Pythagorean Philosophy

â€Å"Music is the harmonization of opposites, the unification of disparate things, and the conciliation of warring elements†¦ Music is the basis of agreement among things in nature and of the best government in the universe. As a rule it assumes the guise of harmony in the universe, of lawful government in a state, and of a sensible way of life in the home. It brings together and Every school student will recognize his name as the originator of that theorem which offers many cheerful facts about the square on the hypotenuse. Many European philosophers will call him the father of philosophy. Many scientists will call him he father of science. To musicians, nonetheless, Pythagoras is the father of music. According to Johnston, it was a much told story that one day the young Pythagoras was passing a blacksmith's shop and his ear was caught by the regular intervals of sounds from the anvil. When he discovered that the hammers were of different weights, it occured to him that the intervals might be related to those weights. Pythagoras was correct. Pythagorean philosophy maintained that all things are numbers. Based on the belief that numbers were the building blocks of everything, Pythagoras began linking numbers and music. Revolutionizing music, Pythagoras' findings generated theorems and standards for musical scales, relationships, instruments, and creative formation. Musical scales became defined, and taught. Instrument makers began a precision approach to device construction. Composers developed new attitudes of composition that encompassed a foundation of numeric value in addition to melody. All three approaches were based on Pythagorean philosophy. Thus, Pythagoras' relationship between numbers and music had a profound influence on future musical education, The intrinsic discovery made by Pythagoras was the potential rder to the chaos of music. Pythagoras began subdividing different intervals and pitches into distinct notes. Mathematically he divided intervals into wholes, thirds, and halves. â€Å"Four distinct musical ratios were discovered: the tone, its fourth, its fifth, and its octave. † (Johnston, 1989). From these ratios the Pythagorean scale was introduced. This scale revolutionized music. Pythagorean relationships of ratios held true for any initial pitch. This discovery, in turn, reformed musical education. â€Å"With the standardization of music, musical creativity could be recorded, taught, and reproduced. † (Rowell, 1983). Modern day finger exercises, such as the Hanons, are neither based on melody or creativity. They are simply based on the Pythagorean scale, and are executed from various initial pitches. Creating a foundation for musical representation, works became recordable. From the Pythagorean scale and simple mathematical calculations, different scales or modes were developed. The Dorian, Lydian, Locrian, and Ecclesiastical modes were all developed from the foundation of Pythagoras. † (Johnston, 1989). â€Å"The basic foundations of musical education are based on the various modes of scalar relationships. † (Ferrara, 1991). Pythagoras' discoveries created starting point for structured music. From this, diverse educational schemes were created upon basic themes. Pythagoras and his mathematics created the foundation for musical education According to Rowell, Pythagoras began his experiments demonstrating the tones of bells of different sizes. Bells of variant size produce different harmonic ratios. † (Ferrara, 1991). Analyzing the different ratios, Pythagoras began defining different musical pitches based on bell diameter, and density. â€Å"Based on Pythagorean harmonic relationships, and Pythagorean geometry, bell-makers began constructing bells with the principal itch prime tone, and hum tones consisting of a fourth, a fifth, and the octave. † (Johnston, 1989). Ironically or coincidentally, these tones were all members of the Pythagorean scale. In addition, Pythagoras initiated comparable experimentation with pipes of different lengths. Through this method of study he unearthed two astonishing inferences. When pipes of different lengths were hammered, they emitted different pitches, and when air was passed through these pipes respectively, alike results were attained. This sparked a revolution in the construction of melodic percussive instruments, as well as the wind instruments. Similarly, Pythagoras studied strings of different thickness stretched over altered lengths, and found another instance of numeric, musical correspondence. He discovered the initial length generated the strings primary tone, while dissecting the string in half yielded an octave, thirds produced a fifth, quarters produced a fourth, and fifths produced a third. â€Å"The circumstances around Pythagoras' discovery in relation to strings and their resonance is astounding, and these catalyzed the production of stringed instruments. † (Benade, 1976). In a way, music is lucky that Pythagoras' attitude to experimentation was as it was. His insight was indeed correct, and the realms of instrumentation would never be the same again. Furthermore, many composers adapted a mathematical model for music. According to Rowell, Schillinger, a famous composer, and musical teacher of Gershwin, suggested an array of procedures for deriving new scales, rhythms, and structures by applying various mathematical transformations and permutations. His approach was enormously popular, and widely respected. â€Å"The influence comes from a Pythagoreanism. Wherever this system has been successfully used, it has been by composers who were already well trained enough to distinguish the musical results. In 1804, Ludwig van Beethoven began growing deaf. He had begun composing at age seven and would compose another twenty-five years after his impairment took full effect. Creating music in a state of inaudibility, Beethoven had to rely on the relationships between pitches to produce his music. â€Å"Composers, such as Beethoven, could rely on the structured musical relationships that instructed their creativity. † (Ferrara, 1991). Without Pythagorean musical structure, Beethoven could not have created many of his astounding compositions, and would have failed to establish himself as one of the two greatest musicians of all ime. Speaking of the greatest musicians of all time, perhaps another name comes to mind, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. â€Å"Mozart is clearly the greatest musician who ever lived. † (Ferrara, 1991). Mozart composed within the arena of his own mind. When he spoke to musicians in his orchestra, he spoke in relationship terms of thirds, fourths and fifths, and many others. Within deep analysis of Mozart's music, musical scholars have discovered distinct similarities within his composition technique. According to Rowell, initially within a Mozart composition, Mozart introduces a primary melodic theme. He then reproduces hat melody in a different pitch using mathematical transposition. After this, a second melodic theme is created. Returning to the initial theme, Mozart spirals the melody through a number of pitch changes, and returns the listener to the original pitch that began their journey. â€Å"Mozart's comprehension of mathematics and melody is inequitable to other composers. This is clearly evident in one of his most famous works, his symphony number forty in G-minor† (Ferrara, 1991). Without the structure of musical relationship these aforementioned musicians could not have achieved their musical aspirations. Pythagorean theories created the basis for their musical endeavours. Mathematical music would not have been produced without these theories. Without audibility, consequently, music has no value, unless the relationship between written and performed music is so clearly defined, that it achieves a new sense of mental audibility to the Pythagorean skilled listener.. As clearly stated above, Pythagoras' correlation between music and numbers influenced musical members in every aspect of musical creation. His conceptualization and experimentation molded modern musical practices, instruments, and music itself nto what it is today. What Pathagoras found so wonderful was that his elegant, abstract train of thought produced something that people everywhere already knew to be aesthetically pleasing. Ultimately music is how our brains intrepret the arithmetic, or the sounds, or the nerve impulses and how our interpretation matches what the performers, instrument makers, and composers thought they were doing during their respective creation. Pythagoras simply mathematized a foundation for these occurances. â€Å"He had discovered a connection between arithmetic and aesthetics, between the natural world and the human soul.

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

Octavia Estelle Butler was an American science fiction writer, one of very few African-American women in the field. In 1979, she published Kindred, a novel which uses the science fiction technique of time travel to explore slavery in the United States.THESIS STATEMENTButler takes on and redrafts the Slave narrative by portraying the true circumstances of slavery as a long dark period during which the blacks were denied individuality and even humanity.INTRODUCTION TO THE TEXTThe novel relates the story of Dana, an African American woman living in 1976 who is repeatedly thrown back in time to the ante-bellum south. She is summoned by her ancestor, Rufus, from the time he is a child through to adulthood. Rufus is white and from a slave owning family. Dana is placed in the difficult position of making certain that Rufus and Alice have a child, Hagar, who is Dana's direct ancestor Each time she travels back in time, she stays longer, and comes back only when her life is in danger. She sto ps getting sent back in time after she kills Rufus.Jobs assigned to the slaves in the house and in the fieldsEnslaved people had to clear new land, dig ditches, cut and haul wood, slaughter livestock, and make repairs to buildings and tools. In many instances, they worked as mechanics, blacksmiths, drivers, carpenters, and in other skilled trades. Black women carried the additional burden of caring for their families by cooking and taking care of the children, as well as spinning, weaving, and sewing.The family structure of the slaves and the social relationships among the slavesSlaves married, had children, and worked hard to keep their families together. Black men, women, and children developed an underground culture through which they affirmed their humanity. House servants would come down from the â€Å"big house† and give news of the master and mistress, or keep people laughing with their imitations of the whites.the relationship between slaves and their mastersBecause t hey lived and worked in such close proximity, house servants and their owners tended to form more complex relationships. Black and white children were especially in a position to form bonds with each other. Black children might also become attached to white caretakers, such as the mistress, and white children to their black nannies. Because they were so young, they would have no understanding of the system they were born into, as Dana reveals, â€Å"Without knowing it, they prepared me to survive† (pg94 Kindred) African American women had to endure the threat and the practice of sexual exploitation.There were no safeguards to protect them from being sexually stalked, harassed, or raped, or to be used as long-term concubines by masters and overseers. Soon after her last child is born, Alice runs away again because she fears that she will â€Å"turn into just what people call her† (pg 235 Kindred). She fears that she will lose her sense of self and accept her position as sexual chattel†.CONCLUSIONSince the beginning of anti-African American reaction through our existing contemporary society, slavery carries on to be a contentious and inconsistent issue.   Slavery affects each individual living within the United States borders and throughout our world.  No subject in the American past has provoked greater discussion and inflamed more controversy than slavery. From the arrival of the first Africans at Jamestown in 1619, through the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, to contemporary historical debates, the presence and enslavement of Africans has been defended, attacked and analyzed.WORKS CITEDOctavia E. Butler (1979) Kindred, Page 94 and 235. Retrieved on 1st November 2006

Advanced Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Advanced Accounting - Essay Example unction is to adjust the account balances of each individual company to give an amount that would be used if the entities were one company (Stice and Stice, 2013). Non-controlling interest refers to that part of a subsidiary that the parent company does not own. The non-controlling interest should be considered during consolidation as they form part of the capital for the subsidiary. The non-controlling interest may appear as beginning of period non-controlling interest or end of period non-controlling interest (Wahlen, Baginski, Bradshaw, 2014). To determine the beginning of period non-controlling balance, one uses the percentage of the non-controlling interest to determine their shareholding in the company. That percentage is used to determine the non-controlling interest’s share of ordinary share capital, preference share capital and retained earnings. To arrive at the balance, credit the non-controlling interest account with their share of ordinary share capital and preference share capital. Debit the capital account with the same amount. Then credit the non-controlling interest account with the non-controlling interest’s sha re of retained earnings. Debit the profit and loss account with the same amount. That will give the non-controlling interest balance at the beginning of the period. The determination of the end of period non-controlling interest balance involves more than what the beginning balance requires. It involves making adjustments on various items. The account balance changes courtesy of changes in retained earnings (Wahlen, Baginski, Bradshaw, 2014). The items that would cause the changes include unrealized profits, unrealized profits on sale of property, plant and equipment and revaluation gains. To reflect these changes, debit the non-controlling interest account by the minority interest’s share of the unrealized profits and credit the closing inventory account with the same amount. For unrealized profits on the sale of property, plant

Human Resource Training Class Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Resource Training Class - Assignment Example Performance assessment highlights both deficiencies and strengths as well. For a retail business especially selling products also through the online method, the role of customer support service becomes highly critical and important as well. It is critical in the sense that the most customers use telephone service for registering their complaints or receiving additional required information relating to purchase of specific products. And it is important in the sense that it leads to increase or decrease sales volume. Five essential ways that highlight and justify the needs assessment for evaluating performance of support service are: frequent similar complaints, unfriendly behavior towards customers, no follow-up procedure, no coordination between the relevant departments, and drawing no lessons from previous mistakes. They summarize performance and highlight gap between actual and required level of performance. For these measures, both quantitative and qualitative information provide fundamental support for evaluating the performance of employees working in the support service department. For example, if the number of similar complaints is increasing, this would suggest that the customer support service has not properly addressed and pursued the complaints. Subsequently, this evaluation can be done every month and the collected data can be compared for understanding the trend. If the trend suggests increase in the number of similar complaints, this would conclude the customer support service employees.

What important contribution or contributions did this scholar make to Essay - 2

What important contribution or contributions did this scholar make to the field of biblical studies - Essay Example The ancient history of Christian biblical interpretation has been molded by great and famous philosophers and scholars who travels deep into the sea of Christian text and interpret it according to their believe and philosophy1. The contents of the New Testament have been contributed by scholars such as Baur, however, criticism of this same testament can also be found too by the same scholar. In F. C Baur mixture of history and theology, the historical exploration of Christian antiquity has helped in forging a path to comprehend the Christianity faith2. This helps crossing the hurdle the Enlightenment’s separation of the rational truth from (if and then) history. Baur contributed to the New Testaments by studying the theology and unfolding the Christianity beliefs and faith rather than just studying its origin. He further believed that truth can be beheld only in a particular history and that is id illustrated only in historical development. His objective was to speak of God in terms of self-divine revelation. Tubingen school attempted to merge the church’s teaching with philosophy and biblical texts. One of the most successful people to carry out this interpretation was Ferdinand Christian Baur, but opened up new areas in the New Testament for controversies. His one of the major and significant contribution was attracting attention to the dive and believes in God and religion within New Testaments and established principles of raw historical comprehension of the Bible. He rejected Supernaturalism and implemented Hegelian dialectic to the Testament. Through this he found out basic tension between the Pauline and Petrine theology, hence, the documents and words of the New Testaments tried to smoothen the fight between the Jewish and Gentile church. He believed that the authenticity of other books can be judged by

Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Proposal - Essay Example In addition to wresting these native populations and lands from Mexico, the U.S grabbed itself many overseas colonies. While it reluctantly joined the two world wars rather late, the United States has started and waged quite a number of wars single-handedly since becoming a superpower. Interestingly, some of these wars have been merely military interventions whose justification some consider ulterior and therefore uncalled for. From this war-mongering nature of the United States and its leaders (presidents), it is strange that U.S citizens and subsequent presidents consider themselves as peace-loving people and continually deceive Americans that the U.S foreign policy serves their interests. One reason the U.S citizens elected President Barrack Obama is that they thought he would be different from his predecessor George Bush who not only started the foolish and unnecessary wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but also mismanaged these wars. It is because of Obama’s opposition to the two wars that he was endeared to the war-wary U.S citizens thus prompting his election. Unfortunately, two years into his first term in office, President Obama, who was expected to be more thoughtful on the use of U.S armed forces and the implications of crude policy tools escalated the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and even launched a new war against Libya. Because of its love for war and military interventions in countries and regions considered enemies, strategic, or of interest to it, the United States has made many enemies in the world, more so the Arab and Muslim world. In fact, the U.S foreign policy has particularly been aggressive towards the Arab world, seen to be harboring and su pporting individual terrorists and terror groups such as the Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabab. This paper explores the United States’ foreign policy, which is marred with a lot of lies not

Customer Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Customer Experience - Essay Example a new banking outlet, particularly in an overseas location, it is imperative for the banking institution adequately prepares for the groundbreaking exercise and positioning that will facilitate sustainability. Some of the intricate issues that determine the success of a newly opened branch in the banking sector are generally related to the first impression created regarding customer experience. Customer experience can be memorable for either good or bad reasons. How suitable and pleasant an experience gets to the newcomers is usually dependent on the trend set from the beginning. It follows that the remainder of the experience in a new market is defined in the initial stages of market positioning and establishment. Aware of these facts, Cooperative Bank and Smile UK Limited will require the detail of the following study regarding the new market in Tanzania for the creation of an appropriate customer. According to Avaya (2008, P1), both local and international banking institutions find a huge challenge to balance their strategy mix and technological capacity to facilitate sustainable customer relationships. According to the revelations of the group, today’s customer experience has changed a lot due to a number of factors. One of the most important factors that have necessitated a different approach to handling of customer experience is the easy availability of information that has impacted on customer expectations. In view of the new market in Tanzania, this study reveals some of the most important information that the management of Cooperative Bank and Smile will need to handle the changed customer experience issues in Tanzania. Comparing the banking sector in the UK to that in Tanzania, there are fundamental differences in the economic settings of the two countries. While the UK is an industrialized economy, Tanzania is a developing country, where profound differences in operations will be experienced. Performance in the developed economy presents quite

Design Proposal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Design Proposal - Assignment Example John Hopkins evidenced based model provides a strong and powerful problem-solving approach when making decision in the clinical setting. Tools that are user-friendly accompany it. The tools are for guiding group and individual users. Nurses should utilize the model because it has been designed to attain  the needs of the  nurse  practising. It is a very important framework that guides the synthesis and translation of evidence into clinical practice. Mechanically ventilated patients are susceptible to pneumonia resulting in a higher rate of getting complications and mortality. There is an increased risk of acquiring nosocomial pneumonia in mechanically ventilated patients due to supine positioning. As a result of acquiring nosocomial pneumonia, the cost involved in treatment increases and the length of hospitalization is also increased. Patients  critically ill in  the  ICU  are at a risk of dying from their critical illness as well as a secondary process such as nosocomial pneumonia. Nosocomial pneumonia affects 28 percent of the critically ill patients with an incidence rate of 6 to 10 cases in 1000 hospital admissions. For this reason, proper patient positioning is very essential. Collaboration  and teamwork are  crucial  to the success of the project. My team will be composed of five key members. Among them will include an intensive care doctor with training on  care  of  the critically ill patients and a registered critical care nurse with special training in critical care of the critically ill patients. The two specialists will provide resourceful knowledge on care of the patients. A nurse educator will also be incorporated in the team to provide education on the importance proper positioning of the patients and an ICU respiratory therapist who are important in patient rehabilitation to recovery from respiratory conditions. The last team member will be a physiotherapist who will be focused on promoting

Basic Principles of Curriculum & Instruction Essay

Basic Principles of Curriculum & Instruction - Essay Example The book consists of 5 chapters. Chapter 1 carries the title - What educational purposes should the school seeks to attain?. The chapter deals with defining appropriate learning objectives. Tyler’s book was in 1949 and yet it was forward looking as he as was able to things at present times in the light of was happening back then. In the book, he argued that learning could take place through the actions of the student. He thus said â€Å"It is what he does that he learns, not what the teacher does† (Tyler p. 63). This statement is still powerfully true up to time. Tyler therefore posited that the main player in learning is the student who wants to learn. He was in effect stating that the design of curriculum should be based on what the students does, his experience in the school and in the community. Chapter 2 is entitled â€Å"How can learning experiences be selected which are likely to be useful in attaining these objectives?† This chapter deals with introducing useful learning experiences that would enhance learning. This proceeds from the premise that what had happened in the student in the process of learning is useful in developing further learning. If we equate it with modern times, it may amount to what the present curriculum requirement for reflective learning. These are observed in many curriculums until today which implies that the work of Tyler still finds application. Chapter 3 is entitled: â€Å"How can learning experiences be organized for effective instruction?† The chapter deals with organizing experiences to maximize their effect on instruction. In this chapter, Tyler agreed with the wisdom of having to present experiences in a relevant and logical manner for understanding of the effective purpose of what were designed as educational objectives.

NetFlix company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

NetFlix company - Essay Example Another reason why the mission statement of Netflix should be reformulated is because its company philosophy does not appear in the statement. The company’s basic beliefs, values and aspirations are not reflected in their mission statement. What is clear in their statement is where their strategies are directed and what they want to be in the future. The firm’s strategy of increasing its streaming subscription globally is the appropriate strategy for the company. Over time, it is expected that their domestic DVD by mail service to decline significantly in the near future; thus, their strategy to focus on their streaming service is a good move for the company. Netflix has decreased its budget in their DVD business to allocate more to its global streaming business (Netflix, Inc. 8). One can say that this strategy of Netflix has produced the desired results because as of the first quarter of 2012, there was an additional three million streaming subscribers; therefore, reaching a total of 26 million global subscribers (Netflix 1). This strategy further strengthened their position as the world’s leading internet TV network (Netflix 1). The domestic streaming service alone contributed $67 million to the company’s profit, which is 13% contribution margin (Netflix 1). Indeed, the firm’s strategy is providing them a relevant competitive advantage and is working well for them. Another strategy implemented by Netflix that is to their advantage is their continuous move to increase the quantity and quality of their TV shows and movies. Their approach is to sign licensing agreement with TV and movie outfits and major film distributors and producers in order to reinforce their content offerings and have a steady flow of new titles (Netflix 2-3). This is a competitive advantage which they enjoy over their competitors. As

The Different International Markets Only Changing the Structures Essay Example for Free

The Different International Markets Only Changing the Structures Essay â€Å"How Ingvar Kamprad succeed to adapt the different international markets only changing the structures?† The evolution of Ikea’s organization structure changed through the years. First, it used to have an horizontal organization structure, with just one boss taking the decisions, Ingvar and the employees, manufacturing the products (Exhibit 1). Most businesses begin as simple structure with only two levels: the strategy apex and an operating level.(P79)This is an original Swedish model and it is normally used in small companies. A successful horizontal structure allows each employee to have and affirm his own perspective. Thus all the employees shape a society in their company. Eliminating the hierarchical structure deemphasizes the value of power, and accentuates the collaboration. It allows balancing the power in the structure. The first problem appeared in the 1970s:growth in the Swedish furniture market was stagnating. Kamprad felt it was time for IKEA to expand internationally. Refer to the theory from class, one of the reason why restructure is the growing of organizations.(P89) Then, the structure had to be adapted since the horizontal one was now too simple. That’s the reason why it evolved from the horizontal form to a more vertical way (Exhibit 2). As noted, vertical coordination rests on top-down command and control. (P59 )As in the horizontal one, the boss is situated at the top. However, the management was split up into two different â€Å"departments†: the Swedish and the European management. This division will be the base of the Ikea’s successful future. Dividing the management into these two segments, gave them the possibility to keep on going with the traditional Scandinavian culture; and on the other hand, improve and innovate in the European market. In the 1980s, Ikea wanted to start doing business not only in Europe but all over the world, in the USA, Canada and Asia, for instance. According to the knowledge we learnt from class,the reason why restructuring is that The environment shifts.(P89)At this time, the organization frame of Ikea had also got to be changed. In this case, the management was divided in geographical regions. Once this modification had been done, each Ikea store was able to satisfy the different consumer needs depending on the region they were located (Exhibit 3). Furthermore, between 1986 and 1990, Ingvar Kamprad elected Anders Moberg as a president; they did not have the same idea about the management and the structure, and that is the reason why the company structure changed into a new one. The leadership shift had an impact on the company’s management style.(case,P10)The environment shifts is also a reason of restructure.(P89) This new structure is divided into 3 levels: supervisory board (the top), executive board and staff. To our mind it is like Mintzbergs structural configurations: divisionalized form. Divisionalized form is based on centralization and different divisions in the same company. We can say that it is like the way of thinking of Anders Moberg, the president, because he is more committed to systematization (as refer in the case study page 10). From 2000, they opened more stores and they worked with a wider range of products, not just kitchen and garden products, but also office furniture and more traditional designs. This is the reason why new departments emerged, because of the need of specialized personnel. But the structure remain the same, this additional departments did not affect it. To sum up, we would like to highlight the importance of Ingvar for the Ikea Company, since all the decisions he made were fortunately the best ones he could have taken. Each decision was taken at the right time. Even with many difficulties, Ingvar Kamprad knew how to turn problems in opportunities, for instance with the Ikea launching in the worldwide markets. He was self-confident and believed in his company’s values and culture, and he never tried to change this but to improve it, through the combination of different types of organization structures. Many small companies may have Ikea as a reference; in the moment he wanted to enter to new markets (become international) it was forced to adapt its organization frame: evolving from a horizontal to a more vertical one. So that, we can conclude that if companies wanted to expand their business to new markets, it is necessary to change and adapt to what the moment requires. He opted to rely on traditional values ​​and strive to provide a better quality of life to consumers. The founder has always known how to analyse and follow the market surronding him. Each decision was taken at the right time. Even with many difficulties, Ingvar Kamprad has known how to turn problems in opportunities, for instance with the Ikea launching in the worldwide markets. Through this case study, we wanted to show that the current state of Ikea is thanks to Ingvar Kamprad. through this case, we wanted to show that it is the Man itself who made the corporation what it became. We also wanted to emphasize the fact that the structures change (very) quickly, thus, you must follow the market surrounding.

Television Commercial Semiotics Analysis Media Essay

Television Commercial Semiotics Analysis Media Essay In 2004, former Playboy centerfold and American reality television character Anna Nicole Smith starred in a 30-second television commercial for Trimspas diet product X-32. The principal had recently lost a significant amount of excess body weight after having appeared throughout an American reality series that seemed to capitalize on the shock value of her metamorphosis from a Playboy centerfold and fashion model to obesity in the years preceding her re-emergence as a sex symbol, presumably as a result of her use of the advertisers diet products. The dominant elements of the advertisement consisted of Smith attired in flamboyant gowns and posed provocatively in various postures and in conjunction with textual images superimposed over the visual images. A seductive female voice also emphasized the words displayed in the text. The textual component of the advertisement consisted of the words sexy, powerful, and attitude in connection with SPA portion of the manufacturers name suggesting a pneumonic connotation. The only other textual component appears in the form of the phrase Be Envied in the last frame of the commercial. A male voice is also heard saying Cutie; wont you come inside? A semiotic analysis of the commercial would focus on the psychological and social relevance of the sexual imagery and the connotations to gender roles, sexual desirability, and also to suggestions of wealth and privilege. More specifically, the advertisement highlights the reliance on gender roles and gender-based expectations in relation to independence and power, social class, and (especially) pop culture-based recognition and the influence of the link between celebrity, notoriety, and positive product association. Key Visual and Textual Elements of the Commercial and their Connotations The primary visual content of the commercial presents Anna Nicole Smith dressed and coiffed in a style that is apparently intended to draw connections (whether conscious or unconscious) to mid-20th century American film icon Marilyn Monroe, to whom Smith already bears a general likeness. From a semiotics perspective, the visual component of the commercial incorporates at least three distinct aspects of social codes (bodily, commodity, and behavioural codes); two aspects of representational or textual codes (genre and mass media codes); as well as both main aspects of interpretive codes (perceptual and ideological codes). More specifically, the commercial emphasises bodily codes (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, 2003, p.266) associated with sexuality, sexual aggressiveness, and sexual availability as Smith engages in exaggerated sexually provocative postures, gestures, and facial expressions. It also relies heavily on commodity codes (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, 2003, p.266) represented by the high-fashion gown worn by Smith and on behavioural codes (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, 2003, p.266) such as the dynamic between photographer and high-fashion model and the focus of attention on her. In that regard, the behavioural code consists of the portrayal of the respective roles of the photographer engaged in capturing images of the model on a set designed to suggest high-fashion and social privilege. To a certain degree, the use of social codes merges with textual codes, illustrating the basis of the traditional argument in favour of a broader interpretation of all semiotic codes as social codes (Hawkes, 1977, p.104). In that respect, the commercial exploits the perspective of both genre (in the apparent connection to Marilyn Monroe) and in its closely related reliance on Smiths notoriety from her (then) recent television series and her high-profile will contest proceedings over the estate of her deceased former husband, oil and business magnate J. Howard Marshall that eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court a decade after his death in 1996 at the age of 90 (Newman, 2007). It was Smiths controversial marriage to Marshall barely a year before his death and the decade-long media coverage of her claim to his entire estate and the probate contest it precipitated that apparently catapulted Smith to infamy more than anything else (Newman, 2007). Although the case was ultimately decid ed against her in 2006, her claim to the fortune likely generated the popular perception that Anna Nicole Smith represented fabulous wealth and privilege. That image, or more precisely, the consumption of that image by the American public as a function of perpetual tabloid coverage, provided the social framework for the connotations intended for exploitation by the advertiser. Finally, with respect to semiotic coding, the commercial images rely on interpretative coding in the form of both perceptual codes and ideological codes. More specifically, the body postures and facial expressions adopted by Smith throughout the commercial trigger hard-wired psychological responses in the areas of sexual signaling and sexual arousal (Gerrig Zimbardo, 2008, p.276). The obvious intent is to establish a deeper association in that regard than merely conscious absorption of the explicit messages in the commercial. Moreover, ideological coding is used to convey one of the most important take-aways intended by the advertiser to appeal to a hegemonic female audience: namely, through the notion that the product is associated with a departure from traditional ideological views and expectations of females as passive and dependent on males, particularly for their sexual identity and power. This use of both perceptual and ideological coding (specifically in relation to human sex uality) is one of the most powerful and common themes in product advertising; it has been since the dawn of the modern advertising age (Kahle Lynn, 2006, p. 27; Ogilvy, 1982, p.26). Thematic Interaction of Commercial Elements to Convey Meaning The commercial includes superimposed text in the form of three words (sexy, powerful, and attitude) in conjunction with the individual letters in the SPA portion of the manufacturers product. While the relevance of the word sexy is literal, the words powerful and attitude both rely heavily on the discursive concepts originally introduced in the context of semiotics by Michel Foucault (Harvey Evans, 2001). According to that analysis, the choice of language in the commercial fits within a discourse, or representational system that is a function on socially relevant codes and an interpretive repertoire of concepts, values, and myths that give them meaning (Harvey Evans, 2001). The notion of power is clearly meant to appeal to women primed to value or strive for the sexual autonomy of a feminist perspective. Likewise, the notion of attitude also represents an expectation or a right to have things as they wish rather than as they may be expected by society. The only other words that are audible besides those spoken by the female narrator who breathlessly repeats sexy, powerful, attitude are delivered by a male voice who says Cutie, wont you come inside? The relevance of that phrase is also a function of Foucaults discourse concept (Harvey Evans, 2001): it is likely meant to suggest a connection to an invitation (such as from a doorman) to enter an exclusive social club or other opportunity that is only an option for beautiful members of the privileged class. Given the other elements of the commercial and their relation to the discourse pertaining to female sexual independence, it may also be meant to suggest a much more sexually explicit concept as well. The last textual image of the commercial consists of the superimposition of the phrase Be Envied in the last frames. No formal analysis is necessary to identify the discourse upon the strategic purpose of that phrase relies. Specifically, envy is a natural human response with direct connections to perceptual codes as well as to commodity codes (Hawkes, 1977, p.107). In that respect, the impulse of envy is closely connected to the related desire to inspire envy in others (Ogilvy, 1982, p. 119) and, like sexuality, it is a very common (if not universal) discursive feature in modern advertising and product marketing (Ogilvy, 1982, p. 120). The contextual relevance of the phrase is simply that users of the Trimspa product will lose weight and become more beautiful, more sexually desirable, more sexually powerful, and more envied by others in society. Conclusion The 2004 Trimspa X-32 commercial features an extremely recognisable American cultural icon believed to embody beauty, sexuality, wealth, and privilege. The fact that she happened to lose a substantial amount of weight (whether or not with the help of cosmetic surgery as had been rumoured) fit perfectly within the scope of the advertisement. The commercial emphasizes a wide range of semiotic social codes, representational or textual codes, and interpretive codes. It exploits a connection to a another former American film icon as well as several different discursive elements in relation to the modern rejection of traditional roles of and social constraints imposed on women in patriarchal societies. Those semiotic elements merge with explicit connotations associated with promises of enviable beauty and sexual desirability as well as with the exploitation of the human failing represented by the natural impulse to envy others and to inspire theirs.

Issues Of Indoor Air Pollution Environmental Sciences Essay

Issues Of Indoor Air Pollution Environmental Sciences Essay Air pollution is an expression used to describe a state when the chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials exceeds the recommended levels and become a source that harm effects or cause discomfort to humans and other organisms, or cause damages to the living natural environment. Pollution can be resulted from man-made daily industrial processes and activities or by the nature. There are many forms of pollutants solid particles, liquid droplets, or gases. Indoor air pollution can be arises from indoor and outdoor pollutant sources. People, especially students, spend about 90% of their live in enclosed controlled environments. These closed enclosed environments could have short or long terms of harm health effects on occupants according to the quality of the inside air (pollution levels). In recent years, the issue of indoor air and its quality (IAQ) has become an internationally recognized issue that caught the attention of researchers and the occupants toward improving the quality of air inside buildings environments. Fanger (2006) defines the indoor air quality (IAQ) as the desire of human to perceive the air as fresh and pleasant, with no negative impacts on their heath and productivity. Many researchers such as Wark and Warner (1981) investigated the sources of the outdoor and the indoor pollution that affected the indoor air. They found that the indoor air quality can be influenced by the outdoor air pollution sources such as traffic; industrial; construction, and combustion activities and the indoor sourc es such as ventilation equipment, furnishings, and human activities. Common Indoor Air Pollutants In this section, a total of 11 common indoor air quality parameters and its outdoor and indoor source in addition to it is health hazard on human shall be discussed. The IAQ parameters consists of three physical parameters (room temperature, relative humidity, and air movement) related to occupants thermal comfort which is defined in the previous section, nine chemical parameters (sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), particulates matters (PM), formaldehyde (HCHO) , radon (Rn) and ozone (O3)).In addition to the discussion of microbiological parameters (airborne bacteria, viruses, fungi and pollen), dust, odors and hydrocarbons. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) This type of pollutant gas has been extensively studied by many researchers around the world in outdoors environments due to it is high tendency to react with wide range of chemicals. SO2 is a colorless gas with a characteristic pungent odor and results from the fossil fuels combustion. Acid rain is one of the outdoor pollution problem cased by this gas. Indoor SO2 concentrations are usually lower than outdoor, probably around 0.1 ppm, (Andersen 1972; Yocom, 1982 and Meyer, 1983). Due to it tendency to react with many chemicals, indoor SO2 can reacts with building materials and absorbed by the building surfaces (Andersen 1972). This gas can dissolves in water and mixes with air in all temperatures. The main indoor sources of SO2 are coal burning inside fireplaces and using fuel oil stoves and heaters. Sulfur dioxide causes headache, general discomfort, anxiety, and inflammation of the respiratory tract, wheezing, lung damage, and irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, choking and coughing. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) Nitrogen dioxide is formed in outdoor atmosphere from high temperature combustion processes by the reaction of the nitric oxide (NO) with Oxygen (O2) and Ozone (O3). Motor vehicles contribute to about 55% of the manmade NOx emissions, EPA (2008). The major sources of this gas in indoors environments are gas cooking stoves and heater and tobacco smoke. In a study done by Yocom (1982) among British school children it was found that students whom suffer from reduced respiratory function are living in houses with gas stoves. Exposure to low levels of Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) causes shortness of breath, tiredness, nausea and irritation to the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs; exposure to high levels cause rapid burning, spasms, swelling of tissues in the throat and upper respiratory tract, reduced oxygenation of body tissues, a build-up of fluid in the lungs, and may lead to death. Carbon monoxide (CO) CO is a very poisonous and non irritating gas that has no color, odor or taste. This gas produced by the incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels (Yocom, 1982 and Meyer, 1983). Vehicular exhaust is a major source of carbon monoxide, EPA (2008). The indoor carbon monoxide concentrations are often higher than the outdoor concentrations due to the emission from gas stoves and tobacco smoke, Yocom (1982). The main effect of this gas on human health is its affinity for hemoglobin in blood. The inhaled CO mixes with the hemoglobin in the blood and forms carboxyhemoglobin that reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood vessels. CO is 250 times more efficient at hemoglobin binding than Oxygen. Exposure to carbon monoxide causes headaches, shortness of breath, muscle aches, chest pain, especially in people with previous heart problems history, blurry vision, dizziness, nausea/vomiting, weakness, confusion, fatigue, rapid heart rate at high levels, fast deep breathing at high levels, fainting and death at high levels [CPSC Document #466, 2008]. Carbon dioxide (CO2) Carbon dioxide is a colorless, odorless greenhouse gas emitted from the complete combustion of the carbon with Oxygen. The average typical concentrations of CO2 in the outdoor environment are 350-400 ppm, where the indoor concentrations are higher than those of the outdoor. The principal sources of the indoor CO2 are human body through the metabolism process (food consumption), and occupants activity. The health problems associated with carbon dioxide exposure are headaches, dizziness, restlessness, feeling of an inability to breathe, malaise (vague feeling of discomfort), increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, visual distortion, impaired hearing, nausea/vomiting, loss of consciousness, coma, convulsions, death from asphyxiation (body cells do not get the oxygen they need to live). Particulate matter (PM) Particulate matter (PM) or fine particles are a mixture of tiny solid particles of solid and liquid droplets suspended in air. Particulate matter can be generated from man made (fossil fuels combustion processes) or natural (volcanoes, dust storms, and forest and grassland fires). There are many sources of the indoor particles such as pets, gas stoves, and tobacco smoke. Particles classified according to its size as fine particles are those whose size is smaller than 2.5 ÃŽÂ ¼m and coarse particles are those which are larger than 2.5 ÃŽÂ ¼m. Heinrich and Slama (2007) argued that the fine particles are the major threat source that affects the children health, where exposing to fine particles can results in cardiac and respiratory problems, [Dockery et al. (1993), Dockery and Pope (1994), Pope et al. (2002), Wu et al. (2005), Gilliland et al. (2005)]. The PM metals components are a major source that involves in the development of pulmonary, cardiovascular and allergic diseases, S chwarze et al. (2006). Exposure to high levels of fine particles causes health hazards such as heart diseases; respiratory diseases; altered lung functions, especially in children, and lung cancer and death. Formaldehyde (HCHO) Formaldehyde is a colorless with a strong pungent odor and considered as the most important substance in the aldehydes group due to it is mostly used in the production process of many building materials such as foam insulation, plywood, carpets, combustion appliances and particle board adhesives which releases again the formaldehyde to the indoor environment. The typical indoor formaldehyde concentrations range from 0.05 to 1 ppm, where in the new buildings the indoor levels of the formaldehyde are high, (Meyer, 1983; Samet et al., 1991) and most of the complains were from buildings with formaldehyde foam insulation and mobile homes that uses plywood paneling, Wadden (1983). The rate of diffusion of this substance is a function of the indoor temperature and humidity. Exposing to formaldehyde can cause health effects include eye, nose, and throat irritation; wheezing and coughing; fatigue; skin rash; severe allergic reactions, EPA (2008). High concentrations of formaldehyde may cause cancer and other effects listed under organic gases. Radon (Rn) Radon is an inert radioactive, colorless, odorless, tasteless noble chemical gas element. Naturally, this element can be found as soil gas contained radon formed from the decay product of uranium and can remains as a gas under normal environmental conditions. This contaminant element can be found indoors due to some sources such as building materials especially that rich with radium, such as alum shale-based material and phosphogypsum wallboard, deep wells water natural gas having high radon concentrations. Another principal source is the flow of the soil gas into the homes through building cracks, sumps and any other openings or around the concrete slab, Bale (1980) Handbook ch. 40. Due to tightness of the buildings design, the indoor concentrations are usually higher than that in outdoor environment. Recently, this element is considered as carcinogen element du to it is radioactivity, which has a vital health hazard on buildings occupants, where it is considered to be the second mo st reason of lung cancer after cigarette smoking, EPA (2008). Ozone (O3) Ozone is a very reactive pollutant that can oxidizes most of the chemicals in nature such as aldehydes. In natural outdoor environment, Ozone produces from the effect of the sunlight on the nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons. Usually the Ozone concentrations in the outdoor environment are higher than that found in indoors. The main sources of the high indoor Ozone concentration are the photocopy machines, laser printers, electrostatic air cleaners and x-ray generators, (Yocom, 1982 and Wadden, 1983). These sources develop electrostatic fields that can generate highly toxic concentrations of ozone in air. Exposing to low concentration levels of Ozone can cause eye irritation, visual disturbances, headaches, dizziness, mouth and throat irritation, chest pain, insomnia, breath shortness and coughing (Sittig 1991), where exposure to high levels of ozone can reduce lung function or respiratory problems, such as asthma or bronchitis. Microbiological Parameters Fungi, molds, viruses, bacteria and pollen are types of the microbiological indoor contaminants. The major sources of these contaminants are human, animals and plants and it can be found anywhere these sources are available, Meyer (1983). Due to the insufficient maintenance of the HVAC system parts (condensers, cooling coils, ducts and drainage pans) it can be another source of contamination by encouraging the proliferation of the microbes, (Wark and Warner, 1981 and Samet et al., 1991). The concentrations of the indoor microbes are higher than that in the outdoor environment due to the building tightness and the source availability. Dust ASHRAE (2009) defines dust as solid particles projected into air by natural forces such as wind, volcanic eruption, earthquakes, or by mechanical processes including crushing, grinding, demolition, blasting, screening, drilling, shoveling and sweeping. Dust immigrates from outside to inside environment by infiltration air through the buildings crack, unsealed windows and doors and through the ventilation system. Dust has health effects on people with ultra-sensitive lungs such as people with asthma, young children and elderly people. Dust causes discomfort for people and damages home furniture and household equipment. Odors Indoor odors are arising from occupants body and their indoor activities such as smoking, cooking, garbage, sewage and industrial processes. The human body normally dissipates around 200 types of chemicals which are responsible for the human odors, (Meyer, 1983). Odors do not have any major effects on the occupants health, but it causes discomfort sensation to the occupants which make it as a sign of the poor indoor air quality. Hydrocarbons Most of the indoor hydrocarbons sources are results from the different housekeeping materials such as widows, oven, drain, clothing cleaners, paint solvent and human use materials such as deodorants, shaving creams, hair sprays and air refreshers sprays. The indoor hydrocarbons levels reach high levels when housekeeping is in progress, Meyer (1983). The indoor cooking gas (mostly Propane gas) is considered also a major source of the indoor hydrocarbons which may results in serious fire accidents or death due to insufficient maintenance or checking for the gas burner and cooking equipment, Meyer (1983). During this study, the CO2 contaminant will be studied to investigate the indoor air quality inside Kuwaitis classrooms. The indoor concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) has often been used as a surrogate for the ventilation rate per occupant, (Lee and Chang, 1999 and Daisey et al., 2003), where providing good ventilation rates with sufficient amounts of fresh air can dilutes and reduces the concentrations levels of indoor air pollution generated by the different indoor pollutants sources. International and Kuwait Indoor Air Quality Standards and Regulations Since the last decade, researchers were interested to investigate the indoor air pollution for different indoor environments and the contaminant sources to indicate the acceptable indoor concentration levels for these pollutants. As a result of these researches, many IAQ standards and regulations have been developed and established by different organizations indicates the recommended acceptable concentrations levels for these indoor pollutants. These standards are established according to the purpose and activity of the indoor zone and characteristics of it is users or occupants. For this reason, sometimes it can be found some differences in values for the same pollutant. A summary of the common indoor air pollutants standards are given in Table 3.1. Table 3.1: International and Kuwait Standards and Guidelines for Common Indoor Air Pollutants, (in ppm). NIOSH (1992) Canadian (1995) OSHA MAK (2000) NAAOS/EPA (2000) WHO-Europe (2000) ACGIH (2001) Hong Kong (2003) KW-EPA (2001) Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) 2 [8 hr] 5 [15 min] 0.019 0.38 [5 min] 5 0.5 1.0 [5 min] 0.14 [24 hr] 0.03 [1 yr] 0.047 [24 hr] 0.019 [1 yr] 2 [8 hr] 5 [15 min] 2 [8 hr] 5 [15 min] Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) 1.0 [15 min] 0.05 0.25 [1 hr] 5 [Ceiling] 5 10 [5 min] 0.05 [1 yr] 0.1 [1 hr] 0.02 [1 yr] 3 5 [15 min] 0.021 0.08 [ 8 hr] 0.026 0.08 [8 hr] Carbon Dioxide (CO2) 5000 30000 [15 min] 3500 5000 5000 10000 [15 min] 5000 30000 [15 min] 800 1000 [8 hr] 600 1000 [8 hr] Carbon Monoxide (CO) 35 200 [Ceiling] 11 [8 hr] 25 [1 hr] 50 30 60 [ 30 min] 9 [8 hr] 35 [1 hr] 86 [15 min] 51 [30 min] 25 [1 hr] 8.6 [8 hr] 25 1.7 / 8.7 [8 hr] 86 [15 min] 51 [30 min] 25 [1 hr] 8.6 [8 hr] Particular Matter ( 0.1 mg/m3 [1 hr] 0.04 mg/m3 [8 hr] 5 mg/m3 1.5 mg/m3 For 35ÃŽÂ ¼g/m3[24hr] 15ÃŽÂ ¼g/m3[1 yr] 3 mg/m3 0.23 mgm3 [24 hr] 0.07 mg/m3 [1 yr] Formaldehyde (HCHO) 0.016 0.1 [15 min] 0.1 0.04[8 hr] 0.75 2 [15 min] 0.3 1.0 [5 min] 0.4 0.081 [30 min] 0.3 [ceiling] 0.024 / 0.081 [8 hr] 0.08 [30 min] Radon (Rn) 800 Bq/m3e 4 pCi/L [1 yr] 2.7 pCi/L [1 yr] 4.1 5.4 pCi/L [8 yr] 4 pCi/L [1 yr] Ozone (O3) 0.1 [Ceiling] 0.12 [1 hr] 0.1 0.12 [1 hr] 0.08 [8 hr] 0.06 [8 hr] 0.05 heavy work 0.2 any work [2 hr] 0.025 0.061 [8 hr] 0.03 0.1 [8 hr] Numbers in brackets [ ] refers to average time (min=minutes; hr=hours and yr=years)

Joan Of Arc By Jules Basten Lepage Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Joan of Arc,† was painted by the French realist artist Jules Bastien-Lepage in 1879. â€Å"After the province of Lorraine was lost to Germany following the Franco-Prussian War in 1821, The Frenchmen saw in Joan of Arc a new and powerful symbol. In 1875, Bastien-Lepage, a native of Lorraine began to make studies for a picture of her. In the present painting, exhibited in the Salon of 1880, Joan is shown receiving her revelation in her parents garden. Behind her are Saints Michael, Margaret, and Catherine. (Caption next to painting in The Metropolitan)†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jules Bastien-Lepage creates a realistic atmosphere, including a supernatural, religious-like presence within his painting. Oil on canvas was used to create the realistic quality of the work. By closely examining the artist’s technique, it is clear that he uses delicate brush strokes in a true to life manner. The colors, and use of light seem to be painted in a layered fashion to give the landscape a sense of depth. The background of the painting is a garden which include foliage and brush that surrounds the primary focus of the painting, Joan of Arc. The artist put a great effort into the details of the scene. Bastien-Lepage uses a distinct realistic quality in his painting which is visible in each individual leaf and branch. Various hues of earth tones, green and brown being the most evident, are blended together in the garden scene.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In...

J.B.Priestley’s play, An Inspector Calls :: English Literature

An Inspector Calls Discuss the character of Sheila in â€Å"An Inspector Calls† Sheila Birling is the daughter of Mr Arthur Birling and Mrs Sybil Birling. She has a younger brother called Eric Birling. Sheila is in her early twenties and is in a high social class. However they are said to be â€Å"nouveux rishe† because her father wasn’t born into a wealthy family, he made his own way through life to be were he is. This, in a way, justifies the attitude and manners his children and himself. What I mean by this is that he hasnt got the sophisted vocabulary we would expect a man in his position would have. Sheila and Eric also seem to have this lack of â€Å"manners† and sophistecated vocabulary. â€Å"Dont be an ass† Sheila says this to Eric at the table. As we can see this is quite a modern vocabulary and not proper of a rich family.This contrasts grately with the behaviour and vacabulary of her mother. Sheila shows herself as an impressionable girl. She is willing to accept new ideas and concepts. She has an honest and attractive character and shows quite a different character than that of her parents. She is not so â€Å"cold-blooded†. This makes her able to change her attitude as the play progresses. I think Sheila represents two of the deadly sins. She represents envy in the shop where she went to buy the dress. She envied the way Eva looked in the dress. She also represents wrath (great anger).. Sh represents this mostly in her behaviour at Milwards. Sheila, before the inspector comes, is very immature and quite naà ¯ve as well.. She seems to say rather immature things especially to Eric using slang phrases such as â€Å"You’re squiffy†. This shows her little consciousness towards the power Gerald has over her. She doesn’t seem to realise that she is using slang vocabulary infront of her fiancà © which belongs to a high status family. Early in the play she shows herself to be a very dependent girl, looking to her parents for most decisions that need to be made. Her marriage to Gerald was a marriage of businesses, as well as love. I doubt Sheila saw this at the time, or just ignored this fact. Sheila is also quite a spoilt girl since she has everything she wants. This is shown in her attitude in Milwards. Here she shows that she relies on others and cares little for the lower classes. I think Priestly chooses to represent her like this at first so that we can realise the big change she makes as the play progresses.

The World of Telecommunications Essay -- Telecommunications Technology

The World of Telecommunications We are in the midst of a global information revolution driven by the convergence and proliferation of information and communication technologies. The telecommunications sector is changing at warp speed, driven by technological innovation that results in new equipment and services, and also by new entrants and alliances between companies with experience in a wide range of information industries from telecommunications to broadcasting to computer hardware and software to publishing. Three major trends are driving these changes: the rapid introduction of new technologies and services;the restructuring of the telecommunications sector; and globalization of economies and of communications. Together these developments are not only changing the world of telecommunications, but the ways people work, learn, and interact. The Death of Distance"The death of distance as a determinant of the cost of communications will probably be the single most important economic force shaping society in the fi rst half of the next century." The death of distance could have profound implications for both individuals and organizations. The ability to work "anytime, anywhere" allows "road warriors" to work without offices on planes, in hotels, and at client sites, and enables information workers to telecommute from their homes rather than traveling to work. This flexibility can be two-edged for individuals, who can work wherever they choose but may never escape the "virtual workplace." Organizations may reduce their overhead costs and improve their productivity, but they must also learn how to manage their decentralized work force. One major technological trend is the extension of "information superhighways" in the form of broadband networks; another is the increasing ubiquity of communications using wireless technologies (that will, however, initially provide access to squirts rather than floods of information). Personal communications networks using microcellular technology will allow people in urban areas not only to talk on pocket-sized telephones, but to transmit and receive data using wireless modems. In rural and developing areas, these services may be available from low earth-orbiting (LEO) satellite systems. On an international level, the death of distance has profound implications for the globalization of industries and nation al economies. ... ...munities, Growth, Competitiveness, Employment: The Challenges and Ways Forward into the 21st Century, (White Paper). Brussels: Commission of the European Communities, Europe and the Global Information Society, Brussels: European Commission, 1994. Industry Canada, The Canadian Information Highway, Ottawa: Industry Canada, April 1994. Information Highway Advisory Council, Canada's Information Highway: Providing New Dimensions for Learning, Creativity and Entrepreneurship, Ottawa: Industry Canada, November 1994. Industry Canada, 1994. The G-7 is an association of seven major industrialized world powers: Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States . Commission of the European Communities, 1994. Hudson, Heather E., Global Connections: International Telecommunications Infrastructure and Policy, New York: Wiley, 1997, pp. 279-80. Cane, Alan, "Transforming the Way We Live and Work," "International Telecommunications: Financial Times Survey," Financial Times, October 3, 1995, pp. 1-2. Gregston, Brent, "Power and Privilege," Internet World, November 1995, p. 96. Schwankert, Steven, "Dragons at the Gates, " Internet World, November 1995, p.112.

Emergence of Communicative Language Teaching

Discuss the three terms â€Å"Approach†, â€Å"Method† and â€Å"Technique† and describe one Approach which provides the basis for a Method and subsequently some Techniques under that particular Method. APPROACH Theories about the nature of language and language learning Theory of language Structural Functional Interactional METHOD Objectives Organization of Content Syllabus Design Roles 1. Learner2. Teacher3. Materials Types of Interaction Types of activitiesContent Based TECHNIQUEImplementation of the design Classroom Practice Activities behavior's In English language teaching process, there are terms that teachers need to know. They are approach, method, and technique. About four decades ago (1963) Edward M. Anthony gave us a definition that has admirably withstood the test of time. According to Edward M. Anthony an approach is a set of correlative assumptions dealing with the nature of the language and the nature of language teaching and learning. In other w ords the word ‘approach’ in ELT refers to different theories about the nature of language and how languages are learned.Let us move on to our second definition – of method. Method is an overall plan for systematic presentation of language based on selected approach. It consists of a number of techniques, arranged in an order. When we talk about techniques we mean specific activities which take place in a classroom. Using flash cards in the classroom is a technique. Techniques must be consistent with a method, and therefore in harmony with an approach too. According to Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistics, Approach refers to different theories about the nature of the language and how languages are learned.Method refers to a way of teaching a language based on systematic principles. It is an application of views on how language is taught and learned. Technique refers to what takes place in the classroom. The forthcoming analysis focuses on the behaviourist app roach, the audio lingual method and different drilling techniques. The Audio-Lingual Method The Audio-lingual method is a style of teaching used in teaching foreign languages. It is based on behaviorist theory. Behaviourist theory professes that certain traits of living things could be trained through a system of reinforcement.The Audio-lingual method was widely used in the United States and other countries in the 1950’s and 1960’s. The theory underlying Audio-lingual method is that ‘language is primarily speech’. If listening and speaking skills were developed, they would form the foundation for developing reading and writing skills. As learning a language is acquiring a certain set of habits, this method recommends that the teachers of English should take up pronunciation practice, pattern drills and conversation practice in their classroom regularly.Another principle that has become the basis for this method is that all of us have learnt our languages b y listening to the language spoken by others and speaking it starting with monosyllabic disyllabic sounds. According to ELT experts a second language can be learnt in this way. The Audio-lingual method is a method that deals with a behaviorist theory that uses stimulus, response, and reinforcement. STIMULUSRESPONSEREINFORCEMENT Here are some psychological foundations of the Audio-lingual method. Foreign language learning is basically a process of mechanical habit formation.Good habits are formed by giving correct responses rather than by mistakes. By memorizing dialogues and performing pattern drills the chances of producing mistakes are minimized. Language is verbal behaviour. Language skills are learned more effectively if they are presented orally first, then in written or printed form. An analogy provides a better foundation for language learning than analysis. Analogy involves the process of generalization and discrimination. Explanation of how language functions under certain rules is not given by the teacher.Students should practice a pattern in different contexts and arrive at the analogy between the first and the second language. The teaching of grammar is best done inductively rather than deductively. The meanings that the words of a language have for the native speaker can be learnt only in a linguistic and cultural context and not in isolation. Teaching a language thus involves teaching aspects of the cultural system of that people who speak the language. Dialogues and drills form the basis of Audio-lingual classroom practices.The use of drills and pattern practice is a distinctive feature of the Audio-lingual method. Various kinds of drills are used. Types of Oral Drills Repetition: where the student repeats an utterance as soon as he hears it Teacher: This is the seventh month. Student: This is the seventh month Inflection: Where one word in a sentence appears in another form when repeated Teacher: I ate the sandwich. Student: I ate the sandwiche s. Replacement: Where one word is replaced by another Teacher: He bought the car for half-price. Student: He bought it for half-price. Restatement: The student re-phrases an utteranceTeacher: Tell me not to smoke so often. Student: Don't smoke so often! Completion: where the student repeats the utterance in completed form. Techer: I’ll go my way and you go. Student: I’ll go my way and you go yours. Instruction materials in the Audio-lingual method assist the teacher to develop language mastery in the learner. †¢Tape recorders †¢Audiovisual equipments †¢Language laboratory In the late 1950s, the theoretical underpinnings of the method were questioned by linguists such as Noam Chomsky, who pointed out the limitations of structural linguistics.Despite being discredited as an effective teaching methodology in 1970, audio-lingualism continues to be used today. REFERENCES ?Richard. C. Jack and Rodgers. S. Theodore. 2003. Approaches and Methods in Language Teac hing . The Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge. ?Rao Venugopal, K. 2002. Methods of Teaching English. Neelkamal Publications. pvt. ltd ? Allen, B. Teaching English as a Second Language. 1965. ?http//www. mindmeister. com ?http://en. Wikipedia. Org/wiki/audio-lingual-method

How the Stock Market Crash of 1929 Affected the United States Essay

The year of 1929 is marked by the Stock Market Crash in which most consider to be the beginning of the Great Depression. This was not the sole cause of the Great Depression, though. The Stock Market Crash was caused by an economy that was not stable enough to handle the high stock prices. The Stock Market Crash helped bring on the Great Depression which forced the United States government to make changes in the regulation of stock exchanges, providing much greater protection for investors. The United States was a young nation and was not always as powerful as it is now or was in 1929. The United States was formed from European citizens who wanted to start their lives over. So the United States had relatively little money compared to the financial status of the rest of the world. London at the time was considered the center of finance. The United States borrowed money from England and other countries to spur its industry. By 1960 it seemed that the United States would inevitably be the world’s most important business and financial power. The Civil War provided a boost for industry, which jump-started the gradual shift of financial power from London to New York. The United States had a valuable asset in the form of land. â€Å"The United States was forced to develop itself before it could worry about competing with the world. Hence, the amount of capital was far greater once available to be spent outside the United States. The year of 1914 can be considered the point at which the United States would never be second in the world again.† (Axon, 32) Europe was stricken with war and the United States was turned to for supplies. The â€Å"wealthy European countries were ravaged by war because of casualties, economic losses, and expensed of war over four years.† (Axon, 33) The United States only was in the war for a year and did not have its country damaged by the war. The United States emerged from World War I being owed billions of dollars for having financed most of the war and was acknowledged to be the leader of the Western world. The early 1920s were a time of booming industry, of soaring hope and confidence. The ups and downs of the stock market were hardly noticed by the average American. The average American was more concerned with their daily life than the state of the stock market. The economy was such that many new products and services were available to almost everyone, including the automobile, radios, and other products for the home. The stock market was controlled by professionals that worked for large firms who had good financial backing which made it easier to use the market advantageously. Small investors were never shut out of Wall Street but the professionals paid for stock tips and also rigged the market so that certain stocks would rise and fall. This gave small investors a much harder time in making money through the stock market. As the market began to grow more small investors entered the game and were really just gambling their money. Most were not successful but some got lucky or got a good stock tip and rode the rising market until they lost their money too with the Stock Market Crash. At this time nobody had any reason to believe that the stock market would not keep rising. â€Å"Throughout the 1920s a long boom took stock prices to peaks never before seen. From 1920 to 1929 stocks more than quadrupled in value. Many investors became convinced that stocks were a sure thing and borrowed heavily to invest more money in the market.† (PBS) As the market grew, the stock market became a way of life and was a highly discussed topic among common Americans who were eager to get a piece of the pie. Americans no longer were connected by the common bond of making a life for themselves like at the birth of the nation. The 1920s were an era of revolution in ideas, beliefs, inventions, and ways of living. â€Å"The nation was totally different after World War I than before. The United States experimented with Prohibition. The Jazz age rose from the streets of Harlem, NY. Women got the right to vote. The whole of society was convinced that anything was possible, not only in the stock market and finances, but also in every facet of life.† (Sherrow, 12) Most of this is taken for granted now because what was considered a new idea seems commonplace and because the Stock Market Crash of 1929 overshadowed the great improvements in society. Society’s attitude affected Wall Street, though. The large investing firms thought that the government should not be allowed to interfere with the speculation of finances. This is a common feeling when the economy is booming, that the government is always trying to oppress. The exact opposite is seen when the economy is in a depression and everyone turns to the government for help. The federal government was very limited in its control of the market and could not impose new control efforts at the time because the nation would not agree. As we know now, the stock market would have been better off if the government would have stepped in when the stock market became dangerously high. One of the main causes for the stock market to become dangerous was because large firms or groups of individuals practiced unfair techniques when buying and selling stocks. This was known as â€Å"rigging† the market. The stock market flows more smoothly through normal buying and selling activity but when certain groups tried to make money in an unfair way they hurt others in the process which concentrated capital. Large pools could control prices more than was healthy for the stock market. Some made fortunes others lost everything. An example was â€Å"a cigar stock at the time was selling for $115 a share. The market collapsed. I got a call from the company president. Could I loan him $200 million?† (Blaszczyk and Scranton, 337) To the public, the stock market seemed as though it would surely make them money, and were buying. The craze was a â€Å"frenzied finance that made Ponzi look like an amateur. (Blaszczyk and Scranton, 337) The insiders were controlling the market though, setting the stage for the greatest crash of all time. The booming economy in the United States was not typical of the whole world. England had its share of problems concerning currency. The people wanted gold to again be used as it was before the war. They felt that it was a valuable metal and provided a solid backing for currency. The British government finally agreed, after a lot of pressure, to re-instate the gold standard but it was a new version where gold would be used to back up paper money and gold would be used to handle international debts. The pound was put into use, which created a problem. The pound was overvalued in terms of other currencies meaning that people had to pay more to by British goods. Naturally, people bought goods elsewhere to avoid the currency exchange rate of the pound. Instead of realizing what was happening, the British tried to lower the price, which in turn lowered wages and caused strikes to break out in England around 1926. German’s were not better off. Of course their country was destroyed physically by war, but the financial system was very poor at this time in Germany. Germany was forced to pay reparations according to the Treaty of Versailles plus the inflation was so bad that German currency was absolutely worthless. The German public was enraged about this and the fact that they lost a lot of what they considered their land because of the war. The new government installed in Germany after the war called the Weimar republic was a democracy. The German public could not adjust to this making governmental intervention a difficult task. France and the rest of Europe faced the same effects. Inflation was uncontrolled and the political systems were thrown into upheaval. Since the United States was so financially secure at this time, countries like Britain and France naturally asked for assistance. They appealed to the Federal Reserve Board to make cuts in interest rates in the United States. This would make the United States less attractive to investors and would maybe cause investment in Europe instead. By increasing the money supply in the United States, the dollar would be worth less and make American goods more expensive while lowering the price of foreign goods. At this time the United States thought that this would not benefit it at this time. After all, the economy was booming, nearly everyone was working, people were making money from the stock market, and life was generally pleasant. Taking actions that would have hurt the United States would not have been appreciated by businessmen and normal citizens as well. The United States paid little attention to these pleas. There has always been talk that if the Federal Reserve Board would have stepped in that there would have been no boom in speculation, greatly reducing the risk of a crash. The argument against this is the fact that the Federal Reserve Banking system has little control of the economy, but can only make changes spurring growth or decline. Other theories put the blame on foreign countries too. One allegation states that stock speculation and â€Å"gambling† the market was a trait the United States adopted from Europe. However, the get rich quick attitude of Americans is just as great as the Europeans. The California Gold Rush and the Florida Real Estate Boom prove this. The United States Government can still consume most of the blame. At that day and age, it was hard to expect economists to predict exactly what would happen with the stock market rising so rapidly. They could have realized that it was a dangerous situation. The government felt too threatened by  business. When the government stepped in businessmen, bankers, and society in general criticized them for trying to take action when none was deemed necessary. By 1928 the stock market had reached the point of no return. The stock market fluctuated greatly and the risk of the stock market became greater. The rigging of stocks became so common that people of great esteem thought nothing wrong of manipulating stocks in way that actually defrauded the public. By† the inevitability of a market collapse was upon the United States but nobody expected that a full-fledged business depression was to come about because of it.† (Axon, 47) At this time three million shares were traded each day. Slowly it rose to four and five million shares per day. By November 1928 a daily volume of six million shares was reached. It must be realized that industrial stocks rose at a normal rate at this time, approximately growing by a third. The individual stocks are what marked disaster. For example, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) grew an unheard of 400 percent in 1928. In 1929 the stock market continued to grow at a dangerous pace. People borrowed money at high interest rates figuring to make enough in the stock market to cover the interest and still profit greatly. With people concentrating so much energy in the stock market, few realized that production could not keep up with the stock market. The automobile and construction industries had a small decline but people disregarded it as normal. Few Americans decided to sell-out for a profit. Most refused to believe the boom was coming to a halt. Stock market prices were now driven up by the sheer power of speculative demand. In other words, there was nothing concrete to back up the stock prices. By mid-October, the stock market was in a bad state. No major boom could revive the quality stocks that took a sharp dive. Fear began to take the place of greed in Wall Street. The word â€Å"sell† was now heard more than the word â€Å"buy†. Brokers asked for more margins or more cash from the customer to be paid into their accounts. The customers, of course, could not afford it and the brokers sold the stock. This pushed stock prices even lower. Everyone began banking the large operators on Wall Street would step in because they had much more to lose than the small investor. The problem was that they could not afford to because they were already in trouble because of the sharp decline in their stocks. October 24, 1929 was called Black Thursday because this hope was squashed and stock prices plummeted. Even after this there was still some hope. That same day, bankers moved in trying to restore some of the mess. They were trying to restore some of the optimism in the market. This was not the case as the following Monday, October 28, 1929, the market was flooded with selling orders. The big bankers were no longer there because they were in their own trouble. The people that were hurt the most are those that put their whole lives into the stock market and now walked the streets, stunned about their losses. â€Å"Some of the more badly declining stocks from 1929 to 1933 are as follows: Consolidated Cigar common stock fell from $115 to $3. General Foods dropped from $82 to less than $20. General Motors fell from $91 to less than $8. US Steel dropped drastically from $261 to just over $21. The railroad stocks were hit the hardest. The New York Central Railroad alone fell to $9 from $256.† (Klingaman, 111) The Stock Market Crash of 1929 marked a new era that was not immediately realized. Just as the rising stock market had provided industry with the capital to expand, the falling market caused industry to move into recession.

Industrial Policy

INDUSTRIAL POLICY SINCE 1956 When India achieved Independence in 1947, the national consensus was in favour of rapid industrialization of the economy which was seen not only as the key to economic development but also to economic sovereignty. In the subsequent years, India's Industrial Policy evolved through successive Industrial Policy Resolutions and Industrial Policy Statements. Specific priorities for industrial development were also laid down in the successive Five Year Plans.Building on the so-called â€Å"Bombay Plan†1 in the pre-Independence era, the first Industrial Policy Resolution announced in 1948 laid down broad contours of the strategy of industrial development. At that time the Constitution of India had not taken final shape nor was the Planning Commission constituted. Moreover, the necessary legal framework was also not put in place. Not surprisingly therefore, the Resolution was somewhat broad in its scope and direction. Yet, an important distinction was made among industries to be kept under the exclusive ownership of Government, i. e. the public sector, those reserved for private sector and the joint sector. Subsequently, the Indian Constitution was adopted in January 1950, the Planning Commission was constituted in March 1950 and the Industrial (Department and Regulation) Act (IDR Act) was enacted in 1951 with the objective of empowering the Government to take necessary steps to regulate the pattern of industrial development through licensing. This paved the way for the Industrial Policy Resolution of 1956, which was the first comprehensive statement on the strategy for industrial development in India.Industrial Policy Resolution – 1956 The Industrial Policy Resolution – 1956 was shaped by the Mahalanobis Model of growth, which suggested that emphasis on heavy industries would lead the economy towards a long term higher growth path. The Resolution widened the scope of the public sector. The objective was to accelerate 1 Bombay Plan prepared by leading Indian industrialists in 1944-45 had recommended government support for industrialization, including a direct role in the production of capital goods. economic growth and boost the process of industrialization as a means to achieving a socialistic pattern of society. Given the scarce capital and inadequate entrepreneurial base, the Resolution accorded a predominant role to the State to assume direct responsibility for industrial development. All industries of basic and strategic importance and those in the nature of public utility services besides those requiring large scale investment were reserved for the public sector.The Industrial Policy Resolution – 1956 classified industries into three categories. The first category comprised 17 industries (included in Schedule A of the Resolution) exclusively under the domain of the Government. These included inter alia, railways, air transport, arms and ammunition, iron and steel and atomic energy. Th e second category comprised 12 industries (included in Schedule B of the Resolution), which were envisaged to be progressively State owned but private sector was expected to supplement the efforts of the State.The third category contained all the remaining industries and it was expected that private sector would initiate development of these industries but they would remain open for the State as well. It was envisaged that the State would facilitate and encourage development of these industries in the private sector, in accordance with the programmes formulated under the Five Year Plans, by appropriate fiscal measures and ensuring adequate infrastructure. Despite the demarcation of industries into separate categories, the Resolution was flexible enough to allow the required adjustments and modifications in the national interest.Another objective spelt out in the Industrial Policy Resolution – 1956 was the removal of regional disparities through development of regions with low industrial base. Accordingly, adequate infrastructure for industrial development of such regions was duly emphasized. Given the potential to provide large-scale employment, the Resolution reiterated the Government’s determination to provide all sorts of assistance to small and cottage industries for wider dispersal of the industrial base and more equitable distribution of income.The Resolution, in fact, reflected the prevalent value system of India in the early 1950s, which was centered around self sufficiency in industrial 3 production. The Industrial Policy Resolution – 1956 was a landmark policy statement and it formed the basis of subsequent policy announcements. Industrial Policy Measures in the 1960s and 1970s Monopolies Inquiry Commission (MIC) was set up in 1964 to review various aspects pertaining to concentration of economic power and operations of industrial licensing under the IDR Act, 1951.While emphasizing that the planned economy contributed to the grow th of industry, the Report by MIC concluded that the industrial licensing system enabled big business houses to obtain disproportionately large share of licenses which had led to pre-emption and foreclosure of capacity. Subsequently, the Industrial Licensing Policy Inquiry Committee (Dutt Committee), constituted in 1967, recommended that larger industrial houses should be given licenses only for setting up industry in core and heavy investment sectors, thereby necessitating reorientation of industrial licensing policy.In 1969, the monopolies and restrictive Trade Practices (MRTP) Act was introduced to enable the Government to effectively control concentration of economic power. The Dutt Committee had defined large business houses as those with assets of more than Rs. 350 million. The MRTP Act, 1969 defined large business houses as those with assets of Rs. 200 million and above. Large industries were designated as MRTP companies and were eligible to participate in industries that wer e not reserved for the Government or the Small scale sector.The new Industrial Licensing Policy of 1970 classified industries into four categories. First category, termed as ‘Core Sector’, consisted of basic, critical and strategic industries. Second category termed as ‘Heavy Investment Sector’, comprised projects involving investment of more than Rs. 50 million. The third category, the ‘Middle Sector’ consisted of projects with investment in the range of Rs. 10 million to Rs. 50 million. The fourth category was ‘Delicensed Sector’, in which investment was less than Rs. 0 million and was exempted from licensing requirements. The industrial licensing policy of 1970 4 confined the role of large business houses and foreign companies to the core, heavy and export oriented sectors. The Industrial Policy Statement – 1973 With a view to prevent excessive concentration of industrial activity in the large industrial houses, this Stat ement gave preference to small and medium entrepreneurs over the large houses and foreign companies in setting up of new capacity particularly in the production of mass consumption goods.New undertakings of up to Rs. 10 million by way of fixed assets were exempted from licensing requirements for substantial expansion of assets. This exemption was not allowed to MRTP companies, foreign companies and existing licensed or registered undertakings having fixed assets of Rs. 50 million and above. The Industrial Policy Statement -1977 This Statement emphasized decentralization of industrial sector with increased role for small scale, tiny and cottage industries. It also provided for close interaction between industrial and agricultural sectors.Highest priority was accorded to power generation and transmission. It expanded the list of items reserved for exclusive production in the small scale sector from 180 to more than 500. For the first time, within the small scale sector, a tiny unit wa s defined as a unit with investment in machinery and equipment up to Rs. 0. 1 million and situated in towns or villages with a population of less than 50,000 (as per 1971 census). Basic goods, capital goods, high technology industries important for development of small scale and agriculture sectors were clearly delineated for large scale sector.It was also stated that foreign companies that diluted their foreign equity up to 40 per cent under Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) 1973 were to be treated at par with the Indian companies. The Policy Statement of 1977 also issued a list of industries where no foreign collaboration of financial or technical nature was allowed as indigenous technology was already available. Fully owned foreign companies were allowed only in highly export oriented sectors or sophisticated technology areas. For all approved foreign investments, companies were completely free to repatriate capital and remit profits, dividends, royalties, etc. Further, in o rder to ensure balanced regional development, it was decided not to issue fresh licenses for setting up new industrial units within certain limits of large metropolitan cities (more than 1 million population) and urban areas (more than 0. 5 million population). Industrial Policy Statement -1980 The industrial Policy Statement of 1980 placed accent on promotion of competition in the domestic market, technological upgradatrion and modernization of industries.Some of the socio-economic objectives spelt out in the Statement were i) optimum utilisation of installed capacity, ii) higher productivity, iii) higher employment levels, iv) removal of regional disparities, v) strengthening of agricultural base, vi) promotion of export oriented industries and vi) consumer protection against high prices and poor quality. Policy measures were announced to revive the efficiency of public sector undertakings (PSUs) by developing the management cadres in functional fields viz. operations, finance, ma rketing and information system. An automatic expansion of capacity up to five per cent per annum was allowed, particularly in the core sector and in industries with long-term export potential. Special incentives were granted to industrial units which were engaged in industrial processes and technologies aiming at optimum utilization of energy and the exploitation of alternative sources of energy. In order to boost the development of small scale industries, the investment limit was raised to Rs. 2 million in small scale units and Rs. . 5 million in ancillary units. In the case of tiny units, investment limit was raised to Rs. 0. 2 million. Industrial Policy Measures during the 1980s Policy measures initiated in the first three decades since Independence facilitated the establishment of basic industries and building up of a broadbased infrastructure in the country. The Seventh Five Year Plan (1985-1900), recognized the need for consolidation of these strengths and initiating policy me asures to prepare the Indian industry to respond effectively to emerging challenges. A number of measures were initiated towards technological and managerial modernization to improve productivity, quality and to reduce cost of production. The public sector was freed from a number of constraints and was provided with greater autonomy. There was some progress in the process of deregulation during the 1980s. In 1988, all industries, excepting 26 industries specified in the negative list, were exempted from licensing. The exemption was, however, subject to investment and locational limitations.The automotive industry, cement, cotton spinning, food processing and polyester filament yarn industries witnessed modernization and expanded scales of production during the 1980s. With a view to promote industrialization of backward areas in the country, the Government of India announced in June, 1988 the Growth Centre Scheme under which 71 Growth Centers were proposed to be set up throughout the country. Growth centers were to be endowed with basic infrastructure facilities such as power, water, telecommunications and banking to enable them to attract industries.Industrial Policy Statement- 1991 The Industrial Policy Statement of 1991 stated that â€Å"the Government will continue to pursue a sound policy framework encompassing encouragement of entrepreneurship, development of indigenous technology through investment in research and development, bringing in new technology, dismantling of the regulatory system, development of the capital markets and increased competitiveness for the benefit of common man†.It further added that â€Å"the spread of industrialization to backward areas of the country will be actively promoted through appropriate incentives, institutions and infrastructure investments†. The objective of the Industrial Policy Statement – 1991 was to maintain sustained growth in productivity, enhance gainful employment and achieve optimal util ization of human resources, to attain international competitiveness, and to transform India into a major partner and player in the global arena. Quite clearly, the focus of the policy was to unshackle the Indian industry from bureaucratic controls. This called for a number of far-reaching reforms : †¢ A substantial modification of Industry Licencing Policy was deemed necessary with a view to ease restraints on capacity creation, respond to emerging domestic and global opportunities by improving productivity. Accordingly, the Policy Statement included abolition of industrial licensing for most industries, barring a handful of industries for reasons of security and trategic concerns, social and environmental issues. Compulsory licencing was required only in respect of 18 industries. These included, inter alia, coal and lignite, distillation and brewing of alcoholic drinks, cigars and cigarettes, drugs and pharmaceuticals, white goods, hazardous chemicals. The small scale sector c ontinued to be reserved. Norms for setting up industries (except for industries subject to compulsory licensing) in cities with more than one million population were further liberalised. Recognising the complementarily of domestic and foreign investment, foreign direct investment was accorded a significant role in policy announcements of 1991. Foreign direct investment (FDI) up to 51 per cent foreign equity in high priority industries requiring large investments and advanced technology was permitted. Foreign equity up to 51 per cent was also allowed in trading companies primarily engaged in export activities. These important initiatives were expected to provide a boost to investment besides enabling access to high technology and marketing expertise of foreign companies. With a view to inject technological dynamism in the Indian industry, the Government provided automatic approval for technological agreements related to high priority industries and eased procedures for hiring of fore ign technical expertise. †¢ Major initiatives towards restructuring of public sector units (PSUs) were initiated, in view of their low productivity, over staffing, lack of technological upgradation and low rate of return. In order to raise resources and ensure wider public participation PSUs, it was decided to offer its shareholding stake to mutual funds, financial institutions, general public and workers. Similarly, in order to revive and rehabilitate chronically sick PSUs, it was decided to refer them to the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR). The Policy also provided for greater managerial autonomy to the Boards of PSUs. †¢ The Industrial Policy Statement of 1991 recognized that the Government’s intervention in investment decisions of large companies through MRTP Act had proved to be deleterious for industrial growth.Accordingly, pre-entry scrutiny of investment decisions of MRTP companies was abolished. The thrust of policy was more on cont rolling unfair and restrictive trade practices. The provisions restricting mergers, amalgamations and takeovers were also repealed. Industrial Policy Measures Since 1991 Since 1991, industrial policy measures and procedural simplifications have been reviewed on an ongoing basis. Presently, there are only six industries which require compulsory licensing. Similarly, there are only three industries reserved for the public sector.Some of important policy measures initiated since 1991 are set out below: †¢ Since 1991, promotion of foreign direct investment has been an integral part of India’s economic policy. The Government has ensured a liberal and transparent foreign investment regime where most activities are opened to foreign investment on automatic route without any limit on the extent of foreign ownership. FDI up to 100 per cent has also been allowed under automatic route for most manufacturing activities in Special Economic Zones (SEZs).More recently, in 2004, the FDI limits were raised in the private banking sector (up to 74 per cent), oil exploration (up to 100 per cent), petroleum product marketing (up to 100 per cent), petroleum product pipelines (up to 100 per cent), natural gas and LNG pipelines (up to 100 per cent) and printing of scientific and technical magazines, periodicals and journals (up to 100 per cent). In 9 February 2005, the FDI ceiling in telecom sector in certain services was increased from 49 per cent to 74 per cent. Reservation of items of manufacture exclusively in the small scale sector has been an important tenet of industrial policy. Realizing the increased import competition with the removal of quantitative restrictions since April 2001, the Government has adopted a policy of dereservation and has pruned the list of items reserved for SSI sector gradually from 821 items as at end March 1999 to 506 items as on April 6, 2005. Further, the Union Budget 2005-06 has proposed to dereserve 108 items which were identified by M inistry of Small Scale Industries.The investment limit in plant and machinery of small scale units has been raised by the Government from time to time. To enable some of the small scale units to achieve required economies of scale, a differential investment limit has been adopted for them since October 2001. Presently, there are 41 reserved items which are allowed investment limit up to Rs. 50 million instead of present limit of Rs. 10 million applicable for other small scale units. †¢ Equity participation up to 24 per cent of the total shareholding in small scale units by other industrial undertakings has been llowed. The objective therein has been to enable the small sector to access the capital market and encourage modernization, technological upgradation, ancillarisation, sub-contracting, etc. †¢ Under the framework provided by the Competition Act 2002, the Competition Commission of India was set up in 2003 so as to prevent practices having adverse impact on competitio n in markets. †¢ In an effort to mitigate regional imbalances, the Government announced a new North-East Industrial Policy in December 1997 for promoting industrialization in the North-Eastern region.This policy is applicable for the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. The Policy has provided various concessions to industrial units in the North Eastern Region, e. g. , 10 development of industrial infrastructure, subsidies under various schemes, excise and income-tax exemption for a period of 10 years, etc. North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd. has been designated as the nodal disbursing agency under the Scheme. †¢ The focus of disinvestment process of PSUs has shifted from sale of minority stakes to strategic sales.Up to December 2004, PSUs have been divested to an extent of Rs. 478 billion. †¢ Apart from general policy measures, some industry specific measures have also been initiated. For instance, Elec tricity Act 2003 has been enacted which envisaged to delicense power generation and permit captive power plants. It is also intended to facilitate private sector participation in transmission sector and provide open access to grid sector. Various policy measures have facilitated increased private sector participation in key infrastructure sectors such as, telecommunication, roads and ports.Foreign equity participation up to 100 per cent has been allowed in construction and maintenance of roads and bridges. MRTP provisions have been relaxed to encourage private sector financing by large firms in the highway sector. Evidently, in the process of evolution of industrial policy in India, the Government’s intervention has been extensive. Unlike many East Asian countries which used the State intervention to build strong private sector industries, India opted for the State control over key industries in the initial phase of development. In order to promote these industries theGovernm ent not only levied high tariffs and imposed import restrictions, but also subsidized the nationalized firms, directed investment funds to them, and controlled both land use and many prices. In India, there has been a consensus for long on the role of government in providing infrastructure and maintaining stable macroeconomic policies. However, the path to be pursued toward industrial development has evolved over time. The form of government intervention in the development strategy needs to be chosen from the two alternatives: ‘Outward-looking development 1 policies’ encourage not only free trade but also the free movement of capital, workers and enterprises. By contrast, ‘inward-looking development policies’ stress the need for one’s own style of development. India initially adopted the latter strategy. The advocates of import substitution in India believed that we should substitute imports with domestic production of both consumer goods and sophist icated manufactured items while ensuring imposition of high tariffs and quotas on imports.In the long run, these advocates cite the benefits of greater domestic industrial diversification and the ultimate ability to export previously protected manufactured goods, as economies of scale, low labour costs, and the positive externalities of learning by doing cause domestic prices to become more competitive than world prices. However, pursuit of such a policy forced the Indian industry to have low and inferior technology. It did not expose the industry to the rigours of competition and therefore it resulted in low efficiency.The inferior technology and inefficient production practices coupled with focus on traditional sectors choked further expansion of the India industry and thereby limited its ability to expand employment opportunities. Considering these inadequacies, the reforms currently underway aim at infusing the state of the art technology, increasing domestic and external compet ition and diversification of the industrial base so that it can expand and create additional employment opportunities. In retrospect, the Industrial Policy Resolutions of 1948 and 1956 reflected the desire of the Indian State to achieve self sufficiency in industrial production.Huge investments by the State in heavy industries were designed to put the Indian industry on a higher long-term growth trajectory. With limited availability of foreign exchange, the effort of the Government was to encourage domestic production. This basic strategy guided industrialization until the mid-1980s. Till the onset of reform process in 1991, industrial licensing played a crucial role in channeling investments, controlling entry and expansion of capacity in the Indian industrial sector. As such industrialization occurred in a protected environment, which led to various distortions.Tariffs and quantitative controls largely kept foreign competition out of the domestic 12 market, and most Indian manufac turers looked on exports only as a residual possibility. Little attention was paid to ensure product quality, undertaking R for technological development and achieving economies of scale. The industrial policy announced in 1991, however, substantially dispensed with industrial licensing and facilitated foreign investment and technology transfers, and threw open the areas hitherto reserved for the public sector.The policy focus in the recent years has been on deregulating the Indian industry, enabling industrial restructuring, allowing the industry freedom and flexibility in responding to market forces and providing a business environment that facilitates and fosters overall industrial growth. The future growth of the Indian industry as widely believed, is crucially dependent upon improving the overall productivity of the manufacturing sector, rationalisation of the duty structure, technological upgradation, the search for export markets through promotional efforts and trade agreemen ts and creating an enabling legal environment.Bibliography 1. Ahluwalia, I. J. Productivity and Growth in Indian Manufacturing, Oxford University Press, Delhi , 1991. 2. Government of India Annual Report 2003-04, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. New Delhi. 3. Government of India Handbook of Industrial Policy and Statistics (Various Issues), Office of Economic Adviser, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. New Delhi. 4. Government of India Economic Survey 2004-05, Ministry of Finance. New Delhi