Best Buy Retailing Analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Best Buy Retailing Analysis - Term Paper Example Based on this idea, Best Buy was able to come up with a customer centricity program that aims to develop more emphasis on excellent customer service. The customer centricity program has to function in a way that stores, buyers and segment organizations have to work out together for the success of the implementation process of the said program. Best Buy is a profit organization and in as much as possible it has to operate with substantial profit in the end. This is the reason why Best Buy had to find for more profitable customers and product segments. Best Buy focused on these areas that is why it was able to come up with five major profitable customer segments. Understanding customers’ needs was the first step that Best Buy performed under its customer centricity program. The next step performed was to identify profitable segments both for customers and products. This is a matter of finding focus and eventually Best Buy is good at this that resulted to finding the right vision that has to be imparted to the team. This is the reason why Best Buy was able to come up with strategic support for team so as to fully execute the vision. Customer associates for instance had to be empowered in order to effectively satisfy the customers in line with the customer centricity program. They have to necessarily apply scientific approach in dealing with and attending to the needs of customers. In this case, the value proposition was clearly defined and fully executed through store managers and all of the sales associates with clear picture of the vision. This is what exactly Best Buy had undertaken and eventually the idea of Brad Anderson to go for customer centricity was indeed imperative for its success. However, the success was not achieved right away; Best Buy had to go for market trials in order to put the entire idea of customer centricity to the test. Eventually, the company was able to come up with a marketing oriented approach in dealing with the issue of impro ving customer service and satisfaction. Customer centricity’s lackluster performance The customer centricity program is a matter of aggressive implementation. The model by itself sounds good for both the customers and Best Buy. However, there is going to be a problem when it comes to implementation or execution especially that the said program requires the stores, buyers and segment organizations to work in unison accordingly and harmoniously. There was a needed adjustment particularly among segment leaders due to aggressive rollout of 144 new centricity stores. Best Buy has to maintain its competitive advantage and the existence of new centricity stores threatened this potential market power. Thus, Best Buy had to initiate necessary adjustments. Within these adjustments, Best Buy needs to necessarily align the potential contributions of stores, customers and segment organizations for effective system transformation. The Best Buy’s missed out third quarter earnings per share on December 13, 2005 was due to the impact of necessary adjustments it needed to implement in order to perform better than its competitors that were applying the same customer centricity program (Lal, Knoop and Tarsis 154). Thus, the problem is not exactly about the centricity model or even the lag between implementation and results because customer centric

Issues in Human Resource Strategies That Improve Organizational Performance Essay Example for Free

Issues in Human Resource Strategies That Improve Organizational Performance Essay A rapidly changing economic environment, characterized by such phenomena as the globalization, and deregulation of markets, changing customer and investor demands, and ever increasing product market competition, has become the norm for most organization. To compete, they must continually improve their performance by reducing costs; innovating products and processes; improving quality, productivity, and speed to market; and more importantly by improving their individual performance within the organization. In order to do this, a set of distinctive human resource strategies, defined as internally consistent bundles of human resource practices (Dyer Reeves, 1995), is clearly essential. Sparrow and Marchington (1998) suggested that HR practices are the most advanced, the most sophisticated, and the most efficient basis for organizing and for obtaining high performance from employees since it seeks to strategically integrate the interests of an organization and its employees. In addition, a number of studies have also indicated that there is a positive relationship between effective HR strategies and organizational performance. Specifically, it is suggested that HR practices can improve organizational and operational performance when matched with quality manufacturing strategies (Stone, 2002). Nevertheless, despite the positive relationship found between HR practices and firm performance, there are a number of issues and questions surrounding them. One problem in relating HRM and performance is the lack of theoretical background; resulting in both terms remain ambiguous concepts. Other questions arise in relation with the link between HR strategies and performance are the inconsistent findings in regards to what constitutes a high performance HR strategy (Becker Gerhart, 1996; Cooke, 2001) and the problems with HRM and performance measurements (Guest et al. , 2003). The aim of this essay is to outline and explain the issues in developing human resource strategies that improve organizational performance. Specifically, the essay shall begin with presenting the issue of theoretical background of the concept of HRM and organizational performance. Subsequently, it shall discuss the issue about diversified strategies used to improve performance, and the problems in measuring HRM and performance. ?HRM and Organizational Performance: The Lack of Theoretical Background Guest (1997) pointed out that to improve our understanding of the impact of HRM on performance; we need a theory about HRM, a theory about performance, and a theory about how they are linked. Unfortunately, there has been a great deal of debates amongst leading researchers and practitioners about the concept and contributions of HRM practice in managing employees in overall organizational objectives (Loosemore, Dainty Lingard, 2003; Analoui, 1998; Sparrow Marchington, 1998). McCarthy and Stone (1986) argued that the concept of HRM is ambiguous and that its contribution to organizational performance remains unclear and is not well understood. In addition, Sparrow and Marchington (1998) pointed out that rather than adding value to the business through its strategic integration with managerial objectives, HRM can remain a disappointingly mechanistic function. Similarly, there is no universal theory about performance (Guest, 1997). It was proposed that the meaning of performance involves two dimensions; the types of criteria and the weight of each. Organizations have different interpretations of performance according to the sector of their industries. Service providers, for example, might consider customer satisfaction as their top performance indicator, while manufacturers might view inventory level as an important criterion to measure their performance level. In addition, some organizations put financial results on top of their performance indicator list and employee’s job satisfaction at the bottom, but others may view this in the opposite position. As a result, it is hard, if not impossible, to define the concept of performance that applicable for all organizations. The impact of HR practices on firm performance is without a doubt an important topic in the fields of human resource management, industrial relations, and industrial and organizational psychology (Huselid, 1995; Jones Wright, 1992). This literature, although largely conceptual, concludes that HR practices can help to create a source of sustained competitive advantage, especially when they are aligned with a firm’s competitive strategy (Jackson Schuler, 1995; Wright McMahan, 1992, both as cited in Huselid, 1995). Specifically, a large majority of published studies found an association between HR practices and firm performance, regardless of whether they are cross-sectional or longitudinal, whether conducted at establishment or company level, whether based on strong performance data or subjective estimates, whatever sector they are based on, whatever operational definition of HRM is used, and wherever they are conducted (Guest et al. , 2003). Nevertheless, despite the positive thrust of most empirical findings, Wood and de Menezes (1998, as cited in Guest et al. 2003) failed to find consistent associations between HRM and performance. Furthermore, Wood (1999) has also argued that the relationship between HRM and performance is relatively weak. One possible explanation lies in the various contingency factors, other than HR activities, that might contribute to organizational performance such as organizational culture (Kotter Heskett, 1992; Van der Post et al. , 1998), business strategy (Richard Brown Johnson, 1999), and political considerations (Ferris et al. 1998). ?Improvement Strategies: Is There One Best Way? Much of the research on the link between HRM and firm performance has looked at single HR practice such as compensation or selection, while others attempted to look on the impact of combining different HR practices to improve firm performance (Becker Gerhart, 1996). Pfeffer (1998, as cited in Tyson, 1997), for instance, put forward a seven-principle best practice which he believed is universally applicable. The seven best practice HRM elements include; employment security, selective hiring, self managed teams, high compensation contingent on organizational performance, extensive training, reduction of status difference, and information sharing. Theoretically, bundling several HR practices should produce greater performance effects than any of the individual human practices (Dyer Reeves, 1995). However, in reality, there is no single standardized bundle of HR strategies that is universally applicable for all organizations. Each firm might require different bundles of HR strategies to improve its organizational performance.

Updating the Setting of Shakespeares Othello Essay -- Modernization o

Along the crowded streets of Philadelphia the cars rush by and people are always in a hurry, but the poverty of the people that live in the neighborhoods can never be hidden. The name, the City of Brotherly Love, is almost ironic as crime and hate fill the streets of the city. There is a division between the people that can not be hidden, but only exaggerated by people’s interactions. This is the setting in which the Shakespearian play â€Å"Othello† will be interpreted. This modernization of this classic tragedy will be more appealing to the youth of today, who will be able to relate more to the characters and the setting of the play. The changes to the plot and the language of the play are minimal, but the changes to the setting and characters are drastic. The same issues, race, jealousy, and manipulation, still remain, but there is a twist to how they are portrayed. The setting of the play is dramatically changed from Venice and Cyprus to inner city Philadelphia. This one change alters the scenes and characters roles in society, but allows Shakespeare’s original plot to be carried out. It has been said that, â€Å"High school proved a neat setting for contemporary versions of Shakespeare’s comedies: Strong headed adolescent embarking on first love come with the fitting you’d struggle to find more sharply defined social strata or better opportunity for self-conscious humiliation† (Walters, 2002). By setting the film in a high school, characters are at a very vulnerable point in their lives as they are discovering new things about themselves, are forming relationships, and have insecurities about themselves. Often during these vulnerable years, teens use bullying and cruelty to get others to conform or get ... .... This modern setting and the contemporary characters help today’s audiences understand the complexities of human relationships and the destructive qualities of jealousy that Shakespeare wrote about in the original play. This film, just as the original play, is very much a tragedy where treachery and jealousy lead to the untimely deaths of Othello and Desdemona. Works Cited Bell, Millicent. â€Å"Shakespeare’s Moor†. Raritan. Vol. 21(2002): 1-14. Bent, Geoffrey. â€Å"Three green eyes monsters: acting as applied criticism in Shakespeare’s Othello†. The Antioch Review. Summer 1998: 358-73. Fierman, Daniel. â€Å"The Story of O†. Entertanment Weekly. 10 Aug 2001: 20-3. Walls, Lisa. Bullying and Sexual Harrassment in Schools. Committee for Children. http://www.cfchildren.org/article_walls1.shtml. Walters, Ben. â€Å"O†. Sight and Sound. February 2002: 56-7.

Ariel Case

Segment of Detergent : Ariel (Washing Powder) Selection of target Group for Ariel : Families Preference for Selection: Less competition, high customer base, resulting in high business opportunity and growth. In the following case of Ariel when the product was launched, there was a Perception amongst customers that the detergent cake would give better whiteness. HUL and Nirma were the leading brands and competitors of Ariel. When Ariel entered the market the researchers believed that Ariel will be successful because of its extensive formula.It is a low risk involvement product. But because of its competitors ariel had to advertise its product relating it to the Indian household. Consumer here behaves as a Value Maximize, not just a problem solver. Various Problems that influenced the consumer buying behavior were : 1) The family values. 2) Habit of using a particular brand. 3) Dominance of mother in law . 4) Price of the product Product Differentiation: Consumer might feel buying the product that is unnecessarily differentiated, or its distinctive features do not add much value to consumer lifestyle or status.Conspicuous: this is the risk related with social aspects. What society might perceive is the risk of consumer. Psychological: this risk is associated with consumer’s own personality. Whether the detergent will be value for money. All these risks would lead the consumer seriously involved in Ariel buying decison. And thus, he would follow â€Å"Cautious Buying behavior† for buying Ariel. The decision making process would therefore involve all the necessary steps, emphasizing on each step separately. Marketing strategies for each step are significant to ponder on. 1. NEED RECOGNITION:-Need recognition for the TG selected for Ariel would be automatic. All families who want to see there clothes to be the most cleanly washed and without much effort. Therefore, the problems that Van would solve are: †¢ The problem of white clothes getting pale . †¢ The problem of extensive scrubbing of clothes. †¢ Status in the society. Marketing Strategy at this stage: †¢ To advertise the product in a way that changes the perception of the consumer. †¢ To advertise through a demo of a pale white shirt washed in Ariel and coming out to be bright out after a wash in ariel. To Give an act of the household involving the mother in law and daughter in law relation and the difference in choice. †¢ To attach a catchy jingle to the product. †¢ To distribute free samples. †¢ Mouth Publicity 2. INFORMATION SEARCH :- If we consider the time when Ariel was launched, we find that it was different from then prevailing detergents. Internal Information for consumers consisted of two brands: HUL,Nirma So, consumer was subjected to Double Information Processing Job when Ariel was launched. Consumer wanted to receive every kind of information about the product. Marketer Strategy at this stage: To provide all distinctive fe atures of Ariel through print media advertising and emphasizing on its spacious quality that is perfect for a family to use. †¢ To let the TG know that ariel is value for money product, its advanced technology and better formula. Company should promote the brand through central route to persuasion i. e. it should give logic in its advertisement to amplify the superiority of its product over the other brands available. 3. EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVES:- Since buying Detergent is a low involvement decision making process therefore the consumer would try to thoroughly evaluate the brand on various parameters like Cost †¢ Features †¢ Fragrance †¢ Quality 4. PURCHASE DECISION In executing a purchase intention, the consumer may make up to sub decisions like brand,Quality,Loyality towards the regular brand. Marketer Strategy at this stage: In the initial stages Ariel did not attract many customers. So it decided to advertise it’s product by showing a relationship be tween the old and new of working. So they made an add in which they focused on convincing the mother in law to change her perception of the product which she has been using and adopt new better technology.

Fukushima Earthquake And Tsunami 2011 Essay

In March 2011, Japan was struck by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and a following tsunami. Authorities concluded that the earthquake was the cause of the Pacific plate releasing the friction built up after years converged under the North American plate (as shown in figure 3) along the fault line that lies kilometres away from Japan’s coastline. (Urbano, 2011)This caused the friction to spread through the ground-and what was originally said to be a magnitude 6.6 earthquake through the evaluation of incomprehensive readings from seismometers- shook Japan for over five minutes. The resulting tsunami was triggered by the explosive energy released by the earthquake. However, its damage was minimized by 10m high sea walls and the modeling of buildings along the coast, which had applied various scientific techniques to reduce impact from waves on actual buildings. Macintosh HD:Users:160161:Desktop:Unknown-1.jpeg Earthquakes are a very significant problem around the globe and can cause havoc through towns. The Japan earthquake and following tsunami resulted in 20000 deaths and caused the destruction of entire towns and many coastal areas of the country- the most notably being the TÅhoku region in Honshu. (Pletcher, 2013) A large percentage of the damage and lives lost could have been avoided if sciences techniques in detecting earthquakes- such as seismometers- would have alerted authorities in advance rather than minutes before the earthquake struck, as well as conveyed more accurate readings. Around the globe scientists and organisations have attempted to develop method of detecting earthquakes so that maximum damage can be prevented. Currently, around the globe seismometers, sea walls and building modeling are used to detect earthquakes through the readings of seismic waves. This scientific solution has potential to minimise damage from earthquakes and tsunamis around the globe if implemented correctly and its negatives minimized. The Application of Science To Detect Earthquakes and Consequently Prevent Damage-Seismometers Earthquakes can be detected by measuring the frequency of the seismic waves in a particular area using a scientific device such as a seismometer. Seismic waves are circular waves (see figure 4) created by the back and forth movement that occurs when an earthquake shakes the ground, thus releasing waves. A magnitude 8 or 9 earthquake- like the one in Japan 2011, are caused due to the faster and rapider movement of the ground. This releases a higher frequency of seismic waves that can be detected by scientific instruments like a seismometer-just as they were during the Fukushima earthquake. The science behind the implementation of seismometers in earthquake prone areas such as Japan is that they use the basic principal of inertia to detect seismic waves in the earth’s surface. They consist of a ground motion detection sensor and a recording system. In a simple seismometer’s detection system, a weight and a spring are suspended from a frame that moves along with the earth’s surface. As the earth moves, the relative motion between the weight and the earth, which is caused by seismic waves is measured by the recording system which consists of a rotating drum attached to the frame, (as shown in diagram 1) and a pen attached to the mass. This pencil moves along with the weight and the spring, leaving lines along the drum, which can be interpreted into determining the frequency of seismic waves and the magnitude of the coming earthquake by authorities.(Braile, 2000)Modern seismometers are electronic, and instead of using a pen and drum, the seismic activity generates an electrical voltage that is recorded by a computer. The reason why Japanese authorities and other nations around the world choose this science to help detect earthquakes is because it allows them to determine before hand when an earthquake is going to happen. Seismographs gather information over a long period of time and the patterns in the seismic wave frequency are easily analyzable. Seismometers were implemented in Japan’s coastline by local authorities with readings going to computers where the data from seismic waves was analyzed. This brought to the early conclusions that the earthquake was a magnitude 6.6 and later upgraded to 9.0 from further readings showing an increase in movement within the ground. Seismometers also bring a change in scientific research about certain regions and their risk to earthquakes, as it allows for research to be collected at various points before, during and after an earthquake, so that warnings can be sent out in advance next time or before an aftershock. (Dea, 2003) The Effectiveness of Detection/Damage Prevention Techniques Used In Japan Seismometers- Science’s solution to the problem-can be used to detect earthquakes and their location so that maximum damage can be prevented. In theory, scientists in Japan should have been able to pick up the earthquakes where about, magnitude and timing from the seismic activity under the earth’s surface that should have been detected by numerous seismometers located on the Pacific Ocean’s seabed. Scientists can use the readings gathered- based on the frequency of the waves-to calculate the magnitude of the earthquake before it reaches by working out the difference in arrival between two waves from tree different seismometers. (BBC, 2013) If the gap between the two arrivals is shorter, then the magnitude of the earthquake is also higher. Fukushima scientists also used this method to determine the exact location of the earthquakes epicentre through the process of triangulation in which they determine the distance travelled by waves at each of the three seismomet ers and pinpoint the centre (as shown in diagram 2). Seismometers certainly helped to detect the Fukushima earthquake. Evidence shows that almost a thousand lives were saved due to seismometers monitoring the Pacific seabed. They proved effective in saving lives because they were able to pick up the sudden seismic activity in the ground. The detection allowed scientists back in Japan to sound an alarm minutes before the earthquake arrived in Japan. However, the initial alarm was quite inaccurate, as it was originally sounded for a 6.6 magnitude earthquake. Over the last century around the world, scientists concluded that 9/10 times seismometers were initially incorrect in detecting the magnitude of the numerous earthquakes (Strevens, 2011). Seismometers also have many more limitations, which cause for the technology to be deemed ineffective at times and can be used to partially explain some of the issues that occurred in Japan- issues that could have been avoided. Unlike NASA’s InSAR satellite technology that can detect earthquakes day before they occur (due to its ability to detect even 1cm of movement within the earth) (NASA, 2011), seismometers are only able to detect earthquakes minutes before they happen and the only way scientists can actually issue a warning in advance is if they look closely at the patterns in previous earthquakes or try and interpret seismic readings days before and see if there are any abnormalities. The limitations of possible inaccuracy with data and late warnings made the use of the seismometers quite ineffective during the earthquake. Although seismometers are able to pinpoint the exact location of the epicentre so that aftershocks can be predicted and are able to give a few minutes of warning about the magnitude, it is a scientific device that’s success can easily be affected by influence human error plays in analyzing its data on computers. Sea walls were implemented in Japan to protect its coastal cities from tsunamis. The science behind them is that its strong concrete material, from which it is made of, should be able to block the force of a tsunami. Their height- 10 metres above sea level- were supposed to be sufficient to stop most tsunamis as evidence shows that it is very rare in any part of the world for a tsunami over 10m to a region that is not directly over the fault line. However, if a tsunami were to reach such heights, the sea walls success would be limited greatly. A positive of their use though, is that their success is largely predictable as they do not require any electronic systems to function and nor do they have any human influence. Macintosh HD:Users:160161:Desktop:Screen Shot 2013-10-27 at 6.40.21 PM.png Sea walls proved ineffective in Japan as the tsunami proved to also be 10 metres tall due to the water being very deep in the region. This allowed the tsunami to build up its waves and when the tsunami’s biggest waves arrived at the coast of Japan, they were 1m taller than the walls event though they were still only 10m tall. (Tran, 2013) This was due to the fact that the coastline had dropped by a metre and also moved three metres out to sea. (As shown in figure 5) This outside influence limited the success of the walls greatly and although- in many other tsunamis sea wall have effectively haltered tsunamis due to their concrete strength and height- the tsunami of 2011 flooded into Japan killing thousands that could not escape in the few moments of warning. Sciences Interaction With The Environment The environment has minimal impact on the application and effectiveness of seismometers and sea walls. As seismometers are not affected by an areas air pollution, vegetation or climate, the environment does not play a significant role in positively or negatively affecting the detection ability of seismometers. However there are still a few minor factors- particularly in Japan- that can somewhat prevent an earthquake from being detected accurately. Due to Japans vulnerable earthquake-prone region being located along the Pacific Ocean’s coastline, many low intensity stress waves created by natural noises and ocean waves have the ability to be detected by seismometers. This is because seismometers can detect and measure motions with frequencies from 500 Hz to 0.00118 Hz- a large enough range to detect ocean waves- particularly in the Pacific Ocean. This could have a negative effect on the effectiveness of science’s solution. Negatively, seismometers could be alerting Japan ese authorities every time tidal waves and ocean currents strengthen, thus triggering alarm bells constantly. A positive effect that the Japanese environment has on damage preventing solutions such as sea walls is that the Japanese coastline has numerous mountain and hill landforms. The many hills and low mountains located in Japans coastal region (sea figure 6)-especially where the Fukushima earthquake struck-help to prevent damage due to there significant height above sea levels. This environmental benefit was evident during the 2011 earthquake as authorities guided civilians to high ground so that when the tsunami arrived and the sea walls failed, the landforms saved a few hundred lives. (ONISHI, 2011)This was because the 10m height of the tsunami eventually deteriorated by the time it reached the landforms, thus preventing further damage from occurring. As mentioned above, the environment has minimal influence on the application and effectiveness of seismometers and sea walls, although sea walls do have an effect on the environment. To construct and implement sea walls, natural, agricultural and grassland is destroyed to make way for them. Sea walls require a large amount of space (width and length) if they are to be firm, sturdy and cover a large proportion of the coastline. They also negatively impact the climatic environment as their height to some extent interrupts the sea breeze that Japan receives from the ocean. This means that locations near the walls will be drier in the already tropical climate and environment. Once again these negative effects on Japan’s environment are not significant factors although if these scientific damage prevention measures were not present in Japan 2011, the environment would have been damaged greatly like it was in some towns that were destroyed completely. Economic Interaction Sciences detection and damage prevention solutions have a profound effect on the economy of Japan. The Japanese government invests billions (USD) in coastal defenses such as sea walls and warning systems every year. These expensive devices further cost governments around the world millions whenever a warning and consequent evacuation occurs. For example, since Hawaii’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center was established in 1948, about 75 percent of warnings that resulted in costly evacuations turned out to be false alarms (Pendick, 2012). A positive effect that Japan’s economy has on seismometers and warning systems is that it can afford to research deep into ways on improving the technology, as well as, fund the expensive costs involved with implementing and running them. There is very little limitations that Japan’s economy poses to seismometers as the economy is very stable and has been for the last decade without fluctuating too much (see graph 1), thus allowing for billions to be invested. This allows the government to invest in earthquake damage prevention devices so that when an earthquake strikes, damage costs can be kept to a minimum. Seismometers and damage prevention devices have a major influence on the economy. When the earthquake of 2011 struck and damage was high- especially from the burst reactor in the Fukushima Nuclear Plant- Japan’s tourism industry suffered greatly. This had a chain reaction on the economy with a major dip in Japan’s GDP (as shown in graph 1) during the period. Conclusion For many years now, scientists have attempted to come up with ways to detect and consequently, prevent earthquakes with measured success- especially in the Fukushima earthquake of 2011. Although the application of science through the use of seismometers potentially saved thousands of lives in the few minutes of warning, it’s accuracy and timing was not enough to stop a nuclear disaster. The 10m sea walls that were located around Japans shoreline also proved ineffective as the tsunami soared over them, leaving all types of buildings to be struck down by the shear force of the waves. However, scientists continue to apply their knowledge of earthquakes, tectonic movement and seismic waves so that they can enhance this solution for future earthquakes around the globe. Seismometers and sea walls fit into the world environment nicely as they do not affect it, but rather help to prevent damage occurring to it, whilst the modeling of buildings simply has the same impact as normal buildings do. Economic wise though, billions of dollars are put into the science and evidence shown from Japan might suggest, too much money for fairly inconclusive success. There are some variables in science that we can’t control, but what can be controlled is minimizing their damage to civilization through the processes of detecting and preventing damage. Bibliography BBC. (2013). Seismic waves. Retrieved October 28, 2013, from BBC Bitesize: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/waves_earth/seismicwavesrev2.shtml Braile, L. (2000, November). SEISMOMETER. Retrieved October 28, 2013, from Explorations In Earth Science: http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/edumod/handseis/handseis.htm Dea, J. (2003, August 11). Anticipating Earthquakes. Retrieved October 27, 2013, from NASA Science: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2003/11aug_earthquakes/ Densmore, A. (2011, March 14). Sendai earthquake and tsunami disaster . Retrieved October 29, 2013, from Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience: http://ihrrblog.org/2011/03/14/sendai-earthquake-and-tsunami-disaster/ Doedens, P. (2013, September 20). MAGNITUDE-5.3 QUAKE HITS FUKUSHIMA. Retrieved October 25, 2013, from Fukushima Update: http://fukushimaupdate.com/magnitude-5-9-quake-hits-fukushima/ Kong, S. C. (2013, March 20). Japan’s Economy. Retrieved November 2, 2013, from The Market Oracle: http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article39557.html Kordian. (2012, May 8). Natural Disaster . Retrieved November 1, 2013, from Oxonian Globalist: http://toglobalist.org/2012/05/risky-business-uncovering-catastrophic-insurance-risks-in-2012/ NASA. (2011). Anticipating Earthquakes-InSAR Satellites . Retrieved October 28, 2013, from NASA Science: http://www.google.com.au/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=why+did+seismometers+pick+the+japan+earthquake+as+magnetide+6.6&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=jMhwUtjfJcW_kQXUiYCQBQ#q=why+did+seismometers+pick+the+japan+earthquake+as+magnitude+6.6&rls=en ONISHI, N. (2011, March 13). Seawalls Offered Little Protection Against Tsunami’s Crushing Waves. Retrieved October 27, 2013, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/world/asia/14seawalls.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Pendick, D. (2012). Catching a Tsunami in the Act. Retrieved November 2, 2013, from Savage Earth: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/savageearth/tsunami/html/sidebar1.html Macintosh HD:Users:160161:Desktop:Screen Shot 2013-11-04 at 11.43.28 AM.png

Louis Pasteur essays

Louis Pasteur essays My report is about Louis Pasteur and about the things he invented and/or discovered. About who he is and about hes life. I am also going to talk about why the things were invented and/or discovered. Louis Pasteur was born December 27, 1822, in Dole, France. He was the son of a tanner. In 1867 Pasteur left his job of director of scientific studies to focus on his research. In1868, a brain stroke partially paralyzed Pasteur, despite his poor health, he continued his work. Pasteur died in 1895 and was buried in a tomb at Ecole Normale. Pasteur came up with numerous medications and scientific discoveries. He changed hospital practices to help prevent the spread of disease by microbes. He discovered that diluted forms of microbes could be used for immunization against more virulent forms of microbes. Pasteur find that rabies were transmitted by agents so small they could dot be seen under a microscope revealing the world of viruses. He developed a vaccine to keep dogs from getting rabies and to treat humans that get bitten by dogs with rabies. Pasteur developed pasteurization to pre vent harmful microbes perishable food products use heat to destroy microbe with out destroying food. Louis Pasteur discovered rabies on Monday January 6,1885. So that people who do get rabies can get rid of them. They wouldnt have to worry about getting sick and maybe even dieing. And they can also get rid of the rabies if the dogs get them. That way they dont give them to anything or anybody. I talked about Louis Pasteur throughout my report and about the things he invented and/or discovered. He invented the cure for rabies. He discovered rabies in the year of 1885. ...

Inventor Otis Boykin Improved the Electrical Resistor

Inventor Otis Boykin Improved the Electrical Resistor Otis Boykin is best known for inventing an improved electrical resistor used in computers, radios, television sets and a variety of electronic devices.  Boykin invented a variable resistor used in guided missile parts and a control unit for heart stimulators; the  unit was used in the artificial heart pacemaker, a device created to produce electrical shocks to the heart to maintain a healthy heart rate. He patented more than 25  electronic devices, and his  inventions greatly assisted him in overcoming the obstacles that society placed in front of him  during that era of segregation. Boykins inventions also helped the world achieve the technology so prevalent today. Biography of Otis Boykin Otis Boykin was born on Aug. 29, 1920, in Dallas, Texas. After graduating from Fisk University in 1941 in Nashville, Tennessee, he  was employed as a laboratory assistant for the Majestic Radio and TV Corporation of Chicago, testing automatic controls for airplanes. He later became a research engineer with the P.J. Nilsen Research Laboratories, and he eventually founded his own company, Boykin-Fruth Inc. Hal Fruth was his mentor at the time and business partner. Boykin continued his education at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago from 1946 to 1947, but he had to drop out when he could no longer pay tuition. Undeterred, he began to work harder on his own inventions in electronics - including resistors, which  slow the flow of electricity and allow  a safe amount of electricity to move through a device. Boykins Patents He earned his first patent in 1959 for a wire precision resistor, which - according to MIT - allowed for the designation of a precise amount of resistance for a specific purpose. He patented an electrical resistor in 1961 that was easy to produce and inexpensive. This patent - a huge breakthrough in science - had the  ability to â€Å"withstand extreme accelerations and shocks and great temperature changes without danger of breakage of the fine resistance wire or other detrimental effects.† Due to the significant cost reduction of electrical components and the fact that the electrical resistor was more reliable than others on the market, the  U.S. military utilized  this device for guided missiles; IBM used it for computers. The Life of Boykin Boykin’s inventions allowed him to work as a consultant in the United States and in Paris from 1964 to 1982. According to MIT, he  created an electrical capacitor in 1965 and an electrical resistance capacitor in 1967, as well as a number of electrical resistance elements. Boykin also created consumer innovations, including a burglar-proof cash register and a chemical air filter.   The  electrical engineer and inventor  will forever be known as one of the most talented scientists of the 20th century.  He earned the Cultural  Science Achievement Award for his progressive work in the medical field.  Boykin  continued to work on resistors until he died of heart failure in 1982 in Chicago.

Whats the Best You Can Do †Three Myths Non-writing People Believe About Writing

Whats the Best You Can Do – Three Myths Non-writing People Believe About Writing Im a freelance writer who charges professional rates, and clients always ask me to lower my rates. The other day, in fact, I sent a message to a potential client. I gave them my usual rate and got the dreaded question in response: Whats the best you can do? Its always depressing to hear it, and its even more depressing to think about its implications. Its no surprise that writing has become massively undervalued in recent years, but its somewhat surprising to realize how undervalued its actually become. A few decades ago, $1 per word would have been a respectable professional rate. Today, writers are lucky if they get paid 30 cents per word. And this question – Whats the best you can do? – reveals what people actually think about writing. Here are three myths that this question creates and what your response should be to each myth: Myth #1: Less is more. The first and most unsurprising implication of this question is the clients vision of quality. They believe that the less they pay, the better. Theyre either unwilling or unable to pay for premium writing, but either way, they believe that they shouldnt have to pay a lot. The best price is the cheapest. The truth: When it comes to writing, more is more. Full-time freelance writers may not have other sources of income. The more theyre paid, the more passionate theyll be, and theyll produce better content. Thats not to say writers slack for low-paying jobs, but the truth is that high-paying jobs provide a better impetus for writers. They also set quality standards much higher. Let your clients know that writing is your job. Its not a side hustle; its your lifeblood. Refuse to go lower. Either theyll respect you and pay what you deserve or youll lose a client you didnt need in the first place. Myth #2: Writing is no big deal. With the advent of outsourcing, many people have come to believe that writing can be – and should be – something they can cheaply and quickly acquire. They think anyone can do it. They think writers easily churn out compelling copy in a few minutes and send it off. The truth: Clients need to know that creating a piece of writing is a painstaking endeavor that requires drafting, editing, and meditating. More work goes into one paragraph than most clients will ever realize. Make your client aware that writing is not as easy as they think. Explain what you do to create the best content possible, and theyll respect you for it. Myth #3: Low rates are fair rates. This sounds similar to Myth #1, but this myth propagates the idea that writers can survive on next to nothing. This is due to the rise of people from third world countries entering the freelance economy. In other countries, $2 an hour is a decent wage, but for thousands of others, its chump change. A similar idea is that writing for low rates is perfect for students or someone trying to make money on theside. But those people see writing as no more than a side hustle, so they likely wont put that much effort into it. You, on the other hand, work day and night to create the best content your client has ever read. The truth: Tell your client that great writing is not going to be cheap. If writing is your main (or only) source of income, make that clear. And dont forget to mention how much attention you give to your writing. Tell the client youre worth more because you do more.

Market Solution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Market Solution - Essay Example Recently, the organization experienced a drop in the share prices by 10%. The organization is said to be suffering from low employee satisfaction as reported by popular media such as the Wall Street. The organization has even started experiencing a decrease in customer loyalty as the organization has seen a decline in the enrollment of the customers in the Reward program of the organization. The airlines witnessed a 20% decline in the customers enrolling in the reward program and they have started shifting towards the competitors of the airlines. The airline is even suffering from the issue of an increase in the operating costs due to increased labor and fuel cost. The organization can alter its problematic situation and can earn higher profits. Its problems can help it grow and attain success; they need to carefully handle the entire problematic situation. While dealing with the issue of decline in customers, the airline needs to distinguish between its essential customers and every day customers. They need to provide more personalized services to certain customers which will help the airlines to gain attention in the market. The customers will further help the airline in increasing their customer base. Satisfied customers will pass on satisfactory messages to other consumers which will result in an increase in the customers for the airline and will further help in decreasing the overall marketing costs. One of the major changes that the airline needs to make is to change its current reward program. They can enhance their reward program by creating a program or changing their current program after analyzing the programs that are created by their competitors. Altering the current reward program of the airlines will enhance customer satisfaction and consumers will start giving preference to the airline’s reward program. The airline even needs to focus on how to decrease their operational costs. One such method is the introduction of winglet which will resu lt in decreased consumption of fuels by the aircrafts. Several problems related to the airline have been identified by the different stakeholders of the company. Stakeholder issues need to be considered while solving the issues of the company because these stakeholders lead to the success and failure of the organization. The stockholders of the organization are of the opinion that the share prices of the organization have declined very sharply and this is hampering their investments. They believe that the share prices of the organization can be increased if the organization starts satisfying customers and customer loyalty is one of the essential things that need to be created in the market for the success of the company. The management is of the idea that the organization is not completely fulfilling the needs of the consumers and once these needs are fulfilled, consumers will start becoming loyal to the organization. Employees of the organization are mainly concerned about the nega tive reviews of the organization in the popular media. The employee union of the organization is concerned about job losses, decrease in salaries of the workers, dissatisfied workforce and they want to ensure that workers are compensated equally according to their hard work and performance. Similarly, the government and the officials

Research suggests comorbidity between dyslexia and dyscalulia. Discuss Essay

Research suggests comorbidity between dyslexia and dyscalulia. Discuss in light or recent research and examine the implications - Essay Example Beyond arithmetic difficulties, the abstract nature of mathematics means that dyscalculia sufferers can also have difficulty in spatial reasoning, and with comprehension of time. As mathematical reasoning is used in so many situations, it is important for educators to understand that management of dyscalculia is important for the individual in later life. As with many of the other SpLDs, the difficulties that children have when facing dycalculia in an educational environment is that they will often not understand why they are struggling. Peers may also acknowledge their difficulties, which can lead to feelings of failure, anxiety and stress. For this reason, it is important for educators to understand the needs of those with dyscalculia, which can often be overshadowed by dyslexia. The purpose of this paper is to examine the current research and government recommendations on dyscalculia to ascertain the implications that this SpLD has on classroom practice. It will also cover the evi dence for comorbidity between dyslexia and dyscalculia, and how classroom practice should be altered to deal with individuals who have specific learning needs. What is dyscalculia? Dyscalculia is an important SpLD because it affects mathematical and spatial reasoning for the affected individual. This is despite the fact that an individual has had mathematical education, and may be developing normally in other areas. The UK parliament report on dyslexia and dyscalculia suggests that mathematical problems are more likely to affect people in adulthood because the effects of dyscalculia are more long-lasting and mathematical reasoning skills are more valued by employers Reed & Warner-Rogers, 2009. Dyscalculia does affect those with other learning difficulties and is prevalent in those with a low (intelligence quotient) IQ, but dyscalculia can affect a wide range of individuals across the spectrum Reed & Warner-Rogers, 2009. Like dyslexia and the other SpLDs, there is evidence that dysca lculia is highly heriditary and has a strong genetic component. Twin studies suggest that, where one twin has dyscalculia, there is a 70% likelihood that the other will also have the SpLD (). Although twins are likely to share a similar environment and educational history, many twin studies do take this into account, and there is evidence that only 55% of non-identical twins will share dyscalculia. Despite the fact that dyscalculia is thought to affect up to 7% of UK residents (), it is only recently that it has been properly acknowledged and thoroughly researched. Many of the options available for those with dyslexia (for example) are not available for those with dyscalculia. The British Dyslexia Association does provide information about dyscalculia but it does not currently have its own charitable support organization (). Government interventions for educators who are dealing with dyscalculia are fairly new, and based on recent research. However, dyscalculia is recognized as a sp ecial educational need and therefore there are guidelines provided for those in primary school, secondary school as well as guidelines and advice for adults Reed & Warner-Rogers, 2009. These will be covered in more detail throughout this essay, but it is important to acknowledge the influx of interest in dyscalculia, which suggests that it is an important and prevalent problem for many in the UK. Causes of Dyscalculia As previously mentioned, much

Iron and Hemochromatosis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Iron and Hemochromatosis - Essay Example A defect in this gene results in a mutation that disturbs this normal function, and iron metabolism is altered so that a large amount of iron is absorbed from the small bowel, about 1mg excess daily (Sardesai, 2012). The mutation most commonly causing hereditary hemochromatosis is when tyrosine is substituted for cysteine in the C282Y protein sequence. When a child inherits C282Y from both parents, the child is most likely to have hemochromatosis 0.5% of the United States Caucasian population has hemochromatosis (Victoria, 2011). If untreated, about 90% of the excess iron remains in hepatocytes, which are the main cells that function in the liver. Most remaining iron is stored in the functioning cells of the pancreas, anterior pituitary gland, joints, and heart. The endocrine disorder can cause diabetes, pigmentation, and cirrhosis in severe cases. A person can die from cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, cardiomyopathy, or diabetes (Powell & Fischer, 2005). Normal life expectancy can result if the disease is diagnosed early and if the person is given phlebotomy therapy. Therapeutic phlebotomy removes 200-250 mg of elemental iron for every 450-500 ml of blood. This is done weekly so that enough body iron stores are depleted (Adams & Barton, 2010). Before each treatment, the concentration of hemoglobin should be recorded. How much therapeutic phlebotomy is needed depends on the concentration of serum ferritin and hepatic iron. These are used as estimates of treatment needs. Excess iron is completely depleted when serum ferritin concentration is 10-20 ng/ml. This takes about one year (Gropper & Smith, 2013). 5-B) Would you expect the prevalence of the symptomatic hemochromatosis to increase or decrease with the introduction of an iron fortification program or an increase in the intake of bioavailable iron. Is there research to support your answer? The body does not have a way to eliminate excess iron naturally, and serum ferritin must be kept at less

Media Audiences Are Manipulated, Passive Audiences. Art and Branding Essay

Media Audiences Are Manipulated, Passive Audiences. Art and Branding - Essay Example 119-129). Fashion advertising makes use of signifiers in the creation of an identity, which is usually through the portrayal of fashion through high status, youth; high-sexual appeal, which is augmented by constant reiteration, intended to enhance the identity continuum. Discussion The intermix of images which has been fashioned by the most talented designers, artistes, models and photographers is intended to sell the fashion as a creation founded on image and to sell these images as the epitome to the society (Martin & Bush, 2000, pp.441-454). There is clear evidence of this in fashion advertising in which the products are restricted to a select few by their high prices yet the identity images are sold to the public in the media. This means of advertising is therefore effective in creating an image in the society through media as to stylishness and power through the portrayal of fashion in the cultural and socioeconomic perspective. This mode of advertising therefore offers predicta bility and enables marketers to control their customers since the product functions as a consumption of the promoted images and as enhances the very images in the general society (Adomaitis & Johnson, 2008, pp.182-192). Through fashion advertising, firms that sell similar products get the motivation of competing since they find unity in their common objective of advertising of life styles and standards of fashion. An analysis of high fashion therefore establishes the image identities that are constructed by the media and the fashion industry. W magazine is a classic example of the unity in advertising as shown in the print media. The magazine portrays a particular constancy in the depiction of images showing an alter-reality of sexy youthful women, high-priced products, and art. The magazine stresses more on advertising and editorials are limited as its April issue clearly illustrates. Over half of the 544 pages contain direct advertising while the remainder is filled with photograp hs of fashion, which may be from several brands yet are united in a particular aspect such as model or photographer. The photographs in most instances display the brands and the costs of the products. Advertisement in the magazine therefore serves to reinforce images and identity, which is the primary objective of the magazine (Phillips, & McQuarrie, 2011, pp. 99). The distribution of the magazine is also centered on promotion and selling of the same. The magazine is intended for the high-class society and those that look up to them. A large part of the magazine is dedicated to a discussion and analysis of the life styles of the consumers of its high fashion products. The magazine has sections, which are dedicated wholly to the exploration of the lifestyles of their high-end clientele such as artists and directors. The W magazine is available for subscription at a price of two dollars fifty and has a bout a million subscribers. The remaining costs of production are met by the sale o f advertisements, which are priced at 44000 dollars for a page. This means that the magazine is in the main financed by the purchase of its pricey product offerings by a very small number of high-end societies (Phillips, & McQuarrie, 2011, pp. 99). Art and Branding An analysis of the print media brings out a unity in attributes in artistic expression such as the variety of the color, sense of fashion, and the gorgeousness of the forms, which is responsible for the creation of the identity of a

Natural Hazards in my Community (Abbotsford) Essay

Natural Hazards in my Community (Abbotsford) - Essay Example The natural hazards that may impact Abbotsford community include earthquakes, flooding, volcanic hazards such as landslides, ash falls volcanic mudflows. Abbotsford enjoys a mild climate, and the natural hazards are possible risks that do not occur often. There is the risk of the natural hazards occurring in Abbotsford, and, therefore, the community should be informed of their possible occurrence. Being informed is important as it results in appropriate disaster management and mitigation efforts. Abbotsford community may experience flooding due to Fraser River breaking its banks. Exceedingly warmer weather in the interior of British Columbia can cause melting of huge quantities of snow formed during winter. As snow melts, it flows into the Fraser River resulting in water levels that are higher than normal. Abbotsford is likely to experience snowmelt floods because it is located in the heart of Fraser River Basin. An increase in temperatures caused by global warming will lead to melti ng of snow formed on the mountains in British Columbia, which trickle down the basin as floodwater. In 2007, residents of Abbotsford were warned by emergency planners of possible flooding owing to the melting of winter’s massive snowpack. In 1999, water levels in Fraser River reached flood stage and impacted communities and homes. The most recent catastrophic flood in the Lower Fraser River Basin occurred in 1948 leading to damage of thousands of homes, evacuation of thousands of people and additional economic damages.

Media Audiences Are Manipulated, Passive Audiences. Art and Branding Essay

Media Audiences Are Manipulated, Passive Audiences. Art and Branding - Essay Example 119-129). Fashion advertising makes use of signifiers in the creation of an identity, which is usually through the portrayal of fashion through high status, youth; high-sexual appeal, which is augmented by constant reiteration, intended to enhance the identity continuum. Discussion The intermix of images which has been fashioned by the most talented designers, artistes, models and photographers is intended to sell the fashion as a creation founded on image and to sell these images as the epitome to the society (Martin & Bush, 2000, pp.441-454). There is clear evidence of this in fashion advertising in which the products are restricted to a select few by their high prices yet the identity images are sold to the public in the media. This means of advertising is therefore effective in creating an image in the society through media as to stylishness and power through the portrayal of fashion in the cultural and socioeconomic perspective. This mode of advertising therefore offers predicta bility and enables marketers to control their customers since the product functions as a consumption of the promoted images and as enhances the very images in the general society (Adomaitis & Johnson, 2008, pp.182-192). Through fashion advertising, firms that sell similar products get the motivation of competing since they find unity in their common objective of advertising of life styles and standards of fashion. An analysis of high fashion therefore establishes the image identities that are constructed by the media and the fashion industry. W magazine is a classic example of the unity in advertising as shown in the print media. The magazine portrays a particular constancy in the depiction of images showing an alter-reality of sexy youthful women, high-priced products, and art. The magazine stresses more on advertising and editorials are limited as its April issue clearly illustrates. Over half of the 544 pages contain direct advertising while the remainder is filled with photograp hs of fashion, which may be from several brands yet are united in a particular aspect such as model or photographer. The photographs in most instances display the brands and the costs of the products. Advertisement in the magazine therefore serves to reinforce images and identity, which is the primary objective of the magazine (Phillips, & McQuarrie, 2011, pp. 99). The distribution of the magazine is also centered on promotion and selling of the same. The magazine is intended for the high-class society and those that look up to them. A large part of the magazine is dedicated to a discussion and analysis of the life styles of the consumers of its high fashion products. The magazine has sections, which are dedicated wholly to the exploration of the lifestyles of their high-end clientele such as artists and directors. The W magazine is available for subscription at a price of two dollars fifty and has a bout a million subscribers. The remaining costs of production are met by the sale o f advertisements, which are priced at 44000 dollars for a page. This means that the magazine is in the main financed by the purchase of its pricey product offerings by a very small number of high-end societies (Phillips, & McQuarrie, 2011, pp. 99). Art and Branding An analysis of the print media brings out a unity in attributes in artistic expression such as the variety of the color, sense of fashion, and the gorgeousness of the forms, which is responsible for the creation of the identity of a

Denim (Jeans) Market in the U.K Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Denim (Jeans) Market in the U.K - Essay Example Consumers can now find jeans at  £3 in many outlets including Tesco and Matalan. The supermarkets however, have shifted away from selling the discounted brands and concentrate on building their own labels. Prices in the mass market have fallen due to cheaper imports especially from China, and because other retail brands like Marks & Spencer, Next, and Burtons have reduced their prices. The premium brand jeans are struggling to justify their price tags against the own-label brands at  £20-40. Jeans in the UK market are trying to differentiate themselves with cult connotations, lifestyle images, and distinctive details (Mintel 2005). At the same time, below-cost pricing methods by the super markets and their increasing presence in the convenience store sector have prompted government intervention (BBC 2006). In the clothing industry and in the jeans industry in particular, several factors like innovation and new products have to be introduced frequently. Recently, when there was a shift from bootleg jeans to narrow skinny styles, sales went up remarkably high. This has caused the denim market to reach sales of $15.26 billion ( £8.79 billion) in 2005, an increase of 9.3 percent from the year before (FashionUnited 2006). .At the same time, research suggests that brands continue to play an important role for the purchase of jeans (Jeans1 2006). Standard clothing seems to the major market, with fashion wear taking only about 15% of all sales (Keynote n.d.). Standard women’s wear has the largest share and national players dominate these sectors while fashion clothing also have strong but regional chains. The growth in the recent years has been in the discount clothing market. Jeans are ageless and not outrageously youthful in design, which effectively means that men, women and children of all ages use it. Consumers expect low prices, and increasing incomes are the key to increased economic activity. According to Jones and Hayes

Curbing College Drinking Essay Essay Example for Free

Curbing College Drinking Essay Essay â€Å"Curbing College Drinking†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The consequences of college binge drinking are more destructive and life- changing than students realize. In the article â€Å"Curbing College Drinking Starts with a Change in Attitude,† by Sara Fritz, published in Pearsons The Effective Reader in 2011, the author explains the problems resulting from excessive drinking on college campuses. Due to the seriousness of drinking, colleges find, it will take the combined effort of parents, students, and college staff to accomplish the best end result. Fritz begins her article exploring the issues that arise within college campuses when college students drink in excess. With much time invested as a college trustee and through many long discussions with students, Fritz is discouraged to discover that students arent convinced of the severity stating â€Å"our parents drank† making it seem as just a stage that one goes through. It doesnt stop thereas scientists study the problem, they believe the entire student population must be changed. Also, they believe the college enviroment must be changed in order to revolutionize at risk drinkers. Although Fritz appreciates the efforts of the scientists and commends them on their work, the findings were inconclusive. Fritz provides many facts and opinions in her attempt to persuade the readers of the severity of drinking on college campuses and ways to solve the growing issue. She expresses her disgust when she sarcastically states What a concept!† Clearly frustrated, the reader can then be convinced that its been a long standing battle within the college and within her career. With little to no progress, Fritz remains bitter. After reading this article, I agree that college drinking is a serious issue. Fritz offered many good ideas for finding a solution to the problem. Through her personal experiences as a college trustee, she has witnessed, first hand, the tragic effects of college drinking. Perhaps, as parents, we should focus on explaining the dangers of drinking to our children. It may be helpful if we relate to them on the issue, rather than pretending its something we have no experience with. I hope that one day a solution will be found to this growing problem.

The importance of financial intermediaries

The importance of financial intermediaries Introduction Nowadays financial intermediations play the important role in the economy. Firms and individuals can find sources to finance its new project. Also lender can invest their money in secure positions. Financial intermediations raise funds from the depositors for short term and lend them to the borrower for long term. The main job of those institutions is to provide finance through taking extra risk. So there are three parties engaged in those investments process. The lender or the depositor could lend his money on secure way and low cost. The borrower can find the finance of his project. The financial intermediation manages the process of those transactions. The question now is that why do lender and borrower need financial intermediation to manage this relationship. Why do not they do it directly without a third party? The answer of this question needs to know the main reasons why financial intermediations exist. There are three reasons explain this issue. First reason is that, the dif ferent requirement of those two parties. Second reason is the transaction cost. Finally is the asymmetric information. In this assay we will focus on the asymmetric information as a reason of the existence of the financial intermediation. Also, in this essay I will first explain the Asymmetric information, adverse selection and moral hazard. Then I will brief some empirical study about the issue of the effect of Asymmetric information to represent the importance of this issue. Also, I will explain the effect of the transaction cost because it has relation with the information cost to avoid unobserved information. Finally, I will explain the financial intermediary natural and their role in guiding the financial process. My conclusion refers to the importance of financial institutions to avoid asymmetric information. I am also touched upon the difference between the risk transferring and risk sharing and the fails of those conventional institutions in the last financial crisis. I reco mmended Islamic industry is an alternative to those convectional ones which can be able to withstand during the crisis because they works as a partner with their consumer and they share the risks with them. The impact of Asymmetric information, adverse selection, and moral hazard on the lender. It is important to the lender to have the good quality and quantity information about the borrower to be in the save side. When the information is poor that means there will be risk exist. Asymmetric information is an important concept in finance and needs to be understood. It means said Bucle (1998); the information refers to the situation where one party has more information than the other party. This is a problem with most types of transactions, financial or non financial transactions. In the Case of a financial transaction, the borrower will have more information about the Risks and return of the investment project for which funds are being borrowed and the lender do not have the same information the borrower does. So it may leads to actual conflict. Asymmetric information more affect lender, before he gives loan to the borrower and after. Adverse selection is the result of asymmetric information which means a bad selection with high risk of default. The adverse selection refers to the borrower with adverse return. Also, the second result of asymmetric information is moral hazard continued Bucle (1998). The lender will face this particular problems, in which always happened after lending. This problem is described as bad behaviour that accurse when the lender take the money from the lender and because the money is not belonged to him he will use it badly. He will use it for risky activities. As a result the lender will be at risk of losing his money. Karlan and at al (2005): investigate the moral hazard and adverse selection in credit market in South Africa. The random sample of 58000, of male and female, direct offers mail used by a larger lender in South Africa by three classes. First, offer interest rate. Second, contract interest rate which is equal or less the offer interest rate and revealed to more than 4000 borrowers that agreed to the first offer rate. Finally, a dynamic repayment with a good price on future loans for borrowers still in a good positions. These three stages supported by full information given to the lenders. The study setup distinguishes adverse selection from moral hazard impact on repayment. The result found that approximately 20% of default is because asymmetric information problems. Another empirical study of the impact of asymmetric information conducted by Gaul and at al (2008) investigate the effect of unobservable information on corporate loan market, and if the borrower gives the lender the incentive to reduce the asymmetric information effects. The study used a regression to give evidence of a positive relationship between some measure of loan borrower by lender, contract terms, negotiating loans, and the amount of non- publicly information. The study found that, moral hazard and adverse selection problems do exist in the corporate loan market. As a result of asymmetric information, adverse select, and moral hazard is the transaction cost. So what do we mean by transaction cost? Bucle (1998) counts four types of transaction costs which are as follows. Firstly, search cost, the borrower and the lender will be affected by high cost of searching for accurate information about each other to avoid risks associated to default and loss money. Also, verification costs, which mean the cost that accrues when lender tries, ensure that information he has is true. Furthermore, monitoring costs, the lender after given loan to the borrower should follow the borrower activities to make sure he will be able to make payment as agreed. Finally, enforcement costs, in case of default the lender wants to ensure that the lender can be enforced to get the money back. The importance of the financial intermediaries The financial intermediation is the entity which in a med position between two parties and manage the financial transaction between them. Commercial banks, investment banks, stock investing services, insurance providers, etc are examples of the financial intermediation. So we can imagine the importance of those entities. For example banks, it does the important role. Banks obtain funds from depositors and then lend those funds to borrowers. Also provide financial services said Fraser and et al (2001). Also individual as lender can get fixed income at cheaper cost. Also, when the lender uses the financial intermediary he wont need to bear those costs. He does not have to spend money and time for collecting information to find good borrower. Moreover, he can get his money back at any time he want it. Also he does not have to bear risks of default the borrower and other risks because the risks are borne by the bank. Always banks have information and policy system about their clients and diversify their investment in case mismatching the maturities of their assets and liabilities said Saunders (2008). Saunders and et al (2008) said because of costs of monitoring, liquidity, and price risk, as well as for some other reasons, savers often prefer to hold the financial claims issued by FIs rather than those issued by corporations. Diamond (1984) developed a model of delegate monitoring. Financial intermediary acts as monitor by promising the lender a fixed income and monitor the borrower activity to fulfil the lender the promise said Allen at al (2008). Another model developed by Boot and Thakor (1997) about delegated monitoring. They assume that, there are three kind of information. First, incomplete and unclear information about the future activity that the borrower is going to do and they suggest the solution is using financial market to obtain this information. Second the lender does not have information about the lender activity in term of invest the money in safe or risky project, and they suggest the solution by intermediary. Finally, borrower might have the chance to invest in a risky project and also they suggest the solution by intermediary said Allen at al (2008). Conclusion and recommendations: In conclusion, financial intermediaries do not exist by chance the economy has found them. As it shows above it exist because the need of the two separate parties and these parties represent the structure of the economy in any country. Borrower wants to have finance in his new project. Also lender need to be safe from asymmetric information, adverse selection of borrower and moral hazard and it is the financial intermediarys main job. To collect information about the borrower is not an easy task. It contains high cost for the small lenders which prevents him to invest his money. Also, he cannot give his money to the wrong person or firm. Financial intermediary could do this job on behalf of the investor. This job can be done by financial intermediaries in a low cost because of the large number of the customer they deal with. Also they act as specialist to this kind of financial transactions. However, financial intermediary is not always the haven. It has also risks of default, credit risk, liquidity risk, and etc. As we experience in the last financial crisis and the collapse of the biggest financial institutions around the world as a result of transferring risk. I think Islamic banks are the solution. They share risks instead of transfer them. Every party have to bear part of the risk to be able to continue. Transferring risks are not the solution, which means party will have nothing and other will have everything as a result part of the economy, will continue and the other part will collapse. Lets imagine the collapse party is the banks. So, the crisis will extend to the economy as a whole.

A Trip to the Store :: Parables Short Stories Essays

A Trip to the Store There once was a man, a ordinary man named John. John had a family with a wife and three kids, a house with a garage and two cars, very much of an average person was our John. One day John's wife asked him to go to the store to get some bread. As John put on his coat and found the keys to the car he already knew how he would get to the store. He would pull out of the driveway and turn left on Hazelwood Road. He would go past the neighbors on whose land he bowhunted every fall, down the hill, between the swamps and up the next hill to the highway. There he would right onto County Road 20 and cruise down the narrow road that wound past the State Park and the Country Club, probably glance at the lake to see how many ice houses were on the lake and then continue to the intersection of County Road 21. There he would turn left and continue on his way past Ruttger's, where he had often thought of getting a membership, past the boat landing where he liked to put his boat in the lake when he fished walleyes in the summer. Past Koblilka's where he bought his licenses and into town. Shortly after entering town he would coast to a stop at the stop light and wait to turn right. Then a short drive past the myriad's of restaurants and other business's hoping but never getting green lights at the intersections and then finally to turn into the parking lot of the store. Then after making his purchase he would turn around and retrace his route back home. It was a route John had taken many times before and was familiar and comfortable with. The route was one he could use with little thought or attention required on his part. Often instead of thinking about where he was going he would think about other things while he was driving or perhaps just listen to the radio. Sometimes he could make the whole trip there and back without hardly noticing the route itself. Not to say the trips were always easy, sometimes bad weather made the route slippery or heavy traffic made the trip longer then it should be. There was always a chance of having a flat tire or other car problems along the way.

Do Schools Kill Creativity?

Dallin Bringhurst February 12, 2013 1st Persuasive Essay There is much anonymity when it comes to knowing who is an Eagle Scout. I feel that an Eagle Scout conducts a life style that represents a good person. The scout law states: â€Å"A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. † John Proctor holds many traits that are similar to an Eagle Scout. I will focus on three basic aspects of the scout law and how John Proctor relates to them. First, I will relate how John Proctor shows bravery in the face of death. Then, I will argue how he is loyal to his family.Finally, I will demonstrate that he is helpful. These three basic traits are taught inculcation by many leaders in our community. I will now go into further detail on my topics. First, bravery is a rare trait, especially when faced with death. John Proctor demonstrated bravery by standing before a Judge and taking blame for the girls’ bla sphemy behavior. John Proctor says, â€Å"I speak my own sins; I cannot judge another. I have no tongue for it. † (page 131) John Proctor remained brave throughout the trail as he testified before Judge Danforth. He says, â€Å"Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life!Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name! †Ã‚  (page 138) His bravery ultimately led to his fateful death as he was sentenced to be hung. Second, loyalty is something that bonds relationships. Being a loyal person is having high values. I see it as giving up something that can offer immediate happiness for something that has lasting happiness. John Proctor struggled with being loyal to his wife because he had an affair with another woman; he was licentious in his behavior.John becomes more loyal to his wife when she was accused of being a witch. The following quote by John Proctor proves that he is loyal to his wife. He says, â€Å"‘I'll tell you what's walking Salem – vengeance is walking Salem. We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law! This warrant's vengeance! I'll not give my wife to vengeance! ‘† Act 2, Scene 4, pg. 73. He also says, â€Å"Life, woman, life is God's most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it. † (Act IV).To be loyal is a great attribute in life because it will show how good a person really is. John was a good person for remaining loyal to his wife throughout the trails. Finally, I will talk about being helpful to others by starting off with a quote by Clarence Darrow: â€Å"The best that we can do is to be kindly and helpful toward our friends and fellow passengers†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (â€Å"Clarence S. Darrow quotes 1998-2005†). We must be helpful to others who are in need of out help. John Proctor is seen as a very helpful man. In the book he is being found helping his neighbors out with their farms or cutting wood.In conclusion, I have just gone over the three basic attributes that I believe makes a good person. I related how John Proctor continued to be brave when faced with death. Then, I argued how he remained loyal to his wife. Finally, I demonstrated that he is helpful. These three attributes relate to John Proctor in many ways as he uses these life style choices in his life throughout The Crucible. John Proctor is a good man in a world plagued with evil. This final quote sums up the man that was John Proctor, â€Å"It is rare for people to be asked the question which puts them squarely in front of themselves†.

Adp Placement Papers

ADP Job Placement Paper Paper Type : Whole Testpaper Test Date : 24 October 2006 Test Location : P SRINIVAS REDDY I attended an interview for ADP The cut off % was 70% Around 150 to 250 members attended for the interview. from them they took Only 3 member The pattern of the interview is as follows 1. Written test 2. Two techinal interviews and 3.One HR WRITTEN TEST: It contained 4 sections SECTION A: verbal and Quantitative combined (40 questions 20 minutes) U should really manage the time such that u can answer both quantitative and verbal QUANTITATIVE :questions on -> profit and loss ( around 3 to 4 questions) -> boat and streams -> Alligations or Mixtures -> some on numbers †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. quotient and remainder problems etc†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Please practise RS agarwal for the quabtitativeVERBAL: It contains 10 analogies and 10 sentence completion questions If u hav pratised for GRE or GMAT, then it will be easy for. its better to Study barrons and big book SECTION B: te chnical section (20 questions 30 minutes) Around 15 to 18 questions are from C or may C++, and other related to data base concepts Practise â€Å"test ur c skills ,pointers in C† Most of the questions are related pointersSECTION C: (5 Questions , 20 minutes) In this section a big programme of around 2 to 3 pages was given and related to the Programe 5 questions are asked Please don't go through the entire programme just see the questions first and observe What part of the programme is really needed to answer that question SECTION D:(one passage , 10 minutes) Here they asked to write a passage on the topic given My topic was â€Å"My few favourite things† After the written test they short listed 30 studentsFIRST TECHNICAL INTERVIEW: Dont think technical means only technical questions, the two technical interviews were Like technical cum HR The questions asked in the first technical interview are 1. Tell me abt urself 2. Write a programme for binary seaching 3. What is a semaphore and where do we use them 4. What is meant by LRU(least recently used) 5. A puzzle 6. About ur family 7. About ur higher studies and plans for the future 8. Why adp 9. What is the diff between structures and unions 10. How we declare the variables in an union and so on†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. It went on for about 30 minutes SECOND TECHNICAL INTERVIEW: 1.Tell me about urself 2. About my family back ground 3. What is a linked list 4. What are the conditions that u put while traversing through a linked list 5. What is a computer, and what is internet. image that u are explaining this to A person who dint even see or knew what a computer really is and some other questions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ It went on for about 20 minutes HR INTERVIEW: Hr interview was very cooooool. this round was just a formality and the questions Asked were 1. Tell me abt urself 2. Ur eamcet rank(its is competitive exam) and y so big rank 3. Ur family details 4. Y ADP? 5. Will u sign a bond of 3 yrs 6.Are u interested in further education and what are ur plans regarding that 7. What companies did u attend and y u lost in those and what r the companies U r planning to attend After all these interviews they hav short listed 7 students. they dint put further Round but depending on the performance they had selected 3 students I got selected ie. , i was one of those 3 students. This was my 8 company that i had attended and at last i got the job â€Å"SO GUYS NEVER GIVE UP TRY AND TRY, ONE DAY U WILL DEFINETLY SUCCEED † For any further information regarding the interview u can contact me at P SRINIVAS REDDY

Absolutism in Europe – Summary

During the 17th century two future rulers, Peter the Great of Russia and Louis XIV of France, were born who would push absolutism to new heights. Absolutism is a form of government where all the power is in the hands of one individual. Absolute monarchies are the most common form of absolutism. Peter the Great and Louis XIV had similar traumatic experiences involving people with traditional power during their childhoods. Louis’ was the Fronde, a rebellion by nobles. The Fronde began in 1650 when Louis was a young boy.Many times during the uprising his life was put in danger as his mother and himself were occasionally treated as prisoners. They also had to retreat from Paris. Peter the Great’s traumatic childhood experience was the Streltsy uprising of 1682. The Streltsy, the traditional guards of the nobles in Russia, mobbed the Kremlin after rumors were circulated that Peter’s half brother, Ivan, had been killed. They lynched many nobles including two of Peterâ €™s uncles. The killings were quite brutal, including some being thrown off of balconies unto the Streltsy’s bayonets.The young Peter witnessed this and it began his deep mistrust and hatred of traditional ways in Russia. Another similarity of Peter and Louis was their handling of their nobles. They both took power from them in different ways. Louis built the luxurious palace of Versailles. The grand building project of Versailles employed many artisans and common builder for a lifetime. Thus it was supported by the population of France. Many of the most prominent nobles were forced to live there for about half a year in apartments. Their actual power was essentially traded for social pomp and court life.They filled their days with various social acts like watching the rising of the King in the morning and the pursuits of the frivolous fashions of the day. Another purpose of Versailles was to show the sheer might of Louis XIV. Peter the Great pushed very hard for moderniz ation of Russia. His need to imitate the west led him to have his own massive building project, St. Petersburg. Conscripted laborers primarily built this new city. The conditions were harsh and over 60,000 died. This contrasted sharply with Louis XIV’s building of Versailles.Another push way forced modern ways upon his constituents was to have dress codes for the royals. He had them dress in western clothing. This was disliked by many, especially the women, for their impracticality for the harsh landscapes of Russia. He also had the men shaved their beards. If they refused he’d cut them off himself. War campaigns Louis XIV and Peter the Great contrasted drastically. Peter was the first ruler of Russia to turn its army from amateur to professional. He abandoned the Streltsy that he had formed a hate from in childhood and began to train his soldiers using modern techniques.His love of the military started in childhood when he would play war with real men. Western general s were brought in to teach the young Peter different formation which they would practice often. Eventually this play army became the beginnings of his real army. In addition to an army he created a navy. Most of Peter’s wars had a purpose and were led by the king directly from the battlefield. His first war against the Tartars, who were backed by the Ottomans, and mostly in the southeast area of the empire.This war was used to secure the border which often fell victim to horrific raids by the Tartars. His second major war was against Sweden. While the Great Northern War was long, 21 years, it gave Peter the land he needed for the port city of St. Petersburg. Also, it marked the last time Sweden was ever a military power. To Louis XIV war was usually just a way to show the glory of France, thus the glory of its ruler Louis. Some of the wars included, the war of devolution, the war against Holland, the war of the league of Augsburg, and the war of Spanish Succession.Most of the se wars resulted in little actual benefits for the victor. That is because they had been mostly for glory. One last notable similarity is how both Louis XIV and Peter the Great dismissed their main advisors at a young age. Louis dismissed his advisors at the age of 23 when he began to truly become the absolute rule her was. Peter the Great did the same at the younger age of 17. Overall Peter and Louis both had major affects on the entire continent of Europe from their reigns onwards. They are both the best examples of absolutism that the world will probably see.

Organisation Communication Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organisation Communication Case Study - Essay Example The noise can be present in the process because of the sender, mediums of communication or receiver. Noise exists in the communication process if sender of the communication is unable to explain his message properly, if the wrong medium of communication is received and if receiver of communication is unable to trust the intentions of the sender of the message. However, after examining the case, we can see that the reason why noise exists in the communication process is because of problems with all three members of the communication process i.e sender, medium and receivers of the communication process. The noise in the process exists because of the sender. It can be seen from his email that Jeff Butler uses very small messages. He does not elaborate on them. This leads to different people interpreting the message different and sometimes because of this there’s a gulf between what the sender of the communication is trying to say and what is being taken by the receiver of the mes sage. This has lead to great noise in the communication process. ... Hence, the message will lose its importance and will be taken differently by people. It may lose its meaning and may be take for what the sender does not actually want to say in this message. The second reason why noise exists in the communication process is because of the wrong channel of communication received. Jeff Butler has been interfering in the organization policy and announcing decisions on his own. This is extremely concerning for the people working in the organization. Since people expect information to reach them via proper channel and therefore Jeff Butler’s announcing the organization’s policy on his own will be disturbing for the people working in the organization. It was not a right decision for Jeff Butler to announce that the organization will soon be migrating from Lotus to Microsoft Exchange. A good channel to announce this new would have been Senior Vice-President or the President announcing the organization policy. This lead to job dissatisfaction and a few people left the organization on hearing this from Jeff Butler who was younger than them in terms of organizational experience. This can be seen in the following message: I know that I am forever the â€Å"thorn in your side† about terminology and data/technical design, but that is my â€Å"calling† †¦ So, with that in mind, here goes †¦ We should not look to Lotus Notes applications as we go forward as sources of data; they are not databases †¦ That is, we need to keep in mind that the data in Lotus Notes should not belong to Lotus Notes. As we continue to deploy the intranet/internet/extranet publishing paradigm, we need to look at the data that is published via Web technology, as derived from a true database standpoint †¦

Why Women Should Avoid Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Why Women Should Avoid Abortion - Essay Example Reasons against abortion are broad and vary from religious values, human values, as well as the values associated with conscience. Issues related to primary human values appear at the top of reasons why women should not get abortion. It is crucial for women to put into perspective the unborn babies. It is definite that irrespective of the circumstance under which a woman conceived, the unborn child was not responsible in any way (Waxman, 2009, 08). It is necessary to allow the unborn babies enjoy the right of living and growing into a person just as the biological father and mother lived to the level of interacting to bring the child to life. Women in this case, ought to reduce their egoistic elements towards the unborn and be more humanitarian to them as well. Undoubtedly, the unborn kid does not have any clue on how and why it is at the exact place. It is not good to terminate a life without giving it a chance to live fully. Indeed, there are many other mechanisms of resolving related problems. Along with this line of thought, procuring abortion compounds a tragedy. It is understandable that the conditions which a woman conceives are tragic such as a rape and incest. Other occasions include diagnosing the pregnant mother with a health defect that could also include the pregnancy putting the health of the expectant mother at risk. Nonetheless, it is never justified to respond to one tragedy with another one. A critical question to the proponents of abortion is, how does killing a child eradicate rape incidences? If the unborn in the womb of mother is ill, do we cure him by taking his life? In general, the society cannot avoid the all issues arising from health by denying the existence of human beings. It is only recommended that the society puts adequate measures in place to care for raped women compassionately.   Compassionate care does not in any way include ending the existence of the child in the womb. Care includes among other actions extending real facts to parents experiencing prenatal complications and directing them to other women wit h experiences that remain helpful to their colleagues.  

Adult Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Adult Communication - Essay Example In the United Kingdom if one to ask for a rubber, the individual would receive an erasure made of rubber. Across the Atlantic in the United States of America, if one were to ask for a rubber, the individual would receive a rubber condom. Exchange of the same information has produced different results. Hence for a better understanding of what communication stands for it needs to be defined as the process of managing messages with the intention of creating meaning. Having understood the more realistic meaning of communication, communication competence has more to it then just the ability to exchange information clearly with another individual using a common system of symbols, signs or behaviour. There is an element of a goal in communication, which is sharing of meaning and this has a connection with the thoughts and feelings of another individual. The acceptance that communication is goal driven also suggests that communication is strategic. This understanding of communication provides us with the means for abetter understanding of communication competence, as now it suggests that communication competence is not just communicating with accuracy, clarity, comprehensibility, coherence, expertise, effectiveness and appropriately. Communication competence is better expressed as the situational ability to set attainable and appropriate goals for achievement and to maximise the achievement of these goals through employing strategies of the knowledg e of self, others, context, and the elements of communication theory to bring about adaptive communication performances. As communication competence involves competence there is a need for measurement. Communication competence can be measured through the determination of whether the goals of interaction have been achieved and the extent to which they have been achieved. This in my view is the meaning of communication competence (Rueben, 1976). Teams are made up a small number of individuals different in

Responsibility to Protect Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Responsibility to Protect - Case Study Example Therefore, the power of the international community has proved impotent while thousands suffer. In September of 2005, the world leaders assembled at the U.N. The largest such gathering of heads of state in history produced the 'responsibility to protect' document in which 150 signatures were attached. The nations of the world agreed "to take collective action, in a timely and decisive manner, through the Security Council, in accordance with the UN Charter ' on a case by case basis and in cooperation with relevant organizations as appropriate, should peaceful means be inadequate" (Rasul, 2005). Since the end of World War II and the Nazi's implementation of the 'final solution,' the phrase, 'never again' has echoed throughout the world, but genocide has occurred over and over again. The responsibility to protect is an agreement late in coming. It has not curbed the violence in Darfur and its complex implications have not existed without continued debate and controversy. The U.S., in co ncert with all nations of the U.N., is compelled by reasons of human compassion to protect any group from genocide. We are our brother's keeper. We all have the responsibility to protect and support the people of Darfur. The 'Responsibility to Protect' provides that a country cannot refuse assistance or support from other countries when it cannot or will not safeguard its citizens from genocide or other actions deemed as a crime against humanity. All nations' sovereignty is respected as is their ability to conduct their own affairs but this is a qualified condition, not one that is considered absolute. "When peaceful means are exhausted and leaders of a UN member state are 'manifestly failing to protect their populations,' then other states have the responsibility to take collective action through the Security Council" (O'Neill, 2006). In some respects, the concept of "Responsibility to Protect" was founded in the common concern for human rights worldwide, the concept that initiated the formation of the U.N. The Genocide Treaty (1948) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) are manifestations of the U.N.'s founding principles. In the 1960's, the international human rights covenants furth ered this philosophical stance of the U.N. However, these treaties, covenants and resolutions were not effectively enforced. Affected countries argued that their right to national sovereignty superseded the intentions of uninvited intrusion. For many years, the U.N. and others have debated the subject of humanitarian intervention issue regarding the question of when the nations of the world should unite to take military action against a country so as to protect that country's population. Supporters of 'the responsibility to protect' and 'humanitarian intervention' concepts include liberal-minded persons worldwide who encourage the use of military forces to come to the aid of desperate people (International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, 2001). However, the questions surrounding the use of force has been of great concern to many especially following the recent 'humanitarian' efforts

Neural Network Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Neural Network - Essay Example Last line means to say that if the letters are placed in some tilted position, then also algorithm must tackle this problem. Pattern Recognition or Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a pipelined process consisting of several stages in proper sequence. They are shown in figure 2. Each character is represented as a combination of pixels. All pixels together make a huge feature vector. Total number of pixels is equal to wh where w is the number of pixel in width side and h is the pixels present in height. Figure 3 depicts the way pixel forms one particular character. xi is the fraction of ink in pixel i. Classifier must be adaptive (generalize) in nature so that it can be able to recognize patterns encountering first time. A typical character image is 6464 pixels large and for each such pixel 256 grey values are required making feature space large. For training a recognizer hence, requires huge amount of data to fill this vast space. In order to reduce the dimension space Principal Component Analysis is mostly used which transforms into lower dimension space (Yeung & Ruzzu, 2001). OCR also should make a distinguishing between ‘O’ and ‘6’. Figure 4 shows one case example. If t/b comes smaller that means letter is ‘O’ otherwise ‘6’. A good algorithm must define the tolerance level (T) adequately. Other examples of such cases are letter ‘q’ and digit ‘9’. First identify the maximum rotation number whether it is 1, 2, 3, 4 or 6. Then check any mirror is present or not (m). Is there any indecomposable glide reflection (g)? And finally whether there is any rotation axis on the mirror present or not. Other than this Genetic Algorithm also works as PR. Selection of patterns play an important role in PR process as it determines the accuracy of algorithm, its learning time, and the necessary number of samples. Best selection of feature plays important