Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Gastar Conjugation in Spanish, Translation, and Examples
Gastar Conjugation in Spanish, Translation, and Examples The Spanish verb gastar is a regular -ar verb that means to spend. The conjugation pattern for gastar is similar to that of other regular -ar verbs like bajar, tratar and llamar. This article includes gastar conjugations in the present, past, conditional, and future indicative mood, the present and past subjunctive mood, the imperative mood, and other verb forms. Using the Verb Gastar The most frequent use of the verb gastar is to spend money. For example, El chico gastà ³ mucho dinero en el regalo para su novia (The boy spent a lot of money on the gift for his girlfriend). Gastar can also be used to talk about time, but in that case, it means to waste time. For example, No debes gastar tiempo jugando videojuegos (You should not waste time playing video games). In order to talk about spending time, in Spanish we use the verb pasar tiempo, as in Me gusta pasar tiempo con mi familia (I like to spend time with my family). The verb gastar can also mean to use or to use up. For example, you can say Se gastà ³ la tinta de la impresora (The printers ink got used up), or Ese carro gasta mucha gasolina (That car uses a lot of gas). In addition, gastar can mean to wear out, as in Gastaste la suela de tus zapatos de tanto correr (You wore out the soles of your shoes from running so much). Gastar Present Indicative Yo gasto I spend Yo gasto muchos lpices en la escuela. Tà º gastas You spend Tà º gastas dinero en cosas innecesarias. Usted/à ©l/ella gasta You/he/she spends Ella gasta mucha electricidad en su casa. Nosotros gastamos We spend Nosotros gastamos mucha gasolina en el viaje. Vosotros gastis Youspend Vosotros gastis tiempo viendo fotos en el trabajo. Ustedes/ellos/ellas gastan You/they spend Ellos gastan mucha agua regando el jardà n. Gastar Preterite Indicative There are two past tenses in Spanish. The preterite tense is used to describe actions completed in the past. Yo gastà © I spent Yo gastà © muchos lpices en la escuela. Tà º gastaste You spent Tà º gastaste dinero en cosas innecesarias. Usted/à ©l/ella gastà ³ You/he/she spent Ella gastà ³ mucha electricidad en su casa. Nosotros gastamos We spent Nosotros gastamos mucha gasolina en el viaje. Vosotros gastasteis Youspent Vosotros gastasteis tiempo viendo fotos en el trabajo. Ustedes/ellos/ellas gastaron You/they spent Ellos gastaron mucha agua regando el jardà n. Gastar Imperfect Indicative The other past tense in Spanish is the imperfect, which is used to talk about ongoing or repeated actions in the past. The imperfect can be translated to English as was spending or used to spend. Yo gastaba I used to spend Yo gastaba muchos lpices en la escuela. Tà º gastabas You used to spend Tà º gastabas dinero en cosas innecesarias. Usted/à ©l/ella gastaba You/he/she used to spend Ella gastaba mucha electricidad en su casa. Nosotros gastbamos We used to spend Nosotros gastbamos mucha gasolina en el viaje. Vosotros gastabais Youused to spend Vosotros gastabais tiempoviendo fotosen el trabajo. Ustedes/ellos/ellas gastaban You/they used to spend Ellos gastaban mucha agua regando el jardà n. Gastar Future Indicative Yo gastarà © I will spend Yo gastarà © muchos lpices en la escuela. Tà º gastars You will spend Tà º gastars dinero en cosas innecesarias. Usted/à ©l/ella gastar You/he/she will spend Ella gastar mucha electricidad en su casa. Nosotros gastaremos We will spend Nosotros gastaremos mucha gasolina en el viaje. Vosotros gastarà ©is Youwill spend Vosotros gastarà ©is tiempo viendo fotosen el trabajo. Ustedes/ellos/ellas gastarn You/they will spend Ellos gastarn mucha agua regando el jardà n. Gastar Periphrasticà Future Indicativeà The periphrastic future is formed with three components: the present indicative conjugation of the verb ir (to go), the preposition a, and the infinitive gastar. Yo voy a gastar I am going to spend Yo voya gastar muchos lpices en la escuela. Tà º vasa gastar You aregoing to spend Tà º vasa gastar dinero en cosas innecesarias. Usted/à ©l/ella vaa gastar You/he/she isgoing to spend Ella vaa gastar mucha electricidad en su casa. Nosotros vamosa gastar We aregoing to spend Nosotros vamosa gastar mucha gasolina en el viaje. Vosotros vaisa gastar Youaregoing to spend Vosotros vaisa gastar tiempo viendo fotosen el trabajo. Ustedes/ellos/ellas vana gastar You/they aregoing to spend Ellos vana gastar mucha agua regando el jardà n. Gastar Present Progressive/Gerund Form To form the present progressive you need the gerund or present participle (the English -ing form). Present Progressive ofGastar est gastando Is spending Ella est gastando mucha electricidad en su casa. Gastar Past Participle To form perfect tenses like the present perfect, you need the past participle of the verb. Present Perfect of Gastar ha gastado Has spent Ella ha gastado mucha electricidad en su casa. Gastar Conditional Indicative To talk about possibilities, you can use the conditional tense. Yo gastarà a I would spend Yo gastarà a muchos lpices en la escuela si me gustara escribir. Tà º gastarà as You would spend Tà º gastarà as dinero en cosas innecesarias si fueras millonario. Usted/à ©l/ella gastarà a You/he/she would spend Ella gastarà a mucha electricidad en su casa, pero siempre apaga las luces. Nosotros gastarà amos We would spend Nosotros gastarà amos mucha gasolina en el viaje si fuà ©ramos en carro. Vosotros gastarà ais Youwould spend Vosotros gastarà ais tiempo viendo fotosen el trabajo, pero el jefe no os lo permite. Ustedes/ellos/ellas gastarà an You/they would spend Ellos gastarà an mucha agua regando el jardà n, pero por suerte ha llovido bastante. Gastar Present Subjunctive The present subjunctive is used in sentences with two clauses, when the speaker is expressing a desire, doubt, denial, emotion, negation, possibility, or other subjective situations. Que yo gaste That I spend La maestra espera que yo gaste muchos lpices en la escuela. Que tà º gastes That you spend Tu madre no quiere que tà º gastes dinero en cosas innecesarias. Que usted/à ©l/ella gaste That you/he/she spend Carlos no cree que ella gaste mucha electricidad en su casa. Que nosotros gastemos That we spend Andrea no quiere que nosotros gastemos mucha gasolina en el viaje. Que vosotros gastà ©is That you spend El jefe no permite que vosotros gastà ©is tiempo en el trabajo. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas gasten That you/they spend El jardinero recomienda que ellos gasten mucha agua regando el jardà n. Gastar Imperfect Subjunctive The imperfect subjunctive can be conjugated in two different ways: Option 1 Que yo gastara That I spent La maestra esperaba que yo gastara muchos lpices en la escuela. Que tà º gastaras That you spent Tu madre no querà a que tà º gastaras dinero en cosas innecesarias. Que usted/à ©l/ella gastara That you/he/she spent Carlosno creà a que ella gastara mucha electricidad en su casa. Que nosotros gastramos That we spent Andrea no querà a que nosotros gastramos mucha gasolina en el viaje. Que vosotros gastarais That you spent El jefe no permità a que vosotros gastarais tiempo viendo fotosen el trabajo. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas gastaran That you/they spent El jardinero recomendaba que ellos gastaran mucha agua regando el jardà n. Option 2 Que yo gastase That I spent La maestra esperaba que yo gastase muchos lpices en la escuela. Que tà º gastases That you spent Tu madre no querà a que tà º gastases dinero en cosas innecesarias. Que usted/à ©l/ella gastase That you/he/she spent Carlos no creà a que ella gastase mucha electricidad en su casa. Que nosotros gastsemos That we spent Andrea no querà a que nosotros gastsemos mucha gasolina en el viaje. Que vosotros gastaseis That you spent El jefe no permità a que vosotros gastaseis tiempo viendo fotosen el trabajo. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas gastasen That you/they spent El jardinero recomendaba que ellos gastasen mucha agua regando el jardà n. Gastar Imperative The imperative mood is used to give commands.There are slightly different versions for positive and negative commands. Positive Commands Tà º gasta Spend! à ¡Gasta dinero en cosas innecesarias! Usted gaste Spend! à ¡Gaste mucha electricidad en su casa! Nosotros gastemos Let's spend! à ¡Gastemos mucha gasolina en el viaje! Vosotros gastad Spend! à ¡Gastad tiempo viendo fotosen el trabajo! Ustedes gasten Spend! à ¡Gasten mucha agua regando el jardà n! Negative Commands Tà º no gastes Don't spend! à ¡No gastes dinero en cosas innecesarias! Usted no gaste Don't spend! à ¡No gaste mucha electricidad en su casa! Nosotros no gastemos Let's not spend! à ¡No gastemos mucha gasolina en el viaje! Vosotros no gastà ©is Don't spend! à ¡No gastà ©is tiempo viendo fotosen el trabajo! Ustedes no gasten Don't spend! à ¡No gasten mucha agua regando el jardà n!
Sunday, November 3, 2019
The Role of Social Media in Branding in the UK Dissertation
The Role of Social Media in Branding in the UK - Dissertation Example This research seeks to investigate social media and critically outline its characteristics in an attempt to define its role in branding. This research will specifically be confined within the United Kingdom. An investigation on social media either within the academic sources or over the Internet would reveal numerous and diverse definitions. Since its invention back in the 1980s, the Internet has rapidly evolved with the equally robust advances in information and communication technologies that enabled it to achieve the speed, coverage and accessibility crucial in the introduction and real-time delivery of rich media content, sophisticated web applications and systems. This development has allowed the Internet to become a major component of the strategies and platforms by which business enterprises operate. The social networking website is one of such breakthroughs. Friendster, MySpace, Facebook, Blogspot/Blogger and Twitter are some of the most popular forms of this Internet applica tion/system. By the year 2000, the usage of this web system exploded to billions of users combined. Facebook alone, through the analytics tool provided by Google Ad Planner, has more than 600 million users worldwide and 25 million of these are British. (Google 2011) The statistics is further reinforced by the fact that the website has 770 billion page views and 23-hour average visitor use. (Google 2011) If one has to consider the users of other social networking websites that are popular across the World Wide Web, the staggering figure could reach up to 1 billion. Facebook is, in fact predicted to achieve its one-billionth user by next year. (Business Wire 2007) In the British experience the figures are as impressive. For example, the percentage of social media users jumped from 22 percent four years ago to 44 percent in 2009 and approximately 35 percent of these users logging on to their favorite social networking site(s) at least once every week. (Shayon, 2010) The significance of these developments and figures for advertising and branding is tremendous. As a communications technology, social media has the power to influence individuals and groups. The humungous number of social media users highlights the degree of its import. Research Objectives This research seeks to investigate social media and critically outline its characteristics in an attempt to define its role in branding. This research will specifically be confined within the United Kingdom. To this end, the following goals would be pursued: Define and explain social media; Explain how social media can enhance branding; Identify emerging branding techniques within the social media sphere; Identify and explain existing cases of successful branding undertaken through or with the help of social media in the UK experience; Pitfalls and limitations of the social media in the branding context; Outline potentials and future development of the technology in the context of its role in brand building in the U K. What is Social Networking? An investigation on social media either within the academic sources or over the Internet would reveal numerous and diverse definitions. For this studyââ¬â¢s purposes, the term social media would follow Paul Clarkââ¬â¢s general assumption which explains social media as the ultimate democracy of expression, one that is ââ¬Å"typified by e-mails, blogs, podcasts, video- and photo-sharing, voice-over IP, message forums and boards, and wikisâ⬠constituting some form of organic conversation that involved the production and access of contents by individuals using computers and the web. (Clark, 2010) Social networking websites such as Facebook can be an amalgamation of these social media elements and web applications. For example, they may offer their users photo and video-sharing services, blog/micro blogging functionalities, messaging/chat applications, boards and mail systems. The point is that the web is in constant flux and applications and fun ctionalities are often being developed and integrated in order to provide richer and more complete
Friday, November 1, 2019
Benchmark Analysis Comparing the AMD 910e and Intel 2400s Processors Essay
Benchmark Analysis Comparing the AMD 910e and Intel 2400s Processors - Essay Example For example, businesses require processors with appropriate architecture that will allow a maximum use of their IT environment, yet stable at the same time (Moore p. 169). For this paper, two of the stiffest competitors in microprocessor manufacturing will be featured: Intel with its Core i5-2400S, and; AMDââ¬â¢s Phenom II X4 910e. These processors were launched in the market in 2011 January and 2010 January, respectively. Table 1 shows the comparative specifications of these two processors. The Benchmarks and their Analysis A. Integer Math Test This test measures the speed and capacity of a processor to perform mathematical non-fractional numbers operations by using random 32-bit and 64-bit integers for basic mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, division and multiplication at integer buffers of 240kb per core (CPU Benchmark 2010). Intel Core i5-2400S: 28456 MHz AMD 910e: 18925 MHz In the above stats, Intel Core i5-2400S was tested using AIDA64-CPU Queen, which p erforms a high memory read/write traffic and therefore not ideal for more than a single thread system because of the possibility of creating a bottleneck leading to low scores (Vortez2011). AMD 910e was tested using the Everest Ultimate Edition (higher is better), using Vincent Rijmen, Antoon Bosselaers and Pablo Barretoââ¬â¢s public domain C code in ECB mode, which uses 48MB memory and fundamental x36 instructions (Wu 2010, p. 7). B. Compression Test Using memory buffers of 16kb per core, the compression test gauges how fast a processor can compress large blocks of data into smaller ones without any original data being lost in the process. The ability to compress is an important function in software application. The result of this test is in kb/second (CPU Benchmark 2010). Intel Core i5-2400S: 125 kb/sec AMD 910e: 133 kb/sec Intel Core i5-2400S was tested using the WinRAR 4.0 utility (Gavrichenkov 2011, p.4) while the AMD was tested using the WinRar Workload utility where data i s randomly generated containing deliberately introduced redundancy to increase the load in the CPU and memory. The algorithm then compresses and decompresses the data (Wu p. 5). C. Prime Number Test The Prime Number Test gauges the speed of the processor in searching for prime numbers or numbers that are divisible only by 1 and by itself such as the numbers 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 11. The algorithm used for this operation uses the same loops and operations that are standard in most computers without any memory buffer (CPU Benchmark 2010). D. Encryption Test This test gauges the speed of the computer to encrypt blocks of data, an operation employed by users to store data, which can be accessed only by the user with the encryption key. It uses the blowfish algorithm and shares many of the operations used in the math test except for the large binary data manipulation and mathematical operations such as ââ¬Ëto the power ofââ¬â¢ (CPU Benchmark 2010). Intel Core i5-2400S: 372733 (traditio nal DES) AMD 910e: 93.4 The Intel 2400S was tested with John the Ripper v1.7.8, which uses the blowfish algorithm (OpenBenchMarking 2011), while the AMD 910e was tested using TrueCrypt, which is an open-source encryption package. Two hundred MB was used to run the utility that gives back an AES-Twofish-Serpent mean score. E. Floating Point Math Test A similar test to the integer math test, the floating point test measures the speed of a processor to perform basic mathematical oper
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
DQ3_07 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
DQ3_07 - Assignment Example began in 1948 and conducted among 5209 adult participants in Framingham, Massachusetts, has assisted to provide much of the now known knowledge in regard to heart disease. The Framingham Heart Study has proven as an outstanding work in regard to its scope, duration, and information. The study helped to provide understanding on the influence of lifestyle, environmental factors and inheritance on cardiac health. The study provided the origin of the term ââ¬Ërisk factorââ¬â¢ (FHS, 2015). The study helped to identify major CVD risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, and physical inactivity. Prior to the start of the study, medics had little knowledge in relation to the prevention of heart diseases. The study helped to show the necessity of weight management, a healthy diet, and regular exercise in preventing heart diseases. The study also assisted to reveal the differences in the risk of heart diseases between men and women. The study has expanded to encompass research on the role of genetics in contributing to
Monday, October 28, 2019
Housing and environmental issues Essay Example for Free
Housing and environmental issues Essay Community development officer: CDOs should have: â⬠¢ the ability to communicate with a wide range of people â⬠¢ the ability to manage a budget â⬠¢ sensitivity in dealing with multi-cultural issues, such as religion â⬠¢ networking skills and a good memory for names and faces â⬠¢ the ability to work on their own initiative â⬠¢ Commitment to social inclusion issues. CDOs may work for a local authority; he must also involve public decision in multi cultural communities housed by the associations. Public involvement in regeneration is widely held to be a good thing. There are very few who write about or comment on regeneration, however it is defined who do not claim that public involvement is an important if not essential component of effective and successful regeneration. And to a great extent this has been the position in the UK and elsewhere for well over a century. However, there are very few studies that have set out to measure and to analyse the impact of public involvement. In other words, few researchers have attempted to see what difference it makes in practice to involve the public and whether any such differences are positive, in the sense of being both anticipated and desired. There are, nevertheless, many studies that shed some light on the processes of public involvement and draw conclusions about its impact in specific cases. The conclusion of many of these studies is that public involvement did not work very well in practice: it was embarked upon too late; insufficient resources were provided to make it effective; the local environment was not very conducive; and key decisions continued to be taken by people not living in the areas affected. The importance of involving the public in attempts to improve and regenerate neighbourhoods has been recognised for many years. However, the consensus around the value and potential benefits of greater public involvement has probably never been stronger, not least because government has put it at the centre of its plans to modernise both the delivery of public services and the very processes of government. A simple theory of public participation The political imperatives driving forward the agenda of public participation are well established, but three stand out at present. First is the belief that participation is intrinsically good and worthwhile, and hence more participation is desirable. Second is the growing acknowledgement that many major policy issues do not appear to be capable of obvious resolution ââ¬â they can be termed ââ¬Ëwicked problemsââ¬â¢ for this reason (Rittel and Weber, 1973). An obvious consequence of this recognition is to take a more open approach to their resolution, in other words to allow a wider range of partners into the arena of policy debate and hence to share the burden of resolution. Finally, there is a clear belief that greater participation is needed to stem if not reverse the apparent decline in social capital charted by Putnam (2001) and his followers (see DeFilipis, 2001). A slightly broader set of factors can be derived from the wider academic literature where at least four distinct explanations of or justification for greater public participation in government generally are apparent. Instrumentalist conceptions point to the fact that individuals are the best judges of their own interests and hence by participating in policy debates and political discussions they are best able to articulate and advance these interests. The job of government then lies in the aggregation of individual interests and the balancing of conflicting positions into a plausible public interest. Communitarian conceptions take a different approach and advocate a more collective or social approach among the participating public, such that a negotiated view of the public interest is provided to rather than by government. Of course government may then have to perform further rounds of aggregation or even facilitate further rounds of negotiation or consensus building, but the public plays a more prominent part in the social construction of their own idea of public interest. In this conception there is some degree of aggregation but government is still left to aggregate, adjudicate or reconcile the possibly conflicting views of different communities or even coalitions of communities. Educative approaches suggest that public participation helps in developing a more sophisticated understanding of the complexities of policy issues; of the ethical dilemmas and the need to make trade-offs for example between price and quality or between the achievement of short and long term priorities. Finally, expressive conceptions of participation emphasise the opportunity that political participation gives individuals to express their political identity. Through active campaigning, displaying posters, attending rallies, donating money or time, one is able to demonstrate to the world at large that fact that one is a feminist, a socialist, a conservative, a nationalist and so on. It is of course important also to bear in mind that political participation can involve much more than voting in periodic elections, or even campaigning in them. Attending meetings about issues of local or international concern and taking part in participatory events such as juries, consensus conferences or citizens juries are also important as is participation in ongoing campaigns or lobbies, again from local (save our school) to global (save our planet) issues. There is something of a paradox here, in that there is plentiful data available on formal political involvement in voting, but relatively little available on the more prosaic but nevertheless significant everyday acts of involvement, such as going to meetings or simply engaging socially and maybe politically with ones neighbours (Hoggett and Bishop, 1986). In recent years some regular and extensive surveys have begun to provide valuable data of this type, but it is still the case that many sophisticated models of community engagement, civic renewal and social capital, have been constructed on flimsy empirical foundations (Prime, Zimmeck Zurawa, 2002). But to develop a simple model of participation we need to consider in some more detail questions along each of the three main dimensions implied in the expression: public participation in planning or policy making. Robert D. Putnam That Western society has changed dramatically since the middle of the 20th century. There is less agreement about what caused the changes, and whether they have been beneficial. One barometer of change in Western society is the level of ââ¬Ësocial capitalââ¬â¢ (a concept popularised by Robert D. Putnam), which results from high levels of investment by citizens in their community. Putnamââ¬â¢s investigation of American society, Bowling Alone (2000), considers the full range of changes affecting America (and all western societies): declining participation in institutional Christianity; less involvement in sport and recreational clubs, politics, charitable causes, and volunteer work; and a radical re-shaping of the family though divorce, a lower birth rate, and a disinclination to marry at all. These trends, Putnam argues, result in diminished social capital. Putnamââ¬â¢s analysis of America holds for the three Anglophone members of George W. Bushââ¬â¢s ââ¬Ëcoalition of the willing,ââ¬â¢ America, Britain and Australia, and may explain why hawkish, right-wing governments are the peopleââ¬â¢s choice at the start of the 21st century, despite an unprecedented liberality and inclusiveness throughout the second half of the 20th century. Putnam notes a range of factors responsible for civic disengagement: suburban sprawl; the popularity of television and electronic media; changed work patterns, including the large-scale entry of women into the workforce; and generational changes resulting in the ââ¬Ëreplacement of an unusually civic generation by several generations [Baby Boomers, Generations X and Y] â⬠¦ that are less embedded in community lifeââ¬â¢ (p. 275). In the United States, where voting is optional, these developments dilute democracy, and societies with low participation rates tend to become distrustful. Untrusting citizens call for tougher; ââ¬Ëlaw and orderââ¬â¢ focused governments, resulting in the election of increasingly right-wing political parties. Social capital: 1. Definition The concept and theory of social capital dates back to the origins of social science; however, recent scholarship has focused on social capital as a subject of social organization and a potential source of value that can be harnessed and converted for strategic and gainful purposes. According to Robert David Putnam, the central premise of social capital is that social networks have value. Social capital refers to the collective value of all social networks and the inclinations that arise from these networks to do things for each other. Social capital refers to the institutions, relationships, and norms that shape the quality and quantity of a societys social interactions. Increasing evidence shows that social cohesion is critical for societies to prosper economically and for development to be sustainable. Social capital is not just the sum of the institutions that underpin a society; it is the glue that holds them together However, social capital may not always be beneficial. Horizontal networks of individual citizens and groups that enhance community productivity and cohesion are said to be positive social capital assets whereas self-serving exclusive gangs and hierarchical patronage systems that operate at cross purposes to communitarian interests can be thought of as negative social capital burdens on society. 2. History of the research on the concept Robert David Putnam, if not the first one to write on the issue, is considered as the major author on the concept of social capital. He is a U. S. political scientist and professor at Harvard University, and is well-known for his writings on civic engagement and civil society along with social capital. However, his work is concentrated on the United States only. His most famous (and controversial) work, Bowling Alone, argues that the United States has undergone an unprecedented collapse in civic, social, associational, and political life (social capital) since the 1960s, with serious negative consequences. Though he measured this decline in data of many varieties, his most striking point was that virtually every traditional civic, social, and fraternal organization had undergone a massive decline in membership. From his research, a working group has formed at Harvard University and is called Saguaro Seminar. Most definitions around the social capital concept, notably those used by the World Bank, come from Putnamââ¬â¢s work and this research. 3. Measuring social capital The Saguaro Seminar, in the continuation of Putnamââ¬â¢s work, has been elaborating various means to measure the level of social capital in different contexts. It says on its website that measurement of social capital is important for the three following reasons: (a) Measurement helps make the concept of social capital more tangible for people who find social capital difficult or abstract; (b) It increases our investment in social capital: in a performance-driven era, social capital will be relegated to second-tier status in the allocation of resources, unless organizations can show that their community-building efforts are showing results; and (c) Measurement helps funders and community organizations build more social capital. Everything that involves any human interaction can be asserted to create social capital, but the real question is does it build a significant amount of social capital, and if so, how much? Is a specific part of an organizationââ¬â¢s effort worth continuing or should it be scrapped and revamped? Do mentoring programs, playgrounds, or sponsoring block parties lead more typically to greater social capital creation? Measuring social capital: Towards a theoretically informed measurement framework for researching social capital in family and community life. by Wendy Stone. Research paper no. 24, Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2001, 38p, ISBN 0 642 39486 5 To inform the Institutes Families, Social Capital and Citizenship project, this paper contributes to the development of clear links between theorised and empirical understandings of social capital by: establishing a theoretically informed measurement framework for empirical investigation of social capital; and reviewing existing measures of social capital in light of this framework. The paper concludes with a statement of guiding principles for the measurement and empirical investigation of social capital in family and community life. Social Capital as Credit Social capital, or aggregate reputation, is a form of credit. Some formal transactions can be supported by social capital. Informal transactions are rarely underpinned by financial credit or legal agreement and instead rely entirely social capital. We all have our internal calculators keeping tacit track of who is doing wrong and who is doing right, the health of the relationships and adjusting our actuarial tables according to experience. While undertaking government activities environment problems should also be considered. As it has became a global issue we need to take care of everything. Globalisation and cultural identity It is fair to say that the impact of globalization in the cultural sphere has, most generally, been viewed in a pessimistic light. Typically, it has been associated with the destruction of cultural identities, victims of the accelerating encroachment of a homogenized, westernized, consumer culture. This view, the constituency for which extends from (some) academics to anti-globalization activists (Shepard and Hayduk 2002), tends to interpret globalization as a seamless extension of ââ¬â indeed, as a euphemism for ââ¬â western cultural imperialism. In this discussion which follows we approach this claim with a good deal of skepticism. we will not seek to deny the obvious power of globalized capitalism to distribute and promote its cultural goods in every corner. Nor will we take up the argument ââ¬â now very commonly made by critics of the cultural imperialism thesis (Lull 2000; Thompson 1995; Tomlinson 1991) that a deeper cultural impact cannot be easily inferred from the presence of such goods. What we will try to argue is something more specific: that cultural identity, properly understood, is much more the product of globalization than its victim. Identity as Treasure To begin, let us sketch the implicit (for it is usually implicit) reasoning behind the assumption that globalization destroys identities. Once upon a time, before the era of globalization, there existed local, autonomous, distinct and well-defined, robust and culturally sustaining connections between geographical place and cultural experience. These connections constituted oneââ¬â¢s ââ¬â and oneââ¬â¢s communityââ¬â¢s ââ¬â ââ¬Ëcultural identityââ¬â¢. This identity was something people simply ââ¬Ëhadââ¬â¢ as an undisturbed existential possession, an inheritance, a benefit of traditional long dwelling, of continuity with the past. Identity, then, like language, was not just a description of cultural belonging; it was a sort of collective treasure of local communities. But it was also discovered to be something fragile that needed protecting and preserving that could be lost. Into this world of manifold, discrete, but to various degrees vulnerable, cultural identities there suddenly burst (apparently around the middle of the 1980s) the corrosive power of globalization. Globalization, so the story goes, has swept like a flood tide through the worldââ¬â¢s diverse cultures, destroying stable localities, displacing peoples, bringing a market-driven, ââ¬Ëbrandedââ¬â¢ homogenization of cultural experience, thus obliterating the differences between locality-defined cultures which had constituted our identities. Though globalization has been judged as involving a general process of loss of cultural diversity, some of course did better, some worse out of this process. Identity as Cultural Power Let us begin with identity, a concept which surely lies at the heart of our contemporary cultural imagination. It is not, in fact, difficult in the prolific literature of analysis of the concept to find positions which contest the story of identity as the victim of globalization. Identity and Institutional Modernity This brings the central claim that globalization actually proliferates rather than destroys identities. In this respect we depart somewhat from Castellsââ¬â¢s position: in setting identity as a sort of autonomous cultural dynamic, surging up from the grassroots as an oppositional force to globalization, Castells really fails to see the rather compelling inner logic between the globalization process and the institutionalized construction of identities. This, in other way, lies in the nature of the institutions of modernity that globalization distributes. To put the matter simply: globalization is really the globalization of modernity, and modernity is the harbinger of identity. It is a common assumption that identity-formation is a universal feature of human experience. Castells seems implicitly to take this view when he writes: ââ¬ËIdentity is peopleââ¬â¢s source of meaning and experienceââ¬â¢ (1997: 6). But whilst it is true that the construction of meaning via cultural practices is a human universal, it does not follow that this invariably takes the form of identity construction as we currently understand it in the global-modern West. This form of ethnocentric assumption has been recently criticized both by anthropologists and media and cultural critics. Globalization and Modernity To appreciate this, it is necessary to take a more complex view of the globalization process than is often adopted ââ¬â certainly in the polemical discourses of the anti-globalization movement, where globalization is essentially understood as the globalization of capitalism, achieved in its cultural aspect via a complicate western dominated media system. This more complex, multidimensional conceptualization, which views globalization as operating simultaneously and interrelated in the economic, technological-communicational, political and cultural spheres of human life, is in fact relatively un-contentious ââ¬â at least in principle ââ¬â within academic discourses. But the cultural implication, rather less easily swallowed by some, is that globalization involves not the simple enforced distribution of a particular western (say, liberal, secular, possessive-individualist, capitalist-consumerist) lifestyle, but a more complicated dissemination of the entire range of institutional features of cultural modernity. References Putnam, R (2001) Bowling Alone: the collapse and revival of American community, Touchstone, London Tomlinson, J (1999) Globalisation and culture, Policy Press, Cambridge Social capital: http://www. jrc. es/home/report/english/articles/vol85/ICT4E856. htm http://www. envplan. com/ http://www. infed. org/thinkers/putnam. htm http://www. naturaledgeproject. net/NAON_ch11. aspx
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Fahrenheit 451 And 1984 - The Fear Of Utopia Essay -- Ray Bradburys F
Several conflicting frames of mind have played defining roles in shaping humanity throughout the twentieth century. Philosophical optimism of a bright future held by humanity in general was taken advantage of by the promise of a better life through sacrifice of individuality to the state. In the books Brave New World, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451 clear opposition to these subtle entrapments was voiced in similarly convincing ways. They first all established, to varying degrees of balance, the atmosphere and seductiveness of the ââ¬Å"utopiaâ⬠and the fear of the consequences of acting in the non-prescribed way through character development. A single character is alienated because of their inability to conform ââ¬â often in protest to the forced conditions of happiness and well being. Their struggle is to hide this fact from the stateââ¬â¢s relentless supervision of (supposedly) everything. This leads them to eventually come into conflict with some hand of the state which se rves as the authors voice presenting the reader with the ââ¬Ëabsurdityââ¬â¢ of the principles on which the society is based. The similar fear of the stateââ¬â¢s abuse of power and technology at the expense of human individuality present within these novels speaks to the relevance of these novels within their historical context and their usefulness for awakening people to the horrendous consequences of their ignorance. In these novels the main characters are, or become, unable to conform to the societyââ¬â¢s standards. These characters represent the authorsââ¬â¢ view of the ââ¬Ëutopiaââ¬â¢ as they see it with the veil of ignorance removed. In 1984, for instance, we start out with a character, Winston, who is constantly observing the ironies of the world about him. Through his job at the ministry of truth, he becomes a hand of the state, creating fiction to support its endeavors: ââ¬Å"Comrade Ogilvy, unimagined an hour ago, was now a fact â⬠¦ he would exist just as authentically â⬠¦ as Charlemange and Julius Caesar.â⬠(1984, p54) As the book progresses he becomes more aware of his individuality and eventually is unable to hide it. Similarly in Fahrenheit 451, Montag becomes aware of problems with his society, but not logically - emotionally. It disturbs him greatly when a medical team that helps his wife appear and disappear within a matter of minutes: ââ¬Å"There are too many of us, he thought. There are billions of us and thatââ¬â¢s too many. Nobo... ...n Brave New World , John, a ââ¬Ësavageââ¬â¢ not raised by the society asks the world leader, Mustapha Mond, why they do not show films like Othello. Mustapha cites that not showing that kind of film is the ââ¬Å"price we have to pay for stability.â⬠As well, he speaks of the necessity for different classes of people to be in operation, even though more efficient methods through science exist. The prime directive of all these ââ¬Ëutopiasââ¬â¢ is to pacify their public and either thrill them with the collective being of a nation, or sedate them with excitement and drugs. The authors therefor saw the ââ¬Ëutopianââ¬â¢ societies to be a trap for weak minded publics, and that once in place, such systems would be able to perpetuate indefinitely due to the efficiency at which they protect and propagate themselves. Through fear, diversion and sedation the utopia can maintain a strong grip on the people it encompasses before anyone realizes the sacrifices made. The popularity of these books does rule out the possibility of such a society coming into existence in the future, however. The state of people is not about to change, and their ignorance will continue regardless of the harshness of the wake up calls issued.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
TBL approach
Three stages could be involved in this cycle of continuous improvement, which tend to build on each others over time. These are Compliance: Many enterprises will decide to adopt the TUB approach in order to simply comply with the buyers' expectations or local regulations, with aim of retaining their ââ¬Å"license to operateâ⬠in the face of buyers' demands or government inspections.Efficiency: With time or sometimes in parallel with the pressures to comply enterprises will come under pressure to improve performance and they will use this pressure, handled through a TUB approach, as a driver for cost savings, productivity improvements and quality enhancements focusing on process efficiency and resource utilization. This option offers a mix of cost saving and productivity improvements.Differentiation: Later on the enterprises involved for sometime In the TUB process thought of using the TUB approach strategically, aiming at strengthening their competitive position by moving them from being ââ¬Å"price takersâ⬠to being ââ¬Å"price settersâ⬠Criteria for selection of industries: The enterprises are Seems (Small and Medium scale Enterprises) Significant direct or indirect exporter The existence of at least some management capacity and the availability of an information system Significant level of Interests shown by person within the enterprise with a track record of leadership or Innovation and the authority(CEO/ Chairman/Plant manager) to sustain an Initiative such as TUB In the face of competing pressures A clear potential for Improvement Likelihood of effect arising from changes at the selected enterprise Basic stages of any sustained TUB process: The basic stages of any sustained TUB process Includes Enrolment:Being prepared for to ââ¬Å"sign upâ⬠for the program In the beginning Application: Being prepared to commit company's resources especially staff time to Investigating company's performance Implementation: Being prepared to Invest resources In Implementing options arising from the TUB process Maintenance: Being prepared to sustain over the long term, the Minimal gains made as a result of Implementing Improved options CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT By businesswoman Later on the enterprises involved for sometime in the TUB process thought of information system Significant level of interests shown by person within the enterprise with a track record of leadership or innovation and the authority(CEO/ Chairman/Plant manager) to sustain an initiative such as TUB in the face of competing pressures A clear potential for improvement The basic stages of any sustained TUB process includes Enrolment: Being prepared for to ââ¬Å"sign upâ⬠for the program in the beginning Application: investigating company's performance Implementation: Being prepared to invest resources in implementing options arising from the TUB Being prepared to sustain over the long term, the initial gains made as a result of implementing improved options
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