THE SAINTE CHAPELLE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

THE SAINTE CHAPELLE - Essay Example Sainte Chapelle, built by Louis IX during the 13th century on the le de la Cit in the center of Paris was a famous example of late gothic architecture. Late Gothic in France, 1240-1550, called Rayonnant and Flamboyant. Rayonnant from rayonner, to radiate or shine, used to describe window traceries. The most visually attractive aspects of the chapel, and considered the finest of their type in the world, are its stained glass (were the Passion was clearly manifested). The stonework is a delicate framework, and rose windows added to the upper chapel in the 15th century. Durham Cathedral was generally considered one of the finest works of 'Norman' cathedral in Europe. Pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses (hidden above the aisle vaults) are visually evident in this cathedral. Notre Dame de Paris, built under High gothic period, a period wherein second-story gallery was omitted, but triforium or a three-story elevation was retained and reestablished. The catchiest feature of Notre Dame Cathedral was its Rose Window, built by Jean de Chelles, and was designed in the Rayonnant style. The Virgin and Child were depicted in the center circle, surrounded by figures of prophets. The second circle shows 32 Old Testament kings, and 32 high priests and patriarchs were depicted in the outer circle. Sainte Chapelle's structure was 36 m (118 ft) long, 17 m (56 ft) wide, and 42.5 m (139 ft) high. Fronted by a two-story porch, the Sainte-Chapelle had definite vertical proportions of Gothic architecture, which had been perfected during the 12th century. The architectural representation was that of a building with a single nave, culminated in a chevet with seven panels. Outside, the design was concentrated on the essentials - a sober base and heavy buttresses contrasting with the soaring lightness of the upper parts. The spire made of cedar, 33 meters (108 ft) high, a masterpiece of finesse, made in the 19th century, but an exact replica of the 15th century spire dominated the slate roof. The upper chapel was magnificent in its Gothic architecture - light, color, and space blend to inspire a sense of harmony between art and religious faith. Architects, sculptors and painters obviously took the greatest care with the interior of the upper chapel, as this was the part of the building reserved for the king, his close friends and family, as well as for displaying the religious relics. Supported by slender piers, the arched ceiling seemed to float above magnificent stained glass windows. Most significant of the sculpted decorations in the upper chapel were the statues of the twelve apostles, which lean on the columns marking the bays. With their flowing dress, finely featured faces and hair in flattened curls, they impart a sense of serenity in all who contemplate them. The lower chapel was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, whose statue stands freely next to the central pier of the portal. Low arched ceilings rest on fine columns with decorative carved leaf capitals, connected by anchor braces made of wood or stone. The walls were decorated with trefoiled arcades and twelve medallions representing the Apostles. DESIGN INTENTION The progressive enlargement of the windows was not intended to shed more light into the interiors, but rather to provide an

Transportation & Distribution Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Transportation & Distribution Management - Essay Example Transportation plays an important role in manipulating logistic. The vision of FedEx supply chain services is to become the world leader in global integrated logistics management, supply chain solutions and time-definite delivery (FedEx, 2014a). In the international market, FedEx faces competition from DHL, UPS, foreign postal authorities like Deutsche post and TNT N.V, freight forwarders, passenger airlines and all-cargo airlines. There are three important aspects of transportation management: Carrier selection, documentation and shipper carrier relationship. Carrier selection process includes the activities of identifying and procuring the best modes, the best carrier for each mode and best rates (Younkin, 2006). Companies tend to have a carrier mix like combination of aircrafts and road vehicles to order to have smooth operations, speed delivery at a low cost. Fed EX has a great air-and-ground network which facilitates the quick delivery of time sensitive shipments that deliver the shipment in one to two days with guaranteed delivery time. Its transports approximately 4 million packages and 11 million pounds of freight daily. For smooth functioning and fast delivery across the globe FedEx has mix of air and delivery fleet which consists of 650 aircrafts and 48000 motorized vehicles. FedEx has collaborated with more than 375 airports worldwide for the landing of its aircrafts without any difficulty. In October 2013, FedEx added first new Boeing 767-300 freighter in its air fleet. This is a major step in company’s strategic aircraft fleet modernization program as it is a more efficient and lower emission aircraft. 767 replaced MD 10 aircraft and is 30 percent more fuel efficient and incur 20 percent less unit operating cost (FedEx, 2014a). FedEx also provided a customized carrier to transport the skeleton of Wankel T-Rex dinosaur. In that customized lorry temperature was kept at 22C and each crate of bone was surrounded by

Clinical immunology lab report (ELISA) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Clinical immunology (ELISA) - Lab Report Example iagnose for certain diseases such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis and prostate cancer among many others as well as to measure certain hormones such as the human chorionic gonadotrophins. These tests capitalize on the fact that that many viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic illnesses generate established antibody reactions. Therefore, the recognition of antibodies specific to infectious agents in patients’ samples aids in the identification of infections such as influenza, HIV and hepatitis (Estridge & Reynolds 2011). In some instances such as syphilis, it is impossible to separate actual disease-causing organisms. Therefore, immunological tests find immense relevance in the diagnosis of these infections. Contemporary immunoassays have advanced from the need to identify and measure multifaceted biological molecules in situations where physical and analytical chemical techniques are not feasible (Bonwick & Smith 2004). In the early stages of immunoassays, the workers were restricted to using simple techniques that quantified the precipitation that occurred as a less important event after the binding of a number of antibodies to several antigens. This technique was difficult and had numerous limitations that restricted its use. Advances on improving the method led to the development of enhanced ways of identifying antigen-antibody reactions. The first method was radioimmunoassay by Berson and Yalow, which enabled the identity of the putative molecules by measuring radioactivity (Gan & Patel 2013). However, the problems associated with the disposal of radioactive waste led to the need for safer alternatives. In addition, radioimmunoassay required sophisticated equipment to obtain measur ements. ELISA became the most suitable alternative for detecting and quantifying antigens and antibodies ELISA is among the most common immunological tests in modern use. It entails the addition of an antigen or antibody to a firm surface, which in most instances is usually a polystyrene

British decolonization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

British decolonization - Essay Example The cartoon is striking in that it reduces the geopolitical tension of the Cuban Missile Crisis, where the United States and Soviet Union reached the brink of nuclear war over the stationing of Russian missiles in Cuba, to a bar game or crude, male ego-driven sport. From the Soviet perspective, the Americans had previously stationed nuclear missiles positioned at Russia from similar strategic locations in Europe and Asia. The two countries, in less than 20 years, had built nuclear arsenals hundreds of thousands of times greater than the weapons used to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki. By many scientific estimates, the two countries possessed sufficient nuclear weapon power to destroy the entire earth many times over. Few were completely certain of the effects of nuclear war on a mass scale, but both sides had built the largest, most powerful war machines the world had ever seen, and Khrushchev and Kennedy pursued a policy of brinksmanship to bring the entire global civilization to the th reat of destruction through their two nuclear arsenals. That the two political leaders are reduced to the caricature of a bar-room arm wrestling match represents the anxiety felt by the general populace who were restrained from truly participating in the decision making of the match, but were rather forced into the role of spectators to watch how events unfolded in mass-media and television. The public could only wonder if two human beings, with human emotions and weaknesses, could be trusted to manage the behavior of nations and armies with such a great destructive firepower. The policy of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) was based in the brinksmanship of the political rulers in the cartoon, highlighting the tension of the day in a manner that also illuminates the risk of the human emotions in a centralized leadership command structure. This activity was also depicted in Stanley Kubrick’s classic movie Dr. Strangelove. The brinksmanship ended with the Soviets withdrawing t he nuclear missiles from Cuba in the end to a standoff that had captivated the world as the first and possibly most serious escalation of conflict between superpowers in the Cold War. This cartoon is useful to understand the public opinion of the times, but could be further verified through relations to other news media such as editorials and journalism of the events. Historians Craft Assignment Question 2 Source 2 of 2: An Excerpt from a Political Diary Sunday, November 26, 1967 So this is the end of the second devaluation week and we’re still completely without any central control or decision-taking in this Labour Government. And the chances of getting this as a result of the devaluation are very small indeed. .... the lower the Government plummets the stronger my position grows in my own little corner. Suppose the impossible happened and as a result of the crisis Jim [Callaghan] replaced Harold [Wilson]. That’s not inconceivable when you remember Macmillan replacing Eden after Suez. But it’s something I wouldn’t tolerate because I know the qualities of Mr Callaghan. He’s not an adventurous bold forward-looking Macmillan who could rejuvenate the Party. Right inside he’s a coward with a wonderful outside image and a very likeable personality. ... however, I don’t see the remotest chance of Harold going. It’

Personal world views Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal world views - Essay Example In so doing, followers obligate themselves to follow specific tenets as dictated by the religion. Following these tenets requires dedication and sacrifice. Spiritual people are loyal to the religious beliefs and follow them without questions about their reality. Spirituality is related to other terms such as pluralism, scientism, and postmodernism. Pluralism is a concept that denotes that there is no absolute truth in one line of thought. Essentially, pluralism implies that no worldview is enough to describe solely all the views of the people. In this regard, pluralism requires that every view be taken into consideration. Pluralism is common in government and religion. In religion, pluralism has it that no religion is taken as perfect or the sole source of truth. It should be understood that other beliefs may also contain some truths that may not be accurate in other beliefs. Thus, individual spirituality defines what is true or not. Scientism is a belief that human beings can find answers to all life questions through scientific research. Scientism asserts that there is no supreme being that can offer real solutions that can be proven. This worldview eliminates the religious or spiritual beliefs since they are not concrete or backed by evidence. It is upon research that points can be proven or disqualified. Scientism is more related to the concept of postmodernism as discussed below. Postmodernism is a concept that critiques the existing culture, believe and evidence systems. Postmodernism viewpoints are that human beings are not capable of making assertions regarding their origin or fate (Fukuyama et. al, 2014). The postmodern worldview disregards spirituality. In addition, the worldview stipulates that humans have locked themselves in a cage of beliefs and culture that may not be true or beneficial. The spirituality concept defines how people perceive the world around them and how they solve the day to

Tel-com-TEK Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tel-com-TEK - Article Example Atasi Das has an MBA degree from a UK university and has 12 years of experience working in TCT. She won’t be a foreign national in the sense that her parents are first-generation immigrants; she is rooted to Indian culture and speaks Hindi well. She can devote on her job better than other candidates, being unmarried, therefore free from the family responsibilities unlike other candidates. Although her birth country is not India but her parents are Indians and she has many relatives in the North of India. The new assignment might be very challenging for Atasi Das as she has no experience of the Indian work environment. Her earlier assignments in staff and line positions may not help her in the role of managing director of the Indian division, as profile of the managing director is totally different from her previous and current job rankings. Ravi Desai has been in the position of assistant managing director of Southeast Asian markets for production and sales only. Managing the functions singularly of all departments might be challenging for him. Tom Wallace has experience of only technical and sales portfolios of TCT, which might be challenging in taking the overall in charge of the Indian division because of little experience in other areas. Brett Harrison has been in supervisory roles and is fine-tuned to take senior level responsibilities but the rank of managing director might prove to be too high with the related challenges. Jalan Bukit Seng also falls short because of his sigular expertise in assembly operation, which has been outside india. Saumitra Chakraborty although might be the most suitable man for the post of managing director of TCT because of his profile of assistant to the outgoing managing director besides functioning competently in operations, customer relations and to some good extent the employee relations but lacking in direct-line experience might prove a big hurdle to the responsibilities attached with the rank of managing

Replacing a Legacy Application Essay Example for Free

Replacing a Legacy Application Essay â€Å"Because we live in a highly competitive and ever-changing world, at any given time most organizations are improving or replacing their information systems† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 579). As an organization needs change due to increase competition, regulations, business growth and other reason and company needs to respond by also changing its system in order to meet the needs of the business. The need for changing to a new system helps the business because the new system has much more capabilities then the older system allowing the company to be able to perform business more efficient and effectively. The need for changing to a new system helps to eliminate flaws and system incompatibilities created by the old system. â€Å"A reliable information system is a necessity for all companies. Companies must properly maintain accounts and detailed records or face unnecessary costs. A well-devised accounting information system, which ensures relevant and reliable information is reported in financial statements, benefits every type of company† (Pettir Accounting, 2013). I believe that a company should change to new systems in order to keep up with technology and their competition. An updated â€Å"accounting information system can help businesses run better by providing timely information on internal operations† (Small Business-Chron, 2013). A company should consider their budget and because accounting information systems can be very expensive to purchase and maintain. Firms should make sure that they can afford purchasing an accounting information system and set realistic expectations. Firms should also make sure that they accounting information system has been through tested by performing simulation before the system goes live to avoid any potential problems that could cause firm time and money. Firms should also make sure that employees have been properly trained on how to use the new and/or updated accounting information system. (1) Potential Benefits One of the potential benefits associated with changing a new system is that its help increases a company’s competitive advantage. As technology increases and changes companies will need change its system in order improve and increase the quantity, quality, speed and accuracy of information. Also companies need to stay ahead of their competitor so any upgrade in technology that will provide a competitive edge is crucial for a company. This will also help to improve products and services, lower cost and to provide other competitive advantages. Secondly, another potential benefit associated with changing a new system is that is provides productivity gains. By having a system that can perform certain employee tasks reduces money spent on hiring and paying employees and also increases performance time. This also helps relieve employees of certain clerical tasks allowing them to focus on other important issues. Thirdly another benefit associated with changing a new system is it eliminates outdated systems†. System become old and need to be updated constantly in order for them to remain effective. The benefit of updating an outdated system results in better system capabilities and faster processing time. (1) Potential Risks One of the potential risks associated with changing a new system is how the employee will react to the change. Employee will either view the changes being made as good or bad depending on the individuals being affect by the system change. â€Å"Management view changes positively if it increases profits or reduces costs. Employees view the same change as bad if their jobs are terminated or adversely affected† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 588). Employees who view the changes as bad will act out displaying aggression, projection or avoidance. All of these forms of resistance can result in decrease company performance, low morale and sabotage. Resistance usually takes places because of: fear, lack of top management support, negative experience with prior changes, lack of communication, disruptive nature of change, manner in which the change is introduced, person biases and emotions and personal characteristic and background. Managers can help minimize the risk of behavioral problems by electing a manager who can help rally, boost employee’s moral and encourage coworker to help and cooperate with the systems development. Secondly, the manager needs to involve anyone that is affected by the change in the development of the new system. Management should let employees offer suggestions and help in the decision making. Management needs to let employees know which feedbacks will be used and which will not be used and why. By doing this employees become more â€Å"knowledgeable, better trained, and more committed to using the system† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 90). Thirdly management should effectively communicate with anyone who is going to be affected by the system change immediately. The employee should be told of the changes that are going to be made and the benefits the changes will provide to them. Lastly, management should help ease employee fears and stress by â€Å"addressing their concerns and provide assurance (to the extent possible) that job losses and responsibility shift will not occur† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 590). Management should also reassure employees that they will be properly trained on how to use the system. Secondly, another potential risk associated with changing a new system is â€Å"employees are not properly trained†. Companies will sometimes take short-cut because of time and cost associated with training employee. This however can result in the company not being able to reach its expected benefits and return on its investments. Lack of employee training can also result in employees having to ask other employees who are experts in using the system for help thereby â€Å"decreasing productivity of coworkers and increasing company costs†(Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 49). This threat however, can be reduced my companies providing employees with proper training, system documentation and procedural manuals for employees to use. Thirdly, another potential risk associated with changing a new system is â€Å"poor system planning†. Management sometimes may have unrealistic goals and expectations of what they want the system to do or the system may be too complex to under stand which can result in the system failing. In order to mitigate this threat management should set realistic goals and expectations. Management should prepare a feasibility analysis were they address the five aspects (economic, technical, legal, scheduling, and operational feasibility). Management should also prepare a system analysis in order to address the â€Å"current problems, the reason for the change, the proposed system’s objectives, and its anticipated benefits and costs† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 590). Management should evaluate design alternative and have the steering committee to evaluate and chose the best decision that will meet the organization’s needs. Lastly, another potential risk associated with changing a new system is â€Å"not testing the system properly†. Poor system testing can be very costly for a company. Testing should be done in order to discover and eliminate problems as early on in the development process as possible. â€Å"The Gartner Group estimates that bugs discovered later in the SDLC cost 80% to 1,000% more to fix than those discovered earlier† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 646). In order to reduce this threat companies should use debugging techniques in order to discover and eliminated problems. Companies should also test the system by using system testing techniques such as; walk-through, processing test data and acceptance tests. (2a) Purchase Software One of the advantages of the company choosing to purchase the software from Oracle and having it maintained by the company’s information system group is the company doesn’t have to worry about the risk of â€Å"loss of control† that could result from outsourcing its AIS system. The company is able to manage its system and data without the threat of having to worry about their losing its system and data. Secondly, another advantage of the company choosing to purchase the software from Oracle and having it maintained by the company’s information system group is increased service. Poor service can result if the company chose to outsource its AIS to Oracle. By the company housing its own AIS will result in the company be able to better respond to changes in organization. Lastly, another advantage of the company choosing to purchase the software from Oracle and having it maintained by the company’s information system group is flexibility. The company is under no contractual agreement so if at any time the company becomes dissatisfied with the product or needs to change products because of structural changes, the company can do so without consequences. If the company would have chosen to outsource its AIS to Oracle then the company would have to follow the terms and agreements stated in the contract or risk legal and costly consequences. One of the disadvantages of the company choosing to purchase the software from Oracle is risk of the software â€Å"not being flexible, easily maintained and user friendly-software. This can result in the company having to spend money in order to maintain the system and to keep it running efficiently. By purchasing a system that is not user friend will result in employee who will be resistance to use the system and time wasted trying to train employees on how to use the system. This threat can reduce by the company investigating and researching other companies that use the software and their feedback on the program. Secondly, another disadvantage of the company choosing to purchase the software from Oracle is the risk of the software not having adequate control capabilities. Software that doesn’t have adequate control capabilities can result in internal control threats that can cause the company money in time in order to correct. An example is the software the companies purchase for Oracle should not give accounts payable employees access to accounts receivables duties and vice versa. This threat can be reduce by the company performing tests on the software in order to make sure that the software is error free and that the controls are working properly. Lastly, another disadvantage of the company choosing to purchase the software from Oracle is the risk of the software not meeting all mandatory specifications. By the software not being able to meet all of the companies need will result in the company having to waste money in order to modify the software or to purchase software that will meet the company’s needs. This threat can be reduced by the company evaluating all system proposals and selecting the best system. The company should compare the software with the â€Å"system requirements in order to determine if all mandatory requirements are met and how many desirable requirements are met† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 614). (2b) Modifying Current AIS  One of the advantages of the company choosing to modify its AIS with the help of consultants is â€Å"freeing up systems resources†. According to the information provided the information system group will rely on the consultants to assist in the development, configuration, and testing of the system. This will help free up systems resources and â€Å"reduce both the invisible and the invisible backlog of systems development projects† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 618). Secondly another advantage of the company choosing to modify its AIS with the help of consultants is â€Å"versatility and ease of use†. The software developed by the consultant will easy to understand and use because the consultants can modify the information they produce or change application at any time the company needs them to be changed. This is helpful work employee who work from home or employees on business trip and employees on airplane for business meetings. Lastly, another advantage of the company choosing to modify its AIS with the help of consultant is timeliness. Consultants are able to develop the software more quickly and with little ease than the company would be able to. This due to the company having to get budget approval, provide detailed requirement definitions, cost/benefit analysis, and other political requirements that may halt or slow the development process. One of the disadvantages of the company choosing to modify its AIS is â€Å"poorly controlled and documented systems†. According to the information given the company’s information system group is going to rely on consultants to assist in the development, configuration, and testing of the system. The company runs into problems this way because the consultants may not install controls in order to protect the system. Also because the consultants may view documenting the system as boring and unimportant, this may result in them not creating very good system documentations. By consultant not creating or creating poor system documentation will lead to the employees not fully understanding how to operate the system. Secondly another disadvantage of the company choosing to modify its AIS with the help of consultant is â€Å"inexperienced consultants†. This can result in the company hiring consultants who have little understanding about the business environment and how it operates result in poorly written software that does not meet the company’s strategic plans and goals. In order to mitigate this threat the company should evaluate each consulting group that has experience in the company’s industry and an in-depth understanding of how the company conducts its business. Lastly, another disadvantage of the company choosing to modify its AIS with the help of consultant is â€Å"poorly written and vague contracts†. This can result contracts having to be rewritten causing the company money for having to reimburse contractors. This can also result in the consultants not creating systems that didn’t specify system requirements and performance criteria. In order to mitigate this threat the company should â€Å"sign a contract that rigorously defines the relation between the company and the developer, places responsibility for meeting system requirements on the developers and allows the project to be discontinued if key conditions are not met† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 617). (2c) Outsourcing is hiring an outside company to handle all part of an organizations data processing activities† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 619). The company is considering hiring an outside company in order to do the installation because this will involve very little work on the company’s information system side. One of the benefits of the company choosing to outsource its AIS system to Oracle and have them to maintain the system is the â€Å"development time is lesser†. According to the information given if the company chooses to outsource it will take no more than 15 months to complete the project. If the company decided not to outsource, it may result in the development of the system taking longer than 15 months to complete and the company only has 18 months to complete the project. It would also take Oracle less time to develop the system then the company, because Oracle is the maker of the application â€Å"PeopleSoft Enterprise Financial Management†, because of this Oracle would be able to â€Å"develop and implement the system faster and more efficiently than in-house staff† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 620). Oracle will be able to cut through the development politics unlike the company which may have to follow stringent guidelines when developing the AIS. Secondly, another benefit of the company choosing to outsource its AIS system to Oracle and have them to maintain the system is the â€Å"access to greater expertise and better technology†. By the company letting Oracle install, configure and maintain the AIS application, this greatly reduces the cost and time that would be wasted by the company â€Å"in staying at the cutting edge of technology were rising significantly† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 20). Since Oracle already know the system it would be more logical to let them be responsible for upgrading and keeping the system maintain because they would have a better understanding and knowledge of how the system functions. Lastly, another benefit of the company choosing to outsource its AIS system to Oracle and have them to maintain the system is, it is an â€Å"Excellent strategic and economic business solution. By allowing Oracle to handle the AIS this will give the company a chance to focus on other important areas of the business. â€Å"Outsourcing is a viable strategic and economic business solution that allows companies to concentrate on core competencies† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 620). The company is able to work on the areas that is does successful in and leave the AIS application â€Å"PeopleSoft Enterprise Financial Management† to people who understand and know how to maintain and handle the system. The company will need to treat Oracle as a partner and work side-by-side with them in order for the company to meet its strategic and operational objective. One of the disadvantages of the company choosing to outsource its AIS system to Oracle and have them to maintain the system is because of the â€Å"inflexibility in contracts†. If the company becomes unhappy or decides to change its AIS it will be extremely difficult or costly to break the contract. For example the contract between the company and Oracle may stipulate a 10 year contract with a cost of $5 million dollars if the contract has been breached. If the company changes its mind whether because being unhappy with Oracles performances or structural changes and decide to cancel the contract at year five, this will result in the company having to pay $5 million dollars because they breached the contract which was for 10 years.