Organizational culture Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Organizational culture - Assignment Example According to the study conducted most of the organizations today thrive depending on the innovation, creativity and the discovery of their employees. Organizational culture can be described as the manner in which a collective group of people from an organization think, perceive and feel things in relation to the company’s visions, norms, values, its beliefs and even it habits. People who work in the same organization all have a tendency in which they perceive things and their own interpretation and understanding of a particular matter if it is to occur. The culture web is an example of the theories used to define organizational culture. The culture web was first coined by Jerry Johnson & Kevan Scholes in. In their definition of the culture web, they defined culture web as the ‘pattern and mode’ which is the paradigm in a work environment. He uses a number of things to clearly define what a culture web is. According to Mullins, organizational behavior is determined a lot by organizational culture. Organizational culture can be defined as the manner in which things happen in an organization. It is the manner in which decisions are made or the way in which things are perceived in a given organization. Organizational culture is the manner in which people in a certain organization figure their way around both internally and externally. Organizational culture is important in a number of things. Firstly, organizational culture assists in that it helps people who work together in a certain organization to understand very complex situations. ... Additionally, organizational culture is very difficult to imitate so it is a way in which competition is created. In order to understand the organizational culture of a certain organization, one must first understand the values that are incorporated. Some of the disadvantages of an organizational culture is that it is hard to incorporate new ideas. In order to understand organizational culture there are theories that were used to define organizational culture. Culture web is an instance of how one can define organizational culture. The web culture is one of the theories that is used in studying organizational culture (Moarn & Volkwein, 1992) Culture web According to Buchanan & Huczynski (2010), the culture web, which was coined by Johnson Jerry and Kevan schole, can be defined as the set of beliefs and assumptions commonly incorporated within an organization. Additionally, these set of beliefs and assumptions are taken for granted in that particular organization but they are discrete to an outsider observer. If the organizational history and events are explained, then the set of beliefs and assumptions come to the picture. These set of beliefs and assumptions are commonly referred to as the recipe or the paradigm. The recipe or the paradigm of a particular organization can be applied when a situation arises. The recipe can then be adapted taking down in to account the factors which are most relevant to each individual in the company. The organizational culture web of a particular organization then forms its pivot point on the recipe. The recipe has an indirect influence on the behaviors of all the employees. The recipe which is also known as the paradigm forms the core of the cultural web (Billor & Dawson, 1994).

Decentralisation & Country Essay Example for Free

Decentralisation Country Essay Decentralisation is one of the most popular and most proven ways to govern a country. In this respect the world practice knows many examples of decentralised countries where the social features and issues are likely to be solved more effectively owing to the dispersal of the state authority. The theme of decentralisation as the way to develop countries and lead them toward positive outcomes is recurring now. The paper suggests a scope of different important fields of state regulations which highlight the value of decentralisation. Insofar, the question is that this topic is based more on the examples of developing countries where the lack of constructive authority props up against the lack of follow up. It is meant here that the bottom-to-top approach is at stake, and it is a responsibility of a researcher to either prove the value of political and administrative (structural) decentralisation or not. Decentralisation is discussed in the paper through the evaluation of its impacts on public services in different Latin American countries and in some other countries of the world as well. Thereupon, a weighed position is determined in the research in order to constitute pros and cons of decentralisation supported by real facts gathered from peer-reviewed articles. Bringing to notice decades of developmental changes in different countries of the world, it is vital to state that decentralisation results in better development outcomes. Development planning is necessary for the strategy of further growth in a definite country. This is why it is no surprise that due to some sociological and political ideas stated by Marxists and, perhaps, constructivists long before most of the countries that accepted such ideals have reached out positive results in their overall performance. First of all, governmental reforms in turning the economy toward more reliance on the local governments are beyond disagreement. There are four types of decentralisation to be provided in a country: administrative (deconcentration and delegation), fiscal, political, and market decentralisation (Fritzen Lim, 2006). The discussion in the paper contemplates mostly the three of them, i. e. administrative, fiscal, and political. Administrative decentralisation is considered to be the most valued among a set of developing countries in terms of increasing the functionality and efficiency of public sector and enhancing capacity development as well (Furtado, 2001). This notion of strategic changes in the economies suffering from such negative effects as corruption and inapproachability of the central power at the local level is more than just significant. It goes without saying that the main prospects relied on while approaching decentralization of power in the developing countries are to reduce poverty and to improve public services. Such an influence on the development planning should be understood empirically based on the current world practice in this sector of political implementation. However, it may happen that the main aid from donor countries to developing countries comes down solely to supporting these countries materially. It is, of course, a possible solution, but it does not embrace the particularities of a country’s human and natural potential (resources). In this respect United Nations Development Program (UNDP) lays more emphasis on â€Å"the need to situate institutions and individuals within their appropriate systems and strategic management contexts† (Furtado, 2001, p. 3). Thus, a country’s capacity development should go hand in hand with the national perspectives for the current and the next fiscal year. To say more, both political and administrative decentralisation should take place in order to respond to local communities and officials. On the other hand, fiscal decentralisation should be taken into consideration. There is a direct link between political governance and local development as applied to the success of a fiscal decentralization. The report on such theme by UNDP (2005) presupposes the following: â€Å"A well-designed fiscal decentralization reform will fail (and the anticipated benefits and increased efficiency will fail to materialize) if the appropriate governance mechanisms are not in place for local accountability† (UNDP, 2005, p. 18). This is why it is vital to take a glance at concrete examples where political decentralisation is in evidence. Before responding to the examples of some countries, it is significant to highlight the main causes of poverty and inability of governments to solve this problem. First, it touches upon the educational development in the rural areas. Second, it contemplates the governmental investment into the most strategically important sectors of public (community) services. In this respect the remarkable examples of two Latin American countries, Bolivia and Colombia, take place. The four lessons which were taught on the example of both Bolivia and Colombia in their urge for decentralisation are as follows: 1. Local democracy must be free, fair, transparent and competitive; 2. Sub-national governments must face hard budget constraints; 3. Central government must be scaled back; 4. Significant tax-raising powers must be devolved to the periphery (Faguet, The Effects of Decentralisation on Public Investment: Evidence and Four Lessons from Bolivia and Colombia, 2005, p. 1). Bolivia was a very poor country after the revolution, and there was no concrete mechanism for governing the country. In this respect the administrative division into municipalities helped the officials take a look at how it was better to maintain a change. The racial attitudes toward indigenous population in the rural areas could not be solved pragmatically. Thus, the country was at the edge of strategic decision-making process coming from the highest echelons of power. The policy of decentralisation was an innovative breakthrough for Bolivia, but a highly centralised state with a weak national identity influenced by a diverse population blocked any attempts to grow rich (Faguet Sanchez, 2006). Due to the decentralisation in the governmental and administrative policies, the formerly neglected majority of municipalities took advantage of maintaining authority on the spot. In fact, Bolivia increased its benefits owing to making more politically weighed national public investment: â€Å"Before decentralization Bolivia’s three main cities took 86% of all devolved funds, while the remaining 308 municipalities divided amongst them a mere 14%. After decentralization the shares reversed to 27% and 73% respectively† (Faguet Sanchez, 2006, p. 9). That is the ostensive argument for stating the advantage of implementing decentralization policies in developing countries to stabilize the overall political and economical atmosphere inside the country. Decentralisation of education in Bolivia was possible due to the Popular Participation Law adopted in 1994, and which gave access for people living in municipalities to the basic education (Gropello, 1999). Colombia has its own history of making decentralisation the basic rule for the reformation of the state and administrative regulations at the local level up to the central bodies of state authority. Getting through a three-phase process of the national development, decentralisation in Colombia helped Colombians gain more verification of country’s fiscal funds and taxation, political instruments implementation, fiscal and administrative reforms based on the appropriate reference to the law and the Constitution among municipalities (Faguet Sanchez, 2006). It took few decades or so for Colombia to run the gamut of public services and take control of the periphery. Nonetheless, the process of decentralization provoked a wave of higher rates of enrolment to the educational establishments (Galiani Schargrodsky, 2001). Thus, there is a positive shift in the primary value of decentralization in supporting the national economy in terms of education. Decentralisation which took place in Bolivia proved its validity and feasibility in terms of not just using but distributing human resources across 311 municipalities (Faguet, Does decentralization increase government responsiveness to local needs? Evidence from Bolivia, 2004). In this respect one should be accurate in estimating the way of reforms in each among Latin American countries. Educational prospects were identified as a reaction on the implementation of a dispersal of the state initiatives in municipalities. Thus, when looking at this phenomenon logically, there is no wonder in assessing a positive effect of decentralisation. As it was mentioned before, decentralisation serves as the mechanism which gives population an access to public services. Providing a set of empirical and theoretical speculations on the case of Colombia, there is plenty to talk about. As a matter of fact, it is well known that the most needful public services for the population in any country and in Colombia, in particular, are health services and education. It was mentioned, however, that Colombian decentralisation fell into a holistic success in rates of enrolees willing to gain elementary or high education. By contrast, other studies have evidenced that financial support by local governments would gain more efficiency if local officials were more informed about the current extreme needs of communities in each among municipalities (Faguet Sanchez, DECENTRALIZATION AND ACCESS TO SOCIAL SERVICES IN COLOMBIA, 2009). In this respect the state power of Colombia was inclined to enlarge the share of budget financial resources increasing investment rates as opposed to running costs. The aforementioned approach as of Colombian local governments has been already imposed in Spain. In fact, this country suffered from its highly centralised political and administrative organization. The implications of decentralisation in Spain showed that the more autonomous communities isolated somehow from the influence of the central power gained more benefits in education and economic development as well (Pena, 2006). There were only two exceptions in the overall evaluation, but they make no difference in stating the positive effect of decentralisation as applied to educational improvements in Spain. The Spanish state power and its legislative branch, in particular, did a scope of renovations to legalize the authority of local communities in order to improve the educational standards as a result. One of the notions reckons with the constitutional norms which state the following definition of power dispersal in educational sphere: The Constitution keeps for the central government the definition of the structure of the educational system, the regulation of the requirements for obtaining, issue and standardization of academic degrees and professional qualifications and the establishment of basic rules to guarantee the unity of the Spanish educational system. The other educational competences, however, can be devolved to the regional governements (Pena, 2006, p. 8). Thus, there is no obstacle for Spanish communities related to specific administrative regions to provide educational policies which suit the preferences of the population at the localities. In turn it facilitates the overall process of decentralising the governmental approaches in the public sector with further improvements reflected on the progress level and enrolment rates. Once again, the case of Spain manifests positive outcomes of decentralisation as referred to the educational sector of public services. In Chile, education decentralisation invigorated the process of adjusting responsibilities between the central government and the local authorities (Parry, 1997). The balance had been achieved due to a constructive subordination and delegation of primary and secondary affairs relevant to each among the administrative units. However, the research gives grounds for stating the significance of the monitoring and financial support on the part of the central power, as a necessity which should be taken for granted (Parry, 1997). The question is that the case of Chile differs from that of Spain. Here the communities are not that independent autonomously from the central power. Thus, it is as if communities in Chile have to gain more devolution in order to sustain and improve public services at the periphery primordially established by the central power. Insofar, the concept of devolution is the central for measuring the tools for decentralisation. In other words, decentralisation relies on devolution. In Chile as well as in other developing countries there is a need for being more informed and educated. Talking about this theme, one should bear it in mind that contemporary humanity shares the main product of the post-industrial society, namely information. Chilean process of reformation was not that easy in driving education decentralisation to masses. There were detrimental consequences from the Pinochet’s regime. Nevertheless, as strange as it may seem, it is Pinochet who actively supported the implementation of decentralisation in education in 1980s, being even sympathetic to private education as an alternative for generally accepted public education (Parry, 1997). Further still, this dictator saw the value of inclusion of all among communities into the public life of the country when he called for â€Å"the need to decentralize responsibility, grant a greater degree of participation to the community, and to rationalize the use of public resources† (Cited in Parry, 1997, p. 214). Coming closer to 1990s Chile along with Bolivia Colombia, Argentina, and other Latin American countries joined the democratic incentives implied into the policy of decentralisation. Getting ahead in changing the state power from autocratic to democratic, Chile reaped the benefit of decentralisation, as schools in different municipalities became accessible and attractive to parents and students. The readings of growth in enrolment rates are as follows: â€Å"In 1990, the division of enrolment between private subsidized and public schools was 35. 86% for private and 64. 14% for public† (Parry, 1997, p. 217-218). That was a real breakthrough for the country. However, there are a number of researchers who admit problems after implementing decentralisation policies mostly among developing countries. It is quite fair to suppose that the decentralisation process is not linear or constant for countries where it serves as the main tool for reforms in public services. The main apprehensive is concerned with the fact that by decentralising the power at the local level there is a probability (and rather explicit, so to speak) of the emergence of corruption and inequity in sharing financial or human resources within communities. On the other side, problems of a political kind stimulate some aggravations in the process of democratically positive development in decentralised countries. All in all, a scope of negative consequences as a result of decentralisation counts for the following ones: â€Å"decentralizing corruption, increased inequalities between resource-rich and resource-poor regions, failure of the central government to successfully set and enforce minimum service standards in critical areas of national priority† (Fritzen Lim, 2006, p. 5). Along with such highly increased cases of negative execution of decentralization at local governments there is a threat to macroeconomic stability. It is all about the arrangement of and report on the expenditures and revenues in a definite municipality as referred to the central body of power (Fritzen Lim, 2006). This is why every bean has its black, as they say. In addition the central-to-local feedbacks can encounter â€Å"barriers† on the part of the elite circles in a definite municipality. It is another problem of decentralization dealing with a huge gap in stratification of the society: â€Å"However, decentralization can also degrade provision in the presence of positive spillovers, lack of technical capabilities by local governments, or capture of low-level administrators by local elites† (Galiani, Gertler, Schargrodsky, Helping the Good Get Better, but Leaving the Rest Behind: How Decentralization Affects School Performance, 2004). Thus, the educational prospects and problems along with fiscal and administrative features of decentralisation have been mentioned already. However, the focal point is that developing countries need more intrinsic governmental incentives in order to decrease the rates of poverty. This aspect of the discussion needs proper evaluation. To make it plain, decentralisation policies are largely considered with a decrease of negative impacts on the level of living in the society of a definite country. Poverty serves as an index of a country’s inability to shift the situation for better by means of appropriate reforms. In this respect it is fair to remark the increase of wages, giving more opportunities for farmers and croppers, etc. Crook and Sverrisson (1999) narrow down these initiatives to four main approaches for governments, namely: 1. Changes in the microeconomic features. There should be a substantial and felt support of the rural workers in what they can contribute into the country’s economy. 2. Social equity. Reducing the gap between different communities according to their history, ethnicity, and culture. 3. Human development. Increasing the rates of social comfortable circumstances by decreasing detrimental effects of poverty. 4. Spatial or inter-regional inequality. A rational distribution of the resources between economically more and less sufficient regions (Crook Sverrisson, 1999). However, even with some positive changes due to decentralisation, Bolivia is still suffering from poverty. UNDP keeps a strict eye on the human relationships and economical prospects for decreasing the poverty rates in Bolivia. Even with the highest tempos of capacity development, Bolivia needs another set of reforms to go the way of the developed countries of the world (UNDP, 2005). Thus, the democracy should make point of what has been done in Bolivia due to the timely constructive implementation of decentralization policies. The concept of planning development should serve as one of the basic approaches for maintaining social, economical, political, and fiscal equilibrium. Specialists from USAID as well as from UNDP work on dissecting new approaches to encourage the value of decentralization, as the way to cope with a genuinely democratic type of relationships between the central power and the periphery. The participation is necessary at all levels. Indeed, it is participation in different spheres of the state governance that makes planning development more efficient due to the cohesiveness of all branches. Notwithstanding the type of regime in a country, an extra-ordinary value of decentralization is beyond disagreement. USAID experts interpret decentralization as a necessary state of relationships â€Å"to increase the scope of decisions, and thus incentives, available to local participants, as well as to build institutions and to encourage, structure, focus, and stabilize such participation† (Rondinelli, 1981, p. 133). Nevertheless, based on the aforementioned examples of countries, decentralisation provides opportunities to step across new frontiers in planning development. Hence, it is about time to state that decentralization results in better development outcomes. Breaking the power down by means of its dispersal among municipalities gives more grounds for the central power to evaluate, make decisions, and verify the execution of the law, economic, and political prospects at the local level. Increasing governmental investment in public services served as an impulse for the growth of planning development in Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, and Spain as well. Decentralisation is widely practised in the world’s countries. Furthermore, its significance for maintaining stabilisation mechanisms in the developing countries cannot be underestimated. It is great that during some few decades many of the developing countries under the threat of dominated ideologies could change their course along with the policies of decentralisation as the paramount approach to start with. Humanity of the twenty-first century, therefore, has many points to acquire in social, economical, and political issues as pertaining to the policy of decentralisation. Reference Crook, R. C. , Sverrisson, A. S. (1999). TO WHAT EXTENT CAN DECENTRALISED FORMS OF GOVERNMENT ENHANCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRO-POOR POLICIES AND IMPROVE POVERTY-ALLEVIATION OUTCOMES? Unpublished manuscript , 1-61. Faguet, J. -P. (2004). Does decentralization increase government responsiveness to local needs? Evidence from Bolivia. Journal of Public Economics , 88, 867– 893. Faguet, J. -P. (2005). The Effects of Decentralisation on Public Investment: Evidence and Four Lessons from Bolivia and Colombia. Crisis States Program , 62, 1-21. Faguet, J. -P. , Sanchez, F. (2009, February 8). DECENTRALIZATION AND ACCESS TO SOCIAL SERVICES IN COLOMBIA. 1-35. Faguet, J. -P. , Sanchez, F. (2006). DECENTRALIZATION’S EFFECTS ON EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES IN BOLIVIA AND COLOMBIA. DEDPS , 47, 1-42. Fritzen, S. A. , Lim, P. W. (2006). LKY School of Public Policy. PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF DECENTRALIZATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES (pp. 1-9). Singapore: National University of Singapore. Furtado, X. (2001). DECENTRALIZATION AND CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT: UNDERSTANDING THE LINKS AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PROGRAMMING. CIDA Policy Branch , 4, 1-11. Galiani, S. , Schargrodsky, E. (2001, September 19). Evaluating the Impact of School Decentralisation on Education Quality. JEL , 1-37. Galiani, S. , Gertler, P. , Schargrodsky, E. (2004, March 11). Helping the Good Get Better, but Leaving the Rest Behind: How Decentralization Affects School Performance. JEL , 1-34. Gropello, E. D. (1999). Educational decentralization models in Latin America. Cepal Review , 68, 155-173. Parry, T. R. (1997). Achieving Balance in Decentralization: A Case Study of Education Decentralization in Chile. World Development , 25 (2), 21 l-225,. Pena, P. S. (2006). Evaluation of the ejffects of decentralization on educational outcomes in Spain. JEL , 1-32. Rondinelli, D. A. (1981). Government Decentralization in Comparative Perspective: Theory and Practice in Developing Countries. International Review of Administrative Sciences , 2, 133-145. UNDP. (2005). United Nations Development Programme. Fiscal Decentralization in Transition Economies: Case Studies from the Balkans and Caucasus (pp. 1-194). Bratislava: UNDP Publishings. UNDP. (2005). United Nations Development Programme: Oslo Governance Centre. Democratic decentralization and poverty reduction: Bolivian case (pp. 3-46). Oslo: UNDP.

The Modernist Concept Of Urban Design Cultural Studies Essay

The Modernist Concept Of Urban Design Cultural Studies Essay The development of our towns and cities is intrinsically linked to many architectural and cultural patterns and trends of the past. Indeed the Aesthetic and strategic practices of architecture and urban design contribute, through a complex of formal and informal processes, to the creation of urban cultures as well as giving shape to distinctive city image [Stevenson 2003].The social and technological changes which characterised the end of the 19th and start of the 20th centuries, created a momentum of change in the art, design and culture of Western Europe, and precipitated a shift in the ideas behind design and architecture, that laid the foundations for the evolution of the modernist movement. In essence the modernist movement fundamentally altered the way that those who designed the towns and cities we lived in, viewed their role, based upon utopian fancies, standardisation, new industrial materials such as re-enforced concrete, chrome and plate glass, abstraction and a vehement a mbition to make a new world, not just a new art [Hughes 2006]. In Britain, the modernist movement did not really develop until the late 1920s and early 1930s, when the formation of institutions such as the Congres Internationaux dArchitecture Moderne (CIAM), began to formalise and standardise the idea of modernist architecture, not just as a means to design buildings, but to construct a whole new way of living a style which would seek to incorporate the form follows form mantra into the design of our cities and towns [Gibbered 2008]. During this time, continued urban migration, and the idea of using modern technology to exhort profound and positive influences via the design of our surroundings, was embraced by the majority of society, and soon captured by the imaginations of the architects. As the urban populations of the UK continued to grow, a new approach to urban planning was required that would be able to meet with the increased demand for housing and amenities. The modernist concept of urban design, saw the traditional urban model for development in the towns and cities of Britain relatively low-rise streets, squares and urban blocks eschewed in favour of a rational, usually orthogonal, distribution of slab and point blocks set in park land and open space. The idea of this design was that, rather than being enclosed by buildings, urban space would now flow freely around them [Carmona 2003], and that the Le Corbusier view of eliminating the relative disorder of urban areas would be achieved. An important development in the design of our towns and cities was the idea of how we lived. In 1934, the idea of communal living was first truly experimented on the middle classes with the design of the Lawn Road Flats in Hampstead (below). This idea of a more minimalist, functional way of living was fairly revolutionary to these social classes at the time and lay the way for similar residential developments such as the luxurious Highpoint one in 1935. This idea of communal living began to filter down to all social classes in London (such as such Maxwell Frys Kensal House, the first modernist social housing project in Britain, which opened in 1937), and influenced the development of inner city housing, which continued for another four decades. Lawn Road Flats in 1934 Image taken from http://designmuseum.org/ During the post-war years, the devestation that many had endured seemed to re-envigorate the national psyche with an optimism, and to many there was a sense that here seemed to be a growing idea that this was a chance, not only to re-build Britain structurally, but also to take the nation in a new direction [Gibbered 2008]. Of course, the urban areas of our cities and towns had taken most of the fallout, and this opportunity was seized by modernist architects who believed that, by changing the design of how we lived in our cities and towns, they could provide ambitious solutions to solve extensive social problems. This opportunity, and apparent political will to develop and implement modernist was seen in many of the post-war constructions in Europe, and later through slum clearance programmes and subsequent road-building schemes [Carmona 2003]. In Britain, an extensive re-building project began (by the mid-1950s, 2,500 schools had been built and ten entirely new towns were either un der construction or in the early stages of development), and there was a growing need for a town planning policy that could accommodate the needs of these people. This requirement for rapid functionality opened the door for Modernists to begin reshaping the appearance of British towns and cities [Gibbered 2008]. One of the key ideas that developed at this time, and has shaped many of Britains urban landscapes, was the idea that new towns would be designed and built from scratch. Modernist urban space generally appears in its purest forms when built on Greenfield sites [Carmona 2003], and as such this design seemed to be perfect to implement when strategising the development of these new towns a sort of blank canvass for many modernist architects of the time. The idea was to be able to create an urban modern utopia, which would deliver British city dwellers from the dark failures of Victorian housing to a bright new world of clean, functional towns [Gibbered 2008], with there dispersed site planning, brick housing, and homey peoples detailing [Hvattum and Hermansen 2004]. These New Towns†¦examples†¦. Depicted the modernist urban landscapes, presenting idealised sanitised visions of streets, public spaces, and buildings in which the users are little represented [Larkham 1997]. The pattern of modernist development in our towns and cities continued to dominate for the next couple of decades and, by the 1960s modernism had become the lingua franca of British architecture, whether it be schools, office complexes, homes, or even the new towns as above [Gibbered 2008]. Although perceived as successful demonstrations of urban utopia, the modernist ideal in urban development will be forever synonymous with the disastrous implementation of public housing schemes. Modernist urban space had moved away from buildings as consituent elements in urban blocks (i.e. concrete terraced masses) defining streets and squares, to buildings as separate free standing pavillions standing in amorphous space [Carmona 2003]. These planned estates could cope with high densities of population, and would provide the amminities that a community required within segregated blocks. What has since prevailed, and was marked during †¦.. The modern estates instead fostered a sense of isolation and anonymity, and reduced any existing sense of community. The product was fatally flawed; large blocks simplified the land-use pattern, and the nooks and crannies that house economically marginal but socially desirable uses and activities [Carmona 2003]. The rush to build high and fast system-built blocks prefabricated towers which could be assembled on site as a mean of housing in the cities of the UK, and the idea that †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ [Gibbered 2008]. During the early part of the twentieth century the transformations in terms of population, urban expansion, and a rapid development of communication and infrastructure, resulted in a society and a way of life bent on change and innovation, but also in instability, continual movement, and crisis [Hvattum and Hermansen 2004]. What now seems ill considered is that the visions for ideal cities, in particular those growing out of the modern movement in architecture, were diluted and warped by the messy business of reconstructing actual cities, filled with real people whilst operating within democratic structures [Jones 2004]. Somehow without any conscious intention on anyones part the ideals of free flowing space and pure architecture evolved into our present urban situation of individual buildings isolated in partking lots and highways [Tranick 1986]. Indeed, over the last two decades, the public criticism of this style of development in our towns and cities has resulted in an almost u niversally agreed idea that modernism, as a cogent philosophy of building a better society through architecture has failed [Gibbered 2008].

Justice of America :: essays papers

Justice of America The Greek philosopher Plato thought that there were four virtues: wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice. The most important of these is wisdom, which is knowledge of that which is truly good. People who have wisdom and, as a result, know what is truly good will tend to do what is right. These people will act in their own true interest and be in harmony with themselves. This harmony is the basis of all justice. People who have justice, in Plato’s view, will tend to have other virtues as well. (World Book Encyclopedia; Ethics, Justice.) We as a country all believe in justice and that it works to preserve our country’s heritage. So it is worth fighting for when people threaten our freedom. Justice is a hard term to define. Each society and country has different views and moral standards, so it is hard to completely define it in one definition. The United States looks at justice as a moral standard that applies to all human conduct. The Taleban does not see it this way. The Taleban and other groups like them have very different views of justice. To the Taleban members human conduct is directed by religion and culture, whereas we are directed by civility and reasoning. They thought that they were serving â€Å"justice† to the United States when they flew airplanes into both of the World Trade Center Buildings and killed thousands of innocent people on September 11, 2001. â€Å"The United states is wrong for their actions.† That was their religious reasoning for doing â€Å"justice† to the United States. But that is not what was done to our country. In the United States we call it terrorism. But could this terrorism have been avoided? It possibly cou ld have if both sides were willing to listen and try to understand where each other are coming from. To further answer that question we have to look at both sides of the coin. Their way of life is so different from our every day lives in the United States that there is no way our definitions of justice are going to agree. They have different standards, beliefs, and priorities. Part of their culture says that women are not even allowed to be part of their society, whereas we allow women to be elected officials in our nations Senate and Congress. As you can plainly see, our views are completely different. But no matter how different we are from each other, nothing they say or do can justify what they did to our country.

Macbeth †Hero or “Hellhound” Essay

William Shakespeare the author of Macbeth was born in April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He is generally regarded as the greatest playwright ever to have lived. During the time of Shakespeare (which was the Elizabethan times) the theatres in which his plays were performed were very basic. They had no scenery or sets so they used simple items such as a stool, which would represent an indoor scene. He theatres were also very small, the fortune theatre only being 80ft square. The stage had three tiers; the main stage where most of the scenes would be performed, the tiring house which was used for scenes such as the witches’ cave in Macbeth and the gallery (upper stage) which was used for scenes such as the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet. People in the Elizabethan times were extremely religious and believed in a â€Å"chain of being†. This is a hierarchical society that is divided into three sections, Heaven, Hell and Earth. They believed that everybody was born into a level and this could not change or chaos would ensue. Due to this belief the killing of king – known as regicide was regarded as the worst crime in the world as the king was god’s messenger on Earth. Macbeth was written for King James in around 1605. Because of whom it was written for Shakespeare had to change the character of Banquo to a â€Å"good guy† as it was one of James’ ancestors (Shakespeare actually borrowed the idea for the play from Ralph Holinheads’ chronicles). The play is about a Scottish nobleman ‘Macbeth’ who becomes king by murdering the previous king. The world is then thrown into disarray until eventually ‘Macbeth’ himself is killed and the true successor to the throne is crowned when order is restored. There are many themes in Macbeth many of which recur throughout the play. These include masculinity. Lady Macbeth always questions ‘Macbeth’s’ manhood whenever he doesn’t want to go through with something, which leads to ‘Macbeth’ doing whatever she wants him to. Linking with this is femininity, during the play Lady Macbeth refers to this when she calls for the spirits to â€Å"unsex† her. There is also the theme of darkness, which creeps up a few times during the course of the play. ‘Macbeth’ says to the stars as he is about to murder Duncan, â€Å"hide your fire, let not light see my black and deep desires.† Lady Macbeth also asks for darkness when she says, â€Å"come thee thick night, and pull thee in the dunnest smoke of hell.† Evil is regularly associated with darkness and these references show that there is an evil side to ‘Macbeth’ and Lady Macbeth. Perhaps the most important theme in the whole play however, is fate. Every character except from ‘Macbeth’ accepts fate and the fact that they don’t have any control over it. In the first scene ‘Macbeth’ is said to â€Å"disdain fortune† and later on in the play the witches lead ‘Macbeth’ to believe that he can have complete control of his destiny, which, he later realises he cannot. The ‘tragic hero’ is a character used quite often by Shakespeare. The tragic hero is a character who is noble, brave and good but always has one fatal flaw. In ‘Othello’ the fatal flaw is jealousy and in Macbeth the fatal flaw is ambition. The tragic hero’s fatal flaw will inevitably result in their death, hence the name ‘fatal flaw’. I am now going to work through the play discussing the question ‘Macbeth’-Hero or â€Å"Hellhound†. The play starts with thunder and lightning, which is seen as a reference to the Gunpowder Plot, which occurred around the same time as the play. The Elizabethan audience would recognise this and see the relevance because in both the case of the Gunpowder Plot and the play the intended victim was the king. The meeting of the witches is the first scene in Macbeth. This shows that the witches are a very important part of the play and they will be very influential during its course. The audience will know to be afraid of the witches because of the society of the time. To the Elizabethans witchcraft was a fact of life. We also discover that the witches are definitely a source of evil when they say, â€Å"fair is foul, and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air.† This shows that the witches are trying to disrupt the natural order, which, according to the chain of being will throw the universe into chaos. In the second scene we learn of ‘Macbeth’s’ bravery in battle. This where he is said to â€Å"disdain fortune† which shows us that he doesn’t believe in fate. We also find ‘Macbeth’ is a very strong fighter and that; he and other people believe that he is unbeatable in battle. An example of this is when the captain says, â€Å"yes as sparrows eagles: or hare the lion.† This is a reference to ‘Macbeth’s’ fighting ability and the fact that he is as scared as a lion would be of a hare. When the opposition army is refreshed and with new troops the captain says, â€Å"As cannons overcharg’d with double cracks, so they doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe.† This shows the audience how ‘Macbeth’ but will make them wonder is he too bloody and over the top? ‘Macbeth’s’ first words in scene three are, â€Å"so foul and fair a day I have not seen.† The audience will pick up on this as it links in with what the witches say at the beginning of the play. The audience may also be a little disturbed by the way that ‘Macbeth’ seems to be acting now. The witches know what ‘Macbeth’s’ name is and this startles ‘Macbeth’ and the audience. They say â€Å"All hail Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Glamis.† The audience will now begin to realise just how powerful the witches are as this is little known information. They then say â€Å"All hail Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Cawdor.† Of course by now the audience will know that the Thane of Cawdor is a traitor but they don’t know how the witches have this knowledge. This will scare the audience and make them wary of the witches’ behaviour. Banquo mentions to ‘Macbeth’ that he should be happy by this news, â€Å"Good sir, why do you start, and seem to fear things so fair?† This shows us that the witches have also startled ‘Macbeth’. Does this mean that ‘Macbeth’ can’t be too evil as he is scared of the witches or he is just shocked because he has already thought of murdering the king? Banquo also says that ‘Macbeth’ seems â€Å"rapt withal† so we wonder if he is deep in thought or under a witches spell. If ‘Macbeth’ is in fact under the witches’ spell then his actions throughout the rest of the play can’t really be seen as his fault. Banquo seems to be aware that the witches are evil although ‘Macbeth’ isn’t. â€Å"Cannot be ill. Cannot be god.† Is he just reassuring himself or is he really not aware that the witches are bad? ‘Macbeth’ thinks of murdering the king and is scared by his thoughts: â€Å"Why do I yield to that suggestions whose horrid image doth unfix my hair, and make my seated heart knock at my ribs, without the use of nature.† Again Banquo says, â€Å"look how our partners rapt† so again we wonder if he is under a spell or just deep in his thoughts. The way that this idea of ‘Macbeth’ being â€Å"rapt† could be Shakespeare’s way of telling the audience that ‘Macbeth’ is being controlled by something more powerful than just his mind or ambition. In the next scene Duncan announces that the successor to the throne will be his son. ‘Macbeth’ also declares his loyalty to the king when he becomes thane. The audience will already know that ‘Macbeth’ has had thoughts about killing the king and therefore will see this as ‘Macbeth’ being very two faced. ‘Macbeth’ also says in this scene: â€Å"the Prince of Cumberland: that is a step, on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap for of in my way it lies. Stars hide your fires let not light see my black and deep desires.† This reveals a lot about ‘Macbeth’s’ current train of thought. He is basically saying that the Prince of Cumberland is in his way and must be overcome. ‘Macbeth’ also becomes quite scary in this speech when he says the part about â€Å"Stars hide your fires†. This will symbolise to the audience that he is moving into darkness from light or more worryingly from good to bad. In scene five Lady Macbeth is introduced. She offers quite a lot of insight into ‘Macbeth’s’ character that hasn’t been mentioned before. She says, â€Å"Yet I do rear thy nature is too full of the milk of human kindness.† This is a feminine quality; she is basically that ‘Macbeth’ is not masculine – bloody enough. She also says that he is, â€Å"without the illness that should attend ambition.† This means that his ambition is pure but does not having that â€Å"illness† mean that ‘Macbeth’ doesn’t have a conscience? She says that he wants to do things the right way, â€Å"holily†, â€Å"wouldst not play false† and also that ‘Macbeth’ fears to do things. This shows us that Lady Macbeth has, perhaps, a confused idea of masculinity and femininity and also good and evil. Lady Macbeth’s behaviour echoes that of the witches as she calls upon the spirits to â€Å"unsex† her. We can also links with ‘Macbeth’ when she says, â€Å"come thee thick night, And pull thee in the dunnest smoke of hell.† Here she is calling for darkness like her husband did previously. ‘Macbeth’ arrives home at their castle and tells Lady Macbeth that Duncan will be staying for a night, to which Lady Macbeth says, â€Å"O never shall sun that morrow see.† This is a clear indication that she too wants the king to die. She tells ‘Macbeth’ to â€Å"look like th’ innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.† ‘Macbeth’ says â€Å"we will speak further.† This shows the audience that ‘Macbeth’ hasn’t yet decided whether or not to kill the king. In scene six the king arrives at ‘Macbeth’s’ castle. In scene seven ‘Macbeth’ argues against killing the king by saying, â€Å"he’s here in double trust.† This means that it should be ‘Macbeth’s’ duty to protect the king and not try and kill him. He also says to Lady Macbeth, â€Å"we will proceed no further in this business.† Lady Macbeth retaliates to this by saying that ‘Macbeth’ is a coward and she follows it up by saying something extremely shocking. She says that she has had children but would rather rip the baby from her and kill it then break her vow to kill the king. This shows to us that it may not just be the witches who are proving to be a bad influence on ‘Macbeth’s’ mind. This causes ‘Macbeth’ to change his mind. Lady Macbeth outlines a plan to kill the king. Her idea is to get the king’s guards so drunk they fall asleep then Duncan will be unguarded. Once Duncan has been killed she will pour blood on the guards to make it look like they murdered him. ‘Macbeth’ ends the scene by saying, â€Å"I am settled.† He has decided to kill the king. We wonder whether this was perhaps his intention all along or was it Lady Macbeth’s intervention that pushed him to do it? In Act two scene one ‘Macbeth’ starts on his mission to kill the king. A dagger appears before him. There are lots of interpretations about what this means. Is ‘Macbeth’ going mad and just imagining it? Is the dagger really there? Is it a witches’ spell making him see it? Some versions of Macbeth actually show the dagger appearing before him while some don’t, as if it is in his mind. In scene two ‘Macbeth’ kills the king and is in a terrible state. He says, â€Å"I could not say amen.† This could be evidence that he is under a spell because if he was just evil it wouldn’t bother him that he couldn’t say amen. He also says, â€Å"me thought I heard a voice cry, sleep no more.† This shows that ‘Macbeth’ is both hearing and seeing things. This will make the audience wonder if ‘Macbeth’ has truly gone mad or if he just feels guilty about it. In scene three we see the chain of being has been disrupted and chaos is ensuing when it is said, â€Å"some say the earth was feverous, and did shake.† Also in this scene Macduff finds the king dead. ‘Macbeth’ kills the servants. Is this ‘Macbeth’ being careful and cautious or just bloody? In the first scene of act three we realise that Banquo suspects ‘Macbeth’ of getting in to the position he is in more by foul play than coincidence. â€Å"I fear thou play’dst most foully for ‘t.† We wonder whether Banquo suspects ‘Macbeth’ because he knows that ‘Macbeth’ is capable of doing this. ‘Macbeth’ says, â€Å"to be this is nothing but to be safely this.† ‘Macbeth’ is pondering whether he should kill Banquo, after all he saw the witches and he knows what ‘Macbeth’ is doing. He also says, † come fate, into the list.† ‘Macbeth’ is personifying fate again, which links with when he is said to â€Å"disdain fortune.† This is very important because it shows that ‘Macbeth’ is now acting against the witches as he has decided to kill Banquo and his son. This time however ‘Macbeth’ gets â€Å"murderers† to kill Banquo. Is this because he is too scared? Does he still feel some loyalty to Banquo? Or is he just being more devious? He says to Lady Macbeth, â€Å"Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chick.† This is a huge step for ‘Macbeth’ because the murder is all his own planning and no witches or wife are persuading him. He also says, however, â€Å"O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife.† This shows that, again, ‘Macbeth’ is showing some remorse. This shows us that ‘Macbeth’ does not become purely evil immediately. In scene four Lady Macbeth says ‘Macbeth’ is â€Å"womann’d.† In Shakespeare language this means that it is good to be kind, good to be scared. Theses are all necessary parts of being a hero, not a villain. In this scene Banquo’s ghost appears before ‘Macbeth’. We wonder again, as with the dagger, is this a spell, a hallucination or just his guilty conscience playing tricks on him. ‘Macbeth’ says â€Å"I will to-morrow (And betimes I will) to the weird sisters, more shall they speak.† ‘Macbeth’ is going to see the witches. He knows that he has gone too far and cannot be good again. He has â€Å"embraced evil.† â€Å"For know I am bent to know the worst means the worst.† The audience will now wonder whether this is ‘Macbeth’ being brave or just purely evil. In scene five the queen witch says that ‘Macbeth’ isn’t linked with the witches. The audience will wonder is the witch lying? And also is this good or bad? If ‘Macbeth’ is linked with the witches then they can be blamed for his actions but, if what the witches are saying is true then ‘Macbeth’ is responsible for his own actions. Act four scene one. The witches produce apparitions as they talk to ‘Macbeth’. The audience will link this with the dagger and Banquo’s ghost and will now believe that the witches are the cause of these images. The witches’ first warning to ‘Macbeth’ is clear. â€Å"Beware Macduff, beware the Thane of Fife.† The second apparition is a bit more cryptic. â€Å"for none of woman born shall harm ‘Macbeth’.† The witches know that they are tricking ‘Macbeth’. At first ‘Macbeth’ decides not to Macduff as he thinks he can’t be harmed by him but then changes his mind to be on the safe side. This is another example of one of the many times ‘Macbeth’ goes a bit over the top by killing people. The third apparition tells ‘Macbeth’ that he will be safe until the wood marches up to the castle. This makes ‘Macbeth’ feel safe as he thinks, that the wood can’t march and that everyone is woman born. The audience however, will know not to trust what the witches say. In act five scene two we see some peoples’ opinions of ‘Macbeth’. â€Å"Tyrant, mad and valiant fury† are all mentioned. The audience will know that ‘Macbeth’s’ reign is likely to come to an end. In scene three ‘Macbeth’ learns that the English are marching into Scotland. ‘Macbeth’ says, â€Å"I’ll fight till from my bones, my flesh be hack’d!† This is another point in the play where ‘Macbeth’ is very bloodthirsty and over the top. In scene five ‘Macbeth’ hears a scream. Lady Macbeth has died. He says: â€Å"I have almost forgot the taste of fears, the time has been, my senses would have cool’d to hear a night-shriek, and my fell of hair would at dismal treatise rouse and stir as if like were in lit.† This isn’t a good sign as it shows that ‘Macbeth’ has gone too far. He also says: â€Å"She should have died hereafter, there would have been a time for such a word, tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps in the pretty face from day to day.† This shows that ‘Macbeth’ is accepting that he will be defeated and wants death now. ‘Macbeth’ also learns that Burnham wood is coming to the castle. He says, â€Å"at least we’ll die with harness on our back.† The audience will wonder of this is noble and heroic or is he really mad? It also shows that ‘Macbeth’ â€Å"disdain fortune† once again. In scene seven ‘Macbeth’ realises that he has been tricked by the witches when he says, â€Å"they have tied me to a stake, I cannot fly, but bear like I must fight the course.† The audience may now feel a little bit sorry for ‘Macbeth’, as all that he can do now is fight. â€Å"Turn hell hound, turn.† Macduff yells to ‘Macbeth’ to which ‘Macbeth’ replies no. He decides that he doesn’t want to kill Macduff as he has already killed all of his family. Is this ‘Macbeth’ showing some compassion to Macduff by not fighting him or is it just arrogance? ‘Macbeth’ realises what the witches were talking about when Macduff says he was born by caesarean section – not born of a woman. Even though he now knows this he still wants to fight. The audience will wonder if this is ‘Macbeth’ trying to â€Å"disdain fortune† once again. Macduff kills ‘Macbeth’ in the fight, as the witches predicted. Malcolm says, â€Å"this dead butcher.† This isn’t really a very good description of ‘Macbeth’ as he perhaps had good reason to kill some of the people that he did and some of his other murders could be seen as ‘Macbeth’ being cautious rather than bloody and over the top. When the king’s named successor returns to the throne, the chain of being is back in order and the play ends. ‘Macbeth’ has been killed and order has been restored.

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Formal Letter Essays Formal Letter Essay Formal Letter Essay Name: Instructor: Course: Date: : Formal Letter The XYZ Corporation, P.O. Box 1234, California, United States of America. Mr. Hoshi Reynolds, 1234 Rue Internationals, P.O. Box 322192, Paris, France.15/7/2011. Dear Sir, REF: CONTRACT AGREEMENT Following frequent disagreements with one of your subcontractors, we have suspended any form of communication with your firm. We were dissatisfied with the commodities they have to offer, insincere apologies for various encountered setbacks and the disappointments accruing thereafter to our trusted customers. In order to restore the business’ reputation, we have taken a key interest in your company and therefore, we would like to structure a business contract dealing with the supply of spare parts to our organization. We believe that your company’s output will be of great use to us and that our business interactions will be enhanced over the subsequent trading periods. We look forward to doing business with you. A copy of your commodities pricelist before 3 August 2011 will be highly appreciated. Yours Sincerely, The Managing Director.

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Loss of Freedom Through Apathy essays We do have freedom in this country but we simply choose to ignore it. We live in a democracy, the most just kind of government, where the people hold supreme power. It is an institution that is a culmination of revolutions, wars, philosophies and heroes. It is the greatest and proudest government in the world. One reason for this is that Americans have a right that citizens of Iraq and China and North Korea only dreamed they could have. It took one of the greatest military epics in history for our Founding Fathers to receive this right. It took the marching of thousands for women to achieve this right. It took 400 years of abuse for blacks too finally win this right. It is the highest and purest form of freedom of speech and as Americans it is our single most powerful instrument of self government. It is the American vote and in this Presidential election it is a right 250 million chose to ignore. This year I had the great opportunity to volunteer my services to the Democratic party. I was excited to work for the Democrats because it was my first ever experience involved with the election. For 17 years I stood as a common bystander to this great American tradition. Volunteering my hours made me feel like I was a part of something important. Mostly my work consisted of random polling. I would call people up between the hours of 7 and 9:00 P.M. and ask them a few questions about the election. With every call I hoped for the best, but it seemed that I was calling people at the time they were most irritable. Most would simply hang up, leaving with a polite "Oh, I'm not interested." Others acted militantly to my calling, slamming the phone in disgust. It startled and in a way disheartened me, the way many of the people I polled seemed totally apathetic to the political world around us. To me, spending a minute answering questions about the future of politics did not seem like to o much to ask at all. Yet ...

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Purchasing and Buying - Essay Example I had other experience though in my life that prepared me to make or buy decision. As a child, I was always interested in business and I created many ways to make small bits of money. My father was instrumental in providing me with an opportunity to understand business and as I continued to learn about business. When I entered the military, I knew I wanted to be a part of the Marine Corps right away. I became a purchasing specialist while living in Virginia and I was able to create 24 Government Purchase card holders. I had to negotiation and execute 1,300 small purchases. The way I did this was through the use of a Request of Quotation. Vendors had to submit this information and I was responsible for making the decision of which ones to purchase. I also learned how to increase revenues by putting together small contracts until we had everything we needed. As an example, I created a net income of $1.2 million for the card holders which made them very happy because I showed them how to save money. I was able to reduce costs again by creating an electronic Point of Sale system. The way that I was able to save money in this situation was to combine three positions into one. This saved 15% in the overall cost. I created a partnership with a local ending institution that gave us good rates and h elped us lower our cost by providing check verification. Since our company did not have to verify checks, I was able to create the opportunity to again save money. Because I continue to educate myself, I have created many skills that provide me with the knowledge that is needed for each of my jobs. I have received many achievements from my military training that has come in the way of various certificates. I also have a specialty in contract law and procurement which broadens my scope of skills and the world. I also have learned that there is more information than I could possibly

Answering the given questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Answering the given questions - Essay Example ‘Syn’ means same while ‘optic’ means relating to sight or view. However, despite these similarities, the three books also have various differences but there are difficulties in pointing them out. These difficulties are referred to as synoptic problem. For instance, the remarkable similarity of flow of events and point of view in the gospels of Mathew, Mark and Luke make one wonder if they had a common source of information Even though we still acknowledge the role of the Holy Spirit. Although the gospel of Mathew is shorter, the similarity of these three books could also be as a result of them referring to each other’s works when writing the gospels. The common source suspected of having being used is referred to as ‘Q’ from the German word quell. This word means source. However, this document has never been discovered and none of the fathers of the early churches ever made a mention of it. However, the synoptic books are still used in inspiring hope and bringing more people to the religion of Christianity. These gospels are still useful in achieving the purpose of the bible. Gospel is generally referred to as the revelation of Jesus Christ. It is a record of Christ’s teaching in the first four books of the New Testament in the bible. The name gospel means good news which a translation from the Greek word ‘euangelizo’. This refers to the message contained in the New Testament books reveal good news that brings hope and inspirations to followers and encourages people to convert to the Christian religion. Gospel of Christ the Son of God and offers deliverance from sin. Rudolf Karl Bultmann was a New Testament Scholar who intended Form Criticism. He refused to accept the imminent supremacy of God and felt that there was a problem with the gospels having an eschatological Jesus who announced the end of the world. He was one among several other critics of the gospel. Bultmann had an existentialist theory which he founded on the

No Topic, Follow the attachment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

No Topic, Follow the attachment - Assignment Example Companies should work as a team not an organism. Organisms function independently from each other. If the barriers are broken down through communication future problems can be reduced and eliminated. 10. â€Å"Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the work force asking for zero defects and new levels of productivity. Such exhortations only create adversarial relationships, as the bulk of the causes of low quality and low productivity belong to the system and thus lie beyond the power of the work force†: Instead of requiring unrealistic goals, since all workers and the system are human creation, expectations should reflect a level of breakdown. Instead of quotas, employees should be encouraged to do their best. Rewards and punishments should be based on performance of the worker, not the system or machinery. For example, a broken machine should not impact the employees negatively. Machines wear down and break. Laying off employees or sending them home due to mechanical failure should be the last option. Companies always need to have cleaning, trash removal, or other mundane chores that employees can complete while their machinery is being fixed. If the factory w orkers feel that they are part of team instead of part of the machinery, work can be more productive in a comfortable environment. â€Å"Eliminate work standards (quotas) on the factory floor. Substitute leadership†: Instead of quotas, leaders should be on the factory floor encouraging good work habits. If a leader, manager, or foreman is visible, employees have an incentive to work harder. When seeing an employee talking on a cell phone, or being unproductive a leader can nip it in the bud right then. â€Å"Eliminate management by objective. Eliminate management by numbers, numerical goals. Substitute leadership†: Management that is not seen but heard through dictates, letters, or other means does not impact the employees as much as true leadership

Purchasing and Buying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Purchasing and Buying - Essay Example I had other experience though in my life that prepared me to make or buy decision. As a child, I was always interested in business and I created many ways to make small bits of money. My father was instrumental in providing me with an opportunity to understand business and as I continued to learn about business. When I entered the military, I knew I wanted to be a part of the Marine Corps right away. I became a purchasing specialist while living in Virginia and I was able to create 24 Government Purchase card holders. I had to negotiation and execute 1,300 small purchases. The way I did this was through the use of a Request of Quotation. Vendors had to submit this information and I was responsible for making the decision of which ones to purchase. I also learned how to increase revenues by putting together small contracts until we had everything we needed. As an example, I created a net income of $1.2 million for the card holders which made them very happy because I showed them how to save money. I was able to reduce costs again by creating an electronic Point of Sale system. The way that I was able to save money in this situation was to combine three positions into one. This saved 15% in the overall cost. I created a partnership with a local ending institution that gave us good rates and h elped us lower our cost by providing check verification. Since our company did not have to verify checks, I was able to create the opportunity to again save money. Because I continue to educate myself, I have created many skills that provide me with the knowledge that is needed for each of my jobs. I have received many achievements from my military training that has come in the way of various certificates. I also have a specialty in contract law and procurement which broadens my scope of skills and the world. I also have learned that there is more information than I could possibly

No Topic, Follow the attachment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

No Topic, Follow the attachment - Assignment Example Companies should work as a team not an organism. Organisms function independently from each other. If the barriers are broken down through communication future problems can be reduced and eliminated. 10. â€Å"Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the work force asking for zero defects and new levels of productivity. Such exhortations only create adversarial relationships, as the bulk of the causes of low quality and low productivity belong to the system and thus lie beyond the power of the work force†: Instead of requiring unrealistic goals, since all workers and the system are human creation, expectations should reflect a level of breakdown. Instead of quotas, employees should be encouraged to do their best. Rewards and punishments should be based on performance of the worker, not the system or machinery. For example, a broken machine should not impact the employees negatively. Machines wear down and break. Laying off employees or sending them home due to mechanical failure should be the last option. Companies always need to have cleaning, trash removal, or other mundane chores that employees can complete while their machinery is being fixed. If the factory w orkers feel that they are part of team instead of part of the machinery, work can be more productive in a comfortable environment. â€Å"Eliminate work standards (quotas) on the factory floor. Substitute leadership†: Instead of quotas, leaders should be on the factory floor encouraging good work habits. If a leader, manager, or foreman is visible, employees have an incentive to work harder. When seeing an employee talking on a cell phone, or being unproductive a leader can nip it in the bud right then. â€Å"Eliminate management by objective. Eliminate management by numbers, numerical goals. Substitute leadership†: Management that is not seen but heard through dictates, letters, or other means does not impact the employees as much as true leadership

Statistics and Prevention of Gonorrhea and Chlamedia in New Mexico Essay Example for Free

Statistics and Prevention of Gonorrhea and Chlamedia in New Mexico Essay Topic There are a plethora of sexually transmitted diseases that exist in our society today. Two of the most well-known and highly contractible STIs are Gonorrhea and Chlamydia. These STIs are especially prevalent among people ages15-19. Because this age group encompasses high school students, and as nurses and thusly teachers, we find it necessary to impart what information we can about these infections to high school students. Therefore, our teaching project encompasses the topics of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia. Client Population The client population that we will be teaching is high school students. People of this age group are generally 15-19 years of age. Here in New Mexico, the population is predominately White and Hispanic. However, there is a wide range of ethnicities in the state, so we will be sure to be culturally sensitive in broaching our topics. High school students are motivated to learn about sex and topics revolving around sex because they are experiencing puberty and the increasing desire to have sex. Whether the students are sexually active now or not, it will benefit them to know about infectious diseases associated with having sex and how to protect themselves. While trying to impart information about sex and related factors to high school students, there will be many obstacles and barriers to overcome. Students of this age range are still learning how to be comfortable in their own skin, let alone be comfortable with talking about sex. Inevitably we would have to deal with and work around the students laughing, making jokes, and talking to one another. To make the students as comfortable as possible, we would put ourselves on their level from the start of our presentation. We would do this by using appropriate humor and language appropriate to the age group. Assessment of the Learning Needed We will assess our audience’s learning need by asking them questions such as: * â€Å"Does anyone know what Chlamydia is?† * â€Å"Does anyone know what Gonorrhea is?† * â€Å"Has anyone here ever known anyone who’s had either of these infections? If so, what happened?† * â€Å"Can both guys and girls get these infections?† * â€Å"If you contract one of these infections, do you know what that looks like, or what any of the symptoms are?† * â€Å"If you think you might have Chlamydia or Gonorrhea, do you know where to get tested?† * â€Å"If you think you might have Chlamydia or Gonorrhea, do you know how the infection is treated?† Nursing Diagnosis Primary nursing diagnosis: * Deficient knowledge related to lack of exposure and embarrassment about the topic, shame, and fear as evidenced by multiple questions and inappropriate or exaggerated behaviors. Learning Outcomes Students will verbalize the methods of transmission, symptoms, prevention, and treatment of Chlamydia and Gonorrhea. This will be demonstrated by students answering several questions on each topic that will be posed to the class. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the situations in which it is important to get tested for STI’s, where they can get tested, what services are available to them, and what their rights are as teenagers. This knowledge will be demonstrated by students answering several questions on each topic that will be posed to the class, and by open ended discussion with the students. Students will demonstrate understanding of the importance of using STI prevention methods such as abstinence and use of condoms. This knowledge will be demonstrated through an open-ended discussion, guided by the instructors, in which the students will logically draw their own conclusions of the importance of the use of prevention methods based on the information provided in the lecture. Students will also be able to demonstrate proper condom use. This knowledge will be demonstrated by the students applying a condom over a banana. Learning Environment This lesson will be conducted in a classroom setting at a High School. There are many variables in the environment that might have an impact on client learning. For example, students may have no knowledge of sex or the subsequent topics to be discussed, and feel embarrassed, which may make them laugh or make jokes about the subject matter. Student’s religious beliefs may conflict with the discussion of the topic. They may feel that the topic should be reserved for speaking about with their parents only or, perhaps in the church. If there are students that do know about Gonorrhea and Chlamydia, they may be judged negatively by their peers as being overly sexually active. The students with prior knowledge of the subject matter may falsely be viewed by their peers as having contracted these diseases in the past. In order for the environment to be maximally conducive to learning we would take these measures: * Ask the primary teacher to leave the room. * Let the students know that what we are about to discuss may be uncomfortable or embarrassing, but that the environment which we have created is a â€Å"safe environment† and that it is important to be appropriate. * Let the students know that what they say will not leave the room. * Use appropriately informal language while still maintaining credibility. * Use appropriate humor. Teaching Plan Content Teaching Plan Outline: We will be educating high school students on the topic of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia. The flow of our presentation will be as follows: * Defining Gonorrhea * Transmission Process * Signs and Symptoms * Treatments * Complications if left untreated * What information and help is available * How to prevent Gonorrhea Instructional Materials To aid in the process of education, we will be using instructional materials such as, an interesting and engaging power point presentation, informational brochures, instructional videos, posters from a local clinic, pictures of the effects of the STIs, and demonstration of correct condom application. Using these instructional materials will help to reinforce our learning outcomes by ensuring the students have a complete and well-rounded knowledge base of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia. Evaluation of Client Learning There are three orders of business that we will conduct in evaluating client learning. Firstly, we will hand out an evaluation tool comprised of three sections. The first section will be a matching question with 6-8 pieces of information we had discussed during the teaching section. The second section will be five stars, of which the students can circle as many as they wish to reflect how well they think we did overall. The third section will be an area for the students to leave any additional comments they have for us. Secondly, we will have the students verbalize what they have learned by asking them questions based on the information provided in the teaching session. For example, â€Å"Where would you go to be tested if you feel you may have contracted Gonorrhea or Chlamydia?† Thirdly, we will pass out bananas and condoms to each student in the class. They will then demonstrate how to correctly apply a condom. References New Mexico Department of Health, Epidemiology and Response Division. (2012, January 6). Indicator Report New Mexico Population Demographics: Race/Ethnicity. Retrieved November 12, 2012, from NM-IBIS New Mexicos Public Health Data Resource: http://ibis.health.state.nm.us/indicator/view/NMPopDemoRacEth.NM.html Chlamydia Reduce Your Risk. Publications for Schools, Organizations, Businesses, AgenciesChanning Bete Company Booklets, Folders, Handbooks, Presentations, Workbooks, Prevention Programs. (1997, January 20). Chlamydia Reduce Your Risk. Retrieved November 12, 2012, from Chlamydia Reduce Your Risk. Publications for Schools, Organizations, Businesses, Agencies 1997. Web. 23 July 2011. http://www.channing-bete.com. : http://www.channing-bete.com Bridges, D. M. (†¢ Bridges, Debbie, MD. Chlamydia in Women/Men: Symptoms, Treatments. WebMD Better Information. Better Health. 12 Mar. 2010. Web. 23 July 2011. http://www.webmd.com/sexual-conditions/guide/chlamydia?prin.., March 12 ). Chlamydia in Women/Men: Symptoms, Treatments. Retrieved November 7, 2010, from WebMD Better Information. Better Health: http://www.webmd.com/sexual-conditions/guide/chlamydia?prin Date, W. K. (2010). Gonococcal infection in the newborn. Retrieved November 16, 2012, from Wolters Kluwer Health: Up to Date : http://www.uptodate.com/contents/gonococcal-infection-in-the-newborn Elaine N. Marieb, R. P. (2012). Anatomy Physiology. Hygene, N. Y. (2012, July 6). Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygene: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/std/std4.shtml Lance Lloyds Clean N Safe Website. (n.d.). Claean N Safe, Chlamedia and Gonorrhea Facts. Retrieved November 14, 2012, from Clean N Safe: http://www.clean-n-safe.com Lewis, S. L., Dirksen, S. R., Hietkemper, M. M., Bucher, L. R., Camea, I. M. (2011). Meducal Surgical Nursing. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier. Linda Gorgos, M. D.-C., Smelser, C. (2012, August 20). New Mexico Department of Health. Retrieved November 9, 2012, from Bacterial Sexually Transmitted Diseases in New Mexico: http://www.health.state.nm.us/erd/healthdata Prevention, C. f. (March, 25 2011). STD Facts Chlamydia . Retrieved November 12, 2012, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/std/chlamydia/stdfact-chlamydia.htm SafeintheCityVideo. (2008, June 3). How to Use a Condom. Retrieved November 16, 2012, from youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcpfZKvOFZ4

Effect of the Inorganic Filler Contents on Polymer

Effect of the Inorganic Filler Contents on Polymer ANALYSIS OF ZIF 8/PAI AND CMS/PAI MEMBRANES FOR CO2/CH4 GAS SEPARATION Yohannan Subin Sabilon Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli, India Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks 8 (ZIF 8) nanocrystals and Carbon Molecular Sieves (CMS) particles were prepared by using standard procedures. UV visible spectroscopy and XRD tests were done for the confirmation of the particles prepared and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analysis were done to study the morphology of the particles prepared. ZIF 8/PAI and CMS/PAI MMMs were successfully synthesized by using ZIF 8 and CMS inorganic fillers and Polyamideimide (PAI) polymer using phase inversion technique. Various weight contents (1%, 2% and 3%) of the inorganic fillers were incorporated in the polymer matrix. Reinforcing of the polymer matrix with inorganic fillers was done in the form of nano and micro particles respectively. The effect of the inorganic filler contents on the mechanical properties of the polymer was investigated. Hydrophilic nature and porosity determination test, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (F TIR) and SEM were done to study the hydrophilicity and morphology of the composite system. Keywords: Carbon dioxide, Methane, Mixed Matrix Membranes, Carbon Molecular Sieves,Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks INTRODUCTION Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the components of landfill gas, natural gas and biogas. It is also the main combustion product of fossil fuels and a leading contributor to global warming as its a greenhouse gas. In order to obtain fuel with enhanced energy content, to prevent corrosion problems in the gas transportation system and to reduce the climatic impact of CO2 gas it is quite essential to remove CO2 from those gas streams. This has driven the development of different technologies for CO2 gas separation. Among the different types of technologies being used membrane technology has experienced substantial growth, breakthroughs and advances during past decades [10]. Membrane technology offers high energy efficiency, simplicity in design and construction of membrane modules and environment compatibility. Although there are different types of membranes being used the combination of the superior performance of inorganic materials with the handling properties of the polymers is offered by Mixed Matrix Membranes (MMMs). Therefore in our study we will be using MMMs for CO2/CH4 gas separation. In the MMMs the inorganic fillers are added to the polymer matrix. Over the years different inorganic fillers have been used for preparing MMMs for CO2/CH4 gas separation out of which Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework 8 (ZIF 8) is known to show maximum selectivity while Carbon Molecular Sieves (CMS) is known to show maximum permeability [19]. In this study the preparation and characterization of these inorganic fillers is shown. These inorganic fillers were successfully incorporated in the Polyamideimide (PAI) polymer matrix and MMMs were prepared. The characterization and analysis of the ZIF 8/PAI and CMS/PAI MMMs have been done with different loading of inorganic fillers in order to choose the best possible membrane combination for CO2/CH4 gas separation. EXPERIMENTAL SECTION Materials Zinc hydrate crystals and N-methyl 2-pyrrolidone (NMP) required in the preparation of ZIF 8 nanocrystals were purchased from Merck Life Science Private Limited, Mumbai, India. Methanol used for washing during centrifugation was also bought from Titan Biotech Limited, Rajasthan, India. 2-methylimidazole and n-butylamine also required for the preparation of ZIF 8 nanocrystals were bought from Otto Group Hamburg, Germany, Polyamidieimide polymer was also purchased from UTM, Malaysia. Acetone was purchased from Merck Specialities Private Limited, Mumbai, India. All reagents were used without any further purification. Synthesis of ZIF 8 nanocrystals ZIF 8 nanoparticles were synthesized based on the procedure reported by Cravillon et al[3]. The ZIF-8 nanocrystals so formed was sent for UV spectroscopy, XRD, HRTEM and SEM analysis. Synthesis of CMS particles CMS particles were synthesized based on the procedure reported by De. Q. Vu et al[8] The CMS particles were then sent for XRD analysis. Synthesis of ZIF 8/PAI membranes Membranes of 3 different concentrations i.e., 1%, 2% and 3% of ZIF 8 nanocrystals were prepared by solution casting method. 17wt% of polyamideimide polymer solution was prepared by dissolving exactly 5.274g mixture of polyamideimide polymer i.e., Torlon and ZIF 8 nanocrystals in 25ml of NMP solvent in a beaker. A magnetic bead was cleaned and dried using acetone and was placed in the beaker. The 3 beakers containing the 3 different concentration solutions were kept on 3 different magnetic stirrer for complete dissolution. The exact amount of polymer and inorganic filler taken for respective concentrations is given in the table below: Table 1 Composition of ZIF 8/PAI membranes Concentration of ZIF 8/PAI Amount of PAI (g) Amount of ZIF 8 membranes (wt %) nanocrystals (g) 1 5.116 0.158 2 5.169 0.105 3 5.221 0.053 Now 3 glass plates and casting rods were washed and kept for drying. After drying the glass plates and the casting rods were cleaned and dried by using acetone. After complete dissolution the polymer solution in the 3 beakers were casted on 3 different glass plates using casting rods of 750 ÂÂ µm thickness. The glass plates after casting were allowed to dry at room temperature overnight for all the NMP solvent to evaporate. After drying the polymer membrane so formed was peeled off the glass plate. The membrane samples were sent for SEM analysis. Synthesis of CMS/PAI membranes Membranes of 3 different concentrations i.e., 1%, 2% and 3% of CMS particles were prepared by solution casting method. 17wt% of polyamideimide polymer solution was prepared by dissolving exactly 5.274g mixture of polyamideimide polymer i.e., Torlon and CMS particles in 25ml of NMP solvent in a beaker. The exact amount of polymer and inorganic filler taken for respective concentrations is given in the table below: Table 2 Composition of CMS/PAI membranes Concentration of ZIF 8/PAI Amount of PAI (g) Amount of CMS particles membranes (wt %) (g) 1 5.116 0.158 2 5.169 0.105 3 5.221 0.053 A magnetic bead was cleaned and dried using acetone and was placed in the beaker. The 3 beakers containing the 3 different concentration solutions were kept on 3 different magnetic stirrer for complete dissolution. Now 3 glass plates and casting rods were washed and kept for drying. After drying the glass plates and the casting rods were cleaned and dried by using acetone. After complete dissolution the polymer solution in the 3 beakers were casted on 3 different glass plates using casting rods of 750 ÂÂ µm thickness. The glass plates after casting were allowed to dry at room temperature overnight for all the NMP solvent to evaporate. After drying the polymer membrane so formed was peeled off the glass plate. The membrane samples were sent for SEM analysis. TESTING AND CHARACTERIZATION Confirmation tests for inorganic filers UV visible spectroscopy analysis. The ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis)utilizes light to determine the absorbance or transmission of a chemical species in either solid or aqueous state. The UV Visible Spectroscopy analysis was done for the confirmation of ZIF 8 nanocrystals. XRD analysis. XRD can be done on a number of different kinds of samples. Smallvolume of sample was tapped on microscope slide glass. The intensity of the beam used was 40 kV and 40 mA. The XRD analysis was done for the confirmation of ZIF 8 nanocrystals and CMS particles. Morphological studies of Inorganic fillers and MMMs SEM with EDX analysis. The surface morphology of PAI polymer was observed usingthe JSM-6701F with high resolution field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) with the magnification of 5000ÃÆ'-. For EDX analysis the acceleration voltage was set to 20kV and the working distance was set to 14mm. The detector was moved down to 45mm. The sample was scanned by X-rays for a time of 200s. The elemental analysis of film in order to confirm the presence of carbon was done using an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX) with magnification of 3000ÃÆ'- and acceleration voltage of 15 kV. After the scan was completed the spectrum was plotted using the data obtained from the scan. SEM with EDX was done for the confirmation of the CMS polymer film. TEM analysis. The sample preparation was done by sputtering the same with gold.Then the chamber door was opened and the sample was placed in the sample holder. The chamber door was closed and the required input like voltage, acceleration and time for scan were given to the system connected to the TEM analyzer. The scan was started and the results were recorded. TEM analysis was done for the size determination of the ZIF 8 nanocrsytals. FTIR analysis. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is a technique whichis used to obtain an infrared spectrum of absorption or emission of a solid, liquid or gas. An FTIR spectrometer simultaneously collects high spectral resolution data over a wide spectral range. Sulfonic acid group functionality of membrane was studied using attenuated -total-reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy (Thermo scientific Nicolet iS5 FTIR spectrometer). The spectra for all dried membranes were observed from the range from 4000 to 400 cm-1 wavelength. Mechanical strength test The material strength of the membranes prepared were studied by the performing Stress-Strain tests. The Universal Testing Machine was used to perform the tests. The samples of the membranes were cut into dimensions of height 30mm, width 10mm and thickness 0.45mm. The initial gauge length was set at 20mm. The samples were placed in a sample holder one at a time and the tests were performed. The data was recorded and the graphs were plotted for respective samples. Hydrophilic nature and Porosity determination test The hydrophilic or hydrophobic nature of the membranes were studied by immersing a 1cmx1cm membrane samples in different beakers each containing 20ml water. The beakers were kept on a rotary shaker for continuous mixing overnight. After 24 hours the membrane samples were taken out and the weight of the wet membranes were measured using a digital weighing balance. After that the membranes samples were dried in a vacuum oven at 60oC for 6 hours and then the weight of the dry membranes were measured similarly. The amount of water absorbed and the average porosity of the membranes were determined and the results were tabulated. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Confirmation of ZIF 8 Nanocrystals The UV Visible Spectroscopy analysis was done for the primary confirmation of ZIF 8 nanocrystals. UV of ZIF 8 nanocrystals 12 10 Absorbance 8 6 4 2 0 200 212 224 236 248 260 272 284 296 308 320 332 344 356 368 380 392 404 416 428 440 452 464 476 488 500 512 524 536 548 560 572 584 596 Wavelength Series1 Figure 1 UV visible spectroscopy result of ZIF 8 nanocrystals The penetration depth was found to be directly proportional to the exciting wavelength i.e., 325nm because of decreased absorbance which is in accordance with the reference paper, Liu et aL, (2013)[1]. Therefore we can confirm that its ZIF 8 nanocrystals. The XRD analysis was done for the secondary confirmation of ZIF 8 nanocrystals. Figure 2 XRD result of ZIF 8 nanocrystals When n-butylamine is added as the modulating ligand, nearly instantaneous formation of a solid is observed upon combining the component solutions, and pure-phase ZIF-8 nanocrystals are recovered after 24 h (see XRD pattern in Figure 2). An average size of 18 nm is estimated from the broadening of the Bragg reflections. The XRD results were also in accordance with the reference paper Cravillon et aL, (2011). Hence we can confirm that the particles synthesized were ZIF 8 nanocrystals. Morphology of ZIF 8 Nanocrystals ZIF materials constitute a new distinctive, rapidly developing subclass of crystalline porous coordination polymers (PCPs) or metal organic frameworks (MOFs). The tetrahedral framework structures of ZIFs are constructed from bivalent metal cations and bridging substituted imidazolate anions and frequently possess a zeolite topology. Numerous ZIFs combine the attractive features of MOFs (diversity of framework structures and pore systems, large surface areas, post-synthetically modifiable organic bridging ligands) with high thermal and chemical stability. Figure 3 SEM image of ZIF 8 nanocrystals It is this combination of properties which makes ZIFs very promising candidate materials for many technological applications. Properties and performance of porous materials rely much on their supply as nano and microcrystals of well-defined size and shape, as is well-known for zeolites. SEM images (Figure 3) reveal that the well-defined nanocrystals have a rhombic dodecahedral shape crystal structure. Figure 4 TEM image of ZIF 8 nanocrystals TEM images (Figure 4) show roughly spherical particles being Confirmation of CMS Particles It is not possible to directly measure permeation properties of CMS particles as with CMS films, replicate mixed matrix films prepared with the two different sieves give very similar effective mixed matrix film permeation properties using powder-pyrolyzed sieves versus the film-pyrolyzed sieves. XRD was performed on the CMS films and powder, as shown in Fig. 5. The XRD diffractograms show very similar peaks and d-spacings, suggesting similar planar dimensions between the film-pyrolyzed CMS and the powder-pyrolyzed CMS, thereby confirming that the particles produced were CMS particles. CMS particles Polymer film Figure 5 XRD results of CMS particles and CMS polymer film Surface Morphology of CMS Polymer Film The CMS membrane films have an intrinsic CO2/CH4 selectivity of 200 with a CO2 permeability of 44 Barrers at 35oC. For UltemÂÂ ®-CMS mixed matrix membrane films, pure gas permeation tests show enhancements by as much as 40% in CO2/CH4 selectivity over the intrinsic CO2/CH4 selectivity of the pure UltemÂÂ ® polymer matrix. Likewise, for MatrimidÂÂ ®- CMS mixed matrix films, enhancements by as much as 45% in CO2/CH4 selectivity were observed. Effective permeabilities of the fast-gas penetrants (O2 and CO2) through the mixed matrix membranes were also significantly enhanced over the intrinsic permeabilities of the UltemÂÂ ® and MatrimidÂÂ ® polymer matrices. These encouraging selectivity and permeability enhancements confirm that mixed matrix membrane behaviour is achievable with CMS particles. Figure 6 SEM image of CMS polymer film Fig. 6 shows top surface SEM micrographs of a CMS polymer film. These micrographs show a smooth surface without any defects. Figure 7 EDX result of CMS polymer film The table below shows the EDX analysis of the CMS polymer film. The sharp Silicon peak is present due to the Silicon detector used during the EDX analysis. Table 3 EDX result of CMS polymer film Element Series unn. C norm. C Atom. C Error (3 [wt.%] [wt.%] [at.%] Sigma) [wt.%] Carbon K-series 8.50 23.61 36.45 4.40 Oxygen K-series 9.89 27.46 31.82 4.26 Sodium K-series 1.16 3.22 2.60 0.31 Aluminium K-series 4.56 12.67 8.70 0.74 Silicon K-series 9.37 26.03 17.19 1.28 Calcium K-series 2.52 7.01 3.24 0.31 Total: 36.01 100.00 100.00 The Oxygen peak is due to the oxygen present in the atmosphere during EDX analysis. The Carbon peak denotes the confirmation of the CMS polymer film prepared. As expected it shows a maximum wt % of 23.61. Cross Sectional Morphology of CMS/PAI Membranes Scanning electron micrographs of the CMS fibers are shown in figures 8, 9 and 10 Figure 4.8 SEM image of 1% CMS/PAI membrane Although asymmetry appeared to be present in the CMS fiber morphology, the thicknesses of the layers were markedly different from each other and from those of the precursor fibers (compare with those of the precursor fibers in Figure 6). The original polymeric precursor fibers consisted of a very thin dense skin (1000-2000 Ã…) on a porous core. This skin layer in polymeric fibers has been observed at very high resolution under SEM. In figure 8, high magnification of the wall in the cross section of the PAI CMS fiber reveals a gradual transition from the porous inner core to the denser outer micropore structure. In contrast, high magnification of the PAI CMS fiber shows a uniform dense micropore structure in figure 9. Figure 9 SEM image of 2% CMS/PAI membrane Figures 8, 9 and 10 show SEM micrographs of a mixed matrix film after these modifications. These micrographs demonstrate smaller CMS particles (mostly Figure 10 SEM image of 3% CMS/PAI membrane Cross Sectional Morphology of ZIF 8/PAI Membranes Figures 11, 12 and 13 shows SEM images of ZIF-8/PAI mixed matrix dense films, which indicates good contact of bare ZIF-8 to the PAI matrix without sieve-in-a-cage morphology at each loading. It is noteworthy that the good contact was achieved without any surface treatment of the sieve. This should be due to the hydrophobic nature of ZIF-8, proved by TGA measurements in reference paper Zhang et. al. (2012). Interestingly, in the SEM images of ZIF-8/PAI mixed matrix dense films, as shown in figures 11, 12 and 13, we observe a morphology that has not been previously reported in mixed matrix membranes prepared with other molecular sieves. Other than well-dispersed 10 nm ZIF-8 particles, there also exist many non-ideal large clusters of ZIF-8 with size ranging from 50 nm to several microns, which is more than an order of magnitude larger than single ZIF-8 particles. Also, volume fraction of large ZIF-8 clusters in the matrix increases with increasing ZIF-8 loading. Figure 11 SEM image of 1% ZIF 8/PAI membrane Unlike agglomerations of molecular sieve particles that have been previously reported in mixed matrix membranes prepared with other molecular sieves, the surface of these large ZIF-8 clusters as revealed in figures 11, 12 and 13 looks fairly smooth. Also, almost no defects were observed for these clusters among all the ZIF-8/PAI dense film samples. Since film samples were randomly fractured for SEM analysis, we believe that the mostly non-defective feature of these large ZIF-8 clusters shown in figures 11, 12 and 13 is representative of their interior structures. It is important to understand the formation mechanism of these large ZIF-8 clusters and their impacts on gas transport properties of the mixed matrix membrane to allow extension to practical asymmetric structures. By achieving the desired uniform distribution of individual ZIF-8 particles with the PAI matrix we can achieve outstanding gas separation results. Figure 12 SEM image of 2% ZIF 8/PAI membrane Figure 13 SEM image of 3% ZIF 8/PAI membrane The cross sectional view of the ZIF 8/PAI membranes shows good adhesion between the inorganic filler ZIF 8 and the polymeric membrane PAI. The figures show the SEM images of 1%, 2% and 3% ZIF 8/PAI membranes prepared respectively. FTIR Analysis of ZIF 8/PAI membranes The FTIR results shows that the aluminosilicates are present in the ZIF 8/PAI membranes prepared. The aluminosilicates are present due to the presence of ZIF 8 nanocrystals. FTIR Results Conjugated cyclic Aluminosilicates 120 100 %T 80 Unsaturated aromatic 60 40 20 ketoaldehydes or enols dimer esters and lactones 0 3691 2970 4000 3897 3794 3588 3485 3382 3279 3176 3073 2867 2764 2661 2558 2455 2352 2249 2146 2043 1940 1837 1734 1631 1528 1425 1322 1219 1116 1013 910 807 704 601 498 cm-1 Series1 Series2 Series3 FTIR Analysis of CMS/PAI membranes The FTIR results shows that the carbon bonds are present in the CMS/PAI membranes prepared. The carbon bonds are present due to the presence of CMS particles. FTIR Results Carbon bonds 120 100 %T 80 60 unsaturated aromatic 40 dimer ketoaldehydes or enols 20 0 Conjugated cyclic esters and lactones 3691 2970 4000 3897 3794 3588 3485 3382 3279 3176 3073 2867 2764 2661 2558 2455 2352 2249 2146 2043 1940 1837 1734 1631 1528 1425 1322 1219 1116