Long Distance Trade for the Roman and Han Empires Essay

Long Distance Trade for the Roman and Han Empires - Essay Example The much famous Silk Road route was properly established during the Han Dynasty (Duiker & Spielvogel, 2014, p. 133). The continually soaring demand for silk from the Roman Empire did intensify the commercial traffic in Central Asia. The Roma traders sailed as far as the Western ports of India to purchase the Chinese silk (Duiker & Spielvogel, 2014, p. 118). When the Han Empire conquered the territories in Southwest China, this did give impetus to the long distance trade extending as far as Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean (Duiker & Spielvogel, 2014, 135). There existed much demand for the silk and gold produced by the Han Empire. Going by the commercial importance and power of the Han Empire, the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius did send a trade mission to China to bolster the trade relations between the two Empires (Duiker & Spielvogel, 2014). The Han merchants also carried silk as far as to India and traded it for the Indian spices, gems, gold, silver, cotton, perfumes, incense, pe arls, and any array of other commodities. Long distance trade did play a major role in strengthening the Han Empire and enhancing its prosperity and affluence. The Roman Empire happened to be a big source of goods that were manufactured and mined along the Mediterranean Basin. To carry on the trade with Central Asia and Europe, the Romans built and extensive network of roads which gave an impetus to the long distance trade in the Roman Empire (McNeill & McNeill, 2003, p. 114). The Romans were also good at drafting detailed maps which happened t o be quiet accurate. The ingenuity of Roman business acumen could be noticed by the fact that the Romans did make efforts to connect the road networks with the important sea routes in their domain to assure smooth and hassle free trade (McNeill & McNeill, 2003). The Silk Road happened to be an important bridge that connected the Han and the Roman Empire.

Economics - Supply and Demand of Beef in the United States Essay Example for Free

Economics Supply and Demand of Beef in the United States Essay Imagine a life with no hamburger or milk. How would this make you feel? Do you think you would be able to survive? I know I wouldn’t be able to. Both milk and red meat are important in a daily diet. These two items come from cattle. Cattle and beef in general are a necessity to everyday living. â€Å"The importance of beef cattle in the agriculture of this country rests chiefly upon their ability to convert coarse forage, corn, grass, and other products of the land, wither unfit or not wanted for human consumption, into a valuable and much-desired food. Lets face it, we aren’t going to be eating grass or grain pellets anytime soon. Cattle eat grain pellets, grass, forage, and other stuff that humans don’t consume. The cow has a much more desirable flavor inside. Can you picture now eating a juicy prime rib sandwich? This is just one of the many items a cow produces. Local farmers in rural communities are working hard to produce the high demands for beef. â€Å"Hamburger meat from one steer would equal 720 quarter-pound hamburgers, enough for a family of four to enjoy hamburgers each day for nearly six months. They are looking ways to produce higher quality beef. The cattle producers are now artificially inseminating the cattle with better genetics to help make the quality of beef higher. According to Present and Future Applications of DNA Technologies to Improve Beef Production, substantial improvements in production efficiency and quality of beef and dairy products have been made possible through manipulation of bov ine genetics. Milk comes from cows and that’s what gives you strong bones and lower carbohydrates which are essential for everyone’s daily diet. Also beef is the number one source of zinc in the human diet. The meat is filled with nutrients that help your body get what it needs to stay healthy. It is an excellent way to keep your immune system going strong and not feeling sick, weak, or tired all the time. Being healthy not only makes you look better on the outside, but also on the inside. Being healthy helps with depression, and eating red meat and getting the essential nutrients helps with all of this. Being a cattle raiser myself, I know that there are many factors to consider when producing the cattle that produce the meat. Many people say that cows are wasting the land and that their waste is filling up the land space and causing the manure to destroy the land. This is false. The manure that the cow lets out is extremely vital to the pasture. It is a great fertilizer and gives the nutrients that land needs most. This helps with growing crops as well as flowers and plants.

The Successful Repositioning of Lucozade Essay -- GCSE Business Manage

The Successful Repositioning of Lucozade Lucozade has successfully repositioned itself in the market. Describe and analyse the marketing strategy used by the business to increase profit? A recent report on the UK Market for sports and energy drinks showed that the category has continued to grow at an explosive rate with more than 20 launches and relaunches in that market alone last year. Probably one of the most successful relaunches of the 1990s was the repositioning of Lucozade from a health drink to a sports drink. Lucozade is now one of the most widely recognized brands in Britain, but it has taken a long time to get, so we have to ask ourselves – How did this happen? Lucozade has been around since the 1920s and was originally sold as glocozade glucose based energy drink for sick children. Later it was rebranded as lucozade and again marketed as a health drink, something you would drink when your energy levels needed boosting such as when you were sick or visiting someone in hospital who was sick; again you would take them a bottle of lucozade. However from the 1990s lucozade rebranded and also extended their brand name Lucozade sport and later Lucozade energy, this rebrand happened for a reason and was part of a strategic marketing campaign to coincide with changes in people’s perception of work, sport and general social attitudes. More often than not, it is social changes, technology and science that push a product in a certain direction...

Competitive advantage through employees Essay

Organizations that seek to gain competitive advantage through employees must be able to manage their performance. A 360-degree feedback process is a popular means of managing and improving organizational performance. This method means a person receives feedback from a full circle of other people who work around him or her, which includes peers, subordinates, supervisor and even themselves (Atwater & Brett, 2006). The 360-degree approach recognizes that little change can be expected without feedback, and that different constituencies are a source of rich and useful information to help managers guide their behavior. In a traditional performance evaluation, such as supervisor-subordinate, the supervisor tends to look at a person’s performance from an evaluative viewpoint. In 360-degree reviews, the purpose is more from a feedback viewpoint, which can help the organization to increase or gain competitive advantages by providing feedback to leaders and managers. For instance, a subordinate’s perspective likely will be distinctly different from that of the supervisor. Furthermore, Research has shown that 360-degree feedback can enhance communications and performance (Bernardin & Beatty, 1987). Because it gives a sense to employees that their opinions had been actively sought and heard, which ultimately led to a more open and communicative environment (Carson, 2006). However, misuse of the 360-degree feedback, can lead to hurt feelings, increased anxiety, and even loss of key personnel (Carlson, 2006). What’s more, preparation and implementation of 360-degree feedback is costly as investing time and money. And the process may generate tension between the manager and those who provide ratings (Hautaluoma, et al, 1992). Further, it may set up potential conflict by highlighting the need to be â€Å"different things to different people†. As a result, negative information becomes more powerful and difficult to deny, especially when raters agree; and easy to distort or perceive selectively, especially when raters disagree. In conclusion, regarding to the 360-degree feedback, how it can be used to add great value to organizational effectiveness and development, depends very much on the organizational culture how you implement it and how you can use the results. References: Carson, M 2006, ‘Saying it like isn’t: The pros and cons of 360-degree feedback’, Business horizons, vol. 49, pp. 395-402 Kramar, R, Bartram, T, Cieri, De Cieri, H, Noe, RA, Hollenbeck, JR, Gerhart, B, & Wright, PM, 2014, Human Resource Management in Australia,5th Edition, Mc-Graw Hill, North Ryde, NSW. Lepsinger, R. & Lucia, A.D. 1997, 360 degree feedback and performance appraisal, Minneapolis. London, M & Beatty, Richard, W 1993, ‘360-Degree Feedback as a Competitive Advantage’, Human Resource Management, vol. 32, issue 2/3, pp. 353-372, 20p, 6 Diagrams

How Life Gets Better While People Feel the Same

I’m pretty sure all of us are familiar with the cliche, â€Å"money can’t buy happiness. † In Gregg Easterbrook book The Progress Paradox he tries to understand why a small variances of this cliche is so. The paradox that underlies Easterbrook’s venture is that through out the last fifty years, things have improved in the United States and Europe, by all objective standards. All though during same time, surveys of happiness and satisfaction have not changed since the fifties.Easterbrook’s main question through out the book asking has the objective measures of the well being of man kind increased while overall satisfaction of people and happiness have remained constant? In the three beginning chapters of this book Easterbrook spends a lot of time looking at surveys depicting the various objective measures that show a pretty much steady increase of progress. I found these chapters entertaining to read because it brings to light a huge range of facts a nd statistics that add support to his idea that things are constantly improving.Easterbrook goes on about how the crime rate is falling, the state of the environment is improving, we are gaining intelligence, equality is increasing and economic situations have improved. Crime, both violent and property have been in decline for 20 years. Current crime rates are probably the lowest in the history of the country. The environment has been improving in every area except green house gases. We have the cleanest air since the beginning of the industrial revolution and the cleanest water since Man was a hunter and gatherer. n the statistics discussed, Easterbrook references a 1996 poll that resulted in 52% of the respondents saying the United States was worse now than when their parents were growing up and 60% said they expected their children to live in an even worse country. Only 15% of the respondents believed that overall national conditions were improving (Easterbrook, 2004). In 1997, 6 6% of Americans reported that they believed â€Å"the lot of the average person is getting worse† (Easterbrook, 2004). Easterbrook raises the question â€Å"How is this possible† with the dramatic increase in overall general progress.Along with discussing the statistics of the many surveys, Easterbrook also gives the reader possible reasons for the so-called paradox. One of the possible reasons he gives is â€Å"choice anxiety. † When looking back on the past a lot of people had very few options due to limited income and limited availability of goods and services. But Easterbrook fights that there is flip side to the stress that comes from having to many options, just like not having enough options can be stressful as well.With the constant increase in the range of goods and services available even the easiest choices can become stressful. Easterbrook states this because a consumer can never really be sure if they are making the correct decision causing stress a nd unhappiness. Another possible reason Easterbrook gives is â€Å"Abundance denial. † This means that no matter how much individuals actually have materially, they will never view them as being â€Å"well-off†, which is constantly making people unhappy and stress out. Easterbrook states that a most Americans think of only the rich as being â€Å"well-off. This brings me to my favorite statistic my favorite statistic: there have been around sixty billion people who ever lived, the 600 million who live in western democracies such as Europe, North America, Japan and Australia live better than anyone else in history (better housing, medical care, nutrition etc. )(Easterbrook, 2004). Since my standard of living is considered about average that means that I live better than 99. 5% of people who have ever lived. We are the one percenters, as far as the history of the world goes. Our current one percenters live better than 99. 9% of people, ever. One more possible reason is â€Å"collapse anxiety,† the widespread fear that the prosperity of the United States and Europe may come to an end due to an economic crash, environmental problems, terrorism or some other catastrophe. Even though individuals are better off that constant notion that it is unmanageable leads to people being unhappy and unsatisfied. It’s hard for people to sit back and really appreciate things when they are in constant fear that it could someday end. Lastly he considers â€Å"the revolution of satisfied expectations† as a possible explanation.He refers this to as the uneasiness that follows items that an individual once dreamed of having. Easterbrook states that during the last century western life has been categorized by ever increasing expectations, with each generation expecting to have more than the previous generation. In today’s day and age we have reached a point where people have most of what they need. What Easterbrook is trying to say with this e xplanation is that it is hard to imagine things getting any better than they already are kind of giving individuals nothing to look forward to.After reading this book I had some general issues. First off is the issue of happiness. The beginning of the book deals with objective measures over time that forms a steady increase in progress. To form the paradox the objective facts were compared to the subjective measures of happiness. Of course Easterbrook states that the surveys are not exactly perfect he claims that they â€Å"illuminating nonetheless† (Easterbrook, 2004). However I think this is questionable. The perception of happiness is not constant among individuals at one point in time, let alone over several decades.Each person could have a completely different outlook on happiness. What can be happiness for one person could be sadness or another feeling for someone else. With each person entitled to their own subjective view on what they consider to be happiness, they ar e also entitled to have a subjective perception of what others experienced in the past and what others will experience in the future. So when surveyors asked respondents if they thought their parents would better off or if their children will be better off, it’s not an objective measure but a subjective perception of the past and future.It doesn’t seem clear why we In short, it is not clear why we would assume the level of subjective satisfaction to increase with objective well-being. I feel like Easterbrook was trying to say that in the past it seemed like things were always getting better but now in the future since things are improving so quickly it doesn’t seem like we could continue to progress in the future. It is unclear why people should think that progress couldn’t continue and, therefore, have lower expectations for the future. This question is left unanswered.If you asked, most people would agree that money and material things are not the meani ng of happiness. With this, why would we expect to see a connection between an increase in progress and an increase in happiness? It isn’t clear that the claim has ever been that prosperity and progress will lead to the end of all stress and uneasiness. In the end there are two traits that correlate closely with happiness: forgiveness and gratitude. Forgive those that have done you wrong and be grateful for what you have. †¢Easterbrook, Greg. The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feels Worse. Random House Publishing Group, 2004. eBook.

History of Australia essays

History of Australia essays History of Australia 1901 2000 Between the years of 1901-2000, much occurred in the history of the proud, independent nation. Over more than 100 years ago, Australia fought the battle for federation against England. Australia proposed to be an independent, self-governed nation of six states and territories. Finally, on January 1st, 1901, Australia was proclaimed a federation at Centennial Park, Sydney. Only 6 years later, in 1907, the federal Arbitration Court handed down the Harvester Judgement, a document outlining the concept of basic or family wage. This system was followed through until 1967. In 1915, the soldiers of Australia fought in World War I. The country, as a whole, supported conscription, as many people believed in fighting for England. Many soldiers died in Gallipoli and on the Western Front between the years of 1916-1918. After the tragedy of war, Australias attempt to introduce conscription for service of overseas nations was defeated at referendums held in 1916 and 1917. In the late 1920s, depression struck the world. At first Australia thought that they were safe from disaster, but connections through import/export markets to overseas eventually led to Australia falling as well. In 1933, Australia reached its peak unemployment figures. A third of the nation was unemployed. During World War II, Australia feared invasion from the Japanese. The United States led a counter-offence operation and unified and mobilised troops in prepare for the invasion. When the war finally finished, Australia began a immigration program to strengthen the economy as well as populate the country. Australia became a multicultural society after 1945. In 1949, Robert Gordon Menzies became prime minister in a coalition government, a government which was to remain in power until 1972. During the 1960s, Australia became involved in the Vietnam War. Wide opposition to the war eventually led to the fall of the ...

Lamassu essays

Lamassu essays Lamassu is an Neo-Assyrian Akkadian term used to designate a composite creature, conceived of as a winged lion- or bull-figure with a human head. As protective deities or genii, larger than life-size statue-blocks of lamassi (pl.) were placed on either side of late Assyrian palace doorways and entrances in order to guard against the entry of evil and chaotic forces. As such, they are characteristic of this late phase in the development of Assyrian art (Neo- or Late Assyrian) when sculpture in the round was otherwise rare, compared to earlier periods. Lamassi in sculptural form are usually depicted as "double-aspect" figures, apparently possessing five (5) separate legs (when viewed from an oblique angle). This allows for two simultaneous depictions: 1. standing guard, when viewed from the front; 2. striding forward, when viewed from the side. The hybrid or composite iconography is powerfully evocative of strength (body of lion bull), speed (an eagle's wings) and intelligence (human head). Each monolithic colussus was carved partly in relief and partly in the round from a single block of stone, measuring up to 5.50 m2 in size. Initially carved roughly in the quarry, each statue-block was transported to its final location (often by river), where it would be set in place and be subjected to fine carving. The Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art covers both a lengthy chronological span and a vast geographical area. The collection of more than seven thousand works of art ranges in date from 8000 B.C. (the Neolithic period) to the Arab conquest and rise of Islam beginning in A.D. 651. The works come from ancient Mesopotamia, Iran, Syria, Anatolia, and other lands in the region that extends from the Black and Caspian Seas in the north to the southwestern Arabian peninsula, and from western Turkey on the Mediterranean Sea to the Indus River Valley in modern-day Pakistan and India. Societies throughout the ancient Near East mai ...

Algebra Basics What You Need to Know in One Article!

Algebra Basics What You Need to Know in One Article! All Algebra Basics in One Place! To understand algebra deeply, you need to learn some basics first. This article will help you to start. It contains info that helps to go further in learning. The high school encourages us to study many complex disciplines and one of them is Algebra. For many students, this is a challenging subject as it requires a deep understanding of math and being able to conduct operations like adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing and their various combinations. In this article, you will learn how to cope with algebra challenges and ease the process of learning. Main Things You Need to Know about Algebra All the math operations have to be used in a particular order. To remember it you can use the acronym PEMDAS. Know how to work with negative numbers. The main thing you need to understand that the bigger the number, the more distance from zero points. When you have a big task, divide it into smaller ones to organize the solving process. Start every new stage from the new line. Learn how to deal with variables that represented as letters (like x, y, z) and cannot perform number functions. When you have combines equations with letter and numbers, try to exclude any numbers during the available algebra operations. As we already mentioned, one of the useful tricks can be the PEMDAS approach. This tool was designed to memorize the right math operation order. To cut the story short, we will not discuss in details why it is so, but only decode the acronym: Parenthesis; Exponents; Multiplication; Division; Addition; Subtraction. Shortly speaking, why this order is important in algebra, then you need to keep in mind that the wrong order will lead to the wrong results. For instance, when you have an issue like 8+74 and start with adding operation before multiplying, you will get 60, that will be definitely wrong. According to basic math rules you need to multiply the numbers first and then conduct the adding operations. Eventually, you will get 36 that will be the right result recognizable for everyone. To get the right answers all the time we have to follow this rule. Basic Principles of Algebra Let’s start with the main operations. The first thing will be arithmetic. Every student who learns algebra must know the principles of arithmetic. Since the elementary schools, we are being taught how to deal with adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. That is why most people do not have any difficulties with such tasks. Algebra, in general, is almost completely based on these operations. But the complexity of it lies in various formulas, equations and substitution of numbers with symbols. If you have any problems with understanding these aspects, you can learn them on your own using the available online resources and books on math. To obtain skills in algebra you need to learn the basics step by step. If you think that working with numbers is not your passion, you have to realize that there is no need to be an expert in math to understand the main elements of algebra. Even if you study some humanitarian disciplines like journalism, law or languages, you still can learn some simplest equations first and train your counting skills. All the more complicated formulas and issues are required for students who plan to study accounting or statistics etc. In some cases, students may be assigned to write academic papers on this subject and they may get benefits from special writing services to get high results and improve their skills. You also can use a calculator that may help in solving basic tasks and concentrate on more important ones. Also, some software like Excel can be helpful in solving algebra tasks with accuracy. In this case, you need to know how and when to use the available tools. These skills are required not only for students but for people who deal with similar issues. But when it comes to exams, keep in mind that the only tools you are allowed to use there are your calculator and a pen. Any additional tools, devices, and helpful materials are forbidden there. To ease the process of taking such exams and save time you need to know perfectly how your calculator works and what problems it helps to solve. How to Deal with Negative Numbers? The biggest challenge for many pupils was the understanding that -/- gives + while -/+ remains the -. But this is the basic thing we had to memorize. Negative numbers are used very often in algebra, accounting, statistics, economics, and other subjects that are related to math and you need to have particular knowledge. We can start with basic operations like adding, multiplying, subtracting and dividing to realize how everything works in order to move to the same processes with negatives. Keep in mind that negative number located on the same distance from zero as the positive equivalent, but the direction is the opposite. You can draw or imagine the line to make visual proof of what number is bigger. When you add one negative to another you get even more negative number. You see that the digit is higher, but it keeps its negative meaning with a minus sign. So it will be lower considering the number line. When you subtract the negatives, you can consider it as adding a positive number. When you divide or multiply negative numbers, you will always get a positive result. When you divide or multiply a negative number with a positive one, in this case, you will always get a negative result. The Structure of Algebra Problems Like when you work on a research paper or an essay, in solving algebra problems you should follow the particular structure as well. Yes, you probably will need to provide a short answer, but the whole process of solving should be displayed on paper in a particular order to follow your thoughts. This is really important when you have to deal with long problems. They may have various approaches for solving, and each of them may require a lot of time. If you do not want to miss anything or make a mistake, you need to start every new step with a new line and number each line. If you have a problem with the two-sided equation, then it is better to put every part of the solving process under each other. This will let you control the process and spot any possible mistakes quickly. For instance, if you have to solve the equation 12/6 – 2 + 5 x4, you should organize your work in the following way: 12/6 – 2 + 5 x4 12/6 – 2 + 20 2 – 2 + 12 0 + 12 13 This approach applies to any algebra problem. When you organize it in the step-by-step order, you will make your learning more effective. How to Work with Variables and Their Definition If you have to pass the SAT, then you need to know algebra well. So you need to understand at least the main principles first. Learn more about SAT test scores and find any other useful info on this aspect. Reaching satisfactory results will help you with entering college. One of the primary conditions is knowledge of what variables are and how to work with them. In SAT you will definitely have tasks with these elements. Also, sometimes we add letters and symbols to the numbers. As a rule, they serve as a substitution to the unknown numbers when you need an extra figure to fit the formula, for instance. That is why they are called variables. We do not know their value, and in some cases, it is not easy to discover it. However, you sometimes even do not have to see the value to solve the task. All you need is to use the right formulas and interpret the right. Here are the examples of variables used in algebra: Latin letters like a, b, c, x, y; Greek letters like theta or beta; the symbol pi, or Ï€, also is considered as a variable. In any case, you should consider these symbols as unknown numbers. In most tasks, you need to find the value of the unknown numbers by using the basic formulas. Here is the example of such tasks: 6x+6=18, where we have X as a variable. This means that we do not know its value but we can define it using the information from other numbers. We need to make both sides equal to 18. We subtract the 6 from 18 and have 12. As we know, 62=12, then we have found out that X means 2. Another approach to understanding the variables is the substituting them with question marks. For example, you need to solve the equation 2+5+x=15, so imagine it as 2+5+?=15. It is obvious that the answer here is 8. But how to act if you have more than one variable in your task? This can be solved simply in algebra as well. Consider them as a regular number in this case. Any arithmetical operations can be done with variables of the same meaning. When x+x=3x, then x+y will have another meaning (for instance, 3xy). Let’s discover how this works with this equation: 1x+3x=8. You can add parts 1x and 3x as they have the same variable and you will get 4x. Since we have 4x=8, then we can easily assume that x=2. But this approach is applicable to the same variable only. â€Å"Cancelling† Principle: How it Works You can get the variable in another way. When we have an equation, we may have numbers and variables from both sides. For example, you may have a task like x+5=83. You need to separate the variables from the numbers. So we need to exclude the number â€Å"5† from the right side and put it on the left. But you have to do so by changing its positive meaning to the negative one. So you will get an equation like this: x=83-5. Now you need simply to solve the basic math task and you will get: x=24-5=19. A piece of cake. Let’s discuss how we can to cancel the addition. When we have the unknown number on one side, this means we can replace the known numbers on another one. We have to conduct the opposite operation. As we know, adding and subtracting are the opposite operations. That is why in our example we have subtracted the 5 to compensate its missing on the first side. This is one of the basics of algebra that you need to know for sure. You can also use this principle when you deal with multiplication and division. As you can see, starting understanding algebra can be not so hard. Train Your Skills More If you feel that you need more training to memorize algebra basics, you can use the visual elements to get the info better. You can use images in order to illustrate any algebra issue like formulas, equations, etc. During lessons teachers sometimes use any available physical objects to enhance the understanding of the concepts. How to deal with â€Å"common sense check†? This is one more opportunity to get deeper algebra insight. Anytime you present a written problem with the algebraic elements. You can check the formula by using the simple numbers. You can choose whether the equation is meaningful by replacing x with 0 or 1. Moreover, you do not always have to get around or straightforward number after solving the math problem. The answer may contain irrational numbers, decimals, fractions, and others. This is the reason you should bring the calculator. You will be informed of what form will be suitable for each problem. If you are confident in your algebra skills, check how you deal with factoring. This is one of the most complicated aspects of math. This approach is used to make the ling equations shorter and simpler. This section is considered as semi-advanced algebra. You can practice by applying algebra approaches to real-life situations. To get the algebra better, you should not only memorize the formulas but to use them and practice. This is the only way you will keep in mind at least basics. If you deal with finances, you can train your skills as well. Part-time or season job can also be useful in practicing your skills. You can also use your knowledge for obtaining related disciplines like accounting, economics, etc. By the way, math, and algebra, in particular, is also required for understanding computer sciences. This discipline is vital for engineering and constructing too. If you still consider that you cannot solve the math or algebra problem correctly, you can ask for professional assistance and order the writing help from experts who will help you to shape and correct your solutions.

An Austrian company's tale of groth, globalizition and decline Essay

An Austrian company's tale of groth, globalizition and decline - Essay Example 3). Auer went into matured markets, including Egypt, Germany, Italy, and the United States. Hungary might be considered a more of a developing, or emerging, market, which is in line with where the world market is going, in that â€Å"most of the world’s growth is expected to occur in today’s emerging markets† (Cavusgil, 2002, p. 1). The factors in choosing these markets include competition, service costs, market characteristics and uncertainty (Davidson, 1982, p. 85). Based upon what you know about Auer Waffeln’s international expansion into a variety of foreign markets, can you identify distinct stages or phases in the entry process? What are the decisions that must be made at each stage? According to Johanson & Wiedersheim-Paul (1975), there are different stages for a firm when they decide to internationalize, and these stages represent successively higher degrees of internationalization commitment (Johanson & Vahlne, 1977, p. 23). When firms go internat ional, each additional market commitment will happen in incremental steps (Johanson & Vahlne, 1990, p. 211). The firms go through these stages, from a low degree of international involvement in Stage 1 to a high degree of international involvement in Stage 4 (Phing & Au, 2001, p. 163). The first stage is where there are no export activities. The second stage is that there is exportation via agents or independent representatives. The third stage is where an overseas sales subsidiary is established. The fourth stage is overseas manufacturing/production units (Johanson & Wiedersheim-Paul, 1975). With his entry into the Middle East, Waffeln conducted direct exportation of his products. This was the first stage of his entry into the market, and one of the biggest decisions that needed to be made when conducting the export business is how to circumvent, so to speak, the unique cultural challenges that exporting directly to the Middle East presents. Cultural challenges is one of the major barriers that internalizing firms face, and it is necessary to understand the cultural differences between the firm and the clientele (Copeland & Griggs, 1985, p. 52). Cultural â€Å"shapes business practices and processes in widely varying ways† (Caslione & Thomas, 2002, p. 24). Negotiating these cultural differences is considered to be one of the most important skills for the international manager (Brooke, 1986, p. 225). Cultural competency is one of the most important factors in gaining a competitive edge (Elashmawi, 2001, p. xvi). How managers interpret and respond to strategic issues is dependent upon the surrounding culture (Becker, 2000, p. 90). Culture can be spread across six different cultural dimensions – how does the society look at the nature of people; how does society look at the relationship between a person and nature; how does society look at the relationship between people; what is the primary mode of activity in society (accepting status quo or chan ging things to make them better); what is the conception of space in a given society (are meetings held in private or public); and what is the society’

Learning English in Terms of Globalization Essay

Learning English in Terms of Globalization - Essay Example As such, the advantage in this scenario goes to employees or applicants from countries such as the United States or the United Kingdom, who have been utilizing the English language as their primary language since childhood. However, for one originating from a country such as Iran, in which English is generally not used as the lingua franca, this has some implications. For one thing, these English language learners need are prone to experiencing more difficulty in learning the language that is inversely proportional to its relationship with the student’s mother tongue. For instance, whereas German students should find it easy or at the very least manageable to learn to speak English due to its close relationship with the German tongue, their Chinese peers may have more trouble due to their own language being completely different in comparison (McKay and Schaetzel, 2008). Aside from this, the intricacies of their culture may necessitate favoring one approach to teaching them, as can again be seen in how Chinese students were found to derive more benefit from teacher-led lectures as compared to more unorthodox methods of instruction, such as classroom discussion and learning activities (Jin and Cortazzi, 1998). Needless to say, would-be teachers of English to speakers of other languages need to be especially sensitive to the learning styles and preferences of their students. This being the case, this student has come up with a lesson plan, in line with the standards espoused by TESOL.org, which shall be used in an attempt to teach the English language to speakers of other languages. Besides this, the findings of authoritative studies on the subject were also taken into account in order to come up with a more appropriate, comprehensive and effective lesson plan. The Integration of Content and Language The lesson plan adopted a Content-Language integrated approach, which entails unique structuring of one’s day-to-day lessons. For instance, this require s a working knowledge on the teacher’s part of the 6 characteristics that support learning, as well as of the objectives behind such an approach and the nature of language and content input. The teacher also needs to be able to activate the stock knowledge of his students, in part so he can teach them new words in such a way that they will be retained. The guided practice also needs to be conducted, as do appropriate independent practice activities. Last but not least, the learning achieved by students needs to be assessed, both by the teacher as well as the students themselves. Of course, to better understand what the integration of the Content- and Language-based approach entails, one would be wise to first understand the aims and objectives of the individual approaches.  

Taxation and growth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Taxation and growth - Essay Example widespread drop in spending or decrease in demand, and the economy faces a lot of inflation that is the general increase in the prices of all goods in the economy. This affects the level of growth in such an economy since most of the income is used on consumption and very little is spent on growth and development. Therefore, the level of growth declines significantly. This can be reversed during economic recovery by use of fiscal policy. This is where the government uses taxation or fiscal policy measures to be able to control the economy (Barro & Gordon, 1984). U.K experienced an economic recession between 1998 and 2012. This was stimulated by the worldwide inflation that was affecting the economy in terms of prices of goods. The government of U.K adopted the use of tax policies to be able to gain economic recovery and growth. Increasing demand is a tool for short-term recovery. This can be done through reduction of consumption taxes. In return, people will spend more hence; there will be an increase in demand, which will stimulate business in the economy. Hence, economic recovery in the short run will be achieved. Increasing the supply in the economy would stimulate long-term economic recovery. This can be done through reducing the taxes for inputs and raw materials that will make them cheaper to stimulate supply. This will therefore lead to increased supply in the economy since suppliers can be able to buy more goods to supply their goods to the market, which leads to economic growth through trade. Low-income earners have very little disposable income. If the government would reduce their taxes, the little income that would be saved would stimulate demand and hence help the economy recover from recession. This is because low-income earners have little to save and to invest meaning that most of their income is used to buy basic commodities. As a result, demand increases and the economy grows significantly. Consumption is a daily activity for every person.

Ethical Issues in Marriage, Sexuality and Family Essay

Ethical Issues in Marriage, Sexuality and Family - Essay Example Generally, ethics is about determining and differentiating the good acts from the bad acts, developing good and accepted characters among people and fostering social order (Robin 20). Ethical issues Within the social structure, ethics is very much linked to marriage, sexuality and family. Ethics gives a guideline on what is expected of the contract union between husband and wife. Traditionally, marriage has been perceived as a lifelong committed relationship between a man and a woman with the purpose of procreation and upbringing of children with allowance of divorce only where any progeny have reached their maturity (McNeil, 198). However with introduction of new technology, this definition has been challenged and is loosing its meaning in the ethic. The universal acceptance of the contraceptives as a morally legitimate option that facilitates reproduction of children to be an optional choice for the married couples has brought a new face to the traditional marriage (Gallagher, 34). Marriage is no longer based on procreation achievement only but rather on ones happiness, pleasure and gain. Marriage has lost its ethical value in the society and adopted the contract perspective where couples can stay together and divorce or part ways at the will of either of the contracting party. Today, marriage is not necessarily a contract between people of the opposite sex but rather even people of the same sex (Cleves, 48). Homosexual and lesbian unions do as well qualify as marriages since today marriage is simply a contract between two parties that want to live together and not necessarily with the aim of procreation. This situation has been encouraged with the introduction of the new technologies that has seen people of the opposite sex using contraceptives to avoid procreation. At the same time, the scientific methods have made it possible for people of the same sex like the lesbian to also procreate and bear children (Allsopp & O’Keefe 78). Although this trend i s highly gaining popularity, it is still seen as in ethical for people of the same sex neither to marry nor to reproduce through the modern technologies that are seen as away of offending God who created human beings and advocated for opposite sex marriage as well as procreation. The sexual differentiation issue brings the debate of doing the good or bad in human being as per the ethics that do exists. The moral of doing well as in regard to sexual differentiation and reproduction is of importance since sex is a biological characteristic that is based with procreation. However sexuality faces ethical threat due to the fact that at the moment, developments in science and technology has made it possible for people to have sexual intercourse without necessary aiming to conceive a child (Aertsen 65). Also contemporary reproductive technologies have made it possible for people to conceive without necessarily engaging into sexual intercourse. This has witnessed severed relationship betwee n the link of sexual intercourse and that of procreation since they no longer depend on one another but they can be achieved independently of one another. Today people engage in sexual activities without the concern of being a father and mother but as personal preference to meet their desires (Gallagher 40). Naturally, men are supposed to be sexually attracted to women and women should be attracted to men. Today, men are attracted to follow men while women are attracted to fellow women and this has led to sexuality loosing its ethical standards and

System Programming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

System Programming - Essay Example This paper discusses the arguments of various researchers to prove this hypothesis. Without a doubt, at the present, operating systems come with a wide variety of tools and applications which  have been more and more improved with the passage of time so the need to write scripts to assist in performing tasks and operations on computer systems has been significantly reduced. However, it has not been eliminated. In fact, there are still a wide variety of tasks and activities which cannot be completed until we develop  or write a new code  or script for the computer system. For instance  what  if you are not using computer and we are outside the office and we want an application  or script which allows us to perform the same operations while staying far from our  office and there are so many other similar cases where we need to develop innovative scripts. Though, an operating system comes with the entire functionality and its tools and applications are continuously improving with the passage of  time but there are still many things missing.  This pap er will discuss this hypothesis in detail and will show that there are still numerous tasks which can only be performed by writing new scripts using latest programming applications. One of the well-known operating systems is the Windows operating system, which offers a solid foundation for all of the workload and application needs at the same time as being straightforward to install and administer. Additionally, most recent Virtualization tools, management improvements, Web resources, and thrilling Windows integration help minimize expenditures save time, and offer a platform for a dynamic and competently managed data center (Microsoft Corporation, 2012). One of the primary objectives of any operating system is to provide its users with an easy and fair access to computing and communication resources through the applications that will execute on top of it. Hence, in an attempt to accomplish similar

HUI 235 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HUI 235 - Essay Example cio’s tales illustrate what could happen in that strange medieval period in a society where power and morals were quite different to how we consider them today, and where fear was a very real emotion in women and those who occupied the lower strata. Political correctness and formal ethics had not been invented yet, and it was certainly not an egalitarian society. The first tale from Day Four, when Filostrato tells his story, shows exactly how unequally people dealt with each other. He recounts the plight of Ghismonda, the daughter of Tancrede the King of Salerne. Daughters were under their fathers’ power whether they were servants or kings. Women had very little say in the direction of their lives: the reason for Ghismonda’s tragic fate. Although she was already widowed after an arranged marriage, her father made all decisions about her life, choosing her husband: ‘Neverthelesse, at length, he matched her with the Sonne to the Duke of Capua.’ She could not simply fall in love with any man who came her way. When she did form a secret liaison with Guiscardo - who was not even a nobleman, and occupied a lower position in the palace - she was taking an enormous risk. Secrecy and lies, subterfuge and concealment were vital: a father was seen to be justified in killing his children if they went against his will or trespassed on some social more. There was no freedom and very little fairness. Tancrede blamed his daughter for his anger: ‘...thou hast meerly murthered the unfeigned affection I bare thee, as never any father could expresse more to his childe.’ Her tragedy came from social inequality and the perception - by all - that men were superior and fathers (especially if they were kings) almighty. In the fifth tale of the day, Philomena’s tale about Isabella (Lizabetta in some versions) and her herb pot, her brothers have power to do what they liked with her and anyone who got in their way. It was a world where people died like flies from the plague,

System Programming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

System Programming - Essay Example This paper discusses the arguments of various researchers to prove this hypothesis. Without a doubt, at the present, operating systems come with a wide variety of tools and applications which  have been more and more improved with the passage of time so the need to write scripts to assist in performing tasks and operations on computer systems has been significantly reduced. However, it has not been eliminated. In fact, there are still a wide variety of tasks and activities which cannot be completed until we develop  or write a new code  or script for the computer system. For instance  what  if you are not using computer and we are outside the office and we want an application  or script which allows us to perform the same operations while staying far from our  office and there are so many other similar cases where we need to develop innovative scripts. Though, an operating system comes with the entire functionality and its tools and applications are continuously improving with the passage of  time but there are still many things missing.  This pap er will discuss this hypothesis in detail and will show that there are still numerous tasks which can only be performed by writing new scripts using latest programming applications. One of the well-known operating systems is the Windows operating system, which offers a solid foundation for all of the workload and application needs at the same time as being straightforward to install and administer. Additionally, most recent Virtualization tools, management improvements, Web resources, and thrilling Windows integration help minimize expenditures save time, and offer a platform for a dynamic and competently managed data center (Microsoft Corporation, 2012). One of the primary objectives of any operating system is to provide its users with an easy and fair access to computing and communication resources through the applications that will execute on top of it. Hence, in an attempt to accomplish similar

No Topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

No Topic - Essay Example Although she was not recognized in United Petro this will be a better opportunity for her to develop her career as a chemical engineer as it will lead to her success. Issue no.1 The safety of the people and workers in the surrounding area. Penny has the knowledge on the effect of the plant not only to workers but the surrounding environment. To show her concern in the welfare of everyone she should stand up and protect the safety of the people by either assisting in making a better and safer plant. Issue no.2.The contract at United Petro on non-disclosure and non-compete. When in a contract there are terms and conditions which must comply and by Penny accepting not to reveal the things she had learned in United Petro she was supposed to consider this in her decision making. She therefore is not supposed to give out information even if she is an employee. Issue no. 3.To participate in the making of the alpha –denitrophol by sharing her views and opinions. Penny was a member in the assignment of making the denitrophol to which she was to give her opinions on the plant. Since she had acquired knowledge from her previous job it would be right for her to share on what she knew will lead to its production. Issue no. 1. Revealing on a better way of making the project work using the ideas in UP. As an employer in CCC she should be able to participate actively in the making of the plant and from her previous experience this is a better opportunity to use it in her job. Issue no.2.Contacting with the previous company UP before revealing on what would be helpful to the project in Consolidated Chemical Company. Although this may lead to misunderstandings, it is a good way of showing gratitude to the previous company. It is also an ethical way considering that she was in the contract on not revealing her experience in other companies (Harris & Michael 32). Issue no.3.Contacting her company

Twice-exceptional students Essay Example for Free

Twice-exceptional students Essay The article titled How Can Such a Smart Kid Not Get it, is a document on implementing programs for twice-exceptional students in public schools. A twice-exceptional student is one who is gifted but also has a learning disability. Often in the public school system educators are forced to focus on the weakness of a student rather than the strengths which are often ignored. Therefore when a student has an IEP the school will focus on the IEP goals and objectives rather than improving on the strengths of the child in collaboration with the weaknesses. According to Yssel, Prater, Smith (2010), when educators focus on strengths rather than weaknesses, and when twice-exceptional students are provided with appropriate coping strategies and accommodations, social and academic success is possible. Researchers agree that a twice-exceptional student unique educational and emotional needs require an individualized approach not a one size fits all method (Yssel et al, 2010). Researchers suggest that in order to boost academic self-efficacy, twice-exceptional students must be empowered by opportunities to be successful and that traditional self-esteem programs alone cannot accomplish this task. A nurturing climate and emotional support system are crucial elements in effective learning experiences for twice-exceptional learners (Yssel, 2010. Therefore the authors of this article suggest that this population undergo certain programs and criteria within the public school system. Because twice exceptional children often feel isolated due to feeling like â€Å"one of a kind,† and not fitting in with their peers they should engage themselves with other students who are also twice-exceptional. Furthermore students with this disability are often distractible and have difficulty staying on task and therefore these students should be engaged in areas of strength and interest (Yssel, 2010). Also effective programming for these students cannot be accomplished without collaboration among teachers, special educators, and school counselors (Yssel, 2010). The author of this article agrees with the document written because they have a child who is twice-exceptional and often educators find it hard to alter their curriculum and have little understanding about the diagnoses. The author of this document can also relate to many of the stories explained in the article. In conclusion the writers of the original article created a camp for twice-exceptional students over the last six years. When they began their program they asked parents to rate how the public school system addressed the needs of their child. Almost all of the parents of the students reported that the schools focused more on the weaknesses of their child rather than the strengths. The authors of the text suggested a program that can be implemented into the school system. This includes having twice-exceptional students engage with other students, have the students participate in interests to their liking and focus on their strengths, and also having the students involved in extracurricular activities they enjoy such as an after school art class, drama class, or robotics class. The article employs that implementing a program for twice-exceptional children can be a difficult task but also successful if a team of educators and parents can collaborate effectively together.

Effect of Surveillance on Autonomy and Greed

Effect of Surveillance on Autonomy and Greed Discussion The research hypothesis of this study stated that when individuals were under surveillance, they would feel a lack of autonomy or more controlled. Therefore, participants would subsequently demonstrate a higher level of greed, in comparison to those not under surveillance. This was supported by the ideas of SDT about autonomy being a fundamental psychological need, and so resulting in adverse consequences when not attained. The results derived from this research were not significant, indicating that no effects were found in either condition and therefore do not support the initial research prediction. Although not significant, data suggestive of a trend was found for ‘decision’ and ‘condition’ on negative affect. This demonstrated that participants who were in the experimental condition and kept all of their tickets (indicating a higher level of greed) showed increased levels of negative affect, compared to those who ‘gave some’ tickets. This could be interpreted as the individuals feeling guilt or other negative emotions about their decision when under surveillance. This may indicate that surveillance has an effect on negative feelings, following behaviour. Similarly, although no significant results were found, a trend suggests that participants who kept all their tickets in the experimental condition experienced a decrease in their just world beliefs. This demonstrates that those individuals who showed higher levels of greed under surveillance subsequently lacked beliefs in a just world, in comparison to the other participants. This may coincide with the trend found for negative affect implying that those participants under surveillance, who kept all tickets, had more feelings of negative affect and lower beliefs in a just world. Regardless of these trends, it has to be emphasised that the effects are not significant so the alleged effect is not concrete. One explanation for the lack of significance found within the trends may be due to the sample size, which was limited to eighty participants. If a larger sample size was obtained then the trends found may potentially be more powerful. A possible recommendation for future research could be a replication of this study using a greater sample size, to test whether this trend is more prevalent. As the initial predictions are not supported by the results, they do not support the notions implied by SDT; stating that autonomy is one of the crucial needs that needs to be attained. The current results may also suggest that surveillance is not as controlling as previously implied (Lepper and Greene, 1975), as individuals may still feel autonomous when under surveillance. Alternatively, it may be that the individuals did not notice the cameras. During the study phase, participants were asked whether or not they noticed surveillance – both the cameras and signs. When they did not take notice, which occurred frequently, participants often added comments implying that they had grown accustomed to this surveillance. This aligns with the initial thoughts that there is an abundance of cameras in society, perhaps suggesting an over-usage of the surveillance. These comments alongside the lack of awareness of the cameras can be interpreted as an element of desensitisation to the sur veillance. As the earlier quote by Home Office mentioned, individuals become so familiar with the cameras, that they are no longer something out of the ordinary; therefore if unnoticed, their purpose may not be as effective. This also corresponds with findings from the earlier mentioned studies where the surveillance became ineffective after a time lag (Web and Laycock, 1992). In addition to this, a study conducted by Tilley (1993) observing the power of surveillance in various car parks found that publicity of the surveillance was necessary for it to be effective. Therefore the use of CCTV needs to be directly brought to an individual’s attention for an effect to occur. This coincides with the notion of familiarity with the cameras earlier stated, suggesting that individuals may need some sort of reminder or prompt to be aware of the surveillance. Prior research has supported the assumptions made by SDT and the general prediction that a lack of autonomy will affect behaviour. Particularly, Cozzolino et al., (2015) used the same measure of greed as the current study, alongside a measure of indirect aggression, finding that surveillance elicited higher levels of greed and aggression. However, Cozzolino et al’s., (2015) study included the usage of more than one experimental task, which may explain the results. The antecedent task provoking aggression may enhance the general demeanour of the participant, prompting individuals to display greed. This may provide an explanation as to why results differed from this current research, as the economic trust task was measured independently. Self-concept is an important phenomenon to be observed in relation to this primary study. Individuals tend to seek approval from others and feel the need to ensure that they have a positive self-concept, as they prefer to feel better about themselves. This was illustrated by Swann Jr. and Read (1980) who observed the values of self-concept over a series of experiments. Their results indicated that self-concept was of high significance to individuals as participants sought to verify it through others. Lower levels of greed are likely to contribute to a positive self-concept; therefore this need for verification of self-concept may be a contributing factor to their behaviour in the current study. Thus, individuals may have altered their answers intentionally for this reason. Despite being ensured confidentiality, experimenter effects may have occurred, causing the individual to be more sceptical of possible judgement from the experimenter. They may not have wanted to display their actu al desire to show a higher level of greed, fearful of the impression they may make on the experimenter, therefore portraying actions that they think may be expected of them, more accepted, or more aligned with their self-concept. In addition to this the Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1980) may contribute to the notion that individuals behaved in a way that they believed met societal expectations. This theory proposes that individuals have two different types of motivation, one of which is subjective norms; this is perceived social pressure to execute certain behaviours. In this case, subjective norms would point to acts of less greed (as this is more socially acceptable) which may explain the decision made by individuals in this study. Participants may be more influenced by their subjective norms than any other factors, causing them to behave differently. Interestingly Haley and Fessler (2005) observed the effect of evoked observability on pro-social behaviour through various different methods. These researchers measured levels of generosity using an economic game task, similar to that of the current study. This study provided a visual cue to make individuals feel as though they were being observed. This was in the form of stylised eye representations on the background of the computer they were completing the task on. Although this differs to the primary study conducted, the use of eye spots may make individuals feel as though they are under control, or that they are being ‘watched.’ They found that in the eye spot condition, in comparison to control, allocations were 55% higher, therefore displaying higher levels of generosity. This illustrates alternative effects to those initially predicted in the primary study, Haley and Fessler expected individuals to be more generous when in the eye spot condition, which was found. Perhaps it should be reconsidered which types of behaviour are usually demonstrated when ‘being watched’ as pro-social behaviour may be more prevalent than anti-social behaviours predicted by this primary study. While it has been strongly implied that surveillance can be perceived as a form of social control (causing individuals to lose their autonomy), this control itself may infer different effects. When being watched, individuals may feel that they need to act in a certain way. They may be reluctant to portray their genuine feelings or actions as they are afraid of what those surveying may think. When not under surveillance individuals are likely to act more freely as a result of feeling less pressured by subjective norms, and therefore are able to behave more genuinely. Moreover, individual’s actions may be more likely to be of an authentic nature, reflecting their intrinsic motivations. This coincides well with the trends found, implying that surveillance may inflict feelings of negative affect. Individuals may only feel guilt about their decision because of the judgement they may face from ‘being watched.’ Another possible limitation which may have arisen with this study may be placed with the methodology. As stated the study involved an economic trust task, measuring levels of greed on the basis of the raffle tickets. Firstly, this task may lack an element of ecological validity as the situation that individuals were placed in with this task may be perceived as unrealistic. It is unlikely that individuals would be asked to decide the allocation of raffle tickets; therefore it may not reflect real life behaviour. In addition to this, the environment in which the task was completed may also be considered less ecologically valid, being in a room with a computer and an experimenter close by. This may be a possible explanation as to why significant results were not found, as the task was not representative of a real-life situation, mirroring real behaviour. Furthermore, another methodological concern may be the format of the study. Participants were told that they were matched with another participant who made the tickets available to them; however they may not have believed that there was another participant involved. The sample included a generous amount of psychology students, who may have more insight and so are aware that these studies often involve an element of deception. Therefore they may have displayed a higher level of greed, regardless of surveillance, if they realised that there was no other participant. To improve this further studies could account for this in different ways. Firstly, using a sample of students from different departments, or not using a student population may affect findings, as they are unlikely to have prior background knowledge about experiments of this nature. Additionally it could be made more plausible that there is another participant involved. Future studies may have the other participant wait in t he same area as the current participant, or have a confederate pretend to be the ‘other’ participant. This may make it more believable to the participant, and may evoke the effect initially expected. Trying to gain the insight of someone else is a difficult task, which is one that has been challenged in this study. The evidence found for these various measures used such as the feelings of control involve introspective awareness, observing the understanding of others. As earlier stated, the Cronbach’s alpha for these measures were not consistent, therefore it has to be questioned whether it is possible to rely completely on the use of these measures as they tend to involve an element of inconsistency. Despite a consistent level of non-significance in the current study, the notion of social control is still very plausible. Previous research has delved into this phenomenon, such as the well-known obedience experiment by Milgram (1963). It was found that participants obeyed the instructions of those who they perceived as having authority. This illustrates that this form of social control can have an effect on individual’s behaviour, altering it significantly. In the same way that surveillance works as social control in altering individual’s behaviour. It can be argued, from an alternative viewpoint that there is an evolutionary basis for greed. Evolution emphasises the importance of survival, to the next generation and to continue to pass down genes. Therefore greed can be interpreted as a means of survival, gaining the resources necessary from an evolutionary standpoint. This could be an alternative explanation for higher levels of greed being prevalent; individuals may not be affected by surveillance but have evolutionary needs that guide their behaviour. Frustration of psychological needs can be fatal and lead to adverse consequences, especially when observing the analysis of certain disorders. For example it has been suggested that a frustration of autonomy can lead to obsessive-compulsive disorder. Individuals feel they are being controlled or are unable to be in charge of themselves, so they control their environment instead. Similarly eating disorders is another form of the regaining of this control from an experience of lack of autonomy, as they tend to come from a very controlling environment. With more controlling and strict parents, individuals are more vulnerable to eating disorders. Without autonomy, individuals are more likely to develop psychopathology, as they defend against difficult experiences rather than overcoming them. Therefore it is important that further research is done to observe the implications that may derive from the thwarting of these needs, specifically autonomy. While no significant effects were found to support the suggested hypotheses of this current research, it is still crucial that further investigation takes place. An array of prior research has found prevalent effects demonstrating that surveillance can evoke feelings of powerlessness and that this lack of autonomy can be detrimental to individuals. Therefore additional research is necessary to find concrete evidence for the effects of surveillance.

Death Through Sacrifice :: Greek Culture Traditions Papers

Death Through Sacrifice Death is one of the most terrible things we humans have to go through. Where do we go after death? Is there a Hell or a Heaven? These are questions that still remain without answers. Since remote times, men have wondered about this, but not even technology has helped us to find answers. Some people are said to have answers; it is true they do have answers, but answers that mainly fix their religious beliefs. Almost all religions have a theory about death, but they vary from one to another, and sometimes the difference is big. But have we ever wondered: How long have cultures and religions proposed theories for life after death? The answer is, since millions of years ago. If we go to ancient cultures, like the Greek or the Aztec cultures, we can recognize their theories to be really close to our own. The idea that there is a hell and a heaven, and after death you are judged --if you were good during your life you go to heaven; if not, you are punished in hell-- still remains in present cultures. Even though the theories may have many similarities, there are a few aspects related to death in ancient culture that we see as obsolete and horrifying. An example of this is sacrifice. In today?s society, sacrifice is not legal, and it is considered cruel and barbarian. This is the way most people view animal sacrifices because we do not even consider human sacrifices to be possible. In ancient cultures, both animal and human sacrifices were normal. For many cultures it was an absolute necessity for human survival because if food was not offered to the gods then they could not keep the world going. If we analyze some of the oldest cultures like Greece and the Aztecs, we can see that even though they both practiced sacrifices, the way they did it and to what extent, varies considerably. For example, the Greek practice both animal and human sacrifices, but not so often; while in the other hand, the Aztecs practiced mainly human sacrifices and very often. The Greeks have a long history with sacrifices: "We see in Greece a society in which the basic ritual acts in daily practice are of a sacrificial type. For nearly ten centuries, guided by immutable cultic statutes, the Greeks never failed to maintain relations with the divine power through the highly ritualized killing of animal victim, whose flesh was consumed collectively according to precise strictures" (Detienne and Vernant 1).

Comparing Extreme Programming and Waterfall Project Results

Comparing Extreme Programming and Waterfall Project Results Feng Ji Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley Campus Mountain View, CA, 94035 [email  protected] com Todd Sedano Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley Campus Mountain View, CA, 94035 todd. [email  protected] cmu. edu Abstract Waterfall and Extreme Programming are two software project methods used for project management. Although there are a number of opinions comparing the two methods regarding how they should be applied, none have used project data to clearly conclude which one is better.In this paper, we present the results of a controlled empirical study conducted at Carnegie Mellon University in Silicon Valley to learn about the effective transition from traditional development to agile development. We conducted a comparison research against these two approaches. Multiple teams were assigned a project; some used Waterfall development, others used Extreme Programming. The purpose of this research is to look at advantages and disadvantages based upon the outcomes, generated artifacts, and metrics produced by the teams. 1. Introduction 1. 1.Agile vs Traditional Since the early 1970s, numerous software managers have explored different ways of software development methods (such as Waterfall model, evolutionary model, spiral model etc. ) those have been developed to accomplish these goals and have been widely used by the software industry [1]. Methodologists often describe the Waterfall method as a stereotypical traditional method whereas they describe Extreme Programming as the stereotypical agile method. The Waterfall model, as the oldest traditional software development method, was cited by Winston W.Royce in 1970 [2]. He divided the software development lifecycle into seven sequential and linear stages: Conception, Initiation, Analysis, Design, Construction, Testing, and Maintenance. The Waterfall model is especially used for large and complex engineering projects. Waterfall's lasting imp ression upon software engineering is seen even in the Guide to Software Engineering Body of Knowledge which introduces the first five knowledge areas based upon their sequence in the Waterfall lifecycle even though the Guide does not recommend any particular lifecycle [3].Although the Waterfall model has been adopted in many large and complex projects, it still has some inherent drawbacks, like inflexibility in the face of changing requirements [1]. If large amounts of project resources have been invested in requirements and design activities, then changes can be very costly later. High ceremony documentation is not necessary in all projects. Agile methods deal well with unstable and volatile requirements by using a number of techniques of which most notable are: low ceremony documents, short iterations, early testing, and customer collaboration.Kent Beck and Cynthia Andres define Extreme Programming 2. 0 with many practices [4], like Pair Programming, Test First Programming, and Co ntinuous Integration and so on. These characteristics enable agile methods to obtain the smallest workable piece of functionality to deliver business value early and continually improving it while adding further functionality throughout the life of the project [5]. 1. 2. PET project background Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley students start their masters program with the Foundations of Software Engineering course. This course is team-based, project-based, and mentored.Each team builds The Process Enactment Tool (PET). The user personas are software developers and managers. The tool helps users plan, estimate, and execute a project plan while analyzing historical data. The tool's domain encourages students to learn about software lifecycles and methods while understanding the benefit of metrics and reflection. 1. 2. 1. PET 1. 0: In 2001, Carnegie Mellon had one of the largest outsourcing firms in the world develop Pet 1. 0. Later the student teams were brought in to do the n ext release. The initial offerings of the course had the teams follow a Waterfall lifecycle.The faculty decided to use Extreme Programming as the method for the Foundations course because it was an agile method, it had good engineering practices, and it was a safe sandbox environment for engineers to try paired programming since many managers in industry were initially skeptical about its benefits. In 2005, the faculty allowed three of the sixteen teams tried our new curriculum to see if there were any serious issues in the switch, while other thirteen teams continued to follow a start point in 2004. The feedback was extremely positive so in 2006, all teams followed Extreme Programming.For the project plan duration, Waterfall teams needed fifteen weeks to finish their tasks where as Extreme Programming teams were given only thirteen weeks, a 13% reduction in time. 1. 2. 2. PET 1. 1: In 2005, the VP of Engineering advised the three teams that rewriting the code from scratch would be easier than working with the existing code base. Team 30:1 decided to use the latest in Java technologies including Swing and Hibernate. PET 1. 1, the team's product became the starting point for the students in the following year. 1. 2. 3. PET 1. 2: In 2008, the faculty switched the core technology from Java to Ruby on Rails.Ruby on Rails' convention over configuration, afforded a lower learning curve for students. For Pet 1. 2, students would build their projects from scratch. 2. Related work Much research has been done as to when to use an agile method and when to use a traditional method. For example, Boehm Turner's home grounds look at several characteristics, criticality, culture, and dynamism [6]. Our paper aims to extend these limitations to some degree by estimating Waterfall and XP in an academic case study, which provide a substantive ground for researchers before replicating their ideas in industry.Basili [7] presented a framework for analyzing most of the experimental w ork performed in software engineering. We learned that how to conduct a controlled experiment. Andrew and Nachiappan [8] reported on the results of an empirical study conducted at Microsoft by using an anonymous web-based survey. They found that one third of the study respondents use Agile methodologies to varying degrees and most view it favorably due to improved communication between team members, quick releases and the increased flexibility of agile designs.Their findings that we will consider in our future work is that developers are most worried about scaling Agile to larger projects, and coordinating agile and traditional teams. Our work is closely related to the work by Ming Huo et al [9]. They compared the Waterfall model with agile processes to show how agile methods achieve software quality. They also showed how agile methods attain quality under time pressure and in an unstable requirements environment. They presented a detailed Waterfall model showing its software qualit y support processes.Other work has only illustrates one or some Agile practices such as pair programming [10]. 3. Experimental methodology Our research was conducted primarily using Glaser's steps [11] in the constant comparison method of analysis. Step1: Begin collecting data. We collected more than 50 teams’ detailed data during a five year period as Table 1 shows. Table 1. Team building the same project 2004 2005 2005 2006 2007 2008 Method Waterfall Waterfall XP XP XP XP Language Java Java Java Java Java Ruby Project PET1. 0 PET1. 0 PET1. 0 PET1. 1 PET1. 1 PET1. 2 Numbers of Teams 10 13 3 9 6 11Step2: Look for key issues, recurrent events, or activities in the data that become categories for focus. The approach in software design makes us categorize the data into two distinctive software development methods, namely Waterfall and Extreme Programming. Step3: Collect data that provides many incidents of the categories of focus with an eye to seeing the diversity of the dimens ions under the categories. According to Basili[7], we provided some metrics to compare these two categories, Waterfall and XP. Requirements Metrics M1: Numbers of UI screens (ie. mockup) M2: Numbers of use cases (story cards)M3: Pages of Software Requirements Specification (SRS) documents M4: Pages of User Requirements Documents (URD) Design Metric M5: Pages of detailed design documents Implementation Metrics M6: Lines of code M7: Percentage of lines of comments to lines of source code M8: Lines of test cases M9: Ratio of lines of test code to lines of program code Step4: Write about the categories that we are exploring, attempting to describe and account for all the incidents we have in our data while continually searching for new incidents. Step5: Work with the data and emerging model to discover basic social processes and relationships.Step6: Engage in sampling, coding, and writing as the analysis focuses on the core categories. During 2005, there were 13 teams following Waterfal l and 3 teams following XP during the same period of time. These three teams, team Absorb, GT11 and 30:1 are interesting teams to examine as we can compare their data against the Waterfall teams doing the exact same project. 4. Experimental results 4. 1. UI screens (M1) and Story cards (M2) comparison These wide ranges can be seen in Table 2 and Table 3 where the standard deviation of the UI mockups is often half the document size.Comparing use cases to story cards in Table 3, we see that the standard deviation for use cases is much lower than the standard deviation for story cards. This is expected since use cases are a higher ceremony document when compared to story cards. Teams might give little consideration to how to represent each feature on a story card whereas a team writing a use case step by step how a user will use the system will spend much more time thinking about the coupling and cohesion of each use case. Table 2. Average numbers and Standard Deviation of mockups Year 004 2005 Absorb GT11 30:1 2006 2007 2008 Average mockups 15. 5 11. 8 17 18 9 15 12. 8 17. 7 Standard Deviation of mockups 6. 6 6. 3 5. 4 3. 1 8. 8 Table 3. Average numbers and Standard Deviation of use cases/story cards Year Average Number Standard Deviation 2004 User cases 18. 7 2005 User cases 18. 9 2. 3 Absorb Story cards 15 1. 6 GT11 Story cards 13 30:1 Story cards 18 2006 Story cards 16. 6 2007 Story cards 18. 3 2008 Story cards 16. 6 7. 5 6. 8 8. 0 4. 2. Requirement documents (M3&M4) Starting with PET 1. 0, Waterfall teams on average add 1. 7 use cases and modified 2. use cases. Teams were given a 28 page System Requirements Specification (SRS) and on averaged finished with a 34 page SRS. XP teams starting with PET 1. 0 were given the same starting documents. Instead of modifying them, the teams created story cards that represented each new feature. Instead of spending time on writing use cases, XP teams started coding sooner. Because XP has an emphasis on low ceremony docume nts, they had more time to code resulting in an effort savings for the teams. 4. 3. Comparing the size of the detail design documents (M5) There are some insights from Table 4.Waterfall teams using Pet 1. 0 started with a 21 page Detailed Design Document (DDD), which they altered to reflect their new use cases. Waterfall teams typically did not update their design documents at the end of the project. Given the scope of the project, Waterfall teams’ final code matched the original design with respect to new classes. Table 4. Average pages and Standard Deviation of Detail Design Documents Year 2004 2005 Absorb GT11 30:1 2006 2007 2008 Starting Point 21 21 21 21 0 14 14 0 Average DDD 25. 8 31. 1 18 22 14 18. 3 12. 5 9. 5 Standard Deviation 8. 39 7. 48 7. 70 7. 8 5. 19 XP teams increased their design documents with each iteration. Because the XP teams followed Test-Driven Development, they wrote their code and had an emergent design. At the end of each iteration, the teams were a sked to update the design document to reflect important design decisions they had made during that iteration. Therefore, the design document serves a different purpose in XP. It is not a template or blueprint for future construction. Instead, it can be a guide for understanding why certain decisions were made. In this regard, it is a biography of the development, ot a plan of action. 4. 4. New lines of source code and comments, Percentage of comments in codes Table 5 shows that Waterfall teams starting with Pet 1. 0 produced lines of code with a wide variance. The two XP teams starting with Pet 1. 0 fell right within the middle of the average. Because instead of producing some documents up front, the XP teams spent a longer time coding, one would expect them to produce more lines of code. The research results also show that XP Teams had a higher percentage of comments in source code. Table 5. Average and Standard Deviation of new lines in code YearLanguage Average new lines in code Standard Deviation Lines of test codes Ratio of test codes to program code 2004 2005 Absorb GT11 30:1 2006 2007 2008 Java Java Java Java Java Java Java Ruby 9,429 11,910 13,288 14,689 0 9,628 8,572 3,670 7,946 9,851 4,920 5,465 1,507 3378 4164 1380 3186 947 3555 2212 3,255 8% 13% 4% 8% 8% 16% 10% 90% 4. 5. Submitted lines of test codes and ratio of test code to program code The observation of these two metrics in Table 5 shows that the amount of test code written by the Waterfall teams equals the amount of test code written by the XP teams.Initially the faculty thought that Test-Driven Development would increase the amount of testing code, however, given a slow adoption rate of Test-Driven Development, programmers resorted to what was familiar and thus produced similar results. 5. Conclusion In this paper, we observed and presented the data from five years of 50 teams developing the same project each year and the affects of transitioning from Waterfall to Extreme Programming. The ch aracteristics between these two methods were evaluated and compared.Waterfall teams spent more time creating high ceremony documents where as Extreme Programming teams spent more time writing code and documenting their design in their code. Surprisingly, the amount of code and features completed were roughly the same for both methods suggesting that on a three month project with three to four developers it doesn't matter the method used. It is challenging to conduct this kind of analysis of the data in hindsight. Given that this is not a toy problem, and the freedom teams have in the execution of their projects, setting up this kind of experiment properly in advance is also challenging. . References [1] Sommerville, Software engineering, 8th ed. , New York: Addison-Wesley, Harlow, England, 2006. [2] W. Royce, Managing the Development of Large Software Systems, IEEE WESTCON, Los Angeles, 1970. [3] A. Abran and J. W. Moore, Guide to the software engineering body of knowledge: trial ve rsion (version 0. 95) IEEE Computer Society Press, Los Alamitos, CA, USA, 2001. [4] Kent Beck and Cynthia Andres, Extreme programming eXplained: embrace change, Second Edition, MA: Addison-Wesley, 2004. 5] Mike Cohn, Agile estimating and planning, Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference, Nov 11, 2005. [6] Barry, Boehm and Richard Turner, Balancing Agility and Discipline: A Guide for the Perplexed, Addison Wesley, August 15, 2003. [7] Basil, V. R. , Selby, R. and Hutchens, D. , Experimentation in Software Engineering, IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering (invited paper), July 1986. [8] Andrew Begel and Nachiappan Nagappan, Usage and Perceptions of Agile Software Development in an Industrial Context: An Exploratory Study, MiIEEE Computer Society MSR-TR-2007-09, no. 2007): 10. [9] Ming Huo, June Verner, Muhammad Ali Babar, and Liming Zhu, How does agility ensure quality? , IEEE Seminar Digests 2004, (2004):36. [10] Jan Chong, Robert Plummer, Larry Leifer, Scott R. Klemmer, and George Toye. Pair Programming: When and Why it Works, In Proceedings of Psychology of Programming Interest Group 2005 Workshop, Brighton, UK, June 2005. [11] Glaser, Barney G, Strauss, and Anselm L. , The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research, Aldine Publishing Company, Chicago, 1967. Comparing Extreme Programming and Waterfall Project Results Comparing Extreme Programming and Waterfall Project Results Feng Ji Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley Campus Mountain View, CA, 94035 [email  protected] com Todd Sedano Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley Campus Mountain View, CA, 94035 todd. [email  protected] cmu. edu Abstract Waterfall and Extreme Programming are two software project methods used for project management. Although there are a number of opinions comparing the two methods regarding how they should be applied, none have used project data to clearly conclude which one is better.In this paper, we present the results of a controlled empirical study conducted at Carnegie Mellon University in Silicon Valley to learn about the effective transition from traditional development to agile development. We conducted a comparison research against these two approaches. Multiple teams were assigned a project; some used Waterfall development, others used Extreme Programming. The purpose of this research is to look at advantages and disadvantages based upon the outcomes, generated artifacts, and metrics produced by the teams. 1. Introduction 1. 1.Agile vs Traditional Since the early 1970s, numerous software managers have explored different ways of software development methods (such as Waterfall model, evolutionary model, spiral model etc. ) those have been developed to accomplish these goals and have been widely used by the software industry [1]. Methodologists often describe the Waterfall method as a stereotypical traditional method whereas they describe Extreme Programming as the stereotypical agile method. The Waterfall model, as the oldest traditional software development method, was cited by Winston W.Royce in 1970 [2]. He divided the software development lifecycle into seven sequential and linear stages: Conception, Initiation, Analysis, Design, Construction, Testing, and Maintenance. The Waterfall model is especially used for large and complex engineering projects. Waterfall's lasting imp ression upon software engineering is seen even in the Guide to Software Engineering Body of Knowledge which introduces the first five knowledge areas based upon their sequence in the Waterfall lifecycle even though the Guide does not recommend any particular lifecycle [3].Although the Waterfall model has been adopted in many large and complex projects, it still has some inherent drawbacks, like inflexibility in the face of changing requirements [1]. If large amounts of project resources have been invested in requirements and design activities, then changes can be very costly later. High ceremony documentation is not necessary in all projects. Agile methods deal well with unstable and volatile requirements by using a number of techniques of which most notable are: low ceremony documents, short iterations, early testing, and customer collaboration.Kent Beck and Cynthia Andres define Extreme Programming 2. 0 with many practices [4], like Pair Programming, Test First Programming, and Co ntinuous Integration and so on. These characteristics enable agile methods to obtain the smallest workable piece of functionality to deliver business value early and continually improving it while adding further functionality throughout the life of the project [5]. 1. 2. PET project background Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley students start their masters program with the Foundations of Software Engineering course. This course is team-based, project-based, and mentored.Each team builds The Process Enactment Tool (PET). The user personas are software developers and managers. The tool helps users plan, estimate, and execute a project plan while analyzing historical data. The tool's domain encourages students to learn about software lifecycles and methods while understanding the benefit of metrics and reflection. 1. 2. 1. PET 1. 0: In 2001, Carnegie Mellon had one of the largest outsourcing firms in the world develop Pet 1. 0. Later the student teams were brought in to do the n ext release. The initial offerings of the course had the teams follow a Waterfall lifecycle.The faculty decided to use Extreme Programming as the method for the Foundations course because it was an agile method, it had good engineering practices, and it was a safe sandbox environment for engineers to try paired programming since many managers in industry were initially skeptical about its benefits. In 2005, the faculty allowed three of the sixteen teams tried our new curriculum to see if there were any serious issues in the switch, while other thirteen teams continued to follow a start point in 2004. The feedback was extremely positive so in 2006, all teams followed Extreme Programming.For the project plan duration, Waterfall teams needed fifteen weeks to finish their tasks where as Extreme Programming teams were given only thirteen weeks, a 13% reduction in time. 1. 2. 2. PET 1. 1: In 2005, the VP of Engineering advised the three teams that rewriting the code from scratch would be easier than working with the existing code base. Team 30:1 decided to use the latest in Java technologies including Swing and Hibernate. PET 1. 1, the team's product became the starting point for the students in the following year. 1. 2. 3. PET 1. 2: In 2008, the faculty switched the core technology from Java to Ruby on Rails.Ruby on Rails' convention over configuration, afforded a lower learning curve for students. For Pet 1. 2, students would build their projects from scratch. 2. Related work Much research has been done as to when to use an agile method and when to use a traditional method. For example, Boehm Turner's home grounds look at several characteristics, criticality, culture, and dynamism [6]. Our paper aims to extend these limitations to some degree by estimating Waterfall and XP in an academic case study, which provide a substantive ground for researchers before replicating their ideas in industry.Basili [7] presented a framework for analyzing most of the experimental w ork performed in software engineering. We learned that how to conduct a controlled experiment. Andrew and Nachiappan [8] reported on the results of an empirical study conducted at Microsoft by using an anonymous web-based survey. They found that one third of the study respondents use Agile methodologies to varying degrees and most view it favorably due to improved communication between team members, quick releases and the increased flexibility of agile designs.Their findings that we will consider in our future work is that developers are most worried about scaling Agile to larger projects, and coordinating agile and traditional teams. Our work is closely related to the work by Ming Huo et al [9]. They compared the Waterfall model with agile processes to show how agile methods achieve software quality. They also showed how agile methods attain quality under time pressure and in an unstable requirements environment. They presented a detailed Waterfall model showing its software qualit y support processes.Other work has only illustrates one or some Agile practices such as pair programming [10]. 3. Experimental methodology Our research was conducted primarily using Glaser's steps [11] in the constant comparison method of analysis. Step1: Begin collecting data. We collected more than 50 teams’ detailed data during a five year period as Table 1 shows. Table 1. Team building the same project 2004 2005 2005 2006 2007 2008 Method Waterfall Waterfall XP XP XP XP Language Java Java Java Java Java Ruby Project PET1. 0 PET1. 0 PET1. 0 PET1. 1 PET1. 1 PET1. 2 Numbers of Teams 10 13 3 9 6 11Step2: Look for key issues, recurrent events, or activities in the data that become categories for focus. The approach in software design makes us categorize the data into two distinctive software development methods, namely Waterfall and Extreme Programming. Step3: Collect data that provides many incidents of the categories of focus with an eye to seeing the diversity of the dimens ions under the categories. According to Basili[7], we provided some metrics to compare these two categories, Waterfall and XP. Requirements Metrics M1: Numbers of UI screens (ie. mockup) M2: Numbers of use cases (story cards)M3: Pages of Software Requirements Specification (SRS) documents M4: Pages of User Requirements Documents (URD) Design Metric M5: Pages of detailed design documents Implementation Metrics M6: Lines of code M7: Percentage of lines of comments to lines of source code M8: Lines of test cases M9: Ratio of lines of test code to lines of program code Step4: Write about the categories that we are exploring, attempting to describe and account for all the incidents we have in our data while continually searching for new incidents. Step5: Work with the data and emerging model to discover basic social processes and relationships.Step6: Engage in sampling, coding, and writing as the analysis focuses on the core categories. During 2005, there were 13 teams following Waterfal l and 3 teams following XP during the same period of time. These three teams, team Absorb, GT11 and 30:1 are interesting teams to examine as we can compare their data against the Waterfall teams doing the exact same project. 4. Experimental results 4. 1. UI screens (M1) and Story cards (M2) comparison These wide ranges can be seen in Table 2 and Table 3 where the standard deviation of the UI mockups is often half the document size.Comparing use cases to story cards in Table 3, we see that the standard deviation for use cases is much lower than the standard deviation for story cards. This is expected since use cases are a higher ceremony document when compared to story cards. Teams might give little consideration to how to represent each feature on a story card whereas a team writing a use case step by step how a user will use the system will spend much more time thinking about the coupling and cohesion of each use case. Table 2. Average numbers and Standard Deviation of mockups Year 004 2005 Absorb GT11 30:1 2006 2007 2008 Average mockups 15. 5 11. 8 17 18 9 15 12. 8 17. 7 Standard Deviation of mockups 6. 6 6. 3 5. 4 3. 1 8. 8 Table 3. Average numbers and Standard Deviation of use cases/story cards Year Average Number Standard Deviation 2004 User cases 18. 7 2005 User cases 18. 9 2. 3 Absorb Story cards 15 1. 6 GT11 Story cards 13 30:1 Story cards 18 2006 Story cards 16. 6 2007 Story cards 18. 3 2008 Story cards 16. 6 7. 5 6. 8 8. 0 4. 2. Requirement documents (M3&M4) Starting with PET 1. 0, Waterfall teams on average add 1. 7 use cases and modified 2. use cases. Teams were given a 28 page System Requirements Specification (SRS) and on averaged finished with a 34 page SRS. XP teams starting with PET 1. 0 were given the same starting documents. Instead of modifying them, the teams created story cards that represented each new feature. Instead of spending time on writing use cases, XP teams started coding sooner. Because XP has an emphasis on low ceremony docume nts, they had more time to code resulting in an effort savings for the teams. 4. 3. Comparing the size of the detail design documents (M5) There are some insights from Table 4.Waterfall teams using Pet 1. 0 started with a 21 page Detailed Design Document (DDD), which they altered to reflect their new use cases. Waterfall teams typically did not update their design documents at the end of the project. Given the scope of the project, Waterfall teams’ final code matched the original design with respect to new classes. Table 4. Average pages and Standard Deviation of Detail Design Documents Year 2004 2005 Absorb GT11 30:1 2006 2007 2008 Starting Point 21 21 21 21 0 14 14 0 Average DDD 25. 8 31. 1 18 22 14 18. 3 12. 5 9. 5 Standard Deviation 8. 39 7. 48 7. 70 7. 8 5. 19 XP teams increased their design documents with each iteration. Because the XP teams followed Test-Driven Development, they wrote their code and had an emergent design. At the end of each iteration, the teams were a sked to update the design document to reflect important design decisions they had made during that iteration. Therefore, the design document serves a different purpose in XP. It is not a template or blueprint for future construction. Instead, it can be a guide for understanding why certain decisions were made. In this regard, it is a biography of the development, ot a plan of action. 4. 4. New lines of source code and comments, Percentage of comments in codes Table 5 shows that Waterfall teams starting with Pet 1. 0 produced lines of code with a wide variance. The two XP teams starting with Pet 1. 0 fell right within the middle of the average. Because instead of producing some documents up front, the XP teams spent a longer time coding, one would expect them to produce more lines of code. The research results also show that XP Teams had a higher percentage of comments in source code. Table 5. Average and Standard Deviation of new lines in code YearLanguage Average new lines in code Standard Deviation Lines of test codes Ratio of test codes to program code 2004 2005 Absorb GT11 30:1 2006 2007 2008 Java Java Java Java Java Java Java Ruby 9,429 11,910 13,288 14,689 0 9,628 8,572 3,670 7,946 9,851 4,920 5,465 1,507 3378 4164 1380 3186 947 3555 2212 3,255 8% 13% 4% 8% 8% 16% 10% 90% 4. 5. Submitted lines of test codes and ratio of test code to program code The observation of these two metrics in Table 5 shows that the amount of test code written by the Waterfall teams equals the amount of test code written by the XP teams.Initially the faculty thought that Test-Driven Development would increase the amount of testing code, however, given a slow adoption rate of Test-Driven Development, programmers resorted to what was familiar and thus produced similar results. 5. Conclusion In this paper, we observed and presented the data from five years of 50 teams developing the same project each year and the affects of transitioning from Waterfall to Extreme Programming. The ch aracteristics between these two methods were evaluated and compared.Waterfall teams spent more time creating high ceremony documents where as Extreme Programming teams spent more time writing code and documenting their design in their code. Surprisingly, the amount of code and features completed were roughly the same for both methods suggesting that on a three month project with three to four developers it doesn't matter the method used. It is challenging to conduct this kind of analysis of the data in hindsight. Given that this is not a toy problem, and the freedom teams have in the execution of their projects, setting up this kind of experiment properly in advance is also challenging. . References [1] Sommerville, Software engineering, 8th ed. , New York: Addison-Wesley, Harlow, England, 2006. [2] W. Royce, Managing the Development of Large Software Systems, IEEE WESTCON, Los Angeles, 1970. [3] A. Abran and J. W. Moore, Guide to the software engineering body of knowledge: trial ve rsion (version 0. 95) IEEE Computer Society Press, Los Alamitos, CA, USA, 2001. [4] Kent Beck and Cynthia Andres, Extreme programming eXplained: embrace change, Second Edition, MA: Addison-Wesley, 2004. 5] Mike Cohn, Agile estimating and planning, Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference, Nov 11, 2005. [6] Barry, Boehm and Richard Turner, Balancing Agility and Discipline: A Guide for the Perplexed, Addison Wesley, August 15, 2003. [7] Basil, V. R. , Selby, R. and Hutchens, D. , Experimentation in Software Engineering, IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering (invited paper), July 1986. [8] Andrew Begel and Nachiappan Nagappan, Usage and Perceptions of Agile Software Development in an Industrial Context: An Exploratory Study, MiIEEE Computer Society MSR-TR-2007-09, no. 2007): 10. [9] Ming Huo, June Verner, Muhammad Ali Babar, and Liming Zhu, How does agility ensure quality? , IEEE Seminar Digests 2004, (2004):36. [10] Jan Chong, Robert Plummer, Larry Leifer, Scott R. Klemmer, and George Toye. Pair Programming: When and Why it Works, In Proceedings of Psychology of Programming Interest Group 2005 Workshop, Brighton, UK, June 2005. [11] Glaser, Barney G, Strauss, and Anselm L. , The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research, Aldine Publishing Company, Chicago, 1967.