Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Final research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Final - Research Paper Example With such an increased connectivity, there has been a concern surrounding the effects of the internet on the society. It is unfortunate that in the recent past, the internet has been perceived to cause a multiple of negative effects. Such a negative perception of the internet as causing only negative effects is not justified and only serves to hinder the recognition that the internet has significant benefits. One of the outstanding benefits of the internet is the fact that it offers a broader platform of socialization irrespective of physical distance. Human beings are social and will utilize every available opportunity for socialization. The internet has brought forth the development of social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Badoo. These social networking sites have introduced a new virtual platform for socialization. They have increased the global connectivity since people from different regions are constantly in conduct regardless of physical distance. Social networking sites which have been made possible by the availability of the internet have opened up new avenues for people from different regions to connect and interact without any form of limitations. It is evident that, the internet has brought about an increased connectivity of people, especially family, friends and partners who are separated by physical distance. Such people can still communicate and remain in contact via social networking sites. This is proven by statistics from Facebook, which is one of the popular social networking sites. Currently, the site has over 800 million users from all over the globe. This means that, these individuals can constantly stay in touch as long as they have an internet connection. They are able to interact and develop relationships online. Their connectivity and social conduct can occur anywhere and at any given time. Moreover, Skype has also proved to be an additional site that increases social

Monday, October 28, 2019

Child Abuse Essay Example for Free

Child Abuse Essay If you were placed in a position were your life was put into danger would you risk escaping? This question was asked by Jaycee Dugard everyday during her eighteen year being held captive. In her memoir A Stolen Life, Jaycee Dugard explains to us why she didnt try to run from her abductor Philip Garrido even though she was given so many chances to do so. In most situations it is very difficult for victims to escape their abusers control. In the past it was near impossible for victims of abduction to escape safely on their own. With the realization that We have seen a significent increase in the number of thru the means of strangers, family or friends (Amber Alert 1). It has been easier to help child abduction victims with systems like the Amber Alert system, yet it is still difficult for the victims to leave on their own. Abuse victims along with Dugard also struggle with gaining the strength to leave. Years after Dugard was rescued she says You must find your voice and not be afraid to speak up (Dugard 148). Something she regrets doing while being held captive. In the end the claim that victims of abuse should take more responsibility to escaoe their abusers control should be challenges because of the difficulty to escape their abusers control and to gain the strength to leave. Not only do child victims of abuse deal with the control of their abuser, but many adults deal with the same issue. Many women deal with the challenge of leaving their abusive partner, but fail because of the partner control and power they have over their victims. Many women find it difficult because they remain emotionally and economically dependent on their batterer (Domestic Violence 1). In most marital situations their is a cycle of abuse and the familys life becomes a cycle of violence. The man who was terrifying and intimidating turns into a remorseful, needy, and dependent man. The woman who was battered then will feel sorry for the man and recommit to him in a fantasized hope that the abuse wont happen again. But the cycle of abuse will begin again, often becoming worse (Domestic Violence 2). In order to escape this abuse the cycle must be broken. According to Blich, Stranger kidnapping victimizes more females then males, occurs primarily at outdoor locations, victimizes both teenagers and school-age children, is associated with sexual assaults in the case of girl victims (Blich 1). After being abducted children are usually brainwashed and manipulated, gaining the abductor even more control. This is what happened in Dugards situation. Philip Garrido, Dugards  abductor, told her that he was hurting her so he wouldnt have to hurt other little girls, thereby making Dugard feel that if she did try to leave it would be her fault for the pain he caused others (Dugard 158). In doing so Garrido gained complete control over Dugard. However strong you are most can agree that it is very difficult to leave somebody you are dependent on, yet it is necessary if you want to go on happily. Therefore th e claim that abuse victims should take more responsibility to escape their control is difficult for anyone. Many will argue that people who are abused should take more responsibility to to escape from their abuser. In some situations outsiders will argue that we should outsmart our abuser and learn from it making us stronger to leave. According to The Washington Post, They escaped these things not through the efforts of good samaritans, but through recognizing a bad situation and either getting away from it, avoiding it or screaming and kicking to draw attention (St. George 1). This proves that children are capable not responsible. Another argument is that the child who is being abducted should be able to help themselves and escape the situation. The child should do whatever is necessary to stay out of the car, because once the child is in that car, it dramatically reduces the chances of escape (St. George 2). This is a lot of responsibility put onto a young child. How do we expect an eight year-old girl to escape a potential abuser if many forty year-old women cant leave an abuser they have been with for years. During Dugards eighteen year abduction several visuals were taken to show the pain of her loved ones. It can be proven that many were concerned with her abduction. In the visual Missing published in The Telegraph (2009). We are shown both Dugards mother, Terry Probyn, and step-father, Carl Probyn, they look heartbroken and distressed. Some would argue that with how much Jaycee Dugard knew she was loved, she should of gained enough strength and motivation to escape and go back to living her everyday life. However she was unaware of this while being held captive. The argument that in domestic abuse options are available to leave or available to encourage victims to leave is true, yet difficult. Victims have the option of professional help and gaining awareness of the situation. With the cycle of abuse it is very hard to get to the point were you understand you need the help, then there is the struggle of actually going ahead and doing it. Regardless of the several arguments that people can challenge we have proof from specific  situations like Dugards along with more common issue like marital dispute that without finding overall strength and gaining the courage to escape the abuser control it is impossible to escape and go back to your normal life. Gaining strength is one of the most difficult things to do in life. One way we gain strength is having support and happiness. How do we gain strength if we dont have either? This faces millions of people daily who are in abusive relationships. They simply cant find the strength to leave. In Dugards memoir she says although she is unhappy she is too afraid of the risk of leaving and doesnt know how she would be able to take care of herself and her two daughters. One of the reasons I stayed was I wanted my kids to be safe. The outside was scary for me. I was so afraid that if i left or tried to leave and take them both with me I wouldnt be able to protect them (Dugard 276). Even her knowing the fact that if she were to escape successfully her daughters could have a much better life, yet if they werent successful they would have to continue living in hiding in the backyard of Garridos home. She didnt have enough strength to take the risk although the successful end results were so much better then her current situation. In abuse situations victims struggle with the same issue of strength. In between the cycle of abuse there is only a small gap between the man being violent and the women feeling remorseful and forgiving him. Where gaining the strength in between that small gap is difficult especially when it would need to be regained the next time the abuse restarts. Women also have other options. Most women have a supportive family or homes they can go to keep safe. But strength is key and difficult to obtain when one is constantly bringing you down. Although more options are available to leave, like hot-line cards in bathrooms for abuse victims or Dugard being taken into public with the option to run, we need strength to take them. Strength is a necessity to leave making the claim that abuse victims are responsible for leaving their abuser difficult to prove. In conclusion finding the courage to leave an abuser is an unthinkable challenge to those placed in that position. Without finding the strength and escaping the overwhelming control of the abuser its near impossible. As time goes on there becomes more options for abuse to happen or lead to abuse. One in five children ten to seventeen receive unwanted sexual solicitations online (Blich 1), which can lead to a more serious abuse. No matter how different the situations  are the abuse victims suffer through they can relate back to the same struggles. According to Jayvee Dugard after her long term abuse she refers to life today as A light that I thought had been extinguished was coming back to life (Dugard 238). While in the position of abuse its difficult to find the strength, but it can be gained again. The difficulty of escaping the abuser will also be difficult. It will remain difficult while recovering from the abuse. The claim that people should take more responsibility to escape their abusers? False.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Attractiveness over Intelligence :: American Culture, Beauty

Obsessed with beauty, the American culture seemingly values attractiveness over intelligence. Different media outlets serve to reinforce certain societal feminine ideologies (i.e. thin, tall, young, beautiful, etc.). The overwhelming pressure to conform to cultural standards of beauty and the importance of attaining these ideals of thinness and perfection are commonly displayed in advertising. However, in 2004 Dove launched a campaign that promised to redefine such stereotypes. Researchers agree that a medium that depicts cultural norms and beliefs of â€Å"ideal beauty† have a direct negative impact on the perceptions of young women’s self-image. According to Bissell and Rask (2010), women who are exposed to mediated images, which portray extremely thin models result in negative body image, low self-esteem, eating disorders, and overall dissatisfaction. The overwhelming pressures to be young, thin, and beautiful are the twisted expectations of the American culture. Kilbourne (1999) argues that, â€Å"†¦advertising is one of the most potent messengers in a culture that can be toxic for girls’ self-esteem†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she further argues that advertisements contain â€Å"†¦glossy images of flawlessly beautiful and extremely thin women†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (as cited in Bissell & Rask, 2010). As a result of such advertising, many young women and teens have a manipulated perception of beauty. Research supports this claim by showing th at the average US model portrayed in advertisements is 5’†11† and weighs 117 pounds; when in reality, the average US women is only 5’4† and weighs 140 pounds (Media and eating disorders 2006 as cited in Bissell & Rask 2010). Scholars claim that, â€Å"mass media can reflect basic beliefs, attitudes, and values toward female beauty and can even affect changes in cultures when others are exposed to images of ideal beauty and attractiveness† (Bissell & Chung, 2009). However, the beliefs and attitudes that have been adopted by the American culture are not creating a positive perception of true and healthy beauty, but rather a perception of shame and disappointment (Bissell & Rask, 2010; Bissell & Young, 2009). Both articles agree that constant exposure to these false perceptions of ideal beauty not only misguides young women into believing that this is in fact the cultural norm, but eventually leads them to accept that they must find a way to live up to these unrealistic standards, ultimately leaving them feeling inadequate and unacceptable (Bissell & Young, 2009; Bissell & Rask, 2010). In the last decade, some advertising companies have made an attempt to challenge or change such standards by choosing to use models that don’t normally fit into this â€Å"ideal† construct of beauty (Bissell & Rask, 2010).

Thursday, October 24, 2019

To What Extent Does Trade Help Reduce Development Disparities

To what extent does trade help reduce development disparities? The Republic of Malawi in the southeast of Africa is a landlocked country in which 85% of the people are employed in agriculture. About 90% of all farmers are smallholder farmers that suffer from low income and underdeveloped techniques. This is just one example of underdeveloped countries all over the world. The question is simple: How can these LEDCs develop? One approach of reducing development disparities is the mean of trade – the business of buying and selling commodities either within a country or between several countries.Several countries have already initiated techniques to help LEDCs develop. China for examples encourages Chinese firmst to invest in poorer nations and opens ist own markets to imports from underdeveloped countries. This global foreign investment is a great opportunity to create development opportunities for LEDCs, especially because China itself has just had an extreme financial rise so t hat it is able to help others now. However, critics may think that China – by opening up its markets – rather sees its own benefit, as it secures raw materials and markets for Chinese manufactured goods.Furthermore, China gets richer and its global importance raises drastically. Experts expect it to overtake Japan’s economy soon. Very different to this rather unfair approach of reducing development disparities due to trade is established by the FAIRTRADE foundation. This development organisation helps countries in the developing world to improve several different aspects such as sustainable prices for products that never fall under the market price, decent working conditions or fair terms of trade.To achieve this, specific FAIRTRADE certification and product labelling was developed called the FAIRTRADE mark – an independet consumer label. Things like the FAIRTRADE minimum price, which means that a buyer has to pay a certain price that is fair to the produ cer or FAIRTRADE premium, which means that the money payed on top of the minimum prize is spent on social, environmental and economic development projects. Neither pretending to help nor really trying hard to boost LEDC’s economy, he three nations USA, Canada and Mexico agreed on the „North American Free Trade Agreement which was set up in January 1994. The „Theory of Comparative Advantageâ€Å" shows the intention of this association of nations: As they were all economically challenged by western Europe and Asia and as the completion of internal market of the EU harmed their economy, it is obvious that with an elimination of trade barriers due to the NAFTA, these countries would all benefit from it in their economic situation.The aim the NAFTA is to eliminate trade barriers, promote economic competition, increase investment opportunities and improve cooperation between the USA, Canada and Mexico. Acualizing these aims will have several impacts on the worldâ€⠄¢s economy. One example therefore ist he potential wage and benefir reduction in the US due to Mexico’s membership. Also, Mexico would have to adopt higher foreign standards and poor Mexican farmers have now to compete with large-scale, high-tech US- or Canadian farmers. These are just some examples of the impact that the free trade treaty has on its members.Although the idea of free trade troughout nations seems auspicious, it clearly has its weaknesses as well. Concluding, the NAFTA has a good approach which however is not helping LEDCs develop further and rather makes it difficult for – in this case – Mexico to keep up with its partner-trading-nations USA and Canada. Governments from developed countries try to make LEDCs help themselves by researching and setting up various organisations in order to make trade easier. One example of this so-called „top-down approachâ€Å" is provided for farmers in Malawi.The aim of government-led projects is to allow african farmers being self-sufficient and develop their own business with enough income. A peanut farmer in Malawi is now – due to the support of the British government – able to sell his peanuts to big oversea markets. As it is difficult for little farmers to access those big markets, buying centres were build by the foreign government in order to allow the farmers easier access. Some farmers then use their income to open bank accounts, start new businesses and put their children through secondary school.In this process, they break out of the „vicious circleâ€Å" of poverty. Critics still see problems in this government-led approach as farmers are not concious about being helped to a great extent. In the project of for example Malawi, the British government gets highly involved in the economy of a country which often is seen from a negative angle by the population as they would like to manage their economic structures on their own. However, this „bottom -upâ€Å" approach to less economically developed countries by its own population is standing in great contrast to the government-led approach.As certain people of the country would have to mobilise its people and due to lack of financial support, often resignation by the population limits the development of a country. Several very different approaches towards reducing development disparities were made by governments and foundations. These can be easily contrasted: They are either initiated by a country or nation so as to extract the countries benefits out of trade or in order to help and support another country in its development by providing aid for it – this government-lead approach is called „top-downâ€Å".The contrast to this approach is called „bottom-upâ€Å" and is lead by a countries‘ own population which is a rather difficult process. Generally, trade is a very good way of linking a nation’s economy, as mostly contracts between countries are established so that both parties benefit from the business. This means that LEDCs can develop and change their status to MEDCs. However, as it is in the nature of the human species to always be best and leading, LEDCs must be very cautious not to get exploitet by economically powerful nations such as China.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Explore How Isolation used by both authors? Essay

One way in which Isolation is presented in through social isolation: it can be noted that Piggy is particularly a victim here. Golding states that the â€Å"naked crooks of [Piggy’s] knees were plump and that he was â€Å"shorter than the fair boy†. From Piggy’s immediate introduction, he is already portrayed as an outsider, in comparison with the â€Å"fair boy† who symbolises the other islanders. Perhaps Golding’s use of the word â€Å"naked† is an implicit way of suggesting Piggy’s vulnerability which is what ultimately leads to Piggy being socially isolated. An interesting instance of Piggy as a victim of social isolation is when he is forbidden to sit with the rest of the islanders; â€Å"Piggy sat expressionless behind the luminous wall of his myopia†- Golding is explicitly stating that Piggy is excluded because of his â€Å"myopia†, which is compared to a wall; the â€Å"luminous wall† represents a metaphorical wall between Piggy and the rest of society. Piggy himself appears to accept that he is not accepted by referring to the islanders as â€Å"them other kids†; the word â€Å"them† highlights this clear difference in social status between Piggy and the other islanders and hence why he is excluded. One could argue that Golding is utilising social isolation to criticise British culture; as many were a victim of social prejudice when this book was published in the 1950s. This is comparable to the social isolation faced by Kingshaw in I’m the King of the Castle; which, like Piggy’s, is caused by Kingshaw being a member of the lower class. Hill immediately indicates Kingshaw lower class, upon his introduction describing the sky as â€Å"the colour of dirty sixpences† – I feel this is interesting on two notes, perhaps the six pence is an indication of Kinghaw’s lower class because a sixpence was of little value, or equally the â€Å"dirty colours† could be a form of pathetic fallacy, and hence a form of prolepsis beckoning for Kingshaw to suffer social isolation. One example of the social isolation faced by Kingshaw is when he escapes from Waring’s to the remote Hang Wood, which is depicted (from Kingshaw’s point of view) as â€Å"being completely hidden† and thus why â€Å"he liked it†. The word hidden is comparable to isolation, something that Kingshaw could only dream about. Hill, like Golding, may also be criticising the divide in classes, perhaps she felt that the lower class were often mis-treated, the effects of which burdened on the youngest of the family. Both Piggy and Kingshaw are comparable because they face social isolation because they are of lower class. However, it should be noted that whilst Piggy does not wish to subjected to isolation, Kingshaw see isolation as method of escaping persecution, and therefore he embraces isolation. Because of this, I feel Hill has been the more effective author in here use of isolation, isolation has a greater meaning in I’m the King of the Castle, it is Kinghaw’s only method of surviving Hooper’s reign of terror, whereas in Lord of the Flies, the reader can argue Golding’s portrayal of Piggy as an irritating character is also a cause of his isolation. An issue both authors face however is that their ideas on class are now out-dated, the modern reader may not understand references made by Hill and Golding regarding class. Another way that Golding utilises isolation, is in the portrayal and hence the effects of the isolation of children from adults. When the children discover there aren’t any adults on the island, they begin to distribute â€Å"adult† roles in society, and begin creating their own rules. Initially Piggy appears to be horrified at the prospect of isolation from adults; nervously asking â€Å"Aren’t there any grown ups at all?†- Piggy the voice of reason is aware of the ill-effects of children inhabiting an island by themselves, and most likely explains the cause of concern in his voice. This isolation from â€Å"grow-ups† has devastating effects, as the children begin to lose contact with the rules that the very adults made themselves: this is symbolised when the savages are â€Å"painted out of recognition†- in this case recognition could symbolically represent the rules of society (adults) but because of the isolation faced by the savages, the y no longer obey such rules. The verb â€Å"painted† is especially effective here as it describes the manner in which isolation affects the young: slowly over time. Another instance of isolation causing behaviour that our society would not accept is when a dictatorship emerges under Jack: one of the highlights of this being when a savage states â€Å"[Jack] is going to beat Wilfred† – the casual manner in which the savage speaks depicts the distances that Jack’s â€Å"tribe† have moved from society, there is no emotion in that phrase and this only further suggests the negative impact on children when they are isolated from adults. Perhaps Golding is being cynical of human nature, criticising humans and their lack of empathy which only appears to be existent because of the rules of society. Maybe, Golding see’s the deeper impacts of bad human nature, such as poverty in poorer countries.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Whistle-blowers Essays

Whistle-blowers Essays Whistle-blowers Essay Whistle-blowers Essay In an organization, like the government or business, there are some form of misappropriation and bad conduct going on within the system, there are certain duties that employers are obligated to perform, but fail to do. Employees of an organization and the general public are deprived of certain protective rights and face intimidation and victimization by their employers. The managerial irregularities or misdeeds that go on in an organization are exposed by employee whistleblowers.Whistle-blowers are employees or former employees of a particular organization, be it a business firm or a governmental organization that expose the unlawful activities and faux pas going on in the organization (Lewis, 1995).Whistle-blowers are also individuals of an organization, such as an internal auditor whose job is to expose or report any irregularity or improper conduct within an organization (Lewis, 1995).The question of the protection of whistle-blowers then arises, should they be protected? Or shoul d their supposedly excesses be curbed? Some parties view whistle-blowers as disloyal, while others view them as dedicated individuals who strife to ensure that the business firm or governmental organization either continue to maintain its proper standard or attempt to attain a normal working standard.Employees who blow the whistle on bad organizational behavior, poor standards and other organizational anomalies are in the danger of facing threats and managerial pressure. Whistleblowers should be protected from being victimized unjustly, as every individual has the right and freedom to speak out about what they feel is wrong in an organization, without the fear of being persecuted maliciously.When there is nobody to speak out in an organization, the management or the employers are likely to do what they like as against the wishes of the workers. Whistleblowers should be adequately protected as their protection means that there is freedom in the organization to speak out on anything t hey feel is professionally wrong and lacks the good working ethics of a professional. Organizations that do not offer protection to whistleblowers are in the danger of losing their workers, who feel their freedom is impinged upon and hence move to other organizations that offer protective rights to whistleblowers.Certain laws should be put in place to respect the wishes of employees and protect the rights of whistleblowers as they are useful in the proper running of an organization as long as the allegations and accusations leveled against the employers are true. There should be an enabling environment that would accommodate protests on misgivings by certain individuals on some happenings in the organization.Whistle blowing in an organization must be seen as an avenue for adjustments to be made and an opportunity for people to learn the proper way of doing things and not as an opportunity to victimize employees for their views and perspectives, but rather a time to pay attention to the yearnings of the employees.Hence, it has been fully established that Whistle blowers should be protected in order to continue to maintain the good working standards in a business or governmental organization. When weighing the advantages of having whistleblowers within an organization against the disadvantages, the benefits are seen to surpass the detriments, hence the rights of Whistle blowers should be protected in a business firm or governmental organization.

Monday, October 21, 2019

London Dispersion Force Definition

London Dispersion Force Definition London dispersion force is a weak intermolecular force between two atoms or molecules in close proximity to  each other. The force is a quantum force generated by electron repulsion between the electron clouds of two atoms or molecules as they approach each other. The London dispersion force is the weakest of the van der Waals forces and is the force that causes nonpolar atoms or molecules to condense into liquids or solids as temperature is lowered.  Ã‚  Even though it is weak, of the three van der Waals forces (orientation, induction, dispersion), the dispersion forces are usually dominant. The exception is for small, readily polarized molecules (e.g., water). The force gets its name because Fritz London first explained how noble gas atoms could be attracted to each other in 1930. His explanation was based on second-order perturbation theory. Also Known As: London forces, LDF, dispersion forces, instantaneous dipole forces, induced dipole forces. London dispersion forces may sometimes be loosely referred to as van der Waals forces. What Causes London Dispersion Forces? When you think of electrons around an atom, you probably picture tiny moving dots, spaced equally around the atomic nucleus. However, electrons are always in motion, and sometimes there are more on one side of an atom than on the other. This happens around any atom, but its more pronounced in compounds because electrons feel the attractive pull of the protons of neighboring atoms. The electrons from two atoms can be arranged such that they produce temporary (instantaneous) electric dipoles. Even though the polarization is temporary, its enough to affect the way atoms and molecules interact with each other. London Dispersion Force Facts Dispersion forces occur between all atoms and molecules. It doesnt matter whether they are polar or nonpolar. The forces come into play when the molecules are very close to each other. However, London dispersion forces are generally stronger between easily polarized molecules and weaker between molecules that are not easily polarized.The magnitude of the force is related to the size of the molecule. Dispersion forces are stronger for larger and heavier atoms and molecules than for smaller and lighter ones. This is because the valence electrons are further away from the nucleus in large atoms/molecules than in small ones, so they are not as tightly bound to the protons.The shape or conformation of a molecule affects its polarizability. Its like fitting together blocks or playing Tetris. Some shapes will naturally line up better than others. Consequences of London Dispersion Forces The polarizability affects how easily atoms and molecules form bonds with each other, so it also affects properties such as melting point and boiling point. For example, if you consider Cl2 and Br2, you might expect the two compounds to behave similarly because they are both halogens. Yet, chlorine is a gas at room temperature, while bromine is a liquid. Why? The London dispersion forces between the larger bromine atoms bring  them close enough to form a liquid, while the smaller chlorine atoms have enough energy for the molecule to remain gaseous.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Nero Burning Rome - Why Its a Myth

Nero Burning Rome - Why Its a Myth Separated by almost two millennia from a devastating event in the ancient city of Rome, came a software program called Nero Burning Rom that allows you to burn discs. The event in ancient Rome was so significant that we still remember it, albeit, with crucial details confused. Rome burned, true, in A.D. 64. Ten of 14 districts burned. The involuntary demolition paved the way for Neros lavish building project that culminated in his domus aurea or Golden House and colossal self-statue. Nero, however, didnt burn Rome  or at least didnt start the burning. [See: Nero as Incendiary, by Robert K. Bohm; The Classical World, Vol. 79, No. 6 (Jul. - Aug., 1986), pp. 400-401.] Even had Nero been present at the time of the burning, the other tale told in connection with Nero burning Rome is untrue: Nero did not fiddle while Rome burned. At most he played a stringed instrument or sang an epic poem, but there were no violins, so he couldnt have fiddled. Tacitus on Nero Tacitus (Annals XV) writes the following about the possibility of Nero burning Rome. Notice that there are others who were deliberately setting fires and that Nero acted with some compassion towards the suddenly homeless. A disaster followed, whether accidental or treacherously contrived by the emperor, is uncertain, as authors have given both accounts, worse, however, and more dreadful than any which have ever happened to this city by the violence of fire. It had its beginning in that part of the circus which adjoins the Palatine and Caelian hills, where, amid the shops containing inflammable wares, the conflagration both broke out and instantly became so fierce and so rapid from the wind that it seized in its grasp the entire length of the circus. For here there were no houses fenced in by solid masonry, or temples surrounded by walls, or any other obstacle to interpose delay. The blaze in its fury ran first through the level portions of the city, then rising to the hills, while it again devastated every place below them, it outstripped all preventive measures; so rapid was the mischief and so completely at its mercy the city, with those narrow winding passages and irregular streets, which characte rised old Rome. Added to this were the wailings of terror-stricken women, the feebleness of age, the helpless inexperience of childhood, the crowds who sought to save themselves or others, dragging out the infirm or waiting for them, and by their hurry in the one case, by their delay in the other, aggravating the confusion. Often, while they looked behind them, they were intercepted by flames on their side or in their face. Or if they reached a refuge close at hand, when this too was seized by the fire, they found that, even places, which they had imagined to be remote, were involved in the same calamity. At last, doubting what they should avoid or whither betake themselves, they crowded the streets or flung themselves down in the fields, while some who had lost their all, even their very daily bread, and others out of love for their kinsfolk, whom they had been unable to rescue, perished, though escape was open to them. And no one dared to stop the mischief, because of incessant me naces from a number of persons who forbade the extinguishing of the flames, because again others openly hurled brands, and kept shouting that there was one who gave them authority, either seeking to plunder more freely, or obeying orders.Other ancient historians were quicker to put the finger on Nero. Heres what the court gossip Suetonius says:38 1 But he showed no greater mercy to the people or the walls of his capital. When someone in a general conversation said: When I am dead, be earth consumed by fire, he rejoined Nay, rather while I live, and his action was wholly in accord. For under cover of displeasure at the ugliness of the old buildings and the narrow, crooked streets, he set fire to the city so openly that several ex-consuls did not venture to lay hands on his chamberlains although they caught them on their estates with tow and fire-brands, while some granaries near the Golden House, whose room he particularly desired, were demolished by engines of war and then set on fi re, because their walls were of stone. 2 For six days and seven nights destruction raged, while the people were driven for shelter to monuments and tombs.Suetonius Nero Nero at this time was at Antium, and did not return to Rome until the fire approached his house, which he had built to connect the palace with the gardens of Maecenas. It could not, however, be stopped from devouring the palace, the house, and everything around it. However, to relieve the people, driven out homeless as they were, he threw open to them the Campus Martius and the public buildings of Agrippa, and even his own gardens, and raised temporary structures to receive the destitute multitude. Supplies of food were brought up from Ostia and the neighbouring towns, and the price of corn was reduced to three sesterces a peck. These acts, though popular, produced no effect, since a rumour had gone forth everywhere that, at the very time when the city was in flames, the emperor appeared on a private stage and sang of the destruction of Troy, comparing present misfortunes with the calamities of antiquity.At last, after five days, an end was put to the conflagration at the foot of th e Esquiline hill, by the destruction of all buildings on a vast space, so that the violence of the fire was met by clear ground and an open sky. But before people had laid aside their fears, the flames returned, with no less fury this second time, and especially in the spacious districts of the city. Consequently, though there was less loss of life, the temples of the gods, and the porticoes which were devoted to enjoyment, fell in a yet more widespread ruin. And to this conflagration there attached the greater infamy because it broke out on the Aemilian property of Tigellinus, and it seemed that Nero was aiming at the glory of founding a new city and calling it by his name. Rome, indeed, is divided into fourteen districts, four of which remained uninjured, three were levelled to the ground, while in the other seven were left only a few shattered, half-burnt relics of houses.Tacitus AnnalsTranslated by Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb. Also see: Nero Fiddled While Rome Burned, by Mary Francis Gyles; The Classical Journal Vol. 42, No. 4 (Jan. 1947), 211‑217.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Profile of a Health Care Manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Profile of a Health Care Manager - Essay Example Likewise, a good health manager assumes a proactive stance in addressing the needs of stakeholders under his or her jurisdiction. Professionals choose to work in settings that provide either direct or nondirect service, depending on their knowledge, skills set, and experience. Some health care managers are called to directly serve the needs of a specific profile of clientele. Others serve in non-direct settings, such as â€Å"consulting firms, pharmaceutical companies, associations, and medical equipment companies† (Thompson, Buchbinder, & Shanks, n.d., p. 2). Thus, depending also on the delegated responsibilities, these managers abide by the need to serve various stakeholders; either in direct or nondirect service capacities. Health care managers who work on direct care settings possess characteristics and traits that would ensure competencies in health care; specifically the following key competencies associated with an effective manager: â€Å"conceptual, technical, and interpersonal skills† (Thompson, Buchbinder, & Shanks, n.d., p. 5). Health care managers who work in nondirect care settings should have the overview and background required from these nondirect services, as well as the expected responsibilities required from them. Thus, a good theoretical knowledge of the nondirect service being undertaken and regularly transacted with; as well as skills in dealing with various stakeholders (suppliers, investors, community members, customers, and the like). Thompson, J., Buchbinder, S., & Shanks, N. (n.d.). An Overview of Healthcare Management. Retrieved from Jones & Barttlet Learning:

Friday, October 18, 2019

Routing Protocols for Ad-hoc Wireless Network Dissertation

Routing Protocols for Ad-hoc Wireless Network - Dissertation Example IEEE 802.11g standard is also operational on a 2.4 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum that offers a maximum Mbps rate of data by using Orthogonal Division Multiplexing in the frequency band. Chapter 3: Routing Protocols for Ad-hoc Wireless Network 3.1. Routing Protocols As stated previously in this paper, an ad-hoc mobile network refers to a number of wireless mobile hosts linked together to form a network of temporary nature without using any centralized control or stand-alone infrastructure [18]. MANETs are not multi-hop wireless networks that are only self-configuring but also self-organizing, in which the network structure changes dynamically, primarily, because of the portability of the nodes [22]. Such networks have their nodes use the uniform random access wireless channel in order to get involved in multi-hop broadcasting by cooperating with each other in a friendly manner. These nodes serve as both hosts as well as routers routing data to and from other nodes within MANET [21 ]. Since the MANETs have no support of the infrastructure as opposed to the other wireless networks and there is a possibility of a destination node not being found within the range of the source-node-network of the forwarding packets, hence a mechanism for routing is compulsorily required for determining a path in order to transmit the packets properly from the node of the source to the node of the destination. Commonly, a base station in mobile network within a cell can access all the wireless nodes without the mechanism of routing through the broadcasting method whereas in the MANETs, each node should be transmitting the data on behalf of the other nodes. This gives rise to other issues besides the issue of unpredictable connectivity changes related to dynamic topology (Schiller, 2000). 3.2. Issues with Routing in MANETs Asymmetric links: Many wired networks are based on the fixed symmetric links as opposed to the MANETs where the nodes are wireless and also, dynamic as they keep changing their network position. As for instance, consider a MANET having a node B transmitting a signal towards node A. This information tells nothing in relation to the quality or level of the connection in the reverse order that is sending signal back to node B from node A (Schiller, 2000). Overhead in the Routing Mechanism: The nodes, in a MANET, are dynamic with respect to their network location as mentioned above. Hence, a number of invalid paths are produced in the routing table accounting for excessive overhead. Interference: Interference is a big issue in MANETs since the links are made and broken on the basis of the transmission properties, subsequent to which one transmission might intervene or intrude in another line of transmission causing the corresponding node to tap the communication of the nodes in other transmission lines and thereby, falsify the overall system of transmission. Dynamic Network Topology: This is another issue of great concern in MANET routing as th e topology keeps on changing. The nodes of the MANET are dynamic since the change their network location and also, the medium has the changing/dynamic properties. The routing tables, in the MANETS, must be able to indicate such changes taking place in the network topology by adapting the appropriate routing algorithms. As for instance, the routing table is updated in every 30 seconds in a fixed network (Schiller, 2000). On the other hand, the updating frequency for the ad-hoc networks might be very low. 3.3. Various Network Protocols in MANET’s and their Comparisons Although the network protocols in MANETS can be classified in numerous ways however many of these are performed on the basis of both the routing mechanism and the network structure [20]. In accordance to the routing mecha

History of the United States Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History of the United States - Research Paper Example This meant that there would be a federal government—the president and Congress—but also state governments. Each would have various powers. The country that the Founding Fathers set in motion would soon dominate North America, sweeping across the continent from the Atlantic Ocean in the east, to the Pacific and the West, and eventually incorporating Alaska and Hawaii. It would contain the Grand Canyon and the Rocky Mountains, the Florida Everglades and the Smoky Mountains, the Redwood forests of California and the Great Lakes. The climate and geography range dramatically across the country, as do the people who come from all around the world as immigrants. Over the last hundred years the population has grown dramatically as people from all the countries of the world sought out a better life on America's shores. The population is diverse and freedom-loving. One of the aspects of the United States that sets it apart from other countries is its fascinating political history . The first European settlers had to make accommodations with the Natives who had settled the land thousands of years ago. Sometimes there was peace between these groups and sometimes there was war. In the end, the Natives were marginalized, and the Europeans began to dominate. They built cities and plantations and developed a vibrant economy and trade links. Soon enough the settlers had another foe, their British colonial masters, who were intent on taxing them without representation. The British became increasingly repressive and Americans began to feel their oats. This soon led to conflict and a declaration of independence. The Revolutionary War went on for nearly a decade, but in the end America was free. In the period between independence and the Civil War of the 1860s, the United States expanded dramatically. During the brutal Civil War between North and South over the issue of slavery, industrialization occurred at a rapid pace (Kennedy, 125). Much of New England developed a manufacturing sector; and, following the war, many people moved north to take up factory jobs. These jobs were hard, but they paid more than work picking cotton. This left the South short of resources for some time and increased resentment between the two main regions of the country. The 20th century saw more change as the World Wars forced the United States to look outwards at the world. These wars dramatically increased the size of the American economy and the sophistication of its technologies. The Depression showed how entwined the American economy was with the rest of the world's. It marked some of the darkest days in American history. The post-war history of America was perhaps the most dramatic, as America became a superpower and developed nuclear weapons and built military bases around the world. The Cold War saw the United States face off against the Soviet Union and its communist allies, a face-off the U.S. won with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 (Cowley, 157). S ince that time, the U.S. has been the only superpower in the world. America today has many challenges, among them terrorism and managing the rise of new powers such as China and India. Today, although facing financial problems, America is still a major power and a force for good in the world. It is a country whose people can be proud to be called its

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Exploring General Types of Research Design and Approaches Essay

Exploring General Types of Research Design and Approaches - Essay Example Hence, the concern for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is rising. Businesses are concentrating towards the progress of a sense of CSR as well as focusing on their basic values to promote their products and sustain their consumers (Enquist, Johnson and Skalen, 2005). Despite the extensive development of the CSR concept, there is an ongoing debate since long that the basic goal of a business is to maximize the profit for its stakeholders while the promotion of CSR increases stockholder’s investment (Friedman, 1962). Nevertheless, numerous past studies have established that CSR really augments the businesses’ financial performance in the long run. The topic has a lot of scope of research and development since the association between the CSR and the firm’s financial performance has been very controversial and had been argued by many scholars, for instance Pava and Krausz (1996) related CSR to company’s performance while Ullmann (1985) does not relate the se two together. Since any of the company’s actions some how or the other influences its performance thus it can be said that the performance of a company does depend over its CSR actions. Primary Research Question The primary research question formulated for the above mentioned research problem is: How does the financial performance of a business relates to it CSR activities? Secondary Research Question In order to investigate the above mentioned primary research question, I have formulated the following secondary research questions that will be helpful for a quantitative investigation of the study. How CSR activities of a business influence the perceptions of its customers for its brand? How the identified customer perceptions influence the business’s performance? Methodology I intend to use a quantitative research method, which basically focuses on the facts and practicalities of the subject under consideration. The basic objective of selecting this design approach is the nature of this study that leads towards the evaluation or quantification of the company’s performance on the basis of its customers’ perceptions about the brand that is, in turn, influenced by its CSR activities. It is necessary to acquire the on-ground knowledge of businesses’ performances and their strategies so as to determine the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility over the financial performance of a business. Keeping in view the objective of the study, I thought it to be the best to acquire the data related to the CSR and the turn-over of various businesses and then assess the collected information to reach to the conclusion of the study. The post-positivistic principle is the philosophical research approach that underpins this investigation. The post-positivistic research philosophy will help us to find out the Do s and Don’ts of a business. This approach is dependent over different philosophies such like social contract theory, virtue ethics, post modernism and Habermasian critical theory. I intend to adopt the post positivistic philosophical design in this study since it will provide the contextual dimension of reality to the investigation that will lead us to challenge and re-invent scientific theories through empirical research. I will

Supply chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Supply chain Management - Essay Example For instance, a pharmaceutical or biotechnological company normally handles perishable goods that must be kept under favorable environmental conditions. In effect, these conditions must be strictly adhered to while transporting and storing the products in a warehouse. However, a company might lack these important facilities during transportation and warehouse and may effectively consider contracting another company best fitted to handle such commodities during logistics. In this regard, the company contracted would maintain quality of the goods. c) Develop a strategy, and then employ specific suppliers to carry out well-defined portions of the strategy. A manager may employ this strategy in case of situations in which there are constraints in terms of resources available in the company. For instance, a company with internal logistics expertise and working hard to expand its operation in the market may experience financial constrictions. In this regard, such a company can use its inte rnal logistics expertise to develop a strategy internally within its operations. ... However, the manager in such a company may consider outsourcing its transportation and warehousing needs of its raw materials to a company best suited to handle this. In addition, the company may also contract another company to handle the distribution of its finished products. Question #2 a) Quick Response: In this partnership, the retailer normally establishes the amount of order they have made and the durations in restocking up. On the other hand, the supplier makes an analysis of the data from the retailer’s Point of Sale (POS) in order to develop their estimation and production schedules. Thus, the retailer is absolutely in charge of their inventory and helps their supplier in improving their functions by making available POS data for the supplier’s analysis. In this case, this type of system is crucial in instances that the retailer-supplier relationship is in its initial stages, or has just been established and is thus new. In effect, there is little trust betwee n the two parties making it the more suitable when compared to the two other partnerships. In addition, this type of partnership is crucial in instances where there is unavailability of efficient and sufficient personnel and facial resources. Therefore, this partnership is more appropriate than the others since financial and personnel resources inhibit the development of a more incorporated relationship while compared to VMI. b) Continuous replenishment: In this type of partnership, there is mutual trust between the retailer and the supplier making it the best type of partnership in comparison to a quick response partnership. In this case, the supplier receives Point of Sale data from the retailer and makes shipments at intervals based on a prior agreement. In

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Exploring General Types of Research Design and Approaches Essay

Exploring General Types of Research Design and Approaches - Essay Example Hence, the concern for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is rising. Businesses are concentrating towards the progress of a sense of CSR as well as focusing on their basic values to promote their products and sustain their consumers (Enquist, Johnson and Skalen, 2005). Despite the extensive development of the CSR concept, there is an ongoing debate since long that the basic goal of a business is to maximize the profit for its stakeholders while the promotion of CSR increases stockholder’s investment (Friedman, 1962). Nevertheless, numerous past studies have established that CSR really augments the businesses’ financial performance in the long run. The topic has a lot of scope of research and development since the association between the CSR and the firm’s financial performance has been very controversial and had been argued by many scholars, for instance Pava and Krausz (1996) related CSR to company’s performance while Ullmann (1985) does not relate the se two together. Since any of the company’s actions some how or the other influences its performance thus it can be said that the performance of a company does depend over its CSR actions. Primary Research Question The primary research question formulated for the above mentioned research problem is: How does the financial performance of a business relates to it CSR activities? Secondary Research Question In order to investigate the above mentioned primary research question, I have formulated the following secondary research questions that will be helpful for a quantitative investigation of the study. How CSR activities of a business influence the perceptions of its customers for its brand? How the identified customer perceptions influence the business’s performance? Methodology I intend to use a quantitative research method, which basically focuses on the facts and practicalities of the subject under consideration. The basic objective of selecting this design approach is the nature of this study that leads towards the evaluation or quantification of the company’s performance on the basis of its customers’ perceptions about the brand that is, in turn, influenced by its CSR activities. It is necessary to acquire the on-ground knowledge of businesses’ performances and their strategies so as to determine the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility over the financial performance of a business. Keeping in view the objective of the study, I thought it to be the best to acquire the data related to the CSR and the turn-over of various businesses and then assess the collected information to reach to the conclusion of the study. The post-positivistic principle is the philosophical research approach that underpins this investigation. The post-positivistic research philosophy will help us to find out the Do s and Don’ts of a business. This approach is dependent over different philosophies such like social contract theory, virtue ethics, post modernism and Habermasian critical theory. I intend to adopt the post positivistic philosophical design in this study since it will provide the contextual dimension of reality to the investigation that will lead us to challenge and re-invent scientific theories through empirical research. I will

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Metal Suppliers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Metal Suppliers - Essay Example As the study outlines when Metal Suppliers offered this deal to Shanghai Steel, and Shanghai Steel accepted the offer this made a contract, and the contract was made verbally before was written. There was a mutual agreement made between a representative of Metal Suppliers, and Shanghai Steel. The mutual agreement was made prior to the written agreement being made, and signed. From this paper it is clear that the consideration of the contract is missing from this contract. The legal purpose of a contract is to make the promise are responsible to the receiver. If the person, our company making the promise does not honor the promise to the receiver, the receiver might be entitled to damages caused by the person who made the promise nine keeping the promise. So, for all purposes in signing the contracts, and having all negotiations that forth in the contract the legal purposes of a contract have been fulfilled. There is belief that a competent member from Metal Suppliers, and Shanghai Steel have signed the contract. The parties would not know up front weather, or not the person signing the contract was a competent member of society, and able to sign the contract. However, it is believed that a competent member from each company signed the contract. The contract takes legal form. The way the contract is written will make it bind, and if there is a breach in th e contract the other party can legally enforce the contract. Metal Suppliers agrees to supply scrap metal to Shanghai Steel in the amount of $7,500,000 USD. The buyer, Shanghai Steel agrees to pay Metal Suppliers in the amount of $7,500,000 USD. Shanghai Steel agrees to pay Metal Suppliers for the shipment of scrap metal prior to the scrap metal being loaded on the ship to be shipped to Shanghai, China. The due date for the $7,500,000 was removed from the contract. In taking out the due date for the $7,500,000 it will make the contract effect if, because Shanghai Steel can procrastinate about giving Metal Suppliers the money.  

Monday, October 14, 2019

Education - learning Essay Example for Free

Education learning Essay Education is not only cognitive and intellectual learning, and learning of skills and work-related competences. It is much broader to include moral and ethical issues, values, attitudes, religion, spiritualism, art and more. It is, indeed, important to focus on this when education in schools and universities has become a large â€Å"industry† and when the world, instead of becoming more peaceful, seems to be more confrontational than before. The main reason behind this scenario, that I see, is that students are being taught and not trained and also the fact that teachers do not have any target for teaching instead they teach for the pay they get and sincerity with the profession is waning very fast. EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM The educational system that I see should be one that suits all the citizens of the country. It should consider the cultural, ethical, moral, religious and economical norms of the society and should produce respectable and responsible citizens for the society as a whole and a dignified and confident person. |This point arises due to the fact that every country consists of multi-cultural and multi ethical societies with different religious and economic backgrounds. Thus the system should have contents that may not hurt the morals and values of any person and also produce effective results that can be calculated as per the prosperity of that particular society or country as a whole. PURPOSE OF EDUCATION The foundation of our work as educators is moral and ethical education. We must teach the right values and the right ways of analyzing issues. We must seek what is true and act accordingly. Part of that is to learn that we are all responsible for our own attitudes, decisions and actions. We must use education to foster equality between sexes, classes, people of different geographic areas, creeds, colors, cultures and religions. We must learn to understand the importance of solidarity among groups at home and across the borders in order to create peace, development and prosperity. Besides this we are also imparted with the responsibility of teaching science, commerce and arts subjects to the students using latest techniques, information and research to enable our students to prepare themselves to be a productive part of the society and compete with the world in the respective fields of their study. Major areas that a teacher may address are as follows: 1. To help students gain literacy: This is supposed to be the top most priority as if a student is literate he or she may mold in any society and get adapted to its culture and norms without losing its own. 2. To enable students to use and enjoy their learning experiences: Here a student gets in hand expertise to use what it learned during the schooling period to better their social and personal life in a given environment. 3. To teach students to believe and respect others, to contribute to the well-being of their community: A learned person better knows whom to respect and whom not too, who deserves to be valued and who does not, and gets bold enough to express its feelings in a dignified and respectful way in the society. He is able to distinguish between duties bestowed upon him by the community and tries to serve the community within available resources. 4. To give students the opportunity to learn how to inquire and discover new information: When a student learns through experimentation and reasoning he tries to use the same technique throughout his life and does not accepts all and sundry information without analyzing it. 5. To help students develop broader understandings of new information: This enables a student understand and characterize given information and then apply it in his daily life. 6. To help students develop the skills and values they will need to function in a free and just society: Last but not the least it makes sure that a student is made aware of the morals and values of religion and society and to act accordingly not hurting any ones feelings and making progress accordingly in the society individually and as a community as a whole. In the process of enabling the students to get all the above qualities they are supposed to be taught different subjects but should be encompassed under the umbrella of a just religion and that is Islam not because we live in the Islamic Republic Of Pakistan but due to the fact that Islam is the only religion that addresses to all the matters discussed with command and covers all the topics amicably, may it be the moral, cultural, and or ethical values or upbringing, or the contemporary studies of science, commerce and arts. Reference: 1. http://www. intime. uni. edu 2. www. nation. com. pk †º Columns.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Property Law Rights of a Tenant

Property Law Rights of a Tenant Part 1 In this scenario, Raj has allowed his sister-in-law, Joyce, to live in his property. The question is whether Joyce enjoys the rights of a tenant, or if she is actually a mere licensee. There is, in English property law, a crucial distinction between the tenant and the licensee; the former enjoying significantly greater and more secure rights than the latter. It is often not, however, a clear cut distinction. In the present case, the terms of the occupation agreement that the parties drew up will need to be considered. Firstly, the document itself needs to be considered. The first term of it expressly states that Joyce is living in Rajs house as a licensee, and not as a tenant or lessee (that is, that no lease has been created). The document itself, however, might well represent a contract, which would put Joyce in the position of a contractual licensee (following such cases as R v Tao (1977) ). Even a contractual licensee, however, enjoys no proprietary interest in the property in question, as was evidenced in the case of Ashburn Anstaldt v Arnold (1989). A contractual licence can be contrasted to a bare licence, which is simply a personal permission, granted in this case by Raj to Joyce, without Joyce paying consideration, for her to enter his property. The purpose of the bare licence is to provide a defence against an allegation of trespass, so long as the licensee does not overstep the permission of the licence, as happened in the case of Tomlinson v Congleton Borough Council (2003). A contract ual licence, by contrast, must involve (as in any contract) valuable consideration moving from the licensee. This was established by Megaw LJ in Horrocks v Forray (1976). Joyce pays a monthly rent of  £600 to Raj, and this could well qualify as the consideration put the licence agreement on a contractual footing. The second term of the occupation agreement states that Raj can nominate a third party to share the premises with Joyce. This relates to the issue of exclusive possession, which is an essential element of any lease or tenancy. This was described as â€Å"the proper touchstone† of a lease by Windeyer J in Radaich v Smith (1959). Two seminal cases highlighted this distinction between leases and licenses. In Street v Mountford (1985), Lord Templeman stated that a tenant is entitled â€Å"to keep out strangers and keep out the landlord unless the landlord is exercising limited rights reserved to him by the tenancy agreement to enter and view and repair.† In AG Securities v Vaughan (1990), however, it was held that a licensee has â€Å"no legal title which will permit him to exclude other persons†. The agreement in the present case expressly allows for Raj to install a third party at his wish. This certainly argues strongly against anything other than a license govern ing the situation. Certain factors, however, suggest that it is not such a simple case of Joyce being merely a licensee. She pays a periodic monthly rent of  £600, and the occupation agreement states that she will live there for a fixed term of four years commencing 1 October 2005. To return to Street v Mountford (1985), the House of Lords, in that case, identified three inherent components of a lease or tenancy. The first was exclusive possession, which has been discussed already, and which is not apparently in evidence in this case. The second, however, is that the lease or tenancy must be granted for a fixed or periodic term certain. This means that the maximum duration of the lease or tenancy must be clearly ascertainable from the outset. Although the strict application of this rule was relaxed somewhat, the principle was reaffirmed in Prudential Assurance Co Ltd v London Residuary Board (1992). The 2005 agreement that granted Joyce the right to live in Rajs house clearly identified a term of fou r years after which the right would expire. In this respect, then, it would seem that the arrangement more closely resembles a lease. This is also a characteristic, however, of the contractual licence. The third element identified in Street v Mountford was the consideration that was discussed above. This too would suggest the arrangement is more akin to a lease, or at least a contractual licence, than a bare licence. It seems, then, that although the arrangement shares some of the characteristics of a lease, the rights enjoyed by Joyce are, in fact, only those of the licensee; that is, a person whose presence is only grounded upon the personal permission of the licensor. Joyces position is stronger than that of a bare licensee, however, by virtue of the contractual arrangement. A further blurring of the limits in this area exists between contractual licenses and equitable or estoppel-based license, which has increasingly become proprietorial in character. A contractual licence does not, however, confer any proprietorial interest on the licensee, as was illustrated in Cowell v Rosehill Racecourse Co Ltd (1937) by Latham CJ who stated that â€Å"fifty thousand people who pay to see a football match do not obtain fifty thousand interests in the football ground.† A longer contractual licence, however, such as the one enjoyed by Joyce, for a period of four years, begins to resemble a proprietar y interest in Rajs property, despite the absence of a right of exclusive possession. It is in relation to this last area that the decisive factor is most relevant. That factor is that when determining whether Joyces occupancy is a tenancy or a licence, the parties intentions (which were clearly that a mere licence should be granted to Joyce) are largely irrelevant. In Aslan v Murphy (1990), the court found that its task was to â€Å"ascertain the true bargain between the parties†. A crucial case of relevance to the present one was that of Addiscombe Garden Estates Limited v Crabbe (1958), in which an arrangement which purported to be a licence was in fact held to be a lease. Despite the fact that Raj and Joyce clearly intended the occupancy to be on the basis of a licence, and the contractual agreement was labelled as a licence, the court is at liberty to overturn this if the reality is that Joyce enjoys a lease. It seems unlikely, however, because of certain terms of the agreement, that Joyce enjoys a sufficient proprietorial interest in the property to becom e a lessee or tenant; but rather her position resembles that of a contractual (as opposed to a bare) licensee. Part 2 Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 relates to the repairing obligations in short leases. Briefly, it obliges the lessor (that is, the party owning the greater estate, usually the freehold, out of which the lease has been carced) to undertake certain works and repairs to ensure that the property remains in good working order. An example is the obligation on the lessor to â€Å"keep in repair the structure and exterior of the dwelling house (including drains, gutters and external pipes)†. In recent years, this section has been considered in a number of cases. A crucial case in the development of property law was Bruton v London Quadrant Housing Trust (1999). The relevance of section 11 to this case was that the claimant (or plaintiff as he then was) claimed that he was a lessee of the property in question, which was owned by the Trust. Of course, if he was a mere licensee, he would not benefit from the statutory protection afforded by the Act. The county court found that he was a licensee and there was therefore not any breach of section 11. The House of Lords overturned this, however. Subsequently, in Sykes v Harry (2001), the section was considered again. In this context, the issue considered by the court at first instance (and subsequently re-considered by the Court of Appeal was whether the landlords (that is the lessors) statutory duty under section 11 relating to the repair of properties subject to a short lease was co-extensive with the landlords contractual duty to keep in repair (that is, the obligation created by the lease instrument). Potter LJ stated that there is â€Å"implied into the tenancy a covenant by the tenant that the landlord may, at reasonable times of day, and on 24 hours written notice, enter the premises for the purpose of viewing their condition and state of repair.† Although at first instance the judge had found that the landlords duty to take care had been coextensive with the contractual duty of repair, the Court of Appeal overturned this using section 4 of the Defective Premises Act 1972, and the duties imposed on the landlord under this as the principal factor. Later that year, in Southwark London Borough Council v McIntosh (2001), section 11 was once again before the court. Here the property in question, which was owned by the council, became defective due to the effects of severe damp. The question before the court was whether the landlord (the council) was in breach of its section 11 duty of repair. The landlord appealed against a first instance decision that it was in breach, and the High Court said that the tenant had failed to establish sufficient evidence to the effect that the damp had been caused by the landlords breach of its section 11 duties. As such, there was no liability and the appeal was allowed. In Shine v English Churches Housing Group (2004), the question of damages awarded under section 11 was considered. The first instance judge had awarded damages to the tenant due to the landlords breach of section 11, but the Court of Appeal found these damages to be â€Å"manifestly excessive†. Research strategy My research began, in both instances, with a textbook. I used the contents page and the index of such books and Gray and Grays Land Law, 3rd Edition; and their Elements of Land Law to identify key sections, such as â€Å"lease† and â€Å"license†. I conducted some background reading on these two legal interests in property, in order fully to understand the potential issues relating to each. It became apparent that there is often a blurred boundary between the type of legal interest a party enjoys in a property, despite what that interest might be labelled as. Having conducted this initial reading of key sections in various textbooks, I began to look for specific cases in which the issue of the lease/license distinction, and the application of section 11 had been considered. For this I used both textbooks, and electronic resources. I accessed LexisNexis Butterworths online, and was able to start by doing basic keyword searches in the case locator engine. From here I was able to read the judgments in the various cases, as well as (in some instances) abstracts of the key issues. In researching section 11, I began by finding the statute itself at the Office of Public Sector Information (again, available online) and was able to locate cases where it had been considered and applied. BIBLIOGRAPHY Statutes Defective Premises Act 1972Landlord and Tenant Act 1985Law of Property Act 1925 Cases Addiscombe Garden Estates Limited v Crabbe [1958] 1 QB 513, CAAG Securities v Vaughan [1990] 1 AC 417Alker v Collingwood Housing AssociationAshburn Anstaldt v Arnold [1989] Ch 1, CAAslan v Murphy [1990] 1 WLR 766, CABruton v London Quadrant Housing Trust [1999] 3 All ER 481Cowell v Rosehill Racecourse Co Ltd (1937) 56 CLR 605Horrocks v Forray [1976] 1 All ER 737, CAPrudential Assurance Co Ltd v London Residuary Board [1992] 2 AC 386, HLR v Tao [1977] QB 141, CARadaich v Smith (1959) 101 CLR 209Shine v English Churches Housing Group [2004] All ER (D) 125Southwark London Borough Council v McIntosh [2001] All ER (D) 133Street v Mountford [1985] AC 809, HLSykes v Harry [2001] EWCA Civ 167Tomlinson v Congleton Borough Council [2003] UKHL 47 Secondary sources Gray, K. and Gray, S.F. (2003) Land Law, 3rd Edition (London: LexisNexis)Gray, K. and Gray, S.F. (2005) Elements of Land Law (Oxford: OUP)

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Free Yellow Wallpaper Essays: National Identity :: Yellow Wallpaper essays

National Identity and The Yellow Wallpaper Gilman is an author whose writing is based on individuals making up America's collective identity. "The Yellow Wallpaper" is from the vantage points of being a woman, at a time when women were not supposed to have individual thoughts and personalities. At this time in history, the social roles of women were very well-defined: mothers and caretakers of the family, prim and proper creatures that were pleasant to look at, seen but not heard, and irrational and emotional. The identity of women were presupposed on them by men. At the time this story was written, social criticisms were on the rise and writers had more of an outlet to express themselves. Women's suffrage provided by many female writers, such as Gilman, the means to air the wrongs against women. The main character (a sort of parallel to Gilman herself) experiences post-partem depression, and at this point in time, there was no knowledge of this condition. It was generally thought that the nervous condition suffered by women after birth was caused by a weak moral/mental state. The narrator's husband, John takes her to an old, gothic house, away from all the care and stress of the world. This is supposed to be for her own good. To get some rest and to heal her "weak" mind, she lies in bed, almost locked in her room, left to stare at this ugly, yellow wallpaper. The ugliness of the wallpaper begins to consume her mind as the room turns more into a prison than a place of healing. The main character's though processes become apparent as the story progresses. When she first talks of the pattern, she only describes the pattern and the color briefly: "I never saw a worse paper in my life. One of those sprawling, flamboyant pattern committing every artistic sin... The color is repell ent, almost revolting..." But the pattern becomes more detailed-- in a sense, she has given the pattern life: "Looked at in one way, each breadth stands alone; the bloated curves and flourishes- a kind of 'debased Romanesque' with delirium tremens- go waddling up and down in isolated columns of fatuity." As she begins to pay more attention to detail, her mind starts becoming more and more unstable. However, with this deterioration comes her realization of the situation she is in. At the end of the story, it is evident that the woman trapped in the wallpaper represents the main character-- she has started to talk in first person: "'I've got out at last,' said I, 'in spite of you and Jane.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Digital Fortress Chapter 63-65

Chapter 63 Becker's newly purchased Vespa motorcycle struggled up the entry road to Aeropuerto de Sevilla. His knuckles had been white the whole way. His watch read just after 2:00 a.m. local time. As he approached the main terminal, he rode up on the sidewalk and jumped off the bike while it was still moving. It clattered to the pavement and sputtered to a stop. Becker dashed on rubbery legs through the revolving door. Never again, he swore to himself. The terminal was sterile and starkly lit. Except for a janitor buffing the floor, the place was deserted. Across the concourse, a ticket agent was closing down the Iberia Airlines counter. Becker took it as a bad sign. He ran over. â€Å"El vuelo a los Estados Unidos?† The attractive Andalusian woman behind the counter looked up and smiled apologetically. â€Å"Acaba de salir. You just missed it.† Her words hung in the air for a long moment. I missed it. Becker's shoulders slumped. â€Å"Was there standby room on the flight?† â€Å"Plenty,† the woman smiled. â€Å"Almost empty. But tomorrow's eight a.m. also has-â€Å" â€Å"I need to know if a friend of mine made that flight. She was flying standby.† The woman frowned. â€Å"I'm sorry, sir. There were several standby passengers tonight, but our privacy clause states-â€Å" â€Å"It's very important,† Becker urged. â€Å"I just need to know if she made the flight. That's all.† The woman gave a sympathetic nod. â€Å"Lovers' quarrel?† Becker thought a moment. Then he gave her a sheepish grin. â€Å"It's that obvious?† She gave him a wink. â€Å"What's her name?† â€Å"Megan,† he replied sadly. The agent smiled. â€Å"Does your lady friend have a last name?† Becker exhaled slowly. Yes, but I don't know it!† Actually, it's kind of a complicated situation. You said the plane was almost empty. Maybe you could-â€Å" â€Å"Without a last name I really can't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Actually,† Becker interrupted, having another idea. â€Å"Have you been on all night?† The woman nodded. â€Å"Seven to seven.† â€Å"Then maybe you saw her. She's a young girl. Maybe fifteen or sixteen? Her hair was-† Before the words left his mouth, Becker realized his mistake. The agent's eyes narrowed. â€Å"Your lover is fifteen years old?† â€Å"No!† Becker gasped. â€Å"I mean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Shit. â€Å"If you could just help me, it's very important.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† the woman said coldly. â€Å"It's not the way it sounds. If you could just-â€Å" â€Å"Good night, sir.† The woman yanked the metal grate down over the counter and disappeared into a back room. Becker groaned and stared skyward. Smooth, David. Very smooth. He scanned the open concourse. Nothing. She must have sold the ring and made the flight. He headed for the custodian. â€Å"Has visto a una nina?† he called over the sound of the tile buffer. â€Å"Have you seen a girl?† The old man reached down and killed the machine. â€Å"Eh?† â€Å"Una nina?† Becker repeated. â€Å"Pelo rojo, azul, y blanco. Red white and blue hair.† The custodian laughed. â€Å"Que fea. Sounds ugly.† He shook his head and went back to work. David Becker stood in the middle of the deserted airport concourse and wondered what to do next. The evening had been a comedy of errors. Strathmore's words pounded in his head: Don't call until you have the ring. A profound exhaustion settled over him. If Megan sold the ring and made the flight, there was no telling who had the ring now. Becker closed his eyes and tried to focus. What's my next move? He decided to consider it in a moment. First, he needed to make a long-overdue trip to a rest room. Chapter 64 Susan stood alone in the dimly lit silence of Node 3. The task at hand was simple: Access Hale's terminal, locate his key, and then delete all of his communication with Tankado. There could be no hint of Digital Fortress anywhere. Susan's initial fears of saving the key and unlocking Digital Fortress were nagging at her again. She felt uneasy tempting fate; they'd been lucky so far. North Dakota had miraculously appeared right under their noses and been trapped. The only remaining question was David; he had to find the other pass-key. Susan hoped he was making progress. As she made her way deeper into Node 3, Susan tried to clear her mind. It was odd that she felt uneasy in such a familiar space. Everything in Node 3 seemed foreign in the dark. But there was something else. Susan felt a momentary hesitation and glanced back at the inoperable doors. There was no escape. Twenty minutes, she thought. As she turned toward Hale's terminal, she noticed a strange, musky odor-it was definitely not a Node 3 smell. She wondered if maybe the deionizer was malfunctioning. The smell was vaguely familiar, and with it came an unsettling chill. She pictured Hale locked below in his enormous steaming cell. Did he set something on fire? She looked up at the vents and sniffed. But the odor seemed to be coming from nearby. Susan glanced toward the latticed doors of the kitchenette. And in an instant she recognized the smell. It was cologne†¦ and sweat. She recoiled instinctively, not prepared for what she saw. From behind the lattice slats of the kitchenette, two eyes stared out at her. It only took an instant for the horrifying truth to hit her. Greg Hale was not locked on the sublevels-he was in Node 3! He'd slipped upstairs before Strathmore closed the trapdoor. He'd been strong enough to open the doors all by himself. Susan had once heard that raw terror was paralyzing-she now knew that was a myth. In the same instant her brain grasped what was happening, she was in motion-stumbling backward through the dark with a single thought in mind: escape. The crash behind her was instantaneous. Hale had been sitting silently on the stove and extended his legs like two battering rams. The doors exploded off their hinges. Hale launched himself into the room and thundered after her with powerful strides. Susan knocked over a lamp behind her, attempting to trip Hale as he moved toward her. She sensed him vault it effortlessly. Hale was gaining quickly. When his right arm circled her waist from behind, it felt like she'd hit a steel bar. She gasped in pain as the wind went out of her. His biceps flexed against her rib cage. Susan resisted and began twisting wildly. Somehow her elbow struck cartilage. Hale released his grip, his hands clutching his nose. He fell to his knees, hands cupped over his face. â€Å"Son of a-† He screamed in pain. Susan dashed onto the door's pressure plates saying a fruitless prayer that Strathmore would in that instant restore power and the doors would spring open. Instead, she found herself pounding against the glass. Hale lumbered toward her, his nose covered with blood. In an instant, his hands were around her again-one of them clamped firmly on her left breast and the other on her midsection. He yanked her away from the door. She screamed, her hand outstretched in futile attempt to stop him. He pulled her backward, his belt buckle digging into her spine. Susan couldn't believe his strength. He dragged her back across the carpet, and her shoes came off. In one fluid motion, Hale lifted her and dumped her on the floor next to his terminal. Susan was suddenly on her back, her skirt bunched high on her hips. The top button of her blouse had released, and her chest was heaving in the bluish light. She stared up in terror as Hale straddled her, pinning her down. She couldn't decipher the look in his eyes. It looked like fear. Or was it anger? His eyes bore into her body. She felt a new wave of panic. Hale sat firmly on her midsection, staring down at her with an icy glare. Everything Susan had ever learned about self-defense was suddenly racing through her mind. She tried to fight, but her body did not respond. She was numb. She closed her eyes. Oh, please, God. No! Chapter 65 Brinkerhoff paced Midge's office. â€Å"Nobody bypasses Gauntlet. It's impossible!† â€Å"Wrong,† she fired back. â€Å"I just talked to Jabba. He said he installed a bypass switch last year.† The PA looked doubtful. â€Å"I never heard that.† â€Å"Nobody did. It was hush-hush.† â€Å"Midge,† Brinkerhoff argued, â€Å"Jabba's compulsive about security! He would never put in a switch to bypass-â€Å" â€Å"Strathmore made him do it,† she interrupted. Brinkerhoff could almost hear her mind clicking. â€Å"Remember last year,† she asked, â€Å"when Strathmore was working on that anti-Semitic terrorist ring in California?† Brinkerhoff nodded. It had been one of Strathmore's major coups last year. Using TRANSLTR to decrypt an intercepted code, he had uncovered a plot to bomb a Hebrew school in Los Angeles. He decrypted the terrorist's message only twelve minutes before the bomb went off, and using some fast phone work, he saved three hundred schoolchildren. â€Å"Get this,† Midge said, lowering her voice unnecessarily. â€Å"Jabba said Strathmore intercepted that terrorist code six hours before that bomb went off.† Brinkerhoff's jaw dropped. â€Å"But†¦ then why did he wait-â€Å" â€Å"Because he couldn't get TRANSLTR to decrypt the file. He tried, but Gauntlet kept rejecting it. It was encrypted with some new public key algorithm that the filters hadn't seen yet. It took Jabba almost six hours to adjust them.† Brinkerhoff looked stunned. â€Å"Strathmore was furious. He made Jabba install a bypass switch in Gauntlet in case it ever happened again.† â€Å"Jesus.† Brinkerhoff whistled. â€Å"I had no idea.† Then his eyes narrowed. â€Å"So what's your point?† â€Å"I think Strathmore used the switch today†¦ to process a file that Gauntlet rejected.† â€Å"So? That's what the switch is for, right?† Midge shook her head. â€Å"Not if the file in question is a virus.† Brinkerhoff jumped. â€Å"A virus? Who said anything about a virus!† â€Å"It's the only explanation,† she said. â€Å"Jabba said a virus is the only thing that could keep TRANSLTR running this long, so-â€Å" â€Å"Wait a minute!† Brinkerhoff flashed her the time-out sign. â€Å"Strathmore said everything's fine!† â€Å"He's lying.† Brinkerhoff was lost. â€Å"You're saying Strathmore intentionally let a virus into TRANSLTR?† â€Å"No,† she snapped. â€Å"I don't think he knew it was a virus. I think he was tricked.† Brinkerhoff was speechless. Midge Milken was definitely losing it. â€Å"It explains a lot,† she insisted. â€Å"It explains what he's been doing in there all night.† â€Å"Planting viruses in his own computer?† â€Å"No,† she said, annoyed. â€Å"Trying to cover up his mistake! And now he can't abort TRANSLTR and get aux power back because the virus has the processors locked down!† Brinkerhoff rolled his eyes. Midge had gone nuts in the past, but never like this. He tried to calm her. â€Å"Jabba doesn't seem to be too worried.† â€Å"Jabba's a fool,† she hissed. Brinkerhoff looked surprised. Nobody had ever called Jabba a fool-a pig maybe, but never a fool. â€Å"You're trusting feminine intuition over Jabba's advanced degrees in anti-invasive programming?† She eyed him harshly. Brinkerhoff held up his hands in surrender. â€Å"Never mind. I take it back.† He didn't need to be reminded of Midge's uncanny ability to sense disaster. â€Å"Midge,† he begged. â€Å"I know you hate Strathmore, but-â€Å" â€Å"This has nothing to do with Strathmore!† Midge was in overdrive. â€Å"The first thing we need to do is confirm Strathmore bypassed Gauntlet. Then we call the director.† â€Å"Great.† Brinkerhoff moaned. â€Å"I'll call Strathmore and ask him to send us a signed statement.† â€Å"No,† she replied, ignoring his sarcasm. â€Å"Strathmore's lied to us once already today.† She glanced up, her eyes probing his. â€Å"Do you have keys to Fontaine's office? â€Å"Of course. I'm his PA.† â€Å"I need them.† Brinkerhoff stared in disbelief. â€Å"Midge, there's no way in hell I'm letting you into Fontaine's office.† â€Å"You have to!† she demanded. Midge turned and started typing on Big Brother's keyboard. â€Å"I'm requesting a TRANSLTR queue list. If Strathmore manually bypassed Gauntlet, it'll show up on the printout.† â€Å"What does that have to do with Fontaine's office?† She spun and glared at him. â€Å"The queue list only prints to Fontaine's printer. You know that!† â€Å"That's because it's classified, Midge!† â€Å"This is an emergency. I need to see that list.† Brinkerhoff put his hands on her shoulders. â€Å"Midge, please settle down. You know I can't-â€Å" She huffed loudly and spun back to her keyboard. â€Å"I'm printing a queue list. I'm going to walk in, pick it up, and walk out. Now give me the key.† â€Å"Midge†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She finished typing and spun back to him. â€Å"Chad, the report prints in thirty seconds. Here's the deal. You give me the key. If Strathmore bypassed, we call security. If I'm wrong, I leave, and you can go smear marmalade all over Carmen Huerta.† She gave him a malicious glare and held out her hands for the keys. â€Å"I'm waiting.† Brinkerhoff groaned, regretting that he had called her back to check the Crypto report. He eyed her outstretched hand. â€Å"You're talking about classified information inside the director's private quarters. Do you have any idea what would happen if we got caught?† â€Å"The director is in South America.† â€Å"I'm sorry. I just can't.† Brinkerhoff crossed his arms and walked out. Midge stared after him, her gray eyes smoldering. â€Å"Oh, yes you can,† she whispered. Then she turned back to Big Brother and called up the video archives. Midge'll get over it, Brinkerhoff told himself as he settled in at his desk and started going over the rest of his reports. He couldn't be expected to hand out the director's keys whenever Midge got paranoid. He had just begun checking the COMSEC breakdowns when his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of voices coming from the other room. He set down his work and walked to his doorway. The main suite was dark-all except a dim shaft of grayish light from Midge's half-open door. He listened. The voices continued. They sounded excited. â€Å"Midge?† No response. He strode through the darkness to her workspace. The voices were vaguely familiar. He pushed the door open. The room was empty. Midge's chair was empty. The sound was coming from overhead. Brinkerhoff looked up at the video monitors and instantly felt ill. The same image was playing on each one of the twelve screens-a kind of perversely choreographed ballet. Brinkerhoff steadied himself on the back of Midge's chair and watched in horror. â€Å"Chad?† The voice was behind him. He spun and squinted into the darkness. Midge was standing kitty-corner across the main suite's reception area in front of the director's double doors. Her palm was outstretched. â€Å"The key, Chad.† Brinkerhoff flushed. He turned back to the monitors. He tried to block out the images overhead, but it was no use. He was everywhere, groaning with pleasure and eagerly fondling Carmen Huerta's small, honey-covered breasts.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

The Six Sigma

Globalization coupled with round the clock access to information, products and services have transformed the manner in which business are conducted. The highly competitive environment of the present day does not allow any scope for error to creep in. Customers must have to be kept always delighted and companies have to persistently work out novel ways to exceed the expectations of the customers. Due to these reasons, Six Sigma came to be part of the culture of eminent companies. Six Sigma is an extremely structured process that assists companies in focusing on the development and delivery of product and services that are close to perfect. Sigma is a statistical term that calibrates the degree a particular process deviates from perfection. The core concept behind Six Sigma remains that in case it is possible to calculate the number of flaws or defects one has in a given process, it is possible to thoroughly know the manner in which to remove them and attain the level of ‘zero defect' as far as practicable. Adoption of Six Sigma has transformed the basic structure of General Electric — GE and has become the work culture in everything one does and every product designed. (Making customers feel Six Sigma) In order to attain Six Sigma quality, a process should not exceed 3.4 defects per million opportunities. An ‘opportunity' stands for a chance for noncompliance, or not fulfilling the needed stipulations. This implies that businesses have to be close to ‘zero-defect' in implementing the core processes. Six Sigma constitutes a vision which companies endeavor towards and a philosophy that is a constituent of business culture of companies. In its core, Six Sigma centers on a few important concepts. These are (i) Critical to quality: Attributes are vital to the customer. (ii) Defects: Unsuccessful in delivering what the customer desires. (iii) Process capability: What process it is able to deliver. (iv) Variation: The things that the customer witnesses and feels (v) Stable operations: Making sure consistent, predictable processes so as to improve what the customer is able to see and feel. (vi) Design for Six Sigma: Designing to fulfill the requirements of the customer and process capability. One of the most important aspects which companies fail to recognize is that assessment from the company level is based on average or averages that are based on mean of the latest results. However, customers do not judge companies on averages, they perceive the variance in every transactions and every product that is shipped. The main idea of Six Sigma remains primarily in reducing process variation and thereafter on improving the capability of processes. (Key concepts of Six Sigma) A question that is usually put is the difference between Six Sigma and TQM. The tools are fundamentally identical based on the level of TQM sophistication. In case Six Sigma is applied exclusively at the project stages to eliminate flaws, it constitutes a segmental improvement approach with some structure and discipline. This can be extremely precious, however misses much of the real importance of Six Sigma and the crucial differences between TQM and Six Sigma. It is important that the real values of Six Sigma begins to exhibit when it is integrated with the strategic plan of the organization assisting to execute that plan with a concentration on paying the customers. (Differences and similarities between Six Sigma and TQM, total quality management) Various Methodologies of Six Sigma: (i) The DMAIC Model: Six Sigma originated in Motorola's quality enhancement initiatives in the later part of 1980s. During the 1990s, Six Sigma attained popularity due to the success of General Electric and Honeywell implementing Six Sigma. Whereas the name Six Sigma has assumed wider implications, the basic idea of Six Sigma statistically speaking is to enhance the processes in such a manner that at the minimum six standard deviations between the worst case specification limit and the mean of process variation is present. In common meaning it implies that the process is essentially free from flaws. The apparatus used in Six Sigma are the identical tools applied by the Quality Improvement Tools in the 1970s and the initial part of 1980s. Of course it has appealing tags attached to it like ‘Black Belt', however its true value lies in the methodical approach to development. (Six Sigma: Total Quality Engineering) The DMAIC acronym stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. Important product process performance variables are measured, analyzed, improved and controlled through the use of statistical methods. The simple â€Å"statistical† tools which gained popularity in the Total Quality reign are strengthened with the Design of Experiments — DOE and higher sophisticated Statistical Process Control techniques. The DMAIC process is an edition of the PDCA — Plan-Do-Check-Act which a lot of people find helpful. Undoubtedly, Six Sigma can be helpful for organization to improve processes. The most optimum approach is to align the Six Sigma projects with the strategic business plan of the organization. (Six Sigma: Total Quality Engineering) (ii) The DMADV Model: This model is applied to build new product or process designs in such a manner that it outcomes in an increasingly expected, established and ‘zero-defect' performance. Five phases are present that consists of Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify. Under ‘Define', goals are formally defined of the design activity, which are in keeping with the demand of the customer and the enterprise strategy. ‘Measure' identifies the capabilities of the product, capability of the production process, assessment of risk etc. ‘Analyze' develops the design alternatives, building of high-level design and assess design capability to choose the best design. ‘Design' develops detail design, design optimization of design and plan for design confirmation. This phase might need simulations.' ‘Verify' validates the design, establishes pilot runs and executes the production process and handover to the process owners. This phase might also need simulations. (Six Sigma: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) Usefulness of Six Sigma in the Organizational Strategic Planning Processes: Six Sigma characterizes a distinct roadmap in the achievement to Total Quality. (i) Leadership Commitment: The top management not just initiates the deployment of Six Sigma; it also contributes actively in the entire deployment cycle. Six Sigma starts by giving the senior leadership with the training in the principles and instrument requires in order to direct the development of a management infrastructure to support Six Sigma. This entails lowering the levels of hierarchy of the organization and elimination of procedural hurdles to experimentation and change. (ii) Customer focus: Systems are built for setting up close communications with â€Å"external customers' — i.e. direct customers, the suppliers, end-users, law making agencies and with internal customers — i.e. employees. Right from the upstream suppliers till the final end-users, Six Sigma removes the scope for flaws. (iii) Strategic Deployment: Under the aegis of Six Sigma, it aims at a small number of high-financial leveraged items. It concentrates the company's resources: correct support, correct people, correct tools and correct proposals on finding and enhancing the performance metrics which link to bottom-line success. (iv) Disciplined framework: The projects under Six Sigma are implemented through the use of Measure, Analyze, and Improve as well as Control disciplined roadmap. It is this MAIC structured approach which establishes a distinct procedure to help in the internal communication. Apart from this, from a business viewpoint, Six Sigma is also a structure for continuous business improvement. (v) Education and Training: Six Sigma considers that right dedication is propelled by correct understanding. Since it is fact-based methodology, it deeply makes use of quality and statistical tools to convert a practical problem to a practical solution. Therefore a top-to-bottom training is undertaken according to the Six Sigma philosophy and system improvement methods for every level. (Total Quality through Six Sigma) To conclude, the approach and deployment of Six Sigma renders it distinguishable from other quality endeavors. Six Sigma methods uses the statistical tools within a structured method for benefiting the knowledge necessary to attain better, speedier and less costly products and services compared to what the rivals are offering. The continuous, structured application of the master strategy repeatedly in projects, where the projects are chosen based on important business objective propels the return on investment to the bottom-line with the outcome that it leads to remarkable profits. Besides, prompted by the improvement to the bottom-line, the apex management will be repeatedly be dedicated to this approach, the work culture will be repeatedly cultivated, the customer will certainly be satisfied ones and this will ultimately lead to Total Quality.