Compare and Contrast: “All the Years of Her Life”

The thing about synonyms is that even though they though they might seem like they are the same thing, if put in a different context they can mean something completely different. It's interesting how two characters with very similar traits, goals and morals can be so different when placed In different stories, Like when you switch a word for Its supposed â€Å"synonym†. Don Ansell and Mrs†¦ Higgins are two very salary people. Both are traditional, respected, a little on the old-fashioned side and good at being seen as proud and confident.But It's their greatest lining factor, their love for their families and communities, which divides them. Don Ansell is a proud, traditional and very well respected man who has kept up the tradition of planting a tree for every child in the village to the point where a â€Å"gnarled but beautiful† orchard had become a part of his property. And when he is confronted with the request to ask the children to refrain from playing in the orchard, he explains that it is not his choice nor his place, as â€Å"the trees do not belong to him†. To him, nothing is more important than respecting the honor of his family.And to him, every child in that village whether they're related to him or not, is his family. On the other hand, Mrs†¦ Higgins has too close of an association with her son to the point where she sees his problems as hers. She has a proud and confident facade that hides a spirit broken by reasons that are out of her control. She appears to blame herself for her son's inability to keep a steady Job and lead a good life. Like Don Ansell she closely identifies herself with her family that in her case seems to have an ill effect on her lifestyle. â€Å"You've disgraced me again and again,† she toldAlbert as they left the pharmacy. She feels as if her son's shenanigans are her fault and this causes her spirit to crumble. This isn't the first time that her family has failed her, which in her eye s translates Into falling as a mother. So as you can see, both characters have almost Identical personality building blocks. On one hand, Don Ansell has used his love and respect for family to create a bond between him and his village that lead to a tight knit community. And on the other, Mrs†¦ Higgins chose to use her tolerance and pride to create a poisonous relationship teen her son's lifestyle and her happiness.Compare and Contrast: â€Å"All the Years of Her Life† and â€Å"The Gentlemen of ROI en Media† By Leila-Gaylord can be so different when placed in different stories, like when you switch a word for its supposed â€Å"synonym†. Don Ansell and Mrs†¦ Higgins are two very similar people. Both are traditional, confident. But it's their greatest linking factor, their love for their families and failed her, which in her eyes translates into failing as a mother. So as you can see, both characters have almost identical personality building blocks.

Math and Running a Business Essay

I Know I have been to many towns in my life and noticed people trying to make a living at street vendors. There are many street vendors in many cities across the US as well as other countries such as Chicago, New York, and Cancun Mexico just to name a few. I have never had or thought to ever spoke to a vendor about business. â€Å"No matter where they live or what they sell they all talk about business just like any CEO or large company Executive would† ( Charan, 2001, P 1). They are all out to make a profit. They all need to find a way to make sure the product sells and quickly so a profit can be made. So a vendor will start his day with quality and quantity, he needs to make sure he will not have too much inventory at the end of the day so he may purchase more product for the next day. Say something like fresh fruits or vegetables. â€Å"The fresh products are placed in the front (retailers call this merchandising)† (Charan, 2001, P 23). Any vendor needs to watch their competition and look to see what their product is selling for. This will happen every day so as the vendor is watching he may also have to cut his prices so the value would increase for the customer. The next day and the day after will go the same way it’s all about how to make a profit. Being a one-person business may seem simple, it’s not there are many decisions that need to be made. Every business is the same one way or another they need to make money to survive. Math is an essential asset in the business world, without math no business would be able to operate. The business world revolves around math, from profit and loss statements, bookkeeping, taxes and employees’ salaries. Formulas and equations are used to determine how much product one might need. For example a vendor will start his day with quality and quantity. He needs to make sure he will not have too much inventory at the end of the day so he may purchase more products for the next day. Say something like fresh fruits or vegetables. â€Å"The fresh products are placed in the front (retailers call this merchandising)† (Charan, 2001, P 23). Any vendor needs to watch their competition and look to see what their product is selling for. This will happen every day so as the vendor is watching he may also have to cut his prices so the value would increase for the customer. The next day and the day after will go the same way it’s all about how to make a profit. Being a one-person business may seem simple, it’s not there are many decisions that need to be made. Every business is the same one way or another they need to make money to survive. â€Å"Business ownership requires more than skill in creating a product or talent at providing a service. Overseeing the finances of your company is the key to survival and success. Understanding basic business math is necessary for profitable operations and accurate record keeping. Knowing how to add, subtract, multiply, divide, round and use percentages and fractions is the minimum you need to price your product and meet your budget. If math is not your strength, partner with someone who can take over that role or hire a trusted employee to help your operation stay in the black and grow responsibly†. (Deeb, 2012, WS). Whether you are a sole proprietor, small business owner or corporation location is a big concern. Location shows us we need to do the math. Will I have enough customers to make this business work? Will my product sell? Am I going to make a profit? What are my expenses going to be? I have learned a lot about being a business owner from reading â€Å"What the CEO wants you to know† (Charan, 2001, NP). I find it very interesting that weather you are a street vendor, a sole proprietor, or a CEO of a large corporation it all comes down to one thing. â€Å"Show me the money† everyone in business for themselves or corporation needs to have the income to survive. I have learned the basic building blocks of a business and the hard work it takes to be able to run a business. Not everyone will succeed in the business world, but if you prove dedication and hard work dreams of being a sole business owner can come true. There are so many steps to follow to be a successful business man. Those steps are called the business acumen which include; cash generation, return on assets, making your margin meaningful, making velocity meaningful, growth and going in the right direction. You also need to make sure you have customers, and be able to know your customers. â€Å"Wealth is more than making money† (Charan, 2001, P 77 C 5). â€Å"The best business men know and understand that money making and wealth creation are linked through what is known as the price earnings multiply† (Charan, 2001, P77). P–E multiple is a number and it represents expectations about a company’s current and future money. Everyone in business for themselves has one goal and that is at the end of the day they need to deliver and make a profit. I like the way that â€Å"Ram Charon† uses in the book as he is teaching a class. â€Å"He asked the question Think of someone you consider being good with people? The students always come up with phrases like outgoing, enthusiastic, personality, or well liked. Personality alone is not what makes a company deliver. It takes knowledge and insight into how an organization really works†. (Charan, 2001, P94). I use that a lot every day in my own job as I work with students helping them build their resumes, talking about what they want to do after they graduate, and how to help them with interview skills. I coach each student just like any business man would coach their staff or team. Team + knowledge = success. Building you own company is the big picture; you need to know how to be a leader, and to stay focused. With the right tools and determination anyone can be a business owner. There are steps to starting up a business, first you need to write a business plan to form goals and objectives, register your business and file a (DBA), obtain a federal Identification number and satisfy business licensing requirements. The easy part but still very important part starts as to opening a bank account, purchasing insurance, establish a business presence, and in today’s day and age establish a website. Getting you name out to the community is the most important part without customers you will fail as a business owner. Advertising yourself is the key to a successful career. A business needs to advertise in the community join the chamber of commerce, flyers and the local church. Research is needed identify where to get help, smart business owners know where and when to seek advice from other sources. Identify accountants in the area who may be able to assist you with specific questions about a startup business. The question is answered with much difficulty. One could easily argue that in order to be good at business you simply need to have a good mind for management, decisions, and people skills. However, math is a big part of business and while you can always rely on other people to take care of it would you really want to? Only you can decide whether or not you feel math is important for you. Decide what to do, despite the clutter of day-to-day business and the complexity of the real world. Many people spend more than a hundred thousand dollars on an MBA without learning to pull these pieces of the puzzle together. Many others lack a formal business education and feel shut out from the executive suite. What the CEO Wants You to Know takes the mystery out of business and shows the secrets of success. What the CEO Wants You to Know by Ram Charan – CNET Download.com Building you own company is the big picture; you need to know how to be a leader, and to stay focused. With the right tools and determination anyone can be a business owner. Starting a new business can be fun and very rewarding at the same time. You become your own boss, and eventually, you might even be able to hire your own employees. Everything would depend on how successful your business is in making profits. So the next time you see a street vendor you might want to take a moment and talk to that vendor about his or her business. References: Carol Deeb. (2012). importance-basic-math-business-41097.html. In The importance of basic math in business. Retrieved October 13, 2012 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/ Ram Charan (2001). WHAT THE CEO WANTS YOU TO KNOW Copyright  © 2001Ram Charan Designed and developed by FSB Associates What the CEO Wants You to Know by Ram Charan – CNET Download.com

A Research On Native Americans: Origin, Culture, Way Of Life And Contribution To The United States

The origin and presence of Native Americans in the Western Hemisphere has been one of the most debatable issues in both American and world historical studies. European invaders entering the new land were quite challenged to find about 100 million inhabitants in the Americas; a land they had always presumed was vast and vacant.These European settlers as well as scientists believed that the American natives belonged to the biblical Lost Tribes of the nation of Israel, while others fancifully argued that these natives could have been the remnant of lost civilizations such as Mu or Atlantis.Early European settlers insisted that Native Americans must have had their origin in ancient Israel, Rome, the Irish, Welsh or Viking lands. Scientists have however changed their perspective over recent times and joined Native American voices to support the notion that these people are indigenous to the Americas.Tied into the issue of native origin are legal standings regarding Native sovereignty, pos session of sacred artifacts and Native remains, Native American spokesman-ship or representation, as well as the rules that should be used to analyze the evidence deduced from history and science about their indigenous status in this land (Carliste & Golson 2006, p.1).Native Americans in the United StatesHistorically, the earliest Native tribes to inhabit the Americas are the Athapascans and Inuits who are believed to have entered the land through the Bering Strait that connects Alaska and Siberia. Others are said to have traveled by boat or canoe around the North American Pacific coast and Arctic Circle to predominate North America and parts of South America.But the Native American people have together with others. Always questioned the Bering Strait theory and gone ahead to insist that they have inhabited the Americas as far back as their origin can be traced.Researchers into the origins of Native Americans have suggested that these people could have entered the Americas through m ultiple migrations not only by the land bridge or boat at the Bering Strait; but also through sea from Polynesia and parts of Europe.Genetic evidence has also come up with suggestions that Native Americans had already arrived in the Americas about 15,000 to 30,000 years long before the Bering Strait had been exposed by lowering sea levels. Recent discoveries have found genetic evidence of Polynesian origin among five Native tribes like the Mapuche, Cayapa of Ecuador, Huilleche, Nuu-Chal-Nulth in Canada, and the Atacameno of Chile.Native oral traditions tell about a journey to the Americas by boat and the present-day continent popularly referred to as the United States of America is an ancestral home to over 500 Indian nations. The state of California alone was home to over 60 tribes of between 30,000 – 40,000 Native people before the early European invasion (Stubben & Sokolow 2005, p.1-3; Carliste & Golson 2006, p.1-6).Native American tribes spoke a variety of languages but m ost of the northeastern tribes lived in semi-permanent and permanent dwellings, socially organized under clan membership.The clans were matrilineal and young men were raised in the households of their mothers by their maternal uncles. Daily Native American life revolved around hunting, gathering, farming and fishing, the main crops being maize, beans and squash.Native Americans moved in groups of about 50 – 100 people because such a group could manage reasonable hunting exploits especially when hunting large buffalo herds. Family was very important to the Native Americans and all members of a family ranging from grandparents, parents and the children shared a very special bond. Family and tribal elders were highly respected and their decisions in various matters were crucial to the existence of a clan or entire tribe.Men did the hunting and took care of other tribal matters such as maintenance of tribal boundaries while the women provide labor for tilling the fields as well a s doing several other chores. In some tribes like the Iroquois, women also held powerful positions whereby they controlled the election and removal of clan chiefs.These gender based cultural traits were to create a lot of cross-cultural conflict when the European arrived in the Americas (Stubben & Sokolow 2005, p.57; Carliste & Golson 2006, p.113).Life for the Native Americans however changed drastically with the arrival of European settlers to America especially during the early 1800s, when the Americas experienced an influx of European settlers.The need to supply the American nation with foodstuffs, clothing and lumber led to the displacement of Native people and immediately, plans got under way to resettle them to reservations. European invasion is said to have led to the extinct of some Native tribes like the Beothuk who are said to have been wiped out completely.Most other tribes lost over 90% of their people to European genocide because the white settlers had better weapons of warfare that were also more extreme and violent than the native peoples could resist.In their conquests, European invaders murdered noncombatants as well as used biological warfare such as deliberate spread of disease and starvation. 75 million Indians are estimated to have died with some estimates going as high as 112 million (Pritzker 2000, p.162; Carliste & Golson 2006, p.9, 26).European settlement was detrimental to Native American existence because it disrupted every aspect of their lives. The relocation f Native tribes from their native lands disrupted their way of life.Between 1854 and 1855 for example, Washington governor Isaac I. Stevens signed four treaties in quick succession with the Waka Walla Cayuse, Yakima, Makah, Nez Perce, Lushootsedd and Coer d’ Alene Native tribes around the Oregon and Washington territories.Through these treaties, Native lands were ceded back to the government which included the choicest lands of Tacoma, Seattle and Olympia. In return, th ese tribes were allotted tracts of lands although the government held the right over waterways and public transportation throughout these territories.Although native tribes retained such rights as fishing, hunting and grazing rights, these allotments marked the beginning of a restricted lifestyle for the Native tribes.These treaties not only eroded native culture but their lifestyle as well, and forced their assimilation into reservations (Hoxie, Mancall & Merrell 2001, p. 67; Pritzer 2000, p. 5, 214; Carliste & Golson 2006, p.29, 75, 111).

Security Management Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Security Management Plan - Essay Example This paper seeks to discuss security management plan that Quick Response Security will adopt in its effort to provide adequate security to its clients. Being the owner of Quick Response Security (QRS), my objective is to have a positive relationship with our customers as well as initiating conductive working environment with my employees. I highly value my employees for without creating a positive relationships with my workers, the company will not achieve its goals (Sullivan & Steven, 2003). This is depicted on the recruitments and training strategies that are focused on improving the performance of new and existing workers. Appropriate matrix for hiring trained personnel The most vital element in the security provision fraternity is the work force that basically entails the human resource. Qualified and trained personnel are major consideration in setting up the work force in the firm. Quick Response Security undergoes quite a comprehensive recruitment drive in order to ensure that right personnel are hired to undertake the laid down duties. Customer satisfaction is one of the key goals of Quick Response Security. ... Experience Education background Honesty and Trustworthiness Psychological qualifications Observance in terms of one’s behavior Physical, mental qualifications Background investigations These guidelines will assist in selecting the best employees in the company. Various departments have been created in order to ensure that each employee undertakes his/her assignment properly. The table below indicates various positions and their qualifications. Department Qualifications Operations Manager A degree in information technology or any field related to security systems 5 years of relevant working experience in a security firm Information security specialist 1. A degree in information technology 3 years experience in a busy security firm Ability to work with minimal supervision Human resource personnel A degree in human resource management At least 4 years of work experience Knowledge in the management of security firms personnel Security guards A diploma in management 3 years working experience in a security firm Ability to work with minimal supervision. These criteria will ensure that the right people are taken for the job. After the recruitment, the employees will be taken through some training sessions to familiarize themselves with the operations at Quick Response Security. Policies laid down to address issues and concern of privacy in intelligence gathering and surveillance. Intelligence gathering and surveillance control systems are vital for the success of any security firm. In order for us to be a step ahead from our competitors in the security provision industry, we have invested a lot in security technology. High-tech surveillance devices have been put in place in order to enhance our services. Some of the devices include: closed-circuit television (CCTV),

Value at risk Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Value at risk - Assignment Example Value at risk provides a way to depict the probability of on making losses. In the paper below, various methodologies are going to be used to calculate the value at risk of the 4 portfolio shares for the given year. The methodologies that would be use include: The historical simulation, the Monte Carlo simulation and the parametric approach. In each of the following, there are various crucial steps that would be used in calculation of value at risk in the value at risk to come up with conclusions for the various portfolio shares. The structure of the paper would mostly be description based of the following approaches mentioned above. While calculating value at risk in a specific methodology, the following will need to be observed carefully. In each methodology, a description on how one is going to arrive at the specific value at risk for the given portfolio is going to be calculated and even a histogram plotted where necessary. In addition, one would be expected to comment on the important steps used and give a final verdict of the advantages and the disadvantages of using the given method. After calculating value at risk using the three approaches mentioned above, then a discussion will be conducted to compare the differences in the three methods while attempting to get the value at risk (Jorion 2007, p.6). Then the paper would end with a conclusion that would comment on the value at risk of the 4 portfolio shares used. ... cause the end product of any of the two approaches will be to estimate value at risk, often the most important points remain on whether results calculated by other different methods may differ from each other. In addition, one would still like to know which approach is the most reliable in estimating value at risk. Generally, intuitiveness shows that non-parametric methods, like the historical simulation as well as the parametric methods i.e. Risk metrics, will often yield the same Value at risk if historical returns data will be normally distributed. In addition, empirical studies also shown that the given predicted results from different Value at risk methodologies are often not close (Choudhry 2006, p.7. The historical simulation often does not impose a given distributional assumptions, sometimes it can be limited when used to forecast the range of certain portfolio value changes since it incorporates no volatility updating plus it produces inaccurate values once the future succum bs to extreme events. In contrast, the Risk metrics, is relatively easy to put in practice. Nonetheless, a given empirical observations on a given returns of financial instruments often do not exhibit the given normal distribution and hence the method do not fit data with certain heavy tails. Background to the data sample The following 4 companies have been chosen to have the analysis of their value at risk of their share portfolios calculated. They are Aggreko PLC, Admiral Group PLC, Amec PLC and the Anglo- American PLC. The Aggreko PLC is a very large international company that deals with supplying temporary power plus dealing with temperature control too. Admiral Group PLc is a large motor insurance company that has a head office at Wale, Cardiff . The Amec PLC is hence a global

Jet Blue in the United Kingdom Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Jet Blue in the United Kingdom - Research Paper Example As an MNE, Jet Blue also services Aruba, The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Bermuda. Jet Blue is able to compete with much larger U.S.-based airline companies such as American Airlines as the business has been able to shed much of its high operating costs related to supply chain and fleet management by maintaining a lean operations methodology (Jet Blue, 2011). Price reductions in the form of lower and competitive ticket prices are accomplished through its lean business model that makes Jet Blue an attractive alternative to high-frills airline companies. A country where Jet Blue does not have market presence is the United Kingdom, a generally attractive market for foreign direct investment by the organization. The United Kingdom maintains a significant airline infrastructure that will assist Jet Blue in establishing a centralized hub in order to serve the UK market effectively. Major renovations to such airports as Heathrow International have provided more traffic space and feasibi lity for structured and timely arrivals and departures. Alongside the infrastructure exists recent government deregulation of the airline industry that had once controlled pricing and established anti-monopoly legislation by major carriers. This has removed some of the financial and regulatory barriers to new entry by airline competitors, making the United Kingdom a viable market for direct investment. Another advantage of investing in the United Kingdom is the economic environment. Currently, the United Kingdom still measures its currency against the Pound Sterling, a method of isolating volatility and risk associated with the current Eurozone economic crisis related to the Euro. The UK Pound Sterling is currently worth $1.61 as compared to a single U.S. dollar. Jet Blue currently has established a very viable and well-developed supply infrastructure within the United States, giving it many comparative advantages in relation to procurement. By investing in the United Kingdom, Jet B lue can establish a moderately higher pricing structure that is comparative to the British Pound Sterling, providing profit opportunities of approximately 60 percent, especially when moving materials procured in the United States into the foreign UK market where import pricing risks are dramatically reduced compared to this much higher-valued Sterling currency. Procurement costs for on-board operations management will be fundamentally less expensive than in the United States if not procured domestically in the United Kingdom. There is, however, a significant disadvantage to entering the United Kingdom for direct investment. There are currently many different low cost carriers, such as RyanAir and Air Asia, that provide similar low-cost and low-frills options for consumers and business travelers. Deregulation occurring in the last few years has removed entry barriers to these companies that now have high cash flow and considerable positive brand reputation with price sensitive consum ers. Even Virgin Airlines offers similar low-cost methodology allowing this carrier and those such as RyanAir and Air Asia to have comparative and competitive advantages in pricing and quality. Jet Blue is not a well-known brand name in the United Kingdom which could provide much higher cost allocation toward the promotional function (such as advertising and online marketing) in order to compete in this dynamic competitive market. Minimizing foreign exchange risks is not that complicated for Jet Blue, considering the currencies regularly traded in this market. The Euro and the Pound Sterling are both valued much higher than the

International transport Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International transport - Essay Example car and bus travel) make estimating the demand for transportation facilities difficult (Wikipedia 2007). This can also reflect on the essential characteristics of the development of models which are to be utilized in estimations of consumer behavior in case of predicting the likely choices between the many non-similar goods available in the market involved in the industry. Daniel McFadden was awarded a Nobel Prize for his work in the development of an important branch of econometrics. Taking into account this marked difference in the general structure of this industry, subtle modifications of existing definitions, for the terms forming the basis of an economics oriented perspective are in order. For instance, the demand can be measured in terms of the number of journeys made or in total distance traveled. This type of an approach also results in an ambiguity, since the demand will vary as the points between which the journeys are undertaken are considered. However, for all practical issues, this will be sufficient. The units of measurement may be ‘passenger-kilometer for public transport or vehicle-kilometer of travel for private transport’ (Wikipedia 2007). Supply on the other hand may be calculated from the capacity of the various supply channels (modes of transport). The price of the goods is measured by the cost of travel, which includes money spent as well as the time expenditure. Here too, the details pertaining to the two points between which travel is carried out, i.e., the departure point and the destination is neglected, or generalized for uniformity. The study undertaken here takes into account the cases of two noted transport industries. The first is one of the most widely noted success stories in the history of the transport industry in recent times. The Indian Railway is the largest commercial employer in the world, having an

Current Global Practices how countries are responding to the Essay

Current Global Practices how countries are responding to the Greenhouse Business Challenge including Carbon Footprint - Essay Example According to Leggett & et. al. (2008), China and the United States (US) are considered to be the foremost producers of greenhouse gases (GHG) releasing approximately 35% of worldwide emissions. In order to respond towards mitigating the growing concern of carbon emissions, China introduced a plan named â€Å"National Climate Change Program†. The primary objective of China in introducing this important program is to diminish the rising level of GHG emissions (Leggett & et. al., 2008). Leggett & et. al (2008) identified that the economy of the US has been significantly influenced by the increased level of GHG. It has been viewed that the growth of modern transportation arrangements is one of the major causes of rising GHG emissions in the US. In order to respond this significant issue, the US government is incessantly adopting certain important initiatives such as enhancing the energy efficiency relating to the transportation of the vehicles, presenting substitute law-carbon fuels and enhancing the competence level of the entire transportation system (Leggett & et. al., 2008). The European Union (EU) is also liable for generating significant GHG emissions resulting from its international air transportation systems. It is expected that the emissions can be increased in future if the different member states belonging to EU does not employ any sort of policy response in this particular area. In this similar context, EU established a significant mechanism through which it can periodically track the level of emissions as well as the absorption of the GHG (Dow & Aggarwal, 2012). In order to counter the problem about the increased level of GHG emissions, the Government of India established a plan named â€Å"National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC)†. This plan has been fundamentally designed for tackling the aspect of climate change in order to reduce the growing concern of carbon emissions. Furthermore, the plan intends to

Global media trends Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global media trends - Term Paper Example Millions of people use Facebook, Orkut and such other forums of social media every day. This trend surfaced only few years ago. There are many causes behind it. The first and foremost reason is the development in technologies and Internet (online) services. This development has helped improve the social media and made it accessible and popular among all people (Nations, 2010). One of the most common and popular social networks in the world is Facebook. It is widely used by people of different nations, genders and ages. Facebook is a social service that aims at connecting people with one another. There are various networking tools, technologies and applications built into Facebook. These applications and technologies are advanced and useful. For example, the application of sharing photo in Facebook is interesting and widely used. Facebook is able to enhance the social relationships with friends, relatives, and family members. It has positive effects as it strengthens the relationships. Through sharing photos and videos, it can make the relations more interesting, lovely, friendly and intimate. Facebook networking has many advantages. It is very useful in terms of marketing business as it gives people the chance of creating special pages for their businesses and trademarks. Facebook advertisements are advantageous and useful. (Findlay, 2010). Facebook also has many negative impacts on the society in many ways. People get to know too much about one another and may black mail. Therefore, Facebook is blocked in certain countries such as Syria and Iran (Mamun, n.d.). It is also blocked at some workplaces to prevent employees from wasting their time in using Facebook services. Some of Facebook`s disadvantages is the issues and matters of privacy. Facebook faced lawsuits from many persons who said that Facebook had stolen their source code and other academic properties. Facebook is also a potential lure to child marauders and other

Summry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Summry - Essay Example The first article to be considered in this review is â€Å"Apple Mac Computers Hit in Hacker Attack, Researcher Says†; written by Jordan Robertson and has been sourced from Bloomberg where it featured on 5 April 2012. According to this article, a recent research has shown that over 6 Million users of Mac computers had reportedly fallen victim to hacker attacks; this is an indication that Apple Inc, a company that had been predominantly untargeted by hackers, had now become a prime target. The article further relates that, according to a Russian antivirus software maker Doctor Web, the hacking attack predominantly targets computers using Apple’s Mac OS X software as opposed to windows systems. The research makes it apparent that most of the attacks occurred in the US and Canada, and the company had successively sealed off a security hole that had been a passageway for the virus. In addition to that, the research determined that the malware in question, specifically meant for Mac computers, capitalized on a weakness in a version of Oracle Corp’s Java software that functions as a plug-in on web browsers. The research also rebuffs traditional claims that Mac computers cannot be hacked, by pointing out the shift in hacker activities from computers that use Microsoft’s windows operating systems to those using Apple’s Mac OS X. ... Initially, Apple Inc has been an underdog in the computer operation systems business, and as such, it has been largely ignored by hackers due to its constrained market share. However, in the recent past, Apple Inc has risen above competition in this sector to rival industry giants like Microsoft Corp. In this respect, Apple Inc has taken a strategic position in the industry by increasing its market share considerably, that it has now attracted hacker activities. Conversely, industry giants like Microsoft Corp have traditionally been a haven for hackers and hacker activities due to their large market share; it is estimated that about 90% of the world’s desktop computers use the Microsoft Corps’s windows OS and this means that it has the largest numbers of victims. Numbers are very significant to the hackers because then they are able to transfer the malware to a large proportion of victims in a single attack; this highly promotes the hackers’ illicit money making schemes. The research establishes that Apple’s spokesman Bill Evans has declined to comment on the recent attacks, perhaps due to the implications of the incidence to the future strategic direction of the company. The sudden realization that the company was not hacker resistant anymore could potentially ruin the company’s prospects in the future because then it has lost one of its competitive advantages in the industry. It is understood that computers that use Apple Inc’s Mac OS X operating systems are equally vulnerable to hackers, just like the computers operating on Microsoft Corp’s windows operating system. The second article â€Å"Exclusive: Hacked companies still not telling investors† is by Joseph Menn, and

Regional Economic Cooperation Essay Example for Free

Regional Economic Cooperation Essay One of the most important developments in the world trade system in the 1990s has been the emergence of regional cooperation. The end of the Cold War reduced political tensions between countries in Asia as well as globalizing production processes and increasing vertical integration. Cities like Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore have been lifting their populations out of poverty in part through cooperative arrangements with neighboring countries. Transnational economic zones have utilized the different endowments of the various countries of East Asia, exploiting cooperative trade and development opportunities. Transfer of technology and manufacturing between nations has allowed them to develop sequentially. Information technology has improved linkages between economies and put remote regions in contact with the world. The private sector provides capital for investment; the public sector provides infrastructure, fiscal incentives, and the administrative framework to attract industry. Regional cooperation is now considered the means of enhancing economic development and providing economic security within the regions. Trade among ASEAN members accounted for more than 23% of all trade by member nations in 1994, topping that of any of the groups major trading partners. Singapore has concentrated on becoming the technology center for Southeast Asia, sending labor-intensive operations to low-cost neighboring countries like Malaysia and Indonesia in special mutual cooperative trade and development arrangements known as growth triangles or growth polygons. The Southern Growth Triangle, also known as SIJORI (Singapore, the Johore state of Malaysia, and Riau Province of Indonesia), was formed in 1989 and covers a population of about 6 million people. It attracted $10 billion in private sector investments during its first five years. Such regional economic cooperation has occurred in other Asian regions as well, spurring economic development. Growth triangles are expected to be a continued driving force for growth in Asian economies throughout the 1990s. Four growth triangles have been established since 1989, involving parts of 11 countries. There are currently eight growth polygons in East and Southeast Asia, with additional triangles being planned. For example, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and Chinas Yunnan Province have been discussing ways to develop the Mekong area since 1992. Regional cooperation provides a competitive model to attract investment and technology. According to the secretary general of ASEAN, Ajit Singh, These growth areas will have to be flexible to change where necessary, innovative, and always attentive to the needs of the investors and the businessmen. They also have to be aware that they are competing with much larger countries such as China and India, whose capacities for attracting investors are much greater than their own (Kruger 1996, 17). Asian capital markets are now watching the global economy, and large companies recognize their need to be involved in this fastest growing region in the world. The growth triangles typically group remote regions of the nations involved in an effort to exploit complementary assets within the groupings. For example, the Tumen Delta triangle integrates the capital and technology of Japan and the Republic of Korea with the natural resources of Russia and North Korea (i. e. , the Peoples Democratic Republic of Korea) and the labor and agricultural resources of China. The governments of Brunei, East and West Kalimantan, and North Sulawesi of Indonesia; Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan in Malaysia; and Mindanao and Palawan in the Philippines have given priority to expanding air and shipping routes within the East ASEAN Growth Area, another polygon. Where all parts of the polygon are at similar levels of development, growth is expected to be slower. Singapore has provided capital and technology for developments in Malaysia to support SIJORI. Thailand is expected to provide capital and experience in developing the Mekong polygon. It will encompass a population of over 400 million people offering low wages, rents, and land costs. The Southern China Growth Triangle The Southern China Growth area comprises Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the southern provinces of China (Thant et al. 1994). Because China lags behind Taiwan and Hong Kong considerably in economic development and has a very large population, growth in this triangle has enormous potential. Establishment of this triangle was spurred by market forces and private sector initiatives rather than by policy coordination among the countries. However, government policies have supported the economic links that were instituted. The PRCs economic reforms and open door policy initiated in 1978 laid the foundation for economic success in Guangdong and Fujian provinces. Establishment of Chinas first Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in 1980 provided for tax concessions, expanded land use rights, and simplified procedures for foreign investment. Policies for land use, finance, and trade were designed to reduce transaction costs and to provide greater access to the domestic as well as the world market. Policies formulated within the SEZs themselves have been even more liberal than those in other parts of the triangle. For China, the triangle has provided exports, foreign exchange, and employment as well as access to the larger global economy. Rapid economic growth and higher incomes have occurred in Guangdong and Fujian Provinces with materials and components from Taiwans manufacturing sectors and the support of Hong Kongs advanced services sector. Geographical proximity and common language are the most compelling factors for capital to move across the border from Hong Kong into Guangdong Province, or for investment to flow across the Formosa Strait from Taiwan to Fujian Province. Cantonese is a Chinese dialect spoken in both Hong Kong and Guangdong, while Fujianese is spoken in both Taiwan and Fujian. For Hong Kong and Taipei, the triangle has provided a means of implementing structural changes in manufacturing and export patterns at minimal cost. In spite of recent political posturing on the part of China, economic planners in Hong Kong and Taiwan are optimistic that economic logic will continue to drive regional integration. Low-Cost Sourcing As Japanese and U. S firms seek to reduce the cost of their latest innovations, they are outsourcing production to low-cost contract manufacturers. China has a growing number of low-cost parts and components suppliers. With a minimum of overhead and a large pool of low-cost labor in China, there is a growing list of high-quality vendors in China. The continuing miniaturization of products has lead to joint ventures with companies from Japan, the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other Asian countries. The success of these firms is dependent upon providing competitive value in a timely manner. Low-cost board assembly operations in China utilize the latest SMT equipment required by new computer and telecommunications products. Capital intensity will increase as IC packaging and SMT assembly operations are installed. In the 1980s, Korea and Taiwan provided the first step in the cost reduction chain by providing the most advanced process capabilities. Singapore and Malaysia became additional sources for contract manufacturing with the establishment of global vendors like SCI and Solectron. Today, further cost reduction is possible by moving production to lower cost regions like China and the Philippines. Wongs Electronics in Hong Kong provides a three-step process for cost reduction that includes low-cost labor, low-cost sourcing, and low-cost production designs. Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, and China are considered the home of lowest-cost manufacturing competitors in the electronics industry today. They offer limited component technology or product design skills, but provide many low-cost suppliers of generic, low-technology components. Since low-cost manufacturing countries generally lack the technologies required to become industry leaders, they must follow the technology trends as quickly as possible. OEM competitors from Taiwan and Singapore are being forced to open branch plants in China or other Southeast Asian countries to produce the most labor-intensive, cost-driven products.

Philosophy and Socrates Essay Example for Free

Philosophy and Socrates Essay SOCRATES THE PHILOSOPHER Socrates is a noteworthy and important historical figure as a philosopher, because of his and his pupils influence on the development of the philosophical world. His teachings, famous arguments, and ideas began the outgrowth of all later western philosophies. Born in 469 BC just outside of Athens, Socrates was brought up properly, and thoroughly educated. He was raised as most Athenians; developing both physical and mental strengths. Socrates then went on to learn from Archelaus the philosopher. Here he studied astronomy, mathematics, and was introduced to philosophy, which was a new concept at the time. Archelaus taught of explanations for the world with a scientific approach. Socrates, however, turned away from this idea and created his own. He decided that instead of trying to understand the universe, a person should try to understand himself. To express his philosophy, Socrates spent his days in the marketplace of Athens, telling people of his ideas. His voice was heard, and he was soon declared to be the wisest of all men. Socrates was skilled in the art of arguing. He developed a method by which he would win every debate. His favorite hobby was going to the marketplace and debating philosophical issues with other men in front of an audience. The result of these debates was that Socrates embarrassed the wise men in front of the crowd. This caused many to dislike him. After being named the wisest man, Socrates attempted to prove that this was not true. He debated with many men in the streets. These debates are some of his most famous argument methods. He started the discussion by stating that he knew nothing. As a result of the debate, he was able to prove that although his opponents claimed that they were wise, they knew nothing either. Socrates concluded that he really was the wisest man because unlike the others, he knew that he knew nothing. Socrates had many ideas and philosophies concerning issues other than the knowledge of oneself. These included explanations of the universe, the belief in god, and lifes goals. Other, earlier philosophers, had many different interpretation for the makeup of the world. Some believed that it was made out of numbers, others thought that it was made of a single substance, or many different substances, while still conflicting philosophers theorized that everything was formed out of atoms, and even illusions. Socrates had his own, different ideas. He believed that the world was made of forms that are not within the reach of our senses, but only of our thoughts. This means, for example, that when we think of characteristics such as roundness, we only picture ideas of it like a ball or a wheel. Therefore, he assumed that we only understand specific things that participate in our lives. In his search for the inner truth of oneself, Socrates theorized the explanation to the question of what the goals of life are. He concluded that everyone tries to find the meaning of happiness and goodness in their existence. This is the purpose of life. However, true happiness comes in many forms and is disguised in a way that people spend their lives looking for goodness, but finding only the evil in which it is concealed. The only way to discover true happiness, goodness, and the right way, is to fully understand oneself. Socrates did not believe in the Greek gods or religion. He had his personal view of god. Socrates felt that there must be some form of divine power because everyone seemed to believe in some kind of god and religion. He also believed in a sort of immortality. He hypothesized that there was an afterlife. His explanation for it was that people who had achieved goodness in their lives knew where they were going afterwards, and that evil people tried to ignore the fact that immortality existed. He preached that the soul was a persons true being, and that our goodness in life reflected on the goodness of our souls. According to Socrates, each individual should try to make his soul as moral as possible so that it can be like god, which will allow the achievement of an afterlife. Debating in the marketplace of Athens was not Socrates only daily activity. He also taught his philosophies to a group of students in a small classroom. These students were much like disciples. They respected and followed in the philosophies of their teacher. Socrates most famous pupil, Plato, went on to become a great philosopher like his mentor. Socrates lived through and fought in the Peloponnesian War. After Athens defeat, the democracy was replaced by a tyranny. This did not bother Socrates much because his belief in government was a rather simple and apathetic one. He thought that no matter what kind of government subsists; it should be followed solely because a form of law and order must exist in a society to control it. One of the tyrannys leaders was a former pupil of Socrates and hated his teacher. He tried to make life harder for Socrates by banning the t eaching of philosophy in the streets. Socrates ignored him. In response to this, the tyrant tried to kill Socrates; but the tyranny was overthrown right on time to prevent this. A new democratic government came into power, the leader of which, Anytus, also hated Socrates because his son, who was the philosophers pupil, turned away from the familys business to become a philosopher. Anytus had Socrates arrested on charges of corrupting Athens young and turning them away from Paganism, the Greek religion involving a belief in many gods. Anytus announced the death penalty as a punishment for this crime. It was obviously an outrageous sentence for a crime that was not even committed. Socrates was brought before a jury and instead of using his debating skills to defend himself, he did nothing in his own defense because he was convinced that the entire trial was a joke. The jury voted on the death penalty. Now Socrates had a chance to appeal to the court. He was entitled to suggest forms of punishment other than death to satisfy his crime. Instead of proposing a reasonable penalty, Socrates suggested ridiculous ones which angered the jury; causing them to vote on the death penalty once again. Socrates did not seem to mind at all. He was sent to prison and lived their surrounded by his friends and disciples for his last few days. His life ended by drinking hemlock as his friends cried at his bedside. Only after this scandalous death, did all of Greece realize what they had done; that they had killed one of the greatest philosophers of all time. Socrates life achievements were vast. He introduced new ideas and theories into the philosophical world. His pupil, Plato, went on to influence all of the western worlds philosophical development. Socrates began the evolution of philosophy throughout the world. He took the first step toward advancing modern philosophy, as we know it. His theories and ideas were a whole new concept that helped progress the western philosophy through all of later history. In conclusion, Socrates historical importance is great, due to his extreme influence on the evolution of the worlds ideas of philosophy. Even though Socrates never made written records of his work, his finest and most successful pupil, Plato, recorded much of his teachers accomplishments and deeds. From these history has learned so much as to be able to advance and heighten its entire philosophical viewpoints; and until this day, learn from the ancient philosopher, Socrates. INTERVEIW WITH A PHILOSOPHER: Mark ? Socrates, you were raised and educated in many different fields, why did you decide to spend your life as a philosopher? Socrates ? It is true that I have been educated in the arts, literature, and gymnastics as a youth; but in my continuing education as you may already know, I was taught by Anaxagoras, the famous early philosopher. His theories were not ones with which I would agree; such as those stating that all things were made of tiny substances which contained a little of everything, that the sun was a hot rock, and that the moon was made of earth. For these teachings, he was banished from Athens. Nevertheless, he was a good teacher and allowed me to realize that my philosophies were going to be antiscientific and quite different from his. My following philosophical teacher was Archelaus, with whom I studied mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy. I knew that my opinions and theories were strong, I had performing and arguing skills, and my ideas would consist of principles rather than sciences. The simple lifestyle of the philosopher appeals to me. I enjoyed the unusual behaviors that I associated myself with. All that really interested me was the great mysteries of philosophy, and the questions of knowing oneself, which I devoted my life to learning and teaching. Mark ? Your teaching was remarkable and much can be learned from studying it even after your death; why is that you never bothered to record your works for later generations? Socrates ? Many have asked this before and for quite obvious reasons. Most other noteworthy historical figures did keep a record of their works ever since the invention of written language, yet not one of mine exists in writing. I do not exactly know the reason for this. Whether there are records of my work or not, does not matter. I will forever be remembered by my loyal pupils, the Athenian population, and the world. Furthermore, nothing I ever said was of too great importance. And to tell you the truth, I never really wanted to take the time to keep useless records. That nonsense did not concern me nearly as much as most of my other problems as a philosopher. I had to make money somehow, to support my wife and three sons. As you might have guessed, being a philosopher does not exactly bring you riches. One of the reasons I began teaching was to make money. Also, I had to deal with many peoples constant hatred of me, mainly due to my victories in debates against them. Some, with high political positions, even wanted me dead at points of my life. And one even succeeded. So, you see, no matter how simple and easy going my life may seem, there are quite a few difficulties attached to it. Mark ? Your trial and death are quite interesting and famous historical events. They have been interpreted by many and confused some; what caused you to make such drastic and unusual decisions, the consequence of which you knew forehand? Socrates ? This I am aware of. As a matter of fact, some even claim that I was mentally ill, and blame that as the cause for my actions. This of course I deny. The truth includes a mixture between my philosophical beliefs and the thoughts that have occurred to me during my last days. I always believed that there is an after-life. And that must have somehow influenced my decisions. Even though the religious part of this came to me only afterwards. At first many others and I thought that this ridiculous trial was an obvious hoax. Who would have thought that such a crime, which I was evidently not guilty of, be punished by the death penalty. I fooled with the court. They on the other hand were quite serious about it. In the last days, I realized that there was no way out. True I could have argued with the court and won. I could have escaped using the plan devised by my dear friends. But since there was a high-ranking leader who wanted me dead, it was going to happen no matter what. Furthermore, my governmental beliefs stand true in all situations; the law should be followed and that is all. There was not much I was willing to do. After some thinking, I decided to go along with the law, after all, I had lived a happy life. One that I was proud of living, no matter how unusual it may appear to others. I was an old man of seventy. I found and understood myself, and had achieved happiness and goodness. There was nothing more that I desired. I knew what was waiting for me after death and was ready for it. Word Count: 2066.

Environmental Geochemistry of Gold

Environmental Geochemistry of Gold INTRODUCTION Gold is a chemical element with the symbol (Au) and atomic number 79. In its pure state, it is a bright, moderately reddish yellow, dense, soft malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a density of 19,300kg/m3, though native gold typically has a density of 15,00kg/m3 (Marsden et al 2006). Because gold is inert at ambient temperature and pressure, there are very few naturally occurring compounds of the metal. The purity of gold (sometimes referred to as fitness) is expressed in karats. Pure gold is 24 karat (Boyle 1987). Gold is one of the native earth metals that is of very high value in our world today. The current price of gold per Ounce is approximately 1220usd (GFMS, Thomson Reuters, 2016). Gold plays a vital role in the economic development of a country. Gold, the noblest of metals, has been used by man for more than 5000 years (Nelson et al, 2014). Its malleability, softness and resistance to tarnish, led to its earliest uses in art and currency. It is the metal choice for jewellery. Some of the countries where gold is mined are South Africa, USA, Canada, China, Australia, Indonesia, Peru, Russia etc. The average concentration of gold in the earths crust is 0.005 g/t, which is much lower than most other metals, for example, copper (50% g/t) and silver (0.07 g/t)(Boyle, R. W.1979). Gold is commonly associated with other metals like iron, lead, zinc, copper and silver. Minerals most associated with gold are pyrite, marcasite and pyrrhotiteetc. Gold is the most noble of metals, and its geochemistry is conditioned principally by this fact Minor concentrations of gold occurs in most natural substances. In seawater, for example, there is approximately 0.012 parts per billion (ppb) of gold, and in fresh water it is slightly higher at 0.02ppb (Boyle, R. W.1979). Its average concentration in the earths crust or lithosphere is approximately 5ppb, and in sedimentary rocks it may have concentrations of up to 2100ppb or 2.1 parts per million (ppm). At these concentrations 20 or 30 tons of rock must be processed to extract a single ounce of precious gold. As a result, gold can only be mined profitably where it is highly concentrated by natural chemical and physical processes. Gold occurs in many different rock types and geological environments and economic deposits are main ly of two types: lode deposits (primary) and placer deposits (secondary)(BGS 2010). Gold is extracted by open cast or underground mining method, which depends on the geological settings of a deposit. Gold in its raw state is displayed in the diagrams below. PROPERTIES OF GOLD      Ã‚   Physical Properties Gold is both ductile and malleable. Ductile meaning it can be drawn into wire forms. Malleable meaning capable of being hammered into thin sheets. Gold is quite soft. It can be scratched by a penny. Its melting point is 1,064. 760C (1,948.570F) and its boiling point is about 2,7000C (4,9000F). Its density is 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter. Gold leaf is translucent and the transmitted light is greenish blue colour gold metal reflects yellow and red, leaving the greenish colour (Boyle R. W. 1979). Chemical Properties Gold is known to be a noble metal. It is chemically inactive. This is because it is highly resistance to react with other elements. The oxidation state of gold ranges from -1 to +5. The +1 and +3 (Au (I) AND Au (III)) are the most common oxidation state of gold. It is resistant to the effect of most acids and therefore does not corrode easily. Apart from acids, gold does not combine directly with oxygen). Gold has one stable isotope, 197 Au. Aqua regia, a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids, has the ability to dissolve gold (Young and Derek, 2009). USES OF GOLD Gold has been used to make jewellery and ornamental objects for thousands of years. Gold nuggets found in a stream are easy to work and were probably one of the first metals used by humans. Today most gold that is newly recycled is used in the manufacture of jewellery. About 78% of gold consumed each year is used in the manufacture of jewellery. Special properties of gold make it good suitable for manufacturing of jewellery. These include very high lustre and its yellow colour. Pure gold is known as 24 karat gold. Pure gold is too soft, craftsmen learned that alloying gold with other metals such as copper, silver and platinum increase its durability. Gold is also used for medical purposes, to treat small number of medical conditions. Radioactive gold is used in diagnosis. Gold as an extraordinary ductile and malleable metal, it is still cosmic demand in jewellery, medical applications, because of its unique physical and chemical properties (Spitzer and Rodnei, 2004). According to (Renner et al. 2000), gold and its alloys are used for conductor material and low-voltage contacts for communication and information transfer equipment, where even very thin oxide layers would cause interruptions or failures in signal transfer. Below are the examples of processed gold. EXTRACTION OF GOLD Gold panning, sluicing and mercury processes have been extensively used in placer mining to recover gold from primary sources. The primary sources of gold are alluvial gravel and auriferous quartz. Gold extraction may require comminution, mineral resources, pyro-metallurgical and hydrometallurgical process to be performed on the ore. Mechanical separation, pyro-metallurgical, hydrometallurgical and bio-hydrometallurgical technologies have been extensively used to recover gold from secondary sources (Fleming, 1992). Mining gold from year to year is always an increase, in which the more developed, ranging from mining system that uses simple system to a more modern processing system. Gold mining was first carried out in alluvial areas. Processing system is also very simple to do that is by panning using a tray, which then developed with gold mining wave table, and followed by gravity separation method using the amalgamation process with the capture of mercury. GOLD PROCESSING After the extraction of gold from its ore, it is further passed through comminution (crushing / milling). This comminution process is divided into stages: Refractory ore processing, crushing and milling. Once the size of the ore is reduced, the process is then performed by separating the mineral concentration process gold from mineral impurities, consisting of several kinds of processing techniques: process gravity concentration, amalgamation process, flotation process, leaching process. From the stage of the process, will then be obtained concentrate processing ores containing various metals. And the concentrate will be processed in order to obtain the value of gold in high purity chemical process. And a few stages of the treatment process through a process: smelting, parting and aqua regia. After the treatment of the processed gold by the above processes, it is finally made into different forms, for example gold bars, jewelries, gold equipment etc. Below is a flow chart showing the processing of gold. GOLD DISCARDING Recent research has proven Gold and other precious metals for example silver, palladium and platinum are discarded mostly through e-waste in our environments today. (Husman, 2004) revealed that in mobile phones, three quarter of the environmental impacts result from gold and palladium content. According to (Husman et al, 2007). Gold accounts for 16% of the total environmental weight of materials contained in waste IT and telecommunication equipment (excluding monitors). UNEP (2005) reported that 20 to 50 million tonnes of small waste electrical and electronic equipment (sWEEE) are generated worldwide every year. Report shows that these discarded metals are being recycled and reused. GOLD WASTE AND POLLUTION As gold is being extracted from mines, gold waste are concentrated in the rock piles, tailings and waste rocks. The waste from gold mines constitutes the largest single source of waste and pollution. As at 1997, South Africa produced an estimated 468 million tons of mineral waste per annum (DWAF, 2001). Gold mining waste was estimated to account for 221 million tons of 47% of mineral waste produced in South Africa, making it the largest, single source of waste and pollution (DWAF, 2001). There are more than 270 tailings in the Witwatersrand Basin, covering approximately covering 400 km in surface area (AngloGold Ashanti, 2004). These dams are mostly unlined and many are not vegetated, providing a source of extensive dust, as well as soil and water (surface and groundwater) pollution (Anglo Gold Ashanti, 2004). Historically impoundment on land was the preferred option for tailings disposal. The environmental implication of this disposal option include contamination of streams and rivers by acid mine drainage (AMD), contamination of streams due to surface run off from the impoundment area, air and water contamination due to wind erosion of dried-out tailings. The exposure of sulphide bearing rock materials to oxygen and water produces Acid mine drainage. Mine waste problems are numerous, but the most difficult problem to handle is the acid mine drainage (AMD) that emanates from both surface and underground workings, waste and development rock, tailing piles and ponds (Durkin and Hermann, 1994). TOXICITY Gold mining has been reported to be a dangerous activity as the heavy metals, mainly Hg, Pb and As are released into the environment. There were studies based on the assessment of the above stated heavy metals and their presence in soil and water in Kenya, South Africa and other parts of Africa. These metals were selected because of their toxicity nature in similar mining environments. According to the United States Agency for Toxic substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR, 1999) Hg, Pb and As are in the top list of hazardous substances. As and Pb are major metals in gold sulphide deposits, where they occur as minerals mainly in arsenopyrite (FeAsS) and galena (PbS), respectively. Under natural conditions, they are relatively stable. However, gold extraction from its ore breaks down these minerals due to exposure to oxygen and water, thereby making it acidic. Mercury as a pollutant in mining is released during gold processing, when mercury is used to amalgamate gold so as to recover it from its ore. Cadmium is also another toxic metal, occupying position seven in the list of hazardous substances, generally occurring as an isometric trace element in sphalerite. It is estimated that about 1.32kg of Hg is lost for every 1kg of (Au) produced (Harada et al., 1997). As, Pb and Hg are all known as poisonous metals which when taken in by humans causes lots of diseases. GOLD STANDARDS Gold standard is referred to as monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. Three types of gold standard can be distinguished: specie, exchange, and bullion. Most nations abandoned the gold standard as the basis of their monetary systems at some point in the 20th century, although many hold substantial gold reserves. An estimated total of 174,100 tonnes of gold have been mined in human history, according to (GFMS Thomson Reuters, 2012). This is roughly equivalent to 5.6 billion troy ounces or, in terms of volume, about 9,261 cubic metres (327,000 cu ft), or cube 21 metres (69 ft) on a side. There are also other varying estimates of the total volume of gold mined. DISCUSSION Gold is defined as a chemical element with the symbol (Au) and atomic number 79. In its pure state, it is a bright, moderately reddish yellow, dense, soft malleable and ductile metal. Gold is one of the native earth metals that is of very high value in our world today. The current price of gold per Ounce is approximately 1220usd (GFMS, Thomson Reuters, 2016). It has different properties, which are physical and chemical properties. Physical properties which consist of the malleable and ductile nature of gold, density of gold and also its melting and boiling point. Chemical properties which is its resistance to corrosion and it is chemically inactive. Gold has been reported to be used for the production of jewelries, medals and monetary exchange. Gold can be recovered or extracted from primary source in placer mining by the use of panning, sluicing and mercury or cyanide amalgamation. In secondary sources the use of hydrometallurgy, pyrometallurgy and bio-hydrometallurgy has been applied to recover gold from ore. After the extraction of gold from its ore, its passed through crushing and and milling process. This is done so as to reduce the size before conducting other processes, which involves leaching, flotation, gravity concentration and amalgamation to separate the gold concentration from its impurities. And finally through a few stages of the treatment process which involves smelting, parting and aqua regia. The processed gold after the above treatment is then produced into various forms for example jewelries, medals etc. Discarded gold from e-waste and other sources is being recycled into new forms. Generally mine water waste, rock piles and tailings from mining has led to the pollution of our environment today. The most common problem concerned with mining is Acid mine drainage. (AMD), occurs when rock bearing sulphide materials are exposed to oxygen and water. The extraction of gold from its ore also causes the release of toxic substances for example lead, mercury, arsenic etc. These substances, when introduced into our environment and spread through water bodies, it causes adverse effect to humans health. Gold standard is known to be a monetary system, in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. Three types have been distinguished: specie, bullion and exchange. CONCLUSION Research has shown that gold is chemically inactive, which is because of its high resistance to react with other metals. It is proven that in its natural state, it occurs with other metals and minerals. The extraction of gold from its ore causes the exposure of this minerals and heavy metals in our environment. Heavy metals e.g. Lead (Pb), Arsenic (AS), Mercury (Hg). And sulphide minerals which are mostly common with ores, when exposed to oxygen and water produces Acid mine drainage (AMD). Mercury is introduced by humans in the extraction of gold to amalgamate with gold making it easier to recover from ore. These heavy metals are toxic substances, which when released into water bodies in our environment cause severe hazard to humans. REFERENCES 50.6 EXTRACTION OF GOLD AngloGold Ashanti ( 2004). Case studies. Woodlands Project- good progress being made with phytoremedation project. Environment- AngloGold Report to society. Department of Water and Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). (2001). Waste generation in South Africa. Water Quality Management Series. Pretoria. Boyle, R. W. (1987). Gold: History and Genesis of deposits. Canada Geol. Survey Bull 280. Durkin, TV and Hermann, JG. (1994). Focussing on the problems of Mining waste: an introduction to Acid Mine Drainage. EPA Seminar publication no. EPA/625/R-95/007. Managing environmental problems at inactive and Abandoned metal mine sites. Harada, M. (1997). Neurotoxicity of methylmercury: Minamata and the Amazon. Mineral and metal neurotoxicology, 177-188. Marsden, J., House, I. (2006). The chemistry of gold extraction. SME. Author, A.A.. (Year, Month Date of Publication). Article title. Retrieved from URL(Citing a website) Boyle, R. W. (1979). The geochemistry of gold and its deposits (together with a chapter on geochemical prospecting for the element) (No. 280). Unipub. Rapson, W. S. (1992). Mining, Extraction and Refining of Gold. Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, 17(3), 203-212. Eugene, W. W. L., Mujumdar, A. S. (2009). Gold Extraction and Recovery Processes. Minerals, Metals, and Materials Technology Centre, National University of Singapore. Delgado, C., Artim, E., Szezak, J., Stevels, A. (2007). Review of Directive 2002/96 on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). UNU, Bonn. Nelson, A. (2014). Michael Hamburger, John Rupp G188 16 June 2014 Gold in the West. Park, Y. J., Fray, D. J. (2009). Recovery of high purity precious metals from printed circuit boards. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 164(2), 1152-1158. UNEP, E. (2005). waste, the hidden side of IT equipments manufacturing and use E-waste, the hidden side of IT equipments manufacturing and use, Environment Alert Bulletin. Renner, H., Schlamp, G., Hollmann, D., Là ¼schow, H. M., Tews, P., Rothaut, J., Drieselmann, R. (2000). Gold, gold alloys, and gold compounds. Ullmanns Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Reuters, T. (2012). Gold Survey 2012. April 2012. London: Thomson Reuters GFMS. Spitzer, M., Bertazzoli, R. (2004). Selective electrochemical recovery of gold and silver from cyanide aqueous effluents using titanium and vitreous carbon cathodes. Hydrometallurgy, 74(3), 233-242. Schultz, J., El-Kretsen, A. B., Huisman, J. (2004). QWERTY and Eco-Efficiency analysis on cellular phone treatment in Sweden. http://www.miningeducation.com/2011/12/processing-flow-chart-of-gold.html http://www.vosizneias.com/211793/2015/08/09/colorado-gold-mine-toxic-wastewater-spill-triples-in-volume-to-3-million-gallons/ http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/rivers-of-gold-in-our-recycling-bins/2007/04/15/1176575687671.html Figure 5. Simplified gold processing flow chart (after Processing flow chart of gold, 2011)

Analysis of Cyrano de Bergerac as a Romantic Work Essay examples -- Cy

Analysis of Cyrano de Bergerac as a Romantic Work  Ã‚   Appeal to emotions, individualism, and intellectual achievement were three important elements of Romanticism. This essay will explore the degree to which Cyrano de Bergerac exemplifies these elements of Romanticism. First and foremost is the appeal to emotions. All of the other facets of romanticism can be related to the emotional appeal in Cyrano de Bergerac. Because strong emotional appeal is perhaps the most important method used by the author to create identity with the reader, especially in romantic works, the actions which elicit the emotional responses must, then, show a great deal about the character. The character's motives and philosophies can be determined through his actions. Because Cyrano de Bergerac was written in the romantic style, certain intellectual and emotional principles exist throughout the play, which will now be observed in depth. The overall feeling which one procures after reading Cyrano de Bergerac is a kind of nostalgic sadness. Because the first half of the play is very up-beat, very elated in style, the rather grim ending is that much more bitter. As the play opens, there is much merrymaking and festivity in preparation for the play. The sheer happiness of all of the colorful characters is transferred to the reader almost instantly. The mood is portrayed very well as being light and bubbly, an overall good feeling. The next major shift comes when Cyrano enters and, after riding himself of Montfleury, puts on the spectacle wherein he demonstrates not only his impeccable verbal dexterity, but also his fencing abilities - and both at the same time. This whole scene causes a strong reaction from the audience, and in turn, the re... ...ls of the romantic revolution, the nobility of spirit and individuality must be preserved, and intellect, whether you had it or not, was part of this, because part of being individual was coming up with some of your own ideas, possessing uniqueness of thought. Once again, this evokes a certain emotional response from the person who interprets this pseudo intellectualism, and the feeling the reader has about it is an integral part in the establishment of an identity with the characters. In conclusion, it has been shown that the primary vehicle for the expression of an authors ideas and concepts about a character is the emotional response which is depicted by the characters actions. In romantic works, because of the importance that emotion played in the romantic revolution, the appeal to emotions is the distinct and definitive factor of a good romantic play.    Analysis of Cyrano de Bergerac as a Romantic Work Essay examples -- Cy Analysis of Cyrano de Bergerac as a Romantic Work  Ã‚   Appeal to emotions, individualism, and intellectual achievement were three important elements of Romanticism. This essay will explore the degree to which Cyrano de Bergerac exemplifies these elements of Romanticism. First and foremost is the appeal to emotions. All of the other facets of romanticism can be related to the emotional appeal in Cyrano de Bergerac. Because strong emotional appeal is perhaps the most important method used by the author to create identity with the reader, especially in romantic works, the actions which elicit the emotional responses must, then, show a great deal about the character. The character's motives and philosophies can be determined through his actions. Because Cyrano de Bergerac was written in the romantic style, certain intellectual and emotional principles exist throughout the play, which will now be observed in depth. The overall feeling which one procures after reading Cyrano de Bergerac is a kind of nostalgic sadness. Because the first half of the play is very up-beat, very elated in style, the rather grim ending is that much more bitter. As the play opens, there is much merrymaking and festivity in preparation for the play. The sheer happiness of all of the colorful characters is transferred to the reader almost instantly. The mood is portrayed very well as being light and bubbly, an overall good feeling. The next major shift comes when Cyrano enters and, after riding himself of Montfleury, puts on the spectacle wherein he demonstrates not only his impeccable verbal dexterity, but also his fencing abilities - and both at the same time. This whole scene causes a strong reaction from the audience, and in turn, the re... ...ls of the romantic revolution, the nobility of spirit and individuality must be preserved, and intellect, whether you had it or not, was part of this, because part of being individual was coming up with some of your own ideas, possessing uniqueness of thought. Once again, this evokes a certain emotional response from the person who interprets this pseudo intellectualism, and the feeling the reader has about it is an integral part in the establishment of an identity with the characters. In conclusion, it has been shown that the primary vehicle for the expression of an authors ideas and concepts about a character is the emotional response which is depicted by the characters actions. In romantic works, because of the importance that emotion played in the romantic revolution, the appeal to emotions is the distinct and definitive factor of a good romantic play.   

An Interpretation of E.E. Cummings Anyone Lived in a Pretty How Town E

An Interpretation of E.E. Cummings' Anyone Lived in a Pretty How Town E.E. Cummings (1894-1962) is an American Poet whose works are some of the harder ones to understand. That's what Cummings is known for, his typography, language, punctuation, and his use of capital letters to give words special meanings. It has been stated that he has his own language known as Cummingsian. Cummings has done a lot of experimentation with language along with other poets during the Modernist era. Not only was Cummings an artistic writer and poet but he was an accomplished painter as well. Born in Cambridge Massachusetts, Cummings was a graduate of Harvard (1915) and was a volunteer ambulance driver in WWI. The French made him a prisoner of war and placed him in a detention camp for six months. This experience inspired his book "The Enormous Room," which was considered one of the finest books written on WWI. Before I go right into the analysis of the poem "anyone lived in a pretty how town" by Cummings, I felt it important to have a brief history about him. Not just history of him as a pers...

Evaluation of Sociological Theories Essay -- Papers Sociology Deviance

Evaluation of Sociological Theories Deviance can be described as: "Nonconformity with existing/traditional social norms. This nonconformity is often said to be pathological when it challenges power and privilege; yet it is said to be indicative of innovation or creativity when the gatekeepers of morality approve it. A loaded term, deviancy is a negative asset when the environment is stable but can be a positive asset to a society when the environment is irreversibly changing." Each perspective asks different questions and focuses on different issues regarding crime and deviance. They have different ideas about the causes of crime. Subcultural theories on crime and deviance were developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s from the works of Albert Cohen(1955) and Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin(1960). They suggested that people react to forces 'external' to them, this leads them to behave in certain ways. Their behaviour is determined by social causes. Criminals behave differently from non-criminals. Subcultural theorists have attempted to seek the causes of these differences, they claim to have identified malfunctions in the social order. These malfunctions are seen to be rectifiable by different types of social engineering e.g. Social reform, social welfare and education. Crimes are 'social facts' and therefore must have 'social causes'. Criminals are not seen as 'abnormal' individuals by subcultural theorists, but as social actors influenced by social causes. Statistics have indicated that criminals are mostly male, adolescent, working class and urban living. An idea inspired by Durkhiem (1952) suggested that this is a 'socia... ...s as it gives evidence to support their idea that working class people commit more crimes than middle class males. On the other hand, criminal statistics was challenged by left realists who believe that criminal statistics is the reality and therefore we should accept it, along with the solutions to attempt to solve the problems to tackle the high levels of crime. Marxist approach in explaining deviant behaviour is only reliable to some extent. Along with the contradictions from other perspectives, it shows that improvements can be added to their ideas. Marxists mainly concentrated on the class distribution and stress that they the ruling class control the norms and values of the society. It will not be classed as deviant unless the bourgeoisie say so and they will not say so unless a working class person commits it.

Individual Assignment: Vulnerable Population Article Essay

Based on my understanding of what I have read over the past week, I would define a vulnerable population as any individual or group of people with a decreased capacity to communicate effectively in a given setting. The term vulnerable populations is be defined as â€Å"people with questionable capacity.† It is further stated that, â€Å"children, comatose patients, fetuses, prisoners, or mentally ill patients, among others† are considered vulnerable populations (Miracle, 2010). As a clinical research nurse, it is my responsibility to ensure that all of my patients (or subjects) submit a signed and dated informed consent (IC) form prior to enrollment in a study. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that all clinical trials or study sponsors (pharmaceutical manufacturer of the study drug) maintain proof of IC for each subject, in every trial, without exception in their respective trial master file (TMF). Potential barriers for participants in clinical research studies might be patients or subjects who are uneducated, and or, patients who are not able to assure his or her health care provider that they fully understand information that is provided, and IC may not be obtained. The NIH defines consent capacity as an â€Å"adult’s ability to understand information relevant to making an informed, voluntary decision to participate in research.† This information includes a description of the study, its potential risks and benefits, the right to give voluntary consent, the right to withdraw from the study, anonymity, confidentiality, and ways to lessen any risks. However, many people do not understand these components of an informed consent for a variety of reasons. These include people with â€Å"mental disorders, neurological disorders such as stroke or dementia, metabolic impairment, psychoactive medications, substance abuse, and head trauma.† Others who may be unable to provide consent include children, fetuses, prisoners, the terminally ill, and pregnant women (Miracle, 2010). Most of my experience with vulnerable groups, while working as a clinical research nurse, has been with young women who became during the study period, after IC was obtained. Generally speaking, pregnancy should be avoided at all costs during participation in a clinical trial in which a woman is ingesting a study drug. Depending on study design or how a study’s protocol is written, it may require that the women participants not get pregnant for a specified period after study drug is completed, in order to avoid harm to the woman and her unborn fetus. When a patient becomes pregnant during the study drug period or within the specified period after study drug completion, the study sponsor) is required to report this as an adverse event (any untoward and/or unexpected event during the clinical trial that could potentially harm the patient). The patient must then be followed by her trial physician throughout her pregnancy, and through the baby’s first year of life, to ensure the health of both mom and baby for one year after study completion. If any complications arise, the sponsor is responsible for all necessary care. Reference Miracle, V. A. (2010). Vulnerable Populations in Research. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing , 242-245.

LeBron James ‘I’m Coming Home’ Analysis Essay

LeBron James uses specific strategies, especially Pathos, to achieve his purpose of explaining his decisions in the past years of his basketball career. His choice of language appeals to the emotions of his fans and basketball spectators as a whole as he attempts to win back the trust and respect of his hometown fans. He does this in paragraph one, for example, by emphasizing that Ohio is his home, and that it is always going to have a place in his heart and motivate him to succeed. He uses repetition to get his point across when he states, â€Å"It’s where I walked. It’s where I ran. It’s where I cried. It’s where I bled.† This places an effect on his audience in which they accept James as one of their own, for it shows his special relationship with his city. It seems to, subtly, tell the story of an average boy growing up in a small town and instills the image into his audiences’ minds that Ohio raised him and that the people there are fami ly. LeBron assures his audience that he has matured and that he has finally realized that his â€Å"relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball.† He speaks of his actions as a learning experience, and compares it to â€Å"college for other kids.† James uses ethos here to give credibility to his choices. This ensures his Cleveland fans that his past decisions were not disrespectful as they originally thought, but actually imperative to his growth as a basketball superstar. In addition, James decides to solidify the fact that he loved what he did in Miami with his teammates on the Miami Heat, and that that is something he will cherish as he moves on to the next stages of his career. His diction, which includes, â€Å"We are brothers for life† shows the respect he has acquired for his team in Miami. This shows his sincerity in his approach to the situation. Also, James decides to mention his family. He specifically mentions that when his agency ended in Miami, he would not go anywhere but Cleveland in order to be able to raise his family in his hometown. Once again, James achieves his goal of gaining the trust of his fans by stressing that Ohio is his home. He specifically includes his family to prove his loyalty to Cleveland fans and Ohio as his home state. James uses repetition again towards the end of his essay when he says his calling to Cleveland â€Å"goes above basketball.† He wants not only  to reaffirm his commitment to the team and fans, but to the city as a whole. He discusses his care for the community and his responsibility in making Ohio a great place to grow up. The concluding paragraph brings all of his points together when it states that James is â€Å"ready to accept the challenge,† and most importantly, that he is â€Å"coming home.† His goal of appealing to his Cleveland fans’ emotions s ucceeded as he ensured them that they are his motivation, and that playing in their city makes him happy.

Medicalization Essay

Medicalization describes a process by which a non-medical problem becomes defined and treated as a medical problem, usually in terms of illness and disorders. Medicalization used to be focused on deviance, now it focuses on a range of human problems. Medicalization is increasing as technology advances. There are many things that have become medicalized such as Alcoholism, mental disorders, eating disorders, sexual dysfunction, etc. There are three degrees of medicalization. 1. Fully medicalized, example would be severe mental illness. 2.  Partly medicalized, example would be menopause. 3. Minimally medicalized, example would be sexual addiction. The factors that affect the degrees are the support of medical profession, available treatment, and medical insurance. In the end medicalization has increased the profitability and markets of pharmaceutical and biotechnological firms. Many factors have contributed to the rise of medicalization. For instance the loss in religious, the increase of faith in science, rationality, progress, increased prestige and the power of the medical profession. The medical profession and the expansion of medical jurisdiction were prime movers for medicalization. Medicalization has also occurred through social movements. Doctors are not the only ones involved in medicalization now, patients are active collaborators in the medicalization of their problem. The Vietnam veteran movement medicalized PTSD; AIDS treatment was done by the gay and lesbian movement, and PSM with the woman’s movement. There are both positive and negative consequences to medicalization. With everything being medicalized, some people have a better chance functioning well in society. If they are really shy, they will be diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder, and will be medicated to interact efficiently in society. People are no longer depressed, disoriented because of medical intervention, for example, menopause and anorexia. It can really improve the self-esteem of some individuals. Those were some of the positive consequences of medicalization. There are a few negative consequences as well. For instance, medicalization transforms human differences into pathologies. Example, a child with a different learning size will be accused of having a learning disability or having ADHD. By transforming all of these differences into pathologies, it will diminish our tolerance for and appreciation of the diversity of human life. Eventually every person will be labeled as sick. In the Dr. Jarvik article, the speaker demonstrates how old age is being medicalized. It isn’t acceptable to age, because one should stay young. Medicalization has brainwashed people into thinking that somethings aren’t normal when really they are. As people age they are pushed to take all of these medications to stay young and feel good, when it should be socially acceptable to age. A good example of a way medicalization has been resisted would be demedicalization. Gays have changed the definition of homosexuality from illness to lifestyle. Same thing with masturbation, it used to be considered an illness, now its something natural that most people do. These examples contradict medicalization since they have been demedicalized. Disabilities went from medical problem to societal problem. Childbirth used to have been done in a hospital under drugs. Now woman have many options on how they would like to give birth. Parents have refused to give children medication for their ADHD because they belive it wont benefit them. One example from the article would be the â€Å"ana is my friend† website that they mentioned. It is a website that helps anorexic people learn to live an anorexic lifestyle. They don’t promote it they just help anorexics adjust. In the end, Medicalization plays a huge role in todays society. It will keep on expanding from here, and along will come its consequences.

Progressive Era and Gilded Age Essay

In Walter Nugent’s book Progressivism: A Very Short Introduction, he claims Progressivism emerged as a response to the Gilded Age, an unfortunate era that left the average working Americans poor while a new class of wealthier people started to rise. Nugent explains to us the breakdown of Progressivism and what occurred when it struck our nation. Progressivism began to come together in the end of the 1800s due to the ills of American Society that had developed during the great spurt of industrial growth. It shaped and progressed from 1900 to 1917 and finally started to disappear from 1917 to the early 1920s. Nugent claims Progressivism emerged as a response to the Gilded Age, an unfortunate era that left the average working Americans poor while a new class of wealthier people started to rise. For once, Americans sensed change in their society. Some change for the good but most of it for the worse. Nugent talks about how cities began growing up faster than the blink of an eye. The railroad companies started to turn into monopolies. Unfortunately, more problems started to rise in America other than this one. The rich became wealthier and the poor became poorer. The nation had also previously faced a serious recession from 1893-1896, and recovery did not actually really begin until 1897. Other factors that occurred during the progressive era: prostitution and alcohol abuse, the great railroad strike of 1877, and the Homestead Strike. The main progressive leaders, such as, Theodore Roosevelt, William Jennings Bryan, and Woodrow Wilson stepped in to make a difference. Theodore Roosevelt claimed he backed up the middle class and showed no mercy toward monopolies. Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson accomplished many things such as: the 16th amendment which modified the structure of taxation, demolishing the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to dissolve trust so the railroads would not create a complete monopoly in the North West part of the country, the 18th amendment which banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol, and the passing of the Woman’s Suffrage Act in 1920 which allowed women to have larger roles in issues with our society. However, according to Nugent, reformers such as Jane Addams, W. E. B DuBois, and Booker T. Washington also had a huge impact on the Progressive Era as well. Addams founded settlement houses like the famous Hull House, where immigrants and the poor resided. The Hull- House also showed change could come without overthrowing the political and economic system. DuBois, head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), helped to reduce discrimination. Nugent later describes what occurred in America when Progressivism slowly started to die out. It considered to have ended with the outbreak of the First World War. The war left over 53,000 killed in combat while 63,000 died from other causes. A Flu pandemic also struck which killed roughly 600,000 Americans. In conclusion the progressive era had rough times. Although not everything turned out completely successful, it did put America in the position it needed to be in in order to achieve success.

Business Strategy Essay

For better understanding, this assignment has been organised in four sub- headings, they are as follows: the general overview of Porter’s Five Forces model; the importance or usefulness of Five Forces model; the criticisms and evaluation of Porter’s model; the recommendation and finally the conclusion. Overview of Porter’s model Johnson et al (2011) described Porter Five Forces as a strategic tool that helps identify the attractiveness of an industry in terms of five competitive forces: the threat of new entry, the threat of substitutes, the power of buyers, the power of suppliers and the extent of rivalry between competitors. Porter (1980) argues that this model is based on the insight that a good business strategy should meet the opportunities and threats in the organizations external environment. Particularly, competitive strategy should be based on an understanding of industry structures and the way they change. From the above explanation we can see that Porter’s Five Forces is a simple tool that supports strategic management in decision making through understanding where strength and weaknesses lie. Importance of Porter’s Five Forces The Porter’s Five Forces is a simple but powerful tool that supports strategic understanding where power lies in a business situation. It also helps to understand both the strength of the firm’s current competitive position, and strength of a position a company is looking to move to. †¢This model also emphasizes extended competition for value rather than just competition among existing rivals, and the simplicity of its application inspired numerous companies as well as business schools to adopt its uses as suggested by Wheelen and Hunger (1998). With clear understanding of where power lies, it will enable a company to take fair advantage of its strengths and improve on its weaknesses and off cause avoid taking wrong steps. Therefore to apply this planning tool efficiently, it is important to understand the situation and look at each of the forces individually. Criticisms and Evaluation of Five Forces Porters Five Forces is no doubt a powerful framework in determining the competitive nature of an industry. However it has been criticised by various commentators regarding its usefulness in today’s dynamic business environment. Although, Wheelen & Hunger (2002) recognised the five force they both thought that Stakeholders influence should have been included as the sixth force. This is because interest groups like the government, local communities, creditors, trade associations, special interest groups, unions and shareholders all have big influence on how the organisation operate. For instance, financial policies such as interest rates are being regulated by the government and may have a negative or positive effect on the organisation. Also as part of the stakeholders if creditors refuse to provide credit facilities for some firms could force them into liquidation. Porter’s model assumed that all businesses are competing against each other while in the actual sense some complement each to provide a better product, which are known as complementors. Complementors in this sense are businesses that provide complementary services to each other. These companies form strategic alliance to enhance the services that they provide either for the purpose of efficiency or cutting of cost. Example of this situation can be seen on iPods and headphones. Apple produced the iPod while Sony produces the headphone which Apple uses and same time Apple is competing with Sony on its brand of MP3 music player, in other words, each of these firm benefits from each other’s presence. Downes (1997) in his article â€Å"Beyond Porter† in the Context Magazine, suggested three new forces which he called; Digitalisation, Globalisation and Deregulation. Digitalization: He claims that organisations are now highly influenced by technological advancement, especially in information technology as well as retail organisations. Most firms no longer depend on high street sales rather online to boost their revenue. Some high street store also trying to play catch up with organisations like eBay and Amazon who have dominated the online. The introduction of credit cards by credit card organisations, loyalty cards by retail stores, all these new digital technologies allows companies to chase competitive advantage on a different level thereby creating new strategy to outweigh its competitors. Globalization: According to Downes (1997) days are gone when firms were only competing with their local rivals. Most organisations are now competing on international level by way of improved distribution channels, businesses can now buy and sell and on a global level. Customers, through the internet have the chance to shop around and compare prices globally. Even most medium size companies find themselves in an international market, even if they do not have branches overseas. Based on these facts it is not enough anymore for any business to position itself as a price-leader. Instead competitive advantages emerge now from the ability to develop long-term relationships to more mobile costumers and to manage extensive networks of customers and associates for mutual benefit. Deregulation: Industries like Communication, Railways, Airlines, now have different ways of competing against each other since firms are now in the hands of entrepreneurs’ unlike in the 1970 when most firms were in the hands of government. Deregulation creates more intense atmosphere for competition because every player in the industry wants to dominate the market. When compared to Porter’s Five Forces model, digitalization, globalization and deregulation have become more powerful forces in the last few decades, which Porter barely takes into consideration in his work. Today’s companies are highly influenced by technological progress, especially in information technology. Therefore, it is not advisable for any business to develop a strategy solely on the basis of Porters model. Shapiro and Varian (1998) claimed that economic laws do not change while technology do then went further to argue that Porter’s models are economic laws and rules that has been around for ages before his study but technology and information has moved and still moving and will continue to be a major force in competitive strategy. Presently, the level of information made available to businesses has intensified competition. For instance, firms can now gather so much information about their customers and how much they are willing to pay for the product. With customer’s shopping available to them they may choose to â€Å"lock them in† which would not have been possible many years ago when five forces was propounded. Despite the huge success of five forces in strategic management, this model did not give exact percentage of these forces to signal when the company is at risk, therefore the model on its own lacks enough information to actually guide decision makers. Although, still applicable in today’s dynamic business environment, it was advocated many years back when the business environment were not that competitive, for instant, when it was proposed it could be that a firm has only one supplier for its material which eliminated the possibility of strong competition among suppliers. This model from all indication assumed identifiable competitors, business partners, and customers who engage in more or less predictable ways. Kippenberger (1998), Haberberg & Rieple (2001) all suggested that it is not advisable to develop a strategy based on Five Forces model alone, it should be used in addition to other frameworks, thus SWOT and PESTEL analysis. This does not mean that Five Forces is invalid, but it is good to adopt a model knowing its merits and demerits. Rather than jump into a framework thinking it has solution to every situation. Recommendations Managers and decision makers in conducting analysis on Porter’s Five Forces should brainstorm on all relevant factors for the firm’s market situations and then check against the factors presented for each force. It will also be relevant to use positive sign to indicate forces that are in favour of the organisation and negative sign for forces strongly against the organisation in question. After identifying the favourable and unfavourable forces of the company’s performance and industry’s attractiveness, the manager should analyse the situation and examine the impact of these forces. Conclusion This assay has given a thorough account of Porter’s Five Forces by drawing attention to some of the criticisms of this model, which includes neglecting the all-powerful forces of Stakeholders, the emergent effects of digitalisation, globalisation and deregulation. Complementors and Collaborators as well as easy access to information were all overlooked by this framework. Through evaluation of this model, we also found that most organisations have managed to avoid the bargaining powers from either the supplier or distributors by way of backward or forward integration. This assignment acknowledged the usefulness of Porter’s model in strategic analyses even in today’s dynamic business environment but must not be used in isolation without considering other forces mentioned above. And finally organisations and decision makers should not assume that all their competitors and business partners are identifiable as suggested by this model.