How the Productivity Paradox Can Hurt Your Business and How to Avoid It

How the Productivity Paradox Can Hurt Your Business and How to Avoid It What would be the first thing to come to mind if I defined someone as a “wise fool”? How about if I told you that you can save money by spending it? Makes no sense, right? Here’s another one: This one is from George Orwell’s Animal Farm. What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”?All these are examples of paradoxes. The simplest definition of a paradox is a statement that is self-contradictory. What this means is that they contain two or more statements that are both true, but cannot be true at the same time. For example, someone is wise because they are not foolish. So there can’t be such thing as a wise fool.Another example: By saying that all animals are equal, the implication is that no animal is better than the other. There is no such thing as being more or less equal because the word ‘equal’ shows balance. When you say some animals are more equal than others, the conclusion becomes logically unaccep table.The interesting thing about paradoxes is the fact that despite the seemingly inconsistent conclusions from the statements, when some investigation is done or an explanation offered, the statement may prove to be true or it might promote critical thinking.To sum it all up, a paradox is when the actual occurrence is different from what is implied in the statement.Productivity on the other hand is a measure of the output produced per unit of input. In business, inputs can include labor and capital and outputs are measured in revenues and business inventories. It is calculated by dividing the output in a given period by the total costs that have been incurred during that period. These costs include energy, capital, raw materials and labor. It is a very critical measure in industries because it helps them determine their cost efficiency so that they can know what to improve. Although it is easy to define, productivity is very difficult to measure, especially in the modern times. Two aspects that have made this difficult are the two variables that need to be defined when calculating productivity: input and output.The output should not only include the number of products leaving a company’s production line, but also the value that has been created for the customer. Five decades ago, it was reasonable to take the weight or quantities of products leaving the factory as a reasonable value of output. Today, things have changed. Other variables like product quality, convenience, customization, variety and even timeliness need to be considered when computing the output.On the other hand, inputs are also not easy to compute. Hours put in by workers will not cut it anymore. There is a need to consider other variables like materials consumed, training for workers, supplier relations, investments in new processes and even the quality and quantity of equipment used .WHAT IS THE PRODUCTIVITY PARADOX?Now that we know what each of these two words mean, it’s time to try and figure out what they mean in an industry when they are put together.In recent decades, there has been a widespread growth in the use of computers in industry. We now have the technology and systems that enable us to get all sorts of data concerning production systems and what exactly is going on in the factories.This means that we can efficiently collect data on almost all the variables affecting inputs and outputs in our factories. The general expectation here is that with all this data, we should be in a position to easily make the necessary changes to achieve unprecedented levels of productivity that weren’t possible without the modern technology. Unfortunately, that’s where the paradox comes in.Despite having all this improvement in technology, there doesn’t seem to be any significant improvement in productivity. This has prompted researchers to look into the trend to try and establish whether or not there are any benefits on the productivity front from improvements in technology.DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRODUCTIVITY PARADOXThe first question to ask here is where productivity growth comes from. If we take a look at the definition, we’ll find that although working harder is advocated, it may not have a big impact on productivity. This is because it will increase outputs, but inputs will also go up. As a result, productivity will usually remain unchanged, and if there are changes, they will be small and insignificant.On the other hand, pumping in more capital and other factors of production may not necessarily improve productivity. Let’s take a step back and see where it all began.The productivity paradox was seen very prominently in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s when there was a big uptake of information technology. It is the period where the use of the computer in business grew rapidly.Companies invested large sums of money in IT with a hope to make things go faster and generally improve their processes. However, the same cannot be said about productivity growth. As a matter of fact, productivity growth slowed down over the same period.Labor productivity growth came down from about 3% in the 1960s to about 1% in the 1990s despite the increase in computing capacity thanks to the massive investments in IT. Robert Solow, an American Economist, noted this trend and observed that the computer age can be seen everywhere except in productivity statistics.There have been many theories going around trying to explain this trend. One such theory is that the productivity paradox doesn’t really exist. The main argument here is that productivity growth only seems to be going down, when in real sense it isn’t. The reason for this is that the statistics used to compute the growth fail to measure all the gains, especially those that have been made possible by the availability of ICT.Let’s look at a practical example. Tradi tional measures of productivity are normally based on GDP. This means that only output that has been produced can be included. This means that customer surplus is ignored, despite the fact that it is increasing rapidly with the increase of internet based services like Facebook and Google search which generate substantial utility at an extremely low market price.Another example: very few people nowadays still buy music CDs. Taking the number of CDs sold as the way of measuring output in the music industry will show that the industry is shrinking. However, the truth is that we are not listening to less music. As a matter of fact, we are listening to more music thanks to the increase in access thanks to the increase in popularity of smartphones that have built-in media players. On paper, the music industry is shrinking. In reality that is very far from the truth. It’s measuring that just got more complicated.Brookings Institution together with the Chumir Foundation did a review of pr oductivity research. This review proved that gains from new technologies are underestimated as a result of lack of ways to accurately measure all the affected variables. Specifically, the two most affected variables are customer surplus and product quality.However, the report does explain that these inaccurate measurements only account for a small fraction of the slowdown in productivity gains. It also goes on to say that the lapses have been around for a long time and they don’t seem to have significantly increased in recent years.As a result, the conclusion is that despite the presence of lapses in measurement, the slowdown in productivity growth is still real.Another way to look at it is that the recent technological improvements have not been as widespread as their predecessors. For example, the internal combustion engine and electrification both had numerous benefits on the entire economy. The same can’t be said about the ICT advances we have seen in the past.Firm-level dat a looked into this and they found that there has been a significant productivity growth in the companies that have fully harnessed modern technology. The difference comes in the companies that have not fully leveraged the power of new technologies. These companies have experienced productivity growth slowdowns which have pulled the industry average down. So the problem is not modern technology, but slow adoption.Luckily, world leaders understand the need to do something about the trend. In a recent G20 summit, leaders put emphasis on the need to accelerate reforms that are going to enhance productivity and to lift potential growth. They also talked about the need to boost investment in new tech. Hopefully, this will help reduce the forces against adoption of technology in industry.We don’t know the impact that modern technologies will have on the world economy in the long term, but one thing is certain: the productivity paradox is real. It is responsible for the rising inequality in many societies and for that reason, it’s time to do something about it.AVOIDING THE PRODUCTIVITY PARADOXThe way to improve productivity is by working smarter. This means analyzing the processes and changing the technologies and techniques that can help get more output from the same input. No matter how much you are compelled to do so, working harder is not going to do you a lot of good on productivity.The first important thing to note is that your business can easily become a prisoner of its own cost cutting measures. Many productivity programs assume that cost cutting is the best way to recover from a competitor who brings cheaper products to the market. As a result, they would set targets that try and get managers to cut costs by all means. This derails them from the real objective and they end up incurring huge opportunity costs as they focus on short term considerations.What this means for your business is that you need to look at the bigger picture. Don’t spend too much time looking for shortcuts and end up spending no time on innovation and other things that will help you in the long run. Drastic cost cutting measures will also create constraints that will make you lose flexibility. Before long, making product changes will be a problem and the business will have problems developing new programs as a result.Someone once said that with great power, comes responsibility. No doubt, advances in technology will give you power that can also be abused. It is a well-known fact that computers and mobile phones are the greatest reducers of productivity in the office because they bring with them distractions. Rather than doing their work, your employees could be on social media having chats with friends or doing other things that they are not supposed to be doing at that time.The result is less productivity for your business, not because technology isn’t working for you, but because in your case, the disadvantages that it comes with outweigh the advantages. Nonetheless, even with these disadvantages, when used correctly, modern technology does pull its weight.For example, spreadsheets have made it possible to perform complex calculations of large volumes of data with a high degree of accuracy. This is something that was very hard to achieve using manual spreadsheets. So the worker is able to save time, time which can be used on other productive tasks that can help the company. It also means an improvement in quality due to the high accuracy of the information received.Let’s look at the productivity paradox in banking. ATMs generally reduced the number of paper checks that were processed by banks. In a way, this can be seen as a reduction in banking output and by extension, productivity. However, the convenience that the ATMs brought is undeniable. If this is the case in your business, then you have nothing to worry about. Things are much better than they look.Another thing that can help improve your business productivity is creating a flat organization structure as opposed to having a hierarchical structure. This can be achieved by increasing the number of skilled workers and giving them more decision making responsibility. This way, you will reduce inefficiencies created by long approval processes.There is a consistent positive relationship between the use of modern technology and the use of self-directed teams with greater levels of individual decision making. This is because technology empowers the workers and makes it hard to constantly monitor every single activity they engage in at all times. So to get the most out of this technology, you will need to have skilled workers who will be able to work with little or no supervision.Another thing that could lead to the productivity paradox in your business is workers maintaining their old ways. These people have been used to a specific system of working that has been successful so far. To survive, they may have picked up a number of habits. These habits could b e the reason behind low productivity growth even after switching to modern systems.Every modern system has its own perks which make it better than the old system. For some, the benefit can be seen in low work-in-progress inventories for others it is something else. If workers were used to having a pile of unprocessed inventories waiting at all times, (for all the good reasons) they will certainly have trouble getting used to running with a small pile. That could be keeping you from reaping full benefits of the new system because if one benefit is low work-in progress inventories, you won’t see it.To ensure that you don’t end up with this problem, proper training is essential. Make sure that your employees understand exactly how the new system works. In this training, also make a point of highlighting the operational differences between the new system and the old one. Spend as much time as possible here and make sure that everyone understands. This way, they are less likely to us e tricks from the old system in the new one without first verifying that they work.Be prepared for the change. Most companies think that the only change they would have to deal with is purchasing and installing a new system. Far from it. The biggest cost is changing the company. When you foresee this, you will be better prepared to make the decisions that will need to be made after the system has been installed. You will also understand that changes will not start to be seen overnight. You’ll also understand that the benefits from the investment are going to be realized over a long period of time so you will adjust your expectations to ensure that you don’t find yourself pressuring your managers and derailing them from the main cause.It’s also important to note that computerization alone will not automatically increase your business productivity.However, it is a vital component of a modern system of organizational changes that if properly effected, are going to improve product ivity. It is therefore important to consider these changes as a part of the computerization process. For example, to reap the full benefits of computerization, you will need an overhaul of the way communication is done in the business.Traditionally, you could have been using typed memos and other such channels of messaging. With computers, you can reduce your paper consumption and also enjoy faster communication. If you stick with the old communication system, you won’t be able to reap full benefits of computerization and it will appear like you are stuck in the productivity paradox.This was the same problem faced when electric motors were introduced into factories. At first, all that was done was a replacement of the large steam engines with gigantic electric motors. The work process remain the same and as a result, the productivity improvements were minimal.The big gains came about 40 years later when they realized that they no longer needed to arrange the machines around a cent ral power plant. They then re-engineered the factory and distributed the machines in a manner that allowed the semi processed materials to move from one machine to the other in the most efficient manner. This is because each machine could be powered by its own small electric motor, hence there was no need for a central power plant.The same applies in computerization. All the benefits of new technology have to be exploited before we can reap maximum productivity growth. The good news is that the revolution is happening much faster this time round so we won’t have to wait four decades.It’s normal for productivity to first go down when new computer systems are installed. This is the period when employees are learning how to use them and getting them to peak performance. Here are some things that you can do to ensure that this learning phase is as short as possible:Identify and clarify all roles and responsibilities of all the people who will handle the system. This will be most eff ective if it is done before the system is commissioned.Create easy to understand process flows and new procedures. They should be distributed to all the people who will need them and like the roles and responsibilities, this should also be done before the system is commissioned.When designing the new system and its implementation, ask for input from frontline workers and supervisors. They have hands-on experience with the old system hence they are the best people to tell you how the new system can be better applied. They will also own the new system when they feel that their thoughts and feelings were put into the purchase and implementation of the system.Ensure that the training is relevant and practical. Give employees as much practice as possible during the training sessions and if possible, have them work on a live system during the training to ensure that they are fully conversant with what to expect once everything is rolled out.The important thing to note is that throwing som e new technology to a problem will not make it to go away. It is vital for the people who will be working with the technology to be congruent with the new technology. This can only be done through training and providing all the necessary information to them.

Importance of Symbolism and Setting in The Yellow Wallpaper

Importance of Symbolism and Setting in The Yellow Wallpaper In the disturbing novel, The Yellow Wallpaper, the setting in which the action takes place is extremely important. The author uses setting to focus the reader’s attention into the story in a gradual manner. Also, the manipulation of setting allows the author to subtly introduce symbols in the text. These symbols represent Gilman’s view on the status of women in the patriarchal society of the nineteenth century. The story takes the form of a journal of the main character. Therefore, the reader’s view is limited to the impressions of a single character, Jane. Considering some background information on Gilman, one can easily draw the conclusion that the story is†¦show more content†¦We learn from the first paragraphs that focusing on the scenery will help her forget the nervous depression which she has been diagnosed with: So, I will let it [her illness] alone and talk about the house(947). The main character’s focus on the environment is the reason for which the reader gets plenty of information about the setting. The text is very descriptive and loaded with symbols. The author takes the opportunity to relate elements of setting with symbols with meanings beyond the first reading’s impressions. The house that the characters rent for the summer as well as the surrounding scenery are introduced right from the beginning. It is an isolated house, situated quite three miles from the village(947); this location suggests an isolated environment. Because of its colonial mansion(946) look, and its age and state of degradation, of the house, a supernatural hypothesis is implied: the place is haunted by ghosts. This description also suggests stability, strength, power and control. It symbolizes the patriarchal oriented society of the author’s time. The image of a haunted house is curiously superimposed with light color elements of setting: a delicious garden(947), velvet meadows(950), old-fashioned flowers, and bushes and gnarly trees(948) suggest bright green. The room has air and sunshine galore(947), the garden is large and shady(947) and has deep-shaded arbors(948). The unclean yellow of the wallpaper isShow MoreRelatedSymbolism of the Setting of The Yellow Wallpaper1198 Words   |  5 PagesVolpe 1 Marissa Volpe Prof. Baker ENC 1102 4/10/14 Symbolism In The Gothic Setting of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† Gothic literature is incredibly distinct. There is a sort of formula involved with writing in the Gothic style, and one of the most important aspects of this is the setting, which can include anything from the architecture of the buildings to the color of the leaves on the trees. The setting of a story is a vital element, as it would seem to be that the most effective way of drawing Read MoreAnalysis Of The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman1269 Words   |  6 PagesFebruary 2017 Analysis of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† Life during the 1800s for a woman was rather distressing. Society had essentially designated them the role of being a housekeeper and bearing children. They had little to no voice on how they lived their daily lives. Men decided everything for them. To clash with society s conventional views is a challenging thing to do; however, Charlotte Perkins Gilman does an excellent job fighting that battle by writing â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper,† one of the most captivatingRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper Essay : Importance Of Identity And Self Expression1707 Words   |  7 PagesThe Importance of Identity and Self Expression in The Yellow Wallpaper In the article â€Å"‘Too Terribly Good to Be Printed’: Charlotte Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper,’† Conrad Shumaker explains the genius of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† and how its themes reflect the patriarchal society of the time period. 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O n the other hand, Crane’s 1893 Maggie: A Girl of the Streets is the realist account of a New York girlRead MoreOf Discovery In Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening, And Robert Frosts Poems1093 Words   |  5 Pagesreflected in the poem, ‘Stopping by Woods on A Snowy Evening’ by Robert Frost and the short story, ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Robert Frost’s poetry reflects an enduring interest in how landscape can evoke contemplation and reflection about one’s place in society and the purpose of their existence. This idea is also closely reflected in my related text ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’. The concept of discovery in the two texts is conveyed as intellectual and emotional, derived from momentsRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman1996 Words   |  8 PagesPerkins Gilman with ‘The Yellow Wallpaper.’ ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ is a short story that emphasises a y oung woman struggling with the negative impacts of mental illness such as depression and nervous breakdowns. Through the fantastic use of repetition, convoluted sentence design, sophisticated language, active voice and evocative accounts of her surroundings, Gilman effectively plays with the feelings and emotions of the audience by creating a setting in which has jumping wallpapers and woman trapped behindRead MoreExamples Of Feminism In The Yellow Wallpaper1089 Words   |  5 Pagesmore as property and were merely useless if they could not have children. This time period’s society was male dominated. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wall-paper† strongly argues the theme of patriarchal control while in a authentic sense defines a feminist critique of the role of women. Gilman does a great example of relating the setting to the oppression of females during this time. Jane tells about the house in saying, â€Å"It is quite alone, standing well back from the road, quite three milesRead MoreUse Of Setting And Symbolism Of The Works Of Charlotte Perkins Gilman And Robert Frost1424 Words   |  6 PagesFrost that we’ve read in class use setting and symbolism to help readers to develop a greater understanding of the nature of relationships develop a greater understanding of the nature of relationships between two people. Gilman, Frost, and Edson use setting to demonstrate the strain that can exist between people in times of conflict. In Gilman s short story The Yellow Wallpaper the relationship between a man and a women displayed distressed. Gilman s use of setting allows the reader to demonstrateRead MoreInternal And External Captivity By Langston Hughes1739 Words   |  7 Pagesthe reader has embarked upon and starts with a basis of freedom from a newborn civilization and goes on to explain the confinement of an ever-changing society who has lost its way. Contrasting with that society, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† showcases the narrator’s captivity within a room and the mechanics of her mind growing more and more chaotic as her isolation from the outside world (mostly her husband) leads to her insanity. Kate Chopin expresses the many freedoms of an upper-classRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagesoccupy an entir e chapter or more. Some plots require more exposition than others. A historical novel set in a foreign country several centuries ago obviously needs to provide the reader with more background information than a novel with a contemporary setting. COMPLICATION: The complication which is sometimes referred to as the rising action, breaks the existing equilibrium and introduces the characters and underlying or inciting conflict (if they have not already been introduced by the exposition).

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What role did tribalism and racism play in ancient Greece Free Essays

Abstract A broad analysis of the evidence and impact of the concepts of tribalism and racism within Greece of antiquity, concentrating on the Classical and Hellenistic periods. Assessing the archaeological and literary evidence alongside the prevailing historical bias for these concepts. It is argued that Greece, although not a tribe but a state under Elman Sevice’s definition shows some strains of tribalism. We will write a custom essay sample on What role did tribalism and racism play in ancient Greece? or any similar topic only for you Order Now Racism or proto-racism, is defined by differing criteria to the modern connotation and seems to have been geographically rather than biologically biased. Introduction The period associated with ancient Greece spans around 1400 years from the archaic period with the traditional date for the first historic Olympic games in 776BC to the end of antiquity around 600AD.It is sensible to focus on the Classical and Hellenistic periods beginning with the Battle of Thermopylae in 480BC and ending with the end of the Fourth Macedonian War in 148BC. The modern concepts of racism and tribalism are non necessarily one that would be comprehended in the ancient world. Racism in the modern sense of the word arose in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries alongside concepts of nationalism and the ‘noble savage’. To add a broader cultural context, the Mycenaean palace civilization which collapsed in the twelfth century BC and the archaeological evidence supporting this collapse indicates a phase of depopulation and decline in the region. (Champion et al 1989: 244) At the beginning of the eighth century BC an archaeologically visible cultural complex emerged, distinct from the Halstatt iron age culture predominant in northern Europe. Broadly homogenous and distinctive, this cultural complex was established by the sixth century BC encompassing most of the Mediterranean coastal regions and included the Phoenicians, the Etruscans and Celt-Iberians as well as the Greeks. (ibid) and includes the corpus of work by Prof. Manolis Andronikos which establishes that the Macedonians had a Greek material culture. The attitudes of colonial Greeks in places like Massilia (Marseille) towards Hellenic ethnic identity differs from that of the Greeks who were living in polis (city-states). As an example of this geographical difference, and what that meant to ancient Greek society , there is a marked contrast between Pericles’ citizenship law of 451/450BC and Ptolemy I’s ‘Diagramma’ explaining the legal implications of inter-marriage between Greeks and non-Greeks in Cyrene in the fourth century BC. Pericles’ law relates to Athens and stipulates that only individuals who had two Athenian parents could be considered Athenian citizens. From Ptolemy we learn that in Cyrene children of a Greek father and a Libyan mother were considered citizens. Aristotle in his Politics (VI, 2 1319 b 2) remarks that the democratic members had changed the orthodox practice and â€Å"flooded the citizen body with these half-castes† (nothoi pros metros) betraying the conservatism of ‘mainland’ Greece, but in particular Athens. Discussing trading colonies it is significant that the only echelon of society within Greek polis involved in banking and business in the modern connotation were xenoi or outsiders. In Aristotle’s words: â€Å"†¦money orientated life is not of the knightly kind† (Nicomanchean Ethics I. iv 1095b15-22) As there was a material cultural continuity across the Mediterranean world at the time, the concept of ethnic difference or racism cannot be easily tracked archaeologically but through literary sources. Considering the bias of such sources Baldry says: â€Å"One can all too easily overestimate the importance of beliefs expressed by a small intellectual minority, while forgetting that the majority found it difficult to see beyond the horizon of the polis;†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Baldry, H.C., 1965 176-77) Within this academic community there was a breadth of opinion. Conservative Aristotle equates ethnic identity with slavery in his Politics saying: â€Å"Wherefore the Hellenes (Greeks) do not like to call Hellenes slaves, but confine the term to barbarians. Yet in using this language, they really mean the natural slave†¦Hellenes regard themselves as noble everywhere, and not only in their own country, but they deem the barbarians noble only when at home, thereby implying that there are two sorts of nobility and freedom, the one absoloute, the other relative† (Aristotle Politics 1255a-1255b) â€Å"†¦the lower sort are by nature slaves, and it is better for them as for all inferiors (sc barbarians) that they should be under the rule of a master. For he who can be, and therefore it, another’s, and he who particupates in rational principle enough to apprehend, but not to have, such a principle, is a slave by nature† (Aristotle’s Politics 1254b) This hints at concepts of the ‘noble savage’ which emerged during the enlightenment of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in tandem with nationalism and racism. It has been suggested that the ideologies of the ancient Greeks could be defined as proto-racism (Bakaukas 2005: 5) The zenith of the Greek polis was the sixth to the fourth centuries BC. The period of the Persian Wars and the dominance of Athens and Sparta as political entities, underlining the perceived divisions between those who defined themselves as Hellenic and those deemed barbarian. Paridoxically there was concurrently growth in the concept of the unity of all mankind. Homer defines men as aydeentes (speaking beings), and this concept can also be seen in Plato’s Protagoras with the pronounced distinction between man and inarticulate animals. There is also a choral fragment from the fifth century BC from the Alexander of Euripides and the philosophy of sophists, in particular Antiphon. Other proponents were Thucydides, and the medical writers of the Hippocratic Corpus ( â€Å"†¦the same symptoms have the same meaning everywhere†). Nevertheless, as has already been alluded to, Greek proto-racism was not biologically based as the common modern interpretation. Tribalism could be placed within the theoretical framework of the American anthropologist Elman Service. He postulated a four-fold classification system of societal evolution (Band, Tribe, Chiefdom and State) with associated types of site and settlement patterns. Greece in Service’s definition is not a tribe but a State. Tribalism implies shared cultural or ethnic identity used to exclude non-members. Therefore it could be described as a cohesive force and racism a devisive one. A good example of the impact of both concepts is the Greek attitudes towards Macedonia and Alexander the Great. Greek states generally considered Macedonians barbarians, but, since the fifth century BC they had been permitted to compete in the Olympian Games, ostensibly because they were believed to descend from the legendary Heralces. Linguistically they spoke Greek (Bakaukas, M. 2005: 9). Alexander’s mother, Olympia was another ‘barbarian’ (daughter of Neoptolemus of Epirus (ibid)) another Hellenised individual who met Philip of Macedon during celebrations of the Greek Mysteries of Samothrace. Alexander was a pupil of Aristotle and Plutarch relates that the teacher was criticised for advising Alexander to treat Greeks as friends and barbarians as enemies. Alexander did not pay any heed to this advice: â€Å"All mortals from now on shall live like one people, united and peacefully working towards a common prosperity. You should regard the whole world as your country – a country where the best govern – with common laws and no racial distinctions† (The ‘Oath’ of Alexander the Great – Speech at Opis (Assyria) in 324BC) The most obvious comparison between Greek city states for race and tribal considerations is between Athens and Sparta. Both considered each other Hellenic but Athens was a democracy and Sparta an oligarchy. The Peloponnesian War (431 – 404BC) is the pinnacle of their rivalry and as Thucydides comments, before the War and after the Persian Wars (499 – 449BC) much of Greece was known as the Athenian Empire. Conclusion In conclusion, tribalism and racism are modern constructs which existed in ancient Greece but were formed according to the prevalent cultural, political and social contexts. Archaeological evidence has provided a quantitive benchmark that the material culture was homogenous throughout the Mediterranean world. The ‘tribe’ of Greeks were united in their urban state structure and common ideals of democracy and civilization but the significance of ‘purity’ in racial terms was malleable, tending to be more flexible the further from the nexus of Greek civilisation. BIBLIOGRAPGHY Bakaukas, Michael. 2005. Tribalism and Racism amongst the Ancient Greeks: A Weberian Perspective. Anistoriton Journal, vol. 9, March 2005, section E0501 Available through: http://www.anistor.co.hol.gr [Accessed 10th August 2012] Baldry, H.C., 1961 The Idea of the Unity of Mankind in Greek Thought Cambridge University Press Borza, E.N., and Palagia, O., The Chronology of the Macedonian Royal Tombs at Vergina Available through: http://uoa.academia.edu/OlgaPalagia/Papers/872753/The_chronology_of_the_Macedonian_royal_tombs_at_Vergina [Accessed 11th August 2012] Champion, C., Gamble, C., Shennan, S., Whittle, A. 1984 Prehistoric Europe Ninth printing 1997. Academic Press Ltd, London. Renfrew, C., and Bahn, P., 1996 (Second Edition) Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice Thames and Hudson, London Trigger, Bruce G. 1989. A History of Archaeological Thought Cambridge University Press. How to cite What role did tribalism and racism play in ancient Greece?, Essay examples

Civil War Weaponry free essay sample

A look at the weapons used in the American Civil War, the modernization process and the use of bullets for the first time on such a major scale. This paper examines the modernization of warfare that occurred during the American Civil War, a process that was centered on the kinds of weapons that were used, but also had to do with changing ideas about the nature of war as well. This paper focuses on an examination of the types of bullets used in the war by both sides because new techniques in the manufacturing of bullets was the core of the modernization of warfare. The American Civil War is often referred to as the last of the old-fashioned wars in terms of its weaponry, its military strategy and its casualty rates. Looking at these same criteria, it is also arguable and this seems to be the more tenable position that it was in fact the first modern war, and this was the case primarily because of the weapons that were used, including the types of guns and the types of bullets. We will write a custom essay sample on Civil War Weaponry or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

Sampling error Essay Example

Sampling error Essay Research is defined as the creation of new knowledge and/or the use of existing knowledge in a new and creative way so as to generate new concepts, methodologies and understandings. This could include synthesis and analysis of previous research to the extent that it leads to new and creative outcomes.This definition of research is consistent with a broad notion of research and experimental development (Ramp;D) as comprising of creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of humanity, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications (OECD definition). This definition of research encompasses pure and strategic basic research, applied research and experimental development.Applied research is original investigation undertaken to acquire new knowledge but directed towards a specific, practical aim or objective (including a client-driven purpose). Research is an ORGANIZED and SYSTEMATIC way of FINDING ANSWERS to QUESTIONS. | | SYSTEMATIC because there is a definite set of procedures and steps which you will follow. There are certain things in the research process which are always done in order to get the most accurate results. ORGANIZED in that there is a structure or method in going about doing research. It is a planned procedure, not a spontaneous one. It is focused and limited to a specific scope.FINDING ANSWERS is the end of all research. Whether it is the answer to a hypothesis or even a simple question, research is successful when we find answers. Sometimes the answer is no, but it is still an answer. QUESTIONS are central to research. If there is no question, then the answer is of no use. Research is focused on relevant, useful, and important questions. Without a question, research has no focus, drive, or purpose. RESEARCH METHODS The research methodology defines what constitutes a research activity. It utilizes or is applicable to a model, and therefore sp ecifies concepts and related statements.The methodology identifies what methods to apply, how to measure progress and what constitutes success. It also specifies how to communicate about an area of research activity. TYPES OF RESEARCH METHODS 1. Historical-Qualitative – it is the systematic and objective location, evaluation and synthesis of evidence in order to establish facts and draw conclusions about past events. 2. Comparative-Qualitative – often used together with historical research to compare people’s experience of different societies, either between times in the past or in parallel situations in the present. It is conducted at a macro level or at a micro level. 3.Descriptive-Qualitative (Ethnography/Case Study) – this is a detailed description of specific situations using interviews, observations, document review. There is a description of things as they are. This works best for questions like How do people implement a program? What challenges do people face? What are the people’s perceptions? 4. Descriptive-Quantitative – This is a numerical description like frequency and average. We measure things as they are. Questions for this include How many people are participating in the program? What are the characteristics of the people in this program? How well did participants in this program do? . Correlational/Regression Analyses – It is a quantitative analysis of the strength of relationships between two or more variables 6. Quasi-Experimental – It involves the comparing of a group that gets a particular intervention with another group that is similar in characteristics but did not receive the intervention. 7. Experimental – this is the use of random assignment to assign participants to an experimental or treatment group and a control or comparison group. 8. Meta-analysis – This is a synthesis of results from multiple studies to determine the average impact of a similar intervention a cross studies 9.Evaluation – this is a descriptive type of research designed to deal with complex social issues. The outcomes do not represent â€Å"how things are† or â€Å"how they work†, rather they represent meaningful constructions which groups create to make sense of situations they find themselves in. evaluation should be action oriented, defines a course which can be practically followed and usually requires negotiation. 10. Action-oriented research – similar to experimental research although carried out in the real world ather than in the context of a closed experimental system – it involves small scale interventions in the functioning of the real world and a close examination of the effects of such an intervention. This is a practical form of research, aimed at a specific problem and situation and with little or no control over independent variables. 11. Ethnogenic – the aim of this research method is to represent a view of the wor ld as it is structures by the participants under observation by eliciting phenomenological data and this takes place in undisturbed natural settings of the subjects. LITERATURE REVIEWLiterature Review is an analysis of prior academic research so as to identify the who, what, where, and whys’ of the chosen topic area. It is a critical, analytical summary and synthesis of the current knowledge of a topic. Thus it should compare and relate different theories, findings, etc, rather than just summarize them individually. In addition, it should have a particular focus or theme to organize the review. It does not have to be an exhaustive account of everything published on the topic, but it should discuss all the significant academic literature important for that focus.TYPES OF LITERATURE REVIEW Traditional or Narrative literature Review * Critiques and summarizes a body of literature * Draws conclusions about the topic * Identifies gaps or inconsistencies in a body of knowledge * Re quires a sufficiently focused research question Weaknesses: * A large number of studies may make it difficult to draw conclusions * The process is subject to bias that supports the researchers own work. Systematic Literature Review * More rigorous and well-defined approach * Comprehensive Published and unpublished studies relating to a particular subject area * Details the time frame within which the literature was selected * Details the methods used to evaluate and synthesize findings of the studies in question SAMPLING Researchers use samples as a way to gather data in cases where it is almost impossible to gather the entire population as respondents. Moreover, if it is deemed too costly and too time consuming to include the entire populaiton, sampling is also necessary. A sample is a subset of the population being studied.It represents the larger population and is used to draw inferences about that population. It is a research technique widely used in the social sciences as a way to gather information about a population without having to measure the entire population. There are several different types and ways of choosing a sample from a population, from simple to complex. Non-probability Sampling Techniques Non-probability sampling is a sampling technique where the samples are gathered in a process that does not give all the individuals in the population equal chances of being selected.Reliance On Available Subjects. Relying on available subjects, such as stopping people on a street corner as they pass by, is one method of sampling, although it is extremely risky and comes with many cautions. This method, sometimes referred to as a convenience sample, does not allow the researcher to have any control over the representativeness of the sample. It is only justified if the researcher wants to study the characteristics of people passing by the street corner at a certain point in time or if other sampling methods are not possible.The researcher must also take c aution to not use results from a convenience sample to generalize to a wider population. Purposive or Judgmental Sample. A purposive, or judgmental, sample is one that is selected based on the knowledge of a population and the purpose of the study. For example, if a researcher is studying the nature of school spirit as exhibited at a school pep rally, he or she might interview people who did not appear to be caught up in the emotions of the crowd or students who did not attend the rally at all.In this case, the researcher is using a purposive sample because those being interviewed fit a specific purpose or description. Snowball Sample. A snowball sample is appropriate to use in research when the members of a population are difficult to locate, such as homeless individuals, migrant workers, or undocumented immigrants. A snowball sample is one in which the researcher collects data on the few members of the target population he or she can locate, then asks those individuals to provide information needed to locate other members of that population whom they know.For example, if a researcher wishes to interview undocumented immigrants from Mexico, he or she might interview a few undocumented individuals that he or she knows or can locate and would then rely on those subjects to help locate more undocumented individuals. This process continues until the researcher has all the interviews he or she needs or until all contacts have been exhausted. Quota Sample. A quota sample is one in which units are selected into a sample on the basis of pre-specified characteristics so that the total sample has the same distribution of characteristics assumed to exist in the population being studied.For example, if you a researcher conducting a national quota sample, you might need to know what proportion of the population is male and what proportion is female as well as what proportions of each gender fall into different age categories, race or ethnic categories, educational categor ies, etc. The researcher would then collect a sample with the same proportions as the national population. Probability Sampling Techniques Probability sampling is a sampling technique where the samples are gathered in a process that gives all the individuals in the population equal chances of being selected. Simple Random Sample.The simple random sample is the basic sampling method assumed in statistical methods and computations. To collect a simple random sample, each unit of the target population is assigned a number. A set of random numbers is then generated and the units having those numbers are included in the sample. For example, let’s say you have a population of 1,000 people and you wish to choose a simple random sample of 50 people. First, each person is numbered 1 through 1,000. Then, you generate a list of 50 random numbers (typically with a computer program) and those individuals assigned those numbers are the ones you include in the sample.Systematic Sample. In a systematic sample, the elements of the population are put into a list and then every kth element in the list is chosen (systematically) for inclusion in the sample. For example, if the population of study contained 2,000 students at a high school and the researcher wanted a sample of 100 students, the students would be put into list form and then every 20th student would be selected for inclusion in the sample. To ensure against any possible human bias in this method, the researcher should select the first individual at random. This is technically called a systematic sample with a random start.Stratified Sample. A stratified sample is a sampling technique in which the researcher divided the entire target population into different subgroups, or strata, and then randomly selects the final subjects proportionally from the different strata. This type of sampling is used when the researcher wants to highlight specific subgroups within the population. For example, to obtain a stratified sample of university students, the researcher would first organize the population by college class and then select appropriate numbers of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors.This ensures that the researcher has adequate amounts of subjects from each class in the final sample. Cluster Sample. Cluster sampling may be used when it is either impossible or impractical to compile an exhaustive list of the elements that make up the target population. Usually, however, the population elements are already grouped into subpopulations and lists of those subpopulations already exist or can be created. For example, let’s say the target population in a study was church members in the United States. There is no list of all church members in the country.The researcher could, however, create a list of churches in the United States, choose a sample of churches, and then obtain lists of members from those churches. References Babbie, E. (2001). The Practice of Social Research: 9th Editio n. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Thomson. SLOVIN’S FORMULA When to Use Slovins Formula * If a sample is taken from a population, a formula must be used to take into account confidence levels and margins of error. When taking statistical samples, sometimes a lot is known about a population, sometimes a little and sometimes nothing at all.For example, we may know that a population is normally distributed (e. g. , for heights, weights or IQs), we may know that there is a bimodal distribution (as often happens with class grades in mathematics classes) or we may have no idea about how a population is going to behave (such as polling college students to get their opinions about quality of student life). Slovins formula is used when nothing about the behavior of a population is known at all. How to Use Slovins Formula * Slovins formula is written as: n = N / (1 + Ne^2) n = Number of samples N = Total population e = Error toleranceTo use the formula, first figure out what you want your erro r of tolerance to be. For example, you may be happy with a confidence level of 95 percent (giving a margin error of 0. 05), or you may require a tighter accuracy of a 98 percent confidence level (a margin of error of 0. 02). Plug your population size and required margin of error into the formula. The result will be the number of samples you need to take. For example, suppose that you have a group of 1,000 city government employees and you want to survey them to find out which tools are best suited to their jobs. You decide that you are happy with a margin of error of 0. 5. Using Slovins formula, you would be required to survey n = N / (1 + Ne^2) people: 1,000 / (1 + 1000 * 0. 05 * 0. 05) = 286 PLAGIARISM According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to plagiarize means * to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as ones own * to use (anothers production) without crediting the source * to commit literary theft * to present as new and original an idea or product deri ved from an existing source In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone elses work and lying about it afterward Examples of plagiarism: turning in someone elses work as your own * copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit * failing to put a quotation in quotation marks * giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation * changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit * copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not Belen, Other than these, review mo din ung statement of the problem mo, conceptual framework, paradigm at methodology dun sa pinasa mong research proposal before. Im sure itatanong un sa u.

Free Essays on An Examination Of Southern Dialect

An Examination of Southern Dialect as Seen in the Works of William Faulkner In the writings of William Faulkner, the reader may sense that the author has created an entire world, which directly reflects his own personal experience. Faulkner writes about the area in and around Mississippi, where he is from, during the post-Civil War period. It is most frequently Northern Mississippi that Faulkner uses for his literary territory, changing Oxford to â€Å"Jefferson† and Lafayette County to â€Å"Yoknapatawpha County,† because it is here that he lived most of his life and wrote of the people he knew. Faulkner’s stories focus on the Southeastern United States at a time period when old traditions began to clash with new ideals. This is an era in American history with which most people can quickly identify, whether they are Southern or not. The South in Faulkner’s works are complete with all the expected features: an agricultural society, Southern belles and gentlemen, racial tensions, and especially the common characteristics of Southern speech. Faulkner strays from the normal customs of Northern literature to present a realistic portrait of the South that he grew up in. In doing so, he comes up with an excellent sample of the Southern language, including linguistic qualities of both black and white speech. Faulkner establishes a unique literary voice which is recognizable due to variances from standard English in vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammatical form, while juxtaposing speech elements foreign to anyone not familiar with Southern heritage. The works of William Faulkner succeed in creating a literary dialect which is relatively consistent throughout all of his stories. A literary dialect is best defined as an â€Å"author’s attempt to represent in writing a speech that is restricted regionally, socially, or both† (Ives 146). In Faulkner’s writing, this can be described by such traits as an intentional misspelling, l... Free Essays on An Examination Of Southern Dialect Free Essays on An Examination Of Southern Dialect An Examination of Southern Dialect as Seen in the Works of William Faulkner In the writings of William Faulkner, the reader may sense that the author has created an entire world, which directly reflects his own personal experience. Faulkner writes about the area in and around Mississippi, where he is from, during the post-Civil War period. It is most frequently Northern Mississippi that Faulkner uses for his literary territory, changing Oxford to â€Å"Jefferson† and Lafayette County to â€Å"Yoknapatawpha County,† because it is here that he lived most of his life and wrote of the people he knew. Faulkner’s stories focus on the Southeastern United States at a time period when old traditions began to clash with new ideals. This is an era in American history with which most people can quickly identify, whether they are Southern or not. The South in Faulkner’s works are complete with all the expected features: an agricultural society, Southern belles and gentlemen, racial tensions, and especially the common characteristics of Southern speech. Faulkner strays from the normal customs of Northern literature to present a realistic portrait of the South that he grew up in. In doing so, he comes up with an excellent sample of the Southern language, including linguistic qualities of both black and white speech. Faulkner establishes a unique literary voice which is recognizable due to variances from standard English in vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammatical form, while juxtaposing speech elements foreign to anyone not familiar with Southern heritage. The works of William Faulkner succeed in creating a literary dialect which is relatively consistent throughout all of his stories. A literary dialect is best defined as an â€Å"author’s attempt to represent in writing a speech that is restricted regionally, socially, or both† (Ives 146). In Faulkner’s writing, this can be described by such traits as an intentional misspelling, l...