Do Animals Feel Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Do Animals Feel - Research Paper Example The scientific research in evolutionary biology, cognitive ethology and neuroscience states that diverse animals have rich and deep emotional lives. Emotions served as the instrument to bond and attach animals with one another. Emotions, empathy and distinguishing right from wrong are the essential keys for survival on this complex environment and social interactions about lifestyle of different species (Goodal & Bekoff, 18). Humans experienced different forms of pain as well as animals. Pain is a subjective sensation that every individual verbalized and feel. According to Sneddon in 2011 people and animals almost have the same mechanisms of pain detection and have similar areas of brain involved in how the pain is processed. In addition, humans and animals are similar in terms of pain behaviors, but obviously, assessing pain in animals is more difficult to distinguish compared from human pain. Similarly, Sneddon identified the two components of pain: the physical hurt or discomfort which is caused by inflicting injury, illness or disease and the emotional hurt or suffering. Sneddon concluded that animals, just like humans, are capable of feeling physical and emotional pain (n.p.). Humans can feel emotional pain without physical injuries or disease such as after a loss of loved one, break-up of a relationship, loss of important things in their life, etc. Contrary to Sneddon’s conclusion, some scientists stated that animals are not capable of feeling emotional pain because of the reason that animals do not have neocortex or the thinking area which are found only in mammals and primates. Research of Sneddon showed that there is evidence that monkeys, dogs, cats, and birds demonstrate signs of emotional pain and behaviors associated with depression during painful experience, lethargy, anorexia, and unresponsiveness to other animals (Sneddon, n.p.). According to Bekoff in 2007, there was a doctoral research of student that required killing cats. As the autho r started the studies, the cat looks like sad and wanted to say something. After the experienced, the author decided to study different animal behavior that focus on social communication in large range of species. In adjunct with what the other scientists stated, Mark Bekoff discovered that animals feel joy, empathy, grief, embarrassment, anger, and even love (Bekoff, n.p.). In December 2005, a female humpback whale caught in crab lines, the weight of the whale which is 50 tons and 50 ft. in size which makes it difficult for the female humpback to blow above the water. A team of divers saved the female humpback whale and James Moskito, one of the rescuers described the feeling that the female humpback like to thank the rescuers for doing such good act. The whale stopped and pushed around a little bit and had some fun, the female humpback showed feelings of gratitude to the rescuers Bekoff, n.p.) Empathy is a feeling that is believed also to be felt by animals. An example of which is the livelier mouse. Every time the livelier mouse went over to get a drink and a piece of food and found out that the weaker mouse tried to bite the food, the livelier mouse moved the food gradually towards the water until the weaker mouse reached the food (Bekoff, n.p.). Animals can also show feelings of anger the same way as humans can do: they share common

Customer service Essay Example for Free

Customer service Essay This company operates globally in more than 100 countries and territories throughout the world. Their marketing objectives are realistic, measurable, and time specific. In the mission statement it says that every customer will be back, which is true because every family has eaten Pizza Hut more than once or twice. Pizza Hut is the leading pizza delivery group that has Dine-In restaurants. The restaurant has good customer service. In researching this company notes were taken on how good the customer service for this company really is. Create a pizza thats custom made just for you. Start with your favorite crust; add your toppings, and just the right amount of cheese and sauce. This is one way of service Pizza Hut gives and is known for being the best, because you get your pizza just the way you ordered it. Whether youre gathering for a game or making it a lunch meeting, feeding a large group is easy when you order from Pizza Hut, where its affordable, easy to order and assessable to many others to order. They are considered to have lower prices to be able to feed a lot of people for just a little of money. They have a very different variety of products on their menu one to please all types of individuals. Their mission statement says we take pride in making a perfect pizza and providing courteous and helpful service on time, all the time. Every customer says, I’ll be back! The definition that for good customer service that I have is that every customer can get everything they want as in pizza regardless of what they want on it. This is called pleasing the customer with what the customer has ordered. The basic customer Common needs are whatever the customer wants in prospected to what they ordered from the menu. The rapport and customer relations are established by giving the customer everything they prefer on the order when it is ordered. In other words giving the customer what they want. The basic common needs of the customer are given them what they want as a customer and make them happy. This is why I chose to write about Pizza Hut. (American Psychological Assoc. ) References Kramer, L. (1997). Pizza Huts Gier looking beyond boom for growth. Advertising Age, 68(42), 40. (American Psychological Assoc. ) References PIZZA HUT: PAN PIZZA ANNIVERSARY. (2005). Advertising Age, 76(39), 81. (American Psychological Assoc. ) References MacArthur, K. (2000). Pizza Hut brings back its Edge: $25 mil supports new version. Advertising Age, 71(18), 4. (Source: Northwestern University Center for Media Management www. mediainfocenter. org). (Sources: Pizzahut. com, and Yum. com).

Sequels and phobias in The Return of the Soldier of Rebecca West :: Rebecca West

Times of war and peace: Sequels and phobias in The Return of the Soldier of Rebecca West. Rebecca West (1892-1983) was a prolific writer who tried every literary genre; journalism, literary critique, the short story and the novel. Her first novel The Return of the Soldier published in 1918 spans half a century of creative output culminated in 1966 with her last novel The Birds Fall Down. However, all her narrative is easily identifiable because of her unmistakable style, the structure of her novels, the topics she chooses and the coherence of her ideas about mankind and society. Subsequently, all her novels are psychological, historical and social documents depicting human behavior in a precise historical and social context. West synthesizes what she observes rooting her ideas in British literary tradition. Her keen critical eye is both penetrating and enlightening, for example, when in The Return of the Soldier, Margaret Grey appears poorly dressed daring to invade the Baldry mansion with her mud covered boots, while Jenny, the narrator, expresses crude feelings of resentment towards Margaret and her social group. The latter is represented: ‘... as the rich hate the poor, as insect things that will struggle out of the crannies which are their decent home, and introduce ugliness to the light of day’ (West, 1918, rpt.1984: 32)1. West’s literary reputation was revived in the 1980s with the disintegration of Yugoslavia. Her Black Lamb and Grey Falcon; A Journey through Yugoslavia (1941) brought her wide critical attention because this novel was the last of her efforts to understand the pre-war situation. Furthermore, it was central to West’s next book, The Meaning of Treason (1947), where she concentrated on the psychological characteristics of traitors and she wondered what caused these people to do what they did—for West, war fosters deception and betrayal. The final example of West’s interest in treason is her novel The Birds Fall Down (1966) which concludes with the deaths of both the traitor and the friend he betrayed and in The Return of the Soldier, a study of the sequels of war in human mind, the protagonist is betrayed by his family. In the aforementioned novel, West employs what at the time was an original device, amnesia from war trauma or ‘shell shock’ as well as an unusual perspective on war—that of those who waited at home. West tries to explore the reactions of three women to a returning soldier who, though married, remembers only an earlier love for another woman. In spite of its obvious literary quality, The Return of the Soldier proved to be a novel severely punished by critics.

Knowledge Management: PETRONAS

Introduction Today, oil and gas companies around the world are not just professional organizations who specialize in mechanical drilling and extraction processes. Increased oil demands and the need for improved productivity have forced these organizations into new methods and knowledge intensive approaches. For instance information technology has now become very much an integral part of the oil exploration and oil extraction business. The collaboration between multi disciplinary teams has become a norm. Real-time information communication from remote reservoirs, and processing of such data in a collaborative environment that involves multiple teams and vendor locations has become an essential part of the business decision making process. In other words, a knowledge based approach underlies the critical business decisions in oil majors. (Jemielniak & Kociatkievicz, 2009, pg 284). As an oil and gas extraction company of the world, with presence in more than 30 countries across the world, PETRONAS is one of the Oil Majors. Being an increasingly competitive sector, skilled staff are always on demand in the Oil and Gas industry. This implies that organizations have to defend against attrition and be armed with effective knowledge management practices that manage vital information about processes, best practices and information about field experts and tacit knowledge about the entire operational processes. Effective knowledge management process is at the heart of business competitiveness and success. Knowledge Management Knowledge is a multidimensional and heterogeneous entity. Proper storage, classification and retrieval of knowledge is critical for innovation, cost control and hence the competitiveness of any industry. Particularly, for knowledge intensive firms such as PETRONAS, where high skilled engineering processes are involved, there is a need for ‘integrated operations’ between various knowledge areas. Ultimately, improving the production optimization process is at the heart of all knowledge management practices in PETRONAS. One of the important areas that lack coordination in the Oil and gas sector in general is the working of the reservoir engineers, the production engineers and the process engineers at the facilities. This implies that operation decisions are not always made in consultation with the onshore engineers. In other words this leads to what is known as the fragmented approach. (Jemielniak & Kociatkievicz) 2009, pg 285 Integrated Operations (Process facility and reservoir sensors and Collaboration among vendors and operators) (Jemielniak & Kociatkievicz, 2009, pg 285) Information technology has now penetrated every area of the production and process control aspects of the Oil and Gas companies. However, most of these IT tools are specialized and lack the integration that makes it difficult to access relevant data for purposes of production analysis and optimization. It is necessary that all the three major divisions (reservoir management, production management and process management) exchange real-time data. A shared information space might be the answer to the problems as it promotes better access to real-time data and integration of the various processes, which is the key to achieving production optimization. (Jemielniak & Kociatkievicz, 2009, pg 284) Knowledge Management in PETRONAS Knowledge management practices are very recent at PETRONAS. As the Knowledge Management manager, Miss Murni Shariff, disclosed in a recent interview, only in 2006 the company seriously focused on KM practices. Prior to that KM was mostly restricted to content and information management. (KMTalk, 2009) There are two types of knowledge namely tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge. Explicit knowledge, as the name suggests, refers to knowledge that could be easily documented. This type of knowledge is gained by reading, observation and discussion. For instance, documented guides about a program or the operational features of a product are examples of explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge, on the other hand, is more implicit and it is not easy to document it and consequently much harder to share. Tacit knowledge is developed over a period of time when an individual gains insights and details about the various functions in the organization. (MMU, 2006) Currently, PETRONAS is focusing on all efforts towards transferring this tacit knowledge of its staff and making it accessible for future reference and for new workers. Achieving this tacit knowledge sharing pertaining to the various complex processes within the organizations is crucial for the company to reduce costs and become competitive. As Stephen Birell, marketing director of Vardus, a KM company focusing on the Oil and gas sector states, â€Å"The way the industry can drive down cost is by attacking the areas of huge cost which are facilities and drilling. And if everyone follows best practice and shares their learning, you won’t have people making the same mistakes twice. And that ultimately saves money.† (Chowdury, 2006) Three issues are the main motivating factors for the implementation of KM practices across the organization. These are 1) aging workforce- With more than three and half decades since its institution many of the technical staff members at PETRONAS are nearing their retirement age and this mass retirement would drastically impact upon the performance unless swift knowledge management policies are in place to capture the tacit knowledge of these experienced older workforce. 2) The global oil industry is very competitive placing a high premium for the experienced and knowledgeable workforce. High attrition rate at PETRONAS is one big problem as competitors are luring skilled staff. In this context the issue of Trust becomes foremost. The following 5 C’s are recognized as trust factors among knowledge intensive workers. These are a) Competence, b) Commitment, c) Conflict, d) Communication and e) Caring. Of these commitment is foremost and it is the responsibility of the team leade r or the manager to ensure that commitment to the organization and its values are developed naturally as a response to the motivation and example shown by the leader. (Ralston, 2007) Finally, increasing international operations also implies international competition and in this scenario an effective KM plan is indispensible for the organization to smoothly manage and coordinate the international operations. KM makes it possible to simply follow the ‘PETRONAS way’ of transferring knowledge across the different organizations. (KMtalk, 2009) Initially, the main focus was on technology and in removing the hindrances in sharing knowledge stored in varied database formats. However, more than the technical problems it is the problem associated with human acceptance that is currently a pressing issue. In other words, promoting effective change management is the key to implementing KM practices. At PETRONAS new initiatives were implemented to promote better change management. Communities of Practice A new, ‘Communities of practice’ (CoP) initiative was implemented with the idea of starting an effective KM program across the entire organization to better facilitate transfer of information between the various divisions in a swift and effective manner. Currently, there are over 50 CoP’s with each Cop having 30 members. A leader or a champion is chosen among each CoP team based on their performance criteria. The CoP’s were provided with a basic structural framework with which they can implement KM solutions and promote group-wide collaborative values. Regular monitoring of the CoP operations and impact of the same are undertaken. These leaders are also encouraged to share success stories on online CoP newsletter. To encourage enthusiastic participation from the staff, the Knowledge management team is also currently promoting a rewards system wherein the reports from the various Cop’s would be reviewed and the best performing team recognized and awarded (Murni Shariff, 2008) This CoP approach at PETRONAS has shown significant positive results so far with effective information exchange between various operating units already visible across the organization. This would also significantly improve the training for younger generation staff as they fast replace the retiring older generation. A simple online tool that was designed to evaluate the penetration of the CoP based KM practices has confirmed these positive improvements. ( Murni Shariff, 2008) Conclusion Knowledge management practices are critical to the continued competitive growth of any organization. In simple terms it facilitates effective reuse of organizational resources which is tantamount to considerable cost savings. Particularly, in a knowledge intensive and high-tech organization such as PETRONAS, KM practices help to promote better collaboration between multidisciplinary teams. This could help avoid millions of dollars in costs by helping workers avoid unnecessary delays and repetitive mistakes. The current KM practices involving Communities of practice concepts are showing good acceptance among the staff which is important for effective change management. As more and more staff members are encouraged to participate in KM activities, more intensive KM practices and collaborative platforms could be established. This would help in realizing organization wide process integration and overall business alignment. However, regular knowledge auditing is the key to understand the flow of knowledge within the organization and to ascertain areas where improvements could be effected by increasing knowledge sharing. Continued management support is the key as even a small amount of time and resources spent on good KM practices would definitely translate to considerable productivity gains in the longer run. References Dariusz Jemielniak & Jerzy Kociatkievicz, (2009), Handbook of research on Knowledge intensive organizations, Pub by Information Science Reference. Faith Ralston, (2007), How to manage four types of Knowledge Workers- Play Your Best Hand, Adams Media. U.S.A KMtalk, (2009) Knowledge Management in PETRONAS : Interview with Murni Shariff, viewed Jan 23rd 2012, Murni Shariff, (2008), PETRONAS : Engaging Knowledge Worker Communities to Stimulate Innovation and Build Corporate Capability, Viewed Jan 23rd 2012, Naguib Chowdhury, (2006), Knowledge Management Implementation in PETRONAS: A Case Study, Viewed Jan 23rd 2012, Manchester Metropolitan University, (2006) Introduction to Knowledge Management, viewed Jan 24th 2012,

Higher Education Essay

Higher education is the key to new worlds. In past decades, college education was seen as a privilege which few had access to. Nowadays, it has become a culminating stage in people’s life. Higher education has proved that it has a monetary value, as the salary of a person with a college education is higher than that of a person with a high school education. Some people have sold the idea that a higher education is a waste of time and money, and that such education should only be offered to a limited group of people. However, what make these people believe they have the power to decide what others should do or not do with their lives? In my opinion, everyone should pursue a higher education because it would help to reduce monopolization of wealth and power, it would allow people to exercise their freedom and create more opportunities in their lives. Monopolization of wealth and power could be reduced by higher education. As long as the wealthy and powerful people keep the knowledge from those who are hungry of it, the economy will remain the same. As Linda Lee recalls from Caroline Bird: â€Å"College doesn’t make people intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal or quick to learn new things. It’s the other way around. Intelligent, †¦people are attracted to college in the first place† (671). I believe higher education enables people to acquire new skills and develop their intellectual capacities and grow as individuals, and of course this represents a danger for those who prefer to maintain a monopolized power and wealth from others. On the other hand, I do agree at some point with Lee that college education is being wasted on today’s youth. I have seen how here in America people are more interest in the â€Å"college experience† than focus on their education. It might also be true that the rate of lack of interest in a college education nowadays is higher than those who attended college fifty years ago. However, I do believe that fifty years ago there were also people who went to college for other reasons than learning; who can as sures us that Lee at some point of her years as a college student was not immersed in the â€Å"college experience†. Even when there are cases where people do not have a choice whether go to college or not, for the rest of the people go to college is a decision that resides within themselves. I disagree with Lee that college should not be offer for everyone. She even attacked people with learning disabilities, people who might do their best to be at the same level than the rest of us. It is usually these types of people who achieve more goals than those with not learning disabilities. Coupled with Lee’s perspective, there are also people who see college as something out of their reach. As David Leonhardt said: â€Å"†¦.For those families on the fence-often deciding whether a student will be the first to attend-the skepticism becomes one more reason to stop at high school† (646). For many families with low incomes, a higher education for their children can be the key for a better future, an even when most of the college can be expensive, there are many other college that can allow these young people to achieve a scholarship and even a four years degree without spending a penny. Thus, there are also thousands of students who do not have clear which career they should pursue. It is not a surprise that many of them decided to change careers after one of two semesters or even a coupled years. I think that as long as they are doing what they feel passion for, there should be allow changing their minds. After all, we are humans and change and mistakes are part of our nature. A higher education can create more opportunities for people. College allows students gain experiences that will help them in and out of the classroom. In college there are no more teachers trying to help them to get a decent grade, students are expose to the real world were things come to those who seek them instead of waiting for things to come to them. Gary Gutting said:† â€Å"Students, in turn, need to recognize that their college education is above all a matter of opening themselves up to new dimensions of knowledge and understanding†(628). I believe that higher education not only allows the possibility of a better future, also allows the person to develop personal, intellectual and social skills that can be used in daily life. Among with this, a higher education can enable people to get better jobs and create a better life for themselves and their families. Those who obtained a bachelor’s degree can find better jobs than those who only have a high  school degree. Perhaps the economic situation does not change much for them but it can mean a significant change for future generations. Moreover, the opportunities can be better for people with a higher education. Trying to decide what people want for their future may be uncertain when they do not have idea of ​​what they want. However, a simple way to find the right path is by making mistakes and learning from them. Whether people abandon the medical school to become engineers, as long as they do what is right for them, this decision should not become an obstacle for others. We live in a free country and no one can stop us to be who we are meant to be.

Witty Mothers Day Quotes

Witty Mothers Day Quotes A chuckle and good humor- that could be your gift to your mother on Mothers Day. Use these witty Mothers Day quotes to crack her up. Pin up posters with witty Mothers Day quotes to pack a punch. She will appreciate your sense of humor and your tactful expression. Roseanne BarrI know how to do anything- Im a mom. Rodney DangerfieldMy mother never breast-fed me; she told me she only liked me as a friend. Erma BombeckWhen your mother asks, Do you want a piece of advice? it is a mere formality. It doesnt matter if you answer yes or no. Youre going to get it anyway. Larisa OleynikIf my mom reads that I am grammatically incorrect, I will have hell to pay. Phyllis DillerI want my children to have all the things I could not afford. Then I want to move in with them. Milton BerleIf evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands? Bob MonkhouseMy mother tried to kill me when I was a baby. She denied it. She said she thought the plastic bag would keep me fresh. Peter De VriesA suburban mothers role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car for ever after. Buddy HackettMy mothers menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it. Nora EphronWhat my mother believed about cooking is that if you worked hard and prospered, someone else would do it for you.

Word Choice Hoard vs. Horde - Proofeds Writing Tips Blog

Word Choice Hoard vs. Horde Word Choice: Hoard vs. Horde Although they may sound the same when spoken, hoard and horde have distinct meanings. As such, mixing them up in your writing will look bad. But you can avoid confusion by learning their definitions and usage. Hoard (A Stockpile) The word hoard can be used as either a verb or a noun. As a verb, hoard means to accumulate and store a stockpile of something for future use. This will usually be something valuable and therefore closely guarded, such as a hoard of treasure: The mad king hoarded gold, determined to keep it all to himself. Sometimes, hoarding has a negative meaning, especially if the thing being hoarded is considered worthless or unpleasant: The old man would hoard old newspapers, keeping them in his basement. We can also use hoard as a noun to refer to a stockpile that has been collected and guarded. We would use it in a sentence like this: The pirate returned to the hidden cave to retrieve his hoard of stolen booty. Horde (A Mob or Crowd) Horde is a noun meaning a large group or crowd. It originally described nomadic warrior tribes, but it is now more commonly used to refer to large, rowdy groups of people: A horde of drunken baseball fans crowded onto the subway carriage. As well as describing groups of people, we can apply horde to swarms or packs of animals, especially wasps, mosquitoes, and other flying insects: A horde of mosquitoes ruined the picnic. Remember not to confuse horde with herd in this context, as herd is simply the group name for hoofed mammals. Hoard or Horde? Although these terms sound similar, theyre different enough in meaning that it should be easy to tell them apart. Remember: Hoard (verb) = To collect or stockpile something Hoard (noun) = A collection or stockpile Horde (noun) = An unruly mob If you would like more advice about word choice, or to have a 500-word sample of your work proofread for free, get in touch with the professionals at Proofed today!

Hastings Banda, Life President of Malawi

Hastings Banda, Life President of Malawi Continued from: Hastings Banda: the Early Years After an extra-ordinary but altogether unassuming life as an ex-patriot black African doctor in Britain during the colonial era, Hastings Banda soon became a dictator once in power in Malawi. His contradictions were many, and he left people wondering how the doctor had become Hastings Banda, Life President of Malawi. Extremist: Opposing Federation and Supporting Apartheid Even while abroad, Hastings Banda was being drawn into nationalist politics in Nyasaland. The tipping piont seems to have been the decision by the British colonial government to join Nyasaland with Northern and Southern Rhodesia to form the Central African Federation. Banda was vehemently against federation, and several times, nationalist leaders in Malawi asked him to return home to lead the fight. For reasons that are not completely clear, Banda remained in Ghana until 1958, when he finally returned to Nyasaland and threw himself into politics. By 1959, he had been jailed for 13 months for his opposition to federation, which he saw as a device for ensuring that Southern Rhodesia – which was governed by a white minority – retained control over the majority black populations of Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland.   In Africa Today, Banda declared that if opposition made him an â€Å"extremist†, he was happy to be one. â€Å"Nowhere in history,’ he said, â€Å"did the so-called Moderates accomplish anything.†Ã‚   Yet, despite his stance against the oppression of Malawis population, as a leader Banda had too few qualms, many people thought, about the oppression of South Africas black population. As President of Malawi, Banda worked closely with the Apartheid South African government and did not speak out against the radical segregation to the south of Malawis borders. This juxtaposition between his self-proclaimed extremism and the  real politique  of his international rule was just one of the many contradictions that confused and bewildered people about President Hastings Banda. Prime Minister, President, Life President, Exile As the long awaited leader of the nationalist movement, Banda was an obvious choice for Prime Minister as Nyasaland moved toward independence, and it was he who changed the name of the country to Malawi. (Some say he liked the sound of Malawi, which he found on a pre-colonial map.)   It was soon evident how Banda intended to rule. In 1964, when his cabinet tried to limit his powers, he had four of the ministers dismissed. Others resigned and several fled the country and lived in exile for the rest of their lives or his reign, which ever ended first.   In 1966, Banda oversaw the writing of a new constitution and ran unopposed for election as Malawis first president. From then forward, Banda ruled as an absolutist. The state was him, and he was the state. In 1971, the parliament named in President for Life. As President, Banda enforced his rigid sense of morality on the people of Malawi. His rule became known for oppression, and people feared his paramilitary Malawi Young Pioneers group.   He supplied the largely agrarian population with fertilizer and other subsidies, but the government also controlled prices, and so few but the elite benefited from surplus crops. Banda believed in himself and his people, though. When he ran in a contested, democratic election in 1994, he was shocked to be roundly defeated. He left Malawi, and died three years later in South Africa. A Fraud or a Puritan? The juxtaposition of Bandas demeanor as the quiet doctor in Britain and his later years as a dictator, combined with his inability to speak his native language inspired a number of conspiracy theories. Many thought he was not even from Malawi, and some claimed that the real Hastings Banda had died while abroad, and been replaced by a carefully chosen imposter.    There is something fiery about most puritanical people though. The same inner drive that leads them to renounce and denounce such common acts as kissing (Banda banned public kissing in Malawi and even censured movies he thought had too much kissing) and it is in this thread of Bandas personality that a connection can be drawn between the quiet, kind doctor and the dictatorial Big Man he became.    Sources: Banda, Hastings K. â€Å"Return to Nyasaland,† Africa Today 7.4 (1960): 9. Dowden, Richard. â€Å"Obituary: Dr. Hastings Banda,† Independent 26 November 1997.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Hastings Banda,† Economist, November 27, 1997. Kamkwamba, William and Bryan Mealer, The Boy who Harnessed the Wind. New York: Harper Collins, 2009.      Ã¢â‚¬ËœKanyarwunga’, â€Å"Malawi; The Incredible True Story of Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda,† History of Africa Otherwise blog, November 7, 2011.

Geology Volcanoes&Earthquake Assignment1 Assignment

Geology Volcanoes&Earthquake Assignment1 - Assignment Example They occur in clusters and linear chains all over the world. Regardless of few exceptions to this rule, most take place in lines that are curved, as opposed to circular ones. The two common patterns that they form called the ring of fire and the mid-ocean ridges (Oxlade 12). Plate tectonics explain the movement of plates around the earth but are different from continental drift. They elucidate why ocean basins are in existence. The earth’s crust, according to the theory of tectonics, occurs in two forms: continental crust and oceanic crust. The latter is rigid, dense, and brittle as opposed to continental crust. It breaks into separate slabs also known as plates (McKay, â€Å"Plate Tectonic Settings† 1). On the other hand, many rocks that have conjoined over billions of years or geologic time make the continental crust. They are less dense, and can deform or change much easier explaining their complication and uncertainties. Summing it all up, hot gases and material emanate from the mid-oceanic ridges while cool material goes down at subduction areas, and it is at the plate boundaries that volcanoes take place (McKay, â€Å"Subduction Zones† 1). Volcanoes erupt as fresh magma from the center of the earth rises up through weak areas or zones and consequently reaching the crest of ridges to develop novel oceanic crust. This process referred to as seafloor spreading, took place many years ago, and it led to long mid-oceanic system of ridges (McKay, â€Å"The Basics of Plate Tectonics† 1). The website, blackboard learn, is a modernized platform that offers easy access, navigation, organization, and illustration of learning material. The site’s contents are well organized, and students can easily follow the direction of the course without supervision, assistance, or any trouble. What makes the educational portal even better is the systematic organization of classes

To what extent has contemporary sociological theory advanced our Essay

To what extent has contemporary sociological theory advanced our understanding of race and racism - Essay Example llective, and how they have developed a common culture, while theories about cultural transmission help explain how this common culture sustains itself over generations. These are all helpful theories that explain racial identity. That said, the origins of racism are much more difficult to explain, and theories have been unsatisfactory in this regard. Some theories base racism in economic realities, others see racism as a product of dominance and dependency, while still others see an inherent intelligence gap between races, and this explains how races are separated. Therefore, no one theory regarding racial relations is satisfactory. That said, there are commonalities between the theories, so, by combining the theories, one can come up with a composite whole that might be helpful in explaining racial difference, relations and racism. The first issue that must be examined is how contemporary sociology views the issues of race and ethnicity, by examining ethnic identity theory. An ethnic group is â€Å"a reference group called upon by people who share a common history and culture, who may be identifiable because they share similar physical features and values and who, through the process of interacting with each other and establishing boundaries with others, identify themselves as being a member of that group† (Smith, 1991, p. 181). In other words, ethnic identity theory encompasses what it means to be white, black, Jewish, Irish, Chicano, etc. (White & Burke, 1987, p. 311). Ethnic identity theory derives from how one feels about his or her membership in the identified ethnic group, which includes the symbols, beliefs and values of that group. Moreover, ethnicity is not a choice – one must be born into it (Smith, 1991, p. 182). Ethnic identity development is the process that one takes to come to term s with one’s ethnicity (Smith, 1991, p. 182). Ethnic identity is learned from one’s family and community, and is developed from shared religion, culture,

Operation management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Operation management - Essay Example This research deals with the operation management issues at Wal-Mart. The organization implemented several unique strategies in the business operation processes in order to gain competitive advantages. A primary data collection process has been adopted in this study to understand the view of the respondents who have participated in the interview process. Managers, employees and customers of Walmart have been chosen as the respondents. The respondents discussed about several reasons behind the growing operational management issues in Walmart. The report has analyzed each and every response that is gathered during the data collection process. Finally, some recommendation plans have been proposed for the operation management team of Walmart in order to improve the present scenario. Introduction Wal-Mart is one of the leading retail giants across the globe and is regarded as one of the most valued businesses in the world. The highly efficient performance of the company is mainly driven b y its state-of the art operations management and logistics system. The retail industry is a highly concentrated industry with a number of major players like Wal-Mart, Carrefour, Home Depot, Royal Ahold N.V., Metro etc. Wal-Mart has established itself as a market leader in the industry. The companies can be classified as market qualifiers and the market order winners based on the strategic perspective. The market order winners are those companies that are clearly distinguishable from the competitor companies and have more potential to be chosen as the source of buying by the consumers. The market qualifiers are those companies which have the minimum requirements to be considered as a potential source of buying by the customers. The factors driving the capabilities of a business as a market qualifier or a market order winner are given below. (Source: Kapner 51) Clearly, Wal-Mart is a market order winner because of the high quality, service and operational processes used in the busines s. The company has a robust technology system to forecast demand, supply, determine optimum inventory levels, determine efficient transportation routes and maintain customer relations efficiently. The efficient operations management in Wal-Mart has benefited the company in many ways like keeping the product cost low, reduced storage costs, ability to maintain a variety of stock and providing it at a competitive pricing. Wal-Mart continuously monitors and improves its technology so that all its operational systems function as per the demand and it does not lose out on even a single customer by not providing the right product at the right time and at the right place. The operations strategy of the company is particularly critical in driving the success of Wal-Mart as an established market order winner and is represented in Appendix 1. The main objective of the study is to find out the different operational and strategic issues faced by the operations manager in Wal-Mart. Other objecti ves are to find out the process of operations management and service delivery in the organization. Operational Issues The operations management of Wal-Mart is much superior as compared to the other players in the industry. The company has established an efficient supply chain thereby delivering excellent service quality to

HISTORICAL THEORISTS LETTERRole of the Teacher Assignment

HISTORICAL THEORISTS LETTERRole of the Teacher - Assignment Example Most American schools have a sense of American culture that may at times shock immigrant children. This is due to the constant cultural shifts they experience in the course of transitioning from school to home. Each culture upholds its own set of values that act as driving forces of the people in that particular culture. What happens when two contrasting cultures collide in the lives of these youth? The end result of such a scenario is that they negate one culture and pledge themselves fully to the other. While this may seem an amicable solution, it is important to note that both cultures in this scenario have different roles that are equally important to children’s development. Amid such increasing pressure, children are likely to succumb to pressures of American culture due to their increased interaction with it and due to their friends’ influence. Unfortunately, the oppressed culture is depleted, together with the influence carried by its upholders, reducing parentsà ¢â‚¬â„¢ authority and control over their children. As such, the children delve into the perilous business of lacking sufficient life knowledge, making them ill-equipped to succeed. To avoid this, I have concluded that public schools need to â€Å"provide the beginnings of a wide, deep, and universal culture that allows a world class interpretation of parents and countrymen† (Addams). Secondly, it is quite obvious that the repercussions of such poor nurturing will be passed on to the next generation. For example, â€Å"I do not believe that children who have been cut off from their own parents will be those who, when they become parents themselves, will know how to connect the family together and to connect it with the state† (Addams). This is because they lack better methods of survival and sufficient knowledge to pass on, consequently creating an irresponsible and corrupt society. This scenario charges schools with the obligation to impart the necessary knowledge and skills to

Marketing plan for a new self service laundry In Dubai, UAE Essay

Marketing plan for a new self service laundry In Dubai, UAE - Essay Example This will ensure that there is low formality and that authority is centralized. There are other organization designs that can be employed to adequately help the company achieve its objectives. One of such organizational designs is the team design where the company is made of different teams who work separately but towards attaining a common goal. It is easier to achieve the company’s objectives as a team rather than as individuals since different people have different skills and expertise. The company will be competing in a laundry service industry and will therefore be providing laundry services to the people of Dubai. The company competes directly with other laundry service companies such as Champion Cleaners. Champion Cleaners has more than forty outlets in United Arabs Emirates including Dubai. The company offers laundry services to approximately fifty percent of the laundry service customers in Dubai. In the year 2013, the company recorded sales of approximately 1.3 million garments per year. Our company is yet to begin its operations in Dubai hence it has no share of market. The company wishes to earn at least a twenty percent share of the Dubai market within the three years of its operations. The company will be competing directly with the pick-up and door to door delivery services offered by the Champion Cleaners which has seen the company grow at a high rate and even expand its operations outside United Arabs Emirates. Since our company will be beginning its operations in Dubai, we will be competing locally with the Champion Cleaners. The Champion cleaners however compete locally, nationally and even regionally with other laundry service companies. Nevertheless, the growth of the laundry service industry in Dubai can be estimated to around six percent in the last five years with very few players coming into the industry. The demand for the laundry services in Dubai is constant throughout the year. The state of both

Does physical location impact collaboration between groups Essay

Does physical location impact collaboration between groups - Essay Example People from one PC could connect to any other who is in any part of the world with one of the medium called as Net Meeting which is provided by the Microsoft. CMC (Computer mediated Communications) which is in short for communications takes place between people through supported media which can either be audio/video conferencing, emails, chat rooms etc. In a global scale this technology helps organizations to gain competitive advantage as they respond to the customers needs quickly. There have been a number of researchers that has been going on to make a break through in this particular area. Usually, GSS (Group Support Systems), and groupware represent trends in practical collaboration that have fulfilled the demands. A large number of people who have been using the internet as a tool for communication, over the last few decades have faced a significant change and have been a considerable growth as well. A speculation is been carried out whether having to attend a meeting in person is as important as it is in the virtual world in a group. The issues that are occurring when 2 different technologies communicate with each other are emphasized here. Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) and GroupWare are the 2 technologies, with the help of these technologies; people can work as virtual groups from any part of the world which makes it convenient. There is a certain improvement of the results when these technologies are implemented and the decisions are made real quickly. The relevance of the present work lies in the fact that the scarce amount of literature on similar topics does not represent the scope of the problem and the real impact of the groupware in the fulfilling of the common tasks by virtual groups should be subjected to close consideration and research. The core idea of the work is whether the physical location (or, better, co-location) if the groups influences their performance in the fulfillment of the common tasks, and how the effects differ between co-locative groups and those which simply use groupware in their collaboration. For the aims of the present work it is necessary to look at the process of the performance of virtual groups in the use of the groupware for the fulfillment of the common tasks. It is also necessary to use the AST as the basis for the present research, as this theory allows deeper understanding of the processes which take place among the members of the virtual group at the time they us groupware for the fulfillment of the common task. It is necessary to define the changes which occur to each of the four decision-outcomes criteria for the better understanding of the impact of groupware. The data acquired through the work will be analyzed through comparison between the co-locative group and the one locating in different parts of the world but using groupware for the fulfillment of similar tasks. Adaptive Structuration Theory In management science, Adaptive Structuration describes the theory which was described by Anthony Giddens, which was further expanded and modelled by DeSanctis and Poole. The social and Intrapersonal affects that use technology on groups is emphasized here. Giddens rejects the extreme positions in the agency-structure debate, positioning in the process that human action, while institutionally constrained,

Marketing plan for a new self service laundry In Dubai, UAE Essay

Marketing plan for a new self service laundry In Dubai, UAE - Essay Example This will ensure that there is low formality and that authority is centralized. There are other organization designs that can be employed to adequately help the company achieve its objectives. One of such organizational designs is the team design where the company is made of different teams who work separately but towards attaining a common goal. It is easier to achieve the company’s objectives as a team rather than as individuals since different people have different skills and expertise. The company will be competing in a laundry service industry and will therefore be providing laundry services to the people of Dubai. The company competes directly with other laundry service companies such as Champion Cleaners. Champion Cleaners has more than forty outlets in United Arabs Emirates including Dubai. The company offers laundry services to approximately fifty percent of the laundry service customers in Dubai. In the year 2013, the company recorded sales of approximately 1.3 million garments per year. Our company is yet to begin its operations in Dubai hence it has no share of market. The company wishes to earn at least a twenty percent share of the Dubai market within the three years of its operations. The company will be competing directly with the pick-up and door to door delivery services offered by the Champion Cleaners which has seen the company grow at a high rate and even expand its operations outside United Arabs Emirates. Since our company will be beginning its operations in Dubai, we will be competing locally with the Champion Cleaners. The Champion cleaners however compete locally, nationally and even regionally with other laundry service companies. Nevertheless, the growth of the laundry service industry in Dubai can be estimated to around six percent in the last five years with very few players coming into the industry. The demand for the laundry services in Dubai is constant throughout the year. The state of both

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 48

History - Essay Example They had no idea how the colonists would react, but they never assumed that it would lead to outright rebellion. This tax, called the Stamp Act, was perceived by the Colony leaders to be unjust. This disagreement would be the beginning of the end of the relationship that the Colonists had with Great Britain. The Stamp Act was repealed in 1766, but was replaced with another new law that allowed the British government to tax the colonies as they saw fit; and, indeed they did tax them. â€Å"The Boston Tea Party† was not this roaring attack by men hooting and screaming, while dressed as Native Americans, making a loud protest as we so often see in films and television; in fact, the â€Å"Tea Party† was rather covert, quiet, and over and done with quickly. Ultimately the episode concluded with the British response to the â€Å"The Boston Tea Party,† when armed warships surrounded the port city and were prepared to use force to gain obedience and order if necessary. T his miniseries uses actors to speak the words that reflected the real concerns of the people who were living in these times. It makes it very interesting to learn history in this way. The second part of the miniseries, Liberty! The American Revolution, covers the period between 1774-1776. This was the times when Americans took up arms and openly defied Britain. The British thought that the colonists were hardly a threat. Many colonists were still quite loyal to their homeland and were caught in the middle, and quite conflicted as to what they should do. It was a rebellion they thought could be put down quickly and then it would be over and forgotten. The famous skirmish at Lexington, may have been by accident, in that to this day no one is absolutely certain who fired the first shot. However, it was Bunker Hill where British losses were significant, and the Americans proved they could be a threat. The Americans held their ground until they ran out of ammunition and were

Black people in the USA in 1945 Essay Example for Free

Black people in the USA in 1945 Essay Blacks in the USA in 1945 were not considered as equal; the treatment of people was based on their skin colour, a practice that had been going on for many years before, even after the Reconstruction of society after the Civil War in which the blacks were liberated from slavery. In theory, blacks were free to work and live where they wanted, but the figures at the time told a different story: by 1960, around 17% of the workforce of white-collar workers, i.e. professional, technical, administration, etc., were blacks, while the whites remained the majority at 47%. The blue-collar work, such as craftsmen, manual labourers, etc. jobs that are renowned for needing less skill and education had 40% of the workforce as blacks, and 36% were whites. Blacks just werent provided the education and qualifications to do the professional types of work due to separation of black and white facilities. Not only were they held back at getting the higher-class jobs, they were paid less for the same wor k that whites did; in 1950, blacks earned about 53% of a whites wage. This figure remained the same over the next 20 years, with it rising 11% to blacks earning 64% of a whites wage. All over the USA, blacks were discriminated against in almost all areas of life, whether it is the law of the state, or just by the custom of the local society. After the abolishment of slavery, slaves had the choice of moving away from their former homes and having their own lives; unfortunately, many blacks didnt have any money to move halfway across the USA to the northern states that had fought to free them. Those who did have the finance to travel rarely had enough money afterwards to sustain a good quality of life after they had moved. The custom of de facto came into play in some of the Northern states; ghettos and places where the majority of the population were black sprung up in towns and cities. Segregation by custom in the North was contrasted with segregation by law, or de jure, in the South- Jim Crow laws forbade blacks, for example, to enter white facilities, or sit on buses with whites, etc. Places where de facto was in force came up with other ways to separate blacks from whites to keep the Southern order of things; red lining was when banks were not allowed to give money for mortgages if they suspected it would be a risky investment- if a black family moved into a certain area, it would lower the prices of the surrounding houses. This  meant that places such as ghettos were built up, when the majority of the population were black. This type of segregation wasnt by law, but by custom, blacks werent forced to live in black areas, but they felt pressured to live in certain places because of the practises such as red lining in effect. Although it is in the Constitution that everyone is equal and has the same civil rights, it is beliefs like red lining that push a wedge between races; it may not seem constitutional, but it is up to the Supreme Court in the USA to decide what is constitutional. They decided that slavery was lawful mainly due the fact that the Southern states economy was based on slavery; they were needed to produce cotton, the main export in the 19th century. Without them, the economy would have fallen apart. After the 13th amendment to the Constitution, slavery was no longer legal, but the Supreme Court still remained to overlook state laws that continued discrimination and practices that could be seen as worse then slavery- for example, the Ku Klux Klan were allowed to terrorise and lynch blacks, yet lynching was not made illegal. The Supreme Court declared that the 14th amendment forbids states, but not citizens, from discriminating (1) Separate facilities for blacks and whites were considered as the solution to the discrimination problem; the Supreme Court believed that the blacks were separate but equal when they were forced to use different buildings, transport, schools and hospitals then the whites. Since the Supreme Court approved laws and could declare them unconstitutional if they wanted to, they were the ones who the blacks has to convince if they wanted to change anything; in legal cases, the trial had to be taken to the Supreme Court to have any impact, since the State Courts were always going to be in favour of the Jim Crow laws. The Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896) case was when Homer Plessy refused to sit in the coloured car of a train and sat in the white section instead. The case went to Supreme Court, and they ruled that Plessy was guilty and sentenced him to pay a fine or go to jail. This was considered the most shameful ruling of the Supreme Court in history; it shows the extent of the discrimination against blacks, even after slavery was abolished- even though Plessy was 1/8 black and 7/8 white, he was still considered as black in the eyes of the Louisiana law. Although many people thought that this ruling was  shocking, there wasnt much that could be done, since they did not have a definite leader to show them what the do; everything that the movement did was relatively unorganised, with maybe one person leading the others. People such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Booker T. Washington tried to unite blacks under one leadership, but it did not work, because everyone has different opinion on what should be done about the discrimination problem. Dr Martin King Jr. was a black leader that advocated peaceful resistance; because of this, many whites accepted him because they knew that he would not cause violence, but blacks did not like this as peaceful protest could only take them so far- they felt that King was weaker then some of the other extremist black leaders, such as Malcolm X. Kings approach to fighting against their oppression wasnt enough to keep the blacks following him; they preferred people who were willing to do more for the benefit of all blacks. Another leader who was thought as weak by fellow blacks was Booker T. Washington; he was accused of being an accommodationist to the whites, as he wasnt campaigning for equal civil rights, he was concentrating on equal job opportunities- this wasnt what the blacks were fighting for; they wanted to be free to do what the whites could do, not only in jobs but in other aspects of life too. The leaders of the movement were not united, therefore they were not strong- many leaders were critical of others, for example, W.E.B DuBois criticised Washington, saying that blacks cannot get social equality if they do not get political equality first. The New Deal is a phrase used to explain the actions taken after Black Tuesday when the US Stock market crashed to stop the effects of the Depression disturbing the lives of the public. Laws were passed to help stop the consequences of the Depression becoming a long-term problem; within the first hundred days, President Roosevelt passed a law that lowered workers salaries and pensions by up to 15%- a move that people did not like, yet it saved a lot of money for the government. Another act was passed that stated that the government could inspect banks before letting them open again so they could see if the bank was eligible to lend and hold money. This prevented banks lending out money that they did not have, therefore they did not losing money for their customers and wouldnt have to close, as they  would have to have done if they did lend out money they didnt have. The New Deal was produced so the government could help all of those that were affected by the Depression; this helped the blacks because they were some of the poorest people in the USA at the time, and as many as 8% of blacks were unemployed in 1955. For the blacks, the New Deal slightly improved their way of living as it was designed to help everyone without discrimination. Soon after New Deal was set up, the situation for blacks was improved socially by the outbreak of the Second World War. When the Americans were brought into the war, they needed as many men as they could to fight; blacks had regiments where they could join and be equal to whites, but they still were not allowed to belong to the same regiment as the whites- there were some who did, but they were rare, they normally belonged to an all-black regiment. At the end of the war, the blacks got more ambitious; they were allowed to fight for their country, but America wasnt even grateful enough of them to let them be equal. This would have enraged African Americans since they had fought so hard to be a part of America, so the Civil Rights movement activity increased, which put pressure on the government to do something. The Nazi ideology also pushed the government into action, because what the Americans were doing to the blacks could be compared to the Germans discriminating against the Jews in Germany; the blacks realised this, so demanded equality, as they didnt want the same to happen to them. In conclusion, the position of blacks in 1945 was not equal to whites: even after a century of supposed freedom from slavery, blacks were still treated as inferiors to whites. Laws and acts were in effect that encouraged the discrimination of blacks. Amendments such as the rights for blacks to vote and the rights for them to be equal were passed, but there were so many other laws that cancelled them out. Jim Crow laws in the South and practises such as red lining in the North made it impossible for blacks to be seen as equal politically, whilst rebellions by extremist whites and groups such as the Ku Klux Klan stopped blacks gaining any social standing or equality. Blacks were supposed to be equal, but by 1945, some may comment that the position of them was worse then slavery, as the blacks were on their own in  there poverty and discrimination; before, they had their slave owners who would clothe and feed them to keep productive workers- they would never be out on the streets as slaves, but as free people, they received basically no help. Things that whites took for granted, such as clean and good-quality facilities, and jobs that are fair and just are things that blacks counted themselves lucky if they managed to get any equality. People like Martin Luther King Jr. and W.E.B. DuBois tried to get equality, both through violence and peaceful means, but it didnt have much effect to the political and social standing of blacks. The discrimination of blacks continued right into the 20th century, even up into the 21st century. It was slow going for the blacks right to equality, but actions by both blacks and whites changed things for the better. H owever, in 1945, blacks were not considered as equal, but as 3/5s of a human being. Bibliography: (1) http://www.alternativeinsight.com/Reparations-Slavery.html Field, Ron; Civil Rights in America 1865-1980; Cambridge University Press http://www.lawbuzz.com/can_you/plessy/plessy.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal

The City Of La-la-land Essay example -- Los Angeles, California

The old building. Created out of wood, bricks and stone. Remembers the forest that became a field that became a city. Remembers every moment, every story, that it was told. Listen to the old building. Listen to the tales, that are recorded in the walls. To the stories trapped in the bricks. It has much to say. Much to show. Los Angeles: the city of illusions,fakes, fantasies, and dreamers. The building in Los Angeles resemble the different ethnic people who live in this strange city, they are Unique and Imaginative. Much of the buildings located in Los Angeles are constructed to look contemporary, bizarre, and/or shaped to resemble something entirely different, for example a cupcake. The buildings, like some of the people who inhabit the city of Los Angeles, are there to entertain the audience. Each unique building represents bits and pieces of what Los Angeles is. However, which one reveals what Los Angeles is known for? What represents the immense amount of culture, the beautiful (fake) people, the expensive taste, and the eccentric architecture. Which building shows a city constructed out of people’s dreams. The Fowler Museum, Griffith Observatory, The Staples Center, Bradbury Building, Stahl House, and Grauman’s Chinese Theater; all capture the image that Los Angeles shows. Hundreds of thousands of Hollywood's most famous celebrities have graced the halls of the Chinese Theatre, at movie premieres and ceremonies. In the Book Hollywood Cinema written by Richard Maltby, he saysâ€Å"it was once stated ‘To visit Los Angeles and not see the Chinese Theater is like visiting China and not seeing the Great Wall’ [Grauman’s] Chinese Theater has been a part of Los Angeles history for over seventy five years†. The Chinese Theater, in Holl... ...From the movies that are shown, to famous cemented handprints of celebrities, to the building itself, shows how this city has been constructed out of dreams, illusion, and fantasy. The pictures, movies and celebrities-that were produced by the media, and shown in the Grauman’s Chinese Theater- made people start thinking,acting and looking a different way. The media drilled into the populations mind that the civilians of Los Angeles should be like the people the had created in their work. The media created the perfect guideline of what every person in this city should have, should look, and act like, creating the beautiful fake people we have today. The Grauman’ Chinese Theater best captures Los Angeles. It Shows exactly what the city and the people of Los Angeles is, a perfect movie. â€Å"La-la-land: A place or state that is out of touch with reality.† (dictionary.com)

Bondage and Escape in Sons and Lovers :: Lawrence Sons and Lovers Essays

Bondage and Escape in Sons & Lovers A major theme in "Sons & Lovers" is bondage and escape. Every major character is held hostage by another character or by their environment. Her husband, her family and her anger at the family's social status hold Mrs. Morel hostage. She has no friends to be seen or money of her own to use. Her escape from her bondage is her death. She was unhappy her whole life and lived though another human as a source of happiness. She essentially lived her life through William and, after his death, through Paul, which in a twist of irony, by doing so she is essentially keeping them in bondage. She wants William to move to town to get a good job and a good wife to help up their social status. When he does move and bring home a woman, she thinks she has finally arrived, only to be pushed back down with his death. William, who found a good upper class woman with Lily, brings her back to his family's home. He loves Lily, until he sees her behavior to his sister; Lily treats Annie like a servant. Although his mother likes Lily, he cannot stay with her and soon leaves her and then falls ill and dies. William's death is his great escape from the bonds of his mother. When William dies Paul replaces him as Mrs. Morel's dummy; Paul leads his life as his mother wants him to, she keeps him in check, approves who he dates and even goes with him and speaks for him on his first job interview. The only thing redeeming Paul in this is that he knows that he is being tied down by his mother and is fighting a silent fight against her for his whole life. Although Mrs. Morel doesn't like Miriam, he keeps his relationship with her. Although Mrs. Morel doesn't want Paul to stay out late, on most occasions he breaks this rule also. The only thing that ever releases Paul from Mrs. Morel's grasp is her death. Mr. Morel's captivity is the most literal. He is held captive by the mine; every day he must work in the mine and the harder and longer he works, the more money he makes.

“A Soldier” by Robert Frost

Andrew Fariello Professor Didner ENC1102 MW 3:30-5:15 â€Å"A Soldier† by Robert Frost â€Å"A Soldier† by Robert Frost Robert Frost's â€Å"A Soldier† attracted my interest to some degree. As a United States military veteran of a foreign war, I significantly related to the message that Robert Frost was sending. From my own personal experiences that I have endured while fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom conflict in Iraq, Robert Frost's words exploded imagery into my mind breaking open another dimension that typed words on a paper could not provide alone.His poem really hit home, creating a bond between the poem and myself, making â€Å"A Soldier† a wonderful poem for me to analyze. In the poem â€Å"A Soldier,† Robert Frost uses a hurled lance that will eventually rot away to symbolize a dead solider that too, will be forgotten soon. Frost is describing a soldier that has been killed by war, and has been forgotten due to the fact that the soldier is just that: a soldier, a killer that had been killed for an unimportant ugly cause. Robert Frost portrays an image that the soldier did live for a greater cause, and should be remembered for it.Robert Frost first describes a lance that has come to rest on the ground, and will soon rot away. He is that fallen lance that lies as hurled, That lies unlifted now, come dew, come rust, â€Å"He is that fallen lance that lies,† and â€Å"That lies unlifted,† tells the reader that the soldier is dead. The â€Å"fallen lance† is â€Å"He,† the soldier. â€Å"Lies unlifted† tells the reader that the soldier is dead, not uplifted as the reader would expect to have read rather than the word â€Å"unlifted. The lance, which is the soldier, will wither away just as a lance left in the ground would rust away. Then Frost tells his readers that society doesn't see the soldier's life important enough to have solved anything, and that the soldier's death didn't hav e any meaning. Before Frost tells his readers this, he first gives a hint that the soldier's death did have meaning. But still lies pointed as it ploughed the dust. If we who sight along round the world, See nothing worthy to have been its mark, It is because like men we look too near,Forgetting that as fitted to the spear, â€Å"See nothing worthy to have been its mark† symbolizes that the soldier wasn't â€Å"worthy†, or important enough to have come to lie permanently in the â€Å"dust†, or the earth. Although society couldn't see a larger picture, and no meaning behind the soldier's death, as Frost portrays as â€Å"men† who â€Å"look too near†, the soldier did, in fact, have a greater meaning to it all. Frost portrays this theory by keeping the lance, or solider â€Å"pointed as it ploughed the dust†, meaning the solider was pointed in the right direction in his life.Lastly, Frost describes the burden that is created from our weapons, but shows us that the soldier will be triumphant after his death. Our missiles always make too short an arc. They fall, they rip the grass, they intersect The curve of Earth, and striking, break their own; They make us cringe for metal-point on stone. But this we know, the obstacle that checked And tripped the body, shot the sprit on Further than target ever showed or shone. â€Å"Too short an arc†, and â€Å"they intersect†, symbolizes that our weapons are designed to come down to earth and destroy. Break their own† and â€Å"metal-point to stone† symbolizes that once the weapons do come down, they will destroy their own race and their creations. The soldier though, â€Å"tripped† and â€Å"shot the sprit on,† depicting that he is in a better place now. And the soldier is now at peace. Robert Frost used rhyme to keep the reader's interest, and implemented it very cleverly into his poem. The last word in the first line of his poem rhymes with the last word of the fourth line.And the last word of the very next line rhymes with the last word of the eighth line, which is the same interval of lines between the first and fourth lines. This pattern continues throughout the poem, and the lines that are in the middle of these intervals, also have their last words rhyming with each other. In conclusion, Robert Frost paints an image of a passed soldier that many may have been forgotten. Although only few will see the bigger picture behind the soldier's death, the soldier's sprit has moved on to a place where it can't be exposed anymore; â€Å"Further than target ever showed or shown. â€Å"

Myself, the Writer Essay

Every human being in this world has what he or she enjoys doing. On my part, I have a liking for writing and it has become my hobby since my high school years. I developed fondness towards the art of writing after having been encouraged by my language teacher. She used to do a lot of writing and had written several books and articles that were published in journals, magazines, and newspapers. She used to write on virtually every topic especially on issues that were emergent within the society. This teacher became my role model. This paper shall give a summary of the reasons and challenges I meet during writing. Reasons and Challenges in Writing: As stated earlier in the introduction, I developed my desire in writing during my high school days and from that time I have enjoyed every bit of my hobby, writing on almost every topic in the day to day life in the society. One of the main reasons as to why I have a liking for writing is that I have a strong yearning to progress in writing. Writing also assists me in developing new skills and advancing knowledge on various subjects. Writing also helps me in expressing my feelings (Hodges, p 9). There are however many challenges that I encounter in writing. Extra caution is needed when writing due to the strict rules and legislations that have been established to govern writing. These acts to limit the extent to which an individual would wish to express his/her ideas (Elbow, p 12). Writing can also be a challenge in that finding the right words does not come easy. Writing requires total commitment and it may be discouraging especially when you are unable to come up with the necessary words that would express a phenomenon (Elbow, p 26). Writing can not be done in a haphazard manner and therefore requires adequate time and vast research on the topic. Writers get frustrated when some topics of interest do not have enough information upon conducting research. Conclusion: Writing is part and parcel of my life and despite the challenges that I face, I am determined to overcome them and excel. It is only through writing that the unspoken minds can be read and understood. Just like any other field, success in writing requires total commitment. Work Cited: Elbow, Peter. Writing with power: techniques for mastering the writing process, (2nd edn) 1998. Oxford University Press US; ISBN 0195120175, 9780195120172 Hodges, Richard, E. â€Å"The Conventions of Writing. † In Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts, ed. James Flood, Julie M. Jensen, Diane Lapp, and James R. Squire. 1991. New York: Macmillan.

Ikea Invades America Essay

Founded in 1943 by a poor Swedish farmer named Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA is now one of the largest furniture retailers in the world. From its inception, Kamprad wanted to create cheap, quality furniture that everyone could afford. That formula led to IKEA’s early success in Sweden and has carried over until today. To its customers, IKEA is not just a store but a way of life, which may be evident through the cult-like following the company has achieved. When talking about the four P’s of marketing (product, price, place, promotion), there are few companies in the world that have mastered this concept better than IKEA. IKEA has been able to recognize the demands of its shoppers and create compelling products that meet those demands at a reasonable price. Its products are sold at unique stores that serve strategically important, geographic markets. This paper examines the factors that have made IKEA such a big success and offers some recommendations for future growth in the United States. Today, IKEA has over 240 stores in 35 countries and has revenues of over $26 billion. Its revenues double every 5-6 years and the company is now expanding to growing markets like China, Japan, and Brazil. The future of IKEA looks brighter than ever. For a brief snapshot of IKEA’s current sales around the world see Appendix 1. In 1985, IKEA decided to invade America. Faced with this early failure, IKEA retooled its furniture to fit American tastes. IKEA soon became the fastest growing furniture retailer and the 14th largest furniture retailer overall in the United States. IKEA executives needed to find a balance of how to create new furniture offerings without losing its unique design and corporate soul. By examining IKEA’s marketing strategy and answering a series of four questions, we have developed recommendations (see Appendix 2) that we think will lead to IKEA’s continued growth and success. 1) What are some of the ways that furniture retailers have sought to overcome these purchase obstacles? : a) identifying a product that consumers like, b) visualizing the product in the consumer’s home, and c) getting the product in the consumer’s home? In furniture sales, there are two general strategies: the low-end and the high-end. The low-end offers cheap, utilitarian furniture that is dreary looking. Cheap furniture is marketed to people such as college students who have a small budget. The cheap furniture is also displayed in poorly lit showrooms that offer little to no customer service. High-end furniture stores compete on quality and service. The high-end offers a large selection in each style and sub-style of furniture, which results in the showroom having a large inventory. The broad, variety strategy virtually guarantees that a customer’s preferred style will be available. The high-end stores also have high touch sales associates to help customers with product selection and furniture measurement. Sales associates are trained to educate their customers; such as explaining the life spans of different materials. They also reassure customers that their furniture will last a life time. Visualizing a piece of furniture in a person’s home can be very difficult. The high-end furniture stores have beautiful showrooms that are elaborately decorated to help the customer visualize where they can place new furniture or how they can redecorate their home. High-end stores also offer interior design services. Most retailers offer credit to make high-end furniture more affordable. All retailers offer home delivery, sometimes free, to make the transition as painless as possible for the customer. As an added bonus, retailers offer to assemble the furniture in the customer’s home. Sometimes, delivering the furniture also involves rearranging furniture, as well as removing and discarding old furniture. Providing these services makes the purchase of new furniture an easy and worry-free process. 2) Explain IKEA’s reverse positioning strategy. IKEA created a matrix used to prioritize product lineup and price. (See Appendix 3) Primarily the matrix is used to set a target retail price and select a product style. With the matrix system, IKEA is able to identify product line opportunities and gaps; creating a well rounded store. IKEA has avoided the image of the low end furniture store by displaying furniture in brightly lit showrooms. These showrooms help customers envision how the furniture interacts with the allotted space. Plus color coordinated cards provide design tips and information kiosks are on hand to help customers. All of these features reinforce IKEA’s self service ethos without making the customer feel abandoned. In IKEA’s case, the firm rejected the standard business models for both high-end and low-end furniture stores. IKEA’s furniture is composed of cheaper parts that are not visible and are not under high stress through use and a higher quality material is used for the visible parts or parts under high stress. This gives IKEA’s furniture a higher end look while keeping their costs low. IKEA’s reverse positioning kept prices low, while eliminating many services thought essential to a higher-end store. The company replaced them with unique services for its category: a bright, inviting showroom, furniture that was attractively designed, a child care center, a restaurant serving Swedish meatballs, and brightly colored house wares and clever toys. As a result, IKEA successfully avoided the feel of the low-end retailers, and customers â€Å"find the IKEA shopping experience to be immensely appealing (Moon, â€Å"IKEA Invades America,† 5). 3) What are some of the various product/service attributes that IKEA has chosen to withhold from its customers? IKEA seems to incorporate a hybrid strategy focusing on both cost and differentiation. IKEA attempts to price in the low to midrange category. IKEA does not build its furniture to last a lifetime, which in-fact flows well with its ad campaigns focused on letting go of the semimetal value Americans often place on furniture. IKEA products are known for falling apart after a few years; however, its customers are typically satisfied with the look, functionality, and affordability of IKEA products (Moon, 2004, p. 5). Its focus is on cost-efficiency, so the company uses higher-quality materials on visible surfaces and lower-quality materials elsewhere. High-end stores compete on quality and â€Å"high touch† experience and selection. Nearly all types of furniture stores offer delivery services. However, IKEA successfully eliminated many of these attributes. IKEA products are designed to be transported unassembled in flat boxes, which keeps shipping costs low and prevents IKEA from having to deliver/assemble furniture for customers (Moon, 2004, p. ). Customers are responsible for transportation of their furniture and assembly of their furniture. Although this step may seem like its decreasing the consumer experience/perceived product value; it’s actually keeping the customer involvement level high. Moreover, the competitive pricing offered at IKEA is attributed to letting customer build their own furniture, which keeps costs to a minimum. Formerly, IKEA only produced a few different designs; however, this has changed in recent years. In order to be consistent with IKEA’s self-service ethos and to keep costs low, the ratio of sales assistants to customers is kept low. The low number of sales associates can have a negative effect on the consumer experience. To handle furniture questions, customers are provided with product descriptions and measuring tape so they can make their own measurements. 4) What are some of the areas that IKEA has managed to achieve cost efficiency by implementing a number of firm-specific operation processes? A number of cost effective operating processes have been implemented by IKEA. In furniture design, IKEA engineers often select cheaper/low quality materials for less visible areas that experience minimal stress and expensive materials for visible areas that undergo stress. This aids IKEA in producing durable, good-quality products at low costs. IKEA has worked with over 1,800 suppliers in over 50 countries and often uses suppliers from developing countries. To keep costs down, IKEA usually purchases in bulk and often orders various components of a given product from different suppliers. IKEA is strict with employees about waste; it enforces minimal travel budgets and requires them to save electricity. IKEA keeps a small staff in stores and provides self-serve trolleys to aid consumers in loading their vehicles. Typical furniture retailers require a larger staff and/or incur shipping costs for delivery of their bulky, already assembled products. Flat packaging allows IKEA customers to transport their purchases home and eliminates the expense of home delivery. IKEA’s flat packaging strategy is another firm specific operating process. The strategy was inspired by an employee who, in 1955, removed the legs off a table to fit it into a customer’s car. This strategy requires designers to keep in mind the amount of space their products take up in their unassembled form. Flat packaging also helps prevent damage to the products during the shipping process. IKEA will often redesign their products multiple times to achieve space optimization and reduce shipping costs. Space optimization typically lowers prices for consumers; however, it may lengthen the assembly process. IKEA should continue to incorporate cost cutting activities across the board so long as the consumer experience remains positive.

State-sponsored oppression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

State-sponsored oppression - Essay Example From then on, various other agencies were created, addressing specific human rights concerns. (Joseph, Schultz, Castan, 2004) Notable examples of this are the International Labor Organization and the UNICEF. However, the international legal system was saddled with a limitation: only states could be parties to an international law dispute. This paper will argue that this conception of international law is anachronistic in light of the atrocities committed by individuals that deserve punishment in the international regime. The Holocaust, the butchery in Serbia, the genocide in Rwanda, and most recently, the barbaric killings in Sudan are crimes of such magnitude that it requires nothing less than an international tribunal to try these crimes against humanity. II. Substantive Issues History and Evolution of International Individual Criminal Responsibility International individual criminal liability is, in essence, the ascribing of responsibility for certain crimes against individuals in an international forum. The crimes for which individuals may be held responsible are not simply ordinary crimes of theft or of reckless imprudence. They must be of such a nature that they invite universal condemnation. They are considered erga omnes obligations, or obligations owed to the world. Examples of these are piracy, genocide, crimes against humanity and slavery. According to Kelsen, "The offenses for which retribution may be claimed are, in the first place, violations of international law committed by having resorted to war in disregard of general or particular international law." (1943) In a manner of speaking, the assigning of individual criminal responsibility in the international sphere is a huge departure from...International individual criminal liability is, in essence, the ascribing of responsibility for certain crimes against individuals in an international forum. The crimes for which individuals may be held responsible are not simply ordinary crimes of theft or of reckless imprudence. They must be of such a nature that they invite universal condemnation. They are considered erga omnes obligations, or obligations owed to the world. Examples of these are piracy, genocide, crimes against humanity and slavery. According to Kelsen, â€Å"The offenses for which retribution may be claimed are, in the first place, violations of international law committed by having resorted to war in disregard of general or particular international law.† (1943) In a manner of speaking, the assigning of individual criminal responsibility in the international sphere is a huge departure from traditional conceptions of international law. Pursuant to Article 34 of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Statute, â€Å"only states may be parties in cases before the Court.† In the famous Nottebohm case, such principle was likewise applied with the International Court of Justice held that only a state may seek redress for crimes or offenses perpetrated against its citizens, and the â€Å"nexus of nationality† must be established between the state seeking redress and the citizen for whom it seeks redress. However, in view of the atrocities being committed by individuals, the concept of international individual criminal liability emerged.

BMW of Leadership and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

BMW of Leadership and Management - Essay Example This report will help the decision makers to evaluate the current and future positioning of the company under the company’s current market analysis with respect to its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The reports also highlights the structure, conduct and performance of the company’s human resources and finally recommend the strategic steps that can be taken for further improvements relating to management, development and implementation of organizational plan. ... At first, there were three companies named Rapp Motorenwerke, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, and Fahrzeugfabrik. BMW group is the German’s largest automobile company. It came into being when these three companies amalgamated into a single automobile company established in 1917, almost 90 years back the business of the company started with the production of aircraft engines and now in the 21st century, it has expanded its business form the manufacturing of engines up to the complete vehicles. BMW group has the most famous and highly valued brands of the automobile industry named BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce. The head quarter of BMW group is present in Munich, Bavaria Germany. The head quarter controls and manages the overall performance of the company in over 150 countries (Schlegelmilch, Lehbrink, & Osterroth, 2011, pg 45-54). Size and Ownership The ownership of the company is in the hands of three personnel Stefan Quandt with 17.4% shares, Johanna Quandt with 16.7% shares and Susann e Klatten with 12.6% shares (Schlegelmilch, Lehbrink, & Osterroth, 2011, pg 56-67). Since its establishment, BMW group has focused on the excellence in engineering and it is the only reason that it has expanded its growth and profit margin as compare with its other competitors. BMW group has almost 12 research and development centers all over the world in order to realize the market trends and create innovative automobiles as required by the consumers. The credit of all of its success goes to the R&D and consumer informed innovations as on average basis the company invests 2300 pounds on each car for research and development. In 2007, BMW group splendidly increased its sale up to 8%, Rolls-Royce by 26% and Mini by 18% (Schlegelmilch,

Analysis of Final Solution File by Stargardt Assignment

Analysis of Final Solution File by Stargardt - Assignment Example The next issue and the most important one is the final solution. These final solutions are the events that marked the end of the battle. It is ironical to call these events a final solution when they were catastrophic to the target. The final solution resulted in the death of about five million Jews including women and children. The historical explanations for why the Holocaust happened are wide and varied. Many different historians have stacked different claims and explanations for the motivation of the Germans to kill the Jews. The events happened during the World War II and the Nazi regime had blamed the Jews for their defeat in the World War I. One of the key factors that led to the extermination was Hitler’s personal anti-Semitism. The hatred brewed in Hitler and he received pseudo-scientific notions of biological racism in prewar and blamed the defeat on the Jews. Prior to the Holocaust, Hitler is recorded as declaring an annihilation of the Jews in Europe if the â€Å"international Jewish financiers should succeed in plunging the nations once more into a world war† (Stargardt, 2001). The actions of the Nazi regime were also an indication of the virulence of its anti-Semitism. In all these ideologies, Hitler is the central actor who plotted the killing of the Jews from the onset. The second explanation is a contrast to the first one and blames the way the Nazi state worked for the Holocaust. The functioning of the state was characteristic of giving an opportunity for local initiatives and autonomous decisions from the local level. This situation was enhanced by the blurring of institutional demarcations lines and the decentralization in the country. Further, the bureaucratic competition played a hand in aggravating the animosity that was proffered against the Jews.

Life Sketch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Life Sketch - Essay Example I know poverty, despair and suffering and what they do to a country as a whole and to the spirit of the people living through it. I vowed never again would I know such suffering. Since the day I arrived here I have worked very hard to get to where I am now. I have built a life for myself and my family. I am a full time student at ________________University working towards my Bachelors degree in _______________.I do not want pity or sympathy when I write these words. I am telling my story because I want you to understand it is not because of public assistance or handouts that I am where I am now, it is through my own hard work and determination. I now have four beautiful children and have them to love, care for, protect and teach. One of the most important gifts I can impart on them is the belief in themselves that they can achieve whatever they are willing to work towards. I want them to see that they are only limited by the constraints they place on themselves. I want to be a living example to them of what hard work, desire and belief in one's self can accomplish. Since arriving here I have gained a good grasp of the English language. From my limited knowledge and meager beginnings, I am now fluent in both oral and written English. As I previously stated. I am enrolled in college on a full time basis.

Music, Love, or Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Music, Love, or Art - Essay Example act that they apply logical models to their thinking basis and this facilitates in decision making and when they have to analyze things looking at it from a different perspective so to speak. Not only are the scientific subjects taken in the same esteem with the field of arts, but also the latter gains importance where the discussion is of understanding human values, emotions and sentiments. This means that there is a complete basis for understanding the individual’s very essence and how he interacts with people hailing from his own society, culture and traditions. The emotions are easily transmittable through the expression of art. This could be so very true in the wake of the different pictures which are sketched by artists and not to forget the photography done by film makers and directors alike. They also bring out a particular shade of life which has been kept non-apparent over a period of time from the people who own it. Art has no parallels when it comes to understanding human emotions, values and belief systems. (Meier, 1942) This suggests that the human basis gains more and more importance as arts attaches itself with them. One cannot fathom at any point in time that science and the related subjects gain an edge or two over the field of arts. The two remain in close connection with each other no matter what the critics and hardliners suggest every now and then. There should be efforts to mix the science classes with that of the art ones so that there is close coordination between the two and the end result is that the students gain fr om the usage of their minds in both the fields. The aspect of communication and interaction is best expressed through the usage of art and it raises no doubts whatsoever here when we put the field of arts in close contact with how communication actually comes about and benefits the people who make use of it. This is suffice to say that arts is something that brings out a deep meaning when the talk goes out loud of

Night Hoops Essay Example for Free

Night Hoops Essay Fellow Word Shakers, When I started reading the book, Night Hoops by Carl Deuker, I was very bored. I felt like I wasn’t relating to the characters and the plot was moving too slowly. I questioned whether I should start a new book; however, I persevered just like Nick, and I am very grateful that I stuck with it. After reading Night Hoops, I have developed a new mindset on how I should pursue my goals no matter what impediments obstruct my ability to reach them. Nick, the protagonist, always dreamt of earning his spot on his high school’s varsity basketball team, but his road to the team was filled with family troubles; being overshadowed by his older brother, Scott; and run-ins with Trent, the local bully. However, Nick persevered through it all and accomplished his goal of making the varsity basketball team. Over the past few years, I have been extremely dedicated to becoming the best golfer I can be. However recently, I have lost my enthusiasm for the game. Because of this, I feel like I can relate to Nick and although he is a fictional character, use him as inspiration to rededicate myself to the game of golf. Aside from my fascination with Nick’s perseverance and dedication, I was intrigued by the friendship that developed between Nick and Trent, the local bully. At first, Trent and Nick didn’t get along. In fact, Trent beat Nick up. However, as Deuker took us through their relationship we saw how they soon became good friends who were connected through the game of basketball. From this, I realized that some of the people best fit for you could be right under your nose, but they put up a facade to support their tough guy image so you don’t get a chance to get to know who they truly are. Another aspect of the book that really captured my attention was how Nick’s father applied pressure on him to succeed in basketball. At first, this pressure really inhibited Nick’s ability to play good basketball. However, as he became used to the pressure and used it as motivation, Nick became the player both he and his dad always wanted him to be. This brings up the dilemma that a lot of parents struggle with today. Should they push their kids to succeed or should they let their kids succeed on their own? There is no right or wrong answer to this question, but I think it is fascinating that Deuker poses this question in a book written for teens. More than just my experience with the different characters, I loved Deuker’s very tangible description of the basketball games: â€Å"He caught it in stride, soared upward in the same fluid motion, and gently laid the ball against the backboard. It dropped through the net just as the horn sounded. A tenth of a second later we were jumping all over him† (167). I felt like I was at the game, sitting on the edge of my seat praying that the ball falls through the net, and jumping into the air screaming in joy when it does. Although I loved his poetic descriptions of the basketball games, I felt like too often he used very basic, simple language. Every book has its flaws, but if you are into basketball, like a story about perseverance, or want to be taken through a great friendship then this book is definitely for you. I hope that you enjoy this book as much as I did. Yours Truly,

Global Threat Cyberterrorism

Global Threat Cyberterrorism By inner government policy writers, analysts, and the public. The social and global tactics that terrorist cells use, the countries that support terrorist groups, and the policies and procedures that have been used to counter terrorist actions by the target countries are all becoming unmanageable, billions are being spent in security measures but the whole concept is untraceable and can easily change, it is essential to keep the publics confidence. The information age or the technological era is magnificently shaping the way in which terrorists operate; new technologies mean newer weapons with more destructive powers, more ways to cause death and damage. Not only the types of weapons and targets the terrorists select, but also the ways in which terrorist cells have cemented their internal structure and the operation of their organisations (Zanini and Edwards, 2001, p. 30). According to Zanini and Edwards, terrorist organizations are using information technologies, such as computers, telecommunication devices, software, and the Internet to organize and coordinate activities (2001, p. 30). Criminality and Cybercrimes are now continually originating from new technologies, such as the Internet, wireless communications, military sciences this all in all creates many challenges for law enforcement around the world (Sussmann 2000). Responding to Cyberterrorism and investigating computer-related crimes pose challenges for law enforcement, as well as the legal system. There are many loopholes with the justice system that enables those with malicious intent to evade capture. The internet can be of so much use to terrorists, first of all, the communication that can be done over the internet is endless and alot more harder to trace then conventional ways of communication. Electronic mail has become one of the cheapest, quickest and anonymous as well as effective ways of communication today, to communicate with any part of the world. So overall the terrorists of this world are able to use the internet as a platform to communicate and swap information and messages to further their cause. General information on targets like maps and instructions are widely available, terrorist organisations can make their own WebPages to promote their ideologies, distribute propaganda and recruit sponsors or supporters. As being a platform for propaganda they are able to reach the public directly and make their existence known in international circles. Terrorists can also obtain funds through the internet, using services such as PayPal and western union; people can deposit monies anonymously so it is perfect for terrorist organisations to operate. In recent times after atrocities such as September 11th and Afghanistan you have often seen terrorists put up film footage on the internet to promote their groups, when terrorist cells kidnap any westerners, they will publicise their crimes by recording beheadings and playing them live on news sites for the world to see. According to news reporters from NBC who have been abducted previously by Al-Qaeda, claim that within their fortress of caves they have large banks of computer servers, communications devices and mass storage data discs. Hamas are another group that use advanced technology for their cause; they reportedly use 128 256 bit encryption for their files and communications. The more a country is technologically advanced, the more vulnerable it is to attack against its infrastructure, at the last count the number of computers that the USA have installed is just over 180 million, at least 5 times the number that of Japan, seven times as much as in Germany and twice as many as all of Europe combined. US computers account for 42% of the worlds computing power, whilst China represents only a meagre 1% and Russia 8%. The objective of this paper is to provide a general overview of the research; First of all, we look at the critical concepts of this research. These concepts are terrorism, cybercrime, information warfare, and Cyberterrorism. Definition of the Concepts Terrorism Defining the word terrorism itself constitutes problems. The problems that occur when Defining terrorism is the difficulty to have an agreed upon definition of terrorism. In other Words, there is no consensus in the international arena as to what terrorism comprises. No statement has been made to clarify the concepts under which the terrorism heading falls into. The problem emerges from the fact that terrorism is solely a political issue which means A terrorist for one country could be a freedom fighter for another. Furthermore, as Laqueur claimed in 1977 â€Å"It can be predicted with confidence that disputes about a comprehensive, Detailed definition of terrorism will continue for a long time, that they will not result In consensus and that they will make no noticeable contribution to the understanding of terrorism. â€Å" While the statement seems to be vague in character, the true statement of terrorism is in fact much closer to the truth then imagined. Of course the Human Rights Act and other international agreements set the scene for the standards in terms of human rights; but the non existence of procedures for the use of responding to terrorism creates confusing, irregularity and severe turmoil. On top of this, any such effort that is taken by a country which is targeted by cyber terrorists may not have a desired effect since other countries may not consider that group as a terrorist organisation. In terms of legal stature, by not having any by laws as to what Terrorism constitutes, while country 1 may deem a specific act as terrorism, country 2 may judge the action to be a meaningless computer mistake. Enders and Sandler define terrorism as â€Å"the premeditated use or threatened use -of extra-normal violence or force to gain political objectives through intimidation or fear† (1993, p. 829). The US Department of State defines terrorism as â€Å"premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by sub-national Groups or clandestine agents usually intended to influence an audience† (1999). Classes of Information warfare Many authors have written substantial articles on the subject of Cyberterrorism and such activities, the subject itself is deemed to a very grey area with mostly myths and hear say, obviously hackers do exist and they can cause serious and malicious damage to an infrastructure but not all are convinced of their overall threat, many authors publish hard hitting texts to drive the point home that our world is at risk from this ruthless wave of technological storming.In his book, Chaos on the Electronic Superhighway: Information Warfare, Winn Schwartua, talks about the concept of information warfare in comparison to everything around us including politics, economy, power, fear, survival and harmony. He has even led claims that information warfare and information age weaponry will replace bombs and bullets, which are not restricted to the governments of superpowers (Schwartua 1996, p. 16). Schwartua also proposes the classification of information warfare. According to him there are three types of information warfare: Class 1: Personal Information Warfare. This includes attacks against an individuals privacy. Cyber attacks on the personal computer or wireless devices or use of private information about an individual are possible examples of personal information warfare. Class 2: Corporate Information Warfare. This classification involves large corporate companies of magnitude and focuses on the issues of competition between companies, industrial espionage, misinformation, sponsors, shareholders etc Class 3: Global Information Warfare. This type of warfare is â€Å"waged against industries† (p. 195). This level of warfare is waged by the most elite individuals through Internet and other computer network systems according to Schwartau (1996). According to Monge and Fulk (1999), the use of new age computing advancement and various wireless communication devices has led to the establishment of networks in three ways: Firstly, the new technologies have enabled terrorist cells to reduce the transmission time of their encrypted messages so that members of the organization can communicate faster. Secondly, new technologies also reduced communication expenses. Obviously before the internet, as the same with all of mankind, sensitive communication was done by either word of mouth or by coded messages. Not only have new advancements in technology visibly reduced the length of transmission time and considerable expense, but have also significantly increased the scope and complexity of the information due to the combined technologies. Terrorist organisations have now gained their own independence, whereas a time once existed where terrorist and fundamentalist groups were once linked with governments due to lack of financing now have the platform to better finance themselves due to the broader scope of the internet. Zanini and Edwards compare the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), who are considered to be more politically and hierarchical in contrast to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and al-Qaeda, these are considered to be more recent forming and less hierarchical groups more intent on bloodshed then political uprising. Dispersed groups find that the advantages of the new technologies eliminate normal problems gained through distance. In particular, using the World Wide Web for communication amongst the cells can not only increase the flexibility of peoples time. In fact, these technologies may enable terrorists to operate from nearly any country in the world (Zanini and Edwards, 2001, p. 38). We are seeing that terrorists gain momentous advantage from new technologies and that the world cannot prevent much, due to the general era that we are in, everyone has access to anything as long as funds are available. The internet provides the best and most effective communication dial-ups between the terrorist organization and its members. Weimann identifies eight different ways that terrorists use the Internet: Psychological Warfare, Publicity and Propaganda, Data Mining, Fundraising, Recruitment and Mobilization, Networking, Sharing Information, Planning and Coordination (2004). Different terrorist organisations have different causes so the web sites they setup can act with a purpose of a communication channel between the various members of the organisation, the supporters and those anonymous sympathisers of the organization, Through this channel, terrorist groups can broadcast their harsh messages to the world stage and have regular updates to their recent campaigning and recent activities. They often use the Web site to justify their violent sadistic murders and killings. These Web sites are a platform to the whole world and can lead to recruitment of potential supporters, and target population or government entities (Weimann 2004). In addition to being a communication method between terrorists and the public, advanced tools, such as; Cryptography Steganography These types of advancements are used by terrorists to convey their messages to the world around them. Here we look at these two tools in more detail; Cryptography Bruce Schneier describes the act of Cryptography as â€Å"the art and Science of securing messages† (as cited in Taylor et al., 2004, p. 29). The method is a process of â€Å"extreme strong encryption† of the data transmitted between sources to a target. Even though this technology can be useful to those in the private and public sectors it can also be an explosive and damaging weapon to hide information from law enforcement agencies. (Slambrouck, 1998). Denning argues that the threat to law enforcement and government agencies is widespread; she explains four ways that the encrypted data presents danger: 1) It will hinder the intelligence community from getting foreign intelligence critical to national security (Denning, 1997). 2) The intelligence community will have hard time retrieving vital Information about any given investigation, 3) It may avoid the law enforcement from gathering evidence to convict offenders, 4) The law enforcement community may be unable to avoid attacks or any harm. (Denning 1997) Members of the group Al-Qaeda have been using the newly advanced computer technologies to communicate and relay information to sub-coordinates around the globe, it has been heard in social circles that Al-Qaeda love the internet as they are able to keep in real time with all information even though they are based within caves in mountainous regions. According to some research forensics evidence that was collected and compiled after the September 11th attacks shows that terrorist cells often used the internet for their vigorous planning before the attacks. Overall the internet is a source of great value to all those who use it whether it maybe for a student at university or a terrorist with plans to blow up an airliner, information is free and in abundance. Terrorists especially from the Arab continent frequently upload their propaganda and messages via news channels as it is the quickest way to get publicised. Most commonly used is the Jazeera TV network, an example of the use of news channels by terrorists is the final message sent to Mohammed Atta of Al Jazeera by the two senior members of Al- Qaeda 3 weeks before September 11th, 2001 attacks, what was sent was a simple code that showed the four targets the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and Capitol Hill which were referred to as faculties† in the message. The communication said, The semester begins in three more weeks. Weve obtained nineteen confirmations for studies in the faculty of law, the faculty of urban planning, the faculty of fine arts and the faculty of engineering.† Many other political and terror organisations within Europe and America use an encryption program known as Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), an easily downloadable program that provides basic and stronger encryption to use within coded emails for intelligence sharing. Steganography Steganography is the art of hiding data within objects such as Documents, pictures etc files (Collin, 1997). It is a wide method used by many organisations as a simple way to hide information from those who do not have the clearance to view but it can also be severely exploited by terrorist organisations. This technology relies on â€Å"security-by-obscurity,† basically the person will know that a message is hidden within and once he accesses it he be able to read the hidden information behind the veil. From the exterior appearance, a picture would be entirely perceived as a normal picture, but an encrypted message can be extracted from that picture if the person knows where to look. Obviously there are some major drawbacks to technological advancements, computer memory is very hard to completely erase and often leave a trail for law enforcement agencies to use against criminals, For instance, in Turkey, towards the end of 2000, practically a thousand members of the radical group, Hezbollah, were arrested in a serious of raids and taken into custody, and allegedly about 20,000 pages of documents were recovered from computer archives (Aras Bacik, 2002). Fund Raising and Promotion In todays day and age, terrorists have so much available to them, websites are full of propaganda and due to the advancements in software language barriers are no problem to overcome (Weimann, 2004). The information that the terrorist Web sites usually give is usually about general history, their activities, their ideology and political statements, current news regarding their activities, as well as information about their targets, often they will also give out rogue information on targets which will get the security services into a twist, but this information is designed to mislead. The way in which the Internet is used to raise money by terrorist organisations is a good example as to how information technology can provide new ways to fund their operations. Cost of Cyberterrorism. Between 1993 and 1995, there were 40 threats made directly to banks in the US and Great Britain. It is reported that in January 1999, a investment bank paid roughly ten million pounds after receiving a threat against their computer systems, the hackers reportedly crashed a computer in order to show the seriousness of their intent, the bank gave in and paid them off, knowing that the authorities were helpless to act and if their systems did crash there would be alot more then 10 million pounds worth of losses. It is estimated that in United Kingdom, during the three years between 1993 and 1995, terrorists gained more than 400 million pounds (Statistics on Cyber-terrorism, 2000). The Security Industry Survey carried out in 1999 largely showed that the number of companies that were successfully penetrated went up from 12% in 1997 to 23% in 1998. Malicious code is used by hackers which attack systems is devastating as the code mutates and leaves systems vulnerable to attack. The most costly malicious code attacks were Low Bug in 2000 at $ 8.75 billion and Code Red at $ 2.62 billion (Wiederin, Hoefelmeyer, and Phillips, 2002) The consequences of cyber terrorist attacks are not as devastating as the physical terrorist attacks, at least until now. For example, cyberspace provides opportunities for e-bombs and cracking down a Web site but the ramifications of these acts seem less significant than the effect of a physical bomb killing hundreds of people in a matter of seconds, such as the bomb attack in Nairobi in 1998 and Oklahoma City in 1995. Regarding the potential attacks outlined by Collin, they would be difficult to execute, because of the human factor in these processes. For example, even if it is possible to hack an air traffic control station, there are pilots who have been trained to double-check unusual commands. Cybercrime Cybercrime can be looked on as computer-related activities which are illegal and or destructive, the sole object points at thievery, dishonest means of obtaining cash or leading others to stray by the attacking of infrastructure. Cybercrime can be conducted through global electronic networks† (Thomas and Loader, 2000, p. 3). Cybercrime can be defined as a crime committed in a cyber environment, including the Internet, computer networks, and wireless communication systems. In other words, cybercrime involves crime committed through use of the personal computer. Cybeterrorism is the word given to acts of malicious intent with the convergence of Cyberspace and Terrorism, networks, servers and computers alongside data storage are constantly at threat from unlawful attacks, for an attack to qualify under the Cyberterrorism heading it should result in violence against persons or property, at the minimum it shouild cause or generate fear. Acts upon infrastructure, economic loss, plane crashes and explosions are all forms of Cyberterrorism. Cyberterrorism and Cybercrime makes the job for law enforcement even harder ,law enforcement and policy makers already struggle under immense pressure to meet targets and maintain the peace proving a safe environment for the public. Due to the nature of cyber-criminals rerouting their trail through international countries, a response to such a malicious threat requires international cooperation involving participation of all concerned parties . However, society today is cased within the technological bubble, everything is controlled by computers and vulnerability emerges from increased reliance on technology, lack of legal measures, and lack of cooperation at the national and international level represents major obstacles toward effective and immediate response to these threats. In all the sheer lack of global peacekeeping in terms of responding to cyberterrorism and cybercrime is the general problem. Pollitt (1997) defines Cyberterrorism as â€Å"the premeditated, politically motivated attack against information, computer systems, computer programs, and data which result in violence against non-combatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents.† Terrorists and cyber criminals will spend sometimes months to exploit vulnerabilities in a system, all the time remaining undetected and hitting key sectors including technical, legal, Political, and cultural, as well as defence. Such a broad range of vulnerabilities can be dealt with by Comprehensive cooperation which requires efforts both at the national and international level. Expert opinions suggest that cyberterrorism is split into three general classifications; Disruptive and destructive information attacks, Disruptive and destructive information attacks Facilitation of technology to support the ideology, and Communication, Fund raising, Recruitment and Propaganda Terrorist use for the Internet Terrorists use the internet for mainly communication, essentially covert operations and as a means for a new command and control infrastructure. Access to information via the Internet and the world wide net, as well as maps for target locations and applications that will help with encryptions and monitoring. Technical data is widely accessible on the net for weapons and bomb construction. Use of the internet as a platform for distributing propaganda on terrorist groups and causes, and related recruitment of individuals, Examples of Attacks In 1998, what was once known as the first attack by terrorists against a countries computer systems was when Tamil guerrillas jammed the servers located at all Sri Lankan Embassies with 800 emails a day over a 2 weeks period with messages such as â€Å"We are the Internet Black Tigers and we are doing this to disrupt your communications† The statement couldnt have been more true, everything stops, whilst security specialists comb the networks using off the shelve virus removers and other software to get rid of the spam. During the Kosovo conflict in 1999, NATO computer systems were targeted in a huge blitz by several eastern European countries in a protest to object against the bombings. Businesses and public organisations with ties to NATO were targeted and considerable money was lost in the turmoil. More recently Estonia was hit by a spate of terror acts from Russia in what is deemed a Cyberterrorism act of vengeance for the movement of a Soviet-era war memorial commemorating an unknown Russian who died fighting the Nazis. Government websites that normally received 1000 hit a day were getting 2000 hits per second, causing the servers to crash and be shut down for hours, even days and weeks. The public just think that a few guys with nothing better to do sit on their pcs and create viruses and mess around, but there is no actual threat to physical life but this is a myth, the business world and people within are often exposed to grave harm. Another example showing the problems of hackers infiltrating web sites and Web site defacement was between attackers from Pakistan and India. At the time of much unrest between Indian and Pakistani soldiers in Kashmir in 1999, both countries computer geniuses also fought in the cyber world. Pakistans experts hacked the Indian Army Web site www.atmyinkashmir.org and left anti-Indian statements about the Kashmir issue. The Indian Government, in retaliation, cut off all network access to the Web site of the prominent Pakistani newspaper, Dawn (Varma, 1999). Processes of attack Different forms of attack are available to hackers and those who wish to deface or destroy data, they use malicious code attacks: â€Å"Malware.† The term malware represents the combination of â€Å"malicious† and â€Å"software† (Furnell, 2000, p. 143). There are different types and processes of malware attacks. The common forms of malware attacks are viruses, worms, Trojan horses and software bombs. These are examined in detail in the following section. Internet worms or Viruses These viruses and worm programs are designed to imbed themselves within the codes of programs and lie dormant till the hacker requires them to destroy or shit down computers; they can hijack the computer and can copy and destroy email lists and address books. Communication devices such as mobiles and PDA are also hot items to target. Viruses: Brunnstein, Fischer-Hubner, and Swimmer define a virus as â€Å"a non-autonomous set of routines that is capable of modifying programs or systems so that they contain executable copies of itself† Furnell, 2000, p. 144). Viruses are malicious software that has the ability to replicate themselves, the virus will attach itself to other applications and software and slowly spread as infected files and disks are used by users. With every new host, the malicious virus inserts itself and executes its payload, they are often weird and strange warning messages or look like innocent files when clicked can wipe all the files from the hard drive (Taylor et al., 2004). A brilliant example of how a virus can be very expensive is the much publicised I LOVE YOU virus. ICSA, a computer security company estimated the cost of the I LOVE YOU virus to be up to 1$ billion (Miastkowski, 2000). Worms: Unlike Viruses, worms do not attach themselves to other software programs. They exist entirely as separate programs and they can spread themselves automatically (Stephenson, 2000, p. 37). Trojan Horse Trojan horses: Hackers and attackers will often use Trojan horses to gain access to important and highly sensitive data information, often a Trojan is used where access is restricted and the hacker is lucky enough to find a ‘Backdoor basically a loop within the code for access, for example, the targets password is captured by the dormant Trojan, it will replicate it, and forward it to the hacker. There are differences between viruses and Trojan horses, firstly the Trojan horses will not replicate or infect any other files on the hard disk. Secondly, the Trojan Horse can stand alone without any attachment to other applications and programs. And finally, the target source may not always be entirely aware of the fact that a maliciously intended Trojan horse was sent to him or her. Basically Trojan horses can be sent with under covert means where the intended target perceives it to be harmless, like an email attachment that looks conspicuous enough and looks safe enough. For example, the attacker may send a message that may be interpreted as friendly information for the receiver, such as a link to a competition etc Phlooding This is a new wave of attack used by hackers and fraudsters to simultaneously launch geographically distributed attacks that targets a businesss authentication or network log-in structure, with the goal of overloading its central authentication server, these attacks have originated from all across the globe, they bombard a wireless Access points (APs) with login requests using multiple password combinations which have the ability to severely slow down logins and critically interfere with broader network operations causing major security breaches. Security specialists reckon businesses with multiple office locations served by a single identity management server could be particularly vulnerable to Phlooding attacks. Malware Programmes such as the ‘Trojan Horse hides a malicious code within a document that will in turn collect usernames and passwords for email accounts amongst other information, These programs can download programmes without the user knowing and relay attacks against other computers remotely. An infected computer can be controlled by the attacker and directed to carry out functions normally available to the systems owner. Hacking Nowadays increasingly the method of attack most favoured is the art of hacking, to use the knowledge of codes and programming to access systems to find secrets. Government computers in Britain have a network intrusion detection system, which monitors traffic and alerts officials to misuse or anomalous behaviour. Botnets These are compromised networks that the attacker can exploit. Deliberate programming errors in the software can easily remain undetected, Attackers can exploit the errors to their advantage to take full control of the computer remotely. Botnet can be used to steal information from highly encrypted computers or to collect sensitive information such as credit card numbers by ‘sniffing or logging the keystrokes of the victims keyboard. Software Bombs This software acts like a bomb connected to a detonator, which may contain an execution of a program. The malicious code may be hidden in a program, and once the program is activated, malicious code becomes activated. For example, a sacked employee who feels dissatisfied with the employer who has access to internal software may upload and hide a software bomb in the companys payroll program. In 1992, an employee of the United Kingdoms Chilworth Communications was convicted of planting a logic bomb before his resignation in September 1990. The bomb was triggered in October 1990 and damaged important files that cost the company more than $50,000. (Larry Greenemeier, InformationWeek, June 12, 2006) Keystroke Loggers This is a device that can be fitted to the keyboard or an application that can be installed on the computer that automatically records every key that is typed on the keyboard, obviously all information such as passwords, email, basically anything that is typed on the keyboard will get logged and then accessed by the third party. Denial of service Attacks Overloading a computer system with data so that it can no longer function. This is the method allegedly used by the Russian hackers which targeted the Estonian government computers in May. Phishing and Spoofing This is a system of attack designed to trick an organisations computer user to reveal passwords and confidential data such as card details. Those that use this method impersonate a trusted source such as a bank or a well known service to persuade the victim to hand over the details in complete faith. IP spoofing: After overloading the system, an attacker can pretend to be an authorized system, while blocking the actual systems service. Since the flooded system cannot respond to the inquiries, the unauthorized system will receive all of the legitimate Computers packets (Stephenson, 2000, p. 46). Force Multiplier Effects Different types of Cyberterrorism may also be used to multiply Cyber-terrorists commit acts of terrorism simply for personal gain or sometimes out of boredom. A less known group known as Chaos Computer Club was discovered in 1997. They had created a simple Active X Control for the Internet that could trick the Quicken accounting program into removing money from a users bank account