Description of the Business Report Parts Assignment

Description of the Business Report Parts - Assignment Example This entails the problem that is going to be solved, how the problem will be solved, what exactly will be provided in solving the problem, whether the project can deliver the stipulated promises, the benefits of the project when it will be completed and the cost to be involved in the entire work. The sections that need to be included in a proposal for a student report include the problem identified in the problem, the feasibility, the audience the project targets, topics the project investigates, the method to be utilized, the resources and facilities available, the work schedule of the project and the action plan of the project proposal. Progress reports should essentially tell what you’ve done, why it’s important, and what the next steps are i.e. the chronology, task, and recommendation. They can also be used to enhance your image, float trial balloons and minimize potential problems. Make your progress report as positive as you honestly can. Using capitalization when searching for web pages is a major issue. It is always important to uncapitalize words when searching for information, use quotations marks for exact terms and use root words in finding variations of information. A survey is a study that is conducted on a large group of people referred to as subjects or respondents. A questionnaire is a list of questions that people fill and an interview is a structured conversation with someone who will be able to provide useful information for a study. In a random sample, each person in the population of the study theoretically has an equal chance of being chosen to take part in the study. Inconvenience sample only a group of respondents are targeted and will be easy to get. Judgmental sample entails a group of people whose views seem useful. The mean is the average figure you get when you add up all the numbers and then divide by the number of numbers. The median is the middle value in the list of numbers and

The Pros of Therapeutic Cloning Essay Example for Free

The Pros of Therapeutic Cloning Essay Are you for or against human cloning? Before you answer this pertinent question, picture this. A loved one who is very dear to you is diagnosed with a serious disease such as muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s disease, or even diabetes. If they could be treated, cured or have their life saved by stem cells or the results of cloning research, would that change your answer? Cloning can be defined as creating â€Å"an identical copy of a plant or animal from the genetic material of a single organism† (Cloning). There are two main types of human cloning, reproductive and therapeutic. Reproductive human cloning would essentially produce entire, living human beings, whereas therapeutic cloning would only produce parts or pieces such as tissue samples or organs needed for transplantation. The major debate over cloning is an ethical one. Would a clone have the same rights as the original? Would cloning result in a new form of slavery? Personally, I am not sure what the answers to these questions are. But regardless, therapeutic cloning should be allowed because humans are not being created, only the components needed to heal ailing patients. One major issue in regards to the cloning debate is the conjoining of the two separate types of cloning. The public sees cloning as the creation of a belated twin, which actually only describes reproductive cloning. When most people think about cloning they picture a mad scientist creating faux people in some dank, secret laboratory. In reality, this is about as far from the truth as one can get. Medical science is very far from creating actual people. However, we are much closer to discovering the necessary technology for producing cells and tissue samples essential for the treating, and possibly curing, of many debilitating diseases. Stem cell research is a major part of indispensable advances in therapeutic cloning. â€Å"Stem cells are useful because of their ability to become other cell types†¦Embryonic stem (ES) cells, however, have a much greater developmental potential [than Adult stem cells] and can be coaxed to give rise to nearly every cell type† (Davies, Fairchild, and Silk). Stem cells can be used to start established cell lines, from which multiple different cell types can be grown. This technology could be utilized majorly for replacement tissue growth, which is crucial to the treatment of diseases such as Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is more commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Therapeutic cloning is not nearly as complicated as some people make it out to be. According to Kevin Bonsor and Cristen Conger on the How Stuff Works website, which is a Discovery Channel company, therapeutic cloning involves a serious of steps. DNA is extracted from a sick person. The DNA is then inserted into an enucleated donor egg [an egg with the nucleus removed]. The egg then divides like a typical fertilized egg and forms an embryo. Stem cells are removed from the embryo. Any kind of tissue or organ can be grown from these stem cells to treat various ailments and diseases. Using this process, healthy organs can be grown to replace damaged ones, or new skin can be produced to graft onto a burn victim. Furthermore, neurons can be grown to help treat patients with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or other neurological ailments. Therapeutic cloning is referred to in the field as nuclear transportation or, more specifically, somatic cell nuclear transfer. According to an article written by Chan et al. in 2008, scientists conducted a study to learn whether or not they could treat Parkinson’s in mice and it began with the â€Å"derivation of 187 ntES [(nuclear transfer Embryonic Stem)] cell lines from twenty four parkinsonian mice. † Based on the information found in this study it is reasonable to say that, using therapeutic cloning, we may be able to treat Parkinson’s disease in mice (Chan et al. ). Taking that into account, it is hardly a far stretch until medical experts are capable of treating human sufferers of Parkinson’s. Furthermore, this study alone should be proof enough that research into therapeutic cloning is not only ethical, but necessary. Gregg Wasson was a distinguished law practitioner, and his fiancee, Ann Campbell, an author of children’s books. That is, until they were both diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and their careers were ended by their impending dementia. Somehow, with help from the twenty five odd medications he take every day, Gregg managed to testify on behalf of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR) in front of the U. S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. With medicine where it is right now, this man is required to spend around $11,000 every year on his medication, and continue to medicate every three hours. Furthermore, â€Å"Parkinson’s medications become less effective over time†, so eventually his medications will no longer accomplish their job and he will slowly die (Therapeutic). If the government were to put a ban on therapeutic cloning, this would be the life that millions of Americans would be condemned to. However, if research is allowed to continue, we could someday be able to help these people, or even cure them. In the words of Gerald Ford, the thirty-eighth president of the United States of America, reproductive cloning would be â€Å"a perversion of science†. On the other hand, however, he argues that therapeutic cloning is anything but. In 2002, around the time of Ford’s eighty-ninth birthday, a bill was put before Congress that would ban not only reproductive cloning, but therapeutic as well. The late President Ford said that therapeutic cloning is â€Å"a very different branch of science that holds limitless potential to improve or extend life for 130 million Americans now suffering from chronic or debilitating conditions. He felt that all of these people deserved the best possible care that science and medicine could possibly produce, and banning therapeutic cloning would hinder advancement toward this goal significantly (Ford). The absolute epitome of the opposition to cloning is that people should not have the power to create people. This resistance does not apply here since I am only in favor of therapeutic cloning. Some may say that growing human tissue is equally as immoral as creating entire humans, to which I reply, is taking a biopsy equally as immoral as committing murder? Others may say that cloning is a boldfaced violation of the Nuremburg code. I feel that this does not even remotely apply, since the code says, in layman’s terms, that it is wrong to initiate experimentation on a human subject when it is known that the outcome may be serious pain, injury, or death. â€Å"People have been cloning plants for thousands of years†¦Many common fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants are produced in this way from parent plant with especially desirable characteristics† (Cloning). Why, then, are people so opposed to it now? Fear of the unknown begets anger and opposition. Society has no idea what may come of cloning or stem cell research, so they wholeheartedly combat them. A number of people believe they do know will happen, and their ideas are often incredible stretches of the imagination. In my opinion, the worst possible outcome of therapeutic cloning would be to discover that some conditions and diseases are actually irreversible or incurable.

Elites in Representative Democracy

Elites in Representative Democracy Living Political Ideas Representative democracies will always need elites, Discuss. A Representative democracy is a form of government which is based on the principles of representatives who have been selected by the people; it can be argued that representative democracies will always need elites. This essay will firstly examine the notion of Representative Democracies in order to gain an understanding of its key components using the political ideas of both Edmund Burke and James Madison who were both in favour of Representative democracy. Elitism is a theory which emphasises the importance of a small elite group amongst society, links between Elitism theory and democracy will be analysed using the ideas of various Elite theorists. It can be argued that even though representative democracies aim to take into account the opinions and views of the majority this isn’t necessary the case since only a minority of society choose to participate in the political process. To conclude this essay, theories of populism will be discussed and also the argument that globali sation has aided in creating a greater number of elites in representative democracies. Representative Democracies are ones in which citizens within a country elect representatives to make decisions for them. Elections must be free and fair and the political party which receives the majority of votes forms the government[1]. The political theorist Edmund Burke supported the notion of representative democracy but saw the title ‘representative’ as depending on how much members of the public were able to rely on their representatives[2]. According to Burke, â€Å"your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion†[3]. As with Burke, James Madison gave support towards the rationales of representative democracy. According to Madison public views and opinions can be refined and enlarged when passed through a body of elected citizens. Madison also argued that Representative government forces elections themselves to provide a clarification of public issues, and t hose able to withstand the election process are likely to be able to represent the true interests of all citizens[4]. Elite theorists argue that individuals who are considered objectively superior to others should hold more superior positions within society[5]. Elitists believe that society comprises of three different types of people; firstly there is a supreme all-seeing leader who possesses unrivalled authority and secondly, there is‘warrior’ elite who is distinguished by its capacity for self-sacrifice. Finally, there are the masses that are weak and ignorant, their destiny is simply obedience[6]. According to Elitist theorist Mosca, modern elites have superior organisational skills which were necessary in gaining political power; he also asserted that all forms of social organization would be impossible without a ruling class[7]. Mosca states that: â€Å"Those who hold and exercise State Power are always a minority, and that below them lies a numerous class of people who never participate in real terms in government are subject to the will of the former; we may call them the ruled†[8]. Elite theorist Michel’s goes even through by suggesting the inevitability of elite rule as the â€Å"iron law of oligarchy†. According to this democracy is paradoxical and therefore impossible since democracy cannot exist without organisation and organisation requires elites. The ‘Iron Law of Oligarchy’, asserts that real democracy is unable to exist without becoming an oligarchy, an oligarchy is a form of government in which all power is vested in a few dominant individuals[9]. The two key classical elite theorists Mosca and Pareto differ in their view of which resources elites utilise, but both agree that the state and the civil society are characterised by an inevitable division of power between elites and the masses. Mosca sees elites to possess various organisational skills; elite theorist Pareto is more militant concerning the physical and mental strength which determine their suitability for government[10]. It can be argued that in any Representative Democracy, elites will still be present. The United Kingdom is a Representative Democracy this is because all citizens over the age of 18 are able to vote and the political party which receives the most amounts of votes is elected[11]. Regardless of this though the United Kingdom has extremely low levels of turnout and research has shown that it’s often those with higher levels of education and income are more likely to turnout than there less affluent counterparts. This therefore demonstrates the ideas put forward by Elite theorist since in a Representative Democracy only a small number of the electorate are having their opinions accounted for and those that are participating are likely to be considered members of an affluent elite within society. According to Manin, Elites do still play a role in Representative Democracy. This is because people are selected based upon uncommon characteristics which are valued by voters. Voters select these distinctive qualities that they would like to see in their representatives. These qualities vary from a variety of things for example their uncommon ability to articulate and promote a particular political opinion[12]. Therefore the notion of elites is still evident since these people possess a particular talent or characteristic that most people sharing that opinion do not also possess. Manin also states that even though individuals may recognise the importance of elites they do not necessarily support the theory of Elitism[13] Opposed to Elitism is the theory of Populism; populism emphasis’s the belief that the instincts and wishes of the majority provide the principal legitimate guide to political action. Movements or parties described as populist have been characterized by their claim to support the common people in the face of corrupt economic or political elites[14]. Populism is a democratic system whereby politicians make a direct appeal to the people and will claim to give expression to their deepest hopes and fears and all intermediate institutions are often distrusted[15]. This therefore demonstrating alternative approaches which believe the opinions of the people should be considered before taking any form of political action. It can be argued that within the era of globalisation new elites have become one of the consequences of representative democracy. Globalization has seen the increasing ability of corporations to expand across borders. Globalization is a process which has been engineered by corporate elites; governments have helped this process by taking incremental policy action which was implemented in secret without national debate and discussion. For example, In Europe, polls have shown a persistent majority opposed to the introduction of the Euro, but since powerful elite supports it the plans move forward[16]. According to Herman, â€Å"Globalization has also steadily weakened democracy, partly as a result of unplanned effects, but also because the containment of labour costs and scaling down of the welfare state has required the business minority to establish firm control of the state and remove its capacity to respond to the demands of the majority.† [17]. To conclude, even though the principle aim of Representative Democracy is to ensure the views of the majority are been accounted for it can be argued that Elites are still prevalent. A Representative Democracy is one which is based upon the views and principles of representatives elected by citizens. Elite theorists argue that there is a group of individuals in society whose ideas and preferences are more superior to others, they see democracy as a temporary phenomenon which will morph into an oligarchy since it requires individuals with superior skills. In can be argued that even though Representative Democracies aim to include the opinions of every citizen only a small group of society chooses to participate in the political process and it’s often those from a more elite section of society. Theorists suggest that Elites are a positive aspect of Representative Democracy since citizens elect candidates who possess various characteristics which are appealing to those voting for example the ability to articulate various political principles, and are therefore necessary to a Representative Democracy. Globalisation is a process whereby corporations are able to operate across borders, it can be argued that such a process has harmed democracy since governments often take action without any national debate and discussion and in the process has created a group of Elites whose opinions are considered superior to those of the majority. Bibliography Eagles, M Johnston, L Holoman, C Johnson W L (2003) Politics, Broadview Press, Devon Faulks, K (1999) Political Sociology, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh Held, D (2006) Models of Democracy, Stanford University Press, Stanford Herman, S E (1999) The Threat of Globalisation, New Politics, Vol 7, No 2, Winter 1999, http://www.wpunj.edu/~newpol/issue26/herman26.htm accessed 29th October 2008) Heywood, A (2003) Political Ideologies (3rd Edition) Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire Landermore, H (2008) Is Representative Democracy really Democratic?, Interview of Bernard Manin and Nadia Urbinati, New York, http://www.laviedesidees.fr/Is-representative-democracy-really.html (accessed 29th October 2008) Lynch, D T Dicker, J T (1998) Handbook of Organization Theory and Management, Marcel Dicker, New York http://www.polisci.berkeley.edu/Faculty/bio/permanent/Ansell,C/Encyclopedia/Oligarchy.pdf (accessed 29th October 2008) http://www.becal.net/lc/re_pshe_ce/citizenship/ce_resources/year11democ2.pdf (accessed 29th October 2008) 1 [1] http://www.becal.net/lc/re_pshe_ce/citizenship/ce_resources/year11democ2.pdf [2] Lynch, T D Dicker, J D (1998) p. 191 [3] Burke cited in Eagles, M et al (2003) p. 195 [4] Held, D (2006) p.73 [5] Heywood, A (2003) p. 222 [6] Heywood, A (ibid) [7] Faulks, K (1999) p.39 [8] Faulks, K (ibid) [9] http://www.polisci.berkeley.edu/Faculty/bio/permanent/Ansell,C/Encyclopedia/Oligarchy.pdf [10] Faulks, K (ibid) p.40 [11] http://www.becal.net/lc/re_pshe_ce/citizenship/ce_resources/year11democ2.pdf (ibid) [12] Manin, B (2007) cited in Landermore, H (2008) [13] Manin, B (ibid) [14] Heywood, A (2003) p.301 [15] Heywood, A (ibid) [16] Herman, S (1999) [17] Herman, S (ibid)

Navigation :: Geography History Navigation Essays

Navigation Early Explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Magellan relied on landmarks for early navigation, which could result in serious miscalculations. Later explorers discovered they could use the stars as their primary choice for navigation. As technology increased the compass and sextant were used in navigation purposes. The needle of a compass always pointed north, while the sextant used adjustable mirrors to measure angles of the moon and stars. The sextant could only calculate latitude so a device called the chronometer was later invented by John Harrison to compute longitude. The sextant and chronometer were used together to compute measures of longitude and latitude. In the early 20th century many radio-based navigation systems were developed. However these radio based systems were either accurate or covered a large area of space, but not both. Scientists then decided that the only way to cover the entire world was to put high frequency radio systems in space, hence the id ea of GPS or global positioning systems was born. GPS was funded and founded by the Department of Defense. The Departmemet of Defense also controls GPS. The first GPS satellite was launched in 1978. The first ten satellites were called block I satellites. From 1989 to 1993, 23 production satellites called Block II were launched. The last satellite was launched in 1994 completing the system. From this point on with a GPS receiver costing only a few hundred dollars you could constantly learn your location on the planet. GPS is the only system available today that will tell someone their exact position on Earth at any given time in any type of weather. There are 24 satellites in all, which orbit about 11,000 nautical miles above the earth. The satellites are monitored by ground stations located around the world and can transmit signals that can be detected by anyone with a GPS receiver. Using this receiver you can determine your position on Earth with great accuracy. GPS satellites consist of 3 segments: space, control and user. The space segment consists of the 24 satellites in six orbital planes(four satellites in each plain). Each satellite repeats the same 12-hour orbit, but appears four minutes earlier each day. Each satellite orbits at 55 degrees in respect to the equatorial plane with a 12-hour period to orbit the earth.

Killer of Sheep

The movie entitled â€Å"Killer of Sheep† by Charles Burnett in 1977 made a significant footprint in the movie world. Though it was a low-budgeted movie, it won the first prize at Berlin Festival in 1981. This movie is all about Stan and his family as they struggle their life with financial and emotional problems. Stand works in a slaughterhouse to make his family live. It is a simple yet attackable story because it shows reality in the society. Many of us work hard but less opportunities. The only thing that Stan felt happy is when he dances with his wife and hold his daughter’s hands.There are only six characters and one significant setting in the story, which means that the movie is an independent film. All the characters are connected with one another as they reveal their characterizations in the beginning of the story and donate their thoughts and perception of society as the movie ends. I can say that it is an advocacy film though it has no solution in the end. As it shows the life of many people like Stan and his family, the director depicts that present situation of the society that needs to be taken care of. The movie shows that Stan is already numb with his life as a slaughter because he knows that he could not able to give his family a better life. His wife is also a weak person who used to depend on Stan as the provider of the family, which made the movie more dramatic and realistic.As an audience, it is an eye-opener to the public of the situation and life of people during 1970s. It made me realize that people like Stan tried to be contented with their life as they anesthetized themselves from their situation to make their bodies work and think only for the betterment of their family even with no luxury and lesser necessities.Work CitedBurnett, Charles. Killer of Sheep. 1977.

The Olmec,Maya,&Aztec are dominating societies of mesoameric essays

The Olmec,Maya,&Aztec are dominating societies of mesoameric essays The Olmec, Maya, and Aztec were dominating societies of Mesoamerica, rich in culture, community, and art. While life may not be completely interpretable yet, much in known about how these societies were constructed, and how their religion dominated their lives. Much is generally made of their massive stonework, their ceremonial complexes, and ritual sacrifices, but their small jade, ceramic, and stone sculpture deserves as much attention as the works of much larger size have received. The Olmec were thought to have set many of the patterns seen in later cultures throughout Mesoamerica.1 San Lorenzo, the oldest known Olmec building site, as of the time of the Britannica article, is known for its Colossal Stone Heads, all of which have prominent facial features. Las Bocas was excavated and many small jade figurines of people in the community were found. Some of these appear to have ritualistic purposes, judging by the incising noted on the sculpture. The Olmec culture spread northwest and southeast, and seemingly influenced later cultures in artistic endeavors2. The concept of sacrifice in Olmec art had ties to the belief of renewal; a birth-death scenario, where one is returned to the source - the underworld.3 Similar to monumental figures of men presenting children, wearing jaguar-baby masks, for sacrifice, human figures were sculpted in a much smaller scale, many of which are ceramic or polished jade (fig. 1). The Las Bocas site of the Olmec produced many small figurines that are thought to represent the people who lived there. These objects display Olmec symbols on their hairstyles or bodies, and because they were found at or near grave sites, these pieces are believed to have more purpose than simply the depiction of daily life.4 An example of this type of sculpture is of a man and woman embracing (fig. 2). The Wrestler figure is an example of Olmec sculpture that should be viewed from all ...

Exxon Valdez Essays - Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Oil Pollution Act

Exxon Valdez Essays - Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Oil Pollution Act Exxon Valdez INTRODUCTION On March 24, 1989 at 4 minutes past midnight, the oil tanker ExxonValdez struck a reef in Alaska's breath-taking Prince William Sound. Instantaneously, the quiet waters of the sound became a sea of black. We've fetched up - ah - hard aground north of Goose Island off Bligh Reef, and - ah - evidently leaking some oil, Joseph Hazelwood, captain of the ship, radioed the Coast Guard Marine Safety Office back in Valdez. That some oil turned out to be a total of 11,000,000 gallons of crude oil leaking from the ruptured hull of the ship. By the time a containment effort was put forth, a weather storm had helped to spread the oil as much as three feet thick across 1,400 miles of beaches. A little over ten years have passed since the largest oil spill and the greatest environmental disaster in American history, but the waters and its surroundings are still recovering. At first, many people repeated what was then thought as common knowledge, oil dissipates, nature heals quickly, all will be well in a year or two. This has not been the case with the Exxon Valdez. This massive 987-foot tanker has left a lingering, long-term effect on the natural habitat that surrounds these pristine waters, along with an enormous socio-economic effect that has left many people wondering when and where the next oil spill will be. Many associated with the recovery process, and its more than one hundred projects per year, say it will take longer than a human lifetime to determine if a full recovery is possible (Fine 1999). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The Exxon Valdez oil spill was initially thought of as a two to three year clean-up project. As time went ahead, scientists and clean-up crews realized that it would take a longer period of time and require a lot more effort than originally planned. Up to this point, the oil has contaminated a national forest, four wildlife refuges, three national parks, five state parks, four critical habitat areas and a state game sanctuary, which spreads along 1,400 miles of the Alaskan shoreline. Recent scientific studies show that the oil continues to wreak havoc among many spawning salmon, herring, and other species of fish. This is even more devastating when considering that much of the wildlife around the sound is dependant on the high calorie, high fat content of the herring as their prime food source. Among the many casualties were 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbour seals, 250 bald eagles, as many as 22 killer whales, and an estimated quarter-million seabirds. It is unclear how many billions of salmon and herring eggs and intertidal plants succumbed to the oil smothering. Within an ecosystem, each living thing depends on other living things. That means that when the fish died in Prince William Sound, there was less food for the seals that normally eat them. As those seals died, there was less food for the killer whales that eat seals (Knickerbocker 1999). This has led to a domino effect within the food chain, victimizing many of the animals surrounding the area. Intertidal mussel beds are still contaminated to this day. Twenty-three species of wildlife were effected by this oil spill, and only two species, the bald eagle and the river otter, have fully recovered. The species that are well on their way to a comeback include pink salmon, Pacific herring, sea otters, mussels, black oyster catcher, common murre, marbled murrelet, and sockeye salmon. As with any environmental disasters, there are some animals that are showing little or no clear improvement since the spill occurred. This group includes harbour seals, killer whales, harlequin ducks, common loons, cormorants, and the pigeon gullomot. In some areas, that have been hardest hit by the oil spill, many of the species have an elevated level of mortality. Even though the Exxon Valdez is the most-studied oil spill in world history, it is also a particularly difficult one to research because of the lack of baseline data on the ecology of Prince William Sound (Birkland 1998). Among all the animal casualties, there is another victim, people. Thousands have been forced to bare the consequences of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Throughout the years, the waters of Alaska have