A Magical Dream Essays

A Magical Dream Essays A Magical Dream Essay A Magical Dream Essay My heart is pounding faster than a drum line during a college football game and I have a feeling inside my stomach as if there is a dancing leprechaun doing back flips. My family and I have arrived! I walk in slow motion with tiny steps through the tall magical gates with my head held high reading the glistering sign that says, â€Å"Welcome to the Magic Kingdom. † I whisper under my breath â€Å"I can’t believe I am here† as if I just stepped into a land of imagination. Before I could blink, I had stumbled upon the most popular character in existence! He waddles over to ruffle my hair, I yell with excitement, Mickey! I hug him as if there was no tomorrow, with a grip that could only be released if my arms were cut off. There are a total of seven themed lands in the Magic Kingdom according to the official map I hold in my sweaty palms when I extend it out towards the blistering sun for better light. I follow the arrows carefully on the signs while my eyes are glued to all the glamour around me of what is a magical dream. I stagger into the first land; Main Street USA. The more I walk, the more it seems as if I had just taken a time machine back into the early 20th century small-town America, which by the way, is inspired by Walt Disney’s boyhood and the classic movie Lady and the Tramp. As I am strolling down Main Street, I can see an old fashioned movie theatre and the smell of absolutely terrific freshly cooked dough being wrapped into a pretzel; the scrumptious taste of cotton candy disintegrating in my mouth as I feel my teeth beginning to decay. Along these old fashioned brick roads are bizarre little shops, and an antique barber shop that had just reminded me, I need to get my staggering long hair cut. The best part of this long stroll through Main Street USA is what stands at the end, Cinderella’s enchanting castle that marks the center of the park! The day has just begun and I am in the center of the park where six flawless pathways await me that lead to other additional lands. During my traveling experience through these lands, I slowly begin to see how my magical dreams are now becoming reality as I learn how to be a pirate in an encounter with Captain Jack Sparrow, playing games with obnoxious looking monsters and conquering mountains that have me reaching for the sky. My list that I have carefully well thought out and planned, is in detailed order that I must follow it accordingly. Next to visit is Liberty Square where I hear Patriotic music combined with delicious, stomach craving aromas of famous New England dishes. I now work my way through the Hall of Presidents that features every American president from past to present. The presidents are having debates with there strong-willed demanding voices as if they were still alive today. To the next stop, I climb aboard what is called the â€Å"doom buggy† and I ride through pitch blackness of happy haunts. As I am trailing through the Haunted Mansion, I hear sounds of howling and strange creaking noises. The floor beneath me is trembling while loud crackling of thunder is coming from all around me. Suddenly a mysterious Ghost host pops out who looks incredibly realistic with a green glow transparency. This jolly ghost then introduces me to his closest amusing, yet creepy looking friends. The next bridge I cross into is Fantasyland, which is the gateway to a world of make-believe and if you wish upon a star, your dreams come true. Here there are nearly three-hundred brightly costumed dolls singing and dancing making my day filled with gleaming smiles. Next, I gently glide on one of ninety prancing stallions with the wind blowing in my face as I hear magical Disney music filling the air and I whisper beneath my breath, â€Å"I can’t believe I am here. † Over the next bridge awaits Frontierland, where I discover the American pioneer spirit by land, water and rail through the mountains of the Magic Kingdom. I plunge down Splash Mountain and get utterly submerged by water, but I don’t seem to mind because it is nothing but a grinning good time. Another bridge leads to a place that has me thinking futuristic thoughts, Tomorrowland. Yes, it is a glimpse into the future! Spaceships are zooming around the extravagant illuminated galaxy and I am now piloting my own rocket ship into another galaxy that is filled with distinctive friendly aliens while we soar through space trying to save the universe with our high powered beaming lasers. Finally I reach to the last bridge of which leads to enchanted experiences, Adventure land. I journey through the channels of Pirates of the Caribbean. This is where I meet up with gnarling pirates that are trying to bring down our boat with their blaring cannons! The thick cloud of smoke that the gunpowder leaves behind, keeps my eyes narrow searching for what is next to come! It has been one long exhausting day, fulfilled with laughter and enjoyment of what I thought could only be a dream. This magical dream is ending with brilliant fireworks that paint a mesmerizing story with every aspect of color. They blaze the pure night sky of loud crackling shooting stars of wishes and magical dreams which had now come true, and I say to myself once more, â€Å"I can’t believe I am here. †

The Formula for the Combined Gas Law

The Formula for the Combined Gas Law The combined gas law ties together Boyles law, Charles law, and Gay-Lussacs law. Basically, it states that as long as the amount of gas doesnt change, the ratio between the pressure-volume and temperature of a system is a constant. There is no discoverer of the law as it simply puts together concepts from other cases of the ideal gas law. The Combined Gas Law Formula The combined gas law examines the behavior of a constant amount of gas when pressure, volume and/or temperature is allowed to change. The simplest mathematical formula for the combined gas law is: k PV/T In words,  the product of pressure multiplied by volume and divided by temperature is a constant. However, the law is usually used to compare before/after conditions. The combined gas law is expressed as: PiVi/Ti PfVf/Tf where: Pi initial pressureVi initial volumeTi initial absolute temperaturePf final pressureVf final volumeTf final absolute temperature It is extremely important to remember that the temperatures are absolute temperatures measured in Kelvin, NOT  °C or  °F. It is also important to keep your units constant. Do not use pounds per square inch for pressures initially to find Pascals in the final solution. Uses of the Combined Gas Law The combined gas law has practical applications in situations where pressure, volume, or temperature can change. It is used in engineering, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and meteorology. For example, it can be used to predict cloud formation and the behavior of refrigerants in air conditioners and refrigerators.

The role of ombudsman in ADR and its impact on sovereign government Coursework

The role of ombudsman in ADR and its impact on sovereign government - Coursework Example While usually asked by one party or the other to become involved, the ombudsman may take the initiative without being requested to do so. While formal definition of the role is not legally universally accepted, the description of the role is generally as stated and practiced within the limits and specifications of various legal systems and constitutions. Functioning on local, national and international level, the role of ombudsman is the purest and most effective form of alternative dispute resolution between individuals and more powerful entities. The Ombudsman: Concept and Mechanisms for ADR The role of Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) in resolving the grievances of private citizens has expanded over the years to achieve a status even among attorneys as a valid legal and useful practice. Rather than merely an alternative to costly litigation, it has resurrected ‘traditional notions’ about the use of negotiation and out of court settlement.1 Over the past two decades ADR has evolved into a complex arena for settling disputes, encouraged by the rise in popularity and acceptance of the ombudsman as prime impartial negotiator. With the increased use of ombudsmen, officials in this role can be found at all levels of government, as well as in settings of private industry and academia. Modeled on a long established Swedish precedent, the concept took hold in Europe the 1960s along with a growing ‘power to the people’ movement seeking redress for the average person against the powerful forces of government and industry in dispute situations. Ombudsman were to assist in achieving fairness by means of independence, unfettered access to records and persons, careful investigation, impartiality and the prestige of the office. Ombudsman today can be found in almost any official capacity where parties involved in disputes are in need of an impartial negotiator. Differences in the operational aspect among these negotiating agents often depend upon where he or she is expected to function, but always within the clearly defined parameters of impartiality and/or political neutrality. In the private corporate environment, the ombudsman may not only resolve differences between workers and employers, but often affect better conditions in the workplace that discourage extreme acts by the offended party or parties as a means to resolution. Mechanisms employed in these circumstances may prove simple or complex, depending upon the nature of the grievances or dispute, as well as the commitment and attitudes of the parties at odds. The goal, however, is always the same: a fair resolution to a conflict of interests that satisfies and is fair to both parties achieved in a non-litigious setting. In the public arena--as in disputes with government and public agencies—the ombudsman also functions as a bureaucratic monitoring mechanism. Basically, the activity in the public realm may be viewed as threefold: as stopgap measure to holding administrators accountable for treatment of citizens; as righting wrongs done to citizens, and as a tool to dissuade citizens from becoming alienated from the tangled government bureaucracy, rendering it, or seemingly so, more human and personal. As watchdogs, ombudsman look for potential government abuses, and at times, as is fair and appropriate to their role as impartial mediators, they can also vindicate officials unjustly charged in a grievance with wrongdoing.2 The position then is a hedge against what many citizens see as an all powerful bureaucratic

Explain what it means to be educated. Make sure you use at least one Essay

Explain what it means to be educated. Make sure you use at least one reading as the base of your argument - Essay Example In reality, to be educated means to have knowledge, potential to think, ability to learn, and the capacity to make use of language. The mental capability of such an individual enables one to have awareness of any vagueness, realize when knowledge is missing, open minded, readiness, capability to doubt, questions things, logical curiosity, and happy to learn. Education has the potential to enhance knowledge, skill, and attitude which empowers individual’s to deal with problems. In this way, an educated person is one who has the power to deal with life problems using the experiences that come from education. For instance, in â€Å"Coming to an Awareness of Language† by Malcolm X, it is clear that Malcolm was uneducated because he could not read or write. However, he transformed himself and began to teach himself vocabulary from the dictionary and from this he began gaining knowledge. This knowledge opened his language skills to begin writing coherently and precisely in wo rds that could be understood (Buscemi and Smith, 2012). An educated person should have not only knowledge but also the potential to make informed decisions. It is a case where someone is enlightened about issues and realizes the need to make a certain decision for the betterment of one’s life. An educated person is therefore, familiar with various ideas which shape one’s view of reality. ... Thinking abilities are part and pursue of an educated person because this is what leads to making of rational informed resolutions. This thinking ability is still what results in knowledge that an individual holds. Just like if a person is analytically thinking about a physician’s suggestion, one would be required to have a bit of knowledge about medical information. It is now possible to think if the recommendation the doctor is offering makes sense or not. This is because with the thinking ability, the knowledge to make rational decisions for the betterment of one’s life is realized. For instance, Malcolm admires Bimbi from prison because he is eloquent and can contribute in any conversation. It is apparent that Bimbi is educated and can converse easily because his thinking abilities translate to knowledge. In the same, way Malcolm assumes this thinking ability by taking Bimbi as his role model and works hard to learn the language (Buscemi and Smith, 2012). It is also evident that an educated individual has learning abilities to independently cope with the changing society. It is not possible for a person who cannot learn independently to be regarded as educated. Independent learning is not only reading books or internet materials but the ability to acquire knowledge through personal effort. This could be to learn through the existing material or creating understanding where there is none. This is the art of rational inquiry where a person has the potential to absorb or acquire information without any reliance on other people’s opinion. Learning is the process of expanding, modification, and refining existing knowledge which further, strengthens the thinking potential. For instance, from â€Å"Coming to an Awareness of

Nested transactions

Nested transactions Q1. Executing nested transactions requires some form of coordination. Explain what a coordinator should actually do? In order to make the answer to this question more solid and clear let me start wit a brief explanation on what actually is a nested transaction. Anested transaction is a new transaction begun within the scope of another transaction. Several transactions can begin from the scope of one transaction thus the transaction that starts the nested transaction is called theparentof the nested transaction. The features of nested transactions as to why they exist are listed below. Nested transactions enable an application to isolate errors in certain operations. Nested transactions allow an application to treat several related operations as a single operation. Nested transactions can function concurrently. Now coming on to answer the exact question; the function of a coordinator is that it should take the primary request automatically in the order in which it receives. It should check the unique identifier in case it has already received and executed the request and if it identifies, it should resend the response back Servers which perform requests in distributed transaction needs to communicate with each other to coordinate their actions, therefore there are a few process that involves when the coordinator is in play and they are; In order to keep track of the participants and their information the coordinator keeps a list of references whenever they are involved as this is will be helpful at the time of aborting it. When the client sends a request it first reaches the coordinator which then resends a unique ID to the client which ensures that the coordinator is now responsible for the exchange of transactions. At some instance if there is a new participant who joins the transaction, the coordinator should be informed and it is then the coordinator updates its list of participants and this is where the joint method in the coordinator interface is used. We argued that distribution transparency may not be in place for pervasive systems. This statement is not true for all types of transparencies. Explain what you understand by pervasive system. Give an example? In general Pervasive systems which is also well known as Ubiquitous computing, can be easily derived by the term ubiquitous which means being everywhere at the same time, When applying this logic to technology, the term ubiquitous implies that technology is everywhere and we can use it irrespective of the location and time. It is important to note that pervasive systems are built by a number of different distributed components integrated and tagged together that can be invisible and also visible at times which in general terms is known as transparency. The following points will make it clear to why pervasive systems are important in the current context. Pervasive systems are changing our day to day activities in a various ways. When it comes to using todays digitalized equipments users tend to communicate in different ways be more active conceive and use geographical spaces differently In addition, pervasive systems are global and local practically everywhere social and personal public and private invisible and visible From my understanding, reading and gathering its is true that Distribution transparency may not be in place for pervasive systems but arguably there are rare instances which it can be, because the backend of pervasive system is can be made invisible as the actual user need not know how the process takes place behind the scene. Here is a typical example on how a pervasive system can involve in a humans day to day life. Assume a lecturer is preparing himself for a lecture presentation. The lecture room is in a different campus which is a 15 minute walk from his campus. Its time to leave and he is not quiet ready. He takes his HTC palmtop with him which is a Wi-Fi enabled handheld equipment and walks out. The pervasive system transfers his undone work from his Laptop to his HTC Palmtop, so that he can make his editings during his walk through voice commands. The system knows where the lecturer is heading towards by the campus location tracker. It downloads the presentation to the projection computer in which he is going to present and keeps it prepared for the lecture to begin. Now by the time the lecturer reaches his class he has done the final changes. As the presentation proceeds, he is about to display a slide with a diagram with numerical information regard to forecasts and budgets. The system immediately realises that there might be a mistake in this and warns the lecturer, he realizing this at the right time skips the slide and moves on to other topics to make the presentation smooth leaving the students impressed by his quality presentation. Q2. Consider a chain of processes P1, P2 Pn implementing a multitiered client-server architecture. Process Pi is client of process P i+1, and P i will return a reply to Pi-1 only after receiving a replyfrom P i+1. What are the main problems with this organization when takinga look at the request-reply performance at process P1? From my understanding a Multitiered client-server Architecture basically refers to where more components in terms of hardware and more importantly softwares are added and tied up to build or in other words construct a complete architecture which facilitates the process of presentation, application processing, and data management to be logically processed separately. In relation to the question the limitations and the problems this organization would face is that if the processes are too large that is referring to Pn according to the example there will be bottle neck kind of situation arising and this can make the whole process slow and there will be a chain of processes un processed. A Multitier architecture does not run on its own there are other hardware and software components involved in it and if any of these components drop in performance the whole architecture will see a drop in performance. Another problem is that it would more difficult to program and test than in normal architectures because more devices have to communicate in order to complete a clients request. Q3. Strong mobility in UNIX Systems could be supported by allowing a process to fork a child on a remote machine. Explain how this would work? It is easy to get the initial understanding if the logic behind the term forking a child is made clear. Forking in UNIX refers to the process which the parents image is completely copied to the child. This start when UNIX starts a new process. Basically, how it works is that: the main parent process which already exists forks a child process which is the new process created. Then as the next step the newly created child process gets a duplicate copy of the parents data., and now it has 2 processes with the same data and the child process can now be activated To create a child process there are 2 basic steps to be followed. The System creates an exact copy of parent process by the process of forking The process in UNIX are built with different codes therefore the code of the parent process should be substituted within the code of the child process. We must also have the system reserved with ample resources to create the child process and memory map for it. As a result of this it can also be said that the child process inherits all the system variables of the parent process. The only issue in this would that using the forking process consumes more time and memory to duplicate the parents environment, and to create a unique structure for the child. Q4. Describe how Connectionless Communications between a client and a server proceeds when using sockets? Let me step into answering the question straightaway where the following paragraph will explain how the connectionless communication is taking place between the client and a server using the help of programmed sockets. It is clear that the connection uses UDP to connect and program where the server receives connectionless datagrams from many clients and prints them. Initially, a socket is constructed while it is in unconnected state, which means the socket is in its own and is not associated with any other destination beyond its boundary. The subroutines that needs to be connected binds a destinations i.e. the IP address of the server and the port number to which it listens the requests which is a permanent one to the socket and now puts it in connected state. Once this process is completed behind the scene an application program will call the subroutine to establish a connection before it prepares it self to transfer data through a socket. More importantly all sockets that are used with connectionless datagram i.e. UDP services does not need be connected before they are used but connecting them makes a more efficient and effective way to transfer data between the client and the sever without specifying the destination each an every time. Note: The processes cannot share ports during any time of the process as it is specified permanently to the desired connection itself having said that UDP multicast has the ability to share port numbers which uses a slightly different concept which will not be discussed in this answer. The diagram below illustrates the example in a clear view Q5. The Request-Reply Protocol is underlying most implementations of remote procedure calls and remote method invocations. In the Request-Reply Protocol, the request messages carry a request ID so that the sender can match answer messages to the requests it sent out. Task: Describe a scenario in which a client could receive a reply from an earlier request. Before stepping into answering the questions straightaway let me first briefly explain what the Request-Reply protocol is and why it is used for. The Request-reply protocol is an effective special-purpose protocol for distributed systems based on UDP datagrams The functions of the RRP are listed below When the RRP is in play the reply message from the server forms an acknowledgement for the message requested by the client => avoiding overhead There is no guarantee that if a requested message is sent that it will result in a method being executed Re-transmission and identification of messages can increase reliability RRP helps to keep history of messages to avoid re-execution and repetition in the method during a request when transmitting reply messages. Now coming onto answer the question, assume that a client requests the server and is waiting for a reply message, accordingly the client should get the requested reply within a certain period of time if it doesnt the client sends another request which in other words is known as idempotent operations i.e. operations that can be performed repeatedly with the same effect as if it had been performed exactly once: re-execute the operation. If the server receives the second request it then provides a conditional acknowledgement message this depicts that the server guarantees a reply for the client without letting the client to make any more requests for the same message which it has already made. The diagram below has also explained the same as said above. The Request-Reply-Acknowledge (RRA) protocol is a variant of the Request-Reply (RR) protocol, where the client has to acknowledge the servers reply. Assume that the operations requested by the client are not idempotent, that is, their outcome is different if they are executed a second time. Task: For each of the two protocols, RR and RRA, describe which information the server has to store in order to reliably execute the requests of the client and return information about the outcome. Discuss as well when the server can delete which piece of information under the two protocols Basically the main difference between Request-Reply (RR) and Request-Reply Acknowledge (RRA) is that In the Request-Reply Protocol, the requested messages carry a request ID so that the sender can match answer messages to the requests it sent out but where as this is not the case in Request-Reply-Acknowledgement (RRA) protocol, here the client acknowledges the servers reply messages, and the acknowledgement message contains the ID in the reply message being acknowledged. If we are specifically talking about transmitting requests in the transport layer the Request-Reply protocol is the most effective one to be used because: No acknowledgments are necessary at the transport layer. Since it is often built by UDP datagrams connection establishment overheads can be avoided. There is no necessity for flow control as there are only small amount of data being transferred. In order to reliably execute the requests made by the clients the server has to importantly store the information that is in the request ID so that it makes the server identify the client and respond to its request immediately. The Request ID contains the following information which the server has to store. Sending process identifier IP address of the client Port number through which the request has come Integer sequence number incremented by sender with every request Arguably this can also be the most efficient protocol compared with the Request-Reply Acknowledge protocol because this provides Non-idempotent operations i.e. re-send result stored from previous request but the exception here is that it requires maintenance of a history of replies so that it can make use whenever it receive a request. It is clearly said that the non-idempotent operations do have their limitations therefore to limit the size of history and make the connection more reliable and efficient we use Request-Reply Acknowledge protocol. REFERENCES Distributed Systems Concepts and Design, 3rd Ed. G Coulouris, Jean Dollimore, Tim Kindberg: Books Distributed Systems: Principles and Paradigms by Andrew S. Tanenbaum (Author), Maarten van Steen (Author) Other Internet sources Websites and Forums Lecture slides and notes

A Brief Literature Review of Qualitative Research

The application of qualitative research to social science studies has received mixed reviews. Some social scientists subscribe wholeheartedly to the use of qualitative research as a counterpoise to the traditional quantitative research methodology, which has been the vogue in social science research. Other social scientists however question the application of qualitative research to social science studies. Some reviewers, for example, question the appropriateness in retrospective evaluation of programs of programs in organizational change (Blackler and Brown, 1983, p.  349).Other reviewers of the same research argue that good qualitative evaluation â€Å"entails close and continuous involvement with the process of change. † Blacker and Brown employed qualitative research methodology in their study of retrospective evaluation of programs of organizational change. They concluded that â€Å"unlike some natural science paradigms, competing paradigms should not be thought of as mutually exclusive† in application of qualitative research in social science. (Blacker and Brown, ibid)Crawford titled his paper ‘Putting money in research pays: How companies large and small – benefit from research plans’. In it he discussed the advantages gained by business enterprises in the United States of America through both quantitative and qualitative research. (Crawford 2006). Dale in his study: ‘Partnering with management to implement ergonomics in the industrial workplace’, concluded that for implementation of any research to be effective in changing workers’ attitude, there must be effective collaboration between the researcher and the management of the industrial establishment.(Dale, 2004). Harris in his article entitled: ‘Business to Business comes of age in qualitative research’, highlights the use of modern information technology in advancing the frontier of qualitative research in business and industry. It is Harris’s opinion that use of such technology as teleconferencing will not only ensure objectivity in data collection, but can allow the researcher to administer his protocol to large respondents at the same time. (Harris, 1995)The role of qualitative methodology in ergonomics is discussed by Hignett in his paper ’Theoretical Issues to Ergonomics Science’ Here, a four stage sampling method of qualitative research was used in the interview of academics and management practitioners to gain their views on all areas of ergonomics. (Hignett and Wilson, 2004). Karami, Rowley and Analoni studied some research methodologies used in generating knowledge for management through research. They concluded that whereas earlier research was skewed in favor of quantitative methodology, present day studies tend to favor qualitative research methods.(Karami et al 2006). McPhee employed a qualitative research approach to his study of the organizational behavior of business practi ce in Europe. He concluded that although until recently, the pyramidical hierarchy structure was the norm in organizational framework of European companies, globalization of the world economy has forced many European firms to employ qualitative research in their transition to a more democratic organizational arrangement (McPhee, 2002). Russell in his paper titled ‘Dangerous Intersections’ x-rays the use of qualitative research as a tool in the campaign sponsored by an insurance company.The thrust of the campaign was on awareness, education and safety promotion within the United States. (Russell, F. 2002). Yates in his paper drew attention to the opportunities which practitioners in business communications now have to shift emphasis away from quantitative methods to qualitative methodology in their research. (Yates, J. 1993). This brief literature review leads us to the analysis of the qualitative research methodology employed by Maximillian Brown in his dissertation tit led: ‘Trust, Power and Work place democracy: Safety and Health Works Councils in Oregon’. Description of Methodology:In analyzing the qualitative research methodologies used in ‘The Brown Dissertation’ salient aspects of each methodology will be highlighted. The sum total of the evaluation of the ‘Brown Dissertation’ will reflect the contributions of all the different paradigms to the overall results of the qualitative research. The following are the research methods employed by Brown for his case studies. †¢ Preliminary contacts with employees and management in of target firms selected for his studies in the summer of 2002. †¢ Actual interviews took place in Fall 2002. †¢ Designing of research project. †¢ Gaining access to the worksites†¢ Process of actual interviews. Preparation for Field Work In order to become familiar with the environment of his research, Brown became an insider of the work stations. Brown used his membership of the Safety Committee in his university, and participated actively in its programs in order to gain first hand information on the philosophy underlying the Safety Committee operations. Moreover, in order to have a comprehensive knowledge of the safety operations in his university, he sought and obtained permission to attend meetings of those safety subcommittees in which he was not a member.Furthermore, brown received training conducted by the State of Oregon in safety committee operations. By his own admission, Brown’s experiences as a member and active participant in safety committee meetings strongly influenced his research design and the process of conducting interviews with his subjects. The oral questions put to his subjects were structured along the lines of his experience as a participant rather than an outsider. Being an insider conferred on him certain advantages which he utilized in preparation of his research protocols.Brown was able to ask questions which were directed at specific areas of operation of the safety councils; which an outsider might not be privy to. Brown also gained leverage on his subjects by being knowledgeable about their schedule of duties. More so, Brown’s membership of a university committee whose functions are similar to those of the subjects of his enquiry influenced his tailoring his questions to more specific subject matters which an outsider will not be aware of. Brown’s research protocols were gleaned from Richard Freeman and Joel Rogers book with the title: ‘What Workers want’ which was published in 1999.Furthermore, Brown had gained prior and valuable hands-on experience of the workings of the industries in which he was to later conduct his qualitative research. After choosing two very different industries in which he wanted to conduct his research, Brown set out to get a working knowledge of these industries. He relied heavily on authoritative publications of the Oregon State Occupational Safety and Safety Administration for first hand information on the industries of his choice. These publications complemented his own practical experience in one of the industries; while filling the gaps in his knowledge of the other.With these preparations, Brown was thus able to formulate intelligent questions for his target interviewees. Brown acknowledged the obvious fact that an outsider cannot know as much about a factory as those who work in the place. As an icing on his cake, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) assisted Brown to select target factories relevant to his research. Visits to Target Factories Brown approached his target audience in three stages. He first made preliminary visits to the factories in order to get himself familiar with the people and places where he was to conduct his research.His initial visit to each of the two factories afforded Brown the opportunity to conduct background checks on the facilities avail able in the factories. Some of the background information he had earlier obtained from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration website came in handy during his preliminary visits. From OSHA website he had obtain vital statistics about each factory. These included the number of employees in each factory, products manufactured, and the mission statement of each organization on their safety and health programs. The next stage of his approach was to make a preparatory visit to each factory.He was able to obtain a tour of each factory. He also used the opportunity of the preparatory visit to collect in-house documents which came in handy to him while preparing his research protocols. These documents included minutes of committee meetings, training materials, and other records germane to his investigations. Brown’s subsequent visits represented the third and last phase of his plan. This was the stage at which he conducted open-ended interviews to representatives of both m anagement and labor in the premises of the two factories earlier chosen. Equal numbers of representatives of labor and management were interviewed.The interviews were conducted in private. The identities of those interviewed were kept confidential as per university policies on such matters. After explaining the purpose of the research project to the subjects, their written consent was individually obtained before the interview started. Since his project was targeted at the safety policies and practices in the selected factories, only members of the safety committees were interviewed. The interviews which were conducted in a free and friendly manner, employed the ‘active interview’ format designed by Holstein and Gubrium.(Holstein and Gubrium, 1995). In this interview approach, subjects were asked questions which had been prepared in form of a protocol. At the onset, subjects were asked general questions pertaining to their working experiences at the factory. Subjects we re also asked questions of personal interest to the respondents with respect to the issue central to the research This phase formed the preliminary stage as formulated by Holstein and Gubrium. The next set of questions centered on the perception of the respondents regarding the effectiveness of the program of the committee in which they were members.The subjects were asked of the perception of their fellow workers on their election or selection into the committee. This formed the overview question stage of the interview. The next stage of the interview centered on training. The respondents were asked to assess the depth and relevance of the training which they received towards performance of their duties as committee members. Questions on the perceived quality of the content of their training, the methods of dissemination of information and the net change effect of the training on the participants, concluded the set of questions on training.The next set of questions for the subjects , centered on the meetings of the committee. Subjects were asked to analyze the interpersonal relations among members of the committee, the atmosphere of the meetings; the procedures adopted during the meetings and the dissemination of information to members before and after each meeting. The last set of specific questions put to the subjects was on the authority granted the committee by management, and the influence of the committee on management.They were questioned on how they communicated the decisions arrived at their meetings to management, and the effect of their recommendations on management policies. Subjects were also asked to give their views on the industrial atmosphere of their work place, and specifically on the labor and management relations; whether they were cordial, or if there were unresolved issues dividing the two parties. Finally, subjects were asked whether they felt a sense of power by their membership of the committee. Evaluation of Brown’s Qualitativ e Research MethodologyThe methodologies applied by Brown in his dissertation are identifiable and well structured. They follow the pattern of a well organized qualitative research project. Preliminary work was done in two main areas. Relevant literature was searched and the context applied as and when necessary, as per specifications in the original publication. For example, the method of interview was patterned after the universally accepted standard procedure of Holstein and Gubrium termed:†Active Interviews† (Holstein and Gubrium,1995).The use of ‘Active Interviews’ by Brown was appropriate to the qualitative research design in his case study. A lot of preliminary work was done by Brown, in order to identify firms at which to carry out his research study. Background studies were first carried out on these companies. Where the researcher felt that he had insufficient experience and inadequate knowledge and information, necessary recourse was made to author itative state government publications on the subject of his research. Initial visits to the premises of the firms under study, were made by Brown.He got himself familiarized with both the staff and the environment of the factories where he planned to administer his qualitative research protocol. Those initial visits afforded him the opportunity to interact with representatives of both labor and management. The visits also afforded him the chance to obtain their consent and cooperation. Brown prepared his interview protocols in two similar sets, one for employees and the other for managements of the firms under study. The research protocols were well structured in such a way as to first put general questions to his subjects.From the responses elicited from the respondents, more specific questions relevant to the subject matter of the study were then put to the subjects. This pattern of questioning is in line with the Holstein and Gubium process of ‘active interviews’. Ma ximillian Brown’s success in putting his subjects at ease at this initial stage, helped him to take the interview to a less formal and friendlier conversational atmosphere. Subsequent pieces of information obtained from the respondents were then given freely and honestly without pressure. Brown’s approach evidently made for more reliable and truthful answers to the interviewer’s questions.With the active cooperation of the subjects, Brown was able to plumb the depths of the activities of the safety committees under study, to arrive at a more reliable assessment of their functions, and the perceptions of members of the committee on the relevance and importance of their work on the committee. Limitations and Weaknesses of Brown’s Qualitative Research Methodology By his own admission, Brown recognized that there are some obvious limitations and weaknesses in the methodology he employed in the qualitative research for his dissertation.Three of these weaknesse s, Brown identified as follows: Problems of trust, accuracy in record keeping, and validity of subjects responses. Unless the interviewer is able to scale the wall of distrust erected between him and his subject during the interview, the information gathered from the respondent will be suspect. According to McCracken, lack of trust between interviewer and respondent will restrict the interview to a mere formality. â€Å"The intimacy required for the two parties to move from formal to informal conversational style will be inhibited.†(McCracken,1988). Hence the first objective of an interviewer is to gain the trust of the interviewee. Right from the onset, the interviewer needs to establish a friendly rapport with his subjects even before the interview is scheduled. Brown admitted his lack of familiarity with his subjects, which made some of them to give curt and perfunctory replies to his questions. Secondly, Brown’s inability to import a reliable means of recording his interviews made his transcripts of such interviews less than accurate.The third problem of validity of his subjects’ responses, Brown admits to be his most difficult. There is no easy solution to the issue of whether a respondent is truthful, except perhaps to administer a lie-detector test to each respondent before the interview, as a method of pre screening all participants. Applications of Brown’s Qualitative Research Methodology The research methodology of ‘active interviews’ adopted by Brown in his dissertation generated valuable in formation on the social interactions within an industrial environment.In spite of its limitations and shortcomings, Brown’s qualitative research methodology provides a suitable and reliable template on which further research study can be undertaken to obtain knowledge of the interpersonal relationships within an industrial workplace. By using modern information technological innovations like teleconferencing and re mote control recording devices, greater objectivity can be introduced into Brown’s qualitative research methodology. (Harris,1995).Overall, the methodology employed in Maximillian Brown’s dissertation can be validly adopted in qualitative research studies for dissertations and other quality academic publications. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Blackler, F. H. M. , Brown, C. A. (1983), Qualitative Research and Paradigms of Practice, Journal of Management Studies, 20(3), 349-366. 2. Crawford, A. P. (2006). Putting money into research pays: How companies — large and small — benefit from research plans, Public Relations Tactics, 13(8), 20-20 3. Dale, L. (2004). Partnering with management to implement ergonomics in the industrial, Work, 22(2), 117-124. 4. Freeman, Richard B., and Joel Rogers. 1999. What Workers Want. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. French, Carroll E. 1923. â€Å"The Shop Committee in the United States. † Johns HopkinsUniversity Studies in Histor y and Political Science. 41: 107-207. 5. Harris, L. M. , (1995), Business-to-business comes of age in qualitative research, Marketing News, 29(12), 17-17 6. Hignett, S. , Wilson, R. (2004), The role for qualitative methodology in ergonomics: a case study to explore theoretical issues, Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science, 5(6), 473-493 7. Holstein, James A. , and Jaber F. Gubrium. 1995. The Active Interview. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications8. Karami, A. , Rowley, J. , Analoui, F. (2006), Research and Knowledge Building in Management Studies: An Analysis of Methodological Preferences, International Journal of Management, 23(1), 436-52. 9. McCracken, Grant. 1988. The Long Interview. Newbury Park,CA: SAGE Publications. 10. McPhee, N. (2002). Gaining insight on business and organisational behaviour: the qualitative dimension, International Journal of Market Research, 44(1), 53-70. 11. Russell, F. (2000). Dangerous intersections, Marketing News, 34(5), 18-18. 12. Yates, J. (1993) , The Opportunity of Qualitative Research, Journal of Business Communication, 30(2), 1999-200

Global Population And Climate Change - 1536 Words

Former American particle physicist and former Nobel Prize winner Henry Way Kendall once said, â€Å"If we do not voluntarily bring population growth under control in the next one or two decades, nature will do it for us in the most brutal way, whether we like it or not† (â€Å"Population Quotes†). This is especially evident in the previous two units of study on population and climate change where I have learned about a variety of global population trends and how climate change has had a notable effect on the planet. There are currently four main trends that have emerged from the current climate and population changes: migration, declining fertility rates, aging and declining population and urbanization (MacPhail). Migration is the movement of people from one place to another and it happens for a variety of reasons (â€Å"Migration Trends†). People migrate because of economic opportunities such as higher wages or new employment opportunities, political reasons such as civil wars or even environmental factors like natural disasters (â€Å"Migration Trends†). People also move internally within their country or region which is known as internal migration or immigrate to other countries or regions, known as international migration (â€Å"Migration Trends†). Thus, people migrate due to â€Å"push† and â€Å"pull† factors that steer them from one area to another. For example, people from northern African countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Libya, etc are migratin g into southern European countries like Greece,Show MoreRelatedGlobal Climate Change : A Growing Population801 Words   |  4 Pages1 Introduction Global climate change, a growing population, decreasing availability of fossil fuels increasing environmental and economic concerns regarding energy use are driving forces towards more sustainable ways of responding to energy demands (Li et al., 2011). Energy consumption is widely increasing all around the world resulting in rising of the energy price and global environmental problems. It is estimated that the world energy consumption will increase from 522 EJ in 2006 to 570 EJ inRead MoreClimate Change : A Global Threat For The Population1377 Words   |  6 PagesClimate change is viewed as new global threat for the population all around the world. Climate change can be define as â€Å"Disturbance in environment and climate patterns with respect to increased level of atmospheric carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen ratio†. Climate change is now tagged as critical security problem for present and upcoming generations with the passage of time. It is now predicted that these cl imate changes will increase the risk of violent conflict. Climate change is not only affectingRead MoreGlobal Climate Change : A Threat Of Aphid Populations Essay8320 Words   |  34 PagesGlobal Climate Change: A Threat to Aphid Populations Abstract Global climate change is a matter of grave concern in the present scenario casting its significant and lasting effect on the flora and fauna dwelling over earth. A number of factors such as biotic processes, variations in solar radiation received by earth, plate tectonics, volcanic eruptions certain human activities can be considered as key components responsible for this devastating phenomenon. Aphid populations are also under potentialRead MoreGlobal Environmental Issues Facing Climate Change Essay1245 Words   |  5 PagesBy 2030, the urban population will reach 5 billion – 60 % of the world’s population.It is clear that the development of urban areas holds the key to many of the challenges we face in our interactions with the environment. Climate change has become one of the most challenging global environmental issues facing humanity.. Urban households, industries and infrastructures are key sources of greenhouse gases. Urban areas concentrate populations, economi c activities and built environments, thus increasingRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effect On The Global Environment1144 Words   |  5 PagesGlobal warming has emerged as one of the most serious concerns for scientists and environmentalists in the 21st century. This is based on the negative impact of global warming, which is not limited to deforestation, drastic variations in climate, decline in output of global agricultural industry, degradation of ice sheets in Antarctic, decrease in ocean productivity, rise in sea levels, and increase in tornadoes, hurricanes and floods. The primary reason for global warming has been identified asRead MoreEnvironmental Global Health : A Social Science Point Of View1492 Words   |  6 Pages Environmental global health analyzes the nature and build of the environmental by researching the effects of human and their interactions with the environment while creating ways to reduce environmental risk factors. Singer and Erickson define environmental risk factors as: â€Å"specific ways that environment features and events threaten human health† (Singer, Erickson 2013: 114). Environmental Global Health effects everyone from a state, community, organizational, interpersonal, and individual levelRead MoreDeforestation: A Major Reason for Global Warming753 Words   |  3 Pages Topic: Climate Change Research question: How is deforestation a major reason for global warming? Deforestation is cutting down of trees for some purpose (furniture). It is very harmful for everybody as it causes landslides, earthquakes and many more problems†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Deforestation is a major cause as it also causes the main problem global warming. Global warming is an increase in average temperature of earth’s atmosphere. Deforestation also helps the greenhouse gas to spread (increase).Greenhouse gasRead MoreAlgae and Climate Change: The Complex and Integral Relationship between Biology and Weather1564 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Algae and Climate Change: The Complex and Integral Relationship Between Biology and Weather Introduction Climate scientists around the world overwhelmingly agree that mankind is responsible for a warming trend and for other changes to the global climate as a result of greenhouse gas emission form the burning of fossil fuels. This is far from a simple cause-and-effect system, however, given the global scale of the issue there are necessarily many factors that interact in complex manners to changesRead More Climate Change and World Food Supply Essay708 Words   |  3 Pagesthink of how the climate is changing the food supply of the earth. The climate is doing some really bad things to the earth. The atmosphere is also not in good shape because of climate change. Humans now need to think of how climate change is affecting people. Climate change is affecting the food supply of the world. The climate change is rapidly affecting the earth. The Greenhouse gases are what is really messing up are world food supply and what is messing up our earth. Global Warming is causingRead MoreImpacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity in Northern Canada1501 Words   |  7 PagesTopic: impacts of climate change on biodiversity in Northern Canada Climate change, as a change in weather like global warming, has attracted the attention of the public. The issue of climate change has been becoming a global focus of attention for people around the world. Most scientists think that climate change is primarily caused by human activities. Temperature and precipitation shifts directly affect biota, and scientists think that as the climate continues to change, the biodiversity in