“Be Strong,” the psycho woman said

â€Å"Stuart you must learn to look on the bright side.† What bright side? I'm a sixteen year old lad and my cat has just died. Big deal you might think. But you weren't the one in the washing machine, spinning round ten times a second! Poor cat. Dad thinks I'm mad. That's why he sent me to the psycho woman in the first place. Well she's a psychologist, and ok that wasn't the only reason. My real mom had an affair and ran away with the postman. He just happened to be my dad's brother, that's all. Which sent me â€Å"Off the rails.† Or so they told me. I mean I'm not a train. I kept getting into trouble at school. You know, mixing with the wrong people, skipping classes at school, Stealing sweets, that kind of thing. Nothing really. What did they expect? Me to just except my moms gone and that I probably wont see her again. Plus the fact we wont get our mail delivered any more! No, I shouldn't joke about it. There is a bright side! I'm laughing about it already. I've just realised I come from a broken home. Prison here I come! That was four months ago, and dads already got a new woman. ‘Ginger Gill!' Bet you can't guess what colour her hair is? There I go taking the mick again. Dad said I shouldn't: â€Å"It'll come back on you one day,† he bellows. Anyway I have a right, who calls there kid Stuart? I hate my name. After thinking long and hard, I have decided I am a tiny bit crazy. But only a bit. Who isn't? Talking of crazy people: we live in front of a once nice green field, in Cornwall. I say once because ‘travellers' moved in last week. Actually they are gypsies, but ‘travellers' is the more polite way to say they are scruffy, no-hopers. I'm too cruel. Also, of course that's what they call them on the news, so it has to be more polite. I kind of got talking to one of the gypsy girls, whilst walking my aunties dog, Bessie. She's around my age (the girl not Bessie!) and quite good looking. But also a bit weird. She can't pronounce her ‘R's', which is amusing. She was telling me about her grandmother, Rose. Or â€Å"Wose†, as she pronounces it. She said Rose could see into the future, and has been known to predict peoples' lives. Very likely. She thought I should see her grandmother, as she could help me, more than any head doctor could. As if I need help. She was fascinating I thought. That's a lie. It was boring. She was boring. The only thing she said that remotely interested me was that one of her other ‘gypo' relatives, held the world record for the loudest burp. Now that was fascinating! It was when I got home, that I really took what the girl had said to me in. (‘the girl'-I didn't catch her name! Oh well, ‘gypsy girl' will do.) Maybe Rose could help me? After all I would like a few questions answered: Where is my mom? How could she leave me? Why did Casper (the cat) get into the washing machine? Why doesn't ‘Ginger Gill' dye her hair? There I go again! And most importantly, why is abbreviation such a long word? The next day, I wagged school. The psycho woman is really helping, don't you think? Anyway I paid my gypsy friend another visit. This time I was introduced to her grandmother ‘Wose'. I mean Rose. I suppose I hoped she would be scruffy looking, with a crystal ball and a glass eye. But no, she looked pretty normal. As normal as a gypsy can look. Someone stop me! She was in her early sixties, I would say. She had long dark brown hair, covered in hair clips and beads. There had to be over one hundred. How did she hold up her head? She had a deep, manly voice, which was freaky. Disappointingly, both her eyes were real. I didn't have chance to speak to her, as she had a headache, and went to bed. I'd have a headache, with all those hair accessories on my head. Me and Crystal, that was her name, I discovered, spoke for hours after. Today she didn't seem so boring and dull. She said she hates living in a caravan. Who wouldn't? She told me that her mom had died of cancer the previous year, and really missed her. Which made me feel stupid. I was upset that my mom had left, and the cat had died, well killed. She made me realise I should be grateful for who I am and what I have. See I can be serious. Crystal had arranged for me to visit ‘Gypsy Rose', for one of her fortune-telling sessions. I really didn't know what to expect. What if she told me my mom had become a stripper and was living under the sea? Ok, so that was not exactly going to happen. But she could tell me somethings I don't want to hear. On the other hand, she could tell me Casper is ‘cat heaven's' answer to Brad Pitt. Either way I knew from tomorrow, my life would change. Who knows? I might even find out why abbreviation is such a long word!

A reflective writing of the module within the academic year

Within the academic year 201 2/13, I took on a module named Context of Business. It alms to develop and understand companies' traditional and contemporary management and structural approaches (Chokshl, 2012). Within the academic year we were tested on our understanding of what was taught. This report Is a reflective writing of the year. This will be done by looking critically at the two assignments given to us. First assignment was to give a report of an organisational structure and draw up its chart. The second was to perform a group presentation of two companies of different sizes on various factors.This report will look in to the process, the challenges and outcome of each assignment. Assignment one: Presented at Week 6 The class was given an assignment to conduct a research of the structure of a business of our choice. We were to present our findings by researching the structure ofa business and draw up its organisational chart within six weeks. 2. 1 Outline First of all, I had t o look for a business of my choice. This Involved in looking Into businesses In my local vicinity or further afar. I finally settled on Syngenta, An International agricultural business Into crop productlvlty and protection of environment (Syngenta, 2013).I then had to start researching Into the business to find out what sort of organisational structure it had. For Syngenta it had a matrix style structure, a structure where highly skilled individual form teams for projects (Stanford, 2007). I also had to look into its span of control. Syngenta had a flat structure of operation, a structure where there are few layers of authority and delegation is used to carry out task effectively (The times 100, 2013). From this I was to prepare an organisational chart, a chart which shows the way the chain of command works in an organisation (The times 100, 2013).For this I was to take into onsideration of the matrix style and its flat structure of operation to draw up Its organisational chart. 2. 2 Challenges There were some challenges I faced while conducting this research. One maln challenge was the declslon of which company to choose. There was no restrlctlon on what company one could choose and I had to find one for which I would be able to find all relevant information. Another problem faced was distinguishing between the company's organisational structure and its span of control. had to go back to the lecture notes and other readings to find out their differences.As it was an individual ork I had no second opinion on matters and had to be careful that my decisions made were right. The assignment turned out to be more challenging than what I thought. This was due to the depth of research that was needed to acquire specific relevant information and the ability to back them up with substantial evidence. Over a period of time, looking back I can evaluate my performance as being done In a haste. This Is due to the fact that, not fully understanding the scope of the assignme nt given at the start of the work. This went against my time given hence I had to quickly do the work In order to beat the clock.Fortunately I was able to receive informal feedback from our tutor on our drafts. This helped recognise my mistakes was to give the audience a clear distinction between the organisational structure and the span of control of the company. I was warned on the penalty of improper referencing and plagiarism of content used. From what was given in the feedback for the draft I was able to develop on transferable skills such as proper referencing. In the end I was also able to learn new skills such as time management, the ability to plan and prioritise ones workload (The University of Manchester, 2012). 2. 3Outcome Learning from this assignment, given the opportunity to another work of this type, I will dedicate more time to each aspect of the work. Key lessons that I have identified for this work, is the ability to properly prepare and conduct intensive research . Through practice I will be able to develop these abilities. Looking at the skills learnt, most if not all are invaluable and beneficial transferable skills. These are competencies that could be carried from an activity to another (Graduate prospects ltd, 2013). What might be able to hold me back will be the technicality needed in the referencing.Referencing is the process of acknowledging sources consulted in pieces of work (London metropolitan university, 2013). For this I can refer to the materials available on the university library services. Assignment two: Presented on Week 22 For our second assessment, we were given a group work to conduct. We were to form groups of 4 or 5 members and give a presentation to the class on the topic of comparing two companies of different sizes. We were to compare and contrast their legal and ethical issues. 3. 1 Outline The first thing I had to do was to form a group. We then had to decide on which companies to choose.For the sake of comparing them we decided on companies that are within the same industry. Kelloggs, which manufactures and markets ready-to- eat cereals and convenience foods (Bureau van DiJk, 2013) and Eat ltd, a I-JK fresh food retail company (Bureau van DiJk, 2013). Then from the chosen companies we were to compare them on certain criteria. Them being, their vision, a description of what a business wants to be in future. Their mission statement, a more current description of a company's basic goals, philosophies and purpose (Chokshi, 2012). Also the size of the companies based on our own elements.Factors with affected heir mission statements and their legal and ethical issues. We then had to research on each company for information. After which we organised our data and created a draft. After the draft we designed our presentation for practising as a group. On the day of the presentation we made sure we arrived before time. We tested out our equipment and software on the screen and had a dry run so as to know how the actual event will feel like. We then presented our work when our turn approached and stayed within the time limit and allowed questions to be asked at the end. . 2 Challenges I personally encountered some challenges with this project. It proved quite difficult to form a group. We were not automatically placed into groups and the class was being selective with their choices. I was left with a two classmates without a group and a fourth was added under our tutor recommendation. I also had a challenge in my presentation skills. Presentation according to Oxford Dictionaries (2013) is a speech or talk where ideas or pieces of work are shown and explained to an audience. I when delivering. I moved about too much and spoke too fast.But through practise and the help of the group I was able to develop on my presentation skills. I realised hat I did not only personally face some problems but also the group as a whole faced some difficulties. One of such was our communication ski lls, the ability to clearly and confidently express one view to an audience (University of Kent Careers and Employability Service, no date). As we were mostly new to each other, communication between us proved difficult. Noticing this, I decided we take some time for us to know each other informally such as having chit-chats before meetings.Boocher (1999) suggested that small talk is a simple tool that helps build rapport and trust with co-workers which in turn helps build communication between them. It helped build a bond between us and in effect our communication increased. Other obstacles observed were our manner of conducting our research. Due to each having different courses, our times did not align and we could not meet to discuss the work as a group as frequently as desired. We then went about this using phones and emails and dividing the work and organising our finding when we do meet.We also had the challenge of getting our presentation right. We had to make sure it did not sound robotic and was interactive with the audience without losing the content of the presentation. Looking back and evaluating my performance; I would say we had a good performance. Even though we had many challenges and obstacles it was the fact that we were able to overcome them that determined our performance. We received some informal feedback form our tutor at the end our presentation which was helpful as she said that it was well executed and needed few minor adjustments.Also after the marking we received a formal feedback both as a group and individually. As a group we were told that our time allocation for each aspect was good but areas of more importance needed more time than others. As an individually, I was told my communication with my team and audience was good but I needed to speak more clearly and assertively. 3. 3 Outcome In order for me to improve, the next time I will do some aspects differently, such as having frequent group meetings to prevent work being done i n a hurry.Some key features that I have identified were my leadership skills. This is being able to motivate others and inspire them to take your lead (Graduate prospects ltd, 2013). Though it was a group work, I was able to personally oversee some aspects of the project which helped me develop such abilities. I was also able to develop my communication skills. Even as strangers to one another we were able to communicate efficiently between ourselves by the end of the project. By abiding to the 10 minutes limit we were able to develop our time management skills.In future, if I was to encounter other group works, the prospect of working with strangers might hold me back. In some cases this might be inevitable but it is the ability to adapt to this and establish a relationship that will help in the execution of the work. All in all, being given this assignment has had its difficulties and obstacles to overcome but it has lso developed my skills and taught me new ones. All which are cr itical skills needed in most career paths in this modern day.

BBB Wise Giving Alliance

Better Business Bureaus (BBB) is an organization that ‘checks’ on both businesses and charities. They offer an objective view of different businesses and charities, which they award with their seal, after passing several criteria. Such seals add confidence to consumers and donors who wants to associate with them. Currently, there are 3 million local and national establishments that are being constantly monitored and evaluated.Better Business Bureaus holds tightly on good business values. Some values that they uphold the importance includes, fairness and honesty, which should be incorporated in business ethics and for charity.They were first established in 1912. This is a program that will help donors identify legitimate and responsible charities. These charities are evaluated according to a set of standards; reports are then published to aid donors regarding the different charities. The reports are usually within three-year periods. The charity seal is optional to those that have passed the charity standards. The charity standards were developed by several institutions to ensure that the standards reflect those that the public needs.Information like charity fund allocations, organizational structure, ‘truthfulness’ of their accounts and their willingness to share other basic information about their organization. These are then analyzed to meet the standards. Review the report of at least one charity and discuss what you find. The information included in the reports are: charity contact information and description, Better Business Bureau comments, programs or activities of the charity, governance, including names of the head and their compensation, fund raising methods, financial reports including their budget allocation and tax status.These are very helpful information in identifying the best charity institutions that the donors would want to help, as well as to define transparency to their current donors. The information are just enou gh to build the confidence of donors, these should be the basic information, no more and no less. Reference BBB Wise Giving Alliance. (2003). Standards for Charity Accountability. Retrieved March 18, 2009 from http://www. bbb. org/us/Charity-Standards/

Banking Technology in the Fight against Money Laundering in UK Private Essay

Banking Technology in the Fight against Money Laundering in UK Private Banking - Essay Example Banking has gone a long way since this was practised in Italy during the Renaissance Period. In other parts of the world, the ancient Persians and Arab traders had used a primitive form banking facilities to ply their commerce. China even had some form of checking facilities where the traders from faraway areas could encash a check for their use while in foreign lands. Globalisation in trade and commerce has made banking a crucial part of a modern economy. The fast growth in world commerce and finance has also brought with it new challenges not seen before. Along the heels of globalisation is the growth of crime syndicates and certain individuals who find it convenient to use modern banking facilities to move large sums of money around. This attempt to hide the monies is known as money laundering and it is the purpose of this research paper to explore how the use of modern banking technology can help in the fight against this pervasive crime. The amount of money being laundered in an estimate given by Asian Development Bank (ADB) is about $2.17 to $3.61 trillion annually or around 3%-5% of the total world gross domestic product. This represents a huge security risk to international finance and presents social, economic and political concerns due to narco-politics. 1.1. Early use of Technology in Banking The early uses of technology in the banking industry were for efficiency and accuracy. At that time, security was not yet a major concern. Use of electronic banking has also gone a long way from initial use of computers to keep customers' records, compute for interest and other transactions. Information and communications technology (ICT) resulted in great strides in efficiency in the financial and banking services sectors but this also spawned cyber-crimes (Shroff, 2007) related to money and banking such as identity thefts, illegal transfers of money or fictitious accounts. The use of computer technology was meant to be a tool for competitive advantage such as improving customer service. The adoption of computer technology in the industry was related to needs of information technology such as creating a niche strategy for bank branches (Violano & Collie, 1992). 1.2. Objectives The primary research question of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of using banking technology in fighting money laundering in private banking in the United Kingdom. In particular, this research objective is of great importance considering that London is one of the biggest financial centres in the world in terms of banking, investments and fund flows. A lot of the world’s funds pass through the London banking system and the criminals use this opportunity to mingle their funds with legitimate funds of local and foreign investors. Additionally, subsidiary research questions are posed in relation to the main question: 1. What are the steps involved in the money laundering process and what methods are used to launder money (the various ways to cover the tracks of its origin)? It is important to know what steps are involved in money laundering so it is easier to catch the criminals. The point is to disrupt the money flow and catch the criminals as early as possible and it takes knowledge of the money laundering process to do it effectively. 2. What existing banking technologies are used in the fight against money laundering? Existing banking technologies using modern computers are found to be inadequate in detecting money laundering. The urgent need is to use a far more sophisticated technology that is effective in detecting certain patterns from among thousands of seemingly-unrelated transactions. 3. What are the areas that are susceptible to money laundering in UK private banking? There are several areas in which money laundering can be done through the facilities and services of private banking. It can include practically the whole host of investment areas where large sums of money can be profitably invested and more importan tly, in the areas where it does not attract unwanted attention

Compare the Funerary Mask of Tutankhamen and that of Lord Pakal Essay

Compare the Funerary Mask of Tutankhamen and that of Lord Pakal - Essay Example The mask depicts a face of a young and good-looking man. It has been acknowledged that the mask has little to do with actual facial expressions of the king (Renfrew 164). It is a perfect mask of a perfect face. This perfection is achieved through proportionality and, of course, materials used. The eyes are highlighted with the help of lapis lazuli and there are two symbols of the king’s power (cobra and vulture) on the mask. Admittedly, the mask reveals the power, wealth and glory of the king. More importantly, the mask stands for the divine nature of the pharaoh. According to Ancient Egyptians’ beliefs, pharaohs stopped their earthly existence and turned into gods. Gold was the symbol of this transformation. Therefore, after his death, Tutankhamen was no longer a mortal but became a god and the mask depicted the divine features of the deceased. The major purpose of the mask was to stress the divine nature of the diseased or rather his transformation into a deity. As far as Lord Pakal is concerned, he was buried in 683 CE (Carrasco 113). Unlike Tutankhamen’s funeral mask, Lord Pakal’s funerary mask is not made of gold. It is primarily made of jade with the use of albite, conch shell, veined quartz, stucco and obsidian. The mask is a mosaic of perfectly fitted stones. Just like the mask of the Egyptian king, the mask of Lord Pakal can be regarded as quite a schematic representation of the great warrior’s face. More so, the prolonged nose (that starts on the forehead) can hardly be a facial feature of the Mayan king. Again, the mask is not aimed at depicting the actual man but rather the king who transformed into a deity after his death. Precious materials are used to reveal the divine nature of the king. More so, the mask was a symbol of transition from life to death and back as it was a symbol of eternity (Sharer 453). Notably, the elaborate mosaic could also embody another important belief of the Mayas. The people of Mesopotamia believed in

See below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

See below - Essay Example In essence, seasonal temperature varies from average of 26 Â °F in January while in July amounts to 86Â °F. Its commodities vary, as there is air warmth, soil fertility, and rivers that are so favourable and augment a more convenient place for man survival, pleasure, and farming. Fishing is a core activity as rivers and bay comprises of fish and places for building ships, which indicates the area’s interest in fishing. Fishing and hunting is done via bow and arrows and much of their fishing is in boats. Predominantly, Virginia largest groups are Christians with protestant. However, this article outlines that Virginia worship a chief God whose people serve in fear in love. Within their temples, they have images that indicate their passion in their religion such as carved images painted with beads, copper, and chains, and covered with the skin suiting the deformity of their God. Following this, one would conclude that the article lacks depth of religion facts as it only outlays the deformity of God revealed in their way of worship and temple symbols but fails to discuss their religion. From the article, one can capture the fact that Virginia’s population is not crowded for men are fewer and a greater number of children and women. There are about 5, 000 people in 70 miles of James Towne. From this argument, it is obvious that women and children are more than men. Still, one can draw a conclusion that Virginia is a unique state as it is the birthplace of prominent people such as the eight US presidents, noted scientists, and famous statesmen. With this regard, one can assume that the State is notable for raising prominent leaders who have enhanced a positive impact in the U.S. To some extent, this might be the reason why the State has a strong government that seeks to solve issues and improve people welfare. Virginia has a strong government that comprises of good commanding that in turn makes the state excel in their

Yala Swamp Conflict Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Yala Swamp Conflict - Term Paper Example The aim of the project was to prevent degradation of the wetland and improve the lives of local people (Davenport 4). However, despite the project’s endeavor, it raised conflicts between the local communities on one side and county councils and the Dominion, founders of the project, on the other side. This, therefore, led to the emergence of Yala swamp conflict from the year 2003 to present.  It has caused a great attention and concerns that many African countries experience conflicts especially as a result of resource depletion and environmental degradation. As the U.S. United Nations delegate, I have been assigned a Judy to arbitrate an aspect of dispute in the Yala swamp conflict that exist between two sides, the one on the local community and the one on the Dominion and country council. After conducting my research on the disputing issue, I realized that the development project meant to improve the condition of Yala swamp was the main source of conflict (Davenport 11). I have been able to analyze and gain an understanding of the nature of the moral dimensions of conflict in the region. The conflicting parties are actually the stakeholders of the project where one party, the local community, is affected by the development project while the other party of both dominion and country council are the exploiters.  I also understand that conflict has emerged as a result of incompatible goals, which depend on contested natural resources. I realized that the local community feels deprived of the right to use land for farm by the development project hence contesting for the natural resources. Furthermore, this community lives in extreme poverty and therefore desire to acquire more land. Land conflict result to environmental degradation when a community is squeezed into a limited area and cause pressure on it.  

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Assignment - Essay Example You will find that the currency policy can have an effect on the stability of a country's economy. Attached you will find the evaluation of the foreign currency regimes utilised by some of the major countries in the Asian region. Australia and Indonesia operate on a free floating regime, whereas Hong Kong is pegged at a fixed rate to the US dollar and China and Malaysia operate a managed float system. Their central banks have operations details in line with their government's monetary policy. A detailed analysis explains that each regime has strengths and weaknesses; however the pegged exchange rate system has the most drawbacks and the most potential for economic crisis. A free floating system allows a currency to be valued purely by the market however it relinquishes control of the central bank to the world market. A managed float allows for more control over the market and greater currency stability however it has some of the drawbacks of a pegged rate system. The appendices outline currency volatility given the type of exchange rate as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each type of currency regime. There are a variety of exchange rate mechanisms that a country can choose to use in order to value their currency. Each mechanism has its own strengths and weaknesses and each country creates an exchange rate policy that they feel will help to keep their currency stable. Since the currency crisis of 1997 in the Asia Pacific region, many countries in this region have revised their monetary policies away from a strictly pegged exchange rate system. Pegged exchange rate systems seek to tie the value of one countries currency (usually a less stable economy) to that of the currency of a country with a very stable economy. However it can be difficult for a country to maintain this peg in times of economic crisis. More countries are now moving towards floating or managed exchange rate systems. Floating exchange rate systems allow a currency's value to be determined by the market, in other words to float freely in relation to other traded currencies. A country that does not have a stable ec onomy may be hesitant to use this method as their currency may be severely devalued in an open market. Managed float systems are a hybrid of a pegged and floating system. In a managed float a country lets its currency float in the market, but only allows it to float within an accepted range compared to other currencies. Outlined below are the exchange rate mechanisms and operations employed by several countries in the Asian region, as well as an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the different mechanisms utilised. 2. Country Specific Exchange Rate Regimes 2.1 Australia The Reserve Bank of Australia maintains a floating exchange rate policy. The goal of their policy is, "the stability of the currency of Australia, the maintenance of full employment in Australia, and the economic policy and welfare of the people of Australia (Reserve Bank of Australia 2006, para. 2). Overall the Australian government is concerned with keeping inflation rates low. The Reserve bank of Australia is the institution charged with maintaining the exchange rate pol

Personal Worldview Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personal Worldview Paper - Essay Example The theorists and researchers as well have always been interested since ever in exploring the history and origin of world views people have developed in their minds about countless issues, which have been being transferred from one generation to the other for the last several centuries. The researches reveal that the religious people, philosophers, intellectuals and thinkers have rendered valuable services in respect of making the minds of the people about various realities attributed to the universal phenomena. The worldview, according to Carol Hill, concentrates upon the basic way of interpreting things and events that pervades a culture so thoroughly that it becomes that culture’s concept of reality (The American Scientific Affiliation). Hence, the adherence of a large majority of the people to the norms, values, mores, taboos, traditions, customs, cult and festivals etc prevailing in some specific social establishment turns out to be decisive is respect of transferring the cultural traits from one generation to the other and so on (Macionis & Plummer, 2008). ... The adherents of Christianity make up the greatest religious community of the world. The belief system of the faith seeks inspiration from the Holy Scripture Bible, which is viewed to be the word of God sent from the Lord for the spiritual uplift and moral guidance of the humanity. Hence, the Bible can be stated as the finest and most reliable source of inspiration for the entire Christian community existing on the face of the earth. The Bible consists of Old and New Testaments, which concentrates upon the covenant made between God and the House of Jacob regarding the worship of God, love for Christ, obedience of the parents, and strict adherence to the commandments clearly mentioned in the Scripture are the source of a blissful life on the earth, as well as the only way to obtain eternal success in the life hereafter (Flannelly et al, 2008:4). Being the most authentic source of the Christian faith, Bible lays stress upon strict observance of patience, endurance, tolerance, fair play , justice and sacrifice. I have learned from the Scripture (Leviticus, 18-19). The same views have been endorsed by the saints and preachers that a true Christian should follow the commands of God by worshipping Him, and obeying one’s parents and elders. I was taught that the Christians are forbidden from imposing any hurt on others. Being a Christian, I abhor stealing, debauchery, extra marital relationships, homosexuality and hurting and harming the neighbors (Leviticus, 19: 7-16). The records of the Christ’s life and sayings, preserved in the minds and hearts of his followers, also endorsed the true teachings of Jesus, which were followed and transferred from one generation to the other on the one hand, and

Illegal immigration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Illegal immigration - Essay Example legal immigration is a deep rooted issue in the United States which affects it in many ways including it economy; thus it is important that employment regulations and penalizing policies should be maintained for these illegal immigrants. Many laws have been formulated to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the country but it cannot be denied that they have a very great impact on the economy of the United States. This is because they form a major portion of the working class in the country (Fuqua 217). The illegal workers form an integral part of many businesses. According to the Department of Labour, greater than fifty percent of the workers who pick crops are illegal immigrants. Despite of the benefit of an increased labour class provided by the illegal immigrants, they lay a negative impact on the economy as well. This is because people coming from the poor countries agree to a lower pay scale and the result is unemployment of the locals. Thus, this creates issues for the local as well as the federal government (Finnegan). The economical impact of the illegal immigrants is undeniable but their employment raises many issues for the employers who hire them. This is because the employers have to face the legal issues pressed against them for hiring the illegal people and at the same time, the illegal workers also demand compensation legally for the accidents in the workplace or for any act that they feel discriminates against them. â€Å"The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986† is an ct which clearly states the fact that illegal people residing in the United States should not be employed and it is the duty of the employers to check the legal documents of their employees to be sure that they reside legally in the country. Furthermore, if illegal immigrants are found to be working with forged documents used for employment, their jobs should be ended with immediate effect and they should also not be provided with any claims or benefits. These measures have

Econ308 Final paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Econ308 Final paper - Essay Example n not only were the methodological analytic methods altered, but what was analyzed shifted from a concern with examination of the holistic system, as evidenced in theories of production, labor theory of value, and capitalist accumulation, to theories that were primarily concerned with the rational choices of individuals. While neoclassical economic theorists presented their theoretical models as a progression on the deficiencies of the classical model, the extent to which the neoclassical model is a progression on the flawed classical model is debatable. Although there are clear methodological differences dividing the classical and neoclassical approaches, a convincing argument could be made that the neoclassical model merely abandons the concerns of classical economics for an approach more suited to quantitative analytics. In investigating the extent that neoclassical economics can be deemed a progression on the classical model, this essay examines the trajectory of the classical and the neoclassical economic models, considers the extent to which their theoretical concerns overlap, and finally investigates the extent to which the neoclassical model can be termed a true progression on the classical model, or if the two model constitute separate approaches. There are a number of differences and similarities in the issues that classical and neoclassical economics address. Researchers locate the major distinguishing factors in the area of methodology, value theory, and economic analysis. In classical economics economists ask a number of central questions; these issues include the nature of economic growth, and how is wealth distributed between the forms of wages, rent and profit. In investigator these concerns classical economists approach the issues from a social science perspective. They emphasized how goods are accumulated and how surplus accumulation is implemented; as a result classical economists from Adam Smith to Karl Marx were primary concerned with the

Labelling Processes Essay Example for Free

Labelling Processes Essay The labelling theory is a micro interactionist approach, this is because it focuses on how individuals construct the social world through face-face interactions. It recognises the concept of the ‘procedural self’ where ones identity is continuously constructed and recognised in interaction with significant others, this results in the individual’s behaviour, including that related to crime and deviance. Significant others are those who are in high social power and thus able to dictate influence and actively determine an individual’s life. Such individuals may include police officers, prison officers, politicians, parents and teachers. Feminists would argue however that these are all the males in society, determining and controlling the lives of females, keeping society patriarchal. The influence that significant others place on individuals lives is through the use of labels, the labels aren’t usually based on individual characteristics, more so stereotypes, working assumptions and professional knowledge. For example Cicaurel found that police patrolled working class areas more intensively, resulting in more arrests, this is due to the police’s stereotypical view that delinquent individuals are part of the working class. Lemert distinguishes between primary and secondary deviance in society. Primary deviance involves minor offences such as vandalism or smoking underage and these acts are usually uncaught or insignificant. However an individual may be caught for such acts and inturn be labelled as delinquent or deviant, the social reaction of this label results in the development of secondary deviance: more serious crimes such as assault or drugs. This therefore illustrates that it is not the act itself but the hostile societal reaction by significant others that creates serious deviance, thus crime and deviance being products of the labelling process. Support for this idea is research conducted by Jock Young on hippy marijuana users. Drugs were associated with hippies which demonstrate primary deviance. Police then labelled and persecuted hippies for their behaviour, excluding them from normal society. AS a result a deviant subculture emerged where hippies retreated into closed groups, grew hair out long, wore eccentric clothes and drug use became a central activity. Gove argued that there are two consequences of labelling: creation of sigma, modification of self images. Stigma is the negative branding of an individual and refers to the public condemnation and exclusion of the criminal. The media tend to exaggerate the behaviour of such people, causing increased fear and moral panic in society, resulting in avoidance and constantly being treated with suspicion. Becker refers to a ‘master status’ where once a person is labelled all of their actions are interpreted in light of the label and only negative aspects of that individual’s behaviour are focussed on. Because of the stigma created from the label a modification of self image occurs in the individual. The individual essentially lives up to their deviant label, becoming the person described in the label. The process of deviancy amplification whereby any punishments or treatment therefore reinforce the individual perception of the criminal, thus more crimes fitting to the label are carried out. This theory can however by criticised because it is determinist, where individuals have n control over the process and once they have been labelled they will inevitably turn deviant or criminal. Social action theorists believe in free will and individual’s choice to reject their label. In addition the label may cause the opposite result where an individual seeks to actively prove their label wrong by thriving and succeeding in their work/ life. Furthermore the labelling theory claims that deviant and criminal behaviour only occurs when a label is given, it does not account for crimes committed by those who have no labels placed upon them. Marxists, for example, would argue the theory fails to explain middle class, white collar or corporate crime, since the offenders have high social power and would be significant others rather than the individuals labelled. In conclusion although the labelling theory offers some explanation as to the crime and deviance in today’s society there are many gaps. Other explanation such as subcultural crime and deviance would argue that it is not the interaction of individuals but the illegitimate opportunity structures within society that results in crime and deviance.

Pest Detection on Leafs Using Robot and Processing Labview

Pest Detection on Leafs Using Robot and Processing Labview ABSTRACT: Recent century is a full of technology. None field cant remain without the use of the technology. Agriculture is one of those fields. Agriculture is the backbone of India. Most of the scientists are doing research to increase the cultivate of crops. But one problem still exist which is a major concern of the cultivation of crop and that is crop pests. Due to these problems, The cultivation decreases and hence all the farmers and in turn the country suffers from lack of cultivation of crop. With the recent advancement in image processing and similar related techniques, it is possible to develop an autonomous system for pest classification. Early detection of pest or the initial presence of a bio aggressor is a key-point for crop management. If we are able to detect it at the initial stage, we can prevent pest on leaves without spreading all over the field, which reduces the loss of crop and money. In recent years, the development of the robots in agriculture has agriculture introduced. These robots should be capable of working 24 hours a day, in all weather condition. So if we use robots instead of farmers for detecting the pests on leafs efficiently, we can reduce the loss of crop and money. I. INTRODUCTION Agriculture is the backbone of India. Most  of the scientists are doing research to increase the cultivity of crops. But one problem still exist which is a major concern of the cultivation of crop and that is crop pests. Due to these problems, the cultivation decreases and hence all the farmers and in turn the country suffers from  lack of cultivation of crop. Different types of pesticides are there in market which are used to avoid the damage to fruit and vegetable, but the amount of pesticides to be used is not known due to which the cost as well as the environmental pollution gets affected. A strong demand now exists in many countries for non-chemical control methods for pests or diseases. Greenhouses are considered as biophysical systems with inputs, outputs and control process loops. Most of these control loops are automatized (e.g., climate and irrigation control). However no automatic methods are available which precisely and periodically detect the pests on plants. In fact, in production conditions, periodically observes plants and search for pests. This manual method is too time consuming. Diagnosis is most difficult task to perform manually as it is a function of a number of parameters such as environment, nutrient, organism etc. With the recent advancement in image processing and similar related techniques, it is possible to develop an autonomous system for pest classification. Early detection of pest or the initial presence of a bio aggressor is a key- point for crop management. The detection of biological objects as small as such insects (dimensions are about 2mm) is a real challenge, especially when considering greenhouses dimensions (10- 100m long). For this purpose different measures are undertaken such as manual observation of plants. This method does not give accurate measures. Hence automatic detection is very much important for ea rly detection of pests. Hence we have to detect the pest at the earlier stage not to spread all over the field. If we are able to detect it at the initial stage, we can prevent pest on leafs without spreading all over the field, which reduces the loss of crop and money.  In recent years, the development of robots in agriculture has introduced. These robots should be capable of working 24 hours a day, in all weather conditions. So if we use robots instead of farmers for detecting the pests on leafs efficiently, we can reduce the loss of crop and money. II.  LITERATURE  SURVEY Recent papers are describing to detect  mainly pests like aphids, whiteflies, thrips, etc using various approaches suggesting the various implementation ways as illustrated and discussed below. [1] Proposed a cognitive vision system that combines image processing, learning and knowledge-based techniques. They only detect mature stage of white fly and count the number of flies on single leaflet. They used 180 images as test dataset .among this images they tested 162 images and each image having 0 to 5 whitefly pest. They calculate false negative rate (FNR) and false positive rate (FPR) for test images with no whiteflies (class 1), at least one white fly (class 2) and for whole test set. [2] Extend implementation of the image processing algorithms and techniques to detect pests in controlled environment like greenhouse. Three kinds of typical features including size, morphological feature (shape of boundary), and color components were considered and investigated to identify the three kinds of adult insects, whiteflies, aphids and trips. [3] Promote early pest detection in green houses based on video analysis. Their goal was to define a decision support system which handles a video camera data. They implemented algorithms for detection of only two bioagressors name as white flies and aphids. The system was able to detect low infestation stages by detecting eggs of white flies thus analyzing behavior of white flies. [4] Proposed pest detection system including four steps name as color conversion, segmentation, reduction in noise and counting whiteflies. A distinct algorithm name as relative difference in pixel intensities (RDI) was proposed  for detecting pest named as white fly affecting various leaves. The algorithm not only works for greenhouse based crops but also agricultural based crops as well. The algorithm was tested over 100 images of white fly pest with an accuracy of 96%. [5] Proposed a new method of pest detection and positioning based on binocular stereo to get the location information of pest, which was used for guiding the robot to spray the pesticides automatically.[14] introduced contextual parameter tuning for adaptive image segmentation, that allows to efficiently tune algorithm parameters with respect to variations in leaf color and contrast. III.EXISTING  SYSTEM In earlier days in order to detect the pest  on leafs they used early pest detection in green houses based on video analysis. Their goal was to define a decision support system which handles a video camera data. They implemented algorithms for detection of only two bioagressors name as white flies and aphids. The system was able to detect low infestation stages by detecting eggs of white flies thus analyzing behavior of white flies. But this project has many limitations like it is time consuming process and also the output will not get accurately. So in order to eliminate these limitations ,we are going to proposed a system named pest detection on leafs by using robot and processing in LabVIEW. IV.PROPOSED  SYSTEM In this proposed system we are making  use of robots in order to take the live images from field section to monitoring section. The images taken by the robot processed and the type of disease is displayed accurately. By using this project we can get the output accurately and the type of disease. As we are making use of LabVIEW (Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workbench) software ,in this software instead of text there are making use of icons in order to create the programs. compared to the other softwares this software as many advantages like it will not show any errors at the time of executing the program, whereas other softwares even a small error is there means we will not get the output showing there is some errors, it eliminates the limitations in the existing system. Once you taken the image and create the class mentioning the type of samples in LabVIEW, definitely we will get the output mentioning the type of diseases. Workload on farmers is minimized by using these type of system. By making a track for robot it will be worked properly in slippery and unequal surfaces. If we use chain instead of wheels in the field, robot can work more effectively on unequal surface of the field. Farmers dont have to go in the field because robots do their work properly and effectively. Time consumed by the robots for detecting the pest on leafs is less than mankind, which can work efficiently. Fig 1:Block Diagram V.WORKING In block diagram we are using the web camera in order to take the live pictures from field section to the monitoring section. We are using high definition web camera model number (jil-2247).This web camera takes the images of affected leaf which are caused due to pests. Generally we prefer this type of web camera because it has high flexibly, as well the cost of this type of web camera is very less. It will send  live pictures from field section to monitoring section up to 10 meters distance. We are using wired web camera and this web camera is connected to system through USB cable. This web camera is generally monitored through the system. Next we are using Arduino UNO. The Arduino Uno is a Microcontroller board based on the ATmega328 (datasheet).it has 14 digital input/output pins(of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs),6 Analog inputs,16 MHZ crystal oscillator , a USB connection , a power jack , an ICSP header , and a reset button. In this project we are making use of only 4 digital input/output pins (i.e. pin nos 8, 9, 10, 11), 5v in and Ground pin. These 4 digital pins acts as output pins and also we are making use of 5v output pin as well as ground Pin. Remaining pins we are not using in this project. These 4pins are connected to 4 relays . Relay is nothing more than a switch. A Relay is an electromechanical switch used for one or more of the four (4) purposes 1. To turn something ON. 2. To turn something or disable something. 3. To change the polarity of a wire. 4. To increase the current supply of a wire. In this project we are using four (4) relays 1. for moving forward 2. for moving backward 3. for moving left side 4. for moving right side The main use of these four relays is to move the robot either forward, backward, left side, right side. Based on our request, the particular relay will be on and move in particular direction. These four relays are connected to the two dc motors. In order to work the dc motors we need power supply, so we are using 5v battery. Based on our request the particular relay will be on and this relay will be connected to dc motors and move in a particular direction. Lastly this dc motors are connected to the wheels to rotate. Instead of wheels we can use chains ,this chains can move in even in uneven flat surfaces. This robot take the live pictures from field section to monitoring section without the use of human effort and it will finds whether the leaf had caused marks and based on the marks it will intimate the type of disease. VI.  SOFTWARE  REQUIREMENTS The following are the software requirements used  in this project i. Virtual instrumentation ii. LabVIEW Virtualinstrumentation Virtual Instrumentation is the use of  customizable software and modular measurement hardware to create user-defined measurement systems, called virtual instruments. The concept of a synthetic instrument is a subset of the virtual instrument concept. A synthetic instrument is a kind of virtual instrument that is purely software defined. A synthetic instrument performs a specific synthesis, analysis, or measurement function on completely generic, measurement agnostic hardware. Virtual instruments can still have measurement specific hardware, and tend to emphasize modular hardware approaches that facilitate this specificity. Hardware supporting synthetic instruments is by definition not specific to the measurement, nor is it necessarily (or usually) modular. Leveraging commercially available technologies, such as the PC and the analog to digital converter, virtual instrumentation has grown significantly since its inception in the late  1970s. Additionally, software packages like National Instruments Lab VIEW and other graphical programming languages helped grow adoption by making it easier for non- programmers to develop systems. LabVIEW Lab VIEW (short for Laboratory Virtual  Instrumentation Engineering Workbench) is a platform and development environment for a visual programming language from National Instruments. Originally released for the Apple Macintosh in 1986, Lab VIEW is commonly used for data acquisition, instrument control, and industrial automation on a variety of platforms including Microsoft Windows, various flavors of  UNIX, Linux, and Mac OS. The programming language used in Lab VIEW, is a dataflow language. Execution is determined by the structure of a graphical block diagram. LabVIEW programs are called virtual instruments (VIs).Controls are inputs and indicators are outputs. Each VI contains three main parts: a. Front panel How the user interacts with the VI b. Block diagram The code that controls the program In LabVIEW, you build a user interface by using a set of tools and objects. The user interface is known as the front panel. You then add code using graphical representations of functions to control the front panel objects. The block diagram contains this code. If organized properly, the block diagram resembles a flowchart. VII.  SCHEMATIC  DIAGRAMS  IN LAB  VIEW Front  Panel: When you have created a new VI or  selected an existing VI, the Front Panel and the Block Diagram for that specific VI will appear as shown in below figure In LabVIEW, you build a user interface, or front panel, with controls and indicators. Controls are knobs, push buttons, dials, and other input devices. Indicators are graphs, LEDs, and other displays. You build the front panel with controls and indicators, which are the interactive input and output terminals of the VI, respectively. Controls are knobs, push buttons, dials, and other input devices. Indicators are graphs, LEDs, and other displays. Controls simulate instrument input devices and supply data to the block diagram of the VI. Indicators simulate instrument output devices and display data the block diagram acquires or generates. Fig 2: Front Panel VIII.  BLOCK  DIAGRAM After you build the user interface, you add  code using VIs and structures to control the front panel objects. The block diagram contains this code. In some ways, the block diagram resembles a flowchart. After you build the front panel, you add code using graphical representations of functions to control the front panel objects. The block diagram contains this graphical source code. Front panel objects appear as terminals, on the block diagram. Block diagram objects include terminals, subVIs, functions, constants, structures, and wires, which transfer data among other block diagram objects. It will accompany the program for the front panel which is shown in below figure Fig 3: Block Diagram IX. WORKING Vision  Acquisition In order to detect the pest in leafs, first we have to acquire the image (i.e. take the image of any one leaf in the field).for taking the image of the leafs we require one web camera. This web camera sends live picture from field section to the monitoring section. The below figure shows the image of the affected leaf which was taken from field Fig4:  Acquiring  the  image  of the  affected leaf Vision  Assistant After acquiring the image of the  affected leaf, assist the image (i.e. mentioning the type of the disease).create a class mentioning the type of disease and take the different samples of the image and store these in particular class. The below figures shows how to create a class, the samples of the different classes and also the samples of the affected leafs created in a particular in a particular class is as shown below Fig 5: a class of the affected leaf Fig 6: Samples of the affected leaf RobotControl After creating a class and storing the samples of the affected leaf in that particular class, take photo of the another leaf which was affected by same pest in another field with the help of robot by moving either forward, backward, left side, right-side in front panel. The below figures represents the field section and monitoring section, photo taken in front panel Fig 7:Image taken with the help of robot Fig 8: Monitoring section and Field section RESULTCONCLUSION By using this project we can detect the pest on affected leafs and also we can detect two or more diseases in one particular leaf. after taking the image in front panel ,it will be displayed on the screen as image is detected and the type of disease is:.the below figure represents the result of the affected leaf mentioning whether the disease is detected or not. Figure represents the image taken for the affected leaf with the help of robot and figure represents the output of the image whether the leaf is detected or not: and also the type of disease is as mentioned in the figure INPUT: Fig 9: Image taken with the help of robot OUTPUT Fig10: screenshot showing the disease of the affected leaf We are taking the image of the affected leaf with the help of web camera using robot by moving either left side, right side, backward, downward and after processing it finds whether the disease is detected, if it is detected the type of disease is displayed on the screen. CONCLUSIONFUTURESCOPE Future scope of this type of robots are  very bright because it is very useful in agriculture and reduce the workload. It reduce the time consumed in spraying the pesticide liquid and works very effectively. It will help the farmers to do work in any season and conditions. It will reduce the danger for the farmers from different breathing and physical problems. This type of robots are being used in bicontrol of avocao posttharvest diseases. This type of robots are used for managing diseases in greenhouse crops as well as many other crops. This type of robots are also used in the  fields to detect the fruit is ripen or not and also used for many other purposes REFERENCES [1]. P. Boissard, V. Martin, S. Moisan A  Cognitive Vision Approach to Early Pest Detection in Greenhouse Crops Computer and Electronics in Agriculture Journal,  62(2):83-93, April 2008. [2]. J. Cho, J. Choi Automatic identification ofwhiteflies, aphids and thrips in greenhouse based on image analysis International journal of mathematics and computers in simulation March 27,2007. [3]. Sanjay B. Patil, Dr. Shrikant K. Bodhe Leaf disease severity measurement using image Processing International Journal of Engineering and Technology Vol.3 (5),  2011, 297-301. [4]. M. T. Maliappis, K. P. Ferentinos, H. C.  Passam And A. B. Sideridis [2008] Gims: A Web based GreenhouseIntelligent Management System,World Journal of AGRICLTURAL Sciences 4(5):640-647. [5]. C. Bauch and T. Rath, Prototype of a Vision Based System for Measurements of White Fly Infestation,Institute of Horticultural and Biosystems Engineering, University of Hannover. [6]. Ganesh Bhadane, Sapana Sharma and Vijay B. Nerkar, Early Pest Identification in Agricultural Crops using Image Processing Techniques, International Journal of Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering 2(2): 7782(2013). [7]. Presents an automatic method for classification of the main agents that cause damages to soybean leaflets,i.e., beetles and caterpillars using SVM classifier.[12] proposed Back propagation neural network for recognition of leaves, diseases, pests.

The Strength And Weaknesses Of Oracle Company Information Technology Essay

The Strength And Weaknesses Of Oracle Company Information Technology Essay The company Oracle is particularly keen to keep all its newly acquired customers happy and convince them to buy into its Fusion roadmap. For enterprises making strategy software decisions, the company believes that it has the richest most complete portfolio of applications and middleware. The company also complies with all the ethical guidelines that law has placed and it also has its own ethical guidelines that the entire work force follows. Oracle is the only company that is capable of implementing complete global e-business solutions that extend from the front office customer relationship management to back office operational applications. Larry Ellison saw an opportunity that other companies missed more than three decades ago. This was a description of a relational database. There was no company at that time that committed itself to commercializing the technology, but Ellison and co-founder Bob miner and Ed Oates realized the business potential of the relational database model. The company is headquartered in Redwood Shores, California. Throughout history, the company has proved that it can build for the future, meeting all demanded and changes in trends. The intimate knowledge of customers and successes analysed by the best technical and business minds in the world, made the company what it is today. The main focus of the company is to fulfil its customers needs and implement key technology and business decisions that upend conventional wisdom and take its products and services in new directions. If one looks at companies that are similar to Oracle, it has become a standard for database technology and applications in enterprises throughout the world. The products of the company can be found in nearly every industry, and in the data centres of 100 of the fortune Global 100 companies. Oracle was the first company to develop and deploy 100% internet -enabled enterprise software across its entire product line: database, business applications, application development, and decision support tools. (Wikipedia) Strength and Weaknesses Oracle being the first company to introduce relational database, had the first mover advantage. It helped businesses improve their organization of information and also helped them improve their business processes. It is the worlds leading supplier of software for information management, and it is the worlds second largest independent software company. It has annual revenues of more than $10.1 billion. The company offers its database tools, application products, along with related consulting, education, and support services, in more than 145 countries around the world. Oracle is the only company that is capable of implementing complete global e-business solutions that extend from the front office customer relationship management to back office operational applications. Oracle software runs on PCs, workstations, minicomputers, mainframes and massively parallel computers, as well as on personal digital assistants and set-top devices. This makes its product the best in the market. The attribute of compatibility is what gives Oracle an edge over the other companies being its major strength. Oracles internet-enabled solutions provide a cost-effective way to expand market opportunities and improve business process efficiencies, and attract and retain customers. This is especially for the small and medium businesses that need an IT infrastructure in their organization that would help them get an edge over their competitors. With Oracles help, these companies are able to replace expensive, unwieldy client/server computing models with the efficiency and reach of the internet, companies can deploy a wealth of innovative applications that can be accessed with a Web browser. A weakness of the company that hurts its market is the way it markets its product. Because of the image perception that it has, it is always trying to gain market on the basis of this brand recognition. And this brand recognition has badly affected it in the past. The company markets most of its products using the slogan Cant break it, cant break in, or Unbreakable. (Wikipedia)What this signifies is the increasing demands on information safety. People expect the software to be unbreakable. The company also stresses on reliability of networked databases and network access to databases as major selling point. But two weeks after its introduction in 2002, David Litchfield, Alexander Kornbrust, Cesar Cerrudo and others demonstrated a whole suite of successful attacks against Oracle products. (Poulsen, 2002). Then the commentators criticized the slogan as unrealistic and as an invitation to crackers, but the companys chief security officer Mary Ann Davidson portrayed the criticism as unfair. Environmental factors Competition It is a fact that IBM dominated the mainframe relational-database market with its DB2 and SQL/DS database products, it delayed while entering the market for a relational database in UNIX and windows operating systems. What this did was that it opened the door to Sybase, Oracle, and Informix then eventually Microsoft to dominate mid-range and microcomputers. This was the time Oracle lagged behind Sybase and in 1990-1993 Sybase became the fastest-growing database company and the database industrys darling vendor, but soon it merged mania and to technical issues with System X. But in 1993, Sybase sold the rights to its database software running under the windows operating system to Microsoft Corporation, which now markets it under the name SQL Server. Informix Software overtook Sybase in 1994 and became Oracles most important rival. But eventually Oracle defeated Informix in 1997. And in November 2005 a book detailing the war between Oracle and Informix appeared. This book provided a detailed background on what happened and how Informix Softwares CEO Phil White landed in jail because of his obsession with overtaking Ellison. But once it overcame Informix and Sybase, it enjoyed years of dominance in the database market. But everything changed when Microsoft SQL Server became widespread in the late 1990s and IBM acquired Informix Software in 2000. It is still the same today as it competes for license on UNIX, Linux, and Windows operating systems primarily against IBMsDB2 and Microsoft SQL Server. In 2004 was the year when Oracles sales grew at a rate of 14.5% to $6.2 billion, giving it 41.3% and the top share of the relational-database market. (InformationWeek March, 2005). Oracle Corporations main competitors in the database arena remain IBM DB2 and Microsoft SQL Server and to some lesser extent Sybase and Teradata. With open source databases such as PostgreSQL and MySQL, has recently made inroads by claiming that its product delivers Oracle compatibility features at a much lower price point. The software-application market tells the same story. Oracle Corporation primarily competes against SAP. And on March22, 2007 Oracle used SAP, accusing them of fraud and unfair competition. But due to the expanding market for business-intelligence software, many other software companies have successfully competed in quality with Oracle and SAP products. But more products will appear within the next 10 years. Oracle Strategy The company Oracle is particularly keen to keep all its newly acquired customers happy and convince them to buy into its Fusion roadmap. For enterprises making strategy software decisions, the company believes that it has the richest most complete portfolio of applications and middleware. The companys breadth and depth is a big plus and it has helped it in earning a good reputation for supporting acquired best-of-breed products. Furthermore, the company capitalizes on these amassed solutions, Oracle will need to further develop its ISV partner-friendly, solution-centric ecosystem a d continue to chip away at its historically less than customer focused perception. (Duncan Jones) Corporate Governance Oracles Board of Corporations has always developed a corporate governance practice in order to fulfil its responsibilities to the Oracles Corporation stockholders. There are certain guidelines that the board must follow to help ensure that it has the necessary authority and procedures in place to oversee the work of management and to exercise independence in evaluating Oracle Corporations business operations. These guidelines help them align the interests of directors and management with those of the company stockholders. The company continually applies good corporate governance principles to multiple areas. Director The major members of the Board of Directors of Oracle must qualify as independent directors in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The person to be selected as a Director will possess certain attributes including business judgment, management, economics, accounting and finance, legal, marketing, industry and technology knowledge, international business, leadership and strategic vision. 2. Director Responsibilities One of the basic responsibilities of the directors is to exercise their business judgment to act in a manner they reasonably believe is in the nest interest of Oracle and its stockholders and in a manner consistent with their fiduciary duties. The directors can conduct any type of investigation as they deem appropriate, and may reasonably rely on the information provided to them by Oracles senior executives and its outside advisors and the auditors. The board is also responsible for overseeing managements efforts to assess and manage material risks and for reviewing options for risk mitigation. It also reserves the right of overseeing the major risks facing Oracle and may delegate risk oversight responsibility to committees of the Board. Directors are expected to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders and to regularly attend Board meeting and meetings of committees on which they serve, to spend the time needed in preparation for such meetings and to meet as frequently as they deem necessary to properly discharge their responsibilities. In addition to this the directors should stay well-informed of Oracles business and markets and as appropriate, meet with Oracles customers or attend events or take other actions they deem appropriate to enhance Oracles business and its effectiveness as directors. The board also believes that the management speaks for Oracle. Individual Board members may, from time to time, expressly represent Oracle in meetings or otherwise communicate with various third parties on Oracles behalf. It is expected that Board members will do this with the knowledge of the management. The most important thing is that all the directors are expected to comply with the Oracle code of Ethics and Business Conduct. (Oracle, The Oracle Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, 2010) Conflicts of Interest The director also has the responsibility to ensure that other commitments do not conflict or materially interfere with the directors responsibility to Oracle. 11. Performance Evaluation There is a Board that is led by the Nomination and Governance Committee that will periodically conduct a self-evaluation to determine whether the Board and its committees are functioning effectively. The Board with the assistance of the nomination and Governance committee shall periodically review these Corporate Governance Guidelines to determine whether any changes are appropriate. (Oracle, ORACLE CORPORATION CORPORATE GOVERNANCE GUIDELINES, 2010) Finance and Audit Committee The purpose of this committee is to provide advice with respect to corporations financial matters, to oversee the accounting and financial reporting process of the Corporation and the audits of the financial statements of the Corporation, to assist the Board of Directors in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities regarding finance, accounting, tax and legal compliance, and to evaluate merger and acquisition transactions and investment transactions proposed by the Corporations management. Decision making: There are three types of decision making all of which are distorted and affected while in the state of crisis. Intelligence Identify conditions that are required for decision making Design Invent, develop different courses of action and analyse them Choice Choose the best alternative, make a choice Structured decision making: This is defined which becomes unstructured when in the state of crisis and when it is not managed properly. Unstructured decision making: Non-routine decision making (this is not defined) TYPES OF SYSTEMS: There are four types of system which we have covered in this (MIS) course which I will be discussing here with their importance in the Crisis management: Transaction Processing System: This system serves the manager at operating level. This system helps to record the transaction that took place within the organization as well as outside the organization. Management Information System: This system serves the managers at the middle level. This system is used to control and monitor the business functions. The input it gets is from the T.P.S. this system is not flexible and it is used for routine decision making. Decision Support System: This system also serves the manager at middle level. This system uses the analytical models to show the performance and it is used for non-routine decision making. This system gets it input from T.P.S and M.I.S. This system has flexibility to change data/information. Executive Support System: This system serves the manager at top level. This system is used to dig out information from big stores. This is used for non-routine decision making, and uses graphical representation of data. Its input sources are M.I.S and D.S.S. But it does not use analytical models for it representation. This means that the decision making processes within the organization get distorted. And because the decision in any company is vital to its operations, hence it is important to have IS as a supporting tool in crisis management. The company uses all these software in its IT infrastructure. It does not need to do anything in order to change this or to improve this. All it needs to do is to maintain a place where all the information of the organization could be accessed easily. This would reduce the time of data retrieval and would also help them in improving them customer relations and their business. Oracle and Ethics Internet technology has posed new challenges for the protection of individual privacy. Information sent over this vast network of networks may pass through many different computer systems before its final destination. Each of these systems is capable of monitoring, capturing and storing communications that pass through it. It is possible to record all online activities of literally tens of millions of people, including which online newsgroups or files a person has accessed, which Web sites and Web pages he or she has visited, and what items that person has inspected or purchased over the Web. Much of this monitoring and tracking of Web site visitors occurs in the background without the visitors knowledge. Tools to monitor visits to the World Wide Web have become popular because they help organizations determine who is visiting their Web sites and how to better target their offerings. Some firms also monitor the Internet usage of their employees to see how they are using company network resources. Web retailers now have access to software that lets them watch the online shopping behaviour of individuals and groups while they are visiting a Web site and making purchases. The commercial demand for this personal information is virtually insatiable. Information technology has made it difficult to protect in tellectual property because computerized information can be so easily copied or distributed on networks. Intellectual property is subject to a variety of protections under three different legal traditions: trade secrets, copyright, and patent law. Oracle takes this into account and makes sure that these things are kept in mind and that the company name is not amongst the ones that are not known for their services. All the products produced by the company are up to customer standards and they try to fulfil them by being true and not being fraudulent.

The Elevator :: Creative Writing Essays

â€Å"Unconfirmed reports from Rikkers Islands says that one of their inmates hasescaped, and may be in the vacinity,† the DJ on Amy Batts’s car radio reported. ‘Great. Another thing to worry about,’ Amy thought as she pulled her car into the parking garage. â€Å"It is rumored that the prisoner that alledgedly escaped as a distingising tatoo on his right hand. Its suppossedly of a snake wrapped around a young girl,’ the DJ was saying as Amy parked her car. It was almost 8:30 on Tuesday night at Smith & Johnson’s Law Firm. At the tender age of 25 Amy landed an intership at the New York law firm. It was great! She got the chance to aid attorney in cases (mainly by doing reshearch, but hey it will look great on a resuma). Other than her footsteps, which echoed through out the parking gargae, the place was dead silent. If she hadn’t forgotten an importin law book she won’t even be there. Amy felt her heart beating wildly as she neared the elevator. â€Å"Get a grip Batts,† she said to herself. â€Å"Its not like you’re the only person here.† Which was true, a lot of lawarys burned the midnight oil at Smith & Johnson, working hard to prove their case. Still, she hesated at the elevator. Amy has always feared elevators. Who could blame her? Think about it for a minute. You enter a steel cage. You are cut off from all help. You don’t know anyone else in the elevator. Still, she stood there, forced to decide between her faithful stairs, or the cold, metal elevator. ‘There’s nothing to be afraid of,’ Amy told herself. ‘It’s just an elevator. There have been reports of muggings on stairs. The elevator is safer,’ she rationalized as she pushed the button to summen the steel box. The doors swooshed open, and Amy had to step back from the glare of the lights. Then, very timidly, she stepped inside the death trap, and watched as the doors clanged together behinde her. Her work area was on the 25th floor. Takeing deep breaths Amy stared back at herself relected in the mirror like doors. Her long blonde hair was slightly messed up, and there were bags under her dark brown eyes. She was all alone. ‘It’s not that bad,’ Amy thought to herself as the elevator slowly asended.

Essays --

Night Comparison Paper Rough Draft The Italian Jews were among the luckiest Jews during their time. The Italian Jewish community, one of the oldest in Europe, numbered about 50,000 in 1933. They were accepted as important members of the society and were successful in the military, politics, and many more skill professions. Everything went downhill when Benito Mussolini’s government asked the non-Jewish community to turn on their Jewish neighbors, but most of the population said no. As a result, a higher percentage of Italian Jews were saved than in very country except for Denmark. The Italians turned there back on the government, as Italy was allies with Germany but the citizens opposed the Nazi party. This resulted in many Italian-Jews being rescued. Throughout Night and Survival in Auschwitz, both Elie Wiesel and Primo Levi both experienced harsh living conditions under the Nazis. When Elie first arrived at Auschwitz, he witnessed something unforgettable, which was the burning of live infants, which resulted in huge amounts of smoke. He described this day as, "Never shall I forget that night . . ." This was only the beginning as Elie experienced the dehumanization, by being fed a little a day, being forced to work long hours and being crammed in small beds and trains. Throughout his time in camp, Elie had no luxury of showering or taking breaks but on the other hand he was forced to work as a slave. This was no difference for Primo, who experienced a little too. At Fossoli, he was given nothing to drink for four days. Which is torture! Things get worse when he arrives in Auschwitz, as he gets his head shaved, forced to take showers whit no room, and tattooed with numbers. He described it, as â€Å"everything around us speaks of a ... ... of personality but obviously this was not present. Elie and the prisoners struggled to maintain human character traits. Both Levi and Elie experienced the struggle to remain human. Primo Levi’s perspective of the Holocaust really went into detail about the tragic events. I really got a better knowledge of the treatment of the prisoners. Words such as â€Å"terrible† and â€Å"inhumane† were mentioned a lot to describe the treatment by the Nazis. In addition, Primo Levi also touches on how morals and values were thrown aside for survival. This is an interesting topic, which caught my attention. Prisoners during the Holocaust threw their religion aside, which was present in Elie and Primo. They started doubting the existence of a God and started doing things for their own good. Primo Levi really went in depth about the Holocaust and gave me a different perspective.

Educational Goals and Philosophy :: Teaching Education Careers Essays

Educational Goals and Philosophy There is only one incentive that makes me want to be a teacher, but that one incentive comes along with so many everlasting rewards that I have enough motivation to teach for a lifetime. I have always felt a strong desire to help people, so when I began my college career I decided to major in Psychology. Unfortunately, the yearning I felt to help people was not being fulfilled. I wanted to interact with people young and old, male and female, and of all different ethnicities. I needed to be able to touch someone’s life and allow them to touch mine in the same way. The opportunity to help students, parents, other faculty members, and the community is my incentive to teach. One of the most important factors of teaching is being able to understand the nature of students. It is my personal belief that no two students are alike. You will find students that share similar interests, have values that are alike, and some students that even use the same learning techniques, but the point is, no two students are exactly the same. The diversity of a classroom allows for more than just textbook knowledge to be learned. It is my opinion that students who learn respect for each others cultures, values, and individual traits will become more knowledgeable than those who can regurgitate their curriculum in their sleep. My personal educational philosophy directly ties into this; I am a firm believer in Progressivism. I feel that schools and curriculum both should be directly tied with the matters, interests, and real-world experiences of students. The nature of a student’s knowledge should be constructed, dependent, discovered, and true regardless of any person, place, or thing. I once had a teacher tell me that there was no such thing as a stupid question. I have never heard such a true statement. The curriculum that we teach to our students should be structured and dependent on each child’s individual needs, abilities, and skill levels. At the same time we need to allocate students enough liberty so that their knowledge can also become true, regardless of when, where, or how they reach the information. As a progressive teacher I hope to assist learning by aiding students to form their own significant inquiries and discover the paths to solve those matters. Educational Goals and Philosophy :: Teaching Education Careers Essays Educational Goals and Philosophy There is only one incentive that makes me want to be a teacher, but that one incentive comes along with so many everlasting rewards that I have enough motivation to teach for a lifetime. I have always felt a strong desire to help people, so when I began my college career I decided to major in Psychology. Unfortunately, the yearning I felt to help people was not being fulfilled. I wanted to interact with people young and old, male and female, and of all different ethnicities. I needed to be able to touch someone’s life and allow them to touch mine in the same way. The opportunity to help students, parents, other faculty members, and the community is my incentive to teach. One of the most important factors of teaching is being able to understand the nature of students. It is my personal belief that no two students are alike. You will find students that share similar interests, have values that are alike, and some students that even use the same learning techniques, but the point is, no two students are exactly the same. The diversity of a classroom allows for more than just textbook knowledge to be learned. It is my opinion that students who learn respect for each others cultures, values, and individual traits will become more knowledgeable than those who can regurgitate their curriculum in their sleep. My personal educational philosophy directly ties into this; I am a firm believer in Progressivism. I feel that schools and curriculum both should be directly tied with the matters, interests, and real-world experiences of students. The nature of a student’s knowledge should be constructed, dependent, discovered, and true regardless of any person, place, or thing. I once had a teacher tell me that there was no such thing as a stupid question. I have never heard such a true statement. The curriculum that we teach to our students should be structured and dependent on each child’s individual needs, abilities, and skill levels. At the same time we need to allocate students enough liberty so that their knowledge can also become true, regardless of when, where, or how they reach the information. As a progressive teacher I hope to assist learning by aiding students to form their own significant inquiries and discover the paths to solve those matters.

Hip Hop Article Summaries Essay

Article 1 Talking about Afro-American teens in 2005 Bert Staples described how he felt that Hip Hop had lost its way and betrayed its many fans. He feels that, although it started out with a number of different themes, it   now only perpetuates the myth that achievement only belongs to white people and negative things such as violence belong only in black culture. He describes how the music was used to insult rivals and provoke gang war fare that ended in fatalities in the 1990’s. There are record companies, he claims, who promote violence in order to sell records. He gives the example of 50 Cents, otherwise Curtis Jackson, whose records are insulting and promote violence. Staples   says that newer artists are more likely to adopt similar methods just to get noticed.   He speaks about the music industry’s greed and lack of any self control which has led to the present situation, one in which the general public has decided that Hip Hop is no longer acceptable and so are stopping buying discs or going to gigs. Hip Hop – so violent that it has shot itself in the foot. Article 2   Hip Hop and Youth Culture The writer describes Hip Hops an ‘emerging cultural phenomenon’ now representing millions of dollars and which is intertwined with young people’s lives. It came about, like many other trends have done in the past , because the people   concerned   found they were unable to gain any acceptance in the entertainment   industry through the standard channels. Adults refused to accept Hip Hop as legitimate music. This rejection made it all the more attractive to the young, black and white, both in rebellion against the mainstream. They found it was easy to participate in – you don’t need to be a musician or have a good singing voice to rap. In contrast to the first article this writer says there are many themes, all of which play out with dominant percussion. There is little reliance on traditional Western music types. It is way of expressing pride in one’s community, but this has led to gang warfare.. Part of the attraction is the ease in which the message can be delivered. It can be an honest expression of feelings   – it can also be insulting – both are part of Hip Hop. It was only when it became violent that the music industry became interested – they could count the dollars.

How Religion Positively Influence The World Essay

organized religion has compete a very epoch-making usance in human life veracious from the moment the individual could realize the item of his existence and made an effort to get it in relation to the vast, breaker reputation. Whether we comparable it or non, trust has wielded immense baffle on the individual life and the orderliness constituted by him. August Comte has state that the evolution of mankind alsok place through three st boards, which he has described as theological, metaphysical, and positive states. Scholars reach made efforts to perceive the origin of theology in their feature ways.For example, Hegel and James Frazer thought that devotion is born(p) out of magic E. B. Taylor on the oppositewise hand saw the origin of theology in animism Herbert Spencer distilled the scene that morality came into being because of cult of ancestor idolize Max Muller propounded the experience that a emotional stateing of awe towards nature was answerabl e for the birth of religion Emile Durkheim came out with a view check to which religion is a product of rights and rituals characterizing a friendship. Religion is the phenomena, which is accredited by the throng of the firm field. brave out directly or indirectly. Each and all(prenominal) person of the public give way reliable religion because it only the religion by which whole world is compriseled. If the religion is non there no body would control him/herself by the evil consummations. Only the head of hair of immortal controls the human being by doing evil deeds. Before doing the wrong deed every person feels that God is facial enunciateion at him/her. Religion influences society simply happily the street is many bible-quoting Christians vehemently opposed two ways the abolitionist movement of mid nineteenth deoxycytidine monophosphate .And we cannot say that these blurtcere believers were merely citing passages out of context. It must be admitted that the who le biblical era and the sources of holy writ condoned rough-cut inequality included slavery in accessory Christianity and the other world religions were obviously founded in and influenced by a reciprocal discriminatory past, one which unfortunately continues in vary degrees to live in and through them. So society has and can positively influenced religion. This is indispensable un little religion is to retreat to pre rational forms of product line and support absolutism that today claims peculiar(a) respect.John Cobb jr. showings insight in his belittled contention that in agreeition to grounding and motivating the ethical maintenance it sh ars with secular humanism, religious credence grant an ethos and a world view and it affects the people and communities involved. Americans Struggle with Religions fictitious character at Home and Abroad As a religious people, Americans atomic number 18 shy(p) just about how to judge a world that seems increasingly in con flict on religious lines. The public overwhelmingly sees religions influence in the world and the nation as a well-behaved involvement.And by 51%- 28%, Americans think the lesson of September 11 is that there is too little, not too practically religion in the world. except the public does not see all of religions nucleuss as positive. A 65% mass believes that religion plays a significant power in most wars and conflicts in the world. Further, while most say that Islam is no more than believably to encourage forcefulness than Other religions, a plurality of Americans believes that, in general. Some religions argon more likely than others to encourage violence.Those who think that some religions are more violent than others are more likely to see widespread anti America n sentiments among Muslims. The Christian writer Paul wrote, God allow intermit to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing effectual seek glory, honor and immor tality, he forget give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and come after(prenominal) evil, there leave be impatience and anger. There will be distract and distress for every human being who does evil first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and the law will judge all who sin low the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in Gods sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts in a flash accusing, now even defending them).Young tidy sum More Influenced Positively A studyity of those under age 30 bear a indulgent view of Muslim- Americans, Muslims, and Islam analogous (57%, 57% and 51% respectively). Other Americans broadly have a aureate trace of Muslim-Americans however, they express more skepticism toward Muslims and Islam. Americans age 65 and older in token express mixed views when it comes to Muslims and Islam. By 43%- 25%, members of this group say they feel favorably towards Muslim Americans, but seniors who were asked most Muslims rated them less positively (30% favorable 30% unfavorable).Just one- in- four has a favorable opinion of Islam, while 37% express an unfavorable opinion. College- educated Americans also express more favorable views of Muslims and Islam than those who did not come after college. Education has particularly strong effect on perceptions of the Islamic religion. While about half (52%) of college graduates have a favorable view of Islam, just 29% of those who neer attended colleges agree. Among religious groups, pureness evangelistic Prote stants have the least favorable view of Islam.Fully 45% of white evangelical say they have an unfavorable opinion of Islam, compared with just 29% who rate religion favorable. White evangelicals also are most likely to say they have an unfavourably view of Muslim-Americans. As many as three- in ten feel unfavourably toward Muslim-Americans, compared, with about two-in ten among other major religious groups. Still, this is less than the 38% of white evangelicals who rated Muslim-Americans unfavorably a year ago. red-brick Reasons for Adherence To Religion 1.Authority virtually religions are authoritarian in nature, and so provide their adherents with ghostly and moral role models, who they believe can bring super positive influences twain to adherents and influences both to adherents and society in general. 2. Supernatural connection more or less religions postulate a reality which includes both the natural and the saupernatural. closely adherents of religion strike this to be of critical importance, since it permits belief in unseen and otherwise potentially unknowable aspects of life, includeing hope of eternal life. 3.Moderation umpteen religions have approaches that produce practices that place limitations on the behaviour of their adherents. This is seen by many as a positive influence, potentially defend adherents from the destructive or even blackened excesses to which they might otherwise be susceptible. many an(prenominal) people from many religions contend that their faith brings them fulfillment, peace, and joy, apart from worldly interests. 4. Fulfillment Most traditional religions require sacrifice of their followers, but, in turn, the followers may gain much from their membership therein.Thus, they come away from experiences with these religions with the savour that their needs have been filled. In fact, studies have shown that religious adherents tend to be happier and less prone to stree than non-religious people. 5. community an s floriculture Organized religions promote a whizz of community among their followers, and the moral and cultural common ground of these communities makes them attractive to people with the like value. Indeed, while religious belief and practices are usually connected, some individual with comfortably secular belief still participates in religious practices for cultural reasons.Conclusion ghostly belief refers to a faith or creed appertaining the supernatural, sacred, or divine. It may concern the existence, nature and worship of a diety or deities and divine involvement in the creation and human life. It may also contact to the values and practices based on the article of belief of a supernatural leader. Unlike other belief syatems, religious belief tends to be codified. While often used synonomously with religion, according to this religious belief wikk be anticipate to refer to ideas rather than practices.Religion cannot add or subtract any thing from the plausibility o f any scientific theory. But this does not mean that religion has no connection with science. Our proposal, perhaps appearing a bit audacious in tone but actually quiet modest in motivation, is that religion, properly understood, gets the entire scientific enterprise. It does so by justifying g the important trust that nourishes all scientific in query. Our conviction is that we can go beyond conflict, contrast, and even contact in formulating religions birth to science.Here we are claiming specifically that faith in a personal god has a unique capacity to confirm our trust in realitys endless intelligibility, a trust without which scientific in query is hopelessly game Religion is a phenomenon, which is propagated in the whole world. Each and every person has follow and positively influenced with it. Whether a person is staminate or a female they make prayers and always feel his appearance they have accepted the existence of God, who always looked after them. Most of the peo ple religiously and psychologically come into contact with God, truth and spiritual power.They feel that the religion frees them from deception, sin and spiritual death. Religion has its own significance in the life of human being.References1- The Divine Religion Bhagawat Dharma and Culture R. N. Vyas Cosmo Publication New Delhi1984.2- What is a Person? An Ethical Exploration By James William Walters Published by university of Illinois . narrow1989.3- http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Religious_belief4- science and religion from conflict to converse John F. Haught Paulist Press1987.5- http//p eople-press. org/reports/display. php3