LOU Survey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

LOU Survey - Essay Example n; Level III – state of mechanical use; Level IV A – state of routine; Level IV B – state of refinement; Level V – state of integration; Level VI – state of renewal. The behavior of the majority of the users or specific groups of users will dictate the decision of the organization on the terms of intervention, planning and preparation for the technology or technologies that they will have to adopt. Orr and Mrazek (2008) have used the LoU along with Stages of Concern (CoN) to assess the â€Å"professional growth of among the professionals pursuing graduate course work in educational technology† (p. 2) at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada. What they did was to formulate statements that describe the level of their use or the extent of their confidence with respect to their manner of using technologies instead of just labeling the choices with numbers similar to a Likert scale. This was deemed much better since the respondents will not be biased in their answers. Examples of the statements used in their study are as follows: I really don’t know anything about this technology, or am not sure that it would be useful for my classes – to reflect level 0; I am collaborating with colleagues to develop ways in which we can use this technology to better meet our common objectives for our classes – to reflect level V; and finally I still use this technology, but I am exploring other technologies to replace it that will better meet the objectives for my classes – to reflect level VI. The interpretation of the data gathered from this survey is a simple computation of the mean, median and standard deviation of the responses of the respondents. The data gathered will of course reflect the common technologies being used by the respondents and what they do not know how to use or what they don’t use. This will somehow provide insight on what technologies they need to be trained on and the possible technologies that would be practically fit for

Investment theory and analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Investment theory and analysis - Case Study Example "The Reported Amount reflects a value of $0.02 Per Share of Data Center Relocation Costs." SEATTLE (BUSINESS WIRE) May 13, 1999. Nordstrom, Inc. also reported diluted earnings per share of $0.22 for its first quarter, ending April 30, 1999. Nordstrom's Earnings per share increased by 33%, to 52 cents a share, about a penny more than the analysts at Wall Street had expected. There has also been an increase in sales to about 12% in the fall, amounting to about $1.87 billion. Sales at locations open at least a year (same-store sales), have also increased to an impressive 11%. Nordstrom's Catalog sales gained the most, increasing as much as 30%, followed by sales at the company's discount stores, which increased by about 11%, and sales at the full-line department store, which went up by nearly 9%.This reported amount reflects a value of $0.02 per share of non-recurring costs related to the resettlement of Nordstrom's data center from Seattle, Washington, to Denver, Colorado. Earnings per share also went up by 4.8 percent, above the $0.21 recorded between January and April last year. The company's Net earnings dropped by 2.5 percent, as compared to Net earnings of $31.5 million in the prior year. Company sales also dropped by 0.1 percent, from last year, and totaled $1.0 billion. Nordstrom Historical Stock Chart. Other relevant informationNordstrom, Inc. has an Internet presence at http://www.nordstrom.com, and the company's total square footage is 13,813,000. The company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, John Whitacre said "We were neither satisfied nor surprised with our first quarter performance. While we have been successful at paring inventory levels, which had burgeoned recently, we must now refine our merchandise... John W. Nordstrom was only 16 years old when he boy left Sweden, his home country, to come to New York City In 1887. He arrived in New York with just $5 left in his pocket, and was not even able to speak English at the time. For some years, he worked in logging camps and mines across the United States, but later went north to Alaska, after learning that gold had been found there.Nordstrom’s business philosophy has been based on quality, value, exceptional service, and selection. The company has built a devoted customer base, and has more than 180 stores across 27 states in America. Nordstrom now has a stock market value of more than $12 billion. Nordstrom, Inc. has an Internet presence at http://www.nordstrom.com, and the company’s total square footage is 13,813,000. The company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, John Whitacre said "We were neither satisfied nor surprised with our first quarter performance. While we have been successful at paring inventory l evels, which had burgeoned recently, we must now refine our merchandise mix to better align it with customer needs." As of April 30th, 1999, retail store inventory per square foot declined 7.1 percent and total inventory declined 4.7 percent, both from year-ago levels. Gross margin increased 0.9 percentage points to 33.8 percent of sales in the 1999 first quarter. For the quarter, comparable store sales declined 2.6 percent.

Digital culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Digital culture - Essay Example On the other hand, the presentations illustrated unbundling and dynamic of self organization. We are able to build upon our pre existing knowledge by interacting with the tools created by the digital culture. For example, using the Google such as Google drive or Samsung digitized products can help an individual learn many things that they previously never knew about. By this we can say that the presentations illustrated beyond doubt how technogenesis, unbundling and self organization is brought about in the process. Question B Several additional factors would have supported my learning. Direct interaction with the outside world that is out of classroom environment would have been great so that to bring the learning more into a reality. The idea of automated and consistent assessment would have helped me to have a more concrete understanding of this course. Moreover, convenience and flexibility would have supported my learning and even make it better. The course ought to have considered the student interests and make it more learner centered, if it were to support the student fully to improve their learning. Lastly, motivation by the instructors, a more direct questioning approach and additional time would have been perfect in making my learning more favorable. The conception of the internet as our most interactive medium today, would have guided us to interact more thus learn more. Instructional designers need to extend and expand the various aspects in order for this course to be more tool complete, and stand alone online expert system. These include developing a broader array of tools for proper communication. They need to understand which communication mediums are best suited for learners of our kind. This will give the course an upper hand over other online expert systems. For this course to be the most outstanding in the whole world, it needs a proper implementation which will guide it throughout. It should also embrace a faster learning experience which will help it to be more competitive when compared with other online expert systems. Furthermore it should be more interactive and student oriented so that to benefit the students and their productivity as well. All these will help the course to be a more complete system. Cheat sheet This course is very important in that we live in the digital age and much has changed. Issues regarding unbundling and its t heme become a major area of interest in this course most probably because of its significance. Another important aspect is technogenesis technology which carry’s the weight of digital culture. The relevant ideas I stipulated in tackling this task is acknowledging the importance of this course and its application in the modern world. List of important areas Disembodiement Technogenesis Digital graphics and interphase Online scholarships through

The film Super Size Me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The film Super Size Me - Essay Example My current fast food intake is once or twice per month. The fast food restaurant is usually McDonald's or a local fast food place called Pop's, which serves burgers and Italian beef sandwiches. The first fact I would like to mention is that obesity is now second only to smoking as the leading cause of death in America. Obesity is a common problem in the United States, as many Americans are sedentary in their jobs, and do not make time for or do not have time for exercise. On top of this, as a nation we are consuming a mass amount of junk food as well as frequenting fast food restaurants with regularity. This is unhealthy. From a nutrition standpoint, we should be cooking more meals at home, which is healthier, and trying to eat balanced diets which include fresh fruits and vegetables, a small portion of meat if that is acceptable, and whole grains, with a minimum amount of fat which isn't trans fat or polyunsaturated fat. An emphasis should be placed on a balanced diet with a certain number of small fats and oils in the diet, which are necessary for the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K. Obesity is a problem in America not just because of the fact that people are not g etting enough exercise. The diseases that come along with obesity-such as heart attack, stroke, and diabetes-are all risk factors that one engenders when one is not at a healthy weight. At the current rate, one in three children born today are at risk of developing diabetes. That is an alarming rate that we should be worried about as a nation. One of the obese men in Super Size Me was getting laparascopic surgery to reduce the size of his stomach and to eliminate his diabetic problems. He admitted to drinking two gallons of diet soda per day. That is a red flag right there, but it leads me to my next point, which is a continuing problem: the proliferation of sugared candies and sodas. Here is a second astonishing fact. According to Super Size Me, the average American child sees 10,000 food advertisements on television per year, and ninety-five percent of those are for sugared cereals, soft drinks, or candy. Advertising for McDonald's and soda and candy companies, according to the movie, was obviously tremendously high. Children didn't know who Jesus were but they sure knew who Ronald McDonald was! That just goes to show the power of advertising. The danger of advertising these high-fructose products to kids are that they will get addicted at an early age to sugar, and that will feed into a life-long need for candy and sodas that will breed itself in adulthood. It is a precursor to medical conditions that are silent killers-cancer, heart failure, stroke, and diabetes. Now, here is fact number three. Each day, one in four Americans visits a fast food restaurant, and 46 million visit McDonald's daily-that is more people than the population of Spain. The fact that so many people

American Civil War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Civil War - Essay Example These polarized objectives constructed the value system of the two Generals and their respective armies. More so, they shaped the history of America; and gave a blueprint of its future - the American life. On April 9, 1865, when Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, the Civil War came to the edge of end. It was a moment in history when a nation was going to be born sans slavery, sans right of succession, and abiding everything 'freedom' and 'equality' meant in essence. However, the constant collision of ideologies that had preceded this conclusion for about five years of Civil War (1861-65) is an interesting phenomenon to observe. Lee came from Virginia, and family-values, culture, traditions, chivalry, knighthood, were the elements around which his people and his life revolved and evolved. That stratification was a convenient and apt way to construct the social order - he firmly believed in. That 'land' is the primary and only source of wealth and influence - was the motivation behind all his actions. That the privileged who owned the land shoulder responsibility towards the rest of the community as well as possesses the power to monitor the actions and occupations of the community - he upheld it. Slavery and right to succession were corollaries to the beliefs of the 'land lord'. And the belief in 'landed nobility', was the guiding factor for thousands of elite men from the Southern states who plunged into war, willing to die, willing to sacrifice their everything for the cause that Lee believed in. However, the day Lee surrendered at Appomattox, it was the culmination of 'landed nobility' and the cause was lost. (Catton, pp. 17-44) On the other hand, Grant, who came from the Western front, was the son of a tanner. His background signified everything he was, and believed in - in living life the tough way, in self-reliance, in forgoing past, and in focus on future. He turned down the social order based on privileges that ran down the traditions and land-ownership. He stood for democracy, equality, and competition. If privileges meant anything to him - those were the privileges that a man earned by virtue of his competitiveness. However, along with these beliefs, ran a strong sense of nationalism. He believed in living and working in a country where nation supported the individual and individuals supported the nation - prosperity of both being complementary to each other. To Grant and his people (the Westerners), 'community' meant the whole of United States of America as against the Southerners, to whom 'community' meant only their region. This is the striking line that sets apart General Lee and General Grant and their respective people. (Catton, pp. 47-59) Lee and Grant: Two Similar Leaders Though Lee and Grant were as different as two men could ever be, yet the aspiration that ran beneath everything that they did made them strikingly similar to each other - it was the aspiration to lead their people towards a future they believed in. The two leaders were no better fighters than each other - none gave up in the face of adversity. While in spite of his army's and his personal handicaps Grant fought his way down the Mississippi valley, Lee hung on in a trench at Petersburg even when defeat stared him in his face. They both moved with resourcefulness and speed. Due to this, Lee won at Second Manassas and

Diamonds Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Diamonds - Research Paper Example According to the research paper "Diamonds" findings, diamonds are considered to have been originally discovered and mined in India. Over 6,000 years ago, substantial alluvial deposits of the stone were traced along Godavari, Krishna, and Penner Rivers in India (Koizumi, Nebel and Nesladek 4). Today, it is approximated that close to 130,000,000 karats of diamond are mined every year. This translates to about 26,000 kilograms of diamond being mined annually. Apart from this, it is also estimated that close to 100,000 kilograms of diamonds are synthesized every year (Pagel-Theisen 9). The exact amount of diamonds that exist in the world cannot be accurately established. However, at this current rate of mining and synthesis, a number of diamonds that exist can be estimated (Zaitsev 10). India has been leading the world in the production of diamond from the time they were discovered there around 9th century BC until mid 18th century AD. This led to the exhaustion of these sources. Diamond began being extracted from primary deposits of lamproites and kimberlites in the 1870s after being discovered in fields, in South Africa. Since then, its production is estimated to have reached 4,500,000,000 karats to date. This is approximately 900,000 kilograms of diamond (Koizumi, Nebel and Nesladek 33). Much of the diamond produced in the world is used for various purposes. A significant amount of diamond is used for industrial applications because of its characteristic high dispersion of light, and its hardness. Another common use of diamond is to make jewelry. Due to its electrical conductivity, diamond is also used as a semiconductor. Most of the diamond produced all over the world is used for these common purposes (Zaitsev 12). It is usually assumed that diamonds are solely fashion accessories. However, they have other numerous applications as stated (Pagel-Theisen 16). It is important to point out that most diamonds can be recycled. Sometimes, when diamonds are mined, not all of them are appropriate for use in making jewelry. This may be because of their size or quality. Such diamonds can be used to coat different cutting tools (Pagel-Theisen 44). This will make those cutting tools more effective because of the hardness of diamond. Tiny flawed diamonds may be used in other areas such as computing and optics. This shows that diamonds can be safely recycled by themselves. When glued to other parts for various uses, diamonds must be separated from these toxic parts before being recycled (Zaitsev 15). There are some cases whereby diamond cannot be recycled. These include instances where diamond was used in industries to grind other things, and it eventually turns into dust. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), in 2003, 4.9 million carats of industrially used diamond was recycled (Koizumi, Nebel and Nesladek 30). Diamonds are also being recycled through recutting and resetting. It is estimated that 49% of diamonds in the world come fro m Southern

A Journal opinion article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 11

A Journal opinion article - Essay Example As compared to the same period last year, JP Morgan registered a reduction in bond trading revenue by 21%. Additionally, the bank revenue obtained from the mortgage reduced to 84%. Major aspect that caused the poor performance by the bank was due to uncertainties that surrounded the US economy as far as lending to consumers and trading volumes are concerned. Being one of the Wall Street banks to post the reduced earnings, JP Morgan indicates how the financial sector has been faced with difficulties in the first quarter of 2014. Additionally, majority of the businesses owned by the bank including the commercial lending and the credit cards indicated low profits. This resulted to reduced total revenue for the bank in the first quarter an aspect that may result in reduction of annual revenue if the trend of the low performance in the financial sector continues in the remaining quarters. According to the bank, the net income fell to $5.27 billion which is equivalent to $1.28 per share fo rm the $6.53bn, or $1.59 per share which was experienced in the same period in 2013. According to the analysts, the bank earning per share was expected to stand at $1.40 per share. However, this was not achieved due to the reduction in net revenue which experienced 8.5% fall to stand at $22.99bn while the bank expected total revenue to stand at $24.53billion. Similarly, in the premarket trading, JP shares reduced by 3.3% to sell at $55.50 deviating from $61 highest prices that the bank has maintained for the last 13 years. This is a major indicator of poor performance of the bank an aspect that may result to low level of trust from the customers as well as investors. Despite the low performance by the JP Morgan, Jamie Dimon, the chief executive officer indicates that the largest bank in US is creating confidence in the country’s economy. As the result of