Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Work Bibliography Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Work Bibliography - Research Paper Example The fist is an official document that served as an imperial record of the confiscation of church property, and reveals the depth to which persecution took place, and the Roman Empire re-embraced the persecution of Christians. It also points to an even more systematic persecution than had happened before, where persecutions would only be carried out in cases where Christians were overt in their worship, and would refuse to deal with Roman authorities, or when a local Roman Official was incredibly intent in the persecution. The acceptance of the Church in the decades before Julian’s reign, however, pushed Christianity into public life. This meant that the rise of persecution struck more deeply at the now open Christianity than previous persecutions had at closeted Christianity. This article also outlines a letter from a man to his wife that indicates the kinds of small personal resistances that Christians attempted to undertake in the face of this new brutal oppression. Though t hey would not often stand openly against the state, according to this article, they also did not bend to that oppression, and attempted to resist in the small ways that were available to them. Harrison, J. R. 2002. Paul and the Imperial Gospel at Thessaloniki.  Journal for the Study of the New Testament  25 (1): 71-96. ... the creation of Bishops who would preside over a certain area, and made the travel of Christians from one area to another easier, as well as allowing the birth of Christian communities in areas where there had not been ones previously easier, because they had a mold and a model to follow. Furthermore, it indicates that this administrative copying of the Roman Empire also had a profound impact on the theology of the Christian Church, allowing for the deciding of theological issues through councils of Bishops, but also reducing the populism of the earliest church in favor of a more top-down, authoritarian religious practice. den Boeft, J., and D. H. Williams. 1996. Ambrose of Milan and the end of the Arian-Nicene conflicts.  Vigiliae Christianae  50 (3): 315. This text outlines the role of one of the most important early Bishops, Ambrose of Milan, in bringing to a close the Arian-Nicene conflict. Though the council of Nicene decided on an orthodoxy, declaring the Arian beliefs hete rodox or heretical, this did not stop the continuation of Arian practices. This was a pattern that emerged though many church councils, where the losing side would continue to act in the ways they had previously, especially if, as was the case with the Arian heresy, the heresy was geographically concentrated. The article argues that without strong defense of orthodoxy, as was provided by Ambrose of Milan, it is quite possible that Arian beliefs would have continued to flourish for many years after the Nicean council. It outlines the steps Ambrose took to defend orthodoxy as decided by the Council of Nicene. But it also complicates the historical memory of Ambrose of Milan somewhat, by demonstrating that he had substantial investment in defending the orthodoxy for reasons other than theological

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Casual Internet Gamers in India

Casual Internet Gamers in India Casual Internet Gaming in India is the area of dissertation which will be researched. A phenomenon relatively new to the world, casual internet gaming is an area which is yet to be researched and fully understood. Computer gaming is an area close to my heart, as well as an exciting and challenging field to work on, where the markets are still evolving and promising great potential in the near future. Electronic gaming itself is a very wide subject which hasnt been properly researched, especially in India. Internet gaming is a subset to it, but again an area so vast that it cant be covered in one research. Going down further, I chose casual internet gaming because of the following reasons- Casual gaming is by far the most popular mode of gaming on internet in India. Internet speeds in India allows only casual gaming to grow currently. Social media is proving to be an ideal platform for their growth No research on this topic has been done so far. We are yet to understand why people and Indians in particular are attracted towards casual gaming. Till now, Indian Marketers have not taken a consumer-centric approach to make and deliver casual games. There is great scope in the field, as Indians discover casual gaming and get hooked on to it through various platforms According to a recent study by JuxtConsult , Of the 47 million Internet users, 39 million are based in urban areas, while only 8 million reside in the rural. Hence Internet penetration is largely limited in India and speeds are still slow. In such a scenario, the only games that can work well are casual games because they dont need high end computer/gaming systems, nor are the speed requirements a constraint. In fact, being the only mode of gaming which is viable, it has been the focus of the gaming industry as well. From dedicated websites like zapak to integration of casual games to social media networks like facebook, casual games are available across the internet. The surprising part is that no one has really tried to understand the reason for their popularity or the potential profitability of these games. The growth of Indias casual games market comes in line with the overall growth of the countrys games market and industry. According to founder of CasualGaming.biz, Gaurav Mirchandani the industry has changed substantially over the past few due to the growth of internet users in India whom now have broadband access in their homes, at work, and in restaurants and hotels. This change has sparked a new emergence of casual gaming in India as a leisure and as lead to new small companies setting up offices for game development outsourcing mostly for flash and PC downloadable games. The Industry focus has been on delivering casual games across platforms to the maximum possible user base. However, no thought has been given to the consumer and their needs. The Industry lacks a consumer-centric focus in game development and delivery. A deeper understanding of why these games are being played, and by whom they are being played is necessary to improve the standards and profitability of casual gaming as a business. As the world moves towards the virtual avenues provided by the technological revolution, internet gaming assumes significance as the next major frontier of the world. Brands are already investing in this area and can really cash on into this profitable business. Internet now provides people the choice of playing with other individuals over the cyber space. The constant advances in technology open up new possibilities regularly, taking computer gaming to new heights each time. Hence, the objective of the research will be to understand the psyche of the Indian casual gamer. This will help the Indian gaming industry understand the consumers better and hence deliver better products to them. Not only that, it will also help them improve the profitability of the business, by understanding what is relevant to the gamers, and what is not. This will be an exploratory study into the realm of casual gaming in India. Given the time constraints of a dissertation, I will be able to focus on limited aspects of casual gaming. Hence I am choosing only those aspects of the area, like why do gamers behave as they do and where and when they play games, which are important both for the Industry and the academia. Again due to the time constraints and vastness of the topic, everything cannot be covered in one research. Hence a study on the college-going gamers will be conducted. LITERATURE REVIEW Very little literature is available on consumers of Casual Gaming in India. I studied the gaming industry in general to find references to casual and internet gaming, especially in the Indian context. Gaming: India is All Set! -Rao, K. Rajesh (rajesh, 2008) Prospects for Animation Gaming Industry in India. -Kuruvila, A. O. (A.O, 2008) (Computer gaming on the go in India, 2004) India: The Final Frontier for Games? (Silicon india, 2008) Zapak Taking Casual Games seriously! (Vimali, 2008) Casual Gaming A Big Draw for VCs. (Khanna, 2008) Games people play (Marketing Management, 2007) Casual video gaming is now serious business (2007) Casual Computer Games Go Upscale (2007) Nothing casual about it Rajiv Fernando 2009 The article presents the authors views concerning the development of the gaming industry in India. He relates that the new generation is characterized by the evolution of interactive digital content and distributed model of games services. The author perceives good opportunities for game developers and providers associated with the increase of Internet penetration and digital content. The article starts off with a preface of the Global and Indian gaming and animation industry and goes on to dwell upon the statistics of the industry in India. It then follows up with a SWOT analysis of the Indian gaming Industry Reports on the report released by British Broadcasting Corp. in 2005 regarding the mobile gaming market segment in India. Increase in the number of mobile phone users in October 2004; Factors that influenced the growth in the mobile gaming sector; Number of game developers and mobile companies that provide games to their subscribers. The article provides an overview of the computer games industry worldwide, particularly in India. It explains the technology trends that might influence the advent of these games including powerful cellular telephones, cloud gaming and the growth of broadband networks. A historical background on the emergence of these electronic games is also presented. The article discusses the success of the online games introduced by Zapak Digital Entertainment in India. Zapak is influential to the success of the gaming industry through the launching of massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs), hardcore games and large format gaming cafÃÆ' ©es. The companys strategies in creating value chain for its customers and distribution network are mentioned. The article presents the views of the author on various issues related to the electronic games industry in India. It focuses on the casual gaming business. The author addresses the problems on piracy and financing animation and gaming projects in the country. Future opportunities for the casual gaming space are also cited. The article discusses conflicting studies concerning the target audience for casual games. A study by Information Solutions Group found that casual gamers are predominately female. In-game advertisement firm Eyeblaster backed this data up, claiming that the majority of casual gamers are females that are more than thirty years old. However, a study by Ipsos Insight showed that more than half of computer and video gamers are male, data that is backed up by a Universal McCann study about console gamers. The article reports on the growing competition among firms in the video games industry in New York City. According to IDC Research, revenues from casual video games are expected to increase by 68 percent to $750 million in 2007 and are forecasted to reach $2 million by 2009. Wade Tinney, co-founder of Large Animal Games, said that it is important for firms in the industry to be well-funded so that they can move quickly and make products that compete with those with other companies. The article talks about the demographics of casual gamers worldwide according to the various studies that have been conducted. It also talks about the distribution of these games and what the game developers are doing to fight off competition in the casual gaming segment. It takes the zapak example to show that casual games are here to stay. It further tells about the future plans of zapak and compares the groeth of casual gaming in India with increase in internet penetration.It re-iterates that industry observers believe that online games had great potential for growth in the Indian gaming market, as it overcame the problem of piracy. Sify eyes kids for gaming biz (2007, Infotech.indiatimes.com) Web 2.0: Online Communities, Personalization and the Web OS. (Singh, 2006) Casual Games White Paper -IGDA ,2003 The 2009-2014 Outlook for PC Casual Games in India Icon Group International, Inc. 2008 Insights on Casual Games, Nielson, 2009 Casual gaming study conducted by NPD Group China Gaming 2008à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"2012 Forecast and Analysis Casual Gaming Market Update James Kuai and Peter Shackelfor 3Q 2007 2004 China Casual Game Research Report (2005) It shows the interest of the industry in the casual gaming industry and an attempt to focus on the needs of the consumers, finally. I talks about Sify and its plan to acquire casual games and make them available all across Sifys cyber cafes. The article reports developments on Web 2.0 in India. Social networks and casual gaming continue to prevail in the major themes of Web 2.0. Online communities emphasize the notion of more sharing and connectivity on the Internet, as well as a strong focus on personalization. Another interesting phenomenon in the Web 2.0 world is the emerging space of online casual gaming. This article is on the International Casual Games industry. Numerous players continue to enter the market, business models are constantly changing, and new customers are found every day. This paper helps define the industry, and give everyone a base level of understanding of all aspects of this space. It is not intended to go into minute detail on any one subject, but provides broad understanding to the major factors involved in the casual game industry. This econometric study covers the latent demand outlook for PC casual games across the states, union territories and cities of India. Latent demand (in millions of U.S. dollars), or potential industry earnings (P.I.E.) estimates are given across over 5,000 cities in India. This report does not discuss the specific players in the market serving the latent demand, nor specific details at the product level. Nor does the report cover actual sales data (which are simply unavailable, in a comparable or consistent manner in virtually all of the cities in India) This study looks at data from more than 800 casual games for PC computers, which are defined as inexpensive to produce, straightforward in concept, easy to learn and simple to play. They say that casual gamers return more often to games and therefore play more often than hardcore gamers. The study, which surveyed nearly 3,000 U.S. gamers, identified 14 specific types of gamer within 39 different game genres. Casual gamers were divided into 10 classifications. The study also offered data that would seem to dispel the myth that casual gamers dont invest as much time playing games as core gamers do. This IDC study examines the dynamics of the China gaming market and focuses on online gaming. It looks at market drivers, dynamics, and strategies; the competitive landscape; and includes profiles of the top 10 vendors as well as a 2008à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"2012 forecast. The concentration of the China online gaming market improved significantly in 2007. The revenue sum of the top 10 vendors occupied 91.8% of the total market. Casual Gaming Market Update provides in-depth analysis of the current dynamics and future directions of the rapidly growing casual gaming industry in the USA, including quantitative forecasts, competitive analysis, consumer perspectives, and profiles of leading companies in the casual gaming value chain. According to iResearch, market size of China online casual game industry was RMB 25 million in 2003 and it reaches to RMB 410 million in 2004 with growth rate of 356%. The fast growth of online casual game industry is mainly attributable to the market success of QQ game platform and Shanda BnB. iResearch forecasts that market size of China online casual game industry will keep fast growth in the following years: its is estimated that market size of China online casual game will reach RMB 1.78 billion in 2007. The literature review failed to reveal any concrete consumer research done in the field of Casual gaming in India. Apart from references in articles in business and technology magazines, only two proper journal articles were found on the subject. No survey, scholarly article, book, dissertation etc on this topic covering the consumer angle and pertaining to India was found. Being a new research area, this is not surprising, but only logical. Hence we find a huge research gap here, particularly in the Indian context. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES FRAMEWORK We see that there is a wide research gap in this area. At best surveys, statistics and reports are available on the subject. While the consumers have been studied in the west and Asian markets like China, an Indian study to understand the consumer was not found on an extensive search. Therefore, in the proposed research we plan to- Understand the Indian college-going casual internet gamer No research was found on the above mentioned research field, inspite of extensive search. An exploratory research in this field is hence in order. The phenomena of Internet gaming and hence out study will be largely restricted to SEC A and SEC B in India ( JuxtConsult study,2009 ). This is due to the current limitations of internet penetration. Though a comprehensive study needs to be done on all existing and potential casual gamers, the proposed dissertation will be limited to college going gamers only. This will be so keeping in mind the time constraints of the dissertation. The research objectives: Find out reasons why college-goers play casual internet games What are usage patterns of casual internet-gaming in India Explore the casual gaming phenomena First we need to know the platforms where casual internet games are being played by college-goers. After that we will find the reasons why these gamers are hooked on to casual internet gaming. We will then find the relations between the usage pattern and the reasons of usage and explore this area of casual gaming from the consumer perspective. This will give us various hypothesis which then can be verified. Hence it will help develop a consumer-centric approach which is currently missing in the industry. A deep understanding of the casual internet gamers in India is necessary for this approach. The researchs objective is to develop this new approach for the industry and academia alike within the constraints of a research (college-going students only). PROPOSED RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY To find out the whys and hows of the Indian Casual gaming industry, a qualitative research will be in place. Here we are trying to understand the usage and behavior of the college going audience with respect to casual gaming, which requires a qualitative approach. Secondary research- Being an area which appears to be hardly studied, the starting point would be studies done on gaming in India, for example à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" IAMAI-IMRB report NASSCOM Animation Gaming Report IGDA reports These reports give an insight on the demographics of the Indian gamer and are a good place to start. A secondary research on the subject of Casual online gaming will tell us where to find the gamers and challenges of the Industry. It will basically give an industry point of view. With the help of these reports and an extensive online research, we will be able to find out the platforms where the gamers are playing casual games, for example- Dedicated Casual gaming websites Social media networks Mobiles Film/brand promotion websites A comprehensive list of all the casual gaming platforms on the internet will be made. Once we know where to find the college going casual gamer, we can move on to the next stage, which is to probe him/her. Apart from this, casual gaming phenomena in other countries will be studied where research has already been done on the subject. Quantitative studies on Indian gaming industry will be studied to form a strong base for the qualitative research to be undertaken. Primary research- We will through the secondary research know where to find the Indian casual gamer. We will then do a primary research to find the reasons why people play casual games. In- depth Interviews- To find out the reasons why people play casual internet games 15 in-depth interviews will be conducted keeping in mind that all possible platforms are covered. The hows and whys of the college going gamers will be found out. Questionnaire- To understand the usage patterns of the casual internet gamers, a qualitative questionnaire will be in order. It will give us the various attitudes of the gamers along with consumption patterns of the college-going gamers. We will be able to find out which games they are playing, when they are playing and how they are playing. A questionnaire will have a sample size of around 40 people from the college-going gamers. The results of the in-depth interview and questionnaire along with the secondary research will then be used to develop the psychographic profiling of the casual internet gamer. This will be done using the TGI software tool. The universe will be derived by the intensive secondary research. Sample size is proposed to be 15 in-depth interviews and 40 gamers (20 men and 20 women) for the questionnaire, keeping in mind our target, the college going gamers. Mere numbers are irrelevant here as our focus is on developing a deep understanding on the subject. As this is a qualitative study, a probability sampling method is ineffective and expensive; hence we will do non-probability sampling with convenience, quota and snow-ball sampling techniques. A content analysis technique will be undertaken. The analysis will be with a systematic description of behavior asking who, what, where, where and how questions within formulated systematic rules to limit the effects of analyst bias. Being an exploratory research, this will be a good basis to begin with. EXPECTED CONTRIBUTION The Indian gaming industry is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 49% to reach USD 830 million by 2012 which was USD 167 million in 2008. Casual internet gaming is an area of the industry which is popular and growing. And it is also an area where on an extensive search no concrete research could be found. Hence this area of research appeals to both the industry and academia. No consumer centric approach in this field has yet been observed. This research will perhaps be the first of its kind where the psychographic profiling of the college going casual internet gamers will be done and basic STP constructs on the same will be developed. For the industry, this approach will help them develop and deliver better products and being an exploratory research, for the academia the research output will provide further scope for researching in the field. This research only focuses on College going gamers. There are a lot of other segments which can be studied. Also, casual gaming is just a subset of computer gaming, which in itself is a large field to research on, given the dearth of studies done in the Indian context, leaving scope for further researches, using this research as a basis. Casual Internet Gamers in India Casual Internet Gamers in India Casual Internet Gaming in India is the area of dissertation which will be researched. A phenomenon relatively new to the world, casual internet gaming is an area which is yet to be researched and fully understood. Computer gaming is an area close to my heart, as well as an exciting and challenging field to work on, where the markets are still evolving and promising great potential in the near future. Electronic gaming itself is a very wide subject which hasnt been properly researched, especially in India. Internet gaming is a subset to it, but again an area so vast that it cant be covered in one research. Going down further, I chose casual internet gaming because of the following reasons- Casual gaming is by far the most popular mode of gaming on internet in India. Internet speeds in India allows only casual gaming to grow currently. Social media is proving to be an ideal platform for their growth No research on this topic has been done so far. We are yet to understand why people and Indians in particular are attracted towards casual gaming. Till now, Indian Marketers have not taken a consumer-centric approach to make and deliver casual games. There is great scope in the field, as Indians discover casual gaming and get hooked on to it through various platforms According to a recent study by JuxtConsult , Of the 47 million Internet users, 39 million are based in urban areas, while only 8 million reside in the rural. Hence Internet penetration is largely limited in India and speeds are still slow. In such a scenario, the only games that can work well are casual games because they dont need high end computer/gaming systems, nor are the speed requirements a constraint. In fact, being the only mode of gaming which is viable, it has been the focus of the gaming industry as well. From dedicated websites like zapak to integration of casual games to social media networks like facebook, casual games are available across the internet. The surprising part is that no one has really tried to understand the reason for their popularity or the potential profitability of these games. The growth of Indias casual games market comes in line with the overall growth of the countrys games market and industry. According to founder of CasualGaming.biz, Gaurav Mirchandani the industry has changed substantially over the past few due to the growth of internet users in India whom now have broadband access in their homes, at work, and in restaurants and hotels. This change has sparked a new emergence of casual gaming in India as a leisure and as lead to new small companies setting up offices for game development outsourcing mostly for flash and PC downloadable games. The Industry focus has been on delivering casual games across platforms to the maximum possible user base. However, no thought has been given to the consumer and their needs. The Industry lacks a consumer-centric focus in game development and delivery. A deeper understanding of why these games are being played, and by whom they are being played is necessary to improve the standards and profitability of casual gaming as a business. As the world moves towards the virtual avenues provided by the technological revolution, internet gaming assumes significance as the next major frontier of the world. Brands are already investing in this area and can really cash on into this profitable business. Internet now provides people the choice of playing with other individuals over the cyber space. The constant advances in technology open up new possibilities regularly, taking computer gaming to new heights each time. Hence, the objective of the research will be to understand the psyche of the Indian casual gamer. This will help the Indian gaming industry understand the consumers better and hence deliver better products to them. Not only that, it will also help them improve the profitability of the business, by understanding what is relevant to the gamers, and what is not. This will be an exploratory study into the realm of casual gaming in India. Given the time constraints of a dissertation, I will be able to focus on limited aspects of casual gaming. Hence I am choosing only those aspects of the area, like why do gamers behave as they do and where and when they play games, which are important both for the Industry and the academia. Again due to the time constraints and vastness of the topic, everything cannot be covered in one research. Hence a study on the college-going gamers will be conducted. LITERATURE REVIEW Very little literature is available on consumers of Casual Gaming in India. I studied the gaming industry in general to find references to casual and internet gaming, especially in the Indian context. Gaming: India is All Set! -Rao, K. Rajesh (rajesh, 2008) Prospects for Animation Gaming Industry in India. -Kuruvila, A. O. (A.O, 2008) (Computer gaming on the go in India, 2004) India: The Final Frontier for Games? (Silicon india, 2008) Zapak Taking Casual Games seriously! (Vimali, 2008) Casual Gaming A Big Draw for VCs. (Khanna, 2008) Games people play (Marketing Management, 2007) Casual video gaming is now serious business (2007) Casual Computer Games Go Upscale (2007) Nothing casual about it Rajiv Fernando 2009 The article presents the authors views concerning the development of the gaming industry in India. He relates that the new generation is characterized by the evolution of interactive digital content and distributed model of games services. The author perceives good opportunities for game developers and providers associated with the increase of Internet penetration and digital content. The article starts off with a preface of the Global and Indian gaming and animation industry and goes on to dwell upon the statistics of the industry in India. It then follows up with a SWOT analysis of the Indian gaming Industry Reports on the report released by British Broadcasting Corp. in 2005 regarding the mobile gaming market segment in India. Increase in the number of mobile phone users in October 2004; Factors that influenced the growth in the mobile gaming sector; Number of game developers and mobile companies that provide games to their subscribers. The article provides an overview of the computer games industry worldwide, particularly in India. It explains the technology trends that might influence the advent of these games including powerful cellular telephones, cloud gaming and the growth of broadband networks. A historical background on the emergence of these electronic games is also presented. The article discusses the success of the online games introduced by Zapak Digital Entertainment in India. Zapak is influential to the success of the gaming industry through the launching of massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs), hardcore games and large format gaming cafÃÆ' ©es. The companys strategies in creating value chain for its customers and distribution network are mentioned. The article presents the views of the author on various issues related to the electronic games industry in India. It focuses on the casual gaming business. The author addresses the problems on piracy and financing animation and gaming projects in the country. Future opportunities for the casual gaming space are also cited. The article discusses conflicting studies concerning the target audience for casual games. A study by Information Solutions Group found that casual gamers are predominately female. In-game advertisement firm Eyeblaster backed this data up, claiming that the majority of casual gamers are females that are more than thirty years old. However, a study by Ipsos Insight showed that more than half of computer and video gamers are male, data that is backed up by a Universal McCann study about console gamers. The article reports on the growing competition among firms in the video games industry in New York City. According to IDC Research, revenues from casual video games are expected to increase by 68 percent to $750 million in 2007 and are forecasted to reach $2 million by 2009. Wade Tinney, co-founder of Large Animal Games, said that it is important for firms in the industry to be well-funded so that they can move quickly and make products that compete with those with other companies. The article talks about the demographics of casual gamers worldwide according to the various studies that have been conducted. It also talks about the distribution of these games and what the game developers are doing to fight off competition in the casual gaming segment. It takes the zapak example to show that casual games are here to stay. It further tells about the future plans of zapak and compares the groeth of casual gaming in India with increase in internet penetration.It re-iterates that industry observers believe that online games had great potential for growth in the Indian gaming market, as it overcame the problem of piracy. Sify eyes kids for gaming biz (2007, Infotech.indiatimes.com) Web 2.0: Online Communities, Personalization and the Web OS. (Singh, 2006) Casual Games White Paper -IGDA ,2003 The 2009-2014 Outlook for PC Casual Games in India Icon Group International, Inc. 2008 Insights on Casual Games, Nielson, 2009 Casual gaming study conducted by NPD Group China Gaming 2008à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"2012 Forecast and Analysis Casual Gaming Market Update James Kuai and Peter Shackelfor 3Q 2007 2004 China Casual Game Research Report (2005) It shows the interest of the industry in the casual gaming industry and an attempt to focus on the needs of the consumers, finally. I talks about Sify and its plan to acquire casual games and make them available all across Sifys cyber cafes. The article reports developments on Web 2.0 in India. Social networks and casual gaming continue to prevail in the major themes of Web 2.0. Online communities emphasize the notion of more sharing and connectivity on the Internet, as well as a strong focus on personalization. Another interesting phenomenon in the Web 2.0 world is the emerging space of online casual gaming. This article is on the International Casual Games industry. Numerous players continue to enter the market, business models are constantly changing, and new customers are found every day. This paper helps define the industry, and give everyone a base level of understanding of all aspects of this space. It is not intended to go into minute detail on any one subject, but provides broad understanding to the major factors involved in the casual game industry. This econometric study covers the latent demand outlook for PC casual games across the states, union territories and cities of India. Latent demand (in millions of U.S. dollars), or potential industry earnings (P.I.E.) estimates are given across over 5,000 cities in India. This report does not discuss the specific players in the market serving the latent demand, nor specific details at the product level. Nor does the report cover actual sales data (which are simply unavailable, in a comparable or consistent manner in virtually all of the cities in India) This study looks at data from more than 800 casual games for PC computers, which are defined as inexpensive to produce, straightforward in concept, easy to learn and simple to play. They say that casual gamers return more often to games and therefore play more often than hardcore gamers. The study, which surveyed nearly 3,000 U.S. gamers, identified 14 specific types of gamer within 39 different game genres. Casual gamers were divided into 10 classifications. The study also offered data that would seem to dispel the myth that casual gamers dont invest as much time playing games as core gamers do. This IDC study examines the dynamics of the China gaming market and focuses on online gaming. It looks at market drivers, dynamics, and strategies; the competitive landscape; and includes profiles of the top 10 vendors as well as a 2008à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"2012 forecast. The concentration of the China online gaming market improved significantly in 2007. The revenue sum of the top 10 vendors occupied 91.8% of the total market. Casual Gaming Market Update provides in-depth analysis of the current dynamics and future directions of the rapidly growing casual gaming industry in the USA, including quantitative forecasts, competitive analysis, consumer perspectives, and profiles of leading companies in the casual gaming value chain. According to iResearch, market size of China online casual game industry was RMB 25 million in 2003 and it reaches to RMB 410 million in 2004 with growth rate of 356%. The fast growth of online casual game industry is mainly attributable to the market success of QQ game platform and Shanda BnB. iResearch forecasts that market size of China online casual game industry will keep fast growth in the following years: its is estimated that market size of China online casual game will reach RMB 1.78 billion in 2007. The literature review failed to reveal any concrete consumer research done in the field of Casual gaming in India. Apart from references in articles in business and technology magazines, only two proper journal articles were found on the subject. No survey, scholarly article, book, dissertation etc on this topic covering the consumer angle and pertaining to India was found. Being a new research area, this is not surprising, but only logical. Hence we find a huge research gap here, particularly in the Indian context. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES FRAMEWORK We see that there is a wide research gap in this area. At best surveys, statistics and reports are available on the subject. While the consumers have been studied in the west and Asian markets like China, an Indian study to understand the consumer was not found on an extensive search. Therefore, in the proposed research we plan to- Understand the Indian college-going casual internet gamer No research was found on the above mentioned research field, inspite of extensive search. An exploratory research in this field is hence in order. The phenomena of Internet gaming and hence out study will be largely restricted to SEC A and SEC B in India ( JuxtConsult study,2009 ). This is due to the current limitations of internet penetration. Though a comprehensive study needs to be done on all existing and potential casual gamers, the proposed dissertation will be limited to college going gamers only. This will be so keeping in mind the time constraints of the dissertation. The research objectives: Find out reasons why college-goers play casual internet games What are usage patterns of casual internet-gaming in India Explore the casual gaming phenomena First we need to know the platforms where casual internet games are being played by college-goers. After that we will find the reasons why these gamers are hooked on to casual internet gaming. We will then find the relations between the usage pattern and the reasons of usage and explore this area of casual gaming from the consumer perspective. This will give us various hypothesis which then can be verified. Hence it will help develop a consumer-centric approach which is currently missing in the industry. A deep understanding of the casual internet gamers in India is necessary for this approach. The researchs objective is to develop this new approach for the industry and academia alike within the constraints of a research (college-going students only). PROPOSED RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY To find out the whys and hows of the Indian Casual gaming industry, a qualitative research will be in place. Here we are trying to understand the usage and behavior of the college going audience with respect to casual gaming, which requires a qualitative approach. Secondary research- Being an area which appears to be hardly studied, the starting point would be studies done on gaming in India, for example à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" IAMAI-IMRB report NASSCOM Animation Gaming Report IGDA reports These reports give an insight on the demographics of the Indian gamer and are a good place to start. A secondary research on the subject of Casual online gaming will tell us where to find the gamers and challenges of the Industry. It will basically give an industry point of view. With the help of these reports and an extensive online research, we will be able to find out the platforms where the gamers are playing casual games, for example- Dedicated Casual gaming websites Social media networks Mobiles Film/brand promotion websites A comprehensive list of all the casual gaming platforms on the internet will be made. Once we know where to find the college going casual gamer, we can move on to the next stage, which is to probe him/her. Apart from this, casual gaming phenomena in other countries will be studied where research has already been done on the subject. Quantitative studies on Indian gaming industry will be studied to form a strong base for the qualitative research to be undertaken. Primary research- We will through the secondary research know where to find the Indian casual gamer. We will then do a primary research to find the reasons why people play casual games. In- depth Interviews- To find out the reasons why people play casual internet games 15 in-depth interviews will be conducted keeping in mind that all possible platforms are covered. The hows and whys of the college going gamers will be found out. Questionnaire- To understand the usage patterns of the casual internet gamers, a qualitative questionnaire will be in order. It will give us the various attitudes of the gamers along with consumption patterns of the college-going gamers. We will be able to find out which games they are playing, when they are playing and how they are playing. A questionnaire will have a sample size of around 40 people from the college-going gamers. The results of the in-depth interview and questionnaire along with the secondary research will then be used to develop the psychographic profiling of the casual internet gamer. This will be done using the TGI software tool. The universe will be derived by the intensive secondary research. Sample size is proposed to be 15 in-depth interviews and 40 gamers (20 men and 20 women) for the questionnaire, keeping in mind our target, the college going gamers. Mere numbers are irrelevant here as our focus is on developing a deep understanding on the subject. As this is a qualitative study, a probability sampling method is ineffective and expensive; hence we will do non-probability sampling with convenience, quota and snow-ball sampling techniques. A content analysis technique will be undertaken. The analysis will be with a systematic description of behavior asking who, what, where, where and how questions within formulated systematic rules to limit the effects of analyst bias. Being an exploratory research, this will be a good basis to begin with. EXPECTED CONTRIBUTION The Indian gaming industry is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 49% to reach USD 830 million by 2012 which was USD 167 million in 2008. Casual internet gaming is an area of the industry which is popular and growing. And it is also an area where on an extensive search no concrete research could be found. Hence this area of research appeals to both the industry and academia. No consumer centric approach in this field has yet been observed. This research will perhaps be the first of its kind where the psychographic profiling of the college going casual internet gamers will be done and basic STP constructs on the same will be developed. For the industry, this approach will help them develop and deliver better products and being an exploratory research, for the academia the research output will provide further scope for researching in the field. This research only focuses on College going gamers. There are a lot of other segments which can be studied. Also, casual gaming is just a subset of computer gaming, which in itself is a large field to research on, given the dearth of studies done in the Indian context, leaving scope for further researches, using this research as a basis.

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Struggle of the Zapatatista Movement: Seeking a Solution after 10 years :: Essays Papers

The Struggle of the Zapatatista Movement: Seeking a Solution after 10 years "There hasn't been much change. We're still poor," Isaac [A Zapatista Rebel since 1994] acknowledged, as he cast a glance over [his hometown’s] wooden shacks and shoeless children. "But at least now people are aware. -Isaac, Zapatista Leader Since the Beginning (CNN Wolrd Article) Introduction: The indigenous community of Chiapas, Mexico has been struggling for hundreds of years, ever since the inception of the Spanish conquest. The Indians of Mexico (and especially of Chiapas) have been dehumanized and have been rejected of constitutional rights throughout history. For this reason, and other related reasons, the indigenous population of Chiapas has suffered from hunger, lack of health care access, poverty, loss of agricultural land, and racism over the past four centuries. In particular, the majority of Mayan populations in Chiapas are often forced to bear injustices and infractions of natural human rights. Set deep in the thriving green and fertile jungles of southeastern Mexico, Zapatistas have maintained a resistance movement to stand up for the injustices endured by the approximately 2.3 million people who live and die in the Chiapas countryside. A war broke out in Southern Mexico on New Year’s Day of 1994, 10 years ago. In its first military actions, the Ejà ©rcito Zapatista de Liberacià ³n Nacional (EZLN) demanded from the Mexican federal government democracy, liberty, and justice for all Mexicans. Led by Subcomandante Marcos, the Zapatistas demanded autonomy from the government, legal recognition of Indians in Mexico, demilitarization, and the redistribution of agricultural lands. But time and time again these rights continue to be denied. No president has been able to reach an agreement with the Zapatistas. The war still continues, although the negotiations have halted. The bloodshed still continues, and yet there is still no solution to this conflict. A solution that satisfies both the Mexican government and the Zapatistas is attainable. A proposed Solution involves a 4 part solution to the four demands of the Zapatistas: health care, indigenous rights, demilitarization, and redistribution of land. But first, a comprehensive history and causes for the lack of success of the movement must be discussed. . History / Reasons for Lack of Success of the Zapatista Movement: The Zapatista movement has generally failed to achieve tangible improvements for the indigenous community of Chiapas. There are three key causes for the inability to reach an agreement with the Mexican Government. Contemporary economic policies, the elitism of the Mexican political state, and continued intrusion from international foreign powers such as the U. The Struggle of the Zapatatista Movement: Seeking a Solution after 10 years :: Essays Papers The Struggle of the Zapatatista Movement: Seeking a Solution after 10 years "There hasn't been much change. We're still poor," Isaac [A Zapatista Rebel since 1994] acknowledged, as he cast a glance over [his hometown’s] wooden shacks and shoeless children. "But at least now people are aware. -Isaac, Zapatista Leader Since the Beginning (CNN Wolrd Article) Introduction: The indigenous community of Chiapas, Mexico has been struggling for hundreds of years, ever since the inception of the Spanish conquest. The Indians of Mexico (and especially of Chiapas) have been dehumanized and have been rejected of constitutional rights throughout history. For this reason, and other related reasons, the indigenous population of Chiapas has suffered from hunger, lack of health care access, poverty, loss of agricultural land, and racism over the past four centuries. In particular, the majority of Mayan populations in Chiapas are often forced to bear injustices and infractions of natural human rights. Set deep in the thriving green and fertile jungles of southeastern Mexico, Zapatistas have maintained a resistance movement to stand up for the injustices endured by the approximately 2.3 million people who live and die in the Chiapas countryside. A war broke out in Southern Mexico on New Year’s Day of 1994, 10 years ago. In its first military actions, the Ejà ©rcito Zapatista de Liberacià ³n Nacional (EZLN) demanded from the Mexican federal government democracy, liberty, and justice for all Mexicans. Led by Subcomandante Marcos, the Zapatistas demanded autonomy from the government, legal recognition of Indians in Mexico, demilitarization, and the redistribution of agricultural lands. But time and time again these rights continue to be denied. No president has been able to reach an agreement with the Zapatistas. The war still continues, although the negotiations have halted. The bloodshed still continues, and yet there is still no solution to this conflict. A solution that satisfies both the Mexican government and the Zapatistas is attainable. A proposed Solution involves a 4 part solution to the four demands of the Zapatistas: health care, indigenous rights, demilitarization, and redistribution of land. But first, a comprehensive history and causes for the lack of success of the movement must be discussed. . History / Reasons for Lack of Success of the Zapatista Movement: The Zapatista movement has generally failed to achieve tangible improvements for the indigenous community of Chiapas. There are three key causes for the inability to reach an agreement with the Mexican Government. Contemporary economic policies, the elitism of the Mexican political state, and continued intrusion from international foreign powers such as the U.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Motivation Solution Essay

Motivation is the real driving force of a company that culminates the entire work force of a company into one tireless engine that runs on towards success. However, it is easier said than done to achieve that flow of motivation in a company – because it takes relentless effort from the management to keep every component of the organization motivated. Therefore, I felt really happy as an organizational consultant, when the CEO of â€Å"The Altitude Corporation†, Mr. David had sought my assistance to assess and recommend ways and means to improve the state of LOB (Leadership and Organizational Behavior) in his esteemed company. It made me happy on another account that I could successfully pinpoint the problem areas and specific solutions for them and I’m sure that the application of such solutions would definitely make a difference to the future performance of the organization. Therefore, this paper is presented to â€Å"The Altitude Corporation† as part of the blueprint of the detailed, employee-based analysis, which deals with motivation problem of the company. Here I’ve embedded the nuances of motivation with the problem areas to provide an enhanced understanding of motivation and its relation with the company. However, the brief of the problems found in the motivation sector is placed below: The Problem An exhaustive study on the motivational state of the 350 employees of the organization is showing that there is serious lack of motivation among the employees, which is the cumulative effect of various factors.   These factors have been mentioned along with possible solutions and detailed discussion in this report, besides discussion on the topic to enhance better understanding about the problems of the company. What is Motivation? Background: Altitude Corporation is a budding company with 350 employees on its roll at present, where most of the departments are interdependent in executing the various levels of operation. Therefore it is necessary to understand the key concepts of motivation to apply them towards motivating the employees. Motivation is the guiding spirit behind the execution of a chosen action, where it helps to achieve the desired result out of that action. Now this guiding spirit is actually backed by some grand essentials of happiness – which form the core of all living being’s reasoning for survival or to develop – as the management guru Shiv Khera says, motivation is a â€Å"drive that encourages action or feeling. It is a force that can literally change your life† (Khera 2004). Motivation Philosophy in Workplace Environment It may seem that motivation is an automated process, and humans have nothing to meddle into it – but it is the degree of its intensity that determines the level of one’s achievement and from this perspective motivation is a very important factor in human life, which is multidimensional and is not limited to manage just a living for a good number of years. Thus, at the primary level motivation is essential for existence, and in its secondary level, it is essential to develop further on aesthetic, emotional or esoteric plane of existence. Likewise, one might have many goals spread out at various levels of his/her existence and thus requires all of his/her power of body and mind. Here motivation would be that essential catalyst to synchronize the body and mind power of that individual, which would heighten the emotion and passion to achieve all such goals. In this context, motivation philosophy is an extremely important in workplace, because all or most of the primary or secondary goals of the employees are either directly or indirectly attached to the success of his/her workplace, which is totally dependent on the motivated action of the employees themselves. Thus it will be pertinent to incorporate motivation theories that have evolved out of workplace environment and I have chosen four such theories for better understanding of the subject from various angles, besides showing the correlations among them and the proceedings of the Altitude Corporation. Motivation Theories Theory 1: Hierarchy of Needs This theory of Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)[1] provides an outline of human needs that a manager should know and exploit to motivate the employees, because motivation is guided by unfulfilled needs. Thus Maslow’s model of ‘needs’ is invaluable to systematically pursue the needs while keeping the flow of motivation intact. Maslow’s model (Abraham, 2006) divides the human needs into five broad based categories and they are: 1. Physiological Needs: Air, Water, Nourishment and Sleep – these are the basic needs of humans and a company should take care that the employees are having all these in proper measure. It’s only after meeting this need, humans can look towards sustenance, and thus arrives the need like Safety need. 2. Safety Needs: This need covers the issues of safety in both living and in workplace, medical insurance, job security and financial backup. Company should try to contribute in all of these areas with the view that the problem in any of these areas takes away the focus of the employees. This provides much needed mental space and time to the employees, where they can afford to pursue another vital need like Social Need. 3. Social Needs: Group activities, socialization, or enhanced interpersonal communication are the elements that fulfill the social needs and which are well within the ambit of a company to imbibe in the employees, where they form a sense of belonging, which paves the way for the next need, that is Esteem Need. 4. Esteem Needs: At this stage humans turn their focus on esteem that involves recognition and social status, at the outer world and self-respect or sense of achievement in one’s own mind. This creates the platform to pursue the self-realization process, which is a unique and endless process, where one can bask in the endless discoveries about oneself. Maslow had named this ultimate need of humans as Self-actualization. It is thus understood, that an employee would reach his/her highest point of regard about the company, if it can help him/her to reach this state. 5. Self-actualization: Every human life is ideally poised to pursue this need where one can delve deep within and keep on discovering oneself from many perspective both on mental and physical plane – it is something like playing in one’s own garden – in Maslow’s words, â€Å"Self-actualized persons have frequent occurrences of peak experiences, which are moments of profound happiness and harmony† (Maslow’s, 2008).

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Is Police Brutality a Serious Problem in the US? Essay

Introduction In the article, â€Å"Police Brutality is Over-Sensationalizedâ€Å", Auerback made plenty of logical arguments about the issue of police brutality. But, the statistics he showed was from the city of Chicago. For example the Rodney King case was the first major case tried in court. The Rodney King case was about an African American being pulled over for no apparent reason. Eventually the officer was acquitted of all charges. Why do police officers just feel that they are above the law? Are they above the law? Despite Auerback showing many valid points throughout the article, his argument was very one sided or biased. Summary The article ‘’the article police brutality is Over-Sensationalized’’, (Auerback, 2010) is about police brutality not being as big of a problem as the media makes it out to be. According to Auerback (2010) he claims’’ police brutality is not as commonplace as Americans claim’’. The author uses many statistics but they are only from the city of Chicago. But throughout the entire article he continuously was saying that police are put in challenging positions. 1st major point In the paragraph â€Å"The Thin Lineâ€Å", the author spoke about how excessive force by a police officer was a big problem. Auerback explained that police officers deal with dangerous situations through their regular day. Also, he described cases such as the Rodney King beating in Los Angeles being some of the reason police brutality was widespread. He said that the statistics he used couldn’t explicate a significant reason. In the paragraph â€Å"The Evidence Suggests Otherwiseâ€Å", Auerback clarified statistics showing that  police brutality was not as bad as the media makes it out to be. For example, there was a study done by the Urbana – Champaign independent Media Center on police brutality. The results showed that in Illinois 2854 police officers had complaints about police brutality, but surprisingly only 7 percent of the officers were regulated. Later on in the paragraph Auerback argued that police officers have the right to use excessive force to a certain extent. Basically in this paragraph the author is arguing that there isn’t enough evidence to prove police brutality isn’t a big deal. The paragraph â€Å"having the Opposite Effectâ€Å", Auerback explained how the media portrays the police sometimes makes the job harder, and hurts he communities. Throughout the paragraph he showed that police brutality was a very huge charge. Also the author showed that not all police officers are bad guys as the media portrays them. 2nd Major Point There were many logical arguments and valid questions to ask during the article â€Å"Police Brutality is Over Sensationalizedâ€Å". One logical argument about the article would be why were there only a few arguments? If the author would have made the article a two-way debate about police brutality. The article would be drastically changed. Auerback did explain police brutality could be a problem but, he explained police are always in the right basically. Another question I had that wasn’t answered was are all police officers bad? There are valid examples that some police officers take their authority too far. Such as the Rodney King beating in Los Angeles made police brutality come to the light. But, because of some police officers making bad decisions and using excessive force, they give police a bad name. Lastly, another argument would be that a police officers` is very dangerous, but are they above the law? Most police officers are some of the nicest people you will meet. They put their lives on the line to serve and protect us citizens. However when you look at the statistics shown in the article they show cops get away a lot of crimes. Such as in the article the statistics done in Chicago. Throughout five years Chicago saw 1774 complains per year with only 5% of the officer having the complaints. But, in the identical survey done only 1 percent had enough evidence to start a case. That is very disturbing to hear. Why do the police officers get away with  such crimes? The reason is there is just not much evidence to prove the point. The three logical points made by the article would be the police was above the law, and why do they have so much power. 3rd Major Point Auerbacks` angle of vision was very demanded by his background which gives him ethos or credibility but also shows he could be biased. His background gives him a lot of credibility. For example he had seventeen years of experience in public policy and political science. He graduated from Boston College Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, also working as a federal contractor. With all being said his perspective is biased by him working with the government. The governments’ perspective is that the government is always right. Which Auerbacks’ angle of vision is basically police are always in the right no matter what. If the author would have shown both sides of the issue of police brutality the article would be more credible. Also, the statistics shown in the article was only from the city of Chicago. If Auerback showed statistics of the entire country instead of using just a metropolitan city then the article wouldn’t be so biased. Auerbacks` angle of vision discredited the article. The author made it seem like officers always has a reason to use excessive force. Conclusion In conclusion, the article â€Å"Police Brutality is Over Sensationalizedâ€Å", spoke about how police officers use excessive force and how it was a huge problem. The author tried to downplay the issue by using examples of cases where the police officers was in the right. But, in reality there are plenty of examples of police officers using excessive force for no reason at all. His argument throughout the article was that the media over-exposes the issue. Auerback used only a certain amount of logical arguments. Despite Auerback showing many valid points throughout the article, his argument was very one-sided or biased. Works Cited Auerback, Michael. â€Å"Police Brutality is Over Sensationalizedâ€Å". John D. Ramage, John C. Bean, June Johnson. â€Å"The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writingâ€Å" 7th Edition

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Longwall Method of Coal Getting Essays

The Longwall Method of Coal Getting Essays The Longwall Method of Coal Getting Essay The Longwall Method of Coal Getting Essay The article discusses about the sociological and psychological structure within a mechanistic system: a coalmine. Its divided into sections that relate to various issues concerning mainly the humanistic development within a contained social structure and how it interrelates with a larger scale mass organisation. In coal mines, the workers are interdependent for any part of the process needed to extract the coal meaning that each individuals job was strictly dependant on the job which previously needed to be done in order to carry out the process. Generally speaking, the work consists of a primary work-group that is then divided into the individual or pair, depending on the job. A vast distinction exists between the two phases of the structure: before mechanisation and after. Pre-mechanised structure mainly consisted in craftsmanship and was treated as such. Mechanised structures are similar to the nowadays assembly lines in which specific jobs are strictly assigned in order to minimize the costs on labour and maximise output. This article expresses views on both structures and how social and psychological characteristic differences in both interrelate with the output produced within the structure. As noted above, this organisational structure can be divided into two structures, one of which is the succession of the other. The first one is the pre-mechanised structure, better known as hand got mining. In this structure, the workers have full autonomy on their choices of work. This includes also the choice of workmanship that creates an ideal environment for everyone. The individuals are able to carry out different jobs in a rotational succession that eases the stress caused by a strict single job. Their autonomy clarifies the fact that there is no superior control, even given by the fact that supervision is virtually impossible in the mining area. The relationship between the workers expanded also externally form their job site; they were supportive in every way towards family members of their co-workers. Generally speaking this structure produced an ideal social structure that influenced positively their interaction with work. This was mainly induced by the fact that even under good conditions, the amount of work is adjusted depending on the individual. The disadvantages of this structure that the article argues about is the fact that psychologically, the small craftsmen have difficulties in adapting to larger scale structures, which leads us to the mechanised structures. The longwall structure can be best compared with an assembly line similarly practiced in car manufacturing. The process is broken down in a rigid succession of events that is precisely interrelated. This meaning that a cut on one single mechanised job would stop the whole process. This structure includes fewer workers, which decreases the cost in labour. Whenever a large job needs to be carried out, larger groups interact with individuals or pairs. This type of structure can also be compared to the Tayloristic theory that divides labour into specific and mono-skilled tasks. A deputy who however does not have the ability to supervise the workers manages the group; this ultimately sparks sociological and psychological problems. Although being a better structure production-wise, the structure encounters a series of problems that affect the whole environment. The workers who previously were involved with hand got mining have difficulties in adapting to a large-scale structure. This is due to the fact that the size in which a structure exists compromises tensions of small scale. Wages are not evenly distributed. Most workers are paid by cubic meters or by yard, which creates a tension between the workers given the fact that an individual is strictly dependent on the previous individual in the process line. This is also aggravated by existing bad conditions that can be also provoked by the anxieties of the latter. The deputy, responsible for the processes, accumulates tension. The manager and the workers create hostility between each other since both dont support each other given that their goals are very different. According to the article, the work environment needs to associate two distinct factors together. First of all, the production cycle and secondly, the interferences that are brought out from the first mentioned within the social structure as well as the straight hierarchical structure. The association is vital in order to create production efficiency, and according to the author, it can be gained only with years of experience. I believe that the facts explained in the article are a reality as a particular social environment difficultly finds ease in catapulting itself in a new larger environment, and this is true for everything. Mainly, I also believe that the article also deals with the fact that there is no best way to organise a structure. Many factors depend on it. In this case, theoretically, a combination of the two structures would bring about to maximum output and perfect working conditions.

Monday, October 21, 2019

comparision essays

comparision essays Not knowing whom to depend on may guide a persons life into misery or death, especially if it were the life of a child. There is nothing worse then the suffering of children. This topic is a stigma, but two novels have dealt with this subject matter in a thought-provoking manner. Throughout Frank McCourts, Angelas Ashes and Anne Franks, The diary of a young girl, there are many comparative aspects. These novels are both autobiographies that use the suffering of children to acquire the readers sympathy. Readers see the misery through the childs eye, which creates a greater impact of feeling. These two novels take place approximately around the same time frame. Frank McCourts childhood story begins in 1935, were Frank McCourt is five years old, living in New York. Anne Franks diary begins in 1942, when she is a twelve-year-old schoolgirl, living in Amsterdam, Holland. Franks and Annes family faced hunger, death, boredom, petty misunderstandings, and frustration of living in unbea rable conditions. The main characters in the novels learn whom they are able to depend on, found means to survive and turned to their religion for reassurance. Both Anne and Frank were able to keep their religious faith to better themselves although living in poverty and fearing for their lives. As a young boy Frank realizes he has to depend on himself for food and emotional stability. His home lacked this type of support for, his father who is an alcoholic, spent more time at the pub then taking care of his family. The child is above in bed bawling and roaring for his milk and youre drinking the pint (McCourt, 184), is said by Franks younger brother in attempts to encourage his father to stop drinking all of their money away. Due to Franks fathers affliction with alcohol, Frank feels he must take on more responsibility. Frank gets a job to feed him and the f...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Population of Los Angeles, California

The Population of Los Angeles, California The Los Angeles population can be looked at in a variety of ways- it can refer to the population of the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles, or to the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, each of which is considered to be L.A. Los Angeles County, for instance, contains  88 cities including the City of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Clarita, Glendale, and Lancaster, as well as several unincorporated communities whose combined population makes it the largest county in the United States in terms of occupancy. The demographics of these populations is also varied and diverse, depending on where in Los Angeles and LA County you look. In total, the population of Los Angeles is about 50 percent white, nine percent African American, 13 percent Asian, about one percent Native American or Pacific Islander, 22 percent from other races, and about 5 percent from two or more races. Population by City, County, and Metro Area The City of Los Angeles is a very large one, it is the nations second-largest city (following New York City). The January  2016 population estimate according to the California Department of Finance for the population of the City of Los Angeles was 4,041,707. The County of Los Angeles is the largest county in the United States based on population, and according to the California Department of Finance, the LA County population as of January 2017 was 10,241,278. LA County is home to 88 cities, and the population of those cities varies from 122 people in Vernon to nearly four million in the City of Los Angeles. The largest cities in LA County are: Los Angeles: 4,041,707Long Beach: 480,173Santa Clarita: 216,350Glendale: 201,748Lancaster: 157,820 The United States Census Bureau estimates the population of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, California Combined Statistical Area as of 2011 as 18,081,569. The LA metro population is the countrys second largest, following New York City (New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA). This Combined Statistical Area includes the Metropolitan Statistical Areas of Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, and Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura. Demographics and Population Growth Although most of the population of the Los Angeles metropolitan area is centralized in the City of Los Angeles, its diverse population is spread over 4,850 square miles (or 33,954 square miles for the wider statistical area), with several of the cities serving as gathering spots for specific cultures. For instance, of the 1,400,000 Asians living in Los Angeles,  a majority live in Monterey Park, Walnut, Cerritos, Rosemead, San Gabriel, Rowland Heights, and Arcadia while  the majority of the  844,048 African Americans that live in LA live in View Park-Windsor Hills, Westmont, Inglewood, and Compton. In 2016, Californias population grew but just under one percent, adding a total of over 335,000 residents to the state. While much of this growth was spread across the state, nine counties in northern and eastern California saw a decrease in population, which is a trend thats existed for the better part of the last 10 years. The largest of these growth changes, though, happened in Los Angeles County, which added 42,000 people to its population, increasing it for the first time to over four million residents.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Tesco in India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

Tesco in India - Essay Example This paper illustrates that Tesco is the second largest retail chain after the United States giant Walmart and is the leading retail chain in the United Kingdom. The company is involved in offering both food and non-food products to its customers. Tesco with the proposal to open multi-store in India is the first international retailer interested in penetrating the Indian market after the resolution pass by the Indian government to allow foreign investment in the multi-brand retail in 2012. The government of India has revealed its positive approach towards this initiative of Tesco. If the application is approved by the government of India, Tesco intends to enter the country in 50-50 partnerships with the Indias Tata group. Tata group owes Trent Hypermarket Limited, that majority operates Star Bazaar and Star Daily in the western region of India namely Maharashtra and its neighboring state of Karnataka. Culture is defined as a complex set of knowledge, beliefs, perceptions, morals, att itudes, customs and any other capabilities or habit acquired by an individual as a member of society. Correspondingly, cross-culture represents the differences between the countries in terms of culture acquired by the people of the respective country. Schein regarded culture as the key source of organizational culture. Accordingly, culture affects the business in every stage of organizational operations. It is thus argued that understanding culture is of prior importance for the business particularly those intending to or operating in the foreign market. Moreover, it has been noted that corporate culture can impose serious constraints on strategy and act as an impeding factor in the course of achieving the business objectives. It is thus crucial for Tesco to identify the differences in the UK and Indian culture for deriving considerable understanding regarding the cultural issues that may affect the business process of the proposed joint venture.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Material Appropriate to Pathophysiology Term Paper

Material Appropriate to Pathophysiology - Term Paper Example As stated before, pathophysiology necessitates the use of knowledge of basic physiology and anatomy, and it based on the loss or change in the normal functioning and structure of the body. Majority of the disorders affecting a certain organ or system display common symptoms and signs that are directly related to the organ’s normal function and structure (Dyer and Gould 2). Shock Shock is a common term used to define the state of poor perfusion of oxygen-rich blood into the tissues. The poor perfusion happens if one of the three major elements of circulatory system are compromised, that is, the capability of the heart to pump blood into circulation, the vascular system integrity, and the volume of blood in the circulatory system. A chain of events will start if the condition is not treated, and it may be fatal. The three elements mentioned can be affected resulting in impaired delivery of oxygen-rich blood and a decrease in blood pressure (Myers, Neighbors, and Tannehill-Jones 92). Shock is classified into four classes, which include hypovolemic shock, cardiogenic shock, vasogenic shock, and septic shock. Hypovolemic shock is as a result of loss of plasma or loss of blood from the circulating blood. In patients with burns, the inflammatory reaction results into edema with shift of protein and fluid from blood into the neighboring tissues, and constant loss from burn wound region because of skin loss. Peritonitis causes hypovolemia when inflammation and infection in the peritoneal membrane lead to fluid shift from the blood into a different compartment. Dehydration can minimize circulating blood pressure and blood volume. Cardiogenic shock is linked with cardiac impairments such as arrhythmias or left ventricle acute infarction. Obstructive shock (a subcategory of cardiogenic shock) is caused by pulmonary embolus or cardiac tamponade that blocks or obstructs blood flow through the heart (Dyer and Gould 317). Vasogenic shock (or distributive shock) causes c an be classified in a variety of ways such as vasogenic (neurogenic) shock and anaphylactic shock. Neurogenic shock develops from fear, drugs, pain, or the loss of SNS (sympathetic nervous system) stimuli resulting from spinal cord injury. This type of shock can also be caused by metabolic dysfunction like insulin shock, severe acidosis, and hypoglycemia. Anaphylactic shock develops from rapid general vasolidation because of the large amounts of histamine released in severe allergic reactions. Septic shock can occur in individuals with severe infections, especially infections with gram-negative endotoxins, such as Pseudomonas, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli (Dyer and Gould 317). Shock state is defined as a syndrome instigated by acute systemic hypoperfusion that result in vital organ dysfunction and tissue hypoxia. All types of shocks are characterized by insufficient perfusion to fulfill the tissues’ metabolic demands. End organs do not get adequate blood flow, therefore, initiating cellular hypoxia, and eventual organ damage. This phenomenon is well defined by the multisystem organ dysfunction syndrome. Organs of vital importance include the kidneys, heart, and the brain. A decrease in higher cortical function shows diminished perfusion of the brain. This leads to changed mental status, which ranges from agitation and confusion to flaccid coma. The heart plays a significant role in circulating shock. Cardiac dysfunction is worsened by depressed coronary perfusion and global perfusion.

History of mordern political thought Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History of mordern political thought - Essay Example ..But mostly he wrote about politics. He was mad about politics. He says in one of his letters that he had to talk about it; he could talk of nothing else...The Prince is scarcely more than a pamphlet, a very minor fraction of its author's work, but it overshadows all the rest...Everyone recognizes "Machiavellian" as an adjective for political conduct that combines diabolical cunning with a ruthless disregard for moral standards...The Prince contradicts everything else Machiavelli ever wrote and everything we know about his life.... The notion that The Prince is what it pretends to be, a scientific manual for tyrants, has to contend not only against Machiavelli's life but against his writings... The standard explanation has been that in the corrupt conditions of sixteenth-century Italy only a prince could create a strong state capable of expansion. The trouble with this is that it was chiefly because they widened their boundaries that Machiavelli preferred republics. In the Discorsi he wrote, "We know by experience that states have never signally increased either in territory or in riches except under a free government. The cause is not far to seek, since it is the well-being not of the individuals but of the community which makes the state great, and without question this universal well-being is nowhere secured save in a republic.... Popular rule is always better than the rule of princes." (1958) Machiavelli was a nationalist, a political scientist, a scholar and a staunch republican. About the most pro-monarchic view that could possibly be ascribed to him is that a Prince might be the best way to unify Italy. Machiavelli began by writing satire of the corrupt leaders of Italy such as the Medicis, making bare their horrible and destructive ambitions, but he also created modern political science simultaneously. This paper will analyze precisely how The Prince is in fact brilliant political science. Modern political science takes something for granted that class ical analyses of politics and law would have found preposterous: Analyses of what governments actually do and how to efficently carry out objectives are just as valuable as analyses of what governments should do. The Prince describes how princes actually behave and how they should behave if they want to be effective, not if they want to be moral. The Prince opens up in a rather startling way for a philosophy book about politics and law: It describes what principalities there are (Chapter I). He goes on to distinguish separate types of rule for hereditary and mixed principalities (Chapter II and III). The Prince is proceeding with simple, clear analyses, breakdowns and categories. Filling The Prince is distinct analysis of history of the Greeks and Romans, what a modern political scientist would call a case study, providing support for his claims. Take his analysis of Nabis in Chapter IX. â€Å"Nabis, Prince of the Spartans, sustained the attack of all Greece, and of a victorious Ro man army, and against them he defended his country and his government; and for the overcoming of this peril it was only necessary for him to make himself secure against a few, but this would not have been sufficient if the people had been hostile...[G]ranted a prince who has established himself as above, who can command, and is a man of courage, undismayed in adversity, who does not fail in other qualifications, and who, by his resolution and energy, keeps the whole people encouraged — such a one will never find himself deceived in them, and it will be shown that

China. Cultural background Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

China. Cultural background - Essay Example They would like to have the opportunity to seek their own preferences; however, there is a lot of pressure that comes from either family or the society. As everybody knows, China has a huge population, which means it is getting harder and harder for young people to find jobs. The society offers various opportunities for young people, but there are some differences and different requirements between each social class. Unlike in the United States, people will always be respected no matter what kind of job they do or what kind of lifestyle they choose for themselves. Moreover, many great opportunities are not only offered to people who are well educated but also to those who have working experience. Companies are more focused on personal skills and working experiences more than any other thing. Education is not the only major consideration for people who want to find a job. On the contrary, professional background and the level of education is a very important condition which can put on e in different positions available in China. As a result of pursuing interests by ignoring the competition within the society, the people in China will have less choice than others. Based on some researches, the rate of employment in China increased to over 87% by 2011 (Online).

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Introduction to Woman's and gender studies Essay

Introduction to Woman's and gender studies - Essay Example Though it expounds broadly on the contributions of women towards the awarding of the right to vote to women, the documentary â€Å"One Woman, One Vote† does not expound on how men assisted women in juggling their right to vote demand. However, the narrative â€Å"the women’s suffrage movement† in Angela Davis’ book, â€Å"Women, Race and Class† provides detailed information on the contribution of men towards the success of women groups (Davis, 2011). Unity was one of the fundamental elements that lacked in the suffrage movement. Throughout the movement ensured that different groups of suffragettes worked against each other. For instance, one group of women fought for federal amendment whereas another one thought of working state by state. The variation in workability was as a result of the existence of variation in the group members. For instance, some groups consisted mainly of middle and upper class women whereas others constituted of only working class women. Unfortunately, this segregation in groupings only benefited the whites who did not want the black men to be liberated from slavery. According to the majority of the women, white women were supposed to vote because of their race. However, the formed groups also advantaged those who were not only educated, but also with monetary funds. Fortunately, all groups worked towards attaining the same goal; ensuring the movement succeeded despite their differences. The different demands of the women contributed significantly towards the success of the movement. For example the desire of the black women to get rid of the oppression they were going through made them participate effectively in their group towards ensuring that they had a chance of participating in voting. Additionally, black women wanted to take part in the voting exercise so that they can protect their bodies as well as lives from the

Two-Variable Inequality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Two-Variable Inequality - Essay Example Write an inequality that limits the possible number of maple rockers of each type that can be made, and graph the inequality in the first quadrant. (2). One classic maple rocking chair requires 15 board feet and this will be designated as (15 cmr) and since one modern maple rocking chair requires 12 board feet this requirement will be designated as follows (12 mmr). The totally available board feet of maple lumber is 3000 feet, therefore, an equation showing the total combination of classic maple rocking chairs and modern maple rocking chairs that could possibly be made out of this amount of materials is represented as shown in the following equation: (3). Finding intercepts of the two variables on x axis (dependent variable) and y axis (independent variable) where either of them is zero, requires substitution of either of the variables with a zero value so as to obtain the maximum possible value of the other variable. The obtained intercepts can then provide end points on the line that will help draw a line that will map out the area of possibility. The inequality line in this case will be a straight, downward sloping solid line portraying a negative gradient, and the lines slopes from left to right because the inequality is a â€Å"less than or equal to† equation (Boyd et al., 1994). The region satisfying the equation falls within the first quadrant and is restricted to the left region of the line and the x and y axes (Boyd et al., 1994). This point (75, 50) falls within the shaded region and it is a point at which the company can satisfy an order of 75 classic maple rocking chairs and 50 modern maple rocking chairs. If the company made 75 classic maple rocking chairs and 50 modern maple rocking chairs the amount of material used would have been: The point (150, 75) falls outside the equation satisfaction region and it is a point at which the company may be unable to produce the designated number of products required at this point.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Introduction to Woman's and gender studies Essay

Introduction to Woman's and gender studies - Essay Example Though it expounds broadly on the contributions of women towards the awarding of the right to vote to women, the documentary â€Å"One Woman, One Vote† does not expound on how men assisted women in juggling their right to vote demand. However, the narrative â€Å"the women’s suffrage movement† in Angela Davis’ book, â€Å"Women, Race and Class† provides detailed information on the contribution of men towards the success of women groups (Davis, 2011). Unity was one of the fundamental elements that lacked in the suffrage movement. Throughout the movement ensured that different groups of suffragettes worked against each other. For instance, one group of women fought for federal amendment whereas another one thought of working state by state. The variation in workability was as a result of the existence of variation in the group members. For instance, some groups consisted mainly of middle and upper class women whereas others constituted of only working class women. Unfortunately, this segregation in groupings only benefited the whites who did not want the black men to be liberated from slavery. According to the majority of the women, white women were supposed to vote because of their race. However, the formed groups also advantaged those who were not only educated, but also with monetary funds. Fortunately, all groups worked towards attaining the same goal; ensuring the movement succeeded despite their differences. The different demands of the women contributed significantly towards the success of the movement. For example the desire of the black women to get rid of the oppression they were going through made them participate effectively in their group towards ensuring that they had a chance of participating in voting. Additionally, black women wanted to take part in the voting exercise so that they can protect their bodies as well as lives from the

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Overpopulation is a Real Challenge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 165

Overpopulation is a Real Challenge - Essay Example This short piece of work differs with Professor Ellis. Â  Professor Ellis acknowledges that the size of the earth is fixed. However, the point of disagreement is that there is no need to exploit more lands as the ones already in use and technological innovations can sustain the growth in population. This is totally untrue because, despite the level of technological innovations and inventions, the lands have their limits. According to the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, overpopulation is a real threat to humanity as it has the potential to wipe out the entire mankind. Research in this institution has shown that the cumulative effects of overpopulation would be disastrous given the unforgiving character of Mother Nature (SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry). Sustainability can only be achieved if the population growth rate is matched by the growth rate of resources. In this case, there is need to increase the acreage of lands under cultivation so as to match population growth rate and consequently check overpopulation.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Mughal Empire Culture and Religion

Mughal Empire Culture and Religion After the decline of Hindu kingdom around 1000 AD, a number of Islamic invaders and merchants came and went but could not caste any significant impact on the cultural life of people. Most of the invaders were tribal kings from the clan Hun and Pathan whose main motive was to plunder the country, loot the property as much as they could. They had no ambition to establish an empire and that is why their cultural impact is insignificant. This could not remain for a long period. The Muslim empire was established with the first battle of Panipat in 1526 AD. Their after we find a continuous interaction between these two major distinct communities Hindus and Muslims. Muslims were the rulers and Hindus became the ruled. Hindus were employed in a number of jobs under their Muslim rulers. Continuous intermingling takes place between these two communities in the coming several centuries. Trade and Commerce: The middle Classes Nature and Standard of Living The middle classes in medieval India consisted in the main, merchants, professional classes such as vaidyas and hakims and officials. There was high degree of professionalism among the Indian merchants. Some specialized in wholesale trade and others in retail trade, the former being called seth or bohra and the latter beoparis or banik. In south India the chettis formed the trading community. There was a special class banjaras who specialized in carrying trade. The banjaras used to move from place to place, sometimes with thousands of oxen, laden with food grains, salt, ghee etc. The sarrafs (shroff) specialized in changing money, keeping money in deposit or landing it, or transmitting it from one part of the country to the other by means of hundi. The hundi was letter of credit payable after a certain period. The use of hundies made it easier to move goods or to transmit money from one part of the country to another. The hundies were cashed at a discount which sometimes included ins urance so that the cost of goods lost or destroyed in transit could be recovered. By these means the Indian merchants could easily ship goods to countries of west Asia as well as where there were Indian banking houses. English and Dutch traders who came to Gujarat during the 17th century found the Indian financial system to be highly developed and the Indian merchants to be active and alert. There was keen competition for inside information and whenever there was a shortage of some goods in some parts of the country it was made good quickly by the merchants. But this applied to goods of high quality. Food grains and bulk articles were costly to move overland but not so costly if moved by rivers. hence the major rivers carried much more goods in medieval times than now. However the total trade was limited since the villages, while not completely self sufficient, bought only a limited number of things from outside such as salt, iron and few consumer goods. Long distance trade generall y catered to needs of the affluent sections in the cities. The trading community in India was fairly large in number and included some of the richest merchants in the world. The names of virji or vohra who dominated the Surat trade for several decades and who had a large fleet of ships, Malaya Chetti on the Coromandal coasts, and Abdul Ghaffoor Bohra who left 85 lacks of rupees in cash and goods at the time of his death in 1718 are some of the noteworthy cases. There were many wealthy merchants in Agra, Delhi, Orissa and Bengal. The wealthy merchants in the costal ports of Gujarat lived in an ostentatious manner and aped the manners of the nobles. They lived in lofty houses with coloured tiles, wore fine clothes, rode well caparisoned horses and had people carrying flags and banners before them when they moved out in public. European travellers mentioned the commodious and well built houses in which the wealthy merchants of Agra and Delhi lived. But the ordinary sorts lived in houses above their shops. The French traveller Bernier, says that that the merchants tried to look poor because they were afraid they would be used like filled sponges that is squeezed of their wealth. But Sher Shah passed many laws for protecting the property of the merchants. The laws of Sher Shah are well known. Jahangirs ordinances included a provision that if any one, whether unbeliever or Musalman should die, his property and effects should be left for his heirs, and no one should interfere with them. If he should have no heirs, they should appoint inspectors and separate guardians to guard the property, so that it value might be expanded in a lawful expenditure, such as the building mosques and sarais, repair of broken bridged and digging of tanks and wells. Thus the concept of protection of private property, including the property of merchants clearly emerged. Organization of Trade and Commerce Role of European Trading Companies Trade and commerce expanded in India during the first half of the 17th century due to a number of factors. Perhaps the most important factor was the political integration of the country under Mughal rule and establishment of conditions of law and order extensive areas. The Mughals paid attention to roads and sarais which maid communication easier. Uniform tax was levied on goods at the points of their entry into the empire. Road cesses or rahdari was declared illegal though it was continued to be collected by some of the local rajas. The Mughals minted silver rupees of high purities which became a standard coin in India and abroad and thus help Indias trade. Another factor which helped Indias was the arrival of the Dutch and English traders towards the beginning of the 17th century. Ralph Fitch during Akbars reign, said Agra and Fatehpur Sikri were each larger then London. Montserrat says Lahore was second to none of the cities in Europe or Asia. The growth of town and town life is one of the significant features of 17th century India. The Indian traders welcomed the Dutch and the English because these traders helped them to break the Portuguese monopoly of sea trade, and in course of time, helped to establish a direct link between India and European markets. The Portuguese power have begun to decline during the second half of the 16th century, as was demonstrated by the defeat by the Spanish armada by England in 1588. The Portuguese remained at Goa and also at Daman and Diu. But their shares in overseas trade declined continuously and were insignificant by the end of the century. The British could not succeed in India as long as the Mughal empire was strong but it was not long incoming as soon as the weakness of the empire became manifest. Architecture There was an outburst of many sided cultural activates in India under the Mughal rule. The tradition in the field of architecture, painting, literature and music created during this period set a norm and deeply influenced the succeeding generations. In this sense, the Mughal period can be called a second classical age following the gupta age in northern India. In this cultural development Indian traditions were amalgamated with the Turko Iranian culture brought to the country by the Mughals. The Timurid court at Samarqand had developed as the cultural centre of west and central Asia. Babur was conscious of this cultural heritage. He was determined to set proper standards. The development of art and culture in various regions of India during the 14th and 15th centuries had held to rich and varied development from which it was possible to draw upon. The Mughals built magnificent forts, palaces, public buildings, mosques and baolis etc. They also led out many formal gardens with running water in fact use of running water in their palaces, resorts was the special feature of the Mughals. Babur was very fond of gardens and laid out few gardens in the neighbourhood of Agra and Lahore. Some of the Mughals gardens such as the Nishant Bagh in Kashmir. The Shalimar at Lahore and Pinjore etc have survived even to this day. We do not find the tradition of developing gardens in prior Hindu Kingdoms. It began with the Mughals and today is very much the part of Indian culture. Akbar was the first Mughal ruler who had the time to undertake construction on a large scale. He built a series of forts. The most famous of which is the fort of Agra. In 1572 he commenced a palace cumfort complex at Fatehpur Sikri. Build atop a hill, along with a large artificial lake; it included many buildings in the style of Gujarat and Bengal. The Gujarat style of architecture is used most widely in the palace built probably for his Rajput wife or wives. Akbar took a personal interest in the work of construction at both Agra and Fatehpur Sikri. Persian or central influence can be seen in the glazed blue tiles used for decorations in the walls or for tiling the roofs. The period of Shahjahan needs no mention. His period is the best period of architectural development. Mughal architectural traditions were based on a combination of Hindu and Turko Iranian forms and decorative designs continued without a break into the 18th and early 19th centuries. Thus Mughals traditions influence the palace and forts of many provincial and local kingdoms. Even the golden temple of the Sikhs at Amritsar which was rebuilt several times during this period was built on the arch and dome principle and incorporated many features of the Mughals traditions of architecture. Painting The Mughals made a distinctive contribution in the field of painting. They introduced new themes depicting the court, battle scenes and the chase, added new colours and forms. They created a living tradition of painting which continued to work in different parts of the country long after the glory of the Mughals disappeared. The richness of the style again, was due to the fact that India had an old tradition of paintings. While no palm leaves older than the 12th century have survived to indicate the style of painting, the wall painting of Ajanta are an eloquent indication of its vigour. After the 8th century, the tradition seems to have decayed, but palm leaf manuscripts and illustrated Jain text from the 13th century onwards so the tradition had not died. Apart from the Janis some of the provincial kingdoms, such as Malwa and Gujarat extended their patronage to painting during the 15th century. A vigorous revival of the painting culture began only under Akbar. During the reign of Akbar paintings were organized in one of the imperial establishments. From the beginning of both Hindus and Muslims joined in the work. Thus, Jaswant and Dasawan were two of the famous painters of the Akbars court. Apart from illustrating Persian books of fables, the painters were soon assigned the task of illustrating the Persian text of the Mahabharata, Akbar Nama and others. Indian themes and Indian scenes thus came in vogue and helped to free the school from Persian influence. Indian colours such as peacock blue, Indian red etc began to be used. Above all the somewhat flat effect of the Persian style began to be replaced by the roundedness of the Indian brush giving the pictures three dimensional effect. The Mughals reached the climax under Jahangir who had a very discriminating eye. While the tradition continued under Shahjahan, Aurangzebs lack of interest in painting led to a dispersal of the artist to different places. This helped in the development of painting in the states of Rajasthan and the Punjab hills. The Rajasthan style of painting combined the themes and earlier traditions of western India or Jain school of painting with Mughal forms and styles. Thus, in addition to hunting and court scenes it had paintings on mythological themes, such as the dalliance of Krishna and Radha, or the Barah masa, that is, the seasons or the Ragas (melodies). The Pahari School continued these traditions. Language, Literature and Music By the time of Akbar knowledge of Persian had become so wide spread in North India that he dispensed with the tradition of keeping revenue records in local language Hindavi in addition to Persian. Persian prose and poetry reached a climax under the Akbars reign. Abul Fazal was a great scholar and a stylist as well as the leading historian of the age, set a style of prose writing which was emulated for many generations. The leading poet of the age was his brother Faizi who also helped in the translation of the Mahabharata. Utbi and Naziri were the leading Persian poets. Though born in Persia they were among the many poets among the scholars who migrated from Iran to India during the period and made the Mughal court one of the cultural centres of the Islamic world. All though not much significant work was done in Sanskrit but number of Sanskrit works produced during this period is quite impressive. The dalliance of Krishna with Radha and the milk maids, pranks of the child Krishna and stories from Bhagawat figure largely lyrical poetry in Bengali, Oriya, Hindi, Rajasthani and Guajarati during this period. Both Muslims and Hindus contributed in this. A leading Mughal novel Abdur Rahim Khan I Khanan, produced a fine blend of bhakti poetry with Persian Ideas of life and human relations. But the most influential Hindi poet was Tulsidas who created Ramchritmanas in dialect of eastern u.p. During the Muslim reign Akbar patronised Tansen of Gwalior who is credited with composing new melodies (ragas). Jahangir and Shah Jahan as well as many Mughal nobles followed this example. There are many apocrvohal stories about the burial of music by the orthodox Aurangzeb. Recent studies show that Aurangzeb banished singing from his court, but not performance of musical instrument. In fact, Aurangzeb himself was an accomplished veena player. Music in all forms continued to be patronised by the Aurangzebs queens in the harem and by the nobles. That is why the largest number of books on classical Indian music was written during Aurangzebs reign. But some of the most important developments in the field of music took place later on in the eighteenth century during the reign of Muhammad Shah (1720-48). Religious Ideas and Beliefs The bhakti movement continued apace during the 16th and 17th centuries. The Sikh movement had its origin with the preaching of Nanak. But its development is closely linked with the institution of Guru ship. Akbar had been deeply impressed with the Sikh gurus, and it is said, visited them at Amritsar. However, a clash began with the imprisonment and death of Guru Arjun by Jahangir. Dara the eldest son of Shahjahan, was by temperament scholar and a Sufi who loved to discourse with religious divines with the help of Brahmins of Kasi he got the Gita translated into Persian. But his most significant work was an anthology of the Vedas in the introduction to which Dara declared the Vedas to be heavenly books in point of time and in conformity with holy Quran thus underlining the belief that there were no fundamental difference between Hinduism and Islam. Dadu a Gujarati poet preached a non sectarian path. He refused to identify either with Muslim or with Hindus. Among the Muslims too, while the trained of tauhid continued apace a were supported by many leading Sufi saints, a small group of orthodox Ulama reacted against it. But the influence of the orthodox thinkers and preachers was limited. Their chief hope was that their ideas would receive the support and the backing of those who held position of wealth and power in society and the state. On other hand the liberal thinkers made their appeal to the broad masses. The recurrent cycles of liberalism and orthodoxy in the Indian History should be seen against the situation which was routed in the structure of the Indian society. It was one aspect of the struggle between and entrenched privilege and power on the one hand and the egalitarian and humanistic aspirations of the mass of the people on the other. The prestige and influence of the narrow orthodox elements and their re assertion of the narrow ideas and beliefs was a barrier to the growing process of rapprochement and tolerance among the votaries of the to dominant religions, Hinduism and Islam, and Hindrance to the process of cultural integration. The clash between the two trends came to the surface during Aurangzebs reign. Conclusion The thousands years from the beginning of the 18th century to the end of the 17th century saw important changes in the political, economic and cultural life of the country and also, to a smaller extent, in its social life. In the field of social life, the caste system continued to dominate, despite the challenge posed to it by Islam and loss of political power by the Rajput rulers who were duty bound to protect dharma which implied, among other things, the upholding the fourfold division of society(varnashrama dharma). Although the Nath Panthi Jogis and the Bhakti saints vehemently criticised the caste system, they could hardly make a dent in it. A tacit agreement was arrived at the in the course of time. The criticism of the caste system by saints did not, with some notable exceptions, extend to day to day or secular life , while the Brahmans acquiesced in the advocacy of the path of devotion as the way for salvation for all castes, specially for the sudras. However, the Brahmans continued to claim a privileged position for themselves, including the exclusive right to preach and educate. The Bhakti and Sufi saints gradually brought about a better understanding of the fundamental tenets of Hinduism and Islam underlining the fact that they had a great deal of similarity. This resulted in a greater spirit of mutual harmony and toleration, although forces advocating a narrow, intolerant approach continued to be strongly entrenched and sometimes influenced state police. But such occasions were, on the whole, very few. The Bhakti and Sufi saints also brought about important changes in the approach to religion, laying greater emphasis on true faith than to the formal observances they also contributed to the growth of regional languages and literature. But the excessive concern with religious and spiritual affairs resulted in setback to the growth of rational sciences, epically to the cultivation of science and technology. While the Portuguese monopoly of some of the oriental trade and their domination of seas had, on the whole a harmful effect on Indian trade and commerce, the Dutch and English traders who broke the Portuguese monopoly, helped to open the European markets for Indian products such as textiles, indigo, and salt petre which were not exported to Europe earlier. Thus, India was linked more closely to the rapidly expanding European market. However in the absence of strong navy and a well developed mercantile fleet, the Indian trader and producer could secure only a marginal share of the profits of this new trade. On the other hand, the richness of the oriental trade further whetted the appetite of the European nation and quickened their economic and technological growth. Under the Mughals, political integration was accompanied by a deliberated effort to create a unified ruling class consisting of Muslims and Hindus. The development in various fields in India during this period should not be lost sight of the growth of political integration. Indian society was one of the few societies in the world which was able to develop a more or less unified culture despite differences in race, religion and language. This unified culture was reflected in an outburst of creative activity which makes the 17th century a second classical age. In the south, the traditions of the Cholas were continued by the Vijayanagra kingdom. The Bahmni kingdom and its successor states also contributed to culture developments in various fields. The rich cultural developments in the various regional kingdoms during the 15th century were, to some extent integrated in the new cultural forms developed by the Mughals. However, this integrated culture came under pressure from the religious dogmatists of the two faiths as well as from the competing and conflicting interests of various sections in the ruling classes. But that it survived, on the whole till the middle of the 19th century is no mean tribute to all those saints, scholars and enlightened rulers who helped to fashion it. The period was also marked by economic developments and growth. Trade and manufactures expanded and there was expansion and improvement of cultivation also. However, the growth was uneven in different areas and during different phases. Apart from the Ganga valley where the Mughals spent a substantial part of the revenue resources of the empire the areas which developed rapidly during the 17th century were Gujarat, the Coromandal coast and Bengal. Perhaps, it is no accident that these have been the areas in the forefront of economic developments of India in the modern period, particularly the post independence era. Would India have continued to progress economically and even attained Industrial Revolution on its own, if the Mughal Empire had continued? The question is too speculative. Perhaps the Mughal Empire had already reached the limit of its development. The feudal aristocratic nature of the state and the neglect of science and technology by the ruling class were already placing limits to the economic developments of the country. But whether India was able to develop faster and in a more harmonious manner under the British rule is a question which will be explained in the subsequent volume on modern India.