Thursday, October 31, 2019

Cloud Network Management Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cloud Network Management - Literature review Example This will therefore depend on the understanding of the current freeform gameplays. 1.1.1 Project Key Words The key areas that this project scope will cover are the freeform gameplays, cloud networks, and intertwining these two elements to come up with an idea that is unique. 1.1.2 Freeform Gameplay Freeform gameplays are role playing games which use informal rule sets, emphasize costume and theatricality, and typically involve numerous players within a common setting. (Hughes, J., 1991). They typically involve about a hundred users who come together to play the game. They include Table Top role-playing game, Theatre-style live action role-playing game (LARP). They are made when a group of people meets within a central area. Examples of virtual freeform games include; GTA, Master-Ninja, and Call of Duty. 1.1.3 Project Goal Must people meet within a central place in order to have a role-playing game? The goal of this project is to eliminate this physical factor. So how do we still get these people to enjoy their hobbies? This is achievable via cloud networks. So we will demonstrate the position of cloud networks play within the Information technology sector. (Darklorden C., 2008). We will focus on its unique application within the freeform gameplays among other settings. We will examine strategies that adequately manage them in order to achieve efficient operation within the various services requiring cloud network. 1.1.4 Project Context The project will focus on the context of cloud networks within the freeform gameplays. How to apply them. Its setbacks and benefits 1.1.5 Project Objectives The objectives will be To focus on the role of cloud networks To determine their mode of operation To demonstrate its benefits in relation to the freeform 1.1.6 Techniques for Realization We will use research methodologies to meet the goals. A breakdown of this strategy will be, determination of market potential, conceptualization of implementation plan, and to ensure its ope ration. 1.1.7 Report Structure This report will mention the cloud networks, build its unique relationship with freeforms gameplays. Its principles of operations. The benefits we get on utilization of cloud networks, and how to handle them. Section 2: The Contextual Review 2.1 Market Research This segment focuses on the market possibilities of this project idea. Its prospected market will typically be within Australia, North America and Europe where real play freeform games have roots. (Morton B., 2007). They have a habit of live freeform plays that go way back to the 1970s. Basing on their passion, we will exploit this market when we conceptualize freeform gameplays within cloud network 2.1.1 Categorization of Gameplay Elements The elements will fall in the following categories; the actual characters, the scene setting, the rules of the game, and gaming incentives. 2.1.2 Game Comparisons The game comparisons will focus on different settings and scenes that are entertaining. The adve nture games have an intense hankering as they create suspense. Examples include GTA. We like the action games because of

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Becoming A Teacher Essay Example for Free

Becoming A Teacher Essay Watching these videos, I learned that teachers don’t always have it easy and it’s not always what it looks like, I know that it take a long time for the students to get comfortable with a new teacher and the teacher has to adjust to the new setting of the classroom. It takes a great deal of time so teachers can get their classroom to the way they want it. In the first video â€Å"classroom Management Strategy to Settle Noisy, Rowdy Students at the Door† I learned that the teacher should not yell or shout at the students to get their attention because the student will not respect the teacher or have respect for the class and the other teachers around will see that the teacher does not have control over the classroom and that would make the teacher look bad. But on the other hand when the students are outside of the classroom that’s where the teacher should start to take control or when the classroom management starts and show that they are the authoritive leader in charge. Teacher has to settle the students down gradually, use non-confrontational statements, such as thanking students for doing the right thing, hoping that the others will follow along, use informal chit chat, or getting comfortable with talking to the students, getting down to the students level. In the second video â€Å"How to Get Students Sat Down and Ready to Work†, teachers need to give students a clear instruction on what needs to be done so there is no room for misunderstanding. Second, let the first group from, to the front of the line and reinforcing actions that needs to be taking. Third, teachers need to repeat the clear instruction that was given. And the final step is to give attention and additional support to what direction was given. In the third video, â€Å"Take control of a noisy class†, teachers need skills to deal will students, making sure that the teachers has the students attention and keeping it. Establishing a calm atmosphere, and staying positive. In the final video which is â€Å"Five Classroom Management Strategies to Get Student Attention†, there was five ways of getting the students attention that was stated. Those five strategies if attention getting included a noise maker, routine, visual reminder, the unexpected, and a countdown. Using a noise maker is loud and it gets their attention without having to shout. A routine is very affective and training the students to learn. A visual reminder is a rather simple attention getting, using traffic light colors (green, yellow, and red). The unexpected is a guaranteed attention getter such as using music or pictures and gives students the perfect way to get attention. The last one is countdown which is the most common attention getter.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

UK Books and Publishing Industry Analysis

UK Books and Publishing Industry Analysis Table of Contents 1. Introduction5 1.1 Objective5 1.2 Reasons for Choosing the UK Books and Publishing Industry6 2. Industry Overview9 2.1 Market Size and Attraction10 2.2 Market Sectors10 2.2.2 Paperback11 2.2.3 Electronic11 2.2.4 Fiction11 2.2.5 Non-fiction11 2.3 Industry Target Markets12 2.4 Market Sales, Performance and Activities14 2.4.1 Domestic Market14 2.4.2 Export Sales15 2.4.3 Imports16 2.5 Publishing Companies17 2.6 Employment19 2.7 Distribution20 2.8 Major Trends and Developments21 2.8.1 Emerging Book Formats21 2.8.2 Emerging Distribution Channels and Markets22 2.8.3 Developments in Technology and Concerns in Copyright and Production23 3. Industry Analysis – PESTEL24 3.1 Using the PESTEL Analysis24 3.2 Political Factors24 3.2.1 Taxation24 3.2.2 Pricing24 3.3 Economic Factors25 3.3.1 Global Economic Factors25 3.3.2 UK Economic Trends25 3.4 Social Factors26 3.4.1 Consumer Preferences26 3.4.2 The Internet and Technology26 3.4.3 Reading Habits27 3.5 Technological Factors27 3.5.1 The Digital Age27 3.6 Legislative27 3.6.1 Copyright and Intellectual Property27 3.6.2 Market Regulations for New Entries28 3.7 Environmental 28 3.7.1 The Issue of Paper28 3.7.2 Other conservation measures29 4. Industry Analysis – Porter’s Five Forces Model29 4.1 About Porter’s Five Forces Model29 4.2 Rivalry29 4.3 Supplier Power29 4.4 Buyer Power30 4.5 Threats of Substitutes30 4.6 Barriers to Entry30 5. Conclusion31 References34 List of Tables Time Spent of Main Activities, by Sex, 20058 Total Book Sales 1998-200210 Projected Book Sales: 2002-200710 Unit Book Sales by Format: 1998-200211 Projected Book Sales by Format: 2002/200712 Value Book Sales by Target Market: 1998-200213 Projected Book Sales by Target Market: 2002/200713 Publishers’ Export Sales: 1998-200116 Book Imports: 1998-200117 Leading Publishers Ranked by Total Retail Sales 2001/200218 Total Employment in the Publishing Industry 1998-200220 Retail Distribution21 The UK Books and Publishing Industry Analysis 1. Introduction According to the Encyclopaedia of Global Industries (‘Book Publishing’, 2007), global spending on books increased from US$85.3 billion in 2000 to US$104.6 billion in 2005. This is despite the fact that the global demand for books had significantly dropped for a number of reasons. One of the major reasons cited for this drop was the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. In contrast, the United Kingdom (UK) is currently one of the world’s leading players in the world of publishing. However, it remains behind to major global producers the United States, Japan and Germany. UK is followed by another European major publisher, France In 2002, the UK book and publishing industry reached the value of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤2.5 billion (‘Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003) and continues to be the major location of European publishing’s central operations and the U.S. publishing’s gateway across the Atlantic. 1.1 Objectives The UK books and publishing industry is one of the UK’s distinct industries. As stated above, UK ranks among the world’s major book and publication producers. Readers across the globe are familiar with the UK’s contribution to the publishing world . UK writers have long been one of the more famous sets of writers in the classic and modern histories. Ranging from William Shakespeare to J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter franchise, the UK books and publishing industry continues to play a significant role, especially among the English-language readers across the globe. However, the new media forms that have been emerging lately such as electronic and online forms of publishing currently challenge the publication preferences of the consumers today and UK print media too has got impacted. The present study is an attempt to analyse the UK books and publishing industry. The objectives of this industry analysis are as follows: Provide an overview of the UK books and publishing industry, its current status and projected directions. Analyse the factors that influence the current and future operations of the industry by using the tool of PESTEL analyses. Assess the books and publishing industry and its impact and performance in the market by using market analysis tools of Porter’s Five Forces. Determine the critical factors that can determine the future of the UK books and publishing industry. 1.2 Reasons for Choosing the UK Books and Publishing Industry The UK remains to have a healthy and dynamic book and publishing market; not only does the UK contain one of the significant market shares in the global book market, it boasts of a number of in-demand authors. Books and publishing in the UK highlights the society’s inherent love for books . What is interesting in the UK book and publishing industry can be seen in the following factors: (1) UK has had a significant role in the publishing world especially among English-language readers across the globe; however, in terms of industry size, UK remains behind book producing giants the United States, Japan and Germany. These three countries have a competitive production advantage: the United States has strong media and entertainment industry which has also influenced its publishing sector; Japan is known for its graphic novel and books publication, as driven by the strong manga culture and demand; Germany’s media corporate giant, Bertelsmann, has managed to own and merge with large publishers, which makes this German company a significant player in the global industry (‘Book Publishing’, 2007). (2) New forms of media, electronic publishing and the Internet, have emerged which have challenged the conventional publishing forms. Electronic publishing and the Internet has become a challenge in a number of areas including the redefinition of publication format (electronic or published through the Internet) and publication access (self-publishing has become popular online). This also influences the amount of interest the public continues to have in books especially when more recreational forms have evolved which may be preferred over picking up a magazine or a book. Besides, recent times have also witnessed a rise of online / virtual schools and other forms of virtual reality which has now given way to emergence of digital versions of these books or e-books. (3) Emerging markets brought by globalisation also affect the expansion of UK publishers to other parts of the world. This is in addition to the increasing demand for English-language learning courses in non-English speaking nations can encourage the publication of books. Regional authors too can increase the interest of the global readers, and it is interesting to see how the UK publishing industry has responded to these new opportunities. In addition to this, it is interesting to evaluate the performance of this huge industry that reaches different global markets and at the same time, is serving a more particular sector of the people’s reading habits. Based on a survey on leisure activities in 2005 by the National Statistics Office’s, reading has been cited as constituting a negligible part of how people spend their time every day. Reading, on an average, only accounts for 23 minutes among men and 26 minutes among women. The following table illustrates how this industry has been catering to a fraction of people’s average daily activities: Time Spent of Main Activities, by Sex, 2005 (‘Time Use Survey’, 2006) As can be seen in the table, reading has taken a backseat as compared to the time people spend watching television or having a â€Å"social life†. A similar survey conducted in 2001 among full-time workers on how they spend their free time, reading emerged as the third highest activity whereas games/hobbies/computing came in close behind (‘Lifestyles’, 2004). Evidently, in the previously cited more recent survey, games/hobbies/computing activities have overtaken reading. However, this peculiar development holds true among males who spend an average of 37 minutes in playing games, indulging in hobbies or working on computers whereas women tend to be ardent readers, thereby spending more time reading than other hobbies. It should also be noted that reading does not only limit itself to the products of the book and publishing industry as the Internet has also become a significant source for information. 2. Industry Overview 2.1 Market Size and Attraction According to the Confederation of British Industry, the book sector has been one of the significant drivers in the overall UK retail sales growth, along with furniture and groceries (‘Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003). This shows that books are among the main purchases that people make in a combined demand in the leisure and educational sectors. The UK books and publishing industry reached the à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤2.5 billion mark in 2002, making this industry having a positive overall outlook. Volume and value gains were seen rising from 2001 to 2002 at 12.1% and 16.8% respectively. The 12.1% volume increase reflected the 323.8 million units sold by 2002, which contributed to the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.9%. Positive developments were also experienced, which started from the late 1990s up to the beginning of the millennium, with strong value gains eventually contributing to the 4% CAGR since the surge in sales in 1999 (‘Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003). Total Book Sales 1998-2002 ( Euromonitor International: Country Market Insight) Projected Book Sales: 2002-2007 ( Euromonitor International: Country Market Insight) According to the Publishing Industry Market Review 2006, the total publishing market was worth 18.63bn in 2005, having increased by 7.6% across the review period (2001 to 2005). The Publishing Industry is defined by Newspapers, Magazines as well as Book publishing. Newspaper publishing accounts for the largest share of the markets total value, followed by magazine publishing and book publishing. Within the books and publishing industry in 2004, retail book sales were  £3.98bn which represents a 3.2% increase on 2003.( UK Publishing Industry 2005,) Since 1999, the market has grown by a total of 16% and around 67% of the markets value is consumer books. The UK Publishing Industry 2004 report indicates that the UK publishing market is expected to grow by 12.9% between 2004 and 2008. Magazine revenues are likely to rise by 17.3%, newspaper revenues by 15.2% and book publishing by 14.7%. (UK Publishing Industry 2004,). 2.2 Market Sectors The commercial publishing industry extends far beyond books and journals. Products are available in electronic as well as print form. The overall book and publishing industry (‘Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003) can be classified on the basis of format and category Format: 2.2.1 Hardbacks Hardback formats are hardbound books. This format can be commonly found among books for children, new releases, and non-fiction books. 2.2.2 Paperback Paperback or softback is the most common format . This dominantly makes up the books targeted for commercial and educational purposes. 2.2.3 Electronic The electronic formats are the non-paper based products available on CD-ROM, or as audio books, e-books etc. Category: 2.2.4 Fiction The fiction category includes children’s books, novels across genres (crime, Western, thriller), historical, romance, etc. 2.2.5 Non-fiction The non-fiction category includes educational, academic and professional books, reference books, travel guides, DIY, etc. The performances of these different sectors (by format) are illustrated in the following table (‘Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003): Unit Book Sales by Format: 1998-2002 (Euromonitor International: Country Market Insight) Projected Book Sales by Format: 2002/2007 (Euromonitor International: Country Market Insight) Based on the performance of the two main categories, fiction and non-fiction, the latter continues to dominate the book sales and continues to grow (‘Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003): 2.3 Industry Target Markets Books can also be classified on the basis of the target market: consumer and institutional (‘Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003). The consumer market is the mainstream book market which includes regular readers and individual buyers. The institutional market for books is defined by institutions or organisations that buy books for specific purposes such as libraries. It also includes the books bought by the education sector. There is a potential confusion as to the identification of the consumer and the institutional market as the consumer market also includes publications for academic and professional purposes. However, institutional books are mostly identified by means of prevailing theme and the market segment, such as in the case of libraries and field-specific institutions (i.e. law books collection) whereas the consumer market’s main source of distribution channel are bookshops, online stores, etc. In terms of performance, the consumer market has a significant market share over the institutional market. The total sales brought by he consumer market in 2002 was at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤2.0 billion, thereby having 80.3% of the overall book market share. Average growth was cited at 17.4%, with the surge of sales throughout the year usually picking up during the last quarter (‘Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003). The institutional market has been also experiencing positive growth at 14.3%, with its sales reaching à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤490.6 million and comprising 19.7% of the overall market sales. Educational sales continue to dominate the institutional sales at 63.4% whereas contributions from the library sector continue to fluctuate. As can be observed from the table given below, there was a significant drop in library sales from à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤114 million to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤101 million from 1998 to 1999, with this particular sector experiencing fluctuations until 2002 (‘Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003). Value Book Sales by Target Market: 1998-2002 (Euromonitor International: Country Market Insight) Projected Book Sales by Target Market: 2002/2007 (Euromonitor International: Country Market Insight) 2.4 Market Sales, Performance and Activities The UK books and publishing industry relies on various market forces in order to maintain its dynamism; this can be attributed to its performance mainly on domestic sales, and then through the export and import volume and sales. 2.4.1 Domestic Market As previously mentioned, the consumer market mainly comprise of the industry’s domestic sales. Strong performance has been seen across sectors and categories, with positive developments in fiction as well as non-fiction books. Sales in fiction category experienced an average increase of 56% from 1998 to 2001, although non-fiction remains to have the significant market share (‘Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003). A number of market strategies have emerged in order to have the publishers improve their performance. It has been noted that UK has even adopted an American market strategy framework which includes book tours and taking advantage of the different media channels to increase exposure and promotion such as online book ordering promotions and book superstores (‘Book Publishing’, 2007). It can be observed that this has been apparent in the franchising sector in which UK fictional giant, the Harry Potter franchise, have further ventured into film and consumer products. In a way, books have established a force to create a peripheral market sector which relates the books to other relevant industries. However, the opposite takes place when classic British books such as J.R.R. Tolkiens’ The Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia were made into movies, and because of the success of this channel, book sales for these works have also experienced a significant increase as this has become a promotional means in order to sell more books. Such strategy is not only felt in the UK domestic sector but also in other global sales as well. 2.4.2 Export Sales UK books are exported throughout the world and a cited increase of 4.4% was seen from 1998 to 2002. As per a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) report, the export market is worth approximately  £1.4bn a year. However, UK’s main export competition comes from the United States, which also produces English-language books. Some exporting strategy can be also seen through the industry (‘Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003, p. 19): Although the worldwide Harry Potter phenomenon had a strong impact on exports, particularly over the 1999/2000 period, non-consumer publishing book sales were also a mainstay of export performance. English is the world language for titles in the scientific/technical/medical category and as such, the UK dominates the field internationally in terms of sales. For publishers of these kinds of texts exports can account for up to 60.0% of sales, particularly to the US, and it can be of great advantage for a publisher to have an American arm or to be part of an American-controlled group in terms of securing US rights of publication. In this case, despite the stiff competition with the US titles, UK books have also been performing fairly well in the United States; the UK mainly exports to the United States. In fact, UK has been the largest exporter of books to the United States books market. The performance of the UK publishers’ export sales are as follows (‘Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003): Publishers’ Export Sales: 1998-2001 (Euromonitor International: Country Market Insight) 2.4.3 Imports The UK also imports books from overseas markets such as the United States. Interestingly, Asian markets have been contributing significantly to UK book imports. The second largest imports, after the United States, come from Hong Kong, and the fourth largest market is Singapore; China too is also among the top sources, gaining the eighth import source position in 2001 (‘Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003). Interestingly, UK imports increases industry competition, with its value rising at 16.6% within the period 1998-2001. The following table shows the import value during this time period (‘Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003): Book Imports: 1998-2001 (Euromonitor International: Country Market Insight) 2.5 Publishing Companies Each of the three sectors of publishing in UK-newspapers, magazines and books- is dominated by around a dozen companies. Only a few companies are active in more than one sector. In fact, only Pearson PLC is involved in all three markets in a significant way. News Corporation, which publishes newspapers and which owns the book publisher Harper Collins too has entered the magazine market early in 2006. The UK publishing industry is still primarily UK owned. However, in the magazine market, there are several foreign-owned companies. These include the following: The Conde Nast Publications Ltd Hachette Filipacchi (UK) Ltd IPC Media Ltd The National Magazine Company Ltd The Readers Digest Association Ltd and VNU Business Publications Ltd. As indicated in Books and Publishing – United Kingdom 2003 The UK is not the home base of any major media player, such as Bertelsmann, Vivendi or AOL Time Warner. The regulations on media ownership make it easier for new entrants from abroad to establish a presence in the UK than for UK companies to substantially enlarge market share. Most of the major players in the book industry are owned by international multimedia publishing concerns, and therefore the most helpful form of comparison is to analyse leading publishing houses, and the results of the consolidated groups which own them. (‘Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003, p. 23) Thus, the books and publishing industry in the UK is characterised by a handful of global conglomerates or international companies, such as Reed Elsevier Group PLC, Pearson PLC, The Random House Group Ltd and Harper Collins Publishers Ltd. The leading publisher in the UK, HarperCollins, is a merger of British publisher William Collins Sons and Co Ltd. and the American publisher Harper Row. Today, HarperCollins is owned by the American media conglomerate, News Corp., although HarperCollins UK is the UK’s leading publishing house (Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003; ‘Harper Collins’, 2007). In the recent years, many other companies have been acquired and merged. For instance, in 2004 a major development was the acquisition of Hodder Headline from WH Smith by the French publisher Hachette Filipacchi in 2004. This merely added to further internationalisation of UK publishing. Hachette already owned Orion which further owned Weidenfeld Nicholson. This has lead it to become the UKs second-largest consumer book publisher. Macmillan and Random House are both owned by German companies. These main drivers of these developments have been the business strategies applied by these corporations. These strategies can be observed to be influenced by forces such as globalisation and certain deregulations when it comes to foreign operations. Besides these, other major publishers are Blackwell and the university presses of Oxford and Cambridge. The following table shows the leading publishers in the UK according to sales (Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003): Leading Publishers Ranked by Total Retail Sales 2001/2002 (Euromonitor International: Country Market Insight) 2.6 Employment By 2002, the books and publishing workforce, which also include employees in the printing sectors, were recorded at 352,000; according to the National Statistics, this figure was at 366,000 in 2001 (Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003; ‘Harper Collins’, 2007). In 2004, approximately 280,000 people were employed nationally and about 15% work part time. It has been cited that the books and publishing industry has not offered a very promising development to its workforce in terms of pay and employment confidence (Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003, p. 22): †¦ In a recent survey by Bookcareers.com, 66% of employees in the industry said that they had lost colleagues to redundancy. There is widespread discontent in the industry, particularly over the issue of pay. Levels of pay, especially for starting salaries, are notoriously low, particularly bearing in mind the level of education required for publishing work, and starting salaries can be as little as  £15,000 a year. Pay is a factor in most employees’ lives, particularly because most of UK publishing centres around London and the South East, where house prices are simply unaffordable for people earning average salaries in the industry. In addition to this, professional development does not sound as promising in this industry due to the lack of training initiatives and specific professional skills. Professionals in this industry are mostly managerial in nature. Hence, in terms of skills development, the demand has not been as impressive in this sector. It is therefore not as surprising that the number of employees in the industry has been discouraging in terms of rate, and employment has been also bleak due to redundancies. Total Employment in the Publishing Industry 1998-2002 (Euromonitor International: Country Market Insight) 2.7 Distribution In the past consumers were buying books through a variety of distribution channels such as large chain bookstores book clubs and independent and small chain bookstores, mass merchandisers, mail order, food and drug stores, discount stores, used books etc. The traditional bookshops have been losing their influence and as a result such booksellers have been also starting to fold up. The Internet is becoming one of the most active distribution channels for books and publications. Although the Internet does not have as much distribution share at this point, it continues to contribute significantly in this area as it also continues to increase as a highly-used distribution channel. Book retailers continue to dominate the product distribution; these retailers include chained retailers and independent bookshops. As compared to independent bookshops, in recent times, , bookshop chains are starting to increase its market grasp and influence (Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003). Another distribution source is through book clubs. The UK’s leading book club, BCA, combines to book club concept and its mail-to-order scheme, in addition to smaller subdivision of smaller book clubs. The book retail distribution trends have been presented in the following table: (Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003): Retail Distribution (Euromonitor International: Country Market Insight) It can be observed that there has been significant increase in sale through Internet and multiple (chained) booksellers whereas there has been a decrease in distribution through independent booksellers and book clubs/mail-to-order. 2.8 Major Trends and Developments The dynamism of the books and publishing industry in the UK can be determined by the key trends and developments that can eventually affect how the industry operates and performs. 2.8.1 Emerging Book Formats As previously mentioned, new formats such as e-books, CD-ROMs and audio books have now entered the market. Among the three, e-books have been creating a stir due to a number of reasons: it is in digital format that can be easily downloaded. What also works well with the emergence of e-books is the emergence of technologies.. For example, PDAs have now developed into small, handheld computers that can carry a substantial amount of data; e-books, which are usually in the PDF can be easily downloaded in PDAs and accessed through PDF reader (Microsoft Reader and Adobe Acrobat). Hence, people do not have to carry large books around as they can easily access them through their devices. As per the statistics from an online download source for public domain books, manybooks.net, PDF downloads have reached almost 140,000, not including the other electronic book formats such as eReader and RTF, and downloadable text in HTML format (Nagle, 2007). In any case, the number of downloads can reach hundreds of thousands, and this only includes books from one website and works within the public domain. Another popular source of free e-books is Project Gutenberg (Project Gutenberg, http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page) which claims to have over 2 million downloads every month. 2.8.2 Emerging Distribution Channels and Markets As discussed in the distribution channel section, the Internet is becoming to impress its influence among UK consumers; book sales online experienced an 11% growth in 2001 and continues to be significant till date. Although some online start-ups wanted to take advantage of the UK market, most of them were adversely affected by the dotcom bubble in the 1990s. Expectedly, Amazon.co.uk is the top online seller of books in the UK (Books and Publishing – United Kingdom’, 2003). 2.8.3 Developments in Technology and Concerns in Copyright and Production Technological developments have largely affected the books and publishing industry. As previously mentioned, technolo

Friday, October 25, 2019

Computers in the Classroom :: Technology Technological Essays Education

Computers in the Classroom Computers are being used in classrooms all over the country. Children have access to a computer while at home or at school. However, is the technology being channeled through computers being depended upon too much? Are they going to take over the role of the teacher as an educator? Many educators are asking these questions regarding the education of their students. Computers affect the students and teachers in both positive and negative ways. In this paper I am going to discuss the benefits and downfalls of computers in the classroom. In just five years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of computers being used. Computers are virtually in every home, school and library. People can access facts and ideas that they were never able to before and can also do many things that were out of reach and unimaginable. In 1995, according to the Census Bureau of the United States, fifty percent of schools had access to the internet but by 2000, the numbers rose to ninety-eight percent. In 1995, only eight percent of classrooms had access to the internet and by 2000, seventy seven percent of classrooms had access to the internet. Teachers have taken advantage of the accessibility and have begun to include the computers and the internet into their lessons everyday. In 1999, of all public elementary schools, fifty six percent of teachers were using the internet to have their students to get more practice in certain areas and producing reports and projects. However, is using the computer beneficial to the teacher and the students? With the internet being so available, students are given the opportunity to be linked with the outside world that they may never have otherwise experienced. Interactive games and simulations can now be found that give students a valuable visual representation of a place, how something works, or an experiment. Also, students can now take what the teachers have taught them in class and practice their skills and stuffy their facts on the computer. With this convenience, students are now performing better on standardized tests than ever before because they are able to practice the subjects in a fun way. [1] Student’s research will also change because instead of using books for references, students will use the internet that does not always contain as many reliable sources. A student with access to the internet is often times more eager to learn and does further research on a topic that interests them because it is within reach in seconds.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

African American Athletes Essay

American student athletes have always faced stereotypes in and out of the classroom, being seen as self-segregating or â€Å"dumb jocks† that really wouldn’t be at school if it weren’t for their athletic ability. Although these stereotypes are applied to both white and black athletes, African American students, especially men, feel it more than their white counterparts. African Americans are already, for the most part, seen as intellectually inferior, so when they are seen in an academic environment they are automatically judged. If they didn’t get into school just for being black, they got into school for being a black athlete. Excuses are made as to why African American student athletes and pro athletes dominate in the world of sports in general. From the time the black athlete stepped into the sports arena and began to compete with whites, white people have been looking for an explanation. In his article Sailes looks into the myths and stereotypes surrounding African American athletes, most of which have been created by whites. In loosely replicated the experiment that Sailes conducted with his students and in doing so I found that the stereotypes he discusses do exist and many people strongly believe in some of the myths. I interviewed both male and female athletes and non-athletes alike and surprisingly most of their answers to my questions were the same. I asked them all the same five questions; 1. Do you think African Americans dominate in sports? 2. Which Sports? 3. Are there certain positions they are better at? 4. Why? 5. Is their demeanor on the field or court different than that of a white athlete? and 6. Have you heard any myths about why black athletes are better? Interviewee #1, A white female on the basketball team at Gettysburg College felt that black athletes were better at all sports and in all positions, but particularly in basketball and football. She has learned from experience that black athletes are more loud and aggressive. It was her belief that African Americans are better at sports because of genetics. She also said that it could be because historically they have done hard labor and had menial jobs, so their physical condition has evolved. The one myth she has heard is that African Americans have an extra bone in their leg which makes them capable of jumping higher and running faster. Interviewee # 2, an African American football player stated that blacks are better at all sports, but especially football, in such positions as cornerback, running back, and wide receiver. When asked why he felt that this is true his answer was â€Å"because we’re just nasty like that. † In regards to myths he recalled one of his high school classmates expressing to him that the reason blacks were better was because they still had some monkey left in them. Interviewee # 3, a white college graduate, non-athlete articulated that blacks are better at any sport they try but not in any positions that require brain power or thought. He said that they are not usually good quarterbacks because they aren’t smart enough. When I asked him why, his response was, â€Å"because they are dumb N’s†. He believes that they become athletes because they have no other options to get a job or get rich, unless they can rap. He also stated that the reason they can run so fast is because they are used to running from the cops. Interviewee # 4, A white male who is a former athlete said that he believes that African Americans are superior in all sports except for lacrosse and hockey, and that the reason for this is because they are much more expensive to start up and maintain- as opposed to soccer/football/basketball where all you need is a ball really. He thinks black people on the whole start out life economically feeble compared to whites and believes in the myth that they have been evolved into more muscular and stronger people because of the process of natural selection during slavery where the slave owners bought the biggest and strongest, and they’re offspring are the ones that created the people that are dominating in sports now. My last interviewee was a female African American basketball player who felt that African Americans dominate in football and basketball because it is the only sport they want to play so they strive for it. She also said that blacks are more aggressive because it means more to them. In the majority of my interviews the participants mentioned what Sailes referred to as the Mandingo Theory, in which the physical superiority of African Americans is attributed to the selection and so called breeding process along with the manual labor performed during the days of slavery. The psychological and dumb jock theories were also articulated in the answers I received from the white students for they all said at some point or another during the interview that African Americans are intellectually inferior and all they have going for them is sports, and even in the world of sports there are positions that they are mentally incapable of occupying. The one thing that I believe all the participants agreed on both black and white is that African Americans are somehow genetically different. I was really taken aback by my findings. Even though I have learned throughout this semester that people are more racist than I ever thought they were, I didn’t realize that this racism is existent in literally everything. I’m not really into sports and do not pay attention to them, so I had no idea that people felt this way about African American athletes. So, it seems as though African Americans are battling this war on racism on yet another front.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Constitual convention of the 1787 essays

Constitual convention of the 1787 essays The constitual convention of the 1787 had to deal with hard desicons and choices between fedral and state sepration. they had to deal with the Kentucky resloution, Alexander Hamilton, and the Bill of Rights. The Constitual had to figure out the hard choices to see where the central goverment should and shouldnt deal with state affiars. With all those factors the consnstitual convention had many hard desicons to make trying not to upset or cause too much drama with either side. The constitual convention of the 1787 had to deal with hard desicons and choiices between fedral and state sepration. they had to deal with the Kentucky resloution, Alexander Hamilton, and the Bill of Rights. The Constitual had to figure out the hard choices to see where the central goverment should and shouldnt deal with state affiars. With all those factors the consnstitual convention had many hard desicons to make trying not to upset or cause too much drama with either side. >Alexander hamiltion was a strong supporter of a central goverment. Fedrealist strongly stood behinde him supporting him in his ideas of setting up the bank of america taking over states debts and ruling the newly founded united states.The founding fathers thought that there were still problems with the union under the Articles of Confederation and needed to be changed with power in defferent places. Commerce was a large issue because if the difficulties in going from state to state with your goods. Hamilton and Madison felt the states were holding too much power and a central government was needed to handle the affairs of the entire union.In document one alexander hamiltion stated the police and little issues like that would be dealt with inside of the state but forgien affiars, and banking would be a central goverent issue. It was qutoed " employ all the means which regulate to its regulation to the ...