Many Faces of Oppression

Tsitsi Dangarembga address several issues concerning women in her novel, Nervous Conditions. Three main issues include coming-of-age, colonialism, and patriarchy. They are all encountered by the central character, Tambu as she grows up in colonial Rhodesia. While living on the homestead with her family, Tambu witness the examples of oppression prevalent in her environment. The women in her immediate family are domesticated and for the most part uneducated. When Tambu learns of her aunt Maiguru†s education and â€Å"success†, she tries to ignore the potential images of the women on the homestead by working hard to go to school. Once she is granted an education with the help of her uncle, Tambu finds out that her aunt Maiguru is oppressed too, only in a different setting. Therefore the struggles women face are similar regardless of their class,or level of education. Tambu learns early about the oppression of women in the traditional patriarchal way of life on her homestead. For example, Tambu can not continue to go to school because her family lack the funds for her to go. However, her brother Nhamo is granted the right to go and is expected to do well. Their father boasts about his son†s education and gives him certain rights and privileges. Tambu resents the fact that her brother is able to get an education and she is not. She is constantly in conflict with Nhamo because of Nhamo†s arrogance. He retorts, â€Å"Did you ever hear of a girl being taken away to school? With me it†s different. I was meant to be educated† (Dangarembga, 49). Speeches like this contributes to Tambu†s increasing drive and desire for education. Tambu, seeking to break away from her oppression through education, asks her parents for maize seeds to raise her own crop and sell them for tuition. Her own mother†s years of oppression seeped into discouraging Tambu. My mother said being black was a burden because it made you poor†¦ [and] being a woman was a burden because you had to bear children and look after them and the husband† (Dangarembga, 16). Discouragingly the parents give the seeds to her and she raises her crop. She notices that her crop is coming up missing and finds out her brother was stealing them to keep her from going to school. However through determination and a little assistance, Tambu raises the funds for school. Her father, in an act of dominance tries to take the money away from Tambu†s education but is unsuccessful. Tambu gains a small victory in her journey to reach her dream. The death of Nhamo is a turning point in Tambu†s life. Because Nhamo was the only son in the family, Tambu took his place. Tambu is granted the chance to be a part of colonized life and the advantages it has over the poverty she has lived. All the whileTambu goes through her schooling she sets her sights to becoming what her aunt Maiguru seems to be. â€Å"She was altogether a different kind of woman from my mother. I decided it was better to be like Maiguru, who was not poor and had not been crushed by the weight f womanhood† (Dangarembga, 16). One of the examples Tambu is shocked to know is the oppression Maiguru encounters by obtaining her Masters Degree. Tambu is accustomed to the hierarchical forms of address which place women and children lower than men. She is surprised to know a woman can go that far and wonders why no one acknowledged her aunt†s degree. Again another example of oppression in Tambu†s family, especially the women, is that they didn†t like Maiguru acquiring that amount of education and therefore did not acknowledge her level of education. They did however,celebrate Babamukuru†s Master Degree constantly and gave all praises to him, even the women joined in. Another example of the oppression in a middle class household is Maiguru†s salary. Even though she had the education and the career in teaching, Maiguru never saw a penny of her earnings. They went directly to her husband. Even Maiguru shows her acceptance to this oppression by saying, â€Å"†¦ no one even thinks about the things I gave up. But that†s how it goes†¦ and when you have a good man and lovely children, it makes it all worth while† (Dangarembga, 102). Even though Maiguru was educated, she was still expected to marry and raise children, so her education only provided another way of serving her family. This confession disappoints Tambu because it shatters her image of Maiguru being an independent role model. Now, with the influence of her cousin Nyasha,Tambu must find and become her own image of an independent, educated woman. The patriarchal way of life in Rhodesia had many levels of oppression. From the poverty-stricken homesteads to the colonialized middle-class setting, women were being oppressed from something. Author Tsitsi Dangarembga, cleverly reveals these levels of oppression in Nervous Conditions. Main character Tambu is able to see some of these levels with her opportunity to go from her homestead to her uncle†s home while she grows and goes through school. She think she has escaped the oppression when her brother dies and she has the opportunity to leave home where oppression is prevalent. Tambu fails to see that oppression exist even in a colonized setting until she learns from her aunt and idol, Maiguru. Even with a high level of education and ability to make money, there was still the opportunity for oppression to exist, in Maiguru†s example, by not acknowledging educated women or having their earnings controlled by men. Although this realization now occurs to Tambu, she tries to find some other way to resist the oppression (refusing to go to her parents† wedding). Nervous Conditions is a great example of how women struggle regardless of class or level of education and whether they accept the oppression or resist it.

Psychology Matters Essay

It is a fact that society is dealing with numerous problems at this time, which includes violence, poverty, and health issues. More and more people who engage in violent acts are being shown in the news. It does not even matter how young or old these people are because age is not a factor in committing violence. Homelessness and unemployment are also two of the most serious issues that the public have to deal with everyday of their lives. There is also the growing concern over health and medicine because having good health and long life are important to everyone. These problems can affect people’s mental well-being, especially if they experience it firsthand and are not able to receive professional help to help them recover and deal with the situation. If their mental health has proved to be unstable and affecting their behavior, they might cause harm to other people as well. Psychologists can help find solutions by conducting more studies so that they can research about the issues and how people react to them better. They can also find solutions by getting into the field and talking to people about what their concerns are and how they might be of help. Receiving recommendations from average people will greatly help the professionals handle real-life situations much better. Going into the field would also allow psychologists to learn more about certain issues and situations, which would help them become better in what they do. Not only will they be able to help their patients, but they also have the opportunity to grow personally and professionally. Indeed, there are numerous psychological issues that society faces everyday, which is why it is very comforting to know that psychologists are doing what they can to help the average person and families to handle these stressful situations. Psychologists and other health professionals should conduct further studies involving psychological issues for the benefit of society.

Can we know when to trust our emotions in the pursuit of knowledge Essay - 3

Can we know when to trust our emotions in the pursuit of knowledge Consider history and one other area of knowledge - Essay Example This mainly occurs when we lay our fundamental beliefs on matters of the heart rather than using brains to make our conclusions. This type of emotion provides us with strength to engage in intellectual activities. Knowledge is learning or studying something new a person didn’t know before.knowldge and its power suppresses normal schooling as it comes through a very long process of experiences (Campbell, 2002, pp204). Though schooling is educational, it cannot give someone an opportunity to experience knowledge that is experienced when an individual takes on a journey to explore new things. Guided by emotions, an individual tend to dwell deep on a matter and learn more than he or she can have a chance to learn more than ever, thus opening more avenues there were never there before. With emotions facilitating the search of knowledge an individual will have a chance to learn a broader spectrum of things. Using emotions and the art is a trustworthy action. In history, every story is related to emotions. Being compilations of stories from different personas, no one can stand and clearly say what the truth in history is. No one can certify whether historical accounts are true or not. In respect to this fact, the pursuit of knowledge in history then is said to be completely emotional experience (Campbell, 2002, pp134). History, involves evidence used, where it was made, whom it was made by and for what reason. History as a way of knowing the past happenings does not only help us to understand more on what is being researched, but also creates insight into the time period. Sometimes when an individual acts emotionally, his or her rationality is very weak thus allowing an opportunity for history misconstruction. Emotions can immensely affect history. For example, during the trial of David Irving versus Dr. Deborah, and Penguin publishers. Irving was accused to be anti-Semite and a racist, but he strongly resented the accusations saying that the

Innovation and Leadership Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Innovation and Leadership - Assignment Example This paper illustrates that as contemporary experts in leadership and academic researchers highlight congruent aspects of the new era and draw attention on potential disruptive points and discontinuities, leadership emphasizes that only innovative, anticipatory, courageous and flexible individuals and organizations are capable to cope with the present uncertain and unpredictable business arena. Development studies confirm that creative companies, able to use innovation in order to improve value creation process or to differentiate products and services surpass their competitors in terms of market share, profitability, growth or capitalization. Innovation and technology management is still a complicated and risky problem: most new technologies fail to be translated into products and services, and those who become products and services not always gain the status of commercial success. In short, innovation can stimulate and strengthen competition, but in order to enhance a strong leader ship, it needs skills and knowledge different from those used for everyday business management. One of the first issues that arise when analyzing innovation consists in the multitude of interpretations that are attributed to the term; many times people even confuse innovation with invention. In a more limited sense considered by many researchers and practitioners, innovation is the process of transforming favorable situations into new ideas and putting these ideas in practices or products widely spread. Innovation does not necessarily mean selling a single significant breakthrough in a certain moment of technical and technological development (radical innovation) but also includes the use of changes (improvements) of less important technological know-how (an improvement or incremental innovation).

Health Care Reform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Health Care Reform - Essay Example This type awareness is must for people in the society. Irrespective of their race, religion & class women were not seen as women in the society in the beginning of this century. The woman, often conceived and the childbirth have become dangerous. There was no birth control system in yester-years. The abortion was treated as an unlawful thing. They did not follow any contraceptive methods, as the same were not available or discovered. The system of divorce was so complexes and was not within the reach of the poor in yesteryears. The women were not encouraged to learn education. In the society, no compromise is possible in the case of abortion and further action should be taken only after reviewing legal and ethical issues. People who respect moral values more than anything consider legalization of abortions, as an equivalent to murder should not be tolerated, as they would become a disease to the society. Supporters of abortion argue that a world should respect the right to women’s privacy to take decision about her body. And they also argue that any government interference or public violence or any violation of a womans right to privacy and autonomy should be strictly condemned. The history of the women is the product of time of century old women. It is the growth of the women for the last 25 years, which focused on their memories, testimonies and pointing out women’s experience. Abortion is an issue to reasonable people who disagree vehemently the legalization process, which they consider to be a hindrance to the moral norms of the society. Most dramatically, a few pro-life supporters or rather extremists took the extreme step of killing the doctors who make abortions. Thus an argument goes to save one life can another life be taken, is this step supports the society’s moral values? Supporters of abortion look this situation a perfect launch pad to show the society that women too

The importance of the perception communication at work depending on Dissertation

The importance of the perception communication at work depending on the Generation X and Generation Y - Dissertation Example These diverse attitudes and principles translate differently in a workplace context, with both generations having unique values associated with what constitutes an effective and motivational business model. There are significant gaps in research literature describing what specific characteristics of a business model will motivate and inspire workers to achieve top quality performance in the job roles of Generation X and Generation Y. In most respects, knowledge on both generations tends to illustrate Generation X as an independent and headstrong generation with pre-established principles and values. In opposite accord, Generation Y is presented as more liberal, flexible, and success-minded in the organisational context. This sizeable gap in knowledge specifically includes knowledge of the importance of communications for both generations. ... 1.1 Research aims and objectives The aim of this research project is to determine the level of importance of communications in the workplace as it pertains to both generations. This is to determine if communications strategies can be an effective motivational model for both Generation X and Generation Y. This study maintains three specific objectives: Determine what actually motivates both Gen X and Gen Y in a workplace context Determine how both generations perceive communications as a motivational tool Identify proven models of motivation that have been effective in boosting performance for both Generation X and Generation Y. The study will consult with various secondary literature sources to paint a portrait of both generations, with special focus on attitudes, principles, experiences, and expectations for an organisational job role. Results of findings will be compared to a primary research project (which is described in this proposal’s methodology section) to determine wh ether communications can be considered a viable motivational model for both generations or for a single generation. The results of this study should assist in closing some of the gaps in literature that currently exists regarding motivational strategies for both generations and recommend a new model of motivation that could potentially improve business culture and strategic performance when applied to Gen X and Gen Y. The goal of the project is to create an innovation in knowledge about both generations that can provide new direction for managers in organisations that struggle with Gen X and Gen Y employees to gain top quality performance and dedication to meet strategic goals both short- and

Clonal integration in Panicum trugidum ecotype under various Research Proposal

Clonal integration in Panicum trugidum ecotype under various environmental condition - Research Proposal Example Thus, it transpires that clonal integration of perennial plants equips them with capabilities of high resistance to various environmental phenomenons. Panicum Turgidum is a perennial grass found in the â€Å"Egyptian desert,† which â€Å"meets all the criteria for a multipurpose plant† that has the potential for being used in the rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems (Heneidy & Waseem, 2007, p.161). Thus, clonal integration of this species will enable humans to address a variety of ecological problems. Introductory Background: Wind erosion is the process of sand being carried away by wind and being deposited in different parts of a region and it is a major phenomenon in the â€Å"natural environment of Australia today† that determines the features of its landscape (Leys, McTanish and Shao, 2001, p.940). It is also a major feature of the natural environment occurring in other parts of the world and as it causes land degradation, it has far reaching consequences on plant life, agriculture and ecological balance of the region. Similarly, the US Department of Agriculture also recognises soil blowing due to winds as a significant problem and endorses that â€Å"orientation of the vegetation† in specific areas, coupled with other factors, plays a crucial role in determining the scale and magnitude of this phenomenon (Skidmore & Woodruff, 1968, p.1). Therefore, a logical assumption exists that the type of vegetation being grown in a region and its attributes in resisting soil erosion can have considerable influence in preventing the negative consequences of the problem. From research evidences discussed in the foregoing sections as well as the literature review presented in the forthcoming section, it has emerged that clonal integration facilitates better resistance in plants against wind erosion, flooding and other such adverse conditions. Therefore, exploring different possibilities in clonal integration of the perennial plant Panicum Tur gidum, which is believed to possess all the traits for multipurpose vegetation that can be used for rehabilitating degenerated land, can be advantageous to the cause of protecting the ecological balance. Literature Review: A reiteration of ramets, comprising â€Å"shoots, rhizomes, or stolons, and roots,† characterise clonal plants and they have the ability to share resources through rhizomes or stolons, which play a crucial role in regulating their shoot growth (Wolfer & Straile, 2012, p.261). In this context, evidence suggests that the â€Å"degree and duration of wind erosion† differs in various regions and even a moderate amount of erosion can affect the growth and survival of ramets, which can be countered to a great extent by clonal integration (Yu et al, 2008, p.571). To substantiate this, the researchers have carried out the study near to the Ordos Sandland Ecological Research Station in China and the results suggest that â€Å"erosion† as well as  "severing† of rhizome has a negative impact on the number of ramets and it may entail a decrease in the number of ramets, leaves or biomass of the plants (p.575). The study further substantiates the

Financial Analysis - Southwest Airlines case Essay - 1

Financial Analysis - Southwest Airlines case - Essay Example This attitude is also visible in the recruitment activities of the airlines. While hiring new people the airlines gives preference to candidates with a combative and hardworking spirit. Besides this in the hiring process the airline officials look for traits like dedication, sense of humor and extroverted people with an empathetic attitude in dealing with the peoples’ emotions. The airline gives special emphasis to learning and expects its employees to learn even from the day to day job experiences. Leadership courses designed for the airline managers emphasize on encouraging, empowering and coaching and are not limited to supervision or rule enforcement. Through regular courses the cultural themes like trust, teamwork, diversity and harmony are ingrained in the employees and supervisors. The supervisory positions in the airline are mainly filled internally as it is the belief of the management that the people who had been in the system are better equipped in handling and understanding the beliefs of the co-workers and find acceptance among the peer. This concept of internal job promotion motivates the employees to put in their best performance. The compensation offered by the airline is higher than the industry standards and it also consists of a plan for profit-sharing for the senior employees. The company has a non-adversarial and harmonious relationship with the employee unions. Airline’s contract with the employee union does not consist of any restrictive rules permitting even the pilots, gate-keepers and ticket agents to perform loading and unloading work. South-west airline has a â€Å"no-layoff policy†. This is because the company is of the belief that laying-off people is only a short term measure of increasing business profits. Instead the com pany seeks to build a sense of trust with the employees as this makes the employees more loyal towards the company. For this reason the company has been successful in building a good-will with

Bonus Example writing assignment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bonus Example writing assignment - Case Study Example The additional 125% of the bonus target is being paid out to the employees due to the company’s good performance. You will appreciate that this better performance may not be achieved without the hard efforts the employees have put in. So, they deserve to enjoy a portion of company’s profits that is the result of their untiring efforts. The annual bonus payout at 125% amounts to $37,950. Besides company’s performance, the employees are also awarded with bonuses on the basis of their individual performances as per company policy. For evaluating individual performance, the company has maintained â€Å"Employee’s Performance System† through which all employees are given performance rating on the basis of their performance in the year. The bonus of the employees receiving performance rating 1 is increased by 20% and that of receiving performance rating 2 is increased by 10%. No increase in bonus is awarded to employees receiving bonus rating less than 2. The annual bonus due to performance rating is increased to $42,205. The company has a policy to accrue each year bonus using the target bonus percentage plus 1% for performance fluctuations. The accrued bonus for the year amounts to $33,760. The gross bonus payout to employees amounts to $8,445 ($42,205-$33,760). The tax is payable on bonuses on cash basis @39%. The total tax payment amounts to $3,249. Thus the net after tax bonus for the employees is $5,151. I want to further explain to you regarding the difference between the total accrual and the total bonus payout. The bonus is accrued at the percentage of target plus 1% of the annual salary. This accrual does not includes the effects of fluctuations in bonuses occurred due to company’s performance and individual performances of the employees. On the other hand, the total bonus payout is calculated after incorporating the effects of company as well as individual performances. Thus, the difference is necessarily exist between these two

Email writing regarding whether or not to join the organization Essay

Email writing regarding whether or not to join the organization regarding Nikes Honduran situation - Essay Example hink that once Nike heard about the conditions of the workers at each of these factories that they should have pulled their contracts from these factories and looked for other places to fulfill their orders without violating the rights of their workers. Furthermore, I do believe that Nike changed their stance when Universities in the United States started to pull licensing contracts from Nike and the potential of losing money became a factor. There really is no way to know for certain whether or not the students, universities, and workers ever received all the information. But after reading a few articles, in my opinion, it looks as a whole no body ever had all the facts. What facts they do have seem to be coming just from the two workers touring the country with the reasoning behind why the two factories closed rather than resolve the situation. And whether or not students should be activists, I do believe that students should try to do something. I do believe that companies should pay attention to them. But at the same time, companies should also have ways to disclose information to their main offices from their factories as to determine whether or not their standards and practices are being followed. I hope my opinions help you on making a decision whether or not we should be involved with USAS. If you have any further questions, you can reach me by phone at 123-456-7890 or by e-mail at 123456789@email.com Yoshikane, Akito. "Honduran Workers Speak Out Against Nikes Labor Violations." In These Times. n.p., April 21, 2009. Web. 26 Sep 2011.

Macroeconomic Situation Essay Example for Free

Macroeconomic Situation Essay The economic situation in the United States today could be considered as one of the deepest crisis the mankind has seen in so many years. The GDP growth rate of the country has decreased and ultimately got in the negative figures. The GDP growth rate in the year 2009 was -2. 4%, the inflation rate of the nation got around at 2. 2%. After the credit crisis and the subprime crisis, the overall economy was hampered with phases of rapid unemployment and bailouts for biggest financial sector companies. The overall trust in the service sector was reduced to a considerable level. The unemployment rate in April 2010 was estimated around at 9.9%. Due to continuous decrease in the growth rate of economy, the level of public debt also increased and reached $12. 28 trillion (January 2010) which is 84% of GDP. (â€Å"National Economic Accountsnd†) But after the deep recession period, the economy is finally showing some signs of relief and recovery now. Though the expected growth rates are still negative, still the cumulative growth rates are expected to be better in the coming financial year. Provided the amount of the economic unscrambling the nation had witnessed in winter 2008-2009, the recovery pattern is still very weak, most importantly in persistent financial difficulties. The US congress and Federal Reserve have taken a number of steps in order to ensure that the current financial condition could be stabilized and active efforts could be made towards recovery and growth. The most extraordinary of those were producing a Primary Dealer Credit Facility and helping the acquisition of Bear Stearns by J. P. Morgan Chase. The Federal Reserve along with the Congress has continued to use the conventional macroeconomic tools in order to combat the current situation. (â€Å"The Current Economic Situationnd†) The bailouts and government intervention into an otherwise free market are indications of such steps initiated by them. Taking account of the steps taken by Federal Reserve, the short term rates have fallen but still the amount of risk in the interbank loan market has not changed much over the time. References: The Current Economic Situation: Retrieved on 5th June 2010 from website: http://www. cbo. gov/ftpdocs/90xx/doc9078/Chapter2. 4. 1. shtml National Economic Accounts: Retrieved on 5th June 2010 from website: http://www. bea. gov/national/index. htm

FORD MOTORS PHILOSOPHY vs TOYOTA MOTORS PHILOSOPHY

FORD MOTORS PHILOSOPHY vs TOYOTA MOTORS PHILOSOPHY Introduction A manufacturing/production system consists of a conversion system, which transforms inputs into output. The way conversion is done depends upon the nature of product/service and the nature of demand for such product/service. Thus the types of production are broadly classified into two categories, the continuous and the intermittent. The first category is appropriate where large scale production is required and the second is suitable where demand is non-uniform and seasonal and the product is not standardized. Ford Motors, as it is poised for mass producing standardized automobiles, naturally embraced the continuous production system. This essay attempts to compare and contrast the production philosophies and systems adopted by Ford Motors during 1930s and Toyota Motor Company during recent times. As Kanigal, Robert [1997] laid the basis for the concept of assembly line, Henry Ford, adopted the concept in1914 with due consideration to Adam Smiths philosophy of division of labour. He over simplified the tasks which led to specialization and business success (William A. Levinson, 2009). On the other hand, Toyota, which emerged as a different socio-industrial system, ironically had its roots in Henry Fords philosophy (James P.Womack, Daniel T.Jones, Daniel Roos, 2007) However, TMC digressed from the traditional Detroit philosophy based on the concept of lean manufacturing and thus carved a niche for itself and grew to such an extent that the American automobile industry shook. Henry Fords Contribution Earlier, cars were a specialized luxury, available only to the elite. Fords mass production scheme made the automobile accessible for the common man even, by virtue of Fords vision, a car for every man. This philosophy got extended to the whole range of consumer products and services which came into the reach of every common man. Henry Fords team nurtured innovation in all the 4 Ps (Product, Process, Position and Paradigm) to happen concurrently. The T-Model, which Ford and his team evolved formed the basis for emergence of an altogether completely new realm of thinking as regards manufacturing, which resulted in elimination of need for skilled labour (Joe Tidd, John Bessant, 2009). Though the basic elements existed earlier, Fords success lay in synthesizing them into a new form. The philosophy encompassed not only assembly operations, but supply chain and logistical aspects also. Features of Ford System of Manufacturing Standardization of products, components, equipment, process, tasks and tasks of control. Time and work study, to identify the optimum conditions for carrying out a particular operation and job analysis, to break up the task into small, highly controllable and reproducible steps. Specialization of functions and tasks within all areas of operation .there was considerable narrowing and re-utilization of individual tasks and an extension of division of labor. Uniform output rates and systematization of the entire manufacturing process. Payments and incentive schemes based on results. Elimination of worker discretion and passing of control to specialists. Concentration of control of work into the hands of management within a bureaucratic hierarchy with extensive reliance on rules and procedures. The Toyota production philosophy The system of production which, though had its roots in that of Ford Motors, has evolved as a distinctive one with unique features such as lean manufacturing, is known as Toyota Production System [TPS]. Sakichi Toyoda, his son, Kiichiro Toyoda and Taiichi are the founders of Toyota Motors. The founders and the engineer, Taiichi Ohno are the ones who appreciated and embraced the concept of Lean Manufacturing, founded on the original concept, being, JIT production (Sorensen, 1956). The founders of Toyota based heavily on the work of Edward Deming and the literature written by Henry Ford. Lean manufacturing (Simon, 1996) concept was even seen during the times of Benjamin Franklin. The business success and opulence of Detroit drove the Toyota team to be inquisitive about witnessing the assembly line and mass production. When the Toyotan delegation visited the US, they were not impressed. The Toyotan philosophy (Shigeo, 1996) aims at rationalizing the design of the manufacturing process and so it envisages elimination of three elements, being overburden [muri], inconsistency [mura] and waste [muda]. This entails that the process is flexible enough to be free from stress as it is supposed to generate waste. The Toyota system identified seven types of wastes, popularly called the Seven Wastes. They are over-production, motion (of operator or machine), waiting (of operator or machine), conveyance, processing itself, inventory (raw material), and correction (rework and scrap) Of the three lapses, i.e. overburden, inconsistency and waste, the latter, muda, seems to dominate the thinking of man as they see the fruitful effects of TPS. Origin of the concept of TPS It is known that Toyota Motor Company has got its inspiration not from the Detroit Philosophy, but rather from their observations made on their visit to the US in 1950s. The Toyota delegation first visited the automotive plants of Ford Motor Company located in Michigan. But they convicted that many methods adopted by the industry leaders were not satisfactory or effective. Some of the lapses they identified were: large amounts of inventory on site, the way the work was performed in various departments uneven pattern, i.e., with intervention of waiting between one operation and another operation resulting in islands of idleness, re-work in huge quantities at the end of the process. Later, the Toyotan delegation visited Piggly-Wiggly, the supermarket and observed how inventory management was carried out. The supermarket maintained scanty amounts of stock sufficient to cater to the customers and its employees for a short duration, stocks were reordered and instantly replenished. This indicated an important dimension, i.e., eliminating the need to maintain huge stocks and it was all done just-in-time. Taking cue from this philosophy, many US businesses made a direct attack on high inventory levels but ended in fiasco. This was because the American businesses did not understand the underlying issues. A principle of maintaining low levels of inventory also implies that proper alignment should be made with the vendors such that they were in a position to supply materials and components just-in-time. A complete delineation with the entire supply chain is necessary. This important aspect was ignored by the American automobile industry. It cannot be achieved overnight. Toyotans admitted that it took 20 years for them to implement JIT programme. Tenets of Toyotan Philosophy CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT Challenge: Work without challenge makes people indolent and lackadaisical and nonchalant. Kaizen: Capabilities, skills, efficiency and the like are not constant. They keep improving over time. Hence benchmarks need to be revised constantly. Innovativeness is a natural propensity. Genchi Genbutsu: Try to find the root cause before making correction of the apparent defects. RESPECT FOR PEOPLE Respect: Others must be respected. There should be mutual understanding and a readiness to accept responsibility to build mutual trust. Team work: Working together to achieve organizational and individual objectives through commitment. LONG-TERM PERSPECTIVE Short-term goals are mere derivatives of the long-term ones and the former are dependent on the latter and hence, priority shall be given to pursue/revise long-term goals. THE RIGHT PROCESS PRODUCES THE RIGHT RESULTS Creation of a continuous process flow facilitates inherent problems to be apparent at surface. Lacunae, if any, will come to surface; unevenness in loading of work stations will be indicated. Adopting pull system of production prevents overproduction. Under pull system of production, production scheduling is not done for large scale manufacturing. Master production schedule is made based on the current orders on hand. Once these orders are processed, the production process is stalled and rescheduled upon receiving new orders. Thus, products are pulled out of the system by customers. As long as production goes, care should be taken to avoid unevenness of flow of the process. This requires every material, tool, equipment and labour to be readily available at the respective work station to avoid interruption. Defect to be nipped in the bud. This means that if the job on the assembly line or at a work center is found to be defective, the same cannot be passed to the next work station/center without being rectified of the defect. This gives two-fold advantage; first, all the output that comes out will be defect free and secondly, there is no need to invest on a quality assurance system. Line stopping Where, on an assembly line, if any defect is noticed by the operator[s], he is given discretion to stop the assembly line by means of a switch and hold it till the defect is rectified. Continuous improvement is based on standardization of operations/tasks and employee empowerment. Standardization of operations facilitates fixing benchmarks for employees and thereby provides for comparison of performance against benchmarks. Once they are met by the employees, the benchmarks will be revised. This way, performance and efficiency keep increasing year by year, leading to ever increasing performance and productivity. Visual control system: This system alarms the workers of any lapse or defect that my arise during the production process. When the system identifies a defect, it alarms the workers through visual devices. Using fool-proofed technology: The Toyotan philosophy calls for using equipment of proven technology to ensure a steady and uninterrupted flow of the process as well as to get the output of the desired quality. DEVELOPING PEOPLE AND PARTNERS ADDS VALUE TO THE ORGANIZATION Leaders should be developed from among the employees who relish the philosophy, understand it thoroughly and are willing to share it with others. Exceptional personnel and teams who imbibe and nurture the aspirations of the company should be developed. Network partners and suppliers by sharing expertise should be honored and challenging assignments should be given to help them improve. A SUSTAINED EFFORT TO RESOLVING ROOT PROBLEMS DRIVES ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING A personal involvement in a situation provides a thorough understanding of an issue. Decision making shall be done coolly through consensus, taking into consideration all possible options. Implementation shall be done quickly. This is based on the belief that collective wisdom is always superior to the individuals. Creating an environment in the organization so, that every employee indulges in learning things and improves performance on a sustained basis. This makes the whole organization, a learning organization. How Toyota Is Comparable To And Discernible From Ford Production Philosophy Toyota Relies on piece-meal style of production, i.e., produces only when there is pull from the customer Ford Whereas Ford manufactured in large scale to create stock based on estimated demand Nature of work Toyota Designed the work so, that workers had to be multi- skilled to perform complex tasks. Ford Over simplified complex operations such that workers needed low level skills Standardization Toyota Though was influenced by the writings of Edwards Deming and Henry Ford, was embarrassed on eye-witnessing the assembly lines of Ford Motors facilities in Michigan. Ford Could demonstrate business success through the policy of standardization of products, components, equipment, process and control. Pace of output Toyota production system was continual and produced in small quantities as each customer merited. No pile up of finished goods. Ford Held the policy of turning over at uniform pace to create huge pile up of stocks. Set up time cost Toyota Fundamentally designed for continual flow meriting frequent changeovers and set ups, but this could be offset by the extra costs of blocking capital in the form of huge pile up of stocks, characteristic of Ford Motors. Ford As the scheduling is done for continuous run, changeovers are less frequent and so, low set up time and cost. Workers discretion Toyota Allowed certain amount of discretion to workers on the assembly line such as empowering them to inspect the job for defects and to stall the flow on the assembly line to rectify the defect then and there and then let it go to the next work station to ensure zero defect situation and to eliminate the need of rework division. Ford Eliminated the scope for workers discretion to be used at the work place since each worker on the assembly line had to perform only a single task and the next task had to be done by the next worker. Workers had no authority to stop the flow of work as such, an incidence of defect is allowed to pass till the end of the process and the defective item is sent to rework division. Process design Toyota Focused on three criteria while designing its production system, i.e., overburden, inconsistency, and waste. These words are simple, but have far reaching effects. The last criterion is pivotal for the success of the company. The seven wastes concept indicates a treat amount of insight of the Toyotans and it is unique of Toyota. But, ironically, Toyotan inspiration is rooted in the writings of Edward Deming, who happens to be the American. The fun lies in the fact that American automobile industry did not pay heed to Demings philosophy, but non-Americans exhibited faith in it. Ford Bureaucratized as far as administration/control is concerned. All employees have to observe scalar chain and abide by the rules and procedures Long-term perspective in planning Toyota Ford Both companies look into far future. Developing people Toyota Promotes development of exceptional individuals and teams. Ford Does not focus on developing experts as it has over simplified the tasks, rather, workers might gain efficiency as they do the single task repeatedly. Pay and incentives Toyota Provides ample scope for personnel to grow as it nurtures innovation, employee participation and so on. Ford The policy is to pay and provide incentives based on results. Problem solving Toyota Employees are nurtured in such a culture that they address a problem through the root cause instead of taking a perfunctory look. Ford Employees are not trained along making deeper efforts in addressing problems. They used to leave the problem at perfunctory levels. Summary The world has witnessed a constant transformation as regards the automobile production/operations philosophy. The Fords mass production (produce to stock) philosophy received ample appreciation and was convicted to be the right path by most other manufacturers (1914). This has been evidenced by the way the Big Three, (Ford Motors, General Motors and Chrysler) flourished during early and mid 20th century. But the onset of Toyota production system, which is based on the philosophy of lean manufacturing, started sending tremors into the well complacent American automobile industrys regime. The principle of Toyota Motor Company (TMC) to eliminate wastes and subsequent TMCs success attracted other manufacturers who tried to copy, but in vain. They could not imitate the whole TMCs philosophy as it is.

Understanding Blog Definitions And Features

Understanding Blog Definitions And Features There are four sections in this chapter. The first section is an overview of the chapter. The second section provides a general understanding on blog definition, the features of blogs and blogging tools and their evolution. The third section examines the uses of blogs in different areas such as personal, business, politics and education. The fourth section discusses the previous empirical studies. Finally, the discussion of the entire chapter is summarized in the last section. A blog or weblog refers to a personalised web page with minimal or no external editing that provides, online commentary and that is periodically updated and presented in reverse chronological order (preserved old posts in addition to new entries) with hyperlinks to other online sources (Farell and Drezner, 2007; Downes, 2004). Most authors agree that a blog is a frequently updated website consisting of dated entries (Walker, 2003). A blog may include any, all, or some combination of text, photos, videos, audio, as well as hyperlinks (links to websites or other Internet-based information). One of the useful features of blogs is their interactivity. A blog was designed to facilitate interaction by permitting readers to comment on entries. So a blog is a platform of personal media, knowledge management tool, and community forum (Liu et al, 2009). Blogs are a popular way for expressing personal opinions and interests on the Web (Varlamis et al, 2008). Essentially, the author or we call a blogger not only expresses his personal ideas and experience, but also provides help to others during the communication throughout the Internet and in this way make their blogs more valuable for sharing (Shaohiu and Lihua, 2008). In addition, blogs can be a personal diary, a memo, a place to deliver messages, a cooperation field, a news-release website, or a temporary performing stage for a politician (Xin, 2009). According to most researchers, a small scale webpage that we call as a blog usually has certain features. Five features that a blog usually has i.e. personal editorship, a hyperlinked posting structure, frequent updates, free public access to the content via the Internet and archived postings (Paquet, 2003). Table 2.1 summarises the definitions of a blog or weblog according to respective researchers. Table 2.1 Definition of Blog Definitions Authors Reverse chronological posting Doctorow et al., 2002; Paquet, 2003; Walker, 2003; Schiano et al., 2004; Downes, 2004; Herring et al., 2004; Bruns and Jacobs, 2006; Viegas, 2006; Farell and Drezner, 2007; Shaohui and Lihua, 2008; Liu et al., 2009 Individually author / Personalised web page Barger, 1997; Paquet, 2003; Bruns and Jacobs, 2006; Liu al et., 2009 Online commentary Bruns and Jacobs, 2006; Farell and Drezner, 2007; Liu al et., 2009 Text-based online environment Downes, 2004 Mini web page / Small scale website / Simple web page Doctorow al et., 2002; Farell and Drezner, 2007; Shaohui and Lihua, 2008 Online diary/journal Barger, 1997; Blood, 2000; Doctorow al et., 2002; Herring al et., 2004; Xin, 2009 Table 2.1 (Continued) Definition of Blog Definitions Authors Posting with date entries Paquet, 2003; Walker, 2003; Herring al et., 2004 Frequently updated website Blood, 2000; Walker, 2003; Schiano al et., 2004; Herring al et., 2004; Luehmann and MacBride, 2007; Shaohui and Lihua, 2008 Sharing thought Shaohui and Lihua, 2008 Express personal ideas / opinions Doctorow al et., 2002; Varlamis al et., 2004; Shaohui and Lihua, 2008 Sharing experiences Shaohui and Lihua, 2008 Sharing interests Varlamis al et., 2004 Collects and shares resources (Photos/Videos/Hyperlinks) Doctorow al et., 2002; Paquet, 2003; Bruns and Jacobs, 2006; Luehmann and MacBride, 2007; Farell and Drezner, 2007; Liu al et., 2009 Features Blogs utilise a simple interface to make it easy for a user to construct it, without having to understand HTML or web scripting. Thus, anyone who can create a basic Microsoft Word document can create and maintain a blog. Users can add pictures or audio files to enhance their blogs attractiveness. Typically, blog combines text, images, links to other blogs or web pages, and other media related to its topic i.e. video. A blogger decides what does and does not go into a blog (Shevked and Dakovski, 2006). According to Duffy et al., (2006), a blog is usually made up of the following components: Date and time the post was published Category the post is label with (can be one or more) Main title of the post Main content of the post Links back (trackback) from other sites Comments added by readers URL of the full, individual article In addition, Du and Wagner (2005) claimed that the features of blogs (i.e. archival of past weblogs by date-posted, hyperlink to other web or blog, instant publishing of web content with little technical skill required, and ways for others to comment/feedback). An important and desirable feature of blogging technology which makes communication possible is the ability to comment a publication in a blog. Most blogging tools allow writing a comment on someones article (Downes, 2004; Du and Wagner, 2005). Shaohui and Lihua (2008) stated that advanced network technology is not required to build a blog and thus any one can establish his own blog, as long as he is able to type and take advantage of the Internet. The establishment of a blog does not need any extra economic costs because basic blog services are available in any online computer for free. A blog is open, free and available for sharing. This entails one may write down what he sees, hears and thinks of freely in a blog. The openness, sharing features, interaction, virtual capability, cover up and non-restraint characteristics of a blog stimulate peoples desire of self-expression and self complacency, including those who are reserved in real life but are willing to express their inner thought through a blog (Shaohui and Lihua, 2008). Besides the basic features of a blog, there are additions to a blog. Nowadays, most blogging tools support a method for communication between blogs called trackback. When someone writes a new article in his blog that refers to another article typically residing at a different blog, a notification is sent to the other blog. The notification is referred to as trackback (Shevked and Dakovski, 2006). The trackback functionality enables the reader of a weblog to comment on a certain article in his own blog platform (Bross al et., 2009). Another additional blog feature is called pingback. This feature allows a blogger to request notification when somebody links to one of his articles so he can keep track of who is linking to, or referring to his publications (Shevked and Dakovski, 2006). In a contemporary blogging system it is now important to support Really Simple Syndication (RSS). This is a web feed format, which is used to provide web content (Shevked and Dakovski, 2006). This way when someone is interested in content published in a particular RSS-supporting site and wants to stay in touch with its updates and new articles posted there, he may subscribe to them via RSS. BLOGGING TOOLS AND THEIR EVOLUTION During the late 1990s, there were no special tools available for creating weblogs. Most bloggers hand-coded their sites. But, very soon, it became difficult to read every weblog every day, or even to keep track of all the new ones that were appearing (Blood, 2000). Blogs started to gain popularity after Pitas.com launched the first free build-your-own-weblog tool, and others like Blogger released their blogging tools. These tools provide the ease and affordability for non-technical persons to communicate online. According to Bauer (2004), approximately 80% of weblogs use hosting services that provide weblog building tools and server space, while the rest use standalone software that runs on individual servers or web hosts. Popular weblog hosts, such as Blogger, ModBlog, and Xanga, offer basic services for free, which are to the advantage for new bloggers or general users even though there are limited server spaces and standard features. But, successful weblogs can outgrow these basic services, and may be forced to choose premium services (at higher costs), or even to set up their own hosts (Rubenking, 2003). Comparatively, standalone software is more flexible in terms of server space and control of own content, but this requires some knowledge on the part of the users to set up the application and to maintain the server. Movable Type and Radio Userland are two popular fee-based standalone software solutions. Schiano al et. (2004) found that the participants of their research used a wide variety of blogging tools, including Blogger, Blurty, Xanga, MoveableType, RadioUserLand, and customised scripts. Several participants began with Blogger (recently acquired by Google), but as they gained experience, they migrated to other, more sophisticated tools or created their own. 2.3 USES OF BLOGS Most people are not aware that there is a variety of genres in the blogosphere. The interface looks similar but the content is different. Blog can be used in various areas or purposes such as, for personal usage, politics, business and educations. 2.3.1 Personal Personal blogs is often known as online diary or journal. The blog format of an online diary makes it possible for users who have not much experience to create, format, and post entries with ease. People often write their everyday experiences, complaints, poems, thoughts and more and this type of blog allows others to contribute. The blogger, as a main role, writes about his/her personal perspective in his/her own blogs. Blogs also provide users the right to write and express their own ideas and viewpoints. Moreover, blog writings enable the users both to share information and to make self-reflection. According Schiano et al., (2004), many blogs seem to function in the age-old tradition of diaries and personal record-keeping. 2.3.2 Politics Political campaigns at the federal, state and local level use blogs to organise and motivate their supporters (Farell and Drezner, 2007). Political blogs may take a number of forms. Often an individual will link to articles from news web sites and post his own opinion. Most news, activism, and issue-based blogs follow the same format. A recent trend in politics is that candidates are incorporating blogging into their campaigns. For example, in 2005, Chilean presidential election, four candidates used their own blogs as part of their campaign mechanisms (Farell and Drezner, 2007). Blogs have played an important role in several media scandals (Glaser 2004). They have also played a important role in shaping campaign strategy and tactics. In 2004, Howard Dean rose to prominence in part because of his adroit use of the blogosphere as a tool for rallying activists (Graf and Darr 2004; Kerbel and Bloom, 2005). Blogs increasingly affect legal outcomes (Solum, 2006; Berman, 2006). It has been shown that blogs have influenced policy outcomes. As example, blogs played an important role in helping defeat George W. Bushs proposed Social Security reforms, which were intended to be the landmark achievement of his second term in office (Glover and Essl, 2006). Blogs have also achieved some political and policy prominence outside the US (Drezner and Farrell, 2004). 2.3.3 Business Businesses increasingly use blogs for promotional campaigns, and track blogs to measure customer satisfaction and monitor trends (Farell and Drezner (2007). A number of entrepreneurs establish blogs to promote their businesses. Often business blogs act as a showcase for entrepreneurs to provide a window into the behind-the-scenes activities at their business, presenting a more personal face. In some cases the blog itself is the core of the business bringing in revenue from advertising, selling products or information. Interest in blog as a business tool has coincided with a growing realisation that traditional marketing methods may no longer suit todays fragmented markets and increasingly demanding customers. The nineties saw the introduction of new forms of marketing, including relationship marketing, buzz marketing, word-of-mouth marketing, one-to-one marketing, opt-in marketing, guerrilla marketing and viral marketing. Blogs have the potential to fulfil the aims of these new marketing methods. The blogger not only share the ideas and feeling, but also received valuable comments from readers. The business world now realises the opportunities of blogging and begins to reap the benefits. Maintaining a blog an important part of each companys Internet strategy. A company can make blogs to introduce products/services; inform customers about discounts, do promotions and announce achieves and success (Shevked and Dakovski, 2006). In addition, customers can write their comments, opinions, complaints and suggestions and get support from responsible company workers. Concurrently, it is useful to have also an internal blog for development tracking, which by company employees. This supports collaborative work as the blog might be not only central information source but also management tool, brainstorming sessions, announcements or reporting place (Shevked and Dakovski, 2006). Corporate blog have received widespread attention in press and among Internet users. It can help a company build stronger relationships with its customers and get customers feedback instantly. It can be used to market products or services and develop a brand (Ryu and Shi, 2010). 2.3.4 Education Blogs can be used as learning tools in a variety of ways, Their value is demonstrated by the operational structures and responses mechanisms, discourse style and method of recording ideas, commentary and institutionally relevant information (Ismail, S., 2009). Students frequently use blogs as records of their learning while teachers use them as records of what they taught. For example, through a blog, a teacher can perform daily recording was taught, include links to Internet resources, and specify the homework students are required to carry out. This application has many advantages: (i) student can quickly catch-up if they miss a class, (ii) the teacher can use the blog as a lesson plan, and (iii) the blog serves as an accurate summary of the course that prospective students or new teachers can refer to. The collaborative features of blogs can be used to authorize several students to contribute to the blog. There are more educators and language teachers using the Internet in language teaching as well (Godwin-Jones, 2003; Lord and Lomicka, 2004). Many computer applications, especially asynchronous computer-mediated communication such as email and electronic bulletin boards, promote interactive learning (Arnold and Ducate, 2006). With the booming growth of technology, blogs have become another learning platform for language teaching. Johnson (2004) pointed out that the logs are a useful additional aid to teachers. From any computer connected to the Internet, teachers can create, edit, or delete their teaching hand-outs including notes, assignments, and reviewed materials. Teachers messages are organised in a reversed chronological order with the latest postings at the top. The feature of automatic date-stamping for each post is useful. Students emails may, for some technical glitches, not reach their teachers or be carelessly deleted by their teachers. With the automatic date-stamping function, both teachers and students know clearly when students turn in their assignments. Consequently, the automatic archive of past posts by date or theme can help teachers and students easily locate the message they are searching. If students do not have their own personal websites, an easy-to-use blog is a good start for them to interact with users of the cyberspace community. As Campbell (2004) emphasised that simple customisation of templates can help students build a sense of ownership and unique online identity. Most students will write more carefully if they know that they are going to publish their articles online for authentic readers who may comment on their postings. Additionally, teachers can easily use blogs to organise a collaborative learning environment in which students can peer edit others postings (Dieu, 2004; Mitchell, 2003). Students should be encouraged to comment their partners postings, which can also be shared by other classmates. Oravec (2002) claimed that blog development can allow students to become more analytical and critical. Duffy al et. (2006) list the following are possible uses of blogs in education. Table 2.3 Possible Uses of Blogs in Education (Duffy et al., 2006) Perspective Uses Personal academic A blog can support reflection on teaching experiences; categorised descriptions of resources and methodologies for teaching; ramblings regarding professional challenges and teaching tips for other academics; illustration of specific technology-related tips for other colleagues. Organisational A blog can support a common online presence for unit-related information such as calendars; events, assignments and resources; an online area for students to post contact details and queries relating to assessment. Pedagogical A blog can support comments based on literature readings and student responses; a collaborative space for students to act as reviewers for course-related materials, images and reflections related to industry placement; an online gallery space for review of works, writings, etc. in progress; making use especially of the commenting feature, teachers encouraging reactions, reflections and ideas by commenting on their students blogs; development of a student portfolio of work. 2.4 RELATED EMPIRICAL STUDIES This section focuses in blogs used in learning, blogs in teaching and also others issues related to technology in teaching. 2.4.1 Blog and teacher The ease of operating blogs make them attractive tools to some teachers for posting announcements, facilitating discussions, or linking to class resources (Downes, 2004; Oravec, 2003). Blogs have been coined as teacher-driven administrative tools. Teachers may require students to post to their own or a shared blog a required (or recommended) structure and contents for entries and in accordance to specific grading rubric (Krause, 2005). The literature discusses interesting possibilities for the use of blogs in education (Flatley, 2005; Huffaker, 2006; Perschbach, 2006; Quible, 2005; Richardson, 2006; Selingo, 2004). Churchill (2009) asserted that blogs added a new dimension to teaching effectiveness by enabling teachers to do things that were not possible otherwise, either with or without other technology. Initially, teacher saw blogging as a means by which they could provide a reflections (Chuang, 2008; Yang, 2009). Wang and Hsua (2008) reported that pre-service teachers enjoyed exchanging perspectives on the blog and considered blogging an extra channel that enabled them to express different views or to extend in class discussion. Teachers can continue the class discussion in a blog after class. For that reason, blogs become a good tool for communication between teachers and students as they provide with a platform for the students to give their opinions about teaching. Ding (2008) concluded that the greatest advantage of a blog is that it provides an efficient platform for the interaction between teachers and learners. In addition, a blog can promote teachers to develop thinking and writing habits. Blogging help accelerate the transfer of teachers personal implicit knowledge to explicit knowledge, and let others share the essence of his knowledge or beliefs. So a blog is not only a platform for teaching, thinking and communication; but also a platform of belief and opinion (Yan et al, 2010). Blogs contribute positively in teaching of the English language (Ding, 2008; 2009) and Science (Sawmiller, 2010). Ding (2008, 2009) found that blogs has extended and complemented classroom teaching and learning activities. Sawmiller (2010) in his study supported that using blogs in the classroom can help in teaching scientific concepts and in increasing student learning through the use of a students preferred learning style, personal interest, and engagement. Blogging is the bridge spanning the gap that exists between at-home and school experiences of learning. Blogging can be a constructive tool in a science learning environment. It promotes critical thinking skills, collaboration, and differentiated instruction by using multiple learning styles. Other than teaching, blogs can be used as a tool to promote interaction within online communities, teachers professional development and teachers interaction (Hou, 2010). Luehmann (2008) supported the potential of blogging for teachers professional identity development. The study suggested that teachers blogging determine the extent of the benefits they derive from the practice. Blogs can become the digital files that record teachers professional growth (Shaohui and Lihua, 2008). Blogs help teachers prepare for lessons co-operate and communicate with each other and receive long distance training. Because of the classification function of blogs, teachers can set some useful items (e.g. teaching materials, reference, question solution, exercise, work presentation, notice etc.) in their teaching blog as knowledge management tool (Ding, 2009). Blog provides a platform for not only information interchange but also interchange of thoughts. In sum, blogs allow teachers to have a network identity, promote teachers to reflect upon daily teaching activity, and hence improve the quality of teaching. (Yan et al, 2010). 2.4.2 Attitudes towards Technology and Teaching It has been stated that no matter how sophisticated and powerful the state of technology is, the extent to which it is implemented defends on teachers having a positive attitude towards it (Huang Liaw, 2005). Therefore, this section will discusses the empirical studies related to teachers or educators attitudes towards technology in teaching. Teo (2008) asserted that the success of any initiatives to implement technology in an educational programme depends strongly on the support and attitudes of teachers involved (Teo, 2008). The factors that affect the successful use of computers in the classroom are teachers attitudes towards computers and these attitudes, whether positive or negative, and the attitudes affect how teachers respond to technologies (Teo, 2008). Khine (2001) studied 184 pre-service teachers their use of ICT. They found a significant relationship between computer attitude and ICT use in the institution. Yuen and Ma (2001) administered the Chinese Computer Attitude Scale for Teachers to 216 secondary teachers in Hong Kong to examine the factors that influence the instructional use of computers. They found that affective attitudes a significant factor in influencing the use of computer among teachers. Hong and Koh (2002) investigated the attitudes of rural secondary schools teachers towards computers. The sample consisted of 200 secondary school teachers in Malaysia. Hong and Koh (2002) found that rural secondary teachers have positive attitudes toward computers. Teachers who owned computers and had more computing experience were found to have more positive attitudes than teachers who had less computer experience. Wong et al (2005) examined the use of the Internet among 310 pre-service teachers in Malaysia using questionnaire survey method. The study shows that attitudes toward the Internet were positive. Wong et al (2005) concluded that pre-service teachers will integrated the new technology effectively in classroom instruction either as a teaching tool or as a learning medium. Kadijevich (2006) examined teachers interest to attain educational technology standards (interest) in terms of their computer attitude (attitude) and the professional support they received to attain these standards (support). The study used a sample of 39 mathematics pre-service teachers and 62 elementary pre-service teachers. The two groups differed in Support favouring elementary student teachers, who, contrary to mathematics student teachers, received some basic. Despite the differences in support, for both student teachers, there were direct positive and significant effects for support on attitude and of attitude on interest. Teo et al (2007) examined 239 pre-service teachers attitudes towards computers in Singapore. The results show that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and subjective norm were significant determinants of pre-service computer attitudes. Later, Teo (2008) examined demographic factors among 139 pre-service teachers using a questionnaire. The results show no gender or age differences among pre-service teachers on computer attitudes. However, there were significant differences in computer attitudes for the subject areas that pre-service teachers had been trained. Correlation analyses revealed significant associations between years of computer use and level of confidence, and computer attitudes. Birisci et al (2009) conducted a survey among 191 prospective elementary teachers in Turkey to investigate prospective elementary teachers attitudes toward computer and Internet use. It was found that attitudes of prospective teachers towards computer and Internet use at high level. There are no significant differences between prospective elementary teachers attitudes toward computer and Internet use with students class, graduation school type and monthly income. Prior researches haves shown that a teachers attitude towards the computer is a major predictor for future computer use (Myers Halpin, 2002) and his need for learning computing skills that in turn will lead to computer literacy (Zhang Espinoza 1997). For example, Yildirim (2000) found that teachers who used computers more would tend to develop positive attitudes to promote further use of the computer in their daily teaching tasks and conduct activities that require computers to play a major role in, for example, computer-mediated forums. Researchers (Guerrero et al, 2004) summarized teachers attitudes toward the use of technology in mathematics classrooms as hesitant. The majority of teachers indicated that they had not observed any software that really helped learning and using software did not save time in teaching or evaluation. Further, Kadel (2005) found that overcoming the typical obstacles that may deter faculty from utilizing technology for instruction requires a positive attitude. This attitude may manifest itself in an extensive time devotion or willingness to challenge institutional thought. Chao (2005) conducted a survey to find teachers attitudes toward usage of mobile technologies in Taiwan classrooms. This study used cognitive, affective, and behavioural construct of attitudes 150 school teachers. He found that teachers intent to use technologies resources begins with their attitude toward using them in their daily practices. Gado and Hooft (2005) conducted a project in West Africa that introduced handheld computers to Benin secondary science teachers to explore their attitudes towards technology integration in inquiry-based science. Sixteen physical science teachers were selected from ten secondary public schools. A mixed method research design (survey data and interviews) was used. Participants showed positive attitudes toward handheld computers. Analysis of interview data showed five determinants of participants attitudes toward the use of handheld computers and probeware: (i) handheld computers as powerful educational tools; (ii) novelty of the technology; (iii) (ir)relevance of handheld tools in the context of Benin; (iv) self-efficacy beliefs (or perceived simplicity of use); and (v) enhancement of student learning outcome expectancy. Pange et al (2005) studied the attitude of Greek pre-school teachers towards new technologies. 100 preschool were selected as a sample. Pange et al (2005) found that the pre-school teachers have a positive attitude in using new technology. Likewise, Luan et al (2002) found that teachers have positive attitudes towards IT amongst 60 Malaysian in-service teachers. 2.5 SUMMARY This chapter provides a general understanding on blog definition, the features of blogs and blogging tools and their evolution. Examples of blog used in different areas also explained. It also included the empirical study that used technology in teaching. Therefore, the following chapter proposed a model which will be used for this study.

How Hitchcock Challenges Audience Expectations in his Film Psycho :: Papers

How Hitchcock Challenges Audience Expectations in his Film Psycho Hitchcock does very well in his film with censorship of film making in the nineteen fifties as he goes right to the limits of were the film is just suitable to show the nation. He does this many times in his film, one example is where Marian gets undressed and dressed. You see her bra and knickers in this scene, which is very unusual back then, it is worse than seeing nudity in films now. If Marian had taken any think else off in this scene it would have been explicit nudity, therefore not be able to be shown in the film. This is what I mean by how Hitchcock takes censorship to the limit. Some other censorship themes that Hitchcock took to the boundary was expressive kissing, swearing and brutality. Hitchcock went as far as possible with censorship to grip the audience and get more of a feel to the film. Psycho is a fifteen in England to buy on video these days because the censorship now is nothing compared to back when the film was made, a director can do basically anything now. The audience now would say it should be a twelve or lower as there is no swearing or sexual scenes and not that much brutality and parents would not mind their children seeing this. The scenes are still scary to the audience though and it would take quite an intelligent twelve year old to wrap their head round what is about and how it develops at the end. The editing in psycho is great and must have taken a week to do just one scene. It is very good for the scene and for the audience as it builds tension and creates an atmosphere. The best scene to show this as an example is the famous shower scene where Marian is murdered, whilst having a shower, by Norman dressed as his mother with a knife. There was seventy-eight separate camera set ups needed for the shower scene from the shower head, down the toilet, from the mirror, Marians How Hitchcock Challenges Audience Expectations in his Film Psycho :: Papers How Hitchcock Challenges Audience Expectations in his Film Psycho Hitchcock does very well in his film with censorship of film making in the nineteen fifties as he goes right to the limits of were the film is just suitable to show the nation. He does this many times in his film, one example is where Marian gets undressed and dressed. You see her bra and knickers in this scene, which is very unusual back then, it is worse than seeing nudity in films now. If Marian had taken any think else off in this scene it would have been explicit nudity, therefore not be able to be shown in the film. This is what I mean by how Hitchcock takes censorship to the limit. Some other censorship themes that Hitchcock took to the boundary was expressive kissing, swearing and brutality. Hitchcock went as far as possible with censorship to grip the audience and get more of a feel to the film. Psycho is a fifteen in England to buy on video these days because the censorship now is nothing compared to back when the film was made, a director can do basically anything now. The audience now would say it should be a twelve or lower as there is no swearing or sexual scenes and not that much brutality and parents would not mind their children seeing this. The scenes are still scary to the audience though and it would take quite an intelligent twelve year old to wrap their head round what is about and how it develops at the end. The editing in psycho is great and must have taken a week to do just one scene. It is very good for the scene and for the audience as it builds tension and creates an atmosphere. The best scene to show this as an example is the famous shower scene where Marian is murdered, whilst having a shower, by Norman dressed as his mother with a knife. There was seventy-eight separate camera set ups needed for the shower scene from the shower head, down the toilet, from the mirror, Marians

Contemporary Realism Essay -- essays research papers

Adventure stories are one area of genre we find under the heading of contemporary realism. Survival stories are adventures that focus on a person or group of people up against the forces of nature with which they must overcome or become a part. Island of the Blue Dolphins and Defoe's Robinson Crusoe are classic examples of survival novels.. Mystery or detective stories are a form of romance, diversion fiction creating a world which is more exciting, dangerous, and beautiful then we believe our own to be. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and Nancy Drew mysteries fall under this heading. Having a sense of humor helps us to be able to laugh at ourselves and the challenges we face. Most successful relationships have humor at a key ingredient. Humorous adventure with its v...

Distance Learning Followed by World Première :: Katalin Pocs Evening Song Music Essays

Distance Learning Followed by World Premià ¨re Esti Dal (Evening Song) by Katalin Pà ³cs was written for the Indiana University International Vocal Ensemble and harpist Erzsà ©bet Gaà ¡l in January 2000. The composition received its world premià ¨re conducted by Professor Mary Goetze on April 9, 2000 at IU School of Music, Bloomington, Indiana. Katalin Pà ³cs is one of the leading members of the young generation of Hungarian composers. Her compositions include orchestral and chamber works that have been performed throughout Europe. She has performed some of her own piano music in Berlin, Gdansk, Moscow, Munich, and Vienna. In addition, Pà ³cs has written electronic works that were performed in Canada, as well as works for harp, for example a Septet called Vibrarions and a solo piece called Ballade which were introduced by Erzsà ©bet Gaà ¡l in Hungary and in the United States. In her setting of the folk song Esti Dal, Pà ³cs employs the sounds of mixed choir, harp, and synthesized music. These three elements blend together to express the song's text about wandering, weariness, and a plea to God for rest and shelter. This choral work connects the past with the present by incorporating an ancient tonal Hungarian folk song into a modern texture with harp accompaniment. The addition of an electronic sound track that creates new relationships between consonance and dissonance in the music juxtaposes tradition with present 21st century practices. Mary Goetze is a Professor of Music and Chairperson of the Music in General Studies Department. She founded the International Vocal Ensemble in 1995. The choir specializes in the recreation of music from outside the European and American art traditions. Through the learning process, the choir becomes acquainted not only with the music itself but also with the related aspects of the culture and language. In 1996, Dr. Goetze was awarded a grant from Indiana University for a project entitled "Multicultural Music Education" which allowed her to do research in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Currently she is co-authoring a series of CD ROM's that facilitate the oral transmission of vocal music from diverse sources. In preparation for the first performance, the International Vocal Ensemble had the privilege to work with composer Pà ³cs on her new composition through a satellite hook-up connection between Budapest, Hungary and Bloomington, Indiana that was made possible by the Center for the St udy of Global Change on IU's campus. A technology called interactive compressed video opened the door for the choir and the composer to work together on Esti Dal notwithstanding a difference of six time zones.

Alternative Beverage Industry †Paper Essay

1. What are the strategically relevant components of the global and U.S. beverage industry macro-environment? How do the economic characteristics of the alternative beverage segment of the industry differ from that of other beverage categories? Explain. The strategically relevant components of the global and U.S. beverage industry macro-environment are Market Size, Market Growth, Markets Segmentation, and Intensity of Rivalry. Market Size: The beverage industry serves an incredible large market. In 2009 alone, the beverage market consumed more than 458 million liters of beverage, resulting in over $1.58 trillion in sales for the industry. Although there is a declining trend in the consumption of carbonated soft drinks in the United States, as of 2009, carbonated soft drinks still accounts for the lion share of the U.S. beverage market with 48.2% of the market; while bottle water and fruit juice account for 29.2% and 12.4%, respectively. The remaining market space was occupied by the alternative beverages segment, which includes sports drinks, flavored or enhanced water, and energy drinks with 4.0%, 1.6%, and 1.2%, respectively Market Growth: While U.S. beverage market saw a decline of 2.1% and 3.1% for the years 2008 and 2009, respectively, due in large part to the economic recession, the global market dollar value as well as volume sales saw an increase year-after-year, from 2005 to 2009. The industry is expected to maintain a growth trend, with sales forecasted to reach approximately $1.78 trillion in 2014, as beverage producer enter new market and develop new types of beverages to accommodate the shifting consumer preferences—and capitalize on the growing and profitable alternative beverage segment. Market Segmentation: The global beverage market is categorized as carbonated soft drinks (soda), bottle water and alternative beverages, which includes sports drinks, energy drinks, vitamin-enhanced water, energy shots, and relaxation drinks. Sports drinks accounted for nearly 60 percent of alternative beverage sales in 2009, while vitamin-enhanced drinks and energy drinks were approximately 23% and 18% of sales in the U.S., respectively. Scope of rivalry: There has been a long lasting rivalry in the carbonated beverage market segment between the two largest producers—PepsiCo and Coco-Cola. However, in the alternative beverage segment, other than Red Bull and Hansen Natural Corporation which also have international presence, most of the other sellers are specialty or regional brands, with distribution limited to a small geographic region. 2. What is competition like in the alternative beverage industry? Which of the five competitive forces is strongest? Which is weakest? What competitive forces seem to have the greatest effect on industry attractiveness and the potential profitability of new entrants? Competition in the alternative beverage industry is low to moderate. Although there are many sellers, the high profit margin in the alternative beverage segment allows for everyone to earn respectable profit. In addition, the leaders, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and Red Bull appear to understand the importance of maintaining the stability of the industry as a whole, as opposed to aggressively jockeying for individual strategic advantage at the expense of the industry. Although the five competitive forces in the beverage industry are quite favorable, threat of substitute product is the strongest force. This is evidence by the fact that branding and taste are the primary strategic differentiations in the segment. Additionally, the cost of switching is undiscernibly low; and there were many substitute alternative beverages such as tea, soft drinks, fruit juices, bottled water and tap water, which made it easier for consumers to easily switch from one brand to another. The bargaining power and leverage of suppliers was the weakest competitive force because, with the exception of few rare ingredients, there are many suppliers available for producers to purchase ingredients from. Suppliers for packaging are also abundant. Even though substitute products had a bigger market share in the US, consumers bought more alternative beverages. This change in customer preference weakened the competitive power of substitute beverages. The threat of new brands varies by the development of each alternative beverage category. There is a low threat for mature categories and moderate to strong in young categories. During the early stages of developing a category, when famous brand leaders had yet to be established, the threat of entry in alternative beverage categories was strong. This enabled consumers who did not have a brand preference to be attracted to new beverages and allow a quick gain in market share. Once brand preference is established, the threat of entry would is lower for all types of alternative beverages except energy shots and relaxation drinks. The proficiency among sellers of alternative beverages could be considered the strongest competitive force. Among the sellers of energy drinks and other alternative beverages competition among major brands is focused on brand image, taste, packaging, R&D, sales promotions, endorsements, and better access to shelf space. 3. How is the market for energy drinks, sports drinks and vitamin-enhanced beverages changed? What are the underlying drivers of change and how might those forces individually or collectively make the industry more or less attractive? As the industry experiences a saturation rate for all types of beverages in the mature markets (i.e. the U.S. and Europe), it is exercising great effort to enter new international markets . In fact, the industry is expected to gain a good portion of its future growth from consumers in developing countries. As a result, maturity of change in the long-term growth rate, industry consolidation and product innovation are all driving forces of the alternative beverage industry. The annual rate of growth for the dollar value of the global market for alternative beverages was forecasted to decline from the 9.8 percent annual rate occurring between 2005 and 2009 to an anticipated annual rate of 5.7 percent – 2010 through 2014. While dollar value growth rates were expected to decline only slightly in Europe and Asia-Pacific, the annual rate of growth in the U.S. was projected to decline from 16.6 percent during 2005 – 2009 to 6.7% between 2010 and 2014. Product innovation is a constant force as the alternative beverage industry is continuing to create new ideas that give rise to new beverage industry categories and niches. Drivers of change are unlikely to dramatically alter the attractiveness of the alternative beverage industry in the next 3-5 years. Even with a slowing economy, there is no indication that the larger producers such as Red Bull GmbH, Coca-Cola, or PepsiCo are prepared to compete aggressively on price for volume and market share gains. They will likely rely on product innovation and acquisitions to increase sales and market shares. However, the individual and collective effect of industry drivers of change can make the industry less attractive for unknown independent brands unless such companies gain an advantage in the industry. 4. What does your strategic group map of the energy drink, sports drink, and vitamin-enhanced beverage industry look like? What strategy groups do you think are in the best positions? The worst positions? The strategic group maps show the industry participants competing in scope of geographic distribution and brand portfolio breadth. It shows that beverage producers competing internationally with broad brand portfolios are positioned most favorably in the industry, because as the matured market saturate, and volume sale declines, the producers with international presence and capabilities will have the edge to enter into other international markets. Companies with a single brand and regional or national distribution only (i.e., Living Essentials, Vacation in a Bottle (ViB), Dream Water, or Drank) seem to be positioned most poorly in the industry because they are positioned as specialty or regional brand, which exposes them to the ebb and flows of market conditions of the economic cond ition or consumer preference of a narrow market. The current level of competition makes it doubtful that small regional producers will survive over the long-term unless acquired by a large international bottler. 5. What key factors determine the success of alternative beverage producers? There are four factors that are necessary for competitive success in the alternative beverage industry. The first one is access to distribution, which is seen as the most important industry success factor due to the fact that most brands of energy drinks/alternative beverages cannot achieve good sales volumes and market shares unless they are widely available in stores, and there are also too many brands for all to be included on store shelves, especially in convenient stores who require placement fees. The second factor is innovating product skills. By definition, alternative beverages were different from traditional beverage; line extensions permitted entry to new categories. The third one is name brand, which was also a critical factor in choosing a target customer demographic. The image which the brand represents and exemplified and emphasized in advertisements, endorsements, and promotions created a following and demand for one brand over another. Brand image was also a result of labels and packaging that alternative beverage consumer found appealing; small producers with poor image building capabilities had difficulty competing in the industry. Finally, sufficient sales volume to achieve scale economies in marketing expenditures is also an important driver. Successful alternative beverage producers were required to have sufficient sales volumes in order maintain marketing expenses at an acceptable cost per unit ratio. 6. What recommendations would you make to Coca-Cola to improve its competitiveness in the global alternative beverage industry? To PepsiCo? To Red Bull GmbH? Coca-Cola should go beyond a distribution deal with Living Essentials’ 5-Hour Energy drink, and instead, make a move to acquire it. Secondly, with only 10.2% of market share in the United States, as compared to PepsiCo’s 47.7%, Coca-Cola should focus on building strength in alternative beverage sales in Asia where it has a slight edge over its competitors. As globally established brand, and the market leader in the alternative beverage segment, PepsiCo is well positioned to maintain its market strength in the foreseeable future. And with its global distribution capacity, PepsiCo should leverage its strength and aggressively enter new markets in Asia, South America, Africa and the Middle East before its competitors and or new entrants gets ahead of it. For its U.S market, PepsiCo should continue to maintain its market position by investing in R&D in order to develop new expand its product lines. As the energy drink market leader in the U.S. and the third-largest producer of alternative beverages worldwide and the number two seller of alternative beverages in the U.S. and Europe, Red Bull had notable performance for an independent producer. To maintain their competitive advantage, Red Bull GmbH should also create product line extensions to aid in the appeal of its brand.

Initiation Sylvia Plath

Chantal Chau Analysis of a Key Passage, Initiation by Sylvia Plath In Initiation by Sylvia Plath, the author suggests that conformity and having friends is a wonderful idea, yet the idea of having an individual identity and being an individual is stronger. In the excerpt, Millicent is slowly realizing that conforming and being a part of a sorority is not as exciting as it sounds, and being an individual offers more opportunities to become a unique person. Millicent is an average girl who no one really notices, when one day, a sorority group decides to allow her to join, but she must past their initiation test first.At first, Millicent is ecstatic, and proud that she can finally be a part of society, but slowing, and in the beginning of the excerpt, Millicent finds that being an individual can offer more. As she is talking to Liane Morris, another sorority contestant, she finds that in the sorority â€Å"they have a meeting once a week†¦ each girl takes turns entertaining at her house†¦ †, and how this is not all as exciting as she imagined. Millicent’s desire to know what the group does reflects the idea of hesitation, and how Millicent is now wondering if she really wants to be a part of this group.As she considers both sides of her decision to join, she realizes that joining the sorority would simply allow her to approach Herb, a male student she likes. Her thought â€Å"would he ask her out (if he ever did) just for herself, no strings attached? † bring the desire to be unique and original up and pushes past the need to be popular. Millicent is constantly considering the idea of not joining the sorority, and visualizing them as â€Å"pale grey-brown birds in a flock, one like the other, all exactly alike†. This analogy of conformity is very strong, because in a sorority, every girl is alike, with shallow personalities and beautiful exteriors.The sparrows are described to be â€Å"chirping†, which brings the idea o f being plain and restrained to the mind, because when birds are chirping, they are not expressing themselves; rather they are simply copying the other birds, with no desire to stand out from the rest. In Millicent’s mind, freedom and originality is described as â€Å"swooping carefree heather birds, they would go singing and cooing out across the great spaces of air, dipping and darting, strong and proud in their freedom and their sometime loneliness†. Heather irds are a mythological animal, meaning freedom has no defined description that originality does not exist in a solid form. They are described to be â€Å"swooping, carefree†, meaning there is no worry of being judged, and â€Å"dipping and darting, strong in their freedom† describes the happiness of a worry free life, where style and opinions are not judged or withheld, unlike the â€Å"chirping†, trapped, restrained sparrows which symbolize the sorority. Heather birds were â€Å"singing a nd cooing out across the great spaces of air†, showing that they could express their ideas and opinions without worry, though loneliness was a consequence.In the excerpt, it was stated that the heather birds were â€Å"strong and proud in their freedom and their sometime loneliness†, meaning that there will always be unique people in the world Millicent can relate to, though at times the individuality will stand out, and she will be alone. Through this mental debate, Millicent learns discovers that she could enter her imaginary great hall through â€Å"her coronation as a princess labelling her conclusively as one of the select flock†, or use â€Å"other ways of getting into the great hall, blazing with lights, of people and life†.When read closely, we can see that the mentions the sorority as a flock, demoting them to nothing but a group of beautiful shells with hollow insides, one alike the other. It is then that her decision to use â€Å"other waysâ₠¬  to enter this great hall, without being simply a hollow princes. Just before she is actually accepted into the sorority, the door to the basement opens, and the description of the â€Å"ray of light† that â€Å"sliced across the soft gloom of the basement room† shows the difference between identical, shallow girls and the deeper, unique members of the world.The ray of light that sliced across the room symbolized the epiphany she had, how she now knows that she cannot be a part of the â€Å"soft gloom of the basement room†, where everyone is the same, there is nothing special about anyone. As Millicent is leaving the basement, she hears the â€Å"song of the heather birds as they went wheeling and gliding against wide blue horizons through vast spaces of air, their wings flashing quick and purple in the bright sun† and in her final decision, her heart and soul joins the heather birds she has always been.From the beginning, Millicent has always seem to have known that she could never be a shallow pretty girl; throughout the story, there are little clues of her reluctance to be part of the sorority, such as when she was talking to Lou, a member of the sorority, and discovering the many useless things the sorority does. But when she realizes she has more than just one option, Millicent suddenly becomes hopeful, and more positives changes arrive, such as â€Å"how she could still be friends with everybody†, how she can still be herself, while still being in a group. The group of original people.

Biology Hsc Dot Points

BIOLOGY HSC NOTES MAINTAINING A BALANCE †¢Identify the role of enzymes in metabolism, describe their chemical composition and use a simple model to describe their specificity on substrates. Enzymes are protein molecules that allow the body to engage in chemical reactions, such as metabolism. There activities can be catalytic (being able to control the rate of either increasing/decreasing chemical reaction) Enzymes have a specific shape, and this shape must be intact, otherwise the effectiveness of their function will decrease.The shape may deform due to PH or temperature levels, the metabolic processes can be modified in three main ways by controlling the: Amount of enzymes, Catalytic activity of enzymes and accessibility of substance Metabolism is the total of all chemical reactions in the cell. Three factors that affect enzymes: PH, Substance Concentration and temperature. The substrate is the molecule on which an enzyme acts upon (food), this substrate/reactant fits onto the groove of the active site (the site where the enzymes break down the substance into products).That is why the shape is so important; the active sites shape must remain un-altered if the enzyme is to function correctly. This fit is known as the â€Å"induced fit†, much like a key fits a lock. When the active site breaks down the substance into products, this is known as the catalysis process. †¢Identify the pH as a way of describing the acidity of a substance PH (Parts per hydrogen) is the measure of acidity, or alkalinity in a liquid. Under 7 = acid (RED) 7 = Neutral (GREEN) Over 7 = Base (BLUE) Our stomach acid has a value of 2, Blood is around 7. . Arterial blood is around 7. 41 while venous blood is 7.36. Venous blood has a lower Ph due to the lower carbon dioxide levels which influence more acidic levels; likewise Arterial blood has a greater Ph as it receives the depleted cells that have a low level of Oxygen and a high level of Carbon dioxide. Urine is more acidic in the morning (Ph: 6. 5 – 7) as it is more concentrated and the kidney filters more so when the body is at rest. Acids †¢Produce H+ (As H30+) ions in water †¢Produce a negative ion (-) as well Taste sour †¢Corrodes metals †¢Reacts with bases to form salts and water. In the human body †¢Skin is mildly acidic (Ph = 5. 6) †¢Urine is acidic †¢Stomach acids is very acidic (Ph = 1 – 2) Acidic to eliminate bacteria’s †¢Blood Ph is about 7 †¢Saliva Ph is about 7 Ph Indicators are dyes that can be added to an liquid and will change its colour in the presence of an acid or base. It can also be in the form of Litmus paper, or an universal indicator in the form of drops) †¢Some dyes are natural such as radish or red cabbage.