Thursday, October 31, 2019

American Political System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

American Political System - Essay Example In addition, many historians feel that that the exit strategy was executed in a hasten manner and was different than the exit date. Both Kennedy and Nixon felt that Vietnam could be saved even though that was not the case as the pressure from American public continued to mount (â€Å"Isolationism†). As a world power, it was crucial that the United States made a stand to solidify their position as a world superpower. When JFK ordered his troops to withdraw from Vietnam in 1963, it was a clear symbolization that Johnson would have executed the same order. According to many historians, the judgment was derived through the Johnson’s statement as he states, â€Å"To Kennedy and his fellow New Frontiersmen, it was a doctrine of faith that the problems of Vietnam lent themselves to an American solution† (Perkins 20). The Kennedy administration in essence felt that the problems associated with Vietnam were in geopolitical terms. As part of the containment policy, Kennedy considered Vietnam to be highly risky. As the toll of death count continued to stagger, the American public became weary of the Kennedy administration (Perkins 24.) The implications were endless because South Vietnam remained to be in chaos and could have fallen under the rule of communism (Brooks 8). In essence, the Vietnam War served as a testament of the constant struggle of American foreign policy to fight against communism or any methodology that risks Democracy. This is depicted even in modern century as America continues to enforce democracy in other parts of the

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Spy Virus Linked to Israel Targeted Hotels Article

Spy Virus Linked to Israel Targeted Hotels - Article Example Moreover, Israeli has previously targeted events attended by prominent world leaders, and the fact that the virus was also in computers utilized in the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Nazi death camp confirmed the suspicion that Israeli was behind the cyber attack. Even so, the degree of sophistication of the virus has made it difficult for security experts to determine what kind of information the hackers stole. In fact, security experts estimate that it could take ten adept computer scientists â€Å"more than two years to build such a clean copycat† (Entous and Yadron, 2015). Overall, Kaspersky is relentlessly attempting to study the manner in which this sophisticated virus works before embarking on a mission to establish powerful antivirus programs to protect customers from cyber security vulnerability. Cyber criminality has been around for a long time. However, what is striking is that hackers are taking their ‘game’ to a completely new level. Hac kers have come to learn that by targeting security companies, they can learn quite a great deal about internet defenses. For instance, Kaspersky was a victim to the attack since the Israeli had a hint that Kaspersky antivirus programs protected the networks and computers in the target hotels. Following a successful attack on Kaspersky, it would be easy for the hackers to spy on their desired information. Verdonck (2015) affirms that hackers target the most vulnerable links in the company, who are the people. Kaspersky was no exception.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Consumerism and Culture: Designing Brands

Consumerism and Culture: Designing Brands 1. Introduction Shopping is timeless and is part of our everyday life. It is a necessity and shopping can bring joy and pleasure. Although the economic crisis is increasing, people from all over the world will always go shopping. It is a basic/common and fun thing to do and it brings enjoyment and entertainment. Consumerism is used to describe the tendency of people identifying strongly with products or services they consume, especially those with commercial brand names and perceived status symbolism appeal, e.g. a luxury vehicle, designer clothing such as Gucci, Chanel and Louis Vuitton, or expensive jewelry. A culture that is permeated by consumerism can be referred to as a consumer culture or a market culture. When designing commercial space it is necessary to consider not just the type of activities that will be carried out, but also the different locations, functions and environment that they will require. All commercial premises, however, need a basic infrastructure that creates an efficient working environment and provides facilities that ensure excellent customer service. 2. Analysis 2.1. Consumerism and Design All products that are commercially successful would have had the consumer in mind at one point or another. Designs have added value when it can be traded and has potential to make an impact on the consumer market even if it already has apparent artistic merit and may not necessarily require to be bought and sold as would a commodity. An enviable and attractive project in this sense attracts investments because of their commercial potential, and in due course attains marketability, and fundamental value or quality. Capital and creativity and good design alone cannot promise commercial success. Design is the new currency for commodities of the next generation and must be tailored to meet the ever-changing cultural and demographic pattern of consumers. Social behavior affects the long-term investments that design companies will make. Ultimately this implies that branding companies will soon look at demography studies as an important element in the development strategy of their products. 2.2 THE STORE AS A HOME FOR THE BRAND Nowadays, all aspects of life are branded. Brands function literally as labels representing the attitude or lifestyle that an individual has chosen. Therefore brands stores need to offer much more than product for sale. They have to sell an identity, which the customer can literally make his own by buying a particular product. This identity is taken home not only in the form of purchase items but also as amenities that come with the product. People who are strongly connected to a brands talk about the brand store as if it were their second home. Stores fall into one of two categories, such as multi brand and a single brand, where the store sells only one brand. Single brand stores sells only a particular brands and therefore has no other competition. The brand has complete control over the entire situation. Products are displayed in a sea of space, and visual merchandising is powerful. The biggest danger faced by single brand store is the predictable product supply, which requires a careful effort to avoid the perils of boredom. Change is not easy to illustrate, especially when the turnover rate is low. [Ill. 1- Tods Building] [Ill. 2- Tods Facade] As we can see from Illustrations 1 and 2 of Tods building and Tods faà §ade, this boutique is an Italian shoe and bag brand Tods. Tods building has been design by Toyo ito and this building is organized by seven floor, which is the lower floors are boutique space, while the central and upper floors house administrative, multifunction area and commercial offices; the top two floors are used for conferences and events and as a roof garden. Keen to give Tods an identity that would make it stand out from the crowd of places devoted to conspicuous consumption, the Tokyo architect Toyo Ito with the specific brief to employ high quality materials and colors that would reflect Tods notion of ‘naturalness. The leather-good brand well known for its impeccably handcrafted shoes and bag as well as its great attention to the natural quality of leathers. The nature metaphor that has been applied to the store was drawn from Omotesandos long row of zelkova trees. According to toyo ito, ‘the tree is an autonomous, natural object and therefore its shape has an inherent structural rationality. In a sense, producing a reasonable flow of structural loads with a pattern of superimposed tree silhouettes is a result of a perfectly rational through process. Toyo itos fondness for the outer skin that wraps a building is once again well represented. His pao(wrap) philosophy underpins much of his work. (up)this case study is so weird- and dunt know how to link with the next paragaph(down) What people stand for and what they believe in used to be an issue which were largely defined by the culture in which they were raised: family, local environment, education and religion influenced the way they see themselves. The local culture provides them with the symbolic tools to create a sense of identity. In the current global environment, people no longer limit themselves to traditional choices offered by local culture. The world has opened up. The Internet and all its possibilities form a whole new digital world, while the ease of travel makes physical distance appear shorter. For an Indonesian, talking to a Singaporean friend through an online chatting such as: Skype, MSN and etc, or visiting a relative who lives in the Singapore is easier and more convenient in the current day and age. Globalization is giving people the possibility to see the world out there, and it result in broadening many interests among people (consumers). They have become more open to different culture s and are able to relate to various lifestyles. It also resulted in a growth of cross-cultural contact and in the realization of a global market. Experiences are no longer determined completely by local elements: the world is the playing field. Roots will continue to define people, but the exposure to new experiences will provide them with different perspectives. As part of this process, traditional lifestyles start to lose authority and choices enter the picture. 2.3. Customer loyalty Retailers pay attention to customer relations and the retention of existing customers by means of loyalty programs and saving schemes. For example, we all have loyalty cards in our wallets. Where the main aim is t gain a price reduction, programs like these are not sufficient to develop client loyalty and to build up a mutually satisfactory relationship between retailers and customer. A company cannot buy a consumers loyalty. Trust and the beginning of a reciprocal relationship ensure that the customer keeps coming back. To achieve this, the retailer must be a good example and deliver added value. The challenge for retailer is to take advantage of the opportunities by organizing themselves in such a way that they fulfill a bridge function and by become the connecting factor between consumer and producer. The communities, feedback groups and testing panels that offer customers the chance to try out products and exchange experiences are sources of inspirations. The involvement of customer in the develop of services on offers and the realization of a transparent and efficient manufacturing process require completely new integral approach. The retail industry has the chance to develop into a platform that offers people the possibilities to create together, to share, and to further extend knowledge and experience. In this way, we can achieve supported solutions in areas such as innovation, logistics, resources deployment and time-to-time advantage. And, ultimately, customer will become satisfied ambassadors of their own brand. 2.4 Connecting to a Functional and Emotional brand element The search for personal identity helps define what is important and what you need to know to gain self-esteem, approval and recognition. People like to feel a sense of belonging, to be part of something bigger then themselves. One way to define oneself is to connect a brand to its culture. Consumers no longer buy products only because of their functional quality but also buying a brand that stand for something. A brand needs to find a way and to differentiate itself from its competitor. It needs to connect with the consumers and creating emotional elements can do this. The emotional side of the brand and the personality help people connect to the brands. Brands can have personalities as much as the same way people do. It is the brands personality that defines brands in terms of human characteristics. 2.5 Sizes and Location The crucial importance is the size and location of the store. There are department stores, boutiques, shopping arcades, stores representing only one brand (single brand store). A flagship store is the most exclusive type of single brand store. The primary focus of a flagship store is not a sell product but to persuade customer to adopt the brands lifestyle. Consequently, a single brand store or flagship store is a suitable retail environment for commercial charity, for the persuasion and obtaining of customers. 3. Design proposal The chosen site location for the design is located at no51-53 shop house at Armenian street, which is beside SMU (Singapore Management University), in front of vanguard building, under fort canning park and in the middle of city hall and Dolby Gout MRT area. This site is surrounded by parking area, and most of it behind of the shop houses. Base on the survey about human traffic car circulation, most of the user of this parking lot is the student from SMU(Singapore Management University),business man, shopper, that going to vanguard building, Stanford House and Stanford Court are also parked their cars behind the shop houses. The problem is after they park their car they will use a small path and it is located at the corner of the site. Physical phenomenon that people tent to use a shorter route or short cut rather than a longer route to get to a certain place. After analyses the trends of shopper I come out with a design solution. The program is to propose a flagship store together with a new design, which is to create a new shopping experience. This design will increase the number of shopper. The Shortcut will attach to the old building and creates a contradiction between the exiting old shop house and the new design (short cut). The shortcut will be built within the retail space to link from Armenian street to the car park. The design of the short cut will attract people attention to walk in and coincidently they might be going to the flagship store. (I havent arrange this part, should be 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 ) ling jie†¦, help me to think about the abstract and conclusion.. :'( cant think†¦. huhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhhuhuuhh CONSUMERISM A PERSPECTIVE OF FLAGSHIPSTORE CREATE A NEW SHOPPING EXPERIENCE References: Lloyd Jones, Peter, 1940-Taste today. United Kingdom: BPCC Wheatons Ltd,exter. Rem koolhaas, 2005-s,m,l,xl. New York: The monacelli press. Curtis, Eleanor, 2007-Fashion retail. New York: Liz sephton. Judy chung,Chuihua, leong,Sze Tsung 2002-Guide to shopping, project on the city. New York: Taschen Msnuelli,sara.2006-Design for shopping. London: Laurence king Messedat, Jons, 2007- Flagship stores. Los angles: Avedition Gmbh Manuelli, Sara, 2006- Design for shopping. united Kingdom: Laurence King Publishing Ltd Cheng, Kelley, 2005- Style shopping: shops showrooms, Singapore: Page one Publishing Ltd Bibliography: http://usj.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/35/5-6/981 www.ianlambertdesign.com

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Solomon Islands and the Problem of Sustainability :: Environment Resources Essays

The Solomon Islands and the Problem of Sustainability Introduction In the South Pacific near Australia and Fiji lies another potential tale of natural resources lost, ecosystems destroyed, and species becoming extinct all due to man. The Solomon Islands are at the core of this story. These islands are in danger of losing some of their capital (social, economic, and natural). This potential loss of capital comes from mans short term thinking. In todays world of an everything quick and fast, mentality, lies one heart of the Solomon Islands problem. Nature and all of its many resources do not mix well with profits and greed in terms of long term sustainability. In order to sustain nature, serious management from its users is required. Unfortunately this management is not used or does not create profits for the many companies investing in the Solomon Islands. The Solomon Islands are threatened because of their limited natural resources they have to offer for revenue. The Solomon Islands receive one half of their gross domestic product from agriculture, fisheries, and forestry, and over 55% of the islands exports were wood (web page Solomon Islands). The Solomon Islands sell this wood to companies for a profit. However, this resource is not infinite. The trees have to be allowed to regenerate or else the product will disappear along with the revenue. The common sense approach allows for re-growth of the trees, but this is exactly what is not happening in the Solomon Islands. As written by Nicola Baird in her article "Unwisdom of the Solomons", Baird says that the sustainable rate of harvest of wood is 325,000 cubic meters per year. However Baird continues that the government of the islands has given logging permits to cut 4 million cubic meters per year. The Solomons are taking downtrees faster than they can regrow. Profits are continuing, but only for a few more years. The future of the islands wood supply is forecasted to be depleted in the next 15 years (web page Solomon Islands). In the meantime, the tropical forest disappears at an alarming rate which fattens the pocket book with money but steals money form mother natures pocket book. Loss of trees causes a chain reaction of destr uction in the Islands. Taking trees takes homes of many species, which in turn causes their death.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Dualism in Indian Management

Dualism In Indian Management The management concept in the west developed as a result of evolutionary process, based on the changing values systems of the people – the social, political, and economic environment as well as educational and cultural milieu. However, in India, historically we never evolved our own concepts, keeping the Indian scenario in view. We found it convenient to transfer management technology, just as scientific technology. Most of the management concepts in India have been borrowed from west. During last three decades the western especially the American concepts of management have become popular in India and to a large extent efforts are made to absorb some of these concepts in wide variety of organizational settings which range d from Taylor’s Scientific management, management by objective to emphasis on business process reengineering etc. 1. â€Å"The actual management practices in India greatly differ from what we learn in Management schools which are based mostly on western philosophy† The broad concepts of management and administration are in a sense universal. The culture specificity obtains to the extent to which these are applied. The concepts of planning, recruitment, training, financial systems and control, etc. , are there in any culture, but the specificity is in how they are run and implemented. In India, too, down the ages there have been the existence of these universal principles and concepts of management and administration. But the difference in Indian administration and management lies in the subtle variation in how planning is carried out, how much is implemented, how recruitment takes place, what are the considerations, how are the financial controls effected and so on. The differences that manifest in Indian management and administrative practices are the result of the norms and expectations of the people through their history. Most of the management practices in India have been borrowed from the West. Most of them are given training in western countries and learning western management policies. When he applies these policies in the Indian organizations where the situation is entirely different, he finds does not proceed as planned. There is a distinct hiatus between the rofessed policies and the practices followed in the Indian environment as a result of these compromises. Assuming that foreign management practices will work equally well in Indian conditions, policies are evolved and plans made. Since goals set in this way are largely achieved, there is a perception that management practices in India are similar to the foreign ones. This may not be always true. In India management is characterized by peculiar dualism. There is a distinct hiatus be tween the professed policies and the actual practices followed in the Indian organizations. This is due to the effect of western policies on Indian management practices. Peculiarities of Indian management †¢ The emphasis on the personality of the top leader in the organization. †¢ Expectation of Indian people is more towards paternalism. The essential requisite for paternalism appears to be unity in the leadership, and single, identifiable source of power. †¢ â€Å"Familial Feeling† perceived by the employees because of the parental attitude adopted by the superiors and colleagues which gives a sense of security and belongingness among the employees. Dualism exists in almost all aspects of management starting from corporate planning, recruitment promotion, transfers to financial system and marketing aspects. The western management concepts got evolved when there was proprietary ownership and was based on the decision making process of organizing, planning, directing, coordinating, controlling etc and the manager having the right and prerogative to plan , organize, direct and control. However, over the years the ownership patterns of the organization changed from proprietary ownership to public ownership. The western management is passing through a confused state of evolutionary process where the past management concepts based on managerial rights and prerogatives are dead due to various countervailing forces, and the new concepts are yet to be born. There is a strong perception in western management that entire change process in the organization has to be brought in by the man at the top. The model organizations is not the one which, as widely believed in west and in India, where one man runs a spectacular show while he is there, to see it crumble after his exit. . Modifications suggested in the management policies to make it suitable for Indian Conditions. With the enthusiasm to run the organization on â€Å"modern†/ â€Å"professional† management principles many a times the consultants specially the foreign/western recommend management techniques based on their models and latest fads on the precepts that all those techniques could be applied in Indian environment, whi ch they discover later that they could not be implemented resulting in further frustration and acrimonious debates on the value of such advises. This is primarily because of the lack of thorough and intrinsic research on Indian management i. e. what works in India and what does not work. Organizations have been investing huge resources on various borrowed concepts of management emanating from west and other countries, such as Management by Objective (MBO); Business Process Reengineering (BPR); Total Quality Management (TQM); Just In Time (JIT); Strategic Management, Target Oriented or 360 Degree Appraisal System, Balanced Score Card etc. Researches indicate these concepts in the long run get abandoned or just remain on paper though what actually happens is quite different resulting in frustration due to dualism in management. In Indian Context, to bring about a change, it is important that the dynamics of Indian environment included familial culture, is not completely separated from the organization holding purely by the dictates of alien management principles. Certain legal modifications should be made to have longer tenure for the top management with internal promotions and appropriate career and succession plan. Succession planning would insulate the organization from periodic upheavals that normally occur with changes in the leadership. It will also lend a sense of stability to the organizations over a period of time. Indian management needs to move away from short-term profitability to long-term institution building. If as it is at present, the personality of the leader overwhelms the institution, it should be his responsibility to build tradition and practices that are conducive to long-term institution building. Little attention is paid to career planning. This will only lead to discontent. Organizations must have systematic career planning for employees from the time they join. Indian management should move towards institutionalization and standardization of practices across organizations. This has to be done over a long term. ASSIGNMENT ON Dualism In Indian Management Submitted By, Dhanya Mathew MBA-L Reg No. 0921242

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

An Essay on the Characteristics and Development of Ancient City-States Essay

A city-state is defined as an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as part of a local government. Through reading the articles of Larson, Westenholz, and Neihmer it becomes apparent that city-states differ depending on the region and time they are in, and the purpose they serve. The three specific examples that come to mind are the Phoenicians, Assyrians, and the Sumerians. All three of these had unique characteristics that define each society; however, all three societies displayed enough similarities to make them definable as ancient city-states. One of the defining characteristics of a city-state is the fact that it is a self-governing and self-sufficient entity. Ancient city-states provided the first clear evidence for social stratification and most city-states contained a ruling family or dynasty, which controlled the city-state and it’s surrounding hinterlands by managing the land, water, and other natural resources. Each city state also contained a council of elders which helped the ruling family serve as a controlling body of local policy. However in Assyrian city-states there also existed a year-eponymy, which was a person who was elected for a single year to serve as the head of the city hall. He acted as the head of the city and carried out the executive orders form the higher officials suchas the king and the elders. In Sumerian city states, kings were referred to as â€Å"ensi† or â€Å"lugal† which were names that were meant to display to citizens his power and importance, and made his rule indisputable within society. Kings were relied upon to build not only monumental structures and temples for their respective deities, but also to maintain a functional infrastructure. In Phoenician city states, The king was landlord of pretentious places and sacrificial buildings. This display exists in many city- states and not only in Phoenician culture. The king demonstrated his power through buildings such as tombs and temples, but however, he was also the leading figure in charge of maintenance of public places, and in most cities, the defensive wall. There is sufficient evidence of city-walls consistently across all ancient city-states, but the reason these walls existed remains unclear. There is no archaeological evidence of warfare, or conflict between city- states. One of the most logical reasons for these walls to exist was to serve a symbolic purpose because the interior area would be posses a more clear political identity. The Assyrians, in dealing with enemies, took a unique and strict political regime that limited trade and dealings with other city-states, and as evidenced by the archaeological record, in a letter. Their particular rule stated that if any merchant traded with a Akkadian Amorite or a Subariean, then the merchant would be put to death. Laws such as this one established a clear political stance that many cities held on many issues concerning interactions with outsiders. Though The city ruler acted as the city god’s human deputy and managed the assets of the city as a whole. there is also sufficient evidence for long- distance trade. City- states developed in Phoenician, Assyrian, and Sumerian society as important trade resources and had a significant impact on culture. Prominent city-states were key to cultural development because they were able to support local artisans and were key centers of trade, which enabled different cultures to influence one another. Sumerian city-states were located in key trade locations because their own agricultural opportunities were scarce, and they heavily relied on the trade of barley, beer and textiles to other places in order to obtain food resources form elsewhere in order to support their population. In Assyrian society, the economy was controlled by ruling families and therefore, trade was regulated depending on the ruling class. These city-states productivity was dependent upon the weather for that year, so trade would fluctuate depending on the success of the season. For Phoenician city- states, there is sufficient archaeological evidence for long- distance trade, shown in the influence and presence of foreign art and style. Furthermore, archeological evidence is supplied in the discovery of cylinder seals, which were used to ensure the authenticity of the item being traded or shipped, and ensure its condition, if the seal remained unbroken. Key developments in ancient city- states are displayed in the changes of city plan’s and architecture, as well as further developments in trade. In some cases, cities were set up in tribute to a specific deity. These cities were mainly located on a hill, with a temple on the highest point, with the rest of the city built around the center temple. These temples not only served as places of religious worship and practice, but also served as cultural and economic centers. A distinguishing characteristic of many ancient city- states is, dominant palaces, temples†¦of sometimes monumental size and form†¦lie next to tightly knit living quarters traversed by an irregular network of streets, and in most cases these cities had irregular and unique city plans from one another. The proximity of the households to the temple showed the importance and the involvement of the temple in the daily life of the citizens. Furthermore, the layout of the city also demonstrates social stratification.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

U.S. History - The Nations Growth in the 1900s essays

U.S. History - The Nation's Growth in the 1900's essays While trying to improve our nations economy, businesses have not ameliorated because of one important backbone of our country, the farmers. Farmers face problems with farming due to droughts, prairie fires, high temperatures, grasshoppers, and locust storms. At this time, the value of the crops decreased due to an overproduction of goods. The farmers have tried to max production rates, but there were too many amounts of the same crop causing the value of the crop to go down. Since the value of the crop decreased, the demand for the crops will go down. For example, the cost of the wheat fell from $0.91 (1883) to $0.69 (1886). Farmers became poor because it is harder for the farmers to sell their crops (lower demand on crops) Also, transporting their crops to the market also costs money. The farmers tried to transport their crops by railroads, but the railroad owners tried pooling, which they charge more for short hauls than long hauls. A group of railroad companies would get together, increase the freight rates, and make railroad transportation more From the result of farmer complaints about railroad fees, congress passes a new law to regulate interstate commerce. It limited the railroad regulations within the state borders. The Interstate Commerce states that, all railroad charges must be reasonable and justified without pooling, rebates, and higher rates for short hauls than long hauls. Railroad companies were required to publish their railroad rates and their annual financial reports to the federal government. The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) enforced the railroad laws. The ICC is made of five members appointed by the president to do the job. However, the ICC could not stop the unfair railroad rates ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Free Essays on The Truth Hurts!

said, but that person still gets the point. A harmless lie and a hurtful truth are alike one another in that both will eventually cause pain. Both of the two painful possibilities can be helpful to a person. On one hand to be told the truth you can potentially fix or rework the problem. When told a lie it could be helpful in that you won’t overreact or become upset. A hurtful truth is a truth that is told to you that is distressing. This kind of truth may cause a stinging sensation but with calm rational thinking and plenty of forgiveness it will subside within a few days. Sometimes a hurtful truth is exactly what a person needs t... Free Essays on The Truth Hurts! Free Essays on The Truth Hurts! Ouch! The truth hurts, or would a lie hurt worse? Many a time people say they want to know the truth, but if that truth inflicts pain is it still worth it? When you have food in your teeth and a friend lets you know do you thank them, or do you wish they had kept their mouth shut. Although, when they told you, you where quite possibly embarrassed, it passed. In the long run you should have been grateful. Your friend saved you from a potential worse embarrassment to come. Many things are much more important than a miniscule amount of food stuck between the crevices of your teeth. These are the things that make the question on saving a person from pain and inflicting it unintentionally a hard one to answer. A harmless lie is an untruth told for some reason to accomplish one thing or another. A type of lie told about the size of a fish that was caught but â€Å"got away.† A person might also tell a fib to keep another person from pain. Say that person A tells person B that person C has an ugly haircut. When person C asks person B what person A told person B, it would not be in person B’s best intentions to tell person C the truth. Person B could say that person A said that person C’s haircut was ok but that they liked it the way that it was before. Thus, person B protects person C from the harsh words said, but that person still gets the point. A harmless lie and a hurtful truth are alike one another in that both will eventually cause pain. Both of the two painful possibilities can be helpful to a person. On one hand to be told the truth you can potentially fix or rework the problem. When told a lie it could be helpful in that you won’t overreact or become upset. A hurtful truth is a truth that is told to you that is distressing. This kind of truth may cause a stinging sensation but with calm rational thinking and plenty of forgiveness it will subside within a few days. Sometimes a hurtful truth is exactly what a person needs t...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Why To Kill a Mockingbird Is Controversial to Some

Why To Kill a Mockingbird Is Controversial to Some There are several reasons that the content of Harper Lees great novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is sometimes considered so controversial (and inappropriate for young audiences) that it is banned, challenged, as well as removed from school/library lists and shelves. Racial Injustice The topic of prejudice, discrimination, and out-and-out cruel hatred is not always a topic that we like to discuss with our children. After all, we want children to remain innocent, to be removed and protected from the injustices, unfairness, cruelty, and fear that so often prevails in this world. Children learn all-to-quickly that society is filled with goodness and kindness (or at least thats the hope), but theres also a great deal of evil, bullying and all the worst unkindness in human nature.  To Kill a Mockingbird explores both aspects of humanity. Theres the life-and-death struggle of an innocent black man against the discrimination and barbarity thats not only evident in the actions of their fellow townspeople but also in the pervasive prejudices of the legal system. Atticus is the only man who is brave enough to stand up against the mob-rule, in an effort to ensure that justice is served! He knows that the ignorance that prevails could cost him his life (and/or everything he holds dear), but the pursuit of justice and the defense of innocence is (to him) worth anything he could face. He is not deterred. Sexual Violence Although the lies that are told related to the rape are not explicit in nature, theres still the fact that Mayella Ewell put blame on Tom Robinson for a horrible violation. The indictment is completely fabricated, but even the claim of rape troubles some readers. For some parents, teachers and other gateways to reading, the topic of violation (even in an abstract sense) is unacceptable for school-age children. Physical Violence Its difficult to feel sorry for Mayella because we know what her claims mean to Tom (and to Atticus, as he attempts to defend an innocent man). We may dislike what shes saying (and doing), we come to some acceptance of the psychology of the poor, abused girl; she would do or say anything (in her fearful and browbeaten state). In addition to the abuse that Mayella experiences at the hand of her father, physical violence are brought to bear upon Atticus and his children. In their anger and ignorance, the townspeople attempt to use violence and fear; to control Atticus.Atticus refuses to back down. He refuses to allow an innocent man to falsely convicted and imprisoned, without at least a fight. Atticus says: Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. Its knowing youre licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.   Heres another interesting question; how would the novel be different without controversial topics (and events)? Imagine what the book would be like if they sanitized the novel.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Blue Cross Blue Shield Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Blue Cross Blue Shield - Research Paper Example Services offered by health care systems are various and include surgical care, cardiac care, pediatrics, cancer and women care, maternity care, and other specialty care services. Blue Cross and Blue Shield offer a number of different health care insurance coverage types. The one you are most likely familiar with is an HMO, or health maintenance organization. This benefit plan requires that you receive health care from providers who in ‘network,’ meaning that they have a contract with Blue Cross and Blue Shield and a primary care physician will act as a coordinator in your health care needs, Most of the time you will need a referral to see a specialist or someone who is outside of the network (Types†¦). POS or point of service is usually the most preferred option and makes it possible for members to choose providers outside of the network as needed for health care services. Blue Cross Blue Shield also offers a preferred provider organization where members are able to choose their own provider though higher coverage is provided if the provider is in network and contracts with Blue Cross Blue Shield. Blue Cross Blue Shield also offers flexible spending accounts, a plan that reimburses employees for specific expenses and funds are usually deducted from the employee’s paycheck and contributions to this plan are usually not subject to income taxes. Blue Cross and Blue Shield provide coverage to federal employees and provide coverage to approximately 4.5 million federal employees, their families and retiree’s. Federal employees include the Department of Defense, US Postal Service, Department of Energy, Health and Human Services and Environmental Services, and Employees of agencies paid through the National Finance center (Blue Cross†¦.). Being a federal employee is not the only way to become eligible for Blue Cross and Blue Shield coverage though. The National Labor Union also acts as liaison between Blue Cross and 38 independent

Friday, October 18, 2019

ASL Discourse covering Discourse Genre Explanatory and Prosody Research Paper

ASL Discourse covering Discourse Genre Explanatory and Prosody - Research Paper Example The progress of developing sign language in US obligated the materialization of deaf training institutes, which would collect numerous deaf kids collectively for tutoring purposes. The account of ASL started with deaf tutoring. ASL is an acronym of American Sign Language. A minister name Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet in 1815, moved out of his home in Hartford to visit Europe. Dr. Mason Cogswell had inquired Gallaudet to examine techniques of schooling for his deaf daughter, Alice Cogswell. Whilst the purpose of Gallaudet visiting England, was struck by an obstacle when executives of the Braidwood Schools, who educated the verbal technique, denied giving out their techniques of tutoring deaf. In London, Gallaudet escorted with Abbe Sicard, administrator of the Royal Institution for the Deaf in Paris with his two students. Sicard asked Gallaudet to tour the school in Paris. Gallaudet then toured to Paris and cultured with the instructive techniques of the Royal Institution for the Deaf with sign language, a combination of Old French Sign Language and the signs framed by Abbe Sicard. In April 1817, Gallaudet launched the Connecticut Asylum for the teaching and tutoring of Deaf, today known as American School for the Deaf. Deaf learners were educated with French signs and others like Martha’s Vineyard. Therefore, at this institute all the effects amalgamated and turned out to be American Sign Language. 1. ASL Discourse Features ASL discourse features have been acknowledged purposely comparable in linguistics, in view of the fact that Stokoe's have utilized the features 'phoneme' and 'phonology' for all communication channels of ASL. All of linguist persons separated ASL signs into numerous phonemic characteristics known as discourse features. These features are hand contour, palm direction, hand motion, hand position etc. In addition to these discourse features there are others as well for example facial appearance, attitude, posture, and jawing. In early abstrac t techniques, motion was dealt as concurrent or chronological movements of the hand assisted with additional body features. But in numerous fresh techniques, motion is dealt as the pace of the language instead as characteristic. Signs are separated into sections of movement (motion) and hold, every one of which comprises of a group of the additional characteristics of hand profile, course, position, and some non-physical characteristics. In the sign language; distinguishing sign movements (motions) consist of linear, inner, and complex motions. The basic and primary directions of linear movements (motions) are six. These are up, down, in (in the direction of the signer), out (outside the signer), contra-lateral (in the direction of the midpoint or the contrary hand), and ipsi-lateral (away from the direction of the surface of the signing hand). Diagonal motion is identified to be fabricated with these basic directions. Inner movements (motions) contain rotating of the wrist, adaptin g curvilinear of the wrist or fingers, unclosing the hand, enclosing the hand, and squirming the fingers. Complicated movements (motions) incorporates contacting a location, traverse hands or fingers, clutching, inflowing (introducing the hand or fingers flanked by

Jurisprudence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Jurisprudence - Essay Example These higher powers could be a father, a husband, an employer, a principal, a leader etc. This submission is in total support of Thomas Hobbes’ belief that emphasizes on the danger of solitude, poverty and loneliness that usually accompany human short life. . The purpose of expecting some support from these higher powers is to enjoy a sense of security and protection from whatever circumstances that may come their ways. This singular characteristic of men would then put them under authorities. The authorities include but not restricted to monarchical, democratic, aristocratic, theocratic and autocratic leadership. The adverse effect of this human submission to a higher power is that they would be forced to accept the rules and orders issued by these authorities. The power of sovereignty, on most occasions, is unquestionable. Even though the processes of transferring of sovereign power may be through descendancy, hereditary and by force, the subjects have little or no power to reject whoever has received the sovereign power. This condition makes men to be under constant control of a higher power whose actions may be good or bad. Understandably, it takes a group of men to form a state or a nation. And when a group of people who are submi ssive to the sovereign power in charge of their nations, there is every possibility that they would seek a power higher than the current one protecting their lives and property. This is evident in nations coming together to operate under a single umbrella as seen in the formation of the United Nations, European Union, African Union and, of course, Commonwealths. This attitude to follow all rules and regulations laid down by these international bodies demonstrate to a greater degree the willingness of men to unite for a common good, for an assurance of protection by these

MPLS Protocol Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MPLS Protocol - Research Paper Example The current version could hold around four billion connections and since in last few years the technological advancements have brought about more devices and connections all over, for this reason IPv6 was worked out in last few years. Internet Engineering Task Force (I.E.T.F) is the entity that defines new protocol standards and hence is responsible for ensuring the new version fulfils the demands by equipping the new version with all the essentials. While the previous version was brought into practical use, little or no consideration was given to the space, and security, and it was believed that around 4 billion address spaces would be sufficient for generations, however with time those addresses ran short, and security became a more serious issue with all types of malwares, and other insurgent forces that came to the world of internet communication.(Kahng et al 2004) The need for a larger network system was felt due to the depletion of I.P address spaces and since about 2 billion p eople across the globe use internet in form of tablets, p.d.a ,smart phones, internet is part of every cafe, airport, office, educational institute , for this purpose a network was needed that could accommodate large number of upcoming connections. IP v4 provided a 32 bit address space.IPv6 users are likely to have faster connectivity. It is gaining popularity with time and need is being felt in Asia and Europe for its implementation on full scale.(Mun,young Song et al, 2005) .Internet protocol version 6 is a network layer protocol of the O.S.I model; it is termed as the next generation internet protocol, which is a new version of I.P, successor to IPv4.The main aim has been to bring about improvement and advancements in the existing version. The overall design is an improved one. The large address space (128 bits) can accommodate many more number of networks, users and devices. The addresses are arranged in eight groups of four hexadecimal digits that are separated by colons. The a ddress types are either unicast which uniquely identifies an interface on IPV6 node, while a multicast is for identifying group of interfaces and Anycast is assigned to multiple interfaces on multiple hosts (Eastep et al 2009), further there are three classes of unicast interfaces that includes link local, site local and global.6 to 4 is another technical term associated with the entire concept which enables the packet transmission of IPv6 to a version 4 network. The 6 to 4 feature allows testing and experimenting the IPV6, even if the version is not provided by the Internet service provider. Global unicast network is dedicated for the 6to4 mechanism. Gateways creates interface between the two. Salient Features of IPV-6 Large address space Stateless auto configuration Quality of service capabilities Improved Security Streamlined Protocol header Mobility IPV6 is packed with large number of improvements which includes large addressing space, and hence accommodation of more users on th e network, this is followed by mobility, which enables tablets, and other handheld devices to be connected even when on the go. A salient feature of the new version is its increased security. IPSec a security protocol is made mandatory in this version while it was only optional in case of its predecessor. Hence it makes it more secure

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Managing Decision Making Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managing Decision Making - Assignment Example    Literature Review & Summary of Research Findings- Simon's Model of Decision According to classical decision making theory, individuals need to gather information regarding the emergent issue, then search for plausible alternativeness which can be used in order to address the issue and then select the most optimal alternatives (Bechara and Damasio, 2005). But, Simon (1979) criticized the classical decision making approach by stating that model doesn’t correspond with real world decision dilemmas. One needs to understand the key steps in Simon’s decision making model in order to criticize or appreciate it in context to research works of different research scholars. Bechara and Damasio (2005) stated that there are three phases in Simon’s decision making model such as, 1- intelligence phase, 2- design phase and 3- choice. Intelligence Phase- in the intelligence phase, individuals formulate the problem or decision statement by comparing the current process status with historical data or reference points. In this phase, individuals gather information from external environment without knowing exact outcome of such information crunching. Design Phase- in this phase, individuals try to formulate the probable alternatives to address the decision statement by considering the gathered information from macro environment. Decision makers need to analyze the information collected from external environment in order to generate alternative approach to the problem statement. Choice- in this phase, individuals select the most feasible alternative in order to address the decision problem or take decision. Important thing to remember that, the most potential alternative to the decision problem might not be the most feasible one hence decision makers must take care while selecting potential choice. There is no doubt that Simon’s decision model is based on the concept of bounded rationality. Simon (1979) pointed out that rational decision making becom es difficult due to various reasons such as lack of knowledge about all the alternatives, uncertain events, inability to calculate consequences, lack of knowledge about the consequence of particular decision, human behavioural limits etc. Due to such shortcomings, rationality of any decision making is subjected to be bounded hence a decision cannot be optimized. Sent (2005) supported the bounded rationality model of Simon and stated that although rationality might be the goal for decision making but ability of the decision maker is limited due to cognitive (such as personal values, lack of computational ability, reflexes and lack of knowledge) as well as exogenous factors (uncertainty regarding the outcome of decision). DellaVigna (2009) stated that the concept of bounded rationality is very much pertinent in context to modern day business problems while Bromiley (2005) appreciated decision making model of Simon for its usability in investment decision making and behavioral economic s. However, there are other group of research scholars such as Campitelli and Gobet (2010) and Levinthal (2011) who criticized Simon’s decision making model for lacking in depth. Levinthal (2011) stated that decision makers need to create representation in explicit or implicit manner while making deductive reason

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Business Strategy Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business Strategy Case Study - Essay Example As a result, the market share of GM has been slipping over the years. Like all North American and European car manufacturers, GM has also been outsourcing production facilities to low cost destinations in Latin America and Asia since the 1990s. This has enabled it to capture new markets as well as reduce costs to some extent. But, in North America, it remains straddled with high costs because of its legacy of high employee costs and strong trade unions that prevent shut down of loss-making plants. Besides, GM has invested little in research and product development. Hence, its numerous brands are ageing and less competitive in comparison to the sleek models manufactured by Japanese and Korean manufacturers. The automobile industry is one of the largest industries in the United States and contributes 5 percent of the private Gross Domestic Product (BERA, 2004). The country is also the largest manufacturer of automobiles in the world, having produced 12.2 million units in 2002. The "Big Three" US automobile manufacturers - General Motors (GM), Ford and Daimler-Chrysler - producers 76 percent of the vehicles sold in the US while 18 percent is contributed by Japanese manufacturers - Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Isuzu - and 2 percent by European manufacturers - BMW and Mercedes (division of Daimler-Chrysler). While the Asian and European manufacturers rely on exports, the US is the principal global market of automobiles hence the demand for US manufacturers is generated mostly domestically and to a small extent from Canada. II.A.1. Industry trends, conditions and key strategic factors Historically, North American manufacturers have been major players in the global automobile industry and GM, since its formation by William C Durant in 1908, has been a name to reckon with (Jones, 2005). However, over the period of a hundred years, much has changed in the structure and pattern of the industry, forcing GM to diversify from high-end passenger cars alone to catering to different segments of customer demand as well as engage in strategic partnerships with global players and extend production facilities in foreign lands (BERA, 2004). Particularly since the last half of the 1990s, globalization of automobile manufacturing, primarily aimed to cut product costs, have resulted in multiple production facilities down the value chain in a number of countries across continents. All the major players have invested heavily in outsourced destinations in Latin America, China, Malaysia and other countries in south east Asia. The "big Three" of North American automobile manufacturers, GM, Ford and Chrysler have also engaged in strategic partnerships with European counterparts. The industry has seen consolidation along the three tiers, with the first tier being composed of GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda and Volkswagen while the lower two tiers initiating mergers among themselves in order to remain competitive. II. A.2. Analysis of competitors In the early years of the 20th

Managing Decision Making Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managing Decision Making - Assignment Example    Literature Review & Summary of Research Findings- Simon's Model of Decision According to classical decision making theory, individuals need to gather information regarding the emergent issue, then search for plausible alternativeness which can be used in order to address the issue and then select the most optimal alternatives (Bechara and Damasio, 2005). But, Simon (1979) criticized the classical decision making approach by stating that model doesn’t correspond with real world decision dilemmas. One needs to understand the key steps in Simon’s decision making model in order to criticize or appreciate it in context to research works of different research scholars. Bechara and Damasio (2005) stated that there are three phases in Simon’s decision making model such as, 1- intelligence phase, 2- design phase and 3- choice. Intelligence Phase- in the intelligence phase, individuals formulate the problem or decision statement by comparing the current process status with historical data or reference points. In this phase, individuals gather information from external environment without knowing exact outcome of such information crunching. Design Phase- in this phase, individuals try to formulate the probable alternatives to address the decision statement by considering the gathered information from macro environment. Decision makers need to analyze the information collected from external environment in order to generate alternative approach to the problem statement. Choice- in this phase, individuals select the most feasible alternative in order to address the decision problem or take decision. Important thing to remember that, the most potential alternative to the decision problem might not be the most feasible one hence decision makers must take care while selecting potential choice. There is no doubt that Simon’s decision model is based on the concept of bounded rationality. Simon (1979) pointed out that rational decision making becom es difficult due to various reasons such as lack of knowledge about all the alternatives, uncertain events, inability to calculate consequences, lack of knowledge about the consequence of particular decision, human behavioural limits etc. Due to such shortcomings, rationality of any decision making is subjected to be bounded hence a decision cannot be optimized. Sent (2005) supported the bounded rationality model of Simon and stated that although rationality might be the goal for decision making but ability of the decision maker is limited due to cognitive (such as personal values, lack of computational ability, reflexes and lack of knowledge) as well as exogenous factors (uncertainty regarding the outcome of decision). DellaVigna (2009) stated that the concept of bounded rationality is very much pertinent in context to modern day business problems while Bromiley (2005) appreciated decision making model of Simon for its usability in investment decision making and behavioral economic s. However, there are other group of research scholars such as Campitelli and Gobet (2010) and Levinthal (2011) who criticized Simon’s decision making model for lacking in depth. Levinthal (2011) stated that decision makers need to create representation in explicit or implicit manner while making deductive reason

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Advocates violence Essay Example for Free

Advocates violence Essay A hate group is â€Å"a group or movement that advocates violence against or unreasonable hate or hostility toward those persons or organizations identified by their religion, race, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability† (Wikipedia, 2004). The ideology of hate groups is based on the inaccurate information using for disparagement. The members of hate groups prejudge each individual in the target group as low or contemptible. They believe in the supremacy of their race, religion and use the violence and intimidation as the tools of the infuence on the target groups. How they do it? Usual tactics of the hate group includes four main elements: dehumanizing or demonizing the target; use of the conspiracy, theories, possibly not well backed up or referenced; claiming for manifesting interests of majority, support of thef pseudo-scientific theories using as the background for their grudge against target groups. The Southern Poverty Law Centers Intelligence Project reckoned up that 751 hate groups were active in the United States in 2003 (http://www. tolerance. org/maps/hate/state. jsp? T=12m=2). The most infamous and oldest American hate group is the Ku Klux Klan. This movement joined more than 150 various hate groups. The target of the attacks of the Ku Klux Klan is blacks, Jews, immigrants and gays. Today the most active Ku Klux Klan organization in the USA is the Church of the American Knights of the KKK. This radical wing of the Ku Klux Klun is led by Jeff Berry and had strong prositions among other hate groups of the state of Indiana. While other KKK groups are trying to represent themselves as a civic organization for whites, the American Knights actively propagate strong measures against minorities. The credo of the American Knights is expressed in Jeff Berry’s speech: â€Å"We hate Jews, We hate niggers†¦. I’m a Yankee and I have never heard the word thank you in the nigger vocabulary†¦. We don’t like you niggers†¦ Tell me one thing your race has accomplished. † (ADL audio tape of Jasper rally, October, 1998 rally in Jasper, TX cited by http://www. adl. org/backgrounders/american_knights_kkk. asp). The same ideas we see in the Platform of the American Knights: Enemies from within are destroying the United States of America. An unholy coalition of anti-White, anti-Christian liberals, socialists, feminists, homosexuals, jews [sic] and militant blacks have managed to seize control of our government and mass media. This gang of criminals and degenerates has declared war on the hard working, tax paying, White citizens †¦ The American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan plan to change things for the better. We shall liberate our nation from these savage criminals and restore law and order to America. (cited by ADL backgrounder, 1999) But the hate groups do not only tell terrible words. They also do the terrible things. Every hour in the USA someone commits a hate crime. Every day at least eight blacks, three whites, three gays, three Jews and one Latino become hate crime victims. Every week a cross is burned. Three crosses were burned in the yard of a mixed-race family in the March of 2003 (Ladoga, IN). Swastikas and offensive messages were burned into the lawns of four residences (St. John, IN). The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan distribute their flyers throughout a neighborhood. According to FBI statistic â€Å"the greatest growth in hate crimes in recent years is against Asian Americans and gays and lesbians† (http://www. tolerance. org/pdf/ten_ways. pdf). But the noble Knights of KKK do their business only with hidden faces: â€Å"It is essential to the organization to allow members to preserve their anonymity since, if members are not allowed to appear in public without being able to maintain their anonymity, they will not participate in public events† http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_group

Monday, October 14, 2019

Comparison Between Centralized and Distributed DBMS

Comparison Between Centralized and Distributed DBMS 1- Comparison between centralized and distributed DBMS: There are many aspect that let us make a comparison between centralized and distributed DBMS: Database management system is any software that manages and controls the storage, the organization, security, retrieval and integral of data in a specific database, whereas DDBMS consist of a single database that is divided into many fragments. Each fragment is integrated on one or more computer and controlled by independent database (DBMS) (Connolly Begg, 2004). In centralized DBMS the data is distributed across the network computers, and the data is stored on many sites and under the management responsibility of DDBMS. But in the DBMS data is stored and controlled in a central site. Both of DDBMS and centralized DBMS provide the access to database using the same interface, but for this function centralized DBMS faces less complication than DDBMS. For distributing data over network we can use replication or fragmentation. The objective of replication and fragmentation is to make a transparency of this allocation to make the details of implementation hidden on users. In centralized DBMS is not need to make transparencies. In DDBMS design we can find three issues which are not in centralized DBMS design. These issues are: How to split the database to fragments, and fragments to replicate, and in which locate we can find these fragments. Consequently, centralized DBMS is less sophisticated than DDBMS because it not supports the organizational structure of todays widely distributed enterprises, and DDBMS more reactive and reliable (Blurtit, 2010). 2- Advantages of DDBMSs The DDBMS have many advantages over DBMS. We can gather them in the following points: Reflects organizational structure: We can distribute the data base over any organization offices which has distributed locations Improved shareability and local autonomy: Users can use the data of other sites, which mean the data can be near of the users who use it. Also by this way the data can be controlled by the user. Improved availability: Unlike centralized DBMS, the failure at one site or link of communication makes only some parts of system inaccessible, which means the entire system is still working. Improved reliability: The replication system make the data exist in many site. So this insures the possibility of accessing to this data if there is any failure happened. Improved performance: We can improve the accessing speed to data base if we use remote centralized database. Also, there may not be same conflict for CPU and using the services, like DBMS. Economics: For making the organization systems more cost-effective to obtain separate computers, DBMS allows us to create systems of smaller computer, its power equal the power of one large computer. Modular growth: This one refers to the flexibility of DDBMS, where we can add a new site without any affects on the operation of other sites. 3- Disadvantages Complexity: The features of DDBMS like replication, availability flexibility make the implementation of DDBMS more complex than centralized DBMS. Cost: The cost will increase due to the complexity in DDBMS than centralized DBMS. It requires the maintenance and additional hardware to create a network between the posts. Security: Unlike centralized system, access to data not only has to be secured, but the entire network also has to be made secure. Integrity control more difficult: In a DDBMS, the costs of processing and communication that we have to make to implement integrity constraints may be prohibitive. Lack of standards: Despite there is effective communication when we use DDBMS, There are no methodologies or tools to assist users convert a centralized DBMS into a distributed DBMS. Lack of experience: Unlike what we have with centralized DBMSs, still our experiences are lack in industry of DDBMS. Database design more complex: The design of DDMBS is more complex than centralized database, because the data fragmentation has to be implemented in this design, and also data replication, and fragments allocation to specific sites 4- Possibility of using the replication server: The replication is a mechanism enables the companies to provide their users accessing to current data at the time they need it (Connolly Begg, 2004). The DreamHome company can use the replication server to enhance the dealing with requirements, because if it want to make any updates to a replication object at one site are will be applied to their copies at all other sites. Furthermore, replication server enables the company users to replicate many objects, such as the tables and Functions and Procedures, Indexes, Views and Object Views, Packages and Package Bodies and so on (Urbano, 2003). Implementation of replication server can be useful. Because by it users can transfer data to any local site needs it. And the company can insure availability of data and applications at all the time. Companies can insure that important applications are available at all times. Also, replication server allows any user access to its data from distance (DCI, 1996). So that it is possible to use server of replication in this company. Finally the recommendations that we can give this company are Its better to implement DDBM to manage the data of this company. If this company use same operating system like Windows or Linux, it is better to integrate Homogeneous DDBMS, because, Its design is easier than heterogeneous DDBMS, as well as data managing, also It helps the company to add new sites to DDBMS. As well as It allows augmented performance by using the parallel processing capability of multiple sites (Edward, 2007). References Blurtit, d. (2010). Ask it answer it. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from blurtit: http://www.blurtit.com/q828920.html Connolly, T. M., Begg, C. E. (2004). Data base solution. A step by step guide to buildind database . England: Pearsoned. DCI, D. (1996). Replication, The Next Generation of Distributed Database Technology. Retrieved March 13, 2010, from DCIs Event Central: http://www.dciexpo.com/geos/replica2.htm Edward, C. ( 2007, Novamber 05). Distributed DBMS Concepts and Design. Retrieved March 13, 2010, from SJSU Department of Computer Science: http://www.cs.sjsu.edu/~lee/cs157b/fall2003/Edward_Chen_Chapter%2022.ppt. Urbano, R. (2003). Oracle Database Advanced Replication. Oracl.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

The Unreliable Narrator in Vladimir Nabokovs Lolita Essay -- Nabokov

"Distracted by his charm, his wit, his intelligence, and - yes - his murderer's fancy prose style, we may momentarily forget that he is indeed the monster he says he is" (Rivers and Nicol 153).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In his "On a Book Entitled Lolita", Vladimir Nabokov recalls that he felt the "first little throb of Lolita" run through him as he read a newspaper article about an ape who, "after months of coaxing by a scientist, produced the first drawing ever charcoaled by an animal: this sketch showed the bars of the poor creature's cage." The image of a confinement so complete that it dominates and shapes artistic expression (however limited that expression may be) is a moving and powerful one, and it does, indeed, reflect in the text of Lolita. Humbert Humbert, the novel's eloquent poet-narrator, observes the world through the bars of his obsession, his "nympholepsy", and this confinement deeply affects the quality of his narration. In particular, his powerful sexual desires prevent him from understanding Lolita in any significant way, so that throughout the text what he describes is not the real Lolita, but an abstract creature, without depth or substance beyond the complex set of symbols and allusions that he associates with her. When in his rare moments of exhaustion Humbert seems to lift this literary veil, he reveals for a moment the violent contrast between his intricately manipulated narration and the stark ugliness of a very different truth.    In one of the most elaborately vivid scenes in the novel, Humbert excites himself to a sexual climax while Lolita sits, unaware, on his lap. Rejoicing in the unexpected and unnoticed fulfillment, he asserts that, "Lolita ha[s] been safely solipsized" (60)... ...: 3-18. Bloom, Harold, ed. Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita. Modern Critical Interpretations. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. Boyd, Brian. Vladimir Nabokov: The American Years. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991. Centerwall, Brandon S. "Hiding in Plain Sight: Nabokov and Pedophilia." Texas Studies in Literature and Language 32 (1990): 468-84. Nabokov, Vladimir.   Lolita.   New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1992. Rivers, J.E., Charles Nicol. Nabokov's Fifth Arc: Nabokov and Others on his Life's Work. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1982.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

USInvasion Of Cambodia Essay -- American History

â€Å"The banyan tree grows throughout Cambodia. It may reach a height of over 100 feet, and as it grows, new roots descend from its branches, pushing into the ground and forming new trunks. The roots grow relentlessly; many of the ancient temples of Angkor have toppled as these roots have become embedded in the cracks and crevices between their massive stones. A single tree might have dozens of trunks, and it is often impossible to tell which is the original. This is Cambodia today: a thousand intertwined branches, a thousand stories woven together, a thousand currents of history swirling in different directions. To understand Cambodia in the present, it is necessary to look at Cambodia in the past.† http://www.mekong.net/cambodia/banyan1.htm This paper will begin by given a cursory overview of Cambodian history that sets the stage for the rule of Norodom Sihanouk, then, in more detail, specific events that happened between 1953 ( the date of Cambodian Independence from France) through 1973 when Sihanouk was overthrown in a coup. With the background set, I will then discuss the version of events as describe by William Blum in his work â€Å"Killing Hope.† It is my hope that an objective look can be given into the role that the United States played during the 1950’s, 60’s and early 70’s in Indochina and more specifically Cambodia. History The area that is present-day Cambodia came under Khmer rule about 600, when the region was at the center of a vast empire that stretched over most of Southeast Asia. Under the Khmers, who were Hindus, a magnificent temple complex was constructed at Angkor. Buddhism was introduced in the 12th century during the rule of Jayavaram VII. However, the kingdom, then known as Kambuja, fell into decline... ...playboy† attitude of Sihanouk. Secondly, I believe that the change in Presidency between Johnson and Nixon and the change in values that came with it lead to decisions to violate a neutral state. Lastly, I believe that Sihanouk’s attempt to always play both sides caught up to him and the people of Cambodia were the one’s to pay. Although Sihanouk has been a leader to the Cambodian people, closer observation reveals an underlying theme of protecting himself and his family. Works Cited Chandler, David P. History of Cambodia. Boulder: Westview P, 2000. Igout, Michael. Phenom Penh Then and Now. First ed. Thailand: White Lotus, 1993. Osbourne, Milton. Sihanouk: Prince of Light, Price of Darkness. Honolulu: University of Hawaii P, 1994. Shawcross, William. Sideshow: Kissinger, Nixon and the Destruction of Cambodia. Revised ed. Cooper Square P, 2002.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Essay About Literature Essay

Literature is timeless, it endured all the changes of the past and is still is being appreciated till the present time and will still be as time goes by.  Literature exists in every country, in every language, and in every period but each has its own uniqueness that stands out for their styles. It exceeds time; literary works of famous people regardless of what period in time they came from is still being appreciated, if not more than when the period it is from. Literary works from the early periods had undergone different adaptations by the later periods to preserve the author’s great work, the ideas, and the creativity they instil in every words to make it live through time. There is a purpose for reading literary works – to entertain and educate its readers or audience. Reading, for example, a novel is just like watching a movie in a very slow pace; reading can make you cry, laugh, smile, get angry and whatnot just like watching a movie; reading lets us imagine the characters, the settings, and what happens in the story. As it entertains us, it also educates us and teaches us about life experiences that we might encounter, and the morals that we should possess. Other literary works inform us about happenings in daily life which also falls in educating the readers. There are different types of literary works, it doesn’t just end with reading materials, and it can also be in a form of a song and a play. It can be performed in front of people or just enjoyed by oneself; it has different genres to offer to different interests of people. Literature is everywhere and in any time and it knows no bounds.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Feedback in learning Essay

1.0What is feedback?:â€Å"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great inspires† William Arthur Ward A teacher carries a big responsibility in area of learning. Some people believe a teacher’s job is to teach and a student’s job is to learn. In today’s classroom, the role of teacher is totally different. Teacher as a facilitator of learning, mentor for learner and classroom supporter. The excellent teacher will take various actions in way to help their students to be successful in their life. So that, one of the action is teacher should provide assessment feedback in way to enhance the learning. Feedback is normally something which happens as a result of cycle teaching and learning action. It can give either before, during or after the learning had been occurs. Generally, what is feedback? Is it guidance, evaluation or praise? As mentioned by Ramaprasad (1983), feedback is information about the gap be tween the actual level and the reference level of a system parameter which is used to alter the gap in some way. Furthermore, the definition by Ramaprasad also supported of new research by Shute (2007) that define the feedback as represent information communicated to the learner that is intended to modify the learner’s thinking or behaviour for the purpose of improving learning. Hence, in learning, feedback should usually presented as information to a student in response to some action on the current level of performance and help them to be better. Correspondingly the educationist agree that assessment feedback is an important part of learning cycle but nowadays students frequently express disappointment and frustration in relation to the conduct of the feedback process. Students may complain that feedback on assessment is unhelpful or unclear and not provide any tips to them to improve their current performance. As a result, students will always repeat the mistake until they get to know the correct answers. Studies of the impact on student learning achievement indicate that feedback has the potential to have a significant effect on student learning achievement (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). Feedback should give immediately during the learning process. That can really help student to do self-reflection on their quality of learning. They can figure out did he/she in the right track and how to improve their understanding. Types of feedback: Main focus of given assessment feedback is to describes qualities of work in relation to the learning target. Teacher should give attention to the quality of their written feedback. There are two types of feedback, evaluative feedback and descriptive feedback. Evaluative feedback refers to a summary of student current achievement or performed on the particular task. This feedback is often come out with letter of grades, numbers, check marks, symbols and generals comment such as â€Å"good†, â€Å"excellent† and â€Å"need help†. While, descriptive feedback is specific or detail information in the form of written comments or conversations that help the student understand what he/she needs to do in improve their level of understanding. There are several examples of evaluative and descriptive feedback: Evaluative Feedback Descriptive Feedback â€Å"Try harder next time† â€Å"Your topic discussion is clear and have good examples, your next step might be to check back your grammatical errors† â€Å"90%! A+! Excellent Work! Keep it up!† â€Å"You’re made some simple mistakes in your calculation, remember back the formula use. Please check back the first step until the last step in your calculation for question 10.† Table 1: Examples of Evaluative and Descriptive Feedback Based on examples given, evaluative feedback more to provide a judgement on the quality of the learning task that student did while descriptive feedback focus on helps the student understand what he or she needs to do to improve their current achievement. Besides that, evaluative feedback shown to us those teachers only tells learner or students how they compare to others and descriptive feedback will provide specific information in the form of written comments or conversations more help learner. Regardless of the types of feedback given, either evaluative or descriptive, effective feedback needs to be informative, prompt and guiding. Informative feedback highlights strengths and weaknesses, giving specific examples or explanations. Prompt feedback is returned to students within an agreed timescale for the work submitted. Guiding feedback offer suggestions about how students can improve their learning. All of that combining together to help students to do better the next time. This statement also have support  by Hattie and Timperley (2007), they mention that the most improvement in student learning takes place when students got information feedback about the task and how to do more effectively. Below are examples of evaluative and descriptive feedback given by teachersFeedback as teaching style of scaffolding: As we already know, feedback provides information and guide to students by teachers about learning. That is one criteria of scaffolding. Scaffolding is the core of traditional apprenticeship. It is refers to given support that provides by expert or teacher as steps to improve their learning. It helps to reduce the gap between the student current level of understanding or performance and a desired goal. According to Hattle and Timperley (2007), they mention that depending on the nature and delivery of the feedback, it can have powerful positive effects on student learning and engagement. Beside that in the research by Assessment Reform Group (2002) , also mention that feedback as coaching and scaffolding students. The given feedback is an essential practice of assessment for learning. The process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learner and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to get there by helping of teachers. That the main reason why the teacher’s feedback important, providing the support necessary for student to proceed towards the next stage or level and achieving the learning goal. Student will view the feedback as improving tips in which students receive information and construct meaning to close the gap. The students need to do something based on the guided giving in the feedback. Scaffolding instructional originated from Vygotsky’s ideas on learning. Vygotsky’s comes out with two levels of learning development. The first level is Actual Development that what learner has already reached. It is the level which the learner is capable of solving problems independently. The second level is called Potential Development which the learner not capable of doing the moment but have potential to do so. Between the actual and potential levels, Vygotsky said that there was what was called a Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Proximal means next. In context of feedback, it should act as scaffold by providing tips and support necessary for student to proceed the next stage or level. Without the support students may be unable to accomplish the target. As the result, students will extend their understanding and make improvement. Figure 3: ZPD (Zone of Proximal  Development) Diagram When teacher incorporate scaffolding in feedback, they become more to mentor and facilitator of knowledge rather than the dominant content expert. This teaching style that include with scaffolding will make student active role in class to achieving learning goal. Besides that, it also provides a welcoming and caring learning environment. â€Å"I take care of you and I hope you will be success in future†. Expiration in feedback on student assessment will make them realize that even they did wrong is not means he/she is stupid student. They have room to improve. As conclusion, the best assessment feedback, scaffold student to achieve the higher performance in learning target. Feedback as affective domain in learning: Since 1950’s, research have been done in cognitive theory and educationist had use the Bloom’s (1956) taxonomies of learning. Bloom has mentioned that in learning should have three learning domains. The cognitive domain, affective domain and psychomotor domain. Feedback is referring to affective domain. In affective domain includes feeling, emotion, attitudes, values and motivation. As students that receiving the feedback, they need all of the aspect that include in affective domain. Teacher should play with all of these aspects. Teacher must provide clear understanding. Feedback should be brief, concise statements, in student-friendly language that describe what students are to know and be able to do at the end of feedback. Feedback can be one of the ways to encourage positive motivational belief and self-esteem. There are some ideas for motivating students. Teachers can start the feedback with praises like good job, excellent job, great, brilliant idea, â€Å"You are starting to understand this but†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , â€Å"This is quality work because†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , â€Å"Two things you really did well are†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and many more on what they do well. Praise the work or process that focus in achieving the learning goal. Second step, teachers proceed with intervention that tells the student what needs improving and give enough information in way to help them to do better. It can sound like â€Å"Your thinking shows†¦.†, â€Å"One thing to improve on†¦..†, â€Å"You need more†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ , and many more. Next step, teachers share the improvement strategies such as â€Å"Your next steps might be†¦..†, and â€Å"You might try†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The ways that teachers give the  feedback have relationship with the flow of affective domain as described by Krathwohl et.al (1964). They start with receiving, responding, valuing, organizing and ended with acting. Students will receiving the feedback as their new information of mark, wrong answers and the current level that he/she mastering the knowledge. Am I really understood or I just understand little bit? Step 2, responding. Students will respond on feedback given by teacher. They being actively participating bas ed on feedback given to achieve learning goal. Step 3, valuing. They attaching worth to feedback given and try to do correction on the task. After they do the correction, they will organize the new concept and change their existing understanding. The last is characterization. They have the correct understanding and will apply the concept in correct way without misconception. It is the effective way that feedback can help students learn better in positive environment in implement the affective domain. Feedback will demonstrate appropriate ways of enhancing the performance on the task and offer strategies that invite more learner responsibility to improve. â€Å"Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire† William Butler Yeats Feedback as reflection on learning process: Reflection needed students to capture back on their performance in the task given. It also needs students to have clear comparison about their previous performance and current performance. There are three types of reflection that suite with the feedback: reflection on your process, comparison of your performance to that of others and comparison of your performance to a set of criteria for evaluating performance (Schon, 1983). How feedback can be as reflection on learning process? Firstly, reflect on the feedback process. By feedback, students are encourages to look back at how they react and given answer on the task. Teachers will describes the qualities of work in relation to the learning targets. That can make them see how they might have done better and what they need to improve. That is the first step as feedback starter, reflect on achievement. Second, compare of student performance with others. These types of reflection are referring to evaluative feedback. In evaluative feedba ck teachers will give grades, numbers, check marks, symbols and generals comment such as â€Å"good†,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"excellent† and â€Å"need help†. Based on the feedback, students analyze by comparing their performance with friends in hope he/she will motivate to achieve better. The final types of reflection are comparison of student performance to a set of criteria for evaluating performances. These are focus on intervention and improvement that include in feedback. Teachers will share idea on what students needs to improve and gives enough information so the students will knows what the next step to apply. That really show the function of feedback as reflection, facilitates the development of self-assessment in learning.Conclusion: Assessment feedback should play as important role in teaching and learning. Firstly, feedback is a way that teacher can use to determine and analyse how far your student gain the knowledge and what should you suggest to them in helping them success in mastery the knowledge. Secondly, assessment feedback will attract low achievement students to be active learner and more motivated to achieve the learning goal. Overall, assessment feedback should take as important aspect in learning process. Teacher need to apply and change the feedback given in way to help student to be success in future.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Interpersonal Conflict in the Movie Hitch Essay

This article to me proves to be somewhat true. I do feel that when you are in a relationship with someone you do tend to feel that you know this person well and can understand what the other person is simply saying at that time. When you are the person trying to communicate it should be as clear as possible. Like in the article the man misunderstood what she was saying but he had no way of knowing because if she was hot temperature wise she should have just said it in a way where he would know she meant temperature wise. This could also put a major strain on relationship between people. There would always be arguments or something because you and whoever would never be able to communicate successfully with one another. It would be nothing but miscommunication because you would have thought that you would be close enough to someone appears to create the illusion of understanding more than actual understanding. (U. S. News & World Report) Miscommunication played a major role in something that happen to me one day. We were having a pizza party for the class and we need to buy extra pizza for the teachers because the kids could only eat cheese. The issue was that some did not eat the same type of pizza as others. So, after that a coworker and I decided we wanted supreme and the others wanted chicken pizza. My understanding was that her and I was going half and half on the supreme pizza because when we made the order we both were telling our coworker what we did and did not want on the pizza. As the pizza arrived they gave her a whole pizza and they brought a supreme pizza upstairs which we was trying to figure out who pizza it was because other people was asking for some but we did not want to give it away until we knew who the pizza belonged to. However, after talking to my coworker she stated that the others thought we had just took their pizza to because it was in our class and did not know they were sending people to ask for the pizza because it was in our room but how were we suppose to know. It got me kind of upset and she told me not to worry about it. So later that day in the meeting after school I felt I needed to address the problem and told my coworkers how were we suppose to know the pizza in our room because our class is upstairs and you guys did not want the kids to see that type of pizza because they could not be offered any. They should have told us that they were coming to our room to eat instead of thinking we were trying to take the pizza they bought. From that day forward we made sure that we understand clearly what we are ordering and doing when it comes to lunch time or whatever.

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Medieval armor Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Medieval armor - Research Paper Example However, armor was associated with rank within the military and served the purposes of the cultural event of war as much as it served the functionality of battle. As well, it often designated the role of the individual within society, the type of armor worn having relevance to class and social status. Armor served a great number of purposes within the medieval social environment and was not strictly a resource for functionality. Armor began to appear in the fourth century in Europe, often made from what was left behind by the Roman soldiers who had tried to conquer the lands. Barbarians began to construct protection from what was left behind and setting up the culture to eventually improves upon those designs. As metallurgy began to grow technologically, armor began to reflect a higher sophistication in its manufacture (DeVries and Smith 38). The many types of armor during the Middle ages are numerous and vary from one country to the next. However, the basic European styles of armor were divided by head armor and body armor, with differences in each section. Head armor was a vital form of armor in that it protected the most vulnerable and essential part of the fighter. The head was vulnerable to cutting, thrusting, and bludgeoning moves that would immediately take down or kill an offender. A common configuration of armor was a chain mail hood, called the camail or the coif de mailles, with a metal helmet placed over the chain mail (Cosman and Jones 2

Monday, October 7, 2019

Justification Report Part 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Justification Report Part 2 - Assignment Example Miller Park construction in Milwaukee which failed to take the equipment efficiency guidelines of OSHA seriously exceeded its deadline by one full year. Their crane collapsed killing three workers on the spot. This caused them unnecessary law suit, loss of talent, labor issues and the construction cost exceeded enormously. Miller Park projects total budget was $413.9 million. This was 28.5% higher the estimated amount due to the one year delay. The crane repair costs and compensation accounted for $100 million. OSHA has reported four potentially dangerous accidents prior to the crane fatality. But the construction company ceased to lend ears to them causing this massive loss of money and man power. Paul Brown stadium was completed in 2.5 years. Its proposed completion budget was $453 million. The project was completed within the proposed amount on the given deadline without any casualties. Construction sites being highly vulnerable places to work, the project recorded a total of 92 minor accidents, 16 of which stalled work causing delays in the building construction. But, severe implementation of strict safety measures saved them nearly $4.6 million and loss of life. The worker compensation went into speeding up the work making up for the delays. OSHA states, implementing the safety measures strictly helped the project save nearly 58% of the money set aside to handle accidents and work place injury. A common debate arouse in this comparison as to why the Millers Park project was initially assigned very little amount for construction. While both the projects involved nearly the same features, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc. and Lampson International Ltd agreed to give only $322 million to the Danny’s construction company. This led to compensation in employee safety and use of age old equipments leading to massive losses. Hence, the US government fined Mitsubishi heavily than the other two companies ($240,500). This proves awareness and education

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Working with Federal Reserve's Publications Essay

Working with Federal Reserve's Publications - Essay Example In the financial market, the demand for credit in the different districts has shown a mixed trend compared to the previous Beige report. The Federal Reserve has also reported that the pressure of prices in the economy has eased from that recorded before. To maintain price stability and stabilize the economy, the Federal Reserve uses the Monetary Tools of Open Market Operations, Discount Rate, Reserve Requirements, Interest on Required Reserve Balances and Excess Balances, Term-Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility and Term Deposit Facility. Ultimately, the paper enumerates an outlook for the economy in the coming twelve to eighteen months. The Federal Reserve System is U.S.A.’s central banking system. It is also known as The Federal Reserve and sometimes informally referred to as the Fed. The enactment of the Federal Reserve Act established the Federal Reserve System in 1913. The Federal Reserve conducts the nation’s monetary policy, supervises and regulates the banking institutions, maintains the stability of the financial system and provides financial services to the Government of U.S.A, the country’s depository institutions and foreign official institutions. The Federal Reserve offers to the general public a variety of publications including the Federal Reserve Board testimonies, press releases, monetary policy reports, the Beige Book etc. which offer a detailed analysis of the current economic activity, the financial markets and the monetary policy tools used to maintain price stability and foster economic activity. Federal Reserve’s assessment of the current economic activity and financial markets According to the Federal Reserve Beige Book of July 2011, economic activity in the twelve districts of the U.S.A continued to grow. However, in many districts the rate of growth has been moderate than that reported before. Overall assessment of consumer spending indicated an increase and a majority of the districts reported a humble in crease in the non-auto retail sales. Auto sale slowed down compared to the previous Beige Book report and the disruptions in the Japanese supply chain caused the auto inventories to remain lean. The retail margins continued to be squeezed under pressure in prices from ‘food, energy, cotton, and other supplier inputs’. The Federal Reserve presumes that a decrease in the gasoline prices could have provided an impetus to shopping trips and other additional spending. The summer flavor of tourism had initiated better performance than last year in most of the areas. In most of the districts, activity in the non-financial service sectors reported a growth overall. Manufacturing activity also increased overall in the districts. Firms generally retained their optimistic manufacturing outlook, but were cautious regarding their capital spending strategy. Activity in the residential real estate market remained weak although construction as well as movement in the residential rental sphere improved from before. The agricultural sector in seven districts (which reported on the sector) was unfavorably affected by both drought and extreme flood conditions. However, the energy and mining sectors in the districts which reported on these sectors recorded a robust growth for majority of energy-related products. The production of coal was sluggish. The labor market conditions in the U.S economy remained moderate and most of the districts reported modest increases in the hiring of labor. (The Federal Reserve, July 2011, p. 4, 5) In the financial market, the Federal Reserve reported a mixed loan demand from the districts in comparison to the previous report. Total increase in loan demand was recorded in the New York, Chicago and Richmond districts although they originated from different

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Business environment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business environment - Assignment Example The region has long been established as the leading European zone for attracting private investment. In fact, at present it is UK's most successful region for attracting foreign direct investment, and is among the top five in Europe. The West Midlands is the address of nearly 2,000 overseas companies from 34 different nations, employing roughly 9% of the region's workforce - nearly a quarter of a million people. Birmingham itself can boast of almost 300 overseas companies, which employ over 36,000 people. International and famous companies based in the West Midlands include Peugeot, Ford, BMW, Fujitsu, Oracle, Gap, Denso, IBM, NEC and Johnson Controls. A little over the last ten years, the West Midlands experienced real economic growth with GDP increasing by around 29%, an additional 240,000 people in employment, a fall in unemployment rates from 12.1% to below 8% (2000), economic activity rate at par with the rest of the country, an employment rate of around 74% (1998-1999 to 2003), higher than the national rate at the start of the three year period (1998-99) and a higher percentage of employees in high technology sectors than the national average in 2000 (Mitra, 2001). Despite noticeable indicators of development and progress, the West Midlands maintains its status of an under-achieving region. It has under-performed in almost all major areas judging by the economic indicators, if overall performance in the UK is used as a standard. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per head in 1999 was 6% below the national average in spite of an increase of nearly 2% from 1998. On the Index of Local Deprivation, the West Midlands has two districts in the top 10 and 6 in the top 50 most deprived areas. In 1997, likewise, the West Midlands had the second lowest manufacturing productivity levels. Gross Value Added per GDP per head has stayed around 6% below the national average throughout the 1990s. Since 1990, unemployment rates have remained above the national average. Finally, the number of VAT- registered businesses has fallen faster than the national average. Compared to EU regions similar to the West Midlands (using the GVA metric), the latter is at par with most other regions and slightly below Bourgogne (France). SMEs in the West Midlands Economy With statistical trends elsewhere, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) constitute the largest share of all enterprises in the West Midlands. The region is composed of small firms, which would imply that small business activity is characteristic of the region's business and economic scenario. The sectoral spread of the firms portray the profile of the region with its mix of traditional industrial ands agricultural activities, combined with business and financial services. Reflecting overall national patterns, and indeed that of the West Midlands region, no one sub-region has more than two sectors with greater than 20% of the business sites in those sectors. Potential Sources of Support Across the region, Advantage West Midlands is setting up a variety of strategies and business support programmes aimed at motivating and promoting wealth creation and the diversification of the region's economy. Working in alliance with other organisations, the objective is to provide the business support required