Hobbes and Locke Essay Example for Free

Hobbes and Locke Essay Thomas Hobbes and John Locke both sought to explain the behavior of humans in the purest form. In comparing and contrasting their theories, one begins to realize the extent to which these philosophers agreed and disagreed. While Hobbes states that human nature is malicious and requires a sovereign, Locke explains how humans are benelovant and pastoral with no motivation to advance. In Hobbes’ theory of a natural state, people live with no sense of government or law, forcing society into chaos and a war where â€Å"every man [is] against every man† (Hobbes 1651:3). Without the constraints of an institution, people begin to reveal their most unpleasant virtues. The three â€Å"principal causes of quarrel† include competition, diffidence and glory (Hobbes 1651:2). In order to control these causes, Hobbes proposes a sovereign with the ability to preside over all. He proposes a Leviathan with which the people can create a social contract and increase their probability of self-preservation. In return for its protection, the Leviathan assumes the power over all through violence, resulting in contracts of fear. Ensuing from the contract with the Leviathan, society understands that â€Å"a kingdom divided in itself cannot stand† (Hobbes 1651:7). Similar to the covenant between Rome and the Romans, however, if their sovereign fails to uphold its conditions of safety and security, the commonwealth can justify his disposal. In summary, Hobbes’ believes that a successful society is one that prevents people from experiencing complete freedom, simply because they cannot handle this privilege. In comparison, Locke states that the main concern for society is the placement of property rights. In a natural state, people are equal to one another and thus have no chance to progress. Just as Hobbes recommended the Leviathan, Locke presents the placement of property as an ideal solution. Locke believes that people are able to reason, and therefore understand what is morally right and wrong. This understanding allows resolution of conflicts without an intervening sovereign. Their trouble, however, stems from the inconsistency of their ability to apply these morals when faced with conflict. By appointing property rights, people develop a capitalist style marketplace. Methods of exchange are agreed upon, and therefore each man can benefit from one another. They acknowledge that if a man puts labor into land, it is his own; as he benefits from his own land, he is simultaneously improving the welfare of his entire society. Man is able to apply his rationality and take no more than he needs. In this scenario, one of the greatest differences between Hobbes and Locke is revealed. While Hobbes believes man is merciless, Locke explains it is man’s modesty that prevents him from going to war with his neighbor. In Locke’s society, people are rational, but do not always practice this rationality. Therefore, they must give up a little freedom, in order to gain wealth and acquire benefits. Hobbes and Locke share the idea that in the state of nature, men are equal. Despite man’s equality, both philosophers also believe man is constantly at risk of endangering himself. Where their theories contrast is in the definition of a social contract and with whom. While Hobbes maintains a negative perspective of war and violence, Locke’s view presents a more positive outlook. While Hobbes puts forth a government with totalitarian values, Locke’s government represents a liberal monarchy. Hobbes believes a social contract exists between a sovereign and his people; he obtains absolute power and cannot be overthrown. In contrast, Locke’s government is conditional and depends on the social contracts between society members. Traits of Hobbes’ natural state are still evident today in some societies. Without fair governments, corrupt populations will attempt to overthrow unjust rulers. A recent example is the 2011 Libyan revolution. Under Mummar Gaddaffi, the Libyan people felt their government was no longer acting in their best interest. As a result they overthrew their oppressive rulers and abolished the wrongful government, capturing and eventually killing Gaddaffi.

How to Protect the Environment Essay Example for Free

How to Protect the Environment Essay Character is a pattern of behavior, thoughts and feelings based on universal principles, moral strength, and integrity – plus the guts to live by those principles every day. Character is evidenced by your life’s virtues and the â€Å"line you never cross.† Character is the most valuable thing you have, and nobody can ever take it away. Why Character is Important Character in life is what makes people believe in you and is essential both for individual success and for our society to function successfully. Each individual must do his or her part every day by living a life of integrity. Integrity is adhering to a moral code of honesty, courage, strength and truthfulness – being true to your word. When you don’t exhibit integrity, other people get hurt. But you hurt yourself even more. When you cheat, your â€Å"success† is false. When you break a promise, you are showing that your word is meaningless. When you lie, you deceive others and lose their respect. All of those examples destroy your reputation and break the trust others have in you. Without your good reputation and trustworthiness, your relationships fail. Relationships and Success Relationships are the foundation for success in life. For example, when you destroy the relationships with your friends, you will have no friends. You will be isolated and alone. If a student promises not to cheat, but does, he is taking unfair advantage to put himself ahead of others without deserving it. He can ruin his reputation, his academic record and his job prospects forever. When a businessman makes a promise to customers and doesn’t deliver, he destroys his relationships with his customers. His customers go elsewhere and his business fails. By breaking your relationships, you break the foundation for success in your life. What is true success? For example, who is more successful? Someone who is famous and makes a great deal of money, or someone who has no fame, makes little money, but is a great parent? Today, in school, is too much emphasis being placed on â€Å"good grades† and â€Å"high test scores† – so much so that are these things, rather than good character, how we define success? Conclusion Your good character is the most important asset you have. It takes a lifetime to build but can be lost in an instant. Once lost, it is difficult to regain. Your true character is revealed when no one else is looking. Often, people decide to act based on short term gain, or an easy fix to a problem and end up doing the wrong thing. The old adage â€Å"you are what you do† is true. Failure to consider the long term consequences of your acts can be disastrous. By study and focusing on the importance of character, you will be guided by principles, moral strength, and integrity to do the right thing. Nothing is more important for true success in your life.

Leadership in the UK Banking Sector

Leadership in the UK Banking Sector Banking industry in the United Kingdom, where has around 50 scheduled commercial banks, is one of the most competitive sectors and has a direct influence on this country economy. The story started 18 months ago, when global economic crisis spread in the UK. Following results of it caused some of the most successful British bank leaders have been forced to resign. In this assignment, the current and future leadership requirements of the British bank industry and the methods and techniques of developing leadership skills will be discussed. 2. Table of contents Executive summary Table of contents Introduction Aim and Objective Scope Methodology The Bank Leadership Requirements in the UK The Current Bank Leadership Requirements in the UK High self-confidence High energy level and stress tolerance Conceptual Skills Social Intelligence Participative leadership behaviour 7.2. The Predicted Future Bank Leadership Requirements in the UK 7.2.1. Power Motivation 7.2.2. Achievement Orientation 7.2.3. Technical Skills 7.2.4. System Thinking Leadership Development Supporting Leadership Development Special Technique for Leadership Training 8.2.1. Behaviour Role Modelling 8.2.2. Case Discussion 8.2.3. Business Games and Simulation 8.3. Developmental Activities 8.3.1. Multisource Feedback 8.3.2. Job Rotation Program 8.3.3. Mentoring 8.3.4. Executive Coaching 8.3.5. Outdoor Challenge Programs 8.3.6. Personal Growth Programs 8.4. S Conclusion and Recommendations 9. Supporting Leadership Development after the Training 10. References 3. Introduction Leadership means  ° process of getting things done through other people. The qu °rtà Ã‚ µrb °Ãƒâ€˜Ã‚ k moves the team towards  ° touchdown. Being a là Ã‚ µÃ‚ °dà Ã‚ µr is an  °dvà Ã‚ µnturà Ã‚ µ because you can never be sure whether you will reach your goals. So a leader always needs to improve his related personal skills and behaviours by getting new training. However, some of leadership sciences believe the most successful leaders learn from their life experience and apply them in their working behaviours (Tengblad, 2001). After, recent economic crisis and its results in the different sectors, there are some new effort to apply more leadership behaviour in their own organization. Following pages will be discussed particularly about leadership requirements in the UK bank sector. 4. Aim and Objectives The core of these pages is to identify the leadership requirements of the United Kingdom bank sector and find appropriate methods and techniques to reach these demands in current and future of bank industry. 5. Scope The ц¢Ãƒâ€˜Ã‚ opà Ã‚ µ of this study rà Ã‚ µvolvà Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ around the UK banking ц¢Ãƒ Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã‚ tor and will be limited through  ° ц¢Ãƒ Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã‚ ond °ry  °n °lyц¢iц¢ of the topic and ц¢Ãƒ Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã‚ ond °ry rà Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ãƒ Ã‚ µÃ‚ °rÑ h data. 6. Methodology This assignment is base on secondary data. The research involves studies in details of newspapers, journals, leadership books and online material on the web. The rà Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ãƒ Ã‚ µÃ‚ °rÑ h was Ñ onduÑ tà Ã‚ µd through various ц¢ourÑ Ãƒ Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢, including libr °rià Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ and the Internet. à Ã‚  research library was visited for gathering useful data from textbooks and journals. The Internet was also an important tool to find relative information, là Ã‚ µÃ‚ °ding to the ц¢Ãƒ Ã‚ µÃ‚ °rÑ h for variety  °rtiÑ là Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ in journals and nà Ã‚ µwц¢p °pà Ã‚ µrц¢ from d °t °b °Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ãƒ Ã‚ µ. 7. Bank Leadership Requirements in the UK The requirements for the UK banking sector will be presented in two different parts: current and future requirements. 7.1. The Current Bank Leadership requirements in the UK In the current situation, British government has lent too much money to bank industry to overcome their problem such as mortgage crisis and the credit crunch. Due to this, nowadays, the UK government has more shares in some banks and give time to them to lock for new rescuer and funding some new options to firstly, end up this situation and then pay back the money, although some banks like Lloyds TSB already did, they still are supported by the government. Another important area that the government has asked banks is: keeping this lending information secret and prevent any panic among bank customers that may decline the numbers of investors. The British governor advice bank industry to prevent any wrong decision because any mistake can cause a huge fail for them (Sorkin, 2009). According to current scenario, the leadership requirements of bank industry are: High self-confidence High energy level and stress tolerance Conceptual Skills Social Intelligence Participative Leadership Behaviour 7.1.1. High self-confidence Self-confidence consists various related concepts like self-esteem and self-efficacy. High self-confidence is the exactly thing that high-level leaders in bank sector need in crisis situation. Managers with high-self confidence are more likely to attempt difficult tasks and overcome the crisis situation. Leaders with this feature have more motivation to solve problems Self-confidence is particularly essential for bank leaders to act confident and be decisive in current situation that usually their behaviour is followed carefully with Media and newspaper that it can cause an extra pressure for them(Yuki,2008,p53). There are some disadvantages for high self-confidence such as making rash decision and autocratic.However, being optimistic about the crisis is extremely helpful for bank leaders to overcome the problems. 7.1.2. High energy level and stress tolerance High energy level and stress tolerance help bank leaders to cope with changing situation and long working hours, thus it make it easier to overcome the stressful interpersonal situations like rapid change in economic system, control by Media and government demands. The success key for these leaders to making better decisions is: having high level of energy and stay calm. 7.1.3. Conceptual Skills Generally, conceptual skills consist of good judgment, creativity, intuition, foresight, and the ability to discover meaning and order in uncertain event and crisis situation. Nowadays, bank leaders need to identify complex relationships in economic al environment, creative the best ways to solve the current problems and predict future bank industry events from the current trend. It is essential for bank managers to have enough capability to analysis current issues in the external environment which will impact the bank sector, to identify how different parts of global bank industry related to each other and how changes in one aspect influence the UK banks, and to find new opportunity for bank sector (Yuki, 2008, p63). 7.1.4. Social Intelligence Social Intelligence is the capability to identify the requirements for leadership in special situation. Social perceptiveness prepares the ability to finding the functional demands, drawbacks, and opportunities that related to banks. If a bank manager has high social perceptiveness, he/she can motivate the group to work more effective. Behaviour flexibility helps bank leaders to use different behaviour correctly in crisis, and it is provided by self monitoring from leaders. One important aspect of social intelligence ability is having political skills which are extremely essential in todays bank situation. 7.1.5. Participative Leadership Behaviour Participate Leadership consist of applying different decision procedures that allow other people some influence on leaders decisions. In todays bank situation leaders need to involve other people in their decision particularly by consultation, joint decision and delegation. Bank leaders should try to encourage their colloquies to help them that cause more part of bank involve in the crisis and create a cooperative bank environment as well as help leaders to reduce the number of wrong decisions. If participative leadership behaviour imply correctly now, it can help bank leaders to rebuilt bank structure in the future. 7.2. The Future Bank leadership requirements in the UK In my opinion, current banks crisis will be continuing just for a few more time however, it affects the sector deeply. As it mentioned before, the UK government inject lots of money in the bank industry to prevent many drawbacks, but by doing this British government have more stocks in the bank industry, so the UK banks will be more dependence to the government. As a result of this, the next generation of the British bank leaders will be more selected by government and political environment will influence bank sector widely. The government wants to controls banks more than before and also do not want to loose profit again. Therefore, the United Kingdom government try to change some policies such as restriction on banker bonuses because wants to reduce bankers risk and create safer environment, control bank assets price, and change bank structure. It asked bank leaders to focus on some area like inflation and unemployment in bank industry. So, the future of this sector will be changin g in structure in the next five years in several parts, more autocratic environment by leaders that government selected, and need motivated leaders because of restriction on banking bonuses. As a result of this situation, future requirement for bank leadership are: Power Motivation Achievement Orientation Technical Skills System Thinking 7.2.1. Power Motivation Power motivation define as a ability and power to influence people and events .Managers with personalized power are more likely to create leaders who seek position of authority, aggrandize their-selves and satisfy personal demand for esteem and status. However, socialized power helps leaders to behave more for other peoples benefit .They use this power to influence subordinates, peers, and superiors to build up the bank sector and make it successful. Due to their orientation, these kind of leaders use more participative and coaching style of managerial behaviour, what exactly bank leaders need when they want to re-built the bank structure (Yuki, 2008, p55-56). 7.2.2. Achievement Orientation Achievement orientation consists of need for achievement, willing to assume responsibility, focus on task objective, and drive to success. If bank leaders have high achievement, they will focus on changing sector, solving problems, and high performance objectives. These kinds of managers maybe have lack of delegating and it is a drawback for this feature. However, if they can control it, banks leaders successfully can re-build bank structure and motivate other people to do it as well (Yuki, 2008, p58-60). 7.2.3. Technical Skills Despite the fact that high level manager does not need high level of technical skills, in future of bank industry leaders strongly need to have high technical knowledge about the are that in bank sector should be changed. If they do not have enough information about new policy and regulation they can make several mistakes in their decision that will be effect lower level leadership in their organisation and also they will not be able to show lower managers the current future. Therefore, they need to have enough knowledge about the future bank structure, new rules, management system, required employment characteristics, their new customer demands, and their bank opportunities in new situation. 7.2.4. Systems Thinking Systems thinking is what exactly bank leaders need when they are making effort to change their bank structure in the next five years. Systems thinking help them to identify the changing processes, dealing with new challenges, and improving efficiency. Change in one part of bank structure will affect the other parts as well and it usually has some reaction that maybe destroys the process. Bank leaders should clearly know what will be happen after their new decisions, identify following problems, and be ready to prevent any challenge. 8. Leadership Development In this part, the techniques, methods and other related subject to development the UK bank industry requirement will be discussed. 8.1. Supporting Leadership Development before the Training If we want to have an effective leadership development in the UK bank sector, we need to support our leaders for their training which are particularly important for intermediate level leaders. First of all, an effective development program needs to fully describe for its trainees. Being a bank leader usually requires long-working hours, so their work schedule should be more flexible that managers can attend especially in todays bank work environment. Also, they need to have enough time off for their preparations. Supporting leadership training is more essential in current crisis rather than predicted future situation. Therefore, bank leaders should have some programs that do not need too much preparation or are more flexible. 8.2. Special Techniques for Leadership Training There are varieties of techniques which are suitable for the UK bank leadership training. Some of effectives ones are: Behaviour Role Modelling Case Discussion Business Game and Simulations 8.2.1. Behaviour Role Modelling Behaviour role modelling is one of the most effective methods for managers and it usually combine with demonstration. Trainee can play a especial role for current bank crisis or future changing environment in small group or in front of the class. By playing different roles, bank leaders can get an appropriate feedback about their behaviour, especially if they record their plays. However, there is not enough evidence that measured actual behaviour change back on the job or improvement in managerial effectiveness. Behaviour role modelling can be useful for intermediate bank leaders not for executive ones who usually do not like to attend in this kind of training due to their position. However it can be full of fun and help bank leaders to reduce their stress level in crisis as well as improve their social intelligence, conceptual skills, system thinking, energy-level, and system thinking. Role playing prepare bank leaders to be more judgment about the situation and their decision, creative new solutions, and also identify special bank leadership behaviour style during crisis and for future. 8.2.2. Case Discussion Case discussion can be use in bank environment to develop its leaders analytical and decision-making skills and is suitable for high-level bank leaders. In this technique, managers can discuss about current and future the UK bank industry issues by exchanging their personal experiences. It helps bank leaders to increase their understanding about bank crisis, find the appropriate behaviour, make recommendations for the UK bank scenario, and predict banks future opportunities and threats. So, case discussion can improve bank leaders technical, decision making, power motivating and achievement orientation skills. 8.2.3. Business Games and Simulation Business games and simulation help bank leaders to analysis complex bank problems make decision and receive feedback about their decisions. It usually combines with role playing and group problem-solving exercises. Improvement in communication technology make it easier to use virtual meeting between bank leaders in different part of the United Kingdom and even all around the world and generally, it is short time training thus; it saves bank leaders time in current over-crowded bank working environment. Most business games stress on quantities financial information, market conditions, organization chart, and the tasks and responsibility for their positions which are essentially important for bank leaders to correctly understand the British bank sector situation. Finally, with this method, bank leaders can improve their confidence, system thinking, making decisions skills. (Yuki,2008,p430-432). 8.3. Developmental Activities There are several activities which can help bank leaders to learn from their experiences on the job and is so useful for development leadership skills due to being informal, applying by boss or co-workers, and combining with formal activities. These kinds of activities are particularly suitable for current bank situation because they are informal and usually do not take too much time of bank leaders and also give feedback to the leaders thus; according to this feedback bank leaders can improve their skills in short time. However, they have some advantages for predictable bank future as well. Some of these activities that are more appropriate for the UK bank industry are: Multisource Feedback Job Rotation Program Mentoring Executive Coaching Outdoor Challenge Programs Personal Growth Programs 8.3.1. Multisource Feedback Multisource feedback or 360-degree feedback is extremely popular for management development and it normally use to provide leader behaviour feedback in large organizations. Therefore it should be appropriate to apply in the UK bank sector. 360-degree feedback emphasizes board discrepancies among self-rating by leader and what other think about leaders behaviour. In this way, managers are received information about their behaviour or skills from questionnaires who are their subordinates, peers, superior, and clients. A feedback workshop with a facilitator usually is more helpful for enhancing the influence behaviour of bank managers rather than only giving them a feedback report (Barclay, 2007). 360-degree feedback can be valuable in current situation not in the UK banks future because in the future most of the British bank executive leaders are selected by the government and they should be more autocratic and powerful thus, questionnaires normally will be afraid to answer the questions honestly and the feedback will have not enough worth. 8.3.2. Job Rotation Program In job rotation program, bank leaders are given to work in various functional subunits of the bank sector for different period of time from 6 months to 3 years. These changes are for developmental reasons such as facing with new challenge, improving cooperative relationships, dealing with new types of technical problems, and developing a huge network of contacts in different part of bank. Job rotation programs are more appropriate for the future requirement of the UK bank industry, when this sector is trying to rebuild its structure. By doing these programs, high-level bank leaders can clearly understand the new problems in different parts, identify variety of behavioural reaction to the change, create a friendly environment in the whole banking sector which is essentially necessary for the time of change, and exchange their experiences and knowledge. In my opinion, these kind of programs are not suitable for the current bank crisis because bank leaders are under too much pressure from external environment especially Media and newspapers thus, changing their position can increase their personal stress. 8.3.3. Mentoring Mentoring programs are useful to simplify management development in bank industry. During the mentoring programs which are for high-level managers, more experienced leaders help less experienced ones. Mentoring programs are appropriate for both current and future bank requirements. By applying mentoring programs in the UK bank sector, we can reduce leaders stress level, facilitate adjustment to new change, create a stronger banking communication, and rise bank leaders satisfaction (Noe, 1991, p129-173). However, there are some factors in the UK bank industry that maybe reduce the beneficial effects of mentoring programs. For instance, more successful banks leaders can promote their position in bank sector, government or even political community thus; some of them maybe refuse sharing all of their experience with other bank leaders. Furthermore, female leaders usually have more difficulty to find successful mentoring and during bank crisis, these kinds of programs can increase their stress level and it is normally difficult to applying a program by separation between leaders according to their genders. 8.3.4. Executive Coaching Executive coaching has known as a great type of developmental intervention for middle and executive leaders. In this program, bank leaders can have an external or internal consultant. Executive coaching can help bank managers to implement recent and future the UK bank sector change, deal with their new bosses particularly in predicted bank future who are more related the British government, and gain more knowledge and information about new bank policy and structure. In current bank crisis, the decisions are made by bank leaders are so essential and effective for banking sector thus; a consultant can help to bank leaders to make correct decisions as well as reduce their stress level. Despite the fact that executive coaching is convenient, flexible and confidential, the high cost of it and shortage of bank competent coaches result in limitation of applying it (Yuki, 2008, p443). 8.3.5. Outdoor Challenge Programs Outdoor challenge programs are one of essential informal programs for bank leaders who are under too much of pressure due to crisis and changing bank environment. Outdoor programs can help bank managers to reduce their stress level, increase their self-control, self-confidence, energy level, and risk taking. However, there are some drawbacks about these programs .First of all, due to long-working hours in bank sector especially in todays situation, leaders need to receive strong support s to change their working hours for a short time. Secondly, because of overwhelming working situation, some bank leaders need to efficiently encourage attending in outdoor programs. 8.3.6. Personal Growth Programs After restriction in banker bonuses and crisis, the UK bank leaders need to more improve their self-awareness, emotional and moral level which can be provided by personal growth programs. The programs normally consist of several psychological exercises that help bank managers to find their living and working goals, how human development happens, how bank environment change, and how the role of leadership in bank sector change. Personal growth programs can help bank leaders to improve their emotional level, decrease their stress particularly in current bank crisis, and understand the change that will be occur in the future of the UK bank such as it will have more political environment. However, there is a fear of some negatives effects in bank leadership behaviour because for instance older bank leaders maybe indirectly encourage leaving their stressful jobs and more enjoy their personal life thus; these programs should apply carefully particularly in their subject selections (Yuki,20 08,p445-446). 8.4. Supporting Leadership Development after the Training Having an effective bank leadership development needs some supporting behaviour as well. It is important that leaders can apply their new skills in bank thus; providing an environment that they use their newly learned skills is essential. Also, leaders need to review what they learnt so, we can hold periodic review sessions or ask them to train these new skills to lower positions managers. By doing this, we can spread leadership development skills and behaviours among different part of banks and provide a friendly bank environment to cope with crisis and later changes. Conclusion and Recommendations The UK banking sector has experienced a trouble time recently that lake of leadership behaviour and skills is one important lateral factor to occur. However, by identifying and applying developmental leadership requirements such as participative leadership, system thinking, social intelligence we can cope with current issues and improve bank leaders skills by different training and methods to prevent more problems for the UK banks future. Furthermore, developing and implementing bank leadership requirements require a broad effort from whole the UK bank sector, the British government, bank clients, and also the media and newspapers.

Artificial Neural Networks :: Essays Papers

Artificial Neural Networks Artificial neural networks are systems implemented on computer systems as specialized hardware or sophisticated software that loosely model the learning and remembering functions of the human brain. They are an attempt to simulate the multiple layers of processing elements in the brain, called neurons. These elements are implemented in such a way so that the layers can learn from prior experience and remember their outputs. In this way, the system can learn to recognize certain patterns and situations and apply these to certain priorities and output appropriate results. These types of neural networks can be used in many important situations such as priority in an emergency room, for financial assistance, and any type of pattern recognition such as handwritten or text-to-speech recognition. The most basic elements of a neural network, the artificial neurons, are modeled after the neurons of the brain. The "real" neuron is composed of four parts: the dendrites, soma, axon, and the synapse. The dendrites receive input from other neuron's synapses, the soma processes the information received, the axon carries the action potential which fires the neuron when a threshold is breached, and the synapse is where the neuron sends its output, which are in the form of neurotransmitters, to the dendrites of other neurons. Each neuron in the human brain can connect with up to 200,000 other neurons. The power and processing of the human brain comes from multitude of these basic components and the many thousands of connections between them. The artificial neurons simulate the four basic functions of the "real" neuron. The artificial neuron is much simpler than the neuron of the brain. It takes inputs just as the "real" neuron but also multiplies these inputs by a weight value. Then they are sent to a processing unit which does what it needs to do to the value and then sends this value to the output path. In the simplest case the products of these values are simply summed and then put through a transfer process and output. This is the basic building block of all artificial neural networks, although there are many different implementations of this simple block and fundamental differences which allow for different artificial networks to be built. The major concerns of the developer is the design of the neural network system.

Interpreting Hamlet’s Ophelia Essay examples -- GCSE English Literatur

Interpreting Hamlet’s Ophelia Was Ophelia in love with Hamlet, or did she have more feeling for her father than for her boyfriend? In Shakespeare’s Hamlet was Ophelia’s madness contributed to by the prince’s rejection of her? The answers to these and other questions about this tragic figure will be given. Rebecca West in â€Å"A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption† argues that Ophelia has no love for Hamlet, but only for her father: For the myth which has been built round Hamlet is never more perverse than when it pretends that Ophelia went mad for love and killed herself. No line in the play suggests that she felt either passion or affection for Hamlet. She never mentions him in the mad scene, and Horatio says of her, â€Å"She speaks much of her father.† Indeed she was in a situation which requires no sexual gloss. Her father had been murdered by a member of the royal house, and she found herself without protection, since her brother Laertes was in France, in the midst of a crisis such as might well send her out of her wits with fear. For the Danes hostile to the royal house made of her wrong a new pretext for their hostility, and the royal house, noting this, turned against her, helpless though she was [. . .]. (109) Beginning now with the play, the reader/viewer sees that the protagonist of the tragedy, Prince Hamlet, initially appears dressed in solemn black. He is mourning the death of his father, supposedly by snakebite, while he was away at Wittenberg as a student. Hamlet laments the hasty remarriage of his mother to his father’s brother, an incestuous act; thus in his first soliloquy he cries out, â€Å"Frailty, thy name is woman!† Ophelia enters the play with her brother Laertes, who, in parting for s... ...ies.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Rpt. from Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1907–21; New York: Bartleby.com, 2000 http://www.bartleby.com/215/0816.html West, Rebecca. â€Å"A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Court and the Castle. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957. Wilkie, Brian and James Hurt. â€Å"Shakespeare.† Literature of the Western World. Ed. Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1992.

Essay --

In the period 1865-1900, technology, government policy, and economic conditions all greatly changed American agriculture at the expense of the farmers. New farming machinery had a large role in the late 19th century, giving farmers the opportunity to produce a surplus of crops. The railroads also had a large influence on agriculture. Although they were able to quickly transport goods, the railroads were also used to charge the farmers large fees. The booming industry also changed American agriculture, creating a multitude of monopolies which the farmers simply could not compete. Economically, the monetary policy along with the steadily dropping prices of agricultural produce led farmers further into debt, eventually producing outcomes such as the crop-lien system and sharecropping. All of these tie into government policy which favored the large and wealthy industries and monopolies over the farmers. Farmers began to cultivate vast areas of crops such as wheat, cotton, and corn. A picture of The Wheat Harvest in 1880 shows men on tractors and over a large amount of horses pulling the tractor along the long and wide fields of wheat. As farmers started to accumulate their goods, they needed to be able to transfer the goods across states. Some farmers chose to use cattle trails to transport their goods while others were forced to choose, and pay for, the ever-growing railroad system. Maps provided show the difference in the amount of railroads and cattle trails within the Unites States from 1870 to 1890. Eastern States such as New Jersey, Tennessee, Virginia and many others were filled with existing railroads prior to 1870, as Colonel John Stevens started out his railroad revolutionizing movement in New Jersey in 1815. By 1890 there ... ...e greatly needed and then how they got across to states that would take weeks and months to get to by cattle or wagon. It also showed a time when the economy fell and desperately tried to climb back up. To sum it up, throughout the period 1865-1900, technology, government policy, and economic conditions all changed agriculture in America but at the expense of the farmers. New farming machinery gave frames the ability to produce more crops. Railroads quickly transported goods but also forced farmers to pay hefty fees. The booming industry also changed American agriculture, creating monopolies which the farmers could not compete with. Economically, the monetary policy along with the steadily dropping prices of agricultural produce led farmers further into debt. And, finally, the government policies favored large and wealthy industries and monopolies over the farmers.

Career Paper : Accountant

Accountant Career Project: Report Business 101 ? Career Overview Accountants carry the primary responsibility for bookkeeping services such as payroll, bank reconciliations, general ledger posting, along with managing financial statement compilations and oversee efficient use of funds and related tasks. Correspondingly, they provide some Human Resource functions such as Employee Handbook compilation, and benefits management. Another responsibility of accountant’s is taxes: personal, corporate, estate, payroll, sales tax, and business property taxes.Educational Requirements For entry-level positions in Accounting, employers usually require a minimum of an Associate Degree in Accounting. Many larger businesses or corporations require applicants to have graduated from a Bachelor's or Master's Degree program in Accounting or Taxation (Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2012). There is NO requirement for Accountants to get certified as a Certified Public Accoun tant CPA or a Certified Management Accountant CMA, but if they do they usually get an increase in pay and more responsibilities.There are certain skills Accountants need to make their day run smooth; all of these skills aren’t necessarily taught. For example, Accountants need analytical skills to analyze certain discrepancies on a balance sheet or income statements. Most Accountants are detail oriented, and also have the ability to compile a lot of information and then interpret the meaning. Most of the work will be performed on a computer so Accountants need computer and software skills. Obviously, good math skills are another skill that an Accountant will have to utilize daily.Furthermore, Accountants will need excellent communication skills both verbal and written, and one can never forget lots of patience (Richardson, 2009). Career Path The typical career path for accountants goes as follows bookkeeper, Accountant, CPA and CMA (if one chooses to go that far). Like I have stated before, if one wants to go into Accounting, they do not need their CPA or CMA, Accounting Firms are more than happy to hire Accountants with just a four year degree in Accounting. If one chooses, Accounting has two opportunities for advancement which received CPA or CMA certificate.The difference between a CPA and a CMA is that a CPA is licensed by the state of his/her residence to provide accounting services to the public, ranging from auditing, tax, litigation support, and other financial advisory services. A CMA mostly provides his/her services directly to his/her employers rather than the public. There is no extra or special training to become a CPA or CMA but there are vigorous tests for each CPA and CMA. With either of these certifications becomes more responsibilities.With the title of CPA, accountants are qualified to do a higher level of accounting services. For CMA, accountants can be mangers of companies or possibly run their own company if they choose. Industry an d Target Companies Accountants can work for almost every company! From Taco Bell to Waste Companies. If working for somebody else isn’t your style, some accountants are self-employed and have their own accounting business. Cecilia Capuzzi Simon with The New York Times writes an article â€Å"Top 10 List: Where the Jobs Are†, describing the job curve and its projections for the year to 2018.According to Simons the Top 10 list look like this : Biomedical Engineer, Network Systems and Data Communications Analyst, Home Health Aide, Personal and Home Care aide, Financial Examiner, Medical Scientist, Physician Assistant, Skin Care Specialist, Biochemist and Biophysicist, and last but not least Athletic Trainer. If you didn’t notice, eight of the fields in the top 10 categories are health care or wellness related. Those eight health care or wellness related careers need accountants to keep track of their financial matters. And that’s where I come in handy (Simon , 2011).Salary/Earnings Data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the salary range for Accounting & Finance begins around $36,780 and usually tops out around $102,380, with a mean in the neighborhood of $69,580. The national salary average for Accounting & Finance is $43,460, data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Along with excellent benefits such as paid vacation and sick leave, health insurance, profit sharing, and retirement plans (Careerexplore. net). Employment Outlook As of 2008, accountants and auditors occupied some 1. 3 million jobs. Out of these 1. million, 24% of these accountants and auditors were employed at â€Å"accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services firms. † Additionally, eight percent were self-employed, and 68% worked for other entities such as government, corporations, and small businesses. – Data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, It is estimated that during the 2008-2018 period, about 279,000 new a ccounting jobs will be created – an increase of 22% (Bhavsar, 2011). Learning’s & Reflection Accounting has been a career field I have been debating on going into for at least two years.After having a math class every semester of my schooling I have noticed I truly enjoy doing math homework and I am decently good at it. As there is to all career fields, Accounting has its ups and downs. I like the challenge of a difficult problem, but the idea of sitting behind a desk from 8 to 4, and doing almost the same thing everyday day doesn’t appeal to me. To help me get a better understanding of the Accounting Career I participated in two events. First, I enrolled in BUS 297, which is the VITA program, where I actually prepare peoples taxes every Saturday.Truthfully I don’t mind doing their taxes, its making the small that makes me kind of uncomfortable. I’ve probably done at least 25-30 tax returns; learning a little about taxes and such but there is also so much more I don’t know. Secondly, I went to the UWMC’s Business Club meeting where Thomas Krieg from WipFli Audit Accounting Firm was the guest speaker. Krieg got an Associate’s Degree in Accounting from UWMC, then moved onto UW Madison where he got a Bachelor’s in Accounting, and is now one of the youngest Partners at WipFli’s (Krieg, 2013).Both of these events were very beneficial because I now know so much more of the everyday Accountant life. I am very happy that I dug deeper into Accounting, but unfortunately I do not think I am interested in it as a career any more. Although I may be good at math and taxes, I don’t think Accounting is the correct career for me. ? Work Cited Bhavsar, D. (2011, January 11). Accounting degree job outlook. Retrieved from http://degreecentral. com/accounting-degree-job-outlook/ Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System (2012). Cake decorator: Education path. Retrieved from http://wiscareers. isc. edu/C_CVstuff/occinfo. asp? Area=edu Krieg Thomas, Partner, CPA †¢ Wipfli LLP. (2013, February 26). Interview by UW Marathon County Business Club [Personal Interview]. Business Club/ Accounting Speaker, Located in CCE Building. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. careerexplorer. net/accounting-finance Richardson, M. ( 2009, April 10). voices. yahoo. com. Retrieved from http://voices. yahoo. com/skills-qualifications-needed-accountant-2987159. html Simon, C. (2011). Top 10 list-where jobs are. Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. com/2011/04/17/education/edlife/edl