Wednesday, November 27, 2019

The Formula One Constructors free essay sample

The Formula One constructors Mark Jenkins 1. Introduction This case enables students to explore sources of competitive advantage using the context of Formula One (F1) motorsport. The case highlights the ways in which three particular F1 teams created four situations of competitive dominance for a sustained period. It allows the students to consider individual teams and the generic issues needed to succeed in this specialised context. The case is organised into five parts. The first is a brief overview designed to give those unfamiliar with F1 some understanding of its history and structure.This is followed by four detailed descriptions of particular periods of dominance by an F1 team. The introduction to the case describes the overall nature of Formula One motorsport and its origins in Europe after World War II. It identifies some of the central aspects of being an F1 constructor, such as the need to generate sponsor revenues through increasingly sophisticated marketing strategies, and also the need to design, develop, manufacture and race open-wheel single-seat racecars. We will write a custom essay sample on The Formula One Constructors or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Note: the term ‘constructor’ differentiates F1 from other racing series in which race teams compete with bought-in racecars.F1 constructors are effectively in the business of designing and constructing prototypes – each car being unique to each constructor but within a set of pre-defined rules that cover weight, dimensions and other basic parameters. The introduction also makes reference to the nature of the motorsport cluster in the UK, a phenomenon similar to that of Silicon Valley in California. In 2004, seven of the ten F1 teams were located within this specialised cluster, located roughly within a 50 mile (80 km) radius of Oxford.This provides an opportunity to connect to issues of location and national/regional competitive advantage. This is followed by four accounts of sustained competitive advantage (here we define sustained as three or four years of dominance) featuring Ferrari in the mid-1970s, McLaren in the late 1980s, Williams in the mid-1990s and Ferrari from 1999–2003. Each account explores the background to the constructor, from the formation of these entrepreneurial businesses through to their development into a world-class rganisation. The focus is on the build-up to their period of competitive advantage, but each case also then relates to the loss of the advantage for the constructor in this period, with the exception of the final case where the discussion may usefully be directed as to what may cause the loss of competitive advantage. 231 Â © Pearso n Education Limited 2005 Instructor’s Manual 2. Position of the case This case can be used to explore the issues raised by the resource-based view of strategy. It provides a basis for students to develop causal linkages between particular resources and their effect on achieving competitive advantage. The context particularly emphasises the relative nature of competitive advantage, i. e. that the resource-based view requires a constant reference to the resources and competence of competitors in order to define competitive advantage. These issues are examined in Exploring Corporate Strategy, chapters 3 and 5. The case was designed to be used on an MBA programme where students consider the application of the resource-based view in order to ‘unpack’ sources of advantage.The case has also been successfully used on final-year undergraduate programmes and also for executive development in helping managers explore the nature and location of sources of advantage. 3. Learning objectives The overall learning objectives can be summarised as follows: To understand that although strategy can be seen as generic at a high level, it will always be idiosyncratic at the organisational level, even where organisations are in the same industry and all have the same goal.Therefore strategic management has to focus on the idiosyncratic characteristics of every organisation in order to develop a strategy that will work in this context. Strategies that are based on highly mobile resources (e. g. individual drivers, designers or engine suppliers) need to focus either on finding ways of locking in these resources, or on building competence to allow them to continually find and acquire new ones. While highly complex and idiosyncratic resources are particularly difficult to imitate (e. g. Ferrari) they are also difficult to manage and vulnerable to changes in the environment or a loss in any of the elements.Sustained advantage is often achieved through the linkages between resources rather than the resources themselves (e. g. the way the drivers link in to the design engineers). A shift in the environment can suddenly change the value of particular resources; an external view is therefore fundamental to sustaining advantage. It can also raise the point that advantage can be created by luck: a fortuitous combination of resources or a lucky event in the environment. This can be used to develop the debate about whether managers influence strategy or just post-rationalise their luck in strategic terms. 32 Â © Pearson Education Limited 2005 1. 2. 3. What do you need in order to succeed in Formula One? Why do you think your team were successful during this period? Why were they unable to sustain this success? What could they have done to sustain their success further? Instructor’s Manual 4. Teaching process There are a number of different ways in which the case can be used. It works particularly well in situations where the participants spend some time in group work before discussing the cases, such as on an MBA programme. The usual way to apply the case would be to allocate separate syndicate groups to consider one of the four accounts of competitive advantage. A series of questions are used to guide the way in which the students approach the case. The recommended approach is to start with each syndicate presenting their responses to the case questions (see below). At the end of each syndicate the instructor would summarise the key points on the board, under four columns, one for each account of sustained competitive advantage. As each group presents, the instructor will finish up with a quite distinctive set of key words under each.This enables the session to move on to the learning points. The way this is handled will depend on learning maturity, but it is best to simply ask the plenary session what similarities and differences they see between the four accounts. Put these up on the board/OHP and then go on to ask what conclusions they would draw from these. This will take the discussion into the notion that while at a high level strategy might be generic, at a management level it is highly idiosyncratic and context specific. 5. Questions for discussion 6. Case analysisThis section offers a number of suggestions for discussing the above questions and exploring related issues. 6. 1 What do you need in order to succeed in Formula One? This question is intended to get the students to identify the generic model needed to succeed in this industry. At a very simplistic level this can be described as having unique resources such as the best driver, the best car (achieved by bringing together the chassis design and engine technology) and the best supporting team, which provides race tactics, pit stops, etc.All of this is supported by finance, which comes from the ability to attract and retain sponsors (this is less important for Ferrari, who are owned by Fiat). This discussion can be developed by discussion as to what ‘best’ means and how 233 Â © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Instructor’s Manual this is created. It raises issues about separating the causes for success from the effects of success: is Ron Dennis the cause of success for McLaren? Or is this a perception created by the fact that he happens to manage a successful team? 6. Why do you think your team were successful during this period? We now move from the generic level of success to consider the specifics of each team. The issues raised will be attributed to personalities, but will also be about the ways in which different teams approach the task of winning the championship. Ferrari and their renaissance in the mid 1970s Ferrari were successful because everything worked together. While they have always had a huge wealth of technical expertise and resources, the problem has been getting this to work together.In the past this had been exacerbated by the ‘divide and rule’ style of Enzo Ferrari. This working together was exemplified in the relationship between three key individuals: driver Niki Lauda, designer Mauro Forghieri and team manager Luca Montezemolo. The other reason for Ferrari’s success was that because they had their own unique approach (e. g. they built their own engines and gearboxes) it was very difficult for other competitors to imitate them, as they did not have access to the same technology as Ferrari. McLaren and Honda domination in the late 1980sMcLaren were successful because they were able to put together the best of everything. They secured exclusive use of the Honda engine at a time when it was the most powerful and reliable; they were also able to secure the services of the best drivers around (Senna and Prost). This was due to the high level of funds made available by sponsor Philip Morris. Another issue that often comes up is the commercial and leadership skills of Ron Dennis. An interesting area for discussion here is their decision to recruit the two best drivers.Was this a good idea or did it create more problems than benefits? It raises the question of locking in resources not just to maximise your performance, but also to deny your competitors access to them. Williams and the technological revolution: the mid 1990s Williams’ success was due to their engineering focus, which enabled them to take many of the innovations developed by other teams and turn these into a car that was both fast and very reliable. This engineering focus can be attributed to the long-standing partnership of Frank Wil liams and Patrick Head. Williams were notable in their disregard for drivers and their attention to building a wide-ranging relationship with their engine supplier Renault. 234 Â © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Instructor’s Manual This discussion raises issue around the different choices which firms have in terms of the kinds of resources on which they focus. From one aspect Williams’ strategy makes a great deal of sense in that they are more able to appropriate the benefit of engineering resources, whereas driver resources are highly mobile.Ferrari: the return to glory: 1999–2003 This account is in marked contrast to the Williams approach in that Ferrari based their resource strategy primarily around driver Michael Schumacher. The usual conclusion here is that it is all down to Schumacher, but closer examination reveals this not to be the case. Whilst Schumacher was undoubtedly a key element in the success, he probably would not have achieved it without the rebuilding of the technica l team and their close partnership with Bridgestone tyres.An interesting area for discussion is to compare how Ferrari’s success in this period is different from the previous period. This draws out the importance of being able to implement change as being a key part of competitive success. 6. 3 Why were they unable to sustain this success? What could they have done to sustain their success further? Here the students will focus on the reason why the advantage was removed. This also allows them to consider whether or not anything could have been done to prevent this loss of advantage.Ferrari and their renaissance in the mid 1970s The reason for Ferrari’s loss of advantage can be isolated into two factors: first, the discontinuity created by the promotion of Montezemolo to head up the whole of Fiat’s motorsport operation, and Lauda’s accident, which took him out of racing for around six months. Second, Ferrari’s unique approach constrained them in terms of responding to new innovations, most notably the introduction of ground-effect, which required a slim ‘V’ configuration engine rather than Ferrari’s traditional flat 12.This raises the point about whether an organisation that does all its activity in house can keep pace with the combined efforts of the many ‘generic’ suppliers used by the other teams. McLaren and Honda domination in the late 1980s The reasons for McLaren’s demise were very simple. Honda pulled out of Formula One. This in turn broke the virtuous circle that attracted the best drivers, and Ayrton Senna moved to Williams.This raised the question of what value McLaren themselves generated, as the key to success seemed clearly to reside in Honda engines and the skills of Ayrton Senna, both of which were relatively mobile resources. 235 Â © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Instructor’s Manual In terms of what they could have done, there is certainly evidence to suggest that McLaren chief Ron Dennis should have considered the possibility of a Honda withdrawal more seriously. It illustrates how phenomenal success can blind management to the possibility of change. Williams and the technological revolution: the mid 1990sIn the case of Williams, their advantage was eroded through a series of events: first the loss of exclusive access to the Renault engine when Renault decided to provide engines to the Benetton team; second, the leakage of some of their know-how through their junior designers moving to other teams – mainly because they would be unable to gain a senior position in Williams as long as Patrick Head was there; and third the recruitment of superior drivers (specifically Michael Schumacher to Benetton) leading to the Williams car’s advantage being eroded. However, it could also be argued that Williams were still in a position to dominate. When Michael Schumacher left Benetton to join Ferrari the Benetton team failed to sustain their advantage, and Williams once again became dominant. A discussion could be developed around some of these issues. Ferrari: the return to glory: 1999–2003 At the time of writing Ferrari are still enjoying a period of unparalleled dominance. The question therefore needs to be amended to consider the factors which might create a loss of dominance and also how they would deal with this in a strategic sense.The most obvious factor is the retirement of Michael Schumacher: it is possible that when he leaves many of the key people around him may also take the opportunity to move on whilst their employment value is very high – or alternatively take early retirement to enjoy the fruits of their labours. There are some potential parallels with Ferrari’s loss of success at the end of the 1970s with some of the key people being promoted to other roles. In 2004 Luca di Montezemolo became chairman of Fiat and Jean Todt became CEO for the entire Ferrari operation – including the 3500 people who work on road cars. It is an interesting discussion to explore the problem of succession in high performing organisations and whether it is in fact possible to sustain performance at all in the long run and that firms benefit from a period of regeneration and regrouping. 236 Â © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Disadvantage of High Out-of-State Tuition Essays

Disadvantage of High Out-of-State Tuition Essays Disadvantage of High Out-of-State Tuition Essay Disadvantage of High Out-of-State Tuition Essay Disadvantage of High Out-of-State Tuition Sometimes universities and state colleges will attract high school graduates across state lines because certain schools better fit their personal academic plan, but the fearsome out-of-state tuition often repels a large chunk of student population who cannot afford the raised tuition price. Out of state tuition is more expensive because in-state residents fund state colleges through annual taxes, while non-residents do not. Out-of-state tuition should be lowered to help give all students more equal opportunities to attend a certain college of their choice, regardless of being a resident or not. Elevated tuition rates for non-residents could negatively affect both the school and its potential student opportunities High out-of-state tuition often can greatly hinder opportunities of graduating students that are seeking higher education. When a student considers universities they would like to attend, affordability of tuition rates becomes a huge factor in which schools they can go to. Often students have difficulty paying for residential tuition ND are forced to rely on student loans, financial aid, and scholarships. Occasionally, scholarships are the only components keeping some students on the track to higher education. Sometimes graduating high school students seek education out of their home state based on different factors; to find a better school elsewhere that better fits their needs, weather, population of city or town, crime rate, availability of public transportation, plans of where to live after graduation, and sometimes simply Just to get out of their home town. In a chart constructed by the U. S. Department of Education, the average differences of total residential and non-residential tuition costs between 2008 2010 are roughly a colossal $12,000, strictly from crossing over state lines (ONCE). With the exception of scholarships, being able to afford this much of a difference can be quite difficult for students and parents. Unfortunately, high prices like this could prevent a severe amount of people from attending a university out of their home state, possibly being detrimental to the future of graduating high school students. Sadly, tuition cost loud even prevent students from continuing education after high school. High out-of-state tuition costs could also leave students immersed in debt with loans and financial aid. Graduates of a university dont always immediately find a well-supporting Job, so debt can be become very difficult to pay off over time. With other expenses such as food, rental payments, car repairs and/or transportation, and other necessities, debt can leave a graduate broke and in desperate need of income to pay off what they owe. Not only does increased out-of-state tuition negatively affect students, but universities, private colleges, and even the state itself, too. Because high tuition could prevent non-residential students from attending a certain college, that school will have less students. This nears that there will be empty seats in the classroom and empty beds in dorms. When there are empty spaces anywhere at a college, the school is losing a significant volume of revenue for every student that does not attend their classes. Ultimately, this can cause a ripple effect where the school either needs to raise In-state talons, or rely even more on tax revenue Trot ten state, or else teen ill lose money, need to lower income of teachers, and reduce the quality of the school. In some cases across the U. S. The state has more public colleges and universities than its population can support. This also happens within declining college towns. When a state or town cannot support the colleges that reside within it, the college can do two things to stay afloat; increase tuition, or receive more taxes from the state, which is hard to achieve with recent educational budget cuts that are spreading across the country. This is another case of a ripple effect, where the population of th e own and surrounding areas will suffer because there are fewer students to move into town during school and after graduating. As a nation, we need more college graduates in order to stay competitive in the global economy, but if the costs keep on rising, especially at a time when family incomes are hurting, college will become increasingly unaffordable for the middle class. Education secretary Earn Duncan (Armor). As Duncan explains, high tuition prices can become prohibitively expensive for families and it will affect the economy dearly. Though lowering tuition seems like a great idea, raising state tuition is beneficial to the state and some say students are willing to pay what they believe their education is worth. Tuition elevated to a reasonable value could generate millions of dollars for the school; money that could be used to offset maintenance costs, raise employee income, and expand the university. At Kansas universities, tuition is $2,000 less for undergraduate students, as opposed to similar colleges around the country. If the out-of-state tuition was raised to the national average cost, the state could reduce up to $33 million more than usual (Carlson). Analyzing data is tricky to calculate when deciding appropriate tuition rates. Sometimes a raised tuition is necessary for certain colleges, but not most. Raised tuition for a college that does not necessarily prove to be worth it could cause even more students to be unable to attend that college, forcing the school to rely heavily on the students that do pay the higher price. Some will argue that out-of-state tuition should not be lowered because non- residents do not pay state taxes that support that school. Out-of-state tuition is meant to make up for all the lost tax revenue from non-residents that can greatly help fund the school. Families contribute state taxes to provide for surrounding colleges within state lines, so state colleges always have a way to receive funding, whether from out-of- state tuition or state resident taxes. Though there is a way for non-residential students to reduce their tuition based on several factors. It is possible to apply for qualifications to pay in-state tuition depending on location, whether the student lives in a border county, by receiving an athletic waiver, being a senior citizen, having capabilities, or acquiring an apprenticeship.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Nonw Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Nonw - Essay Example For Patricia Muir, the carrying capacity of the earth is the maximum theoretical population size that will remain stable if and only if the supply of resources does not change. However, this is indeed theoretical at best because not only does population size change all the time, but the supply of resources also change independent of population changes. The worst case scenario, therefore, based on Muir’s definition, is that the population size will keep increasing, the supply of resources will keep decreasing, and this will most likely drive the population to instability. Stability, as implied by Muir, is the state where the population may not experience any social or economic problems related to survival and ease of living. Sarah Postel, in her article â€Å"Carrying Capacity: Earth’s Bottom Line,† defines carrying capacity in a rather simple way as â€Å"the largest number of any given species that a habitat can support indefinitely† (4). There is no idea of stabilization driven at here by Postel, as based on her definition, carrying capacity is simply the capacity of the earth to feed a certain maximum number of people, whether or not this will lead to stability. Nevertheless, the definitions of Muir and Postel are far from the reality of the situation for several other factors that affect carrying capacity are not being considered in their definitions. Based on data from Cornell University, the carrying capacity of the earth is estimated to be 10 to 15 billion people, but estimates since 1679 by Anton van Leeuwhenhoek to the present have varied at the range between 1 billion to over a trillion people. The variations are due to the fact that it is admittedly â€Å"difficult to estimate† the human carrying capacity of the earth (The Carrying Capacity). The true reason behind this degree of uncertainty is that the world has been different in different eras in history and humans had different needs and different lifestyles for every part of his history. This is evident during the sudden exponential rise in human population from 1400 to the present while it remained fairly stable centuries before 1400, and no one knows for sure why this happened (Cohen 341). Another reason for the uncertainty in determining the carrying capacity of the earth is that the governments of the world do not exactly know what factors ultimately determine carrying capacity. Among the factors being considered there are food, nutrients, space, technology specifically and the availability of each (The Carrying Capacity). Still, other experts say that the problem is not within the environment but with people’s social, political and economic activities, which are all affected by culture, religion, language, values and ethnicity (Cohen 341). Others like Hardin theorize that the earth actually has its own natural way of correcting its own carrying capacity and the problem is that people’s ethical beliefs, like â€Å"Human life is sacred†

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Social Media and Political Campaign Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Media and Political Campaign - Essay Example Texts will form the most prominent part of this campaign strategy. Additionally, phone calls would be vital in the same. The method of texts will articulate in the sense of automatic machines that send constant messages. These will send the most vital messages of the campaign. It will cover the party and the campaign’s slogan. Additionally, it would entail Obama’s principal message or agenda. The other form would entail sending of message that the campaign situation arouses (Harfoush 117). In this strategy, the same would entail responding to queries and comments from the public. Such comments would have to utilize youth-friendly word play. It is vital to note of various requirements to texts. It would involve a study, of use of texts, by youths. The constant messages would have to put up with the colloquial orientation of youth’s language. Since the youths would need an engagement with the campaign, it would be vital that the social media section provide polling and breaking news to the youth population. In addition, the social media section will design applications that enable networking sites in phones. In close relation to the same, it will collaborate with the applications’ companies in availing free systems for phones. In this sense, youths would be able to access videos, of Obama’s campaigns, in other areas. The mobile phones’ applications would be vital in attaining contact information. The applications are vital in locating voter’s centers. Such a target enables tailoring of campaigns in order that it fits the same. As regards Romney campaign, the strategy would involve utilization of social networking sites. The social networking sites have proven to be constructive tools, of marketing, as pertains to business (Amerland 118). This perspective is essential for Romney’s campaign. This regards the underlying fact that relates to attraction of people. In every form of marketing, people are the

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Was WWI caused by the operation or breakdown of the balance of power Essay

Was WWI caused by the operation or breakdown of the balance of power - Essay Example Introduction: The original traces of world war one can be stretched back to the events of 17th and 18th century. Major players in this account were the Ottoman Empire, Russia, Great Britain, France, Germany and numerous others. Each had its own significance on account of the strategic importance enjoyed or the military and other strengths. The Ottoman Empire had its own account of strengths and it served as the center figure in the entire proceedings of the European affairs. Brief Background: France had become a potent force ever since the era of Napoleon. The Napoleon wars had created unrest of its own kind in form of the geographical disturbances of the maps of Europe. Germany had its own account of tale and history. Great Britain had enjoyed supremacy and history of excellence in recent centuries in its own manner and as a result, this situation resulted in a situation and environment of rivalry and animosity against one another. Allies and Central Powers: Based on the interests, rivalries, soft corners and direct and hidden motives against one another the Europe ended up getting divided into two distinct blocs. The Allies that made up for one strong army and team of nations, in contrast to them was the Central powers that were driven by the ambitions of ending the status quo. The Allies contained the likes of Great Britain, France and Russia, while the Central powers included the Germans, the Austrians, and Ottoman Empire as the three big players. As a result of this broad and visible division, the European continent was split up into two distinct blocs with the continent itself on the verge of a military offensive and launching against the other camp through the mere excuse of military and personal damages. The case of Ottoman Empire: Ottoman Empire reached its zenith in the middle of 15th century when it captured Constantinople in 1453 (Turnbull, 2012, 37). It saw the first halt in its proceedings in 1682-1683 when it was stopped in its offensives against the Europeans notably Hungry, Austria and Poland. Since that time on Ottoman Empire and the Porte kept getting inflicted with all kinds of issues and problems. The Porte was faced with problems from the governors designated in different parts of the entire kingdom that was spread across multiple continents, on others it was on account of the issues with Russia. The case of Holy Places: Holy places were point of interest for various subjects. The holy places came about in form of the Palestine and Jerusalem. The Porte had the custody of these places and he would from time to time assign the custody and guardianship from one set of subjects to other interchangeable shifting between the Protestants and the Catholics. The shift over took place between the Latin Catholics guardians and the Greek monks who demanded the custody. France and Russia were split apart over the rivalry and interest in this matter. Both had political motives against it which they presented, expressed and aimed a t protecting through the cry, slogan and garb of religious interests. The French were siding with the Latin followers who demanded the custody, while the Russians sided with the Protestant Greek Monks. In recent times on account of negligence the Porte had decided to handover the guardianship and custody on the account of negligence by one of the party. This gave rise to political debate and political point scoring form a religious matter and

Friday, November 15, 2019

Concepts of Information Security: Politics and Technology

Concepts of Information Security: Politics and Technology The nothing to hide argument has become a very important debate recently. Now, nearly everything we do leaves an electronic trace which along with data mining, can be used to see what we are doing, and even predict our behaviour. With the recently passed Investigatory Powers Act 2016 in the UK (HM Government, 2016), 48 different agencies will have access to communication data, bulk personal data and other information with the purpose of increasing our national security. The acts main aim is to increase security against acts of terrorism, but this comes at the cost of peoples privacy. The most common argument in favour of mass surveillance is that if you have nothing to hide you should have nothing to fear, and if you are acting in an illegal manner than you deserve to be punished, and having this surveillance is there to protect us and our country. Whereas conventional armys movement can be tracked using radar, satellites and drones, terrorists dont have a navy or air force, making this means of gathering information about an attacker irrelevant. Another potential means of gathering information would be inside information, whether it be an informant or someone managing to infiltrate the organisation. However, unlike organised crime, a terrorist attack has the potential to take many lives, and it only takes one successful attack to do so, meaning one successful attack is one too many. Government surveillance can therefore be argued as the best way of protecting a nation as it means conversations can be followed and behaviours can be predicted. (Doyle, 2011). Daniel Solove has said that between the advances in technology and the government surveillance, that there are similarities with George Orwells 1984, and although not as extreme as in the book, it is still possible to track people even if they are just walking around the corner. Along with data mining of information which could be thought of as trivial, the government are predicting whether a person is a terrorist based off purchase histories along with other personal information. Whilst this sounds like it could be useful, what happens when someone is misidentified as a terrorist and added to a no-fly list or arrested? (Doyle, 2011). The European Union has also stated the surveillance on this scale is illegal, and that only targeted information gathering I justified, but with the UK leaving the EU, this will not be a problem for them soon, and will join China and Russia in being a mass surveillance state (Agerholm, 2016). Overall I feel that mass surveillance is not necessary, with targeted surveillance being adequate, and with the lack of a response from the public when this law was first announced, it has shown the government that they can get away with it, and sets a precedent going forward, making me ask the question, When does it stop? When will they have enough information? As much as George Orwells 1984 was a work of fiction, I feel like we are slowly moving in that direction, and if we get there, will there be a way back? Assira CAPTCHA The Asirra CAPTCHA was proposed at ACM CCS 2007 and works by showing the user 12 pictures of cats and dogs, with the user having to select the cat images and none of the dog images. A human can do this within 30 seconds 99.6% of the time, whereas algorithms find it much harder to differentiate between cats and dogs. Basing image classification off colour features gives a 56.9% accuracy, giving an overall probability of 0.2% to solve an Assira CAPTCHA. Assira has a database of over 3,000,000 images of cats and dogs which continues to grow. 13,000 images were collected by having a script which was left to run overnight, that would refresh and download the 12 images from the Assira research page. The images were manually classified into 3 classes of cat, dog and other. A support vector machine(SVM) classifier was used due to having the ability to extract linear combination of features, its predictive power and its scalability. 5-fold cross-validation was used to measure the accuracy of the SVM classifier, with 4 partitions used for training and the last one used to validate the results. The SVM classifier was trained on a combination of colour and texture features. Both the colour and the texture features estimate whether the picture is a cat or dog. An average of the colour and texture features is taken, with a weighting of 1/3 to colour and 2/3 to texture. Images of cats were mapped to the value of 1.0 and dogs to -1.0, meaning if the average returned a positive value, the SVM classifier would predict the image to be of a cat, whilst a negative number would result in a dog. This system resulted in a classifier with 82.7% accuracy, giving a 10.3% probability of breaking the Assira CAPTCHA, which despite being a lot lower than a human, was more than 50 times more successful than the predicted 0.2% for machine vision attacks. Using a token bucket system will greatly help to improve the robustness of the Assira CAPTCHA. Given that a human has a 99.6% success rate, giving a total of 3 attempts before having to complete 2 successful Assira CAPTCHAs greatly reduces the chance of it being broken via machine vision, without reducing the usability for a human too significantly. (Golle, 2008) Impact of Artificial Gummy Fingers on Fingerprint Systems Biometrics is a form of single factor authentication used to identify someone. Fingerprints are one of the most common forms of biometric authentication, with them being used for PCs, smart cards and portable devices. Silicone fingers as well as inked fingerprints on paper where tested before the experiment, finding that all capacitive sensors and some optical sensors rejected the silicone finger, and the inked paper was accepted on one of the systems. A fingerprint system captures data from the finger via a sensing device, extracts features from the data and encrypts it, then stores this information as a template with some personal information. When someone then uses the system, the scan is compared to the database of stored finger data and outputs an acceptance results if there is a matching template. The sensor detects the difference between ridges and valleys of the fingerprint, with optical sensors detecting the difference in reflection, whilst a capacitive sensor detects the difference in capacitance. There are several different attacks that can be performed against a fingerprint system including a criminal forcing the live finger to be used on the scanner, an attack against the authentication system with an unregistered finger, the use of a severed fingertip, a genetic clone of the registered finger or an artificial clone of the finger. To make an artificial finger an impression must first be made of the live finger. The impression of the fingerprint is a mirror reflection of the live finger, meaning the impression can be used as a mould to make the artificial finger. It can also be done by capturing the image of a residual fingerprint with a digital microscope and then making a mould to make the artificial finger which is made from gelatine. Both types of gummy fingers were accepted by the 11 different fingerprint systems used in the experiment, with varying probabilities between 67% and 100%. The number of samples was too small in this experiment to compare the different types of fingerprint systems, but there is enough evidence to show that gummy fingers can bypass this type of biometric security. (Matsumoto, T., Matsumoto, H., Yamada, K. and Hoshino, S, 2002) The best way to improve security would be multi-factor authentication. A finger print falls under the something I am category, so taking something from the something I own category, such as a key fob or card, along with the something I know category, such as a password means that if one of these protective measures is compromised, there are still two other factors an attacker must take into consideration before being able to access the information they are trying to acquire. FREAK SSL/TLS Vulnerability The Factoring RSA Export Keys (FREAK) vulnerability in Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and its successor Transport Layer Security (TLS) was discovered in March 2015 by Karthikeyan Bhargavan and his research team. TLS and SSL are protocols which were designed for secure data transfer between a client and a server through authentication, encryption and integrity. (Muscat, I. 2016), (Caballero, J., Bodden, E. and Athanasopoulos, E. 2016). The vulnerability allows for a man-in-the-middle attack through an implementation error. The vulnerability was due to a US law which restricted RSA public key sizes to 512 bytes. SSL and TLS used ciphersuites with weak keys which were marked eligible for export. If a client is tryhing to connect to a trusted server, the man-in-the-middle attacker can replace the ciphersuite with an RSA_EXPORT ciphersuite of the message sent from the client to the server. The server then responds, and again, the attacker replaces the ciphersuite with an RSA ciphersuite which gets forwarded to the client. The server then sends a strong, 2048 bits, RSA public key which the client receives. The server then sends a ServerKeyExchange message with a weak, 512-bit RSA public key. The client responds with its ClientKeyExchange, ClientCSS and ClientFinished message, which the attacker can use to find the private key. The attacker can then decrypt the pre-master secret from the Client-KeyExchange. The attacker then sends a ServerFinished message to complete the handshake. This works because of a bug in a state machine composition, the message is not rejected and is silently accepted, and the servers strong public key is replaced with the weak public key in the ServerKeyExchange. (Beurdouche, B., Bhargavan, K., et al. 2015). In order to protect against this attack, server administrators would have to remove all RSA export cipher suites from their accepted cipher suite collection. Installing a browser that doesnt support RSA export cipher suites is the best way for clients to protect themselves against FREAK attacks. (Caballero, J., Bodden, E. and Athanasopoulos, E. 2016). DDoS Attacks Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are relatively simple, but can be extremely powerful. They are the most advanced form of DoS attacks. They work via packet streams from different sources. The attacks make use of large numbers of coordinated hosts to overrun a critical resource of the target. Depending on the scale of the attack, or the measures put in place to prevent such an attack, the victim could suffer damages from system shutdown, to total loss of service. They are so strong due to not trying to break the system hey are attacking, meaning traditional security mechanisms arent effective, instead causing damage through lethal traffic. When performing an attack, the attacker must select agents to perform the attack. The machines need to have a vulnerability that allows the attacker to gain access with enough resources for the attack. Then the attack must find vulnerabilities in the security of the agents machines to put in the malicious code. The attacker then communicates with handlers to see what agents are running and when to upgrade them. After all of this is done, the attack can commence. There are several different types of DDoS attacks, some of which include: Flood attacks send large amounts of IP traffic to a victim, congesting the bandwidth of the system. Depending on the volume of packets sent, the target can experience reduced system speeds, to crashing the system. Amplification attacks exploit the broadcast IP address found on most routers to amplify and reflect the attack, sending messages to a broadcast IP address. The router sends the packets to all the IP addresses within the broadcast address range. A reflector attack requires a set of predetermined reflectors. These can simply be scattered on the internet. The reflected packets are normal with a legitimate source and cannot be filtered. Protocol exploit attacks use a specific feature or implementation bug of some protocol on the victims system to consume excess resources. Malformed packet attacks use incorrectly formed IP packets and are sent to the victim to crash the system. There are two classifications for DDoS defence. The first one is based on activity deployed. Intrusion prevention aims to stop the attack from being launched in the first place. Intrusion detection means a host computer and network can guard themselves against being a source of an attack as well as being a victim. Intrusion tolerance and mitigation accepts that it is not possible to fully prevent or stop DDoS attacks, so aims to minimise the damage caused by them. Intrusion response identifies the attack sources and blocks its traffic. The second classification splits the DDoS defence into three categories. Most systems designed to fight DDoS attacks have been designed for the victim network as they suffer the greatest impact of an attack. Intermediate network defence is more effective, as they can handle the attack traffic easily and trace back to the attackers. Source network mechanisms aim to stop attacks before they enter the internet. (Douligeris, C. and Mitrokotsa, A. 2004) Wireless networks are easier to attack than wired networks, with DoS attacks by scrambling the bands of frequency that are used. The best way of defending both bandwidth depletion attacks and resource depletion attacks is to design a defence mechanism that detects and responds to the attack. A proposed technique to defending the attacks is the use of a flow monitoring table at each node. By monitoring the previous sending rates with the current rate, they can detect an attack if both rates become the same, in which case the packets from those nodes are discarded. (Arunmozhi, S.A. and Venkataramani, Y. 2011) Bibliography Agerholm, H. (2016) Snoopers charter dealt blow after EUs highest court rules indiscriminate government retention of emails is illegal. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/snoopers-charter-eu-court-ruling-illegal-investigatory-powers-act-emails-david-davis-a7488041.html (Accessed: 22 December 2016). Arunmozhi, S.A. and Venkataramani, Y. (2011) DDoS attack and defense scheme in wireless ad hoc networks, International Journal of Network Security Its Applications, 3(3), pp. 182-187. doi: 10.5121/ijnsa.2011.3312. Beurdouche, B., Bhargavan, K., Delignat-Lavaud, A., Fournet, C., Kohlweiss, M., Pironti, A., Strub, P.-Y. and Zinzindohoue, J.K. (2015) A messy state of the union: Taming the composite state machines of TLS, 2015 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, . doi: 10.1109/sp.2015.39. Caballero, J., Bodden, E. and Athanasopoulos, E. (2016) Engineering secure software and systems: 8th international symposium, ESSoS .. Available at: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=j6vWCwAAQBAJpg=PA125dq=FREAK+SSL/TLS+Vulnerabilityhl=ensa=Xved=0ahUKEwjlkuXEr8TRAhWhKMAKHQWMBjMQ6AEIOjAB#v=onepageq=FREAK%20SSL%2FTLS%20Vulnerabilityf=false (Accessed: 15 January 2017). Douligeris, C. and Mitrokotsa, A. (2004) DDoS attacks and defense mechanisms: Classification and state-of-the-art, Computer Networks, 44(5), pp. 643-666. doi: 10.1016/j.comnet.2003.10.003. Doyle, T. (2011) Daniel J. Solove, nothing to hide: The false tradeoff between privacy and security, The Journal of Value Inquiry, 46(1), pp. 107-112. doi: 10.1007/s10790-011-9303-z. Golle, P. (2008) Machine learning attacks against the Asirra CAPTCHA, Proceedings of the 15th ACM conference on Computer and communications security CCS 08, . doi: 10.1145/1455770.1455838. Investigatory Powers Act 2016 2016, c. Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2016/25/pdfs/ukpga_20160025_en.pdf (Accessed: 22 December 2016). Matsumoto, T., Matsumoto, H., Yamada, K. and Hoshino, S. (2002) Impact of artificial gummy fingers on fingerprint systems, , pp. 275-289. doi: 10.1117/12.462719. Muscat, I. (2016) Web vulnerabilities: Identifying patterns and remedies, Network Security, 2016(2), pp. 5-10. doi: 10.1016/s1353-4858(16)30016-2.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Draft

So it only means that segregation is very important! The students, teachers and school response health are at risk if wastes are not segregated. Everyone has to imply with the rules of segregation for us to be healthy. But now let's differentiate the non-biodegradable and biodegradable wastes. There are many kinds of biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes and some of the examples of biodegradable wastes are: left-over, paper, wood ad etc. And the example of non-biodegradable wastes are: Styrofoam, plastics, hardstands and etc.Then non-biodegradable wastes are the ones who caused the calamities that happen in our society now a day. It takes more than 50 years for them to decompose. It is also the waste that will never break down into part of the earth. Non- biodegradable wastes are the main problem of the society. We humans are the major cause of the non-biodegradable waste everywhere; we create all sorts of plastic bags, glass, Styrofoam and etc. Even if we know that this waste w ill not decompose easily. How are we going to lessen the use of this non-biodegradable material?What can we do to help prevent calamities cause by this waste? Segregation is very important especially when we are talking about waste. We as an ordinary citizen of our country or as an ordinary student can help even in little hints that we do. We can prevent the calamities that get many persons life when we imply ourselves in the rules of waste segregation. We the research students choose to experiment the effect of mixing two kinds of waste. Why do we need to separate biodegradable wastes to non-biodegradable wastes?Why do we need to know the importance of segregation? In this way, we research students can help people who don't know the importance of this in solving environmental problems. Statement of the Problem: Since waste is one of the problems in this country, we conducted a research to help people know the importance of segregating waste. . In what way can students of SAPS help in lessening waste? 2. Is it possible to recycle mixed biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes? 3. How can we help people know the importance of segregation? Hypotheses: 1 .We as student of SAPS can help lessen wastes by knowing the proper segregation and helping minimize the waste in our society. 2. We think that we can recycle mixed biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste because mixed bio and non- biodegradable wastes is a new substance. 3. We as student think that we can help people know the importance of segregation if we do a creative project that explains hat segregation is truly that important. Significance of the Study: The study aims to give information about the importance of segregation inside and outside the campus.This study also has a goal to improve the use of non- biodegradable and biodegradable waste in our daily life. This study also aims to help in recycling the waste around us. This study has a goal to minimize calamities caused by the waste that don't deco mpose. The study aims to inform that if we know how to segregate we know how to take care of our environment. This has a goal to tell people to lessen the use of non-biodegradable waste or materials because this is the effect why our environment is polluted.This study aims to give the importance, cause and effect and the meaning of segregation of wastes. Scope and Limitations: This research is limited only to papers and plastic bottles. The researchers will get papers and plastic bottles in the trashcans they will find in Sat. Clara Parish School. Definition of Terms: Non-Biodegradable Waste It is the waste or object that cannot decompose or cannot easily decompose. Biodegradable Waste It is the waste or object that easily decompose. Mixing It is the process of combining two or more substances to form another substance.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Commonly Confused Words

Accept / Except Affect / Effect A Lot / Alot Allusion / Illusion All Ready / Already Altogether / All Together Apart / A Part Ascent / Assent Breath / Breathe Capital / Capitol Cite / Sight / Site Complement / Compliment Conscience / Conscious Council / Counsel Elicit / Illicit Eminent / Immanent / Imminent Its / It's Lead / Led Lie / Lay Lose / Loose Novel Passed / Past Precede / Procede Principal / Principle Quote / Quotation Reluctant / Reticent Stationary / Stationery Supposed To / Suppose Than / Then Their / There / They'reThrough / Threw / Thorough / Though / Thru To / Too / Two Who / Which / That Who / Whom ACCEPT-to receiveex: He accepts defeat well. EXCEPT-to take or leave outex: Please take all the books off the shelf except for the red one. AFFECT-to influenceex: Lack of sleep affects the quality of your work. EFFECT-n. , result, v. , to accomplishex: The subtle effect of the lighting made the room look ominous. ex: Can the university effect such a change without disruptin g classes? A LOT (two words)-many. ALOT (one word)-Not the correct form.ALLUSION-an indirect referenceex:The professor made an allusion to Virginia Woolf's work. ILLUSION-a false perception of realityex: They saw a mirage: that is a type of illusion one sees in the desert. ALL READY-preparedex: Dinner was all ready when the guests arrived. ALREADY-by this timeex: The turkey was already burned when the guests arrived. ALTOGETHER-entirelyex: Altogether, I thought that the student's presentation was well planned. ALL TOGETHER-gathered, with everything in one placeex: We were all together at the family reunion last spring.APART-to be separatedex: The chain-link fence kept the angry dogs apart. OR My old car fell apart before we reached California. A PART-to be joined withex: The new course was a part of the new field of study at the university. OR A part of this plan involves getting started at dawn. ASCENT- climbex: The plane's ascent made my ears pop. ASSENT-agreementex: The martian a ssented to undergo experiments. BREATH-noun, air inhaled or exhaledex: You could see his breath in the cold air. BREATHE-verb, to inhale or exhaleex: If you don't breathe, then you are dead.CAPITAL-seat of government. Also financial resources. ex: The capital of Virginia is Richmond. ex: The firm had enough capital to build the new plant. CAPITOL-the actual building in which the legislative body meetsex: The governor announced his resignation in a speech given at the capitol today. CITE-to quote or documentex: I cited ten quotes from the same author in my paper. SIGHT-visionex: The sight of the American flag arouses different emotions in different parts of the world. SITE-position or placeex: The new office building was built on the site of a cemetery.COMPLEMENT-noun, something that completes; verb, to completeex: A nice dry white wine complements a seafood entree. COMPLIMENT-noun, praise; verb, to praiseex: The professor complimented Betty on her proper use of a comma. CONSCIENCE-s ense of right and wrongex: The student's conscience kept him from cheating on the exam. CONSCIOUS-awakeex: I was conscious when the burglar entered the house. COUNCIL-a group that consults or advisesex: The men and women on the council voted in favor of an outdoor concert in their town. COUNSEL-to adviseex: The arole officer counseled the convict before he was released. ELICIT-to draw or bring outex: The teacher elicited the correct response from the student. ILLICIT-illegalex: The Columbian drug lord was arrested for his illicit activities. EMINENT-famous, respectedex: The eminent podiatrist won the Physician of the Year award. IMMANENT-inherent or intrinsicex: The meaning of the poem was immanent, and not easily recognized. IMMINENT-ready to take placeex: A fight between my sister and me is imminent from the moment I enter my house.ITS-of or belonging to itex: The baby will scream as soon as its mother walks out of the room. IT'S-contraction for it isex: It's a beautiful day in th e neighborhood. LEAD-noun, a type of metalex: Is that pipe made of lead? LED-verb, past tense of the verb â€Å"to lead†ex: She led the campers on an over-night hike. LIE-to lie down (a person or animal. hint: people can tell lies)ex: I have a headache, so I'm going to lie down for a while. (also lying, lay, has/have lain–The dog has lain in the shade all day; yesterday, the dog lay there for twelve hours).LAY-to lay an object down. ex: â€Å"Lay down that shotgun, Pappy! † The sheriff demanded of the crazed moonshiner. ex: The town lay at the foot of the mountain. (also laying, laid, has/have laid–At that point, Pappy laid the shotgun on the ground). LOSE–verb, to misplace or not winex: Mom glared at Mikey. â€Å"If you lose that new lunchbox, don't even think of coming home! â€Å"LOOSE–adjective, to not be tight; verb (rarely used)–to releaseex: The burglar's pants were so loose that he was sure to lose the race with the cop chas ing him. x: While awaiting trial, he was never set loose from jail because no one would post his bail. NOVEL-noun, a book that is a work of fiction. Do not use â€Å"novel† for nonfiction; use â€Å"book† or â€Å"work. â€Å"ex: Mark Twain wrote his novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn when he was already well known, but before he published many other works of fiction and nonfiction. PASSED-verb, past tense of â€Å"to pass,† to have movedex:The tornado passed through the city quickly, but it caused great damage. PAST-belonging to a former time or placeex: Who was the past president of Microsquish Computers? x: Go past the fire station and turn right. PRECEDE-to come beforeex: Pre-writing precedes the rough draft of good papers. PROCEED-to go forwardex: He proceeded to pass back the failing grades on the exam. PRINCIPAL-adjective, most important; noun, a person who has authorityex: The principal ingredient in chocolate chip cookies is chocolate chips. ex: The principal of the school does the announcements each morning. PRINCIPLE-a general or fundamental truthex: The study was based on the principle of gravity. QUOTE-verb, to citeex: I would like to quote Dickens in my next paper.QUOTATION-noun, the act of citingex: The book of famous quotations inspired us all. RELUCTANT-to hesitate or feel unwilling ex: We became reluctant to drive further and eventually turned back when the road became icy. RETICENT-to be reluctant to speak; to be reserved in manner. Note that The American Heritage Dictionary lists â€Å"reluctant† as a synonym for â€Å"reticent,† as the third definition. For nuance and variety, we recommend â€Å"reticent† for reluctance when speaking or showing emotion (after all, even extroverts can become reluctant). ex: They called him reticent, because he rarely spoke.But he listened carefully and only spoke when he had something important to say. STATIONARY-standing stillex: The accident was my fault becau se I ran into a stationary object. STATIONERY-writing paperex: My mother bought me stationery that was on recycled paper. SUPPOSED TO-correct form for â€Å"to be obligated to† or â€Å"presumed to† NOT â€Å"suppose to†SUPPOSE-to guess or make a conjectureex: Do you suppose we will get to the airport on time? When is our plane supposed to arrive? We are supposed to check our bags before we board, but I suppose we could do that at the curb and save time.THAN-use with comparisonsex: I would rather go out to eat than eat at the dining hall. THEN-at that time, or nextex: I studied for my exam for seven hours, and then I went to bed. THEIR-possessive form of theyex: Their house is at the end of the block. THERE-indicates location (hint: think of â€Å"here and there†)ex: There goes my chance of winning the lottery! THEY'RE-contraction for â€Å"they are†ex: They're in Europe for the summer–again! THROUGH-by means of; finished; into or out ofex: He plowed right through the other team's defensive line.THREW-past tense of throwex: She threw away his love love letters. THOROUGH-careful or completeex: John thoroughly cleaned his room; there was not even a speck of dust when he finished. THOUGH-however; neverthelessex: He's really a sweetheart though he looks tough on the outside. THRU-abbreviated slang for through; not appropriate in standard writingex: We're thru for the day! TO-towardex: I went to the University of Richmond. TOO-also, or excessivelyex: He drank too many screwdrivers and was unable to drive home. TWO-a numberex: Only two students did not turn in the assignment.WHO-pronoun, referring to a person or personsex: Jane wondered how Jack, who is so smart, could be having difficulties in Calculus. WHICH-pronoun, replacing a singular or plural thing(s);not used to refer to personsex: Which section of history did you get into? THAT-used to refer to things or a group or class of peopleex: I lost the book that I bought la st week. WHO-used as a subject or as a subject complement (see above)ex: John is the man who can get the job done. WHOM-used as an objectex: Whom did Sarah choose as her replacement? Back to ‘Commonly Confused Words' or ‘Clarity and Style'Copyright 2010

Friday, November 8, 2019

Is Richard Branson a manager or a leader

Is Richard Branson a manager or a leader In the ordinary world, the words leader and manager are used synonymously to refer to the person taking charge of an organization. In the real sense however the two words are separate with different meanings. A manager’s primary task is limited with the 5 functions of planning, staffing, organizing, controlling and directing.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Is Richard Branson a manager or a leader? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On the other hand, a leader’s primary roles are to motivate and inspire his followers. For a leader to run an organization, he needs some managerial skills to be effective. Similarly, a manager needs some leadership skills to lead people. With this interdependency between the two terms, it is very difficult to exclusively categorize Richard Branson as either a manager or a leader. In my view, Richard Branson is both a leader and a manager. For this particular case, I will argue that Branson is more of a leader and less of a manager. Considering the successes, Richard Branson is no doubt a good manager- but he is however a better and an exemplary leader. There are several reasons to this conclusion. First, Branson has a rich history of entrepreneurship and success despite being young and in college when he founded his first business. In leadership theory, a leader originates and innovatively develops. A manager on the other hand, administers and maintains. We see a lot of originality and innovation in Branson when he launches the student magazine and later virgin brand and the vast business empire. The second reason why Branson is a leader is his focus and trust in people to drive innovation and success. He exemplifies tremendous trust and confidence in people’s abilities when he turns flight attendants wedding business idea into a viable venture. He demonstrates trust and faith in his employees to clad on a wedding dress during the launch. In contrast, a manager is very keen to show control and authority. Relationship between Branson and his followers Branson’s relationship with his followers depicts a perfect leader-follower kind of relationship. This is a relationship where the leader at any one moment can cede his role of a leader to assume of a follower and vice versa. It allows the leader to mentor his followers to be leaders in their own right. We see this when Branson takes the follower role in the wedding business idea and allows his flight attendant to assume leadership. By relegating himself to a follower, he is able to accord his employee the space to freely innovate.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Leadership myths demystified by Branson Often, many people associate leadership with academic ability and performance. However, as proven by Branson this is just a myth. Academic achi evements alone do not always translate to effective leadership. Similarly, lack of it does not imply ineffective leadership. Branson was only a college student without an outstanding academic record yet he was able to start and run a successful business. The other myth debunked is that of humility and leadership. Being humble and easing some control does not infer to ineffective leadership. One does not require to lord over other people to lead. Just as Branson, one can seize control and entrusts his businesses to other people and prosper. Great ideas originate from people and only when they are given a chance to express themselves that these ideas can come out.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

David by Michelangelo Essays

David by Michelangelo Essays David by Michelangelo Paper David by Michelangelo Paper Name: Tutor: Course: Date: David by Michelangelo David is a Renaissance sculpture that was formed between 1502 and 1504, by the Italian sculptor, Michelangelo. The sculpture is a 17-foot marble bust that displays a naked standing male. The character used in the sculpture represents the biblical King David, a special subject in Florentine art. The sculpture was initially commissioned as one of a set of masterpieces of prophets to be situated alongside the roofline of the Florence Cathedral. However, the statue was alternatively placed in the Palazzo della Signoria public square, in Florence City where it was made public in 1504. Because of the personality of the individual it represented, it soon came to denote the defense of social liberties embodied in Florence, a self-governing city-state endangered from all directions by powerful adversary states. The original statue was relocated to the Accademia Gallery in Florence and replaced with a replica at the same location. Historical background Before Michelangelo became involved in the development of the statue, the management at the Florence Cathedral had planned to erect twelve massive Old Testament effigies that would also act as the buttresses for the building. In fact, work had already started on these sculptures led by Donatello (Joshua and David sculpture) and Agostino’s unfinished David sculpture. However, just before the project was complete, the cathedral management ran into the challenge of how to hoist the sculpture onto the roof. Finally, they appointed a team of several artists to deliberate on the most appropriate location for the statue. Interpretation of the sculpture Michelangelo’s David was slightly different from earlier representations of the theme in that the biblical character was not portrayed as the killer of the giant Goliath. Typically, David was always represented as holding Goliath’s head, and, in fact, Verrocchio and Donatello sculpted their own works with this traditional inclusion. Most academics believe that the masterpiece showed David when he was preparing for a battle with Goliath. Instead of showing signs of victory over an enemy mightier than he was, David’s face displayed a lot of tension and preparedness for combat. The muscles in his neck stood out stiffly; his facial especially his upper lip was taut; his forehead was wrinkled, and his eyes appeared to concentrate attentively on a far away object. While veins were protruding from his lowered hand, his body was in a tranquil pose, and he was armed with his sling that was lying offhandedly over his shoulder. The calm pose itself was dissimilar from any other earlier representations of David; Both Verrocchio and Donatello had created sculptures of David standing triumphant over Goliath’s head while Andrea del Castagno had portrayed the character while he was swinging his weapon and Goliath’s head down at his feet. However, the entire range of masterpieces done by earlier Florentine artist had not failed to include the Philistine giant overall. The difference between his powerful appearance and his peaceful pose, possibly suggested that David’s sculpture represented his demeanor after he decided to wrestle Goliath, but before the real encounter. The large part of his body mass was stressed on his back leg in a manner consistent with the Renaissance tradition of portraying its subjects in retreated, composed positions, just before they sprung into action. Michelangelo’s representation was that of the period between mindful choice and conscious battle. Michelangelo’s David was a Renaissance understanding of a general historical Greek theme of the upright valiant male nude. In the High Renaissance, contrapposto styles were regarded as a characteristic feature of historic sculpture. In David, the form stands with one leg supporting its complete weight and the other leg loosened up. This traditional pose makes the statue’s shoulders and hips to sit at conflicting angles, creating a small s-curve to the complete upper body. Additionally, the head was twisted to the left, whereas the left arm was lifted towards his left shoulder and his sling that was thrown on his back. Michelangelo’s David became one of the most celebrated sculptures of Renaissance sculpture, becoming a representation of both might and youthful human attractiveness. The gigantic mass of the sculpture was the most extraordinary feature of Michelangelo’s statue compared to that of his rivals. One of the artists, Vasari described the sculpture as a marvel created by Michelangelo that had the ability to bring to life the past memories of the dead. He concluded by mentioning all the other marvelous creations that were done by Michelangelo over the Renaissance period. The sizes of David and other sculptures were an atypical feature of Michelangelo’s efforts; the effigy had an abnormally large head and limbs especially the right hand. These exaggerations may be because the effigy would have been initially displayed on the cathedral rooftop, where the significant parts of the statue would unavoidably be emphasized in order to be noticeable from below. The statue was also abnormally slim when compared to its height. While most artist would have attributed this difference to individual taste, it was probably Michelangelo’s oversight that could not be rectified. It is probable that David was envisaged as a political effigy before Michelangelo started to sculpt it. Definitely, David had long been perceived as a political character in Florentine culture, and pictures of the Biblical personality were already influencing political actions there. Donatello’s David made of pure bronze as a distinct feature in the Medici family quarters. Later on, it still assumed a political role at the Palazzo della Signoria courtyard, where it represented the Republican government. Analysts have even pointed out that David’s undamaged penis that went against Judaic practice was in line with the traditions of Renaissance art. Conclusion Michelangelo’s David arrived from the Piazza della Signoria in 1873 due to the threat of natural erosion that would erode the sculpture as well as intentional damage. There were undocumented reports of vandalism in 1991 hen a man defaced the statue. After this incident, the statue was considered for renovation several times. A replica of the sculpture was however, made and placed in the exact position, in Piazza della Signoria. In spite of the awareness of the statue’s illustration, the utter magnitude of the marble effigy always surprised all the contemporaries and even the present day viewers. The present connection between Florence City and David is highly political. Since the Renaissance period, Florence perceived the David statue as a symbol of the city. David’s power, bravery and youthful assurance were the picture that Florence needed to project. In the 14th century, Florence regained its position as a republic. David signified the city’s sovereignt y from unknown authority, both the aristocracy and colonialists. Like Florence, David illustrated a calm power that was often overlooked by many. The strategic position outside the state offices also made it seem like he was a guard that reminded the citizens to defend bravely and lead fairly.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Question about how Immanuel Kant defined problems and attempted a Assignment

Question about how Immanuel Kant defined problems and attempted a solutions - Assignment Example What changed the face of philosophy for the first time in history is Kant’s answer to the problems generated by these traditions. To begin with, Kant argued that the old division between posteriori truths and priori truths which were employed in both camps was quite insufficient in describing the metaphysical claims which were under dispute. Also, an analysis of knowledge requires a distinction between analytic and synthetic truths. Analytically, the claim lies within the subject. Considering this claim, "Everybody occupies space," the aspect of occupying space simply explains in an analysis of what it means to be a body. Synthetically, the subject of the claim does not contain any predicate. In the claim, "This tree is 120 feet tall," the concepts are brought together to form a new claim which does not have any of the individual concepts. Kant further argues that Empiricists did not succeed in proving the synthetic priori claims like the fact there is a cause behind every. Their major assumption was that the two resulting categories were exhaustive (Lucien, 100). According to Kant’s arguments a synthetic a priori claim must be true without appealing to experience, without having the predicate within the subject. This is where the empiricists failed as they did not give their justification. Similarly, rationalists made the same

Friday, November 1, 2019

Literature Survey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Literature Survey - Essay Example The authors found that temperature was the main driver in load forecasting. Increase in temperature was also found to affect the transmission of electric power negatively, by restricting the load carrying capacity of the transmission and distribution lines. They also found that in the United Kingdom the relationship between demand and temperature was inversely proportionate, due to the lower temperatures experienced in the United Kingdom. In summer though the general average demand was found to fall due to the lack of heating requirements, when temperatures exceeded twenty degrees Celsius demand increased, because of enhanced air-conditioning and cooling loads (Hor, Watson & Majitha, 2005) Among the several weather factors, temperature is the most influential weather factor that impinges on consumption of electricity. Rise in temperature in winter reduces consumption of electricity, because of lower demand for heating. High temperatures however, increase demand on electricity for air-conditioning and refrigeration requirements. The speed of prevailing winds may have some impact on air-conditioning and cooling from fans. There general effect of cooling from higher wind speed. Rainfall, relative humidity and are sunshine are three more factors that affects the demand of electricity. Wet conditions are increased during rainfall and enhanced relative humidity, increasing demands for heating in winter. In addition the cloud cover during rainy periods diminishes the heating effect of sunshine. The demand during extremes of heat and cold is non-linear with regard to temperature, but the model shows better forecasting of demand by the addition of these factors for the summer months (Hor, Watson & Majitha, 2005). Moving closer to the study area of the impact of weather on electricity consumption in Sacramento, California, Franco and Sanstad, 2005, studied the possible enhanced stress on the