Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Counterculture Analysis: Neo National Socialists
Counterculture Analysis: Neo National Socialists James Blackburn The group chosen for this assignment would be the Neo-National Socialists (Neo-Nazis), modern culture that fits well within the definition of a counterculture. A counterculture is a subculture that rejects the major values of the larger society and replaces them with a new set of cultural patterns (Thomas 39). An obvious trait of these modernized National Socialists, is that they indulge themselves with the idea of anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is viewed as a negative value in most of society, yet Neo-Nazis embrace this horrific hatred against the Jewish population and their culture (Southern Poverty Law Center). Evidence also leads to the conclusion that Neo-Nazis were not only anti-Semites but are very homophobic as well. Members of the Hogar Social Madrid had spit out homophobic slangs at a gay couple. This couple made out in front of the neo Nazis as a protest against them. The neo Nazi group was apparently protesting against taking in refugees near Plaza del Dos de Mayo in Malasa à ±a (Wong). The term Nazi comes from the rising Soviet propaganda during WWII when Hitler decided to invade Russia. Nà ¡tional Sozà alistische Deutsche Arbeiter partei, Hitlers party name just in Deutch. The Russians wanted to name Hitler as not a true socialist so they would mock him with the term of Nazi. If a person named the National Socialist party as the Nazi party, they would have been killed. The Russians pulled out the stressed syllables of their party and create the propaganda term of Nazi (Passyn). Going towards the ideology of the party, Hitler viewed his party as being Left-Wing instead of Right-Wing but media has showcased his ideology as Right-wing. In the pre-revolutionary France during the National Assemblies, the reactionaries sat on the right and the revolutionaries sat on the left. The Nazis viewed themselves as revolutionaries according to Mr. Hanson. The Nazis wanted the downfall of the Old Order and reestablish a new system of government; this seems appropriate because the Nazis had already deemed the government as unfit to govern and tried to overthrow the government during the Beer Hall Putsch which failed on a large scale. On top of this, Germany was basically on its hands and knees in terms of economics, nationalism and power after the horrific defeat in WWI (Hanson). As a view from the Right-Wing, Mr. Klein states that there was actually no true socialism within the National Socialist party. He claims that Hitler outlawed Socialism and executed communists and socialists which are considered Left-Wing. Evidence shows that in 1933, a concentration camp called Dachau held leftist and socialists exclusively. Furthermore, Nazis had arrested more than 11,000 Germans for illegal socialist activity in 1936 (Klein). So if it was illegal to have true socialist or communist ideas, would that make the Nazi party lean more towards the Right-Wing in our understanding of contemporary politics? An American leader of the neo-Nazis would be Richard Spencer, th ough he hides behind the name of the alt-right or old-right in German. Spencer and his party are considered to be white nationalists and supporters of anti-Semitism (Kestenbaum). Sociological perspective can be defined as looking through the commonly held beliefs to the hidden meanings of human actions (Thomas 4). A clear example this would affect American politics would be the relationship between the neo-Nazis and Donald Trump. For most societies, they will demonize neo Nazis their new ideology of the old national socialism. However, if the majority of the public hates Nazism but a big political figure has hints of supporting it, would that make neo-Nazis feel more comfortable sharing their ideology with the public? Now not all trump supporters are neo-Nazis however, he has earned some supports of them. There was a name at a trump rally who was yelling out Jew-S-A at the press pen in Phoenix. Joyce states that trump has attracted a sometimes strongly anti-Semitic following which has not been a big issue within the 21st century (Joyce). The term sociological imagination is the ability to connect an individuals life with the larger world (Thomas 5). A neo-Naz i site called the Daily Stormer stated to vote for a man who actually represents our interests. Andrew Angiln, the head of the Daily Stormer endorsed Trump and had enthusiastically supported his campaign. The site also regularly defends Hitlers actions and ideology of National Socialism (Hananoki). With this information, there is an understanding of how the individual feels of a neo-Nazi. Because of a rise in a political leader that has a better fit of their ideology has finally risen, they feel comfortable facing the norms of society and fight against them. Ethnocentrism is the tendency to view ones own culture and group to be superior than other cultures or groups (Thomas 35). Just as the original National Socialists found that the Jews were inferior, the neo-Nazis would find their hearts and minds to be in the same place. Mr. Passyn would explain that the old stereo type of the Jews would be that they are manipulative. This old stereo type can be seen within the Alt-Right or neo-Nazis. The neo-Nazi site Daily Stormer publishes an image of Auschwitz with a yellow Star of David and the word Jude as invite to march in Whitefish, Montana. This is the home of a white supremacist named Richard Spencer. This site announced that there will be an armed march by white supremacists in Montana where there is a large Jewish community. The primary goal of this march was just to harass the Jewish population and displace a cultural dominance upon the Jews. Anglin, the head of the neo-Nazi site sated that they could easily march around the Jewish comm unity with powerful guns due to the towns low gun regulations (Haaretz and JTA). The belief of judging cultures based on their culture rather than the individuals cultural is called cultural relativism (Thomas 36). Since there is very little difference between both ideologies of the National Socialists and neo-Nazi party, evidence of the ideology of the National Socialists party to help justify the Neo-Nazi actions. Going towards the notion or the ideal race, Nazis wanted full power for only the Arian race, which was being white with blond hair and blue eyes. In Mein Kampf, Hitler explains how the life was the struggle between races for living space and how he would move to the West of Europe and conquer the Slavs for German interests. Then lastly, he believed that the Jews were nothing but the devils of hell and the Arian race, the pure-race would grow due to the deaths of the impure-races (Hitler). Though the Neo-Nazis supported Hitlers ideology, they would focus on just the white race rather than get into the nitty gritty of having blond hair and blue eyes (Di ffrence Between). I heavily disagree with my counterculture and how they act towards other societies. They are nothing but barbarians who cry because most subcultures believe in racial inequality. Even though neo-Nazis are part of the story of racial discrimination, they most likely agree with other white supremacists outside of their counterculture. To put sociological imagination to the test for myself, I would say the best reason why neo-Nazis are so hostile towards the Jews, homosexuals, gays, and other races or anything that is out of their norm, they once saw white power in their history and or just by their family. To explain more, what I mean is that the white man could do whatever he wanted with the black or other races if they had total power and laws were in their favor. Like in Uncle Toms Cabin, it pointed out the horrors of a white racist man beating and brutalizing a black man just because he had power. And depending on the type of social environment the individual grew up with in, their parents might have had racist or homophobic ideals and they just happened to grow up like their parents. References Diffrence Between. Difference Between Nazi and Neo-Nazi. n.d. 11 March 2017. Haaretz and JTA. Neo-Nazi Calls for Armed White Supremacists to March Against Montana Jews. 26 December 2016. 11 March 2017. Hananoki, Eric. UPDATED: The Complete History Of Donald Trumps Relationship With The White Nationalist Movement. 16 November 2016. 11 March 2017. Hanson, Bradord. National Socialism A Left-Wing Movement. 6 October 2016. 11 March 2017. Hitler, Adolf. Mein Kampf. Boston: Ralph Manheim, 1971. Joyce, Andrew. The man who shouted Jew-S-A at a Trump rally is now blaming Mexicans for his anti-Semitism. 31 October 2016. 9 March 2017. Kestenbaum, Sam. Alt-Right Leader Slams Rabbis and Mocks Righteous Gentiles as Neo-Nazis Plan Montana March. December 27 2016. 10 March 2017 . Klein, David. Hitler, Nazis, Socialism, and Rightwing Propaganda. January 2011. 11 March 2017. Passyn, Andrew. National Socialism James Blackburn. 10 March 2017 . Southern Poverty Law Center. Neo-Nazi. n.d. 5 March 2017. Thomas, W. LaVerne. Sociology the Study of Human Relationships. Auston: Holt,Rienheart and Winstion, 2003. Textbook. Wong, Curtis M. Gay Couple Stands Up To Neo-Nazi, Homophobic Mob With A Kiss. 24 May 2016. 9 March 2017. Does Culture Influence the Marketing Strategies of MNCs? Does Culture Influence the Marketing Strategies of MNCs?
Monday, August 5, 2019
Formulation And Production Of Various Types Of Detergents Biology Essay
Formulation And Production Of Various Types Of Detergents Biology Essay Detergents are cleaning agents which play a very important role in our daily life. They not only can help us to stay care, health for our homes and wealth, but also can make our environment more pleasant and active. According to the different functions and usages, detergent can be classified into various types which are laundry, household, personal and dishwashing cleaning products. Besides that, these different types of detergents can also be further classified into powder, cake, liquid and others depending on their texture form. Among the various types of detergents, the formulation and production of solid and liquid laundry detergents are going to be described by giving examples. Laundry detergent is a type of detergent used to clean and rinse the laundry things. Different kind of detergents will be formulated from different substances in order to meet the requirement of cleaning and the manufacturing process will also be slightly different. Generally, laundry detergents are formulated from six groups of matters which include surfactants, builders, bleaching agents, enzymes, fillers and other minor additives. An example of solid laundry detergent that I would like to illustrate is a solid laundry detergent containing light density silicate salt. It was invented by Nigel Patrick Somerville Roberts in 2009.Ã This detergent is formulated from light density silicate salt, detersive surfactant, carbonate salt, sulphate salt, phosphate builder, zeolite builder, enzymes and other additives. These formulations are going to be described in detail. This type of detergent contains light density silicate salt that is usually a sodium silicate salt. This composition is considered to be the most important in this detergent because this is a detergent which specially contains light density silicate salt. The light density silicate salt is 1 wt% 40 wt% and has a bulk density of less than 200 g/l or 150 g/l. Sometimes, the density is even less than 100 g/l. Besides that, it has a weight average particle size of less than 300 Ã µm, 200 Ã µm or 100 Ã µm. The light density silicate salt can be got from a flash-drying process. It has been found that adding the light density silicate salt into other ingredients can make the detergent to be produced through conventional set processes and even a set of single mixer processes. Besides that, light density silicate salt or sodium silicate salt added acts as a corrosion inhibitor, so it can prevent materials from rusting. Furthermore, the ingredient of the detergent also consists of 5wt% 60 wt% detersive surfactant. Surfactant is an organic compound which can be obtained through a chemical reaction involving fats or oil as raw materials. Since surfactant has emulsifying, wetting and dispersing properties, it is able to remove dirt from clothes and keep the soil suspending on the water, so that soil will not stick on the clothes and can be easily rinsed away. There are different types of surfactants which include anionic, cationic, non-ionic, amphoteric and zwitterionic detersive surfactants. Among these detersive surfactants, anionic detersive surfactant is preferred to be used as surfactant in this detergent. Alkoxylated alcohol sulphate anionis detersive surfactants such as substituted or unsubstituted, linear or branched ethoxylated C12-18 alcohol sulphates, linear unsubstituted C10-13 alkyl benzene sulphonates, alkyl sulphates, alkyl sulphonates, alkyl phosphates, alkyl phosphonates and alkyl car boxylates are suitable to be anionic detersive surfactants. Besides anionic detersive surfactant, cationic detersive surfactants such as mono-C6-18Ã alkyl mono-hydroxyethyl di-methyl quaternary ammonium chlorides, mono-C8-10Ã alkyl mono-hydroxyethyl di-methyl quaternary ammonium chloride, mono-C10Ã alkyl mono-hydroxyethyl di-methyl quaternary ammonium chloride and mono-C10-12Ã alkyl mono-hydroxyethyl di-methyl quaternary ammonium chloride, and non-ionic detersive surfactants such as C12-18Ã alkyl ethoxylated alcohols and C8-18Ã alkyl alkoxylated alcohols may also be added into the solid laundry detergent. Although surfactant is not effective in hard water, its detergent property is also incomplete in soft water. In addition, one of the ingredients included in the solid laundry detergent is builders. Builders are used to remove magnesium and calcium ions which are present in the hard water or soils, so that the quantity of surfactant added to execute the detersive action can be reduced. Some builders can also prevent magnesium and calcium salts from precipitating on the clothes. In this kind of solid laundry detergent, 0 wt% to 30 wt% phosphates and 0 wt% to 5 wt% zeolite builders are used. If the component of the detergent which has a very good environmental profile is desired, then phosphate builders are preferred. On the other hand, if the composition of the detergent is desired to be highly water soluble and transparent wash liquor, then zeolite builders are favoured. Therefore, depending on different requirement, different type of builders is needed. Phosphate builders include sodium tripolyphosphate whereas zeolite builders consist of zeolite A, zeolite P, zeolite X and zeolite MAP Moreover, the detergent also comprises from 0 wt% 50wt% of carbonate salts to maintain the alkalinity. Sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate can be used, but thereof, sodium carbonate is more preferred. In order to enabling the adjustment of the active matter in the laundry detergent to the amount used, 0 wt% 40 wt% of sulphate salt such as sodium sulphate in powdered form is also added. The sodium sulphate which is a filler product can also be used to dilute powdered detergent. Solid laundry detergent also formulated from bleaching agent which is used to remove immovable soil and guarantee sanitation by killing bacteria through an oxidation reaction. It is usually carried out by peroxygen generator such as sodium percarbonate salt is more preferred. Besides that, bleach activator such as tetraacetyl ethylene diamine, imide bleach activator such as N-nonanoyl-N-methyl acetamide, oxybenzene sulphonate bleach activator such as nonanoyl oxybenzene sulphonate, caprolactam bleach activator, polymeric carboxylates and preformed peracids may also be added in order to activate the bleaching agents. Enzymes such as amylases, cellulases, lipases, carbohydrases, proteases, laccases, oxidases, peroxidases, pectate lyases and mannanases are also added into the detergent to catalyse the degradation of soils and then help the elimination. Some minor additives like suds suppressing systems, fluorescent whitening agents, photobleach, fabric-softening agents, flocculants, dye transfer inhibitors, fabric integrity components, soil dispersants and soil anti-redeposition aids, anti-redeposition components, perfume, dyes, sulphamic acid and citric acids are also added in small quantities to effectively improve the specific washing properties. In order to produce solid laundry detergent, there are three different ways which are dry mixing or blender process, agglomeration and spray drying process. Among these three methods, dry mixing and agglomeration are more common. For dry mixing or blender process which is a manufacturing method used to blend dry raw materials, all ingredients are firstly loaded into either ribbon blender or tumbling blender. Ribbon blender is cylinder-shaped and blades are fitted inside the blender to scratch and blend ingredients together, whereas tumbling blender is a box with rectangular- shaped and it is twisted and shaked from outside by a machine. When all the ingredients of detergents have been blended uniformly in the blender, a gateway at the bottom of the machine will be opened and the powdered mixture will then released through a conveyor belt or other channelling device to a place where the detergents can be packed into boxes or cartons and then transported to the market. For the second method, agglomeration process, initially, dry compositions which have been placed into the Shuggi agglomerator are mixed and sheared equally into fine particles by sharp and rolling blades in the agglomerator. Then, liquid compositions are sprayed onto the dry mixture through nozzles which are on the agglomerators wall after the dry compositions have been mixed uniformly in the agglomerator. A liquid mixture formed is hot and viscous because exothermic reaction occurs when blending process continues. Then, the liquid flows out from the agglomerator and accumulates on a drying belt. Drying belt contains a hot air blower which makes the liquid easier to be crushed. Finally, it is crushed and pushed through sizing screen to prevent unmixed large particles from being formed before detergents are transported to the market. High density powdered detergents are produced. Spray drying process is also known as slurry method. Firstly, all dry and liquid ingredients are mixed together to form a slurry in a tank which is called crutcher. The heated slurry is pumped and blown into a tower through nozzles in order to form small droplets. High pressure is applied in the tower to force the droplets from the top of the spray tower to the bottom. Once the slurry dries, hollow granules formed will be collected in the bottom of the tower and then screened to get a standard size. After the beads of the dry detergents are cooled, heat sensitive materials such as enzyme, bleaching agent and perfume are added and finally they are collected for packaging. Since the technology nowadays is more advanced compared to last time, air inside the granules can be effectively reduced and higher density solid detergent can be formed through this method. Another type of detergent that I am going to describe is liquid laundry detergent. This detergent will be illustrated by an example which is known as liquid laundry detergent containing cationic hydroxyethyl cellulose polymer. It is invented by Peter Gerard Gray, Karel Jozef Maria Depoot, Luc Marie Willy, Lievens, Falke Elisabeth Vanneste and Serge Omer Alfons Jean Thoof in 2008. This detergent which is good for washing delicate fabrics is formulated from cationic hydroxyethyl cellulose polymer, surfactant, fatty acid, enzyme which is free of cellulytic activity, builder and other additives. This liquid laundry detergent contains about 0.05%-0.4%, by weight of the composition, of cationic hydroxyethyl cellulose polymer. Besides that, the cationic hydroxyethyl cellulose polymer has a more preferably 0.01 0.10 degree of substitution of cationic charge, as well as, molecular weight of about 200000 800000. The cationic hydroxyethyl cellulose has repeating substituted anhydroglucose units and the anhydroglucose units may be substituted by alkyl groups. Moreover, to avoid lumps formation when adding water into it at ambient temperature, the cationic hydroxyethyl cellulose polymer can be cross-linked with dialdehyde like glyoxyl. The purpose of adding cationic hydroxyethyl cellulose polymer is actually to provide fabric care advantages to laundered textiles when it is combined with surfactant and fatty acid. Furthermore, surfactant is one of the ingredients added into the liquid laundry detergent. More preferably, the detergent contains 7% -15%, by weight of the compositions, of surfactant. The surfactant must comprise at least one anionic surfactant such as alkyl ethoxylate sulphate and linear straight chain alkyl benzene sulphonates, and at least one non-ionic surfactant such as polyhydroxy fatty acid amides. The suitable anionic surfactants include the water-soluble salts, especially alkali metal and ammonium salts of organic sulphuric reaction products. The liquid laundry detergent also consists of 2% 15%, 2% -10% or 2.5% 7%, by weight of the composition, of fatty acid. The fatty acid used in the detergent is saturated and unsaturated with 8 24 or 12 18 carbon atoms. Besides that, the detergent is significantly free of optical brighter. This means that the amount of optical brighter must not be detectable, so the detergent must contains less 0.0001% of optical brighter. The optical brighter can be used to improve the appearance of colour of fabrics and make the fabric look cleaner, but it will cause allergic, so it is not added into the detergent. Moreover, enzymes which are substantially free of cellulytic activity are also included in the liquid laundry detergent at the sufficient amount, such as protease, amylase, lipase and others. The concentration of enzymes containing cellulytic activity must be less than 0.0001% or even in the undetectable quantity. This is because there may be cellulase present in those enzymes and it will hydrolyze the cationic hydroxyethyl cellulose polymer that provides fabric care benefits. Thus, indirectly, the benefits of this detergent will be damaged. Nevertheless, if this type of enzyme is required, then sufficient amount of cellulase inhibitor including enzyme stabilizing system can be added to stop the action of cellulase towards the cationic hydroxyethyl cellulose polymer. The compositions of the detergent may also consist of 0.1% 80%, by weight of the composition, of builder. The builders comprise either phosphate salt or organic and inorganic non-phosphorus builders. Organic non-phosphorus builders which are water soluble include carboxylate, polycarboxylate, polyhydroxy sulphonates, different alkali metals, ammonium and substituted ammonium polyacetates. While inorganic non-phosphorus builders consist of aluminosilicates, borates, silicates and carbonates. In addition, the liquid laundry detergent also contain extra compositions such as opacifying agents, soil release polymers, suds suppressors, chelants, performance boosting polymers, dye transfer inhibiting polymers, stabilizers, viscosity modifiers, preservatives, structurants, citric acid, as well as benefit agent containing delivery particles. These additional ingredients are used to enhance the properties of the detergent. To manufacture the liquid laundry detergents, the very first step is to choose right raw materials by depending on the factors, such as cost, human and environmental safety, as well as the specific properties that we desired in the final product. In this process, continuous blending is required. Dry ingredients are mixed with liquid ingredients which include water solution and solubilizers. Solubilizers are added to ensure stability and evenness of the final product. Then, they are blended evenly to form a mixture by using static or in-line mixers. Besides that, in order to produce a more concentrated liquid laundry detergent, a new high energy mixing process combined with stabilizing agents can used.
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Human Trafficking Essay -- forced labor, sex trafficking, debt labor
Introduction Human trafficking is phrase that is used to describe the various ways in which a person ââ¬Å"obtains or holds another person in compelled serviceâ⬠(U.S. Department of State, 2011, p. 9). There are several categories of human trafficking, such as forced labor, sex trafficking, and bond or debt labor. Human trafficking can affect adults and children, with the trafficking in children for sex being particularly egregious (p. 9-11). Human trafficking frequently goes unnoticed, and victims often blame themselves for their problems and therefore are unlikely to self-report (Office for Victims of Crime, n.d.). Although many might think of this is a third world problem, human trafficking occurs in every country in the world, including the United States. It is believed about 600,000 to 800,000 victims of human trafficking cross boarders each year, and somewhere around 15,000 of them are brought to the U.S. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2004). Countries are ranked in a tiered system by the State Department, with Tier 1 countries being the most proactive towards recognizing, preventing, and prosecuting these crimes, and are required to report incident numbers annually. As of 2010, Tier 1 countries reported a total of 6,017 prosecutions for human trafficking, with 3619 resulting in convictions. But more importantly, Tier 1 countries identified an astounding 33,113 number of human trafficking victims during that same year (U.S. Department of State, 2011, p. 38). Myths and Misconceptions There are a variety of misconceptions held by the public about human trafficking crimes that can hinder discovery. Many people believe only foreigners can be victims of this crime, but in truth anyone from any nationality ... ...Victims of Crime. (n.d.). Anti-human trafficking task force strategy and operations e-guide. Retrieved from https://www.ovcttac.gov/TaskForceGuide/EGuide/Default.aspx. Polaris Project. (2006). Common myths and misconceptions about human trafficking in the U.S. Retrieved from http://ccatcoalition.site.aplus.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/common- myths-and-misconceptions.pdf. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2004). Human trafficking fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/about/fact_human2004.pdf. U.S. Department of State. (2011, June). Trafficking in persons report: Introductory manual. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2011/index.htm. Warren, V. (2008, October 30). Nude photos, massage lead to indictments. Dayton Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-19414528.html.
Saturday, August 3, 2019
County Community College Should Provide On-Campus Housing Essay
When I moved to California two weeks before school started, I had difficulty looking for places to live around County Community College. This is because community colleges donââ¬â¢t usually have on-campus housing facilities for students. This made life very difficult for me because I was brand new to the area and I knew no one. My dad did help me by calling up one of his friends and asked if I could stay at their house temporarily until I was able to find a place I could live at, that was near school because I didnââ¬â¢t have a car at the time. The day I finally found a place to live, school was almost about to start. When I went to check the house out, I really disliked it there because there was no cooking allowed, the only time I could use the stove was to boil water. There were even curfews enforced because poor wooden floorboards would alert everyone whenever someone would walk around just to grab a cup of water or a snack at night. Another limitation was that the landlad y had ridiculous shower curfews that I had to follow. The house was very unclean and unhygienic due to the lack of maintenance and care provided for the building. There was no other choice but to live there because it was the closest place to school, that was within walking or biking distance, I could find because I didnââ¬â¢t know how to take the bus in this new country. This is what leads me to believe that County Community College should see if itââ¬â¢s feasible to construct an on-campus housing facility for students because it is able to help a large variety of students in various ways. County Community is a college that is known for its successful transfer rates. An article on CNN Money discussed about County Communityââ¬â¢s fine transferring rates, ââ¬Å"County Community s... ...enefits that can affect current and future students. However, County Community may choose to overlook some obstacles due to the great convenience and the great benefits that it may provide for both staff and students. County Community should not disregard this great opportunity that may change lives for staff and students, but look further more into this. Works Cited Aquije, Omar. ââ¬Å"Most Community Colleges say Building Dorms is Good Plan.â⬠Glens Falls Post-Star, 13 August. 2011. Web. 7 Nov 2013. Clark, Kim. ââ¬Å"Community College: How to Avoid ââ¬Ëdropout factories.ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ Cable News Network, 07 June. 2012. Web. 7 Nov 2013. Driscoll, Emily. ââ¬Å"Great Housing Debate: Living On or Off Campus.â⬠Fox Business. Fox News Network, 19 July. 2013. Web. 7 Nov 2013. Staff, CB. ââ¬Å"Campus Living: On Campus Vs. Off Campus.â⬠College Bound Network, 08 August. 2011. Web. 7 Nov 2013.
Friday, August 2, 2019
Filmmaking :: essays research papers
The Film about Filmmaking Truffaut's irresistibly charming "film about filmmaking" is an enormously affectionate homage to cinema, as well as a portrayal of the joy and anguish of filmmaking. The framing film Day for Night tells the story of a director; Ferrand (Truffaut) and his crew shooting a romantic family melodrama entitled Meet Pamela at the Studio Victorine in Nice. As the shooting proceeds, the personal crises of the crewmembers engulf the professional sphere of their lives, and threaten the smooth progress of the filming: one of the leading actresses, Sà ©verine (Valentina Cortese), is anguished by her son's terminal illness and unable to remember her lines because of her alcoholism; Stacey (Alexandra Stewart) is three-months pregnant and refuses to shoot a swimming scene in a bathing suit; Alphonse (Jean-Pierre Là ©aud) seeks feminine/maternal affection and lingers over the same question: "Are women magic?" Ferrand realizes that films are more harmonious than life: there are "no traffic jams or no dead waits," and people like them are happy only in their work of making films. Despite a series of difficulties and the accidental death of Alexandre (played by Jean-Pierre Aumont) in a car crash, the crew manages to complete the filming and then disperse to future destinations. From the outset Day for Night is full of Truffaut's nostalgia for cinema of the past. A title sequence accompanied by orchestral music gradually turns into a melancholic accordion tune; a still of Dorothy and Lillian Gish with subtitle announces that the film is dedicated to these legendary stars of the silent screen. The spectator is then led to a square seemingly in Paris, a rather chic landscape dotted with a metro station, a fashionable cafà ©, stoned buildings, the sound of busy traffic and pedestrians. A young man (Jean-Pierre Là ©aud) with a solemn expression on his face appears from the metro station and walks towards an elderly man. After a while the young male slaps the latter on his face. As soon as an immense tension occurs we hear the voice "Cut" and the camera tracks back to reveal that it was a shooting of a film. The camera pulls back further and we see the film crew, a television presenter and her crew. The television crew interviews the actors and they p rovide us with a synopsis of the film they are shooting: Meet Pamela is the story of a tragic affair of an adulterous couple.
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Shell Oil Company Case Study
Shell Oil Company is a worldwide group of petrochemicals and energy companies and a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell that was created in 1907. It is aà multinational gas and oil company that has its origins from Anglo-Dutch and their headquarters is in The Hague, Netherlands. Shell is one of the biggest oil and gas companies worldwide and one of the most profitable. 3% of the worldââ¬â¢s natural gas and 2.5 of its oil is insured by Shell. The company is employing more than 80.000 people in more than 80 countries around the world and 22.000 of these employees are based in the US where they have approximately 25.000 branded gas stations. According to its revenue in 2010, (285 129 million dollars) Shell is the second largest company in the world.Shell Oil company has a wide range of activities by operating in regions such as America especially and also in the rest of the world. The activities of the company consist in exploring for and extracting crude oil and natural gas most of th e time in collaboration with international and national oil companies. They provide liquefied natural gas to customers all around the world by cooling it and also convert natural gas into liquids in order to provide cleaner burning fuels. The multinational sells daily a quantity of petrol and diesel sufficient to fuel more than 16 million cars and to furnish electricity for 34 million home globally. Shell also converts bitumen, a thick and heavy oil extracted from mined oil sands into synthetic crude oil and develops wind power with the goal of generating electricity.These activities are all part of the companyââ¬â¢s Upstream businesses and it has interests in Europe, Asia, Middle East, Russia, Africa and Oceania. Shell also has a Downstream organization that is made up of a large number of businesses. These activities principally consist in turning crude oil into refined products, which are transported and sold worldwide for domestic, industrial, and transport purpose, fuels, bi tumen and lubricants included. Refining, Distribution and Supply are the main activities of their Manufacturing business. Shell trades crude oil, oil products, and petrochemicals first to optimize raw materials for their Manufacturing business and to supply their Marketing business. The company also has a CO2 organization in charge of coordinating the activities of the CO2 management within the company. Shell Tradingââ¬â¢s global network includes its activities in every important energy market around the world.MANAGEMENT TEAM OF SHELLPETER VOSER:He joined Shell in 1982 after his graduation in Business Administration from the Applied Science University in Zurich. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Shell since July 2009. He had occupied many positions such as Chief Financial Officer and had also been an Executive Director of Royal Dutch Shell before being CEO and has a lot of years of experience. He has also served in other companies such as the Asea Brown Boveri. He has been CFO of Shell Europe Oil Products as well from 1999 to 2001.SIMON HENRY:He is the Chief Financial Officer of the company and at the same time a member of the board of Royal Dutch Shell. He has joined it in 1982 after his graduation in Mathematics from Cambridge University. He is also very experimented for having held several positions before his appointment as CFO. From 2004 until his appointment he was occupying the position of Executive Vice President Finance for Exploration and Production.2.0 How Shell is affected by its environment The environment in business is considered as the forces that may affect the current or coming activities of an organization. The environment in an organization includes the specific environment also known as task environment and the general environment.2.1 SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENT The specific environment or internal environment is the one that can be controlled by the business. Its components that include the customers, the suppliers, the competitors and the pressure group can directly affect the business. 2.1.1 Customers:Customer is the main point of any business. The success of any business depends on the importance given to the customers. The impact customers have on Shell vary according to the area. In some countries where people have low income the increase of the oil price that occur most of the time can be aà major problem. Most of the people canââ¬â¢t continually afford the gas needed for their cars because of its high price. In some countries the quality of the service that leaves to be desired is part of the main complains of Shell customers. These factors resulted in a loss of trust of the customers and had an impact on the companyââ¬â¢s image profit.2.1.2 Suppliers:A number of various suppliers are needed in any business enterprise. Suppliers provide raw materials and components to the company. Shell suppliers are also its internal stakeholders and partners in the chain of production. Bringing petrol from the oil we ll to the petrol pump is their main duty. A lack of reliability or efficiency in this task can result in a succession of problems affecting directly the company well-being because suppliers are part of the organizationââ¬â¢s internal environment.Shell has always been in good terms with it suppliers, but the company is nevertheless preventive concerning its supply chain. Shell has various core values that are important in the way that the company runs. Its suppliers must adapt to these values for a continuous good partnership because any lack in the supply chain could be defective to the companyââ¬â¢s good running.2.1.3 Competitors:For a business competitors are the companies that are in the same industry and deliver same products or services to customers. Shell main competitors include Exxon Mobil, PETRONAS, Chevron and CITGO, Total. These companies represent a danger for Shell because they provide the same services and products and often with substantial discount on their pri ce. In the early 90ââ¬â¢s Shell was the most profitable company in Europe but it had been in the process of restructuring.The main reason was that the R.O.C (Return of Capital of the company) was lagging behind Exxon the companyââ¬â¢s main competitor. Shell had approximately 117,000 employees in 1993 and it decreased to 106,000 in 1994. The net income of the company also decreased to 36% from 1993 to 1994. All these facts occurred because of competition.2.2 GENERAL ENVIRONMENTThe general environment is also known as nonmarket environment, it is composed of the Economic, socio-cultural, political, demographic,à technologic and sometimes global factors that can affect the business performance. It includes the interactions between the firm and the government or global entities.2.2.1 Political factorsPolitical factors include the legislations of a government businesses are obliged to respect.. Government policies on Shell have a big impact on Shell Oil Company, because the produ ctionââ¬â¢s rate in Oil business is affected by these policies. Taxes on petroleum applied in the countries where refineries are built also affect the business. Political instability of countries where Shell has its refinery can also be a factor that affects the business. In Nigeria Shellââ¬â¢s profit were higher than elsewhere, but the political instability that occurred in that country in the past years has really impacted the business and its profit in that particular area.2.2.2 Economic factorsFor a business the economic environment refers to the economic factors that can have an effect on the business well-being. These factors include economic systems, policies, resources, nature of economy and the economic legislation. The high unemployment rate in countries where Shell operates is an unfavorable factor. The Gross National Product Trend and the inflation rate are also factors that affect Shell Oil Company. In the last five years the joint venture of the Shell Oil Company in Nigeria has participated about more than $38million to the economy of the country, tax and royalty included and is receiving annually 95% of the profit from the companyââ¬â¢s onshore production in the Niger Delta. This is economically affecting the business in terms of income. The corruption pertaining in Nigeria which is one of the most corrupted countries in Africa has its impacts and is preventing the company to do its business ethically.2.2.3 Socio-Cultural factorsShell is operating in almost all the parts of the world, so the company has to deal with the cultural and societal differences. Society and culture influence all the aspects of an overseas business, the business has to be aware of the opinions, feelings and attitudes in the local environment. In Nigeria most of the young people living in the delta where Shell is operating are uneducated and are living in the misery.In 1999 militaryà youths hijacked sixty four Shell staff and blocked all access roads. This viol ent culture of Nigerians isnââ¬â¢t a good factor for the company that made of this country one of its more important areas of operation. The military youths spilled the oil near the SPDC; Shell Petroleum Development Company areas. The company has been obliged to pay compensation for spoiling the environment and prevent the crash of local social infrastructure. This is one of the multiple socio-cultural factors faced by the Shell worldwide.2.2.4 Technological factorsA business enterprise in order to have competitive advantage over others has to make action plans on time to adjust with technological advancements. Aware of that Shell has over the years tried to accommodate his services according to the technological advancements. They have introduced the Shell Oil Card for payment at Shell station and this was a great innovation. But since technology isnââ¬â¢t available in all the regions of the world there were some drawbacks with the use of the card, for example it is not accep ted in some countries or worst people donââ¬â¢t have access to it. Shell is providing his services in a lot of African countries and most of the time it is in that part of the world that a consequent technological lack is noticeable.2.2.5 Environmental factorsOil companies like Shell have to take particularly care of the environment because they are using substances that can damage the environment. Shell has been accused in the recent years of pollution by farmers in the Nigerian delta where it has one of its most important operations. Even if the court has acquitted the company in that case, that event made people doubting of the social responsibility of the company.Farmer in the Nigerian Delta .3.0 How Shell adapted to the changes in its environment? 3.1 Adaptation to the changes in the specific environment3.1.1 CustomersFor customer satisfaction, speed of service is an important value that needs to be taken in account by organizations. Technology has made it easy forà busine sses to meet the customer needs in a very quick way which is connectivity. Aware of that Shell has set up the Shell Customer Lounge that is a website which makes easy the business between Shell and its customers. This service according to Peter Voser has brought a lot of satisfactions to Shellââ¬â¢s customers and allowed the company to handle some problems that occurred in recent years due to a lack of promptness and speed by the company. Shell is trying somehow to make the price of their services meet the income of their customers according to the area by trying to make it affordable.3.1.2 CompetitorsRelative to its competitors Shellââ¬â¢s performance was very weak and in order to avoid what happened in the 90ââ¬â¢s when the companyââ¬â¢s return on capital lagged behind Exxon the former head of the company decided to change the strategies. The company realized that the real purpose of effective planning is to change the way the decision makers think. Shell, in order to gain competitive advantage over its main competitors is implementing a strategy that others can hardly repeat. The company came up in the last years with unique skills in terms of technology and integration, and a worldwide set of opportunities for future investments. According to Peter Voser the CEO of the company, Shellââ¬â¢s efforts to expand its pipeline of possible energy projects are already successful and this can be a real way to get competitive advantage over the companyââ¬â¢s competitors.3.1.3 SuppliersFor a business it is of a capital importance to develop long term and quality relationships with those taking part in the business process such as suppliers. Shell forces its suppliers to be in accordance with its business principles and core values for a good relationship and good terms of work. The company has made clear in its code of conducts report that they will stop all activities with any supplier that does not match all these qualifications. This is a way to s hift any potential changes relative to its supply chain.3.2 Adaptation to the changes in the general environment3.2.1 Adaptation to the political factorsTo face the political factors that affect its business Shell has revised its business strategies in hostile and turbulent environment particularly in Nigeria. The company made planning to be able to face any identical scenario that could occur in the future by focusing on medium term planning instead of long term planning. Shell has set up a discussion with workshops for a better interaction with the local communities in Nigeria and also pressurized their workers for radical changes in turbulent environment.3.2.2 Adaptation to the economic factorsTo adapt to the economic problems faced in certain of their operating areas, Shell has set up a lot of strategies particularly in Nigeria. The company is facing a lot of problems in that area due to the difficulty of the economy such as the taxes imposed on their business and the corruption . The head of the company said that they have to keep on making huge profit every year because the taxes and government regulations on the company are unavoidable. Shell identifies its own core values as honesty and respect for people to fight against the corruption which is affecting its activities in Nigeria. Shell communicated its anti-corruption principles by providing training programs and also made its workers aware of the importance of having legal and non-corruptive activities. The company has implemented various policies and initiatives to do its business properly without any kind of corruption, illegal or unethical practices.3.2.3 Adaptation to the socio-cultural and technologic factorsFor a company it is of a capital importance to know how to deal with the social and cultural factors in the area of operations. Shell faced a lot of socio cultural factors that affected its business in the past years. These factors had a negative impact on Shell running but the company aimin g to cover a bigger area to implement its activities is still continuing to adapt itself in hostile and violent environment like Nigeria. Since the world knows a fast technological advance businesses must know how to adapt to these changes. This can help to get a competitive advantage on others. Shell is trying to make its oil card available in regions where there is a technological backwardness such as certain parts of Africa.4.0 CONCLUSION4.1 ObjectivesKnowing that without customers a business canââ¬â¢t run in the long term Shell major objectives is to win and maintain customers by providing to them products and services that offer value in terms of price and quality. The company is also aiming to meet customers want value for money that is to provide the highest quality of services at competitive prices. Shellââ¬â¢s people knowing that this can give a quick stop to the achievement of the companyââ¬â¢s goals are trying to find solutions to allow the use of the card everyw here in the world. Shell has various core values that are important in the way that the company runs. Its suppliers must adapt to these values for a continuous good partnership because any lack in the supply chain could be defective to the companyââ¬â¢s good running. Shellââ¬â¢s main objectives are to extract and deliver oil profitably by respecting the social and environmental norms. The company is looking forward to get a bigger standard of performance and maintain their position in terms of competition in the areas they operate.4.2 RecommendationsThe company should work closer with its customers its partners and its policymakers to proceed to more sustainable use of energy. In Nigeria Shell should go further in their strategies to fight the bad impact the political and economic factors have on the company because the general environment is as important as the specific and all these factors can be really harmful to the good running of the company. Shell Group must engage res ponsibly and profitably in oil and other businesses of their choices, participate in the research of other sources of energy to keep on satisfying customer needs.
Concept of the Labor Force
Labor force Labor force is the total number of persons available to supply the labor for the production of economic goods and services. In other words, it is the total number of people of working age in a country who are able and willing by law to work. It is the active or working population and it comprises all persons who have jobs and those who are seeking for jobs in the labor market. They are normally found between the age bracket of 18 to 65 years. Working population varies from one country to another. To be a member of the labor force, one must be of working age (18-65 years), be able-bodied, ie, not handicapped either.Mentally or physically, and must be willing to work. Persons that are not members of the labor force include: â⬠¢ Children of school age (0-17 years) â⬠¢ Elderly (above 65 years) â⬠¢ The handicapped (either physically or mental) â⬠¢ Persons even though they are able-bodied but are unwilling to work. Demand for Labor Demand for labor is the total number of workers employers are willing and ready to employ or hire at a particular time and at a given wage rate. The demand for labor is a derived demand, because labor is not required for its own sake but for what it can help produce. Factors affecting the demand of labor are: . The size of market: The size of the market for goods and services produced determines the demand for labor. The larger the market, ie, the greater the production of goods and services, the higher the demand for labor to produce the required goods and services. 2. Number of industries: The higher the number of industries that produces the needed goods and services, the higher the demand for labor 3. Wage rate of price of labor: The demand for labor by employers depends on the price at which labor is offered for sale (by workers). If labor is willing to take a low wage rate, the demand for labor will be high. 4.Availability of other factors of production: If other factors of production such as land and capi tal are available in large quantity to produce the required goods and services, there will be a corresponding high demand for labor. 5. Efficiency of labor: If the efficiency of labor is high, there would be high propensity for employers to engage more labor and vice versa. 6. Demand for goods and services: The demand for goods and services in a country can stimulate an increase in the demand for labor. 7. Nature of Industries: The nature o industries- whether it is capital-intensive or labor-intensive will determine the demand for labor.The labor-intensive industries will lead to high demand for labor. 8. State of employment: The state of employment determines the demand for labor. If the economy has reached full employment, there will be little or no demand for labor but if it is under-employment, there will be need to demand for more labour. Supply of Labor Supply of labor is the total number of people of working age offered for employment at a particular time and at a given wage rate. In other words, supply of labor can be referred to as the services of labor available in the labor market. Factors affecting the supply of Labor or size of Labor force are as follows: 1.Size of population of a country: The larger the population, the greater the number of labour to be supplied. 2. Official school leaving age: If the school leaving age is low, the proportion of labour force will be high. 3. Retirement age: The age of exit in public employment will determine the labor force. The older the age, the more the supply of labor and vice versa. 4. Pursuit of higher education: Many people in their pursuit of higher education, go beyond the official entry age into the labor force. 5. Age structure of the population: The structure of a country's population is a significant determinant of the size of the labor force.The lower the dependent people, the higher the supply of labor force will increase in a country with a greater number of its people between the ages of 18 and 65 years. 6. Role of women in the society: In some societies, women are usually prevented from engaging in gainful employment because of religious belief, social and cultural factors and this affects the size of labor force. 7. Number of working hours and working days: The number of working hours per day and the number of working days in a week of year also helps to determine the supply of labor. 8.The number of disabled: When the number of disabled persons in high especially within the working population, the supply for labor will be low. 9. The number of people unwilling to work: There are certain number of able-bodied people who are also between the age bracket of 18 and 65 years but are unwilling to work. If their population is high, it will affect the size of supply of labor. 10. Migration: The rate of migration can also affect the size of labor force. If the rate at which the working population leaves a country is higher than rate at which people come in, it will lead to reduc tion in the supply of labor. 1. Trade union activities: The activities of trade union may also affect the supply of labor. For example, when a long period of training is imposed on a certain trade, this may discourage people from engaging in such trade or profession leading to a reduction in supply of labor. 12. Government Policies: Certain government policies can affect the supply of labor. E. g, specific laws are made to exclude children and women from working in ministries. This can reduce the supply of labor to that are or field. 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