Thursday, September 5, 2019
Natural Zeolite as a Cost-effective Opacifier
Natural Zeolite as a Cost-effective Opacifier Ali Ghafarinazari1, 2 à ¯Ã‚ †ºÃƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ªÃƒ ¯Ã‚  , Esfandiar Amiri1, Mahnaz Karbassi3, Morteza Soroor1, Talieh Rajabloo3 Abstract Zircon as an opacifier material is under the very real risk of being replaced. This is mainly because of two reasons: the anticipated shortage of high-quality grade zircon, and high costs associated with the production of zircon as an opacifier material, which is resulting in upward pressure on zircon prices. This study aimed at assessing the influence natural zeolite as opacifier of on both the technological behavior during processing and the technical performances of ceramic glaze for tile manufacturers. Moreover, preliminary investigations show this category of tiles has potential at antibacterial activity in a cost-effective way. Keywords: Glass-ceramic; Anti-bacterial Tile; Titanates; Zirconia; 1. Introduction The ceramic tile industry is being progressively moving its worldwide production toward new materials with improved aesthetic and technical properties. The availability of these raw materials in the huge amounts required by the tile industry is a problem in many areas, while in other contexts it is the high price to make the tile manufacture disadvantaged in competition with other producers of building materials, whose manufacturing costs are lower. Thus, the ceramic industry is continuously searching for cheap raw materials able to replace the traditional without altering the process and product characteristics [1]. In glaze production, amongst commercial frits, zircon (ZrSiO4) is most conventional opacifier [2]. Nevertheless, these frits are quite expensive and therefore, there have recently been certain attempts to lower the production cost such as optimizing amount of zircon [3], or taking another suitable glass–ceramic glaze systems [4]. Another common opacifier is titania (TiO2). Although refractive indices of titania (2.52 for anatase and 2.76 for rutile [5]) is higher than zirconium oxide (2.17 [1]), but it has technical problems. First is low chemical stability during melting. In addition, rutile, which is stable structure of titania in standard conditions, is the main problem. Because rutile phase, in opposite of anatase, is yellow and leads to increase roughness of surface. Zeolites are high porous and crystalline alumino-silicates with a three-dimensional structure based upon repeated units of silica (SiO4) and alumina (AlO4) tetrahedral [6]. Based on high-temperature phase transformations of natural zeolites [7], possibility of using Iranian natural zeolite as opacifier of tiles are investigated in this study. Zeolites belong to the tectosilicate mineral group and are building up by a framework of corner-sharing. The framework arranges as such to form a microporous structure with large cages (diameters less than 2 nm) connected into channels. They possess special properties, such as ion exchange, molecular sieves, a large surface area, and catalytic activity, which make them a preferable material for tremendous industrial applications in industries such as domestic and commercial water purification, softening, petrochemical industry, biogas industry, heating and refrigeration, detergents, medical, agriculture [8]. Now a days, they are promising for im plementation at ceramic production, such as brick [9], ceramic pigments [10], porcelain and tiles bodies [11] also self-glazing ceramic tiles [12]. The main objective of this study is to use Iranian natural zeolite and develop from this a zeolite opacifier product for glazes, which possesses superior opacifying properties or whiteness values after application on a ceramic body, compared to that of the current zircon, more expensive commercial ceramic or prime grade zircon materials. 2. Experimental Procedure 2.1. Fabrication of Samples In the first part of the experimental study, one single fast-firing opaque tile glaze selected as standard frit (Table 1). The basic Standard frit composition was selected consisting of 6 wt% suspending agent (kaolin), 0.2 wt% deflocculated (sodium tri-poly-phosphate), and 0.1 wt% ligand (Carboxyl Methyl Cellulose, CMC) in an eccentric mill used at selected suspension compositions. At this research, all of materials were of commercial grades (less than 98 wt% purity) from industrial clays. 2.2. Sintering The frit suspensions applied on the surface of tile supports using a regulated glaze applicator for the deposition of raw layers with 0.4 mm thickness. The test specimens were then fired in a roller kiln corresponded to the temperature and rate used industrially to manufacture the product with the support and glaze in question. Heating and cooling rates were about 40  ºC/min and soaking time at 1000  ºC was 3 minutes. 2.3. Characterization of samples The opacity of glaze was evaluated based on a colorimetric analysis using a Minolta CM-2600d spectrophotometer. The results are expressed by the tri-chromatic coordinates: L* means the degree of whiteness, a* indicates the variation between green and red colors, and b* presents the variation between blue and yellow colors, therefore investigation of opacity amount of L* is very important. To better understand the gloss results of the glazes (ÃŽ ²60) was determined by Zehntner ZGM1110 glossiness analyzer. To complement the results, the glazes were characterized micro structurally by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Crystalline phase identification was performed on glazes prepared from ground samples using a X-ray diffractometer (Philips PW 170) operating with (Cu-KÃŽ ± = 1.54056 Ã…, 35 kV, 40 mA) radiation in the range of 10-60 ° 2ÃŽ ¸, using the following settings: 0.1 mm receiving slit, 0.4 s/0.04 ° 2ÃŽ ¸ counting time. FESEM images were taken by Hitachi S-4160. On account of experiments method and results, particularly SEM, we predicted that the new tile has potential for antibacterial activity. The popular method for antibacterial activity is  ½ McFarland. We described in detail this method for antibacterial tile [13]. As briefly speaking, E. coli and S. aureus were deposited on tile slide (5 cm Ãâ€" 5 cm). Each slide was placed in a sterile vial. Tryptone soy broth was then added to each vial. An aliquot (10 ml) of S. aureus or E. coli suspension was added to each vial (1.6 Ãâ€" 103 ml-1) containing the slides. The vials were incubated with agitation at 35  °C, 220 rpm. The bacteriostatic activity was evaluated after 24 h and the percentage of bacteria reduction was calculated using the following equation (1): (1) In which R is the reduction rate, A is the number of bacterial colonies from untreated tiles and B is the number of bacterial colonies from the treated tiles. 3. Results and discussion In order to investigate effect of zeolite in glaze at different chemical conditions, some experiments carried out in the same firing profile. Output of glossiness and spectrophotometer these experiments showed in Table 2. Before going to the results, it is better to remind that depend on type of body, in general acceptable amount of L* for an opaque glaze is 83.24, it is noticed that this reference opaque glaze has 14wt% Zircon. In addition, acceptable amount for glossiness for shiny tile is at least 88 such as standard frit which is perfectly transparent. After checking standard, conventional opacifires, zircon and titania, were added. When 10wt% zircon was added to frit as state of compound, degree of whiteness and covering increased sharply, without significant effect on glossy. Uniformity distribution of unfired zircon powders on standard frit exhibited on Figure 1. Another conventional opacifier, titania, was added in amount of 5 and 10wt% to the standard frit. Outcomes in Table 2 confirm that amounts of whiteness (L*) and covering (a*) is very upper than zircon but yellowish amount (b*) and decreasing of shiny confirm that titania is in rutile crystallographic state. Morphology of titania on glaze is directly depended on crystallographic state. Microstructural studies confirmed that rutile crystals always have had an acicular morphology, however, anatase crystals were observed with cubic and rectangular morphologies [14]. The other stable phase of titanium in glaze is sphene (CaTiSiO5 [15]), which is completely sphere in glaze [4]. Visual effect of sphene and anatase is white, while anatase has benefits such as semiconductor and antibacterial effects. Bou et al. published that in order to improving smoothness and glossiness adding 1-3wt% P2O5, rutile transformed to sphene. The problem of sphene is non-uniform distribution in glass matrix [4], which decrease chemical and mechanical resistant. Based on Figure 2, existence of rutile confirmed. This big crystal leads to roughness of surface and diminishing glossiness to 25. One of interesting results of FESEM of glaze containing titania is elemental distribution on glass-ceramic. In glassy matrix, atomic percentages of fluxes are 0.93, 4.87, 7.01, and 2.36 % for Na, K, Ca, and Zn respectively, but these amounts are 3.46, 5.25, 12.35, and 3.11 %; i.e. around crystalline part flux materials especially sodium and calcium lead to nucleation. And about 3 at% titanium was solved in glass, due to low chemical stability. In order to investigation of effect of natural zeolite in glaze and comparing with other opacifiers, 10wt% natural zeolite supplemented to the standard. Result of XRD shows that the zeolite has crystallinity based on having less amount of background with sharp peaks (Figure 3). The zeolite leads to covering and whitening surface without significant effect on glossy. As it can be seen in Figure 4, there are large amounts of unfired or crystalline materials in glass matrix which is due to existence of zeolite. In contrast, for higher temperature (1100  °C) and time duration (2 h) zeolite acts as a flux [1], but at this condition it acts as a refractory. Although these results (Table 2) were comparable with zircon, we could not achieve a sufficient opaque glaze because of refractive index of zeolite which is about 1.48 – 1.60 [16], and is close to silicate-leadless glasses (1.5 – 1.7) [5]. For sufficient covering with whitening in glaze by zeolite, possibility of using zeolite as a nucleus for titanium oxides was inspected. For this purpose, 3wt% TiO2 and 7wt% zeolite added to the standard. Table 2 confirms that this glaze is an acceptable as an opaque glaze. This glaze has a shiny surface, well covered tile body, high whiteness, and especially low price due to cheap raw materials. To complement the results, FESEM was carried out on these tiles. Figure 5 exhibits rectangular nanoparticles (25-500 nm, 85 nm average) with uniform distribution in glaze. Based on previous lectures, this structure is related to anatase [5]. Owing to EDX analysis, elements distribution on matrix and ceramic generally was the same with previous samples but percentage of Ti in matrix relented to 0.42 (instead of 3 at% in Figure 2). Indeed, natural zeolite is a cheap agent for nucleation of nanocrystalline anatase without side effect on other properties of tiles. One proposed mechanism for this phenomenon from thermodynamic point of view is alumina and silica which leads to stability of anatase [9]. Based upon zeolite is alumino-silica, this reasoning was checked by kaolin, which is a mineral clay contains mainly alumina and silicates. Results of this experiment are illustrated in Table 2 and Figure 6. Kaolin had no effect on phase and morphology of rutile, and it led to increasing of roughness and firing temperature of glaze. In a conclusion ability of natural zeolite in making glass-ceramic by nanoparticles of anatase is unique according to high porosity and crystallinity (Figure 3) structure. Due to the fact that there are anatase nanoparticles in the glaze, it is promising having antibacterial activity [17]. This phenomenon investigated by  ½ McFarland method as wrote in experimental procedure at end of section 2.3. In this case it has been shown achieving stable nanostructural anatase is not enough for antibacterial activity [18]. In fact, anatase must be excited by Ultraviolet illumination. This tile has just about 35% bacteriostatic which is not significant comparison by naked eye and it needs to measure by microscope. This result is very low in comparison with other components which had more than 95% [13]. It would be obvious that titania at glaze initially melted and then solidification carried out in the form of anatase. The increase zeolite anti-bacteria agent is prepared by achieving smaller anatase particles and better distribution which can be realized by chemistry of glass network. However, due to the fact that propose of this research was just opacity, this result also is very interesting and beyond our goal. 4. Conclusion Natural zeolite is a new mineral source for construction and ceramic glass materials. Our research showed that zeolite is economically expedient to use natural zeolite for fabricating opaque glaze. Indeed natural zeolite led to stabilized nano crystalline of anatase. This glaze has potential for antibacterial tiles. Initial investigation showed potential of antibacterial activity if this kind of products in a cost-effective way. References [1] Demirkiran AÃ…Å ¾, R. Artir, and E. Avci. Effect of natural zeolite addition on sintering kinetics of porcelain bodies. Journal of materials processing technology. 2008;203(1-3):465-70. [2] Beals M, et al Study of Particle Size of the Opacifying Phase in Titania Enamels: I, Change of Particle Size with Change of Concentration of Dissolved TiO2. Journal of the American Ceramic Society. 1951;45(1):403. [3] Bish DLaJWC. Thermal behavior of natural zeolites. Reviews in mineralogy and geochemistry. 2001;45(1):403. [4] Bou E, et al. Microstructural study of opaque glazes obtained from frits of the system: SiO2-Al2O3-B2O3-(P2O5)-CaO-K2O-TiO2. Journal of the European Ceramic Society. 2007;27 (2-3):1791-6. [5] Casasola R, J. Rincà ³n, and M. Romero. Glass–ceramic glazes for ceramic tiles: a review. Journal of Materials Science. 2012;47(2):553-82. [6] Eppler R. Crystallization and Phase Transformation in TiO2 Opacified Porcelain Enamels: 11, Cornparison of Theory with Experiment. Journal of the American Ceramic Society. 1969;52(2):94-9. [7] Diop MaMG. Sodium silicate activated clay brick. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment. 2008;67(4):499-505. [8] Osman Gencel a, Mucahit Sutcu b, Ertugrul Erdogmus c, Vahdettin Koc d, Vedat Veli Cay e,, Gok MS. Properties of bricks with waste ferrochromium slag and zeolite. Journal of Cleaner Production 2013;59 111-9. [9] Hanaor DaC, Sorrell. Review of the anatase to rutile phase transformation. Journal of Materials Science. 2011;46(4):855-74. [10] Pekkan KaBK. Production of opaque frits with low ZrO2 and ZnO contents and their industrial uses for fast single-fired wall tile glazes. Journal of Materials Science. 2009;44(10):2533-40. [11] Pogrebenkov VM, Sedelnikova MB, Vereshchagin VI. Zeolites: Raw material for ceramic pigments. Glass and Ceramics. 1998;55(1-2):55-6. [12] Pogrebenkov VM, E.D. Melnik, and V.I. Vereshchagin,. Use of Siberian mineral raw materials in the manufacture of self-glazing ceramic tile. Glass and Ceramics. 1997;54(11-12):373-5. [13] Ghafarinzari A, Moztarzadeh F, Rabiee SM, Rajabloo T, Mozafari M, Tayebi L. Antibacterial activity of silver photodeposited nepheline thin film coatings. Ceramics International. 2012;38(7):5445-51. [14] Teixeira SaAMB. Development of TiO2 white glazes for ceramic tiles. Dyes and Pigments. 2009;80(3):292-6. [15] Frost BR, K.R. Chamberlain, and J.C. Schumacher, Sphene (titanite): phase relations and role as a geochronometer. Chemical Geology. 2001;172(1–2):131-48. [16] Larlus O, et al. Silicalite-1/polymer films with low-k dielectric constants. Applied Surface Science. 2004;226(1-3):155-60. [17] Saeki Y. Application of Antibacterial and Self-Cleaning Effects to Noncementitious Construction Materials. Applications of Titanium Dioxide Photocatalysis to Construction Materials: Springer; 2011. p. 17-22. [18] Niederhà £usern S, Bondi M, Bondioli F. Selfà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Cleaning and Antibacteric Ceramic Tile Surface. International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology. 2012. Figure captures Figure1 FESEM of glaze with 10wt% zircon. Figure2 FESEM of standard frit with a) 5 and b) 10wt% titania Figure3. XRD from Iranian natural zeolite Figure4. FESEM of standard frit containing 10wt% natural zeolite Figure5. FESEM of standard frit containing 3wt% TiO2 and 7wt% Zeolite; a) morphology of crystal is in range of 25 – 500 nm, in average of 85 nm; b) fine distribution of crystals. Figure6. FESEM of standard frit containing 3wt% TiO2 and 7wt% kaolin Table captures Table1. Composition of the standard frit Table2. Results of spectrophotometer and glossiness 1 à ¯Ã‚ †ºÃƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ªÃƒ ¯Ã‚  Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 3886598606 E-mail address: [emailprotected] (A. Ghafarinazari)
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
A Study of Small Sculpture from the Mesoamerican Societies Essay
     The Olmec, Maya, and Aztec were dominating societies of Mesoamerica, rich in culture, community, and art. While life may not be completely interpretable yet, much in known about how these societies were constructed, and how their religion dominated their lives. Much is generally made of their massive stonework, their ceremonial complexes, and ritual sacrifices, but their small jade, ceramic, and stone sculpture deserves as much attention as the works of much larger size have received.      The Olmec were thought to have set many of the patterns seen in later cultures throughout Mesoamerica.1 San Lorenzo, the oldest known Olmec building site, as of the time of the Brittanica article, is known for its Colossal Stone Heads, all of which have prominent facial features. Las Bocas was excavated and many small jade figurines of people in the community were found. Some of these appear to have ritualistic purposes, judging by the incising noted on the sculpture.      The Olmec culture spread northwest and southeast, and seemingly influenced later cultures in artistic endeavors.2      The concept of sacrifice in Olmec art had ties to the belief of renewal; a birth-death scenario, where one is returned to the source - the underworld.3 Similar to monumental figures of men presenting children, wearing jaguar-baby masks, for sacrifice, human figures were sculpted in a much smaller scale, many of which are ceramic or polished jade (fig. 1).      The Las Bocas site of the Olmec produced many small figurines that are thought to represent the people who lived there. These objects display Olmec symbols on their hairstyles or bodies, and because they were found at or near grave sites, these pieces are believed to have more purpose than simply the depiction of daily life.4 An example of this type of sculpture is of a man and woman embracing (fig. 2).      The â€Å"Wrestler†figure is an example of Olmec sculpture that should be viewed from all angles, not just frontal. â€Å"The long diagonal line of the figure’s back and shoulders is as beautiful and commanding as the frontal view.†5 The pensiveness of the expression on the man’s face suggests individuality and portraiture (fig. 3).      Jade was a really p... ...assic Maya Art and           Architecture.†In The Ancient Americas: Art from Sacred Landscapes, ed.      Richard F. Townsend, 159-169. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago,           1992. Miller, Mary Ellen. The Art of Mesoamerica from Olmec to Aztec, 2nd ed.           London: Thames and Hudson, 1996. Reilly III, F. Kent. â€Å"Art, Ritual, and Rulership in the Olmec World.†In The           Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica, eds. Michael E. Smith and Marilyn      A. Masson, 369-399. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2000. Valdes, Juan Antonio. â€Å"The Beginnings of Preclassic Maya Art and                     Architecture.†In The Ancient Americas: Art from Sacred Landscapes, ed.      Richard F. Townsend, 147-57. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago,           1992.
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Religious Symbolism in Grimms Rapunzel Essay -- Grimm Rapunzel Essays
Religious Symbolism in Grimm's Rapunzel  A fairy tale is seemingly a moral fiction, intended mainly for children. A lesson in critical analysis, however, strips this guise and reveals the naked truth beneath; fairy tales are actually vicious, logical and sexual stories wearing a mask of deceptively easy language and an apparent moral. Two 19th Century writers, the Grimm brothers, were masters at writing these exaggerated stories, bewitching young readers with their prose while padding their stories with allusion and reference: an example of which is "Rapunzel." Grimm's "Rapunzel" is packed with religious symbolism, which lends a new insight to the meaning of this classic story.  The relation between "Rapunzel" and the story of Christianity is apparent immediately as a result of the setting. The witch's garden is described as "a beautiful garden full of the finest vegetables and flowers," depicting perfectly the Garden of Eden from Genesis. Now, with the scene in place, the Grimm brothers begin further correlation between the two stories.  The witch, indicative of the serpent, tempts the mother and father with her rampion so that she might steal their child. In the story of creation, the serpent has the same idea in mind for Adam and Eve. The serpent knows that if man sins against God, he is unable to enter heaven and therefore must face the alternative, a life of eternal suffering in hell. In eating the forbidden fruit, the parents are cursing their child, humanity, to a life apart from God. But, just as with Adam and Eve, the parents must also endure earthly hardships, characterized by childbirth. In Genesis 3:17, Eve is cursed to bear children through intense pain; consequently, Rapunzel was born. ... ...shown through Rapunzel's response.  The witch learns of Rapunzel's interaction with the Prince and places her in the desert, and when the Prince climbs the tower to seek Rapunzel, he finds the witch waiting there for him. At this point, the witch's assumption and belief that she has won coincides perfectly with Satan's arrogance in believing that by killing Christ, he would forever have dominion over man. To the witch's dismay, the Prince hurls himself from the tower, putting out his eyes on the thorns below. This is symbolic of Christ's conscious sacrifice for humanity on the hills over Nazareth. The Prince wanders blindly through the desert, and, after several years, is reunited with his beloved Rapunzel. Ultimately, the story's happy ending is a realization of God's promise that through Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and find everlasting life.  Â
Monday, September 2, 2019
The Importance Of Literacy :: Literacy Essays
Rita Mae Brown describes literacy as, "a social contract, an agreed upon representation of certain symbols" (420). If the symbol's (letters) meanings are not agreed upon by those attempting to communicate, then interpreting one another becomes difficult. Simply stated, literacy is very important. Society has proven time and time again, it will reward those individuals who are competent and impede those who are not, whether expressed in terms of employment opportunities (job success) or just on a social level. Â Â Â Â Â One need look no further than their everyday activities in order to realize how important literary skills are. Without adequate literary skills one may not be able to identify on a label the correct amount of medicine to give a child, or read and interpret a sign giving instructions on what to do in case of a fire. These two examples bring perspective to literacy's importance. Nevertheless, recent surveys have indicated that, "4.5 million Canadians, representing 24 percent of the eighteen-and-over group, can be considered illiterate" ("Adult Illiteracy" 5). Illiteracy is truly a problem within Canada. Although many groups are working to render the problem of illiteracy, much work still lies ahead. Â Â Â Â Â As our society moves on into the next century literacy is proving vital to economic performance. Without basic literary skills in one's possession they will become lost in our rapidly changing society. The modern worker must be able to adapt to the changing job-scene. This often means gathering new skills and knowledge from printed material, whether instruction manuals, computer programs, or classroom training (text books). It is quite commonly the case that highly skilled jobs require a high level of literacy. Therefore, literary skill level is an important factor in predicting an individual's economic success. It will affect an individual's income, their employment stability and whether they even receive employment opportunities. Â Â Â Â Â Presently, our world revolves around literacy. Simply being literate allows one to continuously upgrade one's literary skills to a higher level. It allows one to stay informed of happenings in and around the world through mediums such as newspapers and magazines. Knowing current news about what is going on in this ever changing world of ours is the key to staying ahead. Another thought to ponder is this, we rely on those with high literacy levels to record and document findings and happenings for future generations to reflect on. These writings would most likely be dull and inaccurate or would not exist at all without our current levels of literacy. Â Â Â Â Â When viewed from a social standpoint, literacy remains just as important as when viewed from the economic standpoint. Linda Macleod of the National Associations Active in Criminal Justice, points out that, "65 percent of people
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Motivation and Compensation Essay
Attrition problems occur when an organization is going through changes. Magic Graffix seems to be having problems with recruiting, training, and retaining employees. The gradual reduction of a workforce by employees’ leaving and not being replaced rather than by their being laid off is called attrition. Attrition can be explained after a little digging to see where the problem actually occurs. The problem of diminishing employees for Magic Graffix is happening because the employees are not motivated to complete the task at hand. HR has been assigned a budget to come up with a plan to correct the problem. A number of steps must occur to correct the attrition such as finding out why the problems exist and trying to see how to make it better gradually. Attrition starts when employees start to leave an organization. The question is when it is first noticed what can be done to correct the issue so that it does not get any worse. The Magic Graffix simulation enables suggestions that would help in escalating the problem and correcting it. Conducting an employee survey, as well as commissioning, â€Å"Who is Smiling†is the first steps to combating the problem. The employee survey will allow the organization to get a feel or sense of how the employee thinks and what he or she is feeling towards the organization. The survey will also allow for seeking any areas that need improvement as the employee see it. Commissioning, â€Å"Who is Smiling†will allow the organization to see how other employees in similar organizations feel about the industry and his or her organization. The next step was to determine the needs of the employee in each area of the organization. I have decided that employees are less concerned with his or job descriptions or the training provided; however they are concerned with benefits and compensation so this is an area that needs to be looked into closely. Our employees want to be compensated for a job well done; he or she would like to have a salary that is comparable to others in the industry. Pay is a key motivating factor for the employees, so correcting the pay scale is a good place to start. The employees are also not concerned with the recruiting techniques. In the future after correcting the pay scale and making the pay more in-line with similar organizations Magic will look into other aspects of training for upward mobility. The next task was to identify Business Delivery needs. What I have chosen should boost morale throughout the department. Game credits will allow the developer to see that he or she is valued by the organization. It will also boost self-esteem and awareness of his or her skill in the industry. Personal projects will allow the developer to showcase his or her skills. This will allow him or her to flaunt the creative mind that he or she was hired for. Telecommuting opportunities in today’s industry is crucial to the success of an organization. As a gaming developer they need to feel comfortable when working. It may be feasible to offer telecommuting to the software and developer personnel. Telecommuting will allow for personal freedom to get the task completed in a timely manner. Developers and software personnel get burnout therefore it may be nice to offer a mini sabbatical. This will allow him or her time off to get things put in order. Time to get his or head in the right place is always a necessity. If allowed the mini sabbatical the employee will come back refreshed and invigorated full of new ideas. Compensation and benefits is an instant motivator for an employee. It would be a wise decision to structure pay and incentives around the type of job that is done by the employee for the organization. Spot performances, group incentives, individual incentives, and lump sum merit awards are the choices to support compensation and incentives. Magic has people that work as a part of a team and also individually therefore the pay, rewards, and incentives should be set up around the job title. The simulation has great ideas to correct the attrition problem however there are a few ideas that should be looked into. The first idea is the recruitment techniques. Magic has done the homework and analyzed the needs of the organization as well as the employee, putting this to use is the key to success. A recruitment plan to hire the best employee would include group or series interviewing techniques because this will allow for the organization to get a feel for the candidate and the candidate a feel for the people he or she would be working with. I would also recommend testing on the software the organization is currently using, because this will allow the organization to determine the individual skill level to complete the task. Once the person is hired it would be beneficial to sit with him or her at intervals along the way to determine if the organization is meeting his or her individual needs. At each interval the person is evaluated on his or her production and also areas are pointed out that need work. The employee will also be allowed time to give feedback to the organization. Magic Graffix is currently in a position to improve the way they utilize the employees. Magic is currently faced with trying to retain its employees as they are leaving for better jobs within the industry. Magic needs to make itself more competitive in the industry. Making the organization more competitive and offering key incentives will allow Magic to recruit the best candidates for the job.
Rhetorical Analysis Paper: Budlight Advertisement Essay
Budweiser is one of the best-known brands of beer in America. Their ads and commercials have always been known for being humorous and entertaining. Millions of people look forward to seeing the Super Bowl half-time commercials mostly because of Budweiser’s notorious commercials. Budweiser takes advantage of its reputation and makes commercials that are witty and fun for people to watch. They incorporate humor and a certain kind of sex appeal into their ads to sell their beer to men and send the message that there is nothing more pleasing in life than drinking Budweiser. The rhetorical appeals are included in the BudLight ad to persuade the audience to drink BudLight. This BudLight advertisement uses pathos to appeal to men’s emotions and make them want to buy their product. It uses sex appeal to make the advertisement more engaging to men. There are very few beer advertisements that do not include women in them. Budweiser uses a more mainstream and traditional sex appeal to sell their product to a certain type of client. The women in the picture are both Caucasian and the couple in the ad is a straight couple. In this ad, Budweiser is appealing to a certain type of American, a more traditional one. They make their product seem lavish and they appeal to a more high-class audience than other beer companies. Budweiser assumes that having these types of women in their advertisements helps their company sell more products. They are correct with their assumption because they have been very successful with their products thanks to all of their advertisements with beautiful women in them. They try to encourage beer enthusiasts to buy their beer instead of any other beer. See more: analytical writing Budweiser is infamous for its clever marketing skills and entertaining ads. This ad displays several aspects that portray a luxurious lifestyle. There are two young women and a young man on a yacht near a private island. All of them have huge smiles on their faces to show the audience how happy they are with their lives. This ad shows how these young people are enjoying their time on this luxurious trip mostly because they are drinking BudLight. The BudLight bottles are in the front, center of the ad to make sure that the audience can see the brand clearly so that they can remember the logo. Behind the beer bottles, there is a young man enjoying his time on a beautiful island with two attractive women and of course, BudLight. This ad makes the audience believe that this lavish lifestyle is possible as long as they have a BudLight with them. This picture gets imprinted into people’s minds and they are reminded of this ad every time they see a bottle of BudLight. The advertisement’s name is Port Paradise III. This title shows that this is just one of many places where one can go and enjoy a BudLight in the company of beautiful women. If this is Port Paradise Three, then this means that there has to be a One and Two as well. With this title, the audience realizes that the fun never ends as long as they drink BudLight. It is incredible how advertisements can lure an audience into trying out their products. Certain advertisements and commercials may seem simple, but at the same time, those are the ones that people remember and talk about. When people think about beer advertisements, they usually remember the ones like this one because it demonstrates things that people want. This advertisement shows how BudLight is interconnected with Paradise and makes people remember the picture. The luxurious aspect of this ad and the sex appeal used catches the viewers’ attention and makes them remember the product. The next time one of these men goes to the market to buy beer, they will glance through all of the different brands and they will see a familiar brand, BudLight. They will remember the logo that they saw in the ad and associate it with luxury because of the private island and yachts that were in the advertisement. This masterful marketing is what makes Budweiser so successful.
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Beneath the Hunger Games
Kate Raffety 22nd of May, 2012 BENEATH THE HUNGER GAMES The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is an insightful allegory set in a post-apocalyptic future. Through a gripping plot and intriguing characters along with rich intertextuality, symbolism and themes, she raises concerns and gives her opinion on issues in our communities and governments, taking many to the extreme to reinforce her message, while keeping it a fast passed fictional story. Government control of people is the most prominent theme in The Hunger Games, as it is featured throughout the novel in a variety of ways.Propaganda, censorship, inequitable distribution of wealth, and manipulation are some of the many ways in which the Capitol controls people. All the wealth and resources flow to the Capitol and it is in control of everything. It uses propaganda and censorship to influence and direct public opinion, and the only information the districts receive is from the Capitol. The government broadcasts are compulsory viewi ng and all of it is extremely biased and misleading.Sometimes half the truth is just as effective as a lie, with the capitol only selecting parts of the information to release, in this way it is easy to guide people’s opinions. This technique is used on the districts, with all of the information they receive, and on the people from the Capitol, with the information they receive about the districts. Together the districts could easily overthrow the Capitol, so it is important that they be kept weak and separated. The most important of the Capitol’s strategies for gaining and maintaining power, however, is the age-old technique of divide and conquer.It involves breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually are isolated and weak. The Capitol has absolute power over the districts, which is ultimately demonstrated by the games themselves. â€Å"Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch- this is the Capito l’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. [ ] To make it humiliating as well as torturous, the Capitol requires us to treat the Hunger Games as a festivity, a sporting event pitting every district against the others. (pg 22) The districts are battling starvation, while the capitol lives in luxury with anything they want at their disposal. At first glance the novel and our society seem quite different, but in reality there are many similarities. Whereas extreme inequity and class separation are noticeable in the novel, they are also prominent throughout the world, with great disparity in standards of living among and within countries. The Games are enjoyed as reality television for the people of the Capitol.Their acceptance of it as entertainment, and their lack of compassion towards the tributes is an example of voyeurism and desensitisation. These are two challenges that younger generations face with technology giving them access to television, the internet, video games and movies. They are becoming faster paced and increasingly violent and explicit and emotional responses can become dampened. Reality television is becoming common with people living vicariously through the drama and becoming detached from reality. The standards of humanity in this novel are quite low.There are key aspects of the novel, however, that show that human beings are essentially good when left to their own devices. After her father died, Katniss had to provide for her mother and younger sister. Katniss was searching for any morsel of sustenance to bring home to her family one night around the bakery when Peeta’s mother yelled at her to move on. Peeta, seeing her situation, let two loaves fall onto the coals of the oven and was punished for his carelessness. When he was told to feed them to the pigs, he instead slipped them to Katniss.The next day they caught each other’s eyes and when she looked away her eyes fell on a dandelion, which reminded h er of how her father taught her to live off the land and thus she realised how she would support her family. Peeta saved Katniss and she felt this was a debt she owed him that may never be repaid. He wasn’t obligated to help her, in fact he could have been penalized for it; he did simply because it was the right thing to do. Katniss cares about her family more than anything, especially her little sister.But against all odds her sister is chosen for reaping, and Katniss, driven wild with fear, volunteers to take her place. â€Å"In District 12, where the word tribute is pretty much synonymous where the word corpse, volunteers are all but extinct†(pg 27). Katniss believes certain death now awaits her in the arena, but knows that the loss of her sister would be far worse. While in the arena, Katniss meets Rue, the tribute from district 11 and the two form an alliance. Katniss protects and helps her as best she can, giving her food and her precious sleeping bag while she carries the majority of the responsibility.Rue can give little to Katniss for her to truly benefit from their partnership, however Katniss sees that Rue, the youngest of all the tributes, is vulnerable and does her best to keep her safe from harm, even if it means putting herself in danger. When Rue dies Katniss shows great respect for her and district 11. Katniss then finds Peeta, who has been severely injured and begins to nurse him back to health. He is too weak to sustain himself so Katniss takes on the full responsibility of providing for him, dressing his wounds and taking the majority of the night watches.It would have been much easier for Katniss to leave Peeta and escape up a tree where she feels secure, but despite this she does all she can to help him. She risks her life to save his when she goes to get the medicine and would have died if Thresh, the male tribute from district 11 hadn’t felt the need to repay the debt of helping Rue. Thus, both Thresh and Katniss s aved someone in a last-man-standing battle. This shows that they see themselves as more than just a pawn in the Capitol’s games, they never loose touch with their humanity.Inhumanity is portrayed in many ways in the novel including the Capitol making minors fight to the death, making previous victors mentor them, and inequitable distribution of wealth. In selecting minors as tributes, the Capitol’s message was plain, â€Å"look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you†(pg 22). Taking children who are hardly considered old enough to fend for themselves and putting them in this position is inhumane on many levels.The Capitol sustains power by fear, granting minimal rights to district citizens, no freedom of speech, and harsh punishments for disobeying their many strict rules. They treat their people as chattels who exist only for their benefit. Whereas this them e has been exaggerated in the novel, it still has parallels to our society. There are many ways in which governments treat their people and how the people treat one another that Collins has commented on with The Hunger Games. The novel teaches us that the tyranny of a cruel and powerful government is a threat for which we must always remain vigilant.Collins raises concerns about the path that society is travelling down with her novel. In some ways The Hunger Games is a warning, the message simply being that society should never end up like the one in the novel. Throughout her novel Collins comments on government control, inequity, class separation, reality television, humanity, inhumanity and the path that society has taken. She has taken many of the themes in her novel to the extreme, but this only makes what she has to say stronger. Collins, S. 2009. The Hunger Games, Scholastic, London. 454 pg.
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