenced by several factors. In the conference of ministers, Nazi representative, Adolf Wagner,   contended that economic instability will continue until the government has come up with a firm policy against the jews.   [The minister of Economics, Dr. Hjalmar Schacht, countered the theory claiming such a theory makes no sense and that jews have remarkable entrepreneurial skills.   In the same regard, but Schacht did not condemn the anit-jewish policy and even approved of the passing of the legislation just to put order to an intensifying situation.[8]]   [Structulistically, it was quite obvious that the Holocaust wass not only rooted to the personal hatred of Adolf Hitler, but on the economic turmoil as well, [9]] A closer look at the circumstance may support the theory that the ruthless Nazi treatment of jews was also the cause of the declining economy integrated with   international relations and reactions to and from Germany.   The hierarchy of officials from Hitlers government were involved in the accomplishment of the Holocaust together with the local populace, police, army and national railways.   These constituents have a broader view and knowledge of the totality of what was really happening across the nation since the millions of lives processed by Nazis required manpower since the accomplishment of Hitlers advocacy included operations from several nearby regions and huge numbers of paperwork.[10] The structulist point of view was backboned by the doctoral dissertation which eventually became a book, Hitlers Willing Executioners.   Author and Harvard Affiliate for the center of European Studies Daniel Goldhagen argues that the participation and involvement of ordinary non-jewish Germans were also another perspective in the events of the Holocaust with reference to the responsibility and completion, Goldhagen (1996) contested that the general public of Germany had knowledge and approval of the execution of the Holocaust and that the majority would have personally done the act if required or had the oppurtunity to do so.[11] ] [Goldhagen also wrote that the antisemitist tendencies of the Germans were unique as it had eliminationist implications.[12]   ] Another argument by structulists was the low ratio of Germans against the mass murder of Jews and other political opponents of the government at the time.   In spite of the contradictions to the theory, Goldhagen stayed firm with his central claims.   In his own description, he claimed that the intent of his witten work was to address three debatable truths.   [The German perpetrators of the Holocaust treated Jews in all the brutal and lethal ways that they did because, by and large, they believed that what they were doing was right and necessary. Second, that there was long existing, virulent antisemitism in German society that led to the desire on the part of the vast majority of Germans to eliminate Jews somehow from German society. Third, that any explanation of the Holocaust must address and specify the causal relationship between antisemitism in Germany and the persecution and extermination of the Jews which so many ordinary Germans contributed to and supported.[13] ] Structulists believe that Hitler only scrutinized and exploited something that was already innate of a German.   [A reflection on the central ideas of Goldhagens book clearly stated that the Germans did not massacre the jewish tribes due to prior claims of social and psychological pressure, nor was it driven by solid fidelity to Hitler, it was applied with the hereditary hatred that were prepared years before the holocaust even became a reality in the German social landscape.[14]]   Moreover, jewish hatred, was already a culture of Germans and Hitler only implied it as a heroic act to persuade the people, that abruptly became the reason behind less resistance from recruited willing executioners to do Hitlers job for him. [The structulist application of Goldhagens idea denotes the persecution and extermination of the jews in Germany and Europe was not the first first of its kind.   Throughout centuries various movements have been made towards the oppression of the jews, however, in the case of the Holocaust, the brutality was brought about by several factors which include social and cultural injection of hatred towards a particular race.   The methods used were different in the sense that the government amplified an emotion that was already present in the first place, years of implanting emotion was the recipe of total annihilation of the jews.[15] ] Conclusion   The Holocaust was one of the bloodiest racial discriminations ever experienced in history.   The question of Hitlers involvement is of vital relevance since his tyranny utilized full extent of power to â€Å"solve† the Jewish problem.   However, contrasting views such as Structulists deem of numerous factors that led to the Holocaust and its flawless accomplishment against the intentionalists conviction in reference to Hitlers personal intentions and sentiments may cause confusion as to who really was responsiblefor it.   The fact of the matter is that no one has the right to willingly claim the life of a person and/or race grounding from personal or innate rationality. Bibliography Goldhagen. Hitlers Willing Executioners. Random House Inc. New York. 1996 Boas, German-Jewish Internal Politics under Hitler 1933-1938. 1984. Dawidowicz. The War Against the Jews. Bantam. New York. 1986 [1]  Ã‚  Ã‚   L. Dawidowicz. The War Against the Jews.   Bantam. New York.   1986 [2]  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ibid. [3]  Ã‚  Ã‚   L. Dawidowicz. The War Against the Jews.   Bantam. New York.   1986 [4]  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ibid. 4 [5]  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ibid. [6]  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ibid. [7]  Ã‚  Ã‚   J. Boas, German-Jewish Internal Politics under Hitler 1933-1938. 1984. p. 3 [8]  Ã‚  Ã‚   J. Boas, German-Jewish Internal Politics under Hitler 1933-1938. 1984. p. 3 [9]  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ibid. 4 [10]   D. Goldhagen. Hitlers Willing Executioners.   Random House Inc. New York. 1996 p. 40 [11]   D. Goldhagen. Hitlers Willing Executioners.   Random House Inc. New York. 1996 p. 40 [12]   Ibid. [13]   Ibid. [14]   D. Goldhagen. Hitlers Willing Executioners.   Random House Inc. New York. 1996 [15]   Ibid.

Technology: Friend or Foe? Essay -- Argumentative Technology Essays Pa

Technology: Friend or Foe? There are many differing opinions on the advancement of technology but there are really two main sides to the issue. One side is enthusiastic and ready for new progress and change, while the other side can see the value of technology but is more cautious and wary of the changes technology brings to society as a whole. These sides are simplified but useful for looking at the extreme ends of the issues in order to see the balance between the two. What is technology and why the fuss? Technology consists of something as basic as a calculator to something as complex as the newest secrets in military defense. Technology is applying the new and innovative discoveries in science to everyday tasks. The biggest concern about technology expressed in a growing number of articles and books has to do with computer technology. People are scared of the many advancements in computer technology such as the internet and the World Wide Web. Currently, information capabilities are growing quickly with few regulations. Some of the dispute comes from misunderstanding but the other half comes from experience. Younger people tend to have a more liberal and open view about the advancements, while older generations have seen the fast paced changes in this world and are more leery and hesitant to accept new technology without caution. It is useful to look at the two main sides and evaluate where the arguments can come together to form a medium and balanced view. In searching for arguments expressing hesitancy about the progress of technology one source is found through a man named Neil Postman. He is a well respected and accomplished professor and writer. Postman has devoted an entire book, Technopoly, to the subject ... ... from and where it is going. From this wider perspective people can begin to understand the pros and cons of technology better. Works Cited Downie, Peter. Transcript from a TV-interview for Progress and Prophesy. http://www.myna.com/~davidck/postman.htm. 1991. Lewis, Peter. "Anarchy, a Threat to the Electronic Frontier?" New York Times. 11 May, 1994: C1, C5. Postman, Neil. Informing Ourselves to Death. Speech. http://www.uni-frankfurt.de/gnomic/postman.html. October 11, 1990. Postman, Neil. Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology. Vintage Books. New York: 1992. Turkle, Sherry. "The Human Spirit in a Computer Culture." The Second Shelf. Simon and Schuster, 1984. Verity, John W. "The Information Revolution." Business Week. June 13, 1994: 10-18. Wiener, Jon. "Free Speech on the Internet." The Nation. June 13, 1994: 825-828.

Of Mice and Men – in What Ways Could This Novel

Steinbeck makes it clear that most the workers on the ranch are lonely, as working in a ranch is hard work and no one really wants to work really hard every day Just to eat and survive, so you can say that the people working In the ranch have no alma In life, living temporary lives, oath beaten by hard boys down from the ranches to swim In the deep pool, and â€Å"A beaten hard by tramps†.Also as Leonie and George had to walk long way to the ranch or to work this may have been the case for lots of people in the ‘ass as that was the time of the Great Depression and the Wall Street Crash In where the economy of the USA fell and everyone was out of jobs and money, you can say that this is tragic In some way as it shows how hard people tried Just to find work and how the Depression bought loneliness onto the people of the ASSAI. Some people in the ranch vive more lonely lives than others. One of the loneliest persons on the ranch has to be Curly wife.As she Is the only women on the ranch she feels Isolated and left out from the men and feels different. Also no one really wants to talk to her as she is the wife of the boss's son and no one talks to her out of fear of getting into a fight with Curly who has power upon the ranch to fire people as he is the boss's son and the workers did not want to get fired as there were no Jobs around. This can be seen as tragic as If a worker Is accidentally seen communicating with Curly wife Curly will ant him fired or will want to fight him as Curly is seen as a character as aggressive.Also Curry's wife is seen as a â€Å"flirt† or just wants attention as she is the only female on the ranch, but Curly doesn't want her to talk to anyone. As she has no female friends on the ranch, men are her only option, but they do not want to talk to her. So this really frustrates her and makes her lonely. Even thought Curry's wife is mentioned throughout the book, she is never called by her name, from her lack of a personal definition you can say that the men on the ranch don't see her a normal human being UT as an â€Å"object†. She says to Leonie â€Å"Think I don't like to talk to someone ever once in a while? This shows that she is trying to tell Leonie that she is desperate to talk to someone and have a friend that she can Just talk to, you can say this is tragic as Curry's wife can't even have one of life's simplest things â€Å"a conversation† or a friend. However, she believes that one day she would make It to the movies and become an actor, â€Å"l Alan used to level like this. I could made something of myself†¦ Maybe I will yet. † because of this extreme loneliness she wants to think of herself as having a true ahead of her, but in reality she does not.So she is living in two different lives, but in reality she Is living in a boring ranch with no one to talk to. You can say this Is tragic as the ranch brings peoples hope up Into believing that they will make it big one day but in reality the ranch crushes this dream and the workers on the ranch will 1 OFF Another point about Curly wife is she escapes all this â€Å"loneliness† by dying, when she is killed by Leonie, Steinbeck writes, and â€Å"The meanness and the planning of the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face.This means that Curly wife is dead and now she looks happy when she is dead as she has escaped from being lonely. This can be seen as tragic as you can say that the only escape from loneliness is death. Another character that can be seen as lonely is Crooks. Crooks suffers from loneliness because he is the only black person on the ranch, and black people suffered lots of racial abuse from white people in the ‘ass because black people didn't have human rights. Also he lives by himself as no one likes him as he is black, this makes Crooks even lonelier.Crooks does not take part in any social activity in the ranch, he is so lonely that he tur ns to reading books in his spare time. Steinbeck shows Crooks character someone who is desperate for company, but Crooks really does not show it. This can be seen as tragic as everyone is racist to Crooks on the ranch and no one likes him. Also when Leonie enters Crooks room, Crooks talks to Leonie even though he knows that Leonie doesn't understand him as much, but still continues to talk as he is â€Å"not lonely' any more as he has someone to talk to.Crooks says, â€Å"A guy goes nuts if he ant got nobody†¦ I tell way a guy gets too lonely and he gets sick. † This shows that he knows what it's like to be lonely and what it can do to somebody, this can be seen as tragic as no one should really know what it really feels like to be left out and lonely for a very long time even though there are always people around you and those people neglect you for something that you don't choose to have – the color of your skin.Another character that is portrayed as lonely by Steinbeck is Candy. Candy is an old man who is physically disabled and who used to work on the ranch, he is disabled due to an accident in the past. You can say that candy is lonely because he is old and no one really wants to become friends with someone who is old, also Candy only companionship was his dog that got shot in the back of his head because he was getting old and useless Just like Candy.As Candy now has no friends he over hears Leonie and George talk about their â€Å"dream place†, as Candy wants to escape this loneliness he wants to Join Leonie and George in their dream place, so Candy offers his saving towards the dream place and making it a â€Å"reality'. â€Å"Expose I went in with you guys. † This shows that Candy is fed up from being in the ranch and wants to escape his past; also he knew he was going to be sacked soon as he old and cannot work so he put his money into the â€Å"Dream place†.This can be seen as tragic as you can say that peop le will give all their money away to escape from loneliness, and you can say that money does not always bring happiness. Another character that can be seen as lonely is Curly, even though he has a wife. No one really likes him in the ranch as he is aggressive and he likes to look down upon the workers on the ranch, this leads to Curly having no friends in the ranch, also Curly goes to the brothel house even though he has a wife, you can say that his wife may not like him that much or satisfy him so he turns to the brothel.This is tragic as Curly wants to be respected and to be seen as someone with power, no one him, also as Curly is intimidated by bigger men, he hates Leonie who is twice his size, as Lien's character is seen by the workers on the ranch as â€Å"innocent† and childlike† the workers seem to take Lien's side when Curly attacks Leonie out of frustration and anger.Curly as a character can be seen as tragic as no one really likes him and he has no real friend s and no one seems to respect him but only fear him because of his position in the ranch, even his own wife doesn't really like him as Curly always controls her and makes her feel lonely in her own ways and Curly even has to go to a brother to satisfy his sexual needs even though he has a wife, from this you can say that Curly is truly lonely.Another character that is portrayed as lonely towards the end of the book is George, as he killed Leonie, you can say that he now has no burden on his shoulders any more, but you can also say that George now has no true friend and will now suffer loneliness like the other men on the ranch. This could be seen as tragic as George killed Leonie out of â€Å"Love† and did Leonie as favor as Leonie would've been sent to a mental asylum and in the ‘ass asylums were bad places to be, so George did something out of â€Å"Love† and now suffers loneliness and not having a true friend.So in conclusion loneliness is seen tragic in a num ber of ways in this book and Steinbeck uses lots of means to escape loneliness; such as death, giving away all your possessions, and even turning to books. Also doing something you may think is good will bring something bad, like when George killing Leonie out of love and friendship, George will now suffer from loneliness, So â€Å"Loneliness† in Of Mice and Men is a major theme as all the characters are affected by it and Steinbeck shows all the tragedies of loneliness and he also shows what people would do Just to escape this â€Å"Loneliness†.

The Double Helix – Character Guide

Double Helix Readers Guide * Max Perutz – was the head of the unit where Crick works at Cambridge University. Perutz also shared important X-ray crystallography imagery with Watson and Crick that he had received from Maurice Wilkins and Franklin. Whether he was supposed to give this information to Watson and Crick without Franklin’s knowledge is unknown, nor is it entirely known how important her work was to the discovery of the structure. Sir Lawrence Bragg – the head of the Cavendish laboratory at Cambridge university, met with much resistance from Watson and especially Crick. Bragg is the youngest ever Nobel prize winner, which he won for the discovery of the Bragg low of X-ray crystallography. Bragg also wrote the foreword to Watson’s book, adding dramatically to the respectability of the book. * John Kendrew – English educated, also worked in the Cavendish laboratory under the direction of Bragg. Worked closely with Perutz and shared the 1962 N obel prize with him for their work on X-ray crystallography. Erwin Schrodinger – his book What is Life was a great inspiration to Watson, who agreed that many secrets can be uncovered if the scientific world dedicated itself to discovery of what the true secrets of life are * O. T. Avery – important because their research on DNA/protein after Griffiths experiment on the transforming factor, was decisive enough for Watson to believe that DNA was the genetic material (not protein as was believed) * Max Delbruck – pioneered bacteriophage research which allowed Hershey and Chase to conduct their experiments with radioactive labeling. Maurice Wilkins – was Rosalind Franklin’s partner in X-ray crystallography and played an important role in providing Watson with the B-structure of DNA that Franklin and Gosling had made. Franklin, Gosling and Wilkins all worked at King’s College, London. * Rosalind Franklin – Although Franklin had not agreed to the exchange Wilkins had made (providing of B-structure imagery to Watson), her work proved that DNA was helical and that the bases were on the inside with the sugar phosphates on the outside (as she had said all along).In short, her 3 contributions were crucial to Watson’s development of the model, although the B-model proved one of her theories wrong but several right. Furthermore, Watson and Franklin had a very heated relationship, which led to many heated debates and sometimes even conflicts. * Linus Pauling – the greatest chemist in the history of the United States, worked at Cal Tech and was the closest competition to Watson and Crick in the discovery of the structure of DNA. Famous for the discovery of the hydrogen bond and the alpha-helical structure of protein.He’s also famous for publishing a wrong model of DNA (three strands) for which he saw major public embarrassment. * Herman Kalkar – was the head of the laboratory in Copenhagen where Wa tson did phage research soon after he graduated. He did not enjoy his time in Copenhagen, which is why he left soon after getting there. * Salvador Luria – James Watson was Luria’s first graduate student at the University of Indiana. Luria would go on to do groundbreaking work with phages in biochemistry. He would later win the Nobel prize for medicine along with Hershey and Delbruck for their work on phages. J. T. Randall – was the head of the King’s College laboratory team with Wilkins as his deputy. He shared the 1962 Nobel prize with Watson and crick * Dorothy Hodgkin – was the other major female character in the book. Both of the women clearly struggled in a world that was heavily dominated by men. However, Hodgkin was known to get along with men much better than Franklin. She said this was because of her gender, whereas Franklin experienced the opposite. Franklin and Hodgkin worked closely in the contemplation of the DNA structure. Both scien tists were X-ray crystallographers.Hodgkin won the 1964 Nobel prize for chemistry * Willy Seeds – was famous for calling Watson â€Å"honest Jim. † Worked with Maurice Wilkins in the King’s laboratory and was famous for his pioneering work on the DNA fibers. Him calling Watson honest Jim was clearly sarcasm because they King’s scientists were still bitter about Watson stealing their data to make his model * R. G. Gosling – this was Franklin’s lab partner at King’s College laboratory * Erwin Chargaff – discovered the bases in the purines and pyrimidines (double and single ring) and also discovered that A matches with T and C matches with G.Gave Watson an important clue in his model building, that he had to match the bases. * Al Hershey – was a scientist that was known for conducting the final proof of DNA being the hereditary material. Their experiment ended the race and assured the scientific world that DNA was the inher ited material. * Martha Chase – was Hershey’s lab partner, and was one of the few other women in the scientific world * Peter Pauling – Linus’ son, came to study in London and Watson showed him around. In the process Peter gave Watson some important hints that his father was getting close to the discovery of the alpha helical structure.

Ert- Physics Essays

Ert- Physics Essays Ert- Physics Essay Ert- Physics Essay Preface Information and knowledge have emerged as major sources of wealth in the recent past. There is a digital revolution and it has impact and influences on the consumers, producers, investors, exporters, importers, public policy makers, academics, students, consultants, administrators, lawmakers and all others directly or indirectly involved in various processes of the new economy. It has also huge challenges for all of the above and the shape of things to come will be determined by their response to the fast moving changes, additions and modifications in the Information, Communication, Technologies (ICTs) and their applications. The pace of the revolutionary changes in the ICTs and their applications and their impacts, influences and challenges are more pronounced in the developed countries. The rest of the world is also catching up with them fast in the digital stakes. Public policy makers in both the developed countries and the rest of the world and administrators, who have even bigger challenges than policy makers, will have serious problems to tackle. Censorship and freedom will be in conflict with each other in relation to the use of and access to the ICTs. ICTs have ushered in a new era of global communication, production, trade and investment. It has implications for all of the players in the economy and society irrespective of whether they reside and work in the developed countries or in the developing countries. The digital economy is transforming the lives of people beyond recognition. There is a revolution in the way that things are produced and traded before they reach the final consumer. Also there is a revolution of rising expectations as the world is getting transformed to a global village and the access to the good things in life will no more be in the domain of the rich and influential, whether in developed or developing countries. The buzzword is e-commerce. The term e-commerce goes beyond doing business electronically. Doing business electronically means that the conventional processes are computerized and are done on the Internet, however now it seems that the Internet is not merely an alternative to make a channel for marketing or selling product online. Instead the electronic marketplace enables the seller to innovate the whole business process from the producer to consumer to service by integrating them in the seamless whole, where product choices and prices are updated according to the customer information in real-time on web stores. viii About the Book This book is not about how to use the web or how to set up your web page for a successful business. This book provides information from socio-economic angle. As a number of books are already available about e-commerce or digital commerce, most of them provide information mainly from a technical angle and the socio-economic aspect had been neglected. Contrary to that, we would like to present the picture of digital information economy from the socio-economic perspective. This book covers various aspects of global production, trade and investment and the effects of the Internet from a socio-economic angle. While paying attention to the current status of intertwined issues of electronic commerce in technology, standards, policy and legal issues, the focus is on many economic issues and aspects of electronic commerce that other books do not cover. This book aims to provide relevant theoretical frameworks and the latest empirical research findings in this area. The change in the flow of information, computing and communication in the recent past has greatly influenced the world economy. In the emerging â€Å"digital economy,† the players as well as the rules of the game are changing fast. Along with it has come a lot of confusion and uncertainty. The digital economy may bring potential invasions of privacy, more sophisticated and far-reaching criminal activities and host of other unknown problems. The audience of this book is diverse. In addition to the academics, students and other knowledge workers, this book is intended for the business people who are using the Internet to seek a new customer, suppliers and partners around the world. If a business person is already directly involved in international trade and business and business trade, either as a manufacturer, distributor, exporter and importer, custom broker and freight forwarder, trade financer, diplomat, then this book is for him/her. If he/she is involved in the international trade, perhaps as a lawyer, management consultant, trade show organizer, site developer, business school professor, executive educator or someone who advises international companies, then this book is also for him or her. The assembling of the chapters and editing of this volume was a very onerous task but has proved to be highly worthwhile and rewarding in the end. The response to the call for chapters was overwhelming. We received proposals from top scholars, professionals and practitioners from various parts of the world. We have received chapters from the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Singapore, India and many other countries. Authors with background from various cultural groups and with firsthand knowledge of the socio-economic impacts, influences and challenges of the digital economy has contributed to this volume. Choice of the chapters for this volume was a highly challenging task, as we received an overwhelming response. Which chapter to include and which to exclude was very difficult. Chapters included in this volume have gone through a very rigorous review process. The ultimate choice of the chapters for inclusion in this volume were guided by the quality, relevance and coverage of the vital issues and proper analysis and depiction of the impacts, influences and challenges of the digital economy. The brief ix summaries of the various chapters included in the book in the words of the contributors are provided below for the readers to make their own judgement: The first chapter of this book is Socio-Economic Impacts and Influences of E-Commerce in a Digital Economy written by Sushil K. Sharma. Electronic commerce or e-commerce is the exchange and processing of business transaction information using computers connected through a network. E-commerce does have unique advantages for businesses. It allows a shop, a show room or an office to open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It also means that time zones are not a problem. A Web site can bring a prospect from the point of advertising and information directly to the point of sale, seamlessly, without involving any other medium. Adoption of new information technologies, particularly e-commerce, is expected to result in improvements in firm performance, such as reducing transaction costs and closer coordination of economic activity among business partners. E-commerce also is expected to facilitate entry into new markets or extension of existing markets and greater integration of systems with suppliers and customers. E-commerce is changing business economics and as a result many firms are re-engineering their core business processes. Suppliers and retailers are able to collaborate on product forecasts, product flow and inventory management decisions using the collaborative Internet-based networks between suppliers and retailers. In addition to reducing costs, e-commerce solutions permit customers to custom order products based on individual needs and preferences. Retailers are able to allow customers to mass customize orders based on virtually thousands of choices. The Internet’s growth and e-commerce has begun to create fundamental change in government, societies, and economies with social, economic and political implications. These advances present many significant opportunities but also are having wide-ranging effects across numerous domains of society and policy makers. As e-commerce continues to grow rapidly, it could have significant effects on the social and economic structures of economy. The impacts of these changes are diverse and may even widen the digital divide among nations, alter the composition of trade, disrupt labor markets and change taxation, may have ramifications for intellectual property rights, privacy protection, and data filtering, etc. Some of these effects of e-commerce are unintentional and create adverse business and personal conditions that could have societal consequences. Social and economic aspects of ICTs have been studied by a wide variety of researchers and practitioners for over 50 years. However, the influences of e-commerce are far bigger than imagined before. This chapter describes the various socio-economic impacts and influences that have been created by e-commerce in a digital economy. The second chapter is Re-Intermediation and Deferment through E-Commerce: NeoAustrian Interpretation of Capital and Time written by Parthasarathi Banerjee. It is commonly believed that electronic commerce reduces intermediation and the time in a business circuit. This is an efficiency view. This borrows from the Chicago view. Alternatively, transactions cost economics (TCE) theorists argue that electronic commerce decreases transactions cost by way of reducing the distance between the producers and the customers. TCE too argues that dis-intermediation in electronic commerce reduces transactions cost and hence increases economic efficiency. In contrast x to this efficiency theory of dis-intermediation and of quickened money, this chapter argues from Neo-Austrian perspective that efficiency can refer to technological changes alone. Efficiency, it is argued, fails to increase rate of profit or innovation. Electronic commerce is an innovation in trade. Electronic commerce brings in several layers of possible intermediaries. In this chapter authors argue that electronic commerce keeps transactions incomplete and extends the completion of transactions indefinitely and thereby; electronic commerce instead of shortening the business circuit would extend such a circuit indefinitely. Indefinite extension of business circuits- that is the lengthening of business transactions- increases effectively the period of production. Austrian theory argues that capital is time. This theory argues that a longer period of production implies a higher rate of profit and an increase in capital. Based on this theoretical stance, the authors argue that electronic commerce enhances capital and increases the rate of profit by lengthening the circuit of transaction through re-intermediation and through an increased period of production. Velocity of money or goods in an economy, as the efficiency theorist suggests, refers to technical efficiency. This efficiency refers to particular states of affairs of technology. As a result this perspective fails to explain why such technological states change or why certain particular economic agents reap great profits. Moreover, efficiency theorists’ â€Å"profit† is actually a rent earned. Interpreters of TCE have assumed that electronic commerce brings about a frictionless or transactions-cost-free market. They have wrongly committed TCE to such an explanation. Moreover, reduction of transactions cost would increase efficiency and would not increase rate of profit or the capital and even would not hasten innovation. It follows contrarily that electronic commerce would increase transactions cost. Internet pricing has shown personalized effects based on quality differentiation and on personalized offerings. Electronic commerce has opened up the possibility of offering extremely variegated personalized pricing. This forum can also offer equivalents of typical market place bargains. Production organization of a vertically integrated corporation stood upon standardization. Production of apiece products with variegated quality, chosen often by the buyer himself, demands that the entire chain of logistics and the supply chains get linked to the electronic commerce platform and that the stages in production are increased immensely and at each step of production each apiece product contains unique information. Such a picture of an electronic-commerce-led economy shows that stages of production must increase, that different economic agents must undertake value addition at each stage, that variability must increase and that mass production of personalized wares must hasten. In short, electronic commerce demands that an economy increase both its division of labor and the long period of production. A long period of production refers to the entire input-output table of an economy. A short period of production refers to a specific transaction chain of a business or a sector. Electronic commerce increases the length of both these periods. Shackle discussed profit and its rate from the perspective of lengthened periods of production and an increase in the division of labor amongst economic agents who are speculators. Electronic commerce has opened up this opportunity. In these commerce intermediations, in particular, cyber mediations have increased and will continue to increase. NeoAustrian framework offers a cogent explanation as how electronic commerce increases the rate of profit and the capital in an economy based on electronic commerce. The third chapter is Risk and Investment in the Global Telecommunications Industry written by Irene Henriques and Perry Sadorsky. Access to affordable technology to improve the flow of information is essential to the development of an economy. Closing the Digital Divide could bring many benefits to developing countries. In many ways, developing countries have the most to gain from improvements in telecommunications and information technology. Bringing the benefits of IT to developing countries is possible, but the governments of these countries need to be aware that the process is going to cost money and require institutional changes. International investors will frequently calculate the cost of equity for their existing investments and their proposed investments. Development planners must be able to make their own cost-of-equity calculations so that they can see first hand how their investment projects compare with other investment projects around the globe. Consequently, it is necessary to have good measures of equity risk for managers, planners, policy makers and investors. The cost of equity is important in valuing new investment opportunities and in evaluating the ongoing performance of established business projects. This is especially true in the new economy IT industry where an understanding of equity risk aids in the examination of the relationship between the IT sector and economic development. In this chapter, quantitative modeling and simulation techniques are used to estimate various risk measures and the associated cost of equity for the global telecommunications industry. The approach is to calculate several different cost-of-equity values and then use simulation techniques to build up a probability distribution for each company’s cost of equity. In this way, a clearer picture of where a company’s cost of equity lies is developed. Estimates of the cost of equity for a particular company vary widely and depend upon the methodology used. For a particular company, cost-of-equity values based on systematic risk tend to be lower than cost-of-equity values calculated from downside risk measures. For some companies, downside cost-of-equity values are twice as large as cost-of-equity measures based on systematic risk. This is true, even though all of the cost-of-equity values use the same risk-free rate and same risk premium. One of the insights that emerges from this study is the fact that the average cost of equity for telecommunications companies in developing countries is not always greater than the average cost of equity for telecommunications companies in developed countries. This is borne out by the high cost-of-equity calculations for companies like Cable Wireless, France Telecom and Nextel. In general, it is difficult to find evidence of regional differences in the average cost of equity of telecommunications companies. This is useful to a development planner who can then use a portfolio approach in which high-risk investments are combined with low-risk investments to promote an investment in a developing country’s telecommunications industry. Closing the Digital Divide could bring many benefits to developing countries but international investors and development planners must be able to make their own cost-of-equity calculations so that they can see first hand how their investment projects compare with other investment projects around the globe. xii The fourth chapter is Reduction of Transaction Costs by Using Electronic Commerce in Financial Services: An Institutional and Empirical Approach by Thomas Pfahler and Kai M. Grebe. The authors face the subject of analyzing the impact of the increasing utilization of information and communication technology (ICT) and electronic commerce on the coordination of specific transactions in financial services. Bank transfers and stock purchases, as two relevant business processes commonly occurring in the contractual relationship between a financial institution and its customers, will be considered in detail. For that purpose, the conceptual framework for the target analysis has to be developed at first. This requires the definition of the most important terms and the explication of major ideas. The basic principals of the New Institutional Economics and the instruments developed in the context of the Transaction Cost Approach specifically serve as a theoretical background for the study and all further argumentation. Subsequently, the chapter develops and implements a proposal how to exemplify and to compare the above-mentioned processes under the varying influence of certain technologies. This new approach will be specified and the proceeding will be elucidated in detail. The authors refrain from attempting to quantify transaction costs in an absolute way and concentrate deliberately on comparative considerations. Transactions will be decomposed and classified into different phases according to their devolution over the period under observation. The intention is to reveal the basic phenomenon and to document the reasons of the current utilization of ICT in this sector by emphasizing relative reductions of transaction costs through the use of electronic commerce. After the development of the approach to quantify reductions of transaction costs, the model will be applied exemplarily on the two selected transactions. In detail, the model takes into account seven different phases of a transaction and seven different modes of coordination. The empirical section of the chapter concentrates on existing technological infrastructures, growth rates, and diffusions rates of certain information and communication technologies. Available data will be analyzed, particularly for Germany. Moreover, certain indicators are introduced to qualify in detail present developments and impacts of ICT. In the final stage the attained results and consequences of the outlined developments are eventually systematized and summarized. The authors criticize and comment on crucial points concerning the elaborated approach, its significance and limitations as well as its explanatory power. Last, but not least, an attempt is be made to relate the diffusion rates of the investigated technologies in the empirical section to the insights on reductions of transaction costs derived from the theoretical cost model. This will lead to a four-quadrant scheme to illustrate and classify present and future impacts of electronic commerce on financial services. On the basis of this visualization the chapter concludes with deducing a couple of final predictions and with giving a future perspective. The fifth chapter is The Spreading Use of Digital Cash and Its Problems, which is written by Yutaka Kurihara. xiii It has been several years since the words â€Å"digital cash† and other related terms were introduced into the modern lexicon. Needless to say, the progress made in communication and information technology (IT) has been rapid, and change in the area of digital cash is no exception. The volume of such transactions is rising, yet analysis of this revolution in payment is limited, particularly in the academic fields. Although e-commerce has been growing rapidly and attracting much attention, digital cash has not been a focus of such attention. Digital cash has some problems associated with it that need to be solved before its use can continue to grow, and the rate of growth is slowing at present. The logic behind replacing cash, checks and magnetic credit cards with digital cash is bound to prevail in the end, but there are many barriers that need to be overcome. The author proposes that material cost reduction and service price are cutting resultant factors of the demand for electronic wallet transactions and the means by which digital cash can spread, the technology of IC (integrated circuit) card reformation can be developed, and price cutting on the supply side can occur. The popularity of the personal computer and the Internet has also skyrocketed in recent years. A general price decline for computer and communication tools has been ongoing as well, helping to promote online-type transactions at the supply side. Moreover, it seems that the spread of mobile telecommunications has contributed to the development of digital cash. In the near future, interactive television will be used to make transactions. IT (information technology) has undergone a global revolution in many fields. Ubiquitous instruments in IT fields have appeared recently allowing for digital cash to develop much further. There are two points that will be emphasized in this chapter. The first point is that given the essential characteristics of electronic money, its advantages and disadvantages should be carefully examined. It is quite certain that digital cash will be promoted. It also seems that IT progress is unstoppable, and fortunately IT can make our world a more convenient and efficient place in which to live. Nevertheless, there are a number of concurrent challenges with this change. None of these challenges are apt to be resolved swiftly or painlessly. The second point is this: since financial institutions cannot stop this trend, it would be prudent for them to view it as a business opportunity. If they do not find ways to adapt, they will become obsolete and completely fade away from the market. By promoting efinance, a company can gain market share and negotiating power over suppliers, as well as earn a profit. Monetary authorities worldwide should pay careful heed to the trend as well, guiding the â€Å"sound† market to maturity, taking care not to confuse exercising leverage with excessive intervention. The sixth chapter is Electronic Signature: The Core Legislation Category in Digital Economy authored by Fjodor Ruzic. E-business, as well as all of the active participants in the digital economy environment, raises a host of new legal issues that must cope with the fact that the technical expectations imposed by participation in the digital economy will increase. Three basic segments of the digital economy are converging, and each of them consists of one core category: xiv Infrastructure: telecommunications infrastructure (the members of the society must communicate) Services: the content (the goal of communications is to transfer the content) Legislation: electronic signature (the goal is to compile rules of intercommunication processes in which the electronic content is interchanged) Businesses that offer services and have taken to the Internet seriously have a responsibility to their customers to offer services in a secure manner. Security is a fundamental requirement for e-business applications using signature-based forms. Lack of trust is a significant problem for any e-business - the parties evolved in the e-business processes must feel trust in the people and companies that are doing business. In many traditional business relationships, trust is based on a combination of judgement or opinion based on face-to-face meetings, or recommendations of colleagues, friends and business partners. However, the e-business environment generally does not involve human interaction and, therefore, this new context requires a new understanding of trust. Several techniques help in establishing online e-trust: Electronic authentication Electronic signature Escrow payment services (online) Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) With the advent of electronic signatures, e-business is changing the way we sign and store documents. Thus, any business that wants to succeed in the digital economy must deal with electronic signatures. It is considered an everyday activity whenever a law or other arrangement requires a signature of person. Signature is needed as a medium for authentication in order to identify the person (the signer), to indicate the person’s approval of the information communicated and, to be legally applicable. Most of the national laws currently in force provide that a signature, contract, or other record relating to such transaction may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form. Like a handwritten signature, an electronic signature can be used to identify and authenticate the originator of the information and, it can also be used to verify that information has not been altered after it is signed. Electronic signatures play a key role in enabling electronic business by helping ensure that electronic documents are unaltered and have not been forged. Considering the functionality and applicability of such issues, this chapter finds one key category that links all of the separate e-business legal issues in one regulated scene - the answer is done by introducing electronic signature as equivalence with handwritten signature no matter what type of information technology is in use. There are more legal environments, solutions and applications of an electronic signature from which several examples are described accompanied with the e-business view on electronic signature utilization. xv The seventh chapter is Impacts of the Digital Economy: The Shift to Consumer-Driven Competition and Life-Span Products authored by Simon Mowatt. This chapter examines changes in innovation and competition made possible in two traditional industries by the adoption of integrated information and communication technologies. The two industry cases used are drawn from the consumer magazine segment of the printing industry and the grocery multiple (supermarket) segment of the retail industry. Both of these industries have benefited from changes in communication within the industry value system made possible by the adoption of digital information management and communication systems. The primary research in these industries was undertaken by an empirical program of qualitative, interview-based research focused on innovation networks. The informants were involved in production, distribution and retail, and identified by prior secondary research. The research also employed a census questionnaire survey of consumer magazine publishing firms. The survey response was checked for representiveness against a random sample of the industry population and found to be robust. The chapter highlights the importance of consumer-drive innovation in consumer-facing markets. The industries examined had previously been conditioned by the economics of manufacturing. The development of complex innovation networks to supply consumer needs is examined and the innovation process is explored in detail. For the process of consumer-driven innovation, the importance of linkages to end-consumer and market experts is acknowledged- something is enhanced by the use of digital technologies. The chapter acknowledges that the development of the innovation systems described was the result of firms reacting to consumer needs. But in addition to this, the chapter offers the concept of â€Å"life-span† goods as those developed from the outset as having a short life dependent on changing consumer tastes and fashions. Life-span goods are emerging as firms continue to explore the possibilities of proactively using innovation systems to forge links with consumers. Within this environment firms have been recently acting more as project orchestrators: using their skills in developing innovation teams based on the deep knowledge of consumer activities to identify and supply new market segments. Production in the innovation systems identified is undertaken across firms and coordinated by shifting and temporary alliances. This presents a challenge to economic analysis and to the theories of the firm grounded in a transaction-cost framework. Networkbased and sociologically grounded theories of the firm have previously attempted to resolve the inadequacies of contemporary economic theory by emphasizing the importance of social ties and long-term embedded relationships. However, the examples explored in this chapter highlight the role of new technology in short-term non-embedded relationships as well. The project-based firm is identified as having features that are problematic for economic analysis. Despite this the chapter suggests that changes in competitive pressures towards consumer-facing competition may increase the prevalence of project-based firms with industrial economies. Finally, the chapter concludes by exploring some avenues for future research that offer new pathways for future theoretical understanding of project-based and network organizations. The eighth chapter is Digital Products on the Web: Pricing Issues and Revenue Models written by well read Gary P. Schneider. xvi Products that exist in digital form can be bought, sold, and in some cases delivered, online. Some products exist only in digital form, such as software and certain types of information databases. Many more types of products exist in physical form, but can be digitized. These products include many forms of intellectual property such as text, pictures, photographs, architectural drawings, choreography notes, sound recordings, and video recordings. In some cases, digital products arise from the transmission of other digital products, as in the case of telephone and fax transmissions. The pricing issues that arise in the sale of these products are different from those that sellers face when pricing physical goods. These pricing issues lead to interesting opportunities for devising revenue models. These pricing and distribution issues affect the nature, quantity, and quality of competition in markets for these products. Some digital products are made available at no charge. Thus, an alternative revenue stream that is somehow related to the product must be devised. Some digital products are bundled with other products (digital or physical) to avoid some of the problems inherent in the pricing of digital products alone. Another pricing strategy is to create an artificial distinction within a subset of digital products and use differential pricing to extract the highest revenue possible from each set of customers for the product. Perhaps the most common pricing method is to use a licensing approach of one kind or another. Many digital products are, in their essence, things that are experienced by customers. They often have no meaningful physical existence separate from their experience. Providers of digital products must maintain a current knowledge of underlying technologies that are used or could be used in the future for delivery of their products. The ability of customers to adapt and reformat digital products is also an essential characteristic of digital products, a characteristic that can be affected by changes in technologies as well. The success of revenue models for companies that sell digital products depend on the nature of the product, the characteristics of the buyers, and the traditional practices in the industry. For most digital products, the effect of pricing and distribution strategy does not derive so much from the introduction of the Internet into the marketing channel as from the products’ very nature as digital products. This chapter examines the nature of digital products, their pricing issues, and the efficacy of various revenue models that have been implemented by companies that deal in digital products. The ninth chapter is On Software Piracy by Sougata Poddar.

About the Speaker of the House of Representatives

About the Speaker of the House of Representatives The position of Speaker of the House of Representatives is created in Article I, Section 2, Clause 5 of the U.S. Constitution. It states the House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other Officers... Key Takeaways: Speaker of the House The Speaker of the House is designated by Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution as the highest-ranking member of the House of Representatives.The Speaker of the House is second in the line of presidential succession, after the Vice President.The election for Speaker of the House takes place at the beginning of each new congressional session.While the Speaker is designated as the presiding officer of the House, this day-to-day duty is usually assigned to another representative.The 2019 annual salary of the Speaker of the House is $223,500, compared to $174,000 for rank-and-file Representatives. How the Speaker Is Chosen As the highest-ranking member of the House, the Speaker is elected by a vote of the members of the House. While it is not required, the Speaker usually belongs to the majority political party. The Constitution does not require that the Speaker be an elected member of Congress. However, no non-member has ever been elected Speaker. As required by the Constitution, the Speaker is elected by a roll call vote held on the first day of every new session of Congress, which begins in January following the November midterm election thats held every two years. The Speaker is elected to a two-year term.   Typically, both the Democrats and the Republicans nominate their own candidates for Speaker. Roll call votes to select the Speaker are held repeatedly until one candidate receives a majority of all votes cast. Along with the title and duties, the Speaker of the House continues to serve as the elected representative from his or her congressional district.   Speaker of the House, the Role, Duties, and Powers Typically the head of the majority party in the House, the Speaker outranks the Majority Leader. The salary of the Speaker is also higher than that of the Majority and Minority Leaders in both the House and Senate. The Speaker rarely presides over regular meetings of the full House. Instead, they delegate the role to another representative. The Speaker does, however, typically preside over special joint sessions of Congress in which the House hosts the Senate. The Speaker of the House serves as the presiding officer of the House. In this capacity, the Speaker: Calls meetings of the House to orderAdministers the oath of office to new membersEnsures that order and decorum are maintained on the floor of the House and in the visitor galleriesMakes rulings on disputed House procedures and parliamentary issues As any other Representative, the Speaker may take part in debates and vote on legislation, but traditionally does so only in exceptional circumstances - such as when his or her vote could decide very important issues (like resolutions declaring war or amending the Constitution). The Speaker of the House also: Appoints the chairpersons and members of standing House committees and select and special committeesAppoints a majority of members to the important House Rules CommitteeExerts power over the legislative process by setting the House legislative calendar determining when bills will be debated and voted onOften utilizes this power to help fulfill his or her responsibility of making sure bills supported by the majority party are passed by the HouseServes as chair of the majority partys House steering committee Perhaps most clearly indicating the importance of the position, the Speaker of the House stands second only to the Vice President of the United States in the line of presidential succession. The first Speaker of the House was Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania, elected during the first session of Congress in 1789.   The longest-serving and perhaps most influential Speaker in history was Texas Democrat Sam Rayburn, who served as Speaker from 1940 to 1947, 1949 to 1953, and 1955 to 1961. Working closely with House committees and members from both parties, Speaker Rayburn ensured the passage of several controversial domestic policies and foreign aid bills backed by Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. The 2019 annual salary of the Speaker of the House is $223,500, compared to $174,000 for rank-and-file Representatives. Source The Constitution of the United States of America. Constitution Center.

Essay on a set topic - choose ONE of the below questions as your

On a set topic - choose ONE of the below questions as your topic. Indicate which one you have chosen - Essay Example In the recent years there have been efforts to try and address the issue of climate change. Countries are being advised to adopt anti-climate change policies. In this context, they are actually required to address the key issues in the society that have prevented the adoption of the strategies. The study would discuss on how the social and cultural processes have impacted while addressing this issue of climate change. How values affects the decisions and actions with regard to climate change, what role culture plays in the strategies for adopting to climate change, and in the process overcoming the barriers to change. The study would also highlight the irreversible losses of cultural and natural heritage as a result of climate change, and finally, what cultural practitioners contribute to the search for creative solutions to the negative impacts of climate change. Discussion Climate change is caused by a variety of factors which include oceanic processes like oceanic circulation, var iations in solar radiation that is received by Earth, volcanic eruptions, plate tectonics, and lastly, human induced alterations of the natural world; the latter effects are currently resulting in global warming, while climate change is often used to describe the human specific impacts (Rothwell, 2006:56). The factors that shape climate are referred to as climate forcings. They include processes like variations in solar radiation, continental drift, mountain building and, variations in earth orbit, and changes in the concentrations of greenhouse gases. There are arrays of climate change feedbacks that can either diminish or amplify the initial forcing (Barnett & Adger, 2003:134). The human factors that cause climate change include: an increase in the carbon (iv) oxide concentrations as a result of emissions from fossil fuel combustion, followed by the aerosols and then cement manufacture. The other factors include the following: animal agriculture, deforestation, ozone depletion, an d lastly, land use. They are also of concern in the roles that they play, both separately or in conjunction with the other factors, in affecting the climate, microclimate, and measurement of climatic variables. On the other hand, according to Jones (2009:101) asserts that culture in the context of climate change, refers to the common manner or way a community of persons make sense of the world. Culture has social, material, ideological, and artistic dimensions, all which have an impact on what people think, believe and value, and how they respond to the call of action The determination of knowledge from the social settings requires social constructivism. The term social constructivism is referred as a sociological theory of knowledge that is usually applied to the general philosophical constructivism into social settings. Whereas groups construct knowledge for one another, they collaboratively create a small culture of shared artefacts with shared meanings (Grant, 2007:167). When on e is completely immersed within this culture of this sort, one is all the time learning about how to be part of that culture on various levels (Barab, Dodge, Thomas, Jackson, & Tuzun, 2007: 268). As a consequence, strong social constructivism as a philosophical approach suggests that the natural world has very small and/or non existent role in the construction of scientific knowledge. Recently, scientists have been struggling to comprehend the past and the future climate by utilizing observations and

Anguil Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Anguil - Research Paper Example The company won the prestigious United States Chamber of Commerce award which s fitted to the best managed company in a given year. The company underwent major changes in its leadership structure in the year 2008 with Gen Anguil retaining his CEO positions but with fewer responsibilities. Chris Anguil who at the time was the Vice President in charge of Sales and Marketing became the President of the company while Deb Anguil who until then served as the Vice President of the Operations became the Chief Operating Officer. The company is being driven by its slogan which states, â€Å"Committed to Cleaner Air† that has motivated it over the years to develop a complete understanding of the processes of each customer as well as acquisition of a thorough knowledge on the application of the regulatory requirements. As a company dealing with thermal and catalytic oxidizers, the company offers a wide range of technologically advanced air pollution control products which are used in the abatement process of industrial emissions. Various forms of industrial emissions include Volatile Organic Compounds, odors and Hazardous Air pollutants. The company engages in the manufacturing of equipment, their installation as well as process analysis. In order to promote good customer relations, it ensures a 24 hour post sale service so as to ensure that their products operate effectively to the satisfaction of the customers. In offering industrial energy and heat recovery solutions, the company offers a unique blend of time-tested means of energy regulation as well as modern innovative approaches to such initiatives. The company designs manufacture as well as install energy recovery systems. The systems are geared towards reducing the operation costs of the customers, lowering their energy consumptions as well as maximizing on their revenues. The readily available energy recovery and heat transfer systems include air to steam exchangers,