Monday, December 30, 2019
Medical Marijana Essay - 1201 Words
Medical Marijana The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes is an extremely controversial subject. There are many supporters, as well as many that are in opposition to the use of marijuana in any situation. Parties on both sides of the issue are regularly bringing forth new information to endorse their case. Marijuana, made from an Indian hemp plant that bears the name cannabis sativa, is a mixture of stems, leaves, and flowering tops. The flowering tops are smoked for the tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, that is concentrated there. THC is the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. The use of marijuana as folk medicine began in Central Asia as far back as 3000 B.C. Its use as a pleasure-inducing drug began in theâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Another myth commonly used to discourage the use of marijuana as a medicine is that marijuana has been scientifically proven to be harmful. In 1972,after reviewing scientific evidence, the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse concluded that while marijuana is not totally safe, its dangers had been grossly overstated (Morgan 1). In 1995, based on thirty years of scientific research, editors of the British medical journal Lancet concluded that the smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health (Science 1). Many anti-medical marijuana supporters have said that there is not medicinal value in marijuana. They claim that safer, more effective drugs, such as Marinol, are available. Marinol is a synthetic version of THC. In reality, smoked marijuana has been shown to reduce nausea induced by chemotherapy, increase appetites in AIDS patients, and reduce intraocular pressure in people with glaucoma. Marinol is a synthetic THC capsule and is available by prescription but is not as effective as smoked marijuana for many patients. Furthermore, pure THC may produce more unpleasant psychoactive side effects than smoked marijuana (Morgan 2). Marinol is more expensive than regular marijuana and seems to cause higher levels of anxiety and depression. Also, because one of the main problems combated in chemotherapy is nausea and vomiting, a pillShow MoreRelatedShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1770 Words à |à 8 Pagesit should be legalized or used precisely for medical purposes. Legalization of ma rijuana or cannabis has already occurred in 29 states and the District of Columbia. Should the United States legalize it all together? Marijuana itself is the dried up hemp or cannabis plants which contain THC which is a mind altering chemical. A lot of research has been conducted on the benefits and disadvantages of marijuana in both medical and recreational use. Medical marijuana should be legal in the United StatesRead MoreEssay on Sociology of Health and Medicine1947 Words à |à 8 Pagescancer and brain tissue damage (Earleywine 2002). However, some researchers do not believe that all the side effects of marijuana use have negative consequences. For example (Aronson 2009) believes that it has a significant positive contribution in medical value with the treatment of conditions that may be detrimental to work ability. These include issues such as pain, nausea, appetite loss and neurological disorders. Furthermore, (Aronson 2009) has stated that the use of marijuana may have pos itive
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Using Illegal Substances Help Win - 1709 Words
Using illegal substances to help win? Is that acceptable to any Hall of Fames of sports? ââ¬Å"All good is hard. All evil is easy. Dying, losing, cheating, and mediocrity is easy. Stay away from easy.â⬠Scott Alexander. What Alexander is saying in this quote is that cheating and loosing is easy to do and thatââ¬â¢s why the real winners and the role models of sports take the hard path and earn what they deserve for being at that level of competition without the easy way. In no way shape or form is cheating acceptable to any of the halls due mostly to that the halls donââ¬â¢t only induct great players but great men. If a man had to break the law to become the ââ¬Å"bestâ⬠is he really the true best? Or are they just the best of the juiced up players? There areâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦In most cases of juicing athletes, the fans are baffled by the amazing talent of that player which isnââ¬â¢t why the player even does it. A player uses to become the best of the best and just needs a boost to get to that point. To the player he is throwing honor and integrity to the wind and will break the law to gain more talent than God has already provided. There are many stances that can be taken over the topic of PEDs from a religious view that a player is interfering the Lords ââ¬Å"templeâ⬠, from the respect view with that thought of he had to cheat to be good, or from the affirmative side that the player was already athletic beyond belief and he still had to make it to the pros. Granted that the player still had the ball, or be able to throw a strike in the right place gives the affirmative side a good platform to stand on. For example Barry Bonds was an outstanding athlete however wasnââ¬â¢t the strongest or biggest on the field, until he began to use PEDs and he became a monster on the field, hitting home runs here and there and making astonishing plays in left field. Barry Bonds had become The Asterisk of the diamond until he was accused of using and became The Hormone King. Once accused people began to be infuriated with him and wanted nothing of him. However, who really hit the ball? Barry Bonds did. Now who made the ball go over the outfield fence? The Hormone
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Coaching/Leadership Skills Free Essays
Coaches have many diverse roles which can vary in importance according to the age group of the team. In simple terms, the role of the coach is to plan, act and review. This is an ongoing process aimed at improving the qualities of the coach and the performance of players. We will write a custom essay sample on Coaching/Leadership Skills or any similar topic only for you Order Now The basic roles of an effective coach are: â⬠¢ Manager dealing with a wide range of players, officials and supporters. â⬠¢ Leader assigned to organise training, match-day events and team morale. â⬠¢ Teacher instructing football skills and team tactics. Mentor behind every successful person there is one elementary truth: somewhere, somehow, someone cared about their growth and development. This person was their mentor. â⬠¢ Selector ââ¬â involved in the planning and selection of the best team to represent the club. â⬠¢ Communicator providing clear instruction and feedback to the team and individual players. â⬠¢ Psychologist dealing with various individual personalities within the team. â⬠¢Public relations representing the club at official functions and community activities. â⬠¢ Studentcontinually seeking to upgrade knowledge of the game. Sports trainer ââ¬â with a basic knowledge of injury prevention, care and management. â⬠¢ Planner ââ¬â annual integrated plan covering pre-season, competition, physical, technical, tactical, psychological, workload volumes and intensities etc. â⬠¢ Motivator ââ¬â including engendering playersââ¬â¢ acceptance of own responsibility. â⬠¢ Goal-setter ââ¬â making sure that goals are achievable, challenging and measurable. â⬠¢ Creating a successful learning environment ââ¬â focusing on what you can control; recognising individual and group needs. MEASURING AND IMPROVING YOUR COACHING EFFECTIVENESS Australian Football is continually changing; rules change, techniques change, equipment is refined and coaching methods, including the application of sport sciences, evolve. Coaches must keep abreast of these changes and adapt their coaching accordingly. All coaches have to know if they are effective or ineffective, independent of the ability of the playing group. The following techniques can assist coaches in measuring and improving their coaching effectiveness. Coach self-reflection Unless coaches can arrange for someone to observe and analyse them on a regular basis, the self-reflection method is the only method that can be used to confirm the effectiveness of their coaching. Self-reflection in coaching is a process where coaches compare their current practice against an ideal set of practices, using a systematic procedure to make comparisons between real and ideal. Video analysis Video analysis is another effective tool that assists in the self-reflection process because videotape provides permanent images that can help with in-depth analysis and evaluation. It can also help to identify areas in need of improvement and can also be used to plan for such improvement. Video self-analysis is a six-step process: 1. Recording ââ¬â videotape a coaching session. 2. Reflecting ââ¬â review the tape to find a suitable segment, then analyse the segment against the ideal model. 3. Consulting ââ¬â invite a mentor to ââ¬Ëauditââ¬â¢ the analysis. 4. Planning ââ¬â design a plan to improve. 5. Implementing ââ¬â carry out the plan. 6. Follow-up recording ââ¬â videotape a follow-up coaching session and check that the plan has worked. Mentoring Effective coaches have often had the good fortune to have been coached by a very good coach. On becoming coaches themselves they may have imitated many of the coaching behaviours and methods used by their previous coaches. This process can be carried on into a coachââ¬â¢s current development through a mentor. A mentor is usually an experienced person who works individually with a less experienced coach. A good mentor is someone, chosen by a coach, whom the coach respects for their knowledge, attitudes and mentoring skills to assist them in their development. The mentor asks questions about the methods used and guides the coach toward a better understanding of his or her coaching. In selecting a mentor, a coach can reflect on who are the people in their field (not necessarily restricted to other coaches) they admire most, why they admire these people, and what are the admirable qualities they possesses. The answers to these questions will direct coaches to suitable mentors, with whom they can work formally or informally to develop their own unique skills and attributes. BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION It is sometimes just as difficult to modify coaching behaviour as it is to modify player behaviour. Coaches who are attempting to modify their own behaviour should try the following strategies: â⬠¢ Identify the behaviour to be modified. â⬠¢ Establish the characteristics of the new behaviour. â⬠¢ Look at models of the new behaviour. â⬠¢ Assess how important the change is ââ¬â how will it affect the coachââ¬â¢s effectiveness? â⬠¢ Obtain feedback about the behaviour. â⬠¢ Reassess the effects of the change on all coaching tasks. How to cite Coaching/Leadership Skills, Papers
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Ethical Business and Implementation â⬠Free Samples for Students
Question: Discuss About the Ethical Business and Implementation? Answer: Introducation: Uber is a transportation company which has its headquarters in California which operates in the major cities around the world. The vision of the company is to provide timely pickup services to passengers at affordable prices. The organisational structure and mission of the company is to conduct business in ethical and competitive ways. The organisation structure of Uber is led by CEO and the board of directors. The departments like operations, products, securities, legal and finance report to the CEO and the board. The management of these departments are segregated according to the markets like the United Kigdom, Canada and Western Europe. Uber employs drivers from the host countries which attributes to its multicultural image. The overall objective of Uber like any other multinational private organisation is to earn profit and contribute towards the benefit of its stakeholders. Uber as researches point out, is responsible for bring in disruptive innovation by providing doorstep transport services at affordable prices. This profited the stakeholders tremendously and the company earned huge revenue which added to the capital of the shareholders (Cramer and Krueger 2016). The research says that Uber has promoted reduction in pollution by encouraging passengers to use public transport. However all is not well and ethical when it comes to business practices. The company was charged for using software called Hell to track the drivers of its competitor Lyft (Kharpal 2017). The company used the software to track drivers and lifted them from service of Lyft. They tried to cover their unethical practice by paying the driver high salary and bonuses. The law firms warned Uber of looming legal troubles like breach of contract, unfair trade practices and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act but Uber did not abide by them. This act by Uber could attract legal and ethical charges which would taint its goodwill. Ubers unethical conduct has put the entire riding industry under suspect of unethical practices because it is totally driven by applications and such incidences are liable to happen even in the future. Uber is a great brand and should act in an ethical manner to compete in the market. The company has the potential to improve the transport industry and earn more revenue. References: Cramer, J. and Krueger, A.B., 2016. Disruptive change in the taxi business: The case of Uber.The American Economic Review,106(5), pp.177-182. Kharpal, A. 2017. Uber reportedly used secret software called Hell to track rival Lyft drivers. [online] CNBC. Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/13/uber-lyft-hell-software-track-drivers.html [Accessed 23 Apr. 2017].
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Paul Klee Essays (1588 words) - Bauhaus, Cubism, Paul Klee, Klee
Paul Klee A Swiss-born painter and graphic artist whose personal, often gently humorous works are replete with allusions to dreams, music, and poetry, Paul Klee, b. Dec. 18, 1879, d. June 29, 1940, is difficult to classify. Primitive art, surrealism, cubism, and children's art all seem blended into his small-scale, delicate paintings, watercolors, and drawings. His family was very interested in the arts. The jobs that Paul's parents had were strange for 1879. His mom helped support the family by giving piano lessons. His father did the housework. He cooked, cleaned, and painted. Paul's grandma taught him how to paint. After much hesitation he chose to study art, not music, and he attended the Munich Academy in 1900. Klee later toured Italy (1901-02), responding enthusiastically to Early Christian and Byzantine art. Klee was a watercolorist, and etcher, who was one of the most original masters of modern art. Belonging to no specific art movement, he created works known for their fantastic dream images, wit, and imagination. These combine satirical, grotesque, and surreal elements and reveal the influence of Francisco de Goya and James Ensor, both of whom Klee admired. Two of his best-known etchings, dating from 1903, are Virgin in a Tree and Two Men Meet, Each Believing the Other to Be of Higher Rank. The paintings of Klee are difficult to classify. His earliest works were pencil landscape studies that showed the influence of impressionism. Until 1912 he also produced many black-and-white etchings; the overtones of fantasy and satire in these works showed the influence of 20th-century expressionism as well as of such master printmakers as Francisco Goya and William Blake. Klee often incorporated letters and numerals into his paintings, but he also produced series of works that explore mosaic and other effects. Klee's career was a search for the symbols and metaphors that would make this belief visible. More than any other painter outside the Surrealist movement (with which his work had many affinities - its interest in dreams, in primitive art, in myth, and cultural incongruity), he refused to draw hard distinctions between art and writing. Indeed, many of his paintings are a form of writing: they pullulate with signs, arrows, floating letters, misplaced directions, commas, and cl efs; their code for any object, from the veins of a leaf to the grid pattern of Tunisian irrigation ditches, makes no attempt at sensuous description, but instead declares itself to be a purely mental image, a hieroglyph existing in emblematic space. So most of the time Klee could get away with a shorthand organization that skimped the spatial grandeur of high French modernism while retaining its unforced delicacy of mood. Klee's work did not offer the intense feelings of Picasso's, or the formal mastery of Matisse's. The spidery, exact line, crawling and scratching around the edges of his fantasy, works in a small compass of post-Cubist overlaps, transparencies, and figure- field play-offs. In fact, most of Klee's ideas about pictorial space came out of Robert Dulaunay's work, especially the Windows. The paper, hospitable to every felicitous accident of blot and puddle in the watercolor washes, contains the images gently. As the art historian Robert Rosenblum has said, 'Klee's part icular genius [was] to be able to take any number of the principal Romantic motifs and ambitions that, by the early twentieth century, had often swollen into grotesquely Wagnerian dimensions, and translate them into a language appropriate to the diminutive scale of a child's enchanted world.' After his marriage in 1906 to the pianist Lili Stumpf, Klee settled in Munich, then an important center for avant-garde art. His wife, Lily, gave music lessons, while Paul babysat their only son, he was a good babysitter. Klee painted in a unique and personal style; no one else painted like he did. He used pastels, tempera, watercolor, and a combination of oil and watercolor, as well as different backgrounds. Besides using the canvas that he usually painted on he used paper, jute, cotton, and wrapping paper. A turning point in Klee's career was his visit to Tunisia with Macke and Louis Molliet in 1914. He was so overwhelmed by the intense light there that he wrote: Color has taken possession of me; no longer do I have to chase
Monday, November 25, 2019
How to Find Valuable References for a High-Quality Research Paper
How to Find Valuable References for a High-Quality Research Paper How to Find Valuable References for a High-Quality Research Paper Research paper two words that send panic and anxiety into the hearts of numerous students. Mostly this panics is caused by the inability to find relevant references in the needed time. Dedication of time and effort is needed when writing an extraordinary and quality research paper. However, this can be easily achieved if you have a good topic with access to credible sources of information. Letââ¬â¢s take a look on how to find credible sources! Evaluating Sources When searching for sources, especially websites, think about whether they are reliable or not. You would want your paper to contain sources from professional and unbiased experts, rather than from people with business interests. The information you get from the author, publisher, bias, citations, accuracy, currency, design, reproduction will help you determine if a source is reliable: Good Sources Librarian/Teacher/Specialist in m=Media Related Field. You could request one of them to lead you to where there are valuable sources as regards your research topic. There is a high probability they are aware of all ins and outs of this subject more than you are for now. In some schools, libraries are divided according to the field of the potential research. It means you can receive advice from a librarian specialized in your particular topic of interest. Academic Journals. They add some professionalism and credibility to the paper, and perform a potentially efficient way of finding amazing articles on your subject, especially in science and humanities. Most colleges have a membership to a large database of scholarly articles like JSTOR or less known EBSCO Host. Ask your librarian about the similar services and databases your school might be subscribed to. Google Scholar is good as it displays how frequently an academic article was cited ââ¬â a rough numerical indicator of the influence of the research. Microsoft Academic Search works especially well for technical papers in fields of physics, biology, engineering, and mathematics. Books: These are one of the ideal ways to find valuable and credible information. Because books have more details than websites, they are preferred as sources, particularly in the humanities. Your school or public library website contains so many of them. Google Books can also help you find relevant books related to your topic. Information relating to purchase of the book or how to access it in your library is also usually provided. Websites: They should be approached with caution. While a few seasoned experts and professionals publish great information across different websites, thereââ¬â¢s a great deal of awful information published by money-minded people as well. RefSeek and ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) are databases designed for students and researchers. They incorporate a number of related journals on topics, such as social work, psychology, and other social issues. Sources You Shouldnââ¬â¢t Use The Dictionary. Beginning your paper with, ââ¬Å"According to the dictionaryâ⬠renders the statement weak basically because the meaning of most words is already known to the readers. So rather than using a dictionary for definition of a complex word, use a more subject centred definition from credible sources or journals in case youââ¬â¢re using complex terms that readers might not be acquainted with. About.com. It has a bunch of valuable information, most of which is not relevant to your research paper, like the best new cars, and 10 places to visit before you die. These are articles written basically by people who are passionate about their interests. It is a really cool website, however, you cannot be sure of the accuracy of the information because anyone can write it. And mostly professors restrain you specifically from using Wiki and similar resources. Thereââ¬â¢s no use being panic-stricken about writing an academic research paper. Youââ¬â¢ll be on your way to writing an awesome paper if you make use of the resources in this article. They will help you access the most credible and valuable sources to base your essay on.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Classroom management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Classroom management - Essay Example so required to get their learning materials in place, which include sharpening of pencils, and acquisition of new exercise books to replace the filled ups. Moreover, the students are expected to hand in their take home assignments to the class representative. Confirming their presence by marking the attendance sheet is also a routine that all students ought to observe at the beginning of the day. It is important for the student to receive spiritual nourishment before the classes kick off on daily basis. The students should therefore embrace prayers and scripture readings before the lessons begin. Holding prayers on daily basis before the classes kick on is an important routine that should be observed by the students. Holding a class assembly is daily routine that students ought to embrace prior to the start of classes. This routine provides a forum for discussion regarding the activities of the day and the class performance. During this forum, the problems affecting the whole class or some members of the class are discussed extensively. The factors affecting the class performance and the possible remedies are also handled during the class assembly. The class teacher will also use this forum to encourage the students and to tip them on any change regarding the school programs. The students will also be updated on any changes in the school timetable. The routines stated above are important to the students in many ways. First, it is imperative that cleanliness ensures good learning environment hence fostering the concentration of the students on academic matters and other disciplines. Secondly, devotion ensures robust spiritual well being of the students. This builds the studentsââ¬â¢ moral behaviors hence fostering the sense of discipline amongst the students. Thirdly, it is imperative that the class assemblies provide avenues for addressing problems that affect the learning ability of the students. After class-work before the day ends, the students should
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Aviation Meterorology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Aviation Meterorology - Essay Example The state run Lao Airline is one of the airlines that have witnessed an accident blamed on bad weather. This discourse seeks to analyze the Lao plane crash in the context of the meteological factors. Airplane crashes are a rare occurrence all over the world. Gorham (2013) attributes this to the fact that it is the safest mode of transport today with a lot of safety measures instilled within the industry. Any airplane accident regardless of how small it may be tends to attract a lot of public attention. The media, for example, tend to focus much on airplane accidents more than any other accident. This is because it is a very rare occurrence (NASA, 2011). Nevertheless, like the other transport means, airplanes also do experience mishaps resulting in accidents. As earlier mentioned most airplane accidents are very tragic with a minimal chance of survival. The recent Lao Plane crash that killed all 44 passengers on board plus the five plane crews is a case in point (news.com.au, 2013). Reports indicate that poor weather has been one of the the leading causes of airplane accidents. The ATR-72-600 passenger airplane operated by the Lao Airline crashed on October 16, 2013. The accident has been blamed on poor weather. Spamer (2013) notes that on the fateful day, the Lao Airline departed from Vientiane, Laos to Pakse, Laos. The airplane had 44 passengers on board at the time and five crews. In total, the airplane carried 49 people and was en route to Pakse. Unfortunately, the plane crashed in poor weather before landing at Pakse (Head, 2013). Reports indicate that scheduled flight was delayed at Nari because of a heavy tropical storm that had hit the central and southern provinces of the country. After waiting for the weather to clear, the plane finally took off en route to its destination. Eyewitnesses indicated that the ATR 72 plane was just about to land on Pakseââ¬â¢s runway 15 in very poor weather but could not
Monday, November 18, 2019
Duke Ellington Biography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Duke Ellington Biography - Essay Example However, he began to attend concerts and was enthralled by the work of ragtime pianists and from here he began working on his musical style. In 1917, Duke Ellington began his musical career by playing the piano at night. He formed a band, and the drummer of this band later felt it was necessary to move to New York City to join a local orchestra. Duke Ellington followed the drummer, moving to Harlem and becoming an influential figure here, perhaps more so than he had been at home in Washington D.C. In 1924, Duke Ellington made his first eight records, and in 1925 began contributing to the Chocolate Kiddies revue, which was designed to introduce people to African American music. From here, his career really began to bloom. Duke Ellington became very famous, playing a number of important jazz clubs and even being nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. However, unfortunately, he died of lung cancer at the age of 75. Over 12,000 people attended his funeral, including his widow and Ella Fitzgerald, another influential jazz musician of the time. Since his death, Duke Ellington has continued to be recognized as one of the most important figures in 20th-century American music and continues to have an influence over jazz and popular music today.
Friday, November 15, 2019
Impact of ICT on Accounting
Impact of ICT on Accounting Effectà ofà ICT in the Accounting Records Keeping and how ICT features in todays organization in Sierra Leone 1.à Introduction Information and communication technology (ICT) connectivity (PCs and Internet) is very widespread in businesses of all sizes in Sierra Leone. As is the case with all technologies, small businesses are slower than large ones to adopt new ICTs. Potential small business benefits and firm and sector-specific strategies drive the adoption and use of ICTs. Furthermore, sectors are increasingly global and dominated by large firms and the structure of their values chains and operations shape opportunities for small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). Principal reasons for non-adoption are lack of applicability and little incentive to change business models when returns are unclear. SMEs also face generic barriers to adoption including trust and transaction security and IPR concerns, and challenges in areas of management skills, technological capabilities, productivity and competitiveness. The issues for governments are to foster appropriate business environments for e-business and ICT uptake (e.g. Sierratel to diffuse broadband, enhance competition), and target programmes to overcome market failures to the extent that they are needed in particular areas (e.g. Skill formation, specialized information). Advancement in technology has affected the way things are done in various domains. Accounting is no exception. The traditional books are being replaced by computers. Accounting staff are required to be computer literate and spend more time in front of a computer screen than writing on papers and in books. Information and communication technology (ICT) and e-business applications provide many benefits across a wide range of intra- and inter-firm business processes and transactions. ICT applications improve information and knowledge management inside the firm and can reduce transaction costs and increase the speed and reliability of transactions for both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions. In addition, they are effective tools for improving external communications and quality of services for established and new customers. For small firms to adopt e-business and e-commerce strategies and tools, benefits must outweigh investment and maintenance costs. Commercial considerations and potential returns drive adoption. Beyond a certain level of connectivity (PC, Internet access, on-line information or marketing), not all SMEs will necessarily catch up with large firms, simply because e-commerce may not bring large benefits and SMEs will stay with traditional business processes. Other barriers have been seen to be the availability of ICT competencies within the firm, and availability and cost of appropriate interoperable small-firm systems, network infrastructure and Internet-related support services. Lack of reliable trust and redress systems and cross-country legal and regulatory differences also impede cross-border transactions. 2. Why Have So Few SMEs Adopted ICT in Sierra Leone? Given the benefits that ICT can bring to SMEs, SMEs in Sierra Leone have been slow to adopt it. For example, 90 percent of SMEs still use basic communication technology such as fixed phone line and fax, and approximately 10% percent use CRM software. Meanwhile, their counterparts in developed countries are using advanced ITs. One cause of limited adoption is the lack of dynamism between ICT firms and SMEs outside of the ICT sector. ICT firms have not provided goods and services tailored to SMEs in the past because demand from SMEs has been low. However, their demand is low in part because ICT products available in the market are too complex and expensive. The result is a vicious cycle of limited supply and limited demand that ultimately excludes SMEs from the benefits of ICT. Other factors also contribute to the limited supply and demand of ICT for SMEs: Supply Side 1. Poor communications infrastructure results in limited access and higher costs.Sierra Leone have poor communications infrastructure. Outdated equipment and state-owned monopolies often result in expensive charges and limited coverage, especially in rural areas. This discourages SMEs from adopting even the basic ICT of fixed lines or mobile phones. 2. Most advanced ICT products are designed for larger firms and not SMEs.ICT firms used to target large enterprises because they had a larger budget and were willing to pay for more complex ICT services. Their products are often too expensive and too complex for SME users. However, competition in this market is making firms both large and small turn their attention towards the untapped SME market. Rosetta, for example, is pushing to capture SME customers by lowering prices by 50 percent and increasing awareness. Demand Side 1. Limited ICT literacy of SME owners hinders their ability to choose the appropriate technology and understand the concrete benefits it can bring to their business. Many SME owners in Sierra Leone are unfamiliar with operating a computer, are skeptical of the concrete benefits to its core business, and have the stereotype that ICT is only for larger companies. Even if they have the will and financial resources to integrate ICT into their core business, SME owners are often at a loss when needing to choose the most appropriate and cost-efficient product. 2. Limited ICT literacy of employees in SMEs hinders ICT adoption. Even if SME owners have a strategic understanding of why they should adopt ICT, their staff is often untrained. Training costs both time and money resources that SMEs usually lack. 3. Adopting ICT is an adaptive challenge, not a technical challenge. Adopting ICT is a difficult task for companies of all sizes, whether they are in developed or developing countries. In fact, a lot of management literature focuses on the organizational changes that firms must go through in order to effectively adopt ICT because they change the way firms do business. While the changes may be beneficial in the long run, they often hurt one department and strengthen another. For example, Zhang Hongwei, senior consultant with DLong International Strategic Investment, comments that in order to make ERPs cost-saving and efficiency-building features work, managers must be willing to take measures that can be anathema in the state-owned sector, such as selling businesses, laying off workers, and changing longstanding vendor relationships. All of this can be tough to do. Thus, SME owners are often reluctant to bring their firm through a learning curve that may be difficult and costly. 4. Lack of financing options limits SME ability to purchase ICT. Lack of financing and appropriate technology is clearly a major handicap to developing country producers and exporters, and it inhibits developing countries from deriving full benefits from their trade rights. Rubens Ricupero, Secretary General of UNCTAD, 18 February 2002, Geneva SMEs in Sierra Leone usually have limited ability to make larger investments in their firm due to the lack of financing options. Given the financial squeeze, IT budgets are usually small or nonexistent. In addition, adopting ICT is not a one-time cost because there are ongoing costs of maintenance, upgrading, and human capacity building. 3. Why Should SMEs Adopt ICT? SMEs are often the main driver for a countrys economic growth. However, as the number of SMEs increases, competition increases, which then results in a decrease in prices, customer base, or both. This in turn will erode existing profits, creating less incentive for people to start SMEs. This dynamic is captured by balancing feedback loops where the greater the number of SMEs, the greater the competition, resulting in a slower rate of growth for SMEs. To counter the increasing competition, firms can lower prices, increase promotion of their product, improve their product, add new distribution channels, and/or improve their internal processes. The challenge is to counter competition when the firm still has the financial resources to do so. Otherwise, once the pressure of competition sufficiently erodes the SMEs profits, it will no longer have resources to counter the competition and will have to exit the market. Foreign firms in both the import and export markets further add to competi tive pressures, especially if they react faster to improve their product, process, promotion, or distribution channels. This is the problem of the Digital Divide. When firms in developed countries adopt ICT, firms in developing countries like Sierra Leone will lose out on the competition. This in turn can slow the growth rate of SMEs and hurt the economy as a whole. ICT can thus play a very important role because it can help SMEs both create business opportunities and combat pressures from competition. Appropriate ICT can help SMEs cut costs by improving their internal processes, improving their product through faster communication with their customers, and better promoting and distributing their products through online presence. In fact, ICT has the potential to improve the core business of SMEs in every step of the business process. In Sierra Leone where SMEs already have basic ICT, adopting more advanced ICT still brings enormous benefits. Advanced communication technologies such as email can help firms communicate faster and cheaper with both its suppliers and clients. In 2000, an organization that uses paper took on average 7.4 days to move a purchase from request to approval, but if done electronically, only took 1.5 days. Advanced ITs such as ERP software can capture cost savings. Beyond cost savings, SCM software can also help increase productivity, efficiency of inventory controls, and increase sales through closer relationships and faster delivery times 4. Conclusion ICT has been now boon to every modern system to perform all its operations with computer as the middle principle. The application of ICT in Financial management has also accounted a lot more success and efficiency in performing various operations related to different activities to commit a financial transaction. So for as the efficiency and effectiveness of ICT is concerned it has notably produced better throughputs which were acceptable and reliable. The need of the hour is the plan and develops more security measures to ensure authentic and secure client and server communication. Sierra Leone SMEs in addition to dont having required expertise and knowledge and also lack of familiarity with technology is also beginning to use ICT with face fixed costs very high in comparison to their size, while for large businesses, this is not so. These costs include costs such as creation website, using e-commerce and costs associated with projects of electronic auctions, search engines and similar cases. While the costs associated with deploying advanced ICT technologies for industries and big businesses are not very significant. These are issues that a broad group of SMEs doesnt know digital technologies related to their business and their goods and services do not know appropriate for e-commerce (E-Business Policy Group 2002). SMEs often have to accept market conditions and they are not in a situation like the big companies that form the market conditions (this issue is concerned follow and leader companies in the market). Moreover, instability (such as financial insecurity in SMEs) and potential risks in e-commerce, many SMEs may be inclined to risk aversion and the choice of conservative policies and in fact they adopt policy of wait and observed in acceptation of digital technology. For many SMEs, there is considerable uncertainty about the opportunities and benefits of ICT adoption, this opportunities for them is still unproven. This problem causes that they are reluctance to complete the adoption of new business models and technology. 3. Small and medium companies due to limitations such as low investment, lack of laboratories, capacity less for communicating with and external consultants is facing to experiment with more serious problems for testing new procedures of business. Although financial cons traints are the most important limitations but factors such as less time, fewer resources and also imposed to these enterprises. Using modern ICT technology is In fact new ways that SMEs will face a substantial risk. Accordingly, we can say that the use of ICT in enterprises depends on the size of the firm. References [1] Aliyu A.A, Tasmin R.B.Hj (2012), The Impact of ICT on Bank Performance and Customer Service Delivery in Banking Industry, InternationalJournalofLatestTrendsinFinance,Economicsand Science, 2(1): 80-90. [2] Adwin A.M, Opkara A, Mike A.O, Francis A.O (2014), The Impact of ICT in The Strategic Management of Financial Institutions, International Review of Management and Business Research, 3(3):1588-1602 [3] Adesola M.A, Moradeyo O.A, Oyeniyi K.O (2013), Impact of ICT on Nigeria Banks Operations: A Study of United Banks for Africa (UBA) Plc, International Journal of Business and Management Invention, 2(9): 7-12. [5] Ashrafi, Murtuza. M (2008), use of impact of ICT on SMEs in Oman, Electronic Journal Information SystemandEvaluation, 10: 125-138. [6] Gichoya D (2006), Factors Affecting the Successful Implementation of ICT Projectsin Government, Electronic Journal of EGovernment, 3(4): 175-184. [7] Binuyo A.O, Aregbesola R.A (2014), the impact of ICT on Commercial Bank Performance: Evidence from South Africa, Problems andPerespectives in Management, 12(3): 59-68. [8] Curristine T, Lonti Zsuzsanna, Jaumard I (2007), Improving Public Sector Efficiency: Challenges and Opportunities, OECD Journal of Budgeting, 7(1): 1-42. [9] Gadamsetty Sai Arun (2013), understandin financial inclusion in India and role of ICT in ICT, InternationalJournal of InnovativeResearch andDevelopment, 2(12): 198-201.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Free Will in John Miltons Samson Agonistes Essay -- Samson Agonistes
Free Will in John Milton's Samson Agonistes John Miltonââ¬â¢s Samson Agonistes is based on the story of Samson, an Israelite hero in the Old Testament who falls from grace. In this work Milton shapes his version around the issue of accountability, whether Samson or God is responsible for his actions. Milton displays Samsonââ¬â¢s accountability by contrasting his God-given strength with his self-effected weakness. When Samson was born, God gave him extraordinary physical strength. The very fact that God puts prohibitions on Samson implies that there is an element of free choice. His parents told him that in order to preserve his strength he should not cut his long Nazirite hair or drink alcohol. Therefore Samson has control over his strength and can be held accountable for his deeds. Initially, Samson did not appreciate the gift given to him. Before losing the privilege of his power he was unaware of its significance. He says that God put the strength in his hair in order to show him how minor the gift is. "Proudly secure,â⬠(55) he worried about things that now "least afflict [him].â⬠He regarded his strength as a matter of course because he had never experienced weakness and did not recognize that he was ââ¬Å"liable to fall.â⬠The first time he assumes responsibility for a major decision is when he chooses his wife. He is free to choose the wife he pleases. Nevertheless, he is unaware of the responsibility with which he is confronted. He does not take into account the fatal consequences that could result from his decision. His marriage to Dalila, a Philistine woman, harms not only himself but also the other Israelites. Samsonââ¬â¢s decision leads him to blindness and captivity and his people to suffer under the rule of the Philisti... ...nistesâ⬠. When this work was published in 1671, the author did not regard himself as a Calvinist, as he had during most of his life. Instead, he held an Arminian belief, which criticized the Calvinistic view of predestination; Arminianism allowed human decision a role in achieving personal salvation. The belief in predestination makes life seem hopeless for every effort would be in vain. Moreover, predestination could serve as an excuse for immoral behavior because we could refuse to bear responsibility for our shortcomings. It is a valuable gift that we are all capable of taking responsibility for ourselves and for the people close to us. We can only hope that everyone will be brave enough to make good use of this gift. Works Cited Milton, John. Samson Agonistes. In John Milton: Complete Poems and Major Prose. Ed. Merritt Y. Hughes. New York: Macmillan, 1957.
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