Strategic Management and Production Differentiation Efforts

Government policies can have a significant impact on the average profitability of firm s in an Industry. Government, however, Is not Included as a potential threat In the five forces model. Should the model be expanded to include government (to make a â€Å"six forces† model)? Why or why not? 2. How would you add complementary to the five forces model? In particular, if an Indus try has large numbers of complementary, does that make It more attractive, less attractive, or does it have no impact on the industry attractiveness?Justify. 3. Which firm will have a higher level of economic performance: (a) a firm with valuable, rare, and costly-to- Imitate capabilities competing In a very attractive Industry or (b) a firm with valuable, rare, and costly-to-imitate capabilities competing In a very unattractive Industry? 4. Will a firm currently experiencing competitive parity be able to gain sustained advent age by studying another firm that is experiencing competitive advantage? Why or why not? 5.Firms engage In an actually called â€Å"forward pricing† when they establish, during the e rely stages of the learning curve, a price for their product that is lower than their actual costs, in an dedication of lower costs later on, after significant learning has occurred. Under what conditions, if any, does forward pricing make sense? What risks, If any, do firms engaging In forward pricing f ace? 6. When GOES exist, firms with large volumes of production will have lower costs than too SE with smaller volumes of production. The realization of these economies of scale, however, is far from

Common Stereotypes in Society Essay

As a society, we tend to stereotype. Whether our presumption is right or wrong, some common stereotypes are still accepted as truth no matter how much evidence there is proving another point of view. Three common stereotypes I see are those that involve abused women, Blacks and their love of fried chicken and the ability of older people learning foreign languages. Many of these stereotypes are reinforced by cultures and what is commonly seen within their culture. These stereotypes can have a long lasting effect on the people that are judged by the stereotype and a long lasting effect on the perception of those people. When most people think about an abused woman, many see the woman with a black eye not realizing that abuse is more than physical. Verbal and mental abuse are also used to control the victim. In many cases, physical abuse is the latter and verbal and mental abuse is the first type introduced. Although there are many shelters and agencies available to abused women, many believe that these women are too afraid to leave the relationship and are blamed for any further abuse they suffer because they didn’t leave or call the police. On the contrary, â€Å"more than 77 percent of them had self-reported to the police. (Barrett, B. , Nov 2011). In the cases when the women have children, many think that they stay because they do not have the means to provide for their family if they leave the home. Based on a handbook by the Santa Clara Probation department, â€Å"victims of domestic violence leave their abuser seven times on average before they are able to stay on their own† (Prophet, T. , 2006). Many of the abused women are presumed as weak and people in general, do not want to assist a weak person because they will more than likely go back to the situation they were just helped out of. There are many shelters available but the funding needed is scarce due to the previous mentioned fear. The second common stereotype is that all Black people like fried chicken. I was taught in school that any statement that expresses that â€Å"all† of anything is definitely a false statement. This stereotype was started a long time ago, and is probably associated with situations related to slavery. â€Å"The most obvious explanation derives from the historical fact that fried chicken dishes were popular in slave homes on Southern plantations. In many cases, chickens were the only livestock animals that slaves were permitted to raise on their own† (Bering, J. (2011). This just proves that the reason fried chicken is associated with African Americans is not because they enjoy the food so much but it was the only choice they had when it came to what was availbe to them. The other reason there is such a negative connotation associated with fried chicken is because the slavery era itself was not a good time for African Americans (Bering, J. 2011). As an unhealthy and inexpensive food, fried chicken invokes images of poverty, ignorance, sloth, and other racist associations† (Bering, J. 2011). Not only is the mention of fried chicken and African Americans considered negative, it has also been viewed as racist. Advertisers seem to gear their commercials towards the African American community when advertising for fried chicken. Mary J. Blige received a lot of flack for being in a Burger King commercial advertising their New Crispy Strips Tortilla Wraps. The commercial was eventually pulled from rotation due to the backlash received. Other high profile individuals have also been targeted by the chicken industry, including President Obama. Although it’s no secret that these people do enjoy fried chicken, associating these people with the food generated a negative or racial tone. There is nothing wrong with these people liking fried chicken, as there are many other racial groups that also enjoy this cuisine. The third common stereotype would be the idea that older adults will have a harder time learning foreign languages when compared to younger children. One of the reasons for this stereotype can be attributed to the older adult and the teacher, they have doubts about their ability to learn a foreign language. Although most people have accepted the generalization of learning as â€Å"the younger the better† (Schleppegrell, M. , 1987), this is not the case when it comes to learning language. There have been studies that have determined that aging does not decline a person’s learning ability. The way older adults learn a new skill is the only adjustments that need to be made. These studies also show that older adults learn at a more rapid rate than children (Krashen, Long, and Scarcella, 1979). There are two reasons why being a poor language learner is attributed to adults, and those are â€Å"a theory of the brain and how it matures, and classroom practices that discriminate against the older learner† (Schleppegrell, M. , 1987). The â€Å"critical period† hypothesis that was put forth in the 1960’s was based on then-current theories of brain development, and argued that the brain lost â€Å"cerebral plasticity† after puberty, making second language acquisition more difficult as an adult than as a child (Lenneberg, 1967). Due to advances in the study of neurology, it has been determined that adults have superior language learning capabilities. These studies and facts should dispel any accepted stereotypes related to older adults and their ability to learn foreign languages. One thing that is common amongst all of these stereotypes is that the â€Å"victim† has accepted these stereotypes to be true and doesn’t challenge any of the information that would affirm or deny such claims. This could also be the first step into getting some of these stereotypes removed from our culture so that people are able to benefit positively and not have to worry about any negative impacts from doing activities that are natural.

Article Summary: Emerging Giants

Article Summary: Emerging Giants Many local companies lost their market shares or sold off their businesses when global or multinational companies from developed markets such as US, Germany, and Japan got into the emerging markets. However, some local companies held out against and exorcised multinationals.In this article, the authors instantiate this kind of local companies by explaining that Mahindra & Mahindra in India and Haier Group in China have barraged out their own rivals, reset their business strategies, taken advantages of new opportunities, and gained high competencies that enable themselves to do their businesses in global markets very successfully.Also, the authors describe the three strategies these companies employ to make themselves strong, global competitors in spite of facing several difficulties such as financial problems or bureaucratic disadvantages in their home countries, referring the results of their study of emerging giants. First of all, some emerging-mark et companies use their own knowledge of local product markets, resulting in good understandings of local customers’ needs and tastes.This strategy helps these local companies to capture distinctive national advantages. For example, Jollibee Foods in Philippine has profitably succeeded in their businesses against McDonald’s because they know local customers tend to prefer a particular soy and garlic taste that their products have. Secondly, some companies in emerging markets have exploited their knowledge of local talent and capital markets, thus giving services to their customers at home countries and overseas cost-effectively.For instance, Infosys or Wipro in India knew the possibility of providing services to customers abroad very cheaply compared to Western companies did because they had knowledge about where the talents resided and that they can hired technical workers at salaries lower than those in developed markets. Finally, some emerging giants have taken advan tages of institutional voids to create businesses.Old Mutual in South Africa, for example, noticed that South Africa did not have mutual fund and long-term investment product, enabling itself becoming a large financial firm. After I read this article, the company that I came in my mind is Geely Automobile (Geely) in China. Geely actually started their business as a manufacture of refrigerator. The CEO and founder at Geely, Li Shu Fu knew that to achieve the success in China, it was necessary to reduce the cost of anufacturing drastically, enabling local customers to buy their products in China, because when he started his business, in China disposal income among ordinary people was much lower than that in different countries. Therefore, he began to assemble many components from junk dealers because recycled or junk parts were basically cheaper than new components, thus resulting in cost reduction. Then, he stared to produce small motorbikes because at that time, in the end of 1994, it was not still common to buy automobiles in China.That is why at first he decided to focus on manufacturing motorbikes instead of automobiles. After that, finally, they made a beginning of car manufacturing in cost-effectively manner by hiring local workers who knew how to design their products and to manipulate industrial machines. Additionally, he has built networks with local universities and more surprisingly he actually founded several universities to produce competitive but cheap labors. I believe this company is a remarkable and interesting example of emerging giants.

It Is Now Widely Accepted That Children of Middle-class Backgrounds, Essay

It Is Now Widely Accepted That Children of Middle-class Backgrounds, Do Better, In Terms of Educational Performance - Essay Example All these factors play a significant role in an individual educational performance and outcomes. (Muola, 2010). What is Middle-class? The middle-class is the term used for the people who lies in the mid of social hierarchy. In the socioeconomic term, it is a wider group of people in the existing society who comes in between the upper-class and the working-class. People who are categorized under middle-class give immense importance to education and values educational attainments as a chief contributing factor in establishing a successful life. Parents stress a lot on the importance of quality education and its influences later in an individual’s life. They look after their children in such a way to make them a successful member of the society, and they use all their available capital sources to prepare their kids for educational achievements. What is Working-class? Working class, laboring class or lower class also known as the â€Å"Proletariat† are the people who are em ployed in the lower tier works and extending to below average income people or unemployed people. These people usually live in urban areas and industrialized economies. It is considered that the basic aim of working-class individuals is to make an earning or economic wealth. These are the people who offer their labor power for money and are responsible in creating wealth of any society. These are usually involved in the production of furnitures, bridges and grow food but, didn’t own factories and lands. The major difference between middle-class and working-class is where people spend more as a standard of living rather than for basic necessities I. e. Fashion vs. shelter and nutrition.... This report demonstrates that children of middle-class backgrounds, do better in terms of educational performance, and educational outcomes, than children of working class backgrounds because of different reasons. The differences in parents mind-set, schools, cultural capital, values, attitudes, family setup and material factors are the leading factors that influence the educational performance and outcomes of a student. This paper makes a conclusion that studies have clearly revealed that there is a direct link between class stratification and educational attainments. It is clearly discussed that the sub-cultures, sub-groups and the distinct values and norms of the social classes affect the performance of students in the scholastic system. Consistent researches on class and educational attainments demonstrates that the higher is the social class, higher will be the educational outcomes. Students from upper social background have greater chances to stay in the post-compulsory teaching and are better prepared to get through the different examination levels. They also have greater chances to achieve universityentrance. Apart from the social-class differences, educational achievements are also directly related to the role of parents and school. The contribution of parents and school also has a significant role in the academic career of an individual. Researches have made it clear that students from adva ntaged households are not only sharp in studies but, are creative, talented, confident and has a mind-blowing help-seeking skills as compared to the working-class pupils.

Ethical issues in Health Care Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical issues in Health Care Management - Essay Example The latter increasingly take into account what are the ethical norms within the healthcare institution, because ethical considerations affect the commercial and corporate world. Stakeholders seek to maximize the profit and return on their investments and that is why they are particularly concern of ethical codes being correctly applied. Avoiding negative social effects in healthcare management is an activity, which is open and socially responsible. Stakeholders aim to minimize the ethical issues in health institutions because this affects sustainability of the organizations and destroys the bond between the local community and the healthcare system there. Therefore, following strictly the chosen ethical code increases the community’s confidence in the healthcare and secures its population with greater tolerance, compassion, awareness and flexibility. Ethical codes in healthcare institutions posses substantial advantage for the heath corporation, because society can anticipate certain behaviour and create public ethical expectations. Such are very helpful to the stakeholders, who run financially the system and invest in its technological improvements, research and development. Ethical codes and law go hand in hand in healthcare management, and stakeholders have to be aware of unethical/unlawful actions being taken. An example where ethics and law clash is the dumping of patients, namely in the US, where the healthcare system and social and medicare is designed in a way that do not fully covers the ethical presumptions of health institutions. In such cases I believe, stakeholders have the take decisions, which are rather patient abiding, than law

Compare and contrast the total populations and total GDPs as well as Essay

Compare and contrast the total populations and total GDPs as well as the GDPs per capita - Essay Example Arabia has a total GDP of just $718.50bn (the highest in the OPEC Middle East Bloc), with GDP per capita of just $26.27, as compared to the highest GDP per capita of $100.51 in the Middle East Bloc (The World Fact Book, 2015). Interestingly, a good measure of wealth of a country is the GDP per capita, and that places Saudi Arabia at the third last slot in the list of OPEC Middle East Bloc, while a comparison with the GDP per capita of G7 nations leaves Saudi way below the country with the least GDP per capita in the G7 (Italy with a GDP per capita of $33.52). The G7 bloc has an average GDP per capita of $45.16 compared to a figure of just $14.11 portrayed by the OPEC Middle East Bloc. To much surprise, while the highest GDP amongst the two lots is that of the United States, Canada and US share a GDP per capita figure thanks to Canada’s low population as compared to its overall GDP. The highest population in the OPEC Middle East Bloc is found in Iran, at 80.84bn people, while the lowest is found if Qatar, at 2.12bn. Similarly, the highest population in the G7 as well as the OPEC Middle East Bloc is made up by USA (318.89bn), whereas the country with the lowest population in the G7 Bloc is Canada at 34.83bn people (The World Fact Book,

Online Business and E-Commerce Services in Libya as a developing Literature review

Online Business and E-Commerce Services in Libya as a developing country - Literature review Example Before E-Commerce can be adopted on a wide scale, however, there are many obstacles to be overcome. This chapter reviews the literature in terms of issues to be considered when planning the expansion of online business and e-commerce services in a developing country. The introductory section looks at definitions of e-commerce and theories as they apply to developing countries. Section 2.2. is wide-ranging and covers a selection of the large number of empirical studies conducted in different developing countries across the world. After this (Section 2.3) there is a consideration of previous work done on the readiness of society to accept and use e-commerce within developing countries with Arabic language and culture. Finally the literature on e-commerce potential in Libya is reviewed, including any specific challenges facing this particular context. The term â€Å"e-commerce† emerged in the late twentieth century with the increasing use of computers in everyday life. It can be defined very simply as â€Å"goods and services transacted over Internet† (Purohit and Purohit, 2005, p. 8) A more expansive definition is the following: â€Å"the sharing of business information, maintaining business relationships and conducting business transactions through telecommunications networks† (Zwass, 1996 and 2003, p. 8) This definition emphasises the importance of all the links in the chain from supplier to business and to customer. Zwass is keen to point out that it is not simply a matter of customers and businesses being linked through the World Wide Web by means of computers, but in fact it is a phenomenon that requires radically different organisational developments behind the scenes, involving both telecommunications and computers: â€Å"The most important of these are interorganizational information systems, standa rds for exchanging business documents, such as electronic data interchange (EDI), distributed database management systems, and collaboration technology.† (Zwass, 2003, p. 9) All of these dimensions are widely available in the developed world, and research in improving them, increasing innovation and leveraging more efficiency and profits from their use is continuing at a fast pace. Current interest in newer technologies such as digital signatures is growing but their usefulness in developing countries is questionable, since most transactions there depend on longstanding company to company relationships and there is a reluctance to enter into B2b relationships with people who are not familiar. (Humphrey et al, 2003, p. i) The phenomenal success of huge global retailers such as eBay and Amazon have demonstrated the value in creating flexible market places, with standard pricing, auctions and customer participation in both buying and selling as part of the whole business culture. One meta-analysis of articles on the adoption of online shopping cited the dot com bubble and the sudden crisis that occurred there as a reason why the early promise of huge growth in online business did not quite occur in the way that was originally predicted. (Chang et al., 2004) but all the signs are that these teething problems have been dealt with, and E-Commerce is

Virtual team Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Virtual team - Research Paper Example Trust is a very crucial thing in a virtual team, which can reduce uncertainty to the global and technologically based environment. The theory of media richness and social presence questions the possibility of development of relationships and trust among members in a group (Duarte and Synder 30). The same theory asserts that use of computers to communicate may eliminate important types of communication people could use to convey trust, warmth, attentiveness, and other interpersonal affections. However, other studies have shown that communication is not a function of the characteristics of the media, but a function of context, setting, and timing. Therefore, we can view the aspects of context, setting, and timing in any theory that is attempting to argue that virtual teams cannot work in the present global society. A better way of looking at the problem of trust and relationships in virtual teams is considering communication behaviors. Communication among the members should be timed and be within the subject of concern. Also of paramount importance is commitment to communication, as regular communication produces socialization, courtship and social identification (Lipnack and Stamps 35). In conclusion, for virtual teams to succeed there are important steps to follow. These include holding a face-to-face meeting in the beginning, establishing clear codes of conduct for behavior, recognizing and rewarding for performers and every member realizing that most communications may be non-verbal so that they can be careful how they communicate (Duarte and Synder 20). A virtual team refers to a group of people who though separated by distance and/or space still work together towards a common goal by communicating using electronic means or by holding face-to-face meetings occasionally (Lipnack and Stamps Jeffrey 83). Virtual teams come because of reasons such as members not being

Respond to the discussion about Aristotle (for online Essay

Respond to the discussion about Aristotle (for online class-introduction to Ethics) - Essay Example There is nothing we can call as â€Å"ultimate† goal. 2. I disagree with you when you visualize Aristotle’s opinion as belonging to a different time frame i.e. Greek. I think what he is talking about is one of the most fundamental realities of life that never change with time. However, I completely agree with you when you refer to the â€Å"proper function† as â€Å"a higher fulfillment of life†. There is no such think as â€Å"perfect† in this world. But we tend to achieve the maximum in the effort of achieving the perfection. Everything has a room for improvement, and therefore, â€Å"proper function† should always be visualized as something â€Å"higher†. 3. You have made a good attempt to interpret Aristotle’s meaning of â€Å"proper function†, though I have slight reservations in accepting particularly when you say that â€Å"everything that we as human beings aim at is good†. That is not always the case. What about the robbers and serial killers who aim at killing people for their personal benefits? When we generalize certain facts for all members of the society, we need to be watchful of all members who positively â€Å"and† negatively affect the society. 4.

Insurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Insurance - Essay Example r and further step was to expand the consultation procedure to other difficult areas of insurance law, for example post contractual good faith, insurable concern and compensations for the delayed payment of claims, with the publication of a different discussion paper in 2008.The objective of the Law Commissions is to put up a final Bill to Parliament for endorsement in 2010. Though, the Law Commission’s intended legislative improvement did not materialize as the insurance industry persuaded the administration that the case for legislation was prevailed over by the benefits of self-regulation. It is a fact that customers find it complicated to know their lawful rights and responsibilities under insurance agreements in isolation contracts are regulated by an intricate patchwork of rule, policies and plans. Consumer protection is one of important agenda among the European Communities and there is a likelihood that the Community may proceed to harmonize the law across Europe or perhaps make a European rule of insurance contracts. Several have the opinion that the law does not defend rational prospects of business patrons disheartening confidence in the market place. Bearing in mind the fast evolving of fresh financial centres, if not attended to, endanger the level of London Market as a most important global insurance centre. The intention of this paper is to study the improvement suggestions prepared by the Law Commissions on re-contractual responsibility of utmost good faith when considering various fiscal hypotheses those have been powerful over the years in the progress of different values in insurance law. It is thought that fiscal hypotheses have lot to give not merely in offering particular insight regarding potential outcomes of planned modifications while as well in foreseeing unplanned consequences that could effect from such suggestions. Suppose the recommendations of the Law Commissions accepted, in terms of pre-contractual responsibility of utmost

Type of business, purpose and ownership Essay Example for Free

Type of business, purpose and ownership Essay Sainsbury’s Sainsbury’s is the UK’s most long standing major food retailer, having opened its first shop in 1869. Sainsbury’s brand is built around providing fresh and tasty food for its customers. It differentiates itself from other supermarkets by offering a broad range of products at a great price, a strong ethical approach to business and continuous leadership. The size of Sainsbury’s consists of 504 supermarkets and 309 convenience stores. A large Sainsbury’s produces over 30,000 products. Sainsbury’s is currently in the tertiary and secondary sector, this is because Sainsbury’s provides services (through banks), sell goods and own their own farm. Their purpose is to exceed customer’s expectations for fresh and healthy food, making their lives easier every day. Sainsbury’s ownership is the public limited sector because it sells its goods on the stock exchange. Sainsbury’s key stakeholders are: Customers: They want a company to produce products that meet or exceed their needs, they would like to see improvements Employees: They want the company to provide them a source of revenue; they seek security for employment, promotional opportunities and good rates of reward Suppliers: Want stable instructions and punctual payments. They want to be valued by the company they work for. RSPCA RSPCA stands for Royal Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The vision of RSPCA is to work in a world that humans respect and live in harmony with the natural world. RSPCA first begun in 1824 as society for prevention of cruelty to animals. It total profit is funded by donations and legacies. Local inspectors were appointed and people promised to donate  £20 pounds towards their inspectors. This has created 172 branches in English and Wales. In addition to the branches, there is one charity run by an animal trust and the other is run by a charitable company. RSPCA is currently in the tertiary sector as they provide services for animals that need to have health checks. Their purpose is to provide animals with special needs a loving home. RSPCA is categorised into a charitable trust, this is to raise funds and support them for good causes. RSPCA’s key stakeholders  are: Employees: The employees will be happy to work on a charitable basis and also need to be caring fo r the animals in need. Government: The government wants RSPCA to be successful, it would like to see prosperous business that take full responsibility in welfare of society Local and National communities: The actions of the business has a remarkable outcome on the communities, the communities therefore represent interest groups. Summary: The main differences between Sainsbury’s and RSPCA is that Sainsbury’s sells products like food and clothes for money and services , while RSPCA provide services that raise money for the services they provide for example they ask people to donate money to help animals in need The main similarities are Sainsbury’s and RSPCA are in the same sector because Sainsbury’s provide services like banking to people who can’t come to their shops to buy their shopping. RSPCA provide a service that look after animals and give them medical treatment

My Reasons Why Homework Isnt a Good Idea Essay Example for Free

My Reasons Why Homework Isnt a Good Idea Essay Go to school for seven hours, go to practice for two hours, go home and do homework until you fall asleep. That is the life of most high school students. We are all so busy with schoolwork, clubs and not to mention our outside of school life. Homework is just a source of stress and anxiety for a lot of busy students and takes a lot time out of busy schedules. I think this is a worry that could be eliminated. Student athletes everywhere know what I mean when I say that when you have away games, you do not want to think about coming home to do homework on an already late night. It is tough enough to finish all of the homework that teachers assign when all you have is a regular practice. As you get older and take harder classes, the homework load and the amount of tests and quizzes also increase. Studying for these also take time and most of the time you just feel rushed to get through everything you have to do that night. Therefore you don’t retain all of the information that you tried to cram into your head. I know of some people who really can’t finish all of their homework at night either because they have so much to do or they prioritize between studying for a big test or getting a good grade on a homework assignment. Homework is an added on stress to young people who participate in sports, clubs, and band and that stress can be taken out in destructive ways. Another reason I think that students shouldn’t have as much homework as we do is because we already go to school five out of seven days of a week for seven hours a day. We go to school for a reason and that reason is to learn but we shouldn’t have to bring schoolwork home when we already have been to school that day. Also, most of the information we learn will never be applied in our lives or be helpful to us. I can understand the occasional paper to write or story to read and definitely studying for tests, but I think we just need to learn what we will actually use in life rather than extra information. It’s impractical for teachers to assign homework about things that I will never hear of or use again. It seems like a waste of everyone’s time. My last argument is that most students don’t get enough sleep because they are so busy all the time. The students that participate in something where they have practices or obligations that they have to attend to are usually the ones that actually do all of their homework and studying, therefore get less sleep than they are supposed to. Adults always say you should get eight hours of sleep if not more every night but that is all but impossible when you have so much to do. I know personally I’m lucky to get seven hours of sleep on a good night and I always wake up exhausted. Lack of sleep is a very serious problem for people my age. Also, if you would be able to get to more sleep at night then they most likely wouldn’t fall asleep in class or have such a hard time staying awake. If you are more alert in class you will also get more out of the lesson and understand the material better. There are so many reasons that homework isn’t a good or effective idea. Students don’t get as much sleep and have a hard time staying awake in and out of class. They won’t get as much studying time for major tests and won’t retain as much information when all they are trying to do is get everything that they need to do that night done. Finally, we already go to school for large amounts of time and do a lot of work there and then they try to make us do even more outside of class. School is basically like a full time job for students and if you participate in extracurriculars than it just seems like everything gets so clustered in your life. I believe homework is an unnecessary stress that can be eliminated for the young people today.

Biometric Passport With Rfid Information Technology Essay

Biometric Passport With Rfid Information Technology Essay Radio-frequency identification is the use of an object typically referred to as an RFID tag applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification and tracking using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader. Radio-frequency identification comprises interrogators (also known as readers), and tags (also known as labels). The RFID device serves the same purpose as a bar code or a magnetic strip on the back of a credit card or ATM card; it provides a unique identifier for that object. And, just as a bar code or magnetic strip must be scanned to get the information, the RFID device must be scanned to retrieve the identifying information. RFID Works Better Than Barcodes: A significant advantage of RFID devices over the others mentioned above is that the RFID device does not need to be positioned precisely relative to the scanner. Were all familiar with the difficulty that store checkout clerks sometimes have in making sure that a barcode can be read. And obviously, credit cards and ATM cards must be swiped through a special reader. In contrast, RFID devices will work within a few feet (up to 20 feet for high-frequency devices) of the scanner. For example, you could just put all of your groceries or purchases in a bag, and set the bag on the scanner. It would be able to query all of the RFID devices and total your purchase immediately. RFID technology has been available for more than fifty years. It has only been recently that the ability to manufacture the RFID devices has fallen to the point where they can be used as a throwaway inventory or control device. Alien Technologies recently sold 500 million RFID tags to Gillette at a cost of about ten cents per tag. One reason that it has taken so long for RFID to come into common use is the lack of standards in the industry. Most companies invested in RFID technology only use the tags to track items within their control; many of the benefits of RFID come when items are tracked from company to company or from country to country. Figure 2: Types of RFID tags Figure 3: RFID scanners History and technology background: Mario Cardullos U.S. Patent 3,713,148 in 1973 was the first true ancestor of modern RFID; a passive radio transponder with memory. The initial device was passive, powered by the interrogating signal, and was demonstrated in 1971 to the New York Port Authority and other potential users and consisted of a transponder with 16 bit memory for use as a toll device. The basic Cardullo patent covers the use of RF, sound and light as transmission media. The original business plan presented to investors in 1969 showed uses in transportation (automotive vehicle identification, automatic toll system, electronic license plate, electronic manifest, vehicle routing, vehicle performance monitoring), banking (electronic check book, electronic credit card), security (personnel identification, automatic gates, surveillance) and medical (identification, patient history). An early demonstration of reflected power (modulated backscatter) RFID tags, both passive and semi-passive, was performed by Steven Depp, Alfred Koelle, and Robert Freyman at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1973. The portable system operated at 915Â  MHz and used 12-bit tags. This technique is used by the majority of todays UHFID and microwave RFID tags. The first patent to be associated with the abbreviation RFID was granted to Charles Walton in 1983. Miniaturization: RFIDs are easy to conceal or incorporate in other items. For example, in 2009 researchers at Bristol University successfully glued RFID micro transponders to live ants in order to study their behavior. This trend towards increasingly miniaturized RFIDs is likely to continue as technology advances. However, the ability to read at distance is limited by the inverse-square law. Hitachi holds the record for the smallest RFID chip, at 0.05mm x 0.05mm. The Mu chip tags are 64 times smaller than the new RFID tags. Manufacture is enabled by using the Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) process. These dust sized chips can store 38-digit numbers using 128-bit Read Only Memory (ROM). A major challenge is the attachment of the antennas, thus limiting read range to only millimeters. Potential alternatives to the radio frequencies (0.125-0.1342, 0.140-0.1485, 13.56, and 840-960Â  MHz) used are seen in optical RFID (or OPID) at 333 THz (900Â  nm), 380 THz (788Â  nm), 750 THz (400Â  nm). The awkward antennas of RFID can be replaced with photovoltaic components and IR-LEDs on the ICs. Figure 4: Miniature RFID tag Modular Decomposition Our system requirements are very clearly and not expect to change frequently. So, we will use in our system Waterfall model. And because the requirements are well understood. Project Activities Task# Duration (week) Description T1 2 -Feasibility study of the system T2 2 -Requirement analysis -Requirement specification T3 6 -System design -Code programming -Interface design T4 2 -System testing -Feedback on system testing -validation of system Risks Management Risk type Possible risks Technology Not all system familiar with RFID hardwares and softwares. People -Key staff is ill and unavailable at critical times (Only one employee work in this system). Requirements -Customers fail to understand the impact of Requirements changes. Estimation -The time required to develop the software is underestimated. -The rate of defect repair is underestimated. -The size of the software is underestimated. Risks Analysis Risk Probability Effects Technology Low Serious People Low Catastrophic Requirements High Serious Estimation Moderate Serious Risk Management Strategies Risk type Strategy Technology Will choose the software hardware Carefully. People -Gave every task over-days, and some days will Have overtime of work. Requirements -After every task there is a feedback, The costumer will see it. -Investigate buying-in components. Estimation -Replace potentially defective components With bought-in components of known reliability. RFID Tools: Most RFID tags contain at least two parts. One is an integrated circuit for storing and processing information, modulating and demodulating a radio-frequency (RF) signal, and other specialized functions. The second is an antenna for receiving and transmitting the signal. There are generally two types of RFID tags: 1. Active RFID tags An RFID tag is an active tag when it is equipped with a battery that can be used as a partial or complete source of power for the tags circuitry and antenna. Some active tags contain replaceable batteries for years of use; others are sealed units. (Note that it is also possible to connect the tag to an external power source.) Advantages of an active rfid tag: 1- It can be read at distances of one hundred feet or more, greatly improving the utility of the device 2- It may have other sensors that can use electricity for power. 3- Longest communication range of any tag. 4- The capability to perform independent monitoring and control 5- The capability of initiating communications 6- The capability of performing diagnostics 7- The highest data bandwidth 8- Active rfid tags may even be equipped with autonomous networking; the tags autonomously determine the best communication path. Disadvantages of an active RFID tag: 1- The tag cannot function without battery power, which limits the lifetime of the tag. 2- The tag is typically more expensive, often costing $20 or more each. 3- The tag is physically larger, which may limit applications. 4- The long-term maintenance costs for an active RFID tag can be greater than those of a passive tag if the batteries are replaced. 5- Battery outages in an active tag can result in expensive misreads. 2. Passive RFID tags: A passive tag is an RFID tag that does not contain a battery; the power is supplied by the reader. When radio waves from the reader are encountered by a passive RFID tag, the coiled antenna within the tag forms a magnetic field. The tag draws power from it, energizing the circuits in the tag. The tag then sends the information encoded in the tags memory. Advantages of a passive tag: 1- The tag functions without a battery; these tags have a useful life of twenty years or more. 2- The tag is typically much less expensive to manufacture. 3- The tag is much smaller (some tags are the size of a grain of rice). These tags have almost unlimited applications in consumer goods and other areas. Disadvantages of a passive rfid tag: 1- The tag can be read only at very short distances, typically a few feet at most. This greatly limits the device for certain applications. 2- It may not be possible to include sensors that can use electricity for power. 3- The tag remains readable for a very long time, even after the product to which the tag is attached has been sold and is no longer being. Figure 5: Active and Passive RFID tag Current uses of RFID: 1- Biometric passport: A biometric passport, also known as an e-passport or ePassport, is a combined paper and electronic passport (hence the e-, as in e-mail) that contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of travelers. It uses contactless smart card technology, including a microprocessor chip (computer chip) and antenna (for both power to the chip and communication) embedded in the front or back cover, or center page, of the passport. Document and chip characteristics are documented in the International Civil Aviation Organisations (ICAO) Doc 9303. The passports critical information is both printed on the data page of the passport and stored in the chip. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is used to authenticate the data stored electronically in the passport chip making it virtually impossible to forge when all security mechanisms are fully and correctly implemented. Note that the USA Passport card is not a biometric passport. The passport card does not follow the ICAOs Doc 9303, can only be used in a limited number of countries and uses a simple RFID chip instead of the contactless smart card technology that is used for biometric passports. Contactless smart card technology includes a microprocessor, data access control, communications security and other functionality as programmed. 2- Microchip implant (human): A human microchip implant is an integrated circuit device or RFID transponder encased in silicate glass and implanted into a humans body. A subdermal implant typically contains a unique ID number that can be linked to information contained in an external database, such as personal identification, medical history, medications, allergies, and contact information. Hobbyists: The first reported experiment with an RFID implant was carried out in 1998 by the British scientist Kevin Warwick. As a test, his implant was used to open doors, switch on lights, and cause verbal output within a building. The implant has since been held in the Science Museum (London). Since that time, at least two additional hobbyists have placed RFID microchips implants into their hands or had them placed there by others. Amal Graafstra, author of the book RFID Toys, asked doctors to place implants in his hands. A cosmetic surgeon used a scalpel to place a microchip in his left hand, and his family doctor injected a chip into his right hand using a veterinary Avid injector kit. Graafstra uses the implants to open his home and car doors and to log on to his computer. Neither implant was the VeriChip brand. Medical records use: The PositiveID Corporation (previously known as The VeriChip Corporation; Applied Digital Solutions, Inc.; and The Digital Angel Corporation) distribute the implantable chip known as the VeriChip. The company suggests that the implant could be used to retrieve medical information in the event of an emergency, as follows: Each VeriChip implant contains a 16-digit ID number. This number is transmitted when a hand-held VeriChip scanner is passed within a few inches of the implant. Participating hospitals and emergency workers can enter this number into a secure page on the VeriChip Corporations website to access medical information that the patient has previously stored on file with the company. Building access and security: The VeriChip Corporation has also suggested that the implant could be used to restrict access to secure facilities such as power plants. Microchip scanners could be installed at entrances so locks would only work for persons with appropriately programmed chips. The downside is the relative ease with which the 16-digit ID number contained in a chip implant can be obtained and cloned using a hand-held device, a problem that has been demonstrated publicly by security researcher Jonathan Westhues and documented in the May 2006 issue of Wired magazine, among other places. A nightclub in Barcelona offered a chip implant for identifying VIP guests. Figure 6: Biometric passport with RFID tag Figure 7: Microchip human implant Technical problems with RFID: Problems with RFID Standards: RFID has been implemented in different ways by different manufacturers; global standards are still being worked on. It should be noted that some RFID devices are never meant to leave their network (as in the case of RFID tags used for inventory control within a company). This can cause problems for companies. Consumers may also have problems with RFID standards. For example, ExxonMobils SpeedPass system is a proprietary RFID system; if another company wanted to use the convenient SpeedPass (say, at the drive-in window of your favorite fast food restaurant) they would have to pay to access it an unlikely scenario. On the other hand, if every company had their own SpeedPass system, a consumer would need to carry many different devices with them. RFID systems can be easily disrupted: Since RFID systems make use of the electromagnetic spectrum (like WiFi networks or cellphones), they are relatively easy to jam using energy at the right frequency. Although this would only be an inconvenience for consumers in stores (longer waits at the checkout), it could be disastrous in other environments where RFID is increasingly used, like hospitals or in the military in the field. Also, active RFID tags (those that use a battery to increase the range of the system) can be repeatedly interrogated to wear the battery down, disrupting the system. RFID Reader Collision: Reader collision occurs when the signals from two or more readers overlap. The tag is unable to respond to simultaneous queries. Systems must be carefully set up to avoid this problem; many systems use an anti-collision protocol (also called a singulation protocol. Anti-collision protocols enable the tags to take turns in transmitting to a reader. RFID Tag Collision: Tag collision occurs when many tags are present in a small area; but since the read time is very fast, it is easier for vendors to develop systems that ensure that tags respond one at a time. Security, privacy and ethics problems with RFID: The following problems with RFID tags and readers have been reported: The contents of an RFID tag can be read after the item leaves the supply chain: An RFID tag cannot tell the difference between one reader and another. RFID scanners are very portable; RFID tags can be read from a distance, from a few inches to a few yards. This allows anyone to see the contents of your purse or pocket as you walk down the street. Some tags can be turned off when the item has left the supply chain. Zombie RFID Tags: One of the main concerns with RFID tags is that their contents can be read by anyone with an appropriately equipped scanner even after you take it out of the store. One technology that has been suggested is a zombie RFID tag, a tag that can be temporarily deactivated when it leaves the store. The process would work like this: you bring your purchase up to the register, the RFID scanner reads the item, you pay for it and as you leave the store, you pass a special device that sends a signal to the RFID tag to die. That is, it is no longer readable. The zombie element comes in when you bring an item back to the store. A special device especially made for that kind of tag re-animates the RFID tag, allowing the item to reenter the supply chain. RFID tags are difficult to remove: RFID tags are difficult to for consumers to remove; some are very small (less than a half-millimeter square and as thin as a sheet of paper) others may be hidden or embedded inside a product where consumers cannot see them. New technologies allow RFID tags to be printed right on a product and may not be removable at all. RFID tags can be read without your knowledge: Since the tags can be read without being swiped or obviously scanned (as is the case with magnetic strips or barcodes), anyone with an RFID tag reader can read the tags embedded in your clothes and other consumer products without your knowledge. For example, you could be scanned before you enter the store, just to see what you are carrying. You might then be approached by a clerk who knows what you have in your backpack or purse, and can suggest accessories or other items. RFID tags can be read at greater distances with a high-gain antenna: For various reasons, RFID reader/tag systems are designed so that distance between the tag and the reader is kept to a minimum. However, a high-gain antenna can be used to read the tags from much further away, leading to privacy problems. RFID tags with unique serial numbers could be linked to an individual credit card number: At present, the Universal Product Code (UPC) implemented with barcodes allows each product sold in a store to have a unique number that identifies that product. Work is proceeding on a global system of product identification that would allow each individual item to have its own number. When the item is scanned for purchase and is paid for, the RFID tag number for a particular item can be associated with a credit card number. Goals of the project: Many students skip more than 20% of their lectures, and using an embed RFID tags in their student card will help to keep track of attendance. It can be a reference to the doctor in keeping records of attendance. It can also be used to provide any extra information to the doctor or the department without the need to type in the student number. It can be upgraded to include money amounts to be used around the university campus. Provides better management for the doctor in his lecture. Reduce the use of paper to keep track of the students. User Requirements: Any user can use the system. Students are able to see their attendance online and almost in real time. Ordinary student cards can be implanted with an RFID tag. DATA Flow Diagram: Figure 8 Scenario Diagram : The first step , the user scans his card The user opens the website. { For example Just website } The user chooses if he will log-in like member or visitor. Figure 9 If he clicks sign in Button, the system asks him to insert his ID and the Password, and then the system checks the validity of the inserted information and then asks him to rescan his card to match it with that ID. Figure 10 If the password valid and is a match with the card, the system redirect him to the member page. Figure 11 If a doctor has logged in , the system ask him if he would like to open the attendance list of his lectures , or opens the student list of a certain lecture to have the students check for attendance . If a student has logged in, the students will be able to view a list of his lecture absence or check for a certain lecture attendance By rescanning the card, the member signs out of the system. If he clicks the Visitor button, He can view a guide on how to obtain an RFID tagged card. Figure 12 Information sources: RFID tags are a new technology and few companies support it, one of these companies that provide support to RFID tags is TOUCHATAG. So we tried to collect as many information from the touchatag website about it and about the RFID hardware before we start using it and these resources are: 1- Touchatag webpage: we entered Touchatag webpage to read about how to use touchatag device, tags. 2- Taking the website tour: we took a tour about touchatag DIY. 3- Reading books and tutorials: we read many tutorials and online books about RFID tags and hardware. Software Requirements: To do this project we needed some hardware to help us in the building: 1- Touchatag RFID scanner: we must have touchatag rfid scanner to do this project, so we obtained it. 2- RFID tags from Touchatag Company: these tags are used with the scanner to have a working RFID environment. 3- A programming software: Programming software is required to implement the project, then uploading it to the touchatag website and attach it with the account associated with the RFID scanner. System Requirements: As Touchatag application is a software attached to the touchatag server, client must satisfy these requirements to run the application, here we are using this application under Windows (requirements vary depend on OS machine): Windows Minimum requirement Recommended Internet Connection: Cable or DSL Cable or DSL Operating System: 2000, XP, or Vista XP or Vista Computer Processor: 800 MHz Pentium III or Athlon, or better 1.5 GHz (XP), 2-GHz (Vista) 32-bit (x86) or better Screen Resolution: 1024768 pixels 1024768 pixels or higher Graphics Card for XP/2000 NVIDIA GeForce 2, GeForce 4 MX or better NVIDIA Graphics cards GeForce Go Series: 7600, 7800, 7900 ATI Graphics Cards X2600, X2900 X3650, X3850 Graphics Card for Vista (requires latest drivers) NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or better OR ATI Radeon 9500 or better OR Intel 945 chipset NVIDIA Graphics cards GeForce Go Series: 7600, 7800, 7900 ATI Graphics Cards X2600, X2900 X3650, X3850 Implementation: For the implementation part, and due to the lack of possibility to develop my application directly on the Touchatag device, I took the approach of developing two things and link them together, first Ive created the website and the data base using ASP.net and C#, stored the data and performed the operation that Ill explain later on, and the second part was creating a visual basic script, that is attached to each tag and performs the task needed when it is called by the tag. ASP.net : Ive started the project with programming on ASP.net using C#, to accomplish the following tasks: Create a Doctor ID for login. Create a Doctor Password for login. Save the Doctor ID and Password in the database. Login as a Doctor and open the Student attendance system page. Check lectures where this function do the following : Upon clicking the button the system checks the time on the system and then scan the database for any lectures that is in this time and then return the tables ID which matches the time of the system and then store it in a hidden label, then the program checks the hidden label for the ID of the lecture and goes to the database to retrieve the students who are attached with that ID, along with two fields for the Time in and Time out. Upon clicking one of the four buttons which are labeled {Open Sign in, Close Sign in. Open Sign out, Close Sign Out} the values of a hidden label are changed to specific values. When the student types in his Student ID and Student Password , then press the login button , the system checks the student ID and the password if they are stored in the data base , once he found the data it checks which button of the four was clicked by the doctor first by checking a hidden label that stored the values of the button that was clicked , then based on that value it stores the time when the Login button was clicked, and by doing so it also updates the Database at the same Time. Visual Basic Script : The visual basic script is what links the ASP.net website to the Touchatag card; it is implemented through statements that do the following: Each Tag is assigned to a script of its own. The Tag when scanned activates the script that is assigned to it. The script is constructed with few simple statements that opens the web page, writes the user ID and Password in the cross ponding field, and the press the login button. Touchatag reader and Tags : The Touchatag reader is connected to the Touchatag server which does the specific task you have assigned it already on the Touchatag Server, and by scanning each tag the specific Tag ID goes to the Server and retrieves the function that is assigned to that specific Tag. Screen Shots: Asp.net Doctor Login Page : Figure 13: ASP.net Student Login Page , with Check Lectures and other Prompts: Figure 14: ASP.net Visual Basic Script: Figure 15: Visual Basic Touchatag: Figure 16: Touchatag Figure 17 Figure 18 : Touchatag Figure 19: Touchatag Testing Security: Rfid ID tags provided by touchatag have several security measures which include: 1- Accounts password: Every user has a password to access his account in the webpage and the server. This password is created when the user signs up. 2- IPs: touchatag server changes its IP from time to time to avoid hacking. 3- Report Abuse: This feature allows any user to report any object or person if they abused them. 4- Unique tags ID: each tag has a unique tag provided by the tag itself. Copyrights: The touchatag RFID tags are copyright protected and cant be used without a reference from touchatag. Performance Testing: Each tag is scanned effortlessly without any problems, the website might crash sometimes but it is restored without any problems. Unit Testing: Ive tested the tags, they work fine even after being placed in a wallet for more than 6 months and the wear and tear process is slow, and the tags are durable. Conclusion This project is the first step towards building Jordan University of Science Technology fully automated attendance system; JUST administration can take this step further, build on it to reach a better-enhanced project and can add more features and services to staff, officers, and students. Furthermore, the administration can also use this new technology to improve students attendance services and activities. I faced many problems during this project. The first problem is when I have to work in this system alone. Really, this problem gave me a big challenge to complete the project, but with the help of Dr. Qutaiba Al Thebyan, Dr. Qusai Abu Ein, Mrs. Alaa Mestarihi and the department, I could complete it. Finally, RFID tags is the future and every day services now a day require more interaction , but with those tags , many services and jobs can be done effortlessly without the ever getting your hand out of your pocket.

Virtual Reality :: essays research papers

Virtual Reality Virtual reality as of recent, while still extremely new, has become the topic of many opposing viewpoints. It has caught the eye of the general public for several reasons. Perhaps, this is mainly because of all the possibilities which virtual reality creates. Note that the possibilities are not pre- determined as either good or bad, mainly because there are many different opinions to the future of this developing technology. However, despite the controversy this new technology has aroused, society should not remain skeptical. Virtual reality has the potential, if used correctly, to become a great technological advancement that will aid society in many ways. In the past, virtual reality has been nothing more than a small step beyond video games. However, it is now apparent that this technology can be used for more practical purposes. These purposes include national defense, surgical procedures and various other applications. Society has not fully acknowledged the benefits of virtual reality as of yet because it is still under development. The reason for virtual reality remaining in its development for so long is mainly due to its complexity. The hardware that has developed so far is unable to make the large calculations required by a virtual reality based machine. However, as apparent in recent years, technology is advancing at an extreme rate. This is another reason why society's hopes for virtual reality should and have remained unwaivered. In Orenstein's story, she gives the perspective of the average citizen who is obviously uncertain about the uses and/or affects that virtual reality will have upon society. The show she attended was quick to point out the practicality of virtual reality however, it still left much to be desired. It seems that Orenstein was disgruntled when she came to an exhibit and the topic of cyber-sex was raised. Perhaps it wasn't just that it came up but more like how it came up. The idea of a man and woman being in a virtual world and a man fondling the womans breasts was probably, although very much possible, not a great first impression. It gave Orenstein the opportunity to explore the evils that virtual reality makes possible. After a while, Orenstein realizes that just like the computing age has hackers, the virtual age will have it's own high-tech delinquents. You can't prevent technology from being abused. There will be those who use VR rudely, stupidly, dangerously--just as they do the telephone or computer. Like the telephone and the modem, its popular rise will also eliminate the need for certain fundamental kinds of human contact, even as it enhances our ability to communicate. (Orenstein 258)

Women as Undeveloped Men :: Ancient Greece Aristotle Female Essays

Women as Undeveloped Men Even the hard science of medicine is not always devoid of social information about the culture in which it is written. In ancient Greece, medical texts such as Aristotle’s The Female Role in Generation as well as The Seed and The Nature of the Child, both Hippocratic texts, all reinforced the idea that women are the result of weaker sperm despite differences in the specifics of their arguments. Aristotle wrote about the equivalence of menstrual fluid and male semen, except for menstrual fluid’s inability to generate offspring. The Hippocratic texts concluded that both partners contain sperm, and the combination of the strong male sperm and the strong female sperm creates a male child. The texts also mention the similarities between women and children, which explains the similar treatment of the two in Greece. The connection between eunuchs and women was also pointed out by reinforcing the physical semblance between unfertile men and mature women. All of these arguments come together to scientifically explain the female inferiority to the male sex, an all-encompassing aspect of society in ancient Greece. The medical texts of ancient Greece provide the scientific base for the conclusion of the society that women are undeveloped men and attempt to explain the patriarchal hierarchy of Grecian society that severely limited women’s rights and viewed them as second class citizens. The subject of semen, its nature and its role in generation inspired theories centering on the male’s ability and the female’s inability in both The Nature of the Child and Aristotle’s piece, The Female Role in Generation. According to the Hippocratic text The Nature of the Child, there is stronger and weaker sperm (346). On the subject of twins the reading states, â€Å"the pouch which receives thicker and stronger sperm will contain a male, while that which receives sperm which is more fluid and weaker will contain a female†(Lloyd ed., 346). Therefore a female is the result of weaker sperm, a weaker version of man. Similarly, Aristotle concludes that â€Å"menstrual fluid is a residue, and it is the analogous thing in females to semen in males† (Fant and Lefkowitz, 339). He describes the â€Å"male as possessing the principle of†¦generation† (ibid.). The female is simply â€Å"that out of which the generated offspring†¦comes† since â€Å"the female does not contribute any semen to generation† (ibid.

Wernicke’s Encephalopathy Essays -- Biology Health Medicine Papers

Wernicke’s Encephalopathy Introduction Carl Wernicke first described the syndrome in 1881. He referred to the disorder as acute superior hemorrhagic polioencephalitis. Some of the original patients he described included two male alcoholics and a women with esophageal stenosis. He described a clinic triad of encephalopathy, ophthalmoplegia, and ataxia. Unfortunately, most diagnoses are not made clinically but rather at autopsy. This suggests that the classic clinical triad is rare, or that clinicians do not properly recognize the symptoms. In some clinical studies, only one third of patients diagnosed with Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE) presented with the classical triad. The majority of the patients presented encephalopathy (characterized by disorientation, indifference, and inattentiveness). Ocular motor abnormalities (nystagmus, lateral rectus palsy, and conjugate gaze palsies) occurred in 96%, resulting from oculomotor, abducens, and vestibular nuclei lesions. Gait ataxia presented in 87%, probably due to a combination of cerebellar and vestibular involvement as well as polyneuropathy. However, an autopsy-based study revealed that while 82% had mental status abnormalities only 23% had ataxia, 29% ocular motor abnormalities, and 11% polyneuropathy. The clinical triad was identified in only 17% of autopsy cases, and 19% sh owed none of the classic symptoms. This discrepancy between the clinical and autopsy-based studies is probably due to exclusion of atypical cases in the clinical series and the underestimation in the autopsy series of classic signs that were not properly elicited, recognized, or recorded (1). At autopsy the characteristic lesions of WK occur primarily in nuclei and structures surrounding the thi... ...e), 8 (2):107-113. 6. Butterworth, R. F., Pathophysiology of Cerebellar Dysfunction in the Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome. Canad. J. Neuroscien., 1993 (May), 20 suppl. 3: sl23-126. 7. Parkin, A. J., Dunn, J. C., Lee, C., O’Hara, P. F., Nissbaum, L. Neuropsychological Sequelae of Wernicke’s Encephalopathy in a 20-Year-Old Woman: Selective Impairment of a Frontal Memory System. Brain Cognition, 1993 (Jan), 21(1): 1-19 8. Halliday, G., Ellis, J., Harper, C. The Locus Coeruleus and Memory: A Study of Chronic Alcoholics With and Without the Memory Impairment of Korsakoff’s Syndrome. Brain Research, 1992 (Dec), 598; 33-37. 9. Halliday, G., Ellis, J., Heard, R., Caine, D., Harper, C. Brainstem Serotonergic Neurons in Chronic Alcoholics With and Without the Memory Impairment of Korsakoff’s Psychosis. J. Neuropathol. Exp. Neurol., 1993 (Nov), 52(6):567-579.

Hotel Rwanda †The Rwandan Genocide Essay

Hotel Rwanda is a film about the genocide that transpired within the premises of the city of Kigali, the heart of Rwanda during the year 1994. This evil act lasted for 100 days killing thousands of innocent lives of Rwandan men, women and children. But in the film, it did not focus on the genocide. Instead, it shed a light on the heroic and courageous deed of one ordinary man in an effort to save the lives of some of his countrymen. In the movie, almost all of the aspects of the genocide were tackled including the powerlessness of the United Nations to put a stop to the violent killings perpetrated by the Rwandan government and the Hutu rebels against the Tutsis. This was very much evident when the character of Dan Cheadle was promised by the UN Colonel that he, his family and all the refugees at the Milles Collines will be rescued. But when the colonel had a talk with another UN officer, the plan seemed to have changed. The colonel explained that only foreign nationals were allowed to leave Rwanda. Only a small number of troops were instructed to uphold peacekeeping and not peacemaking meaning they were not allowed to shoot at anyone even if they commit violent actions. More so, the minimal involvement of the international organizations and their eventual negligence over the escalating killings in Rwanda played a pivotal role in the increased deaths of thousands of people. Instead of helping the Tutsis to take refuge to a safer place in neighboring countries, these organizations decided not to get involve because of the misconception that nothing can restore the peace and order in an anarchic setting. Moreover in the movie, a Red Cross worker drew some attention because of how she showed her bravery by setting aside her fears and her own welfare just to save a few people from being mercilessly killed by the Hutus. Some aid workers decided to stay in order to help while others chose to flee in order to protect their welfare. Overall, the movie generated an accurate depiction of the Rwandan genocide. However, some controversial issues were downplayed like the role of the French in the uprising and arming of the Hutu rebels. After the genocide, some reports have surfaced that implicated a few French politicians and the French military with this tragic incident. According to the results of the findings of an â€Å"Independent Rwandan Commission,† the French government was â€Å"aware of preparations for the genocide and helped train the ethnic Hutu militia perpetrators. The report included that France provided the Hutus with â€Å"political, military, diplomatic and logistical support. † For almost 2 years, the commission had gathered data and interviewed several survivors. All the information that had been obtained, served as testimonies to the participation of the French government in the killing of almost 800,000 civilians in the span of 100 days (BBC, 2008). But the French vehemently refu ted the accusations. In their defense, they stated that the allegations were biased because the commission has only one thing in mind and that is to prove that the French are guilty. The â€Å"French Foreign Ministry said â€Å"there is no surprise in the conclusions of the commission given its mission† (CNN, 2008). Aside from this, the film also failed to include the admission of the United Nations of its failure to prevent the genocide. But for the UN, this became a learning experience. They realized that people should not be neglected specifically in times of dire need when lives are at stake (BBC, 2000). Given this new angle in the Rwandan genocide, it should have been also portrayed in the movie. This would have given viewers more accurate representation of what really happened in Rwanda in April 1994. Also, this would have been a chance for the whole world to determine who the real culprits were in one of the worst humanitarian crisis of the 20th century. More so, these events could have provided a comprehensive outlook on how humans are capable of doing horrendous and brutal acts just to have power and control.

Altruism-John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy once said conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth. Which is true the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to what individuals perceive is normal to their society or social group makes them apart of the masses. Which makes me think; of the many different ways people submit there self into that category. For example watching someone be sexually assaulted and stabbed to death outside of an apartment building but never calling the police to help or even attempting to help yourself. That’s what happen to Kitty Genovese and she had thirty-eight witnesses.Why was it that thirty-eight people stood there and watch her murder? Because they were too busy diffusing the responsibility for the simple fact that all these people are around someone must have called. As humans we do that a lot not help someone on the side of the road because they must have someone coming to help, never look at the screaming nose outside you don’t want to g et involve, don’t help that person who’s being attack; diffusion of responsibility: Diffusing the responsibility of yourself being involved into a situation that might put you in danger.That seem reasonably but how about when you do something that doesn’t benefit you in anyway but you do it because it makes everyone else happy; this is altruism. Let say someone did go and help Kitty Genovese they could have been seriously injured but Kitty Genovese would have had her life. Altruism is any nice gesture you do for someone else at the expense of yourself it doesn’t mean you can't satisfaction from your acts. In most cases of altruism you would enjoy it but the con of it is sometimes you can’t say â€Å"No† when you should be saying no.You’re doing what others want you to do when that’s not what’s in your heart to do. All I know is that more people should stand up for others because in any case you would want people to ignor e you in your time of need. I can’t really say how to get help but if you’re in danger caught people’s attention, say something important, but most of all caught someone attention. One thing I must say be safe in this crazy world we call earth .

Frankenstein and Monster Essay

In the society we live in, it is apparent that we as humans have a sense of power over all other living species. We have the ability to house-train a cat, teach a dog to guide the blind, or kill a rabid animal if we feel threatened. It is our ability to think and act upon our thoughts after deliberation that allows to us to rein over the animal world. In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Shelley examines how being human correlates directly with division of power in society by delineating the physical and emotional interactions between both Frankenstein and the monster throughout the novel. At the start of the book, Shelley depicts Doctor Victor Frankenstein as a human figure who is able to control his creation’s future. However, as time passes, Frankenstein becomes increasingly inhumane and his sanity is threatened along with his ability to dominate the monster’s life. As Frankenstein is losing his sense of humanity and control, the monster is gaining both. Though he starts off a powerless, unrefined brute, as the novel progresses the creature adopts a few human tendencies and gradually gains the ability to control his own creator’s future with his actions. Thus throughout the novel it becomes clear, when each character is in their most human state, they hold the most power over the other. During the two characters’ initial encounter with each other, Shelley depicts Frankenstein as having complete power over the monster’s future. The night Frankenstein â€Å"[beholds] the accomplishment of [his] toils† (43), he describes the moments leading up to the monster’s birth: â€Å"†¦ I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet† (43). This single line demonstrates the ultimate power Frankenstein has over his creation at that point in time. He alone has the ability to instill life into the inanimate creature lying before him. In addition, Frankenstein’s elevated cognitive capability, which he has because he is human, allows him to create the monster in the first place. His ability to read, understand, process, and apply knowledge he has learned in the past, as well his capacity to experience emotions such as desire and attachment puts him at a great advantage over the monster who, initially, could not â€Å"learn to distinguish between the operations of [his] various senses† (90). Because Frankenstein is human and has the power of knowledge, he is able to create the monster as well as decide whether it lives or not. Though he has the ability to bring his creature to life, Frankenstein’s unchallenged dominance over his creation is immediately threatened once the monster awakens. As soon as the creature opens his eyes, Frankenstein describes his feelings about the atrocious being. â€Å"I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body†(43), he recounts. This instant reaction of abhorrence to the newly living ‘thing’ demonstrates that the monster does have influence on Frankenstein’s emotions and, thus, a minor form of control over the doctor’s being. Though the monster begins to leave an imprint on Frankenstein, it is still evident that Frankenstein has a decisive role on how the monster grows and functions in the world. As the creator, Frankenstein is theoretically obliged to â€Å"owe [the monster] all the portion of happiness that [is] in [his] power to bestow† (135), but he does not fulfill that obligation. Instead, he begins his relationship with the brute with no affection. After dismissing the creature with absolute horror, Frankenstein flees his home trying â€Å"to avoid the wretch whom [he] fear[s] every turning of the street would present† (45). When he eventually returns home, his ‘apartment [is] empty and [his] bedroom [is] also freed from its hideous guest† (45). The actions Frankenstein takes by trying to stay away from his creation demonstrate the hate and lack of humanity he has for the creature. This directly influences the way the monster begins his life in the real world. Had Frankenstein taken care of his ‘child’, the monster may have become acclimatized with society instead of living as a â€Å"hideous monster† (131) or a â€Å"filthy mass that moved and talked† (136). After the monster is abandoned by his creator, he is left to fend for himself. As he adopts human tendencies such as learning to discern his emotions and developing the ability to speak the human language, French, he learns to live life on his own. Not only do the monster’s new-found emotions and ability to communicate make him capable of living alone, but the progression of his rational thinking process also demonstrates his humanness and competence. Before introducing himself to De Lacey’s family, he first thinks of the consequences of an illiterate, dumb monster. â€Å"Although I eagerly longed to discover myself to the cottagers, I ought not to make the attempt until I had first become a master of their language† (101), the monster recounts. This notion of a rational thinking process is unique to humans and necessary to a happy survival. The monster’s new found capabilities prove he can live without his creator and thus, while the monster gains control over his own life, Frankenstein further loses his ability to control the creature, as he is no longer needed for the monster to live. When the monster, fueled by his recently acquired ability to seek revenge, strangles William, Frankenstein’s sanity and humanity begins to crumble and his power over the monster disappears. Frankenstein’s controlled nature deteriorates when he has a gut feeling it is the monster who killed William rather than Justine, as â€Å"nothing in a human shape could have destroyed that fair child† (63). He cannot tell anyone the truth because no one else knows of Frankenstein’s experiment and he is afraid they will think him a mad man. This inability to share his thoughts and feelings causes him to go into a guilty frenzy because he blames the deaths on himself: â€Å"Thus spoke my prophetic soul, as, torn by remorse, horror and despair, I beheld those I loved spend vain sorrow upon the graves of William and Justine, the first hapless victims to my unhallowed arts† (119). This line captures the vulnerability Frankenstein experiences as well as the immense control the monster is gaining over Frankenstein’s emotions. By killing a single person, Shelley shows that the monster is able to distort both Frankenstein’s mental well-being and cause him to go into a mild, inhumane frenzy. As the story progresses, Shelley depicts the gradual deterioration of Frankenstein’s health and loss of power over his creation. The doctor loses complete influence over his monster after he refuses to make a female version of the brute. Before this point, Frankenstein still kept a sliver of control over the creature’s future because if he created the female, the monster would â€Å"go to the vast wilds of South America† and neither Frankenstein â€Å"nor any other human being shall see [them] again† (135). Once Frankenstein destroys his plans for the partner, however, the monster launches into a fit of rage: â€Å"Remember that I have power; you believe yourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the light of day will be hateful to you. You are my creator, but I am your master; obey!† (157). It is here that the monster’s fury fueled words illustrate the true nature of the relationship between the creature and his creator; that though Frankenstein initially had the ability to create the monster, the monster grew to be aware of his own superiority. He realized that his physical stature, along with his acquired human-like mental strength, allowed him to control both his own and Frankenstein’s ability to be happy and healthy. Once the monster takes away all of Frankenstein’s happiness by murdering the doctor’s loved ones, Frankenstein loses complete control over himself, becomes entirely inhumane, vowing to murder the monster. The doctor looses all sense of rational thinking and revenge is the only desire that keeps Frankenstein alive throughout the last pages of the novel. He â€Å"dared not die and leave his adversary in being† (192). This notion of solely living for another being establishes the fact that the monster does in fact have ultimate domination over all of his creator’s feelings and actions. As the monster, throughout the duration of the novel, has gained the ability to understand, process, and apply knowledge, he realizes he is the only aspect of his creator’s life that Frankenstein is living for. Thus, the monster has the option to keep Frankenstein alive by leaving a path of bread crumbs for his creator or to let him die with no trace of his creation. Hence, the novel comes full circle. At the start of the book, Frankenstein has the ultimate decision to give life to his creature or to leave him as a jumble of body parts. However by the end, the characters reverse the dominance in the relationship, and it becomes clear that the creature has the ability to keep his creator alive or leave him for death. By detailing the deterioration of Frankenstein’s humanity, while showing the monster’s acquisition of human characteristics, Shelley is able to demonstrate how being human allows for one to have power over another. Being able to rationally process and comprehend information, as well as reason with certain ideas, are unique qualities we as humans possess that put us at an advantage over other species and ultimately put the monster dominance over Frankenstein.

Bereavement: Emotion and Loss Essay

Bereaved children need support within school to deal with the loss of a loved one. This may be by being given opportunity to talk about their feelings or through practical activities. Naturally, each individual deals with bereavement in a different way, some may feel sad or angry, some may feel guilty about the death and others may withdraw and show signs of depression. The age of the child as well as their previous experiences, or lack of, can affect what they understand about death therefore it must be dealt with and prepared for accordingly. For instance, for those who have not dealt with loss before, starting with other kinds of loss is a good way in. With very young children this could be done effectively in circle time, using story, discussion and activities. You can talk about loss such as of toys or personal belongings and later develop this into a discussion about pets which may get lost or die, before finally talking about losing people who move on, move out or die. As a teacher we are more than likely able to empathise with children who are experiencing bereavement as this is probably something we, as adults, have experience. Consequently, it could be difficult to separate our own feelings and thoughts from the situation we are dealing with in order to console a child and reassure them that things will get better. It is important then to consider your own emotional response to the death and loss and reflect upon you feelings and how you deal with these situations in order to stop this from inhibiting your ability to help children in this situation. The parent/carer’s view and what they would like their child to understand about death is also important to consider as a teacher and it is important to make sure that you act on their wishes so that the message that you deliver reflects these views. However, whilst this is important, I also feel it is part of a teacher’s duty to help families understand the importance of children being appropriately involved in what is happening rather than being excluded and sheltered and how this can affect them in a negative way later in life also. Furthermore, this raises the importance of working and communicating effectively with parent/carer’s throughout these situations to find out behaviours the child is exhibiting when dealing with the loss and then develop a plan to help the child through this period. Most importantly, as a teacher, it is vital that a secure and closed environment which allows everyone to talk about the kinds of feelings that loss and bereavement bring is developed within the classroom and an appropriate level of confidentiality and trust is maintained.

Communicate Effectively at the Direct Leadership Level Essay

a.Mass communication enables you to communicate information to large numbers of people in a relatively short time. .Identify the principles of interpersonal transactional communication a.First principle – You cannot NOT communicate. i.Each day we receive thousands of behavioral cues to communicate. We choose which are worthy of our attention. We interpret or attribute meaning to each of these cues. We learn to accept some cues and reject others. We select the cue we will respond to and how we will communicate that response. Through this process, we assign purpose to each communication. Communication with purpose cannot be random. This conditioning process begins early in life. b.Second principle – Communication is predictable. i.Whenever you choose to recognize some sensory cue, you must organize the information in some personally acceptable way. The easiest way to do this is  to compare the behavior you now sense to all the behaviors you’ve ever known. As you repeat this process, you come to expect certain patterns of communicative behavior from certain people in certain situations. You learn to categorize people and their responses by paying attention to the feedback you get from people when we communicate with them. In this way, you improve the effectiveness of your communication by learning more about your own and the other person’s communicative patterns. c.Third principle – Communication is a â€Å"chicken and egg† process. i.Think of yourself as a simultaneous and continuous sender and receiver. Because communication occurs constantly in some form, it is difficult to determine whether you communicate first and respond last or vice versa. However, does it really matter? We define the context of our communication through punctuation. Punctuation is simply assigning specific beginning and ending points along the line of the continuous communication process. Human communication, as a dynamic process is best understood as a system where senders are simultaneously receivers and receivers are simultaneously senders. d.Fourth principle – Communication occurs at two levels. i.Communication not only conveys information, but at the same time imposes behavior. All interpersonal communication occurs at two levels: content and process. â€Å"The Dynamics of Human Communication† refers to the two levels as content and relationship while the USASMA model refers to them as content and process. We will use content and process. Content communication conveys information. Process communication (tone, context, gesture, and other nonverbal action) sends instructions to the receiver about how to interpret the message. When the content message does not match the process message, conflict and mistrust form in the mind of the receiver. e.Fifth principle – Transactions are between equals or up–and–down. i.You relate to people as equals or as nonequals. A typical example of a nonequal relationship is that of the mother–infant pair. Nonequal relationships include two different positions: one communicator is in the superior, or one–up position, while the other is in the one–down, or inferior position. Do not equate the words â€Å"up† and â€Å"down† with judgmental terms as â€Å"good,† â€Å"bad,† â€Å"strong,† or â€Å"weak.† Nonequal relationships are often set by social or cultural factors. It is usual for one–up persons to define the nature of the relationship. f.Sixth  principle – Communication is a sharing of meaning. i.This means that what meaning one person assigns to a word or image may not be the same as the meaning assigned by someone else to the same word or image. Each of us has our own system of classification, our own filtration system, by which we assign meaning. When we share our assigned meanings (GUESSES) with others, we expose some of our self–hoping that the other will understand us and interpret our meaning as we do. 4.Identify the relationship between listening and effective oral communication a.The Three Myths about Listening i.Listening is a natural process.- If you believe that listening occurs naturally, like breathing, then it follows that you never need to learn how to do it. Listening is a skill just like driving a golf ball or firing a rifle. You develop the skill just as you would any other skill. ii.Listening is the same as hearing.- Hearing is a natural process, but as we stated above, listening is a skill that we develop. We can train ourselves to â€Å"not listen† or to listen selectively. iii.Listening is the same as paying attention.- Many times we pretend to listen when we really are not. The receiver of the communication must indicate to the speaker that he is being heard and understood. The receiver indicates attention through both verbal and nonverbal indicators. b.Overview i.Let’s look at listening from a different approach, in relation to four types of internal and external responses to spoken messages. These responses range from very casual, almost accidental, to very deliberate and purposeful types of responses. They are not orderly stages that you go through when listening, nor a sequence that must be followed. All or only a few of these may occur within one set of listening transaction, or they may be skipped or types may be applied in any sequence. The four types are reflex, content, relational or active, and introspective listening. c.Type I, Reflex Listening i.A very basic kind of listening involving little more than hearing and a recognition that some noise has come to you. Reflex listening is very common in social settings, classrooms, public settings, and in concerts. Reflex listening involves primarily â€Å"guidance† noises where you can move out of  danger, approach and engage prospective pleasant experiences, but stay tuned to hear other important messages should they occur. d.Type II, Content Listening i.This type of listening is the one most frequently referred to when teachers and managers (leaders) criticize â€Å"poor† listening. Learning in school, receiving instructions on the job, getting information about what to do and how to run your life, are all involved in the content level. You listen to learn and to understand and to somehow retain information. An important dimension of content–type listening is an ability to detect which messages are accurate, useful, sound, truthful, reliable, and relevant. e.Type III, Relational Listening i.Listening is important not only in relation to getting the content of the message called â€Å"deliberative listening† but also in another dimension called â€Å"empathic listening.† This empathic dimension to listening includes active listening. Active listening reflects a whole orientation to life and to people–one which implies that to listen is to have the creative power to imagine how it would make sense to say what the other person is saying. It says that the other person (the speaker) is fundamentally important and worth listening to. How do you â€Å"do† active listening–by listening to a person without passing judgment on what is being said, and mirroring back what has been said to indicate that you understand the feelings the speaker was putting across. Effective communication is free to happen when threats have been removed. By the mirroring process, you help build a climate in which you can be accepting, noncritical, and non–mor alizing. f.Type IV, introspective listening i.Focus in this type of listening is on having something happen to the listener, not to the speaker. It may be the inner enjoyment of hearing poetry or music or spoken endearments. You experience something when you listen introspectively. Introspective listening has the quality of listening with a very open mind, but it also has the uncommon quality of applying your own deep understanding of your personal commitments and of the persuasion process as you evaluate the speakers’ messages.

Boss Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Boss - Personal Statement Example Although management and leadership are not utterly different, the two concepts may not be the same either. There are many ways in which management differs from leadership, especially when looking at the differences from leadership skills and management skills. Leadership emphasizes more on vision of the project than implementation. On the contrary, management entirely focuses on implementation and vision is second guessed. Further, leadership takes a keen interest in situation dynamics; these dynamics provides the leadership with hints on the right action to take. Leadership makes attempts that alter the culture in order to attain the best results that benefit the majority. On the contrary, management focuses on techniques and it does not advocate for changes. Rather, management strives to maintain the status quo and order in an organization, as well adapt to the traditions. Furthermore, leadership focuses on risk taking and positive possibilities while management worries so much of the negative consequences, which might result from an action. Finally, leadership aims to rebuild and reshape an organization to ensure that the organization moves towards the vision and objectives. It does this through the employment of persuasion skills, as well as possibility ideas. These actions do not take any consideration of the position of the organization. On the other hand, management focuses on achieving the prescribed organization and it adopts attitudes and behavior according to position or level. Management does not disclose information and knowledge to workers; they fear that their own position might be compromised by information leakage. There are many characteristics of good leaders, which can take time and space to discuss. However, the scope of this paper does not allow me to discuss the entire characteristics that good leaders should have. Therefore, I will discuss a few key qualities, which describes a good leader. Good leaders are

Management research project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Management research project - Essay Example These strategies should take into consideration factors like outsourcing activities and the development of leadership skills. These steps can be incorporated in an organization in order to develop the training processes of the employees. The purpose of the research is to investigate the experiences and perceptions of the training department staffs in a multi service healthcare firm based in New York. The main objective of the research is to identify the leadership practices that are involved in the development of a positive work culture in a setting where the internal and outsourced employees work concurrently. The selected qualitative research work is done with the aim of identifying the different leadership factors that if cultivated would lead to the development of a positive work culture in a company with outsourcing arrangement. The paper identifies the leadership skills and culture existing in the training department of the chosen healthcare services company which has an established outsourcing arrangement. The name of the company is kept confidential by the researchers because of the sensitivity of the information related to children’s services provided by this healthcare organization. The rationale of the report is that there are many complex challenges associated with leadership within an organization in which outsourcing management is done. Since, there remains a factor of continuous introduction of innovative technologies in the outsourcing systems and solutions, the complexity of leadership challenges become more in these types of organizations. The increase in the multi-generational and multi-cultural composition of the employee base makes the training and leadership challenges more evident in a workplace. But if a company can navigate through these challenges in an efficient way and bring out the best of the outsourcing, it would ensure that a skilful and well trained workforce is established. The chosen company which is an