Literature review (plz read the instruction) Essay

Literature review (plz read the instruction) - Essay Example The literature review of this study would mainly focus on the strategic planning practice on a micro activities level and it requires the organization to put in place a number of initiatives such as design, planning and implementation strategies. Critics points out that the strategic environment demands attention to be paid to such variables as internal quality management, Human Resource Management (HRM), internal value chain analysis, supply chain management, product portfolio development, product & marketing mix, market segmentation, event life cycle management, strategic product/customer/market orientation, a sound communication strategy and above all a competitor orientation strategy. Butler (2001) pointed that a perceptual mapping process to achieve strategic and organizational goals is nothing new in the micro level firm’s own operational environment. Thus the current dichotomy between strategic competitive environment and strategic operational environment is based on the organizational outcomes. The micro level activities of the firm are subject to a greater amount of competitive pressure than those firms which exclusively produce in order to sell in the domestic market or export physically. Thus the competitor orientation strategy of the micro level firm is determined by the level of internal and external competition. How best to meet this competitive pressure depends on the micro level firm’s ability to absorb excess demand through capacity and value creation. Internal value chain management process of the firm decisively places some limitations on its ability to meet this extra demand. Therefore it’s the pricing policy, HRM and internal management culture that ultimately enable the firm to meet this demand successfully. If the attendant VRIO (value, rarity, inimitability and organization) framework is sound enough to enable the management of the company to withstand pressure and devise

Central and Eastern Europe Environmental Issues Essay Example for Free

Central and Eastern Europe Environmental Issues Essay Eastern Europe’s environmental problems are not as simple as they may seem on the surface. The environmental problems that face Eastern Europe are complicated by political, economic, and social implications. The current environmental problems are a bi-product of rapid industrial expansion under a socialist government. The soviet government was more concerned with surpassing the western cultures in technology and military might than the environmental damage they were doing to their country. The following paragraphs will address the current environmental problems facing Eastern Europe, the various solutions to the environmental problems, and the efforts taken to correct the environmental problems. Environmental Problems in Europe Eastern Europe during the 1980s had rapidly become the industrial giant for the Soviet Union. Massive industrial factories would be built throughout the eastern bloc of the Soviet Union and the factories used obsolete technology to provide the industrial needs of the country. The heavy industrial activity characteristic of the post-World War II period took a heavy toll on both the regions population and its environmentâ€Å"(U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2010). Various local populations were suffering from high rates of cancer, respiratory issues, and infant mortalities. The environments in the areas around the industrial regions were also being damaged on unprecedented levels. Legacy of Pollution According to the U. S.  Environmental Protection Agency (2010), The outmoded, energy-intensive technologies were such an integral part of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and New Independent States of the former Soviet Union (NIS) regions economy in the post-war era not only wasted resources, but also caused severe local, regional, and trans-boundary pollution problems. Not only was the industrial technology outdated, the communication among the post-war government, local governments, and various environmental ministries was ripe with secrecy and non-communication between each other. The results would prove to be catastrophic pollution of the air, surface water, soil, ground water, marine zones, and coastal areas. Air Pollution Air pollution in Eastern Europe is the top concern because of the levels of sulfur dioxide found in all the industrial areas. High levels of sulfur dioxide exposure can lead to asthmatic children and adults, respiratory illness, decreased lung defenses, and worsening of existing cardiovascular diseases. When Sulfur Dioxide is exposed to rain it creates acid rain and raises the acidity level of everything it touches such as soil, lakes, and streams. Buildings corrode faster and there is also a reduction in visibility. Water Pollution Agricultural and industrial practices were causing large spread water pollution because of outdated waste regulation practices and no environmental regulation. According to Liroff (1990), Drinking-water supplies throughout Eastern Europe are heavily contaminated. Vast reaches of the Vistula River in Poland, which drains much of the country, are classified as unfit for use even by industry. The Baltic and Black Sea coasts are badly degraded by domestic sewage, agricultural run-off, and heavy metals and organic pollutants from industry. The Eastern Europe governments have been slow to implement solutions to purify the drinking water in the various regions. Soil Pollution Samples of produce from upper Poland have yielded 30 to 70 higher percentages of cadmium, lead, zinc and mercury then acceptable levels listed by the World Health Organization. The high percentages of these heavy materials indicate how polluted the soil is in the upper polish regions. In Hungary alone, waste generators dispose of more than 500,000 tons waste found in illegal landfills. The local government has trouble tracking any kind of waste transportation and disposal due to obsolete tracking processes, and because not all waste is indicated as waste before being disposed of. Eastern Europe is wreaked with not only environmental problems, but also with government, and local government problems also. The good news is that there are viable solutions to the environmental problems that the Eastern Europe countries are having. Viable Environmental Solutions The environmental problems that face Central and Eastern Europe are much the same as any other country in the world with one exception, the proximity of the environmental hazards. Most countries in the world deal with environmental hazards, but the hazards are spread out over different parts of the country. Central and Eastern Europe are unique when it comes to environmental disasters because Central and Eastern Europe was the industrial might behind the soviet military. For every environmental disaster Central and Eastern Europe faces, there is a viable solution thanks to modern technology and proven environmental regulations. Possible environmental solutions Because of the vast environmental disasters throughout Central and Eastern Europe there are several possible environmental solutions. The possible environmental solutions that Central and Eastern Europe are considering will be decided by the cost of the solution, ease of implementation, and consultation from environmental agencies such as the United States Environmental Agency. Even with the various economic, governmental agency communication problems, and various ecological disasters Central and Eastern Europe have a number of viable solutions. Air Pollution Solutions One of the possible remedies for air quality in Europe would be to switch to burning low sulfur coal. When coal is burned, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury compounds are released. For that reason, coal-fired boilers are required to have control devices to reduce the amount of emissions that are released. The amount of sulfur oxides produced by power can be reduced by using coal with low amounts of sulfur present. Another possible air solution would be to use scrubbers. Scrubbers are an air pollution control system that removes pollutants from the air stream they are most commonly used to help control the emissions of sulfur into our air. There are a few types of scrubber, Air scrubbers, wet scrubbers, and gas scrubbers are differentiated by the manner in which they remove gases and particulates from the air; either wet or dry. Wet scrubbers literally wash dust and particles out of the air. Exhaust air is forced into a spray chamber, where fine water particles cause the dust to drop from the air stream. The dust-laden water is then treated to remove the solid material and is often re-circulated. Dry scrubbers are used more commonly with acid gases. The pollutant is collected on or in a solid or liquid material, which is injected into the gas stream. A dry scrubber produces a dry product that must be collected downstream from this control device. Water Pollution Solutions One of the many possible water pollution solutions would be aeration. Aerating is the process to bring river water at the bottom of rivers up to the surface so that the entire river is oxygenated by the atmosphere surface to bottom. They can do this by pumping air into bodies of water at the very bottom. On the other hand Central and Eastern Europe could use more wastewater treatment plants these types of plants would drastically help the water quality in Central and Eastern Europe by removing harmful bacteria’s, animal wastes and pollutants and then recycling the clean water back into their system.. Soil Pollution Solutions There are many different types of soil pollution that hurt the environment and by treating Sewage before dumping wastes would cut back on many of the current environmental issues. Spraying pesticides may be good for the crops but it’s destroying the soil and the drain off into the water system is affected by this as well. Cutting down on the usage of fossil fuels would create less solid waste and harmful gasses that may seep into the soil. Eastern Europe needs to adapt to more of these possible solutions. Using low sulfur coals, Scrubbers and limestone in the remedies of air pollution would set a chain reaction in the environment the water would then become cleaner along with the soil. These remedies may not fix the issue completely for Eastern Europe, but it would help them greatly. Efforts to correct  Central and Eastern Europe have been left untouched since the end of the Nazi/German rule and the fall of the Great Berlin Wall on November 9th, 1989. Many of the people living in such a terrible environment still struggle every day to survive, but it is not a war against other countries it has turned into an environmental war and one that is near impossible for them to win without help. As with most all larger countries around the world Eastern and Central Europe are suffering from the same types of environmental issues but, in their case they do not have the means that we do in order to make the necessary changes that they need. Practical and low cost solutions need to be the wave of the future and used as often as possible. The problems need to be prioritized based on the highest health risk and the surrounding public will be educated and involved in its’ own environmental decision making. AIR- Airborne pollution is said to be one of the greatest environmental risks identified in the region. There is a large amount of sulfur dioxide found in the air, it comes from several different places but are byproducts of several different types of older industrial facilities like the old coal burning power plants that used to be found there (EPA). The United states are one of the few countries in which it is a law for vehicle owners to participate in an annual emissions test. The Czech government however has accelerated its’ efforts in cleaning the air pollution through it $240 million project that will assist its residents in converting homes from coal to natural gas in hopes to subsidize conversion costs (EPA). Along with this local agencies in many areas lack the equipment needed to assess and identify local problems so the Krakow Air Monitoring project. This project is under the supervision of the EPA and the Polish environmental experts are working together to identify and measure the major sources of industrial, residential and vehicle emissions testing (EPA). Along with such a huge problem facing the countries the EPA has also transferred some very low-cost techniques to help them out. Water pollution- Along with clean air there is the Krakow Water and Wastewater Improvement project, the idea here is to provide safe drinking water to city residents. Most people are drinking from contaminated drinking sources, especially those outside of the city limits. The idea here is not only to decontaminate the water before it is consumed, but to attack the problem at the source and to educate the people of the possible affects that waste dumping in unsecure facilities can have on them and their families. The Krakow project as a result installed modern ozonation and chlorination equipment that in turn disinfected the drinking water of 400,000 residents in the area. It also focused on the improvement the forming of the Raba River Watershed Association as well as focusing on the agricultural runoff into local streams and rivers (EPA). In addition to this a team of EPA, Wisconsin, and Latvian environmental managers have also come up with a solution to protect supplies of future ground water in Daugavplis, this is where the national ground water protection strategy is based. Solid and Hazardous Waste- All types of waste needs to be dumped somewhere and the most contaminated solid waste sites are often found on military bases in Eastern Europe. They can be found on active or former military base cites, these are still dumping cites. Children in these areas are affected the most and are still being diagnosed with very high blood-lead levels, due to these case studies the EPA has provided special equipment and training to local officials to assess possible impacts of lead exposure. Due to such high levels of exposure in certain areas additional support has been provided by Romanian officials to assist areas in the cleanup of contaminated soil, the Czech Council of Ministers even committed to assist the cleanup of future development cites by approving $40 million to get started, this is called Project Selesia. This is not the only cleanup plan in effect there is also the Solid Waste Policy Demonstration Project, this idea helps to train local communities in the proper way to carry out more effective policies of cleaning and recycling waste. Pilot programs include the construction of new sanitary landfills, the cleanup of existing landfills, curbside recycling, are probably the most important public outreach programs taking place (EPA). Technology Transfer- the EPA has also helped with the development of a geographic information system (GIS), this system helps to track different trends that occur over time. The GIS is a computer-based mapping system that over time will store and track other environmental information that identifies pollution source and tracks it over time. This system will help the public become more informed and promote better decision making (EPA). The Radiation and Nuclear Safety Manage ment Project is yet one more idea that is hoped to assist different storage areas of nuclear material in a quick-turnaround of radiochemistry data in case of any future leaks and potential disasters. To be able to assist such tracking a mobile radioecology laboratory was created by the EPA along with the United Nations Development Program and USAID, have provided the Ukraine with possibly one of the world’s best equipped mobile radiation monitoring laboratories. This lab is monitored by both the EPA project team and Ministry officials have since been conducting on-site contamination assessments of potential public health threats all around the country (EPA).

The Absorption of Dada :: Essays Papers

The Absorption of Dada Dada and Surrealism are two similar forms of art, not in appearance, but in the subject matter, and the role of the viewer. The Quote †Dada became absorbed into Surrealism which then became the Dadaism of the successful.† is a statement of truth. Dada was developed in Switzerland, just after the Great War, now known as World War One. It was a cry against reason and logic. The people were misled by the government, science and art. If everything that was supposes to be good and logical was demolished by the insanity of war. There is nothing left but insanity itself. The Dadaist put this into their art. They took things out of context and said, deal with it. The Dadaists would try to shock people to get their attention. They said that if the art had a meaning, that it was the viewer who had to come to their own conclusion. It means something different for every person. The Surrealist attempted to bring the subconscious to the conscious life. According to the Surrealist Manifesto, The artist should break from the demands from conventional society. The Surrealist’s also believed that the viewer had to bring his or her own meaning to the piece of art. They believed that you had to look past logic and let the subconscious flow out. They used ideas from Sigmund Freud, to let them express the subconscious. The Quote â€Å"Dada became absorbed into Surrealism which then became the Dadaism of the successful.† can be explained like this. They both dabbled with the subconscious, but in different ways. The Dadaist’s were using the irrational, which is part of the subconscious.

History of education Essay

Tamil Nadu is regarded to be one of India’s star performers in the sector of elementary education. The results of the 2001 Census show that Tamil Nadu has attained third position behind Kerala and Maharashtra both in terms of overall and female literacy. It recorded close to 100 per cent gross enrolment ratio (GER) at primary and upper primary levels based on 2007 estimates. A major legislative effort for the universalisation of education in line with the constitutional mandate has been the introduction of the Tamil Nadu Compulsory Education Act, 1994. Under this Act it is the duty of the government to provide the necessary infrastructure (schools and teachers) for ensuring universalisation of elementary education. Parents are also liable to be fined if they do not send their wards to school, though this rule is not very strictly enforced as most of the children not going to school come from poor backgrounds. Tamil Nadu’s high enrolment statistics are also the result of the number of welfare schemes that the State government has introduced in the elementary education sector. The large number of missionary and private schools are also playing a role in the spread of education. The government provides textbooks, uniforms and noon meals to the pupils making it a State where the per child spending is much higher than in educationally backward States such as Bihar, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and others and is higher than the all-India average. The State is making an endeavor to provide primary schools within a one km radius of human habitations with a population of 300 and above to increase their accessibility. It is also a State that has actually spent most of the funds allocated to it by the Centre under the SSA scheme, in contrast to States like UP, Bihar and Assam that have huge unspent amounts. Tamil Nadu students stood first in the country in mathematics, language and reading comprehension skills according to the national mid-term achievement survey of Class III children commissioned by the NCERT in collaboration with the MHRD and the SCERT and SSA wings of the States recently. But it has come to light that local bodies like corporations and municipalities are not fully utilizing money collected as education tax as a percentage of property tax under the Tamil Nadu Elementary Education Act and this is affecting the quality and quantity of formal education provision at the grassroots level. While the general literacy rate in Tamil Nadu as per 2001 data is 73. 5%, wide disparities exist across districts, gender, and area of residence as well as social grouping. The literacy rate of the SC and ST populations are consistently lower in all the districts. The retention rate within and after the primary school level is also not very impressive and there is a high percentage of repeaters. This is particularly so in the case of the STs and SCs. It is to overcome this discrepancy between education offered in different kinds of schools, between rural and urban schools and to overcome other numerous ills that have crept into the education system—such as arbitrary collection of fees, induction of daily waged, inadequately qualified para teachers, rote learning, examination stress, problems related to the medium of instruction and so on—that the State government constituted the Muthukumaran Committee, which submitted its report in 2007. This committee had the mandate to work out a framework of a uniform pattern of education in Tamil Nadu and to make recommendations for improving its quality. The report of the Committee recommends only one autonomous board, The Tamil Nadu State Secondary School Education Board, instead of the existing four State level boards—Matriculation, Anglo-Indian, Oriental and State Board. Schools coming under this integrated Board would follow a common syllabus ensuring an equitable school education in the State not conferring any undue advantages with regard to admission into higher educational institutions for students completing their school education from one particular Board. Equitable standard education is to be provided by a Common School or Neighbourhood School system, which with uniform syllabi would help to ‘decommercialise’ educational institutions and put an end to many a private management that does not feel sufficiently accountable to society in this crucial sector. The spiraling cost of education starting at the nursery level is cementing caste-class and rural-urban divisions. A common school system using the mother tongue as a medium of instruction would make equal education accessible to all without discrimination. A common school system also means a common examination pattern. The report of the Committee advocates a reasonable teacher-student ratio of not more than 1:30 and doing away with faulty textbooks and a system of rote learning. It emphasizes the promotion of analytical and rational skills that would equip the students to learn by themselves; a testing and evaluation pattern that involves the application of concepts learnt rather than mere reproduction of facts. The school syllabus should not overload students with information but instead kindle their interest in the subject and teach them how to search for more information and conceptualize it. Traditional knowledge should be incorporated and made part of school education. Evaluation should be comprehensive and not just of academic achievements, and that too only marks based. Evaluation should include an assessment of student abilities and performance in academics, the arts, sports and games, values, reading habits, character, conduct and other extra-curricular activities. Schools should not only lay emphasis on academic subjects but also on moral education. Here the Committee suggests that it may be better to have a progress book with entries made from time to time and also periodically sent to the parents so that they may be made aware of their child’s progress. Regular consultation with parents about their wards’ progress and achievements and educational goals is a must. A sheet of paper containing marks obtained in public exams is not enough to understand a student’s development and potential. If the marks obtained in only one exam are going to decide the person’s admission into an institute of higher learning then all stress is on preparing for this exam neglecting other exams and activities. The chance or temptation to indulge in malpractices is also high. Marks obtained in a one-time exam also are no accurate reflection of the student’s actual knowledge and achievement level and potential. Treating exams and marks as more important than life itself has meant the death of many a student. Finally, children belonging to linguistic minorities should be allowed to gain instruction in their respective mother tongue, while all students in standards 5 or 8 ought to have a specific level of knowledge in Tamil and English so that these languages can be used for communication. No student should be dropped and he/she should be allowed to grow in the chosen field of interest and in accordance with their individual capability. A simple pass or fail should certainly not be a deciding factor in a person’s life. While the government has accepted the notion of one board for school education other major recommendations of the Muthukumaran Committee on education reforms are being sidelined by the State government. In fact, some government run schools are changing the medium of instruction to English and not all schools teach Tamil, though this is compulsory as per current State education law. Moreover, schools with an eye on the results in board exams and aiming at future lucrative career possibilities for their students are introducing modern European languages like French (German is waiting to be introduced on a larger scale on the school level) that are supposedly high scoring subjects in comparison to Tamil, which is seen to be difficult even by those whose mother tongue it is. There is almost everywhere an exodus from government run schools to aided or private schools because of the perceived better quality and the lure of an English medium education, which is regarded by parents to be necessary in today’s world. It is to remain viable and not lose out in this competition for students that government run schools are increasingly offering English medium instruction also, although the English medium sections are permitted only on a self-financing basis. The non-acceptance of important recommendations by the Muthukumaran committee is thus in line with the general pro-globalisation trend in the Tamil Nadu economy as a whole. Current education system Why is India still a developing country and what is stopping it from being a developed country? India’s education system as a stumbling block towards its objectives of achieving inclusive growth. India is going to experience a paradox of nearly 90 million people joining the workforce but most of them will lack requiste skills and the mindset for productiveemployment according to a report in DNA. India has about 550 million people under the age of 25 years out of which only 11% are enrolled in tertiary institutions compared to the world average of 23%. . I will be focussing on how the education system’s failure is leading to another social issue of income inequality and hence, suggest certain policies to improve India’s education system and reduce inequality. Problems and drawbacks The really critical aspect of Indian public education system is its low quality. The actual quantity of schooling that children experience and the quality of teaching they receive are extremely insufficient ingovernment schools. A common feature in all government schools is the poor quality of education, with weak infrastructure and inadequate pedagogic attention. What the government is not realising right now is that education which is a source of human capital can create wide income inequalities. It will be surprising to see how income inequalities are created within the same group of educated peopleSo if the government does not improve education system particularly in rural areas the rich will become richer and the poor will get poorer. Hence, it is imperative for the government to correct the blemishes in India’s education system which will also be a step towards reducing income inequality. Another reason for poor quality of education is the poor quality of teachers in government schools . Government schools are unable to attract good quality teachers due to inadequate teaching facilities and low salaries. The government currently spends only 3% of its GDP on education which is inadequate and insufficient. To improve the quality of education , the government needs to spend more money from its coffers on education. Most economists feel that the only panacea to the ills of the public schooling system is the voucher scheme. Under the voucher system, parents are allowed to choose a school for their children and they get full or partial reimbursement for the expenses from the government. But however, the voucher system will further aggravate the problem of poor quality of education in government schools. Such a system will shift resources from government schools to private schools. This will worsen the situation of government schools which are already under-funded. Moreover, if the same amount given as vouchers can be used to build infrastructure in schools then the government can realize economies of scale. For example- The centre for civil society is providing vouchers worth Rs 4000 per annum to 308 girls. This means that the total amount of money given as vouchers is Rs 1232000. If the same amount can be used to construct a school and employ high quality teachers who are paid well then a larger section of the society will enjoy the benefit of education. A school can definitely accommodate a minimum of 1000 students. I hope government takes certain appropriate policy measures to improve the education system otherwise inequalities are going to be widespread and India’s basic capabilities will remain stunted. Let us strengthen the case for a stronger education system. Conclusion Certain policy measures need to be taken by the government. The basic thrust of government education spending today must surely be to ensure that all children have access to government schools and to raise the quality of education in those schools. One of the ways in which the problem of poor quality of education can be tackled is through common schooling. This essentially means sharing of resources between private and public schools. Shift system is one of the ways through which common schooling can be achieved. The private school can use the resources during the first half of the day and the government school can use it during the second half. It is important to remember that the quality of education is directly linked to the resources available and it is important for the government to improve resource allocation to bring about qualitative changes in the field of education. Common schooling is one of the ways in which government can use limited resources in an efficient way and thus improve resource allocation.

International Trade debate Part 2 Essay

In reading my classmate’s paper, it is interesting to note that while the author is against unrestricted trade, the author nevertheless cites many of its benefits such as reducing dependency and cutting the cost of living. What is even more interesting is that the author tries to build a case around arguments that consider these benefits as detriments without ample support. When countries have to compete globally, they would have to streamline their products in order to find their most competitive wares or they won’t be able to compete at all. This opinion which is also mirrored by my paper is true, but the fear that some countries would engage in unfair practices is unfounded. For one thing, what does the author mean by â€Å"unfair† competition? Offering a price that is lower than your competitor’s is not unfair, it’s just competition. As the paper also mentions, this leads to specialization of goods based on each participating nation’s capabilities. While some of our products might not be marketable because of cheaper, higher-quality brands from some other countries, other goods that we export would be more marketable because of free trade and we could focus on those goods for export and not have to spread our resources too thin. This way, we can get the best profit for our best product. But what about countries that cannot be competitive? What about countries who simply do not have globally competitive products? Globalization also gives them the benefit of having cheaper products for their labor force to afford. Kellison (2006) states that economies that cannot offer globally competitive products usually end up offering another valuable resource, labor. Free trade cuts the cost of living for its laborers which make them afford better lifestyles. What is so wrong with that? In the final analysis, it is clear that globalization has a rightful place in today’s economy. References Kellison, P. (2006). Labor Forces in the 21st Century. N. Y. : Bakeman Books. My classmate’s paper: International Trade Debate â€Å"The Case for Protection† My paper: International Trade.

Scriabin essays

Scriabin essays The history of western music is riddled with the eccentric personalities of composer and performer alike. None, however, are quite so extraordinary as Alexander Scriabin (1871-1915). A composer of massively ambitious works who is nonetheless best regarded for his piano miniatures and sonatas, Scriabin embodied many contradictions. He was at once avant-garde and conservative, worldly and naive. Faubion Bowers, Scriabins principal biographer, asks and answers, "Who was he, this central Scriabin? A composer, pianist, poet, mystic, solipsist, and semi-, theo-philosopher." Scriabin was indeed all of these things, but only two of these hats fit him well. He was a pianist of remarkable ability, and equally adept as a composer, while his mysticism has served only to trivialize his music. In spite of the high quality of his compositions, Scriabin is by no means a household name. Though he has long been a favorite of many pianists, comparatively few people outside of his native countr y of Russia would know much about him or his music. Nevertheless, Scriabin was an innovator of great importance in Russia, even if his influence was more muted in the West. As his compositional idiom developed, during Scriabins final years, "his music pushed further into the realms of atonality than any Russian composer had dared to go." Yet, despite his achievements, Scriabins place in annals of Western music is relatively minor and oft debated, mostly due to the fact that few, if any, composers ever followed in his path. Like many composers, Scriabins works are often problematically separated into different periods; in his case, early, middle and late. The problem arises due to the fact that there are no clear breaks in Scriabins portfolio to make such easy separations. Rather, his creative work was in constant development, maturing from a conservative Chopinesque style into an idiom that was innovative and thorough...

Aramark Global Analysis

Aramark Global Analysis Aramark Global Analysis Aramark Corporation (hereunder Aramark) is an American-owned business, which has so far established its operations in 22 countries all over the world. In its website, Aramark indicates that it offers services in different sectors, which include business and industry, healthcare, sports, entertainment, higher education, and apparel (Aramark, 2014a).Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Aramark Global Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Aramark is an international business because it produces and distributes goods and services, not only in its home country, but in other 21 countries spread across Europe, Asia and the American continents.  Azevedo and Bertland (2000) describe an international organization as â€Å"a decentralized federation with distributed resources and delegated responsibilities that allows the foreign operations to answer to the local differences† (p. 3). True t o the foregoing definition, Aramark is a decentralized organization, which has assigned responsibilities to different offices across the 22 countries. Additionally, the company has provided the overseas offices the mandate and resources necessary to cater for local differences. Aramark Ireland has, for example, set cultural theme days as one of the ways of marketing itself in the country. Additionally, Aramark Ireland translates its staff training manuals into languages that the staff members can comprehend. Moreover, the company changes its restaurant menus to reflect diets that serve the medical, therapeutic and religious diets of the consumer market in Ireland (Aramark, 2009). Theories and Concepts of Globalization, Multinational Strategy and International Business Bartelson (2000) has conceptualized globalization as transference, transformation and transcendence. In reference to transference, Bartelson (2000) indicates that globalization has led to a situation where, national, r egional, cultural and other forms of boundaries do not prevent the transfer of goods and services from a unit to diverse countries, regions or cultures. The foregoing is true in Aramark’s case because the company operates in diverse nations, regions and cultures. The transformation concept according to Bartelson (2000) indicates that globalization transforms the systems and units of doing business as they were traditionally understood. Consequently, traditional systems and units that were limited by geography and space can now be replaced by market-oriented structures where competition is crucial. When applied to Aramark, the foregoing concept could be interpreted to mean that rather than worry about competitors in its home country, Aramark should be concerned about competitors in the global front, because, such competitors symbolize a competitive risk. In relation to transcendence, Bartelson (2000) argues that globalization defies the limitations of â€Å"pre-constituted un its or agents† (p. 189).Advertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Transcendence is arguably a hard concept to grasp, but as Bartelson (2000) explains, it means that the boundaries and limitations that existed in the past have now been wiped away. Instead, the globalised world has networks that are not temporal or spatial. Used in context, the foregoing may be reflected in the real time communication that occurs in between Aramark’s headquarters in the US and its other offices across the world. Multinational strategy Firms that have a multinational strategy have other markets in addition to their domestic market (Lynch, 2011). In Aramark’s case, the other markets are the 21 countries, which it offers its products and services to, in addition to its home country, the US. A multinational strategy has a distinct strategy for all the different markets ta rgeted by the company (Lynch, 2011). The foregoing situation is informed by the fact that customer needs, preferences and demands differ between countries. In Aramark, the multinational strategy is reflected in how services are customized to each country’s consumer market and the prevailing market conditions. International Business Theory Porter’s diamond theory seems more applicable in Aramark’s case compared to other theories. The theory posits that the competitiveness of a nation (or in this case an international company), is affected by four things namely: factor conditions (i.e. the factors that a company can exploit e.g. labor in order to gain competitive advantage of its rivals), demand condition (i.e. the demands by the consumer market, e.g. for excellence); supporting industries (i.e. the cost effectiveness of suppliers); and the structure, strategy and rivalry of a firm (Mahmud, n.d.). Arguably, and although this is a hard thing to determine from t he publicly available information regarding Aramark, the company is favored by all the four demand factors in Porter’s diamond model. The foregoing assertion may not be true in all the 21 countries, but in countries like china, the company’s competitive advantages is attained from a combination of factors which include: its ability to utilize the cheap labor, the high demand for its services, the support industries in the country, and its structure, strategy and an almost absent market rivalry (United States Securities and Exchange Commission, 2012). When, How and Why Aramark Entered Into Foreign Countries Aramark first took the international path in 1968, when it served in the Olympic Games held in Mexico (Aramark, 2014b). By then, the company was known as Automatic Retailers of America (ARA) (Aramark, 2014b). Aramark’s partnership with the Olympic Games organizers propelled it to international operations (Aramark, 2014b).Advertising We will write a cus tom term paper sample on Aramark Global Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The ‘why’ of entering into foreign countries is best explained by the fact that the company saw an expanded market in those countries, and the fact that it had developed internal capacities to move into the foreign market. In 2001, for example, the company entered Ireland and Chile after expanding its service offers to include food services, healthcare, uniform services and conference center services. Arguably, the reasons why Aramark ventured into foreign markets came true; its wide market base is a confirmation that the opportunity that the company had seen in the foreign market, did indeed exist. The Potential, But Unrealized, Advantages of Internationalization to Aramark The world today has 196 countries. Aramark has only established its operations in 22 countries. The foregoing statistics means that there are still more countries that Aramark can find a ready market. Africa is, for example, one continent that Aramark needs to consider. With 55 countries in total and a population of approximately 1.033 billion people, the continent is no doubt a ready market for different consumer items and services. Global Integration and Local Embedding Aramark integrates its activities by ensuring that the same standards of quality are used everywhere (Aramark, 2009). Additionally, the company has benchmarks on issues such as diversity, which all its overseas operations have to abide with. To embed such activities locally, Aramark has given its foreign operations the mandate to change whatever needs to be changed in order to meet customer requirements and expectations. However, and as has been revealed by Aramark (2009) any market-appropriate change that is made in the company has to keep within identified performance and quality standards. Competitive Factors Driving Aramark’s Global Business Development Aramark targets institu tional buyers, who incidentally have weak bargaining powers. The foregoing position can be explained by the reality that Aramark does not have many competitors who can provide similar services, at the same quality, and the same efficiency (Aramark, 2009).Advertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Additionally, institutional buyers buy frequently, in large quantities and would, therefore, face high switching costs. However, Aramark’s suppliers have stronger bargaining power because they deliver the supplies to Aramark in large quantities, and the company would not be in a position to find other suppliers at a short notice. Aramark is arguably faced with the threat of new market entrants. However, since the company has a diverse business portfolio, the threat of new market entrants is more pronounced in some business lines (e.g. in janitorial services) than it is in others (e.g. in energy management services). Another competitive factor which Aramark has to contend with is rivalry in the industry. Luckily for Aramark, its brand works to market its services hence ensuring that although competition is stiff in some of its business lines, its reliability usually attracts a significant market share over less-know service providers (Aramark, 2009). Brand Strategies to Enhanc e Internationalization Aramark went into foreign markets by exporting its own brand name. The company has performed impressively so far and as such, one would argue that its branding strategy was successful. In future, however, the company might consider strategic partnerships with established non-competing firms in new investment destinations. Such partnership would assure the company of a ‘soft landing’ in countries where business cultures are completely different from the US. New Areas for Global/International Expansion As indicated elsewhere in this paper, Africa’s population and its growth rate provides Aramark with a viable potential market. The company may also look into other developed countries in Asia (e.g. Singapore). References Aramark. (2009). Global diversity and inclusion: Our journey. Retrieved from aramark.com/Documents/Diversity-Report.aspx Aramark. (2014a). Services and industries. Retrieved from aramark.com/ServicesandIndustries/. Aramark. (20 14b). History. Retrieved from aramark.com/AboutARAMARK/History/ Azevedo, G., Bertland, H. (2001). From multinational to global companies: Identifying the dimensions of change. Retrieved from guilhermeazevedo.com/public/dimensionsofthechange.pdf Bartelson, J. (2000). Three concepts of globalization. International Sociology, 15(2), 180-195. Lynch, R. (2011). Strategic management (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Mahmud, R. (n.d.). The theories of international business. Retrieved from academia.edu/4333675/Theories_of_International_business United States Securities and Exchange Commission. (2010). Form 10-K: Aramark Corporation. Retrieved from http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MTE5MzU5fENoaWxkSUQ9LTF8VHlwZT0zt=1

William Rehnquist, Conservative Stalwart on the Supreme Court

William Rehnquist, Conservative Stalwart on the Supreme Court William Rehnquist was one of the most influential U.S. Supreme Court justices in modern history, a conservative stalwart who dissented with the majority jurists in the Roe v. Wade opinion legalizing abortion and who built a coalition on the bench who sought to limit the power of the federal government. Rehnquist, an appointee of Republican President Richard M. Nixon who was named chief justice by President Ronald Reagan, served 33 years on the high court before dying at age 80 in September 2005. Rehnquist was a Goldwater Republican whose passions were federalism - limiting congressional power and strengthening state powers - and expression of religion. He argued that just because an action is religiously motivated, does not make it consequence-free for society, and should not make it consequence-free, under societys laws. Rehnquist also voted consistently in support of the death penalty and in opposition to gay rights. He often wrote solo dissents in his early years on the bench. Rehnquist may best be remembered for the 5-4 decision in the 2000 presidential election that stopped the Florida recount and propelled George W. Bush into the White House. He was only the second chief justice to preside over presidential impeachment hearings. Heres a look at Rehnquists biggest opinions on the Supreme Court. Roe v. Wade The courts majority held in 1974 that a woman, with her doctor, could choose abortion in earlier months of pregnancy without legal restriction, based primarily on the right to privacy. Rehnquist wrote  the dissent, in which he noted: I have difficulty in concluding, as the Court does, that the right of privacy is involved in this case. National League of Cities v. Usery Rehnquist wrote the majority opinion in 1976, which invalided federal minimum wage requirements for local and state government employees. This case highlighted the 10th Amendment, which reserves for the states powers not explicitly enumerated elsewhere in the Constitution; this Amendment is the foundation for the states rights movement. Wallace v. Jaffree This 1985 court decision invalided an Alabama law providing a moment for silent prayer in public schools. Rehnquist dissented, contending that the belief that the founders intended to erect a wall of separation between church and state was misguided. Texas v Johnson This 1989 case found flag-burning to be a protected form of political speech under the First Amendment. Rehnquist wrote one of two dissents in this 5-4 decision, saying that the flag is the visible symbol embodying our Nation ... not simply another idea or point of view competing in the marketplace of ideas. United States v. Lopez   Rehnquist wrote the majority opinion in this 1995 case, which declared unconstitutional the Gun Free School Zones Act of 1990. The act gave schools a 1,000-foot gun-free perimeter. Rehnquists ruling states that Congress can regulate only commerce - its channels and instruments as well as substantive actions. Kelo v New London In this controversial 2005 decision, the court expanded the power of the Fifth Amendment, saying that local governments may take property for private use because, in this case, there was a plan that promised jobs and revenue. Sandra Day OConnor wrote for the minority, which included Rehnquist: Under the banner of economic development, all private property is now vulnerable to being taken and transferred to another private owner, so long as it might be upgraded - i.e., given to an owner who will use it in a way that the legislature deems more beneficial to the public - in the process.

Cold War Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cold War - Research Paper Example Communist world except China polarised with Soviet Union whereas the most of the democratic countries tied up with United States during this period. Most of the Eastern European countries were under communist administration during cold war and Soviet Union succeeded in bringing all of them under their umbrella, forming an Eastern Bloc whereas the Western European countries were mostly democratic in nature and hence they joined hand in hand with America during the cold war era. Even though, the militaries of these superpowers never clashed directly each other, there were too many proxy wars, espionage, propaganda, conventional and nuclear arms races, appeals to neutral nations, rivalry at sports events, and technological competitions such as the Space Race etc between these superpowers during the cold war era. This paper briefly analyses different dimensions of cold war. The term â€Å"Cold War† was first used in 1947 by Bernard Baruch, senior advisor to Harry Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, in reference to the frequently occurring and exacerbating crises between the United States and the former Soviet Union, despite having fought side-by-side against Nazi Germany in the Second World War. ... Nuclear arms race and the struggle for domination in the space missions were too much during the cold war era. â€Å"In 1992, a Soviet defector revealed to Western intelligence that he had overseen an extensive, illegal programme to develop smallpox into a highly effective biological weapon† (Flight). Moreover, the secret agencies in these countries also played their role effectively to strengthen the cold war. During the cold war era â€Å"the KGB, the 'sword and the shield' of the USSR, pitted its wits against its principal adversaries - the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States (CIA) and the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS)† (Knightley) Even though, Germany, Britain and France were major forces prior to Second World War, after the Second World War, only America and Soviet Union did emerge as the world’s superpowers. The friendship between America and Soviet Union during the Second World War was only to destroy their common enemy Nazi German y. â€Å"In fact, one of America’s leading generals, Patton, stated that he felt that the Allied army should unite with what was left of the Wehrmacht in 1945, utilize the military genius and fight the oncoming Soviet Red Army† (What was the Cold War?). In short, even though America and Soviet Union cooperated in the fight against Nazi Germany, they never wasted any opportunities to blame each other. It was difficult for other countries to stay alone without seeking help from any of these superpowers at that time. Some countries like India, Yugoslavia, Egypt etc were tried to form another political bloc in the name of Non Aligned Movement (NAM), in order to keep equal distance with the two major superpowers. NAM started its

Literature Review- Gerontology; Benefits of Physical Activity in Older Essay

Literature Review- Gerontology; Benefits of Physical Activity in Older Age - Essay Example Mees (2003) reported that in the United States â€Å"each year, musculoskeletal conditions and injuries account for about 102.3 million visits to physician offices, 10.2 million hospital outpatient visits, 25 million emergency department visits, 3 million hospitalizations, and 7.5 million procedures, and they cost an estimated $300 billion†. She goes to report that â€Å" people in their 50s notice more aches and pains after performing the same activities that were painless in their 40s, and those in their 60s cant do as much as they did in their 50s†. Because the ageing process is multidirectional and multidimensional, in examining the effect of physical activity on the process we must examine the many aspects of health that are affected as one gets older, the different types of physical activity that can be beneficial, and how can elderly people be more motivated to engage in physical activity to help them in the ageing process. Even if there is no disease present there are so many other effects on the body of ageing. Coronary artery disease, hypertension, congestive heart failure, type 2 diabetes mellitus, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and cognitive disorders are some of the disorders that become more prevalent as people age. Brennan (2002) describes some of the normal physiological changes that occur in the body during ageing as â€Å"changes in the cardiovascular system include decreased elasticity in blood vessel walls, increases in blood pressure, and myocardial hypertrophy resulting in decreased end-diastolic filling and cardiac output; pulmonary effects include loss of tissue elasticity as well as a gradual decline in the number of alveolar sacs†. In addition he says that â€Å"as humans age, they experience neuronal cell loss, decreases in reaction time, decreases in overall balance, and decreases in nerve conduction velocities. Aging decreases estrogen, androgen, and growth hormone levels. Rates of depression increase with

Monopolies in Todays Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Monopolies in Todays Market - Essay Example Atimes, monopolies exist as a result of government backings in which case the monopolies provide goods, products or services which the government considers essential to the well being of the people. The absence of supply curve in the monopolized market causes inefficient allocation of society's resources. Therefore there is that tendency for a monopolist to charge high prices and probably making higher profits compared with firms in perfect competition. The objective of this paper is to unravel the role of monopolies in today's market and the implications of technology and systems on the monopolies. The rest of this paper examines different types of monopoly, its revenue, monopoly and price discriminations, and implications of technology and systems. (a) Pure Monopoly: This is a type of monopoly that exists in a particular region or city in which its products have no close substitutes. This makes it possible for the monopolist to charge extra prices because their products are necessities. (b) Natural Monopoly: A monopoly that exists because of economies of scale it enjoys in which large scale production brings lower average cost. Even though a competitor arises in the industry lower prices the monopolist would charge is capable of sending the competitor off the market. (c) Efficiency Monopoly: When government does not legalize monopoly, a monopoly may exist largely due to its ability to satisfy the customers in which case competition is inadvertently rule out. (d) Legal Monopoly: This form of monopoly has government backing such that laws are enacted to simply rule out competition. Wikipedia says "when such a monopoly is granted to a private party, it is a government granted monopoly; when it is operated by government itself, it is government monopoly or state monopoly". Monopoly Revenue Basically, a monopolist faces downward sloping demand curve which is also the firm's average revenue curve. As the monopolist sells a single price for its products, average revenue per product is the same as the price. For the monopolist to increase its sales it charges lower unit price for its products. At price P1 the monopolist only manages to sell Q1 quantity of the product; in order to increase its sales it reduces the price from P1 to P2 and as such sales is increased from Q1 to Q2 which he now gains in figure 1 below. Given the above scenario, the differential of the total revenue in relation to quantity gives marginal revenue which shows that the additional revenue large enough to offset the reduction in price. Figure 1: Showing Monopolist's gain brought about by price reduction. However, the monopolist maximizes profit where marginal revenue equals marginal cost. The reason is the since marginal cost is always greater than zero the monopolist will operate at profit because marginal revenue will be positive and where demand is elastic. If the monopolist stops production where marginal cost is less than marginal revenue, he will be leaving his profit untapped while quantity in which marginal revenue is greater than marginal cost the firm will be operating at losses. Profit maximizing price is determined by drawing a line where marginal co

Apocalypse of 2012 - Converging Points and Perspectives Essay

Apocalypse of 2012 - Converging Points and Perspectives - Essay Example The revival of old religion along with New Age philosophy has made modern society curious about 2012 Apocalypse. New Age beliefs made modern man look back at different philosophical and spiritual beliefs that led to rediscover the Mayan Calendar. It is important to understand that ancient Mayan cultures had divine respect for the sun, moon, and stars. The main factor in the creation of the Myth is the Popul Voh, which is similar to the Bible since it also tells a story of creation by the Mayan God known as â€Å"Heart of Sky†. The story is replete between the battle of good versus evil, but the important thing is that it highly influenced the creation of the Mayan Calendar, much more- it shows the Mayan’s beliefs in â€Å"cyclical time periods as a scared entity "(Gossen. 17). It was during the Ezapa era were shamans or priests calculated 5 periods in a cycle (wherein a cycle of 25,625 years were divided into five). Each period represented 5,125 years known as five wor ld ages. By 2012, the world is nearing the fifth period that would supposedly end in a catastrophe. It would take volumes of research to understand how the Mayan calendar was formed, but it is interesting to know the reason behind this cultures obsession with numbers and mathematical accuracy – it was the basis of â€Å"legitimacy for political power† (Rice 11). ... The power of information, especially through technology is much respected nowadays; hence, the public would depend on men of science to explain the forthcoming event. This would not only make them understand, but develop a belief system based on scientific assumptions. This brings us to a more intelligent discussion regarding the 2012 Apocalypse- what men of science have to say about these things. Science has a great role in educating the general public about the issue. There are some people like Greg Braden and John Major Jenkins, who aggressively promote the fulfillment of the 2012 Apocalypse. Jenkins has been reviewing other books regarding Mayan prophecies but concludes in the end that the event coincides with the winter solstice in 2012 (alignment 2012.com). Another popular writer, Greg Braden, explores the power of the algorithm in exploring cycles. His earlier books like the Divine Matrix that presented controversial issues like the Michelson and Morley experiment (Braden 19) and his connection of spirituality and science made many people believe in Braden. His new book Fractal Time tries to explain the importance of patterns in people’s lives that could create a change in the society. Braden used algorithm to create a Time Code calculator that anyone can use in charting the events in one’s life. However, these are individuals trying to make sense out of what they believe in and sharing it to the public. Do scientific authorities support such? It doesn’t because science needs to be exact. What we have for now are possibilities of having sun spots. NASA provides an update of such ever since sunspots were created way back in 2006. Sunspots are planet-sized flares that can create sun storms

Globalisation is not a new process. Discuss Essay

Globalisation is not a new process. Discuss - Essay Example The process of globalisation depends on trade and financial flows that have the potential to bind different economies of the world. Additionally, the advancements in information technology and mass media also contributed equally in reducing the barriers persisting amid different nations (Warrier & Wunderlich, n.d.). According to the report of UNESCO (2010), globalisation is not a new procedure, as it existed since the commencement of the Second World War that not only restricted economic development but also affected the people living in then respective societies. Globalisation has become one of the critical issues in the 21st century because of the increased level of technological advancements. From an economic perspective, globalisation has the potential to bring change in the world by ways of promoting free trade, maximising the flow of capital between nations and augmenting the extent of investments. The improved relations between several countries thus facilitated economic growt h, as new markets have been developed and increased their scope of maintaining long-term sustainability due to the procedure of globalisation (Mrak, 2000; Warrier & Wunderlich, n.d.). In relation to the above context, the essay intends to discuss critically globalisation to be not a new process in this contemporary era. The process of globalisation can be related to making wide interactions amid various individuals and nations. The process not only affects international trade but also makes extensive impact on the investment level and other related elements that have the potential to develop an economy. The process of globalisation is not new because people are engaged in trade and other allied activities since past centuries. The buying and selling of goods is such a process, which has already existed from past several years. For instance, the existence of the Silk Road that connected Europe, China and other Asian nations indicates the

Apocalypse of 2012 - Converging Points and Perspectives Essay

Apocalypse of 2012 - Converging Points and Perspectives - Essay Example The revival of old religion along with New Age philosophy has made modern society curious about 2012 Apocalypse. New Age beliefs made modern man look back at different philosophical and spiritual beliefs that led to rediscover the Mayan Calendar. It is important to understand that ancient Mayan cultures had divine respect for the sun, moon, and stars. The main factor in the creation of the Myth is the Popul Voh, which is similar to the Bible since it also tells a story of creation by the Mayan God known as â€Å"Heart of Sky†. The story is replete between the battle of good versus evil, but the important thing is that it highly influenced the creation of the Mayan Calendar, much more- it shows the Mayan’s beliefs in â€Å"cyclical time periods as a scared entity "(Gossen. 17). It was during the Ezapa era were shamans or priests calculated 5 periods in a cycle (wherein a cycle of 25,625 years were divided into five). Each period represented 5,125 years known as five wor ld ages. By 2012, the world is nearing the fifth period that would supposedly end in a catastrophe. It would take volumes of research to understand how the Mayan calendar was formed, but it is interesting to know the reason behind this cultures obsession with numbers and mathematical accuracy – it was the basis of â€Å"legitimacy for political power† (Rice 11). ... The power of information, especially through technology is much respected nowadays; hence, the public would depend on men of science to explain the forthcoming event. This would not only make them understand, but develop a belief system based on scientific assumptions. This brings us to a more intelligent discussion regarding the 2012 Apocalypse- what men of science have to say about these things. Science has a great role in educating the general public about the issue. There are some people like Greg Braden and John Major Jenkins, who aggressively promote the fulfillment of the 2012 Apocalypse. Jenkins has been reviewing other books regarding Mayan prophecies but concludes in the end that the event coincides with the winter solstice in 2012 (alignment 2012.com). Another popular writer, Greg Braden, explores the power of the algorithm in exploring cycles. His earlier books like the Divine Matrix that presented controversial issues like the Michelson and Morley experiment (Braden 19) and his connection of spirituality and science made many people believe in Braden. His new book Fractal Time tries to explain the importance of patterns in people’s lives that could create a change in the society. Braden used algorithm to create a Time Code calculator that anyone can use in charting the events in one’s life. However, these are individuals trying to make sense out of what they believe in and sharing it to the public. Do scientific authorities support such? It doesn’t because science needs to be exact. What we have for now are possibilities of having sun spots. NASA provides an update of such ever since sunspots were created way back in 2006. Sunspots are planet-sized flares that can create sun storms

UK Courts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

UK Courts - Essay Example Some arguments specifically identify the choice to eliminate trial by jury in the most complex fraud cases, suggesting that such cases can be more appropriately heard by a panel of judge or judge and magistrates. Attorney General Lord Goldsmith states â€Å"it is about justice...making sure serious fraudsters are brought to trial" (BBC News, 2005). Kevin Martin, president of the Law Society is against the new proposal, as he suggests That the problem does not lie with juries, but with poor management of court cases. There is concern that doing away with juries will erode public confidence in the legal system. This is a legitimate concern. Lack of confidence in the legal system may lead to lack of cooperation with police and others who serve to uphold the law. Interviews with UK citizens indicate that while the jury system can be flawed, it should be maintained in all cases. A poll of UK citizens by News Online provides as with insight into public opinion. One UK citizen believes tha t the jury system should be upheld at all costs, as failing to do so would allow the state to relinquish its authority to the victims, in deciding punishment. Another feels that trial by â€Å"jury of one’s peers† is still the most fair, claiming that judges are made up of social elite, â€Å"deciding the fate of us, the common folk† (News Online Poll, 2001), which would lead to injustice.

Decision theory Essay Example for Free

Decision theory Essay How could companies use Second Life for new product or service decision making? Companies use second life which includes meeting with the sales manager, discussing about new sales techniques, building a new world where members of second life talk together about product or services and testing the new designs for new product or service before it is released to the world. Thus by taking feedback from all members companies take decisions. . How could financial companies use neural networks in Second Life to help their businesses? Neutral networks are those which involve in pattern or image recognition. This helps companies to get the required information for processing in second life. 3. How could a company such as Nike use decision support systems on Second Life to help its business? Nike uses decision support system (DSS) for information that helps to take decision. But DSS has three main models in it. They are: -Sensitivity: observe changes when variable is changed -What- if? checked what is the impact if variable changed -Goal seeking: seeking to reach goal by making changes. 4. How could an apparel company use Second Life to build a digital dashboard to monitor virtual operations? Apparel uses second life in digital dashboard to monitor virtual operations as it tracks everything in the store which includes number of customers, time spent, items purchased etc. Company also gave a special offer to the second life residents that they get promotional cards if they are shopping in inline-world apparel. Describe how the DoD is using AI to improve its operations and save lives. By using AI the DoD is able to make operations like resupply missions more efficient because human drivers and troops to protect the supply line aren’t needed. AI would also be able to perform dangerous missions without endangering troops. 2. Explain why the DoD would use an event, such as the DARPA Grand Challenge, to further technological innovation. The DARPA Grand Challenge produces lots of different ideas from diverse sources which will produce more efficient technology. The contest is also at a relatively low cost to the DoD because it would cost more than $2 million dollars to produce and test so many models on their own. 3. Describe how autonomous vehicles could be used by organizations around the world to improve business efficiency and effectiveness. If businesses were able to transport their goods without human transportation controllers it would cut costs and eliminate some of the risks from human error. 4. The Ansari X is another technological innovation competition focusing on spacecraft.

HMMs Pattern Recognition

HMMs Pattern Recognition Assignment 3 of Pattern recognition is on HMMs. It should contain a detailed report on HMMs. The topics covered should include: 1. An introduction to HMM and its uses. 1. Problems of HMM, their explanation and relation to prior, posterior, and evidence. 2. Solution to the problems of HMM and their algorithms. Pattern Recognition Assignment # 3 Name: Muhammad Sohaib Jamal An Introduction to HMM and its Uses A Hidden Markov Model HMM is a stochastic model which has a series of observable variable X which is generated by hidden state Y. In an indirect way HMM consist of hidden states which has output that is comprised of a set of observations. Simple Markov Model models the states are directly observables means the states are directly output while in HMM the states are hidden and different form the observables or output. HMM is very reliable model for probabilistic estimation. HMM have applications in pattern recognitions such as speech recognition, gesture and hand writing recognition, computational Bioinformatics, etc. Suppose we are considering three trails of a coin toss experiment and the person who is observing only know the results of the experiment when another person announces the result who is hidden in a closed room from the person noting the results. The result of this coin experiment can be any set of heads and tails e.g. THT, HHH, THH, TTT, THT etc. The person observing the results can get any sequence of heads and tails, and it is not possible to predict any specific sequence that will occur. The Observation Set is completely unpredictable and random. Lets assume that the third trail of coin toss experiment will produce more Head than the Tails. The resulting sequence will obviously have more number of heads then tails for this particular case. This is called Emission probability denoted by Bj(O). Now we suppose that the chance of flipping the third trail after the first and second trail is approximately zero. Then, the transition from 1st and 2nd trail to 3rd trail will be actually very small and as an outcome yields very little number heads if the person starts flipping the coin from 2nd trail to 3rd trail. This is called Transition probability denoted by aij. Assume that each trail has some probability associated with the previous trail, then the person will start the process of flipping from that particular coin. This is known to be the Initial probability denoted by à Ã¢â€š ¬i. The sequence of number of heads or tails is known to be the observables and the number of trail is said to be the state of the HMM. HMM is composed of: N number of hidden states S1, S2 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦., SN M number of observations O1, O2, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, OM The à Ã¢â€š ¬i (Initial state probability) Output Probability or Emission Probability B: P (OM | SN), where OM is observation and SN is the state. Transition probability matrix A = [ aij ]. Transition probabilities aij. Mathematically the model is represented as HMM ÃŽÂ » = {ÃŽÂ  , A, B} Problems of HMM and their explanations HMM has three basic types of problems: The Evaluation problem: Suppose we have an HMM, complete with transition probabilities aij and output probabilities bjk. We need to determine the probability that a particular sequence of observables states OT was generated by that model. The Decoding problem: The transition probabilities, output probabilities and set of observations OT is given and we want to determine the most likely sequence of hidden states ST that led to those observations. The Learning problem: In such problem the number of states and observation are given but we need to find the probabilities aij and bjk. With the given set of training observations, we will determine the probabilities aij and bjk. Relation of HMM to Prior, Posterior and evidence The à Ã¢â€š ¬i (Initial state probability) is analogous to the Prior probability. Because the initial probability is given before the set of experiments take place. This property of initial probability is identical to that of prior probability. Similarly, the output probability or emission probability B: P (OM | SN) is analogous to the posterior probability. The posterior probability is used in forward backward algorithm. In the same manner, evidence is the probability the next state is C given that the current state is state Sj. So the evidence is analogous to the transition probability A. Solution to the problems of HMM and their algorithms From the above mentioned discussion, we know that there are three different of problems in HMM. In this section we will briefly know how these problems are solved Evaluation problem, this type of problem is solved the using Forward-Backward algorithm. Decoding problem, for such type of HMM problem we use the Viterbi algorithm or posterior decoding Training problem, in case of this type of problem we have the Baun-Welch re-estimation algorithm to solve it. Forward-Backward algorithm The forward and backward steps are combined by the Forward-Backward algorithm to estimate the probability of each state for a specific time t, and repeating these steps for each t can result in the sequence having the most likely probability. This algorithm doesnt guarantee that the sequence is valid sequence because it considers every individual step. The forward algorithm has the following three steps: Initialization step Iterations Summation of overall states . Similarly, for backward algorithm we have the same steps like the forward algorithm: Initialization step Iterations Summation of overall states Viterbi algorithm Viterbi algorithm is used to find the most likely hidden states, resulting in a sequence of observed events. The relationship between observations and states can be inferred from the given image. In first step Viterbi algorithm initialize the variable In second step the process is iterated for every step In third step the iteration ends In Fourth step we track the best path Baun-Welch re-estimation algorithm Baun-Welch re-estimation algorithm is used to compute the unknown parameters in hidden Markov model HMM. Baun-Welch re-estimation algorithm can be best described using the following example. Assume we collect eggs from chicken every day. The chicken had lay eggs or not depends upon unknown factors. For simplicity assume that there are only 2 states (S1 and S2) that determine that the chicken had lay eggs. Initially we dont know about the state, transition and probability that the chicken will lay egg given specific state. To find initial probabilities, suppose all the sequences starting with S1 and find the maximum probability and then repeat the same procedure for S2. Repeat these steps until the resulting probabilities converge. Mathematically it can be References Andrew Ng (2013), an online course for Machine learning, Stanford University, Stanford, https://class.coursera.org/ml-004/class. Duda and Hart, Pattern Classification (2001-2002), Wiley, New York. http://en.wikipedia.org http://hcicv.blogspot.com/2012/07/hidden-markov-model-for-dummies.html http://www.mathworks.com/help/stats/hidden-markov-models-hmm.html http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/roger/HiddenMarkovModels/html_dev/viterbi_algorithm/s3_pg3.html

Muslim and Non Muslim Laws :: essays research papers

Islamic law and non-Muslims Some pro-Israeli opinion cite traditional interpretations of sharia (Islamic law) which requires, among other things, that Muslim territory encompass all land that was ever under Muslim control, as a source for the Arab-Israeli conflict. Since the territory of Israel, prior to being the British Mandate of Palestine, was once part of the Ottoman caliphate, some Islamic clerics believe it is unlawful for any portion of it to remain 'usurped' by non-Muslims. By contrast, pro-Arab opinion points at the pronounced religious tolerance of the caliphates, where Christians and Jews coexisted "harmoniously" with Muslims and were granted limited self-autonomy. Resentment of Israeli Jews, this argument concludes, only emerged as a result from and after the rise of the Zionist enterprise in Palestine. Pro-Israeli views, however, often dismiss this explanation with the argument that Muslim Arab hostility towards Israel is largely derived from the sharia dictation that Jews or Christians are not to be considered equal to Muslims. Pro-Arab commentator view this as running counter to the tradition of tolerance towards "People of the Book" in Islam. They also point towards the long tradition of Palestinian Christians in their resistance to Israel and its policies, including such noted figures as Edward Said and George Habash, and the various Palestinian secular movements such as the PLO itself. In turn pro-Israeli proponents refer to a declining Christian Palestinian population (along with those of most Arab Christians) as, at least in part, a product of Muslim hostility towards non-Muslims, in general. According to a report published in December 2001 by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies think tank.The Christian Exodus from the Middle East (http://www.defenddemocr acy.org/usr_doc/Christian_Exodus.pdf), in December 1997 The Times noted: "Life in (PA ruled) Bethlehem has become insufferable for many members of the dwindling Christian minorities." The report also states that "Christians in the Palestinian territories have dropped from 15% of the Arab population in 1950 to just 2% today." Some Palestinian Christian are of the opinion that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has led to the diminishment of their population[[8] (http://christianactionforisrael.org/antiholo/hate_jews.html)][[9] (http://www.amconmag.com/2004_05_24/article.html)]. Ohers, like Abe Ata, a Palestinian Christian, are of the opinion that American Christians have "turned their backs" on them by supporting Israel [[10] (http://www.natcath.com/NCR_Online/archives/112202/112202r.htm)]. The Anglican bishop of Jerusalem, Riah Abu El-Assal, is recorded as being "intemperate in his attacks on Israel"[[11] (http://christianactionforisrael.org/ant iholo/hate_jews.html)]. Many Palestinian Christians have complained about Israel's treatment of them. One such complaint is that Israel does not give Palestinian Christians permission to visit holy places [12] (http://www.

End of Year Speech Essay

Good evening everyone. I hope everyone is having a good time, and has eaten their fill. Please eat all the food, we’ve spent a lot of money on that to be put to waste, and you’ll make the caterers job a lot easier (if the food is catered) Ladies please, help yourselves. Come on, it’s the end of the year, you’ll have a whole year ahead of you to start your diet†¦anyway Vegas buffet rules apply ladies and gentlemen, NO TAKEOUTS! So please keep your Ziplocs where they are. (of course parts like these are jokes and should be said well, as a joke). But seriously, good evening everyone and welcome to our year end dinner. It has been another successful year for us. Thanks mainly to the summer blockbuster heroes, in a sense, they did save our lives, well, at least made our company earn more money, thanks also to the mom and dads that keep bringing their kids in our store, may they be blessed with more kids, and of course, kudos to all of you for helping make another year a successful one. It has been another heroic year for us, both for the toys that we have sold and our efforts to make our company better. First we were introduced to a wealthy scientist turned super hero, who would have thought that the cousin of the tin-man would be a successful toy. Yes, Iron Man is one of our most successful toys this year, if not all of all time. The fact that Iron Man is a robot,( well, technically a bionic suit, but that’s how Iron Man is perceived) makes him subject for a lot of modifications, and thus a lot of action figure variants. Seven year old kids were just half of the market of Iron Man, toy collectors of all ages had a field day hoarding Iron Man toys from our store. Action figures sales have never been higher since the come back of comic book adaptations into the silver screen. Thank you Stan Lee! You made a lot of toy companies such ourselves very happy, we hope for more new movies and sequels to your comic books. I hope I can say the same to your reality show. Batman’s appeal has not dropped, Batman Toy’s have virtually not stopped production since the franchise came to being way back. I think only X-men and Spider Man toys have achieved a similar feat, which makes Batman the most successful comic book hero without having any super powers. Spider Man was bitten by a radio active bug, and the X-Men are mutants. Batman is just a plain dude with a fancy belt, well, a dude that can kick all our butts in one passing. If I was a kid, I would definitely be a good boy (at least for a while) to get the latest Batman action figure. I bet if we just sold action figures of Batman or an equally popular comic book superhero, we wouldn’t go out of business and still keep the store. That’s how big these toys have become, and how big they’ve been to our company’s progress. What would be a hero without an arch enemy? Not only do the heroes need a bad guy to beat up, toy companies also need villains as a source of income. Chances are, when kids buy their action figures, they want something to tests its weapons on something, might as well be the actual enemy of the hero. The Joker has been the most popular action hero as of late, thanks to the films success and all these talks about the death on Heath Ledger, the actor that played Joker in the Dark Knight. This toy has suddenly become a limited edition because it is one of the last characters the actor has played before he died, for some reason, I don’t think Mattel would buy the idea of making an action figure out of Brokeback Mountain, but that’s just me, I’ve seen stranger toys made it into production. Spider – Man toys have been around almost as long as Batman toys, especially after the new Spider Man films came out. They did not leave our shelves even if the franchise has been on a hiatus from the silver screen for a while. Actually there have not been a major Spider – Man film until the recent films and yet Spider Man toys are one of our popular toys of all time After I thank the toys, sorry guys, they do come first you know, these toys pay our bills. I would like to thank the staff of our company for doing a job well done throughout the year. Our company would be nothing if not for your efforts. Thank you for maintaining a harmonious working environment and for keeping our customers happy, your service is much appreciated. Thank you also for an outstanding team performance in all departments. It is always good for any company to work together as a team. More than working as a team, we’ve worked together, and treated each other as family. I’m not saying exactly who the mom and dads are, let’s just say we are all the children of the company okay? Special thanks to the marketing people for actively promoting our products to the buying public. They managed to sell our toys to kids who, for some reason did not go to the toy store with a particular toy in mind. Their persuasive skills have managed to squeeze some extra cash out of mommy and daddy to spend on their kids toys. Now, if they can only sell our (name unpopular toy) we would give them a big fat raise! On a serious note, thank you guys for a job well done and keep up the good work, we’ll talk about that raise deal later okay? (of course with still a sense of candidness) This party would not have been possible if had not worked hard last year. So if you guys still want the free food, we have to do just as well next year or even better. Either way, we would still have a party for sure, but our party would definitely much better if we raise our bar even just a little. So I encourage everyone to work just as hard or even harder this coming year and I promise you, our hard work would be rewarded if we have good sales next year. Incentives and other privileges would be available for us if we exceed what is expected of us, so let’s keep it up guys! The boss expects nothing less than what has already been established this year. I know we have done a good job this year but why aim for good when we can do better? The boss expects for exciting and new ideas from our staff, especially from the marketing department. Don’t be afraid to pitch in ideas even if you are not from the marketing department or if you think your ideas are too crazy. We all love new ideas. Again, thank you everyone for being part of this end of the year party and for a job well done this year. More fruitful years to come for our company! Cheers, and enjoy the rest of the evening. Let’s give a hand to ourselves! Thank you.

Information Assurance

We live and conduct business in an active asymmetric threat environment. An individual, business or organization must adapt and protect its vital information assets and critical digital infrastructure. Failure to do so is reckless and may be considered as an obvious lack of due diligence for people who have fiduciary and custodial responsibilities. Any event that causes damage to information resources, whether it is a computer virus, natural disaster or system failure could be devastating to an individual (i.e. identity theft), company, its customers, suppliers and shareholders. Failing to do so may threaten the survival of the company itself. An information system security breach could result in serious financial losses, the disclosure of protected private information, loss of research and development data or fines by regulatory agencies. Losses due to intrusions into an information system could negatively affect the general public (i.e. power failures). This might result in costly class action lawsuits that could exceed an organization's ability to pay and result in its dissolution. Even an individual might be sued for negligence and be financially ruined. So how should an organization or person protect its valuable digital processing infrastructure? A business should establish and implement a comprehensive information assurance plan. Individuals should at least address the components of a professional information assurance plan. Doing so is evidence that the infrastructure owners are attempting to practice due diligence. An information assurance plan for an organization should be formalized and approved in the organization's policies and have the following components: Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability, Accountability and Non-Repudiation. Let's briefly examine each: A. Confidentiality refers to restricting access to data, information or to any component of the digital processing infrastructure unless there is a â€Å"Need† for an individual to be able to access it. The â€Å"need† must be aligned with an employee's job requirements and the mission of the organization. Strong confidentiality prevents the disclosure of sensitive records, research and development information. B. Integrity refers to maintaining the validity and reliability of information that is to be used for decision-making. An information infrastructure that has integrity can be depended upon when making decisions. The information is otherwise useless. Integrity must be aggressively assured. C. Availability is that characteristic of information, which assures that critical information is ready for access precisely when, and where it is needed and to whom it is needed so that decisions can be made. Computers and networks must be protected to assure that mission critical data is on hand when needed. D. Accountability refers to the idea of assigning responsibility to an individual or group of individuals for each part of the digital processing infrastructure. Each time the information infrastructure is accessed someone needs to be responsible for its safe and legitimate use. Otherwise the system is open to serious security breaches. E. Non-Repudiation is that component of information assurance that guarantees each party to a transaction is bound to its results. E-commerce, for example, would be impossible without provisions for assuring that a customer actually made a purchase. Maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, availability and non-repudiation of the information processing infrastructure is vital to the survival of an organization.

Women To The Status Of A “Second Class Citizen”

It is undeniable that women, in general, have suffered all sorts of discrimination and have been treated poorly by every society around the world for as long as history has been recorded. All countries in the world have announced their support to equal rights for women. Yet, on a daily basis, various forms of discrimination and violence against females take place around the world. Sometimes, men install glass ceilings to separate women, which prevent them from moving up in their careers.Sometimes, it is manifested through salaries with women being paid less than men. Discriminatory laws and social norms, which give preference to men in different fields, also reduce women to the status of a â€Å"second class citizen†. Most societies have a patriarchal system, which governs relations between men and women. Patriarchy, which literally means the rule of the men, is a social system where men play the dominant role. It also means that men are seen as the heads of households.In patr iarchal societies millions of women are forced to deal with different forms of discrimination and abuses at their work places and in their homes. Women take a subordinate or second-class role. This is usually reinforced through the following systems: 1. The economic system Men are regarded as breadwinners and therefore paid more than women. Women perform unpaid labour such as rearing children. With regards to property and inheritance rights, women are often discriminated against. 2. Culture and social norms and religiousCulture is everything in society which is socially rather than biologically transmitted. For example, gender roles and certain types of behavior are learned and allocated to men and women – boys don't cry, men must protect ‘their' girls and women, men are the heads of households and so forth. Girls must be kind and nurturing, not aggressive or too pushy. Gender refers to the social system, which governs the relations between men and women. It is the diff erent roles that societies prescribe for men and women.Unlike sex, which is biological, gender is determined by a given society's values and norms, the social, political and economic system. So a man's sex determines that he cannot have babies, but it is his gender role in most societies that determines that he should not feed babies and change nappies. Gender roles are cultural and culture is something that changes over time. The social role men play is linked to power and control and many people in our communities see it as part of the social order (the way things should be).Women can be good as a doctor but not a manager or president. Women are the top students in university but men professor are in majority. Some think that the feelings of superiority by men can be traced back to the biblical times of Adam and Eve as Adam was created in God's image and Eve came from Adam. 3. Political systems Men write and pass the law. Until as late as the 1970's, women were not allowed to vote in many countries, it also went without saying that governments, big business and international institutions were run mostly by men.Amazingly, many studies have shown that women who are subjected to violence and abuse are from all segments of society, including those from well-educated and well-off social classes. Yet, they don't speak about it because of shame, fear or out of concern that it would negatively affect their social status. Societies and women alike share the blame for the situation by accepting the abuse and, in some cases, justifying it. On the other hand, women activists say that many females, regardless of their education, feel â€Å"insulted† when activists speak to them about the need to end the abuse they are being subjected to.It is common knowledge that almost every language and culture tends to be male-dominated though believe me women do have a part to play some times ago my cousin gave birth to her second child a second girl so i tell my friend about it and she says â€Å"oh the poor parent's a second girl† i was applauded What the hell is that supposed to mean when both of us are second girls in the family. It’s truly a thing we as women need to improve who cares what the men think. Women to the Status of a â€Å"Second Class Citizen† It is undeniable that women, in general, have suffered all sorts of discrimination and have been treated poorly by every society around the world for as long as history has been recorded. All countries in the world have announced their support to equal rights for women. Yet, on a daily basis, various forms of discrimination and violence against females take place around the world. Sometimes, men install glass ceilings to separate women, which prevent them from moving up in their careers.Sometimes, it is manifested through salaries with women being paid less than men. Discriminatory laws and social norms, which give preference to men in different fields, also reduce women to the status of a â€Å"second class citizen†. Most societies have a patriarchal system, which governs relations between men and women. Patriarchy, which literally means the rule of the men, is a social system where men play the dominant role. It also means that men are seen as the heads of households.In patr iarchal societies millions of women are forced to deal with different forms of discrimination and abuses at their work places and in their homes. Women take a subordinate or second-class role. This is usually reinforced through the following systems: 1. The economic system Men are regarded as breadwinners and therefore paid more than women. Women perform unpaid labour such as rearing children. With regards to property and inheritance rights, women are often discriminated against. 2. Culture and social norms and religiousCulture is everything in society which is socially rather than biologically transmitted. For example, gender roles and certain types of behavior are learned and allocated to men and women – boys don't cry, men must protect ‘their' girls and women, men are the heads of households and so forth. Girls must be kind and nurturing, not aggressive or too pushy. Gender refers to the social system, which governs the relations between men and women. It is the diff erent roles that societies prescribe for men and women.Unlike sex, which is biological, gender is determined by a given society's values and norms, the social, political and economic system. So a man's sex determines that he cannot have babies, but it is his gender role in most societies that determines that he should not feed babies and change nappies. Gender roles are cultural and culture is something that changes over time. The social role men play is linked to power and control and many people in our communities see it as part of the social order (the way things should be).Women can be good as a doctor but not a manager or president. Women are the top students in university but men professor are in majority. Some think that the feelings of superiority by men can be traced back to the biblical times of Adam and Eve as Adam was created in God's image and Eve came from Adam. 3. Political systems Men write and pass the law. Until as late as the 1970's, women were not allowed to vote in many countries, it also went without saying that governments, big business and international institutions were run mostly by men.Amazingly, many studies have shown that women who are subjected to violence and abuse are from all segments of society, including those from well-educated and well-off social classes. Yet, they don't speak about it because of shame, fear or out of concern that it would negatively affect their social status. Societies and women alike share the blame for the situation by accepting the abuse and, in some cases, justifying it. On the other hand, women activists say that many females, regardless of their education, feel â€Å"insulted† when activists speak to them about the need to end the abuse they are being subjected to.It is common knowledge that almost every language and culture tends to be male-dominated though believe me women do have a part to play some times ago my cousin gave birth to her second child a second girl so i tell my friend about it and she says â€Å"oh the poor parent's a second girl† i was applauded What the hell is that supposed to mean when both of us are second girls in the family. It’s truly a thing we as women need to improve who cares what the men think.