Variables The Internet Users and Democracy Score Research Paper

Variables The Internet Users and Democracy Score - Research Paper Example This research paper examines that In most of the third world countries, the development process has not been fully conceptualized. Slums are on the extreme end of capital cities and people survive on less than a dollar a day. The rate of internet consumption is still not high and democracy is in its primary stages. Information is only limited to a few number of people and the rest, the low-income earners, are subjected to doctored information that is useless. Opinion leaders are left with the mandate of spreading this information, a role with which they perform with zeal and zest in propagating lies. The rules and regulations that govern internet consumption have been tightened to ensure minimal or no criticism is directed to the Government. Again, it all depends with the Government of the day. From the above theoretical argument, it’s imperative to note that certain factors ought to be put into consideration. These factors include internet connectivity and ignorance from the target group of people. This group of people may not be willing to use the internet like in the third world countries mostly in Africa, the level of ignorance is very high. This theory seeks to establish a footing in the long run on the principal independent variable which forms an analysis the relationship between democracy and the independent variables. The result of this will form a multivariate linear regression model to establish the exact number in terms of variance democratization across nations can be accounted for by the internet.

Business Ethics - Hiring, Firing, and Discrimination (U4DB) Essay

Business Ethics - Hiring, Firing, and Discrimination (U4DB) - Essay Example This pictures employers recruiting people to join in their companies. Employers open their doors to women and minorities for them to use their skills and education, and maintain their status without pressuring them to compete with males and the majorities in terms of capabilities, ethnicity, education, religion, and social status. These remedies go with the three moral philosophies based on consequences, rights, and duties. Employers must be well aware that people need to be given equal opportunities to work. It is immoral if discrimination in the workplace still exists because it hinders job applicants to land in jobs, and be productive. Every individual has his own right to be respected by others. This coincides with the rights philosophy that by respecting the rights of women and minorities, the moral act is being practiced as well. In relation to the rights philosophy, employers must faithfully adhere with the policies against discrimination by considering the remedies mentioned above. This is their duty as employers in hiring applicants. In conclusion, women and minorities have many things to offer beyond their education. They have incomparable skills that will fit into jobs in the market today. All they need are chances. The three moral philosophies are consistent with the remedies established by various organizations to address discrimination. They seem to be appropriate forms of remedy against discrimination with women and minorities trying to find a living to support their families. Policies established by various organizations aim to protect the rights of every woman, and any member of the minority

Ethanol Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Ethanol - Assignment Example However, this desirability is dependent on the production method from a varied range of biomass resources (First generation and second generation). In general Bioethanol shows great promise as a replacement for fossil fuels. The production of bioethanol is however cumbered with problems both in the acquisition of biomass and its eventual processing to the final product. Pollution, water utilization and soil degradation are some of the major drawbacks in bioethanol development. Also, fossil fuels used in production, food versus fuel problems, coupled with conflicts in competing land use interests (Larsen, Johansen & Schramm 2009). Current ethanol production are associated with N2O a more potent greenhouse gas for this reason bringing into contention the potential of bioethanol in reducing greenhouse gases and the overall objective of controlling global warming. The land cultivated for feedstock, other than economically empowering farmers, improving infrastructure and technology is likely to increase cabondioxide emissions at a greater rate that outweighs the advantage of the bioethanol. Cheap feedstock’s and high energy efficiency crops are present trends in bioethanol production. Industries that previously did not utilize their waste materials are persistently using this waste for the production of ethanol. Ethanol as fuel differs from gasoline based on properties. Ethanol is hygroscopic and prone to contamination by water, and this is further complicated by the fact that its production is favored by maintaining an optimal amount of water (Larsen, Johansen and Schramm 2009). Ethanol also has poor blending capabilities with both diesel and gasoline when it contains water and use of fuel containing some water is an issue. Problems with engine start have been reported in cold climates and also the inflammable and volatile properties of ethanol. Ethanol content in gasoline used for regular vehicles is limited up to 10% blend. However, there are vehicles

Student Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Student Interview - Essay Example The class was interestng even if it involves math heavily. Perhaps it is because the examples that were used by the professor was about everyday life like how much your $1,000 will be worth after 5 years. The approach and method of teaching was also clear because I was able to understand it even if I did not belong in that class. With the professor’s approach in teaching, I think anyone will be able to get it for as long as they have taken their algebra. The way I see it, the class requires minimal reading but instead requires a lot of analysis and critical thinking. In my opinion, a student can even pass the class without reading for as long as he or she pays attention to the lecture of the teacher. It involves understanding of the problem and problem solving exercises for the student to get a hang of it. I asked my friend what he think of the class and his other class at Taylor as well. He replied that class was pretty easy because the lecture was clear for as long as a student don’t miss classes. He says that difficulty only arise when a students absents from the class because the next lesson will become greek to him or her. And that is time he or she has to read and I doubt if one can really get the lesson from the book because its not clear there and you cannot ask question. When I asked what he meant by that, he explained that almost all of the lessons were linked together, like the previous lesson a requisite to understand the next lesson. He furhter explained that unlike this class that does not require reading, other classes requires paper works in addition to classroom exercises. I asked him if he was able to manage, he replied in the affirmative. He gave me a â€Å"survival tip† on how to handle the rigor of academic requirement at Taylor so taht I will not have hard time. He told me just to get back at my lesson regularly that way I’m updated.

How might wind or water power become at least partial, but significant Essay

How might wind or water power become at least partial, but significant solution to global energy issues - Essay Example However, in the recent times, governments have concentrated on large-scale projects to produce electricity, while ignoring many opportunities to produce hydroelectricity in small scale. Of course, there are a number of advantages for producing hydroelectricity in large scale from the larger rivers. On the other hand, tapping hydroelectricity from the smaller rivers can also provide very many advantages and would also help in supplementing energy production. This has been seen to happen in the many developing countries, where governments may not have enough funds to start and complete large projects. Almost any country has more small rivers than big rivers, and these small rivers can be used by local communities to produce energy for local use. This is unlike the traditional way in which large scale hydroelectricity is produced and then carried kilometers away from the point of production to users, who live so far from the source and may not even know how the electricity is produced. With the small scale hydroelectricity production, smaller rivers that are not seasonal can be used to produce energy for the local communities. This is especially possible and even economical for communities where the population is farming communities, which live in the countryside instead of the urban folk. The main advantage of this is that this kind of hydroelectricity is much cheaper and the local community can enjoy energy at much lower prices, probably as low as 30 percent, because they will produce the energy themselves rather than depending on a third party hydroelectricity producer. To be a ble to take advantage of this small scale hydroelectricity energy production, governments can try and make sure that the machinery used to harvest hydroelectricity are accessible in smaller capacities rather than the huge multibillion machinery, that is directed towards

Increase in energy Essay Example for Free

Increase in energy Essay Introduction Resistance is the opposition a component has on the flow of current and it is measured in Ohms. Resistance occurs as the electrons move along the wire they collide with the metal atoms. These collisions make the atoms vibrate more, which make the metal hotter, they also slow down the flow of electrons causing resistance. Resistance is a measure of how hard it is for the electrons to move through the wire. There are four factors that affect resistance in a wire. They are: 1. Temperature: If the wire is heated up the atoms in the wire will start to vibrate because of their increase in energy. This causes more collisions between the electrons and the atoms as, the atoms are moving into the way of the electrons. This increase in collisions means that the resistance of the wire will also increase. 2. Material: The type of material will affect the amount of free electrons which are able to flow through the wire, if the material has very few atoms then there will be high number of electrons causing a lower resistance because the electrons would have less collisions making it easier for the current to flow. But if there were few free electrons there would be more atoms packed closely together making it more difficult for the electrons to pass. 3. Wire length: If the wire is longer, then the resistance will be higher because the electrons will have a longer distance to travel and so more collisions will occur. Because of this the length increase should be proportional to the resistance increase. 4. Cross-Sectional Area of the Wire: If the wires width is increased the resistance will decrease. This is because of the increase in the space for the electrons to travel through. Because this increased space between the atoms there should be fewer collisions, and more current will flow. Resistance can be calculated using this formula R = V/I. Resistance can be useful in filament lamps and toasters, because if there was no resistance then the wire would not get hot and there would be no light and no toast. But on the other hand in very big power lines you do not want to waste any electricity in heating up the power lines. That is why in the National Grid they use very wide wires so that there are fewer collisions between the electrons and the metal atoms, thats why the electricity is transmitted at high voltage and low current. This causes less resistance and less power is lost. Aim In this experiment I am going to be investigating what effect changing the cross-sectional area has on the resistance of a wire. Input variables are the things which can be changed in an experiment. In My experiment the input variables are going to be the cross-sectional area of the wire this will be varied from thicker to thinner. Output variables are things which are predetermined the input variables. In my experiment the output variables are amperes and volts, and these measurements will be used to calculate resistance. My circuit will include a power supply, wires, an ammeter, a voltmeter, and the subject wire. To make this experiment a fair test I am going to keep the voltage to 3 volts, and keep the length of wire to 20 cm. I am not going to change the wires, ammeters and voltmeter. And I am also not going to change any of the other factors only the cross-sectional area of the subject wire. Prediction. I predict that if the cross-sectional area of the wire decreases then the resistance will increase in proportion to the cross-sectional area. I think this because of my prior scientific knowledge which shows that the wider the wire the more electrons that will be able to flow through them and the less collisions. But in a thinner wire there is less space for the electrons to move therefore more collisions. My tables and graphs should support my prediction. Apparatus list:   Power Supply used to supply an electrical current and voltage   An Ammeter- used to measure current in amps, connected in series. A Voltmeter- used to measure voltage. Connected in parallel.   Two different thicknesses of Nichrome wire- used to experiment on.   Two different thicknesses of Constantan wire- used to experiment on Meter ruler- used to keep the wire to 20 cm long.   2 crocodile clips- used to connect the subject wire to the circuit.   Connecting wires- to connect all the components. Safety I have decided to take some safety precautions by Keeping the voltage at 3 volts because 4 is dangerous, being careful when connecting the wires and while handling the live subject wire. I also wore goggles and used heat proof mats to prevent the live wire from burning the table. Method 1. Firstly I am going to connect the voltmeter to the Power supply. 2. Connect up all the wires. 3. Connect the ammeter. 4. Use crocodile clips to connect the subject wire. 5. Turn the power supply on to 3 volts. 6. The circuit should look like my diagram in the aim. 7. Write down the readings on the ammeter and voltmeter. 8. Repeat for all the thicknesses of wire. 9. After all the wires have been done create a table and calculate the resistance of each wire. 10. Lastly repeat all steps 2 times for reliable results. 11. And find the averages for the results you have collected. Preliminary Work I have decided to use 20 cm of wire as it seemed a sensible length. I also determined to use 3 volts, because 4 volts melted the wire, and 3 seemed a reasonable, safer alternative. I experimented on which of the two materials to use. (Nichrome or Constantan). I compared results on two different thickness SWG 32 and SWG 26 and recorded this information in three tables and three graphs.

Introduction Of Information And Communication Technologies Commerce Essay

Introduction Of Information And Communication Technologies Commerce Essay In this era of modernisation, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) play a vital role in businesses and firms of all sizes. The term ICT has progressed and evolved to include many aspects of computing and technology, and has indeed become very distinguishable. In this essay, the ways in which the introduction of ICT affects power relations in the workplace will be discussed. First, a definition of the phrases ICT and power relations in the workplace will be provided. In what follows, I will establish the particular effects that ICT directly brings to the workplace namely surveillance, a change to organization structure, increased communication as well as how it skills and deskills workers. Explanation on how these effects subsequently affect power relations in the workplace will then be provided. The Information Technology Association of America defines ICT as the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware. ICT involves converting, protecting, transferring, keeping and receiving information. This is all done with the aid of computers and software. On the other hand, power refers to the ability to translate influence or make a difference. The actions of one person affect that of another. According to Foucault (1988), within the field of power relations, what one person does affects a second, which affects a third, and so on. The characteristic of power relations is that, as agents in the structure, some men can more or less determine other mens conduct, but never exhaustively (David Owen, 1994). Power relations precipitate all the strategies, the networks, the mechanisms, all those techniques by which a decision is accepted and by which that decision could not but be taken in the way it was. Foucault goes on to say that Power relations are multiple; they have different forms, they can be in play in family relations, or within an institution, or an administration or between a dominating and a dominated class. In this essay, it can be summarized that power relations in the workplace means the ability to affect how other people w ithin the workplace do work. Surveillance The introduction of Scientific Management, also known as Taylorism saw an era where managers strived for control over workers. The introduction of ICT to the workplace has allowed managers to practice methods of worker surveillance that have never been seen before. ICT has given managers the ability to pry on their staff by doing things like keystroke counting, listening in on phone conversations (to monitor quality of service provided by staff), telephone call accounting (registering information about the time, duration, destination and cost of phone calls), entry and exit controls using smart cards (which give information on staff whereabouts), electronic cash registers and product scanning systems (provides details on who handles what merchandise, volume handled and how efficiently), the reading of electronic mail and the use of video cameras for video surveillance (After ILO, 1993, pp. 12 13). In the past, managers were only able to monitor the performance of whole departments by monitoring things like quantity and quality of products produced. However, new information technologies have enabled employers to gather highly detailed performance related data regarding not only the work but each individual worker itself. This can now be done on a minute by minute basis and often without the employee being aware (Gandy, 1993; Lyon, 1994). The information gathered by managers is most of the time too overwhelming to go through stringently. Power relations become relevant when this vast information about worker performance is collected. This is because managers must now decide if or how to use the information gathered on worker performance. Due to the economic demands to become more efficient and more profitable, managers are pressured to use the information at hand to hopefully enhance performance and efficiency of workers (Susan Bryant, 1995). Managers or employers will be able to take courses of action based on the worker performance information. For instance, reprimanding individual employees for dismal performance or changing standard operating procedures. One of the side effects of this is that it legitimizes decisions to further intensify worker surveillance for the benefit of profitability and efficiency. Modern surveillance in the workplace can be modelled after Jeremy Benthams Panopticon the prison complex designed whereby prison guards would be able to watch prisoners without being watched back (Zuboff, 1988). Nevertheless workplace surveillance using ICT differs from Benthams Panopticon because workers are certain that they are being watched all the time. The constant visibility and unverifiability that employees experience through workplace surveillance may have significant positive implications on the way they work (Zuboff, 1988, p. 321). A phenomenon that Zuboff refers to as anticipatory conformity often happens because of the mere existence of surveillance. Since workers are aware they are consistently being watched, a culture of self discipline tends to take place to reduce the risk of unwanted discovery. This is interesting because it allows change in the way workers work without management having to take extra action. This worker self discipline helps prove Foucaults argument (1979) that sooner or later, individuals become bearers of their own surveillance. (Lyon, 1994, pg. 133) Even if workers dont willingly self discipline themselves, it is highly likely that because of the readily available system generated information about each others performance, peer surveillance and intervention will get to them before management intervention will (Laabs, 1992; Lyon, 1994). As employees become more and more accustomed to surveillance methods, employees may be able to get away with doing less by working around existing sys tems to avoid detection. However, such occurrences are deemed to be less likely to happen compared to trends of conformity (Zuboff, 1988). It may also be argued that surveillance encourages workers to work harder and to become more productive as their efforts are now more easily recognized by management. This means that individual workers are more likely to be rewarded for putting in extra effort. Furthermore, employees are less likely to be put at fault for the wrongs of others. This phenomenon also happens automatically because of the existence of surveillance in the workplace without any direct intervention from management (Zuboff, 1988). The last two points show how the existence of ICT in the workplace (which allows for worker surveillance) may allow for management to relax control over workers and at the same time expect positive returns whilst having to exert less authority or power in the workplace. Communication and Organization Structure The introduction of ICT has allowed us to interact at almost same speeds a matter of seconds regardless of whether we are a few meters or a few miles away from one another. In the past two decades following the birth of utilities like e-mail and ultra fast internet connections, the workplace has experienced a significant change in operating procedures and structure due to this advancement in communication capabilities. Firms are now able to function on a transnational basis. Managers from firms are able to operate from their home countries without having to incur the financial, physical and opportunity cost of leaving their home country (or at least less often). The ability to communicate over distances and at such great speed has allowed managers to run things thousands of miles away on a real time basis. The complexity of a firm may change from that of vertically complex to horizontally complex due to the ability of managers on top of the hierarchy to communicate with more people at a greater ease. The need for extra layers of hierarchy to delegate tasks becomes unnecessary because of better communication technology. Workers at the lower end/bottom of hierarchy may find it easier to pitch ideas because there may be less red tape to go through before their idea can be proposed. On the other hand, CEOs may find that instructions are conveyed to their subordinates more clearly and effectively because these instructions need not be passed on to too many levels of management before it reaches everyone. The ability to communicate with ICT may also affect the centralization of a firm. A centralized firm is one where decisions in the organization are concentrated at one point. The introduction of ICT will become a catalyst to the decentralization of a firm (John Bratton, 2007). With ICT, it is much easier for senior management to solicit information and ideas from workers down the hierarchy. This is because, as mentioned, the means of communication make conveying and soliciting an idea much simpler than before. Prior to this, a physical meeting with high level management would be needed to pitch an idea; which means that it would virtually be impossible for a low rank worker to contribute any ideas to the firm. With the improved ability to communicate amongst workers and management, senior management might be willing to give more decision making autonomy to workers since their input would be more accessible. This has a major impact on power relations in a firm because communication ma y allow for control to be relaxed as decision making input may come from both sides of the hierarchy. Having said that, the extensive use of e-mail and electronic communication in the workplace means people seldom ever have to meet (Argyll and Cook, 1976). Not physically meeting takes away the ability to analyze the personal construct of others (Adam Webber, 1981). Personal construct theory deals with a range of professional social skills that enable people to analyze interactions from different perspectives and make judgements about peoples personalities and meanings. These skills are drawn from physical interaction with individuals. The effects of this are adverse because little or no consideration will be taken about workers feelings and personality. Deskilling and Enskilling Argument Deskilling is defined as a reduction in the proficiency needed to perform a specific job, which leads to a corresponding reduction in the wages paid for that job (Bratton, 2007). In the Taylorist context, the deskilling argument focuses on the division of mental and physical labour and the breaking up of complex tasks into smaller, more discrete ones. The logic of capitalist production requires the constant transformation of techniques of production. This involves an increase in mechanization, automation which results in the displacement of skills (Penn Scattergood, 1985). The workforce becomes even more degraded and deskilled. For instance, fast food or retail outlets have electronic tills that scan, calculate and tell the cashier how much money to return to the customer as change. The cashiers job is repetitive, relatively simple and easy to keep an eye on because everything is electronic. The main goal of this is to not only ensure worker efficiency but to increase the degree of control the management has over workers. Very little is taken into consideration about worker satisfaction or fulfilment. Harry Braverman notes that the goal of the labour process under capitalism is to generate managerial control for maximization of efficiency and profitability (Glenn and Feldberg, 1979). Due to the fact that workers under this condition only concentrate on specific tasks, they lack the skills to do things out of their job requirement, perhaps because they have neglected and hence have forgotten about those skills. On the other hand, let us consider the enskilling argument. Enskilling is described as changes in work often involving technology that result in an increase in the skill level of workers (Bratton, 2007). Many individuals would have been retrenched due to technology making certain manual jobs automated. However, for those who still have their jobs, their job scope would have increased. ICT enables more people do more things. For instance, an editor in a publishing house in the 1970s would only have enough expertise and minutes in a day to be in charge of reading and editing hand written manuscripts whilst having to send them back and forth to the author through traditional postal mail. With ICT, manuscripts may be written, edited, and transmitted digitally; which saves time. ICT also makes it easy enough for the 21st century editor to acquire other hands on skills such as video editing and graphic design; tasks that would have formerly been left to specialist in those fields. In addition, one would be would be required to exercise many other discrete competencies such as copy editing, marketing skills and negotiating ability (Barry, Chandler, Clark, Johnston, Needle, 2000). Here, it is possible to notice an increase in skill variety, task identity and task feedback. The increased skill of the worker allows managers to give more autonomy to them. This effectively means that management may loosen its control over workers relaxing power relations between management and workers. However, some have argued that this enskilling of workers allow managers to control workers to a higher extent because tasks are now centralized on less individuals compared to when they were spread out over large amounts of people in scientific management. Conclusion I have displayed how the introduction of ICT to the workplace has caused an increase in worker surveillance, a greater capability to communicate and the enskilling/deskilling phenomena. I have then shown how the mentioned effects of ICT have affected power relations within the workplace by altering the magnitude (increase and decrease) of control, authority and influence management has over workers.