Project part Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Project part - Essay Example These stores are spread in countries like US, Canada, China and Puerto Rico. In the year 2007, the company was able announce and expand its operation up to 40 percent that prospected an increase in stores to a tune of 1800 globally on top of the already existing 1400 stores that operate in US. This great company traces its roots back in 1966 in the state of Minnesota a place called St. Paul where it was called Sound Music Store. (Pinkerton 12) The company waded through the murky waters of business, beating competition until the year 1983 when it rebranded to Best Buy with its first store opening in Burnsville in Minnesota. The company managed to feature in the Forbes magazine in the year 1993 where it was ranked as the second largest consumer shop that retails in electronics thus making it number 373 out of top 500 companies in the US. In the year 1999 the company partnered with Microsoft that enabled it to open a sourcing point and a store in Shanghai, China in the year 2003 and 2007 respectively. The company is now completing its expansion process of putting up stores in countries like Turkey and Mexico as a process of continuing with its global expansion. The company is glorified by becoming the first one ever in the year 1997 in the history of US that pioneered the sale of DVD hardware and software, again it also managed to be the first company that helped in the digital migration from analogue ten years later. The la st fortune came when the company was named company of the year in the Forbes magazine in the year 2004. (Pinkerton,

The ethical theories of natural law and situation ethics Essay Example for Free

The ethical theories of natural law and situation ethics Essay There are two main approaches to ethics which are held by Christians today. Over the years it has proved to be a very controversial and widely debated issue. Catholics and certain other strict denominations of the Christian church hold the view that natural law should be the means of making ethical decisions, whereas more liberal Christians consider situation ethics as a more suitable ethical system to go by. Natural law was advocated by St Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century. It states that all ethical decisions should be made by looking at the absolute moral laws which have been laid down for us by God. For Christians these stem from The Ten Commandments. Believers in this are known as Ethical Deontologists. They maintain that an action is intrinsically good, bad, right or wrong. When faced with a moral dilemma, one should refer to the Law, irrespectively of what the outcome will be. It is suggested that the human purpose of life is to live and reproduce, to live harmoniously, to learn and to worship God. Problems can arise when the consequence of the decision causes more harm than good. An example of this can be found in Catholic moral theology abortion is immoral and can never be permitted. A loophole in this law means that a surgical procedure may be acceptable even if the result of it leads to the death of a foetus. In this case abortion isnt the primary intention, but is a by-product of the primary objective. This makes it permissible, but can lead to further problems if there are more biological complications. It is at points such as this that the basic natural law approach begins to fall apart. In this day and age it is becoming increasingly difficult to apply absolute moral laws to every situation that arises. On the basis of the principle, it could be argued that it is acceptable to kill thousands of Afghans so as to avoid the deaths of a few Americans. Evil effects can be easily justified by claiming that they are by-products of ones actions. This brings us to the question of whether God has laid down firm and unalterable rules or whether as human beings, we need to make our own moral decisions. As a result of the major flaws that appear in the theory of natural law, a Teleological approach to ethics was later introduced by the Anglican theologian, Joseph Fletcher, although the basic ideas of situation ethics have a much longer history. This relative theory of ethics is based on consequentiality the outcome of an action. The main principle of this theory is that for an action to be ethical, it simply has to be carried out in a loving manner. Nothing is intrinsically good except for love. Actions are good if they help human beings and they are bad if they hurt people there are no other criteria. What is right in one case may be wrong in another. The individual and the situation are the only important thing when making a decision, rather than applying a principle (for example thou shalt not kill). The following quotations help to summarise situation ethics, There is only one ultimate and invariable duty, and its formula is Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. How to do this is another question, but this is the whole of moral duty. (William Temple) The law of love is the ultimate law because it is the negation of law; it is absolute because it concerns everything concretethe absolutism of love is its power to go into concrete situations. (Paul Tillich) Even though the teleological approach is a relative theory of ethics, it still involves an absolute law which is to do everything in love. However, the relativity of this theory allows room for exceptions to rules. Relativism doesnt imply that anything goes. For something to be relative, youve got to have something to be a benchmark, and situation ethics states that it should be relative to love. Fletcher said that it relativises the absolute, it does not absolutise the relative! Jesus and the apostles replaced the Torah, the strict Jewish Law with the principle of love. In the New Testament Jesus condemns the Pharisees for taking the Jewish Laws to such extremes because it loses the spirit in which the Law was written. This Christian love that Jesus taught and lived is known as agape. Agape does not depend on being loved in return. The command of love calls individuals to a high level of personal responsibility. Agape is not selective and doesnt have favourites it is a matter of attitude not feeling. It desires the good of others, not of the self. Above all, Christian love is practical (James 2:14-26). Jesus tells us that we should love our enemies our neighbour is anybody and everybody. As with just about every theory of morality, situation ethics is open to a considerable amount of criticism. The notion of basing actions on consequentiality is not always helpful because it can be difficult to determine the outcomes of certain situations, especially in the long-term. Humans also tend to look at situations subjectively so it becomes easy for selfishness to taint love. It can be difficult to assess a situation with objectivity. Even some actions dont necessarily become good just because they are done from a loving motive. The two theories that I have looked at are in stark contrast to one another. I think that it is difficult, if not impossible, to say that there is one approach that should be used at all times to justify every ethical decision that needs to be made. Each situation can throw up unexpected technicalities and difficulties that we have to contend with, but that doesnt mean to say that we shouldnt make decisions on the basis of our own moral beliefs. Bishop John Robinson once wrote, There is no one ethical system that can claim to be Christian and I completely agree with that. A supporter of the natural law approach asks what the law says and the situationist asks what is the best decision to help human beings, but why cant there be a middle ground? We should be able to use what was once the Law as a guideline when making ethical decisions rather than sticking rigidly to one approach just for the sake of theological argument. The Pope believes that the Law is Gods revealed will but it could be said that God revealed his will most fully through Jesus time on Earth. Not only did He preach on the importance of love, but He also showed us perfect examples of it throughout His life. It is the subtle difference between these doctrines that lies at the heart of many issues which are in hot debate at the moment. If the Church could ignore these theological ambiguities and become reunited, perhaps they could then learn to fulfill their purpose in Christ.

Comparing the Roles of Women in Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnes

Comparing the Roles of Women in Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Look Back in Anger In Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Look Back in Anger, the women characters play distinct roles in the dramas. However, the type of roles, the type of characters portrayed, and the purpose the women’s roles have in developing the plot and themes vary in each play. As demonstrated by The Importance of Being Earnest and Look Back in Anger, the majority of women’s roles ultimately reflect that women in British society were viewed to be unequal to men in love and in relationships and generally the weaker sex, emotionally, physically and intellectually. However, I have found an exception to this standard in the play Arcadia, in which Thomasina Coverly plays the role of a young genius. In Oscar Wilde’s drama The Importance of Being Earnest, he uses light-hearted tones and humor to poke fun at British high society while handling the serious theme of truth and the true identity of who is really â€Å"Earnest.† Truth as theme is most significantly portrayed through the women characters, Gwendolen and Cecily but to present serious themes comically, Wilde portrays women to be the weaker sex of society, despite the seriousness of the subject—the identity of the men they want to marry. Gwendolen and Cecily act like air-heads and are easily won over by the men they plan to marry. Gwendolen simply wants to marry a man named Earnest. She tells Jack â€Å"my ideal has always been to love someone of the name of Ernest† (I.381-82). The mere idea of marrying a man for his name shows how easily Gwendolen can attach herself to a man. Marriage is the most serious of all relationships and Gwendolen is foolish to deter... ..., Stoppard’s creation of Thomasina opens the door of opportunity in the world of drama for more women characters to be created with the same intelligence and respect in regards to love as well as academics. Works Cited Fleming, John. Stoppard’s Theater: Finding Order amid Chaos. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2001. Nadel, Ira. Tom Stoppard: A Life. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. Osborne, John. Look Back in Anger. New York: Penguin, 1982. Stoppard, Tom. Arcadia. London: Faber and Faber, 1993. Thompson, Doreen. â€Å"Stoppard’s Idea of Woman: ‘Good, Bad, or Indifferent?’.† Ed. Anthony Jenkins. Critical Essays on Tom Stoppard. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1990. 194-203. Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. Peter Raby, ed. Oscar Wilde: The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays. London: Oxford University Press, 1995. 247-307. Comparing the Roles of Women in Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnes Comparing the Roles of Women in Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Look Back in Anger In Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Look Back in Anger, the women characters play distinct roles in the dramas. However, the type of roles, the type of characters portrayed, and the purpose the women’s roles have in developing the plot and themes vary in each play. As demonstrated by The Importance of Being Earnest and Look Back in Anger, the majority of women’s roles ultimately reflect that women in British society were viewed to be unequal to men in love and in relationships and generally the weaker sex, emotionally, physically and intellectually. However, I have found an exception to this standard in the play Arcadia, in which Thomasina Coverly plays the role of a young genius. In Oscar Wilde’s drama The Importance of Being Earnest, he uses light-hearted tones and humor to poke fun at British high society while handling the serious theme of truth and the true identity of who is really â€Å"Earnest.† Truth as theme is most significantly portrayed through the women characters, Gwendolen and Cecily but to present serious themes comically, Wilde portrays women to be the weaker sex of society, despite the seriousness of the subject—the identity of the men they want to marry. Gwendolen and Cecily act like air-heads and are easily won over by the men they plan to marry. Gwendolen simply wants to marry a man named Earnest. She tells Jack â€Å"my ideal has always been to love someone of the name of Ernest† (I.381-82). The mere idea of marrying a man for his name shows how easily Gwendolen can attach herself to a man. Marriage is the most serious of all relationships and Gwendolen is foolish to deter... ..., Stoppard’s creation of Thomasina opens the door of opportunity in the world of drama for more women characters to be created with the same intelligence and respect in regards to love as well as academics. Works Cited Fleming, John. Stoppard’s Theater: Finding Order amid Chaos. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2001. Nadel, Ira. Tom Stoppard: A Life. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. Osborne, John. Look Back in Anger. New York: Penguin, 1982. Stoppard, Tom. Arcadia. London: Faber and Faber, 1993. Thompson, Doreen. â€Å"Stoppard’s Idea of Woman: ‘Good, Bad, or Indifferent?’.† Ed. Anthony Jenkins. Critical Essays on Tom Stoppard. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1990. 194-203. Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. Peter Raby, ed. Oscar Wilde: The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays. London: Oxford University Press, 1995. 247-307.

Suffering and Challenges of the Children in Kozol’s Writing

Suffering and Challenges of the Children in Kozol’s Writing. In the book entitle â€Å"Amazing Grace† authored by Jonathan Kozol, the children were suffering under severe poverty based on the fact that their parent were very poor. According to Kozol’s writing, some of them were described as the .. †Poor of the poorest , poor by any standard.. † They were of mixed races according to him â€Å"two third are Hispanic, one third blacks† and of the total population he wrote â€Å" thirty-five percent children – more than 95 percent are poor people†.Most of them receive only the elementary education. Their parents could not train them up to high school level due to the fact that they were very poor. Kozol wrote â€Å"At the elementary school that server the neighbor †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. only seven of the eight hundred do qualify for the free school launches.. †. How their character reflects the environment Due to the fact that their p arent were very poor and could not teach them good moral behavior so they grew up wild and behaved very uncontrollable and engaging in all criminal activities. Kozol reports: â€Å"..crack cocaine addiction and intravenous use of heroin which I have met here call â€Å"The niddle drug†¦Nearly 4000 heroin injections, many of whom are HIV –infected live here. † â€Å"Asthma is the common illness among the children†¦. † â€Å"Some of these houses are freezing in the winter. †. â€Å"Three more children and adults were shut dead in the living room†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦Thirty minutes – a Minister and other Parishioner were shut dead†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Kozol asked: â€Å"What is like for Children to grow up here? What do you think the world has done to them? † The answer to his first question is that the children were influenced by the environment they grew up.They grew up in poverty without sound education and the world does not car e about them. Therefore Kozo asked â€Å"What has the world do to them? † We shall now go over to answer some of those questions that are related to the question he asked in respect of the poor economic situation he found those children in his writing. â€Å"How does religion provide a frame work of stability for families in this neighborhood?. â€Å" (RS100/EVIL)Beefore we answer this question we should first of all answer this question which I feel forms the basis of religion. The question is â€Å"What rule does Ideology play in the suffering according to Kozol?†. To answer this question we must define the word â€Å"Ideology† this will give us a clue on exactly how it relates to the suffering children of Kozol’s writing. Let get the exact definition from the experts: â€Å"Ideology† â€Å"Could be defined as the mode of interaction between individuals† (RS-100/EVIL). One expert called â€Å"Max† wrote â€Å"†¦human beings are concerned about the good of the group – cooperation†. Based on Max definition, we can understand that â€Å"ideology† is all about working for the goodness of the people and to co-operate with them in terms of need.Now we can answer the question of those suffering children in respect of the â€Å"ideology† concept. Based on this background, Kozol wrote â€Å"St Anne Church on St Anne Avenue is three blocks from the subway station. The children who came to this small Episcopal Church for food and comfort to play and the mothers and fathers who come here or pray†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Now you can see the rule â€Å"Ideology† played in the life of those suffering children. They could find food and comfort including their fathers and mothers at St Anne’s church. Although the world generally do not care about them but the church cares.That is the real concept of â€Å"ideology †based on Max definition which states â€Å"human beings are concer ned about the good of the group – cooperation†. So the church which is a body of individuals could reach out with love to the suffering children. Within the church they received good moral teachings based on the principles of the Holy Bible and also to pray so that their lives could be transformed for a better society. â€Å"Religion as Protection Against Ideology† (RS100/Evil) The above statement gives us better understanding about the importance of religion to humanity which will play a key rule in times of need.â€Å"How does religion projects against ideology? † One answer states â€Å"It inspired religious people to always look for victims â€Å" Which means, religious people should search for victims and not victims to come to them although they could come to them just as the suffering children came to St Anne Church â€Å"for food and comfort† according to Kazol. But religious body should search for victims to help. â€Å"Are you going to celebrate the winner or looser? † (RS100/Evil). My answer is religious people should search for losers and not the winners. People in desperate situation and extreme poverty are losers who need help.They may be involved in natural disasters such as flooding, earthquake, fire disasters ect and they lost everything. In most cases, they could live in a very poor environment without access medical facilities, sound education, electricity and others. â€Å"If you develop a Preferential option for the poor then you are challenging your society to do something about them† (RS 100L/Evil). The small church at St. Anne has challenged other rich individuals and the government to do something for the poor masses in that region including those suffering under severe poverty throughout the United States.â€Å"The making of Ideology† (RS 100/Evil) According to Robert Nisbet – British Sociologist â€Å"-Coherency – Thoughts are connected to another in a way that m akes sense† While individuals such as church, philanthropic organizations, etc come with an idea to solve problems, other individuals could come up with same ideas that makes sense. Therefore it becomes a â€Å"coherent idea† due to the fact that that the thoughts of individuals have come into agreement that could go long way to solve human problems. â€Å"Relationship to Political Power† (RS 100/Evil).In the government circle, ideology plays a key rule due to the fact that people in the government are always thinking of how to solve problems which the citizens are passing through. As a result they could create out an agency which could reach out to the people facing such problem such as sending aids to disaster regions, epidemic etc. On the international level, governments, churches and other philanthropic organizations send aids to foreign countries to save lives of people who might have experienced natural disasters and even to refugees camps where there is an outbreak of civil war in a particular country.â€Å"Ideology Question† (RS 100L/Evil) â€Å"What is the mode of interaction between individual? † 1) Answer â€Å"Individuals in their natural state compete with each other for scare resources† 2) â€Å"If two individual are competing over access to some resources, they may kill each other in attempt to gain possession† As you can see, the second answer explains the first answer above. Take for example, the oil is a â€Å"scarce resource† due to the fact that it is not common in every nation. Consequently there are lot of conflicts going on in several parts of the world due its scarcity and high value.People kill each other in order to gain possession because it makes someone to get rich very quickly. But the Human beings are more valuable than the oil. The need to help the suffering people is scarce; only very few people could provide help like the church in Kozol writing. So it is very scarce to he lp the poor. Why is it so scarce to help human? The answer is that those who can help feel that they cannot have reward from those people they helped due to the fact that they are poor.But that of the oil, people fight for it and even kill themselves in order to gain access to it due to its value while the poor are not seen as valuable. Therefore the means to save the poor becomes a† scarce resource†. Amazing Grace (By Jonathan Kozol) Bill Gates Issues Call or Kinder Capitalism; (Wall Street Journal 24 Jan. 2008) Pres. Chavez to Help Poor in United States before Christmas (ThinKandask. com Nov. 2005 ) The poor in the usa call out for international help(Now Health 16 August, 2004) The Crime? Helping the Poor While Being Wealthy( A Alender Through About Editoral)

Glmaorizing Teen Pregnancy Essay

Media, specifically television has taken the issue of teen pregnancy to a whole other level. The shows 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager document the lives of young teenage girls facing the issue of being a pregnant teenager. Originally created to show the controversial subject of teen pregnancy, all of these shows soon began to change. As the seasons continued in all three of these shows, the controversial subject of teen pregnancy soon became a glorifying concept. What was first viewed as just a fantasy is now becoming a reality for many teenagers. Viewers of these shows are now seeing that teen pregnancy isn’t all that bad; it may even be considered normal according to MTV and ABC Family. The â€Å"teenage celebrities† on these shows are making it through life just fine; portraying that anyone else can too. Yes, these teenagers may have faced hard times in the beginning, but at the end of the day, their lives are unrealistically viewed as ordinary. Both MTV and ABC Family depict the lifestyle of being a pregnant teenager to be somewhat glamorizing. The reality television show 16 and Pregnant was first aired on MTV on June 11, 2009. This show follows the stories of four pregnant teenage girls [Farrah, Maci, Amber and Catelynn] that are in high school dealing with the hardships of teenage pregnancy. â€Å"Each episode follows a five to seven month period in the life of a teenager as she navigates the bumpy terrain of adolescence, growing pains, rebellion, and coming of age; all while dealing with being pregnant† (MTV. com). During the first few episodes of season one, the struggles of dealing with teenage pregnancy seemed difficult and nearly impossible. MTV portrayed each girl as if they were not going to make it through this crisis they were about to face, and their lives were soon coming to an end because being a pregnant teen was not acceptable. As the show continued and episodes passed, these so called â€Å"hardships†, no longer seemed to be that difficult. With all the support from their families and/or boyfriends that they received, these teenage girls were able to get through this bump in the road pretty well. Not only did they get support from people they knew, they received the most of their support from MTV. While teenage pregnancy might have started out rough, becoming an MTV celebrity could not have been too bad. According to Arienne Thompson, author of â€Å"16, Pregnant †¦ and Famous: Teem Moms Are TV’s New Stars†, â€Å"All four women are mainstays on USA TODAY’s Celebrity Heat Index, which measures media exposure; Portwood [Amber] topped the list for October, beating out Angelina Jolie and Prince William. The moms are regularly on the covers of People and Us Weekly and have Facebook fan pages dedicated to them† (USA Today). Putting the stars of these reality shows on a magazine cover puts them in the same place as any other famous person. The message that is being sent out to girls is that if they get pregnant as a result of being sexually active, then they too can end up on TV or on a magazine cover. Being sixteen and pregnant may not be the most ideal lifestyle, but becoming more popular than an experienced, well-known actress at the age of sixteen is another story. Viewers of 16 and Pregnant now see that if they become pregnant at a young age, they also can have the chance to become famous alike Farrah, Maci, Amber and Catelynn did. MTV did not decide to stop there though. As if these girls were not famous enough, as a continuation of 16 and Pregnant, MTV aired Teen Mom on December 8, 2009, only six short months after the broadcast of 16 and Pregnant took place. This show takes the four teenagers from 16 and Pregnant, and documents their first few years of motherhood. Receiving more attention than before, MTV has millions of viewers watching Teen Mom each week, making these â€Å"teenage celebrities† even more famous. Teen Mom executive producer Morgan J. Freeman says, â€Å"The concern for teens, however, is what else they may see in the show. While the Teen Mom stars have their share of struggles on the small screen each week, paparazzi shots and tabloid covers manage to rip them out of the context of MTV and place them in the realm of celebrity† (USA Today). Even celebrities agree that the characters on these shows are becoming too idolized. â€Å"Kim Kardashian boldly states that â€Å"It seems like shows like ‘Teen Mom’ are all of a sudden making teen pregnancy look cool in the eyes of young girls. She even goes a step farther and says that the girls from the shows â€Å"have become almost like celebrities, but girls these are not people you should idolize! †Ã¢â‚¬  (Jadebt13). Along with MTV, ABC Family decided to air a show following the life of a pregnant teenager. On, July 1, 2008, ABC Family aired the show, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, which became the network’s most watched series in the 12-34 demographic (McKay 1). This show follows the character Amy Jergen through her pregnant life, and also through her life of being a mother. In the first season, Amy realizes that she has become pregnant, and does not know how to tell her friends or family. This season shows the struggles that Amy faces while being pregnant, but as the season comes to an end, life become simpler to Amy. The Secret Life of the American Teenagers glamorizes her teen pregnancy by having the schools marching band play their instruments as Amy first returns back to school after finding out that she has become pregnant [which is a little unrealistic]. Not only does this event take place, but also Amy’s boyfriend, which is not the father of her soon to be son, proposes the idea of getting married and helping her take care of the baby. At the start of the second season, Amy has her baby boy, named John. With the birth of John everything soon turned into a fairytale ending, and her life completely turned around; her boyfriend problems fall into place, and she started to receive support from her family, friends and community. This season sent out the message to its viewers that if you become pregnant as a teenager, you will have support from surrounding people, when that is not always the case. In conclusion, television is glamorizing the lifestyle of pregnant teenagers. The shows 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager all have different story lines to them, but in the end, they all show that some good can come out of being a pregnant teen. 6 and Pregnant and Teen Mom are both reality television shows that idolize the glamour of being pregnant by the publicizing these girls not only on MTV, but also in outside sources such as magazines. The Secret Life of the American Teenager on the other hand, is a scripted television show that depicts teen pregnancy as being a joy, fun, and simple by showing how great life can be having a baby at such a young age. Both MTV and ABC Family chose to air similar concept shows around the same time period that glamorized teen pregnancy when r ealistic having a baby in your teen years is not ideal, nor a pleasure.

The Tanabata Festival in Japan and the Tanabata Story

The Tanabata Festival in Japan and the Tanabata Story July 7th (or August 7th in some areas) is the Tanabata, or star festival, in Japan. Tanabata is written with a two kanji characters ä ¸Æ' and Ã¥ ¤â€¢. People write their wishes on tanzaku (colorful small strips of papers) and hang them on bamboo trees along with other decorations. The most common tanabata decorations are the streamers that are usually made with variously colored origami. The bamboo branches with colorful decorations are quite pretty and look like a summer Christmas tree. There is even a popular ​childrens song for Tanabata.   Decorations If you are interested in creating Tanabata decorations, the Origami Club site has a collection of decorations that you can make with easy to follow instructions. The Kid Nifty site has some tanzaku papers that can be downloaded for you to write your wishes on. Lets all hope everyones wishes come true this year! Celebrations in Sendai The Sendai Tanabata Festival is considered one of the three major festivals of the Tohoku region, which is visited by over 2 million people every year. Tanabata is generally celebrated as a national event on July 7th, but the Sendai Tanabata Matsuri is held in August, in accordance with the lunar calendar. Similar events are held throughout the nation, but the Sendai Tanabata Festival is the most famous of all. Tanabata Story The Tanabata story was inspired by a famous Chinese legend. It also includes elements of local Japanese beliefs. The Tanabata story is associated with the stars, Altair (the Cowherd Star) and Vega (the Weaver Star). Here is the Tanabata Story and a romaji translation. Also on this site, you can listen to the audio for the story. The Story in Translation Yozorani kagayaku amanogawa no soba ni, ten no kamisama ga sunde imasu.Ã¥ ¤Å"ç © ºÃ£  «Ã¨ ¼ Ã£  Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã£  ®Ã¥ · Ã£  ®Ã£  Ã£  °Ã£  «Ã£â‚¬ Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã£  ®Ã§ ¥Å¾Ã£ â€¢Ã£  ¾Ã£ Å'ä ½ Ã£â€šâ€œÃ£  §Ã£ â€žÃ£  ¾Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€šTen no kamisama niwa hitori no musume ga ite, namae o Orihime to iimasu.Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã£  ®Ã§ ¥Å¾Ã£ â€¢Ã£  ¾Ã£  «Ã£  ¯Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã¤ º ºÃ£  ®Ã¥ ¨ËœÃ£ Å'㠁„㠁 ¦Ã£â‚¬ Ã¥  Ã¥â€° Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£â‚¬ Ã§ ¹â€Ã¥ § «Ã£  ¨Ã£ â€žÃ£ â€žÃ£  ¾Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€šOrihime wa hata o otte, kamisama tachi no kimono o tsukuru shigoto o shiteimashita.ç ¹â€Ã¥ § «Ã£  ¯Ã£  ¯Ã£ Å¸Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£ Å Ã£  £Ã£  ¦Ã£â‚¬ Ã§ ¥Å¾Ã£ â€¢Ã£  ¾Ã£ Å¸Ã£  ¡Ã£  ®Ã§ â‚¬Ã§â€° ©Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£  ¤Ã£  Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã¤ »â€¢Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£ â€"㠁 ¦Ã£ â€žÃ£  ¾Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿã€‚Sate, Orihime ga toshigoro ni natta node, ten no kamisama wa musume ni omukosan o mukaete yarou to omoimashita.㠁•ã  ¦Ã£â‚¬ Ã§ ¹â€Ã¥ § «Ã£ Å'Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã©  Æ'㠁 «Ã£  ªÃ£  £Ã£ Å¸Ã£  ®Ã£  §Ã£â‚¬ Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã£  ®Ã§ ¥Å¾Ã£ â€¢Ã£  ¾Ã£  ¯Ã¥ ¨ËœÃ£  «Ã£ Å Ã¥ © ¿(む㠁“)㠁•ã‚“ã‚’è ¿Å½Ã£ Ë†Ã£  ¦Ã£â€šâ€žÃ£â€š Ã£ â€ Ã£  ¨Ã¦â‚¬ Ã£ â€žÃ£  ¾Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿã€‚Soshite iroiro sageshite mitsuketanoga, amanogawa no kishi de ten no ushi o katteiru, Hikoboshi to iu wakamono desu.㠁 Ã£ â€"㠁 ¦Ã¨â€° ²Ã£â‚¬â€¦Ã¦Å½ ¢Ã£ â€"㠁 ¦Ã¨ ¦â€¹Ã£  ¤Ã£ â€˜Ã£ Å¸Ã£  ®Ã£ Å'〠Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã£  ®Ã¥ · Ã£  ®Ã¥ ² ¸Ã£  §Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã£  ®Ã£â€š ¦Ã£â€š ·Ã£â€šâ€™Ã© £ ¼Ã£  £Ã£  ¦Ã£ â€žÃ£â€šâ€¹Ã£â‚¬ Ã¥ ½ ¦Ã¦ËœÅ¸Ã£  ¨Ã£ â€žÃ£ â€ Ã¨â€¹ ¥Ã¨â‚¬â€¦Ã£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€šKono Hikoboshi wa, totemo yoku hataraku rippana wakamono desu.㠁“㠁 ®Ã¥ ½ ¦Ã¦ËœÅ¸Ã£  ¯Ã£â‚¬ Ã£  ¨Ã£  ¦Ã£â€šâ€šÃ£â€šË†Ã£  Ã¥Æ' Ã£  Ã§ «â€¹Ã¦ ´ ¾Ã£  ªÃ¨â€¹ ¥Ã¨â‚¬â€¦Ã£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€šSoshite Orihime mo, totemo yasashikute utsukushii musume desu.㠁 Ã£ â€"㠁 ¦Ã§ ¹â€Ã¥ § «Ã£â€šâ€šÃ£â‚¬ Ã£  ¨Ã£  ¦Ã£â€šâ€šÃ£â€šâ€žÃ£ â€¢Ã£ â€"㠁 Ã£  ¦Ã§ ¾Å½Ã£ â€"㠁„å ¨ËœÃ£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€šFutari wa aite o hitom e mita dake de, suki ni narimashita.ä ºÅ'ä º ºÃ£  ¯Ã§â€º ¸Ã¦â€°â€¹Ã£â€šâ€™Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã§â€º ®Ã¨ ¦â€¹Ã£ Å¸Ã£   Ã£ â€˜Ã£  §Ã£â‚¬ Ã¥ ¥ ½Ã£  Ã£  «Ã£  ªÃ£â€šÅ Ã£  ¾Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿã€‚Futari wa sugu ni kekkon shite, tanoshii seikatsu o okuru youni narimashita.ä ºÅ'ä º ºÃ£  ¯Ã£ â„¢Ã£  Ã£  «Ã§ µ Ã¥ ©Å¡Ã£ â€"㠁 ¦Ã£â‚¬ Ã¦ ¥ ½Ã£ â€"㠁„生æ ´ »Ã£â€šâ€™Ã©â‚¬ Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã£â€šË†Ã£ â€ Ã£  «Ã£  ªÃ£â€šÅ Ã£  ¾Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿã€‚Demo, naka ga yosugiru nomo komarimono de, futari wa shigoto o wasurete asonde bakari iru youni natta no desu. 㠁 §Ã£â€šâ€šÃ£â‚¬ Ã¤ » ²Ã£ Å'è‰ ¯Ã£ â„¢Ã£ Å½Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã£  ®Ã£â€šâ€šÃ¥â€º °Ã£â€šÅ Ã£â€šâ€šÃ£  ®Ã£  §Ã£â‚¬ Ã¤ ºÅ'ä º ºÃ£  ¯Ã¤ »â€¢Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã£â€šâ€™Ã¥ ¿ËœÃ£â€šÅ'㠁 ¦Ã© Å Ã£â€šâ€œÃ£  §Ã£  °Ã£ â€¹Ã£â€šÅ Ã£ â€žÃ£â€šâ€¹Ã£â€šË†Ã£ â€ Ã£  «Ã£  ªÃ£  £Ã£ Å¸Ã£  ®Ã£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€šOrihime sama ga hataori o shinai node, minna no kimono ga furukute boroboro desu. Hayaku atarashii kimono o tsukuru youni itte kudasai.ã€Å'ç ¹â€Ã¥ § «Ã£ â€¢Ã£  ¾Ã£ Å'㠁 ¯Ã£ Å¸Ã£ Å Ã£â€šÅ Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£ â€"㠁 ªÃ£ â€žÃ£  ®Ã£  §Ã£â‚¬ Ã£  ¿Ã£â€šâ€œÃ£  ªÃ£  ®Ã§ â‚¬Ã§â€° ©Ã£ Å'Ã¥  ¤Ã£  Ã£  ¦Ã£Æ'Å"ãÆ' ­Ã£Æ'Å"ãÆ' ­Ã£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ£  ¯Ã£â€šâ€žÃ£  Ã¦â€" °Ã£ â€"㠁„ç â‚¬Ã§â€° ©Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£  ¤Ã£  Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã£â€šË†Ã£ â€ Ã£  «Ã¨ ¨â‚¬Ã£  £Ã£  ¦Ã£  Ã£   Ã£ â€¢Ã£ â€žÃ£â‚¬ Hikoboshi ga ushi no sewa o shinai node, ushi tachi ga byouki ni natte shimaimashita.ã€Å'Ã¥ ½ ¦Ã¦ËœÅ¸Ã£ Å'ã‚ ¦Ã£â€š ·Ã£  ®Ã¤ ¸â€"è © ±Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£ â€"㠁 ªÃ£ â€žÃ£  ®Ã£  §Ã£â‚¬ Ã£â €š ¦Ã£â€š ·Ã£ Å¸Ã£  ¡Ã£ Å'çâ€"…æ °â€"㠁 «Ã£  ªÃ£  £Ã£  ¦Ã£ â€"㠁 ¾Ã£ â€žÃ£  ¾Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿã€ Ten no kamisama ni minna ga monku o iini kuru youni narimashita.Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã£  ®Ã§ ¥Å¾Ã£ â€¢Ã£  ¾Ã£  «Ã£â‚¬ Ã£  ¿Ã£â€šâ€œÃ£  ªÃ£ Å'æâ€"‡å  ¥Ã£â€šâ€™Ã¨ ¨â‚¬Ã£ â€žÃ£  «Ã¦  ¥Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã£â€šË†Ã£ â€ Ã£  «Ã£  ªÃ£â€šÅ Ã£  ¾Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿã€‚Ten no kamisama wa, sukkari okotte shimai,Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã£  ®Ã§ ¥Å¾Ã£ â€¢Ã£  ¾Ã£  ¯Ã£â‚¬ Ã£ â„¢Ã£  £Ã£ â€¹Ã£â€šÅ Ã¦â‚¬â€™Ã£  £Ã£  ¦Ã£ â€"㠁 ¾Ã£ â€žÃ£â‚¬ Futari wa amanogawa no, higashi to nishi ni wakarete kurasu ga yoi!ã€Å'ä ºÅ'ä º ºÃ£  ¯Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã£  ®Ã¥ · Ã£  ®Ã£â‚¬ Ã¦  ±Ã£  ¨Ã¨ ¥ ¿Ã£  «Ã¥Ë† ¥Ã£â€šÅ'㠁 ¦Ã¦Å¡ ®Ã£â€šâ€°Ã£ â„¢Ã£ Å'よ㠁„〠to, Orihime to Hikoboshi o wakare wakare ni shita no desu.㠁 ¨Ã£â‚¬ Ã§ ¹â€Ã¥ § «Ã£  ¨Ã¥ ½ ¦Ã¦ËœÅ¸Ã£â€šâ€™Ã¥Ë† ¥Ã£â€šÅ'åˆ ¥Ã£â€šÅ'㠁 «Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿã  ®Ã£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ¢â‚¬ ¦ Aa, Hikoboshi ni aitai †¦ Hikoboshi ni aitai.ã€Å'ãÆ' »Ã£Æ' » ãÆ' »Ã£ â€šÃ£ â€šÃ£â‚¬ Ã¥ ½ ¦Ã¦ËœÅ¸Ã£  «Ã¤ ¼Å¡Ã£ â€žÃ£ Å¸Ã£ â€žÃ£â‚¬â€šÃ£Æ' »Ã£Æ' »Ã£Æ' »Ã¥ ½ ¦Ã¦ËœÅ¸Ã£  «Ã¤ ¼Å¡Ã£ â€žÃ£ Å¸Ã£ â€žÃ£â‚¬ Mainichi nakitsuzukeru Orihime o mite, Ten no kamisama ga iimashita.æ ¯Å½Ã¦â€" ¥Ã¦ ³ £Ã£  Ã§ ¶Å¡Ã£ â€˜Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã§ ¹â€Ã¥ § «Ã£â€šâ€™Ã¨ ¦â€¹Ã£  ¦Ã£â‚¬ Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã£  ®Ã§ ¥Å¾Ã£ â€¢Ã£  ¾Ã£ Å'è ¨â‚¬Ã£ â€žÃ£  ¾Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿã€‚Musume ya, sonnani Hikoboshi ni aitai no ka?ã€Å'Ã¥ ¨ËœÃ£â€šâ€žÃ£â‚¬ Ã£  Ã£â€šâ€œÃ£  ªÃ£  «Ã¥ ½ ¦Ã¦ËœÅ¸Ã£  «Ã¤ ¼Å¡Ã£ â€žÃ£ Å¸Ã£ â€žÃ£  ®Ã£ â€¹Ã£â‚¬ Hai. Aitai desu.ã€Å'㠁 ¯Ã£ â€žÃ£â‚¬â€šÃ¤ ¼Å¡Ã£ â€žÃ£ Å¸Ã£ â€žÃ£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬ Sorenara, ichinen ni ichido dake, shichi-gatsu nanoka no yoru dake wa, Hikoboshi to attemo yoi zo.ã€Å'㠁 Ã£â€šÅ'㠁 ªÃ£â€šâ€°Ã£â‚¬ Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã£  «Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã¥ º ¦Ã£   Ã£ â€˜Ã£â‚¬ Ã¤ ¸Æ'æÅ"ˆä ¸Æ'æâ€" ¥Ã£  ®Ã¥ ¤Å"㠁  Ã£ â€˜Ã£  ¯Ã£â‚¬ Ã¥ ½ ¦Ã¦ËœÅ¸Ã£  ¨Ã¤ ¼Å¡Ã£  £Ã£  ¦Ã£â€šâ€šÃ£â€šË†Ã£ â€žÃ£ Å¾Ã£â‚¬ Sorekara Orihime wa, ichinen ni ichido aeru hi dake o tanoshimini shite, mainichi isshou kennmei ni hata o oru no desu. 㠁 Ã£â€šÅ'㠁‹ã‚‰ç ¹â€Ã¥ § «Ã£  ¯Ã£â‚¬ Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã£  «Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã¥ º ¦Ã¤ ¼Å¡Ã£ Ë†Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã¦â€" ¥Ã£   Ã£ â€˜Ã£â€šâ€™Ã¦ ¥ ½Ã£ â€"㠁 ¿Ã£  «Ã£ â€"㠁 ¦Ã£â‚¬ Ã¦ ¯Å½Ã¦â€" ¥Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã§â€Å¸Ã¦â€¡ ¸Ã¥â€˜ ½Ã£  «Ã¦ ©Å¸Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£ Å Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã£  ®Ã£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€šAmanogawa no mukou no Hikoboshi mo, sono hi o tanoshimini shite ten no ushi o kau shigoto ni sei o dashimashita.Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã£  ®Ã¥ · Ã£  ®Ã¥ â€˜Ã£ â€œÃ£ â€ Ã£  ®Ã¥ ½ ¦Ã¦ËœÅ¸Ã£â€šâ€šÃ£â‚¬ Ã£  Ã£  ®Ã¦â€" ¥Ã£â€šâ€™Ã¦ ¥ ½Ã£ â€"㠁 ¿Ã£  «Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã£  ®Ã£â€š ¦Ã£â€š ·Ã£â€šâ€™Ã© £ ¼Ã£ â€ Ã¤ »â€¢Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã£  «Ã£ â€ºÃ£ â€žÃ£â€šâ€™Ã¥â€¡ ºÃ£ â€"㠁 ¾Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿã€‚Soshite machi ni matta shichi-gatsu nanoka no yoru, Orihime wa amangawa o watatte, Hikoboshi no tokoro e aini iku no desu.㠁 Ã£ â€"㠁 ¦Ã¥ ¾â€¦Ã£  ¡Ã£  «Ã¥ ¾â€¦Ã£  £Ã£ Å¸Ã¤ ¸Æ'æÅ"ˆä ¸Æ'æâ€" ¥Ã£  ®Ã¥ ¤Å"〠Ã§ ¹â€Ã¥ § «Ã£  ¯Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã£  ®Ã¥ · Ã£â€šâ€™Ã¦ ¸ ¡Ã£  £Ã£  ¦Ã£â‚¬ Ã¥ ½ ¦Ã¦ËœÅ¸Ã£  ®Ã£  ¨Ã£ â€œÃ£â€š Ã£  ¸Ã¤ ¼Å¡Ã£ â€žÃ£  «Ã¨ ¡Å'㠁 Ã£  ®Ã£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€šShikashi ame ga furu to amanogawa no mizukasa ga fueru tame, Orihime wa kawa o wataru koto ga dekimasen.㠁â€"㠁‹ã â€"é› ¨Ã£ Å'é™ Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã£  ¨Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã£  ®Ã¥ · Ã£  ®Ã¦ ° ´Ã£ â€¹Ã£ â€¢Ã£ Å'Ã¥ ¢â€"㠁ˆã‚‹ã Å¸Ã£â€š Ã£â‚¬ Ã§ ¹â€Ã¥ § «Ã£  ¯Ã¥ · Ã£â€šâ€™Ã¦ ¸ ¡Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã£ Å'å‡ ºÃ¦  ¥Ã£  ¾Ã£ â€ºÃ£â€šâ€œÃ£â‚¬â€šDemo daijoubu. Sonna toki wa doko kara tomonaku kasasagi to iu tori ga tonde kite, amanogawa ni hashi o kakete kureru no deu.㠁 §Ã£â€šâ€šÃ¥ ¤ §Ã¤ ¸Ë†Ã¥ ¤ «Ã£â‚¬ Ã£  Ã£â€šâ€œÃ£  ªÃ¦â„¢â€šÃ£  ¯Ã£  ©Ã£ â€œÃ£ â€¹Ã£â€šâ€°Ã£  ¨Ã£â€šâ€šÃ£  ªÃ£  Ã£â€š «Ã£â€š µÃ£â€š µÃ£â€š ®Ã£  ¨Ã¨ ¨â‚¬Ã£ â€ Ã© ³ ¥Ã£ Å'é £â€ºÃ£â€šâ€œÃ£  §Ã¦  ¥Ã£  ¦Ã£â‚¬ Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã£  ®Ã¥ · Ã£  «Ã¦ ©â€¹Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£ â€¹Ã£ â€˜Ã£  ¦Ã£  Ã£â€šÅ'る㠁 ®Ã£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€šSaa, anata mo yozora o miagete, futari no saikai o shukufuku shite agete kudasai.㠁•ã â€šÃ£â‚¬ Ã£ â€šÃ£  ªÃ£ Å¸Ã£â€šâ€šÃ¥ ¤Å"à § © ºÃ£â€šâ€™Ã¨ ¦â€¹Ã¤ ¸Å Ã£ â€™Ã£  ¦Ã£â‚¬ Ã¤ ºÅ'ä º ºÃ£  ®Ã¥â€  Ã¤ ¼Å¡Ã£â€šâ€™Ã§ ¥ Ã§ ¦ Ã£ â€"㠁 ¦Ã£ â€šÃ£ â€™Ã£  ¦Ã£  Ã£   Ã£ â€¢Ã£ â€žÃ£â‚¬â€š

Biological Weapons - Description and Potential List

Biological Weapons - Description and Potential List Biological Weapons Biological weapons are toxic materials produced from pathogenic organisms (usually microbes) or artificially manufactured toxic substances that are used to intentionally interfere with the biological processes of a host. These substances work to kill or incapacitate the host. Biological weapons may be used to target living organisms including humans, animals, or vegetation. They may also be used to contaminate nonliving substances such as air, water and soil. Microscopic Weapons There are a variety of microorganisms that can be used as biological weapons. Agents are commonly chosen because they are highly toxic, easily obtainable and inexpensive to produce, easily transferable from person to person, can be dispersed in aerosol form, or have no known vaccine. Common microbes used as biological weapons include: Bacteria -  these prokaryotic organisms  are capable of infecting cells and causing disease. Bacteria cause diseases such as anthrax and botulism. Viruses - are  about 1,000 times smaller than bacteria and require a host to replicate. They are responsible for disease including smallpox,  flesh-eating disease, Ebloa disease, and Zika disease. Fungi - some of these  eukaryotic organisms  contain deadly toxins that are harmful to plants, animals, and humans. They cause diseases such as  rice blast, wheat  stem rust,  aspergillosis (caused by inhaling fungal  spores), and bovine foot rot. Toxins - poisonous substances that can be extracted from plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi. Toxic substances that can be used as biological weapons include ricin and venom from animals such as snakes and spiders. Distribution Methods While it is possible to develop biological weapons from microbes,  finding a means of distributing the substances is difficult. One possible way is through aerosols. This can be ineffective as the materials often get clogged when spraying. Biological agents distributed by air may also be destroyed by UV light or rain may wash them away. Another method of distribution may be to attach the toxins to a bomb so that they may be released upon explosion. The problem with this is that the microbes will most likely be destroyed by the explosion as well. Toxins could be used to contaminate food and water supplies. This method would require extremely large amounts of toxin for a large scale attack. Protective Measures A number of measures can be taken to protect individuals against biological attacks. Should an aerosol attack occur, removing your clothing and showering are good methods for removing toxins. Biological weapons dont typically adhere to clothing or skin, but can be dangerous should they enter cuts or lesions on the skin. Protective clothing, such as masks and gloves, can provide protection against airborne particles. Other types of protective measures include administering  antibiotics and vaccines. Potential Biological Weapons Below is a list of a few biological organisms that may potentially be used as biological weapons. Microbe Natural Environment Target Host Mode of Contraction Diseases/Symptoms Anthrax Bacillus anthracis Soil Humans, Domestic Animals Open Wounds, Inhalation Pulmonary Anthrax Septicemia, Flu-like symptoms Clostridium botulinum Soil Humans Contaminated Food or Water, Inhalation Clostridium perfringens Intestines of humans and other animals, Soil Humans, Domestic Animals Open Wounds Gas gangrene, Severe Abdominal Cramps, Diarrhea RICIN Protein Toxin Extracted from Castor Bean Plants Humans Contaminated Food or Water, Inhalation, Injection Severe Abdominal Pain, Watery and Bloody Diarrhea, Vomiting, Weakness, Fever, Cough, and Pulmonary Edema Smallpox Eradicated from Nature, Now Obtained from Laboratory Stockpiles Humans Direct Contact with Bodily Fluids or Contaminated Objects, Inhalation Persistent Fever, Vomiting, Rash on Tongue and in Mouth, Rash and Bumps on Skin

Customer Insight Research Paper

Customer Insight Research Paper Customer Insight Research Paper Introduction The aim of the interview of the interview was to find out some of the factors that motivate customers to choose online shopping and the factors that motivate other customers to opt for off-line sopping. The interview also sought to know and to establish the behavior patterns between the two groups of consumers, online and off-line shoppers. In the interview, customers started by identifying themselves either as online or offline shoppers, after which the interviewer asked them to describe the main reasons that motivate their mode of purchase, as well as their purchase patterns. The main reason of choosing questions aimed at identifying the motivation factors was to find out the differences between the two groups. For instance, a question such as; â€Å"why do you choose to buy products online?† was included in the interview questions because it gives the customer an opportunity to give a direct response that would give the interviewer a clear understanding of some of the factors. Analysis of Results The results of the online shoppers indicated that 45 percent of people in a highly competitive business environment would get out of the shops and make online payments at a discount of 2.5 percent. This shows that customers opting for online shopping and payment are enticed by the low price offers that retailers and wholesalers provide for such payments. The percentage increases to 60 percent for those customers who choose online shopping after getting a discount as high as 5 percent for all the purchases they make. Similarly, when retailers offer high discount rates which may reach 20 percent, only 13 percent of shoppers remain in selling stores to complete their purchases. These results are substantial evidence that online discounts are a motivating factor that influences the customers’ decision to purchase goods online. The survey also found out that the most common products bought online are electronics such as TVs, movies game items, laptops and audio equipment. However, many online shoppers showed little concern for home appliances such as fryers, kettles and vacuum cleaners. During the interview, the results also showed that show- rooming behavior is also significant feature that leaves many mortar and brick sellers with few offline customers. Many online customers reveled that show-rooming is anew habit that gives them an opportunity to compare prices from one store to another, just by the use of their mobile phones. Online customers also mentioned carrying out price comparisons from one in-store to another is more expensive compared to online stores. Online customers have changed their shopping to use the in-store premises as a step in their purchase processes, and not as the final point. Consumers decide to shop their household products because of instrumental reasons to achieve certain goals and because of experiential motives (Arnould Wallendorf, 1994, pp 486). However, in the interview, goal oriented customers tend to more common than experiential and instrumental oriented customers. Based on the interview, the interviewers employed 5 online and 5 offline groups and many online customers attributed their behavior to availability of information about the product, wide range of products and the opportunity to avoid unwanted contacts such as spouses or sales agents in the retail premises. The goal oriented online shopping gives rise to experiences that are too involving for customers (Batra Ahtola, 1999, pp 167), but which leads to little commitment to the buyers. Customers indicated that they buy online when they want, and have the convenience to abandon the shopping cart when they feel the products on sale are not pleasant. Whereas some customers ware more likely to explain their offline shopping rather than online shopping in experiential purposes, there was more experiential motivation for customers who choose to shop online than the offline shoppers. On the other hand, offline shoppers attribute their motivation to the social aspect and experiential benefits associated with visits to retail and wholesale in-stores. Many of these buyers describe online shopping as never enjoyable and sociable. They also described their liking for offline shopping as an opportunity to ask for a lot of information about the products they purchase. Others claimed that in- store purchases offers after sales services that many online stores were found to be lacking. Because of information security reasons (Citrin, Sprott, Silverman Stem, 2000, pp 298), some offline shoppers did indicate lack of trust that their card numbers and identification documents were safe if used to pay for goods online. A good number of off-line shoppers also indicated that the opportunity to bargain for good commodity prices motivates them to make purchases from in-store retailers since it enables them to save a lot of money. Another factor given by the offline shoppers for the dislike of online shopping is the difficulty experienced when inspecting a product or service that retailers sell online. This is attributed to internet shortcomings that do not enable a customer to employ other senses such a touch or taste, and consumers have to rely only on sight. Other offline customers dislike online shopping because of the fact that they have to wait for the product delivery, especially in cases of overseas shopping. Risks such as pilferage, perishable products and damage during transportation highly discourage some customers from shopping online (Chen Tan, 2004, pp 78). In this group of shoppers, the psychological risks are perceived to be more demotivating than even the financial risks. Thus, any initiatives by retailers to offer discounts on online goods and series does not some offline shoppers to change their shopping decisions. Customer behavior literature According to Foucault and Scheufele (2002, pp 411), in a study involving 1000 customers in the US, researchers used multiple hypothetical scenarios of showrooms of ten items with different prices to find out the behavior of online customers. The results showed that 44 percent of online customers used mobile phones to influence their purchase choices when purchasing goods online. The researchers also found out that when the price difference between the online and in-store products is more than 5 dollars, customers showed a preference for the online products. This is similar to the views given by online customers in the interviews conducted to understand consumer behavior for online shoppers. The US research further profiled their customers based on age and gender, and the outcome of the study indicated that young female shoppers made online purchases more frequently than any other age bracket. On the other hand, old male shoppers whose minimum age is 50 years came out as the group of shoppers who were easily swayed to make purchases offline in retail stores. Other customers who happened to get advice from sales agents were 12.5 percent likely to make purchases offline. The results of this study are similar to the outcome of the interviews conducted in the group survey, since many of the choices that a majority of shoppers made are similar in motive and influence. According to Wachman (2012, pp 14), people spent nearly 8 billion US dollars in December 2011 on goods bought 0onine despite the difficulty shopping experiences that are usually associated with the month of December. According to the Capgemini research, a business consultancy organization, people spent remarkable 68 billion US dollars online in the year 2011. This is an indication that the number f online shoppers is ever growing as people move from the conventional culture of in-store purchases. According to Graham (2012), in UK, online purchases account for 17 percent of the total retail business, and this predicted to increase with the growth in mobile technology. The number of retailers launching online stores is also growing at a remarkable rate. Other literature sources indicate that utilitarian or goal oriented shopping is understood to be rational, deliberate and efficient (Kelly, 1998, pp 45). Therefore, the online search provides the medium for this task because the costs associated with dramatically lower than in in-store search. Moreover, some shoppers prefer to carry out efficient searches on the online stores with remarkably few clicks of the computer to obtain the details they need. In line with the objectives of goal oriented online search, shoppers who employ internet services in their purchase tasks end up saving a lot of time. According to Modahl (2000, pp 67), some customers do not perceive online purchases to be shopping; rather they perceive it to be a â€Å"buying† experience. As well, other online shoppers believe that they only decide to buy products online when they are convinced that they need the particular product, which further describes online shopping to be attracting a majority of customers who have a planned activity. Some online shopping surveys indicated that offline shoppers are more impulsive than online shoppers, because of limited accessibility and convenience and the influence by sales people in retail stores. Unlike online shopping (Rayport, Sviokla, 1999, pp 89), offline shoppers are proud of the personal associations they establish with business owners, which can help them build loyalty. Such loyal customers have the advantage of accessing goods on credit, or on hire purchase agreements, a feature that online shoppers are denied. Other customers who enjoy using senses beyond the sense of sight are well placed to fulfill their pleasure by shopping online since in- store commodities provide them with the opportunity to touch, feel, smell or even taste some of the goods before they pay form them. As observed in the analysis of results in the section above, this was one of the reason some customers prefer getting goods from an in-store retail, as opposed to online stores. Some businesses perceive offline shopping to be appropriate over online shopping because it helps them manage the products that customers buy. For instance, as much a restaurant can employ online advertisement services, it cannot manage to serve its clients online (To, Liao Lin, 2007, pp 778). Similarly, an auto dealer may not be effective by leasing a car online, because of security and lease agreement procedures and requirements. Marketing strategy and recommendations In order to reap from the changes in consumer behavior, retailers have to be keen when designing their marketing techniques. A lot of focus should be on the provision of goods based on location and population features. As observed in the analysis of results, young female shoppers are most likely to spend more money shopping online than older male who are easily swayed by sales agents. Thus products which female consumers need to be marketed or sold online, while products meant for the old generation can be kept in in-retail premises. Many brands sold to the middle and low market ends continue to report poor sales results, while luxurious products that target high end customers are continuing to generate profits. This scenario is partly attributed to the spending behavior of consumers spending [patterns whereby middle and low income consumers are squeezed by inflation, while the wealthy are continuing to earn goo d income. In order to cope up with these market changes, retailers and wholesalers have to employ a wide range of marketing strategies that target each group of consumers in the market. E-retail business activities remain a significant component of the broad retail trend (Spiggle, 1994, pp 498), and marketers have to incorporate it in all the strategic company plans. Despite the reduction in consumers’ disposable income, online shopping continues to record impressive sales growth every year. In order to motivate a number of offline shoppers who are demotivated to shop online by psychological factors, retailers and companies need to implement appropriate initiatives that address the psychological concerns of such customers. Online grocery businesses are in the most sophisticated field, and to make the business efficient, they can give consumers the chance to choose the nearest collection and deliver points that enable consumers to access the products in reasonable time. Availability of storage facilities and frozen food is also a technique to see business people benefit from online ventures. It is worth noting that dealing with consumable goods such as drinks vegetables or fruits need a high standard of hygiene; thus, retailers need to ascertain the hygiene levels of the agents they appoint to distribute goods on the retailers’ behalf. By putting in place measures to encourage online shoppers develop loyalty in commodities and brands, organizations and companies need to incorporate information security protocols that will assure buyers of the safety of their bank accounts, and the need to trust the websites. Once customers are convinced that their details are safe, retailers will be able to provide for the needs of customers in order to attract other buyers.

Conflict in Sierra Leone -Research Paper- Research Paper

Conflict in Sierra Leone - - - Research Paper Example The role of MNC’s and FDI in both developing and developed countries cannot be disputed; however, they have a participatory and perpetuating role in the conflicts within mineral rich regions of the world, such as Sierra Leone. The Role of Multinational Corporations in the Sierra Leone Conflict Introduction Natural resources have been a very critical source of national wealth and pride since the beginning of regionalization and the pre-colonization era. Nations and civilizations alike have gone to war – both internally and externally – for the sole occupation over and exploitation of natural resources. Under the modern globalized trading environment, countries endowed with natural resources ranging from minerals, oil, wildlife, gas and so forth have been able to accrue revenues from exploration and trade of said minerals with other countries of the world. Foreign exchange earned from the legitimate trade in the resources has been a critical drive for economic deve lopment providing employment and revenues to governments for the provision of essential public services including education, infrastructure and national security. Another significant impact of the globalization of trade and production, as well as the relative ease of mobility of capital compared to labor, is the emergence of business entities that are operated across borders, regions and continents but have a central office in the homeland from where all its global management is conducted. Such entities are often referred to as multinational or transnational corporations or enterprises (Garry & Litan, 1998). A more direct definition of multinational corporations (MNCs) would perhaps best be obtained by linking the business organization to the type of trade that it is involved in. Therefore, this being the case, a multinational corporation is a firm that has created a global presence by participating in direct foreign investments, in specific or several industries. Such global â€⠀œ often private – firms and international institutions are presently observed to be primary actors and vital agents for the transformation of the state, region and international political, social and economic environment. The question, therefore, is: How do MNCs develop ties with government, if such ties even exist? In an ever increasing competitive landscape, countries of all levels of development –particularly through their governments – are emphasizing policies and channeling resources into new ways of attracting foreign direct investments into their countries. This is in line with the high prioritization of both micro and macroeconomic goals including sustained high levels of economic growth, stability of inflation and foreign exchange, increased employment and improved standards of living for the total population. Multinational corporations play a significant role in the efficiency and growth of the economy by contributing to the availability of capital re sources for global investment purposes (Held & McGrew, 2007). Sierra Leone is located at the south-western part of West Africa between the seventh and tenth latitudinal parallels north of the Equator. It has a land mass measuring approximately 71,740 square kilometers and a total coastline of 402 kilometers (www.nationsencyclopedia.com, 2012). It is most difficult to measure the exact population in Sierra Leone due to the long and deadly civil war that mushroomed since 1991, stretching to the early

Drug Testing and Employee Drug Use Research Paper

Drug Testing and Employee Drug Use - Research Paper Example It is true that the use of drug is private and that only in some unusual situation can the employers inquire such use from their employees. However, the employers have the right to know of, use of drugs if their employees are involved in illegal drugs. Unlawful use of drugs is data that are not legally private and organizations have the right to identify about such use. This is true because use of illegal drugs can result to incompetence amongst employees. Also, such use of drugs can result to unnecessary accidents amongst employees, the staff, and customers. Further, the employee can compromise beneficial trade secrets of the company or gather individual data about staffs and customers to sell illegally (Frone, 2013). It is the duty/role of employers to provide safe working conditions by postulating drug free environment policies. On the other hand, use of drug is data that are legally private and employers have no right to inquire where about such use from their employees. This is factual in the situation of legal or prescribed drugs employees might be taking (Frone, 2013). For instance, employers are not allowed to inquire employee’s use of such drugs as, cigarettes/tobacco, caffeine, and prescribed medication, unless such use of these substances hinders with the employee’s safety or incompetence. A good example is when an employee is using prescribed drugs to stay competence at a level that allows him/her to perform his/her duty. This is what all employers are allowed to focus on. Employers are not entailed to obtain a list of employee’s prescribed drugs for pre-employment drug test. Healthcare providers responsible for collecting drug samples do not need to inquire for the list either. As a manager of a certain company, one should make sure that he/she has implemented drug policies and rules that should be adhered to by all staffs. Some of the policies should include, the company having a neutral third party medical depiction to analyze

Cultural Differences Can Be Difficult To Manage, Even if Anticipated Essay

Cultural Differences Can Be Difficult To Manage, Even if Anticipated - Essay Example Resource management, specifically, human resource (HR) management, can encompass a multitude of different tasks, depending on the needs of the company. International human resource management (IHRM) is usually a little more complex than resource management, as it deals with many different issues from taxation, government, culture, money, workplace values to customs and other such problems specifically geared to happen more within the framework of an international business climate than a domestic business climate. This means that a myriad of cultures, as they relate to international human resource management, are bound to either clash or conjoin. ... As P. Dowling states, "Once-safe markets are now fierce battlegrounds where firms aggressively fight for market share against foreignand domestic competitors." (Dowling,et al 1999.) In summary, according to the book, IHRM, (International Human Resource Management by Dowling, et al 1999), with current 21st century trends in place, a continued globalization effort in regard to the international marketplace is expected to keep growing to accommodate the diverse international marketplace. The Evolving Global Marketplace The 21st century international globalization effort is forcing IHR management to observe, familiarize themselves with, and provide custom solutions for similar upcoming issues for their own market sector. As this process matures over the next few decades, these companies will face many similar issues that other cross culture businesses have faced within their own corporate market. What used to be called 'communication and assertiveness' within the static bounded corporation has to now adjust to, and create clear communication across integrated supply chains, and a multinational work force, all of which can be working simultaneously on the same project. Successfully managing IHRM will give companies a strategic advantage. Companies who do not master this dynamic new facet of the global marketplace can, and will likely suffer equally dismal failure. For example, the world watched in awe, and then in disdain just a few years ago as the US space agency NASA attempted to land an explorato ry probe on the surface of mars. The multibillion dollar spacecraft crashed to the surface on Dec 3, 1999, and although NASA was slow to release details, information finally

The Mentally Ill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Mentally Ill - Essay Example The Mentally Ill A. Journal Writings I am a psychiatric nurse from a local community hospital and was taking care of Patient X (not the real name to protect confidentiality of patient information). Patient X was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was treated with clozapine (Clozaril), an atypical psychotropic drug used to treat psychotic symptoms, hallucinations, and breaks with reality (NIMH, 2012, 6). For a period of four weeks, I usually give Patient X a 200 mg oral preparations of clozapine twice a day as ordered. After series of inpatient medication regimen, Patient X’s symptoms of schizophrenia decreased and the patient is now stabilized. With this, Patient X requested to be discharged and be treated through outpatient commitment. I told Patient X that I will relay his request to the health care team and will inform him of the decision made. Upon discussing it with the health care team, we were put in a dilemma whether to grant Patient X’s request to respect his aut onomy and independence or denied it to uphold the principle of nonmaleficence because the client might not take medications on time or not take medications at all and may result to an imminent threat or danger to self or to others due to relapse of schizophrenic symptoms. In addition, putting Patient X, who is receiving clozapine, on an outpatient commitment may present a serious harm as a WBC check every week or two is necessary to avoid occurrence of agranulocytosis or loss of the white blood cells that help a person fight infection. B. Ethical Dilemma In responding to a psychiatric patient’s request of discharge and treatment on an outpatient commitment, which ethical and legal principle should be considered – the legal right of a patient and the ethical principle of autonomy and independence or the professional responsibility of the nurse to do no harm and practice paternalism? C. Ethics Paper Summaries. Elbogen and Tomkins authored the article entitled â€Å"From the Psychiatric Hospital to the Community: Integrating Conditional Release and Contingency Management† in 2000. The article proposed involuntary outpatient commitment with therapeutic jurisdiction as one possible solution for psychiatric recidivism in the community. The article also emphasized that clinicians find it hard to discharge patients and are often put in a dilemma whether the discharge decision will benefit the patient or will end up in a relapse of chronic mental illness. In addition, discharge from the psychiatric hospitals also corresponds in legal status changes which might predispose the individual to heightened stress and independent living (Elbogen & Tomkins, 2000, 428). Thus, the article had raised a question whether outpatient commitment can provide continuity of care and reduce incidence of rehospitalization. Elbogen & Tomkins (2011) found therapeutic jurisprudence framework as the key to analyze legal and beneficial mental health interventions for the ind ividual, conflicting values, and generated or implemented laws, policies and practice (p. 429). In patients with chronic mental illness, therapeutic jurisprudence preferred a discharge plan that maximizes convergence between self-determination, individual well-being, and public safety through integration of risk assessment technology and effective rehabilitative treatment, particularly contingency management. Absolute discharge might be the best promoter of self-determination as there are no strings attached; however it predisposed the patient for rehospitalization unlike outpatient commitment that discharged patient with therapeutic jurisprudence and reduced incidence of reho

An individual research based report on the rold of business and Essay

An individual research based report on the rold of business and conceptual modelling within the context of information systems d - Essay Example The framework of conceptual model develops the information systems as abstract models around which an organization environment is created (Davies et al, 2006). The conceptual model emphasizes the applications of the system rather than its functioning and implementation. Conceptual model is broadly termed as abstract model of the information systems. It finds widespread uses in modeling of electronic systems which are modeled in the form of circuits and systems. Circuit analysis techniques aid in representation of the systems in the form of conceptual models. These models then aid in solving various complex problems in industries like huge power plants and circuit boards designing. Purposes of Conceptual Modeling The purposes of the conceptual modeling are described below. Helping analysts in terms of perceiving the domain of enterprise Aiding communication between users and developers of the system Providing valuable input for the process of design and development Recording the origi nal requirements for referencing them in the future Importance of Conceptual Modeling The electronic systems have been part of many large industries and business environments. In past, the analysts employed vague methods for analyzing systems and always came up with wrong results and hence errors were found in implementations. They must analyze the users’ requirements in electronic systems with some formal approach that perceives the system in abstract manner. However, the analysts could understand the issue with the discovery of such method which could bring satisfactory results. They couldn’t manage to waste too much time in finding novel methods. The idea of conceptual models was developed that aids in timely detection of errors in analysis of systems and proceeds for correct implementation (Wand & Weber, 2002). Process of Conceptual Modeling The importance of conceptual models can be easily comprehended from its role in treating systems’ development. This pr ocess consists of analysis, design and implementation. Analysis section transforms the real world information system into the framework of conceptual model of the system. The design is related to conversion of conceptual model of the subject into information system. Implementation step is related to conversion of the information system into an implemented information system. Conceptual Modeling Language Conceptual modeling language (CML) is involved that defines various rules and regulations for representing components of the developed model. The components used in conceptual modeling of the system contain activities, relationships, entities, processes and objects. The CML shouldn’t be too restrictive to diminish the aspects found for the relevant systems. The modeling should take into consideration all the properties and dimensions of the system. It shouldn’t be too complex either making the situation rather complex (Lindsay et al, 2003). Conceptual Modeling Sources T he conceptual modeling can be drawn from the models of wisdom and general knowledge. Three sources are normally mentioned for making conceptual models

Go or No-go Decisions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Go or No-go Decisions - Assignment Example Fuzzy-gate concept helps manufacturers know whether they are going in the right direction of new product development or they need some changes or improvements. A firm should make the decisions regarding product development at both stages of the development, which include before development and during development. The reason for before development is that when the firm will be making appropriate decisions before developing the product, it will be able to manufacture right product for the customers. Similarly, when the firm will evaluate its decisions according to the market business during product development, it will be able to achieve desired results from the product. Essay Answer: 2 The techniques, which a company can use to attain speed in a new product project, include proper management of organization, intensifying resource commitments, designing for speed, preparing for rapid manufacturing, and preparing for rapid marketing. The techniques, which can be used in proper managemen t of organization while bringing a new cosmetics division in an established skincare company, include use of a good idea, properly analyzing customers’ demands, encouraging and protecting team, and clearing tracks in shared supporting departments. Similarly, some techniques for intensification of resource commitments include integration of channel members and use of parallel engineering. In case of design for speed, some good techniques include rapid prototyping, computer-aided design, and design-aided manufacturing. In case of preparing for rapid marketing, use of rollouts and facilitating trial purchasing are good options for a firm to attain speed. Some risks included in speed to market approach include improper analysis of the market, improper analysis of the customers’ demands, and development of an improper marketing strategy. Essay Answer: 3 New product ideas hold great importance in the process of new product development. ABC Company needs many ideas to select the best ideas for the product development. The department of new product development should look at the ideas generating from various sources, such as, employees, customers, research and development, competitors, distributors, psychologists, and outside sources. The department can collect valuable information from these sources because all of these sources play an important role in the overall process of product development. Sources, such as, competitors, research and development, employees, and outside sources can make the manufacturers aware of the needs and demands of the market regarding any specific product. Lead users are the people who use the product developed by the company. The role of lad users is very important in the development process because they can give the exact idea regarding what actually is demanded and expected by the intended users of the product. Therefore, manufacturers need to consider the opinion of led users while developing new products in order to ach ieve success in market. Essay Answer: 4 Social responsibility must be a key initiative because it builds a positive image of the brand in the minds of the customers. Being the new product development manager of motorized scooter, I will incorporate social responsibility to protect the environment as much as possible. I will develop an eco-friendly motorized scooter, which will have no noise and pollutant emissions. I will use the concept of green marketing to

An individual research based report on the rold of business and Essay

An individual research based report on the rold of business and conceptual modelling within the context of information systems d - Essay Example The framework of conceptual model develops the information systems as abstract models around which an organization environment is created (Davies et al, 2006). The conceptual model emphasizes the applications of the system rather than its functioning and implementation. Conceptual model is broadly termed as abstract model of the information systems. It finds widespread uses in modeling of electronic systems which are modeled in the form of circuits and systems. Circuit analysis techniques aid in representation of the systems in the form of conceptual models. These models then aid in solving various complex problems in industries like huge power plants and circuit boards designing. Purposes of Conceptual Modeling The purposes of the conceptual modeling are described below. Helping analysts in terms of perceiving the domain of enterprise Aiding communication between users and developers of the system Providing valuable input for the process of design and development Recording the origi nal requirements for referencing them in the future Importance of Conceptual Modeling The electronic systems have been part of many large industries and business environments. In past, the analysts employed vague methods for analyzing systems and always came up with wrong results and hence errors were found in implementations. They must analyze the users’ requirements in electronic systems with some formal approach that perceives the system in abstract manner. However, the analysts could understand the issue with the discovery of such method which could bring satisfactory results. They couldn’t manage to waste too much time in finding novel methods. The idea of conceptual models was developed that aids in timely detection of errors in analysis of systems and proceeds for correct implementation (Wand & Weber, 2002). Process of Conceptual Modeling The importance of conceptual models can be easily comprehended from its role in treating systems’ development. This pr ocess consists of analysis, design and implementation. Analysis section transforms the real world information system into the framework of conceptual model of the system. The design is related to conversion of conceptual model of the subject into information system. Implementation step is related to conversion of the information system into an implemented information system. Conceptual Modeling Language Conceptual modeling language (CML) is involved that defines various rules and regulations for representing components of the developed model. The components used in conceptual modeling of the system contain activities, relationships, entities, processes and objects. The CML shouldn’t be too restrictive to diminish the aspects found for the relevant systems. The modeling should take into consideration all the properties and dimensions of the system. It shouldn’t be too complex either making the situation rather complex (Lindsay et al, 2003). Conceptual Modeling Sources T he conceptual modeling can be drawn from the models of wisdom and general knowledge. Three sources are normally mentioned for making conceptual models

Mashreq bank (UAE) Critical success factors in credit risk managemengt Essay

Mashreq bank (UAE) Critical success factors in credit risk managemengt - Essay Example Upon going through the process of a sound lending procedure, almost all banks are offering loans to its prospective bank borrowers because of the high interest rates that will be added to the principal loan. For individuals or business with good credit standing, banks are more than eager to extend loan in exchange of the agreed interest rate. However, external factors such as natural catastrophe, negative economic condition, a global financial crisis, and poor business performance could make the bank borrower fail to meet their financial obligations with the banks (Frenkel et al. 2005, p. 502). This makes bank loans aside from other banking practices such as interbank transactions, foreign exchange transactions, financial futures, bonds, equities, interbank transactions, and acceptances Credit risk strongly influences the overall bank performance and bank failure (Boffey and Robson 1995). Although credit risk is considered as one of the most common types of risk most UAE commercial banks are facing, the research findings of Hussein, Al-Tamimi and Al-Mazrooei (2007) revealed that risk related to foreign exchange is the most common in UAE commercial banks followed by credit risk and operating risk. Among the common causes of credit risk include not only the lax credit standards that has been extended to the bank borrowers but also some cases of poor portfolio risk management due to failure to predict and respond early to economic changes (Dufey and Rehm 2002). Based on historical facts, most of the global financial institutions such as banks had been facing serious banking problems during a global financial crisis. To counteract the long-term negative consequences of large amount of unpaid loans, bankers should properly manage the situation through credit risk management. Critical Success Factor (CSF) is referring to elements that can make the local banks in UAE achieve its organizational goal and

The Good Soldier Essay Example for Free

The Good Soldier Essay Impressionism in Literature arrived through art/paintings. In art you reveal the maximum through minimum of strokes. Similarly literary greatness lies in brevity. For example, read this sentence: â€Å"You may cross the moon, beat the stars; but probe you must the mystery of my eve’s smile! † So much has been said to belittle the achievements of the science. It is not to condemn the science, but to make one aware about its limitations and the supremacy of nature. The themes are selectively and beautifully used and deep meaning is conveyed through appropriate expressions. Let us put it this way—impressionism is painting not with the strokes of the brush but with the flow of the pen. You take minimum of words from the vocabulary and give the maximum. This style of writing is for characters, actions and scenes depicted from an objective point of view of reality. It is the test for the skill of the writer. The impressionistic style of writer takes the minimum from the dictionary (vocabulary) and gives the maximum. Experience of the writer in interpreting the various types of situations, complex, vague, transitory, permanent and subjective impressions counts much. He feels from within and the writes about them. For example, a scene can be interpreted through color or short, crisp, to the point sentences. Rapidly changing scenes, quick developments, varying scenes appropriate to the occasion, form part of impressionism. The most unexpected yet true to the subject matter, in relation to time and situation –such is the nature of impressionism. One can not read the works of such authors in a hurry. One needs to carefully examine and enjoy it sentence by sentence, sometimes word by word. Mostly, the first reading will not suffice; a second reading of such books is not an exception, but the rule. The Good Soldier†¦. The narrator in the book, John Dowell is no ordinary man. He has the spontaneous as well as cultivated ability to establish instant rapport with the characters and with the readers. He can neither be hated nor loved by the readers, and he may get as many jeers and cheers depending upon the situation. He knows how to waste, gain and the value time. He arrives and departs and ‘works’ in the book according to a time schedule known to him only. He is not a reader-puller character, but he knows how to win the confidence of the pulled reader. He is generally the know-all, knows the strengths and weaknesses of each character. He is like the stage manager in the drama, produce-director and the script writer all molded into one. He verbally sets the scenes and the time of action with matchless oratorical skill. He introduces in style, the characters and situations and sometimes indicates the morals and the convictions for which they stand and their part in the progress of the story. Once the character is introduced, he provides continuity which holds together short scenes, dialogues, and sudden and abrupt shift in the locale. With a few verbal strokes he completes his job and paves way for the interaction of the actual characters of the story. This is the type of impressionism seen in this book of Maddox, expressed through various characters. The book was first published in 1915. The century-old developments need to be noted. Lot many changes can be seen in the impressionism of the era to which the book belongs, and the impressionism adopted and followed by such writers today. The century old soldier is not the soldier of the day, as for his mental make-up and social disposition. The story has the beginning that makes you curious about what is in store for the reader as the story progresses. The beginning is dramatic. â€Å"This is the saddest story I have ever read. † The plot of the story is weaved around two couples: Edward Ashburnham and his able wife Leonora and the Americans John and Florence Dowell. The two pairs have a ‘wonderful’ level of friendship; they have spent several summers together, before World War I in Germany. Their apparently happy marriages are not that happy. Dents and fissures are seen in their relationships. So, this is the story of age-old marital conflict between the two-Him and Her! John thinks that he is too smart and polished for the talkative Florence, the one without elegance. Edward is a compulsive lady-killer-thanks to his dashing personality and his extreme sentimentalism. He compares Leonora’s charm with the one or more than one he is interested in, and they always score over Leonora. John gets the reporting of the love escapades through Leonora, after the death of the lovers. John feels extremely sorry for his lack of knowledge about human relationships and his carelessness. He turns somewhat cynical as for his lethargy in such a serious and sensitive matter. He is amazed about his carelessness. At this turn of events of the story, the narrator Dowell excels again. He gets a lovely opportunity to talk on the private lives of others. There is no guarantee that whatever he tells is truth and correct. He succeeds in kindling the curiosity of the reader. If one does the quick stock-taking of the story of this book, it is difficult to say whether it is a comedy, tragedy, the comedy of a tragedy or tragedy of a comedy or it is just satire. He condemns and eulogizes the same character, without giving any valid reasons. The private lives of the characters are divulged in regular intervals, but that is done without any offence, any grudge, without the motive of retribution and in a matter of fact of style. .Impressionism is not about creating stereo-type characters, but special, unpredictable ones. It is no ordinary mind-play. Catch and analyze the emotions threadbare. This art is difficult. Maddox has succeeded in creating a painted picture on the curtain of the minds of the reader, without actually painting, without using colors, but with the exquisite strokes of appropriate words and phrases. Notwithstanding the episodes related to sex and adultery, The Good Soldier is a book that preaches morals. The important theme of the book is the difference between reality and appearance. The difference between the actual world and the imaginary, good world! A reference was made earlier that we need to keep an important aspect in mind that it is an antic story—one hundred years old. Lots of differences exist between the values then and now. The society then did not speak about betrayal, adultery and moral confusion with ease. Now these are kindergarten stuffs. The writer of impressionism has got to be a student of psychology with capacity to peep into the minds of the characters. He doesn’t do the description of the reality, but captures the impressions thus derived. The writer is witness to the actions; he does not participate in actions or meditate between the characters. He just tries to get the impressions derived from them, penetrating their minds and piercing the hearts. Such writing is difficult to comprehend and digest. Conclusion: Considering all the above aspects The Good Soldier by Maddox, could be described as ‘impressionable’ and the significance of the novel is that its contents provide both sense of universal and spiritual. Religion and spirituality were the indivisible parts of the life of people in the nineteenth century. The novel fits into the observations of E. M Forster. He â€Å"dismisses the method of examining the novel as a historical development, in preference to an image of all novelists throughout history writing simultaneously, side by side. He first establishes that, if nothing else, a novel is a story that takes place over a period of time. He stresses the importance of character, maintaining that both ‘‘flat’’ and ‘‘round’’ characters may be included in the successful novel. He regards the necessity of plot, which creates the effect of suspense, as a problem by which character is frequently sacrificed in the service of providing an ending to the novel. Fantasy and prophecy, which provide a sense of the ‘‘universal,’’ or spiritual, Forster regards as central aspects of the great novel. † (Aspects†¦. ) It appears this observation by Fosters, is especially addressed to â€Å"The Good Soldier. † References Cited: Article: Aspects of the Summary and Study Guide- Novel www. enotes. com/aspects-novel/ 16k Cached – Retrieved on December 6, 2007.

Cryptography and Network Security Applications

Cryptography and Network Security Applications Part I Cryptography and Data Security Role of Cryptography in Securing Data Cryptography plays a key role in securing any company’s online data. Encryption is the most widely used method to implement cryptography on the companies’ data as it secures the data while simultaneously allowing it to be transferred to others. It is very difficult for an outsider to break into an encrypted file and access the sensitive information. Encryption acts as a crucial component of security for protecting the cloud storage data as it is vulnerable to being attacked by outsiders, for concealing the operating systems, and for keeping security on emails which are the most common method of communication in business. Purpose of Symmetric and Asymmetric Encryptions In symmetric encryption, the message is encrypted by the application of a secret key which can be in the form of a number, a word, or an alphanumeric string. The key is applied to the message (also known as plaintext) by the sender, and as long as the recipient has the key, they can decrypt the encrypted message (also known as cipher-text). Confidentiality is achieved by this method of encryption. If the symmetric key is changed in every session of communication the key is known as a session key that is valid for one session only and this provides improved confidentiality. This is a traditional method of encryption, using it becomes frantic when secure communication is needed by a number of employees in an organization as everyone will have a number of keys to communicate with different individuals. Secure key distribution among all the members is another problem in using symmetric encryption. In order to resolve these issues, Asymmetric encryption should be used in this organization. Each member has two keys namely public and private key. Public keys are used to encrypt and decrypt messages which are to be shared among all the members of the organization. Private keys are for to secure a private communication taking place between two persons. In this way, the all public and private communication inside premises is secured using these authentication methods and the files shared with these messages as attachments are also secured. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) Algorithm: This algorithm is trusted as a standard by most government organizations as it is tremendously efficient in protecting the data of 128-bit. However, it is also used for data of 192 and 256 bits.Message Authentication Code  (MAC) Algorithm: This is also known as a tag, it is small information used for  authenticating a message which means it confirms the authenticity of the message by checking that the received message has been sent by the authenticated sender of it. The MAC value helps in protecting a messages  data authenticity and its integrity, by allowing the concerned persons to detect if the content of the message has been changed. Digital Signatures Digital signatures are commonly used for verifying the authenticity of digital documents and messages. It ensures the recipient that the received message has come from a known sender and the integrity of the message has not been altered during its transmission process. Since all the paper documents in the organization are now replaced with the electronic documents, digital signatures can be considered as an alternative to ink signatures and stamps of authenticity. Application of digital signatures offers authentication, integrity, and most importantly non-repudiation, i.e. one cannot deny their signature later if they have signed the document. Hence, digital signatures should be considered as one of the security measures while planning data security in this organization. These features can improve the transparency and security among the businesses through communications. These are basically comprised of 3 algorithms namely key generation algorithm, signing algorithm, and a signature verifying algorithm. It is very easy to create digital signatures, one can just open the electronic document that needs to be signed in an electronic signature tool such as Docusign or Microsoft office tools. Further steps differ as per the tool and document and these steps are instructed to the user as he opens the document in the tool. Users just have to follow the instructions and verify their identity in order to add their digital signatures on the document. When messages are sent after being digitally signed, the hash value ensures that no changes have been made in the document. All of this handled automatically handled by a software tool, which shows warning if a decrypted hash value produces an altered output. The encrypted value of the hash is added to the bottom or as an attachment in the email. Part II Cryptographic Keys and User Authentication   Ã‚  Ã‚  A user authentication system can be recommended to provide strict authenticity for users to access the companys resources. In this system, an identity is stated by the users who then applies an authenticator such as a password or a security key or combination of both of these in order to validate their identity. The security key presented by the user to verify their identity must be unique so that it authenticates only one particular user. The keys should be made in such a way that they are easy to remember by the user but cannot be stolen, copied, or forged. The process of revoking the previous key and issuing a new key should be easy. It should be impossible for the users to transfer their security keys to another user. The system should be protected against any attacker during the transit of data. Asymmetric encryption methods can be used as one of the user authentication methods to validate this system. Since the information secured through cryptographic keys depends directly on the key strength, key mechanisms and protocols effectiveness, and afforded protection. It is important to have a proper key management system in order to ensure proper distribution of keys. The user authentication should be made in such a way that it offers key protection against any modification. Private keys should be protected against any type of unauthorized disclosure. System Recommended for Employees to Get Discounts on Fruit Juice and Nut Bar The system recommended for the employees to make proper use of ijuice.com and nutbar.com is that when the employees click on the link given on the employee benefits page, a login or signup page should appear. If the employee is new to the system, they employee must make an account on the product website by signing up using their authentic credentials and their confidential employee ID along with a username or password that would be the key they use to access their account. As the user logs into the website, a session is created, and by the received login information of the user, special discount coupons unique to the employee is available to be added to their accounts so that they can use the coupon when they purchase any specific coupon applicable item. Once the user logs out from their account, the session is terminated, and the information about the session remains safe with the servers of ijuice.com and nutbar.com. Part III Secure Cloud Computing for Handling the Companys Data Implementation   John will want to implement most of the data used and stored for the company in a virtual cloud system. This will provide a certain effective measurement of security, efficiency, transfer methods, time saving and cost reductions. The first step in implementing cloud based storage is the replacement of physical infrastructures with virtual infrastructures. A software layer generates a virtual instance of the hardware as the controlling software point and is much easier to manage, interactive with, share and make changes too.  The second step, includes the decision making process of what cloud storage system would be best suited for the company. A common cloud service is ‘Google Drive’ ‘Oricle’ or IBM. These cloud services offer a greater visability into the usage and cost of virtual infrastructure as well as assisting in tracking and assessing shared computer resource usage accuracy. The third step of implementing cloud is realizing in companies where most of the work data flow demands server regularity without the interference of attacks and that’s where cloud security comes in. Blowfish, AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), and RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) are some of the most commonly used cloud computing algorithms to provide efficient security to cloud platforms. AES encryption algorithms were described previously, but RSA encryption relies upon the computational difficulty of processing large integer values. The strength of this encryption is left up to the key size which are usually 1024- or 2048-bits in length, which is huge and is why it would be a great choice to implement upon cloud infrastructure storage security. Risks Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks: These attacks prevents the users from accessing the services by flooding the systems or networks with traffic to make the resources work on unnecessary data or inevitably crash which then prevents the user from accessing their data . Such attacks have more computational power in cloud computing.Malware Injection Attack: These attacks inject harmful software to the victims data in the cloud and takes control of it. The results of successful injection can be very disastrous, it can even allow the propagation of computer worms which then can potentially use the company’s data distribution methods as a platform to spread the attack to individuals or groups who authentically interact with the company’s data.Side Channel Attack: These attacks place a virtual machine with the victim’s virtual machine in order to target cryptographic implementation of the systems instead of using any theoretical weaknesses of the algorithms or any other force. Cache attack, timing attack, power – monitoring attack, electromagnetic attack, acoustic cryptanalysis, differential fault analysis, data reminisce, and software-initiated fault attacks are different forms of side channel attacks. Countermeasures The data stored in the cloud must be zipped up with either a password or AES encryption and the keys must not be shared with anyone.Login authentication should not be simple in terms of guess work and rather should implement multifactor authentication.A CCSP (Certified Cloud Security Professional) should be hired to manage the cloud after installation.Data integrity must be verified by implementing data encryption and decryption over the wire. It is advisable to use cloud computing for the operational purposes in order to reduce the hardware infrastructure cost and maintain efficient management of databases and confidential data if all the vulnerabilities are taken care of by using proper countermeasures. Part IV Business and Blockchain Integration Blockchain technology has created a backbone for a new kind of internet. A blockchains store information across a network of computers making them not just decentralized but distributed which means no single individual or company owns a system but everyone can use it and help run it. It can be looked at in three different ways: technical, legal, and business (Nair & Sebastian, 2017).  As per technical aspect, it could be seen as a backend database which has a distributed ledger. As per business aspect, it is an exchange network that can be used by peers for transferring value. This mechanism validates a transaction and may validate it from a legal point of view. There is no requirement of any middlemen to make a transaction valid. In order to ensure proper functioning of blockchains at such a corporate level, a consensus algorithm is required which must be secure, functional, and efficient. â€Å"Proof of work†, â€Å"Proof of Authority†, and â€Å"Proof of stake† are some of the consensus algorithm which are considered as potential for blockchain integration. However, the use of a â€Å"Proof of Work† algorithm has already been started for blockchains in Bitcoins. Blockchains can enhance the security in three different forms which are: blockage of identity thefts, prevention from denial of service attacks, and prevention of data tampering. Advantages It allows people to sell or buy anything they like to and or from anybody in the world, without letting any other party to interfere and impose rules upon them.Every consumer can choose their identity in transactions, such can remain anonymous, public, or private as per their choice.Approach used in blockchains for storing DNS entries could increase security by eliminating the single target that can be attacked by the hackers. This will not cause the entire system to be compromised by the attack.Blockchain will also eliminate the network fees on DNS reads and will only charge for new entries and updates, of course depending upon the DNS provider that John chooses to go with. Drawbacks Financial services will be impacted as blockchain is defined as everything that a bank does.Government services as one can choose to buy or sell anything to anyone without any geographical boundaries. No one will go to government departments for completing the formalities.Blockchains will require a lot of computational power as compared to centralized database processes. Blockchain provides the ability for every node in the network to process the request independently.Existing currencies are regulated and created by the national governments, but blockchain and a product of blockchain such as Bitcoin will face hurdles in being adopted by the already existing financial institutions if the regulation status of the governments remain unsettled. References Stallings, W., & Tahiliani, M. P. (2014).  Cryptography and network security: principles and practice  (Vol. 6). London: Pearson. Jonsson, J., Moriarty, K., Kaliski, B., & Rusch, A. (2016). PKCS# 1: RSA Cryptography Specifications Version 2.2. Salomaa, A. (2013).  Public-key cryptography. Springer Science & Business Media. Hernandez, K. (2017). Blockchain for Development–Hope or Hype?. Nair, G. R., & Sebastian, S. (2017). BlockChain Technology Centralised Ledger to Distributed Ledger. Rittinghouse, J. W., & Ransome, J. F. (2016).  Cloud computing: implementation, management, and security. CRC press. Stojmenovic, I. (2014, November). Fog computing: A cloud to the ground support for smart things and machine-to-machine networks. In  Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference (ATNAC), 2014 Australasian  (pp. 117-122). IEEE.