Position paper of a debate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Position paper of a debate - Essay Example The annual expenditure for childhood obesity is approximately $ 100 billion (Bandini & Dietz 648). Studies have shown that when a child is obese at the age of between 10 year and 13 years, there is more than 80 percent chance of becoming obese when he or she grows to adulthood. But with exercise, proper nutrition, and support, such obese children can lose weight and live a healthy life marked by healthier habits (Anderson 461). There is need for parents to explore ways of dealing with obesity and help their obese children lose weight. Parents should take advantage of all the opportunities to raise the children’s self esteem. They should not feel ashamed to come up with a health fitness topic. This should be sensitively done so as not to make the obese child view it as an insult. Parents should talk to their obese children openly, directly and without being judgmental or critical (Ball et al. 20). It is important for parents to be sensitive to their children’s feelings and needs. Becoming active is a key lifestyle change that an obese child should undertake. They should be given support and guidance by their parents on the best and comfortable physical activities to engage in. The efforts made by these children towards reducing their weight should constantly be praised (Arslanian & Suprasongsin 157). Celebrating any incremental changes and not rewarding the efforts with food is very important for the parents. Parents should further take an initiative of talking to these children about their feelings. This helps them to find means of dealing with their emotions that do not entail eating. By doing so, the child will be able to focus on the positive goals such as running the necessary number of rounds in a gym class as a way of losing the excess weight (Adiar &Gordon 644). Transitioning a child by parents from an obese condition to a state of a well balanced weight should not be taken to be as

Research critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Research critique - Essay Example Likewise, the paper did not explicitly state the problem, but with clear defined focus and a well argued urgency and necessity for the study, apparently, the problem centers on the effectiveness of mutual goal setting (MGS) and supportive-educative (SE) nursing interventions in improving the mental health (MH) and quality of life (QOL) of individuals with heart failure (HF) – a very relevant study specifically for nursing, since among health workers, nurses are tasked to monitor health conditions of patients. With the study addressing a clinical problem that is experimental in nature, quantitative approach has been appropriate. The stated hypotheses: â€Å"That by (1) educating HF patients about their disease and supporting them in self-care management behaviors and (2) enhancing their sense of control through MGS, they will experience significant improvements in their MH and QOL† (Scott, Setter-Kline, & Britton, 2004, p. 249) have clearly specified the key variables an d the study population as consistently illustrated in the conceptual framework and as supported by a brief yet cohesive review of literature both in theories and related studies. Observably, the literature review, which references are good combination of old(1990-1998) and current (1999-2004) books (3-1), journals (4-7), and government materials (3-1), although brief has provided sufficient theoretical: â€Å"†¦ worry, depression, and loss of control may contribute to feelings of powerlessness among individuals receiving treatment for advance HF† (Scott, 2000, cited in Ibid, p. 249), and practical: â€Å"the use of SE nursing intervention improved self-care behaviors and decreased symptom frequency and distress, yet only limited improvements in QOL were identified† (Jaarsma et al., 2000, cited in Ibid), support to the study. However, studies cited here were not critiqued maybe due to the

Eco dq Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Eco dq - Essay Example Money is a medium that enables people to forgo the use of goods and service that are less required to them and purchases which are most required. ii. People sell their service (work) to earn money now and to buy goods and services at a later time. Money is essential because it has a value in future and therefore people work to acquire money. The economic system of money functions on the basis of mutual aspects of belief (Moffatt p.2). iii. There are chances when the belief in money is lost or the future value of money is assumed to be low. This happens when the currency is impacted by inflation and people have a tendency to spend their money quickly. But profitable deals are not usually signed during inflation due to the fear of future value of money when it will be actually paid. Inflation can cause various inefficiencies in the economy where shop owners have to change the price of goods frequently and customers have carry loads of money to purchase just a loaf of bread. When people lose faith in money, economic activities are likely to halt. Like any other good, money is also a good which is ruled by the maxim of supply and demand. Money is a good, the value of which is determined by the demand and supply. Money tends to possess less value when there is inflation (when there is an increase in the price of goods) that occurs due to increase in supply of money, demand for money reduces, supply of goods decreases or when the demand for goods increases (Moffatt p.3). When an economy is under recession and there is high rate of unemployment the Fed issues policies to maintain interest rates at low level by purchasing securities. As a result, the price of securities rises and reduces their yields. This action of the Fed increases the amount of reserves with banks and increases the amount of bank credit that ultimately increases the total amount of money in the economy. This is the reason why central banks believe that the

The Relationship of Social Class and Educational Attainment in the US Essay Example for Free

The Relationship of Social Class and Educational Attainment in the US Essay Introduction Social class typically refers to an individual’s position in an established hierarchy in a particular society. Classifications of people have been established in all societies since the dawn of civilization. The hierarchy may be based on wealth, ability, education, occupation, even geographical location. Historically, social class pertains to groupings to refer to occupation or role, i.e. landlord or tenant. Each grouping is accompanied by privileges and responsibilities, with varying levels of control and power within the society.   It also generally carries some type of class identity, so while it applies to individuals, it is not merely a personal characteristic, but exists within a certain context that applies to groups of people. This shared identity is affected by attitudes and lifestyle of its members, and thus establishes a â€Å"culture† or a set of values and practices. (â€Å"Social class†)   The purpose of this paper is to consider current research   that deal with the degree of correlation, if any, between social class and educational attainment in the United States. Review of Literature Education is considered the most widely used aspect that determines social position together with occupational status and income, but none of these factors are pure concepts to be taken in isolation. They are each affected by other social factors such as race and ethnicity.   Educational attainment directly affects social status in the sense that it provides credentials and access to economic benefits as well as establishes social networks.   In the period between 1940 and 1980, the number of persons to have completed higher education has increased to 68.6% of the total US population according to census data. (MacArthur and MacArthur â€Å"Measurement approaches†) The role of education in achieving social status is an important one, and attempts to study the variables that directly affect educational outcomes usually focus on parental education and occupation as well as race, gender and cognitive ability. A study of 1,927 subjects focused on the effect of self-esteem and locus of control (nature of environmental control) on educational outcomes of children net of these other factors. It was found self-esteem and locus of control affect educational outcomes independent of each other and of other variables. (Wang, Kick, Fraser and Burns 288-289) While some people are born into a class, such as royalty, most develop social mobility through shifts in education, occupation or income. There are no tangible measurements to establish social class, but it may be inferred from general guidelines based on achievements. Of the indicators of social status, education is considered the simplest and most universal, although it is limited generally up to early adulthood, when educational activity typically ends. Social class may have significant effects on educational attainment mostly because social class is typically associated with economic capacity. Wealth has a substantial impact on education because it provides access to resources that may not be available to one of lower economic means. Other characteristics of social class include levels of self esteem and locus of control, which also has significant effects on educational outcomes and occupational choice. (â€Å"Social class†) Rouse and Barrow state that students from lower socioeconomic families tend to attain less in education because they have greater psychological costs and less access to good schools that those from families with higher incomes (99). Since higher education attainment translates to occupations with higher earning potential, the long-term effect of this trend is to propagate a cyclical pattern of disadvantaged families producing low-earning progeny who will in turn raise a disadvantaged family. Attempts to break this cycle through programs like the â€Å"No Child Left Behind Act† has met with small success. Many studies conclude that smaller class sizes are the most effective way to improve student achievement. The importance of social class in influencing a person’s life prospects is investigated in the US. The goal of providing equal opportunity for all Americans in achieving success in life solely through their own efforts and skills regardless of social class is as yet not completely in place. Social class still has a great influence on an individual’s chance in leading a productive existence despite efforts to level the playing field. The tendency for parents, even in an open and fair democracy, to extend the advantages which they have to further the interests of their children prevails, resulting in a greater access to opportunities and resources. This is especially true of people from the higher socioeconomic class in the United States. (McMurrer and Sawhill â€Å"Class Still Matters†) Data from following the progress of 20,000 eight graders from 1988 to 1994 from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) of 1988 provided a wealth of information about the educational experiences of the subjects. The subjects were divided in four groups based on their socioeconomic status, the first group (Group 1) being the most advantaged and the fourth group (Group 4) the most disadvantaged. Results showed that the average test scores of children from Group 1 were higher that those from Group 4. Group 4 children were more likely to be held back and to drop out of high school than those in Group 1. The results also suggest that parental abilities, which may be hereditary, may account for the economic status of the family, and should also be considered as an influence on educational attainment. (Rouse and Barrow 100-102) A study by Gordon Dahl and Lance Lochner focused on the effect of higher income on academic performance. They found for every $ 1,000 increase in income for a family with two children, math and reading scores also increased up to 5%. (Rouse and Barrow 104) The correlation between fathers and sons in the US with regards to income and occupations is very strong, to a degree of 0.4, which means that there is a significant probability that an adult son will approximate the income of the father, and sons of white collar workers has double the probability than sons of blue collar workers to become a white collar worker. (McMurrer and Sawhill â€Å"Class Still Matters†) Source: http://www.urban.org/publications/307017.html#chart2#chart2 Recent trends suggest that the attainment of higher education has begun to change this pattern of occupational mimicry. This is fueled by the economic boom in the US which has unfortunately slowed down, and the trend of an upwardly mobile labor force has slowed down with it. Overall, upward mobility composition is that of growing individual opportunity (college education) and a lackluster economy. Social class in no longer the force it had been before, which will benefit people from the lower socioeconomic brackets. For those in the upper social strata, the emphasis on individual ability and skills and the decline of social class importance will likely result in a drop in social status. (McMurrer and Sawhill â€Å"The Offsetting Effect of Economic Growth†) One considerable portion of the US population which may benefit from this decline in insular social classification is second-generation Americans, or those who were born in the US of immigrant parents. Nearly one-fourth of young Americans are second-generation immigrants and most are found in the cities like Los Angeles. Recent migration trends in the US have transformed the social character of American society to a marked degree. The long-term effects of these patterns are most evident in the educational attainment profile of the population. On average, these second generation population, especially those of Asian ethnic origin, exhibit better academic performance than native-born Americans. As an illustration, 32% of all Asian high school graduates who applied for slots in the University of California was accepted, as compared to 16% eligible native-born American, and 7% of Latino-descended applicants. (Feliciano) Feliciano accounts for these disparities by considering two explanations: cultural values, belief systems and attitude differences, i.e. children of Asian families tend to be more successful because of the high currency placed on academic achievement; and structural differences, i.e. accessibility of opportunities and resources. Immigrant social class status may be different before and after migration to the US, which could explain why some groups are more successful at overcoming barriers to educational attainment such as poverty and low socioeconomic status than others. To investigate this theory, relevant pre-migration information on educational levels in 31 immigrant groups was determined by cross-referencing census data in the US and the home country of the immigrant group from 1997 to 2001, using the Net Difference Index. The subjects were second-generation Americans ages 20-40 with at least some college education. Results show that immigrants to the US tended to have attained higher educational levels than those who stayed in the home country, especially those who come from countries remote from the US, such as Asian countries. (Feliciano â€Å"Methodology†) In considering the correlation of pre-migration class status with second-generation educational attainment, a strong positive relationship was revealed.   Regardless to their social status in the US, children of highly-educated immigrants demonstrated the highest educational attainment rates. While pre-migration class status had a significant effect on second-generation educational attainment, economic security in the US as a factor accounted for 41% of the variability. In effect, to accurately account for ethnic variability in academic success among second-generation Americans, social status of the parents before and after migration should be considered. Such cross-referencing adequately explains 60% of the disparity in educational attainment observed in this population segment. (Feliciano â€Å"Pre-Migration Origins and Second Generation Outcomes†) Summary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Social class is a nebulous concept that dictates the individual’s eventual role in society to a great extent. Educational attainment depends in a significant way on social class because of the socioeconomic factors that influence is such as income, occupation and family values are all related to social class. Individuals from the higher social class are more likely to have parents who possess high cognitive ability, more self-esteem, more money and better access to resources that would enable the attainment of higher education such as college. Second-generation Americans with immigrant parents who have lower social status in the US but higher social status in the home country are more likely as well to complete a college education. However, public policies and other programs aimed at providing higher education access to individuals from lower social classes could help to break the like father-like son trend in educational attainment and occupational choice and facilitate an upwardly mobile majority. References â€Å"Social class.† Encyclopedia of Public Health. 2007. 15 March 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/class-structure Feliciano, Cynthia. â€Å"Another way to assess the second generation: look at the parents.† Migration Information Source. 1 May 2006. 15 March 2007. http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=396 MacArthur, John D. and MacArthur, Catherine T. â€Å"Educational Status.† UCSF. 8 August 2001. 15 March 2007. http://www.macses.ucsf.edu/Research/Social%20Environment/notebook/education.html Mani, Anandi and Mullin, Charles H. â€Å"Choosing the right pond: social approval and occupational choice.† Williams College. October 2001. 15 March 2007. http://www.williams.edu/Economics/mani/manimullin.pdf McMurrer, Daniel P. and Sawhill, Isabel V. â€Å"The declining importance of class.† Urban Institute. Number 4 in Series, Opportunity in America 01 April 1997. 15 March 2007. http://www.urban.org/publications/307017.html Rouse, Cecilia Elena and Barrow, Lisa. â€Å"U.S. elementary and secondary schools: equalizing opportunity or replicating the status quo?† The Future of Children 16.2 (2006) 15 March 2007. http://www.futureofchildren.org/usr_doc/06_5563_Rouse-Barrow.pdf Wang, Li-Ya, Kick, Edward, Fraser, James, and Burns, Thomas Jerome. â€Å"Status attainment in America: the roles of locus of control and self-esteem in educational and occupational outcomes.† The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (2007) 15 March 2007. http://www.unc.edu/~fraser18/publications/Locus_of_Control_SelfEsteem_%20and_Status_Attainment.pdf

Organizational Behavior Concepts Essay Example for Free

Organizational Behavior Concepts Essay Every organization has its own unique behaviors, attributes, traits and values that define the organization’s methodology of forming amicable relationships by accomplishing human, social and organizational goals. Organizational studies are the research and application of human behavior within an organization as individuals and as a member of a team. Some of the basic organizational concepts are motivation, group behavior, decision making, corporate culture, structure, power and politics, communication, human resources practices and change management. These organizational concepts have to be studied in order to judge the failure or the success of an organization; especially, how well these concepts are dealt with by the employees or management. Motivation is the driving force of the organization towards its goals; group behavior refers to the team work within the organization and the relationship of employees with one another; decision making is the selection of an option from various alternatives using cognitive abilities; corporate culture is the reflection of the organization’s core values, missions, goals, traditions and beliefs based on which the organizational practices take place; structure is the basis for the organization’s operational activities, that is, the organization’s arrangement and formation or even hierarchies; power and politics refer to the authority, external control and influence; communication is extent to which the ideas are shared within an organization; human resources practices refers to the structure, tasks, importance and rights of the employees of the organization; and change management refers to the extent to which the organization is molding itself for success in accorda nce with the external stimuli. The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923 by Walt and Roy Disney. Since then, Walt Disney Company along with its affiliated companies have been faithfully serving their fans by producing unique and remarkable entertainment with quality and creativity oozing from its content and exceptional stories. The Walt Disney Company is the biggest international media enterprise with four divisions; media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment and consumer products. Examples of these divisions include, Hanna Montana, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Mickey Mouse, Disneyland Park, Disney Line Cruise, Interactive Studios, www. disneyshopping. com, Disney Channel and ABC entertainment. Almost every organization has one uniform behavior that needs to be implemented for the foundation building of the organization – corporate culture. Corporate culture is a set of core values, beliefs, traditions, operational styles, work ethics, employee behavior and basic business principles on which the business is based. All the activities and procedures taking place in the organizations are a reflection of the organization’s corporate culture (Moir, 2008). Only if an employee is able to adapt to the corporate culture can he work in accordance to the requirements of the organization; in fact, the corporate culture is a guideline for them. There are two types of cultures – adaptive and unadaptive. Adaptive cultures are suitable for ever-changing environments where strategies and structures might be needed to change due to changing external stimuli such as markets, legal-political, international pressures, economical conditions, social fulfillments or simply customers, competitors and suppliers (Fuentes-Garcia et al. , 2008). Adaptive cultures are further divided into visible and invisible cultures. Some parts of the culture are visible, such as slogans, symbols, artifacts, dress, and office layout and even ceremonies – things that an outsider can observe and use for judging the organization’s culture. The other division is the invisible culture which includes the beliefs and values that are embedded within the system and employees’ heads; this part of the culture helps them take decisions based on the organization’s culture. On the other hand, unadaptive cultures are ones in which change is rarely brought about and also with great difficulty due to the rigidity of the organization’s practices and traditions. This unadaptive culture is usually an unhealthy one which is further divided into cultures that are hierarchy and politics based, that show resistance to change, those that do not like opening up to the external environment and are inwardly attentive, and lastly are unethical and driven by illegal factors such as greed. Such culturally structured businesses usually do not have a high quality performance and do not facilitate strategy execution. However, even if the culture is adaptive, once an organization’s corporate culture is established, it is difficult to bring about changes in it. This is because everything in the organization is developed and designed in accordance with the culture; bringing a major change in every petty thing is a very costly act. Corporate culture and strategy come together as a ‘culture-strategy fit’ – the tighter this bond is, the more the culture helps in designing the strategy execution by directing and leading the behavior and practices of the employee into the success direction. Therefore, multinational corporations should formulate a culture that fits within all countries so that its strategy execution is possible all around the globe (World News Connection, 2008). Like every other organization, Disney also uses its corporate culture to formulate strategies. The core values of Disney are quality, innovation, decency, and employee justice. Since the day the company started operating, it has focused excellence, class, value, and worthy production. All the stories, animations and entertainment resorts etc by The Walt Disney Company are of eminence and unparalleled. Innovation is the most important characteristic of this company; no customer or viewer is interested in watching things that have been shown earlier on television – they demand for something new and unique every time. This need is fulfilled by Disney at all costs, as it is one of their competitive advantages – creativity! This pool of new ideas every time is the reason for the success of the company and the reason for its growth by the day. Disney also focuses on ‘family’ entertainment; thus, it tries to ensure decency so that people of all ages can enjoy a certain clipping together. In a corporate environment when there are hierarchies involved, employees at a higher level tend to use their authority on those under their control. This tends to irritate employees and reduce their job satisfaction which directly affects their productivity and commitment to the company. Therefore, The Walt Disney Company makes it a point to give equal treatment to all employees; in fact, give them importance as they would to a guest. This helps to build cordial relations among the employees and management, causing the sharing of ideas to take place. It creates a comfort level causing the employees to enjoy participation. Naturally, this involvement increases their loyalty to their company and shoots their productivity. Cultural diversity is also a major constituent of Disney’s culture – this is evident even in their products. There is not just Disney World and Disneyland anymore, there is Tokyo Disneyland Resort and Hong Kong Disney Land – people from various cultures and nationalities can enjoy the magic of Disney closer to their homes. Motivation is normally defined as a force that drives a person towards a goal. In the world of business, motivation is to drive the employee towards enhanced productivity by exploiting the abilities to the maximum potential, by improving the job performance. It becomes self-explanatory that it is the job of the manager to monitor and control the human resource available by motivating the employee and instilling in them a positive attitude towards the tasks assigned to them. This helps in accomplishing the tasks that would not be fulfilled otherwise (Nohria et al. , 2008). Therefore, it is crucial for a manager to understand different theories and various techniques of motivation. Motivation is a state of mind – different people get motivated by various different things. However, there are certain fixed factors that motivate a person by nature. These factors include money, prosperity, popularity, success, higher knowledge and happiness (Campbell, 2002). A successful manager would target employees in groups depending upon the factor that influences them. Also, a person should try to self-evaluate oneself in order to learn what influences them or what drives them towards their maximum potential. For example, an extremely poor clerk with a big family to provide for is well aware of the fact that a greater wage would motivate him towards doing whatever is expected of him. When provided with incentives, the behaviour or attitude of the employee towards the task changes and he becomes more involved and devoted to it. In order to receive the reward that is set for him, he tends to give top priority to the work assigned and finish is as soon as possible. Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (1943) from a business point of view portrays physiological needs (salary, ambience), safety needs (pensions, insurance, medical care), belongingness needs (social gatherings, relationship with co-workers), self-esteem (job title, post, authority) and self-actualization (opportunities to display skills, development opportunities) ranking from one (most important) to five (least important) respectively. The Walt Disney Company has a clear knowledge of all this incentives and motivational tactics; thus, it chose to give importance to its employees as a boost to their confidence. The rise in self-respect and prestige that they received by requesting for their ideas to be shared for the betterment of the company motivated them to work. However, there was a time earlier on when there were rigid hierarchies at Disney. But now, the company has a culture of teamwork – they believe that every employee is capable enough to give his or her suggestion for the company. Their structure reduced rigid hierarchies and an authoritarian style of management. In fact, people maintained friendly relations and held an open forum for discussion of various issues. Even Disney believes in giving small rewards to its workers to give them an incentive to work harder for success. Disney even has sessions and seminars for instilling the corporate culture into the employees and motivating them to raise productivity bars. At the Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, out of the 180 recognition awards, one is called the Fred Award; it was named after an employee but also is an acronym for friendly, resourceful, enthusiastic and dependable. Other awards generating from this Fred award are Spirit of Fred Award and even The Lifetime Fred Award, which is a bronze statuette of Mickey Mouse (Disney Magic, 2008). This, along with other extremely coveted awards, is a driving force or incentive for the employees to work more proficiently so that they can receive this award. The world is progressing in every aspect of life. There is intense development and urbanization taking place. Day after day, as population increases, demand for goods and services also increases; this creates a need for more companies and more employment. Almost everyday we hear names of new companies who have recently joined the market competition. As more and more companies are emerging, there is naturally a greater supply of similar goods in the market; some of these goods are better than the other which increases the standard of competition. Competition is not only restricted to your local market; with increasing globalization, the entire international forum is becoming your playing field. Competition is becoming so intense by the minute that no company can afford to slack off for even a day; every company needs to be operating at its maximum level to make its place into the market. The secret to a successful organization is its management – if there is a smooth managerial supervision with each department working efficiently and effectively, the company is guaranteed to succeed. Even if a company has the best of employees and human resource available, unless and until everything is well-structured and well organized, the company cannot reach successful heights. As the world around us advances, we need to keep in pace with them and cope up. At times to bring about a positive change in an organization, there is a need for restructuring, switching to more innovative methods of production, technological advancement and even use of research and development. This organizational behavior concept is called ‘change management’ – it is the shift of organizations, teams, or even individuals from the existing stage to a preferred stage in the future (Burge, 2008). Disney started off with marvelous creative ideas and kept working with them. They earned a big share of the TV audience and earned great revenue; for this reason, they were extremely satisfied with what they were doing. However, due to a shift in the environment, suppliers, customers and competitors, the strategic context of Disney had changed a bit. This alteration of the strategic context was not working out; there was a 13% decline of the ABC network ratings among 18-49 years aged people. This was the time when it was obvious that the company had stopped growing – children of age 9-10 were not interested in Disney characters that came from history or myths and had shifted to contemporary cartoon characters made by Nickelodeon. There was structural and cultural, both, resistance to change at Disney and there was a severe need to eradicate this. Disney depended on its old way due to the extreme interdependence of the organization’s structures, schemes and procedures. Disney had a very smooth corporate culture which is also mentioned earlier; this same culture led to great success. But at the same time, it brings a halt to the improvement; that is, organizations become content and do not strive for more. According to Fortune, 1999, this resistance to change caused great difficulty for Disney. However, Disney has currently regained its success by working on change and a more flexible culture and structure – realizing where they went wrong, what the customers want, and then bringing that change in the organization accordingly. Each organization might have one or two important behaviors, but usually practice all of the above mentioned organizational behavior concepts. The driving force for the employees at Disney is respect, prestige and accolades; corporate culture includes quality, innovation, decency, and justice with employees; lastly, on realizing that sales and market share were falling, change management was adopted. Therefore, it is easy to conclude that although like every other organization, even Disney follows all these organizational behavior concepts, but motivation, change management and corporate culture have been mostly evidently seen since the past. It is very important for us to study these organizational behavior concepts in-depth as they help us in understanding the needs of the people and the organization itself.

Difference Between Operating Systems And Application Software

Difference Between Operating Systems And Application Software What is application software? A  program  or group of programs designed for  end users. Application  software can be divided into two general classes:  systems software  and  applications software. Systems software consists of low-level programs that interact with the  computer  at a very basic level. This includes  operating systems compilers , and  utilities  for managing computer  resources. In contrast, applications software (also called  end-user  programs) includes database  programs,  word processors, and  spreadsheets. Figuratively speaking, applications software sits on top of systems software because it is unable to  run  without the operating system and  system  utilities. There are a lot of terms can be found over the internet related to computer. All type of computer have processor, Memory, keyboard, mouse and screen to display output. But their is a significant difference how people or organizations use computes for their usage. We can divide all type of computers to 6 categories. Personal Computer ,Server Computer, Mainframe Computer , Super Computer, Embedded Computer, Mobile Computer. Operating  Systems Software  designed  to  handle  basic  elements  of  computer  operation,such  as  sending  instructions  to  hardware  devices  like  disk  drives and  computer  screens,  and  allocating  system  resources  such  as memory  to  different  software  applications  being  run.  Given uniformly  designed  operating  systems  that  run  on  many  different computers,  developers  of  software  do  not  need  to  concern themselves  with  these  problems,  and  are  provided  with  a  standard platform  for  new  programs. Application software  is a subclass of  computer software  that employs the capabilities of a computer directly to a task that the user wishes to perform. This should be contrasted with  system software  which is involved in integrating a computers various capabilities, but does not directly apply them in the performance of tasks that benefit the user. Custom Applications The software is tailor-made software.  The software developed to meet all the requirements specified by the user. General Applications This type of software developers to carry out specific tasks in mind the overall requirements.  Many users can use it, because it meets the general requirements. Application software is computer software, which uses a computer the ability to direct and complete the task, users want to run sub-classes. This should be contrasted with system software, the software is the integration of various functions in the computer, but usually not directly applicable to the task, a user-friendly performance. In an application suite usually have a separate application user interface with some common makes it easier for users to learn and use each application. Often they may have some capacity, with people in ways that favor the user. For example, a spreadsheet might be able to document in a word processor, even if it has been in the embedded application to create a separate spreadsheet.  User-written software tailors systems to meet users specific needs. User-written software include spreadsheet templates, word processor macros, scientific simulations, graphics and animation scripts. Users create this software themselves how important it is often overlooked.  In some types of embedded systems, application software and operating system software may be unable to distinguish between users, such as software used to control the VCR, DVD player or microwave oven case. Operating system The use of low-level computer software called the operating system (O / S), to help people build and run their own programs.  Operating system software runs not only in notebook computers, but also mobile phones, network routers and other so-called embedded devices. The type of operating system Operating system is a set of procedures, control application software, the user runs the hardware provided between the collection and the current software running on the computer link.  The operating system is also responsible for the management and control of all resources (memory, hard drives, monitors, etc.) between them may be running different applications at the same time share the work. The most famous of the operating system used on personal computers: -Microsoft Windows -Mac OS X, -Linux, Some operating systems are designed for certain types of equipment, such as Google Android (Linux, a variant), and Symbian the mobile phone The Solaris and HP UX, and dangerous goods UX and other Unix variants for server computers December VM (Virtual Memory System) used to host computer Other operating systems to enjoy the notoriety of the period, but now only historical interest are: Novells Netware is the personal computer 90 in the 20th century, the popular O / S IBMs OS / 2 was an early PC-O / Ss competition with Microsoft Windows for a time, but limited success Multics is a particularly innovative in the mainframe operating system created in the 60s of last century, which affected the future of Unix development. Different between Operating System and Application Software The Operating System is the System Software that makes the Computer work. We can say that an Operating System (OS) is Software that acts as an interface between you and the hardware. It not only contains drivers used to speak the hardwares language, but also offers you a very specific graphical user interface (GUI) to control the computer. An OS can also act as an interface (from the hardware) to the other software. A complex OS like Windows or Linux or Mac OS offers the services of an OS, but also has applications built in. Solitaire, Paint, Messenger, etc. are all applications. Application software is the software that you install onto your Operating System. It consists of the programs that actually let you do things with your computer. These Applications are written to run under the various Operating Systems. These include things like your word processing programs, spread sheets, email clients, web browser, games, etc. Many programs, such as most of the Microsoft Office suite of programs, are written in both Mac and Windows versions, but you still have to have the right version for your OS. So, the operating system of a computer is the software that allows the computer work. It provides the framework under which the applications run. The Operating system of a Computer is the Software that allows the Computer work. It provides the framework under which the Applications run. An operating system is the type of Computer system you have such as Window XP or Window 95, 98, Mac, etc. The applications are the software that actually allows the user to do something with the computer. Without the applications, all you can do is change settings and navigate among the folders.The Applications are the Software that actually allows the user to do something with the Computer. Without the applications, all you can do is change settings and navigate among the folders. You can purchase its CD from a software company or download from a software companys web site. Types of Computer Systems Different  types of computer  systems are nowadays available for different purposes according the user needs.When youll have to  order  yours or even to build it, you should  first  define the  expected use of your computer.This step will help you to  describe  the basic capabilities and know the costs of your system. Example : Personal Computer ,Server Computer, Mainframe Computer , Super Computer, Embeded Computer, Mobile Computer. Supercomputers Supercomputers are the most fastest, and expensive modern computer systems. They are mostly used for intense processing and forecasting such as forecasting the weather, or super high resolution graphics such as ray traced images. Government processes such as immigration clearances, and all other high level functionalities are handled by a supercomputer. Supercomputers are also extensively used in the military to manage and calculate or even analyze full range of information from coordinates to traffic control and even launching systems. Today, the worlds fastest supercomputer was developed by IBM the IBM Roadrunner which runs on 1.026 1.105 Pflops or petaflops and is placed in the Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico USA taking up a space of 6000 square feet. Mainframe computers Mainframe computers are used in large organizations such as insurance companies and banks, where many people frequently need to use the same data. In a traditional mainframe environment, each user accesses the mainframes resources through a terminal (network terminal). There are two kinds of terminal, one is a dumb terminal which does not process or store data, just basic I/O input output and the intelligent terminal which can perform processing operations but these terminals normally do not have any storage. Mainframes are large and powerful systems to handle the processing of thousands of users at any one time. Most large organizations implement mainframes due to their flexibilities in which department computers can be allocated a certain functionality that is related to the department in response to all programs. For instance, an airline company which wishes to sell tickets online through the internet will require to connect their current website interface to a mainframe system. You as the user would then connect to the website or the mainframe system to key in your ticket purchase. Personal computers Microcomputer  designed for use by one person at a time. A typical PC assemblage comprises a  CPU; internal  memory  consisting of  RAM  and  ROM; data storage devices (including a  hard disc, a  floppy disc, or  CD-ROM); and input/output devices (including a display screen, keyboard,  mouse, and  printer). The PC industry began in 1977 when Apple Computer, Inc. (now  Apple Inc.), introduced the Apple II. Radio Shack and Commodore Business Machines also introduced PCs that year.  IBM  entered the PC market in 1981. The IBM PC, with increased memory capacity and backed by IBMs large sales organization, quickly became the industry standard. Apples Macintosh (1984) was particularly useful for  desktop publishing.  Microsoft Corp. introduced MS  Windows(1985), a  graphical user interface  that gave PCs many of the capabilities of the Macintosh, initially as an overlay of  MS-DOS. Windows went on to replace MS-DOS as the dominant  operating syst em  for personal computers. Uses of PCs multiplied as the machines became more powerful and application  software  proliferated. Today, PCs are used for  word processing,  Internet  access, and many other daily tasks. Computer servers Computer servers are among the most important infrastructure in any organization. The basic answer to the question what is a computer server, lies in the name of the term. It is a computer that serves all the computers or terminals, that are connected to it. Applications are stored in this computer and the other computer terminals connected to it, can access it. Although  computer  servers used to only be a part of enterprise networks, servers have now become a part of smaller, home or office networks. Servers can be used for several functions, such as supporting files, backups, security or gaming. For enterprise applications, servers are usually high-powered machines that can handle many requests from clients. Home or small-office servers can be another desktop that is used for file sharing and printing. Embedded Computer An  embedded system  is a special-purpose  computer  system, which is completely encapsulated by the device it controls. An embedded system has specific requirements and performs pre-defined tasks, unlike a general-purpose  personal computer. Programs on an embedded system often must run with  real-time  constraints with limited  hardware  resources: often there is no disk drive, operating system, keyboard or screen. A  flash drive  may replace rotating media, and a small keypad and  LCD  screen may be used instead of a PCs keyboard and screen. Firmware  is the name for  software  that is embedded in hardware devices, e.g. in one or more  ROM/Flash  memory  IC  chips. Embedded systems are routinely expected to maintain 100% reliability while running continuously for long periods of time, sometimes measured in years.  Firmware  is usually developed and tested to much stricter requirements than is general purpose  software  (which can usually be easily restarted if a problem occurs). In addition, because the embedded system may be outside the reach of humans (down an  oil well  borehole, launched into  outer space, etc.), embedded firmware must usually be able to self-restart even if some sort of catastrophic  data corruption  has taken place. This last feature often requires external hardware assistance such as a  watchdog timer  that can automatically restart the system in the event of a software failure. Mobile Computer Mobile computers are computing devices small enough to fit in your hand. A popular type of handheld computer is the personal digital assistant (PDA). A PDA is no larger than a small appointment book and is normally used for special applications such as taking notes, displaying telephone numbers and addresses and keeping track of dates or agendas. Many PDAs can be connected to computers to exchange data. Most PDAs come with a pen (stylus) that allows for handwriting recognition and some even have tiny built-in keyboards or microphones for voice input. A wireless connection (Wi-Fi) can be used to access the internet with a PDA. PDAs in the later part of this century were converted into phones, cameras, music players and GPS. The demands for PDA phones have been in the increase and of late have been mostly replaced by smart-phones that are equipped with much functionality similar to a computer. Conclusion Computers have become very important nowadays because they are accurate, fast and can accomplish many tasks easily. Otherwise to complete those tasks manually much more time is required. It can do very big calculations in just a fraction of a second. Moreover it can store huge amount of data in it. We also get information on different aspects using internet on our computer. O S and A S These provisions are applicable for both software applications and operating systems.   They address program features that must be contained in software for the product to meet the standards.   Because there are many programming languages from which a software producer may select, it is impossible to give specific coding techniques.   In some cases it is possible that a particular programming language may not possess the features necessary to fulfil these requirements.   In those instances, another language for creating the program would most likely have to be considered for the product to meet the standards. Since the invention of computers from first generation and fourth generation computers, they have been classified according to their types and how they operate that is input, process and output information. Below you will get a brief discussion on various types of Computers we have

Impact of Fire on the Geology of Soils Essay -- Wildfires and Soil Geo

Fires are an important and healthy process in many ecosystems. The lack of fires can cause new plant communities to invade an area . The regular occurrence of fires can keep one plant community dominate, like oak savannas. Fires can leave burnt sticks the size of trees and clumps of charcoal where bunch grass use to grow, but not for long. An area that was burned will re-grow, grasslands will be green the next growing season and forests will typically show new growth soon after. Somewhere in the process of a fire the soil it travels over is effected. Alterations happen immediately after a fire passes over a soil and can continue years after a fire has gone. Soils are impacted in two main ways; by the entering of nutrients form the brunt organic matter (living vegetation and by the litter on the surface of the soil) and the heating of the soil and the nutrients already present in the soil. The greater the duration and intensity of the fire will influence the amount of alteration of th e soil. A prescribed burn is usually less intense than a wildfire. Prescribed burns are put on when conditions are right, meaning that the area is not too dry or too large. Wildfires on the other hand can start at any time and burn vast areas and last for days out of control. One reason wildfires usually are more intense than prescribed burns is because of the fire suppression that lasted most of this century allowed large amounts of fuel to pile up waiting to be burned. Vegetation in these areas will grow back regardless, but it is the soils that have a harder time recovering from the intense heat. One other difference to consider when looking at the types of fires, is a forest fire verses a grassland fire. Forest fires usually last longer and h... ... A., 1989, Effect of simulated forest fire on the availability of N and P in Mediterranean soils: Plant Soil. v. 120, p. 57-63. Mroz, G. D., Jurgensen, M. F., Harvey, A. E., and Larsen, M. J., 1980, Effects of fire on nitrogen in forest floor horizons: Soil Science Society of America Journal, v. 44, p. 395-400. Prieto-Fernandez, A., Villar, M. C., Carballas, M. and Carballas, T., 1993, Short-term effects of a wildfire on the nitrogen status and its mineralization kinetics in an Atlantic forest soil: Soil Biology and Biochemistry, v. 25, p. 1657-1664. Ulery, A. L. and Graham, R. C., 1993, Forest fire effects on soil color and texture: Soil Science Society of America Journal, v. 57, p. 135-140. Ulery, A. L., Graham, R.C. and Bowen, L. H., 1996, Forest fire effects on phyllosilicates in California: Soil Science Society of America Journal, v. 60, p. 309-315.